Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

"Let me apologize again for the inconvenience of the last minute change," Ling Qi said, dipping her head toward Fu Xiang, where he sat in front of his mirror and other scrying gear. He had replaced his chair with a padded, levitating disc of dull grey metal since she had been to his cottage last. It had allowed him to swivel to face her without ever standing up.

"It was more disappointing than troublesome," Fu Xiang replied from his seat, idly adjusting his glasses. "In the end, my employment under Lady Cai is a temporary measure."

"I am not really sure what you mean by disappointment," Ling Qi replied slowly, taking one of the open seats in the room herself.

"I had thought our interests might overlap somewhat, but it seems you are more principled than I had imagined," the boy replied with a shrug, folding his hands in his lap. "I suppose it is good to get that sort of misunderstanding out of the way early, before we move beyond children's games."

Ling Qi restrained a grimace. "May I ask how you resolved the matter?"

"Brother Yan has presented himself as a useful boogeyman, given the destruction of his credibility. I merely implied that despite lack of solid evidence, I had discovered implications pointing in his direction," Fu Xiang said, his lips quirking into an amused smirk.

"I see," Ling Qi said, she still wasn't sure how she felt about deceiving Cai Renxiang, but blaming the matter on an enemy was better than ruining a third uninvolved person. "I'm guessing that you've completed the investigation I paid you for then?"

Fu Xiang nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "Of course, I do not allow personal matters to touch business. I must say, Miss Bai is quite terrifying."

Ling Qi glanced away, fiddling with a loose strand of hair. "...I did not ask for details on how she investigated herself."

"Well, she was quite thorough," Fu Xiang said, sounding quite unbothered. "Over a dozen disciples remanded to a month or more of recovery in the Medicine Hall, and not a one of them willing to so much as speak with Yan Renshu any longer. Your original operation, and Lady Cai's follow up stripped his organization to the bone, and Miss Bai shattered even that."

"He really doesn't have any other bases aside from the ones we discovered?" Ling Qi asked, sounding put out. Had she spent two hundred red stones just to learn that he really was largely defeated?

"I did not say that," Fu Xiang said, shaking his head. "He had several other automated locations, using puppets and spirit beasts, however, given his current weakness… Most of them have been betrayed to other groups. Miss Wen graciously accepted some defectors fleeing Miss Bai's wrath, as did Sir Kang."

"Not all of them though," Ling Qi replied shrewdly leaning back in her seat.

"No, insofar as I have been able to discern, he retains two base locations off of the mountain, though given his defenses, I cannot tell you much of the interiors," the informant replied. "I do know that he has returned to the mountain only to access the Inner Sect market, and even then only through construct intermediaries."

"Do you know what he was purchasing?" Ling Qi asked.

"Materials for talisman and formation work, at the upper end of what is available for an Outer Sect disciple," Fu Xiang said, before continuing, his arrogant smirk diminishing slightly. "He has received some deliveries through the Ministry of Communication as well. I hope you will not expect me to have interfered in Ministry business on your behalf."

"No, of course not," Ling Qi replied, she had been paging through the materials the Sect Advisor had given her in her spare moments, and she was aware that attempting to access Ministry deliveries and messages without authorization was a significant crime. "What do you think he's doing?"

"Given my analysis of his personality, and the cessation of any operations on his part?" Fu Xiang asked, once again adjusting his glasses, the dim light of the room gleaming dully on the lenses. "I expect one of two things. Either he is fully focusing on his passage into the Inner Sect, as this is his last chance… Or he intends to strike at you hard in the days immediately preceding the tournament. Several of the reagents he has purchased are useful in the construction of talismans which are counter to your expressed abilities. His cautious personality and avoidance of direct confrontation, and previous patience indicate the former… but you have precipitated a large drop in his fortunes, which resulted in him acting more rashly than I have previously observed."

She grimaced. She wasn't sure what was worse. If he passed into the Inner Sect, she was sure he would continue to hold a grudge, but there was every possibility that he would manage to impact her chances at the tournament if she left him to prepare for some single massive strike. "Well, thank you. Do you have the locations plotted out on a map?"

"Of course," Fu Xiang replied, a gesture materializing a thick scroll in his hand, which he proceeded to toss to her. "I have made notes on the observable outer defenses as well, in addition to descriptions of the puppet bodies he uses for his purchases, should you wish to disrupt him that way."

Ling Qi caught the scroll and nodded her thanks, moving to stand. She would have to consider how she wanted to handle this going forward… but things might very well change given this weeks events. It would be best for her not to do anything rash just yet.

With that Fu Xiang's information now stored away in her ring, she took her leave from the informants cottage, and headed back home to pick up Zhengui from his usual morning napping place. It was time to begin profiting from her efforts at the Dragon's Vale. She only hoped she could impress on Zhengui the importance of not taking nibbles out of anything for a few hours… while providing her promised entertainment to the dragon, Heizui as well.

...It was going to be a fairly long morning, wasn't it?

The vale was lovely under the early morning light. The sun shone off the bubbling surface of the river, and the wind carried with it the sweet scent of fruit and flowers. It looked quite different than it did at twilight or after sunfall, the colors were vibrant, and the qi in the air pulsed with vitality.

"Alright Zhengui," Ling Qi said crisply as she crouched in front of her young spirit. "You worked really hard last week, and you followed instructions well. So I want you to do the same now, alright? I want you to keep cultivating your body, so that you can be tough and strong for Big Sister," she explained calmly, last weeks training had given her concerns about his defenses. She didn't want him to have to use that technique if possible.

"Hmph, Big Sister does not need to worry, Zhen will not let the feckless Gui's attention wander," Zhen hissed, even as his bright red eyes wandered curiously over the Vale. She wondered if he was picking up new vocabulary from Cui though, she might have to watch that.

"And Gui won't let lazy Zhen sneak any naps," Gui chirped, causing his 'brother' to twitch in irritation. Well, she supposed that she was glad that their antagonism was mutual, instead of a bullying relationship.

"I'm sure you both will," Ling Qi replied with a slight smile. "Now, there is a new rule today," she continued, as sternly as she could manage in the face of her adorable little brothers earnestness. "You can't eat anything here, if you get hungry. I will give you a core, but you have to promise not to eat anything else until we leave, got it?"

The dismay in Gui's bright green eyes shook her resolve, but Ling Qi stayed strong. "Promise me, Zhengui," she said, not flinching from his gaze.

"...We promise Big Sister," they both promised, just a bit sulkily.

"I'll be sure to treat you to something nice when we're done," Ling Qi said gently, leaning forward to embrace the spirit around Gui's thick neck. "I know you can do it, so train hard for Big Sister, alright?"

Zhen nuzzled her cheek, his forked tongue tickling her skin, and Gui made an ascenting sound. After a moment, she let him go, and with one last pat for each head, she went to take care of the other half of her business, while Zhengui got to his cultivation.

"It is beneath the dignity of a Xuan Wu to be coddled so," The dragon huffed as she sat down by the riverbank, his voice distorted by the waters. He had been watching their conversation, half submerged in the water, he eyed her flute warily as it materialized in her hand.

"He is my precious little brother, and he is not even a year old yet," Ling Qi replied, looking down to meet the dragons golden gaze. "He deserves a little spoiling when he's being good."

"No wonder that child has no pride," Heizui grumbled, sounding annoyed. "Raised by a human."

Ling Qi merely raised an eyebrow. "If you want head pats, you will have to ask your Mother. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to offer," she replied primly, fighting down the smirk as the young dragon spluttered. He was actually kind of easy to read.

"You overstep yourself. I am not a child," the dragon scoffed, rising to bring his head wholly above the water to stare her down from an even height. "Do not insult me so."

"My apologies, Honorable Heizui," Ling Qi replied, knowing not to tease him any further. "In turn. I will ask that you not insult my little brother."

"...Very well," he said grudgingly. "You should still teach him some pride. It is unseemly for one of his kind to lack so."

"I will take that under advisement," Ling Qi replied, just a touch dryly. "Now, what sort of song would you like me to play today?"

"Play me a song expressing the beauty of my vale," the dragon replied commandingly, settling himself on the riverbank, his long head resting atop his claws, the jewel at his throat pulsing with emerald light.

Ling Qi cast a look out over the sunny vale and nodded, raising her flute to her lips. The lesson of the dreaming moon was spontaneity, and even if she hadn't chosen that path, she could still improvise a good melody.

For the next few hours time crawled along as Ling Qi played a bright, but slow tune, that spoke of sparkling waters and fruit trees swaying in the wind. The scent spring flowers in the air and bright azure skies overhead. It was a nice change from her more usual work, and it was easy to simply relax and let the music flow.

She kept half of her attention on Zhengui, his aura bubbling with determination and cheer as he cultivated in the rich environment of the Vale, resting in a stand of trees off to her right. The other half, she kept on the young dragon, whose tail swayed in time with her music, poking out of the river behind him

By the time she was done, the dragon was snoozing away on the riverbank, his whiskers fluttering in time with his breathing. He was surprisingly, trusting it seemed, or at least incautious… Maybe she should mention that to Zeqing, for the purpose of passing it along? He was arrogant, but she didn't think the young dragon to be bad natured when it came down to it.

She spent another hour simply cultivating, she was going to be working on her Thousand Ring Fortress while training Su Ling later, and she wanted to soak in the ambient wood qi for a time to allow that to advance more easily.



Sparring with her friend made for a good counterbalance for a relatively lazy morning. They spent the afternoon circling the clearing, the sounds of Su Ling's efforts to crack her reinforced shell of wood qi echoing throughout the clearing. The only offense she allowed herself were her clumsy first efforts at weilding a flying sword. Her inexpensive neophytes blade bobbed drunkly through the air, and it's thrusts and slashes were painfully obvious, but gradually Ling Qi was picking up how to wield it without distracting herself.

It was like having another arm, if one atrophied and weak from disuse, but she could feel her control of it growing more natural by the end of their spar.

In the end, when Su Ling's reserved flagged, the two girls sat down, leaning against Zhengui's warm shell at the edge of the clearing, where her spirit had elected to take his nap after cultivating all morning.

"You're ridiculous," Su Ling grumbled. "I can split a boulder, but you throw up that armor and I feel like a mortal that just took a swing at a mountain."

"It helped you get a better grip on the pressure crack technique though, didn't it?" Ling Qi replied with a grin. She was beginning to be a bit confident in her defense, between this and the dragon. Though the specter of Sun Liling's thorn laden spear prevented that from growing into pride. "You've really put a lot of effort into your swordwork though.."

"I like doing it, picked up another couple sword arts, gotta cultivate my body before I can advance though," Su Ling replied, her ears drooping with exhaustion as she leaned back against the slumbering Zhengui's shell. Ling Qi supposed that explained why she had only just reached mid silver, if she had been focusing so exclusively on arts in her cultivation. "Not as much time for that as I might like though, gotta keep up with my pills."

"...You still not even going to try for Inner Sect?" Ling Qi asked, looking up at the sky. "If you can make something like those Silverblood pills. I think you could make it."

"That was Suyin as much as me," Su Ling replied shortly. "I've told you I don't want to get tangled up with the Sect."

"What do you want then?" Ling Qi asked, her thoughts drifting to her own future choices.

Su Ling glanced over at her, but didn't move from her relaxed position. "I want to get strong, get some real fighting experience in the army… and then I want to go chop my mother's head off."

Ling Qi grimaced. "Doesn't it seem a little petty, to just focus on revenge like that? There has to be something more you want."

Su Ling snorted. "If you had said that six months ago, I'd have punched you," she replied bluntly. "But… you're not wrong. It isn't just revenge though. I've done some research since I came here, ya know?"

"What do you mean?" Ling Qi asked, turning to look at her friend, while propping herself up on her elbow.

"I mean that the bitch has a fucking moniker, and stories 'n shit about her," Su Ling spat. "She's been murdering people like my dad for half a damn millenium, and since she mostly avoids botherin cultivators, doesn't disrupt trade or anything, no one who could stop her bothers to give a shit. I'm going to end that."

"You still haven't answered what you want to do after," Ling Qi replied, it was… hard to emphasize. Su Ling had never even known her father, for obvious reasons, so why did she care? While something like a murderous spirit was an ugly thing, there were a million and one things just as bad or worse in the world, and most of them were human.

"Fuck if I know," Su Ling replied, her expression rueful. "She's a fourth grade spirit, you know? I'll probably have a hundred years to figure that out."

"Which is all the more reason for you to advance, you stubborn girl," Ling Qi replied with a huff, flopping back down onto Zhengui's back. "You'll have more resources and a place to stay and train."

"And more people to object if Viscount Lazyfuck decides he doesn't want a mongrel starting fights with a powerful fourth grade spirit on his lands," Su Ling shot back. "Ling Qi, you're a good friend, but I think you've bought into the bull the Sect and the nobles peddle. You know they only reason they pay you any mind is 'cause of how fast you've grown, right?"

Ling Qi frowned at the aspersion that implied on her noble friends, but… she couldn't say that was wrong. "What's wrong with being appreciated for your abilities?" She said instead.

"...Nothing," Su Ling replied, sounding tired. "I'll think about trying for the inner next year, alright? Please leave it be."

She would have to take what she could get she supposed. At the same time, she wasn;t sure she could criticize Su Ling very much. Ling could hardly even really envision the passage of a hundred years. "Alright," she said, dropping the subject. "Same time tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, same time tomorrow," her friend replied. "And thanks for the training."

"Thank you for the pills," Ling Qi replied in a lighter tone. "I have plans for those…"

All to soon, they parted ways, and Ling Qi headed down the mountain for the last thing she had planned today. It was a rather more serious matter than cultivating with Zhengui or Su Ling. She knew that Cai Renxiang would be expecting her answer soon. That the girl hadn't demanded it right after her breakthrough was something she was grateful for. She hadn;t demanded at all yet, but Ling Qi was aware that she would probably ask soon if Ling Qi didn't bring it up.

Which brought her to where she was now, seated in the heiress' guest room, waiting patiently for her arrival.

When Cai swept into the room, her shimmering white gown gleaming with the girls ever present backlight, she rose and bowed, as was proper, clasping her hands in front of her. "Lady Cai, thank you for choosing to see me on such short notice."

"It is no trouble," The heiress replied gracefully, inclined her head just enough to acknowledge Ling Qi's respect before she proceeded to the white cushioned seat, which Ling Qi had accurately guessed was meant for her. "Please, be seated as well. I had meant to call on you next week, but I am glad enough to have this meeting now."

Ling Qi took a seat on her own less ostentatious chair, though the silk cushion still felt like sitting on a lovely soft cloud. Whatever else you might say of the Cai, they knew their textiles. "Yes, it is for the best that we resolve things," Ling Qi replied. "May I ask you some questions first?"

Cai gave her a considering look, sitting straight backed and perfectly postured in her own seat. "You may, what yet troubles you?"

"Well, firstly, I would like to ask what exactly you wrote in that cover letter for my legal request," Ling Qi replied. As much as the image of her mothers harassers, holding the image of past clients in her head, slamming their heads into the ground in kowtow amused her, she could admit that it was excessive.

Cai's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "I indicated that I would be personally grateful if the matter was treated with due consideration and seriousness. Has there been a problem?"

She studied the other girls face, and was in that moment struck by how perfectly symmetrical her every feature was, down to the way the strands of her hair rested. She supposed she couldn't talk though, what with the sparkles and all. As always, she detected no hint of dishonesty there, so it seemed the overreaction lay with the ministry. "No, not precisely. My mother was merely surprised by the level of attention she received."

"It is to be expected I suppose," Cai Renxiang replied, the light around her dimming very slightly, as the gaze of eye like markings across her chest drifted lazily around the room, seemingly disinterested in the conversation. "The expansion of the Ministry of Law, such that arbitrators are more available in some capacity to even less wealthy mortals, is among my goals for the future, but for now," her lips twisted in distaste. "Flaws remain."

"You know," Ling Qi said absently, drumming her fingers on the armrest of the chair. "Why do cultivators bother with mortals at all?" Her conversation with Su Ling lingered in her mind. "It seems like they could do without them entirely and be pretty much fine."

"It is our duty," Cai Renxiang replied immediately, as if that explained everything.

"Why though?" Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.

The heiress furrowed her brows. "You… no, I suppose such stories might not filter down. You are familiar with the origins of the world at least?"

"The story of the Nameless Mother and the Nameless Father, yeah," Ling Qi replied, though she had only heard it some months back from Elder Ying.

"The protection of mortals was the cost for the first secrets of cultivation, whispered to our ancestors on the last of the Father's breath," Cai Renxiang explained. "It is the original reason why we are superior to the barbarians, who cast their weaker children aside to die en masse. Many might fail to live up to the true spirit of the agreement, but none would fail to see the cities and towns as a whole be unprotected."

Well, that was an explanation she supposed, and one Cai Renxiang believed. Something else to look into she supposed. "Thank you for educating me on the matter. The question had occurred to me in a conversation earlier in the day."

"I am always pleased to discuss and explain the foundations of imperial law," Cai replied, a hint of something akin to actual warmth touching her expression.

"I suppose I might take you up on that later," Ling Qi replied politely, though she dreaded that kind of dull conversation. "In any case, getting back to the matter at hand… your offer of vassalization," she looked down, gathering her thoughts. "Why do you want your answer so soon? You yourself have mentioned that you do not intend to leave the Sect immediately following this year."

Cai closed her eyes for a moment. "The inner sect will be a much greater challenge than the outer, and I have no doubt that my Honored Mother will set me difficult milestones. I wish to know, concretely what assets and allies I will have for the following year."

"Not worried that I will fail in the tournament?" Ling Qi asked curiously.

"I think that such a result would be a mark of ill fortune, and not ability" Cai replied easily. "And you would remain an asset. I hope such a thing does not come to pass."

"That does make two of us," Ling Qi said quietly. In the end, the pro's and con's had already been laid out in front of her for some time. There was little Cai could say to change her mind at this point, when her answer was already…

[] That she would accept, becoming a vassal of the Cai, and Renxiang in particular, with all that it entailed.
[] That she would respectfully decline. She was too young to make such a permanent decision, even if that meant losing the offer.

AN: Keep it civil.

And remember sock puppets make Meizhen cry and Yrsillar mad. DO NOT DO IT.