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

"We're going to the medicine hall, Li Suyin will be there," Ling Qi said. Her friend was still doing very well in the Sect, while she wasn't exactly the apprentice of any Elder in particular, thanks to her impurity talisman projects she received a great deal of attention and resources from the Sect overall.

"Oh, the skeleton girl?" Hanyi asked, eyeing her suspiciously. As if she expected Ling Qi to grab her again.

As if being on guard would help if Ling Qi decided it was time for more sisterly punishment. She smiled sweetly at her Junior Sister and held out her hand.

"...I'll be good," Hanyi muttered.

Ling Qi took her hand as they began to walk. The medicine hall was a little ways up the eastern path from the main square, set up away from the bustle of the Sect's administrative buildings to allow the patients a more restful peace. "Yes, the 'skeleton girl' she said blithely. "Though she does plenty of other things."

"Spooky girl then," Hanyi said flippantly, swinging her hand back and forth. Her little punishment already seemingly dismissed.

Ling Qi looked down at Hanyi, the spirits flat white eyes, and chilling aura. Her complexion, which was that of a corpse dead from the cold, but not yet blackened by the bite of frost.

"I'm not being insulting!" Hanyi protested. "Though, she's just cute. I'm beautiful and elegant."

Ling Qi let out a quiet huff of laughter. "Fair. Li Suyin definitely has a unique aesthetic."

She wondered what the nervous stammering girl who had nearly panicked herself asking for Ling Qi's help in cultivation early on would think of the Li Suyin who existed now.

Hanyi and Ling Qi wove through the thin crowds of inner sect disciples bustling about on their way to lessons or to use Sect facilities, and followed the winding path of paved silvery stone around the and up the slope of the mountain until at last they arrived at the medicine hall. A stately building with silver tiled roof and surrounded by bountiful gardens, the very air here took on a serene and calming feel, all the better to aid in recovery.

She followed the feel of her friends aura out to the back gardens, among the carefully cultivated flowerbeds full of blooms in soothing colors and trees arranged to take the blowing breeze just so, to produce the right volume of peaceful rustling. It was actually pretty impressive now that she paid attention to it. She had spent quite a bit of time here, but the architecture and arrangement of the building and its surrounding s had always been in the background. Something taken for granted.

She supposed she wasn't going to be able to do that much longer, given she would be the one ultimately responsible for her own home and its surroundings now.

She found Li Suyin in the gardens, seated on one of the many benches placed along the garden paths. She was not alone though. There was an older woman at her side, in a gown of autumn colors, yellow and saffron and darker shades. Her hair was done up in a severe bun, undecorated.

It took her a moment to recognize Elder Su's ageless but motherly face. The Elder who had taught spiritual cultivation in the Outer Sect, awarded her the first art she had practiced and more. She could not hear what they were talking about as she approached, and she was not so rude as to try.

The soft sound of chirping birds met her ears as she approached, until the moment it didn't. Li Suyin looked up, saw her and smiled. The distortion of natural sound around them ended, or rather, she sensed it expand to include Hanyi and her. That was polite of the Elder.

"Ling Qi it's good to see you!" her friend said, rising to her feet. Even standing up SUyin barely came up to her chest. Ling Qi really was too tall.

Well that was just the way she was.

"Miss Ling, I hope you do not mind that I occupied your friend here. Disciple Li is an exemplary student," Elder Su said, rising herself. She was taller than Suyin by a fair margin, but somewhere along the way, Ling Qi had surpassed her in that area.

"Honored Elder, I can only be pleased that Li Suyin has your attention. She is deserving of your teachings," Ling Qi said.

"Please stop, Ling Qi," Li Suyin muttered, flushing red. The pupil of her artificial eye widened and shrank, a ring of glimmering light spinning around the black.

"Be pleased that you have such good friends, Disciple Li," Elder Su said, smiling. She turned to face Ling Qi, and Ling Qi felt the faintest tingle on her skin at the Elder's examination. "Ah Disciple Ling… New and novel damage again I see."

Ling Qi grimaced, dipping her head. The Elder hadn't said it scoldingly, but all the same…

Li Suyin looked at her with renewed concern, her eye flashed, and Ling Qi felt a much less subtle examination, more like being poked at all over her friends fingers. "Hm, Oh! My goodness, Ling Qi, what did you do to that meridian!"

"I went under a needed tribulation, and… solved it in a novel way," Ling Qi said evasively. "I strained myself somewhat."
"Fused shut," Elder Su said thoughtfully. "It is not my right to pry into tribulation, but it seems you took quite a risk."

Li SUyin bustled past the Elder, looking at her more closely, seeming like she wanted to poke and prod in truth. "Mm, I don't think the damage is irreversible… well, that's wrong, the meridian may be usable still with work but it's permanently marked, somewhat like domain weapon implantation… Oh, you and Su Ling both, using such wild methods of cultivation!"

Her much shorter friend glared up at her, and Ling Qi smiled sheepishly.

"Hey Big Sis has great methods!" Hanyi defended her, crossing her arms.

"They are effective, of course," Elder Su said, resting a hand on her cheek. "...It's good to see students grow. Neither of you are much like the girl's who first arrived at my primer course."

"Ling Qi shared a look with Suyin, who wore her high necked purple gown, and a clawed and jeweled gauntlet on her hand, an aura filled with veins full of coursing blood, and the clanking of hundreds of bony feet dancing on those crimson threads. She considered herself, the freezing mist so deep as to be lost forever in its grasp.

No, she supposed they were not.

"We are thankful for the tutelage which has allowed us to come so far," Ling Qi said politely.

"Hm, I wonder at that. What might have changed, had I been able to provide a full year course," Elder Su said, surprising her. The Elder sounded both thoughtful and melancholy. "Such useless thoughts."

A frown crosses Li Suyin's face, and she reached up for a moment, as if to rub her eye, only to force her hand back down. "The Sect has many concerns. I understand."

Ling Qi considered her own liege and the Duchess, and the crucible that was the life that woman had arranged for Renxiang. It had never been said aloud, but she did understand that there were many irregular things about their year in the Outer Sect.

"I am thankful for your instruction," Ling Qi said quietly. "Lady Cai and I both hope that the Sect might be able to act with less disruption in the future."

"You have grown well," Elder Su said, looking them both over once more. "And you may convey that to your Lady too. I am hopeful in seeing where the children of that year go."

"Elder Su is too kind," Li Suyin demurred.

At Ling Qi's side, Hanyi was starting to fidget, clearly getting impatient.
"I am nothing of the sort," Elder Su said with a humorless smile. "Disciple, no Lady Ling. Though you are leaving us, know that the Argent Sect will welcome you always. At least so far as this Hua Su can guarantee."

Ling Qi bowed her head. She knew she had caused some troubles, probably annoyed some elders in going over their heads to report directly to the Duchess on the matter of the White Sky. She was glad though that there would still be a connection here, if she chose to indulge it.


"Now, I should be on my way. I am certain you young lady's have things to talk about that do not need an Elder listening in," the older woman said. "Farwell."

They murmured their polite partings, and the Elder's frame shimmered and vanished, like a reflection broken up by ripples.

Ling Qi took a deep breath.

"That all ended up being very serious," Li Suyin chuckled, scratching her cheek with a golden claw.

"So hey, I wanted to know, can you make me a cool skeleton handmaid? 'Cause I have, like, a bunch of money now," Hanyi said.

Ling Qi blinked. Li Suyin blinked.

"Hwah?" Her friend made a confused noise.

"You know like the ones you have, but like, with ice instead of icky spider stuff," Hanyi explained happily.

"My silk isn't icky," Li Suyin said. "Ling Qi, did you?-"

"First I've heard of this," Ling Qi said blankly. "Hanyi, what would you even do with something like that?"

"Well it'd carry all my stuff, and comb my hair when Sis isn't around, and look really cool," Hanyi began, counting off benefits on her fingers.

"Ah, I'm not taking commissions right now," Li Suyin said, still looking a bit befuddled. "...Maybe in a few months?"
She glanced at Ling Qi, who sighed. "We'll talk about that later."

"Hey, I'd just ask for one of Sis' maids, but they're fragile! I'm trying to be thoughtful," Hanyi huffed, crossing her arms. "You'd be mad if I broke one!"

Ling Qi stared at her. Hanyi looked back defiantly. "...Yes."

"How lively," Li Suyin said, smiling awkwardly. "Honestly I hadn't even considered selling my constructs. The aesthetic is a little too niche."

"I'm sure you could find buyers," Ling Qi said. Hanyi puffed out her cheeks. "More buyers."

"Maybe, but things have been so busy, and the Sect is providing so much in the way of materials, II hadn't thought about it," Li Suyin said.

Her friend did have a really beneficial arrangement with the Sect right now. "I'm just glad you're doing well."

"And I'm glad to see you again. Li Suyin said. "I hope I can get out to see what you're building in a few months."

"I hope so too, a little adventure for old times sake," Ling Qi chuckled. "Anyway, what have you been working on? I know you probably can't talk about everything, but I'm really curious."

Li Suyin smiled. "Well I can share, if you tell me more about these foreigners. What's this about a flying ship I've heard about?"

"Well, it's not exactly a ship," Ling Qi said. "But…"

Friends, teachers. So many things here at the Sect that she was going to be leaving behind. At least with Suyin, they had clear plans to meet up again…

[ ] She would see Su Ling next, who would be coming out of military drill with her former commander Guan Zhi

[ ] She was going to sit in on final lesson with Elder Ying

This will be the final visit vote, coming after this will be the section with Elder Jiao and XIn, which will wrap up the turn.