Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

relax with fren

It's also worth pointing out that the last training arc activity we have left is CRX's party, and so a bit more knowledge of what's going on in the Sect could prove useful.

yrsillar said:

[] Roaming Moon's Eye (Xuan Shi, Various Nobles, Cai Gathering)

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yrsillar said:

more like… very violent heists.

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definitely Insight material.

This chapter is just a delight. I assume we still have a few more before the other shoe drops.

I just hope that Bao Qingling doesnt set up too much death flags, because being Suyin's mentor definitely counts as one.

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

yrsillar said:

"Sixiang has been trying to teach me to move more like they do," Ling Qi sighed. But I'm having a hard time of it."

"Sixiang is an immaterial spirit," Meizhen pointed out.

"Right, right, and I'm not at a level where i can replicate that," Ling Qi agreed, frowning at the worn stones. "Not for long anyway. We're trying to meet each other halfway.

"Ah, you are trying to step into the Liminal Realm," Meizhen said, understanding dawning.

"Pretty much! I can pull her in when she's asleep, but doing it consciously is hard!" Sixiang agreed.

"Wait, what's that term?" Ling Qi asked with a frown.

"It refers to the space where certain spirits dwell, not wholly outside the material realm, yet not wholly part of it either. It is also called the realm of consciousness, or the Father's Hearth by some," Meizhen explained academically, elegantly seating herself on another stone. "It is typically accessed through dreams and mirrors. The technique which allows communication with Grandmother Serpent makes use of it as well, or so I have been taught."

"Hm, I just call it Dream," Ling Qi shrugged.

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Liminal space stuff sounds exciting. The Weilu also disappeared suddenly with their dream palaces left empty. No wonder I think it's interesting since I think anything connected to Weilu and Moon is interesting, because not even the empire can or possibly even wants to explain to the general populace why the weilu left the mortal and liminal plane. The Weilu could be one big Mystery box screaming "Liminal Apocalyptic Threat" for me. On the boring side they could be TES dwarves and simply "ascend" as a civ, because they do not want to be constrained by the "mortal dream". That would be boring though in my opinion.
Who knows. I will follow this closely either way!

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

Inserted tally

[X] Do not let your cultivation falter, but keep the conversational lead. [Coming discussion will focus on Meizhen and things moving outside of the Sect.]

I just wanna hear more Meizhen stuff.

[x] Do not let your cultivation falter, but keep the conversational lead. [Coming discussion will focus on Meizhen and things moving outside of the Sect.]

obviously.
I mean, why is this even a choice?

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

Battles are just heists where the goal is to steal the other side's life.

yrsillar said:

The girl's eyebrow twitched a little. "Lord Luo does not seek to leash his followers."

He held up his hands, speaking quickly. "I meant no offense!"

...Her head really was in the gutter, she blamed Sixiang.

"Guilty," they chirped silently.

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Kinky.

yrsillar said:

That aside, looking at them talk, she didn't get the sense that Wang Chao was interested in that way. Ah, that was it. Wang Chao was isolated. She dimly recalled lessons with Cai Renxiang, the Wang were new to their lands and position, and had very few viscount vassals, and not even that many barons in relative terms. So compared to someone like Luo Zhong…

"I'm just not very skilled at setting up gatherings you know? I was hoping you might assist me with that as well," he wouldn't have the wide base of vassal acquaintances needed to really play the same game as the others. "Of course, I'd be happy to accommodate anyone you wanted to invite as well."

Wang Chao brightened up considerably, and she was certain that she had hit the mark. "Oho, I see. That is what you mean. An interesting proposition Miss Ling!"

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Just what the doctor ordered. As I recall our instructions were to find some way to help bind the Wangs in better via a personal relationship - by prodding Wang Chao into actively seeking out such connections out of personal interest, it goes a lot more smoothly with less work.

yrsillar said:

"Miss Ling's ambition has grown since we traded our first words," Liang He said dryly, only to quail as she shot him a look.

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He was hoping for more one to one time?

yrsillar said:

They actually arranged something for later that afternoon, and with a bit of wrangling, every third day for an hour in the evening. Wang Chao was not exactly an inspired teacher, but Ling Qi listened carefully to his words anyway as he began to walk her through hard point tactics, herding maneuvers and other such things. There was a surprising amount of social maneuvering and manipulation when it came to battlefield tactics it seemed. You could just blast away with your biggest techniques, overrun enemies with superior power, but it was wasteful.

You could accomplish so much more with a little cunning and tactical sleight of hand. Perhaps she had been engaging with full battlefields wrong entirely. Rather than thinking of it like a duel with a whole mess of people on either side, she should have been thinking of battles more like… very violent heists.

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The basic principles on the large scale aren't too different I think.
While outright stealth on the battlefield scale is difficult, being unnoticed until you strike is key to ensuring that they don't deploy against you effectively.

Meanwhile Ling Qi up to now has been doing the equivalent of marching a doomstack down their face blowing trumpets.

yrsillar said:

However, even as she drank in everything that Wang Chao had to say on matters of tactics and war, she found herself frustrated in other ways. Her cultivation still felt sluggish. Each cycling of her qi sent a twinge of pain up her spine, making it difficult to relax and meditate. It did not get so bad to cause her to fail in opening a meridian thankfully, with the help of Suyin's clearing tool, all eight of the meridians she would need open for cultivating techniques next month were open but…

She still felt slow.

Ling Qi did not need Sixiang's advice to know not to mention that in Wang Chao's hearing though, not when she was closing in on the fourth step of the Green Soul Stage despite her sluggishness.

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The psychological pain seems to be growing. It may come to a head or grow soon?

yrsillar said:

Besides, Zhengui was really enjoying himself, as far as she could tell. She wouldn't want to dampen his spirits.

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Zhengui is pleased!

yrsillar said:

"You have been quite the butterfly recently," Meizhen said dryly, entering the worn down circle of foundation stones. "Beast, inform me where you have hidden the real Ling Qi."

"Ha Ha," Ling Qi said, saying the sounds flatly. "I wasn't that bad." She didn't turn from her seat on the round boulder, keeping her eyes on the glittering beam of moonlight ahead of her. Sixiang was working hard, but they couldn't quite manage to manifest without expending a great deal of qi yet.

"You were," Meizhen said softly, her flowing steps carrying her to stand beside Ling Qi. "I was as well."

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Oh yeah, taking Meizhen as your reference point for noble interactions was...not the best plan, no.

yrsillar said:

Ling Qi huffed. "You've improved more than I have, I barely managed to stumble through a dinner without making a total ass of myself. But you," she gave her friend a sidelong look, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "You've had success." Tinkling laughter, Sixiang's laughter drifted on the wind.

Meizhen's eyes flew open wide, and her cheeks pinked. "What, how did you…"

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With her complexion the blush should stand out amazingly wouldn't it?
Ling Qi has taken lessons in teasing from Xiulan, Jiao and Ruan Shen.

And step 1 is knowing one fact more than the other party!

yrsillar said:

"Partially," Ling Qi said, still grinning widely at her friend's flustered expression. This kind of thing… she was still deeply wary of it in her heart, but Bai Meizhen was strong, no matter what happened, she was sure that Meizhen was in control. "So….tell me what happened."

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Ling Qi, not every relationship has to be in terms of dominance and control...does it?

yrsillar said:

"I do not see why I should share such private matters," Meizhen huffed, refusing to look at her.

"C'mon, I'm sorry for teasing," Ling Qi cajoled. "But please, I have to know how you managed to get that girl to notice what you were trying to do."

"...She is not half as dense as you," Meizhen shot back,.

Ling Qi recoiled as if wounded, and the wind echoed with snickering. "She's got you there," Sixiang said. Ling Qi shot the empty air a hurt look too.

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Wow, thats some serious Burning.

yrsillar said:

Meizhen finally turned to look at her, though her cheeks were still pink. "If you must know I-That is," it was bizarre to see the usually perfectly composed Bai Meizhen stumbling on her words.

"If you really don't want to say, I won't keep pressing," Ling Qi said carefully.

"No, It's just- I was aiding her with the cataloguing of factors to the toxins which the Medicine Hall was studying, and conversation turned to issues of betrothal. She mentioned finding all of her suitors to be blithering irritants, and I concurred," Meizhen said.

It was probably a little weird that Ling Qi could picture that conversation so easily in her head. She remained silent, not wanting to interrupt her friends momentum.

"She then lamented that she could not get a match with someone as competent as I, and… I also agreed," Meizhen coughed. "I may have… complimented her as well and er… lamented that I was not in position to grow closer to her."

"And then what happened," Ling Qi asked, unable to help herself as she leaned forward.

"She told me to stop making fun of her," Meizhen said quietly, looking down. "I told her I was not."

Ling Qi almost winced at the high pitched squeal Sixiang let loose inside of her head, before the muse devolved into babbling about how cute the scenario was. "...She believed you?"

"...There may have been some convincing involved," Meizhen replied evasively.

"You kissed her," Ling Qi accused.

"I asked permission," Meizhen huffed. "Qingling… may have thought I was still jesting however."

It was only her familiarity with meizhen that told her how very tense the girl was. She couldn't imagine how hard that must have been for her, after… "Congratulations, Meizhen."

"I even," Meizhen said, flushing further. "Embraced her briefly, at our parting."

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So sounds a lot like both of them were subtly probing for receptiveness but not quite feeling up to making the first move...until Meizhen coiled up and went for the kill.

yrsillar said:

She ignored Sixiang's wolf whistle. "I don't understand how you can be so forward," Ling Qi huffed. "You're still so much braver than I am."

"Have you ever met an individual that you would consider doing such things with?" Meizhen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...No," Ling Qi admitted. It was a hard thing to even picture without uglier thoughts corrupting it. "But my statement stands."

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Oof.
I'm not sure where we'd even BEGIN with these issues.
Bao Qian good luck with untangling that.

yrsillar said:

"You are braver than you think, Qi," Meizhen said, briefly resting her hand on Ling Qi's shoulder. "Now, what is it you are working on out here?"

"Sixiang has been trying to teach me to move more like they do," Ling Qi sighed. But I'm having a hard time of it."

"Sixiang is an immaterial spirit," Meizhen pointed out.

"Right, right, and I'm not at a level where i can replicate that," Ling Qi agreed, frowning at the worn stones. "Not for long anyway. We're trying to meet each other halfway.

"Ah, you are trying to step into the Liminal Realm," Meizhen said, understanding dawning.

"Pretty much! I can pull her in when she's asleep, but doing it consciously is hard!" Sixiang agreed.

"Wait, what's that term?" Ling Qi asked with a frown.

"It refers to the space where certain spirits dwell, not wholly outside the material realm, yet not wholly part of it either. It is also called the realm of consciousness, or the Father's Hearth by some," Meizhen explained academically, elegantly seating herself on another stone. "It is typically accessed through dreams and mirrors. The technique which allows communication with Grandmother Serpent makes use of it as well, or so I have been taught."

"Hm, I just call it Dream," Ling Qi shrugged.

"...Not inaccurate," Meizhen sighed.

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So much to unpack from that:
-Sixiang is working on meeting Ling Qi halfway - she's working hard on materialization.
-Dream is also known as the Father's Hearth - Under the Eight Trigrams, Heaven is most aligned with thought, and it is the most Yang. Yang is associated with conscious thought, where Yin is focused on instinct and impulses. And the ultimate origin of Yang is the Father. Why his Hearth though...
-Communication with sleeping Ancestors occurs through the Dream, which...I suppose should have been obvious, where ELSE do you meet with a sleeper? I suppose the need for a White to make contact is to avoid being accidentally inhaled or something.

[] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]
[] Do not let your cultivation falter, but keep the conversational lead. [Coming discussion will focus on Meizhen and things moving outside of the Sect.]

A tricky one. I want to see both so badly.
Meizhen is one of the few people Ling Qi is willing to open up to regarding her Heart Demon, but Ling Qi taking conversational leads and getting more Meizhen update is highly desired.


[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

Oh well, in the hopes of progress regarding her Heart Demon. It'd be helpful if she had a trusted source back up what Alingge said...but I'm not sure if it would.

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

Juugo said:

Liminal space stuff sounds exciting. The Weilu also disappeared suddenly with their dream palaces left empty. No wonder I think it's interesting since I think anything connected to Weilu and Moon is interesting, because not even the empire can or possibly even wants to explain to the general populace why the weilu left the mortal and liminal plane. The Weilu could be one big Mystery box screaming "Liminal Apocalyptic Threat" for me. On the boring side they could be TES dwarves and simply "ascend" as a civ, because they do not want to be constrained by the "mortal dream". That would be boring though in my opinion.
Who knows. I will follow this closely either way!

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On the other hand, the Weilu having left for reasons does raise the possibility of us looting their dream-castles, which would be nice.

[X] Focus on your cultivation, let Meizhen lead the conversation. [Coming discussion will focus on Sect matters and Ling Qi.]

[X] Do not let your cultivation falter, but keep the conversational lead. [Coming discussion will focus on Meizhen and things moving outside of the Sect.]

[X] Do not let your cultivation falter, but keep the conversational lead. [Coming discussion will focus on Meizhen and things moving outside of the Sect.]

I'm voting for this to bump up the numbers for this choice. I'm fine with either winning, so this is just to help the other.