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

Ling Qi flicked her gaze downward, indicating that she would let Sixiang take the lead. Really, when it came to technical skill Hanyi wasn't far behind her, especially when it came to singing, rather than Ling Qi's preferred instrument. The muse's advice would definitely be more helpful here. Besides, she felt like Hanyi was in her way, trying to differentiate herself from Zeqing. Ling Qi wasn't sure her advice would be the best way to achieve that.

Not that she intended to go anywhere, she had promised Hanyi help with her composition, and she wasn't going to break a promise to her teacher's daughter.

"Sure I'll help squirt!" Sixiang announced cheerfully. "Just want to clear something up first. The girl in the song isn't meant to be you, right?"

"Tch, obviously not," Hanyi scoffed. "She's supposed to represent like, the mystique of winter and stuff. You can't make a song about yourself until you have something to brag about."

"Naturally," Ling Qi said, covering her smile with her sleeve. It looked like Hanyi was at least a little self aware.

"Right, just figured I would make sure," Sixiang chuckled. The rays of evening sunlight refracting from the hanging icicles shimmered, forming the muse's silhouette as she took on a lecturing pose. "So, the main problem I see so far is that the song is kind of directionless. It's pretty and all, but it doesn't feel like it's about much."

"Well, it's supposed to be about the first deep snow of the season," Hanyi said dubiously. "And how cool and pretty and peaceful it is right after the snow settles."

Sixiang nodded agreeably. "Mhm, in that case, I think you're missing something a little by starting the song after everything is settled. You might want to work on the beginning a little. A song isn't like a book, but you still need something of an arc to help keep your listeners attention."

"Mm, I guess so," Hanyi said slowly, looking back and forth between Ling Qi and Sixiang. "What do you think Sis?"

"I think a good song can't be the same intensity all the way through," Ling Qi mused.

"Build up and pay off," Sixiang said lightly. "Then we can figure out the wrap up. If the song's about a winter morning, what do you want to try and say with that?"

Hanyi blinked, cocking her head to the side cutely. It made Ling Qi want to ruffle her hair. "Huh? I want to say that the morning is pretty and quiet."
Sixiang pursed their lips. "That's… fine. I mean, what feeling are you trying to evoke in the audience?"

Ling Qi laughed under her breath as she found a seat on a fallen trunk. Hanyi swiftly took a seat beside her. They were probably going to be here for awhile yet.

But if that was what it took to make sure Hanyi's first performance was a success, she would stay right up until the day of the concert if she had too.





Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. Hanyi was pretty quick when she was trying, and Sixiang was naturally good at teaching. She was looking forward to seeing the finalized performance tonight.

"Ah you're too kind, Hanyi put in most of the work, I just had to poke her in the right direction," Sixiang said.

Nonetheless, you're good at it," Ling Qi said absently. The venue Bao Qian had secured was in a town a few hours to the north. She had taken a carriage, separately of course. Bao Qian hadn't been so bold as to suggest that she join him unchaperoned.

The performance hall lay in the center of the town, past the innermost walls. The hall mostly hosted performances from journeyman musicians, common cultivators seeking patronage and minor nobility seeking to make a name for themselves outside of their parent's courts. The baron of this town was an eighth generation cultivator, with an ear for the arts, so it was a good place to find opportunity.

Bao Qian naturally, was friends with said baron's son, and had pulled a string or two and called in a favor.

The hall was a brightly painted building that took up half of a city block on its own, counting the surrounding grounds. Brightly lit paper lanterns hung from the eaves, lighting the street as the sun continued to sink below the horizon. And its peaked roof rose three stories into the sky.

Ling Qi stood inside, gazing out of a window on the second floor. Hanyi was in the room behind her, probably making trouble for the young ladies who had been assigned to help her get ready for the stage. Ling Qi didn't particularly envy them. Zhengui was napping, and she didn't plan to wake him up before the actual performance.

The door at the end of the hall opened.

"Sir Bao," Ling Qi greeted, offering a bow
He was dressed in more formal robes today, colored in dark greens and earth tones, with only a glittering belt of jewels to show off his clan allegiance. She had opted to follow his lead a little. Her gown was black, with the undermost layer a dark purple. The only ornaments were a few embroidered flower petals around the hems. Rather than a cloak, a gauzy, pale blue pibo scarf floated around her shoulders, supported by the wind.

She'd even resigned herself to doing up her hair a little, showing off the silvery glint of her new ear studs.

"Miss Ling," he greeted back with a bow of his own. "How is our performer?"

"Excited," Ling Qi said absently, listening with half an ear to the sounds coming from the room. "Although she doesn't much like applying cosmetics it seems."

"Understandable," Bao Qian chuckled, stopping a few respectful paces away. "Still, I hope she has prepared well, we have a surprising number of guests."

Ling QI hummed, she knew Bai Meizhen and Bao Qingling were going to be here, and she had offered an invitation to Suyin and Renxiang too, even if both girls were too busy to attend. She had even weeded Wang Chao and a few others into coming just to boost the event a little. "I am a little surprised we even managed to still have the event," Ling Qi admitted.

"With the events in the south you mean?" Bao Qian asked, leaning against the wall a few steps down from her. "People of the Empire cannot be so easily spooked."

Ling Qi glanced at him, noting the wryness in his tone. She knew what he actually meant. It was a matter of face. Everything was fine. It was handled. Just a little scuffle in the mountains. Yet, for all that, Ling Qi had not missed how many soldiers were on the walls, or the new bolt and net throwers being installed on the towers. Even the hum of qi under the paving stones spoke of furious maintenance and readiness. Emerald Seas hadn't actually forgotten their lessons.

"And what do you think of news from the capital," Ling Qi asked.

"I think that it is good that our wise Duchess sought an end to conflict that would not harm our prosperity," Bao Qian said formally. "Why, it's almost as if she didn't have to battle the barbarians under Xiangmen at all. Merely… how did she put it? Go for a stroll. Perhaps have a chat."

Ling Qi gave him a sharp look, noting the humming of qi in the air, sealing their conversation. "Yes, I was surprised," Ling Qi admitted slowly. "With what I saw under the earth, it did not seem like it should have been so easy, or at least Xiangmen should have felt more of the Duchess' wrath."

"Well," Bao Qian said. "Some people are more reasonable than others."

Ling Qi looked at him silently, and he met her gaze evenly. He was being remarkably candid here, in so openly implying what he was. Cai Renxiang suspected that the Bao knew something but…

Perhaps they knew someone.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, and it stirred memories of misty graves, stoking an ember of anger. However, could she really say anything? "I certainly hope that you are right," Ling Qi said quietly, turning back to the window, watching people below in the street.

"I certainly hope I am as well," Bao Qian chuckled. "It can only take a few unreasonable people in the wrong places to ruin things for everyone."

"I will have to hope I can speak to reasonable… people then," Ling Qi said

"Did you ever investigate that matter we spoke of, regarding the Bao and the Luo," Bao Qian asked idly.

Ling Qi blinked at the change in subject, turning toward him. "I… haven't had much time," she admitted. "It was… some kind of land swap that went sour, right?"

"Something like that," Bao Qian chuckled. "During the conflict with Ogodei, we sold them an iron mine and its surrounding infrastructure, they needed it for armaments, and all we asked in turn were a small payment and a swap of a defunct barony nearby."

"Of course," he continued, stroking his chin. "Shortly after, there was a fortuitous find in the swapped land, a vein of Spirit Stones, deep in the earth, and the mine well, without Bao techniques the vein would swiftly go dry. Terrible, but we could provide service, for a fee."

The Bao had tricked them, Ling Qi thought, although she wasn't so rude as to say it. "How… unfortunate."

Bao Qian nodded along. "Isn't it though. Seeking the Law of Wealth in such a destructive way is so very tempting, but the costs always outweigh it in the end, or so I believe, even if it is your descendants that pay them. Much better to be a reasonable man and accept a little less now for far more later."

Ling Qi hummed to herself turning back to the window. It seemed the Bao had their own internal conflicts and buried skeletons. "I don't disagree," Ling Qi said quietly.

"That is enough philosophy though," Bao Qian said cheerfully. "Really I wanted to speak with you about our guests."

"Oh?" Ling Qi asked. "Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem persay," Bao Qian said evasively. "Rather do you know what Lady Meng Diu is doing here?"

Ling Qi frowned, who was that? It came to her a moment later, one face among many in that opulent court. She had simply thought of her as 'the Meng representative' even if Cai Renxiang had naturally drilled her on names. "I-perhaps she is just here for the performance."

Bao Qian shot her a dubious look. She felt like she should be a little offended on Hanyi's behalf, but that wasn't reasonable. "Ling Qi, below is an audience composed entirely of young men and women not beyond the third realm, drawn by our invitations and the novelty of the event, and in the rearmost seating there is a fifth realm who is the younger sister of a sitting Count."

Well, when he put it like that.

Sixiang snorted in her head. "For what its worth, looking below, seems like she's deliberately avoiding spooking people. Seems like a lot of them haven't even noticed who she is."

That was… probably good?

"I'm not sure why she would be here," Ling Qi said slowly. "I mean, she seemed to approve of my arguments at court, but…"

Was that really it? Bao Qian nodded thoughtfully. "Regardless as the hosts, we should be mingling with the guests. That was my original reason for coming up here."

Ling Qi grimaced. Of course, she had been quietly hoping Bao Qian would take care of that and she could just chat with Meizhen until the performance started. Then after, Hanyi would hopefully be the center of attention.

Well, they had spent all of that time preparing Hanyi to hopefully make a good impression on the more traditional nobles. Maybe she should make use of that?

"If you would like, I can speak with her," Bao Qian offered. "I do have more experience with such individuals.

[] Take Bao Qian up on his offer, he will be better at avoiding offending a prickly noble.
[] Let Bao Qian mingle with the other guests. Its very likely she is here for you
[] Wait, and let the performance play out first. It may improve her disposition.


Special thanks go to my Cyan patrons: Alaco, Alectai, Gregory O'Niell, Leviathan, NotAlwaysFanfic, Pickle and Vanguard_D, and everyone else that supports me!

If you want more to read, check out my Patreon! Patrons get first dibs on RoyalRoad chapters, early access to commisions, and can vote on the monthly bonus update I write for RoyalRoad. plus, you can check out the Discord, where folks can chat about the story.

Also worth looking at is Tales of Destiny, where I post supplementary materials, like short stories, worldbuilding, maps, and more!