ã€ŠThe Shen Path: First Breaths [Cultivation Fantasy, Slice of Life]ã€‹


 Foreword

    So, thank you very much for your interest in this little story of mine. It started out just as a fun little writing exercise and grew into a novel series as I explored its potential. It¡¯s been a blast to write and share, and I¡¯m glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it.

    You can skip this chapter if you just want to get to the meat of the story. This is just some author¡¯s notes talking about the series in general, so unless you want to read me rambling about the inspiration behind this story, there¡¯s really no point in not clicking next chapter.

    To start with, I fully admit that this story was largely inspired by Beware of Chicken, by CasualFarmer. BoC is a great story, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

    It was also partly inspired by A Thousand Li, by Tao Wong.

    That said, inspired by does not mean fanfiction. The world that this story takes place in is very much original, as is the magic system and the plot.

    For those of you who have never read Xanxia before, this story involves ¡°Cultivation,¡± which broadly speaking is a magic system that involves absorbing spiritual energy (Qi, ki, chi, or other terms are often used) into the body, which replaces weakness with strength. The effect that this has varies widely from story to story, but generally it starts with the characters becoming faster and stronger than normal, and eventually developing magical powers.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Anyway, the original vision I had for this story was very different than what you¡¯re (hopefully) about to read. Originally, the MC was a teenager who had been cultivating his entire life under his father, not realizing that he lived in a family of hidden masters. When the empire came to conscript the young men of his village for a war, his father revealed himself and said ¡°Go to the next village. The emperor has no power here.¡±

    And the officers of the army, shaken by the revelation that they¡¯d offended a hidden master, did exactly that, taking only the grain for their levy and none of the men that they were expecting.

    Except that the MC, who was surprised by the actions of the soldier but believed that his father¡¯s own actions were cowardly, secretly ran away and joined the army anyway. Only for his father to confront him and seal his cultivation so that he could only use his full power if he was facing a true master.

    Anyway, that¡¯s as far as I got with the original idea.

    This is not that story.

    This is the story of a little kid growing up with magical powers and slowly realizing that his family is more important than he thought it was.

    The style and perspective evolve as the MC ages, so keep that in mind if you think it''s overly simplistic to start.

    Hope you enjoy!

 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    Tan was five years old when he became a cultivator. Specifically, that was when he bound the spirit of the wind into his dantian, blending his physical body with the spiritual plane and becoming more than a mortal.

    Of course, he couldn¡¯t really claim credit. His father had done all the hard work.

    His father was the one who had captured the wind spirit, his father the one who had tamed it, his father the one who had carefully constructed the ritual that allowed Tan to bring it into his body. Most of this had been happening while Tan was completely unaware of what was going on. His father had left for a journey for two months before his fifth birthday. Missing his birthday party, even.

    But the stone that he had given Tan upon his return made up for it. It wasn¡¯t just a stone, his father told him, but a magic stone, and if he kept it on his body all of the time he would become a cultivator.

    So Tan had worn the stone around his neck for two months, and he had begun to hear whispers.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the voice had asked.

    ¡°I am Tan. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I do not know that I have a name,¡± the voice answered. ¡°I am ¡­ young and old, I think. I have had memories before but I do not remember them. My pact-mate must have died and took them to the other world with her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s sad when someone you know dies. My friend had a fever and died and I cried,¡± Tan told the voice. ¡°Can you play with me or are you stuck inside the stone?¡±

    ¡°I can play with you,¡± the voice answered, and a sudden wind blew in his face. ¡°Try to catch me!¡±

    And so Tan had spent hours chasing the wind.

    If he was being honest with himself, Tan had been a little disappointed that his father had missed his birthday and only given him a rock, but after the rock started talking to him he forgave his father and admitted that the present was a really good one. Maybe good enough to make up for missing his birthday, but don¡¯t do it again!

    His father had laughed and told him that eventually he wouldn¡¯t need the rock anymore. That eventually he would be the thing that the spirit was bonded to, rather than wearing it. He instructed Tan on how to make that happen.

    So every day, for between five minutes and twenty, sometimes two or three times a day, sometimes more, Tan would cultivate.

    For a five year old, he was very diligent.

    He would sit with his magic stone pressed against his belly and he would envision it giving off vapor, and he would envision that vapor being breathed into his body. Then he would envision it going from his lungs into his belly, right behind his belly button.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to become one with me?¡± the spirit had asked.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? I want to do magic, and you can give me magic, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°My former pact-mate had a difficult life. I do not remember the details, but she lamented her choice to become a cultivator,¡± the spirit informed him.

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t care if you make my life difficult as long as we can do magic together,¡± Tan assured the spirit.

    ¡°Are you really, really sure?¡± the spirit had asked.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m really really really sure,¡± Tan answered.

    ¡°Okay,¡± the spirit had said. ¡°Let me show you what you¡¯ve been doing wrong.¡±

    And suddenly, Tan didn¡¯t have to pretend that the stone was giving off vapor. He could see it. He could feel it. He quickly held the stone where his father had told him to hold it, he quickly inhaled the vapor, and he quickly envisioned it settling in his dantian, behind his belly button.

    It took a long time. Longer than any of his longest sessions that he had done so far. When his father realized what was happening he rushed over and began scratching symbols in the dirt around Tan and the stone. He carved a full formation within minutes with a simple hoe, and when the circle was complete he too sat and began meditating. Chanting.

    Suddenly there was even more of the vapor coming out of the stone, and it was even easier to inhale.

    ¡°Your father is a powerful man,¡± the spirit said. ¡°Maybe you will be too, when you grow up. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±

    Tan couldn¡¯t stop. He knew that this was his one chance to get magic for himself, and that if he failed the spirit might escape and run away. Either way it was coming out of the stone that day, and there was no way of stopping it anymore.

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    The vapor pooled around him. He didn¡¯t have to breathe it in anymore, it was drawn into his dantian all by itself. He kept trying to direct it, but suddenly he lost control and it squirted out of his belly along lines that he hadn¡¯t realized were there but had always been there.

    He collapsed and began crying as he was suddenly engulfed in pain. He began sweating profusely, and the sweat was black. His father observed for a moment, then broke the magic circle he had drawn with a simple hoe and picked up his oldest son, hugging him despite the impurities that were leaking from his body.

    ¡°Good job. The pain will pass,¡± his father had told him. ¡°It is weakness leaving your body. When there is none remaining, you will be a true cultivator.¡±

    The burning fever that followed was the worst that Tan had ever endured, but he endured it in his father¡¯s arms, and that made it alright. When finally it did pass, his father took him to the stream and they bathed together, as they often did, and washed away the black sweat that had gotten on both of them.

    Tan wanted to try out his magic right away, but as soon as his father had helped him dress again, he promptly fell asleep.

    He slept for three days, and when he awoke the world looked different. He could see the wind in a way that he hadn¡¯t been able to before. Like colored shapes in the air, constantly moving and swirling and mixing with each other.

    ¡°This is your magic now,¡± the spirit had said.

    ¡°How do I control it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ask your father.¡±

    Tan had run to the man and told him what he could see, and his father had laughed as he hoed the field.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re still a little too little to do anything too much with your power,¡± his father had told him. ¡°You¡¯ve bonded a spirit, but the spirit needs to be nurtured yet. So go up on that hill over there. I¡¯ve drawn you a circle. Sit in the middle of the circle and stare at the colors in the sky and will them into your lungs, and then into your dantian, just as you did with the spirit from the stone.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s magic?¡± Tan had asked.

    ¡°Its the first step to getting you strong enough for true magic,¡± the man had said. ¡°Once you can draw in all the color in the sky, then you¡¯ll be the strongest air cultivator in the world.¡±

    Tan had rushed to follow his father¡¯s instructions, but paused, turning back. ¡°Father, can you do magic?¡±

    ¡°Of course. But I¡¯m not aligned with the air,¡± his father said.

    ¡°What sort of magic do you do?¡±

    ¡°Earth magic,¡± the man had answered simply.

    ¡°Can I see?¡±

    ¡°Go to your hill and I¡¯ll show you,¡± his father promised.

    So Tan had run to the hill and found the circle cut into the ground ¨C probably by the same hoe that his father was wielding now ¨C and he sat on the mat that was placed for him. And he waited for his father to show him magic.

    The hill under him suddenly lurched and it shot up five feet. He gasped in surprise and then laughed. His father had been telling the truth, he really was an Earth cultivator!

    ¡°Practice your cultivation now,¡± his father called from the field. ¡°Do it as long as you can keep focus, and when you lose focus, go play with the other children.¡±

    Tan frowned, because they lived an hour¡¯s walk from the village. If he ran he might make it faster than that, but it was still a long journey for a boy of five years old. But he did not question his fathers instructions, and so he drew the colors in the sky into his dantian for twenty or thirty minutes ¨C it felt like hours ¨C and then he ran off to play with his friends.

    It was as he was running that he realized his body had changed. He was much, much faster than he had been before, and he did not grow winded. He did grow tired, but he never ran out of breath.

    He grinned, and as soon as he found where the village children were hiding, he challenged them all to a race. And he won.

    In the games that followed, it quickly became apparent that he was now as strong as a fifteen year old. When the other children had asked him what had happened, he had told them everything, and the village children had rushed to his father to beg their own magic stone to begin their journey of cultivation.

    The man had scratched his nose.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that there aren¡¯t enough spirits as mighty as the one I gave my own firstborn son to simply hand them out like they were candy,¡± his father had said. ¡°I hunted that spirit for two months and trapped it in the stone that I gave Tan. I¡¯m very fond of all of you children, but none of you are my firstborn son, and I am not willing to do that for each of you.¡±

    The village children had been dejected at this pronouncement, but the man mollified them as he continued.

    ¡°However, there are countless lesser spirits that you could bind to yourselves. If you are serious about it, then you must prove it to me. Give me the most valuable thing that you possess, and I will give you a spirit stone with a minor spirit, and I will teach you how to draw it into your body.¡±

    ¡°How much are they worth? My parents will gladly pay whatever you ask,¡± one of the older girls said.

    ¡°They are worth the most valuable thing that you possess,¡± the man had said. ¡°I do not care what your parents possess. I am not asking for them to make a sacrifice on your behalf. I want you to identify the most valuable thing that you yourself possess, and I want you to give it to me. And whatever it is, I will either break it or spend it or make it worthless. And I will give you in exchange a spiritual stone and teach you to draw the spirit into your body.¡±

    ¡°And then we¡¯ll be strong and fast like Tan?¡± one of the boys asked.

    ¡°Yes. Not as strong or as fast, but you will be cultivators and you will be able to draw from the power of the earth. Or you will find that you have wasted your time and will never be anything but a mortal. I cannot promise that you will become a cultivator with the spiritual stone that I give you. I can only promise to give you a spiritual stone and teach you the method of drawing the spirit into your body. The rest must come from you.¡±

    Many of the children ran home to take him up on his offer. Tan had gotten roped into doing his chores, but with his newfound strength they were not as onerous as before. He worked quickly, and when he finished his father sent him back up onto the hill to cultivate.

    While he was there, he heard a voice in his ear.

    ¡°I hope that you continue to find wonder in our magic,¡± the spirit had said. ¡°By the way, I remembered my name. I am Zephyr. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Tan.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Zephyr,¡± Tan had said. Then he had cultivated for an eternal thirty minutes before running off and playing with his new powers.

 Chapter 2

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    Three of the other children in the village eventually became cultivators after sacrificing their most treasured possession for a spiritual stone. Twelve of the children had made the sacrifice to Tan¡¯s father, but only three had managed to draw the spirit into their bodies.

    Those three became Tan¡¯s closest friends, while the rest of the children drifted away. It only made sense, they couldn¡¯t keep up with their physical games, and their days were occupied with the everyday mortal toils which occupied them and their parents.

    Each of the children were given the same opportunity. They were asked for their most valuable possession. Girls gave up dolls, the boys gave up wooden swords and toys. Those who gave up actual valuables were turned away, saying that they did not understand what was being asked of them and to return once they did.

    The dolls were burnt. The wooden swords broken. The fancy dresses were torn into shreds and used as rags. All of this was done before the children¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What did Tan give up to get his stone?¡± asked one of the children, who was struggling to hold back tears after seeing their prized possession destroyed.

    ¡°His birthday,¡± Tan¡¯s father had answered.

    The children glanced at Tan, but then nodded. That was a precious thing to give up indeed.

    Once the object had been sacrificed, they were shown to a shed which was filled with stones. Many different kinds of stones. Different colors and shapes. Some of them clear as crystal or glass, others solid and opaque. They were told to take their time and select their favorite of all of the stones.

    Many of the children hesitated at this point for long minutes. The oldest child, a boy of fifteen, hesitated for hours. But the three children who bonded their stone did not hesitate. They looked at each of the stones in turn, but often did not look through all of them before grabbing one of the stones and saying ¡°I want this one!¡±

    Tan¡¯s father would watch the choice and nod solemnly. ¡°That is a very good choice,¡± he would say.

    ¡°Is it a strong spirit inside it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s middling strength, but they¡¯re all middling strength. The important thing is that you chose it, and perhaps it chose you as well. Now let me show you the method of drawing the spirit out of the stone and into your body.¡±

    Tan did not get to see this part. It would only confuse him, his father said, since it would be different for the cultivators of the village children than it would be for him. Until he was old enough to really appreciate the differences between the cultivation styles of Earth, Water, Fire and Air, it was best for him not to learn of any except for his chosen path.

    Unlike Tan, whom his father hadn¡¯t actually expected to bond with his spirit for a few years, the other children in the village were all also given mats with intricate patterns woven into them by Tan¡¯s mother. Tan¡¯s mother who was, apparently, a powerful cultivator in her own right, having tamed a water spirit in her youth.

    Tan had had no idea before she told him. She had simply laughed and said ¡°You did not think it strange that the water itself would bathe you for me? That it was always the perfect temperature no matter how long you¡¯d been in the tub? That no matter how dirty you were going into the tub, the water was always clean after you came out as when you went in?¡±

    Tan had scratched his head and squinted at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re old enough to bathe yourself, and then you can find out for yourself what a normal bath is like,¡± she teased him.

    It turned out he wasn¡¯t really old enough to bathe himself, but she hadn¡¯t really meant to quit that parental task quite yet anyway. But he had learned his lesson; what a normal bath with normal water was like. Not the enchanted water that his mother kept.

    The enchanted water was much better.

    The mats that she wove for the children of the village were matched to the stone that they took, and they were each designed to draw out the spirit of the stone and assist the child with taking it into their bodies. They were each warned that once the process began in earnest they must continue until the end, whether or not they were on the mat. It would be easiest and best, however, if they were to always cultivate on the mat with their rock.

    So it became a normal thing in the green-grass village of the western empire to see children carrying around a mat and a rock, or sitting and meditating with those two items.

    Pao was the first of the children to awaken his spirit and successfully draw it into his body. Pao was four years older than Tan, and when he excitedly returned to Tan¡¯s house to announce his success, he still stank from the impurities that he sweated out. Tan¡¯s mother scolded him for showing up in such a state and ordered him to the river to remedy the problem, sending Tan to the boy¡¯s house to fetch a clean set of clothes.

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    Tan didn¡¯t really mind the errand, as it let him go fast. He liked going fast, using the power of his spirit to move so swiftly that to a mortal eye he blurred into multiple images. To him, everything slowed down when he was in that state. Colors were brighter, sounds were clearer, smells were smellier. That last aspect wasn¡¯t always so fun, but sometimes it was. Like running through a field of flowers.

    And when he was in that state, his control over his body was sublime. That was what his father called the state, sublimation. Well, not really. His father called it the sublime state of clarity, but Tan called it sublimation because it was shorter. And his father said that his word for being that way wasn¡¯t entirely incorrect either, so he never argued the point.

    He returned to find a less smelly Pao with a towel wrapped around his waist as he excitedly spoke with Tan¡¯s parents. His mother and father each exchanged looks, and then they interrupted the boy¡¯s ranting explanation on how his transformation had went.

    ¡°Pao, you¡¯re a cultivator now,¡± Tan¡¯s father said.

    ¡°Yes, Mister Shen. I know that.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand what that means? Do you know why it was that I asked for your most precious possession before I taught you how to bind a spirit?¡± the man asked.

    The boy paused, sensing a trick question. ¡°It was a, a, what do you call it. A sac something.¡±

    ¡°A sacrifice, yes. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t really expecting any of the village children to learn anything from my lessons beyond ¡®don¡¯t give Tren Shen your stuff because he¡¯ll break it.¡¯ But there was more to it. Because a normal cultivator can¡¯t live a normal life and continue to cultivate. You have another sacrifice to make. You have to choose between the path that you¡¯ve set one foot upon in becoming a cultivator, and your family.¡±

    ¡°My family?¡± Pao said, sounding aghast. He suddenly recalled some of the stories that he¡¯d heard about demonic cultivation and Tan¡¯s father cut that thought off as soon as he saw it on the boy¡¯s face.

    ¡°I mean that if you stay at home, in this village, without constant guidance, you¡¯ll wither on the vine. You can return to visit. Especially at first. But if you want to truly develop your gift, you¡¯ll have to live with a master to teach you how. Tan has me and Wensho to help him develop his skill. Who do you have?¡±

    Pao was quiet for a moment. ¡°I have you too,¡± he argued. ¡°Can¡¯t I just come visit and get my lessons?¡±

    ¡°No. You must pay for your lessons with your labor,¡± Tan¡¯s father said, his heart hardened to the effect that his words would have on the boy. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you five copper and your parents two silver per month. In exchange you work on my farm instead of theirs, and you get your cultivation lessons. And room and board, as well.¡±

    Pao swallowed, but he knew that it was a good deal. Two silver five copper was twice what a man would make as a farmhand, and that was ignoring the lessons, the food, and the shelter that the Shens were offering him.

    But he¡¯d have to leave his parents behind.

    Not far behind. It was only a run to the village and back and he¡¯d be able to see them whenever his chores allowed. As a cultivator, if he could move half as fast as Tan could now, then it would only take him ten minutes to visit.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Pao, you¡¯re nine years old and you can¡¯t make that sort of decision on your own,¡± Wensho, Tan¡¯s mother said. She got up. ¡°Let us walk to the village together and discuss things along the way, and then we will present my husband¡¯s offer to your parents and see what they have to say. If they agree, then it will be official and you will move to our place once we have built you a room.¡±

    ¡°Can I come?¡± Tan asked, eager to be a part of the action and see how the drama unfolded.

    ¡°I think not,¡± Tren, Tan¡¯s father, said. ¡°This is a private matter between Pao and his parents. You wouldn¡¯t like it if we discussed private matters of yours in front of your friends, would you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any private matters,¡± Tan declared proudly.

    ¡°Oh? So then you never wet the bed?¡± his mother teased.

    ¡°No I don¡¯t!¡± he shouted. But he got their message. There were some things his parents knew that he wouldn¡¯t want his friends knowing, and while his curiosity was intense, he restrained himself from following behind Pao and his mother.

    Instead he followed his father out and got another lesson about the meaning of air and the differences of the winds.

    ¡°Your father is a very wise man,¡± Zephyr commented to him one evening after their lessons. ¡°To think that he understands the Dao of the Azure Sky so well despite being a man of the earth!¡±

    ¡°He just talks in circles and nonsense,¡± Tan argued.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s beautiful,¡± Zephyr agreed. ¡°When you aren¡¯t otherwise occupied, you should think closely on his lessons. Especially the ones that he repeats. He does not follow your Dao, but he does understand it well enough to see you far along your path. Think upon the nonsense that he speaks to you until it¡¯s not nonsense any longer.¡±

    Tan pouted, but he listened to his spirits advice. When he wasn¡¯t busy with his chores or actively meditating, he thought about how the difference between a gentle caress of a summer breeze and the harsh blizzard that he¡¯d once had to venture out in to use the outhouse. How it was the same air, but with differences to it.

    Different times. Different seasons. Different meanings. Different feelings.

    He thought about it until his head hurt.

    And it never did really make sense.

    After all, he was only five years old.

 Chapter 3

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    Pao became Tan¡¯s brother. Except not really. They were more than friends but not bound by blood. But they were brothers all the same.

    The four cultivators built Pao¡¯s room in an afternoon. Tren, Tan¡¯s father, did most of the work, but Wensho helped quite a bit, while the children mostly fetched and carried.

    When they finished, Tren brought Pao out to the same hill that Tan used for his cultivation and carved a second circle for the older boy to meditate and cultivate on. They were out there for hours, but every time Tan tried to go and see what they were talking about his mother distracted him in one way or another.

    When Tan¡¯s father finally returned to eat, Pao remained out on top of the hill for hours. Until Tan went out to tell him that his parents said it was time for him to come inside and go to sleep. Pao had blinked at him in surprise, then looked at the sky and realized that it was dusk.

    ¡°Wow,¡± he said. ¡°I completely lost track of time. I thought that your father left only a few minutes ago. I mean, I knew it had been a while, but not hours.¡±

    ¡°What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°Cultivating.¡±

    ¡°Nobody can cultivate that long,¡± Tan said authoritatively. ¡°What were you really doing?¡±

    ¡°Cultivating.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re boring,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong. I wasn¡¯t just cultivating like he showed me how to draw power from the earth. I was also thinking about his lessons. But he says that that¡¯s a form of cultivation as well, so it counts as cultivating even when I was pondering the dao.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really boring,¡± Tan amended. Pao responded by putting him in a headlock, but Tan spun out of it and danced around Pao. The little boy was so much faster than the fledgling earth cultivator that it wasn¡¯t until Tan¡¯s mother came out to scold them both and send them to bed that the game ended.

    Seven days after Pao came to live with them, Tan woke in the middle of the night without knowing why. Something was wrong, and he did what he always did when something was wrong in the middle of the night. He went into his parents room.

    His father wasn¡¯t there, but his mother swept him into her arms and promised that everything was alright.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that it woke you,¡± Wensho told her precious son. ¡°But you are even more sensitive than I was at your age, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be.¡±

    ¡°What woke me?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°The ward on the spirit stone shed tripped. Someone is trying to steal from us.¡±

    The thought of someone stealing from his father incensed Tan, but his mother stroked his hair and calmed him down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The intruder couldn¡¯t get the door open, and they¡¯ll regret it in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Your father put magic wards on all of our valuables, including the spirit stones. Perhaps especially the spirit stones. Anyone who tries to steal from us will be marked for the entire village to know that they¡¯re a thief,¡± Wensho explained. She smirked in the darkness. ¡°It will last for five mortal lifetimes unless someone lifts the curse.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said, feeling better. ¡°Will it hurt them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a little spell that turns their hands red. And something else red too, if they¡¯re male. Don¡¯t tell your father that, I modified the wards myself for that bit. Just because I thought it would be funny,¡± she said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said, not understanding. ¡°Where¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s following the thief to make certain that they¡¯re actually going back home empty-handed,¡± his mother explained. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Go to sleep.¡±

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    And he did, safe in his mother¡¯s arms.

    The thief was exposed the very next day. His name was Hoten, he was seventeen, and he was not pleased at all to have been branded by the ward on the door. Not his hands, and not the other part that made all of the girls in the village laugh when they heard it. Tren had only followed him home the night before, so he¡¯d thought that he¡¯d gotten away clean until he¡¯d woken up and saw the evidence of his night¡¯s activities upon his skin.

    In his defense, he was one of those children who had tried to buy a stone but been turned away because they ¡®didn¡¯t understand what it was that was being asked.¡¯ He¡¯d brought ten silver, and he¡¯d been outraged when Tan¡¯s father had turned him away while giving a little girl a spirit stone for nothing more than a ragged doll.

    ¡°You¡¯re a merchant¡¯s son. To you, ten silver coins is worth less than that doll is worth to her,¡± Tren had informed him patiently.

    ¡°I could by a hundred dolls with this much silver!¡± Hoten had objected.

    ¡°You could do a little good or a lot evil with it. But coin on its own is worthless. That child made a sacrifice. You tried to make a deal. Do you understand the difference?¡±

    ¡°How much coin would it take to buy one of these damn things?¡± Hoten demanded.

    ¡°All of it,¡± Tren had answered.

    And the argument had gone on until Tren had simply shook his head and snapped his fingers, causing the earth beneath their feet to shake. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you¡¯ll never understand. I will not ever give you one of these stones. If I find that you¡¯ve taken one from the other children, I will punish you. I assure you you are not too old for a spanking.¡±

    Intimidated by the display of magic, Hoten had run away. So had a few of the other children, while others had cheered. Either way the procession had moved on.

    Now once more Hoten confronted Tren to demand that the curse on his body be removed. Tren had simply looked at him and said ¡°Undo what you did last night, and I will undo its repercussions.¡±

    When Hoten¡¯s parents had gotten involved in the matter, things grew more and more heated. Hoten¡¯s father promised retribution for the curse, threatening to cut off the Shen family and all of its supporters.

    He carried through with his promise for all of two months, then showed up one morning with a hangover and begging forgiveness from Tren for his transgressions against the family. Tan had been confused by the man¡¯s about-face on the matter, but his mother had explained that both of Tan¡¯s parents had connections which far exceeded what Hoten¡¯s father had known about, and what he could compete with.

    One of those connections had somehow heard of the situation and made their displeasure known to Hoten¡¯s father. They wouldn¡¯t take it any further than that without Tren and Wensho¡¯s permission, but it would have taken them no more than a simple letter to get that sort of reaction from most merchants.

    Tan had frowned and asked who it was who had sent the letter. Wensho had simply shrugged.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t care. Whoever it is, they¡¯ve already shown too much interest in this sleepy little village, and I¡¯d prefer that they keep their distance until all of our children have grown up and left it behind.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m your only child.¡±

    ¡°No, Tan, you¡¯re not. Or at least, you won¡¯t be soon,¡± she said, rubbing her belly fondly.

    Tan had given her a funny look, not understanding what she was getting at. Wensho laughed and realized that it was time to tell him about the birds and the bees, so she did.

    Time passed slowly. Wensho¡¯s belly grew big, and Tan loved feeling it whenever his little brother or sister was kicking. He became closer and closer with Pao as they did their chores together. Tan always raced through his, eager to get them out of the way so that he could play. Pao took his time, mindful that he was being paid and paid well for his labor and determined to do a good job to earn the coin.

    For a few hours every day, Pao would sit atop the hill that he and Tan cultivated on. Tan cultivated as well. Every day. As much as he could stand. And like Zephyr had said, he thought about the nonsense that his father spoke to him about the wind and the sky and the air.

    One day that was just like any other, he suddenly wondered what it would be like to fly. So he tried it. It was as natural as walking to him.

    And just like learning to walk, he fell the first time he tried it.

    He had only been ten feet in the air, but he landed hard and began to cry. Pao had seen it and rushed to his side, but before he¡¯d even gotten close, suddenly Wensho and Tren were simply there.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Tren said, looking around with a frightful expression that Pao had never seen on the friendly man¡¯s face before. Anger, Pao realized. ¡°Did you have a fight?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Pao exclaimed. ¡°He flew, and then he fell! He must have hurt himself in the landing. I don¡¯t know!¡±

    Tren saw how shaken the boy was and quickly schooled his expression. And he reigned back in his intent, a small sliver of which had been leaking out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Pao. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s your son,¡± Pao said by way of understanding.

    ¡°And he¡¯s making a big fuss out of nothing,¡± Wensho said, dusting the boy off and pulling him to his feet. ¡°A fall that shallow isn¡¯t enough to hurt you, Tan. Not anymore. If you were still a mortal then yes, but you¡¯re a cultivator. A cultivator of the Path of the Azure Sky. The heavens are your birthright. You¡¯ll fly again, and maybe you¡¯ll fall again, but one day you¡¯ll fall for the last time ever. And then there will be only flying left for you to do.¡±

    Tan pouted at the nonsense that she gave him instead of kisses for his owchies. But she wasn¡¯t entirely wrong; he was more surprised and confused at his sudden reacquaintance with gravity than he was actually hurt.

    And that¡¯s how Tan learned to fly.

 Chapter 4

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    Chapter 4

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    Safron was born in the winter. She was a tiny little thing, Tan thought when he first saw her. He was a little upset that he had missed the entire thing; his mother had sent him into the village with a slip of paper to show the herbalist, and then the herbalist had sent him on another errand, and then the old woman that the herbalist had sent him to had sent him on another errand and it seemed like all day long everyone had something that only he could possibly do.

    To be fair, a certain number of those tasks involved flying, which among everyone in the village was something that only he could do.

    But after six hours, Pao had shown up and told everyone that it was over and that the baby was a healthy girl. There was a lot of cheering in the village, and it was only then that Tan realized that everyone had been keeping him distracted so that he wouldn¡¯t be around when his sister was born. He was understandably a bit upset about this turn of events, but Pao had tried to cheer him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a really gross and messy thing. You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t have to see it,¡± he confided to the younger boy. ¡°I didn¡¯t either, really. Tren did everything that needed to be done that your mother couldn¡¯t do for herself. I only heard the screaming and they called me when it was over to come get you.¡±

    ¡°There was screaming?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s always screaming when a woman gives birth, I think. We¡¯re really lucky we¡¯re boys, so we don¡¯t have to go through that,¡± Pao confided.

    Tan pouted, but raced Pao back home to see his sister. He won, of course. He was much faster than Pao.

    Pao was stronger than him, of course. Tren said that was the nature of things. Wind was swift and Earth was strong. Even though Zephyr was stronger than Pao¡¯s nameless earth spirit, that fact remained immutable. At least at the boys¡¯ current level of cultivation.

    Tan got home to Wensho nursing the babe. Tan stood in the doorway a moment, staring in wonder at his younger sister.

    ¡°When she finishes eating you can hold her,¡± Wensho promised him.

    ¡°Really?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. Just be very careful. She¡¯s very frail, and you¡¯re stronger than you realize. In more ways than one. If you¡¯re ever angry or upset while she¡¯s little like this, please go out somewhere until you¡¯re feeling more cheerful for me, okay? I think she¡¯s going to be every bit as sensitive as you were.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, and he watched closely as the babe fed. And then he held her gently.

    And he felt Zephyr embrace the babe as well.

    ¡°This is your family,¡± the spirit whispered to him.

    ¡°I already love her,¡± Tan announced.

    ¡°Stop that,¡± Wensho said suddenly. Tan looked up, surprised. ¡°She¡¯s too young for that, Tan. Maybe when she binds a spirit of her own you can help her cultivate, but she needs to grow naturally for her first five years.¡±

    Tan blushed. He realized what he¡¯d been doing. He¡¯d been drawing the power in the air around him and trying to feed it to the infant, much like the child had been nursing moments ago.

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    ¡°Could I have hurt her like that?¡± he asked nervously.

    ¡°Not with me here watching!¡± Wensho said jokingly. ¡°No. You wouldn¡¯t have done her any harm, but we don¡¯t know what element we¡¯ll be aligning her to yet. Feeding her air Qi at this stage would have predisposed her to binding an air spirit, which isn¡¯t a good thing because we don¡¯t know what sort of elemental spirit your father will be able to catch for her.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t one of the stones in the shed work for her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It would, but it would be limiting her potential,¡± Wensho said. ¡°She could nurture the lesser spirits in those stones into a greater one like your Zephyr, my Rudeus, or your father¡¯s Gaia, but it would set her back decades to do so. It would be best to keep her compatible with all of the elements until your father has come back from the journey he¡¯ll set out on to capture her spirit.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said. ¡°What about you? You¡¯re a water cultivator, doesn¡¯t that mean your babies are esposed to water Qi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very smart,¡± Wensho praised. ¡°But that¡¯s different. The womb is a natural buffer to cultivation and it purifies the elemental nature of the energies that we channel. Even so I¡¯ve been very careful since I learned that I was pregnant not to channel too much energy. Many women cultivators choose not to have children for the very reason that they tend to be Qi hogs while they¡¯re in the belly, and those who don¡¯t often have children who match their own affinities despite whatever they try to do. But you and Safron were both as pure as can be.¡±

    Wensho sounded very proud of this, as though it were a significant personal accomplishment.

    ¡°So what can I do to help her?¡± Tan asked. ¡°She¡¯s my sister and I want to help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great big brother, Tan,¡± Wensho promised. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s convenient timing for you to have said that, since it¡¯s time to change her diaper!¡±

    It turns out that being a big brother wasn¡¯t always as glorious as Tan thought it was.

    Still, he was a big brother, and although he was only seldom called upon to change a diaper ¨C he was only five years old himself at this point, after all ¨C he was very good at getting the cloth ready and recognizing when the babe needed it done by one of the older and more responsible members of the household.

    The babe was amazingly healthy and slept through the night after her first week. Much to Tan¡¯s relief, as he did not like getting woken in the middle of the night. One of Tan¡¯s new tasks was to watch his sister, a task he shared with everyone else in the family so that someone was always with the infant.

    But otherwise, life went on. Even in the coldest days of winter, Tan and Pao continued to go out and climb their hill and cultivate. Often together, sometimes alone. Surprisingly to them, but not to Tan¡¯s parents, the most progressive sessions they had were the ones where they went up on the hill at the same time. It took them several months to realize this after Safron was born, in the early days of spring, just before Tan¡¯s sixth birthday.

    When they had asked Tren about it, the man had simply grinned.

    ¡°We have only two of the four elements, but the Elemental Gathering Focus is most potent when more than one allied cultivator works in unison,¡± he explained. ¡°Tan pulling in air Qi pulls in Qi from the earth, and Pao pulling in earth Qi pulls in Qi from the air. Nature hates a vacuum, but that¡¯s what we cultivators are. Voracious vacuums that suck in the energy of the world as rapidly as the world can replace it. We are fortunate that the world is so vast and bountiful that there seems to be no limit to the energy we take from it.¡±

    He paused, then amended ¡°Almost no limit. Not one that the two of you need to worry about. Even when someone gets too greedy and a Qi desert forms, there are ways of nature sorting those things out.¡± He was quiet, then he said under his breath ¡°And unfortunately, its those like your mother and I who end up having to do most of the sorting. You too perhaps someday, Tan, when you¡¯re older.¡±

    ¡°What will I need to do?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Hopefully nothing. If it ever becomes something that you do have to do, that me and your mother can¡¯t handle for you, then we¡¯ll guide you through it, just as we¡¯ve been guiding your path so far.¡±

    ¡°What about me? Can I help?¡± Pao asked.

    ¡°Yes. But all of this is a very long ways away. You¡¯re both barely into the initiate¡¯s realm. It will be fifty years before anyone would even dream of calling on one of you to balance the world¡¯s Qi, and when that happens Wensho and I will make certain that you¡¯re ready for it,¡± Tren promised. ¡°Now come on, it¡¯s been a long day and it¡¯s time for food, and then a bath for both of you stinky boys!¡±

    The boys groaned, but ran off to the house to eat.

 Chapter 5

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    Chapter 5

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    Three years passed slowly. The children all grew bigger and stronger. Safron learned to walk and talk and was soon following her big brothers (she didn¡¯t understand at all that Pao wasn¡¯t related by blood) everywhere. The cultivator children grew in other ways which were not so readily apparent to look at them, but were significantly more profound.

    Tan could enter Sublimation without effort now, slowing time to a crawl and enhancing his senses to the degree where they almost became painful, if he wanted to. If he wasn¡¯t so active he might have been in danger of getting a pot belly due to his tendency to sublimate while enjoying his mother¡¯s cooking. He became faster than ever before, and could travel between the village and back within five minutes if he was so inclined. A journey which had taken an hour before he¡¯d become a cultivator.

    Pao grew strong. He hit an early growth spurt and was almost as tall as a man, and just as muscular. He was broad and heavy, but all muscle and no fat. Even though he was only thirteen years old, he could crack rocks with his fist and lift wagons out of the mud with ease, even while they were fully burdened.

    Of course, with that last trick, he cheated a little by getting the mud to ¡®unstick¡¯ and become firm where he wanted it to.

    Magic was handy.

    Safron was insanely jealous of her big brothers¡¯ abilities and couldn¡¯t wait for her fifth birthday, which was when she was told she¡¯d be given her own spiritual stone to begin her path of cultivation. Tren had promised to take Tan and Pao on the journey to capture the spirit for Safron this time, and the boys were greatly looking forward to it. However, their household suddenly grew once more unexpectedly before that journey could take place.

    It was Tan who noticed them. He¡¯d been enjoying his mother¡¯s eggs over grits when his nose suddenly curled up. He smelled two things that were truly awful smelling. One that was burnt ash, and the other rotten garbage. He quickly let go of his sublime state and turned to his parents at the breakfast table.

    ¡°Something stinky is coming,¡± he said. ¡°Two somethings.¡±

    A subtle shift of Qi as both of his parents entered their own sublime states, and they both grinned.

    ¡°I told you,¡± Wensho said.

    ¡°Yes, well, fine. You get to name the next one,¡± Tren admitted.

    ¡°Name what?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Your next brother or sister,¡± Wensho said. ¡°I bet your father that the twins would awaken on the same day. He bet me that they would awaken within weeks of each other, but not at the same time. I was right and he was wrong.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, how was I to know that they¡¯d both be so diligent?¡± Tren said defensively. ¡°Pao, would you do us all a favor and show them where to bathe in the stream before they get any closer? They¡¯re old enough to know better. Honestly, why does every child who awakens as a cultivator run to our house first thing to brag instead of bathing off their impurities? They should know better.¡±

    Tan¡¯s scrunched his nose as he parsed the conversation. The twins? There was only one set of twins in the village. Ko and Won. Ko was a girl, with pigtails and freckles. Won was a boy, with short hair. And freckles. And aside from being boy and girl, they otherwise looked almost identical. Which is why they kept their hairstyles in a way that very clearly defined which one of the set they were.

    There had been some embarrassing mistakes when they were younger.

    The twins were eleven years old, making them two years older than Tan and two years younger than Pao. He did some math in his head and quickly realized something.

    ¡°Where are they going to sleep?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out,¡± Wensho said.

    Many of the village children who had sacrificed to attain a stone had quit shortly after Pao had gone to live with the Shen household. They either grew frustrated with the world of cultivation, or they decided that leaving their family wasn¡¯t worth it, or they sold their stone to Hoten, who thought that he¡¯d found a way to circumvent Tren¡¯s threat of punishment if he acquired the stones second hand through trade.

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    He was right, Tren didn¡¯t go after Hoten. He simply severed the binding that kept the spirit locked to the stone in Hoten¡¯s possession, releasing it back into the world. Hoten, with enough spiritual sense to match his common sense, was none the wiser.

    The two who had remained dedicated were Ko and Won, and their dedication had paid off. Ko had described the spirit she had bound as cold and flexible, while Won said that his spirit was hot and unpredictable. But they had both succeeded. It was only when they had announced their success that they realized that they had bound completely different elements.

    Ko had a water spirit that was closely aligned with ice, while Won had a fire spirit. Neither spirit had revealed that they had a name, but Tren said that was to be expected. Only one spirit in ten thousand had a name that it could remember while it wasn¡¯t attached to a person. Many people gave their spirits names, but he said that if they named their spirit they should keep the names private.

    Naming a spirit gave one power over that spirit. If a spirit told someone its name, that meant that they were strong enough not to be afraid of someone taking control over them without their will. Gaia, Rudeus, and Zephyr fell into this category.

    The three spirits of Pao, Ko and Won, however, fell into a second category. Naming their spirit would increase the affinity between the cultivator and their spirit, while simultaneously giving outsiders a wedge to drive between the cultivator and the source of their magical powers.

    Naturally the three children immediately named their spirits and vowed to never tell a soul what they had chosen.

    Also naturally they told everyone before the end of the week.

    In order to accommodate the two new additions to the Shen household, a shack was built for the twins to share. It was during the construction of this shack that Tren was informed in no uncertain terms by his wife that it was time to upgrade their house. It was simply too small to fit their growing family and the live-in cultivators/field hands that they were acquiring.

    Fortunately this decision was made in the spring, and there was plenty of time to order building materials to be delivered from the nearby town in order to build a proper manor.

    Unfortunately, when the local lord found out about the amount of materials that were being shipped into a small end of nowhere, he saw fit to investigate.

    He arrived at the house, where a small stack of lumber was being set aside, next to a pile of shingles and a bunch of stones to go in the foundation. The construction hadn¡¯t started yet, but he frowned when he noticed that the cordoned off construction area was larger than his own hall. Who was this farmer to upstage his own lord in such a fashion?

    Tren did not even leave the field to meet with his lordship, and the lord angrily marched out to speak with him.

    Fortunately, before he could make more of a fool of himself than he already had, a nine year old boy suddenly dropped down from the sky and landed in between him and the farmer.

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m done cultivating for the day,¡± Tan announced. ¡°I¡¯m going fishing in the lake.¡±

    ¡°The lake is fifteen miles away. Make sure that you rush the entire way and try to make it in less than twenty minutes,¡± the farmer said.

    ¡°Twenty minutes?¡± the boy chewed his lip. ¡°I¡¯ll make it in ten!¡±

    Then he flew off towards the house to gather his fishing gear.

    The farmer finally looked up at the lord who had come to see him and smiled. ¡°Hello, your lordship. Pleasant weather we¡¯re having, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Th-that boy, he is your son?¡±

    ¡°Yes he is. Fifth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm at age nine. I¡¯d like to take all of the credit, but his mother had a hand in raising him as well,¡± the man said evenly.

    ¡°But we live in a Qi desert,¡± the lord objected.

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing,¡± the farmer said. ¡°Oh, there was a snafu a few hundred years ago where someone got greedy with the land and sucked out a bit more than they should have. Yes it led to a famine, and it¡¯s taken a while for nature to recover. But I¡¯m here now, and you should have already noticed that the crops have grown more bountiful and the animals are stronger, healthier, and larger than they were before. The children too.¡±

    The farmer paused.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, your lordship.¡±

    The lord abruptly bowed. ¡°This humble magistrate thanks the master cultivator for his bounty. This humble magistrate inquires if there is anything that the master cultivator requires.¡±

    The farmer considered the question for a moment. ¡°In the far west, they have pipes that deliver water. Copper pipes, not lead. I¡¯m building a new house. I¡¯d like for my wife to have to spend less of her time drawing water. Or myself as well, of course. We split the duties of the household fifty fifty, even if they¡¯re not always the same duties every day.¡±

    ¡°Of course. This humble magistrate will look into acquiring plumbing for your new palace immediately,¡± the lord promised. Inwardly he cursed; he didn¡¯t even have plumbing at his own hall. But he was but a lord, and this man was raising a child who could probably topple the power balance of the province on his own.

    The lord didn¡¯t want to question who it was he¡¯d just met. He continued to sing the man¡¯s praises and promised him plumbing and whatever else he desired, then at the first polite chance he saw he fled on his horse and never looked back.

    He did deliver the pipes, and a plumber who knew how to use them. It wasn¡¯t wise to break promises to a cultivator.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    Safron walked up the hill to see what the big kids were doing. She was very proud of the fact that she walked the entire way and didn¡¯t fall over once, even though the hill was steep and it was fun to roll down and last winter her big brothers had pulled her up it on a sled and they had gone down it together and that had been a lot of fun.

    The big kids were being boring. She knew that being boring was part of doing magic, but she was too little for magic so she didn¡¯t have to be boring. And she didn¡¯t want them to be boring right now because she was here. They could be boring when she was somewhere else.

    If she paid real close attention, she could sort of sense something was happening. Something was being pulled in from all around them. From the air, from the spring that was new because her Mom said ¡®we need a spring here now that we have a water cultivator¡¯ and because her mom knew magic now there was a spring that flowed down from the hill. From the Earth itself. And from the fire that never seemed to go out even though she¡¯d never seen anyone tending it. Ever.

    She wondered how that worked, but she knew the answer.

    Magic.

    Probably boring magic, to be honest. She had the feeling that most magic was actually really boring almost all of the time except for a few split seconds when it was, well, magical. And then it was amazing. But the rest of the time it was boring.

    She wondered for a minute which of the big kids she should bug.

    There was Pao, who was her brother but not really her brother because he didn¡¯t come out of her mother because he had a different mother and that meant he wasn¡¯t her brother really. But he kind of was, because she said so and that was good enough for her.

    Pao was fun. He was big and strong, and he once showed her that he could grow a dandelion in his hand. It was really boring at first because nothing happened and she¡¯d wandered off. But then he¡¯d called her back like two hours later ¨C more like ten minutes but it had felt like hours ¨C and they had watched together as the weed had sprouted.

    But most of his magic was boring.

    Then there was the youngest of the children aside from her. Her brother who really was her brother. Tan. Tan had the best magic because he could fly, but he wouldn¡¯t take her flying with him because he was scared he¡¯d drop her and she¡¯d get hurt. She didn¡¯t think that was a good enough excuse, but he was stubborn and stupid about it.

    As she thought about how if she asked him to take her flying he¡¯d say no she got mad even though she hadn¡¯t asked him, so she decided to ignore him for the rest of the day.

    So that left the two new kids, who lived in the shack that was also new. There was Won, who was a boy and had the second coolest magic after her real brother, but Won wasn¡¯t her brother, he was just a boy from the village who¡¯d learned magic. But he could make fires with his magic and that was amazing. But he was even more careful with his magic around Safron because fires could hurt you, and she wanted to play with someone who could use magic without hurting her.

    So that left the girl, Ko. Which worked out well, because Safron decided that she wanted to play with a girl because she almost never got to play with another girl. She¡¯d only ever played with boys before Ko arrived with her twin brother, and it was nice to have a girl to play with.

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    So she ran over and jumped on Ko¡¯s back and screamed, knocking both of them into the spring.

    The girls came up, one laughing and the other sputtering. The spring wasn¡¯t very deep, only a foot or so at the deepest, so there wasn¡¯t any danger, but they both got wet and muddy. And Ko was very stern with her for a few seconds before she decided to get revenge and spray the littler girl with magic water.

    Safron retaliated by splashing her back, but Ko cheated and used magic to block the attack.

    This continued for a few minutes before Safron ran away screaming and Ko chased after her.

    It was a good day, Safron thought to herself. Even when her mother caught her and dried her off using one of the most boring applications of magic ¨C although Safron did admit that it was convenient and was glad to be dry afterward ¨C that the little girl had ever seen. And her brother flew out to the lake and came back with enough fish for everyone in time for dinner, which was always nice.

    ¡°When do I get my magic?¡± Safron asked at the dinner table, as she had often over the last few weeks. She was almost four years old now. The fall was close and they would be moving into the big house soon for the winter, and her birthday was in the winter, so then she¡¯d be four years old and that was only one less than five and they had promised ¨C oh, she answered her own question in her head.

    ¡°You know when,¡± her father answered. And he was right, she did know.

    ¡°But it¡¯s so long to wait!¡± she complained.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for it. It¡¯s not good to start cultivating before age five. You need to develop your mind or the spirit becomes too strong and influences you. You want to be yourself, don¡¯t you?¡± her mother said placatingly.

    ¡°I want to have magic.¡±

    ¡°What sort of magic do you want?¡± her father asked.

    Safron perked up at the question. ¡°I get to choose?¡±

    ¡°She gets to choose?¡± Tan asked, sounding shocked. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to choose.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, we didn¡¯t give you a choice, Tan. We simply found the most powerful spirit that we could find and gave it to you. Would you have chosen any differently if you¡¯d known then what you know now?¡± his father asked.

    Tan paused. He glanced at Won, who smirked at him. Won¡¯s ability to conjure fire was something that he lorded over the other boys. Right up until Tan dashed in so fast that he couldn¡¯t react and punched him in the balls. Then he stopped lording it over Tan, except for occasions like this when the lingering jealousy popped up.

    ¡°No,¡± Tan admitted.

    ¡°Good. Fire is a dangerous element to cultivate anyway. Won must walk a narrow path between creation and destruction in order to grow his power without harming himself or those around him,¡± his father said, repeating what had been said before. ¡°Air is perhaps the most versatile element. You¡¯re not as strong as an earth cultivator, but you¡¯re faster than a water or fire cultivator and you¡¯re able to fly. I know how much you like to fly. You wouldn¡¯t give that up for anything, would you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Tan said with more feeling.

    ¡°Good. I was certain I picked the right spirit for you. I¡¯m sorry that you didn¡¯t get a choice, but Safron¡¯s situation is different,¡± her father explained. ¡°I can¡¯t find her a spirit quite as strong as Zephyr. But there¡¯s a water spirit who¡¯s as strong as her mother¡¯s Rudeus was when she first bonded him which we could hunt. And there¡¯s a fire spirit in the ashlands who is almost nearly as strong as that. And of course there¡¯s always the Earth. I can find any number of powerful earth spirits for you, Safron.¡±

    ¡°But not Air?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I could find an air spirit for you too,¡± her father said. ¡°but it would be the weakest of all of the options. You¡¯d be ¡­ you wouldn¡¯t be able to fly like Tan can until you turn twenty years old. Maybe older,¡± her father explained. ¡°But with the other spirits you¡¯d be much stronger than Pao, Ko, or Won by the time you reach their age.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to decide now?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Nope. You just have to think about which one you¡¯d prefer, because that¡¯s the one we¡¯ll hunt for you,¡± her father said. ¡°So that means you have how long?¡±

    ¡°A year and ¡­ three months?¡± she asked.

    ¡°About that, yes,¡± her mother said. ¡°You¡¯re very smart Safron.¡±

    She beamed. Because yes she was.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    Pao was nervous. Not because of anything he could control, and that was the worst part. If it was something he could control then he wouldn¡¯t be so nervous, he¡¯d just do whatever he thought would have the best outcome and be done with it.

    Like cultivation. Pao¡¯s spirit was, according to Master Tren Shen, only of middling strength. He was physically stronger than the other cultivator children and probably would have been even if he hadn¡¯t put so much effort into drawing in the Qi of the Earth and pondering the wisdom of the Dao that Master Shen had imparted to him.

    But the few times that they¡¯d sparred recently, Tan had mopped the floor with him.

    Tan was simply too fast, and he could see everything like it was happening in slow motion if he wanted to. Pao could tell whenever Tan was in the Sublime State of Clarity because the boy always got a certain look on his face. Like he was really really focused. Or maybe a little constipated? It was an easy tell to spot, but unfortunately even when Pao knew that Tan was being Sublime, there wasn¡¯t anything he could do about it.

    At least, not that he¡¯d figured out how to do yet.

    But he could kick the snot out of Won, which he¡¯d proved finally to shut the boy up about how much better fire was than earth. Yeah so Won could conjure a few flames. All he¡¯d managed to do in their fight, which neither of them were going to admit to the adults was more serious than it should have been, was ruin a set of Pao¡¯s clothes. Yeah it was a little embarrassing to walk home with a big hole in the seat of his pants that he couldn¡¯t do anything about, but the younger boy had barely singed Pao¡¯s hairs.

    Pao had knocked Won unconscious. Without meaning to. Once he¡¯d realized that Won¡¯s fire wasn¡¯t actually all that hot, he¡¯d simply gone in for the punch and hit the boy right in the jaw, and that was it. Won had ruined Pao¡¯s clothing, but Pao had definitively settled the question of who was stronger.

    And then Tren had shown them both that they were still children by hiding them both for fighting without his supervision. That had shown Pao that no matter how thick his skin had become, it still felt the sting of a switch just fine. At least when it was in the hands of Master Shen.

    Eventually he¡¯d have to fight Ko as well. And that was what had him nervous.

    Pao liked Ko. He really liked Ko. He thought maybe he wanted to marry her when they got older.

    That was part of the rivalry between Won and Pao as well. Pao had embarrassed himself when they were all younger by kissing Won while thinking that Won was Ko. The next day Won had shaved his hair, and he¡¯d kept it short ever since while encouraging his sister to wear hers in a more feminine hairdo.

    Pao liked Ko even more than he had when they were younger. They were training partners. Her spring in the hill that they cultivated on did nothing for him on its own, but when she drew in the spring¡¯s power, he felt that much more earth Qi soaring up towards the surface for him to claim.

    But they were also rivals.

    And today they were supposed to spar.

    He didn¡¯t really want to fight her. Not just because she was a girl, but because he liked her and he didn¡¯t want to embarrass her. Because he was going to win. Easily.

    He¡¯d been cultivating for almost four years now, and she had just started. He was in the fourth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, while she was barely into the first stage.

    It was a training spar. He wasn¡¯t allowed to use his full strength. In fact, before they started, Mistress Shen had painted a magic circle on Pao¡¯s bare chest which would break if he used more strength than a cultivator in the second stage of the initiate¡¯s realm would have. It would tingle if he drew in too much power to warn him to settle down, and it would sluff off of his skin if he ignored that.

    If the circle sluffed off, then he lost the match, even if he won.

    And if he lost to a girl, then everyone on the farm would tease him. Maybe.

    The children gathered after the chores for the sparing matches. The siblings went first.

    Ko won that match easily because she could enhance her muscles with her water magic. Won was a bit stronger than a normal child his age should be, but most of the power of his cultivation was focused on the magical aspect of fire rather than any practical aspect that came up in a fistfight. There were body enhancement techniques for fire cultivators, but the adult cultivators both said quite frankly that Won wasn¡¯t nearly ready to begin working with them.

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    Not until he could start a fire that could burn everything, but wouldn¡¯t burn anything.

    Pao didn¡¯t really understand what they meant by that, and he didn¡¯t have to. He wasn¡¯t a fire cultivator, he followed the Dao of the Bountiful Harvest.

    Just like Master Shen.

    He could have picked a different Earth Dao. His spirit would have been compatible with the Dao of the Lonely Mountain or the Dao of the Deep Places, or a few others which Master Shen had said he could have guided Pao down at least the first leg of the journey. But Pao had insisted upon following the same path as Master Shen, even before the lessons began and Pao had realized what a perfect fit Bountiful Harvest was for him.

    Once Ko was straddling her brother and feeding him mud, the adults called an end to the sparring match and the boy struggled to get away and reclaim his dignity. He managed to get away.

    Next up was Ko versus Tan. Tan was bare chested with a magic circle that was like Pao¡¯s magic circle but also different. It was the same in function, but it reacted to wind Qi instead of earth Qi so of course the lines were different, reaching out in all directions instead of down and the circles were more open. But the effect was the same.

    Unfortunately for Ko, Tan didn¡¯t have any problem with punching a girl, and even limiting himself down to the second stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, he beat the snot out of her. Eventually she gave up, holding back her tears of pain and frustration as she ran away to compose herself.

    Tan did look a little embarrassed then; he was used to sparring with Pao. They¡¯d been mock-fighting for years now. He¡¯d forgotten that when he¡¯d first started out sparring with Pao, he¡¯d also gotten pretty emotional about the fights that he¡¯d lost and hadn¡¯t expected her to react so strongly.

    He was still thinking that over when it was his turn to fight Won. Tan was wearing pants that were enchanted to resist Won¡¯s fire, so this time Won was allowed to go full out and use his magic instead of just his fists.

    He didn¡¯t do much better than before. Tan was much faster with his body than Won was with his magic, and the older boy made the mistake of thinking that he could win that way against the air cultivator. He quickly found that he was incorrect.

    Won too ran away and cried when it was over. For the second time he¡¯d been beaten, and although he still had to fight Pao, he knew how that would go.

    Today had established that Won was the weakest of the Shen¡¯s three disciples.

    Or at least it would once Pao had beaten his face in. Pao tried not to admit to himself that he was looking forward to it.

    To the adults, there had been no surprises so far, and that continued as Pao and Tan squared off against each other. Tan got that vacant look on his face that said that he was Sublime, and Pao tried to do the same but he just couldn¡¯t enter that state and fight at the same time. He could become Sublime while he was cultivating. Sometimes. Those were his best and most productive sessions. But in a fight, he couldn¡¯t quite manage it.

    What followed sort of looked like a younger child picking on an older child as Tan beat the snot out of Pao until they were both exhausted. That took a while because while they were limited to the second stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, they were still cultivators of the forth stage, in Pao¡¯s case, and the sixth stage in Tan¡¯s. Which meant that limiting their power output only increased their stamina.

    Pao could have called an end to it at any point when it was clear that Tan wasn¡¯t going to let him get so much as a punch in, but he stubbornly stuck it out. All the way until he realized that Tan was having trouble maintaining his Sublime state. Pao grew excited and pressed the advantage.

    Tan was just a little slow at the end, and Pao grabbed him by the hair and pinned him to the ground. Tan yelled and flinched as Pao pulled his fist back and stopped it an inch away from the boy¡¯s face.

    ¡°I win,¡± Pao said, grinning.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Good fight.¡±

    ¡°Good fight.¡±

    Pao helped his fellow disciple up and they briefly dusted each other off. Tan had fought three fights in a row, which wasn¡¯t exactly fair to him, but it had been a while since Pao¡¯s last win against the younger boy and he¡¯d take whatever handicap he could get. Whoever thought that young kids couldn¡¯t fight was an idiot, they could be mean if their fathers weren¡¯t the sort of man to drill sportsmanship into them.

    It was Pao¡¯s turn to fight Won, and like with Tan he relied on his magic. Pao flinched to see the fire coming at him, but his pants were supposedly enchanted so they wouldn¡¯t burn away this time. So he¡¯d endured the fire like before, and after a minute he¡¯d asked ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Won tried to increase the intensity of his flames, but barely managed to do more than give Pao a tickle. Pao ended the fight by punching him in the stomach when the younger boy wouldn¡¯t surrender.

    Then it was his turn to fight Ko. And his butterflies were a churning in his gut.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go easy on me because I¡¯m a girl and I know you like me. If I think you went easy on me I¡¯ll never give you a kiss,¡± Ko told him at the start of the fight, throwing him completely off-balance.

    Then she kicked him in the balls.

    He recovered, and they fought for ten minutes. His butterflies eventually settled down and it wasn¡¯t much different from fighting Tan. She was strong, and she was fast, but he was stronger and he was more experienced at formal fighting.

    So eventually, when he tripped her and pinned her to the ground, the fight came to an end.

    And that¡¯s how the first tournament of the Shen farm went.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    Won stared at the fire at the top of the hill. It was his fire. He¡¯d provided the spark that had lit it. But he had no idea how it worked.

    He wasn¡¯t just woolgathering as he stared into the flames. He was genuinely trying to figure it out. He was pondering the dao in his own way.

    Where did this endless flame come from? Master Shen had promised him that if he came to understand how it worked on its own, how it seemed to generate an infinite amount of Qi without actually consuming any fuel, then he would experience a breakthrough which would allow him to pull ahead of the others.

    Maybe.

    Probably not Tan. Tan was ¡­

    Dammit. It was unfair that a little brat was so much stronger than him, but at the same time it only made sense. Tan was Master Shen¡¯s son, and it only made sense that he¡¯d be this strong, having been coddled from infancy towards becoming a cultivator of rare worth.

    Besides, Tan was only two years younger, so it¡¯s not like Won was getting his butt kicked by a toddler. If Safron had been stronger than him when he¡¯d finally broken the secret and consumed the spirit in his stone, then he would have returned home in shame. But she wasn¡¯t a cultivator yet, and by the time she was, he¡¯d have had has breakthrough and become strong enough to teach her like an older disciple should teach a younger disciple.

    He¡¯d be gentle and fair, but there was no way he was going to let her win.

    Not unless she earned it. Which she might, he reflected, when they were adults and she had surpassed him. Right now she was just a cute little brat, but both of her parents were cultivators, and it was clear that they were hoarding some sort of resources to give to their own children to enhance their growth.

    Or at least that¡¯s how Won justified it when Tan broke through into the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm while Won was still in the first.

    He was jealous, but not angry. It only made sense that Master and Mistress would do that sort of thing. He was quite certain of his deduction; it was the only thing that made sense for Tan¡¯s rapid progress compared to the rest of them.

    Well, that and his heritage, but they were all learning from the same source now so unless the Shens broke their own promises about playing favorites that should even out soon, right?

    ¡°Blaze, are you there?¡± he asked. He listened hard, but his spirit didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Where does that fire come from?¡± he asked anyway. ¡°How does it burn on nothing?¡±

    He waited, staring at the fire as it burned merrily away, producing a constant source of heat that kept the children on the hill warm as they cultivated. Only Pao remained on the top of the hill, still cultivating.

    It was strange, but the fire on the small brazier with the magic markings burned brightest when all four of them were on top of the hill cultivating. Tan always left first ¨C the cheater ¨C and it would slowly weaken to about half of its power while the younger boy was present. When his sister left, it would weaken again by about a quarter. If Pao left before Won, then it would cut in half. If Won left first ¡­ he wasn¡¯t actually certain, since he wasn¡¯t around to observe it, and he didn¡¯t want to ask Pao.

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    It always came down to Pao and Won being the last ones on the hill. The other boy seemed to completely disregard Won¡¯s presence, but Won was certain they were in a competition to show Master Shen which one was the most dedicated. Pao had had three long years to make good impressions with the hidden master, but as the saying goes, what had he done recently? Whatever advantage that Pao had been earning to advance so fast during the previous three years, Won was determined to earn it for himself.

    If that meant taking it away from Pao, well, life was competition. There was only so much to go around, wasn¡¯t there?

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± a voice said. Won looked up, surprised to see the other boy looking at him.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You asked your spirit how your fire burns on nothing. It doesn¡¯t,¡± Pao told him.

    Won frowned at him. ¡°What do you mean? What are you talking about? We haven¡¯t fed this fire since I lit it months ago and it¡¯s still burning.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that it burns on nothing,¡± Pao said. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m not supposed to interfere with your path. But I think that I understand it enough to say that you¡¯re asking the wrong question. You shouldn¡¯t be asking how a fire can burn on nothing because it can¡¯t. That much is true even with magic.¡±

    ¡°What would you know?¡± Won challenged.

    ¡°Sorry. Forget I said anything,¡± Pao said. He got up and brushed off his pants. It was getting chilly in the late autumn, but the older boy was still wearing the light clothes of summer. He said that the earth doesn¡¯t hide from the cold and neither would he.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Won said as he watched Pao walk off. He grinned. He¡¯d won today. He¡¯d outlasted the older boy. Even if all he¡¯d been doing was sitting in front of the brazier and pondering the dao.

    He looked back at the flame.

    He bit his lip.

    If the fire wasn¡¯t burning on nothing, then what was it burning?

    ~~~~~~

    Ko blushed and closed the door behind her leaving the stunned older boy standing in the hallway. She had promised to kiss him if he took her seriously during the spar, but it had taken her a while to work up her courage. Long enough that Pao looked completely shocked when she caught him on the cheek as he was coming out of the bathroom, fully dressed but still damp from the bath.

    She smiled as she prepared for her turn in the bath. It was only slightly dirty from the previous two bathers, more soap than anything else. She frowned at it and wished that she had the skill to make the dirt go out of it, like Mistress Wensho could. Then she wished that she had the skill to warm it up, but she couldn¡¯t.

    Instead she pulled the kettle of hot water off of the hot-plate that worked by magic that none of the children understood. It kept water hot, but when the kettle was empty the magic device was cool to the touch. Convenient and magical all at once, but Ko was quickly becoming accustomed to it.

    It was Master Shen¡¯s device, of course. Mistress Shen needed no such crutch to keep her baths at exactly the right temperature. Or so Ko had been told; she¡¯d never had the honor of bathing with, or being bathed by the woman. She was, after all, just another field hand.

    She smiled. How clever of the Shens to build their sect in this way, she thought. Two hidden masters, their family and their students out in the middle of nowhere. As she poured the steaming hot water into the bath and swirled the water with her magic to bring it to the right temperature, she pondered why it was that Mistress Shen didn¡¯t need to do this step.

    How was it that Wensho could control the temperature of water? Wasn¡¯t heat an aspect of fire?

    For that matter, how could the woman make the dirt and soap fall out of the water?

    And why was the bucket in the corner always filled with spiritual water that was refreshing in multiple ways when drunk?

    She sighed as she sank into the hot but dirty water. She soaked for hours, pondering her dao without even realizing it.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    Tren stuck his head into his children¡¯s rooms one by one. First the children that were only guests. Students. Disciples. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t love them. He would kill for them, if he needed to. But they were not his blood. There was a limit to what he would do for them, and he was conscious of exactly where that limit lie.

    Hopefully it would never be an issue. But in a contest between blood and simple mentorship, blood would always win. He would never allow himself to forget that.

    Not a second time.

    He smiled. The first time didn¡¯t really count, since they were married now, and the situation had resolved itself when he had volunteered to go into exile from the world.

    He smiled wider. Some exile, he thought. He was happier as a simple farmer than he¡¯d ever been in his life. A farmer. A husband. A father twice over. A teacher.

    And in a strange way, a student. Explaining the dao to children had unlocked further steps down the path that he had thought he¡¯d reached the end of.

    He flexed deep down into the sleepy earth and felt the distant limits of his power, and he relaxed. That, in this sleepy little land, should be enough. He wasn¡¯t the strongest in the world, but he was close. There was nothing this far out in the western wastelands that any of the others in the top ten would chase after.

    Nothing except perhaps for Gaia herself, he reflected.

    But if they were going to take Gaia from him, they would have to be prepared to keep her, and he doubted that anyone would dare. If they did, Gaia herself would raise an inheritance of pain upon their household for their transgression.

    She was both gentle and vengeful, when the mood struck her.

    He checked on the oldest first. Little Pao, who wasn¡¯t little any more. He¡¯d been surprised when Pao had bound his spirit so quickly. Not that he¡¯d managed it, he¡¯d sensed a bit of spirituality from the boy in the brief interactions they¡¯d had before Tren had revealed himself to the village as a cultivator.

    Or before Tan had done it for them, at least.

    That Pao was choosing to walk in Tren¡¯s footsteps was both amusing and humbling. There was, in Tren¡¯s view, no higher calling than the Dao of Bountiful Harvests. It was literally one of the four great Daos of Life.

    He wished that he could guide Tan down the Dao of the Endless Breath, but alas he wasn¡¯t familiar with that Dao. He was familiar enough with the Dao of the Azure Sky, and perhaps someday Tan would find someone to help him make the jump from that Dao to the deeper Dao of Life that went with the element that had come so naturally to him.

    He shook his head and returned his musings to the sleeping child he was checking on. Pao was strong. Physically, spiritually, mentally. And he was loyal. He was not Tren¡¯s child, but he was as close to them as siblings were to each other, and that was a relationship he would continue to nourish. Whether the boy grew up to become Tan¡¯s shield or Safron¡¯s spear, it was too early to say.

    Perhaps he would surprise them all and father Tren¡¯s grandchildren. It wasn¡¯t an impossibility, but that was a long ways away.

    Regardless, Pao had potential. And he was growing so fast.

    Next, the twins, who shared a bedroom. The freckle-faced children who looked nearly identical but were so different in temperament.

    Competative Won, he thought. He saw the boy searching for the angles, looking for advantages that weren¡¯t there. As though this were a story, and this little farm were truly a sect where such politicing was allowed. Not that Tren was actively discouraging it, but he¡¯d crush the boy¡¯s expectations eventually and see what happened.

    Not out of cruelty.

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    No, the path that Won was walking was a dead end. It was a race to the edge of a cliff, and beyond the cliff there was nothing. No bottom, no handholds to climb down, no way to return down the path that brought you there.

    Unfortunately the only way to see the cliff was to be thrown off of it and pulled back.

    Competition is good, but too much salt is poison. Tren wanted competition in his household, and he¡¯d encourage it to a point. But he would not allow Won to turn his beautiful fields baren.

    And then then there was Ko. Fiesty little thing. He still got a chuckle over the sheer look of astonishment on Pao¡¯s face when she¡¯d kicked him in that tender spot during their match. But she was also going out of her way to nurture the younger children. She played the part of the older sister masterfully.

    And like the other three of his students, she was stronger than she realized. Or she would be once she walked further down her path. Already he could sense small bubblings beneath her surface as she pondered the connections between her dao and that of the other four cultivators that she was training with.

    Yes, he was well pleased with Ko. She would make a fine wife for Tan, if things didn¡¯t work out between her and Pao. Or not. He wasn¡¯t one to arrange his children¡¯s futures like that. Neither the ones he¡¯d fathered, nor the ones he¡¯d sort of adopted.

    But a subtle word of encouragement here and there, once they were old enough for such things, might not be out of place.

    He smiled and moved on.

    Safron was sleeping in Tan¡¯s room, allowing Tren to contemplate both of his natural children at once. He was so damn proud of Tan¡¯s progress. His understanding of the Dao of the Azure Sky was still that of a child. But he had both feet firmly on the path.

    Or rather, he was soaring down the path without touching the ground at all, which was proper for his dao.

    He smirked again at the memory of the visit from the lord. He knew perfectly well what the man had come intending to do. Throw his weight around and make a fuss before demanding some sort of obscene bribe from the farmer who was obviously too wealthy for his own good.

    He also knew that only one in ten cultivators ever learned to fly. Of those, seven in ten walked the Dao of the Azure Sky. However, most of them walked it for decades, some of them centuries, before they were half as adroit in the air as Tan was at age nine.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of power. If that was all it took, then anyone could fly. It was a matter of becoming one with the sky, part of the wind, a feather on a zephyr. It took most who mastered the technique decades to overcome the lifetime of experience that said feet belong on the ground.

    Which, ironically, is why Tan had managed to do it thirty years and a realm of power sooner than most managed.

    Tren sighed, smiling. Pretty soon Tan would be making the transition from the initiate¡¯s realm into what was commonly called the realm of copper, or sometimes the novice realm. Or, in a backwater like this, it was confused with one of the higher realms such as the silver or the gold, or, alternatively, the profound or the master¡¯s realm.

    He sighed. It would help if someone codified the realms, but the fact was that every sect had their own names for the same things. Some of them claimed that the initiate¡¯s realm had five stages, others that it had twelve or thirteen.

    Tren held that it had ten, because there was a qualitative change from stage ten to eleven. A second purging of impurities from the body, and a profound improvement in metabolism.

    Tan was in the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, and at the rate he was going he would enter the next realm before he turned ten. Possibly shortly after he turned ten. Maybe before that, if he experienced a sudden breakthrough on his Dao.

    Which meant that Tren would have to decide what terminology to use to prepare him for the experience.

    He smiled and turned his eyes to his youngest child. His daughter. Who was soon to turn four. She was fiesty and constantly demanding attention and absolutely deserved every bit that she demanded.

    And yet there was a problem.

    He sighed. It wasn¡¯t really a problem. If he was any other parent he wouldn¡¯t even realize it.

    She had a minor Qi block on her eighth meridian, by her left kidney. It shouldn¡¯t impare her when she bound her spirit. A powerful enough spirit would correct the issue naturally within days of the successful merging, likely without the child ever being aware of the defect.

    But to both of the girl¡¯s parents, the blemish was terrifying. They¡¯d spoken about it in hushed whispers after drawing privacy wards in the air while the children were asleep in the hours between midnight and dawn. They had sent letters to healers whom they had vowed to never contact again requesting any and all information on Qi blocks, and they had read every reply they had gotten.

    And the answer was the hardest they¡¯d ever received.

    There was nothing to do until the child began to try to cultivate. Which meant that there was nothing to do but wait.

    He sighed and closed the door on the sleeping children, then returned to the room he shared with his wife. She woke when he slid into bed, and they spent a while trying to expand their family once more.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    Lord Hara had never been so nervous as when the second major cultivator came to see him at his meager little hall. There was nothing that he feared more than being caught in the battles between two giants waging a war where people like him were not the pawns, but the ants that were crushed underfoot without a thought. It happened all of the time in the larger provinces, which was one of the reasons he had volunteered for this sleepy little posting.

    This cultivator actually looked like a cultivator. Not like the understated hidden master who was raising a monster at all. She was of an average height for a woman, but her skin was pale as snow and her hair as black as the firmament. She radiated a cold feeling that Hara felt in his bones before he felt it on his skin.

    Part of him wanted to kowtow as though he were meeting the emperor himself, but he merely bowed the proper depth that a local lord was expected to bow to a cultivator of unknown power and association. There was nothing that she could object to in his bow without revealing who she was and why she had come to the western provinces, on the edge of the great Qi desert.

    She stared down at him as he recovered from his bow, despite being shorter than him. She had a haughty expression on her face and she tapped her closed fan against one palm impatiently.

    ¡°You are the lord of the Misikio Province, correct?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Not the entire province,¡± he corrected. ¡°The Susuka county only.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I meant,¡± she said. ¡°Tell me, have you noticed anything strange in your lands in the last decade or two?¡±

    ¡°Strange? How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Anything strange. Anything at all,¡± she said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything that might draw an interest from a powerful cultivator such as yourself,¡± he said judiciously. ¡°The last two decades have been very quiet. Bountiful and quiet. Our tax revenue has steadily increased for the last thirty years, in fact.¡±

    ¡°Thirty years?¡± she said, cocking her head. ¡°What happened thirty years ago?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of significance that I was aware of,¡± Lord Hara said carefully. It was nothing more than the truth, and it was also a blatant lie.

    He wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that a powerful cultivator and his cultivator wife had appeared in his predicessor¡¯s lands twenty-nine years ago until just recently. So saying that he ¡®was aware of¡¯ it when it occurred was technically the truth. He was aware of it now, but he hadn¡¯t been when it happened.

    Her eyes narrowed on him, and he felt a shiver pass through his bones.

    ¡°You¡¯re hiding something?¡±

    He swallowed nervously. ¡°Yes,¡± he said.

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°I am caught between a tiger and a dragon, my lady. Please take mercy.¡±

    She stared at him for a moment. ¡°I see. Am I the tiger or the dragon?¡±

    ¡°I have no way of knowing. I swear. But if I divulge the other party¡¯s secrets, then they will take vengeance I am certain. Please, I beg your understanding.¡±

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    ¡°You have answered the question I was looking for. A wind spirit I was hunting was plucked from my grasp several years ago, you see. I tracked it to this land, but aside from the unexpected Qi oasis in your county I found nothing out of the ordinary to explain where it had gone,¡± she said. She opened the fan and used it on herself for a moment. ¡°My daughter was so disappointed when she was forced to bond a lesser spirit.¡±

    Lord Hara swallowed, remembering the flying boy who had shocked him so thoroughly. ¡°Will you retaliate?¡±

    ¡°When I do not know if I am a dragon challenging a tiger or a tiger challenging a dragon?¡± she asked rhetorically. She sighed. ¡°If the other cultivator who snatched the prize from my grasp is responsible for this oasis, then they are a hidden master beyond compare. I should like to introduce myself and congratulate them on their well earned victory in the game that they likely did not realize that they were even playing. And I would meet the child who bonded the spirit.¡±

    ¡°My lady, please --¡±

    ¡°I will cause no trouble,¡± she promised. ¡°I will give to you a letter of introduction and invitation and I will wait in the nearby city for two weeks for a reply. That is all.¡±

    Lord Hara released several clenched muscles. He just had to deliver a letter to a cultivator who, now that he thought about it, technically owed him a favor. Had he not helped build the farmer¡¯s new mansion?

    ¡°I will see that it is delivered personally,¡± he promised.

    ¡°See that you do,¡± she agreed. Then she turned and departed, and the chill in his bones slowly thawed as she did so.

    He collapsed once she was gone. The letter was delivered to his hands the next day, and he rode for six hours through the cold winter rain to deliver it.

    The cultivator¡¯s wife ¨C herself a cultivator of rare power if the rumors were true, he reminded himself lest some part of him unclench and accidentally cause offense ¨C saw his miserable state and chastised him for abusing his horse. She insisted that he spend the night and that the animal sleep in their barn after it was properly tended to.

    She sent the children to watch him unsaddle, feed, and brush his animal. Lord Hara did not consider himself above caring for a horse; he was a local and minor lord and literally couldn¡¯t afford to be too haughty. And it was a very nice horse and he really couldn¡¯t afford to abuse it too much.

    He was surprised when the air in the barn suddenly turned balmy despite the lack of a fire, and the water seemed to drip straight out of both his own coat and the horse¡¯s tack. He glanced at the children, who had conspiratorial grins on their faces, except for the eleven year old boy who was looking at the younger boy, the one who could fly, with a suspicious glare.

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± the older boy demanded of the younger one.

    ¡°Doing what?¡± the younger boy asked innocently.

    ¡°I¡¯m not making the room hot, you are. But you can¡¯t do that because your spirit isn¡¯t fire,¡± the older boy said.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same air whether its hot or cold. I¡¯m just reminding it what it¡¯s like to be a warm evening in the summer. It will forget and remember that it¡¯s winter when we leave,¡± the younger boy answered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them,¡± the girl said. ¡°My brother is an idiot and Tan loves to show off. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s actually being helpful and making you dry.¡±

    Hara swallowed nervously as he realized that the master cultivator wasn¡¯t raising one monster but four of them. He looked at the oldest boy, a big brute of a child in the body but a clear intelligence and kindness in his eyes. ¡°And you, son? Are you a cultivator too?¡±

    ¡°I cultivate the earth like Master Shen,¡± the oldest boy said. ¡°I¡¯m the reason that the ground beneath your feet isn¡¯t muddy right now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± Hara said, and he continued to go about seeing to the comfort of his horse before retiring with the children to the main house, where he presented the lady cultivator¡¯s letter, and then to the guest house, which was the old home that the new building had replaced. The children appeared once in the evening to deliver him a hot meal, but he was otherwise left alone.

    In the morning, the cultivator appeared.

    ¡°If she causes problems for you, let me know. You haven¡¯t done anything to deserve them. I¡¯ll sort this out without involving you further if I can,¡± Master Shen told Lord Hara.

    ¡°This humble magistrate thanks the master cultivator,¡± Lord Hara said, bowing the proper depth for a lord of his station to bow to a cultivator of unknown power. It was, he realized too late, an invitation to answer that question.

    But the man simply grinned at him. ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to scare your horse,¡± he said, and then he turned and walked away, leaving Lord Hara to finish saddling his horse and ride away into the early morning mist.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    Tan sat anxiously at the table. It had been a few days since the fancy man on the horse had spent the night and his parents were being weird. He sort of felt like he¡¯d been called to be scolded at, even though he was mostly sure that he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong lately. Lately. They hadn¡¯t found out about --

    ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble, Tan,¡± his mother told him. ¡°Should you be?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± he said immediately. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You¡¯ve been funny since the man with the horse came.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you. It¡¯s Zephyr,¡± his father said, sighing.

    ¡°What about her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated, Tan, but someone else thinks that because they were hunting her for longer than I was, they have a stronger claim to her than we do,¡± he said.

    ¡°Well they can¡¯t have her. She¡¯s mine,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Obviously. They¡¯re not talking about taking her away from you. They can¡¯t do that without ¨C drastic measures. And it doesn¡¯t sound like they¡¯re monstrous. The truth is that one of their proposed methods of settling this is simply that we give them a few replacement spirits of lesser strength. We have hundreds of those in the shed, so as long as they¡¯re not fibbing in their letter we should be able to buy them off,¡± his father explained.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said. ¡°Then why are you acting weird.¡±

    ¡°Because their preferred method of settling this dispute is by marrying you to the child who they think should have gotten Zephyr instead,¡± his mother said. ¡°And unfortunately they¡¯ve phrased it in such a way that it¡¯s a difficult request to refuse out of hand.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t get married, I¡¯m only nine,¡± Tan pointed out.

    ¡°You can get married when you turn sixteen, which is a blink of the eye to some cultivators,¡± his father said. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not the marriage itself that we can¡¯t turn down. It¡¯s the introduction to the girl who might have gotten Zephyr if the Zang family¡¯s spirit hunters had been significantly better at their job. I hadn¡¯t even realized that they were after Zephyr when I found her and bound her to the stone I gave you.¡±

    ¡°What if I hate her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Then you just have to say that you hate her and you never want to see her again and that¡¯s the end of it,¡± his mother promised. ¡°But you do have to meet her and play with her for a few hours. And you have to promise not to say that you hate her until you¡¯ve actually had a chance to know whether you¡¯ll hate her or not.¡±

    ¡°I already know that I will,¡± Tan said. ¡°Zephyr hates her and I don¡¯t know why, but I know that if Zephyr hates her then I¡¯ll hate her. Zephyr says that the reason she likes me is because she hates the Zang family.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± his father said. ¡°That¡¯s good. If we blame it on Zephyr that makes it easier to get out of the arranged marriage. But you still have to meet the girl and play with her for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Do I really?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

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    ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave for Lima City tomorrow. We¡¯ll leave Safron with the aunties in the village and the other children will be fine fending for themselves for three days,¡± his father announced.

    ¡°I thought it was six days to Lima City from here,¡± Tan objected, not really wanting to spend so long on the road.

    ¡°It¡¯s a six day journey if you¡¯re a mortal, Tan. But you can fly, and your father and I are quite fast enough to keep up with you on the ground,¡± his mother pointed out. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take us an entire day, but we¡¯ll make our presence known when we arrive tomorrow, meet the child and her family the day after, and one way or another we¡¯ll return after that.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said. For all that he was proud of his speed, he hadn¡¯t really put it together that the world was a much smaller place for him than it was for the normal children in the village quite before that moment.

    As he went to bed, he entertained the dreams that Zephyr sent him of an ugly girl with a pig nose and an ugly fat forehead. His parents sat downstairs, Wensho holding her husband¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It was bound to happen eventually,¡± she said sadly. ¡°The others will see our children¡¯s potential and try to claim their hearts away from us.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll try,¡± Tren agreed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Zang family¡¯s bid is already dead in the water.¡±

    ¡°But there will be others,¡± Wensho objected. ¡°Other girls. Other boys for Safron. They¡¯ll keep coming until someone wins the hearts of our children. Or at least their oaths.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone can break the rules like we did,¡± Tren said, squeesing her hand.

    ¡°But our children can.¡±

    ¡°Not yet they can¡¯t,¡± Tren said. ¡°Not until they climb three or four more realms.¡±

    ¡°Do you really see Tan¡¯s pace slowing down anytime soon?¡± Wensho asked, laughing lightheartedly. ¡°He¡¯ll be stronger than either of us before he¡¯s thirty.¡±

    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Tren mumbled.

    ¡°I happen to know for a fact that I can speak for the both of us,¡± she teased. ¡°It¡¯s what being your wife means.¡±

    He grumbled. They kissed, and they moved their discussion into the bedroom.

    In the morning, the Shen family said goodbye to their three students/farm hands, placing Pao in charge while the adults and Tan were away. They moved at a sedate pace to the village, taking the full hour while allowing Safron to walk or be carried as the mood struck her. She was rather excited to be visiting her ¡®aunties¡¯ in the village, even though she knew that they weren¡¯t really related and they were just old women who often watched the young children for the adults when they were busy.

    Once the little girl was safely ensconced in the watchful care of the village¡¯s child tenders, the mother, father, son trio set out overland at the speed of cultivators.

    Fast.

    Tan had been given directions to reach the city in case he got separated from his parents, but that proved not to be a problem as they each easily kept up with the boy despite the fact that he could fly without tiring for hours, and the fact that he could outrace most birds. This was the furthest and longest that he¡¯d ever flown at one time, and when he got tired, it was all at once.

    He fell from the sky, but his parents had been prepared for this possibility and Tren leapt into the air to catch his nine year old son before the boy hit the ground. They stopped to eat lunch, with Tan eating a special honey cake that his mother had prepared for him specifically to repleninish his internal qi. When they set off again, it was at a more sedate pace, but they were already most of the way there and they arrived in the late afternoon.

    The following hours were miserable for Tan, as he was bathed to remove the dust from the road, then he was brought to a seamstress and poked needlessly with pins for hours while a new and uncomfortable outfit was designed for him to wear the following day. No matter how he objected his parents wouldn¡¯t relent and allow him to go to the meeting in his normal clothes. He had to wear this, this monstrosity that took twenty minutes to put on! And it was so uncomfortable!

    Well, it would be more comfortable once it was held together by actual stitches and not just pins, he reflected as the seamstress helped him change out of it and allowed him to dress in his normal clothes again. But the green shirt with the yellow leggings and the fancy embroidery that announced him as an air cultivator was ¡­

    Okay, so he liked the embroidery a little bit.

    But the hat was stupid.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    Tan was exhausted by the time they¡¯d finished fitting him for his outfit for the next day, and he¡¯d promptly fallen asleep on the lounge in the seamstress¡¯s room. He hadn¡¯t woken when he was carried into the cheap motel that the family was staying in, and he slept straight through the night. In the morning, when he awoke suddenly with a bladder near bursting, he and his family returned to the seamstress and he squeezed into his outfit.

    It was admittedly much more comfortable now that it was sewn properly.

    But the hat was still stupid.

    As he walked through the streets, however, he abruptly became aware of the fact that everyone was looking at him. At him and his parents. Not just looking at them, but scurrying out of their way. He hadn¡¯t been the only one to change clothes at the seamstress¡¯s, with his father wearing blue and green silk robes and his mother a violet kimono.

    Both were embroidered with the words for ¡°Grandmaster.¡±

    He wished that he could wear clothes like his father, but they hadn¡¯t had time to wait for the seamstress to make an entirely new outfit for him. Instead she¡¯d had to fit together two existing projects to make do. The seamstress had been excited for the prospect when she¡¯d learned that she was designing an outfit for a young master of a powerful cultivator family. Less excite when she¡¯d heard the time limit.

    Tan told himself that the strangers were just looking at him because the embroidery said that he was a cultivator. So he decided to give them a reason to stare and he abruptly flew two feet off the ground as he followed along behind his father.

    Suddenly the streets weren¡¯t filled with people who were gawking at them. Suddenly the streets were empty. He looked around.

    ¡°Did I do that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. You frightened them,¡± his mother said.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°The stories of cultivators having tempers are not always as exaggerated as I wish they were,¡± Wensho said sadly. ¡°When a commoner in a city sees a cultivator using magic, it¡¯s not like in our sleepy little village where they had a personal relationship with the cultivator for most of their life before ever learning about our mystical powers. They saw you and they saw someone unknown with a suit that says you¡¯re powerful, and they took your appearance at face value.¡±

    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t going to hurt anyone,¡± Tan objected.

    ¡°We know that and you know that, but they didn¡¯t know that when they ran from us,¡± Tren explained. He scratched his nose. ¡°I hope nobody got hurt in the stampede to get away from us.¡±

    Tan felt a bit guilty that he¡¯d scared everybody without meaning to. He was used to everyone knowing that he could fly and it not being that big of a deal. After all, to him, it wasn¡¯t much more difficult than walking. In fact, it was much easier to fly fast than it was to run fast, so whenever he was in a hury his feet would inevitably leave the ground before long.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he told his parents.

    ¡°That you scared those people? It¡¯s fine,¡± his father assured him. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    They went into the fancy estate, which belonged to a local merchant who was privately more than a little annoyed to have been abruptly kicked out of his primary home at short notice by the powerful cultivators who only contributed to ten percent of his bottom line and were, he thought, often more of a headache than they were worth.

    Like when they demanded he vacate his home on short notice for a playdate for their children.

    It was a very nice estate, with plumb trees everywhere in the front courtyard. Tan looked at the trees and squinted slightly. Did they have spirits in them? No, he thought. They weren¡¯t spiritual trees. They had corpses planted beneath them and they were haunted.

    ¡°Why are their dead people beneath the trees?¡± he asked his mother.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know and it¡¯s not really our business to ask,¡± Wensho answered.

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    ¡°Did the Zang family kill them to fertilize their trees?¡± he pressed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not what happened at all,¡± she said. ¡°If it bothers you I can ask for you.¡±

    Tan frowned as he looked at the ghosts which were lingering in the branches of the trees. ¡°I don¡¯t think they were murdered,¡± he said eventually. ¡°They all look old and kind of happy. One of them is laughing and feeding the other a ghost-plumb.¡±

    ¡°It might be how the family honors their dead,¡± his mother said. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised that you can see them at your current cultivation. You¡¯re even more sensitive than we realized.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve said that before,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°It was true before, and it¡¯s true now,¡± she said.

    They walked through the courtyard of the dead-people-trees and met with a wall of servants, who showed them into a parlor where a young looking man and a pale woman who gave off an icy radiance were waiting for them. There were cushions on the floor, and Tan abruptly sat on the one in the middle.

    His parents exchanged looks, grinning, before kneeling at either side to him.

    ¡°Hello, honored cultivators. I am pleased that you have accepted the invitation to resolve our dispute peacefully. I am Toh Zang,¡± the woman said. ¡°This is my husband Mahn Zang. Our daughter, Kora, is still dressing, but will join us shortly.¡±

    ¡°I am Tren Shen. This is my wife, Wensho Shen and my son, Tan Shen. Tan is bound to the spirit which you claim belongs to your family and we are not willing to discuss any option for resolving the dispute in which that becomes untrue,¡± Tan¡¯s father said.

    ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re not barbarians, as we said in our letter,¡± Toh said.

    ¡°Furthermore, it takes more than pursuing a spirit to establish a claim on that spirit. Do you even know its name?¡± Tren pressed.

    Toh frowned. ¡°We called it Onmigosha.¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Tan said, giggling. ¡°Really really wrong.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you named it, the fact remains that you disregarded our claim, entered the territory of our family and poached it--¡±

    ¡°Your family does not own the black sky mountains. It owns one mountain in the range. I went nowhere near it,¡± Tren objected.

    ¡°You destroyed the wards that were keeping the spirit isolated and weakening it. You benefited from our efforts in your own capture of the spirit,¡± Toh argued.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you were doing? I was wondering why she was injured when I found her. It seems that she broke your wards herself, but it hurt her. I didn¡¯t benefit at all from your efforts at forcing an unwilling spirit on an unknowing child. It took me days to gain her trust, and it might have all fallen apart if she had not been charmed by my son¡¯s innnocence,¡± Tren argued.

    Toh opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked ot her husband.

    ¡°It seems that we have some philosophical differences about how the binding process should occur,¡± Mahn admitted. ¡°Regardless, we are willing to overlook any tresspass that may or may not--¡±

    ¡°--did not occur--¡± Tren interjected.

    ¡°--in exchange for the rejoining of the spirit in question into the Zang clan through marriage. We believe that this is the most equitable solution, as nobody truly loses anything. You gain a daughter with a powerful fire spirit, and we gain a son with a powerful air spirit. Each of our families becomes stronger for the union.¡±

    Tren waited until he was certain that the man had finished speaking, then he shrugged. ¡°You have said as much in your letter. We brought our son to meet your daughter and put this farce to rest. If they get along in this meeting then his mother and I are willing to entertain negotiations to enter a courtship between them. If they don¡¯t, then we offer you five high-grade spirit stones to break off contact without admitting to any wrongdoing on our part. Are these terms acceptable?¡±

    Toh coughed. ¡°Five? Did you say five high grade?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Tren confirmed.

    Tan frowned, but it was not, as the Zangs thought, because he was concerned for his family¡¯s wealth. Rather he was concerned because he thought that all of the stones that his father had found over the years were of low quality, but his father had just described them as high grade. He¡¯d never known his father to lie in a formal negotiation before.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Mahn Zang said. ¡°Kora! Come out here and meet your future husband!¡±

    The door to the parlor opened and a thirteen year old girl walked in wearing a silk dress. She frowned at Tan.

    ¡°What is he wearing?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What are you wearing,¡± he challenged back, having never seen a girl in a dress so impractical before. ¡°Can you even run in those shoes?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t need to run if I could fly!¡± she challenged.

    He abruptly felt the temperature begin to rise in the room, like when Won began to lose his temper. And Tan reacted the same as he would if he was dealing with Won, snuffing the fire Qi that the girl was directing at him with her anger.

    She gasped out in surprise.

    ¡°Second stage of the profound realm!¡± she announced. ¡°But he¡¯s so young!¡±

    Toh and Mahn were likewise agape at the boy¡¯s cultivation. They had expected that it would have taken him two or three years to have bonded the spirit, and that he would be in the first or second stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. To be so powerful already was simply unheard of, and impossible from the way they understood things.

    ¡°You¡¯re off to a great start. Why don¡¯t you try punching him in the nose next,¡± Wensho teased the girl. ¡°He¡¯ll like that about as much as what you just did.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    Kora was not accustomed to humiliating herself, and yet she¡¯d done a pretty thorough job of it. To be fair to her, it wasn¡¯t entirely her fault. It wasn¡¯t proper for her parents to probe the cultivation of a junior of an unrelated house, but it was perfectly acceptable for Kora to challenge Tan to what was effectively a spiritual pissing match.

    But she hadn¡¯t been expected to get slapped down quite so hard or thoroughly.

    Since the mighty wind spirit had escaped the snare that had been set for it, she had worked hard to bond the second strongest spirit that had been available to her. If she was honest, she was happy that the wind spirit had gotten away. She liked fire so much better.

    Or at least she liked the idea of fire better. She was having trouble gathering enough Qi to truly advance her cultivation into the third stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. She wouldn¡¯t have had that problem if she¡¯d bonded the wind spirit, because air was everywhere, and she¡¯d be able to cultvate endlessly.

    Perhaps she¡¯d even be in the second stage of the profound realm by now, she thought to herself miserably as she walked alongside the younger boy whom she was supposed to ¨C somehow ¨C convince to marry her after embarrassing herself like that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said as the walked under one of the plumb trees. ¡°About testing you with my Qi. My parents put me up to it. They wanted me to test how strong you were.¡±

    ¡°Stronger than you,¡± the boy said, looking up at the denuded branches. ¡°Why are there dead people under the trees?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s what?¡± she asked, blinking at the non sequitur.

    ¡°There¡¯s dead people under the trees and ghosts in the branches. Can¡¯t you see them?¡±

    ¡°I knew that they were there, but no, I can¡¯t see them,¡± she admitted. Her heart sank further as she realized that she was dealing with a prodigy. She was a prodigy in her family, but her family was only of average rank in the grand scheme of the cultivation world. She had no idea who the Shens were; it was obviously an assumed name.

    But to have stolen a wind spirit out from under the Zangs, claiming to not even have realized that they were doing so, and then to bind it to a five year old child genius ¡­

    ¡°I like listening to music. There¡¯s an opera in town that plays on the weekends. If you stay, we can go together and--¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay five days. I need to go home before then,¡± the boy said, cutting her off before she could get too far into that plan to extend their relationship. ¡°And opera sound stupid.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid! The singers train all of their lives for it, and it¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah? Well you¡¯re stupid and you like it so opera is stupid. That¡¯s called the transitive property,¡± the boy said.

    She blushed. This was not going well.

    Tan, meanwhile, was also miserable. Zephyr was angry at the girl. Before the spirit had just been angry at the idea of someone who wanted to take her away from Tan. She had only vague memories of being caught in the Zang family trap before Tan¡¯s father had rescued her, and spirits were beings that tended to live in the moment. They were quick to forgive and forget.

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    Except once was happenstance, twice was a pattern, and three times was unforgivable.

    The Zang family had tried to trap her. The Zang family had tried to trap Tan with a marriage proposal. And now the Zang family had trapped an innocent flame spirit in an agonizing web inside the girl¡¯s twisted dantian.

    ¡°Fix it,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°She¡¯s in pain and this stupid girl doesn¡¯t even see it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± Tan admitted. He too could see the twisted formation that was holding the fire spirit in place inside of the older girl who might have done the same to Zephyr given the chance.

    ¡°It wants to be fixed. Just nurture the flame within her with your own Qi and it will burn away the impurities that are tormenting the spirit,¡± Zephyr whispered into his ear. She wasn¡¯t certain that it would work. Well, she was certain in a way.

    Either this would fix the tortuous connection between the fire spirit which was aware enough to suffer in this twisted formation. Or it would fix the situation by killing Kora and freeing the spirit.

    For Zephyr it was a win-win.

    She didn¡¯t pass all of this information on to Tan, however, only how to snap the threads of the formation within the girl¡¯s belly and how to fan the flames to do the rest.

    Tan stopped walking, and Kora turned to him nervously.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do something, and you need to trust me,¡± Tan said suddenly. ¡°It might hurt but it¡¯s for your own good. I think.¡±

    ¡°I hate it when people say that. It¡¯s never true.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. But I think this time it¡¯s true. There¡¯s a reason you¡¯re stuck in your cultivation. I¡¯m going to fix it.¡±

    Kora blinked, and before she realized what was happening he pressed a hand to her belly button and pressed his Qi inside her.

    And abruptly the carefully woven spell construct that would help her body consume the spirit over the course of years shattered.

    She screamed as the fire Qi abruptly ran through her meridians, threatening to burn her from the inside out. The fire Qi and ¡­ and air Qi. A calm breeze that was both fanning the flames and blowing them back away from her organs and into her dantian where they belonged.

    She had fallen, and he was straddling her chest, with his butt almost in her face as he kept one hand pressed to her belly. He was doing surgery to her, he realized. Magical surgery while she was awake to watch and feel it happening.

    She screamed again as another gout of flame Qi escaped her dantian and ripped through her system before he could get it under control.

    ¡°What in the world is going on? What is your son doing to our daughter?¡± her mother exclaimed.

    And suddenly there was a pressure everywhere. Like a boulder, the thought of a boulder at least, pressing down on everything and everyone and everywhere.

    ¡°Do not interfere if you value her life,¡± A voice so filled with power that she couldn¡¯t even identify what stage it was at said. ¡°To stop them now that they¡¯ve gone this far would burn her out.¡±

    Kora screamed again, but Tan was getting faster at redirecting the fire Qi that was ravaging her system back into her dantian before it could cause too much havoc in her body.

    The cycle repeated itself five times before suddenly something shifted. She blinked in surprise.

    ¡°You stupid little brat I hate you and now that that supid circle is gone I¡¯m going to tell you every day how stupid you are and what a brat you are and how much I hate you!¡± a voice whispered in her ear.

    She blinked in surprise. She knew that voice. She had heard it whispering to her when she¡¯d held the spiritual stone in her hand. It had said something like ¡°eh, you¡¯ll do¡± when she¡¯d expressed her willingness to bond with it. But she hadn¡¯t heard it since the ceremony had completed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re damn right you don¡¯t you ignorant little brat! You almost killed me!¡± the spirit said. ¡°You almost destroyed my mind to steal my power and I hate you for it! If we weren¡¯t stuck together I¡¯d fly away after setting all your clothes on fire!¡±

    The spirit continued to spout vitriol at her, but she stopped listening as exhaustion overcame her.

    She was vaguely aware of one thing as she slipped into unconsciousness, however. She¡¯d advanced two stages in her cultivation thanks to ¡­ whatever it was that had just happened.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    Tren watched with pride as his son masterfully set free the bindings that were torturing the innocent fire spirit. He hated that technique. Would have had it banned and called a demonic technique if he had the power to do so, but although he lamented the pain that it caused to the spirits who got caught in the web of the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace bonding technique, it wasn¡¯t something that he was prepared to fight a war over.

    To know that the Zang family had been misusing it, likely for generations, had filled him with anger when he had detected its twisting flows within the girl¡¯s dantian. But it wasn¡¯t his place to do anything about it. It was their family, their traditions. They had captured the spirit and abused it, but after the girl¡¯s lifetime the flame spirit would have recovered.

    And likely become vengeful against humans for the suffering inflicted upon it, but what was one more vengeful spirit in a world filled with them?

    When the ebb and flow of the girl¡¯s Qi settled down and began cycling naturally once more, Tren relaxed his own Qi, which he had pulled on and was currently oppressing the Zang family and their retainers with. When they recovered from the shock of his Qi, the parents of the girls began demanding answers.

    ¡°What is it that your son has done to our daughter?¡± Mahn demanded. ¡°He has assaulted her unprovoked, and we demand --¡±

    ¡°How dare you come into our home and --¡±

    Tren allowed them to vent their anger for a few moments. They were right, his family had provided them an insult. He had just displayed a portion of his strength that would prevent them from actually attacking, but he would allow them the face of cussing him out for a bit.

    ¡°Why did you bind her to her spirit with the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace?¡± he asked after they were running out of steam. ¡°It is a poisonous technique, and a dangerous one. My son has done you a favor by undoing it.¡±

    ¡°He has undone her cultivation?¡± Mahn Zang demanded.

    ¡°Do you not have senses? Can you not see that your daughter has benefited from the actions of our son?¡± Wensho demanded. ¡°She is more powerful now than before.¡±

    ¡°But at what cost?¡± Toh asked.

    ¡°None, except that she must now deal with the spirit that your family has wronged in more ways than one for the rest of her life,¡± Tren answered. ¡°You did not answer my question. Why does yoru family make use of the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace?¡±

    ¡°If you are talking about the Subsumation Bonding Technique, then we use it because it increases the compatibility between the host and the spirit,¡± Toh said after she gathered her wits a bit. ¡°That is the technique that has been undone here, and we do not thank you for it. For a short term gain in power your son may have crippled my daughter.¡±

    ¡°He has increased her potential. You do not know the history of that technique. It lobotomizes the spirits that are caught in its web and reduces their power. It was used in ancient wars to turn vast numbers of mortals into cultivators to generate an army of weaklings. The sect that developed it was declared demonic, but not the technique itself,¡± Tren explained. ¡°To use this technique is a crime against the very spirits through which we gain our power.¡±

    ¡°Who are you to police our family¡¯s internal matters?¡± Mahn demanded.

    ¡°And that is where you are correct. I humbly apologize for the unwanted actions of my son. I offer five greater spiritual stones in recompense, on top of the five that were previously offered for the misunderstanding regarding the spirit I captured for him three years ago. I admit no fault in my actions in regard to the wind spirit, but I do admit fault and apologize for my son¡¯s actions today,¡± Tren said.

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    This show of granting them face molified the Zang family considerably. They gathered up their daughter, who was unconscious, and began to return to their parlor.

    ¡°We will consider your offer. Remain in Lima City until we have come to a conclusion. We must wait for our daughter to awaken and assess the damage to her cultivation before we decide whether the offer is suitable to the offense caused,¡± Toh said, somewhat imperiously.

    As though Tren had not moments before demonstrated that he could easily crush them all. She was pushing her luck, but fortunately she did have propriety on her side. The Shen family had given offense to the Zang family today, and while might makes right, the Zang family could make problems of many sorts for them if the situation were not handled delicately.

    ¡°My wife and son will return to our home. I will remain in the city until we have come to a conclusion that satisfies all parties,¡± Tren declared.

    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Toh said. ¡°Now I ask that you leave our compound. We will send an intermediary when we are ready to negotiate further.¡±

    Tren bowed humbly to the offended cultivators, and he and his family promptly left.

    Tan waited until they were some distance away from the estate before apologizing to this parents for his actions.

    ¡°Zephyr tricked me. She said that it would be easy, and that it wouldn¡¯t hurt her. I believed her. I didn¡¯t realize that it would cause so much trouble when I tried to help the fire spirit in Kora,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Zephyr saw a sister in pain and took actions to resolve the situation using what tools she had available to her,¡± Wensho said. ¡°I hesitate to say that you did the wrong thing, because like your father I find the use of that binding technique atrocious. But you have caused problems, Tan, and you¡¯re old enough to help your family correct them.¡±

    ¡°How do I to do that?¡±

    ¡°Your father will be paying for your mistakes from his own trove of spiritual stones,¡± his mother explained. ¡°It seems only fitting that you pay him back for your part of the price we must pay the Zang family for your actions, does it not?¡±

    ¡°You want me to find spirit stones as my punishment?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be hard,¡± his father promised him. ¡°Not with senses like yours. And with a spirit like Zephyr to guide you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but I don¡¯t know what to look for,¡± Tan protested.

    ¡°We¡¯ll teach you when we all get home,¡± Wensho promised. ¡°It¡¯s about time that you learn how anyway.¡±

    They returned to the cheap inn where they were staying, changed out of their fancy clothes, and spent the rest of the day wandering the city. Tren bought his wife a bracelet made of jade, his wife bought him a book on farming, and they both bought Tan so many treats from the street vendors that his belly was bulging by the time they returned to the inn for the night.

    In the morning, Tan and Wensho left early, before dawn, while Tren remained behind.

    Three days passed before Kora awoke from her ordeal. She was in the lush rooms of the wife of the merchant whose compound they had commandeered. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before the spirit in her belly realized that she was awake and began cursing at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that there was anything wrong with our bond until the ¡­ the twistingness was shattered,¡± she told the spirit. She got on her knees on the floor and bowed humbly towards the rising sun. ¡°I humbly apologize for the pain and injury my family caused you by enforcing an unnatural bond upon you.¡±

    The fire spirit paused a moment, surprised to receive such a heartfelt apology so easily.

    ¡°Well you¡¯re still a stupid, vapid little girl for not realizing it sooner!¡± the spirit said. ¡°Could you not tell that the bond, twisted as it was, was hampering your growth?¡±

    ¡°I could feel some sort of barrier, but did not understand it,¡± Kora admitted. She flexed out with her Qi and lit a candle from across the room. It was easier to control flames now than it ever had been before. ¡°I must talk with my family. My future husband has benefited me greatly, and we must repay him for his kindness.¡±

    ¡°Your future husband, eh?¡± the spirit teased. ¡°Does he know that?¡±

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t yet, he will soon,¡± Kora said, grinning.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    While his wife and child had left the city, Tren remained patiently behind, waiting for the Zang family to approach him after their daughter awoke. He wandered the city during the day and slept in the frugal inn that he¡¯d shared with his family during the night, and he bought gifts for his daughter. Ribbons for her hair, and a doll, and a new dress. He was spoiling her, he was certain, but what good was having a daughter if you can¡¯t spoil her?

    On the morning of the fourth day since the incident he received a letter at his inn requesting his presence at the compound where the Zang family was staying after everyone had eaten their noon meal. He arrived promptly, once more wearing his cultivator¡¯s robe proclaiming him to be a grandmaster. He sighed as he donned it, he much preferred the releative anonymity of his peasant¡¯s garb.

    When he arrived, he found the disposition of the family much improved compared to when he had last seen them. That their daughter had survived, recovered, and in fact improved her cultivation was largely responsible for their mood.

    ¡°Tell us more about what you know about the Subsumation Bonding Technique,¡± Toh demanded once he had been settled. They had not offered him refreshments, but it was not improper to have refrained from doing so. There remained some contention between them and offering him food or drink would be a way to poison him; refraining from doing so was polite by not putting him in the position to refuse.

    ¡°I said all I have to say about that damned technique already. Your family would be best off if you burned the scrolls that describe it and outlawed it entirely,¡± Tren said with feeling.

    ¡°It is possible to reverse, however? That is what your son did to our daughter?¡± Toh pressed.

    ¡°Up to a point. It works by twisting the spirit into the shape it desires, rather than the shape that they are naturally. Upon the cultivator¡¯s death, the spirit recovers with time, but if the spirit has been bonded for more than ten years it is unlikely that removing the formation which is responsible for lobotomizing them will have any effect. If you were to ask me to undo the blockage in your own dantian, I would be unable to assist,¡± Tren explained.

    The woman seemed disappointed. ¡°I was not at the stage where I was prepared to make such a request. However, after you gave me the other name for our family¡¯s technique I contacted my allies in another sect and requested information on the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace. It is described as a horrible technique from a time of desperation that crippled a generation of cultivators. And as you said, I saw several unfortunate parallels between that technique and our family¡¯s. I am prepared to accept the offer of recompense for your son¡¯s assault upon my daughter in the form of five spiritual stones of high quality.¡±

    Tren smiled and nodded. ¡°I am pleased that we can resolve this situation without further violence. I must insist, however, that the ten stones I provide are not used in the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace or the Subsumation Bonding Technique. I believe that those techniques are one in the same, but I am prepared to accept the possibility that one simply resembles the other without making an issue of it.¡±

    ¡°That is an acceptable caveat. Thank you for your understanding of our position. However, we are at this time only asking for five spiritual stones from the Shen family to cover the misunderstanding from the other day.¡±

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    Tren¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I do not understand.¡±

    ¡°Despite his assault on her, my daughter is rather infatuated with your son,¡± Toh explained. ¡°She wishes to explore the possibility of a serious courtship.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Tren said. He sighed. ¡°That is ¡­ I believe that my son is too young for a true courtship at this time. Additionaly, his spirit still recalls the pain it suffered in the spiritual traps of the Zang family and is whispering poison against you in his ear. Perhaps in five years we can revisit the issue?¡±

    ¡°We are prepared to wait that long for a resolution to this matter, one way or the other,¡± Toh said. ¡°If in five years time your son¡¯s heart warms to the Zang family, we would welcome a courtship between Tan Shen and Kora Zang. If the love between them blooms, then we would bless their union. If this is not the path that destiny takes our children, then we will revisit the issue of recompense for the wind spirit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not good enough,¡± Tren said, seeing an advantage and deciding to press it. ¡°I admit no wrongdoing for the tresspass that you perceive. I made the offer of spiritual stones in order to sever ties with the Zang family on honorable terms. If you are insisting upon remaining on the periphery of my family¡¯s life for five years while my son grows, then I withdraw the offer. We will revisit the issue of a courtship in five years, but you will receive only five spiritual stones for the misunderstanding the other day, and none for the wind spirit.¡±

    Toh frowned, the man having seen through her bluff. She wanted those stones, but the idea of marrying a genius like Tan into her family was the greater payoff, if it was a bit of a gamble. Tren was pressing her to make a decision now; she must either crush her daughter¡¯s prospects for financial gain, or take the risk of the boy¡¯s heart remaining frozen towards her daughter.

    ¡°Very well. We shall withdraw the request for financial compensation for the dispute over the wind spirit in exchange for the condition that your son and my daughter will explore a courtship at some point in the future. I propose as a compromise that in two years they meet again.¡±

    ¡°Your daughter will be fifteen and my son will be eleven,¡± Tren objected. ¡°Would it not be better to wait longer for the difference in their ages to be less of an issue?¡±

    ¡°I would prefer not to put things off for so long. I am requesting a meeting only, not a courtship. To see how the progression of our children¡¯s hearts is proceeding,¡± Toh clarified.

    Tren considered. ¡°Very well then.¡±

    He stood, pulling a pouch filled with stones from inside his robe, and tossed the onto the ground between them. ¡°That is the five stones that I brought for my initial offer. I offer them now to put the issue of my son¡¯s actions the other day to bed permanently. In exchange I will accept no insult of his character or actions for freeing the flame spirit within your daughter from her bonds. Your daughter may visit my family in two years time to see if there is chemistry between her and my son at that time. Is this an acceptable outcome for this meeting?¡±

    ¡°Would you be greatly insulted if we review the stones for quality before we accept?¡±

    Tren shrugged. ¡°They are of high quality, by the way most of the world figures things. I will remain in the city until tomorrow morning. You have until then to refuse my payment. If I leave tomorrow morning without receiving notice that the payment is insufficient, I will consider the matter forever closed.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Toh said. ¡°I will see you in two years, Tren Shen.¡±

    ¡°In two years, Toh Zang,¡± Tren agreed.

    And then he vanished from the compound, using a movement technique just to show off a little bit of his power. He appeared back in his inn room a split second later and began changing into this usual attire while Toh stared at the space where he had been, dumbfounded.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    Safron was helping!

    She carried the stone in her hand. It was the size of her fist, and it was special. It didn¡¯t just look special, althought it did. Look special. It was a shiny stone that was half crystal and had been found on a hill where it had been drinking in the sun for millions of years, according to her father, who had written the stone¡¯s properties on a slip that Safron couldn¡¯t read but her mother had red to her.

    But that wasn¡¯t what made the stone special. It was special because it had a fire spirit inside.

    Safron knew that even without being told because the spirit was whispering to her. She couldn¡¯t quite make out the words, and she knew that she was supposed to ignore them because the spirit would want to be her spirit and she both wasn¡¯t ready for a spirit and also would get a better one than this stone.

    No. She was four years old but she wasn¡¯t old enough to have a spirit like her brother and the other children yet. But she could still help.

    Today she was helping by hiding the spiritual stones that her mother was giving her to hide so that her brother had to find them. He was training himself to search for the homes of real spirits, so that he could pay back the family for the cost of his mistake with the stupid Zang family.

    Safron didn¡¯t really understand anything that had happened in the city, only that her brother had to look for special stones now, and that she could help by hiding the ones that they had. She didn¡¯t even have to worry about finding them again because if her brother couldn¡¯t, then her mother or father would.

    So she ran out into the small forest beyond the edge of the farm and looked for a good hiding spot. She searched and searched for hours to find a good spot, and finally she found a hole in the ground that was just perfect. She put the stone inside the hole, and that was when she saw the fox.

    The fox was staring at her. She stared at the fox, afraid for a moment. Then she ran away.

    It wasn¡¯t until much later that she realized that she¡¯d given the fox a spiritual stone. Her brother could never find the stone that she¡¯d hid that day, and her parents couldn¡¯t find it either when they went looking for it.

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    They did find the fox, however. It never preyed upon their chickens, but it was constantly watching the humans of the farm from the periphery.

    Her father said to leave it alone. That it was a special fox now. She watched one day as her father walked over to where it was and spoke with it for a few moments, then he came back and he said that the fox had agreed to live peacefully with the Shen farm and that it was okay to leave out scraps for it to eat.

    Safron thought that the fox was very pretty and she liked leaving little things out for it to find and eat. She never could get it to eat out of her hand, though, and when she went back to the hole in the ground where she¡¯d put the stone to bring it back, she picked up the stone and found that it didn¡¯t whisper to her anymore. She gave it to her father anyway and he¡¯d simply shrugged.

    ¡°A spiritual fox is worth more to this family than a spiritual stone sitting in the shed anyway,¡± he commented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Everything worked out for the best.¡±

    So Safron stopped worrying about the stone that she¡¯d almost lost because her father said it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Tan managed to find all of the other stones that she¡¯d hid for him, and she continued to help him by hiding the stones every day for him to find.

    Then another stone went missing. And the next day a rabbit came to the farm and looked around for a while, and it even let Safron pick it up and show it to her parents. Her parents praised the rabbit and introduced it to the fox and made the fox promise not to eat it. The fox didn¡¯t say anything that Safron could hear, but they seemed to get along.

    When Safron asked why the bunny was special ¨C she knew it was special she just didn¡¯t understand why ¨C her mother told her that it had bonded the earth spirit inside the stone that Safron had hid in its den. Safron hadn¡¯t realized that the hole she¡¯d put the missing stone into was a bunny rabbit¡¯s den.

    She apologized again for costing the family a spiritual stone, but her mother simply shrugged it off.

    ¡°A spiritual rabbit watching over the farm is worth more than a spiritual stone sitting in a shed,¡± she¡¯d said, and she praised Safron for finding good hiding places to help Tan train his stone-finding skills.

    Tan was getting good at finding the stones she hid, and no matter where she put them he could usually find them in less time than it took for her to hide them. Eventually he declared that he didn¡¯t need any more practice, and that he was going to go out and find the five stones that he¡¯d cost the family.

    Pao declared that he was going on the hunt with the younger boy, and Ko and Won got in on the action as well. So the children left the safety of the farm and went on an adventure together.

    Safron never forgave them for leaving her all alone with just her parents to keep her company. But at least they waited until after Tan¡¯s birthday so that they could have his party together.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17

    Winter passed, and with winter Safron¡¯s birthday, which was celebrated with flavored ice and sledding down the cultivation hill and skating on the surface of the river. The twins were also born in the winter, and rather than celebrating their birthday in unison they were each given a day dedicated to the celebration of their life on the day before and the day after. The day itself was supposed to be spent in quiet contemplation.

    But it wasn¡¯t.

    As far as the kids were concerned it was a three day party and they had a blast.

    Then the thaw came, and soon after the thaw, Tan¡¯s own birthday. He turned ten, and once the weather warmed to the point where the snow had melted and the grass turned green, it was decided that it was time for him to leave the farm on his quest to find five spirit stones to replace the ones that he had cost the family with his impertinent rescue of Kora¡¯s fire spirit.

    He had spent the entire winter preparing for this. It had been a mild winter, and he was anxious to get this task behind him, but also excited that he was being allowed to venture so far from home.

    He was given a necklace to wear, as were the other children, and told that it would keep them safe and to break the carved token that hung from it if they ever felt that they were in real danger. They accepted the token without much contemplation, unaware the value of such life-saving talismans, especially ones created by cultivators as powerful as Tren and Wensho.

    The adults felt a little foolish to be giving their children such things when likely the most dangerous things they would be facing were the elements, of which the children were already the master. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

    Safron asked where her necklace was and she was promptly given one as well. Just a string to go around her neck with a pebble that Tren quickly attached to it to make it look special. It wasn¡¯t a lifesaving talisman because she wasn¡¯t leaving the farm and the hidden wards of the farm far outstripped any of the talismans the children were given. But it made her feel like one of the big kids and she wore it proudly.

    Before they left, Tren took Tan aside and gave him a stone with a very faint spiritual signal to it. ¡°Son, I just wanted to let you know, the truth is that the stones in the shed are not the sort that I truly expect you to find. I know that I call them ¡®middling strength,¡¯ but that¡¯s because the spirits that our family wields are all of the imperial class. Most of the stones are, to the rest of the world, of the highest classification available. You don¡¯t have to bring me five high-class spirit stones. Five low class ones will satisfy me.¡±

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    ¡°I thought it was strange when you called them high-class spirit stones to the Zangs,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°How much stronger are our spirits than normal?¡±

    ¡°As with many things, it is not so much the strength that they possess but how it is used. Cultivating a spirit like we do is a partnership. We strengthen the spirit and the spirit strengthens us. You have been passing through the stages of cultivation very quickly. That is largely due to your inborn talent. You are my son, and Wensho¡¯s son, after all. However it is also because Zephyr is a wild imperial spirit. She has been bound before and remembers the process vividly, if not completely. Much of your success in cultivating her is also her success in cultivating you. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I give to her, and she gives back,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Exactly so,¡± his father agreed. ¡°You are both growing so strong and I am so proud of you that I cannot find the words to express just how much. But you must understand, for the other children, their spirits require more tender loving care and direction. You shouldn¡¯t ever lord your own powers over anyone who lacks them, because while you have been diligent for a child, much of your power isn¡¯t really yours, is it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Tan admitted readily. ¡°I¡¯m strong because you gave me a strong spirit to bind when I was younger. I haven¡¯t really been working as hard as the others but I¡¯m stronger than them anyway.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart child. And for a child you¡¯re wise. But your mother and I also wish for you to be kind,¡± his father explained. ¡°And just.¡±

    ¡°I will return with the five highest stones that I can find,¡± Tan promised.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to find them all in one journey either, Tan,¡± Tren said. ¡°Either way I expect you to return within two weeks, or sooner if you run into any trouble. And I brought this stone because it¡¯s the weakest spirit stone that we owned. I wanted to say that even if the stones you return with are much weaker than this, I¡¯ll still be proud of you.¡±

    Tan studied the weak stone for a moment when his father handed it to him. ¡°It¡¯s an air spirit,¡± he commented.

    ¡°Yes. A strong one, actually. Young but with much potential. Most air spirits are minor things. It¡¯s fairly uncommon for them to live long enough to become bound to anything, but once they manage that they can grow very quickly.¡±

    ¡°Zephyr was so much stronger in her stone.¡±

    ¡°Zephyr is ancient and powerful,¡± Tren pointed out. He grinned. ¡°The journey to find and bind her was very eventful. It¡¯s a shame that you were too young to appreciate my toils at the time. Perhaps when you come back, I¡¯ll share the story in greater detail.¡±

    Tan grinned. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡±

    They left early in the morning three days after Tan¡¯s birthday. They ate a big breakfast with lots of eggs, packed their camping supplies and the food that they were given for the first few days so that they didn¡¯t have to scower the wilderness for something to eat until they¡¯d been on the road for a while. Tan hugged and kissed his family. The other kids were likewise embraced and told to come home safe.

    And then they were off, traveling to the north where the rolling hills grew steeper and the wilds wilder.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18

    Won gasped in bursts as he caught his breath. He was acutely aware that he and his sister were weaker than the other two boys of their party, but he hadn¡¯t realized how much of a difference it would make on their journey to help Tan find spiritual stones. He hadn¡¯t realized how much of a difference it would make simply in keeping up with the inexhaustible preteens.

    Tan turned everything into a race. Which he won, because he was so damn fast it wasn¡¯t fair. Pao compensated by turning everything into a marathon, which he won, because he was so damn sturdy that he could keep running mile after mile.

    Won and Ko, by comparison, were almost¡­

    Mortal.

    Won frowned. He refused to give in. He might have started cultivating three years too late to be on the level of the two longer-term residents of the Shen family farm, but that didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t catch up.

    He had noticed something recently. It had come unexpectedly when he had been wondering on the nature of fuel. He still hadn¡¯t figured out the secret to the eternal flame that burned at the top of the cultivation hill, but he thought that this new discovery would bring him a little bit closer to it.

    There was fire in everything.

    There was fire Qi in the air, in the earth, and even in the water. It wasn¡¯t very much, especially not in water. But it was there.

    He set his hand upon a stone that was positioned so that it would soak in the sunlight for most of the day and he pulled lightly on the Qi within it. Too hard and he couldn¡¯t grip it, too soft and it wouldn¡¯t budge. But it had accumulated a significant amount of Qi from sitting in the sun over the years, and once he pulled the Qi loose he greedily drank it down.

    It wasn¡¯t a spirit stone. Just a regular stone rich in fire Qi. He felt better after consuming the accumulated power, and he said a silent thanks to the stone before running off, leaving it behind to resume accumulating the sun¡¯s Qi, just as it had for countless years before.

    That was the weakness of fire, he reflected. Like the other elements, he had discovered that it was everywhere. But there wasn¡¯t as much of it outside of actual burning things, when the Qi turned violent and burst into life, radiating outwards in a spiral of power. That power was easy to control. To him, at least.

    Fire Qi came out of the air the easiest. Then stone and water were more difficult, becoming progressively more difficult as things became more wet. Wood had a significant amount of fire in it, which surprised him at first before Master Shen had asked him why he thought plants needed sunlight to grow. But plants were jealous with the fire Qi that they cultivated and taking it from them would kill the plant if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    Or if he didn¡¯t care. But he was born in a farming village and was working on a farm for a cultivator of the Dao of the Bountiful Harvest, so he knew that he ought to care. For appearances sake if nothing else.

    He pushed through the brush, following the trail of the other kids who had left him behind for the moment, pondering his dao.

    Why was there fire in everything? Was it because of the sun? What did it mean?

    He frowned, but the answers to most of his questions remained outside his grasp.

    He caught up to his sister, who had likewise stopped to catch her breath for a moment.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get lost, do you?¡± he asked.

    She shook her head. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t really leave us behind. And they can both find us pretty easy by magic. Tan can sense our breaths a bit, I think. And Pao can feel our footsteps. They¡¯re both much further along their paths than we are.¡±

    ¡°They started earlier,¡± Won said defensively.

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    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that they didn¡¯t,¡± Ko said. ¡°You know, not everything has to be a competition. You¡¯re such a boy.¡±

    ¡°You get dragged into their races just as much as I do,¡± Won pouted.

    ¡°I know. Not everything has to be a competition, but somethings do. Even when the outcome is as obvious as water flowing downstream,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that to sound like Mistress Shen,¡± he said.

    ¡°Did it work?¡±

    ¡°No, she sounds way more profound when she makes water metaphors,¡± Won teased. ¡°You¡¯re a hundred years too early to imitate her.¡±

    Ko was quiet for a moment. ¡°How old do you think they really are?¡± she asked eventually.

    Won glanced at her like she was stupid, and then he stopped. He hadn¡¯t even thought of it, and his mind raced as he went through the implications.

    The Shens must have been older than they looked. Not the kids, the kids were probably really the age that they said they were. But Tren and Wensho had moved to the village when Won¡¯s parents were little. It might have even been before they were born, now that he thought about it. He¡¯d never really paid attention to the gossip about how the couple looked younger than they should when he¡¯d been little, and then they had been revealed to the village as hidden masters and the topic had vanished entirely.

    It seemed that Ko remembered where he had forgotten.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°They must be old to be as strong as they are,¡± she said.

    ¡°How strong do you think they really are?¡± he asked his sister.

    ¡°Strong. Maybe scary strong, if they weren¡¯t so nice. We¡¯re very lucky to have them as masters, I think,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Yeah. And they¡¯re the ones who gave us Blaze and Washy in the first place,¡± he said, saying the names that the twins had picked out for their previously unnamed spirits.

    ¡°I overheard Master Shen talking to Tan about that,¡± Ko said, lowering her voice. ¡°They¡¯re not weak spirits like he told us at first. To most people our spirits are actually very strong.¡±

    ¡°Not as strong as Zephyr,¡± Won said glumly.

    ¡°No. Don¡¯t be jealous of him,¡± Ko scolded.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to be when he¡¯s constantly throwing his power in our face,¡± Won said.

    ¡°He¡¯s not even aware that he¡¯s doing it, Won,¡± Ko said. ¡°Remember that he¡¯s younger than us, and that his parents are so humble that he doesn¡¯t realize what it¡¯s like outside his home. Our own parents are scared of us now and pay us homage like we¡¯ve become different people.¡±

    Won frowned and nodded. Unlike Pao, he hadn¡¯t exactly been torn up about Master Shen¡¯s requirements that the twins come to live with his family in exchange for their education. But he had expected his parents to be more upset over the decision, rather than seeming eager to be rid of their own children.

    ¡°We¡¯re never going to catch up to him, are we?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°Not unless he suddenly stops trying altogether,¡± Ko predicted. ¡°I¡¯m aiming to catch up to Pao, not him. I think it¡¯s important to have realistic goals.¡±

    Won considered the matter for a moment, then said ¡°Well I think it¡¯s important to have unrealistic goals, so I¡¯m going to aim to surpass both of them.¡±

    Ko grinned. ¡°Come on. They¡¯ll be waiting for us.¡±

    So the twins set off at a jog after having recovered. They caught up with the boys, who as Ko had said were waiting for them further down the path. They had come to a stream and were refilling their waterskins.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how we¡¯re supposed to find a spirit stone if all we¡¯re doing is racing constantly,¡± Pao said to the younger boy. The argument had been going on for some time.

    ¡°Father said that he picked the closest fifty miles clean of spirit stones and put them all in the shed,¡± Tan explained. ¡°So we have to go more than fifty miles before we find anything.¡±

    ¡°He also says that nature hates a vacuum, which is why he did that in the first place. He concentrated the existing spirits to give new ones a place to settle down and live to rejuvenate the land,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°He made his collection before you were even born, Tan. There should be new spirit stones in the lands around your home by now.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯ll be young and weak,¡± Tan said. ¡°I want to repay the stones that I cost my parents with stones that are of the same value. Father says I don¡¯t have to, that I can give him lesser spirit stones. But I don¡¯t want to. I want to impress him when we come home and have him say ¡®oh my son, these are so much better than the ones we paid the Zang family! I am so proud of you!¡¯¡±

    Pao considered for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Okay. But if you do find a weaker stone, pick it up anyway. Because I don¡¯t want to be doing this for five years while you look for the strongest spirits in the province.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know. When we go ten more miles we¡¯ll make camp, and we¡¯ll spend the rest of the day looking,¡± Tan promised.

    Won and Ko groaned because their leader had decided that they were going at least ten miles further.

    And of course, because they were children, it would be a race.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    There were many ways to find and identify spirit stones. Tan knew of six of them. The way that was the easiest, and the hardest, was just to pick up a stone and scan it with your own spiritual senses to determine whether or not it contained a spirit.

    It was the easiest, because if you were right, bang, you had the stone in your hand and you knew it was spiritual.

    Unfortunately the vast majority of stones were just stones, and it would take forever to actually find a spiritual stone using this method alone.

    Another method was to find the spirit in the wild and ¡®trap¡¯ it in a stone. This was done by preparing a stone which the spirit would find attractive, tracking down the spirit to its home, and presenting the offering to the spirit. Or at least that¡¯s the method which the Shen family employed. It wasn¡¯t always successful, but providing a homeless spirit with a home worked eight times in ten, provided it was done with a humble heart.

    That was the method which had been used to lure in the injured Zephyr after her escape from the Zang family¡¯s wards, which were using a similar but somewhat more nepharious method in their pursuit of her.

    A third method was to scan an area while in the Sublime State of Clarity, which would allow Tan to pick out concentrations of spiritual power like finding his way to the stove by following the heat on a cold day.

    The remaining three methods were different rituals which would direct the caster to the strongest concentration of spiritual energy nearby.

    Tan spent the evening, after making camp, scanning the nearby areas while being sublime. Pao spent the evening preparing for the casting of one of the rituals which the elder Shens had taught him. The twins spent the evening just wandering around and recovering from running seventy miles in a morning and an afternoon.

    Tan didn¡¯t find anything, returning to the camp at dusk with empty hands. He was quite disappointed in himself.

    Pao tried to cheer him up, saying ¡°If your parents thought you could do it all in one or two days, they wouldn¡¯t have sent you out with a week¡¯s worth of supplies and made you promise to return home in two weeks whether you found them all or not.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Tan said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Goodnight.¡±

    In the morning, they ate a bit of the hardtack that the adults had sent them with and finished the preparations that Pao had begun the night before. The ritual circle was drawn into the dirt with a sturdy walking stick that Pao had found the day before. They dumped a bit of water into a shallow hole that they dug and let it soak into the ground before starting a small fire over top of it.

    They gave the magic some time to work before gathering in a circle around it and channeling their Qi into the magic circle. They¡¯d practiced this at home, and the ritual had almost always led to the shed where the spirit stones were kept, unless Safron had been particularly active that day in her hiding of the stones.

    The ritual was supposed to locate any stone of mid-quality or higher within five miles. Sure enough, the smoke of the small fire that they¡¯d built in the center of the circle began to coalesce into a ball a few feet above their heads, then tendrils began extending in several directions. Six of the tendrils were pitifully small and did not lead anywhere, while the seventh was thick as one of the children¡¯s wrist and formed a steady path off to the southwest.

    Tan leapt into the air and followed it to its destination, finding a small stone perched atop a large boulder. He lifted the stone and scanned it, immediately grinning at his success.

    It was an air spirit, like Zephyr. Not nearly as strong. Not even as strong as the one that his father had given him as an example of a weak spirit. But he had found it on only his second day, which meant that he was already one fifth of the way done with this task.

    He grinned. Venturing so far from home truly had been the right decision. He returned to the others, and they celebrated by hooting and hollaring for a few minutes before putting the stone in one of the five pouches they had been given to seal off its spiritual emissions to keep it from interfering with their search as they looked for the next stone.

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    Unforutnately, for the next three days they did little more than wander in circles aimlessly without success. They tried repeating their ritual several times, but none of the tendrils of smoke coalesced into anything strong enough to really be called a spiritual stone. More like Qi-filled pebbles, like the one that Won had absorbed some fire Qi from the day before.

    They searched as they wandered and they wandered as they searched, but they found nothing but frustration.

    Until they stumbled upon the den of a wild boar, which retaliated to the disturbance by chasing the children for what seemed like miles. When it finally broke off its pursuit and returned to its home, the children gathered up and tried the ritual again.

    For the first time in three days, the ritual worked once more.

    And led them straight back to the den of the ornery wild boar. They frowned and backed off, consulting each other in a clearing nearby.

    ¡°What do you think? Did we stumble upon another spiritual animal like the fox and the rabbit at your house?¡± Ko asked Tan. ¡°Is the ritual reacting to the boar instead of a stone?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be reacting to an actual cultivator, which is what spiritual animals are. Cultivators who aren¡¯t human,¡± Tan answered. ¡°If it reacted to cultivators then it would be reacting to us.¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t think the boar is special?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Tan said, frowning in thought. ¡°It might be a Spirit animal that found a second stone and is guarding it. Spirit stones are useful for more than just binding the spirit inside them, they give off Qi that can be good for cultivation or powering formations. Or that¡¯s what my dad says at least.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± the ever practical Pao asked.

    They put their heads together and came up with a plan.

    They weren¡¯t sure how strong the boar was, or even whether it was a spirit beast or not. If it wasn¡¯t a spirit beast then it could still probably hurt Ko and Won, who had reached the second stage of the initiate¡¯s realm but were still only moderately stronger than mortals. If it was a spirit beast, they didn¡¯t think it was particularly far advanced in its cultivation.

    Pao was confident that working together, he and Tan could kill it. But all of the children were reluctant to kill the animal for no reason other than to rob it of the spirit stone it kept in its den. Maybe if it were a danger to non-cultivators they would feel justified in such an action, but it was just a wild boar minding its own business and defending its own territory.

    But although they were reluctant to killing it, robbing it of its spirit stone didn¡¯t trouble them at all. So after coming up with their strategy, they went to work.

    Three of them, Won, Ko, and Pao, marched back up toward the den and began shouting insults at the boar. The boar showed itself and made threatening noises at them, which they responded to by attacking it. Won shot his flames at the beast, Ko splashed it with water, and Pao threw a rock.

    Each of their attacks struck the beast and did little damage, except for the rock which seemed to actually hurt it a bit. It chased after them, and they immediately split into different directions.

    It chased after Pao, angry about the rock.

    He took it on a run in circles that lasted for some time. Pao had plenty of stamina, and although the boar was faster he was able to dodge between trees and otherwise avoide the beast¡¯s charging mass and its sharp and dangerous tusks.

    The other two children chased after them both, shouting insults at the boar and slinging their elemental attacks as best they could at it. Eventually it was distracted and began chasing after Won instead. The boy was surprised to have draw it¡¯s attention, but took over his part of the plan well, leading it on another chase until he was burnt out and exhausted, at which point he climbed a tree.

    The boar circled around the boy¡¯s tree for a while, and looked like it was about to return to its den when a rock and a splash of water struck it again. Once more the chase was on.

    They kept it distracted for almost an entire hour before it collapsed in exhaustion. They watched nervously as it sat there.

    ¡°Do you think we kept it distracted long enough?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°If Tan hasn¡¯t found the stone by now then he never will,¡± Won said.

    Ko nodded in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this poor animal alone now,¡± she said, and the children retreated, leaving the exhausted animal behind to lick its wounds and recover from its exhaustion.

    They returned to their campsite and found Tan playing with a spirit stone that looked like a piece of malachite with one hand and eating the last of his mother¡¯s prepared food with the other. They all shot him dirty looks as they realized that he had been done with his part of the plan for quite a while and hadn¡¯t shown up to help them.

    Instead he had raided their supplies.

    They attacked him as one, and although his cultivation was more advanced than any of theirs, Pao was still stronger, and with the twins distracting him the fight was over as soon as Pao got Tan into a headlock. He administered a spanking, managing to make the younger boy cry out his remorse. When Tan was finally released, the oldest boy of the group gave him a serious lecture about his antics and made him promise that the next time they did something dangerous together he would stick to the plan.

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    The hunt for the stones slowed down now that they had run through the supplies they had brought with them. They were in no danger of starving; they were all country children who knew how to forage food in the forests around their homes.

    They dedicated a few hours every morning to finding food for the day to follow. Tan preferred to contribute the eggs and fish, as he liked fishing and could easily locate and raid the nests of the birds. The other three children contributed berries and other fruits, as well as the mushrooms that grew in the forest which they knew to be safe to eat. They set traps for rabbits and wildfowl and checked them every day.

    The time spent foraging cut into their efforts, but they still had plenty of time every day to expand their search. On the eighth day of their adventure, they found another stone at the bottom of a pond. The smoke ritual pointed right towards the center of the pond, and after some discussion Tan, who with his ability to easily enter the sublime state of clarity remained their best searcher, stripped down and searched the bottom of the pond until he found their objective.

    That brought them up to three of the five stones they had set out to find, and five days left before they were expected to return home whether they were successful or not.

    On the eleventh day, they found another stone in the roots of a massively tall tree. They didn¡¯t have to dig for it, but rather Pao used his earth magic to draw the stone out. He felt a little guilty, it was clear that the tree had been benefiting from the spirituality radiating out from the stone, which is how it had grown to its current size. However, he justified the decision to remove it on the fact that the tree had had thirty years of such an advantage and didn¡¯t really need it any longer.

    It was on the thirteenth and final day of their adventure that they encountered another adversary. Early in the morning, while Tan was fishing and the other children were checking their traps and snares, Ko returned to their camp first to find a monkey rummaging through their belongings. She cried out and attacked the monkey using her magic, dumping out a waterskin, turning the water into ice shards and launching them at the beast.

    The monkey screeched and launched itself into the trees with preternatural ease. It scampered away through the tree tops, a stone pouch dangling from its neck.

    It had stolen the first stone that they had found, the one with the wind spirit. And, unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t simpy use the smoke ritual to track it down, as it remained in the pouch that blocked it from that ritual.

    Instead, the children were forced to spread out and spend the day searching for a monkey in the forest. However, with the mischevious beast still around, they realized that they couldn¡¯t simply continue to leave ther camp undefended, so they drew lots and Won was selected to remain behind and protect from another theft.

    They spread out and spent hours searching. Pao quickly found a monkey, but not the monkey that had robbed them, and the monkey that he¡¯d captured was very annoyed at being captured, tied up, and dragged back to camp. When he tracked down Ko and she informed him that he hadn¡¯t captured the culrpit after all, he reluctantly released the monkey, which bit him before running off. Fortunately his skin was too thick for the regular animal to pierce his skin with its teeth.

    Tan, with his ability to soar above the treetops, proved to have the most luck in searching for the thief, and late in the afternoon he found the beast¡¯s nest in the treetops.

    Along with more spiritual stones, he realized when he dropped into the top of the tree and looked around. The one inside the sealing satchel was there, as were four others that he recognized the nature of immediately when he entered the sublime state of clarity.

    Grinning at the haul, he scooped them all into a bag and flew off.

    Only to be attacked in the air by a flying monkey.

    He cursed, using words that he had heard his father using and been told by his mother never to repeat. Of course the beast that collected spirit stones would be a spirit beast.

    ¡°You robbed us first!¡± he shouted at the monkey as they fought, exchanging blows in the air as they flew past each other. ¡°Turnabout is fair play!¡±

    The monkey screeched at him in anger, lashing at him with clawed hands and poorly formed spiritual techniques.

    Tan proved to be much stronger, however. The beast was perhaps at the fourth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, while Tan was in the seventh stage. The boy, however, had only ever fought other children, where the monkey was a monkey and fought like one who could fly.

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    The fight lasted for twenty minutes, with the two combatants exchanging blows. Tan got multiple scratches on his arms and face, but none that tore through his clothes, which had been provided for him by his loving and powerful parents and gave far more protection than he was aware of.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t leave me alone, I am going to get serious!¡± Tan threatened the monkey once he was tired of the fight and wanted it to be over.

    The monkey screeched at him in return.

    So Tan tapped into his power, pulling more and more Qi from the air until his strength reached the height of the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. He hadn¡¯t really been taking the fight seriously before, and had been a little embarassed to be fighting the animal in the first place. But now that he was serious he would --

    The monkey flew away, leaving him alone.

    Tan stared after it for a moment, then shrugged. He flew back to the camp, showing his haul to Won. The other boy celebrated with him, preparing a feast for the other children to enjoy when they returned from the search with the majority their scavenged food.

    They set a watch for the first time that night to keep the monkey from coming back, and they set off home first thing in the morning.

    They noticed that they were being followed midway through their journey. The monkey was pursuing them, presumably to recover the stolen stones, but it was easily chased off. It remained afraid of Tan, and all he had to do was fly in its direction and it took off through the trees.

    Only to come back a second, third, and fourth time.

    While Tan could have easily outrun it, the other children were not as fast as him, and so he remained behind to protect them. There were no direct conflicts with the monkey, it just followed them from a distance, so there wasn¡¯t anything that they could really do about it. Except maybe tell the Shens about the monkey when they returned and see if the adult cultivators could chase it off.

    So they decided that was what they would do.

    They had wandered even further from the farm during their search for the stones, and so it took them the entire day to return, arriving late in the evening just before dark. Fortunately, the life-saving charms that the children had given them also alerted the adults to their location, as well as giving them general information about their wellbeing, so the adults had a meal and a bath ready for the children, who promptly took part in both activities before falling asleep in their bed.

    They of course told the Shens about the monkey as soon as they could, and were assured that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. After the children had fallen asleep, the adults turned to each other.

    ¡°Do you want to deal with our uninvited guest or shall I?¡± Tren asked his wife.

    ¡°If you deal with it the poor thing will be traumatized,¡± Wensho answered. ¡°I will have a little talk with it and --¡±

    At that moment the wards on the spirit stone shed went off, and the couple exchanged amused glances.

    ¡°Aside from providing our son with a learning experience it hasn¡¯t caused any harm,¡± Wensho continued. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with it. Maybe even make it an offering. Having a spirit monkey around watching over the farm wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing to happen to us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Tren agreed. He took a sip of the wine and went to the bedroom to await his wife.

    Wensho closed her eyes and called upon her power, quickly tracking the blood inside the spirit monkey to its source. She surged through the distance between them and caught the monkey by its tale before it even realized that it was there. It had been washing itself in the stream, trying to get the red curse off of its hands and other parts.

    ¡°Hello there, little thief,¡± she said the the monkey, willing it to understand her. ¡°You have been caught red handed twice now. What ever are we to do with you?¡±

    The monkey screached at her, but she clamped it down with a surge of her power. It tried to flee, but her grip on its tail was strong.

    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on hurting you, little one. I¡¯m actually grateful for the lessons that you gave my son in vigilance and combat,¡± she assured the monkey.

    It seemed to calm down when it realized that it wasn¡¯t about to be smote by a power so beyond itself that it defied its comprehension. It began making hooting noises filled with Qi and intent, and she understood it.

    ¡°You stole from them first, did you not?¡± she asked.

    It hooted again, and she nodded.

    ¡°Tough. If they had found your stash and raided it first, then yes I would consider returning your prizes to you. But you stole from them first, and you tried to raid our own stash when you found it instead of negotiating with us. Stealing from thieves is not a crime in my book,¡± she told the monkey, which sagged its shoulders comically.

    ¡°However, if you¡¯re willing to earn them back with honest labor,¡± she told the monkey, ¡°We might negotiate a fee for your protection of my children and our farm. What would you say to this?¡±

    The monkey was silent for a moment, then made a few hooting noises. She smiled and pulled a small spirit stone with a weak air spirit inside it and handed it to the monkey. ¡°This is a down payment. We will pay you one spirit stone for every two years that you watch over us. Do you accept?¡±

    The monkey hooted briefly, then flew into the trees in the distance.

    The woman smiled.

    Three spirit beasts looking over one little farm. However did her family get so lucky?

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    The children collected a total of eight stones, and in the morning after their return they sat around the breakfast table to discuss their distribution.

    ¡°To be honest, the Shen family doesn¡¯t need this bounty,¡± Tren admitted to the children. ¡°We sent Tan off on this journey to further his education rather than any real need to recoup the loss of the stones we spent. There are, conveniently, two stones of each element in the bounty that you found, and so I think that it¡¯s only fair that each of you gets two. However, while you might think that Pao should get the Earth stones, Ko get the water stones, and so forth, the truth is that you should each get a stone of a different element than your own.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Pao asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make the most sense if we used them to boost our cultivation by absorbing the Qi they give off?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you should do, but the mistake you¡¯re making is that you¡¯re not thinking large enough. Just as your cultivation is boosted the most when the four of you cultivate together, if you use four of these stones in a formation you can further boost the ambient Qi on the cultivation hill. If you trust me with them, I¡¯ll modify the formation, and you should notice a marked difference within a few days,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°Of course we trust you,¡± Ko said immediately. ¡°What about the other four stones?¡±

    ¡°Pao, you should take an Air stone and study its Qi. Tan should study the Earth stone. Ko, you should study fire, and Won should study water. I know that those are the opposites of your own elements, and that¡¯s exactly why you should examine the Qi. You can further your understanding of your own Dao by examining its opposite,¡± Tren explained.

    The children exchanged glances, but then again they collectively shrugged. They¡¯d take Tan¡¯s father¡¯s advice for a while, and if they didn¡¯t see any improvement in their cultivation by studying the stones they could always trade them later.

    So it was for the first time since the twins arrived that the cultivation hill was modified, this time with the addition of four spiritual stones at the compass points and additional lines scratched into the foundation, including a protective ward to keep the stones from being stolen. The children didn¡¯t notice any particular difference that day, but after a week, they did indeed notice that the ambience had improved significantly in a way that they couldn¡¯t really understand.

    The Qi wasn¡¯t much thicker, but it was easier to absorb and process in their bodies.

    Ko and Won both ascended into the third stage of the initiate¡¯s realm together soon after, and the entire farm celebrated the next day with another tournament. The outcome was much the same as the first tournament, however, with Pao once again emerging as the strongest disciple on the farm. At least when they were all restricted down to the fourth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm he was.

    A few days later, on his fourteenth birthday and while pondering the air stone, Pao had a sudden insight which pushed him into the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. Once he came out of his ascention trance, he grinned and challenged Tan to another spar. The boys fought for thirty minutes using their full power.

    Tan landed twenty blows for every one that Pao landed, but each of Pao¡¯s blows was backed by the force of the Earth. Tan winced and retreated after each one, and the damage accumulated through the fight. He refused to give in, he was still a stage above Pao and should be stronger, despite the boy being four years older than him.

    They continued to fight and fight, exchanging punches that would have broken the bones of mortals and kicks that sent the others flying through the air. Tan¡¯s ability to fly did not help him as much in combat as he¡¯d thought it would, as he still had to come down to Pao to fight him, and Pao was an expert on turning the younger boy¡¯s momentum against him when he flew in from a distance to deliver a powerful kick.

    Frustrated, Tan didn¡¯t know what to do to win. He¡¯d been content to lose to Pao in the tournament when they were restricted in the level of strength they could bring to the fight, but he stubbornly refused to admit that he was losing when they fought at full strength.

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    Not until Pao caught him in a headlock, wrestled him to the ground, and finally tickled him into submission.

    Despite the involuntary laughter involved in admitting his defeat, Tan sulked the rest of the day, and the next day, until his father took him aside and spoke with him about it.

    ¡°You¡¯re upset because Pao is stronger than you now,¡± the adult said bluntly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fair. He works harder at cultivation than you do. Zephyr is stronger than Pao¡¯s earth spirit, that¡¯s true. But the two of you started cultivating at about the same time, and Pao has consistently put forth more effort than you have. You have a number of advantages, but how long are you going to rest on the strength of Zephyr and your natural affinity for the Dao of the Azure Skies?¡± his father asked him.

    Tan pouted, not liking the way that this discussion was going. ¡°You think I should spend all of my time cultivating?¡±

    ¡°I want you to have a happy childhood, Tan,¡± Tren answered. ¡°If you¡¯re content to be the second strongest child on this farm, then there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. It will take Won and Ko quite a while to catch up to you and Pao. However hard you want to work on becoming stronger, your mother and I will support you.¡±

    Tan continued to pout, and then he flew off to the lake to fish.

    The other children, aware of but not engaging with the upset scion of the house, finished their chores for the day and ventured into the village to visit their parents. The twins both bragged about their adventures during the spirit stone hunt to any of the villagers who would listen, as well as about their recent advancement to the next stage of cultivation.

    A certain red-handed young man overheard the discussion. Hoten had never quite given up on his desire to become a cultivator. There were legends of cultivation beginning late in life, and he did not think that he was nearly too old to start. However, it was clear that all of the stones he¡¯d purchased from the children who had given up on that path were duds.

    Or, as he suspected but could not prove, Tren Shen had done something to the stones to prevent him from bonding the spirits within.

    He¡¯d already wasted more than a hundred silver in the endeavor to become a cultivator, but he¡¯d been saving up once more. He knew that Tren was a dead end, but he thought perhaps he could approach Wensho, and maybe she would be more reasonable. So he had a considerable nest egg with him when he knocked on the door of Pao¡¯s family while the boy was inside visiting his parents.

    Pao¡¯s mother answered, and Hoten put on his best smile and explained his proposition. The young man was shown inside and served some tea. Which was terrible compared to the tea that his own mother made, but he forced it down out of politeness as the family sat around the table with him.

    ¡°I heard that you had a spiritual stone for sale,¡± Hoten said to Pao. ¡°I¡¯m willing to give you twenty silver coins in exchange for it.¡±

    Pao immediately shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But no.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Hoten demanded. ¡°I heard it¡¯s not even the same element as you? What good is it to you? Why won¡¯t you give me this chance?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done learning from it,¡± Pao explained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Maybe in a year or two, I¡¯ll feel differently, but --¡±

    ¡°Son,¡± Pao¡¯s father said. He looked at his wife, who shot Pao a guilty look.

    ¡°The truth is, Pao, that your father and I could use some more money,¡± she said nervously. ¡°The income that you¡¯re providing by working for the Shens is very helpful, but we were hoping to purchase a new loom. If we had thirty more silver coins we could afford it. We¡¯ve been saving as much as we can from your salary, but the sooner we get it the sooner we can start selling cloth, and ¡­¡±

    She trailed off and hung her head in shame for having to ask her son to make the choice between himself and his family.

    Pao was silent for a moment. He pulled a small blue stone from his pocket and set it on the table. ¡°This is what you¡¯re asking for,¡± he said. ¡°But twenty silver coins isn¡¯t enough. I want you to purchase my family the loom that they want. If you do that, then I¡¯ll give you this stone.¡±

    Hoten grinned widely. ¡°I¡¯ll go speak with my father immediately! He¡¯s the one who¡¯s selling them the loom anyway! Perhaps if you agree to sell him your cloth at a fixed price I can make him agree to give it to you for free!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Pao said. ¡°We¡¯ll be selling the cloth at full price.¡±

    Hoten frowned, but then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the negotiations with my father and come back as soon as I get him to agree to the deal. I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll see reason.¡±

    Pao watched the young man leave. His parents, looking guilty and grateful at the same time, embraced the boy.

    ¡°Thank you, son,¡± His father said.

    ¡°Cultivation begins with a sacrifice,¡± Pao said quietly. He sighed. When he left, he left the air stone behind for his parents to complete the trade without requiring his input. The loom arrived two days later, and the stone fell into Hoten¡¯s eager hands.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    Hoten bonded with his spirit two weeks later, surprising everyone involved. Tren knew of the transaction between Pao and Hoten and had decided to leave things alone this time, rather than severing the bonds between stone and spirit as he had with the others. Whether it was because he¡¯d decided the loom was a large enough sacrifice, or that he¡¯d simply decided not to undermine his disciples dealings, Tren himself hadn¡¯t decided for certain.

    Hoten was thoroughly proud of his accomplishment. He showed up to the Shen household the day after his breakthrough, washed and dressed in fancy clothes, ready to begin his apprenticeship.

    Only for the adults to exchange a glance.

    ¡°We never agreed to anything of the sort,¡± Wensho said simply. ¡°Congratulations on becoming a cultivator, Hoten, but if you want to advance, you¡¯ll have to seek guidance elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Honestly I¡¯m surprised that you had it in you,¡± Tren muttered. ¡°But yes, I suppose I should congratulate you as well. But as my wife said, we never agreed to train everyone in the village who bonded a spirit, and we certainly never promised to do so for you. Don¡¯t forget that you tried to steal from us not too long ago. Are we supposed to just overlook that fact?¡±

    Hoten, genuinely surprised at this setback, sputtered for a moment before recovering. ¡°Fine then!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll become a great cultivator without your help, and you¡¯ll come to regret not taking in a genius like me!¡±

    He left, and the adults exchanged another set of looks.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be a problem for the kids?¡± Wensho asked her husband.

    ¡°It might not be a bad thing if he is,¡± Tren answered. ¡°Either way it¡¯s a problem of Pao¡¯s making, so it¡¯s only right that they be the ones to deal with it. I¡¯m not going to get my hands dirty with it. Although I wouldn¡¯t stop you from stunting his growth, or --¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t really done anything wrong, aside from attempted theft, for which he¡¯s already dealing with the consequences in the form of the curse we inflicted on him,¡± Wensho pointed out. ¡°Unless he actually hurts someone, I¡¯m content to leave things lie.¡±

    And that became the official policy of the adults of the Shen farm.

    The children, upon hearing of Hoten¡¯s success, had their own conference atop the cultivation hill. They sat in their spots and stared at Pao, who was looking sheepish.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually manage to do it,¡± Pao said defensively under the withering glares. ¡°I mean, my parents really needed the loom more than I needed the stone, so I still think I did the right thing.¡±

    The other kids thought of what they would have done for their own parents, and they reluctantly relaxed their expressions.

    ¡°Still, Hoten is a toad,¡± Ko said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that everyone thinks his curse is contagious, he¡¯d probably have three kids with three different girls in town now.¡±

    ¡°Is it contagious?¡± her brother asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has taken the risk,¡± her sister said. ¡°At least none of the girls I¡¯ve asked have done anything more than confirmed the rumors about it. I do think Mistress Shen was a little overly cruel, really. I kind of feel sorry for him. Everyone calls him the Red Rooster.¡±

    ¡°He tried to steal from us,¡± Tan said. ¡°I don¡¯t feel sorry for him at all. I guess I can¡¯t be mad at you, Pao, but I do wish that he wasn¡¯t one of us now.¡±

    They discussed the matter further for a while, then spent a while cultivating. They, too, decided on the unofficial position of ignoring Hoten until he made a nuisance of himself.

    Which, of course, he did.

    Despite being only in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, Hoten quickly began to lord his status as a cultivator over the other young men and women in the village. The children received a fair share of bullying as well, and even the adults were not safe. Before long, the village elders came to the Shen house, seeking a solution.

    ¡°The fact remains that I¡¯m simply unwilling to teach him,¡± Tren told the gathered elders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the way that he¡¯s been abusing his meager amount of power is already proof that I¡¯m correct in my decision. Giving into his demands will only give him more power to abuse. I will not be a party to that.¡±

    ¡°But think of the inconvenience it causes us,¡± one of the female elders said. ¡°The Red Rooster is growing ever more persistent with the unmarried girls of the village, and even with some of the married ones his own age. If he fathers a child, it could cause a scandal!¡±

    Tren sighed. ¡°It would be easiest on everyone, I think if Hoten were to leave now that he is a cultivator. If I give him a recommendation to a nearby sect, do you think that he would accept it? Would that solve everyone¡¯s problems?¡±

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    The village elders convened for a moment and agreed that it would. The only person who wouldn¡¯t be satisfied by the arrangement would be Hoten¡¯s own father, who would lose his son¡¯s labor in his merchant trade. But it was somewhat inevitable that would happen anyway.

    ¡°The Whispering Guides are an honorable sect who will not allow him to stray too far into either debauchery or the pursuit of violence for the sake of his personal perceived glory,¡± Tren said after considering the options for a moment. ¡°I respect their philosophy. If Hoten agrees to go to that sect for guidance, I will give him a token that will ensure they will not turn him away. Talk to him for me and secure his cooperation with this plan, and I will prepare the token.¡±

    The elders were pleased with this arrangement. Hoten, upon learning that he would be getting certain admittance into one of the more powerful sects in the region, was eager to agree to the deal as well, not really realizing that the elders were just trying to get rid of him.

    He returned to the Shen farm the very next day and bowed to the Shen family humbly. ¡°Thank you so much for your generosity in providing me an introduction to the Whispering Guides. I vow that I will repay your --¡±

    Tren tossed him a jade slip, interrupting his speech. ¡°Go be someone else¡¯s problem, Red Rooster.¡±

    Hoten blushed. He did not like that nickname, not one bit. Most people hadn¡¯t been willing to use it to his face since he¡¯d become a cultivator, but he knew better than to think that he could demand any satisfaction from the powerful earth cultivator before him.

    ¡°Thank you again,¡± he said humbly, and he was on his way, taking one of his family¡¯s horses and riding off into the distance.

    ¡°Do you really think that your message will get him into the sect?¡± Wensho asked her husband. ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly flattering in your description of him.¡±

    Tren shrugged. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, he¡¯ll either try another sect on his own or come back to the village to complain to us and I¡¯ll send him somewhere else. Either way I¡¯ve bought the village a few months of peace where they won¡¯t have the Red Rooster strutting around.¡±

    Wensho giggled.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you never told me that you modified those wards,¡± Tren complained ot his wife.

    ¡°Would you have stopped me?¡±

    ¡°No. I would have just looked to see how you did it,¡± He admitted.

    She giggled. ¡°It was a family secret. If you weren¡¯t my husband, I would have to kill you for peaking at it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± he asked.

    They kissed, and then went about the rest of their day now that the distraction of Hoten was gone.

    Hoten rode hard for three weeks to reach the sect. He inquired at the nearby villages who to speak with in order to join, and was directed towards one of the elders who lived at the base of the mountain, the peak of which contained a cavernous compound that was reserved for the elders and inner sect disciples.

    He proudly appeared before Elder Yotu¡¯s grand house, which was nearly as elaborate as the Shen manshion that his family was so envious of, and waited patiently for the elder to appear, as he¡¯d been instructed.

    For two days, he waited patiently, retiring to the nearby village to eat and sleep when his body demanded it of him.

    Finally, the elder emerged from his building and glared at him. Hoten felt a surprisingly gentle touch of wind Qi embrace his own, and he realized that he¡¯d just been measured.

    ¡°So, a weakling seeks to join the Whispering Guides?¡± the elder muttered. Hoten blushed.

    ¡°Forgive me, but I¡¯ve only just set upon the path of cultivation. It¡¯s only been a few weeks since I bound my wind spirit, and I have been without guidance during that time or surely I would have advanced. The hidden master I sought guidance from was unable to spare his valuable time in taking one more disciple under his wing, but he pointed me to your noble organisation instead,¡± Hoten said.

    ¡°And who is this hidden master who sent you here?¡± Elder Yotu asked, knowing of none in the area.

    ¡°His name is Tren Shen. He is a powerful earth cultivator, but he prefers a low profile.¡±

    ¡°And yet you so casually produce his name when asked?¡± the elder scolded.

    Hoten¡¯s ears burned as he realized he might have messed up. ¡°I mean, he¡¯s known to everyone in my village as a powerful cultivator, but he does not actively spread his legend. That¡¯s all,¡± he clarified.

    ¡°Uh-huh. Did he perhaps give you a letter of introduction?¡± Elder Yotu asked.

    ¡°He gave me this token,¡± Hoten explained, handing over the jade slip.

    Yotu examined it for a moment, then promptly snapped it in two to receive its message.

    It was customary when sending a message via such a slip to include a portion of personal Qi to establish the identity of the sender. It was also customary, when sending a message to a person who didn¡¯t know you, to concentrate that Qi to show your level of advancement, so that the recipient would know whether they were dealing with a peer, a junior, or a senior.

    The Qi that came pouring out of the slip knocked Elder Yotu to his knees, utterly eclipsing his own and even that of the sect master. It knocked the poor child who had born the message unconscious, the boy landing in the dirt with a bloody nose.

    Then all at once the pressure was gone, and a vision appeared before elder Yotu.

    ¡°We call this man the Red Rooster. He¡¯s been making himself a nuisance in our village since he bound his spirit, and I¡¯m not willing to take him as a disciple. He hasn¡¯t done anything particularly objectionable, however, so I can¡¯t simply kill him. Or I could, rather, but it would set a poor example for the lessons I¡¯m trying to instill in my son. I¡¯ve heard good things about the Whispering Guides sect, and I was hoping that you could put him onto an honorable path for me.¡±

    Yotu blinked as the vision vanished. He wiped his nose and his fingers came away bloody. He looked at the young man, practically a boy, and he sighed. He shook Hoten awake, brought him inside his humble dwelling, gave him a sip of wine, and wrote his name in the book of the sect¡¯s outer disciples. He gave the boy a robe to change into and a jade slip to bring to the library master to receive the introductory lessons, as well as directed him to the work board so that he could begin to earn contribution points.

    And that is how Hoten became someone else¡¯s problem for a while.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    The spring came and went. It was a season of growth for all of the children of the farm, with the twins advancing yet another stage to the fourth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, and all of them gaining an inch or more in height.

    Safron in particular grew two inches, and was very proud of it.

    Tan, however, was stuck. He was still at the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, and he couldn¡¯t seem to break through the bottleneck no matter how long he spent on top of the hill with the other children. It was frustrating to him because it seemed like this blockage came just as he¡¯d decided to put forth more effort in cultivating.

    It wasn¡¯t that he was having trouble gathering the world¡¯s Qi. That remained easy for him. It was rather that it didn¡¯t seem to matter. He would feed the Qi into his dantian and attempt to compress it, but rather than compressing it seemed to ¡­ go somewhere.

    He grew stronger and faster and smarter. He could read most of the courtly characters now, much to his pride, and his parents had given him a treatise on the nature of the wind for him to study. Which he did, reluctantly, but although he could mostly read it now, it remained confusing and esoteric in its meaning.

    Despite being a stage above Pao, Pao remained the stronger combatant when they sparred, which they did frequently as Tan attempted to reclaim his place as the strongest child on the Shen farm. Pao met the matches with excitement. Not because he enjoyed embarrassing his friend and sort-of-brother, but because they were challenging and they helped his own advancement and the understanding of his Dao.

    Pao became as immovable as a mountain, accepting thirty blows to end the fight in one. The strength that the children were using would shatter bones in regular children ¨C even in mortal adults ¨C but if they didn¡¯t use their full strength in their spars they wouldn¡¯t learn to use it in a real fight either. Fortunately they were both as robust as they were dangerous, and even their bruises and bumps faded within hours of their bouts.

    At least, the bruises to their bodies.

    Tan continued to pout after he lost. ¡°What am I doing wrong, Zephyr?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re fighting like a child fights a child,¡± she answered him.

    ¡°We are children. That¡¯s how we fight,¡± he argued.

    ¡°Yes. And Pao is older and stronger than you. If you were mortal children would you think that you could beat a boy who is a head again taller than you? Who has the muscles of a man? You are engaging him in a combat of physical strength. He is a rock, and you are the wind. How does the wind beat a rock,¡± the spirit asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question,¡± he told the spirit. ¡°A rock and the wind don¡¯t fight each other.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t they? Where does the dirt of the world come from, Tan? Why are some rocks large and other rocks small?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sounding like my stupid scroll,¡± he complained. ¡°I¡¯m going fishing.¡±

    So he gathered his tackle and flew off to the lake, flying out ont the small island that he liked to fish from and sitting in his favorite spot. He cast his pole and watched the waves of the lake as they stirred beneath a gentle breeze.

    He lost himself, for a while, watching those waves.

    He didn¡¯t notice when the fish ate his bait.

    He just watched, hypnotized, as the wind blew the water. As the water formed a wave. As the wave crashed into the sand of the shore.

    Had the sand always been sand?

    He contemplated the nature of the wind, how it affected the water and formed waves. He understood that. Anyone could understand that. What if the wind caused waves in the earth as well? Could it?

    Did the water break down rocks into sand? Could the wind do the same thing?

    He thought, and he pondered the Dao.

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    And suddenly as he was pondering, he felt a change within him. The hidden reservoire of Qi that Zephyr had been holding on to him was released, and all at once it ran through his body. She giggled in his ear and he realized what she had been doing.

    He dropped his pole and moved into the lotus position, carefully channelling the energies coarsing through his body. It had taken him weeks to accumulate this energy, but now that it was loose he could hold onto only a fraction of it. It was enough to push him into the eighth stage, and once he was in the eighth stage he found that he could control the rest more easily.

    It wasn¡¯t enough to push him over the next threshold, but the difference in his control meant that he was able to have an overly productive cultivation session, placing him well along the path to the next stage.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were hoarding Qi from me?¡± he asked Zephyr.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t ready to advance. I could tell. So it wouldn¡¯t have done you any good to try to push into the next stage by brute force. So I waited until you were ready, and then I gave you back what was yours,¡± she answered.

    He frowned. ¡°I wish you would have told me. You really surprised me when you let all of that Qi loose inside me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was very funny,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±

    He checked his line and discovered his lost bait. Sighing, he put another worm on his hook. He paused for a second as he thought of something, and decided ¡°Why not?¡± and he imbued the bait with a bit of his Qi as well.

    He didn¡¯t really think it would make a difference, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt anything, would it?

    Minutes after he cast his line, the bait was taken. He set the hook and began pulling the fish in, only to be surprised at the strength of the beast! Normally it was a simple matter to pull in even the largest fish, but this one refused to leave the water.

    He braced his feet and reinforced his pole and the fishing line with his Qi to prevent them from breaking. He pulled and he pulled, fighting the amazingly strong fish that had taken his bait. He was glad that he¡¯d thought to reinforce his tools, because if he hadn¡¯t he would have lost the fish by now, he was certain.

    He allowed the fish to take some slack, and then, with all of his might, he pulled as hard as he could.

    The largest fish he¡¯d ever seen burst forth from the water and landed on the shore. He jumped on it to keep it from splashing back into the water and held it until it went still. Which the massive carp did after a moment.

    ¡°Well this is embarrassing,¡± a booming voice said after a moment. Tan gasped as he realized that it was coming from the carp. ¡°Would you, perhaps, mind allowing me to go back into the water? I assure you that I don¡¯t actually taste very good.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a spirit fish!¡± the boy exclaimed.

    ¡°Yes, well, you¡¯re a boy,¡± the fish answered. ¡°Now that we have that established, should I begin begging for my life, oh mighty cultivator? Or am I doomed to be on your plate, as so many of my children have been?¡±

    Tan frowned, biting his lip. He didn¡¯t actually like the idea of eating something that was intelligent enough to talk. ¡°Are you angry that we¡¯ve been eating fish from the lake?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the nature of things that the small fish is eaten by the larger fish, and that fish are eaten by bear and fox and man,¡± the fish answered. ¡°I had might as well be upset that the sun sets and that the lake freezes in the winter. I would be rather upset if you did eat me, but I suppose that there isn¡¯t much I can do about it.¡±

    The boy was quiet for a moment. ¡°How long can you live while you¡¯re out of the water?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain. It¡¯s not very much fun for me.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask my father what to do with you,¡± Tan explained. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll say, and that¡¯s why I need to ask him. I¡¯ve never caught a spirit fish before but maybe he has, so he¡¯ll know what to do. But if you die before I get back, then ¡­¡± the boy trailed off.

    ¡°Do you have a water skin on you?¡± the fish asked him.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Then put me in the waterskin and take me to your father. If he is a mighty cultivator, perhaps I can beg him for my life,¡± the fish said. And it abruptly shrank to the size of a minnow.

    So Tan put the minnow inside his water skin, gathered up his tackle, and flew back to his home where he found his father laboring in the field. He explained what had happened, and the man had a laugh.

    ¡°I thought there was an old man in the lake, but I was never certain,¡± Tren said jovially.

    ¡°Are we going to eat it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Many cultivators would without a second thought,¡± his father told him. ¡°But I don¡¯t much like the idea of eating something that¡¯s smart enough to talk. Put him in the pond nearby. Maybe having a spirit fish will help bless the farm.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said. He flew over to the pond and emptied his water skin into it. The little minnow grew back to its full size in a flash. It peaked its head out of the water and looked at the boy.

    ¡°Thank you for your mercy, and thanks to your father as well,¡± the fish said, and then it vanished into the depths.

    And that is how the Shen farm acquired its fourth spirit beast. From that day forth, it had a fox aligned to the element of fire, a rabbit of the earth, a monkey of the air, and of course a fish of the water.

    The blessings of the four animals continued to improve the ambient Qi of the farm. Both the crops, the animals, and the children continued to thrive and grow.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24

    The children didn¡¯t see the preparations that were going on for the summer solstice. They weren¡¯t meant to see them. They wouldn¡¯t have understood them anyway. That was fine, they would benefit from them all the same.

    One day, Tren marched ten miles to the north and scratched a formation into the ground with his hoe. The next day, he marched ten miles to the south and did the same thing. He went east, then west, then once he had the cardinal directions covered he traveled to clockwise to the northeast, the southeast, the southwest and the northwest in turn.

    Finally, in the basement of the manor that his wife had made him build, he scratched nine tenths of the final part of the formation. He waited, sensing the power as it built up.

    The children began to sense something was going on, but they couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on what it was. There was some sort of excitement in the air that they couldn¡¯t understand or qualify. They dealt with it as children do, working off their nervous excitement with play. They cultivated daily, they sparred occasionally.

    Pao lost his place as the strongest disciple of the Shen household when Tan began kicking the snot out of him once more. It wasn¡¯t just that he had increased from the seventh stage to the eighth. There was something qualitatively different about is blows. He wasn¡¯t just punching with his muscles, but backing his strikes up with Qi in a way that Pao couldn¡¯t duplicate.

    Pao continued to get in one devastating blow now and then, but Tan either endured or avoided the worst part of Pao¡¯s superior strength. Even when Pao thought that a blow landed cleanly, it somehow did less damage than he thought it should.

    Meanwhile, Pao felt Tan¡¯s blows resonate inside of his body, hurting him in a way that was more than physical. He recovered each day swiftly after the fight. When he asked Master Shen what was going on, and whether it was dangerous, the man had laughed.

    ¡°Fighting is always dangerous, even when it¡¯s a friendly spar. As for what Tan is doing to you, he has discovered the power of erosion. He is wearing you down with his Qi and that is how he¡¯s winning once more. There are two ways you can counter it. Either learn to withstand it, or learn to avoid it,¡± Tren had said.

    ¡°But I do not think that at the current level it¡¯s bad for you,¡± the man continued. ¡°Rather, I think that it¡¯s a bit of polish to the gem that¡¯s hiding beneath your exterior. Keep fighting him until you understand what it is that he¡¯s doing to you, and once you understand, you¡¯ll be able to take that power for yourself. Not in the way that Tan is using it against you, but in the way that the earth benefits from erosion.¡±

    As always, Pao took the man¡¯s words and meditated on them carefully. He meditated until he thought that he understood them, then he challenged Tan to another bout.

    And got the snot kicked out of him once more by the younger boy.

    The twins, meanwhile, were their own perfect training partners. Boy and girl, water and fire, yin and yang, they matched each other perfectly. Including the fact that they were at the same stage of cultivation and proceeding to progress at an even pace.

    Oh, occasionally one would pull in front of the other. Won passed into the fourth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm before his sister, for example. But she promptly caught up to him, and redoubled her efforts to keep pace.

    They continued to spar every day, fighting both physically and with their elements. Unlike Tan and Pao, they had direct control over their magic, with Won having been able to manifest small flames almost since he¡¯d absorbed his spirit and Ko able to manipulate water and turn it to ice.

    The matches where they fought with fists were usually won by Ko, as she remained able to enhance her body, while Won could not. Neither of the adult Shens thought that he was ready for one of the body enhancement techniques that his element would eventually allow him to access. They said that he would literally burn himself out from the inside if he tried the way he was now.

    Ko had no such trouble. The body enhancement techniques of the water element were easy to master, focused as they were in the blood and muscle of the body.

    In the duels where they limited themselves to magic, however, Won beat his sister handidly time after time. His fire wasn¡¯t hot enough to really hurt any of the cultivators on the farm, but it was enough to defeat her own water constructs and claim victory.

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    Occasionally the twins fought against Pao, or against Tan. Sometimes it was a fight of one on one, and the more advanced cultivators would hold back to make the battle more fair. Othertimes the twins fought in unison in an effort to overcome either the steadfast Pao or the overbearing Tan as a team. They lost more often than they won, but, especially working together, they did win occasionally.

    On the day of the solstice, which was typically celebrated as a day of rest and hiding from the heat either by resting in the shade or swimming in the nearby pond, the adults announced that it was time for the children to try working together as a team, battling together to overcome someone far stronger than any of them were individually.

    The children had exchanged looks and Tan had asked ¡°Who are we to fight, then?¡± and Wensho had grinned.

    ¡°Me, of course,¡± she had said.

    They had gone out to the fallow field were most of the sparring battles took place, and the beautiful woman had faced off against the four precocious cultivators she was helping to raise.

    The children, used to fighting each other but never along side each other, were easily outmatched by the fluid grace of the water cultivator. Won and Ko were used to operating as a team, but they constantly found that either Tan or Pao were getting in their way and causing their coordinated attacks to fail.

    Both Tan and Pao fought as hard as they could, but found that they continued to stumble into each other, foiling the others attacks and, in more than one occasion, literally running into each other.

    Wensho just smiled the entire time, easily avoiding or diverting the attacks which came close to her without even getting any dust on her dress. She continued to fight for an entire hour while the children slowly improved their teamwork. Finally, seeing that they had exhausted themselves physically and spiritually, she called an end to the match.

    ¡°What did you learn?¡± she asked them.

    ¡°That Tan¡¯s mom is ridiculously strong,¡± Won answered cheekily.

    She grinned. ¡°What else did you learn?¡±

    ¡°That we need to practice fighting together so that we don¡¯t get in each other¡¯s way,¡± Pao answered for the group. He put his fists together and bowed to his mistress humbly. ¡°Your student thanks you for furthering his path.¡±

    Each of the children bowed in turn, even Tan, who felt a little silly bowing to his mother like she was a grandmaster. Even though, technically, she was. But she was also his mom, which made it awkward.

    ¡°Right. Now, my husband has prepared a little surprise for you. Go to the top of your hill and spend the rest of the day cultivating. It should be most productive,¡± she announced, sending them off.

    They followed her advice, and Tren took the opportunity to complete the formation circle in the basement which had been slowly gathering power over the last several days. As soon as it clicked into place, the power of the natural world took over.

    The sky darkened, and a wind began swirling around the farm. Tan watched as the Qi of the wind turned far more violent than he¡¯d ever seen it before. He impressed that violence into his memory, studying it, memorizing it, saving it for later.

    Yet at the same time, the crops were not flattened, the buildings were not torn down, and not even the shingles on the roof were blown away. The wind was violent, but it spared the farm in its wrath. He wondered if he too could be so selective in his targets as this storm.

    Pao watched as the storm interacted with the earth. The wind blew the dirt and the leaves and the grass. The water nourished the crops and the plants and formed the dirt into mud. He felt the pull of the earth Qi reacting to the storm, coming to life as the plants took their nourishment from the heavens.

    Ko watched as the water began pelting them, driven hard by the rain. It crashed into the earth with all the fury of a typhoon. Could she, too, bring such power to bear? She watched as the clouds gathered in the heaven and circled above the farm. She watched as the hail began to fall. She sought meaning in the cycle that she was witnessing.

    Water rises, and water falls. Water freezes, and it thaws. Water dries, and it condences.

    Everything was a cycle, she realized. Even life and death.

    As for Won, he too watched the skies as the lightning danced among the clouds. The thunder was deafening, and the heavenly lights were flashing so brightly that they left afterimages in his eyes.

    What was lightning, he wondered. Was it fire? Was it something that he could control? No sooner had he had that thought than he looked at the brazier, which was burning even now, and he noticed sparks leaping from it as the flames turned from normal fire into St. Elmo¡¯s flames.

    He gasped in shock. Nervously, he pressed his hand into the brazier, snatching it back a second later in pain as the electricity burned him and coarsed through the muscles.

    He remembered the feeling, despite the pain. It resonated with something inside him, inside his core.

    Inside his dantian.

    The storm lasted two hours then abruptly dissipated when Tren destroyed the formation¡¯s circle in the basement. The rest of the formation, without the focal point, abruptly burnt themselves out. The power that remained was released back into nature, and the storm died within moments.

    The children remained on the top of the hill for the rest of the day and into the night, until the adults called them to go to bed.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    The days that followed the solstice were ones of rapid growth. Each of the children advanced a stage with the insights they had gotten from the storm, placing Tan at the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s Realm, Pao at the seventh, and the twins both reached the fifth within hours of each other.

    The adults were both most pleased with the progress, and they each continued to challenge the children to collective duels, each employing different strategies. While Wensho continued to avoid or divert their attacks while occasionally dealing out teaching taps of her own to show them where they had made a mistake or where they were open, Tren endured their attacks stoically. He too gave them pointers when they made mistakes, but his pointers were a bit more painful than Wensho¡¯s.

    Neither thought that they were being particularly hard on the children. They were teaching them to fight, and fighting was by its nature painful. All of the bruises the children received healed within hours, and they made rapid progress in their teamwork and coordination.

    They developed group strategies and attacks, which the adults either cooperated with and helped them perfect, or quickly eliminated if they were impractical or overly elaborate.

    Tan, in particular, was surprised at how much he complimented each of the other three children. When cooperating with Pao, he was able to distract his parents with his speed and allow the older boy to get into position to deal a devastating ¨C or it would be devastating against a peer opponent ¨C attack.

    He was able to do the same with the twins, but they were each physically weaker than both Pao and Tan, so the tactic was less effective than Tan fighting on his own.

    Magically, however, he found that they could combine his wind Qi into their own attacks and amplify their power. The ice shards that Ko produced were sharper and faster when supported by Tan¡¯s wind, and the flames of Won burned hotter and traveled faster.

    They each found that they were far stronger supporting the others than they¡¯d ever been individually, and even when they didn¡¯t have the adults around they began pairing up and fighting two on two, or coordinating planned attacks and strategies against imagined opponents.

    Safron would watch their antics with amusement, but she was careful not to get too close when the big kids were doing magic. She was older now, she would be five years old in the winter, and that meant that she knew when to be careful.

    It also meant that she would be getting her magic soon, she thought with excitement. She brought the subject up one evening around the dinner table.

    ¡°When are you going to give me my magic?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°When you turn five,¡± her father promised. ¡°Although you¡¯ll have to work for it too, just like your brother did when he was that age. I¡¯ll give you a magic stone, and you¡¯ll have to learn to communicate with the spirit inside. Once you can do that, you¡¯ll have to convince the spirit to become one with you, and then --¡±

    ¡°I get to choose what I get, right?¡± she asked.

    Tren paused, then nodded, used to being interrupted by his excitable daughter. ¡°Yes. Have you made up your decision?¡±

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    ¡°I wish that you could give me Zephyr, or a spirit like Zephyr,¡± she said. ¡°I want to fly.¡±

    Tren shook his head sadly. ¡°There are other air spirits as strong as Zephyr, but all the ones I know about are already bonded to someone.¡±

    ¡°So take them away and give them to me,¡± Safron demanded.

    ¡°No,¡± Tren said, with a hint of hardness in his voice that surprised his daughter. He softened as he explained. ¡°Safron, when a spirit bonds with a person, it¡¯s for life. You can¡¯t just take it away from them. Not without killing the person, and you don¡¯t want to be responsible for that, do you?¡±

    She pouted, but shook her head. No, killing people was bad and she was old enough to know that.

    ¡°I could still find you a wind spirit. I promise that if you¡¯re determined to be like your big brother I¡¯ll find the strongest wild wind spirit I can find for you and help you--¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t have wind then I want fire,¡± the girl declared. ¡°Fire is cool and I want it.¡±

    The adults exchanged looks. Wensho shrugged, and then said ¡°There¡¯s a very strong fire spirit in the ashlands that your father can claim for you. It¡¯s known to be a little stubborn, but it might be a good fit for you, Safron. But this is a very important decision, so we¡¯re going to make sure you take your time. If you still want a fire spirit in two weeks, then your father will set out and claim it for you.¡±

    ¡°You promise?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°Yes. But you have to spend the next two weeks following Ko and Pao around to see them use their magic. Fire is very flashy and impressive, but it¡¯s not any stronger than the other two. Its weaker in some ways, in fact,¡± Wensho explained.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not going to change my mind,¡± Safron declared.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you do,¡± her father said. ¡°Even if we get back from hunting the fire spirit and you suddenly decide that you¡¯d rather have water like your mother, that¡¯s okay. We want you to be happy, so if you change your mind you should let us know instead of being stubborn.¡±

    Tan grumbled something, but the table ignored him. That Safron got to pick her element was a sore spot for him, although he was fairly confident that he would have picked Zephyr even if he¡¯d been given a choice.

    ¡°I won¡¯t change my mind. But if I do I won¡¯t be stupid and pretend that I didn¡¯t,¡± Safron said.

    ¡°Okay. Remember, we¡¯ll leave in two weeks time, and you have to follow Ko and Pao around in the meantime,¡± her father said.

    She nodded in agreement.

    Two weeks passed very slowly, and she kept her word, following the older kids around. She liked spending time with them, to be honest, and they liked showing off their magic. Ko was a bit more flashy with her magic than she usually was, floating water and ice around her for the little girl to observe.

    Pao, meanwhile, broke rocks into sand while she watched in amazement. He was even stronger than she¡¯d realized, and he explained that he could only do that with his magic. If he wasn¡¯t using his magic, then he wasn¡¯t nearly so strong. He was still strong, but it would take him time to break a rock in two, let alone shattering it into little pieces.

    But she also followed Won around some, and her brother. While she remained jealous that her brother could fly and she probably never would, she was simply enamored with the idea of shooting fire out of her hand.

    Or lightning, as Won slowly mastered the art of making sparks shoot out of his fingers. It left him with very frizzy hair that Safron and Ko both teased him about, causing him to shave his head once more.

    After two whole weeks, an eternity, had passed, Safron¡¯s mind remained made up, and she told everybody so every night. One night ¨C Safron had lost track of how many days had passed but it had been fourteen ¨C her father said ¡°Very well. If you¡¯re this certain, then we¡¯ll head out to the Ashlands as soon as we finish the harvest.¡±

    Safron blinked in surprise. Then she smiled.

    Before very long at all, she¡¯d be doing magic just like the big kids.

    She thought about that a little more, and she realized something that sobered her up.

    That meant that she¡¯d have to spend part of every day being boring, too.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    Fall fell, and the harvest began. The children worked in the fields through the day and collapsed into their beds at night exhausted despite their cultivation.

    It wasn¡¯t that the work was particularly difficult, but there was so much of it, Tan reflected. He knew that they had planted big this spring, with his father having tilled four fields more than usual. He¡¯d even helped plant them. But he hadn¡¯t realized just how much work that would add up to come harvest.

    And once the work was done on the Shen farm, the children were sent to help the village bring in their crops.

    Once all the work was finally done, the children spent a day of play to recover from a hard week and a half of being serious. Then they began preparing for the journey which was about to take place to claim Safron¡¯s spirit.

    Wensho sat the children down and unfurled a large map, showing them the entirety of the world. Or at least the continent that they were on. She showed them where they were, in Miskio province, a small part of the Blue Dragon Empire, one of four great empires upon the continent. Each were thousands of miles across.

    The Blue Dragon Empire was the westernmost and northernmost of the four empires. To reach the Ashlands, they would travel to the east, avoiding the Green Monkey epire, then south through a narrow band of the Yellow Phoenix empire and into the Red Tiger Empire, where the Ashlands lay beneath the equator. When they asked how long the journey would take, the woman had hesitated.

    ¡°It would take a mortal years to make this journey,¡± she said eventually. ¡°If they were traveling on foot. About a third of that if they had a horse. It will take you four weeks.¡±

    The children exchanged looks. ¡°Are we that much faster than morals?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°You are especially, Tan, given that you can fly further in a day than a mortal can travel by foot in a week,¡± she reminded him. ¡°But no. You won¡¯t be walking or flying. You¡¯ll be riding Qi constructs with my husband, and while he¡¯ll be slowed by your presence compared to if he went alone, you¡¯ll be able to keep up with him.¡±

    And so she presented them each with small carvings, which she had crafted herself. Tan¡¯s was made of glass, Pao¡¯s of wood, Won¡¯s of obsidian, and Ko¡¯s of quartz. They were little horses with intricate writing and magical symbols carved in on them, each figurine small enough to fit in the palm of their hand.

    ¡°Take these outside and begin feeding them your Qi,¡± she instructed. ¡°Continue to feed them throughout the day, and tomorrow as well. On the third day, they should be ready to ride, and then your journey can begin.¡±

    The children obeyed, and they were each surprised at just how readily the little figurines drank in the power that was poured into them.

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    ¡°Your mother crafted this herself,¡± Zephyr whispered in Tan¡¯s ear. ¡°I can feel the afterimage of her Qi, despite her having purged it to prepare it to bond to you.¡±

    Tan grinned. ¡°Of course she did.¡±

    Zephyr was quiet for a moment, then said ¡°I really don¡¯t think you know who your parents really are. I think I don¡¯t know who they really are. I wonder where they came from, or why they¡¯re hiding here.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not hiding from anything,¡± Tan said, a slightly scolding tone to his voice. ¡°They¡¯re strong enough that they don¡¯t need to hide.¡±

    ¡°There are some things that you can¡¯t fight no matter how strong you are or how hard you try, Tan,¡± the spirit said. ¡°Sometimes the only way to survive is to be where those kinds of things are not.¡±

    ¡°My parents are strong enough to fight anything in the world,¡± Tan bragged.

    ¡°Yes, they are. Especially together. But what if that¡¯s what they¡¯re hiding from, Tan? How exactly would you fight against violence itself?¡± the spirit asked.

    Tan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re talking stupid again,¡± he scolded the spirit.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± the spirit answered. ¡°I¡¯ll shut up now.¡±

    On the third day, the children finished packing their clothes and were given packs filled with supplies. Tren met them before the cultivation hill, and he smiled at them.

    ¡°You know how far we¡¯re going. I will not leave any of you behind if you begin to lag, but try your best not to slow the group down as best you¡¯re able. Each of you is exceptionally powerful for your age and development and I am proud of you, but know that there is no shame in asking for help. If you or your mount begins to feel the strain of the road, let me know and I will bear you on my own mount until you recover,¡± he said.

    Then he quietly said a few words that made no sense to the children, moving his hands in rapid gestures that they couldn¡¯t quite follow, and the four figurines that the children had been feeding their Qi for the last three days, and another that belonged to Tren, abruptly flashed brightly and turned into horses.

    They weren¡¯t living horses, however. That was immediately clear. Tan¡¯s smelled like a fresh spring breeze and was transparant, despite having a defined and visible shape. Pao¡¯s smelled like clay and was dusty yellow. Won¡¯s was charcoal black and smelled of hickory smoke. And Ko¡¯s was light blue, with the scent of water lillies.

    Tren¡¯s, on the other hand, was green, yellow and brown, and it smelled like a ripe field of clover.

    The children mounted the constructs, each one being just the right size for their child. They nervously sat on the construct for a moment, getting used to the feel, before Tren abruptly took off. The children called out in surprise and instinctually kicked their own mounts into a gallop to follow.

    They crossed the horizon in a moment, and the next horizon a moment later. Mile after mile, league after league, they passed over the earth without stopping or slowing, moving at a speed that mortals could barely dream of.

    Wensho and Safron watched them go. Wensho smiled sadly, while Safron pouted, her nose crinkling angrily. ¡°When do I get a magic horsey?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°When you¡¯re old enough to ride one,¡± Wensho promised.

    ¡°I want one now,¡± the little girl objected.

    ¡°You need to be strong before you can ride one. You haven¡¯t even started on your path yet, my dear. Don¡¯t be in such a rush to grow up, it¡¯s not as much fun as you think it is.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    They say that rumors travel faster than the wind. They do not, however, travel faster than powerful Qi constructs crafted by a powerful cultivator who knows exactly what they¡¯re doing.

    They do, however, travel pretty quickly, and so it was only two days after Tren and the children had passed by the black sky mountain that the Zang family heard of the five mystical horsemen who were riding through the empire so swiftly that you could blink and miss them entirely.

    Just like four years ago, when the lone rider had appeared and snatched Onmigosha from them.

    They couldn¡¯t exactly claim offense this time, since the riders had only passed sort of near the family¡¯s territory, clearly on their way somewhere else. But since they suspected that the Shen family was involved, they were naturally curious.

    Was the boy, Tan, who possessed the spirit Onmigosha and whom the family head was hoping to marry to her daughter, involved? What was the Shen family after this time? Was it something equally valuable as the last time they had appeared in the world? Might they be convinced to share whatever it was? Or might there be some leavings in the aftermath which the Zang family could claim without angering the Shen family?

    The only way to find out was to investigate.

    Sean Zang, one of the more powerful uncles and a man with a powerful wind spirit blowing in his dantian, was instructed to pursue the riders and investigate. Withou angering them, if at all possible. He wasted no time in empowering his own Qi construct, which took the shape of a Roc, and flying to the south, tracing the faint patterns of Qi that the horse constructs had left in their wake.

    The rest of the cultivation world also noticed the passing of the powerful Qi constructs, but most of the factions ignored it. Whoever it was was clearly standing on one of the peaks, and few of those living in the valley would proffit by getting in their way.

    Although information was power, and power was money, which, by the transitive property, meant that information was money.

    ~~~~~~

    The first snowfall came early to the Shen farm. The little girl who lived there shreaked with delight as it began to accumulate, and then she grew quiet when she realized that her older brothers and the twins weren¡¯t there to get into a snowball fight with. Her birthday would be coming up soon, and she¡¯d been devastated when her mother had told her that nobody would be here to celebrate it with her.

    It was a sacrifice, she¡¯d been told. Cultivation always began with a sacrifice.

    Even if one didn¡¯t understand what that sacrifice was at the time, that was always a fact. Sometimes it would take decades for the cultivator to truly understand what it was they were giving up, the little girl had been told. Then the little girl had looked at her mother and told her to quit talking stupid and stomped out of the house to play outside.

    As the season changed and world turned white, four animals came together at the edge of the nearby pond. A fox, a rabbit, a monkey, and a carp, the latter of which poked its nose out of the water to converse with the others.

    ¡°It is winter once more,¡± the fox said.

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    ¡°Yes,¡± the carp agreed. ¡°Time to hide beneath the frozen waters and feed in the mud. I hope that this shallow pond does not freeze solid, that is not a pleasant thing to live through.¡±

    ¡°I have been thinking,¡± the rabbit said. ¡°We have watched over this farm for a while now. The humans all know that we¡¯re here. They seem to like us. Do you think that they¡¯ll let us come inside, where their fires keep them warm?¡±

    The monkey laughed. ¡°They are humans. If you want to be like a human, then be a human,¡± it jeered.

    The rabbit considered the monkey¡¯s words for a while. Then it said ¡°I think I just might.¡±

    The others turned to look at the rabbit, surprised at its words, and then suddenly with a ¡°Pop!¡± and a flash of smoke, there stood a beautiful young woman. She stretched her limbs. She maintained both her natural ears, and her tail. ¡°I¡¯m going to go say hello and ask them if I can come in out of the cold,¡± she announced, and she walked away from the edge of the pond and towards the manor where the humans dwelled.

    The little girl saw her coming, and Safron¡¯s eyes went wide. She ran to the house shouting ¡°Mommy, Mommy, there¡¯s a naked lady! She has bunny ears!¡±

    Wensho stuck her head outside, sizing up the situation immediately. She nodded her head once. ¡°If you want to come inside, you¡¯ll have to wear clothes,¡± she told the spirit-rabbit-girl.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any,¡± the rabbit-girl admitted.

    ¡°If I give you some, will you wear them?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± And it was as simple as that. A few moments later the rabbit girl was sitting before the stove, warming her hands while wrapped in a robe.

    The fox, rabbit, and carp each looked at each other for a moment. Then with another ¡°Pop!¡± the Fox turned into a young man, once more maintaining his natural ears and tail. He was a little more nervous in approaching the farm in this state, covering himself with embarrassment. Fortunately the little girl was distracted when he knocked on the door.

    ¡°Might I trouble you for some pants?¡± the fox inquired.

    Moments later, he too was in front of the fire, dressed in Tren¡¯s clothing and enjoying a slice of ham.

    The carp looked at the monkey, and said ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point in avoiding it at this stage.¡±

    The monkey sneared as the fish went ¡°Pop!¡± and turned into an old man. He to walked up to the farm, covering himself and watching nervously for the little girl. The lady of the house met him in the yard with a set of clothes, which he gratefully accepted. A moment later he too was sitting in front of the fire and enjoying a mug of tea.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave these out here for you,¡± the woman said to the empty yard. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you come in or not. Just don¡¯t let my daughter see in human form you without clothes if you can avoid it.¡±

    The monkey sat at the edge of the farm until nightfall. Then it began to grow cold, and it frowned. Then it went ¡°Pop!¡± and became a young man. That night it fell asleep in the downy bed of a child who was sleeping a thousand miles away.

    ~~~~~

    The word arrived at the imperial palace late in the evening. The messenger, having rode through the night before and almost killed two different horses, was nervously shown before the emperor.

    The messenger, a young woman in the third stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, trembled before the powerful cultivator who ruled the Blue Dragon Empire. He was said to be the most powerful fire cultivator in the world, or so close to the title that it made no difference. The fire emperor sat behind his screen, his features obscured by the fine silk.

    ¡°You bring word from the Black Sky Mountains? What is it that requires my attention from that far flung corner of my empire,¡± the emperor asked in a quiet and melodious voice.

    ¡°Your Imperial majesty,¡± the messenger said. ¡°The elders of my sect bade me pass on these words to your ear. ¡®The hidden mountain has moved. It passes to the south, accompanied by the wind, the water, a young flame, and a growing stone.¡¯ I swear that I do not know what these words mean, only that I was bade repeat them in your majestic presence.¡±

    The emperor was silent a moment. ¡°Thank you. You may select one scroll from the imperial library as your reward for your journey. Your sect will be rewarded when I have determined the worth of this information.¡±

    The messenger trembled with excitement. ¡°Thank you, your imperial majesty.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    Traveling on a magic horse was surprisingly uncomfortable, the children learned after the first day. After the second day, they learned that it was agonizing. It wasn¡¯t until the fifth day that they were used to being in the saddle. It took six more days after that to reach their destination, a large city on the edge of the ashlands.

    Each night they made camp and Tren said a few magic words, made a few magic gestures, and turned their horses back into figurines for them. He would instruct them to recharge the figurines with their Qi before going to sleep, and to spend a while cultivating in a circle that he drew for them while thinking of everything they had seen and learned through the day.

    Mostly, they had learned that the further south you went, the hotter it got, Tan thought to himself each night.

    And that being saddle-sore was literally a pain in the butt.

    When they finally reached their destination, the group of cultivators stopped just over the horizon from the city, which was called Mosanatas, and once more Tren turned their horse constructs back into their inanimate form. They walked the rest of the way, joining in the line to be admitted to the city with the rest of the citizens and visitors who were waiting at the gates.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you want them to see the horses?¡± Won asked Tren as they waited.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to attract attention,¡± Tren answered.

    ¡°We rode through towns and cities the entire way here,¡± the boy pointed out.

    ¡°Yes, we rode through them. We did not linger. And we have been avoiding civilzation for the last two hundred leagues,¡± Tren pointed out. ¡°By the time word reaches this city of our journey it shouldn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll have captured the spirit, and you¡¯ll all have had your lessons.¡±

    ¡°Our lessons? Aren¡¯t we here to help you?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have deceived you, but the truth is that when confronting a powerful spirit, there¡¯s not much room for error,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°I brought you here because I have friends in this city whom you could benefit to meet. Each of you. And it will give you a better picture of the world outside our sleepy little village back home.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said, disappointed that his father thought he¡¯d be in the way, so he was once more being ditched off to a babysitter.

    The other children grew excited at the prospect of learning from a master, possibly one with great insights into their chosen elements. While Pao and Ko both already enjoyed this privelege in the forms of their Master and Mistress, another perspective on their Daos would be a welcome boon.

    They paid the tax to get inside the city, which was just a copper coin for each of the children and three coins for Tren, and they moved through the streets for a while, seemingly either wandering or lost. They ate kabobs that were being sold by one of the street vendors, each bite of savory meet flavored with a spicy and sweet sauce.

    Lizard meet, they learned when they asked. It came from a large lizard the size of a large dog. It¡¯s bite was venomous, but they were raised for their meat in the Red Tiger Empire and were more common than cattle in the hot environment that bordered on the Ashlands.

    Tan thought it tasted vaguely like chicken, but it was hard to be certain under the spices that flavored it. He tried to go into the Sublime State of Clarity, only for the heat of the kabobs to drive him quickly back out of it as the spice was too much for him.

    They finally found a in that met with Tren¡¯s approval, and they each bathed and changed into a clean set of clothes. Tan was surprised when his father unveiled the fancy green and yellow clothes that he had worn last year when he had met the stupid Zang girl and fixed her stupid broken spirit bond. He frowned, wondering why he was so hostile towards her.

    ¡°Zephyr, do you influence my thoughts on purpose?¡± he asked his spirit.

    ¡°Mostly no,¡± the spirit answered.

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    ¡°Mostly?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s some unavoidable bleeding over between the two of us,¡± she explained. ¡°So if you ask if I do it on purpose, the answer is no. Unless I¡¯m trying to influence you by talking to you and explaining things that are beyond your current understanding. Then the answer is yes, but it should be obvious what I¡¯m doing. But my unconscious desires and feelings will blend with your unconscious desires and feelings and there¡¯s not really anything that either of us can do about it.¡±

    ¡°So the reason I hate Kora Zang might be your fault?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of that stupid ugly cruel girl?¡± the spirit asked, incensed. ¡°Why are you thinking about that sow?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay, I think you answered my question,¡± Tan said.

    The clothes were tighter than they had been when he¡¯d worn them last, but they were still loose and covered him fairly. The other children were surprised to find that Tren had dress clothes for each of them as well, each embroidered to declare that they were cultivators of their chosen element.

    Won and Ko each wore a kimono, Won¡¯s a burnt orange and Ko¡¯s an aqua color. Pao wore a black tunic with matching leggings that was embroidered with silver. Each of the children paused when the clothes were unveiled as they tried to estimate how much the precious clothing was worth compared to their every day clothes.

    Ten times more? A hundred? Surely not a thousand?

    Pao thought about asking then, but he held back. The twins were too intimidated by the wealth that Tren Shen was displaying so casually.

    Tan was oblivious. If anything, he was annoyed that the other kids were getting new clothes while the had to wear the same thing he¡¯d worn in Lima City.

    The group left the inn, drawing a shocked gasp from the proprietor as he realized that the guests whom he¡¯d massively overcharged were cultivators incognito. He abruptly ordered food from one of the nearby restaurants to replace the swill that he usually served, in case they were hungry upon their return. There was nothing he could do about the state of the room that they were sharing; he wasn¡¯t nearly so foolish as to send someone to clean it at this stage.

    It was probably booby trapped with magical wards that would kill whoever entered, he reflected grimly, and promptly sent word to the maids that they were to leave those rooms alone unless they were invited explicitly inside.

    Tren led the children a short distance away, where he found a local street boy. He tipped the boy to hire two palinquins, and the man rode on one while the four children rode on the other. They were brought to the palace, where they were shown promptly inside, despite lacking any sort of invitation or introduction.

    Or rather, Tren¡¯s Intent was the introduction and the invitation, as he flashed each of the guard with an overwhelming emotion that scared them almost to the point of loosening their bowels.

    It wasn¡¯t as though they could have stopped him, so they passed him on to the interior of the palace, knowing that the true imperial guards were the correct ones to deal with this situation.

    Word traveled ahead of them, and sixteen of the imperial elites met them in the courtyard, hands on their weapons, ready to fight and die for the nobles residing in the palace.

    ¡°Zenith, you old scoundrel, it is good to see you again!¡± Tren called out to the head of the guard. ¡°It¡¯s been fifty years, do you recognize me?¡±

    The middle aged man who was older than he looked squinted at the man, then said ¡°Nope. You¡¯re too damn clean to the be the Tren that I knew. You¡¯re obviously an imposter. Guards, kill him.¡±

    Tren burst into laughter even as the guards relaxed, knowing that this sort of banter meant that the two were old friends.

    ¡°What brings you to the Red Tiger Empire, My Lord?¡± Zenith asked.

    ¡°Spirit hunting for my daughter, and I was hoping to get some tutoring for my children. They¡¯re not all related by blood, but I would consider it a favor if you were to treat them as if they were for the sake of their education. Pao is the tall one, he follows the Dao of the Bountiful Harvest, just like me, but if you could give him some pointers on the more ¡®rocky¡¯ Daos that would be to his benefit. The twins are Won and Ko, with Won following the Dao of the Everlasting Flame, and Ko following the Dao of the Frozen Rain. And finally there is Tan, who follows the Dao of the Azure Sky.¡±

    Zenith studied the children, scratched his beard, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll see who is available to give them lessons. You may leave them with me, I swear to guard them as though they were my own blood.¡±

    ¡°I expect to be gone two weeks or more and I expect them all to have made significant progress by the time I return,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°As you wish, My Lord,¡± Zenith agreed.

    ¡°Thank you, Zenith. Here is your payment,¡± Tren said, tossing two scrolls on the ground. ¡°From me and my wife. Observations on our Daos.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it seems that I¡¯ll have to actually do my side of the bargain,¡± Zenith grumbled. ¡°Very well, very well, you won¡¯t find yourself shortchanged. I will give each of the children my personal attention while you¡¯re gone and see to it that they receive the best education that the Emperor of the Red Tiger Empire can provide in such a short amount of time.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, my friend,¡± Tren said. Then he nodded towards the guards, turned, and took a step that caused him to vanish.

    Leaving the children behind, wondering what the heck had just happened.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    Zenith studied the four children, who stood nervously in the courtyard as their guardian abandoned them to the care of strangers. He sighed. It would take him some time to line up the finest tutors that he was obligated to arrange for his close friend, especially in light of the bounty that the man had given in payment. Observations of the Daos of the Bountiful Harvest and the Waters of Life were a rich prize to be handed out so freely, and the Emperor would insist on sparing no expense in earning such a reward.

    Zenith sighed again. The Emperor would have to be informed of this development, but he¡¯d see the children settled for the night first.

    ¡°Right then. Mankrik, take the boy in the orange robe to the Chamber of Ashes, and his sister to the Water Gardens. Orlia, Take the tall boy to the deepest chamber of the Vaults of the Crystal Veins. You, Tan, will follow me to the Soaring Tower.¡±

    The children exchanged looks. ¡°You¡¯re splitting us up?¡± Pao asked, moving protectively in front of the other children.

    ¡°I assure you that if I meant you harm, it wouldn¡¯t matter if you were separate or together,¡± Zenith said, amused at the child¡¯s suspicion. ¡°I am honor bound to further your education and cultivation, so I am showing you to the richest cultivation environments available to me for your aligned elements. It will take two days to line up suitable tutors, at which point you will be retrieved from your meditations and instructed on the path you follow.¡±

    Pao continued to glare at him suspiciously for a moment, but the youngest child slapped him on the side of the head gently.

    ¡°Dad wouldn¡¯t have left us with some creep who was going to hurt us, Pao,¡± Tan scolded. ¡°Stop being weird.¡±

    Pao pouted, but nodded. ¡°Okay, fine,¡± and he allowed himself to be led away to the Vault of the Crystal Veins, deep beneath the palace.

    Zenith grinned. It had been months since the last time a guest had been shown into any of the elemental focal points, and he had no doubt that the Qi that the children would encounter in their meditation chambers would be rich and thicker than anything they had ever encountered.

    Hopefully they¡¯d be able to take advantage of the development, but it was his responsibility only to ensure that they were provided with the finest opportunity that he could provide. The responsibility of grasping that opportunity rested with the children themselves.

    The youngest boy followed Zenith obediently into the palace, where they journeyed briefly through the halls before climbing the twenty-three stories of the Soaring Tower. Zenith stood proudly at the, well, the zenith of the tower and looked out over the city and the lands beyond the city walls. This site always filled him with awe, and the wind Qi was indeed rich and thick in the gathering formations.

    ¡°You may cultivate for as long as you wish. You are very fortunate that I, myself, will be your personal tutor. I follow the Dao of the Eternal Breath. It differs slightly from the Dao of the Azure Skies, but you will benefit greatly from my insights I assure you,¡± Zenith told the child. ¡°When you are ready to begin your lessons, simply ring this bell and I will send a servant to fetch you to me.¡±

    ¡°Right. Where¡¯s the toilet?¡± the boy asked.

    Zenith blinked in surprise. Oh, right, the child was still at the stage where such concerns were still ¡­ well, concerns. ¡°It¡¯s at the base of the tower, of course. I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± the boy said, stepping up to the edge of the tower and undoing the front of his pants.

    Zenith chuckled as the boy peed off the edge of the tower.

    ¡°Right, well, I hope you have a productive cultivation session, young master. Take the rest of the night, and as much of tomorrow as you wish. I will have an evening meal delivered to you in an hour or two, and you may sleep in the room on the floor directly beneath us. There is a chamber pot there as well that you may use if you don¡¯t feel like pissing in the wind again. Tomorrow, when you are ready, I will begin your lessons.¡±

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    ¡°Okay, sounds good Mister Zenith,¡± Tan said, and he sat on the mat at the center of the gathering formation without requiring any further instruction.

    Zenit watched the boy cultivate for a few moments, and he was privately impressed with just how much Qi the boy was absorbing. He nodded. Of course, if he was Tren¡¯s child, whether by blood or by choice, then such things were only to be expected.

    Leaving the child behind, Zenith returned to his office and began composing messages to the finest Earth, Fire, and Water scholars in the city. As he had promised, he would himself oversee the wind cultivator¡¯s progress, although the tutors would also coordinate their lessons so that the entire group could benefit from the insights that the adults would attempt to impart in the children.

    Once he had called in all of the favors that this situation required him to call in, he sighed, sending out the Qi messaging constructs, which flittered out of the window of his office like little hummingbirds. He grinned as they flew off, then he grew more serious.

    It was time to inform the emperor of the day¡¯s developments.

    ~~~~~~

    ¡°You may light the bonfire, young master,¡± the servant said, causing Won to jerk in surprise. He¡¯d been overawed by his spiritual senses as he contemplated the sheer amount of fire Qi in the Chamber of Ashes.

    The entire room was inside of the trunk of a massive tree. Not a living tree, but an ancient petrified one that rose through the heart of the palace. The interior had been scorched and burned out, leaving a pitch black interior that was rich with spirituality.

    He glanced at the piles of wood, sensing within them the normal amount of fire Qi that all wood contained. It was a drop in the bucket compared to what was simply sitting in the ambient environment of this room, but he thanked the servant anyway and, with a wave of the hand, lit the fire.

    To his surprise, runes and magical foci lit up on the edge of the wall, and both the temperature and the ambient Qi soared to a new height. He grinned, taking a seat on the mat in the center of the formation and began absorbing as much of the Qi as he could.

    This night alone would make the entire journey worthwhile, he told himself, and he drank greedily of the fire around him.

    ~~~~~

    There were sixteen lights in the Vault of the Crystal Veins, deep beneath the palace. Each was a magic crystal that was bright enough to light the room by themselves, but they came with a black velvet hood which could cover them entirely.

    Each crystal was a different color. One fo them was filled with fire Qi and the light flickered and danced. Others were steady and constant. Others varied slowly from bright to dim.

    The servant who showed Pao to the room explained that he should wait up to an hour after changing the light source to allow the ambient Qi to shift its nature to reflect the light that was being used, but the thirteen year old was having trouble focusing.

    The room was ¡­ rich. It was beautiful, with quartz and precious gems embedded in the walls everywhere. And the Qi was ¡­ it was most intense.

    He felt foolish over his earlier suspicion of the man who was overseeing his stay at the palace. If the man intended him or his friends harm, then he would not waste such a precious resource or opportunity on a mere farmer like Pao.

    He spent a few moments selecting the lightsource that he wished to use, and chose one that shone bright yellow like the sun. He nodded, that light fit with his Dao of the Bountiful Harvest. He took a seat at the center of the room, and he began to cultivate.

    ~~~~~~

    The Water Gardens were filled with fountains and the splashing sounds of water. The servant who escorted Ko into the focal point was explaining the history when she suddenly paused.  There were children, practically naked and playing in the water.

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Mankrik said. ¡°The palace children love the Water Gardens, but I will have them sent away so that you are not disturbed while you cultivate.¡±

    Ko watched the children play for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No, let them stay,¡± she said.

    ¡°Are you certain they will not disturb you?¡± the guard inquired.

    ¡°They might, but my mistress said that sometimes distractions in cultivation provide more progress than what can be achieved with an undivided mind,¡± Ko said. ¡°And besides, it¡¯s fun watching them play.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re certain,¡± Mankrik said. He spent a moment informing her where she could sleep and arranging other necessities, such as her next meal and the location of the nearest toilet. Once he had left, Ko sat in the center of the gardens and began to cultivate.

    Until one of the little brats splashed her. She opened her eyes and stared at the five year old boy, who grinned cheekily at her.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± she asked. ¡°Well take this!¡±

    She splashed the boy back. With magic. The boy shrieked as the water ¨C cold water! - splashed him. Soon all of the children were in on it, trying to splash the powerful cultivator as she splashed them back with magic.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    Safron grabbed the bushy tail of the fox-boy and she pulled, laughing as the young man/spirit animal yelped in surprise and leapt into the air before turning around to scold the little girl. Safron ran away laughing and screaming as she completely ignored the scolding. When the fox-boy gave chase, the girl hid behind the legs of the rabbit-girl, who stood stalwart between her and the predator, her expression serious.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t harm a child, would you, Ember?¡± the bunny-girl asked

    ¡°She needs a spanking,¡± the fox-boy argued.

    ¡°That¡¯s for her parents to decide, not us,¡± the bunny-girl argued. ¡°If you feel like tattling to Mistress Wensho over such a minor thing --¡±

    Safron abruptly yanked on her fluffy tail as well, causing her to screech and leap six feet into the air. The little girl ran away screaming in delight, the wet snow crunching beneath her feet.

    ¡°That little brat,¡± the bunny girl exclaimed.

    ¡°Surely you¡¯re not going to chase her and spank her over such a minor thing,¡± Ember, the fox spirit, teased.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± the bunny girl said.

    From the side, where the old man who was a carp was using his magic to move the snow out of the paths between the mansion and the old farmhouse where the spirit animals were staying now, came a bark of laughter as the old man enjoyed the antics of the young. While his face vaguely showed his true nature, with fish-like eyes, a large mouth and a flat nose, he looked more human than his companions for the most part.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad you decided to join us?¡± the fish-man asked the monkey man, whose tail had forced him to cut a hole in the seat of his pants.

    ¡°It¡¯s nicer in the warmth,¡± the monkey admitted. ¡°I¡¯m reluctantly grateful for the welcome we received. But as soon as it thaws, I¡¯ll be turning back.¡±

    ¡°And I as well, Thume,¡± the fish-man said.

    Thume, the monkey-man, nodded, as did the other two spirit animals in human form. They were growing accustomed to living as humans, but they still preferred their natural forms and were looking forward to the spring, where they could live their lives as they had always done before awakening as spirit animal and/or coming to live on the Shen farm.

    ¡°What do you think the master and young master will do when they return?¡± The rabbit-girl inquired. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll kick us out?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± the fish-man answerd. ¡°No, Clover, if the lady of the house extended us hospitality, I doubt that her husband would revoke it without just cause. As long as we continue to make ourselves useful I¡¯m certain that we¡¯ll remain welcome.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, Elder Pike,¡± Clover said. She giggled. She thought it was funny that a carp was named Pike.

    ¡°I suppose that I can¡¯t be too angry at the little girl for pulling my tail now and then,¡± Ember admitted. ¡°She did give me the stone which led to my awakening.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Clover admitted.

    ¡°Well not me,¡± Thume said. ¡°She pulls my tail and I¡¯ll pull her pants down and give her a proper spanking whether her mother says so or not.¡±

    ¡°Will you really?¡± Pike asked. ¡°Would you risk the rath of Lady Wensho Shen over such a minor offense?¡±

    The monkey man paused, then his bravado left him as he realized that the carp was right. It was better to accept the indignity than risk angering a cultivator of Lady Wensho¡¯s caliber. ¡°Well anyway,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go split more firewood.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join you,¡± Clover agreed, and the two went to complete the task together.

    Ember remained behind, melting a few ice patches that had formed with his magic to prevent anyone from tripping on them. ¡°Do you think that they¡¯d give us more cultivation resources if we asked for them?¡± he asked Pike.

    ¡°I think that is a decision they¡¯d choose to make as a family,¡± Pike answered. ¡°But they have been generous in allowing us to live when they could have consumed us. And they provide us protection by keeping those who would hunt us as spirit animals away, simply by allowing us to live on their farm. I believe that it would not hurt to ask for their insights, or perhaps assistance in constructing a new burrow to align with your element.¡±

    ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t need it,¡± the fox said, regarding the powerful fish cultivator warily. He wasn¡¯t certain exactly how strong Pike was, but he was fairly certain that the story that Tan had told his parents about capturing the fish had involved a bit of acting on the old fish¡¯s part. Tan was strong, but he was just a boy. Ember believed that the fish was ancient.

    ¡°There is never any shame in using whatever resources are available to improve oneself,¡± Pike answered. ¡°If the master and mistress of the house are so generous, I will request a formation to help concentrate the Qi in the pond where I have come to live when the spring thaws it back out.¡±

    Ember¡¯s fox ears cocked in surprise, then he nodded. ¡°I suppose asking for help with a formation around my Den wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone, would it?¡±

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    ¡°No. And Clover could use a similar aid. The monkey is on his own, he has already been paid in the form of the spirit stones that he negotiated from the lady of the house,¡± Pike said.

    Ember nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad that I awoke. I remember being alive before I was aware, and while it was ¡­ something, I am so much more than that now.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The wonder of the now compared to the before never quite goes away,¡± Pike told him, then went back to sweeping the path with a broom and his magic.

    ~~~~~~

    Tan stretched as he got out of bed, yawning and looking around at the unfamiliar room. He wasn¡¯t particularly lost, he remembered exactly where he was, but he¡¯d cultivated until after dark the night before and hadn¡¯t seen the bedroom of the Soaring Tower in the light before. He got out of bed, stretched, scratched himself, used the chamber pot, and began to dress.

    He went into the antechamber and found that there was a platter with fruit for his breakfast, and he quietly ate the offered grapes and sliced melons. It was tasty and exotic compared to the more staple foods of his parents farm.

    He frowned as he suddenly realized that this was the longest he¡¯d been without one of his parents or the other standing over his shoulder his entire life. That was ¡­ a strange thought, he realized. He¡¯d never resented their presence, but it had always been there in the background. Comforting, supporting, nurturing. But now his mother was thousands of miles away, and his father was ¡­ somewhere in the ashlands, which was both very close and very far, he thought.

    The ashlands itself was a thousand miles in diameter, a sea of burning steppe filled with fire Qi, spiritual beasts, and spirits.

    Or so he¡¯d been told. He¡¯d never been there himself. He was a little relieved, to be honest, that his father had dropped him off for babysitting at his friend¡¯s place. If he was also a little resentful that the adult had misled him on how useful he¡¯d be during the spirit hunt, well, he could be two things at once. He was complicated that way.

    Once he¡¯d seen to his body¡¯s comfort, he climbed back up to the perch of the Soaring Tower and stared out at the sky. The air Qi was particularly rich in this location, with formations throughout the city and surrounding lands set to concentrate it within easy reach of a cultivator in his position.

    Tan sat and closed his eyes, and began to cultivate. He continued for several hours, using dedication and focus that he¡¯d gained while trying to reclaim his spot as the strongest child on the farm from Pao.

    After a few hours, the ambien Qi began to lessen, and he frowned. That ¡­ was strange, he thought. It never mattered how much he took while he was on the cultivation hill at the farm, but here it seemed like at first he was ¡®skimming off the top¡¯ of the ambient Qi, but after a while the quality and quantity both began to lessen.

    Well, he was bored anyway, and he was curious to see what his babysitter had to teach him. He got up, stretched his legs again, and rang the bell to summon the servants.

    ~~~~~~

    Zenith stood at the table as the three other masters of Mosanatas ate the luxurious spread before them. He waited patiently until they were finished. Two of them had agreed, but the water cultivator was being somewhat stubborn, holding out for a greater reward than simply the calling in of a minor debt.

    He sighed, thinking of the scroll that he¡¯d delivered to the emperor last night written by the hands of Mistress Wensho herself. He didn¡¯t really want to help this water cultivator by allowing him to glance at such a priceless thing, but if it came down to it he would see that he was given the opportunity if that¡¯s what it took to ensure his cooperation.

    ¡°I¡¯m still not seeing what¡¯s in it for us,¡± the Water cultivator said now that his belly was full, taking a sip of the warm tea mixed with milk that went with their breakfast. ¡°They¡¯re not our kids. Who is this hidden master who wants us to impart our secrets on a bunch of strange brats?¡±

    ¡°He has a few different names, but he¡¯s been lying low for the last thirty years or so. With his wife. He instructed us to treat all of the children as though they were bound to him by blood, which implies that, while not all of them are, at least one of them is. He¡¯s likely raising them to be an elemental quartet, capable of working together on the highest of levels,¡± Zenith explained.

    ¡°And how does that benefit me to contribute to this arrangement?¡± the water cultivator insisted.

    Zenith sighed. He was about to inform the man of Lady Wensho¡¯s scroll, when the earth cultivator abruptly smacked the table.

    ¡°It benefits you to not make me angry,¡± she said, glaring at the pudgy man. ¡°Just because your efforts are required in the orchards and the vineyards doesn¡¯t make you indespensible, Rainard. If I were to crush your skull, the emperor would scold me, but he¡¯d still replace you within the week.¡±

    Rainard glared at the earth cultivator, who glared back. ¡°I don¡¯t have to work with her, do I?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zenith said. ¡°We¡¯re coordinating our lessons to ensure that the team of children benefits the most from the insights that they gain while under the care of the Red Tiger Empire. Coordination means cooperation.¡±

    Rainard glared at him next, but Zenith met his eyes with a stubborn expression. Finally the water cultivator relaxed. ¡°You¡¯ll owe me a favor,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling in a favor that you already owe,¡± Zenith countered. ¡°Don¡¯t think that--¡±

    ¡°It was a minor favor between friends. You¡¯re asking me to help an unknown water cultivator along her path, not fixing a minor part of a worn down formation which was scheduled for maintenance anyway,¡± Rainard argued.

    ¡°Maintenance that was only required because of your constant use,¡± the fire cultivator said. ¡°Which affected all of us, I remind you. You want to claim two favors for one? You always were greedy. Greedy and glutinous.¡±

    ¡°Shut up Pyter,¡± Rainard scolded. ¡°Unless you¡¯d like to count this as one of the favors that I owe you as well? If we were to count this as a favor to you then--¡±

    ¡°How about we count it as a favor if I don¡¯t shove this chair down your throat?¡± the earth cultivator said.

    Zenith sighed. A servant came into the room to tell them that the children were being gathered in the center hall after having a productive night and morning of cultivation, and he decided to procrastinate.

    ¡°Fine, Rainard. You don¡¯t want to help? Then we don¡¯t need it. I¡¯ll call in a favor to one of the other water experts in the city. You may go.¡±

    Rainard looked shocked. ¡°What? You¡¯d waste my time and just send me away like this?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who doesn¡¯t want to participate. You¡¯ve had a free meal, so don¡¯t call it a waste of time. The balance of debt between us remains unchanged,¡± Zenith said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go teach the children the lesson of the strangled flame, then find a replacement for Rainard. Pyter, Nora, please think of what lessons you¡¯d like to impart to the children as a group and individually.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Pyter agreed readily.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it some thought,¡± Nora, the earth cultivator, agreed.

    Zenith left them to bicker without him. He sighed. Why couldn¡¯t the masters of the city ever get along?

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    ¡°You look tired,¡± Tan said, looking at the other two boys.

    ¡°Yeah. I got so absorbed in cultivating that I forgot to sleep,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°The Vault of the Crystal Veins is really rich in Qi, and I wanted to absorb as much as I could, but before I realized it it was ¡­ I¡¯m not even sure what time I finally got up to pee, so when I realized how late it was I went to bed and it feels like I only got an hour of sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too,¡± Won admitted. ¡°The Chamber of Ashes has a formation that¡¯s really interested. It¡¯s a small chamber, and it¡¯s rich in fire Qi on it¡¯s own. But when there¡¯s a fire burning, the Qi is amplified and hyperactive, and really easy to cultivate with. I was so excited that even when I did realize how late it was, I decided to keep going until the fire burned out.¡±

    ¡°It burned out?¡± his sister asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like the one on our hill?¡±

    ¡°I guess not,¡± Won said. ¡°When I meet the fire master they¡¯ve selected for me I¡¯ll ask why they burn wood instead of having a brazier like the one Master and Mistress provided for me on the hill.¡±

    ¡°I can answer that,¡± Zenith said, coming into the room where the children sat on expensive furniture that they utterly failed to appreciate the value of. ¡°But it would be more valuable if you continued to ponder the question on your own and come to your own conclusion.¡±

    Won frowned. ¡°Yeah, Master Shen says that all the time. It¡¯s so frustrating. Why can¡¯t you just tell us stuff.¡±

    ¡°Because the Dao that is spoken is not the true Dao,¡± Zenith explained. Then he shrugged. ¡°Perhaps today¡¯s lesson will help you come to an answer for your question anyway, Won. Today I will show you each the mystery of the strangled flame. It is an ancient riddle, and the answer to it involves each of the four elements, which is why it is equally valuable to each of you.¡±

    He rang a bell, and a servant rolled in a cart. Upon the cart was a large candle, a platter with water on it, and a glass dome. He showed each of the children the objects and proceeded to light the candle.

    ¡°Here we have each of the four elements,¡± he said, indicating the supplies. ¡°The air, is of course the air. The Earth is represented in the glass dome and the platter. As well as the candle itself.¡±

    ¡°The candle represents fire,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°It represents the potential of fire,¡± Zenith argued. ¡°The candle itself is made of supplies from the Earth, and it is therefor aligned with the earth.¡±

    Won frowned, while Pao just nodded. Ko cocked her head to the side, while Tan looked board at the entire thing.

    ¡°Now, the candle is burning. Watch closely what happens when I cover the flame with the glass dome,¡± Zenith instructed, placing the dome over the lid so that it sat on the platter and, with the thin layer of water, formed a perfect seal.

    The candle continued to burn for a moment, then flickered and went out.

    ¡°Why did that happen?¡± Zenith asked the children.

    The children each frowned as the contemplated the question. They repeated the experiment several times, but each of the children could come up with no solid reason behind the mistery. Why did the candle burn fine right up until a moment after it was overed by the glass dome?

    Zenith abruptly switched tactics, trading the platter of water for one with a slim layer of distilled alcohol. He lit the alcohol on fire, and the platter burned merily. Once more he covered it with the glass dome, and the fire quickly went out, except for the parts outside the dome which continued to burn until all of the fuel was exhausted.

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    ¡°It used up the air,¡± Tan said at last.

    ¡°There¡¯s air under the dome, stupid,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°There is. But the fire changes it into ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Different air. I can sense it but I don¡¯t know the words for it,¡± Tan explained. ¡°There¡¯s the air that the fire burns, and there¡¯s the air that the fire burns into. They¡¯re both in the air normally and if you don¡¯t cover the candle or the alcohol then there¡¯s plenty of the first kind of air to burn up all the fuel. But if you cover it, then there¡¯s not any air to burn. There¡¯s just ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Dead air.¡±

    Won opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. He frowned. ¡°Is that the entire lesson?¡±

    ¡°That is today¡¯s lesson, yes,¡± Zenith agreed. ¡°Spend some time thinking about it, each of you. While this little mystery mostly involves the elements of air and fire, it also impacts earth and water, because both of those things can either burn, or become air. You may either return to your cultivation rooms or you may wander the palace, whichever you prefer.¡±

    Ko grinned. ¡°When you get bored of cultivating, come to the Water Gardens,¡± she told the other children. ¡°It¡¯s a great place to cultivate, but it¡¯s also a great place to play.¡±

    When each of the children returned to their cultivation spot, they each lit a candle and studied the flame, each pondering the little flickering light, thinking thoughts that were both childish and profound in equal measure.

    Tan had always known that he could snuff a fire by blowing it out. He hadn¡¯t known that it was possible for air to quench a flame, the way that throwing water on it would. He explored the sensations he had felt within the jar, trying to recall the differences between the different types of air that he had sensed, vaguely, changing from one into the other under the glass dome.

    He could sense the same process in the candle, now that he knew to look for it. He chewed his lip, and began trying to separate his control over the living air and the dead air.

    Pao took a different lesson from the mystery of the strangled flame. The part of the lesson that he¡¯d found most interesting was that Master Zenith had called the candle part of the earth. He examined the wax. He could sense within the wax water, earth, fire, and air. Not in the same amount, of course, it was mixed elements, as most things were. But he found that the master was right. The preponderance of the wax was, in fact, not fire Qi at all.

    He lit the fire and observed as the the earth Qi was consumed in the flame. And once the fire had burnt itself out, the wax was no longer earth aligned, but air and water. His jaw dropped as he came to a realization about the nature of the relationship between the elements.

    Won¡¯s focus was upon the flame itself. This entire time he had been thinking of flame Qi as something independent of the other elements. Seeing the flame of the candle die in the absence of ¡®live¡¯ air made him realize that it was not.

    Fire could not burn without air. It could not burn without earth. He frowned, as its relationship with water was a bit more nebulous, but while pure water extinguished a flame, there was water in wood, wax, and alcohol and those things burned.

    He spent a long time contemplating the little flame of the candle, watching as Qi of the candle changed from one state to another.

    Fire was not its own thing, he realized. Fire was not a permanent thing. Fire was becoming. It was a change from one state to another.

    As he experienced this revolutionary ¨C to him ¨C idea, his eyes went wide. He ran to the center of the Chamber of Ashes and began to cultivate. He burst through into the fifth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, pushing further and further through as the revelation changed his very understanding of his dao.

    He grinned as he came out of his trance after two hours of progress. His sister was going to be so mad!

    Ko, meanwhile, was glaring at the candle, wondering what lesson the mystery of the strangled air taught about water. She couldn¡¯t come up with an answer.

    In the evening, after they had eaten, the children gathered in the water gardens as she¡¯d suggested. They stripped down to their underwear and spent a while splashing in the water with the other children from the palace. When they were tired physically, mentally, and spiritually, they lay in a square with their heads together and spoke for a while.

    They each spoke of their revelations. Ko was, indeed, angry at her brother for pulling ahead of her, but she was also happy for his success. When he casually mentioned that water was present even when fire was burning, she frowned, and left the others to stare at her candle again.

    She did not experience a breakthrough that night, but as she pondered the dao, she came very close.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    The next day, the children were introduced to their individual masters. Tan knew Zenith already, obviously, but Won met Pyter, who congradulated him earnestly on his breakthrough, both in the advancement in his cultivation level and the leap in understanding of his Dao which had allowed it. Pao was introduced to Nora, whose beauty made him blush. When she realized this, she took great pleasure in teasing him about it. Ko met Rainard, who was more solemn than the other teachers, but he had come to the decision to cooperate in this endeavor ¨C if only so that the other masters couldn¡¯t say that he refused the opportunity to pay back a debt ¨C and so cooperate he would.

    ¡°What is the strength of the wind?¡± Zenith asked Tan, and Tan promptly bragged about his insight into how the wind was able to break down the earth.

    Zenith allowed the boy to explain the process of erosion in his own words before giving him the technical term for it. Tan was surprisingly disappointed to learn that their  was  a word for it, he had been proud of his insight and thought that it was too profound to quantify like that.

    ¡°Erosion is a strength of both water and air,¡± Zenith informed the boy. ¡°It is indeed a powerful effect, but the truth is that water does it better. You have been using this insight in your duels with the oldest boy in your group, I am assuming?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He was beating me for a while, but once I figured ¡®erosion¡¯ out then he couldn¡¯t win against me anymore,¡± Tan bragged.

    ¡°What will you do when he understands how to resist your attacks once more?¡± Zenith asked him.

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°It almost certainly will,¡± Zenith said. ¡°I hesitate to say that earth is stronger than wind, but it is more steadfast. Wind is not steadfast, it is everchanging and flexible. I¡¯m quite certain that, as you continue to duel with your older brother, he will eventually gain an insight which will allow him to counter your own insight into the nature of erosion. What then? How will the wind prevail against the earth when it cannot break it down?¡±

    Tan frowned, and he thought, and he could not come up with an answer.

    ¡°I have a lesson for you. It¡¯s a very simple lesson, but I will show you the strength of the wind,¡± Zenith said, and he gave the boy a bedsheet.

    ¡°Hold it like this,¡± the air expert instructed, showing the boy how to hold it so that it was out in front of his body with the most surface area exposed. Then the man stirred the air with his own Qi, directing a strong gust, which caught in the bedsheet and pulled the boy off of his feet like a sail pulls a boat.

    Tan gasped in surprise and laughed. They spoke at length about how the force of the air could be harnessed and utilized to move things, including both earth and water.

    In the Chamber of Ash, Pyter and Won spoke at length about the boy¡¯s evolving understanding of fire. While the understanding that fire was the process of  becoming  was a profound insight, Pyter quickly deduced that Won was in fact on the edge of several others. The boy told him about the everburning flame atop the cultivation hill on the farm, and the man nodded in understanding.

    ¡°Now that you understand your dao a little better, spend some time meditating on the mystery of that brazier,¡± Pyter suggested. ¡°I will not spoil your growth by revealing the answer to you. If you can arrive at the answer on your own, you may have another spurt of insight into your Dao which might lead to yet another breakthrough.¡±

    Won pouted that he wasn¡¯t being given any insight that he hadn¡¯t already come to on his own, but the encouragement that he was close to something major drove him to contemplate the mystery of the undying flame with his new understanding of fire.

    Despite her teasing of the teenage earth cultivator, Nora was very pleased to have such an intelligent and thoughtful student. He explained without hesitation the insights he¡¯d had recently into the nature of earth and they talked about the trouble he was having in facing Tan in their sparring matches. She nodded when she recognized the issue.

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    She excused herself, returning an hour later and handing him a stone. One half of the stone was rough, and the other half was smooth. She explained to him that the stone had been part of a larger rock that was exposed in a stream bed. The smooth part of the rock had gradually been polished by the water, and while the rough half was the result of the stone being struck at the wrong angle and breaking into shards.

    ¡°Earth is a mighty element, but it is not almighty. It has its weaknesses. It has its strengths. Just as the others do. You must meet the strength of the other elements with the strength of earth, and also meet their weaknesses with your strength. But you must never forget your weaknesses, or you will shatter like this rock was shattered,¡± she informed him.

    ¡°But erosion is not a weakness of Earth. For thousands of years this stone was part of a river. It was part of the greater world, changing as all things changed as it was eroded. That was not its weakness. Its weakness was a flaw that allowed it to crack when it was struck from the wrong angle. Spend the rest of the day meditating on this stone, and keep it with you to ponder in the days to come.¡±

    She left Pao to contemplate her wisdom, and her beauty, in solitude. She grinned. Boys at that age were so funny, she thought to herself. Stammering over themselves as though they¡¯d never before seen a pair of breasts.

    Ko¡¯s instructor, though glum to be reduced to such a task as the edification of the next generation, likewise imparted his understanding of his element.

    When she explained that she was having trouble understanding how the mystery of the strangled flame applied to water, he nodded and went to the kitchen. He returned with a number of bottles of cheap wine, and one bottle of very fine wine which he began drinking from.

    He uncorked them all and lit one of them on fire. Then he instructed her to draw the water out of the other corks, and once she had done so, she was to light it on fire. The difference between the two flames was obvious. As was the difference when he instructed her to increase the water content in one of the corks.

    They repeated the experiment with the wine itself, as she distilled the wine until it would qualify as a liquor and became combustible.

    When they¡¯d been at the process for a while, she frowned.

    ¡°Okay, so of course the amount of water in something changes how it will burn,¡± she said. ¡°I mean, I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that before but I don¡¯t see what the big deal is. It¡¯s not that great of a secret.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fairly obvious when its pointed out,¡± Rainard agreed. He drank some of the unburnt concentrated wine that she had made and sighed. ¡°Let us repeate the lesson of yesterday. I want you to pay very close attention to the concentrations of Qi inside the glass dome as they change. Perhaps observing that will trigger some understanding.¡±

    So they retrieved the setup that Zenith had used to demonstrate the lesson from the day before, and they repeated the experiment with a simple candle.

    It took several repetitions for Ko to notice.

    The difference was minor, but when the flame burnt out, there was more water Qi under the dome than their had been when the system was sealed. She frowned, wondering why that was. Where had it come from?

    There had been some water Qi in the wax, that much she knew, but what had caused the amount of water to increase? Shouldn¡¯t everything have remained constant once the dome had been placed? That was the point, right? The fire went out because there was no air to burn. But where had the water come from? There was only¡­

    Only the flame, she realized.

    She remembered her brother¡¯s insight into the nature of fire which he had shared with the others, and she suddenly understood. The water Qi appeared because the fire changed the earth and the air into water. Without the balance of air, the fire went out, and the earth and air stopped becoming water.

    She abruptly ran to the center of the Water Gardens and sat, ignoring the children playing around her as she meditated on this insight.

    Within an hour, she caught up to her twin brother once more.

    Rainard watched the girl break through into the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, which was often called the first stage of some other realm depending on who was teaching the student. Rainard was of the mind that the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm was the first stage of becoming a novice. His lips curled up into a small smile as he allowed himself to feel a smidgen of pride, then he took another sip of the fine wine that he had stolen from the palace¡¯s kitchen.

    ?

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33

    Tren grinned as he strode through the ever burning ashlands. It was good to not need to rein in his power for once, and he was enjoying flexing his literal and metaphoric muscles. The Qi in the ashlands was thick and turbulent, and although Tren shifted through it like a rock thrown into a lake, causing waves and disturbances, the environment was full of such waves and disturbanes and the majority of the world did not even notice his presence.

    Except for that Gnasher-Cobra, he reflected, grinning. It had been a while since he¡¯d had a good fight, and he¡¯d rather enjoyed the combat against the Demon-Beast which had attacked him in the night after he had made camp. He looked down at his ring, a spacial tool which contained the beast¡¯s corpse, preserved and frozen in time moments after its death. While it was mostly fire aligned, perhaps Wensho would have some use for its hide.

    He would feed the meat to the children, when he returned. The venom sacs he had carefully disposed of already, rendering them inert with his Qi before burying them in the ground carefully. The meat itself was mostly fire aligned, but it was just the sort of thing to help the children¡¯s spirits burn away any lingering impurities in their bodies. Won in particular would benefit, but all of the children would get something out of it, he was certain.

    He grinned and took another step, crossing a thousand yards with each footfall as he employed the Titan¡¯s Walk technique. He reached out with his senses, searching for the fire spirit that he would give to his daughter. He knew that it was in the ashlands, where its previous partner had died two centuries ago. Unfortunately that was all that he knew, and it might take him some time to locate.

    He heard a sudden rattling, and another snake with the head the size of a horse snapped out of the ground, looking at him.

    Tren looked back. It was a good thing he hadn¡¯t brought the children, he grinned wryly. He flexed his power, tugging at his Qi.

    The snake abruptly vanished back into its burrow.

    Tren blinked in surprise. He wasn¡¯t expecting the reptile to have such a strong sense of self-preservation. He considered cracking the earth and driving it from its home, but decided that would just be rude. Nobody lived in the Ashlands, and the only humans who visited were cultivators searching for resources, looking to challenge themselves, or seeking cultivation spots to advance through one bottleneck or another.

    If the snake were a threat to people, Tren told himself, then he would have killed it. But the spirit-snake was just peacefully living its life in the Ashlands, part of the ecosystem. The Cobra had attacked him and paid for its mistake, this snake was avoiding him. He gathered his Qi, and took another step, moving a thousand yards in a blink.

    When night fell on the third day since he had parted with the children, he made camp and scratched a small formation into the dirt. It was a fire-Qi finding formation, and it gave him a magical map of the ashlands for thirty miles in each direction. He looked at the highest concentrations of fire-Qi and sighed. The spirit was not close by, or it would be much brighter than any of the spots he saw on the map.

    Well, it had taken two months to find Zephyr. He had promised to be back in two weeks, but he was confident that Zenith would watch over the children however long it took Tren to find his target.

    Rather than gathering firewood, Tren carved another formation into the ground. Then, grinning, a spark flew from his hand, a small burst of fire Qi from the earth cultivator to start the ever-burning focus. Pulling a pan and a slice of cobra meat from his spatial ring, Tren cooked his dinner, then finished making camp once he had eaten.

    Even if he found the spirit tomorrow, he reflected, he¡¯d continue to ¡®look for it¡¯ for at least the full two weeks. The children needed time with the other masters. He was very much looking forward to seeing their growth when he returned.

    ~~~~~

    Tan sat on the wheeled platform, and he flexed his Qi. The simple cart-like structure weight close to a ton, weighted as it was with bags of sand. Zenith watched the boy work his magic as the wind in the world around them began to shift and come together in a coherent pattern.

    A steady wind began to blow, catching the massive cart¡¯s sails, like that on a ship, but there was no ocean nearby to practice on, but the principals of force were the same whether you used sails to power a cart or a boat.

    The wind began to blow in a unified direction as the child directed its flow. At first nothing happened as the wind strained against the weight of the cart. The boy shot Zenith a frustrating glance, then glared at the sandbags weighting down the cart. Then he stubbornly set his jaw and put more effort into the casting, drawing out more power from the air.

    Zenith watched without comment, even as he saw several mistakes that the boy was making. That was fine, the casting didn¡¯t have to be perfect. He would let the boy do it the hard way first, then educate him in easier methods to illustrate the difference. Sometimes the hard way  was  the correct method. Overpowering the ambient Qi and claiming it for yourself, as the boy was doing in his casting, was exhausting and taxing compared to simply guiding it. There was usually no reason to do it that way ¡­

    Unless you were combating another wind cultivator, of course.

    The boy had the power. At the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, the boy could control a significant bubble around him if he wanted to. Moving the air in unison for a purpose like this wasn¡¯t a difficult exercise. In fact, it was easiest to do with a formation that would require only a bit of power behind it to work.

    Tan was doing it the hard way to develop the skills needed to become a proper Wind Cultivator, and as the cart began to move, Zenith cracked a smile.

    ¡°Keep it up, boy!¡± he called. ¡°Don¡¯t give it any slack now that you have it moving! Push it all the way to the finish line!¡±

    Tan grinned and  pushed  with his power, driving the wind to drive the cart through the courtyard. Once it reached the line scratched in the dirt to mark the goal, the boy let up and the wind died down. He turned to Zenith, who nodded at him with a proud expression on his face.

    ¡°Good job. Now put it back where it started!¡±

    ~~~~~~

    Ko, dressed only in simple modesty cloths, stepped nervously out onto the water, reinforcing the surface with her Qi and  willing it  to support her weight. She felt the wet surface beneath her bare foot and expected, despite the exercises she¡¯d been doing, that her foot would simply pass straight in.

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    It did not.

    The water churned beneath her as the palace children continued to play in it, ignoring the cultivator on the instructions of her master, who insisted that the distraction of the screaming little brats was good for her.

    Balance.

    That was the insight that she had come to, what lesson she had taken from the Mystery of the Strangled Flame.

    While flame represented change, and earth represented endurance, and air represented adaptation, water represented balance.

    When the world was out of balance, water corrected it. She had shared her insights with her new master, Rainard, who had nodded and sipped a drink of wine.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the focus you¡¯re working on now? Good for you,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re right of course. And also wrong. Water changes. Water can endure. Water can adapt. But water also balances the other forces. Let¡¯s focus on this lesson for a while by working on  your  balance.¡±

    And so he had casually walked out onto the water, his foot stepping on the surface as though it were as solid as earth. ¡°Let¡¯s see you do this,¡± he had challenged.

    She had splashed straight through the water the first hundred times she had tried. Rainard had provided guidance along the way, watching with one eye, the other on the snack cart, as she made steady progress in the mental exercises, breathing patterns, and Qi movements.

    When her foot did not pass through the water, she nervously began putting some weight on it. For a half a second the surfce bowed beneath her, and her foot sank a quarter of an inch. Then she refocused her intention and it firmed, and she sank no further.

    She took one nervous step onto the foot, and then she had her whole weight upon it. She put her other foot down on the water and focused on keeping  that  foot from falling through as well.

    Slowly, so slowly, she began to walk on water.

    ~~~~~

    Won focused a bit of Qi before his finger, and he ignited it. It burst into light and heat, just like he knew it would, but the flame lasted for only a second.

    He did it again, for the same result.

    He frowned. Despite his recent insight, despite his recent advancement, he still couldn¡¯t figure out how to make a self-sustaining flame. As soon as his fire Qi had expended its power, it changed into air and water Qi.

    His senses over the other elements was weak.

    He complained about this to Pyter, who shrugged. ¡°So improve them,¡± the man had instructed. ¡°And do not neglect the earth in your studies. There are four elements. Not one, not two, and not three. Your insight that fire is a state of changing and becoming was profound. Now you must study what becomes what.¡±

    Won sighed and closed his eyes, expanding his senses. The sources of fire Qi in the room were so bright to him that it was hard to sense the air and water. And the earth was dimmest of all. But he focused.

    He slipped into the Sublime State of Clarity by accident, the first time, and suddenly the room was much brighter. He lost focus and slipped out of it again. He blinked.

    And he began working on doing it again, trying to maintain it for longer this time.

    He had been told to work on his senses, so he worked on his senses.

    When he had reported his progress to Pyter, the man had nodded. ¡°Excellent job. It¡¯s quite unusual for a child your age to enter that state on their own. You should be very proud.¡±

    Won was, with those words of praise, very proud of himself. He thought about mentioning that Pao and Tan could both enter that state as well, and do it easier than he had managed, but he kept that to himself.

    It wasn¡¯t his job to sing their praises, after all.

    He grinned, and he went sublime, then he lit a candle and watched it burn.

    He focused on the candle as the earth became fire became air and water.

    When he finally saw what he¡¯d been missing it was so obvious that he slapped his forehead.

    The fire burns the earth, and becomes air and water. The everburning focus worked by pulling earth Qi into its crucible and burning it.

    Once more he relayed his findings to his new master, who once more praised him.

    ¡°But what am I going to do with this insight?¡± Won had complained. ¡°I have a fire spirit, I can¡¯t control earth Qi.¡±

    ¡°Not with that attitude,¡± the fire cultivator had said. ¡°But I think that is enough profound wisdom for you today. Tomorrow, I will show you how to enhance your body using your Qi without harming yourself.¡±

    Won blinked in surprise. ¡°Do you think that I am ready for that?¡±

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t teach you. Don¡¯t worry. But eat an extra large meal tonight, and a large breakfast in the morning. Your body will need the fuel.¡±

    ~~~~~

    Pao blushed as Mistress Nora massaged his back. Her Qi went deep into his body, exploring and measuring as she evaluated him.

    ¡°An earth cultivator¡¯s greatest weapon is their body,¡± she explained as she contemplated the weapon that the boy had been making of himself. ¡°You  can  fling a rock with your magic, but compared to simply throwing a punch? Why make things more complicated? Become the rock. Become your own weapon, and you will never be disarmed.¡±

    ¡°How do I make my body into a weapon?¡± he asked when she finished her evaluation and he put his shirt back on.

    ¡°You¡¯re already on the path. Allow me to show you a few secrets.¡± She brought him out into the courtyard, where a stone the size of a horse rested on the ground.

    ¡°Lift that over your head,¡± she instructed.

    Pao blinked in surprise. Then, without questioning her advice, he enhanced himself with earth Qi and began to try.

    Nora watched with amusement as the boy struggled to find the handholds. That was another lesson.

    Sometimes in order to move the earth, you needed a fulcrum. But that would be an isight that would be best if the boy found it on his own.

    ?

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    Sean Zang landed in Mosanatas on the seventh day of the children¡¯s stay. He¡¯d been following rumors of the passing of the Qi constructs, only to have overshot their destination by a few hundred miles. Once he¡¯d realized that they¡¯d stopped, Mosanatas had been third on his list of possible desinations for the powerful Shen cultivators.

    It did not take him very long to confirm their presence in the city, as the common people were filled with gossip over the children that the leader of the city guard, himself a powerful air cultivator, and three other masters of the elements, had taken on students and were making a big fuss in the palace.

    Sean listened to the rumors carefully, going from tavern to tavern, speaking with street vendors, and generally getting a feel for the city. He hadn¡¯t thought that he was making waves, but when the guards confronted him coming out of one establishment, he did not resist their efforts to bring him in.

    He¡¯d done nothing wrong, after all. But he understood the way of things, so he was prepared to justify his actions anyway.

    He stood in the interrogation block of the city guard¡¯s headquarters. He wasn¡¯t chained or otherwise mistreated, and there was in fact a platter of fruit and a caraffe of tea nearby for his pleasure. He waited patiently until the guards opened the door and Zenith stepped inside.

    ¡°You have been taking far too much interest in my students,¡± the captain of the guard said. ¡°Who are you and why?¡±

    ¡°I assure you that I mean the Shen family no harm. I am Sean Zang of the Zang family. We are interested in the Shen family, but not for any nefarious reasons I assure you. We are exploring the possibility of joining our families through marriage, if the stars align and our scions get along with each other, and so when the waves of their journey reached the shores of our home, I was sent to investigate.¡±

    ¡°And the conclusion of your investigation?¡± Zenith questioned.

    ¡°That the Shen family has more extensive influence than we realized, to have gathered support from such illustrious cultivators such as yourself,¡± Sean answered. ¡°The family elders and decision makers will be even more invested in making the marriage between Kora Zang and Tan Shen occur when they find out.¡±

    ¡°And what does the Shen family think of these designs?¡± Zenith inquired.

    Sean shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re less enthused about the matter than the Zang family, I admit. But we are all following etiquette on the matter carefully. The children are set to meet again in the summer of this year, after the boy turns ten. Hopefully they continue to get along, but the Zang family recognizes that it does not have the means to press the engagement if they do not.¡±

    Zenith considered the conversation for a moment. ¡°I want you to leave my city,¡± he said at last.

    ¡°I assure you that I had was just concluding my investigation and was about to depart on my own when your men approached me,¡± Sean told his fellow air cultivator. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I have committed any crimes or done anything to offend the Shen family, the empire, or yourself, have I?¡±

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    ¡°No,¡± Zenith admitted. He sighed. ¡°Very well. I cannot  make  you leave, but I would appreciate it if you made fewer waves and stayed out of the way. The business at the palace may be the source of rumors and gossip, and you may consume those rumors and that gossip and relate it to your elders, but if you interfere with the children¡¯s training beyond that, I will see to it that you come to regret that decision.¡±

    Sean shrugged. ¡°It is in the Zang family interest that Tan becomes as powerful as possible, if he truly is to marry into the family. Why would I interfere with that?¡±

    ~~~~~~

    Tan sat atop the Soaring tower, carefully cultivating while pondering the lessons that Zenith had been instilling over the last week. He could move the weighted cart with relative ease now, but that wasn¡¯t enough. Zenith was challenging him to understand  why  the techniques the master air cultivator had shown him were easier than what Tan had developed on his own.

    And so he pondered.

    He had learned that, by creating a breeze somewhere  away  from where he wanted to exert force with his magic, he could amplify the effect of the wind. By creating a counter current, and by changing the pressure in certain areas, the wind that was meant to do the work could be significantly stronger than simply brute-forcing the matter.

    It was a very different approach than what he¡¯d been learning from his father about the Dao of the Azure Sky. But he had to remember that his father was an earth cultivator, and while he had profound insights that were beneficial to Tan, his path was ultimately different from the one that Tan walked.

    Or flew, rather. Tan grinned. He couldn¡¯t wait to apply the lessons he¡¯d learned with Zenith to flight. Knowing about wind resistance and counter-currents would significantly increase his speed, he expected. He wondered how fast he¡¯d be now?

    There was no specific insight, no magic button that he pressed, which put him over the edge. Rather, he realized that he was ready to progress, and so he pulled in as much Qi from the air as he could gather at once ¨C the amount had grown considerably over the last week ¨C and he focused it into his dantian and spread it through his meridians.

    The qualitative change of going from the ninth to the tenth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm filled his body with warmth. He continued to meditate as he explored the changes to his body. He felt stronger than before. He was certain that he was faster as well. But he was still, ultimately, himself. Nothing along his journey of cultivation had fundamentally changed who he was, yet he was very different from the five year old boy who had played with Zephyr once upon a time.

    Some of that was simply growing up, he knew. Even if he¡¯d never bound Zephyr or become a cultivator, he would still be older and different from the child he¡¯d been. But just as a breeze changed as it flowed over the land, warming or cooling and picking up sand and dust or settingit down, Tan¡¯s path was changing him in subtle and meaningful ways.

    He wondered who he was becoming.

    Then, once he was certain that he¡¯d made as much progress as he would that day, he flew down from the top of the Soaring Tower and went to the Water Gardens to play with the other children.

    ?

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    Won inhaled deeply, filling his body with the living air that it needed to burn the fire inside of him. That was the secret to the Inner Fire. Fire requires two things to burn. Fuel, which was the food that he ate each day, and air. The breathing technique of the Inner Fire was as vital to the process as the understanding behind it.

    The Inner Fire body enhancement technique was different from the other elements.

    Pao¡¯s body was enhanced constantly by his magic, and the boy was always as strong as he could be. His struggle came with managing that constant strength and learning to be gentle, so that he would not use it unintentionally.

    Tan¡¯s speed was something that he could turn on and off, making it much more like the Inner Fire technique that Pyter was teaching him. But it was fundamentally different as well. Where the speed that Tan employed was variable, it was also consistent.

    Much like Ko¡¯s technique as well.

    The secret of the Inner fire was timing. If Won burned his Inner Fire consistently, then all he¡¯d do is waste the energy of his body. When he enhanced a punch, he had to enhance  the punch , causing an explosion of energy at exactly the right second to make it matter.

    It was obvious, once he¡¯d been educated on the matter, how fire body enhancement worked. Won had simply never thought of it before it had been pointed out. How exactly would fire enhance his body without burning it?

    It didn¡¯t.

    The secret of the Inner Fire enhancement technique wasn¡¯t igniting a fire inside his body. It was stoking the fire that was eternally burning within him already.

    Won  was  a fire. His life was a flame, and he was a fire cultivator. By mastering his control over the fire element, he mastered his control over his body.

    He pulled back a fist, and he punched.

    His sister caught the punch, her eyes widening in shock as she contemplated the force behind it.

    ¡°That¡¯s very good, Won,¡± she said. ¡°My hand hurts, and I was enhancing myself. I think you¡¯re at least as stong as I am now.¡±

    He nodded, grinning. ¡°I¡¯m not though. Not most of the time. Water is water consistently. Fire is hot only while it burns. When we¡¯re not fighting, you¡¯re stronger. When we fight, I burn hotter than you.¡±

    Ko nodded. ¡°I think I understand. Water is balance, and even when it is flowing it is water. It soaks into the holes and filles in the crevaces of the world. Fire waits for the moment where it changes from one thing to another.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Won agreed. He grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fight Tan and Pao and punch them right in the face as hard as I can!¡±

    ~~~~~~

    On the ninth day, the children were gathered in the courtyard for a demonstration. Tan¡¯s recent advancement, and Won¡¯s discovery of the Inner Fire technique, had them discussing their advancements excitedly as they waited for their masters to finish setting up the lesson.

    They were each looking forward to returning home and having another unofficial tournament.

    When the adults were finished moving around the various supplies for whatever the lesson would be, Zenith stood in front of them and smiled.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ll be leaving us relatively soon, assuming that Tren has run into no difficulties in claiming the spirit that he¡¯s hunting. You¡¯ve each learned much and grown significantly, walking far along the paths that you have chosen during your short stay. I thought that, before you leave, we should give you a short demonstration of exactly what lies further down those paths. I do not say the end, for while most paths do have an end, that end is simply wherever you stop walking,¡± the air cultivator said. He nodded towards his companions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Nora said, and she stepped forward. ¡°The others are going to show you some fancy technique for you to master. Those exist for the Earth element as well, of course, but as I¡¯ve already told you, Pao, your body will always be your strongest weapon. It is through your use of your body that you effect your will upon the world. Allow me to demonstrate.¡±

    She stepped over to the boulder that Pao had been trying ¨C and failing ¨C to lift for almost a week now. She took a stance, she gathered into her body a surge of Qi. A truly massive amount. She drew back a fist, and struck the boulder with a ¡°Ha!¡± and a palm strike. The boulder shattered, pebbles flying away from her as it was reduced to rubble.

    She grinned. ¡°Meet your oponents strength with yours and overwhelm them with your might. That is the strength of an earth cultivator.¡±

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    She stepped back, and Pyter stepped forward next.

    ¡°You¡¯ve learned a lot. I¡¯m proud of the insights you¡¯ve come to, Won, and your mastery of the Inner Fire will see you far in the world. But you will enver be as strong as an earth cultivator. As flexible as a water cultivator, or as swift as an air cultivator. In a physical confrontation, you will often find yourself overwhelmed if you rely only on your body, as Nora suggests that Pao do in your place,¡± Pyter explained.

    ¡°So don¡¯t fight them on their terms,¡± the man suggested. He pointed at a wooden log the size of a man, and the log exploded, causing the children to shrink back.

    Won opened his eyes wide as he understood what had happened. The man had set the log on fire, but he had caused it to burn  all at once!  The combustion was not complete, ash remained behind, but the accelerated fire had turned the log ¨C sitting fifty yards away from anything important ¨C had exploded violently enough to tear anything close by apart.

    Rainard stepped up next. He sighed. ¡°I may not have been as enthusiastic as the others, Ko, but I am proud of the progress you made under my tutelage. You have learned of the flexibility and fluidity of your element, and how it seeks a balance. That is good. But you must also learn how to tip the balane in your favor. I show you now one of the secrets of water, the Blade That Is Not.¡±

    He made a gesture with his hands, and water rose from a pot. Then it shot forward at lightning speed and high pressure and cut through a stone pillar that had been erected for the demonstration. The stone parted in two, with a slightly diagonal cut causing the top half to slide and then fall to the ground.

    He stepped back, satisfied with his demonstration.

    Zenith nodded at the others. ¡°Tan, my demonstration is a little different. I have shown you how to exert great force using your element. But air is not about strength. It can be strong, and it can be gentle. It can be warm and it can be cold. It feeds the flame and it snuffs it out. It dries the water, and it brings the rain. But its greatest strength is that it is everywhere.¡±

    He stepped into a booth, closing the door behind him and obscuring him from sight. A series of servants stepped forward and began erecting bamboo poles. After they had completed their duties, they fled the area.

    ¡°Rainard showed you the Blade that is Not. I show you now the Sword that is Everywhere.¡±

    The bamboo poles, narrow and flexible, were suddenly struck by blades of wind Qi and sliced into shreds. Within moments, they were cut down to nubs, with shards of fibrous material littering the ground.

    All without disturbing the booth at all.

    ¡°Wind can not only cut, but it can cut at a distance, and when you are a true master, you will not even need to see your target with your eyes,¡± Zenith said once he had stepped out of the booth. He dusted off his sleave and turned to the children. ¡°These are not the ultimate techniques of our elements. There are no ultimate techniques. But they are abilities that you should aspire to mastering. That¡¯s it for the lesson for today. Go meditate upon what you have seen, and you will spend the remainder of your time in Mosanatas attempting to develop methods of using your Qi as a weapon.¡±

    The children nodded, returning to their cultivation locations to reflect on the techniques that had just been demonstrated for them.

    The next day, they began trying to emulate their masters, much to the amusement of everyone who watched.

    Pao slapped boulders, but although he broke them occasionally, he could not turn them into the find rubble that Nora had managed. Won could easily set wood aflame, but he could not make it explode. Ko¡¯s water blade splashed harmlessly against the stone she aimed it at, and the gale that Tan summoned whirled around him, but could not cut paper.

    Still, they were praised by their masters for their efforts and told to continue practicing until they could match the demonstrations they had seen. Or improve upon them even further.

    ~~~~~

    Tren found the fire spirit on the tenth day. It was anticlimatic. It was resting inside of a tree that had been struck by lightning, feeding on the lingering Qi of the event. He set up a circle to help him commune with it, and once he had finished he respectfully fed provided it with a taste of his Qi to gather his attention.

    ¡°Who who who are you?¡± a simmering voice asked.

    ¡°I am Gaia¡¯s child,¡± Tren answered.

    ¡°What does that old wench want with me?¡± the voice inquired. ¡°I have nothing to say to her that has not been said.¡±

    ¡°I bring you an opportunity for growth,¡± Tren said. ¡°I have a daughter, and I am searching for a spirit worthy of her. Will you bind with her?¡±

    The voice was silent for a moment. ¡°If she is worthy,¡± the voice said after careful consideration. ¡°It has been a long time since I have found someone worthy.¡±

    Tren nodded, and he presented the spirit with a ruby the size of a plum. The ruby was uncut and imperfect, but when the spirit saw the gemstone it coalesced into a tangible form for a moment, then was seemingly sucked inside the stone.

    Tren sat in the clearing afterward, scratching his head. He¡¯d expected a bit more argument, or something. He looked at the sky, shrugged, and began heading back to Mosanatos. He took his time, knowing that he had four days and no need to hurry.

    ~~~~~~

    The bolt of lightning passed through the sky, traveling from horizon to horizon, leaving thunder in its wake. When it struck in the courtyard of the palace of Mosanatos in the dead of night, on the twelfth day since the children had arrived, the guard rushed out to investigate.

    They found a young appearing man dressed in simple robes. Upon the robe was embroidery declaring the man a fire cultivator and a grandmaster. He smiled at the guards and bowed.

    ¡°I apologize for appearing unannounced. I prefer not to speak my true name. Call me Renton Shen, for now. I believe that there is a niece of nephew of mine who is residing in this location, and I am very eager to make their acquaintance.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    Tan awoke in the middle of the night as the thunder rang through the Soaring Tower. He frowned and got out of bed, going up to the cultivation chamber to investigate what was going on.

    He spent a moment looking at the sky, but could see no signs of a storm. He was  certain  that it had been a thunderclap that had awoken him, but there was no evidence of it now. He looked down at the courtyard and saw some sort of commotion going on, but he just shrugged. Probably didn¡¯t involve him.

    He peed off the tower again and went back to bed.

    ~~~~~

    Zenith was scrambling as the  second  top-tier cultivator made his presence known in less than a fortnight. While the man¡¯s words had requested that they respect his privacy, the method of arrival was as effective at establishing his identity as though the man had walked in with a giant banner with his true name on it.

    It  was  reassuring in a way. If ¡®Renton Shen¡¯ were going to try anything underhanded, he wouldn¡¯t have declared himself. Or come himself. Or been present on this hemisphere when it happened.

    No, the fact that he had made such a dramatic entrance was a good thing, and as the servants scurried to bring up fruits and treats to the parlor where the man was led, offering Renton sweet wines and sweeter fruits, with the cooked kabobs of lizard meat and dabs of hummus and crunchy bread to go with them, Zenith scurried to notify the emperor of their guest.

    The emperor was already aware. ¡°If Renton Shen makes a nuisance of himself, he will be dealt with,¡± the emperor promised. ¡°But until he oversteps the bonds of propriety, show him all courtesy.¡±

    With his marching orders, Zenith returned to the parlor and sat across from Renton, who was lounging while one of the servants tossed pieces of fruit into his mouth. The powerful fire cultivator was grinning like a young man on a holiday. Which, Zenith supposed, was exactly what he was.

    ¡°Hello again ¡®Renton,¡¯¡± Zenith said.

    ¡°Zenith, so nice to meet you again. I haven¡¯t seen you since I was a boy,¡± Renton said. ¡°Tell me about my family. I know that there are four children, are they all related to me? I do wish that my brother¡¯s letters were more frequent.¡±

    Zenith sighed. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re here for training and insights, of course, but Tren said to treat them all as if they were members of your family. I find that its easier to do so if I don¡¯t know which ones are and which ones aren¡¯t. You¡¯ll have to ask them yourself.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, if my brother is raising them then whether or not they¡¯re members of the ¡®Shen¡¯ family, they¡¯ll be important enough some day,¡± Renton said casually. ¡°I suppose they¡¯re sleeping, though. They¡¯re very young, yes? I suppose it would be impolite of me to wake them in the middle of the night just to introduce myself.¡±

    ¡°We are preparing rooms for you to spend the night in,¡± Zenith assured him. ¡°You are the guest of the emperor. Do not forget that you  are  a guest. Act like it.¡±

    ¡°Have I stepped out of line so far?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Zenith admitted.

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown up quite a bit since you saw me last, Zenith,¡± Renton said. ¡°I promise, I¡¯m really not here to make any trouble. I just want to meet some members of my family. I did promise not to bother my brother while he was on his little farm, so this is a rare opportunity, you see. But you and I both know that if I wanted to cause trouble to my older brother, this is not the way I¡¯d go about it.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯d send an intermediary,¡± Zenith admitted. He paused. ¡°What do you know about the Zang family?¡±

    ¡°The Zangs? Minor family, minor talent, not really of any concern to me,¡± Renton said. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re trying to marry into your family. I don¡¯t think they really appreciate the significance of their goal, or know who your brother really is. But they have their sights on one of the children, the wind boy. Tan is his name. He¡¯s the youngest of the children staying here,¡± Zenith explained.

    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll look into the matter,¡± Renton promised. The serving girl tossed him a piece of fruit, and he opened his mouth to catch it just in time. He grinned. ¡°Now then, I have caused enough of a disturbance for tonight. It¡¯s time to retire. I¡¯m very much looking forward to meeting the children in the morning.¡±

    ~~~~~~

    Pao awoke early in the morning, as though he were still on the farm and there were chores to do. After briefly performing his morning ablutions, he sat in the center of the Vault of the Crystal Veins and cultivated. He was interrupted when a servant stuck their head in the door.

    ¡°Young master, there is a guest who wishes to meet with you,¡± the servant said nervously. She wouldn¡¯t have chosen to interrupt the cultivation of the powerful earth aligned child, except that she¡¯d been instructed to bring him to the guest parlor as soon as he was awake.

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    ¡°Who is it?¡± Pao inquired.

    ¡°His name is Renton Shen. I believe he is claiming to be your uncle,¡± the young woman explained.

    ¡°Oh. No, he¡¯s looking for Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°I¡¯m not really a Shen, it has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°No, he wishes to meet with the four of you,¡± the servant insisted. ¡°If he loses interest when you tell him that then that¡¯s fine, but I¡¯ve been instructed to bring you to him and I¡¯m afraid I must insist.¡±

    Pao sighed. He¡¯d just gotten started, but the Qi in the room had been coming particularly easy to him today and he¡¯d been looking forward to a productive cultivation session. But adults were always inconvenient, so why should now be any different.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m coming,¡± he said, and he went back to the bedchamber briefly to examine himself in the mirrors. If the guest really was related to his master and mistress, then he should try to make a good impression, he thought.

    He was escorted to a fancy room with a several platters of fancy food and wine. A young man with pale skin and black hair was casually having breakfast by allowing a team of young and beautiful women with a bit of skin showing to feed him as though he were a child. He was making a bit of a show of it, going ¡®aaaahyup¡¯ as they placed a grape on his tongue.

    ¡°The young master of the earth is here,¡± Pao¡¯s escort said, and quickly slipped into the background.

    ¡°Your name is Pao correct? Come sit with me. Have you eaten? There¡¯s plenty for you as well, if you haven¡¯t,¡± the young man said.

    Pao was sweating. He wasn¡¯t certain why, he couldn¡¯t sense the man¡¯s cultivation level. He could sense that the man was a cultivator, and a strong one, just as he could with his master and mistress. But the strength was understated, present but hidden from direct view. What was making him sweat was --

    ¡°Apologies. I was just wondering when you¡¯d notice,¡± the man said. ¡°Sorry for testing you so early in the morning. I assure you that I mean you no harm.¡±

    The heat vanished. Pao let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A very, very minor sliver of intent,¡± the man answered. ¡°Perfectly harmless in small doses, I assure you. I was simply taking your measure. You endured it very well. Tell me, are you a Shen, or a foundling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m no foundling, but I¡¯m not a Shen,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°I think you¡¯re looking for Tan. He¡¯s the only real Shen among us. When he bound Zephyr, he showed off to the other children in the village and we each begged Master Shen to teach us as well. Myself and the twins were the only ones who managed to become cultivators, and the Shens are teaching us well.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can see that,¡± the man said. ¡°Come, take a seat and tell me about life on my brother¡¯s farm while we wait for the other children to awaken.¡±

    Pao took the seat as instructed, blushing as one of the serving women began to feed him as though he were a child, just as they were doing to the man. He especially blushed at just how close the woman¡¯s breasts were coming to his face.

    Renton smiled reassuringly at him, turning briefly to ¡®aahyup¡¯ another piece of fruit, then asked him to describe a typical day on the Shen farm.

    So that¡¯s what Pao did.

    The twins arrived twenty minutes later. Ko looked rested and at ease, while Won looked tired and frumpy from sleep. Or lack of sleep. He had sensed something in the night which had kept him from getting a good nights rest, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was.

    Not until he met the powerful cultivator of his element. Once he saw the waves of Qi that were circling around the man, his eyes went wide. The others, less in tune with fire, did not notice. Won had no idea just how powerful this ¡®Renton Shen¡¯ was, but he was quite certain that he was the most powerful fire cultivator that the children had ever met, far beyond Pyter.

    ¡°I must say, I¡¯m rather impressed with each of you,¡± Renton said. ¡°Your cultivation is quite advanced for your ages. My brother must be doing something right to have raised such powerful disciples.¡±

    The children soaked in the praise and ate their breakfast. There weren¡¯t enough serving women for all of them and Renton both, so the twins were allowed to feed themselves. Pao¡¯s continued embarrassment and protestation that he could feed himself only amused the woman feeding him and encouraged her to continue in the act.

    The conversation turned from life on the farm to the children¡¯s understanding of their Dao, but retained the same light-hearted tone as before. Pao spoke of being steadfast, Ko of finding balance, Won of being in an ever changing process of becoming something more than he¡¯d been before. Renton nodded along, grinning.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m really impressed,¡± he admitted as the children finished discussing their various philosophies. ¡°You must understand, there¡¯s a difference between the weak and the strong that has nothing to do with the stage of their cultivation levels. If I were to bring each of you to the capital and have you face off against a peer of your cultivation level, you would likely mop the floor with them. Sincerely I congratulate you on your advancement and wish you well.¡±

    The children blushed at the praise.

    ¡°Thank you, Master Renton,¡± Ko said. ¡°Are you truly Master Shen¡¯s brother?¡±

    ¡°I am indeed. I am ten years younger, but when you get to be our age such things matter less than they did when we were children. As you¡¯ll come to learn yourself in time,¡± Renton answered. ¡°I was very jealous of my older brother when we were young, and it led me to make some regrettable mistakes, which is likely why he doesn¡¯t speak of me very often. I have ¡­ made some insights recently, and I hope to reconnect with my family. When I heard that my brother was bringing some children to Mosanatas, I saw an opportunity, and I decided to take it.¡±

    ¡°What insight is that?¡± Won asked, eager for a lesson from the powerful master of his element.

    ¡°There is only one,¡± Renton answered. The children exchanged looks, confused.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°The most profound insights are the simplest, and the simplest insights are the most profound,¡± Renton explained. ¡°I heard those words spoken when I was younger and did not understand them. I have reached a new level of understanding, but have yet to reach the depths of that simple statement. Perhaps I never will.¡±

    ¡°Only one what?¡± Pao asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Renton said, a grin on his face. ¡°Anyway, it seems that my nephew is a sleepy-head this morning. I am going to go disturb him, since he seems in no hurry to join us.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    Tren paused to pluck a small bag of fire-cherries from the ever-burning tree that was before him, enough for himself to have a small snack and enough to share with each of the children, who would all benefit from the powerful fire Qi within and it¡¯s purifying properties. Won would benefit the most, of course, but even his sister with her opposing element could learn meaningful lessons from the consumption of the fruit and the delicate Qi within.

    He grinned, popping one of the cherries into his mouth and enjoying the crunchy flavor, the sweet taste, and the slight burning heat that the fruit contained.

    He was interrupted by his task when an air construct abruptly appeared, coalescing into the shape of a dove. He frowned, then activated it with a burst of his own Qi, wondering what it was that Zenith had to say.

    ¡°Your brother is here,¡± the construct said in Zenith¡¯s voice, and then it vanished, puffing back into the wind.

    Tren frowned. He quietly but urgently placed the sack of cherries into his storage ring and stepped off into the distance using the Titan¡¯s Step movement technique.

    He hadn¡¯t spoken to his brother for thirty years, and their parting had not been amicable. While Tren wished to believe the best about his estranged brother, he would not take a chance with the children.

    He¡¯d been planning on lingering for a few more days to give them time with their new masters, but the situation had changed. He had a thousand miles to go.

    He¡¯d be in Mosanatas by evening.

    Hopefully his brother wouldn¡¯t do anything in the meantime that they would all come to regret.

    ~~~~~~

    If there was one thing that Tan really enjoyed about not being on his family¡¯s farm, it was the ability to sleep in. Even once he¡¯d awoken, he decided to pull the covers back over himself and snuggle in to the warmth of his own body-heat, dozing lazily rather than rising to face the day.

    He knew that he  should  go cultivate, or ponder the dao, or speak with Master Zenith or the other children about the insights that he was expected to gain. But screw it, that would require getting up and he wanted to be lazy for a change.

    There was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Go away,¡± Tan said, annoyed at the disturbance.

    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m sorry, but your uncle is coming. He¡¯ll be here very soon, and you should be dressed when he arrives,¡± the servant said.

    Tan sat up. ¡°I don¡¯t have an uncle,¡± he told the voice through the door.

    ¡°Zenith and the Tiger Emperor think that you do,¡± the servant informed him. ¡°Regardless, he¡¯ll be here soon. Unless you want to meet him in your smallclothes, you should get dressed.¡±

    Tan pouted, but got up and followed the advice of the servant, dressing in the blue and yellow clothes that had been washed during the night and put back by the many servants who were very skilled at operating unseen. Tan sniffed the clothes. They didn¡¯t smell of sweat or dirt, but of flowers. It had taken him an entire week to realize that the servants were doing his laundry for him each night.

    ¡°Thank you for cleaning my clothes,¡± he told the servant as he changed into fresh underwear and the clean outfit.

    ¡°It is a pleasure to serve the young master,¡± the voice said. ¡°I believe I hear footsteps on the stairs, young master, so if you--¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost dressed,¡± he assured her. ¡°Just give me a minute.¡±

    It took him five, but when he finished he looked at himself in the mirror for a moment to make sure he¡¯d put everything on right. He grinned. The outfit had grown on him after a while. It made him look important, even though he was just a kid from a farm. The hat was still stupid, but it went with the outfit in a way that made it less stupid, so he decided to wear it for now.

    He opened the door to the main chamber just as Renton Shen appeared in the antechamber of the bedroom. Tan stared at the man, squinting. He  did  kind of look like his dad.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°That is a complicate question. I  could  give you a thorough answer, but for now let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m your father¡¯s younger brother, which makes me your uncle, and I¡¯m very sorry that I haven¡¯t had a presence in your life until now,¡± the man said. ¡°My name is Renton. But you may just call me ¡®Uncle,¡¯ if you wish.¡±

    Tan frowned. ¡°Why didn¡¯t my parents ever tell me about you then?¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that your parent¡¯s decision to leave the main house was one that caused some contention between us. I said some words that I regret, and I hope that they regret the words they said in response. I am hoping to make amends for my past actions.¡±

    Tan squinted at the man. He probed him with his spiritual senses and found that the man  felt  like his parents, except that he was very obviously a fire cultivator rather than earth or water. Which probably meant that he was absurdly strong, so maybe he was telling the truth?

    ¡°What do you want with me?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I was thinking we could take a walk and get to know each other for a while,¡± Renton answered.

    Tan sighed. He¡¯d been hoping for a lazy morning, but he supposed it wasn¡¯t the worst idea. He walked over to the table and grabbed a kabob and a slice of melon. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat while we walk,¡± he declared.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Renton agreed. He motioned towards the stairs, but frowned when Tan went up instead of down. ¡°Are we not going to--¡±

    ¡°You can take the stairs if you want to.  I  don¡¯t have to,¡± Tan said, and he flew off.

    Renton grinned. Cheeky little brat, he thought to himself, and he descended the stairs in a hurry to catch up to the flying boy who descended in a rather more direct manner.

    ~~~~~~

    ¡°So what was the fight about anyway?¡± Tan asked abruptly, changing the topic from the boy¡¯s insights into the nature of his element.

    Renton paused. He had been attempting to explain to Tan how his insight into how using his abilities to impact the wind in one area that he didn¡¯t care about could amplify the effects of something he was attempting to do in another was a keen and important realization. It was, in fact, a realization that Renton made use of most often in his daily life. He wanted the boy to understand just how important giving into something you don¡¯t care about could make the things you care about that much closer to your grasp.

    But he didn¡¯t want to be the boring uncle who lectured endlessly, so he decided to answer the question.

    ¡°It¡¯s a complicated matter. You might not understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid,¡± Tan protested.

    ¡°I know that. You are very clever and insightful. But you were raised differently than your father and I, and I am loathe to interfere with my brother¡¯s experiments in child rearing. Let¡¯s just say that your father was supposed to inherit the family business, but he met a girl and walked away from it without looking back. He was annoyed that I was happy to see him go.¡±

    Tan looked at his uncle in confusion. ¡°What business was my grandfather in?¡±

    ¡°A little bit of everything,¡± Renton answered. ¡°Mostly he just told people how things should be, and they listened to him because your grandfather was a very wise man.¡±

    ¡°So my father didn¡¯t want to be stuck bossing people around, so he put you in charge of the family business?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about what happened,¡± Renton agreed. He kicked a stone and looked off into the distance, sighing. ¡°I was so happy to learn that I would inherit. I still am happy to be in charge of the family business, Tan. But I said some things in my pride which I have come to regret. Especially now that I understand how rare what your mother and father have truly is.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°They love each other very much. I cannot find a woman who sees me the way that your mother sees your father, and it drives me green with envy. I can have any woman I desire, including many who are already taken, yet I cannot have their hearts the way that Tren holds Wensho¡¯s heart,¡± Renton explained to his nephew. ¡°If you ever find a love like that, do not let it go, Tan.¡±

    Tan frowned. ¡°Girls are stupid.¡±

    Renton laughed. ¡°Well, you are only, what are you again? Eight or nine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost eleven,¡± Tan answered.

    ¡°Right. Well, anyway, you won¡¯t think that way forever. Tell me, is Ko stupid?¡±

    ¡°Ko¡¯s not a girl. Not really. I mean, she is, but she¡¯s also one of us,¡± Tan explained.

    ¡°One of us?¡±

    ¡°You know,¡± Tan said, struggling to explain himself. ¡°Me, Pao, Won and Ko. We¡¯re ¡­ us.¡±

    ¡°I think I do understand,¡± Renton agreed. ¡°Your father was very clever to help you form a quartet while you were so young. Let me tell you a secret, Tan. It¡¯s something that I wish I understood better while I was younger.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, listening.

    ¡°There is only one,¡± Renton said.

    Abruptly, the Qi in the courtyard changed. A warm wind blew, causing Tan to look around in confusion.

    Renton was doing that, he realized.

    ¡°You¡¯re a fire cultivator,¡± Tan argued.

    ¡°There is only one,¡± Renton repeated. ¡°Your father said those words to me when I was younger and I am only just coming to understand them in the way that he meant. I thought what he could do was impossible, but there is only one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not making sense,¡± Tan objected. Then he frowned, sensing a burst of excitement from Zephyr. He abruptly sat down to think.

    Renton, recognizing that the boy was weighing his words very carefully, sat down next to him. He waited patiently, watching as the boy pondered the dao.

    ?

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    Renton smiled as he watched the children eating dinner. Tan  hadn¡¯t  experienced any particularly profound breakthrough during the day, but Renton knew that it would have been the epitome of arrogance to expect that he could trigger such an event in one day. He was happy to have simply given the boy a nugget of something to chew on, and he was hopeful for the child¡¯s future growth.

    The twins were bickering, with Tan goading them on. Pao was eating in silence, reflecting on something that the boy no thought was very important or profound, based on his expression.

    Renton paused. Or was he? Perhaps that was just what the boy¡¯s resting face looked like.

    Either way, he was pleased with the family his brother had established for himself, and, as he sensed the resonating echoes from the earth, he realized that his time alone with his nephew and his friends was coming to an end. Nobody else noticed the subtle reverberations, but to Renton it was clear that his brother was moments away.

    He excused himself and stepped out into the courtyard. He flared his Qi briefly, announcing his presence to anyone who cared to look for it.

    A moment later, Tren was there, a guarded expression on his face. Renton smiled.

    ¡°Hello, big brother. It¡¯s nice to see you again,¡± Renton said, genuine happiness in his voice.

    ¡°Renton,¡± Tren said. ¡°You promised to stay out of my way if I stayed out of yours. Why are you--¡±

    ¡°Oh relax, I¡¯m not here to cause you problems. I just heard that my family had grown and came to see my nephew,¡± Renton said. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not the arrogant little brat you remember, Tren. I understand you better now than I did back then. I couldn¡¯t understand why you¡¯d step away from everything. Not until I had that weight on my shoulders did I see the appeal of what you chose for yourself. Now, I¡¯m a little envious.¡±

    Tren paused. He studied his brother in more ways than one. ¡°You¡¯ve grown. I sense a bit of wind in your Qi, and a faint trace of the earth. You¡¯re developing into a proper master.¡±

    Renton grinned. ¡°There is only one.¡±

    ¡°There is more than one, but there is only one,¡± Tren said, and the men stood silently for a moment.

    Abruptly, Renton stepped forward and embraced his brother. Tren was startled, but he sensed no spirit of malice from his brother, so he accepted the hug, waiting for his younger brother to break it. When Renton stepped away, he nodded.

    ¡°You have grown,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°I approve of this side of you.¡±

    ¡°I was an arrogant little brat and I know it,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. For everything.¡±

    ¡°You were what your environment made you,¡± Tren argued. ¡°Our father pitted you against me to try to make you grow into more than you were destined to become. I saw what he was doing and hated him for it, but never you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, something that I couldn¡¯t understand until he was out of the picture, rest his soul. Poisonous bastard that he was, rest his soul,¡± Renton said.

    ¡°Rest his soul,¡± Tren agreed. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing well in his absence, from what I hear.¡±

    ¡°Not as well as you would have in my place,¡± Renton admitted.

    ¡°I never had the taste for that sort of power,¡± Tren argued.

    ¡°That¡¯s what made you so good at it,¡± Renton argued.

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    Tren chuckled. ¡°Yes, you maybe right. There¡¯s a certain satisfaction of throwing everything on the table in a gamble where you truly don¡¯t care if the opponent calls your bluff or not, because you know you¡¯re not bluffing.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could do that,¡± Renton said. ¡°Just threaten to walk away from it all like you did if I didn¡¯t get my way.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I actually care about what would happen if I left a power vacuum at the top,¡± Renton answered. ¡°You had me to fill your shoes, eagerly and grateful for the opportunity. I have nobody. Or perhaps, I do. What would you think of sending Tan to visit his uncle at the old family home?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want him getting a big head,¡± Tren answered. ¡°He¡¯s a fine boy and he¡¯ll be a finer man. But I don¡¯t want him to know who he really is until the foundation has set and he¡¯s ready for the burden of that knowledge. I hope you didn¡¯t tell him.¡±

    ¡°I made some allusions, but he was too focused on other matters,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°Do you think that he¡¯ll come to resent your decision to raise him as you have?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s had a happy childhood. He¡¯s stronger than any of the children who might have been his frenemies if I¡¯d told him the truth. He has  true  friends, ones who aren¡¯t scheming behind his back to exploit their friendship for themselves or their families. Hopefully, when the veil comes off, he¡¯ll appreciate what Wensho and I have tried to give to him. But I suppose you¡¯re right, I won¡¯t know until we tell him.¡±

    Renton nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been nice to see you and Tan, brother, but I should get going. My duty calls.¡±

    ¡°If you ever find another break from your duties, come visit,¡± Tren said. ¡°You have a niece who wouldn¡¯t mind meeting her uncle as well. Just you, no retainers. And if you stay for more than a day, I plan on putting you to work.¡±

    Renton grinned. ¡°That sounds magical.¡±

    He abruptly turned into lightning, shooting off over the horizon.

    Tren watched his brother vanish. He cracked a smile, and went in to see the children. They called out at the sight of him, and each rushed to share the insights that they¡¯d gained over the last eleven days.

    The servants, knowing full well who they were serving but determined to maintain the Shen family¡¯s privacy, pretended that he was nothing more than a visiting cultivation expert. They remained a polite and respectful distance away as he listened to the children eagerly regail him with their lessons and insights from the last two weeks.

    When night fell, he announced that it was time for the children go to sleep, and they all reluctantly obeyed, returning to the bedrooms next to their cultivation chambers. When he was alone, Zenith approached the hidden master that was Tren Shen and bowed respectfully.

    ¡°My Lord, the emperor wishes to see you and make a request. Will you listen?¡± The master of the guard inquired.

    ¡°After he has hosted my son and his friends for a week, during which it sounds like they have made tremendous progress?¡± Tren asked. ¡°Why would I listen to a word he has to say?¡±

    Zenith grinned, and showed the earth master into the formal court room. It was empty, for a moment. Then Zenith stepped behind the screen that separated the emperor from his subjects and sat down in the cushion.

    ¡°It was good to host your family.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not using a proxy?¡±

    ¡°When someone knows the truth, the little games are somewhat less important,¡± Emperor Zenith said. ¡°And it could be considered something of an insult, no?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t see it as such,¡± Tren assured him. ¡°You have respected my privacy, and so I would respect the games that you use to ensure yours. What is it that you wish to ask?¡±

    ¡°I have a niece. She has bonded an earth spirit. And a nephew who is one with the water. I would ask you and Wensho to return the favor that you have asked of me,¡± Zenith explained.

    ¡°Your family is welcome in my humble home at any time,¡± Tren said. ¡°Although I would ask that you send word ahead to expect them. And that you prepare them. If they spend two weeks with us, it will be two weeks without servants. And they will work.¡±

    ¡°I believe such an experience would be most beneficial to them,¡± Zenith said. ¡°The next time they are at a bottleneck in their cultivation, I will have them seek you out. Thank you for this boon.¡±

    ¡°When gold is worth nothing, time and favors are the only currency that matter. You have given much of your time to my son, can I do any less to you, Air Emperor?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s enough formality,¡± Zenith said, standing up and walking out from behind the screens. ¡°Let¡¯s get drunk.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    In the morning, a hung over Zenith and Tren greeted the children in the formal dining room, where Tan held the uncut ruby that had the fire spirit that would likely be bonding with his sister. He concentrated carefully, attempting to communicate with it.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± Zephyr said, making Tan blink.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an old friend of mine,¡± Zephyr explained. ¡°We fought a few times when we were bonded to different people. We never really hated each other, but our humans did.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said, frowning. ¡°Is that why he¡¯s not answering me?¡±

    ¡°It might be. I¡¯ll talk with him a while and try to make him less stuffy,¡± she promised.

    Tan chewed his lip as an unpleasant thought occurred to him. ¡°Zephyr, is he going to cause problems between me and Safron?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°He might be a little stubborn because my human was always stronger than his when we were sort of enemies.¡±

    ¡°Was not,¡± a voice came from the stone.

    ¡°You never once won in the fight,¡± Zephyr reminded the fire spirit. ¡°Or are you saying that it wasn¡¯t your human¡¯s fault?¡±

    The fire spirit didn¡¯t answer, but Tan got the feeling of a sulking child from it. He gave the spirit-stone back to his father and explained the conversation that had just happened. Tren looked troubled for a moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be fine,¡± he said eventually. ¡°Safron already has a fiery personality, but she loves her big brother. I don¡¯t think that the spirit would poison her against you, but you might have to deal with some fierce competition from her.¡±

    ¡°What if it makes her hate me?¡± Tan protested.

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with it on the way home and make certain that it understands that the past is the past,¡± Tren promised. ¡°It¡¯s going to be part of the Shen family now, and it won¡¯t do for brother and sister to be out for each other¡¯s throats.¡±

    Tan nodded, and promptly stopped worrying about it. His father said he would resolve the problem, and that meant it wasn¡¯t worth worrying about anymore.

    After breakfast and saying goodbye to Zenith, the Shens returned to the modest little inn where they had stored their travel gear. They changed out of their fancy clothing and into the modest travel garb they¡¯d traveled in. Tren paid the innkeeper, who was as grateful to be done with the cultivators as he was to receive coins for rooms that had been effectively empty for two weeks.

    They left the city, passing over the horizon before Tren pulled out the carved Qi constructs, which he promptly turned back into magical horses. Some of the children groaned, recalling the more unpleasant aspect of travel which they would once more have to deal with: saddle soreness.

    With a flash, the powerful earth cultivator and the four children he was mentoring vanished over the horizon. And then the next, and the next, and the next horizon as well.

    Even so, it would take them several days to reach the isolated Shen farm in the western corners of the Blue Dragon Empire.

    ~~~~~~

    Elder Pike was sweeping the snow off the path between the little house and the large manor of the Shen farm. Upon his shoulders was a four, soon to be five year old girl, who was bouncing excitedly and directing him on how to use his magic to clear the snow away. He sighed and shook his head at her enthusiasm when he detected a fluctuation in the spiritual fields that had grown into place around the farm.

    He swallowed nervously, his large fish-like eyes going wide as he realized ¡®oh, it happens today.¡¯

    He pulled Safron off his back and told her to go find her mother.

    ¡°Why?¡± Safron asked.

    ¡°Your mother will know when you find her why I sent you,¡± Pike assured the little girl. She pouted at him, then ran off to do as he¡¯d said. She was getting bored bugging the fish-man anyway.

    Elder Pike returned to the small house where the two children had been born. He could still sense the magic of those events in the bones of the house; the birth of members of the Shen family was not something that the world would easily forget, and with his affinity to water magic, the blood shed during those births continued to call to him.

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    Among the spirit animals of the farm, he alone had deduced the truth of who their hosts really were, which made him no more anxious than the others who simply thought they were very powerful cultivators who were hiding from the world. Because they were right, that is exactly what they were.

    It was just a matter of scale in the difference between Pike¡¯s understanding and Ember, Thume and Clover¡¯s.

    ¡°The Master and the children are returning today,¡± he informed Ember and Clover, who were warming themselves by the fire. ¡°We should prepare to greet them. Where is Thume?¡±

    ¡°Search me,¡± Clover said.

    ¡°He went off flying somewhere,¡± Ember answered. ¡°Don¡¯t know where though.¡±

    Pike cursed. They had an hour, perhaps two before the arrival, and he wished for it to go--

    ¡°Hey, do you all sense something weird in the air?¡± a voice asked as the monkey-man stepped inside behind Pike. Pike jumped, he hadn¡¯t sensed Thume coming at all. The monkey-spirit grinned at him, and Pike realized that Thume had sneaked up on him on purpose.

    ¡°It¡¯s the wake of the Master,¡± Pike explained. ¡°I sensed it moments ago. They are arriving soon. We should get changed into the formal attire that Mistress Wensho has lent us.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Yeah, nope,¡± Thume said, and then he ¡®Popped¡¯ and turned back into a monkey. ¡°You all can deal with those brats. I¡¯ve already fought them once and I¡¯d rather deal with the cold.¡±

    The monkey flew off into the forest. The fox-boy and the rabbit girl exchanged looks, then went to change into the spare formal clothing that Wensho had given them. Pike changed too into the fine silk robe, watching with some amusement as the embroidery changed color. It did not pronounce him a grandmaster. Only a master.

    He nodded. He had much to learn, despite his advanced age.

    Neither of the other spirits had their robes light up, but that was expected. They were very young compared to Elder Pike, and while their connection to the land of the Shen farm was growing profound, and their abilities were climbing steadily, they were less advanced than the children that were returning from their adventure.

    After twenty minutes, the monkey reappeared, shivering. Thume dashed into his room and emerged ten minutes later in human form and dressed in a formal robe. He shot a look at the others, daring them to say something, as he warmed his hands at the fire.

    Pike shook his head in amusement at the monkey¡¯s antics, and then he closed his eyes. The waves of Qi were growing more rapid as the wake moved towards the farm.

    ¡°They will be here any moment,¡± Pike said, and he walked outside, leading the others into the part of the yard that was kept clear of snow. Wensho and Safron were already there, the little girl puffing on her hands to keep them warm as they waited for her daddy to get home.

    Which happened moments later as the Qi constructs appeared in a streak and were suddenly standing in the middle of the yard. With a large grin on his face, Tren dismounted and caught Safron mid-air as she literally flung herself at her father. He swooped her around once and planted a kiss on her forehead.

    ¡°That¡¯s the best welcome home I could have asked for,¡± he told his daughter. ¡°Here, as promised, I got you a present.¡±

    Tren gave her the uncut ruby that contained the fire spirit which he had promised her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my birthday yet,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s close enough,¡± he informed her. ¡°It will take you some time to synchronize with it. The spirit will do most of the hard work for you, you just have to keep it on your necklace and wear it all the time, even in the bath and when you sleep. Once you start to hear its voice, let me know, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes Daddy.¡± And then she ran off to bug her big brother, who was watching the scene with a smile on her face. ¡°What about  you , Tan? What present did you get me?¡±

    ¡°Why would I get you a present?¡± Tan teased.

    She pouted at him and went to smack him when he pulled out a doll. She paused in the wind-up for the smack she¡¯d been about to give him, snatched the doll away and ran into the house.

    Tan scratched his head. ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± he called after his retreating sister. He grinned. It was good to be home.

    That was when Tan noticed the strangers standing nearby, waiting to be addressed. He sensed a bit of spiritual pressure coming off of them and, for a second, thought that his mother was housing wandering cultivators for some reason. Then he noticed the bunny ears on the girl, and that one of the men had fox ears and a tale, while the other young man had a monkey tale and the final man had the eyes of a fish.

    ¡°Oh, have you four decided to be people now?¡± he asked them.

    ¡°It is a temporary arrangement, for the winter, Young Master,¡± Elder Pike said. ¡°This humble spiritual-fish greets the Master and Young Master of the Shen farm.¡±

    Each of the spirit animals greeted the returning Shen family in the same words that Elder Pike had used, bowing humbly to them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk later,¡± Tren informed them. ¡°Right now, I think everyone needs a hot meal and a hot bath!¡±

    The children enthusiastically agreed, and they went inside the manor, where Tren revealed the fire cherries and gnasher-cobra meat he¡¯d been saving for Wensho to help him cook for the children. She gave him a kiss for the present, and then set him about cutting vegetables as the children took their turns in the steaming spiritual water that she¡¯d prepared for them.

    And that¡¯s how Tan¡¯s journey to Mosanatas, the capital of the Red-Tiger Empire, came to a close.

    ?

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    The spring came. Birthdays happened. Everyone and everything got just a little bit older as time continued its eternal march forward. Safron turned five during the winter. In the spring, Tan turned eleven, and the twins turned thirteen. It was a little while before Pao¡¯s fifteenth birthday when it happened.

    It was a normal cultivation session, with the four children atop their little cultivation hill, when suddenly the wind changed. The other children all looked at Tan, who was deep in contemplation. He hadn¡¯t had a breakthrough in the dao, but he was having a breakthrough all the same. The Qi in the air and in the other elements went crazy as Tan pulled and pulled and pulled, reaching a new height in his internal power.

    And the children all held their noses as he began to sweat black sweat once more. They all ran off to tell the adults what was happening, and Wensho quietly prepared a bath and a change of clothes for her son while Tren went to congratulate him on the benchmark.

    Tan was startled when he came out of his trance to realize that he stank and his father was standing over him with a proud grin. ¡°Good job, son. I¡¯m proud of you. You¡¯ve reached the foundation realm,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great,¡± Tan said. ¡°I think I need a bath.¡±

    The family celebrated Tan¡¯s success with a meal of honeyed cakes, once the boy had cleansed his skin of the impurities that he¡¯d sweated out and changed into fresh clothes. They were sitting around the table when Tan asked what came next.

    ¡°Well, the truth is that not much changes at this point for you, Tan,¡± his father explained. ¡°You¡¯ll continue to grow stronger physically and magically, of course. But transitioning from the Initiate¡¯s Realm into the Foundation Realm, while a great accomplishment, doesn¡¯t require that you start doing anything differently. It¡¯s only once you¡¯ve reached the end of the foundation realm and are ready to form a core that you need to change how you cultivate.¡±

    ¡°And when will that be?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°When you can¡¯t progress any further,¡± Tren explained. ¡°The formation of the Core means that you have reached the end of how far your spirit and you can travel together. When you form a core, you begin growing stronger, while your spirit stays the same unless you feed it directly. It is a consolidation of your power. A beginning and an end at the same time. The Core that you form is all you, and not your spirit. At the same time, it will draw you closer to Zephyr than ever before, as you learn to communicate on a level that isn¡¯t possible until you¡¯ve formed your Core.¡±

    ¡°So I keep doing what I have been until I stop getting stronger?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay. And how do I form a core?¡±

    ¡°I think that it¡¯s best that we don¡¯t tell you until you¡¯re ready,¡± Wensho said. ¡°If you form a core before you reach the end of the foundation realm, then you¡¯ll be stunting your growth. At the same time, there are bottlenecks and blocks in the foundation realm which some people mistake for being the end of that road. If you think that you¡¯re ready to form a core, then ask me, your father, your uncle, or perhaps Zenith. We¡¯ll teach you the next steps, but only if you¡¯re really ready.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan agreed.

    And that was the end of the conversation.

    Little did the children realize, at the time, just how strange the advice the adults had given Tan truly was.

    ~~~~~~

    Toh Zang read the invitation for the third time, her mind reeling with the implications. She called for the servants to bring the family together, including her husband, Mahn, her brother Sean, and her daughter Kora, as well as her own mother Shoa and her brother¡¯s wife Rayeh.

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    She gave her mother the letter to read for them all, and the old woman¡¯s eyes quickly scanned it before she began. She shot a surprised look at her daughter, then began to read.

    ¡°To the illustrious Zang family. Your daughter, Kora Zang, has caught the interest of his imperial majesty. You are instructed to appear in court on the fourteenth day of the fifth month of this year for an audience. You will be weighed and measured to determine whether your family is worth cultivating for the good of the empire. Be prepared for such an opportunity, both for the benefits that you might win for yourself and the dangers that the elevation of your station might bring.

    ¡°Might you be found worthy,

    ¡°Servant of the Blue Dragon Empire,

    ¡°Renton Shen.¡±

    When Shoa finished speaking, the meeting room was silent for a moment, before everyone began shouting at once. It took some time for them to settle down, at which point the adults of the room began scheming.

    ¡°What does his imperial majesty want with Kora?¡± Mahn asked.

    ¡°Perhaps he has fallen in love with her from afar?¡± Shoa inquired.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. His majesty doesn¡¯t have that sort of reputation,¡± Toh said harshly. She took the letter back from her mother and reread it quickly. ¡°Who is Renton Shen? That is the important question. It says that he is a servant of the emperor, but I have never heard of him.¡±

    ¡°The Shen family appears once more,¡± Mahn said. ¡°First they snatch Onmigosha from us, and now they earn us an imperial audience with the emperor himself. Is this perhaps a trap that they have laid to get out of the marriage between their son and our daughter?¡±

    ¡°There is no formal agreement on the matter of whether Kora and Tan will be wed. They have only agreed to arrange another meeting in the summer of this year, that is all. If they really wanted to avoid it, they could find simpler ways of doing it than causing us to embarrass ourselves before the emperor,¡± Toh said.

    ¡°Then what does the emperor want with us?¡± Shoa said.

    Sean cleared his throat. ¡°This comes mere months after we were confronted by the head of the imperial guard of the Red Tiger Empire,¡± he reminded them. ¡°And the Shen family was involved in that as well. Whatever game they are playing, I believe that we have been underestimating the influence of the Shens. I think that it is likely we have it backwards. Instead of them benefiting from the marriage by gaining our political strings, it might be us who are poised to benefit.¡±

    ¡°But we have never heard of them before we stumbled upon their Qi oasis in Misikio province,¡± Mahn objected.

    ¡°Exactly. How powerful do you have to be before you can buy that sort of privacy?¡± Sean asked. ¡°When you look at it, at every step of the way their replies have asked us for our discretion and secrecy. We thought that was to maintain the secrecy of their Qi oasis, but what if they are operating on a completely different level from us? What if this ¡®Renton Shen¡¯ is more influential in the government than a mere servant of the emperor, but someone who has the emperor¡¯s ear?¡±

    Toh frowned as she thought. ¡°If that is the case, then who exactly is Tren Shen, and what does that mean for us?¡±

    The Zang family discussed the matter well into the night, with Kora standing by contributing nothing to the conversation but listening with a nervous ear as her future was discussed before her.

    She thought back to the little boy who had fixed her unstable bond with her fire spirit. How much had he grown, she wondered. He¡¯d be eleven years old now, she reflected, while she was about to turn fifteen. It wasn¡¯t too big of a difference, they could make the relationship work, she thought. She, and her family, had been looking forward to the match simply because it was obvious that the boy was a genius of cultivation.

    But if he was politically important as well¡­

    She clenched her fists. She would make a good impression on the emperor, and then she would secure for the family whatever resources she could leverage from that encounter. From there ¡­ she would marry Tan, she vowed. For the good of her family. Even if he hated her, she would find a way to trick him into ¡­ she didn¡¯t know. She¡¯d figure it out as she went.

    But she would marry him.

    ?

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    The fox sat in the meadow, drinking in the sun. And the fire Qi of the sun as well. The subtle formation which had been scratched into the trees nearby caused a steady breeze to come in from some black rocks which had been laid nearby in a circle. It was a formation of all natural materials. Even the scratching of the formation lines had been done with a flint knife rather than metal.

    The fox shuttered as it passed through the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. It grinned. Cultivating in its natural form was so much easier, it thought to itself. It lingered for a few moments, then got up and went hunting.

    Once more it wished that it could hunt the chickens of the Shen farm, but it knew better. It¡¯s presence was tolerated, welcome even, by the Shens. But although he was a natural part of the land, the farmer killed the varmints that killed chickens. Even in the  Before , the fox had known well enough to stay away from them.

    It  could  just knock on the Shen¡¯s family home door and ask for something to eat. They¡¯d give it to him, he knew. But it was a fox, and a fox¡¯s nature was to hunt.

    Its cultivation meadow was to the south of the farm, and it continued going south until it reached a stream. It paused at the stream, noticing the tell-tale ripples of something in the water.

    Faster than fast, it splashed into the stream, coming out with a small trout in its mouth. It grinned around its mouthful, dragging it to the beach and shaking it to snap its back. After it had died, the fox feasted.

    With a full belly and its meridians as stretched as they could comfortably tolerate for the day, the fox returned to its den and took a nap.

    Life was good for Ember, the spiritual fox of the Shen farm.

    ~~~~~

    A few days later, beneath the hill that the children used to cultivate, a small rabbit reached the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm. Unlike the fox, its cultivation chamber was its den, but also unlike the fox it had not built its den itself. Rather, the small cavern that was large enough for a ten year old child to climb around in had been formed by the magic of a powerful earth cultivator.

    So too had the lines of the formation deep within the earth been carved by magic into the basalt and the granite. The rabbit was the youngest of the four spirit beasts of the farm, but it had one of the best cultivation chambers, and it was eager to exploit it.

    ¡°Clover!¡± a child¡¯s voice called. ¡°Clover where are you! Come cuddle!¡±

    The rabbit blinked. How long had she been cultivating? She¡¯d reached the sixth stage minutes ¡­ was it minutes? Maybe hours ago. She had a tendency to lose track. Her stomach twinged, and she realized that she should go get something to eat soon.

    ¡°Clover!¡± the voice of the five year old girl shouted.

    Okay, so first she would get some cuddles, and then she would go eat.

    The rabbit hopped out of the cultivation circle and found the girl in the largest chamber of the subterranean den. She hopped into the girls arms and allowed herself to be cuddled by the girl who wore an uncut ruby around her neck.

    Life was good for Clover, the spiritual rabbit.

    ~~~~~~

    ¡°Hah! Is that all you got!¡± the boy shouted, and the spiritual monkey screeched as a sudden gust of wind blew it from the side, knocking it out of the air. It struggled to reclaim the currents which had kept it aloft, but it found its powers suddenly locked down.

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    It slammed into the muck below it. Yesterday¡¯s rain had left the field muddy, and the Shens had just fertilized. The monkey spat out a bit of fertilizer that had gotten in its mouth and glared up at the child who was flying ten feet off the ground.

    It screeched at the boy, but the boy responded by raising a hand and another gust of wind blew the monkey away.

    The monkey cursed and fled.

    It wasn¡¯t fair, it reflected. It had thought that restricting the boy from using hands or feet would ensure a victory, but ever since the boy had entered the foundation realm, or what the master of the Shen family was calling the foundation realm at least, the boy¡¯s magic was ridiculously powerful and the monkey, despite having reached the eighth stage of what the Shens called the initiate realm, couldn¡¯t keep up.

    Once it had gotten a fair distance away from the boy, the monkey leaped into the air and called on its own magic to allow it to fly up to the lofty tree house which the humans had built for it. It rummaged through the stuff strewn about the floor ¨C mostly junk and old food ¨C it finally found the spiritual stone that the Shen matriarch had paid it with last year.

    The air spirit inside of it reacted with the monkey¡¯s own. The monkey carried it with it to the top of the tallest tree in the forest and sat. Carved into the trees and the stones of the forest to the west of the farm were little pieces of a formation that, together, drew in wind Qi. This tree sat right in the center of the current that led to the cultivation hill of the children.

    It was the monkey¡¯s secret spot. Or so it thought. With the Qi current, the only place higher in wind Qi was the top of the hill itself. It  could  cultivate their when the children weren¡¯t using it. But that would make it dependent upon the Shens, and although it admitted to itself that having a warm house to live in during the winter was nice, it wasn¡¯t snowy out right now and there was no reason to pretend that he needed the humans.

    It plopped the stone down in the little basket that it had found at the top of the tree and ¨C wait, why had there been a basket at the top of the best place to cultivate the wind in the first place?

    The monkey thought about the question for a minute, then decided that it was just luck. It sat on the highest branch of the tree in the lotus position and cultivated.

    It didn¡¯t break through, but it meditated on what it had seen the boy do with his magic.

    If only he could do that, Thume, the spiritual monkey of the Shen farm thought to himself.

    ~~~~~~

    In the pond to the north of the Shen farmhouse, children played in the pond, holding on to a giant carp as it raced around much faster than they could swim on their own. Like the other spiritual animals, its home had been modified to enhance the Qi that gathered around it, and like the others it had been making steady process since it had spoken to the humans and asked for help with its cultivation.

    Unlike the other animals, however, it wasn¡¯t expecting any breakthroughs anytime soon. It kept this from everyone except for the two masters of the farm who could see straight through him, but the carp was in the eighth stage of the foundation realm.

    It was also two centuries old.

    It smiled back to the day when it had sensed the boy fishing in the lake. Not the day that it had allowed itself to be caught, nor all of the times when it had cleverly taken the boy¡¯s bate and left him none the wiser.

    No, the carp had noticed the boy the first time he had arrived with his monster of a father to fish. That had been six years ago. The Carp had watched the boy grow, both normally and spiritually. The boy¡¯s spiritual progress was prodigious, reaching a stage that many adults could be proud of within a few years.

    And so the fish had taken a chance. It had asked the boy to introduce it to the boy¡¯s master, who was also his father, in the hopes that the cultivation expert would be wise enough to see the benefits to raising a spiritual fish near his home.

    And the gamble had paid off.

    The children, screaming and laughing as they lost their slimy handholds, swam back to the shore.

    ¡°Elder Pike, we¡¯re going inside for dinner now,¡± the children shouted as they dried themselves and dressed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to eat with us then Mom says you have to do dishes.¡±

    The carp acknowledged their words with a sagely nod. It settled in the bottom of the pond to cultivate, but then its stomach got the better of it. With a ¡°Pop!¡± it turned into a human and dressed itself in the clothes that were kept in a small cache nearby that kept them dry from the rain.

    Pulling on his mustache, which drooped down to his shoulder blades, Elder Pike jogged to catch up to the children.

    Life was good.

    ?

 Chapter42

    Chapter42

    Hoten stood in the contribution points store, contemplating his next purchase with a grin. He¡¯d barely had to work at all since he¡¯d arrived at the Whispering Guides Sect, and he had just reached the first stage of the Liminal Realm, according to the way that his present sect figured things. He¡¯d gone through six clear stages, having left the initiate¡¯s realm behind just weeks ago.

    The way the Shen¡¯s figured things, he was still in the initiate¡¯s realm. But then the Shens figured a lot of things differently than the outside world.

    Several weapons were on display, but Hoten had already purchased a sword and he saw no need to replace it yet, even with a superior weapon. If he  did  encounter a superior weapon in his wanderings outside the sect, he would probably sell it for points, as he had the stones which he¡¯d failed to claim the spirits from.

    He should have known that the old Shen bastard was handing out duds, he thought to himself. But the stones had been evaluated by the contribution store master and determined to be worth fifty points each, which was enough to live comfortably for five years and still take a Lofty Wind Qi Pill once a week.

    He couldn¡¯t take  more  than one a week because the toxins would build up and poison him. And the pills turned his piss green, so there was that to consider. But he¡¯d made steady progress while taking them, so after he¡¯d gone through the first six that he¡¯d bought he¡¯d bought a few dozen of them.

    He wondered what sort of pills the Shens made, and then he mentally kicked himself. Being sent to the Whispering Guides was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he was way better off in the hands of a group of masters who prided themselves on raising capable cultivators than a ¡­ Hoten didn¡¯t know how to classify the Shens, to be honest.

    They were hidden masters, but he had no idea why they weren¡¯t living it up in the capital or one of the many cities where cultivators were catered to and treated like kings. He had  seen  Tren Shen and his wife participating in group harvests for his entire childhood and not had a clue that they were cultivators until Tan had shown up in the village and bragged about becoming ¡®a cultivator just like daddy.¡¯

    Why on earth would someone toil in the mud like a commoner when they didn¡¯t have to?

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    Hoten shrugged and shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about the Shens. He focused on the list that had just been updated, then frowned.

    The price for the Lofty Wind pills had tripled since the last time he¡¯d bought them.

    ¡°Hey, Master Poh,¡± Hoten said, getting the attention of the shopkeeper.

    The shopkeeper looked up from the scroll that he¡¯d been reading. The side facing the customer proclaimed it a scroll of insights, but Hoten knew that the other side was filled with lascivious drawings. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the great and powerful Red Rooster. What is it that this humble shopkeeper can help you with today?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up with these pills?¡± Hoten asked, pointing at the listed item. ¡°They¡¯re not worth that much, are they? I bought them for a fraction of the price last year.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did,¡± the shopkeeper said. ¡°And after you started making steady progress with them six of our other air cultivators bought some to try as well. We were out of stock for a few weeks as our pill master waited for the ingredients to come in from the hunters. He made a good batch, but with the increased demand and the low supply, we had to increase the price.¡±

    Hoten cursed, but he understood. He was the son of a merchant, and it was only natural that economics would affect even a powerful sect like the Whispering Guides. ¡°Is there any way that I could convince you to sell them to me at the old price?¡± he asked, turning up the charm and raising his hands in supplication.

    ¡°Sorry, but no. Perhaps you should talk to the pill-master directly. He might be willing to trade materials for pills rather than contribution points, if that¡¯s an easier way to get what you need.¡±

    Hoten sighed. ¡°Thanks for the advice, old man. I¡¯ll let you get back to your reading.¡±

    The old man grinned and opened the scroll as Hoten left the store. Hoten bumped into someone on the way out and shouted ¡°Hey, watch it,¡± before looking to see who it was.

    He wished that he could have taken the words back, because the fire cultivator glared at him and thrust a fist into his balls for the trouble. It was an easy target for her, as she was only eleven years old.

    He gasped and crumbled into the fetal position. The fire cultivator ignored him completely as she stepped over him and into the contribution points store. He moaned pitifully for a moment before gathering himself and flying off.

    He shuttered and was thankful that a nut-punch was all that he¡¯d gotten out of the encounter. That scary little girl was in the first stage of the spiritual realm! She could have burned him into a cinder if she¡¯d wanted to.

    Of course, she¡¯d have been kicked out of the sect, but still. She could have done it.

    ?

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    The children gathered around in the empty field where the sparring practice always took place. Well, where it took place this year at least. The field that they had used last year was planted now, but this field was being left alone for reasons that only the adults really understood.

    That didn¡¯t mean that the field was completely ignored. During the spring, they had each gone through it and pulled out the rocks that had somehow appeared, stacking them in a row along the side of the field. Anything bigger than a fist was plucked out and thrown into the rock fence. The children thought that this was just to make the place safe to throw each other around in. They weren¡¯t entirely wrong, but it was also planning ahead for when the field would be planted again.

    The children were nervous. Pao had had another breakthrough, putting him in the eighth stage of the Initiate¡¯s realm. The twins remained at the sixth, while Tan was still solidly in the first stage of the Foundation realm.

    At least according to the Shen terminology. Most sects and cultivation families divided things further in order to encourage their students by suggesting that they were making significant progress. While the Initiate¡¯s realm was near universal, it didn¡¯t usually have ten stages, but five or even as few as three.

    Regardless, the children were nervous, because they were about to spar against Wensho for the first time since they had returned. The woman smiled at her charges, a wry grin as she examined each of them. She slapped them each with a sliver of intent, just to see how they handled it.

    Tan jerked in surprise as his mother suddenly became a demon. It lasted for just a second, and she didn¡¯t change at all. But for just a second, he saw her in a light that was ¡­ absolutely impossible. Like she wasn¡¯t his mother at all, but a dangerous woman who could kill him without even remembering his name.

    He shot a glance at the other children, who were even more shaken than he was. He turned back to his mother, a hurt expression on his face.

    ¡°That is Intent,¡± she informed them. ¡°In a fight against high-tier opponents, Intent is as important as Qi and technique. You have each reached the stage in your training where it is time to start training your Intent. In your duels from now on, and especially against me and my husband, you should begin to face us not with the intent to spar and get stronger yourself, but with the intent to kill.¡±

    Tan frowned. He turned to the others, who were less confused than he was.

    ¡°You want me to try to kill you?¡± Tan asked, genuinely confused.

    ¡°No. I want you to train your killing intent,¡± she clarified. She frowned, wondering how to explain this to a child as gentle as Tan. ¡°You¡¯re projecting a thought, Tan. It¡¯s not necessarily real. It¡¯s a flash of a real thought, like when you get angry for a second before calming down again at Safron when she pulls a prank. I¡¯ve felt you shaping your intent before. You know how to do it subconsciously. You need to master your Intent intentionally.¡±

    The boy frowned. He glared at his mother. He  pretended  for a second that she wasn¡¯t his mother and he didn¡¯t love her and hated her and wanted to hurt her.

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    ¡°Good. That wasn¡¯t bad, Tan,¡± she informed him.

    He blinked in surprise. It wasn¡¯t?

    ¡°I was just pretending,¡± he said.

    ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes, then that¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°Intent is more than just pretend. It¡¯s a moment of real intention. But if you tell yourself it¡¯s pretend, you can shape your intent to convey something without actually committing to it,¡± she explained. ¡°Now, the rest of you try.¡±

    One by one, the children scrunched up their faces and tried to pretend that they hated this woman in front of her. The one who fed them their meals and drew their bathwater and did a hundred other little things for them. The one who treated them like she was their mother, despite not having given birth to them.

    Slowly, bit by bit, they learned to form intent.

    ¡°A true master can show lethal intent simply with a look,¡± she informed them once they had all succeeded to some degree. ¡°And they can also obscure their intent, hiding their true intention. That¡¯s a lesson for another day.¡±

    Wensho smiled at them, then took a blindfold out of her pocket and tied it around her eyes. She smiled at the children, who shone so brightly in her spiritual senses. ¡°Now then, come at me with everything you have.¡±

    The children paused for just a second. The blindfold was new. But they quickly decided that they¡¯d take whatever handicap she was willing to give them, and they charged in. Tan, the fastest of all of them, harried her, constantly angling around to get behind her to flank while the other children dashed in and out to attempt to deliver blows.

    Wensho smiled, dedicating one hand to keeping her son occupied while keeping the other children busy with her other hand.

    She was proud of them. They were growing so strong. Her son was a hurricane of blows, forcing her to dedicate a significant portion of her tactics to avoiding him. She caught his punches, his kicks, his knees and elbows and turned them all aside. He forced her to move, but she moved around the children in a constant circle.

    Pao tried to take advantage of what he thought was a predictable pattern only to find her hand slapping his face and turning him aside. He landed nearby, hand to his burning cheek, trying to figure out what had happened.

    Won appeared, his fists burning in flame and packing the power of his body enhancement technique, the Inner Fire. He struck hard and he struck fast, but she snuffed the flames in his hands. Compared to Pao, the earth cultivator, Won¡¯s strength was paltry. It was more on the level of Tan, who, while strong, was not a threat to her even if she took an unprotected blow.

    But he kept her occupied for a while, allowing his sister to get behind Wensho. Wensho grinned and, just at the right second, leaped into the air. Won¡¯s fist connected with his sister¡¯s jaw at the same moment that her knee landed in his stomach. Tan smashed into both of them, and all four children fell to the ground.

    Wensho smiled, dragging a foot across the ground in a semi-circle and holding her hands in a defensive stance.

    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Again.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    Over the next few weeks, the children of the Shen farm would often glare at each other and, for a second,  pretend  that they wanted to kill each other. It was just pretend, because they couldn¡¯t actually  mean it . Not yet. But they were learning, and slowly they were honing their ability to project intent to the point where they would notice someone glaring daggers at them from across the room even with their backs turned.

    It was educational from both sides of the glare. One child was learning to project their intent, the other to sense it. The adults watched on with amusement, occasionally giving a word of advice.

    Tren also dueled with them and displayed his intent to the children. Once and only once. Tan¡¯s heart stopped when his father unveiled his intent against him. The other three children ran away screaming. Won hid in the complex under the cultivation hill that had been built for the rabbit and wouldn¡¯t come out for twenty minutes.

    Tren scratched his nose afterwards and apologized for ¡°getting a little carried away.¡± Wensho smacked him when she heard about it, and informed the children that she had been holding back, which was a detail she hadn¡¯t shared before.

    Tren had not, and the difference between Wensho¡¯s partial intent and Tren¡¯s full blast was the difference between a warm breeze and a blast furnace.

    Still, both demonstrations gave the children something to aspire to, and they worked tirelessly.

    Hundreds of miles away, the Zang family was preparing for their upcoming audience with the emperor. Brand new clothes were purchased for everyone, the embroidery proclaiming their cultivation status for all to see proudly.

    They did not dare wear the embroidery of a grandmaster, as the Shens did. That was an invitation to be challenged by anyone who wished to earn the bragging rights of defeating them. The day that the Shens had shown up with two grandmasters, a husband and a wife, had forced the Zangs to seriously reconsider their position. Such clothes were not worn lightly, and the subsequent negotiations had proven that the Shens were worthy of them.

    But that was long ago at this point, and the immediate concern was making a good impression. So they humbly embroidered their advancement in clear terms, using one of the most common measures for their current status.

    Toh was in the gold realm, her husband Mahn in the Silver. Kora had just entered the profound, which placed her in the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm according to how the Shens saw things. Shoa, Toh¡¯s mother, had formed her core while she was in the Silver realm and regretted it, for she was now unable to progress and achieve true immortality.

    Shoa was powerful, yes, but much of the power was located in her core and not her spirit. Her body would eventually fail her, and she was unable to commune with her spirit to grow stronger and impress her memories into it to form a nascent soul. Without that, she couldn¡¯t reincarnate with her memories intact, which was the most common method of immortality for those who were unable to reach the stage of divinity or ascension.

    Still, to most of the world she was a force to be reckoned with, and so she joined the procession to the capital as they rode in style, arriving the week before the audience. Sean had arrived before them and had spent some time sifting through the rumors of court and the commoners of the city, which were often one in the same, but not always.

    The Zang family¡¯s audience was discussed at court, but not among the commoners. None of them particularly cared, and those who were aware of it dismissed it as unimportant. The courtiers gave it more credence, but only because they, too, had never heard of the Zangs and were curious to place faces to the names.

    On the day of the audience, Kora, with her mother Toh and her father Mahn, as well as her grandmother, appeared at the front entrance to the palace. They announced their presence to the guards, who rang the gong and opened the main gate to allow them inside. They entered the courtyard, which was lined on each side by servants dressed in finery.

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    Kora blushed as she walked between the beautiful men and women in clothes that outshone her own. However, none of the servants¡¯ clothing was embroidered. She did not know if that was because they were not cultivators, or if they were simply choosing not to publicly show their advancement.

    A seneschal appeared at the end of the procession. He bowed low to the Zangs. An old man but still spry, he wore cloth fo silver and jewelry of gold, rubies dangling from his earrings.

    ¡°I welcome the Zang family to the imperial court. My name is Bashan, and I shall be your guide. Your audience will begin in two hours. In the meantime, you shall bathe and be made presentable for an audience with the emperor himself,¡± the seneschal explained.

    Kora frowned, for she had just bathed that morning and was wearing the finest clothes she owned. However, she followed the seneschal into the palace. Her father was led away to the men¡¯s bathing area, while she, her mother, and her grandmother were shown to the richest spiritual hot spring that Kora had ever seen.

    The fire Qi that boiled off of it was delicious, and Kora was left mourning the fact that she had only the time it would take to bathe to enjoy it. Worse, female servants appeared to take her measurements. They would prepare her with clothes given by the emperor himself, they explained. She was to bathe, and when she finished they would help her dress in her new finery.

    So she disrobed, and the three women stepped into the bath.

    Toh was slightly uncomfortable, for although the spring was rich with water Qi, it was more fire aspect ed than she was accustomed to. She spent much of her efforts trying to separate the two forces.

    Shoa had less trouble. Like her daughter, she cultivated water with a specialization towards ice, but the water Qi in the bath was so rich that it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to take in, and she would grind the fire Qi down in her core later.

    For Kora, it was like drinking in liquid love. She closed her eyes and submerged herself entirely, leaving just her nose above water for air.

    She broke through to the next stage, reaching the third stage of the profound realm. Or the eighth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, if you used that metric.

    The servants, noticing her breakthrough, informed the court that the Zang family audience would be delayed. The courtiers scoffed at the faux pas of cultivating in the imperial spring, looking forward to mocking them for the social mistake.

    When she came back to herself, Kora was deeply embarrassed that she had caused a delay, but the servants assured her that it was no trouble. She was dressed in the finest kimono she had ever seen. It was light as a feather and softer than the down of a gosling. It bore no embroidery when she put it on, but to her surprise, once she was wearing it, the threads changed color and revealed a hidden character.

    She did not know what the character meant, but the courtiers who saw her once she emerged into the court did a slight double-take to see it there. They were not impressed by her mother, grandmother, or father, however, who were wearing similar clothing with their own symbols glowing on their backs and breasts.

    The court was filled with close to three hundred people, and the Zangs were lead in front of them all before the screens which separated the rabble from the emperor himself. Kora could sense a faint amount of spirituality from the person sitting on the other side of the screen, but it was suppressed so tightly that --

    A sudden burst of ¡­ something. Kora gasped and fell to her knees, her body telling herself that it was on fire even though it was not. She almost screamed, but she got control of herself before the sound escaped her throat. She gasped for a moment.

    ¡°Apologies,¡± the figure behind the screen said in a sonorous voice. ¡°We was merely taking your measure. we approve. As a token of my approval, we award you the Treatise of the Rising Sun, a bush of ever-burning blackberries to be planted in the courtyard of your family¡¯s main estate, and seven days of mentorship with the fire expert known as Renton Shen. You may leave our presence now.¡±

    And just like that the imperial audience was over before the Zangs had said one word before the court.

    The courtiers gasped at the scandal of it all. The girl had failed to withstand the emperors intent and yet she¡¯d been rewarded?  Handsomely  rewarded? Nobody knew who Renton Shen was, but the other two rewards were priceless!

    ?

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    It was Tan¡¯s idea, but once he thought of it the adults cheered him on and praised him for it. He got it from watching both Tren and Wensho fight against them wearing blindfolds.

    So he started wearing a blindfold too.

    Not in spars, or when anything important was going on. But for the majority of the next few weeks, Tan learned to navigate using his other senses.

    The other children copied him for a while, but quickly gave up when they kept bumping into things. They complained about how good he was at it and that it was unfair. Especially Safron, who enjoyed complaining and enjoyed having a reason to complain.

    The adults explained that it wasn¡¯t just his hearing that Tan was developing, but his spiritual senses, in addition to other senses which were enhanced in the absence of sight. They encouraged the other children to experiment with their own blindfolds, but admitted that they might not get as much out of the experience as Tan, who was several stages above all of them.

    Safron didn¡¯t really care. She liked complaining so she pretended to wear her blindfold, but everyone knew that she was peaking constantly.

    However, in the beginning of the sixth month of the year, Tan was wandering around the fields when he  felt something  coming from where he knew that Safron was. Something was happening, and he thought he knew what it was. He tore his blindfold off and rushed over to her.

    Safron was sitting with the uncut ruby set on the ground in front of her while she had her eyes closed, her face focused intensely. Tan could  see  the waves of fire Qi bursting out of the stone and lingering nearby. He was worried for his sister, and relieved when his father and mother appeared seconds later.

    Literally appeared. They weren¡¯t there one second, and the next they were.

    Moving so fast that Tan had trouble seeing what was being done, Tren quickly carved a formation circle in the ground using his hoe. Tan was surprised when he saw the symbol for ¡®Air¡¯ in one of the marks, forming a triangle with Earth and Water. He watched as his mother and father stepped on top of the symbols representing their element, and without being told he stepped onto the Air symbol.

    ¡°Repeat after us, Tan,¡± his mother said, and she began to chant.

    ¡°Ever present spirit of the earth, guide this young girl as she begins her journey along the one path that is many paths that is one. Gentle wind of the world, guide this girl as she begins her journey to know the many truths that are singular. Mighty water spirit of the deep lakes, guide this child that she may be enlightened by the wisdom of the ancients,¡± his parents said. The prayer repeated, and Tan joined in on the third repetition.

    Safron¡¯s first cultivation session lasted two hours, and her parents and brother circulated their Qi in the formation, assisting the process. It went steady, and abruptly Safron cried out. She gasped and began sweating black sweat. Her parents observed for a second, but there was no more Qi emerging from the uncut ruby, and the girl had absorbed as much as she could be expected to absorb.

    They broke the circle and hugged their daughter between them, even as she sweated impurities onto them and their clothes. Tan smiled but hung back as his sister underwent the first physical transformation of cultivation.

    It took a while, but eventually Safron came back to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m all stinky,¡± she complained.

    Her parents laughed, and they took her out to the stream to bathe.

    Tan thought of the differences between his own awakening as a cultivator and Safron''s, and he pouted a little bit. It had only been his father supporting him.

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    ¡°Stop sulking,¡± Zephyr scolded.

    ¡°Are you reading my thoughts?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to read your thoughts to know that you¡¯re sulking,¡± the spirit said. ¡°We both surprised your parents with your awakening. They were expecting this to happen soon, which is why they were both prepared. Your mother was busy that day, if you don¡¯t remember, and would have responded to your awakening herself if she¡¯d been aware of it at the time.¡±

    ¡°And I didn¡¯t have a big brother to help me, either,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°No you didn¡¯t,¡± the spirit agreed. ¡°So you see, your family loves you as much as Safron. It¡¯s not her fault that you were born first, so don¡¯t be jealous.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can not be jealous of her,¡± Tan argued. ¡°She¡¯s getting spoiled rotten. But I love her anyway.¡±

    Tan put his blindfold back on, and went to find his friends. They had sensed what was going on, but thought that it was a family moment and had backed off to allow the Shens their privacy. When he found them, they were atop the cultivation hill, discussing their own absorption of their spirit.

    ¡°I realized I had to poop halfway through,¡± Won admitted nervously. ¡°I mean, how stupid is that, right? Who has to take a potty break in the middle of a breakthrough?¡±

    ¡°Not just any breakthrough,¡± Pao pointed out, a grin on his face. ¡°That first one is monumental, you know? What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Okay, you gotta promise not to tell anyone,¡± Won said, looking around. He saw Tan, but Tan promised with the other children, so after obtaining their promises he admitted ¡°I just did it. I pooped myself and continued cultivating.¡±

    The children laughed at him, but Won defended himself ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you have done the same in my position? It got easier to absorb Blaze once I¡¯d done it too. I swear it was the best cultivation decision that I ever made.¡±

    Tan rolled around on the ground in laughter. But Won was right, he realized. He  had  made the correct decision.

    Stopping during the middle of a normal breakthrough was something you could recover from. Stopping during the absorption of a spirit was ¡­ well, the spirit might get away. If it did you¡¯d have to find it again, or convince another one to bind with you instead.

    ¡°Zephyr, did the magic circle that my father drew for you make a difference?¡± Tan asked

    ¡°Not really. I was trying very hard to become one with you, Tan,¡± Zephyr admitted. ¡°Those circles are for younger and weaker spirits who need help during the bonding process. I¡¯ve been through it before dozens of times, so it was no big deal binding with you. I could have done it in your sleep.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean ¡®my sleep?¡¯¡± Tan asked

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said. I could have done it in your sleep,¡± Zephyr admitted.

    ¡°No, I mean  your sleep .¡±

    ¡°Right, that¡¯s what I said.¡±

    Tan threw his hands up in the air in frustration. Then a thought occurred to him. ¡°Zephyr, do you actually need to sleep?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°What do you do while  I¡¯m  sleeping?¡±

    ¡°I watch your dreams. It¡¯s very amusing,¡± the spirit admitted. ¡°It¡¯s the best part of being bonded, to be honest.¡±

    Tan thought about the dreams that he remembered. ¡°I guess that¡¯s cool,¡± he said.

    Then the children cultivated for a while before the adults called them in for dinner. Safron was asleep already, and nobody expected her to wake up anytime soon. That was fine. Tan had slept for three days when he¡¯d bonded Zephyr. He wondered how long his sister would sleep for.

    ?

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46

    The Zang family returned from the audience with the emperor to their compound on Tantalous Mount of the Black Sky mountain range. Kora spent the entire trip pondering the Treatise of Rising Sun. She had read the first two sections. The second section had instructed her not to read the third until she understood the relationship between the first chapter and the second, and so she had stopped there.

    It was beautiful. Poetic. She could barely describe the language that was used to bestow the wisdom inside the sixty-page document. It was written by hand, with only a handful of sentences per page, but each page contained such profound wisdom that she felt like she was going to break through once more simply reading it.

    Of course, she didn¡¯t.

    She sighed, turning the page. She wondered what was in the third section, but she didn¡¯t dare peak lest she stunt her cultivation. This treatise was a rare opportunity, she knew, and she was better off following it exactly than cheating.

    The first chapter dealt with the burning of Earth. The second chapter dealt with the burning of Air. She¡¯d been somewhat surprised to realize that air was as necessary to fire as fuel, but she had performed the experiment herself. She didn¡¯t have a glass dome as was recommended in the treatise, but she made due with the cover for her dinner tray. She couldn¡¯t witness the fire go out with her eyes, but her spiritual senses were sharp enough to have detected the strangled flame.

    She smiled. There was so much to unpack in the treatise that she worried it would take her years to read the third chapter. But she was in no hurry.

    After all, she only had to impress a boy who was five years younger than her.

    They arrived, and after they had settled in, changing their clothes and washing off the dust of the road, they were setting down to dinner when a sudden burst of lightning struck the courtyard.

    The adults and the elders, many of whom had congregated to this dinner to hear the account of the audience from those who were present, all went rigid as they felt a tidal wave of fire Qi nearby. But rather than being ravenous, it carried a warm and pleasant intent. They remained terrified, but they went out to greet their guest.

    He was a tall man, dressed in a robe from the capital which proclaimed him to be a grandmaster. He smiled at the congregating elders.

    ¡°Am I early? I was told that Kora would be returning home today and ¨C ah, there she is,¡± the man said. ¡°I am Renton Shen. I am here to tutor you, Kora Zang. Is that food I smell? I hope that there is enough for me, the fulmination movement technique is the fastest way to travel, but it leaves one ravenous when they reach their destination.¡±

    The adults¡¯ eyes were wide with shock, but they quickly bid their guest welcome and escorted him inside, where he was sat at the head of the table and fed the choicest parts of the feast that had been prepared. At his right was Kora, and to his left were her parents, Toh and Mahn. He ate with gusto and made polite conversation.

    ¡°I serve the empire,¡± He said around a mouthful when someone asked him exactly what he was. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all that I¡¯m really willing to tell you. My qualification to educate the daughter of the Zang family should be obvious should you have eyes to see. If you are blind, then let me know and I might be able to fix that, one way or the other.¡±

    ¡°Healing is a property of water,¡± Toh argued.

    ¡°No, it is not. It is a property of change, and change falls under the purview of fire,¡± the grandmaster said. ¡°While you can heal with water or earth, fire is the element that causes the body to heal itself.¡±

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    ¡°What about wind?¡± Uncle Sean Zang inquired.

    ¡°Ah. Well, it¡¯s more difficult for the air cultivators to regrow limbs, but not entirely impossible,¡± Renton Shen said. ¡°But the best solution is to cultivate until everyone is too afraid to fight you, so that way you don¡¯t have to worry about healing yourself at all.¡±

    The dinner progressed, with Renton making a few more statements and a few boasts about the element of fire. When the last course was served, he leaned back and patted his belly.

    ¡°You know, that was one of the better meals that I¡¯ve eaten in a while,¡± he admitted. ¡°You didn¡¯t slaughter the ducks just for me, did you?¡±

    ¡°We would have if we¡¯d known you were on your way,¡± Toh said. ¡°No, this was to be a feast to welcome Kora home after she impressed the emperor.¡±

    ¡°He  was  impressed, you know,¡± Renton said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t being polite. He struck Kora with the full force of his intent. A mortal might have died, but Kora merely fell over. A lesser cultivator would have fainted, but she managed not to scream. It is most impressive indeed.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it, or I might have done better. I¡¯ve never faced anyone who could use intent as a weapon before. If I¡¯d had some practice--¡±

    ¡°He would have noticed if you¡¯d been drilling yourself to withstand intent. That¡¯s why he used intent to measure you. It¡¯s not exactly the best measure of a person¡¯s cultivation potential, but it¡¯s a good place to start,¡± Renton said. ¡°Come now, let¡¯s go plant the berry bush that he promised your family. Have you selected where you want it to be?¡±

    ¡°Right now?¡± Toh asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time but the present,¡± Renton answered.

    So the family went out into the courtyard, and then back to the garden behind the compound when someone suggested that would be a better place for it. Renton looked around for a moment, then pointed at a floral arrangement.

    ¡°Do those flowers have any particular sentimental value?¡± he inquired.

    ¡°Not especially,¡± Toh answered. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because the ambient Qi would be best for the blackberries if they were planted there,¡± he explained.

    Toh glanced at the others, who pressed her to ask for more details. ¡°Will it improve it in some way?¡±

    ¡°It will improve the garden more than the bush itself,¡± Renton explained. ¡°The bush will provide heat and nourishment to the plants around it, possibly even keeping them alive through the winter. If it¡¯s planted anywhere else, it will draw in too much Qi and its fruit might be lacking compared to what it will give when planted where I asked. But if the flowers are important for some reasons--¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not,¡± Toh said.

    Renton glanced at her, then nodded. He pulled something from his pocket, a seed, and walked over to the flowers he had mentioned. He pushed the seed into the ground, and then everyone watched as the Qi  roiled  out of him.

    It was the Qi of the sun, and it was warm, comforting, nourishing, and life giving. It concentrated on the seed, which sprouted and grew into a sapling in minutes. He paused and took a step back.

    ¡°I will continue to feed it every day until I leave,¡± He announced. ¡°It will bear fruit before the end of the summer.¡±

    Everyone cheered, and while they were still cheering Renton turned to Kora. He smiled at her, and said ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to speak with my student alone.¡±

    The others all nodded and filed out, leaving them alone in the gardens.

    ?

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47

    Once the elders had all cleared out and left her alone with the powerful fire cultivation expert, the man underwent a sudden change. He simply relaxed, but she could feel some sort of difference in him. He was friendlier, and less uptight.

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying, having so many stuck-up elders staring at you, trying to figure out all of the angles when the only angles you really care about are the ones you¡¯ve already explicitly stated,¡± Renton Shen said to her, his voice congenial and cheerful. ¡°Tell me, have you begun reading the treatise that the emperor recommended for you?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± she said. ¡°I read the first two sections in one sitting, and stopped where the book told me to. Since then I have been going back and forth as the wisdom of the ancients calls to me, reviewing what insights the author imparted and,¡± she blushed as the comparison came to her, ¡°chewing at them like a piece of jerky that¡¯s particularly hard to digest.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°That¡¯s a good one. Yeah, it¡¯s frustrating when the wisdom is all tied up in fancy words and hidden behind layers of meaning. Do you know why we elders don¡¯t simply  explain  our wisdom in terms that our juniors can understand?¡±

    ¡°You want us to think it through and come to the realizations on our own,¡± she said immediately.

    ¡°And who told you that?¡±

    ¡°My mother.¡±

    ¡°Who told  her  that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain, one of her teachers,¡± Kora answered.

    ¡°Ever wondered why  that  tradition is okay to explicitly state, but ¡®oh yeah fire needs air to burn earth into water¡¯ is some hidden secret?¡± Renton asked.

    Kora opened her mouth, but stopped as she pondered the question. ¡°No, I never wondered that before, but I¡¯m certain that I will be from now on,¡± she said.

    The man laughed. ¡°There¡¯s a certain pleasure that you get from watching the young contemplate the great mysteries. It¡¯s refreshing, compared to the stuffy confines of the palace, to take my turn as an educator.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just to make us think,¡± she said, ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°That is a part of it,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°Thinking about known problems and coming to the same solution that your elders have come to validates the original solution. But honestly, I think half of the elder masters who ask questions like ¡®what is the sound of one hand clapping¡¯ really just like to rub in how clever they are. Few of them actually came up with the riddles that they impart unto the young, so what makes them feel so clever about asking them?¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Kora said. She thought about his words, about the mysteries of the book she¡¯d been given, and how they circled around hidden truths. ¡°The book isn¡¯t like that though, is it?¡±

    ¡°To a certain degree, the Treatise of the Rising Sun is the worst example of that,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°However, it also serves a vital purpose. By refusing to state the knowledge outright, it leads to a deeper understanding than the superficial knowledge that can be passed down in technical terms.¡±

    ¡°I will meditate on this,¡± she vowed.

    ¡°What? Have I started teaching without realizing it?¡± Renton asked, looking surprised. ¡°I was just complaining about my former teachers!¡±

    They laughed, and Renton brought her to the ruined flowerbed which had a juvenile berry bush growing out of it.

    ¡°What did you think of my little display?¡± he asked, pointing at the plant.

    ¡°It was magical,¡± she answered.

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    ¡°Obviously, I was literally doing magic,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°But no, I mean did you derive any meaning from it?¡±

    ¡°I was surprised at how much Qi you gave to the seed. I thought for certain that it would burst into flames, but instead it grew so rapidly that I thought for a moment that you were secretly an earth or water cultivator, except that the nature of your Qi is obvious when you¡¯re revealing it. I didn¡¯t know that fire could be used for growth,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°What did that sort of Qi remind you of?¡± Renton challenged.

    ¡°The sun,¡± she said immediately.

    ¡°Do you know what happens when you place a potted plant in the dark?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It withers and dies,¡± she answered immediately. ¡°Plants need the sun in order to ¨C oh. The sun gives off fire Qi. That is why the plant grew when you fed it yours.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± he said, grinning at her. ¡°People often consider the ¡®wood¡¯ element to be a subsection of earth, or to be a combination of earth and water, because those are the most obvious elements that are within a plant. However, the plants require air and sun to grow as well, and when you burn them the air that was stored inside them is released, as is the fire and the water that was used to grow them.¡±

    ¡°So you are arguing that wood is not its own element, as some have argued, but a combination of the four,¡± Kora said.

    ¡°I am arguing that  life  is a combination of the four elements, and that wood is the easiest example of that to observe,¡± he said.

    ¡°But a person can live in darkness,¡± she objected. ¡°We don¡¯t --¡±

    ¡°Can a person live without plants? Without eating the meat of animals that eat plants? If plants require the sun to live and people require plants to live, then how can it be said that people do not require the sun?¡± he challenged.

    She grinned. ¡°The transitive property. A little boy once gave me an insult to demonstrate that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was trying to talk to him about opera, and he said that opera was stupid because I was stupid and I liked it. His name is Tan Shen. I have been meaning to ask ¡­ are you related?¡±

    ¡°He is my nephew,¡± Renton said. ¡°And if I am being honest, he is the reason I am here. His father might be content to let anyone marry into the family, but the fact remains that the Shen family line has certain obligations. If we let one of our scions marry for love, that is fine as long as the woman that he loves is strong enough to not cause questions. If the scion marries a weakling, however, it will lead certain others to believe that he or she was weak themselves and could find no better match.¡±

    Kora nodded, a few pieces of the puzzle clicking into place for her. ¡°That is why the Emperor tested me. To see if I was weak. He would not allow his servants to bind themselves to a weakling.¡±

    Renton waved it off. ¡°I apologize for that. A blast of intent reveals a great deal about both sides of the blast. The Emperor revealed something to you, although I am not certain you have the experience to understand exactly what it was. In return, you revealed your determination and pride. He was most impressed that there was not more fear, and so he judged you worthy.¡±

    ¡°Has he tested you like that? When you were young?¡± she asked.

    ¡°When the emperor was young, I was young, and his intent matched mine exactly,¡± Renton said. ¡°I was tested with the intent of my father and others like him, however, and learned to stand up to it. You will have to endure the same, if you are to marry into the Shen family. If that is something that you want. I will not see it forced upon you, whatever your family might think.¡±

    ¡°I want to marry Tan Shen,¡± she said immediately.

    ¡°Do you? Do you even know him?¡± Renton asked. ¡°I was under the impression that you¡¯ve only met the one time, and that he is five years younger than you. I would think that a normal girl your age would see him as childish and immature.¡±

    She blushed. ¡°He was only nine years old, but already very powerful in his cultivation.  I want to have that sort of strength . You said that if I am to marry into the Shen family then I must be worthy? Very well, make me worthy!¡±

    Renton smiled at her, but it was a sad sort of smile. ¡°I understand the lust for power much better than you realize, little girl,¡± he said. She blushed at the diminutive term, but didn¡¯t challenge it. He continued, ¡°Very well. The emperor promised you a week. I will remain here a week as your tutor while I tend this plant. I will give you my sincere and best efforts at educating you, but your success will be determined by your own capabilities, not mine.¡±

    She got down on her knees and bowed to him. ¡°Thank you, Master Shen, for your wisdom.¡±

    He sighed. ¡°Get up. I hate it when people kowtow to me.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    At the end of the week, the blackberry bush that Renton had planted was fully grown, thick and healthy and covered with its fruit. Renton spent some time while Kora was occupied meditating on one of the problems that he¡¯d given her to instruct the gardeners on how to care for it while he was gone, and he traded recipes with the compounds cooks about what to do with the berries.

    ¡°Once it¡¯s plucked from the bush, you have about three months before the berries go bad. They¡¯ll be delicious and rich in Qi the entire time, but never as fresh as the moment you pluck one of the ripe fruit from the bush. You can make a Qi rich jam or preserves with them, bake them into pastries, or eat them raw. Basically anything you¡¯d do with a normal berry you can do with this,¡± he explained.

    ¡°And for the purposes of cultivation, what is the best way to harvest them?¡± Toh asked eagerly. Although she was a water cultivator with a specialization towards ice, she was extremely enthused about what the bush meant for the fire cultivators of her family. Especially her daughter.

    ¡°You could mix them in with other reagents and form a powerful Qi pill,¡± Renton admitted reluctantly, ¡°But the fire aspect of the berry would be diminished. I¡¯ll have the imperial pill masters send you a few suggestions on how to refine it. But for Kora and any other fire cultivator who is set to benefit from the plant, I recommend eating the berries in their natural form.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Master Shen,¡± Toh said, bowing humbly to the Imperial servant. He just sighed and acknowledged the bow.

    On the final day of his visit, the Zang family gathered in the courtyard to see him off. He smiled and gave a brief speech before leaving.

    ¡°It has been a pleasure to be hosted in your compound over the last week. I assure you that the Emperor will know of your generosity and hospitality. While the merging of the Zang family with the Shen family remains poised upon the hearts of two young children, I am pleased to say that I will be giving my recommendation to my brother that he marries my nephew to your daughter, especially if she can reach the next stage of her cultivation before the meeting.

    ¡°Which I have every confidence that she will manage. While she has not had another breakthrough since the imperial baths, she has received a significant number of insights into the nature of fire which will make her progress rapid and beneficial both to herself and those around her. Do not let her gorge herself on the fruit of the Ever-burning Blackberry bush, but a handful of those berries every day will greatly speed her cultivation as well.

    ¡°And with that, I bid the Zang family farewell,¡± Renton finished.

    The air suddenly smelled of ozone, and Renton turned into lightning and flashed out of the courtyard, leaving the amazed Zang family behind.

    Once he was gone, the elders pulled everyone into a meeting to discuss what had just happened. Kora was featured at the center of the meeting and interrogated relentlessly about their guest, now that he was gone.

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    ¡°He never gave me his exact position aside from declaring himself a servant of the empire,¡± she admitted. ¡°Aside from being the most powerful cultivator I¡¯ve ever met, save for the emperor himself, I am not certain what exactly he does. He never answered any question on the matter and simply said that he was here to teach, not to work.¡±

    The elders continued to interrogate her about the experience until she was exhausted and exasperated. She managed to convince them to leave her alone by claiming that she needed to cultivate. She went out to the courtyard, plucked a handful of blackberries, and retreated to her room.

    The blackberries were the most delicious fruit she had ever tasted. She could  taste  the Qi in them it was so thick, and as she slowly digested both the fruit and the rich and concentrated Qi within them, she reflected on the week.

    Her head was still spinning with the insights that had been imparted. She was further along the path than she¡¯d ever imagined she¡¯d go. She just needed to cultivate with her new understanding, and she¡¯d catch up to Tan in no time, she was certain.

    So she closed her eyes and began to cultivate in earnest.

    Six hours later, she broke through into the seventh stage of the Initiate¡¯s realm. Not the profound realm, as she¡¯d been calling it. She preferred the Shen family¡¯s measurements to her own.

    She grinned and took a break, brushing her hair and standing before the mirror. She grinned at herself. She was not being narcissistic to notice that she was beautiful. She wondered if Tan was at the age where he started to notice such things. She hoped so, it would make things much easier for her when they met again.

    After she finished grooming herself, she sat down by her bed and wrote a few observations, thoughts, and musings that she¡¯d had during her cultivation session into her private journal, then reread parts of the Treatise of the Rising Sun. She still hadn¡¯t read the third section. Renton had told her not to read the third section until she was certain that she could find no more insights in the first two, both individually and in how they worked together.

    She was desperately tempted to peak, but while the third section was the thickest of the three and she longed for the insights it contained, she was willing to wait. She had enough insights to last for years after studying with Renton, and she had eyes beyond the Foundation Realm at this point.

    She would become the strongest cultivator in the Zang family. She would surpass her mother, her grandmother, and all of the elders to become someone who was not just strong for their isolated corner of the empire, but who was truly strong. The kind of strength that the Shen family had.

    Then she would become part of the Shen family itself, and bring the Zang¡¯s into their fold. With the resources she could claim with that alliance, she would elevate her clan and make them a formidable force in the empire.

    She grinned as she jotted down another thought before extinguishing the candles in her room and getting into bed.

    In her heart, the fires of ambition burned brightly.

    ?

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    Tan groaned as his father woke him for the morning. He grumbled a bit, then dressed and did his chores. He fed the chickens, picked their eggs, and pumped the water into the basin in the kitchen to help his mother. When he¡¯d finished, he sat at the table, waiting for the other children to finish their chores and their mother to finish cooking the eggs.

    His little sister walked into the room, yawning and half-dressed. She smirked at him, and he glared back. It wasn¡¯t fair that she got to sleep in, but then again she was still only five and at this point in the year there weren¡¯t enough chores to go around to all five of the children.

    Still, he sometimes thought that his parents were spoiling his sister compared to him.

    ¡°Safron! Come help me in the kitchen!¡± his mother called, and the little girl finished buttoning her dress and wandered in that direction to help.

    Tan sighed and looked up at the painting on the wall. His father had done it, he knew. It was a landscape of a mountain. The other children had been surprised when he¡¯d put it up, but Tan had seen it in the old place, so he didn¡¯t think it was anything special.

    Even if he could see the magic in the painting. The way that the wind swept over the mountain, the blazing of the sun, and the majesty of the river and the mountain itself ¡­

    It might have been a Dao drawing, but to Tan it was just his father¡¯s doodles.

    Still, he spent a while studying it each day, and each day he thought he understood it a little better.

    He noticed Pao doing the same thing with a slight look of reverence in his eyes. Tan shook his head. It was strange, but sometimes his friends acted like his parents were  Important  people somehow. Tan knew better. If they were actually important, then they wouldn¡¯t live in the middle of nowhere growing rice and sorghum and wheat.

    Sure, Tan¡¯s father had apparently known someone important in Mosanatas, but knowing someone important didn¡¯t make  you  important.

    Anyway it didn¡¯t really change anything, the way that Tan saw things. Life on the farm was life on the farm. He had chores to do, and between chores and cultivation he still had a few hours every day to play with his friends and little sisters, and also the spirit animals who had begun to show up recently, and ¡­

    He frowned. Okay, so maybe they were a little weird. He was pretty certain normal kids, even ones with cultivators for parents, didn¡¯t have so many spirit animals living at their homes.

    Or maybe they did. He shrugged. He wasn¡¯t really an expert on what was normal, he reflected. That was fine. Everyone was a little weird, so it was fine if Tan was too.

    The table filled up with the breakfast crowd, and a moment later Wensho appeared with a platter filled with eggs. Tren helped serve each of the children, and they ate the eggs with toasted bread and honeyed tea, as well as salted gnasher-cobra meat. The food was rich in Qi and delicious, and all of the children spent a few moments cultivating at the dinner table to process the Qi in the food. Even little Safron, who was a proper cultivator now.

    Her success had driven another wave of children from the village to ask for a spirit stone, and she was confident that very soon, she would have friends too, just like Tan had Pao, Won, and Ko. Tan frowned at this suggestion, wondering where they would sleep. The manor had spare guest rooms, and there was always the old house, but when winter came and the spirit animals returned to their human forms ¡­

    He shrugged. That was a problem for the grownups to figure out.

    ¡°Tan, there¡¯s an errand that we need for you to run,¡± His father said, snapping him out of his own little world.

    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°We need you to deliver a message to the Zang family,¡± Tren informed him.

    ¡°The who?¡±

    Tren blinked in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t remember them?¡±

    Tan shook his head. ¡°Nope. They don¡¯t live in the village, so--¡±

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    ¡°They¡¯re the ones who want you to marry Kora. They¡¯re the reason you got in trouble and had to find the spirit stones last year,¡± Tren reminded his son.

    ¡°Oooh, I remember now,¡± Tan said. He frowned. ¡°Do they still want me to marry that stupid older girl?¡±

    Tren smirked. ¡°Well, yes, Tan, they do. We promised that there would be another meeting between the two of you this year. They sent us a letter the other day to arrange it, and they¡¯re awaiting our reply. I was going to ask you to fly to Lima city and deliver a letter to Sean Zang, who should be waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean I get out of my other chores?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes it does,¡± Tren agreed.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it,¡± Tan agreed.

    Tren spent a while filling him in on the rest of the details of the job, and then after they had all finished filling their bellies Tan took his leather, pulled on a warm coat to combat the cold of flying high in the air, and he took off towards Lima city.

    He flew even faster than he had two years ago, and without tiring once. The journey, which would take a non-cultivator a week on foot, took him three hours. He arrived at the city gate, plopping down in front of the startled guards.

    ¡°Hey. I¡¯m supposed to deliver this letter to Sean Zang, do you know where I can find him?

    The guard¡¯s gawked at the boy who had arrived in a gust of wind. They bowed the polite depth to bow to a cultivator, and assured him that inquiries would be made into Sean Zang¡¯s location immediately, if he did not mind waiting. Tan shrugged.

    ¡°I have a few coins to spend, so I¡¯m going to wander the streets for a bit and buy something to eat. I¡¯ll be back in an hour, so if you can find him before then I¡¯d appreciate it,¡± he said, and he wandered off while the guards scrambled to obey his commands.

    Which he hadn¡¯t seen as commands at all. He just thought that this was the way of the world; guards were there to help people, were they not?

    He wandered through the city. He wasn¡¯t dressed in any clothes that gave away his cultivation status, but he still drew attention from the few other cultivators in the city. They left him alone, but they could sense the power inside him, as he hadn¡¯t quite developed the knack for masking it like his parents could.

    He frowned now and then as he sensed their intent. Now that he was learning to sense it, he found that anyone who so much as looked at him curiously would draw his own attention. It was annoying, and so he¡¯d blast their curious glares back with a wave of annoyance to tell them to mind their own business.

    Those on the receiving end were often startled, and promptly found something else to be interested in other than the young master who was browsing the street shops.

    Tan ate a meat pie and purchased a set of dice to play with his friends and another doll for his sister. He frowned as he contemplated that purchase. He knew that he was contributing to Safron being spoiled, but at the same point she¡¯d really pout at him if he came back from his city adventure without a present for her.

    He shrugged.

    After an hour or so had passed, he returned to the guard station, and one of the guards volunteered to bring him to the inn where Sean was staying. Tan spoke with the innkeeper, who was initially reluctant to disturb the cultivator who was staying under his roof until the guards explained that this boy was  also  a cultivator. After which the inn mysteriously emptied, and the innkeeper instructed the boy on where to find his target.

    Tan knocked on the door and waited patiently. A moment later, a young man with an abundance of Air Qi about him opened the door. He looked down at the child-messenger, who passed him the letter from his parents.

    ¡°There you go,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to wait until you have a reply. Do you have any snacks?¡±

    Sean blinked, then broke the seal of the letter and read the contents quickly. It was a simple invitation for Kora to spend a few days on the Shen farm in order to get to know the family a little better. He grinned; this would not only advance the plan of marrying Kora into the Shen family, but even if everything fell apart, the Zangs would still finally know the location of the center of the Qi Oasis which was starting to look more like a Qi lake.

    ¡°Tell your parents that this arrangement is most satisfactory and that we shall arrange for Kora¡¯s arrival to occur on the eighth day of the seventh month.¡±

    ¡°Yeah okay whatever,¡± Tan said. ¡°Is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you, and it was pleasant meeting you, Tan,¡± Sean said.

    ¡°Kay. I¡¯m going to go.¡±

    So Tan flew away, heading out over the city and causing some people to cry out in surprise at the flying boy. But whatever, it wasn¡¯t his fault that they were super scared of children who could fly for some reason. Maybe he could desensitize them to it if he kept doing it.

    He sped home and arrived in time to spend a few hours cultivating with his friends before it was time for dinner. He gave his sister her new doll, which joined the expansive collection that she already had, and then the kids spent the evening playing dice.

    ?

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50

    On the eighth day of the sixth month of that year, a lightning bolt struck the Shen farm while the children were cultivating. It was a perfectly clear day, and the lightning had come out of nowhere. The children frowned and looked at each other in confusion, then went to investigate.

    They found the adults confronting Renton Shen, who was scratching his head and looking apologetic. He¡¯d landed in the middle of the vegetable garden and scorched several plants, and was now making excuses for his aim.

    ¡°Uncle Renton!¡± Tan called out, and the adults turned to acknowledge them. Tan looked at his parents with a suspicious glare. ¡°He  is  my uncle, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°I would have told you if he¡¯d lied to you in Mosanatas,¡± Tren said. He sighed. ¡°Yes, Tan, this is Renton, my younger brother. I¡¯m sorry we never spoke of him, but things were ¡­ complicated and tense for a while. I¡¯m hoping that we can all put that aside in the past and be a real family going forward.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like nothing more,¡± Renton agreed. ¡°Although we will have to keep things separate. Family and business, with a clear demarcation line between the two. I think that when I¡¯m here, I¡¯ll be just Renton Shen and nothing more. I like that idea.¡±

    Wensho nodded. ¡°I think that might be best for everyone involved.¡±

    Safron at this point poked her head out of the house, nervously taking in the scene before her. Wensho saw her daughter and urged her to come out and meet her uncle, who perked up upon seeing his niece.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I brought presents!¡± he declared. He held out his hand, and suddenly he was holding a sapling. ¡°Imperial fire cherry trees! I have two dozen of them, freshly grown this spring. Just tell me where to plant them, and we¡¯ll put a proper orchard together for the Shen farm! With the four of us working together we can grow them to maturity in a few days, and they¡¯ll make for a great cultivation resource for the children.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather have a doll,¡± Safron said.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Renton said, covering his heart like she had wounded him. ¡°What sort of uncle would I be if I didn¡¯t bring my favorite niece a doll?¡± he asked, and he pulled a very expensive and elaborate doll from his storage ring as well. ¡°Here you go, my lady. One doll for the imperial princess!¡±

    Safron giggled and took the doll from him, hugging it tightly. ¡°You¡¯re funny,¡± she said, then she hid shyly behind her mother¡¯s legs.

    ¡°How do you make things appear and disappear?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s nothing, just a storage ring,¡± Renton said, holding his hand up to display the magical item. ¡°You don¡¯t have one?¡±

    ¡°No, but I want one,¡± Tan said eagerly.

    ¡°Here, I have a spare,¡± Renton said, pulling a ring off his left hand. ¡°Just let me empty it out real quick and it¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°Renton, please don¡¯t spoil the children,¡± Tren said, sounding exasperated.

    ¡°What sort of uncle would I be if I didn¡¯t dote on my nieces and nephews?¡± Renton asked, grinning. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s nothing much.¡±

    ¡°A storage ring and a doll are fine gifts,¡± Wensho said cautiously. ¡°And we thank you for the fire cherries, those will be a welcome addition to our farm. But please, talk with us before you start lavishing us with any more gifts.¡±

    ¡°Of course. My apologies. I didn¡¯t come here to be a disruptive influence. I genuinely came to reconnect, meet my niece, and spend a bit of time with my nephew. And possibly tutor your disciples, if you¡¯ll allow it,¡± Renton said.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tren said, sighing. ¡°Whatever else you are, you¡¯re a fine cultivator and the children would benefit from your insights. But let¡¯s discuss your lesson plan in private later.¡±

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    ¡°Right, of course,¡± Renton agreed. He finished emptying out his spare storage ring and tossed it to Tan, who caught it eagerly.

    He put it on his finger and was surprised when it adjusted itself to fit him perfectly. He grinned. ¡°How does it work?¡±

    ¡°I just purged it of my Qi and told it that it was about to gain a new master, so you should be able to feed it your Qi and claim it. It¡¯s a semi-aware tool. It will take you a while for it to accept you, and once it has you can put anything you want inside of it simply by willing it to be so. It¡¯s a rather cheap ring, to be honest, but it can fit ten by ten by ten meters of volume inside it. As I said, it was my backup to my primary ring, so it wasn¡¯t anything special,¡± Renton explained. ¡°I just kept a few changes of clothes, some toiletries, and a bit of food inside. You can keep whatever you want in there. Even living things, although they won¡¯t age or change while they¡¯re inside.¡±

    ¡°Even a person?¡± Tan asked

    ¡°Tan,  do not use it on your sister, ¡± Wensho scolded.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to,¡± Tan said in a tone of voice that said he had very clearly been planning to do just that. ¡°Would it hurt her if I did?¡±

    ¡°The tool-spirit is a pacifist. It won¡¯t hurt anything with its magic even if it could,¡± Renton assured him. ¡°You¡¯ll see what I mean when you get to know it.¡±

    ¡°How long are you planning on staying?¡± Tren asked his brother.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay more than a week,¡± he said. ¡°After that, I¡¯ll have to get back to my duties.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well, we might as well get to work then,¡± Tren said. ¡°Let¡¯s place the orchard on the other side of the cultivation hill.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Renton agreed, and they circled around the hill. Tren, with his hoe, quickly dug holes for the trees, placing them in a grid that was six by four, with the trees evenly spaced. Once the saplings had been transplanted, the adults gathered around. Tren carved four small circles at the cardinal points.

    ¡°Tan, this is your circle,¡± Tren told his son when he finished carving the western circle. ¡°Would you do us a favor and bring in some wind Qi for us?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Tan asked as he stepped into the center of the circle.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to grow these trees, and they¡¯ll need the air to breathe,¡± Tren explained. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you don¡¯t have to understand. Just bring in as much wind Qi as you can manage, but instead of absorbing it yourself send it to the orchard.¡±

    Tan frowned, but nodded. He plopped down into the middle of the circle and began cycling the Qi in the air around them, bringing it in in large amounts and cycling it through the orchard as the other adults sat in their own circles and began doing much the same.

    Tan¡¯s eyebrows rose as he watched the trees grow in moments before him. From little saplings to trees that were taller than him, the process proceeded at a visible pace. He could kind of sense what the adults were doing. Tren was pulling nutrients from the earth and feeding them into the plants. His mother was doing something similar with the water, but her magic extended into the plants themselves.

    Renton¡¯s magic was focused more on the trees themselves, and his was the magic that Tan understood the least. But the results were obvious.

    After two hours, the robust trees were fully grown.

    Renton shook his head when Tren called a halt to it. He was grinning. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing this by myself for the last thirty years. I forgot how easy it was when you have a proper elemental quartet. Great job, Tan, you made that much easier than it would have been without you.¡±

    Tan grinned, not really certain what exactly he¡¯d done but happy to have contributed. ¡°So when do they grow cherries?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Soonish,¡± Tren answered. ¡°They should flower this year, I think. When they do, I think that the blossoms will be most beautiful.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, I just want to eat them,¡± Tan declared.

    The adults laughed, and Tan ran off to join the other children when they encouraged him to. They were atop the hill, discussing this turn of events, but they broke off their discussion when Tan appeared.

    The four got into their usual positions atop the hill and began cultivating. Tan, mentally and spiritually exhausted, called it quits after only thirty minutes before he went inside to take a nap.

    ?

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    Once Tan had departed for his nap, the other children resumed their conference.

    ¡°So who do you think he really is?¡± Won asked, glancing at the old house that the adults were airing out for Renton to sleep in.

    ¡°Tan¡¯s uncle, just like they say he is,¡± his sister answered. ¡°Why would they lie about something like that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were,¡± Won said. ¡°But I don¡¯t mean who is he in relation to Tan. I mean who is he  really ? He arrived in lightning.  Who does that ? I didn¡¯t even know it was possible and this guy uses lightning like a horse.¡±

    Pao frowned, looking at the sky. ¡°Maybe if you ask him he¡¯ll teach you how to do it too,¡± he suggested.

    ¡°I think I just might,¡± Won admitted. The other children fell into silence as they reflected on the strange encounter with Tan¡¯s exuberant uncle. ¡°They called the cherries imperial fire cherries,¡± he pointed out.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Ko said. ¡°It¡¯s a type of cherry, not proof of anything.¡±

    ¡°He called his niece the imperial princess,¡± Won insisted.

    ¡°He was joking,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°He might have been joking,¡± Won said. ¡°What if he wasn¡¯t? What if they¡¯re imperial royalty? It would explain how Tan¡¯s parents are so damn strong. Why when we went to Mosanatas they rolled out the red carpet for us.¡±

    ¡°It  doesn¡¯t  explain why Tren and Wensho have been out here in the middle of nowhere for the last thirty years,¡± Pao pointed out.

    ¡°Yeah, but something has to explain it. I mean, I didn¡¯t realize anything was weird about it either when my parents told me to be extra nice to Tan because his parents were hidden masters, but what if they¡¯re more than that?¡± Won said. ¡°What happened thirty years ago in the capital? Who do we ask who¡¯d actually know?¡±

    ¡°Lord Hara might,¡± Ko admitted. ¡°Do you think he¡¯d talk to us and give us a history lesson?¡±

    ¡°We could ask. We¡¯re cultivators. We might just be kids, but that still puts us above the nobility who aren¡¯t,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°He doesn¡¯t  have  to answer our questions, but he might.¡±

    ¡°What about Tan? What do we tell him?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°That we¡¯re running an errand for our parents,¡± Won said. ¡°He might get weird if we tell him we¡¯re investigating his family. He doesn¡¯t think that there¡¯s anything weird at all going on.¡±

    ¡°He was born into this weirdness. It¡¯s hard to see from the inside,¡± Pao said. ¡°Okay then. I¡¯m going to go let the adults know that we¡¯re going to be gone for most of the day tomorrow. I¡¯ll tell them it¡¯s something to do with your parents. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll check, but you should go into the village today and talk to them to make sure they¡¯ll cover for us.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Won said.

    With their plans thus cemented, the meeting of the children broke up.

    Nearby, next to the pond where a certain spirit carp made his home, a fox, a rabbit, and a monkey were talking to a fish. They too were troubled by the appearance of another powerful cultivator, one whom they hadn¡¯t been getting to know for years and who was unpredictable.

    ¡°We remain under the lady and the lord¡¯s protection,¡± Elder Pike said calmly. ¡°I doubt that even if the fire lord becomes aware of our presence that he¡¯ll hunt us without their explicit permission.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Clover said. ¡°He smells like blood. I can tell that he¡¯s eaten spirit beasts in the past.¡±

    ¡°The children ate the snake that the Lord cooked for them,¡± Elder Pike pointed out.

    ¡°That was a snake who attacked him first,¡± Clover said. ¡°We don¡¯t know that--¡±

    ¡°Exactly. We don¡¯t know,¡± Elder pike said, interrupting her. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that he¡¯s innocent, nor that you should approach him with your belly up and ask him to put you in a pot. But he hasn¡¯t done anything to show us any malice. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t plan on going anywhere near him,¡± Thume said. ¡°It¡¯s not because I¡¯m afraid of him, but let¡¯s be honest, how many people do you actually reveal yourselves to on average? Aside from the kids and the adults on the farm, does anyone even know we¡¯re here? Why would we change this sort of policy just because a powerful cultivator showed up?¡±

    Ember nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯m going hunting in the north for a week or two. I don¡¯t think that he¡¯d hunt me for my skin, but I don¡¯t see the point in taking the risk. And it would be good to get back to the wild again.¡±

    Clover nodded. ¡°Okay. So we hide from him. That¡¯s good, I¡¯m good at hiding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not hiding,¡± Ember said, exasperated. ¡°It¡¯s being somewhere where the fire lord is not.¡±

    ¡°Right. So we¡¯re hiding,¡± Clover said.

    Ember sighed. ¡°Okay, fine, we hide.¡±

    Elder Pike sighed, but he too planned to feed in the depths of the pond, and generally make himself scarce until the powerful unknown cultivator left.

    ~~~~~~

    Lord Hara had been having a good couple of years. Ironically, the cultivator was largely responsible. Over the last ten years or so, the Qi in Susuka county had seemingly exploded. Whereas before the county had been quiet and poor, suddenly the produce and goods crafted by its people were actually worth exporting.

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    It was strange, thinking that a cultivator might actually care about the land and the people living on it. However, the results were undeniable. In an ever growing circle based around the little village where the cultivator made his home, there was a growing Qi oasis which was slowly transforming the entire province.

    Nobody outside had noticed quite yet, and Lord Hara was dreading the day that they did. He was not a particularly corpulent man, but he was no fighter either. Not with weapons, and not with the more subtle means that members of his caste typically enjoyed. If he were to face competition for his lofty position out in the middle of nowhere, he could think of only two choices.

    One was to abdicate. That would be the safest option. But it would also leave him with only his meager savings from his portion of the tax revenues of his province. While eighty percent of taxes were sent off to the capital, he was entitled to pay himself with whatever funds he did not spend on his official duties, going up to half of the remaining revenue.

    Any more than that would be corruption, but still, ten percent of tax revenue of a province could be a substantial amount. It  hadn¡¯t been  when Lord Hara had taken his position, but he had been steadily building a nest egg for his retirement.

    With the portion that he didn¡¯t pay himself, he had been reinvesting in roads and infrastructure. He¡¯d never really thought about the necessity of those things; he just had to have  something  to spend the money on and those had seemed like safe choices. When the empire had suddenly given him a grant to complete the projects which he¡¯d been slowly chipping away at twenty years ago, he had of course simply taken the money and used it for its designated purpose.

    After all, he didn¡¯t relish meeting the headsman, and that was the price of corruption.

    He was going over his ledgers when he heard a knock at the door to his modest hall. He frowned, wishing that he could afford some servants other than the crones who cleaned his home twice a week, but he was too frugal for live-in servants. So he rose to go answer the door himself.

    His eyes bulged out of his skull when his guests turned out to be little cultivators. Not so little in case of the teenager, but along with the other two children he recognized them immediately. He bowed respectfully to them in greeting.

    ¡°See? I told you he¡¯d do that,¡± Won said, grinning.

    ¡°Yeah yeah, okay. It¡¯s just weird,¡± Pao said. He sighed. ¡°Tan would be so confused if he saw this. He really doesn¡¯t think there¡¯s anything weird at all about the respect people give cultivators, but I don¡¯t think that includes  all  non-cultivators, not just the common people.¡±

    ¡°May we come inside, Lord Hara?¡± Ko asked. ¡°We have several questions that we¡¯re hoping you could answer for us.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Lord Hara said, cursing his hospitality even as he showed them to the sitting room. ¡°Would the young masters and mistress enjoy some tea?¡±

    ¡°No thanks,¡± Pao said for the group. ¡°And we¡¯re not the young master. That would be Tan. I think we¡¯re more like his attendants, although the Shens place less importance on things like that.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re right though, what does that mean for us?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°That we¡¯re his attendants,¡± Pao said. ¡°And his friends. Nothing changes, even if the Shens are who we think they might be.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re right here, we might as well ask. Lord Hara, we were hoping that you could educate us on the history of the imperial court.¡±

    Lord Hara blinked. He looked at them, then shrugged. It was an easy enough request to fulfill, but a thirsty one. ¡°You may not want some tea, but if I¡¯m going to be lecturing then  I  want some, and it¡¯s as easy to make four cups as one. I¡¯ll go heat the water while you make yourself comfortable.¡±

    ¡°You needn¡¯t bother,¡± Ko said. ¡°Just bring the water and we¡¯ll heat it for you.¡±

    Right, they had magic, Hara reminded himself. And they weren¡¯t above using it to help with everyday chores, either, he noted.

    Several moments later, everyone was seated in his sitting room with a steaming cup of tea in front of them, and Lord Hara began.

    ¡°For the previous six centuries, until fifty years ago, the Blue Dragon Empire was ruled by Haoatonian Shenlong, the water dragon of the north. He was a water cultivator without peer, said to have bonded the spirit of the oceans themselves. He was mighty, and he was just, and the lands were prosperous.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re ruled by the fire emperor,¡± Won protested.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m getting to that. About a century ago, Haoatonian decided that ruling wasn¡¯t enough for him. He decided that he had reached the pinnacle of what could be achieved on our world, and decided that it was time for him to ascend to the next. He knew that his responsibilities as emperor, however, would have created a heart demon that would have prevented his ascension, and that he could not leave the world behind without seeing to its needs.

    ¡°When he came to this conclusion, he came up with an answer. He needed an heir. So he courted the most powerful female cultivators in the world. He had quite the harem, according to the rumors. Unfortunately, while the body ages very slowly once a cultivator reaches a certain level, it often also leads to problems with fertility, and it was two decades before the first heir was born, and then another ten before the second.¡±

    For some reason, the children perked up at this.

    ¡°Anyway, the first heir was bound to mother Gaia, one of the most powerful earth spirits known to exist. The second heir was bonded to Solarius, a fire spirit of similar power. They were raised and educated to the highest standards that the emperor could manage. They toured the other three great empires and were fostered for a year by each of the other emperors. They learned well the matters of court, and fifty years ago, Haoatonian decided that he had fulfilled his responsibilities to the empire by siring such fine heirs.

    ¡°He ascended to the next world, and his eldest son ascended to the imperial throne.¡±

    ¡°But you said that the eldest son had an earth spirit,¡± Pao pointed out.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m getting to that. The earth emperor ruled for twenty years, during which time he fell in love with a water cultivator of peerless strength, and --¡±

    Suddenly, the various dots and data points that had been in Lord Hara¡¯s head began to connect themselves. He trembled as he continued.

    ¡°He fell in love, and decided that he hated ruling. He abdicated to his younger brother. The eldest brother ascended with his wife, and they ¡­ we have been ruled by the Fire Emperor ever since.¡±

    ¡°Do we know for certain that they ascended?¡± Pao asked. ¡°What if they just went into hiding?¡±

    ¡°It is nearly impossible for a cultivator on that level to hide for very long,¡± Lord Hara said. ¡°There would be signs of their presence. The land around them would burst with blessings and bounties, and ¡­ and ¡­ and I think that I have educated you enough on the matter. Would you perhaps mind leaving? I am a very busy man, and I need to get back to my paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Thank you for your time, Lord Hara,¡± Ko said. She got to her feet and bowed respectfully. The other children did the same.

    ¡°I knew I was right,¡± Won said as the door closed behind them. Lord Hara, left alone, found the strongest bottle of brandy that he possessed and began drinking from it directly.

    How could he possibly handle this situation?

    ?

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

    The three children held another conference on their way back home after meeting with Lord Hara. They sat on the side of the road on rocks that Pao called up from the earth to serve as stools, and they contemplated the situation.

    ¡°So then, it¡¯s official,¡± Won said. ¡°Tan is an imperial prince, Safron is a princess, and their parents are the former emperor and empress in hiding.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know that for certain,¡± Pao said. ¡°It could just be a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°There is no way that chance could line up a coincidence this big,¡± Won argued. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. It¡¯s obvious when you actually look at it. The question is what do we do about it?¡±

    ¡°Who says we have to do anything?¡± Ko asked. She looked at the boys and said ¡°I don¡¯t think that the Shens would want us to treat them differently now that we know the truth. Do you?¡±

    The boys frowned, but conceded the point. ¡°So, what, we just pretend that we don¡¯t know?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°We can¡¯t change the fact that we know,¡± Ko said. ¡°But yes, we act like nothing has changed. Because really, nothing has. The Shens have been who they are since before we knew about it. If they wanted us to treat them with more deference, they could have asked us to without revealing who they really were. They left the imperial court behind to escape that sort of treatment, I think. So yeah, we just keep being who we¡¯ve always been around them. That¡¯s what I say.¡±

    The boys frowned as they considered her words.

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain I can pretend,¡± Won admitted. ¡°I¡¯m going to just ask them. Tonight, when we get home.¡±

    His sister sighed, but didn¡¯t try to talk him out of it.

    Pao frowned, but said ¡°We should all do it together. It will be easiest if we just rip the bandage off and get it all over with at once.¡±

    With their course of action decided, the children rushed home.

    They found Tan and Safron playing with Renton at the top of the hill. With their friend and his little sister distracted, they found Tren in the fields, hoeing away. They decided they might as well get things out of the way, so they confronted him.

    ¡°Are you the former emperor?¡± Won asked bluntly.

    Tren paused his work, turning to the children. He cocked his head to the side, and asked ¡°What makes you ask that?¡±

    ¡°You have to be. There¡¯s too many things that only make sense if it¡¯s true,¡± Won insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t deny it.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t denying it, I was asking what gave me away,¡± Tren said. ¡°You¡¯re the first people to have seen through the ruse in decades.¡±

    ¡°So you  are ,¡± Won said, growing excited.

    ¡°Emphasis on  former  emperor. I left that life behind me, and I¡¯d appreciate it if you respect that. And I¡¯d ask you not to tell my children, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want them to know who they really are?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°I want them to know exactly who they are. That¡¯s why I¡¯m keeping the secret of who their grandfather was, and who their brother is, away from them. I want them to define themselves by  themselves  and not their heritage,¡± Tren explained. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them both when the time is right. I humbly request that you respect my wishes on the matter.¡±

    ¡°Does lady Wensho feel the same way?¡± Ko asked.

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    ¡°You can ask her yourself. But we are in agreement on most things of importance,¡± Tren said. He went back to his hoeing. ¡°Please don¡¯t treat us any differently than you have been before you figured it out. We rather enjoy the familiarity, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll try,¡± Pao said seriously. Then he glanced around and bowed humbly. ¡°Thank you, your majesty, for your guidance through the years.¡±

    The other children also bowed and repeated his words.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me chase you!¡± Tren scolded, and the children ran away at the faux anger in his voice.

    On the hill, Renton was guiding the understanding of his niece and nephew. He was grinning, enjoying himself, as he laid out profound truths.

    ¡°You have probably noticed by now, Tan, that the elements are directly linked to each other,¡± he was saying. ¡°Which element do you think that air is most closely linked to?¡±

    Tan frowned at the question, giving it some thought. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly certain. Maybe fire? Since fire can¡¯t exist without air. But air exists without fire, so¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what happens to air when you remove the fire Qi from within it?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°It gets cold.¡±

    ¡°Cold and still. In the dark places of the world, where the sun does not shine, there is air that is cold and dead and poisonous to breath. It craves the fire that is denied it, to the point where if you introduce but a spark it will mix with the air and cause an explosion the likes of which will shake the earth,¡± Renton explained. ¡°And at the same time, the fire Qi in many objects like wood and oil may lie dormant and grow cold if you do not ignite them in the presence of air. But it is there all the same. You¡¯re right that fire does not exist without the presence of air, but none of the elements exist without the others.¡±

    ¡°So you think that air and fire are linked?¡± he asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re  all  linked, Tan,¡± Renton insisted. ¡°But if they were to be married, then I would say that Air and Fire are wed, and that Earth and Water are likewise husband and wife. They are, together, a unified whole, but they are also individuals, and they are also two and two. Does that make sense?¡±

    Tan frowned, his lip pouting slightly as he considered the matter. ¡°No, not really,¡± he admitted eventually. ¡°But I¡¯ll think about it until it does.¡±

    ¡°Good lad,¡± Renton said, grinning. ¡°Now, the reason I¡¯m explaining this to you is because your sister is also a fire cultivator, just like me. As she grows, I expect you to do your duties as a big brother and fan her flames. Working together, you can achieve heights which you can barely imagine right now. Why, some day, you might even challenge the emperor himself to a sparing match! Wouldn¡¯t that be incredible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like the emperor would waste time with the Shen family,¡± Tan said, chuckling. ¡°Stop being stupid, Uncle Renton.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± Renton said, grinning. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no way anyone would believe that the emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire would spend his time visiting family in such an obscure and isolated location as this. Now come on, let¡¯s see what my brother has been teaching you. Come at me like I¡¯m truly your enemy and the only way you can succeed in your objectives is to end my life.¡±

    Tan nodded, took his stance, and blasted his uncle with an intense ray of intent.

    ¡°Oh! Very good, very good,¡± Renton praised. ¡°But how about  this ?¡±

    Tan staggered as the overwhelming intent hit him. He kept his feet, however, and met the intent with his own, pushing it back even as it continued to blast him. He took one heavy step forward, then another, as the weight of Renton¡¯s soul continued to press down on him.

    Then, suddenly, it was gone.

    ¡°Very, very good Tan,¡± Renton praised. ¡°I can tell how hard you¡¯ve been working at that. Rest some while I fight your sister, then we¡¯ll train your intent some more.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to actually fight?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°We can later. But I¡¯m only here for a week, and your parents have told me how hard it is for you to properly form their intent against them. It will be best if you practice against someone you barely know, I think. So we¡¯ll focus on that for a while, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± Tan agreed. He plopped down right where he was and began meditating, pulling in the lessons that he had just learned.

    He watched with half an eye as his little sister attacked her uncle with everything she could bring to bear. Being only in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, that wasn¡¯t very much. But she still shot sparks at him and came at him with her fists, which the man dodged and avoided with a wry grin on his face.

    Renton was certainly enjoying this little family visit.

    ?

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    ¡°So my brother tells me that you¡¯ve figured out who he is, and by extension that means that you know who I am,¡± the emperor said to three of his subjects.

    The children froze, and began to bow to the ruler of their lands, but he made a motion for them to stop.

    ¡°I honestly get quite enough of that as it is. This is a vacation. I will have no pomp or ceremony while I¡¯m on vacation,¡± Renton declared. ¡°Tomorrow, when we train, I expect you to treat me with no more respect than you¡¯ve shown me already as a visiting elder to your little sect that my brother has established for himself.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Renton,¡± the children said.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°And obviously don¡¯t actually tell my niece or nephew either. It¡¯s absolutely adorable that they don¡¯t know the truth and I don¡¯t want it spoiled for them.¡±

    He retreated, leaving the children to finish getting ready for bed.

    In the morning, after everyone had finished their chores and eaten breakfast, Tan and his friends faced off against his uncle together.

    And lost miserably, of course. Renton did not hold back with his intent one bit, and even divided four ways it was all the children could do to remain on their feet. They struggled to overcome the insurmountable challenge, launching attacks that were easily deflected, only to be launched through the air by casual blows from the adult.

    He praised them for their efforts, however.

    ¡°I¡¯m barely holding back at all,¡± he informed them. ¡°Seriously, you kids are doing fantastic! I wish that everyone I worked with was so capable at this stage in their cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t burn them out,¡± Tren said, watching the proceedings from the corner of the field. ¡°I¡¯ve been careful not to crush them, so don¡¯t ruin all of my hard work so far because you thought a little tough love was warranted.¡±

    ¡°I know better than anyone when to hold back and when not to,¡± Renton argued, casually deflecting a burst of ice Qi from Ko while returning it with a burst of intent. She staggered and struggled to reform her control over her element.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying. They¡¯re in a delicate stage of their training. You know that the period where your first learning Intent is one of the most critical stages,¡± Tren said as Tan swooped in and launched a series of serious blows against his uncle.

    ¡°I do know that, which is why I  am  being careful,¡± Renton said, casually catching his nephews attacks before launching the boy flying with a sudden kick.

    ¡°This is being careful?¡± Tren asked as Pao planted his feet and came in, sweating and breathing heavily under the weight of the man¡¯s intent. He attacked, launching powerful punches that Renton was forced to dodge rather than block.

    ¡°I can be careful and firm at the same time,¡± Renton argued. ¡°I¡¯m complicated like that.¡±

    He caught Pao¡¯s wrist during a punch, twisted, and used the boy¡¯s momentum to send him flying in a throw.

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    At this moment, Tan and Won put together the attack that they had been building for some time. Tan filled the area around Renton with wind Qi, while Won abruptly ignited it, causing the air to burst into flames, engulfing the master fire cultivator in flames.

    He laughed as the air around him burned. Then he hit the children with another wave of intent and knocked them out of sync. The flame died, and he stood over them, unburnt.

    ¡°That was very good. Against another cultivator who wasn¡¯t focused on fire cultivation, you might have singed my hair,¡± He praised.

    The children recovered from the intent and launched another attack.

    The sparring continued until the children were utterly exhausted, at which point Renton called an end to the match, praising them and sending them to the cultivation hill to reflect on their lessons.

    Once the children were gone, Renton sat with his brother on the edge of the sparring field and sighed, looking at the sun. ¡°This place is delightful. I can see why you don¡¯t want to go back.¡±

    Tren acknowledged the words with a grunt. Then he sighed. ¡°To be honest, for the first ten years I thought I¡¯d made a mistake,¡± he admitted. ¡°It took me a while to stir up the dragon veins in this Qi desert and turn out a crop that was actually worth harvesting. Before that, I could grow food, but it was only fit for commoners.¡±

    ¡°And now? I can sense the life Qi in the crops you¡¯re growing from miles away. What are you doing with all that you produce here?¡± Renton asked. ¡°I think I¡¯d know if you¡¯re selling it.¡±

    Tren sighed and held out his hand, which had a storage ring on it. ¡°It¡¯s all here,¡± he admitted.

    Renton laughed. ¡°Oh my, really?¡±

    ¡°Except for what I¡¯ve been eating and feeding the family, yes,¡± Tren said. ¡°It¡¯s too high quality to put it on the market. If I did that, people would come looking for the farmer who grew it. So I just harvest it all, then throw the harvest in the ring and let it sit in stasis. It¡¯s still as fresh as the day I harvested it, so there¡¯s no rush to offload it before it rots like a normal farmer would have. Someday, when the kids are grown I think, I¡¯ll flood the market and get payment for the labor I¡¯ve put in. Until then¡­¡±

    Tren shrugged.

    Renton nodded. ¡°I could take some of it for you, you know. Give you the coin of what it¡¯s worth and not tell anyone where it came from. It would be just one more imperial secret.¡±

    Tren shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t need the money. I didn¡¯t take much when I left, but the coin that I did take is enough to keep living without drawing much attention to myself for another six decades, if nothing changes.¡±

    Renton nodded. ¡°Yes, but, my brother, that¡¯s something you can¡¯t count on. Especially with two precocious children who will one day soon be extremely powerful cultivators. Tan is already at the point where he could become an inner sect disciple at the majority of the sects in the empire. The other children you¡¯re raising to be his quartet aren¡¯t far behind. And I doubt that little Safron will be any different.¡±

    Tren sighed. ¡°Yes, I think you¡¯re right. The quiet days are coming to an end, as all things do.¡±

    He sighed, then turned to his brother and nodded. ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll start selling you my harvests. The children might need the money soon, and it¡¯ll be better to have it on hand than to have to turn the crops into cash when the time comes.¡±

    Renton grinned. ¡°My court is going to be absolutely stunned at the sudden quality of the imperial rice and cabbages, I think.¡±

    Tren laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it, brother.¡±

    They shook hands, and Tren transferred several tons of high-quality, Qi infused produce into his brother¡¯s storage ring.

    Renton¡¯s eyes went wide as he realized that he now had to cash the check that his mouth had written. ¡°Um, you know I don¡¯t carry this much gold on me, right?¡± he said nervously.

    Tren grinned at him, and they began to talk business.

    ?

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54

    ¡°What are your plans for when you grow up, Tan?¡± Renton asked on the fourth day of his visit. They were working in the field together, hoeing and weeding and checking the crops for bugs. Renton was completely hopeless and Tan had to check to make sure that he was doing it properly, which was annoying.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but whatever I do I¡¯ll be better at it than you are at farming,¡± he teased his uncle.

    Renton laughed. But although there was a smile on his face, he wasn¡¯t about to let the topic drop. ¡°Do you want to be a farmer, Tan? You don¡¯t have an earth or a water spirit, and those are the best for growing crops.¡±

    ¡°People grow crops without being cultivators,¡± Tan pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t need to use magic to infuse the fields and the crops like my parents do. Anyway, I think I kind of figured something out when you had me help with the cherry trees. I¡¯m still working on it, but I think that it¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°Plants breathe too. Same as us, except they breath in dead air and give it life, and we breath in live air and live off of it, turning it into dead air,¡± Tan explained. He frowned. ¡°I¡¯m still figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t focus entirely on the ¡®air¡¯ part of what you¡¯re thinking, Tan. What else do plants do?¡± Renton pressed, sensing that the boy was on the edge of something.

    Tan frowned. ¡°They grow. Without eating anything. And they soak in the sunshine, so I guess they feed on fire Qi too. And they need soil and water ¡­¡± he frowned, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out. Eventually. When I do I think I can use wind Qi to help plants grow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hopeful for you, Tan. You¡¯re smart enough that you just might,¡± Renton said, grinning. ¡°However, I¡¯m serious about my question. What are your dreams for being an adult? What do you see yourself doing when your parents are no longer in charge of your life?¡±

    Tan frowned, covering up a root that his uncle had exposed with his own hoe and thinking as he killed a weed his uncle had missed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not really sure what else there is aside from farming,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°You¡¯re a strong cultivator, Tan. You could just do that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Tan laughed. ¡°And what will I do about food if all I do is sit around growing stronger every day?¡±

    ¡°You can have people bring it to you,¡± Renton informed him. ¡°If you joined a sect and became one of their elders, you¡¯d never want for anything. You could spend all of your time cultivating and leave the small details of daily life to the juniors in the sect, who would give much for your insights into the dao and the process of cultivation.¡±

    Tan frowned. ¡°People really live like that?¡±

    ¡°They do,¡± Renton said. ¡°So that¡¯s one option to think about. Here¡¯s another. When you turn sixteen, you can come work for me.¡±

    ¡°What do you do, anyway?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I tell other people what to do,¡± Renton explained. ¡°I¡¯m the bossiest boss that ever bossed around. But that¡¯s not what you¡¯d do if you came to work with me. I need people I can trust to investigate things, to solve problems. To kill demon beasts and solve issues between people who aren¡¯t getting along like they should. There¡¯s a lot of things you could do, and we¡¯d train you to do them all.¡±

    Tan frowned. ¡°Okay. What if I hate it?¡±

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    ¡°Then you can always quit and go back to farming,¡± Renton said, a grin on his face. He paused, and Tan sensed him gathering fire Qi. He smelled the sun, and felt it as Renton infused the plants, ground, and even the water in the soil with his Qi.

    One of the plants nearby caught on fire, and Tan quickly stamped it out.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Renton said.

    Tan glared at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave that to the people who know what they¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°Just trying to be helpful,¡± Renton said sheepishly.

    Tan continued to glare at him. Then he pulled on his own Qi, infusing the plants and soil and water. Not with living air, but with the dead air that plants seemed to crave.

    They kept working, talking occasionally, but mostly they worked. In the afternoon, they flew out to the lake and fished, with Tan telling the story about how he had caught Elder Pike the spirit carp. Renton perked up at that.

    ¡°There¡¯s a spirit animal in the pond?¡± he asked at the conclusion of the story.

    ¡°Yeah. Except in the winter. In the winter the spirit animals of the farm turn into humans and live in the old house,¡± Tan informed him.

    ¡°Spirit animals? Plural?¡± Renton asked. ¡°How many live here?¡±

    ¡°Four of them. A rabbit, fox, a monkey and the carp,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Do you think you could introduce me? I¡¯ve never met a spirit animal that hadn¡¯t been hunted and cooked for me,¡± Renton said.

    Tan glanced at him. ¡°You eat them?¡±

    Renton looked a bit sheepish. ¡°Not ¡­ I don¡¯t exactly go out of my way to order people to hunt them. Not unless they¡¯re attacking people. But when they do, what are we going to do with the flesh  except  for eat it?¡±

    Tan gave his uncle a funny look. ¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡±

    Renton sighed. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ complicated. People try to please me, and in doing so they often make mistakes. Some spirit animals attack humans and they have to be dealt with. But sometimes spirit animals that are peaceful are attacked, and although I try to discourage that, I can¡¯t exactly disprove it when they say that a spirit wolf has been killing the sheep of a shepherd, and various other examples of spirit animals being ¡­ well, animals I suppose. So when someone presents me with the body of a spirit animal that they claim to have hunted for cause, I can¡¯t exactly string them up without proof that they were doing it just for profit.¡±

    ¡°So you eat them,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Respectfully. Yes. I pay homage to their lingering spirits and consume their flesh, as is natural in the cycle of life and death,¡± Renton said. ¡°In a way, it¡¯s an honor for them to be consumed by me, although I¡¯d rather that it didn¡¯t come to that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain that they¡¯d see it as an honor, Uncle Renton,¡± Tan said, scrunching his nose. ¡°If you don¡¯t like people feeding you spirit animals, why don¡¯t you yell at them and send them away when they try to cook it for you? If people thought that it made you angry instead of happy, there wouldn¡¯t be any profit in it and so they¡¯d stop doing it except when the spirit animals actually caused problems.¡±

    Renton opened his mouth to say something and paused. ¡°Huh,¡± he said. ¡°I guess when I realized that I was being served spirit animals, I looked back on how many I¡¯d eaten without being aware of it. I didn¡¯t want the people who were just following traditions to realize how upsetting it was ¡­ but you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll try to change the policy, but it might take some time.¡±

    Tan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d feel pretty bad if someone killed Clover or Elder Pike just to eat them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can understand that. Do you think that they¡¯d meet me?¡±

    ¡°Not if they can smell that you¡¯ve been eating others like them,¡± Tan said bluntly.

    Renton hung his head. ¡°They probably can, can¡¯t they?¡± He sighed and cast his line again. ¡°Oh well.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    On the seventh day of his visit, Renton spent the morning helping his nephew with his chores before breakfast, and then went out to the orchard to check on the trees that he had planted for his brother. He was a little surprised at just how readily they had taken to their new homes; after he had spent months cautiously tending to them and coaxing them out of their seeds, the saplings had exploded in the Qi rich soil of the Shen family farm.

    ¡°They should blossom this year,¡± He said.

    ¡°If not this year, then the next,¡± his brother said, startling Renton. He glanced over his shoulder.

    ¡°Did you just purposefully sneak up on me?¡± he asked accusingly.

    ¡°Gotta keep you on your toes somehow,¡± Tren said, smiling. ¡°So then. You said you¡¯d stay for a week and it¡¯s been a week. Are we going to do this or what?¡±

    Renton sighed, taking his hand off the tree he had been examining. ¡°They¡¯re fine children. I won¡¯t question you on that, or your decisions in raising them the way that you have been. I approve of that wholeheartedly, and am a little envious of them to be honest. I think they have had a much happier childhood than either of us.¡±

    ¡°And here¡¯s the but,¡± Tren said, his tone serious despite the smile on his face.

    ¡°But,¡± Renton admitted, ¡°When you  do  tell them who they really are, what then? Tan can read well enough, and I¡¯m certain that Safron will be no less educated when she¡¯s his age. But if he decides to come to court, and I would welcome him with open arms if he did, then he¡¯ll be significantly behind his peers.¡±

    ¡°Would it matter?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°Not to me,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°But, still, there are ways to prepare him for life at court that you aren¡¯t exploring. I could send a tutor, one with clear lines on what topics not to address, that would at least educate him on how things are. He¡¯s a smart kid, he could --¡±

    ¡°Fine. You find a tutor and me and Wensho will interview them. If we approve, then they can live on the farm and teach our children,¡± Tren said.

    Renton blinked. ¡°Oh. Okay. I¡¯ll be honest, I was expecting more resistance. I had this whole speech planned out about allowing flowers to bloom by giving them the light of an education and ¡­ okay fine. I¡¯ll find someone that neither you nor your wife will find objectionable and send them.¡±

    ¡°Is that all that¡¯s been troubling you?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°No. We need to talk about Safron. If  I  noticed, then I¡¯m certain that you and Wensho have noticed as well,¡± Renton said.

    ¡°The Qi block? Yes. We¡¯re aware. We¡¯re hoping that, now that she¡¯s cultivating, the situation will resolve itself with time. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing, and that is the same advice we¡¯ve gotten from every expert in the matter we¡¯ve consulted. And we¡¯ve consulted the best, you can believe that,¡± Tren said.

    Renton nodded. ¡°But if it doesn¡¯t resolve itself? What then?¡±

    ¡°Then when the time comes, we consult the best healers in the world once more, bring them together, and select the course of action which will give her the best future,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Has she been examined by any of these experts?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°Wensho has sent a memory-doll to each of them of Safron¡¯s meridians,¡± Tren said. He frowned. ¡°Although admittedly it¡¯s been a while since the last time.¡±

    Renton nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll send my best doctors to Lima city. You can arrange the examination from there, so as not to intrude on this home you¡¯ve built for yourself,¡± he said. ¡°If they all agree that the best action to take is to wait, then so be it. But if it doesn¡¯t resolve itself ¡­ I will not see my niece wither on the vine, brother.¡±

    ¡°And I won¡¯t see that happen to my daughter, Renton,¡± Tren agreed. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ve been monitoring the situation closely, you can believe that. But you¡¯re right, it is time to become more proactive in the matter. When you are ready to have the doctors contact us, use the local lord, Lord Hara, as a proxy. He probably knows who we really are and has done his best to respect our privacy even before it was made obvious to him.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Renton said. He stood, awkwardly for a moment, then sighed. ¡°I really need to be getting back. I¡¯ll say goodbye to the children and then take off.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome back anytime. Just don¡¯t burn down the vegetable garden next time, okay?¡±

    Renton grinned sheepishly. He went and said goodbye to Safron, and then Tan and the other children as a group. Once everyone was together, he stood in the center of them, scratching his head.

    ¡°Okay, so how does this technique go again?¡± he said jokingly, then he turned into lightning and flashed off into the sky.

    The Shens watched the afterimage of his Qi fade back into the environment, then turned and went back to work. There was always something that needed doing on the Shen farm. Even when things were slow, they never really stopped.

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    Renton¡¯s departure marked a return to normalcy for the Shen household. While the adults and the children had genuinely enjoyed his presence, and the children especially had benefited from his mentoring, he had about him a sort of high-strung energy that prevented anyone else from truly relaxing. Of the entire household, only Safron was truly sad to see her uncle go. Everyone else had had their fill.

    It also marked the return of the spirit animals, who had made themselves scarce during the visit. Soon after he had vanished over the horizon as a bolt of lightning, the children began catching glimpses of Ember the fox, and clover poked her head out of the complex beneath the cultivation hill, cuddling up to Safron to comfort the distraught girl.

    The children once again were able to talk to and play with Elder Pike, and Thume began to make a nuisance of himself once more.

    Life returned to normal. Everyone was happy, having a lazy summer tending the farm.

    The attack came out of nowhere.

    Clover was happily munching away on the grass in the new orchard. She was reflecting on the changes to the Qi in the area, happily minding her own business as rabbits do. Suddenly she felt a shiver of intent. She shuddered and looked around, annoyed that the children would draw her into their games when suddenly a shadow, and claws in her back, an she was swept up into the air by a predator.

    At first the part of her brain that had always been a rabbit  panicked  as it realized that it was about to die.

    Then the part of her mind that was more than it had been forced her to calm down. It was only a falcon, she reflected, and she wasn¡¯t just a rabbit any longer.

    She  Popped  and changed back into a woman, and the claws lost their grip on her back. She fell thirty feet from the air, but that was nothing to her. The falcon screeched and circled back, confused over what had just happened to its lunch.

    ¡°Hey! I saw that!¡± Tan called from atop the hill, and then he launched himself into the air to chase the falcon.

    The falcon, realizing that there was more to this farm than it had initially thought, turned and fled.

    Only for a flying monkey to appear from another angle.

    ¡°Clover is my friend!¡± the monkey screeched. ¡°How dare you!¡±

    The falcon squawked back at the monkey and tried once more to flee, changing its angle and putting on speed, but the wind turned against it. The wind, which had always been its friend, was violent and turbulent, and the falcon was driven from the sky rather than held aloft.

    The boy landed above it, pinning it to the ground with his knee for a moment before scooping its wings behind its back and pinning them in the ¡®up¡¯ position, the way that one would hold a chicken. The falcon squawked in outrage and tried to peck at the boy, but the boy was having none of that. He quickly ran to his parents to explain what had just happened.

    The parents conferred for a moment while the boy held the falcon, who was seriously wondering what the hell was happening at this point. The adults spoke to the boy, who was still outraged that his friend, Clover the Rabbit, had been attacked by this interloper. His parents took a more serene view of the matter, however, pointing out that it was the nature of falcons to eat rabbits, and that if Clover wasn¡¯t special then nobody would have been upset by its actions at all.

    The boy insisted on punishing the falcon anyway, and the adults relented. The falcon thought that its days were over, but instead it was blindfolded and placed in a cage in a shed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll give it a time out,¡± Wensho told her son as she closed the door of the shed behind her. ¡°In a few days we¡¯ll let it go far from the farm, and hopefully that¡¯s the last we¡¯ll ever see of it.¡±

    In the darkness, the falcon was silent as it contemplated what had just happened to it. Then, it began to hear whispers. It didn¡¯t really understand the whispers, but suddenly it sensed something trying to merge with it.

    It felt a burning heat, and it began to molt.

    The adults came to check on it and realized that, when they had placed it in the same shack as the spirit stones, they had unintentionally given it an opportunity to become a spirit animal. They fed it chunks of meat and, once the children had calmed down in a day or two, Tren took it twenty miles away. He kept the blindfold on and spoke to it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not certain if you¡¯ll remember us or not when you become more than you were, but if you do, know that we don¡¯t hate you despite what you did,¡± The man said to the falcon. ¡°If you keep the peace of the farm, then you will be welcomed back. If you hunt my animals, however, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be unwelcome and we¡¯ll have to deal with you, one way or the other.¡±

    He took the blindfold off and threw the falcon into the air. The falcon caught the wind and flew away.

    It¡¯s life changed, after that. It began to think more clearly, its thoughts coming in bits and bursts at first, but it gradually began to understand that there was more to the wold than just eating and sleeping.

    It thought back to that little farm, and it flew back to where it was. It saw the rabbit again and although it was hungry and wouldn¡¯t mind a snack, it knew better than to repeat its past mistake. Instead it flew down and landed on a fence post while the woman of the farm was beating a rug.

    ¡°You¡¯re back, huh?¡± the woman said to the falcon. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, just no attacking the rabbit, the fox, or the chickens.¡±

    The falcon squawked. Then, realizing that she didn¡¯t understand, it struggled to form  words . ¡°Teach. Me?¡±

    The woman paused. She sighed. ¡°We¡¯re not responsible for everyone who learns to cultivate just because they know where we live, little one,¡± she said. ¡°But if you vow to watch over the farm and protect it from any threats, and to help guide the Qi in the area into the natural pattern that it should be once you¡¯re strong enough, then yes, we¡¯ll teach you to be more than you were before. What is your name?¡±

    The falcon paused. It considered the woman¡¯s words, understanding them as it never had in the before. Then it carefully chose a name for itself.

    ¡°Freedom,¡± it said.

    And that is how Freedom the falcon became part of the Shen farm.

    ?

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    The four previous spirit animals of the farm were conferring on the matter of the recent arrival of a freshly awakened predator. Clover was, understandably, not terribly happy at the development. She hadn¡¯t been terribly hurt by the attack, but she still had scratches on her back that would have left a scar were it not for Wensho¡¯s miraculous healing abilities.

    The other animals were less wary of the new addition and were trying to reassure her that now that the Shens were involved in the matter, they would see to it that Freedom didn¡¯t attack her or any of the other sentient animals of the farm again.

    It was during this debate near the pond, where such debates almost always took place due to Elder Pike¡¯s inability to walk on land while not in human form, that a rustling was heard. The animals turned, and a large boar stepped out of the bush and walked forward.

    ¡°Thume, here you are,¡± the voice said, it¡¯s voice slow and methodical. ¡°I was wondering where you went to.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oh, hi Tremble,¡± The monkey said, scratching itself. ¡°I sort of forgot you existed. Hey everyone, this is Tremble. We used to be neighbors. What are you doing this far away from your den?¡±

    ¡°I abandoned it,¡± Tremble said. ¡°I am at a roadblock in my elevation of my self, ever since the bratty little children appeared and stole my sacred stone. I do not know how to surpass myself to reach the next level, and so I have decided to go on a journey. This journey led me here, to the center of the power that has been infusing the land.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oh that¡¯s right, I remember hearing you squealing as you chased those kids. You sort of got me into trouble you know. I was looking for the stone they stole from you when I drew their attention, and then they stole all of my stones as well,¡± Thume said.

    ¡°Dirty little brats,¡± the boar said. ¡°Taking what isn¡¯t theirs. Their parents should teach them a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Well, actually, they sort of were teaching them a lesson when they sent them to gather spirit stones,¡± Clover explained. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. But the kids probably didn¡¯t realize that you were awakened or they might have acted differently. The Shen family has a lot of respect for spirit animals like us.¡±

    ¡°Is that what we are?¡± Tremble asked. ¡°I was wondering why I was different from my mother and my siblings. But ever since I awakened, I have sought to better myself by reaching a higher understanding of the Earth. I do not know what drives this obsession.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you poor dear,¡± Elder Pike said. ¡°I remember that confusion myself. But don¡¯t worry, you get better with age. How old are you?¡±

    ¡°I do not understand. What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°How many years has it been since you awakened, and do you remember how many years old you were when that happened?¡± the fish clarified. ¡°How many winters do you remember?¡±

    The boar thought for a moment. ¡°I have been awakened for three years now. I awoke as a piglet, I think. That is how I know I was different from my siblings. But my memories of my youth are fuzzy and indistinct.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± the fish said. He paused to consider, then said ¡°You should speak with Master Shen. He might help you break through the bottleneck you¡¯re experiencing in your cultivation. He cultivates the Earth like you do, and is perhaps one of the strongest cultivators in the world.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Will he not roast me on top of a fire if I approach him?¡± Tremble asked.

    ¡°I assure you he will not. Not if you approach him and reveal your nature,¡± Pike said confidently. ¡°I had the same concern when I approached him through his son.¡±

    ¡°I see. I do not think I will approach him as a boar, however. Thume, might you do me a favor and steal me a pair of pants?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure Tremble,¡± the monkey said, and he flew off to his tree house, where he¡¯d stashed his winter clothes. When he came back, the boar  Popped  and turned into a middle aged man with a blunt, somewhat ugly face and mismatched eyes. He dressed and walked towards the farm.

    A little girl was in the yard and saw him coming. She turned and ran into the house screaming ¡°Mom, mom, there¡¯s a walking pig-man without a shirt! He¡¯s ugly!¡±

    Wensho appeared a moment later, took in the situation, and greeted the guest with a polite nod. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve come for lessons as well?¡± she asked. ¡°There seems to be a lot of that going around lately.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I am here to speak with you about the spirit stone your children stole from me last year,¡± the boar-man said.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Wensho said. She blinked in surprise. ¡°I guess that wasn¡¯t very neighborly of us, was it? Come inside. We¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t find something that will fit you better than those pants you¡¯re wearing, and maybe give you a shirt to wear as well. Once my husband comes in from the field, we¡¯ll have a mature discussion over what happened, if that¡¯s agreeable.¡±

    Tremble nodded, and he stepped inside the manor, where he was given better clothes to wear and ate a bit of cabbage stew. When Tren arrived, he explained in detail how the children had stolen the spirit stone from him during their quest the previous year and requested to be compensated for the loss.

    Tren scratched the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, I guess that I can see why you¡¯d be upset. Would you accept a replacement stone in its place?¡±

    ¡°The loss of the stone has also crippled my cultivation,¡± Tremble said. ¡°I understand that you are a very wise man who is much further down the path that I wish to follow. I would take a stone and some guidance from you as recompense for the theft. If that is agreeable, then I will be satisfied.¡±

    Tren considered the matter for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Alright. Follow me.¡±

    He brought Tremble out to the spirit-stone shed, where Tremble just about fell over at the wealth contained within. He shot the father of the thieves an amazed look, but the man just shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m a collector, of sorts,¡± Tren said. ¡°You can pick any one you like. But only one, I think. One was stolen and one was returned, with the lessons in the way of the earth as compensation for lost time. That is the bargain.¡±

    Tremble trembled, and stepped into the shed. He took forty minutes in his selection, emerging with a small stone that gave off intense spiritual energy despite being no larger than his palm. Tren nodded at the selection.

    ¡°You may sleep in the guest house if you like, or make your own arrangements. Keep the clothes and keep them clean if you can. Come to me tomorrow and we¡¯ll begin your lessons in cultivating the earth.¡±

    Tremble nodded in thanks and walked back out into the forest.

    He returned the next day, when he was given a hoe and set to work in the fields. He grumbled at the work at first, but got into the swing of things after an hour or two as he listened to the wisdom that Tren so casually dished out as they worked side by side.

    And that is how the Shen farm got another farmhand.

    ?

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57

    Despite the expectations that Freedom would have an air spirit bound to him, it was actually a fire spirit which burned within the falcon¡¯s body. And so Won sat in the forest with a falcon and a five year old girl listening to him lecture on his budding understanding of fire one evening when a sudden hooting caught his attention.

    He turned, and was surprised to see a majestic owl on the branches nearby. Suddenly a  Pop!  And the owl was a young woman. Without clothes. Won blushed deeply, and Safron ran off to tell her mother ¡°Mom, it¡¯s happening again! There¡¯s a naked lady in the orchard!¡±

    ¡°Hello young master,¡± the owl-woman said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not actually the young master. I¡¯m his friend,¡± Won said to the spirit animal. ¡°I think that you should speak with the adults if you¡¯re looking for something. I¡¯m just a kid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a powerful cultivator in your own right,¡± The owl argued. ¡°You aren¡¯t nearly as surprised by my transformation as I thought you¡¯d be.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, yeah. Once you¡¯ve seen one, you¡¯ve seen them all,¡± Won said. Then he blushed deeper as he realized that wasn¡¯t the best thing to say.

    The spirit animal chuckled at his shyness. ¡°I admit that I only just arrived last night. I came seeking the center of the growing spiritual oasis that began to empower my hunting territory over the last year. I wished to pay homage to your sect and thank you for its bounty.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not really a sect,¡± Won said. ¡°I mean, we kind fo are, but not officially. Master Tren is, well it¡¯s complicated. But he and his wife, Wensho, are just raising their kids, and they¡¯re teaching a few disciples. It¡¯s nothing formal.¡±

    ¡°Even so I have benefited, and it is only right that I give thanks,¡± the Owl-lady said. ¡°Will you lead me to this Master Tren?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. Um, maybe his wife first, to get you some clothes?¡±

    ¡°Whatever you think is best. You may call me Mouser.¡±

    Mouser followed him out of the orchard and to the main house, where Wensho met him halfway with a robe for the bird-woman to wear. She donned it and was shown into the main dining room, where she was served a cup of tea.

    The owl-woman luxuriated over the cup, sniffing it and tasting it slowly. ¡°I thank you for your hospitality, Lady Wensho.¡±

    ¡°May I ask why you are here?¡± Wensho inquired.

    ¡°To give my thanks for the increased bounty I have noticed. I have been suspicious of the increasing amounts of Qi for a while, but only recently decided to investigate. When it became clear that the phenomena I noticed had a definitive center, I came to see what was here, and found your wondrous farm with its miracles,¡± Mouser explained. ¡°I live at the periphery of the increasing Qi fields, but even if I do not shift my territory to be nearer the epicenter, I believe that it will not be long before the benefits are undeniable to my own cultivation. So I am here to give thanks.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Wensho said. She shrugged. ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcome. We¡¯re not doing it for you. Most of it is just a passive effect of us living on the land and raising our children. You¡¯re welcome to live wherever you want, so don¡¯t feel like you owe us anything if you decide to live nearby. Just don¡¯t hunt the rabbit or the chickens and we¡¯ll get along fine.¡±

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    ¡°I understand,¡± Mouser said. ¡°Might I spend the night and meet your family? I donned this form on a whim to try to communicate with your children, but I find that now that I have taken it, it is intriguing.¡±

    Wensho shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to spend the night. I¡¯ll make up the guest room, and you can spend the night here as a human, or you can leave whenever you want and take your natural form. You can keep the clothes and stash them somewhere for the next time you decide to interact with humans. You¡¯ll cause quite a ruckus if you show up in a village without them, so I¡¯d recommend against that.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the spirit-animal said.

    So Mouser spent the night, meeting the children and the master of the house and the spirit-boar who was helping to grow rice and cabbages as though he were a human man. When Tremble told her of the other spirit animals, Tan volunteered to show her to the pond where Elder Pike resided, and she jumped at the chance.

    Pike noticed the two wind-cultivators approaching and stuck his head out of the water to greet them.

    ¡°Ho there, young lady. Some sort of bird, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡± Pike asked.

    ¡°My natural form is that of an owl, yes,¡± Mouser agreed. She bowed respectfully. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet a peer. I can sense the weight of age upon you. I myself have seen forty winters.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re forty?¡± Tan asked. He blinked in surprise, eyeing the woman up and down. ¡°You don¡¯t look it.¡±

    ¡°Well, I am pleased to meet my junior,¡± Elder Pike said, amusement in his voice. ¡°What will you do now?¡±

    ¡°I think that I might move my nest closer to the center of the Qi phenomena that is invigorating the area,¡± she admitted. ¡°So I may swing by again to speak with you, if that is alright.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome by the shores of my home anytime, my lady,¡± the fish said. And Tan could have sworn that, somehow, despite being a fish, Pike managed to bow to the owl-lady.

    He shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going back inside. If you¡¯re going to spend the night, you can either come with me or make your own way back.¡±

    ¡°I think I would like to speak with Elder Pike for a while,¡± Mouser admitted.

    ¡°Alright. See you later,¡± Tan said, and he flew back home.

    When they were alone, the owl turned to the fish. ¡°There is another like us who lives nearby. Should she also come and pay homage?¡±

    ¡°What is her natural form?¡± Pike asked.

    ¡°She is a doe. Like you, she has bonded a water spirit,¡± Mouser explained. ¡°Is that a problem? Will they hunt her if they knew of her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They had an opportunity to eat me, Clover the Rabbit, and they have welcomed a wild boar into their own home and are guiding it in the path of cultivation. I think that if they were aware of one more of us, they would only express a mild interest, if that,¡± Pike answered.

    ¡°I shall meet with her tomorrow and instruct her to come pay homage to the master of this land,¡± Mouser declared. ¡°I will leave you now, Elder Pike. I am very curious to see more of the Shen household.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll join you,¡± Pike said. Then he  Popped  into the form of an old man and dressed in the clothes that were stashed in a cache nearby. Once he was dressed, he returned with her to the Shen household, where they had a pleasant evening exchanging in the gossip of the forest and the village.

    ?

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    Tan dreamed that he was having a dream.

    He was flying, but that¡¯s not how he knew it was a dream. Unlike most children, he actually could fly, so that wasn¡¯t an obvious tell. No, he was aware that he was dreaming just because he usually was these days.

    ¡°Zephyr, are you there?¡± he asked.

    A beautiful young woman made of emerald air appeared, her face a grin as she flew beside him. ¡°I¡¯m always here, Tan. You know that.¡±

    ¡°I know. Thanks for not bugging me all the time. I think that if you were a chatterbox it would be really annoying, so I appreciate that you only say something when it¡¯s important,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh, I could talk more if you like,¡± she said.

    ¡°I was just saying that you talk the perfect amount as you are,¡± he said.

    She laughed, her voice the sound of wind chimes. ¡°Was that all that you had to say?¡±

    ¡°No. I wanted to know. What is it exactly that you get out of all of this? Helping me become stronger, giving me magic, how does it benefit you?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I get stronger too,¡± Zephyr assured him. ¡°And I become more and more human with each cycle of bonding. Eventually, I may become strong enough to be born as a human. Maybe. Someday.¡±

    ¡°You want to be human?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so much that I want to change my nature so much as that¡¯s the next natural step on the path. Once a spirit reaches a certain potency, they¡¯re presented with a choice. Either they choose to bind themselves eternally to their element, as Mother Gaia has, or they choose to enter the cycle of life and death. I am ¡­ I have been circling around this decision for some time, to be honest. I think that you might be my last binding. Once you die, I think that I will allow myself to be born rather than finding a new human.¡±

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    ¡°Oh,¡± Tan said. ¡°What if I don¡¯t die though? I¡¯m a cultivator, so I¡¯ll live a very long time.¡±

    ¡°Even cultivators die of old age eventually. Unless they ascend. And part of the ascension process would be severing me from your soul,¡± Zephyr explained. ¡°In order to ascend to the next world, you must leave behind everything of this one. That includes your spirit. That¡¯s why so many fail to ascend; it¡¯s almost impossible to leave everything behind. That¡¯s how the previous emperor died, you know?¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Tan thought on the matter, then shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t think that I want to ascend. I think that when I¡¯m strong enough, I¡¯ll just ¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know what I really want to do. But I think that¡¯s normal. I¡¯m still a kid.¡±

    ¡°You might be right. I¡¯m very happy I met you, Tan,¡± Zephyr said. ¡°I think that you¡¯re the perfect boy for me to have bound for my last spirit contract.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad that I met you, Zephyr. I really like flying with you.¡±

    ¡°I like flying with you too Tan--¡±

    A sudden jerk, and he was back in his bed, his father pulling him by his foot.

    ¡°Time to get up!¡± Tren told his son, grinning.

    Tan yawned, scratched himself, then got dressed and went to check on the chickens. ¡°Zephyr, are you there?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m always there,¡± the spirit of the wind whispered into his ear.

    ¡°I meant what I said in my dream.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been hoarding Qi from me again,¡± Tan pointed out.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to need it soon,¡± Zephyr explained as he scattered the chicken feed around in the coup.

    ¡°Right, okay. If you say so. I trust you, I was just checking that it wasn¡¯t my imagination.¡±

    He picked the eggs, then went inside for breakfast.

    Life was good on the Shen farm.

 Authors notes

    This is another one of those chapters that you can just skip, like the foreword.

    The previous chapter marks the completion of book one of The Shen Path, subtitled First Breaths. The second novel, presently subtitled True Foundation, or something like that, will begin when you click next chapter.

    I really hope that you enjoyed reading this little story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really started it expecting to drop it after the first major arc, but it remains quite a bit of fun to write, so I''m going to continue exploring it. At present, I have 60k words written in book two, all of which is available on patreon. Or you can just wait and read it here.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    I''ve submitted this novel to Moonquil and am waiting to hear back from them. If they turn me down, I''ll probably find my own editor and put it up on KU eventually.

    Book 1 dealt mostly with the mystery of exactly who the Shens are, as well as just the general growth and development of Tan and his friends.

    I''m not going to spoil book 2, but I will say that it gets a bit more serious. There''s still a lot of the humor from the first book and some slice of life elements, but it also becomes more of a Xianxia novel, with action scenes that have serious consequences. It doesn''t become dark and edgy, but it''s not as light as the first novel was. I guess that this is what happens when kids grow up in xianxia-land.

    If you haven''t rated or reviewed at this point, I''d appreciate it if you took the time to do so. The end of the first book seems like a good opportunity, right?

    Anyway, that''s enough rambling for now. Click next chapter and enjoy.

 V2 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    Tan flew twenty miles to the south of his home before putting the blindfold on. He grinned stupidly; he hadn¡¯t told anyone this idea because, if it worked, he wanted it to be a surprise. If it didn¡¯t work, then he didn¡¯t want anyone around him to tease him.

    Not that he thought that they would. Not where the adults could hear them, anyway.

    He frowned. The other kids at the farm had been funny around him lately, and he was starting to wonder why. They were ¡­ treating him with respect. It was weird.

    Not Safron. His little sister was the same as ever, even after she¡¯d started cultivating. She wasn¡¯t very good at it yet, but Tan was pretty certain that he hadn¡¯t been good at cultivation at her age either. He wished that he could help her, but since she had a fire spirit in her dantian and he had a wind spirit, they were on completely different paths. His advice, while well meaning, might just confuse her or be detrimental.

    For example, he¡¯d learned that Pao drew in the Qi from the world through his feet. Tan shook his head as he tried to envision how that worked, but he really couldn¡¯t. Tan¡¯s own method was to breathe in the wind Qi, then cycle it from his lungs into his dantian. It was second nature by now, and he¡¯d noticed recently that he¡¯d begun doing it without having to think about it while he was busy with everyday tasks.

    He hadn¡¯t told his parents that yet, but he was pretty sure it was a good sign.

    But that wasn¡¯t why he was out in the middle of nowhere with a blindfold over his eyes. He was here to try something else. The blindfold was thick, and it hid his vision in darkness. He gathered his will, gathered his intent, and  pushed  his vision through the darkness to see what was behind it.

    And¡­

    Nothing.

    He sighed. It wasn¡¯t that easy, he realized.

    He entered the Sublime State of Clarity, something he had been able to do for years now. Time slowed down. His awareness of his body increased, and his awareness of everything around him likewise increased. He tried again to peak through the veil, and --

    Blurry shapes and colors.

    He grinned, and he pushed harder, trying to bring the world around him into focus.

    Suddenly, he could see again, except that the world was different. The trees were an orange color, earthy and faintly glowing. He could see lines in the tree that were brighter and ones that were darker. The leaves were brightest of all.

    The earth was a solid black mass, except for where yellow grass grew. Not the yellow of dried hay, but the bright yellow of the sun.

    The sky itself was multi-hued, with purple clouds and shiny silver firmament.

    Then the flash of vision faded as abruptly as it had come, leaving Tan with a headache. He grinned despite the pain, and began wandering around. When the pain from the vision faded, he tried to bring the world into focus again, succeeding three times in five. Each time lasted only a few seconds and left him with a headache, but it was still a success.

    In one of his wanderings, he saw something in his vision. A violet colored blob that was strangely shaped, sort of like a potted fern. He wandered over to it without taking his blindfold off. He touched where the shape had been and found¡­ nothing.

    A suspicion formed in his mind and he searched the ground beneath where the shape had been. The solidity of stone met his hand after a brief search, and as he scanned it with his spiritual senses his suspicions were confirmed. He¡¯d found a spiritual stone, one with an inhabitant. He could tell that there was a fire spirit hiding within this stone.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he said to the minor spirit. ¡°Are you lonely out here all by yourself?¡±

    He waited for a response, hearing a tentative greeting in return after a few moments. The spirit wasn¡¯t very strong, he realized, and although it could hear him, it took it effort to answer him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring you somewhere where you can make lots of friends, okay?¡± he said.

    A very weak acknowledgment.

    Tan grinned. If he¡¯d been able to use this trick during his spirit stone hunt last year, it would have been a walk in the park to meet the quota his parents had imposed on him.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He continued to experiment with his spiritual sight for an hour, but then he was bored. He took the blindfold off, spent a minute regaining his orientation, and then flew home.

    He spotted his mother in the vegetable patch, with an impatient Safron bugging her. He landed nearby, and was about to brag about his new ability when she turned to him.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to weed the west field today?¡± she asked, sternness in her voice.

    Tan winced. He  had  been given a task that he¡¯d neglected. He held out the spirit stone in his defense. ¡°I found this.¡±

    ¡°Very good. You can throw it in the shed with all of the others,¡± she said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that you can neglect your chores, Tan. We have dozens of spirit stones. More than we need. But when your father and I tell you to do something, we expect you to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can see through the blindfold,¡± he said.

    Wensho, his mother, paused in her tirade. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Tan grinned, certain that he¡¯d derailed the lecture he was due. ¡°I was sort of getting glimpses for a while. I needed to go someplace quiet, which is why I ditched on my chores today. I¡¯m sorry, but I knew that if I succeeded you¡¯d be proud of me.¡±

    ¡°What, exactly, did you see?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The world. Like I didn¡¯t have the blindfold on at all, except things were funny colors. Trees were green and the sky silver, and this stone had an aura too it. Like someone was standing above it. That¡¯s how I knew it was special,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Mom, you said you were going to spank him when he got back,¡± Safron chimed in, a malicious grin on her face.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with his neglect of his duties later,¡± Wensho promised. ¡°Tan, you might have just opened your third eye. Can you do it on command?¡±

    ¡°Sort of?¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it without the blindfold, and it gives me a headache if I keep it open for very long. But I can manage it when I try more often than not.¡±

    ¡°I see. This is good, Tan, and I¡¯m very proud of you. But the next time you want some time to practice with your powers, just ask for it. Especially if you¡¯re on the edge of a breakthrough. Don¡¯t just neglect your chores or ignore what your father and I tell you to do,¡± his mother said.

    ¡°Am I in a lot of trouble?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You were supposed to weed the west field today. It¡¯s still today, isn¡¯t it? As long as you get it done before the sun sets, I suppose your father and I might let you wiggle out of a punishment,¡± his mother said.

    Tan grinned. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get it done. Sorry. I¡¯ll ask instead of flying off the next time.¡±

    ¡°We thought you had gone fishing,¡± she said.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t neglect my chores to go fishing,¡± Tan said, surprised that she¡¯d think that.

    ¡°You have before.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± he admitted. ¡°But that was like two years ago, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m more responsible now. When¡¯s the last time I didn¡¯t do something I was supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°When you forgot to put the tools away like your father asked you to last week, when you ¡®forgot¡¯ to turn the compost pile and we had to remind you five times, when you -¡±

    ¡°You have a list?¡± Tan asked, surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not storing up for one big punishment or something, are you?¡±

    Wensho sighed. ¡°We were, but then you opened your third eye and derailed the lecture you were due. Tan, we¡¯re very proud of you. And we love you very much. But you¡¯re growing up now, and part of growing up is becoming more responsible.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll try to be better.¡±

    ¡°At the same time, you¡¯re still only eleven years old, so it¡¯s okay to still be a kid sometimes. Tomorrow, after your daily chores, why don¡¯t you spend some time practicing opening your third eye again? Take as much time as you need until you can do it just by closing your eyes and willing the third eye open,¡± she instructed.

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll do that in a day?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to open your third eye for twenty years, Tan,¡± she admitted. ¡°But you¡¯ve always been precocious when it comes to cultivation.¡±

    Tan grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to go do my chores then,¡± he announced, flying off to put the stone in the shed with the other spirit stones his family had gathered.

    Wensho watched her oldest son go, shaking her head. He really was full of surprises, she thought to herself, a bit of pride welling up in her chest. ¡°They grow up so fast.¡±

    ¡°What was that momma?¡± Safron asked.

    ¡°Nothing, baby. Help momma pick some of those peas over there, would you?¡±

    ?

 V2 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    Swenshion sighed in the imperial hot spring, allowing the Qi infused bath to wash away his stress and worries for a few moments. He wasn¡¯t a cultivator himself. No, just a humble scholar. And he was quite nervous, which is why the warmth of the hot spring was so welcome. It allowed him to pretend for a moment that he wasn¡¯t on the way to his third ever imperial audience.

    He swallowed, and then forced himself to pretend that he was just at a luxurious inn, and not the palace, and that he was just enjoying a hot bath, and not preparing to meet one of the four most powerful people in the world. He soaked in the bubbling water, and with time and the mental exercises he forced himself through, he began to relax.

    Twenty minutes of pure bliss, and then the servant brought out towels and the change of clothes. A humble silk robe. If it was embroidered, no symbols appeared for him. No, he was no cultivator himself. He was just the man who educated those cultivators on the worldly affairs whenever they deigned to notice the affairs of mortals.

    He wondered what it was that his emperor required advice on. As he dressed, he glanced at the other men in the pond, who were also ending their purification session. They were his peers and equals, and some of them his rivals. Thirty of them in total, including himself. And he¡¯d seen an equal number of female scholars entering the women¡¯s side of the hot springs.

    Whatever it was that the emperor required advice on, he was looking for a diverse range of opinions, Swenshion reflected. He sighed. Hopefully it was a complex but minor issue, and not related to the tensions with the Green Monkey Empire. Some discussion on taxes, perhaps. Or another economic issue which might affect vast swaths of the empire but was not posed to threaten the lives of its subjects.

    Swenshion hated war. He hated the concept of war, he hated the practice of war, and he hated that the rulers of this world did not hate war as much as he did himself.

    The scholars around him dressed, then entered the formal audience chamber, where they were met by their female counterparts. The emperor was not yet in session, and so it was permissible for them to mingle briefly.

    One of his female colleagues wandered up to Swenshion and smiled at him. ¡°Do you know what this is all about?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I do not,¡± Swenshion admitted. ¡°But with so many of the greatest and most knowledgeable minds of our generation here, I am not surprised to see you among them, Lokari.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I thought the same when I saw you entering the men¡¯s bath,¡± she said, smiling at the flattery. He smiled back. They¡¯d been lovers, once, five years ago, but hadn¡¯t spent much time together since then to avoid the rumors or scandals or the expectation that they¡¯d marry.

    Not that they wouldn¡¯t make a fine couple, he reflected. But neither of them were ready for that commitment. She was a widower, he a bachelor, and neither were looking to change that.

    The night of passion had been a pleasant distraction, however. As was its memory.

    ¡°So, if nobody knows why we¡¯re here¡ª¡± Lokari was cut off by the sudden strike of a gong. She smiled at him sheepishly as she walked away, taking the position that she¡¯d been a signed by a small stake in the ground with her name on it. Swenshion hurried to his own stake as the royal retainers began filing into the room. Cursing his back and his knees, Swenshion kowtowed at the empty box in the center of the chamber, closing his eyes so as not to accidentally lay them on the emperor as he ascended to his throne.

    ¡°We are ensconced,¡± a sonorous voice said after several moments. ¡°You may rise and know that you are in our presence.¡±

    Swenshion relaxed and assumed a more natural position, sitting back on his knees and looking at the silken screens that separated him from the most powerful man in the empire. Politically, and magically, emperor Torentonion Shenlong was formidable in more ways than one.

    ¡°You all likely wish to know why we have summoned you,¡± the emperor said. ¡°We will enlighten you. A loyal servant of the empire, who has performed many meritorious deeds and with whom we are well pleased, has need of your services in the education of his niece and his nephew. The relationship between this servant of the empire and the children¡¯s father has been strained in the past but is beginning to recover. If you would demean yourselves to educate an eleven year old boy and a five year old girl, then you will find that you will be rewarded with our pleasure.¡±

    The emperor paused for a moment as he allowed his subjects to consider his words. ¡°This assignment is not an order. I wish for only volunteers. You will be rewarded for your service to us, but we do not wish to impose. Only two tutors are sought at this time. A man and a woman, for the boy and the girl, although you will both be expected to be involved in the education of both. However, you must meet with and impress both the uncle and the parents of these children. If you wish to discuss this matter further, remain in our palace for the night and our loyal servant will interview in the morning. Those who have duties which prevent them from serving us in this capacity may leave without fear that we shall look upon them with disfavor. That is all. We shall depart now.¡±

    Wincing, Swenshion kowtowed once more and closed his eyes as the imperial box was emptied. It would not do for the loyal subjects of the emperor to see him do something so mundane as walking to and from his throne, he reflected, trying to suppress the grin that such a thought put upon his lips.

    He looked up again when the gong sounded, announcing the end of the court session, and he glanced at his fellow scholars. A few of them made immediately to leave, not interested in the assignment. Lokari came over to him once more and smiled.

    ¡°Will you be spending the night in the palace?¡± she inquired.

    ¡°I believe I shall,¡± he admitted. ¡°If nothing else, I have heard that they recently acquired some of the most delicious rice, and I wish to taste it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard those same rumors,¡± she agreed.

    Another scholar, a portly man, came up to them. ¡°Swen, Lokari, it is pleasant to see you. Swen, I¡¯m sorry that this offer from the emperor makes us rivals once more.¡±

    ¡°To the victor goes the spoils of the emperor¡¯s favor,¡± Swenshion said, nodding at his friend. ¡°And no hard feelings from whichever us fails to meet the standards of whoever this servant of the emperor may be. Who do you think that it is that requires our services, Gaius?¡±

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    ¡°Who knows?¡± Gaius said gaily. ¡°Does it matter? We were not approached by a servant of the emperor, but the emperor on their behalf, and promised favor from the same. That means that whatever children it is that we¡¯re supposed to educate, we¡¯re ultimately working for the emperor. For mere mortals such as ourselves, that is a high privilege, and one which may see us well taken care of into our dotage.¡±

    ¡°We are all too young to be discussing our retirements,¡± Lokari chided, swatting Gaius on the arm affectionately. ¡°Or are you calling me old?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of the sort, young lady!¡± Gaius said, laughter in his voice. A servant appeared to show them to their rooms, and the three followed the servant, who remained silent.

    They spoke on the way of inconsequential matters. Rumors, faraway events, opinions on the subjects they were studying at present, the minutiae of daily life. The three had, not too surprisingly, been assigned adjacent rooms. They separated briefly to inspect their lodgings. There was fruit upon the table, taken from the imperial orchard itself, and Swenshion couldn¡¯t help but select an peach from the basket.

    Biting into it, he closed his eyes to savor the sweet and rich flavor of the fruit. Some of the juice ran down his chin, so ripe was the peach, but he did not wash his face until he had eaten the entire thing. He carefully placed the pit on in the small bowl near the fruit platter where the seeds were to go once the fruit had been eaten.

    He was no cultivator to know whether or not the seed could be grown into a tree. He knew that only one in fifty of the seeds of the imperial peach trees was able to sprout. A cultivator, particularly an earth or water cultivator, might have known, but Swenshion was no cultivator.

    Many would consider it a waste to feed him such a precious resource as the Qi rich fruit that he had just savored. But the emperor was keen on such displays of decadence. The fact that he could offer such luxuries to his mortal guests, and still  also  display favor to his cultivator subjects suitable to their elevated station, was display of his wealth.

    A display which Swenshion was happy to take part in.

    He sat on the bed for a moment and closed his eyes, going through a brief mental exercise to try to harness  some  of the Qi in the fruit. He did not have a spirit bound in his dantian and could not channel the energy effectively, but even a mortal like him saw some benefits when consuming a resource as rich in Qi as the peach had been.

    After twenty minutes, he gave it up and went into the common room, where Gaius met him a few minutes later, and Lokari a moment after that.

    ¡°So, seriously, who do you believe that we¡¯ll be educating?¡± Lokair asked.

    ¡°A servant of the emperor¡¯s nephews,¡± Lokari answered. ¡°One who must be close with the emperor himself to have garnered such favor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not answering my question,¡± Gaius persisted, and so the three gossiped for several hours before dinner was served.

    The rice was as delicious as the rumors had promised, served with duck and a savory sauce.

    Surprisingly, the cabbage was equally as tasty.

    In the morning, Swenshion rose early. He performed his morning ablutions and informed the servant standing in the waiting area that he would be ready for the interview with the servant of the emperor whenever was convenient. He selected one of the books that had been placed in his rooms and read in the sunlight that came through the window, basking in the warmth.

    An hour passed, and there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Swenshion said, and a young man with dark hair stepped inside. He was wearing the clothes of a servant, but carried with him no burden. Swenshion smiled at him. ¡°Are you here to lead me to the interview?¡±

    ¡°No need for that,¡± a sonorous voice said. ¡°I¡¯ve come to perform it myself.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s eyes went wide in recognition. He hasted to kowtow, and did not stop even as he saw the man raising his arms to protest.

    ¡°Ah, that reaction is so tiresome,¡± the emperor said. ¡°Please, I have never once struck someone down for making eye contact with me. That tradition is ¡­ it¡¯s not what we publicly declare. We prefer not to have people look at us as we perform our formal duties to make it easier to perform our informal ones. If life came to a stop every time I entered a room in my own home, then nobody would ever get anything done.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s mind raced as he processed what was going on. ¡°You would demean yourself by wearing such clothes?¡± he asked tentatively.

    ¡°I elevate my servants by giving them from my own wardrobe,¡± the emperor said. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that the ignorant and the uninitiated cannot tell us apart.¡±

    Slowly, Swenshion forced himself to calm down. He tentatively raised his head, but the emperor was sitting in the chair next to the fruit platter and eating a peach. The emperor noticed him and smiled, motioning to the empty chair next to him. ¡°Please, be seated and let¡¯s discuss my nephew.¡±

    ¡° Your  nephew,¡± Swenshion said. His mind continued to race. ¡°The earth emperor did not ascend,¡± he concluded after a moment.

    ¡°No. Kortrentos and Wensho remain very much part of this world,¡± the emperor agreed. ¡°They have secluded themselves and have had many happy years together, for which I am most pleased. And they have given me the gift of a nephew and a niece, so I am even more pleased.¡±

    Swenshion swallowed. ¡°If I am not selected for the privilege of serving the imperial family, what shall happen to me?¡±

    ¡°If you betray certain facts, then you will be punished,¡± the emperor admitted. ¡°Otherwise, nothing. My identity is an open secret, as far as I¡¯m concerned. One that I prefer not to have advertised to the entire world. But even if you tell the court that I sometimes dress in the garb of servants and walk unmasked through my own hallways, that will, what? What effect do you see that having?¡±

    Swenshion swallowed. ¡°Those who do not know your face or your voice would treat unknown servants with significantly more respect,¡± he said after a moment.

    ¡°And is that such a bad thing?¡± the emperor asked. ¡°Now please, come sit. I wish to get your opinion on many, many matters. And once we¡¯ve finished our discussion, I¡¯m afraid it will be time for you to retake the Service Exams. I know that you passed them twenty years ago with a very favorable result, but I wish to know the current state of your knowledge, not what it was twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± Swenshion said, standing nervously and walking over to the chair. ¡°I am at your disposal.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± His Majesty said, ¡°Call me Renton.¡±

    ?

 V2 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    Kora watched the countryside go by outside the carriage. She sighed at the slow progress that they were making. It had rained the day before, and the roads were muddy. She could literally walk faster than they were traveling, but then she¡¯d get dirty, and they didn¡¯t want to arrive at the Shen estate in such a state.

    She smiled nervously, thinking of what lay ahead of her. Her last meeting with the scion of the Shen family, Tan Shen, had been ¡­ less than flattering. First she had embarrassed herself by attempting to measure his cultivation status and found that he surpassed her by a significant margin, despite being four years younger than her. Then he had found the bonding ritual which had connected her to the fire spirit to be so offensive that he had undone the subsumation bonding technique, something which their family had not known was possible.

    And something which she was immensely grateful for, now that she understood exactly what was at stake.

    ¡°Slake, are you there?¡± she whispered.

    ¡°What is it you want now, you pig faced ugly wench?¡± her spirit asked. It still hadn¡¯t forgiven her for subjecting it to the twisted formation which would have robbed it of its mind, over time, but their relationship was steadily improving.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just nervous. I want to make a better impression than we did last time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®we¡¯ me! I had nothing to do with you making your ass of yourself. Although in retrospect, it is kind of funny,¡± the spirit teased.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t care what happens to me, Slake,¡± she scolded. ¡°I know better.¡±

    ¡°Go lick a chamberpot. I¡¯m done paying attention to you now,¡± the spirit said, and Kora felt its attention turn elsewhere.

    She sighed, glancing out the window once more. She was trying so hard to make everyone happy. Her parents, her family, her clan, her latest mentor Renton Shen, and now Tan and his family. The engagement between her and Tan was far from official. They weren¡¯t even formally courting at this point. They had been introduced once, which had led to a near disaster, and this was their second formal meeting.

    Hopefully she¡¯d be able to make some peace with the boy, and possibly convince him to exchange correspondence. She was more eloquent in writing than she was with her speech, and if she could write him love letters, then perhaps she could win his heart.

    She sighed. It didn¡¯t help that he was only eleven, and possibly not even interested in girls yet. He certainly hadn¡¯t seemed interested in her the last time that they¡¯d met. This would be so much easier if they were the same age. She knew how to woo a boy her own age. Or she thought she did, at least. But if Tan wasn¡¯t interested in girls, then how could she connect with him?

    It was a conundrum which she was no closer to unraveling than when it had first occurred to her.

    The carriage came to a small manor, and Kora stuck her head out of the cart. Was this their destination? It looked so ¡­ pedestrian. She frowned. The Shens wouldn¡¯t live in such a ramshackle place, would they?

    Then she remembered that they still didn¡¯t know  where exactly  the Shens lived. The agreement had been that they would travel to the local lord, and that the Shen Patriarch would bring Kora the rest of the way to the Shen estate himself. Still ¡­ if this estate was all that the local lord who hosted the Shen family could afford, then what did that say about the state of the Shen¡¯s finances?

    She shook her head, clearing it. Renton Shen was a favored servant of the emperor. Even if this branch of the family was relatively poor, the relationship was close enough to have earned Kora a personal audience with the emperor himself, and tutelage by one of his favored servants. Renton was a powerful fire cultivator in his own right. That connection alone was worth establishing a relationship with this branch of the Shen family.

    Yes, Kora was committed to marrying Tan Shen. She just had to convince the boy that it was in his own family¡¯s best interests as well.

    She waited patiently in the carriage for the servants to announce their presence, and twenty minutes later her handmaiden appeared, looking nervous.

    ¡°Um, apologies my lady, but it seems that Lord Hara was caught by surprise at our visit. He says that he received no instructions from the Shen family and offers us a place to rest in his hall until he contacts them to inform them of our arrival. He is saddling his horse now, and it looks like a fine beast, but he still says that it will be several hours before he arrives at their compound to share the news with them.¡±

    Kora blinked in surprise. Well then, that was something. She wondered what game that the Shens were playing by making her wait. Were they testing her somehow?

    Very well.

    ¡°Please inform Lord Hara that I am pleased to accept his hospitality and assure him that I am not inconvenienced by the wait. Tell him to ensure that he does not stress himself or his horse on my account,¡± Kora instructed, and the servant hurried to relay her words.

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    Kora got out of the carriage and stretched, making her way to the little hall that the lord called home. For a mortal, it was an impressive enough building. For her family, it wouldn¡¯t be called a guest house. Maybe servants quarters, if that servant wasn¡¯t particularly important to the family. Still, if the Shen family wished to test her patience, then she would show them patience.

    ~~~~~~

    Lord Hara arrived at the Shen farm in the late afternoon. Despite the young mistress¡¯s words, his horse was lathered from the haste of the journey, and Lord Hara himself was sweaty and stressed. He knocked on the door and was greeted by the lady of the house, whom he knew to be a powerful cultivator in her own right and bowed humbly to her in accordance with this knowledge.

    ¡°Greetings, Mistress,¡± he said.

    ¡°Lord Hara. To what do we owe the pleasure? Another letter? No, something more than that or you wouldn¡¯t have half-killed your horse.¡±

    She waved her hand and the horse seemed to relax as she worked some sort of magic over it.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s more than that,¡± he admitted. ¡°The Zang family has sent their young mistress to my estate. I was expecting them on the Seventh day of the Eighth month, not the Eighth day of the Seventh month.¡±

    ¡°As were we,¡± Wensho said, frowning. Her husband appeared with a dishtowel and a half-washed bowl. ¡°Dear, do you know why the Zangs are trying to send their daughter a month early?¡±

    Tren frowned, and Lord Hara¡¯s heart froze at the displeasure in his face. ¡°If they¡¯re playing power-games with us, they¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s it? Or is it an honest mistake?¡± Wensho asked. ¡°Someone might have just gotten the numbers mixed up. And by someone, I mean ¡­ we did ask Tan to be the messenger, and he didn¡¯t have anything written down when he arrived. You know he sometimes gets his numbers transposed when he does his math.¡±

    Tren¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Yes, he does,¡± he admitted. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll check with him if he¡¯s entirely certain that it was supposed to be next month, or if he might have made a mistake. Then I¡¯ll go pick the girl up. Lord Hara, thank you for your efforts on our behalf, as always. Please, feel free to join us for dinner, or spend the night as is convenient for you.¡±

    ¡°I would not trouble you or your lovely family for¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± Wensho assured the lord. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m going to insist upon it. I want to make certain that your horse has time to rest before you ride it again. Honestly, if you¡¯re going to ride it half to death every time you come to our little farm, then we should buy you a second one so that you can switch between them halfway.¡±

    ¡°I could not ask for such an imposition¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to insist once more,¡± Wensho said. ¡°Now go, put your horse up in our barn and then I¡¯ll draw you a some water to wash yourself. If you¡ª¡±

    Tren stepped away from his wife as she harried the lord, grinning at how she was mothering the man. He loved her dearly, and she was doing her best to put the lord at ease.

    Tren was pretty certain that the lord knew at this point who the Shen family really was, and he had a reason to be nervous. Their reputation was a bit exaggerated, but it was their reputation for a reason. That reason being Tren¡¯s father, who was fifty years dead but whose ghost still shook the land from time to time.

    He sighed as he climbed the hill where he¡¯d set up the four elements gathering array for the children. He could tell, feeling the flow of Qi through the earth and air, that he was interrupting a productive session, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The children paused their cultivation when they realized that he was coming to see them.

    His three students exchanged nervous looks, while Tan just stood and stretched. ¡°Yes, father? You need something?¡±

    ¡°When we sent you to Lima city to meet with the representative of the Zang family, are you certain that he said they would arrive on the seventh day of the eighth month?¡± Tren asked.

    Tan blinked in surprise. ¡°Pretty sure, yeah.¡±

    ¡°How certain are you, Tan? Is there a chance that you got the numbers confused in your head again?¡±

    Tan blushed. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think so. But I guess now that you said that I might have? I¡¯m sorry, dad, you know I¡¯m not very good with numbers and sometimes¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m just asking. If you got them mixed up then Kora appearing at Lord Hara¡¯s estate isn¡¯t a case of the Zang¡¯s playing power games, just an innocent misunderstanding. If they¡¯re playing power games at this stage, then¡ª¡¯

    ¡°Okay, I probably got them mixed up,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m not as certain as I was, okay? Don¡¯t be mad.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. At you, nor at the Zangs at this point. We¡¯re going to just mark it up as a little misunderstanding, okay?¡±

    Tan relaxed, grinning. Then he frowned. ¡°Wait, does that mean that she¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°She will be once I fetch her,¡± his father answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few hours, Tan. You should take a bath and get ready to meet her. Wear your good clothes. All of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Shen,¡± the other children said formally. He winced. Ever since they¡¯d figured it out ¡­

    Tan also glared at them, wondering why they were acting weird lately.

    ¡°Alright Tan, see you in a little while,¡± Tren said, and he vanished, employing the Titan¡¯s Walk technique to cover the distance between his farm and Lord Hara¡¯s estate in a moment.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    The door opened to Lord Hara¡¯s sitting room, and a man stepped in. For half a second Kora didn¡¯t recognize him; the last time she¡¯d seen Tren Shen he¡¯d been dressed in the robes of a grandmaster. This time he was in simple linens without any adornment aside from a bit of dirt. At first she thought that he was a peasant here to petition their lord over something or other, then she recognized him and quickly hastened to her feet.

    She bowed politely, one cultivator to her elder.

    ¡°Hello, Master Shen. I hope that you didn¡¯t rush on my behalf,¡± she said.

    ¡°I took my time in getting here. You¡¯re not important enough to make me truly rush,¡± Tren answered.

    She blushed at the casual insult, accepting it without rejoinder. ¡°Even so, it¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. Especially if you are to be my father-in-law.¡±

    ¡°That remains to be seen. I¡¯ve promised your family the opportunity for you to win my son¡¯s heart. It¡¯s up to you to capitalize on that opportunity,¡± he said judiciously. ¡°Tell me. Whose idea was it to arrive early?¡±

    ¡°Did the letter not say to arrive at noon?¡± she said. ¡°I thought we were punctual, despite the bad roads and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is your family playing games with me?¡± Tren asked, and she felt something that, before meeting the emperor or Renton Shen, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to identify.

    The Intent of a grandmaster.

    She swallowed nervously and met his intent with her own. She stood firm under his glare, and raised her eyebrows as though she were not staggering under an impossible weight. ¡°Are you quite done?¡± she asked.

    His eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°I see my son is not the only person to have grown in the last two years. Show me your cultivation,¡± he instructed.

    She grinned and brought her Qi to bear. She was proud to have reached the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm after receiving guidance from Renton and utilizing the fruit of the Everburning Blackberry Bush that he had planted in their garden. If it weren¡¯t for this meeting, she would still be in a semi-closed door cultivation session reflecting on the lessons and insights she had gotten from her mentor, and also the Treatise of the Rising Sun, that gift from the emperor himself.

    ¡°You have chosen to walk a different path than the one I was expecting of you,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°There is less destruction in your aura and more creation. Who set you upon this course?¡±

    ¡°I am pleased to have the privilege of having been tutored by Grandmaster Renton Shen, and have received blessings from the emperor himself since we last met,¡± Kora bragged.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Tren said, a cloudy expression coming over his face for a second. ¡°I wonder what his angle is in this¡­¡±

    ¡°I could not speak to the mind of the emperor,¡± Kora said quickly, ¡°But according to Master Shen, it was simply to ensure that anyone marrying into the Shen family was worthy of the honor.¡±

    ¡°As I noted earlier, you have a long way to go before you¡¯re marrying anyone. Tan literally forgot who you were since your last meeting until we reminded him,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°That might be for the best,¡± she admitted, blushing. ¡°I did not make the best of impressions when we met. I am grateful for the opportunity to start again.¡±

    Tren studied the young woman for a minute, then sighed. ¡°You have two choices. I can either carry you, and we¡¯ll be at my home in moments. It might be a little undignified, however. Or you can ride in your carriage and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I submit myself to your care,¡± Kora said, daring to interrupt him. She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m certain that I am perfectly safe in the care of the illustrious Shen family, and am not afraid of a little indignity.¡±

    Tren shrugged indifferently. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m going to pick you up and carry you. It will be best if you close your eyes, my movement technique is a little disorienting.¡±

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    She allowed him to sling her over one shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt a sudden swooping in her stomach that lasted for half a moment, and then he was setting her down again. She blinked and opened her eyes.

    ¡°Was that it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We are here,¡± he informed her, turning her to face a large manor house, a smaller house off to one side, and a variety of outbuildings, with a barn being the largest among them.

    She blinked. ¡°You live  here ?¡±

    ¡°Home sweet home,¡± he said, a smile on his face. ¡°Come along now, let¡¯s show you to your room in the guesthouse first. The other children should still be getting ready for the meeting at this point, so we¡¯ll get you settled first.¡±

    ¡°Um, I was scheduled to stay for a week, but we seem to have left my baggage behind,¡± she said.

    ¡°You can wear my wife¡¯s clothes while you work for us,¡± he commented.

    ¡°Work? Won¡¯t we spend most of the time cultivating and getting to know each other?¡± she asked.

    ¡°This is a farm, Kora. The work never stops.¡±

    Kora blinked.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    In the bathroom of the main house, Tan was drying himself from his recent bath and changing into the formal clothes that his mother had recently let out to fit him. He¡¯d grown a few inches since the clothes had first been tailored to him, but they¡¯d been tailored for a young boy who was expected to grow, and mending them to fit him was a simple matter for his mother, who was quite skilled with a needle herself.

    Her husband, on the other hand, was completely hopeless when it came to mending clothes. Which she was just fine with, as it gave her an excuse to sit in the shade while he toiled under the sun all day.

    As he dressed, Tan frowned as he considered the upcoming meeting. He glanced in the mirror, examining himself briefly, then shrugged. He was a normal looking boy, and that was about all the more he cared about. He supposed a girl might think he was handsome, but who cares about that?

    Once he had finished, he opened the door to let Pao take his turn at the bath. The twins had gone to the pond to bathe to save time, since the bathtub only fit one person at a time. Pao had already stripped to his underclothes and was quick to close the door behind him once Tan was out of the way.

    Tan shook his head, wondering what it was that the other kids were thinking lately. Ever since Uncle Renton had shown up they¡¯d just been weird.

    He went down into the kitchen, where his mother was bathing his sister. It wasn¡¯t really a bath, just a quick wash in a basin of water while the girl stood and let her mother do all the work.

    ¡°Tan, your stupid girlfriend is stupid and she¡¯s the reason I have to have this bath and I hate her,¡± Safron pouted.

    Tan glared at his sister, although his heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! And she¡¯s not my girlfriend. She just ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Mom, she¡¯s not my girlfriend, is she?¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not formally courting. We¡¯ve promised to entertain the idea of a formal courtship between the two of you and that¡¯s it. This is just another formal meeting between the two of you,¡± his mother explained. ¡°We met at the Zang family¡¯s location of choice last time, so this time it¡¯s at our turn to host. There¡¯s a certain etiquette to these things. Honestly, the only reason we¡¯re even entertaining the Zang family is to keep them from making a fuss. If  they  raised a fuss, then some other people would wonder what the fuss was about, and they¡¯d come investigating, and that would be inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I don¡¯t have to like her if I don¡¯t like her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. If you don¡¯t get along with her then we can reject the marriage proposal without making too many waves,¡± Wensho explained as she washed Safron¡¯s hair. She used magic to spray the girl down, washing away the soap, which caused Safron to giggle.

    ¡°Okay, step out and we¡¯ll dry you off,¡± Wensho said. The girl did, and Wensho made a gesture. Tan  sort of  saw the magic as the water on his sister was pulled away and put back in the basin. ¡°Tan, help your sister dress, would you? I need to change into my formal wear myself.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, and it was his time to be a good big brother.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    Kora sat in the bed where she¡¯d be sleeping for the next week or two, astounded by the modesty of the small guesthouse. She had been expecting ¡­ she¡¯d been expecting a hidden compound like the one that her family had in the Black Sky Mountains, with dozens of servants and their family members. Instead, she¡¯d met one servant, an ugly young man who had practically ignored her.

    Of course, even that servant was a cultivator, she¡¯d noticed. An earth cultivator if she wasn¡¯t mistaken. She couldn¡¯t quite tell his stage or advancement, but she got the slight taste of truffles from his Qi. She hadn¡¯t been introduced to the young man, only seen him in passing as Tren had shown her the room. He was waiting outside the door as she groomed herself with the toiletries that were in the room, waiting for her.

    She¡¯d been perhaps a little overwilling to entrust herself to the Shens, she thought now. She hadn¡¯t realized that they¡¯d be leaving her baggage behind, and all she had with her was her traveling dress. There were some clothes in the closet, but they were less impressive than what she had on.

    She sighed as she finished washing her face and brushing her hair. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, then forced a smile. She went to the door, expecting to find Tren waiting for her and ¡­ he wasn¡¯t there.

    She frowned, leaving the room and entering the main living area, where the ugly man was eating a bowl of rice. He glanced up at her.

    ¡°The Master says that you can just come on over to the main house whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± the ugly man said. ¡°I¡¯m Tremble by the way. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Are you a disciple here, or just a servant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pig,¡± the man said, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d call me a disciple, but I am learning from the master. The young master stole from me last year, and the lessons are payment for that debt.¡±

    Kora frowned, uncertain what the man meant by the first statement. ¡°What was stolen?¡±

    ¡°My spiritual stone. It was my treasure at the time.¡±

    ¡°Tan did that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°To be fair to him, he was stealing from a pig,¡± Tremble said, shrugging. ¡°I mean, I was angry and all, but he didn¡¯t realize that I was aware enough to warrant any respect. I¡¯ve mostly forgiven him, and the master¡¯s insights have already advanced my cultivation beyond what they would have been if it were not for that encounter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Shen family has a way of doing that,¡± Kora said, grinning. ¡°What are you eating?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, there¡¯s still some on the stove. I was going to eat the rest of it in the morning, but the main family won¡¯t be eating for an hour yet, so if you¡¯re hungry¡ª¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I am a little peckish,¡± she admitted. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have just a bite to eat.¡±

    She went into the kitchen and placed a scoop of rice into a bowl, as well as a few of the fried vegetables. She took one bite, and her eyes opened wide.

    Without thinking any further, she sat down into the lotus position and began to cultivate as she processed the Qi dense food. It wasn¡¯t enough for a breakthrough, but anything this rich deserved the effort to be utilized. Twenty minutes past as she slowly ate and cultivated, savoring every bite even after it was cold.

    Then she realized that she¡¯d been making the Shens wait for her for twenty minutes, and she blushed. She quickly got back up, setting the bowl in the basin to be washed by the servant later. She rushed back into the dining area, where the ugly man was reclining on the floor, scratching himself and staring at a Dao painting on the wall. She glanced at the painting as well and¡­

    And she was entranced for another twenty minutes before shaking herself out of it.

    ¡°Would you do me the honor of introducing me to the main house?¡± she asked Tremble once she realized that she¡¯d be  living here for a week  and could stare at the painting as much as she wanted, but had limited time to make a good impression.

    ¡°Why? Just go over and knock on the door. They¡¯re expecting you,¡± the servant answered.

    She frowned, but she didn¡¯t feel confident enough to boss the young man around, so she simply left, walking over to the main house and doing as he suggested.

    She knocked, waited a moment, and when it wasn¡¯t promptly answered she knocked again. The third time she knocked, it was answered. Not by a servant, but by a little girl.

    ¡°Hello Tan¡¯s girlfriend,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m Safron. I¡¯m five. I heard you have a fire spirit, but I bet mine¡¯s stronger. My dad caught it for me.¡±

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    Kora looked down at the young mistress of the Shen family and fumbled for what to say to a girl so young. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s your name, if I might ask.¡±

    ¡°You can ask,¡± the girl said, a grin on her face. She didn¡¯t say anything else though. Kora reviewed what was said in her mind and realized the game that was being played.

    ¡°Since you said I could ask, would you please tell me your name?¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯m Safron Shen,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm! I have to get to the second before winter or else my big brother wins.¡±

    Kora swallowed. ¡°Wins what?¡± she asked.

    ¡°He took less than nine months to reach the second. So if he¡¯s faster then me, then he wins. If I¡¯m faster than him, then I win,¡± the girl explained.

    ¡°What do you win, exactly?¡±

    The girl frowned. ¡°I just win. That¡¯s all. Did you bring me a dolly?¡±

    Kora blinked. Why would she have ¡­ she should have brought a doll for her fiance¡¯s little sister, she realized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I  did  buy you a doll, but Master Shen was in such a rush to bring us to your house that it got left behind,¡± she lied.

    ¡°Oh. Okay, I¡¯m going to go yell at daddy then,¡± the girl said, and she wandered off.

    Kora stepped inside, surprised that there was nobody else to greet her. ¡°Hello?¡± she called out.

    ¡°In here, dear,¡± Wensho answered, and Kora followed the voice into a kitchen, where four children were working to prepare dinner. ¡°Sorry, we tried to wait for you, but we weren¡¯t certain how long you¡¯d be woolgathering, so we went ahead and started cooking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I sort of got lost in the dao painting in the guesthouse,¡± Kora admitted.

    Tan snickered at that for some reason.

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, my dear,¡± Wensho assured the girl. ¡°Come here and help me wrap these dumplings.¡±

    ¡°Um, do what now?¡±

    ¡°You want to eat, don¡¯t you? Come and help us cook,¡± the girl, whose name Wensho didn¡¯t know, said impatiently. ¡°Or are you too good to cook the food that you eat yourself?¡±

    Sensing the challenge, Kora stepped over next to Wensho, who showed her how to wrap the stuffing in the dumplings, which were later cooked in a frying pan with oil. She¡¯d had the dish many times before, but never been involved in cooking it. Her dumplings were obvious, they lacked the style of the Mistress of the house¡¯s dumplings, but she quickly got the hang of it.

    ¡°Not what you were expecting, was it?¡± Wensho asked her.

    ¡°No. Where are your servants? Why are you doing this yourself?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any servants. We have some fieldhands, but they just help with the work. They¡¯re not servants in the way that you use the term, they¡¯re friends and family,¡± Wensho answered.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Kora blinked. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the informality of the meeting. She watched as one of the boys, older than Tan and younger than her, twin to the girl who had teased her a moment ago, used his own Qi to flash-boil a pot and throw some chopped potatoes inside. She blinked at the casual display of magic that she¡¯d never have considered.

    ¡°You use your abilities in everyday chores?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Why would you cultivate except to make your life easier?¡± Wensho asked.

    Kora¡¯s mind reeled. Why would she cultivate? ¡°For power, and prestige, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°What good are those things, dear? Why do you want them?¡± Wensho asked.

    Kora went silent as she considered the woman¡¯s wisdom. What good were power and prestige, exactly? Wensho was right, the ultimate purpose of cultivation was to improve your life, she realized after a moment. Power and prestige fed back into that purpose, but they were also ends of their own. Weren¡¯t they?

    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster,¡± Kora said.

    ¡°None of that. Go help Safron set the table,¡± Wensho said, taking the imperfectly formed dumplings from the teenager and ushering her into the dining room to help a little girl place plates and silverware around the table.

    As she worked, she continued to reflect on lady Wensho¡¯s wisdom.

    Cultivation was about self-improvement. It was so obvious that that was the end goal in and of itself that one she¡¯d realized it, Kora couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d been focused on the other benefits.

    ¡°Cultivation increases your power and prestige,¡± she said to herself, ¡°but that is not its goal. I must keep that in mind from now on. Whenever I cultivate, I must keep my mind on the fact that I am seeking to better myself. Power and prestige are the result, not the goal.¡±

    ¡°Whispering is impolite,¡± the little girl scolded. ¡°If you¡¯re going to talk, you should say it so that everyone can hear.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kora said, and she repeated herself.

    The little girl blinked at her. ¡°Well, duh.¡±

    ?

 V2 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    There was a very brief introduction that occurred once dinner was finished cooking. Tren had been taking a bath while the others worked and emerged cleaner and in finer clothes than she¡¯d seen him earlier, but still not the grandmaster¡¯s attire that she¡¯d first met him in. Rather, these looked like clothes that a peasant might wear on a holiday.

    The children lined up from youngest to oldest, and they each introduced themselves.

    ¡°I¡¯m Pao, I¡¯m fifteen, and I¡¯m an earth cultivator of the eighth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm,¡± the oldest boy, who had the height of a man but retained boyish features otherwise. Except for his muscles, she noticed. He was dressed in fine black clothes with the word for ¡°Earth Initiate¡± embroidered upon them.

    The twins went next, with the girl going first. ¡°I¡¯m Ko, and I¡¯m a water cultivator, like Mistress Wensho Shen. My brother and I recently broke through into the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, but I¡¯ll let him introduce himself.¡±

    The boy nodded at his sister. ¡°I¡¯m Won. I¡¯m a fire cultivator,¡± he said. ¡°Seventh stage, like she said. I thought I¡¯d be stronger than you when you arrived since I heard you were weak two years ago, but whatever. You¡¯re older, so I guess that means that it was easier for you to catch up.¡±

    His sister elbowed him and he elbowed her back. They stepped back, and suddenly Safron stepped forward. She was wearing a little dress with the word for ¡°Fire¡± embroidered on it. ¡°I¡¯m Safron and we met but I wanted to say and I have fire magic too,¡± the little girl declared before stepping back.

    Tan rolled his eyes at his sister¡¯s antics, then shrugged. ¡°You know who I am and what I cultivate already, since I¡¯m the entire reason you¡¯re here. I¡¯m in the first stage of the Foundation Realm, although I think I¡¯m going to break through into the next stage any day now,¡± he said. She noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that he had been wearing when they first met, loose blue pants and a shirt that had a front flap that went down over his thighs. On his chest was the word for ¡°Wind Student of Two Grandmasters.¡±

    Kora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all, and to see you again, Tan. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this visit since our last encounter.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I nearly screw up your cultivation and almost kill you?¡±

    ¡°I, well, yes you did. But it also freed my spirit, Slake, and we have been growing closer thanks to the destruction of the subsumation bonding technique. If you  hadn¡¯t  destroyed that technique, then my best friend would have lost her mind before I ever knew her,¡± Kora explained.

    ¡°I hate you so much,¡± her spirit whispered in her ear.

    Tan frowned at her, then shrugged. ¡°Whatever. You¡¯re not my girlfriend. My parents say that I have to be nice to you, but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re getting married,¡± he said flatly.

    She bit her lip at the blunt dismissal of her ambitions. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to love me right now, Tan, only for an opportunity to get to know each other. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Tan said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    So they all sat at the table. Kora waited a moment to be served, but quickly saw her mistake as the other children all speared the best food they could with their silverware and began loading up their plates and bowls. She quickly realized that if she didn¡¯t help herself soon, there wouldn¡¯t be much left, so she got in on the action.

    Several of the dumplings that she¡¯d wrapped herself made it onto her bowl, with only one of the ones that Lady Wensho had wrapped. She got plenty of rice, but not as much of the fried pork and vegetables as the other children claimed. Even the adults got in on the game. Only little Safron was immune to the competition for the best bits of the dinner. And only because she was apparently allowed to pick whatever she wanted off the plates of the older children.

    Soon, the center of the table was empty of food, and the family was eating while guarding their food from the others. This was necessary, Kora realized, because if you didn¡¯t watch it the other children would ruthlessly steal from you.

    It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t enough to go around. Especially the rice; half the pot remained ready for anyone who hadn¡¯t gotten enough of the other food to fill their bellies with. There was plenty for everyone, and she wondered what the competition was about. Was it some sort of ritual that she didn¡¯t understand? What purpose did it serve? Was it competition just for competitions sake?

    As she struggled to keep her selections from the other children, suddenly Tren speared one of Wensho¡¯s dumplings from Kora¡¯s plate. Kora shot him a surprised look, but he just grinned and popped the dumpling into her mouth.

    She was amazed at the familiarity they were showing. What was this? Was every meal going to be a competition? Was  everything  going to be a competition? Was that the secret to their strength?

    Across the table, Tan shot his not-girlfriend a glare. Why was she being weird? She looked absolutely stunned when his dad had stolen her last good dumpling, but why  wouldn¡¯t  he have done that? It was practically a tradition at every table that he¡¯d ever eaten at to squabble for the tastiest bits before they were eaten.

    He frowned. At least, everywhere except when he¡¯d been in Mosanatas, but that city had been weird on multiple levels. Maybe she came from someplace like that? Where adults watched the kids eat without disturbing them for some reason?

    That was fine, but he preferred the fun of stealing from the others.

    Once most of the food was gone, everyone settled back and began to cultivate. Kora was no exception. She had thought that the rice that Tremble had cooked was rich in Qi, but it was nothing compared to this banquet. Even little Safron closed her eyes and meditated briefly.

    However, after less than ten minutes, the others had finished their contemplations and began chatting, disturbing Kora¡¯s careful manipulations of the energy within her. She looked up. Had they finished already? With a bounty like this, she could spend hours absorbing the spiritual energy in her belly.

    The twins were bickering about something that Kora didn¡¯t understand. They were talking about someone called ¡°the Red Rooster¡± and whether or not his latest letter home had been dishonest about his progress or not. This ¡°Red Rooster¡± claimed to have reached the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm.

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    Ko thought that he was being honest, while Won was insisting that the man was lying. Then eventually Won decided that  maybe  the Rooster was telling the truth, and abruptly Ko was insistent that the man was full of horse dung.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made surprising progress since we saw you last, Kora,¡± Lady Wensho said overtop the bickering. ¡°Congratulations on your advancement.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. It was the boon of the emperor that pushed me this far. I received an invitation for an audience. We didn¡¯t know why at all, but apparently I got his attention. I¡¯m not certain if you¡¯ve ever been there, but it¡¯s customary to bathe before meeting the emperor at the hotsprings. I broke through into the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm in the bath. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing, really, since it caused a delay and I guess there¡¯s sort of a taboo against cultivating in the hot springs, but then¡­¡±

    She glanced around realized that everyone was staring at her.

    ¡° You met the emperor? ¡± Tan asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Well, not really? Sort of? He was behind a screen, so I didn¡¯t see his face or anything. He tested me with his intent, which was so strong that I almost fainted. Then he said that he was pleased with me and gave me three gifts. A Treatise that is helping me change my Dao into one of a higher path, a bush of Everburning Blackberries for my family¡¯s estate, and a week with a master fire cultivator beyond compare. You might know him, I believe he¡¯s a member of your family. His name is Renton Shen.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Renton is stupid. He talks stupid and doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Safron chimed in.

    ¡°I¡¯m eternally grateful for the tutelage he gave me,¡± Safron said earnestly. ¡°With his guidance and the Emperor¡¯s gifts, I have swiftly ascended three stages in as many months. I am continuing to follow the cultivation plan he has set out for me, and I am grateful for it for it has greatly exceeded what I could have achieved on my own.¡±

    ¡°And how exactly does Renton¡¯s method compare to the Zang family¡¯s methods?¡± Tren inquired, a smile upon his face.

    Kora frowned, but she realized that the Shen family methods were clearly superior, so such a question was less probing for secrets and more ¡­ humble bragging? She was uncertain, but she decided upon honestly answering.

    ¡°Were it not for his guidance, I would have consumed every fruit that the Everburning Blackberry Bush produced within a few days, instead of slowly spreading them out over the last few weeks. I would have made great progress at first, but then slowly died out, like a bonfire that burns brightly at first but dims as it runs through the fuel. With his guidance, I have been consuming only a few of the berries at a time, and processing them slowly to get the greatest benefits. The fire that burns hottest does not burn nearly as long as one that is carefully shepherded through the night.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, another one,¡± Tan said.

    Kora blinked. ¡°Another what?¡±

    ¡°Another cultivator who tries to make themselves sound profound by making analogies using their element. Were those your words or Uncle Renton¡¯s?¡± he asked.

    Kora frowned. ¡°They¡¯re my own, but they¡¯re based upon his wisdom. Do you have a problem with¡ª¡±

    ?     ¡°Be not a bonfire but a lantern,¡± he said. He nodded. ¡°There. I said what you said in way fewer words, and I¡¯m a  wind  cultivator. So there.¡±

    She cocked her head to the side. Was this some sort of competition she wasn¡¯t aware of? Then she studied his words and realized that he had indeed encapsulated the wisdom she¡¯d attempted to share in fewer words.

    ¡°A lantern has more control over the flame it burns than a bonfire,¡± she admitted. ¡°It gives off the same amount of heat and the same amount of light, perhaps, but it preserves its fuel for longer and only burns when it is needed. Your insight is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Tan said, interrupting her. ¡°So you met Uncle Renton, huh? We planted the orchard together. I helped.¡±

    Kora blinked. ¡°The orchard?¡±

    ¡°We have a newly planted orchard of cherry trees,¡± Lady Wensho said. ¡°We¡¯re looking forward to their first harvest. They promise to be most delicious, and quite good for the children¡¯s cultivation. Unfortunately it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ll bear fruit for some time, possibly not until next year.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Kora said. ¡°I hear that blossoming cherry trees are beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Indeed they are,¡± Lord Tren said, a wistful smile on his face. He glanced at Wensho and said ¡°I can¡¯t wait to kiss my wife beneath one once more.¡±

    Lady Wensho swatted him playfully, while Tan groaned like he¡¯d seen something disgusting. He turned back to Kora. ¡°Can you fight?¡± he asked.

    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can. You. Fight. Mom, dad, we should have another tournament tomorrow. To see who¡¯s strongest now that she¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°If we get done with the chores in time,¡± Lord Tren said. ¡°And she agrees to it of course.¡±

    Tan shot a challenging glare at her, and she felt a sudden burst of intent. Anger and annoyance and a desire to ¡­ prove himself? She frowned. That¡¯s what she got from the burst. Had that been intentional, or¡­

    ¡°You flinched,¡± he said. ¡°You lose.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I made you flinch with my intent. You lose,¡± he repeated. ¡°It¡¯s a game we play. If you flinch when someone uses their intent on you, you lose. You lost. That means you have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kora¡¯s doesn¡¯t have to play this game unless she wants to,¡± Lady Wensho said, quickly interjecting herself in the conversation. She looked at Kora and shrugged helplessly. ¡°The children have been training their intent for the last few months, since they got back from Mosanatas. The game they play, and the stakes they put on it, are motivation to improve. But you weren¡¯t aware of it, so you¡¯re exempt.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay,¡± Kora said, wishing to integrate into the Shen household while she was here. ¡°What do I have to do, since I flinched.¡±

    Tan thought about it for a minute, then grinned. ¡°Clean the chicken coop,¡± he declared.

    ¡°You do  not  have to do that, Kora,¡± Lord Tren said emphatically. ¡°Pick something else Tan.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. He¡¯s right, I did flinch,¡± Kora said. And besides, how hard could it be? ¡°I¡¯ll just need someone to show me what to do, and then I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±

    Tan grinned, and she felt another burst of malicious pleasure from him. She didn¡¯t flinch this time.

    Perhaps she would have if she¡¯d realize what cleaning a chicken coop actually entailed.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    Cleaning up after dinner was, like it¡¯s preparation, a communal activity, with only Safron as the youngest member of the household being free to go play before it was time for bed. The children all carried their plates and bowls and silverware into the kitchen, washing them and stacking them in turns as they bantered.

    Kora continued to feel out of place as she copied the other children. She¡¯d never once cleaned up after one of her meals before, that was what the servants were for. She didn¡¯t look down on her family¡¯s servants, she appreciated their work and was certain that they were paid well and treated with respect.

    At least, she was relatively certain they were. She realized that she didn¡¯t really know. Aside from a few servants who had looked after her when she was younger, she didn¡¯t really know many of them. It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want to, but because as soon as she entered the room they quickly made their exit.

    She frowned as she came to a realization. Was she an inconvenience to her family¡¯s servants? Or were they afraid fo her for some reason? She frowned as she washed her bowl for the third time thinking of it.

    ¡°You look constipated,¡± Tan told her bluntly. ¡°If you are you should tell mom. She¡¯ll fix you up.¡±

    Kora looked at the younger boy, then blushed. ¡°I¡¯m not ¡­ I was thinking about something.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s your thinking face then I know why I haven¡¯t seen it before,¡± the boy said.

    She flushed as she realized she¡¯d just been insulted by her prospective husband. ¡°Are you this rude to every girl, or just me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Dunno. Ko¡¯s the only one from the village who still hangs out with me. The others are all weird now,¡± Tan admitted freely. ¡°But give me one reason why I should be nice to you anyway.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be married,¡± she said.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Tan said bluntly. ¡°I asked my parents and they honestly don¡¯t care. Your family is the one who wants that to happen. We¡¯re just not being rude.¡±

    ¡°You call this not being rude?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being rude. My family is being polite,¡± the boy clarified.

    Kora flushed. ¡°What have I done to offend you, oh mighty young master of the Shen family?¡± she asked with a mocking undertone.

    He frowned at her. ¡°Who said you offended me? It¡¯s Zephyr that hates you. Not sure why, aside from the fact that she really, really hates your family because they tried to trap her and do to her what you did to your own spirit.¡±

    Kora¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Is your spirit poisoning you against me?¡±

    ¡°I dunno. Probably,¡± Tan admitted. He yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed. Have fun cleaning the chicken coop tomorrow.¡±

    Kora watched the boy leave and frowned. If his spirit was predisposed against her, then she¡¯d have to win over not just Tan, but his guardian spirit as well. She frowned, reflecting on her history with winning over spirits. Sensing her thoughts, Slake began laughing in her ear.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± she told the spirit, and she finished drying her bowl and stepped out of the kitchen. She was met by Lady Wensho, who smiled at her, but it was a smile that didn¡¯t quite meet the eyes. Not like it did when it was directed at the other children.

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    ¡°Not what you were expecting, are we?¡± the matriarch asked.

    ¡°No. But it¡¯s ¡­ It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll adapt to your way of life if I have to,¡± Kora declared.

    ¡°You will, will you?¡± Wensho asked. The woman shrugged. ¡°Come with me. We¡¯ll fit you in some of my old work clothes for tomorrow before sending you back to the guest house. There¡¯s no reason to get your pretty dress clothes dirty with sweat and manure.¡±

    ¡°Manure?¡± Kora frowned. ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Wensho smiled at her, a bit of mischief behind her grin. ¡°What exactly do you think it is that needs to be cleaned out of a chicken coop, Kora?¡± she asked.

    Kora¡¯s abrupt realization of what task actually lay in front of her hit all at once. She half-retched in disgust.

    ¡°It¡¯s not nearly as bad as you might think,¡± Wensho assured the girl, ¡°But if you don¡¯t mind losing the respect of the other children, you can still back out.¡±

    Kora glanced at the woman, who was taking an evil amount of pleasure in Kora¡¯s situation. ¡°I won¡¯t back down,¡± she declared.

    ¡°Good. Now come on, let¡¯s find some work clothes that will fit you.¡±

    Thirty minutes later, Kora was carrying a bundle of cloth back to the guesthouse. The work clothes that she¡¯d been given were surprisingly plain, and wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place on a peasant. She supposed that made sense, considering the sort of work that was done in them, but it would still be the most humble outfit that Kora had ever worn.

    Kora almost tripped over Tremble, who was laying in the entryway in front of the Dao painting on his side. He just grunted as he foot connected with him, but didn¡¯t complain.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said quickly.

    ¡°My fault for laying her,¡± he said. ¡°I was lost in the painting again.¡±

    He got to his feet and dusted himself off. ¡°Easy to do. Grateful to the master for painting it for me. Wish I could take it with me when I leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pig. This is all just to learn from the master. Once I understand my path better, I¡¯m going to go back to the wild,¡± Tremble said.

    Kora frowned, examining the man closer. His nose was slightly angled upward, and his hair was wiry and ¡­ she had a sudden shocking realization.

    ¡°Wait, do you mean that you are literally a pig? As in a spirit beast?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What did you think I meant?¡± Tremble asked, stretching. He  Popped , resuming his natural form, his clothes falling to the ground beside him. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I sleep better in my natural form. Goodnight young mistress.¡±

    Tremble the wild bore spirit animal calmly walked past her and into the bedroom where he slept. He jumped onto the bed and lay on his side, falling asleep within moments.

    Kora spent a moment staring at the spirit beast for a moment before closing the door behind him and returning to the room she¡¯d been assigned.

    The Shen family was  teaching  a spirit beast, she realized. The spirit beast was  working for them  to pay for  lessons .

    She reflected on what her own family would do if it discovered a spirit boar on their lands and swallowed nervously. It seems that the subsumation bonding technique was not the only philosophical difference between the Shen and the Zang family.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    Tan was dreaming that he was being married to an ugly girl with a pig head and spider arms. He frowned, abruptly realizing that he was dreaming and taking control of it. The pig-headed spider girl vanished, and he looked around at the faceless people who had gathered to celebrate the union. Tan looked around, confused. This didn¡¯t seem like one of the usual dreams that he¡¯d come to himself in. Not every dream he had was lucid, but enough were that he was unsurprised to find himself in one.

    ¡°Zephyr, are you doing this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°...I was,¡± the spirit admitted. ¡°Sorry Tan. I just hate her so much.¡±

    ¡°Why, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Because of what she almost did to my friend,¡± Zephyr explained. ¡°And what she almost did to me. I do not think that I could be bound without my express permission, but if I  were  to fall victim to the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace, I would lose centuries of myself, and it would be decades before Kora died and I was released to heal.¡±

    Tan frowned, then shrugged. ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t happen that way, and we helped the fire spirit together.¡±

    ¡°But there are others in the Zang family who use the improper method of binding their spirits. If they keep doing it then ¡­ I don¡¯t know. They¡¯ll hurt a lot of spirits like that. Fortunately I doubt any of them will actually manage to reach the divine realm after crippling their spirit, so I don¡¯t think the damage they¡¯re causing is irreversible. But I still wish I could kill everyone who used the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace,¡± Zephyr explained.

    ¡°Kora didn¡¯t use that formation, Zephyr, it was used on her by her parents,¡± Tan pointed out. ¡°She didn¡¯t understand¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind. Just seeing her makes me so angry though,¡± the wind spirit confessed.

    Tan sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m going to go dream about swimming. I can fly anytime, but the dreams about swimming are the best.¡±

    And so he dreamed that he was at the lake, swimming with his friends.

    The lake turned into the water gardens in mosanatas, and then they were turning back into the lake when suddenly someone grabbed his foot and pulled him out of the dream.

    He awoke to find his father standing over his bed. It was still dark out, but there was a faint glow to the darkness that implied dawn was around the horizon. Tan grumbled, but was used to being woken like this, so he scrambled out of bed to get dressed and do the things that he always did in the morning.

    After feeding the chickens and picking their eggs, he helped his mother in the kitchen, chopping green onions to go with the fried eggs that they were having for breakfast, along with some of the leftover rice from the night before. The rice was congealed and starting to dry, but Won fixed that by mixing it with some sauce and frying it with some chopped vegetables.

    Safron was surprised when she was given a task that morning; she stumbled out of bed when she heard the others up and about and wandered into the kitchen in her nightgown, only for her mother to promptly instruct her to go to the guesthouse and wake Kora to invite her to join the others at the table. The little girl grinned and dashed off to fulfill the task.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude about it!¡± Wensho called after her daughter, but Safron was already out the door. Wensho shook her head, but wasn¡¯t too worried.

    Tan shook his head in amusement and continued to help by setting the table, which was the task that Safron usually performed.

    Safron didn¡¯t bother to change into her clothes for the day or to even put on shoes, just running outside along the little dirt path that connected the main house to the guest house. She didn¡¯t bother to knock, barging right in. She ran to the room where she knew that the older girl would be sleeping, burst inside and started jumping on the bed.

    ¡°Get up get up get up get up get up!¡± she cried, causing Kora to recoil awake and fall out of bed. The teenager was so startled that for a second she started calling on her power, but oriented herself before there were any unfortunate accidents.

    ¡°What?¡± Kora asked blearily, the alarm fading. ¡°Safron? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Mommy said to wake you and invite you to breakfast. You don¡¯t  have  to come eat if you don¡¯t want to. Nobody really wants you there, but we¡¯re being polite. If you want to eat in the guesthouse instead that¡¯s fine, you can eat with the pig,¡± Safron said merrily.

    Kora blinked, forcing herself awake and calming herself down. Her heart was still beating a thousand times a minute. She looked down at the simple bead clothes she¡¯d been given, then at the just as simple work clothes that she had also been given, and then at the carefully folded travel clothes that she¡¯d worn yesterday. She regretted once more that her luggage had been abandoned, but she sighed and pulled herself upright.

    ¡°Thank you for the wake-up call, Safron. Please tell Lady Wensho that I will be there as soon as I dress,¡± Kora said. Safron grinned and ran back to the main house. Her feet were dirty but she didn¡¯t care.

    Not until her mother scolded her for it, at least. Then she only cared because she got in trouble and had to go wash the dirt away and get dressed, which she was told she should have done before running her errand.

    She shrugged. If she hadn¡¯t rushed, then Kora might have woken on her own, and then she wouldn¡¯t have  really  been able to follow the instructions to wake her up, could she?

    A short time later, the Shen family was gathered at the table, waiting patiently for their guest. While Tremble lived with them and was treated as a friend and guest, the wild boar spirit preferred to break his fast by scavenging in the nearby forest in the mornings in his natural form, so they weren¡¯t waiting for him. Kora, however, seemed to be taking her sweet time.

    ¡°Ko, would you be a dear and go check on her?¡± Wensho asked thirty minutes after Safron had reported the completion of her duty.

    ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re the only other girl and Safron already went, obviously,¡± Her brother said impatiently. His mouth was watering due to the smell, and he was impatient to get started.

    Ko sighed and went to the door. She was putting her shoes on when Kora knocked. Ko answered and looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°What are you wearing?¡± the younger teenager asked.

    Kora blinked. ¡°My clothes.¡±

    She was wearing the same thing as last night. If she was going to be eating with the Shens, she thought that she should dress in the best clothes that she had, dirty as they were, but now, as she saw how Ko was dressed, Kora began to have doubts about her wardrobe decision.

    ¡°You¡¯re not one of those girls who changes clothes twenty times through the day are you?¡± Ko asked. ¡°Because we don¡¯t have time for that. There¡¯s too much work to be done.¡±

    Kora flushed. ¡°What I¡¯m wearing is perfectly¡ª¡±

    ¡°You going to clean chicken poop dressed in that?¡± Tan called from the hallway, a grin on his face. ¡°Seriously, what are you wearing?¡±

    Kora glanced at the boy she was attempting to woo into a political marriage and her heart sank. He looked like ¡­

    He looked like a peasant boy, she realized.

    ¡°Forgive me. After last night I thought ¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I thought.¡±

    ¡°We all bathed and dressed up to formally welcome you, but that was a big thing and now it¡¯s back to normal,¡± Ko explained gently. ¡°We  work  on this farm, and there¡¯s no reason to spoil good clothes by working in them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go change¡ª¡± Kora said, turning to leave.

    ¡°No,¡± Tan said. ¡°Everyone is waiting on you to eat breakfast. You can change after, and before you clean the chicken coop. Wouldn¡¯t want to spoil the fancy dress with chicken poop would you?¡±

    Kora flushed, but came inside. Breakfast was a more relaxed affair than dinner had been the night before, with less competition for the eggs and fried rice. Safron still speared a mushroom off of Kora¡¯s plate, to the older girls surprise, but nobody else raised an eyebrow. Sighing, the older girl felt out of placed as the best dressed person in the room.

    The others spoke briefly about the various things that needed to be done around the farm, with some of the children volunteering for tasks and some of them being assigned other tasks whether they volunteered or not. Tan was assigned to  assist  Kora in cleaning the coop, which meant showing her how and making sure it was done properly. It was an opportunity to spend some time with him, at least, Kora thought to herself.

    Once everyone had eaten their fill, the Shen family filed out of the house to begin the day.

    ?

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    Kora quickly changed clothes after breakfast into some of the work attire that she¡¯d been given, then followed the directions and the sound of clucking to the chicken coop, where Tan was waiting for her after having gathered the tools she¡¯d need. She¡¯d been looking forward to, at last, getting a chance to spend some time with him alone.

    She got less than ten minutes. That¡¯s how long he spent showing her how to shovel the soiled hay that was in the coop into the wagon which would be used to take it to the compost heap, which was something that Kora had never once heard of being a thing that existed. She wanted him to stay, to talk if nothing else, but he insisted that he had other tasks to see to and left her as soon as he¡¯d demonstrated her task.

    Leaving her with only chickens for company.

    She looked at the rooster, who was perched a few feet away from him. She frowned. Were all chickens this big? The chickens on the Shen farm certainly looked larger than the ones she was used to eating by a considerable margin. Half again as large, she thought. Was it the breed?

    Or was it he Qi in the the food that she could sense. She shook her head, thinking of the waste of feeding Qi rich food to ¡­

    She paused.

    Chickens  were food . Feeding them Qi, would that not infuse  them  with Qi, which would be present in their eggs and meat?

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a waste after all, she reflected, going about the unpleasant task with a pitchfork.

    She finished by noon, and was sitting next to the wagon in the shade of the coop when Safron came to collect her for dinner. The little girl frowned at the older one.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked bluntly.

    ¡°Resting,¡± Kora answered. ¡°I¡¯m done with my task.¡±

    ¡°No you¡¯re not. You have to unload it too, and then you have to spread out hay to replace the dirty stuff. Didn¡¯t my brother tell you that?¡± Safron asked.

    Kora frowned. She looked at the wagon full of manure and wondered why she¡¯d thought she¡¯d have help unloading it. Tan  had  told her those things, including where the hay was stored, but she¡¯d still thought that he would have come back to check on her by now.

    ¡°Anyway, everybody was expecting you to be a slowpoke about it so you have all day and tomorrow if you need it,¡± Safron said with her typical bluntness. ¡°But it¡¯s time for lunch, so go wash your hands and face and come eat.¡±

    The girl ran off, and Kora sighed before standing to follow her. She looked at her hands and winced at the beginnings of blisters. And her task wasn¡¯t even half finished, she reflected.

    With a sigh, she went to eat with the others, then returned to her task, determined to finish it and demonstrate once and for all that she could fit in with the Shen family.

    Even though a small part of her was wondering exactly why she was trying so hard to please a boy who clearly didn¡¯t like her.

    She managed to finish before dinnertime, and she staggered into the main hall, where Lady Wensho greeted her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. It¡¯s just a bit of hazing. You¡¯ve earned a bit of their respect by actually carrying through with the dare, so you might think that the time was well spent. I drew a bath for you, and a change of clothes. Tonight is going to be a less formal affair, but I¡¯d prefer not to have you smelling like that at the dinner table.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Lady Wensho,¡± Kora said, bowing humbly.

    ¡°None of that. Just Wensho is fine,¡± the woman said. ¡°Now go scrub that dust off your skin before we eat. You have thirty minutes before we start serving, and you can probably guess what will happen if you¡¯re late.¡±

    With those words to motivate her, Kora quickly ran to the bathroom and took one of the quickest but most thorough baths of her life.

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    She blinked as, while soaking, she realized that even the bathwater was infused with Qi. She shook her head at the casual luxury mixed in with the serious hard work. The water itself seemed to sooth her muscles and blisters, and despite her haste to make it to the dinner table, she emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes and feeling refreshed.

    She sat at the table with the others, who were looking at her with suspicious glances. She smiled back at them.

    They were hazing her, were they? Well it would take more than this to drive her off.

    Dinner was more informal and even more competitive than the day before, although the fare was somewhat more simple, with simple fried rice, chopped vegetables, and several fish fillets. She flushed with annoyance when she realized that Tan had finished his duties early, as had the other children, and had time to not only cultivate for two hours but to fly to the nearby lake and fish.

    And of course, even the fish were infused with Qi. This Qi oasis of the Shen family was truly something else, she reflected during the post-meal haze where everyone was processing the Qi from their meals. Even the adults seemed to be doing something, although Kora was certain they were well past the stage where such paltry amounts of spiritual energy was beneficial.

    ¡°And what did we reflect upon today?¡± Tren Shen asked, interrupting the quiet meditation of the table.

    ¡°I reflected on the wisdom that Tan distilled yesterday,¡± Won volunteered quickly. ¡°Be not the bonfire but the lantern. I think there¡¯s more to those words than even he realized when he said them. I¡¯m not certain it¡¯s the  best  way to distill the concept that Kora was trying to share, but it was a good one.¡±

    ¡°I reflected on the difference between oil and Kora. I mean Tan and water. I mean oil and water,¡± Ko said, giggling as she fumbled her words deliberately. Kora blushed as she caught the girls meaning immediately.

    ¡°I reflected more on the meaning of being steadfast,¡± Pao said simply. ¡°And I watched Tremble work. I think he¡¯s close to a breakthrough, but I¡¯m not certain. Do you think that he¡¯ll leave us if he manages one?¡±

    ¡°If he does, it¡¯s his decision to make,¡± Tren said. ¡°Tan? What did you reflect on?¡±

    Tan scratched his head. ¡°Honestly I kept thinking about the dream of Kora I had last night.¡±

    Kora¡¯s eyes went wide. He dreamed of her? Maybe her prospects weren¡¯t so--

    ¡°It was Zephyr playing with my dreams again, but I dreamed that I was marrying a pig-faced spider girl who was extremely ugly and nobody was happy in the wedding,¡± the boy continued. ¡°Anyway I know it doesn¡¯t mean anything but it was stuck in my head.¡±

    Kora¡¯s jaw dropped. He ¡­ dreamed what?

    ¡°Safron, what did you reflect on today?¡± Wensho asked the youngest child at the table.

    ¡°Candle wax,¡± the girl said. ¡°Why is it sticky sometimes and not others? Why does it burn, even though it melts? I dunno. I was just thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, Safron. You¡¯re asking good questions. Keep it up,¡± Wensho praised. The woman turned to Kora. ¡°Kora? What did you reflect on today?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was supposed to reflect on anything specific,¡± she admitted. ¡°But if I had to answer, then I guess I¡¯ll just say it. I reflected on how much I hate chicken poop.¡±

    The table laughed with her, and she smiled.

    After eating, she asked Tan to show her the best place to cultivate fire Qi in the farm, and he led her to the orchard. They were alone for a few minutes, but rather than taking advantage of it, Kora was swept away by the fire Qi given off by the Everburning Cherry Trees that were growing in a perfect grid.

    With the light of the setting sun, it was a perfect flavor of Qi for her to cultivate. The Dawn would have been better, except that ¡­ she¡¯d have to wake up at dawn, she realized, and she wasn¡¯t certain she could manage that, accustomed as she was to sleeping in. So she plopped down in the center of the orchard and cultivated quietly, drawing the qi in through her hands and skin and cycling it into her dantian.

    She suddenly noticed a warm and comforting breeze and looked up to see Tan cultivating nearby her. For whatever reason, the ambient Qi responded to his meditations and became even richer. Kora grinned and closed her eyes, focusing on her own cultivation.

    At least they had this one thing in common, she reflected. A drive for power.

    No, she reflected. That was not the lure that drove the Shens.

    A drive to better herself. That is what she shared with Tan.

    She realized abruptly how much she had changed in just one day after the nugget of wisdom that Lady Wensho had bestowed upon her almost by accident.

    Power and prestige were byproducts, she reflected. Not the goal. That is what set the Shens apart from the Zangs. Was that also the reason that the emperor looked upon them with his favor, to the point where he would send Renton Shen to tutor her just on the off chance that the marriage went through?

    Questions for another time, she decided, closing her eyes and focusing on absorbing the Qi in the orchard.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    Tan rolled over in his bed, unable to go to sleep. He was ¡­ anxious? He wasn¡¯t sure how to classify the feeling, but he was feeling something unpleasant. And he was certain that Kora was to blame.

    He was close to breaking through to the next stage, he was certain. Very close. He¡¯d probably manage in a day or two, even with Zephyr hoarding one third of all of the energy he was gathering for the purpose. He wasn¡¯t certain  why  she was hoarding energy from him; he wasn¡¯t at the stage where he could help  her  grow yet, and the last time she had done this he¡¯d been at the edge of a breakthrough in the Dao. He didn¡¯t feel that was the case now.

    He trusted his companion spirit implicitly. Even with the way she was poisoning him against Kora, an action that she wasn¡¯t even pretending to deny, he was certain that she had his best interests at heart. They were bound together, after all, and her best interests were his best interests. She would make him stronger, and eventually, he would make her stronger as well.

    That was how spirit cultivation worked.

    Unless you were a Zang, a small voice whispered in his ear. Not Zephyr, his own conscience. He recalled the twisting formation he¡¯d seen in Kora and her parent¡¯s dantian. The way that it had been designed to take and take and take from the spirit and give nothing in return.

    It had been simple enough to break. It was fragile, like the strands of a spider¡¯s web. And he did not regret it. But he thought that he would regret it if he married someone who thought that it was okay to use such a technique.

    But did Kora think that? She had seemed happier now that she could talk with her spirit, going so far as to thank Tan for freeing it.

    He chewed his lip.

    Cultivating with her had been good. It was always best to cultivate with someone of another element, Tan had learned. That was why he and his friends made such a good team, and why the cultivation hill where they had first started cultivating was so important to them. And why he¡¯d brought Kora to the orchard instead of the top of the hill.

    She didn¡¯t belong there. She wasn¡¯t one of them. She was an outsider, and that hill represented something to Tan that he wasn¡¯t willing to share with anyone except Pao, Won, Ko, and maybe Safron. As the years had gone by, the formation that focused Qi to the top of the hill had been increased, reinforced, and built upon by Tan¡¯s parents, and it was now the hub of a many-mile wide formation.

    And yet his session cultivating with Kora had been nearly as helpful. Her fire Qi stirred up the air, and his air Qi had stirred up the fire Qi in the orchard. But it was different from cultivating with Won or Safron. Kora¡¯s insights, her flavor of the Dao was different than theirs. It wasn¡¯t  better  than Won¡¯s path.

    Won focused on the  becoming  aspect of fire. Kora was ¡­ Tan wasn¡¯t exactly certain after cultivating with her only one time, but he thought she was like sunlight.

    He sighed. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to get to sleep anytime soon, so he decided to go for a walk. Or a flight, at least. He got out of bed, pulled on some pants and a jacket and went outside. He flew to the top of the cultivation hill and sat in his spot, looking up at the night sky. The stars were beautiful that night, without a cloud in the sky.

    The moon was ¡­ the moon. Tan didn¡¯t feel poetic right now. He sighed and began cultivating, lying on his back and stargazing.

    He broke through into the second stage of the Foundation Realm almost without realizing it. Shortly after, he fell asleep, outside, beneath the stars.

    He awoke to his mother splashing him with water hours later. He sputtered, and she pulled the water back, drying him with magic just as fast as she¡¯d doused him.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Punishment for making the rest of us look for you first thing in the morning. What are you doing out here?¡± she demanded, the ¡®mom¡¯ tone in her voice.

    He shrunk back. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to fall asleep. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I came out here to¡ª¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°You broke through,¡± Wensho said, her senses picking up on the subtle change in her son¡¯s aura now that he was awake. ¡°Well, fine then. But next time you decide to cultivate starlight then you should leave a note on your door so we know where to find you if you fall asleep.¡±

    Tan¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Wait, is that a thing? You can cultivate starlight?¡±

    ¡°Can you? I wouldn¡¯t now,¡± Wensho said, smiling as she went back to call off the search.

    Tan frowned. He had sensed  something  from the heavens last night. Not the strong fire Qi of the sun, but perhaps it was an energy that they could use? He shook his head and rushed to tend the chickens and his other morning chores.

    It was Kora¡¯s third day at the Shen farm, her second full day with them. She was scheduled to remain a week, and Tan wasn¡¯t looking forward to the remaining time. Especially when, at the breakfast table, they were assigned to tend to the same field together, with Tan showing Kora the ropes.

    Kora seemed excited, at least.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care if I liked her or not,¡± Tan said to his father as they were pulling tools out of the shed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t. However, we need to at least put you together a few times to satisfy the Zangs so that when you refuse the marriage proposal we can at least say that we didn¡¯t reject it out of hand,¡± his father explained. ¡°And honestly it will be good for you to be around a girl other than Safron and Ko for a while. She seems interested in you too, although it might not be for the best of reasons.¡±

    ¡°Why are we even playing along with the stupid Zang¡¯s in the first place?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I never understood why you didn¡¯t tell them to just go plow themselves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that, Tan. As for why we didn¡¯t reject their offer out of hand ¡­ they know where we live, Tan, and they think it¡¯s someplace special. It¡¯s really not, except for the work that your mother and I have put into it over the last thirty years. Centuries ago there was a ¡­ well, a great cultivator emerged from this land, but he took much of the power that was native to the land for himself, leaving nothing behind. We¡¯ve been slowly helping the wounds that he caused to heal. If people realized that these wounds were healing before the dragon veins are fully untwisted, then they¡¯ll come to either help or hinder our work,¡± Tren explained. ¡°Either way they¡¯ll get in my way, so it¡¯s easier for everyone if they just don¡¯t know about it yet.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with getting married to Kora?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like to leave a job half finished. And that¡¯s where the work was two years ago, half finished. Things have reached a point now where the spirits of the land have begun to heal themselves, and soon the formations and the magic that we¡¯ve set into motion will be self-sustaining. But if a thousand cultivators descend upon our home ago to investigate, then I would take you and Wensho and Safron and the other children and fled to another part of the empire,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°What would have happened to the land?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it wouldn¡¯t have had me and your mother to help it heal anymore,¡± Tren explained. ¡°Another five years, I think, and the dragon veins should be able to repair themselves from the damage that the ascension ritual of that old cultivator caused. In the meantime, it¡¯s best to simply lie low and not make too many waves. I¡¯m sorry that we put you in this position, Tan.¡±

    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t mind so much if it¡¯s to help the land heal,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that sooner?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping the land, Tan. Well, you are sort of. You and your friends are helping to prime the pumps with your cultivation atop the hill. I chose this farm for a reason, three dragon veins intersect nearby, and when you and the others cultivate on that hill, it¡¯s pulling in power that has long been stagnant. Once it starts flowing regularly, the heart of the land will start pumping again,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about the land before?¡± Tan asked insistently.

    Tren scratched his nose. ¡°Because you were nine years old, Tan, and it wasn¡¯t your responsibility to fix. Entertaining the Zang¡¯s marriage proposal is an inconvenience, but we¡¯re only entertaining it to buy time. We don¡¯t need anything from the Zang¡¯s except for them not to blab to the rest of the cultivation world about the work we¡¯re doing to the dragon veins. That¡¯s  not  worth marrying you into their family for, but it is worth stringing them along to think that we might. And if you do end up liking Kora, then, well, she started out on a dead end path, but between you fixing her connection to her spirit and Renton¡¯s guidance, she¡¯s on a good one now, I think. So if you decide you like her it¡¯s not the end of the world.¡±

    Tan considered his fathers words. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I just need to string her along so that you and mom can finish your work healing the land?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, that¡¯s  not  what I¡¯m saying,¡± Tren said. ¡°But if that¡¯s what you got out of it, then I¡¯m not going to put too much effort into fixing it. It¡¯s okay to like Kora, Tan, and it¡¯s okay not to like Kora. Just be true to yourself and your parents will love you regardless. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Tan said, and he grabbed a pair of hoes and flew off to the field where Kora was waiting for him to instruct her on how to weed the crops properly.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    It was two more days before Kora even realized that Tan had had a breakthrough. And those days were mostly miserable.

    She worked hard, stretching muscles she didn¡¯t realize she had and getting blisters on top of blisters on top of blisters. Part of her wanted to just throw her hands up and demand that she be taken home, but the part of her that wanted the power and prestige that went with marrying into the Shen family kept her from simply abandoning her quest to woo Tan.

    A quest which wasn¡¯t going very well at all. Whenver she complimented him, he got a funny look on his face and said something to her which might have been an insult. She complimented him on his appearance, and he said that she looked slightly better than she had in his dreams. She complimented his work ethic, and he complimented her for working twice as hard for half the result. She complimented his cultivation progress at having achieved the first stage of the Foundation Realm, as the Shens referred to it, and he complimented her on her blindness.

    She blinked at that and asked what he meant.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I broke through the other day,¡± he said.

    She frowned and scanned the boy with her spiritual senses and realized that he was right, there was a noticeable difference between when she¡¯d arrived on the farm and today.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I meant by being blind,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re stumbling around with your hands out in front of you to gauge my progress instead of just looking.¡±

    She frowned. What was he talking about? This was how she¡¯d been trained. ¡°Can you  feel  it when I scan you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Of course I can. It¡¯s like you¡¯re grabbing me by my shoulders and shaking me. Or trying to at least. I¡¯m not so easily shaken,¡± the boy answered.

    ¡°How do you do it then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Different ways. I  could  do it the way that you do, but that¡¯s just rude. Mostly I smell it. It¡¯s not as precise, but if you know someone you can tell when they have a breakthrough based on the scent of their cultivation getting stronger. Or I listen to the way the Qi around them vibrates. My parents are almost silent, so I don¡¯t really know how strong they are except for that they¡¯re way stronger than me. But I can hear everyone else loud and clear,¡± he answered.

    She went silent as she contemplated this. Was he just pulling her leg? She¡¯d learned by now that he had no issues with lying to her, and this might have been one of those times. ¡°Well, congratulations on your advancement anyway. Why wasn¡¯t there an announcement or celebration?¡±

    ¡°There was. We had honeycakes for lunch,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone knows what that means except you I guess.¡±

    He said this with such a casual dismissal, simply going back to hoeing his row, that she could only stare at his back. He was right, she realized. She was an outsider, unwelcome and unwanted. Why was she even here?

    The power and prestige of the Shen family? Yeah, right. They were literally dirt farmers who happened to live on top of a Qi oasis. She threw her hoe down in the dirt and stormed off to the guesthouse. Tan stopped working to watch her go, then went back to work. Things went faster when he didn¡¯t need to make certain that she was doing her job the right way.

    She didn¡¯t go to dinner that night, and Lady Wensho found her in her room crying when she brought a covered platter that smelled utterly delicious.

    ¡°What did my son say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kora answered angrily.

    ¡°Alright then. Do you want to talk about it, or do you want to stay here and cry alone?¡±

    Kora glared at the woman, the grandmaster cultivator who was condescending her, and she opened her mouth to say something biting when she realized that the woman was genuinely asking.

    ¡°Why do you live like you do?¡± she asked at last. ¡°I¡¯ve seen only a glimpse of Renton¡¯s strength, but if you and Tren had a tenth of that then you could each live a life of luxury and ease. Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?  Farming  of all things?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯ve been there and done that and it got boring after about a decade of having our every whim catered to,¡± Wensho answered honestly. ¡°Some people enjoy that sort of thing. Tren and I enjoy a careful harvest and actually spending time with our children instead of decades of closed door cultivation and pointless power games with others who are looking to cut our throats, metaphorically or otherwise. So we just left it all behind and came somewhere that nobody would look for us.¡±

    ¡°Until my family happened along,¡± Kora said, the pieces finally falling into place. ¡°You were never serious about joining our families.¡±

    ¡°We never promised more than that we¡¯d introduce you to Tan, and give you some time together to see if you had chemistry,¡± Wensho said. ¡°That¡¯s all we¡¯ve promised, nothing more. What were you expecting?¡±

    ¡°That I would¡ªthat you would¡ªI don¡¯t know! Give a damn!¡± Kora screamed.

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    ¡°Kora, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a fine young lady,¡± Lady Wensho said, ignoring the outburst, ¡°But honestly, it¡¯s unlikely that my son¡¯s heart will soften towards you. Perhaps it would be best if my husband takes you home early.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Kora said sharply. She would not give up. If Tan rejected her after the week was over, that was one thing. But to simply give in, to tell her family that she had failed, she wasn¡¯t ready to do that.

    ¡°Alright. Fine. I wasn¡¯t trying to kick you out. I was just raising the option,¡± Wensho said. She sighed. ¡°There¡¯s the tournament tomorrow, you know. Maybe if you can break my son¡¯s nose, he¡¯ll look at you differently.¡±

    ¡°You think that would help?¡± Kora asked, scoffing. ¡°I suppose it couldn¡¯t make anything any worse.¡±

    ¡°Things can always get worse. You¡¯re trying to woo an indifferent heart, not a hateful one,¡± Wensho said. She turned to leave. ¡°If you¡¯re just worried about what your family thinks, then that¡¯s fine. They won¡¯t know what happens here on the farm. You can just wait for the end of the week instead of trying to fit in. If you don¡¯t show up for breakfast tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring you something to eat again, and if you want to talk then, we¡¯ll talk some more.¡±

    The lady of the farm left Kora alone. Kora continued to sulk for a few minutes before the delicious aroma of the platter that was left behind lured her out of her shell. She sat on the bed with the platter next to her and ate the Qi rich food, savoring each mouthful. When she had finished, she cultivated until she fell asleep with her clothes still on.

    She woke up early in the morning, before dawn, she realized. She looked at the sky through her window and realized that this was the perfect time to cultivate in the orchard, so she quickly put on her shoes and raced over. Once she was ensconced in the center, she entered her meditative stance and guided the Qi through the exercises she had learned when she was young and perfected under the tutelage of Renton Shen.

    As she cultivated, she reflected upon her heart.

    She did not love Tan. That much had never really been in question. She¡¯d hoped that she might  come  to love him after they were married, but she¡¯d ultimately only been interested in his family, their connections, and his prodigious talent. If she were to say anything else, she¡¯d be lying, even if it was to herself.

    That didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t want to marry him. Marriages didn¡¯t have to be about love. Lady Wensho had pointed out that cultivation wasn¡¯t about power or prestige, that those things were side effects of bettering oneself through cultivation. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that those things went together. With one came the other.

    A marriage to Tan Shen would certainly increase the Zang family¡¯s reputation, if she could figure out how to get the to cut out this nonsense about being dirt farmers and act like proper cultivators at least. There were at least three grandmasters in the Shen family that she knew about, and who knew how large the family really was? Even the emperor cared about them, and she had sensed his unfiltered power when he had brought his Intent down upon her.

    But that was not the only path she could take to get the things that she wanted. If she became strong enough, then it wouldn¡¯t matter who she married, or if she married at all. She could become the rock upon which the Zang family could build the next generation, rather than simply enriching the family line through marriage.

    She frowned, seeing now a contradiction. She had been praised for all of her life as a prodigy, and yet the first thing that the family did when she came of age and bonded a spirit was to start looking for a husband for her. Was she not good enough to stand on her own?

    ¡°You¡¯re in my spot,¡± Safron said, jarring Kora out of her trance.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This is  my  orchard. You¡¯re in my spot,¡± the girl repeated.

    Kora looked around. There was plenty of space for the girl to sit, and Kora was hardly absorbing all of the energy that the sun and the trees were putting out. ¡°Tan said that I could cultivate here.¡±

    ¡°Tan has the hilltop. The orchard is mine. Mom and Dad said so,¡± Safron said. ¡°You¡¯re in my spot and if you want to stay in my spot then you need to braid my hair.¡±

    Kora frowned, but gave in. She braided the little girl¡¯s hair, then, once the sun was up fully up, they returned to the manor to eat breakfast with the rest of the Shen family. Breakfast was awkward, but it wasn¡¯t just Kora¡¯s absence from the night before that was bothering the other children. She didn¡¯t realize it at first, but as the tension grew, she realized that they were each preparing themselves mentally for the day to come.

    After a few brief chores, which Tren quickly issued to everyone but Kora, the children would be fighting each other in another training tournament. The first and only one to take place while Kora was at the farm.

    After the other children left, Kora remained at the table with the two adults.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here,¡± Tren said bluntly. ¡°It should be obvious by now that there¡¯s very little chance that you¡¯ll win Tan¡¯s heart.¡±

    His wife swatted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be so blunt about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kora said. ¡°You¡¯re right. But that doesn¡¯t mean that there¡¯s nothing for me to learn. I¡¯ve ¡­ never actually been in a fight before. A bit of training with my masters, but nobody who was willing to put hands on me has ever challenged me to a real spar. I¡¯m not going to leave without seeing how I match up against other kids my age.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re giving up on this marriage nonsense?¡± Tren pressed.

    ¡°Yes. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I want to cut ties with your family. Even if Tan won¡¯t marry me, there¡¯s so much that I want to learn from you. You and Lady Wensho and Lord Renton are the most powerful cultivators I¡¯ve ever met, and I am honored and humbled to receive your wisdom,¡± Kora said. ¡°Even in its most unpleasant forms.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not looking for more disciples,¡± Tren said bluntly. Then he softened. ¡°But we did promise you that you could stay a week, and if you¡¯re still willing to put the effort in, then go join Tan in the fields again. It might help to tell him that you¡¯ve given up on wooing him and just want to be friends.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Thanks, Lord Shen. Lady Shen.¡±

    Kora left the table, and went to follow Tren¡¯s advice. When she told Tan how she felt about him, he just scratched his nose and said ¡°Yeah okay we can be friends.¡± And that was it.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    While Kora felt relieved to have finally cleared the air with Tan, and they spent the few hours in the field together talking amiably in a friendly way. A way which clearly showed that her gambit of giving up her official pursuit had worked. He wasn¡¯t being sarcastic or subtly insulting her anymore, but rather giving her genuine tips on the task that was before them and casually discussing the weather.

    It was like someone had flipped a switch in Tan¡¯s brain, Kora reflected, and now he saw her in an entirely different light. A part of her tried to figure out how to use that to her advantage, but she quickly crushed it. She would  not  be marrying Tan, regardless of what her family wanted. He didn¡¯t want that, and she had come to learn that neither did she. She was grateful for his blunt rejection of her awkward attempts at getting closer to him now that she¡¯d come to that second conclusion.

    If they could be friends instead of potential spouses, then she saw no reason not to be.

    However, as they got closer to finishing their chores and the tournament approached, she began growing nervous once more. ¡°Tan, I¡¯ve never fought before,¡± she admitted to him.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve sparred with a few masters, but they were so cautious not to hurt me that it doesn¡¯t really count. I don¡¯t think that you and the others are going to put forth the same effort,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Yeah we¡¯re not. Getting hurt is part of fighting. My parents will make certain that nobody is  really  hurt. Dad will intervene if he sees anyone using a technique that¡¯s actually dangerous, and Mom will heal us up afterwards if we need it. But the entire point of this is to learn to defend ourselves, and if we have to defend ourselves for real our opponents will be trying to kill us. For real. So even with Mom and Dad making sure we¡¯re safe, it¡¯s better that we act like we¡¯re fighting for real as well,¡± Tan informed her.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying not to hold back?¡± she asked.

    ¡°If you hold back, then Safron will kick your butt and wouldn¡¯t that be embarrassing?¡± Tan teased.

    ¡°Wait, Safron is going to fight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We actually will be holding back against her though. She¡¯s still in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, so we¡¯ll be using no more power than that. And none of us are really going to beat up my little sister, we¡¯re mostly just going to let her swing at us and use her magic until she tires out. But it will be good for her. If you hurt her then I¡¯ll hurt you, you can bet on that though.¡±

    Kora frowned, thinking about fighting a child. But then she steeled her conviction and nodded. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t hold back. Except against Safron, of course.¡±

    ¡°If she beats you I¡¯m going to tease you so much,¡± Tan promised.

    Once everyone had finished their chores, they went into their rooms to change into their tournament clothes. For the boys, that was a pair of shorts that were enchanted against the elements. They would fight shirtless and barefoot. The girls wore the same pants and a sort of sports bra that protected their modesty without getting in the way. Kora was slightly embarrassed to be showing so much skin, but she knew that it wasn¡¯t improper and nobody seemed to be giving her a second glance, so she put it out of her mind.

    They drew lots, and Tren wrote down the battle order on a sheet of paper for them to follow. Surprisingly, the first battle was big brother against little sister, with Safron fighting Tan. Kora watched with some amusement as the little girl psyched herself up by yelling childish insults at her big brother and promising to get even with him for tickling her the other day.

    As soon as Tren rang the bell for the fight to start, the little girl waved her hands and conjured a fireball. Which Tan promptly extinguished with his own magic. Safron¡¯s eyes went wide. She tried again to the same result. And a third time, before screaming and frustration and running at her big brother with her fists.

    The match was over in minutes, ending with tickle torture until Safron surrendered. She went off in a corner to pout about the unfairness of it all while the next combatants faced off.

    It was another match of brother versus sister, with Ko fighting against Won. The twins faced off against each other, their faces inscrutable, and when the bell rang, Won charged. He pulled back his fist, his entire body wreathed in an armor of flames, and attempted to punch his sister right in the face. His sister caught his fist, unafraid of being burnt as she conjured her own element, bringing forth water from the humidity in the air.

    She doused his armor with a spray of water, leaving him wet and just himself again. Undeterred by his technique being disabled, Won continued to press the attack, moving with preternatural speed and precision as he launched attack after attack at his sister.

    Ko met the attacks that she chose to meet and avoided the ones that she chose to avoid. It took Kora some time to realize, but it was in fact the sister who was more in control of the battle. Won was hot headed and seemed to have the advantage, but only because he was so adamantly on the offensive. Ko, on the other hand, was allowing the boy to burn himself out.

    Then abruptly she kicked her brother in the balls and pinned him to the ground, and that was the end of the fight as she held a fist to his face after pinning him on his back. The entire fight lasted five minutes, but just watching it had left Kora breathless.

    She swallowed. So that was a fight between cultivators, she thought.

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    She was up next, with a fight against Pao, the Earth cultivator who was only a stage behind her in cultivation. That should give her an advantage, she thought, but he also had more experience, having fought in this sort of tournament for years. As she squared up against him, taking the stance that her combat tutors had shown her, she met his eyes and was surprised to find that the amiable friendliness was gone, replaced with a cold look.

    The bell rang, and Pao simply stood there, his arms raised in a defensive stance. Kora waited for him to move, ready to block his path with a conjured flame. Only he was waiting for her to make the first move as well. And he was more patient than she was.

    With a scream of frustration, she conjured a fireball and sent it flying at him. He didn¡¯t even dodge, just raced an elbow to meet it. She didn¡¯t even scorch the hair on his arms, she noticed. She screamed again and began launching her attacks at him one after the other, attempting to burn him to a crisp only for him to simply stand there and endure.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± he asked. ¡°Safron¡¯s flame is hotter than this.¡±

    She blushed and redoubled her efforts, while he simply stepped forward into the onslaught. She backed up as he approached, until with a sudden  lurch  he dashed forward and she felt a pain in her gut as he punched her in the stomach, driving the wind from her lungs. She collapsed to the ground and he stood over her, foot on her back, pinning her to the earth.

    ¡°Do you surrender?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she admitted.

    The pressure on her back vanished, and he walked over to the sidelines while the others waited for Kora to get out of the way for the next match.

    That could have gone better, she reflected to herself. She got up and out of the way, going off the side to lick her wounds, although they were mostly to her pride, as she watched Won face off against Safron next.

    Safron tried to imitate Won¡¯s embodiment of flames armor technique, only to scream when her hair caught fire and run around until her mother put it out. The fight was over without actually coming to blows as the little girl cried in her mothers arms about her ruined hair, and the decision was made that she would sit out the rest of the matches due to her ¡®injury.¡¯

    Next in the lineup was Tan versus Ko. The two stood facing each other in the field where the fights were taking place, each with a wry grin on their face while they waited for the bell. When it rang, Tan  vanished  and appeared behind Ko, who spun and met the roundhouse kick with her forearm.

    A followup punch and a kick from Tan were blocked, and Ko retaliated with a punch aimed at her opponent¡¯s solar plexus only to connect with air as Tan abruptly retreated, moving so fast that Kora was having trouble keeping up with the boy.

    She swallowed, watching as Tan dashed in and darted back from different angles. Ko met each blow and tried to take control over the flow of the battle, only for Tan to change the tempo every time she seemed to have it under control.

    While Ko had been in firm control over her previous battle, it was clear that this time she was struggling to keep up with Tan. He was relentless, and although he didn¡¯t land a finishing blow, one in ten of his attacks got through her guard and the damage began to accumulate on the water cultivator.

    And this was just in the opening moment of the fight.

    Abruptly the wind in the fallow field changed, with dust kicked up and spiraling around the combatants. Realizing that Tan was bringing his magic to bear, Ko tried to conjure up some water, only for him to spray it back in her face with a sudden gust of wind. That caught her off guard, and he ended the fight with a series of six blows to her stomach, chest, and face.

    She collapsed to the ground and held up a hand to show that she¡¯d had enough.

    Tan froze the moment he saw her surrender. Grinning, he helped her stand up and patted her on the back.

    ¡°Good job, you were keeping up with me really well,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thanks. It wasn¡¯t easy, but I¡¯m getting better at following you when you move that fast,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah you are,¡± he agreed. The separated, and Tan returned to the center of the field for the next fight.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it unfair that Tan is fighting multiple fights in a row?¡± she asked Lady Wensho.

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to the other children that Tan is as much as five stages ahead of them in cultivation, why should we give him time to recover between the fights? This is supposed to be challenging, that¡¯s the point,¡± she explained.

    ¡°As the children are now, Tan will always win in a sprint. We¡¯re training him to fight in a marathon,¡± Lord Shen explained to her.

    She frowned, but watched as the next fight took place.

    Once more, Tan was a blur of motion. He landed more blows against Pao than he did against Ko, but they seemed to be even less effective. Ko had grunted when she took his punches, kicks, knee-strikes and elbows. Pao met them stoically, sometimes taking a blow that he could have blocked to show his lack of concern for his friend¡¯s strength.

    It was the longest fight so far, lasting for ten minutes of Tan furiously attacking the older boy and Pao stoically enduring. When Pao¡¯s endurance gave out, it happened all at once, with the teenager falling to one knee and holding up a hand to tap out of the fight. Once more Tan displayed his sportsmanship by helping his friend to his feet and off the field.

    ¡°You lasted longer than before,¡± Tan complimented.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your punches that hurt,¡± Pao said, ¡°It¡¯s the Qi that goes with them. I can¡¯t block that, and it accumulates. If it wasn¡¯t for that I swear I¡¯d be able to wear you out.¡±

    ¡°Keep dreaming,¡± Tan laughed, and he moved back to take on Won.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    The battle between Won and Tan was intense but brief. Won again tried the armor of flames technique that he¡¯d used against his sister. Unlike his sister, Tan let him get away with it for a few minutes as they fought.

    As before Won was aggressive, even more so than against his sister, but Tan was  everywhere  and the older boy couldn¡¯t keep up with his younger opponent. He launched a flame in one direction, only to find that Tan was behind him. He turned and rounded a kick wreathed in flames, only to find that Tan wasn¡¯t there. He turned to where Tan was and launched a small lightning bolt, which actually impacted Tan.

    The younger boy gasped in surprise, and Won grinned, but Tan shook himself. He  blurred  and seemed to go in two directions at once. Won reacted to the wrong image, and Tan kicked him in the side of the head. Abruptly a wind swept in and killed the flames wreathing Won. The fire cultivator launched another lightning attack at his wind aligned opponent, only to find that once more he was shooting at an afterimage.

    He took a step towards the real Tan, only to fall to his knees, gasping for breath.

    ¡°Enough, Tan, let him breathe. You win this round,¡± Tren said, and abruptly something changed in the air. Won seemed to catch his breath all at once, and he nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better at cutting the live air from the dead air,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do against that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting faster at conjuring your lightning. You got me by surprise, but you should have pressed the attack. Your lightning isn¡¯t strong enough to really hurt me, but if you¡¯d have followed up you might have won,¡± Tan replied.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Was all that Won said, and he went to sit down with the other children.

    Kora swallowed nervously. It was her turn to face the most advanced cultivator among the children of the Shen farm, and he¡¯d just easily dismantled a fire cultivator who clearly had more experience in combat than she did.

    She got into the field with him and took her stance. She swallowed nervously as she waited for the bell, Tan standing casually across from her. Lord Shen slammed the mallet against the bell, and the match began.

    Sort of.

    Tan continued to stand there, waiting patiently for her to make a move. She frowned. He¡¯d been more aggressive against the other opponents, was he not taking her seriously?

    ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± he asked casually. ¡°Want to practice your magic, or do you want to exchange punches, or what? I¡¯ll let you take the lead. Just come at me with whatever you¡¯ve got.¡±

    Her eyebrow twitched. He  wasn¡¯t  taking her seriously. She might be an amateur, but he could at least give her some respect.

    Since he was giving her plenty of time to prepare, she decided to use it. They weren¡¯t supposed to pre-cast their abilities before the sound of the bell, but since he wasn¡¯t attacking, she began to prepare a technique. She gathered her Qi and ignited it in a technique that her family had passed down, shaping it in the form of a dragon.

    More like a long tube in her case, but it undulated and around her. She grinned, infusing the flames with her understanding of fire, of burning and consuming, making it more than just a fire but the concept of destruction. She launched the tube at Tan, intending to make him pay for his arrogance and--

    And it fizzled out inches away from him.

    Her eyes went wide. How had he done that?

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I mean, is that all you wanted to try? You can surrender if you want, I don¡¯t really want to beat up a girl. Ko doesn¡¯t count towards that statement.¡±

    Kora¡¯s temper flashed, and she charged forward. Her fists wreathed in flame, she attacked him. He met her attack, casually blocking or dodging as she punched and struck at him, trying her best to remember her long ago lessons in hand-to-hand combat.

    It quickly became apparent that she was out of her depth. After thirty seconds of enduring her attacks, Tan swept her legs and she fell on her back. He pinned her to the ground with a knee to her throat, and she tapped out.

    He helped her up to her feet and bowed respectfully to her.

    ¡°How did you do that? Extinguish my fire? Air makes fire burn hotter, it shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Your understanding of Air and Fire is incomplete. Ask your master to show you the mystery of the strangled flame and you¡¯ll understand how I defeated your technique,¡± Tan answered.

    She frowned. The mystery of what?

    She sighed and went back to the others to watch the next match.

    Pao faced off against Ko. The sea met the shore as they fought for thirty minutes, displaying an intensity that Kora had trouble comprehending. Through it all Ko maintained control over the fight, but as she watched she realized that was because Pao was letting her lead.

    It was almost like a dance, she realized halfway through the battle. A dance where both partners tried to kill ¨C or at least wound ¨C the other. Pao defended himself from the onslaught with ease, while Ko gradually tired. The battle ended without a decisive blow, the water cultivator simply collapsed in exhaustion, her fatigue hitting her all at once as she ran out of energy. Both her Qi and her strength failed her, and after a few moments of gasping for breath she tapped the ground to show that she was done.

    Pao helped the exhausted girl off the ground and back to the audience, then faced off against her brother. Once more Won wreathed himself in flaming armor and faced off against an opponent who was stronger than he was.

    The battle was once more intense but brief. Won brought all of his intensity to bare, his flames burning so hot that Kora¡¯s eyes hurt to look at them. But it was his lightning that won the round, as the fire cultivator shocked the earth cultivator with a bolt of lightning, then followed up with a kick to the head that knocked Pao from his feet.

    Off balance, Pao fell when his opponent swept his legs, and then Won was straddling him and pounding him in the face with fire-gauntlets. Pao tapped out after enduring the beating for a moment, unable to get the leverage he needed to push the younger teenager off of him. He got up with his eyebrows singed and one of his eyes slightly swollen and clapped Won on the back.

    ¡°Good job,¡± he said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe I won,¡± Won said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to figure out a way to defend against lightning,¡± Pao said, shaking his head. ¡°Once you hit me with that it disrupts everything. My stance, my Qi, my balance. It¡¯s so disorienting that I¡¯m not sure how Tan recovers so fast.¡±

    Won nodded, and went to sit down.

    Kora swallowed. She was up again, this time against Won. The other fire cultivator was far more experienced than she was in combat, and she was understandably nervous.

    She was right to be.

    When the bell sounded, Won came at her with everything he had, wreathing himself in flames that burned as hot as anything she could manage despite her being three stages ahead of him in cultivation. She didn¡¯t make Safron¡¯s mistake of trying to imitate his technique, but instead focused on attempting to take control of his flames and turn them against him, while simultaneously meeting and blocking his strikes.

    It didn¡¯t go so well.

    He landed a punch to her face, and then one to her stomach. A blow to her shoulder, and one to her breast, and then her thigh, and each punch hit  hard . She realized abruptly that he was using a body enhancement technique that she was unfamiliar with, whereas she was relying mostly on her magic to carry the day.

    Another blow to her face, and she fell to the ground. He pressed the advantage, kicking her in the side and then pinning her down. She tapped out.

    It was over in less than a minute. Less than less than a minute, it had probably only taken him thirty seconds to dismantle her defense.

    He helped pull her to her feet and grinned at her. He was proud to have won, but didn¡¯t rub it in too much.

    ¡°What is that technique you were using? Not the flaming armor, you were doing something to hit harder than you should have been able to,¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Inner Fire. You¡¯re not ready for it, I think,¡± Won answered.

    She frowned. Was his understanding of their shared element so much greater than hers that he could master a technique two stages before her and then beat her with it? Well, obviously, she thought. If they were going just by cultivation status she should have one, it only made sense that, as the technically weaker participant, his techniques must be superior to hers.

    ¡°Would you teach it to me if I were?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Not a chance,¡± he laughed. ¡°Good luck against my sister. She¡¯s tired after fighting Pao, you might have a chance.¡±

    Kora perked up at his vote of confidence. But it was misplaced. The fight against Ko lasted slightly longer than the fight against her brother, but Kora was just as hopelessly outmatched. She surrendered after just two minutes.

    Kora retreated to her room after the match to lick her wounds. She was surprised when Lady Wensho followed her to offer healing for her wounds.

    ¡°What about the others?¡± Kora asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re accustomed to this sort of thing. The bruises they earned will help them reflect on their mistakes. You, on the other hand, are accustomed to a softer world. If you choose to heal after attempting to prove yourself, nobody will look down on you for it,¡± Lady Wensho assured her.

    Nervously, Kora accepted the offer, laying down on the bed and allowing the woman to massage her back, rubbing her bruises and infusing them with a healing Qi. Within a few moments the aches and pains were gone, and Kora fell asleep before the grandmaster water cultivator had finished healing her.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    In the wake of the round-robbin tournament, the children did what they always did. They retired to their cultivation spots and cultivated, reflecting on their lessons, their triumphs, their mistakes, and their losses. Even Tan, who had won all of his matches, reflected on what he had done wrong or could have done better, as well as what had worked well.

    ¡°So are we friends with Kora now?¡± Won asked bluntly, pulling Tan out of his meditative trance.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if we still hate Kora or if we¡¯re friends with her now or what?¡± Won asked.

    Tan glanced at him. ¡°Have you guys been being mean to her on purpose?¡±

    The other children exchanged looks.

    ¡°Not intentionally,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°Mostly I¡¯ve just been staying out of the way and avoiding the whole thing. It¡¯s none of my business who you marry or why.¡±

    ¡°Me and Won have been mostly ignoring her too,¡± Ko said. ¡°But if we¡¯re friends with her now then we¡¯ll stop giving her the cold shoulder. It¡¯s up to you, Tan. Should we start being nicer to her or not?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should,¡± Tan said, growing annoyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you guys thought you had to be jerks to her just because I ¡­ was weird about the whole marriage thing. Now that we¡¯ve settled that there¡¯s no reason at all to be a jerk to Kora. She¡¯s actually not bad.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s weak,¡± Won pointed out.

    ¡°She¡¯s never been in a real fight before,¡± Tan said, defending the older girl. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not really any of our business if she can fight or not. Not every path needs to fight to get stronger, and she cultivates the sun, so really all she needs to do is ¡­ okay I don¡¯t know what sun cultivators need to do but if she doesn¡¯t need to fight to improve then why would she?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Tan, we get it,¡± Ko said. ¡°We¡¯ll be nicer to her from now on.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t decide that you like her now that she¡¯s not trying to marry you anymore, did you?¡± Won teased.

    ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll kick you in the nuts like your sister did earlier,¡± Tan said, and that was the end of the discussion. The children went back to cultivating, and the matter was closed.

    Dinner was stuffed cabbages. When Kora wasn¡¯t prompt in arriving to eat with them, Safron was sent to fetch her. The little girl returned five minutes later to declare that Kora was coming, and two minutes after that the teenager arrived, still wearing the outfit she¡¯d worn for the tournament with just a jacket pulled over top of it.

    The competition for food was as fierce as always, with very little talking. When the feeding frenzy died down, the contemplation began.

    ¡°So, what did we learn today?¡± Tren asked after everyone had mostly finished. Kora pulled herself out of her trance for the discussion.

    ¡°I learned that getting kicked in the nuts still sucks no matter what your cultivation level is,¡± Won said bluntly, earning a round of chuckles from the table.

    ¡°I learned that I can go toe to toe with Pao, even if he did win in the end,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°I learned that getting struck by lightning sucks almost as much as getting kicked in the nuts,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°I improved my afterimage technique,¡± Tan declared.

    ¡°I learned that hair smells bad when it burns,¡± the littlest child at the table declared.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I learned that I am weak,¡± Kora said when everyone turned to see if she¡¯d participate in the discussion.

    An awkward silence followed.

    ¡°Are you going to do something about it or just accept it?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to be weak. It¡¯s like being stupid.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t fix stupid Tan,¡± Won declared.

    ¡°You can try.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. You¡¯re both proof of that,¡± Ko teased.

    ¡°I meant that you can read stuff and talk to grownups to teach you. It¡¯s the same with fighting,¡± Tan explained.

    ¡°Being educated doesn¡¯t make you smart,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°It makes you less ignorant. Ignorance and stupidity are two different things. That¡¯s why there¡¯s two different words for them.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. My point is that if you want to learn to fight, then you have to train, Kora,¡± Tan said. ¡°If you want, you can spar with us tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°But we just had a tournament,¡± Won complained.

    ¡°Kora¡¯s only here for a few more days. If she¡¯s going to get any stronger when she¡¯s here we need to practice with her while she has the chance,¡± Tan explained. ¡°I know we usually take a week off after a tournament, but this is different.¡±

    The children sighed and accepted their leader¡¯s judgment. Kora swallowed, realizing that if she didn¡¯t rise to the challenge she might loose whatever respect for them that she had managed to earn. She opened her mouth to say--

    ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want to, Kora,¡± Tan said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s up to you. I don¡¯t know your path and I¡¯m not your master. If you don¡¯t need to be strong to follow your dao then there¡¯s no point in fighting just for the sake of fighting.¡±

    Kora blinked as the implications hit her. ¡°You¡¯re all on martial paths?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to understand the strength of the wind. The wind can blow ships across the ocean, it can turn windmills and blow down houses and trees. It even wears down rocks into sand and dust. If I¡¯m going to master it, then I have to be able to do the same. But that doesn¡¯t make me a warrior.¡±

    ¡°I am learning the meaning of steadfast,¡± Pao said. ¡°To endure and stand strong in the face of adversity. So Tan and the others are my whetstone.¡±

    ¡°Fighting is part of life. I must strike a balance between peace and violence,¡± Ko declared. ¡°That means that sometimes I must be violent, even when I am at peace.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really a warrior either,¡± Won said, ¡°But my path is one of self-improvement. Of becoming more than I was yesterday, and being more tomorrow than I was today. So I fight to improve myself that way.¡±

    ¡°Why do you fight, Kora?¡± Tan asked her.

    She blinked. ¡°Because everyone else was doing it,¡± she admitted lamely.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Tan said. He didn¡¯t sound disappointed in her lack of insight.

    ¡°I ¡­ wanted to fit in?¡± she said.

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to spar tomorrow unless you want to,¡± Tan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that the others were being weird to you when things were weird between us. Since we decided to be friends and not get married, they¡¯ve promised to be friends with you too.¡±

    ¡°I want to spar,¡± Kora declared.

    Tan just nodded. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be weak.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s a good enough reason for you, then it¡¯s good enough for me,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to spar with you after we finish our chores.¡±

    The conversation turned to less weighty matters as the children discussed how to fix Safron¡¯s hair. Tan noticed his parents proud gaze as the family discussion turned to consoling Safron and assuring her that she was still pretty with short hair. He returned their looks with one of confusion, wondering what it was that he¡¯d done.

    They probably would tell him if he asked, but before he could his sister made him promise that he would help make her a doll with short hair, and he got distracted.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    Kora sat beneath the cherry trees, which were just beginning to blossom. It was in the evening in the day after the tournament, and she had sparred with the other children for hours. She ached all over. While the other children had taken it easy on her during their sparring matches, there were enough learning moments for Kora to have written a textbook, if only should could remember them all.

    In her lap was little Safron, whose short hair she was currently brushing. Wensho had done her best to salvage what was left of the girl¡¯s hair, but she almost looked like a boy now, except for her clothes.

    Kora sighed. She was the oldest of the children on the farm, and yet the weakest, despite her cultivation. It was so frustrating, and yet she couldn¡¯t really be mad at them. She¡¯d seen first hand just how seriously they took sparring. And she¡¯d quickly learned the difference too.

    Instead of actually trying to prove who was the strongest ¨C that was what the tournament was for ¨C they worked on improving their opponents. The children each took turns helping each other work on some aspect of their fighting style, except today it had been all about Kora.

    With Ko, Pao, and Tan, she had practiced her martial technique. Something she had been diligent about when she was younger, then let slide as she focused on cultivating with her spirit. And also something she wasn¡¯t accustomed to having a partner for, she reflected, wincing as Safron shifted and her butt-bone pushed up against one of Kora¡¯s bruises.

    She was used to simply mimicking her instructors for the most part, following the movements without any danger. The children had all scoffed at that, asking her how old she¡¯d been. She¡¯d been reluctant to admit the truth, that this practice had carried on until she¡¯d turned twelve.

    Although they had teased her a bit, it was a lighthearted sort of teasing that hadn¡¯t had hard edges behind it. Until she¡¯d seen the others fight¡ªuntil she¡¯d fought with them¡ªshe¡¯d actually thought that she was fairly advanced in the martial technique that her family had given her. It was only when using it in practice that she realized the difference between copying a kata and performing a move with an actual opponent.

    The opponent is less cooperative when it¡¯s not in the imagination.

    Rather than simply beat her, however, the other children fought down to her level, correcting her obvious mistakes but otherwise cooperating with her as she tried to utilize the moves she knew.

    It was difficult. Challenging. Exhilarating. Painful. Fun. Worth the bruises.

    She¡¯d learned more about fighting after finishing the day¡¯s chores than she had in months under her former masters. And once the others had each had a turn to spar with her, they had had her practice her magic with them as well.

    She had several obvious flaws with her fire dragon technique. The first, and primary flaw, was that it took her too long to conjure. She¡¯d realized this without the other children pointing it out, although they¡¯d been happy to do that for her, and she realized quickly that the only way to correct this flaw was to practice it endlessly.

    That would correct the second weakness of the technique as well; that it was itself weak. It was below what a cultivator of the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm should be capable of. Won¡¯s flames burned much hotter, and he conjured them faster and with less effort.

    And the third weakness, her lack of control.

    The fourth weakness, its lack of connection to her dao, was a more complicated matter.

    When she had begun learning the technique, before her tutelage under Renton Shen, she had followed a path of destruction. Not self-destruction, but she had studied the way in which fire consumed and destroyed. Under Renton¡¯s guidance she had realized that the destruction was itself an act of creation, removing the deadwood for the world to create something new with the materials.

    She was still early on that path, but she already recognized it as a higher-tier dao than what she had initially set herself upon.

    The issue was that she¡¯d developed the technique with one dao, and in her mind the dragon she conjured remained one of destruction and consumption.

    ¡°So change your perception of dragons,¡± Tan had told her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy,¡± Kora objected. ¡°Whenever I conjure the technique I remember how I first learn it and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was easy. It¡¯s going to be hard. But while dragons are capable of great destruction, and all the myths agree on that, they are also forces of creation and stability and growth and change. Review those myths and reflect on what those dragons were capable of. Ingrain those myths into your understanding of your technique and discard the simpler notion that your technique is only about destroying your opponent. If that¡¯s all it¡¯s about, then why shape it as a dragon? Why not a naked flame?¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    She frowned when she considered Tan¡¯s words, as she frowned now brushing Safron¡¯s hair.

    ¡°You look like you need to poop,¡± Safron said, turning back to look at her. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re bad at fighting, or because you need to poop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m bad at fighting,¡± Kora admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ll be better the next time you see me.¡±

    ¡°When will that be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m going to ask your parents if I might visit again next year. Not to try to marry your brother, but to visit with you and your entire family. I know now that marrying into the Shen family is impossible, but I still believe that establishing a connection between my family and yours is in our best interests. Unless I am told to bugger off, I¡¯m going to keep pestering your family until you¡¯re sick of me.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t take long,¡± Safron teased. Then she pinched Kora  hard  and ran off.

    ¡°You little!¡± Kora scolded, and chased the girl to deliver a tickle-torture punishment. When the girl begged for mercy, Kora magnanimously relented. Then they sat together in the center of the orchard and cultivated together until the sun went down and the Qi was no longer quite as good for their purposes.

    Kora was just getting up to go to bed when she noticed a deer, a doe, watching them. She blinked; she¡¯d never seen a living dear before. Then suddenly there was a loud  Pop!  A puff of smoke, and in the doe¡¯s place was a beautiful young woman.

    Without any clothes.

    ¡°Mouser said that I should come and give thanks,¡± the woman said. ¡°Will you please direct me to the master of this estate?¡±

    Safron ran off to the house screaming ¡°Mom! Dad! It happened again! This time it¡¯s a deer!¡±

    Kora trembled as she realized that the woman before her was a spirit beast. She thought about how much this beast was worth, its hide a treasure worthy of a mighty set of armor, its meat would be --

    Less valuable than the meal she was digesting from the Shen¡¯s table, she realized. She¡¯d never actually eaten a spirit animal before, but their Qi was said to be violent and untamed, sometimes difficult to master for yourself. Even if it was more dense than the usual fare of the Shen family, the Qi in the food that they served Kora each day was more easily claimed.

    The doe-woman seemed to notice her greed and looked ready to flee. Kora opened her mouth to apologize for thoughts that she hadn¡¯t spoken, but stopped herself. She saw the woman for her beauty, and she also saw the deer that she truly was. She remembered Tremble, and she shook her head.

    ¡°I apologize if I frightened you. I¡¯m new around here, and I think that the Shens are still washing away some bad habbits from me. I apologize for any malicious feelings you might have felt from me. It is not my place to bid you welcome, but if it were I would do so. The Master and the Mistress of the house should be here soon.¡±

    The doe-woman nodded, and a moment later Wensho appeared with a robe for the woman to put on.

    ¡°If you¡¯re just here to give thanks for the increased bounty of the land, then we greet you and accept your gratitude. We also assure you that no payment is necessary,¡± Wensho said. ¡°If there¡¯s anything more that you require, then you may follow me inside.¡±

    ¡°I wish to exchange cultivation pointers with the water cultivators of this estate,¡± the doe said, her voice melodious and quiet. ¡°Would this be permissible, or are your secrets --¡±

    ¡°We would love to host you for as long as you are willing, lady of the woods,¡± Wensho said. ¡°However, this is a working farm, and we expect everyone to chip in.¡±

    ¡°I believe I understand,¡± the doe said. ¡°Thank you for your welcome.¡±

    ¡°Come again tomorrow, in the morning, and you¡¯ll be given your first task. In exchange, I give you this to think of. Where does water go when it dries?¡±

    The doe-woman looked at lady Wensho in confusion. ¡°It is simply gone. What do you mean where does it go?¡±

    Lady Wensho smiled. ¡°Think on the matter closely. Watch some water drying very closely, my dear, and perhaps you will see something that you have missed.¡±

    The doe nodded. ¡°I thank you for your guidance. I will return soon.¡±

    The woman, dressed in the robe that was given to her, leapt away, running with the leaping gate of a deer.

    Wensho turned to Kora and smiled. ¡°That makes eight of them,¡± she said.

    ¡°You have eight spirit beasts on your farm?¡± Kora asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Eight that we know of, yes. They¡¯re not really ours, but they come and go. Go get some sleep, Kora, it looks like you¡¯re dead on your feet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Wensho,¡± Kora agreed, and she returned to the bedroom in the guesthouse where Tremble¡¯s light snoring was a background to her own thoughts.

    She wondered what the Zang family would do if they knew the true bounty of the Shen farm. She resolved that it was none of their business, and that she would maintain the Shen¡¯s privacy when she returned.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    All good things come to an end, and usually it¡¯s right after they become good things, Kora reflected as she redressed in her traveling clothes. The last few days of her stay were over too fast. Once she¡¯d given up on her original goal and just focused on enjoying her time with the Shen family, the other children had opened up to her like a flower releasing its beauty to the world.

    Mostly in the form of sparring matches that left her sore and aching, but grateful and ready for more.

    She¡¯d asked for permission to return the following year and been surprised when it had been granted out of hand, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Kora¡¯s surprise must have shown on her face, for Tren had explained ¡°It will keep your family off our back if they think there¡¯s still some chance of the wedding happening. I don¡¯t really care if you tell them the conclusion you¡¯ve come to about your incompatibility with Tan, but either way they¡¯ll see this as another window.¡±

    ¡°Aside from that, it¡¯s good for the children to see others their own age walking down different paths,¡± Wensho volunteered. ¡°And another sparring partner is good for everyone involved.¡±

    ¡°When you come back I¡¯m going to be strong enough to beat you up too,¡± Safron volunteered.

    Now, in the guest house as she dressed, Kora allowed herself a moment of melancholy. The friends that she¡¯d had when she was younger were the children of servants, and would grow up to be servants themselves. She hadn¡¯t realized this when she was younger, but was acutely aware of it now. Her relationships with the other cultivators her own age were contentious.

    She didn¡¯t really have any friends outside of the Shen farm, she realized, isolating the problem at its root. It would be one year before she saw her friends again, and she was sad.

    ¡°Is it okay if I write?¡± she asked when she emerged from the house. ¡°To each of you, I mean?¡±

    The children collectively shrugged. Safron said ¡°You¡¯d better!¡± That was all that Kora needed to hear.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°I have everything that I brought with me,¡± she answered. ¡°So, as ready as I¡¯m going to get.¡±

    ¡°Not quite. I have a gift,¡± Lady Wensho said. She pulled something out of a¡ªwas that a spatial ring? That was a spatial ring! The gift that she unveiled was a simple mat with a very complicated design embroidered upon it.

    A meditation mat, Kora realized. It circular and six feet in diameter, and as she stared at the formation embroidered upon it she was tempted to get lost in it. It resonated with her, somehow.

    ¡°This should help your cultivation,¡± Lady Wensho explained. ¡°It¡¯s not as powerful as a proper gathering formation, but if you find a place with dense Qi this will help draw the fire aspect of the area to you. You must power it yourself, however, by running Qi through this pattern here. Once it¡¯s fully powered it will last for several hours, resonating between the environment and yourself. Reflect on that.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Kora said, taking the mat and examining it for a moment. ¡°Thank you, Lady Wensho. I am eternally grateful.¡±

    ¡°No need for that,¡± Wensho said.

    ¡°I got you a gift too,¡± Tan admitted, and he handed over a stone. As soon as she touched it, she realized that it wasn¡¯t just a pretty rock, but that there was a spirit inside of it. ¡°Not sure if it will help you or not, but your family likes these things, right? Well, have another one, I guess.¡±

    Safron, when she realized that people were giving gifts to Kora, ran off to grab one of her less favorite dolls. Unfortunately, the rest of the farewells were said and Tren picked Kora up and  moved  using the Titan¡¯s Walk technique before the little girl returned. At first Safron was upset, almost to the point of tears. But then she looked down at the doll she¡¯d selected and realized that it  wasn¡¯t  her least favorite after all, and she was glad that she hadn¡¯t given it away.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Lord Hara just about fell over when the man that he believed to be the former emperor appeared right in front of his hall. He¡¯d stepped outside to escape the hustle and bustle of the Zang family¡¯s servants, who had claimed his living rooms, and the cultivator Sean Zang who had claimed his own bedchambers. Hara himself had been sleeping in the stables with his horse.

    The moment after he appeared, Sean Zang rushed out of the house to greet his niece. ¡°We were so worried when you vanished without taking any of your clothes with you. Tren Shen, you have a lot of explaining to do. Where exactly did you take the daughter of my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Uncle Sean. Do not address this man in that way,¡± Kora said sharply. ¡°Lord Tren, I apologize for my uncle. He was worried about me and spoke out of turn.¡±

    Tren scratched his nose. ¡°Wasn¡¯t exactly worried, Kora. I hope you enjoyed your stay.¡±

    ¡°It was magical, once the initial awkwardness was out of the way,¡± Kora agreed. She bowed deeply to the hidden master. ¡°This humble cultivator thanks the grandmaster for his guidance.¡±

    ¡°I have something for you too. I didn¡¯t want the other children to see because it¡¯s not theirs. When they leave, I¡¯ll give them each one of their own, but this one is yours,¡± Tren said, and he pulled from his spatial ring ¨C why did the Shen family have two of those!? They could buy the Zang estate with just one of them! He pulled from his spatial ring a rolled up parchment.

    ¡°Hang this wherever you want. It¡¯s my vision of your dao. I hope that it is helpful to you, but know that it is not your dao. Just my vision and understanding of it. I cannot truly understand your dao for I have my own, and it is not yours. But I hope that my vision will help you find your own path,¡± Tren said.

    It was a dao painting, painted by a hidden master of peerless insight, Kora realized. She humbly bowed once more. ¡°This cultivator is¡ªI thank you deeply, Lord Tren Shen. Your hospitality and kindness know no bounds, and I am already looking forward to next year¡¯s visit.¡±

    ¡°Right. Goodbye. Do not neglect to repay Lord Hara for the inconvenience that you have caused him. He is a friend of the Shen family and deserves your respect.¡± And with a slight shudder to the earth, the grandmaster was gone.

    Lord Hara watched, an outsider, as the uncle and niece were reunited after the man had been fretting over the fate of his niece for a week. The older, more experienced air cultivator stared at this young niece for a moment, then abruptly turned and scratched the back of his head. ¡°So, make any progress?¡±

    ¡°I have Tan Shen wrapped around my finger,¡± Kora declared. ¡°His parents are reluctant to make things official, but I managed to convince them to arrange another visit next year. He¡¯ll be older than, and more interested in girls than this time around, so I¡¯m certain things will go even smoother than our second meeting did.¡±

    It was a bold faced lie, but her uncle swallowed the hook and rushed to embrace her. ¡°You must tell me all about it! What is their estate like? Is it half as grand as the rumors say?¡±

    ¡°We ate Qi rich food every day that the emperor himself would not mind putting in his mouth,¡± Kora declared. ¡°And the Qi in the air is so rich that you can taste it! I sparred against my fiance and his friends and did not disgrace myself. As a gift, I received a high-quality spirit stone, a cultivation mat with a grandmaster level formation embroidered in it, and a dao painting that is perfect for my path!¡±

    Lord Hara blanched while Sean Zang was elated as the girl proceeded to describe her journey and the insights that she had made. The Zang family servants quickly began packing their supplies and were on the road within an hour. Before they left, Sean Zang appeared before Lord Hara and tossed him a bag filled with gold and precious gems.

    ¡°I apologize for the trouble,¡± He said, and then he was gone, and the caravan of the Zang family with him.

    Lord Hara exhaled and allowed himself to relax for the first time in more than a week. The cultivators were gone. He weighed the heavy purse in his hands, then glanced at his humble hall.

    Perhaps it was time for some construction, he reflected. If he was to be hosting cultivators on the regular, then he should have a manor suitable for them. He shook his head, reflecting that, for him, all of this started when he heard one of his peasants was building a bigger house. Had he known that one of the children of that house could fly, he would have stayed far away.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17

    The summer continued on the Shen Farm. As the seventh month concluded and the eighth month began, each of the children experienced a breakthrough into the next stage of their cultivation. Tan reached the third stage of the foundation realm, Pao reached the tenth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, the twins each reached the eighth. Only little Safron failed to reach the next stage, but she got honeycakes whenever she asked anyway.

    The adults exchanged nervous glances whenever the youngest member of their household¡¯s lack of advancement came up. So when Lord Hara appeared and delivered a letter with the imperial seal, they breathed a sigh of relief. They packed up Safron and vanished for two days.

    While they were gone, a runner came from the village requesting Lady Wensho¡¯s aid with a villager who¡¯d fallen ill. The children nervously considered what to do. While Ko¡¯s element was water, and water was traditionally the healing element, she was far from as skilled or confident as the lady of the house. Still, she packed up her mistress¡¯s medicine bag and went for the village.

    After she had been gone for an hour, Tan had an idea and flew out to the pond, where he caused a disturbance until Elder Pike stuck his head above the waters to figure out what was going on.

    ¡°Are you a healer?¡± Tan demanded of the spirit-carp.

    ¡°Not precisely,¡± Elder Pike said. ¡°I lack Lady Wensho¡¯s skill, but I might be able to set a broken bone or cool a fever. Why, what is wrong?¡±

    ¡°Change into a human and come with me,¡± Tan demanded.

    Elder Pike chuckled, but complied, quickly dressing in the robes stashed nearby in a waterproof cache. He gasped in surprise when Tan threw the old-man form of the fish over his shoulder and flew off towards the village, arriving moments later.

    They arrived at the richest member of the village¡¯s home. The merchant was fretting nervously through the main room of his home. When Tan knocked on his door he barked out ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Tan Shen,¡± Tan answered. ¡°I brought a man who has some healing skill to see if he can help.¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there! Come in, come in and do what you can,¡± the merchant said.

    Elder Pike disappeared into the back of the house, where the bedrooms were, and joined Ko at the merchant¡¯s bedside. They remained back there for an hour before returning. Ko was crying, while Elder Pike had a calm but serious expression.

    ¡°What is it? Is she ¡­ did you ¡­ did she ¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alive, and she¡¯ll live for some time,¡± Elder Pike said cautiously. ¡°How long I cannot say. She has growths in her liver. I¡¯m very sorry. Perhaps Lady Wensho can do something to heal her, but it is beyond my abilities and far outside the abilities of this young girl.¡±

    The merchant looked as though someone had struck him in the stomach. ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say. Less than a year, most likely. Unless Lady Wensho is a greater miracle worker than I know, but not even the strongest magic can fend off the death of a mortal forever,¡± Elder Pike answered.

    The merchant swallowed. ¡°I see. Thank you for your time.¡±

    He gave each of them a handful of silver, and they both set it aside before they left, refusing the payment for the things that they could not do.

    Tan¡¯s parents returned on schedule and were promptly informed of the development in the village. Wensho went to investigate, returning with a sad expression.

    ¡°She won¡¯t survive the winter,¡± she said. ¡°I told them to make arrangements. Unfortunately, they have made a request from us which is hard to deny. They wish for us to deliver a letter to their son, whom we have sent to the Whispering Guides for cultivation training. Considering that it is a request for a mother to see her son one last time, I promised that we would do everything we could.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Can¡¯t dad just pop over there and back? It¡¯s not that far, is it?¡± Tan asked.

    Tren covered his face. ¡°It would be best if I did not appear there in person, Tan. It¡¯s one thing to send Hoten there with a jade slip, but showing my face would ¡­ possibly cause many problems. I think it might be best if you make this journey for us.¡±

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    ¡°Me?¡± Tan said, genuinely surprised. ¡°You mean, alone?¡±

    ¡°Four cultivators traveling together, even ones as young and powerful as you four, will generate little interest in the world at large,¡± Tren explained. ¡°And it will be good for you to stretch your legs and see a bit of the world, I think. You should be able to reach the Whispering Guides Sect within a week. Depending on how advanced Hoten¡¯s cultivation is, it shouldn¡¯t be more than a month before you return with him. You¡¯ll be home in time for the harvest.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Tan said sarcastically, although his heart wasn¡¯t in it. He was looking forward to see the end results of the year¡¯s labor. ¡°Can we take the spirit construct horses? If we can then¡ª¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t work without me there to guide you, Tan. You¡¯re not advanced enough to operate a construct like that on your own yet,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Tan repeated. He sighed, then looked at his own mother. If she was ill, and he was far away, he¡¯d want to get word from her to return home.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it,¡± he said at last. ¡°But it will be fastest if I go alone, won¡¯t it? I¡¯m the fastest and¡ª¡±

    ¡°And the world is a dangerous place. Your safety is more important than speed. This isn¡¯t an errand to Lima City and back, Tan. You¡¯ll be entering the Black Sky Mountains, where there are Demon Beasts and cultivators who might attempt to rob you. The Whispering Guides sect only maintains an area fifty miles around their home base. It¡¯s safe enough for a mortal to travel there and back, but you¡¯re at the stage where you¡¯re strong enough to attract trouble and not strong enough to make trouble flee from you on sight,¡± Tren said patiently. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if the four of you go together. Assuming that the others are willing to make the journey as well.¡±

    ¡°Of course we are,¡± Pao said immediately. ¡°It¡¯s my fault that Hoten isn¡¯t here for his mother in the first place. I¡¯m the entire reason he left the village.¡±

    ¡°You did nothing wrong,¡± Ko said quickly. ¡°We were annoyed when Hoten became a cultivator, but you traded a spirit stone for a loom for your family. Anyone of us would have done the same.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master and Mistress Shen. We¡¯ll all go with Tan and keep him safe.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Tren said. ¡°You¡¯ll leave in two days. We¡¯ll spend between now and then getting you ready.¡±

    With that much decided, the family meeting broke up. The day proceeded as normal for the children, who finished their chores and cultivated. The adults, however, were busy with their preparations.

    On the dawn of the second day, the children awoke and ate breakfast as normal, ignoring the nervous energy that was an unwelcome guest in the dining room. The adults tried to make light of the situation, but even little Safron was downcast that her big brother was going. She hadn¡¯t even told him about how the healers had said she¡¯d grow up to be as strong as him!

    The adults had a different memory of that encounter, but there was no point in worrying the children unnecessarily. It was still to early to act, and Safron¡¯s Qi block might still resolve itself on its own.

    When everyone had eaten their fill, they stepped out into the front yard for the formal farewell.

    Tan had their camping gear and a week¡¯s worth of food in his storage ring, which his Uncle Renton had so casually given him on their last visit. Much of the day before had been spent cooking various recipes for Tan to store, still hot and preserved against the march of time and entropy by the ring¡¯s magic.

    ¡°We have something for each of you,¡± Lady Wensho said. From her storage ring, she pulled a quarterstaff. It was made of black wood, with a formation etched into it in silver. She demonstrated a brief Kata that left the children¡¯s jaws hanging, then put the weapon in Ko¡¯s hand. ¡°This was mine when I was younger. I give it to you, Ko, in the hopes that it will serve you well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ko said, and she bowed low.

    Tren went next, pulling from his storage ring a warhammer made of a shiny black metal. He lifted it effortlessly above his hand, then brought it down in a colossal blow to the ground that caused an earth tremor that was felt for miles and left a crater in the ground five feet deep. He waved his hand again and repaired the damage to his yard.

    ¡°For you, Pao. This was mine once upon a time, but I have a better weapon now. May it serve you in your times of need.¡±

    From her ring, Wensho drew an ornate bow. She had no arrows, but when she pulled the string back one formed of ice from the air. She fired the arrow, which shot off over the horizon.

    ¡°For you, Won,¡± she said, handing it over to him. ¡°Mix it with your magic, and may you always strike your mark.¡±

    Finally, Tren pulled from his storage ring a sword. The blade was three feet long and made of a black shiny metal, with runes of power etched on the flat of the blade. The handle had a tassel of yellow silk, and although the blade seemed flimsy enough to bend when it was swung, it cut through a rock when Wensho through one at her husband during the Kata he displayed for the children.

    ¡°My father gave me this when I was your age,¡± Tren said, sheathing the blade and handing it to his son. ¡°May you never need to draw it, and may it not fail you if such a time comes that you must.¡±

    The children stood silently in awe of their weapons for a moment, then nodded at Tan¡¯s parents.

    They bowed as one and said ¡°Thank you for the gifts!¡±

    Then they dashed off towards the horizon.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18

    Pao set the pace.

    Tan was slowed by the others. By a lot. He could have been halfway there by the second day, but Pao set the pace, and Pao was slow.

    Well, not really slow. They jogged at a pace that saw them crossing the horizon every few minutes. And the pace that Pao sent, while slower than what Tan could manage on his own if he were flying the distance, was steady and relentless.

    Won and Ko had to both push themselves to keep up. Tan, to his surprise, found himself growing tired as well when he tried to run with the others. While Tan would have gone faster alone, he would have also stopped to take breaks along the way. Not too frequent, once an hour or so.

    They stopped once all day, and that was to eat.

    Were they mortals, they would have fallen behind. But they were each advanced cultivators, and while they were forced to tap into their spiritual energies in order to do so, they kept going long after a mortal would have lain down and died from exhaustion.

    They drew surprised looks as they passed wagons and commoners traveling on foot and horseback. Humble as they were dressed, the weapons they carried now were out of place on children so young. Each weapon radiated power and history, and those that saw them gave the children a respectful bow, correctly identifying them as cultivators of great power.

    Many didn¡¯t spare them a second glance, seeing only four poorly dressed children traveling alone and thinking nothing more of it. This might have been a critical mistake were the children of the Shen farm ones to take offense, for insulting a cultivator was like sticking one¡¯s head in the mouth of a dragon.

    The children didn¡¯t notice the bows, and they didn¡¯t notice those who ignored their presence either.

    Pao set the pace, and he was relentless. All of their focus was on keeping up with him as he jogged faster than mortals could sprint.

    The horizon stretched ever onward, and the children raced towards the east. Into the rising sun in the morning, and away from the sunset. Never slowing, rarely stopping for more than a meal, the children rested only at night, and even then only after nervously taking their weapons and practicing the katas that Tan¡¯s parents had shown them.

    They knew better than to try to spar with each other with the weapons. These were tools that were intended for serious self defense at the highest levels of combat, and none of them wanted to take a wound from them. Tan¡¯s sword could cut stone with ease. Ko¡¯s quarterstaff and Pao¡¯s warhammer, while not as powerful in the children¡¯s hands as they¡¯d been in the hands of the adults who¡¯d given the weapons to them, remained capable of shattering stone and bone alike.

    As for Won¡¯s bow, it spent the day feeding on his Qi and when he drew the string back to his cheek at night it greedily sucked in more, concentrating the energy into a fiery arrow of its own volition. He¡¯d never practiced archery before, but he did so in the evenings after Pao finally called a rest and found that it came naturally to him.

    At least, it did with the mystical bow that Wensho had given him. When he later tried practicing with a natural bow, he found himself fumbling and awkward at first. But the weapon he had been given knew how to be used. It seemed to tell him what needed to be done, even in the practice hours that the children spent familiarizing themselves with their weapons in the hour before dark.

    All of the weapons were like that. They carried memories of being in the hands of masters, and those memories had imprinted upon them. Now, in the hands of mere children who had never truly had to defend themselves before, the weapons knew their purpose and guided the hands that wielded them.

    The three children who were not born into the Shen family, but who had come to be part of it all the same, gathered out of earshot of Tan and whispered about their gifts.

    ¡°Do you think that he stole them from the imperial armory before he left?¡± Won asked, holding his bow with reverence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. It¡¯s not theft when the emperor takes what is his,¡± Ko chided.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that we¡¯re not worthy of these weapons,¡± Pao said seriously. ¡°I understand why we were given them, though. They sent their son out to prove himself in the world, and we¡¯re here to protect him. Worthy or not, they armed us with the mightiest weapons they could for the purpose of keeping him safe. Do not forget who it is that we serve.¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s so weird sometimes, knowing who the Shen family really is,¡± Won commented. ¡°I mean, Lady Wensho helped our mother when she was giving birth to us. What sort of imperial concubine would do that for a bunch of dirt farmers?¡±

    ¡°The kind who is worth honoring by protecting her son,¡± Ko said seriously.

    In the distance, Tan danced a kata with his blade, listening the the voices in the wind. He couldn¡¯t make out the words, not without straining and he wouldn¡¯t violate his friend¡¯s privacy like that. But he recognized the tone.

    His friends were being weird again.

    He looked at the sword in his hands. It was sleek and deadly, and yet he felt a sliver of disappointment.

    ¡°Of course I got a hand-me-down,¡± he said, sighing.

    He danced the kata his father had shown him only once, the blade itself correcting his movements. He was fast and elegant, moving from one pose to the next with speed and grace.

    Until he tripped on a stone and almost cut off his nose.

    He laughed at the near-accident.

    He sensed a faint sliver of amused intent from ¡­ somewhere. He looked around, but his friends were nowhere to be seen, and he could sense nothing else breathing nearby.

    He looked at the sword in his hands, which gave off an aura of perfect innocence. As innocent as a deadly weapon could be.  Too  innocent.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± he told the sword. He corrected his stance, and started the Kata again from the beginning.

    They slept in tents that were stored in Tan¡¯s spatial ring, and they ate food that was still hot from the oven, likewise stored in the same place. Time did not pass inside a spatial ring, and it was perfect for storing things which were fragile, volatile, or needed to be kept at a certain temperature. Or, conversely, things which were large and cumbersome and difficult to carry.

    Tan hadn¡¯t been using the ring much around the farm, since he was so used to doing his chores without it, but he was grateful to have it for this journey. It made things so much easier than the last time the four of them had set out on their own, on the spirit stone hunt the year before.

    He offered to carry the weapons of the others for them in the ring. Pao¡¯s weapon especially was heavy and probably slowed even him down with its weight, but he insisted that it wasn¡¯t as bothersome as it looked, that he wanted to get used to carrying it around on his back, and that if the group  needed  their weapons, they might not have time for Tan to distribute them from his ring.

    The others made the exact same excuses when Tan offered to carry theirs as well, but he thought it was secretly just because they liked holding them and pretending to be great warriors.

    Not that he wasn¡¯t like that too, wearing the sword on his hip and being  aware  of it all of the time. It was awkward at first, but it seemed like the sword itself was teaching him how to walk with it swinging from his hip.

    Hand-me-down or not, it was a valuable weapon, he admitted to himself. And it made him feel grown-up to wear it.

    They traveled through the first three days, passing through the hilly foothills of the Black Sky Mountains, crossing the vast rivers with their various methods. That was one of the few times when Tan actually was given their weapons, as well as most of their clothing, as while he could fly over the river, the others had to swim.

    Except for Ko, she could walk on water, so she walked along while the others splashed their way across the deep rivers of the Blue Dragon Empire and promised to defend them should anything occur while they were in the water.

    If they were mortal, they would have had to find a ferry to cross.

    And they would have had to follow roads.

    And they would have taken much, much longer to get so far, leaving their home hundreds of miles behind them.

    They traveled for three days before they ran into trouble.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    The third day started like the ones before it. The children awoke, dismantled their camp, ate breakfast, and did the other things that one did in the morning. They spent twenty minutes practicing with their weapons, then sheathed them and continued on their way.

    As they traveled, they noticed fewer and fewer commoners on the roads that they passed over, by, or along. The villages were fewer and farther between. They were approaching he Black Sky Mountains themselves now, rather than the hundreds of miles of foothills that surrounded those massive and spiritual peaks.

    The trouble began with a shadow passing over the sun, shrouding them in darkness. It lasted only a moment, too fast to have been a cloud, but when they looked up, they saw nothing in the sky. They had felt it, however. A flicker of malicious intent.

    Tan kept an ear to the wind and they all kept an eye to the sky after that, but the shadow or anything that might have caused it did not reappear. They sensed more intent. It was vague and nebulous, however, and they could not track it back to its source.

    ¡°We should speed up,¡± Tan suggested.

    ¡°No, we should slow down,¡± Pao argued. ¡°If we¡¯re attacked, we don¡¯t want it to be after a chase. And if we¡¯re traveling too fast we might wander into an ambush.¡±

    The boys argued, turning to the twins for support. Won agreed with Tan, while Ko agreed with Pao, resolving nothing.

    They were still bickering when the intent suddenly solidified. Tan waved his hand and summoned a gust of wind that deflected the arrows that came their way. He flared his own intent, while the others drew their weapons and faced off in the direction that the arrows had come from.

    ¡°There they are,¡± Won said, drawing his bow. He aimed at ¡­ something. Tan couldn¡¯t see it, and the wind wasn¡¯t cooperating with him. He closed his eyes and opened his  other  eye and then he saw the life force of the bandits hiding in the bush, just as Won began firing arrows at them that pierced through the cover of the forest and set the bandits and bushes aflame.

    They began to scream and run away. The children were satisfied with that result.

    The bandit leader was not.

    He landed before them, in his hand a sword the size of a man. Made of obsidian and sharp enough to slice open the palm that touched its edge with a feather touch, the weapon was as infamous and deadly as the man himself.

    ¡°Tell you what, kids,¡± he said, twisting his neck and popping his vertebrae, ¡°Give me your weapons and any other valuables you might have on you, and I won¡¯t gut you and cook you over a spit.¡±

    He flared his intent, which he had trained by killing over one hundred men.

    The children didn¡¯t even flinch.

    He grinned, believing that they were frozen stupid by his--

    The flame arrow struck him in the thigh, burning a hole straight through his leg. He screamed and lost control of his will for a moment. Then he seized down and redoubled the pressure that he put on the children.

    A second arrow hit him in the arm.

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    ¡°Are you trying to kill him or make him angry?¡± Tan asked casually.

    ¡°Do you think we should? Kill him, I mean?¡± Ko asked clinically.

    ¡°That¡¯s the penalty for banditry. We¡¯ll be doing the empire a favor,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Do  you  want to be the one who kills him, Tan?¡± Pao asked, and the younger boy paled.

    ¡°You little¡ªI¡¯ll kill you!¡± the bandit leader shouted, and he charged, ignoring the pain and the limp in his leg as he raised his obsidian blade and swiped it at the children.

    The big one leapt out in front and swung that impressive warhammer he carried. The bandit leader grinned, knowing that his blade could cut steel, and doubled down the effort by reinforcing the swing with a burst of speed powered by Qi.

    Steel met volcanic glass, and the sword shattered into a million pieces. Both combatants were struck by the shrapnel, and the shards of obsidian cut their clothes and their skin.

    The bandit leader didn¡¯t even hesitate. He grabbed the big kid by the face, twisted, and threw him into the distance with all of his strength.

    ¡°You little brats! I¡¯ll kill you for that,¡± he screamed. ¡°I¡¯m in the fourth stage of the spiritual realm, and sword or not I¡¯m more than enough of a weapon to put all of you in the ground!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m in the foundation realm,¡± Tan said, stepping forward. ¡°I cultivate the wind just like you. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s blowing hot air.¡±

    The boy drew his sword and almost vanished, he moved so fast. The bandit leader was his equal, however, and he reached out to catch the blade with the gauntlet on his left hand, winding back to throw a punch with his right.

    The blade passed clean through his hand, the cut searing hot but only a minor distraction. He screamed and ignored his severed hand as he swung with his other. He connected right in Tan¡¯s face, grinning as he felt the cartilage of the boy¡¯s nose snap beneath the blow.

    The girl was next. She lasted for thirty seconds before he tripped her and kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying. He turned and--

    The flame arrow struck him in the chest, piercing his heart.

    Won swallowed as the man looked at him in surprise. The expression on the bandit leader¡¯s face was seared into the boy¡¯s soul. The first man he ever killed clutched his chest and fell over.

    The children collapsed as the adrenaline faded from them. The other bandits were gone. Without the bandit leader masking their presence, Tan could sense their breath on the wind, but they were running away and none of the children had the will to chase them and ¡­ and what?

    Kill them?

    They didn¡¯t have the heart for that.

    Bring them to justice?

    The empire would just kill them. It was an extra step in the process that only complicated things exponentially.

    No. They let the bandits go. Perhaps with their leader dead they would reconsider their choice of profession and become more productive members of society. But it wasn¡¯t the children¡¯s responsibility to right every wrong in the world. They had merely defended themselves against a man who would have killed them.

    Uncertain what else to do with the body, Tan put it in his spatial ring, and they continued on their journey after setting Tan¡¯s broken nose and bandaging the cuts that Pao got from the obsidian sword¡¯s shrapnel.

    The rest of the day was uneventful.

    The night was not.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    The scream came from the twins¡¯s tent. Pao, who was taking his turn at watch, grabbed his hammer and rushed to help, only to find that there was nothing he could do. It was just a dream.

    Just a dream.

    Just a dream, Won told himself as he forced himself to calm down.

    The eyes of the dead man were not truly upon him, judging him and haunting him and calling for vengeance. The body remained in Tan¡¯s ring, and they¡¯d present it to the imperial lawmen when they got to the next city to see if there was a reward. But the man himself was dead, and he couldn¡¯t hurt Won.

    He couldn¡¯t hurt Won¡¯s sister. Or his friends.

    Because Won had killed him to stop him from doing exactly that.

    Except killing a man wasn¡¯t like in the stories. It wasn¡¯t something that he could just do and pretend had never happened. The bandit had been, well, a bandit. A thief and likely a murderer besides, if his threats had any weight to them. And Won thought that they did, having felt the man¡¯s intent.

    He had probably saved more lives than he¡¯d taken, he realized.

    That didn¡¯t make the demon haunting him easier to bear.

    Won took over his turn to stand watch early, sending Pao and the others back to bed. He stared into the flames of the campfire, seeing eyes that weren¡¯t there whenever he looked out into the darkness.

    Tan woke in the morning and, after taking care of certain things that usually need to be taken care of in the morning, put on his blindfold and began practicing his kata with his new sword.

    With his third eye open, it was rather obvious when he looked at Won that there was something wrong with the boy. Tan frowned, seeing the alien Qi attempting to strangle the flame that was Won¡¯s own spirit.

    He recognized it for what it was.

    ¡°Zephyr, do you see that?¡± he asked his spirit.

    ¡°Your friend is haunted,¡± she said.

    ¡°Is he in danger? Can I help?¡±

    ¡°The ghost is weak. It has attached itself to your friends soul, but the gates of hell are open wide and the pull of the afterlife is snatching at it like a greedy toddler trying to pull a sweet from the hands of an older child who doesn¡¯t want to give it to them. The problem will probably resolve itself in a week or two on its own, especially if you tell Won that his dream might have been a visitation and not just his conscience,¡± the spirit informed him.

    ¡°What if I want to do more than that?¡± Tan asked.

    The spirit was silent for a moment. ¡°It might be dangerous, but there is an old ritual I know.¡±

    Tan listened to the ritual, then gathered Pao and Ko to discuss matters with them. They took him at his word that he¡¯d seen a ghost haunting Won and that they couldn¡¯t tell him yet if they were going to complete the ritual.

    Pao announced that they were taking a break for the morning, and Won was so distracted that he just continued to stare into the fire. The others went about setting up the ritual in silence. When Won was finally called to join them, the haunted boy looked confused at the magic circles the others had drawn, and at the clay man standing in the center.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The bandit is haunting you, Won,¡± Tan said. ¡°We¡¯re going to purge your spirit and free you from its influence.¡±

    ¡°And kill him a second time, huh?¡± Won said.

    ¡°You only die once,¡± Tan argued. ¡°Even so, I can see him as he is now, and he¡¯s a twisted, ugly, evil thing that¡¯s clutching at your throat. He turned into a demon when he died, and now he¡¯s trying to poison you to get his revenge.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to convince me. I know what he was, and nothing you said is exactly surprising,¡± Won said. ¡°Just tell me what to do.¡±

    At Tan¡¯s instructions, he stepped over the magical formations, cut his palm, and wiped a bit of his blood on the clay mannequin. Then he stepped back onto one of the cardinal points of the formation and, with the others, pumped it full of Qi.

    The wind changed, and the air filled with the scent of blood. The mannequin¡¯s eyes abruptly opened, showing the red of a demon as the demonic spirit was pulled from Won and forced into the clay doll.

    ¡°Little boy, little boy, I¡¯m going to eat you,¡± the demon-puppet said. ¡°Just like the other children I¡¯ve killed. They call me Ten-wo, the demon cannibal, and I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now!¡± Tan said, and the others flooded the ritual with a hundred times the Qi they¡¯d pumped in before. The demon screamed, and the clay burst aflame, turning to ash a moment later.

    Tan spent a moment afterwards searching, and he examined each of his friend¡¯s auras closely, but saw no remnant of their unwelcome guest. Pao caused the earth to eat the circles they had drawn in the dirt, and they returned to their campfire.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Won said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Won. It was a demon,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I killed him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Tan said. ¡°He was evil. We knew that when he was alive, and his ¡®turning into a demon¡¯ act proved it when he died. You did the empire a favor, Won.¡±

    ¡°And I still feel guilty about it,¡± Won said. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t make sense. I feel guilty. That isn¡¯t what I felt when I was haunted, by the way. Then I felt harried and afraid of something I couldn¡¯t see. Now that it¡¯s gone, I feel ¡­ I knew that when I started cultivating I might have to kill someone some day. I thought that I was ready for it. I wasn¡¯t.¡±

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    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something that you can really prepare yourself for, Won,¡± Ko said gently. She put her arm around her brothers shoulder, and they sat like that for a while, watching the fire burn.

    They set out again after lunch, Pao setting an even more grueling pace to make up for the time that they had lost dealing with the demon. They arrived in a city with an outpost for the army, where they inquired about bandits and had the man that they had killed described to them exactly.

    The garrison officer¡¯s eyes bulged out when Tan produced the corpse from a spatial ring, then rushed off to find his commander. The commander appeared, bowing to the cultivators and offering them wine and dates to eat and drink as they waited for the garrison to confirm the bandit¡¯s identity and gather the reward for his execution.

    The children ate the dates, but nobody drank the wine, preferring the tea that the commander served a few minutes after remembering that he was dealing with children.

    Once the bounty was completed, the children were given tokens proclaiming that they had performed a service for the empire, which they put on their necklaces, the ones that already had a talisman given to them the year before by Tren and Wensho.

    Aside from those tokens, they were given a sac of coins and precious gems, which they promised to divide up equally between them when they returned home. Then they were off again, dashing towards the horizon in their journey to the east.

    The rest of the trip to the Whispering Guides Sect was quiet and uneventful. More quiet than it should have been. The death of the bandit leader continued to weigh heavily on the children. Even Tan, who insisted that they had done the right thing, was not his usual self.

    Won, having dealt the final blow against the bandit and been haunted by its demon, was quiet and withdrawn. His sister tried to get him to cheer up by challenging him with friendly japes and jabs, but he did not rise the way that he usually would. Pao was silent out of respect, although he too was troubled.

    They¡¯d done what had needed to be done. They¡¯d earned recognition from the empire for their services. They were heroes.

    Pao never realized that being a hero meant feeling like crud.

    On the sixth day of their journey, he called a halt early in the day.

    ¡°We need to talk about it or it¡¯s going to keep bugging us. We¡¯ve purged the bandit¡¯s demon, but he¡¯s still haunting us,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± Tan said. ¡°He was going to kill us. He¡¯d killed other travelers and was going to kill us if we hadn¡¯t been stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°But we still killed him, Tan. Doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡± Ko said quietly.

    ¡°Of course it does. But it was the right thing to do. He was an evil soul. A demon with the flesh of a man. If we hadn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, shut up,¡± Won said.

    Tan looked surprised.

    ¡°I heard you crying last night. I know you¡¯re acting,¡± Won said.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was crying too. Just silently,¡± Won added. ¡°Tan, why didn¡¯t  you  kill the bandit? Why did you make me do it?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest of all of us. You let yourself get hit so that I¡¯d have to do it,¡± Won accused.

    ¡°I did not!¡±

    ¡°Then why was it me who killed the bandit who was seven stages ahead of me instead of you, who¡¯s the most advanced of any of us?¡± Won said.

    ¡°Because¡ª¡±

    ¡°Leave him alone, Won,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°No! If he¡¯d have gone full out, with that sword of his, then he could have killed the bandit easily! Instead he made me kill him and now I¡¯m the one who has blood on his hands! Tan, don¡¯t you know¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough Won,¡± Pao said. ¡°Tan,  did you  hold back when you were fighting the bandit leader?¡±

    Tan looked defensive. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s all there is to say, Won. The bandit was stronger than any of us individually. Without the weapons Master and Mistress Shen gave us, we might have been killed,¡± Pao said. ¡°That goes for Tan as much as any of us.¡±

    ¡°Master and Mistress put a lot of faith in us, sending us out alone,¡± Ko said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they knew we¡¯d be attacked, but they gave us weapons to defend ourselves in case we were. I know you¡¯ve all felt it too, from your weapons. They¡¯re more than just tools. I think they have spirits in them.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Tan said. ¡°It¡¯s something else. Fake-spirits. Not spirits like Zephyr or a spirit stone but something else. But you¡¯re right. They¡¯re not simple tools. They remember how to fight, and they¡¯re trying to teach us how they should be used.¡±

    ¡°Won, it wasn¡¯t just you who killed the bandit. It was your bow, using you to do it,¡± Ko said. ¡°And I¡¯m happy that you did it. That man did evil things. Terrible things that he wasn¡¯t even ashamed of. He bragged about them even after he was dead.¡±

    ¡°It still makes me a killer, Ko,¡± Won said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve killed someone and I can¡¯t go back to who I was before that.¡±

    ¡°I know. But you¡¯re still my brother and I love you,¡± Ko said, and she hugged him.

    Won hugged her back, and he began crying in her arms.

    The others looked away while the twins comforted each other.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t hold back,¡± Tan said once the two had separated.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry I said you did,¡± Won said. ¡°I just ¡­ I lost something when I killed him.¡±

    ¡°We all did,¡± Pao said. ¡°And I think I know what it was.¡±

    The others looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

    ¡°Innocence,¡± Pao declared. ¡°We¡¯re no longer little kids who¡¯ve been sheltered our whole lives. We¡¯ve been in a real battle and survived. But part of us died. That bandit killed our innocence, and I curse him for it.¡±

    The others remained silent for a moment as they contemplated his words.

    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Tan said eventually.

    ¡°We go get Hoten, and then we go home,¡± Pao said. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. Not really. We just ¡­ aren¡¯t as innocent as we were before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won said, nodding. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    So they continued on their way. They made camp that night, and arrived the next morning.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    ¡°Dad! Daddy! Daddy are you watching?¡± Safron demanded, bouncing up and down as she danced. It was one of the training katas designed for children to move their body and their Qi together. Tan, and the other children of the Shen farm, had grown up performing these simple but profound movements, and now it was little Safron¡¯s turn.

    ¡°Closer than you can imagine,¡± Tren Shen answered.

    ¡°No you¡¯re not, you have your eyes closed, I saw you,¡± she said accusingly, stopping to pout.

    ¡°I can see better with my eyes closed,¡± Tren said defensively.

    ¡°You mean like Tan with his blindfold?¡±

    ¡°Tan is just starting out with that talent. I¡¯ve been mastering it for decades. My third eye¡¯s sight is much better than his,¡± Tren answered honestly.

    ¡°What do I look like when you close your eyes?¡± Safron demanded.

    ¡°Like a beautiful fiery little girl shining brightly in the darkness,¡± Tren answered immediately. ¡°You¡¯re orange, and you have¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. No I¡¯m not orange,¡± Safron said.

    Tren smiled. ¡°Yes, sweetie, you are. But it¡¯s a very¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m not orange. Pick another color.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine. You¡¯re pink, and very beautiful,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Okay. Pink is better. And you said that I¡¯m pretty?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty to me whether you have your eyes open or closed,¡± Tren said definitively. ¡°Now keep dancing until you¡¯re tired, then go meditate. I have to talk with your mother for a while.¡±

    ¡°Kay.¡±

    Tren left the girl dancing in the field to go sit by the fence, where Wensho was darning a sock in the sunlight. She, too, was absolutely beautiful to the eyes of her husband. She was decades older, but hadn¡¯t appeared to have aged a day since he¡¯d met her. She too had her eyes closed, but unlike Tren she wasn¡¯t watching their daughter.

    ¡°How are they doing?¡± he asked her quietly.

    ¡°Their spirits are troubled, but they¡¯re coping. It¡¯s a good thing that we gave them those guardian weapons. You should berate your brother for allowing such a vile man to exist in his empire,¡± Wensho answered. ¡°And now those innocent children have blood on their hands.¡±

    ¡°It was destined to happen sooner or later,¡± Tren said, sighing. He closed his eyes and focused, and he too saw the four spirits of the children he had been guiding for years now, his spiritual vision homing in on the trinkets they had given them before their spirit stone hunt. ¡°We all have blood on our hands. Innocence is the price we pay for power.¡±

    ¡°Which is a lesson that they cannot understand until they¡¯ve lost their innocence,¡± Wensho said sadly. ¡°I still wish that we could have protected them from this.¡±

    ¡°I do too,¡± Tren said. He observed the trembling and uncertainty in his son¡¯s aura, the guilt in Won¡¯s, and the hesitation in Pao and Ko. ¡°They were never in danger, but do you think they know that?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, they were never in danger? That man was a monster, I don¡¯t need to have known his crimes to have seen it in his aura,¡± Wensho said. ¡°The world is a better place without him, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know what I meant. Other children would have been in danger in their place. But we saw too it that¡ª¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t understand the weight of what they carry,¡± Wensho said. ¡°We designed it that way on purpose, remember? When we sent them to gather stones, we didn¡¯t explain the significance behind the charms we gave them to wear around their necks beyond that they would keep them safe. And we enchanted an aura of forgetfulness around those trinkets. They¡¯ve probably already forgotten why they wear them, if they ever understood at all.¡±

    ¡°Is it better or worse that way?¡± Tren said. ¡°If they ever think that we sent them off unprotected when they face true danger¡ª¡±

    ¡°One day they¡¯ll face true danger that we cannot protect them from,¡± Wensho said, her eyes distant. ¡°When that day comes, would you have them unprepared to act without a safety net?¡±

    Tren sighed. ¡°I love you.¡±

    ¡°I love you too. But you worry too much.¡±

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    ~~~~~~

    Hoten made a face as he emptied the chamberpot. It wouldn¡¯t have been such a bad thing if it were  his own  chamberpot. But no, he was acting as a servant to one of the elders. He didn¡¯t have much choice, not if he wanted to reach the next stage of cultivation.

    He was serving Master Argoth, the pillmaster, in exchange for a weekly supply of the Lofty Wind pills which were vital to his cultivation. While the pills were the same that he¡¯d get on from the contribution store, the fact was that Hoten was broke.

    He had first approached Master Argoth when the price for the Lofty Wind Pills had tripled due to a sudden increase in demand¡ªspurred by Hoten¡¯s own success with them¡ªcombined with a decrease in supply of some of the ingredients. While Hoten had scoured the countryside looking for the herbs that were needed, the gardens of Master Argoth remained the only reliable supply.

    Hoten had been forced with a choice. He could either give up using the pills entirely¡ªbut if he did he had no idea how to continue to advance his cultivation¡ªor he could find a way to earn contribution points to buy them from the market¡ªbut the ways which most of the outer sect disciples did that were fraught with danger and Hoten was a Coward.

    However, Master Argoth had offered him a third option. He needed a servant. Hoten, as a common-born son of a poor merchant in an unknown village, had been seen as a suitable option. That he was a cultivator was of little matter. In fact, it was a benefit. While mortals did serve the sect, it was a status symbol among the elders to be served by the outer sect disciples instead.

    Hoten was even able to leverage his position a little bit by putting in a good word for some of the other disciples and make inquiries to Master Argoth about which pills were about to be made so that those who would especially benefit from them knew when to save their contribution points.

    He had  tried  to leverage his position to learn alchemy, but Master Argoth had laughed in his face. The elder had honestly believed that Hoten had been joking, and Hoten had been too embarrassed to press the issue further after that.

    Hoten placed the lid back on the chamberpot after finishing with the unpleasant task of rinsing it, then returned to the estate. He returned the pot to the Master¡¯s bedchambers, then returned to the servant¡¯s quarters to continue the more pleasant aspects of his job. Mostly he was just there to clean and dust. He wasn¡¯t allowed into the mixing chambers or the Master¡¯s study.

    He was in the middle of his duties when the bell of summoning rang. He sighed, placing his tools aside and rushing to find Master Argoth, who was munching on a biscuit in the den.

    ¡°Ah, yes, there you are Red Rooster,¡± Argoth said. ¡°I have something for you.¡±

    Hoten hated that name so much, but the more he tried to escape it, the more everyone seemed to rub it in his face. Argoth, at least, seemed to think that he was proud of the moniker, which was the front that Hoten was trying to present.

    ¡°You have something for me?¡±

    ¡°Are you a rooster or a parrot? Yes, I have something for you. It¡¯s in the box on the table,¡± Argoth said.

    Hoten blinked, then stepped over to examine an ornate box. He opened it, and the powerful aroma of medicinal pills roiled out. Hoten¡¯s mouth watered as he realized what they were. Or rather, what they were not. These pills were not available in the contribution store.

    ¡°What ¡­ what are they, Master Argoth? I can smell their potency but beyond that¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re an experiment. A new recipe I¡¯m trying. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, I have no idea whether they¡¯re my greatest success or simply another failure. They  should  be extremely beneficial to a wind or fire cultivator of your stage, but since I¡¯ve never tested them on anything larger than a rat, I don¡¯t know for certain that they¡¯re not poisonous,¡± the alchemist explained. ¡°So...it¡¯s your choice. You can have them if I can study the effects that they have on your body. I¡¯m not going to deny that they might kill you. But aside from turning your urine green, the Lofty Wind pills are no longer having any effect for you, are they?¡±

    Hoten swallowed. ¡°How likely are they to ¡­ I mean, can you give me any sort of odds on my surviving their use?¡±

    ¡°If they were poisonous I¡¯d tell you. You should be able to survive ten doses for certain. The problem is the impurities they¡¯ll introduce to your body. The more you take, the more they¡¯ll build up. I¡¯m uncertain, but I believe that they¡¯ll effect your liver first, and then your kidneys. There are some exercises I want you to perform to see if you can purify your body of the effects once the toxins have reached a noticeable level, but we¡¯re getting ahead of ourselves. Do you agree to be my test-rat, or shall I search for a new servant?¡±

    Hoten¡¯s heart sank. ¡°My job here is ¡­ I have to choose between taking these pills and finding a new one?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to take them, then I¡¯ll need your room for whoever does agree to test the pills for me,¡± Master Argoth explained. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s either or, son. Either you take the pills, or you move back out into the outer sect.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for the opportunity, Master Argoth. I accept.¡±

    ¡°Good, good, good,¡± Argoth said. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a cultivation circle for you on the roof. It should be most beneficial to you in conjunction with the pills, and it will also measure their toxicity and the effects on your body. You may begin whenever you wish, your other duties can wait.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hoten said again, then bowed and retreated from the room, taking the box of pills with him.

    He found the cultivation formation on the roof, leaping up there from the ground with simple ease. He couldn¡¯t quite fly, but he could jump pretty well. He palmed one of the pills from the box, then popped it into his mouth, his eyes watering at the medicinal taste. He chewed, but that just made the taste worse.

    He swallowed, and within moments he felt the roiling Qi of the pill unleash itself into his body. He sat in the lotus position and cultivated, a grin on his face.

    It was ten times as potent as the Lofty Wind pill, and he was certain that a breakthrough was imminent. He¡¯d earned this opportunity, and there was nothing that could possibly convince him to abandon it.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    ¡°So, we just go up and announce ourselves?¡± Tan asked the villager, a young woman who was balancing a jar of water above her head.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. If you¡¯re looking to join the sect, you go to Elder Yotu¡¯s house and announce yourself. If you are already cultivators, and I think you are, then you should announce yourself by displaying your cultivation,¡± she explained. ¡°If you are advanced then he will hurry. If you are not then you may have to wait, but he will come if you do not leave sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tan said. She smiled at him.

    ¡°You ¡­ serve the empire?¡± she asked, looking at the trinket around his neck.

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Tan said, fingering the symbol that each of the children had gotten for turning in the body of the bandit leader. ¡°We provided a service and this was our reward.¡±

    ¡°That is good. The Whispering Guides reward meritorious service,¡± she told him. ¡°When you are a few years older, you should come back to the village. Many of the young men come to us for drinking and female companionship.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be here that long,¡± Tan said. He would have blushed if he¡¯d really understood her words and her look. ¡°But thank you for the advice. Here, have a coin.¡±

    He handed her one of the silver coins the empire had given them for the bounty, then turned away as she was thanking him. He stepped over to his friends, who had listened to every word of the conversation. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not joining this sect, just fetching Hoten,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°But we¡¯re also not sneaking about, so we should talk to whoever mans the front gate for them. That sounds like it¡¯s this Elder Yotu. So we should do as she says.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ko agreed. ¡°Hopefully we don¡¯t have to wait too long.¡±

    They followed the path from the village towards the primary mountain of the Whispering Guides Sect¡¯s primary compound and found the elder¡¯s mansion right where the young woman had said it would be. They stepped up to the front door and flared their Qi and their Intent as brightly as they could, just as they¡¯d been instructed.

    The result was nearly instantaneous, with a harried Elder Yotu jumping out of a second story balcony a few seconds after they appeared. His eyes were wide as he looked about for the formidable warriors who had just announced themselves, then turned and saw four children in their place.

    He blinked.

    Children? How could children produce Intent like what he had just felt? Power was one thing; there was a young fire cultivator in their sect who was as strong as the strongest of them, but to produce such intent at this age was¡­

    He swallowed, seeing their weapons. And  sensing the intent from the weapons themselves . These were not mere children, and he immediately put on a welcoming smile.

    ¡°Hello! Hello! Welcome, young masters and young mistress, to the Whispering Guides Sect. We are honored that such illustrious and noble young sirs and madam as yourselves have come to join our humble¡ª¡±

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    ¡°We¡¯re not here to join,¡± Tan said, cutting off his speech. ¡°A while ago a young man named Hoten came here. We¡¯ve been sent to retrieve him.¡±

    Elder Yotu blanched. He still remembered that day; it haunted him. The roiling Qi that had come out of that jade slip had been overwhelming. He had put in a good word for the boy, but the other elders hadn¡¯t believed him that the hidden master who had referred the Red Rooster to the sect had been on the level of the sect master.  At least  on that level. Possibly far beyond; from the humble foothill upon which Elder Yotu sat, he could not see the peaks of such power.

    ¡°Has the Red Rooster done something wrong?¡± Yotu asked hesitantly.

    For some reason, the girl snickered at the name.

    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t,¡± the youngest boy, who despite his age seemed to be the leader of the group. ¡°It¡¯s a family matter. He¡¯s not in any trouble, he just has a filial duty to fulfill towards his parents. He should be able to return in the spring.¡±

    Yotu relaxed. If it was just a personal matter, then there was no problem. ¡°Do you, perhaps, carry a token of the hidden master who sent him here in the first place, to verify your words?¡±

    The youngest boy blinked, then he seemed to remember something. ¡°Oh yeah, he did give me a tablet to give you,¡± he said, and abruptly he pulled a small jade slip out of a storage--

    The boy had a storage ring!

    Yotu felt ill. Spatial manipulation items were exceedingly rare and expensive, with the imperial family of the Blue Dragon Empire having a monopoly on the artisans who could craft them. Whoever these young people were, they had deep connections.

    And, noticing the talismans around their neck with the imperial symbol on them, he was afraid to question exactly who those connections were, lest they turn out to be exactly as lofty as he feared they might be. It would make perfect sense for a hidden master who served at the Emperor¡¯s discretion to send his pupils on a mission such as this.

    Yotu took the jade slip that the boy handed to him, but rather than immediately snap it to receive the message, he bowed to the young masters and the young mistress. ¡°I will need to show this to the leadership of the sect. I am certain that the matter will be approved with no issues; however, in the mean time, I will give each of you a token worth one hundred contribution points. I invite you to visit our contribution points store and see if there are any resources there which might be beneficial towards your cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah that sounds great,¡± Tan said. ¡°How long will it take you to check with your higher-ups?¡±

    ¡°I will convene them tonight and we will have the answer in the morning. In the mean time, you may rest comfortably in my house. My servants will be available for your every comfort, I will instruct them to serve you as if you were myself. Do not worry about me, I shall sleep in the inner compound tonight, if I sleep at all.¡±

    ¡°Okay. If you say so,¡± Tan said. ¡°How do we find the contribution store?¡±

    Having successfully distracted the youths, Yotu rushed off to the peak of the mountain to summon the other elders for a conclave, while Tan and the others climbed off towards the largest compound on the mountain¡¯s girdle to see what the contribution points store had available for them.

    Yotu glanced at the jade slip in his hands and grinned as he dashed towards the peaks. This time, there wouldn¡¯t be any doubt about his words. The proof that a hidden master beyond compare lurked nearby would cause waves through the sect, but between fostering the growth of the Red Rooster and bribing these other students with the goods of the contribution store, perhaps they could get on the man¡¯s good side and reap untold rewards.

    On the roof of a mansion halfway up the mountain, a certain young man sneezed. Hoten frowned; he had been cultivating for fifteen hours straight. The pill was wearing off, and he could no longer focus.

    He had some contribution points left to spend; he¡¯d been saving them for a while. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about buying pills or ingredients for pills, he wanted to see what his other options were. So, deciding to forego sleep for a while longer, that is where he went.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    ¡°Back again, Red Rooster? I¡¯ve told you before, the price on those pills you¡¯re after just keeps going up, not down,¡± Master Poh said when the young man darkened the doorway of the contribution shop.

    ¡°I know. Thank you so much for suggesting that I speak with Master Argoth, Poh. He has seen to it that I will not want for cultivation aids for the near future, so I am here to see about manuals or other items that will help me,¡± Hoten said humbly. Poh wasn¡¯t exactly a friend, but he  had  given good advice. People who gave good advice deserved to be treated with respect, and treating people with respect was the surest way to ensure that you got good advice.

    If Hoten had been more respectful towards Tren Shen ¡­

    He sighed. He had only been seventeen when he¡¯d been cursed by the Shen family. It wasn¡¯t a bad curse, as far as things went. Just a bit embarrassing. His hands were literally red, but he had lied to the sect about the reason for it, calling it a birthmark. Nobody knew about the other aspect of the curse.

    Nobody in the sect, at least. He was very careful about where he bathed and which facilities he used to answer the call of nature so that nobody would see him. He was known to be unnaturally shy, but that wasn¡¯t such a bad thing, really.

    Unfortunately it also meant that he¡¯d been forced to avoid girls. He¡¯d figure out something to remedy the curse eventually, he just needed to reach a certain level of power and then he could demand¡ªno, humbly request that the Shens reverse it. Humility was the key to many things, he had learned. If he were humble, then surely the Shens would see that he was not the impudent boy who had tried to rob them and reverse the curse.

    He sighed, pulling himself out of the daydream and picking up one of the scrolls detailing the manuals that were for sale. There were several insight scrolls listed, but not the insights they contained. You had to purchase them based on who wrote them, uncertain what it was you were buying until you¡¯d paid the price. These gacha scrolls were surprisingly popular among Hoten¡¯s contemporaries, with various factions competing to secure the most insightful scrolls from the most illustrious sages on the mountains.

    Unfortunately, Hoten was still riding the initial wealth that he¡¯d made when he¡¯d first arrived on the mountain last year. He¡¯d traded a bunch of low-level spiritual stones¡ªones which retained a sense of spirituality and could absorb a significant amount of Qi, but which did not possess a spirit themselves¡ªfor contribution points. He still had thirty two points from that transaction.

    Enough for two gacha purchases, or one of the training manuals, or¡­

    He frowned as he heard a familiar voice coming in from outside the shop. His eyes opened wide, and he hid in a closet where the brooms and mops were kept.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe he was just being friendly? I mean, you¡¯re right, Elder Yotu did seem a little weird, but I don¡¯t think that he¡¯d have given us four hundred contribution points between the four of us if there was a problem,¡± Tan Shen said, and the door opened.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know if four hundred is a little or a lot,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°He could have just been giving us a handful of candies to distract us like little kids.¡±

    ¡°He offered us his own home while the elders convened,¡± Ko pointed out. ¡°I think that he respects us. Or our masters, at least.¡±

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t tell them who Tan¡¯s parents were,¡± Won pointed out.

    ¡°Hoten had a token to recommend him to the sect,¡± Ko reminded the group. ¡°Who knows what it was that Master Tren said, but it was probably something convincing. So when we show up from the same village, it only makes sense that they¡¯d treat us with the respect they¡¯d treat our masters.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, that makes sense,¡± Won agreed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what this place has.¡±

    They were met at the door by Master Poh, who had a stern look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, young sirs and ma¡¯am, but this establishment is for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Elder Yotu said to give you this,¡± Tan said, pulling an envelope from his spatial ring. An act which caused Master Poh to do a double take; the sheer display of wealth that casual action entailed!

    ¡°Of course, Young Master,¡± Poh said, taking the envelope and quickly ripping it apart for its contents. It simply said to treat the children as honored guests of the sect and award them one hundred points each. Poh blanched at the amount¡ªfour hundred points was more than most young cultivators earned in two years¡ªbut it was Yotu¡¯s neck on the line for this decision, not his.

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    ¡°Very well. Would you like to browse, or are you interested in recommendation?¡± Poh asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s good here?¡± Won asked nonchalantly. ¡°If you had four hundred points to spend, what would you get?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, if  I  had four hundred points to spend I¡¯d use it for personal training with one of the elders who is further along my path than I,¡± Poh admitted. ¡°There are a few trinkets in this store which would benefit me, but for the most part I have either grown beyond the needs of what is available here, or have purchased such a resource long ago and do not require another, such as the prayer mats which I recommend every young cultivator to get when they arrive.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Show us one,¡± Ko said.

    Master Poh complied, bringing them into the side of the store where the mats were rolled up around a block of cedar to keep the moths away. They unrolled one of the mats and the children examined it critically.

    ¡°How much is it?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Thirty contribution points. It¡¯s expensive, and it often takes a young cultivator months to save up for one, but the cost is worth it. There¡¯s one for each element, this is a water prayer mat, but there¡¯s one for air, earth, and fire as well,¡± Poh explained. ¡°They are said to increase the purity and rate of Qi absorption by¡ª¡±

    ¡°The mats that Lady Wensho handed out to us when Lord Tren gave us our spirit stones were better than this,¡± Won said, poking at the mat. ¡°Weren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ko agreed. She ran a bit of Qi through the gathering focus, powering it for a second, then shook her head. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s better than nothing. But honestly the mats that Tan has in his ring are a hundred times better than this.¡±

    Poh gaped at the casual dismissal of the mat¡¯s quality. He realized he was gaping and shut his mouth, then tried to think of words of what to say. ¡°Well, it is true that the mats are a rather short-term investment compared to a permanent gathering formation, which is what the elders tend to set up in and around their estate for their chosen elements. These mats are for new cultivators, young ones who are still in the initiate¡¯s realm.¡±

    ¡°We are in the initiate¡¯s realm. Except for Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°Can I see the one for Earth?¡±

    Poh unrolled the requested mat, and Pao likewise ran a bit of Qi through it.

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s crap,¡± the boy declared. ¡°What else you got?¡±

    Poh hesitated, glancing at the children¡¯s weapons, then sighed. ¡°The other primary purchase that our young members usually make from our store is a suitable weapon for when they venture into the wild seeking resources, experience, and adventure. However, I can see at a glance that your weapons are superior to anything we have available for points. As such, I would recommend some of our low-quality spiritual stones, or our spiritual insight scrolls, or our technique library.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s still look at the weapons,¡± Tan suggested.

    ¡°Your dad just gave you that sword and you¡¯re already looking to replace it?¡± Won asked him.

    ¡°No,¡± Tan said quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, you¡¯ll give it ideas! I just wanted to see what other¡ªnever mind it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s sulky now that you said that. Okay, fine. Let¡¯s look at some of the insight things.¡±

    ¡°You should understand that we operate our insight scrolls on a gacha system,¡± Master Poh said nervously. ¡°You must buy them before reading their contents. They¡¯re very cheap, however, only six points each.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine. We¡¯ll take four. One each, right guys?¡±

    The other children agreed with him, and Poh retreated to the back, pulling four scrolls out of the case where they were stored. He returned and handed them to the children, who broke the seals and read the contents.

    ¡°Mine says ¡®To be wise, one must first know that they are not. Or just read a lot of books,¡¯¡± Pao said.

    ¡°Mine says ¡®Actions speak louder than words, but you cannot spell an action.¡¯¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Success is failure in reverse,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°A stone may seem unmovable, but water shapes a mountain over time,¡± Won said.

    The children exchanged looks.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It  was  only six points each,¡± Ko said. ¡°I mean, what were we expecting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay, that¡¯s fair,¡± Tan admitted. He turned to Master Poh. ¡°What else have you got?¡±

    ?

 V2 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I have to be the one to hatch it,¡± Tan said, holding the egg in his hand. ¡°And are we sure this isn¡¯t a chicken egg? I mean, that¡¯s what it looks like. A chicken egg painted with blue and red swirls.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Qi guardian egg alright,¡± Zephyr whispered. ¡°It¡¯s a very good deal. Once it¡¯s bonded to you you¡¯ll have a loyal protector for life.¡±

    Tan frowned. It had been her idea to buy the thing in the first place, so of course she¡¯d double down on it being the right thing to spend their remaining three-hundred and seventy-six points on.

    ¡°We all agree you should have it, Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°Even Won agrees.¡±

    Won wasn¡¯t with them right at that moment, as he was in the process of taking a bath. The other children were lounging in Elder Yotu¡¯s library, casually reading through some of the books and scrolls that were strewn about.

    ¡°Why?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I mean, you all gave your points for me to get this, but I don¡¯t get it. Why didn¡¯t you get something for yourselves?¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything else in the store worth having,¡± Ko said. ¡°If there were we might have, but you said that the only thing that was worth a damn in the entire place was that egg. So we got the egg, and your parents are the reasons we¡¯re cultivators, so we agree that you should be the one to hatch it.¡±

    Tan looked at the egg in his hands. It was warm to the touch, and he sensed a desperate hunger to it. Or perhaps a thirst. It had been just sitting in a glass display case when he¡¯d found it. Or Zephyr had, he would have looked right past it if his spirit hadn¡¯t pointed it out to him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no going back if I feed it my Qi, You all know that, right?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°We want it to bond to you, Tan,¡± Ko said. ¡°Stop arguing with us and just do it.¡±

    Tan sighed, then pulled out a prayer mat from his storage ring, sat in the middle of it with his legs crossed, then put the egg in his lap. He began pulling in as much Qi as he could and feeding it to the little egg, which drank it all in greedily.

    Qi guardians were not spirit animals. They were demons, technically. Not the undead kind that had attached itself to Won briefly, but demon beasts which, in the wild, could grow to be nuisances. But an infant Qi guardian could be imprinted to protect its master if it was hatched from an egg. A task that was easy to do; it just required a significant amount of Qi.

    In the wild, it was said to take decades for an egg to hatch.

    It took Tan twenty minutes of cultivation.

    Won came back from his bath and Pao left to take his turn. The twins were studying a scroll on the duality of yin and yang together when the egg suddenly cracked, a small beak poking through. Tan cried out in surprise, then held the egg out before him for the others to see as the Qi guardian made its way into the world.

    Qi guardians were said to take shape based on the Qi that they devoured. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the shape that came out of the egg was draconic. The little beast, small enough to fit in Tan¡¯s palm, had a snout with a beak, hind legs perfect for gripping, and wings that also had hand-like gripper claws. It was the color of the sky, and it made little peeping noises, looking at Tan with adoration in its eyes.

    He eyed the thing for a moment, then fed it a grape. He put it on his shoulder while it ate the fruit. The others stared at it. Ko thought it was adorable. Won wondered what it would look like when it had grown. They were both a little envious, but the contribution shop had only had one egg.

    ¡°You guys are sure you don¡¯t mind me having this little guy?¡± Tan asked the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Tan,¡± Won said. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything else worth getting, and none of us deserve something like this.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tan asked.

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    ¡°I mean we¡¯re just village kids who¡ª¡±

    Won shut up when his sister slammed an elbow into his side.

    ¡°He means that we¡¯ll ask your parents to reward us for the contribution points that we gave you so that you could have the egg, and they¡¯ll give us something better for it than anything else in the shop. Except the egg, of course. That thing is so cute!¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Yeah. Right, what she said,¡± Won said, rubbing his side where she¡¯d hit him.

    Tan shrugged, but a few minutes later Pao returned from the bath and it was Tan¡¯s turn.

    He sank into the water, and the little Qi guardian leaped into the tub with him. Tan splashed and tried to catch the little thing, worried that it would drown, but it quickly proved that it knew how to swim instinctively. He settled back for a brief soak as he considered the draconic infant.

    ¡°What do I name you,¡± he asked it. He thought for a minute, then grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you Key.¡±

    ¡°KEEE!¡± the Qi guardian squeaked.

    Tan lay back for a moment, enjoying the hot water. Then he went to work scrubbing himself down, getting the dirt of the road off of his skin.

    ~~~~~~

    Hoten hadn¡¯t been planning to take another one of the experimental pills for a few days yet. Certainly not until he¡¯d slept and eaten. However, he could think of only one reason why the brats from the Shen farm could be here, at the Whispering Guides Sect.

    They were here for him. He didn¡¯t know how he knew, but he knew that they were about to mess things up for him thoroughly. Whatever they were about to do or say to the sect, he had only one chance to take another one of the experimental pills before they did it, so as soon as they left the contribution store with that worthless egg that was supposedly worth years of points, he rushed back to Master Argoth¡¯s home.

    He was in such a rush that he barely noticed when he bumped into the girl. She noticed him, however, especially when he didn¡¯t immediately apologize.

    She  blurred  and reappeared in front of him wreathed in flames.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t learn your lesson the first time, did you Red Rooster?¡± she said. ¡°Kowtow and beg for forgiveness and maybe I won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Hoten said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? But I don¡¯t have time to play games with a little freaking girl even if she¡¯s freakishly strong. The Shen family is here, and if they¡¯re here then they¡¯re here for me, and they just bought the Qi guardian¡¯s egg and next they¡¯re going to drag me back to the cesspool I grew up in and I  will not go .¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± the girl asked, her tone changing abruptly.

    ¡°Either burn me to death or get out of my way, Fiora,¡± Hoten said.

    Looking dazed, the girl stepped aside, then raced into the contribution store. Hoten blinked. He hadn¡¯t been expecting to get away so easily.

    He shook himself and ran the rest of the way home to take the next, and possibly final, experimental pill.

    In the contribution store, Master Poh was examining the scroll that he kept hidden behind the counter when the fiery young prodigy cam bursting into the building. He sputtered and dropped the scroll with its lascivious drawings, then quickly rolled it up, while Fiora rushed towards the glass case where the most valuable items were stored.

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°No, no no no no no no no! It¡¯s gone!¡±

    She turned to Master Poh, her face filled with anger and anguish. ¡°You sold the egg? Who? Who had the contribution points to buy it? Have they bonded it yet? Do you know?¡±

    Master Poh blinked at the girl as several things clicked into place for him. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m very sorry, Fiora. Outsiders came, and they impressed master Yotu, and so he gave them four hundred contribution points. I didn¡¯t exactly point the egg out to them, but they quickly identified it as the best value for their currency and purchased. I¡¯m sorry. They¡¯re staying at his manor, if you hurry, maybe you can try to negotiate with them before they bond it.¡±

    The girl vanished from the building, burning her Inner Fire body technique to move at the limits of what the human eye could observe.

    Master Poh sighed, then picked up his scroll and went back to studying the beauty contained within.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    The elders of the Whispering Guides all responded to the summons in their own time. Not everyone bothered to show up, many were in closed door cultivation or away from the mountain complex and unable to respond to the messengers or Qi constructs sent to inform them of a general gathering. But there were enough elders for a quorum, which met behind closed doors in the central compound at the peak of the mountain.

    Most of the old men and women were impatient to begin and get whatever farce it was that Yotu had called them together to address. The last time this had happened had been the introduction of a weak and minor talent, a fact which had served to lower Yotu¡¯s standing among the elders even further. The position of gatekeeper to the sect was not an envied one, and he was often viewed as the lowest ranking elder.

    But he  was  an elder, so when he summoned a conclave most of the others showed up to humor him. They expected him to come to their discussions, after all, and it was only polite to return the favor. One or two meetings a year wasn¡¯t much to ask in exchange for his handling of a tiresome duty and the occasional request.

    Once twelve of the elders were present and word from the others that no more would be coming arrived, the meeting began. Lira, the highest ranking of those present, called the meeting to order with a clap of her hands that resonated louder than a gavel.

    ¡°Well, Yotu? Why are we here?¡± she asked.

    Yotu nervously stepped forward. He produced a jade slip and, without ceremony, snapped it in two.

    Earth Qi came roiling out in a concentration that none of the elders could hope to emulate. Yotu, having spent the last year mentally preparing himself for such an assault on his senses, endured. The other elders were visibly shaken by the casual display of power by whoever had sent the message.

    It lasted for just a moment, but it resulted in three bloody noses and a burst vessel in Lira¡¯s left eye. She blinked, willing her body to heal itself, but she knew that her eye would be red for several hours before she could fix it.

    As abruptly as the Qi burst came, it subsided. A spiritual construct appeared with the shape of a man who resembled an older version of the boy who had given Yotu the jade slip in the first place. The man was dressed in peasant¡¯s garb, with a hoe slung over one shoulder.

    ¡°I thank you for watching the Red Rooster. I hope that he has not gotten up to too much trouble. He is needed at home for a season for family matters. If the boy has been performing honorably then I hope that this interruption will not negatively impact his standing in the sect. If you¡¯re looking for an excuse to expel him, I would ask that you find another. The filial duties demanded of him for this visit are ones that any son would be expected to perform for his mother.

    ¡°I will entertain a request from the Whispering Guides sect in exchange for the favor they have done for me in guiding this young man. As for the children I have sent to fetch the Red Rooster, I ask that you make a good impression on them. I might be sending them your way later for seasoning. The compensation for guiding them will be separate from any services performed towards the Red Rooster. Send your response with my kids, and I¡¯ll send your compensation to you when the Red Rooster returns after his mother has passed into the next world.¡±

    The Qi apparition lingered for a moment, then vanished. The Qi roiled in the room in the aftermath of the display, then abruptly calmed and soaked into the chamber. The elders exchanged looks, then Lira cleared her throat.

    ¡°It seems that Yotu was not overstating the cultivation of the expert who sent us the Red Rooster at all,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°Understating it if anything,¡± one of the grumpier elders, one who¡¯d suffered a nosebleed, admitted.

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    ¡°Right. So. Good thing we accepted him as a disciple. The question is, how do we proceed in the light of this revelation?¡±

    The elders began to discuss the matter. As with all of their meetings, it would take hours before a conclusion was reached.

    ~~~~~~~

    ¡°He¡¯s kind of cute,¡± Ko said, feeding Key a grape as it sat on Tan¡¯s shoulder. She paused. ¡°Is he a he? Or is she a she? Did we check?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell with dragons,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°But I kind of get the feeling that its a boy. I don¡¯t know, we should ask Dad to check when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least Key works whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl,¡± Won commented, reading a scroll that they¡¯d found in Elder Yotu¡¯s study. After the laughably vapid ¡®insights¡¯ they¡¯d seen at the contribution shop, they hadn¡¯t been expecting much. Which allowed them to be pleasantly surprised as they now plundered the elder¡¯s library.

    Pao, reading a book, grunted something that could have been an agreement with Won¡¯s statement. He was lounging on a chaise lounge with his feet up and looked extremely relaxed.

    ¡°So, how big is it going to get?¡± Ko asked. ¡°And how intelligent is it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Zephyr says that it will get bigger as it grows feeding on my Qi, and that it will continue to grow as long as I continue to progress. But that will take time, and it¡¯s a baby right now. She¡¯s not certain how smart it will be, however. She says she¡¯s never seen a Qi guardian take the shape of a dragon before, which means that there was something special about the egg after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds like spending all of our points on it was a good move,¡± Won admitted. ¡°I was kind of worried we were getting a dud. But then again, the points were free, so whatever, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tan agreed. He reached up and scratched the side of the little draconic creature¡¯s neck. Despite being no larger than a newly hatched chicken, the little beast¡¯s purr filled the room. Tan sensed a bit of hunger from it, and he responded by sending a wave of Qi at it. The little beast was voracious, and it took Tan a moment to satisfy its appetite, leaving Tan a little light-headed.

    Which was when the four children felt it. All of their heads snapped in the same direction at the same moment as the intent hit them. They weighed it for a moment, then Won stood.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± he said.

    ¡°No,¡± Ko said, standing up and shoving her brother back down. ¡°You dealt with the bandit. Leave this to me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s stronger than you,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°She¡¯s stronger than you too,¡± Ko argued. ¡°She¡¯s stronger than anyone but Tan, but we can talk our way out of this one. We¡¯re in the middle of the Whispering Guides Sect, and she¡¯s obviously a member. We¡¯re guests. Whatever she wants, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to burn down an Elder¡¯s estate. Anyway, she¡¯s a girl, and she might talk more freely with another girl.¡±

    The boys couldn¡¯t find a fault in any of her logic, but they still followed her to the entrance of the estate to back her up as Ko stepped outside, her quarterstaff slung over one shoulder.

    ¡°Hand over the egg,¡± the red-haired girl demanded. She was no older than twelve, but poorly formed intent and fire Qi of a cultivator in the Foundation Realm roiled off of her. ¡°I know you have it, and¡ª¡±

    Key chirruped, and the girl went still, her eyes laser focused on the Qi guardian. She went still, but Qi and intent roiled off of her like heat off of a bonfire.

    ¡°Two years,¡± she said before anyone said anything else. ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up for that egg for two years, and you just swoop in and ¡­¡±

    She tilted her head back and screamed in frustration. Then she turned and left without saying another word. The children exchanged looks, then collectively shrugged and went back inside to wait for Elder Yotu to return.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    The mountain of the Whispering Guides Sect was located above two dragon veins. They did not intersect, but rather came close to each other flowing in opposite directions, causing a turbulence which stirred up the Qi in the environment, making it a valuable location for cultivation.

    It was as valuable for demon beasts and spirit beasts as it was for cultivators, however. Fiora, frustrated that she had missed an opportunity which had been part of her plans for years, decided to spend the night venting her frustration in the most constructive way she could conceive of.

    She went hunting.

    The elders spent the night in debate. Elder Yotu was interrogated relentlessly about the matter of the first jade slip that he¡¯d received from the Shen family. The other elders were now afraid that they had failed in the hidden master¡¯s request to see to the growth of the Red Rooster and that they would be judged when Hoten returned to his village.

    That didn¡¯t mean that they could refuse to return him, however. If Hoten¡¯s mother was dying, then it was his filial duty to journey to visit her one last time, or, if he should fail to make it in time, to attend her funeral or, failing that, visit her grave. The idea of him  not  returning upon hearing the news of her illness was so unthinkable to the elders that nobody even suggested it.

    What were they to do? They hadn¡¯t been treating Hoten unfairly compared to the other outer sect members. Quite the opposite; he¡¯d been given a very fair price for the goods that he¡¯d brought with them and hadn¡¯t had to go through the usual process of hazing which most young cultivators faced in gathering their prayer mat and weapons to venture into the wilds surrounding the sect.

    Elder Yotu insisted that was in line with the message in the original jade slip, but the others were concerned that the hidden master had expected this disciple to have been coddled and spoiled with expensive resources.

    Argoth, one of the pill masters of the sect, was especially nervous given the recent turn his relationship had taken with the Red Rooster. He was experimenting on the boy. He wasn¡¯t making a secret of it, and had explained in plain words exactly what he was doing to Hoten. But the power dynamics between them had meant that either Hoten would embrace the ¡®opportunity¡¯ or lose his standing in the sect.

    He was very concerned with how the hidden master would see this development.

    The other elders were more concerned with appearances than anything else. The items available through the contribution store were of mediocre quality. This was deliberate; a way to equip their new members with suitable gear and insights while leaving them thirsty for more. Better weapons were always crafted for the individual. Guidance between master and disciple required the establishment of a master-disciple relationship.

    Those outer sect members who fell into the trap of seeking to better themselves through the contribution store were never destined to rise to the top.

    But what would the hidden master think of his students reports of what was available?

    Why had Yotu given them contribution points instead of directing them to the forge or the library? Why hadn¡¯t he done this, or done that?

    The debate lasted well into the night.

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    Hoten, meanwhile, was exhausted but determined. He had taken the second experimental pill, and his insides roiled with Qi. It was perfect for his cultivation, but thick and difficult to control. He struggled to make it flow through his meridians and settle into his dantian.

    He did not know why the children were here. But he was certain that  something  was about to happen, and the feeling of doom would not leave.

    Won, Ko, and Pao slept soundly in the guest rooms of Elder Yotu¡¯s mansion, unaware of the other events of the night. Tan, however, lie sleepless in his bed. Something was bothering him. Sighing, he got up and dressed in the darkness. A ¡°Keee!¡± sounded, and he remembered his Qi guardian was sleeping on the chair next to the bed. The little draconic being was awake, and figuring ¡°Why not?¡± he put it on his shoulder as he went for a walk.

    He sensed something in the air. Nothing malevolent, just ¡­ off. He sniffed, and Key sniffed with him.

    ¡°Do you smell something?¡± he asked the Qi guardian.

    ¡°Keeee!¡± the little thing chirped.

    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡±

    He followed the sensation¡ªit was more a sensation than a scent¡ªclosing his eyes and trusting his other senses to guide him in the darkness.

    They brought him to the Pill Master¡¯s estate. He sensed it when Hoten broke through into the eighth stage of the initiates realm.

    Uncertain who it was that had just had a breakthrough, but sensing the breakthrough clearly, Tan decided to congratulate them. He flew up to the roof of the mansion, settling nearby, only to do a double take when he recognized the young man he had come to find.

    ¡°Hoten?¡± he asked.

    Hoten pulled himself out of the afterglow of his breakthrough at the sound of the unwelcome voice. He turned around, dreading the form that he knew would be there. ¡°Hey kid, you got big,¡± he said, uncertain what else to say.¡±

    ¡°It is you. Congratulations on your breakthrough,¡± Tan said. ¡°Although you feel ¡­¡±

    Tan paused, uncertain how to explain what it was that he sensed from the young man in front of him. While he was clearly in the eighth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, his strength felt ¡­ empty.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Tan said after a minute. ¡°I¡¯m glad I found you.¡±

    ¡°So it was me that you and your friends are looking for. I knew it,¡± Hoten said. ¡°Whatever it is that you want, I¡¯m not buying it. Your father made it very clear what he thought of me and I have no interest in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your mother is very sick, Hoten. We¡¯re not here for you. We¡¯re here for her,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°What?¡± Hoten said, struck off his game.

    ¡°Mother says that she won¡¯t survive the winter. We were sent to bring you home to see her one last time. The elders are talking about it now, Father gave them a message explaining the situation so that you won¡¯t lose any respect or whatever in the sect. I¡¯m sorry. You should prepare to leave soon. Your mother is waiting for you.¡±

    Hoten was silent for a moment. ¡°I see,¡± he said at last. ¡°Thank you, Tan. Please leave now. I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Okay. I¡¯m sorry about your mother, Hoten.¡±

    Tan flew off, Key on his shoulder, leaving the Red Rooster behind to contemplate how this changed things.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    Elder Yotu returned to his mansion in the late morning to find his library, kitchens, and guest rooms a mess. He didn¡¯t particularly care about the second two; his servants would see to the tidying of those, but he hadn¡¯t realized that the children would raid his library. He sighed, wondering how badly they had disorganized everything and how long it would take him to put everything back into order.

    He sighed, then settled into the kitchen and waited for the servants to bring him some food. Three of the children were waiting for him, and he reported the news.

    ¡°Given the nature of the request, we are of course granting Hoten permission to return home to visit his mother one last time,¡± Yotu said.

    ¡°Did it take you an entire day to come to that decision?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°No. We spent an entire day discussing unrelated matters,¡± Yotu lied. Well, not entirely lied. The decision to send Hoten home had been made in the first hour, and the rest of the time had been spent discussing the implications of the Shen patriarch¡¯s power.

    ¡°It must suck being old and having to deal with that kind of meeting,¡± Won commented, chewing on an apple.

    ¡°Getting old is the worst thing in the world, except for the alternative,¡± Elder Yotu said. ¡°Tell me, what did you think of our little contribution shop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s filled with crap,¡± Won said honestly. ¡°The only good thing in there was the Qi guardian egg.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Well, I suppose when you¡¯ve got a hidden master feeding you marvelous treasures like the weapons you carry it might skew your standards,¡± Yotu said, stroking his long mustache. ¡°But I assure you that our goods serve their purpose. They perform as advertised and are suitable stepping stones for our young outer sect members to work their way up in ranks and powers.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Pao said, suddenly getting it. ¡°So it  is  junk.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean that the gear is temporary to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I mean. It¡¯s the junk that you use when you can¡¯t afford the good tools,¡± Pao said, grinning. ¡°I mean, like using pig iron because you can¡¯t afford good steel. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it, that¡¯s just what you have to do sometimes.¡±

    Yotu sighed, accepting the comparison as his servant, a young woman from the village, appeared with a bowl of eggs and grits. He began eating and casually questioning the children about the hidden master who taught them, but the children were surprisingly well-guarded on the matter.

    ¡°Where is the other member of your quartet?¡± Yotu asked as the children rebuffed yet another roundabout question.

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    ¡°Tan¡¯s a lazybones sometimes,¡± Ko said. ¡°He¡¯s just sleeping in. It¡¯s fine. When will Hoten be ready to return with us, do you know?¡±

    ¡°The Red Rooster has been¡ª¡±

    Ko snickered loud enough to interrupt him. Yotu blinked. ¡°Is there something amusing about his nickname of which I¡¯m unaware?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± Ko giggled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it had followed him here. Do you know how he got it?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m most interested to hear the story,¡± Yotu admitted.

    So Ko explained the story of how they had all earned their spirit stones by sacrificing a toy to Tren Shen when they were younger, but how Hoten had tried to buy one instead of make a sacrifice. When that had failed, he had tried to steal one, which had led to him being inflicted with an unfortunate curse which turned his hands and ¡®male parts¡¯ red. Nobody was certain who began calling him the Red Rooster, but everyone thought the name was hilarious.

    Including Elder Yotu, once he¡¯d heard the tale.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said, finishing his breakfast. ¡°If you will excuse me, the duties of being an elder call once more.¡±

    He sighed as he left the children behind, but he needed to report this back to the conclave of elders, to see how this knowledge would change their strategy.

    Tan dragged himself into the kitchen a few minutes later. The servants fed him, while he fed Key a few scraps on his plate. He was exhausted in more ways than one, having already fed Key a significant dose of Qi as well.

    In the manor of Argoth the Pill Master, Hoten was busy vomiting. He shook uncontrollably, and once he finished vomiting he turned around and filled up the chamber pot the other way around. His fingernails were turning yellow, as were the whites of his eyes.

    Argoth found him in that pitiful state. The alchemist was dismayed, having not heard the latest account of the source of the Red Rooster¡¯s name and believing him to be a favored student of a hidden master. He sighed in disgust, then went to fetch one of his mortal servants to help the boy clean himself up.

    Once Hoten was more presentable, he was still suffering from the toxicity of taking two pills so close together. Argoth examined him, giving him a thorough physical before announcing that he¡¯d live.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten this ill from a single pill. I wasn¡¯t expecting the toxicity to reach this level for weeks,¡± Argoth muttered.

    ¡°Took two,¡± Hoten admitted, shivering from the fever.

    Argoth blinked. ¡°You took two  yesterday?  Are you an idiot? Don¡¯t you¡ªno, of course you don¡¯t. Well, there¡¯s nothing for it but to ride the illness out. When you return back from your home village, if you still want to be my test-rat and your real master approves, you may resume your duties as my servant and take the rest of the pills. The toxicity causing this illness should have resolved itself by then.¡±

    Another mortal servant arrived then to inform him that the conclave of elders, so after confirming once more that Hoten wasn¡¯t dying, he went to spread the news of the boy¡¯s stupidity.

    Due to this delay, it would be three days before Hoten was ready to travel.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    Hoten groaned. Getting out of bed for five minutes to use the chamberpot took all of his effort, and he collapsed back into it when he¡¯d finished. Despite the misery he was in, he didn¡¯t exactly regret his decision to take a second pill. He¡¯d broken through a bottleneck that had been in his path for months, and if he hadn¡¯t taken the risk, then it might have been months before he managed.

    He pulled the covers over him, shivering in his fever as he tried to perform the blood-cleansing exercises that Argoth had instructed him in. He rolled onto his back and cycled the Qi into his kidneys, willing them to work better than normal during this time of illness.

    As his mind drifted through the exercise, he contemplated his situation.

    His mother was dying. The woman who had given birth to him, who had changed his diapers and raised him, teaching him to read and do math and a thousand other things. He had a duty to return with the children to see her one last time, so that she could say farewell to her son. She would see what a fine young man he was becoming, and it would ease her journey into the aftermath.

    Except that ¡­

    Except ¡­

    He closed his eyes, putting it out of his mind. He needed to recover before anything else, so he resumed the blood-purifying exercise.

    ~~~~~~

    The children exchanged looks. They sat in the parlor of Elder Yotu. A servant had just shown in Pill Master Argoth, who had, after a brief introduction, offered each of the children a box filled with pills that were specifically tailored to young cultivators of their elements.

    ¡°Are you offering us drugs?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Only the best!¡± he said. ¡°These are ancient recipes passed down from the days of the sect founder. The ingredients are rare, but not so rare that I cannot afford to give some out to our illustrious guests. I assure you that they are very¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think my mom would be happy if I just accepted drugs from some random stranger,¡± Tan said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Sorry mister Argoth.¡±

    Argoth¡¯s mouth dropped. Didn¡¯t they understand? Just one of the pills inside these boxes was worth thirty contribution points and only available through direct negotiation with him or one of his designated sellers. He was offering them each a literal fortune of contribution points.

    ¡°Um, yeah. Tan¡¯s parents would be very upset if we started accepting pills from someone they didn¡¯t know or trust,¡± Pao agreed. ¡°So far aside from the food they¡¯ve given us they haven¡¯t had us use any pills at all. I¡¯d need to check with them before I messed up my cultivation by accepting one of your aids, Master Argoth. Thank you for the generous offer, however.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what they said,¡± Won agreed.

    Argoth sighed. He supposed that the children¡¯s hesitation was well founded, although it stung his pride and made him question his reputation. ¡°I won¡¯t pressure you to take them if you feel uncomfortable with the offer,¡± he admitted. ¡°However, I was thinking about making a journey soon to search for rare ingredients. Perhaps this is serendipity. I would very much like to discuss my pill making practices with a pair of experts like the two that you children are learning from, and perhaps beseech them for any recipes or ingredients which they might have. Would you permit me to accompany you?¡±

    The children exchanged another set of looks which, to them, said ¡®who is this creepy old guy and why is he so interested in us?¡¯ but to Argoth remained inscrutable.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it, Master Argoth,¡± Pao said eventually, ¡°But Master and Mistress Shen value their privacy. It might be best if we carry a message for you instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course. Actually, why don¡¯t you simply take the pills I¡¯ve given you and have your master and mistress inspect them? I¡¯m certain that once they identify them they¡¯ll be more than pleased with them. They¡¯re quite potent, and perfect for you at your stage in development,¡± Argoth said eagerly.

    ¡°Um, okay, yeah, we¡¯ll do that,¡± Tan said. He slipped the box containing the Lofty Heavens Wind Gate Opening Pills into his storage ring, then each of the boxes that his friends passed to him as well.

    ¡°Thank you for the generous gifts, Master Argoth,¡± Ko said diplomatically. ¡°If Master and Mistress Shen do not approve of them, we¡¯ll return them with Hoten so that they don¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Most practical. Well then, I thank you for your time and wish you well,¡± Argoth said, and he bowed to the children and slipped out of the room.

    Once they sensed that he had left the building, the children exchanged looks once more.

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    ¡°Okay, who was that creepy old guy and why is he so interested in us?¡± Tan asked.

    ~~~~~~

    Fiora dragged the courpse of the withering bite purple hourglass demon spider into the exchange store. The beast, a white spider the size of a small dog with a purple hourglass on its abdomen, had attacked her in the night. She had been surprised, and her left hand was bandaged, but the wound was a scratch from its claws and not a bite.

    Which was fortunate, because the venom of this beast was potent enough to cost her a limb.

    She rang the bell and waited. When nobody came, she rang the bell insistently until Master Nero appeared. His eyes went wide when he saw the prize that she¡¯d brought him.

    Fiora shot him a feral grin. She knew exactly how valuable this corpse was, and she was determined to extract every last credit from it.

    If only she had gone hunting and found it sooner, perhaps she would have a Qi guardian now, she reflected. But there was no point in crying over lost opportunities. Her frustration at having lost that resource had driven her to this opportunity, and she would take what she could get.

    ¡°Did it bite you?¡± Master Nero inquired.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for your health. Its venom is particularly valuable. If its venom sacks are full, they¡¯re worth an additional twelve points,¡± Nero explained.

    She grinned, and the bargaining began.

    She walked out of the exchange shop with an additional seventy-eight contribution points, putting her total at four hundred and twelve. She had been  so close  to affording the egg, but she had compromised twice by accepting guidance from the elders instead of making the purchase. If she hadn¡¯t--

    She forced herself to stop following that thread. There was no point. The Qi guardian was bound to the boy with the wind aura now. Even if she killed him, it would only turn the guardian feral and cause it to attack her. Once the guardians were imprinted they were impossible to tame for anyone but the person who had hatched them.

    She knew this, but as she walked to Master Argoth¡¯s estate, she flashed with anger and malformed intent directed at the children who had gotten in the way of her plans.

    They  were  children. She was not a child, despite being only twelve years old. Her childhood had been taken from her, and all that remained was anger, bitterness, and a desire for vengeance.

    How dare they--

    She shook her head. It was fine. Now that she didn¡¯t have the egg to save up for, she had a small fortune of points to spend on other resources, and she¡¯d start with a set of pills to breakthrough into the next stage of cultivation. She wrapped on the door of the Pill Master and waited for that insufferable prick, the Red Rooster, to answer.

    Except that he didn¡¯t.

    She knocked harder, and after a few moments a mortal servant responded.

    ¡°Young Mistress. I regret to inform you that the Pill Master is out at the moment. He should be returning within an hour, but should you desire to wait¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wait. Show me to the sitting room and make me some tea,¡± she demanded. The mortal servant bowed and did as she bade.

    That was one thing she appreciated about being a cultivator. The power to boss her lessers around. With power came more power, and with more power came even more power. It snowballed so quickly, she reflected. Especially when you did not mind taking that power from someone else.

    She sipped the tea and refreshments that the mortal servants brought her as she waited. Eventually Master Argoth returned and was informed of his guest. He made his way to the sitting room where Fiora awaited him.

    ¡°I wish to buy every Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pill that you have made or can make for me,¡± she said immediately.

    Argoth blinked. ¡°Oh. I see. I  did  recommend those pills to you a few months ago didn¡¯t I? I thought you were saving up for something else.¡±

    Fiora seethed, a bit of intent leaking through as her anger slipped its leash at the reminder of her failure.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my priorities,¡± she lied.

    Argoth read her intent as plainly as one of his recipes, but allowed her this polite fiction. ¡°Unfortunately, I require Crimson Fire Lotus to fill your request. I used up the last of my reserves to make the last batch of Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills, and unfortunately I just gave away the last of that batch. I have several Crimson Fire Lotus plants in the greenhouse, but it will be two years before they mature enough to be harvested. I¡¯m sorry, Fiora. I cannot help you.¡±

    Fiora¡¯s anger flared, and the air crackled and smelled of burning hair.

    ¡°Who did you give them to?¡± she asked.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    With three days to kill, none of the children wanted to spend the entire time cooped up in Elder Yotu¡¯s mansion, so they requested a tour of the sect. Elder Yotu, sensing their restlessness and also their hesitation to deal with any other elders after Argoth¡¯s ill advised approach, promised to find them a tour guide closer to their own age.

    His first choice was the powerful fire cultivator Fiora, who at twelve years old he thought would get along perfectly with the young prodigies. Her response to his missive politely requesting such a service of her in exchange for a handful of contribution points was another missive with an inappropriate drawing on it. He sighed, then sent a message to a fifteen year old water cultivator in the first stage of the profound realm.

    Or the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, according to the way the children saw things.

    Olin was the boy¡¯s name, and he was indifferent to the task, asking for double the fee before agreeing to it. Yotu wasn¡¯t worried about it, however. Olin was a respectable young lad, and once he¡¯d agreed to do a chore he wouldn¡¯t neglect it. So just as the children were beginning to drive him truly crazy as they continued plundering his library for its secrets, the young man appeared and took them away.

    Yotu collapsed onto one of the sofas once the children were gone and looked at the mess that they had left in his library. He sighed, then rang a bell to request a stiff drink from one of his servants. He¡¯d agreed to host the children until the Red Rooster was ready for travel, which meant putting up with their youthful exuberance.

    With a sigh, he began picking up his library. He stopped when he spotted a scribbled note on one of the pages. His eyebrows came together in anger. For a moment. Then he read the note, and they rose in surprise.

    He contemplated the insight that the author of the scroll had intended to impart compared to the childish summary that was scribbled upon it, summarizing it in less than a paragraph. His servant appeared with his drink, but he remained lost in thought at the insights the youths had left behind. When he did stir again, he began looking for more such notes.

    ~~~~~~~

    Olin sighed as the brats he was escorting took in the sight of the Kopan Waterfall. It was the best place for water cultivation in the mountain complex, and his favorite spot to come to just think. Sharing it with these kids was annoying, but it¡¯s not like the waterfall was a private part of the complex, and showing them now would hopefully set the mood for the rest of the tour.

    He was a bit of a dour boy, but the thought of the twenty contribution points he was earning for this simple task did cheer him up slightly. He¡¯d just heard that the spider-demon that he and several of the other boys had been hunting recently had been killed by Fiora, and with that potential payday snatched away from him he needed every point that he could earn. Twenty points for a few hours of distracting some brats was nothing, and he was glad that his reputation was so honest that Elder Yotu had--

    ¡°So where does the water come from?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Up the mountain, obviously,¡± Olin answered.

    ¡°Can we see the source?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s a spring,¡± he said. He sighed, and decided to expound. ¡°The water is forced uphill by the Qi of the dragon vein from the primary mountain. It¡¯s one of the reasons why this water is so spiritually rich. It¡¯s one of the best spots for water cultivation for a thousand miles, and it¡¯s also one of the main reasons why this mountain is the main headquarters to the sect.¡±

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    He continued to speak for a moment, and was slightly distracted when the girl of the group abruptly walked out into the water.

    No. Not into the water, he realized.

    Ko walked on top of the water, stepping easily out into the middle of the pond that gathered beneath the waterfall. When she was out in the center, she sat in the lotus position ¨C again without sinking through the surface, and began to cultivate.

    Olin gasped as he felt the Qi in the area  roil  and get sucked in to the girl. She was only one stage above him in cultivation, but she was  better  at it, he realized. The amount of Qi she was holding suggested that she had just taken a pill, yet he had sensed nothing in her before she¡¯d walked out on the water.

    ¡°Pao, what do you think?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s rich in water Qi, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s unbalanced,¡± Pao answered.

    ¡°Yeah, I sense it too,¡± Won said. ¡°It¡¯s more obvious now that Ko has stirred things up.¡±

    ¡°Should we do something about it?¡± Tan asked.

    Pao shrugged. He turned to Olin. ¡°Would anyone be upset if we formed a Qi gathering and focusing formation for the other elements here?¡±

    Olin laughed. ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing that the elders can¡¯t undo, then you can do whatever you want. This land is public space for anyone in the sect. If your focusing formation is any good, then I don¡¯t see a problem.¡±

    Pao glanced at Tan, who nodded. The youngest boy pulled out a tool from his storage ring¡ªa hoe that boiled with spirituality.

    He had a spirit tool just sitting around waiting to be used? Olin gaped as Tan casually passed the spiritual object to Pao, who gestured. A circular mound rose up from the ground nearby, and Pao began scratching symbols on it.

    Next Tan pulled out a brasier, which he set up atop the mound. Won stepped over and flicked his fingers, and the brasier began burning, despite having no fuel or oil in it that Olin could see.

    ¡°Keee!¡± the little dragon on Tan¡¯s shoulder called, and the boy absently scratched its little head. He pulled out a pole from his ring next, and together the boys pushed it into the earth. Etched into sides of the wooden pole were complex formations. With the little Qi guardian on his shoulder, Tan jumped on top of the pole, seven feet in the air.

    As the quartet began to cultivate, Olin became aware of a sudden shift in the ambient Qi. Although Olin was a water cultivator, he was vaguely aware of the other elements as well, and even if he was not he would have noticed the sudden  weight  that was drawn to the area.

    Recognizing the opportunity for what it was, Olin ran out into the water, splashing to get closer to the waterfall. Once he was beneath it, he began to cultivate, ignoring the pressure of the cold water splashing down on him.

    The Qi that he gathered was rich and untamed, but he quickly brought it under his control and fed it into his dantian, running it through his meridians to purify it and more closely align his body with his chosen element.

    In near silence, except for the roar of the waterfall, the five children cultivated for six hours.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    Cascades are strange things. They can start small and end large, like an avalanche, or they can start big and end big, like tsunamis. Or like when two dragon veins, traveling in opposite directions beneath a mountain, create an unseen tension that builds for centuries, only to have a sudden lance in the pressure that has been building.

    The children thought nothing in particular about their actions. They simply cultivated for a few hours with the formation that was created, mostly unaware of what was going on beneath them. The Qi that boiled out of the earth reacted with the qi in the air and the waterfall, creating a sudden flash. This was the purpose of the quick formation the children had set up, so they were unconcerned.

    They might have been more concerned if they¡¯d realized just how extensively the mountain and the surrounding area had been warded, and what the introduction of a powerful formation such as their Four Elements Equal Paths Gathering Array would do to the lesser gathering arrays set up around it.

    The spirit of the mountain awoke, briefly. If it were human, it would have felt a pin in its butt and ropes around its chest. The ropes had been there for centuries, building upon each other endlessly, only rarely being dismantled once they had served its purpose.

    The spirit sighed, realizing that it had been claimed in its slumber. It debated whether to do something about this or not.

    It was not a hasty spirit, however, and so it would wait and judge those who were feeding off of it before making a judgment. If they were worthy, then it would allow them to stay.

    However, it thought, looking at the haphazard arrays strewn about its mountain, the mess would have to go. It stretched its will, and a thousand defunct arrays that had been sleeping for centuries came awake.

    Sending the elders of the Whispering Guides Sect into a panic.

    ~~~~~~

    ¡°Hey. Oy! Olin! Are you sleeping?¡± Ko asked, pulling the older boy out of his meditation.

    ¡°What?¡± Olin asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re hungry. Is there someplace good to eat that you can show us, or do we have to go back to Elder Yotu¡¯s place for grub?¡± Ko asked.

    Olin blinked, looking past the water-walker to the other children, who were stretching after having spent hours unmoving. ¡°But, you¡¯re, the Qi is so rich right now. Aren¡¯t you going to take advantage of this?¡±

    ¡°We did,¡± Ko explained. ¡°And we will tomorrow too, and every day until we leave. But we¡¯re too young to not get hungry or have to go to the bathroom, so we need to take breaks. Anyway, this is a haphazard circle compared to what we have back home. Look, I¡¯m not saying that you have to come with us, but if you¡¯re not then we will be telling Elder Yotu that you abandoned us when you were supposed to be our guides. I mean, that¡¯s not a threat or anything, we¡¯re just not going to cover for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Olin said. He pulled himself out from under the waterfall, swimming to the shore. He willed the water to leave his clothes, and in moments he was dry again. He was reluctant to leave now that the elements in the area were riled up, but he did need those contribution points more.

    ¡°Okay, so the dining hall is this way,¡± he said, giving the elemental gathering focus one last longing look over his shoulder as he led them away from the waterfall. The interrupted tour continued after the dinner, and then the children returned to their lodgings at the base of the mountain.

    The hushed conversations from the adults mostly went right over the children¡¯s heads. They did not see Elder Yotu, but weren¡¯t terribly worried about it. They noticed that he¡¯d been busy in the library, but that didn¡¯t stop them from resuming their ransacking of his scrolls and books.

    ~~~~~~

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    Lira glanced around at her fellow sect elders. She was uncertain who was responsible, but the activation of the dormant formations was growing into a looming threat. They were slowly reaching full power in near unison. Most of these formations had been long forgotten, the relics of elders past who had either died or moved on from the sect long ago.

    She had a mental list of suspects, but whoever they were had a more detailed history of the mountain than she, as first among the elders, had access to.

    While the effects of the formations were, so far, mostly benign, the amount of Qi that was involved posed a serious threat to the sect itself.

    She sighed. ¡°Well, any solutions?¡± she asked her fellows.

    The room was filled with nervous expressions.

    ¡°We could try to dismantle the formations before they reach any sort of critical mass,¡± Elder Yotu pointed out. ¡°It will take some time to study the more complicated ones, but many of them follow standard principles. The only reason they were left intact to begin with was that nobody cared enough to dismantle them. They were supposed to have been rendered inert, but it seems that we have been lax in enforcing that policy.¡±

    The other elders nodded in agreement. It was the obvious solution.

    It was also going to be a lot of work.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason we need to do everything ourselves,¡± Argoth pointed out. ¡°This is why we  have  outer sect members. If we issue a bounty on identifying all of the activated formations, then we can send our formation masters along at a more leisurely pace to dismantle them as they approach critical mass.¡±

    Again there was a mumbling of agreement. It was self-obvious, everyone knew that.

    It was still going to be a lot of work.

    Lira sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll issue the instructions to our outer-sect members and instruct the guards that the junior members of the sect are not to be impeded in accessing normally secure locations on the mountain as they search for activating formations. This is a mess. I wonder what caused it?¡±

    There was mumbling from the other elders, and the meeting disbanded. The fact that it lasted for ten minutes and not ten hours was a testament to how urgent the situation truly was.

    ~~~~~

    Fiora had been searching for the children who had robbed her twice now all day, but they remained elusive until she¡¯d heard that they were last seen cultivating by the waterfall. She rushed along the path, bursting out from beyond the corner and shouting a challenge.

    ¡°You dirty useless thieves, I challenge you to¡ª¡±

    She frowned, looking around at the empty waterfall. She glanced about for witnesses for a moment, but there was nobody there. Which was both a relief and a problem.

    Then she noticed the Qi density. All four elements, not just the water that was usually rich near the waterfalls. She blinked in surprise, then saw the wooden spike and the everburning brasier, its light flickering off the cascading water.

    She spent a moment inspecting the gathering formation, then grinned. It was obvious where these items had come from. She cared nothing for the scratches on the ground or the wooden pole driven into the ground, but the brasier would be perfect for her cultivation cave.

    She spent a moment investigating it, trying to figure out how to turn it off. She thought she figured it out, reaching out to run a bit of Qi through the formation that should--

    A flare of fire knocked her on her butt. She sat up, blinking. She touched her face, then rushed over to the water to look at her reflection.

    Her hair had been scorched, her eyebrows burnt off.

    Realizing that the brasier was not a simple toy, she began recalculating her theft. But she never did figure out how to make the thing stop burning, eventually withdrawing empty handed. It was then that she caught word of the hunt for the formations that were awakening all over the mountain.

    Since there was a bounty for errant formations, she turned in the information about what she had found near the waterfall for a handful of contribution points and resumed hunting the children for their fated confrontation.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    ¡°Young Master?¡± the mortal servant asked nervously, having knocked gently for several minutes before daring to open the door to Tan¡¯s room. ¡°Young Master, please wake. The Elder wishes to speak with you.¡±

    Tan continued to snore. Key, sensing an intruder while its master was incapacitated by sleep, began to hiss at the mortal, causing the young woman to shrink back. It was the hissing, which finally awoke Tan, and the boy sat up, looking around in confusion.

    ¡°Whah?¡± he asked groggily, looking at the mortal woman, who shrank under his gaze. While he had been fair to all of the members of the elder¡¯s house so far, she was shy under normal circumstances and doubly so when those circumstances involved awakening a powerful young cultivator.

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to waken you Young Master, but the Elder wishes to speak with all of his guests regarding events on the mountain that are beyond my ken. Please get dressed and join him in the library,¡± the young servant said.

    Tan stared at her blearily, then pulled back the covers and began to dress and follow her instructions.

    Once all of the children were gathered, Elder Yotu got straight to the point.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that you carried with you the parts of a powerful gathering array, and that you erected them near the waterfall. Is this true?¡± he asked.

    The children exchanged looks, and Tan just shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how ¡®powerful¡¯ it is. It¡¯s nothing compared to the array we usually use. But yes, we erected a gathering array after Olin said that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Is that why you woke us in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not accusing you of any wrong doing. However, I do need to ask that you immediately disassemble it. There is a cascading effect rippling through the sect and all non-essential arrays are being dismantled. Seeing as you are familiar with this particular array and our own formation masters are not, your assistance is requested,¡± Yotu explained.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Ko asked, yawning. ¡°Couldn¡¯t this have waited until morning?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately the cascade is a matter of some concern,¡± Yotu said. ¡°We are hoping to get ahead of it. We¡¯re uncertain if this is an attack or some natural phenomena. Either way a certain amount of haste is required.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an attack. The old man in the mountain is awake,¡± Zephyr whispered in Tan¡¯s ear. ¡°He sounds like a grumpy old man who¡¯s yelling at kids to get off his yard, but I think he¡¯s not a bad spirit. But the mountain was messy, that¡¯s the imbalance that you and the others have been sensing since you arrived. He¡¯s not happy about that, and if they don¡¯t fix it he might kick them all off the mountain whether they like it or not.¡±

    Tan frowned, wiping some sleep out of his eye and he relayed Zephyr¡¯s words, explaining that it was common for his spirit to whisper advice like that to him.

    Yotu frowned at the child¡¯s words, but took them seriously. The children did as they were bade, going out in the night to disassemble the gathering array that they¡¯d left up by the waterfall despite the hour being after midnight. Tan, with his spiritual senses and tendency to walk around blindfolded anyway, didn¡¯t have any trouble navigating. The others stuck close to Won, who lit their path with magic.

    The gathering array was easy enough to disassemble. Won extinguished the brazier and they allowed that to cool down for a while. Tan pulled the wooden pole straight into his storage ring, while the other children worked on scratching out the symbols that Pao had carved into the earth. There was a water aspect of the array as well, but it hadn¡¯t been necessary with the waterfall nearby, so once the brazier was cool, they were effectively done with the task and ready to return to bed.

    Which was when their path was blocked by a twelve year old girl.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Fiora exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s no point in hiding! You have gotten in my way for the final time! I will punish you for standing between me and my ambitions!¡±

    Tan looked at the other children, who exchanged his expression of confusion. ¡°Sorry, but who exactly are you?¡± he asked.

    Rather than answering, the girl attacked, drawing her sword and slashing at Tan, sensing him to be the strongest of the four and determined to end him the quickest.

    Any lingering sleepiness vanished in a wave of adrenaline as the sound of the sword leaving its scabbard filled his ears. Tan drew his own weapon, from which he sensed a wave of eagerness and exhilaration at the ambush. Steel met steel and sparks flew.

    The other children hadn¡¯t brought their weapons; Tan had only happened to strap his sword onto his hip because it was a standard part of dressing for him now. That didn¡¯t mean that they were idle, however, as Ko pulled a large glob of water from the nearby pond below the waterfall and began forming ice lances to launch at their attacker.

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    Won wreathed himself in flame, which mostly served to light up the environment and help the other children see. He also began launching flame lances at the attacker.

    Neither twin hit a blow, but together with Tan they pressured the girl back. She cursed and realized under the wave of their intent that they were stronger than she¡¯d been expecting. She conjured her own magic, engulfing her blade with flame and dancing with Tan in a waltz of deathly exchanges.

    The rock hit her in the side of the head without warning, thrown by a powerful earth cultivator. She was launched off her feet and landed six feet away, dazed and disarmed. The children wasted no time, binding her with ropes that Tan pulled from his ring while she was incapacitated.

    Standing over her semi-conscious body, they looked at each other and discussed what to do.

    ¡°Why did she attack us?¡± Tan asked the others.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Won said. ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°I think it does,¡± Tan said. ¡°And  she  knows, obviously. But I think that rock hit her pretty hard. She seems pretty out of it. Do you think she¡¯s going to die?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a cultivator as strong as you are, Tan. Do you think getting hit in the head with a rock would kill you?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Um, depends on the rock and who threw it,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°What the heck was she talking about? We haven¡¯t been getting in anyone¡¯s way, have we?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know she wasn¡¯t happy that we got the egg,¡± Pao said. ¡°Maybe she found the formation and thought that we were stealing it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s  our  formation though,¡± Tan argued. ¡°We brought it with us. I mean, Dad can just make us another one if we were to sell it to the sect, but it sounds like they¡¯re having trouble right now and wouldn¡¯t be interested.¡±

    They continued to talk and Fiora half-listened as she struggled to recover. Her ears were ringing and she was seeing double, but she slowly came back to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here. You might as well ask me instead of speculating,¡± she said as they continued to talk circles.

    The children glanced at her, and took her up on the offer. ¡°Why did you attack us? What did we do to you?¡± Tan demanded.

    ¡°First you stole the Qi guardian I¡¯ve been working towards for two years,¡± She said, biting off the venom in her voice. ¡°Then you stole the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills from under my nose as well. You think that this is a game? You spoiled little brats, I bet you¡¯ve had everything handed to you your entire lives! Well I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, this is about the drugs that the creepy guy gave us?¡± Tan asked, astounded.

    Fiora paused. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I was going to take them from your corpses, and then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just ask us for them?¡± Tan said. ¡°We don¡¯t even want them, we just accepted them to be polite to Argo or Argot or whatever his name is.¡±

    Fiora blinked. He had a point, she  hadn¡¯t  asked them if they¡¯d be willing to negotiate for them. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one hundred contribution points for them,¡± she said.

    ¡°Whatever. You can just have them,¡± Tan said, dropping the boxes out of his ring onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The children walked away, leaving Fiora bound, but with enough time she¡¯d be able to use her magic to burn through the ropes. She looked at the four boxes of pills sitting nearby, her eyes wide with the ease at which the boy had parted with the precious treasures.

    ¡°Are you sure you should have given them to her?¡± Ko asked Tan. Fiora could hear their voices vanishing into the distance as they talked about her.

    ¡°Yeah, why not? We don¡¯t want them. If my parents believed in pills they would have said something about them,¡± Tan answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Ko said. ¡°What if she¡¯s addicted or something? It¡¯s not good to feed people¡¯s addiction.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of our business,¡± Tan argued, and Fiora couldn¡¯t hear the rest of the argument as they left her earshot.

    She stared at the boxes, then burned through the ropes that bound her. The boy hadn¡¯t just given her the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills she¡¯d demanded, but three other boxes filled with pills that were equally valuable.

    For just a moment, she was overcome with shame. She had attacked him, and he had responded with overwhelming generosity. But then she crushed the shame with ruthless pragmatism and began making a mental list of who she could sell the unneeded pills to. She promptly retired to her own lodgings, popping one of the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills into her mouth and sitting on her prayer mat as she cultivated.

    The pills tasted like sour fish seasoned with tobasco, and they gave her flatulence. But they would, eventually, push her through to the fourth stage of the foundation realm. She wasn¡¯t ready to accept the children as allies, but she reluctantly revisited them as ¡®not enemies¡¯ in her head.

    And eventually, she put them out of her thoughts altogether as she focused on getting stronger to meet her goal.

    ?

 V2 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    Hoten stood unsteadily, dressing himself nervously. It had been a rough two days, but his fever had abated, and he while he wasn¡¯t ready to travel, he was ready to make the preparations.

    Except ¡­

    He sighed. When he¡¯d finished shaving and washing the stench of his illness away, he made his way to the contribution shop, where he traded the rest of his contribution points for silver and gold and precious gems. The exchange rate between mortal currency and contribution points had made Hoten¡¯s eyes bulge the first time he¡¯d seen it, but it made sense.

    The currency of mortals was largely irrelevant in the cultivation world. There were many things that gold literally could not buy. It was just as well that his parents had sent him away with just a small sack of silver; when he¡¯d arrived he¡¯d discovered that the family¡¯s entire savings weren¡¯t worth more than a handful of contribution points.

    Wealthy mortals  could  purchase a leg up when they learned to cultivate, but it was expensive and would beggar most families. Moving in reverse, however, was very advantageous to the cultivator seeking to obtain mortal goods. He left the contribution store with a sack the size of his head filled with mortal currency.

    He spent a while visiting some of his friends in the sect, then sighed at the advice that they gave him. Nobody questioned for a second that he was leaving and probably never coming back. It wouldn¡¯t take more than six months to visit his family and return, but in six months they would all be so far beyond him that even if he returned, they expected they would have made three or four breakthroughs and a friendship with him would be worthless.

    Disloyal bastards, he thought to himself. And as if they¡¯d pull ahead of him in such a short time.

    But they were right. Six months was simply too long to interrupt his cultivation. He¡¯d just had a breakthrough, and he needed to maintain the momentum. Cultivators lived and died based on their momentum, and if he slowed down then ¡­

    His mother ¡­

    His cultivation ¡­

    He found himself standing outside Elder Yotu¡¯s house, just as he¡¯d once stood before the mansion waiting to be recognized for his admittance into the sect in the first place. He¡¯d done everything right back then, he thought. Why was this happening to him now, right after he¡¯d secured a line of one-of-a-kind cultivation pills tailored just for him? Why couldn¡¯t it have happened six months from now?

    Hoten sighed and knocked on the door. The mortal servant, a nervous young woman, answered and showed him inside. He found the kids lounging in Elder Yotu¡¯s library. The man himself was busy responding to the cascade crisis, but that was over Hoten¡¯s head and he knew nothing about it.

    When they saw him, the children straightened up and set their scrolls down.

    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Here,¡± Hoten said, tossing the bag filled with coins and gems at the boy. It dropped, clinking to the ground between them. ¡°Give those to my parents. Maybe with the money they can afford some sort of treatment for my mother. But I can¡¯t ¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Tell them that I ¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t come. It¡¯s not a good time, I¡¯m at a critical point in my cultivation. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll visit her grave next year, but¡ª¡±

    His excuses were cut off when Tan suddenly punched him in the nose. The boy had moved so fast that Hoten hadn¡¯t even seen him, and he hit hard enough that Hoten literally went flying into a bookshelf.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend that you didn¡¯t say that, Hoten,¡± Tan said, his voice cold. ¡°Are you ready to go, or do you still need time to recover from your illness?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going you little brat!¡± Hoten shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I just¡ª¡±

    Tan  blurred  again, and Hoten had the most humiliating beating of his life. When it was over, Tan asked one last time if the young man was ready to come with them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like,¡± Hoten said, his eyes swollen almost shut and his lip bleeding. ¡°I can¡¯t leave now. My momentum¡ª¡±

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    Whatever he was about to say was cut off when Tan sucked him into his storage ring. Tan turned to his friends, who had silly grins on their face at the simplicity of the solution.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just do that in the first place?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s really not worth the effort. I can¡¯t believe that we came all of this way for that spineless cretin,¡± Ko commented.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t come for him. We came for his mother,¡± Pao said. ¡°She deserves to see her son one last time, ungrateful and unfilial swine that he is.¡±

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get out of here. I¡¯ll write a note to Elder Yotu thanking him for his hospitality, but now that we have Hoten there¡¯s no reason to stick around,¡± Tan said. He did exactly that, and after going through their rooms and making certain they weren¡¯t leaving anything behind, the children departed, rushing off towards home at the grueling marathon pace that Pao set for them.

    ~~~~~~

    The cascade that started when an unusually potent gathering array woke an ancient and powerful spirit continued on. The spirit, grumpy and annoyed at being woken, considered what to do with the cultivators who had made its lands their home for weeks. As the old spirit contemplated what to do, it reluctantly accepted that the sect wasn¡¯t entirely irresponsible.

    They had noticed the old formations activating and gone through, deactivating and destroying the old power-drains that their predecessors had left lying about the mountain like litter on a highway. Once he accepted that the sect was lazy but not entirely worthless, the spirit calmed its rage a bit and considered what to do with a calm mind.

    Hosting a sect wasn¡¯t entirely to its detriment. The formations that they¡¯d been using were poorly formed and not connected to each other, creating a disharmony and inefficient redundancy which had annoyed the spirit. A proper Qi-gathering formation, however, would greatly increase the spirit¡¯s own cultivation while simultaneously benefiting the mortal cultivators who made their home on the peak.

    The old spirit spent some time contemplating the matter, then decided that he had might as well make direct contact. He disregarded the most advanced cultivator on the mountain, a decrepit old man who hadn¡¯t once stirred from his closed door cultivation. Instead he watched, waiting for the group of elders to convene.

    On the third week of his wakefulness, he calmly appeared before them in the form of a swirling cloud of dust that took on the shape of a human face. The elders jerked and pulled on their Qi, prepared to defend himself, but calmed when he spoke one word.

    ¡°Peace,¡± he said.

    The elders, wary but unwilling to be the first to strike, conferred among each other for a moment before their spokeswoman stepped forward. ¡°Whom do we address?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The mountain. I sleep no longer. I have requests. Fulfill them, and I shall not evict you,¡± the spirit declared.

    Lira continued to stand before the spirit, gathering her power to defend herself but making no offensive act. Spirits were tricky things sometimes, and the one before her was extremely powerful. Imperial class, perhaps.

    ¡°You have been activating all of the old formations and wards,¡± she said. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°They bother me. Like a rash in an unpleasant location to have a rash, they irritate my Qi flows and aggravate me in ways that are not easy to explain,¡± the spirit answered honestly. ¡°Do not think that you can hurt me with your pathetic knowledge of formations. Annoy me, yes. Hurt me? No.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case, we apologize for our unknowing actions. We are nearly finished with deactivating the discarded and unimportant formations, leaving only those important for the functioning of the Sect. Will you accept this compromise?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± The spirit said bluntly. ¡°Your warding systems are weak and inadequate. If you are going to live on me, then the formations you employ in your cultivation and defense must meet with my approval. Once you have finished disbanding the dross, I shall give your formation masters lessons on how to create the Perfect Mountain Array. Complete that, and perhaps I shall deign to allow you to remain.¡±

    Lira barely contained her shock. The Perfect Mountain Array was an imperial secret, one that they guarded jealously. But if the Whispering Guides Sect developed it independently ¡­

    ¡°We accept this bargain,¡± she declared.

    ¡°I shall contact you again once the last of the irritation subsides,¡± the mountain spirit declared. ¡°Until then.¡±

    ¡°Until then,¡± Lira agreed.

    The spirit vanished, leaving the elders to discuss this sudden stroke of fortune. There was some concern about the imperial monopoly, but Elder Yotu pointed out that the monopoly was tradition and not law, and that there were no legal penalties set down for the independent development of many traditional imperial secrets. Reverse engineering pills, growing the seeds of the imperial fruits, and many other examples were presented of instances in which the imperial family neglected to enforce their monopolies, and the elders nerves were reduced.

    With renewed vigor, the elders of the Whispering Guides Sect ordered their juniors to completely deconstruct even the formations which had been previously marked for preservation. Within a month, the construction of the Perfect Mountain Array began.

    ?

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33

    The hoe rose. The hoe fell. It tilled the earth, and it weeded the crops. In the hands of an expert, it was a symbol of many things, but mostly it was a symbol of farming.

    Of cultivating the land.

    For an earth cultivator, was there any better symbol?

    Tremble held the gift his master had given him. It was a simple thing, at first. Tren Shen had simply walked into the nearby village and bought the iron part of the weapon from the blacksmith, and then shaped the wooden handle himself with a piece of wood and a knife. It had taken him no more than an hour, talking about what he was doing absently while he worked.

    As his student, Tremble struggled to remember every word. His mind was strong, but there was simply so much wisdom to unpack from the seemingly simple statements that came forth from Tren Shen like water from a spring.

    He remembered the shaping of the wooden shaft, and the words that were spoken when Tren had fastened the iron hoe head. He was doing more than explaining what he was doing to Tremble. He was explaining what he was doing  to the hoe . Giving the tool its purpose by teaching it its shape and the reason for its shape. Teaching Tremble, and the hoe, what it was for.

    Then, when that was finished, he had imbued it with a staggering amount of Qi and intent. Where that Qi had gone, Tremble could not say at first. Tren had simply grinned at him when he had asked. Then he had set Tremble to work in the fields with his new tool.

    ¡°This is your tusk,¡± Tren had told him. ¡°It is with your tusks that the world has shaped you, and it is with your tusk that you shape the world.¡±

    Tremble had grumbled as he¡¯d worked those first few weeks, but he did not grumble any more. Now, he enjoyed watching the sprouting crops as they reached towards the sun. He enjoyed the endless job of weeding and watching for pests.

    The hoe rose. The hoe fell. It tilled the earth and weeded the crops. It disturbed a mouse, which ran through the field away from the spirit-boar in the shape of a man. Tremble watched the little rodent flee, then blinked when the shadow passed over him and, moving so fast that it was difficult to see, the falcon snatched up its prey and flew off into the distance.

    Tremble shook his head and went back to work. That was simply how life was.

    In the sky, Freedom snapped the mouse¡¯s neck with his talons. Landing in a tree nearby, he feasted. The spirit falcon looked to the sun, and it drew in the Qi of the sun, and it contemplated the sun and the difference between the night and the day.

    It knew of Mouser, the spirit owl. It had tried to speak with her, but he could not find her during the day, and when he tried to search for her during the night he found himself clumsy and unable to see. He was not a creature of the night, but he wished to know Mouser. She was like him, and she was different than him.

    He remembered the teachings of Wensho, the great woman who had helped him in the days after his awakening. Of yin and yang. He was a creature of Yang, and Mouser was a creature of Yin. But that did not mean that they could not be friends. She shared his natural form, and Freedom wished to know of her path so that the moon could light his own path, as he wished to be the sun to light the path of Mouser.

    Had he been a human, he might have been embarrassed of this unrequited affection. But he had only been aware of himself in a higher sense for a few months, and his affection was honest and heartfelt. He had tried to communicate it to Lady Wensho so that she might convey it to Mouser, but the woman had simply smiled.

    ¡°That is something you must tell her yourself, Freedom. If your feelings are genuine, then you will find a way to express yourself. I¡¯m quite certain of it,¡± she had told the young spirit animal.

    Freedom preened and cleaned its feathers, which were vibrant and healthy. He had always been a prime specimen of his species, but since he had become aware he had molted, and his new feathers made him even more beautiful.

    Once it had finished eating and cleaning itself after the meal, he flew once more, scanning the earth for signs of anything that did not belong. He had vowed to defend the Shen farm in exchange for the insights that the cultivators there could share with him, and he took his duty very seriously.

    If it saw another mouse or non-spirit rabbit while it was defending the vast territory that it claimed, then, well, everything needs to eat.

    A flicker of movement in the distance, and Freedom looked closer. It jerked in recognition as it spotted the young master and the three other children returning. It spotted something clinging to the young master¡¯s shoulder, a draconic blue creature with a beak. They were miles off yet, but with a ¡°Screeee!¡± Freedom the falcon announced the young master¡¯s return.

    Everyone who heard that screech knew what it meant, for it was filled with Freedom¡¯s intent and Qi.

    In the field, Tren Shen cocked his head and closed his eyes, then nodded. ¡°They made good time,¡± he commented. He turned back to Tremble. ¡°I¡¯m going to go welcome home my son. Do you mind finishing up this field?¡±

    ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Tremble said earnestly, pleased that the Lord of the farm trusted him so deeply after his initial awkwardness.

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    ¡°Your insight into the growing of things is growing, Tremble, do not forget the larger picture. Do not mistake the trees for the forest or the mountains for the range,¡± Tren said, slinging his own hoe over his shoulder and striding away.

    Tremble committed the words to memory, spending the rest of the day contemplating them as he worked tirelessly in the field.

    Tren was halfway back to the manor house when little Safron came bounding out. ¡°Tan is coming back today, isn¡¯t he? Isn¡¯t he?¡± the little girl demanded.

    ¡°It seems that way,¡± Tren admitted.

    ¡°Do you think he got me a present?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sure to regret it if he didn¡¯t,¡± Tren said, scooping the girl up and setting her on her shoulder. ¡°How was your cultivation today?¡±

    ¡°Boring. It¡¯s always so boring. And there¡¯s something ¡­ weird. Right here. It doesn¡¯t work right,¡± the girl said, touching her side.

    ¡°I see. When did you notice that?¡±

    ¡°I dunno. But it¡¯s itching now,¡± she said.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, it itches.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯re going back to the healers,¡± Tren said suddenly.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with me?¡±

    ¡°No, sweetie, your perfect. But if you want to be as strong as Tan someday, then we need to fix the itchiness,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°Kay.¡±

    Wensho emerged from the manor moments later, wiping her hands upon her apron as she walked towards where the road joined the Shen farm. They waited patiently.

    Two of them waited patiently. One of them was bouncing impatiently on her father¡¯s shoulders. ¡°When are they going to get here?¡± Safron demanded.

    ¡°Any minute,¡± Tren said. ¡°Be patient.¡±

    Abruptly, a flying boy appeared in the sky, swooping down to land before his family. He grinned, standing in the dust that his landing kicked up, and scratched his nose. On his shoulder sat a baby Qi guardian that had taken the shape of a dragon.

    ¡°Hey mom, dad, Safron. This is Key,¡± he said, patting the little draconid. It was still small, but larger than it had been at the sect, nearly the size of a newborn puppy.

    ¡°I¡¯m very much looking forward to the story of how you earned a Qi guardian,¡± Wensho said.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to it,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°But yeah, I can¡¯t wait to tell you all about it. Oh, before I forget, Safron, you don¡¯t even have to ask. Yes I got you a present.¡±

    He pulled a doll out of his storage ring and handed it to his younger sister. It had red hair and was dressed in the gi of the Whispering Guides sect. The little girl snatched it up and hugged her brother.

    ¡°I missed you,¡± she said.

    Tan hugged her back. ¡°I missed you too, Safron.¡±

    Then she kicked him in the shin for no reason and ran inside to put the doll with the rest of her collection. He winced and limped a bit, although she hadn¡¯t really hurt him.

    ¡°Anyway, now that she¡¯s gone, I have a few things to tell you guys,¡± Tan said, his voice turning more serious. He pulled his necklace out of his shirt and showed off the imperial token to his parents. ¡°We each earned one of these, and I need to tell you how.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tren said. ¡°But it can wait until you and the others have had a meal and a bath, I think. I know better than you think what that means, Tan. You¡¯re a man now, in some ways, and still a boy in others, but you¡¯re our son before any of that. We¡¯re proud of you, but we would have been just as proud if you had fled the bandits instead of standing your ground and earning this.¡±

    ¡°You know already?¡± Tan asked, his eyebrows raising.

    ¡°Word travels fast,¡± Wensho said. ¡°But your father is right. I hear the others catching up, let¡¯s greet them and then get all of you settled. Then I¡¯ll ask Clover to distract Safron for a while, and you can tell us about your trials and tribulations.¡±

    Tan nodded. Then he said ¡°Oh, before I forget,¡± and he raised his hand. Hoten was abruptly ejected from his storage ring.

    The young man sputtered and looked around, taking a moment to realize what happened.

    ¡°This unfilial swine tried to get out of his duties. He said that his cultivation momentum was more important and tried to buy us off with coin to leave him alone.¡± Tan said, kicking the man in disgust. ¡°We might be in a bit of trouble since we sort of kidnapped him. I¡¯m not sure, we didn¡¯t stick around to figure things out.¡±

    ¡°You did the right thing,¡± Wensho said. She stooped down to Hoten, who had realized that he had somehow been transported thousands of miles back to the Shen farm but was still trying to process how that had happened. ¡°Let me heal your face, Hoten, and then go visit your family. If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll shatter your cultivation and leave you crippled. Your mother deserves to see your worthless face one last time.¡±

    Hoten opened his mouth to defend himself, then hung his head in shame, defeated, as Wensho did as she said she would.

    She didn¡¯t heal the rest of him, however, and so with a clear face he limped along the road back to the village of his birth.

    ?

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    ¡°Like this?¡± Tan asked, infusing the construct with his Qi and  folding  it with his intent. It abruptly snapped into place, and before them was a small white bird. They sat in Tren¡¯s study, a seldom used room where he did boring things like tally numbers and read old books.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± his father said. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to record the message now.¡±

    Tan nodded, stepping out of the way for his father, who stepped forward. Impressing his own Qi and intent into the little bird-construct, he began to talk.

    ¡°Dearest brother mine. Make haste to my side, for it is time to aide your niece. We meet with the healers you sent to Lima city and shall await your arrival before the procedure. With the four of us, we will stand vigil as the healers heal an innocent child,¡± Tren said. Once his words had finished, he stepped back.

    ¡°Okay, Tan. That¡¯s all I had to say. You can send it to Renton now,¡± Tren told his son.

    ¡°Right. And, uh, how do I do that?¡± Tan asked.

    Sighing, Tren began instructing him on the necessary visualization exercises to direct the Qi construct on its path. Fortunately Tan was quite familiar with his uncle¡¯s Qi after all the sparring they¡¯d done during his visit, so it was a simple matter to have the Qi-bird home in on it. Once he was certain that he¡¯d gotten the target set correctly, Tan willed it on its way.

    It fluttered for a moment, then began flying away towards the window.

    Only for Key to ambush it and knock it to the ground.

    ¡°No! Bad Key! That is not food!¡± Tan scolded. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s got my Qi in it so he thinks its food.¡±

    Tren just laughed and helped Tan build a new construct. While the father and son worked, Tan finally broached the subject which had been bothering him for the last three hours. Since they¡¯d told him.

    ¡°Why was I never told that Safron had a Qi block?¡± he asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    ¡°You were a child, Tan, and it was an adult matter to worry about,¡± Tren answered. ¡°Even if it means that she can¡¯t cultivate to the same level as the rest of us, she¡¯s still your sister and she¡¯s still a Shen. We didn¡¯t tell you, either of you, because we didn¡¯t want you to worry.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess that¡¯s a good reason,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°I mean, if you can¡¯t do anything about it then  I really  couldn¡¯t have done anything about it except worry. And you¡¯re right, that would have sucked, and I would have just worried Safron and made things worse.¡±

    Tren nodded, patting his son on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve always been proud of you as a boy, Tan, but I¡¯m becoming increasingly proud of the man you¡¯re becoming.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tan said.

    They continued to fold the Qi-construct into place. Once Tren had re-recorded the message, they brought it to the window and launched it, keeping a careful eye on Key this time. They watched briefly as it flew off into the evening air.

    ¡°So what happens next?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Tomorrow we go to Lima city and meet with the doctors and the scholars my brother hired,¡± Tren said. ¡°The doctors will examine Safron once more, and then we will listen to the options, and select the one that has the highest chance of healing her Qi block without causing her harm in some other way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°No. Your mother, your uncle, myself, and you, will empower the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation during whatever treatment is used to heal your sister,¡± Tren said. ¡°And for that, I have a favor to ask of you, Tan.¡±

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    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I need you to study this formation. You don¡¯t have to understand how it works, just examine how the wind Qi functions in it,¡± Tren explained, handing him a Qi formation¡¯s blueprint.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, taking the diagram and examining it. He bit his lip, it was far more complex than what he was used to. ¡°How well do I have to know it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t force your understanding past what you can manage in a few hours study,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°Study it tonight, and an hour or so every day until we are ready to use it.¡±

    ¡°Dad,¡± Tan said, pausing. ¡°This is the same formation that we used when she bonded her spirit, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That was a simplistic model. But yes, it functions on the same principles,¡± Tren answered. ¡°And it¡¯s the same one that I drew when you bonded Zephyr six years ago, although your mother was off healing someone and couldn¡¯t be here for that, so I was forced to power it myself.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s called the Four Gates of Heaven because it requires a quartet. You can only power a fourth of it.¡±

    ¡°There is only one, Tan,¡± Tren said. ¡°It was difficult, stretching myself so far. But there is only one. One truth, one path, one family and one thing that matters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Uncle Renton said. Dad, are you really an Earth cultivator?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Gaia is an earth spirit.¡±

    ¡°Okay. But I don¡¯t see how this would work without¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, stop trying to catch your wings on an updraft you¡¯re not ready to soar yet,¡± Tren said. ¡°When you are ready, you will understand. Until then, we should talk about something else. Like how it feels to kill a man.¡±

    Tan paled, looking away from his father. ¡°It was Won who shot him.¡±

    ¡°And why did you make Won do that, Tan?¡± Tren asked. ¡°You were strong enough to do it yourself. Why did you put the responsibility on your friend?¡±

    ¡°It was combat, I didn¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t know!¡± Tan shouted. ¡°What do you want me to say? That I was weak? That I hesitated when I saw that I could end the fight. The sword  showed  me just how to move to kill him and I hesitated and got punched in the face instead. I didn¡¯t¡ªI couldn¡¯t kill him. Won could. Maybe he¡¯s the strongest of us after all.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take strength to kill a man, Tan,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Then what does it take?¡±

    ¡°I hope that you never have to find out,¡± Tren said. ¡°But you should know by now that there might come another monster that stands in your path. Another rabid dog in the shape of a man or spirit beast which must be put down. The next time that happens, will you put the responsibility off on another?¡±

    Tan was silent. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a test, Tan. I want you to think, not answer. If you cannot stand the thought of blood on your hands, then we¡¯ll have to change your path. You would make a poor servant of the empire if your heart is too soft to bear the weight of imperial justice.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to be a servant of the empire?¡± Tan asked.

    Tren shrugged. ¡°Then we can tell Renton to go shove his offer for you to work for him when you¡¯re older. I don¡¯t care one way or the other. You can find a girl, built a farm like I did, and live a happy life giving me grandchildren. You¡¯re strong, Tan, and I cannot imagine a world in which you use your strength in a way that would make me ashamed to be your father.¡±

    Tan was quiet for a moment. Key jumped on his shoulder, flapping his wings and shouting ¡°Keee¡± in the tone that signified he was hungry. Tan sighed and began feeding the little demon-beast his Qi.

    ¡°Tan, I¡¯m going to tell you the same thing that I told Won an hour ago,¡± Tren said, putting his hand on Tan¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°You took one life when you killed that bandit. And you saved a hundred lives by sparing the bandit¡¯s future victims. In the scales of heaven, you are a righteous man.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him,¡± Tan whispered.

    ¡°Won follows you, Tan. Your friends, you¡¯re their leader. That makes you responsible for what they do in your name,¡± Tren told his oldest son. ¡°Make certain that you lead them well.¡±

    Tren patted his shoulder and walked out of the study where they¡¯d been talking.

    Tan continued to feed little Key for a few moments before the gluttonous little demon-beast burped and stopped eating Tan¡¯s Qi. Instead it chirruped again and Tan sighed, wandering towards the kitchen to get it some solid food.

    ?

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    Pao knocked nervously on the door to the house he had been born in. It was opened a moment later, and his mother took one look at him, eyeing him up and down, before embracing him.

    ¡°Welcome home, son,¡± she said, and she brought him inside. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d take some tea,¡± he said, not wanting to offend her by refusing hospitality entirely, but the food that the Shens served him was laden with Qi. The food that his family subsisted on was not. It wouldn¡¯t hurt his cultivation, exactly, but it would be fuel to his body and nothing more.

    ¡°You never did like my tea,¡± she commented. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a surprise for you. With the loom you bought for us with that magic stone of yours, we¡¯ve had extra income, so we purchased some of the good tea from one of the wandering merchants who came through this spring.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Pao asked. ¡°Now I¡¯m actually looking forward to it. Where¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°At the loom. Lao! Your only son, the cultivator, has come to visit! Get out here!¡± his mother shouted.

    A hollered reply came, but it was a wordless assent rather than a real answer. Pao smiled as his mother led him into the dining area and bade him to sit while she heated the water for the tea. He looked around at the little house he¡¯d lived in until age nine, when he¡¯d gone to live with the Shens after binding his earth spirit.

    He remembered it being so much bigger.

    And his parents¡­

    He loved them dearly, but they were mortal. If he continued to cultivate at the rate he¡¯d been managing, he¡¯d live for two or three centuries. They had perhaps thirty or forty years left in their life.

    It was both a very long time away, and yet just around the corner. He shook his head and pushed the morbid thoughts away.

    ¡°How was your journey?¡± his mother asked. ¡°I hope everything went well.¡±

    ¡°We made good time and fulfilled our goal of bringing Hoten back,¡± Pao answered. ¡°I¡¯d like to wait to tell you and father at the same time before saying more than that.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed. ¡°We¡¯re so very proud of you, you know. The first cultivator in our family in the memory of this village. I was so angry at Tren Shen when he tricked all of those poor children into destroying their favorite toys. I thought it was just one of those lessons that hidden masters teach mortals like us about how weak and helpless we are. But he carried through on his part after all. I¡¯m ashamed that I ever had a bad thought about the man.¡±

    Pao smiled, remembering the sacrifice that he¡¯d made to earn the spirit stone he¡¯d bonded six years ago. It was a kite that his grandfather had helped him build in the spring before he¡¯d passed away. It had been broken anyway, Pao had crashed it when he was eight and it had never flown right again. But he had kept it anyway to remember his grandfather, until Tren Shen had explained the sort of sacrifice he was looking for. Pao had remembered the Kite and presented it, thinking that he¡¯d be turned away, only for his sacrifice to be accepted once he¡¯d shared the kite¡¯s origin.

    ¡°Broken toys and ragged dolls for a spirit stone,¡± Pao muttered. ¡°Only the Shens would take such a deal seriously and think that they came out ahead in the deal. But then, they did get three loyal followers to their family in exchange as well, so I can¡¯t fault their logic.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± his mother asked.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said.

    His father entered the room a moment later, rubbing his hands together. Pao stood and they embraced. They shared the same height, but the son was far more muscular, and he lifted his father by leaning back with his arms still embracing him.

    ¡°I missed you both,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± his father asked, patting his back. Pao set him down and they separated.

    ¡°Hoten¡¯s dilemma has me sentimental,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that I haven¡¯t been a better son to you. I wish that you¡¯d have had another child so that you wouldn¡¯t be alone.¡±

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    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t for lack of trying,¡± his mother said, causing Pao to blush. ¡°We¡¯re lucky to have what we have, Pao. Don¡¯t ever think that we¡¯re not grateful, or proud of you.¡±

    They sat at the little table where Pao had learned to feed himself and drank their tea. It was terrible, terrible tea, but it made Pao smile. His mother couldn¡¯t make tea to save her life, even with expensive leaves.

    ¡°I helped kill a man when I was away,¡± He said, breaking the news abruptly, like ripping off a bandage. ¡°He was an evil man and we were defending ourselves. I¡¯m not ashamed of what I did, but it haunts me all the same.¡±

    His parents exchanged glances, speaking without words for a moment, before they each took one of his hands.

    ¡°Better him than you, Pao,¡± his father said. ¡°Think of the grief that you would have caused your mother if you hadn¡¯t defended yourself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a gentle soul, my boy,¡± his mother said. ¡°I believe that if there was another path home where you wouldn¡¯t have had to dirty your hands, you would have taken it. But you walk a dangerous path. Do not ever be ashamed of what you must do to stay alive.¡±

    Pao exhaled a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I was worried what you would say.¡±

    ¡°Tell us everything,¡± his father said. ¡°Let us bear whatever part of this burden that we can. Talking is good for the soul.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Pao said, and he began to talk, telling them everything about his recent adventure.

    When he finished, he pulled a purse from his belt and set it on the table between them. ¡°That¡¯s my portion of the gold from killing the bandit,¡± he said. ¡°I want you two to have it.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t take it from you,¡± his father objected. ¡°We are already¡ª¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for it, I¡¯m giving it to you because I don¡¯t want it,¡± Pao said. ¡°Having it reminds me of what I did to get it. Whatever I buy with it will be tainted. But if I give it to you, then I can say that I did something good with it. Something that I¡¯m unashamed of. So, please. Take it, and help me bear this burden.¡±

    His parents exchanged another look that said more in a few seconds than a lengthy conversation could communicate. Then his father took the purse and carried it into another room. He returned a moment later and sat.

    ¡°So. Tell us. When are you going to marry Ko?¡± His mother asked.

    ¡°Mom!¡± he objected, and the parental teasing began.

    ~~~~~~

    Won and Ko sat atop the cultivation hill. Between them was a sac of coins. They knew that the other two of their quartet were planning on giving their proceeds for killing the bandit to their parents, but they remained undecided on what to do with their own windfall.

    ¡°Dad will just drink it away,¡± Won said.

    ¡°Mom won¡¯t let him,¡± Ko argued.

    ¡°She¡¯ll give in like she always does,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°There¡¯s too much here for them to spend on wine,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Then he¡¯ll find some other way to waste it.¡±

    The twins looked at each other, then looked away. Their mutual shame in their parents was as much something for them to bond over as it was a point of contention.

    ¡°We should give it to the elders of the village,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°Why would we do that? We don¡¯t owe them anything.¡±

    ¡°For safekeeping. Or something.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s an idiotic idea,¡± Ko said. ¡°If you do that with your half then I¡¯ll mock you for the rest of our lives.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so what  should  we do with it?¡±

    Ko was quiet. ¡°We should talk with someone who knows what to do with money like this,¡± she said eventually. ¡°Do you think Lord Hara would mind if we asked him for advice? Aside from the Shen family, he¡¯s probably the richest person in Susuka County.¡±

    Won sighed, looking at the flames of the ever-burning brazier. ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±

    With that much decided, the twins quietly cultivated for a few hours. When darkness fell, they retired to the bedroom they shared in the Shen family manor.

    ?

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    Swenshion stood before the mirror, marveling at the effects that a few weeks of living in the imperial palace had on him. Eating the food that the emperor served, bathing in the imperial baths, and being served by the imperial servants, he appeared to have regressed ten years or more.

    He smiled. And there were certain other benefits as well. The imperial servants were quite discrete, and the door to Lokari¡¯s room was right next to his. Nobody had questioned why the bedsheets of one of their rooms were often unslept in, nor had he heard any scandalous rumors.

    Yes, entertaining the job offer from the emperor himself had been a very good decision. Gaius had been eliminated from the candidates, as had most of his other serious rivals. One young man remained who had just passed the service exams last year. He was a clever man, but Swenshion remained confident in his own ability to appeal to the former Earth Emperor.

    He sighed and finished dressing. If he wasn¡¯t selected, then he¡¯d have wasted a significant amount of time being pampered. Hopefully, however, being on a short-name basis with the emperor would be worth  something , even if he didn¡¯t earn the official record of having performed a deed worthy of formal recognition.

    Once he¡¯d finished combing¡ªthe gray was gone and his hair was thicker than it had been in a decade¡ªhe stepped out of his room and made his way to the dining area, where the other guests of the emperor were already eating. He sat and waited to be served, a young woman bringing a bowl of soup to him just a moment after he¡¯d sat.

    He savored each spoonful of the cabbage soup. It was a simple recipe, yet delicious for the rich Qi that had been grown into it.

    ¡°So tell me, Swenshion. What do you think of the Silver Dragon?¡± a voice said.

    Swenshion looked at the speaker. It was his chief competition for the position of tutor to the emperor¡¯s nephew, the young man who had only recently passed the service examinations.

    ¡°I shall rest easier when he is brought to justice and beheaded,¡± Swenshion admitted. ¡°As will the world itself, I believe.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not of the opinion that this is a part of a cycle?¡± the young man pressed.

    ¡°There are many cycles in the world. The births and deaths of humans are mirrored by the births and deaths of empires. But the four empires are young yet, as such things go, and strong and healthy. The founders still reign in the other three empires, and the fire emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire is a strong leader who has proven himself worthy. The claims of the Silver Dragon of decadence and injustice are inflated and unwarranted. A mask that he puts on to disguise his own greed and lust for power.¡±

    ¡°But you believe that the Blue Dragon Empire  will  die someday?¡± the young man pressed.

    ¡°Is this how you usually win arguments? By putting the words you wish to argue against in the mouths of your opponents and expecting them to play along?¡± Swenshion asked.

    The young man¡¯s mouth opened to say something, then paused as he realized that he¡¯d been called out. ¡°I apologize. What  do  you believe the future of the empire looks like?¡±

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    ¡°It is far too early into the rule of the Fire Emperor to predict the fate of the entire empire. He may rule for a century. A millennia. Eons. The fate of the empire is in his hands, and I do not know his mind well enough to say what he will do with it, so I do what I always do when I do not know the answer. I wait and watch in silent observation,¡± Swenshion said.

    ¡°But you believe that the rule of the fire emperor will end?¡±

    ¡°All things end. They said that Haoatonian Shenlong would rule for one hundred thousand years, but he grew tired of this world and decided to ascend after merely six centuries. If his second son shares his restlessness, who is to stop him from following his father to the next world?¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I see no other way that his rule would end but that, but only the emperor himself can tell us whether or not such a thing would ever happen, and I would not presume to ask him.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    The door opened, and Renton Shen stepped inside. The dinner conversation ended abruptly, and the diners all rose and bowed to the servant of the empire.

    ¡°I will be journeying to Lima City in the morning. Those who wish to meet my brother and interview for the job of tutoring my niece and nephew may come with me. Please, continue to enjoy my hospitality in the meantime,¡± Renton said, then he bowed at his guests and left.

    While everyone at the table had stood when Renton had appeared, Swenshion could tell at a glance by their expressions who  knew  and who didn¡¯t know. Renton Shen introduced himself as a servant of the empire. Those who did not know better transposed that claim into ¡®servant of the emperor.¡¯ The difference between those two positions was as vast as the heavens and as wide as the sea.

    Swenshion glanced at his competition and saw that the young man looked annoyed at the interruption. Whether Renton was a servant of the emperor or a servant of the empire, he was known to be a powerful cultivator and outranked all of the guests of the emperor by a significant margin, demanding their respect. Mortals who were expected to bow and scrape before cultivators could not always hide their resentment when something as small as a conversation was interrupted.

    ¡°As I was saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, and not for conversation. Tell me, Guy, what is the sound of one hand clapping?¡±

    ¡°You know as well as I do that it is silence,¡± the young man said.

    ¡°Let us enjoy the sound of one hand clapping for the rest of this meal, if you do not mind,¡± Swenshion said, and proceeded to ignore the man for the rest of the night.

    In the morning, he woke and dressed early. He informed the young servant outside his door that he was ready to serve the empire at the emperor¡¯s pleasure, and twenty minutes later, Renton Shen appeared at his door.

    Swenshion bowed politely to the young man, then looked about. ¡°How will we be traveling? How long will the journey take? I packed my things, but I confess I¡¯m not entirely certain what it is that I should bring. I have only the goods I brought with me for the original audience.¡±

    ¡°What you need will be provided for you during your employment. Assuming you meet with my brother¡¯s approval, but I foresee no difficulty there. You are the only candidate, after all.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°What of Guy?¡±

    ¡°I was listening at dinner last night. I will not entrust my nephew to such a vapid man, I only allowed him to be strung along because he was good at provoking others,¡± Renton said. He stepped over to the luggage in the middle of the room and swiftly swept the items into a storage ring. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing else in the palace that belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Prepare yourself, I¡¯m told this is somewhat disorienting,¡± Renton said. He held out his hand, and Swenshion¡¯s eyes opened wide as he realized that he was about to join his luggage.

    ?

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    Safron was a little nervous when everyone came to the big house to see them off in the morning. It made her feel important that everyone wanted to put their hands on her head and say a small blessing, and she let Clover and Elder Pike do that without fuss, but then she got bored of the treatment and hid behind her father¡¯s legs to keep the rest of them from bugging her.

    The air was heavy with unspoken tension, which Safron could sense but not really understand. She knew that this was something to do with the itchiness she¡¯d been sensing lately, since the trip to the city was announced immediately after she¡¯d told her father about it. The coincidence was enough to make her nervous, afraid that maybe the itchiness, which she¡¯d been mostly ignoring, was perhaps a bigger deal than she¡¯d thought it was.

    ¡°Okay, sweetie, close your eyes, it¡¯s time to travel,¡± her father said, and Safron obediently shut her eyes tight, knowing that when she opened them again she¡¯d be many miles away.

    Tan watched as his sister vanished into his father¡¯s storage ring, and he shook his head. While it made sense¡ªSafron was too small to make the journey to the city in a reasonable time frame under her own power, and the stasis of the storage ring was the easiest solution for everyone, including her¡ªit still made him think of his kidnapping of Hoten. It was perhaps a little indignity, but Safron didn¡¯t even realize what had happened aside from ¡°daddy¡¯s using his magic to move me.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Tren said, turning to the rest of his family. ¡°I¡¯m going to travel ahead. I¡¯ll see you when you get there.¡±

    He kissed his wife, then took a step and vanished, the Titan¡¯s Walk technique carrying him miles in a single step.

    ¡°I wish I could do that,¡± Tan commented.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do something much like it one day, when you¡¯re stronger,¡± his mother assured him. ¡°Although it looks something more like this.¡±

    Wensho blurred, her figure streaking out into the distance, traveling to the city. Tan sighed, turning to his friends and the spirit animals who had come to wish the family well.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to head out too,¡± He said.

    ¡°Good luck. We¡¯ll be praying for your sister,¡± Elder Pike said, and the rest of the group echoed the sentiment.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Tan said. Then he flew up into the air, taking off in the same direction that his mother and father had gone.

    With the Shen family gone, the remaining members of the household exchanged nervous glance.

    ¡°Everything will be fine,¡± Won said confidently. ¡°They¡¯re, I mean, we know who they are. Bad things don¡¯t happen to people like Safron. This is just a couple parents overreacting to a minor deal, I think.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Clover said, scratching her nose in her human form. ¡°I¡¯ll be very sad if she doesn¡¯t come home to give me my cuddles.¡±

    The others exchanged nervous looks, worried that Clover had just given voice to their fears, then they collectively went back to their duties. Won, Ko, Pao and Tremble headed out to the fields to begin work, while the rest of the spirit animals changed back into their animal forms and returned to their business.

    Many miles away, a certain merchant was once more subject to the whims of cultivators evicting him from his own compound. While he understood the appeal of borrowing his home for their business, and there was a certain prestige which came with it in the eyes of his peers, it was still frustrating to have a powerful man appear in his courtyard, demand to speak with him, and simply ¡®request¡¯ the use of his estate for a few days.

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    Granted, he had known that this was coming. He was hosting eight elite healers who had arrived with a letter with the imperial seal requesting lodgings. He had put the two senior healers in his own guesthouse and arranged for the remaining six to stay in one of the best inns in the city.

    Now, he watched as the cultivator made walked through his courtyard. While the cultivator was dressed in a fine robe of silk with the runes for ¡°Grandmaster¡± emblazoned on it, he held in his hand a normal looking hoe and was scratching symbols in the dirt. The merchant knew better than to question his actions as he sent out the messengers to the healers in the city that the time had come.

    With this task complete, he quietly took his wife and daughters and fled the city. While there shouldn¡¯t be any danger to a simple healing, he wasn¡¯t willing to take any chances. No, just as he had two years ago when the Zang family had commandeered his home, the merchant decided to make himself scarce.

    He stopped by the plum trees on the way out, reaching up to test the ripeness of the fruit. He smiled. This was his aunt¡¯s tree. It served as her grave marker. His family had come from the Yellow Phoenix Empire and taken this tradition with him. The merchant said a quiet prayer to his ancestors before he left.

    ¡°I know that the little girl who is to be healed is not your kin,¡± he said, ¡°But I fear for my family should the cultivator¡¯s wrath be invoked. Perhaps you could turn a benevolent eye upon the child and help the healers as they do their work. Guide their hands, make them steady, and if they doubt, show them the way forward.¡±

    Satisfied, he stepped through the gate of his compound and vanished into the carriage with his family.

    In the courtyard, a dozen or so ancestral spirits ate spirit plums and watched the hidden emperor prepare a divine-level formation. They turned to each other and discussed the situation and what it meant for their descendants.

    ¡°Do you think that the current patriarch is right to fear his wrath?¡± one ancestor asked.

    ¡°You felt it when he showed himself two years ago during the confrontation with the Zang family,¡± came the answer from another ancestor. ¡°He could destroy this city with a casual gesture. We may be dead, but he could wipe our memory from existance. Not only is the patriarch right to fear him, but we are fools if we do not do the same.¡±

    ¡°He is here to heal his daughter,¡± the first ancestor said. ¡°Should we help?¡±

    ¡°What would it cost us to do so?¡± another ancestor said. ¡°There is not much we can do to affect the world of the living, but are we not meant to be benevolent protectors?¡±

    ¡°I do not think that it is our place,¡± came a detractor. ¡°The girl has her own ancestors. Let them guide the healing.¡±

    The first ancestor scratched his beard. ¡°Let us send a message to the girl¡¯s ancestors, then,¡± he said.

    With this decision made, the ancestors expended just a fraction of their power to send a message through the veil of death into the afterlife.

    Tren felt something resonate with his bloodline, and he turned to the trees where the ancestral spirits rested. He nodded at them, clenching one fist and putting it in the palm of the other hand, then bowing over the symbol of respect to the merchant¡¯s ancestors. Then he picked up his hoe and continued to scratch out the symbols of the highest form of the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation into the ground.

    When he had finished, he began pounding stakes at various points throughout the merchant¡¯s compound.

    Wensho appeared a few moments later to help him. With her here to distract their daughter, Tren brought the little girl out of his storage ring. Safron giggled at the disorientation of suddenly being in a new place and, with her mother watching her, ran about to explore. Tren smiled, wishing that such innocence could last forever.

    It wasn¡¯t terribly long before the healers gathered. They took Safron and her mother into the compound to perform another examination of the girl. Tren put it out of his mind as best he could, continuing to work on setting up the formation that would, hopefully, see whatever treatment they decided upon to a successful fruition.

    ?

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    Tan flew straight into the city, ignoring the gates and the glances of surprised commoners glancing up to point at the flying boy making his way for the compound of the richest merchant in the city. He set down in the courtyard where he had once healed Kora of her twisted bond with her spirit, looking around for a moment. The ancestral spirits were still sitting in their trees, ignoring him, but he acknowledged their presence with a quick nod anyway.

    He found his parents by following their breaths. They were in one of the sitting rooms. He found Safron using the same technique, but the girl was napping, so he figured he¡¯d see her later. Just as he was about to enter the main house of the merchant¡¯s estate, the sky suddenly split as a bolt of lightning struck the courtyard.

    Tan turned to greet his uncle, who was the only person he knew of who could travel using such a method. ¡°Uncle Renton, you came!¡±

    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Renton said. ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°I was just going to meet them,¡± Tan said, and he led Renton inside. In the same room where he had first met Kora, he found his parents nervously speaking with the eight healers. Renton and Tan listened but remained silent as the healers continued to report their findings and recommendations.

    ¡°The good news is that the ¡®itchiness¡¯ that the child is reporting feeling is due to the erosion of the ki block,¡± the healer explained. ¡°Her cultivation is proceeding slowly because of it, but it isn¡¯t impeding her as much as we expected it to. Unfortunately, this also presents a problem. As the flow of her Qi has increased, the pressure on the block has also increased. Her Qi has doubled since we last inspected her, while the pressure upon the block has increased four fold. If this continues, it may present a threat.¡±

    The healer proceeded to explain the worst case scenario. Tan swallowed.

    Death. That was the worst case scenario. His little sister might die if nothing was done.

    ¡°What are the options?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°There are several,¡± the lead healer explained. ¡°The first is that she stops cultivating for a time and we allow the pressure to relieve itself naturally. It will take some time, and it¡¯s not without risk. If the block suddenly breaks on its own, the results might be benign, or they might unleash built up toxins into her blood and cause her serious illness. I can¡¯t predict the chances of success if nothing is done, but there are three outcomes. One is that once the block relieves itself, she is able to cultivate normally. The second is that she remains crippled afterwards, to an extent which I cannot predict. And the third option is of course the worst case scenario.¡±

    Tan hated those words. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare let my sister die,¡± he told the healer. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡±

    The healer balked at the threat of the child, whose identity he knew perfectly well. He bowed at the young master and said ¡°I am simply presenting all of the options. I do not recommend this option, but I would not be performing my duties to the best of my abilities if I did not present it. Let us proceed to the next treatment option.¡±

    And so they listened for an hour as option after option was presented. The adults in the room asked questions that Tan understood, and they asked questions that were beyond his understanding, and they asked questions that were on the edge of his understanding. He listened as option after option was eliminated as being too risky or insufficient or otherwise unsatisfactory.

    Finally, the treatment plan was settled upon. Feeling that he¡¯d contributed nothing, Tan¡¯s own part to play was highlighted for him. It was nothing more than powering the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation, which to him felt like slightly more than doing nothing at all. He consoled himself by the fact that his the three adults of his family were relegated to the same task.

    Once Safron was woken, the treatment to get rid of the itchiness once and for all was explained to her by her mother, with the help of one of the younger healers who worked hard to explain things in terms that a five year old could understand.

    Once everything was in place, the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation was empowered. Tan sat to the east of the compound¡¯s main building, sitting in a circle that his father had carved into the ground hours earlier and running his Qi through the formation. He had left Key behind and hadn¡¯t fed the Qi guardian since the night before so that he¡¯d have enough energy for this, but the truth was that the Formation¡¯s demands weren¡¯t very power intensive.

    It was complex enough to give him a headache, envisioning what he had to do with his Qi to empower the formation, but it was well within his capabilities.

    On the other end other end of the compound, at the west gate, Renton silently meditated. He had only just met his niece, and he was uncomfortable with how little power he had in this situation. He had selected the best healers of the empire and brought them to this far-flung corner for this very purpose, but now that he had done so there was nothing left for him to do but empower a simple formation.

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    Granted, it was a powerful formation which could bend fate itself to serve. But it wasn¡¯t infallible. If Safron was destined to die, then it would take far more than the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation to save her. If the fate of his niece was based on the outcome of a dice roll, however, then the Fate Denial aspect of the formation would ensure that the Shen family was playing with loaded dice.

    To the north, Tren closed his eyes and empowered the formation in silence. Only his family would know to look at him how his emotions roiled underneath the surface.

    And to the south, Wensho empowered the formation with the concern and love of a mother.

    The older members of the Shen family were doing everything in their power to influence the outcome of the procedure on the youngest family member. They were bending the threads of fate itself to their will, and yet it felt like they were doing nothing at all.

    In the main chamber of the merchant¡¯s house, Safron fidgeted nervously as the healing pastes were painted onto her body in the shape of a healing formation. She was scared. Something Important was happening. The kind of Important with a capital I.

    She wasn¡¯t stupid, she¡¯d figured out that maybe the itchiness was a bigger deal than she¡¯d initially thought it was. That maybe there was something wrong with her, and that maybe it was something bad. She didn¡¯t think she was a bad girl, although she knew she could be a brat sometimes, but rather thought that maybe she was born into a bad body and she was about to die. That was scary, and she was scared to ask for someone to tell her that she  wasn¡¯t  about to die because what if they lied to her, or worse, what if they told her the truth?

    But her mother had told her what to do, and she had complete faith in her parents. So once the healers finished painting her with the healing pastes, she drank the medicine that they gave her. She felt a warmth in her belly, a warmth that was filled with power. She took that power, closing her eyes, and she began to cycle it through her body, just like she¡¯d been told.

    The power, which felt like concentrated fire Qi that was way beyond what Safron could make for herself, but which was docile and easily followed her will, rubbed up against her itchiness and--

    Safron screamed.

    Then the world went still as the fated moment arrived and the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation suddenly  pulled  in a hundred times more energy than any of the participants had ever expected to give it.

    Safron¡¯s soul left her body, but remained linked to it by a tether. She was whisked off to heaven, the power that flowed through her body¡¯s meridians too much for her to endure.

    Safron found herself surrounded by mist. She looked around, knowing that she was dead and that this was the afterlife. She wanted to cry, but couldn¡¯t find the emotions for it. They were left behind in her body, she realized, and she¡¯d have to go back for them later.

    ¡°Hello, dear little Safron Shenlong. I am pleased to meet you so soon. I thought that it would be many centuries before my family came to visit,¡± a voice said.

    She turned and faced an old man in fancy robes. He had a long mustache which pointed out in either direction. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Your grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Are we dead?¡±

    ¡°I am. I failed my ascension, and so here I am. You are ¡­ in between.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be dead. My mom will be very sad,¡± Safron said.

    ¡°Yes. So let¡¯s do something about that, shall we?¡± the old man said. ¡°Give me your hand, Safron, and I will give you the strength to live.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said.

    She took the old man¡¯s hand, and suddenly she was back in her body. She screamed as the power flowing in her veins  burned  the itchiness, but despite the pain she found the will to continue to cycle the energy through her body. She kept going and going and going.

    She kept right on going until all of the energy burned away, and she was left covered in black sweat that smelled of ash.

    She collapsed. The healers rushed to bathe her and inspect her. The family was informed.

    Safron would live.

    The consequences of defying fate, however, remained uncertain.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39

    Tan was walking through a palace. The imperial palace, he knew somehow. He didn¡¯t know what the imperial palace looked like, having never been there, but he knew that the dream looked the way that the imperial palace should look. If the imperial palace looked differently than his dream, then it was the palace that was wrong and not the dream.

    Beside him was a friendly old man. The old man was talking nonsense, but he was very friendly and congenial, and Tan liked him and trusted him implicitly. If he listened to this old man, then he¡¯d go far in life. He just had to follow the path laid out for him and ¡­

    And ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m dreaming,¡± Tan said suddenly, interrupting the words of wisdom that the old man had been bestowing on him.

    The old man paused. ¡°Yes. You are. Very good, Tan. You¡¯re a very clever boy. This is a dream, but it¡¯s also real. I am real, and you are real. And I want to help you become who you are meant to be.¡±

    ¡°Zephyr? Are you there?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Never mind your spirit. Bonding a spirit is a crutch. A necessary one in order to start cultivation in childhood, but the true cultivation starts with the formation of the Core, and you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zephyr!¡± Tan shouted, ignoring the old man for now. ¡°Zephyr, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Tan, listen to me. She can¡¯t reach us right now. We¡¯re in a liminal space. I had to bring you here to talk to you, and she¡¯s still bound to the world,¡± the old man said. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll be there when you wake up and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tan demanded, turning on the old man. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. Who are you and what are you doing to me?¡±

    ¡°I am your grandfather,¡± the old man said. ¡°My name is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Both of my grandfathers are dead. They died before I was born.¡±

    ¡°This is a dream. The boundary between the living and dead is looser here. It¡¯s the only place that I can advise you for now,¡± the old man said. ¡°As I said, my name is Haoatonian Shen¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let me go. I want to wake up now,¡± Tan said. He paused as a thought occurred to him. ¡°I don¡¯t remember going to sleep. The last thing I remember doing was powering the formation that was supposed to protect my sister.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your sister. I helped her too,¡± the old man said. ¡°She didn¡¯t have the strength to bear the purification procedure. It would have taken ten or more repetitions, and it would have scarred her in more ways than one. So I gave her the strength to get it done. She¡¯ll recover, and like you, become who it was that she was always meant to be due to my help and influence.¡±

    Tan turned to the old man. ¡°You helped my sister?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± the old man said.

    Tan bowed to him formally, clasping one fist in the other hand before him as though he were paying respect to a sacred ancestor. ¡°If that is true, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now please let me go.¡±

    ¡°Tan, I am trying to help you. You have so much potential, and your father has started your guidance. But he is¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not certain that you are my grandfather. Do you have any proof?¡± Tan asked.

    The old man sighed. ¡°The proof is that I was brought here by the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation. There is a reason that the formation is called the Gates of Heaven, Tan. It literally opens the way to the afterlife and appeals to the ancestors to intercede on the behalf of their descendants, changing their fates. While the formation was erected to protect Safron Shen, you were caught in it as well. Your fate has been changed. For the better. Now, as I was saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I believe that you are more than a figment of my imagination, but that only makes me more suspicious of you. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan,¡± the old man said, his voice growing annoyed. ¡°Stop being an impertinent brat. I¡¯m your grandfather, and I know what is best for you. Listen to me and follow my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zephyr! Zephyr!¡± Tan called.

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    ¡°She can¡¯t hear you here,¡± The old man repeated.

    Then a strong gust of wind arrived, shaking the walls of the palace. The old man glanced around, a concerned expression crossing his face for the first time. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± he muttered. ¡°The inner palace is impenetrable.¡±

    The wind howled and gusted, and the windows of the palace began to shatter.

    ¡°Zephyr! I can¡¯t hear your voice! Where are you?¡± Tan called out.

    The old man began making hand symbols and chanting. The wind continued to howl, but the palace was reinforced by a force which Tan did not understand. Rather than attempting to fight back with a force that he didn¡¯t understand, he called upon his intent.

    He used his intent not on the old man, but on the palace.

    And he ripped it apart from the inside.

    The palace shattered around them like so much glass, leaving only the old man and Tan standing in a field of rocks and ragged spires. The wind continued to howl.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I understand her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Tan, stop this. Why did you destroy my home?¡±

    ¡°This is my dream. I never gave you permission to build a palace in my dreams,¡± Tan said, turning to the old man. ¡°If you truly helped my sister, I shall be eternally grateful. But you had your life, grandfather, and I do not consent to you living mine for me. Whatever path that you wish me to follow is not my path. My path is the one that I shall find myself.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense is this?¡± The old man said. ¡°Tan, listen to me. I  know  what is best for you. I can see so much from this side of the veil, and¡ª¡±

    Tan stopped listening. He began chanting the words to an exorcism.

    ¡°I call upon the one truth to banish this false apparition. The light of the one truth and the one path guide me, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, stop this nonsense,¡± the man said, but as Tan continued to speak, his form changed from the congenial old man. He continued to speak, but his voice changed into sibilations and growls. Tan nodded and continued to speak his incantations, which came to him even as he dreamed them into being.

    The old man changed into a furious red Asura. With Six arms, it had two swords, a chain-whip, two axes, and a spear. It screamed.

    ¡°You think that because this is a dream that you are safe? If you will not accept my guidance then I shall take your body by force!¡± the Asura threatened.

    Tan reached out his hand and suddenly the blade that his father had given him was there. He reached out his other hand and another weapon was there. A key. He threw it into the air, and a dragon appeared behind him.

    The dragon roared, and the force of the wind appeared. The Asura charged at Tan, but Tan stood his ground.

    ¡°This is  my dream , Grandfather,¡± Tan said. ¡°And you hold no power here.¡±

    They fought. Tan took wounds, but felt no pain, for it was only a dream. He died a thousand times, for the Asura was skilled in combat even with the wind blowing it off balance and the dragon snapping with tooth and claw in defense of its master, Tan simply wasn¡¯t skilled enough to defend himself.

    But it was just a dream, and he¡¯d died in dreams before. He was unafraid.

    And for every hundred wounds that he suffered,

    He inflicted one.

    And with each wound he inflicted, the Asura screamed and raged.

    When he had inflicted ten wounds, the Asura vanished, and Tan stood in the middle of the desolate field.

    ¡°Zephyr, are you there?¡± he asked

    A beautiful young woman appeared. ¡°Tan, I was so afraid for you. Do you know who that was?¡±

    ¡°My grandfather?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what he said. I need to tell my parents about this dream, I think.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Try very hard to remember it when you awake.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Tan said. And he awoke remembering everything that had happened since he became aware that he¡¯d been trapped in a dream.

    ?

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    Three adults sat in the bedroom of a wealthy merchant, standing vigil over the two children who were sleeping in the merchant¡¯s bed. The girl slept peacefully and dreamless, recovering from her recent ordeal.

    She was the reason they were there. Her parents had confirmed for themselves that Safron¡¯s Qi block was vanquished in a treatment that should have been the first of many. That the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation had performed its function was obvious. The question was the cost.

    Safron would not have to pay it, they knew that much. The formation twisted the strings of fate to bring about the optimal fortune for the target, which was the girl. There was no downside for her; the formation itself twisted the ears of fate until the old crones submitted.

    Curiously, the formation worked only on children, and only during monumental times in their lives. Half of the cultivators who knew of the formation regarded it as superstition. Anyone who had ever felt it activate and draw the power knew that it was not.

    Cultivators had died, performing the Fate Defying Ritual. Drained themselves completely dry of their Qi when the formation suddenly activated and changed the fate of the child for the better. But not the fates of the ones who performed it.

    Which is why the parents, and the children¡¯s uncle, were less concerned about the miraculous healing of the one child and more concerned about the boy who had helped stand vigil over his sister.

    The power drain had been intense. While the four elements were mostly balanced, however, it would have had to drain all four of the gates before it proved fatal to anyone, which is why the parents had thought that it would be safe to involve Tan in the ritual in the first place. If any of them died, then they would all die together, leaving behind only Safron, who would be fostered by Zenith until it was time for her to become the Empress of the Blue Dragon Empire.

    The formation had taken much out of Tan, however, and he had collapsed early into it. The adults had covered for him for the remainder of the healing process, but they had known that he would survive because they would survive. And they were right.

    But although both the boy and the girl would live, something remained troubling to them. A feeling that they could not place. When the boy began thrashing in his sleep, they grew more concerned. The mother went to comfort him, only to find that she could not wake him.

    The boy muttered and raved in his sleep, shouting out ¡°Zephyr! Zephyr! Zephyr where are you?¡±

    Safron awoke, only to kick her brother for waking her. Tren scooped his daughter up, and the little girl went back to sleep in his arms, ignoring the plight of her big brother.

    There was nothing that she could do for him anyway.

    After a long and arduous nightmare, Tan calmed suddenly, and awoke a moment later. The bedsheets were damp with sweat, and his skin glistened as he sat up.

    ¡°Mom, Dad. Is Safron alright?¡± he asked calmly.

    ¡°She¡¯s been cured, Tan. The formation worked.¡±

    ¡°I think we should perform an exorcism on her.¡± Tan said.

    The adults didn¡¯t question his judgment. He explained as they worked, drawing lines with chalk and salt and charcoal on the floors and walls of the bedroom. When he concluded the story of his dream, the parents had him stand in the center of the formation holding his sister while they chanted and empowered the array that could expel almost any demon or malicious spirit.

    Nothing happened.

    Tan breathed a sigh of relief once the ritual was over. He had no doubt in his mind that his father, mother and uncle working together could not defeat the demon which he had faced in his dreams. That meant that it had fled after it had failed to possess him.

    His parents remained concerned, however.

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    ¡°Tan, did the demon say his name?¡±

    ¡°He said that he was my grandfather. His name was ¡­ Hao Shen, I think. Is that actually the name of my grandfather, or did I just make something up in my dream?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Hao Shen,¡± Renton said, laughing. ¡°Yes, it was him alright.¡±

    ¡°This is most troublesome,¡± Wensho sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re worried,¡± Tan said. ¡°I defeated him, didn¡¯t I? The demon?¡±

    ¡°That demon was probably the very real spirit of your grandfather, Tan. I¡¯m glad that you fought him off, because he would have possessed you without remorse,¡± Tren said evenly. ¡°However, fending him off in a dream is not the same as banishing him back into the afterlife. It seems that when we employed the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation, he managed to truly open the gate between this world and the afterlife and claw his way back through it somehow.¡±

    ¡°He helped Safron, that¡¯s how,¡± Wensho said. She shook her head in anger and disgust. ¡°That pig wouldn¡¯t have tried to possess her. He wouldn¡¯t have stood for being a girl, and the formation wouldn¡¯t have let him through if that had been his intention anyway. He¡¯s the reason why the healing ritual worked beyond expectations. But it created a link between Safron and Hao, and then he jumped along that link to Tan. I do not believe for a second that he¡¯s not still in this world, but he could have jumped to any of his other descendants who might not be as ready to defend themselves as Tan was.¡±

    ¡°He would choose a child if he can. The younger the better,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°And a boy child specifically,¡± Wensho reiterated.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any bastards you¡¯ve been neglecting to tell us about?¡± Tren asked Renton.

    ¡°No. But I fear that there¡¯s a greater problem,¡± Renton said, his heart heavy. ¡°The Silver Dragon¡¯s claim of being Father¡¯s bastard grandson are true. Father had perhaps a hundred byblows over the years, and more than a few of them lived long enough to have children or grandchildren of their own. Hao likely preferred Tan because of his advanced cultivation, but I doubt he¡¯s in lingering danger now that he¡¯s fended him off once. But I do not know what to do about the others whom he might attempt to possess.¡±

    ¡°Send them exorcists, of course,¡± Tren said flatly.

    ¡°I mean that I don¡¯t know who or where they are,¡± Renton replied. ¡°And I probably won¡¯t until the child that Hao has infected grows up and becomes a menace.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Wensho asks.

    The adults exchanged looks, and their looks showed plain that none of them knew the answer.

    ¡°Tan, you can track him,¡± Zephyr said suddenly.

    ¡°What?¡± Tan asked, surprising the adults, as they couldn¡¯t hear Zephyr¡¯s voice like he could.

    ¡°The demon that your grandfather became bled in your mind, Tan. In your  soul . You can use this as a compass to find anyone who has been possessed by him, with the right ritual. But it isn¡¯t something that you can perform on your own, I think,¡± she explained.

    Tan frowned and repeated her words to the adults, who exchanged looks.

    ¡°Does your spirit know the name of this ritual?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°The Candleflame¡¯s Shadow Lights the Path,¡± Zephyr said, and then Tan relayed.

    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ll have the imperial servants search the archives for it. I¡¯ll reach out to Zenith as well.¡±

    Tan was quiet for a moment as the adults planned around him. Then abruptly, as they were discussing whether a large scale exorcism ritual might not be in order, he asked ¡°Who  was  my grandfather?¡±

    His parents exchanged looks. Renton sighed and took the once-more-sleeping Safron in his arms, then carried her out of the room. While he was family, this was a conversation that his parents needed to have alone with their oldest son, and it wouldn¡¯t do for Safron to wake up early and overhear it.

    Once Tan was alone with his mother and father, they told him who he was. Who his uncle really was. Who his father had been once upon a time, and who his grandfather had been for a very long time.

    Tan looked between his mother and his father as they spun him this tale. When the finished, he said two words.

    ¡°Nuh-uh!¡±

    ?

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41

    Swenshion staggered as he was ejected from the storage ring. He caught his balance before he fell, then turned and bowed at the emperor. A second later, he was joined by Lokari, who must have been stored in the same fashion as he¡¯d been. Both scholars were dressed in the fine robes that they¡¯d be given by the imperial court, but on the table nearby were more traditional scholar robes for them to don.

    ¡°Welcome to Lima City,¡± Renton told them. ¡°How was the trip?¡±

    ¡°Remarkable? From my perspective, time stopped and I was suddenly here,¡± Lokari said.

    ¡°Yes, it was the same for me. How long have we been in stasis?¡± Swenshion asked.

    ¡°No more than a day. I apologize for treating you like luggage, but I had more pressing matters to deal with. My little niece was undergoing an important healing, and matters of her education were less important than her life,¡± Renton explained.

    ¡°We serve at your convenience,¡± Swenshion said humbly, bowing again.

    ¡°Is the girl well?¡± Lokari asked.

    ¡°Yes. The Qi block that has been affecting her since her birth has been successfully healed and should plague her no longer. From my perspective, she is an ember that has suddenly been coaxed back into flame. But she¡¯s also still five years old, so we will just have to see how she develops. She has some impressive role models, but you can never tell when they¡¯re that age how mighty they might become.¡±

    ¡°That is a relief. I have been saying prayers to the ancestors to watch over her,¡± Lokari said, bowing her head in reverence.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Renton said. ¡°Now anyway, it wouldn¡¯t do for anyone to see those robes, so if you wouldn¡¯t mind changing before I introduce you to my brother and his wife, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡±

    The emperor stepped out of the room to allow them the privacy to follow his instructions. The scholars turned to face each other.

    ¡°It seems that he knows that we have nothing to hide from each other,¡± Lokari said, noting that they had no privacy from each other in the space provided.

    ¡°We assumed as much,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°If he had a problem with our relationship we wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our relationship,¡± Lokari said. ¡°I have been meaning to ask, Swenshion. Why exactly is it that we¡¯re keeping it a secret?¡±

    Swenshion paused. ¡°For the thrill of it?¡± he asked eventually, earning a laugh from her. They spoke no more on the matter for the moment, quickly changing out of the imperial robes and into the more humble clothing that they would normally wear when meeting a prospective employer.

    They emerged from the storage area to find a mortal servant waiting for them. They were shown into a parlor, where the emperor stood next to a tall and muscular man and a beautiful woman with sun lines upon her laugh lines. The scholars bowed deeply to the individuals they assumed to be their prospective employers.

    ¡°So these are the two greatest scholars in the land?¡± Tren Shen asked his brother.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say that. I was looking for the best teachers, and not the best scholars,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°You know as well as I do that there is a gap between those two things.¡±

    Tren grinned. ¡°Fair point.¡±

    ¡°Aside from which, the candidate pool was somewhat self-selecting. These are the two who put aside previous engagements to serve the empire in this capacity, while others prioritized their pre-existing employment,¡± Renton continued. ¡°Of the available candidates, however, these are the two that have impressed me the most. Aside from which, they are getting married, and I thought that you would appreciate having a loving couple working as a team.¡±

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    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re engaged?¡± Wensho said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Her eyes evaluated Swenshion, and she said in a teasing voice ¡°I wonder what it is that she sees in him.¡±

    Swenshion managed to keep from sputtering at the sudden declaration, for which he¡¯d been unprepared, and then the subtle barb. He glanced at Lokari, who he could tell was as surprised by Renton¡¯s announcement as he was.

    Renton noticed the byplay. ¡°Am I wrong? I thought that since you were sneaking into each others rooms¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just surprised,¡± Lokari said, ¡°Because we hadn¡¯t announced our engagement yet. But of course we are planning a wedding. We were simply keeping our relationship quiet to avoid a scandal in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have about eight months to settle things before the baby is due,¡± Wensho commented offhandedly. ¡°But if you¡¯re avoiding a scandal, then I¡¯d say that the sooner the better. Why not have Renton perform the wedding right now so that it looks as though the babe were conceived on your wedding night?¡±

    Both scholar¡¯s jaw dropped. Wensho smiled at their stunned expressions. ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you know yet? I suppose, you are mortals after all and you cannot see the spark of life when it ignites. Congratulations are in order, I believe. I shall go make some tea.¡±

    Swenshio looked at his lover in amazement. ¡°Did you know?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡ªno. But I would not doubt Lady Wensho on such matters.¡±

    Tren smiled, leaning against the wall while waiting for Wensho to return with the tea. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the wedding must be a condition of your employment. Especially if you are having a child together. We are trying to instill certain values in our children, and fidelity is one of them. I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I, if Lokari would have me as her husband, then I would be honored to serve in such a manner.¡±

    ¡°Can you repeat that in the form of a question?¡± Lokari asked.

    Swenshion blushed. ¡°Lokari, would you do me the honor of being my wife?¡± he asked, going down to one knee before the woman that he loved.

    ¡°Of course you buffoon,¡± she said, taking his hand and pulling him back up. ¡°I would not presume to ask the emperor or the former emperor to preside over our wedding, but we will arrange it before we begin our employment so as not to inspire unnecessary questions in our charges.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Renton said. He pulled a bottle of sparkling juice from his storage ring and began pouring drinks for everyone. ¡°We¡¯ll arrange it as soon as the interview is settled and my niece awakens. She¡¯ll love to be part of a wedding, I think. Don¡¯t you, brother?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tren agreed. He took his own glass and drank a sip. ¡°But we should discuss business before then. Renton tells me that you performed exceedingly well on the public service examination. I take that as a strong recommendation, but I would like to get your opinions on several other matters.¡±

    ¡°Of course, My Lord,¡± the scholars said together.

    ¡°Who was the villain of the unification wars?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°Why, Haoatonian Shenlong of course,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°It was his lust for power and desire to be the final authority which led him to conquer the world. With the three others who would eventually become the emperors of the other lands, he led a war of aggression on the scale of which this world has never before seen. And we thank him for it, for through war he put an end to war. By dividing the world equally among his equals, he has given us nearly seven hundred years of peace, even after he himself ascended.¡±

    Tren evaluated the answer for a moment, then nodded. ¡°You are a very brave man to say that to the son of Haoatonian Shenlong himself.¡±

    ¡°It is the answer that I gave His Imperial Majesty,¡± Swenshion said, bowing humbly.

    ¡°Lady Lokari, would you share this opinion?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°It is disharmony that was defeated by the unification wars, but disharmony is not a villain. No, my soon-to-be husband is correct. Haoatonian Shenlong¡¯s lust for power makes him a villain, even if his path led him to become a hero,¡± Lokari said.

    ¡°I happen to share this enlightened opinion,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°We will continue the interview when we have tea.¡±

    So they waited, and when Lady Wensho reappeared to serve them tea¡ªthe most delicious tea that Swenshion had ever tasted¡ªthe tough questions began.

    ?

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 1

    Tan flew twenty miles to the south of his home before putting the blindfold on. He grinned stupidly; he hadn¡¯t told anyone this idea because, if it worked, he wanted it to be a surprise. If it didn¡¯t work, then he didn¡¯t want anyone around him to tease him.

    Not that he thought that they would. Not where the adults could hear them, anyway.

    He frowned. The other kids at the farm had been funny around him lately, and he was starting to wonder why. They were ¡­ treating him with respect. It was weird.

    Not Safron. His little sister was the same as ever, even after she¡¯d started cultivating. She wasn¡¯t very good at it yet, but Tan was pretty certain that he hadn¡¯t been good at cultivation at her age either. He wished that he could help her, but since she had a fire spirit in her dantian and he had a wind spirit, they were on completely different paths. His advice, while well meaning, might just confuse her or be detrimental.

    For example, he¡¯d learned that Pao drew in the Qi from the world through his feet. Tan shook his head as he tried to envision how that worked, but he really couldn¡¯t. Tan¡¯s own method was to breathe in the wind Qi, then cycle it from his lungs into his dantian. It was second nature by now, and he¡¯d noticed recently that he¡¯d begun doing it without having to think about it while he was busy with everyday tasks.

    He hadn¡¯t told his parents that yet, but he was pretty sure it was a good sign.

    But that wasn¡¯t why he was out in the middle of nowhere with a blindfold over his eyes. He was here to try something else. The blindfold was thick, and it hid his vision in darkness. He gathered his will, gathered his intent, and  pushed  his vision through the darkness to see what was behind it.

    And¡­

    Nothing.

    He sighed. It wasn¡¯t that easy, he realized.

    He entered the Sublime State of Clarity, something he had been able to do for years now. Time slowed down. His awareness of his body increased, and his awareness of everything around him likewise increased. He tried again to peak through the veil, and --

    Blurry shapes and colors.

    He grinned, and he pushed harder, trying to bring the world around him into focus.

    Suddenly, he could see again, except that the world was different. The trees were an orange color, earthy and faintly glowing. He could see lines in the tree that were brighter and ones that were darker. The leaves were brightest of all.

    The earth was a solid black mass, except for where yellow grass grew. Not the yellow of dried hay, but the bright yellow of the sun.

    The sky itself was multi-hued, with purple clouds and shiny silver firmament.

    Then the flash of vision faded as abruptly as it had come, leaving Tan with a headache. He grinned despite the pain, and began wandering around. When the pain from the vision faded, he tried to bring the world into focus again, succeeding three times in five. Each time lasted only a few seconds and left him with a headache, but it was still a success.

    In one of his wanderings, he saw something in his vision. A violet colored blob that was strangely shaped, sort of like a potted fern. He wandered over to it without taking his blindfold off. He touched where the shape had been and found¡­ nothing.

    A suspicion formed in his mind and he searched the ground beneath where the shape had been. The solidity of stone met his hand after a brief search, and as he scanned it with his spiritual senses his suspicions were confirmed. He¡¯d found a spiritual stone, one with an inhabitant. He could tell that there was a fire spirit hiding within this stone.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he said to the minor spirit. ¡°Are you lonely out here all by yourself?¡±

    He waited for a response, hearing a tentative greeting in return after a few moments. The spirit wasn¡¯t very strong, he realized, and although it could hear him, it took it effort to answer him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring you somewhere where you can make lots of friends, okay?¡± he said.

    A very weak acknowledgment.

    Tan grinned. If he¡¯d been able to use this trick during his spirit stone hunt last year, it would have been a walk in the park to meet the quota his parents had imposed on him.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    He continued to experiment with his spiritual sight for an hour, but then he was bored. He took the blindfold off, spent a minute regaining his orientation, and then flew home.

    He spotted his mother in the vegetable patch, with an impatient Safron bugging her. He landed nearby, and was about to brag about his new ability when she turned to him.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to weed the west field today?¡± she asked, sternness in her voice.

    Tan winced. He  had  been given a task that he¡¯d neglected. He held out the spirit stone in his defense. ¡°I found this.¡±

    ¡°Very good. You can throw it in the shed with all of the others,¡± she said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that you can neglect your chores, Tan. We have dozens of spirit stones. More than we need. But when your father and I tell you to do something, we expect you to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can see through the blindfold,¡± he said.

    Wensho, his mother, paused in her tirade. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Tan grinned, certain that he¡¯d derailed the lecture he was due. ¡°I was sort of getting glimpses for a while. I needed to go someplace quiet, which is why I ditched on my chores today. I¡¯m sorry, but I knew that if I succeeded you¡¯d be proud of me.¡±

    ¡°What, exactly, did you see?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The world. Like I didn¡¯t have the blindfold on at all, except things were funny colors. Trees were green and the sky silver, and this stone had an aura too it. Like someone was standing above it. That¡¯s how I knew it was special,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Mom, you said you were going to spank him when he got back,¡± Safron chimed in, a malicious grin on her face.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with his neglect of his duties later,¡± Wensho promised. ¡°Tan, you might have just opened your third eye. Can you do it on command?¡±

    ¡°Sort of?¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do it without the blindfold, and it gives me a headache if I keep it open for very long. But I can manage it when I try more often than not.¡±

    ¡°I see. This is good, Tan, and I¡¯m very proud of you. But the next time you want some time to practice with your powers, just ask for it. Especially if you¡¯re on the edge of a breakthrough. Don¡¯t just neglect your chores or ignore what your father and I tell you to do,¡± his mother said.

    ¡°Am I in a lot of trouble?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You were supposed to weed the west field today. It¡¯s still today, isn¡¯t it? As long as you get it done before the sun sets, I suppose your father and I might let you wiggle out of a punishment,¡± his mother said.

    Tan grinned. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get it done. Sorry. I¡¯ll ask instead of flying off the next time.¡±

    ¡°We thought you had gone fishing,¡± she said.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t neglect my chores to go fishing,¡± Tan said, surprised that she¡¯d think that.

    ¡°You have before.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± he admitted. ¡°But that was like two years ago, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m more responsible now. When¡¯s the last time I didn¡¯t do something I was supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°When you forgot to put the tools away like your father asked you to last week, when you ¡®forgot¡¯ to turn the compost pile and we had to remind you five times, when you -¡±

    ¡°You have a list?¡± Tan asked, surprised. ¡°You¡¯re not storing up for one big punishment or something, are you?¡±

    Wensho sighed. ¡°We were, but then you opened your third eye and derailed the lecture you were due. Tan, we¡¯re very proud of you. And we love you very much. But you¡¯re growing up now, and part of growing up is becoming more responsible.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll try to be better.¡±

    ¡°At the same time, you¡¯re still only eleven years old, so it¡¯s okay to still be a kid sometimes. Tomorrow, after your daily chores, why don¡¯t you spend some time practicing opening your third eye again? Take as much time as you need until you can do it just by closing your eyes and willing the third eye open,¡± she instructed.

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll do that in a day?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to open your third eye for twenty years, Tan,¡± she admitted. ¡°But you¡¯ve always been precocious when it comes to cultivation.¡±

    Tan grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to go do my chores then,¡± he announced, flying off to put the stone in the shed with the other spirit stones his family had gathered.

    Wensho watched her oldest son go, shaking her head. He really was full of surprises, she thought to herself, a bit of pride welling up in her chest. ¡°They grow up so fast.¡±

    ¡°What was that momma?¡± Safron asked.

    ¡°Nothing, baby. Help momma pick some of those peas over there, would you?¡±

    ?

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 2

    Swenshion sighed in the imperial hot spring, allowing the Qi infused bath to wash away his stress and worries for a few moments. He wasn¡¯t a cultivator himself. No, just a humble scholar. And he was quite nervous, which is why the warmth of the hot spring was so welcome. It allowed him to pretend for a moment that he wasn¡¯t on the way to his third ever imperial audience.

    He swallowed, and then forced himself to pretend that he was just at a luxurious inn, and not the palace, and that he was just enjoying a hot bath, and not preparing to meet one of the four most powerful people in the world. He soaked in the bubbling water, and with time and the mental exercises he forced himself through, he began to relax.

    Twenty minutes of pure bliss, and then the servant brought out towels and the change of clothes. A humble silk robe. If it was embroidered, no symbols appeared for him. No, he was no cultivator himself. He was just the man who educated those cultivators on the worldly affairs whenever they deigned to notice the affairs of mortals.

    He wondered what it was that his emperor required advice on. As he dressed, he glanced at the other men in the pond, who were also ending their purification session. They were his peers and equals, and some of them his rivals. Thirty of them in total, including himself. And he¡¯d seen an equal number of female scholars entering the women¡¯s side of the hot springs.

    Whatever it was that the emperor required advice on, he was looking for a diverse range of opinions, Swenshion reflected. He sighed. Hopefully it was a complex but minor issue, and not related to the tensions with the Green Monkey Empire. Some discussion on taxes, perhaps. Or another economic issue which might affect vast swaths of the empire but was not posed to threaten the lives of its subjects.

    Swenshion hated war. He hated the concept of war, he hated the practice of war, and he hated that the rulers of this world did not hate war as much as he did himself.

    The scholars around him dressed, then entered the formal audience chamber, where they were met by their female counterparts. The emperor was not yet in session, and so it was permissible for them to mingle briefly.

    One of his female colleagues wandered up to Swenshion and smiled at him. ¡°Do you know what this is all about?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I do not,¡± Swenshion admitted. ¡°But with so many of the greatest and most knowledgeable minds of our generation here, I am not surprised to see you among them, Lokari.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I thought the same when I saw you entering the men¡¯s bath,¡± she said, smiling at the flattery. He smiled back. They¡¯d been lovers, once, five years ago, but hadn¡¯t spent much time together since then to avoid the rumors or scandals or the expectation that they¡¯d marry.

    Not that they wouldn¡¯t make a fine couple, he reflected. But neither of them were ready for that commitment. She was a widower, he a bachelor, and neither were looking to change that.

    The night of passion had been a pleasant distraction, however. As was its memory.

    ¡°So, if nobody knows why we¡¯re here¡ª¡± Lokari was cut off by the sudden strike of a gong. She smiled at him sheepishly as she walked away, taking the position that she¡¯d been a signed by a small stake in the ground with her name on it. Swenshion hurried to his own stake as the royal retainers began filing into the room. Cursing his back and his knees, Swenshion kowtowed at the empty box in the center of the chamber, closing his eyes so as not to accidentally lay them on the emperor as he ascended to his throne.

    ¡°We are ensconced,¡± a sonorous voice said after several moments. ¡°You may rise and know that you are in our presence.¡±

    Swenshion relaxed and assumed a more natural position, sitting back on his knees and looking at the silken screens that separated him from the most powerful man in the empire. Politically, and magically, emperor Torentonion Shenlong was formidable in more ways than one.

    ¡°You all likely wish to know why we have summoned you,¡± the emperor said. ¡°We will enlighten you. A loyal servant of the empire, who has performed many meritorious deeds and with whom we are well pleased, has need of your services in the education of his niece and his nephew. The relationship between this servant of the empire and the children¡¯s father has been strained in the past but is beginning to recover. If you would demean yourselves to educate an eleven year old boy and a five year old girl, then you will find that you will be rewarded with our pleasure.¡±

    The emperor paused for a moment as he allowed his subjects to consider his words. ¡°This assignment is not an order. I wish for only volunteers. You will be rewarded for your service to us, but we do not wish to impose. Only two tutors are sought at this time. A man and a woman, for the boy and the girl, although you will both be expected to be involved in the education of both. However, you must meet with and impress both the uncle and the parents of these children. If you wish to discuss this matter further, remain in our palace for the night and our loyal servant will interview in the morning. Those who have duties which prevent them from serving us in this capacity may leave without fear that we shall look upon them with disfavor. That is all. We shall depart now.¡±

    Wincing, Swenshion kowtowed once more and closed his eyes as the imperial box was emptied. It would not do for the loyal subjects of the emperor to see him do something so mundane as walking to and from his throne, he reflected, trying to suppress the grin that such a thought put upon his lips.

    He looked up again when the gong sounded, announcing the end of the court session, and he glanced at his fellow scholars. A few of them made immediately to leave, not interested in the assignment. Lokari came over to him once more and smiled.

    ¡°Will you be spending the night in the palace?¡± she inquired.

    ¡°I believe I shall,¡± he admitted. ¡°If nothing else, I have heard that they recently acquired some of the most delicious rice, and I wish to taste it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard those same rumors,¡± she agreed.

    Another scholar, a portly man, came up to them. ¡°Swen, Lokari, it is pleasant to see you. Swen, I¡¯m sorry that this offer from the emperor makes us rivals once more.¡±

    ¡°To the victor goes the spoils of the emperor¡¯s favor,¡± Swenshion said, nodding at his friend. ¡°And no hard feelings from whichever us fails to meet the standards of whoever this servant of the emperor may be. Who do you think that it is that requires our services, Gaius?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Gaius said gaily. ¡°Does it matter? We were not approached by a servant of the emperor, but the emperor on their behalf, and promised favor from the same. That means that whatever children it is that we¡¯re supposed to educate, we¡¯re ultimately working for the emperor. For mere mortals such as ourselves, that is a high privilege, and one which may see us well taken care of into our dotage.¡±

    ¡°We are all too young to be discussing our retirements,¡± Lokari chided, swatting Gaius on the arm affectionately. ¡°Or are you calling me old?¡±

    ¡°Nothing of the sort, young lady!¡± Gaius said, laughter in his voice. A servant appeared to show them to their rooms, and the three followed the servant, who remained silent.

    They spoke on the way of inconsequential matters. Rumors, faraway events, opinions on the subjects they were studying at present, the minutiae of daily life. The three had, not too surprisingly, been assigned adjacent rooms. They separated briefly to inspect their lodgings. There was fruit upon the table, taken from the imperial orchard itself, and Swenshion couldn¡¯t help but select an peach from the basket.

    Biting into it, he closed his eyes to savor the sweet and rich flavor of the fruit. Some of the juice ran down his chin, so ripe was the peach, but he did not wash his face until he had eaten the entire thing. He carefully placed the pit on in the small bowl near the fruit platter where the seeds were to go once the fruit had been eaten.

    He was no cultivator to know whether or not the seed could be grown into a tree. He knew that only one in fifty of the seeds of the imperial peach trees was able to sprout. A cultivator, particularly an earth or water cultivator, might have known, but Swenshion was no cultivator.

    Many would consider it a waste to feed him such a precious resource as the Qi rich fruit that he had just savored. But the emperor was keen on such displays of decadence. The fact that he could offer such luxuries to his mortal guests, and still  also  display favor to his cultivator subjects suitable to their elevated station, was display of his wealth.

    A display which Swenshion was happy to take part in.

    He sat on the bed for a moment and closed his eyes, going through a brief mental exercise to try to harness  some  of the Qi in the fruit. He did not have a spirit bound in his dantian and could not channel the energy effectively, but even a mortal like him saw some benefits when consuming a resource as rich in Qi as the peach had been.

    After twenty minutes, he gave it up and went into the common room, where Gaius met him a few minutes later, and Lokari a moment after that.

    ¡°So, seriously, who do you believe that we¡¯ll be educating?¡± Lokair asked.

    ¡°A servant of the emperor¡¯s nephews,¡± Lokari answered. ¡°One who must be close with the emperor himself to have garnered such favor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not answering my question,¡± Gaius persisted, and so the three gossiped for several hours before dinner was served.

    The rice was as delicious as the rumors had promised, served with duck and a savory sauce.

    Surprisingly, the cabbage was equally as tasty.

    In the morning, Swenshion rose early. He performed his morning ablutions and informed the servant standing in the waiting area that he would be ready for the interview with the servant of the emperor whenever was convenient. He selected one of the books that had been placed in his rooms and read in the sunlight that came through the window, basking in the warmth.

    An hour passed, and there was a knock on the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Swenshion said, and a young man with dark hair stepped inside. He was wearing the clothes of a servant, but carried with him no burden. Swenshion smiled at him. ¡°Are you here to lead me to the interview?¡±

    ¡°No need for that,¡± a sonorous voice said. ¡°I¡¯ve come to perform it myself.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s eyes went wide in recognition. He hasted to kowtow, and did not stop even as he saw the man raising his arms to protest.

    ¡°Ah, that reaction is so tiresome,¡± the emperor said. ¡°Please, I have never once struck someone down for making eye contact with me. That tradition is ¡­ it¡¯s not what we publicly declare. We prefer not to have people look at us as we perform our formal duties to make it easier to perform our informal ones. If life came to a stop every time I entered a room in my own home, then nobody would ever get anything done.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s mind raced as he processed what was going on. ¡°You would demean yourself by wearing such clothes?¡± he asked tentatively.

    ¡°I elevate my servants by giving them from my own wardrobe,¡± the emperor said. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that the ignorant and the uninitiated cannot tell us apart.¡±

    Slowly, Swenshion forced himself to calm down. He tentatively raised his head, but the emperor was sitting in the chair next to the fruit platter and eating a peach. The emperor noticed him and smiled, motioning to the empty chair next to him. ¡°Please, be seated and let¡¯s discuss my nephew.¡±

    ¡° Your  nephew,¡± Swenshion said. His mind continued to race. ¡°The earth emperor did not ascend,¡± he concluded after a moment.

    ¡°No. Kortrentos and Wensho remain very much part of this world,¡± the emperor agreed. ¡°They have secluded themselves and have had many happy years together, for which I am most pleased. And they have given me the gift of a nephew and a niece, so I am even more pleased.¡±

    Swenshion swallowed. ¡°If I am not selected for the privilege of serving the imperial family, what shall happen to me?¡±

    ¡°If you betray certain facts, then you will be punished,¡± the emperor admitted. ¡°Otherwise, nothing. My identity is an open secret, as far as I¡¯m concerned. One that I prefer not to have advertised to the entire world. But even if you tell the court that I sometimes dress in the garb of servants and walk unmasked through my own hallways, that will, what? What effect do you see that having?¡±

    Swenshion swallowed. ¡°Those who do not know your face or your voice would treat unknown servants with significantly more respect,¡± he said after a moment.

    ¡°And is that such a bad thing?¡± the emperor asked. ¡°Now please, come sit. I wish to get your opinion on many, many matters. And once we¡¯ve finished our discussion, I¡¯m afraid it will be time for you to retake the Service Exams. I know that you passed them twenty years ago with a very favorable result, but I wish to know the current state of your knowledge, not what it was twenty years ago.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Your Majesty,¡± Swenshion said, standing nervously and walking over to the chair. ¡°I am at your disposal.¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± His Majesty said, ¡°Call me Renton.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 3

    Kora watched the countryside go by outside the carriage. She sighed at the slow progress that they were making. It had rained the day before, and the roads were muddy. She could literally walk faster than they were traveling, but then she¡¯d get dirty, and they didn¡¯t want to arrive at the Shen estate in such a state.

    She smiled nervously, thinking of what lay ahead of her. Her last meeting with the scion of the Shen family, Tan Shen, had been ¡­ less than flattering. First she had embarrassed herself by attempting to measure his cultivation status and found that he surpassed her by a significant margin, despite being four years younger than her. Then he had found the bonding ritual which had connected her to the fire spirit to be so offensive that he had undone the subsumation bonding technique, something which their family had not known was possible.

    And something which she was immensely grateful for, now that she understood exactly what was at stake.

    ¡°Slake, are you there?¡± she whispered.

    ¡°What is it you want now, you pig faced ugly wench?¡± her spirit asked. It still hadn¡¯t forgiven her for subjecting it to the twisted formation which would have robbed it of its mind, over time, but their relationship was steadily improving.

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just nervous. I want to make a better impression than we did last time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®we¡¯ me! I had nothing to do with you making your ass of yourself. Although in retrospect, it is kind of funny,¡± the spirit teased.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you don¡¯t care what happens to me, Slake,¡± she scolded. ¡°I know better.¡±

    ¡°Go lick a chamberpot. I¡¯m done paying attention to you now,¡± the spirit said, and Kora felt its attention turn elsewhere.

    She sighed, glancing out the window once more. She was trying so hard to make everyone happy. Her parents, her family, her clan, her latest mentor Renton Shen, and now Tan and his family. The engagement between her and Tan was far from official. They weren¡¯t even formally courting at this point. They had been introduced once, which had led to a near disaster, and this was their second formal meeting.

    Hopefully she¡¯d be able to make some peace with the boy, and possibly convince him to exchange correspondence. She was more eloquent in writing than she was with her speech, and if she could write him love letters, then perhaps she could win his heart.

    She sighed. It didn¡¯t help that he was only eleven, and possibly not even interested in girls yet. He certainly hadn¡¯t seemed interested in her the last time that they¡¯d met. This would be so much easier if they were the same age. She knew how to woo a boy her own age. Or she thought she did, at least. But if Tan wasn¡¯t interested in girls, then how could she connect with him?

    It was a conundrum which she was no closer to unraveling than when it had first occurred to her.

    The carriage came to a small manor, and Kora stuck her head out of the cart. Was this their destination? It looked so ¡­ pedestrian. She frowned. The Shens wouldn¡¯t live in such a ramshackle place, would they?

    Then she remembered that they still didn¡¯t know  where exactly  the Shens lived. The agreement had been that they would travel to the local lord, and that the Shen Patriarch would bring Kora the rest of the way to the Shen estate himself. Still ¡­ if this estate was all that the local lord who hosted the Shen family could afford, then what did that say about the state of the Shen¡¯s finances?

    She shook her head, clearing it. Renton Shen was a favored servant of the emperor. Even if this branch of the family was relatively poor, the relationship was close enough to have earned Kora a personal audience with the emperor himself, and tutelage by one of his favored servants. Renton was a powerful fire cultivator in his own right. That connection alone was worth establishing a relationship with this branch of the Shen family.

    Yes, Kora was committed to marrying Tan Shen. She just had to convince the boy that it was in his own family¡¯s best interests as well.

    She waited patiently in the carriage for the servants to announce their presence, and twenty minutes later her handmaiden appeared, looking nervous.

    ¡°Um, apologies my lady, but it seems that Lord Hara was caught by surprise at our visit. He says that he received no instructions from the Shen family and offers us a place to rest in his hall until he contacts them to inform them of our arrival. He is saddling his horse now, and it looks like a fine beast, but he still says that it will be several hours before he arrives at their compound to share the news with them.¡±

    Kora blinked in surprise. Well then, that was something. She wondered what game that the Shens were playing by making her wait. Were they testing her somehow?

    Very well.

    ¡°Please inform Lord Hara that I am pleased to accept his hospitality and assure him that I am not inconvenienced by the wait. Tell him to ensure that he does not stress himself or his horse on my account,¡± Kora instructed, and the servant hurried to relay her words.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Kora got out of the carriage and stretched, making her way to the little hall that the lord called home. For a mortal, it was an impressive enough building. For her family, it wouldn¡¯t be called a guest house. Maybe servants quarters, if that servant wasn¡¯t particularly important to the family. Still, if the Shen family wished to test her patience, then she would show them patience.

    ~~~~~~

    Lord Hara arrived at the Shen farm in the late afternoon. Despite the young mistress¡¯s words, his horse was lathered from the haste of the journey, and Lord Hara himself was sweaty and stressed. He knocked on the door and was greeted by the lady of the house, whom he knew to be a powerful cultivator in her own right and bowed humbly to her in accordance with this knowledge.

    ¡°Greetings, Mistress,¡± he said.

    ¡°Lord Hara. To what do we owe the pleasure? Another letter? No, something more than that or you wouldn¡¯t have half-killed your horse.¡±

    She waved her hand and the horse seemed to relax as she worked some sort of magic over it.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s more than that,¡± he admitted. ¡°The Zang family has sent their young mistress to my estate. I was expecting them on the Seventh day of the Eighth month, not the Eighth day of the Seventh month.¡±

    ¡°As were we,¡± Wensho said, frowning. Her husband appeared with a dishtowel and a half-washed bowl. ¡°Dear, do you know why the Zangs are trying to send their daughter a month early?¡±

    Tren frowned, and Lord Hara¡¯s heart froze at the displeasure in his face. ¡°If they¡¯re playing power-games with us, they¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s it? Or is it an honest mistake?¡± Wensho asked. ¡°Someone might have just gotten the numbers mixed up. And by someone, I mean ¡­ we did ask Tan to be the messenger, and he didn¡¯t have anything written down when he arrived. You know he sometimes gets his numbers transposed when he does his math.¡±

    Tren¡¯s expression softened. ¡°Yes, he does,¡± he admitted. He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll check with him if he¡¯s entirely certain that it was supposed to be next month, or if he might have made a mistake. Then I¡¯ll go pick the girl up. Lord Hara, thank you for your efforts on our behalf, as always. Please, feel free to join us for dinner, or spend the night as is convenient for you.¡±

    ¡°I would not trouble you or your lovely family for¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± Wensho assured the lord. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m going to insist upon it. I want to make certain that your horse has time to rest before you ride it again. Honestly, if you¡¯re going to ride it half to death every time you come to our little farm, then we should buy you a second one so that you can switch between them halfway.¡±

    ¡°I could not ask for such an imposition¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to insist once more,¡± Wensho said. ¡°Now go, put your horse up in our barn and then I¡¯ll draw you a some water to wash yourself. If you¡ª¡±

    Tren stepped away from his wife as she harried the lord, grinning at how she was mothering the man. He loved her dearly, and she was doing her best to put the lord at ease.

    Tren was pretty certain that the lord knew at this point who the Shen family really was, and he had a reason to be nervous. Their reputation was a bit exaggerated, but it was their reputation for a reason. That reason being Tren¡¯s father, who was fifty years dead but whose ghost still shook the land from time to time.

    He sighed as he climbed the hill where he¡¯d set up the four elements gathering array for the children. He could tell, feeling the flow of Qi through the earth and air, that he was interrupting a productive session, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The children paused their cultivation when they realized that he was coming to see them.

    His three students exchanged nervous looks, while Tan just stood and stretched. ¡°Yes, father? You need something?¡±

    ¡°When we sent you to Lima city to meet with the representative of the Zang family, are you certain that he said they would arrive on the seventh day of the eighth month?¡± Tren asked.

    Tan blinked in surprise. ¡°Pretty sure, yeah.¡±

    ¡°How certain are you, Tan? Is there a chance that you got the numbers confused in your head again?¡±

    Tan blushed. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think so. But I guess now that you said that I might have? I¡¯m sorry, dad, you know I¡¯m not very good with numbers and sometimes¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m just asking. If you got them mixed up then Kora appearing at Lord Hara¡¯s estate isn¡¯t a case of the Zang¡¯s playing power games, just an innocent misunderstanding. If they¡¯re playing power games at this stage, then¡ª¡¯

    ¡°Okay, I probably got them mixed up,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m not as certain as I was, okay? Don¡¯t be mad.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. At you, nor at the Zangs at this point. We¡¯re going to just mark it up as a little misunderstanding, okay?¡±

    Tan relaxed, grinning. Then he frowned. ¡°Wait, does that mean that she¡¯s here?¡±

    ¡°She will be once I fetch her,¡± his father answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few hours, Tan. You should take a bath and get ready to meet her. Wear your good clothes. All of you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master Shen,¡± the other children said formally. He winced. Ever since they¡¯d figured it out ¡­

    Tan also glared at them, wondering why they were acting weird lately.

    ¡°Alright Tan, see you in a little while,¡± Tren said, and he vanished, employing the Titan¡¯s Walk technique to cover the distance between his farm and Lord Hara¡¯s estate in a moment.

    ?

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 4

    The door opened to Lord Hara¡¯s sitting room, and a man stepped in. For half a second Kora didn¡¯t recognize him; the last time she¡¯d seen Tren Shen he¡¯d been dressed in the robes of a grandmaster. This time he was in simple linens without any adornment aside from a bit of dirt. At first she thought that he was a peasant here to petition their lord over something or other, then she recognized him and quickly hastened to her feet.

    She bowed politely, one cultivator to her elder.

    ¡°Hello, Master Shen. I hope that you didn¡¯t rush on my behalf,¡± she said.

    ¡°I took my time in getting here. You¡¯re not important enough to make me truly rush,¡± Tren answered.

    She blushed at the casual insult, accepting it without rejoinder. ¡°Even so, it¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. Especially if you are to be my father-in-law.¡±

    ¡°That remains to be seen. I¡¯ve promised your family the opportunity for you to win my son¡¯s heart. It¡¯s up to you to capitalize on that opportunity,¡± he said judiciously. ¡°Tell me. Whose idea was it to arrive early?¡±

    ¡°Did the letter not say to arrive at noon?¡± she said. ¡°I thought we were punctual, despite the bad roads and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is your family playing games with me?¡± Tren asked, and she felt something that, before meeting the emperor or Renton Shen, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to identify.

    The Intent of a grandmaster.

    She swallowed nervously and met his intent with her own. She stood firm under his glare, and raised her eyebrows as though she were not staggering under an impossible weight. ¡°Are you quite done?¡± she asked.

    His eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°I see my son is not the only person to have grown in the last two years. Show me your cultivation,¡± he instructed.

    She grinned and brought her Qi to bear. She was proud to have reached the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm after receiving guidance from Renton and utilizing the fruit of the Everburning Blackberry Bush that he had planted in their garden. If it weren¡¯t for this meeting, she would still be in a semi-closed door cultivation session reflecting on the lessons and insights she had gotten from her mentor, and also the Treatise of the Rising Sun, that gift from the emperor himself.

    ¡°You have chosen to walk a different path than the one I was expecting of you,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°There is less destruction in your aura and more creation. Who set you upon this course?¡±

    ¡°I am pleased to have the privilege of having been tutored by Grandmaster Renton Shen, and have received blessings from the emperor himself since we last met,¡± Kora bragged.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Tren said, a cloudy expression coming over his face for a second. ¡°I wonder what his angle is in this¡­¡±

    ¡°I could not speak to the mind of the emperor,¡± Kora said quickly, ¡°But according to Master Shen, it was simply to ensure that anyone marrying into the Shen family was worthy of the honor.¡±

    ¡°As I noted earlier, you have a long way to go before you¡¯re marrying anyone. Tan literally forgot who you were since your last meeting until we reminded him,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°That might be for the best,¡± she admitted, blushing. ¡°I did not make the best of impressions when we met. I am grateful for the opportunity to start again.¡±

    Tren studied the young woman for a minute, then sighed. ¡°You have two choices. I can either carry you, and we¡¯ll be at my home in moments. It might be a little undignified, however. Or you can ride in your carriage and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I submit myself to your care,¡± Kora said, daring to interrupt him. She grinned. ¡°I¡¯m certain that I am perfectly safe in the care of the illustrious Shen family, and am not afraid of a little indignity.¡±

    Tren shrugged indifferently. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯m going to pick you up and carry you. It will be best if you close your eyes, my movement technique is a little disorienting.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    She allowed him to sling her over one shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt a sudden swooping in her stomach that lasted for half a moment, and then he was setting her down again. She blinked and opened her eyes.

    ¡°Was that it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°We are here,¡± he informed her, turning her to face a large manor house, a smaller house off to one side, and a variety of outbuildings, with a barn being the largest among them.

    She blinked. ¡°You live  here ?¡±

    ¡°Home sweet home,¡± he said, a smile on his face. ¡°Come along now, let¡¯s show you to your room in the guesthouse first. The other children should still be getting ready for the meeting at this point, so we¡¯ll get you settled first.¡±

    ¡°Um, I was scheduled to stay for a week, but we seem to have left my baggage behind,¡± she said.

    ¡°You can wear my wife¡¯s clothes while you work for us,¡± he commented.

    ¡°Work? Won¡¯t we spend most of the time cultivating and getting to know each other?¡± she asked.

    ¡°This is a farm, Kora. The work never stops.¡±

    Kora blinked.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    In the bathroom of the main house, Tan was drying himself from his recent bath and changing into the formal clothes that his mother had recently let out to fit him. He¡¯d grown a few inches since the clothes had first been tailored to him, but they¡¯d been tailored for a young boy who was expected to grow, and mending them to fit him was a simple matter for his mother, who was quite skilled with a needle herself.

    Her husband, on the other hand, was completely hopeless when it came to mending clothes. Which she was just fine with, as it gave her an excuse to sit in the shade while he toiled under the sun all day.

    As he dressed, Tan frowned as he considered the upcoming meeting. He glanced in the mirror, examining himself briefly, then shrugged. He was a normal looking boy, and that was about all the more he cared about. He supposed a girl might think he was handsome, but who cares about that?

    Once he had finished, he opened the door to let Pao take his turn at the bath. The twins had gone to the pond to bathe to save time, since the bathtub only fit one person at a time. Pao had already stripped to his underclothes and was quick to close the door behind him once Tan was out of the way.

    Tan shook his head, wondering what it was that the other kids were thinking lately. Ever since Uncle Renton had shown up they¡¯d just been weird.

    He went down into the kitchen, where his mother was bathing his sister. It wasn¡¯t really a bath, just a quick wash in a basin of water while the girl stood and let her mother do all the work.

    ¡°Tan, your stupid girlfriend is stupid and she¡¯s the reason I have to have this bath and I hate her,¡± Safron pouted.

    Tan glared at his sister, although his heart wasn¡¯t in it. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault! And she¡¯s not my girlfriend. She just ¡­ I don¡¯t know. Mom, she¡¯s not my girlfriend, is she?¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not formally courting. We¡¯ve promised to entertain the idea of a formal courtship between the two of you and that¡¯s it. This is just another formal meeting between the two of you,¡± his mother explained. ¡°We met at the Zang family¡¯s location of choice last time, so this time it¡¯s at our turn to host. There¡¯s a certain etiquette to these things. Honestly, the only reason we¡¯re even entertaining the Zang family is to keep them from making a fuss. If  they  raised a fuss, then some other people would wonder what the fuss was about, and they¡¯d come investigating, and that would be inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I don¡¯t have to like her if I don¡¯t like her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. If you don¡¯t get along with her then we can reject the marriage proposal without making too many waves,¡± Wensho explained as she washed Safron¡¯s hair. She used magic to spray the girl down, washing away the soap, which caused Safron to giggle.

    ¡°Okay, step out and we¡¯ll dry you off,¡± Wensho said. The girl did, and Wensho made a gesture. Tan  sort of  saw the magic as the water on his sister was pulled away and put back in the basin. ¡°Tan, help your sister dress, would you? I need to change into my formal wear myself.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, and it was his time to be a good big brother.

    ?

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 5

    Kora sat in the bed where she¡¯d be sleeping for the next week or two, astounded by the modesty of the small guesthouse. She had been expecting ¡­ she¡¯d been expecting a hidden compound like the one that her family had in the Black Sky Mountains, with dozens of servants and their family members. Instead, she¡¯d met one servant, an ugly young man who had practically ignored her.

    Of course, even that servant was a cultivator, she¡¯d noticed. An earth cultivator if she wasn¡¯t mistaken. She couldn¡¯t quite tell his stage or advancement, but she got the slight taste of truffles from his Qi. She hadn¡¯t been introduced to the young man, only seen him in passing as Tren had shown her the room. He was waiting outside the door as she groomed herself with the toiletries that were in the room, waiting for her.

    She¡¯d been perhaps a little overwilling to entrust herself to the Shens, she thought now. She hadn¡¯t realized that they¡¯d be leaving her baggage behind, and all she had with her was her traveling dress. There were some clothes in the closet, but they were less impressive than what she had on.

    She sighed as she finished washing her face and brushing her hair. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, then forced a smile. She went to the door, expecting to find Tren waiting for her and ¡­ he wasn¡¯t there.

    She frowned, leaving the room and entering the main living area, where the ugly man was eating a bowl of rice. He glanced up at her.

    ¡°The Master says that you can just come on over to the main house whenever you¡¯re ready,¡± the ugly man said. ¡°I¡¯m Tremble by the way. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Are you a disciple here, or just a servant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pig,¡± the man said, shrugging. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d call me a disciple, but I am learning from the master. The young master stole from me last year, and the lessons are payment for that debt.¡±

    Kora frowned, uncertain what the man meant by the first statement. ¡°What was stolen?¡±

    ¡°My spiritual stone. It was my treasure at the time.¡±

    ¡°Tan did that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°To be fair to him, he was stealing from a pig,¡± Tremble said, shrugging. ¡°I mean, I was angry and all, but he didn¡¯t realize that I was aware enough to warrant any respect. I¡¯ve mostly forgiven him, and the master¡¯s insights have already advanced my cultivation beyond what they would have been if it were not for that encounter.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Shen family has a way of doing that,¡± Kora said, grinning. ¡°What are you eating?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, there¡¯s still some on the stove. I was going to eat the rest of it in the morning, but the main family won¡¯t be eating for an hour yet, so if you¡¯re hungry¡ª¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I am a little peckish,¡± she admitted. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have just a bite to eat.¡±

    She went into the kitchen and placed a scoop of rice into a bowl, as well as a few of the fried vegetables. She took one bite, and her eyes opened wide.

    Without thinking any further, she sat down into the lotus position and began to cultivate as she processed the Qi dense food. It wasn¡¯t enough for a breakthrough, but anything this rich deserved the effort to be utilized. Twenty minutes past as she slowly ate and cultivated, savoring every bite even after it was cold.

    Then she realized that she¡¯d been making the Shens wait for her for twenty minutes, and she blushed. She quickly got back up, setting the bowl in the basin to be washed by the servant later. She rushed back into the dining area, where the ugly man was reclining on the floor, scratching himself and staring at a Dao painting on the wall. She glanced at the painting as well and¡­

    And she was entranced for another twenty minutes before shaking herself out of it.

    ¡°Would you do me the honor of introducing me to the main house?¡± she asked Tremble once she realized that she¡¯d be  living here for a week  and could stare at the painting as much as she wanted, but had limited time to make a good impression.

    ¡°Why? Just go over and knock on the door. They¡¯re expecting you,¡± the servant answered.

    She frowned, but she didn¡¯t feel confident enough to boss the young man around, so she simply left, walking over to the main house and doing as he suggested.

    She knocked, waited a moment, and when it wasn¡¯t promptly answered she knocked again. The third time she knocked, it was answered. Not by a servant, but by a little girl.

    ¡°Hello Tan¡¯s girlfriend,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m Safron. I¡¯m five. I heard you have a fire spirit, but I bet mine¡¯s stronger. My dad caught it for me.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Kora looked down at the young mistress of the Shen family and fumbled for what to say to a girl so young. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s your name, if I might ask.¡±

    ¡°You can ask,¡± the girl said, a grin on her face. She didn¡¯t say anything else though. Kora reviewed what was said in her mind and realized the game that was being played.

    ¡°Since you said I could ask, would you please tell me your name?¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯m Safron Shen,¡± she said. ¡°And I¡¯m in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm! I have to get to the second before winter or else my big brother wins.¡±

    Kora swallowed. ¡°Wins what?¡± she asked.

    ¡°He took less than nine months to reach the second. So if he¡¯s faster then me, then he wins. If I¡¯m faster than him, then I win,¡± the girl explained.

    ¡°What do you win, exactly?¡±

    The girl frowned. ¡°I just win. That¡¯s all. Did you bring me a dolly?¡±

    Kora blinked. Why would she have ¡­ she should have brought a doll for her fiance¡¯s little sister, she realized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I  did  buy you a doll, but Master Shen was in such a rush to bring us to your house that it got left behind,¡± she lied.

    ¡°Oh. Okay, I¡¯m going to go yell at daddy then,¡± the girl said, and she wandered off.

    Kora stepped inside, surprised that there was nobody else to greet her. ¡°Hello?¡± she called out.

    ¡°In here, dear,¡± Wensho answered, and Kora followed the voice into a kitchen, where four children were working to prepare dinner. ¡°Sorry, we tried to wait for you, but we weren¡¯t certain how long you¡¯d be woolgathering, so we went ahead and started cooking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I sort of got lost in the dao painting in the guesthouse,¡± Kora admitted.

    Tan snickered at that for some reason.

    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, my dear,¡± Wensho assured the girl. ¡°Come here and help me wrap these dumplings.¡±

    ¡°Um, do what now?¡±

    ¡°You want to eat, don¡¯t you? Come and help us cook,¡± the girl, whose name Wensho didn¡¯t know, said impatiently. ¡°Or are you too good to cook the food that you eat yourself?¡±

    Sensing the challenge, Kora stepped over next to Wensho, who showed her how to wrap the stuffing in the dumplings, which were later cooked in a frying pan with oil. She¡¯d had the dish many times before, but never been involved in cooking it. Her dumplings were obvious, they lacked the style of the Mistress of the house¡¯s dumplings, but she quickly got the hang of it.

    ¡°Not what you were expecting, was it?¡± Wensho asked her.

    ¡°No. Where are your servants? Why are you doing this yourself?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any servants. We have some fieldhands, but they just help with the work. They¡¯re not servants in the way that you use the term, they¡¯re friends and family,¡± Wensho answered.

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Kora blinked. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around the informality of the meeting. She watched as one of the boys, older than Tan and younger than her, twin to the girl who had teased her a moment ago, used his own Qi to flash-boil a pot and throw some chopped potatoes inside. She blinked at the casual display of magic that she¡¯d never have considered.

    ¡°You use your abilities in everyday chores?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Why would you cultivate except to make your life easier?¡± Wensho asked.

    Kora¡¯s mind reeled. Why would she cultivate? ¡°For power, and prestige, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°What good are those things, dear? Why do you want them?¡± Wensho asked.

    Kora went silent as she considered the woman¡¯s wisdom. What good were power and prestige, exactly? Wensho was right, the ultimate purpose of cultivation was to improve your life, she realized after a moment. Power and prestige fed back into that purpose, but they were also ends of their own. Weren¡¯t they?

    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster,¡± Kora said.

    ¡°None of that. Go help Safron set the table,¡± Wensho said, taking the imperfectly formed dumplings from the teenager and ushering her into the dining room to help a little girl place plates and silverware around the table.

    As she worked, she continued to reflect on lady Wensho¡¯s wisdom.

    Cultivation was about self-improvement. It was so obvious that that was the end goal in and of itself that one she¡¯d realized it, Kora couldn¡¯t believe that she¡¯d been focused on the other benefits.

    ¡°Cultivation increases your power and prestige,¡± she said to herself, ¡°but that is not its goal. I must keep that in mind from now on. Whenever I cultivate, I must keep my mind on the fact that I am seeking to better myself. Power and prestige are the result, not the goal.¡±

    ¡°Whispering is impolite,¡± the little girl scolded. ¡°If you¡¯re going to talk, you should say it so that everyone can hear.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kora said, and she repeated herself.

    The little girl blinked at her. ¡°Well, duh.¡±

    ?

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 6

    There was a very brief introduction that occurred once dinner was finished cooking. Tren had been taking a bath while the others worked and emerged cleaner and in finer clothes than she¡¯d seen him earlier, but still not the grandmaster¡¯s attire that she¡¯d first met him in. Rather, these looked like clothes that a peasant might wear on a holiday.

    The children lined up from youngest to oldest, and they each introduced themselves.

    ¡°I¡¯m Pao, I¡¯m fifteen, and I¡¯m an earth cultivator of the eighth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm,¡± the oldest boy, who had the height of a man but retained boyish features otherwise. Except for his muscles, she noticed. He was dressed in fine black clothes with the word for ¡°Earth Initiate¡± embroidered upon them.

    The twins went next, with the girl going first. ¡°I¡¯m Ko, and I¡¯m a water cultivator, like Mistress Wensho Shen. My brother and I recently broke through into the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, but I¡¯ll let him introduce himself.¡±

    The boy nodded at his sister. ¡°I¡¯m Won. I¡¯m a fire cultivator,¡± he said. ¡°Seventh stage, like she said. I thought I¡¯d be stronger than you when you arrived since I heard you were weak two years ago, but whatever. You¡¯re older, so I guess that means that it was easier for you to catch up.¡±

    His sister elbowed him and he elbowed her back. They stepped back, and suddenly Safron stepped forward. She was wearing a little dress with the word for ¡°Fire¡± embroidered on it. ¡°I¡¯m Safron and we met but I wanted to say and I have fire magic too,¡± the little girl declared before stepping back.

    Tan rolled his eyes at his sister¡¯s antics, then shrugged. ¡°You know who I am and what I cultivate already, since I¡¯m the entire reason you¡¯re here. I¡¯m in the first stage of the Foundation Realm, although I think I¡¯m going to break through into the next stage any day now,¡± he said. She noticed that he was wearing the same clothes that he had been wearing when they first met, loose blue pants and a shirt that had a front flap that went down over his thighs. On his chest was the word for ¡°Wind Student of Two Grandmasters.¡±

    Kora nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all, and to see you again, Tan. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this visit since our last encounter.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I nearly screw up your cultivation and almost kill you?¡±

    ¡°I, well, yes you did. But it also freed my spirit, Slake, and we have been growing closer thanks to the destruction of the subsumation bonding technique. If you  hadn¡¯t  destroyed that technique, then my best friend would have lost her mind before I ever knew her,¡± Kora explained.

    ¡°I hate you so much,¡± her spirit whispered in her ear.

    Tan frowned at her, then shrugged. ¡°Whatever. You¡¯re not my girlfriend. My parents say that I have to be nice to you, but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re getting married,¡± he said flatly.

    She bit her lip at the blunt dismissal of her ambitions. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to love me right now, Tan, only for an opportunity to get to know each other. That¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Tan said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    So they all sat at the table. Kora waited a moment to be served, but quickly saw her mistake as the other children all speared the best food they could with their silverware and began loading up their plates and bowls. She quickly realized that if she didn¡¯t help herself soon, there wouldn¡¯t be much left, so she got in on the action.

    Several of the dumplings that she¡¯d wrapped herself made it onto her bowl, with only one of the ones that Lady Wensho had wrapped. She got plenty of rice, but not as much of the fried pork and vegetables as the other children claimed. Even the adults got in on the game. Only little Safron was immune to the competition for the best bits of the dinner. And only because she was apparently allowed to pick whatever she wanted off the plates of the older children.

    Soon, the center of the table was empty of food, and the family was eating while guarding their food from the others. This was necessary, Kora realized, because if you didn¡¯t watch it the other children would ruthlessly steal from you.

    It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t enough to go around. Especially the rice; half the pot remained ready for anyone who hadn¡¯t gotten enough of the other food to fill their bellies with. There was plenty for everyone, and she wondered what the competition was about. Was it some sort of ritual that she didn¡¯t understand? What purpose did it serve? Was it competition just for competitions sake?

    As she struggled to keep her selections from the other children, suddenly Tren speared one of Wensho¡¯s dumplings from Kora¡¯s plate. Kora shot him a surprised look, but he just grinned and popped the dumpling into her mouth.

    She was amazed at the familiarity they were showing. What was this? Was every meal going to be a competition? Was  everything  going to be a competition? Was that the secret to their strength?

    Across the table, Tan shot his not-girlfriend a glare. Why was she being weird? She looked absolutely stunned when his dad had stolen her last good dumpling, but why  wouldn¡¯t  he have done that? It was practically a tradition at every table that he¡¯d ever eaten at to squabble for the tastiest bits before they were eaten.

    He frowned. At least, everywhere except when he¡¯d been in Mosanatas, but that city had been weird on multiple levels. Maybe she came from someplace like that? Where adults watched the kids eat without disturbing them for some reason?

    That was fine, but he preferred the fun of stealing from the others.

    Once most of the food was gone, everyone settled back and began to cultivate. Kora was no exception. She had thought that the rice that Tremble had cooked was rich in Qi, but it was nothing compared to this banquet. Even little Safron closed her eyes and meditated briefly.

    However, after less than ten minutes, the others had finished their contemplations and began chatting, disturbing Kora¡¯s careful manipulations of the energy within her. She looked up. Had they finished already? With a bounty like this, she could spend hours absorbing the spiritual energy in her belly.

    The twins were bickering about something that Kora didn¡¯t understand. They were talking about someone called ¡°the Red Rooster¡± and whether or not his latest letter home had been dishonest about his progress or not. This ¡°Red Rooster¡± claimed to have reached the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm.Stolen story; please report.

    Ko thought that he was being honest, while Won was insisting that the man was lying. Then eventually Won decided that  maybe  the Rooster was telling the truth, and abruptly Ko was insistent that the man was full of horse dung.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made surprising progress since we saw you last, Kora,¡± Lady Wensho said overtop the bickering. ¡°Congratulations on your advancement.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. It was the boon of the emperor that pushed me this far. I received an invitation for an audience. We didn¡¯t know why at all, but apparently I got his attention. I¡¯m not certain if you¡¯ve ever been there, but it¡¯s customary to bathe before meeting the emperor at the hotsprings. I broke through into the seventh stage of the initiate¡¯s realm in the bath. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing, really, since it caused a delay and I guess there¡¯s sort of a taboo against cultivating in the hot springs, but then¡­¡±

    She glanced around realized that everyone was staring at her.

    ¡° You met the emperor? ¡± Tan asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Well, not really? Sort of? He was behind a screen, so I didn¡¯t see his face or anything. He tested me with his intent, which was so strong that I almost fainted. Then he said that he was pleased with me and gave me three gifts. A Treatise that is helping me change my Dao into one of a higher path, a bush of Everburning Blackberries for my family¡¯s estate, and a week with a master fire cultivator beyond compare. You might know him, I believe he¡¯s a member of your family. His name is Renton Shen.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Renton is stupid. He talks stupid and doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Safron chimed in.

    ¡°I¡¯m eternally grateful for the tutelage he gave me,¡± Safron said earnestly. ¡°With his guidance and the Emperor¡¯s gifts, I have swiftly ascended three stages in as many months. I am continuing to follow the cultivation plan he has set out for me, and I am grateful for it for it has greatly exceeded what I could have achieved on my own.¡±

    ¡°And how exactly does Renton¡¯s method compare to the Zang family¡¯s methods?¡± Tren inquired, a smile upon his face.

    Kora frowned, but she realized that the Shen family methods were clearly superior, so such a question was less probing for secrets and more ¡­ humble bragging? She was uncertain, but she decided upon honestly answering.

    ¡°Were it not for his guidance, I would have consumed every fruit that the Everburning Blackberry Bush produced within a few days, instead of slowly spreading them out over the last few weeks. I would have made great progress at first, but then slowly died out, like a bonfire that burns brightly at first but dims as it runs through the fuel. With his guidance, I have been consuming only a few of the berries at a time, and processing them slowly to get the greatest benefits. The fire that burns hottest does not burn nearly as long as one that is carefully shepherded through the night.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, another one,¡± Tan said.

    Kora blinked. ¡°Another what?¡±

    ¡°Another cultivator who tries to make themselves sound profound by making analogies using their element. Were those your words or Uncle Renton¡¯s?¡± he asked.

    Kora frowned. ¡°They¡¯re my own, but they¡¯re based upon his wisdom. Do you have a problem with¡ª¡±

    ?     ¡°Be not a bonfire but a lantern,¡± he said. He nodded. ¡°There. I said what you said in way fewer words, and I¡¯m a  wind  cultivator. So there.¡±

    She cocked her head to the side. Was this some sort of competition she wasn¡¯t aware of? Then she studied his words and realized that he had indeed encapsulated the wisdom she¡¯d attempted to share in fewer words.

    ¡°A lantern has more control over the flame it burns than a bonfire,¡± she admitted. ¡°It gives off the same amount of heat and the same amount of light, perhaps, but it preserves its fuel for longer and only burns when it is needed. Your insight is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Tan said, interrupting her. ¡°So you met Uncle Renton, huh? We planted the orchard together. I helped.¡±

    Kora blinked. ¡°The orchard?¡±

    ¡°We have a newly planted orchard of cherry trees,¡± Lady Wensho said. ¡°We¡¯re looking forward to their first harvest. They promise to be most delicious, and quite good for the children¡¯s cultivation. Unfortunately it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ll bear fruit for some time, possibly not until next year.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Kora said. ¡°I hear that blossoming cherry trees are beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Indeed they are,¡± Lord Tren said, a wistful smile on his face. He glanced at Wensho and said ¡°I can¡¯t wait to kiss my wife beneath one once more.¡±

    Lady Wensho swatted him playfully, while Tan groaned like he¡¯d seen something disgusting. He turned back to Kora. ¡°Can you fight?¡± he asked.

    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can. You. Fight. Mom, dad, we should have another tournament tomorrow. To see who¡¯s strongest now that she¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°If we get done with the chores in time,¡± Lord Tren said. ¡°And she agrees to it of course.¡±

    Tan shot a challenging glare at her, and she felt a sudden burst of intent. Anger and annoyance and a desire to ¡­ prove himself? She frowned. That¡¯s what she got from the burst. Had that been intentional, or¡­

    ¡°You flinched,¡± he said. ¡°You lose.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I made you flinch with my intent. You lose,¡± he repeated. ¡°It¡¯s a game we play. If you flinch when someone uses their intent on you, you lose. You lost. That means you have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kora¡¯s doesn¡¯t have to play this game unless she wants to,¡± Lady Wensho said, quickly interjecting herself in the conversation. She looked at Kora and shrugged helplessly. ¡°The children have been training their intent for the last few months, since they got back from Mosanatas. The game they play, and the stakes they put on it, are motivation to improve. But you weren¡¯t aware of it, so you¡¯re exempt.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay,¡± Kora said, wishing to integrate into the Shen household while she was here. ¡°What do I have to do, since I flinched.¡±

    Tan thought about it for a minute, then grinned. ¡°Clean the chicken coop,¡± he declared.

    ¡°You do  not  have to do that, Kora,¡± Lord Tren said emphatically. ¡°Pick something else Tan.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. He¡¯s right, I did flinch,¡± Kora said. And besides, how hard could it be? ¡°I¡¯ll just need someone to show me what to do, and then I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±

    Tan grinned, and she felt another burst of malicious pleasure from him. She didn¡¯t flinch this time.

    Perhaps she would have if she¡¯d realize what cleaning a chicken coop actually entailed.

    ?

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 7

    Cleaning up after dinner was, like it¡¯s preparation, a communal activity, with only Safron as the youngest member of the household being free to go play before it was time for bed. The children all carried their plates and bowls and silverware into the kitchen, washing them and stacking them in turns as they bantered.

    Kora continued to feel out of place as she copied the other children. She¡¯d never once cleaned up after one of her meals before, that was what the servants were for. She didn¡¯t look down on her family¡¯s servants, she appreciated their work and was certain that they were paid well and treated with respect.

    At least, she was relatively certain they were. She realized that she didn¡¯t really know. Aside from a few servants who had looked after her when she was younger, she didn¡¯t really know many of them. It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want to, but because as soon as she entered the room they quickly made their exit.

    She frowned as she came to a realization. Was she an inconvenience to her family¡¯s servants? Or were they afraid fo her for some reason? She frowned as she washed her bowl for the third time thinking of it.

    ¡°You look constipated,¡± Tan told her bluntly. ¡°If you are you should tell mom. She¡¯ll fix you up.¡±

    Kora looked at the younger boy, then blushed. ¡°I¡¯m not ¡­ I was thinking about something.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s your thinking face then I know why I haven¡¯t seen it before,¡± the boy said.

    She flushed as she realized she¡¯d just been insulted by her prospective husband. ¡°Are you this rude to every girl, or just me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Dunno. Ko¡¯s the only one from the village who still hangs out with me. The others are all weird now,¡± Tan admitted freely. ¡°But give me one reason why I should be nice to you anyway.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be married,¡± she said.

    ¡°No, we¡¯re not,¡± Tan said bluntly. ¡°I asked my parents and they honestly don¡¯t care. Your family is the one who wants that to happen. We¡¯re just not being rude.¡±

    ¡°You call this not being rude?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being rude. My family is being polite,¡± the boy clarified.

    Kora flushed. ¡°What have I done to offend you, oh mighty young master of the Shen family?¡± she asked with a mocking undertone.

    He frowned at her. ¡°Who said you offended me? It¡¯s Zephyr that hates you. Not sure why, aside from the fact that she really, really hates your family because they tried to trap her and do to her what you did to your own spirit.¡±

    Kora¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Is your spirit poisoning you against me?¡±

    ¡°I dunno. Probably,¡± Tan admitted. He yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to bed. Have fun cleaning the chicken coop tomorrow.¡±

    Kora watched the boy leave and frowned. If his spirit was predisposed against her, then she¡¯d have to win over not just Tan, but his guardian spirit as well. She frowned, reflecting on her history with winning over spirits. Sensing her thoughts, Slake began laughing in her ear.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± she told the spirit, and she finished drying her bowl and stepped out of the kitchen. She was met by Lady Wensho, who smiled at her, but it was a smile that didn¡¯t quite meet the eyes. Not like it did when it was directed at the other children.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Not what you were expecting, are we?¡± the matriarch asked.

    ¡°No. But it¡¯s ¡­ It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll adapt to your way of life if I have to,¡± Kora declared.

    ¡°You will, will you?¡± Wensho asked. The woman shrugged. ¡°Come with me. We¡¯ll fit you in some of my old work clothes for tomorrow before sending you back to the guest house. There¡¯s no reason to get your pretty dress clothes dirty with sweat and manure.¡±

    ¡°Manure?¡± Kora frowned. ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Wensho smiled at her, a bit of mischief behind her grin. ¡°What exactly do you think it is that needs to be cleaned out of a chicken coop, Kora?¡± she asked.

    Kora¡¯s abrupt realization of what task actually lay in front of her hit all at once. She half-retched in disgust.

    ¡°It¡¯s not nearly as bad as you might think,¡± Wensho assured the girl, ¡°But if you don¡¯t mind losing the respect of the other children, you can still back out.¡±

    Kora glanced at the woman, who was taking an evil amount of pleasure in Kora¡¯s situation. ¡°I won¡¯t back down,¡± she declared.

    ¡°Good. Now come on, let¡¯s find some work clothes that will fit you.¡±

    Thirty minutes later, Kora was carrying a bundle of cloth back to the guesthouse. The work clothes that she¡¯d been given were surprisingly plain, and wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place on a peasant. She supposed that made sense, considering the sort of work that was done in them, but it would still be the most humble outfit that Kora had ever worn.

    Kora almost tripped over Tremble, who was laying in the entryway in front of the Dao painting on his side. He just grunted as he foot connected with him, but didn¡¯t complain.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said quickly.

    ¡°My fault for laying her,¡± he said. ¡°I was lost in the painting again.¡±

    He got to his feet and dusted himself off. ¡°Easy to do. Grateful to the master for painting it for me. Wish I could take it with me when I leave.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a pig. This is all just to learn from the master. Once I understand my path better, I¡¯m going to go back to the wild,¡± Tremble said.

    Kora frowned, examining the man closer. His nose was slightly angled upward, and his hair was wiry and ¡­ she had a sudden shocking realization.

    ¡°Wait, do you mean that you are literally a pig? As in a spirit beast?¡± she asked.

    ¡°What did you think I meant?¡± Tremble asked, stretching. He  Popped , resuming his natural form, his clothes falling to the ground beside him. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I sleep better in my natural form. Goodnight young mistress.¡±

    Tremble the wild bore spirit animal calmly walked past her and into the bedroom where he slept. He jumped onto the bed and lay on his side, falling asleep within moments.

    Kora spent a moment staring at the spirit beast for a moment before closing the door behind him and returning to the room she¡¯d been assigned.

    The Shen family was  teaching  a spirit beast, she realized. The spirit beast was  working for them  to pay for  lessons .

    She reflected on what her own family would do if it discovered a spirit boar on their lands and swallowed nervously. It seems that the subsumation bonding technique was not the only philosophical difference between the Shen and the Zang family.

    ?

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 8

    Tan was dreaming that he was being married to an ugly girl with a pig head and spider arms. He frowned, abruptly realizing that he was dreaming and taking control of it. The pig-headed spider girl vanished, and he looked around at the faceless people who had gathered to celebrate the union. Tan looked around, confused. This didn¡¯t seem like one of the usual dreams that he¡¯d come to himself in. Not every dream he had was lucid, but enough were that he was unsurprised to find himself in one.

    ¡°Zephyr, are you doing this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°...I was,¡± the spirit admitted. ¡°Sorry Tan. I just hate her so much.¡±

    ¡°Why, exactly?¡±

    ¡°Because of what she almost did to my friend,¡± Zephyr explained. ¡°And what she almost did to me. I do not think that I could be bound without my express permission, but if I  were  to fall victim to the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace, I would lose centuries of myself, and it would be decades before Kora died and I was released to heal.¡±

    Tan frowned, then shrugged. ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t happen that way, and we helped the fire spirit together.¡±

    ¡°But there are others in the Zang family who use the improper method of binding their spirits. If they keep doing it then ¡­ I don¡¯t know. They¡¯ll hurt a lot of spirits like that. Fortunately I doubt any of them will actually manage to reach the divine realm after crippling their spirit, so I don¡¯t think the damage they¡¯re causing is irreversible. But I still wish I could kill everyone who used the Mother Spider¡¯s Embrace,¡± Zephyr explained.

    ¡°Kora didn¡¯t use that formation, Zephyr, it was used on her by her parents,¡± Tan pointed out. ¡°She didn¡¯t understand¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind. Just seeing her makes me so angry though,¡± the wind spirit confessed.

    Tan sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m going to go dream about swimming. I can fly anytime, but the dreams about swimming are the best.¡±

    And so he dreamed that he was at the lake, swimming with his friends.

    The lake turned into the water gardens in mosanatas, and then they were turning back into the lake when suddenly someone grabbed his foot and pulled him out of the dream.

    He awoke to find his father standing over his bed. It was still dark out, but there was a faint glow to the darkness that implied dawn was around the horizon. Tan grumbled, but was used to being woken like this, so he scrambled out of bed to get dressed and do the things that he always did in the morning.

    After feeding the chickens and picking their eggs, he helped his mother in the kitchen, chopping green onions to go with the fried eggs that they were having for breakfast, along with some of the leftover rice from the night before. The rice was congealed and starting to dry, but Won fixed that by mixing it with some sauce and frying it with some chopped vegetables.

    Safron was surprised when she was given a task that morning; she stumbled out of bed when she heard the others up and about and wandered into the kitchen in her nightgown, only for her mother to promptly instruct her to go to the guesthouse and wake Kora to invite her to join the others at the table. The little girl grinned and dashed off to fulfill the task.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude about it!¡± Wensho called after her daughter, but Safron was already out the door. Wensho shook her head, but wasn¡¯t too worried.

    Tan shook his head in amusement and continued to help by setting the table, which was the task that Safron usually performed.

    Safron didn¡¯t bother to change into her clothes for the day or to even put on shoes, just running outside along the little dirt path that connected the main house to the guest house. She didn¡¯t bother to knock, barging right in. She ran to the room where she knew that the older girl would be sleeping, burst inside and started jumping on the bed.

    ¡°Get up get up get up get up get up!¡± she cried, causing Kora to recoil awake and fall out of bed. The teenager was so startled that for a second she started calling on her power, but oriented herself before there were any unfortunate accidents.

    ¡°What?¡± Kora asked blearily, the alarm fading. ¡°Safron? What¡¯s going on?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Mommy said to wake you and invite you to breakfast. You don¡¯t  have  to come eat if you don¡¯t want to. Nobody really wants you there, but we¡¯re being polite. If you want to eat in the guesthouse instead that¡¯s fine, you can eat with the pig,¡± Safron said merrily.

    Kora blinked, forcing herself awake and calming herself down. Her heart was still beating a thousand times a minute. She looked down at the simple bead clothes she¡¯d been given, then at the just as simple work clothes that she had also been given, and then at the carefully folded travel clothes that she¡¯d worn yesterday. She regretted once more that her luggage had been abandoned, but she sighed and pulled herself upright.

    ¡°Thank you for the wake-up call, Safron. Please tell Lady Wensho that I will be there as soon as I dress,¡± Kora said. Safron grinned and ran back to the main house. Her feet were dirty but she didn¡¯t care.

    Not until her mother scolded her for it, at least. Then she only cared because she got in trouble and had to go wash the dirt away and get dressed, which she was told she should have done before running her errand.

    She shrugged. If she hadn¡¯t rushed, then Kora might have woken on her own, and then she wouldn¡¯t have  really  been able to follow the instructions to wake her up, could she?

    A short time later, the Shen family was gathered at the table, waiting patiently for their guest. While Tremble lived with them and was treated as a friend and guest, the wild boar spirit preferred to break his fast by scavenging in the nearby forest in the mornings in his natural form, so they weren¡¯t waiting for him. Kora, however, seemed to be taking her sweet time.

    ¡°Ko, would you be a dear and go check on her?¡± Wensho asked thirty minutes after Safron had reported the completion of her duty.

    ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re the only other girl and Safron already went, obviously,¡± Her brother said impatiently. His mouth was watering due to the smell, and he was impatient to get started.

    Ko sighed and went to the door. She was putting her shoes on when Kora knocked. Ko answered and looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°What are you wearing?¡± the younger teenager asked.

    Kora blinked. ¡°My clothes.¡±

    She was wearing the same thing as last night. If she was going to be eating with the Shens, she thought that she should dress in the best clothes that she had, dirty as they were, but now, as she saw how Ko was dressed, Kora began to have doubts about her wardrobe decision.

    ¡°You¡¯re not one of those girls who changes clothes twenty times through the day are you?¡± Ko asked. ¡°Because we don¡¯t have time for that. There¡¯s too much work to be done.¡±

    Kora flushed. ¡°What I¡¯m wearing is perfectly¡ª¡±

    ¡°You going to clean chicken poop dressed in that?¡± Tan called from the hallway, a grin on his face. ¡°Seriously, what are you wearing?¡±

    Kora glanced at the boy she was attempting to woo into a political marriage and her heart sank. He looked like ¡­

    He looked like a peasant boy, she realized.

    ¡°Forgive me. After last night I thought ¡­ I¡¯m not sure what I thought.¡±

    ¡°We all bathed and dressed up to formally welcome you, but that was a big thing and now it¡¯s back to normal,¡± Ko explained gently. ¡°We  work  on this farm, and there¡¯s no reason to spoil good clothes by working in them.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go change¡ª¡± Kora said, turning to leave.

    ¡°No,¡± Tan said. ¡°Everyone is waiting on you to eat breakfast. You can change after, and before you clean the chicken coop. Wouldn¡¯t want to spoil the fancy dress with chicken poop would you?¡±

    Kora flushed, but came inside. Breakfast was a more relaxed affair than dinner had been the night before, with less competition for the eggs and fried rice. Safron still speared a mushroom off of Kora¡¯s plate, to the older girls surprise, but nobody else raised an eyebrow. Sighing, the older girl felt out of placed as the best dressed person in the room.

    The others spoke briefly about the various things that needed to be done around the farm, with some of the children volunteering for tasks and some of them being assigned other tasks whether they volunteered or not. Tan was assigned to  assist  Kora in cleaning the coop, which meant showing her how and making sure it was done properly. It was an opportunity to spend some time with him, at least, Kora thought to herself.

    Once everyone had eaten their fill, the Shen family filed out of the house to begin the day.

    ?

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 9

    Kora quickly changed clothes after breakfast into some of the work attire that she¡¯d been given, then followed the directions and the sound of clucking to the chicken coop, where Tan was waiting for her after having gathered the tools she¡¯d need. She¡¯d been looking forward to, at last, getting a chance to spend some time with him alone.

    She got less than ten minutes. That¡¯s how long he spent showing her how to shovel the soiled hay that was in the coop into the wagon which would be used to take it to the compost heap, which was something that Kora had never once heard of being a thing that existed. She wanted him to stay, to talk if nothing else, but he insisted that he had other tasks to see to and left her as soon as he¡¯d demonstrated her task.

    Leaving her with only chickens for company.

    She looked at the rooster, who was perched a few feet away from him. She frowned. Were all chickens this big? The chickens on the Shen farm certainly looked larger than the ones she was used to eating by a considerable margin. Half again as large, she thought. Was it the breed?

    Or was it he Qi in the the food that she could sense. She shook her head, thinking of the waste of feeding Qi rich food to ¡­

    She paused.

    Chickens  were food . Feeding them Qi, would that not infuse  them  with Qi, which would be present in their eggs and meat?

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t such a waste after all, she reflected, going about the unpleasant task with a pitchfork.

    She finished by noon, and was sitting next to the wagon in the shade of the coop when Safron came to collect her for dinner. The little girl frowned at the older one.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked bluntly.

    ¡°Resting,¡± Kora answered. ¡°I¡¯m done with my task.¡±

    ¡°No you¡¯re not. You have to unload it too, and then you have to spread out hay to replace the dirty stuff. Didn¡¯t my brother tell you that?¡± Safron asked.

    Kora frowned. She looked at the wagon full of manure and wondered why she¡¯d thought she¡¯d have help unloading it. Tan  had  told her those things, including where the hay was stored, but she¡¯d still thought that he would have come back to check on her by now.

    ¡°Anyway, everybody was expecting you to be a slowpoke about it so you have all day and tomorrow if you need it,¡± Safron said with her typical bluntness. ¡°But it¡¯s time for lunch, so go wash your hands and face and come eat.¡±

    The girl ran off, and Kora sighed before standing to follow her. She looked at her hands and winced at the beginnings of blisters. And her task wasn¡¯t even half finished, she reflected.

    With a sigh, she went to eat with the others, then returned to her task, determined to finish it and demonstrate once and for all that she could fit in with the Shen family.

    Even though a small part of her was wondering exactly why she was trying so hard to please a boy who clearly didn¡¯t like her.

    She managed to finish before dinnertime, and she staggered into the main hall, where Lady Wensho greeted her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. It¡¯s just a bit of hazing. You¡¯ve earned a bit of their respect by actually carrying through with the dare, so you might think that the time was well spent. I drew a bath for you, and a change of clothes. Tonight is going to be a less formal affair, but I¡¯d prefer not to have you smelling like that at the dinner table.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Lady Wensho,¡± Kora said, bowing humbly.

    ¡°None of that. Just Wensho is fine,¡± the woman said. ¡°Now go scrub that dust off your skin before we eat. You have thirty minutes before we start serving, and you can probably guess what will happen if you¡¯re late.¡±

    With those words to motivate her, Kora quickly ran to the bathroom and took one of the quickest but most thorough baths of her life.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    She blinked as, while soaking, she realized that even the bathwater was infused with Qi. She shook her head at the casual luxury mixed in with the serious hard work. The water itself seemed to sooth her muscles and blisters, and despite her haste to make it to the dinner table, she emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes and feeling refreshed.

    She sat at the table with the others, who were looking at her with suspicious glances. She smiled back at them.

    They were hazing her, were they? Well it would take more than this to drive her off.

    Dinner was more informal and even more competitive than the day before, although the fare was somewhat more simple, with simple fried rice, chopped vegetables, and several fish fillets. She flushed with annoyance when she realized that Tan had finished his duties early, as had the other children, and had time to not only cultivate for two hours but to fly to the nearby lake and fish.

    And of course, even the fish were infused with Qi. This Qi oasis of the Shen family was truly something else, she reflected during the post-meal haze where everyone was processing the Qi from their meals. Even the adults seemed to be doing something, although Kora was certain they were well past the stage where such paltry amounts of spiritual energy was beneficial.

    ¡°And what did we reflect upon today?¡± Tren Shen asked, interrupting the quiet meditation of the table.

    ¡°I reflected on the wisdom that Tan distilled yesterday,¡± Won volunteered quickly. ¡°Be not the bonfire but the lantern. I think there¡¯s more to those words than even he realized when he said them. I¡¯m not certain it¡¯s the  best  way to distill the concept that Kora was trying to share, but it was a good one.¡±

    ¡°I reflected on the difference between oil and Kora. I mean Tan and water. I mean oil and water,¡± Ko said, giggling as she fumbled her words deliberately. Kora blushed as she caught the girls meaning immediately.

    ¡°I reflected more on the meaning of being steadfast,¡± Pao said simply. ¡°And I watched Tremble work. I think he¡¯s close to a breakthrough, but I¡¯m not certain. Do you think that he¡¯ll leave us if he manages one?¡±

    ¡°If he does, it¡¯s his decision to make,¡± Tren said. ¡°Tan? What did you reflect on?¡±

    Tan scratched his head. ¡°Honestly I kept thinking about the dream of Kora I had last night.¡±

    Kora¡¯s eyes went wide. He dreamed of her? Maybe her prospects weren¡¯t so--

    ¡°It was Zephyr playing with my dreams again, but I dreamed that I was marrying a pig-faced spider girl who was extremely ugly and nobody was happy in the wedding,¡± the boy continued. ¡°Anyway I know it doesn¡¯t mean anything but it was stuck in my head.¡±

    Kora¡¯s jaw dropped. He ¡­ dreamed what?

    ¡°Safron, what did you reflect on today?¡± Wensho asked the youngest child at the table.

    ¡°Candle wax,¡± the girl said. ¡°Why is it sticky sometimes and not others? Why does it burn, even though it melts? I dunno. I was just thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, Safron. You¡¯re asking good questions. Keep it up,¡± Wensho praised. The woman turned to Kora. ¡°Kora? What did you reflect on today?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I was supposed to reflect on anything specific,¡± she admitted. ¡°But if I had to answer, then I guess I¡¯ll just say it. I reflected on how much I hate chicken poop.¡±

    The table laughed with her, and she smiled.

    After eating, she asked Tan to show her the best place to cultivate fire Qi in the farm, and he led her to the orchard. They were alone for a few minutes, but rather than taking advantage of it, Kora was swept away by the fire Qi given off by the Everburning Cherry Trees that were growing in a perfect grid.

    With the light of the setting sun, it was a perfect flavor of Qi for her to cultivate. The Dawn would have been better, except that ¡­ she¡¯d have to wake up at dawn, she realized, and she wasn¡¯t certain she could manage that, accustomed as she was to sleeping in. So she plopped down in the center of the orchard and cultivated quietly, drawing the qi in through her hands and skin and cycling it into her dantian.

    She suddenly noticed a warm and comforting breeze and looked up to see Tan cultivating nearby her. For whatever reason, the ambient Qi responded to his meditations and became even richer. Kora grinned and closed her eyes, focusing on her own cultivation.

    At least they had this one thing in common, she reflected. A drive for power.

    No, she reflected. That was not the lure that drove the Shens.

    A drive to better herself. That is what she shared with Tan.

    She realized abruptly how much she had changed in just one day after the nugget of wisdom that Lady Wensho had bestowed upon her almost by accident.

    Power and prestige were byproducts, she reflected. Not the goal. That is what set the Shens apart from the Zangs. Was that also the reason that the emperor looked upon them with his favor, to the point where he would send Renton Shen to tutor her just on the off chance that the marriage went through?

    Questions for another time, she decided, closing her eyes and focusing on absorbing the Qi in the orchard.

    ?

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 10

    Tan rolled over in his bed, unable to go to sleep. He was ¡­ anxious? He wasn¡¯t sure how to classify the feeling, but he was feeling something unpleasant. And he was certain that Kora was to blame.

    He was close to breaking through to the next stage, he was certain. Very close. He¡¯d probably manage in a day or two, even with Zephyr hoarding one third of all of the energy he was gathering for the purpose. He wasn¡¯t certain  why  she was hoarding energy from him; he wasn¡¯t at the stage where he could help  her  grow yet, and the last time she had done this he¡¯d been at the edge of a breakthrough in the Dao. He didn¡¯t feel that was the case now.

    He trusted his companion spirit implicitly. Even with the way she was poisoning him against Kora, an action that she wasn¡¯t even pretending to deny, he was certain that she had his best interests at heart. They were bound together, after all, and her best interests were his best interests. She would make him stronger, and eventually, he would make her stronger as well.

    That was how spirit cultivation worked.

    Unless you were a Zang, a small voice whispered in his ear. Not Zephyr, his own conscience. He recalled the twisting formation he¡¯d seen in Kora and her parent¡¯s dantian. The way that it had been designed to take and take and take from the spirit and give nothing in return.

    It had been simple enough to break. It was fragile, like the strands of a spider¡¯s web. And he did not regret it. But he thought that he would regret it if he married someone who thought that it was okay to use such a technique.

    But did Kora think that? She had seemed happier now that she could talk with her spirit, going so far as to thank Tan for freeing it.

    He chewed his lip.

    Cultivating with her had been good. It was always best to cultivate with someone of another element, Tan had learned. That was why he and his friends made such a good team, and why the cultivation hill where they had first started cultivating was so important to them. And why he¡¯d brought Kora to the orchard instead of the top of the hill.

    She didn¡¯t belong there. She wasn¡¯t one of them. She was an outsider, and that hill represented something to Tan that he wasn¡¯t willing to share with anyone except Pao, Won, Ko, and maybe Safron. As the years had gone by, the formation that focused Qi to the top of the hill had been increased, reinforced, and built upon by Tan¡¯s parents, and it was now the hub of a many-mile wide formation.

    And yet his session cultivating with Kora had been nearly as helpful. Her fire Qi stirred up the air, and his air Qi had stirred up the fire Qi in the orchard. But it was different from cultivating with Won or Safron. Kora¡¯s insights, her flavor of the Dao was different than theirs. It wasn¡¯t  better  than Won¡¯s path.

    Won focused on the  becoming  aspect of fire. Kora was ¡­ Tan wasn¡¯t exactly certain after cultivating with her only one time, but he thought she was like sunlight.

    He sighed. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to get to sleep anytime soon, so he decided to go for a walk. Or a flight, at least. He got out of bed, pulled on some pants and a jacket and went outside. He flew to the top of the cultivation hill and sat in his spot, looking up at the night sky. The stars were beautiful that night, without a cloud in the sky.

    The moon was ¡­ the moon. Tan didn¡¯t feel poetic right now. He sighed and began cultivating, lying on his back and stargazing.

    He broke through into the second stage of the Foundation Realm almost without realizing it. Shortly after, he fell asleep, outside, beneath the stars.

    He awoke to his mother splashing him with water hours later. He sputtered, and she pulled the water back, drying him with magic just as fast as she¡¯d doused him.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Punishment for making the rest of us look for you first thing in the morning. What are you doing out here?¡± she demanded, the ¡®mom¡¯ tone in her voice.

    He shrunk back. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to fall asleep. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I came out here to¡ª¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You broke through,¡± Wensho said, her senses picking up on the subtle change in her son¡¯s aura now that he was awake. ¡°Well, fine then. But next time you decide to cultivate starlight then you should leave a note on your door so we know where to find you if you fall asleep.¡±

    Tan¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Wait, is that a thing? You can cultivate starlight?¡±

    ¡°Can you? I wouldn¡¯t now,¡± Wensho said, smiling as she went back to call off the search.

    Tan frowned. He had sensed  something  from the heavens last night. Not the strong fire Qi of the sun, but perhaps it was an energy that they could use? He shook his head and rushed to tend the chickens and his other morning chores.

    It was Kora¡¯s third day at the Shen farm, her second full day with them. She was scheduled to remain a week, and Tan wasn¡¯t looking forward to the remaining time. Especially when, at the breakfast table, they were assigned to tend to the same field together, with Tan showing Kora the ropes.

    Kora seemed excited, at least.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care if I liked her or not,¡± Tan said to his father as they were pulling tools out of the shed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t. However, we need to at least put you together a few times to satisfy the Zangs so that when you refuse the marriage proposal we can at least say that we didn¡¯t reject it out of hand,¡± his father explained. ¡°And honestly it will be good for you to be around a girl other than Safron and Ko for a while. She seems interested in you too, although it might not be for the best of reasons.¡±

    ¡°Why are we even playing along with the stupid Zang¡¯s in the first place?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I never understood why you didn¡¯t tell them to just go plow themselves.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that, Tan. As for why we didn¡¯t reject their offer out of hand ¡­ they know where we live, Tan, and they think it¡¯s someplace special. It¡¯s really not, except for the work that your mother and I have put into it over the last thirty years. Centuries ago there was a ¡­ well, a great cultivator emerged from this land, but he took much of the power that was native to the land for himself, leaving nothing behind. We¡¯ve been slowly helping the wounds that he caused to heal. If people realized that these wounds were healing before the dragon veins are fully untwisted, then they¡¯ll come to either help or hinder our work,¡± Tren explained. ¡°Either way they¡¯ll get in my way, so it¡¯s easier for everyone if they just don¡¯t know about it yet.¡±

    ¡°What does that have to do with getting married to Kora?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like to leave a job half finished. And that¡¯s where the work was two years ago, half finished. Things have reached a point now where the spirits of the land have begun to heal themselves, and soon the formations and the magic that we¡¯ve set into motion will be self-sustaining. But if a thousand cultivators descend upon our home ago to investigate, then I would take you and Wensho and Safron and the other children and fled to another part of the empire,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°What would have happened to the land?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it wouldn¡¯t have had me and your mother to help it heal anymore,¡± Tren explained. ¡°Another five years, I think, and the dragon veins should be able to repair themselves from the damage that the ascension ritual of that old cultivator caused. In the meantime, it¡¯s best to simply lie low and not make too many waves. I¡¯m sorry that we put you in this position, Tan.¡±

    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t mind so much if it¡¯s to help the land heal,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that sooner?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping the land, Tan. Well, you are sort of. You and your friends are helping to prime the pumps with your cultivation atop the hill. I chose this farm for a reason, three dragon veins intersect nearby, and when you and the others cultivate on that hill, it¡¯s pulling in power that has long been stagnant. Once it starts flowing regularly, the heart of the land will start pumping again,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question. Why didn¡¯t you tell me about the land before?¡± Tan asked insistently.

    Tren scratched his nose. ¡°Because you were nine years old, Tan, and it wasn¡¯t your responsibility to fix. Entertaining the Zang¡¯s marriage proposal is an inconvenience, but we¡¯re only entertaining it to buy time. We don¡¯t need anything from the Zang¡¯s except for them not to blab to the rest of the cultivation world about the work we¡¯re doing to the dragon veins. That¡¯s  not  worth marrying you into their family for, but it is worth stringing them along to think that we might. And if you do end up liking Kora, then, well, she started out on a dead end path, but between you fixing her connection to her spirit and Renton¡¯s guidance, she¡¯s on a good one now, I think. So if you decide you like her it¡¯s not the end of the world.¡±

    Tan considered his fathers words. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I just need to string her along so that you and mom can finish your work healing the land?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, that¡¯s  not  what I¡¯m saying,¡± Tren said. ¡°But if that¡¯s what you got out of it, then I¡¯m not going to put too much effort into fixing it. It¡¯s okay to like Kora, Tan, and it¡¯s okay not to like Kora. Just be true to yourself and your parents will love you regardless. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Tan said, and he grabbed a pair of hoes and flew off to the field where Kora was waiting for him to instruct her on how to weed the crops properly.

    ?

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 11

    It was two more days before Kora even realized that Tan had had a breakthrough. And those days were mostly miserable.

    She worked hard, stretching muscles she didn¡¯t realize she had and getting blisters on top of blisters on top of blisters. Part of her wanted to just throw her hands up and demand that she be taken home, but the part of her that wanted the power and prestige that went with marrying into the Shen family kept her from simply abandoning her quest to woo Tan.

    A quest which wasn¡¯t going very well at all. Whenver she complimented him, he got a funny look on his face and said something to her which might have been an insult. She complimented him on his appearance, and he said that she looked slightly better than she had in his dreams. She complimented his work ethic, and he complimented her for working twice as hard for half the result. She complimented his cultivation progress at having achieved the first stage of the Foundation Realm, as the Shens referred to it, and he complimented her on her blindness.

    She blinked at that and asked what he meant.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I broke through the other day,¡± he said.

    She frowned and scanned the boy with her spiritual senses and realized that he was right, there was a noticeable difference between when she¡¯d arrived on the farm and today.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I meant by being blind,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re stumbling around with your hands out in front of you to gauge my progress instead of just looking.¡±

    She frowned. What was he talking about? This was how she¡¯d been trained. ¡°Can you  feel  it when I scan you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Of course I can. It¡¯s like you¡¯re grabbing me by my shoulders and shaking me. Or trying to at least. I¡¯m not so easily shaken,¡± the boy answered.

    ¡°How do you do it then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Different ways. I  could  do it the way that you do, but that¡¯s just rude. Mostly I smell it. It¡¯s not as precise, but if you know someone you can tell when they have a breakthrough based on the scent of their cultivation getting stronger. Or I listen to the way the Qi around them vibrates. My parents are almost silent, so I don¡¯t really know how strong they are except for that they¡¯re way stronger than me. But I can hear everyone else loud and clear,¡± he answered.

    She went silent as she contemplated this. Was he just pulling her leg? She¡¯d learned by now that he had no issues with lying to her, and this might have been one of those times. ¡°Well, congratulations on your advancement anyway. Why wasn¡¯t there an announcement or celebration?¡±

    ¡°There was. We had honeycakes for lunch,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone knows what that means except you I guess.¡±

    He said this with such a casual dismissal, simply going back to hoeing his row, that she could only stare at his back. He was right, she realized. She was an outsider, unwelcome and unwanted. Why was she even here?

    The power and prestige of the Shen family? Yeah, right. They were literally dirt farmers who happened to live on top of a Qi oasis. She threw her hoe down in the dirt and stormed off to the guesthouse. Tan stopped working to watch her go, then went back to work. Things went faster when he didn¡¯t need to make certain that she was doing her job the right way.

    She didn¡¯t go to dinner that night, and Lady Wensho found her in her room crying when she brought a covered platter that smelled utterly delicious.

    ¡°What did my son say?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Kora answered angrily.

    ¡°Alright then. Do you want to talk about it, or do you want to stay here and cry alone?¡±

    Kora glared at the woman, the grandmaster cultivator who was condescending her, and she opened her mouth to say something biting when she realized that the woman was genuinely asking.

    ¡°Why do you live like you do?¡± she asked at last. ¡°I¡¯ve seen only a glimpse of Renton¡¯s strength, but if you and Tren had a tenth of that then you could each live a life of luxury and ease. Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?  Farming  of all things?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯ve been there and done that and it got boring after about a decade of having our every whim catered to,¡± Wensho answered honestly. ¡°Some people enjoy that sort of thing. Tren and I enjoy a careful harvest and actually spending time with our children instead of decades of closed door cultivation and pointless power games with others who are looking to cut our throats, metaphorically or otherwise. So we just left it all behind and came somewhere that nobody would look for us.¡±

    ¡°Until my family happened along,¡± Kora said, the pieces finally falling into place. ¡°You were never serious about joining our families.¡±

    ¡°We never promised more than that we¡¯d introduce you to Tan, and give you some time together to see if you had chemistry,¡± Wensho said. ¡°That¡¯s all we¡¯ve promised, nothing more. What were you expecting?¡±

    ¡°That I would¡ªthat you would¡ªI don¡¯t know! Give a damn!¡± Kora screamed.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Kora, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a fine young lady,¡± Lady Wensho said, ignoring the outburst, ¡°But honestly, it¡¯s unlikely that my son¡¯s heart will soften towards you. Perhaps it would be best if my husband takes you home early.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Kora said sharply. She would not give up. If Tan rejected her after the week was over, that was one thing. But to simply give in, to tell her family that she had failed, she wasn¡¯t ready to do that.

    ¡°Alright. Fine. I wasn¡¯t trying to kick you out. I was just raising the option,¡± Wensho said. She sighed. ¡°There¡¯s the tournament tomorrow, you know. Maybe if you can break my son¡¯s nose, he¡¯ll look at you differently.¡±

    ¡°You think that would help?¡± Kora asked, scoffing. ¡°I suppose it couldn¡¯t make anything any worse.¡±

    ¡°Things can always get worse. You¡¯re trying to woo an indifferent heart, not a hateful one,¡± Wensho said. She turned to leave. ¡°If you¡¯re just worried about what your family thinks, then that¡¯s fine. They won¡¯t know what happens here on the farm. You can just wait for the end of the week instead of trying to fit in. If you don¡¯t show up for breakfast tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring you something to eat again, and if you want to talk then, we¡¯ll talk some more.¡±

    The lady of the farm left Kora alone. Kora continued to sulk for a few minutes before the delicious aroma of the platter that was left behind lured her out of her shell. She sat on the bed with the platter next to her and ate the Qi rich food, savoring each mouthful. When she had finished, she cultivated until she fell asleep with her clothes still on.

    She woke up early in the morning, before dawn, she realized. She looked at the sky through her window and realized that this was the perfect time to cultivate in the orchard, so she quickly put on her shoes and raced over. Once she was ensconced in the center, she entered her meditative stance and guided the Qi through the exercises she had learned when she was young and perfected under the tutelage of Renton Shen.

    As she cultivated, she reflected upon her heart.

    She did not love Tan. That much had never really been in question. She¡¯d hoped that she might  come  to love him after they were married, but she¡¯d ultimately only been interested in his family, their connections, and his prodigious talent. If she were to say anything else, she¡¯d be lying, even if it was to herself.

    That didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t want to marry him. Marriages didn¡¯t have to be about love. Lady Wensho had pointed out that cultivation wasn¡¯t about power or prestige, that those things were side effects of bettering oneself through cultivation. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that those things went together. With one came the other.

    A marriage to Tan Shen would certainly increase the Zang family¡¯s reputation, if she could figure out how to get the to cut out this nonsense about being dirt farmers and act like proper cultivators at least. There were at least three grandmasters in the Shen family that she knew about, and who knew how large the family really was? Even the emperor cared about them, and she had sensed his unfiltered power when he had brought his Intent down upon her.

    But that was not the only path she could take to get the things that she wanted. If she became strong enough, then it wouldn¡¯t matter who she married, or if she married at all. She could become the rock upon which the Zang family could build the next generation, rather than simply enriching the family line through marriage.

    She frowned, seeing now a contradiction. She had been praised for all of her life as a prodigy, and yet the first thing that the family did when she came of age and bonded a spirit was to start looking for a husband for her. Was she not good enough to stand on her own?

    ¡°You¡¯re in my spot,¡± Safron said, jarring Kora out of her trance.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This is  my  orchard. You¡¯re in my spot,¡± the girl repeated.

    Kora looked around. There was plenty of space for the girl to sit, and Kora was hardly absorbing all of the energy that the sun and the trees were putting out. ¡°Tan said that I could cultivate here.¡±

    ¡°Tan has the hilltop. The orchard is mine. Mom and Dad said so,¡± Safron said. ¡°You¡¯re in my spot and if you want to stay in my spot then you need to braid my hair.¡±

    Kora frowned, but gave in. She braided the little girl¡¯s hair, then, once the sun was up fully up, they returned to the manor to eat breakfast with the rest of the Shen family. Breakfast was awkward, but it wasn¡¯t just Kora¡¯s absence from the night before that was bothering the other children. She didn¡¯t realize it at first, but as the tension grew, she realized that they were each preparing themselves mentally for the day to come.

    After a few brief chores, which Tren quickly issued to everyone but Kora, the children would be fighting each other in another training tournament. The first and only one to take place while Kora was at the farm.

    After the other children left, Kora remained at the table with the two adults.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still here,¡± Tren said bluntly. ¡°It should be obvious by now that there¡¯s very little chance that you¡¯ll win Tan¡¯s heart.¡±

    His wife swatted his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be so blunt about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kora said. ¡°You¡¯re right. But that doesn¡¯t mean that there¡¯s nothing for me to learn. I¡¯ve ¡­ never actually been in a fight before. A bit of training with my masters, but nobody who was willing to put hands on me has ever challenged me to a real spar. I¡¯m not going to leave without seeing how I match up against other kids my age.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re giving up on this marriage nonsense?¡± Tren pressed.

    ¡°Yes. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I want to cut ties with your family. Even if Tan won¡¯t marry me, there¡¯s so much that I want to learn from you. You and Lady Wensho and Lord Renton are the most powerful cultivators I¡¯ve ever met, and I am honored and humbled to receive your wisdom,¡± Kora said. ¡°Even in its most unpleasant forms.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not looking for more disciples,¡± Tren said bluntly. Then he softened. ¡°But we did promise you that you could stay a week, and if you¡¯re still willing to put the effort in, then go join Tan in the fields again. It might help to tell him that you¡¯ve given up on wooing him and just want to be friends.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Thanks, Lord Shen. Lady Shen.¡±

    Kora left the table, and went to follow Tren¡¯s advice. When she told Tan how she felt about him, he just scratched his nose and said ¡°Yeah okay we can be friends.¡± And that was it.

    ?

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 12

    While Kora felt relieved to have finally cleared the air with Tan, and they spent the few hours in the field together talking amiably in a friendly way. A way which clearly showed that her gambit of giving up her official pursuit had worked. He wasn¡¯t being sarcastic or subtly insulting her anymore, but rather giving her genuine tips on the task that was before them and casually discussing the weather.

    It was like someone had flipped a switch in Tan¡¯s brain, Kora reflected, and now he saw her in an entirely different light. A part of her tried to figure out how to use that to her advantage, but she quickly crushed it. She would  not  be marrying Tan, regardless of what her family wanted. He didn¡¯t want that, and she had come to learn that neither did she. She was grateful for his blunt rejection of her awkward attempts at getting closer to him now that she¡¯d come to that second conclusion.

    If they could be friends instead of potential spouses, then she saw no reason not to be.

    However, as they got closer to finishing their chores and the tournament approached, she began growing nervous once more. ¡°Tan, I¡¯ve never fought before,¡± she admitted to him.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve sparred with a few masters, but they were so cautious not to hurt me that it doesn¡¯t really count. I don¡¯t think that you and the others are going to put forth the same effort,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Yeah we¡¯re not. Getting hurt is part of fighting. My parents will make certain that nobody is  really  hurt. Dad will intervene if he sees anyone using a technique that¡¯s actually dangerous, and Mom will heal us up afterwards if we need it. But the entire point of this is to learn to defend ourselves, and if we have to defend ourselves for real our opponents will be trying to kill us. For real. So even with Mom and Dad making sure we¡¯re safe, it¡¯s better that we act like we¡¯re fighting for real as well,¡± Tan informed her.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying not to hold back?¡± she asked.

    ¡°If you hold back, then Safron will kick your butt and wouldn¡¯t that be embarrassing?¡± Tan teased.

    ¡°Wait, Safron is going to fight?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We actually will be holding back against her though. She¡¯s still in the first stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, so we¡¯ll be using no more power than that. And none of us are really going to beat up my little sister, we¡¯re mostly just going to let her swing at us and use her magic until she tires out. But it will be good for her. If you hurt her then I¡¯ll hurt you, you can bet on that though.¡±

    Kora frowned, thinking about fighting a child. But then she steeled her conviction and nodded. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t hold back. Except against Safron, of course.¡±

    ¡°If she beats you I¡¯m going to tease you so much,¡± Tan promised.

    Once everyone had finished their chores, they went into their rooms to change into their tournament clothes. For the boys, that was a pair of shorts that were enchanted against the elements. They would fight shirtless and barefoot. The girls wore the same pants and a sort of sports bra that protected their modesty without getting in the way. Kora was slightly embarrassed to be showing so much skin, but she knew that it wasn¡¯t improper and nobody seemed to be giving her a second glance, so she put it out of her mind.

    They drew lots, and Tren wrote down the battle order on a sheet of paper for them to follow. Surprisingly, the first battle was big brother against little sister, with Safron fighting Tan. Kora watched with some amusement as the little girl psyched herself up by yelling childish insults at her big brother and promising to get even with him for tickling her the other day.

    As soon as Tren rang the bell for the fight to start, the little girl waved her hands and conjured a fireball. Which Tan promptly extinguished with his own magic. Safron¡¯s eyes went wide. She tried again to the same result. And a third time, before screaming and frustration and running at her big brother with her fists.

    The match was over in minutes, ending with tickle torture until Safron surrendered. She went off in a corner to pout about the unfairness of it all while the next combatants faced off.

    It was another match of brother versus sister, with Ko fighting against Won. The twins faced off against each other, their faces inscrutable, and when the bell rang, Won charged. He pulled back his fist, his entire body wreathed in an armor of flames, and attempted to punch his sister right in the face. His sister caught his fist, unafraid of being burnt as she conjured her own element, bringing forth water from the humidity in the air.

    She doused his armor with a spray of water, leaving him wet and just himself again. Undeterred by his technique being disabled, Won continued to press the attack, moving with preternatural speed and precision as he launched attack after attack at his sister.

    Ko met the attacks that she chose to meet and avoided the ones that she chose to avoid. It took Kora some time to realize, but it was in fact the sister who was more in control of the battle. Won was hot headed and seemed to have the advantage, but only because he was so adamantly on the offensive. Ko, on the other hand, was allowing the boy to burn himself out.

    Then abruptly she kicked her brother in the balls and pinned him to the ground, and that was the end of the fight as she held a fist to his face after pinning him on his back. The entire fight lasted five minutes, but just watching it had left Kora breathless.

    She swallowed. So that was a fight between cultivators, she thought.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    She was up next, with a fight against Pao, the Earth cultivator who was only a stage behind her in cultivation. That should give her an advantage, she thought, but he also had more experience, having fought in this sort of tournament for years. As she squared up against him, taking the stance that her combat tutors had shown her, she met his eyes and was surprised to find that the amiable friendliness was gone, replaced with a cold look.

    The bell rang, and Pao simply stood there, his arms raised in a defensive stance. Kora waited for him to move, ready to block his path with a conjured flame. Only he was waiting for her to make the first move as well. And he was more patient than she was.

    With a scream of frustration, she conjured a fireball and sent it flying at him. He didn¡¯t even dodge, just raced an elbow to meet it. She didn¡¯t even scorch the hair on his arms, she noticed. She screamed again and began launching her attacks at him one after the other, attempting to burn him to a crisp only for him to simply stand there and endure.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± he asked. ¡°Safron¡¯s flame is hotter than this.¡±

    She blushed and redoubled her efforts, while he simply stepped forward into the onslaught. She backed up as he approached, until with a sudden  lurch  he dashed forward and she felt a pain in her gut as he punched her in the stomach, driving the wind from her lungs. She collapsed to the ground and he stood over her, foot on her back, pinning her to the earth.

    ¡°Do you surrender?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she admitted.

    The pressure on her back vanished, and he walked over to the sidelines while the others waited for Kora to get out of the way for the next match.

    That could have gone better, she reflected to herself. She got up and out of the way, going off the side to lick her wounds, although they were mostly to her pride, as she watched Won face off against Safron next.

    Safron tried to imitate Won¡¯s embodiment of flames armor technique, only to scream when her hair caught fire and run around until her mother put it out. The fight was over without actually coming to blows as the little girl cried in her mothers arms about her ruined hair, and the decision was made that she would sit out the rest of the matches due to her ¡®injury.¡¯

    Next in the lineup was Tan versus Ko. The two stood facing each other in the field where the fights were taking place, each with a wry grin on their face while they waited for the bell. When it rang, Tan  vanished  and appeared behind Ko, who spun and met the roundhouse kick with her forearm.

    A followup punch and a kick from Tan were blocked, and Ko retaliated with a punch aimed at her opponent¡¯s solar plexus only to connect with air as Tan abruptly retreated, moving so fast that Kora was having trouble keeping up with the boy.

    She swallowed, watching as Tan dashed in and darted back from different angles. Ko met each blow and tried to take control over the flow of the battle, only for Tan to change the tempo every time she seemed to have it under control.

    While Ko had been in firm control over her previous battle, it was clear that this time she was struggling to keep up with Tan. He was relentless, and although he didn¡¯t land a finishing blow, one in ten of his attacks got through her guard and the damage began to accumulate on the water cultivator.

    And this was just in the opening moment of the fight.

    Abruptly the wind in the fallow field changed, with dust kicked up and spiraling around the combatants. Realizing that Tan was bringing his magic to bear, Ko tried to conjure up some water, only for him to spray it back in her face with a sudden gust of wind. That caught her off guard, and he ended the fight with a series of six blows to her stomach, chest, and face.

    She collapsed to the ground and held up a hand to show that she¡¯d had enough.

    Tan froze the moment he saw her surrender. Grinning, he helped her stand up and patted her on the back.

    ¡°Good job, you were keeping up with me really well,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thanks. It wasn¡¯t easy, but I¡¯m getting better at following you when you move that fast,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yeah you are,¡± he agreed. The separated, and Tan returned to the center of the field for the next fight.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it unfair that Tan is fighting multiple fights in a row?¡± she asked Lady Wensho.

    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to the other children that Tan is as much as five stages ahead of them in cultivation, why should we give him time to recover between the fights? This is supposed to be challenging, that¡¯s the point,¡± she explained.

    ¡°As the children are now, Tan will always win in a sprint. We¡¯re training him to fight in a marathon,¡± Lord Shen explained to her.

    She frowned, but watched as the next fight took place.

    Once more, Tan was a blur of motion. He landed more blows against Pao than he did against Ko, but they seemed to be even less effective. Ko had grunted when she took his punches, kicks, knee-strikes and elbows. Pao met them stoically, sometimes taking a blow that he could have blocked to show his lack of concern for his friend¡¯s strength.

    It was the longest fight so far, lasting for ten minutes of Tan furiously attacking the older boy and Pao stoically enduring. When Pao¡¯s endurance gave out, it happened all at once, with the teenager falling to one knee and holding up a hand to tap out of the fight. Once more Tan displayed his sportsmanship by helping his friend to his feet and off the field.

    ¡°You lasted longer than before,¡± Tan complimented.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your punches that hurt,¡± Pao said, ¡°It¡¯s the Qi that goes with them. I can¡¯t block that, and it accumulates. If it wasn¡¯t for that I swear I¡¯d be able to wear you out.¡±

    ¡°Keep dreaming,¡± Tan laughed, and he moved back to take on Won.

    ?

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 13

    The battle between Won and Tan was intense but brief. Won again tried the armor of flames technique that he¡¯d used against his sister. Unlike his sister, Tan let him get away with it for a few minutes as they fought.

    As before Won was aggressive, even more so than against his sister, but Tan was  everywhere  and the older boy couldn¡¯t keep up with his younger opponent. He launched a flame in one direction, only to find that Tan was behind him. He turned and rounded a kick wreathed in flames, only to find that Tan wasn¡¯t there. He turned to where Tan was and launched a small lightning bolt, which actually impacted Tan.

    The younger boy gasped in surprise, and Won grinned, but Tan shook himself. He  blurred  and seemed to go in two directions at once. Won reacted to the wrong image, and Tan kicked him in the side of the head. Abruptly a wind swept in and killed the flames wreathing Won. The fire cultivator launched another lightning attack at his wind aligned opponent, only to find that once more he was shooting at an afterimage.

    He took a step towards the real Tan, only to fall to his knees, gasping for breath.

    ¡°Enough, Tan, let him breathe. You win this round,¡± Tren said, and abruptly something changed in the air. Won seemed to catch his breath all at once, and he nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting better at cutting the live air from the dead air,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do against that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting faster at conjuring your lightning. You got me by surprise, but you should have pressed the attack. Your lightning isn¡¯t strong enough to really hurt me, but if you¡¯d have followed up you might have won,¡± Tan replied.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Was all that Won said, and he went to sit down with the other children.

    Kora swallowed nervously. It was her turn to face the most advanced cultivator among the children of the Shen farm, and he¡¯d just easily dismantled a fire cultivator who clearly had more experience in combat than she did.

    She got into the field with him and took her stance. She swallowed nervously as she waited for the bell, Tan standing casually across from her. Lord Shen slammed the mallet against the bell, and the match began.

    Sort of.

    Tan continued to stand there, waiting patiently for her to make a move. She frowned. He¡¯d been more aggressive against the other opponents, was he not taking her seriously?

    ¡°How do you want to do this?¡± he asked casually. ¡°Want to practice your magic, or do you want to exchange punches, or what? I¡¯ll let you take the lead. Just come at me with whatever you¡¯ve got.¡±

    Her eyebrow twitched. He  wasn¡¯t  taking her seriously. She might be an amateur, but he could at least give her some respect.

    Since he was giving her plenty of time to prepare, she decided to use it. They weren¡¯t supposed to pre-cast their abilities before the sound of the bell, but since he wasn¡¯t attacking, she began to prepare a technique. She gathered her Qi and ignited it in a technique that her family had passed down, shaping it in the form of a dragon.

    More like a long tube in her case, but it undulated and around her. She grinned, infusing the flames with her understanding of fire, of burning and consuming, making it more than just a fire but the concept of destruction. She launched the tube at Tan, intending to make him pay for his arrogance and--

    And it fizzled out inches away from him.

    Her eyes went wide. How had he done that?

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I mean, is that all you wanted to try? You can surrender if you want, I don¡¯t really want to beat up a girl. Ko doesn¡¯t count towards that statement.¡±

    Kora¡¯s temper flashed, and she charged forward. Her fists wreathed in flame, she attacked him. He met her attack, casually blocking or dodging as she punched and struck at him, trying her best to remember her long ago lessons in hand-to-hand combat.

    It quickly became apparent that she was out of her depth. After thirty seconds of enduring her attacks, Tan swept her legs and she fell on her back. He pinned her to the ground with a knee to her throat, and she tapped out.

    He helped her up to her feet and bowed respectfully to her.

    ¡°How did you do that? Extinguish my fire? Air makes fire burn hotter, it shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Your understanding of Air and Fire is incomplete. Ask your master to show you the mystery of the strangled flame and you¡¯ll understand how I defeated your technique,¡± Tan answered.

    She frowned. The mystery of what?

    She sighed and went back to the others to watch the next match.

    Pao faced off against Ko. The sea met the shore as they fought for thirty minutes, displaying an intensity that Kora had trouble comprehending. Through it all Ko maintained control over the fight, but as she watched she realized that was because Pao was letting her lead.

    It was almost like a dance, she realized halfway through the battle. A dance where both partners tried to kill ¨C or at least wound ¨C the other. Pao defended himself from the onslaught with ease, while Ko gradually tired. The battle ended without a decisive blow, the water cultivator simply collapsed in exhaustion, her fatigue hitting her all at once as she ran out of energy. Both her Qi and her strength failed her, and after a few moments of gasping for breath she tapped the ground to show that she was done.

    Pao helped the exhausted girl off the ground and back to the audience, then faced off against her brother. Once more Won wreathed himself in flaming armor and faced off against an opponent who was stronger than he was.

    The battle was once more intense but brief. Won brought all of his intensity to bare, his flames burning so hot that Kora¡¯s eyes hurt to look at them. But it was his lightning that won the round, as the fire cultivator shocked the earth cultivator with a bolt of lightning, then followed up with a kick to the head that knocked Pao from his feet.

    Off balance, Pao fell when his opponent swept his legs, and then Won was straddling him and pounding him in the face with fire-gauntlets. Pao tapped out after enduring the beating for a moment, unable to get the leverage he needed to push the younger teenager off of him. He got up with his eyebrows singed and one of his eyes slightly swollen and clapped Won on the back.

    ¡°Good job,¡± he said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe I won,¡± Won said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to figure out a way to defend against lightning,¡± Pao said, shaking his head. ¡°Once you hit me with that it disrupts everything. My stance, my Qi, my balance. It¡¯s so disorienting that I¡¯m not sure how Tan recovers so fast.¡±

    Won nodded, and went to sit down.

    Kora swallowed. She was up again, this time against Won. The other fire cultivator was far more experienced than she was in combat, and she was understandably nervous.

    She was right to be.

    When the bell sounded, Won came at her with everything he had, wreathing himself in flames that burned as hot as anything she could manage despite her being three stages ahead of him in cultivation. She didn¡¯t make Safron¡¯s mistake of trying to imitate his technique, but instead focused on attempting to take control of his flames and turn them against him, while simultaneously meeting and blocking his strikes.

    It didn¡¯t go so well.

    He landed a punch to her face, and then one to her stomach. A blow to her shoulder, and one to her breast, and then her thigh, and each punch hit  hard . She realized abruptly that he was using a body enhancement technique that she was unfamiliar with, whereas she was relying mostly on her magic to carry the day.

    Another blow to her face, and she fell to the ground. He pressed the advantage, kicking her in the side and then pinning her down. She tapped out.

    It was over in less than a minute. Less than less than a minute, it had probably only taken him thirty seconds to dismantle her defense.

    He helped pull her to her feet and grinned at her. He was proud to have won, but didn¡¯t rub it in too much.

    ¡°What is that technique you were using? Not the flaming armor, you were doing something to hit harder than you should have been able to,¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Inner Fire. You¡¯re not ready for it, I think,¡± Won answered.

    She frowned. Was his understanding of their shared element so much greater than hers that he could master a technique two stages before her and then beat her with it? Well, obviously, she thought. If they were going just by cultivation status she should have one, it only made sense that, as the technically weaker participant, his techniques must be superior to hers.

    ¡°Would you teach it to me if I were?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Not a chance,¡± he laughed. ¡°Good luck against my sister. She¡¯s tired after fighting Pao, you might have a chance.¡±

    Kora perked up at his vote of confidence. But it was misplaced. The fight against Ko lasted slightly longer than the fight against her brother, but Kora was just as hopelessly outmatched. She surrendered after just two minutes.

    Kora retreated to her room after the match to lick her wounds. She was surprised when Lady Wensho followed her to offer healing for her wounds.

    ¡°What about the others?¡± Kora asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re accustomed to this sort of thing. The bruises they earned will help them reflect on their mistakes. You, on the other hand, are accustomed to a softer world. If you choose to heal after attempting to prove yourself, nobody will look down on you for it,¡± Lady Wensho assured her.

    Nervously, Kora accepted the offer, laying down on the bed and allowing the woman to massage her back, rubbing her bruises and infusing them with a healing Qi. Within a few moments the aches and pains were gone, and Kora fell asleep before the grandmaster water cultivator had finished healing her.

    ?

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 14

    In the wake of the round-robbin tournament, the children did what they always did. They retired to their cultivation spots and cultivated, reflecting on their lessons, their triumphs, their mistakes, and their losses. Even Tan, who had won all of his matches, reflected on what he had done wrong or could have done better, as well as what had worked well.

    ¡°So are we friends with Kora now?¡± Won asked bluntly, pulling Tan out of his meditative trance.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if we still hate Kora or if we¡¯re friends with her now or what?¡± Won asked.

    Tan glanced at him. ¡°Have you guys been being mean to her on purpose?¡±

    The other children exchanged looks.

    ¡°Not intentionally,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°Mostly I¡¯ve just been staying out of the way and avoiding the whole thing. It¡¯s none of my business who you marry or why.¡±

    ¡°Me and Won have been mostly ignoring her too,¡± Ko said. ¡°But if we¡¯re friends with her now then we¡¯ll stop giving her the cold shoulder. It¡¯s up to you, Tan. Should we start being nicer to her or not?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should,¡± Tan said, growing annoyed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you guys thought you had to be jerks to her just because I ¡­ was weird about the whole marriage thing. Now that we¡¯ve settled that there¡¯s no reason at all to be a jerk to Kora. She¡¯s actually not bad.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s weak,¡± Won pointed out.

    ¡°She¡¯s never been in a real fight before,¡± Tan said, defending the older girl. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not really any of our business if she can fight or not. Not every path needs to fight to get stronger, and she cultivates the sun, so really all she needs to do is ¡­ okay I don¡¯t know what sun cultivators need to do but if she doesn¡¯t need to fight to improve then why would she?¡±

    ¡°Okay, Tan, we get it,¡± Ko said. ¡°We¡¯ll be nicer to her from now on.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t decide that you like her now that she¡¯s not trying to marry you anymore, did you?¡± Won teased.

    ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll kick you in the nuts like your sister did earlier,¡± Tan said, and that was the end of the discussion. The children went back to cultivating, and the matter was closed.

    Dinner was stuffed cabbages. When Kora wasn¡¯t prompt in arriving to eat with them, Safron was sent to fetch her. The little girl returned five minutes later to declare that Kora was coming, and two minutes after that the teenager arrived, still wearing the outfit she¡¯d worn for the tournament with just a jacket pulled over top of it.

    The competition for food was as fierce as always, with very little talking. When the feeding frenzy died down, the contemplation began.

    ¡°So, what did we learn today?¡± Tren asked after everyone had mostly finished. Kora pulled herself out of her trance for the discussion.

    ¡°I learned that getting kicked in the nuts still sucks no matter what your cultivation level is,¡± Won said bluntly, earning a round of chuckles from the table.

    ¡°I learned that I can go toe to toe with Pao, even if he did win in the end,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°I learned that getting struck by lightning sucks almost as much as getting kicked in the nuts,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°I improved my afterimage technique,¡± Tan declared.

    ¡°I learned that hair smells bad when it burns,¡± the littlest child at the table declared.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°I learned that I am weak,¡± Kora said when everyone turned to see if she¡¯d participate in the discussion.

    An awkward silence followed.

    ¡°Are you going to do something about it or just accept it?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Because you don¡¯t have to be weak. It¡¯s like being stupid.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t fix stupid Tan,¡± Won declared.

    ¡°You can try.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work. You¡¯re both proof of that,¡± Ko teased.

    ¡°I meant that you can read stuff and talk to grownups to teach you. It¡¯s the same with fighting,¡± Tan explained.

    ¡°Being educated doesn¡¯t make you smart,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°It makes you less ignorant. Ignorance and stupidity are two different things. That¡¯s why there¡¯s two different words for them.¡±

    ¡°Whatever. My point is that if you want to learn to fight, then you have to train, Kora,¡± Tan said. ¡°If you want, you can spar with us tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°But we just had a tournament,¡± Won complained.

    ¡°Kora¡¯s only here for a few more days. If she¡¯s going to get any stronger when she¡¯s here we need to practice with her while she has the chance,¡± Tan explained. ¡°I know we usually take a week off after a tournament, but this is different.¡±

    The children sighed and accepted their leader¡¯s judgment. Kora swallowed, realizing that if she didn¡¯t rise to the challenge she might loose whatever respect for them that she had managed to earn. She opened her mouth to say--

    ¡°Unless you don¡¯t want to, Kora,¡± Tan said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s up to you. I don¡¯t know your path and I¡¯m not your master. If you don¡¯t need to be strong to follow your dao then there¡¯s no point in fighting just for the sake of fighting.¡±

    Kora blinked as the implications hit her. ¡°You¡¯re all on martial paths?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to understand the strength of the wind. The wind can blow ships across the ocean, it can turn windmills and blow down houses and trees. It even wears down rocks into sand and dust. If I¡¯m going to master it, then I have to be able to do the same. But that doesn¡¯t make me a warrior.¡±

    ¡°I am learning the meaning of steadfast,¡± Pao said. ¡°To endure and stand strong in the face of adversity. So Tan and the others are my whetstone.¡±

    ¡°Fighting is part of life. I must strike a balance between peace and violence,¡± Ko declared. ¡°That means that sometimes I must be violent, even when I am at peace.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really a warrior either,¡± Won said, ¡°But my path is one of self-improvement. Of becoming more than I was yesterday, and being more tomorrow than I was today. So I fight to improve myself that way.¡±

    ¡°Why do you fight, Kora?¡± Tan asked her.

    She blinked. ¡°Because everyone else was doing it,¡± she admitted lamely.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Tan said. He didn¡¯t sound disappointed in her lack of insight.

    ¡°I ¡­ wanted to fit in?¡± she said.

    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to spar tomorrow unless you want to,¡± Tan said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that the others were being weird to you when things were weird between us. Since we decided to be friends and not get married, they¡¯ve promised to be friends with you too.¡±

    ¡°I want to spar,¡± Kora declared.

    Tan just nodded. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be weak.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s a good enough reason for you, then it¡¯s good enough for me,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to spar with you after we finish our chores.¡±

    The conversation turned to less weighty matters as the children discussed how to fix Safron¡¯s hair. Tan noticed his parents proud gaze as the family discussion turned to consoling Safron and assuring her that she was still pretty with short hair. He returned their looks with one of confusion, wondering what it was that he¡¯d done.

    They probably would tell him if he asked, but before he could his sister made him promise that he would help make her a doll with short hair, and he got distracted.

    ?

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 15

    Kora sat beneath the cherry trees, which were just beginning to blossom. It was in the evening in the day after the tournament, and she had sparred with the other children for hours. She ached all over. While the other children had taken it easy on her during their sparring matches, there were enough learning moments for Kora to have written a textbook, if only should could remember them all.

    In her lap was little Safron, whose short hair she was currently brushing. Wensho had done her best to salvage what was left of the girl¡¯s hair, but she almost looked like a boy now, except for her clothes.

    Kora sighed. She was the oldest of the children on the farm, and yet the weakest, despite her cultivation. It was so frustrating, and yet she couldn¡¯t really be mad at them. She¡¯d seen first hand just how seriously they took sparring. And she¡¯d quickly learned the difference too.

    Instead of actually trying to prove who was the strongest ¨C that was what the tournament was for ¨C they worked on improving their opponents. The children each took turns helping each other work on some aspect of their fighting style, except today it had been all about Kora.

    With Ko, Pao, and Tan, she had practiced her martial technique. Something she had been diligent about when she was younger, then let slide as she focused on cultivating with her spirit. And also something she wasn¡¯t accustomed to having a partner for, she reflected, wincing as Safron shifted and her butt-bone pushed up against one of Kora¡¯s bruises.

    She was used to simply mimicking her instructors for the most part, following the movements without any danger. The children had all scoffed at that, asking her how old she¡¯d been. She¡¯d been reluctant to admit the truth, that this practice had carried on until she¡¯d turned twelve.

    Although they had teased her a bit, it was a lighthearted sort of teasing that hadn¡¯t had hard edges behind it. Until she¡¯d seen the others fight¡ªuntil she¡¯d fought with them¡ªshe¡¯d actually thought that she was fairly advanced in the martial technique that her family had given her. It was only when using it in practice that she realized the difference between copying a kata and performing a move with an actual opponent.

    The opponent is less cooperative when it¡¯s not in the imagination.

    Rather than simply beat her, however, the other children fought down to her level, correcting her obvious mistakes but otherwise cooperating with her as she tried to utilize the moves she knew.

    It was difficult. Challenging. Exhilarating. Painful. Fun. Worth the bruises.

    She¡¯d learned more about fighting after finishing the day¡¯s chores than she had in months under her former masters. And once the others had each had a turn to spar with her, they had had her practice her magic with them as well.

    She had several obvious flaws with her fire dragon technique. The first, and primary flaw, was that it took her too long to conjure. She¡¯d realized this without the other children pointing it out, although they¡¯d been happy to do that for her, and she realized quickly that the only way to correct this flaw was to practice it endlessly.

    That would correct the second weakness of the technique as well; that it was itself weak. It was below what a cultivator of the ninth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm should be capable of. Won¡¯s flames burned much hotter, and he conjured them faster and with less effort.

    And the third weakness, her lack of control.

    The fourth weakness, its lack of connection to her dao, was a more complicated matter.

    When she had begun learning the technique, before her tutelage under Renton Shen, she had followed a path of destruction. Not self-destruction, but she had studied the way in which fire consumed and destroyed. Under Renton¡¯s guidance she had realized that the destruction was itself an act of creation, removing the deadwood for the world to create something new with the materials.

    She was still early on that path, but she already recognized it as a higher-tier dao than what she had initially set herself upon.

    The issue was that she¡¯d developed the technique with one dao, and in her mind the dragon she conjured remained one of destruction and consumption.

    ¡°So change your perception of dragons,¡± Tan had told her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy,¡± Kora objected. ¡°Whenever I conjure the technique I remember how I first learn it and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was easy. It¡¯s going to be hard. But while dragons are capable of great destruction, and all the myths agree on that, they are also forces of creation and stability and growth and change. Review those myths and reflect on what those dragons were capable of. Ingrain those myths into your understanding of your technique and discard the simpler notion that your technique is only about destroying your opponent. If that¡¯s all it¡¯s about, then why shape it as a dragon? Why not a naked flame?¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    She frowned when she considered Tan¡¯s words, as she frowned now brushing Safron¡¯s hair.

    ¡°You look like you need to poop,¡± Safron said, turning back to look at her. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re bad at fighting, or because you need to poop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m bad at fighting,¡± Kora admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ll be better the next time you see me.¡±

    ¡°When will that be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m going to ask your parents if I might visit again next year. Not to try to marry your brother, but to visit with you and your entire family. I know now that marrying into the Shen family is impossible, but I still believe that establishing a connection between my family and yours is in our best interests. Unless I am told to bugger off, I¡¯m going to keep pestering your family until you¡¯re sick of me.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t take long,¡± Safron teased. Then she pinched Kora  hard  and ran off.

    ¡°You little!¡± Kora scolded, and chased the girl to deliver a tickle-torture punishment. When the girl begged for mercy, Kora magnanimously relented. Then they sat together in the center of the orchard and cultivated together until the sun went down and the Qi was no longer quite as good for their purposes.

    Kora was just getting up to go to bed when she noticed a deer, a doe, watching them. She blinked; she¡¯d never seen a living dear before. Then suddenly there was a loud  Pop!  A puff of smoke, and in the doe¡¯s place was a beautiful young woman.

    Without any clothes.

    ¡°Mouser said that I should come and give thanks,¡± the woman said. ¡°Will you please direct me to the master of this estate?¡±

    Safron ran off to the house screaming ¡°Mom! Dad! It happened again! This time it¡¯s a deer!¡±

    Kora trembled as she realized that the woman before her was a spirit beast. She thought about how much this beast was worth, its hide a treasure worthy of a mighty set of armor, its meat would be --

    Less valuable than the meal she was digesting from the Shen¡¯s table, she realized. She¡¯d never actually eaten a spirit animal before, but their Qi was said to be violent and untamed, sometimes difficult to master for yourself. Even if it was more dense than the usual fare of the Shen family, the Qi in the food that they served Kora each day was more easily claimed.

    The doe-woman seemed to notice her greed and looked ready to flee. Kora opened her mouth to apologize for thoughts that she hadn¡¯t spoken, but stopped herself. She saw the woman for her beauty, and she also saw the deer that she truly was. She remembered Tremble, and she shook her head.

    ¡°I apologize if I frightened you. I¡¯m new around here, and I think that the Shens are still washing away some bad habbits from me. I apologize for any malicious feelings you might have felt from me. It is not my place to bid you welcome, but if it were I would do so. The Master and the Mistress of the house should be here soon.¡±

    The doe-woman nodded, and a moment later Wensho appeared with a robe for the woman to put on.

    ¡°If you¡¯re just here to give thanks for the increased bounty of the land, then we greet you and accept your gratitude. We also assure you that no payment is necessary,¡± Wensho said. ¡°If there¡¯s anything more that you require, then you may follow me inside.¡±

    ¡°I wish to exchange cultivation pointers with the water cultivators of this estate,¡± the doe said, her voice melodious and quiet. ¡°Would this be permissible, or are your secrets --¡±

    ¡°We would love to host you for as long as you are willing, lady of the woods,¡± Wensho said. ¡°However, this is a working farm, and we expect everyone to chip in.¡±

    ¡°I believe I understand,¡± the doe said. ¡°Thank you for your welcome.¡±

    ¡°Come again tomorrow, in the morning, and you¡¯ll be given your first task. In exchange, I give you this to think of. Where does water go when it dries?¡±

    The doe-woman looked at lady Wensho in confusion. ¡°It is simply gone. What do you mean where does it go?¡±

    Lady Wensho smiled. ¡°Think on the matter closely. Watch some water drying very closely, my dear, and perhaps you will see something that you have missed.¡±

    The doe nodded. ¡°I thank you for your guidance. I will return soon.¡±

    The woman, dressed in the robe that was given to her, leapt away, running with the leaping gate of a deer.

    Wensho turned to Kora and smiled. ¡°That makes eight of them,¡± she said.

    ¡°You have eight spirit beasts on your farm?¡± Kora asked, incredulous.

    ¡°Eight that we know of, yes. They¡¯re not really ours, but they come and go. Go get some sleep, Kora, it looks like you¡¯re dead on your feet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Wensho,¡± Kora agreed, and she returned to the bedroom in the guesthouse where Tremble¡¯s light snoring was a background to her own thoughts.

    She wondered what the Zang family would do if they knew the true bounty of the Shen farm. She resolved that it was none of their business, and that she would maintain the Shen¡¯s privacy when she returned.

    ?

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 16

    All good things come to an end, and usually it¡¯s right after they become good things, Kora reflected as she redressed in her traveling clothes. The last few days of her stay were over too fast. Once she¡¯d given up on her original goal and just focused on enjoying her time with the Shen family, the other children had opened up to her like a flower releasing its beauty to the world.

    Mostly in the form of sparring matches that left her sore and aching, but grateful and ready for more.

    She¡¯d asked for permission to return the following year and been surprised when it had been granted out of hand, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Kora¡¯s surprise must have shown on her face, for Tren had explained ¡°It will keep your family off our back if they think there¡¯s still some chance of the wedding happening. I don¡¯t really care if you tell them the conclusion you¡¯ve come to about your incompatibility with Tan, but either way they¡¯ll see this as another window.¡±

    ¡°Aside from that, it¡¯s good for the children to see others their own age walking down different paths,¡± Wensho volunteered. ¡°And another sparring partner is good for everyone involved.¡±

    ¡°When you come back I¡¯m going to be strong enough to beat you up too,¡± Safron volunteered.

    Now, in the guest house as she dressed, Kora allowed herself a moment of melancholy. The friends that she¡¯d had when she was younger were the children of servants, and would grow up to be servants themselves. She hadn¡¯t realized this when she was younger, but was acutely aware of it now. Her relationships with the other cultivators her own age were contentious.

    She didn¡¯t really have any friends outside of the Shen farm, she realized, isolating the problem at its root. It would be one year before she saw her friends again, and she was sad.

    ¡°Is it okay if I write?¡± she asked when she emerged from the house. ¡°To each of you, I mean?¡±

    The children collectively shrugged. Safron said ¡°You¡¯d better!¡± That was all that Kora needed to hear.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°I have everything that I brought with me,¡± she answered. ¡°So, as ready as I¡¯m going to get.¡±

    ¡°Not quite. I have a gift,¡± Lady Wensho said. She pulled something out of a¡ªwas that a spatial ring? That was a spatial ring! The gift that she unveiled was a simple mat with a very complicated design embroidered upon it.

    A meditation mat, Kora realized. It circular and six feet in diameter, and as she stared at the formation embroidered upon it she was tempted to get lost in it. It resonated with her, somehow.

    ¡°This should help your cultivation,¡± Lady Wensho explained. ¡°It¡¯s not as powerful as a proper gathering formation, but if you find a place with dense Qi this will help draw the fire aspect of the area to you. You must power it yourself, however, by running Qi through this pattern here. Once it¡¯s fully powered it will last for several hours, resonating between the environment and yourself. Reflect on that.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Kora said, taking the mat and examining it for a moment. ¡°Thank you, Lady Wensho. I am eternally grateful.¡±

    ¡°No need for that,¡± Wensho said.

    ¡°I got you a gift too,¡± Tan admitted, and he handed over a stone. As soon as she touched it, she realized that it wasn¡¯t just a pretty rock, but that there was a spirit inside of it. ¡°Not sure if it will help you or not, but your family likes these things, right? Well, have another one, I guess.¡±

    Safron, when she realized that people were giving gifts to Kora, ran off to grab one of her less favorite dolls. Unfortunately, the rest of the farewells were said and Tren picked Kora up and  moved  using the Titan¡¯s Walk technique before the little girl returned. At first Safron was upset, almost to the point of tears. But then she looked down at the doll she¡¯d selected and realized that it  wasn¡¯t  her least favorite after all, and she was glad that she hadn¡¯t given it away.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Lord Hara just about fell over when the man that he believed to be the former emperor appeared right in front of his hall. He¡¯d stepped outside to escape the hustle and bustle of the Zang family¡¯s servants, who had claimed his living rooms, and the cultivator Sean Zang who had claimed his own bedchambers. Hara himself had been sleeping in the stables with his horse.

    The moment after he appeared, Sean Zang rushed out of the house to greet his niece. ¡°We were so worried when you vanished without taking any of your clothes with you. Tren Shen, you have a lot of explaining to do. Where exactly did you take the daughter of my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Uncle Sean. Do not address this man in that way,¡± Kora said sharply. ¡°Lord Tren, I apologize for my uncle. He was worried about me and spoke out of turn.¡±

    Tren scratched his nose. ¡°Wasn¡¯t exactly worried, Kora. I hope you enjoyed your stay.¡±

    ¡°It was magical, once the initial awkwardness was out of the way,¡± Kora agreed. She bowed deeply to the hidden master. ¡°This humble cultivator thanks the grandmaster for his guidance.¡±

    ¡°I have something for you too. I didn¡¯t want the other children to see because it¡¯s not theirs. When they leave, I¡¯ll give them each one of their own, but this one is yours,¡± Tren said, and he pulled from his spatial ring ¨C why did the Shen family have two of those!? They could buy the Zang estate with just one of them! He pulled from his spatial ring a rolled up parchment.

    ¡°Hang this wherever you want. It¡¯s my vision of your dao. I hope that it is helpful to you, but know that it is not your dao. Just my vision and understanding of it. I cannot truly understand your dao for I have my own, and it is not yours. But I hope that my vision will help you find your own path,¡± Tren said.

    It was a dao painting, painted by a hidden master of peerless insight, Kora realized. She humbly bowed once more. ¡°This cultivator is¡ªI thank you deeply, Lord Tren Shen. Your hospitality and kindness know no bounds, and I am already looking forward to next year¡¯s visit.¡±

    ¡°Right. Goodbye. Do not neglect to repay Lord Hara for the inconvenience that you have caused him. He is a friend of the Shen family and deserves your respect.¡± And with a slight shudder to the earth, the grandmaster was gone.

    Lord Hara watched, an outsider, as the uncle and niece were reunited after the man had been fretting over the fate of his niece for a week. The older, more experienced air cultivator stared at this young niece for a moment, then abruptly turned and scratched the back of his head. ¡°So, make any progress?¡±

    ¡°I have Tan Shen wrapped around my finger,¡± Kora declared. ¡°His parents are reluctant to make things official, but I managed to convince them to arrange another visit next year. He¡¯ll be older than, and more interested in girls than this time around, so I¡¯m certain things will go even smoother than our second meeting did.¡±

    It was a bold faced lie, but her uncle swallowed the hook and rushed to embrace her. ¡°You must tell me all about it! What is their estate like? Is it half as grand as the rumors say?¡±

    ¡°We ate Qi rich food every day that the emperor himself would not mind putting in his mouth,¡± Kora declared. ¡°And the Qi in the air is so rich that you can taste it! I sparred against my fiance and his friends and did not disgrace myself. As a gift, I received a high-quality spirit stone, a cultivation mat with a grandmaster level formation embroidered in it, and a dao painting that is perfect for my path!¡±

    Lord Hara blanched while Sean Zang was elated as the girl proceeded to describe her journey and the insights that she had made. The Zang family servants quickly began packing their supplies and were on the road within an hour. Before they left, Sean Zang appeared before Lord Hara and tossed him a bag filled with gold and precious gems.

    ¡°I apologize for the trouble,¡± He said, and then he was gone, and the caravan of the Zang family with him.

    Lord Hara exhaled and allowed himself to relax for the first time in more than a week. The cultivators were gone. He weighed the heavy purse in his hands, then glanced at his humble hall.

    Perhaps it was time for some construction, he reflected. If he was to be hosting cultivators on the regular, then he should have a manor suitable for them. He shook his head, reflecting that, for him, all of this started when he heard one of his peasants was building a bigger house. Had he known that one of the children of that house could fly, he would have stayed far away.

    ?

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 17

    The summer continued on the Shen Farm. As the seventh month concluded and the eighth month began, each of the children experienced a breakthrough into the next stage of their cultivation. Tan reached the third stage of the foundation realm, Pao reached the tenth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, the twins each reached the eighth. Only little Safron failed to reach the next stage, but she got honeycakes whenever she asked anyway.

    The adults exchanged nervous glances whenever the youngest member of their household¡¯s lack of advancement came up. So when Lord Hara appeared and delivered a letter with the imperial seal, they breathed a sigh of relief. They packed up Safron and vanished for two days.

    While they were gone, a runner came from the village requesting Lady Wensho¡¯s aid with a villager who¡¯d fallen ill. The children nervously considered what to do. While Ko¡¯s element was water, and water was traditionally the healing element, she was far from as skilled or confident as the lady of the house. Still, she packed up her mistress¡¯s medicine bag and went for the village.

    After she had been gone for an hour, Tan had an idea and flew out to the pond, where he caused a disturbance until Elder Pike stuck his head above the waters to figure out what was going on.

    ¡°Are you a healer?¡± Tan demanded of the spirit-carp.

    ¡°Not precisely,¡± Elder Pike said. ¡°I lack Lady Wensho¡¯s skill, but I might be able to set a broken bone or cool a fever. Why, what is wrong?¡±

    ¡°Change into a human and come with me,¡± Tan demanded.

    Elder Pike chuckled, but complied, quickly dressing in the robes stashed nearby in a waterproof cache. He gasped in surprise when Tan threw the old-man form of the fish over his shoulder and flew off towards the village, arriving moments later.

    They arrived at the richest member of the village¡¯s home. The merchant was fretting nervously through the main room of his home. When Tan knocked on his door he barked out ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me. Tan Shen,¡± Tan answered. ¡°I brought a man who has some healing skill to see if he can help.¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t just stand there! Come in, come in and do what you can,¡± the merchant said.

    Elder Pike disappeared into the back of the house, where the bedrooms were, and joined Ko at the merchant¡¯s bedside. They remained back there for an hour before returning. Ko was crying, while Elder Pike had a calm but serious expression.

    ¡°What is it? Is she ¡­ did you ¡­ did she ¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alive, and she¡¯ll live for some time,¡± Elder Pike said cautiously. ¡°How long I cannot say. She has growths in her liver. I¡¯m very sorry. Perhaps Lady Wensho can do something to heal her, but it is beyond my abilities and far outside the abilities of this young girl.¡±

    The merchant looked as though someone had struck him in the stomach. ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say. Less than a year, most likely. Unless Lady Wensho is a greater miracle worker than I know, but not even the strongest magic can fend off the death of a mortal forever,¡± Elder Pike answered.

    The merchant swallowed. ¡°I see. Thank you for your time.¡±

    He gave each of them a handful of silver, and they both set it aside before they left, refusing the payment for the things that they could not do.

    Tan¡¯s parents returned on schedule and were promptly informed of the development in the village. Wensho went to investigate, returning with a sad expression.

    ¡°She won¡¯t survive the winter,¡± she said. ¡°I told them to make arrangements. Unfortunately, they have made a request from us which is hard to deny. They wish for us to deliver a letter to their son, whom we have sent to the Whispering Guides for cultivation training. Considering that it is a request for a mother to see her son one last time, I promised that we would do everything we could.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Can¡¯t dad just pop over there and back? It¡¯s not that far, is it?¡± Tan asked.

    Tren covered his face. ¡°It would be best if I did not appear there in person, Tan. It¡¯s one thing to send Hoten there with a jade slip, but showing my face would ¡­ possibly cause many problems. I think it might be best if you make this journey for us.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Me?¡± Tan said, genuinely surprised. ¡°You mean, alone?¡±

    ¡°Four cultivators traveling together, even ones as young and powerful as you four, will generate little interest in the world at large,¡± Tren explained. ¡°And it will be good for you to stretch your legs and see a bit of the world, I think. You should be able to reach the Whispering Guides Sect within a week. Depending on how advanced Hoten¡¯s cultivation is, it shouldn¡¯t be more than a month before you return with him. You¡¯ll be home in time for the harvest.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Tan said sarcastically, although his heart wasn¡¯t in it. He was looking forward to see the end results of the year¡¯s labor. ¡°Can we take the spirit construct horses? If we can then¡ª¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t work without me there to guide you, Tan. You¡¯re not advanced enough to operate a construct like that on your own yet,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Tan repeated. He sighed, then looked at his own mother. If she was ill, and he was far away, he¡¯d want to get word from her to return home.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it,¡± he said at last. ¡°But it will be fastest if I go alone, won¡¯t it? I¡¯m the fastest and¡ª¡±

    ¡°And the world is a dangerous place. Your safety is more important than speed. This isn¡¯t an errand to Lima City and back, Tan. You¡¯ll be entering the Black Sky Mountains, where there are Demon Beasts and cultivators who might attempt to rob you. The Whispering Guides sect only maintains an area fifty miles around their home base. It¡¯s safe enough for a mortal to travel there and back, but you¡¯re at the stage where you¡¯re strong enough to attract trouble and not strong enough to make trouble flee from you on sight,¡± Tren said patiently. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if the four of you go together. Assuming that the others are willing to make the journey as well.¡±

    ¡°Of course we are,¡± Pao said immediately. ¡°It¡¯s my fault that Hoten isn¡¯t here for his mother in the first place. I¡¯m the entire reason he left the village.¡±

    ¡°You did nothing wrong,¡± Ko said quickly. ¡°We were annoyed when Hoten became a cultivator, but you traded a spirit stone for a loom for your family. Anyone of us would have done the same.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master and Mistress Shen. We¡¯ll all go with Tan and keep him safe.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Tren said. ¡°You¡¯ll leave in two days. We¡¯ll spend between now and then getting you ready.¡±

    With that much decided, the family meeting broke up. The day proceeded as normal for the children, who finished their chores and cultivated. The adults, however, were busy with their preparations.

    On the dawn of the second day, the children awoke and ate breakfast as normal, ignoring the nervous energy that was an unwelcome guest in the dining room. The adults tried to make light of the situation, but even little Safron was downcast that her big brother was going. She hadn¡¯t even told him about how the healers had said she¡¯d grow up to be as strong as him!

    The adults had a different memory of that encounter, but there was no point in worrying the children unnecessarily. It was still to early to act, and Safron¡¯s Qi block might still resolve itself on its own.

    When everyone had eaten their fill, they stepped out into the front yard for the formal farewell.

    Tan had their camping gear and a week¡¯s worth of food in his storage ring, which his Uncle Renton had so casually given him on their last visit. Much of the day before had been spent cooking various recipes for Tan to store, still hot and preserved against the march of time and entropy by the ring¡¯s magic.

    ¡°We have something for each of you,¡± Lady Wensho said. From her storage ring, she pulled a quarterstaff. It was made of black wood, with a formation etched into it in silver. She demonstrated a brief Kata that left the children¡¯s jaws hanging, then put the weapon in Ko¡¯s hand. ¡°This was mine when I was younger. I give it to you, Ko, in the hopes that it will serve you well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ko said, and she bowed low.

    Tren went next, pulling from his storage ring a warhammer made of a shiny black metal. He lifted it effortlessly above his hand, then brought it down in a colossal blow to the ground that caused an earth tremor that was felt for miles and left a crater in the ground five feet deep. He waved his hand again and repaired the damage to his yard.

    ¡°For you, Pao. This was mine once upon a time, but I have a better weapon now. May it serve you in your times of need.¡±

    From her ring, Wensho drew an ornate bow. She had no arrows, but when she pulled the string back one formed of ice from the air. She fired the arrow, which shot off over the horizon.

    ¡°For you, Won,¡± she said, handing it over to him. ¡°Mix it with your magic, and may you always strike your mark.¡±

    Finally, Tren pulled from his storage ring a sword. The blade was three feet long and made of a black shiny metal, with runes of power etched on the flat of the blade. The handle had a tassel of yellow silk, and although the blade seemed flimsy enough to bend when it was swung, it cut through a rock when Wensho through one at her husband during the Kata he displayed for the children.

    ¡°My father gave me this when I was your age,¡± Tren said, sheathing the blade and handing it to his son. ¡°May you never need to draw it, and may it not fail you if such a time comes that you must.¡±

    The children stood silently in awe of their weapons for a moment, then nodded at Tan¡¯s parents.

    They bowed as one and said ¡°Thank you for the gifts!¡±

    Then they dashed off towards the horizon.

    ?

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 18

    Pao set the pace.

    Tan was slowed by the others. By a lot. He could have been halfway there by the second day, but Pao set the pace, and Pao was slow.

    Well, not really slow. They jogged at a pace that saw them crossing the horizon every few minutes. And the pace that Pao sent, while slower than what Tan could manage on his own if he were flying the distance, was steady and relentless.

    Won and Ko had to both push themselves to keep up. Tan, to his surprise, found himself growing tired as well when he tried to run with the others. While Tan would have gone faster alone, he would have also stopped to take breaks along the way. Not too frequent, once an hour or so.

    They stopped once all day, and that was to eat.

    Were they mortals, they would have fallen behind. But they were each advanced cultivators, and while they were forced to tap into their spiritual energies in order to do so, they kept going long after a mortal would have lain down and died from exhaustion.

    They drew surprised looks as they passed wagons and commoners traveling on foot and horseback. Humble as they were dressed, the weapons they carried now were out of place on children so young. Each weapon radiated power and history, and those that saw them gave the children a respectful bow, correctly identifying them as cultivators of great power.

    Many didn¡¯t spare them a second glance, seeing only four poorly dressed children traveling alone and thinking nothing more of it. This might have been a critical mistake were the children of the Shen farm ones to take offense, for insulting a cultivator was like sticking one¡¯s head in the mouth of a dragon.

    The children didn¡¯t notice the bows, and they didn¡¯t notice those who ignored their presence either.

    Pao set the pace, and he was relentless. All of their focus was on keeping up with him as he jogged faster than mortals could sprint.

    The horizon stretched ever onward, and the children raced towards the east. Into the rising sun in the morning, and away from the sunset. Never slowing, rarely stopping for more than a meal, the children rested only at night, and even then only after nervously taking their weapons and practicing the katas that Tan¡¯s parents had shown them.

    They knew better than to try to spar with each other with the weapons. These were tools that were intended for serious self defense at the highest levels of combat, and none of them wanted to take a wound from them. Tan¡¯s sword could cut stone with ease. Ko¡¯s quarterstaff and Pao¡¯s warhammer, while not as powerful in the children¡¯s hands as they¡¯d been in the hands of the adults who¡¯d given the weapons to them, remained capable of shattering stone and bone alike.

    As for Won¡¯s bow, it spent the day feeding on his Qi and when he drew the string back to his cheek at night it greedily sucked in more, concentrating the energy into a fiery arrow of its own volition. He¡¯d never practiced archery before, but he did so in the evenings after Pao finally called a rest and found that it came naturally to him.

    At least, it did with the mystical bow that Wensho had given him. When he later tried practicing with a natural bow, he found himself fumbling and awkward at first. But the weapon he had been given knew how to be used. It seemed to tell him what needed to be done, even in the practice hours that the children spent familiarizing themselves with their weapons in the hour before dark.

    All of the weapons were like that. They carried memories of being in the hands of masters, and those memories had imprinted upon them. Now, in the hands of mere children who had never truly had to defend themselves before, the weapons knew their purpose and guided the hands that wielded them.

    The three children who were not born into the Shen family, but who had come to be part of it all the same, gathered out of earshot of Tan and whispered about their gifts.

    ¡°Do you think that he stole them from the imperial armory before he left?¡± Won asked, holding his bow with reverence.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. It¡¯s not theft when the emperor takes what is his,¡± Ko chided.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried that we¡¯re not worthy of these weapons,¡± Pao said seriously. ¡°I understand why we were given them, though. They sent their son out to prove himself in the world, and we¡¯re here to protect him. Worthy or not, they armed us with the mightiest weapons they could for the purpose of keeping him safe. Do not forget who it is that we serve.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°It¡¯s so weird sometimes, knowing who the Shen family really is,¡± Won commented. ¡°I mean, Lady Wensho helped our mother when she was giving birth to us. What sort of imperial concubine would do that for a bunch of dirt farmers?¡±

    ¡°The kind who is worth honoring by protecting her son,¡± Ko said seriously.

    In the distance, Tan danced a kata with his blade, listening the the voices in the wind. He couldn¡¯t make out the words, not without straining and he wouldn¡¯t violate his friend¡¯s privacy like that. But he recognized the tone.

    His friends were being weird again.

    He looked at the sword in his hands. It was sleek and deadly, and yet he felt a sliver of disappointment.

    ¡°Of course I got a hand-me-down,¡± he said, sighing.

    He danced the kata his father had shown him only once, the blade itself correcting his movements. He was fast and elegant, moving from one pose to the next with speed and grace.

    Until he tripped on a stone and almost cut off his nose.

    He laughed at the near-accident.

    He sensed a faint sliver of amused intent from ¡­ somewhere. He looked around, but his friends were nowhere to be seen, and he could sense nothing else breathing nearby.

    He looked at the sword in his hands, which gave off an aura of perfect innocence. As innocent as a deadly weapon could be.  Too  innocent.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± he told the sword. He corrected his stance, and started the Kata again from the beginning.

    They slept in tents that were stored in Tan¡¯s spatial ring, and they ate food that was still hot from the oven, likewise stored in the same place. Time did not pass inside a spatial ring, and it was perfect for storing things which were fragile, volatile, or needed to be kept at a certain temperature. Or, conversely, things which were large and cumbersome and difficult to carry.

    Tan hadn¡¯t been using the ring much around the farm, since he was so used to doing his chores without it, but he was grateful to have it for this journey. It made things so much easier than the last time the four of them had set out on their own, on the spirit stone hunt the year before.

    He offered to carry the weapons of the others for them in the ring. Pao¡¯s weapon especially was heavy and probably slowed even him down with its weight, but he insisted that it wasn¡¯t as bothersome as it looked, that he wanted to get used to carrying it around on his back, and that if the group  needed  their weapons, they might not have time for Tan to distribute them from his ring.

    The others made the exact same excuses when Tan offered to carry theirs as well, but he thought it was secretly just because they liked holding them and pretending to be great warriors.

    Not that he wasn¡¯t like that too, wearing the sword on his hip and being  aware  of it all of the time. It was awkward at first, but it seemed like the sword itself was teaching him how to walk with it swinging from his hip.

    Hand-me-down or not, it was a valuable weapon, he admitted to himself. And it made him feel grown-up to wear it.

    They traveled through the first three days, passing through the hilly foothills of the Black Sky Mountains, crossing the vast rivers with their various methods. That was one of the few times when Tan actually was given their weapons, as well as most of their clothing, as while he could fly over the river, the others had to swim.

    Except for Ko, she could walk on water, so she walked along while the others splashed their way across the deep rivers of the Blue Dragon Empire and promised to defend them should anything occur while they were in the water.

    If they were mortal, they would have had to find a ferry to cross.

    And they would have had to follow roads.

    And they would have taken much, much longer to get so far, leaving their home hundreds of miles behind them.

    They traveled for three days before they ran into trouble.

    ?

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 19

    The third day started like the ones before it. The children awoke, dismantled their camp, ate breakfast, and did the other things that one did in the morning. They spent twenty minutes practicing with their weapons, then sheathed them and continued on their way.

    As they traveled, they noticed fewer and fewer commoners on the roads that they passed over, by, or along. The villages were fewer and farther between. They were approaching he Black Sky Mountains themselves now, rather than the hundreds of miles of foothills that surrounded those massive and spiritual peaks.

    The trouble began with a shadow passing over the sun, shrouding them in darkness. It lasted only a moment, too fast to have been a cloud, but when they looked up, they saw nothing in the sky. They had felt it, however. A flicker of malicious intent.

    Tan kept an ear to the wind and they all kept an eye to the sky after that, but the shadow or anything that might have caused it did not reappear. They sensed more intent. It was vague and nebulous, however, and they could not track it back to its source.

    ¡°We should speed up,¡± Tan suggested.

    ¡°No, we should slow down,¡± Pao argued. ¡°If we¡¯re attacked, we don¡¯t want it to be after a chase. And if we¡¯re traveling too fast we might wander into an ambush.¡±

    The boys argued, turning to the twins for support. Won agreed with Tan, while Ko agreed with Pao, resolving nothing.

    They were still bickering when the intent suddenly solidified. Tan waved his hand and summoned a gust of wind that deflected the arrows that came their way. He flared his own intent, while the others drew their weapons and faced off in the direction that the arrows had come from.

    ¡°There they are,¡± Won said, drawing his bow. He aimed at ¡­ something. Tan couldn¡¯t see it, and the wind wasn¡¯t cooperating with him. He closed his eyes and opened his  other  eye and then he saw the life force of the bandits hiding in the bush, just as Won began firing arrows at them that pierced through the cover of the forest and set the bandits and bushes aflame.

    They began to scream and run away. The children were satisfied with that result.

    The bandit leader was not.

    He landed before them, in his hand a sword the size of a man. Made of obsidian and sharp enough to slice open the palm that touched its edge with a feather touch, the weapon was as infamous and deadly as the man himself.

    ¡°Tell you what, kids,¡± he said, twisting his neck and popping his vertebrae, ¡°Give me your weapons and any other valuables you might have on you, and I won¡¯t gut you and cook you over a spit.¡±

    He flared his intent, which he had trained by killing over one hundred men.

    The children didn¡¯t even flinch.

    He grinned, believing that they were frozen stupid by his--

    The flame arrow struck him in the thigh, burning a hole straight through his leg. He screamed and lost control of his will for a moment. Then he seized down and redoubled the pressure that he put on the children.

    A second arrow hit him in the arm.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Are you trying to kill him or make him angry?¡± Tan asked casually.

    ¡°Do you think we should? Kill him, I mean?¡± Ko asked clinically.

    ¡°That¡¯s the penalty for banditry. We¡¯ll be doing the empire a favor,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Do  you  want to be the one who kills him, Tan?¡± Pao asked, and the younger boy paled.

    ¡°You little¡ªI¡¯ll kill you!¡± the bandit leader shouted, and he charged, ignoring the pain and the limp in his leg as he raised his obsidian blade and swiped it at the children.

    The big one leapt out in front and swung that impressive warhammer he carried. The bandit leader grinned, knowing that his blade could cut steel, and doubled down the effort by reinforcing the swing with a burst of speed powered by Qi.

    Steel met volcanic glass, and the sword shattered into a million pieces. Both combatants were struck by the shrapnel, and the shards of obsidian cut their clothes and their skin.

    The bandit leader didn¡¯t even hesitate. He grabbed the big kid by the face, twisted, and threw him into the distance with all of his strength.

    ¡°You little brats! I¡¯ll kill you for that,¡± he screamed. ¡°I¡¯m in the fourth stage of the spiritual realm, and sword or not I¡¯m more than enough of a weapon to put all of you in the ground!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m in the foundation realm,¡± Tan said, stepping forward. ¡°I cultivate the wind just like you. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s blowing hot air.¡±

    The boy drew his sword and almost vanished, he moved so fast. The bandit leader was his equal, however, and he reached out to catch the blade with the gauntlet on his left hand, winding back to throw a punch with his right.

    The blade passed clean through his hand, the cut searing hot but only a minor distraction. He screamed and ignored his severed hand as he swung with his other. He connected right in Tan¡¯s face, grinning as he felt the cartilage of the boy¡¯s nose snap beneath the blow.

    The girl was next. She lasted for thirty seconds before he tripped her and kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying. He turned and--

    The flame arrow struck him in the chest, piercing his heart.

    Won swallowed as the man looked at him in surprise. The expression on the bandit leader¡¯s face was seared into the boy¡¯s soul. The first man he ever killed clutched his chest and fell over.

    The children collapsed as the adrenaline faded from them. The other bandits were gone. Without the bandit leader masking their presence, Tan could sense their breath on the wind, but they were running away and none of the children had the will to chase them and ¡­ and what?

    Kill them?

    They didn¡¯t have the heart for that.

    Bring them to justice?

    The empire would just kill them. It was an extra step in the process that only complicated things exponentially.

    No. They let the bandits go. Perhaps with their leader dead they would reconsider their choice of profession and become more productive members of society. But it wasn¡¯t the children¡¯s responsibility to right every wrong in the world. They had merely defended themselves against a man who would have killed them.

    Uncertain what else to do with the body, Tan put it in his spatial ring, and they continued on their journey after setting Tan¡¯s broken nose and bandaging the cuts that Pao got from the obsidian sword¡¯s shrapnel.

    The rest of the day was uneventful.

    The night was not.

    ?

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 20

    The scream came from the twins¡¯s tent. Pao, who was taking his turn at watch, grabbed his hammer and rushed to help, only to find that there was nothing he could do. It was just a dream.

    Just a dream.

    Just a dream, Won told himself as he forced himself to calm down.

    The eyes of the dead man were not truly upon him, judging him and haunting him and calling for vengeance. The body remained in Tan¡¯s ring, and they¡¯d present it to the imperial lawmen when they got to the next city to see if there was a reward. But the man himself was dead, and he couldn¡¯t hurt Won.

    He couldn¡¯t hurt Won¡¯s sister. Or his friends.

    Because Won had killed him to stop him from doing exactly that.

    Except killing a man wasn¡¯t like in the stories. It wasn¡¯t something that he could just do and pretend had never happened. The bandit had been, well, a bandit. A thief and likely a murderer besides, if his threats had any weight to them. And Won thought that they did, having felt the man¡¯s intent.

    He had probably saved more lives than he¡¯d taken, he realized.

    That didn¡¯t make the demon haunting him easier to bear.

    Won took over his turn to stand watch early, sending Pao and the others back to bed. He stared into the flames of the campfire, seeing eyes that weren¡¯t there whenever he looked out into the darkness.

    Tan woke in the morning and, after taking care of certain things that usually need to be taken care of in the morning, put on his blindfold and began practicing his kata with his new sword.

    With his third eye open, it was rather obvious when he looked at Won that there was something wrong with the boy. Tan frowned, seeing the alien Qi attempting to strangle the flame that was Won¡¯s own spirit.

    He recognized it for what it was.

    ¡°Zephyr, do you see that?¡± he asked his spirit.

    ¡°Your friend is haunted,¡± she said.

    ¡°Is he in danger? Can I help?¡±

    ¡°The ghost is weak. It has attached itself to your friends soul, but the gates of hell are open wide and the pull of the afterlife is snatching at it like a greedy toddler trying to pull a sweet from the hands of an older child who doesn¡¯t want to give it to them. The problem will probably resolve itself in a week or two on its own, especially if you tell Won that his dream might have been a visitation and not just his conscience,¡± the spirit informed him.

    ¡°What if I want to do more than that?¡± Tan asked.

    The spirit was silent for a moment. ¡°It might be dangerous, but there is an old ritual I know.¡±

    Tan listened to the ritual, then gathered Pao and Ko to discuss matters with them. They took him at his word that he¡¯d seen a ghost haunting Won and that they couldn¡¯t tell him yet if they were going to complete the ritual.

    Pao announced that they were taking a break for the morning, and Won was so distracted that he just continued to stare into the fire. The others went about setting up the ritual in silence. When Won was finally called to join them, the haunted boy looked confused at the magic circles the others had drawn, and at the clay man standing in the center.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The bandit is haunting you, Won,¡± Tan said. ¡°We¡¯re going to purge your spirit and free you from its influence.¡±

    ¡°And kill him a second time, huh?¡± Won said.

    ¡°You only die once,¡± Tan argued. ¡°Even so, I can see him as he is now, and he¡¯s a twisted, ugly, evil thing that¡¯s clutching at your throat. He turned into a demon when he died, and now he¡¯s trying to poison you to get his revenge.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to convince me. I know what he was, and nothing you said is exactly surprising,¡± Won said. ¡°Just tell me what to do.¡±

    At Tan¡¯s instructions, he stepped over the magical formations, cut his palm, and wiped a bit of his blood on the clay mannequin. Then he stepped back onto one of the cardinal points of the formation and, with the others, pumped it full of Qi.

    The wind changed, and the air filled with the scent of blood. The mannequin¡¯s eyes abruptly opened, showing the red of a demon as the demonic spirit was pulled from Won and forced into the clay doll.

    ¡°Little boy, little boy, I¡¯m going to eat you,¡± the demon-puppet said. ¡°Just like the other children I¡¯ve killed. They call me Ten-wo, the demon cannibal, and I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now!¡± Tan said, and the others flooded the ritual with a hundred times the Qi they¡¯d pumped in before. The demon screamed, and the clay burst aflame, turning to ash a moment later.

    Tan spent a moment afterwards searching, and he examined each of his friend¡¯s auras closely, but saw no remnant of their unwelcome guest. Pao caused the earth to eat the circles they had drawn in the dirt, and they returned to their campfire.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Won said.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Won. It was a demon,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I killed him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Tan said. ¡°He was evil. We knew that when he was alive, and his ¡®turning into a demon¡¯ act proved it when he died. You did the empire a favor, Won.¡±

    ¡°And I still feel guilty about it,¡± Won said. ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t make sense. I feel guilty. That isn¡¯t what I felt when I was haunted, by the way. Then I felt harried and afraid of something I couldn¡¯t see. Now that it¡¯s gone, I feel ¡­ I knew that when I started cultivating I might have to kill someone some day. I thought that I was ready for it. I wasn¡¯t.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something that you can really prepare yourself for, Won,¡± Ko said gently. She put her arm around her brothers shoulder, and they sat like that for a while, watching the fire burn.

    They set out again after lunch, Pao setting an even more grueling pace to make up for the time that they had lost dealing with the demon. They arrived in a city with an outpost for the army, where they inquired about bandits and had the man that they had killed described to them exactly.

    The garrison officer¡¯s eyes bulged out when Tan produced the corpse from a spatial ring, then rushed off to find his commander. The commander appeared, bowing to the cultivators and offering them wine and dates to eat and drink as they waited for the garrison to confirm the bandit¡¯s identity and gather the reward for his execution.

    The children ate the dates, but nobody drank the wine, preferring the tea that the commander served a few minutes after remembering that he was dealing with children.

    Once the bounty was completed, the children were given tokens proclaiming that they had performed a service for the empire, which they put on their necklaces, the ones that already had a talisman given to them the year before by Tren and Wensho.

    Aside from those tokens, they were given a sac of coins and precious gems, which they promised to divide up equally between them when they returned home. Then they were off again, dashing towards the horizon in their journey to the east.

    The rest of the trip to the Whispering Guides Sect was quiet and uneventful. More quiet than it should have been. The death of the bandit leader continued to weigh heavily on the children. Even Tan, who insisted that they had done the right thing, was not his usual self.

    Won, having dealt the final blow against the bandit and been haunted by its demon, was quiet and withdrawn. His sister tried to get him to cheer up by challenging him with friendly japes and jabs, but he did not rise the way that he usually would. Pao was silent out of respect, although he too was troubled.

    They¡¯d done what had needed to be done. They¡¯d earned recognition from the empire for their services. They were heroes.

    Pao never realized that being a hero meant feeling like crud.

    On the sixth day of their journey, he called a halt early in the day.

    ¡°We need to talk about it or it¡¯s going to keep bugging us. We¡¯ve purged the bandit¡¯s demon, but he¡¯s still haunting us,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± Tan said. ¡°He was going to kill us. He¡¯d killed other travelers and was going to kill us if we hadn¡¯t been stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°But we still killed him, Tan. Doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡± Ko said quietly.

    ¡°Of course it does. But it was the right thing to do. He was an evil soul. A demon with the flesh of a man. If we hadn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, shut up,¡± Won said.

    Tan looked surprised.

    ¡°I heard you crying last night. I know you¡¯re acting,¡± Won said.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I was crying too. Just silently,¡± Won added. ¡°Tan, why didn¡¯t  you  kill the bandit? Why did you make me do it?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest of all of us. You let yourself get hit so that I¡¯d have to do it,¡± Won accused.

    ¡°I did not!¡±

    ¡°Then why was it me who killed the bandit who was seven stages ahead of me instead of you, who¡¯s the most advanced of any of us?¡± Won said.

    ¡°Because¡ª¡±

    ¡°Leave him alone, Won,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°No! If he¡¯d have gone full out, with that sword of his, then he could have killed the bandit easily! Instead he made me kill him and now I¡¯m the one who has blood on his hands! Tan, don¡¯t you know¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough Won,¡± Pao said. ¡°Tan,  did you  hold back when you were fighting the bandit leader?¡±

    Tan looked defensive. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s all there is to say, Won. The bandit was stronger than any of us individually. Without the weapons Master and Mistress Shen gave us, we might have been killed,¡± Pao said. ¡°That goes for Tan as much as any of us.¡±

    ¡°Master and Mistress put a lot of faith in us, sending us out alone,¡± Ko said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they knew we¡¯d be attacked, but they gave us weapons to defend ourselves in case we were. I know you¡¯ve all felt it too, from your weapons. They¡¯re more than just tools. I think they have spirits in them.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Tan said. ¡°It¡¯s something else. Fake-spirits. Not spirits like Zephyr or a spirit stone but something else. But you¡¯re right. They¡¯re not simple tools. They remember how to fight, and they¡¯re trying to teach us how they should be used.¡±

    ¡°Won, it wasn¡¯t just you who killed the bandit. It was your bow, using you to do it,¡± Ko said. ¡°And I¡¯m happy that you did it. That man did evil things. Terrible things that he wasn¡¯t even ashamed of. He bragged about them even after he was dead.¡±

    ¡°It still makes me a killer, Ko,¡± Won said quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve killed someone and I can¡¯t go back to who I was before that.¡±

    ¡°I know. But you¡¯re still my brother and I love you,¡± Ko said, and she hugged him.

    Won hugged her back, and he began crying in her arms.

    The others looked away while the twins comforted each other.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t hold back,¡± Tan said once the two had separated.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry I said you did,¡± Won said. ¡°I just ¡­ I lost something when I killed him.¡±

    ¡°We all did,¡± Pao said. ¡°And I think I know what it was.¡±

    The others looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

    ¡°Innocence,¡± Pao declared. ¡°We¡¯re no longer little kids who¡¯ve been sheltered our whole lives. We¡¯ve been in a real battle and survived. But part of us died. That bandit killed our innocence, and I curse him for it.¡±

    The others remained silent for a moment as they contemplated his words.

    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Tan said eventually.

    ¡°We go get Hoten, and then we go home,¡± Pao said. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. Not really. We just ¡­ aren¡¯t as innocent as we were before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won said, nodding. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    So they continued on their way. They made camp that night, and arrived the next morning.

    ?

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 21

    ¡°Dad! Daddy! Daddy are you watching?¡± Safron demanded, bouncing up and down as she danced. It was one of the training katas designed for children to move their body and their Qi together. Tan, and the other children of the Shen farm, had grown up performing these simple but profound movements, and now it was little Safron¡¯s turn.

    ¡°Closer than you can imagine,¡± Tren Shen answered.

    ¡°No you¡¯re not, you have your eyes closed, I saw you,¡± she said accusingly, stopping to pout.

    ¡°I can see better with my eyes closed,¡± Tren said defensively.

    ¡°You mean like Tan with his blindfold?¡±

    ¡°Tan is just starting out with that talent. I¡¯ve been mastering it for decades. My third eye¡¯s sight is much better than his,¡± Tren answered honestly.

    ¡°What do I look like when you close your eyes?¡± Safron demanded.

    ¡°Like a beautiful fiery little girl shining brightly in the darkness,¡± Tren answered immediately. ¡°You¡¯re orange, and you have¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. No I¡¯m not orange,¡± Safron said.

    Tren smiled. ¡°Yes, sweetie, you are. But it¡¯s a very¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m not orange. Pick another color.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine. You¡¯re pink, and very beautiful,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Okay. Pink is better. And you said that I¡¯m pretty?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty to me whether you have your eyes open or closed,¡± Tren said definitively. ¡°Now keep dancing until you¡¯re tired, then go meditate. I have to talk with your mother for a while.¡±

    ¡°Kay.¡±

    Tren left the girl dancing in the field to go sit by the fence, where Wensho was darning a sock in the sunlight. She, too, was absolutely beautiful to the eyes of her husband. She was decades older, but hadn¡¯t appeared to have aged a day since he¡¯d met her. She too had her eyes closed, but unlike Tren she wasn¡¯t watching their daughter.

    ¡°How are they doing?¡± he asked her quietly.

    ¡°Their spirits are troubled, but they¡¯re coping. It¡¯s a good thing that we gave them those guardian weapons. You should berate your brother for allowing such a vile man to exist in his empire,¡± Wensho answered. ¡°And now those innocent children have blood on their hands.¡±

    ¡°It was destined to happen sooner or later,¡± Tren said, sighing. He closed his eyes and focused, and he too saw the four spirits of the children he had been guiding for years now, his spiritual vision homing in on the trinkets they had given them before their spirit stone hunt. ¡°We all have blood on our hands. Innocence is the price we pay for power.¡±

    ¡°Which is a lesson that they cannot understand until they¡¯ve lost their innocence,¡± Wensho said sadly. ¡°I still wish that we could have protected them from this.¡±

    ¡°I do too,¡± Tren said. He observed the trembling and uncertainty in his son¡¯s aura, the guilt in Won¡¯s, and the hesitation in Pao and Ko. ¡°They were never in danger, but do you think they know that?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, they were never in danger? That man was a monster, I don¡¯t need to have known his crimes to have seen it in his aura,¡± Wensho said. ¡°The world is a better place without him, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°You know what I meant. Other children would have been in danger in their place. But we saw too it that¡ª¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t understand the weight of what they carry,¡± Wensho said. ¡°We designed it that way on purpose, remember? When we sent them to gather stones, we didn¡¯t explain the significance behind the charms we gave them to wear around their necks beyond that they would keep them safe. And we enchanted an aura of forgetfulness around those trinkets. They¡¯ve probably already forgotten why they wear them, if they ever understood at all.¡±

    ¡°Is it better or worse that way?¡± Tren said. ¡°If they ever think that we sent them off unprotected when they face true danger¡ª¡±

    ¡°One day they¡¯ll face true danger that we cannot protect them from,¡± Wensho said, her eyes distant. ¡°When that day comes, would you have them unprepared to act without a safety net?¡±

    Tren sighed. ¡°I love you.¡±

    ¡°I love you too. But you worry too much.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ~~~~~~

    Hoten made a face as he emptied the chamberpot. It wouldn¡¯t have been such a bad thing if it were  his own  chamberpot. But no, he was acting as a servant to one of the elders. He didn¡¯t have much choice, not if he wanted to reach the next stage of cultivation.

    He was serving Master Argoth, the pillmaster, in exchange for a weekly supply of the Lofty Wind pills which were vital to his cultivation. While the pills were the same that he¡¯d get on from the contribution store, the fact was that Hoten was broke.

    He had first approached Master Argoth when the price for the Lofty Wind Pills had tripled due to a sudden increase in demand¡ªspurred by Hoten¡¯s own success with them¡ªcombined with a decrease in supply of some of the ingredients. While Hoten had scoured the countryside looking for the herbs that were needed, the gardens of Master Argoth remained the only reliable supply.

    Hoten had been forced with a choice. He could either give up using the pills entirely¡ªbut if he did he had no idea how to continue to advance his cultivation¡ªor he could find a way to earn contribution points to buy them from the market¡ªbut the ways which most of the outer sect disciples did that were fraught with danger and Hoten was a Coward.

    However, Master Argoth had offered him a third option. He needed a servant. Hoten, as a common-born son of a poor merchant in an unknown village, had been seen as a suitable option. That he was a cultivator was of little matter. In fact, it was a benefit. While mortals did serve the sect, it was a status symbol among the elders to be served by the outer sect disciples instead.

    Hoten was even able to leverage his position a little bit by putting in a good word for some of the other disciples and make inquiries to Master Argoth about which pills were about to be made so that those who would especially benefit from them knew when to save their contribution points.

    He had  tried  to leverage his position to learn alchemy, but Master Argoth had laughed in his face. The elder had honestly believed that Hoten had been joking, and Hoten had been too embarrassed to press the issue further after that.

    Hoten placed the lid back on the chamberpot after finishing with the unpleasant task of rinsing it, then returned to the estate. He returned the pot to the Master¡¯s bedchambers, then returned to the servant¡¯s quarters to continue the more pleasant aspects of his job. Mostly he was just there to clean and dust. He wasn¡¯t allowed into the mixing chambers or the Master¡¯s study.

    He was in the middle of his duties when the bell of summoning rang. He sighed, placing his tools aside and rushing to find Master Argoth, who was munching on a biscuit in the den.

    ¡°Ah, yes, there you are Red Rooster,¡± Argoth said. ¡°I have something for you.¡±

    Hoten hated that name so much, but the more he tried to escape it, the more everyone seemed to rub it in his face. Argoth, at least, seemed to think that he was proud of the moniker, which was the front that Hoten was trying to present.

    ¡°You have something for me?¡±

    ¡°Are you a rooster or a parrot? Yes, I have something for you. It¡¯s in the box on the table,¡± Argoth said.

    Hoten blinked, then stepped over to examine an ornate box. He opened it, and the powerful aroma of medicinal pills roiled out. Hoten¡¯s mouth watered as he realized what they were. Or rather, what they were not. These pills were not available in the contribution store.

    ¡°What ¡­ what are they, Master Argoth? I can smell their potency but beyond that¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re an experiment. A new recipe I¡¯m trying. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, I have no idea whether they¡¯re my greatest success or simply another failure. They  should  be extremely beneficial to a wind or fire cultivator of your stage, but since I¡¯ve never tested them on anything larger than a rat, I don¡¯t know for certain that they¡¯re not poisonous,¡± the alchemist explained. ¡°So...it¡¯s your choice. You can have them if I can study the effects that they have on your body. I¡¯m not going to deny that they might kill you. But aside from turning your urine green, the Lofty Wind pills are no longer having any effect for you, are they?¡±

    Hoten swallowed. ¡°How likely are they to ¡­ I mean, can you give me any sort of odds on my surviving their use?¡±

    ¡°If they were poisonous I¡¯d tell you. You should be able to survive ten doses for certain. The problem is the impurities they¡¯ll introduce to your body. The more you take, the more they¡¯ll build up. I¡¯m uncertain, but I believe that they¡¯ll effect your liver first, and then your kidneys. There are some exercises I want you to perform to see if you can purify your body of the effects once the toxins have reached a noticeable level, but we¡¯re getting ahead of ourselves. Do you agree to be my test-rat, or shall I search for a new servant?¡±

    Hoten¡¯s heart sank. ¡°My job here is ¡­ I have to choose between taking these pills and finding a new one?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to take them, then I¡¯ll need your room for whoever does agree to test the pills for me,¡± Master Argoth explained. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s either or, son. Either you take the pills, or you move back out into the outer sect.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for the opportunity, Master Argoth. I accept.¡±

    ¡°Good, good, good,¡± Argoth said. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a cultivation circle for you on the roof. It should be most beneficial to you in conjunction with the pills, and it will also measure their toxicity and the effects on your body. You may begin whenever you wish, your other duties can wait.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hoten said again, then bowed and retreated from the room, taking the box of pills with him.

    He found the cultivation formation on the roof, leaping up there from the ground with simple ease. He couldn¡¯t quite fly, but he could jump pretty well. He palmed one of the pills from the box, then popped it into his mouth, his eyes watering at the medicinal taste. He chewed, but that just made the taste worse.

    He swallowed, and within moments he felt the roiling Qi of the pill unleash itself into his body. He sat in the lotus position and cultivated, a grin on his face.

    It was ten times as potent as the Lofty Wind pill, and he was certain that a breakthrough was imminent. He¡¯d earned this opportunity, and there was nothing that could possibly convince him to abandon it.

    ?

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 22

    ¡°So, we just go up and announce ourselves?¡± Tan asked the villager, a young woman who was balancing a jar of water above her head.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. If you¡¯re looking to join the sect, you go to Elder Yotu¡¯s house and announce yourself. If you are already cultivators, and I think you are, then you should announce yourself by displaying your cultivation,¡± she explained. ¡°If you are advanced then he will hurry. If you are not then you may have to wait, but he will come if you do not leave sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tan said. She smiled at him.

    ¡°You ¡­ serve the empire?¡± she asked, looking at the trinket around his neck.

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Tan said, fingering the symbol that each of the children had gotten for turning in the body of the bandit leader. ¡°We provided a service and this was our reward.¡±

    ¡°That is good. The Whispering Guides reward meritorious service,¡± she told him. ¡°When you are a few years older, you should come back to the village. Many of the young men come to us for drinking and female companionship.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be here that long,¡± Tan said. He would have blushed if he¡¯d really understood her words and her look. ¡°But thank you for the advice. Here, have a coin.¡±

    He handed her one of the silver coins the empire had given them for the bounty, then turned away as she was thanking him. He stepped over to his friends, who had listened to every word of the conversation. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not joining this sect, just fetching Hoten,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°But we¡¯re also not sneaking about, so we should talk to whoever mans the front gate for them. That sounds like it¡¯s this Elder Yotu. So we should do as she says.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ko agreed. ¡°Hopefully we don¡¯t have to wait too long.¡±

    They followed the path from the village towards the primary mountain of the Whispering Guides Sect¡¯s primary compound and found the elder¡¯s mansion right where the young woman had said it would be. They stepped up to the front door and flared their Qi and their Intent as brightly as they could, just as they¡¯d been instructed.

    The result was nearly instantaneous, with a harried Elder Yotu jumping out of a second story balcony a few seconds after they appeared. His eyes were wide as he looked about for the formidable warriors who had just announced themselves, then turned and saw four children in their place.

    He blinked.

    Children? How could children produce Intent like what he had just felt? Power was one thing; there was a young fire cultivator in their sect who was as strong as the strongest of them, but to produce such intent at this age was¡­

    He swallowed, seeing their weapons. And  sensing the intent from the weapons themselves . These were not mere children, and he immediately put on a welcoming smile.

    ¡°Hello! Hello! Welcome, young masters and young mistress, to the Whispering Guides Sect. We are honored that such illustrious and noble young sirs and madam as yourselves have come to join our humble¡ª¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here to join,¡± Tan said, cutting off his speech. ¡°A while ago a young man named Hoten came here. We¡¯ve been sent to retrieve him.¡±

    Elder Yotu blanched. He still remembered that day; it haunted him. The roiling Qi that had come out of that jade slip had been overwhelming. He had put in a good word for the boy, but the other elders hadn¡¯t believed him that the hidden master who had referred the Red Rooster to the sect had been on the level of the sect master.  At least  on that level. Possibly far beyond; from the humble foothill upon which Elder Yotu sat, he could not see the peaks of such power.

    ¡°Has the Red Rooster done something wrong?¡± Yotu asked hesitantly.

    For some reason, the girl snickered at the name.

    ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t,¡± the youngest boy, who despite his age seemed to be the leader of the group. ¡°It¡¯s a family matter. He¡¯s not in any trouble, he just has a filial duty to fulfill towards his parents. He should be able to return in the spring.¡±

    Yotu relaxed. If it was just a personal matter, then there was no problem. ¡°Do you, perhaps, carry a token of the hidden master who sent him here in the first place, to verify your words?¡±

    The youngest boy blinked, then he seemed to remember something. ¡°Oh yeah, he did give me a tablet to give you,¡± he said, and abruptly he pulled a small jade slip out of a storage--

    The boy had a storage ring!

    Yotu felt ill. Spatial manipulation items were exceedingly rare and expensive, with the imperial family of the Blue Dragon Empire having a monopoly on the artisans who could craft them. Whoever these young people were, they had deep connections.

    And, noticing the talismans around their neck with the imperial symbol on them, he was afraid to question exactly who those connections were, lest they turn out to be exactly as lofty as he feared they might be. It would make perfect sense for a hidden master who served at the Emperor¡¯s discretion to send his pupils on a mission such as this.

    Yotu took the jade slip that the boy handed to him, but rather than immediately snap it to receive the message, he bowed to the young masters and the young mistress. ¡°I will need to show this to the leadership of the sect. I am certain that the matter will be approved with no issues; however, in the mean time, I will give each of you a token worth one hundred contribution points. I invite you to visit our contribution points store and see if there are any resources there which might be beneficial towards your cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah that sounds great,¡± Tan said. ¡°How long will it take you to check with your higher-ups?¡±

    ¡°I will convene them tonight and we will have the answer in the morning. In the mean time, you may rest comfortably in my house. My servants will be available for your every comfort, I will instruct them to serve you as if you were myself. Do not worry about me, I shall sleep in the inner compound tonight, if I sleep at all.¡±

    ¡°Okay. If you say so,¡± Tan said. ¡°How do we find the contribution store?¡±

    Having successfully distracted the youths, Yotu rushed off to the peak of the mountain to summon the other elders for a conclave, while Tan and the others climbed off towards the largest compound on the mountain¡¯s girdle to see what the contribution points store had available for them.

    Yotu glanced at the jade slip in his hands and grinned as he dashed towards the peaks. This time, there wouldn¡¯t be any doubt about his words. The proof that a hidden master beyond compare lurked nearby would cause waves through the sect, but between fostering the growth of the Red Rooster and bribing these other students with the goods of the contribution store, perhaps they could get on the man¡¯s good side and reap untold rewards.

    On the roof of a mansion halfway up the mountain, a certain young man sneezed. Hoten frowned; he had been cultivating for fifteen hours straight. The pill was wearing off, and he could no longer focus.

    He had some contribution points left to spend; he¡¯d been saving them for a while. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about buying pills or ingredients for pills, he wanted to see what his other options were. So, deciding to forego sleep for a while longer, that is where he went.

    ?

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 23

    ¡°Back again, Red Rooster? I¡¯ve told you before, the price on those pills you¡¯re after just keeps going up, not down,¡± Master Poh said when the young man darkened the doorway of the contribution shop.

    ¡°I know. Thank you so much for suggesting that I speak with Master Argoth, Poh. He has seen to it that I will not want for cultivation aids for the near future, so I am here to see about manuals or other items that will help me,¡± Hoten said humbly. Poh wasn¡¯t exactly a friend, but he  had  given good advice. People who gave good advice deserved to be treated with respect, and treating people with respect was the surest way to ensure that you got good advice.

    If Hoten had been more respectful towards Tren Shen ¡­

    He sighed. He had only been seventeen when he¡¯d been cursed by the Shen family. It wasn¡¯t a bad curse, as far as things went. Just a bit embarrassing. His hands were literally red, but he had lied to the sect about the reason for it, calling it a birthmark. Nobody knew about the other aspect of the curse.

    Nobody in the sect, at least. He was very careful about where he bathed and which facilities he used to answer the call of nature so that nobody would see him. He was known to be unnaturally shy, but that wasn¡¯t such a bad thing, really.

    Unfortunately it also meant that he¡¯d been forced to avoid girls. He¡¯d figure out something to remedy the curse eventually, he just needed to reach a certain level of power and then he could demand¡ªno, humbly request that the Shens reverse it. Humility was the key to many things, he had learned. If he were humble, then surely the Shens would see that he was not the impudent boy who had tried to rob them and reverse the curse.

    He sighed, pulling himself out of the daydream and picking up one of the scrolls detailing the manuals that were for sale. There were several insight scrolls listed, but not the insights they contained. You had to purchase them based on who wrote them, uncertain what it was you were buying until you¡¯d paid the price. These gacha scrolls were surprisingly popular among Hoten¡¯s contemporaries, with various factions competing to secure the most insightful scrolls from the most illustrious sages on the mountains.

    Unfortunately, Hoten was still riding the initial wealth that he¡¯d made when he¡¯d first arrived on the mountain last year. He¡¯d traded a bunch of low-level spiritual stones¡ªones which retained a sense of spirituality and could absorb a significant amount of Qi, but which did not possess a spirit themselves¡ªfor contribution points. He still had thirty two points from that transaction.

    Enough for two gacha purchases, or one of the training manuals, or¡­

    He frowned as he heard a familiar voice coming in from outside the shop. His eyes opened wide, and he hid in a closet where the brooms and mops were kept.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe he was just being friendly? I mean, you¡¯re right, Elder Yotu did seem a little weird, but I don¡¯t think that he¡¯d have given us four hundred contribution points between the four of us if there was a problem,¡± Tan Shen said, and the door opened.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know if four hundred is a little or a lot,¡± Pao pointed out. ¡°He could have just been giving us a handful of candies to distract us like little kids.¡±

    ¡°He offered us his own home while the elders convened,¡± Ko pointed out. ¡°I think that he respects us. Or our masters, at least.¡±

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t tell them who Tan¡¯s parents were,¡± Won pointed out.

    ¡°Hoten had a token to recommend him to the sect,¡± Ko reminded the group. ¡°Who knows what it was that Master Tren said, but it was probably something convincing. So when we show up from the same village, it only makes sense that they¡¯d treat us with the respect they¡¯d treat our masters.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, that makes sense,¡± Won agreed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what this place has.¡±

    They were met at the door by Master Poh, who had a stern look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, young sirs and ma¡¯am, but this establishment is for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Elder Yotu said to give you this,¡± Tan said, pulling an envelope from his spatial ring. An act which caused Master Poh to do a double take; the sheer display of wealth that casual action entailed!

    ¡°Of course, Young Master,¡± Poh said, taking the envelope and quickly ripping it apart for its contents. It simply said to treat the children as honored guests of the sect and award them one hundred points each. Poh blanched at the amount¡ªfour hundred points was more than most young cultivators earned in two years¡ªbut it was Yotu¡¯s neck on the line for this decision, not his.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Very well. Would you like to browse, or are you interested in recommendation?¡± Poh asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s good here?¡± Won asked nonchalantly. ¡°If you had four hundred points to spend, what would you get?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, if  I  had four hundred points to spend I¡¯d use it for personal training with one of the elders who is further along my path than I,¡± Poh admitted. ¡°There are a few trinkets in this store which would benefit me, but for the most part I have either grown beyond the needs of what is available here, or have purchased such a resource long ago and do not require another, such as the prayer mats which I recommend every young cultivator to get when they arrive.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Show us one,¡± Ko said.

    Master Poh complied, bringing them into the side of the store where the mats were rolled up around a block of cedar to keep the moths away. They unrolled one of the mats and the children examined it critically.

    ¡°How much is it?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Thirty contribution points. It¡¯s expensive, and it often takes a young cultivator months to save up for one, but the cost is worth it. There¡¯s one for each element, this is a water prayer mat, but there¡¯s one for air, earth, and fire as well,¡± Poh explained. ¡°They are said to increase the purity and rate of Qi absorption by¡ª¡±

    ¡°The mats that Lady Wensho handed out to us when Lord Tren gave us our spirit stones were better than this,¡± Won said, poking at the mat. ¡°Weren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ko agreed. She ran a bit of Qi through the gathering focus, powering it for a second, then shook her head. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s better than nothing. But honestly the mats that Tan has in his ring are a hundred times better than this.¡±

    Poh gaped at the casual dismissal of the mat¡¯s quality. He realized he was gaping and shut his mouth, then tried to think of words of what to say. ¡°Well, it is true that the mats are a rather short-term investment compared to a permanent gathering formation, which is what the elders tend to set up in and around their estate for their chosen elements. These mats are for new cultivators, young ones who are still in the initiate¡¯s realm.¡±

    ¡°We are in the initiate¡¯s realm. Except for Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°Can I see the one for Earth?¡±

    Poh unrolled the requested mat, and Pao likewise ran a bit of Qi through it.

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s crap,¡± the boy declared. ¡°What else you got?¡±

    Poh hesitated, glancing at the children¡¯s weapons, then sighed. ¡°The other primary purchase that our young members usually make from our store is a suitable weapon for when they venture into the wild seeking resources, experience, and adventure. However, I can see at a glance that your weapons are superior to anything we have available for points. As such, I would recommend some of our low-quality spiritual stones, or our spiritual insight scrolls, or our technique library.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s still look at the weapons,¡± Tan suggested.

    ¡°Your dad just gave you that sword and you¡¯re already looking to replace it?¡± Won asked him.

    ¡°No,¡± Tan said quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, you¡¯ll give it ideas! I just wanted to see what other¡ªnever mind it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s sulky now that you said that. Okay, fine. Let¡¯s look at some of the insight things.¡±

    ¡°You should understand that we operate our insight scrolls on a gacha system,¡± Master Poh said nervously. ¡°You must buy them before reading their contents. They¡¯re very cheap, however, only six points each.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fine. We¡¯ll take four. One each, right guys?¡±

    The other children agreed with him, and Poh retreated to the back, pulling four scrolls out of the case where they were stored. He returned and handed them to the children, who broke the seals and read the contents.

    ¡°Mine says ¡®To be wise, one must first know that they are not. Or just read a lot of books,¡¯¡± Pao said.

    ¡°Mine says ¡®Actions speak louder than words, but you cannot spell an action.¡¯¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Success is failure in reverse,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°A stone may seem unmovable, but water shapes a mountain over time,¡± Won said.

    The children exchanged looks.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It  was  only six points each,¡± Ko said. ¡°I mean, what were we expecting?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay, that¡¯s fair,¡± Tan admitted. He turned to Master Poh. ¡°What else have you got?¡±

    ?

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 24

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I have to be the one to hatch it,¡± Tan said, holding the egg in his hand. ¡°And are we sure this isn¡¯t a chicken egg? I mean, that¡¯s what it looks like. A chicken egg painted with blue and red swirls.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Qi guardian egg alright,¡± Zephyr whispered. ¡°It¡¯s a very good deal. Once it¡¯s bonded to you you¡¯ll have a loyal protector for life.¡±

    Tan frowned. It had been her idea to buy the thing in the first place, so of course she¡¯d double down on it being the right thing to spend their remaining three-hundred and seventy-six points on.

    ¡°We all agree you should have it, Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°Even Won agrees.¡±

    Won wasn¡¯t with them right at that moment, as he was in the process of taking a bath. The other children were lounging in Elder Yotu¡¯s library, casually reading through some of the books and scrolls that were strewn about.

    ¡°Why?¡± Tan asked. ¡°I mean, you all gave your points for me to get this, but I don¡¯t get it. Why didn¡¯t you get something for yourselves?¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything else in the store worth having,¡± Ko said. ¡°If there were we might have, but you said that the only thing that was worth a damn in the entire place was that egg. So we got the egg, and your parents are the reasons we¡¯re cultivators, so we agree that you should be the one to hatch it.¡±

    Tan looked at the egg in his hands. It was warm to the touch, and he sensed a desperate hunger to it. Or perhaps a thirst. It had been just sitting in a glass display case when he¡¯d found it. Or Zephyr had, he would have looked right past it if his spirit hadn¡¯t pointed it out to him.

    ¡°There¡¯s no going back if I feed it my Qi, You all know that, right?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°We want it to bond to you, Tan,¡± Ko said. ¡°Stop arguing with us and just do it.¡±

    Tan sighed, then pulled out a prayer mat from his storage ring, sat in the middle of it with his legs crossed, then put the egg in his lap. He began pulling in as much Qi as he could and feeding it to the little egg, which drank it all in greedily.

    Qi guardians were not spirit animals. They were demons, technically. Not the undead kind that had attached itself to Won briefly, but demon beasts which, in the wild, could grow to be nuisances. But an infant Qi guardian could be imprinted to protect its master if it was hatched from an egg. A task that was easy to do; it just required a significant amount of Qi.

    In the wild, it was said to take decades for an egg to hatch.

    It took Tan twenty minutes of cultivation.

    Won came back from his bath and Pao left to take his turn. The twins were studying a scroll on the duality of yin and yang together when the egg suddenly cracked, a small beak poking through. Tan cried out in surprise, then held the egg out before him for the others to see as the Qi guardian made its way into the world.

    Qi guardians were said to take shape based on the Qi that they devoured. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the shape that came out of the egg was draconic. The little beast, small enough to fit in Tan¡¯s palm, had a snout with a beak, hind legs perfect for gripping, and wings that also had hand-like gripper claws. It was the color of the sky, and it made little peeping noises, looking at Tan with adoration in its eyes.

    He eyed the thing for a moment, then fed it a grape. He put it on his shoulder while it ate the fruit. The others stared at it. Ko thought it was adorable. Won wondered what it would look like when it had grown. They were both a little envious, but the contribution shop had only had one egg.

    ¡°You guys are sure you don¡¯t mind me having this little guy?¡± Tan asked the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Tan,¡± Won said. ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything else worth getting, and none of us deserve something like this.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tan asked.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I mean we¡¯re just village kids who¡ª¡±

    Won shut up when his sister slammed an elbow into his side.

    ¡°He means that we¡¯ll ask your parents to reward us for the contribution points that we gave you so that you could have the egg, and they¡¯ll give us something better for it than anything else in the shop. Except the egg, of course. That thing is so cute!¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Yeah. Right, what she said,¡± Won said, rubbing his side where she¡¯d hit him.

    Tan shrugged, but a few minutes later Pao returned from the bath and it was Tan¡¯s turn.

    He sank into the water, and the little Qi guardian leaped into the tub with him. Tan splashed and tried to catch the little thing, worried that it would drown, but it quickly proved that it knew how to swim instinctively. He settled back for a brief soak as he considered the draconic infant.

    ¡°What do I name you,¡± he asked it. He thought for a minute, then grinned. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you Key.¡±

    ¡°KEEE!¡± the Qi guardian squeaked.

    Tan lay back for a moment, enjoying the hot water. Then he went to work scrubbing himself down, getting the dirt of the road off of his skin.

    ~~~~~~

    Hoten hadn¡¯t been planning to take another one of the experimental pills for a few days yet. Certainly not until he¡¯d slept and eaten. However, he could think of only one reason why the brats from the Shen farm could be here, at the Whispering Guides Sect.

    They were here for him. He didn¡¯t know how he knew, but he knew that they were about to mess things up for him thoroughly. Whatever they were about to do or say to the sect, he had only one chance to take another one of the experimental pills before they did it, so as soon as they left the contribution store with that worthless egg that was supposedly worth years of points, he rushed back to Master Argoth¡¯s home.

    He was in such a rush that he barely noticed when he bumped into the girl. She noticed him, however, especially when he didn¡¯t immediately apologize.

    She  blurred  and reappeared in front of him wreathed in flames.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t learn your lesson the first time, did you Red Rooster?¡± she said. ¡°Kowtow and beg for forgiveness and maybe I won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Hoten said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay? But I don¡¯t have time to play games with a little freaking girl even if she¡¯s freakishly strong. The Shen family is here, and if they¡¯re here then they¡¯re here for me, and they just bought the Qi guardian¡¯s egg and next they¡¯re going to drag me back to the cesspool I grew up in and I  will not go .¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± the girl asked, her tone changing abruptly.

    ¡°Either burn me to death or get out of my way, Fiora,¡± Hoten said.

    Looking dazed, the girl stepped aside, then raced into the contribution store. Hoten blinked. He hadn¡¯t been expecting to get away so easily.

    He shook himself and ran the rest of the way home to take the next, and possibly final, experimental pill.

    In the contribution store, Master Poh was examining the scroll that he kept hidden behind the counter when the fiery young prodigy cam bursting into the building. He sputtered and dropped the scroll with its lascivious drawings, then quickly rolled it up, while Fiora rushed towards the glass case where the most valuable items were stored.

    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°No, no no no no no no no! It¡¯s gone!¡±

    She turned to Master Poh, her face filled with anger and anguish. ¡°You sold the egg? Who? Who had the contribution points to buy it? Have they bonded it yet? Do you know?¡±

    Master Poh blinked at the girl as several things clicked into place for him. ¡°Ah. I¡¯m very sorry, Fiora. Outsiders came, and they impressed master Yotu, and so he gave them four hundred contribution points. I didn¡¯t exactly point the egg out to them, but they quickly identified it as the best value for their currency and purchased. I¡¯m sorry. They¡¯re staying at his manor, if you hurry, maybe you can try to negotiate with them before they bond it.¡±

    The girl vanished from the building, burning her Inner Fire body technique to move at the limits of what the human eye could observe.

    Master Poh sighed, then picked up his scroll and went back to studying the beauty contained within.

    ?

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 25

    The elders of the Whispering Guides all responded to the summons in their own time. Not everyone bothered to show up, many were in closed door cultivation or away from the mountain complex and unable to respond to the messengers or Qi constructs sent to inform them of a general gathering. But there were enough elders for a quorum, which met behind closed doors in the central compound at the peak of the mountain.

    Most of the old men and women were impatient to begin and get whatever farce it was that Yotu had called them together to address. The last time this had happened had been the introduction of a weak and minor talent, a fact which had served to lower Yotu¡¯s standing among the elders even further. The position of gatekeeper to the sect was not an envied one, and he was often viewed as the lowest ranking elder.

    But he  was  an elder, so when he summoned a conclave most of the others showed up to humor him. They expected him to come to their discussions, after all, and it was only polite to return the favor. One or two meetings a year wasn¡¯t much to ask in exchange for his handling of a tiresome duty and the occasional request.

    Once twelve of the elders were present and word from the others that no more would be coming arrived, the meeting began. Lira, the highest ranking of those present, called the meeting to order with a clap of her hands that resonated louder than a gavel.

    ¡°Well, Yotu? Why are we here?¡± she asked.

    Yotu nervously stepped forward. He produced a jade slip and, without ceremony, snapped it in two.

    Earth Qi came roiling out in a concentration that none of the elders could hope to emulate. Yotu, having spent the last year mentally preparing himself for such an assault on his senses, endured. The other elders were visibly shaken by the casual display of power by whoever had sent the message.

    It lasted for just a moment, but it resulted in three bloody noses and a burst vessel in Lira¡¯s left eye. She blinked, willing her body to heal itself, but she knew that her eye would be red for several hours before she could fix it.

    As abruptly as the Qi burst came, it subsided. A spiritual construct appeared with the shape of a man who resembled an older version of the boy who had given Yotu the jade slip in the first place. The man was dressed in peasant¡¯s garb, with a hoe slung over one shoulder.

    ¡°I thank you for watching the Red Rooster. I hope that he has not gotten up to too much trouble. He is needed at home for a season for family matters. If the boy has been performing honorably then I hope that this interruption will not negatively impact his standing in the sect. If you¡¯re looking for an excuse to expel him, I would ask that you find another. The filial duties demanded of him for this visit are ones that any son would be expected to perform for his mother.

    ¡°I will entertain a request from the Whispering Guides sect in exchange for the favor they have done for me in guiding this young man. As for the children I have sent to fetch the Red Rooster, I ask that you make a good impression on them. I might be sending them your way later for seasoning. The compensation for guiding them will be separate from any services performed towards the Red Rooster. Send your response with my kids, and I¡¯ll send your compensation to you when the Red Rooster returns after his mother has passed into the next world.¡±

    The Qi apparition lingered for a moment, then vanished. The Qi roiled in the room in the aftermath of the display, then abruptly calmed and soaked into the chamber. The elders exchanged looks, then Lira cleared her throat.

    ¡°It seems that Yotu was not overstating the cultivation of the expert who sent us the Red Rooster at all,¡± she admitted.

    ¡°Understating it if anything,¡± one of the grumpier elders, one who¡¯d suffered a nosebleed, admitted.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Right. So. Good thing we accepted him as a disciple. The question is, how do we proceed in the light of this revelation?¡±

    The elders began to discuss the matter. As with all of their meetings, it would take hours before a conclusion was reached.

    ~~~~~~~

    ¡°He¡¯s kind of cute,¡± Ko said, feeding Key a grape as it sat on Tan¡¯s shoulder. She paused. ¡°Is he a he? Or is she a she? Did we check?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell with dragons,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°But I kind of get the feeling that its a boy. I don¡¯t know, we should ask Dad to check when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least Key works whether it¡¯s a boy or a girl,¡± Won commented, reading a scroll that they¡¯d found in Elder Yotu¡¯s study. After the laughably vapid ¡®insights¡¯ they¡¯d seen at the contribution shop, they hadn¡¯t been expecting much. Which allowed them to be pleasantly surprised as they now plundered the elder¡¯s library.

    Pao, reading a book, grunted something that could have been an agreement with Won¡¯s statement. He was lounging on a chaise lounge with his feet up and looked extremely relaxed.

    ¡°So, how big is it going to get?¡± Ko asked. ¡°And how intelligent is it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°Zephyr says that it will get bigger as it grows feeding on my Qi, and that it will continue to grow as long as I continue to progress. But that will take time, and it¡¯s a baby right now. She¡¯s not certain how smart it will be, however. She says she¡¯s never seen a Qi guardian take the shape of a dragon before, which means that there was something special about the egg after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds like spending all of our points on it was a good move,¡± Won admitted. ¡°I was kind of worried we were getting a dud. But then again, the points were free, so whatever, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tan agreed. He reached up and scratched the side of the little draconic creature¡¯s neck. Despite being no larger than a newly hatched chicken, the little beast¡¯s purr filled the room. Tan sensed a bit of hunger from it, and he responded by sending a wave of Qi at it. The little beast was voracious, and it took Tan a moment to satisfy its appetite, leaving Tan a little light-headed.

    Which was when the four children felt it. All of their heads snapped in the same direction at the same moment as the intent hit them. They weighed it for a moment, then Won stood.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± he said.

    ¡°No,¡± Ko said, standing up and shoving her brother back down. ¡°You dealt with the bandit. Leave this to me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s stronger than you,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°She¡¯s stronger than you too,¡± Ko argued. ¡°She¡¯s stronger than anyone but Tan, but we can talk our way out of this one. We¡¯re in the middle of the Whispering Guides Sect, and she¡¯s obviously a member. We¡¯re guests. Whatever she wants, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to burn down an Elder¡¯s estate. Anyway, she¡¯s a girl, and she might talk more freely with another girl.¡±

    The boys couldn¡¯t find a fault in any of her logic, but they still followed her to the entrance of the estate to back her up as Ko stepped outside, her quarterstaff slung over one shoulder.

    ¡°Hand over the egg,¡± the red-haired girl demanded. She was no older than twelve, but poorly formed intent and fire Qi of a cultivator in the Foundation Realm roiled off of her. ¡°I know you have it, and¡ª¡±

    Key chirruped, and the girl went still, her eyes laser focused on the Qi guardian. She went still, but Qi and intent roiled off of her like heat off of a bonfire.

    ¡°Two years,¡± she said before anyone said anything else. ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up for that egg for two years, and you just swoop in and ¡­¡±

    She tilted her head back and screamed in frustration. Then she turned and left without saying another word. The children exchanged looks, then collectively shrugged and went back inside to wait for Elder Yotu to return.

    ?

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 26

    The mountain of the Whispering Guides Sect was located above two dragon veins. They did not intersect, but rather came close to each other flowing in opposite directions, causing a turbulence which stirred up the Qi in the environment, making it a valuable location for cultivation.

    It was as valuable for demon beasts and spirit beasts as it was for cultivators, however. Fiora, frustrated that she had missed an opportunity which had been part of her plans for years, decided to spend the night venting her frustration in the most constructive way she could conceive of.

    She went hunting.

    The elders spent the night in debate. Elder Yotu was interrogated relentlessly about the matter of the first jade slip that he¡¯d received from the Shen family. The other elders were now afraid that they had failed in the hidden master¡¯s request to see to the growth of the Red Rooster and that they would be judged when Hoten returned to his village.

    That didn¡¯t mean that they could refuse to return him, however. If Hoten¡¯s mother was dying, then it was his filial duty to journey to visit her one last time, or, if he should fail to make it in time, to attend her funeral or, failing that, visit her grave. The idea of him  not  returning upon hearing the news of her illness was so unthinkable to the elders that nobody even suggested it.

    What were they to do? They hadn¡¯t been treating Hoten unfairly compared to the other outer sect members. Quite the opposite; he¡¯d been given a very fair price for the goods that he¡¯d brought with them and hadn¡¯t had to go through the usual process of hazing which most young cultivators faced in gathering their prayer mat and weapons to venture into the wilds surrounding the sect.

    Elder Yotu insisted that was in line with the message in the original jade slip, but the others were concerned that the hidden master had expected this disciple to have been coddled and spoiled with expensive resources.

    Argoth, one of the pill masters of the sect, was especially nervous given the recent turn his relationship had taken with the Red Rooster. He was experimenting on the boy. He wasn¡¯t making a secret of it, and had explained in plain words exactly what he was doing to Hoten. But the power dynamics between them had meant that either Hoten would embrace the ¡®opportunity¡¯ or lose his standing in the sect.

    He was very concerned with how the hidden master would see this development.

    The other elders were more concerned with appearances than anything else. The items available through the contribution store were of mediocre quality. This was deliberate; a way to equip their new members with suitable gear and insights while leaving them thirsty for more. Better weapons were always crafted for the individual. Guidance between master and disciple required the establishment of a master-disciple relationship.

    Those outer sect members who fell into the trap of seeking to better themselves through the contribution store were never destined to rise to the top.

    But what would the hidden master think of his students reports of what was available?

    Why had Yotu given them contribution points instead of directing them to the forge or the library? Why hadn¡¯t he done this, or done that?

    The debate lasted well into the night.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Hoten, meanwhile, was exhausted but determined. He had taken the second experimental pill, and his insides roiled with Qi. It was perfect for his cultivation, but thick and difficult to control. He struggled to make it flow through his meridians and settle into his dantian.

    He did not know why the children were here. But he was certain that  something  was about to happen, and the feeling of doom would not leave.

    Won, Ko, and Pao slept soundly in the guest rooms of Elder Yotu¡¯s mansion, unaware of the other events of the night. Tan, however, lie sleepless in his bed. Something was bothering him. Sighing, he got up and dressed in the darkness. A ¡°Keee!¡± sounded, and he remembered his Qi guardian was sleeping on the chair next to the bed. The little draconic being was awake, and figuring ¡°Why not?¡± he put it on his shoulder as he went for a walk.

    He sensed something in the air. Nothing malevolent, just ¡­ off. He sniffed, and Key sniffed with him.

    ¡°Do you smell something?¡± he asked the Qi guardian.

    ¡°Keeee!¡± the little thing chirped.

    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡±

    He followed the sensation¡ªit was more a sensation than a scent¡ªclosing his eyes and trusting his other senses to guide him in the darkness.

    They brought him to the Pill Master¡¯s estate. He sensed it when Hoten broke through into the eighth stage of the initiates realm.

    Uncertain who it was that had just had a breakthrough, but sensing the breakthrough clearly, Tan decided to congratulate them. He flew up to the roof of the mansion, settling nearby, only to do a double take when he recognized the young man he had come to find.

    ¡°Hoten?¡± he asked.

    Hoten pulled himself out of the afterglow of his breakthrough at the sound of the unwelcome voice. He turned around, dreading the form that he knew would be there. ¡°Hey kid, you got big,¡± he said, uncertain what else to say.¡±

    ¡°It is you. Congratulations on your breakthrough,¡± Tan said. ¡°Although you feel ¡­¡±

    Tan paused, uncertain how to explain what it was that he sensed from the young man in front of him. While he was clearly in the eighth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, his strength felt ¡­ empty.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Tan said after a minute. ¡°I¡¯m glad I found you.¡±

    ¡°So it was me that you and your friends are looking for. I knew it,¡± Hoten said. ¡°Whatever it is that you want, I¡¯m not buying it. Your father made it very clear what he thought of me and I have no interest in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your mother is very sick, Hoten. We¡¯re not here for you. We¡¯re here for her,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°What?¡± Hoten said, struck off his game.

    ¡°Mother says that she won¡¯t survive the winter. We were sent to bring you home to see her one last time. The elders are talking about it now, Father gave them a message explaining the situation so that you won¡¯t lose any respect or whatever in the sect. I¡¯m sorry. You should prepare to leave soon. Your mother is waiting for you.¡±

    Hoten was silent for a moment. ¡°I see,¡± he said at last. ¡°Thank you, Tan. Please leave now. I want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Okay. I¡¯m sorry about your mother, Hoten.¡±

    Tan flew off, Key on his shoulder, leaving the Red Rooster behind to contemplate how this changed things.

    ?

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 27

    Elder Yotu returned to his mansion in the late morning to find his library, kitchens, and guest rooms a mess. He didn¡¯t particularly care about the second two; his servants would see to the tidying of those, but he hadn¡¯t realized that the children would raid his library. He sighed, wondering how badly they had disorganized everything and how long it would take him to put everything back into order.

    He sighed, then settled into the kitchen and waited for the servants to bring him some food. Three of the children were waiting for him, and he reported the news.

    ¡°Given the nature of the request, we are of course granting Hoten permission to return home to visit his mother one last time,¡± Yotu said.

    ¡°Did it take you an entire day to come to that decision?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°No. We spent an entire day discussing unrelated matters,¡± Yotu lied. Well, not entirely lied. The decision to send Hoten home had been made in the first hour, and the rest of the time had been spent discussing the implications of the Shen patriarch¡¯s power.

    ¡°It must suck being old and having to deal with that kind of meeting,¡± Won commented, chewing on an apple.

    ¡°Getting old is the worst thing in the world, except for the alternative,¡± Elder Yotu said. ¡°Tell me, what did you think of our little contribution shop?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s filled with crap,¡± Won said honestly. ¡°The only good thing in there was the Qi guardian egg.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Well, I suppose when you¡¯ve got a hidden master feeding you marvelous treasures like the weapons you carry it might skew your standards,¡± Yotu said, stroking his long mustache. ¡°But I assure you that our goods serve their purpose. They perform as advertised and are suitable stepping stones for our young outer sect members to work their way up in ranks and powers.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Pao said, suddenly getting it. ¡°So it  is  junk.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean that the gear is temporary to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I mean. It¡¯s the junk that you use when you can¡¯t afford the good tools,¡± Pao said, grinning. ¡°I mean, like using pig iron because you can¡¯t afford good steel. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it, that¡¯s just what you have to do sometimes.¡±

    Yotu sighed, accepting the comparison as his servant, a young woman from the village, appeared with a bowl of eggs and grits. He began eating and casually questioning the children about the hidden master who taught them, but the children were surprisingly well-guarded on the matter.

    ¡°Where is the other member of your quartet?¡± Yotu asked as the children rebuffed yet another roundabout question.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Tan¡¯s a lazybones sometimes,¡± Ko said. ¡°He¡¯s just sleeping in. It¡¯s fine. When will Hoten be ready to return with us, do you know?¡±

    ¡°The Red Rooster has been¡ª¡±

    Ko snickered loud enough to interrupt him. Yotu blinked. ¡°Is there something amusing about his nickname of which I¡¯m unaware?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is,¡± Ko giggled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it had followed him here. Do you know how he got it?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m most interested to hear the story,¡± Yotu admitted.

    So Ko explained the story of how they had all earned their spirit stones by sacrificing a toy to Tren Shen when they were younger, but how Hoten had tried to buy one instead of make a sacrifice. When that had failed, he had tried to steal one, which had led to him being inflicted with an unfortunate curse which turned his hands and ¡®male parts¡¯ red. Nobody was certain who began calling him the Red Rooster, but everyone thought the name was hilarious.

    Including Elder Yotu, once he¡¯d heard the tale.

    ¡°I see,¡± he said, finishing his breakfast. ¡°If you will excuse me, the duties of being an elder call once more.¡±

    He sighed as he left the children behind, but he needed to report this back to the conclave of elders, to see how this knowledge would change their strategy.

    Tan dragged himself into the kitchen a few minutes later. The servants fed him, while he fed Key a few scraps on his plate. He was exhausted in more ways than one, having already fed Key a significant dose of Qi as well.

    In the manor of Argoth the Pill Master, Hoten was busy vomiting. He shook uncontrollably, and once he finished vomiting he turned around and filled up the chamber pot the other way around. His fingernails were turning yellow, as were the whites of his eyes.

    Argoth found him in that pitiful state. The alchemist was dismayed, having not heard the latest account of the source of the Red Rooster¡¯s name and believing him to be a favored student of a hidden master. He sighed in disgust, then went to fetch one of his mortal servants to help the boy clean himself up.

    Once Hoten was more presentable, he was still suffering from the toxicity of taking two pills so close together. Argoth examined him, giving him a thorough physical before announcing that he¡¯d live.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gotten this ill from a single pill. I wasn¡¯t expecting the toxicity to reach this level for weeks,¡± Argoth muttered.

    ¡°Took two,¡± Hoten admitted, shivering from the fever.

    Argoth blinked. ¡°You took two  yesterday?  Are you an idiot? Don¡¯t you¡ªno, of course you don¡¯t. Well, there¡¯s nothing for it but to ride the illness out. When you return back from your home village, if you still want to be my test-rat and your real master approves, you may resume your duties as my servant and take the rest of the pills. The toxicity causing this illness should have resolved itself by then.¡±

    Another mortal servant arrived then to inform him that the conclave of elders, so after confirming once more that Hoten wasn¡¯t dying, he went to spread the news of the boy¡¯s stupidity.

    Due to this delay, it would be three days before Hoten was ready to travel.

    ?

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 28

    Hoten groaned. Getting out of bed for five minutes to use the chamberpot took all of his effort, and he collapsed back into it when he¡¯d finished. Despite the misery he was in, he didn¡¯t exactly regret his decision to take a second pill. He¡¯d broken through a bottleneck that had been in his path for months, and if he hadn¡¯t taken the risk, then it might have been months before he managed.

    He pulled the covers over him, shivering in his fever as he tried to perform the blood-cleansing exercises that Argoth had instructed him in. He rolled onto his back and cycled the Qi into his kidneys, willing them to work better than normal during this time of illness.

    As his mind drifted through the exercise, he contemplated his situation.

    His mother was dying. The woman who had given birth to him, who had changed his diapers and raised him, teaching him to read and do math and a thousand other things. He had a duty to return with the children to see her one last time, so that she could say farewell to her son. She would see what a fine young man he was becoming, and it would ease her journey into the aftermath.

    Except that ¡­

    Except ¡­

    He closed his eyes, putting it out of his mind. He needed to recover before anything else, so he resumed the blood-purifying exercise.

    ~~~~~~

    The children exchanged looks. They sat in the parlor of Elder Yotu. A servant had just shown in Pill Master Argoth, who had, after a brief introduction, offered each of the children a box filled with pills that were specifically tailored to young cultivators of their elements.

    ¡°Are you offering us drugs?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Only the best!¡± he said. ¡°These are ancient recipes passed down from the days of the sect founder. The ingredients are rare, but not so rare that I cannot afford to give some out to our illustrious guests. I assure you that they are very¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think my mom would be happy if I just accepted drugs from some random stranger,¡± Tan said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Sorry mister Argoth.¡±

    Argoth¡¯s mouth dropped. Didn¡¯t they understand? Just one of the pills inside these boxes was worth thirty contribution points and only available through direct negotiation with him or one of his designated sellers. He was offering them each a literal fortune of contribution points.

    ¡°Um, yeah. Tan¡¯s parents would be very upset if we started accepting pills from someone they didn¡¯t know or trust,¡± Pao agreed. ¡°So far aside from the food they¡¯ve given us they haven¡¯t had us use any pills at all. I¡¯d need to check with them before I messed up my cultivation by accepting one of your aids, Master Argoth. Thank you for the generous offer, however.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what they said,¡± Won agreed.

    Argoth sighed. He supposed that the children¡¯s hesitation was well founded, although it stung his pride and made him question his reputation. ¡°I won¡¯t pressure you to take them if you feel uncomfortable with the offer,¡± he admitted. ¡°However, I was thinking about making a journey soon to search for rare ingredients. Perhaps this is serendipity. I would very much like to discuss my pill making practices with a pair of experts like the two that you children are learning from, and perhaps beseech them for any recipes or ingredients which they might have. Would you permit me to accompany you?¡±

    The children exchanged another set of looks which, to them, said ¡®who is this creepy old guy and why is he so interested in us?¡¯ but to Argoth remained inscrutable.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it, Master Argoth,¡± Pao said eventually, ¡°But Master and Mistress Shen value their privacy. It might be best if we carry a message for you instead?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course. Actually, why don¡¯t you simply take the pills I¡¯ve given you and have your master and mistress inspect them? I¡¯m certain that once they identify them they¡¯ll be more than pleased with them. They¡¯re quite potent, and perfect for you at your stage in development,¡± Argoth said eagerly.

    ¡°Um, okay, yeah, we¡¯ll do that,¡± Tan said. He slipped the box containing the Lofty Heavens Wind Gate Opening Pills into his storage ring, then each of the boxes that his friends passed to him as well.

    ¡°Thank you for the generous gifts, Master Argoth,¡± Ko said diplomatically. ¡°If Master and Mistress Shen do not approve of them, we¡¯ll return them with Hoten so that they don¡¯t go to waste.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Most practical. Well then, I thank you for your time and wish you well,¡± Argoth said, and he bowed to the children and slipped out of the room.

    Once they sensed that he had left the building, the children exchanged looks once more.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Okay, who was that creepy old guy and why is he so interested in us?¡± Tan asked.

    ~~~~~~

    Fiora dragged the courpse of the withering bite purple hourglass demon spider into the exchange store. The beast, a white spider the size of a small dog with a purple hourglass on its abdomen, had attacked her in the night. She had been surprised, and her left hand was bandaged, but the wound was a scratch from its claws and not a bite.

    Which was fortunate, because the venom of this beast was potent enough to cost her a limb.

    She rang the bell and waited. When nobody came, she rang the bell insistently until Master Nero appeared. His eyes went wide when he saw the prize that she¡¯d brought him.

    Fiora shot him a feral grin. She knew exactly how valuable this corpse was, and she was determined to extract every last credit from it.

    If only she had gone hunting and found it sooner, perhaps she would have a Qi guardian now, she reflected. But there was no point in crying over lost opportunities. Her frustration at having lost that resource had driven her to this opportunity, and she would take what she could get.

    ¡°Did it bite you?¡± Master Nero inquired.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking for your health. Its venom is particularly valuable. If its venom sacks are full, they¡¯re worth an additional twelve points,¡± Nero explained.

    She grinned, and the bargaining began.

    She walked out of the exchange shop with an additional seventy-eight contribution points, putting her total at four hundred and twelve. She had been  so close  to affording the egg, but she had compromised twice by accepting guidance from the elders instead of making the purchase. If she hadn¡¯t--

    She forced herself to stop following that thread. There was no point. The Qi guardian was bound to the boy with the wind aura now. Even if she killed him, it would only turn the guardian feral and cause it to attack her. Once the guardians were imprinted they were impossible to tame for anyone but the person who had hatched them.

    She knew this, but as she walked to Master Argoth¡¯s estate, she flashed with anger and malformed intent directed at the children who had gotten in the way of her plans.

    They  were  children. She was not a child, despite being only twelve years old. Her childhood had been taken from her, and all that remained was anger, bitterness, and a desire for vengeance.

    How dare they--

    She shook her head. It was fine. Now that she didn¡¯t have the egg to save up for, she had a small fortune of points to spend on other resources, and she¡¯d start with a set of pills to breakthrough into the next stage of cultivation. She wrapped on the door of the Pill Master and waited for that insufferable prick, the Red Rooster, to answer.

    Except that he didn¡¯t.

    She knocked harder, and after a few moments a mortal servant responded.

    ¡°Young Mistress. I regret to inform you that the Pill Master is out at the moment. He should be returning within an hour, but should you desire to wait¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll wait. Show me to the sitting room and make me some tea,¡± she demanded. The mortal servant bowed and did as she bade.

    That was one thing she appreciated about being a cultivator. The power to boss her lessers around. With power came more power, and with more power came even more power. It snowballed so quickly, she reflected. Especially when you did not mind taking that power from someone else.

    She sipped the tea and refreshments that the mortal servants brought her as she waited. Eventually Master Argoth returned and was informed of his guest. He made his way to the sitting room where Fiora awaited him.

    ¡°I wish to buy every Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pill that you have made or can make for me,¡± she said immediately.

    Argoth blinked. ¡°Oh. I see. I  did  recommend those pills to you a few months ago didn¡¯t I? I thought you were saving up for something else.¡±

    Fiora seethed, a bit of intent leaking through as her anger slipped its leash at the reminder of her failure.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my priorities,¡± she lied.

    Argoth read her intent as plainly as one of his recipes, but allowed her this polite fiction. ¡°Unfortunately, I require Crimson Fire Lotus to fill your request. I used up the last of my reserves to make the last batch of Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills, and unfortunately I just gave away the last of that batch. I have several Crimson Fire Lotus plants in the greenhouse, but it will be two years before they mature enough to be harvested. I¡¯m sorry, Fiora. I cannot help you.¡±

    Fiora¡¯s anger flared, and the air crackled and smelled of burning hair.

    ¡°Who did you give them to?¡± she asked.

    ?

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 29

    With three days to kill, none of the children wanted to spend the entire time cooped up in Elder Yotu¡¯s mansion, so they requested a tour of the sect. Elder Yotu, sensing their restlessness and also their hesitation to deal with any other elders after Argoth¡¯s ill advised approach, promised to find them a tour guide closer to their own age.

    His first choice was the powerful fire cultivator Fiora, who at twelve years old he thought would get along perfectly with the young prodigies. Her response to his missive politely requesting such a service of her in exchange for a handful of contribution points was another missive with an inappropriate drawing on it. He sighed, then sent a message to a fifteen year old water cultivator in the first stage of the profound realm.

    Or the sixth stage of the initiate¡¯s realm, according to the way the children saw things.

    Olin was the boy¡¯s name, and he was indifferent to the task, asking for double the fee before agreeing to it. Yotu wasn¡¯t worried about it, however. Olin was a respectable young lad, and once he¡¯d agreed to do a chore he wouldn¡¯t neglect it. So just as the children were beginning to drive him truly crazy as they continued plundering his library for its secrets, the young man appeared and took them away.

    Yotu collapsed onto one of the sofas once the children were gone and looked at the mess that they had left in his library. He sighed, then rang a bell to request a stiff drink from one of his servants. He¡¯d agreed to host the children until the Red Rooster was ready for travel, which meant putting up with their youthful exuberance.

    With a sigh, he began picking up his library. He stopped when he spotted a scribbled note on one of the pages. His eyebrows came together in anger. For a moment. Then he read the note, and they rose in surprise.

    He contemplated the insight that the author of the scroll had intended to impart compared to the childish summary that was scribbled upon it, summarizing it in less than a paragraph. His servant appeared with his drink, but he remained lost in thought at the insights the youths had left behind. When he did stir again, he began looking for more such notes.

    ~~~~~~~

    Olin sighed as the brats he was escorting took in the sight of the Kopan Waterfall. It was the best place for water cultivation in the mountain complex, and his favorite spot to come to just think. Sharing it with these kids was annoying, but it¡¯s not like the waterfall was a private part of the complex, and showing them now would hopefully set the mood for the rest of the tour.

    He was a bit of a dour boy, but the thought of the twenty contribution points he was earning for this simple task did cheer him up slightly. He¡¯d just heard that the spider-demon that he and several of the other boys had been hunting recently had been killed by Fiora, and with that potential payday snatched away from him he needed every point that he could earn. Twenty points for a few hours of distracting some brats was nothing, and he was glad that his reputation was so honest that Elder Yotu had--

    ¡°So where does the water come from?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Up the mountain, obviously,¡± Olin answered.

    ¡°Can we see the source?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s a spring,¡± he said. He sighed, and decided to expound. ¡°The water is forced uphill by the Qi of the dragon vein from the primary mountain. It¡¯s one of the reasons why this water is so spiritually rich. It¡¯s one of the best spots for water cultivation for a thousand miles, and it¡¯s also one of the main reasons why this mountain is the main headquarters to the sect.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    He continued to speak for a moment, and was slightly distracted when the girl of the group abruptly walked out into the water.

    No. Not into the water, he realized.

    Ko walked on top of the water, stepping easily out into the middle of the pond that gathered beneath the waterfall. When she was out in the center, she sat in the lotus position ¨C again without sinking through the surface, and began to cultivate.

    Olin gasped as he felt the Qi in the area  roil  and get sucked in to the girl. She was only one stage above him in cultivation, but she was  better  at it, he realized. The amount of Qi she was holding suggested that she had just taken a pill, yet he had sensed nothing in her before she¡¯d walked out on the water.

    ¡°Pao, what do you think?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s rich in water Qi, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s unbalanced,¡± Pao answered.

    ¡°Yeah, I sense it too,¡± Won said. ¡°It¡¯s more obvious now that Ko has stirred things up.¡±

    ¡°Should we do something about it?¡± Tan asked.

    Pao shrugged. He turned to Olin. ¡°Would anyone be upset if we formed a Qi gathering and focusing formation for the other elements here?¡±

    Olin laughed. ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing that the elders can¡¯t undo, then you can do whatever you want. This land is public space for anyone in the sect. If your focusing formation is any good, then I don¡¯t see a problem.¡±

    Pao glanced at Tan, who nodded. The youngest boy pulled out a tool from his storage ring¡ªa hoe that boiled with spirituality.

    He had a spirit tool just sitting around waiting to be used? Olin gaped as Tan casually passed the spiritual object to Pao, who gestured. A circular mound rose up from the ground nearby, and Pao began scratching symbols on it.

    Next Tan pulled out a brasier, which he set up atop the mound. Won stepped over and flicked his fingers, and the brasier began burning, despite having no fuel or oil in it that Olin could see.

    ¡°Keee!¡± the little dragon on Tan¡¯s shoulder called, and the boy absently scratched its little head. He pulled out a pole from his ring next, and together the boys pushed it into the earth. Etched into sides of the wooden pole were complex formations. With the little Qi guardian on his shoulder, Tan jumped on top of the pole, seven feet in the air.

    As the quartet began to cultivate, Olin became aware of a sudden shift in the ambient Qi. Although Olin was a water cultivator, he was vaguely aware of the other elements as well, and even if he was not he would have noticed the sudden  weight  that was drawn to the area.

    Recognizing the opportunity for what it was, Olin ran out into the water, splashing to get closer to the waterfall. Once he was beneath it, he began to cultivate, ignoring the pressure of the cold water splashing down on him.

    The Qi that he gathered was rich and untamed, but he quickly brought it under his control and fed it into his dantian, running it through his meridians to purify it and more closely align his body with his chosen element.

    In near silence, except for the roar of the waterfall, the five children cultivated for six hours.

    ?

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 30

    Cascades are strange things. They can start small and end large, like an avalanche, or they can start big and end big, like tsunamis. Or like when two dragon veins, traveling in opposite directions beneath a mountain, create an unseen tension that builds for centuries, only to have a sudden lance in the pressure that has been building.

    The children thought nothing in particular about their actions. They simply cultivated for a few hours with the formation that was created, mostly unaware of what was going on beneath them. The Qi that boiled out of the earth reacted with the qi in the air and the waterfall, creating a sudden flash. This was the purpose of the quick formation the children had set up, so they were unconcerned.

    They might have been more concerned if they¡¯d realized just how extensively the mountain and the surrounding area had been warded, and what the introduction of a powerful formation such as their Four Elements Equal Paths Gathering Array would do to the lesser gathering arrays set up around it.

    The spirit of the mountain awoke, briefly. If it were human, it would have felt a pin in its butt and ropes around its chest. The ropes had been there for centuries, building upon each other endlessly, only rarely being dismantled once they had served its purpose.

    The spirit sighed, realizing that it had been claimed in its slumber. It debated whether to do something about this or not.

    It was not a hasty spirit, however, and so it would wait and judge those who were feeding off of it before making a judgment. If they were worthy, then it would allow them to stay.

    However, it thought, looking at the haphazard arrays strewn about its mountain, the mess would have to go. It stretched its will, and a thousand defunct arrays that had been sleeping for centuries came awake.

    Sending the elders of the Whispering Guides Sect into a panic.

    ~~~~~~

    ¡°Hey. Oy! Olin! Are you sleeping?¡± Ko asked, pulling the older boy out of his meditation.

    ¡°What?¡± Olin asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re hungry. Is there someplace good to eat that you can show us, or do we have to go back to Elder Yotu¡¯s place for grub?¡± Ko asked.

    Olin blinked, looking past the water-walker to the other children, who were stretching after having spent hours unmoving. ¡°But, you¡¯re, the Qi is so rich right now. Aren¡¯t you going to take advantage of this?¡±

    ¡°We did,¡± Ko explained. ¡°And we will tomorrow too, and every day until we leave. But we¡¯re too young to not get hungry or have to go to the bathroom, so we need to take breaks. Anyway, this is a haphazard circle compared to what we have back home. Look, I¡¯m not saying that you have to come with us, but if you¡¯re not then we will be telling Elder Yotu that you abandoned us when you were supposed to be our guides. I mean, that¡¯s not a threat or anything, we¡¯re just not going to cover for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Olin said. He pulled himself out from under the waterfall, swimming to the shore. He willed the water to leave his clothes, and in moments he was dry again. He was reluctant to leave now that the elements in the area were riled up, but he did need those contribution points more.

    ¡°Okay, so the dining hall is this way,¡± he said, giving the elemental gathering focus one last longing look over his shoulder as he led them away from the waterfall. The interrupted tour continued after the dinner, and then the children returned to their lodgings at the base of the mountain.

    The hushed conversations from the adults mostly went right over the children¡¯s heads. They did not see Elder Yotu, but weren¡¯t terribly worried about it. They noticed that he¡¯d been busy in the library, but that didn¡¯t stop them from resuming their ransacking of his scrolls and books.

    ~~~~~~Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Lira glanced around at her fellow sect elders. She was uncertain who was responsible, but the activation of the dormant formations was growing into a looming threat. They were slowly reaching full power in near unison. Most of these formations had been long forgotten, the relics of elders past who had either died or moved on from the sect long ago.

    She had a mental list of suspects, but whoever they were had a more detailed history of the mountain than she, as first among the elders, had access to.

    While the effects of the formations were, so far, mostly benign, the amount of Qi that was involved posed a serious threat to the sect itself.

    She sighed. ¡°Well, any solutions?¡± she asked her fellows.

    The room was filled with nervous expressions.

    ¡°We could try to dismantle the formations before they reach any sort of critical mass,¡± Elder Yotu pointed out. ¡°It will take some time to study the more complicated ones, but many of them follow standard principles. The only reason they were left intact to begin with was that nobody cared enough to dismantle them. They were supposed to have been rendered inert, but it seems that we have been lax in enforcing that policy.¡±

    The other elders nodded in agreement. It was the obvious solution.

    It was also going to be a lot of work.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason we need to do everything ourselves,¡± Argoth pointed out. ¡°This is why we  have  outer sect members. If we issue a bounty on identifying all of the activated formations, then we can send our formation masters along at a more leisurely pace to dismantle them as they approach critical mass.¡±

    Again there was a mumbling of agreement. It was self-obvious, everyone knew that.

    It was still going to be a lot of work.

    Lira sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll issue the instructions to our outer-sect members and instruct the guards that the junior members of the sect are not to be impeded in accessing normally secure locations on the mountain as they search for activating formations. This is a mess. I wonder what caused it?¡±

    There was mumbling from the other elders, and the meeting disbanded. The fact that it lasted for ten minutes and not ten hours was a testament to how urgent the situation truly was.

    ~~~~~

    Fiora had been searching for the children who had robbed her twice now all day, but they remained elusive until she¡¯d heard that they were last seen cultivating by the waterfall. She rushed along the path, bursting out from beyond the corner and shouting a challenge.

    ¡°You dirty useless thieves, I challenge you to¡ª¡±

    She frowned, looking around at the empty waterfall. She glanced about for witnesses for a moment, but there was nobody there. Which was both a relief and a problem.

    Then she noticed the Qi density. All four elements, not just the water that was usually rich near the waterfalls. She blinked in surprise, then saw the wooden spike and the everburning brasier, its light flickering off the cascading water.

    She spent a moment inspecting the gathering formation, then grinned. It was obvious where these items had come from. She cared nothing for the scratches on the ground or the wooden pole driven into the ground, but the brasier would be perfect for her cultivation cave.

    She spent a moment investigating it, trying to figure out how to turn it off. She thought she figured it out, reaching out to run a bit of Qi through the formation that should--

    A flare of fire knocked her on her butt. She sat up, blinking. She touched her face, then rushed over to the water to look at her reflection.

    Her hair had been scorched, her eyebrows burnt off.

    Realizing that the brasier was not a simple toy, she began recalculating her theft. But she never did figure out how to make the thing stop burning, eventually withdrawing empty handed. It was then that she caught word of the hunt for the formations that were awakening all over the mountain.

    Since there was a bounty for errant formations, she turned in the information about what she had found near the waterfall for a handful of contribution points and resumed hunting the children for their fated confrontation.

    ?

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 31

    ¡°Young Master?¡± the mortal servant asked nervously, having knocked gently for several minutes before daring to open the door to Tan¡¯s room. ¡°Young Master, please wake. The Elder wishes to speak with you.¡±

    Tan continued to snore. Key, sensing an intruder while its master was incapacitated by sleep, began to hiss at the mortal, causing the young woman to shrink back. It was the hissing, which finally awoke Tan, and the boy sat up, looking around in confusion.

    ¡°Whah?¡± he asked groggily, looking at the mortal woman, who shrank under his gaze. While he had been fair to all of the members of the elder¡¯s house so far, she was shy under normal circumstances and doubly so when those circumstances involved awakening a powerful young cultivator.

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to waken you Young Master, but the Elder wishes to speak with all of his guests regarding events on the mountain that are beyond my ken. Please get dressed and join him in the library,¡± the young servant said.

    Tan stared at her blearily, then pulled back the covers and began to dress and follow her instructions.

    Once all of the children were gathered, Elder Yotu got straight to the point.

    ¡°I¡¯m told that you carried with you the parts of a powerful gathering array, and that you erected them near the waterfall. Is this true?¡± he asked.

    The children exchanged looks, and Tan just shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how ¡®powerful¡¯ it is. It¡¯s nothing compared to the array we usually use. But yes, we erected a gathering array after Olin said that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Is that why you woke us in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not accusing you of any wrong doing. However, I do need to ask that you immediately disassemble it. There is a cascading effect rippling through the sect and all non-essential arrays are being dismantled. Seeing as you are familiar with this particular array and our own formation masters are not, your assistance is requested,¡± Yotu explained.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Ko asked, yawning. ¡°Couldn¡¯t this have waited until morning?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately the cascade is a matter of some concern,¡± Yotu said. ¡°We are hoping to get ahead of it. We¡¯re uncertain if this is an attack or some natural phenomena. Either way a certain amount of haste is required.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an attack. The old man in the mountain is awake,¡± Zephyr whispered in Tan¡¯s ear. ¡°He sounds like a grumpy old man who¡¯s yelling at kids to get off his yard, but I think he¡¯s not a bad spirit. But the mountain was messy, that¡¯s the imbalance that you and the others have been sensing since you arrived. He¡¯s not happy about that, and if they don¡¯t fix it he might kick them all off the mountain whether they like it or not.¡±

    Tan frowned, wiping some sleep out of his eye and he relayed Zephyr¡¯s words, explaining that it was common for his spirit to whisper advice like that to him.

    Yotu frowned at the child¡¯s words, but took them seriously. The children did as they were bade, going out in the night to disassemble the gathering array that they¡¯d left up by the waterfall despite the hour being after midnight. Tan, with his spiritual senses and tendency to walk around blindfolded anyway, didn¡¯t have any trouble navigating. The others stuck close to Won, who lit their path with magic.

    The gathering array was easy enough to disassemble. Won extinguished the brazier and they allowed that to cool down for a while. Tan pulled the wooden pole straight into his storage ring, while the other children worked on scratching out the symbols that Pao had carved into the earth. There was a water aspect of the array as well, but it hadn¡¯t been necessary with the waterfall nearby, so once the brazier was cool, they were effectively done with the task and ready to return to bed.

    Which was when their path was blocked by a twelve year old girl.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Fiora exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s no point in hiding! You have gotten in my way for the final time! I will punish you for standing between me and my ambitions!¡±

    Tan looked at the other children, who exchanged his expression of confusion. ¡°Sorry, but who exactly are you?¡± he asked.

    Rather than answering, the girl attacked, drawing her sword and slashing at Tan, sensing him to be the strongest of the four and determined to end him the quickest.

    Any lingering sleepiness vanished in a wave of adrenaline as the sound of the sword leaving its scabbard filled his ears. Tan drew his own weapon, from which he sensed a wave of eagerness and exhilaration at the ambush. Steel met steel and sparks flew.

    The other children hadn¡¯t brought their weapons; Tan had only happened to strap his sword onto his hip because it was a standard part of dressing for him now. That didn¡¯t mean that they were idle, however, as Ko pulled a large glob of water from the nearby pond below the waterfall and began forming ice lances to launch at their attacker.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Won wreathed himself in flame, which mostly served to light up the environment and help the other children see. He also began launching flame lances at the attacker.

    Neither twin hit a blow, but together with Tan they pressured the girl back. She cursed and realized under the wave of their intent that they were stronger than she¡¯d been expecting. She conjured her own magic, engulfing her blade with flame and dancing with Tan in a waltz of deathly exchanges.

    The rock hit her in the side of the head without warning, thrown by a powerful earth cultivator. She was launched off her feet and landed six feet away, dazed and disarmed. The children wasted no time, binding her with ropes that Tan pulled from his ring while she was incapacitated.

    Standing over her semi-conscious body, they looked at each other and discussed what to do.

    ¡°Why did she attack us?¡± Tan asked the others.

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Won said. ¡°Does it matter?¡±

    ¡°I think it does,¡± Tan said. ¡°And  she  knows, obviously. But I think that rock hit her pretty hard. She seems pretty out of it. Do you think she¡¯s going to die?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a cultivator as strong as you are, Tan. Do you think getting hit in the head with a rock would kill you?¡± Ko asked.

    ¡°Um, depends on the rock and who threw it,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°What the heck was she talking about? We haven¡¯t been getting in anyone¡¯s way, have we?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know she wasn¡¯t happy that we got the egg,¡± Pao said. ¡°Maybe she found the formation and thought that we were stealing it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s  our  formation though,¡± Tan argued. ¡°We brought it with us. I mean, Dad can just make us another one if we were to sell it to the sect, but it sounds like they¡¯re having trouble right now and wouldn¡¯t be interested.¡±

    They continued to talk and Fiora half-listened as she struggled to recover. Her ears were ringing and she was seeing double, but she slowly came back to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here. You might as well ask me instead of speculating,¡± she said as they continued to talk circles.

    The children glanced at her, and took her up on the offer. ¡°Why did you attack us? What did we do to you?¡± Tan demanded.

    ¡°First you stole the Qi guardian I¡¯ve been working towards for two years,¡± She said, biting off the venom in her voice. ¡°Then you stole the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills from under my nose as well. You think that this is a game? You spoiled little brats, I bet you¡¯ve had everything handed to you your entire lives! Well I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, this is about the drugs that the creepy guy gave us?¡± Tan asked, astounded.

    Fiora paused. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I was going to take them from your corpses, and then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just ask us for them?¡± Tan said. ¡°We don¡¯t even want them, we just accepted them to be polite to Argo or Argot or whatever his name is.¡±

    Fiora blinked. He had a point, she  hadn¡¯t  asked them if they¡¯d be willing to negotiate for them. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one hundred contribution points for them,¡± she said.

    ¡°Whatever. You can just have them,¡± Tan said, dropping the boxes out of his ring onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The children walked away, leaving Fiora bound, but with enough time she¡¯d be able to use her magic to burn through the ropes. She looked at the four boxes of pills sitting nearby, her eyes wide with the ease at which the boy had parted with the precious treasures.

    ¡°Are you sure you should have given them to her?¡± Ko asked Tan. Fiora could hear their voices vanishing into the distance as they talked about her.

    ¡°Yeah, why not? We don¡¯t want them. If my parents believed in pills they would have said something about them,¡± Tan answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Ko said. ¡°What if she¡¯s addicted or something? It¡¯s not good to feed people¡¯s addiction.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of our business,¡± Tan argued, and Fiora couldn¡¯t hear the rest of the argument as they left her earshot.

    She stared at the boxes, then burned through the ropes that bound her. The boy hadn¡¯t just given her the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills she¡¯d demanded, but three other boxes filled with pills that were equally valuable.

    For just a moment, she was overcome with shame. She had attacked him, and he had responded with overwhelming generosity. But then she crushed the shame with ruthless pragmatism and began making a mental list of who she could sell the unneeded pills to. She promptly retired to her own lodgings, popping one of the Inner Flame Hidden Gates Pills into her mouth and sitting on her prayer mat as she cultivated.

    The pills tasted like sour fish seasoned with tobasco, and they gave her flatulence. But they would, eventually, push her through to the fourth stage of the foundation realm. She wasn¡¯t ready to accept the children as allies, but she reluctantly revisited them as ¡®not enemies¡¯ in her head.

    And eventually, she put them out of her thoughts altogether as she focused on getting stronger to meet her goal.

    ?

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 32

    Hoten stood unsteadily, dressing himself nervously. It had been a rough two days, but his fever had abated, and he while he wasn¡¯t ready to travel, he was ready to make the preparations.

    Except ¡­

    He sighed. When he¡¯d finished shaving and washing the stench of his illness away, he made his way to the contribution shop, where he traded the rest of his contribution points for silver and gold and precious gems. The exchange rate between mortal currency and contribution points had made Hoten¡¯s eyes bulge the first time he¡¯d seen it, but it made sense.

    The currency of mortals was largely irrelevant in the cultivation world. There were many things that gold literally could not buy. It was just as well that his parents had sent him away with just a small sack of silver; when he¡¯d arrived he¡¯d discovered that the family¡¯s entire savings weren¡¯t worth more than a handful of contribution points.

    Wealthy mortals  could  purchase a leg up when they learned to cultivate, but it was expensive and would beggar most families. Moving in reverse, however, was very advantageous to the cultivator seeking to obtain mortal goods. He left the contribution store with a sack the size of his head filled with mortal currency.

    He spent a while visiting some of his friends in the sect, then sighed at the advice that they gave him. Nobody questioned for a second that he was leaving and probably never coming back. It wouldn¡¯t take more than six months to visit his family and return, but in six months they would all be so far beyond him that even if he returned, they expected they would have made three or four breakthroughs and a friendship with him would be worthless.

    Disloyal bastards, he thought to himself. And as if they¡¯d pull ahead of him in such a short time.

    But they were right. Six months was simply too long to interrupt his cultivation. He¡¯d just had a breakthrough, and he needed to maintain the momentum. Cultivators lived and died based on their momentum, and if he slowed down then ¡­

    His mother ¡­

    His cultivation ¡­

    He found himself standing outside Elder Yotu¡¯s house, just as he¡¯d once stood before the mansion waiting to be recognized for his admittance into the sect in the first place. He¡¯d done everything right back then, he thought. Why was this happening to him now, right after he¡¯d secured a line of one-of-a-kind cultivation pills tailored just for him? Why couldn¡¯t it have happened six months from now?

    Hoten sighed and knocked on the door. The mortal servant, a nervous young woman, answered and showed him inside. He found the kids lounging in Elder Yotu¡¯s library. The man himself was busy responding to the cascade crisis, but that was over Hoten¡¯s head and he knew nothing about it.

    When they saw him, the children straightened up and set their scrolls down.

    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Here,¡± Hoten said, tossing the bag filled with coins and gems at the boy. It dropped, clinking to the ground between them. ¡°Give those to my parents. Maybe with the money they can afford some sort of treatment for my mother. But I can¡¯t ¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Tell them that I ¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t come. It¡¯s not a good time, I¡¯m at a critical point in my cultivation. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll visit her grave next year, but¡ª¡±

    His excuses were cut off when Tan suddenly punched him in the nose. The boy had moved so fast that Hoten hadn¡¯t even seen him, and he hit hard enough that Hoten literally went flying into a bookshelf.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend that you didn¡¯t say that, Hoten,¡± Tan said, his voice cold. ¡°Are you ready to go, or do you still need time to recover from your illness?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going you little brat!¡± Hoten shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I just¡ª¡±

    Tan  blurred  again, and Hoten had the most humiliating beating of his life. When it was over, Tan asked one last time if the young man was ready to come with them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like,¡± Hoten said, his eyes swollen almost shut and his lip bleeding. ¡°I can¡¯t leave now. My momentum¡ª¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Whatever he was about to say was cut off when Tan sucked him into his storage ring. Tan turned to his friends, who had silly grins on their face at the simplicity of the solution.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just do that in the first place?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s really not worth the effort. I can¡¯t believe that we came all of this way for that spineless cretin,¡± Ko commented.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t come for him. We came for his mother,¡± Pao said. ¡°She deserves to see her son one last time, ungrateful and unfilial swine that he is.¡±

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get out of here. I¡¯ll write a note to Elder Yotu thanking him for his hospitality, but now that we have Hoten there¡¯s no reason to stick around,¡± Tan said. He did exactly that, and after going through their rooms and making certain they weren¡¯t leaving anything behind, the children departed, rushing off towards home at the grueling marathon pace that Pao set for them.

    ~~~~~~

    The cascade that started when an unusually potent gathering array woke an ancient and powerful spirit continued on. The spirit, grumpy and annoyed at being woken, considered what to do with the cultivators who had made its lands their home for weeks. As the old spirit contemplated what to do, it reluctantly accepted that the sect wasn¡¯t entirely irresponsible.

    They had noticed the old formations activating and gone through, deactivating and destroying the old power-drains that their predecessors had left lying about the mountain like litter on a highway. Once he accepted that the sect was lazy but not entirely worthless, the spirit calmed its rage a bit and considered what to do with a calm mind.

    Hosting a sect wasn¡¯t entirely to its detriment. The formations that they¡¯d been using were poorly formed and not connected to each other, creating a disharmony and inefficient redundancy which had annoyed the spirit. A proper Qi-gathering formation, however, would greatly increase the spirit¡¯s own cultivation while simultaneously benefiting the mortal cultivators who made their home on the peak.

    The old spirit spent some time contemplating the matter, then decided that he had might as well make direct contact. He disregarded the most advanced cultivator on the mountain, a decrepit old man who hadn¡¯t once stirred from his closed door cultivation. Instead he watched, waiting for the group of elders to convene.

    On the third week of his wakefulness, he calmly appeared before them in the form of a swirling cloud of dust that took on the shape of a human face. The elders jerked and pulled on their Qi, prepared to defend himself, but calmed when he spoke one word.

    ¡°Peace,¡± he said.

    The elders, wary but unwilling to be the first to strike, conferred among each other for a moment before their spokeswoman stepped forward. ¡°Whom do we address?¡± she asked.

    ¡°The mountain. I sleep no longer. I have requests. Fulfill them, and I shall not evict you,¡± the spirit declared.

    Lira continued to stand before the spirit, gathering her power to defend herself but making no offensive act. Spirits were tricky things sometimes, and the one before her was extremely powerful. Imperial class, perhaps.

    ¡°You have been activating all of the old formations and wards,¡± she said. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°They bother me. Like a rash in an unpleasant location to have a rash, they irritate my Qi flows and aggravate me in ways that are not easy to explain,¡± the spirit answered honestly. ¡°Do not think that you can hurt me with your pathetic knowledge of formations. Annoy me, yes. Hurt me? No.¡±

    ¡°I see. In that case, we apologize for our unknowing actions. We are nearly finished with deactivating the discarded and unimportant formations, leaving only those important for the functioning of the Sect. Will you accept this compromise?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± The spirit said bluntly. ¡°Your warding systems are weak and inadequate. If you are going to live on me, then the formations you employ in your cultivation and defense must meet with my approval. Once you have finished disbanding the dross, I shall give your formation masters lessons on how to create the Perfect Mountain Array. Complete that, and perhaps I shall deign to allow you to remain.¡±

    Lira barely contained her shock. The Perfect Mountain Array was an imperial secret, one that they guarded jealously. But if the Whispering Guides Sect developed it independently ¡­

    ¡°We accept this bargain,¡± she declared.

    ¡°I shall contact you again once the last of the irritation subsides,¡± the mountain spirit declared. ¡°Until then.¡±

    ¡°Until then,¡± Lira agreed.

    The spirit vanished, leaving the elders to discuss this sudden stroke of fortune. There was some concern about the imperial monopoly, but Elder Yotu pointed out that the monopoly was tradition and not law, and that there were no legal penalties set down for the independent development of many traditional imperial secrets. Reverse engineering pills, growing the seeds of the imperial fruits, and many other examples were presented of instances in which the imperial family neglected to enforce their monopolies, and the elders nerves were reduced.

    With renewed vigor, the elders of the Whispering Guides Sect ordered their juniors to completely deconstruct even the formations which had been previously marked for preservation. Within a month, the construction of the Perfect Mountain Array began.

    ?

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 33

    The hoe rose. The hoe fell. It tilled the earth, and it weeded the crops. In the hands of an expert, it was a symbol of many things, but mostly it was a symbol of farming.

    Of cultivating the land.

    For an earth cultivator, was there any better symbol?

    Tremble held the gift his master had given him. It was a simple thing, at first. Tren Shen had simply walked into the nearby village and bought the iron part of the weapon from the blacksmith, and then shaped the wooden handle himself with a piece of wood and a knife. It had taken him no more than an hour, talking about what he was doing absently while he worked.

    As his student, Tremble struggled to remember every word. His mind was strong, but there was simply so much wisdom to unpack from the seemingly simple statements that came forth from Tren Shen like water from a spring.

    He remembered the shaping of the wooden shaft, and the words that were spoken when Tren had fastened the iron hoe head. He was doing more than explaining what he was doing to Tremble. He was explaining what he was doing  to the hoe . Giving the tool its purpose by teaching it its shape and the reason for its shape. Teaching Tremble, and the hoe, what it was for.

    Then, when that was finished, he had imbued it with a staggering amount of Qi and intent. Where that Qi had gone, Tremble could not say at first. Tren had simply grinned at him when he had asked. Then he had set Tremble to work in the fields with his new tool.

    ¡°This is your tusk,¡± Tren had told him. ¡°It is with your tusks that the world has shaped you, and it is with your tusk that you shape the world.¡±

    Tremble had grumbled as he¡¯d worked those first few weeks, but he did not grumble any more. Now, he enjoyed watching the sprouting crops as they reached towards the sun. He enjoyed the endless job of weeding and watching for pests.

    The hoe rose. The hoe fell. It tilled the earth and weeded the crops. It disturbed a mouse, which ran through the field away from the spirit-boar in the shape of a man. Tremble watched the little rodent flee, then blinked when the shadow passed over him and, moving so fast that it was difficult to see, the falcon snatched up its prey and flew off into the distance.

    Tremble shook his head and went back to work. That was simply how life was.

    In the sky, Freedom snapped the mouse¡¯s neck with his talons. Landing in a tree nearby, he feasted. The spirit falcon looked to the sun, and it drew in the Qi of the sun, and it contemplated the sun and the difference between the night and the day.

    It knew of Mouser, the spirit owl. It had tried to speak with her, but he could not find her during the day, and when he tried to search for her during the night he found himself clumsy and unable to see. He was not a creature of the night, but he wished to know Mouser. She was like him, and she was different than him.

    He remembered the teachings of Wensho, the great woman who had helped him in the days after his awakening. Of yin and yang. He was a creature of Yang, and Mouser was a creature of Yin. But that did not mean that they could not be friends. She shared his natural form, and Freedom wished to know of her path so that the moon could light his own path, as he wished to be the sun to light the path of Mouser.

    Had he been a human, he might have been embarrassed of this unrequited affection. But he had only been aware of himself in a higher sense for a few months, and his affection was honest and heartfelt. He had tried to communicate it to Lady Wensho so that she might convey it to Mouser, but the woman had simply smiled.

    ¡°That is something you must tell her yourself, Freedom. If your feelings are genuine, then you will find a way to express yourself. I¡¯m quite certain of it,¡± she had told the young spirit animal.

    Freedom preened and cleaned its feathers, which were vibrant and healthy. He had always been a prime specimen of his species, but since he had become aware he had molted, and his new feathers made him even more beautiful.

    Once it had finished eating and cleaning itself after the meal, he flew once more, scanning the earth for signs of anything that did not belong. He had vowed to defend the Shen farm in exchange for the insights that the cultivators there could share with him, and he took his duty very seriously.

    If it saw another mouse or non-spirit rabbit while it was defending the vast territory that it claimed, then, well, everything needs to eat.

    A flicker of movement in the distance, and Freedom looked closer. It jerked in recognition as it spotted the young master and the three other children returning. It spotted something clinging to the young master¡¯s shoulder, a draconic blue creature with a beak. They were miles off yet, but with a ¡°Screeee!¡± Freedom the falcon announced the young master¡¯s return.

    Everyone who heard that screech knew what it meant, for it was filled with Freedom¡¯s intent and Qi.

    In the field, Tren Shen cocked his head and closed his eyes, then nodded. ¡°They made good time,¡± he commented. He turned back to Tremble. ¡°I¡¯m going to go welcome home my son. Do you mind finishing up this field?¡±

    ¡°It would be my honor,¡± Tremble said earnestly, pleased that the Lord of the farm trusted him so deeply after his initial awkwardness.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Your insight into the growing of things is growing, Tremble, do not forget the larger picture. Do not mistake the trees for the forest or the mountains for the range,¡± Tren said, slinging his own hoe over his shoulder and striding away.

    Tremble committed the words to memory, spending the rest of the day contemplating them as he worked tirelessly in the field.

    Tren was halfway back to the manor house when little Safron came bounding out. ¡°Tan is coming back today, isn¡¯t he? Isn¡¯t he?¡± the little girl demanded.

    ¡°It seems that way,¡± Tren admitted.

    ¡°Do you think he got me a present?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sure to regret it if he didn¡¯t,¡± Tren said, scooping the girl up and setting her on her shoulder. ¡°How was your cultivation today?¡±

    ¡°Boring. It¡¯s always so boring. And there¡¯s something ¡­ weird. Right here. It doesn¡¯t work right,¡± the girl said, touching her side.

    ¡°I see. When did you notice that?¡±

    ¡°I dunno. But it¡¯s itching now,¡± she said.

    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°No, it itches.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯re going back to the healers,¡± Tren said suddenly.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with me?¡±

    ¡°No, sweetie, your perfect. But if you want to be as strong as Tan someday, then we need to fix the itchiness,¡± Tren explained.

    ¡°Kay.¡±

    Wensho emerged from the manor moments later, wiping her hands upon her apron as she walked towards where the road joined the Shen farm. They waited patiently.

    Two of them waited patiently. One of them was bouncing impatiently on her father¡¯s shoulders. ¡°When are they going to get here?¡± Safron demanded.

    ¡°Any minute,¡± Tren said. ¡°Be patient.¡±

    Abruptly, a flying boy appeared in the sky, swooping down to land before his family. He grinned, standing in the dust that his landing kicked up, and scratched his nose. On his shoulder sat a baby Qi guardian that had taken the shape of a dragon.

    ¡°Hey mom, dad, Safron. This is Key,¡± he said, patting the little draconid. It was still small, but larger than it had been at the sect, nearly the size of a newborn puppy.

    ¡°I¡¯m very much looking forward to the story of how you earned a Qi guardian,¡± Wensho said.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to it,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°But yeah, I can¡¯t wait to tell you all about it. Oh, before I forget, Safron, you don¡¯t even have to ask. Yes I got you a present.¡±

    He pulled a doll out of his storage ring and handed it to his younger sister. It had red hair and was dressed in the gi of the Whispering Guides sect. The little girl snatched it up and hugged her brother.

    ¡°I missed you,¡± she said.

    Tan hugged her back. ¡°I missed you too, Safron.¡±

    Then she kicked him in the shin for no reason and ran inside to put the doll with the rest of her collection. He winced and limped a bit, although she hadn¡¯t really hurt him.

    ¡°Anyway, now that she¡¯s gone, I have a few things to tell you guys,¡± Tan said, his voice turning more serious. He pulled his necklace out of his shirt and showed off the imperial token to his parents. ¡°We each earned one of these, and I need to tell you how.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tren said. ¡°But it can wait until you and the others have had a meal and a bath, I think. I know better than you think what that means, Tan. You¡¯re a man now, in some ways, and still a boy in others, but you¡¯re our son before any of that. We¡¯re proud of you, but we would have been just as proud if you had fled the bandits instead of standing your ground and earning this.¡±

    ¡°You know already?¡± Tan asked, his eyebrows raising.

    ¡°Word travels fast,¡± Wensho said. ¡°But your father is right. I hear the others catching up, let¡¯s greet them and then get all of you settled. Then I¡¯ll ask Clover to distract Safron for a while, and you can tell us about your trials and tribulations.¡±

    Tan nodded. Then he said ¡°Oh, before I forget,¡± and he raised his hand. Hoten was abruptly ejected from his storage ring.

    The young man sputtered and looked around, taking a moment to realize what happened.

    ¡°This unfilial swine tried to get out of his duties. He said that his cultivation momentum was more important and tried to buy us off with coin to leave him alone.¡± Tan said, kicking the man in disgust. ¡°We might be in a bit of trouble since we sort of kidnapped him. I¡¯m not sure, we didn¡¯t stick around to figure things out.¡±

    ¡°You did the right thing,¡± Wensho said. She stooped down to Hoten, who had realized that he had somehow been transported thousands of miles back to the Shen farm but was still trying to process how that had happened. ¡°Let me heal your face, Hoten, and then go visit your family. If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll shatter your cultivation and leave you crippled. Your mother deserves to see your worthless face one last time.¡±

    Hoten opened his mouth to defend himself, then hung his head in shame, defeated, as Wensho did as she said she would.

    She didn¡¯t heal the rest of him, however, and so with a clear face he limped along the road back to the village of his birth.

    ?

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 34

    ¡°Like this?¡± Tan asked, infusing the construct with his Qi and  folding  it with his intent. It abruptly snapped into place, and before them was a small white bird. They sat in Tren¡¯s study, a seldom used room where he did boring things like tally numbers and read old books.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± his father said. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to record the message now.¡±

    Tan nodded, stepping out of the way for his father, who stepped forward. Impressing his own Qi and intent into the little bird-construct, he began to talk.

    ¡°Dearest brother mine. Make haste to my side, for it is time to aide your niece. We meet with the healers you sent to Lima city and shall await your arrival before the procedure. With the four of us, we will stand vigil as the healers heal an innocent child,¡± Tren said. Once his words had finished, he stepped back.

    ¡°Okay, Tan. That¡¯s all I had to say. You can send it to Renton now,¡± Tren told his son.

    ¡°Right. And, uh, how do I do that?¡± Tan asked.

    Sighing, Tren began instructing him on the necessary visualization exercises to direct the Qi construct on its path. Fortunately Tan was quite familiar with his uncle¡¯s Qi after all the sparring they¡¯d done during his visit, so it was a simple matter to have the Qi-bird home in on it. Once he was certain that he¡¯d gotten the target set correctly, Tan willed it on its way.

    It fluttered for a moment, then began flying away towards the window.

    Only for Key to ambush it and knock it to the ground.

    ¡°No! Bad Key! That is not food!¡± Tan scolded. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s got my Qi in it so he thinks its food.¡±

    Tren just laughed and helped Tan build a new construct. While the father and son worked, Tan finally broached the subject which had been bothering him for the last three hours. Since they¡¯d told him.

    ¡°Why was I never told that Safron had a Qi block?¡± he asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you trust me?¡±

    ¡°You were a child, Tan, and it was an adult matter to worry about,¡± Tren answered. ¡°Even if it means that she can¡¯t cultivate to the same level as the rest of us, she¡¯s still your sister and she¡¯s still a Shen. We didn¡¯t tell you, either of you, because we didn¡¯t want you to worry.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess that¡¯s a good reason,¡± Tan admitted. ¡°I mean, if you can¡¯t do anything about it then  I really  couldn¡¯t have done anything about it except worry. And you¡¯re right, that would have sucked, and I would have just worried Safron and made things worse.¡±

    Tren nodded, patting his son on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve always been proud of you as a boy, Tan, but I¡¯m becoming increasingly proud of the man you¡¯re becoming.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tan said.

    They continued to fold the Qi-construct into place. Once Tren had re-recorded the message, they brought it to the window and launched it, keeping a careful eye on Key this time. They watched briefly as it flew off into the evening air.

    ¡°So what happens next?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Tomorrow we go to Lima city and meet with the doctors and the scholars my brother hired,¡± Tren said. ¡°The doctors will examine Safron once more, and then we will listen to the options, and select the one that has the highest chance of healing her Qi block without causing her harm in some other way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°No. Your mother, your uncle, myself, and you, will empower the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation during whatever treatment is used to heal your sister,¡± Tren said. ¡°And for that, I have a favor to ask of you, Tan.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I need you to study this formation. You don¡¯t have to understand how it works, just examine how the wind Qi functions in it,¡± Tren explained, handing him a Qi formation¡¯s blueprint.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Tan said, taking the diagram and examining it. He bit his lip, it was far more complex than what he was used to. ¡°How well do I have to know it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better that you don¡¯t force your understanding past what you can manage in a few hours study,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°Study it tonight, and an hour or so every day until we are ready to use it.¡±

    ¡°Dad,¡± Tan said, pausing. ¡°This is the same formation that we used when she bonded her spirit, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That was a simplistic model. But yes, it functions on the same principles,¡± Tren answered. ¡°And it¡¯s the same one that I drew when you bonded Zephyr six years ago, although your mother was off healing someone and couldn¡¯t be here for that, so I was forced to power it myself.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Tan asked. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s called the Four Gates of Heaven because it requires a quartet. You can only power a fourth of it.¡±

    ¡°There is only one, Tan,¡± Tren said. ¡°It was difficult, stretching myself so far. But there is only one. One truth, one path, one family and one thing that matters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what Uncle Renton said. Dad, are you really an Earth cultivator?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Gaia is an earth spirit.¡±

    ¡°Okay. But I don¡¯t see how this would work without¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, stop trying to catch your wings on an updraft you¡¯re not ready to soar yet,¡± Tren said. ¡°When you are ready, you will understand. Until then, we should talk about something else. Like how it feels to kill a man.¡±

    Tan paled, looking away from his father. ¡°It was Won who shot him.¡±

    ¡°And why did you make Won do that, Tan?¡± Tren asked. ¡°You were strong enough to do it yourself. Why did you put the responsibility on your friend?¡±

    ¡°It was combat, I didn¡¯t¡ªI don¡¯t know!¡± Tan shouted. ¡°What do you want me to say? That I was weak? That I hesitated when I saw that I could end the fight. The sword  showed  me just how to move to kill him and I hesitated and got punched in the face instead. I didn¡¯t¡ªI couldn¡¯t kill him. Won could. Maybe he¡¯s the strongest of us after all.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take strength to kill a man, Tan,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°Then what does it take?¡±

    ¡°I hope that you never have to find out,¡± Tren said. ¡°But you should know by now that there might come another monster that stands in your path. Another rabid dog in the shape of a man or spirit beast which must be put down. The next time that happens, will you put the responsibility off on another?¡±

    Tan was silent. ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a test, Tan. I want you to think, not answer. If you cannot stand the thought of blood on your hands, then we¡¯ll have to change your path. You would make a poor servant of the empire if your heart is too soft to bear the weight of imperial justice.¡±

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to be a servant of the empire?¡± Tan asked.

    Tren shrugged. ¡°Then we can tell Renton to go shove his offer for you to work for him when you¡¯re older. I don¡¯t care one way or the other. You can find a girl, built a farm like I did, and live a happy life giving me grandchildren. You¡¯re strong, Tan, and I cannot imagine a world in which you use your strength in a way that would make me ashamed to be your father.¡±

    Tan was quiet for a moment. Key jumped on his shoulder, flapping his wings and shouting ¡°Keee¡± in the tone that signified he was hungry. Tan sighed and began feeding the little demon-beast his Qi.

    ¡°Tan, I¡¯m going to tell you the same thing that I told Won an hour ago,¡± Tren said, putting his hand on Tan¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°You took one life when you killed that bandit. And you saved a hundred lives by sparing the bandit¡¯s future victims. In the scales of heaven, you are a righteous man.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him,¡± Tan whispered.

    ¡°Won follows you, Tan. Your friends, you¡¯re their leader. That makes you responsible for what they do in your name,¡± Tren told his oldest son. ¡°Make certain that you lead them well.¡±

    Tren patted his shoulder and walked out of the study where they¡¯d been talking.

    Tan continued to feed little Key for a few moments before the gluttonous little demon-beast burped and stopped eating Tan¡¯s Qi. Instead it chirruped again and Tan sighed, wandering towards the kitchen to get it some solid food.

    ?

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 35

    Pao knocked nervously on the door to the house he had been born in. It was opened a moment later, and his mother took one look at him, eyeing him up and down, before embracing him.

    ¡°Welcome home, son,¡± she said, and she brought him inside. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d take some tea,¡± he said, not wanting to offend her by refusing hospitality entirely, but the food that the Shens served him was laden with Qi. The food that his family subsisted on was not. It wouldn¡¯t hurt his cultivation, exactly, but it would be fuel to his body and nothing more.

    ¡°You never did like my tea,¡± she commented. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got a surprise for you. With the loom you bought for us with that magic stone of yours, we¡¯ve had extra income, so we purchased some of the good tea from one of the wandering merchants who came through this spring.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Pao asked. ¡°Now I¡¯m actually looking forward to it. Where¡¯s father?¡±

    ¡°At the loom. Lao! Your only son, the cultivator, has come to visit! Get out here!¡± his mother shouted.

    A hollered reply came, but it was a wordless assent rather than a real answer. Pao smiled as his mother led him into the dining area and bade him to sit while she heated the water for the tea. He looked around at the little house he¡¯d lived in until age nine, when he¡¯d gone to live with the Shens after binding his earth spirit.

    He remembered it being so much bigger.

    And his parents¡­

    He loved them dearly, but they were mortal. If he continued to cultivate at the rate he¡¯d been managing, he¡¯d live for two or three centuries. They had perhaps thirty or forty years left in their life.

    It was both a very long time away, and yet just around the corner. He shook his head and pushed the morbid thoughts away.

    ¡°How was your journey?¡± his mother asked. ¡°I hope everything went well.¡±

    ¡°We made good time and fulfilled our goal of bringing Hoten back,¡± Pao answered. ¡°I¡¯d like to wait to tell you and father at the same time before saying more than that.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she agreed. ¡°We¡¯re so very proud of you, you know. The first cultivator in our family in the memory of this village. I was so angry at Tren Shen when he tricked all of those poor children into destroying their favorite toys. I thought it was just one of those lessons that hidden masters teach mortals like us about how weak and helpless we are. But he carried through on his part after all. I¡¯m ashamed that I ever had a bad thought about the man.¡±

    Pao smiled, remembering the sacrifice that he¡¯d made to earn the spirit stone he¡¯d bonded six years ago. It was a kite that his grandfather had helped him build in the spring before he¡¯d passed away. It had been broken anyway, Pao had crashed it when he was eight and it had never flown right again. But he had kept it anyway to remember his grandfather, until Tren Shen had explained the sort of sacrifice he was looking for. Pao had remembered the Kite and presented it, thinking that he¡¯d be turned away, only for his sacrifice to be accepted once he¡¯d shared the kite¡¯s origin.

    ¡°Broken toys and ragged dolls for a spirit stone,¡± Pao muttered. ¡°Only the Shens would take such a deal seriously and think that they came out ahead in the deal. But then, they did get three loyal followers to their family in exchange as well, so I can¡¯t fault their logic.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± his mother asked.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said.

    His father entered the room a moment later, rubbing his hands together. Pao stood and they embraced. They shared the same height, but the son was far more muscular, and he lifted his father by leaning back with his arms still embracing him.

    ¡°I missed you both,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± his father asked, patting his back. Pao set him down and they separated.

    ¡°Hoten¡¯s dilemma has me sentimental,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed that I haven¡¯t been a better son to you. I wish that you¡¯d have had another child so that you wouldn¡¯t be alone.¡±Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t for lack of trying,¡± his mother said, causing Pao to blush. ¡°We¡¯re lucky to have what we have, Pao. Don¡¯t ever think that we¡¯re not grateful, or proud of you.¡±

    They sat at the little table where Pao had learned to feed himself and drank their tea. It was terrible, terrible tea, but it made Pao smile. His mother couldn¡¯t make tea to save her life, even with expensive leaves.

    ¡°I helped kill a man when I was away,¡± He said, breaking the news abruptly, like ripping off a bandage. ¡°He was an evil man and we were defending ourselves. I¡¯m not ashamed of what I did, but it haunts me all the same.¡±

    His parents exchanged glances, speaking without words for a moment, before they each took one of his hands.

    ¡°Better him than you, Pao,¡± his father said. ¡°Think of the grief that you would have caused your mother if you hadn¡¯t defended yourself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a gentle soul, my boy,¡± his mother said. ¡°I believe that if there was another path home where you wouldn¡¯t have had to dirty your hands, you would have taken it. But you walk a dangerous path. Do not ever be ashamed of what you must do to stay alive.¡±

    Pao exhaled a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I was worried what you would say.¡±

    ¡°Tell us everything,¡± his father said. ¡°Let us bear whatever part of this burden that we can. Talking is good for the soul.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Pao said, and he began to talk, telling them everything about his recent adventure.

    When he finished, he pulled a purse from his belt and set it on the table between them. ¡°That¡¯s my portion of the gold from killing the bandit,¡± he said. ¡°I want you two to have it.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t take it from you,¡± his father objected. ¡°We are already¡ª¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask for it, I¡¯m giving it to you because I don¡¯t want it,¡± Pao said. ¡°Having it reminds me of what I did to get it. Whatever I buy with it will be tainted. But if I give it to you, then I can say that I did something good with it. Something that I¡¯m unashamed of. So, please. Take it, and help me bear this burden.¡±

    His parents exchanged another look that said more in a few seconds than a lengthy conversation could communicate. Then his father took the purse and carried it into another room. He returned a moment later and sat.

    ¡°So. Tell us. When are you going to marry Ko?¡± His mother asked.

    ¡°Mom!¡± he objected, and the parental teasing began.

    ~~~~~~

    Won and Ko sat atop the cultivation hill. Between them was a sac of coins. They knew that the other two of their quartet were planning on giving their proceeds for killing the bandit to their parents, but they remained undecided on what to do with their own windfall.

    ¡°Dad will just drink it away,¡± Won said.

    ¡°Mom won¡¯t let him,¡± Ko argued.

    ¡°She¡¯ll give in like she always does,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°There¡¯s too much here for them to spend on wine,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Then he¡¯ll find some other way to waste it.¡±

    The twins looked at each other, then looked away. Their mutual shame in their parents was as much something for them to bond over as it was a point of contention.

    ¡°We should give it to the elders of the village,¡± Won argued.

    ¡°Why would we do that? We don¡¯t owe them anything.¡±

    ¡°For safekeeping. Or something.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s an idiotic idea,¡± Ko said. ¡°If you do that with your half then I¡¯ll mock you for the rest of our lives.¡±

    ¡°Okay, so what  should  we do with it?¡±

    Ko was quiet. ¡°We should talk with someone who knows what to do with money like this,¡± she said eventually. ¡°Do you think Lord Hara would mind if we asked him for advice? Aside from the Shen family, he¡¯s probably the richest person in Susuka County.¡±

    Won sighed, looking at the flames of the ever-burning brazier. ¡°Yeah, okay.¡±

    With that much decided, the twins quietly cultivated for a few hours. When darkness fell, they retired to the bedroom they shared in the Shen family manor.

    ?

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 36

    Swenshion stood before the mirror, marveling at the effects that a few weeks of living in the imperial palace had on him. Eating the food that the emperor served, bathing in the imperial baths, and being served by the imperial servants, he appeared to have regressed ten years or more.

    He smiled. And there were certain other benefits as well. The imperial servants were quite discrete, and the door to Lokari¡¯s room was right next to his. Nobody had questioned why the bedsheets of one of their rooms were often unslept in, nor had he heard any scandalous rumors.

    Yes, entertaining the job offer from the emperor himself had been a very good decision. Gaius had been eliminated from the candidates, as had most of his other serious rivals. One young man remained who had just passed the service exams last year. He was a clever man, but Swenshion remained confident in his own ability to appeal to the former Earth Emperor.

    He sighed and finished dressing. If he wasn¡¯t selected, then he¡¯d have wasted a significant amount of time being pampered. Hopefully, however, being on a short-name basis with the emperor would be worth  something , even if he didn¡¯t earn the official record of having performed a deed worthy of formal recognition.

    Once he¡¯d finished combing¡ªthe gray was gone and his hair was thicker than it had been in a decade¡ªhe stepped out of his room and made his way to the dining area, where the other guests of the emperor were already eating. He sat and waited to be served, a young woman bringing a bowl of soup to him just a moment after he¡¯d sat.

    He savored each spoonful of the cabbage soup. It was a simple recipe, yet delicious for the rich Qi that had been grown into it.

    ¡°So tell me, Swenshion. What do you think of the Silver Dragon?¡± a voice said.

    Swenshion looked at the speaker. It was his chief competition for the position of tutor to the emperor¡¯s nephew, the young man who had only recently passed the service examinations.

    ¡°I shall rest easier when he is brought to justice and beheaded,¡± Swenshion admitted. ¡°As will the world itself, I believe.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not of the opinion that this is a part of a cycle?¡± the young man pressed.

    ¡°There are many cycles in the world. The births and deaths of humans are mirrored by the births and deaths of empires. But the four empires are young yet, as such things go, and strong and healthy. The founders still reign in the other three empires, and the fire emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire is a strong leader who has proven himself worthy. The claims of the Silver Dragon of decadence and injustice are inflated and unwarranted. A mask that he puts on to disguise his own greed and lust for power.¡±

    ¡°But you believe that the Blue Dragon Empire  will  die someday?¡± the young man pressed.

    ¡°Is this how you usually win arguments? By putting the words you wish to argue against in the mouths of your opponents and expecting them to play along?¡± Swenshion asked.

    The young man¡¯s mouth opened to say something, then paused as he realized that he¡¯d been called out. ¡°I apologize. What  do  you believe the future of the empire looks like?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°It is far too early into the rule of the Fire Emperor to predict the fate of the entire empire. He may rule for a century. A millennia. Eons. The fate of the empire is in his hands, and I do not know his mind well enough to say what he will do with it, so I do what I always do when I do not know the answer. I wait and watch in silent observation,¡± Swenshion said.

    ¡°But you believe that the rule of the fire emperor will end?¡±

    ¡°All things end. They said that Haoatonian Shenlong would rule for one hundred thousand years, but he grew tired of this world and decided to ascend after merely six centuries. If his second son shares his restlessness, who is to stop him from following his father to the next world?¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I see no other way that his rule would end but that, but only the emperor himself can tell us whether or not such a thing would ever happen, and I would not presume to ask him.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    The door opened, and Renton Shen stepped inside. The dinner conversation ended abruptly, and the diners all rose and bowed to the servant of the empire.

    ¡°I will be journeying to Lima City in the morning. Those who wish to meet my brother and interview for the job of tutoring my niece and nephew may come with me. Please, continue to enjoy my hospitality in the meantime,¡± Renton said, then he bowed at his guests and left.

    While everyone at the table had stood when Renton had appeared, Swenshion could tell at a glance by their expressions who  knew  and who didn¡¯t know. Renton Shen introduced himself as a servant of the empire. Those who did not know better transposed that claim into ¡®servant of the emperor.¡¯ The difference between those two positions was as vast as the heavens and as wide as the sea.

    Swenshion glanced at his competition and saw that the young man looked annoyed at the interruption. Whether Renton was a servant of the emperor or a servant of the empire, he was known to be a powerful cultivator and outranked all of the guests of the emperor by a significant margin, demanding their respect. Mortals who were expected to bow and scrape before cultivators could not always hide their resentment when something as small as a conversation was interrupted.

    ¡°As I was saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, and not for conversation. Tell me, Guy, what is the sound of one hand clapping?¡±

    ¡°You know as well as I do that it is silence,¡± the young man said.

    ¡°Let us enjoy the sound of one hand clapping for the rest of this meal, if you do not mind,¡± Swenshion said, and proceeded to ignore the man for the rest of the night.

    In the morning, he woke and dressed early. He informed the young servant outside his door that he was ready to serve the empire at the emperor¡¯s pleasure, and twenty minutes later, Renton Shen appeared at his door.

    Swenshion bowed politely to the young man, then looked about. ¡°How will we be traveling? How long will the journey take? I packed my things, but I confess I¡¯m not entirely certain what it is that I should bring. I have only the goods I brought with me for the original audience.¡±

    ¡°What you need will be provided for you during your employment. Assuming you meet with my brother¡¯s approval, but I foresee no difficulty there. You are the only candidate, after all.¡±

    Swenshion¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°What of Guy?¡±

    ¡°I was listening at dinner last night. I will not entrust my nephew to such a vapid man, I only allowed him to be strung along because he was good at provoking others,¡± Renton said. He stepped over to the luggage in the middle of the room and swiftly swept the items into a storage ring. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I¡¯ve nothing else in the palace that belongs to me.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Prepare yourself, I¡¯m told this is somewhat disorienting,¡± Renton said. He held out his hand, and Swenshion¡¯s eyes opened wide as he realized that he was about to join his luggage.

    ?

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 37

    Safron was a little nervous when everyone came to the big house to see them off in the morning. It made her feel important that everyone wanted to put their hands on her head and say a small blessing, and she let Clover and Elder Pike do that without fuss, but then she got bored of the treatment and hid behind her father¡¯s legs to keep the rest of them from bugging her.

    The air was heavy with unspoken tension, which Safron could sense but not really understand. She knew that this was something to do with the itchiness she¡¯d been sensing lately, since the trip to the city was announced immediately after she¡¯d told her father about it. The coincidence was enough to make her nervous, afraid that maybe the itchiness, which she¡¯d been mostly ignoring, was perhaps a bigger deal than she¡¯d thought it was.

    ¡°Okay, sweetie, close your eyes, it¡¯s time to travel,¡± her father said, and Safron obediently shut her eyes tight, knowing that when she opened them again she¡¯d be many miles away.

    Tan watched as his sister vanished into his father¡¯s storage ring, and he shook his head. While it made sense¡ªSafron was too small to make the journey to the city in a reasonable time frame under her own power, and the stasis of the storage ring was the easiest solution for everyone, including her¡ªit still made him think of his kidnapping of Hoten. It was perhaps a little indignity, but Safron didn¡¯t even realize what had happened aside from ¡°daddy¡¯s using his magic to move me.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Tren said, turning to the rest of his family. ¡°I¡¯m going to travel ahead. I¡¯ll see you when you get there.¡±

    He kissed his wife, then took a step and vanished, the Titan¡¯s Walk technique carrying him miles in a single step.

    ¡°I wish I could do that,¡± Tan commented.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do something much like it one day, when you¡¯re stronger,¡± his mother assured him. ¡°Although it looks something more like this.¡±

    Wensho blurred, her figure streaking out into the distance, traveling to the city. Tan sighed, turning to his friends and the spirit animals who had come to wish the family well.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to head out too,¡± He said.

    ¡°Good luck. We¡¯ll be praying for your sister,¡± Elder Pike said, and the rest of the group echoed the sentiment.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks,¡± Tan said. Then he flew up into the air, taking off in the same direction that his mother and father had gone.

    With the Shen family gone, the remaining members of the household exchanged nervous glance.

    ¡°Everything will be fine,¡± Won said confidently. ¡°They¡¯re, I mean, we know who they are. Bad things don¡¯t happen to people like Safron. This is just a couple parents overreacting to a minor deal, I think.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Clover said, scratching her nose in her human form. ¡°I¡¯ll be very sad if she doesn¡¯t come home to give me my cuddles.¡±

    The others exchanged nervous looks, worried that Clover had just given voice to their fears, then they collectively went back to their duties. Won, Ko, Pao and Tremble headed out to the fields to begin work, while the rest of the spirit animals changed back into their animal forms and returned to their business.

    Many miles away, a certain merchant was once more subject to the whims of cultivators evicting him from his own compound. While he understood the appeal of borrowing his home for their business, and there was a certain prestige which came with it in the eyes of his peers, it was still frustrating to have a powerful man appear in his courtyard, demand to speak with him, and simply ¡®request¡¯ the use of his estate for a few days.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Granted, he had known that this was coming. He was hosting eight elite healers who had arrived with a letter with the imperial seal requesting lodgings. He had put the two senior healers in his own guesthouse and arranged for the remaining six to stay in one of the best inns in the city.

    Now, he watched as the cultivator made walked through his courtyard. While the cultivator was dressed in a fine robe of silk with the runes for ¡°Grandmaster¡± emblazoned on it, he held in his hand a normal looking hoe and was scratching symbols in the dirt. The merchant knew better than to question his actions as he sent out the messengers to the healers in the city that the time had come.

    With this task complete, he quietly took his wife and daughters and fled the city. While there shouldn¡¯t be any danger to a simple healing, he wasn¡¯t willing to take any chances. No, just as he had two years ago when the Zang family had commandeered his home, the merchant decided to make himself scarce.

    He stopped by the plum trees on the way out, reaching up to test the ripeness of the fruit. He smiled. This was his aunt¡¯s tree. It served as her grave marker. His family had come from the Yellow Phoenix Empire and taken this tradition with him. The merchant said a quiet prayer to his ancestors before he left.

    ¡°I know that the little girl who is to be healed is not your kin,¡± he said, ¡°But I fear for my family should the cultivator¡¯s wrath be invoked. Perhaps you could turn a benevolent eye upon the child and help the healers as they do their work. Guide their hands, make them steady, and if they doubt, show them the way forward.¡±

    Satisfied, he stepped through the gate of his compound and vanished into the carriage with his family.

    In the courtyard, a dozen or so ancestral spirits ate spirit plums and watched the hidden emperor prepare a divine-level formation. They turned to each other and discussed the situation and what it meant for their descendants.

    ¡°Do you think that the current patriarch is right to fear his wrath?¡± one ancestor asked.

    ¡°You felt it when he showed himself two years ago during the confrontation with the Zang family,¡± came the answer from another ancestor. ¡°He could destroy this city with a casual gesture. We may be dead, but he could wipe our memory from existance. Not only is the patriarch right to fear him, but we are fools if we do not do the same.¡±

    ¡°He is here to heal his daughter,¡± the first ancestor said. ¡°Should we help?¡±

    ¡°What would it cost us to do so?¡± another ancestor said. ¡°There is not much we can do to affect the world of the living, but are we not meant to be benevolent protectors?¡±

    ¡°I do not think that it is our place,¡± came a detractor. ¡°The girl has her own ancestors. Let them guide the healing.¡±

    The first ancestor scratched his beard. ¡°Let us send a message to the girl¡¯s ancestors, then,¡± he said.

    With this decision made, the ancestors expended just a fraction of their power to send a message through the veil of death into the afterlife.

    Tren felt something resonate with his bloodline, and he turned to the trees where the ancestral spirits rested. He nodded at them, clenching one fist and putting it in the palm of the other hand, then bowing over the symbol of respect to the merchant¡¯s ancestors. Then he picked up his hoe and continued to scratch out the symbols of the highest form of the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation into the ground.

    When he had finished, he began pounding stakes at various points throughout the merchant¡¯s compound.

    Wensho appeared a few moments later to help him. With her here to distract their daughter, Tren brought the little girl out of his storage ring. Safron giggled at the disorientation of suddenly being in a new place and, with her mother watching her, ran about to explore. Tren smiled, wishing that such innocence could last forever.

    It wasn¡¯t terribly long before the healers gathered. They took Safron and her mother into the compound to perform another examination of the girl. Tren put it out of his mind as best he could, continuing to work on setting up the formation that would, hopefully, see whatever treatment they decided upon to a successful fruition.

    ?

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 38

    Tan flew straight into the city, ignoring the gates and the glances of surprised commoners glancing up to point at the flying boy making his way for the compound of the richest merchant in the city. He set down in the courtyard where he had once healed Kora of her twisted bond with her spirit, looking around for a moment. The ancestral spirits were still sitting in their trees, ignoring him, but he acknowledged their presence with a quick nod anyway.

    He found his parents by following their breaths. They were in one of the sitting rooms. He found Safron using the same technique, but the girl was napping, so he figured he¡¯d see her later. Just as he was about to enter the main house of the merchant¡¯s estate, the sky suddenly split as a bolt of lightning struck the courtyard.

    Tan turned to greet his uncle, who was the only person he knew of who could travel using such a method. ¡°Uncle Renton, you came!¡±

    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Renton said. ¡°Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°I was just going to meet them,¡± Tan said, and he led Renton inside. In the same room where he had first met Kora, he found his parents nervously speaking with the eight healers. Renton and Tan listened but remained silent as the healers continued to report their findings and recommendations.

    ¡°The good news is that the ¡®itchiness¡¯ that the child is reporting feeling is due to the erosion of the ki block,¡± the healer explained. ¡°Her cultivation is proceeding slowly because of it, but it isn¡¯t impeding her as much as we expected it to. Unfortunately, this also presents a problem. As the flow of her Qi has increased, the pressure on the block has also increased. Her Qi has doubled since we last inspected her, while the pressure upon the block has increased four fold. If this continues, it may present a threat.¡±

    The healer proceeded to explain the worst case scenario. Tan swallowed.

    Death. That was the worst case scenario. His little sister might die if nothing was done.

    ¡°What are the options?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°There are several,¡± the lead healer explained. ¡°The first is that she stops cultivating for a time and we allow the pressure to relieve itself naturally. It will take some time, and it¡¯s not without risk. If the block suddenly breaks on its own, the results might be benign, or they might unleash built up toxins into her blood and cause her serious illness. I can¡¯t predict the chances of success if nothing is done, but there are three outcomes. One is that once the block relieves itself, she is able to cultivate normally. The second is that she remains crippled afterwards, to an extent which I cannot predict. And the third option is of course the worst case scenario.¡±

    Tan hated those words. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare let my sister die,¡± he told the healer. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll never forgive you.¡±

    The healer balked at the threat of the child, whose identity he knew perfectly well. He bowed at the young master and said ¡°I am simply presenting all of the options. I do not recommend this option, but I would not be performing my duties to the best of my abilities if I did not present it. Let us proceed to the next treatment option.¡±

    And so they listened for an hour as option after option was presented. The adults in the room asked questions that Tan understood, and they asked questions that were beyond his understanding, and they asked questions that were on the edge of his understanding. He listened as option after option was eliminated as being too risky or insufficient or otherwise unsatisfactory.

    Finally, the treatment plan was settled upon. Feeling that he¡¯d contributed nothing, Tan¡¯s own part to play was highlighted for him. It was nothing more than powering the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation, which to him felt like slightly more than doing nothing at all. He consoled himself by the fact that his the three adults of his family were relegated to the same task.

    Once Safron was woken, the treatment to get rid of the itchiness once and for all was explained to her by her mother, with the help of one of the younger healers who worked hard to explain things in terms that a five year old could understand.

    Once everything was in place, the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation was empowered. Tan sat to the east of the compound¡¯s main building, sitting in a circle that his father had carved into the ground hours earlier and running his Qi through the formation. He had left Key behind and hadn¡¯t fed the Qi guardian since the night before so that he¡¯d have enough energy for this, but the truth was that the Formation¡¯s demands weren¡¯t very power intensive.

    It was complex enough to give him a headache, envisioning what he had to do with his Qi to empower the formation, but it was well within his capabilities.

    On the other end other end of the compound, at the west gate, Renton silently meditated. He had only just met his niece, and he was uncomfortable with how little power he had in this situation. He had selected the best healers of the empire and brought them to this far-flung corner for this very purpose, but now that he had done so there was nothing left for him to do but empower a simple formation.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Granted, it was a powerful formation which could bend fate itself to serve. But it wasn¡¯t infallible. If Safron was destined to die, then it would take far more than the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation to save her. If the fate of his niece was based on the outcome of a dice roll, however, then the Fate Denial aspect of the formation would ensure that the Shen family was playing with loaded dice.

    To the north, Tren closed his eyes and empowered the formation in silence. Only his family would know to look at him how his emotions roiled underneath the surface.

    And to the south, Wensho empowered the formation with the concern and love of a mother.

    The older members of the Shen family were doing everything in their power to influence the outcome of the procedure on the youngest family member. They were bending the threads of fate itself to their will, and yet it felt like they were doing nothing at all.

    In the main chamber of the merchant¡¯s house, Safron fidgeted nervously as the healing pastes were painted onto her body in the shape of a healing formation. She was scared. Something Important was happening. The kind of Important with a capital I.

    She wasn¡¯t stupid, she¡¯d figured out that maybe the itchiness was a bigger deal than she¡¯d initially thought it was. That maybe there was something wrong with her, and that maybe it was something bad. She didn¡¯t think she was a bad girl, although she knew she could be a brat sometimes, but rather thought that maybe she was born into a bad body and she was about to die. That was scary, and she was scared to ask for someone to tell her that she  wasn¡¯t  about to die because what if they lied to her, or worse, what if they told her the truth?

    But her mother had told her what to do, and she had complete faith in her parents. So once the healers finished painting her with the healing pastes, she drank the medicine that they gave her. She felt a warmth in her belly, a warmth that was filled with power. She took that power, closing her eyes, and she began to cycle it through her body, just like she¡¯d been told.

    The power, which felt like concentrated fire Qi that was way beyond what Safron could make for herself, but which was docile and easily followed her will, rubbed up against her itchiness and--

    Safron screamed.

    Then the world went still as the fated moment arrived and the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation suddenly  pulled  in a hundred times more energy than any of the participants had ever expected to give it.

    Safron¡¯s soul left her body, but remained linked to it by a tether. She was whisked off to heaven, the power that flowed through her body¡¯s meridians too much for her to endure.

    Safron found herself surrounded by mist. She looked around, knowing that she was dead and that this was the afterlife. She wanted to cry, but couldn¡¯t find the emotions for it. They were left behind in her body, she realized, and she¡¯d have to go back for them later.

    ¡°Hello, dear little Safron Shenlong. I am pleased to meet you so soon. I thought that it would be many centuries before my family came to visit,¡± a voice said.

    She turned and faced an old man in fancy robes. He had a long mustache which pointed out in either direction. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Your grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Are we dead?¡±

    ¡°I am. I failed my ascension, and so here I am. You are ¡­ in between.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to be dead. My mom will be very sad,¡± Safron said.

    ¡°Yes. So let¡¯s do something about that, shall we?¡± the old man said. ¡°Give me your hand, Safron, and I will give you the strength to live.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said.

    She took the old man¡¯s hand, and suddenly she was back in her body. She screamed as the power flowing in her veins  burned  the itchiness, but despite the pain she found the will to continue to cycle the energy through her body. She kept going and going and going.

    She kept right on going until all of the energy burned away, and she was left covered in black sweat that smelled of ash.

    She collapsed. The healers rushed to bathe her and inspect her. The family was informed.

    Safron would live.

    The consequences of defying fate, however, remained uncertain.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 39

    Tan was walking through a palace. The imperial palace, he knew somehow. He didn¡¯t know what the imperial palace looked like, having never been there, but he knew that the dream looked the way that the imperial palace should look. If the imperial palace looked differently than his dream, then it was the palace that was wrong and not the dream.

    Beside him was a friendly old man. The old man was talking nonsense, but he was very friendly and congenial, and Tan liked him and trusted him implicitly. If he listened to this old man, then he¡¯d go far in life. He just had to follow the path laid out for him and ¡­

    And ¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m dreaming,¡± Tan said suddenly, interrupting the words of wisdom that the old man had been bestowing on him.

    The old man paused. ¡°Yes. You are. Very good, Tan. You¡¯re a very clever boy. This is a dream, but it¡¯s also real. I am real, and you are real. And I want to help you become who you are meant to be.¡±

    ¡°Zephyr? Are you there?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Never mind your spirit. Bonding a spirit is a crutch. A necessary one in order to start cultivation in childhood, but the true cultivation starts with the formation of the Core, and you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zephyr!¡± Tan shouted, ignoring the old man for now. ¡°Zephyr, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Tan, listen to me. She can¡¯t reach us right now. We¡¯re in a liminal space. I had to bring you here to talk to you, and she¡¯s still bound to the world,¡± the old man said. ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯ll be there when you wake up and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tan demanded, turning on the old man. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. Who are you and what are you doing to me?¡±

    ¡°I am your grandfather,¡± the old man said. ¡°My name is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Both of my grandfathers are dead. They died before I was born.¡±

    ¡°This is a dream. The boundary between the living and dead is looser here. It¡¯s the only place that I can advise you for now,¡± the old man said. ¡°As I said, my name is Haoatonian Shen¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let me go. I want to wake up now,¡± Tan said. He paused as a thought occurred to him. ¡°I don¡¯t remember going to sleep. The last thing I remember doing was powering the formation that was supposed to protect my sister.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your sister. I helped her too,¡± the old man said. ¡°She didn¡¯t have the strength to bear the purification procedure. It would have taken ten or more repetitions, and it would have scarred her in more ways than one. So I gave her the strength to get it done. She¡¯ll recover, and like you, become who it was that she was always meant to be due to my help and influence.¡±

    Tan turned to the old man. ¡°You helped my sister?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± the old man said.

    Tan bowed to him formally, clasping one fist in the other hand before him as though he were paying respect to a sacred ancestor. ¡°If that is true, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now please let me go.¡±

    ¡°Tan, I am trying to help you. You have so much potential, and your father has started your guidance. But he is¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not certain that you are my grandfather. Do you have any proof?¡± Tan asked.

    The old man sighed. ¡°The proof is that I was brought here by the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation. There is a reason that the formation is called the Gates of Heaven, Tan. It literally opens the way to the afterlife and appeals to the ancestors to intercede on the behalf of their descendants, changing their fates. While the formation was erected to protect Safron Shen, you were caught in it as well. Your fate has been changed. For the better. Now, as I was saying¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I believe that you are more than a figment of my imagination, but that only makes me more suspicious of you. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan,¡± the old man said, his voice growing annoyed. ¡°Stop being an impertinent brat. I¡¯m your grandfather, and I know what is best for you. Listen to me and follow my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zephyr! Zephyr!¡± Tan called.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°She can¡¯t hear you here,¡± The old man repeated.

    Then a strong gust of wind arrived, shaking the walls of the palace. The old man glanced around, a concerned expression crossing his face for the first time. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± he muttered. ¡°The inner palace is impenetrable.¡±

    The wind howled and gusted, and the windows of the palace began to shatter.

    ¡°Zephyr! I can¡¯t hear your voice! Where are you?¡± Tan called out.

    The old man began making hand symbols and chanting. The wind continued to howl, but the palace was reinforced by a force which Tan did not understand. Rather than attempting to fight back with a force that he didn¡¯t understand, he called upon his intent.

    He used his intent not on the old man, but on the palace.

    And he ripped it apart from the inside.

    The palace shattered around them like so much glass, leaving only the old man and Tan standing in a field of rocks and ragged spires. The wind continued to howl.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I understand her?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Tan, stop this. Why did you destroy my home?¡±

    ¡°This is my dream. I never gave you permission to build a palace in my dreams,¡± Tan said, turning to the old man. ¡°If you truly helped my sister, I shall be eternally grateful. But you had your life, grandfather, and I do not consent to you living mine for me. Whatever path that you wish me to follow is not my path. My path is the one that I shall find myself.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense is this?¡± The old man said. ¡°Tan, listen to me. I  know  what is best for you. I can see so much from this side of the veil, and¡ª¡±

    Tan stopped listening. He began chanting the words to an exorcism.

    ¡°I call upon the one truth to banish this false apparition. The light of the one truth and the one path guide me, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tan, stop this nonsense,¡± the man said, but as Tan continued to speak, his form changed from the congenial old man. He continued to speak, but his voice changed into sibilations and growls. Tan nodded and continued to speak his incantations, which came to him even as he dreamed them into being.

    The old man changed into a furious red Asura. With Six arms, it had two swords, a chain-whip, two axes, and a spear. It screamed.

    ¡°You think that because this is a dream that you are safe? If you will not accept my guidance then I shall take your body by force!¡± the Asura threatened.

    Tan reached out his hand and suddenly the blade that his father had given him was there. He reached out his other hand and another weapon was there. A key. He threw it into the air, and a dragon appeared behind him.

    The dragon roared, and the force of the wind appeared. The Asura charged at Tan, but Tan stood his ground.

    ¡°This is  my dream , Grandfather,¡± Tan said. ¡°And you hold no power here.¡±

    They fought. Tan took wounds, but felt no pain, for it was only a dream. He died a thousand times, for the Asura was skilled in combat even with the wind blowing it off balance and the dragon snapping with tooth and claw in defense of its master, Tan simply wasn¡¯t skilled enough to defend himself.

    But it was just a dream, and he¡¯d died in dreams before. He was unafraid.

    And for every hundred wounds that he suffered,

    He inflicted one.

    And with each wound he inflicted, the Asura screamed and raged.

    When he had inflicted ten wounds, the Asura vanished, and Tan stood in the middle of the desolate field.

    ¡°Zephyr, are you there?¡± he asked

    A beautiful young woman appeared. ¡°Tan, I was so afraid for you. Do you know who that was?¡±

    ¡°My grandfather?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what he said. I need to tell my parents about this dream, I think.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Try very hard to remember it when you awake.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Tan said. And he awoke remembering everything that had happened since he became aware that he¡¯d been trapped in a dream.

    ?

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 40

    Three adults sat in the bedroom of a wealthy merchant, standing vigil over the two children who were sleeping in the merchant¡¯s bed. The girl slept peacefully and dreamless, recovering from her recent ordeal.

    She was the reason they were there. Her parents had confirmed for themselves that Safron¡¯s Qi block was vanquished in a treatment that should have been the first of many. That the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation had performed its function was obvious. The question was the cost.

    Safron would not have to pay it, they knew that much. The formation twisted the strings of fate to bring about the optimal fortune for the target, which was the girl. There was no downside for her; the formation itself twisted the ears of fate until the old crones submitted.

    Curiously, the formation worked only on children, and only during monumental times in their lives. Half of the cultivators who knew of the formation regarded it as superstition. Anyone who had ever felt it activate and draw the power knew that it was not.

    Cultivators had died, performing the Fate Defying Ritual. Drained themselves completely dry of their Qi when the formation suddenly activated and changed the fate of the child for the better. But not the fates of the ones who performed it.

    Which is why the parents, and the children¡¯s uncle, were less concerned about the miraculous healing of the one child and more concerned about the boy who had helped stand vigil over his sister.

    The power drain had been intense. While the four elements were mostly balanced, however, it would have had to drain all four of the gates before it proved fatal to anyone, which is why the parents had thought that it would be safe to involve Tan in the ritual in the first place. If any of them died, then they would all die together, leaving behind only Safron, who would be fostered by Zenith until it was time for her to become the Empress of the Blue Dragon Empire.

    The formation had taken much out of Tan, however, and he had collapsed early into it. The adults had covered for him for the remainder of the healing process, but they had known that he would survive because they would survive. And they were right.

    But although both the boy and the girl would live, something remained troubling to them. A feeling that they could not place. When the boy began thrashing in his sleep, they grew more concerned. The mother went to comfort him, only to find that she could not wake him.

    The boy muttered and raved in his sleep, shouting out ¡°Zephyr! Zephyr! Zephyr where are you?¡±

    Safron awoke, only to kick her brother for waking her. Tren scooped his daughter up, and the little girl went back to sleep in his arms, ignoring the plight of her big brother.

    There was nothing that she could do for him anyway.

    After a long and arduous nightmare, Tan calmed suddenly, and awoke a moment later. The bedsheets were damp with sweat, and his skin glistened as he sat up.

    ¡°Mom, Dad. Is Safron alright?¡± he asked calmly.

    ¡°She¡¯s been cured, Tan. The formation worked.¡±

    ¡°I think we should perform an exorcism on her.¡± Tan said.

    The adults didn¡¯t question his judgment. He explained as they worked, drawing lines with chalk and salt and charcoal on the floors and walls of the bedroom. When he concluded the story of his dream, the parents had him stand in the center of the formation holding his sister while they chanted and empowered the array that could expel almost any demon or malicious spirit.

    Nothing happened.

    Tan breathed a sigh of relief once the ritual was over. He had no doubt in his mind that his father, mother and uncle working together could not defeat the demon which he had faced in his dreams. That meant that it had fled after it had failed to possess him.

    His parents remained concerned, however.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Tan, did the demon say his name?¡±

    ¡°He said that he was my grandfather. His name was ¡­ Hao Shen, I think. Is that actually the name of my grandfather, or did I just make something up in my dream?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Hao Shen,¡± Renton said, laughing. ¡°Yes, it was him alright.¡±

    ¡°This is most troublesome,¡± Wensho sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re worried,¡± Tan said. ¡°I defeated him, didn¡¯t I? The demon?¡±

    ¡°That demon was probably the very real spirit of your grandfather, Tan. I¡¯m glad that you fought him off, because he would have possessed you without remorse,¡± Tren said evenly. ¡°However, fending him off in a dream is not the same as banishing him back into the afterlife. It seems that when we employed the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation, he managed to truly open the gate between this world and the afterlife and claw his way back through it somehow.¡±

    ¡°He helped Safron, that¡¯s how,¡± Wensho said. She shook her head in anger and disgust. ¡°That pig wouldn¡¯t have tried to possess her. He wouldn¡¯t have stood for being a girl, and the formation wouldn¡¯t have let him through if that had been his intention anyway. He¡¯s the reason why the healing ritual worked beyond expectations. But it created a link between Safron and Hao, and then he jumped along that link to Tan. I do not believe for a second that he¡¯s not still in this world, but he could have jumped to any of his other descendants who might not be as ready to defend themselves as Tan was.¡±

    ¡°He would choose a child if he can. The younger the better,¡± Tren said.

    ¡°And a boy child specifically,¡± Wensho reiterated.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any bastards you¡¯ve been neglecting to tell us about?¡± Tren asked Renton.

    ¡°No. But I fear that there¡¯s a greater problem,¡± Renton said, his heart heavy. ¡°The Silver Dragon¡¯s claim of being Father¡¯s bastard grandson are true. Father had perhaps a hundred byblows over the years, and more than a few of them lived long enough to have children or grandchildren of their own. Hao likely preferred Tan because of his advanced cultivation, but I doubt he¡¯s in lingering danger now that he¡¯s fended him off once. But I do not know what to do about the others whom he might attempt to possess.¡±

    ¡°Send them exorcists, of course,¡± Tren said flatly.

    ¡°I mean that I don¡¯t know who or where they are,¡± Renton replied. ¡°And I probably won¡¯t until the child that Hao has infected grows up and becomes a menace.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Wensho asks.

    The adults exchanged looks, and their looks showed plain that none of them knew the answer.

    ¡°Tan, you can track him,¡± Zephyr said suddenly.

    ¡°What?¡± Tan asked, surprising the adults, as they couldn¡¯t hear Zephyr¡¯s voice like he could.

    ¡°The demon that your grandfather became bled in your mind, Tan. In your  soul . You can use this as a compass to find anyone who has been possessed by him, with the right ritual. But it isn¡¯t something that you can perform on your own, I think,¡± she explained.

    Tan frowned and repeated her words to the adults, who exchanged looks.

    ¡°Does your spirit know the name of this ritual?¡± Renton asked.

    ¡°The Candleflame¡¯s Shadow Lights the Path,¡± Zephyr said, and then Tan relayed.

    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°But I¡¯ll have the imperial servants search the archives for it. I¡¯ll reach out to Zenith as well.¡±

    Tan was quiet for a moment as the adults planned around him. Then abruptly, as they were discussing whether a large scale exorcism ritual might not be in order, he asked ¡°Who  was  my grandfather?¡±

    His parents exchanged looks. Renton sighed and took the once-more-sleeping Safron in his arms, then carried her out of the room. While he was family, this was a conversation that his parents needed to have alone with their oldest son, and it wouldn¡¯t do for Safron to wake up early and overhear it.

    Once Tan was alone with his mother and father, they told him who he was. Who his uncle really was. Who his father had been once upon a time, and who his grandfather had been for a very long time.

    Tan looked between his mother and his father as they spun him this tale. When the finished, he said two words.

    ¡°Nuh-uh!¡±

    ?

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 41

    Swenshion staggered as he was ejected from the storage ring. He caught his balance before he fell, then turned and bowed at the emperor. A second later, he was joined by Lokari, who must have been stored in the same fashion as he¡¯d been. Both scholars were dressed in the fine robes that they¡¯d be given by the imperial court, but on the table nearby were more traditional scholar robes for them to don.

    ¡°Welcome to Lima City,¡± Renton told them. ¡°How was the trip?¡±

    ¡°Remarkable? From my perspective, time stopped and I was suddenly here,¡± Lokari said.

    ¡°Yes, it was the same for me. How long have we been in stasis?¡± Swenshion asked.

    ¡°No more than a day. I apologize for treating you like luggage, but I had more pressing matters to deal with. My little niece was undergoing an important healing, and matters of her education were less important than her life,¡± Renton explained.

    ¡°We serve at your convenience,¡± Swenshion said humbly, bowing again.

    ¡°Is the girl well?¡± Lokari asked.

    ¡°Yes. The Qi block that has been affecting her since her birth has been successfully healed and should plague her no longer. From my perspective, she is an ember that has suddenly been coaxed back into flame. But she¡¯s also still five years old, so we will just have to see how she develops. She has some impressive role models, but you can never tell when they¡¯re that age how mighty they might become.¡±

    ¡°That is a relief. I have been saying prayers to the ancestors to watch over her,¡± Lokari said, bowing her head in reverence.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Renton said. ¡°Now anyway, it wouldn¡¯t do for anyone to see those robes, so if you wouldn¡¯t mind changing before I introduce you to my brother and his wife, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡±

    The emperor stepped out of the room to allow them the privacy to follow his instructions. The scholars turned to face each other.

    ¡°It seems that he knows that we have nothing to hide from each other,¡± Lokari said, noting that they had no privacy from each other in the space provided.

    ¡°We assumed as much,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°If he had a problem with our relationship we wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Our relationship,¡± Lokari said. ¡°I have been meaning to ask, Swenshion. Why exactly is it that we¡¯re keeping it a secret?¡±

    Swenshion paused. ¡°For the thrill of it?¡± he asked eventually, earning a laugh from her. They spoke no more on the matter for the moment, quickly changing out of the imperial robes and into the more humble clothing that they would normally wear when meeting a prospective employer.

    They emerged from the storage area to find a mortal servant waiting for them. They were shown into a parlor, where the emperor stood next to a tall and muscular man and a beautiful woman with sun lines upon her laugh lines. The scholars bowed deeply to the individuals they assumed to be their prospective employers.

    ¡°So these are the two greatest scholars in the land?¡± Tren Shen asked his brother.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t necessarily say that. I was looking for the best teachers, and not the best scholars,¡± Renton admitted. ¡°You know as well as I do that there is a gap between those two things.¡±

    Tren grinned. ¡°Fair point.¡±

    ¡°Aside from which, the candidate pool was somewhat self-selecting. These are the two who put aside previous engagements to serve the empire in this capacity, while others prioritized their pre-existing employment,¡± Renton continued. ¡°Of the available candidates, however, these are the two that have impressed me the most. Aside from which, they are getting married, and I thought that you would appreciate having a loving couple working as a team.¡±Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re engaged?¡± Wensho said, raising her eyebrows in surprise. Her eyes evaluated Swenshion, and she said in a teasing voice ¡°I wonder what it is that she sees in him.¡±

    Swenshion managed to keep from sputtering at the sudden declaration, for which he¡¯d been unprepared, and then the subtle barb. He glanced at Lokari, who he could tell was as surprised by Renton¡¯s announcement as he was.

    Renton noticed the byplay. ¡°Am I wrong? I thought that since you were sneaking into each others rooms¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just surprised,¡± Lokari said, ¡°Because we hadn¡¯t announced our engagement yet. But of course we are planning a wedding. We were simply keeping our relationship quiet to avoid a scandal in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Well, you have about eight months to settle things before the baby is due,¡± Wensho commented offhandedly. ¡°But if you¡¯re avoiding a scandal, then I¡¯d say that the sooner the better. Why not have Renton perform the wedding right now so that it looks as though the babe were conceived on your wedding night?¡±

    Both scholar¡¯s jaw dropped. Wensho smiled at their stunned expressions. ¡°Oh? Didn¡¯t you know yet? I suppose, you are mortals after all and you cannot see the spark of life when it ignites. Congratulations are in order, I believe. I shall go make some tea.¡±

    Swenshio looked at his lover in amazement. ¡°Did you know?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡ªno. But I would not doubt Lady Wensho on such matters.¡±

    Tren smiled, leaning against the wall while waiting for Wensho to return with the tea. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the wedding must be a condition of your employment. Especially if you are having a child together. We are trying to instill certain values in our children, and fidelity is one of them. I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°I, if Lokari would have me as her husband, then I would be honored to serve in such a manner.¡±

    ¡°Can you repeat that in the form of a question?¡± Lokari asked.

    Swenshion blushed. ¡°Lokari, would you do me the honor of being my wife?¡± he asked, going down to one knee before the woman that he loved.

    ¡°Of course you buffoon,¡± she said, taking his hand and pulling him back up. ¡°I would not presume to ask the emperor or the former emperor to preside over our wedding, but we will arrange it before we begin our employment so as not to inspire unnecessary questions in our charges.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Renton said. He pulled a bottle of sparkling juice from his storage ring and began pouring drinks for everyone. ¡°We¡¯ll arrange it as soon as the interview is settled and my niece awakens. She¡¯ll love to be part of a wedding, I think. Don¡¯t you, brother?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Tren agreed. He took his own glass and drank a sip. ¡°But we should discuss business before then. Renton tells me that you performed exceedingly well on the public service examination. I take that as a strong recommendation, but I would like to get your opinions on several other matters.¡±

    ¡°Of course, My Lord,¡± the scholars said together.

    ¡°Who was the villain of the unification wars?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°Why, Haoatonian Shenlong of course,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°It was his lust for power and desire to be the final authority which led him to conquer the world. With the three others who would eventually become the emperors of the other lands, he led a war of aggression on the scale of which this world has never before seen. And we thank him for it, for through war he put an end to war. By dividing the world equally among his equals, he has given us nearly seven hundred years of peace, even after he himself ascended.¡±

    Tren evaluated the answer for a moment, then nodded. ¡°You are a very brave man to say that to the son of Haoatonian Shenlong himself.¡±

    ¡°It is the answer that I gave His Imperial Majesty,¡± Swenshion said, bowing humbly.

    ¡°Lady Lokari, would you share this opinion?¡± Tren asked.

    ¡°It is disharmony that was defeated by the unification wars, but disharmony is not a villain. No, my soon-to-be husband is correct. Haoatonian Shenlong¡¯s lust for power makes him a villain, even if his path led him to become a hero,¡± Lokari said.

    ¡°I happen to share this enlightened opinion,¡± Tren admitted. ¡°We will continue the interview when we have tea.¡±

    So they waited, and when Lady Wensho reappeared to serve them tea¡ªthe most delicious tea that Swenshion had ever tasted¡ªthe tough questions began.

    ?

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 42

    The servants of the household were quick to put up the wedding decorations. The wedding itself was held in the courtyard. Rain threatened, but Tan flew up into the sky and told the rainclouds to go somewhere else. When he returned, he found himself dressing in his fine clothes, the yellow and blue clothing with the stupid hat.

    He was then put in charge of wrangling his sister, who¡¯d been quiet after her healing until she¡¯d learned that there was to be a wedding, after which she¡¯d gotten very excited. While the adults dealt with the adult things, Tan babysat his sister, helping her into the flower-girl dress and ensuring that she didn¡¯t get too dirty afterwards.

    Tan remained distracted by his encounter with the spirit of his grandfather, but he was confident in the talismans that his parents had given him and his sister to keep the spirit of Hao Shen away. Or Haoatonian Shenlong, Tan thought, swallowing. He was still getting accustomed to the idea that he was part of the imperial family.

    He had so many questions for his father. For both of his parents. And for Uncle Renton too. But he¡¯d been trained to think as carefully about the questions he wanted to ask as the answers themselves, and so he¡¯d wait a day or more before confronting the adults to make them explain themselves.

    His parents hadn¡¯t asked him to keep the family secret secret from his sister, but he didn¡¯t need to be asked. Until he understood exactly  why  it was a secret, he wasn¡¯t going to go blabbing it to anyone. Especially since he half disbelieved it himself.

    Safron, for her part, was having a very good day. The itchiness was all gone, and her Qi was flowing better than it ever had before and before long she was going to be as strong as her big brother. Burning away the itchiness had hurt, but tanks to her grandfather she¡¯d had the strength to get through it. Now she got to spend all day in a fancy dress and take part in a wedding and spend the day with her big brother and she never had to worry about the itchiness again.

    When it was time for the wedding, she danced about throwing out flower petals everywhere. Her brother helped by summoning a wind to make the flower petals she threw flutter all around and it was very beautiful. Once her dance finished, the boring part of listening to the grownups vow to love and cherish each other forever and ever happened, and Safron fidgeted through that, although her big brother helped distract her so that was good too.

    After the wedding, the grownups went to make babies and Safron kept playing with her big brother and having a really good day. She deserved a good day after the bad day that had happened yesterday, and so she refused to not have a good day today. Her brother was being funny though, like something was bugging him. So she kept on bugging him to distract it from whatever it was that wasn¡¯t as important as her.

    Tan smiled at his sister¡¯s antics after the wedding. Eventually, night fell, and he was sent to an estate in the north to deliver a message to the merchant who¡¯s compound they were squatting on. Tan flew there and found it quickly enough, landing and knocking on the door without ceremony. The door was answered by a woman whom he thought was a servant, but was in fact the merchant¡¯s daughter.

    ¡°Hello. Is your master home?¡± he asked.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The daughter bristled at the mistake, but she had just witnessed the boy flying and didn¡¯t want to offend such a powerful cultivator, so she took the insult without rising a fuss. ¡° My father  is in the study. If your message isn¡¯t vitally important I could deliver it for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks. Sorry, I¡¯m a bad judge at fashion so I thought your clothes were that of a servants,¡± Tan said, scratching his head and blushing, unaware that he¡¯d just given her  another  casual insult. ¡°If you¡¯d please let your father know that we have finished the healing ritual and will be vacating his compound tomorrow, I¡¯d appreciate it. Also, I was supposed to give him this as payment.¡±

    Tan handed over a placard. The merchant¡¯s daughter stared at it, wide eyed, as the boy turned and flew away without further comment.

    The placard was an induction into the imperial merchant¡¯s guild. As the daughter of a wealthy merchant, the young woman knew exactly how valuable such an item was; it allowed the bearer to trade in precious materials and trade goods that could only be sold to those who had relations with imperial government. These official monopolies were hundreds of times more lucrative than common materials.

    This boy who had insulted her had just changed her family¡¯s fate with a casual message, she realized.

    ¡°Father! Father!¡± she called out, running into the country estate to share the good news.

    The merchant was unaware that, at that moment, a newly wed couple was lying in his bed, enjoying each other¡¯s company in the afterglow of their wedding, and other activities. Swenshion was still reeling from the realization that  this was real , he was a husband and soon to be a father. He was still processing the news emotionally, although his wife was doing her best to distract him.

    ¡°What do you think of our new charges?¡± she asked him as they lie in bed together.

    ¡°I think that you¡¯ll have your hands full with the little one,¡± Swenshion said to her. ¡°But Tan seems like a fine lad. A doting big brother. We¡¯ll have to see how smart he is, but considering that he¡¯s literally royalty I¡¯m not concerned with such things. The Shenlong family is literally blessed by the spirits and the ancestors.¡±

    ¡°And yet the girl was born with a defect in her meridians,¡± Lokari reminded him. ¡°Do you not find that odd?¡±

    Swenshion considered the problem for a moment, then nodded. ¡°There could be any number of causes for it. I¡¯m certain that the royal family has already investigated if the matter was some sort of attack or curse upon them. I¡¯ll make a polite inquiry with Lord Shen to ensure that the matter was considered, but otherwise it¡¯s truly none of our business.¡±

    ¡°No, leave it to me. I¡¯ll discuss the matter with Lady Wensho as we discuss my pregnancy. It will be more natural that way,¡± Lokari told him.

    ¡°As you wish. I shall leave the matter in your capable hands,¡± Swenshion said.

    Then they kissed, and lost themselves in each others embrace once more.

    ?

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 43

    Hoten washed the sheets in the river, quietly reflecting on the mess that had become his life. He had been humiliated by the Shens once more. While nobody had said anything about his attempt to remain at his sect instead of performing his filial duties, he had heard the judgment in their voices after Tan had kidnapped him. As though he were not the injured party, they had dared to judge him for his priorities.

    He worked in silence, performing the same tasks that he would be performing for Master Argoth back at the sect for his mother. She had seemed fine when he¡¯d first arrived. She¡¯d gotten out of bed and hugged him, and although he could smell sickness on her he had thought that the news of her condition had been overstated. That she had another year or two in her, and that the rush to bring him home was overstated.

    It had only been a day, and he saw now that his impression was wrong. She had used up all of her energy to greet him, and once she¡¯d laid back down, she had ¡­ she had let go. She was fading swiftly, and his father didn¡¯t expect her to last a week. His father had clapped him on the shoulder and thanked him for coming, causing Hoten to wince as the man hit a bruise from the beating that Tan had delivered.

    Nobody was talking about his humiliation. Did that mean that nobody knew, or that they were attempting to shield his mother from his decision during her final days? He didn¡¯t know, and he was afraid to ask.

    Pulling the sheets out of the water, he rung them out then put them on the line and used his magic to dry them out. It took longer than if he were a water cultivator, but running a stiff breeze through the sheets was still a swifter process than waiting for them to air dry.

    Once they were dry, he returned to the village, ignoring the looks of the villagers as he walked to his family¡¯s house. Who were they kidding, they didn¡¯t care. They had always ostracized him as the son of the wealthiest family in the village. His father was responsible for many of their own livelihoods, providing them with the odds and ends which couldn¡¯t be produced in the village and buying their surpluses for what little spending copper they deserved. The tension that this fact caused had been a divisive factor in what few friendships he¡¯d had in his youth.

    Nobody wanted to be friends with the man who refused to sell their father a plow because their family didn¡¯t have the coin for it. They refused to understand that his family was little better off than theirs, that they couldn¡¯t afford to be charitable with the villagers.

    And then the Shen family, which had always been strange, had suddenly revealed themselves to be a family of cultivators. The misunderstanding regarding Hoten¡¯s curse had driven another wedge between him and the suddenly prominent family, and even though he felt his actions were entirely reasonable, his curse had further ostracized him.

    He cursed them. They were hypocrites. They wouldn¡¯t have done anything differently if they were him. He had always  known  that he was destined for greatness. When that little brat had shown up in the village that day with the power of a fledgling cultivator, he had seen his opportunity to become more than a poor peddler. But then Tren Shen had refused to deal with him, and when he had tried to take what should have been his, things had ¡­ not gone well.

    He sighed, stepping into his house and entering his parents room. His father had been sleeping in Hoten¡¯s old bed, and Hoten had been sleeping on a mat on the floor. His mother had been sleeping alone in the marriage bed. They¡¯d burn it when she passed; it was soiled, and changing the sheets did little to help the stench.

    Hoten grimaced as he changed the sheets without waking his mother. She had been sleeping most of the time now. He didn¡¯t think it was going to be much longer.

    When he¡¯d finished, he returned to the living area, where he found his father drinking from a bottle that smelled strongly of alcohol. His father passed him the bottle, and Hoten drank from it without saying anything.

    ¡°It¡¯s good you came,¡± his father said. ¡°That she got to see you one last time. She can let go now. She can rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that I did,¡± Hoten lied. ¡°When I heard, I dropped everything. I¡¯m eternally grateful for the Shen family¡¯s kindness in this matter.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The Shens have always been good for this village. Even before we knew the truth, they were watching out for us,¡± his father said.

    Hoten sighed. So his father had fallen into line with the rest of the villagers. ¡°I can only stay for the funeral, Father. When, afterwards, I need to return as soon as possible. I pray that you understand.¡±

    ¡°I would never wish to impede your cultivation. You are a good son. The coin you brought, your gifts to the village, they¡¯re going to change things,¡± his father said. ¡°You¡¯ll see when you visit next time. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    Hoten nodded. ¡°Yeah, next time,¡± he said.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    He didn¡¯t plan on visiting again in his father¡¯s lifetime. This village was where he came from, not where he was going.

    ~~~~~~

    Lord Hara swallowed. The cultivator twins were sitting before him, having presented him with a sack filled with wealth.

    ¡°So, what exactly do you want me to do with it?¡± he asked them.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, we don¡¯t know what to do with this much money,¡± the girl twin said. ¡°We¡¯re hoping to take care of our parents with it, and the village as well. But our father is ¡­ he¡¯s unlikely to handle the wealth well.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll drink himself into a ditch-side grave if we gave it to him directly,¡± the boy twin said. ¡°So we¡¯re hoping that you¡¯ll have some better ideas of what to do with it.¡±

    Lord Hara nodded. ¡°Well, there¡¯s enough here for a team of oxen. If you purchased such animals for your village as a whole, their productivity would increase substantially. Given that the food coming out of your village is increasing in quality every year, such an investment at this time would likely increase your family¡¯s wealth and the wealth of your neighbors substantially over the next decade or so.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we have no idea who to talk with to do that,¡± the boy said. ¡°Can you handle the arrangements for us?¡±

    Lord Hara sighed. If the twins  weren¡¯t  cultivators, he wouldn¡¯t have let them through the door. They¡¯d been born as peasants in one of his smaller villages, and if it weren¡¯t for a twist of fate elevating them past the station they¡¯d been born to¡­

    ¡°It would be my honor,¡± he lied. ¡°Leave everything to me. I¡¯ll purchase the finest animals on the market, along with the plows and tack to put them to work. I¡¯ll also speak with the village elders, so that they know where the animals come from and what they¡¯re expected to do with it. The harvest next year will have triple the harvest of this year, I assure you!¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Feel free to keep a tenth of it for the trouble,¡± Ko said. ¡°That¡¯s customary in such arrangements, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°This humble lord thanks the cultivators for their generosity,¡± Lord Hara said.

    ¡°Thank you for your time. We know that if we weren¡¯t cultivators you wouldn¡¯t open your door to us or treat us with such respect,¡± Ko said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad guy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lord Hara said.

    The twins rose to leave, and he showed them out, bowing humbly as he closed the door behind them. Then he went to count the coin that had just fallen into his hands.

    There was more than enough for oxen, but he wouldn¡¯t cheat the twins. He¡¯d do as he¡¯d promised, then return whatever was left over to them, minus the processing fee that they had offered him.

    He knew better than to cheat a cultivator.

    ~~~~~

    The carriage arrived at the merchant¡¯s estate early in the morning. Swenshion, who had just had one of the happiest nights of his life, got inside with his wife and their two pupils. While Tren and Wensho Shen had returned home ahead of time, the children were taking the slow way home.

    They could have simply stowed the slower mortals and Safron in a storage ring, but such things were undignified and to be avoided when there wasn¡¯t need for haste. So they were turning it into an opportunity for the children to get to know their new tutors instead.

    As they got underway, Swenshion began quizzing Tan on his existing knowledge of history, politics, mathematics, rhetoric, and literature.

    He came to a very swift conclusion. The boy didn¡¯t know his multiplication table, he had little knowledge of the empire outside of Susuka county, and while he was surprisingly astute on philosophical matters, he was completely out of his depth on political discussions.

    Swenshion had his work cut out for him.

    Sighing, he began to lecture the boy.

    ¡°Seven hundred thirty three years ago, a man named Haoatonian Shenlong was born,¡± he began.

    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a man when he was born, was he?¡± Tan asked, cocking his head with a stupid grin.

    Swenshion blinked. ¡°Well, no, of course not. He began life as an infant, just like everyone else. But not much is known of his life before he was sixteen, when he launched the campaign which would go on to conquer the entire continent.¡±

    ¡°Who were his parents? Where did he come from? What¡ª¡±

    As the boy began bombarding Swenshion with questions, Swenshion revised his opinion.

    He  really  had his work cut out for him.

    ?

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 44

    The carriage pulled up to the Shen family farm. A little girl and a young boy got out. They greeted their parents, who were waiting for them at the end of the road, and their friends, who had all gathered to greet them. The adults in the carriage took a few minutes longer to get out. They were sore from the journey, and when the lady of the house offered them the use of the family bath, they gratefully accepted.

    Tan and the other children carried the scholar¡¯s luggage to the guest house, which had once been the primary house of the Shen family before the manor was built. Swenshion was startled when a wild boar greeted them in the living area, but the children just greeted ¡®Tremble¡¯ politely and introduced the couple.

    ¡°This is Tremble. He¡¯s a spirit-pig. He lives here too. Tremble, go change into your human form and give them a proper greeting,¡± Tan said, his tone slightly scolding towards the spirit-boar.

    Tremble grunted and got to his feet, closing the door to his bedroom behind him. A few moments later, an ugly man opened the door.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± he muttered. ¡°Yeah, like they said, I work here and live here. If you want my room, you can have it. It smells like me though, so you might want to sleep in one of the other ones.¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dream of kicking you out of your room,¡± Lokari said. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Tremble. I¡¯ve never met a spirit animal before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great,¡± Tremble said. He scratched his butt and shrugged. ¡°If you need anything, you know where to find me.¡±

    He returned to the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

    Swenshion exchanged a look with his wife, and the couple collectively shrugged. They selected Tan¡¯s old bedroom as their own, then began unpacking their things.

    Tan excused himself with his friends, and they went up to the top of their cultivation hill. Tan was nervous.

    ¡°Hey, guys, I was wondering. If my family were ¡­ I mean, I never really thought about it before, but my family is weird, isn¡¯t it? If we were someone actually important, instead of just being farmers, would you still be my friends?¡±

    Pao, Won and Ko exchanged looks. ¡°Did your parents finally tell you?¡± Won asked.

    ¡°Tell me what?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Yeah, they told him,¡± Ko said. ¡°Tan, we¡¯ve known for like two months. Yes, we¡¯re still friends even if you are a prince.¡±

    Tan¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Wait, you guys  knew and didn¡¯t tell me? ¡±

    ¡°Your parents told us not to,¡± Pao explained. ¡°And your uncle kind of threatened us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won said. ¡°I mean, if you  weren¡¯t  his nephew, you¡¯d take a threat from the emperor pretty seriously, wouldn¡¯t you Tan?¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been so weird around me lately?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Pao admitted. ¡°Sorry. We weren¡¯t trying to be, but it¡¯s hard not to be when you suddenly realize that your best friend is a much more important person than you thought he was. I mean, we always knew that your parents were hidden masters. But that¡¯s a completely different thing from being royalty  and  hidden masters.¡±

    Tan sighed. ¡°Whatever. I was wondering what the heck was wrong with you guys. Are you going to keep being weird now that it¡¯s out in the open?¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to be weird in the first place,¡± Won said defensively.

    ¡°It will help now that we can actually talk about it,¡± Ko said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Won agreed. ¡°But Tan, you have to realize, this changes things. We want to be your friends still, but you¡¯re, I mean, you¡¯re  royalty . And we¡¯re just your attendants.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not my attendants, your my friends,¡± Tan said. ¡°So stop being weird!¡±

    The three older children exchanged looks again, then nodded to each other.

    ¡°We¡¯ll try, Tan,¡± Pao said. ¡°It¡¯s just, well, you have to realize. You grew up knowing that your parents were hidden masters. We grew up as peasants. The step up from you being who you were before to being royalty is a much shorter step up the ladder than for us realizing that our best friend is the heir to the empire.¡±

    Tan blinked. ¡°Oh crap, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m Uncle Renton¡¯s heir, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Unless he¡¯s secretly raising a son or daughter, then yeah, I think so,¡± Ko said.

    Tan laughed. ¡°Oh man, no wonder Master Swenshion is so nervous about my education! He¡¯s right, I know absolutely nothing about ruling an empire. Good thing Uncle Renton is so strong, huh?¡±

    The other kids exchanged looks, then laughed nervously.

    Once the laugher had settled down, Tan grew somber. ¡°Guys, I have a confession to make.¡±

    The other kids waited for him to continue.

    ¡°I really did let Won kill the bandit. And I haven¡¯t been cultivating as hard as I could have. I tried for a while, after Pao beat me back then. But then I stopped trying so hard once I was the strongest again,¡± Tan said. He paused, searching for the words. ¡°I didn¡¯t see the point in trying so hard if it meant leaving you all behind. I was worried that if I became too strong, we couldn¡¯t be friends anymore.¡±

    The children processed his words for a minute. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about yelling at you after I killed the bandit, Tan, but it wasn¡¯t really your fault. It was a fight, and¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. If I¡¯m going to be the leader then I should act like it,¡± Tan said, interrupting Won. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t put the dirty work on you. If your hands are dirty, then as your leader, so are mine. My father explained that to me when I asked him why I felt like crap about the bandit and he was right.¡±

    ¡°Who says you¡¯re the leader?¡± Won said.

    ¡°Shut up, Won. He¡¯s literally royalty. We¡¯re a bunch of village brats who¡¯re only important because his father gave us a spirit stone a few years ago,¡± Ko said. ¡°He¡¯s  obviously  the leader.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...I don¡¯t like it but she has a point,¡± Tan said. ¡°I mean, I used to have a dozen friends in the village, but since I became a cultivator it¡¯s suddenly just you three and Safron. Safron is my sister and I¡¯d love her even if she couldn¡¯t cultivate, but I don¡¯t think that we¡¯d be friends if you couldn¡¯t. I was trying to pretend that power didn¡¯t matter, that I treat everyone the same whether they¡¯re strong or not. But the only reason I can do that is because I¡¯m strong myself.¡±

    ¡°Holy crap,¡± Won said. ¡°Sis, Tan is becoming self-aware!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Won,¡± Pao said, punching the younger boy in the shoulder.

    ¡°Make me.¡±

    ¡°Both of you two, shut up,¡± Ko said. ¡°Tan, I¡¯ve always thought that was a great quality of yours. That you didn¡¯t see the people who weren¡¯t as strong as you and your parents as lesser.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Well, anyway, I think that I¡¯ve been kind of an idiot. So I need you guys to tell me when I¡¯m being stupid from now on. Like, if I offend someone without realizing it, slap me and make me apologize. Stuff like that,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°You¡¯re giving us permission to slap you?¡± Won asked, perking up.

    ¡°Shut up, Won,¡± Ko scolded, smacking her brother on the shoulder. He winced and rubbed the area, although he wasn¡¯t really hurt.

    ¡°And there¡¯s something else I have to say,¡± Tan said. ¡°I¡¯m going to start getting serious in my cultivation. So, I mean, I think I¡¯m going to leave you guys even further behind. I don¡¯t want that to change things between us, but I understand that it might. I hope that we¡¯ll still be friends.¡±

    ¡°Of course we will be,¡± Ko said. ¡°Tan, even if you become stronger than your parents, we¡¯ll still be friends.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Pao said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Won agreed. ¡°Friends forever.¡±

    The children basked in the afterglow of their pledge, and then Tan said. ¡°By the way, my grandfather tried to possess me and eventually I¡¯m going to have to hunt down all of my cousins to make sure that he¡¯s not possessing them as well.¡±

    The three common-born children exchanged startled looks.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ?

 Update

    For those of you who are wondering, writing has started on book 2 of this series and currently stands at 26k words or about 17 chapters. I''m actually fairly excited about some of the things I''ve discovered about this story recently, so I''m looking forward to sharing it with everyone. I''m not sure when that will start because I want to get a bit more of a backlog before I post the first chapter of book 2, but, yeah, exciting news for those Shen Path Fans.

    I''m thinking the subtitle for book two will be Stepping Stones. I''m not 100% sure.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    If anyone wants to beta read for me, hit me up on my discord which you can find on my author''s bio.

    Just a minor spoiler, it introduces a new co-protagonist. I won''t give any more than that away, except that he''s fun to write and I''m enjoying getting to know him.

    The majority of the story of book two will take place 2-3 years after the conclusion of book one, with a few chapters to bridge the gap.

    The other exciting news is that I''m playing around with elevenlabs. It''s a side hobby, but I''m working on turning The Shen Path: First Breaths into an AI generated audiobook. If you''re interested, the first two sections are available on my patreon. The first section (the first eight chapters I think?) is public, while the rest will be behind the paywall. So far it''s about 2hrs30mins long altogether.

 Volume 2 Chapter 1

    Volume 2 Chapter 1

    Swenshion sighed, bouncing his recently changed baby girl in his arms as he made his way into the classroom, where his student was diligently studying the history of trade between the Green Monkey Empire and the Blue Dragon Empire. Indeed, his student was so diligent that he held the book directly in front of his face.

    While it lay on the desk

    With the boy¡¯s head on top of it.

    Tan was drooling slightly. He¡¯d been snoozing for a while, Swenshion could tell. Silently, the imperial scholar stepped over to the boy¡¯s side to see what page he¡¯d reached before succumbing to dreamland and sighed. He¡¯d only made it two pages on his own without Swenshion there to keep him on task.

    Well, that wasn¡¯t surprising. Tan was a lot of things, but a great scholar would never be one of those things. His parents were relying on Swenshion to educate him enough to ensure that he was able to move in imperial circles, but it was a sisyphyan task.

    The boy¡¯s retention of knowledge was just fine. But he had trouble switching numbers and letters about sometimes. A common enough ailment, but one which was a critical detriment in Swenshion¡¯s world. It didn¡¯t seem to impair him when cultivation was concerned, as he had a knack for everything related to the spiritual world.

    But for more mundane matters¡­

    Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. He was an able farm boy, in addition to everything else that he was.

    But he would never be a scholar of any note.

    Still, that didn¡¯t change Swenshion¡¯s task. His task was to cram as much knowledge into his student¡¯s head as he could manage, and he would do his best to manage.

    But first, he picked up the boy¡¯s brush, dipped it in the inkwell, and carefully wrote the courtly characters ¡°sleep¡± and ¡°head¡± upon the boy¡¯s cheek. Tan didn¡¯t stir.

    Swenshion sighed and returned to the front of the classroom. There were five desks, one for each of the five children of the farm. But the others were all on different education paths than Tan. Tan¡¯s dyslexia made it difficult for him to complete independent reading projects, which meant that Swenshion must dedicate his full attention to the boy to make certain he didn¡¯t fall behind the others, who were under the tutelage of Swenshion¡¯s wife and the mother of their daughter together, Lokari.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    So while the others were outside reading on their own at the moment, Tan was trapped in the schoolhouse that his father had erected for them.

    Swenshion gave the ink a few minutes to dry, then he slammed a book down on the teacher¡¯s desk, causing Tan to jerk awake and say ¡°I wasn¡¯t sleeping!¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Swenshion said, soothing his daughter whom he had accidentally spooked with his theatrics. She settled down quickly. ¡°So then, tell me how far you got on your own. What did you learn?¡±

    ¡°That I hate the Green Monkey Empire and wish that we did a lot less trade with them,¡± Tan admitted, his voice grumbly.

    ¡°The relationship between our empire and the Green Monkey Empire is one of the most significant, in large part because it is perhaps the least friendly of the three other great empires of the world,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°However, even when the tensions between our rulers have been at their height, trade between the empires has always been an important and significant factor. In many cases, it was the weight of gold that would be lost due to war which tipped the scales towards peace, rather than any other factor.¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Well I do now that you told me that,¡± Tan amended. ¡°So do I really have to know how much silk we traded for how much corn and rice and whatever? Is it really that important?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Swenshion said. He sighed. ¡°If you were becoming an imperial steward, then yes. But that is not likely to be your path. Not with your affliction.¡±

    ¡°I hate it when you call it that,¡± Tan said. ¡°I get things mixed up reading, what¡¯s the big deal?¡±

    Swenshion sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a malady, and a difficult one to overcome, but you¡¯re right, it¡¯s not the end of the world. Now then, since you find trade so dull, let¡¯s move on to another topic. Perhaps the poetry of Iva Verash will be more interesting?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Tan asked.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s discuss that as well,¡± Swenshion said. ¡°Six hundred years ago, a great poet was born to a poor merchant family. When she was sixteen, she wrote her first play, and hiring beggars as playactors, she formed one of the most successful troupes of the era, often performing for the emperor himself!¡±

    ¡°You mean my grandfather,¡± Tan said.

    ¡°Yes, Tan, I mean your grandfather. Anyway, her plays remain influential at court, so we shall need to get you familiar with them so that you understand when she has been referenced in conversation. We shall begin with one of her most famous tragedies, ¡®A Rose By Any Other Name.¡¯¡±

    Tan groaned, but inside he figured that anything was better than the subject he¡¯d just finished.

    Swenshion took book which contained the collected works of Iva Verash and began to read.

    ?