[] would suggest that they have a spar after their talk
Resume the relationship prior to the tournament. Sparring as a means of building strength. Very practical for self improvement. Very time efficient.
However, as we've seen already, sparring is unlikely to actually progress a relationship as a regular activity.
Boosts combat masteries at least.
[] Try to get her liege to show her some needlework basics
Pick up a new skill mastery, get in on the Renxiang-Meizhen sewing hour.
Seems a little forced, considering Ling Qi's done approximately zero sewing since the Sect and has a wardrobe of functionally one, self cleaning dress. Social wise it should work out, sewing is a patient endeavor with a great deal of room for light conversation, if a little too concentration intensive for heavier stuff.
However there is skill improvement, likely some minor Dex improvement.
[] talk tea over a cup of the stuff, Cai Renxiang seemed to think it was important.
Pure social. As I recall, tea is one of Renxiang's true
personal passions, where sewing is her Art and fighting is a necessity. She does this for pleasure alone, though Ling Qi is only really interested in the cultivation benefits of any teas.
Probably the best for making a personal connection, and of course, a lot of room for casual discussion. Socialize progress perhaps?
[X] talk tea over a cup of the stuff, Cai Renxiang seemed to think it was important.
"Ling Qi," Bai Meizhen spoke, catching her attention. "What are your plans for this week?"
Ling Qi blew on the drying ink one last time and looked up? "I'm… not sure? I will be cultivating at night and in the evenings, but I don't really have my days planned out yet. I was going to be discussing that with Lady Cai later, I think."
"I see," Meizhen replied, pursing her lips as she stood, her white gown shimmering like water under the pale light in the grotto. "Will you be visiting the town in the foothills at all?"
Ling Qi nodded, beginning to pack up her utensils and notes. "I'll want to visit my mother sometime, sure."
"Inform me when you intend to do so, and make plans for a further stay before or after then," Meizhen said crisply. "There is someone I should be introducing you to."
Ling Qi blinked, pausing in her clean up. Looking up at her friend, she felt a thread of concern. "...This isn't a marriage thing, right?"
She saw a flicker of horrified surprise in Bai Meizhen's eyes though it didn't touch of the rest of her expression. "No, of course not. It is only one of my lesser branch cousins. Certain things need to be made clear," she replied hurriedly.
Ling Qi let out a breath of relief. She had thought maybe something had been arranged for Meizhen, not what the other girl had thought of, but that was fine. She also knew Meizhen wouldn't get any more specific than that in public about a personal meeting. "I'll let you know tomorrow then," she said lightly.
So...whats this about?
Last I knew, Meizhen didn't think anyone in her family was safe to introduce Ling Qi to, aside from Suzhen, and I'd think a Prism in the town would have been noticed.
Her father perhaps?
We sort of made a connection during the festivities, though I'm not sure he'd be introduced through her, given their poor relationship.
Or perhaps the rest of the clan took an interest in Meihen's little friend and now she has the choice of meeting on her terms, or it being forced outside her terms?
For moment Li Suyin looked puzzled, pausing in front of the door to the workshop, but then understanding dawned. "...Father was distraught and angry at my injury," she replied with a sad smile. "Mother and I talked him down from attempting to file a legal suite against the girls involved… it would not help given our relative positions."
Ling Qi grimaced, she wasn't a legal expert at all, but that was obvious to her. Even if Imperial Law technically gave mortals the right to do that kind of thing, it was useless for even a wealthy mortal family to go against a noble clan without equally ranked backer. "They weren't too mad at you though?"
Li Suyin shook her head, turning back to open the workshop door. "Mother was put out with me deceiving them, but… she understood I think. We spoke of it."
Legal Suit is intended here I think.
Legal Suite is quite a different thing.
I'm not sure how the Law extends here, given the environment of the Thunderdome, where injury is expected...and I imagine Suyin doesn't want official attention given her own revenge had been taken already.
Ling Qi looked up at the sounding of chitin scraping against chitin. In the far left corner of the room, the webbing grew into a bulbous nest as large as a full grown man. From it, emerged her friends spirit. The last time they had met the spider had been small enough to fit in her palm. Now the arachnid was the size of a small cat, and pale pink chitin and the thick fuzz that grew from it shimmered with a rainbow of hues. Li Suyin's spirit beast was at the peak of the first realm now, as far as she could tell.
Still pink. Sounds adorifying.
"Zhenli greets Sister Suyin," the spiders voice whispered in the back of Ling Qi's skull. Her jaws worked and her frontmost limbs wriggled warily as her attention turned to Ling Qi. "Zhenli greets the Ling Qi and the moonchild too."
"Don't pay me any mind," Sixiang said, seemingly awakened from the bored quasi-sleep they had sunk into during the lecture. "Grandmother doesn't stand on ceremony and neither do I. Just tell your kin to keep the good stuff coming for the next party!"
"Zhenli will pass message," the spider let out a high pitched physical chitter, turning her attention to a bemused looking Li Suyin, who was looking curiously at Ling Qi. "Does Sister need Zhenli for anything?"
Well, the Wood Spiders definitely do drugs, and the Dreaming Moon is always up for drugs.
Her friend hesitated for a moment, before opening a drawer and removing a small, glass covered case. Turning back to face her, Li Suyin brought it over to the table she was seated at. Inside the case were six tar black spheres each perhaps two centimeters across. "Su Ling and I discovered a cave several months back. The sinkhole in the forest seemed to have opened it up," she explained.
"Did it now?" Ling Qi asked with concern. "Wasn't that closed off by the Elders?"
"We did not go in until after it was opened again," Li Suyin reassured her. "In any case, the cave was more of a shaft leading straight down for some distance, but at the bottom, we discovered a cave inhabited by all sorts of strange creatures. We harvested a large number, but we did not explore far, the beasts grew stronger very quickly as went further down."
"Those are cores then?" Ling Qi asked, peering down at the black tar balls. Somehow they didn't seem like it.
"That's just it, they didn't react like cores at all," Li Suyin gushed. "They poisoned and ruined every mixture we tried to use them in."
"So what are they then?" Ling Qi said. "And how did you find a use for them?"
"Well, I had noticed that their… aroma resembled that of the impurities flushed out during a cultivation breakthrough," Li Suyin continued cheerfully. "As it turned out, that was the key, these cores are saturated with impurity, but it is possible to strain it out with certain processes. The remaining material acts like a magnet or a sponge afterward, drinking in impurities it comes into contact with."
...pure impurity?!
As others said, its basically a grief seed.
Also the only things we know that gather impurity over their lifetime are basically mortal souls right? And that the shaman was gathering ghosts?
Are those ghost-cores?
Not that this is definitive, given our general ignorance.
Also I wonder that Su Ling 'discovered' it. She knew where it was. Could probably literally smell it.
Li Suyin glanced to the side, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "They control the forces inside the core. Without regulating formations and Zhenli's web acting to strain the impurities going in, contact with an empty core will rupture and poison flesh at and near the point of contact. It is very… messy."
Ling Qi grimaced, she got the picture. "Well that explains that. Have you told anyone else?"
"I had a conversation with Elder Su regarding my project," Li Suyin replied. "She said that the creation was incompatible with her way, but that it seemed safe to proceed. I have been given dispensation to keep the source and materials secret for a ten year period while I develop my work, after which the Sect will begin letting other disciples experiment. Of course, if they discover it on their own…"
Sounds like she tested on herself first.
Also, given what we know of how humans work, it seems the whole human
body is basically made out of impurity, so naturally unfiltered contact with an empty core will try to rip out your humanness?
I can think of several other uses for something like that already:
-The strained out impurity is itself likely a potent poison to cultivators and spirits alike, if you can get it into their system, or get them to absorb it.
-The emptied cores, if of sufficient quantity and size, could probably be used to construct something like a very low level White Room, a chamber which generates a purified space where being surrounded by impurity strainers makes it a better environment to expel impurity.
-The cores MIGHT be usable as power sources for formations. If it can attract something then you can put a barrier to drive something with that attractive force.
Also interesting that its incompatible with Elder Su's Way. Anyone recall whats Elder Su's specialty?
A ten year patent period is pretty huge too...but I suspect the Sect's motives aren't that pure. Suyin is basically the test subject. Promising and skilled enough to likely survive whatever pitfalls may happen...and expendable enough that if she winds up on a deviant path or unleashes forces not meant to be, she could probably be cleaned up without too much fuss.
"Good for you Li Suyin," it sounded like she was going to have a good foundation built before anyone else in the area could try horning in on her discovery. "Do you think you could get better materials further in?"
Li Suyin blinked. "I suppose, but…" she trailed off, and understanding lit in her eyes. "Would you?"
"I'm not sure when I'll have some time, but it sounds like an adventure," Ling Qi laughed. "Don't you think Sixiang?" Besides, she still felt a little uneasy about an open cave under that sinkhole.
It sounds like an ideal environment for us to fight in at least. I'm in.
Yeah, which is what makes this tricky. If we knew that Hanyi wouldn't be joining us until we actually leave the Sect, then I'd say go for it. But otherwise...
That being said, such things aren't set. Her not joining us until we leave would make a lot of sense, and if we did get another spirit and didn't really have the qi for a fourth earlier then I could see that making it even more likely.
Overall, I'd say that we could probably get another spirit this year without it causing problems.
Naw, I expect Hanyi to join us pretty soon(keeping in mind the monthly turn scale), because Zeqin already is dealing with the urge to devour her. She probably won't keep for many months more.
And the project well...remember people already had plans to try to bind Hanyi for a very, very long time. She's probably one of the longest running investments we've made, outside of Meizhen and the Moon.
