"Apologies. It is Xuanji." Xuan Shi said. "After…"
"Anthology." A name about stories, subtly giving her his clan name too. There was more but she didn't have the head for it right now.
"Indeed," Xuan Shi chuckled. "The meaning of names… though they form from the hopes of the giver, they hold meaning to the child."
"And puns are just fun," Ling Qi said, smiling slightly.
Sixiang snorted.
Xuan Shi lowered his head in acknowledgement and the little blue chick bobbled in his palm, chirping away.
Hungry hungry hungry SHADE! Hungry hungry!
Xuan Shi raised his hand, letting the chick scamper back under his hat.
"...Did you build a nest box under there?" Ling Qi asked, bemused.
Xuan Shi coughed into his hand. "Temporary accommodation."
"She seems to like it, though, you're right it can't last forever," Ling Qi mused. "I do miss when I could carry Zhengui a little."
"It will be the same, this one believes, though one doubts she will reach such heights."
Xuan Shi paused. "Perhaps it is best not to assume in these days, however."
Ling Qi imagined briefly a towering chicken standing astride the mountaintops, flaring her wings and summoning a gale upon the land below. It was… definitely an image. "I suppose so."
Silence fell between them then, only a little bit tense and awkward.
"How bad was it?" Ling Qi asked, "At the Meng compound."
Xuan Shi took a deep, sharp breath. "A worse storm this one has not yet seen. A mutiny countenanced from the foundations. Yet… few who had their own will, Sir Meng Dan's gaze is sharp, when forewarned for what to seek, and assisted by a grinning ape."
"And a dependable tortoise," Ling Qi said, settling her head back on the pillow, she refused to stay completely immobile she would at least be able to lift her head by day's end, she promised herself.
"This one merely provided force, and analysis of formation arrays," Xuan Shi said, but he lowered his head in acknowledgement of her words. An irate chirp emerged from beneath his hat. There were six. Only two, the aide's of Meng Deming, recorded in the annals of the Summit staff."
Ling Qi grimaced. It was not a huge number all told, and yet, it was more than she would have liked. Together with whatever her allies in the Meng had found in their home…
It was going to be ugly. People would die. No they would be executed if they were not already dead. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, so many connections were going to be snipped, and no amount of justification would balm those who had been severed from their kin.
It was the best that could be done, enemies did not stop being enemies because they were people. But, even if the faction from which these rebels drew their strength was gutted and discredited, she expected that there would be a great deal of resentment to go around for a long time coming.
"Sir Meng Dan is most troubled. It is not easy to raise hands against kin," Xuan Shi said.
"I would expect no less," Ling Qi said, lying back. "Thank you, Xuan Shi for all of your assistance. I wish there were more that I could do, to pay my debts to you."
"Friends do not keep a coin counters ledger. If mine work preserved Lady Ling's life, than it has paid itself in full," Xuan Shi said consideringly. "All the same, this one wishes to remain. The Argent Sect and the Xuan alike wish eyes here. Will you support this?"
"Of course I will. We have a a proper town to build here still, don't we?" Ling Qi said.
Xuan Shi hummed in agreement. "This one looks forward to walking at your side, Miss Ling is never short on adventure."
"I'll look forward to that too, and not only for walking at all," Ling Qi chuckled weakly. "Xuan Shi…"
He tilted his head as she trailed off.
"I will be glad to have you here whatever ways you want to walk. I hope we can seek out secrets together again," She chose the words with difficulty. Some things were harder, despite the far lower stakes.
"A-ah," Xuan Shi said, blinking slowly. "This one would be honor… most pleased to tread the winding ways at thy side again."
"Maybe you can keep her from blocking more attacks with her face while you're at it," Sixiang said, grinning over the top of the chair.
"I'll catch the next one in my teeth," Ling Qi shot back.
"...That would be most ill advised," Xuan Shi said. "This one implores that Miss Ling use the hands which the Nameless gave unto her."
"I will take it into consideration," Ling Qi said, she tried to do a haughty sniff but it just made her cough, what a wretched feeling. When she recovered she grimaced. "Thank you again Xuan Shi."
He nodded, standing slowly. "This one accepts. What has been wrought here will echo far, to be a part of it has been an honor. Be well, Ling Qi. Many remain who wish for thy ear, but let us speak again soon."
She gave the small nod she was able to manage as he turned to leave.
"It's funny," Sixiang said thoughtfully.
"What?" Ling Qi asked.
"He still likes you, but I think he's actually better for taking a step back?" Sixiang said.
"...You shouldn't center your whole life around another person," Ling Qi said quietly. "It is not fair to either them or you."
"Hm," Sixiang hummed noncommittally, resting their chin on their crossed arms.
Only to sit up straight a moment later. Ling Qi's eyes darted to the corner of the room as well, where she felt the veil of reality distorting.
Laughter and mist.
"Hello to you too Zheng Fu. I suppose they have not revamped the security much."
Stepping out of the shimmering air, Zheng Fu grinned at her behind his scarf. "C'mon only been ten days. If you're worried though, pretty sure I'd already be dead if I was a baddie, given the eyes on this place."
"That's good to know," Ling Qi said. Lift head, lie back down, she just had to get the qi circulating a little more. She had promised not to cultivate, not to be completely still.
He looked her up and down appraisingly, and she frowned up at him.
"You really are nutty you know?"
"She's been reminded," Sixiang chuckled.
She glared at the muse and then back to Zheng Fu and huffed. "I was not going to allow this summit to fail over an old man's tantrums, no matter how powerful he was. Not if I could do anything about it."
"Nutty," Zheng Fu said, stepping up to the foot of her bed. "You wanna visit the ol' dreaming court together when you're fixed up?"
"No thank you," Ling Qi said coolly.
"Hah, figured. Worth a shot though," Zheng Fu shrugged. "Anyway how much did the Xuan guy tell ya?"
"Not too much. We were speaking more personally," Ling Qi replied.
"Ah… guess that's why he blew me off too. Ya'll are so stuffy," Zheng Fu complained. "But… yeah, I figured out there was a cultivation network going on, found the traces to where the bigger nodes were hiding in the dream. Spoke with Mister Inspector and he directed me to Meng Dan."
"So you didn't just run off into the liminal alone to punch that woman out," Ling Qi mused.
His eyebrows climbed. "How much did you see?"
"Not much more than that."
He shook his head. "Not even gonna ask. This was a hell of a job even with everybody working together. Real stuff too, no one playacting here."
He sounded distant, a little lost in thought.
"I'll be hanging around the Emerald Seas for awhile, doing stuff for my master and myself," Zheng Fu said, strolling around her bedside to the table beside it. He flicked his wrist, and laid the small scroll that appeared in his hand on the table. "You or your boss need some muscle or a pair of eyes you can send to the address in there, or use the formation to call me up, though that bit will only work once."
"Quite an offer from the Zheng clan," Ling Qi said warily.
"Nah, my Master thinks its an investment. We missed out on Big Cai you know? I think little Cai's gonna shake things up too is all," Zheng Fu said. "Anyway, I best get out of here, if I don't wanna get launched out the window by an irate snake. Seeya later there, nutty girl."
And he was gone. Nothing but a swirl of mist and a shimmer in the air.
"...Is it that annoying when I do that?" Ling Qi wondered aloud.
"Probably," Sixiang said. "You gonna stop doing it?"
"Of course not."
She felt her best friend, well before her arrival.
A dark current crashing down the halls, scattering other presences before it. Implacable and cold, a river poorly restrained from overflowing its banks.
She braced herself as the door fell open and slitted golden eyes fell upon her, imperious and full of fury.
The wash of presence and pressure over her was like a cool, familiar blanket. "Lady Bai."
"Baroness Ling," Bai Meizhen said, stepping into the room. Xiao Fen flowed in a step behind like a shadow.
Xia Anxi quietly stepping in a few moments later, almost invisible under Meizhen's crushing presence was more surprising.
Bai Meizhen's cold eyes swept her from head to toe. Meizhen met her eyes, and Ling Qi held her gaze, tilting her chin up just a little.
She was sorry, but she had no regrets. Not even under Meizhen's scolding gaze.
Her best friend let out a breath and pinched her nose between her fingers. "It is good that you are well, Baroness Ling. I applaud you in denying foes and traitors even the smallest victory."
"You honor me Lady Bai. I would not die to such plots, whoever is behind them," Ling Qi said. "I am certain my liege has extended her own apologies, but allow me to do the same. It is shameful that we have allowed our great allies, the Bai clan to be touched by our internal plotting."
Xiao Fen was glowering, not at her exactly, but at the world in particular. She felt bad for anyone who so much as twitched toward Meizhen right now.Xia Anxi on the other hand was staring at her like she was mad, until their eyes met and his gaze flicked away. He readjusted the pile of scrolls and books in his arms uncomfortably.
Meizhen had just diverted from whatever she was in the middle of hadn't she?
"It is well that you understand the gravity of what has transpired," Bai Meizhen said. "Although given past consideration, reparations are possible."
A man with dark green hair and a Bai's golden eyes, filled with killing intent and then terror as they froze and burst flashed past in her thoughts. She supposed the Bai's internal troubles had touched them too.
"Of course, I hope the bai clan will understand that this was the act of a small faction of rebels," Ling Qi said.
Her friend nodded grimly. Her gaze flicked over Ling Qi again, and something in her aura spasmed, a dark killing impulse that left Xia Anxi shuddering. "Yes. Baroness I must ask, will you recover?"
"In good time. My foundations suffered no damage though my advancement has been slowed," Ling Qi said. "I merely need to recover and cultivate carefully."
She could probably wrangle some small exercises in a month or so.
Sixiang shot her a dirty look that she studiously ignored.
"That is well," bai Meizhen said, pausing for a long moment. "I have been in talks with my teacher and my Aunt over this incident, I believe this matter was handled as well as it could have been."
Xia Anxi grimaced.
"Yet fault remains, and I accept it," Ling Qi said. "Particularly to you Xia Anxi who was directly impacted. I hope that the remainder of your stay in the Emerald Seas is not so fraught."
"...I doubt two such rebellions will occur in my span here," Xia Anxi said after looking to Meizhen for permission to speak. "Not after how well crushed this one was. My praise, baroness."
"The Emerald Seas, and I thank the Bai clan for their understanding."
"...We will need to speak of reparations," Bai Meizhen said, almost apologetically.
"You will have them," Ling Qi replied. She knew her friend was taking it easy here but there were limits to what she could get away with. But at the same time the Meng were in a fragile place right now. "Though this might not be the place for it."
"Indeed," Bai meizhen said. "When you are able I will present my clans… requests to your liege and yourself. For now… rest well Baroness. Like myself you have much more work to do."
AN: This will be the last voteless update, getting into the final leg of negotiations starting next time.
