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

[Winged_One]

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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."