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

Ling Qingge and the Dream Horse, Gallop 3: Gaze Upon Beauteous Sights

Ling Qingge, as honest of a person as she was, was prepared to "ooh" and "ahh" over the baronial seat. Every baron, especially every young baron, seemed to think that their seat was bigger and more glorious than any before. Or that there was some special magic, some wondrous quality to it… all of that. She usually preferred the blunt truth, but who was she to insult people's homes? It was better to insult their persons, and their (lack of) virtues than to make light of the fact that their patch of dirt was not necessarily any more special than any other patch of dirt. Well, usually at least.

There were limits. There was no time she'd not gone to the capital that she hadn't gaped and gawked… all two times, but she was sure that counted.

So she was prepared for false compliments of any sort of situation, from rough frontier homeliness to delusions of elegance and grace. But.

It was misty, it had a lake, it sat a small, pretty little town that seemed a little like what she'd seen before in those places she was most comfortable in. And the closer they rode, the more she felt something about it grab her and shake her about. She would not want to live here, she had a feeling it would get rather too watery, but it had its own sort of ethereal beauty, and yet everywhere she turned she saw things like granaries, like village walls. This was no rich Cultivator's fairyland, no matter how much the waterfall she saw in the distance spoke of… well, spoke of a great deal of money and power invested in this.

She stared all the same, taking it all in, feeling something in her curdle just as another part of her opened up like a blossom of sorts exposed to the sun. What a silly thought, but she let herself idly consider it.

She idly considered many things for a moment, and discarded them. She did not believe in fate, so she would not believe that there was some sort of… connection between her and this place. Some tie, binding her to this different, older Ling Qingge, if she existed…

No, it was not that at all. Or at least, she would not yet believe that, as opposed to considering that it was a pretty, well-turned out village, and whatever evils or flaws it had could not hide that this was beautiful land or hinder her appreciation of it. She leaned closer to Lightning, and allowed herself to enjoy the ride.

It did not last long, because as they advanced she saw two Cultivators approaching.

"They're friends," Ling Qi said, simply, because she must have felt Ling Qingge tense just a little bit.

She'd guessed as much, but she wasn't sure at all whether her "daughter" was actually reliable on this. Still, as they approached she took them in, tried to judge them as best she could. One was a huge man, tall and elaborately armored. He was blonde, and his voice was booming, "SO, WERE YOU RIGHT?!" he yelled out.

The other man next to him was clearly a Xuan, blocky and solid looking, dressed with care, but with strong green eyes and… well, there were hints of scales visible to everyone, but she could look at his body at a glance and know it. Of course, she had few to no prejudices therein. Ling Qinggee… did not have as many friends as she wished, because when you befriended people with wanderlust you acknowledged that many would leave and the friendship would go fallow like a spring crop in winter. She was unsure--and hated that uncertainty--whether those friendships would simply pick up where they left off. Absence could also strangle what was left of feelings and affections.

"I was. It was an ambush, but it was set up for a formation," Ling Qi said. "I dealt with them… with help. That's what we're figuring out."

"I saw someone in distress, and decided to act," Ling Qingge said, firmly. "It is as simple as that… but I don't know either of you."

"We need to hurry," Ling Qi said, firmly. "We cannot…"

"WHO IS THIS?" the golden man said, his smile gleaming. "SURELY WE CAN TALK HERE? IT IS SAFE, IS IT NOT?"

"It is, but--"

Ling Qingge had had enough. Ling Qi, "secret daughter" or not… or whatever the story was, did not get to decide who she introduced herself to.

"I'd like to propose a quick game, since I'm already going along with you. I've found it fun for both new people I'm meeting and casual acquaintances. Simply put, I introduce myself with a certain number of details. The next person introduces themselves with all the same details: like, if I tell you my age, you have to tell me your age," Ling Qingge explained. "But then adds one detail I didn't. Then the next one does the same, saying everything those before did, but adding one other thing. Then the third person says all of what the previous two did, and adds more. And it keeps on going… and when it gets back to the original they give the same introduction they began with, but then add all of the new stuff, and one thing of their own…"

The golden boy at least was considering it seriously, "When does it end?"

"When you get bored of it, and not before!" Ling Qingge admitted, with a grin. She loved the game, it was a very good way to--pardon any pun considering those here--a way to break the ice! And since it wasn't really a game the way that others might partake in, even those who weren't competitive could find it fun. Once she'd gone an hour with two other people getting more and more elaborate until it edged into parody, into long elaborate speeches delivered with greater and greater grandiosity.

"So let me introduce myself first!" She grinned. "I am Ling Qingge, of the Argent Sect, and my hobbies include horsemanship, adventuring, music, and reading, telling, and hearing stories, whether they be true or daring tales. And this is my bound spirit, my boon companion, Lightning, whose thundering hooves are freedom itself! And then it's your turn, Golden guy."

The golden man blinked, "The name must be more common than I thought, though…"

"This among other things is why we're headed out," Ling Qi said.

"WELL THEN!" he thundered. "I am Gan Guangli, of the Argent Sect, and my hobbies include training, protecting others, and I have been KNOWN TO GO ON ADVENTURES AS WELL. My bound spirit is the brave Jinza of the Rising Sun." Ah, a solar spirit, she knew those sorts. Ands he knew his sort as well, the kind who stood as a shield against the darkness of the world at their best… and a warlord at their worst. "Ah, and my least favorite weapon might be said to be the bow. I have very little skill at it."

The other boy was still uncertain, but spoke. "This one is called Xuan Shi, and he too went to the Argent Sect, for that is how we all met, as might be understood." He spoke in the most formal way, but there was a hint of teasing in those last words. "This one is a crafter, but also sees value in the art of the storyteller, to reveal adventures and distant lands, and is curious what sorts of works the… Lady Ling Qingge is interested in? One's least favorite weapon would be the dagger. My hobbies… I enjoy crafting, but also stories of adventure and distant worlds, and this one has two spirits, Kongyou and Xuanji. This one actually does not enjoy fish, and eats not the flesh of bird, beast, or swimming thing."

Oh, how interesting, actually. Not just that last bit, which was actually a quote from a novel she'd read a year ago. He was someone who crafted new things, who enjoyed stories and tales and had traveled far to wind up at the Emerald Seas, and therefore no doubt had plenty of stories. As she began talking, she found herself looking over Xuan Shi once more, with an appraising eye. He was not at all unattractive, and besides her attraction had as much to do with qualities as anything else. So she allowed herself to look as she modeled it, "So let me introduce myself first!" She laughed, this time, and turned to face Xuan Shi. "I am Ling Qingge, of the Argent Sect, and my hobbies include horsemanship, adventuring, music, and reading, telling, and hearing stories, whether they be true or daring tales. And this is my bound spirit, my boon companion, Lightning, whose thundering hooves are freedom itself! My least favorite weapon must truly be the whip, of those I've tried, and I enjoy food that I can eat on the go, like steamed pork buns. The oddest adventure I've had, besides that which brought me here, was of a strange Xuan who was looking for a Xuanwu at the Argent Sect of all places. Xuan Shun, do you know of him?"

She leaned in to see his reaction, and so caught up had she been that she hadn't noticed the look on Ling Qi's face.

Horrified, if trying to hide it, staring from Xuan Shi to Ling Qingge and back again with a dawning sort of shock.

"Xuan Shun, this one knows this name, and he would be the sort to journey and assay forth on wild adventures, but he is not…"

"We should probably go," Ling Qi said, firmly. "So that we can meet my mother."

"What? But we were just beginning to… oh. Oh!" She realized what this was, and now looked from Xuan Shi to Ling Qi. She saw, she really did… though she didn't quite get it. Why the horror?

Either way, with one last goodbye and one last look at Xuan Shi, she was led away with rather more haste than she would have appreciated.

If Ling Qi didn't want her to ogle, she simply could have asked!

A/N: I promise we're getting to really serious greetings and stuff, especially the two Ling Qingge's meeting sooner rather than later, but I couldn't help it. The image was just so funny.

I hope I did alright juggling the characters.

Another omake for the omake pile, @yrsillar