"I'm going to share an interesting site with him," Ling Qi said. "Hopefully it can provide some balance to the favors I owe him."
"I do not think sir Xuan really concerns himself with debts," Li Suyin said thoughtfully as their ride skittered around a corner, descending toward a faint light. "He can be a little hard to understand, but he's very generous."
Probably a little too much so, Ling Qi privately mused. Given her insights, she felt a niggling sense of shame for how many times she'd asked for his aid. Before she could respond though, she heard a sound echoing up from below.
"Uugh, how is this time shit so hard," Su Ling's voice, tired and full of frustration reached up the passage.
"The Eldest does not deign care for us as our other divine siblings do," she heard Xuan Shi next, patient and calm.
"You're gonna have to expand on that," Su Ling snorted.
Ling Qi shared a glance with Suyin, who mouthed back 'shared project' in silence as they approached the closed latch that would lead into the lower workshop.
"Time is Eldest. The weapon with which the Nameless wreaked vengeance for their children, and introduced their siblings to death," Xuan Shi said. "Carved from Mother's rib and tempered with Father's blood, they are immutable and unknowable, the first and the last weapon. Their secret's never shared with the mortal children. To play in their yard, we must develop understanding without tutelage."
"No shortcuts built into the sacred characters huh. No wonder this is such a pain-" Su Ling began only to pause. "Ling Qi and Li Suyin are here."
The stone trapdoor ground open, and the two of them emerged high on the wall. The workshop they found themselves in was at once orderly and cluttered. On three sides were wide tables and workbenches, filled with alchemical equipment and the tools of other trades, and above them were carved cabinets of tiny drawers carved with meticulous labels. In the center of the room was a table which currently held a scattered pile of ceramic tokens and the shattered remnants thereof. Su Ling stood over the table, an etching tool in hand, with ink, brushes and papers crowded with swarms of characters and numbers which Ling Qi found her eyes sliding off of.
Su Ling didn't look much different from when last she had seen her, except that her tangled bushy hair was tied back inelegantly and a pair of half moon spectacles were perched on her nose, with a half dozen lenses of varying thickness and tint hovering in front of one eye.
Ling Qi started to smile. Su Ling glared at her. "Shut it you, it's a damn good perception talisman for fiddly work."
"I wasn't going to say anything," Ling Qi said airly, hopping down from spiderback to drift to the floor like a leaf.
"Greetings, Miss Ling," Xuan Shi said. He was dressed in thick green and black robes as per usual, but Ling Qi noticed that his hands were both encased in blocky metal gauntlets painted a drab gray that contrasted with the differently colored jewels adorning the knuckles. "Miss Li."
"Thank you Sir Xuan, I gather the project isn't going well?" Li Suyin asked, waiting for her mount to reach the floor before sliding elegantly off."
"I've picked up what he has to teach, I'm figuring out the personalized bits now," Su Ling grunted. Glaring down at the shattered token in the center of the table as if it had personally offended her.
"Miss Su learns quickly," Xuan Shi, said dipping his wide hat in her direction.
"You don't gotta spare my feelings," Su Ling snorted."That tutor made sure I understood that I'm a no talent klutz with this delicate shit. I just know the value of banging my head against a problem till it breaks."
"What are you working on anyway?" Ling Qi asked. Peering down at the table, she understood… maybe a quarter of what she saw there. Some kind of boundary enhancing formation?
"I want something that can fix me and my surroundings in place," Su Ling said. "After that trip underground, I'm pretty sick of getting jerked around by weird space labyrinths and dream nonsense.."
"No fun at all that girl," Sixiang huffed.
"What does that have to do with time arts?" Ling Qi asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"A coin has two sides, but remains as one. So is the way of space and time. Although one face of the coin is more mystery than the other," Xuan Shi said, slowly standing up from the bench he had been seated on. The ring headed staff leaning against the wall beside him rattled and jingled as it shook and then leapt to his hand. "Miss Su, this one humbly begs his leave."
"Yeah, yeah, have fun getting dragged into some nonsense by Miss Chaos over here," Su Ling said dismissively. "I'll have the basic part figured out by the time you come around next week."
"Do enjoy yourselves," Li Suyin said, bowing her head. "You are both welcome back any time."
***
"It seems you are getting along well," Ling Qi said as they left Li Suyin's workshop.
"Mere collaboration of work, although Miss Li is most hospitable," Xuan Shi replied, his staff tapping the ground in time with his foot steps. "This one gives much gratitude for the introduction."
"Well, you can find friends through work. I have my little club of musicians after all," Ling Qi said. He was being too hard on himself, Su Ling had been quite friendly by her standards. "If you would like, I can invite you to the training camp Sir Wang and I have arranged."
"This one is uncertain that doing so would not disrupt the group," Xuan Shi replied.
"Bai Meizhen is coming soon, I doubt that you could be more disruptive if you tried," Ling Qi said.
He paused, and she saw him blink under the brim of his hat. "...Perhaps. What whim drives this calling then, Miss Ling."
"You
can call me Ling Qi," Ling Qi reminded absently. "I want to repay your generosity. When I was doing my part in researching the Sect grounds for a pre-mission training site, we came across a site that I thought would interest you."
"Oh?" he said, tilting his head curiously as they began to descend the mountain path.
"It is the grave site of the author and elder you spoke to me about. His sword lies there and is willing to speak a bit," Ling Qi said.
It was a little funny, watching the steady and redoubtable Xuan Shi nearly trip on his own feet as he came to a halt, leaving her to turn back and face him.
"How-I have searched-" he stumbled over his words.
"I had help… and it's possible that some parts of the grounds have become less restricted, given everything," Ling Qi replied. She had considered why a site of such importance was less known, and hit upon the thought that it had once been better hidden.
He shook his head in disbelief. "Still, the sword speaks? To have a chance to speak with such a being is…"
Ling Qi held up her hands to halt him for a moment. "I feel like I should warn you, the sword is very… morose. You should temper your expectations a little on how communicative it will be."
The gleeful light in his eyes dimmed. "...Understandable, still, the things it must have experienced at his side. The questions this one will need to ask…"
Ling Qi smiled faintly as they resumed their walk at a quicker pace, the normally quiet young man's words spilling out like water from a burst dam.
With their pace so accelerated descending the mountain did not take long, and the hike out to the site would be a matter of hours. As they hiked, Ling Qi learned more than she had ever intended of the quasi fictional sea routes and lands explored in the novels which Xuan Shi had so much affection for. She didn't interject much, content to let him speak, but despite herself as they began to approach the mazed woodlands around the grave she found herself drawn into the conversation more.
"...meaning no offense but the plot lines really seem like they get a little repetitive around the half way point and on," Ling Qi said. They were walking a forest trail, the afternoon sun dappling the path beneath the light canopy. The circle of taller, darker woodlands was visible when the terrain rose to a high enough hill.
From what he described the general pattern of the novels after the first was that the characters would arrive in a new land, and become embroiled in some local struggle. Sometimes this was a greedy despot after their ship or one of the crew, sometimes it was a strange cult and a cruel god, sometimes it was merely a powerful spirit or spirits. They would solve the problem, sometimes picking up a new member of the crew and then return to the sea. Sometimes they would solve a mystery or hunt a treasure instead, but those were more rare plots.
"Miss Ling's words bear some truth," Xuan Shi admitted. She had given up reminding him to use her name. Xuan Shi was simply too formal for his own good. He would remember after being reminded, but slip back into formal address all too quickly. "However, this one believes that plot is secondary to characters. Plot is merely the instrument by which they are explored, and the true draw is the interactions of people."
"I suppose I could see that point," Ling Qi said. She supposed if she viewed it through the lens of isolation, engaging with fictional characters was a salve for loneliness when true interaction was unavailable. "Still, you need new trials to vary up the interactions."
"I...That's really not entirely right. But it's kinda… dismissive of the whole concept of fiction," Sixiang grumbled.
"You're so narrow minded sometimes."
"You're welcome to present arguments,' Ling Qi thought.
"When we get home. That conversation would be way too distracting right now," Sixiang said.
As if on cue, Xuan Shi spoke. "This is a truth. In the latter half of the series, this ones favored tales were when the crew was trapped by the storm god on the open sea, and the incident with the nightmare trickster."
"Well, I can't speak for favorites not having read them, but you do make the locales they visit sound kind of interesting," Ling Qi said. "You say they're not all made up?"
"In the north and eastern seas, navigators have charted locales of great similarity to places in the early novels," Xuan Shi replied. "Inspiration is all but certain, or so this one thinks."
Well, that made it a little more interesting. "You sound pretty enthusiastic about that.Is that what you want to do when you finish here? Be an explorer?"
Xuan Shi was silent for a moment, save for the dull taps of his staff on the dirt. "To walk the waves and follow the winds, this is my likely path it is true. More like that this one shall ply a merchantman's route as guardian, or serve aboard a vessel of war."
"That's not what I asked though," Ling Qi said. "Why do you think that's more likely?"
"Without a companion, this one would not be approved for captaincy," Xuan Shi said, lowering his head. "And this one is no astrologer, to provide navigation."
"Oh," Ling Qi said, feeling a little awkward. "Well, traders and soldiers do some exploration as well, right?"
"This is true," Xuan Shi said. "It is not good to complain when one does not lack opportunities. Childish things must be set aside in time. Thankfully, the Voyages are not childish! I should like to write of the Venerable Elder's life at least, his work deserves recognition."
Ling Qi wasn't sure storybooks didn't count as childish, but maybe Sixiang was right that this was uncharitable and dismissive.
"Can I ask why you're so interested in exploration? Is it just wanting to experience some part of what was written?" Ling Qi asked.
"Yes, and no as well," Xuan Shi said. "...In truth, this Xuan Shi has always wished to see just what wonders await at sea, to keep sailors from their home shores so long, before ever a page was turned."
Ling Qi didn't reply at first, piecing together his words with other knowledge. He wanted to know what kept his father at sea all of the time huh?
"Well, whatever your reason. We're nearly there," Ling Qi said, dismissing the heavier atmosphere. "The labyrinth is really not too difficult, so just follow my lead…"
As she gave him instructions, Ling Qi came to wonder though. This site was much more important to Xuan Shi than her, and in many ways she almost felt like she would be an intruder when the meeting came. Because of that, she decided…
[] That she would let Xuan Shi converse with the sword spirit alone, simply listening.
[] She would be quiet and let him lead the conversation, but speak up if it looked like the morose blade's temper was riled.
