Report
Cai Renxiang could feel exhaustion creeping into her bones from her intensive morning cultivation. With a deep inhale and exhale she expunged that exhaustion, however. There was much to do, and little time for rest. Taking a moment to give the request a quick glance to see if any mistakes were made, she placed it in her storage ring for later. With the venue requisition done, it was time to start drafting and composing various letters to inner sect members inviting them to another of her… parties.
The parties were going well, and forging connections between the Inner Sect Disciples that she may be able to call upon later, but progress was still tediously slow. Her Mother's demand still thrummed at the back of her mind like a clock for which to measure progress by. For all of her and Baroness Ling's meteoric rise in the initial rankings, there was still much progress to be made and the hurdles were just beginning.
Even still, it was clear to all that their class's initial rankings were one of custom and tradition and not actual ability. For it was not only were Sun Liling, Bai Meizhen, Xuan Shi and herself quickly rising through the ranks, but even the likes of Yan Renshu were rising quickly. Simply more pressure then, to quickly rise and hit the next wall in the rankings.
However, before she could get back to drafting the letters, a shadow made itself known on the edges of her senses. Baroness Ling continued to be punctual to their meetings, which always made planning them easier. Interestingly though, Cai Renxiang's senses told her that the shadow was a little bit deeper, and a little bit colder. Peculiar.
After the initial polite greetings and courtesies, it was down to business as usual. Sifting through information and gossip and determining which was relevant or irrelevant, and how each piece might best be used to determine where the various loyalties of the Inner Sect Disciples lay was tedious, but necessary work. During this work, Cai Renxiang noticed that another spirit seemed to have wormed its way into Baroness Ling's dantian. A spirit of Ice, Darkness, and Song. An intriguing mix. Maybe one of the offspring of that tutor that Baroness Ling seemed to have found in the outer sect? It was of little matter, however. Prying into Baroness Ling's actions too much might cause undue fractures in their relationship.
During the sifting, however, a strange piece of gossip came to light.
"Baroness Ling… it seems that the outer sect had an impromptu trial a short time before the end of the truce. You are tutoring Xiao Fen this month, are you not? See if you can find from Xiao Fen the individuals who received points for their actions and the nature of their allegiances. Getting a grip on some rising stars of the outer sect will only help us plan for their possible ascent into the inner sect."
Suddenly, the silence between them was almost palpable. An uneasy tension that seemed to scream that Baroness Ling was uncomfortable about something. Something about the storm or Xiao Fen was making her uncomfortable to talk about the subject. Better to end this tension quickly before letting it fester.
"Baroness Ling… is there something you wish to report?"
"Well…" she began, "I may have been… a cause for that impromptu trial."
Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow and with some measure of trepidation rarely felt asked, "A cause? How were you a cause for such a destructive storm which did incredible damage to the Outer Sect Mountain?"
"I… may have assisted in speeding up my mentor and tutor's death, which caused the storm. Hanyi and I are still a little shaken over the ordeal, so I would beg forgiveness in not wishing to discuss it in any more depth."
"Baroness Ling, you mentioned once that your tutor was a cyan spirit, didn't you?"
With a small resigned sigh, she answered with a small voice, "yes."
With a small shake of her head, Cai Renxiang shifted her focus back to the tasks and paperwork in front of her. This must be another case which Bai Meizhen attributed to Baroness Ling's strange propensity to get into bizarre circumstances.
… and who was Hanyi?
A/N: Another omake for the omake throne! This one is how I think the report to Cai Renxiang would go regarding how Ling Qi devastated the outer sect mountain. I'm sure that Ling Qi's liege would have heard of the storm, and we do have to meet and plan stuff with her. It would be a natural point of discussion to bring up with the opperation to get information regarding the outer sect from Xiao Fen. Either way, I hope people enjoy the read, and critiques and criticisms are welcomed.
Also:
@yrsillar
