North Winds Fall (Xianxia - Survive the Protagonist)

Autumn knew her morning was off-course when she woke up, groggily in the dark. The small window's curtain pushed aside, she saw daylight. It was after dawn, hours after Ho Junko usually woke her up by turning on the light and saying It's Morning Devoted Princess.

Not that she minded some extra slumber, but she had things to do, and the question of where her first was pressed on her mind.

"Ho Junko? Young Mistress. Are you here?"

No answer.

She found the lamp by the light streaming in from the window, and made her way to the mirror. Her face was pale, beaded with sweat.

Ila, her aide with clothes and cosmetics was not here either. Did Ho Junko tell her to stay in, or was there some other reason for all this disruption?

She made an attempt to make herself presentable enough for servants, which was barely at all. She had no idea how Ho Junko and Ila organized her clothes and effects.

Her hair was wild and free, tangled and loosed. The nearest brush was probably in the staff supply room.

Yang Du wouldn't be arriving at the manor today, since she had no dinner party or other occasion, and she rarely needed him otherwise. Likewise, Chef only came out for the big parties, so that left her Soux Chef and Po, her security, perhaps somewhere on the property.

Autumn stumbled out of the bedroom wearing black leggings and an old blouse, red and white with a pattern of roses across it. Hideous, but the only thing she could find.
So of course, she found that Tuan was standing there in the hallway.

"What are you doing in my house first thing in the morning?" Autumn asked bluntly.

"It's almost lunch time. You're a mess. Remember, you promised a real duel. I'm not giving you any time to think of excuses," he said.

Tuan was already wearing his orange and black leather armor. His short black hair was up, in the spikey style he liked.

"Let me find a brush," she said, stumbling off to the servant's quarters, and finally, opening boxes and drawers and finding a men's comb with which she managed to painfully tame her hair a bit.

It seemed her staff stored a lot of her clothes in their rooms, as she found her own training leathers.

Ho Junko had cleaned her blades from the night before and returned them to her locked drawers at the dojo. Hopefully she had done that, not mutinying with her entire staff.

Finally she returned to Tuan.

"Are you finally ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready."

They made their way swiftly to the Parade Grounds and then into the Dojo. She was thinking, the whole time. Pondering whether she could buffalo Tuan, and convince him he'd truly won their spar.

It was impossible. He had seen her fighting without any limitations. She didn't think he could possibly think he was the superior fighter. The only chance would be to create a fumble, an accident, but it would have to be an opening the size of a mountain.

He had failed to capitalize on her attempts to provide an opening against the stranger. She was glad that he didn't because the man's incredible counterattacking would have put Tuan in grave danger.

She decided there was no course but to spar with her full strength. Get it over with quickly. This would not be a fun spar, by any means. She didn't want to humiliate her brother, nor act like all his efforts were a trifle.

It was fortunate that she dealt with the dojo's equipment herself rather than relying on her first, so she knew the combination for her drawers.
Not so fortunate that her Dao blade was missing. Visions of betrayal and outrage danced in her head. What had Ho Junko done? No one else would know the passcode unless Autumn or her first had given it out. She hadn't revealed it to Vong Bo, that was for sure.

Autumn took the training blade's sheath out of the drawer, and locked it again. She also grabbed the powder she used to ensure a firm grip on her blade, applying a dusting over her hands.

She met Tuan again in the main (and largest) training room. At 400 square feet, this room filled a third of the dojo's space. The black and orange mats were only placed down in the middle portion of the room, but she had practiced some extended training exercises, as well as learned to defend against the bow in this room.

She noticed Tuan's first, was standing behind him, supplying the blunted training shotel he used.

A curved blade like his was more effective for slashing, less for lunging. The quality of craftsmanship and materials in Tuan's blade surpassed her own, however. Even his training blade was better than hers.

Ignoring the morning's troubles, she focussed on Tuan and on her Blade way.

"What are the rules?" she asked Tuan, offering him choice.

"First to three contacts. Step back and begin on agreement once you make contact. Glancing contact isn't contact, you have to be able to follow up, in theory. Please, avoid the groin area."

She smiled. This was her world, and Tuan was zealously asking for the fight to start.

They stood, nearly 10 feet apart, on the far corners of the matted area. He nodded, and she leapt, placing her blade in front of her, pointing down.

It may have looked aggressive, but it was a defense for her quick movement. She landed five feet in front of him, as he approached. He had tried to take advantage of her landing, but didn't get there in time, resulting in her anticipation of his strike.

Tuan's blade skittered off her guard, and she thrusted forward, tapping his armor about where his belly button would be.

Stepping back with a normal upright guard position, she waited for Tuan to do the same, and acknowledge.

This time, he was defensive, holding his shotel in an upright guard also.

She stepped, slashed her Dao blade from right to left, intending to his his shoulder, but as he reacted, moving to block with his blade, she pulled back her own strike.

She planned to strike his left side now, but precognition told her, he was going to use his essence powered spinning strike.

If his blade slid off her own, the Spinning strike would turn him 360 so that the blade struck again, up to four times until hopefully he found an unprotected area to target.

When she had been playing around, she always pretended to lose to this technique, but now she blocked his strike dead center in the middle of her blade. With incredibly fine adjustments, she prevented his blade from sliding off of hers, and instead his arm was pushed forcefully by his technique's spinning power until he was forced to let go of the shotel, or risk losing the arm.

She didn't realize the real harm the Spinning strike could inflict on Tuan against her perfect parry. She had no intention of hurting Tuan, but as he had fallen, she tapped him on the back with her sword. Point number two.

"Never seen that one before. Even when my power was certified, no one tried that," Tuan said standing up. He was moving his arm around in circles to get comfortable again.

Finally he nodded, and this time he used a new technique, she hadn't seen before. Leaping through the air, he pointed himself towards Autumn like a spinning arrow. His rotation was so quick it was difficult to see where the shotel actually was.

He was nearing peak Second Grade, she estimated, as she blade stepped backwards just in front of the spot where his spinning fish leap would land.

His spin slowing, his shotel clanged against her own Dao blade's strike but was unable to prevent her from tapping the side of his head. With all that momentum, Autumn had to lower her weapon quickly so that it didn't pierce into Tuan. He crashed hard onto the edge of the matted floor.

The top of the head would have been a dangerous place for her to target, with all the momentum he had. So even with a thorough victory, she went easy on him.

Despite all that he had said of her to the Investigator, he didn't take this fight as seriously as she did. Tuan insisted on another round, this one being first to 6 strikes. She agreed, if this would be the last one.

While her blade step was a scarce and very expensive maneuver, it completely flummoxed Tuan whenever she used it. It was a waste if it wasn't in the middle of his attack. He began to strike more carefully, and wisely, using probing attacks and feints, seizing the advantage when he (rarely) had it.

Perhaps she was a bit off her form, as the second bout went 6-1. He actually got a strike. Now, they were both exhausted, sweating, not looking the part of Imperial Prince and Princess, and they didn't care. Autumn enjoyed the bout much more than she expected to, and that had a lot to do with Tuan not getting upset or angry, but appreciating the chance to fully unleash and develop his prowess.


"That was fun!" Tuan said. "Why didn't you show me your true strength before? Why hide it?"

They both were in the Dojo's relaxation room, cleaning and oiling their training blades.

"The whole Family, except you and Chi, think it's foolishness for a Princess to mess with weapons. Maybe a lesser woman, of the Registered class perhaps, they would approve of. But a Princess focusses on other things. It's only because Second Prince doesn't think I'm truly serious, and because I do whatever he asks me to, that I haven't been told to stop cultivating the blade."

Tuan seemed surprised. "They don't care about what we cultivate, or our hobbies, since we aren't in line for the throne. Eldest brother seemed happy that I was pursuing the blade."

"They will care if they think they have a threat on their hands. If I ever reached Fourth Grade in Dao Blade, or if they think I'm a threat to make that climb," she said, omitting the obvious.

"Sure First and Second brothers have lofty eyes, but they're still our brothers. I don't think they would do that," he said. "But I will keep this quiet, Sister."

Autumn smiled, happy to give Tuan a few pointers now that he was part of this secret.

"If you can deflect your opponent's blade to their left, then your Spin attack will turn you around and suddenly they have to reposition or move in one blink."

"There's your first," Tuan said, spotting Ho Junko before she did.

She was carrying the sheath for Autumn's Dao blade. The Young Mistress was apologetic: "Last night, I was cleaning your blade, when I noticed damage to the blade's guard. I fear you almost lost a hand, Devoted Princess. The guard took the blow. Will you forgive me, I wanted to get this blade right to the Master craftsman before the guard was wrecked. He was able to restore the blade including guard to good condition."

Autumn was angry, remembering her morning. But she took a breath, and thought on her first's words. This blade was supposed to be a very nice blade, maybe not the caliber of Tuan's shotel, but close. To have problems already.


Vote Time:

[ ] Be trustful. The Master craftsman is a well respected senior with many years of experience. Ho Junko has been indispensable for many years.

[ ] Be suspicious. Is Ho Junko's story truly true? Keep an eye on her, without giving her any clues that you are suspicious.

[ ] Visit the Master Craftsman. How could your Dao blade break it's guard on the first encounter? Is it something to do with the stranger's incredible power, or is the Master Craftsman a fraud?

5. Second Prince


"I'm glad you were able to get this to the Craftsman right away. I might stop by when I'm taking Xue Wei out to Hightown. Just to ask his advice on how to protect the Dao blade in the future," Autumn said. She didn't want to completely reveal her suspicions to Ho Junko, but the girl had at least protected her favorite blade.

"It seems the whole staff has no idea what to do when I'm not there," Autumn's first said. "I stopped by the Manor first, and no one was at their post. Sure, I'm usually the wake up call for Po and Ila, but they should have been more proactive when I couldn't be there. Le Ardith wasn't even there for breakfast?"

Autumn shook her head. "Will you gather them? I need to meet Second Prince, and I don't want to look a mess when I do it. After that, will you swing by my brother's manor to inform him I'm coming to visit?"

"Of course, Devoted Princess," Ho Junko said, and she quickly left the dojo.

"You better go clean up, if you've heading to visit Son," Tuan said. "I'll tidy up the dojo, don't worry."

Autumn gave her thanks and swiftly returned to the manor to prepare for the daunting prospect of encountering Second brother on purpose.

She had to get to his manor well before dinner time, so she had to clean up nice and fast. Her bath was quick and not very relaxing, and Ila didn't give her the fanciest braid, but a decent one nonetheless. The hours of normal morning business were more precious in the middle of the day.

Xue Chi would be hosting family dinner that night, and Fifth Prince as well as the younger princesses enjoyed Third Brother's manor which had been equipped at Second brother's request with plenty of toys and entertainments for the young. Xue Chi had the best manners around kids, but Autumn herself would rather keep her distance, so the upcoming trip with Xue Wei would test her patience. At least 10 years old was easier to handle than 2 or 6.

The manors of the Royal district were only a quarter to a half mile apart each, forming a semi-circle of estates, with the parade grounds at the semi-circle's interior.

The Palace was at the northernmost point of the semi-circle, signifying North Winds, but Xue Son enjoyed his placement at the right hand of the Palace. Autumn cut across the Parade grounds, going from the northeast where her own manor was, just past the palace and to the front steps of Second Prince's own manor.

When Autumn thought of her older brother's manor, she thought of White marble and elaborate statues of cultivators of North Winds past, and of Xue Son's imagination. There were at least two statues of himself that she knew of inside the manor.

Second Prince's master of the house invited her inside, and she was swiftly climbing the marble staircase with orange trim.

Outside her brother's office, she steadied herself, taking two deep breaths and preparing, as if for battle.

"Autumn," came Xue Son's stern voice from inside.

She stepped into the room without hesitating as a file folder veered around her as it had flung out of one of the many file cabinets against the far wall.

As usual, her Second Brother's working space was filled with files, books and documents in fluttering about in mid air. She sat down at the chair across from his desk.

Xue Son flipped over another of the large gold bordered cards: Transcription.

The renewed frenetic activity in the room caused a breeze to brush across her face. The cards next to Transcription were: Assemble File. Document Search. Empire Crime Archive and Financial Review.

The Archive and Transcription were new to her, but if he had been gathering information on the stranger, it made sense. She had seen the others every time they had a sit down meeting like this.

Xue Son said nothing, and let the effects of his latent administrative powers and the five active cards play out. After a quarter hour, he had four neat stacks of paperwork in front of them.

"Two Stacks of Autumn. Two Stacks of Wanted Man," Xue Son said, mumbling to himself.

He put on a pair of spectacles, looking like an old bureaucrat despite his young age.

"First Topic: Assignments!" he announced, as if pronouncing a chapter heading in a book. "Vong Bo is pleased with your time together. The Vong family has agreed to make a donation of their talent and resources and become a Tier 2 registered family. They are not a threat, and indeed useful. You may continue to see Vong Bo, if you see continuation in it."

Autumn nodded, letting his babble pass right through her ears. "I don't plan on seeing Vong Bo again, right away, but perhaps in the future."

He moved straight on to the next item on his list.

"I wasn't planning to authorize Xue Wei's establishing. I plan on leaving this manor behind soon, allowing Xue Chi to rotate in, but for now Xue Wei can be assigned the Twelfth Manor after repairs are complete. Since you requested being the one to prepare Xue Wei, I will give you the next assignment in connection. We haven't made much inroads with the Wynn family, while visiting their family's fashion parlor with Xue Wei, inquire after the Mistress' son. The usual details following, of course."

The Wynn young master must be a pretty reclusive one, as she'd never heard of him. She had a fairly good idea who the important young men were in the First Families and significant Registered families.

"On to budgets. Largely you have held the budget line in place. I didn't give you a specific limit on weapon supplies, but seeing the line item for weapon cleaning and maintenance doubling this month has me concerned."

Doubling? She supposed she had used more than normal. Ho Junko did most of the cleaning and oiling.

"Vong Bo was visiting and we used the dojo more often, but I will ask my assistant about the supplies."

"The cost is minimal, but as you know, I track all deviations that have no explanation," Second Prince said.

Of course he did. Meetings were his favorite. Preparing and organizing for them especially. Were Crown Prince and the Emperor like this as well? Autumn pondered.

He had only looked at two pages from the two stacks he called "hers". Now he placed down a card: Integrative Analysis.

The files in the first two stacks flew up and orbited around his head for a minute, before shuffling back into the same two stacks. A single loose leaf page fluttered downward until he snatched it up.

"I am concerned," Second Prince said, pushing his spectacles up. "My conclusion is that you still have no purpose and no plan. Your activities are without organization. You steadfastly fulfill the assignments I give, and maintain your budget within parameters, and yet, you dabble in the sword, lightly pursue prospects for marriage and enjoy casual time with the family. You have no solidity in your Way."

Autumn wanted to laugh in his face, but the seriousness of the meeting held her emotions in check. Brother was still clueless, despite his Administrative prowess.

Stilling every temptation to laugh or mock, she spoke seriously, "What would you have me do, brother?"

"I think the matter has to be pressed forward. Purpose can not wait beyond provender. Our budget allocations are based on customary assumptions of the residential period of each sub-heir Prince and Princess. Xue Chi is allocated one half share of heir status, as I have two-thirds, but all of you who are younger must fit within the overflow of abundance of the Empire, which is limited. You have already shared in 7 years of such allocations."

"I'm not sure I understand an Administrative genius such as yourself, Honorable Elder Brother. Can you speak in my level of understanding," Autumn said, unable to help herself.

"It is simple, Sister. Within the next three months, find yourself a Young Master, whose family approves of you, and who received my own approval. If you find such of your own choice, then the marriage of your choice will go forward. Otherwise, I will be forced to choose for you. Your habits, or lack thereof, will no longer be my concern, in either case."

She was just an object, to be placed where it was useful for her older brother. Seven years of being a Princess with her own "Palace". She was still more like Xue Wei than like Xue Son, or even Sang Tia. If she took something seriously, truly seriously, would her older brother approve of it? She doubted.

She would reach Fourth Grade in the Dao blade, if her hands grew weary and her step faltered from the effort of it all, she swore to herself.

Once she was married, She would be more important, and less free as a result. Searching for the best family she could find, that was also critical with this new deadline.

"Yes, Second Prince, I understand now" she said in reluctant agreement.

"Now as to this Criminal. I am thoroughly displeased with your brother, Xue Tuan, for dragging you into danger. And for Sang Tia, to propose to place you both as trophies in order to pursue justice. The appropriate course of action was to employ the Writ, as Xue Chi has done.

"Third Prince has acted appropriately and is resupplied with more writs. Tuan will be sitting down for his own meeting tomorrow at breakfast.

"My disappointment in you, Fourth Princess, is in your failure to speak up. You must tell your fellow Princes and Princesses when their actions are ridiculous. Leave the investigating to the investigators, leave the bringing to justice to those who are duly appointed to that position. Xue Tuan and Sang Tia's little intervention may have prevented the investigators from confronting the Criminal themselves."

Autumn was surprised at her brother, supposedly an administrative genius, falsely blaming Tuan for pursuing the situation at the Auction house. Perhaps Sang Tia could be blamed, but if so, she could be blamed also. Second brother must have a blindspot regarding her. Something in his Way that caused things to remain unseen, that were right in front of his eyes. She smiled in the knowledge of that.

She would apologize to Tuan when she was sure Second brother wasn't monitoring the situation.

Xue Son flipped over the Rapid Filing card, and the many folders and files rushed hurriedly like animals in a stampede to return to her brother's filing cabinets.

"I will try to speak up, in the future. Sang Tia was not to be reasoned with, in that moment. Losing a Sang family heirloom was rather concerning to her."

Her brother's decorum had faded, the meeting was unofficially over, and his voice was more normal, without all that stuck up attitude.

"Indeed. There are two things I would like to share in confidence, my sister."

"I won't say a thing," she confirmed.

"First of all, I will be meeting with Eldest brother on the matter of this criminal. Secondly, Eldest brother said there was an intruder near the High Mountain Crown Palace. One of his guards was slain, but when they searched, they found no one and no clues. The guard was slain by a blade."

"Is that why Eldest brother agreed to meet on the matter of this Criminal?" Autumn asked. Surprised that anyone at all would dare to mess with her Eldest brother's guards. How would they even know the location of that Palace, which she had never heard of before?

"Eldest brother is not sure it was the same person, but he is considering the possibility. I revealed these things to you, because you're coming with me. Tomorrow night, we will dine at the High Mountain Crown Palace. Eldest brother promises to provide the means of transportation, merely be at my manor before dark."

Probably No vote.

I was going to have you vote on whether to visit the Crown Prince, but I doubt anyone would vote against going. If you would have voted No, let me know, and i can add in the vote.

During dinner at Xue Chi's manor, Autumn considered the situation of Xue Wei's introduction to full Princess status.

I told Xue Chi and Xue Tuan that I couldn't attend to the ambassador, because I'm taking Wei into High Town on Tuesday, but Second brother told me to take her tomorrow, which I need to do anyway, so I have Tuesday free for the Club Tournament.

So I need to go chat with Xue Wei after dinner. I have permission from Xue Son to go to the Consort Palace to pick her up tomorrow, but I need to inform Xue Wei's mother, perhaps through her nanny.

She made her escape quickly after dinner. Since they thought she needed to take Xue Wei on Tuesday, her brothers weren't surprised that she went to talk to the Young Princess.

Autumn still remembered the mixed emotions the day Third Princess made the same introduction for her. Xue Kasi was only a few weeks away from getting married to a Park family Young Master, but she was there to take Autumn away from her mother and all the other kids.

It was hard to deal with that separation all at once, because it seemed like such a surprise. At first there was excitement mixed with crying, then acceptance over time.

So Autumn couldn't help but tear up a bit, as she told Xue Wei to give her mom a big hug that night. They still had Xue Tai to introduce in a few months as well, but that would be Chi or Tuan's job.

She couldn't help but think on the early days, when her own manor had seemed so huge and empty, as she walked back home. She usually practiced some of her stances and exercises before bed, but she didn't want to that night.

Ila was there to prepare her for bed, and as she was about to climb in, she noticed something.

It looked like a scroll, but instead of a message wrapped in paper, it was wrapped in three orange leaves that must have been saved from last fall. Inside the leaves was a rolled up piece of paper, bound by a blade of grass.

She quickly opened up the page. Lin Tsu! That was his name. It had been a year since she saw the Young Master. What would he be writing in secret about? And how did his note end up in her bed?

The man's handwriting was far more elegant than her own. Like First sister's calligraphy, almost. This was a letter penned with utmost care.

She read the letter intently,

Xue Thu,

A simple letter, or one word response would have been sufficient to deter me. Did I misstep my bounds by asking to visit the one whom I once considered fairest? Perhaps.

A Sang Family representative, personally enacting your response in the form of a demand for tribute, and an attack on my person?

She stopped reading. What? Second brother had told her to move on from seeing the Lin Young Master. That was the last she knew of the matter. Sang enforcers visited his house, attacking him personally?

She continued to read.

The Lin family consists only of my mom, two aunts and uncles, me, and my cousins, and I am eldest of all my cousins. We had no resources to satisfy your demand.

It is only right and proper, that in the presence of injustice and complete isolation and arrogant privilege, that I would awaken to true strength to take proper recompense.

I will take what is right, and what is punitive, with my own tools. Do you mock the pursuit of this humble gardener? You will do so no more.

It is not just you who will fall, but the entire family, and the Sangs too. The Rot, and the Rot's dog.

Lin Tsu
--------{---(@



"Ila, are you still there?" she asked.

"I am here, Devoted Princess."

"Go get Po, I need to talk with him."

Soon she was feeling a bit awkward in her pajamas, with Ila, Po and Ho Junko in her bedroom.
"I think Lin Tsu entered the manor, sometime today. And then placed the letter here."

"My brother could help," Po said, dumbly.

"How about paying attention!" Autumn replied. "Forgive me, but I don't like unwanted people in my house. You're supposed to be my eyes. None of you were here when Ho Junko had to go rescue my Dao blade."

Ho Junko stated "We need the Family Guard reserves."

"I can't call them up, and Second Prince is unlikely to see me tomorrow. Maybe Xue Chi has the authority. I'll rush over to his place early tomorrow."

It was with an uneasy mind that she finally fell asleep that night. Autumn had heard all of these stories from Xue Son about how the Registered families need to be tied closer to the imperial family. She had presumed it was by providing those families with blessings, that they would feel the attention of the Xue, and remain faithful.

But had Second Prince, or Eldest, been extorting these families for money and things?

By what few laws of cultivation there were, even a Third Grade gardener would not suddenly gain a ton of capability to attack and be violent. It was too different from gardening. Neither would he suddenly gain all of this stealthiness. Had he just walked in, with only a commonplace ability to be sneaky.

Was anyone actually watching over her manor? Perhaps she would have to spend a day watching the watchers?

-|>--~

"It's morning Princess. Quite Early actually," her first was saying.

She had a dream where she was flying along the clouds, flapping her wings like a bird, and then lightning started to chase her. She had to fly as fast and hard as she could, diving toward the ground, and in the instant before she would have crashed, the lightning surged into her, and she woke up.

It was just before dawn. The sky had started to lighten. Starlight had been less bright of late. Xue Chi, enjoying many hobbies, had told her.

After Ila helped her get dressed, she had left the house, and was running towards Xue Chi's manor, which was clockwise from her Second brother's estate. When she got there, she didn't pull back the knocker on Xue Chi's front door all the way. Half height would polite at such an early hour.

His own version of Po responded, opening the door.

"Devoted Princess, your brother is still asleep. Is there an emergency?"

"I'll wait outside, but I need to meet with Xue Chi as soon as he is ready for the day," she said, politely.

"Nonsense, Master Su would rebuke me if I didn't invite you inside."

So she waited in her brother's sitting room, still thinking on the lack of security. Who was covering the overwatch on the entire Imperial family lands? They had failed twice in a few days.

Her own staff was due for a total shakeup if she couldn't trust her own privacy and security. Perhaps it was just fantasy, or perhaps not, but she pondered how such a shakeup would go, as she waited.

She was fifty-fifty with Ho Junko. Po would have to go. Ila was fine. Perhaps she could be unconventional, and choose a man as her first aide. What would Second brother think?

"What is it, Autumn?" Chi said, stumbling into the sitting room still in sleeping clothes.

"Someone was in my manor yesterday. Lin Tsu placed a letter on my bed. And Saturday, Young Master Le Sang snuck onto the Parade grounds, and was never even noticed by any of the guards. I'm getting very suspicious."

She was going to freak out, if something didn't happen to reassure her.

"There's thirty men covering Family lands. How did they miss both?" Chi said, pondering the situation.

"I've been tracing Second brother's path for a while now. He visits the Guard quarters here daily," he continued.

Su Hai, her brother's first aide, handed him a beautiful polished wooden card box, with silver hinges. Xue Chi opened the box.

Autumn had never seen any signs of what kind of cultivation path Xue Chi pursued. She definitely had never seen him with cultivation cards like Xue Son's.

Chi stood up, walking over to the table in the corner of his sitting room.

He drew out a Card, speaking its name. "Inhabit Tracing!" Unlike Son, who used his cards in silence, Chi had a flair for the dramatic.

Chi swayed on his feet, and Su Hai stepped in to steady him. After a few minutes of standing unsteadily, Xue Chi placed the card back in the wooden box, and closed it.

Su Hai took the box of cards from him.

Autumn couldn't help but stare at him through all of this.

"I could only trace him for a few minutes a day. But what I just saw was our elder brother ordering two guards to leave the Family guard barracks. He's been pulling men away, removing our protection for his own benefit!"

"What should we do?" Autumn asked, feeling rather helpless for once.

If Xue Son had some kind of funny business connected with asking her to visit with Young Masters, what did he use Xue Chi for? Tracking and tracing?

She never would have guessed Chi had a cultivation path like that. Espionage? Or Investigation?

"I can activate the Guard reserves, if there are any left. That would get a strong reaction from Second brother. Or, I can look into this more, find out how many guards, how many reserves are left for our own protection."

Vote on Xue Chi's first priority:

[ ] Activate the Guard Reserves. Second Prince will see Xue Chi's action as overreaching, and you don't know how many reserves are actually still available, but if you can sell the story of your fears to Xue Son, you will have more protection.

[ ] Investigate the redeployed guards, and discern how many reservists are available to be called up. Second Prince will remain in the dark about your suspicions, and you can decide to call up the reserves after the investigation.