uh ...ling qi...you not gonna wait for back up?
is this what you call an idiot ball should the luck dice roll badly?
is this what you call an idiot ball should the luck dice roll badly?
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.
Looking through a bunch of posts from Forge, there's a lot of talk of "commoners" cultivating (and generally paying for that privilege with military service). That said Qingge was from a family that was associated with a larger cultivator family, and as such would be on the lower ends of resources. I mean just to note, Qingge compares her daughter to the He clan head (her great uncle), and her Late Yellow daughter comes out on top in that comparison. This suggests that the He don't have the resources or connections to acquire yellow spirit stones in any significant quantity to allow them to continue cultivating, and with the note that the Liu was as far above the He as the Duchess is above the Liu, reinforce the idea that the He are a family of common cultivators with connections to a family with significantly more resources if not the baronial family of Tonghou, and thus even if every member of the family was talent 3-5 the He simply can't afford to have more than a few cultivators.
The basic economics of the empire with regards to spirit stones makes it outright impossible for everyone to cultivate, there's just not enough supply for that kind of demand.
- Location
- Greece
That is about commoners with high talent though, the issue wasn't about if commoners can cultivate (they obviously can, some even have heaven defying talent for it) but rather about if everyone can cultivate.
- Location
- Required Location
" Light of my life, it is late. Come to bed. Stop laughing at these disgusting stories and come to bed."
"My Rose, why can't you see that those books are absolutely amazing. Just listen!
'I will never tell you here the resistance has its headquarters' yelled Hui Leng defiantly. His athletic body had been stripped naked and shivered in the cold dungeon air."
"This is ridiculous."
" 'You will tell me what I want to know. In the end, they always do.' a woman's voice echoed through the darkness. She sounded like a woman who had grown used to getting what she wanted a long time ago. Strong but with a hint of husky playfulness that roused an unwelcome and inappropriate longing in Hui Leng mighty loins....'"
"I am serious. Stop reading me that drivel."
" .... He was unable to identify the source of the voice but he didn't need to see the woman to know that the voice belonged to .... [hide]Voldemort[/hide] the Radiant Tyrant herself !!!1!
Diao Linqin, the second most powerful woman of the Emerald Seas province questioned multiple life choices while investing more mental and emotional energy in this freshest bout of annoyance, than a mortal would generate in an entire lifetime. At times, she supposed. the benefits of a high cultivation were a double edged sword. Said source of annoyance had finally deigned to raise herself from the divan and begun to walk over the sea of pelts and precious carpets that covered the marble floors of the reading room.
" She stepped into the light and Hui Leng saw for the first time the uppity ursurper that had caused the embattled Emerald Seas rightful rulers and their patriotic populace such terrible troubles ..."
"He really is going for that alliteration, isn't he."
"She walked with the gait of a great cat..."
The Duchess of the Emerald Seas began to predate and the world noticed. She walked with an painfully unearthly grace. The sight of a human at the very peak of cultivation putting concious effort, even if it was ironic and mocking effort, in her movements could never be compared with a mere beasts hunting stalk. The sight itself was so entrancing the Diao matriarch almost forgot to roll her eyes at her lover. Almost.
" ... and the sparse candle light reflected in off of the polished surface of her skintight black leather bodice. The dark leather contrasted harshly with the milky white skin of her slender limbs. A skin that shone as if filled with its own radiant light ..."
The Duchess' dress, one of her finest masterpieces, began to shift like water running through sand. It darkened as it drew into itself, growing even shorter and more revealing while changing its texture from finest silks into a leather too perfect to have been the hide of any living beast. She approached her lover, wearing a bodice the color of the void between the stars, that threatened to devour all light with its darkness while her body began to emit a light that could only ever be called soft because it declared itself to be and none dared to argue..
"Hui Leng could only helplessly glare at the towering woman as she approached. She raised a hand and a small object object hissed into existance. A riding crop. She jammed the tip of the crop into his bare abs, drawing small moan from her valiant captive. Even Hui Leng himself could not have said if it was from pain or pleasure. Then she slowly, ever so slowly began to move the rod upwards, from his abs to his chiseled chest and from there to his godlike jawline, a thing of masculine perfection even among his already very blessed bloodline. "
"If you hit me with that thing I swear you will sleep alone for the rest of the century."
"Shame and lust warred in the mind of the brave Hui Leng as the devilish woman tried to seduce him. Only his righteous wrath let him wrest the control of faculties back. Women have had often tried to woo him but let it be known in all those situations he had been the master of himself thus he had easily become the master of those who tried him as well. Even now, bound as I was, I was not helpless for my many talents would surely win the upper hand even in this situation."
"He is slipping up and i hope this horrible little thing you have insisted on reading to me is nearing its conclusion."
"But my Rose, you the very best part is coming up: The monster wearing a womans alluring flesh dug the tip of the crop into one of Hui Lengs cheeks while gently cupping the other with her free hand. She leaned into me, bringing her full and sensous lips close to my ears. ' I wonder how long it will take with you' the tyrant whispered. He was losing the battle with his loins and my enormous dragon began to rise its head to full glory. 'If the all the stars flickered out, if all the oceans dried up and Xiangmen itself withered and died! You. will. NOT. see. me. BROKEN.!' ' We will see', the woman pressed her voluptious body against me. He felt the warmth of her flesh, the leather against his naked skin and the ensorcelled METAL STUDS EMERGING FROM WHERE HER NIP... HAHAHAHAHA"
With a small thud the small booklet impacted the floor. Dropped in a fit of uproarious laughter that only escalated when the duchess beheld her lovers deadpan expression and aggrieved stare. She would never not notice the tiny almost imperceptible tuck of her lips, though.
"Well, light of my love, for what it is worth, he was right about one thing."
"Oh? Do tell!"
"You do approach with the musk of a great cat"
The Diao Matriarch shed her form and the room faded, mere reality replaced by the greater truth of an eternal garden filled with the most beautiful roses.
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- Location
- Required Location
Okay, regarding commoner cultivation.
The majority of the celestial empire populace has a Talent of 1 and is therefore unable to cultivate at all. Most of the lowest tiers of cultivation is filled with commoners.
The noble clans can't breed for high talent but they can breed to ensure middling talent. Meaning that most nobles are shoeins for greens.
People just being able to buy a red stone and going at it is something i heard just now for the first time.
The relevant WOGs are in the WOG collections from discord that was posted here as well as the WOG discord channel. The latter is especially good as you can just ctrl+f it.
The reason so why the cloud barbarians are almost all reds or up is because mortals literally can't take their lifestyle. Children are taken care of by their parents but then there is some kind of sink or swim maturity test. The clans just straight up don't have the ressources to support many mortals.
The majority of the celestial empire populace has a Talent of 1 and is therefore unable to cultivate at all. Most of the lowest tiers of cultivation is filled with commoners.
The noble clans can't breed for high talent but they can breed to ensure middling talent. Meaning that most nobles are shoeins for greens.
People just being able to buy a red stone and going at it is something i heard just now for the first time.
The relevant WOGs are in the WOG collections from discord that was posted here as well as the WOG discord channel. The latter is especially good as you can just ctrl+f it.
The reason so why the cloud barbarians are almost all reds or up is because mortals literally can't take their lifestyle. Children are taken care of by their parents but then there is some kind of sink or swim maturity test. The clans just straight up don't have the ressources to support many mortals.
- Location
- Greece
Source? I am pretty sure we never got confirmation that they are fully unable to cultivate, just effectively?
- Location
- Space
This is a bit of a quibble, but we really only know that there are enough modestly talented commoners to form armies. A world where all commoners can cultivate a little bit and only like one in four commoners can cultivate even a little bit are mostly indistinguishable from what we've seen so far.
I remember there being some discussion of the use of various high level stones as currency and, while trying to look up Yrsillar talking about wealthy mortals trying to cultivate, I found this
So while any given mine doesn't produce CSS regularly, they are sufficiently available to be used as currency for truly huge expenditures. Additionally the imperial family has regular but very limited access to VSS and no one else does except through them.
So while any given mine doesn't produce CSS regularly, they are sufficiently available to be used as currency for truly huge expenditures. Additionally the imperial family has regular but very limited access to VSS and no one else does except through them.
Xicree
Murder.Malice.Might
This line... too raw...
Bad Ling Qi this why the voices in your head keep you steady, not every Art needs to used for combat and we can only try to canablize anything good their to create better versions later, plus having good lot of them can be traded for other arts or kept as stuff to teach future clan members or retainers.
On another note that quite alot of artwork so far wonder how much we allowed to claim as our own share to pawn off cause that looks like nice amount to build up our treasury cause Im sure their some Hui clan enthustists who want anything related to them to study for history or as art collection.
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- Location
- California
Ling Qi and Sixiang have such genuine chemistry. Though this chapter highlights it a bit more than usual since they can interact more directly than the norm but it's always there and it's always great. With Liao Zhu seemingly out of commission (and whose flirting was a front, besides), Ruan Shen taken, and even Shen Hu dead and gone I'm 100% on board the Ling Qi x Sixiang SS Ship. If it's a possibility I expect it to take decades at the very least, due to both Ling Qi's issue with romance and Sixiang's gender fluid nature. But! They're basically in each other's head 24/7, if Ling Qi is going to have true romance over a political marriage I only see it happening between these two, as of now. Not to say she can't have a mix of romance and a favorable political match, but marrying Sixiang would be entirely due to love.
All aboard!
- Location
- Colorado
Minor nitpick, but the Liu are a Viscount family. An entire city like Tonghou is apparently a bit too important to leave in the care of a mere Baron.
- Location
- somewhere over there.
- Pronouns
- They/It
Pretty sure the "she" here should be a they.
- Location
- Canada
Regarding the number of people in the Empire who could cultivate to some degree if only they had the resources, Yrs is very much wary of giving any hard numbers, buuuut
So definitely not the majority (for now at least) but a nonetheless significant chunk of the mortal populous could cultivate to at least red if given the resourcesDiscord said:
This should not be taken as a universal model, different places have different systems
The natural ability to cultivate is something of a genetic trait of sorts, it's not possible for some reason, possibly metaphysical, to breed for high talent, but you can raise the floor to a degree
The Cloud Tribes have a much higher population of cultivators because their environment and lifestyle enforces survival of the fittest, infants lacking the the ability to cultivate simply can't survive the spiritually potent Yak milk they're being fed, let alone the lifestyle
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- Location
- Ukraine
- Pronouns
- She/They
Ling Qi cultivates the Hidden Moon.
No, she does not balk at risks while exploring
Minor correction: Ling Qi was Early Green, not Late Yellow. She was only able to import her mom after she became a noble.
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Future Days: Concert in Xiangmen.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
Future Days: Concert in Xiangmen
Xiangmen. City of Memory. City of Light. City of Art. Throughout the Pillarhalls knots of colored glass allowed shimmering light, light not from the sun, stars, or moon, but light from the great tree itself to wash over people. Beneath one of those knots stood Xue Shuren. Bathed in purple light she was a striking figure. Tall, slim, and proud. She wore a vibrant azure gown, cut to the latest fashion, and her hair, black as ink, ran in waves down her back. Here she stood, watching the crowds pass in front of her, as she had for the last two weeks. People passed through the multicolored beams, drifting from shop to shop, or moving with purpose to a higher stratum. Wind carried fragments of their conversations to Xue Shuren. As if being pulled to a distant storm. Lady Ling was hosting a concert today, and dozens of lesser musicians were hosting renditions of the baroness songs.
It was all Xue Shuren could do to keep her pleasant mask intact as rumors of the concert were pulled to her. Two weeks of business deals and not a single social event to brag about to the women back home. Sure, she had attended minor galas hosted by fellow up and coming barons, but nothing that Xue Shuren could really flaunt back home. Not for lack of trying either. Attending Lady Ling's concert was an impossible dream. Still, surely one of the other lesser musicians giving renditions would have had tickets open? No. No they did not. That left Xue Shuren her most common activity in Xiangmen. People watching.
Colors and people swirled together in the Pillarhalls of Xiangmen. Clothes in their riot of colors and cuts created a tapestry. A tapestry stretching from the rootways to the clouds. It was truly beautiful, Xue Shuren thought as she sighed into her fan. Seeing such artistry arise from chaotic interactions was breathtaking. Perhaps that was something to meditate on. Storms were chaos, no? Something to think on later. For now she would enjoy the dazzling view for as long as she could. A shame that she had to keep her spiritual sense so restrained. The physical colors and movements of Xiangmen's tapestry were dazzling, but the spiritual pressure of so many auras mixing with Xiangmen's light was more than dazzling. It was blinding.
Even the unparalleled art of Xiangmen was best taken with moderation. Maybe it was the homesickness speaking, but two weeks here was just too much. Especially without anything to visit. She kept coming back though. Even knowing she would be homesick, Xue Shuren kept asking to go to Xiangman. For the art, the music, the parties, and the most important of all. It lacked suitors. She shivered. Father tried, but… Xue Shuren sighed and snapped her fan shut. Such thoughts only brought her mood down, better to think about what to squeeze into her last day in Xiangmen.
"There you are!"
A mood that was now completely ruined. Xue Shuren turned towards the voice. Geng Lei, a man with short black hair, an oiled dagger like beard, and far too much meat on his bones, barreled through the crowd. "This is exactly where we agreed to meet, Geng Lei." Xue Shuren said, her voice carried by wind through the noise of the crowd. "You are late. Where have you been?"
Laughing Geng Lei shoved his way through the last bit of the crowd between him and Xue Shuren. "A new restaurant opened up two levels down since my last visit. I just had to try the food. Time just vanishes when eating a good meal!"
"Of course you did. Do you have it?"
Geng Lie groaned and clutched his chest. "No faith. No faith at all. What has the world come to that a beautiful woman has no faith in a handsome man?"
Tapping her foot, Xue Shuren waited for Geng Lie to stop his theatrics. This was her last business deal of the trip. She could be patient. She had to be. It took a couple minutes, but in the end the man presented her with a dark grey ring. Several seconds later Xue Shuren confirmed the correct amount of exilars and pills were inside and withdrew a pouch of spirit stones from her own ring before tossing it to the man.
"This concludes our business." Xue Shuren said, before turning away.
"I do have another proposal." Geng Lie said, hands fishing in his robes.
Pausing, Xue Shuren looked over her shoulder. Geng Lie stood there, sweat beading on his brow. She didn't really want to waste more time with this greasy man. "I am not authorized to conduct any more business for my clan. If you have a proposal, please write a letter to our estate."
"Ahh… It's a more personal type of proposal." Geng Lie said, as he met Xue Shuren eyes.
"Oh?" Xue Shuren spun fully around. Hair whipped around her face, as if driven by storm winds. Droplets of paint, stylized as rain, dripped from her fingers creating a churning cloud of blackness at her feet. She accepted this job to get away from suitors. Not to run into them. "Why should I stay and listen to your audacity?"
Eyeing the now more distant crowd Geng Lie pulled two tickets from his robes. "I will be blunt." He said. "My elders believe I can woo you with my gregarious nature. I don't fancy my chances, but I don't want to return without even trying. So, I will take you to a Ling Qi concert if you agree to accompany me. After that we can part ways."
"A concert by Ling Qi?" Xue Shuren said as the dark clouds at her feet began to rumble, jagged bolts of stylized, painted lightning flashing through them. "I didn't realize the Geng Clan could get to the Cloud district. Let alone into a concert by Ling Qi. I can't get into a concert by Ling Qi, yet you can?"
Geng Lie winced then rallied. "The concert is a rendition of several Ling Qi songs. Ling Qi is not hosting. Not even I have friends high enough to get into those."
Dark clouds turned grey around Xue Shuren as she stared at Geng Lie's face. Searching for any lie on his face and listening for any lie on his breath. She found none. Her hand whipped out. "Show me the tickets."
"Very well." Geng Lie said as he handed over the pieces of paper.
After studying the tickets for a moment Xue Shuren looked up. "I tried to get tickets to this concert." She said. "Sold out. Meng Fu is a very talented musician who has done praise worthy renditions of Ling Qi's pieces before. How did you manage to get these tickets?"
Shrugging Geng Lie rested his hands behind his head. "I have many friends, some of them had bought tickets and then duties forced them away."
Glaring at the oaf Xue Shuren shook the tickets at him. "These tickets are for private seating next to each other, not random seats in the theater."
Laughing Geng Lie racked his hands through his hair before resting them on his belly. "I may have done some ticket swapping as well." He said.
It took a moment, but Xue Shuren made up her mind. "Fine." She said. "I don't know when I'll get a chance to hear Meng Fu give a rendition of Ling Qi's songs again, so we're going now."
"Now?" Geng Lie said.
"Yes now. You didn't even read the time for the concert did you. Unbelievable. In two hours the concert starts and this concert hall is going to be over an hour and half through the crowd."
"Ah ah." Geng Lie said as he rubbed his stomach. "I was actually hoping to grab a bite to eat with you…"
"I am not going to miss the opening seconds of this concert because you can't control your appetite." Xue Shuren said, as she marched through the crowd. "We. Are. Go. Ing. Now."
If Geng Lie muttered something about the price of love before dashing off after Xue Shuren, she didn't hear it, busy as she was planning who to brag to at home.
When Xue Shuren and Geng Lie made it to the concert hall they were quickly shown to their private seating. Below them the hall was mostly filled and the low susurrus of the crowd pervaded the space. Groaning Geng Lie took his seat after Xue Shuren had sat down.
"Should be some time before the start, no?" Geng Lie asked as he looked down at the crowd below.
"Yes, though conversation is expected to quiet down some time before then."
"I see. I will admit I do not spend much time in concert halls. Would you be willing to answer a few questions of mine?"
"Within reason." Xue Shuren said.
"I understand Ling Qi is a popular musician. But I don't know what makes her popular. Is it the themes she presents, her skills as a musician, or just a sign of support for Lady Cai?" Geng Lie said.
Glancing at Geng Lie out of the corner of her eye, Xue Shuren shifted her posture to a more comfortable pose. "I didn't expect you to be knowledgeable enough in art to be interested in the themes or skills of an artist."
Chuckling Geng Lie struck his belly like a drum. "Food is the art I appreciate the most, Lady Xue. Though there are some lessons about art that transcends mediums, are there not? Chefs are praised for a variety of things. Their skill in handling rare ingredients, talent in arranging complementary dishes, boldness in trying new themes. An excellent chef will have skill in everything a chef requires. But each chef will, or perhaps should, focus on an area to shine in."
Nodding Xue Shuren brushed hair back into place. "An astute observation. To answer, Ling Qi's popularity comes primarily from her skill; far outstripping those many decades, or even centuries, her senior." Xue Shuren said. "Just as many are attracted to her themes, as well. Songs by Ling Qi are often grouped into Grandmistress Lei's style. Very focused on natural scenes and forces, however woven through the pieces are those forces or scenes having human struggles. Or better put, she is humanizing forces of nature. Critics liken Ling Qi's emerging style and themes as a refreshing meld between Grandmaster Jiang's and Grandmistress Lei's style. Particularly her newer songs."
Geng Lie hummed. "Something new out of combining two older styles, then?"
Xue Shuren rocked her hand back and forth. "It's not brand new. Ever since the fall of the Hui musicians have been experimenting. The idea of humanizing Grandmistress Lei's style has been gaining popularity for almost a hundred years now."
"Baroness Ling Qi is just the first to be successful while doing so." Geng Lie said, nodding.
"Exactly. She has become a figurehead for the overall trend. What was scattered and unfocused has crystallized around the baron, gaining significant support and prestige along the way."
"Interesting and enlightening, but it seems the show is about to start. We will have to continue it at a later time." Geng Lie said, motioning towards dimming lights.
Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Xue Shuren shifted into the seat. Soon after darkness fell curtains were raised and the stage lit up. Then she drifted away with chords and melodies.
Curtains fell and lights brightened after three songs. Far too short in Xue Shuren's opinion. She would have liked to listen to five or more songs. Still it had been a wonderful time. A shift to her right caught her attention and she almost blushed. Geng Lie had been such an attentive listener that she had forgotten about him. That was embarrassing.
"Well." Geng Lie said, stretching his arms over his head. "This is where our engagement ends it seems. It has been a truly wonderful time."
Xue Shuren searched her memory. After the initial encounter, things had gone smoothly. Geng Lie had proved to be somewhat knowledgeable in regards to art, unlike other suitors father had thrown her way. Actually, looking back, things had been quite nice. He had been attentive, listened, and engaging. She could give him some face.
"If my father asks about this evening," Xue Shuren said. "I will tell him that I didn't dislike it."
A smile as bright as the sun bloomed on Geng Lie's face. "A magnanimous endorsement! And again," Here he bowed. "Thank you for your evening. It was truly wonderful speaking with you."
Xue Shuren's airy laugh drifted through the room as she walked away. As she stepped into the Pillarhall she opened her senses. It was blinding. Light raced through the crowds twinning together thousands and thousands of auras into a vast unending tapestry of art. Just as swiftly Xue Shuren tightened her senses again. Xiangmen's living tapestry was still too much for her to witness. She chose to glimpse it though. A memory of an evening listening to trees grow, fires struggle, darkness whisper, and ice crush. A memory of a truly lovely evening.
A.N
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne.
Critiques help me grow as a writer, so please share them.
Xiangmen. City of Memory. City of Light. City of Art. Throughout the Pillarhalls knots of colored glass allowed shimmering light, light not from the sun, stars, or moon, but light from the great tree itself to wash over people. Beneath one of those knots stood Xue Shuren. Bathed in purple light she was a striking figure. Tall, slim, and proud. She wore a vibrant azure gown, cut to the latest fashion, and her hair, black as ink, ran in waves down her back. Here she stood, watching the crowds pass in front of her, as she had for the last two weeks. People passed through the multicolored beams, drifting from shop to shop, or moving with purpose to a higher stratum. Wind carried fragments of their conversations to Xue Shuren. As if being pulled to a distant storm. Lady Ling was hosting a concert today, and dozens of lesser musicians were hosting renditions of the baroness songs.
It was all Xue Shuren could do to keep her pleasant mask intact as rumors of the concert were pulled to her. Two weeks of business deals and not a single social event to brag about to the women back home. Sure, she had attended minor galas hosted by fellow up and coming barons, but nothing that Xue Shuren could really flaunt back home. Not for lack of trying either. Attending Lady Ling's concert was an impossible dream. Still, surely one of the other lesser musicians giving renditions would have had tickets open? No. No they did not. That left Xue Shuren her most common activity in Xiangmen. People watching.
Colors and people swirled together in the Pillarhalls of Xiangmen. Clothes in their riot of colors and cuts created a tapestry. A tapestry stretching from the rootways to the clouds. It was truly beautiful, Xue Shuren thought as she sighed into her fan. Seeing such artistry arise from chaotic interactions was breathtaking. Perhaps that was something to meditate on. Storms were chaos, no? Something to think on later. For now she would enjoy the dazzling view for as long as she could. A shame that she had to keep her spiritual sense so restrained. The physical colors and movements of Xiangmen's tapestry were dazzling, but the spiritual pressure of so many auras mixing with Xiangmen's light was more than dazzling. It was blinding.
Even the unparalleled art of Xiangmen was best taken with moderation. Maybe it was the homesickness speaking, but two weeks here was just too much. Especially without anything to visit. She kept coming back though. Even knowing she would be homesick, Xue Shuren kept asking to go to Xiangman. For the art, the music, the parties, and the most important of all. It lacked suitors. She shivered. Father tried, but… Xue Shuren sighed and snapped her fan shut. Such thoughts only brought her mood down, better to think about what to squeeze into her last day in Xiangmen.
"There you are!"
A mood that was now completely ruined. Xue Shuren turned towards the voice. Geng Lei, a man with short black hair, an oiled dagger like beard, and far too much meat on his bones, barreled through the crowd. "This is exactly where we agreed to meet, Geng Lei." Xue Shuren said, her voice carried by wind through the noise of the crowd. "You are late. Where have you been?"
Laughing Geng Lei shoved his way through the last bit of the crowd between him and Xue Shuren. "A new restaurant opened up two levels down since my last visit. I just had to try the food. Time just vanishes when eating a good meal!"
"Of course you did. Do you have it?"
Geng Lie groaned and clutched his chest. "No faith. No faith at all. What has the world come to that a beautiful woman has no faith in a handsome man?"
Tapping her foot, Xue Shuren waited for Geng Lie to stop his theatrics. This was her last business deal of the trip. She could be patient. She had to be. It took a couple minutes, but in the end the man presented her with a dark grey ring. Several seconds later Xue Shuren confirmed the correct amount of exilars and pills were inside and withdrew a pouch of spirit stones from her own ring before tossing it to the man.
"This concludes our business." Xue Shuren said, before turning away.
"I do have another proposal." Geng Lie said, hands fishing in his robes.
Pausing, Xue Shuren looked over her shoulder. Geng Lie stood there, sweat beading on his brow. She didn't really want to waste more time with this greasy man. "I am not authorized to conduct any more business for my clan. If you have a proposal, please write a letter to our estate."
"Ahh… It's a more personal type of proposal." Geng Lie said, as he met Xue Shuren eyes.
"Oh?" Xue Shuren spun fully around. Hair whipped around her face, as if driven by storm winds. Droplets of paint, stylized as rain, dripped from her fingers creating a churning cloud of blackness at her feet. She accepted this job to get away from suitors. Not to run into them. "Why should I stay and listen to your audacity?"
Eyeing the now more distant crowd Geng Lie pulled two tickets from his robes. "I will be blunt." He said. "My elders believe I can woo you with my gregarious nature. I don't fancy my chances, but I don't want to return without even trying. So, I will take you to a Ling Qi concert if you agree to accompany me. After that we can part ways."
"A concert by Ling Qi?" Xue Shuren said as the dark clouds at her feet began to rumble, jagged bolts of stylized, painted lightning flashing through them. "I didn't realize the Geng Clan could get to the Cloud district. Let alone into a concert by Ling Qi. I can't get into a concert by Ling Qi, yet you can?"
Geng Lie winced then rallied. "The concert is a rendition of several Ling Qi songs. Ling Qi is not hosting. Not even I have friends high enough to get into those."
Dark clouds turned grey around Xue Shuren as she stared at Geng Lie's face. Searching for any lie on his face and listening for any lie on his breath. She found none. Her hand whipped out. "Show me the tickets."
"Very well." Geng Lie said as he handed over the pieces of paper.
After studying the tickets for a moment Xue Shuren looked up. "I tried to get tickets to this concert." She said. "Sold out. Meng Fu is a very talented musician who has done praise worthy renditions of Ling Qi's pieces before. How did you manage to get these tickets?"
Shrugging Geng Lie rested his hands behind his head. "I have many friends, some of them had bought tickets and then duties forced them away."
Glaring at the oaf Xue Shuren shook the tickets at him. "These tickets are for private seating next to each other, not random seats in the theater."
Laughing Geng Lie racked his hands through his hair before resting them on his belly. "I may have done some ticket swapping as well." He said.
It took a moment, but Xue Shuren made up her mind. "Fine." She said. "I don't know when I'll get a chance to hear Meng Fu give a rendition of Ling Qi's songs again, so we're going now."
"Now?" Geng Lie said.
"Yes now. You didn't even read the time for the concert did you. Unbelievable. In two hours the concert starts and this concert hall is going to be over an hour and half through the crowd."
"Ah ah." Geng Lie said as he rubbed his stomach. "I was actually hoping to grab a bite to eat with you…"
"I am not going to miss the opening seconds of this concert because you can't control your appetite." Xue Shuren said, as she marched through the crowd. "We. Are. Go. Ing. Now."
If Geng Lie muttered something about the price of love before dashing off after Xue Shuren, she didn't hear it, busy as she was planning who to brag to at home.
When Xue Shuren and Geng Lie made it to the concert hall they were quickly shown to their private seating. Below them the hall was mostly filled and the low susurrus of the crowd pervaded the space. Groaning Geng Lie took his seat after Xue Shuren had sat down.
"Should be some time before the start, no?" Geng Lie asked as he looked down at the crowd below.
"Yes, though conversation is expected to quiet down some time before then."
"I see. I will admit I do not spend much time in concert halls. Would you be willing to answer a few questions of mine?"
"Within reason." Xue Shuren said.
"I understand Ling Qi is a popular musician. But I don't know what makes her popular. Is it the themes she presents, her skills as a musician, or just a sign of support for Lady Cai?" Geng Lie said.
Glancing at Geng Lie out of the corner of her eye, Xue Shuren shifted her posture to a more comfortable pose. "I didn't expect you to be knowledgeable enough in art to be interested in the themes or skills of an artist."
Chuckling Geng Lie struck his belly like a drum. "Food is the art I appreciate the most, Lady Xue. Though there are some lessons about art that transcends mediums, are there not? Chefs are praised for a variety of things. Their skill in handling rare ingredients, talent in arranging complementary dishes, boldness in trying new themes. An excellent chef will have skill in everything a chef requires. But each chef will, or perhaps should, focus on an area to shine in."
Nodding Xue Shuren brushed hair back into place. "An astute observation. To answer, Ling Qi's popularity comes primarily from her skill; far outstripping those many decades, or even centuries, her senior." Xue Shuren said. "Just as many are attracted to her themes, as well. Songs by Ling Qi are often grouped into Grandmistress Lei's style. Very focused on natural scenes and forces, however woven through the pieces are those forces or scenes having human struggles. Or better put, she is humanizing forces of nature. Critics liken Ling Qi's emerging style and themes as a refreshing meld between Grandmaster Jiang's and Grandmistress Lei's style. Particularly her newer songs."
Geng Lie hummed. "Something new out of combining two older styles, then?"
Xue Shuren rocked her hand back and forth. "It's not brand new. Ever since the fall of the Hui musicians have been experimenting. The idea of humanizing Grandmistress Lei's style has been gaining popularity for almost a hundred years now."
"Baroness Ling Qi is just the first to be successful while doing so." Geng Lie said, nodding.
"Exactly. She has become a figurehead for the overall trend. What was scattered and unfocused has crystallized around the baron, gaining significant support and prestige along the way."
"Interesting and enlightening, but it seems the show is about to start. We will have to continue it at a later time." Geng Lie said, motioning towards dimming lights.
Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Xue Shuren shifted into the seat. Soon after darkness fell curtains were raised and the stage lit up. Then she drifted away with chords and melodies.
Curtains fell and lights brightened after three songs. Far too short in Xue Shuren's opinion. She would have liked to listen to five or more songs. Still it had been a wonderful time. A shift to her right caught her attention and she almost blushed. Geng Lie had been such an attentive listener that she had forgotten about him. That was embarrassing.
"Well." Geng Lie said, stretching his arms over his head. "This is where our engagement ends it seems. It has been a truly wonderful time."
Xue Shuren searched her memory. After the initial encounter, things had gone smoothly. Geng Lie had proved to be somewhat knowledgeable in regards to art, unlike other suitors father had thrown her way. Actually, looking back, things had been quite nice. He had been attentive, listened, and engaging. She could give him some face.
"If my father asks about this evening," Xue Shuren said. "I will tell him that I didn't dislike it."
A smile as bright as the sun bloomed on Geng Lie's face. "A magnanimous endorsement! And again," Here he bowed. "Thank you for your evening. It was truly wonderful speaking with you."
Xue Shuren's airy laugh drifted through the room as she walked away. As she stepped into the Pillarhall she opened her senses. It was blinding. Light raced through the crowds twinning together thousands and thousands of auras into a vast unending tapestry of art. Just as swiftly Xue Shuren tightened her senses again. Xiangmen's living tapestry was still too much for her to witness. She chose to glimpse it though. A memory of an evening listening to trees grow, fires struggle, darkness whisper, and ice crush. A memory of a truly lovely evening.
A.N
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne.
Critiques help me grow as a writer, so please share them.
Hmm since most of style does mist and illusions could they be portered over into weaving illuison for performance and stories, so instead of being idiot cultivator who only uses arts for combat we turn then into entertainment, playing in court of Cai Shenrui may be great but putting on performance for greater spirits and many auidence seems alot grander, hmm modernizing art usage for greater productive seems nice I wonder if theirs any farming arts we could teach villages under us or crafting arts.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
There seems to be a lot of questions here. Most of our kit doesn't really deal with illusions, so much as creating real things. The things we create physical effect people.
As for weaving illusions into our performance we really don't need to. Right now we are at a level where we are spiritual communicating ideas through our music. I am sure that in FOD there are some musicians that use illusions, but Ling Qi just doesn't need to. Her audience will hear our song without them.
Playing in Cai Shehua's court is likely the biggest thing we will ever do, unless we somehow score the empress as an audience. Cai Shehua is white, there are no spirits bigger than her, at least in the Emerald Seas. If you are talking about playing for Great Spirits, then I don't think that will ever happen. They can't interact with the world after all. As for playing for many audiences, we do that already. We hold monthly concerts for CRX, and someday Ling Qi will do concerts like Hanyi, where people travel to hear her.
As for villages getting farming arts, they won't need them. We have Zhengui. By the time we get a fief Zhengui will such an agricultural advantage I am unsure how anyone could compete with us on that front, acre per acre. Our villages won't need any help with farming. Zhengui has got their back. Crafting arts are a bit tricker. What would our villages craft that would benefit from an art helping them? Sure what ever they do will better, but their crafts won't ever give a return on the time spent teaching them and getting them to red soul. Any craft a red soul villager could make would just not be helpful for a green. Sure they would be helpful to the reds and the villagers, but how much more helpful would crafts guided by art be rather than just a red soul making it on their own?
- Location
- Finland
I think that by the time something like this is going on, Ling Qi would probably have gone past Baron.
As for why Ling Qi is so popular, having the Meng endorse her spirit performing so early on might come up in analysis.
Playing for the Great Spirits should not be an issue, depending on the spirit, Ling Qi has had several talks with different aspects of the Moon afterall.
But those performances would probably have to done outside the physical realm.
As for why Ling Qi is so popular, having the Meng endorse her spirit performing so early on might come up in analysis.
Playing for the Great Spirits should not be an issue, depending on the spirit, Ling Qi has had several talks with different aspects of the Moon afterall.
But those performances would probably have to done outside the physical realm.
In the far future, where Meizhen possibly leads the Bai, we might play for her. Don't know if it counts as greater thing though
Also, it might be our greatest performance, but it won't be the greatest thing we will do, not if this quest gets to higher tier of cultivation. Heck, LQ might get to white herself with enough time.
Fair enough, it doesn't really change my point any since the idea was to use the He as microcosm of the economic issues the prevent literally everyone from cultivating by starting from the position that a clan patriarch like the He would be it's strongest member and the one most supported by the economy of the rest of the family, and that progression to green 1 is more a matter of time and resources than it is talent, as the penalties for failing a breakthrough are minor, and the biggest loss is the potential lost ground because of that failure. Based on the requirements to reach green 1, it should take someone who's properly funded with red and yellow stones roughly the same amount of time to go from being a fresh yellow to a fresh green as it did for them to go from a mortal to a fresh yellow.
Therefore if a 200 year old clan head, like Ling Qingge's great uncle compares poorly to Early Green Ling Qi, than that suggests that the He clan doesn't have the economy to make enough yellow stones for the patriarch's advancement, much less the red stones to allow for a significant number of the family to cultivate. It would surprise me if the same logic doesn't scale up considering that cyan and higher spirit stones are treated as commodities rather than currencies like Red/Yellow/Green stones are.
Having Ling Qi play at a Bai gathering is essentially certain if Meizhen actually sticks around in the Emerald Seas long term as a secondary Bai envoy to the Cai, since she'll need a place to live, as well as spend time building more connections with the Bai as a group which is essentially the purpose of these kinds of noble parties Renxiang has been regularly throwing.
In fact given that most of Ling Qi's friends will have to deal with setting up house, she could likely spend several months every decade for the next few centuries essentially touring between the various estates and forts of her friends playing at parties. It would certainly help with spreading Hanyi's music around.
Varder
Tired Cultist
- Location
- Hell
Penalties for failing a breakthrough are described as excruciating pain. Not everyone has the mental fortitude to keep trying doing something very hard and time consuming when their failure results in a torture session as their own body tries to tear itself apart.
Yes, but as long as they hold to a decent schedule to account for that, that's not a big deal compared to actual injury or death that failing a later breakthrough can cause. Hitting Yellow extends one's lifespan enough that as long as they weren't in the twilight years of their life when they hit yellow, green is fully achievable, again assuming sufficient resources.
Green is where a cultivator is make or break as due to the expanded requirements to reach each stage of green, it's possible for someone with infinite resources to never advance beyond Green 2 because they never get an advanced insight. By comparison, with infinite resources Green 1 is inevitable.