Reach Heaven Via Feng Shui Engineering, Drug Trade And Tax Evasion

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The echoing caw of the voidbird had pierced the air as soon as they entered the kitchens. It was sitting somewhere above the stove, and dove right for Qian Shanyi as soon as she entered, coming to a stop just in front of her face. Linghui Mei - the maid, not the jiuweihu - squeaked behind her in surprise.

The bird had about the same shape as a raven, if a bit larger, but even a single glance could tell you that this was no ordinary animal. There were no feathers, or skin, or fur, or even eyes: merely an inky black gap in space in the shape of a bird, filled with bright pinpricks of light, like stars over the night sky. Its wings flapped, yet moved no air; its beak opened, yet the caw did not come from it, but from the whole bird at once. Neither living nor dead; a spirit, but a safe one.

"I am Qian Shanyi," Qian Shanyi calmly told the voidbird. Her eyes, unused to such contrast, refused to properly focus on it, so she decided to look just above the bird's head. "I have been told you have a letter for me?"

The voidbird cawed again, and put its beak under its wing, drawing a thick envelope from within its own body, like a rock pulled out of a pond. It flipped it around, and turned the front to face Qian Shanyi.

There were two lines of text, written clearly on the bright white paper.

To Lan Yishan, from the offices of Lunar Intent Trading House.

Three minutes to turn the key into a fool.

Qian Shanyi reached for the envelope, but the voidbird cawed, and sucked it back into its body. Qian Shanyi lowered her hand, and the envelope appeared again.

The voidbirds were very clever creatures. Not as much as humans, not by a long shot - but they had incredible memories. They always remembered people they'd seen before, and while they could not truly understand language, they learned enough to understand simple directions and descriptions of people. More than that, they could memorize a password, and only give up their letter once they heard it a second time. Because of this, they could be relied on to securely deliver a letter to any city in the world, traveling as fast as a cultivator on top of a flying sword.

They were also very, very expensive.

"Do you have some meat I could buy?" Qian Shanyi asked, turning away from the voidbird and towards Linghui Mei. The maid was watching it curiously, hiding behind Qian Shanyi. "I would like to feed it."

"Oh! Of course," Linghui Mei said, and hurried into the small kitchen, ducking her head to stay far away from the voidbird. She almost fell on her face, trying to twist her neck to look back, while also walking forwards, and Qian Shanyi snorted at the image. She could see some of the same mannerisms that she saw in the other Linghui Mei - inherited alongside with her appearance, it seemed.

Qian Shanyi paid Linghui Mei - the maid, not the jiuweihu - five silver yuan - mostly because she still felt a little guilty that Linghui Mei - the jiuweihu, not the maid - stole her clothes and fed on her soul, and quickly left the kitchens, voidbird on her shoulder and a plate of fresh meat in hand. She retreated to her rooms, locking the door behind her, set the plate down on the table, and let the voidbird hop off, directing it to enjoy the snack.

"Well, what are we going to do with you?" she asked the bird.

The bird angled its head at her, and cawed with what Qian Shanyi could only describe as sarcasm. Qian Shanyi snorted in amusement, and sat down to do a bit of thinking.

Lunar Intent Trading House belonged to Wu Lanhua - and if Qian Shanyi was right about what that riddle meant, it implied it was the merchant herself who sent the letter. The only question was - why? Why send a letter, and why by voidbird?

No, back up. Take this step by step. How did Wu Lanhua even know where to send the damn bird? By Qian Shanyi's count of days, it was unlikely that her own letter would have already reached the merchant.

Well… Back on the ship, Qian Shanyi asked Wu Lanhua about traveling from Lake of Peace to Reflection Ridge, and left the ship shortly thereafter. Qian Shanyi never said she would stop there - but Wu Lanhua could have simply decided to take the gamble, and send the letter blind. From there, the voidbird could have flown into the post office, presented the letter, and been led to her tavern by a runner.

It was possible. Definitely possible. But it was also possible this was a convoluted trap by Fang Jiugui. Unlikely, but she could see how he could make it happen - tie her to that sketchy sword gamble she made to get some spirit stones, perhaps.

Qian Shanyi sighed, glancing at the corner of the table. Her writing set was on the left - that meant Wang Yonghao was in the room as well, but hidden within his world fragment. She desperately wanted to know what he found out in Fang Jiugui's residence, or to at least have him available to bounce some ideas off - but who knew when he'd come out. They didn't agree on a specific time when she'd return in the morning. It could be within the next minute, or it could be hours.

It was midday, now. Three hours of walking around with Jian Shizhe, and her plan for handling Fang Jiugui had only improved incrementally, if that. It simply wasn't good enough, not when he still had cards stashed up both his sleeves - such as whatever he saw in her hands, or the way he managed to track her in the first place. It wasn't good enough, not when he was still plotting, making moves.

She was running out of time. She felt it, deep within her soul. She didn't know when she would run out - but she was already running out.

There were two elements she needed in order to escape from the man. A way to vanish from his immediate observation, and a way to prevent him from tracking her. She needed to solve both issues, or she would go nowhere.

She was stalling, and she knew it. She needed more information, and she even had a letter right in front of her that might contain some. Not opening it was insane, but she was still thinking up excuses, coming up with convoluted ways in which it could be a trap by Fang Jiugui to justify keeping it closed.

Because once she read it, she'd know what was inside. And if there was nothing - then even that vain hope she had for something, anything to grab onto would vanish like a mirage.

Get yourself together.

"Wang Niu," Qian Shanyi said the obvious answer to the riddle, and reached for the voidbird, that was beak-deep in the plate of meat. Her letter appeared out of the voidbird's back, and she snatched it, pulling it away without any resistance.

"Do you even need to eat meat?" Qian Shanyi asked rhetorically, tearing into the envelope. "Does it do anything for you?"

All she got in return was another sarcastic caw. The voidbird didn't even pretend to open its beak this time.

Inside the envelope was a letter, a small card of fine wood about the length of her finger, a metal sigil in the shape of a lotus and about as big around as a very large coin, and a second envelope. The letter was written on fine linen paper, with thin golden decorations around the edges, and the symbol of the Lunar Intent Trading House at the very top.

Qian Shanyi sighed again, and began to read.

Dear Yishan,

I hope this letter finds you well. Forgive this old woman for her worrying - it must be my heart - but if I have not seen how you have departed the city with my own two eyes, I would never have believed it. But perhaps I simply fear for the worst, as usual. You seemed to be in such a hurry to leave the meager accommodations of my yacht, and I dearly hope that your further travel had passed with no lesser comfort.

Lest I worry you in turn, we have returned to Xiaohongshan quite safely. This little excursion had really been a balm upon my nerves. The sunsets above the Golden Snake river, with the glitter of the cities tucking themselves in for the night reflected in the waters always take my breath away. But now, it is back to work.

Still, I simply must tell you of some exciting rumors! Would you believe it that just two short days after we have returned home, a spirit hunter by the name of Fang Jiugui had appeared in our humble town? My dear Fakuang told me that his realm was very impressive, and he could even ride a flying sword. He asked around about some "Qian Shanyi" - even talked to me for a while, charming old man that he is. Would you believe it, a fugitive of some sect downriver? In my very own town?! Such incredible drama.

Unfortunately I could not tell him much, and he left, no doubt despondent. I do wonder where he headed. If this "Qian Shanyi" had left us by ship - well, even if by some accident she was left out of the ship manifest, nobody could conceal where the ship itself went. I wish her the best of luck, that she realizes the danger before she is caught!

But back to the business at hand. I took the liberty of opening up an account for you with Lunar Intent, my trading house. Should you require our shipping services, you may simply come to one of our offices, and my people should assist you for a very reasonable fee - at least, as soon as they see the sigil that marks you as one of our clients, that I have placed within this envelope. I've also included a list of our offices on the other side of this page for your convenience.

Finally, as I have already informed you, I have decided to marry - even in my advanced age, love can still be found! We have finally settled on a date: it will be exactly one month after the spring ghost festival, on the 15th of the fifth month. My heart aches to see you at the celebration, but I understand the flights of youth - if you could not make it after all, for one reason or another, then I would at least expect a gift.

I have also included a letter from postmaster Lan, who asked me to forward it to you, though I have not read it.

Your eternal friend,
Wu Lanhua

The wooden card was, sure enough, a formal wedding invitation - a small, idyllic scene burned directly into the wood, with a description of time and place on the back. After admiring the picture, Qian Shanyi set it aside.

The lotus sigil was flat, and Qian Shanyi could tell that it could serve as a stamp, or be pinned to the clothes and worn on your chest. There were some small characters engraved into the leaves of the lotus - small parables of luck and fortune. Perhaps their variation simply helped to make each such sigil unique.

Qian Shanyi set the sigil down on top of the wooden card for now, and picked up the second, thinner envelope, opening it up as well.

Fellow cultivator Qian,

I apologize in advance for failing to fulfill my duty as the postmaster to keep all your mail entirely private. I believed that the information contained here would benefit you enough to justify this severe overstep.

In the course of my duties I take some effort to keep track of the relations of the cultivators within my area, and your contractual relationship with merchant Wu had been known to me. As I was not aware of any proper method of contacting you, I have asked her if she could direct this letter to you. I cannot make any guarantees regarding the honorable merchant; however, I have taken an effort to make sure that all the information within this letter was already known to her beforehand. Hopefully this letter reaches you just as safely as it would in the hands of our great postal office.

Twelve days after your departure from Xiaohongshan, a retired spirit hunter by the name of Fang Jiugui had entered my office, and requested any information I could provide regarding Qian Shanyi, a fugitive disciple of the Luminous Lotus Pavilion from the Golden Rabbit Bay. In accordance with general imperial policy regarding cultivator privacy, I have refrained from discussing our private conversations; however, I have provided him with all the records we are required to keep - specifically, the logged requests I made regarding your swords, and the access records of the library. I believe that shortly after leaving my office, fellow cultivator Fang had headed to the other imperial offices in town, and made whatever other requests he could, before leaving town by evening.

As I have mentioned in our talk, the empire is not legally required to assist any sect in locating their runaways until a concrete request is made. This assistance is often offered as a courtesy, in cases where it seems this request is inevitable; but in cases where it is not, we simply do our best to keep conflict to a minimum.

From my brief conversation with fellow cultivator Fang, you have not been accused of theft, or violating any of the core imperial laws or edicts. Perhaps your suspicions have already been proven correct. But the empire believes in the right of all cultivators to determine their fate, sect or no sect, and I felt it necessary to offer my assistance - to the extent that my duties permit me.

To that effect, on the second sheet included in this envelope, you will find the request form PIL-13. It is based on a recently passed instruction, and as of yet, it is still not well known among the civil service; I am afraid that many of my colleagues routinely fail in their duties when it comes to self-education. At a guess, I would imagine only one in five postmasters would know of it by name. Nonetheless, it is a legal and enforceable request. I have also attached an explanation of the relevant laws - you may simply copy it over, as it would make explaining the purpose and legal basis of the request itself that much easier.

If you were to give this form to a postmaster, then they would be bound to silence on the matter of your person, and would be obligated to abridge your mentions out of some of the public documents - such as the cultivator almanac, as well as communicate this request to other imperial institutions in their jurisdiction. Perhaps this would make it easier for you to evade pursuit.

However, I must sadly admit that I cannot vouch for how many of my fellow postmasters would listen. The form itself is not well known, and is controversial, as it lies at cross purposes with many of our institutions; the informal instruction is to avoid relying on it except in unusual circumstances. Many would simply not believe this to be a legal request, and would not bother to verify it with the law. Others would know it to be legal, but will violate it, out of personal conviction or simple carelessness.

I leave the decision of wherever to rely on it in your hands. And I implore you to remember: our empire was built on bloodshed, to avoid bloodshed. We do not throw honorable cultivators to the dogs.

Postmaster Lan Yu.

Qian Shanyi leaned back in her chair, considering the two letters in front of her. Sure enough, neither of them solved any of her immediate problems. The information within them was either indirect, or simply confirmed what she had already suspected.

Still. She felt a warm glow of gratitude in her chest, looking at these two simple pieces of paper.

They tried to warn me…

She sniffled, and then chuckled slightly, wiping an errant tear that formed in her eye. She barely did anything for these two women - aside from gifting two extremely expensive swords to Wu Lanhua, she supposed - yet they still took the time out of their day to give her so much advice. Even from so far away, she had allies, such as they were.

Then again, perhaps a simple confirmation of what she knew was exactly what she needed. She thought back on her theories for how Fang Jiugui had found her. That he headed to Xiaohongshan first pretty conclusively proved that he must have been tracing her letter, instead of her person. From there, he probably followed the traces of Wu Lanhua's yacht - even if, as she heavily implied, she left Qian Shanyi off the manifest.

That was good. It meant he was limited. It meant he could be beaten.

The question of how he tracked her letter remained unresolved. If there was something obvious - such as secret marks on the envelopes of the postal office - then Lan Yu would have surely mentioned it, though it wasn't a guarantee. His true limitations still remained unknown. But she could work with this.

Qian Shanyi glanced at her gloved hands. She had not taken her gloves off in public ever since she noticed Fang Jiugui watching her hands. Was there a connection there, with him tracing her letter? She couldn't really imagine how, but the mysteries between Heaven and Earth were without limit.

Well, there is always the drastic option.

She really didn't want to use it, especially without a decent plan that could be built on top of it.

At least this PIL form would surely help them with the second part of her plan, but on its own, it was more than a bit of a two-edged sword. If she were to simply give it to the postmaster in every town they visited, it would be as good as leaving a paper trail - all Fang Jiugui would have to do was ask about her, and get an answer of "I am not allowed to talk about this" more often than not. Conspicuously erased trail was still a trail.

But with a bit of work, they could find a way around this weakness.

The voidbird had long finished its meat while Qian Shanyi was busy reading, and was now staring at her expectantly. Awaiting a response, or a lack of one.

Qian Shanyi sighed, and reached over to her writing set. Best to be short and to the point.

Dear Lanhua,

My travel had passed blissfully quickly, and that is as much as I will say on the matter. Unfortunately, as I have discovered that I am thoroughly unsuited to that form of rapid travel, and other affairs occupy my time, I doubt I will make it back in time for your wedding. I will try my hardest, of course, and yet I offer my excuses all the same. I wish you and Liu Fakuang the deepest love between Heaven and Earth, and an eternal future unblemished by Heavenly machinations - or perhaps even blessed by them, in the case of fellow cultivator Liu.

I have some happy news of my own. I have found the goal of my pursuit - and have been successful beyond my wildest expectations. The details must remain private for now, but let it be said that I have a provisional deal with the Northern Scarlet Stream sect for provision of certain items. I hope the fact that they supply your competitors will not put you off our beautiful, burgeoning friendship.

The affair of this mysterious and no doubt stunningly handsome "Qian Shanyi" certainly intrigues me greatly, yet I sadly cannot dedicate any time to looking into it further. I have placed twenty five spirit stones within this envelope - if you would be so kind as to hire an investigator, and look into the origin of this "Fang Jiugui", I would be forever in your debt. If that is still not enough, then do not hesitate with your own funds - I would repay you two-fold. I will contact you once I have more free time on my hands.

And now I am afraid I must go. You may find some more detail about my fate in a letter I have sent to your offices through the post office some time ago - as I expect this voidbird will return much faster than it will reach you.

Finally, please convey my deepest gratitude to postmaster Lan. Her advice to me will prove to be invaluable. If you have not done so already, please invite her to your wedding in my stead.

Your eternal friend,
Lan Yishan

"Response," she said to the voidbird, folding up the letter into a new envelope, and writing the address on the front. "Back to Wu Lanhua. Password: Wang Niu."

The voidbird swallowed the envelope just as it did the meat, and rose into the air. Qian Shanyi opened the window, and it flew out with a final, triumphant caw, turning into no more than a blur in the air as soon as it rose above the rooftops.

Just as she was closing the window, Qian Shanyi heard the quiet whooshing sound of the world fragment's entrance being opened, and turned around to come face to face with Wang Yonghao.

"Oh, you are finally back," he said, and grinned deviously. "How did the Jian Shizhe date go?"

"Within expectations," Qian Shanyi grumbled, giving him her angriest glare. "Which is to say, miserably. How about you?"

"I talked to the kid," he said, smiling, and pulled out a folded-up scrap of paper. "You won't believe what I found."

Qian Shanyi took the paper with trepidation, and unfolded it. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she whistled at the contents. "This is pretty good," she said, looking through the list. "This is very good. He had all of this?"

"Yep," Wang Yonghao said, "I've looked through the window myself. I mean, you can't exactly tell some things apart just by looking, but…"

"But is this enough?" Qian Shanyi mused, then folded up the paper and put it into her robes, tapping her cheek in thought. Finally, finally, the picture started to come together for her. Like the last puzzle piece slotting into place - insignificant on its own, yet invaluable for the whole.

It would be a risky play, but it would be a play. It would all hinge on Jian Wei - how he would value her contributions, and his own loss of face.

She would still need to wait until the evening, once her bank account had been processed, and then somehow convince Liu Yufei to get rid of that letter - but it was a path forward. And in the meantime, they needed to secure their escape route.

She motioned to the table with the letters. "I got a message from Wu Lanhua, and I think I finally have a plan. We are going to write a lot of letters."

"Letters?"

"Yes," Qian Shanyi said. She glanced at her gloved hands again. With her plan coming together - she might as well use the drastic option too. It wouldn't do to underestimate Fang Jiugui, after all. Even if Wang Yonghao would hate doing it. "I think it's just about time for us to bring this play to a close."

---

Five hours later, Qian Shanyi finally re-emerged from Wang Yonghao's world fragment. She was carried like a princess by the man himself, her arms delicately curled up in front of her, bags of letters hanging off both her shoulders. When Wang Yonghao stepped out, she accidentally bumped one hand into his shoulder, and winced.

"Sorry!" Wang Yonghao immediately apologized.

"It's fine," Qian Shanyi stood up, letting her gloved hands rest carefully at her sides, held away from her body. "Necessary, even."

"Was it necessary?" Wang Yonghao said in a tense voice, looking at her hands.

Qian Shanyi went over to the table, and began to put the rest of the bags on her shoulders, wincing throughout. Wang Yonghao stepped close to help. "Too much risk otherwise," she hissed through her teeth. "I need the safety margin."

"You can't even touch anything."

"I can and I am getting better at it. Barely even hurts anymore," Qian Shanyi lied through her teeth. It was agonizing, but she could manage. "It'll heal quickly enough."

Not like she had to touch much for the rest of the day.

Wang Yonghao gave her an unconvinced look. She just shrugged, pulled the final bag onto her shoulder, and headed for the doors.

"Come on," she said, glaring hatefully at the door and willing it to open. She really didn't want to put more pressure on her fingers to turn the key, but the wood and steel refused to simply obey. "We only have a couple hours left until the evening."

Wang Yonghao sighed, and stepped up to the door, opening it for her. She gave him a grateful nod, and stepped out.

As they headed towards the tavern's exit, she caught a glance of Scar and an unfamiliar, lanky cultivator from the Northern Scarlet Stream sect heading for the tavern through one of the windows. She froze in her tracks.

No, no, no! Not now!

She bit her lip, whirled around, and rushed back into their rooms. <Follow,> she signed to Wang Yonghao as she ran, already suppressing her spiritual energy as she went.

<What is going on?> he signed back.

<Two disciples from the Northern Scarlet Stream sect,> she signed grimly. <One had been following me all day. I think Fang Jiugui had finally made his play.>

If she hadn't noticed the tail in the morning, she probably wouldn't have given them any mind, and walked right into their ambush. But they were careless too, walking in the open like that. Scar kept his distance the entire day, but now he walked in the open, and even changed back into his uniform. That meant it was official.

She wasn't ready.

<They probably are here to 'invite' us to a talk with Jian Wei,> she signed, heading for the window. <But we can't go yet. These letters have to be sent out, I need the bank papers, I need that damn letter gone from the sect's archives…> She paced around, keenly aware she only had perhaps a minute until they heard a knock on their door. <Distract them, please. Tell them I left half an hour ago. I can't refuse a direct invitation, let alone an order - but if I don't even know about it, I won't be in breach of etiquette.>

<If I distract them, we won't be together. It's dangerous for you to do this alone.> Wang Yonghao signed back, his face serious.

<It will be suspicious if we are both gone,> she signed back. <But it's up to you. You can try slipping away from them and meeting up with me. Do you remember our legend, how to answer questions about me?>

Wang Yonghao nodded. <Fine, I'll stay. Good luck.>

<Good luck,> Qian Shanyi signed to him, turned around, and left through the window, hopping up onto the roof along the way.

After the Linghui Mei crisis, she made sure to study every good way to leave the tavern without being noticed - those two never stood a chance of catching her here.

But in town, it would be another matter.

---

Junming stared at Qian Shanyi. Qian Shanyi stared at Junming.

"Is there a problem?" she finally asked calmly, doing her best to keep her agitation away from her face. Seconds were quickly ticking by, but she couldn't rush them.

Junming looked down at the dozen massive stacks of letters she dumped out of her bags on the postal office counter. Each was a good foot thick, and they had to get out of their chair to look over them.

"A lot of letters," Junming croaked.

"I was informed that the imperial postal office does not charge cultivators for postage," Qian Shanyi said, arching an eyebrow.

"For personal correspondence. Is this all personal? Not… by other people?"

Not letters written by other people, and sent by Qian Shanyi in their stead, to avoid postage fees. She wondered how many cultivators got caught trying to exploit their privileges like that.

"Of course," Qian Shanyi said, grinning slightly. "These are all requests PIL-13, sorted by the closest major city, for convenience. You may open them if you do not believe me."

Junming looked over the massive pile of letters, and wisely decided not to test her word.

Having a given town refuse to give out information about her was suspicious. So instead, she sent out Wang Yonghao to fetch the Geographical Index, huddled up in their world fragment with him and Linghui Mei, and spent an entire day writing requests to every single postmaster in a town above five thousand residents in the entire province. Wang Yonghao had to leave twice to fetch more paper, and it was grueling work, but they got it done.

Once these letters flooded out of the town, on their way to their destinations, it would be like a wave of fog that would cover all their movements. But only as long as this wave stayed ahead of them - that was why she rushed here, to send the letters out as soon as possible.

"It's fine," Junming croaked. "Anything else?"

"I'd also like to return this Geographical Index."

---

Scar and his hanger-on had finally caught up to her just when Qian Shanyi had been leaving the Thrifty Bat Bank, her finalized bank documents in hand. The bank had only one entrance, so there really was no way to avoid them.

"Honorable immortal Qian," the Scar said, "Elder Jian would like to see you immediately."

Qian Shanyi pursed her lips. She was this close. The letters went out. She had the bank documents. Now she just had to meet with Liu Yufei and hopefully deal with that letter…

Could she flee from them? Only one of the two was a cultivator, and of a lower realm than her at that.

No. It would only make her position worse. She needed Jian Wei on her side, and if she reneged on such a direct invitation, she would be slapping him across the face.

With that letter still in play, she'd have a glaring weak point at her side. But you played with the hand you were dealt, not the hand you wish you had.

"Very well," she said, putting her documents away into her robes. "Lead the way."

---

Qian Shanyi was not escorted. The two disciples of the Northern Scarlet Stream sect were very clear on this - she had not been arrested, or had her sword taken away, even if they walked just a step behind her, cutting off her path of retreat. She was simply requested to come see Elder Jian, and not given an opportunity to refuse.

Neither of the two disciples following her introduced themselves, which was frankly quite rude. Qian Shanyi decided to retaliate with nicknames, even if she vaguely remembered Scar being called "Zhe". The inner disciple accompanying him was named Lanky, for his great height.

She was led through the sect compound, towards a destination as of yet unknown. It was already evening, but there were many other disciples in the corridors. The three of them got some looks, but as they all seemed calm, only passing ones.

No major rumors, at least for now. Jian Wei must want to keep this quiet.

"Did Wang Yonghao get an invitation as well?" Qian Shanyi asked her escorts, turning her head slightly to the side.

All she got in response was a slight snort from Scar.

Qian Shanyi stopped in her tracks, and slowly turned around, towards the two disciples. Her face was severe, determined. "You can either tell me where Wang Yonghao is," she bluffed, staring them down. "Or you can explain to Jian Wei why you couldn't even manage the simple task of bringing me to the meeting."

She couldn't afford to escalate this into a fight - but these two idiots didn't know that. Most likely, all they had been told was that Jian Wei really wanted to speak with her. Was she in trouble, or was this about something else? All they could do was guess.

Scar stepped back, blanching at her blatant change of attitude. Lanky swallowed nervously. "Yeah, he had a talk as well, about half an hour before you, fellow cultivator Qian," he said, "I wouldn't know if he left afterwards - we were sent to find you."

Qian Shanyi stared them down for a moment longer, then quietly turned around and continued on their path. If Wang Yonghao was here, he wouldn't have simply left. They had planned for the confrontation, and if things went south, she'd be needing his help to run away.

As they walked, Qian Shanyi stretched her spiritual energy senses to the limit, and started to pulse spiritual energy through her spiritual shield, strengthening and weakening it every few seconds. Lanky took a step away from her, eyeing her warily - but when nothing came of it, he continued on his way. He probably thought it was a nervous tick.

In reality, she was sending a signal. She could recognise Wang Yonghao by the flow of his spiritual energy, and he could recognise her, but only if they were nearby. If they were separated by a wall, or more than a dozen meters away, neither of their senses were precise enough to manage.

As they turned around a corner, she finally felt him, just on the edge of her awareness. His soul pulsed with spiritual energy as well, and Qian Shanyi breathed out a bit of tension.

Two short, one long pulse. A good signal. It meant he had been questioned, but their legend held, and he wasn't restrained or locked up.

And now, she knew where he was, and he knew where she was.

It meant that their game was still on track.

Scar and Lanky stopped in front of a pair of doors only a short distance later, and motioned for Qian Shanyi to pass through. Wang Yonghao must have stuck close by, after his talk. She gave her escorts another annoyed look, adjusted her robes, and pushed the doors open.

Showtime.

Qian Shanyi walked into a beautifully decorated tea room, taking it all in with a single glance. Paintings of ceremonies taking up all four walls, and little glowing lanterns hanging off the ceiling. Perhaps in better circumstances the room would have felt cozy, but it had been emptied - all the tables, benches and screens pushed to the sides or removed entirely. The contrast between the beautiful walls and the emptiness gave it a subtle, uncanny feeling, of a building that had been left abandoned for years, and even the beautifully carved ceiling and the polished dark wood floor took on a slightly sinister character.

In the exact middle of the room stood a small tea table, with four pillows placed in precise positions around it. Jian Wei sat at the head, facing the doors - an emperor facing his court, but with that slight downward curl to his lips. He glanced over at Qian Shanyi, and gave her an almost imperceptible nod - acknowledging her, but letting her observe the etiquette by being the first one to offer a greeting.

Liu Yufei sat just a bit behind Jian Wei and on his right, prim and proper, her hands folded over a thick leather notebook, with writing supplies and several books laying at her side. Her hair was pinned up in a tidy bun. She looked up as well, and smiled slightly at Qian Shanyi, before looking down again.

Last time we met, she barely tolerated me. Now, a smile? What changed?

On the other side of the table were two pillows, placed symmetrically and exactly the same distance away from the table. One of them was empty, waiting for her. The other one was occupied by Fang Jiugui. He didn't so much sit as lounge, one leg off to the side, the other supporting his head.

Qian Shanyi stopped at the doors, and bowed respectfully towards the table, and the three cultivators. "Honorable Elder Jian," she said politely, and then paused for a brief moment. "Cultivator Fang," she continued, timing her pause to be just short of an actual slight. She would have preferred to greet Liu Yufei as well, reciprocate that smile - but to address her directly when her Elder was present would be highly inappropriate, and she needed that very Elder to be very, very happy.

"Thank you for responding to my invitation, fellow cultivator Qian," Jian Wei said politely, gesturing towards the only empty pillow. "Please sit."

Qian Shanyi bowed again, and approached the table. Her sandals echoed slightly on the wooden floor, the empty room doing nothing to dampen the sound. It sounded as if she was descending into a dungeon - and perhaps that was the entire point.

She felt a chill pass down her spine. She was entering the den of demon beasts, all on her own. Wang Yonghao had told her that he should be here as well - but she had insisted against it. He wasn't suited to this sort of talk, not yet. Yet for some reason, now that the chips were down, that clear decision felt a little off.

It was fine. She had a plan. She could do this.

"Some very unfortunate rumors have come to my attention," Jian Wei said, once Qian Shanyi was seated. "Regarding both of my fellow cultivators present."

"Rumors?" Qian Shanyi asked, arching an eyebrow, and pretending that she wasn't the source of at least half of them herself.

"My good friend Li Zhong sent me a message," Jian Wei clarified. "Surely a simple misunderstanding, regarding your sect, fellow cultivator Qian."

He placed two cups in front of himself, and began to pour tea for his guests - but stopped short of the second, seeing Qian Shanyi give him a small cutting gesture. She couldn't enjoy it anyways, not with her hands as they were.

"Something about a lead in the investigation that the fellow cultivator Fang is conducting," Jian Wei continued, "I've heard similar reports from elsewhere as well. At the same time, some strange rumors are beginning to spread about the fellow cultivator Fang. I feel a conflict brewing in my town, and I would like to resolve it before it festers any further."

So that was Fang Jiugui's angle. Instead of accusing her directly, he simply started to ask cutting questions all around the town. If Jian Wei let him continue, rumors would start to spread that his sect was working with a runaway, and he would lose face. That forced Jian Wei to call Fang Jiugui in for an explanation - which, in turn, put the spirit hunter into a much more solid negotiating stance.

It was really quite clever. It would be that much harder for Jian Wei to deny a simple request to inspect some mail - after all, he was the one who had called Fang Jiugui in, not the other way around.

Fang Jiugui laughed, picking up his cup of tea. With his other hand, he took out his flask, and poured some of it into the tea, the acrid smell of the concoction immediately tainting the entire room. "Oh ho ho, well, fellow cultivator Jian, forgive the manners of this weary soul," he said, "it's just that every little duck would line up so perfectly if the fellow cultivator Qian were to be my target. You can hardly blame me for asking some questions, can you? Just to make sure, of course."

Jian Wei pursed his lips, giving Fang Jiugui a cold look - and an outright disgusted one towards his cup of tea. "Fellow cultivator Fang, I have extended you a courtesy of involving myself in this conflict, but my patience only goes so far," he said, "I would not have you accuse a honorable cultivator working for my sect without any concrete evidence."

"Of course not, of course not." Fang Jiugui laughed, raising his hands defensively. "I am simply making an interesting observation."

Qian Shanyi snorted. "An observation? It's said that an inquisitive demon beast is always the first one to lose its head."

"But it's also said that it's the first one to find some food."

Qian Shanyi gave Fang Jiugui some side-eye. Why was he joking so much? He didn't seem like the type to make careless mistakes.

There were, ultimately, three ways this confrontation could end. The first possibility was Jian Wei getting so annoyed with Fang Jiugui he decided to simply throw the spirit hunter out of town for causing trouble, before even listening to any evidence he might have brought along. The second was that Fang Jiugui could prove she was his fugitive. And if neither of them could prove anything - it would be up to Jian Wei's personal judgement to rule on which of them was right.

By joking like this - Fang Jiugui was playing directly into Qian Shanyi's hands. So why was she feeling this strange sense of trepidation?

Qian Shanyi shook her head slightly, clearing her thoughts. Trepidation or not, it was time to go on the attack. "Elder Jian," she said decisively, "rumors are merely noise in the wind. The tree of this conflict grows out of a different soil entirely."

She gestured towards Fang Jiugui with one hand, as if he was just a dead, pestilent rat out by the side of the road. "After his introductions to your sect, cultivator Fang had met with me, and made a number of… remarks…," she said, catching her breath on the last word. "About my identity, about my family, and even some extremely lecherous ones about my person! Rarely have I heard anything more disgusting."

She glared at Fang Jiugui, and then sighed, turning to face Jian Wei once again. He was merely regarding her with a neutral expression, one eyebrow raised slightly. He didn't believe her, at least for now - but there really was no way to prove one way or another.

It was her word against his - and when it came to Fang Jiugui's word…

"I apologise for not informing you sooner," Qian Shanyi said, bowing slightly. "I did not wish to further disturb the peace of this town with yet another duel, and so I have let these remarks go, hoping that the… problem… would resolve itself without any need for your intervention. It seems I have been gravely mistaken."

Fang Jiugui calmly sipped his tea, giving Qian Shanyi a curious look. "Fellow cultivator Jian," he spoke formally. "I am afraid that fellow cultivator Qian is misremembering our little talk."

"My memory is perfect. It is your own that is in question."

Fang Jiugui chuckled again. "Are you questioning my word, fellow cultivator Qian?"

Qian Shanyi snorted. He had walked right into her trap. "The word of a drunkard and a junkie?"

Jian Wei's lips twitched. "Fellow cultivator Qian," he said sharply, "Withhold your insults. I am looking to resolve this conflict, not deepen it further."

Even as Jian Wei said it, she could see him glance at Fang Jiugui's cup. He agreed with her, he simply didn't want to say it out loud. She could freely insult Fang Jiugui - he couldn't duel her, not without finding a substitute in the refinement stage. But Jian Wei had no such freedom.

Except Fang Jiugui almost seemed… amused? As if her questioning his word was but a trifle. As if his whole scheme barely even relied on his reputation, his trustworthiness.

What was she missing?

Qian Shanyi did her best to mirror Fang Jiugui's earlier gesture, hands raised, torso turned slightly away from the table. "I humbly apologise. I was simply making an… interesting observation," she said, "And if I may make a second one…"

She reached into her robes, and pulled out the list Wang Yonghao had written after his investigation of Fang Jiugui's rooms. She unfolded it and turned it towards Jian Wei, holding it open with one hand so that he could read it from where he sat. "This is a list of ingredients that have been seen in the rooms of fellow cultivator Fang," Qian Shanyi said, jerking her head in his direction, "and visually identified by my partner, Wang Yonghao. Ma Bo, a resident of the same estate, can further attest that fellow cultivator Fang mixed them into his preferred drink."

That Ma Bo was nine years old held little relevance at this very moment.

She tapped the list softly with one finger. "Hallucinogens. Stimulants. Narcotics. Dissociatives. It would frankly be a miracle if someone could remain lucid after their brain had been hammered by the potent mix of all of these compounds! In fact, it seems tailor-made to bring someone just to the edge of losing their mind entirely. Is it any wonder that the memory of fellow cultivator Fang is already failing?"

That was more than a bit of an exaggeration. For one, they could not know the dosages that Fang Jiugui had used. For another, he was clearly an outstanding investigator, if he had managed to track her all the way from Golden Rabbit Bay through a single letter. Drugs or not, he was incredibly sharp. He didn't even sway on his feet, or slur his words.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was the impression it left behind. The impression of a washed-out old man, far beyond his prime, jumping at shadows. Making trouble for no reason.

Jian Wei's lips pursed, a slight sigh escaping his lungs. He gestured to Qian Shanyi, and she let her paper be picked up by his spiritual energy, and pulled into his hand. His brief annoyance at her had all but vanished, changing direction towards Fang Jiugui.

Fang Jiugui, on the other hand, started to laugh outright. He pulled out his flask again, topping up his cup of what could no longer be honestly described as 'tea'.

"I do not believe I have made a joke, fellow cultivator Fang," Qian Shanyi said icily.

"I apologize," Fang Jiugui said, still laughing. "My medication can give the wrong impression."

Medication?

Jian Wei's lips twitched again. "Fellow cultivator Fang, I must cede this to fellow cultivator Qian," he said, coming to a decision. "If you would like to continue this investigation, I am afraid that I must ask you to immediately return back to the sect that had hired you, and ask for a signed letter of purpose. Otherwise…"

"Of course, of course," Fang Jiugui said, cutting Jian Wei off. "I have it right here."

He reached into his robes, and pulled out a sheet of fine paper. If flew out of his hands and into Jian Wei's in a single blink.

"Why have you not demonstrated this as soon as we have met?" Jian Wei said once he had finished reading, his normally controlled tone actually rising a fraction.

"I must have forgotten," Fang Jiugui said, finally coming off his laughter. "As fellow cultivator Qian says, my memory is not what it used to be."

That was an obvious lie - he had simply kept it in reserve to trap her. He might have tried to make her stumble, mention the name of her sect before he did. That alone would be proof - after all, how else could she have known it?

"Fellow cultivator Fang, you are veering into open disrespect," Jian Wei said, his voice cooling dramatically.

For the love of the empire, just throw this bastard out already. How much charity can you possibly afford him? If I did this, you'd have tossed me to the wolves without even thinking.

Fang Jiugui sat up slightly, his expression smoothing out. "I do not intend to, fellow cultivator Jian," he said with some visible difficulty, "But I am sure it's plain to see that the description fits fellow cultivator Qian perfectly. Not to mention the name, of course."

Qian Shanyi had already expected that he would have a letter like this, of course. Someone like him would never have left town without it. She was disappointed that she could not get him thrown out before he even had a chance to spring it on her - but it didn't surprise her. Building foundation cultivators could get away with much, for the danger of upsetting them was so great.

Jian Wei stretched his hand to the side, offering the letter to Liu Yufei. "Please verify this seal," he said curtly.

"Of course, Elder."

Liu Yufei took the letter, placed it on her left, and picked up one of the thick books at her side, flipping through it with speed gained from long months of practice. Qian Shanyi could see a bit of the letter from where she sat, with a large sect seal burned directly into the paper at the top. Similar ones flickered across the book's pages. Official sect seals, designed to resist forgery. They burned the sign into the paper, varying the darkness of the burn in very precise gradients through the help of spiritual energy - all but impossible to reproduce precisely without the seal itself.

That particular seal was quite familiar to her. She remembered its weight, the way the handle at the top had a slight crack patched over with resin. Officially, she wasn't even supposed to touch it - but her Elder at the Luminous Lotus Pavilion was often too busy to use it himself, and simply delegated that job to her.

But where the seal was hard to fake and easy to verify, the text of the letter was simple ink on paper - and thus easy to call into question. After all - she just needed to create a bit of doubt.

"How accurate could that description truly be?" Qian Shanyi asked rhetorically. "When it comes to the length or color of my hair, my eyes, my skin, the redness of my lips - half the jade beauties in the entire empire would fit the very same description. Why, even fellow cultivator Liu might as well. The only thing all that rare about me is my height, and that is hardly enough to justify this level of suspicion."

Liu Yufei glanced up at her briefly, but returned to the letter. But she could still see her words take their effect on Jian Wei, however slightly. He was looking off to the side, angling his head in Liu Yufei's direction. Awaiting her response.

"It's a true seal, Elder Jian," Liu Yufei said after another minute, and handed the letter back.

Jian Wei accepted the letter, and put it at his side, giving Fang Jiugui and Qian Shanyi a considering look. Now, both of them looked suspicious. But that was fine, even if her first stratagem had failed.

Jian Wei possessed a great deal of latitude in his judgments, but it was not infinite. If Fang Jiugui could prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was his fugitive, Jian Wei would be forced to rule in the spirit hunter's favour. This had to be prevented at all costs. And as long as it was - as long as the judgement was ultimately simply up to Jian Wei's perspective - he should rule in her favour.

He should.

But in the back of his eyes, Qian Shanyi saw… something. Some kind of thought, an idea, a logical process, beginning to wind up. A loose thread being tugged on to unravel an entire tapestry.

She couldn't tell what it was, not yet. But it sent another small spike of worry through Qian Shanyi's heart. Jian Wei wasn't reacting how he was supposed to - she expected a bit of suspicion, at seeing her name on the letter, but this was different, more neutral.

Surprising.

Qian Shanyi didn't really like surprises.

"Fellow cultivator Jian," Fang Jiugui said, bringing the Elder's attention back to himself. His hands were raised defensively once again. "There is a simple way to resolve this question here and now. If fate had steered me wrong, I will humbly bow my head and apologize to the jade beauty."

"What do you propose, fellow cultivator Fang?" Jian Wei said, in the tone of a tired parent trying to separate two petulant children. Qian Shanyi briefly wondered how long they had waited here, drinking tea and making casual conversation, waiting for her to arrive. Perhaps that rapport was why he wasn't willing to throw Fang Jiugui out entirely. "As fellow cultivator Qian is my guest as well, I will not permit any unnecessary intrusion into her privacy."

Fang Jiugui shrugged with mock casualness. "It's really quite simple. She merely has to take her gloves off." He grinned, turning towards Qian Shanyi. "Surely this is a very reasonable request."

Qian Shanyi shifted around, hugging herself with her hands. She wished she had a cup of tea to sip on, but she couldn't hold it, not as she was right now. "I would prefer not to," she finally said, looking away.

Jian Wei raised both eyebrows at her. She felt his focus sharpening down to a swordpoint, aimed at her throat. "And why might that be?" he asked in a very carefully neutral tone.

"Propriety," Qian Shanyi lied, before looking directly into Jian Wei's eyes. "Some of those remarks fellow cultivator Fang made had to do… with my hands. I do not wish him to see them."

"I see," Jian Wei said, looking between them. "I believe that I know the method fellow cultivator Fang is referring to. I can guarantee your safety, fellow cultivator Qian, but I am afraid I must insist."

Qian Shanyi's eyes narrowed a fraction. So it wasn't a technique unique to Fang Jiugui? Yet she hadn't so much as heard about it. What did that mean?

She didn't have the time to ruminate on it. Now that Jian Wei had posed her an ultimatum, she had no other choice but to comply.

Qian Shanyi breathed out, and began to slowly slide off her left glove, one finger at a time, wincing throughout, and let it drop down on the floor. Below, her hand was bandaged all the way up to her elbow. She slowly unwrapped the bandage, revealing burns all across her skin, skin blackened and full of angry red blisters, covered with a thick layer of white regenerative salve.

Her fingers were the worst off. Five individual bandages, tight enough to keep to the skin, but not so tight that she couldn't close her hand. Tying them right had taken her a good ten minutes. Ordinarily, it would have been a simple affair - but not when all her fingers hurt when she touched anything. She had to resort to her rope control technique, which worked a lot better.

"I am afraid I have recently suffered a training accident," Qian Shanyi lied, as casually as she could manage, while showing her arm to the other cultivators, and hoping they wouldn't make her open her other arm. The salve was mildly analgesic, soothing the pain, and she had clamped down on the bloodflow to the arms as well, which helped, but it was still agonizing. "I did not want to disturb the fellow cultivators with the sight of my injuries. Nor… give cultivator Fang whatever sick satisfaction he derives from seeing me suffer."

Fang Jiugui had some way to identify her by looking at her hands, but she didn't know how. It was as if he had snuck a miniscule tracking talisman into her bags, and no matter how she searched through them, she just couldn't find it.

The solution was simple, if extremely painful: throw out the bags entirely. Since she wasn't willing to cut off her arms, she had settled for destroying the visible layer of skin. With strong regeneration pills, and the ample spiritual energy in Wang Yonghao's inner world, it would grow back within a week or two, as good as it had ever been.

When she had told him the plan, Wang Yonghao had refused to burn her, and she had called him a little baby because of it. Still he had refused; she had had to nag him for a good half an hour to get him to agree. Then she had screamed herself hoarse and blacked out from the pain when he had actually done it.

As excuses went, it was a poor one. The chances of her suffering this extremely specific type of injury were obviously very low. But suspicions didn't matter. What mattered was proof.

This was the only way she could think of to be one hundred percent sure Fang Jiugui couldn't prove she was his target - and seeing how his face flickered between grudging admiration, silent laughter, and concern for her sanity, she was pretty sure she succeeded.

"I take it that the fellow cultivator Fang cannot say one way or the other," Jian Wei said, giving her a similar look as well - though his was now drenched in raw suspicion. That process she had spotted earlier - it had accelerated, gears spinning, dangerous theories dripping from them like so much oil.

What is he thinking about?

She had to know. Her entire plan hinged on her read of Jian Wei - if that was off, then nothing else mattered. She was sure it was correct, but…

"Not any more than the sun could shine into the Netherworld," Fang Jiugui grumbled.

At least she seemed to have really put Fang Jiugui off his game. Did he expect their battle to be about her excuses not to take off her gloves, instead of what was beneath them?

No. Don't worry about that man. Worry about the one who will decide my fate.

In her mind's eye, she focused on Jian Wei, all she knew about him, her understanding of his goals and character. She had to reconstruct her reasoning, make certain there were no holes in it.

There were three reasons why Jian Wei should rule in her favour. First of all, he stood to benefit financially, because of their sect deal. Secondly, their reputations were tied together. If he admitted she was a fugitive, he would lose face in the town. And finally, she was helping with that thorn in his side, with Jian Shizhe. He had everything to lose and nothing to gain by giving her up. It was a sure bet.

Or was it?

First, the financials. Her deal with Jian Wei was worth many thousands of spirit stones, and was certain to deliver him the swords his sect desperately needed. Why would Jian Wei seek to sabotage it?

There seemed to be no reason. Except…

Except if he didn't believe he'd get the swords at all.

She had stared at the swords they had in their world fragment every day, whenever she fetched food from the chiclotron. To her, it wasn't even a question that she could fulfill the conditions of their sword deal. But to Jian Wei…

It all came down to the Sky Void Island sect. Other people believed her fiction because it was backed up by Jian Wei's word. But Jian Wei had no reason to do so.

And to him, the truth must have seemed plain as day.

After he had seen Qian Shanyi's hands, he must have already decided she was a sect runaway. So why would he expect her to deliver on the second half of their deal? It must have always seemed unlikely to pan out. She had known this all along, of course, she had even sold him the tribulation materials to sweeten the deal and get him to sign - but that gain was already in Jian Wei's hands.

And so in terms of a purely financial benefit, Jian Wei might no longer expect a thing.

Qian Shanyi cursed herself in her soul. An amateurish mistake to make. She had grown far too complacent, after her many victories in this town. Even if she had only had one night to make her plans, even if she had been surprised by Fang Jiugui - she should have already thought of this.

Ignorant of the battle happening within her mind, Jian Wei continued speaking. "Fellow cultivator Fang," Jian Wei said, "do you have any more evidence to offer?"

Fang Jiugui shrugged. "I do," he said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small stack of papers. "I have notes, written by Qian Shanyi herself. If you have some of her writings as well - a simple comparison of writing styles should suffice."

Jian Wei frowned slightly, not reaching out to take the papers. "Such comparisons are always imprecise, fellow cultivator Fang."

"It is merely a confirmation," Fang Jiugui said, putting the notes down on the table instead.

"I do not object to it," Qian Shanyi said easily, and pulled out her copies of the documents for the Thrifty Bat Bank. "I have signed for a bank account earlier today - I hope this will suffice for a comparison?"

Her second trap. The documents were signed by Li Zhong as well, and could hardly be questioned - but she had written them in a different handwriting. If neither of the other cultivators thought of her earlier letter, this would prove her innocence then and there.

Jian Wei took a moment to stare at her, before reaching for her papers with his spiritual energy, almost yanking them out of her hands. He picked up Fang Jiugui's notes as well, and held them side by side, looking them over.

Qian Shanyi's mind raced ahead, welcoming the brief pause.

Reputation. This was the second pillar of her plan. Was it as faulty as the first?

Her duel had been the talk of the town, and this morning, she had spent three grueling hours making sure people saw her together with Jian Shizhe. The rumors of her connection to the Jian family were bound to have already spread like wildfire. If Jian Wei betrayed her here, he'd obviously lose face. Nor could he bet on making her vanish quietly - Wang Yonghao was still free, and she could have easily sent some missive to the empire at large. On the other hand, Fang Jiugui was an unknown, with no connections to the town. Throwing him out should not cost Jian Wei much of anything.

The logic seemed solid, but her trepidation was not going away. She had to make sure. Was there some loophole in her reasoning?

That word, family, stirred something in her mind. One of her Elders back in the Luminous Lotus Pavilion was Fang Caoyuan. Could Fang Jiugui be his relative?

It seemed unlikely. The surname Fang was fairly common, and Fang Jiugui held no resemblance to Fang Caoyuan, nor had she ever seen him come to any of the sect celebrations, unlike Fang Caoyuan's immediate family. Even if Fang Jiugui was a relative, he must have been a distant one.

Still, suppose it was true. Was that connection enough to make Jian Wei hesitate? Fear retribution from her sect?

Hardly. Her sect was far away, had never had been a regional powerhouse, and the slight itself would be quite small. At best, this would be a small stumbling stone.

The second pillar was still solid.

As Jian Wei's eyes flickered between the two documents he held, his frown deepened. Instead of pronouncing his verdict, he stayed silent, and placed both documents face down on the table.

"Fellow cultivator Qian," he said casually, picking up the letter describing her appearance, and gesturing with it towards her. "If I were to send a message to the Luminous Lotus Pavilion, and ask about you, provide more details. What do you suppose would happen?"

"Assuming that this document is legitimate?" Qian Shanyi said, and shrugged. "I suspect that they would claim I am their disciple."

All eyes turned towards her. All surprised.
But now that Jian Wei looked at her again, she could see the process from earlier continued without interruption. Like a milling wheel slowly, inexorably grinding up rice into flour. Except this time, she was the rice.

He wasn't reacting right.

What else was she missing?

Finances. Reputation. One pillar gone, and one still standing.

That left Jian Shizhe.

"Oh, do not mistake this for a confession," Qian Shanyi said calmly, to give herself more time to think. "I simply believe that any sect foolish enough to try to drag their disciple back by force would not much care exactly who gets dragged back in." She shrugged, letting a smile play on her lips. "After all, what does it matter? Neither will return them any loyalty, and one body working the gardens is the same as another. Perhaps my own sect would oppose them, but it's hard to say. Our resources are stretched thin."

"Perhaps it's true," Jian Wei admitted. "Yet your name is not merely close, it is identical. How would you explain this coincidence?"

Qian Shanyi shrugged. She had to keep up her front. "I admit, it puzzles me as well," she said, "Perhaps there is some fate between me and this mysterious cultivator. Yet I would instead ask what key evidence is missing - how does cultivator Fang explain how I supposedly traveled from Luminous Lotus Pavilion and to this town? Where are the ship manifests, log entries, personal testimonies of those who would have surely seen me, were that to be the case? Can cultivator Fang provide us with anything of that nature? Or would he claim I am but a mysterious ghost, leaving neither trace nor track behind?"

Jian Wei wanted Jian Shizhe to be safe. That much seemed unquestionable - she had tested his fury on her own spine just yesterday, at the mere suggestion that Jian Shizhe was hurt. Qian Shanyi was helping him improve. That meant she was too useful to get rid of.

But was it really all that simple?

Jian Shizhe, for all his faults, had a degree of talent - and, once issues had been pointed out to him in a way that he could not simply shrug them off, adapted quickly. But any additional contribution she could possibly make would be limited to the next week. Jian Wei couldn't risk sheltering her in his town any more than that, lest an Elder of the Luminous Lotus Pavilion arrive in person. He would have to switch to other teachers anyways.

So why not do it a week earlier?

A weakened pillar, then. Not gone entirely, but tilting, ready to collapse.

This felt like a way forward, a small window into Jian Wei's reasoning. Forget the swords, emphasise the reputation, and focus on her work with Jian Shizhe, achievements she had already made. Make Jian Wei believe that even if it was just one more week, her help could still be worth her weight in gold.

And reinforce that pillar. With two, she should be safe, mistake or not.

Fang Jiugui opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, seeing Jian Wei raise a hand.

"I don't think that will be necessary," Jian Wei said, and flicked his hand, letting a golden bell drop into it from his cosmos ring. He rang it once, and a moment later the doors opened, letting in Scar and Lanky.

Fellow cultivator Fang, if you would please retire to our gardens?" Jian Wei continued. "I would like to speak to fellow cultivator Qian alone. I will be with you shortly, with my decision and all your papers."

Fang Jiugui smiled, and got up silently. As he turned around, his eyes crossed with Qian Shanyi, and the grin he gave her chilled her to the bone. The hand of death, falling upon her shoulder.

She should have been celebrating. A chance to talk to Jian Wei alone - it was exactly what she had been aiming for. Even if she had made a mistake - two out of three pillars still stood. The logic was solid.

So why was she still feeling terror clawing at her heart?

The point of fact was, Jian Wei hadn't thrown Fang Jiugui out the door. Even now, he hadn't done that. And Fang Jiugui himself did not look defeated. He had taken a hit when he saw her hands, sure, but he looked as calm and self-assured as ever, when he walked away. Smug, if anything. As if everything was going more or less his way.

Qian Shanyi looked back at Jian Wei. He seemed calm. Satisfied. Mostly neutral, as if they were here to talk about the weather, and not her life and freedom.

Why is he still staying neutral?

Jian Wei wanted to strengthen Jian Shizhe. He wanted to protect his reputation. He could do both by going along with her, but Fang Jiugui couldn't -

Like a veil being lifted off her eyes, she finally saw it. Her heart squeezed in despair.

How did I miss this?

She dimly registered Jian Wei speaking again, her mind momentarily frozen in place. "Yufei, if you would be so kind - I believe that the fellow cultivator Qian had sent us a letter before," he said, "I would like to examine it now."

"Of course, Elder."

He even thought of the damn letter himself, in the end. This was a disaster.

Qian Shanyi met Liu Yufei's eyes, and tried to convey - she didn't know what. A futile call for help, for solidarity, for something.

Liu Yufei's eyes looked distant, and she turned away, quickly gathering her things. They weren't even friends. What real reason did she have to help her?

She wished Wang Yonghao were here. He couldn't have helped, but at least she wouldn't have felt so alone.

Tunnel vision. The only way to explain it was tunnel vision. She'd had her plan for establishing her sect, and simply kept following it, like a sheep to the slaughter, even after Fang Jiugui had entered the picture. They should have cut their losses long ago.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stop panicking! Panic means death!

Qian Shanyi clenched her teeth, and forced her breathing to even out.

Alone? So what. Everybody dies alone in the end.

"Is there anything else you would like to state, fellow cultivator Qian, while we wait for my disciple to return?" Jian Wei said, giving her a patient, but expectant look.

Up until you are dead, there is always a way out. You just have to find it. Find the way.

She thought she saw through the veil, and found the loophole in her prior understanding of Jian Wei. But that was just a theory.

Before she could act, she had to prove it.

"I would like to ask the Elder about the continued education of Jian Shizhe," she said. "I have seen some hope for improvement, but it remains an open question wherever it can be sustained."

Jian Wei's grim face softened somewhat, and he looked away from her. "Shizhe asked me about helping train other disciples earlier today, for the first time in years," he said after gathering his thoughts for a moment. "I must thank you for your valuable contribution, and I will see that your advice is followed."

So he knew. He knew her help was effective. And that meant -

"I would be glad to assist with it further -"

"I do not believe it would be wise," Jian Wei cut her off. "At least for now. Is there anything else?"

The same expectant stare. He wanted something else.

Liu Yufei had finally gathered her things, and rose, strolling away towards the doors. She glanced at Qian Shanyi another time, but her expression was conflicted, difficult to read. And then she was gone, and they were all alone.

Even as she felt cornered, defenceless, Qian Shanyi's despair had transformed into fury. It was all she could do to keep her face calm, instead of snarling at the man. Her mind flashed back to yesterday, when he pressured her with his spiritual energy, as all the pieces started to snap into place.

She'd thought she understood him. She'd thought she read his intentions, behaviors, even his beliefs, and formed a complete picture. One of logic, calculation, risk and benefit. But the exact same pieces could also form a second picture. An optical illusion. A trick of perspective.

She was wrong. This wasn't about logic. This was about control.

Why had he sent Liu Yufei to get the letter? Did he really want to see the proof this much?

No. He needed the proof, to justify giving her away to Fang Jiugui.

"Fellow cultivator Qian, I am currently leaning towards the opinion of fellow cultivator Fang," Jian Wei said, confirming her line of thinking. "However, I could still be convinced otherwise."

She thought he would be wary of losing face, for having worked with a fugitive. Even if nobody else in this room would talk - Wang Yonghao could still make a stink. It would be impossible to shut him up.

What made her ever believe this man cared about face? Jian Shizhe had been a wart upon it for years! It was impossible that Jian Wei had remained ignorant of what his nephew did, the scope of what a problem he was - or could be - for his sect. So why had he done nothing?

Because he didn't truly care.

"What does the honorable Elder mean?" Qian Shanyi said, barely keeping her voice level.

"My sect is always looking for talented cultivators," Jian Wei said with a slight smile. He looked like a cat, playing with a captured mouse. "Your partner, Wang Yonghao - perhaps he could be convinced to join?"

He had no idea about the scope of what he was asking for, but she could give him Wang Yonghao. Tell him about the inner world, the treasures, the incredible luck. Any one of those alone would be enough to buy her freedom.

She'd just have to betray her friend to do it. Betray him to this sadistic snake.

She'd rather swallow poison.

"And what of me?" Qian Shanyi ground out.

She had to stall. There had to be something else she could trade to this sadistic fuck, something she could afford to lose. Something that wouldn't immediately reveal the existence of Wang Yonghao's inner world.

"How could I be expected to extradite a partner of one of my inner disciples over to another sect?" Jian Wei mused. "Of course, you understand that your own presence in my town would be… inadvisable, so we would have to send you away. But in a couple months, perhaps a year, you could surely return as well."

She'd thought Jian Wei cared about Jian Shizhe, but would a man who cared simply leave his nephew alone to fester? Of course not.

Perhaps he thought he cared, but thoughts were cheap. And perhaps he wanted to keep Shizhe safe - in the same way that a caged bird was safe. But in his heart of hearts, he let him fester because the festering was fine with him.

She was wrong, of course she was, how could she have ever thought otherwise? She'd felt what this bastard's Name was like when he pressured her.

He didn't care about face. He cared about control. He didn't see a way to bring Shizhe to heel, and so he let him fester - because any change, any improvement, would always carry that little risk of fucking up, of failing, of knowing that this problem was not due to circumstance, but because of him. She offered to solve it for him - and so of course he took her offer.

But in the end, he didn't truly care.

"Elder, surely there is another trade we could make," Qian Shanyi said. "I believe you have spoken with fellow cultivator Wang, and I know he has been quite adamant about his desire to remain independent of this sect. How could I possibly decide for him?"

"I trust that you could convince him," Jian Wei said, leaning back slightly. His smile was growing by the second, safe in the knowledge that he had her up against the wall.

Why would he even bother to negotiate? Why not take her for everything she had?

And if she refused - well. He'd simply get rid of her, of one who humiliated him, his family - even if he was the only one who knew the truth of it.

Sure, he'd lose some face. But it was not the first time.

He was just toying with her. A little game to pass the time, to push her, see if she would crack. Like pulling legs off an ant.

It wasn't even Wang Yonghao that he was truly after - no, most of all, he wanted her to humiliate herself. Beg for her life, her freedom. Admit she was a loose cultivator, even if he already knew, and she knew that he knew. Submit herself to his mercy, and then maybe - maybe - he would decide Fang Jiugui would leave his town empty-handed.

Even through all her control, Qian Shanyi felt her cheeks flush. She'd come to him with a plan that would benefit everyone - everyone! Him, Shizhe, his sect, all of them! And then he simply stole it, and all for this? This?!

"Two days," Qian Shanyi ground out, just barely keeping her burning hatred out of her voice. "All I ask for is two days."

She wanted to ask for a week of time. But she could already see where this was going. If she pushed her luck, even this slim chance would vanish.

"Two days of what?"

"You do not wish to involve your sect in this affair," Qian Shanyi continued. "There really is no need to do so. Simply hold back fellow cultivator Fang for two days, and it would be enough for me to escape -"

Jian Wei sighed, and motioned for her to stop. "On what grounds would I hold an honorable cultivator who did nothing wrong?" he said with the cadence of a judge pronouncing a verdict. "If you had come to me with this issue right away - I could have considered it. Now, it is too late."

That's a dirty fucking lie. Ungrateful bastard, if I truly came to you as a loose cultivator, let alone a runaway, then never in a thousand years would you have let me tutor your precious nephew, and then you would have been worse off! At best, you would have forced me to sell you all my tribulation materials as compensation for humiliating Shizhe; at worst, forced me to join your sect at swordpoint!

She'd thought he was different from Jian Shizhe, and she was right. But at the heart of it - they were from the same family. The same rot infected both, even if the expression of it was different.

Qian Shanyi clenched her teeth so tightly it started to hurt. That must have been why Fang Jiugui had seemed so calm - he'd already sensed this, far before she did. There was simply no way for her to win this game all on her own.

There really was absolutely nothing she could do.

It was time to focus on her plan for dealing with Fang Jiugui directly, together with Wang Yonghao. After she sent him her signal - he should have already been waiting at the doors to this room. It would be a very, very long shot. But better that than begging.

Just focus on that, even as all her hopes crumbled into dust around her.

The door opened behind her, and she heard Liu Yufei enter the room once again, her footsteps quick on the wooden floors. They might as well have been that of her executioner.

"Ah, fellow cultivator Liu," Jian Wei said, nodding to her. "Let us see that letter."

It would all be over soon.

"Elder Jian, I must humbly apologize," Liu Yufei said, kneeling down at Qian Shanyi's side and kowtowing to Jian Wei. "It appears I have made two grave errors with your correspondence. I simply cannot find the letter fellow cultivator Qian sent to our sect."

What.

Qian Shanyi's mind bounced off the wall and exploded into a thousand fragments of confusion. She risked a side glance at Liu Yufei. Even if the woman's expression radiated disappointment on the surface, there was a rod of hardest steel just below it.

"Furthermore," Liu Yufei continued, straightening out her back, and taking out the same leather-bound notebook Qian Shanyi had seen before. She opened it, and flipped through the pages, revealing a calendar with a mass of notes. "I have discovered a note I made in regards to a letter we received sixteen weeks ago. It was a pricing request from the Sky Void Island sect, sent by Qian Shanyi herself. As, according to the letter provided by fellow cultivator Fang, his target would have still been a disciple of the Luminous Lotus Pavilion at the time, this would seem to exonerate fellow cultivator Qian - she must be a different person altogether."

This was the first time Qian Shanyi heard of having sent any such request. Why in the Netherworld's name was Liu Yufei lying to cover for her?

"Did you now," Jian Wei deadpanned. "And do you have any record of that correspondence, aside from your own notes?"

"I am afraid not," Liu Yufei said, kowtowing again. "As it was a routine request from what I believed to be a minor and unregistered sect, I simply disposed of the letter right after answering it. I do not know how I could have missed this note when preparing for this hearing, nor forgotten the sect's name. If you believe punishment for my egregious mishandling of correspondence to be appropriate, then I would accept it."

Qian Shanyi didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. Her mind spun, trying to pull itself back into a single piece.

They weren't even friends!

"I see," Jian Wei said, tapping his cheek with one finger. His lips were pursed and dripping with disappointment.

Liu Yufei just took his toy away.

Qian Shanyi wanted to laugh, but she couldn't let herself, not quite yet. If Jian Wei pushed Liu Yufei here - this would stop being just a little game. It would become a conflict. He'd be damaging his relationship with one of his most important underlings, damaging his control over his own sect - all over little old Shanyi?

He'd put himself into this corner. There was only one choice left to him.

"I suppose that if even my own direct disciples are rebelling against this decision," Jian Wei said, as if every word was being pulled out of him by a pair of pliers. "Then I should reconsider."

Controlling bastard. Tribulation upon your head, and my hope that all your swords would shatter!

Jian Wei's cold eyes turned back to Qian Shanyi. "Two days, you said? Very well. Seeing as how I can find no conclusive evidence of your identity, I will grant you one more day. At midnight tomorrow, I expect you to leave my town behind, cultivator Qian." He grimaced, standing up from his cushion, and straightening his robes. With a flick of his wrist, he sent Fang Jiugui's notes - her own notes, she recognised those diagrams, she wrote them, back at her sect - to his hands. "I have no grounds to hold the honorable cultivator Fang. Nonetheless, I shall exile him for the period of two full weeks, if for no other reason than to put an end to this pathetic conflict."

He sounded so disappointed. Qian Shanyi hoped he'd choke on it.

Jian Wei glided over the floor towards the two of them, looking at them from up high. "Disciple Liu," he said, "Seeing as how we have no grounds left to question that cultivator Qian is truly a part of this so-called 'Sky Void Island' Sect, you will draft some appropriate reason to send cultivator Qian away from the city, without violating our previous deal about her work as an instructor. Perhaps on a research expedition."

"Of course, Elder."

"Cultivator Qian," he continued, turning his eyes on her instead. "I would remind you that we have a deal in place, at least for now. But if I will not see twenty new swords by the time six months have passed, I will conclude it to be null and void. Once we reach that point, cultivator Qian, I hope to never hear of you again - lest I chain you to my flying sword and deliver you back to this Luminous Lotus Pavilion in person."

Twenty swords in six months. A completely unachievable goal, for a loose cultivator.

I could have gotten you twenty swords before sunrise, you sadistic fuck, if only I could ever trust you not to stab us in the back.

"And if you will?" Qian Shanyi ground out, meeting his cold glare with one of her own hot fury. "If you will see twenty swords. What then?"

Jian Wei snorted. He didn't believe her for a second.

Fool.

"Then clearly you could not be this fugitive," he said casually, as if telling a joke. "I suppose I would have to testify as much before this sect of yours, and deal with the consequences."

Jian Wei walked past her. "But I would not wish for miracles, cultivator Qian," he threw over his shoulder, "Not if, as you said before, the Heavens hold great animosity towards you."

---

Qian Shanyi stumbled out of that damnable tea room, and leaned against the wall, gulping for air. She simply couldn't stay there anymore, in that atmosphere of death and humiliation.

She survived. Just barely, but she survived.

She walked herself into that trap, far too confident in her plan that was, in the end, all built on sand. On her false understanding of a single man. And she was rescued from it at the last possible moment.

Laughter began to bubble off her lips like the cork popping off a champagne bottle, as she slowly slid down to the ground, her back against the wall. She survived. Trap or not, that's all that mattered in the end.

"Shanyi, are you alright?" Wang Yonghao asked right next to her, and she all but jumped out of her skin. That she was still reeling from shock was no excuse to let him sneak up on her. "How did it go? You look white as death."

"How do you think?" Qian Shanyi said, still laughing hysterically.

"You are laughing," Wang Yonghao deadpanned. "That means either it went really well or really badly."

Qian Shanyi nodded vigorously, slowly coming down from her excitement. "We got exactly one day, in the end."

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

Qian Shanyi snorted. "Fuck no," she said, shaking her head. "We got screwed. But let's talk more in the tavern. At least we are safe, for the time being."

Wang Yonghao sighed and crouched down in front of her, right in the middle of the corridor. As if it was his own guest room. "I told you that man was evil."

Qian Shanyi glanced around, but thankfully, there was nobody else nearby to overhear him so blatantly slander a sect elder. Wang Yonghao had a real habit of begging for death sometimes.

"Yeah," she breathed out. "I should have listened to you more, but what's in the past is in the past." She rubbed the last of the laughter out of her face, and stretched a hand out. "Help me up, will you?"

Wang Yonghao nodded, and grasped her arm. Together, they rose to their feet. "Are you ready to go?" he said, while she dusted out her robes.

Qian Shanyi motioned for him to wait. "Just one more thing," she said, leaning against the wall again and adjusting her robes to look presentable.

The doors opened just a moment later, and her savior walked out, carrying a tray with all the tea supplies. She stopped at the doors, eyeing Qian Shanyi and Wang Yonghao - expectantly, and with just a little bit of open sympathy.

"Liu Yufei," Qian Shanyi was the first to speak, bowing deeply. "If I could have a moment?"

"Of course. What is it?" Liu Yufei said. She held up her tray with one hand, and picked up Qian Shanyi's bank documents from it with the other, handing them over. "You forgot your papers."

"Thank you," Qian Shanyi accepted the papers, and put them away in her robes. Another mistake, but this one easily corrected. "May we talk in your rooms? I would prefer some privacy."

Liu Yufei snorted softly. "A drink as well, I could imagine," she said with a smile.

"If you have some, yes." Qian Shanyi nodded gratefully, and shot a glance at her companion. She trusted Wang Yonghao to be civil, but he had never even talked to Liu Yufei before. "Yonghao can wait for us outside, if you would prefer it?..."

But Liu Yufei was already shaking her head. "There is no need," she said. "I am not an old-fashioned woman, to prohibit men from even entering my chambers. Please follow me."

She gestured towards the corridor, and the two cultivators bowed, following after.

---

Liu Yufei's rooms looked like a warped mirror of Jian Shizhe's. They had the same layout - yet what was inside of them could not be more different.

Where Jian Shizhe had only a single orphaned bookshelf, Liu Yufei had seven, covering an entire wall. At a glance, they were filled with books on finance, trade and accounting - and a surprising amount of romance literature. A formidable work desk was set against the window, a little cluttered after many weeks of work, but still clean and well-arranged - all except for the big white cat sitting on top of a small stack of papers. It was lazing about, and raised its head curiously when the three cultivators entered the room.

Liu Yufei glared at the cat for a moment. It looked up, meeting her eyes, swishing its tail all across the desk. Lazily, it sat up, stretched, and hopped off, strolling away as if it owned the place. Qian Shanyi snorted quietly, watching their interaction.

Liu Yufei sighed, and went over to the other side of the room, towards the tea area, where she set her tray down onto a small table. This corner, too, was a subtle mirror to the one in Jian Shizhe's quarters. The cushions were different, wider and thinner - not made for comfort, for the thick carpet already provided plenty, but merely to partition out the space. There was a small stove, with light scratches and spots of soot next to the burner, built into a wider counter - with a large box of teas placed at a careless angle, already half-full.

The distance between the table and the stove, close enough for warmth yet not so close as to be overbearing, the way the table had been rotated slightly, to give a bit more access to the stove - all the little touches added up. It felt as comfortable as an old tea house, as central to the room as a heart was to a man's chest.

Liu Yufei's white cat followed after her, and hopped onto one of the cushions behind her back. "Please, make yourselves at home," the cultivator said, gesturing to the room while she knelt in front of the stove, setting a kettle on top of the burner and quickly re-igniting the wood inside. "I will need a minute to heat up the water."

Qian Shanyi nodded, and folded her arms behind her back, advancing into the room and looking around. Wang Yonghao awkwardly shuffled in right after her, almost hugging the wall, sticking close to the entrance. He didn't seem apprehensive or on edge - which meant it was his strange prudishness rearing its head, at the prospect of so much as entering a woman's rooms.

The door to Liu Yufei's bedroom was closed - locked, by the looks of it - but the one to her servant's room was open wide, and Qian Shanyi curiously poked her head through - but there were no servants to be found. Inside were several safes, the kind she knew from years of experience would be filled with all manner of sensitive documents, and a long line of perches and boards circling the walls, leading all the way from a little swinging door in the wall facing the gardens up to half a dozen small, padded boxes near the ceiling - from which three pairs of feline eyes stared down at her.

"Sect cats, hm?" Qian Shanyi mused, turning around and gesturing towards the cat houses.

Liu Yufei sighed, and stepped away from the stove. She headed to the bookshelves, to put away the books she brought with her to their meeting. "I didn't want to argue with anyone about where to put them, after I managed to convince Elder Jian we needed them at all," she said tersely. "We can't just have them living in the corridors, and that room was already half empty."

Qian Shanyi smirked lightly. "Of course."

"Besides, it's easier to check up on their health this way."

"I do not doubt it," Qian Shanyi said, coming around to the cushions, and settling down on one. The white cat raised its head at her, but soon went back to slumber. "Does your servant sleep elsewhere, then?"

Wang Yonghao finally seemed to get some courage back, and sat down at Qian Shanyi's side - just as Liu Yufei was coming back. Together with the cat, all three cushions were occupied - and instead of taking a new one from a small pile in a corner, Liu Yufei unceremoniously picked up her cat without any hesitation. She sat down in its place - to some angry growling - before placing it directly into her lap. She gently stroked the cat's head, and soon, it settled down, the growls turning into purring.

"I've never felt the need for one, if I am honest," Liu Yufei said after she was done. "The servant, that is."

"How cosmopolitan," Qian Shanyi said with just a tinge of irony, "for a direct disciple to a sect elder."

Liu Yufei smiled, still stroking her cat. Out of the corner of her eye, Qian Shanyi spotted two more curious heads poking out from the records room - a black and an orange one, eyeing the three cultivators curiously.

"I've been helping Elder Jian long before I was his direct disciple," Liu Yufei said. "Before I was a cultivator, even. I was born in this sect, and always preferred to eat with all the others. What use have I for a servant? I may ask for a runner, if there is a lot of urgent work - but not much else."

"Outer disciple to cultivator. Almost old-fashioned."

Liu Yufei nodded. "I am the only one in the sect, I think," she said. "There used to be another, an older man, but he passed away some years ago."

Qian Shanyi nodded as well, and shifted around to a more comfortable position. Liu Yufei didn't seem inclined to push her - and she still needed a bit of time to decompress. This whole talk was for her personal benefit, at the end of the day - she had no more schemes in store.

Soon, the kettle started to steam, and Liu Yufei moved it over to the table, leaving the tea to stew. She quickly washed the cups in a washing bowl and set them out for the three of them, but paused, glancing at Qian Shanyi. "Should I pour you a cup?" she said uncertainly. "With your hands…"

Wang Yonghao snorted, poking Qian Shanyi in the side. Waiting for the tea gave him some time to unthaw as well, and he started to look around more - his eyes especially catching on those shelves of romance novels. "I could hold the cup for you, if you'd like," he joked, "Like for a little baby."

"Thank you for your gracious offer, Yonghao," Qian Shanyi said, choosing to maliciously misinterpret his intentions before he could take back his words, and nodded to Liu Yufei. "Please go ahead."

The tea flowed smoothly, and the sweet, heavy scent of herbs spread all across the room. It enveloped Qian Shanyi like a warm blanket, and she breathed in deeply, letting it suffuse her lungs. It couldn't cure her self-inflicted injuries - but for a moment, she felt the pain in her arms recede, her stress fading away.

"This has been the longest week of my life," she said slowly. "I feel like the last of my energy has been wrung out of me."

"After your tribulation?" Liu Yufei said, picking her own tea cup, and blowing on it gently. "It's been quite an explosive rise."

Qian Shanyi nodded, going along with the slight misinterpretation. She was referring to the week she had, the last preparations for the duel and the gamble of dealing with Jian Wei and Fang Jiugui - but the week in the outside world had fit just as well. Preparing for the tribulation had taxed her just as hard, if in other ways - physical, instead of mostly mental. "Certainly," Qian Shanyi said. "If not for it, I do not think we would have been sitting here now. I somewhat doubt Elder Jian would have even agreed to negotiate with me."

"He would have given you time."

Qian Shanyi shrugged slightly. "I would defer to your expertise," she said. "But I doubt I would have been given this amount of leniency. In some ways, I am thankful it's all over."

"You seem to be handling it well," Liu Yufei hummed, sipping her tea.

Wang Yonghao snorted. He picked up his cup, and gestured towards Qian Shanyi. "No, her face just always looks like this," he said. "You could cook her on the fire and she'd look the same."

"Thank you for the piercing commentary, Yonghao," Qian Shanyi said dryly, before clicking her tongue. "Now give me a sip of my tea like a good underling."

Wang Yonghao looked her straight in the eyes, and smirked, raising his cup to his lips. "Say please."

Qian Shanyi met his gaze calmly. "Did you learn this trick from one of your salacious romance novels?" she said, just as he was taking a sip himself. "What a cruel way to torture your beloved."

Wang Yonghao - predictably - choked on his tea, blushing profusely, if a little less than he used to. "I don't - I - uh," he choked out, glancing at Liu Yufei, the annoyance warring with discretion all across his face.

Liu Yufei raised an eyebrow at him. "There is no shame in a man reading about romance, fellow cultivator Wang," she said calmly. "It's hardly unheard of, nowadays."

Wang Yonghao swallowed, and scowled at Qian Shanyi and Liu Yufei. "I am not ashamed," he said, still coughing slightly. "I was just once again surprised at the shamelessness of Shanyi. You are not my 'beloved', and never will be."

Liu Yufei looked at the two of them with a joyful twinkle in her eyes. Qian Shanyi suspected that she knew this already - but if she could entertain their host, all the better.

Qian Shanyi snorted. "Sure. Now, the tea, please? I'd lift the cup up with my hair, but I am afraid I'd spill it."

"Next time I should spill it down your collar," Wang Yonghao grumbled, but still picked up her cup, and brought it to her lips. She sipped it cautiously, savoring the taste.

"I almost forgot," Liu Yufei said, once the cup was set back down on the table. "I offered you a drink, not merely the tea."

She reached towards the stove counter, and opened a hidden compartment in the side, taking out a glistening bottle of brown liquor. She shook it slightly, before popping the cork with a burst of spiritual energy, and pouring some into her cup. "Please serve yourselves," she said, setting it in the middle of the table.

"I wouldn't have expected you to share tastes with fellow cultivator Fang," Qian Shanyi said curiously, watching Wang Yonghao pour some for both of them.

"It's hardly the same," Liu Yufei said, furrowing her nose. "His… medicine, as he called it, ruins the tea. My liquor compliments it."

"Thank you. For this tea, as well as for your help," Qian Shanyi said, deciding to finally get to the point. "You could have simply stayed silent regarding… that letter to your sect, but instead, you spoke up. Without it, I doubt the issue could have been resolved quite as peacefully."

Liu Yufei bowed towards her, smiling slightly. "It's the least I could do."

"Yet, I am somewhat confused as to what I did to deserve such grace," Qian Shanyi continued smoothly. "Last time we spoke, it had not been on the friendliest terms."

Liu Yufei sipped her tea, staying silent. Her eyes flickered to Wang Yonghao, and then back to Qian Shanyi. Slightest hint of a query, in the quirk of her lips.

"Whatever you can say to me, you can also say to Wang Yonghao," Qian Shanyi responded to the unasked question. "There are no secrets between us."

Not anymore, at least.

Liu Yufei breathed out slightly. "Very well," she said, and then suddenly set her cup down and bowed, deeper than before - almost to the table. "Fellow cultivator Qian, I am afraid that I have treated you unfairly. But you have done right by our sect, and I wanted to do right by you, to correct my error. After all, it would make our sect stronger, in the end."

Both of Qian Shanyi's eyebrows flew up. "Unfairly?"

Liu Yufei straightened out, and picked up her cup again. "When you came to me to ask about Jian Shizhe, I sent you away," she explained. "I thought you were acting against the interests of our sect and Jian Wei. After your lesson last night - it became clear to me I was mistaken."

Qian Shanyi felt another hidden knot untangle itself somewhere deep within her soul. She had been bitter, earlier, when Jian Wei granted her no respite in return for her work with Jian Shizhe. But it seemed her good deeds had still served her well, in the end.

"I see," Qian Shanyi said neutrally. "How much could you have told me?"

Liu Yufei looked away, pursing her lips. "Much," she said regretfully. "Jian Shizhe had been a thorn in the side of our sect for… a long time. I know more than most - perhaps more than anyone else."

Qian Shanyi hummed. It would have been convenient to get all the information from one place, and would have saved her some time - but frankly, the overall picture was easy enough to put together. Once you saw one patch of mold, you saw them all.

She briefly wondered whether it was personal, for Liu Yufei. Her regret didn't feel direct - but perhaps Jian Shizhe had been a blight upon a friend or colleague. There was a hint of something to that curl of her lips, even if it was slight - and if she lived in the sect since she was born…

"Thank you for your honesty, once again," Qian Shanyi finally said. "And for your help."

Liu Yufei simply nodded. Perhaps she didn't want to dwell on that past more than was already necessary.

Qian Shanyi glanced towards Wang Yonghao, to request another sip of tea, but he was busy with a new guest - an orange cat. It climbed onto his lap, purring softly, and tried to put its head directly into his tea cup.

"Can you - please," Wang Yonghao pleaded with the animal, fighting to keep it off him, but too awkward to get up and leave himself. For a cultivator, it should have been no challenge - but he was being so careful that it constrained his movements.

"They are not usually this friendly," Liu Yufei chuckled, with a wide smile on her face. "You must be good with animals. That is Noodles," she said, gesturing to the orange cat. "And this is Cookie."

"I do not want noodles in my tea!"

"Hm. That might be an interesting combination, actually," Qian Shanyi hummed. "Tea instead of a noodle broth?"

Wang Yonghao glared at her, and Noodles used his distraction to climb up onto his shoulder. "Oh don't you start."

"I am probably not the first one to think of it," Qian Shanyi chuckled. "I am far from a master immortal chef - that I haven't heard of it means very little. Tea is used in some dishes. Someone must have surely thought of combining it with noodles."

There was one such dish in Three Obediences Four Virtues - rice paste, infused with tea, but the manual hinted that the principle could be used more broadly. Tang Qunying's writing did that a lot.

Wang Yonghao switched the cup to his left hand, and quickly placed it on the table, catching the cat around the midsection with his right. He glared at it, but the cat seemed calm, and pawed at his hand playfully.

"Would you like me to help?" Liu Yufei offered. "I could lock the door to their room."

Wang Yonghao sighed, and patted the cat in turn, scratching it behind the ear. Noodles began to purr, and allowed itself to be lowered back down to his lap. "No, it's fine," he said, carefully picking his cup up again, and taking a sip. "It's…a cute cat."

Qian Shanyi snorted, watching the two. "Still," she said, turning to Liu Yufei. "Do you think there would be… lasting improvement?"

Liu Yufei shrugged, but only with a single shoulder, quickly picking up on her meaning. "With any hope. I have never seen Jian Shizhe be this shaken before. Failing that… I think I could now get Elder Jian to agree upon more measures."

"You speak with the disappointment of someone who already tried."

"It has been… difficult, to find ways to broach this topic," Liu Yufei admitted.

Qian Shanyi gave Wang Yonghao another meaningful look, and he sighed, picking up her cup with his left hand and awkwardly stretching across to offer it to her. She took a sip, giving him a thankful nod, while she thought over her next words.

"The family of an Elder…" Qian Shanyi finally said, shaking her head slightly. "I could imagine the difficulty. It's brave of you, that you have even attempted to do so at all. Most would not have dared."

Liu Yufei inclined her head slightly, still petting her cat. "It is only my duty. If there is a problem, it must be solved. The cost to me is irrelevant."

"An admirable loyalty, for a direct disciple."

"This is not it," Liu Yufei said, shaking her head immediately. "I would have done the same, even if I was still just an outer disciple. We all must serve our duties, and mine is to the sect."

"Even if the sect does not return it?" Qian Shanyi said, and then raised her hands defensively once she realized how it could come across. "I do not mean to presume. It simply strikes me that if you had broached the topic of Jian Shizhe before, and been rebuked… Well. I can't help but notice that you did not simply tell fellow cultivator Jian the sect should do right by me."

That got her a glare. Not a hateful one, but a glare nonetheless. "All cultivators have their blindspots."

"Two eyes have blindspots," Qian Shanyi responded. "Four eyes have none. Or should have none."

The glare grew in intensity, and Qian Shanyi raised her hands a fraction higher. "I truly do not mean to pressure you into speaking ill of your sect," she quickly amended. "I simply find it hard to imagine staying loyal to ones that do not return that loyalty. All I want is to understand."

She really wished she could simply sip her tea, to give her an excuse for a pause in conversation, but Wang Yonghao was busy with his cat again, and she wasn't desperate enough to hold a cup herself.

Liu Yufei glared at her a little longer, but her eyes finally softened, and she looked away after a moment. "Yes, I could imagine that," she grumbled. "Is this about my spiritual energy recirculation law?

Qian Shanyi inclined her head slightly in response. She did feel that Liu Yufei's spiritual energy flow was quite slow, for someone in the middle of the refinement stage. An obvious enough mark of an unfitting recirculation law, but she wasn't going to bring it up herself, lest it be taken the wrong way. "I am afraid that this here cultivator does have eyes to see," she admitted.

"You must imagine that Elder Jian refused to pay for a replacement?" Liu Yufei snorted, and put her empty cup down on the table with a clack, reaching for the kettle to pour herself more tea. "No. I asked him not to."

Qian Shanyi leaned back in surprise. So did Wang Yonghao, for that matter. Even Noodles looked up, if for no other reason than that the scratching had stopped. "You asked for a worse spiritual energy recirculation law?"

"It is not worse." Liu Yufei snorted again. "A sack of wood chips for the stove is not worse for being cheap. It is suited to its purpose."

Qian Shanyi just stared at Liu Yufei in incomprehension. She could imagine settling for the least bad choice among the many options - but asking for it?

"Every sect has its advantages," Liu Yufei explained, seeing her expression. "Ours lies in the glass - but no matter the spiritual energy recirculation law I have, I could not help, for my nature is that of water. But the sect doesn't need me for my sword. Nor does it need more women, loose cultivators of the same nature. It needs me to work the mail and the documents, and it needs to spend resources on those who can contribute. In other words - purchasing a better law for me would simply be a waste."

Qian Shanyi studied Liu Yufei's face as she spoke. There was conviction there, honesty, but just that bit of rigidness - as if the words had been prepared in advance. And beneath it - bitterness, though hidden well.

"But -" Wang Yonghao spoke, before closing his mouth. Instead, he looked down at the cat on his lap again, scratching it behind the ear.

Qian Shanyi raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on now, Yonghao, don't be shy."

Wang Yonghao breathed in, and shook his head slightly. "I just mean -" he said, gesturing with his free hand. "I don't understand how this business with the Elders usually works, not really. You know why. But - wouldn't he lose face, to have a direct disciple with a weak law? Other people wouldn't know your history."

Liu Yufei looked away, and tried to hide her face, pretending to wipe something off her mouth - but Qian Shanyi still saw her lips curl downwards. That same bitterness, coming to the surface.

Familiar one. She had an ocean of it in her own heart.

"If that disciple was a man, perhaps," Qian Shanyi said, with a sad chuckle. "But for a woman - it's to be expected. People simply do not care. Most wouldn't even notice."

"It's not as dire as that. I am rarely seen in public," Liu Yufei said defensively. "In a couple decades - perhaps the attitudes would change. Then it would no longer be a waste. It's just… The sect is my everything. It's my family. Of course I would do anything for it. And sadly… facts are facts. I simply can't be a priority."

"To cultivate is to rebel against the heavens," Qian Shanyi said, nodding to Wang Yonghao for another sip of tea. "We make our own facts. But your loyalty is truly admirable."

Liu Yufei glared at her again. "You speak as if it were a joke."

"I am being sincere," Qian Shanyi said, putting one hand against her chest. "I truly could do no more than admire such self-sacrifice. After all, I would not be sitting here otherwise. Least of all as a free woman."

She wasn't lying, not exactly. For all that the road of cultivation was a lonely one, cultivators did not arise out of nothing. To sacrifice yourself for others was admirable - even if Qian Shanyi could never imagine herself doing it in this particular way. And yet - she felt kinship with the other woman, as if they were two travelers who walked side by side for miles, before splitting up at a fork in the road.

"If only you read Mi Jiaoying, then perhaps you'd understand," Liu Yufei grumbled, her glare softening again.

"Mi Jiaoying?"

"She is a romance author."

For the second time now, Qian Shanyi felt utterly baffled. "Romance author?"

Liu Yufei nodded. She got up, holding her cat up by the waist, and quickly dashed over to the bookshelves, picking out one of the smaller novels. She returned to her cushion, and placed the book down on the table, sliding it towards Qian Shanyi.

"A gift, if you will," Liu Yufei said. "I have a second copy."

The cover was covered in little impressed flowers and swans, pronouncing the novel to be the Spring of Plums. In other circumstances, Qian Shanyi wouldn't have even given it a second glance.

"I am afraid romance has never been my forte." she said poitely. "But I am sure Yonghao would enjoy it."

Wang Yonghao had already been looking at the book with some concealed interest. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but didn't deny her words.

"I do not offer it for the romance," Liu Yufei said. "She writes articles on occasion, alongside her letters. About unity, community, support. Her experience in the last imperial succession." She glanced at Wang Yonghao. "Mostly for other women. If she were here, in my place, she wouldn't have even hesitated to help you."

Qian Shanyi arched an eyebrow. Now that she looked at the book, she vaguely recognised the name - perhaps she heard it from some other disciples, back in the Luminous Lotus Sect. She never even suspected someone from the last imperial succession could have written something like that romance schlock. "Thank you," she said, with a new appreciation for the gift. "I'll make sure to read it."

The thought of the Luminous Lotus Sect had brought back some memories, and Qian Shanyi leaned back from the table, reminiscing. She wondered what else she might have missed back then, if something this big had slipped her notice. The others quieted as well - Liu Yufei, because she was refilling her cup with more liquor, and Wang Yonghao, because he boldly took the book and started reading it, shooting warning glances at Qian Shanyi.

"We are all but little wood chips, in our own unique ways, tossed this way and that on the winds of fortune," Qian Shanyi said thoughtfully after a good minute. "Propelled by the blast of lightning, even the smallest chip of wood can fly above the clouds. But no matter how great the energy of a lightning bolt, eventually, it still runs out."

"You are awfully talkative for a singed wood chip," Wang Yonghao muttered.

Qian Shanyi chose to ignore him. "I suppose this crash was inevitable, in the end." She sighed. "I simply hoped we could register our sect before it happened."

Now it was Liu Yufei's turn to raise an inquisitive eyebrow. "You were actually planning to register your sect?"

"Of course," Qian Shanyi said easily. "Why wouldn't we?"

Liu Yufei stared at Qian Shanyi silently. Qian Shanyi stared back, meeting a half-raised eyebrow with one of her own.

Because you are obviously just a fugitive loose cultivator and your so-called sect does not exist? Liu Yufei's eyes said.

I resent the accusation, Qian Shanyi responded. I'll have you know I simply fled from one sect and into another. Of course it is as real as the sky is blue.

"You wouldn't have been able to, I am afraid," Liu Yufei said after a moment, instead of choosing to confront her openly.

"Not even with Jian Wei's help?" Qian Shanyi began, but Liu Yufei was already shaking her head before she even finished speaking.

"His word or influence would not matter, not for something like this," Liu Yufei said decisively. "Registering a sect is a matter for the empire, not some private deal between us cultivators. I have gone through the establishing documents for our own sect - the process was enormously complex, and the empire will ask for proof - one I doubt you could provide. You don't even have a compound, at least as far as I know."

"We do have something like that," Qian Shanyi lied. "Outside the empire -"

"Then an imperator would have to survey it, at the minimum," Liu Yufei cut her off. "Fellow cultivator Qian, this isn't something you can do in a week, or even a month. At the absolute best you could get your so-called "sect" recognised, not registered."

Qian Shanyi frowned. She saw the two terms side by side, in the books she researched, back when she was chasing after Wang Yonghao - but the legal language was complex, and she simply didn't have the time, nor the expertise to fully understand the finer details. She was planning to dig into it properly after her duel, but the Heavens were really set on ruining all her plans. "What's the difference?"

Liu Yufei gave her an odd look, which was, frankly, justified, given the circumstances. "Recognition is a much simpler, and thus faster, procedure," she explained, "designed to allow foreign sects to interact with our institutions. You will have the right to advertise yourself as a sect, and to request sect seals for your disciples - but that is just about it. No rights of extraterritoriality, extradition or extrajudiciality, no taxation benefits, nothing."

Qian Shanyi tapped herself on the cheek with one finger, and winced from the pain. She almost forgot her skin was gone. "Very, very interesting," she said, thinking it over.

The appearance of the thing was often just as good as the reality. They didn't need most of those rights, even if their absence would hurt. But even simply being treated on relatively equal terms would go a long way.

"But we simply won't have the time to deal with it, not in this town," Qian Shanyi sighed in disappointment. "Even if I apply first thing tomorrow, it would surely still take weeks… Unless…"

She gave Liu Yufer a long, hard look. There was a way forward here, but…

Did she trust Liu Yufei?

Qian Shanyi looked into her heart, and to some surprise, realized that she did.

"Fellow cultivator Liu, may I speak freely?" she said.

"Of course."

"Would you be open to signing a power of representation for our sect?" Qian Shanyi said, leaning forwards. "We could compensate you, of course."

Liu Yufei leaned back, her face hardening immediately. Her hands abandoned her cat, crossing over her chest. "Fellow cultivator Qian," she said severely. "if I may - any recognition of your sect could always be challenged. And with regards to your deal with Elder Jian…"

If Elder Jian doesn't see those swords, you could kiss your sect goodbye.

Qian Shanyi nodded, agreeing with the unspoken implication. "Hm. Could I trust you to keep a secret?" she said. "Even from Elder Jian?"

At this, Wang Yonghao looked up from his book in concern. "Shanyi, are you sure?" he said carefully.

"Pretty sure," she responded, not taking her eyes off Liu Yufei. It wasn't the one he was thinking of, anyways. "Well, fellow cultivator Liu?"

Wang Yonghao stared at her for a moment longer, before shrugging and going back to his book.

Liu Yufei's lips pursed further, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "You know I could never make such a promise, fellow cultivator Qian."

"This secret would not harm your sect in any way. It is the opposite, if anything."

Even asking for a direct disciple to lie to their Elder was rude in the extreme. Liu Yufei would have been fully in her rights to throw Qian Shanyi out, and perhaps even challenge her to a duel. But Qian Shanyi had a pretty good feeling about this woman.

She lied to help her once before - and so she clearly understood that some secrets were better kept away from an elder. The only question was - would she trust Qian Shanyi?

Liu Yufei did not answer her for a long time. "I will consider keeping it private," she finally said. "That is as much as I can promise."

Qian Shanyi spread her hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I suppose that is as much as I can ask," she said, "Fellow cultivator Liu, believe me, I understand your hesitation. Our sect is little known. Twenty high-quality swords in six months - it would seem to be impossible. But in fact, I can assure you that it is not only possible, we could do it in three."

"Three months," Liu Yufei deadpanned.

Qian Shanyi nodded, keeping a welcoming smile on her face. "Yes. In fact, we already have more than half of that, stored all over the province."

"And the other half?"

Qian Shanyi leaned forwards. It was time to sell this lie. "Our sect truly is small - we specialize in delving ruins," she said, "We have the expertise, we have the techniques, and we have the skills. What we do not have, a lot of the time, is access. Access to information, to resources, and even simply free passage into the ruins we are already aware of. Without the status of a sect - it had been slow going."

Their powerful techniques, the swords they already gifted to Jian Wei - even if Qian Shanyi was a runaway, that did not necessarily mean the sect was fake.

"If we had the sect seals for all our disciples - twenty swords in six months would be nothing," Qian Shanyi said, punctuating her words with a motion towards the table. "But first we need that recognition. And to get the recognition - we need you."

Liu Yufei leaned back, considering her. "You want me to represent you - in order to apply on your behalf?"

"Not even that." Qian Shanyi shook her head. "I would apply tomorrow morning myself - all you would have to do is send me the certificates once they are finished. I couldn't possibly ask you to involve yourself beyond that, so there is no risk at all. But if Elder Jian knew…"

"He might pressure you further," Liu Yufei said, nodding and pursing her lips. "Maybe even fully beyond your ability. You are not wrong to think that."

Qian Shanyi nodded. It was a neat little lie, one that tied off all loose ends. The only question was - would Liu Yufei believe it?

She saw the conflict playing out on the other woman's face. The loyalty to her sect warring with the gratitude towards Qian Shanyi, and her natural honesty warring with the suspicions she still had about Qian Shanyi's sect.

"One woman to another," Qian Shanyi said after a minute, leaning across the table. She looked deep within Liu Yufei's black eyes, trying to convey her entire feeling, soul to soul. "Have I steered your sect wrong, so far?"

Liu Yufei stared back for a moment, before slowly shaking her head. "No. You have not. Very well," she said, rising from her cushion. "I have all the materials right here. Let's get this done."

Qian Shanyi watched Liu Yufei pull out her writing materials and key reference books, while she thought back on her time in this little town. On her harrowing swim across the river of glass, finding Yonghao, her tribulation, on Linghui Mei and on her duel. It's been a whirlwind of experiences, and at the very end of it, her head still spun with excitement. If she were to go back in time, and tell herself a year ago all that had happened - she would have never believed herself.

Her plan to establish a sect had been left in tatters. Even if they got this recognition, it was merely a pale shadow of the real thing. And yet.

They had a way to sell their swords - an awful way, one that went through that rat-fucking bastard Jian Wei, and yet it was still a way. Their development of their world fragment had grown by leaps and bounds, and by now, it slowly started to approach a real home - one that could supply them with food and safety, whenever they needed it, and could easily be developed still further. And Qian Shanyi herself, for all her injuries, was on the cusp of the high refinement stage.

But most of all - they had found allies. Linghui Mei, Liu Yufei, but even someone as plain as Chu Lin. The path of cultivation might be a lonely one - but it was best to not set off on it alone.

And tomorrow, they would leave this town for good. Back on the road, on their journey to find a way to topple the Heavens. Towards the Solar Whirligig, and all the mysteries it contained, with Fang Jiugui hot on their tails.

Tomorrow, finally, they would set off on their journey to the west.

End of volume 3, "Enthalpy of Tribulation Lightning". Volume 4, "The Dao Distillation Column" begins next week.