“I appreciate the help,” Ling Qi said sincerely, meeting Bai Meizhen’s eyes from across the table.

  “And yet you are going to disagree with my methods,” Meizhen replied coolly.

  Ling Qi nodded reluctantly. “I don’t know exactly what you intend, but it’s probably going to skirt the Sect rules, right?” When Meizhen failed to disagree, Ling Qi continued, toying with the cup in her hands. “I don’t want you to be taking a risk like that for me, even if it’s a small one given your status. Why don’t we just drag Yan Renshu to Lady Cai? Let her spin it as a victory and stuff him in a hole until the end of the year.”


  Meizhen pursed her lips, not happy with the idea. “This is a personal matter. While I do not doubt Cai Renxiang’s skill nor her ability to create a convincing narrative, why bother her with such a thing? Restraining a third realm cultivator is neither cheap nor easy.”


  “I just don’t think going any further than that is necessary. The Sect…… Iit’s all supposed to be a big game, right? ” Ling Qi said. It tasted like ash to say, but that really did seem to be how it was. “Even if Yan Renshu has done some really unpleasant things, I don’t-”


  “A game?” Bai Meizhen asked flatly, interrupting her. It was startlingly rude for the usually reserved girl. “Shall we go visit that retainer of yours, so that you may tell her the loss of her eye was only part of a game? That she should cease her efforts to ruin her rival?” Cui nuzzled her cheek affectionately as Meizhen closed her eyes in frustration. “While the Imperial court has transformed the sects into a playground for the lesser families, that is not true for cultivators such as yourself.”


  Ling Qi scowled, the reminder of Li Suyin’s situation making her temper flare. “Maybe I don’t want to be the kind of person who cripples someone, then makes some half-assed excuse about it,” she snapped. “And I want to ask that of you even less. Don’t get me wrong; I’m going to help you. But I want to actually follow the rules, and not just the letter of them.”


  “.…… It is your vendetta,” Meizhen agreed unhappily. “You are being too soft, but I will not gainsay you on this.” Meizhen clearly wanted to though. “I had intended to settle the issue three nights from now. Is that acceptable?”


  Ling Qi nodded. She didn’t like displeasing her friend like this, particularly when she was just trying to help. “I’m thankful that you were willing to put in so much effort for me.”


  Bai Meizhen simply nodded, elegantly rising from her seat. “Thank you for the tea. I am afraid I have cultivation to catch up on. If you will excuse me?”


  Ling Qi sighed, standing up herself. “I do as well. See you in a few nights, Meizhen.”


  “I will see you then, Qi,” Meizhen said as she paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder briefly before heading toward her room.

  Ling Qi hoped that she hadn’t offended her friend too much with her refusal. Glancing down at the dregs in her cup, she drained the rest of the tea with an inelegant gulp and stood. She had three days to wrap up the rest of her plans for the week.

  Ling Qi started by heading to the roof to cultivate under the stars and work on deciphering the puzzle that the Moon, or perhaps Xin, had left her. The polished and lacquered wooden slats had moved easily under her fingers as she meditated under the stars, drinking in the stellar and lunar qi. The edges clacked against one another quietly as she lined up the patterns painted on the box’s sides. It had taken some time, but she managed to complete it easily enough. It had almost been disappointing in its ease.

  That had been a foolish thought. When the last slat had fallen into place, the box shook in her hands, giving off a single, high, clear note. The outer layer of wood then collapsed, transforming into crumbling leaves which had fallen from her surprised hands, only to be blown away by the next breeze.

  Left behind was a smaller box, this time of polished and worked silver with deeply inlaid patterns of onyx. Curious, she moved the first piece, sliding it smoothly into a new position. A soft twinkling song began to play and surprised, she stopped to examine the apparently musical box.

  Then the tune cut off, and the piece she had moved snapped back into its starting position, almost pinching her finger.

  To her mounting frustration, Ling Qi found herself unable to keep up with the second box’s timed resets, and by the time the sun had begun to rise over the horizon, she was more than ready to put the irritating box away. She would come back to it tomorrow night, but for now, she was going to meet up with Su Ling, not to mention she first had to get Zhengui up and moving. Her spirit was still terribly lazy in the mornings.

  Actually, with Zhengui awake again, perhaps she could have a bit of fun with her friend……

  ***

  Upon giving it a second thought, Ling Qi could admit that surprising her friend with Zhengui might not have been the best idea.

  It was still pretty funny though.

  “I’m sorry!” she called up, from where she stood on Zhengui’s back, balanced on the spikes of his shell. “Please don’t be mad. It was just a joke.” Dust and grit still drifted across the clearing, stirred up from when Zhengui had burst from the ground.

  Su Ling glared down at her, still clinging to the uppermost branches of the tree she had bolted up, ears and tails both standing on end like a startled cat. “Ha. Ha,” she stated flatly. “What the hells made you think that would be funny!”


  Gui peered up at her guilelessly. “Big Sister? Why did the fuzzy girl go up the tree like that?”


  “Why do the prey run when you jump out, foolish Gui?” Zhen hissed from behind. He smugly peered up at Su Ling from over Ling Qi’s shoulder. At least someone thought the prank was funny.

  Gui blinked and appeared to be thinking hard for a moment. “Ah! I’m sorry! Don’t worry. Big Sister won’t let Zhen bite.”


  “She’d better not,” Su Ling grumbled darkly, giving Ling Qi one last glare before dropping from the tree. She landed in a crouch, easily rising back to her feet. “Seriously, leave the jokes to other people, will you?”


  “I suppose I’m not really good at it,” Ling Qi muttered. She had figured Su Ling wouldn’t be fooled by Zhengui’s trick, but the other girl’s guard must have been down. “No harm, right?”


  Su Ling ran her fingers through her tangled hair and gave a frustrated sigh. “Sure, no point in getting mad at you. Anyway, I had something to give ya, if you’re done trying to give me a heart attack.”


  Ling Qi hopped off of Zhengui’s back, leaving the spirit to bicker back and forth between himself. It would be some time before they were done. “Oh, did you guys manage to do something with that liquid from the vent?” she asked curiously.

  “Yeah. Made a pill that’ll give your spiritual cultivation a pretty strong boost and make working with Argent Arts easier.” Su Ling’s ears twitched as the other girl tossed Ling Qi a small pill case. “I can’t refine more than one a month, so use that well, alright?”


  Ling Qi inhaled deeply from the medicinal vapor which escaped when she cracked the case to peer in. She was already at peak Yellow so it wouldn’t do her much good at the moment, but once she broke through, a pill like this could be a real boon.

  “That’s pretty impressive,” she complimented. “I’m glad you guys managed to do something with it. Are you sure you just want to give it to me though?”


  “First one’s free,” Su Ling said, showing a bit of tooth with her smile. “Suyin has gotten some good use out of the stuff with her project too, and you were the one who found the main ingredient.”


  “Thanks.” Ling Qi tucked the case away in a pocket. “How about you? Thinking about what you’re going to do yet?”


  Su Ling frowned, her eyes briefly flicking over Ling Qi’s shoulder. She glanced back, only to see that Zhengui had wandered off to dig into a fallen log, the loud crunching of the wood echoing over the clearing.

  “I told ya I’m not worried about that,” Su Ling said dismissively. “I haven’t changed my mind.”


  Ling Qi nodded, unsurprised. “Fair. That’s why I’d like to ask you something.” She was worried about her friend. If things went well, Ling Qi and Li Suyin would both enter Inner Sect, leaving Su Ling alone on the Outer Mountain. Meizhen’s reminder of what can be done by high nobles to commoners without protection pushed that worry further to the fore. “What do you think of those girls who have been following me around?”


  Su Ling wrinkled her nose. “I get why you let ‘em. You’ve pissed a lot of people off.” Ling Qi simply continued to look at her; the girl knew that wasn’t what she meant. “They’re fine, I guess? They seem nice enough. Haven’t traded more than a word or two with ‘em though.”


  “So you wouldn’t mind them joining us for training?” Ling Qi asked cheerfully. “Not here,” she added, gesturing toward the vent, “but in general.”


  “I…… guess?” Su Ling raised an eyebrow. “They’re not like that snob you hang out with in private, right?”


  Ling Qi frowned at the insult directed at Xiulan but let it pass. It wasn’t wrong. “No. Ma Jun is a little prickly about politeness, but that seems like a personal dispute with her sister.” She paused to find the best way to articulate her reasoning. “I just think you could use more friends.”


  “I don’t need that kind of handholding,” Su Ling said, irritated at the implication.

  “Maybe not,” Ling Qi shot back. “But have you really thought about what it’s going to be like if Suyin and I both graduate?”


  Su Ling frowned, her ears flat against the side of her head. “Yeah, I have. Doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to be pitied.”


  “Just give them a chance, you stubborn girl,” Ling Qi said, exasperated. “I’m offering to introduce you to some friends, not giving you a treasure.”


  “Fine,” Su Ling conceded. “Now, are we gonna train or what?”


  “Sure,” Ling Qi replied cheerfully. “Have you thought about what you want to trade me for Argent Current yet?”


  “.…… Yeah,” Su Ling answered reluctantly. “Will a second one of those pills be good for a down payment?”


  It would pay for it in full considering that she had wanted to give it for free, Ling Qi thought, but any argument would just make Su Ling insist on paying more. Instead, she nodded, glad that her friend would be a little better armed.

  Threads 143-Spear 2

  Granting Xia Lin the lead in steering their “tour” took them away from the sect peaks themselves to inspect the terrain and climate and fauna of the surroundings outside the carefully controlled skies above the peaks. Xia Lin seemed to know a surprising amount of wilderness lore given the more urban nature of the White Plumes and the initial impression. She questioned Ling Qi on every detail of the terrain, climate, and ecology of the lands she had encountered thus far, absorbing information at a ferocious rate.

  Where conversation broke down a bit was when they crossed ways with spirits that could not simply be waved away. It wasn’t easy to read, but Ling Qi didn’t miss the way Xia Lin’s hand twitched toward the haft of the halberd on her back whenever they had such an encounter. Happily, she seemed willing to let Ling Qi handle the encounters with words, even if violent intent shone through her eyes.

  Maybe it was unfair to judge Xia Lin for that. It wasn’t like Meizhen’s method of exuding a primal, predatory threat was much friendlier.

  “Are you certain, Miss Bai, that you are not inconvenienced by this?” Xia Lin asked as they passed one by one over a stream in their path. Ling Qi had simply appeared on the other side, Xia Lin had hopped across, and Meizhen strode across the water as if it were solid ground.

  That was another thing she had noticed. Xia Lin seemed more interested in Meizhen than her. She wasn’t rude, and she engaged with Ling Qi whenever she spoke, but after the third time it happened, Ling Qi couldn’t help but notice that Xia Lin was taking every opportunity to draw her taciturn friend into the conversation.

  “No, this is somewhat refreshing,” Bai Meizhen replied, scanning their surroundings with a relaxed air. “I have not had occasion for an outdoors stroll in some time. My cultivation schedule does not allow it.”


  “I would bet Cui has been getting restless,” Ling Qi said.

  “She has been somewhat petulant of late. Cui is at that age unfortunately.” Meizhen sighed. “She is growing bored with hunting alone.”


  “I could speak to Zhengui. He would be happy to accompany her, I think.” She wasn’t unaware of how her little brother seemed to feel toward Cui; it was cute.

  “That might be helpful. My cousin’s pride would never allow her to ask,” Meizhen said, smiling.

  “I wonder where she gets that from,” Ling Qi said dryly.

  Letting a low hanging branch pass through her dematerialized shoulder, Ling Qi glanced toward Xia Lin, who was observing them with a small frown. She winced internally. She had been forgetting herself, being more familiar with Meizhen than was strictly proper, but in her defense, Meizhen was going along with it.

  Sixiang noted.

  “It is perfectly normal for a young lady to hold herself aloof from suitors,” Meizhen said primly. “Do you not agree, Miss Xia?”


  “I have no relevant experience in the matter,” Xia Lin replied. Ling Qi thought she seemed a little evasive. “You speak of a cousin, but I was not aware of any other Bai present in the Sect aside from the Xiao?”


  “I speak of Bai Cui, my cousin who accompanied me,” Meizhen answered, casting a cool look toward Xia Lin.

  “I understand,” Xia Lin said, stepping around some brush. “Bai traditions include spirit beasts among your clan rolls, yes?”


  “Kin is kin, whatever flesh they wear.”


  “That is an admirable thing, I think,” Xia Lin said quietly.

  “It certainly is,” Ling Qi agreed. She hardly needed Sixiang’s prod to notice the flash of melancholy there. “Do you have any bound spirits, Miss Xia?”


  “My halberd,” Xia Lin replied instantly. “Though she has not yet earned her name.”


  Ling Qi glanced up to the golden head of the weapon on the girl’s back. Made by Shenhua herself, that was not too surprising. “Is that why you do not use a storage ring? I had wondered about that.”


  “Storage formations do not function well with our armaments,” Xia Lin said. “Her Grace’s work does not take well to being concealed.”


  “True masterworks often have issues with common storage formations. It—No, ‘she,’ you said? She is certainly beautiful work,” Meizhen said.

  The gleaming blade seemed to hum at that, vibrating in the cool autumn air.

  Sixiang realized.

  Ling Qi focused her spiritual senses, following Sixing’s internal nudging. Studying very carefully, she could see that the “joinings” were where one spirit met the other. Despite how mechanical it felt, Ling Qi’s impression was closer to that of two young trees which had grown together, branches and boughs fusing.

  A piece of Xia Lin was within the weapon, and a piece of the weapon was within Xia Lin.

  “She cannot speak yet, but she enjoys the compliment,” Xia Lin said, reaching back to brush her fingers along the haft.

  “She certainly looks well cared for,” Ling Qi said, not letting her conclusions show on her face. “What of your mount?”


  “Zaofu is a good fellow,” Xia Lin said with a touch of cheer. “If very vain. I have not yet fully earned his trust; he lost his last rider to a night parade in the eastern wilderness zone. We do not bond our mounts, however.”


  Night Parade was the colloquial term for when sufficient spiritual malice gathered in one place to cause whole swarms of spirits to go mad. Such things had been mere stories as a child, and not much more in the Sect.

  “I’m sure you’ll manage in time,” Ling Qi said, earning herself a nod. “That’s an idea. My own spirits are going to be a significant part of the expedition. Do you want to meet them after we complete this circuit?”


  “That seems sensible. Miss Bai, do you object?” Xia Lin asked.

  “No, that seems a fine enough finishing point for our walk.”


  ***

  “Ugh, Zhengui, you doofus! I can’t believe you!” Hanyi’s voice echoed from the top of the hill, carrying the edge of a cold autumn breeze.

  “It was foolish Hanyi who messed up! Do not blame I, the wise Zhen,” her little brother retorted.

  Smoke and thick clinging mist was rising from the top of the hill. Something had obviously exploded. Ling Qi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

  “Perhaps we should return later?” Meizhen asked.

  “No, please just give me a moment,” Ling Qi replied. “My apologies, Miss Xia.”


  “It is no trouble,” she replied, eyeing the looming shadow of Zhengui at the top of the hill.

  Ling Qi appeared between her spirits, startling them from their quarrel. Hanyi had dirt on her gown and bits of mulch in her hair. Gui’s snout was covered in frost and looked to have suffered ice burns. They were already visibly healing. Between them lay a patch of frozen ground and what looked like scattered chunks of hard blue ice from which the fog was rising.

  The grass was also on fire, but that was normal.

  “What happened?” Ling Qi asked simply, fixing them both with a look. They both started to respond at once, and she held up a hand. She pointed to Zhengui. Hanyi pouted.

  “Hanyi saw someone in the Sect with weird ice that made fog, and she wanted to make some,” Gui explained. “Then she wanted to see what other kinds of ice she could make, so she came to Gui to help bring up the weird airs inside the hill to freeze.”


  “Hanyi could not do the freezing right, and the ice exploded,” Zhen hissed. “I, Zhen, was stung many times!”


  Ling Qi looked to Hanyi who huffed and planted her hands on her hips. “So that’s true, but it was

  fault. I told him not to bring up so much stinky air at once, and one of his sparks set it off.”


  Ling Qi had a feeling that there was some fault on both sides. “Both of you should be more careful when trying new things like this,” Ling Qi admonished. “But since you’re both okay, we’ll leave that aside. I brought someone here to meet you.”


  Hanyi started frantically brushing off her dress.

  Gui merely cocked his head curiously. “Who does Big Sister want us to meet?”


  “One of the people who is going to be accompanying us on our trip and Bai Meizhen,” Ling Qi answered.

  Zhen hissed in alarm and started using Gui’s shell to rub the frost off his scales.

  “Please get ready,” Ling Qi instructed before flickering back down to Xia Lin and Meizhen.

  “No real problem, just some experimentation with a combination technique,” Ling Qi said lightly, clapping her hands. She probably should have planned ahead more.

  Xia Lin was giving her a measuring look. “Initiative is a positive trait. I think I understand Miss Ling’s methods better now.”


  “Miss Ling’s initiative has certainly been passed on to her companions,” Meizhen agreed. It was only her familiarity with the girl that let her notice the touch of amused sarcasm.

  Ling Qi laughed a little self-consciously. They ascended the hill.

  Her spirits waited for them. Zhengui stood atop the patch of broken earth and weird ice. Hanyi sat on the edge of his shell, smiling beatifically and kicking her bare feet.

  “Hello! My name is Hanyi. It’s an honor to meet you!” She hopped down and bowed.

  “We are Zhengui,” her little brother rumbled in two voices. “It is good to meet Big Sister’s friends.”


  “It pleases me to see you both in good health,” Meizhen said with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.

  Xia Lin offered a very small bow of her head. “I am Sergeant Xia Lin of the White Plumes. It seems that we will be cooperating in the future.”


  “Oh, wow. You look really strong, and your armor is so cool!” Hanyi said cheerfully, looking Xia Lin up and down.

  “Gui is glad to meet more people who will fight with Big Sister,” her little brother added.

  Zhen appeared to be surreptitiously looking around Meizhen, as if looking for someone else.

  “Hey, now, don’t forget about me,” Sixiang said, appearing in miniature on Ling Qi’s shoulder. “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. Name’s Sixiang.”


  The soldier girl blinked slowly, glancing back and forth between Sixiang and Hanyi. She seemed overwhelmed.

  “I have quite a menagerie, as you can see,” Ling Qi said.

  “.…… Yes,” Xia Lin agreed.

  She met Meizhen’s eyes over the girl’s shoulder. Her friend tilted her head and nodded. She would help keep things running smoothly.

  “So, Miss Xia, do you think you would like to see a demonstration of some of their abilities?” Ling Qi asked politely.

  “That seems agreeable, Miss Ling.” Xia Lin’s brief moment of confusion disappeared behind professionalism again.

  “I have not had a chance to see your spirits’ growth either,” Meizhen mused. “Excepting Hanyi’s performance, of course, which was impressive.”


  Hanyi beamed up at Meizhen.

  Xia Lin looked to Meizhen in askance, but it was Ling Qi who answered the unspoken question.

  “Hanyi has begun singing at local concert halls. I would be happy to invite you at some point,” Ling Qi said.

  “I will consider it,” Xia Lin replied.

  “You should definitely come, and buy a recording carving too! The prices are really good,” Hanyi invited cheerfully. Ling Qi supposed she couldn’t expect Hanyi to be subtle yet.

  “Perhaps,” Xia Lin said noncommittally before turning back to Ling Qi. “The demonstration?”


  “Right. Zhengui might be the best to start with. Am I right in assuming that you prefer the front lines, Miss Xia?”


  “I am a vanguard,” Xia Lin replied with a touch of pride. “My role is to charge into enemy formations and disrupt their cohesion and group arts so that the main force’s assault is more effective.”


  Something like that did sound useful when fighting the cloud tribes. “Well, how about that. I think Zhengui and you will be a compatible front line. Little brother, what would you say your role is?”


  “I, Zhen, am the center of attention who enemies cannot ignore even as Big Sister freezes and breaks them,” Zhen said, arching his body proudly. “I, Zhen, am very tough.”


  Ling Qi struggled to keep herself from laughing at his preening.

  “Zhen should not forget that Mister Avalanche says that we are”—Gui closed his eyes in intense concentration as he worked to recall the words—“terrain manipulation and hard point generation specialists.”


  He looked proud of himself for remembering the whole thing.

  Off to the side, Meizhen had begun to ask Hanyi about her plans for future performances and potential wardrobes. Ling Qi was thankful that her friend would keep Hanyi from feeling left out.

  “A valuable skill set indeed,” Xia Lin said, glancing Ling Qi’s way. “Although I have heard that Miss Ling is hardly as fragile as her skills might imply.”


  “Well, it’s not all her,” Sixiang said. “I am pretty good at making sure nothing nasty sticks to her.”


  “But I am proud of my endurance, yes. All the same, every foe who Zhengui occupies is one less diverting my focus from offense and controlling the battlefield.”


  “I can see the efficacy,” Xia Lin noted, “particularly with the Young Mistress’ power backing it up.”


  “Lady Cai has not often had the opportunity to fight with us,” Ling Qi admitted.

  “Gui thinks it would be fun though!”


  “With any luck, it will remain so off the training field,” Xia Lin said. Ling Qi could tell that she didn’t believe it, but she couldn’t blame her. Their destination was well off the map, far from lands that any imperial cultivator had even tentatively tamed.

  “We can definitely hope for it,” Sixiang said brightly. “Plenty of spirits can be brought down with a quick tongue and a little cajoling. Not every confrontation has to end in blades.”


  “Perhaps,” Xia Lin repeated. “Just the same, wild spirits are not the same as those with a close connection to humanity, barbarian or otherwise. Some violence is inevitable.”


  “Not untrue,” Ling Qi said, giving Sixiang an internal nudge. “In any case, would you care to test some of Zhengui’s constructs for yourself, Miss Xia?”


  Xia Lin gave a small smile as her halberd vanished from her back and appeared in her hand. “If Zhengui is amenable.” She gave the weapon a casual twirl before bringing it to rest on her shoulder.

  Zhengui was, of course, always happy to show off.