I'm not sure that "same realm will be fine"; for example, I expect someone at high Yellow attacking someone at low Yellow to still be taboo. That social protection degrades as the gap narrows, which I think should be considered an argument against narrowing said gap.
Perhaps, but if so that comes at the cost of doing significantly less jobs/exploring/etc.; we have enough potential actions competing for our action slots that reserving even one slot a week for working on our cultivation rank noticeably displaces other stuff.
I'll disagree on both: Social Taboo has been shown to not work at all with such minute things. Kang Zihao had no issue whatsoever trying to kill us when we were late red. He's going to have no trouble at all attacking us at early yellow/silver. Now, there is currently a bit of pressure from Cai, but don't doubt that it's about time there, not about our actual level.
Likewise for older disciples. They will attack us even if we are early yellow/silver. We are, at this point, too dangerous to ignore. Anyone that can have one of the eight slot is really dangerous given that there is Cai/Sun/Bai that are aberrations at the top. They don't even need to hate Bai like Kang Zihao does.
I'm also going to argue against it coming at the cost of doing significantly less jobs/exploring/etc. Not only is there a limit in how much of those we can do per week, simply because of Qi loss and Health loss and so on, but there is also a limit in how much our friends will be willing to do those with us, and we know that stacking perceptions from multiple type of abilities from friends let us find the Argent Vent when Bai Meizhen couldn't.
Exploration/Sect Jobs/Etc are very important to do... but like everything else, they hit diminishing return if we do more than once a week, and then they are hit by other dimnishing return simply because the stronger we are the more able we are to do them and the more 'worth' out of each of them we can get.
Basically what @Katreus said, though I think we are under-estimating the speed at which we can get to mid yellow if we spend one action/week on it. I'm expecting 25 success on average at least
A touch less then that, I think. Our current dice total for Spiritual Cultivation is 6 (talent) + 6 (AS) + 8 (Vent) + 10 (Stones) = 30 dice. That will go up to 38 once we hit Mid-Silver via swapping out a Red stone for a Yellow one. But that only comes to 38*5/9 = 21.11 successes on average, or a bit over 23 once we add in the AS autosuccesses. Though maybe we get to 25 if AS5 or EPC give us relevant bonuses?
Anyway, you are right in that it should take ~4 turns to get to Mid Yellow, which is less then I was expecting. Hmm.
A touch less then that, I think. Our current dice total for Spiritual Cultivation is 6 (talent) + 6 (AS) + 8 (Vent) + 10 (Stones) = 30 dice. That will go up to 38 once we hit Mid-Silver via swapping out a Red stone for a Yellow one. But that only comes to 38*5/9 = 21.11 successes on average, or a bit over 23 once we add in the AS autosuccesses. Though maybe we get to 25 if AS5 or EPC give us relevant bonuses?
Anyway, you are right in that it should take ~4 turns to get to Mid Yellow, which is less then I was expecting. Hmm.
There is AS5/EPC, there is possibility of a Token helping with it, there is Suyin, there are pills if we have resources to spend (unsure we want to though).
Talent 6+ Cultivation art 10 + Stone 18+ Vent 8 + Suyin 2 = 44 is basically what I am expecting even without us investing with pills, which let us have 24/turn. It depends on how much of AS becomes permanent though.
I'm also going to argue against it coming at the cost of doing significantly less jobs/exploring/etc. Not only is there a limit in how much of those we can do per week, simply because of Qi loss and Health loss and so on, but there is also a limit in how much our friends will be willing to do those with us, and we know that stacking perceptions from multiple type of abilities from friends let us find the Argent Vent when Bai Meizhen couldn't.
There is a limit to jobs and exploring, but much less of one for other stuff we might want to be doing - e.g. learning and researching formations, focusing on raising our Arts, etc.
Exploration/Sect Jobs/Etc are very important to do... but like everything else, they hit diminishing return if we do more than once a week, and then they are hit by other dimnishing return simply because the stronger we are the more able we are to do them and the more 'worth' out of each of them we can get.
Basically, if you unpack the "Etc" you will find that there is enough variety to do concurrently without diminishing returns even without working on cultivation rank.
There is a limit to jobs and exploring, but much less of one for other stuff we might want to be doing - e.g. learning and researching formations, focusing on raising our Arts, etc.
Basically, if you unpack the "Etc" you will find that there is enough variety to do concurrently without diminishing returns even without working on cultivation rank.
I'd argue against those things slowing our cultivation. Skill training comes through art and cultivation training or social action, and combat art is not only capped by cultivation level (E.G, next level of FVM needs mid yellow), but is also cost more resources the lower our cultivation level is. We need to obtain many more spirit stones to obtain the same combat art learning bonus at early yellow/silver compared to mid yellow/silver, and the same apply for late yellow/silver (hell, we actually can't obtain as much even when spending a lot more).
This in turns means we need to sacrifice more sect points we would have been able to keep were we higher cultivation.
I'll disagree on both: Social Taboo has been shown to not work at all with such minute things. Kang Zihao had no issue whatsoever trying to kill us when we were late red. He's going to have no trouble at all attacking us at early yellow/silver. Now, there is currently a bit of pressure from Cai, but don't doubt that it's about time there, not about our actual level.
I disagree, Kang Zihao definitely cares about social taboo and making himself come off in the best light. The whole attack was framed as him being a loyal citizen of the empire, defending the weak from the dastardly and conniving Bai and he only went for Ling Qi because he lost his temper over insult to his father and social standing. Just because he had a momentary loss of reason doesn't mean he'll always act so thoughtlessly.
"How pitiful," the handsome boys calm and charismatic voice echoed out over the sound of falling grit. "For one of such status to abuse their lessers. Have you no shame, serpent of the lakes?"
"Do not speak to me of shame," Bai Meizhen spit in response, struggling to her feet. Ling Qi felt a spark of fury when she saw how badly her friends legs were bleeding again. "Do you think me a fool? I had wondered why these curs had elected to bare their teeth so."
"It is my duty to protect the people of the empire from traitorous vermin," Kang Zihao responded smoothly, his posture not changing a bit. "Much as it is fathers to protect our holy empress. I can no more ignore their plight than he would an assassin's knife, and is that not what your entire clan truly is, serpent?"
Bai Meizhen drew herself up, staring down imperiously at the young man despite the difference in their height. "Do not speak as if your family holds a position of pride fool. The Empress will tire of your father in time, just as she has her other playthings. Do you truly think you are something special Kang Zihao?"
For the first time his expression changed, a simple narrowing of the eyes. It happened at the same moment that he spun, deflecting Cui's fangs with his shield and throwing the furious serpent back. "I will bandy no further words with you, serpent. Let us see how well you do without your servant blinding the opposition."
No offence meant to Cui but he's a typical snake, acting as a sycophant or true noble when it suits him so that there's never anything to actually call him out on. If Cai hadn't been there he'd probably blame it all on us attacking him when he was only interested in Meizhen. I imagine he's too skilled a social climber to attack us while there's still question of whether he'll be seen as on the side of the just. I can imagine he'd send other people after us if we do something to gain his interest though.
"Lady Cai, please understand the statement you are making. I struck only for the good of the Sect, and of course, the province of Duchess Cai. The presence of one of the Bai…"
"Thank you Lady Cai," he replied, Ling Qi might have even thought him sincere if she didn't know better. "While I can understand an exemption for that one," he glanced pointedly at Ling Qi. "As we all have our seconds. What is THAT doing here?" He asked, disgust in his voice as he pointed Ji Rong.
What about training Formations? By far the best way to get anything out of it is the Archive action, something we've never been able to take for lack of time.
combat art is not only capped by cultivation level (E.G, next level of FVM needs mid yellow), but is also cost more resources the lower our cultivation level is
Combat arts being capped isn't really an issue for us right now; we've got at least one art that we haven't touched yet and another that we are planning on getting ASAP, so I think those will last us a while even with our current caps.
The resource argument is a fair one, but I think that it might be double-counting things. We already say that e.g. breaking through to Mid Yellow would give us an extra 2 dice for most actions, for around 8 dice; you don't need to count those dice again when saying that art cultivation would be cheaper.
Ok, we need to seriously double down on sect jobs then. If we would be spending 3 red and 3 yellow at late yellow and silver, that's 33 red stones, or 6.5 sect contribution points.
The thing is that cultivation caps our accomplishments in other arts. We can't get anything more then 6 dots in any attribute or skill. That's a pretty big cap, which won't be moved until we reach Green stage. We should continue cultivating so that we may break trough when we are ready. And Bai peers shall soon reach Peak Yellow and begin their breakthroughs to Green stage. While we can't reach Peak Yellow and breakthrough without compromising our breakthrough bonuses (that is Art mastery), I would like to minimize the number of Auto-successes they have in case we get into conflict with them. Likewise I'd like to maximize the number of auto-successes we have against the weaker cultivators, so that they need to pay a heavy price if they gang up on us. As such it seems optimal to reach Late Yellow/Silver and stay there while training Arts.
Regarding prices of cultivation, we currently have some cores which we can sell for some money, while it will probably consume a minor action, it should tide us over for a turn or two.
Then we have his father beast materials and the mimic core to sell.
We have a LOT of stuff, we just need to decide what we don't need.
We still have the Qi Foundation Pill and Red Restoration Pill, even though they are useless for us. We should probably gift it away/sell it. At this point we are suffering from not having enough inventory spaces.
Here's the thing: Do we actually know if selling these cores is the most efficient usage of them? They clearly have other uses, and we don't know the specifics of those uses. We should ask someone (Su Ling) how to use them, maybe they can be useful for things other than feeding our spirit beast or selling them.
The plan of working steadily, if not rushing, Late Yellow/Silver before taking stock of things and doing more exploration before seriously gunning for Peak seems solid. Of course, life will get in the way and if Zihao hits green or similar bullshit that's gonna be real hard to stick to. But it's a decent goal to aim for that falls short of 'all the things'.
Yellow stones and auto-successes are a big deal and worth the hassle, but Peak will be costly and breakthroughs are never assured.
Well, yeah. There will always be tradeoffs. But while I'm pretty sure we're going to plug away at physical and spiritual relentlessly, saying MAYBE we can skip that for a week or two when we hit Late Yellow/Silver for a week or two seems solid.
Plan Moongrizing was the plan that won in the end. It will cultivate bonus physical, physical, SCS, AMA, EPC and exploring what the egg does. With the Argent Elixir we will be busting through AS 5 as well.
That's kinda hard to calculate since different cultivations have different number of dies. While Yellow Stones are considered expensive, since they give 10 dies for 10 Red Spirit Stones, they are applied to every single one, so its far more efficient then using Pills. This is extremely important for Cultivation Arts, for which we are lacking in dies, and are the slowest to cultivate.
That reminds me, we may have a problem if the EPC requires Middle Yellow to cultivate EPC 2, since it will be a big slowdown.
"Let's take a break Li Suyin," Ling Qi said, releasing her friend from the hold she had pulled her into when she overextended. The two of them had been training for two hours at this point, and even Ling Qi had begun to sweat a bit.
Li Suyin panted for breath, red faced from exertion as she rubbed her throat, likely sore from Ling Qi's grab. "I'm sorry. I should be better by now," she said as she tried to catch her breath.
"You're doing fine," Ling Qi sighed. She glanced around, it was just the two of them at the moment. Bai Meizhen was off at her new lessons and Su Ling was off gathering materials for some project of hers. "You surprised me with that wood art though, when did you get that?"
"I-I did a few missions for the sect last week," Li Suyin stumbled on her words a bit as she began to breath more evenly, dropping to the ground to begin meditating and recovering her qi. "I thought… if I could just ensure that I could take an attack, I can counter afterward."
Ling Qi rubbed the knuckles on her right hand, she had scraped them pretty raw against the ridges of bark that the technique had formed over her friends forearm. It had been the only time that the girl had any success in jabbing her with those steel needles she had begun playing with too. "That's not a bad idea, are you planning to use poison with those little things? I don't really see them being much use otherwise." She left unsaid that in a real fight Suyin just needed to land a touch to do some real damage.
The blue haired girl cast a frustrated look at the gleaming needles in the new pouch at her belt. "I… no, not poison," she sounded a little unhappy, narrowing her single eye at the implements. "I just… need to improve my precision."
Ling Qi furrowed her brows as she sat down across from the other girl, settling herself comfortably in the grass, she had to be careful not to have her dress ride up, but she was getting good at that. She still needed new shoes though. "...Like acupuncture or something?" Ling Qi asked, remembering now why the needles had looked familiar. She had stolen a set to fence when she was ten.
"In a way," Li Suyin replied uncomfortably. "If i use my qi correctly and hit the place, I can disrupt your qi flow a little. It would have caused minor muscle spasms in your arm for a half minute or so if it had worked." She let out a tired breath. "I'm still not good enough though."
"You're doing fine," Ling Qi replied firmly. "Don't give yourself unreasonable expectations," she winced as Li Suyin's shoulders slumped. Ling Qi supposed that was a pretty rude thing for her to say. "Anyway," Ling Qi bulled forward, coughing into her hand. "Do you know anything about formations? Beyond what Elder Su taught us in class I mean."
Li Suyin's expression grew briefly bewildered at the sudden change in subject. "Um, a little," she responded after a moment, voice tinged with confusion. "I have not really had the time to study them beyond a few basic alarms and spirit wards for our home."
"I might have to ask you about those," Ling Qi mused before shaking her head. "I was hoping you could help me study some formations I have on hand. I thought working on them together would be a good use for our downtime, you're better at this kind of thing anyway."
"Oh!" Li Suyin replied, nodding quickly. "Of course, I will be happy to help you with anything you need Ling Qi," she said brightly. Ling Qi silently congratulated herself, Suyin hadn't looked so happy in weeks. "I mean… I hope I can help you… I well, I have not had time to study much of late," and just like that her friend had started to come back down again.
"No time to begin like the present though," Ling Qi hurried to add, drawing the tokens out of her storage ring where she had placed them in preparation. "So, they're kind of… puzzles, so I need your help figuring out the solution…"
The two of you ended up heading back to her and Li Suyin's hidey hole to study the tokens, as Li Suyin did apparently have a couple of basic primers on formations among her now somewhat tattered library. Ling QI wondered how much those had cost her mortal family, or if she had purchased them herself since coming here.
She probably could have gotten better by going to the archive, but that wasn't the point. It was… nice, being able to just sit down and study with Li Suyin again, sitting across from her at the makeshift table that they had managed to set up in their cave home. Just taking the time to relax, work out the surprisingly complex puzzle and trade questions with the academic girl was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
The fact that between the two of them, they managed to open both remaining tokens was just a bonus really.
Gained 3 Highsun Pills: Adds five dice to the cultivation of all Meridians.Triggers a bonus physical cultivation roll with a bonus of three,
Gained 3 Darkmoon Pills: Adds five dice to the cultivation of Qi. Triggers a bonus Spiritual cultivation roll with a bonus of three.
Ling Qi was glad to see Li Suyin smiling again by the time they were done. "Thanks for the help Li Suyin," she said, feeling pretty pleased herself. "I was worried that was going to take another few weeks to crack open."
"It was no trouble," the blue haired girl replied happily, sliding the pill bottle she had unlocked over to Ling Qi. "I am just glad to have been able to help you with something."
"I'm glad I asked," Ling Qi said, glancing around the little cave. It was still pretty rough… but it looked like they were beginning to make to comfortable. "How long are you two going to stay out here anyway?" Ling Qi asked. "This place is starting to look nicer, but wouldn't a real house be better?"
Li Suyin's smile faded a bit and she reached up to toy nervously with her eyepatch. "I… I do not know. I think Su Ling might actually prefer it, and I am not certain I disagree," she admitted, glancing away. "I… at the very least I want to challenge that girl before I even consider it," she added, clenching her fist. "Just a few more weeks, I will break through to Yellow Soul soon, I know it."
"I'll look forward to celebrating your success," Ling Qi replied confidently gathering up her new resources. She just might have to take the time to ensure Li Suyin got herself a fair fight too. It couldn't hurt to keep an eye on the girls challenge to make sure no one pulled anything untoward.
With the tokens taken care of Ling Qi began to focus on cultivation and training, she had broken through, but it still wasn't enough, if she slowed down now, she knew it would just make her a target, and drag Meizhen down besides. She spent much of her mornings with the pale girl, sharing the slip for the Argent Mirror technique with her and practicing the art herself. She enjoyed cultivating it, if only because her stresses and worries seemed less urgent while she was cultivating the tranquil qi of lake and mountain.
It… put things a little more in perspective she supposed. As days passed and she continued to practice, she felt more sure of herself, more confident in her growing abilities. Constant self reflection was not entirely positive though, as she found herself thinking more and more about her goals… or lack thereof. Strength and freedom were something to strive toward… but the more she thought about it, the more they seemed empty to her, when considered alone. What did she want to achieve with the strength she was gaining? Protecting the handful of people she had become close to of course, as well as surviving, but those were short term and reactionary.
What did she want to do with her life?
LIng Qi couldn't answer that question yet, but somehow, she thought that was fine. She had time now, to think and decide for herself. She would train hard at the sect, fulfill her service to the empire and figure things out along the way. She wasn't a mortal anymore, doomed to die after a mere few decades. She had time.
Gained 2 Snowy Peak Pills: Adds five dice to all art cultivation rolls. Triggers one qi increase roll per art, up to two at maximum.
Effects:
-Users gain seven bonus dice to all cultivation attempts up until Late Yellow Soul Stage.
-Users gain a four bonus successes on all attempts to expand their Qi pool up to a maximum of forty.
-User reduces the successes needed for opening Meridians by one. Effect becomes permanent
-User Gains +4 bonus Qi. Effect becomes permanent
-Users may reroll a failed check or test once per turn.
-User may bind Grade 1 spirits
-Total Spirit Upkeep reduced by 2, to a minimum of one
-User's Breakthrough Value increases by 5. Effect becomes permanent
Rerolling 4
2 3 10 10. 2 successes. 20 total +5 auto from vent. 25 total
25/20. Art acquired
6 overflow to qi
23/26
6 overflow to physical
85/120 +4 Auto
89/120
Argent Mirror Art
Mountain, Lake
Balanced
The early form of the Sects defensive and perceptive arts. Through inner tranquility and surety of self, allows the user to defend against and dispel enemy illusions and crippling techniques as well. Through clarity of mind it allows the user to judge with world with sharp and clear eyes.
Passive Effects
-Allows training of the 'Resilience' Mastery
-Provides two dice to all tests and clashes to resist or bypass illusion effects
-Provides a one die bonus to composure and resolve tests
-Allows the user to know the cultivation stage living things within fifty meters
Serene Reflection: oo
Cost: 5 qi
Instant
The user balances and cycles their qi, expelling external influences. Dispels a single negative effect of two dots or less from the user, and grants two additional die to spiritual defense against the effects caster for two turns.
Discerning Gaze: oo
Cost: 4 Qi
Channeling qi into their senses the user greatly enhances their ability to discern the truth of the world, gaining three additional dice on all perception and empathy tests for three turns, in addition if the user is under the effects of an illusion or other sense affecting technique, they receive an immediate attempt to break out of it, with a two die bonus.
Soon enough she felt her Argent Foundation settle fully into place, seeping into her flesh and bones like a strengthening elixir, thickening the layer of pure qi around her dantian. She spent some time after practicing the breathing and meditative exercises of the Argent Soul technique, and sure enough, she could feel the lack of further improvement. She had taken the art as far as she could given the information she had.
Which of course simply meant that it was time to begin working on Eight Phase Ceremony. That proved difficult though. The initial exercises required that she practice at night, and find a high isolated place to meditate. Even with the clarity granted by Argent Soul she found herself unable to even sense the qi of the stars and moon, let alone draw it in and absorb it. She was going to need more time to figure it out.
Ling Qi was growing better at managing her time though, getting a better handle on just how much she actually needed to sleep and how much she should cultivate before it grew inefficient, and so she found herself with a bit more time.
A significant part of that was spent browsing the archives for information on Spirit Beasts, and the care of young ones.
She had a bit of frustration at first, in her failure to figure out the archives organization system. She ended up poking through all sorts of only tangentially related texts, before noticing the helpful… if tiny signs indicating sections plated to the shelves. Thankfully the archive was not exactly busy in the dead of night, so the only one who witnessed her awkward wonderings were the bored seventeen year old disciple reshelving and cleaning… and Xuan Shi, but she wasn't sure the second even noticed.
The boy had a table in the corner stacked with dozens of books and scrolls, and barely looked up from his manuscripts even when she passed through the nearby shelves. It was weird, they weren't even formation texts or technique scrolls, she saw a couple of history texts, and scholarly treatises… but some of the titles looked like fiction.
She supposed he could do whatever he wanted with Ji Rong's pass though, so she didn't pay the odd boy any further mind, finding her own table to sit at with the stack of bestiarys and other such texts she had pulled down from the shelves. It was a daunting task, particularly since she wasn't exactly a speed reader, but she wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing.
She spent a few nights like that , studying up on animal care and tortoise species in particular. The Volcanic Tyrant Tortoise was apparently native to the fiery islands of the northern ocean, only rarely appearing on the mainland, so the sects information was limited. They were classified as spirits of fire and mountain under the imperial system, and were noted as a temperamental and destructive species, prone to a great deal of collateral damage when angered. There was even less on the care for their young, as it seemed that the creatures rarely bred outside of their home islands. It seemed that they usually made their nests in lava fields and caldera's though.
Ling Qi had never imagined that the earth bled fire, but apparently that was a thing in those distant lands.She didn't think she could acquire a volcanic vent anywhere though. Thankfully one particularly musty tome suggested that its writer had found some success with placing an egg in the a firing kiln for incubation, as well as a large bonfire, though this was apparently slower.
She could probably rig up something of the sort. She would consider using the kilns in the production halls, but she had a feeling that would cost far too many sect points in the long run. A quick run to a different part of the archive revealed some simple methods for constructing crude kilns and forges in the treatises on historical engineering. It might take a few tries, but she thought she could put together something that would work.
On actual care… there wasn't much of anything to found, so she would have to wing that a little. The cores of other beasts and other heavily qi infused materials were the best food for young spirit beasts. She would probably have to do a little more hunting once the egg hatched.
For now though, she had a few ideas for getting the egg to hatch, it would take time to set up though, so she would have to begin later, as she still had many things to do this week
The first of which was trying to patch things up with Han Jian. Thankfully, she had what she hoped was a good way to get herself involved past superficial level of practicing with them. She waited until the day's session was winding down before approaching Han Jian, who had sat down to clean and sharpen his blade in the wake of the sparring.
"Han Jian, do you mind if I ask you something?" She asked, stopping at a respectful distance away. The others were all doing their own various cool down activities.
He looked up from his blade, his usual friendly expression in place. "Sure thing. Did you want to ask about a different weapon?" He asked kindly. "You seem to be getting the hang of a bow pretty quickly," he said, thankfully not pointing out the number of times she had overbalanced and fallen over while learning to swing around the heavy guandao she had taken to practicing with.
It wasn't that she couldn't handle the weight, which was odd on it's own. She wouldn't have even been able to lift such a thing as a mortal, even with the strength exercise she had gotten since coming to the sect. It was just hard to keep her balance when swinging it around. She wasn't really sure why she had chosen it honestly, beyond a whim and a brief imagining of standing atop the shell of her tortoise companion, laughing and crushing all comers like a warrior queen of old.
...Well, okay, perhaps she did know the reason. It was a little childish, but it wasn't like she was doing any harm. "No, it's not that," she replied quickly. "Thank you for the instruction though," she added.
"It's no trouble," Han Jian replied laying his sword across his knees. "It's good to have a varied base of weapon skills. I'm pretty good with a spear and saber, too, even if I prefer the sword," he said confidently. "I'd suggest taking the time to learn at least a little bit of the sword at some point, or maybe the spear. It's expected that a noble have a bit of grounding with those."
Ling Qi frowned a bit, diverted from her original intent. "Bai Meizhen has said some stuff like that too… but what do you mean? I'm not a noble, I know all cultivators can't be, otherwise every city guard would be."
Han Jian's smile strained a bit, but surprisingly, it was Fan Yu who answered from nearby where he had sat down to meditate. "Don't play the fool," he said sourly, giving her an unfriendly look. "At your rate of growth…" He clenched his fists. "You will end up with an imperial writ."
Ling Qi stared at him blankly before turning back to Han Jian with a questioning look. He in turn scrubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. "If you do not already have a clan affiliation, achieving Green Soul or Bronze Physique before the age of twenty earns you a writ granting the right to own a manor and start a clan once your service is over. It's essentially the lowest title, even if you have to negotiate with the province governors of wherever you settle to finalize the status. I don't think you're going to have any trouble with that," he explained, his smile becoming self deprecating.
"Oh," Ling Qi replied, feeling awkward. She hadn't really considered that there was already rules for that kind of thing marking who exactly was noble and not.
"Really Ling Qi, you may want to sit down and study such things for a time," Gu Xiulan chipped in from her own seated position across the field. "Especially if you are going to be so stubborn about courting," she added teasingly.
Ling Qi flushed a little and shot the girl a glare. "...Anyway, I was just wondering if you guys still had your tokens from Elder Zhou's test."
It was Han Jian's turn to look a little bewildered. "I… suppose?" He replied questioningly. "I saw no reason to throw them away anyway."
Ling Qi grinned, it was probably a little bad to be glad that they hadn't gained the benefits already, but it meant she could help. "Well, you should all bring them along next time. Li Suyin and I managed to unlock the formation puzzles on them, they all have some pretty good elixirs and pills hidden inside."
Even Han Fang looked up at that, and Han Jian blinked once, then twice, before slapping his forehead. "...Of course they would do something like that. I've been so busy I didn't even think too…"
"Oh do not trouble yourself Jian," Gu Xiulan piped up cheerfully. "None of us have exactly been studious in regards to that kind of thing."
"I can unlock them for you easily," Ling Qi replied, cutting back in. "I owe you all that much. I know I've been very focused lately, but I was hoping to make sure you know how grateful I am for your help."
Han Jian shook his head, a slightly bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "...Of course, I'll thankfully accept your assistance," he said, looking back up with renewed confidence. "Sorry if I've been a little short myself. Things have been a little stressful since the end of the truce."
She didn't miss the way Fan Yu's shoulders hunched at those words, or the slight tightness in Han Fang's expression. "It's no trouble," she assured them. She might not know the exact reasons for their stress, but she had an inkling. She was just glad her offer had been well received.
"I suppose not," Han Jian replied musingly. "Thank you in any case."
She unlocked their tokens at the next day's training, feeling quite pleased at the gratitude from Han Jian and the others. Even Fan Yu simply remained silent and sullen rather than snappish. She felt like the atmosphere in the training field had normalized a bit, despite the remaining undercurrent of tension. She didn't really make any progress in regards to trying to insinuate herself into the group outside of training, but han Jian had mentioned inviting her along if they went hunting in the forest. He apparently wanted to give everyone more actual combat experience.
She would have to be satisfied with that for now, and Gu Xiulan's slightly nervous agreement to accompany her and Meizhen to the market at the end of the week
"Thank you for agreeing to come along," Ling Qi said to Meizhen as they left the house, heading for Xiulan's home.
"It is no trouble," Bai meizhen replied, briefly glancing up and down the street before turning to follow Ling Qi, her hands hidden by the voluminous sleeves of the white and blue gown she was wearing today. "I require a number of items from the market myself, I do not mind advising you on appropriate footwear along the way."
"Yeah," Ling Qi grimaced, even if she could stamp her foot on a sharp stone and not feel much more than a bit of pressure, she could admit that she looked a little silly walking around barefoot. "I'm more worried about all this hair," she grumbled, blowing a few stray strands of her curly hair out of her eyes. It's always a pain to deal with, but I'm not sure I want to cut it short again."
"You should not," Bai meizhen agreed, sending a few girls scurrying out of their way as they continued up the street. "It is inappropriate for a lady," she frowned slightly, giving Ling Qi an examining look. "I am afraid I cannot offer much advice however. I have never cut or altered my hairstyle. It is against tradition to do so before marriage or achieving the Green Soul Stage."
Ling Qi gave her a surprised look, eyeing Meizhen's snowy white locks, her hair was long, about down to the middle of her back, but that still didn't make sense. "You have to have had it cut at some point, it would be down at your feet otherwise." She tried to ignore the fact that Meizhen wasn;t the only one receiving looks of wary respect, concern and other not entirely negative expressions. It still made her feel awkward.
Bai Meizhen offered a tiny shrug of her shoulders. "Our hair grows very slowly, hence why it is traditional to refrain from making hasty changes before one can be considered an adult."
Ling QI hummed thoughtfully as they approached Gu Xiulan's door. She supposed that made sense, she'd be kind of reluctant to do anything to her hair if it would take years to grow back. She knocked twice on the door and then stepped back to wait beside Meizhen. It only took a minute for the other girl to answer, opening the door to reveal herself dressed in the gown she had picked out when she had last gone shopping with Ling Qi.
Ling Qi, good morning," Gu Xiulan said brightly, Ling Qi thought there was a hint of something nervous in her tone and expression though, as the other girl, quickly turned to Bai Meizhen and clasped her hands together bowing her head. Ling Qi vaguely recognized the posture as one of deference to a social superior, though the precise degree eluded her. It looked weird coming from Gu Xiulan. "Miss Bai, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Bai Meizhen dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement, regarding the other girl neutrally. "Gu Xiulan, I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well," Bai Meizhen replied formally, before briefly glancing over at Ling Qi. "But please, refer to me by name. This is an informal gathering, for the benefit of our mutual friend."
Gu Xiulan looked pleased, a slight smile curving her painted lips as she straightened up. "Of course, thank you for the courtesy Bai Meizhen," she replied just as formally, but a little of the tension had drained out of her. "Ling Qi can be a somewhat of a handful, can she not?" Gu Xiulan asked, a bit of her normal teasing entering her tone. "She can be so stubborn about such basic things at times. I cannot believe it has taken her this long to stop wearing those ratty sandals," despite the way she was easing into more casual speech, Ling Qi thought she still sounded a little wary.
Bai Meizhen glanced at Ling Qi, pursing her lips. "...Quite. I suppose I have you to thank for her no longer dressing like a vagrant," she replied, allowing her tone to grow less stiff as well.
"I'm standing right here," Ling Qi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at the two of them. If a little teasing was the cost of two of her friends getting along she could handle it. "And there was nothing wrong with my needlework. Those disciple uniforms needed more pockets."
The both of them paused and looked at her for a moment, Gu Xiulan's smile regaining a bit of its sharp edge, while Bai Meizhen simply regarded Ling Qi with her usual coolness. "She is rather stubborn, isn't she?" Gu Xiulan replied conversationally, seeming to ignore her. "I cannot tell you how much of a fight it was to get her to clean up a little in the first place."
"Willfulness is hardly a negative trait," Bai Meizhen conceded, glancing over to Ling Qi. "But in this case I find it misplaced. I believe her capable of learning."
"Oh, I'm going to regret introducing you two, aren't I?" Ling Qi sighed. "Can we just get going?"
This had gone better than she had feared, given the last time she had attempted to introduce her friends… if only because she suspected Bai Meizhen was making an earnest attempt to be friendly by her measure, and Gu Xiulan was afraid of offending her. The three of them set off toward the market, quietly chatting as they went. Ling Qi mostly listened to the two of them as the two made polite inquiries about the well being of each other's family. She kind of felt like she was missing something even as she tried to remember what she heard.
Most of it went over her head, beyond a vague understanding that Gu Xiulan's father was overseeing a major expansion into 'lost lands'. Bai Meizhen only spoke a little of her own home, there was something about pearl exports and new island outposts, and a need for good steel…
In any case, by the time they had left the residential area their chatter had turned to more immediate things, the both of them seemingly coming to an unspoken agreement to let more serious things lie.
Ling Qi was glad, she had been feeling a little lost, so even if it wasn't preferred, debating about needlework and embroidery with Gu Xiulan, or cuts of clothing with Meizhen were better than the odd back and forth they had begun with.
Their shopping trip took up a fair portion of the afternoon, but Ling Qi didn't mind the time spent. She was able to pick up a few comfortable pairs of shoes, mostly the soft soled slippers that the both of her friends insisted were proper wear for a young lady. She could admit that she liked them, particularly the pair with the silver flower embroidery, but she still insisted on picking up a nice pair of hardier boots too.
Her hair was more difficult, as it always was, frustrating the hair stylist with its unmanageable nature, but in the end she settled for simply having it gathered and pulled back, pinned with a few understated ornaments, including a little silver crescent moon that she had taken a liking too, with the main length into a neat braid that hung down to the middle of her back. It would be a bit of pain to redo it herself, but she was growing a little more used to the idea that presenting herself well was important.
-3 Red Spirit Stones
Ling Qi idly toyed with the loose hair at the end of her new braid, which was currently hanging over her shoulder and down across her chest. "Does it really look alright?" She asked for what was probably the fifth time, still feeling a little self conscious. For all that she knew it was important, it still felt frivolous and a little silly. It had taken nearly an hour for the braiding to be finished, mostly because her hair kept trying to escape it, in the end the stylist had to use some kind of straightening oil on it to stop the incessant flyaway hairs from springing free.
"It is significantly more elegant," Bai Meizhen replied agreeably from beside her. "Be at ease, Ling Qi," she added with just a touch of exasperation.
"Indeed, do you doubt my judgement so much?" Gu Xiulan sniffed, a small bag of purchases swinging from one hand. "Really, if I did not know you better I would be offended," she added teasingly. "I am sure with a bit of effort you will begin catching eyes everywhere."
"Who says I want to?" Ling Qi replied with a playful snap, she knew the other girl wasn't being serious, so it was a little easier to keep down her offense at the implication.
"There is obviously no need for such a thing," Bai Meizhen added cooly. "There is no need to consider courting at this age. Your prospects will only grow with your cultivation." Gu Xiulan's smile faltered just a tad at that, Ling Qi would probably have missed it entirely a few weeks ago.
Ling Qi rolled her eyes though, choosing not to comment on it. "Yeah I think I can stand to wait for a good, long…"
"MIss Ling?" A male voice, sounding slightly out of breath called from to her right. She blinked in surprise, glancing to her side, where a rather plain faced boy of middling height was approaching nervously to stand in front of them, a letter clasped in his hand. No, there was no way, Gu Xiulan had said, but she…
"What is the meaning of this?" Bai Meizhen asked, disdain on her features, the boy was only a red soul, so it was unsurprising that he shuddered, paling under her regard.
"I am sorry to interrupt your conversation," he replied quickly, bowing low, far lower than Xiulan had. "I am only a lowly messenger, with a letter of invitation for Miss Ling, from Lady Cai."
Meizhen's expression darkened a bit, and Xiulan looked thoughtful but they both glanced to Ling Qi, ceding the next response to her.
She felt awkward under her friends stares, even if she also felt a little relieved. Straightening her shoulders she stepped forward and held out out her hand. "Fine, give me the letter and be on your way," she replied, doing her best to sound dignified.
The boy nodded hastily, looking more than a little relieved himself as he pressed the clean white paper into her hand and backed away, bowing several more times. He did not quite run away once he had gained some distance.
"Well, what does it say?" Gu Xiulan said impatiently, peering over her shoulder. Bai Meizhen simply stood with arms crossed, waiting with apparent patience
Ling Qi flipped open the letter and scanned the contents. She blinked a few times, feeling nonplussed. "She's inviting me to join her for tea at the pavilions on the west side of the mountain in two days, it doesn't say what for though," she replied slowly. She would suspect a trap, but Cai Renxiang really didn't seem the type. "It's just for me too," which was even weirder.
Gu Xiulan's eyebrows climbed high on her forehead. "Well, I wouldn't refuse such an invitation, unless…" she trailed off glancing over to Bai Meizhen.
"Ling Qi has no obligation to me. Who she chooses to associate with is her own choice," Meizhen responded cooly.
Ling Qi frowned, her friend sounded a little unhappy, and she felt like she might be missing something, but she didn't want to sound foolish by asking. "Well… I'll think about it," she decided after a moment. "Let's get home for now. I want to put away my things," she added, raising the bag full of shoes hanging off her arm.
The walk back was a little quieter, but still pleasant enough. Even with the surprise at the end, that had gone well. Maybe she could make a habit of bringing the two girls together. Maybe they could invite Meizhen along next time they used the springs?
Strength 10/15 Both training
Dexterity 14/30 Both training
Stamina 15/20 Training
Intelligence 14/20 Studies
Wits 13/15 Both training
Presence 3/15 Xiulan shopping
Formations 3/12 Suyin
Politics 2/6 Bai Gu combo
Athletics 7/15 Both training
Empathy 2/12 General social
Dodge 2/25
Unarmed 7/9
Archery 3/3 New Dot gained!
Heavy Polearm 1/3
You have FIVE Major actions
[] Train by hunting with Han Jian and his group
-[] Physical or art
[] Train at the vent with Suyin and Su Ling
-[] Any
[] Take a job
-[] Specify
[] Visit the Archive
-[] Search for a technique
-[] Study formations
[] Work on getting the egg to hatch
[] See about getting some payback, start scouting out the habits and patterns of those who have offended you
[] Cultivate on your own
-[] Physical
-[] Spiritual
-[] Qi
-[] Meridian (which one?)
-[] Art(Which one?)
You have THREE minor actions. TWO minor actions may be traded for one additional major one. In addition, up to one additional minor action may be attached to a Major action as a subvote, provided both involve the same character.
[] Have a girls day out with Bai Meizhen and Gu Xiulan
[] Li Suyin is doing better, coax her out into studying, and talk to her about her plans
[] Spend some time with Su Ling, perhaps you can learn a little bit of hunting tactics and harvesting from her
[] Ask Su Ling about how to make use of beast cores, and the value of those you have
[] Ask Han Jian to give you a little instruction about the politics of your situation. He seems like a more unbiased source
[] Bring up the idea of training together with Meizhen. You are strong enough now, right?
[] Accept Cai Renxiang's invitation to tea
[] Head to the market for some shopping
