Ling Qi found herself struggling to push through to the next plateau of physical ability. She had gone rather light on medicines this week, which she suspected might be part of the reason for her struggle. Her dwindling supply of red stones was beginning to limit what she could do, and the pittance of an allowance from the Sect hardly helped in that regard, only barely covering her expenses for this week alone.

  She did not let it bother her too much. She wasn’t entirely sure how to resolve the issue, but she wouldn’t let herself fall behind. Her early morning training with Li Suyin continued apace, and the other girl continued to slowly improve, pushing toward late gold and improving her skill with the needles she had picked up as a weapon.

  After a bit of thought, Ling Qi offered Li Suyin and Su Ling a chance to learn Argent Mirror as well. She was unsure about the implications of doing so, but Bai Meizhen didn’t seem to disapprove, despite being present at the vent during her offer. Given her conversation with Han Jian, she suspected that Meizhen thought of those two as people Ling Qi was cultivating as subordinates.

  It made sense, considering the aloof but not impolite way Bai Meizhen treated the two of them as compared to Meizhen’s slightly more casual and respectful manner around Gu Xiulan. The idea also wasn’t really correct, but she wasn’t sure how to go about changing the pale girl’s mind on the subject. She supposed the misconception wasn’t harming anything for the moment.

  It had been a little difficult getting them to accept though. Well, it had been difficult getting Su Ling to accept; Li Suyin had simply thanked her with her head down, which was a little concerning…… but hopefully, the art itself would help with that. Ling Qi had managed to smooth over Su Ling’s suspicions by asking for help and advice with a few things in return. Bai Meizhen had left some time ago, and Li Suyin was currently meditating, working to clear the channels for Argent Mirror.

  “The hells do you want with a kiln?” Su Ling asked in confusion, slouched against a tree at the edge of the clearing. “I never took you for a potter.” The fox tailed girl had filled out a bit over the past months, no longer seeming as gaunt as she had when Ling Qi had first met her, although she remained rather untidy with dirty robe hems and unkempt hair.

  “It’s weird, I know, but I need it for a…… project,” she answered. “I copied down some notes from the archive. The archive texts mentioned some special materials, and I can’t use the ones in the production hall for my project.” Ling Qi spread her hands helplessly. That was the real problem. She didn’t want to bring the egg to the production hall, and she wasn’t sure the mortal town at the mountain’s base would be able to sell her something that could handle the heat she needed.

  Su Ling narrowed her eyes, giving Ling Qi a searching look. “Well, it’s none of my business,” she decided bluntly. “But sure, I can help.” She scowled. “Fatty owes me a couple favors anyway,” she grumbled under her breath.

  Ling Qi considered this. She didn’t necessarily know Su Ling very well; ultimately, their only real connection was mutual friendship with Li Suyin. Still, the other girl knew a lot more about beasts than she did; it was the whole reason she had approached her after all.

  “It’s an egg,” Ling Qi said, drawing a blank look from the beastial girl. “My project. I got my hands on a spirit beast egg, and the books in the archive say it needs really high, sustained heat to hatch.”


  Su Ling blinked, straightening. “Huh, is that so? Yeah, I can see why you can’t use the production hall, even if you had the stones.”


  Ling Qi watched Su Ling’s reaction carefully but didn’t notice any signs of greed or envy. Of course, Ling Qi hadn’t mentioned how rare a beast it likely was.

  “Speaking of, what can you tell me about beast cores?” Ling Qi asked. “You seem to know what you’re doing with them.” She had seen the other girl grinding cores down into pastes and powders before when she stopped by their cave to walk with the two of them to the vent.

  Su Ling shrugged. “I have to be. If you’re looking into beast rearing, you should know that cores are the best food for young spirit beasts, right?” She paused a beat for Ling Qi to give an acknowledging nod. “Same goes for people like me. I can get by on mortal food, but only barely. Least I’m lucky enough that I can handle greens if they have a bit of qi in ‘em,” she said with a tinge of bitterness.

  “That makes sense,” Ling Qi said. Was that why Meizhen never ate anything she made? “So, for you, preparing cores was pretty much learning to cook?”


  “Kinda,” the other girl replied. “Beast Cores are full of energy, but unless you’re like me or the snake princess, the energy is toxic to humans.”


  “Please don’t call her that if she’s around,” Ling Qi said, glancing to the side and half-expecting Bai Meizhen to be standing there looking displeased. She didn’t think Meizhen would approve of an epithet that sounded similar to Sun Liling’s.

  Su Ling snorted but didn’t disagree. “Right. Anyway, I can eat the cores and get some benefit, but the main thing you use beast cores for is as the primary ingredient in elixirs. You can’t make an elixir without a beast core, and all the preparation and side ingredients pretty much exist to refine the energy and let a human body take in the beast qi safely,” she explained. “That was my big problem: learnin’ to make elixirs that won’t leave other people throwing up blood.”


  Ling Qi grimaced, glad that she hadn’t tried to use any of her beast cores like pills. “How do you know what each core is good for though?” Ling Qi asked. She had several, and she wanted to know what she could do with them.

  “Take ‘em to get appraised,” the other girl replied bluntly. “Unless you wanna invest the time in memorizing bestiaries, leave it to the hall staff. I can generally pick stuff out by smell, but that’s not really an option for you. You have something you want me to take a look at?”


  Ling Qi flicked her wrist, drawing the core of the mimic worm out of her storage ring. It had lost some luster, and once she had cleaned it off, she had come to see that in ripping it out of the corpse, she had cracked it a little.

  “How about this?” Ling Qi asked, holding out the small orb.

  Su Ling leaned forward to get a better look and sniffed before wrinkling her nose and gagging.

  “Ugh, what the hells,” Su Ling gagged, shoving Ling Qi’s hand away, and scrubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “Fucking gross,” she grumbled, giving Ling Qi a dirty look, which quickly faded into simple irritation. “Wood and water. Reeks like a carcass full of maggots though. I wouldn’t touch the thing, but it’s grade two so even if it’s damaged, you could probably sell it for maybe thirty or forty stones.”


  Ling Qi gave her an apologetic look as she placed the core back in storage. “Sorry about that. I should have known that thing’s core would be gross too. Do you think you can give me some tips on harvesting cores better?”


  Su Ling shrugged. “Yeah, sure. You’re the one handing out arts. I can take the time to give you a few tips.”


  Between taking the time to learn from Su Ling, her continued training with Li Suyin, and the slowly improving hunting practice with Han Jian and his group, time passed quickly. Ling Qi soon found herself heading out to the pavilion that Cai Renxiang had requested she come to. Being cautious, she didn’t immediately approach, but as far as she could tell, no one was present except the heiress herself, who sat out in the open on a chair in the center of the stone pavilion, facing the entrance of the area. Cai Renxiang showed no sign of concern or notice as Ling Qi lingered behind one of the stone pillars that marked the edge of the field.

  Recalling Han Jian’s words, she doubted that Cai Renxiang would begrudge her a bit of wary scouting before she approached since Cai’s mother was said to favor practicality, but that didn’t mean she wanted to push her luck by being late. So after checking the surroundings, Ling Qi slipped away and came back, this time taking the actual path toward the pavilion.

  Ling Qi kept her gait even and her head held high as she approached, doing her best to appear confident despite the jittery feeling in her stomach. She took a deep breath as the girl’s dark eyes fell on her but didn’t flinch or pause. Instead, she came to a stop at the base of the short stairs leading up into the pavillion and bowed low as her quick refresher with Han Jian had reminded her to do.

  “Lady Cai, I was honored to receive your invitation.” Ling Qi had been getting more practice with speaking formally lately so the words came easier than she expected.

  Cai Renxiang, for her part, remained seated, looking imperiously down at Ling Qi. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, which lead to her shimmering white gown riding up slightly to expose the jewel-studded golden shoes she wore. The small wooden table beside her held a fine porcelain tea set with faint wisps of steam escaping the pot.

  “I am glad you chose to accept. I trust you found nothing untoward in your inspection, Ling Qi?” Cai Renxiang asked, a hint of reproval in her commanding voice.

  Ling Qi raised her head slightly but didn’t otherwise react. She was reasonably confident the other girl was just testing her reaction and making sure that she knew Cai Renxiang had not been fooled by her sneaking.

  “I have no objections,” Ling Qi responded carefully. “I thought it appropriate to make sure that the invitation was not a trap by one abusing your name, Lady Cai.”


  “A reasonable concern,” the long-haired girl allowed, one hand resting on her knee. “The chaos of the Outer Sect has not yet settled after all. I would not put such foolishness past the petty, small-minded grudges of your lesser peers. Seat yourself. You are my guest, and I would not leave you standing. I am afraid you will have to pour your own tea; Guangli has more pressing tasks than to play manservant today.”


  Ling Qi straightened up and inclined her head gratefully, carefully ascending the steps to sit down at the seat prepared for her.

  “It is no trouble,” Ling Qi said, knowing that refusing the other girl’s refreshments would be an insult. Besides, if someone like Cai Renxiang wanted to do something untoward, she would hardly need to resort to something like poisoned tea.

  “Would you like me to pour your cup as well, Lady Cai?” Ling Qi asked. It seemed like the polite thing to do, and it didn’t cost her anything to offer.

  “It would be appreciated,” Cai Renxiang replied, studying Ling Qi intensely. “I am glad to see that you have some knowledge of how to conduct yourself,” she added in what Ling Qi took as an attempt at a complimentary tone.

  “It’s best not to offend others unnecessarily,” Ling Qi said in turn, lifting the teapot gingerly to pour the steaming liquid within into the two cups set out. She blinked as Cai Renxiang leaned forward to take a cup, her eyes drawn down to the bright red butterfly wings splashed across the bosom of the other girl’s gown. Had the embroidery just moved on its own?

  “My honored Mother’s work is impeccable, is it not?” Cai Renxiang’s voice shook her out of her contemplation, and Ling Qi flushed as she realized that she had been staring at Cai Renxiang’s chest. The gown’s pattern had definitely shifted just then too.

  Ling Qi brought her eyes back to the other girl’s face and took a brief sip from her cup to cover her embarrassment. “It is a very fine gown,” she said hastily. “I did not know your Mother did such work. I would think her too busy.”


  “You would be correct for the most part,” Cai Renxiang admitted. “Her work is largely reserved for Empress Xiang and a handful of other clients these days. I am honored beyond words that she would bestow such a gift upon me. But we are not here to speak of such things,” she continued, meeting Ling Qi’s eyes unwaveringly. “Tell me, Ling Qi. What do you see when you look upon the Outer Sect? Do not mind your words, and speak from your heart.”


  Ling Qi had a hard time not hunching her shoulders at the sudden inflection of absolute command in the other girl’s voice. She regarded the resplendent girl silently, noting the faint corona of light shining around Cai Renxiang’s head even now. Despite their disparity in status, Ling Qi thought the heiress was speaking earnestly about her desire for plain words.

  “For the most part, a bunch of desperate opportunists,” Ling Qi found herself saying bluntly. She thought of Li Suyin’s shattered expectations. “I can’t really criticize, but I can’t say it’s very admirable either. It’s not what people think of when they imagine cultivators, that’s for sure.” . Ling Qi was pretty sure she had caught a slight upward quirk of the severe girl’s lips before it was quickly hidden behind a tea cup.

  “An interesting statement. You are right that you cannot criticize. Your background hardly allows for that, bereft of virtue as it is.”


  Ling Qi frowned at the other girl, who simply raised an eyebrow.

  “Lady Cai, I do not think you would invite me here just to insult me,” Ling Qi said, doing her best to keep the irritation out of her voice but not entirely succeeding. “I won’t apologize for my background. I survived as I could and made the best of the situation. Virtue is a luxury for those not living on the edge of starvation or worse.”


  She winced, fearing she might have gone too far there, letting her temper get the better of her. When she raised her eyes from the tabletop though, she found the girl across from her regarding her without disapproval.

  “Virtue cannot exist without order, and there is little of that to be found in a city’s gutters,” Cai Renxiang agreed coolly. “I will not dispute that. Do you resent those who rule then? For leaving mortals to suffer in squalor?”


  Ling Qi stared down the heiress. She could just reply with some platitude, but she felt like she was doing better for being honest with Cai Renxiang.

  “Maybe a little,” Ling Qi admitted. “But in the end, that’s childish. There will never be enough resources for everyone. That’s just the way the world is. Complaining about it is useless.” Ling Qi had thought of such things before, but in the end, she didn’t really feel much resentment toward nobles as a group. Why would she? It was like blaming water for being wet. That was just the nature of power. “I’ll keep my grudges to individuals.”


  “Interesting – and rather different from Ji Rong’s answer,” Cai Renxiang said thoughtfully.

  “Is that why you had him punished?” Ling Qi asked warily.

  The heiress shook her head, sending her long black hair swaying. “No. I asked Xuan Shi to punish him for seizing additional funds on top of his enforcement efforts,” she said flatly. “It is unacceptable for a government officer to profit directly from the fines he assigns. Tolerance of such behavior encourages untoward behavior.”


  Ling Qi thought that sounded off. “So…… what do

  do with the funds then?” she asked dubiously. “I mean, no offense, but not many people on this…… council even need red stones.”


  “At the moment, they are being placed into a fund to take care of expenses that may be incurred in the course of our business,” Cai Renxiang replied without pause. “This includes expenses like medical care for those injured while enforcing our rules or the cost of purchasing equipment and hiring other personnel as we expand the scope of our duties. I can supplement such things with my own income, but it is only sensible to use the punitive funds for this purpose.”


  Ling Qi still wasn’t sure she was satisfied with that but decided to let it pass for now. “May I ask, what is it you wished to ask me here for, Lady Cai?” She could feel her patience wearing thin because so far it seemed like the girl was just needling her to get her to answer largely pointless questions.

  Cai Renxiang took another small sip of her tea before answering. “I desire order. As you have noted, most cultivators are, without a well enforced structure of expectation and punishment, little more than savages and opportunists, hardly better than the beasts we bind.”


  Ling Qi found herself fixed under the other girl’s intense gaze as a bit of passion began to make its way into her stern voice.

  “If I cannot even command the obedience and respect of such a small number of cultivators, I have no doubt that Mother will remove me as her heir, and I would not blame her. I wish to bring the remaining dissidents and malcontents among us to heel, and I require your aid in doing so.”


  Ling Qi blinked. She couldn’t imagine what she could do that the heiress could not. “I’d like to know what exactly you have in mind and why you would choose me to do it,” Ling Qi replied, choosing her words with care. “And I’d like to note that I won’t do anything against Bai Meizhen. She is my friend, and I owe her too much.” Ling Qi wanted to make her limits clear.

  “I have no ill intentions toward Miss Bai,” Cai Renxiang said, inclining her head slightly. “Things are not as they were in past centuries. Change is coming, and grudges are washed away with the tides of time.” Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the vague wording. “Rather, there have been a number of incidents involving attacks upon female disciples in the outer sections of the residential area. The disciples have been beaten and humiliated, robbed down to their smallclothes.”


  Ling Qi thought ruefully that she really needed to pay more attention to things going on outside her immediate sphere. Understanding quickly dawned as she considered the other female cultivators that had attended the council meeting. If someone was attacking from ambush at night, they probably weren’t going to come out if Cai Renxiang was around, glowing like a lamp. Ling Qi doubted Sun Liling or Bai Meizhen would be interested in trying to deal with it either.

  “Do you know anything about the attacker?” Ling Qi asked.

  “They seem to have an art which allows them to avoid my sight,” Cai Renxiang said a touch sourly. “But I will admit, I have little use for subtlety in my personal doings. Other than that, the only confirmed information is that they inflict paralysis with their attacks. They have not struck at any capable of fighting back beyond their initial blow as of yet.” She paused to study Ling Qi. “I am aware that cultivation time is valuable. Should you bring this person to me, I am willing to offer you recompense for your time, as well as my gratitude. Ten yellow spirit stones seems an appropriate compensation.”


  “Thank you for the offer,” Ling Qi said. “I hope you will not be offended if I need to consider it for a time?” Ten yellow stones would go quite a long way, especially once she broke through to Mid Silver. But if she could not find and capture this ambusher, she’d waste time she could have been cultivating for no gain.

  “Of course not,” Cai Renxiang answered, setting her teacup down. “Know that if you do not undertake and complete the job by the end of next week, I will be forced to entertain other measures. Defiance such as this cannot be brooked.”


  Ling Qi nodded absently. This might just be a real opportunity for her.

  Threads 57-Bao Qian 1

  Landing outside the town’s walls, Ling Qi took a moment to smooth her gown then entered town, briskly moving through the outermost sections. It was a little ironic, Ling Qi could admit to herself, but she wasn’t doing it out of disdain, but rather because she did not want to hold on to her qi suppression so tightly for long. She soon reached the inner town where cultivators were in greater numbers. She took a moment to recall the location of her meeting and find her way to the right square. In the midst of the town’s bustle, Ling Qi saw them before she felt them.

  She spied Li Suyin first, wearing that new gown of hers. The pale lilac and purple silk looked good on her, though the effect was somewhat lessened by the clawed chitin contraption she wore on her right hand. Ling Qi wondered how long it would take Xiulan to pester the other girl into adding some gemstone settings and filigree to the thing to brighten it up.

  Beside Suyin, standing a little closer than Ling Qi would call polite, was a tall, thin boy. He had a handsome face and neatly kept hair bound in a top knot. That was probably this ‘Du Feng’ she had heard about from time to time. Another friend of Suyin’s.

  Ling Qi found her eyes only briefly touching on him as her attention was drawn to the much louder figure standing nearby. The other young man was quite large, not quite as tall as her but very broad shouldered. He wore a robe of crimson and gold bound at the waist by a thick jeweled sash. His fingers glittered with rings of jade set with precious gems that gleamed mesmerizingly in the sun. Two bands of white jade encircled his upper arms, cinching his flowing robe around thick biceps.

  The Bao scion had a broad face with pleasant, jovial features and dark brown hair bound in a simple top knot by another jeweled clasp. Really, he looked quite a lot like a more youthful version of the Bao lord she had met during the tournament at the end of last year, if one who indulged much less in food and drink. She really did wonder what had happened to Bao Qingling to differentiate herself so much from her family.

  “Ah, and our last member has arrived. Welcome, Miss Ling, welcome.” LIng Qi was shaken from her thoughts as the young man turned from his conversation with Li Suyin and Du Feng to raise a jeweled hand and greet her. She met his eyes and found them sharp and appraising beneath the cheer. Bao Qian was at the formation stage of the green soul realm and was close to the next stage in spirit.

  “My apologies for being late,” Ling Qi said politely as she approached, dipping her head in a small bow of contrition.

  “You are nothing of the sort,” the Bao dismissed cheerfully. “I simply arrived early.”


  “Yes, I had only happened to be in town, so I was early as well,” Li Suyin added politely. “Ah, Ling Qi, I do not think you have been introduced. This is Du Feng, my work partner.”


  The boy sketched a polite bow as one would to a superior. “A pleasure, Miss Ling.”


  “And if cousins Quan and Qingling have not deigned to share it, you may have my name as well. I am Bao Qian,” the Bao scion introduced himself with a minor bow as given between equals. “I have already heard much of you, and the tales Miss Li has told have only embellished on them.”


  Ling Qi glanced at Li Suyin, who gave her a sheepish smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you both, but I have to admit, you have me at a disadvantage. The letter Bao Qingling gave to me was somewhat light on details.”


  “No offense is taken,” Bao Qian replied with a smile. “We Bao are a competitive sort. The matter of who would take up the opportunity was still contested at that time.”


  Ling Qi felt disconcerted at the idea that there was any competition for…… whatever this was. This was not quite even a betrothal offer but just……

  Sixiang announced grandly in her head.

  It was a testament to her will and experience with Sixiang that her eyebrow did not so much as twitch nor did her polite smile falter. “I am flattered to be so well thought of among the Bao,” she said instead.

  “There is no flattery to it, only honest praise,” he replied.

  “Miss Ling is a great talent,” Du Feng agreed. “You often say such, do you not, Li Suyin?”


  “She is. I could not have achieved what I have without her,” Li Suyin replied, toying with her sleeve nervously.

  “I will have to accept your praise, I suppose,” Ling Qi said reluctantly. “But please, do not let me interrupt your conversation. You were speaking before I arrived, weren’t you?”


  “It was only a small matter,” Li Suyin demurred.

  “You are too humble, Miss Li. The joint work of you and Sir Du in refining and treating silk is a valuable enterprise. The capital is always eager for new strains. Helps them keep up the churn of fashionable one-upmanship,” Bao Qian said lightly.

  “Oh, you’re working on silk now? I had not heard about that, Li Suyin,” Ling Qi said, happy to move herself out of the spotlight of attention.

  “It is as much Du Feng’s effort as mine,” Li Suyin deflected. “I only had some small insights to give on influencing the development of the worms. It is he who turned the resulting silk into something of value.”


  “You are too kind, Li Suyin,” Du Feng said, “but I have never had the opportunity before to work with silk as naturally impermeable and light. I feel as if I am spinning strands of air at times.”


  Li Suyin flushed and fidgeted. “I am sure it is nothing that other silk-making families have not achieved already.”


  “Perhaps, but another supplier is always good for the market,” Bao Qian said cheerfully. “I will be happy to do a little sales work for the two of you, if you would permit it.”


  Li Suyin and Du Feng shared a brief look, and Li Suyin dipped her head, deferring to him. Ling Qi might have found that bothersome, but she knew her friend well enough to know that she really did consider it more his project than hers. So she did not say anything as Du Feng bowed low and accepted the offer.

  With only a small mental nudge from Sixiang, Ling Qi made herself continue the conversation. “Is this what you will be spending your time on in the south, Sir Bao? Seeking out opportunities like this?” She had to start being a more active participant in conversations, and she would never do so if she didn’t start somewhere.

  She saw a flicker of appraisal in his warm green eyes as he turned to look at her. “After a fashion. And there is no need for a Sir, Miss Ling. My name will do.” He gave her a thoughtful look. “I am only one of many sons, so I am always on the lookout for opportunity. I shall certainly wish to speak with you at some point about what might be done with that unique xuanwu of yours.”


  Her eyebrows rose, but she forced herself not to give his words an uncharitable interpretation. “If you do not object, my name is fine as well,” she mirrored. It was a minor concession and one she didn’t really mind giving. “Zhengui is precious to me,” she continued, “so I have to ask that you clarify your intent, Bao Qian.”


  She caught a brief flicker of genuine amusement at her little wordplay. “Nothing invasive, of course. Shed scales, claw clippings, venom, and waste product. A spirit of such potency can produce many useful things. It helps to offset their substantial upkeep.”


  Ling Qi thought of the expense documentation Cai Renxiang had been teaching her to make use of and the green stones that Cai was paying out of pocket to feed Zhengui every month. It might be nice to be less reliant on her largesse. If nothing else, it might mean further resources for her to cultivate with. “I see. I have no complaints then,” she acquiesced.

  “Perhaps you should seek his services in recording your music, Miss Ling. I have heard that it is incomparable for your age and talent,” Du Feng piped in. “Though you will only improve in the future, I am sure.”


  Sixiang whispered soothingly.

  Ling Qi had certainly noticed the minute changes in expression from the young man. Du Feng really wanted Suyin’s approval. Her friend was all too happy to go along with overpraising her. “Your songs really are lovely. I would not mind being able to play them in my workshop.”


  “I would never be so forward as to request something so personal at a first meeting,” Bao Qian said, dipping his head. “I know many musicians mislike such things. On my pride as a jade carver though, I would put my utmost into such a project to ensure quality.”


  “Something for the future, perhaps,” Ling Qi said vaguely. She felt deeply uncomfortable with the idea of recording her music. Her understanding of the topic meant that every piece she played reflected some facet of herself. Having such a thing stored in jade to be viewed whenever was a strange concept to her. “You are a jade carver then?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “I have some skills in the field. The Bao family’s resources are plentiful in that regard,” Bao Qian agreed. “I will be using my eye for such materials during my stay. I have a few expeditions lined up to prospect unsettled lands for jade, spirit stones, and less valuable minerals. A man must keep busy after all. No good comes from standing still.”


  That was a good attitude to take. Though she could not really judge off of one meeting, her initial impression of Bao Qian was good. However, the real purpose of all this still ate at her thoughts. She had been praised and praised, and while she was certain that Li Suyin was sincere, it was wholly possible that he was just using her friend to flatter her without seemingly coming on too strong.

  That was one trouble with studying social arts. It put her in the mind to scrutinize things over and over again. How much of this impression was a well arranged mask? Then again, she could drive herself mad nitpicking the meaning behind every action and choice of presentation. “That is an admirable attitude,” she praised. “I wish you luck in your pursuits.”


  “In truth,” the young man said cautiously, “I am looking into such a matter nearby. I have made a contract with the Sect to investigate whether the quarries of an abandoned clanhold in the east are worth further prospecting. I have heard that you favor an adventure or two yourself, Ling Qi. Should I request you as my liaison with the Sect for this matter?” He glanced at the others. “You are invited as well, friends.”


  “I am afraid I am unsuited for such matters,” Du Feng replied swiftly, only to shoot a worried look to Li Suyin. “Ah, but if you wish to go……”


  Li Suyin looked uncertain, looking to Ling Qi.

  Ling Qi considered. Between her cultivation, her family, and her other obligations, her time was limited. Had she been asked a week or two ago, she might have considered begging off, but given her recent resolution to improve her interactions with the rest of the nobility, it seemed foolish to refuse. She wouldn’t have accepted if it were just she and him, but since he had offered a group expedition……

  “That does sound like a fun distraction. Something a little more peaceful than our usual fare, right, Li Suyin?” Ling Qi gave her friend an encouraging look.

  “I would imagine so,” Li Suyin replied with a smile.

  “Hoh, I sense a story there,” Bao Qian said with a chuckle. “And you, Sir Du?”


  The other boy hesitated but seemed to firm up his resolve as Li Suyin turned to look at him. “Well, I would not want to be so rude as to refuse your invitation Sir Bao, so I will join you as well. I suppose giving my work a little active testing would be helpful.”


  Bao Qian nodded, seeming pleased. “I shall make the arrangements with the Sect then. We will be leaving in five days time, and the journey should not be more than a few days depending on our pace.”


  Ling Qi rearranged her schedule in her mind. She didn’t have much that she needed to prepare, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t cultivate on the journey as well. So she would only be using a little time out of her budget. “I will look forward to it.”