Thankfully, neither Xiulan nor her cousin were offended by her lack of definitive answers, so her time spent with the Golden Fields group did not become even more awkward. She continued to work steadily toward mastering the Falling Stars Art and kept up with the group’s explorations.

  Her thoughts were troubled. Between Gu Tai and Cai Renxiang, she was quickly becoming aware of how ignorant she was of a lot of basic knowledge about the Empire and how everything about it worked. Perhaps she could spend some time in the archives when she found a moment to breathe.

  Right now, she didn’t have the time, not if she wanted to keep up with her cultivation. Whatever might come in the future, she would be better off with more power. Her first major task was taking another shot at doing a Sect mission. Tutoring had been very effective for her so far in advancing her skills, but she needed more Sect Points to hire an Inner Sect tutor.

  One mission in particular stood out as suited to her skills. Near the Sect mountain was a small river valley with a tree that grew potent Immortal Peaches. It was guarded by a young dragon, and a successful completion gave nearly twice as many points as any other mission on the board. Ling Qi was confident that she could manage.

  However, she remained wary of interference by Yan Renshu. After some deliberation, she elected to simply perform the mission before actually registering that she was taking it. That introduced a little trouble for her since she couldn’t get proper directions from the Sect without accepting, but she had a solution to that problem too.

  Namely, Fu Xiang. In the wake of their last meeting, he had left her a means of contact in the form of a sheaf of treated papers that worked like the little messenger ‘birds’ the Ministry used, albeit with less range and durability. She sent off a query regarding the valley and received a response by evening, giving her directions to the dragon’s valley.

  The second part of her plan to avoid Yan Renshu’s interference involved simply slipping off the mountain in the dead of night and laying out a confusing and convoluted trail. It cost her an hour, but anyone following her at a distance should be thrown off, and if what Fu Xiang had said was any indication, remote viewing could not easily be maintained for such a long time either.

  There were probably defenses for that kind of thing. Ling Qi made a note to look into that kind of formation or talisman.

  Despite her delay, she traveled quickly once she was off the mountain, blurring through the canopy of trees. She headed south toward the rising rampart of mountains over which the Sect stood guard. The valley lay in the steep foothills.

  She came upon it by following the small river that wound its way through the hills, as per Fu Xiang’s directions. Her path took her to the top of a steep cliff where the water thundered down into the valley below. She found herself pausing there at the cliffside as she took in the sight before her.

  It was beautiful, a lush, verdant valley, bursting with life. The water of the river was clear and fresh, sparkling under the light of the moon and stars, and mist that drifted from the river lent the place a mystical air. The qi too was rich and wholesome, filling her with vital energy.

  This would be a cultivation site unparalleled by any she had found so far, even the Argent vent. Ling Qi felt shocked that Fu Xiang had simply told her about the place. No, she was shocked that this place was not flooded by disciples. The reason for that became clear as her eyes fell upon the grove of fruit trees nestling by a bend in the river.

  Coiled around the base of the trees lay the napping dragon. Its body was vaguely serpentine and covered in glimmering azure scales. The middle of its body, between its two sets of limbs, was wider and flatter than a serpent’s with sharp crystalline ridges on its back. It was at least ten meters long in her estimation, although the curling of its long neck and tail made it difficult to tell for certain.

  Its limbs were almost stubby in comparison. They were short and thick with muscle and claws longer than her daggers. Its head, resting on an upraised tree root, had a long and narrow muzzle with only a few of its fangs poking out. The rounded horns at the rear of its skull looked like mere stubs, barely grown in, and only a tiny wisp of mossy fur curled from its chin.

  What really drew her eye, was the gleaming stone seemingly affixed to its throat. It was an emerald green spirit stone the size of her fist, a perfectly smooth sphere of condensed qi that gleamed with inner light.

  The sheer value…… Ling Qi shook her head. That alone confirmed her thoughts. She would take the job warning seriously. The young dragon was in the third grade, but if it didn’t have a stronger protector, someone would have come here to harvest it by now. It didn’t seem to show signs of being bonded to a cultivator…… which meant it had a notable parent, probably bound to some core disciple or elder.

  Ling Qi wanted no part of that, even if it meant this was probably more of a challenge than a legitimate job. She made certain her qi was well muffled as she crept down the side of the cliff.

  Ling Qi barely breathed as her limbs turned dark under the moonlight, and she became little more than a fleeting shadow on the rocks. She passed over the river without causing even a slight ripple on the water and flowed over the grass without a rustle. The young dragon remained asleep, its loud breathing like the sound of a forge’s bellows.

  It was hard to describe what things were like as a shadow. Her body felt hazy and indistinct in that state, her limbs ephemeral. This did not stop her though. Many, many illusionary obstacle courses under Elder Jiao had taught her to move while in this state, and so she blinked from the grass up into the branches of a tree without pause. She hopped from one to another with barely a disturbance, feeling potent qi in the wood under her feet in her brief moments of solidity.

  The dragon seemed even larger as she approached it, closer to twelve meters than ten. Her entire body was smaller than its torso. Its head shifted and its tail flicked, and Ling Qi froze, not daring to move until the creature had settled again. She let out a tiny breath as it stilled and continued forward, leaping from one shadow to another and eating up distance with ease.

  After her fumble at the fort and the subsequent Sun Liling pursuit, it almost seemed too easy. She supposed that this was the result of preparation. The little finned ridges on the dragon’s head, which she assumed to be ears, twitched very slightly as she settled on the upper branches of the tree furthest from it. She stilled again, but aside from a low growl and and twist of its tail, the dragon remained asleep.

  Moving very carefully, Ling Qi reached out and pressed her hands to the bark. This was going to be tricky. These trees were spirits in their own right and would require propitiation before they would allow her to take the peaches. With a worried glance at the dragon, she pricked her thumb on the edge of one of her knives and pressed it to the bark, channeling qi through her hands.

  She closed her eyes, despite her nerves, focusing on conveying gratitude and supplication through the qi that she channeled into the wood. It worked. Barring unusual circumstances, tree spirits were rarely less than docile, and she soon received a feeling of acceptance. The trouble would come if the dragon scented her blood or felt her qi.

  She held her breath as the blood smeared on the bark dissolved into black mist, and the dragon…… rolled over, making a noise not unlike a man’s snore, greatly magnified. Ling Qi didn’t dare sigh with relief. Instead, she quickly plucked enough fruit to fill her quota before soaring away from the beautiful and deadly valley……

  It would be such a good place to cultivate in though. Surely there was some way she could manage it.

  ***

  Ling Qi panted as she leaned against the icy wall of the ravine where she and Meizhen trained. Welts and bruises stung painfully on her arms, and her vision swam with the light toxin Meizhen had inflicted on her. Meizhen had taken their conversation last week as a signal to use more of her repertoire in spars.

  Ling Qi was of mixed feelings about that.

  “That was a well thought out attempt,” Bai Meizhen complimented, looking as unruffled as ever. The snow on the ground was torn up in wild patterns from their spar, but Meizhen herself was untouched. Well, she did seem to be breathing a little harder than usual. Ling Qi might have been imagining that though.

  “It still didn’t work,” she grumbled as she straightened up, her back twinging. “Did you have to throw me into the wall like that?”


  “It was the most efficient non-lethal solution,” Meizhen replied demurely, dismissing her ribbon sword. “You had come quite close to striking me with your final flanking maneuver.”


  That ‘maneuver’ had left her pretty drained. Jumping multiple shadows in rapid succession and summoning her worms right on top of her friend to distract her for a crucial instant…… It had been hard on her reserves.

  “You didn’t even look back when you threw me away,” Ling Qi said grumpily. “Your awareness is just too amazing,” she added to ensure that the other girl knew her complaints were good-natured.

  “It is nothing,” Bai Meizhen dismissed, although Ling Qi could hear the slight smile in the girl’s voice. “Shall we rest then? You expended a great deal of qi.”


  “That sounds good,” Ling Qi agreed, allowing herself to slide down the wall and sit, a gust of wind blowing away the powder before it could soak through her gown. Meizhen was much more elegant about it. “Meizhen, can I ask you something?”


  “You may,” her friend responded. “Is something troubling you again, Qi? You are advancing as quickly as can be expected.”


  “I met with Gu Xiulan’s cousin a few days ago. I left with a betrothal offer,” she said bluntly. “I don’t…… I don’t like the idea,” she admitted, “but I know that isn’t necessarily rational.”


  Meizhen’s expression was blank, her lips pressed together in a thin line. “I see. The offer is hardly an insult. The Gu family is quite prominent,” she said slowly. “However, I believe Cai Renxiang’s offer to be a better choice.”


  “Probably,” Ling Qi admitted. “But if it didn’t come with a marriage attached, I’d probably jump on it. Getting to explore places no one has been in a thousand years or more? That’s more exciting than politics.”


  “I suppose,” Meizhen huffed, clearly disagreeing.

  “It’s……” Ling Qi paused. “It’s an option, you know? Even if I don’t necessarily like it, I’m glad I have the choice.” She was rambling. “The point is – if you have an idea for how I could stay with you, I’d like to know about it, even if you believe I won’t like it.”


  Meizhen stared at her in silence before looking away, her right hand clenching on her gown. “It is amazing,” she said quietly, “how cruel your earnesty can be at times, Qi.”


  “I’m sorry, Meizhen,” Ling Qi said, guilt creeping into her tone. “I just…… I want to know.”


  “Nothing would stop me from visiting you in Cai Renxiang’s domain,” Meizhen pointed out. “Given my relationship with her, it is even fairly likely that I may argue to receive assignment to the Duchess’ court as a liaison.”


  Ling Qi fidgeted. She hadn’t really considered that. “That’s not the point though.”


  “It isn’t,” Bai Meizhen acknowledged. “You foolish, reckless, greedy girl.” The insults had no heat in them.

  “I’m sorry,” Ling Qi apologized carefully, although she wasn’t quite sure what it was she was doing it for.

  “You are not sorry,” Meizhen said clearly, meeting her eyes once more. “Please do not condescend to me so.” She let out a frustrated breath. “I do not understand you. You rejected me.” Emotion strained her voice.

  “Meizhen-” Ling Qi began.

  “Let me finish, Qi,” she reproached, her voice cracking like a whip. “You rejected me. Completely. Yet you persist in approaching me – in remaining intimate with me.” Meizhen’s voice trembled slightly. “Friends are not as close as we are. Friends do not reject a position as a province heir’s right hand merely to ‘stay together’. So tell me, Qi, why do you do this?”


  Ling Qi’s shoulders slumped. She hadn’t meant to pick at her friend’s wounds. On some level, she knew the other girl was still hurt, exacerbated by their close proximity, but Meizhen showed so little, it was hard to remember at times.

  “You were my first friend too, you know?” she said, looking away, not ready to meet the other girl’s eyes. “Before I came here…… I was nothing.”


  Meizhen didn’t say a word, simply letting her continue. After a beat of silence, she did.

  “You know how badly educated I was? Even for a commoner?” she asked rhetorically. “That’s because I was a street kid. I was a pathetic, petty thief, and I could never stop watching my back.”


  “I suspected,” Meizhen admitted, “given your proclivities.”


  Ling Qi let out a sharp bark of a laugh. “Then I came here and met you. You were terrifying, but you were lonely too. And you helped me again and again, even though I couldn’t offer you anything. During Elder Zhou’s test, I decided that I didn’t want to be the kind of person who would spit on that anymore.”


  Meizhen’s gaze dropped to her lap. “I still do not understand.”


  Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut. “My mom was a whore, you know? I guess maybe you could call her a courtesan, if you wanted to be polite. The place she worked for was pretty fancy. I don’t want to talk about that, but…… I guess, I don’t really have an idea of how people are supposed to relate to each other and where the line between friends and…… other stuff is, beyond the obvious.”


  “I see.” Meizhen didn’t look up.

  “I also…… I don’t think of girls that way,” Ling Qi continued uncomfortably, rubbing her arm nervously. “At least as far as I can tell.”


  An awkward, lingering silence fell between the two. “Should I defeat Sun Liling publically during the tournament at the end of the year, I believe Grandfather would be willing to grant me a favor if I request it,” the pale girl finally said, plucking at the hem of her sleeve. “To that end, I could take you as my official handmaiden, rather than selecting one from among the Xiao clan, as is traditional for the White Serpent caste of the Bai.”


  Ling Qi perked up. “That doesn’t seem too-”


  Bai Meizhen shook her head. “Understand, Ling Qi, that the Bai do not countenance weakness. My…… feelings for you are a large one. I do not doubt that my cousins would make things incredibly difficult for you, and even making the request would undermine my own position. You would suffer for accepting such an offer. Whatever you might feel, you would come to resent me, and I, you, assuming you survive the internal politics of my clan.” She clutched her sleeve tightly. “Please. Accept Cai Renxiang’s offer – or even that of the Gu Clan, or stay in the Sect. It would be better. For both of us.”


  If Meizhen was so certain, it was probably a bad idea. Still, Meizhen’s assessment rankled her. Surely she could handle some backstabbing Bai cousins……

  She wished that she could believe that.

  Threads 133 After-Action 2

  It was a frightening thing to have the attention of the court of Emerald Seas. It was a pressure weighing down on her, a static skittering across her mind, and a prickling on her skin. It made her wonder what in the world had possessed her to want to speak here and why Cai Renxiang had agreed to allow her to.

  But Ling Qi was reminded of the last time she had faced power like this in the Bloody Moon dream. She did not intend to let fear control her again.

  “Because of my role as scout, I was able to observe the barbarian meeting in more detail than may have made it into reports,” Ling Qi began smoothly. She kept her eyes fixed downward, using the point where the branch holding the throne pierced the floor to hold her gaze. Ling Qi kept her voice clear and steady. “I believe that I may be able to share some details which may have been judged beneath notice, Your Grace.”


  They had practiced this part. There was no avoiding the appearance of going over the head of the Sect to some degree. However, it could be mitigated with the right words.

  “You consider your judgement superior then?” Diao Linqin asked mildly.

  “My lady and I believe that viewing certain matters from multiple points of view is valuable,” Ling Qi said humbly. She did not raise her eyes or even shift her posture. She held respectfully still under the scrutiny of the court.

  Cai Shenhua’s chuckle was deep and throaty. Ling Qi hoped that the approval she heard in it wasn’t just her imagination. “That is enough justification, young lady. Speak, and I will decide whether you are correct.”


  “The meeting was not simply between tribes,” Ling Qi continued. “Two of the groups present specifically referred to themselves as ‘confederations’ and made no mention of tribal affiliation. The last group was the tribe which had brought the underground people to the meeting.”


  “Shishigui” was a local name coined by sect forces. She had no idea if anyone at the capital would recognize it.

  “It is not unusual for the tribes to form alliances,” the Luo representative said. “But she is correct that such terminology is not common. The last time the barbarians spoke of such a thing……”


  “Ogodei,” the Wang representative grunted.

  “But the meeting was not harmonious,” Ling Qi said once she was certain that there would be no more interjections. “The underground-allied barbarians were suing for aid. The starstone was their bargaining piece. The Twelve Stars Confederation seemed intrigued by this. It is the other, who called themselves the White Sky Confederation, that I wish to speak of though.”


  Ling Qi had to stop herself from licking her lips. This was the tricky part.

  “The White Sky had the least numerous representation. There were only two. One was a cloud tribesman whose mask style and equipment led me to believe that he belonged to the furthest southern tribes. The other was a woman who was clearly not of the cloud tribes. I do not believe her to have been a prisoner either given the disparity in power between the two.”


  “What makes you certain of this?” The Meng woman asked. Her voice was soft and whispery, barely audible behind the fluttering fan which shielded her face.

  “She lacked the beast bond of the tribes, and her features were foreign, neither imperial nor tribe,” Ling Qi answered. “Her garments bore the marks of civilized hands. It was nothing to match imperial finery, of course, but it was not the rough furs and stolen patchworks which the barbarians use. She did not seem to speak their common tongue either.”


  “Of those, only a lack of beast bond is convincing,” Diao Linqin said. “And even then, it is known that some of the southern tribes behave strangely compared to their kin.”


  “If it were only such circumstantial things, I would agree, Prime Minister,” Ling Qi replied. “However, the White Sky also showed little interest in the starstone, and what is more, not even slight interest in alliance. In fact, the Twelve Stars seemed to regard the woman in particular with the same distrust with which the underground envoy was viewed. Together, this gave me an inkling that she may have been an outsider as well.”


  “But,” Ling Qi continued swiftly before she could be interrupted, “I only became firm in this belief after the foreigner attempted to speak to me in the middle of the battle, using a maneuver that made it appear as if she was containing me but which conveniently shielded both myself and my spirits from attack.”


  There was silence in the wake of her words, and here, Ling Qi could not help but swallow nervously.

  “Hoh, interesting.”


  Cai Shenhua’s words echoed in the vast hall, and Ling Qi felt her shoulders buckle as twin beams of radiance fixed upon her back. She didn’t have to look up. She could see the limitless pools of light in her mind’s eye, the punctures in the human face worn by the Light that was Cai Shenhua.

  “It is my belief that the foreigner saw some similarity in our arts. “Ling Qi croaked out. It was hard to breathe. Sweat broke out on her skin. It felt like something was intruding in her skull, precise and clinical. “If it may please the court to know, I practice an art passed down directly from the ice spirit of White Cloud Peak and am as a sister to that spirit’s daughter, now that my teacher has passed. I think the foreigner mistook me for kin of some kind.”


  Someone said something, but it was hard to hear. One of the representatives murmured something about honorable lineages. The imperial ambassador said something less kind. Someone else said something sniping back. Tears sprang up in the corners of her eyes as the pressure mounted. Ling Qi’s arms shook as she struggled to stay upright and kneeling.

  She didn’t allow her back to bow.

  “You state that this barbarian did not speak the tribe’s common tongue. How, then, did you communicate?” A voice, Diao Linqin’s, cut through the pressure. Pale pink rose petals closed around the burning radiance that threatened to crush her, loving and covetous.

  Through bleary eyes, Ling Qi saw the throne. Cai Shenhua’s radiance had grown less diffuse. Ling Qi could see her figure now, leaning forward in her seat. She wore a sheer and scandalous gown, a pure white thing with a deep cut that could not be called a neckline, a deep “V” that went all the way down to her navel with only thin strips of fabric preserving a hint of modesty. A feathery white shawl, a pibo, floated around her shoulders and coiled around her bare and muscular arms.

  Diao Linqin’s hand rested on her back. Or at least she thought it did. Nothing aside from blazing light was visible above the Duchess’ shoulders.

  “Due to some good fortune and scholarship, this one had reason to learn some of the old hill tribe tongues,” Ling Qi whispered. “Though the language the foreigner spoke was not the same, I understood enough to have some comprehension.”


  The worst part, Ling Qi thought, was that she was almost certain that the Duchess had not been angry or even excited. Her words had said it all.

  That had only been interest.

  “She offered aid, I think, and asked after my…… Lineage,” Ling Qi continued, despite the dryness of her throat. “I did not have time to decipher much—Lady Cai was battling the underground beast even then—but I sang my teacher’s Name, and it seemed to distress her. She threw a sliver of iron from her weapon at me before disappearing to flee the battle.”


  “I do have to wonder why you bothered with even that much for a barbarian,” the imperial ambassador said disapprovingly.

  “We were outnumbered,” Ling Qi said. “It seemed foolish to bring another peak third realm into a battle in which we were already struggling.”


  “Reasonable enough,” the Wang representative grunted. “No use holding principles above effectiveness.”


  “An intelligent action,” the Luo agreed, casting a sour look at the ambassador.

  The ambassador sniffed dismissively. He obviously disagreed.

  “Produce the sliver,” Cai Shenhua spoke, and all other conversation ceased.

  Ling Qi didn’t hesitate. She was only an image here in the court, but she doubted that would matter to Cai Shenhua. The sliver appeared, painfully cold in her palm, and she presented it. Before Ling Qi’s eyes, it jerked into the air, and radiance crawled across the iron, sinking into invisible imperfections and cracks and suffusing the item.

  However, so close to what was happening, Ling Qi saw Shenhua’s radiance pause, stymied if only briefly by the cold darkness that slept in the metal. She might have imagined it really, so brief as it was. The sliver dropped back into her hand.

  “It is good that you brought this matter to my attention,” Cai Shenhua pronounced. “It is an organically developed escape talisman meant to draw the smaller piece to the larger one. Mistaken for kin, indeed.”


  Her amusement was echoed, if less enthusiastically, by the court. Ling Qi felt Cai Renxiang’s eyes on her back. This was going to be the hard part.

  “Is it possible that she was not wholly mistaken?” Ling Qi asked. She steeled herself against the returning pressure of the court’s attention. “Speaking the tongue as she did with her civilized accoutrements…… The tribes of the hills are ancestors to many of us, are they not? They were enemies of the cloud tribes, even before they were brought into the fold by the Weilu and the Hui.”


  Ling Qi felt the whisper of steel on her skin first, the caress of a blade. She caught movement from the figure in gleaming steel in front of her. General Xia Ren was looking at her now, rather than staring straight ahead.

  “You are suggesting something absurd, young lady.” Diao Linqin said coolly.

  “Not so much,” whispered the Meng woman, the fan in her hands fluttering. “It is simply a truth too many are eager to forget.”


  The Luo representative gave the Meng a sidelong look but made a sound of agreement.

  “Young Miss,” the Jia spoke uncomfortably, “it is true that the lotus grows from mud, but it is not the mud. To suggest otherwise is insulting.”


  “Pfah, fancy nonsense,” the Wang representative snorted. “Truth is truth. You’re thinking we need not fight these ‘White Sky’ yet, girl?”


  “I think they may be amenable to peace in a way that the cloud barbarians are not,” Ling Qi said carefully. “It is true that we are not primitive tribes like our distant ancestors, but may the same not be true? If, as it seems, they grew from the same mud which we did…… I only believe the evidence of my eyes. They are not friends of the Twelve Stars and their monster. Perhaps we might find common ground in shared ancestry and enemies?”


  “It is known that the Xuan, our allies, have dealings with foreigners of sufficient culture,” Cai Renxiang interjected. Her support had been clear, but putting it into words helped. “Even if it proves impossible, it may give us time to finish our first foes.”


  “It is a tenuous link at best,” Diao Linqin said. Her lips pursed irritably, and she looked down toward Cai Shenhua. “However……”


  “It is difficult to say that it is wholly wrong given our recent conquest, is it not, my rose?” Cai Shenhua smiled.

  Diao Linqin looked like a woman who had recently lost an argument and was still less than pleased about it.

  Ling Qi just felt confused. She was happy to see that others in the court all looked confused, too.

  “It was my intention to save this announcement for year’s end, timed with the arrival of the first year’s tribute,” Cai Shenhua said idly, leaning back to lounge on her throne once more. “But given recent events, it seems necessary to alter the timetable.”


  “Your Grace, might I ask you to clarify?” the Bao representative, who had previously been silent and smiling, asked. He looked a touch worried. It was the sort of look Cai Renxiang had worn when Ling Qi mentioned this whole matter.

  “I have secured the surrender and tribute of the foes beneath Xiangmen,” Cai Shenhua said as if she were discussing the weather. “The people of Ha-yith-kai, as they call themselves. The barbarians of the underground lands organize themselves into city states. These have surrendered and agreed to become tributaries of the Emerald Seas. Others will follow. The words spoken during my strolls have been most effective.”


  “Obviously, negotiating surrender and tribute is possible,” Diao Linqin said, sounding aggrieved. “However, treating barbarians as kin is a step too far.”


  “Perhaps,” Cai Shenhua said lightly. “Baroness Ling, do you truly have confidence in your words?”


  Ling Qi swallowed, but she could hardly say no. She tried to keep her thoughts clear of the questions bubbling up. “Yes, Your Grace.”


  “Then, you will have a prominent place in the delegation. That sliver is bound to a location in the central wall. A meeting point, no doubt. You will begin making preparations for a journey,” the Duchess said easily. “General Xia?”


  “Yes, Your Grace?” Xia Ren answered, and it was so deep and echoing that it seemed as if she spoke from the bottom of a well.

  “Prepare one hundred of your warriors, and begin heading south. Regardless of this matter, it is clear that the south of the province requires my direct attention.” The Duchess’ lax tone hardened into steel by the time she finished. “And select one of your adjutants to accompany my daughter and her retainer.”


  “As for you, Renxiang,” Cai Shenhua said, “you continue to perform well. This pleases me. I shall see to providing further resources for your growth and the cultivation of subordinates. Should this diplomatic effort bear fruit, I shall consider granting you a boon.”


  Left unsaid was how badly failure would reflect on them.

  Ling Qi finally lowered her head as attention left her. Behind her, Cai Renxiang gave her thanks.

  She really hoped that she hadn’t made a mistake.