The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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It only takes a simple discussion and a quick look into the Twilight Horizon to convince Daiyu of my words this time around. Zhuan Kun, on the other hand, is just as skeptical as last time. If anything, Daiyu's quick acceptance only makes him doubt my words more. As we near the village, he's still proposing alternative ideas, each one even more outlandish than the truth.

"What do we truly know about your technique?" he asks, eyebrow raised as we ride through the forest. "It seems powerful and useful, but the Astral Paragon kept it to himself- if it was even truly his technique in the first place. There could be flaws in it that were never noticed, flaws which could lead to hallucinations and distress."
It takes all the willpower I possess not to rip at my own hair in frustration. As it is, I restrain myself to simply running my hand through it as I rub at my temples, letting it float in the gentle spring breeze. "Zhuan Kun," I say, voice carefully calm. "Out of all of us, you are the best fighter. That goes without question."

The noble merely nods at my words, curiosity in his eyes as he wonders where I'm going with this. "Were combat to erupt, I would look to you for guidance," I continue. "If we were in a tournament together, I would trust your judgement on the field, just as I would trust Daiyu in matters of art, diplomacy, or combat."

Daiyu's cheeks flush and she shoots me a pleased smile. I squeeze her hand, but otherwise don't look away from Zhuan Kun. "Only the ancestors know why, but somehow, this has become something I am learned in. Please. Trust me as I trust you."

Zhuan Kun studies my carefully before finally, blessedly giving me a short nod. "Very well," he states, a note of reluctance still in his voice. "I do trust you, Kong Zhi. I will follow your lead."

I let out a relieved breath. "Thank you," I reply, offering him a nod deep enough that it almost becomes a bow. "I will not let you down."

After a moment, I continue. "I know it may be unlikely, but do you have any techniques to… hone your memory? Or enhance your spiritual perception? So that we will not have to have this conversation again?"

The noble considers my words for a long moment and shakes his head. "There is nothing like that in my Path," he answers reluctantly. Despite his hesitancy to believe me, he still scowls, as if annoyed at the gap in his repertoire.

"Then… is there something I could tell you next time?" I try. "Or a question I could ask you. Something that you would hear that would convince you to at least give weight to my words?"

At this request, Zhuan Kun pauses. As he considers my question, the shriek of a child at play splits the air, and the village comes into view around the bend. Clerk Ni begins gloating once more, but Zhuan Kun ignores him entirely. He only stares at the village before his jaw sets. "There is something that comes to mind," he answers.

Curious, I wait for Zhuan Kun to continue. What could convince him to listen to me? I half expect him to reach into his satchel and produce another scroll from Yi Tai, this one detailing just such a scenario. But instead, he meets my eyes and states, "Tell me who swears the Last Champion's Oath."

I can only stare at him in confusion. "The… Last Champion's Oath?" I repeat. "The last champion of what? What did they swear?"

A corner of Zhuan Kun's mouth quirks up and he shakes his head. "It is a reference to the poem that serves as the foundation of my Path," he answers. "The Last Champion's Oath is the Seventh Act of Twelve, in which the Emperor-In-Truth offered to make clan founder Zhuan Wusheng his champion. The honored ancestor declined, thus earning the Emperor's enmity. Instead, the oath was sworn by Tang Rong, Zhuan Wusheng's companion who betrayed him on the Emperor's bidding."

Zhuan Kun pauses, as if wondering if he has said too much. Finally, he shakes his head. "It is not a story well known outside of my family," he states. "If you tell me of Tang Rong, I will know that something strange has occurred."

I nod in thanks at the noble even as Daiyu leans in. Curiosity is writ large on her face, and she clearly wants nothing more than to learn the tale of the Zhuan Clan's founder. I'm forced to squeeze her hand once again, this time in warning. This is not the time.

Clerk Ni hasn't noticed our whispered arguments in the least. The bureaucrat has been in an incredible mood all morning, even waving off the early interruption of his slumber brought on by the return of my memories. The closer we've gotten to the village, the wider the smile on his face has grown and the lighter he sits in the saddle. As he rides into the village, the smile becomes an honest, actual whistle, and he looks as if he's been given a word of praise from the Emperor himself.

"This village seems quite lively for one that doesn't exist," he calls over his shoulder, a victorious smirk on his face as he looks at Zhuan Kun. "You must have a word with your archivists when you return to Jingyi's Summit, Disciple Zhuan."

Zhuan Kun's jaw is set as he glances at the people around us. "I will do so," he intones. After a moment, he turns his gaze to one of the nearby villagers, the washerwoman arguing with her mother. He looks as if he's going to address her until I reach out and grab his wrist, squeezing it to get his attention.

"Do not speak with the villagers," I murmur for what feels like the hundredth time, my voice a violent hiss. "Do not address them, not unless they speak with you first. Do not interrupt their routine."

The noble looks as if he's going to protest, but whatever he sees in my eye turns his argument into a reluctant nod. I let him go and turn to face the font once more.

Clerk Ni either ignores the byplay or misses it entirely; I cannot tell which. "Good, good!" he cheers, his smile somehow growing even wider. "Jingyi's Summit is one of the most important cities in the Empire; it deserves competent administration. I will, of course, report the lapse to the central bureaucracy. If you need a replacement archivist, one will be ready and willing to ride west."

It takes both Daiyu and I to keep Zhuan Kun from responding to the bureaucrat's barely hidden barbs. We're able to keep him calm until we reach the village square, where once again we are greeted by the headman as he drinks a ladleful of water.

He takes a long swallow and wipes his hand with the back of his mouth. His eyes flick to each of us- still lingering on me for a moment- before ending on Clerk Ni. "You the examiner?" he grunts out.

Clerk Ni could not be more pleased if the headman had thought him the Emperor himself. "Yes, goodsir!" he answers brightly. "This one is Clerk Ni Weiyan of His Imperial Glory's Beauracracy. I am here to administer the Grand Examination to this village. Since you knew we were coming, may I presume you have already established a suitable site?"

The headman only offers Clerk Ni a languid shrug of his shoulders. "Not yet," he admits. "What do you need?"

The bureaucrat begins listing his requirements before pausing and, with another smirk at Zhuan Kun, asking, "Before anything else, we must update our records. Due to an unfortunate lapse in record keeping, your village must be re-drawn on local maps. What is the name of this fair village, so that I might report to the Bureaucracy."

As he always does, the elder considers his words for a moment before shrugging once more. "Last clerk who came through called it Shoubiao's Wake. That's good enough; no real need for names around these parts."

Clerk Ni nods absently as he scribbles the name down. "My thanks," he answers before turning his attention back to the testing itself. He hops off his pony and, after passing the reins to Daiyu, falls into step with the headman. The two move through the square, Clerk Ni chatting animatedly as the headman just nods along. In short order, the bureaucrat is going through his full speech once again.

"We must prepare for our duties," Zhuan Kun states as Clerk Ni's proclamation begins to draw to a close. He glances between Daiyu and I. "Should we assume our usual stations?"

Daiyu looks to me as my brow furrows in thought. If I assume my usual role of handling the records of the examination, I could learn more about the villagers who come for the testing. It would give me an excuse to speak with them without disturbing their routine. But the last time I did that, all I learned were names and, in some cases, occupations. Some of it was useful, but it wasn't truly fruitful enough to try it again.

No, I need information from another source of intelligence. I need to find something that can shed light on the source of this repeating day. If we can discover the source, we can deal with it, ancestors willing. And if I can't speak with the villagers, we must find something else that can properly direct us- something that will not be erased if I speak with it.

"We need something material," I murmur softly, voice just loud enough for my comrades to hear. "Some kind of physical evidence that can lead us towards the source of the problem. But without knowing what the source is, there's nothing to even hint at where to start looking."

Zhuan Kun looks as if he has several things he would like to say, but Daiyu cuts him off with a raised hand. "So if this village is living through the same day repeatedly, we need something from before the day began."

I nod along with her words. "Journals, perhaps," I continue. "Or reports. Something I could look at and try to analyze."

This time, Zhuan Kun shakes his head. "This is a remote village far from any other civilization," he states. "If more than a handful of these people can write anything beyond the most basic of characters, this place would be a statistical outlier."

"But I know at least one person that does," I answer. My gaze turns to where the headman is nodding along with Clerk Ni's instructions. "The chief handles the administration for the whole of the village. He would have more than just journals; anything necessary to run the village that can be written down would be in his home."

My comrades follow my gaze. Zhuan Kun nods along with my reasoning, but this time it is Daiyu's turn to find a flaw in my plan. "Yes, everything would be in his home. But Clerk Ni likes to perform the test in the most comfortable place a village can muster, which is usually the village elder's home! He will not allow us to delay the testing so that you can rummage through all of the chief's papers."

She is right; he won't. I could ask him to wait as a security precaution, but that would only buy me a few minutes before the clerk became impatient. What I need is to go through the headman's home while the villagers are occupied with the examination and Clerk Ni is occupied performing it; there is no way Clerk Ni will allow me to remain in the building while he's performing his examinations. Not while the Fractal View is active.

Not to mention that while sneaking into the chieftain's home is in itself a trivial matter- I've at least two techniques that could get me in without question- I need to be able to go through the papers I do find undisturbed. A villager coming upon me as I hid in a corner to read could bring about disaster. So I need a safe place to retreat to as well, and…

…a plan begins to come together in my mind. One that is almost painfully simple.

"The headman's house… it's the larger one over there, right off of the village square," I begin slowly. "How many rooms do you think it has? One? Two?"

Daiyu and Zhuan Kun trade a confused glance before turning back to me. "At least two," Daiyu eventually answers. "A man in his position would be laughed out of the village if he did not at least have a sitting room to meet people in. Why?"
Zhuan Kun, however, is a step ahead of Daiyu, and seems to think he knows where my mind is. He gives the house an appraising look before looking back at me. "The only window is poorly made," he states bluntly. "If you attempt to climb through it, it will make a large enough racket that the whole of the village will hear you, let alone anyone in the house itself."

I consider Zhuan Kun's words for a moment- and let out a snort of laughter. "Why would I need a window?"

***
As it turns out, obtaining my goals is simplicity in itself.

When our duties are assigned, Zhuan Kun is on guard duty inside the headman's house while Daiyu takes her position out front with the logbook. "There is a girl named Liyu who will be in your line," I murmur to my partner, voice for her ears alone. "The day restarted in the middle of her examination. It could be coincidence, but we should act like it isn't. Delay her examination for as long as you can."

Daiyu's sharp nod is my answer and I stroll away content with the knowledge that Liyu will be among the last to see Clerk Ni this time. I happily take Quishu and go on patrol to look for any stragglers to add to Daiyu's line-

-for about five minutes, because that is how long it takes to tie Quishu to a hitching post near the pasture. From there, I take to the roofs, staying above the villagers as they doggedly repeat their day again. My path takes me back to the headman's house just in time for Daiyu to usher in the first prospect.

I'm able to slip behind the house without anyone catching sight of me. There's an open window there, one I could probably slip through if I needed to. But it opens to the main room, where Clerk Ni has set up shop, and the shutters are closed. Breaking in that way would be discovered instantly.

But I'm no longer limited to the merely physical.

I close my eyes, press my hand against the mudbrick wall, and focus. My Sixth Sense turns inward, much as it does when I cycle, but I'm not trying to draw in any new anam. Instead, I focus on what is already there. There is the burning coal that is my core, of course, and small traces left behind by my techniques. But I tune both out and instead focus on the ever-present current of power that flows from me, into the Fractal View, and back once more.

The Fractal View is my most potent work. It may be the most powerful, if specialized, charm that will ever come across my workbench… at least until I can source more powerful materials than A Love, Transfixed. It absorbs the blood anam left within my body by Tiaoyue and changes it, shifting its composition into something new.

What that something new is depends on the constellation it currently reflects. When the Fractal View displays the Autumn Hunter, the anam becomes more regimented, more energized, and somehow warmer. Its heat provides a vitality that only my core can match, giving me more energy and stamina. By contrast, the anam of the Ivory Ferryman is cold and almost frozen. It does not normally do much besides alter my form, which normally suits my purposes well. That is, after all, why I made the Fractal View.

But that doesn't mean that that's everything the Ivory Ferryman can do.

Under my focus, the current shifts and grows. It rises through me like water from a newly dug well, seeping through my spirit and into my physical form. A small cloud of blue escapes my lungs and I push.

My hand seems to shift, becoming a ghost of what it once was. It slides through the mudbrick wall as if it wasn't there, and the rest of my body follows.

On the other side, the frozen bitterness that had taken me leaves and my body returns to normal, feeling oddly unwieldy for a moment. Falling into a crouch, I glance around at my surroundings. Thankfully, Daiyu was correct; the headman's hut is more than a simple one room affair. I find myself in what looks to be a small, separate kitchen. A doorway sits on one side, blocked off by a curtain. I can hear the faint mumble of Clerk Ni's voice coming through it. To the other side is another curtain, this one blocking off the headman's bedchamber.

Lay of the land acquired, I turn my focus to my goal: absolutely anything written down.

Investigation Check: 7d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 10, 10, 10, 9, 6, 4, 1, 7, 4, 1. 3.6, rounded up to 4 Successes!

There is no shortage of paper here. Some scraps are beneath bowls on the table, others are in sheafs near the hearth, while still others are in the hearth itself for kindling. More are in the bedroom, with scrolls and loose parchment on shelves and in a small chest near the foot of his bed. A hoard to be sure, and one too large to be perused in the open.

A flick of my wrist sends the Wandering Estate spiraling into the wall. The doorway to the proper estate appears and I duck through it, pulling it closed behind me with the softest of clicks.

There. Now I can go through this all without any risk of a villager finding me, and go search for more should I need to without fear of being spotted.

I let out a satisfied huff and stride into the small building that is my third home. The chairs and table I made months ago for woodworking practice sit there, and I drop my armload of papers atop them. After a glance at the water clock for the time, I sit down and pull the first scrap towards me, eager to see what the headman thought was important enough to write down.

A moment's perusal reveals it to be an inventory of the town's lumber stores. It seems their stockpile was recently depleted due to 'emergency fence repairs' for the communal pasture. It includes an accounting of how much lumber was used- half a cartload- how many trees would be needed to replenish it- six- and who would be tasked with both chopping down the trees and refining them into usable planks and poles.

I stare at the page for a long moment before the ticking of the water clock brings me back to myself.

…well. They cannot all be dramatic confessions and long accounts detailing exactly what is going on. Some are going to be of a much more mundane nature.

Indeed, as I go through the pages, the vast majority are of a mundane nature.

After the inventory of the town's lumber is a short note from the town butcher. In it, he decries the prices the ranchers are charging him and how hard they are making it for him to ply his trade. "If Liren truly wishes to play this game, then I will be happy to oblige him," the note reads. "There is more meat than can be fathomed wandering wild in the wood, and Tuo charges a far more reasonable rate."

Next comes what looks to be a scribbled copy of the town's corvee. This year, the people of Shoubiao's Wake have been charged with collecting deadwood and brush from the forest floor to keep the risk of fire down. "Only His fire should burn brightly in this Empire," a little note at the bottom reads. "Clear the forest as if He himself is coming to visit."

Then comes a set of far more complex scrolls. A few moments of confused scanning reveals them to be records of a land dispute between one Ri Shuang and a Yin of Twelve Fields. The former seems to have built a fence on the latter's land and neither side is happy about it. Dozens of different inks and handwritings fill the scroll, with the eventual verdict being, "If Old Shaung wants to donate his time and effort to build a fence next to Yin's home, Yin does not lose her land. She has simply gained a fence."

Buried beneath the scrolls is a short draft of a letter marked to be sent out at the first possible chance. It is to an apothecary in Twelve Fields, cancelling an order the village recently purchased. "The illness has passed," the headman writes. "My people either no longer need the medicine or are beyond helping." At the end, he notes that he would be happy to put the recent payment towards more all-purpose cures instead.

The letter is only a brief reprieve as the next scroll is supposedly a simple marriage declaration, but seems to be more of an excuse for Tang Kai to disparage Liyan, his former flame. In flowery, courtly language clearly copied from another, Tang Kai speaks of the beauty of his love and how it eclipses anything he has ever felt before. In the proposed plans for the wedding, not only will the village mill be shut down so that Tang Kai can properly welcome his bride Lu Ai to their new home, neither Liyan, her father, nor her 'uncouth sister' are allowed anywhere near them on that most happy day.

The language in the marriage declaration makes my head spin; it comes as a relief that the next scrap is a simple log of the rainfall. There has been far less of it this year, and while the resulting weather is pleasant, the crops desperately need a good, prolonged shower.

I stare at the last page for a long moment. This report was placed prominently in the headman's house. It isn't an old, weathered scrap of parchment stuffed into a corner and forgotten about. This was reviewed recently.

Wouldn't a recent report mention the carpet of dark clouds roiling on the horizon? The storm that has been on the breeze every time this day has come again would be a boon to the crops if it ever broke. This report should, at the very least, mention it, yet it does not.

This… this means something. What that is, however, I've no idea.

The rain log is the last of the documents that were in plain sight. I set it to the side with the others and stand, glancing at the water clock. Going through everything took… about an hour. If Clerk Ni maintains his usual pace when performing the tests, he should have seen between two and six prospects, depending on how long he let each prospect linger in hopes of finding some small talent. Judging by how he set his pace on the last repeat and by how eager he is to fill his quota, it's likely he's only seen a few disciples thus far.

I should be certain, though. I pull open the Estate and glance out into the normal world once more. Only the headman's empty kitchen greets me. I creep out of the Estate on light feet and move as quietly as I can towards the curtain that separates the kitchen from the headman's sitting room.

A quick peek behind it reveals Clerk Ni to be in the middle of testing Rong the fisherman. The villager and Clerk are both focused upon their task. Even now, the testing treasure hasn't been removed fully from its protective cask. The top has been removed, however, freeing a shifting, colorless light that plays off of Rong's face as he stares intently into it. Clerk Ni's focus is on the prospect, but is no less complete. He watches the fisherman like a hawk watches a mouse, searching for any change in his expression or posture.

The only person in the room to notice me is Zhuan Kun. The noble glances up when the curtain moves, but relaxes a bare fraction when he sees it is only me. I look to Rong then back to Zhuan Kun and mouth, "How many?"

Zhuan Kun's brow furrows for a moment before his face clears as he realizes what I'm asking. He gestures at Rong before holding up three fingers. Rong is the third prospect to be tested today. That matches up with my own suppositions. I should have more than enough time to give the headman's home a more thorough search.

The light from the testing treasure flares in a way I remember from Honeydrenched Hills, from back when I interrupted one of Clerk Ni's examinations. I hurriedly pull back from the sitting room, putting as much distance between myself and the treasure as possible while still staying in the house. Escaping this perfect day will mean nothing if it damages the treasure along the way.

Once I'm certain that the treasure isn't about to fail, I turn back to the kitchen and bedroom to begin my search anew.

Investigation Check: 7d10s7(1.2). Dice Rolled: 9, 9, 9, 7, 6, 4, 1. 3.6, rounded up to 4 Successes!

This time, there are no documents just laying out in the open for anyone to look at. Instead, I search the less obvious places, the places the headman would stow anything he was actually trying to hide.

It is not a quick search; I have to duck back into the Estate to avoid Clerk Ni more than once when he rises to stretch his legs between examinations. But it is a thorough one. I look under loose floorboards, I open wall scrolls to look for things wrapped within them, I check behind stones in the hearth, underneath tables, and even inside the few pillows. I search everywhere that could possibly hold a scrap of paper.

And I find something.

It is in a teapot, of all places. Not the normal, day to day teapot which hangs near the hearth. It is a more ornate teapot composed of sweeping lines akin to a grassy field in the breeze sitting on a high shelf in a place of honor. It must be one he uses only for the most formal occasions, and I would normally never have looked twice at it.

Except that the thin coat of dust on the shelf has been disrupted. The teapot has been moved recently- or at least, was moved before the recurring day began. Yet the pot itself has not been cleaned at all. Only a thin, clean spot on the shelf shows that it was moved just the barest distance. Curiosity roused, I open the lid and find a small scroll nestled within.

Were it not concealed, the scroll would seem perfectly innocuous from the outside. It looks like half a dozen of the others, the ones the headman uses for official business. But if it were so innocent, why would it be hidden away?

I pull it out and immediately retreat into the Estate once more. Once I'm secure within my realm, I unfurl the scroll and devour it with hungry eyes.

It begins much as the others did. It is a formal complaint lodged by the butcher against one of the ranchers; one of the more common things I've found in the records. The butcher had no end of complaints to levy, it seems. It details how Liren, the rancher that apparently overcharges for his cattle, has been letting his cattle roam free, and one has made a snack of the butcher's garden.

I know that Liren is in poor health, it goes on to say. But if he has reached the point where he can no longer even watch his own cattle, then he should appoint someone to stand watch in his stead, not let them run amok!

It continues on in a similar vein for some time before the headman's tidy scrawl takes over. Rou has been calmed and sent on his way. He does, however, have cause to be upset this time. Liren will be approached delicately and asked to keep his herd close to home. Liyu is old enough to be trusted with the task. She has been in poor spirits for a time anyway; giving her responsibility should help keep her mind off of the problem.

There is a short gap in the scroll before the writing resumes. It is still in the headman's hand, but the ink is darker. He must have ground a new stone for it, so this happened some time after his first entry.

Fourth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: I was unable to reach Liren. Liyu told me that her father is resting and cannot be disturbed. I asked to speak with him when he next rose. There is no sense pushing him; he has been through enough without me adding to it.

Sixth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: Liren is still unavailable, and Liyu is insistent that he be left alone. Rou has been badgering me of late to resolve this matter, and so I asked Liyu if she could keep watch on her father's herd. She was happy to be asked, and will take over their vigil tomorrow. Hopefully Liren does not think I have overstepped when he rises.

I pause as I digest the miniscule scrawl. If Liyu's father Liren is still in the village, why is she waiting in the line outside alone. The headman does write as if Liren is in poor health, though. But if he is so badly off that he cannot even stand anymore, would not someone else have stepped in for him?

The next entry in the scroll pushes the question out of my thoughts.

Seventh Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: Liren's herd went untended today. Rou is beside himself and had to be calmed. I approached Liyu once again regarding her failure to watch the pen. She claimed no memory of our conversation yesterday. I saw no signs of lying. If anything, she seemed confused, even unsettled. Perhaps she truly forgot, as children do with things they do not wish to recall. She has promised to stand watch tomorrow. I will check to make sure that she does.

Eighth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: Again, Liren's herd broke into Rou's garden. They avoided other plots entirely. I am beginning to suspect them of being trained specifically to seek out Rou's if left unfed, though I have no proof. Liyu was found in the midst of a game with the other children. I questioned her directly. She insisted, as before, that no such task was ever asked of her. She showed no signs of falsehood, but this is the second instance in as many days. We cannot afford lapses in memory or responsibility this far out in the wilderness. I will speak with Liren regarding consequences for his daughter, assuming he remembers the matter himself when next we speak.

Ninth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: Rou's garden has been eaten again. Liyu continues to deny any knowledge of our prior conversations. When pressed, she began to grow agitated, and it seemed best to leave her be. I am, however, beginning to question Rou's account of the damage. If the herd has stripped his garden bare thrice in under a week, the soil must be unusually fertile. More likely, he is exaggerating the damages in hopes of receiving one of Liren's herd as repayment. Still, I cannot shake the sense that something is off.

Eleventh Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: Rou now claims his garden has never been touched- at least, not recently. He insisted he has had no trouble with Liren's herd and that I must be thinking of someone else. I pressed him and reminded him of his complaints, of our conversations, but he just seemed confused. When I checked his garden myself, it was flourishing. It is a far cry from the trampled rows and broken fence of yesterday.

None of Rou or Liren's neighbors know anything about what I'm speaking of. It was not until I spoke with Old Shaung, who sees most things from atop his home, that someone admitted to having seen the destroyed plot. Were it only he, I would assume him a liar, though for what purpose I couldn't say.

But I saw it as well, and I know what I saw.

…though the headman knows not what was going on, I do. The Perfect Day was beginning when he wrote this log- but it did not seem to encompass the entire village yet. It was only a small part, a few homes, that were resetting themselves. I continue on, devouring the next entries in the log.

Twelfth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: I inspected Liren's herd, hoping to find any remaining sign of the scratches they sustained breaking through Rou's fence. There were none. Every animal was unmarked, hale, well-fed, and uncommonly placid. In truth, they seem in better condition than I've ever seen before. Their coats were clean, their eyes clear, and their movements oddly in sync with one another.

They remained still as I approached, but turned to watch when I went to open the gate. They seemed almost expectant.

When I attempted to open the gate for a closer look, I was dissuaded by Liren's hound. It was almost feral in its barking. The noise unsettled the herd and agitated them. As it was no longer safe to enter the enclosure, I will return another time- when someone is there to calm them down.

Fifteenth Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: I visited Fan's home to help with the repairs he asked for weeks ago. But the stonework he claimed was so damaged is pristine. It is not simply finished, it is flawless. There were no marks, no smears, nor even any dust in the seems. Fan himself seemed confused I was there. He does not recall asking for my aid.

Furthermore, Fan seemed confused at the possibility that he could ever need help with anything. Everything in his home was immaculate. The broken shutter on the eastern window has been repaired. His chickens are laying once more. His wife does not even walk with a limp any longer.

Everything seemed to be in order, just like it was at Rou's and Liren's.

I let out a low breath as I read. The disturbance was spreading, and people outside of its influence were beginning to see that things were wrong. But as I begin to go through the final entries, the words on the page make my breath still in my lungs.

The crops are flourishing as if untouched by the blight or the dryness. The fishermen report catch after catch, each net brimming with far more fish than should be in season. Ko's anvil is in perfect repair, and his tools, which were nearly broken and worn with age last month, look to have just been forged. They gleam as though they have never been used. It is impossible.

Something is wrong. Something is very wrong that cannot be explained. I tried to leave the village, to hike towards Twelve Fields and see if our neighbors are suffering from the same oddities, but my steps only took me back to my home along the same path I always take. I even felt my mouth move and heard my voice as if I were speaking to Fan, but I could not say a word.

The Resolute March should be encamped near Jingyi's Summit. I will send a message and plead for aid. We are overdue for the courier to arrive. If the ancestors are with us, one will come within-

The message cuts off abruptly in the middle of a character. I can only stare at the scroll, eyes wide before glancing at the next entry. It is written in neat, orderly script, properly formatted like the other log entries.

Third Day, Month of the Bright Deer Moon: This scroll was a very curious discovery when I rose this morning. I suspect it to be a jest by one of the children; perhaps Lao. He does tend to make fun of my 'excessive' paperwork. Penning a nonsensical complaint would very much be in his character, though he pays far more attention to detail than I thought. His mimicry of my hand is an impressive feat.

If I come across this again later and find myself confused, let me leave a note for the record: all is well. The air is crisp. The crops are thriving. Our neighbors squabble not. Even Liren's girl, usually so forgetful, was kind enough to fetch water for me this morning without being asked. Everything points to today being a truly perfect day.

This scroll is mere clutter. There is no need to keep it lying around; it may worry someone who cannot recognize Lao's japes. I will scrape the ink off later, perhaps tomorrow. Or the next day after that.

It can wait. There is no need to rush.

My breath is short and my heart pounding wildly as I let the scroll roll closed once more. I… there won't be anything with more information in the headman's house than that. I need to get to Daiyu and Zhuan Kun. We need to… do something. Anything. Flee? No, the headman tried before he was part of the perfect day, and he is still here. Fight? What is here to even fight?!

I practically throw myself from the Estate, barely remembering to pull it closed behind me. My breath is still choppy; I fight to even it out to no avail. With no attempt at stealth whatsoever, I stalk to the curtain that separates me from the testing area. It matters not if I interrupt the test, not if it keeps repeating itself. I will grab Zhuan Kun and we will-

-every thought vanishes from my mind as I rip the curtain open and reveal the examination.

Little Liyu kneels in front of the testing treasure. Her hair is roughly chopped, her clothes as worn as ever, and her hands are fidgeting as if unsure what to do. Her focus is squarely on the testing treasure before her.

Liyu's chest rises and falls with the breathing pattern Clerk Ni uses to examine the prospects. Even I can tell she has some talent. With each breath, the treasure moves and shifts, seeming to spin wildly as if it were in the midst of a violent storm.

Clerk Ni leaps to his feet, rage on his face. Zhuan Kun jerks in surprise when he sees me, a question on his lips. But I ignore them both.

I simply meet Liyu's eyes when she looks up at me. There is an exhaustion buried deep within them that I cannot fully understand.

She offers me a crooked smile and shakes her head. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, voice quiet, yet cutting through Clerk Ni's fury like a blade. "I'm so, so sorry."

Her breathing shifts.

In the distance, there is the howling of a dog.

The ambient anam flares.

There is a noise like breaking glass.

The colorless light on Liyu's face is snuffed out like a candle-

-leaving only darkness.
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A/N: no vote once again. Next one'll once again be out as quick as I can get it done.