《Bundao》


 Awaken the Rabbit

    I¡¯m not exactly sure how it happened. Maybe it was something I ate, or I slept in just the right spot, or I managed to satisfy my basic needs in exactly the right way to trigger an awakening. It hardly really matters, since the end result is the same.


    I, a garden-variety rabbit you would find almost anywhere, developed full sentience and sapience. Beyond that, I even reached a state some would call enlightenment, though that was less surprising. Humans are the ones inherently bound by the trappings of their own cultures and societies. Rabbits are more worried about basic needs. Eat, drink, shelter, sleep, make more little rabbits. I¡¯ve done all of that without once considering any of it important enough to worry about¡­ well, until I didn¡¯t.


    Let me tell you, intelligence and curiosity are not favorable survival traits when you¡¯re a small herbivore with a list of predators that boils down to ¡°everything.¡± Stick your nose in the wrong place, stop to think about your actions, spend too much time without paying proper attention to the world around you, and you become something else¡¯s meal instead of enjoying your own. I¡¯m honestly amazed I survived long enough to develop a full sense of self-awareness. Yet here I am, having lived through five or six cold times¡­ winters? Something inside of me is saying it¡¯s called a winter. Anyway, I¡¯ve lived around that long and am realizing that I¡¯ll live even longer. Information I once lacked the brain structure to comprehend suddenly hops to mind. I find myself getting annoyed by wordplay on rabbit behavior and activities.


    And under that, I¡¯m getting an understanding of some kind of¡­ vitality. An innate energy in everything around me, a life force that translates to some¡­ cosmic truth? I honestly don¡¯t know how to explain or describe what it really is, and don¡¯t have a word for it. All I know is, I can eat it.


    Well, ¡°eat¡± isn¡¯t quite the right term, though a lot of the stuff enters my body from my food. But I¡¯ve been learning to absorb it better, retain more of it as I digest and re-digest, and even draw in more of this energy passively. And the more I draw in, the clearer my thoughts become, and the more I learn to focus it.


    Last night was a breakthrough, I think. I was nursing my most recent litter while drawing the energy in when suddenly the energy¡­ collapsed. Where it was once just drifting through my body, held within me by skin and fur, it suddenly drew in on itself more and more, drawing more of itself from the world around me until it turned into a single point¡­ and I suddenly had a sense of being me.


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    When I say that, I realize you humans probably don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re all but born with a sense of self, the ability to discern the world around you, to think of things in terms of right and wrong. But to me? I nearly fainted from the shock. I¡¯d been getting gradually more aware of my world over time, sure. But the breakthrough to full sapience was even scarier than first opening my eyes after I was born. Suddenly I could clearly remember that moment, for one thing.


    After that, I had to check on the kits. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t harmed by my awakening. That I¡¯d even worry about such a thing was just another sign of that. I¡¯m as maternal as any furred animal, but that¡¯s just instinct. Suddenly caring about the tiny rabbits I¡¯d birthed the week before was¡­ unusual. I¡¯m probably spending too much time trying to explain, but I¡¯m just so amazed¡­


    I¡¯m alive, and can actually appreciate what that means for the first time in my life.


    Of course, the next major question is what to do with that. I can still feel the life energy in myself, now concentrated in a little ball deep inside of me. It¡¯s still drawing more into itself, but not with any kind of speed or force¡­ and I¡¯m starving for more. The kits won¡¯t be ready to live without my intervention for a long time, but maybe I should explore the world around me. See if I can find more of this energy?


    Well¡­ that was my thought. Then I got chased by a fox, shot at by a human, and spent a night hiding in a small thicket, only to find my warren destroyed by ferrets while I was away. So once again, narrow escapes and close calls resulting in me surviving. Only this time, the other rabbits I knew weren¡¯t so lucky, and I needed to find a safer place to live. Maybe one with more of this energy.


    Then a human grabbed me with his bare hands. Which is ridiculous. I didn¡¯t even see him coming! Ridiculous! I¡¯m literally built to see everything around me! You don¡¯t survive as a common prey animal if you don¡¯t sense danger coming! Well, I¡¯ll show him.


    A quick bite, a sudden kick against his chest, and suddenly I¡¯m slammed against a nearby rock and thrown into a bag.


    Yeah¡­ that showed him. Ow.

 A New Life

    I don¡¯t think the human who captured me expected me to still be alive. Or to have the presence of mind to jump out of his little bag the moment he opened it. Unfortunately, that didn¡¯t help my situation, because another human snatched me out of the air.


    ¡°Initiate Li, why can I sense more qi from this rabbit than I can from you?¡±


    Qi? What is¡­ oh. Somehow, the meaning of the word comes through as the name for the energy I¡¯ve been eating.


    ¡°Mistress Song, that can¡¯t be possible! It is just an animal, only humans are capable of cultivation!¡±


    Cultivating. Not eating. Got it. Also, gonna bite the male again.


    ¡°Bah. What is it with young men that make them so blind to the world? I¡¯m half-tempted to let this rabbit follow through on its intentions of biting you again.¡±


    Wait. What?


    ¡°You speak as if you understand it, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! It is a being that has cultivated to the point of a basic enlightenment, and therefore has the ability to think independently, full self-awareness, and the ability to make decisions based upon actual thought instead of mere instinct. It is arguably more intelligent than an overgrown boy who squanders what little he has learned in a decade to hunt small game he never cares to consider beyond being a thing to kill. Have you learned nothing from the elders on respecting life!?¡±


    ¡°All life passes, Mistress, and we must eat¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the mere fact that something will eventually die is not an excuse to disrespect the life it has! And the very fact that something must die so that we live is exactly the reason to respect the lives we must take! Not that this creature will be among those you will be learning to dress and cook this evening. No, it¡­ she¡­ has earned the right to live and to learn through her cultivations. You have earned three years¡¯ confinement to the monastery, and will spend it as a kitchen assistant. Learn enlightenment as you chop wood and carry water. Develop patience as you scrub pots and pans. And as you raise and butcher the animals we intend to eat, develop a respect for their lives.¡±


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    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Do not question your seniors, Initiate! This humble rabbit has stepped further on the path to ascension that you ever will, as things stand. I am giving you an opportunity to reflect on your pride, that you might one day correct this!¡±


    Huh. Humans are strange. Enlightenment? Ascension? Something feels right about those terms, but I don¡¯t really understand them fully. Still, this place is very rich in¡­ qi. Yes. I think I could learn a little here, if I could spend some time cultivating without fear of being eaten.


    ¡°You are most certainly welcome, small one, but I would advise you not to wander about on your own. Young Initiate Li over there is unusually thick for a cultivator, but he is hardly the only one who needs a harsh schooling on being open to the world. And our gardeners are impatient enough when our human students raid their gardens, so you should come to me for your food.¡±


    I rather like this human. Open-minded, pragmatic, and well aware of sensible actions. I try to think of a way to communicate that I understand, but can only nod my head. Fortunately, this Mistress Song is easy to ¡°talk¡± to.


    ¡°Then welcome to our home, Novice Rabbit. Hm. That doesn¡¯t sound quite right, does it? Humans find it a lot easier to relate to things that have personal names, it gives us a sense that we are addressing a ¡°who¡± and not merely a ¡°what.¡± Do you have any idea what you would like to be called?


    Who. I¡¯ve only had a sense of ¡°who¡± for a little over a day. But I like the idea of having a word that was Me by definition. Perhaps something to do with luck? Or being a rabbit? Maybe both?


    ¡°Xiang Tuzi then, or Lucky Rabbit. Though we¡¯ll make Xiang your personal name, and Tuzi your family name. Does that sound good?¡±


    Huh. Actually it rather does. Alright then, I¡¯m Xiang.


    A pleasure to meet you all.

 The Grand Tour

    After receiving a name, I followed Mistress Song to her room. She noted that as a master of cultivation, she was allowed to interact with the world outside this monastery, have personal possessions, and make connections to others. Apparently, these were privileges not allowed to initiates or novices. Which I was fine with, since I didn¡¯t have the same depth of needs humans seem to come with. The mistress will treat me as a pet, as she doesn¡¯t believe most of the other humans will actually believe I¡¯m a fellow cultivator. In particular, those at my level and below haven¡¯t yet let go of the arrogance and self-centeredness that¡¯s second-nature to her species. I can understand this, and don¡¯t mind being treated as a pet. It¡¯s a lot easier than having to fend for myself.


    The Mistress also explained that the monastery was a place for cultivators to learn and grow away from the larger world, in a place where qi was particularly easy to draw on. She also told me that the basic ranks of cultivators were Initiate, Novice, Adept, Expert, Master, Elder, and Ascendant, each ranked by how much qi they¡¯d cultivated within themselves, and how well they¡¯d developed their dao as a result.


    Hm. Dao. Apparently it just means a path, or direction. But it also seems to be a step beyond mere sapience, as not every individual who can think for themselves has developed a dao. Without it, I think you¡¯d be pretty easy to manipulate, and would lack a certain degree of willpower or force of personality. As a Novice, I¡¯ve cultivated my qi into a singularity and come to fully grasp the basics of cultivation. But until I can fully grasp my personal dao, I won¡¯t be an Adept. Seems simple enough.


    Little tour of the monastery from there, though Mistress Song decides to carry me for most of it. I don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s a big place for a rabbit and most of the floors are stone or packed dirt. My paws were hurting a little just following her to her room.


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    The monastery itself is surrounded by a large wall, with the outside dedicated to gardens and animal pens. I hear the death scream of another rabbit as we walk by a scary hut that reeks of blood, but just make a personal note to avoid that area. It seems Initiate Li is already learning to ¡°respect life,¡± if I¡¯m hearing right. Something about a horrible shriek and how disgusting the mess was.


    Yeah, that¡¯s right you sterile male. Rabbits die messy, and we tend to complain in ways that are targeted at annoying our killers. I can understand your perspective, but that doesn¡¯t mean I like the idea of someone trying to kill me for his own amusement, then turning around and making someone else clean my carcass.


    At any rate, the gardens were quite lovely. Lots of tasty beans, leafy greens, sweet roots, and other treats for a hungry rabbit, and all of it unusually rich in qi. The humans tending the gardens did look rather annoyed at my presence, but I could tell most of it was just habitual. And considering the only thing that kept me from diving head first into the buffet was a level of control no ordinary rabbit would have, I can¡¯t blame them. I¡¯d just have to make friends while they weren¡¯t in the gardens, so they wouldn¡¯t mind being the ones to make my food.


    The main building of the monastery was a big structure with a kitchen, dining hall, and training hall on the bottom floor, and rooms for those who stayed within above. A separate building was reserved for humans to bathe in hot water, and there was a much larger space fenced off for training outside. Mistress Song told me that, while Initiates and Novices were forbidden from leaving the monastery grounds, that usually included the mountain valley the monastery itself was situated in. Initiate Li would be confined to the walls themselves. Suits him right.

 Active Cultivation 101

    After the tour, it was time to settle in and meditate. Well, learn to meditate. Developing the mindset wasn¡¯t too hard I found, but it was a lot harder to do when I didn¡¯t have kits to nurse, or night droppings to eat, or other rabbit things to do. Still, Mistress insisted, and I decided it was easier to just go along.


    So I sat on a small pillow, relaxed my mind, and cultivated. It was easier, now that I didn¡¯t have to keep alert for danger as much. Plus there was a lot more qi here than I¡¯d had in the warren. I could focus on drawing it into myself, digesting it, then releasing that wave to re-digest. I sensed that it wasn¡¯t the human rhythm, but it felt more natural than what I could feel Mistress Song doing, at least for the moment. She seemed to simply cultivate by breathing, drawing qi through her entire body without needing to digest it and letting almost none of it out.


    While part of my own cultivation did come from breathing, I mostly seemed to use my lower digestive tract to process what I cultivated. And that meant dealing with how that digestive tract worked.


    As the qi digested, it became part of my¡­ core? I think that¡¯s a good word for it. Anyway, the core grew from being a singularity, and paths of qi started to form through my body, moving the energy from my core to my extremities and back again. Curiously, I saw a weird pattern in the shape of the paths, as if they were all just the same shape repeated again and again, while being in and of itself part of that shape. I couldn¡¯t really put a word to the concept, but it was fascinating to ¡°look¡± at. It just got smaller and smaller, even as it went all over my insides. At whatever ¡°smallest¡± level it reached, it let go of qi into¡­ something¡­ and I¡¯d feel the need for more qi in my core.


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    I don¡¯t know if the qi was storing itself in these tiny spaces or if it was being used to make me stronger. But I could feel the effects were the same either way, and could even understand what they meant.


    Basically, I wasn¡¯t an ordinary rabbit anymore.


    First, I¡¯m a lot stronger, faster, and more durable than most of my species. I think I actually could¡¯ve taken that Idiot Li in a fight and won if he hadn¡¯t been another cultivator. Certainly I wouldn¡¯t have survived him bashing my head on a rock and stuffing me in a bag. Another point is that I¡¯m going to live a lot longer and be a lot healthier. A few old aches and pains are already fading off, and even being the oldest rabbit I¡¯d ever known, I could tell my lifespan was going to go well beyond the point where even the luckiest of rabbits would die of old age. Third point, I¡¯m getting smarter. Or at least I feel more aware of myself, my surroundings, and could likely understand more complex ideas. It¡¯s hard to measure ¡°smart¡± on an even scale, since there¡¯s always more to be ignorant of.


    A wise bun knows that they understand absolutely nothing.


    Of course, there¡¯s also the subject of will. I think, therefore I am, and the more I¡¯m capable of thought, the more I can affect the world around me. I don¡¯t quite have a dao yet, so it¡¯s just a sense of strength, but I can already imagine what I¡¯ll be capable of when I develop that sense of purpose and direction behind my actions. As-is, I suspect I¡¯ve got an unusually imperious air for a rabbit, and the ability to stare down some apex predators.


    Huh. Xiang Tuzi, mighty hunter of tigers and dragons. Now wouldn¡¯t that be something to make people take a second glance?


    I was interrupted by Mistress Song, who¡¯d brought a nice meal of lettuce, carrot greens, clover, and bean sprouts. Rather well-balanced, and certainly tasty. Especially with the extra concentration of qi in every bite. Had to wonder how the animals in the monastery didn¡¯t end up like me, if this is what they were exposed to eating all the time.


    A few days later, I¡¯d learn the answer when a certain fox came to visit.

 The Three-Tailed Fox

    To begin with, yes. This was the same fox who chased me down a few days ago. The three tails were a little hard to forget, even if she didn¡¯t look and smell the same otherwise. I might not need to know the individual identity of everything that wants to eat me, but you start recognizing individual predators when they¡¯ve gone after you more than once.


    And for a change, I seemed to be more annoyed than scared.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this interesting? Fully awakened, and even developing meridian fractals. Not bad for being a novice for a mere week, little snack.¡±


    I growled in response. I appreciated the compliments on my progress, but not being reminded of my place in the ecosystem.


    ¡°Oh? Haven¡¯t learned to talk yet?¡±


    Isn¡¯t that obvious, vixen? I don¡¯t have a human mouth, of course I can¡¯t speak in their language.


    ¡°Yes, that is an obstacle. But there¡¯s also a fairly easy trick that lets you use qi to create the sounds you want without needing the right vocal structure. Just let the qi around your mouth vibrate to your thoughts. Works especially well to mimic human speech, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I focused¡­ then squeaked in surprise when I realized I spoke that word. The fox laughed.


    ¡°Well, I can see why Mistress Song took a liking to you! You catch on quickly! It would almost be a pity to eat you at this point, really.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be rather upset if all of this progression was for nothing. So let¡¯s not follow through on those species instincts of yours, shall we?¡±


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    ¡°A pity to do so, you were always one of my favorite toys. But you¡¯ll be more interesting to spar with than actively hunt now, and the humans tend to frown upon eating cultivators. Well, at least cultivators that have reached the Novice stage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ever so grateful. Suppose it would be normal to develop Initiate level cultivation just living in this place¡­¡±


    The fox smiled, and I shivered. We might¡¯ve just negotiated a truce, but she¡¯s still a natural predator of rabbits, and was clearly thrilled that she could toy with me through words.


    ¡°Oh yes. Food that talks is not food, but most of the monks don¡¯t really see us as anything but animals. Human bias, they tend to think they¡¯re special.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was watching when you first entered the monastery. Mistress Song is quite exceptional in her senses, even when it isn¡¯t obvious that a non-human has stepped onto the path of cultivation. The elders have actually warned her about trying to teach us.¡±


    ¡°Considering my current status, she isn¡¯t listening.¡±


    ¡°Well, the whole facade of you being her pet works both ways there. I¡¯m already known as a Novice by the monks, so I can get you a few resources you¡¯d find it hard to ask for later.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re more interesting as a rival than as a potential meal. And what¡¯s the point of competition if your rival is at a disadvantage?¡±


    I considered this.


    ¡°Fair enough. But I suppose we should know each others¡¯ names if we¡¯re going to interact like this. Plus Mistress Song will want to know how I figured out the whole ¡®talking¡¯ thing. I¡¯m Xiang Tuzi. You?¡±


    The fox smiled again. Really, I wish she¡¯d show fewer teeth around me.


    ¡°Yamano Kaoru, at your service. Check for loose dirt by the compost boxes when you defecate, I¡¯ll cache things there from time to time.¡±


    Kaoru nodded at this, and jumped over the wall of the monastery. I went back to the very action she¡¯d just mentioned, adding my fertilizer to the gardens as thanks for what I¡¯d eaten.


    Predators were so annoying.

 Education

    The first thing Kaoru left me was an odd green stone, which she told me to run some qi through while laying on the garden wall. I did, and my brain nearly exploded. More information than I¡¯d ever known existed in my time as an Initiate suddenly ran through my mind, which was barely solid enough to retain it all.


    And all that did was teach me how to read and write the local language!


    Kaoru laughed from her little perch. Annoying vixen.


    ¡°Believe me, that¡¯s normal when you use an information jade. And it only gets worse the more complex and detailed something is to learn. Which is why literacy jades are so common that one won¡¯t be missed around here, but most of what there is to learn is in the library. I talked to Mistress Song, and she¡¯ll find you some reading material. Rather annoying that we can¡¯t shape-change to blend in yet.¡±


    ¡°Shape-change?¡±


    Kaoru jumped off the wall to stand next to me.


    ¡°Humans think of it as animals coming closer to their perfect form. Typical of them really.


    But it¡¯s more that we learn to take forms more useful to us around humans. But even the beginning of that art is impossible to grasp if you haven¡¯t developed your dao. So, no shape-changing until you¡¯re an Adept, bare minimum. And you likely won¡¯t be able to do it seamlessly until you¡¯re a Master. Still, that doesn¡¯t mean your shape hasn¡¯t changed already¡­¡±


    I glared at her, but she didn¡¯t bother noticing.


    ¡°Foxes tend to gain tails as they cultivate, about one per level. Also our tails are the hardest things for us to hide, so it¡¯s an easy way to see us as well as measure our rough strength. You¡¯ve grown slightly larger and sleeker, and there¡¯s also a small red gem between your eyes. Look for a mirror sometime, it¡¯s quite fetching.¡±


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    She walked away after this, leaving a very annoyed Xiang behind. Why does she just wander off whenever she pleases like that when having a conversation? Honestly, I¡¯d say foxes are annoying, but I¡¯ve never taken the time to talk to one before. Not exactly the smartest of moves when you¡¯re a rabbit.


    Still, the ability to read helped, even if writing wasn¡¯t going to happen anytime soon. Paws and mouths don¡¯t grip quills and brushes well. Hard enough just turning pages, so I was grateful most of what I read from was in scroll form.


    Apparently, the channels my qi had been forming in my body were called meridians, and the shape they took was called a fractal. This was apparently a relatively advanced form of cultivation for a Novice, though not unusual. Also, my style of cultivation was apparently called ¡°recursive digestion,¡± or ¡°Rabbit-style Cultivation.¡± Which makes perfect sense.


    But there were a few other things I noticed.


    First off, while qi was and would always remain the primary medium of cultivation, there were other energy types that made up the world. They were called Fire, Earth, Gold, Water, and Wood, and were apparently part of something called ¡°body cultivation,¡± which helped to reinforce your body so you could hold larger amounts of qi safely.


    That said, the elements weren¡¯t something you could tap into without a dao, so Initate and Novice adepts were encouraged to exercise religiously, and train themselves in a way that hurt a little¡­ but not unbearably.


    So I started going down to the training yard as part of my daily routine, and beating the night droppings out of a wooden beam that had littler beams sticking out of it at odd angles. I¡¯d headbutt it (Kaoru was right, the red jewel on my head was rather pretty), jump off it, and kick it as hard as I could. Sometimes I¡¯d just lift myself up off my forepaws and attack like I saw the humans do, though without the same finesse. It hurt, like the scroll said, but I could tell that the injuries causing the pain were almost unnoticeably minor, and would basically reinforce my bones and muscles as they healed over.


    And so it went. Days turned to weeks, then to months. And I got stronger.

 Sharing Pointers

    When it happened, I wasn¡¯t surprised. Annoyed, but not surprised.


    That Idiot Li tried to turn me into part of his punishment slaughter.


    Mind you, I wasn¡¯t the fumbling oddity who¡¯d only just entered the Novice stage of cultivation now. I could sense his qi, faint as it was, and the wave of sadistic malice he was giving off unconsciously.


    Really, no control or skill. I¡¯d do the monastery a favor and kill him, but that kind of violence just isn¡¯t part of me.


    So instead, I jumped over his clumsy lunge, and landed hard on his back before kicking his head a few times. Hard.


    ¡°Idiot. I don¡¯t mind you being petty, but the incompetence just means you¡¯re wasting both our time.¡±


    Mistress Song suddenly laughed, and I think I cleared the monastery roof when I jumped in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯d heard you were training regularly Novice Xiang, but this just makes it obvious. You¡¯ve learned more in half a year than some cultivators do in five decades.¡±


    I preened a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to get a feel for my improvement, but depressing to see that some have not improved at all. Maybe he¡¯d make better compost than kitchen help?¡±


    Mistress Song shook her head. ¡°Killing sapient beings tends to corrupt the soul, even when they deserve it. Sometimes it¡¯s necessary, but I¡¯d avoid harming others in self-defense. Especially for an obligate herbivore like yourself.¡±


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    I nodded. ¡°Fair enough. Still don¡¯t like this one, though. Hateful, selfish, and not even clever about it. I¡¯d call him a thoughtless beast, but that¡¯d be an insult to Kaoru and her kind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you two have been so friendly. Kaoru¡¯s always felt a touch lonely, being surrounded by nothing but humans.¡±


    ¡°Talking beasts! Such abomination will not-¡±


    I thumped Li on the head again.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to keep your mouth shut if all you can speak of is your own ignorance. Even ¡®beasts¡¯ know that. Stupid human.¡±


    ¡°Now now Xiang, Li is starting at a disadvantage. He came from a prominent family in a large city, and has to un-learn a great deal of prejudices.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Cities. I can understand banding together for strength and security, rabbits do that all the time. But humans seem to take it far beyond what is reasonable, then use what they started as a way to survive as a method of killing themselves.¡±


    Mistress Song smiled.


    ¡°Such is the way, for those who have learned to reason but still cannot think. How is your dao developing, by the way?¡±


    I thumped Li again. Not because he was saying or doing anything, just because I felt like it.


    ¡°I¡¯m developing a stronger will and more sense, but the focus just isn¡¯t there. I¡¯m just¡­ kinda wondering what the point of this all is. The benefits of cultivation are nice, after all, but I would¡¯ve been just fine living out my life as an ordinary rabbit.¡±


    ¡°You fool! To ascend to the peak of cultivation is to be an immortal god! Who wouldn¡¯t wish for such-¡± *THUMP.*


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask my cushion its opinion, so it should stop volunteering it.¡±


    ¡°I admire your assertiveness, Xiang. I¡¯ve been schooled by elders who could measure their lifespan in centuries, and some of them weren¡¯t as strong-willed.¡± Mistress picked me up, and rolled Li onto his back with a foot. ¡°A god who cannot understand the joys of a simple life is not one I would ever care to be. Aim for better, Initiate, and know that your punishment has just been extended by five full years for your actions today. I shall be speaking to my friend here about how she might better focus her cultivation.¡±


    I smirked, and got comfortable as we walked away.

 The Truth of Dao

    ¡°So. Let us speak about your dao, Novice Xiang.¡±


    Mistress Song got comfortable upon her bed as I did the same on my pillow.


    ¡°You mentioned not really feeling like there¡¯s a point to cultivation. And there honestly isn¡¯t, when you are still at the Initiate and Novice stages. When you begin, it is simply a thing to do, and there is little reward that you can see in exchange for so much time spent sitting still and doing nothing, then training physically until you are more bruise than flesh. This is what it is to train without will, purpose, or direction. In other words, without a dao. Are you following me so far?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Now, many humans start cultivating for the same reason Li mentioned, that those who reach the Ascendant stage are basically living gods. They have near-absolute power and knowledge of the world, will never age or fall to illness, and take exceptional effort to kill. To a human, this is often some great fantasy, a dream to fulfill. But you¡¯ve already stated you know better.


    ¡°To be honest, I think animals who learn cultivation have a better time of things. You began cultivating by accident, and didn¡¯t even know that was what you were doing until you came here. Kaoru was much the same, and she was a horrified mess when I first came across her, let me tell you!¡±


    I chortled. ¡°I might have to bring that up the next time we spar. It might give me an opening.¡±


    Mistress Song shook her head, but her smile only grew wider.


    ¡°Still, the advantage of not having preconceptions to why you should be cultivating can also make it a little harder to find the actual reason. And sadly, that reason is wholly unique to every cultivator. It is the core of your dao, and will require a lot of time and effort to find. Most never do, and end their lives as Initiates or Novices.


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    ¡°That said, you aren¡¯t guaranteed to progress further even after you find your dao. I¡¯ve been a cultivator for three hundred years now, and have been trapped at the Master stage for two-thirds of it. Every stage is harder to break through, and requires more qi and greater tempering. Ascension is the goal, but most humans who start cultivating never really pay attention to their history. If they did, they¡¯d know that there hasn¡¯t been a known Ascendant in human history. The only reason we even believe the Ascendant stage exists is because of the gods we¡¯ve encountered in our history.¡±


    Mistress Song stood, streched, and looked out of her window.


    ¡°I was¡­ six or seven when I met the goddess who put me on the path of cultivation. Did Kaoru tell you about the thing with fox tails?¡± I nodded. ¡°The fox I encountered had nine. She looked mostly human, but wasn¡¯t trying to hide her tails or ears. I¡¯d been wandering alone in the forest, as little girls really shouldn¡¯t, when she came to me and said hello. I¡­ don¡¯t really remember her name or face anymore, but she was the most beautiful woman I¡¯d ever seen, and I told her as such. She laughed, and we talked for a long while. She was the one who taught me the basics of cultivation, and let me know about hidden monasteries like this one where cultivation was taught.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anymore if that was something she did because she liked me, or an act of mercy.¡± Mistress Song clenched her hands, and closed her eyes in pain. ¡°While we talked, a group of bandits descended on my village. By the time I¡¯d returned, everything I¡¯d ever known was burned to the ground, dead, or lost to some horrible fate I don¡¯t care to think about, even now.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°My warren got taken out by ferrets, the day I awakened. It¡¯s never something you want to come home to.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the sympathy. It happened long ago, but it¡¯s still something I don¡¯t like to dwell on. At any rate, I wandered for a time, following the directions I¡¯d been given, until I found my way to this monastery. It has a name to outsiders, but I¡¯ve never bothered learning it, even on the occasions when I¡¯ve been away. I learned the basics, becoming a Novice by the time I was ten, and an Adept by the time I was fifteen. It wasn¡¯t as hard for me to find a dao as most, because I found my purpose in being a defender.¡±


    Mistress Song stood straight, then turned away from the window to face me.


    ¡°To that end, I think I¡¯ll teach you to fight on a more dedicated level. You have great talent, and one such as yourself will need the defense to match it. So rest well tonight, Xiang. Tomorrow, your real training begins.¡±

 Ow

    Sparring with Mistress Song, I could appreciate how unfair an advantage I had against Idiot Li and lesser cultivators. She was faster than I could track, knew exactly where to hit, and I could sense that she was holding back a little so she wouldn¡¯t accidentally kill me.


    I tried to be appreciative, but broken ribs leave me a bit cross.


    Still, I was learning how to fight more effectively. Dodge left, bounce right, up to shoulder level, strike fast with the front paws. An ordinary human would be dead, an initiate badly hurt.


    Mistress Song just wasn¡¯t there anymore. And unfortunately, my small size and agility are my only advantages. And neither are useful against someone who can still snatch me out of the air like I was attached to her hand with a string.


    And here comes the ground. Ow.


    ¡°A good attack, Xiang. But try to remember that you can¡¯t quickly change direction mid-air. You overcommited to that strike.¡±


    Good to know. Ow.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly impressed she lasted as long as she has, Mistress. I¡¯ve seen you beat down Experts in less time than Xiang¡¯s been going at you so far, even with you holding back as much as you have been.¡±


    Oh good, I¡¯m special. Gonna wipe the smirk off that fox¡¯s faces when I steady out. All five of them. Ow.


    Kaoru, nonplussed, kept sitting on the sidelines. I shook off the daze I¡¯d been in, and went for the Mistress again. Feint left- OW!


    ¡°You¡¯re getting predictable, Xiang. And you¡¯re honestly a little too injured to keep going. I¡¯m as impressed at your fortitude as Kaoru is, but you need to cultivate a bit so you can heal up. Your reactions are slowing from the pain and injury.¡±


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    It annoyed me that she was right, but I still listened. Hopping (alright, limping) over to the side of the training square, I sat down and began to cultivate.


    ¡°Your turn, three-tail.¡±


    Kaoru seemed to pale when I said that, but walked forward anyway. While I took in qi and let it restore my body, I watched her get beaten up by the mistress with great amusement. Kaoru¡¯s fighting style was a lot more qi-dependent, using what she called ¡°fox fire¡± as a primary offense and distraction while she prepared to lunge forward with her teeth. In all, she¡¯s not that bad in range or when in an environment that lets her strike unseen.


    But Mistress Song nullifies both of those advantages, even if we weren¡¯t in an open yard. Her qi forms a barrier around herself that redirects or nullifies Kaoru¡¯s fire, and she rarely falls for even the best of feints or distractions.


    And, true to what Kaoru said, she was sidelined in a couple of passes. A pity. I usually found sparring with her to be fun, but Mistress was just too far above both of us, and there was no one else to train with.


    ¡°Xiang¡¯s definitely helping you improve, Kaoru. I daresay you¡¯d be able to face an Adept with a bit of luck and the right approach.¡±


    Kaoru just whimpered, and curled into a ball to meditate.


    ¡°Think you¡¯re about ready to go again, Xiang?¡±


    Hm. My bones were mostly healed up and back where they belonged, and the bruising and bleeding didn¡¯t hurt so badly anymore. Yeah, sure. Why not?


    I broke left again, but followed through this time. Got behind the mistress, lunged in for a bite at the ankle. Jumped back when I snapped onto air, even as the spot I¡¯d been at was turned into a Xiang-sized crater. Left right right up, use a small burst of qi to snap forward and into mistress¡¯s guard.


    And suddenly the stars came out. Pretty, but it¡¯s only just past breakfast. Why are the stars out?


    ¡°That¡­ mistress¡­ she¡­¡±


    Mistress Song laughed. Please don¡¯t, sound hurts.


    ¡°I must congratulate you, Xiang. You¡¯re the first Novice in two and a half centuries to get past my guard. Rest and cultivate, my head¡¯s a lot harder than yours is.¡±


    Huh. Nice. Contact.


    Ow.

 Adept Ascension

    It had been about a year since I first came to the monastery when Kaoru broke through to the Adept stage. We¡¯d been sparring a bit, both of us just focused on the fight and cultivating as we moved, when suddenly she started yipping like she was in serious pain.


    ¡°Stop Xiang! Can¡¯t focus! Something¡¯s happening!¡±


    The following cry made me almost pity her, but she was still a natural predator to me. I most certainly didn¡¯t mind her being in pain. Still, I was worried enough to consider fetching Mistress Song when I started feeling the qi flow.


    A lot of qi flow. And all of it going into Kaoru at a speed that brought my awakening to mind. I was suddenly very grateful I was the only one around. I think non-cultivators would be hurt by the sudden influx of power, losing life or limb as their qi was forcibly pulled from their body.


    I had to pull back on mine a little, but it wasn¡¯t so bad that I couldn¡¯t watch.


    Kaoru¡­ shifted. She grew, increasing in size from two feet at the shoulder to three, and gaining muscle mass and density. Her fur shifted from the normal orange-brown of foxes to a deep red, the tips of her ears, paws, and tails turned pure white¡­ and a fourth tail sprouted beside the other three.


    It was fascinating to watch, and made me wonder what I¡¯d look like when that happened to me.


    A few moments of ragged panting, and Kaoru came back to herself, opening her eyes with a new sense of clarity.


    ¡°Congratulations, Kaoru.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, snack food.¡±


    The insult didn¡¯t really register anymore. It was just banter at this point.


    ¡°Need anything?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Just need to collect myself. It¡¯s fascinating, really.¡± Her body shifted, as if a trick of the light. Her fur vanished, her limbs elongated¡­ ah. Ew.


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    ¡°You¡¯re going human, Kaoru. Might want to stop now.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t listening, staring at a hand in wonder.


    ¡°Find your own dao before knocking the human shape, Xiang. I¡¯m glad I won¡¯t stand out as much now.¡±


    ¡°A naked woman with fox tails and ears is going to stand out regardless, Adept Kaoru. But I congratulate you on your progress nonetheless. Let¡¯s get you some robes to wear so you stop drawing so much attention.¡±


    My eyes focused on some of the other cultivators training in the yard, and I realized they were staring.


    ¡°What, never seen a female without clothes, humans? Grow some fur and get over yourselves, it¡¯s not that interesting.¡±


    I thumped my foot, and the monks turned back to their tasks. I might be tiny, but I¡¯d started sparring against some of the human Novices recently, and they¡¯d learned to fear me. Mistress Song had to warn me not to break my sparring partners after I sent a couple to the infirmary.


    Speaking of which, I decided to follow her and Kaoru inside, and see what all the fuss was about. I figured I¡¯d have to know some of what my second-favorite punching bag was about to be taught soon enough, so I might as well follow her in and listen.


    After a bath (apparently far less unpleasant when you aren¡¯t entirely furry) and a quick rundown on some human hygeine issues (apparently being human-shaped means your reproductive system suddenly works like theirs does, complete with the inconveniences), Kaoru was given the same linen training robes everyone else wore, as well as some nicer silk robes for when she wanted something prettier. I could appreciate that second part, especially because the silk felt very nice against my fur.


    ¡°Stop shedding on it, Xiang.¡±


    ¡°No. Feels good.¡±


    Mistress Song sighed. ¡°I¡¯d almost suspect you two of being sisters at times. But still, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting along. Having a good friend and solid rival will help you both on your path.¡±


    I nodded, and started cultivating again. I slipped into cultivating almost unconsciously anymore, just pulling qi into myself whenever I had a quiet moment. Still, why cultivate at all? What was the point of it? Did it really matter?


    Then, as I was thinking about this, it snapped into place.


    I enjoyed cultivating. Fighting was fun. And I wanted to be in a position where I could show humans that a ¡°mere¡± rabbit wasn¡¯t to be underestimated. The strongest power comes from the humblest origins, and I¡¯d prove it in my very existence.


    Everything snapped into place, and my own breakthrough began.

 Knockout

    It didn¡¯t quite hurt. More of a stretchy feeling as my body inflated with qi. My core and channels hit capacity, then swelled and grew as my physical form did the same. My mind opened up, and I understood more about myself, my path, and my nature. I liked to fight, I liked to cultivate, and more¡­ I liked proving that I wasn¡¯t to be ignored. Maybe it¡¯s not the most noble of dao, but I know how to keep the darker edges in check¡­ well, okay. I didn¡¯t always want to. But I wasn¡¯t about to become some power-mad mass murderer, and that was good enough.


    The power settled, and I opened my eyes to see that my fur, previously a fairly normal light brown with darker tips on the ears and tail, had turned bright pink with red tips. Huh. Odd coloration, but I thought it looked pretty nice, and it¡¯s not like I needed to worry about blending in with the scenery anymore. Besides, I could already tell how easy it would be to change colors to blend, or even use qi to hide more effectively than any normal rabbit could ever hope to.


    I could also visualize a humanoid form, as well as a fox form. Guess what I got depended on what I understood best. I closed my eyes, and let my body shift toward something human.


    When I opened them, I looked down into the mirror and¡­ wow.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m still not very fond of humans. But my shape was still basically me, just¡­ human-ish. Where the fur wasn¡¯t, my skin was a dusky brown color, turning darker around¡­ well, certain areas you humans like to pretend don¡¯t exist. I still don¡¯t understand that, but I¡¯ll gloss over it. The gem in my forehead didn¡¯t seem as big on a human head, but it still showed a bright red between my golden eyes.


    And my hair¡­ good, comfortably short. And I still have my ears. My tail vanished, but it was mostly a redundant stub anyway.


    ¡°Um¡­ wow. Looking good, Xiang.¡±


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    I turned around, and looked¡­ wait, down? It seems I was taller than both the Mistress and Kaoru in human shape. And that was with my feet uncomfortably flat against the floor. I raised my heels up a little to alleviate the pressure.


    ¡°Hm¡­ you are quite stunning by human standards. Fortunately, I have some heeled sandals that you can wear so you aren¡¯t uncomfortable standing on tip-toe all the time, but I think we¡¯ll need to go to the nearest town to get you some shoes that actually fit. And a simple turban should hide your ears readily.¡±


    ¡°Must I?¡± Wow. It was odd actually speaking, instead of using qi to imitate speech.


    ¡°Initiate Li¡¯s views on ¡®beasts¡¯ is quite normal outside the monastery. You¡¯d be attacked as a demon if you didn¡¯t hide your ears. Fortunately, wearing a gem against the third eye is a common enough fashion, so no one will question that. Kaoru will have to focus a bit harder on blending, but I think she can hide her tails with a little extra training. How are you both feeling?¡±


    I thought about it as I examined myself.


    ¡°Stronger. More solid.¡± I punched out a few times, then winced. ¡°How do humans deal with constantly being engorged?¡±


    Mistress Song chuckled. ¡°Most aren¡¯t as¡­ well-endowed as you are. But I have some support garments you can borrow. We really will have to take you into town for fittings though. Six feet even without the ears, and with curves most women would kill for. I won¡¯t say I¡¯m not a little jealous, but I can set that aside and simply admire you. As a human, I can say that you are every bit the pinnacle of beauty you were as a rabbit. And of course, you can change back at any time.¡±


    I did think about it, but shook my head.


    ¡°This feels more comfortable, at least for now. And I¡¯d like to work out the kinks on how to fight like this. Got any robes I can wear?¡±


    Thankfully, she did. Kaoru went over her own sense of change, how she felt faster and more clever, when suddenly some idiot started bellowing from the training yard.


    ¡°Song! Mistress Song Mina, get out here this instant!¡±


    Sensing Idiot Li¡¯s smug self-satisfaction, I sighed. Seems he¡¯s been causing trouble again.

 Fresh Stupid

    ¡°Mistress Song!¡±


    The summoned mistress sighed.


    ¡°A perfect day for this. Why is he even visiting?¡±


    ¡°Idiot Li probably sent him some sort of message. He¡¯s really smug right now.¡±


    Mistress turned her head to look at me.


    ¡°Yes, I keep track of him. He likes to approach me and ask for pointers about once a month.¡±


    ¡°And here I¡¯d hoped he¡¯d learn some sense. I think I¡¯ll just have to turn his education over to you entirely, now that you¡¯re an Adept. But right now-¡±


    ¡°MISTRESS SONG!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting louder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll have to talk to him. Follow me, you two.¡±


    Kaoru and I did as instructed, both of us still fairly obviously not human. I get the feeling the loud person wouldn¡¯t like that, but it was out of my hands.


    ¡°Do stop shouting, Expert Gin. They can doubtless hear you three valleys off, the way you¡¯re carrying on. I certainly can hear you plainly from the bathhouse.¡±


    This Expert Gin looked like he might be Idiot Li¡¯s twin. Tall, lean, squared-off hair making his head look even blockier than it already was, and a cruel glare that made it clear that he considered himself above all others. Still, I looked at him fairly closely, and realized I had a way to deal with him.


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    ¡°Mistress Song, my esteemed younger brother-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, human. You came here to kill us because we¡¯re monsters in your eyes and you like to be a big man and show off your power. It¡¯s not even about Li.¡± I glanced over at the idiot, gloating behind the butcher hut. ¡°Though I¡¯ll take that up with him later. For now, I¡¯ll take you on and shut you up.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even take the time to open formalities, just rushed me. But even if he was a stage higher than me in cultivation, he was really weak with it. All power, no finesse. And while I wasn¡¯t entirely used to this form, it was still pretty much me-shaped. Duck, left kick, flip over his head, five- no, six punches to his back, slide under his counter and through his guard, fire my knee up between his legs. Break his nose while he goes cross-eyed for good measure.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s very impressive Xiang. Defeating an opponent stronger than you are through speed and technique, demonstrating unusual power in your blows, and all this only minutes after you finished breaking through to Adept. I might have to take you seriously the next time we spar.¡±


    Idiot Gin groaned, and tried to say something. I kicked him in the ribs.


    ¡°Gin, I appreciate that you are close with the Elders. And I appreciate that they do not see eye-to-eye with me in terms of who should and should not be allowed to cultivate. But I believe Adept Xiang Tuzi has just demonstrated that she has more than earned a right to continue existing, and I can attest that she is only a genuine threat to those who wish harm upon her. And everyone at this monastery would say the same. Now. Stand.¡±


    Gin stood, and Mistress broke his nose a second time.


    ¡°I warned you what would happen the next time you came to this monastery, looking for trouble. And like your younger brother, you seem to have severe hearing problems. But don¡¯t worry, I have the perfect instructor for him now, and you can be on your way, assured that I am taking proper care of him.¡±


    It was a clean dismissal, even if Mistress didn¡¯t use the actual words. Gin got to his feet, shaky and clearly still itching to fight, when a ball of fox fire grazed his cheek.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not fair that you two get all the fun¡­¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Sorry Kaoru, we¡¯ll play later. I want to start my new student¡¯s education.¡±


    Smiling coldly, I turned my head to Idiot Li.


    ¡°It¡¯s time I stopped going easy on you.¡±

 Hell Training

    Li¡¯s day now began two full hours before dawn with me landing hard on his chest in rabbit form.


    ¡°STOP WASTING THE DAY, MAGGOT!¡±


    From there, he had two minutes to dress while I glared at him the entire time, and made pithy comments on his anatomy. Or lack thereof. After that, it was time for a light jog.


    For this, I¡¯d alternate between rabbit and human forms, but the game was simply a few rounds of tag. And I was always ¡°it.¡± Oh, and it wasn¡¯t so much a tag as a very painful blow upside the idiot¡¯s head. So less a ¡°light jog¡± and more a ¡°frantic scramble for your life against a very persistent and fast predator with a grudge against you.¡± Still, good times.


    About dawn, I¡¯d call our little game and put Li through some body exercises. Pushing his body off the floor using only his arms, curling himself inward using only his back and stomach muscles, jumping up and down while waving his arms around. That sort of thing. The whole point was to leave him all but dead before breakfast.


    Speaking of which, Li¡¯s meals were now very simple and bland, even by the monastery¡¯s humble standards. Breakfast was a simple bowl of porridge, lunch a light portion of fresh greens, dinner a portion of bread, with only water to drink. And any time he complained, I was happy to have his share while he did more body exercises.


    Of course, life doesn¡¯t stop for training. So mornings were spent on our individual chores. This was the only time I wasn¡¯t directly supervising Li, but it didn¡¯t take him long to wise up that I always knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. And that I wasn¡¯t scared of the butcher¡¯s hut anymore. Any time he wasn¡¯t working harder than he ever had in his life, I¡¯d be on him harder than a training weight hitting him on the head from the roof.


    Honestly, that was only the one time, and a genuine accident. I¡¯m not trying to kill the poor fool, just break him.


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    Anyway, while he¡¯s working diligently in the kitchens, I¡¯m off to garden. Now that I¡¯m an Adept, I have to attune to the various elements of qi more closely, and the ones I have an affinity for are the best way to start.


    Most start like Kaoru, with only the one element attuned, but I have an extra. Means it¡¯ll be harder to reach Expert, but I¡¯ll have an advantage on reaching Master. Apparently you have to attune yourself to all of the elements and temper yourself pretty deeply with them to hold enough qi.


    But back to gardening. I have an advantage, and rather enjoy the work. And contrary to my introduction to this space, the other gardeners now either respected or feared me. Thrashing an Expert, even a weak one, starts rumors. But I¡¯d circulate my qi through the ground and the plants, nurturing and enriching them while taking in the qi contained in both, now contaminated with the elements of wood and earth. It was harder to cultivate, but using my will helped me to keep things digesting. Gradually, the elements were merging with my core and meridians, though they were a long way from hitting the smallest fractal level.


    Around midday, I¡¯d take my own meal. Cultivating left me honestly wanting less food, and helped me process it with absolute efficiency. Now I only had to digest things once, and only the actual toxins that had built up in my body or the food I ate came out. Rather handy.


    Afternoons were spent sparring, with Li alternating between facing Kaoru and myself. It might¡¯ve been more fair to put him up against someone his own level, but that wasn¡¯t the point. The point was to leave him battered and exhausted while he reflected on his stupidity. So by the time he got his evening bread and water, he was bloody, bruised, battered, burned, and exhausted from a solid 14 hours of hard work and exercise, minimum.


    I took it easy on him from there, and let him meditate. Not that he¡¯d be allowed to sleep, mind. Nodding off got him a bunny smack. No, he¡¯d sit still and seriously concentrate on his thoughts and actions, seeking that all-important focus needed to break through to the Novice stage of cultivation. Since I can¡¯t kill him, I might as well see if I can¡¯t drum some sense into his idiot head.


    But ultimately, even my beauty and charm can only keep Li awake for so long. So I¡¯d send him off after a mere eight hours meditating, then let him find his bed.


    And two hours later, he¡¯d wish my passive cultivation replaced my need for sleep when I landed on him first thing in the morning.


    Good times.

 Road to Civilization

    As much fun as it was putting my favorite punching bag through the wringer, I did have to run a few errands. So I left him in the hands of another Adept for a few days while we travelled to the nearest town of any note.


    Mistress Song was in charge of the monastery overall, but had a couple of Experts who would keep things running while she guided Kaoru and myself. Besides, she was also going to arrange for the delivery of the few sundries we truly needed, but couldn¡¯t make, forage, or grow ourselves. Even the best of environments can¡¯t provide everything, after all.


    And so we found ourselves on the road, talking a bit as we moved, but mostly I was focused on my surroundings. I almost forgot how abundant the qi at the monastery was, and it almost felt hard to breathe when we got outside the valley.


    ¡°If you two need a moment, we can rest.¡±


    I didn¡¯t, but Kaoru flopped to her rear in a surprisingly undignified manner. Normally she worked pretty hard to maintain some sense of elegance and mystery about her, mostly because it made the men we lived around easier to tease. Her dao was oriented around her love of mischief, unsurprisingly.


    But now that we weren¡¯t moving, I was instinctively re-orienting my cultivation to draw on what was available. Pure qi was sparse, but when I felt the ground beneath me, and the trees and plants beside the path¡­ huh. Of course.


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    ¡°Kaoru, try drawing in fire qi. It¡¯s a bright day, so the sun might help.¡±


    She closed her eyes, and stepped into a bright spot like I suggested. Almost immediately, her affinity for flame helped her to charge up her energy¡­ and she flopped onto the road in that bright spot like a lazy kit. Mistress sighed.


    ¡°There are times I worry your habits will get you both killed. Still, good work on picking up how to cultivate in areas where pure qi is weak. The two of you learn so readily.¡±


    Mistress and I struck camp, and Kaoru went from the sunny spot to curling up by a fire while gnawing on some dried meat. My own rations were a bit more¡­ herbivore-oriented. I¡¯d miss having fresh greens for a while, but the travel bread I carried wasn¡¯t completely inedible, especially when soaked in water for a minute.


    We ate in silence, cultivating as we did so. The area was quiet enough, but it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if there were hunters or thieves hiding behind every bush and tree from here to our destination. Our senses could pick up on everything around us, and none of us were anything close to helpless.


    So ultimately, an uneventful trip through three mountain valleys until we reached a broader plain that a river ran through. And along the river, humans had built a warren that I was having trouble processing the size of. It could easily hold twenty monasteries, maybe fifty, and even from this far away I could hear and smell a level of habitation that I¡¯d never even conceived of until now.


    ¡°Well, there it is. Rivermill. The largest human settlement for a hundred miles in any direction. Impressed?¡±


    A tiny pink rabbit squeaked back in response. I¡­ was going to need a moment.

 Four Emperors

    Rivermill was too loud. Too smelly. Far too crowded. Why did humans have to push in so hard?


    I wanted to cuddle in Mistress Song¡¯s arms while in bunny form, but she told me flat out I had to stay humanoid while we were around the town. I still clung to her arm and tried to see everything at once. Kaoru giggled about it, but I only had to remind her of how she¡¯d behaved when we first left the monastery valley to shut her up.


    Well, that and threats of violence. But she doesn¡¯t pay attention to those.


    I felt a little less uncomfortable when we reached a building Mistress referred to as an ¡°inn,¡± and I got some privacy in a room she¡¯d paid for us to use. Looking carefully to make sure no one could see me, I shifted and huddled in the corner for a bit.


    ¡°Honestly remarkable, Xiang. You¡¯ve faced down predators of every stripe at this point, some of which were decidedly above your weight class in terms of combat potential, have become the single most feared cultivator in our monastery, have progressed faster and more easily than anyone I¡¯ve known, myself included¡­ and you¡¯re so overloaded by a small town that you can¡¯t stop trembling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite you.¡±


    Mistress smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll try. But we have some time to settle before your appointments with the local tailors and cobblers, so try to acclimate.¡± She opened the shutters on the window, letting in far too much outside for my liking.


    Kaoru went straight to the window, with some level of excitement and curiosity. I would¡¯ve warned her that her form was slipping, but Mistress thwacked her over the head before I could¡¯ve said anything. Not that I tried.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mistress. It¡¯s just so fascinating out there! So many things to see and hear and smell and taste and- ow!¡±


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    ¡°Stay away from the window, Yamano Kaoru. You need to acclimate as much as Xiang does, even if it¡¯s for a different reason. Maybe the two of you can outfight most of the idiots who try to hunt down non-human cultivators, but you¡¯re not invincible. Honestly, I¡¯m just hoping we haven¡¯t attracted the attention of the Elders. There¡¯s not one of those stodgy old fools who doesn¡¯t believe in absolute human supremacy.¡±


    Sensing a distraction, I asked.


    ¡°So who are these Elders? I¡¯ve never met one of them, for all they seem to be the supreme authority among cultivators¡­¡±


    ¡°Only because no one can challenge them, Xiang. They¡¯re known as the Four Heavenly Kings to most of the world, and each one of them is an order of magnitude stronger than I am.¡±


    Mistress¡¯s eyes turned dark, the same way they did when she spoke of her origins.


    ¡°They came to power around the time I started cultivating, each already having achieved the rank of Elder. Working together, they destroyed every kingdom and nation in the world, proclaiming themselves emperors over all of mankind before dividing the lands into four and ruling with an iron fist. I¡¯ve met each and every one of them, and they¡¯re all depraved in their own special way. The only things they truly hold in common are a disdain for everyone and everything that isn¡¯t themselves, a desire to ascend, and the power to get away with doing whatever they want.¡±


    She turned to us. ¡°They¡¯re the ones who proclaimed that it was impossible for anything but a human to be capable of cultivation, and that any non-human cultivator was a demon that must be destroyed on sight. I¡¯ve hidden the two of you from them until now, but now that you¡¯re Adepts¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°There¡¯s precious little I can do if they decide to act. The best defense you two have is to advance rapidly, reaching a point where you could challenge them yourselves. Maybe, if a Master is lucky, they¡¯ll one day grow strong enough to end their reign. But they¡¯ve made sure that the methods of achieving Elder rank are no longer known to anyone but themselves, and they¡¯d never reveal their secrets because they refuse to share power. The only reason they haven¡¯t openly turned on each other is because they¡¯ve never left enough of an opening to do so. Though mark my words¡­ they¡¯ve tried.¡±


    I shuddered, and finally shifted back to human shape. Compared to a reality like that, crowds weren¡¯t scary at all.


    Mistress smiled as I got dressed. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s put what we can¡¯t change out of our minds for now. You two need proper clothes.¡±

 Luxurious Shopping

    The tailor shop was¡­ actually pretty nice. Smelled of cloth and dye, but not unpleasantly. Various materials and patterns of cloth were on display, from basic undyed linen to fine screen-printed silk. It took a great deal of restraint not to touch everything.


    ¡°Touching the samples is fine, Xiang. Just don¡¯t-¡±


    *Fwumph*


    ¡°Shift and bury yourself in everything.¡±


    Heh. Whoops.


    A woman laughed behind the counter, and I could sense something¡­ other¡­ about her. She was a cultivator, but she also wasn¡¯t any more human than I was.


    ¡°I appreciate the compliment little rabbit, but you should be more careful about spontaneously shifting like that.¡±


    Mistress merely shook her head, and locked the front of the building up.


    ¡°Obviously, these two need your special touch, Mistress Fu. Clothes that will shift with them and wear well. I¡¯d add them looking nice, but we both know it would be an insult to suggest you¡¯d let anyone walk out of this shop looking less than their best.¡±


    Mistress Fu laughed, and I tried to get a better gauge on her. Not human. Not even mammal. She felt like some kind of bird, but I couldn¡¯t quite place¡­


    ¡°A crow?¡± Huh. Yeah, I think Kaoru was right. And by the bawdy laugh the tailor gave, apparently we had it.


    ¡°These two are entirely too clever for their own good. But then, most of us who make any real progress cultivating are. How are things up in the valley?¡±


    ¡°Quite well, especially with Xiang here to keep our more unruly students in line. She¡¯s an absolute terror to our initiates.¡±


    ¡°Only the one! And he deserves it!¡±


    Mistress Fu laughed, apparently something she did easily. It did have some notes of a crow¡¯s bawdy tone, now that I knew what to listen for.


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    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. Things in Rivermill are blessedly quiet, especially since you took that idiot son of the lord off for training. My family¡¯s glad for the break from his self-important drabble.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Li¡¯s from here? My condolences. I¡¯m working on breaking him right now. Well, I¡¯ve got a substitute handling him right this minute, but they won¡¯t be taking it too easy on him. He¡¯s kind of hated around the monastery.¡±


    Mistress Fu¡¯s laughter only kept going. ¡°I might have to fly over and watch sometime, maybe bomb him while he¡¯s training. How hard are you working him?¡±


    ¡°To death,¡± Mistress Song replied, ¡°and enjoying every moment of it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I let him sleep!¡±


    ¡°For two hours. Honestly Xiang, if he doesn¡¯t break through soon you really will kill him with that death march you call training.¡±


    Mistress Fu shook her head. ¡°Like master, like disciple. The fox over there is a bit more subtle, I don¡¯t doubt.¡±


    Kaoru pulled her hand back from a red silk, like she¡¯d been caught stealing it. ¡°I, well, uh¡­ mostly, you see¡­¡±


    Another crow laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t be so shocked, girl. It¡¯s a compliment not to be compared to those two muscleheads. I¡¯ve known Song since we were both Novices, and she¡¯s always been the sort to beat a problem to death. Now come here and let me take your measurements. My husband¡¯s the cobbler, he¡¯ll see to your feet.¡±


    So we settled in, and worked out designs and measures over the next couple of hours. A few days later, Kaoru had three sets of fitted robes in a fine yet durable linen for training, all in pale blues and rich greens that contrasted her light skin and vibrantly red hair. She also had a very tight dress in deep blue that hugged and emphasized her figure, with a slit up the leg that terminated just high enough to show off her preference for avoiding undergarments. This was emphasized with stockings that reached her upper thigh, and heeled ankle boots that emphasized the shape of her legs.


    My own training robes were simpler, a particularly long upper coat Mistress Fu called a gi, with knit leggings that ended in comfortable knee boots. In all, very comfortable, flexible, and functional.


    But that¡¯s not what I was wearing. No, I had on my own pretty dress, which consisted of a light blouse, frilly skirt, and something Mistress Fu called a corset. Kind of stiff, but not overly tight or uncomfortable. And I¡¯m sure the leather would break in over time. My boots were the same, as were the fingerless gloves I¡¯d chosen, which went up almost to my elbows and afforded both comfort and protection using the hides of my dead brethren.


    Yeah, all the leather was from rabbit pelts. And yes, I¡¯m alright with this. I might not eat meat, but that¡¯s biology more than some squeamish hangup about taking a life to sustain my own. Rabbits mulitply fast, our low survival rate is a key factor to maintaining ecological balance.


    But now that Kaoru and I were dressed in clothes that would fit, and looking absolutely fine, Mistress Song called us forward, dressed in her own finery.


    It was time for a night on the town.

 Fun Times

    The Tinderbox was a rather lovely public house where you could pay in coin to have a meal and drinks served to you while listening to performances, local gossip, and whatever drunken idiot wanted to boast the loudest about their stupidity.


    Not that I understood the concepts before we walked in the door. You received what you needed when you needed it at the monastery, provided you helped out and didn¡¯t cause trouble for others. We certainly had music and dance, and even drunken idiots, but lived so closely to one another that the idea of someone not knowing about everyone else¡¯s affairs was a foreign concept.


    But towns were a lot bigger, and apparently these sorts of things kept things relatively organized.


    The music wasn¡¯t bad, and I tried the stout ale at Mistress¡¯s suggestion. It went well with the darker bread we were served, and a bit of fermented cabbage. Would¡¯ve preferred fresh, but apparently there was an issue with the cabbage merchants selling very poor quality merchandise. Which also tended to get wrecked by the children in the area. A tragic waste really, but I couldn¡¯t do much about it.


    Kaoru got something called mead, and several skewers of grilled meat. The smell put me off a little, but I don¡¯t begrudge her for her diet. I¡¯m glad the monastery has that deep-fried tofu she likes so much, though.


    I honestly didn¡¯t need much of the alcohol, as it was warm and filling and paired well with the bread and cabbage. Kaoru was overindulging a bit, but Mistress was keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn¡¯t forget about looking human. Then one of the idiot drunks put his arm down on a table and declared himself the strongest man in the room.


    Well. I couldn¡¯t let him get away with that. To my surprise though, Kaoru beat me to the other end of the table and holds her hand up. The other men in the pub laugh at the sight of a tiny woman challenging a burly muscular sort who clearly liked losing fights by all his scars, and started bets on who would win.


    I stole the money pouch Mistress brought, but she stopped me before I could make a bet. Something about inside information and unethical gambling. So I just sat there and watched while the two were set to arm wrestle.


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    It really wasn¡¯t a contest. Kaoru was too drunk to fully control her strength, and the idiot wasn¡¯t a cultivator. She buried his hand into the table the moment the signal was given.


    The whole room went wild while Kaoru held her hand up in victory, and everyone who¡¯d just won by betting on her started buying her drinks.


    Oh¡­ wait. That¡¯s not a good thing.


    Kaoru demurred, giggled, then settled on flirting with one of the more attractive human males for a while. Mistress relaxed, and told me to do the same.


    ¡°She¡¯s blackout drunk and completely in control of her shape. I¡¯ll keep an eye on that, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll do anything stupid tonight¡­ wait. Where is she going with that boy?¡±


    I watched her leave, clinging to the man she¡¯d been flirting with like he was the only thing holding her up at this point¡­ and realized what she was up to.


    ¡°Off to mate. Should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Should be¡­ Xiang¡­¡± Oh. Looks like Mistress was drinking a bit hard too. In getting up to try and chase after Kaoru, she tripped over the bench and landed on the ground. Hard.


    I shrugged, and finished my ale.


    ¡°Seems your friends need to watch their cups a bit more carefully.¡±


    Hm. Tall, swarthy, lean. Not unattractive for a human, though he¡¯d look a lot better as a rabbit.


    ¡°Mistress usually isn¡¯t this bad, but we don¡¯t do a lot of drinking at home.¡±


    ¡°Ladies such as yourselves could use a solid escort or two back to your lodgings. Never know when some rough types might come along and try something stupid.¡±


    ¡°And then I¡¯d have to kill them, which would leave Mistress rather cross come morning. Know anyone else who might wish to join us?¡±


    The male laughed, but shook his head.


    ¡°Sadly, I think your boss will be left sleeping her evening off. But I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d mind a bit of fun after we dropped her off someplace safe?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I look forward to it. Haven¡¯t had that kind of fun in far too long.¡±


    So I picked up Mistress Song, carried her over to our room at the inn to sleep, and the male and I went off to mate for a bit.


    All in all, a pleasant night out.

 The Morning After

    Mistress wasn¡¯t happy with us when she woke up. Less happy because of the headache I could feel from her. Kaoru didn¡¯t look much better off, so I was personally grateful I¡¯d held back.


    ¡°Both of you. Honestly, what were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking I haven¡¯t had a solid mating since a couple months before I awoke as a Novice. It¡¯s not that big a deal.¡±


    ¡°It is if your fling notices you have giant rabbit ears instead of normal human ones! And what if Kaoru forgot herself?¡±


    ¡°Ow¡­ please not so loud.¡±


    I patted Kaoru on the head, and sent her some soothing earth qi to help ease the pain.


    ¡°You yourself said it was unlikely. And alright, I probably would¡¯ve suggested she not imbibe if I¡¯d known she was in heat last night. Probably just as well human shape brings our biology closer to human standards, or she would¡¯ve been far more desperate.¡±


    Mistress still could only glare.


    ¡°Alright. Try to shift.¡±


    I did as she asked¡­ and couldn¡¯t. Kaoru¡¯s eyes widened as she seemed to have the same issue.


    ¡°Just as I thought. Congratulations you two, your mating succeeded.¡±


    I could hear the venom in Mistress¡¯s tone, but honestly wasn¡¯t worried.


    ¡°Alright, so we¡¯re pregnant. Don¡¯t know about Kaoru, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve had kits by a long shot. My species is rather famous for it, remember?¡±


    I didn¡¯t see the slap coming, but definitely felt the anger in it.


    ¡°Your species, Xiang Tuzi, is known for having an average life expectancy of less than a year in the wild, and a very high mortality rate in your young. Plus this isn¡¯t a rabbit pregnancy, or even a fox one. The two of you will be trapped in human shape for the entirety of your gestation period, the full nine to ten months any human would suffer through, will give birth to mostly human children, and will have to care for them as such until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Which, by the way, takes humans approximately fifteen to twenty years to accomplish.¡±


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    Okay. We might¡¯ve screwed up a little.


    Kaoru just focused inward, unusually pale. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never had kits. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Mistress Song took a deep breath, centering herself.


    ¡°There¡­ there are ways to end this now. Technically neither of you is actually pregnant yet, but your cultivation makes it far easier to conceive and far harder to miscarry. Any children you do have will be born healthy, and you¡¯ll have far fewer complications or risks while being pregnant or giving birth¡­ but it¡¯s also harder to stop an unwanted pregnancy before it settles in. If you want to take that option, it has to be now.¡±


    I thought about it, and shook my head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, and if Kaoru needs support I can provide it. Human children are definitely sounding more difficult to raise than rabbit kits, but I¡¯m¡­ well, it just always felt right to have some children around. I¡¯ve kinda missed it.¡±


    Kaoru stood up, and looked out the window for a bit.


    ¡°I¡­ the boy last night. I¡¯m a little fuzzy on the details, but¡­ I liked him. Not enough to start a family with, but maybe I should let him know?¡±


    ¡°He will,¡± Mistress replied. ¡°I can track both of your baby-daddies by the leftovers of their qi signatures inside of you two. And as the responsible thing to do, I¡¯ll be visiting them to make them aware of what happened.¡±


    I shrugged. It wasn¡¯t so important to me, but I figured that was more of a rabbit thing. I¡¯m not incapable of emotional attachment, it¡¯s just not as important to me on a personal level. One mate¡¯s the same as another in my world.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Kaoru nodded. ¡°I think I want to follow through on this. I know I didn¡¯t plan on it, and I¡¯m fairly certain I¡¯m nowhere near ready, but I¡¯ve got you two to help me out¡­ and it just doesn¡¯t sit right with me to end my child¡¯s life before it begins. Maybe someone else would have a different viewpoint on the matter, and they¡¯d have a right to it. It would even be as valid as my own. But since I¡¯m the one who has to suffer with the consequences of my actions, I¡¯m the one who gets to decide what those actions will be. And,¡± she placed a hand on her lower belly, ¡°I think I want this.¡±


    Mistress nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell your lovers, and we¡¯ll head back to the monastery. I should warn you that your cultivation will be stunted while you¡¯re pregnant,¡± she winced and sighed, ¡°Not that I¡¯ve ever regretted that when it was me.¡±


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk about it on our way back, Xiang. But yes, I¡¯ve had children of my own over the centuries.¡± And Mistress seemed to look¡­ sad? ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll talk about it while we¡¯re headed home. We have other worries right now.¡±

 Dark Memories

    Our mates from that evening were¡­ well, I¡¯ll just say they were glad we weren¡¯t worried about them taking us in and being fathers to our children. Actually, mine turned out to already have a mate, and she was rather less than pleased to receive the news. I tried to apologize about that, but she was pretty insensate with anger. So I just told the man to take his lumps and advised the woman not to kill him near their home.


    I thought I heard her mutter something about knowing how to hide a body, thanks¡­ but this damn turban and having my ears tucked in leaves me half-deaf.


    Mistress finished her own shopping, assuring we had all our supplies loaded onto a couple of wagons at the edge of town. I recognized the Adepts who¡¯d be driving them back, and waved them farewell as we started ahead.


    After we¡¯d re-entered the mountains and the two of us could drop human guises, Mistress talked.


    ¡°So¡­ not only have I had children, but I was actually married once. Handsome boy, around my own age, not a cultivator but I didn¡¯t care at the time. Thought I¡¯d have plenty of time to change his mind. That¡¯s how it is when humans are young, we think everything will go our way.


    ¡°I was twenty-one, and already one of the strongest cultivators in the world when I first noticed I was having trouble drawing qi in properly. The two of you might have noticed, but cultivation is usually a male profession.¡±


    I nodded. There were women at the monastery besides the three of us, but not many.


    ¡°So it was only when Fu mentioned she¡¯d noticed the same issues just a few months before that I realized what was happening to me. She¡¯s the reason I know about that whole ¡®shape-lock on conception¡¯ issue, and was already visibly pregnant with her firstborn at the time.¡±


    Kaoru nodded this time. Mistress just shook her head at old memories.


    ¡°She¡¯s always been luckier in love. Her husband was the whole reason she started cultivating in the first place, and the first thing she did when she could finally change to a humanoid form was lock herself in a room with him for a month. With the way cultivation affects fertility, they were far past the point of no return by then. Which was fine by her, and to this day she¡¯s almost always pregnant.¡±


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    ¡°Me¡­ well, I loved the boy I was dating. Wouldn¡¯t have slept with him if I didn¡¯t. But¡­ looking back, I don¡¯t think he was quite as enthusiastic as I was to be starting a family. He married me, sure, but more out of social obligation than love.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a smart plan to me, but maybe that¡¯s an animal thing.¡±


    ¡°No Xiang, marrying someone you don¡¯t love often causes more problems than it solves. But it didn¡¯t matter in the end.¡±


    Mistress sat on a stump, a dark and bitter look in her eyes.


    ¡°My husband¡­ and I can¡¯t even remember his name anymore, let alone his face. But he was the heir to a kingdom that once ruled over much of this region. As scared and impressed as the two of you were with Rivermill, believe me when I say it¡¯s insignificant compared to the wider world. And when the Tortoise King decided this would be part of his territory, well¡­¡±


    Oh.


    ¡°So he was murdered?¡±


    ¡°Him, our infant son, and nearly myself. I still bear the scars. It was the first time I was ever so throroughly outmatched in a fight, and if Fu hadn¡¯t been in the area to save me, I¡¯d be quite dead. As-is, when the Tortoise King found the monastery we live in¡­ well, all my other children were by him. And he didn¡¯t leave me a choice.¡±


    A crack sounded through the air. I didn¡¯t hit anything with the punch, but apparently I broke the air around where my fist had been. Odd.


    Mistress smiled. ¡°They¡¯re all dead now too. None had much gift for cultivation, so they all died of old age a long time ago. I visit their graves sometimes, keep track of my descendants. Li¡¯s probably the most promising of the bunch I¡¯ve ever known.¡±


    I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, your favorite punching bag is¡­ oh, I don¡¯t know how many generations removed, but a grandson. He doesn¡¯t know, and would probably get more out of knowing he¡¯s a descendant of a Heavenly Emperor than the middle-aged harridan who never much liked him in all the time she¡¯s been teaching him cultivation. But he¡¯s starting to develop a sense of compassion, and I thank you for being the one to pound that into him, Xiang. You have no idea how painful it is to watch everyone you could have loved turn out to be a monster.¡±


    The mood was dark, so I could only be grateful that we were faster getting home than we were leaving it. Some things are just left buried.

 Cozy Seasons

    Once home, we settled back into routine. Li tried to slack off while I was away, of course, but I was happy with the reports that he¡¯d been pushed even harder as a punishment. As a result, he¡¯d actually broken through to the Novice stage.


    I was proud of the idiot.


    When the other cultivators heard the news about Kaoru and myself, they laughed. But so did we. It was a bit absurd, after all, and we had our assurances that we¡¯d be looked after, as would our children.


    And more than a few bawdy offers if we ever wanted more, but I only threatened mild violence in response. The men generally only meant it as a joke.


    Human pregnancy was¡­ a little less pleasant than the rabbit variety, I found. Lots more soreness and sickness in the early stages, and trying to cultivate didn¡¯t help as much as I would¡¯ve liked. Kaoru, not having an elemental affinity or two that was well-known for healing properties, had it even worse. We both missed shifting too, though at least Kaoru could reclaim her tails and ears. I was a little worried that wouldn¡¯t be allowed either, but Mistress assured me it was just that we needed to keep a shape that could carry a human pregnancy, and our bodies instinctively knew this.


    So we trained as we could, worked as we could, and resten more often than we wanted to. Mistress forbade us from sparring, and I had to send a proxy to keep Li on his toes.


    Summer passed, and Kaoru and I started to swell up. It was fairly familiar to me, even if the shape I was feeling so full in was slightly different, but Kaoru was always kept a little anxious by the novelties of her experience. I think she nearly did shift in sheer panic when her child quickened. Mistress and I tried to keep her calm and let her know everything she was going through was normal¡­ but she was also a bit prone to mood swings, so there was only so much we could do.


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    But there was always the autumn harvest.


    Everyone helped with that, it was simply too much work otherwise. But the end result of a full storehouse and freshly-pickled vegetables was worth it.


    Kaoru had a slight anxiety attack at enjoying the pickled beets, but I assured her that craving foods you normally wouldn¡¯t touch was just a part of the experience. And was eating a leg of roast chicken to prove it.


    Not bad, but not something I think I¡¯d stomach if I wasn¡¯t feeding a couple of human babies.


    Yes, a couple. Twins. One of the benefits of cultivation is that you can know exactly what¡¯s squirming inside you when it gets big enough to notice, apparently. Kaoru only had the one, but we were both a touch surprised that the girl would be born with fox ears and a tail.


    Mistress was less surprised, saying she¡¯d known Fu to lay a few eggs over her lifetime. Apparently children having traits of their non-human parent was a thing that could happen, and the ones that took up cultivation would be able to shift the way we could when they were advanced enough.


    Harvest went well, and winter set in. Maybe Kaoru and I shouldn¡¯t have given into our winter dormancy instincts so much, but the idea of leaving a small room near a big fire to train out in cold, wind, and wet didn¡¯t appeal right now. Even the snow, which Kaoru usually loved to frolic in, didn¡¯t make her want to bundle up and leave.


    So we stayed bundled up and inside for most of the winter, assured that we would be perfectly safe and secure when our times came the following spring.


    Unfortunately, that was not the case.

 The Tortoise King

    It was just before dawn when I smelled the smoke. Iron. Blood. Fire. Men laughing. I was instantly fully awake, and dressed before I could think about it. Kaoru was a little slower, but that ended when she realized the monastery was under attack.


    Li broke open the door just as we¡¯d gotten ready.


    ¡°I¡­ no¡­ I never meant for this¡­¡±


    I held him steady, and tried to get the boy to speak coherently.


    ¡°My brother. Expert Gin. He¡­ he told the Tortoise King about you. This is his army.¡±


    I nodded, and signalled Kaoru to follow me as quietly as possible. Even if we weren¡¯t so close to term, I doubt it would have been a good idea to do anything but try and run. I could sense experts everywhere, even a few masters.


    And one presence, gloating and malevolent, that dwarfed all of them like a black hole.


    We did encounter a few Adepts here and there, but Kaoru and I handled them easily. There was little reason to hold back¡­ and no reason to leave them alive. Mistress Song¡¯s words on killing were still in my mind, but this was so far removed from simple cultivation lessons¡­ why would people be so senseless in their actions?


    We¡¯d managed to get out of the monastery¡¯s main building before it collapsed, but only just. The heat and force knocked me to the ground, and Kaoru was sent flying. I didn¡¯t have any time to check on her though before I felt that overwhelming presence again. Right above me.


    The Tortoise King floated in the air. Clearly, this was the only way he could possibly move, as ridiculously fat as he was. He was completely bald, his eyes dark and his smile cruel and vicious. His black robes draped over him like a silken tent, but did nothing to flatter his appearance or hide his grotesquerie.


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    Instantly, I could see him for what he was. An overfed child with too much power and too little discipline. And I was powerless before him, even as I saw something horrible in his hand.


    Mistress Song¡¯s head, fully detached from her body. A look of defiance still on it, but all life gone.


    ¡°Well, slut. This is your own fault for teaching beasts the ways of men. But I knew you¡¯d slip eventually. A pity you didn¡¯t live long enough to see your precious animals die.¡±


    His eyes met mine, and he landed on my belly with impossible force. I was dead instantly.


    Or at least, I would have been, had Kaoru not managed a minor miracle. Her talent for seeming was exceptional, and this evil child was predisposed to only seeing what he wanted to see. So he saw me die, most horribly and messily, several feet away from where I¡¯d actually been. He¡¯d seen Kaoru¡¯s corpse, battered and broken where she¡¯d been flung clear of the monastery¡¯s ruins, a half-burnt timber impaled obscenely through her middle. He didn¡¯t see Li at all, for all the boy wasn¡¯t in our illusions.


    All my poor student could do was stare in shock, utterly dumbfounded. Everything he¡¯d previously known about his world perverted by the realities of those who¡¯d fabricated those ¡°truths.¡±


    The Tortoise King laughed, reveling in the horrors and slaughter as he ordered his men to sow salt on the monastery grounds. As they did so, he settled himself into an ornate and massive throne, clearly designed so that he could travel comfortably on the backs of others.


    I almost wondered if he was always so decadent and spoiled, but ultimately decided it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was circulating my qi into the ground beneath me, keeping the actual amount in my body so low as to be ignored.


    I almost didn¡¯t have to bother. The Tortoise King saw what he wanted to see, did what he wanted to do, gloated a few more times to the corpses of our friends and fellow cultivators, and left with his army, Expert Gin sneering and spitting on my Mistress one last time as we were abandoned for carrion.

 Escape

    The first carrion bird to arrive was Mistress Fu, along with several of her children. Her eyes were bleak and cold, but she held back her tears. We wouldn¡¯t last long in the cold and the open, so they had to wait.


    ¡°They arrived in Rivermill just after you left,¡± she explained. ¡°I wanted to warn you, but his watchers and scouts were too observant. They would¡¯ve seen one of us if we¡¯d left before they did. Now they¡¯re off to that fat bastard¡¯s giant fortress, where they¡¯ll doubtless hold feasts and orgies over what they did here, and add Song¡¯s head to his trophy collection.¡±


    I imagined the concept, and was sickened all over again. Clearly, the man had no respect for life and thought killing was nothing less than momentary amusement. But the idea of keeping parts like some sort of sick bonus¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you three survived. It was quite clever, using illusions and circulation tricks to make him see what he wanted to see. Even among the Emperors, he¡¯s particularly arrogant.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ wanted to be like him, once.¡±


    Li¡¯s face was ashen, his eyes unfocused. The statement had been so blank, so emotionless¡­ I walked over and hugged him.


    ¡°He called us beasts, Li. But from my perspective, such a moniker is earned. Now, we need to talk this out, but it¡¯s best that we do so after we¡¯ve found shelter. Mistress Fu?¡±


    She nodded, and draped a blanket over each of our shoulders.


    ¡°Going straight back to Rivermill would be suicide. We need to take a different route in. From there, I can help you three get on your feet, but you¡¯d draw too much attention if you stayed for long. Any ideas?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a small village a couple of valleys over, the people there just manage to get by on hunting and cutting timber. We can probably stay there.¡±


    Li blinked. ¡°How would you know?¡±


    ¡°Because my warren wasn¡¯t too far away. I¡¯ve lived in this area all my life, Li.¡±


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    Kaoru nodded, though somewhat absently.


    ¡°I migrated here from my family¡¯s territory, but I know of that village. Best avoided if you have fur or meat worth selling, but in human shape¡­¡± She winced, clutching her belly with one hand. ¡°It¡¯s our best shot, and we can get there before dark easily, even with Xiang and I slowing us down.¡±


    Fu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you then, just in case there are any stragglers from the army. Worst case, I can hold them off until you can hide again. And meanwhile,¡± a tear fell from her cheek, in spite of her control, ¡°my kids will handle the dead. No cultivator deserves to be left for scavengers.¡±


    I nodded, my own mind still focused on what came next. I could hurt when we were safe.


    There wasn¡¯t really a road between the monastery and the village Kaoru and I knew of, but there were plenty of trails suitable for game and hunters. Li knew of them too, for all he¡¯d never travelled beyond the monastery¡¯s valley. I could only hope it would recover from this attack, but the way the qi was flowing now¡­ I think the Tortoise King did something. Where the monastery had once been a natural wellspring of qi with the valley forming a lake, now things felt like a gaping wound, with pus and rotted flesh stagnating at the edges. What little qi there was¡­ felt wrong. Sick. Corrupted.


    I can only imagine this is what Mistress Song feared, if I¡¯d become too comfortable with killing.


    Well, we¡¯d come to that. The next valley was the one my warren had been in. Li had only travelled there once, the day we met, but Kaoru and I knew the area well enough to keep our party moving in the right direction. I led, and tried to keep the pace as quick and steady as Kaoru and I could manage.


    Doubly so because Kaoru was still clutching at her belly, in obvious discomfort. We weren¡¯t due for another couple of weeks, but the stress might have started Kaoru¡¯s labors early, and such things never follow a timetable anyway. I kept quiet, knowing our best bet was to get to the village.


    When we got there, two men aimed a bow at our party. Merely guards, non-cultivators, but neither Kaoru or myself were disguised, and Li was still too deeply in shock to do much than lean on Mistress Fu and walk along.


    I wanted to talk them down, to explain all that happened, to do something that would keep them from firing, but Kaoru¡¯s sudden scream had them loosing in surprise. Thankfully, they¡¯d aimed at Mistress Fu and myself, and we both were tough enough that the arrows just bounced off.


    Mistress Fu knelt beside Kaoru, a puddle beneath my friend as her waters had broken. Li just stared, still in utter shock and unable to do anything.


    ¡°Move aside, young ones! Can¡¯t you see the poor girl¡¯s in labor?!¡±


    An elderly woman approached, shoving the guards aside as she approached Kaoru. She was a cultivator, but I was too worn out to gauge anything more.


    Safe at last, I passed out on the spot.

 Grief

    When I came to, I could hear crying. Mistress Fu¡¯s, Kaoru¡¯s, and an infant. I had no idea how long it had been, just that we were safe.


    For now, anyway.


    As I sat up, I could feel Li¡¯s gaze on me. His eyes widened, and suddenly he turned his head aside.


    Oh. Naked. Guess my clothes would¡¯ve been kinda wet and filthy between the late snow and the mud from the massacre.


    I got up, and found a spare set I¡¯d had the presence to pack before we¡¯d fled. All I had now, aside from my life. Well, my life was the important part.


    My life would make the next steps possible.


    But first, Li. Once I had enough on that he wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed to look at me (I still don¡¯t understand the human hangups about nudity, but I can respect them well enough), I sat down in front of the boy and held him again.


    ¡°It¡­ it just¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh. I know. We¡¯re all shaken by what happened.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t.¡±


    I pulled him back a bit, and let him feel just how badly I was trembling.


    ¡°I¡¯m a rabbit, Li. I didn¡¯t survive long enough to awaken without understanding the fear of predators. You were one of them, remember?¡±


    He shook at the thought, and started mumbling apologies.


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    ¡°It¡¯s in the past. As is our life at the monastery now. It¡¯ll hurt, and that hurt won¡¯t ever go away.¡± I thought briefly of the kits I¡¯d been nursing that day so long ago now. What would they have been like if they¡¯d lived? ¡°But we need to set that pain aside, just for a moment. I need you to focus, and listen to what I have to say.¡±


    He looked me in the eyes, still stricken with grief and pain, and nodded.


    ¡°What would you do, if I told you I intend to take revenge?¡±


    The grief turned back to shock, utter disbelief.


    ¡°There¡¯s no possible way-¡±


    ¡°There is, Li. It¡¯s not going to be easy, but the Tortoise King is sloppy. He¡¯s been too used to his own power for too long, and that¡¯s the very reason we¡¯re alive. But someone like that being in power, a selfish child who only brings harm to others¡­ even if I didn¡¯t want to kill him for revenge, Li. I¡¯m going to. The world will die as long as people like him are in power.¡±


    ¡°But that means¡­¡± Li still sounded like he couldn¡¯t believe what I was saying.


    ¡°Yes, Li. It means killing all four of the Heavenly Emperors, as well as everyone who supports and enables them. But it also means replacing what they¡¯ve built, a society focused on their personal satisfaction and glorification. If we just kill them, it won¡¯t solve anything. People at least as bad as they were will rise to take their places, and countless innocents will die in the bloodbath. So we need to build our own government, our own army, our own society to fight back against what is. It won¡¯t be easy, and I will need your help. Do you think you can get past what you saw today, what happened to all of us?¡±


    Li¡¯s eyes started to re-focus, some spark of himself returning. He nodded, and stood.


    ¡°Day before yesterday, though I can understand you needing rest. My teacher puts a lot upon her shoulders.¡± He turned, and bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll see that you have a decent meal, then set to cultivating. If I am to be of any use to you, or to my dao, I must gather more qi.¡±


    I felt his dao solidify as he walked out of the room. The tears were flowing now, at the loss, at the pain, at getting respect from Li, at seeing him have to grow up from the worst possible experiences.


    We¡¯d all be changed from this. But not one of us would be alone.

 Winter

    Kaoru named her daughter Song, and we both wept in memory while I visited them. The village midwife, who also served as its leader, told us that the Tortoise King¡¯s army had sent a couple of scouts by to see if any survivors had stumbled across the village.


    But now that I was recovering, I could tell without her saying that they were lied to, and found nothing. The headwoman would hardly sell out herself like that, let alone her own mother and others like her.


    Yes, it was pretty clear this old woman was one of Mistress Fu¡¯s many children, especially since the old crow was recovered enough to insist on hearing how many circles those scouts had been led in.


    ¡°Only two, ma. I want them gone even more than you do, and they¡¯d try something stupid if they got too frustrated.¡±


    A weak laugh, nothing like the bawdy crow I¡¯d met in a tailor shop nearly a year before. But considering she had also just received word that the remains of those who¡¯d died at and around the monastery had been properly put to rest, I was just happy that she could feel anything but soul-crushing grief.


    Kaoru was still at that point. She nursed her daughter when little Song was brought to her, but couldn¡¯t seem to do much else. She laid in a straw cot by the fire most of the time, looking into it for some sort of answer. I suppose, like having a child, losing those she cared about was something she¡¯d never before experienced.


    I did what I could, learning to change diapers and how to deal with the finicky parts of caring for human-shape babies. Even if it hadn¡¯t been forced on me, I would¡¯ve volunteered. I¡¯d have to do it for my own litter soon enough.


    Cultivating was still hard, but I did what I could and taught Li what I knew of elemental cultivation. He seemed to have an affinity for water, and took to kitchen duties as if he were still on punishment detail.


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    I didn¡¯t stop him. The work gave him purpose, helped his cultivation, and kept him from dwelling on what he¡¯d seen. He woke up screaming far too often, but all I could do was try and comfort him while he shook in terror. There was no easy way through, and I was waking up far too often when I smelled woodsmoke or cooking meat. You¡¯d have to be as insane as the Tortoise King or his followers to not have nightmares from such horrors, and Li clearly wasn¡¯t any more twisted than I was.


    It was a rather nice spring afternoon when my own time came. Couldn¡¯t believe how much human birth hurt, but other than that it was fairly safe and ordinary, and I was nursing my twins before the sun had set that day.


    My little Chang and Chen. A boy and a girl, born at the dawn of a prosperous age. I¡¯d see to that personally.


    Mistress Fu took a few careful flights between the village and Rivermill, arranging a wagon to transport our new families along with some winter excess the villagers could send on. I¡¯d checked for rabbit pelts or meat, but apparently my kin were scarce on the ground since the day I¡¯d awakened. Sad, but since the hunters knew to leave rabbits alone for a few years I figured we¡¯d be around again.


    One of the hunters noted how rabbits always bounce back, but he¡¯ll be fine in a month or two. I only broke his leg a little¡­


    The snows melted, and the spring sowing began. I tried to participate, but was told quite flatly that new mothers weren¡¯t allowed to perform heavy labor. Instead, I was the guest of honor at their spring festival, alongside Kaoru and a handful of other women who¡¯d given birth over the winter. Apparently we were a sign of fertility and the future harvest, and there were¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that some of the women in town would be on display next year. Apparently applying for the seat of honor was something of a pastime among the village youths during the festival.


    This was also the day the wagon arrived to town, and was loaded by a very familiar-seeming young man. I couldn¡¯t quite place him¡­ well, until he rushed to a shocked looking Kaoru and nearly crushed her and little Song in an embrace.


    Well, that was going to make for an interesting ride back...

 Dark Days

    It turned out Kaoru¡¯s lover was named Zhong, and that he¡¯d known more than he let on when we¡¯d last seen him. Kaoru didn¡¯t remember much from that night, aside from not ever wanting to get that drunk again, but apparently she did slip up and drop her seeming when in the throes of passion.


    Fortunately, Zhong just thought it added to her mysterious allure.


    When the Tortoise King¡¯s army came to occupy Rivermill, he¡¯d had a long period of time to think about Kaoru, and the child they¡¯d created. It terrified him to think they could both be murdered for such a petty thing as not being altogether human, and he approached Mistress Fu on what he could do about it.


    She¡¯d smacked him for nearly blowing her cover, then began teaching him the absolute basics of cultivation. Though it had not quite been a year since we¡¯d met, he¡¯d apparently worked hard, and made a great deal of progress as an Initiate. He¡¯d wanted to join the monastery to be with Kaoru and their child¡­ but then the Tortoise King paraded his trophies through Rivermill on his way back to his fortress.


    He hadn¡¯t been allowed to know where we were until now, and for a clear reason.


    Kaoru greeted him warmly, and told him that while she was glad he wanted to be a part of their daughter¡¯s life, being a part of hers would be another task altogether. They didn¡¯t really know each other after all, though she was glad someone cared for her. He accepted this, but noted that his profession as a carter would make all their lives easier.


    Apparently, the wagon was his, and he made his living transporting goods from Rivermill to smaller nearby settlements and back again. This village was a normal stop for him.


    I nodded, seeing that this would be an advantage getting through any soldiers or spies that remained behind to ensure that there were no survivors of the Tortoise King¡¯s sport. And how obnoxious is it, that he wasn¡¯t even truly angry? There was no wrath in his attack, just a sadistic glee. Even now, it filled my little bunny heart with rage. Still, facing him was a long way off yet. We packed up, and Kaoru adjusted her seeming to look a bit older, and more out of shape. A farmwife who had known far more work and far less cultivation than a mischievous red fox with four tails. Little Song couldn¡¯t be similarly disguised, but proper swaddling hid all evidence of ears and tails anyway.


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    Chang and Chen would be passed off as little Song¡¯s siblings, while I hid away in rabbit shape. Just a tired widow and her three living children, going to the city for the hope of a better life. The rabbit in the bed of the wagon just being a stowaway.


    It worked like a charm, passing through the redoubled guard as Li travelled separately with a group of Mistress Fu¡¯s children. Expert Gin had been rewarded for his part in the recent atrocity with full control of Rivermill and the surrounding lands while we were gone.


    Already, what had once been a colorful and bustling city had changed for the worse. Cultivators in black armor were everywhere, doing whatever they pleased to anyone who caught their eye. The townsfolk stayed in their homes and shops whenever possible, ignoring any screams or pleas for help they heard.


    And there was plenty of both to cut the unnatural silence that comes when predators control the land.


    Fu¡¯s husband had closed their shop and home, and moved the family to a hidden stronghold near the gate, beneath the waterwheels that gave Rivermill its name. Here, anyone with a scrap of cultivation knowledge or talent remained hidden, training as if their lives depended on becoming stronger. And, as I looked at them all¡­ I could only say that was the case.


    Among the Novice class was the wife of my twins¡¯ father, who apparently had made her husband disappear. She apologized for her reactions that day, but there was nothing to apologize for. And we bonded over our respective children by the man, even as we discussed what we would do next.


    Mistress Fu had apparently been planning for this day for her entire life. She had connections throughout the world, all training cultivators in secret against the day when war would be declared on the Four Heavenly Emperors. There were Masters and Experts everywhere who awaited the day when someone would not only amass the power to defeat the tyrant Elders, but would have the will and desire to do more than simply leave a void where they had been.


    It was a lot of weight on my shoulders. But the die had been cast, and my number was up.


    I could only hope it wasn¡¯t a one.

 Preparations and Trades

    We spent precious little time in Rivermill. To stay would be suicidal. But we still remained long enough to gain some basic knowledge in trades that would be useful to us, as well as regions that would be relatively safe to remain in, provided we stayed moving and kept our heads low.


    Kaoru learned to make jewelry and blow glass, using her affinity for fire and love for beautiful things to make trinkets and accessories that others would (hopefully) love to wear. I learned more advanced gardening techniques, including how to use wood and earth qi to keep growing things in any condition. Li¡¯s own water affinity would help, as it would ensure we would never thirst and the plants would always have just the right level of moisture.


    I also learned of the apothecary¡¯s arts, and of alchemy. Using plants and minerals to make medicines, poisons, and substances of all kinds. The legends of creating a magical pill that would instantly raise you to immortality were a myth, but I could already tell that many of the formulae I¡¯d been given would be useful in boosting qi absorption. A benefit we¡¯d need, without the boon of living on a natural qi spring.


    Mistress Fu also gave Kaoru and myself two information jades apiece. In absorbing them, we learned her and Mistress Song¡¯s entire knowledge of cultivation, and their individual understandings. Not only did this map out for us exactly how to cultivate to Master rank, but showed us that we were actually cultivating two different things. Kaoru had learned to cultivate qi in a way that enhanced her projection of qi, creating barriers, illusions, and projectiles. I had learned body enhancement, building and reinforcing my meridian fractals to their absolute limit. This was why I was faster, stronger, and more durable than even some Experts.


    To reach beyond Master, it was clear we¡¯d have to cultivate both approaches to their absolute limit, using all five elements. Information that, overall, was worth the cluster migraines we had to suffer through to learn it the easy way.


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    Hidden in Mistress Song¡¯s jade was also a circulation technique that acted as a contraceptive, which she had apologized for not telling us about before we¡¯d left for Rivermill. Apparently, she had already suspected Gin would run straight to the Tortoise King with information about us, and had set this up as a contingency.


    I told Kaoru to apply that technique as soon as possible¡­ but her blush told me it was already too late.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad for you, but try to hold back. We need to focus on cultivating as much as we can as fast as we can.¡±


    Kaoru pouted. ¡°And do you intend to stop having kids until the world is saved or whatever?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not entirely. The technique doesn¡¯t absolutely guarantee you won¡¯t get pregnant, and life isn¡¯t something you set aside while you try to make the world a better place. It¡¯s the very reason you set out to do so.¡±


    Kaoru nodded, and we set about to learning more about our new trades. I honestly envied her, having someone to lose herself in like that. I hoped things between her and Zhong worked out, and that I¡¯d next meet her with a dozen kids and another on the way.


    Because that was part of what came next.


    It was too dangerous for Kaoru and I to travel together. If the Tortoise King found and killed one of us, we didn¡¯t want him to be able to track the other. Plus his army wouldn¡¯t see anything suspicious about single families of traveling peddlers, while any kind of caravan might attract attention.


    So we¡¯d be going our separate ways, Kaoru toward the central lands, and I¡¯d travel to the northeast, where the lands of the Tortoise King met the ocean. I¡¯d miss my best friend and early rival, but we both had our paths to walk, and we¡¯d made an oath to see each other again.


    Neither of us would dare to break that oath by dying.


    And soon enough, our belongings were packed, our ¡°families¡± bundled in, and we travelled our separate ways for the next ten years.


    By then, we¡¯d hopefully be ready.

 Passage of Time

    Brown hair was so boring. And human ears were too tiny and weak for my liking. I didn¡¯t even get to keep the jewel on my head visible. So while I blended very well as a human now, you can imagine I was quite annoyed.


    Worst part was, I couldn¡¯t even take it out on Li like I used to. He didn¡¯t deserve it anymore.


    The twins were thankfully fairly docile, as human children went. I spent our time on the road alternating between growing plants, keeping them fed, cleaned, and entertained, putting them to sleep, then repeating. Some rare nights, I even had enough time and energy left over to try my hand at the simpler medicines I was learning to make. Pain relievers, fever reducers, powders that fought off infections. Medicines to prevent pregnancy. Medicines to end pregnancy. I avoided poisons and cultivation aids for now, since the former would require more control and skill to safely handle and the latter would take extremely rare and expensive substances that I simply couldn¡¯t afford.


    Li, meanwhile, drove the trader¡¯s wagon we now called home without a word. He wasn¡¯t quite as deeply affected as he¡¯d been before, but what he¡¯d seen had stolen a lot of the passion he¡¯d previously shown. Still, I could sense his thoughts and emotions under his exterior quiet, and knew that he was coming to terms in his own way.


    Still waters run deep, after all, and Li¡¯s nature was now very deeply water-aligned.


    It took months to reach the ocean, and we were both quite taken by the beauty of it. We¡¯d wander the fishing villages on the border between the Tortoise King and Dragon King¡¯s lands, selling medicines and buying new materials where we found them. We would sometimes settle for a while in a quiet place or two, and Li took up pottery when he could, the focus and quiet clearly soothing him.


    All the while, we cultivated. Chang and Chen were taught the basics as soon as they could talk, and I helped Li further enhance his mind and body. Part of why I¡¯d chosen the coastline was for the easy access to water qi, and Li took the power into himself every chance he got.


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    I meditated on my plants and medicines in the meantime, and worked to develop not only my body enhancement, but my qi projection as well. It slowed my cultivation speed, but made the end results stronger. And power was the end goal, regardless of the time taken.


    So when I finally broke through to Expert, it was like I was an ancient tree in a small pot. Millennia could¡¯ve been packed into my being, yet I was still the same rabbit in size and shape. Actually a bit smaller, in my true form. Time and growth were the domains of earth and wood, and instead of letting them grow wild and uninhibited, I concentrated those ages.


    The potential was staggering. But that Li reached the Expert stage later that same day was the real surprise.


    Of course, I suppose having a couple more children from the fall of the monastery to that breakthrough slowed me down a little. Like I¡¯d said, life still needed to be lived. Li proved an excellent father, and had actually started trying to act like his old self before I¡¯d finally realized he missed our old dynamic.


    So I still act like a spoiled pet around him sometimes. But he receives far fewer beatdowns, and the ones he does get are all from sparring. Plus he¡¯s learned to give as good as he gets, and his defense is getting almost impossible for me to penetrate. I keep trying though, finding it useful practice for cracking the defenses that gave the Tortoise King his moniker.


    We also started picking up each other¡¯s element, even more once we hit the Expert stage. Water, wood, and earth had a very strong synergy, so we quickly found ourselves reaching a point where we¡¯d mastered all three. From there, I relayed Mistress Fu¡¯s experiences on cultivating the Gold element, its relations to all metals and to the energy contained in lightning, and we did what we could to contemplate fire in our own time. Our kids grew, the twins developing to the Novice stage by age ten, their younger siblings all initiates. I was pregnant again, but could use the more advanced forms of cultivation I¡¯d learned to push further than I previously had as we returned to that small village north of the monastery. There, we met up with Kaoru and Zhong, their own cultivation advanced to the Expert level, and with the dozen kids I¡¯d hoped to see in tow. We quickly fell into old rhythms making fun of each others¡¯ bellies when there was work to be done, and regaled each other with tales of our time apart and new insights on our cultivations.


    And that was the night I broke through to the Master rank.

 The Revolution Begins

    None of us expected the light show my breakthrough would provide, but I suppose no Expert in memory had tempered themselves as deeply and thoroughly as I had in the elements. Suddenly, my new insights on fire had coalesced with all of my training and understanding of the other elements, and my cultivation¡­ well, it was like I awakened all over again.


    Only a million times bigger.


    The midnight sky was as bright as midday, with a column of light stretching out to the heavens. Qi streamed into me from everything around, and I released as much as I received. Suddenly, my qi wasn¡¯t a part of my body so much as my body was a part of the world¡¯s qi.


    And that world was very, very sick.


    I could sense the ruins of the monastery from here. Where the leylines, the planet¡¯s meridian fractals, had merged into a nexus in that mountain valley, there was now¡­ nothing but a hole. I¡¯d likened it before to a festering wound, and that wasn¡¯t far off. To add to his cultivation, the Tortoise King had stolen the power of that nexus, and redirected the leylines to his fortress.


    In theory, it might have sounded like a solid idea. But qi was never meant to be hoarded, and the lack of dispersal and circulation was slowly choking out the potential for life across the world. If something wasn¡¯t done to change things, it was very likely that all life would end.


    All because of four humans who wanted to be gods.


    The old rage came back full-force, and I was done hiding who and what I was. My ears grew back, my hair returned to its normal pink shade, and the gem on my head returned, now glowing with power as it became a third eye.


    The light subsided, and I told the headwoman of the village that it was the signal to strike.


    ¡°Even if no one noticed that, I¡¯m as ready as I¡¯m going to get.¡±


    So the message was sent, and we began our march. The children would stay in the village, and I desperately hoped they would be safe there. Having to carry one into battle was bad enough, but I found it fitting in a way.


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    Pregnant, I¡¯d nearly died at the hands of the Tortoise King. Pregnant, I would end his reign.


    The walk to Rivermill took no time at all. Li was only a half-step behind me, but we¡¯d both learned how to move with absurd speed and efficiency as we¡¯d cultivated. Kaoru chased after us, looking so thrilled to be on the hunt I almost wanted to make a game of it. Zhong was keeping up surprisingly well, for all he was only barely an Expert himself. Apparently he¡¯d found an affinity for the gold element, and a lot of the fastest movement techniques used a lot of gold qi to function.


    When we reached Rivermill, the town was already up in arms. Clearly, a decade under Li¡¯s older brother had made Gin no friends. And with Mistress Fu to train so much of the population in cultivation, there were now dozens of motivated Experts to fight against his forces, along with hundreds of Adepts. By my sense, every citizen of Rivermill was now at least an Initiate, and all were fighting in the streets.


    Which is not to say Gin had rested on his laurels. I could sense that he¡¯d broken through to Mastery, but his foundations were as weak as sand. I could take him easily, but Li insisted that he be the one.


    ¡°I cannot allow my family¡¯s shame to continue.¡±


    I¡¯d say it was an epic challenge¡­ but it was hardly much of a fight. Gin mocked Li, taunted him, threatened to geld him, rape me, then give us both to the Tortoise King in chains. Li didn¡¯t respond at all, simply blocking and evading every attack Gin threw at him. Gin mocked Li further, asking him how weak was water compared to the power of gold¡­ but that was where Li took his arm off.


    ¡°Do you remember the oracle you so enjoyed executing, older brother? She told me something surprising once. I¡¯d asked if we were really descended from the Tortoise King, and she said we were not, though after her passing, only I and one other would ever know. It seems our esteemed grandmother, whose corpse you spat upon before it was even cold, had unknowingly been pregnant by her husband when the Tortoise King first came to power. He¡¯d raped her shortly after killing the old king, and as a result she¡¯d never known the child hadn¡¯t been his.


    ¡°And I¡¯ve traced our ancestry since. Did you know we¡¯re the last of that particular bloodline? The last traces of the kingdom that once stood upon these very lands, some three hundred years past.¡±


    Gin spat blood upon the ground. Truly vulgar.


    ¡°What does it matter? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re the fated Lost Heirs of Solomon or anything.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly what we are.¡± And with this, Li stopped holding back, removing his brother¡¯s head with a blade of water. ¡°And as I said, only one other will ever know.¡±


    He turned to me, kissed me on the lips, and the spark lit on his own breakthrough.


    The king whose line was said would lead the world from ruin achieved the enlightenment of Mastery.

 The Black Fortress

    I should probably stop to explain. First, oracles only tell possible futures, through reading deeper lines of qi. But the art is lost, due to the Four Emperors not believing in them. Probably because every oracle that has appeared since they rose to power prophesied their downfall and the ruin of the world so long as they existed.


    Some people just won¡¯t hear the truth.


    As for the Lost Heirs of Solomon¡­ that legend is a bit murkier. Supposedly, an oracle prophesied to a legendary king that his bloodline would guide the world to an era of great prosperity. One by raising an army that would defeat a great evil, and another by restoring the world after a great disaster.


    But it¡¯s all hearsay, as any records that might have existed were destroyed when the Four Heavenly Kings took power, along with any royal bloodline that existed from the era before their rule. Until now, I¡¯d just figured it for a folk tale told by people to give them some hope that things would get better.


    But knowing what Li just said, and seeing the army that rose from a hatred for Gin¡¯s heavy-handed and cruel leadership¡­ Well, I¡¯d just have to help that story along. I never really believed in fate or destiny, but it never hurts to have a clear idea of what role you¡¯ll be expected to play in the future. You never know, you might actually live up to it.


    That said, Rivermill wasn¡¯t liberated without sacrifice. Bodies lined the main street, and far too many were completely innocent. I could scarcely look at the smaller corpses, covered in blankets. It made me sick with worry for my children, and the kit inside of me was kicking in agitation.


    Mistress Fu was weeping over her own losses, which included several of her children¡­ and her husband. I could only embrace her, and let her cry on my shoulder as she grieved.


    The price of freedom was steep. And always far too high.


    That night, the dead were honored and put to rest, their ashes scattered into the river. We all found our solaces where we could, and prepared to gather at the Black Fortress.


    Three days later, every liberated town, village, and city had gathered their best cultivators to the Tortoise King¡¯s residence, the Black Fortress. From a distance, it resembled nothing more or less than a black pustule upon the land, a dome of qi-hardened stone with no apparent exit or entrance. Outside, a thousand black-armored cultivators stood in ranks, ready to face us down.


    And this was my fight to start.


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    From within myself, a deep brown thread of earth qi shot toward my foot as I stomped it into the dirt. From there it amplified and re-directed, following the paths I¡¯d made for it to open a hole beneath every one of the Tortoise King¡¯s soldiers.


    The earth swallowed them all, and roots immediately thrust through each of their hearts as my control over wood guided the land to take back what belonged to it.


    And with that, a green meadow rich with clover and fescue now stood where once there was a vast field of barren earth, and the remaining Masters who¡¯d had the strength to resist my attack now found themselves beset upon by the Masters and Experts of our forces.


    That battle was not my personal objective, though. The Black Fortress loomed, seemingly impenetrable. It¡¯s said many tried, at first, but even Masters couldn¡¯t break the Tortoise King¡¯s legendary defenses.


    But none of them were an irate bunny with a chip on her shoulder. I tapped the dome, confirming what I already knew. Though fed by the vast amounts of stolen qi the Tortoise King had stripped from the land, the fortress walls were mostly fed by earth and wood qi, and designed to be both as hard as diamond and regenerate any damage it might yet take.


    I¡¯d trained for years to hone my native affinities, and they were yet my strongest. And though I was still not quite on par with an Elder¡¯s strength on my own¡­ The world moved with me.


    And that world put everything it had behind my punch, shattering the dome in a single strike.


    I jumped forward, barely missing being a Xiang crater as the Tortoise King slammed down where I¡¯d just stood. He was still intimidating in raw power, and I could sense he¡¯d been in countless fights before he became the orb-shaped pusbag he now was. In his prime, I could never have won against him.


    Thankfully, three hundred years of being the top predator in the world had made him soft.


    ¡°So the slut¡¯s little pet wants to join her on my wall? And you¡¯re still carrying a brat, I thought I cured you of those inclinations! But then, I thought I¡¯d cured the world of your taint to begin with. Ah well. I¡¯ll just have to remedy that now.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t listening, just stupid drivel. He still saw what he wanted to see, and was simultaneously overestimating his power and underestimating mine in doing so.


    Flip up over his lunge, landing on his left flank. His right side as he turns. Good, shock on his face. Dodge his next strike by a fraction of an inch, mind his girth around your belly. Yes, yes. He¡¯s obscenely fast, and can fall on you like an anvil, but his obesity limits his options and forces him to stay in the air. Plus¡­


    I blocked, as it finally hit me. He¡¯s trying to control qi. As if it¡¯s some tool to be used and then discarded. He can hold and command vast amounts of the stuff, sure. But because he can¡¯t and won¡¯t accept that it¡¯s a living thing¡­


    Now it was like he was moving in slow motion. His strikes landed on me left and right, but felt like a soft sponge upon my skin. I reflexively caught his fist as it aimed for my middle, and twisted his arm. He went spiraling away in the air like a balloon that the air was let out of.


    And the nexus we stood upon unleashed the fullness of its potential into me.

 Rise of the Elder Bun

    An eternity and a second seemed to pass at the same time, as I made the link that closed the gap between the Tortoise King and myself. He wanted nothing more than to control and absorb all the qi that he could. Whereas I accepted that I¡¯m just a part of qi, and the power it gives me is merely borrowed. Perhaps elsewhere, that wouldn¡¯t have triggered a breakthrough. Or if I hadn¡¯t already advanced my cultivation well above a normal Master¡¯s grasp.


    But here, in the ruins of the Black Fortress, on the nexus the Tortoise King had gorged himself upon for centuries as he grew fat and complacent¡­ I found the key.


    I¡¯d be told later that there was a bright flash, and a small shockwave from the surrounding qi instantly entering my body, enhancing and empowering it with the will of the world. I¡¯d find out later that having breakthroughs while pregnant tends to leave the child you¡¯re carrying¡­ changed, a little. Really, she¡¯s a sweet girl, but some have argued that spirits replaced her at some point in that frantic month.


    Regardless, I advanced my cultivation. All at once, I was an Elder Bun, on par with the Four Heavenly Kings in terms of power.


    Though really, compared to the Tortoise King? That pathetic worm couldn¡¯t have taken me on in his prime. Not alone, anyway.


    Now, he was just a bouncy ball to play with, and the shocked look on his face told me he knew it. I grinned, knowing I would enjoy every second of this.


    In the fishing villages Li and I travelled through, there was an interesting game. Men would take a leather ball, and use their hands to volley it over a net they had hanging up to mend. It was quite fun, but Li and I were quickly banned from playing as soon as it was clear we were the only ones who could keep up with each other.


    The floating Tortoise King would make for an excellent volleyball.


    Bump, set. Bounce him off a ruined wall, shattering it as he tried to right himself and charge back at me. But I was already bumping him again, playing a five versus five match by myself, with him as the ball. It was so fun I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


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    ¡°Ooh, that looks so fun,¡± Kaoru pouted. ¡°I wish I could play.¡±


    Li smiled. ¡°Xiang¡¯s brutal when she gets a chance at the game. But at this point, you¡¯ll have to reach Elder before it would be a fair match. Spike him, dear. You¡¯ve had your fun.¡±


    I smiled, pounding the ¡°ball¡± high into the air before slamming him as hard as I could into the floor, breaking his defenses like they¡¯d been made of tissue paper and air.


    The shape his remains made looked oddly familiar, laying half-curled in the crater he¡¯d made upon landing. Well, the bony parts. A lot of the fleshier bits kinda¡­ exploded.


    Not my fault he didn¡¯t want to stay in shape.


    Mistress Fu arrived, staring at the remains of the Tortoise King¡­ and promptly vomited. Ah. Yeah¡­ that¡¯d be the normal reaction. I¡¯d have looked for the ¡°Trophy Room¡± so I could give the remains of those displayed there a proper internment¡­ but the ground started shaking.


    Ah. Right.


    ¡°Best run now. Without the Tortoise King controlling the qi in this nexus¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s going wild. We don¡¯t want to be here when the tree sprouts.¡±


    Kaoru was about to ask what I meant, I¡¯m sure. But I¡¯d already swept her and Li up, and was dashing away as fast at I could go. Fu was behind me, and organized the rebellion to follow¡­ but even then, I think the last of the stragglers only barely made it out of range.


    Where the Black Fortress once stood, there was now a massive tree reaching far into the heavens, its trunk three times the diameter of the fortress it now replaced.


    I was only grateful the thing would only live for a century or two, as it slowly dispersed power back through the leylines and returned life to the world.


    Dusting off and looking around, I got the attention of everyone there.


    ¡°This¡­ might be a subtle hint to the other three that someone¡¯s gotten uppity. We did well enough taking down one Heavenly King, but the remaining three won¡¯t be caught off guard, and might start working together. Go back to your homes, and gather everything you can. We retreat into the mountains to cultivate further, and to organize into a true army. The second phase of this war has just begun.¡±


    A chorus of cheers came with my order, and we set to work.

 Consolidation

    Now that I had reached the Elder stage of cultivation, I was honestly at a point where I couldn¡¯t progress. The Four Heavenly Kings had messed up the qi of the world so much that there wasn¡¯t actually enough around to support ascension. So I had to put my time and energy elsewhere.


    Li stepped up as the general of our army, organizing the cultivators and teaching them to work as a single unit. I taught cultivation at the highest levels, helping Adepts and Experts make their breakthroughs into the Master stage.


    And I started by putting down a moratorium on baby-making with any who attended my classes. Especially Kaoru, who tried every trick in the book to talk me out of it.


    I wouldn¡¯t be ignored on the matter, and had little Guiying as proof of why it was best to focus on cultivation in the short term. I did sweeten the pot by giving everyone a special incense that enhanced qi absorption, and sharing my insights on the elements and how to use them. Because of that, anyone who¡¯d found their dao was pretty quick to hit the Expert stage of their cultivation, bringing our average strength up by leaps and bounds in little more than a year.


    Experts took longer to train, but I took them to the monastery¡¯s ruins to cultivate as often as I could. The nexus hadn¡¯t been fully restored, but it no longer felt like an open wound on the world¡¯s qi network, at least. Plus it was far enough away from where we¡¯d stashed everyone that a sudden ascension like mine wouldn¡¯t be a signal torch declaring our location.


    That said, our little army was about ten thousand soldiers strong, and all of us had families who had gone into hiding alongside us. The mountains were a great place to hide, but supplies were far from sufficient to sustain us all. The fact that we needed less food, water, and rest as cultivators helped, but it was a very lean time. A lot of songs were written and sung about how we¡¯d suffer now to reach paradise later. It didn¡¯t comfort me.


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    Fortunately, the mountains had a great deal of iron ore, and a seam of coal we could use to work it. So our gold, wood, and earth cultivators spent long days mining for iron and coal, while the fire and water cultivators would spend their time smelting out iron, then forging weapons and armor of steel.


    It was hard work, but it was also a way to keep those too young to fight feeling like they were helping out. Chang and Chen were at the forefront of the children¡¯s work groups, often working in the gardens and fields or looking after the younger kids while adults took on the more dangerous jobs. There was still resentment that they weren¡¯t allowed to mine or fight, but I¡¯d much rather they not risk a mountain falling on their heads right now, let alone what the armies in the outside world might do to them.


    Speaking of which¡­ It was just as I¡¯d thought. The world tree that had been unleashed by the Tortoise King¡¯s death had alerted the other three Elders that his lands were basically up for grabs. The whole of the north was now a giant warzone, where the armies of the Dragon, Tiger, and Vermilion Kings now constantly battled. No one was safe on the open land, especially non-cultivators.


    Plus side, I¡¯d personally been there to see the Three Heavenly Kings try to destroy the world tree, and silently gloated as they failed. The Vermilion Queen of the west, beautiful and captivating as she was cruel and petty, couldn¡¯t singe a single leaf with her flames. The Dragon King of the east, with all the fury of ship-killing storms and murderous tsunami, could only water the stubborn thing.


    The White Tiger King of the south didn¡¯t even bother trying. I think he¡¯s planning to bide his time and off the others. Well, that¡¯s fine. One less problem while we work on the other two, and it means I know what he¡¯ll try.


    Best news I relayed from that scouting mission was that they were still plotting against one another. Those among us who can still remember their rise noted that they took down every other Elder and Ascendant cultivator that existed by working together, striking quickly and unexpectedly.


    Well, one bad turn deserves another. And my little bunny brain has a perfect strategy for making their downfall as embarrassing as possible.


    But first, I have to get Kaoru to stop whining and start cultivating to her true potential.

 Preparations

    It had been a couple years now since the Tortoise King had fallen, and our army was quietly moving to the west. By this point, a full quarter of our forces were of the Master rank, with none of our ten thousand fighters anything less than an Expert. And all of them were constantly cultivating, drilling, sparring, or talking to each other about what they were learning. Even I picked up a few useful tips I hadn¡¯t thought of.


    Li had consolidated his cultivation as a Master, though he¡¯d lacked the time to work on breaking through. He was disappointed, but I told him about my plans going forward, and he agreed it was the perfect idea.


    Then I distracted him for a while, and ¡°forgot¡± that little trick that prevents conception. Hey, I¡¯m not actively cultivating right now, and have honestly chosen not to take the front line anymore. I¡¯m needed as a teacher.


    Kaoru was still annoyed that I was ¡°catching up,¡± but buckled down on her cultivation and gradually broke through to full Mastery, earning¡­ seven tails?


    Hm¡­ Ah. Must be because there¡¯s technically two levels of Master, physical and spiritual. One tail for each side. Explains how ascendant foxes have nine in all the legends.


    Anyway, I had her train a bit more from there, and we began the march west. The Vermilion Queen¡¯s domain is particularly desolate, a hot and arid plain that slowly shifts into wasteland, then desert. The Vermilion Palace sits in the center of all this, with its queen living in opulence within. It¡¯s said the gardens and pleasure houses are impressive, but that maintaining them takes every last drop of water in her entire domain.


    Li confirmed this pretty hard, saying it was a good thing we¡¯d essentially loaded an entire lake into casks as part of our supplies. Even he couldn¡¯t draw water from the air or ground here.


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    I had no idea where the Vermilion Queen¡¯s armies would be. Our scouts reported that most of them were still fighting in the north, but it was likely that she¡¯d reserved a set of her best cultivators to guard her palace. But we weren¡¯t here to fight, not yet.


    We were here to recruit.


    Dotting the land, doing their best to survive, were hundreds of small villages. Most were occupied only by the very young or very old, both of which were glad for our supplies and gladder to follow us. From what I¡¯d heard, the Vermilion Queen conscripted any handsome young men into her army, forcing them to cultivate and indoctrinating them to her methods and preferences.


    Any attractive young girl¡­ suffered a different fate. And the children those girls had were shipped randomly off to these villages to be raised until they were old enough to repeat the cycle. Only those who survived long enough for the beauty-obsessed Vermilion Queen to no longer find attractive escaped to raise these children. Those who came out homely, slow, or disfigured were executed on the spot by her soldiers.


    Selfish and cruel. No better than the Tortoise King, even if she had different priorities.


    The queen herself was noted to be quite attractive, and I¡¯d seen this for myself when she¡¯d tried to destroy the world tree I¡¯d made. Bright orange hair, pale skin, golden eyes, long finger and toenails sharpened to talon points and painted blood red, and with curves in all the places humans find attractive.


    Including the midsection. And that was a challenge we¡¯d have to work around, striking at a rare time when she wasn¡¯t pregnant. She kept all her favorite soldiers as lovers, then gave her favorite ¡°ladies of the court¡± to them so she¡¯d constantly be surrounded by swollen bellies. She apparently got some sort of sick pleasure out of ¡°spreading the gift of life,¡± but never gave those she so gifted a choice in the matter.


    Disgusting. I was glad to free these people from her control while she was busy. Still, raiding her palace wouldn¡¯t be as easy as cracking the Black Fortress. There were actual innocents in there to be evacuated, and I knew full well the place would turn into a massive column of flame the moment the Vermilion Queen died.


    So this phase was a lot more subtle, but we were almost ready to strike.

 The Plan

    ¡°I¡¯m not happy about this plan.¡±


    Li fumed, knocking back a drink as he sat in his throne. He wasn¡¯t happy about the throne either, but couldn¡¯t really refuse it as it was a gift from the people. So he reserved sitting in it for when he wanted to drink and brood for a while. I was just happy cultivation reverted any serious damage his habit might otherwise have caused, since he was doing both very often of late.


    ¡°We need to take our lands back, Li. People are starving outside, and I¡¯m tired of going without food just because I¡¯m one of the few people who can live entirely off qi. Plus keeping the Vermilion Queen¡¯s forces engaged and distracting the other two in the event they¡¯re in the field will make it easier for Kaoru and the relief forces to evacuate the Vermilion Palace and take out the queen. We¡¯re not just a militia rabble trained in secret anymore. It¡¯s time to step into the open.¡±


    Li poured himself a second drink, but sipped it slowly this time.


    ¡°That all worries me, to be sure. But I¡¯m confident enough that three armies of ten thousand cultivators each, none below Expert rank, can easily outmanuver and defeat anything short of an Elder, and you¡¯ll make sure the Dragon and Tiger Kings are too distracted to rout our forces.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re worried about Kaoru, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about who she¡¯s using as support.¡±


    ¡°Who-¡±


    ¡°Her children. Ours too, by the way.¡±


    My ears flattened, and I would¡¯ve shifted and rushed that fox if I weren¡¯t about to pop. The only saving grace Kaoru had at this point was that each of our pregnancies was timed to end around the time the Vermilion Queen¡¯s would.


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    She was already in place, having been ¡°captured¡± along with a small retinue of others as spoils of war, where she¡¯d be treated as the queen¡¯s personal entourage until she could return to her palace to give birth and replace them with more ¡°fitting¡± subjects, since the ones she¡¯d left with had gone missing.


    Wait.


    ¡°I ordered every spy that went with Kaoru to go in pregnant.¡±


    Li nodded. ¡°And the ones the Vermilion Queen will see all are. Even Kaoru knows better than to let a child enter that part of the plan.¡± He downed the remains of the liquor, and poured another glass. I stole it from him and knocked it back myself.


    ¡°Bleh. This stuff¡¯s total poison.¡±


    ¡°Our cultivations grant us an uncomfortable amount of alcohol resistance. And you can¡¯t even get drunk off it, so stop stealing mine. I only get a small keg of the stuff a month, and times are too hard to ask for more.¡±


    Hence our need to go with this plan. But still¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiang. The kids are going to be the support and relief end. Haul supplies, dig the tunnel system for evacuation, set up camps and kitchens. And Mistress Fu is supervising them while they head for the Vermilion Palace ahead of the Queen¡¯s private court.¡±


    Alright. Deep breaths. I¡¯d had to lift Chang and Chen¡¯s ban on mining when they reminded me they were half-rabbit, and proved it by digging out a cave-in quickly and safely to save a group of coal miners, then explained where the group had erred in their digging. They were naturals at warren construction, and any of my younger kids who could wield a shovel had the same knack.


    They¡¯d even made a game of it, building complex mazes and challenging the other children to play tag inside of them. I had to stop that one, because it worried everyone that one of the kids would get lost underground and that we wouldn¡¯t find them. Didn¡¯t bother my little half-buns, but I had to remind them that knowing exactly where you were in a warren wasn¡¯t a human instinct.


    So as long as they were under supervision and kept in a supporting role, I couldn¡¯t disapprove of their plan. But I didn¡¯t like it either.


    ¡°Bleh. Can¡¯t even really drink while I¡¯m pregnant like this, or I¡¯d go for my own personal keg.¡±


    Li smiled. ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯ll just have to distract ourselves with other forms of stress relief then.¡±


    My smile matched his, and we used his throne the way I liked to.

 Vermilion Queen

    In front of us, a town burned, the citizens screaming in agony.


    Well, the ones who hadn¡¯t been lucky enough to die near-instantly, anyway.


    ¡°Filthy peasants. Not one of them looking after themselves properly. That fat pig is better off dead if this is the best he could do with his chattel.¡±


    The Vermilion Queen sneered at those she saw as beneath her, and I merely nodded my head and bowed with the others, keeping a stoic expression. I hated this bitch.


    So yeah, Kaoru Yamano here. The meaning¡¯s all messed up when I put my family name last, but Zhong insists that putting your family name above your own stands out too much. Annoying, but he¡¯s right. So I switched it up while we were in the central lands, taking in the part of the world best known for riches, culture, and diverse beauty.


    Those lands were now in flames as the Vermilion Queen sought to claim a larger portion of them. And maybe if she didn¡¯t automatically kill everyone who she deemed to not be ¡°perfect¡± enough, she¡¯d actually have something to show for it.


    As it was, everything she disagreed with, from choices in food to how one dressed to the color of one¡¯s skin or eyes was a heresy to her. And she loved nothing more than burning everything she saw as heresy.


    My little group just watched, knowing that she¡¯d at least have to take a break to give birth after this. She loved mating and being pregnant, but hated raising children. So she¡¯d winter in the Vermilion Palace every year, give birth, get pregnant again, then campaign from spring until autumn, repeating the cycle and taking a month or two to recover her shape in between pregnancies.


    Only her ladies-in-waiting ¡°mysteriously¡± vanished when she came across a village she actually liked. The men had already been sent away to war, we told her, leaving us to starve without them to work on feeding us and our unborn babies. She cooed and soothed, saying she would see us to a better place, then put us in fancy gowns instead of peasant clothes we¡¯d taken from the refugees of her own lands and had us made into her new personal retinue.


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    I was just grateful that not only did she buy that line of feces, but her former retinue had been more than pleased to get away from her. There¡¯s always a few that turn out to like the power, or get twisted by the abuse. We¡¯d have to be very careful to ferret them out as we evacuated the Vermilion Palace.


    The west was a dead land now, completely empty of people as we¡¯d evacuated the scant population into our own territory. Life was already a little hard for us in our hidden villages, but turning away those in need simply wasn¡¯t an option, even if it meant everyone had to cinch their belts a little tighter to feed the extra mouths.


    Well, that was going to change soon.


    A small splash, and I could see the Vermilion Queen¡¯s waters had broken. Nodding to my fellow conspirators, we got to work right away. The woman screamed bloody murder as she gave birth, complaining all the while about how it hurt, and exclaiming that she¡¯d execute the soldiers who¡¯d knocked her up.


    Honestly. As if she hadn¡¯t done this yearly for the past three centuries or so. Even I wasn¡¯t this bad when Song was being born, and she¡¯d come a couple weeks early because we were on the run from a massacre. Plus she was my first. That was thirteen babies ago now, and I¡¯d long gotten over the fact that it hurt. Doubly so because smart cultivators learn how to reduce pain through meditation. I¡¯d gotten to the point where it wasn¡¯t uncommon for my labor to culminate in a few¡­ well, happy little pops, we¡¯ll say. Still hurt, but that pain wasn¡¯t some all-consuming tide.


    But this spoiled little bitch had to make it out as if every push would kill her, so we humored her whims, protected our hearing, and made sure to dodge the flares that came out from her while she whined and raged.


    Finally, a cry came out that wasn¡¯t hers. We presented her with a daughter, and she just ordered her to ¡°take care of it¡± while we returned to the Vermilion Palace.


    Finally. For a moment, I was ready to kill her here and now.

 Vermilion Palace

    The Vermilion Queen didn¡¯t really notice the lack of citizenry, or the strange absence of servants in her precious little palace. She just told us to take ¡°the brat¡± and leave her to her peace while she recovered from her arduous ordeal.


    Oh yes, you bitch. You broke a nail, how harrowing. Meanwhile I¡¯ve seen women with less than a thousandth of your cultivation give birth and go straight back to working because they were afraid of their families starving to death if they didn¡¯t give more than their all.


    Still, I let the others reach the escape tunnels, then Song took over and demanded I not go back to finish this until I¡¯d had my own child. I¡¯d argued that Xiang hadn¡¯t been stopped, but she countered that it was still a bad idea, especially if I broke through to Elder mid-fight.


    Personally I didn¡¯t see the problem, Guiyang was a total sweetheart, and I loved her curiosity and unusual approach to communicating. But Song was every bit as adamant as her namesake, and had a fiery temper to boot.


    So I relented, and stopped ignoring the contractions I¡¯d been having. Within an hour, Song¡¯s newest twin sisters were swaddled in her arms.


    Finally. I was annoyed that Xiang kept having multiples when I didn¡¯t. I knew it was a species difference, but still.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    I sighed. Song never took that tone unless she was annoyed with me.


    ¡°Yes, my darling girl?¡±


    ¡°Name your daughters before you risk your life. You owe it to them.¡±


    Ah, right. I mean, I wasn¡¯t going to risk myself that much, the Vermilion Queen would get to see firsthand how a real predator hunted their prey. But it was horrible luck not to name a child soon after it was born. Supposedly demons could inhabit those without names.


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    I didn¡¯t believe that, but it was rather rude to leave a baby unnamed.


    ¡°Hm¡­ How about Tora and Usagi?¡±


    ¡°Tiger and Rabbit? Try again mother.¡±


    Hmph. I thought they were cute names. But fine, anything to stop her glaring at me and have her leaving this area as fast as wagonloads of pregnant women could travel.


    ¡°Aki and Atsuko, then. Satisfied?¡±


    She nodded, then muttered about my stupid made-up language as she fled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not made up! It¡¯s the ancient language of all foxes, and you should put more energy into learning it!¡±


    No response that I could see or hear, but I decided to let her have the rude gesture I knew she gave me when she¡¯d turned the bend. I waited until the tunnels collapsed, signaling that everyone was clear. Then I stretched out, reached into my cultivation, and got to work.


    Scattered through the whole of the Vermilion Palace were thousands of tiny glass windchimes. The queen hated them, so had them declared a heretical artifact and destroyed any that she found.


    A lot of my best pieces got destroyed in the central lands, along with the very nice people I¡¯d sold them to. I¡¯d make her pay for every last one, with sharp intrest.


    It took a couple hours until the Vermilion Queen awoke, hungry after her nap and still groggy. She casually tossed flames at the chimes she could hear¡­ and they just resonated and became louder.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Did I bother you?¡± The chiming grew louder yet, and the queen got irate. Suddenly there was a blackened furnace where her opulent bedroom had been, lit by hundreds of glowing glass chimes. I kinda went overboard in there.


    ¡°Now now, mind your temper. Honestly, you lecture people on how they should behave and this is your choice when something mildly inconveniences you? I certainly don¡¯t let my children destroy property in a tantrum, so I can only imagine your own parents must have been ashamed. Well, before you killed them. Just guessing on that part, but I¡¯ve got the sense you like to get back at anyone who tries to discipline you.¡±


    More flames, turning walls of beautifully-carved white marble into molten glass and stone, surrounded by ash. Yet still, my beautiful chimes were unaffected. Even the glow was just my own qi coursing through them.


    ¡°Aww, poor little Vermilion Queen, can¡¯t get her way all the time. Don¡¯t worry, you can fight me all you want.¡±


    And now the chimes shattered, leaving thousands of tiny flames in countless hues across her palace.


    ¡°All you have to do is find me.¡±

 Fireworks

    The Vermilion Queen was enraged, and I was loving it. The bitch didn¡¯t know where to begin looking, and just threw fire everywhere to try and win my little game of hide and seek the ¡°easy¡± way. But all she heard for hours was my haunting laughter and taunting through every flame she found.


    She tried to get rid of them, but fire¡¯s kinda hard to put out with more fire, especially if you¡¯re just working through it instead of trying to exert power over it.


    Finally, I got tired of the game, and appeared before her exactly as I was. Seven tails, a flowing robe in my own preferred style instead of the gaudy overdone excuse for fashion she favored, fluffy ears¡­ and a mocking smirk on my lips.


    ¡°My my, how many priceless treasures have you destroyed in our little game? And even with all of that I had to come out of hiding on my own. You really are so horrible at finding people. Speaking of, where are your guards? Your soldiers? Your various ¡®courtesans?¡¯¡±


    She blinked, and realized I had been the only person she¡¯d directly spoken to¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t despair,¡± I said, using that same condescendingly sweet tone she had when we¡¯d duped her into taking enough of us in to organize an evacuation. ¡°Your pretty little pets are safe. Your soldiers though¡­ not so much. It¡¯s getting crowded in those hiding spaces we¡¯ve been using to stay out of your way while you and your friends squabble over the playground, so my friends are taking it back. Right this second.¡±


    She raged at that, and flew upward to attempt an escape through an upper window, only to find herself thrown to the floor as the fires rejected her.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Xiang was right. You really don¡¯t understand, do you?¡±


    The flames ignited, blowing the leftovers of the palace away in a wave of fox fire. Instantly, the Vermilion Queen stood before an eight-tailed fox in human form, piercing eyes looking down on her even as I stretched out my qi to check on the evacuees.


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    ¡°Ah, good. They¡¯re well out of range.¡± My smile sharpened. ¡°I¡¯m sure you remember what happened to your fat friend¡¯s little stone pustule when my friend Xiang killed him. We fully expect the same will happen to your little home. But I¡¯m done playing now. You¡¯re no fun at all.¡±


    The Vermilion Queen threw everything she had at me, a concentrated blast of fire qi that didn¡¯t so much as singe my clothes or hair. Just to prove my point, I actually stopped it dead an inch from myself, then scattered her miniature sun into thousands of littler ones. A whole galaxy of tiny fox fires, each every bit as hot and deadly as the one she¡¯d just tried to pierce my heart with.


    ¡°Beast! Abomination! I¡¯ll kill you, and bring perfect life to this world!¡±


    ¡°My my, what language! Sorry dear, but you don¡¯t have the capacity to understand the truths of perfection, or the reality of the true living flame. Sadly, all I can do is free the world of the one slowly killing it because she can¡¯t see true beauty when she looks upon it.¡±


    The midnight sky burst into light, as each tiny little foxfire star crashed into the Vermilion Queen and went nova inside her. A blast of light or heat the likes of which I would never want any mortal being to be anywhere near evaporated the bitch, and bathed me in so much qi that even I could barely handle the overload.


    And that was nothing compared to the volcano that erupted under the ruins of the Vermilion Palace. The caldera was so vast that you couldn¡¯t see one end of it from the other, and it didn¡¯t so much burst forth as¡­ well, ooze.


    Still, it did a lot to disperse the fire qi that had been hoarded over the centuries, so the land would recover.


    Cough.


    Well, at least the soot and toxic gasses wouldn¡¯t spread as far as a natural volcano¡¯s would. I should probably get out of here.


    I flew to the refugee caravan, and landed safely in the foremost cart. Everyone stared at me in utter shock, while Song glared at me again.


    ¡°What? We all knew the bitch was going down.¡±


    My daughter merely sighed.


    ¡°Mother, the way you destroyed the Vermilion queen was ridiculously flashy, and speaking of flashing, did you even notice your favorite robes were vaporized when you stood right next to an atomic detonation?¡±


    I wanted to ask where she¡¯d learned the words atomic detonation, but realized she was right.


    ¡°Well, nothing any of us haven¡¯t seen before, and I need to feed your sisters anyway.¡±


    And so we went, returning to the northlands.

 Feast Day

    Mmm. Milled oat porridge. Everyone was feeling generous with food stores now that we¡¯d chased the armies of the Dragon and Tiger Kings out of the northlands, and wiped out the Vermilion Queen¡¯s remaining army.


    Wasn¡¯t that great a plan, we still had to rebuild and it¡¯d take a year or two before we¡¯d have steady food supplies for everyone again. But a day of feasting and celebration after so long a time spent fighting to survive was needed, so we let it happen.


    I stuffed another pork sausage into my mouth. I¡¯d gotten used to human food over the years, since I always needed to feed baby half-buns extra protein to make sure they were born healthy, and I was almost as addicted to being pregnant as Kaoru was.


    Honestly, I think having Song during the massacre warped her a little. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much I could do to help her work through any lingering trauma, so I just tried to remind her that popping out babies wasn¡¯t a competition. I¡¯m not sure she believes me.


    I glanced over to where our kids were eating with the Vermilion Palace refugees, most of them dead-eyed and a little lost, or else whining about the simple meal and lackluster portions. I gave little Song a warning glance before she mouthed off about the reality of the situation. She¡¯s a sweet girl, but about as patient with her mother¡¯s antics as her namesake was. As a result, she¡¯s a bit short about anything she disapproves of, especially if it involves Kaoru playing a prank or doing something she perceives as stupid in the vast depths of her fourteen-year-old wisdom.


    Me, I¡¯m just glad the cooks aren¡¯t serving us any rabbit meat. I might¡¯ve gotten used to an omnivorous diet, but I drew the line at cannibalism. And while none of my children had expressed any physical rabbit characteristics, they were still half-bun in nature and needed to consider the corruptive nature of eating your own kind.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re holding a feast?!¡±


    Ah, there we go. Innocent remark from one of my younger kids, who was just happy to get a full bowl of oat porridge with honey and milk today, plus the announcement that he¡¯d be given a full lunch, dinner, and afternoon snack besides. Children were at the very top of our priority list for who got fed, but even they only received two meals a day most of the time, and half their current portion.


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    ¡°We have been through hard times of late, madam. I am afraid that our current standard of living is far from properly hospitable, and I do apologize. But please, do enjoy your breakfast. We were served my personal favorites today.¡±


    It was true. The oat porridge was very much a personal favorite, and I actually ate mine completely plain, when I got food at all. But someone snuck some ground cassia bark and a touch of cane syrup in, adding depth and spice.


    Fine. This was better. But those were hard to come by in our lands, harder still in the deep mountains. I rarely indulged, even when I had porridge to put it in.


    Served alongside the porridge was a generous helping of fried eggs, several very nice links of pork sausage, and miso soup made with a mushroom broth. We even had fresh milk to drink, still warm from the goats.


    Nothing like the sumptuous meals the Four Kings held every hour, though.


    Some of the more imperious women turned their noses up, but others felt their hunger and remembered the children they were carrying, and ate up. And started eating faster when they realized it was actually good fare, even if it was a lot rougher than they were used to.


    Which encouraged the spoiled birds to eat. I finished my meal, and started to clean up my dishes. I had students to train.


    We traveled out to the Song Monastery¡¯s valley. The monastery itself was being rebuilt now, along with hundreds of towns and villages across the north. The folk of the west lamented the loss of their own homes, but admitted it was easier to exist out here, and that trying to survive near the caldera of an erupting supervolcano was¡­ unlikely to result in an extended lifespan. Though a few fire cultivators went there for a time to study the qi. Never for long though, the atmosphere was too full of poisonous things to be safe for anyone.


    But here in the valley, the qi levels were returning to the concentration they¡¯d had before the Tortoise King attacked. Birdsong was everywhere, and I saw one of my distant cousins get snagged by a hawk. Nature was healing.


    There were about a dozen students in today¡¯s group. I never took on more than twenty, since I preferred to give each individual some personal attention. They sat in a circle, and we began to meditate.


    ¡°All right. Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s lesson.¡±

 Cultivation Lesson

    ¡°Alright. Can anyone tell me how many elements there are?¡±


    ¡°Five, Elder.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°An answer, even a correct one. But not the correct answer. Anyone care to explain why?¡±


    A hand raised¡­ and it was Kaoru¡¯s second daughter. What was her name again?


    ¡°Chiaki?¡±


    She smiled, and I fought to hide my relief.


    ¡°Because the definition of ¡®elements¡¯ varies. Most cultivators follow the five elements, because it is what we have all been taught and how we express our understanding of qi through affinities. But in some distant lands, people believe that there are only four elements: fire, earth, water, and air, held together by a binding force known as aether. Still others look to particle substances, and separate them out into dozens of elements with unique properties. Some even argue that there are innumerable elements, and that every particle is different.¡±


    ¡°Interesting views, Chiaki. But for the purposes of cultivation, how many elements are there?¡±


    Smug little girl obviously knew the answer, but that only served my purpose for this.


    ¡°None, Elder Xiang. All of the so-called elements are merely aspects of how cultivators express themselves through qi. Even some of the names are a misnomer, with wood referring to most forms of life, earth often including living soil as well as all forms of rock, and gold actually referring to all forms of metal and any energy that isn¡¯t identified as fire. There are as many possibilities of expressing one¡¯s qi as there are individuals, so trying to categorize them in any way leads to mislabeling, and trying to use such broad and all-encompassing terms as ¡®elements¡¯ is futile. Plus, it limits your thinking pretty harshly.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Definitely your mother¡¯s daughter. Talky.¡±


    She made a face at me as I smirked.


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    ¡°Young Expert Chiaki is right, for all she should be playing with dolls and makeup at her age.¡± A few sniggers, but even my victim took it in easy stride. ¡°To cultivate is to gather qi, and to reach Mastery is to not only gather a massive amount, but to master using qi on every level. Physical, mental, spiritual. Hit the right point, and you stop being a receptacle of qi and simply use the stuff. Hence the fancy light show when people hit Master rank.¡±


    Another hand raised.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t our enemies do that? Does it mean they aren¡¯t actually Masters?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°A good question. Keep your hand down Chiaki, let other people figure it out.¡±


    More sniggers, and the little fox-girl rolled her eyes. A lot of Kaoru¡¯s daughters inherited fox traits for some reason. Another student raised their hand.


    ¡°Yes, Chang?¡±


    My own son stood to give his answer. He was growing up to be quite handsome, for all he was embarrassed about his hair color. Personally, I thought the red-tipped pink was quite dashing on him, and certainly his twin never complained.


    ¡°Mastery has levels. One can gather enough qi to become a Master cultivator without reaching full enlightenment on the nature of qi. Most will simply enhance their bodies or learn to control qi to a high extent, never discovering that true mastery requires both. Once an Expert or Master has developed to the point where they have developed both strength and fine control, they reach the stage of enlightenment where their qi stops being a part of them, and they become a part of qi. This stage is accompanied by a massive surge of qi around oneself as they reach an equilibrium with their surroundings. At that point in time, qi concentration is so high that it becomes plainly visible.¡±


    I nodded ¡°Very good Chang. You¡¯re definitely smarter than your poor mother. I¡¯d blame your father, but¡­ well¡­¡± A chorus of laughs, all at my expense. People told stories of my early years all the time as legends these days, and Kaoru made sure our first night out in Rivermill was a popular tale.


    To be fair, I made sure to tack on that I¡¯d been the only one who wasn¡¯t drunk at the time.


    ¡°Yes, the forces of the Heavenly Kings never grasp the full enlightenment of Mastery, because the Kings themselves cannot grasp the true nature of qi as it relates to them. But they aren¡¯t any less dangerous for it, and this is why we fight them. Their hoarding of qi and inability to let it circulate back into the world like it should is literally draining the planet of life. Qi is life, the very energy we use to exist. No qi, no life, no hope. Now, we¡¯ll get back to meditation in a bit. But now¡­¡±


    Mistress Fu and a squad of children came over, carrying baskets of bread, cheese, fruit, and cured sausage.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch. This is a feast day, after all!¡±

 Elder vs. Elder

    After lunch, we spent some time meditating, then set up to spar for a bit. We¡¯d mix things up, two-on-two one day, or one versus one another time.


    Today though, we did my favorite. The whole class against me.


    They went all-out, because they honestly had to. I dodged, attacked, struck out, and knocked everyone on their backs in waves. The point wasn¡¯t to beat me so much as to delay a stronger opponent, and this training had saved a lot of lives during the counteroffensive.


    Of course, for me this was just amusement as I played a slightly rough game of tag against a class of opponents.


    Then Kaoru nearly hit me from behind.


    ¡°Alright class, free-for-all amongst yourselves. Don¡¯t kill each other.¡±


    I grinned ferally, and Kaoru matched me fang for fang. We hadn¡¯t sparred in ages, and were finally both on par with each other and not currently pregnant.


    Go time.


    I closed fast, kicking out into open air as Kaoru¡¯s illusion disappated into smoke. But I¡¯d expected that, and was already tumbling forward under her fireball.


    ¡°Whoo. Those are getting warm. Mind your strength Kaoru, we don¡¯t want to demolish the monastery before it¡¯s even rebuilt.¡±


    Kaoru just smiled, and fox fire converged on me from all directions. The same trick she¡¯d used to end the Vermilion Queen, except I wasn¡¯t some pampered loon. I absorbed what I couldn¡¯t dodge, shielded a few with a water barrier, then stuffed a fireball of my own up Kaoru¡¯s tails.


    Hey, just because I prefer earth and wood doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t or don¡¯t use other elements. Just like the morning¡¯s lesson demonstrated, the whole idea of elements was a trap, a handy crutch at lower levels you needed to open your mind and discard as you attained Mastery.


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    Dodge here, flip there, let Kaoru take revenge for her dignity with a light branding on my right cheek, close on her real location¡­ whoops.


    Kaoru lay on her back in the dirt, a sizable crater surrounding her. She was mostly fine, just had the wind knocked out of her.


    ¡°So¡­ uh¡­ How does it feel to be the Tortoise King?¡±


    She laughed, coughing a little as her breathing reset.


    ¡°It hurts, you little murderbun. But fortunately, I¡¯m nowhere near as fragile as he was. I concede this match.¡±


    Applause as everyone cheered for the match we¡¯d just displayed, then a brief rumble as I knocked them all on their backs.


    ¡°Forgot you were in a fight? That won¡¯t go well against an enemy. Back to it, you lot.¡±


    Kaoru laughed more fully as she took my hand, getting to her feet.


    ¡°You really are so mean to your students.¡±


    ¡°Gotta be, when I¡¯m teaching them to fight. I can be nice when I teach them to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard. Talky?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Exactly how long did you spend toying with the Vermilion Queen again?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how I fight.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Talky. I prefer getting straight to the hitting part.¡±


    A bemused laugh, and a small basalt pillar shaking Chang off-balance and forcing him to stop focusing on his mother and her best friend trash-talking one another.


    ¡°Yes, watching you play volleyball with a 2,000-pound orb of pus was amusing. Seeing what happened when he went splat¡­ not so much. And you could¡¯ve warned us about the tree.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t realize it¡¯d happen until it did. We know now, though I thought the Vermilion Palace would have fire going up, not down. And what was that I heard from little Song about being ground zero of a nuclear explosion before spending half an hour staring at the caldera, then coming back stark naked?¡±


    ¡°Alright class, I think that¡¯s enough sparring for today. Help Master Zhong with the rebuilding efforts until dinner, and feel free to have one of the smallbreads provided while you work.¡± Li approached, interrupting our banter. I came in and kissed him, half-tempted to drag him off and start mating again. He was quite charming when he put on the leadership mantle.


    ¡°Xiang, Chen and Song need your help with the Vermilion Palace refugees. Could you please help the poor girls?¡±


    I pouted a little, but only in play. There was work to be done, we could save the grown-up fun stuff for nightfall.

 Bath Time

    ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡±


    I sighed, and physically picked up the most recalcitrant of the Vermilion Queen¡¯s former pets.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill pregnant women. Can¡¯t leave anyone in the Vermilion Palace behind, no matter how unpleasant. Their unborn children are still innocent. Why do you insist on making me reconsider that condition?¡±


    That last line came out in a sharp enough tone that the children flinched. As about half of them were mine, they recognized the ¡°Mom¡¯s done being nice¡± voice, and the rest all knew it from when their own mother used it.


    They honestly looked more afraid. Kaoru got¡­ creative¡­ when angered. Be grateful it doesn¡¯t happen often.


    ¡°You would have me discard my clothing, in front of everyone no less, and wear¡­ this?!¡±


    Grr. Again with the human hangups about clothing. I get the need for extra protection from the environment, but you treat every damned moment you have to be even moderately exposed in public as some big deal. I just don¡¯t understand that. But I had a solution.


    ¡°Chen, I need to handle these¡­ ladies¡­ dirty clothes before dinner. They are simply filthy after a week of hard wear, much of it in dust and dirt. Complain about that madam, and I¡¯ll toss you back myself. You¡¯ll find it uncomfortably warm and hard to breathe. Chen, the laundry tub please.¡±


    With that, I started undressing. Scandalous and horrible, naked flesh on display. Whatever. Privacy to change was a luxury we were a bit short on, and I was sweaty and filthy from training, even for how little exertion I¡¯d actually performed.


    The refugees just looked at me in shock.


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    ¡°Disrobe, please. Your clothes are filthy, and you either get to have them washed while we all bathe or you get them torn off you before I scrub you down like my toddlers. And no matter how much you whine, we can¡¯t give you what we don¡¯t have. Now strip.¡±


    The more timid women followed orders, a little terrified. I followed through on my threat by taking the haughtiest bitch in the group and tearing the fancy silk dress off her in an instant. Wasn¡¯t even hard, the thing was so dirty it was starting to decay. Then I dragged the self-same woman into the bathhouse and gestured for the others to follow me as I showed them how to scrub themselves down and rinse off before tossing the head bitch into the tub with a splash. She came up sputtering and floundering.


    ¡°Oh relax, it¡¯s shallow water. Stand up and you won¡¯t drown. Better yet, sit on the bench and shut up.¡±


    The others fell into line, even the ones who¡¯d been recalcitrant before. I hated having to use such a technique on most of them, but we hadn¡¯t had the time to separate out the women who needed gentle handling from the ones who needed a slap in the face. They would all be better for being clean, and I wanted them scrubbed up before dinner.


    Fortunately, most of them settled in as they got a chance to soak, and I explained how things would be.


    ¡°First off, yes. You¡¯re going to suffer a severe dip in quality of life. Deal with it, because you¡¯re getting our best and what your used to came from the suffering of others. Second, we won¡¯t be expecting you to mate with every male presented to you. And if any tries and you don¡¯t want them to, let me know so I can geld them. I¡¯m not kidding. I¡¯ve done so to those who¡¯ve made women suffer. However-¡±


    I paused, making sure I had the eye of everyone in the room.


    ¡°This also means that men won¡¯t be serving you hand and foot while they hope for your mistress to give them permission to rape you. You¡¯ll have to learn to work. It won¡¯t kill you, and you might even come to enjoy it. But ask any one of the children I¡¯ve had looking after you lot. I can and have made those who haven¡¯t been doing what they can to make life easier around here miserable. I¡¯m a lot nicer than the Vermilion Queen, but my patience has limits.¡±


    ¡°Now. Come outside, and I¡¯ll show you how to do laundry. Don¡¯t bother getting dressed yet, we¡¯re about to get soaked again.¡±


    I walked out, not bothering to watch who followed me to the laundry troughs. And yes, I was completely nude as I did so.

 Celebration

    The laundry wasn¡¯t all that overwhelming, and I took the usual ribbing from the other people doing theirs as I scrubbed up. I might prefer doing laundry naked, but I was a little unique in those regards, and there were plenty who noted I often ¡°leaked¡± into the washing trough.


    Honestly, a few drops of milk and everyone thinks they have to start over.


    The Vermilion Palace refugees just did what they were told, even the ones who clearly didn¡¯t like being forced to, and hated me for making them. I could handle that, I knew full well why I wasn¡¯t allowed to train anyone below Expert rank anymore.


    Honestly, you¡¯d think Li didn¡¯t appreciate my dedication to a healthy diet and light exercise. Worked well enough that the girls were happy to wear anything at all, even the simple robes and leggings we all had to wear most days. Personally, I thought they were rather nice. Comfortable, colorful enough, and adjustable to a wide variety of shapes and sizes. A trick the tailors and seamstresses had picked up over the years, since Kaoru and I were far from the only ones to lose ourselves in mating, then ¡°forget¡± contraception or early-stage abortatives.


    It was a point of defiance among the rebellion, a way of saying we refused to give up hope for the future just because the present times were hard. And since pretty much everyone was a cultivator of some level or another, the usual strains and health issues were minimized.


    Which reminded me¡­


    Picking up a bottle of vile-looking fluid and removing the stopper, I tracked down Kaoru and shoved it down her throat. The neck cracked when she bit down on it in surprise, but held. One of her own pieces, and the glass on those was unusually sturdy thanks to her imbuing everything with qi subconsciously.


    After choking and sputtering on the medicine (which I can assure you, smelled worse than it looked and tasted worse than it smelled), Kaoru removed the bottle herself and glared at me.


    ¡°What in the Vermilion Caldera was that about?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


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    She blinked, but didn¡¯t deny it. We couldn¡¯t hide those details from each other, especially when sparring.


    I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve warned you, Kaoru. You need to give yourself more time between kids. Even at our level, our bodies can only recover so much so fast, and our cultivation being diverted to grow a new life inside of ourselves takes some of that healing factor away. That nasty little concoction boosts qi reserves, enhances absorption, and includes a lot of vital nutrients your body is short on. Should also balance out your metabolism, but I want you to rest this time. Three months, bare minimum. A year would be better. Even that Vermilion bitch knew better than to go straight from birth to conception.¡±


    Kaoru sighed, then nodded. ¡°I hate feeling so¡­ empty¡­ though.¡±


    I gave her a hug. ¡°Children are a miracle and a blessing, but simply keeping yourself full of them isn¡¯t going to fill the empty places you¡¯re talking about. Get some rest after these three, and try to find out just what¡¯s making you hurt so much.¡±


    Kaoru nodded again, then we headed to the main square together.


    Meals could be had in private, but a celebration like this was a community event. Everyone made something they loved, and we brought it all together in one big feast. Music played, people danced everywhere, and I could sense the kinds of activities that would bring even more women to me in just a few short weeks.


    Fu¡¯s daughter had retired as village headwoman and midwife, leaving Kaoru to the administration and me to overseeing the health of¡­ Xiangli village.


    Why did they have to name it after us? The settlement had existed long before we did, and I didn¡¯t want that recognition. Li just smirked about it, and made fun of my overinflated ego. I¡¯d kicked him, but in bun form. He¡¯d just laughed again. Hard to make him truly suffer anymore.


    But enough brooding. This was a party, and I fully intended to enjoy myself. Starting by tracking down my punching bag and dancing with him. He obliged, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Some of the refugees from the Vermilion lands were also dancing, and I was glad that there were a few who hadn¡¯t either been overly spoiled or so deeply traumatized that they couldn¡¯t so much as look at other people.


    Some of both were hanging about, either eating quietly or quietly complaining about the food not being sophisticated enough. Well, little progress.


    The night wound down, and I had my happy grown-up fun time with Li. But I restrained myself, both for the same reasons I¡¯d given Kaoru¡­ and because I had work to do.


    The Dragon and Tiger wouldn¡¯t notice a harmless little bunny spying on their lands. And that was how I¡¯d learn what they were up to.

 Enemy Conditions

    The eastern lands were about what I expected. Broad plains, vast ocean views where the land met the coast, the Dragon King¡¯s island stronghold, known as the Azure Citadel, lots of serf labor forbidden from doing anything but working themselves to death for bare subsistence. The Dragon King was known mostly for his militant doctrine. He¡¯d raise up the greatest warriors he possibly could, then slaughter them at the peak of their ability in the hope that they could make him just the tiniest bit stronger.


    Wasteful. And stupid. Li would have a blast owning his posterior, when the time came.


    The southern lands, where the Tiger King reigned¡­ well, that was a lot scarier. Even for the qi-draining methods of the Four Heavenly Kings, the south was particularly dead. People¡­ well, there weren¡¯t any. Even the animals were few and far between, and I could feel a small tug on my own qi as the land itself was slowly draining it. Plant life was extant, but stunted and twisted as it struggled to draw enough from the land to survive.


    The White City seemed to thrive, but I dared not get too close. There were no animals in the city, merely people.


    And every one of them wore a distinct black collar.


    That hurt. I knew I couldn¡¯t save everyone, but I could tell that those collars were directly tied to the Tiger King¡¯s qi, and exactly what he was planning to do with them.


    Truly, he was the most monstrous out of the four. Especially since I knew something about him the other three kings hadn¡¯t. But that was a secret I¡¯d keep until I took him down. It¡¯d have to be me against him, I don¡¯t think anyone else could pull the necessary trick to eliminate the Tiger King, if my suspicions were right, and trying to kill him while the Dragon King yet lived wouldn¡¯t work.


    After all, I¡¯d seen that black collar on the Dragon King when I¡¯d chased the two off last month. I don¡¯t think the arrogant fool even realized it was on him, or what it signified. I did, but I wasn¡¯t about to help my enemies. And we had to consolidate what we had before we could make a move on these two.


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    So I quietly hopped back to the north, and took some nice deep gulps of mostly-restored qi. Another reason to avoid being pregnant while scouting, the drain was pretty bad these days, even just in the east. I shifted to human again, grabbing a pack I¡¯d left in a cache the previous week when I¡¯d started and drawing out another bottle of that nasty restoration potion I¡¯d shoved down Kaoru¡¯s throat. I needed it after my experiences in the south, plus I was about to go against my own advice and knock myself up. My own metabolism wasn¡¯t quite as drained as Kaoru¡¯s, but I¡¯d had enough twins to about match her for total number of children and had learned a few tricks on cultivation I didn¡¯t dare reveal to the baby-crazy fox.


    She wouldn¡¯t be the only one having triplets this time.


    I also felt a few awakened creatures on my way home, and called to them with a thread of qi. It was an interesting bunch, with a few mice, a couple of cats, and a very confused mole among those who¡¯d reached the Novice rank and would have to be trained. Human cultivators are far more common simply because they can make the conscious choice to begin the process during their lives, but just about any animal could awaken under the right circumstances, and several had over the years as the qi levels began to surge, then normalize.


    Oddest cultivator I¡¯d ever met was a queen bee. She¡¯d been quite distressed about the whole ordeal, and chose to keep her native shape instead of trying to join a human society. Since we didn¡¯t have that whole ¡°non-human cultivators are abominations¡± thing going on, it worked out pretty well. Her colony¡¯s honey is some of the best I¡¯ve ever tasted, and even those born human will agree.


    But that was yesterday. Today, I¡¯m satiated, pregnant, and feeding my youngest to make up for lost time. Probably the only thing I regret about this rebellion, I¡¯ve never had as much of a chance to be a part of my children¡¯s lives as I¡¯d like. So much time spent preparing for this or that, or working ourselves to the bone just to eke out a meager living. So I was going to get some playtime in today, just after I checked on all the expecting mothers, and the new batch that would just be finding out that their mating on the feast day had succeeded.


    Walking into my clinic¡­ I frowned pretty hard upon seeing two teenage girls with rather sheepish expressions. I stuck my arm out the door and pulled in Kaoru, who¡¯d been rather conveniently passing by.


    ¡°Alright, you two. Now that your mothers are here¡­ explain.¡±

 History Repeats

    ¡°I rather thought it¡¯d be-¡±


    Song flinched at her mother¡¯s glare. She might come off as more mature, but she was just imitating Kaoru at her most imperious.


    ¡°No snark, young lady. No excuses. I know you¡¯re pregnant. I can even figure out when and where, and have my suspicions on the father¡­ though really, do you two have to share everything?¡±


    I blinked at that one, then checked. Huh. Yeah, their children were half-siblings, by a young soldier they both had a crush on for years now.


    ¡°He¡¯s a nice enough boy-¡± My turn to glare, and Chen¡¯s to flinch down.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. The point is that you¡¯re both fourteen years of age. Nearly fifteen, yes, but still. You haven¡¯t hit full mental, emotional, or even physical maturity, for all your bodies are capable of reproduction. Your mothers taught you better, and were quite blunt and explicit in your sexual education, including noting that their own actions were a very bad example.¡±


    A deep breath in.


    ¡°So tell me. Why did you think this was a good idea?¡±


    Song and Chen looked at each other, and the guilt on their faces said all.


    ¡°Exactly. At best, you thought you could trap a boy you liked by being the mother of his children. And that alone is a bad plan that we both taught you, in detail, the flaws of. More likely, you weren¡¯t thinking at all, and now have to deal with the consequences of that inattention.¡±


    I turned, and grabbed a pair of bottles off the shelf. Song nearly cried out, but Chen just started silently crying. She knew my apothecary, and those weren¡¯t the ¡°I¡¯m not ready for a baby¡± potions.


    ¡°Drink these. They look, smell, and taste horrible, but will make up for your relatively immature bodies having to go through this. I¡¯m just grateful to my Mistress that you¡¯re both Expert rank cultivators, this is going to be rough enough on you both.¡±


    Said Mistress¡¯s namesake paled in shock, realizing what was about to happen.


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    ¡°You¡¯re not ready for this. Either of you. But you¡¯ll get my full support through the entire process and will give birth to happy, healthy babies who will share your mothers¡¯ animal characteristics. The consequences suck, but you¡¯ll learn to consider the consequences of mating by dealing with them first-hand. Congratulations, Kaoru. We¡¯re going to be grandmothers.¡±


    Kaoru was crying silently as well, but kept her composure. ¡°I¡¯m way too young for this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fox. If you weren¡¯t a cultivator, you¡¯d already be a great-great-grandmother, and long dead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not old enough for my baby to be having a baby!¡±


    I shook my head at my friend¡¯s mild histrionics. ¡°Believe it or not, she reacted about the same way when we found out you two were coming.¡±


    A brief sob from Song, but both girls smiled a little.


    ¡°You¡¯ll still be expected to help out, but I¡¯ve told you already what to expect from your cultivations. It¡¯s easier at the Master stage, since you aren¡¯t relying on an internal qi source, but I¡¯m forbidding you both from taking that step until you¡¯ve given birth.¡±


    They nodded. ¡°Guiyang will be thrilled to be an aunt. She¡¯ll have the whole village knowing when she finds out.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°And aren¡¯t you lucky to have an understanding and accepting village where every adult watches over and helps to raise every child? Believe me, single motherhood is a rough prospect, no matter the species. I¡¯ve lost more than a few kits to my inexperience and inattention, back in the day.


    Chen sniffed. ¡°Dad¡¯s really good at being there.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t always, but I beat most of the arrogance out of him a long time ago. Now he¡¯s only egotistical about what he¡¯s actually good at.¡±


    More genuine laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m just grateful Zhong was an idiot who thought mating with a fox-girl was some sort of exotic jackpot. He¡¯s too scared of me leaving him to let go.¡±


    ¡°More like you keep his package so tightly secured that he doesn¡¯t even realize how much you¡¯re using him. Now head off, you two. It¡¯s time to tell your baby-daddy the good news, and I¡¯ve got other pregnancies to confirm and check on. Kaoru, go with them please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elder. As you desire, Elder.¡±


    She bowed, continuing to mock me as she led our daughters to face the music.


    Well, that was an unpleasant surprise. But it wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯d had a teenager come to me with such an issue, just the first time it was one of my own. Statistically, it probably wouldn¡¯t even be the last. Getting more than stern about it would just mean they avoided me until they were in serious trouble.


    Still, I hoped those two learned their lesson. Kaoru and I were a bad example to follow.

 Maternal Love

    There were a few other teens coming in that day, and each time I found their legal guardian. Some got the same treatment Song and Chen did, others were given the choice of termination. Nearly all took it, admitting that they just couldn¡¯t deal with raising a child. We had options, and I gave them out, but I was personally grateful that I had abortatives that worked a couple of weeks after fertilization without being dangerously toxic to a non-cultivator.


    Past that, it was pretty much the point of no return for us. Best I could do was a surgical removal of the embryo, and the trauma and damage of that tended to be immense. Plus there was the very high chance of qi haemorrhaging, with was guaranteed fatal. Not risking it, thank you.


    The Vermilion Palace refugees were all in good condition, though none of them had the benefits of cultivation. I force-fed each of them my little nutrient potion, then gave each of them a comprehensive lesson on mating, birth control, and the importance of consent. I wasn¡¯t surprised that the lot of them were utterly ignorant on what we taught our children before they reached puberty. Beyond the usual human hangups, the Vermilion Queen liked to keep her people ignorant about baby-making, simply forbidding the act unless she personally allowed it.


    Often while she got to watch.


    Guiying did, in fact, scream in delight that her oldest (human) sister was having a baby, and the whole village smiled a little when they heard, even if a few shook their heads at the impropriety of it all. I didn¡¯t care, they were my daughters and I loved them both for who they were. The young soldier¡­ ultimately decided to move to Rivermill for a few years. He wasn¡¯t running away, he assured both Li and myself, he just wanted some time to work out how he felt¡­ and to give the girls some time to grow up properly. He wasn¡¯t sure he could keep his hands off them otherwise.


    I respected that, and we let him vanish without the village knowing his whereabouts. Chen and Song were heartbroken, but I assured them that he was just out on assignment, and we didn¡¯t want the two following him while he worked on making a decision.


    They were still heartbroken, but they accepted. And life went on with them as it does for any expecting mother, no matter how old or young.


    The villages of the north were rebuilt, some of them becoming towns or even cities as people flocked to new lands where they could work, eat, and have enough breathing room to live. Xiangli Village collapsed a little, but we shrugged it off, moved away from each other a little, and tore down the buildings we didn¡¯t need so their wood could be used on other projects. Those who stayed were generally the sort who preferred quiet village life anyway.


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    Kaoru and I were among them, along with our families¡­ and surprisingly, all of the Vermilion Queen¡¯s ladies. I expected the traumatized ones to stay behind, noise and crowds would only make them edgy, but even the pampered ones did. After they¡¯d gotten past the fact that life was never going to be an opulent and lazy existence for them again, they seemed to find some satisfaction in various tasks around the village. One took up spinning and weaving, becoming the best seamstress in the entire village and coming up with all sorts of new fashions. Another took to cooking, making wonderful new dishes all the time and finding joy in the simpler ingredients we had available.


    One, the most spoiled of the bunch that I¡¯d had to manhandle, forcibly strip, and publicly bathe like a child, took to breeding rabbits for their meat and fur. As a way of getting back at me, I¡¯m sure, but I don¡¯t mind. Came to terms with the whole ¡°you come from a species everyone eats¡± a long time ago, and told her as much. Even pointed out to the cooking lady that my only real line was cannibalism, so nothing anyone in my family ate could have rabbit in it. She got it, and made sure any meals we received followed that dietary limitation.


    ¡°Mom¡­ how many am I carrying?¡±


    Chen was waddling a bit, despite being only four months along. Partly from still only being a little under 5¡¯ tall, I¡¯ll admit, but¡­


    ¡°Triplets. Surprise!¡±


    She groaned, and flopped indignantly onto the clinic bench. ¡°Tell me Song¡¯s in the same boat.¡±


    ¡°She is, but you don¡¯t get to tell her. She has to ask her mother or myself. Honestly surprised me in her case, though not so much yours. Comes from being a half-bun, we tend toward having multiples already.¡± I rubbed my own extra-heavy belly.


    ¡°You never go above two, though.¡±


    ¡°I am this time, though admittedly on purpose. Little trick I figured out, and I won¡¯t be teaching anyone how to do it so don¡¯t even ask. Better yet, don¡¯t ever admit you know the trick exists, especially around Kaoru. Her current three are pushing her system to the limit.¡±


    Chen nodded, solemnly. Kaoru had needed one of my booster potions every month since she¡¯d conceived, and would be needing them every week soon enough.


    I just hoped she wouldn¡¯t be needing them daily by the end. I didn¡¯t want to lose her, especially to something as stupid as having too many children.

 By the Hearth

    I rubbed my hands over my belly, aching a little. Really, it was a bit unfair of Aunt Xiang to force us to carry to term, even if there were no right or good choices in the situation.


    A kick, then two others in different spots. Ow. Doubly so because she¡¯d have known we were carrying triplets at that first examination. Her qi senses are absurd.


    I was doing what I could around the house at this point, looking after my younger siblings and cooking up as many rabbit dishes as I could in frustration. Chen would drop by with her twin, and we¡¯d read and talk, sometimes handle some of the clothes that needed mending. I could almost throttle her sometimes, being able to at least get around the village when I could hardly move. Stupid tiny mother passing on her size impediment.


    Well, there were upsides to Chen having that foot of extra breathing space on her frame. She was able to visit from time to time, letting us¡­ relieve some frustrations. Seriously, why do you want to mate so much while you¡¯re pregnant? It feels a bit redundant.


    We were also under orders to cultivate as much as possible, even if we were forbidden from doing so in a way that would let us break through and advance our cultivation. I¡¯d inherited mother¡¯s fire affinity, and Chen had a strong affinity for wood, so the domestic chores helped. Not that I hadn¡¯t spent a few nights stripping down and meditating in the fireplace¡­


    Speaking of my mother¡­ I was pretty deeply worried about her. I¡¯d always had to help out with household chores, but even at her most flighty... mom helped.


    She was bedridden now, taking those vile potions once a week and needing vast amounts of food to keep functioning. And I couldn¡¯t even deliver it to her, because they¡¯d had to put her bed in the pottery kiln. I could only imagine how little she was getting out of it from my own issues, and could only lean hard on Chiaki and warn her not to be next, no matter how much she wanted to mate, or how convinced she was that she was in love with Chang.


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    She blushed, stammered, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood to beat around the bush. I¡¯d been forced into this as an object lesson, I might as well pass the lesson along.


    It had been about seven months now, and the news I got was that things were settling down outside. Farms across the northlands had started their first planting in years, for all the effort it had taken over the winter to build shelter and put battlefields to rights. Herds of cattle and sheep were being raised near Rivermill, and vast fields of wheat, barley, rye, and oats.


    I could practically taste the bread already.


    Closer to home, the surrounding mountains and forests¡­ well, more meadow than forest these days, though Aunt Xiang had plans to fix that when she could. But they were a lot livelier than almost anyone I¡¯d talked to ever remembered them being, and with the diaspora of population now that we didn¡¯t have to hide we found ourselves able to eat a lot better than we had in years.


    Which was good, because mother wasn¡¯t the only one who needed near-constant snacking to feed what she¡¯d done to herself. I had nightmares about these three eating their way out of my stomach sometimes, and it was highly unpleasant to think about. Aunt Xiang and Chen were lucky, the wood element fed them far better.


    I¡­ really should¡¯ve mentioned that wood was the element I still needed to cultivate to Aunt Xiang. Felt like I couldn¡¯t get enough fuel no matter how much flame I drew in, and my energy was leaving me a lot faster every day. I¡¯d known qi cultivation was stunted by pregnancy, as the energy you took in was redirected to help build a new life instead of merely sustaining your own¡­ but it¡¯s one thing to know something in theory, and another to experience it first-hand, with triple the standard detriment.


    Another series of kicks, followed by a surge of hunger and feeling very drained. I grabbed a haunch of bunny, pulled off the loose robe I¡¯d started wearing in lieu of actual clothes, then stoked the fire up.


    Time to do this all over again.

 Chens Perspective

    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    I started swearing, loudly and with a great deal of variety.


    ¡°That¡¯s no way to speak to your children, Chen.¡±


    ¡°Then they shouldn¡¯t kick like they¡¯re aiming to break out!¡±


    Mom just smiled, shook her head, and got back to work. She¡¯d told me it was normal enough the first time I¡¯d complained, and that Chang and I had been about as lively. Of course, I caught her wincing every now and again, but she was apparently fairly used to it.


    Couldn¡¯t even imagine how much experience she had, since she didn¡¯t exactly keep track of her pregnancies before awakening. Rabbits were notoriously prolific, and mom had lived to middle-age as one. Weirded me out sometimes, thinking what the hunters brought in might be a distant relative, but mom assured me that her descendants had pretty much been wiped in the area.


    Though I rather agreed with her ban on rabbit meat at our table. Even the thought that it was my best friend¡¯s personal favorite made me a little uncomfortable¡­ though I didn¡¯t mind if she¡­ no, working. Plus she¡¯s stuck meditating and resting in the pottery kiln with her mother these days. I can only be grateful they won¡¯t suffocate in there.


    I was kinda scared that day I¡¯d dropped by, finding Song unconscious in the fireplace. According to Chiaki, she¡¯d gone in about breakfastime, and passed out about five minutes before.


    It hadn¡¯t even been noon, and she¡¯d been suffering from qi deprivation. I had her at the kiln before I was thinking again, and hadn¡¯t even realized my clothes and hair were smoldering. Mom was there in an instant with her nutrient potions, gave Song two (which seriously scared me, I¡¯ve made them and just one contains more qi and concentrated nutrition than most people need in a year), and had her in a special bed by her mother, tended to by the fire cultivators who ran the kiln.


    I thought about how much time and fuel they were using up on this, and how they would have to wait half a year for the next firing of the big kiln. Never again. I¡¯d personally make sure Song didn¡¯t do this if I had to.


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    I finished blending the herbs, and tossed them into the pot to steep. Twenty minutes at a full boil, while concentrating as much qi into the blend as you can. One of the main reasons they tasted so nasty, everything was over-extracted and concentrated for maximum effect. The other reason was so no one would voluntarily drink the stuff, I knew. Mom intentionally made medicines taste nasty for just that reason, even the ones that didn¡¯t have to.


    The kids thumped me again, but I paid them no mind. I was surrounded by wood qi, the very essence of life, and spent all my time in the clinic now, specifically to keep myself from ending up like Song or her mom. The energy around me suffused my body and swirled around all eight people in the room, while the two making potions directed more into the teapots we used for this stage.


    Finally, I felt the shift, and poured the syrupy glop into the bottle. Song¡¯s daily dose, fresh and hot. I panted for a few moments, handed off the finished medicine to a waiting Chiaki while mom handed her Auntie Kaoru¡¯s dose. Then, almost in sync, we stretched and moved to the covered platter of food Chiaki had handed us in return. Mmm¡­ pork.


    ¡°I¡¯d really hoped I wouldn¡¯t have to go this far,¡± mom said, worry in her tone as she prepared her portion. I¡¯d already stuffed my face, so I simply nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re holding up so well. I knew this would be a high-risk pregnancy for you two, but¡­¡±


    I shook my head, and swallowed. ¡°You were angry, and already worried about Auntie Kaoru. Hopefully they¡¯ll be fine, and the time spent bedridden will motivate them to watch their health more carefully.¡±


    Mom nodded, and got to the noodle soup she liked. Neither of us was going to dwell on worst-case scenarios, losing someone we loved so deeply.


    ¡°So, I have a letter from your boyfriend.¡±


    My ears perked. Not as literally as others, I¡¯m fully human in most respects, but¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s worried too, and has been given special dispensation to visit for the next two months.¡± Mom smiled, in that knowing way. ¡°I think he might actually love you.¡±


    Huh. Why was I crying? Thinking back on that night, when Song and I¡­ well, we hadn¡¯t exactly been fair in our approach or methods, and we¡¯d both known how to circulate our qi in a way that prevented the issue we now had¡­


    I just leaned into mom as she hugged me. I didn¡¯t know what to feel, or how to act right now. The past eight months had been a mess, and the past month a serious mess as things got so bad.


    I just wanted to know we¡¯d all be happy in the end.

 Go Time

    One hour.


    Every last one of us, going into labor within one hour of one another. I was first, but saw Chen¡¯s water break the moment I turned to tell her. I had her comfortable and settled, resting by an ancient potted tree I kept for just such occasions when Chiaki burst in, panicking at Song suddenly screaming from the kiln. And by the time I¡¯d gotten there, Kaoru was sheepishly mentioning that she could wait a moment, since I was obviously a little busy with her little girl.


    Bleh. Ridiculous. I had them both moved to the clinic, infants don¡¯t last long in infernos outside of a fire cultivator¡¯s womb. Chen was obviously pulling in what she could while she could, as evidenced by the tree I¡¯d left her beside now being dead.


    Good girl. I¡¯d miss that tree, but her life was more important right now. One last nutrient potion for each of my patients, before downing one myself and telling Kaoru to take care of herself, since she knew how. I then retreated to my own office, and got to work at a labor setup I¡¯d already prepared.


    Li and the young soldier the girls had mated with barged in, but at least my husband knew a thing or two at this point, and directed a still frightened and scattered Chiaki. I was glad for it, since my apprentice and best assistant was currently too busy giving birth herself to help others, and I had to rush things a little so I could be there for Kaoru and Song.


    Right, breathe deep, push through the discomfort, owowow, tortoise balls that hurt. I was lower on qi than I thought. Not as low as the others though, and could use affinities they couldn¡¯t to recharge and maintain stamina. I used that now to dig in, and out came a perfect little girl with bunny ears, followed by an identical twin sister and a human brother I knew they¡¯d torment.


    I didn¡¯t have time to think on names, though. My best friend and our little girls needed me.


    Kaoru was working not to scream out, a fire in her eyes. She panted a bit, saying she didn¡¯t want to resemble that bitch, and I just nodded and told her the Vermilion Queen wished she looked as hot as Kaoru did right now.


    Kaoru was soaked in sweat, naked, exhausted even before the real labor had begun, pale, and had just dealt with the unfortunate issue of the muscles needed for labor being the same ones used to evacuate the bowels. She laughed, then cursed me out for making her do so.


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    Song, looking over weakly, agreed with my assessment.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯ve never looked prettier to me.¡±


    That worried me. Song was always overly formal to her mother, especially of late as she felt like she¡¯d been forced into becoming the adult of their family. That she sounded like she had when we met up before facing the Tortoise King felt far too much like she was already fading, and she hadn¡¯t even begun.


    ¡°Everything okay with my youngest siblings, mom?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Two healthy sisters and a brother, all currently under your father¡¯s care. He¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re fed and named while I handle things here.¡±


    Chen nodded, and went back to cultivating. Other plants in the clinic were starting to wilt, and the potions were dropping in potency. I could guess why.


    ¡°I¡¯ve saved another one of those ancient trees in my office, Chen. Keep it in reserve for later.¡±


    She nodded, and watched as I saw to Kaoru.


    ¡°Fully dilated, so let¡¯s get you sorted. You¡¯ll be a lot better off when you can cultivate fully.¡±


    Kaoru, not even really hearing me, began focusing her mind and body on that rhythm we both knew so well. At this point, we could almost control it. Out came three beautiful daughters, each with fox ears and a tail.


    ¡°One of these days, I¡¯ll have to study why all your daughters are foxes. But-¡±


    I stopped, then smiled as Kaoru slept. Her body was already subconsciously repairing itself as she could draw on her full cultivation base for the first time in almost ten months. She¡¯d recover.


    A scream from my little girl, as I rushed to her bed and checked on her. Yeah, ready to go.


    ¡°You¡¯re progressing fast for a first-timer. Must be my genes.¡±


    ¡°Not the time for jokes, mom!¡±


    ¡°No, but it is time to push. Bear down with the contractions, breathe through the pain. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡±


    Chen did as I directed, and quickly delivered me three beautiful grandsons, each with the trademark rabbit ears of a half-bun. She quietly nursed them, contemplating names¡­ but froze when she saw my look of utter panic.


    I¡¯d been watching Song the whole time, of course. She was progressing, but her stamina had been low to begin with and she lacked her mother¡¯s cultivation base to draw on. I would¡¯ve had her on bed rest and a liquid diet of nutrient potions far earlier if I¡¯d known she didn¡¯t have a strong wood base in her cultivation. As it was¡­


    Song had just stopped breathing.

 Fear

    ¡°Oh no. Nonononononononono.¡±


    Mom¡¯s worried chant was enough to bring me to full awareness. Song¡­ no, she wasn¡¯t breathing!


    This didn¡¯t happen often, but I¡¯d seen it a time or two, usually in the few non-cultivators among our communities. It was never a good sign.


    But it didn¡¯t mean she was dead yet. And I¡¯d prepared a reserve, knowing this could happen.


    Mom¡¯s cultivation base was strong, and she was already pouring qi into Song now that she¡¯d mostly recovered it. Mine¡­ wasn¡¯t as deep. But I¡¯d reached Expert through wood cultivation, and had trained in fire because it was annoying when my best friend could do things I couldn¡¯t.


    So I could help, weak as I was. And taking mom¡¯s suggestion, pulled on her other ancient potted tree for extra power.


    I hated doing that. Those trees were grown and shaped using wood cultivation over literal centuries, and were irreplaceable. I¡¯d always admired them, and had learned a great deal of my cultivation tending them as an Adept.


    Now, they were only so much dead wood and dried mast, and it would take actual hundreds of years to replace them, because the Tortoise King had destroyed the art. Apparently he liked collecting the things, but couldn¡¯t take care of them at all and executed anyone who he blamed for ¡°letting them die.¡± Honestly glad I never had the honor of meeting him.


    My own cultivation base back at full power, I proceeded to throw it into Song. It was like throwing a drop of water into the void. She wasn¡¯t haemorrhaging qi, thankfully, but there was so little in her that even vast amounts of power meant nothing in recharging her.


    It didn¡¯t stop me. I used Dad¡¯s lessons on water cultivation, drawing from the vast unending presence within the ocean. From Mom, I drew on the endurance and potential of earth. Auntie Kaoru taught me of the energy and drive of flame, and it fueled my determination as the flames of the world flowed through me. I would force Song to live, even if it left me at death¡¯s door. Roots and veins, one being the other in my mind, sunk deep into my friend as my cultivation became hers for a time. The void began to fill, and four steady beats that had briefly stilled brought both my mother and I a sense of relief.


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    Song¡¯s eyes opened, and then went cross-eyed with pain. I kept pouring qi into her, as mom coached her through the birthing. Three daughters, like her mother. That wouldn¡¯t be confusing at all.


    I wanted to pass out on top of Song, as spent as she was. Our cultivations were connected, and that had taken all we¡¯d both had.


    ¡°Tomorrow, wood training. Never again.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, bed rest,¡± my mom corrected. ¡°You two are all but dead, and I¡¯m just grateful to have such a strong and determined assistant.¡±


    The door opened, and our man walked in. We were exhausted, sweaty, naked, disheveled, and by the smell I think at least one of us had soiled our beds sometime in all of that. It¡¯s not uncommon, and I¡¯m too tired to notice or care which of us ¡°won¡± that lottery.


    But I¡¯m amazed that he could kiss us both, and call us the two most beautiful women he¡¯d ever met in that moment. I could only smile, and cry.


    Things passed in a blur after that. I¡¯d passed out, woken up to crying babies and leaking breasts, nursed alongside Song with our mothers to teach us, none of us fully awake but Mom. We all went back to bed, and repeated the process. Sleep, nurse, eat, cultivate enough to bring energy up. I didn¡¯t even know my kids¡¯ names yet, just calling them One, Two, and Three. Didn¡¯t even know which was which.


    Song almost suggested just naming them ¡°first son, second son, and third son,¡± but then realized that was the kind of bad idea her mother sometimes had and said she¡¯d never push on that subject again.


    It took us nearly a month to recover, and would take us two or three months more to get back to full strength. Meanwhile, I had the pleasure of getting to know my little sisters and brother as I fed them alongside my own boys, and Song did the same for her sisters alongside her own girls.


    Felt a little weird, but not altogether bad. Mom was trying to make me uncomfortable with the situation to drive the point home, I could tell. Kaoru was just weeping with joy that she hadn¡¯t lost her little girl or any of her granddaughters.


    End of the day, I think the close call we¡¯d had drove the lesson home for all of us on healthy mating practices.


    I¡¯d be sure that Bai, Bao, and Fen learned the lesson early, and doubly sure that their sisters did.


    Never. Again.

 Recovery

    It was a little embarrassing when Xiang and Chen traded notes and realized they¡¯d both named one of their children Fen. Well, opposite genders and different characters used, so they dealt with it. Fu and Hong were thankfully less of a hassle.


    Me, I had Aya, Chie, and Fuku to worry about, as well as Song¡¯s Hana, Kanna, and Kiyoko. She apologized about being so cross with my naming problems, then cried in my shoulder. I hadn¡¯t heard her call me ¡°mommy¡± in years, and hearing it now nearly took me over the edge.


    My baby girl. My sweet Song. I¡¯d nearly lost her, by being the worst example I could be as a mother.


    When she was born¡­ well, running from a massacre and being stressed enough to jump-start labor isn¡¯t a great way to give birth. And thinking back on it, I never really recovered from that day. Just lost myself working, cultivating, and keeping myself pregnant in the hopes that being full of life would fill the emptiness of losing so many of my friends, not to mention the Mistress.


    Well, that pattern ended now. It nearly killed me, and brought that same Mistress¡¯s namesake far closer to death. I¡¯d felt what Xiang and Chen had to do to keep my little girl alive that day, and it shamed me that her mother couldn¡¯t add her own qi to those efforts. It shamed me that she looked at how I behaved, working so hard not to be me that she ended her own childhood to help out around the house. Chiaki was doing the same, and I could only add that to my shame.


    But more than that, it shamed me that I couldn¡¯t warn my girl not to let her desires overcome her sense of responsibility, because I had no credibility in that regard. Xiang and I shared that one, but I wouldn¡¯t shirk on my end of it. Never. Again.


    Then I shook my head, and laughed off the melancholy. My whole dao centered on having fun and enjoying life. If I tried to be that serious, I¡¯d just make things worse. Both for myself and those around me. And I told Chen and Song as much when I noticed they were in the same mindset.


    Then we started to laugh, and the tension eased off their faces as we worked on building up muscle again.


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    I¡¯d been bedridden for four months, and my baby girl beside me for two of them. Xiang had us doing the baby exercises, the ones she reserved for those who struggled with regular calisthenics.


    I¡¯d be embarrassed if I wasn¡¯t exhausted at the end of each session. As usual, she was right. Annoying little bunny usually was, when it came to health and exercise. After that, we¡¯d cultivate, with the girls putting special effort into the elements they hadn¡¯t quite mastered. Breaking through to their Mastery would do wonders for their health at this point. I could almost be jealous no such shortcuts existed for me.


    Personally, I was too busy being excited. Chen and Song had quietly proposed to their soldier, and they planned to marry in a year or so, on Chen¡¯s seventeenth birthday. The two were putting as much as they could into planning their dresses and a small celebration, and I was getting weepy at the idea of them growing up so damn fast. It was only yesterday I was changing their diapers, now they¡¯re doing it for their own babies, talking about marrying the father (and each other, but that was no surprise to either Xiang or myself), and were nearly Master cultivators in their own right.


    And as usual, the bakabunny I happened to be friends with just took it in stride. Honestly, if it doesn¡¯t have a big fat target on it saying ¡°hit me¡± I¡¯d suspect she¡¯d ignore half of what she was surrounded by.


    As if on cue, a sudden weight between my shoulder blades indicated the bun herself had landed.


    ¡°Embarrassed yet? I couldn¡¯t even put any force behind my landing for fear of breaking you right now.¡±


    I rolled onto my back, exactly as Xiang planned, then felt something shift.


    Looking over from my helpless position on the ground, I watched as Chen and Song both levitated as they sat, the qi around them swirling through their systems as they hit the enlightenment of cultivation Mastery. Their eyes lit up as they opened them, and a pulse of visible qi burst into the air as they became one with the cultivation of the world.


    I¡¯d seen it pretty often now, but it never stopped being amazing to look at.


    My little girl stood, glanced at her fiancee, then smirked at me.


    ¡°Race you home, ma.¡±


    I could only watch, relieved to see my little smartass back at last.

 Reflection

    I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t relieved to see the girls back to full strength and health. And I rarely bother lying, it¡¯s usually not worth the effort.


    Which is why I could only laugh over Kaoru¡¯s suffering as the girls intentionally tormented her continued convalescence.


    She¡¯d finally gotten back to the regular calisthenics level, but her muscles were still all but gone. Still, the shadows from the massacre were finally fading, so I trusted she¡¯d learned her lesson from the recent near-death experiences and would be more careful with her health.


    And I¡¯d be watching the kids more closely. I couldn¡¯t ethically prevent conception, but I¡¯d know if one of my own was taking a furtive turn down a back-alley or heading up to the inn¡¯s ¡°special¡± rooms for a little bit of fun. I didn¡¯t discourage it, provided both sides were consenting, but I made it pretty clear that we would not be having a repeat of what nearly happened with Song.


    Chang nodded, and the rest mostly shrugged it off. Well, I couldn¡¯t force the issue if I wanted things to actually work out. So I¡¯d just have to be more careful with myself and try to lead a better example in my own practices.


    Annoying, but I knew the only thing keeping me from Kaoru¡¯s position had been a difference in general affinity. I¡¯m strong, but not invincible.


    Xiang had started cultivating potted trees, which I was grateful for. She¡¯d always loved those two she¡¯d had to kill, and they¡¯d been handy power sinks for emergencies in the past. The ones she was raising would take decades to be even modestly useful for the same, but she was also teaching the art to others, bringing back what had previously been lost during the Tortoise King¡¯s reign.


    The apothecary was a mess, when I got back to it. All my prepared medicines had to be made fresh, and the herbs and plants re-planted. Thankfully, though Song and Chen weren¡¯t the only teens to end up pregnant around that time, they were the only two who¡¯d also been carrying multiples. So none of my current patients were anywhere near as high-risk.


    We had quite the little population bump that spring and summer. I could only hope they¡¯d grow up to appreciate what their parents fought to give them, but I rather doubted they would. Humans are quick to forget the lessons of their history, from my experience and studies.


    Still, I wasn¡¯t going to borrow worries when I had enough to deal with now. Things hit a lull around autumn, and our first crop came in since the Vermilion Queen had perished. Meager yet, but the towns and cities were mostly rebuilt, and the armies were holding within easy reach of the border as we trained yet more soldiers and built defenses.


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    Having checked on the Dragon King, he was mostly doing the same. Didn¡¯t even bother with the Tiger King, I knew what he was doing. The southern lands were little more than a vast plain of salt now, devoid of all qi for miles. He¡¯d drain his land and people dry, then bide his time until the next war, where he¡¯d strike against the winner in his bid to devour the land.


    Such a useless glutton. I could only imagine what he was like before becoming the Tiger King.


    The others, interestingly, I had records on. Even accurate ones written by contemporaries who neither worshiped nor hated them. The Tortoise King had actually been quite the looker in his prime, before centuries of hedonism and sloth had turned him into my beach ball. He¡¯d been one of the proponents of isolation while cultivating, encouraging the idea of closing off cultivators from the world altogether. Hence why the borders had always been closed. His fighting style had been one of unbreakable defense and unstoppable offense, taking hundreds of blows before snapping out quickly and powerfully to decisively end a fight. This, combined with his tendency to kill his opponents even when it wasn¡¯t needed, was what earned him the title of ¡°The Heavenly Black Tortoise King of the North.¡±


    His birth name, like the others, was lost to time.


    The Vermilion Queen, or ¡°The Heavenly Vermilion Firebird Queen of the West,¡± had been a beautiful, if vain, young woman with a talent for fire endurance. She hadn¡¯t been known for her combat ability so much as her political acumen, and her rather notorious habit of ¡°never sleeping alone, nor with the same partner twice.¡± It was also noted that many of the more influential partners she¡¯d had died under mysterious circumstances while she¡¯d been confirmed pregnant with their heirs. And often those heirs were heirs because anyone else between that child and the throne or title had similarly died.


    She¡¯d taken the whole of the western lands through such methods, only fighting directly when she¡¯d reached Elder rank and could throw around flames the way she had with Kaoru. Utterly wasteful.


    ¡°The Heavenly Azure Dragon King of the East¡± was perhaps the most notable. Born in a poor fishing village where his citadel now stood, he¡¯d watched his whole family starve and ended up on the streets in a small city by age twelve. He¡¯d stumbled across cultivation accidentally, and never received formal training, but learned to fight with all the ferocity of a storm, and raised his whole society in the same manner, believing that those who suffered or died were simply weak, and therefore didn¡¯t deserve to live.


    ¡°A whole society of beasts and monsters who¡¯ll do anything to kill you and take what you hold dear. I can¡¯t imagine how such a culture can hold itself upright with such a rotten foundation.¡±


    Li held me close, kissing as we relaxed together in bed. We didn¡¯t need sleep, and were holding off on mating, but the physical closeness and warmth were nice regardless.


    ¡°And won¡¯t it be satisfying, when we make it collapse and replace it with a society that actually works?¡±


    I nodded, and drifted off into sleep anyway. I could dream of days long after, when Li and I could retire and let all of this go.


    When I could just go back to being a slightly-less-than-ordinary rabbit.

 Triplets Doubled

    My girls were insatiable. But I suppose that¡¯s normal, when all of your energy is being put into growing as fast as you can.


    Hana and Kanna were nursing, while Chen helped Kiyoko burp and prepared to nurse her own triplets. It was just as well we didn¡¯t actually need sleep, because taking care of half a dozen babies at once was taking every waking minute of the day sometimes.


    Still, we squeezed in personal time. Wedding planning, time to cook, time for¡­ other activities. Our Shun was back on duty, defending and helping to rebuild Rivermill, and I was glad we were allowed to know where he was now.


    A year was forever to wait, but Chen made a point when saying that we¡¯d both need at least that amount of time before we¡¯d be ready to¡­ well, we were planning a little more carefully this time. Definitely wanted that lucky wedding night conception, though.


    But looking at how Chiaki and Chang were eyeing each other¡­ wow. They were holding back hard. I hoped they¡¯d wait until she was a little less likely to break the way I had, but Chen assured me her brother wasn¡¯t that rock-headed, and Chiaki wouldn¡¯t dare slow down her cultivation until she¡¯d reached Mastery.


    It was annoying we couldn¡¯t get further, really. I¡¯d asked mom about why I couldn¡¯t reach Elder, and she just said it was because the Dragon and Tiger Kings still existed.


    I didn¡¯t fully understand why that was an issue, but then Aunt Xiang made it clear it was because they were hoarding too much qi at their personal nexus points, and until their elements were freed cultivation was limited. That I could understand, though it annoyed me.


    Still, Chen and I did find time to cultivate, usually on a rocking chair as we nursed the babies.


    Something soothing and natural about that, and Chen mentioned that Aunt Xiang had awakened while nursing when I mentioned it.


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    Kinda weird, but she just shrugged it off, noting that a rabbit magically becoming sentient at all was weird. Fair enough point.


    Ow. Kanna bit me again, signaling that she was done. Didn¡¯t think it¡¯d hurt so much to be bit by an infant, especially one that didn¡¯t have teeth yet, but apparently it¡¯s normal. Doubly so when you¡¯re about three times as sensitive as you¡¯d normally be. I handed her off, and finished emptying out with Hana. At least she didn¡¯t get mean when she wanted my attention. Kanna had a fixation for chomping on everything she could, and Kiyoko almost seemed to be as playful as mom sometimes. Hana was my princess, the one daughter who seemed like she wouldn¡¯t be so much trouble.


    Of course, that likely meant I¡¯d have to watch her the closest as they got older. But I was too busy with them now to worry about it.


    My girls went into their crib to rest, and I rocked little Hong while his sisters fed. Fen and Fu always insisted on being the first to eat, so Hong and I bonded in the meantime. He¡¯d tried to feed off me while he waited a few times, but had learned by now that I was pretty much dry by the time his turn came around.


    Poor little boy. A sign of his future, in a household of girls. I can only hope Chen and I could give him a few brothers sooner rather than later. We were both used to crowded homes with lots of children, but I¡¯d failed to realize just how crazy it got when you doubled the output potential. With six infants, I worried we were neglecting a few things just keeping them fed and cleaned. Mom and Aunt Xiang assured us we were doing fine though, and passed us some toys for them and food for us. I think they¡¯ll be teething soon, but I can¡¯t really think about it.


    Chen shook me awake suddenly. Apparently I¡¯d nodded off. Brief moment of panic, but Hong was fine, and ready for lunchtime with his mommy. Minor breast envy, as Chen inherited pretty much her entire build from her mother, but my own sufficed for their purpose, and certainly didn¡¯t get ignored when I wanted to show them. Not that this was the time and place, with Fen and Fu to settle and put to bed.


    The bunny twins seemed to take after their grandma, with eyes that challenged the world. Their hair colors were different though, a deep brown instead of Chen or Aunt Xiang¡¯s bright pink. Hong resembled his father, though also had some of his grandfather¡¯s look. I also caught flashes of Chang in his eyes, that steady nature and stubborn streak that¡¯d do him no favors over his life.


    Managed to get the bun-twins to bed, then collapsed into my own for a while. Chen joined me shortly after.


    ¡°Kids are exhausting, Song.¡±


    I only nodded, falling asleep in time for everyone¡¯s afternoon nap.

 General Brooding

    Shun was safely seen off, and I could nearly envy him for being able to get away from the constant crying. With Xiang busy with our oldest, youngest, and our grandkids, I was left with the remaining dozen bunlings. Fights to resolve, meals to prepare, baths to ensure, Guiying to keep calm when things got particularly chaotic¡­ and the house was an utter mess. I did what I could, and was glad for the community helping¡­ but I was running low on stamina. I fell asleep beside Xiang more often than I¡¯d like to admit, my only saving grace coming from waking up hours before she did and reading reports by candlelight.


    The farmlands were recovering, but things grew less fertile the further south and east you travelled. I didn¡¯t want to break Xiang¡¯s heart and tell her those fishing villages we¡¯d so loved in our decade of exile had been entirely abandoned. The ocean was sterile, from the reports I had read. What the Tiger King had done to the land, the Dragon King was doing to the sea, and it was starting to flow upriver.


    Towns and villages would be fully rebuilt in time for next year¡¯s harvest and my daughter¡¯s wedding¡­ and when did that happen? How have I gotten so old so soon? Well, it was happening regardless, and my grandchildren were beautiful creatures. Was almost tempted to remind Chen that I wasn¡¯t biologically her father when she marked the resemblance¡­ but she was so in love with them that I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. She¡¯d even out when the stresses of new motherhood evened out more. Six children in one household was a lot after all, especially for your first go.


    Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Crops. Prospects were good, especially with the rotation plans set up and the livestock doing well, but expected crop failure rate was higher. At best, we¡¯d break even next year, and I didn¡¯t expect us to do so well.


    My own plans on how to fix that were in place, but I didn¡¯t dare even think about them. Not with my wife so close I could touch her bare skin, feel her¡­ no. Busy. Time for that before breakfast, even if we need to hold back a little yet.


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    Winter crops were planted, feed laid up. Preparations had been made for winter construction, so we¡¯d be able to do what we needed to outside before every hand was needed to help in planting, and we could finish the indoors of buildings when snow and cold made outdoor work less tenable.


    Firewood was laid down pretty much everywhere, and I¡¯d had supplies sent where shortfalls were expected from areas that had a surplus. Same with stockpiled foodstuffs. We¡¯d be wintered over as well as could be expected.


    Going over troop stations and their status, I honestly wished I could let them winter at home. Sadly, that was a luxury I couldn¡¯t allow, for the simple reason that the Dragon King didn¡¯t believe his great military needed such niceties as food or rest. They were on our border year-round, so we were as well. I could only be grateful my girl fell in love with a man who was better suited for lighter rear echelon duty anyway. The man was a solid carpenter and engineer, but didn¡¯t perform well in front-line combat. And he was honestly too nice to waste on the enemy when civilians needed a kind face to turn to.


    The only worry I¡¯d had about him used to be his tendency to draw every girl¡¯s eye, but he seemed pretty dedicated to Chen and Song now. Just as well, since I would¡¯ve had to kill him before they could if he¡¯d been up to his usual tricks. But even now, the reports said he¡¯d gone from being a bit of a playboy to simply being a dedicated soldier, his attentions going from pretty young girls to those with families who needed help. And from what I¡¯d seen the one time I¡¯d indulged by allowing myself to follow him, he was good at it.


    He¡¯d be a fine husband, and a good father. Only think I¡¯d miss would be having Song and Chen around to help out around the village. Shun was needed where he was, and I could already tell they were planning to follow him.


    Ah well, at least Chang liked his work at the mines well enough. Though while I wanted to say Chiaki would keep him out of trouble, I knew a few things I was carefully keeping from Xiang about those two, including a little playful antic they wanted to surprise everyone with at the wedding next winter.


    Best to let that go for now. By then, we¡¯d all either be free¡­ or dead. I couldn¡¯t wait past spring if things were to get better.

 New Year

    Winter Solstice came around quietly, with a fresh snowfall to decorate the celebration of the new year. Mistress Fu came into town to visit, and the monastery¡¯s residents came in to have a day off from training and a nice meal.


    I probably ought to be living at the monastery, since I was technically in charge of running it. Ah well. One of my kids managed it day-to-day, and did a good enough job. Plus everyone was scared I¡¯d break new students with my training regimen.


    Would¡¯ve noted that breaking them was the point, but Li reminded me that barely giving Initiates two hours to sleep was technically a form of torture. Bah. He deserved it back then, I¡¯d give the trainees a proper four hours!


    But now¡¯s a time for celebration, not work. Hot food, lots of sweets, games to keep everyone warm and happy as we awaited the sun¡¯s rise together. From what I¡¯d read, there used to be some religious significance, but the Four Heavenly Kings wiped out religion, claiming all gods to merely be Ascendants pretending at the role. Without a living Ascendant to refute the claim (and four very greedy Elders perfectly willing to kill any who contested them), there wasn¡¯t really a way to keep old faiths alive.


    Chen and Song were walking along, holding hands and acting as excited as they had¡­ wow. Had it only been five years since we first settled here? Well, they sat and talked, showing their affection for each other and some relief that Fu had spelled us all from ¡°a carton full of hatchlings¡± and the various other kids.


    Sigh. Yeah, I had to take a break. The kids deserved more of a childhood, and I¡¯d been a horrible mother, either rushing about to do one thing or another or just too overwhelmed with the latest kits to look after the needs of the older ones. A lot of them resented me for that, and I didn¡¯t blame them.


    Well, at least my eldest pair were coming out alright¡­ even if Chen handed me a bit of a surprise when she and Song ended up in my clinic. Reminds me, I need to warn Chang that I will literally kill him if he follows through on what he and Chiaki are planning. It would be cute, but no one would appreciate the reminder that Song nearly died being similarly reckless. Plus the girl¡¯s one of my best students, I needed her to look after things for the next little while.


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    This war had to be resolved by the Spring Equinox.


    I shook off the thought, and grabbed a cup of amazake. A little sweet for me, but I was off liquor. Too much relied on me keeping my head clear, especially right now. Spotting Li talking to Kaoru and Zhong, I drained my cup and tackle-hugged him.


    ¡°Good to see you too, Xiang.¡±


    I smiled and nuzzled him, but it seems we were both a little preoccupied with what was ahead of us.


    ¡°We need to forget things tonight. New Year.¡±


    Li nodded, and his smile warmed. ¡°You¡¯re right, love. I¡¯ve been too buried in reports and the children¡¯s worries to properly relax. Let¡¯s get some food.¡±


    Arm-in-arm, we headed to the stalls. Technically we didn¡¯t need to eat, but cultivation was easier on a full stomach. Plus you miss the sensation of tasting things after denying yourself for too long. I¡¯d dive into the animal feed if it weren¡¯t at its worst this time of year. Maybe during the spring mowing, when the grass and clover was fresh.


    Kaoru just followed us with her husband in tow, her quiet smirk at knowing my thoughts obvious without me having to turn around and look. I just turned my head and stuck my tongue out at her in response.


    ¡°My my, aren¡¯t you such a rude little bunny? Upset you can¡¯t enjoy some fresh hay so you take it out on me? Quite unrefined.¡±


    ¡°I can flatten you. Make it an entertainment for the festival.¡±


    ¡°Now now, we¡¯d destroy the village if we did that, and upset the children besides. Just relax and have fun, Xiang.¡±


    I wanted to mutter that flattening people was fun, but the fox¡¯s hearing was as good as mine and she¡¯d just continue the teasing. Wasn¡¯t really in the mood, so we watched a fireworks display instead. Chang had gotten really good with mining explosives, and he and Chiaki had apparently bonded over something they called ¡°inorganic alchemy.¡± Something about how certain powders burned in different ways, and how to use alchemy to mix explosive compounds. Li paid more attention to that end than I did, said there were some possible military applications.


    A few hours later, and the sun rose over the pass that led to the monastery. We made our wishes for a better year, and everyone went back to their lives. Possibly to bed, if they were lesser or non-cultivators.


    I got home to a note from Li, telling him to watch after things while he took care of some urgent business on the eastern border.


    Idiot Li. I¡¯d have to smack him when I caught up.

 A Winter Walk

    I¡¯d nearly made it out of the mountains. Xiang could easily look after things while I was gone, and we both knew I had to take the Dragon King on personally. Just like we both knew he¡¯d begin his campaign as soon as there was enough grass growing to support mounted forces.


    So I¡¯d slip in while he held his annual tournament and kill him before then.


    I¡¯d honestly thought Xiang would play along¡­ until a very familiar heeled boot slammed my head into the snow-covered road.


    ¡°Dear, I thought I told you-¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Great. Xiang was in one of her know-it-all moods. I¡¯d known her for the better part of twenty years now, and it was still annoying when she got like this.


    Mostly because she was almost always right.


    ¡°Alright. So what am I overlooking?¡±


    ¡°Mostly that a certain white tiger will pounce when the dragon is wounded, I¡¯m guessing?¡± Another familiar voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard enough to cross the border without an entourage, Kaoru. And who is watching the village while we¡¯re off doing this?¡±


    ¡°Mistress Fu has the younger kids, so our oldest are working together to keep things going.¡±


    ¡°Xiang.¡± I tried to be patient. ¡°You are telling me that you left the operation of an entire village and an attached monastery, to say nothing of a very busy maternity clinic, to three teenagers?¡±


    ¡°Chiaki¡¯s handling the monastery, actually. And they are¡­ usually¡­ very responsible for their age.¡±


    ¡°Xiang, please get your boot off my head so I can get out of the mud. And we¡¯re talking about the same teenagers who-¡±


    ¡°The past is done, Li. And those two learned their lesson, for all it nearly killed them. As for the other two, I personally smacked some sense into them before they followed through on their big plan of having Chiaki be a big symbol of fertility at the wedding. Song and Chen were a touch disappointed, but agreed with my points.¡±


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    I stood up, brushing off the slush and mud that I could. ¡°You didn¡¯t make those points with a fist, did you?¡±


    ¡°Give me some credit, Li. I don¡¯t hit my children unless it¡¯s in sparring.¡±


    I shrugged, but admitted the point.


    ¡°So you¡¯re coming along with me because you think the Tiger King will attack whoever wins the altercation the moment it ends?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m coming along because I know the Tiger King will drain the Dragon King¡¯s qi the moment he dies, ascend, and it¡¯ll be my turn to fight again. Least I¡¯m not pregnant this time, I¡¯m gonna need my full cultivation.¡±


    I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°How long have you been holding this information back?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much the whole time. That overfed house cat¡¯s the one behind everything, really. Known that since I first saw he was the only one of the Four Kings who wasn¡¯t human.¡±


    This time, both Kaoru and I were staring at my lovely wife as if she¡¯d grown a second head.


    ¡°Oh, right. Kaoru never got to look at him when they went after the world tree. When I called him an overfed house cat, I meant it literally. I think he awakened some 350 years ago, quietly enabled the thoughts and behaviors of the nastiest cultivators of his time, then came up with a way to glut himself on all the qi he could find. Only problem was that his tools became too powerful for him to easily discard, so he¡¯s been biding his time. The Dragon King has a special collar on his neck that will drain his qi when he dies, and that will probably be the tipping point for the Tiger King¡¯s ascension. Need to have the remaining nexus unlocked by then so I can use the one he¡¯s turned himself into to fight him.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ you¡¯ve been planning this ever since you saw those three¡­ five years ago now?¡±


    ¡°More like six and a half, the twins were only ten at the time and we were pretty quick to take down the Tortoise King after that decade on the move. Wow, time passes so quickly. I¡¯ll be glad to have this done with, I want to spend more of my life being less important.¡±


    I shook my head, bemused.


    ¡°Then I guess we each head to our destinies, as little as my beloved rabbit believes in such things. Kaoru, do you mind helping me through the border? Your illusion magic will make it far easier.


    She grinned, and I caught a glimpse of red-tipped ears hopping over the last ridge between us and Rivermill before I mounted a giant eight-tailed fox and rode Kaoru toward the Azure Citadel.

 War

    The wall was impressive, I had to admit. Tall, imposing, very sturdy. Pity it was both a symbol of oppression and entirely pointless.


    I jumped over it fairly easily, Li still on my back. I¡¯m glad he was so gentle and appreciative, I did not let just anyone ride me.


    Oh, take your minds out of the latrine, Xiang would have my pelt on a wall if I tried mating with her husband, and my own would desecrate the trophy with her blessing.


    Oh¡­ oh wow.


    I nearly dropped my illusion when I saw the wasteland the east had been reduced to. The fortresses were garrisoned and watching the wall intently, but even well beyond them¡­


    ¡°Now you see why I had to move the timetable up.¡±


    I just nodded, and swiftly went through every detection spell and half-baked cultivator¡¯s senses on my way to the south and east. We passed the ruins of villages, fallow fields, unkempt orchards, dilapidated barns¡­ all sorts of evidence that farming was a lost art to these people.


    ¡°How are they feeding themselves?¡±


    Li shook his head. ¡°They aren¡¯t.¡±


    I gulped, and accepted what that meant. There were no civilians left in the Dragon King¡¯s lands, and everyone was living off what qi they could leach out of the nearly dead soil.


    It took us only half a day to reach the Azure Citadel, and the famous combat arena that stood at its base. Here, cultivators of the Dragon King¡¯s army fought for honor, glory, and position. The winners would often become highly-ranked officers. The losers almost invariably died.


    And this year was a special one. Once every decade, it was said that the Azure King would give the winners of his tournament the ¡°honor¡± of facing him directly. This inevitably resulted in their mass slaughter, as he established his dominance in his society then demanded his people become stronger.


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    I was glad that, one way or another, this would be the last such event.


    A few miles away, Li dismounted and I shifted back into a completely human shape. I used a minor illusion to change our clothing style to match the Dragon Army¡¯s uniforms, then we moved quickly to reach the arena.


    Just in time for the big event to have ended, mercifully. The stage was a horrifying red tapestry of bone, gore, and blood, with the Dragon King standing in the center of it all, broadcasting his manifesto to the fortresses.


    ¡°And so, before we begin our conquests on the morrow, I ask again: Are there any who would dare challenge the might of the Dragon King?¡±


    Wait, tomorrow? Damn, I¡¯m glad we decided to move early ourselves. This would¡¯ve been a lot harder if we¡¯d needed to go through an active war zone to- wait. What¡¯s Li doing?


    He¡¯d dropped the illusion, and stepped onto the stage.


    ¡°I would challenge you. Fitting that you placed your arena directly on the nexus, that will make this easier.¡±


    A scoff, and a torrent of water just missed Li. And disintegrated the wall behind him. My ears flattened, and I ran.


    Li was on his own for this part, I needed to deal with the armies. Those fortresses were tough, but not meant to deal with a tricky fox striking from their rear and our own armies striking from the front.


    Faster. Faster. It took me less time to get back without having to worry about a rider falling off, and I briefly wished I was as fast as Xiang. That murderbun barely touched the ground in her natural form, racing along at speeds that broke the air around her.


    Yeah, the bad guys are already advancing. Got a cure for that. Burst of qi, and that ugly wall¡¯s gone. Completely obliterated, only craters where it stood. Our own forces take the hint and advance, while I flash-fry every fortress in the line, one-by-one. Anyone in them is charbroiled instantly.


    Completely annoying, I do so prefer being more subtle and elegant than that rabbit when I make my kills. Having to drop meteors on everything is just so crude and wasteful. I don¡¯t even have time to play.


    The sun is set by the time the battlefield grows quiet. Nothing¡¯s left of the Dragon Army but ashes, burnt bones, and scorched stone. We¡¯ve taken casualties, you just can¡¯t fight a war without them, but our losses were minimal, and I¡¯m doing what I can to heal up what¡¯s left.


    But since we¡¯re not all dead, Xiang and Li won¡­ right?


    A distant roar gave me shivers, and I sincerely hoped I was.

 Storm and Sea

    So, I wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d anticipated a need to up our timetable. Good thing I was here to answer that blowhard¡¯s boastful challenge. He scoffed as I revealed myself, and blew a torrent of water right through me. I¡¯d be quite dead if I hadn¡¯t redirected it, but if he was surprised at my control of his attack, he didn¡¯t show it.


    I sensed Kaoru running full-tilt for the border, utterly terrified. Good. She¡¯d reinforce our units and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her being in the crossfire. Water¡¯s disturbingly powerful, if you know how to wield it.


    And I now stood before a raging storm god.


    ¡°Do you think you can save those abominations you debase yourself with, northerner? Your lands will drown in my fury!¡±


    ¡°Debase myself? With the fox? No, she¡¯s my wife¡¯s best friend. The ¡®abomination¡¯ I¡¯m debasing myself with is in position to handle the Tiger King when we¡¯re done trading pointers.¡±


    I cupped my fist and bowed, an old monastery tradition that had long been forgotten in most lands. But if Xiang had beaten anything into me over the years, it was good etiquette.


    My bow was answered with another torrent.


    ¡°Really, that is quite disrespectful. I am aware of your belief that strength is the only measure of value, but have you ever considered the-¡± Another torrent, this one stronger. I sighed. ¡°Very well.¡±


    And he went flying with a single punch, hitting the wall behind him. He¡¯d tried to take me out as I charged him, of course, but I simply wasn¡¯t where he thought I was. Not by the time he got there, at any rate.


    The Dragon King used whatever spell he favored to broadcast his little slaughterfest, then ordered his army to advance on the wall. I let him, I trusted Kaoru and the front line to hold.


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    ¡°You will regret this, boy. Nothing withstands the fury of a storm.¡±


    High kick, high punch, torrent from the left, slide under his second attack, wheel along his back for a bit. Pitifully predictable, even if the power could do me serious harm yet.


    Hm. Something about that quip¡­ a storm? Oh, of course.


    ¡°What do you think of the ocean, Dragon King?¡±


    He jumped away from me. ¡°Vast, unending. Empty.¡±


    ¡°The way you run things, sure. I have hope to fix that when I¡¯m done with you and the qi in this nexus is allowed to flow freely again. But something I note is that the storm cannot touch the ocean.¡± I was moving faster now, my thoughts accelerating as the power started finding me. ¡°You say nothing can withstand the fury of a storm? Yet I am the ocean, and without me the storm has no teeth to bite. No wind to cut. You seek ultimate control over water¡­ and I see now what my wife and her friend did when they killed the others. It¡¯s impossible to control qi¡­ you must become it.¡±


    A flash, and another torrent, disintegrating my clothes. I didn¡¯t even try to dodge now. The Dragon King could no longer hurt me. I had the power of the tide, the strength of the deepest ocean depths, the mobility of the gentlest stream.


    I wasn¡¯t just controlling water, I was water. And like could not harm like.


    But the Dragon King was too busy trying to control our element to truly connect to it. This, I realized, was why Xiang and Kaoru could beat the Tortoise and Vermilion Kings with their own element. And it was how I moved the Dragon King now, controlling his every move through the water within his own body. He barely even noticed me doing it, just that every attack he made was weaker and even more telegraphed than it¡¯d been before. A centuries-old man, so proud of his own strength that he would respect nothing else, was forced to submit to the power of a man one-tenth his age.


    The collar around his neck glowed, and I knew our time was up. A stroke of pressurized water across his neck, and the Dragon King was dead.


    I briefly considered checking on the former border when I heard the roar. Huh. That took us all afternoon? I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d been playing with him so long. Well, it was Xiang¡¯s turn now, and I prayed my little rabbit would be alright.

 Ascension

    Ouch. Even preparing for it and running at top speed, the Tiger King¡¯s domain hurt to go through. The near-constant qi drain was a hassle, but I endured in knowing it wouldn¡¯t be a hassle for long.


    Still, I was a bit tired when I reached the ruins of the White City.


    The first thing I saw was a family, reduced to bleached bones on the side of the stone roads. The towers were massive, stretching higher than anything I¡¯d ever seen. Kaoru told me once that the White City was considered a marvel by those who saw it, filled with wonders beyond anything this world had known before. Its people lived in peace and comfort, surrounded by convenience.


    Well, those people were dead now. The conveniences rotted away in stores, broken and useless. Even the inanimate broke down without qi, and the Tiger King had almost entirely drained this land.


    A tower in the distance collapsed, and I moved on. The lack of qi was messing with my senses a little, but I was still a rabbit at heart, and one of the first predators I¡¯d ever encountered was an old house cat. From what I heard in the village, that old ginger limped until the day he died after I met him.


    I¡¯d only been two months old at the time. Just old enough to slaughter. And even then, I wasn¡¯t easy prey. I was much older now, much smarter, and much, much more powerful.


    There. Up on the highest perch still available. Cats are all alike. He wasn¡¯t even hiding what he was anymore, so I didn¡¯t bother either as I hopped up on the wall across the street from him.


    ¡°I¡¯d start with the small talk, but you¡¯ve sucked so much out of this area that there¡¯s nothing nice about it. Name¡¯s Xiang, and I¡¯m going to murder you when my husband finishes with your last ¡®friend.¡¯¡±


    The Tiger King opened one eye, and closed it again. ¡°Names. Why bother with such stupid things? I¡¯m better than a human, why should I take a name like one? You¡¯ve spent too much time with them, just gimme your qi. I wanna nap.¡±


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    ¡­Seriously?


    ¡°Wow. I thought nothing you said or did would surprise me. But total apathy while you slowly choke out the world by eating its very life force? I was hoping I¡¯d have fun saving you for last.¡±


    ¡°Lemme sleep.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± I jumped to where he was, and kicked him off his perch. He shifted to his natural human-shape and glared at me as he landed.


    ¡°Huh. Guess that thing about always landing on your feet is true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy eating you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the power to try. Or do you forget how I kicked your ass the last time we met?¡± That was quite literal. I¡¯d enjoyed toying with the Dragon and Tiger Kings while Kaoru took care of the Vermilion bitch. Maybe I should¡¯ve ended it then, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve been saving you for dessert! Weakling.¡±


    ¡°Weakling?¡± A growl as I finally made him genuinely mad. Good. ¡°I¡¯ll show you weak, prey!¡±


    He started drawing in qi, hard. But this close to him, I could sense the flow and adjust myself in such a way that I wasn¡¯t being drained. He wasn¡¯t even getting any qi from elsewhere, thanks to me. The only thing he could do was activate that collar he¡¯d put on the Dragon King.


    And as he stopped, for just a moment, I shifted to my own human shape and smirked.


    ¡°Yeah, figured my husband would kill your last puppet the moment he saw the collar activate. I¡¯ve outmanuvered you, little kitty. What are you going to do now?¡±


    He roared, the qi around him surging as he took on the shape of a massive white tiger. His eyes¡­ well, glowed would be the wrong verb, because they were all black. But the power within them was clear, even if the reverberation of his roar wasn¡¯t audible across the world. The White Tiger God had ascended.


    ¡°Finally!¡±


    I tapped into his qi, and unlocked the final nexus. The culmination of my dao demanded this fight, and the power of the world was backing me from every element now.


    I opened my eyes, as if for the first time¡­ and a carbuncle was born.

 Final Boss

    The power¡­ wow. I can see why people mistook Ascendants for gods. We were still bound to the world, but the only way we could become any stronger would be to release that binding and connect with an even greater power than our world could offer.


    I checked my paws, my glowing pink fur, the blood-red gem between my eyes. My eyes were still gold, but now pupil-less and glowing. I even had a tail, instead of the nearly-vestigal stub most rabbits are left with. Other than that, I didn¡¯t look too different from usual, aside from being in ¡°rabbit¡± shape again.


    Oh, and being able to see the world around myself with perfect clarity. My qi senses had always been good, but those were more like a really advanced sense of touch. Now I got the whole picture, uninter- ¡°Hey!¡±


    Stupid kitten. Couldn¡¯t wait to play until I¡¯d had a proper chance to admire myself. Well, fine.


    ¡°Time I got myself a tiger skin rug.¡±


    Shift back to human shape, snap forward without even thinking about it. My movements had been quick before, but now I wasn¡¯t even really moving, per se. I was teleporting, my every move and action literally happening at the speed of light.


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    But unlike light, I had mass.


    A flurry of kicks, and the Tiger God was driven back, losing one of his fangs. His ascension had purged him of his ability to shift, along with much of his former canny and reason. He was just a savage all-devouring monster now, an almighty idiot.


    I smiled, and declawed him bare-handed. The pain drove him even madder, and he tried desperately to shake me, but it was impossible now. I was part of his cultivation base, and he¡¯d have to release control of it to have any chance at targeting me properly. Which in his present state, he couldn¡¯t do even if he¡¯d been so inclined.


    So now I had a limping, grumpy kitty with bloody paws and a broken-off tooth. Normally these would heal almost as soon as I¡¯d inflicted the injury, but again. I was part of his cultivation base. I could and did block his regeneration.


    But honestly¡­ this was such a boring fight. I¡¯d get a lot more out of Kaoru and Li when they ascended, and it wouldn¡¯t take them long now that I¡¯d unlocked the final nexus and restored the normal qi flow of the land.


    I shook my head, sad to finish this so soon, and decapitated the Tiger God. His body¡­ wait, it just dissolved into qi! No fair, I wasn¡¯t kidding about the rug!


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t keep trophies anyway. You¡¯d just end up like the tortoise.¡±


    Wait. I¡¯m the only thing alive here right now. I know this. I can even feel it.


    So how did I just hear a little boy talk to me?

 Death

    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    The figure was very much a child, no more than eight if I had to guess, with a slender frame, pale skin, dark hair, and hazel eyes that seemed to see into infinity from under the dark hooded robes he wore. But he still unsettled me.


    Because he was dead.


    No heartbeat. No qi. Not even a real body, the corpse he inhabited was just a constructed puppet. But I hadn¡¯t been this genuinely afraid of anything since¡­


    ¡°Since you awakened, yes. I¡¯m the only thing since that day that could actually end your life, though you shouldn¡¯t be afraid. I have no intention of doing so.¡±


    I gulped, and nodded. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re a god, then.¡±


    The child nodded in return. ¡°My name is Arawn.¡±


    Death. Total, inevitable, unbreakable. The very essence of mortality. The one known as The Stillborn God, who watched over the balance of our world and any others his mother had created.


    Fuck. That his very name told me so much about him pretty much confirmed he was a god. I don¡¯t think those under Elder rank could¡¯ve heard it spoken from his lips and survived the visions. Even now, I didn¡¯t see the pale boy. I saw the child¡¯s skeleton I¡¯d passed when I first entered this dead city.


    I tried not to be afraid, but this¡­ this was facing an incarnation of fear.


    Arawn smiled¡­ I think. Hard to tell with a skeleton¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re holding up well enough. I wanted to personally thank you for dealing with my four new pets.¡±


    He held up a cage, holding the images of a chicken, a baby turtle, a newborn kitten and¡­


    ¡°A seahorse? That seems extra-humiliating.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve earned worse for their actions, and shall receive it over the eternities their souls persist. The land will recover now, and I didn¡¯t have to get personally involved as I¡¯d once feared I must.¡±


    Another vision, of the entire land becoming like the south, an infinite desert where nothing would ever live again. I shuddered, seeing he¡¯d had to do it before, and would have to do it again.


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    ¡°It is a final option I do not like having to employ, I admit. But the direct interference of gods does more harm than good at the best of times. Now that it¡¯s safe for a fresh dispensation, my mother is going to spread her word.¡±


    His mother. I didn¡¯t know her name, but sensed that him uttering it would come with visions of their own. So I didn¡¯t ask. I knew enough of her nature through this incarnation of death to know who she¡¯d pick to speak to.


    ¡°They¡¯re well-suited to each other. Glad ascension¡¯s going to make her even harder to kill, she¡¯s going to want to stay as pregnant as possible.¡±


    Arawn just smiled.


    ¡°Could you put the skin back on, please? The skeleton look is creepy.¡±


    Did he¡­ laugh?


    ¡°Sorry, forgot the revelations that come from speaking my name come with a few layers of reality being applied.¡± A shift of light, and he was a creepy corpse-child again. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Marginally. You like pulling those tricks, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The smile was now a smirk, simultaneously cruel and innocent.


    ¡°Now you remind me of Guiying.¡±


    ¡°We share a temperament. I might borrow her for another world¡¯s troubles later, if it¡¯s alright.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°As long as she¡¯s willing, and you let me know. I¡¯ve been a lousy mother to my kids, and I¡¯d like to correct that.¡±


    Arawn nodded. ¡°Thank you. It won¡¯t happen for a few years, don¡¯t worry. As for the rest¡­¡± He looked out on the empty lands. ¡°You know what you need to do. Help rebuild the land, found the Xiangli Empire with your husband.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s already decided on, I¡¯m afraid the people won¡¯t give you a choice.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be responsible for a time more, yes. But I promise you that it won¡¯t be forever. Endure for a time more, and both you and your husband can retire in peace, vanishing from history. You already know how.¡±


    I did. I¡¯d been planning it for years, and would be happy to do so. Meanwhile¡­


    ¡°I do look rather hot now, don¡¯t I? The pink markings are a nice touch.¡±


    Arawn¡­ Really? He looked grossed out?


    ¡°I¡¯m about as old as I look, in terms of maturity. Technically, I¡¯ve never actually lived. From your perspective, I¡¯ve lived forever. Attractiveness¡­ isn¡¯t something I understand.¡±


    I laughed. A true god, an avatar of mortality and cosmic balance¡­ was still in the ¡°girls have cooties¡± stage?


    ¡°Cooties are not a thing. And I¡¯m done with this conversation. Make sure I don¡¯t need to visit again.¡±


    I laughed, and waved at the empty air where he¡¯d once stood. The ruined city was gone now, replaced by a desolate plain.


    Well, time to get to the actual work, I suppose. Can¡¯t just destroy an entire set of kingdoms without building something to replace them, after all...

 Life

    The roar in the distance was accompanied by a massive inhalation of qi. I did what I could to shield others, but could see the surviving enemy soldiers drained before my eyes. Thankfully, most of our own units were stronger, and resisted the effect with enough force to shield our wounded.


    That would be the Tiger King ascending, then. From what Xiang told me, that was what she¡¯d planned on. Stupid murderbun, just did it this way instead of killing them all at the start so she¡¯d have something to fight. Could¡¯ve saved us all a lot of time and trouble if she¡¯d killed the three of them at- what, what¡¯s that?


    A surge of qi, stronger by magnitudes than the drawing in that marked the Tiger King¡¯s ascension, blew over all of us. Wood energy, earth energy¡­ yeah, that¡¯s Xiang. Bakabun had her own ascension, becoming stronger than the Tiger King could¡¯ve ever understood.


    ¡°Be careful when you reach your own ascension, Kaoru. Xiang won¡¯t be sufficiently entertained by that overfed kitten she¡¯s slaughtering right now.¡±


    I started, turning to see the woman behind me. Bright orange hair, even more flame-like than the Vermilion Queen¡¯s had been, stood out against deep brown skin with a reddish tone that matched the scales on her body fetchingly. Green eyes¡­ oak-like in color, looking at them, regarded me with a kind glow.


    I stood up¡­ and found myself surprised again. At just under five feet in height, I was often having to look up to meet anyone in the eye. This woman was shorter than I was, plump and curvy with the gentle swell of a pregnancy¡­ somewhere around four months? Reflexively, I tried to check¡­ and nearly went qi-blind.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ don¡¯t try that. I do appreciate the admiration, though. Been far too long since anyone in this area worshiped me properly.¡± She led me to a nearby ruin, conveniently abandoned. ¡°Your little bunny friend released the final nexus in the area, so take a moment to hit your own enlightenment. I don¡¯t want to hurt you while we talk, and it¡¯s hard to hold back to mortal levels.¡±


    Worship? Mortal? Apparently, I was talking to a goddess. But I took her advice, and sat in meditation.


    Almost instantly, qi swirled around me. Fire and water, earth and wood, with the bright golden energy of metal and lightning intertwined throughout. I started to play with them, changing things to my whim to make different forms and beautiful shapes. A part of me wanted to make them into an infinite amount of babies¡­ but I realized now where that came from. A fear of being alone, a sense of loss that I¡¯d displaced by having as many children as I could.


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    It wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but I needed to temper that impulse. Moderate it.


    But there was so much fun to be had now! The Four Heavenly Kings were dead, the world I knew saved, and I could go home and play with my babies all I wanted!


    It was¡­ yes. This was my dao. I¡¯d almost forgotten it of late, so scared and worried for everyone. But I always wanted to have fun, always wanted to be up to some new mischief. Xiang might be a fighter, but I just liked to play my jokes and keep everyone laughing at my tricks.


    And as I felt my ninth tail grow, and my fur streak with cream in intricate patterns, I became the very incarnation of just that. A kitsune-gami.


    My eyes opened, and I shifted back to human shape as quickly as I¡¯d left it. My goddess smiled.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll do nicely. You see, I need someone to re-establish proper worship of the gods in this land, and rather prefer someone who will neither be crushed by the responsibility nor take their position to seriously. So I mark your role by telling you my name. I am Maskanwyn Emberoak.¡±


    I clutched my head, feeling so much more than just the spoken name. The flames of the sun, the source of creation, the scarlet dragon queen. She whose name was the song of flame in the ashes of an ancient tree. Mother of all the gods, who rules from on high surrounded by her harem of¡­ oh. Oh my.


    I blushed and smiled, seeing what my goddess did with her time. I think I¡¯d try joining in sometime, maybe in a thousand years or so¡­


    Maskanwyn smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Meanwhile, here¡¯s a bit of history and the basic rules. You have no idea how hard it is to hide these caches when a god needs them.¡±


    She turned a stone, revealing a set of engraved metal plates in¡­ wait, my language?


    ¡°Thankfully, your grandmother had the presence of mind to leave an imprint of her people¡¯s language in you when she saw you¡¯d awaken. Saves me the trouble of having to give you a translator system. I¡¯d give the whole ¡®be fruitful and multiply¡¯ speech, but you don¡¯t need it. My boy is already complaining about how I¡¯m unbalancing things between you and that rabbit.¡±


    I blinked in surprise, even as I took the massive metal book in my arms. Ridiculously heavy, but I¡¯d have to work on translating it at home. ¡°Your son?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°He¡¯s talking to Xiang right now. Poor boy¡¯s always too serious, though I can hardly blame him. It¡¯s only by his own omnipotence that he exists, after all. Anyway, you¡¯ll get the basic story on him and the other true gods of this world as you go. We¡¯ll talk more another time, when you¡¯re ready. Later!¡±


    She smiled, waved, and disappeared as suddenly as she¡¯d arrived.


    Leaving me in a greening battlefield surrounded by confused soldiers.


    ¡°Wait. Isn¡¯t it supposed to be winter?¡±

 The Year Without a Winter

    That year went without a winter season, though I personally didn¡¯t complain. The children wanted more snowball fights, but we needed the extra harvest the qi surge provided.


    With the nexus points unlocked, qi was flowing freely again and elements mattered even less than they used to. Turns out that a lot of what we ¡°knew¡± about the world was just what the Four Heavenly Kings imposed on it. Kaoru was doing a lot to set things straight with the scriptures given her by the Goddess.


    Wasn¡¯t entirely sure why she couldn¡¯t put everything in an information jade, though. When I asked, I got something about ¡°tenth-dimensional thought patterns¡± being too complex for the stones, and how they didn¡¯t last all that long anyway, just a few centuries.


    Apparently the gods think on different scales than even the most enlightened of mortals.


    Xiang wasn¡¯t entirely untouched by her own encounter, beating up Kaoru first chance she got. For a month. Apparently, the Tiger King was¡­ less-than-satisfying to fight. I was just glad I needed more time to try my own ascension.


    With all lands cleared and healed, people spread out more and started building more cities, including a new capital in what was formerly the central lands of the newly-titled Xiangli Empire. I was a touch bemused at the name, but Xiang made her hatred of it pretty clear to us.


    Kaoru usually didn¡¯t have to spar with her twice a day, after all.


    So time passed as crops were planted, cities planned, and foundations laid. We were guaranteed at least two bumper crops of¡­ well, everything¡­ so we all worked hard to plant and harvest what we could and store it away. Doubly so when the other major side-effect of a qi surge became clear.


    To put it bluntly, contraception magic failed. Every trick we knew was completely ineffective, though Kaoru assured us it was temporary. But it meant that, by the spring equinox, every sexually-active male/female couple was expecting. Song and Chen bumped their wedding date up a few months to ensure they and the entirety of their female guest list and attendants wouldn¡¯t go into labor during the ceremony.


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    Xiang and I didn¡¯t kill our eldest son, but he does have a few burn scars from Kaoru¡¯s¡­ discussion¡­ concerning young Chiaki. Thankfully she¡¯d attained her mastery, but we all considered their form of celebration a touch inappropriate at their age.


    I¡¯d honestly miss seeing them when the new capital was finished. Chiaki would be overseeing the Song Valley Monastery, while Chang took over the running of the village, once again needing a new name as Xiangli City was to be the name of the new capital.


    And with Shun being the new mayor of Rivermill, that would mean all of my eldest were leaving me for new lives. Well, maybe the two other gods Kaoru mentioned will give Song and Chen their attention when they reach Elder rank. Shouldn¡¯t take either of them too long.


    The younger children are all doing well, and I¡¯ve got reports of our military¡¯s gradual disbanding as we slowly reduce our forces back down to cultivating monks and tradespeople. Even as the world outside discovers us, we feel little need to be on the offensive anymore.


    Ah. Speaking of.


    It turns out ¡°the world¡± as we knew it was just a small portion of a much wider sphere. With the harsh conditions the Four created gone, we now have caravans reaching us from the far west, interested in trading goods we¡¯d never seen before for things we found almost commonplace. To the east were a cluster of islands, where we traded some of our technology for their pottery. They had a thing for fertility idols, and¡­ well, a few of the ones we got had rabbit ears after they saw Xiang.


    There were also lands to the south, though the mountain barrier made travelling there difficult by land. But the spices were worth re-learning the shipwright¡¯s trade for, and Xiang loved the cuisine. Lots of vegetable dishes, and apparently rabbits were sacred creatures to them, and thus not to be eaten by men.


    Made no sense, but it meant Xiang could, and did, try everything on our first visit.


    Spring passed, summer faded, and when autumn colors showed, it was time for the harvest feast held at the equinox¡­ and for the first of my children to be given away in marriage.

 The Wedding (Sort Of)

    My heel thumped the ground in irritation for a little while. I¡¯d thought we agreed this wouldn¡¯t happen! Not to mention I was going to be busy as hell in three months, due myself, and my apprentice was moving off to Riverbridge to start her own practice. And why can¡¯t we just live in a quiet little village, tucked away from everything?! I don¡¯t like this whole grand capital plan, but at least I convinced the planners not to make the imperial palace some walled community compound. That would just lead to uppity fools who isolated themselves from the outside world running the country.


    Which wasn¡¯t to say the small mansion Li and I would be stuck in wasn¡¯t¡­ sturdy. I built the walls myself after we got back from the kingdoms south of the barrier peaks, and¡­ well, I could break them. But I¡¯d be about the only cultivator who could. The qi-reinforced stone, wood, and metal put the Tortoise King¡¯s little dome to shame. Certainly looked better, even if I would¡¯ve preferred a simple cabin. The architects insisted on things looking impressive, I insisted on humility. Li insisted on compromise, so we found a middle point.


    But back to the wedding. Half a dozen attendants, three per bride. It¡¯s a tradition to have several bridal decoys to protect the bride¡¯s innocence until the ceremony was completed¡­ but having all of them be about six months pregnant defeated the purpose.


    Though to be fair, most of the women in attendance were in the same boat, myself included. For once, Kaoru seemed a bit cross about her condition. Seems she wanted to take a break, then muttered something about the Goddess, and I just shook my head and told her not to worry about it. I knew what she was like. And honestly, I¡¯m mostly irritated with Chiaki, actually following through on what we¡¯d all told her no on. From the groomsmen¡¯s position, Chang looked away as my glare landed on him, showing the burn marks still fresh on his face. He¡¯d have those scars for the rest of his life, even if he ascended. Kaoru¡­ well, there was nothing more lasting than the wrath of a kitsune-gami.


    Alright. Deep breaths, and stop upsetting everyone. This is a happy occasion, and everything that¡¯s bothering you is a combination of horomones and outside circumstances. Smile, bless the happy threesome, and play nice.


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    Well, that worked, and it was a nice ceremony. Just our usual civic traditions, though Kaoru filled in a few points that we¡¯d lost when religion was stamped out by the four. In return, all records and mentions of them in history were erased, save as a blight upon our land that the Hero Xiang and the First Emperor Li saved the world from.


    ¡°Hero.¡± Bleh. Such pretentious drabble. I just like beating things up, and don¡¯t like people who hurt others because they can. I would¡¯ve happily stayed Mistress Song¡¯s pet bunny my entire life, had the Tortoise King not killed her. And now that I¡¯d had my revenge, the hard work began.


    After all, you can¡¯t destroy a government without creating a new one if you¡¯re any kind of responsible. And as much as I hated being the one to get the job, I was the one who decided on removing the heads of state in a literal fashion. I broke it, I bought it.


    Finally, the feast. A special meal, we actually slaughtered a cow. Beef was hard to come by, as cattle were far more valuable for their milk¡­ mmm, but this was so tasty. And a quick announcement of the new threesome¡­ and the new couple, as I¡¯d had them slip Chiaki and Chang into the ceremony. There was precedent, and it hadn¡¯t taken much to pull off. The two of them went into shock as I smirked. Actions have consequences, children, and I can be sneaky too.


    Some might argue about contracts under duress, or age of consent, but none of that really applied to our laws just yet, and now that the shock had worn off my son and his new bride were too thrilled to care. Maybe they would in a few years, but I¡¯d make sure the case was quietly grandfathered by then.


    Bleh. Laws. I didn¡¯t much care for them, but I didn¡¯t like the alternative either. Li was getting into it, he¡¯d come to live off rules and structure, but I just wanted to relax for a while. Sadly, that plan would have to be put off for a few centuries. I¡¯d take it out on Kaoru, but we were both too pregnant to spar safely, and¡­ well¡­ since we ascended, we¡­ couldn¡¯t actually spar safely. Last time we did, it had been too close to a fair fight, and we cratered some land that might¡¯ve been otherwise used for farming. Even after I fixed the damage, Li told me flat out I wasn¡¯t allowed to fight at full strength anymore. Just another thing to be irritated about.


    Huh¡­ they have curry!


    Sorry, but I have more important business to handle now. Later!

 The Wedding, and the Reception

    Ugh, that incessant heel-tap is so annoying. If I didn¡¯t know why Xiang was doing it, I¡¯d ask her to stop.


    In what would be my last act as village headwoman, I stood before everyone in the square. A carpet had been laid out between the benches, as a procession of ¡°maidens¡± walked in pairs down the center aisle, a groomsman between them.


    Honestly, even if I wasn¡¯t happy about Chiaki¡¯s pregnancy happening so early¡­ I was happy for more grandchildren, and Xiang¡¯s little surprise would be a nice bit of revenge on the vixen. And, I¡¯ll admit, she did look rather nice in her pale green dress, belly and all.


    Though Song and Chen were even more stunning, Song¡¯s a bold red and Chen¡¯s a deep blue. I told the words and gave the traditional blessing, adding Maskanwyn¡¯s blessing to things now that I knew the original phrasing. And no one really noticed my lack of specifications, particularly since this was a rare case of a polygamous marriage. Wasn¡¯t forbidden or anything, but the various jealousies and the need for everyone to be equal partners in the relationship discouraged the practice.


    So Song and Chen were married both to Shun, and to each other. And as I announced this, I slyly added in the announcement of Chang and Chiaki Yamano to the audience.


    Xiang was right. The look on their faces was priceless. And from the kiss they shared when the shock wore off, I think they¡¯d be fine.


    Did have to think about Xiang again, though¡­ ah, over by the feast tables. Good. I¡¯d made sure we included some of her new favorite dishes in the harvest feast, particularly that affront to the taste buds known as curry. I have no idea why she likes that stuff so much, but she¡¯ll take three plates of it any time it¡¯s offered, with any starchy side provided. A hearty wheat bread, this time.


    I sat in a chair, glad to finally be off my feet after the ceremony. Chiaki provided me with a nice glass of apple juice and a plate of my own particular favorites. Mmm, ginger sauce over inarizushi and fried chicken.


    ¡°That really wasn¡¯t fair, mother.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Blame Xiang, not me. I just officiated in my role as village headwoman, and I¡¯m now retired from the role. Take any complaints up with your successor.¡±


    ¡°Your successor is, apparently, my husband.¡±


    ¡°And weren¡¯t you planning on that?¡± I asked, all too sweetly. ¡°Or did you just think being pregnant at your older sister¡¯s wedding would be a fun joke to make at her expense?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­¡±


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    I was still smiling, but not so sweetly anymore. ¡°Go enjoy your wedding feast dear, and thank you for bringing me a portion.¡±


    She left, properly chastised. By the time I¡¯m done, she¡¯ll wish I¡¯d merely left some permanent burn scars on her. Chang¡¯s actually made him look rather rugged, I thought. And they¡¯d be a good reminder to consider the consequences of his actions concerning my daughter.


    After all, I could¡¯ve done a lot worse than leave a few nasty creases on his cheek and along his ribcage.


    Xiang and Li joined me, while my own husband went off to commiserate with Shun. Didn¡¯t blame him, the poor man¡¯s always been a touch overshadowed by the company he keeps. Even as the minister of trade for the entire empire, he was still mostly half-forgotten as my husband, or Emperor Li¡¯s friend. Xiang barely noticed him.


    ¡°How many plates has she had so far?¡±


    Li held up four fingers. I didn¡¯t bother asking Xiang, she was too busy stuffing her face.


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m just grateful you and the cooks had the foresight. She¡¯s been tetchier than usual these past months.¡±


    ¡°Has she? How interesting. I simply had not noticed.¡±


    A brief pause in eating, as Xiang glared at us in mild irritation.


    ¡°So how are the affairs of state, oh grand Emperor?¡±


    Li shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve mostly got a solid foundation of laws down, based upon the Creator Goddess¡¯s desires and The Golden Path laid down by the God of Law. I¡¯d still like some input from the others, but¡­¡±


    Xiang and I shook our heads in unison.


    ¡°The Goddess of Chaos has only one law: do as thou wilt, save that it harm none. The Stillborn God is a neutral figure whose interference is sure annihilation.¡± Xiang nodded emphatically. We¡¯d traded notes, and I was honestly glad I didn¡¯t ever have to meet Arawn in person, at least not until I died. Even if he liked you, he seemed to be a creepy kid. ¡°And the other¡­ is best left in her prison. She only means ill of all beings, mortal or otherwise.¡±


    Li nodded. ¡°I look forward to the day when I can know their names.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, their names hold a touch of their power. All personal names do, it¡¯s just that usually the power involved can¡¯t do much more than hold a person for a brief moment.


    ¡°I always wondered how that worked. I thought it was just an authority thing.¡±


    ¡°It is, but there¡¯s more to it than just being Mom or Dad.¡±


    Xiang finished her plate, and I stopped her from getting up for more.


    ¡°So how is progress on the capital¡¯s construction going, Xiang?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uh¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop procrastinating, dear. I know you don¡¯t want to move, but we need a central location to run the nation from, and a good place to house diplomats and merchants from far-reaching locations. Xiangli City will be ready for population by the end of the year, will it not?¡±


    Brief stomp, but Xiang nodded.


    ¡°Something besides curry this time, your digestion-¡±


    ¡°I know my digestion!¡±


    Well, she¡¯d be cranky for a while. Nothing for it, sadly. We all had to deal with things we didn¡¯t like right now.

 Sparring

    It wasn¡¯t long after we were situated in what was already being called The Golden Palace when I ascended. I was simply where I needed to be, doing what needed to be done. Our nation needed a Sage, so I became one. Remarkably unpretentious.


    Xiang, having recently given birth and still annoyed by¡­ everything¡­ teleported us somewhere well away from any people, and well outside our borders.


    I asked why she didn¡¯t just take us to the moon, but she just told me not to be ridiculous. We still needed to breathe. I shrugged it off, and prepared for a fight.


    Xiang¡­ was fast. Ridiculously fast. Even without consciously teleporting, she was moving so quickly that nothing less than an ascendant could¡¯ve tracked her, and even I was having trouble. She¡¯d dropped her human shape, moving essentially as a glowing magic rabbit with sleek fur and golden eyes. I honestly thought this form was beautiful¡­ when she wasn¡¯t trying to kill me.


    I didn¡¯t get a fancy shapeshifting power, but I did get a third eye gem to match Xiang¡¯s. It was remarkable, almost seeing the world the way she did.


    I say almost, because her senses were unmatched. One of the reasons I had to stop her from sparring with Kaoru was because the fights had become one-sided. Even with Kaoru¡¯s enhancement of her illusions, Xiang saw right through them. Even the ones that had enough qi to do damage were useless, and Kaoru¡¯s fighting style was too dependent on misdirection.


    Me, I¡¯d been trained by an up-front and relentless brawler. And even if I had to face her, I¡¯d refined her technique to better suit my own nature. So Xiang kept making passes and attacks, jumping, kicking, boxing, and bouncing around like a glowing ball of death¡­ but I comfortably dodged or blocked almost all of her moves. And what I did take hurt, but didn¡¯t stop me.


    Plus, those hits gave me openings to counter.


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    Finally, the bunny screamed, and came at me like a cannonball. Noise and fury and furry pain¡­ suddenly stopped as I snatched her out of the air as I¡¯d once seen someone else manage, some twenty years ago.


    ¡°Well, Mistress. I¡¯d say I¡¯ve finally learned my lessons. What do you think, Xiang?¡±


    The magic rabbit in my hands was suddenly a very naked human, with a very seductive smirk on her face. ¡°Does feel like old times, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    I shook her a bit. ¡°Thought we were taking a break to raise the children we already have.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ mating still feels good¡­ and it¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t trying not to have kids for a while¡­¡±


    I shook my head. It figures that resolution wouldn¡¯t last five minutes with this baby-crazy bunny. ¡°Teleport us home first, please. I¡¯m not quite as fast as you are.¡±


    She did, and she was form-locked within the hour. Well, most likely. We didn¡¯t exactly stop to check that day. Or the next. Or for the week after.


    Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for needing to run an empire, I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve come up for air until she was six months along with the next kid. The woman¡¯s beautiful, sensual, and puts as much of her all into¡­ mating¡­ as she does into her fighting and cultivation. I knew she had a retirement plan going, and was all for it¡­ in a century or two, when Chang was ready to take over and we had a line of succession that wouldn¡¯t go incompetent and/or corrupt for at least a millennium.


    But the western merchants were here again, and I had to make sure their long trip was also a profitable one. Plus the southern kingdoms wanted more silk in exchange for their spices, which I needed if I wanted a happy Xiang and therefore a happy kingdom, and the pottery tribes were wanting iron ore that was more workable than the low-grade sand they could gather on their islands.


    This could all be arranged, and would be. Making alliances, maintaining a reasonable peacetime military strength, checking in with the various villages, towns, cities, and monasteries¡­ my time was always in demand. But it was nice to get away for a bit, and I think Xiang had finally gotten that irritation the Tiger King¡¯s subpar fight had left her with out of her system.


    I¡¯d have to fight her again from time to time, her dao wouldn¡¯t be denied after all. But I was alright with that, and judging by the jumping¡­ not again!


    ¡°Xiang! No naked binkies in the capital! We¡¯ve talked about this!¡±

 Epilogue

    Some 1500 years later.


    Stories of the Age of Cultivation are mostly seen as myth, with little record of what Shiangli was like before its founding. Those who know have disappeared. Most have died, releasing their qi back into the world to propagate new life. Many would think this sad, but most cultivators of the era had to make the choice willingly and voluntarily, and all died peacefully and calmly, their spirits moving on to greater stages.


    Others, like a certain mischievous fox, chose to devote themselves fully to the gods they worshiped. It¡¯s said that the Prophetess Kaoru still sits at the base of the Throne of Life, bearing new souls for worlds uncounted alongside many of her daughters.


    Others still roam the world, although one would have to look carefully into history to see their shadows. It¡¯s said that there was a King in a desert nation on the Grand Trade Road who built a harem around two beautiful women from the east, and the tale is told that they never aged from the day they were taken in by a young and ambitious conqueror to the day they buried the last of their children by him.


    That said, the secrets of cultivation have long been erased or forgotten, and many consider the events that led to the founding of Shangli to be good reason to keep them that way. Others object, and occasionally find a piece or two. But no one has ever done more than find a dao and pursue it, and any who claimed they were on the cusp of learning more¡­ well, they quickly fade from all memory.


    Me, I just tend to my shrine, in a park once said to be the location of an old village. Nothing out here anymore but rabbits, really. Two in particular are supposed to be worshiped as an ancient hero and the First Emperor, but mostly I see them as spoiled and annoying pets who mate endlessly.


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    Honestly, I don¡¯t believe in any of it. Just made-up stories to explain why so many people have rabbit ears or fox tails. Mystical kung-fu that turns you into an immortal superhuman? Animals turning into people? And why in oblivion does everyone insist on constantly having babies?


    Honestly, it¡¯s all garbage. And that pink rabbit giving me a look like she¡¯s smirking at me just annoys me more. I don¡¯t care if they think you¡¯re some ancient hero, you¡¯re just the same dumb rabbit they dragged me off to pet in first grade.


    --


    The ¡°dumb rabbit¡± merely smirks at her descendant who can¡¯t see an ascendant staring her in the face. Yeah, Li and I are still around, keeping an eye on things. Figured I¡¯d save Arawn the trouble of having to mess with this world anymore. Expert rank¡¯s not as easy to reach as it was since we broke the elemental system, and anyone with the ambition to try is generally either easy to talk out of the attempt, or a bad enough person to quietly off. From there, Chiaki and the other living cultivators quietly erase and/or redirect any records. Makes life easier for us.


    Bleh. By the time we could get back to living in the old village, there wasn¡¯t an old village to come back to. But I knew that would happen, so I quietly had an Imperial Nature Reserve established over the valley, and a small shrine dedicated to those lost to the Imperial Rising War built over my old warren. I knew the actual purpose would be forgotten over time, but enshrining a couple of ¡°sacred rabbits¡± is a nice cover, and makes sure Li and I are treated like spoiled pets. Our offspring are pure bunnies as well, no sentience at all in them, so I¡¯m not at all concerned with them often being sold as pets or for meat. As was pointed out many times in my human years, I was never properly attached to my children.


    Ah well. Time for my breakfast, then keeping Li in a mating-induced coma. Then I¡¯ll flop for a nap. Nowhere to go, nothing to manage, no problems I can¡¯t handle. And as much fun as fighting was¡­ I¡¯m happy to have let it go.


    Eat, sleep, mate. Such is the Dao of the Bun.