Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
We'll see how it goes. We can expect to see the 12 Stars nomads prioritizing our position, which is good because it's the bulk of the numbers/higher cultivation that we know are going to act.
Those who came with the shishigui seem more likely to aid in his fight though, which includes 3 G3s, our shaman rival, and the one injured Dancer who escaped us. If those all start piling on her, she's going to quickly be in trouble, and she doesn't have access to her normal maneuver of flying out of close range for breathing room. We'll have limited ability to draw the heat off her if it doesn't want to be drawn, while defending our position.
Of course, she'll understand the tactical value of the choice we've made and how it contributes to the broader goals of the engagement and beyond. She's pretty good at looking at things rationally. Though I do wonder if some tiny, growing but still unseen by even herself irrational part of Renxiang will look at her losing a fight against an entity of superior cultivation and wonder where her help is. Can't anyone swoop in and protect her from the irresistible odds? Is this fair? Wasn't she a good girl?
That's only if she starts getting overwhelmed though!~
Those who came with the shishigui seem more likely to aid in his fight though, which includes 3 G3s, our shaman rival, and the one injured Dancer who escaped us. If those all start piling on her, she's going to quickly be in trouble, and she doesn't have access to her normal maneuver of flying out of close range for breathing room. We'll have limited ability to draw the heat off her if it doesn't want to be drawn, while defending our position.
Of course, she'll understand the tactical value of the choice we've made and how it contributes to the broader goals of the engagement and beyond. She's pretty good at looking at things rationally. Though I do wonder if some tiny, growing but still unseen by even herself irrational part of Renxiang will look at her losing a fight against an entity of superior cultivation and wonder where her help is. Can't anyone swoop in and protect her from the irresistible odds? Is this fair? Wasn't she a good girl?
That's only if she starts getting overwhelmed though!~
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Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Don't worry, Senior Brother Ruan is going to rescue her~~
Hmm, yeah makes sense. He can console her in the aftermath of the battle while she's giving us the much deserved cold shoulder too.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
I dunno, CRX and LQ are isolated because of the starstone heist. Suddenly switching priorities doesn't seem logical. Plus, there's something to be said about splitting enemy focus between two different targets, instead of allowing them to concentrate on a single, more powerful one. While LQ might not help CRX in any immediate manner, any enemy that she draws to her is one that's not attacking CRX.
Plus, I feel like with LQ absent in near vicinity, CRX can throw her nukes with impunity. That should also help.
P.S. It's probably too late for this but eh. Better late then never.
- Location
- At the end of the world
That actually is a good argument, because CRX herself told us of indiscriminate nature of some of her Arts.
Also music for mood.
Neither, really? Though a little bit the former, I guess. Just presentation-wise.
The musing on Renxiang's possible only recently un-stunting emotional response at not having backup when facing a dangerous situation in a context related to someone she trusts is just genuine musing on my part. The kinds of thoughts and priorities she was shown having with Ling Qi potentially lead to a reaction to perceived lack of reciprocation, and we know she has issues with her former guardian related to the incident in meeting her mother. Betrayal of trust and such. This wouldn't be any kind of overt, and maybe not relevant at all, thing if it did happen, just a small lingering fraction of a doubt even she couldn't put a finger on.
It'd be fun! People coming into conflict, or failing to come into conflict, through no fault of their own due to their circumstances is fun, whether outright or vanishingly subtle.
Maybe it's not to your taste? That's fine. But please, continue to interrogate my motives.
I think the Nomads who were with the shishigui haven't jumped into action towards anything in particular yet? The shaman's the least impacted by Renxiang's opener nuke, so the only one we've really seen in the fray so far. Him and the 3 G3 Nomads that were part of that group seem decently likely to back up their dude. It's the 12 Stars Nomads who we've seen going hard for the starstone after we shot it away, I think.
- Location
- United States of America
Given the state that those Cloud Nomads were in, I'm not positive that they will be doing anything for quite a while. Exposed muscle due to burns is no joke, but if I had to peg an action they would take, it would likely be going after the starstone. A lot more people seem to be going for the starstone so they will have some protection in the numbers, and if the Shishigui group loses the starstone they lose a lot of bargaining power in any deals they want to make. If some of them at least go and attempt to retrieve the stone, they will have some grounds to discuss what happens to it, assuming they recover it at all.
Jensaarai
Sing Victory Everlasting
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well, for one it's you, but also the latter part is kinda snide musing to throw out after the vote's closed. I-told-you-so style comments don't exactly benefit the discussion or thread mood. What kind of response are you expecting from this?
But seriously, If after the battle and icy lady didn't do nothing, can we social fight her?
Social arts in war, it's bound to happen
Social arts in war, it's bound to happen
- Location
- United States of America
Alas, we would lose. Probably.
We prepared for this attack by equipping our war arts, which necessitates that our more social arts are left to the side. So if the Ice Lady wants a social war, its likely she has some confidence in her preparedness for such a conflict, and we... really don't.
It would be pretty interesting to see if the Lady wants to do some negotiations and trips on our domain something fierce. Because we are not simply going to let our family go without a fight.
That seems like a silly thing for them to do, for a few reasons. First, backing up your heavy hitter in a fight generally seems like the sensible thing to do in terms of tactical flexibility of them as an asset and your group not getting murdered completely, unless you're completely outclassed like by realm gaps. Second, it is the shishigui emissary who is best suited to securing the starstone, so freeing him up is the most decisive action they can take. Third, they're ultimately trying to get that starstone into the hands of the 12 Stars guys anyway, so it seems fine to leave retrieval to them so long as there's other pressing issues to deal with. And last, if the 12 Stars Nomads can't be trusted with independent retrieval, then they're not really reliable allies in the sense of protection in numbers.
Overall, I'm really skeptical of the Nomads who were with the shishigui dude ditching him to go for the starstone.
It's not snide and it's not a told-you-so, nor was it intended to be either. The response I'd expect, if any, would be engagement with the ideas themselves, even just to pan them. Positive or negative reception really isn't my business to dictate to anyone.
- Location
- Florida
Alternatively ice lady will start fighting us and hanyi's locket with her on our lap will fall opening when we're about to be defeated-
Bug eyed ice lady will stop for a brief second about to say something- JOJO CAVALRY INTERRUPT
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Growing Pains
- Location
- Canada
@yrsillar
SV ate some of my formatting so if anyone sees any sentences that needs a line between them, or a section that should be in italics, do let me know.
Enjoy!
Growing Pains
Ling Qi's visit to her mother's home—her home technically—was prompted by a sudden opening in her schedule. She had intended to visit Meihzen for an early morning tea session, but on arrival at the Bai's dwelling had found her absent.
Neglecting to notify her friend of her visit beforehand would not usually be an issue, Meihzen lived a structured life, and Ling Qi knew the other girl's schedule well enough from their time living together.
Unfortunately, she had failed to consider what Bao Qingling might do to the other girl's carefully arranged agenda.
Annoyingly enough, she found herself irritated at the missed opportunity, and even more irritated at the slight sting of jealousy that had burrowed into her gut. The emotion was persistent and unwanted like mosquitoes at the height of summer.
As much as she'd changed, she was still herself, she mused internally.
In response, her own internal muse sent her the odd sensation of non-corporal eyes rolling in exasperation. 'Jealousy is not an emotion unique to you, greedy girl.'
Ling Qi allowed her lips to turn upwards at the slight note of teasing in Sixiang's mental voice, and when she responded to the spirit it was with little waspishness. 'Yet, I feel still that I hold more than most in my heart.'
Sixiang's retort came swiftly. 'You also carry more kindness than many of your peers, yet I would not call you kind."
Ling Qi felt a genuine pang of annoyance at the barb. Her spirit knew that empathy was an area she struggled with internally, both in wanting it and in having it. 'Thank you Sixiang, you always know what to say.'
'Ahh, but you are not thinking jealous thoughts anymore are you?' Came the sly rejoinder.
Ling Qi wanted to respond, but knew it would only be playing into the playful spirit's game. Instead, she refocused the greater part of her attention onto the physical world.
She had decided to take the walk to her mother's abode at a mortal pace to give disturbed emotions time to settle. Now she found herself striding up the long stone path to her own front door. Feeling like a stranger at the awed and nervous glances of her mother's household.
'This was not home,' she thought with a momentary pang of melancholy.
But, like a sprinter seeing the finish line, a new train of thought surged forward, finding its second wind. This may not be her home, but it was her mother's and sister's, and that meant something special all on its own.
Newly determined, she looked at her surroundings with fresh eyes.
She took in the carefully maintained garden; how many hours had someone spent on arranging the plum blossoms just so? She watched the fat koi swim careless loops around their pond; whose job was it to make sure they were fed? Her eyes followed a young sparrow as it alighted on an ornamental bird feeder; did Biyu chase them with the same wild glee she chased Ling Qi's animals of mist?
'See,' murmured Sixiang, 'empathy is like any other skill. It must be practiced.'
Ling Qi knew the words to be true, but she also knew just how hard it was to look at the world with empathetic eyes. The world did not often care how it was perceived, it simply existed. Both paradoxically cruel and kind, indifferent yet callous.
As she passed the threshold into the house proper, Ling Qi paused. She turned to a servant who had stepped aside and waited patiently, head down, from the moment she had allowed herself to be seen by mortal eyes.
Her physical senses alone were enough to hear the pounding heart of the mortal, she could even see each individual pore along the woman's prematurely aged face.
Searching for a moment, Ling Qi recalled the woman's name from the list her mother had provided. "Huian, if it does not interfere with the duties assigned by my mother, would you bring my compliments on the work in the garden to whomever it may apply?"
And, with only a courteous tilt of her head, Ling Qi strode through the door without waiting for a response.
In her head, Sixiang sighed with naked exasperation. 'The effort was there, but the execution could use some work, silly girl. She will be frozen there for half the length of a daydream before she has the courage to move.'
Ling Qi found her mother a few moments later. She sat in a high backed oak chair in the sitting room closest to the kitchen. She was listening to a hassled looking woman she recognized as Biyu's nanny with a sympathetic but tired expression, a chilled cup of peach tea resting on the fragile porcelain in front of her.
Knowing that her mother would be aware of her—while she was restraining her domain from manifesting, she was not hiding—she paused at the open threshold so the conversation could finish.
"—leave her room, madame."
"Worry not Lin, I will see to this."
The nanny—Lin—looked stricken at the thought. "No need to trouble yourself madame. It is my duty and you are busy enough as it is, I simply wished to inform you."
"And inform me you have." Ling Qingge stated. "And worry naught. My duty as a mother transcends any other." There was a bitter twist in her mother's expression when she said that, as if she was remembering a failed lesson.
When it looked like the nanny would speak again, Ling Qingge interrupted her. "Besides, it is not just my youngest that I must attend to."
The nanny started slightly, turning to see Ling Qi standing in the doorway. She was mildly impressed at the speed in which the woman regathered herself. It was not enough to fool her eyes, but impressive nonetheless.
Seeing Ling Qi seemed to drain the nanny of any sense of contention. And not for the first time, she was reminded that many of the people working in the house had likely known her mother longer than she had. For this woman to be in charge of Biyu, there was a chance her mother considered the woman—Lin—a genuine friend.
Meanwhile, the nanny likely saw Ling Qi as the powerful sister of her charge or the flighty daughter of her friend. Probably both.
After deep bows towards both of the Lings in the room, the nanny took her leave.
A moment of silence passed before the elder Ling sighed. It was a heavy sound, coming from somewhere deep inside the woman's chest.
Linq Qi furrowed her brows at the action. On one hand, it indicated that her mother was starting to become more comfortable expressing herself around her, on the other hand, it meant the stresses of the situation may be affecting her more than she let on.
"Is something troubling you mother?"
Ling Qingge visibly gathered herself before speaking. "No, I—" She paused, tilting her head slightly before giving it a shake as if reprimanding herself. "In truth it is a minor matter, one that I am more than able to deal with."
It was a clear prompt to move the conversation forward. Instead, Ling Qi drifted closer, placing her palm atop her mother's shoulder. She felt the elder woman tense for a second, before her muscles relaxed, and she murmured. "I forgot who I am dealing with." Ling Qingge smiled nostalgically. "In some ways you are still the child that demanded to know why the sky was blue."
"And what did you tell me?"
"That it had always been blue. That it was simply the way of the world."
"Did I accept that explanation?"
"No." Ling Qingge's eyes were misted over, living in a memory long past. "No you did not."
Ling Qi caught her mother's eye. They both smiled. The moment lingered, but like all things, it Ended.
Ling Qingge sighed again, though this time it flowed from her much more naturally. "It is Biyu actually. It's nothing serious, she's simply in a bad mood and refuses to leave her room today."
"Biyu." Parroted Ling Qi, genuinely surprised. "What in the Empire could be upsetting her?"
Her mother laughed, a natural laugh, not one of those demure titters that were common at the cultivator gatherings she had been attending as of late.
"Oh my daughter, your steps along the path at times blinds me to your age." Ling Qingge smiled at her teasingly. "Biyu is a child. A well-behaved one to be sure, but a child nonetheless. When you visit, it is always a joyous event for her and as such you see her only at her best. Yet, like all children, she has her moments. Tantrums, stubbornness, and difficult situations are all part of the parcel with children ."
Ling Qi had never thought of it that way. Intellectually it was no surprise that Biyu would display such behaviors, but like her mother had said, she had not often seen them first hand.
Before her mind could wander too far down that precarious road, she felt Sixiang poke at the seed of an idea, allowing it to spread its petals and blossom into a fully formed thought.
"Will you let me go talk to her then?" She found herself blurting out. Seeing the look on her mother's face, she rushed to continue. "I'm her sister, I should be fully aware of her, tantrums or no tantrums."
Ling Qingge's expression softened at her explanation, cognizant of the blame her daughter felt compelled to shoulder. "Very well. Be aware, it can be dreadfully difficult to draw her out of one of her moods once she gets going,"
Ling Qi forced a light expression on her face. "A curse passed through the Ling Clan maybe?"
The joke drew a wan but true smile, transforming her mother's features into something more youthful.
*Knock**Knock*
As strange as it may sound, it felt odd to knock on a door. It was one of those strange idiocracies that came with being a higher level cultivator. You could often sense your guests coming from large swaths of distances away. As such, knocking became somewhat superfluous as cultivators climbed the ladder of immortality.
"Go away!"
It was only her superior senses that allowed Ling Qi to hear the muffled voice on the other side of the door. Where a mortal may have heard indistinguishable noise, she heard the petulant tone and youthful voice of her sister as if she was right in front of her.
Deciding to take the initiative, Ling Qi pushed the solid door open and stepped into her sister's room.
She took the room in with a glance.
Her sister lay face down on her oversized bed, tiny feet kicking in the air, already turning to see who the intruder was.
The rest of the room was a bizarre contradiction. Her mother's touch could clearly be seen in the tastefully chosen floral pattern drapes, and the room's light jade wallpaper complimenting the darker mahogany furniture. Yet, other parts of the room were clearly the work of a child not yet understanding the concept of aesthetics.
The wall above the bed was covered in paper drawings of immature design. The subjects of the images ranged across a diverse field. There were little girls riding on the backs of mountain sized tortoises; there were lots of drawings with two older women together with a third smaller girl, one of the figures had miniature stars drawn clumsily into her raven hair; there was even an image of the same small girl from earlier flying high in the sky, reaching out to touch the orange and yellow sun.
The kaleidoscope of colours meshed chaotically, forming an overall image that only a child's mind could comprehend.
Additionally, right next to Biyu's bed, in a place of honor, was a pair of lovely pale blue silk dancing shoes.
Ling Qi's throat tightened, emotion rising within her.
All of this was absorbed in a mere moment, taking no longer than the flapping of a hummingbird's wings.
In the end, it was Biyu herself who knocked Ling Qi from her thoughts. The younger girl had started speaking before she had even fully completed her turn towards the door. "Nanny Lin! I told you I—Big Sis!"
It was interesting seeing her sister's pout transform into a beaming grin as she recognized her, then back to a pout as she seemingly debated if this development merited the reversal of her poor mood.
"Biyu, what is this I hear about you causing trouble for Nanny and Mother?" Ling Qi accompanied the question with a single raised brow that had been embarrassingly beyond her before she joined the Sect.
It seemed the pout won out. "Nanny wants me to do dumb lessons about manners, it's dumb!" She punctuated her sentence with a convinced nod, as if her repeated word proved her point entirely.
As Ling Qi moved deeper into her sister's room, she was provided with the flash of a similar conversation with a different girl in a different place. One with a darker skin tone but the same stubborn tilt of her lips. The knowledge of how she had acted as a child and the accompanying result of those actions led Ling Qi to soften her expression as she lowered herself onto her sister's bed.
"You know, Big Sis has to learn about boring manners too?"
The look she received was skeptical to say the least. "Really?"
"Really!" Ling Qi gave an exaggerated nod, poking at Biyu's belly, making her giggle against her will.
Leaning close, Ling Qi whispered her next words conspiratorially to the giggling and squirming child, widening her eyes so as to appear horrified. "Sometimes my boss even makes me listen to her describe the best way to make tea for over an hour!"
Biyu looked appropriately shocked, a tiny flush bringing additional animation to her face, bright eyes wide at the perceived indignity. "One whole hour?!" A moment later her features contorted, brows scrunching in puzzlement. "Why would Big Sis have a boss? You're the strongest."
Ling Qi laughed, a free, joyous sound reserved for family. It had never occurred to her that Biyu probably did not understand the various way-points along the path of immortality. In her simply childlike view, Big Sis was simply the strongest. It was both flattering and humbling.
"Everyone has a boss, even Big Sis."
"Really?" Ling Qi found herself smiling at the dubious look on her sister's face, as if this was all a giant conspiracy that would end with the words 'and that's why you must eat your vegetables.'
"Really." Reaching out a hand, she ruffled Biyu's hair playfully. The girl pouted at the action, though it was much less moody than her previous one.
"Now, are you going to be a good girl for Nanny and Mother?"
Biyu had the cheek to seriously contemplate it for a moment before coming to a decision. "Yes, I'll be good."
"Good, now, if you promise me you'll be good I can talk to Mother and we can go to the market for lunch."
"Really?" While the subject of Biyu's doe-eyed excitement, Ling Qi noticed her sister's love for that particular word.
"Mhm." She nodded in confirmation. Then, nonchalantly, knowing the effect her words would have, she delivered the deathblow to any potential bad mood "You know, on my way here I passed a food stall selling really yummy looking jianbing."
Biyu shot up from her bed at the prospect of eating her favorite food for lunch with one of her favorite people. Pulling insistently on her hands, she tugged Ling Qi impatiently towards the door. "Come on, come on."
Ling Qi allowed herself to be pulled towards an afternoon of innocent laughter and childlike enthusiasm.
Well, enjoy my first attempt at an omake for the thread. I admit I was somewhat intimidated by the mechanics of the quest when I first decided to write an omake, my solution was to stay firmly within the bounds of a character piece. A bit of a silly fear in hindsight considering canon status isn't something I was particularly concerned with.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
SV ate some of my formatting so if anyone sees any sentences that needs a line between them, or a section that should be in italics, do let me know.
Enjoy!
Growing Pains
Ling Qi's visit to her mother's home—her home technically—was prompted by a sudden opening in her schedule. She had intended to visit Meihzen for an early morning tea session, but on arrival at the Bai's dwelling had found her absent.
Neglecting to notify her friend of her visit beforehand would not usually be an issue, Meihzen lived a structured life, and Ling Qi knew the other girl's schedule well enough from their time living together.
Unfortunately, she had failed to consider what Bao Qingling might do to the other girl's carefully arranged agenda.
Annoyingly enough, she found herself irritated at the missed opportunity, and even more irritated at the slight sting of jealousy that had burrowed into her gut. The emotion was persistent and unwanted like mosquitoes at the height of summer.
As much as she'd changed, she was still herself, she mused internally.
In response, her own internal muse sent her the odd sensation of non-corporal eyes rolling in exasperation. 'Jealousy is not an emotion unique to you, greedy girl.'
Ling Qi allowed her lips to turn upwards at the slight note of teasing in Sixiang's mental voice, and when she responded to the spirit it was with little waspishness. 'Yet, I feel still that I hold more than most in my heart.'
Sixiang's retort came swiftly. 'You also carry more kindness than many of your peers, yet I would not call you kind."
Ling Qi felt a genuine pang of annoyance at the barb. Her spirit knew that empathy was an area she struggled with internally, both in wanting it and in having it. 'Thank you Sixiang, you always know what to say.'
'Ahh, but you are not thinking jealous thoughts anymore are you?' Came the sly rejoinder.
Ling Qi wanted to respond, but knew it would only be playing into the playful spirit's game. Instead, she refocused the greater part of her attention onto the physical world.
She had decided to take the walk to her mother's abode at a mortal pace to give disturbed emotions time to settle. Now she found herself striding up the long stone path to her own front door. Feeling like a stranger at the awed and nervous glances of her mother's household.
'This was not home,' she thought with a momentary pang of melancholy.
But, like a sprinter seeing the finish line, a new train of thought surged forward, finding its second wind. This may not be her home, but it was her mother's and sister's, and that meant something special all on its own.
Newly determined, she looked at her surroundings with fresh eyes.
She took in the carefully maintained garden; how many hours had someone spent on arranging the plum blossoms just so? She watched the fat koi swim careless loops around their pond; whose job was it to make sure they were fed? Her eyes followed a young sparrow as it alighted on an ornamental bird feeder; did Biyu chase them with the same wild glee she chased Ling Qi's animals of mist?
'See,' murmured Sixiang, 'empathy is like any other skill. It must be practiced.'
Ling Qi knew the words to be true, but she also knew just how hard it was to look at the world with empathetic eyes. The world did not often care how it was perceived, it simply existed. Both paradoxically cruel and kind, indifferent yet callous.
As she passed the threshold into the house proper, Ling Qi paused. She turned to a servant who had stepped aside and waited patiently, head down, from the moment she had allowed herself to be seen by mortal eyes.
Her physical senses alone were enough to hear the pounding heart of the mortal, she could even see each individual pore along the woman's prematurely aged face.
Searching for a moment, Ling Qi recalled the woman's name from the list her mother had provided. "Huian, if it does not interfere with the duties assigned by my mother, would you bring my compliments on the work in the garden to whomever it may apply?"
And, with only a courteous tilt of her head, Ling Qi strode through the door without waiting for a response.
In her head, Sixiang sighed with naked exasperation. 'The effort was there, but the execution could use some work, silly girl. She will be frozen there for half the length of a daydream before she has the courage to move.'
xxxXXXxxx
Ling Qi found her mother a few moments later. She sat in a high backed oak chair in the sitting room closest to the kitchen. She was listening to a hassled looking woman she recognized as Biyu's nanny with a sympathetic but tired expression, a chilled cup of peach tea resting on the fragile porcelain in front of her.
Knowing that her mother would be aware of her—while she was restraining her domain from manifesting, she was not hiding—she paused at the open threshold so the conversation could finish.
"—leave her room, madame."
"Worry not Lin, I will see to this."
The nanny—Lin—looked stricken at the thought. "No need to trouble yourself madame. It is my duty and you are busy enough as it is, I simply wished to inform you."
"And inform me you have." Ling Qingge stated. "And worry naught. My duty as a mother transcends any other." There was a bitter twist in her mother's expression when she said that, as if she was remembering a failed lesson.
When it looked like the nanny would speak again, Ling Qingge interrupted her. "Besides, it is not just my youngest that I must attend to."
The nanny started slightly, turning to see Ling Qi standing in the doorway. She was mildly impressed at the speed in which the woman regathered herself. It was not enough to fool her eyes, but impressive nonetheless.
Seeing Ling Qi seemed to drain the nanny of any sense of contention. And not for the first time, she was reminded that many of the people working in the house had likely known her mother longer than she had. For this woman to be in charge of Biyu, there was a chance her mother considered the woman—Lin—a genuine friend.
Meanwhile, the nanny likely saw Ling Qi as the powerful sister of her charge or the flighty daughter of her friend. Probably both.
After deep bows towards both of the Lings in the room, the nanny took her leave.
A moment of silence passed before the elder Ling sighed. It was a heavy sound, coming from somewhere deep inside the woman's chest.
Linq Qi furrowed her brows at the action. On one hand, it indicated that her mother was starting to become more comfortable expressing herself around her, on the other hand, it meant the stresses of the situation may be affecting her more than she let on.
"Is something troubling you mother?"
Ling Qingge visibly gathered herself before speaking. "No, I—" She paused, tilting her head slightly before giving it a shake as if reprimanding herself. "In truth it is a minor matter, one that I am more than able to deal with."
It was a clear prompt to move the conversation forward. Instead, Ling Qi drifted closer, placing her palm atop her mother's shoulder. She felt the elder woman tense for a second, before her muscles relaxed, and she murmured. "I forgot who I am dealing with." Ling Qingge smiled nostalgically. "In some ways you are still the child that demanded to know why the sky was blue."
"And what did you tell me?"
"That it had always been blue. That it was simply the way of the world."
"Did I accept that explanation?"
"No." Ling Qingge's eyes were misted over, living in a memory long past. "No you did not."
Ling Qi caught her mother's eye. They both smiled. The moment lingered, but like all things, it Ended.
Ling Qingge sighed again, though this time it flowed from her much more naturally. "It is Biyu actually. It's nothing serious, she's simply in a bad mood and refuses to leave her room today."
"Biyu." Parroted Ling Qi, genuinely surprised. "What in the Empire could be upsetting her?"
Her mother laughed, a natural laugh, not one of those demure titters that were common at the cultivator gatherings she had been attending as of late.
"Oh my daughter, your steps along the path at times blinds me to your age." Ling Qingge smiled at her teasingly. "Biyu is a child. A well-behaved one to be sure, but a child nonetheless. When you visit, it is always a joyous event for her and as such you see her only at her best. Yet, like all children, she has her moments. Tantrums, stubbornness, and difficult situations are all part of the parcel with children ."
Ling Qi had never thought of it that way. Intellectually it was no surprise that Biyu would display such behaviors, but like her mother had said, she had not often seen them first hand.
Before her mind could wander too far down that precarious road, she felt Sixiang poke at the seed of an idea, allowing it to spread its petals and blossom into a fully formed thought.
"Will you let me go talk to her then?" She found herself blurting out. Seeing the look on her mother's face, she rushed to continue. "I'm her sister, I should be fully aware of her, tantrums or no tantrums."
Ling Qingge's expression softened at her explanation, cognizant of the blame her daughter felt compelled to shoulder. "Very well. Be aware, it can be dreadfully difficult to draw her out of one of her moods once she gets going,"
Ling Qi forced a light expression on her face. "A curse passed through the Ling Clan maybe?"
The joke drew a wan but true smile, transforming her mother's features into something more youthful.
xxxXXXxxx
*Knock**Knock*
As strange as it may sound, it felt odd to knock on a door. It was one of those strange idiocracies that came with being a higher level cultivator. You could often sense your guests coming from large swaths of distances away. As such, knocking became somewhat superfluous as cultivators climbed the ladder of immortality.
"Go away!"
It was only her superior senses that allowed Ling Qi to hear the muffled voice on the other side of the door. Where a mortal may have heard indistinguishable noise, she heard the petulant tone and youthful voice of her sister as if she was right in front of her.
Deciding to take the initiative, Ling Qi pushed the solid door open and stepped into her sister's room.
She took the room in with a glance.
Her sister lay face down on her oversized bed, tiny feet kicking in the air, already turning to see who the intruder was.
The rest of the room was a bizarre contradiction. Her mother's touch could clearly be seen in the tastefully chosen floral pattern drapes, and the room's light jade wallpaper complimenting the darker mahogany furniture. Yet, other parts of the room were clearly the work of a child not yet understanding the concept of aesthetics.
The wall above the bed was covered in paper drawings of immature design. The subjects of the images ranged across a diverse field. There were little girls riding on the backs of mountain sized tortoises; there were lots of drawings with two older women together with a third smaller girl, one of the figures had miniature stars drawn clumsily into her raven hair; there was even an image of the same small girl from earlier flying high in the sky, reaching out to touch the orange and yellow sun.
The kaleidoscope of colours meshed chaotically, forming an overall image that only a child's mind could comprehend.
Additionally, right next to Biyu's bed, in a place of honor, was a pair of lovely pale blue silk dancing shoes.
Ling Qi's throat tightened, emotion rising within her.
All of this was absorbed in a mere moment, taking no longer than the flapping of a hummingbird's wings.
In the end, it was Biyu herself who knocked Ling Qi from her thoughts. The younger girl had started speaking before she had even fully completed her turn towards the door. "Nanny Lin! I told you I—Big Sis!"
It was interesting seeing her sister's pout transform into a beaming grin as she recognized her, then back to a pout as she seemingly debated if this development merited the reversal of her poor mood.
"Biyu, what is this I hear about you causing trouble for Nanny and Mother?" Ling Qi accompanied the question with a single raised brow that had been embarrassingly beyond her before she joined the Sect.
It seemed the pout won out. "Nanny wants me to do dumb lessons about manners, it's dumb!" She punctuated her sentence with a convinced nod, as if her repeated word proved her point entirely.
As Ling Qi moved deeper into her sister's room, she was provided with the flash of a similar conversation with a different girl in a different place. One with a darker skin tone but the same stubborn tilt of her lips. The knowledge of how she had acted as a child and the accompanying result of those actions led Ling Qi to soften her expression as she lowered herself onto her sister's bed.
"You know, Big Sis has to learn about boring manners too?"
The look she received was skeptical to say the least. "Really?"
"Really!" Ling Qi gave an exaggerated nod, poking at Biyu's belly, making her giggle against her will.
Leaning close, Ling Qi whispered her next words conspiratorially to the giggling and squirming child, widening her eyes so as to appear horrified. "Sometimes my boss even makes me listen to her describe the best way to make tea for over an hour!"
Biyu looked appropriately shocked, a tiny flush bringing additional animation to her face, bright eyes wide at the perceived indignity. "One whole hour?!" A moment later her features contorted, brows scrunching in puzzlement. "Why would Big Sis have a boss? You're the strongest."
Ling Qi laughed, a free, joyous sound reserved for family. It had never occurred to her that Biyu probably did not understand the various way-points along the path of immortality. In her simply childlike view, Big Sis was simply the strongest. It was both flattering and humbling.
"Everyone has a boss, even Big Sis."
"Really?" Ling Qi found herself smiling at the dubious look on her sister's face, as if this was all a giant conspiracy that would end with the words 'and that's why you must eat your vegetables.'
"Really." Reaching out a hand, she ruffled Biyu's hair playfully. The girl pouted at the action, though it was much less moody than her previous one.
"Now, are you going to be a good girl for Nanny and Mother?"
Biyu had the cheek to seriously contemplate it for a moment before coming to a decision. "Yes, I'll be good."
"Good, now, if you promise me you'll be good I can talk to Mother and we can go to the market for lunch."
"Really?" While the subject of Biyu's doe-eyed excitement, Ling Qi noticed her sister's love for that particular word.
"Mhm." She nodded in confirmation. Then, nonchalantly, knowing the effect her words would have, she delivered the deathblow to any potential bad mood "You know, on my way here I passed a food stall selling really yummy looking jianbing."
Biyu shot up from her bed at the prospect of eating her favorite food for lunch with one of her favorite people. Pulling insistently on her hands, she tugged Ling Qi impatiently towards the door. "Come on, come on."
Ling Qi allowed herself to be pulled towards an afternoon of innocent laughter and childlike enthusiasm.
Well, enjoy my first attempt at an omake for the thread. I admit I was somewhat intimidated by the mechanics of the quest when I first decided to write an omake, my solution was to stay firmly within the bounds of a character piece. A bit of a silly fear in hindsight considering canon status isn't something I was particularly concerned with.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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TimEd
Meteor maker
Achievement Unlocked! Canon Status Attained!
I'm kinda wondering who is gonna be the first person to be inducted into the Ling Clan and why (ie if they will be part of the clan by marriage or adoption or merger etc).
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- Location
- Ukraine
- Pronouns
- She/They
The thing is, the relationship between CRX and Ling Qi is asymmetrical. In this setting the vassals are weaker and their lieges are stronger. It's the job of the liege to do the protection and it's the job of the vassal to carry out missions they're given. Sure, Ling Qi is pretty close to CRX in power, but CRX was not raised to see it like that - to her, the thing Ling Qi is supposed to do IS focus on the mission while SHE is the one protecting HER. Even if she gets overwhelmed, we all know the only scenario in which Ling Qi won't back her up then is if she was too tied up by other enemies to manage - and even then her domain will work regardless.
The thing is, it would be badly OOC for Ling Qi to fail CRX in the way you're describing. If the vote option that was chosen seems like it to you, then you're misreading the vote option. That's what people are reacting to, I think: the idea that we've voted for something that can be read by CRX as abandoning her.
It's not. We're right there, and we're choosing a different way to support her (drawing aggro from secondary targets), not running away or hiding.
She can always come to the fortress to turtle up with us if she needs Ling Qi's direct support?
(And where it's not Ling Qi doing the OOC action of Actual Abandonment, it would be highly OOC for Cai "yeah I know what you did at the market and why" Renxiang to feel like it is. Her issues are in the exact opposite direction. She's not Generic Abused Kid, she's got pretty specific personality and hangups)
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I mean
No matter how you look at it this isnt abandonment.
If anything it's an excuse for Ling Qi to make a dramatic save when someone tries to ambush Renxiang from behind, really
DeusExBritannia
Red-White-Black-White
- Location
- Texas
When were we planning on getting new talismans for Zhengui? I was looking at the front page, and what we've left him with is just painful to look at.
Probably when the resource spigot gets widened again
Besides, hes still at G2
Very disappointing progress tbqh
TimEd
Meteor maker
I mean, Zhengui seem to be set to live waay longer than an ordinary cultivator. Asking him to keep up with short-lived humanity is just cruel.
- Location
- Germany
Only you @TehChron could possibly see Zhengui, who held back Guan Zhi, a Cyan realm cultivator, and declared with her throw of Zhengui that he is too much of a hassle to pound into the ground and personally see that as
I am impressed with your level of expectations on precious, but how about you tone it down a bit? We all know Zhengui is a slow learner and I personally prefer a slow student who improves instead of a small and fading star. Let him learn at his pace, he will surprise you yet, I am sure!
In the past half-year or less I have single-handedly killed a quest with my too-enthusiastic criticism, and knowing that this is a terrible thing that means I am not a good critic, I still want to crit this piece. Would you be okay with that? It'll be super mild I promise. I just wanna point out one teeny tiny thing.