Ling Qi twisted away from the hold, years of practice at escaping informing her movements even as she drew on dark qi, the light of early dawn barely dim enough to allow it without greater qi cost. She dissolved and flowed out of his grip, but in doing so, she felt her finger bend, caught in his grip despite her current state. She grit her teeth and pushed on anyway, biting back a cry as she felt something snap. The blade buried in her back tore free, trailing starry blackness and blood.

  “Not good enough,” she snarled in response, restraining the urge to cradle her broken finger. She still had her ring, and that was what mattered.

  A second pair of puppets had attacked Xiulan from below, grappling and blocking the girl from coming to her aid with their bodies even as she burned through them like firewood. Ling Qi would need to hold out on her own for at least a few moments. She dropped her bow in the grapple, so the flute was her best option now.

  The possessed mannequin’s response was a furious growl that echoed as if from the bottom of a well. It lunged toward her again, violet mist leaking from its joints.

  Behind it, light bloomed, a near blinding radiance that shone with every color and cast the shadow of the puppet over her. The puppet’s outstretched hand flew by her face, tumbling end over end, no longer attached to its arm. Then its head tumbled past as well, green fires guttering out as the puppet crashed to the ground at her feet, falling to pieces.

  Cai Renxiang stood on the roof where the puppet had been, lips set in a thin line. Her eyes were narrow with controlled anger, and now fully in the third realm, her permanent backlight blazed brightly, casting the combat in shadow. The other girl’s gaze focused on Ling Qi. “I take it your message was not idle boasting.”


  “He is pretty unhappy with me. But we need to help……” She glanced to her right in time to see the last puppet assaulting Xiulan fall as her friend drove her burnt hand into its chest, molten metal streaming from the hole as she tore a yellow spirit stone out. The enforcers who had taken down the other attackers were eyeing Xiulan with some concern as she straightened up, static crackling in the air around her. “.…… Never mind.”


  “This matter is under control,” the heiress agreed as she lowered her saber, allowing the point to rest on the rooftop. Cai Renxiang looked thoroughly unamused at the chaos on her figurative doorstep. “I would have you report in more detail upon what you found to provoke such a foolish assault. Of course I am not ungrateful for your efforts. You have more than proven your value,” she said seriously, thread spooling from the hilt of her saber to weave her scabbard anew. “I shall see you provided with care for your wounds first.”


  “I am grateful, Lady Cai,” Ling Qi said politely, still tense even as she watched the remaining puppets being dismantled one by one by the growing number of irate disciples who had their morning disrupted. Blood dripped from the wound in her back, and her broken finger throbbed. She started slightly as Gu Xiulan stepped up to her side. This close, she could see the tracery of burn scars on the girl’s face more clearly and the blood seeping from her blackened arm as the aura of flames around it guttered low. “There are some matters I still need to verify before I can present them to you, but I would be happy to detail what I witnessed in Yan Renshu’s lab.”


  Cai Renxiang studied her, eyes flicking briefly toward Gu Xiulan, who met her gaze with only a slight dip of her head. Whatever her friend had done, it had restored her prideful demeanor in full.

  “Understood. I will see that rat’s den cleansed then. You will have such protection as you need until it is done,” the heiress said, turning away and gesturing for them to follow. “I would hope that you can resolve the remaining matters quickly though,” she added more quietly.

  “By evening,” Ling Qi replied easily. “I wish to draw on Elder Jiao’s wisdom before I move forward.”


  Gu Xiulan frowned slightly at the mention of the Elder’s name but simply turned her head away and scoffed when Ling Qi glanced at her. Cai nodded once and leapt nimbly to the next roof, gesturing for the two of them and the enforcers who had aided them to follow, which she did. Sitting tight, surrounded by Cai’s people, sounded like the safest way to spend her day until she could talk to Elder Jiao.

  “What happened to you?” Ling Qi asked quietly, glancing at her friend as she landed on the next roof beside her.

  “I decided to stop being left behind,” Xiulan sniffed. “Though it cost me,” she added, glancing down at her scorched limb, which she held close to her chest. With the adrenaline of battle fading, Ling Qi could see the trembling in her friend’s shoulders indicated that it likely hurt exactly as much as she would expect from its appearance.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the Medicine Hall?” Ling Qi asked. “That looks like you could lose it.”


  “I won’t,” Xiulan scoffed. “I was going to wrap it and apply a salve, but someone decided to interrupt.”


  Ling Qi winced and ducked her head in apology. “I didn’t know. Still, why are you so reluctant……?”


  “This and the other scars will heal when I achieve steel, the fifth realm of physique, and not a moment before,” Xiulan said tightly. “My body is simply too weak to fully contain my gift yet. I will endure.” Ling Qi could tell that she didn’t want to talk about it. “I suppose I will have to invest in a better veil though. That flimsy thing could not handle even a bit of combat.”


  “I’m not sure you need it,” Ling Qi said, allowing the other subject to be dismissed. “It’s not like you have anything to be ashamed of.”


  “Perhaps not, but such blatant markings are hardly beautiful,” Xiulan replied as the group landed in the street in front of Cai’s mansion. Ling Qi could not help but notice with some discomfort that the network of scars on Xiulan’s face extended down her neck and under her collar. There were probably a lot more hidden beneath her clothes. “I do not regret it,” the girl beside her breathed out, and Ling Qi was not sure of who she was convincing.

  Xiulan stayed with her while Ling Qi was healed and made out her report for Cai on the lair. She added the names she had memorized to a list for the heiress, indicating only that they were potential spies and enemy agents who needed to be watched.

  By the time she was done, she felt much better. Her wounds were reduced to a few dull aches and a stiff ring finger by the effort of a Medicine Hall disciple in Cai’s employ. Xiulan’s arm was no longer in plain view after being wrapped in tight cloth soaked through with medicinal elixir. Cai Renxiang had been amenable to sending a few enforcers to check on Su Ling and to inform Li Suyin that it would be best to stay with her mentor for the day, so her other concerns were addressed as well.

  Ling Qi didn’t much like staying in the guest room at the heiress’ home for the rest of the day, but she could deal with it for one afternoon. And it did give her time to see to the opening of another heart meridian.

  It felt good to be able to relax behind Cai’s defenses, and Ling Qi added modifying her and Meizhen’s home with similar protections against intrusion when she had a chance to her to-do list. People rushed to and fro dealing with the rising problems, and Ling Qi kept an ear out for the happenings. Bai Meizhen had apparently lead a purging force into Renshu’s lair. There had been attacks all over the mountain from Yan Renshu’s faction, but it seemed defensive at this point. There was even a rumor that Sun Liling had been spotted, making off with people and resources before Cai’s enforcers could seize them. There was another attempt on the mansion – or rather on her, Ling Qi assumed, but it was repelled by the heiress herself, who was ensuring that any violence that flared in the residential area was crushed quickly.

  Soon enough, it was evening, and she was on her way toward the cavern where Elder Jiao’s lessons took place under the guard of four Mid Yellow enforcers with at least some skill at stealth. They only needed to get her there after all; it wasn’t like she would be attacked in the Elder’s presence.

  Surprisingly, when she arrived, Elder Jiao was already seated on the divan at the far end of the room. The paintings had changed again, now showing landscapes under starry skies, some of which contained holes that resembled freshly dug graves.

  “This year certainly has been noisy,” the grey skinned man commented as she entered, leaning idly against the arm of the divan. “It is almost notable. You are quite the little agent of chaos, are you not?”


  “I am thankful for your attention, Honored Elder,” Ling Qi replied, her tone a bit dry. “But I can hardly be blamed for Brother Renshu’s poor security and ensuing panic.”


  “Hah!” The older man let out a snort of laughter. “Brave enough to jape in my presence now, are you? It is good to have a little spine, but do not get above yourself.”


  “Of course, Honored Elder,” she said, glad that her little slip hadn’t offended the fickle man. “Might I ask you for advice on a related matter before we begin training?”


  “I suppose I can allow that,” Elder Jiao said, resting his chin in his hand as he regarded her. “You have proven to be not entirely dull.”


  She bowed her head in thanks and expressed the book, crossing the small room to present it to the Elder. “I wished to know the legality involved with this book. Such contracts must be outlawed, or else everyone would use such things, right?” she asked, her formal speech slipping toward the end. The book really did bother her.

  The book vanished from her hands to appear in his, and the older man sat up to begin paging through it. Ling Qi received no answer as the Elder studied the first contract, and she began to shift nervously.

  “It is against Imperial law,” he said finally, looking up from the book, “to hold any member of the Imperial government under coercion of any kind. This includes the heads of noble households and their spouses.” Elder Jiao sounded bored as he snapped the book shut. “Of course, none of the Outer Sect Disciples falls under that rule.”


  Ling Qi furrowed her brows. “Then why doesn’t……”


  “Why do we not have great webs of cultivators bound to one another? Why do we require Ministries and investigations into lawbreaking at all? Because this is a rather grand bluff, workable only due to the ignorance of those involved.”


  Ling Qi blinked, startled as she cocked her head to the side. “So…… they’re fake? Surely someone would have figured that out by now.”


  “Not quite,” the Elder explained, tossing the book back to her carelessly. “Compelling another cultivator is possible, but it is hardly as easy as this. One need be at least a realm higher to begin with. Distance greatly weakens the bond, and the qi invested in such an endeavor is similar to what is required for the binding of spirits and grows with each additional bond.”


  “So……” Ling Qi frowned, looking down at the book. “There’s no way all of them are real. He couldn’t have that much qi at third realm.”


  “Oh, I do not doubt that he can use those things to cause discomfort or pain as a way of furthering the bluff, but not the outrageous penalties within.” The Elder shrugged. “One or two are real, going by the invested qi. Such things have fallen out of favor millenia ago. Maintaining the bonds are simply too much trouble, and those who use them are ill-regarded. I suppose a common-born boy would not necessarily know that though.”


  “Thank you, Honored Elder,” Ling Qi replied after some thought. She would have to investigate the book further and break the ‘one’ or ‘two’ that were real, but she was satisfied with revealing this to Cai and letting her dump mud all over Yan Renshu’s reputation.

  Perhaps this week wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Threads 112-Intermission 2

  Xuan Shi had seemed to enjoy the tea, and Ling Qi made a note to thank Lady Renxiang for her suggestions in that regard. His tastes in food had been pretty simple; he had stuck largely to steamed vegetables and rice crackers, avoiding dishes with meat or fish.

  “I’m curious. Do you just not like meat, or is it a bloodline matter?” Ling Qi asked as she trailed her fingers over the wall, brushing her qi against the formations worked into the wood. The characters lit with faint ghostly light.

  Xuan Shi studied them intently from a pace or two behind her. “This one has always been ill equipped for the consumption of animal flesh. Though cultivation transcends such matters, the preference remains.”


  “That must have been hard. Aren’t most Savage Seas dishes fish?” Ling Qi asked. Right now, they were just reviewing Li Suyin’s work so that Xuan Shi could plan out his upgrades. Of course, only Ling Qi, Li Suyin, or her mother could activate them, so she was assisting already.

  “Many, but not all,” Xuan Shi replied simply.

  “What sort of food do you enjoy then?” Ling Qi asked, continuing along the wall.

  The panic room Li Suyin had constructed was on the ground floor for structural and spiritual reasons. It was mostly bare of decoration, and the formations on the polished wooden walls were openly visible. It was furnished with a table and a number of chairs, as well as a few simple beds. In one corner was a preservation box containing enough food for the household to live off of for two or three days. Thick bands of polished steel ran around the perimeter as well as the corners where the wall joined the ceiling or floor.

  Xuan Shi paused, considering her question. “The Savage Seas cultivates many breeds of kelp with rich flavour. The dishes which can be made from them are numerous.”


  Wasn’t kelp some kind of water weed? She supposed that people ate stranger things. They soon finished the circuit of the room. “So, what do you think?”


  “Miss Li has done superb work with her materials,” Xuan Shi said thoughtfully. “Foundation and framework alike are sturdy and will allow significant enhancement. There will be significant material expense for such a large chamber. This one is unsure if current stocks are sufficient.”


  “I will purchase what you need. Please do not empty your own supplies,” Ling Qi said firmly.

  “Miss Ling, there is no need—” he began.

  “Xuan Shi, I don’t want to keep taking advantage of your kindness,” Ling Qi said, turning around to face him. ”Please allow me to at least purchase the supplies.”


  Xuan Shi hesitated and then tugged his hat down, covering the narrow slice of his face that was visible. “As you say. This one can begin the outlining work tomorrow. Will the pre-dawn hours be a viable time?”


  “I think so,” Ling Qi said. There were other things she needed to do tomorrow, such as helping her mother cultivate, taking part in the planning for Biyu’s birthday, spending time with friends, and making plans for her arrangement with Wang Chao, so an early start was fine with her. “Thank you again for this.”


  “There is no need for such repetition,” Xuan Shi replied, turning back to study the walls.

  “I think there is. I have been rude before.” Avoiding him for months on end certainly counted. “And I know Zhengui has been trying about your presence.”


  “It is only to be expected,” Xuan Shi said shortly.

  “Why is it expected?” LIng Qi asked. “Sixiang thinks it might be some misplaced territorial instinct, but I’m not sure if xuan wu are like that. Texts on their nature are scarce.”


  Xuan Shi didn’t respond at first, tracing his finger along the curve of a painted character. “Within the shoal, xuan wu are communal creatures, caring little for territory or personal items. Conflict arises when shoals meet.”


  A shoal was the word for a group of xuan wu, if Ling Qi remembered right. “I thought all xuan wu were members of the Xuan though,” she said. “Or are you talking about sub groups?”


  Xuan Shi let out a huff of dry laughter. “The Living Isle’s brood is the mightiest and most fecund shoals, but others swim in distant seas. There are shoals on the coast of distant Khem in the north and far to the west beyond the land’s end where the Great Maelstrom churns. Those more kin to thy brother once walked amongst the lands beyond the Golden Fields as well, though none now know their disposition.”


  “So it is something of the sort,” Ling Qi said to herself. She couldn’t help but feel like he was deflecting though, but she could also tell that there was no good in prying more. “Let’s get out of here, so I can let Mother know that the staff can relax.”


  “This one apologizes for the inconvenience,” Xuan Shi said wryly, turning to the door.

  “I think my mother enjoys putting them through their paces, at least a little,” Ling Qi said with a small smile. “She has some pride in what she has accomplished here. Even if I do end up exasperating her.”


  “Thy mother seems formidable and perceptive, so far as her state allows,” Xuan Shi agreed. “Miss Ling is fortunate.”


  “I am glad that I can provide her and my sister with comfort and safety. I am glad that I can keep them close,” Ling Qi said. “Is it troubling for you? I know your uncles came to visit last year, but did your parents?”


  “No,” Xuan Shi replied. It was surprisingly curt.

  Ling Qi winced. “I apologize for my presumption. I didn’t mean to offend. Are—Do they—” She stumbled on her words. Ling Qi silently cursed; she’d gone and made a mistake again.

  “Miss Ling did not offend. I do not know their faces, so there is no pain in absence,” Xuan Shi said evenly. “This one is grateful for the attention given by the Honored Admirals.”


  Had he never met his own parents, or was not knowing their faces a metaphor? She didn’t think he was implying that they were dead, but she couldn’t be sure.

  “Regardless, thank you again for your help. If you ever need anything, please let me know,” Ling Qi said, recovering. “Maybe I could help you get a spirit of your own? I’ve had some success with that.”


  Xuan Shi chuckled, but it still sounded forced. “A tempting offer, but in that, at least, this one has recently encountered some good fortune, Miss Ling.”


  “Oh?” Ling Qi asked. She hadn’t sensed anything different at all. “When did that happen?”


  “Just after our escape from Dream.” Xuan Shi looked pleased. “In my meditations, a spirit of the liminal approached and wished to make a pact. It is temporary yet, but this one is hopeful.”


  Sixiang murmured blearily.

  Well, neither of them had been in great condition, Ling Qi thought. “Congratulations,” she said earnestly. “I suppose I’ll just have to find another way to help.”


  “This one does not doubt thine abilities, Miss Ling,” Xuan Shi replied as they neared the door. “Farewell.”


  ***

  Ling Qi joined her mother in the garden after Xuan Shi left, taking a seat beside her on the stone bench that overlooked the pond. She was still pondering what she had learned from him.

  “Ling Qi, can you truly afford to spend even more coin on this temporary home?” Ling Qingge asked quietly, startling her.

  “Of course I can, Mother,” Ling Qi responded quickly. “Why would you even ask that? You—”


  “I ask because I have been studying cultivation,” her mother said firmly. “And I have become aware of how much wealth you need to continue growing as you do.”


  “You and Biyu are more important than wealth,” Ling Qi said.

  “I do not doubt that,” Ling Qingge replied. “But you did not answer my question. Can you afford such expenses without harming yourself?”


  “I should be able to afford this one.” Numbers danced in her head, the budget of green stones she had remaining and her month-to-month needs. Ling Qi’s savings were dwindling given the price Xuan Shi had named for the materials.

  “I haven’t just been spending,” Ling Qi said uncomfortably. “Bao Qian has come through on our deal, and I’ve gotten my first income from the sales.”


  “Who is Bao Qian?” her mother asked with some concern.

  Ling Qi blinked. Had she really not……? She bowed her head in apology. “It must have slipped my mind. Bao Qian is a scion of the Bao clan who came here to establish business with me. We worked out a deal for the sale of some of Zhengui’s byproducts.”


  Ling Qingge was still frowning. “A member of a count clan came just for this? It must be quite valuable.”


  Ling Qi looked away, feeling guilty. “He may also be trying to court me…… Sort of,” she added, trailing off into a mumble.

  She didn’t miss the way that her mother’s back stiffened at her words. “Ling Qi,” she said, and the full weight of her frustration was conveyed by those brief syllables.

  “It’s not really official or anything,” Ling Qi explained. “Well, his clan is fine with it, but they seem to be willing to play a longer game, and……”


  “Ling Qi, please tell me that you have observed propriety,” her mother cut her off with a plea.

  Ling Qi’s eyes flew open at her mother’s implication, and she gave her a hurt look. “Mother! Of course I haven’t done anything like…… like……” She couldn’t even put it into words.

  Ling Qingge squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. “I am sorry, Ling Qi. I only……”


  Ling Qi tried to see things from her mother’s perspective. It probably looked like she had been trying to conceal something. Given everything in their lives, could she really blame the older woman? “I understand how dangerous men can be. I do, Mom.”


  Ling Qingge didn’t reply at first. “I hope that you do, but your interactions with that young man gave me doubt.”


  “Xuan Shi?” Ling Qi asked in confusion. They were friendly enough, but he was……

  “Ling Qi, even I could see that he held an interest in you,” her mother chided. “Are you truly saying that you were not making use of that?”


  Ling Qi gave her a horrified look. Her mother examined Ling Qi’s face and then slowly lowered her face into her hands.

  They both sat in awkward silence as the evening song of the crickets began.

  “I do not think that he is the sort of man to perceive obligation from favors such as this,” Ling Qingge finally said, raising her head. “But Ling Qi, please exercise further caution in the future.”


  Ling Qi stared ahead at the garden pond, reviewing her memories. She still couldn’t see it. Yes, he was willing to help her and seemed impressed with her at times, but she had never noticed anything that she would take as that kind of interest, just friendliness.

  She had a difficult time picturing Xuan Shi even being able to do that. The boy was too reserved.

  Sixiang murmured.

  She did so. Did this change anything? Some part of her wanted to scream that yes, obviously it did. “I will be more aware in the future,” Ling Qi said, looking down at her hands. She couldn’t really picture him as being dangerous in that way. “I think you’re right, Mother.”


  “It is good fortune,” Ling Qingge agreed, “that this young man seems a good sort. But this is exceptional. So Ling Qi, please tell me about this Bao Qian.”


  Ling Qi sighed. It was going to be a long evening.

  And she still had to figure out how she was going to talk to Xuan Shi tomorrow.