The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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I ignore the ox and hop off of Quishu's back. A flick of my wrist sends her reins to Daiyu, who takes them reflexively. She arches an eyebrow and glances from me to the innocuous cart. "Taking a closer look?" she asks.

A nod is my response. "It will just be a quick one," I assure her as I take a step towards the cart. "This entire scene is quite odd at the very least. If there is one thing I've learned from my duties, it is that oddities must be investigated lest they conceal something more sinister behind their strangeness."

Daiyu looks like she has a dozen things she'd like to say to that, but she decides to hold her tongue. Instead, she guides Sunswift and Quishu over to our other companions and glances at Zhuan Kun. A murmured word has the noble vaulting off his own steed and moving towards me until he's practically in my shadow. "Mei Daiyu does not wish for you to be unguarded while you investigate, and I agree," Zhuan Kun says, voice low as his eyes scan the trees for threats. "Perform your investigation. Our honored sister will ensure that the Clerk is protected, and I will ensure that you are protected."

The ghost of a smile tugs at my lips. Clearly, Daiyu and Zhuan Kun both remember my last investigation and how a ravenous Vestige seeking to devour me was the least of our problems. "You have my thanks," I answer. "We will only be a moment, so you need not be on guard for long. Still, I am about to turn off my senses, so your vigilance is very much appreciated."

Zhuan Kun cocks his head to the side consideringly. "You plan to use your technique to enhance your Sixth Sense?" he muses. "Logical. That technique seems most flexible. I still find myself intrigued by it. If there is any way you could teach it to me or inscribe it on a token, I would be most grateful."

I let out a low breath as we reach the cart, preparing to step into the Garden. "I will have to speak with my family," I answer absently. "For it was from their archives that I learned it. Though I find myself surprised that you are interested. I was sure your own Path would have similar techniques."

"It does," comes Zhuan Kun's prompt answer. "If all I wished for was to hone my senses, I have many options. But yours deadens your other senses completely. It would make blind sparring far more engaging."

A chuckle escapes me. Of course, Zhuan Kun wants the Stallion's Garden so that he may train more efficiently. That is perhaps the least surprising thing I've ever heard. But I push all thoughts of Zhuan Kun's training aside, along with any other errant ones that invade my mind. Right now, I don't need distractions or amusement. I need to focus, lest something squirm from the shadows of this normal looking cart and leap at my face.

Another long breath escapes me and I close my eyes, stepping into the Stallion's Garden. The world falls away, leaving me swimming in an empty void devoid of light, sound, taste, and even awareness of my own body. My mind pushes out into sheer, undiluted emptiness, and my Sixth Sense rushes out to search the void.

The difficult part of using the Stallion's Garden to enhance my Sixth Sense is not finding anam. With nothing else to distract me, I can feel even the slightest anam signatures, ones that I wouldn't even know were there if I had even one sense left open. The difficult part is filtering what I sense and discarding useless information in the heartbeat I have before the technique becomes too exhausting to maintain.

As always, my own anam signature is the first thing I ignore. Then I push aside the steady, rock-solid sensation at my back that is Zhuan Kun. The warm, ephemeral feeling of Daiyu is next to go, as are the faint notes of life that make up the mounts and Clerk Ni. The forest around us is exuding a good amount of Wood, and the Emberflow Abyss has no shortage of Water anam. Those too are ignored, as is the faint, ever present swirl of Wind.

I redouble my focus, trying to direct my Sixth Sense at the area right before me where the cart was when I could still see. Sure enough, there are some lingering notes of wood unlike those from the forest, likely coming from the cart itself. Aside from a few traces of beast near the yoke, the cart is otherwise inconsequential. Nothing in or on it registers on my sixth sense to any great degree, with the most potent anam being no stronger than a shirt someone was particularly proud of weaving.

With the cart inspected, I turn my focus to the rest of the clearing, tracing the hint of beast from the cart back to the ox itself. Under more strenuous scrutiny, the beast reveals itself as… well, simply a beast. Nothing about its own anam signature shows it to be anything but a particularly well fed ox. Quishu is a stronger source of beast anam than the ox, and it is only barely more powerful than the horses.

My attention wanders from the ox and to the rest of the clearing. I allow the signatures I've ignored back into my attention and scan the area as a whole. Nothing seems strange at all, even to my enhanced Sixth Sense. The ambient anam is… well, it is fairly quiet. Were the land around us a beast, it would be like the ox: placid and unbothered by the complexities of life. If anything, it is more peaceful than I would usually expect, just a simple ebb and flow that almost makes me yawn when I witness it.

With an effort of will, I release my hold on the Garden. My senses rush back to me in a flood and I take a step back, almost overwhelmed by the taste of my own tongue. Zhuan Kun stiffens at my sudden motion and glances around. "Did you discover something?" he asks.

I cough once and shake my head. "No," I answer as I regain control of myself. "Nothing at all. If anything, the only strange thing in the anam is how normal it is. But we are not done; do not let your guard down quite yet."

Zhuan Kun nods sharply and returns his focus to our surroundings. As for me, I let out a low breath, fighting the urge to spit, and call upon my anam once more. The Stallion's Enclosed Garden may be a potent tool, but it is no longer my only technique capable of revealing secrets about the world around us. My eyes fall closed, and when they open, I look to the Twilight Horizon.

Color and vibrancy seem to leach from the world around me. It is not at all like the Stallion's Garden. I can still see, smell, and hear. Everything just seems so much further away than it once was. Shining sapphire light traces everything within my sight while everything else seems faded, distant, and muffled. Every time something moves, the Horizon's light moves just a fraction of a moment before, filling the space before its source can cross the same distance.

It is not that light that I look to. There is nothing before me that will answer my questions. Instead, I cast my eyes to the heavens, gazing at the twinkling pinpricks of light hiding behind the noon-tide sky. Even though I cannot see them, my soul screams that they still shine. Even though the burning aura of the sun, I seek the wisdom of the Stars, bidding them to guide me and show me what they've borne witness to.

The Astral Paragon's crown jewel burns through me, reflecting the light of the hidden stars. The celestial bodies bear witness to the technique's power. The stars burn in their constellations, content in their heavenly alignment. This I know as surely as I know my own name. But no unearthly guidance fills my limbs, no sudden insights seep into my brains.

The stars bear witness to my passage, yet say nothing.

The Twilight Horizon fades from my eyes as I let out a long breath. At Zhuan Kun's questioning look, I shake my head. "The anam is unremarkable and the Horizon will not speak," I say, considering what my techniques have shown me. So far, the energy of the world and the stars above have conspired to tell me that everything is normal. But that still leaves one method of investigation I've yet to employ: my own eyes.

I take a step towards the cart, intent on inspecting it up close. However Zhuan Kun clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him. "Even if your techniques have yet to reveal any threat, that could simply mean that the threat is a cunning one," he states. "Maintain your guard, Kong Zhi."

"Yes, of course," I answer, nodding along with his words as I consider them. "My thanks, Zhuan Kun." The noble is not wrong. Just because no threat has been proven doesn't mean that there is none within the cart- and if one exists, there can be no surer way to bring it down upon me than crawling over it like some kind of curious toddler.

No, I will refrain from touching the actual cart itself. Instead, I turn my focus to the ground around it. After all, if anything happened to the merchant, there should be tracks of whatever accosted him. Failing that, if he simply wandered away, there would still be a trail leading to where he went. I've trained my wilderness skills by hunting and seeking Nokai and her hounds in the Forest of Pearls- surely I can find the trail of a single, seated merchant.

Survival Check: 5d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 7, 6, 3, 2, 2. 1.2, rounded down to 1 Success!

And sure enough the merchant's trail is simple to find. There is no shortage of crushed grass and scuffed dirt surrounding the cart. It looks as if the merchant- or at least someone who hopped down from the driver's seat- circled it more than once, beating the grass near flat. A deep sandal print near the back shows that he stood there for some time, inspecting his goods, and more prints show that he circled back towards the front of the vehicle once more.

But… I let out a low noise of confusion, drawing Zhuan Kun's focus back to me. "Is there something amiss?" he asks.

"I… I'm not sure," I say after a moment's thought. At Zhuan Kun's questioning look, I gesture towards the trail. "The merchant was here. He searched his cart at least once before going back to the driver's seat. But…"

I shake my head as I continue. "...but there are no tracks leaving the cart. None of the merchant's, at least; you can see the ox wandering away over there." I gesture at a small trail leading towards one of the barren patches of dirt. "It looks as if the merchant got down, circled the cart, and then took his seat once more. Yet…"

A quick glance at the empty driver's seat shows that no, the merchant has not suddenly appeared there since I last looked. "Yet there is no sign of him."

Zhuan Kun follows my gaze. Together, the two of us contemplate the mystery of the missing merchant for a long moment until we are disturbed by a call from Daiyu. I glance over my shoulder to see her waving at us from beside an impatient looking Clerk Ni.

The bureaucrat's curiosity and patience has been overwhelmed by his need to keep moving. It seems the odd mystery of this ox, cart, and merchant will remain just that- an odd mystery. But as Zhuan Kun and I rejoin the rest of our group, I keep one eye on the one set of tracks leading away from the cart not left by the ox: those of the cart itself.

They lead back towards the path- and then in the direction Clerk Ni leads us.
***
We hear the village long before we see it.

It starts with a loud shriek that echoes through the forest. It is not a blood curdling scream of terror, though. Instead, it is the bright, happy sound of children at play that fills the air. The first shriek is followed by another, lower-pitched roar, one that moves further away from us even as we approach as its source races through the village.

The shrieks and laughter of the children are only the first notes to the village's song. As we round the bend and the first mudbrick homes come into view, it is joined by the sound of livestock clucking to each other as the soft yip of a dog keeps them in place. There is the splash of water being drawn from a well, and the soft hiss of a sickle hewing through grain. The soft chatter of people hard at work is the finishing touch, and Clerk Ni's smile can't be contained.

He glances at Zhuan Kun with self-satisfaction practically dripping from his every pore. "For a place that does not exist, it seems quite busy," he nearly purrs.

The noble's gaze is unblinking as he takes in the worn yet well-maintained huts, the bustling pasture, and the villagers going about their day. "Words will be had with the record keeper," he intones, voice low and dangerous.

We guide our mounts into the village proper while Zhuan Kun stews. Sunswift and Daiyu lead the way down the central path between the huts and towards the village square. Half a dozen villagers loiter on the sides of the path, each merrily going about their day. One is beating a small rug vigorously, filling the air with dust as she chats with her neighbor spinning thread. Another is lying comfortably on the roof of their hut, basking in the sun. More villagers trot by in the distance, minding the cattle, the picture of productive harmony.

As we draw closer to the town square, we pass a wizened old woman hanging her laundry on the line with gnarled fingers. A younger woman lets out a gusty sigh as we pass. "Mother, for the last time, please," she groans. "Let me take care of the laundry. Just rest! Look at Old Shuang! He has the right of it!"

She gestures at the man on the roof as if his existence proves her words. But the elder scoffs at her words and swats her hands away when they try to take the laundry from her. "Old Shaung was shiftless and bone-idle when he was young Shaung!" she growls back. "And I will thank you not to compare me to such a layabout! Besides, doing her own work keeps your fairy mother young and beautiful! Would you truly deprive me of such a perfect day?"

The daughter sighs and shakes her head before stepping back, muttering something about stubborn old goats that her mother pretends not to hear. Old Shaung lets out an almost painful sounding cackle from his rooftop perch, drawing a dirty look followed by a balled up shirt thrown at his face at high speed.

Old Shaung's sputtering is interrupted by another high pitched squeal of excitement. I pull my eyes from the developing argument to see a handful of children tumble from between the huts into the path, swinging sticks at each other as they bellow declarations of might. One quickly separates himself from the others and gestures at them with his stick.

"Kowtow before this young master and I shall be lenient with you!" he squeaks with a dramatic flourish of his stick. "To stand against the Sun Dragon's Fang is to court death!"

Another child, this one a slightly older girl wearing pants so worn they've long since lost their knees, gestures back with a stick of her own. "You are the one who courts death!" she proclaims. "For what is the sun before the splendor of the moon! My Silkmoon Blade will slice through whatever opposes it without fail!"

The first child, the 'young master', is delighted by the response. But the other children let out a collective groan. "Do we have to play Dusk n' Dawn again?" one whines. "I don't wanna be a spect-tay-ter again!"

The girl is taken aback and shakes her head. "We don't have to?" she hazards, glancing back at the 'young master'. "We could play… I know! Let's go play Tides n' Torrents!"

The 'young master' pouts and the girl, clearly the ring leader, changes couse once again. "I mean… yeah! We'll play Tides n' Torrents at Dusk n' Dawn! You be the Court of the Tide, Ren is still the Mirrored Hand, and I'll be the Gossamer Blade. We'll team up against the Torrent Raiders!"

The compromise is met with rapturous acclaim and the game begins anew.

All around the village, more scenes of domestic tranquility play out. A large milk cow leans into her caretaker's questing hands, enjoying the scratches being lavished on its neck. A man is dressing a newly caught rabbit while making conversation with a young woman working with needle and thread, neither of them quite making eye contact with the other. A loud, bellowing bark from a dog far too small to make it guides a sheep back towards its flock. The sound of the laundry worker's squabble with Old Shaung becomes even louder as the man returns fire with small pieces of his roof. All in all, it is an idyllic scene.

…with one strange undercurrent.

None of the villagers have addressed us.

Not a one.

Perception Check: 7d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 3, 1, 6. 2.4, rounded down to 2 Successes!

They notice us. At least, some of them do. The hunter's hands still over his rabbit when his gaze passes over us. The laundress' daughter's eyes widen for a fraction of a second when she looks in our direction. One of the children pretending to be a member of the Court of Tides freezes when Quishu steps near him, only to be tugged along by his ringleader. Yet not a single person hails us or even says a word about us.

It is… disquieting to say the least.

When we reach the village square, one exception makes himself known. He is an older man, body thick with muscle born from wrestling cattle and sheep. His pate is bald, and his forehead furrowed as he looks at us from over the edge of a ladle of water. Some indescribable emotion passes over his face, but when he lowers the ladle, his expression is almost as bland as any bored ox's.

He lifts his head in a casual greeting. "You couriers?"

The simplicity of the question almost stuns me. It certainly stuns Clerk Ni. When was the last time someone didn't immediately recognize the regalia of an imperial bureaucrat? As he stares at the elder, Daiyu takes charge, offering the man a sunny smile. "No, honored elder," she greets him. "This is Clerk Ni Weiyan, representative of His Imperial Glory, Liu Jian the First, Emperor-In-Steel. We are here as part of His Grand Examination, searching for those who bear the spark."

There is a long moment of silence as the elder mulls over her words. "Oh," he finally grunts. He pauses once again before asking, "Did you see any couriers on the road? I'm waiting for a letter from Twelve Fields, and it should've been here days ago."

Clerk Ni has almost recovered his composure, but the elder's nonchalance sends him reeling once more, a look of total befuddlement on his face. Daiyu is able to maintain her friendly smile as she says, "No, we've not seen any couriers. But when we leave your village, we will be sure to keep a look out for them."

She pauses for the barest possible moment, just enough to separate her thoughts, before continuing, "Though it might be easier for couriers to find you were you on any local maps. Could we have the name of this village so that we might report it to the bureaucracy?"

The elder mulls over her words before shrugging. "Last clerk who came through called it Shoubiao's Wake," he sighs. "That's good enough, I suppose. No real need for names around these parts."

Daiyu makes a noise of understanding even as more curiosity flashes across her face. But she doesn't get a chance to ask more questions before Clerk Ni finally recovers and pushes himself to the forefront of our group. "Excellent, thank you. Elder, as stated, I am Clerk Ni Weiyan, here for the imperial examination of 'Shoubiao's Wake' on behalf of His Imperial Glory, Liu Jian the First, Emperor-In-Steel. If you could assist me in organizing your fellows, we will complete our testing and be on our way without disrupting your day any further."

Another bare shrug is all the answer Clerk Ni gets, but he takes as he would exuberant agreement. "Excellent!" he chirps before turning back to us. "Disciples, while Elder… the Elder and I organize things, prepare yourselves for our usual routine. Organize your roles as you see fit; you know your duties well."

With that, he turns away, chattering to the bored looking elder. My companions and I are left to trade uneasy looks. Something… odd is going on here.

Though something odd might be going on, your duties remain the same. What role does Zhi take in the examination of Shoubiao's Wake?
[] Zhi will stand guard, keeping watch over Clerk Ni as he performs the testing.
[] Zhi will handle the administration, recording records of those who have passed or failed.
[] Zhi will roam the outskirts of the village, insuring there are none hiding from the Examination.