Lu Feng’s dry voice had echoed from the mist. His unwitting puppet slumped, limbs still jerking spasmodically as his spear dropped from nerveless fingers.

  “Do you think anyone finds your nonsense endearing?” Ling Qi heard the scorn in his voice as she focused on him, finding the boy clinging to a tree branch high in the canopy, a wispy veil of leaves that was likely much more convincing without the formation’s viewing function hiding him. She noted that the qi coils around his arms had vanished, presumably due to being used up in the sneak attack.

  Before anyone could react, half of a splintered tree slammed into the shocked shield wielders, sending their booted feet grinding backward through the dirt toward their wounded captain. “Tch, took you long enough, pretty boy,” Ji Rong spat out, along with a mouthful of blood, as he stalked back into the clearing.

  “You speak as if I am not the reason that you were only fighting six on one,” Lu Feng griped, his voice echoing from everywhere.

  “Such villainous tactics,” Gan Guangli growled, standing straight even as his right arm hung useless at his side, blooms of crimson and lilac flowers appearing through the gaps in his armor. “I would ask if you had pride Lu Feng, but I already know the answer!”


  “Keep your bullshit to yourself,” Ji Rong said darkly, cracking his knuckles. “That creep has one thing right. I don’t want to hear it.”


  “My lady’s regret is wasted upon a thug like you,” Gan Guangli scowled as his remaining subordinates gathered around him, eyeing each other warily. “I shall smite you……”


  Ling Qi almost missed Gan’s good hand twitching, his fingers forming a symbol, and the archer and the fan-wielding girl both spun toward Lu Feng’s position. The wind howled as a miniature tornado sprung up around the tree Lu Feng was hidden in, ripping dirt and grass from the ground as it spun up, entrapping the wire-wielding boy. A sizzling arrow spun from raw black tar-like qi shot through it unhindered, piercing directly through both the bracer that was raised to block it and the forearm wearing it. To his credit, Lu Feng only snarled as the toxic qi sizzled in his wound, a corona of light like a thousand petalled lotus springing up behind his head to blast away the tornado and free him from its buffeting winds.

  The other combatants were not idle. Ji Rong sprang forward with a loud warcry, repeating his earlier charge, though he changed his tactics. Whereas before, he had crashed directly against the shield wielders’ defense, this time he twisted in midair to use their shields as a springboard and launched himself over Gan Guangli’s head, escaping the now four-meter tall boy’s grasp by the smallest of hairs.

  Despite the warning shout from Gan Guangli, the fan-wielding girl was not fast enough to avoid the descending bolt that Ji Rong transformed into, screaming as his feet crashed into her back and sent lightning coursing through her limbs. Ling Qi winced as the boy raised his foot and stamped down a second time, hearing ribs break as he put the girl out of the fight for good. One of the shield wielders was the next to fall. Ji Rong caught his blade in one hand, earning a bloody gash in his palm before slamming a lightning-charged knee twice into the boy’s groin.

  There was no more talking now, no more time for it as the remaining combatants clashed amidst booming thunder and flashing light, reducing the terrain to little more than scorched wasteland. Yet despite the flashiness of the display, Ling Qi was quickly coming to an unpleasant realization.

  Gan’s remaining arm was tangled in Lu Feng’s wires. His useless right arm was growing worse, twitching spasmodically as flowers continued to push out from the gaps in his armor, their petals dripping with fresh blood. Gan Guangli bellowed furiously, his armor flaring gold and golden hands formed in the air behind him, attached to arms that were more like sinuous whips. Three lashed out, two battering Ji Rong’s defenses and driving him back while the third struck out at Lu Feng, swelling to titanic size and smashing him into the ground with its palm.

  It wasn’t enough. Even with her senses muted, Ling Qi knew that Gan Guangli’s technique was highly draining from the way his aura dimmed and his chest heaved with exertion.

  Gan Guangli hurled himself at Ji Rong while the boy contemptuously dodged a brace of arrows fired by Gan’s remaining allies. He moved with impossible grace for someone as big and bulky as he was. But with only one arm and his continuing wound, it wasn’t enough. Ji Rong was an actinic blur, and he seemed more confident with each successful dodge.

  A sizzling wire of crimson qi snaked out from the palm-shaped crater and coiled around Gan Guangli’s ankle; giving him a single, sharp tug. He stumbled, falling to one knee, and Ji Rong flashed there, both of his palms pressed against the scuffed expanse of Gan Guangli’s chestplate. A blast of lightning erupted from her peer’s back, his cry of pain drowned out by the thunder that happened a moment later.

  Gan Guangli fell.

  His remaining allies didn’t last long after that.

  Ji Rong spat to the side as the last shield-wielding boy slumped to the ground. “You look like shit, pretty boy,” he commented, glancing at Lu Feng.

  “Savor this moment,” his companion replied. Lu Feng looked terrible. One eye was swollen shut, and his clothing was badly shredded, his whole torso looked like one giant bruise. “It is the only time in which you will be able to say that you are more handsome than I.”


  She scowled as she saw Ji Rong roll his eyes and turn away from the crater where Gan Guangli had fallen before his body had faded away. “Like I care,” he retorted irreverently. “So, are we done then or……?”


  Lu Feng opened his mouth to respond but he never got a chance. The once handsome boy was consumed by a massive plume of dust as something slammed into him with terrible, thunderous force, ripping yet another crater in the pockmarked field. It only took a moment for her to make the connection as to what had just happened.

  As the dust cleared, she saw Han Fang standing there, one foot on Lu Feng’s back as he raised his hammer, its head speckled with blood and hair. Ji Rong had already fallen back into a fighting stance, his expression suddenly wary. The mute boy simply rolled his shoulders and cocked an eyebrow, slapping the haft of his hammer into his palm in response.

  A grin began to break out on Ji Rong’s face, but then a loud, piercing gong sounded. Ling Qi’s vision of the fight faded, leaving her once more looking at the arena normally.

  It was over.

  Ling Qi looked at the other arenas and found each one clear, leaving only two disciples standing. Her eyes immediately focused on the second arena. In it, Chu Song stood, nursing a dozen ugly-looking burns, and Xiulan was standing as well. Xiulan looked somewhat worse for the wear, her hair badly askew and a scowl on her face. Her back was wet with blood where someone had driven a blade into her. She was cradling her bad arm gingerly, and her wrist was bent at a bad angle.

  As for the remaining arenas, unsurprisingly, Sun Liling and Kang Zihao stood victorious in the first, and in the third, she saw Wen Ai and a handsome boy she vaguely recognized from the girl’s party.

  Her gaze moved to Cai Renxiang, whose expression might as well have been carved from stone. She didn’t need words to understand. As the sole remaining Cai retainer in the New Year’s Tournament, Ling Qi could not afford to lose her preliminary or even give a bad show in winning.

  She listened with half an ear as Sect Head Yuan spoke, congratulating the victors on their prowess and praising their ability. He also indicated that any injured victors should promptly go to the infirmary where the rest of the defeated disciples had been sent.

  As he spoke, she stole another glance at Cai Renxiang. The girl’s day had been pretty poor so far. Between her mother’s “good news” and now this. It might have been impulsive, but Ling Qi couldn’t just do nothing. With her long sleeves hiding the motion, she let her fingers brush the back of her liege’s hand, drawing her attention. Meeting her gaze without turning her head, Ling Qi did her best to project confidence into her expression. Without words, there was only so much she could do, but……

  She caught something in the other girl’s gaze and received the smallest, shallow nod. Although Cai’s expression didn’t change, Ling Qi thought she saw the other girl’s shoulders straighten almost imperceptibly.

  There wasn’t time for much else as they were called to their respective stages. Bai Meizhen and Cai Renxiang each had their own arena, along with a large number of very unfortunate second realms. Han Jian and most of the remaining older disciples went to the third. Ling Qi went to the fourth. With her came Shen Hu and a miscellany of other disciples, the vast majority of which she was pretty sure had been Sun supporters.

  Except for Shen Hu, who glanced at her with an expression of vague interest, none of them looked very happy to see her, but neither did they look surprised. Shen Hu had cleaned up. He was wearing a pair of baggy black pants held up by a grey sash, but he hadn’t bothered with anything else. Did he idolize Elder Zhou or something? She looked away from him with a huff.

  Of course she would be the only one in the second round to get peer competition. After seeing the composition of Gan Guangli’s preliminary, with three first year third realms stuffed into one arena and two of them allied against her fellow retainer, Ling Qi suspected manipulation. There was no use complaining though.

  Ling Qi prepared herself as the formations began to light up and the arena blurred and faded away, only to laugh as she found herself standing ankle-deep in the snow atop a stony cliff, a slow rain of snowflakes veiling the sky from her sight. It seemed Xin – and Elder Jiao – were looking out for her because she recognized these cliffs. How could she not when she had trekked up and down these for months to meet her mentor, Zeqing?

  Now, she needed to decide how to handle her competitors.

  Ling Qi flicked her wrist, expressing her flute from within her ring as the echoes of her laughter faded into the snowy sky. There were so many things she needed to consider. How her performance would reflect on Cai Renxiang in the wake of Gan Guangli’s failure. The likelihood of defeat if she decided to face down Shen Hu. The effects it could have on her friends’ elimination matches if she allowed another third realm to pass. What tactics would meet the most approval from the audience. That and more passed through her thoughts, but……

  Sixiang tempted, the spirit reading her mood perfectly.

  Zhengui asked a moment later, sensing her indecision.

  Ling Qi let out a breath, looking out over the cliffside. She could sense other disciples, distant candles in the storm. “Not just yet, little brother,” she murmured, raising her flute to her lips. “You’ll get your chance soon.”


  Ling Qi knew objectively that she was powerful for an Outer disciple. In under a year, she had risen to the point where she could escape the clutches of Sun Liling and force Bai Meizhen to take her seriously. There were only a handful of others who could realistically be called her peer. She still didn’t feel that way. She could hunt beasts and treat with spirits, but when it came to fighting people, she still felt like a thief. Hiding and running were her go-to tactics, and she was conservative with her techniques and rarely showed off.

  It was time to break that pattern. A soft melancholy song began to play. Mist poured from her flute, a roiling waterfall of clinging, cloying clouds that swiftly veiled her and flowed out. It consumed the cliffside and rolled further and further out as Ling Qi pushed more and more qi into her construct. Flickering black shadows took shape, red of eye and black of claw, as the mist grew thicker still, taking on a heavy weight from the protection she layered upon it.

  Sixiang’s laughter chimed softly in her ears as Ling Qi lowered her flute and swallowed a pill, restoring most of the qi she had just spent. “What’s so funny?” she asked idly as she began to walk toward the cliff, her melody still playing all around her.

  the spirit replied playfully.

  Ling Qi glanced up at the silver sliver grinning down from the snowy sky. “I guess it is,” she agreed, reaching the cliff’s edge. “Nothing like a nice, moonlit walk,” she said before her body dissolved into darkness and flowed over the stony edge like dark water, taking the roiling bank of cloying mist with her.

  Threads 189-Concert 1

  Cultivation consumed Ling Qi’s days in the wake of her work with Zhengui. After the expedition and the flurry of activity that followed, it felt good to take some time to herself and simply grow stronger. Ling Qi focused on her physical cultivation and found herself reflecting on how much her routines had changed.

  The exercises the late Elder Zhou had taught her were a thing of the past now. They had been invaluable in training her mortal body to the limit of what mere flesh could do, but in the third realm, her body was no longer bound to mortal rules. Her muscles would never deteriorate, and no matter what she ate or drank, not a single ounce of fat would ever appear on her body.

  It made her wonder a bit at the looks of those like Elder Ying or the Senior Bao she had met at last year's tournament. Appearing to hold some extra weight must be a choice, unconscious or otherwise.

  Regardless, this meant that physical cultivation was not so different from spiritual cultivation now. It was different for those who focused more on their bodies and physical arts, but for Ling Qi, her regimen consisted simply of meditative movements and carefully weaving new strands of qi into flesh, muscle, and bone, steadily increasing the density of qi in her body.

  These exercises were more difficult since her desperate jump into the Dream underground. Since that day, she always felt lighter, almost as if she would drift away in a moment of inattentiveness, and she had to focus more to keep her qi from simply dispersing rather than setting into her flesh.

  She didn’t let it slow her though, and as the days passed, she pushed herself into the threshold stage of the bronze physique. It was the fourth of eight stages in the third realm, matching her spiritual cultivation. Although it could be said that she was halfway there, she knew that each step would be harder than the last.

  However, the next day, she received a message which brought her out from seclusion.

  ***?

  The mountaintop was empty and bleak, a field of featureless white that extended to the sharp cliff drops which descended to the rest of the Outer Sect mountain. The fruit tree which had once grown out of the rocky soil was gone, perhaps transplanted to another part of the Sect. Ling Qi could understand why. She hunched her shoulders as the icy wind shrieked across the landscape, whipping up a wall of stinging white.

  The peak had grown volatile in Zeqing’s absence.

  She found Hanyi kneeling beside a pile of snow covered stones that were all the remains of her childhood home. Hanyi didn’t look up as Ling Qi sat down beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She sat in silence for a time, not looking at Hanyi, but at the fallen stones.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t find what you were looking for.”


  “It was kinda dumb to think that they’d be like Momma just because they were born from winter too,” Hanyi said, resting her chin in her hands. She’d undone the ties in her hair at some point, so her silvery hair hung down to her shoulders, fluttering lightly despite the violent wind.

  “Well, you have us, for what it's worth.” Ling Qi squeezed her shoulder. “Come up with anything good while you were up here?”


  “Hehe, I’m gonna knock ‘em out at my next performance,” Hanyi boasted, although her smile was still a little wan. “What are you doing up here though, Sis? I said I was fine.”


  Sixiang murmured, keeping otherwise quiet out of respect for the moment

  “I know that,” Ling Qi said. “You can be mature when you feel like it.”


  Hanyi squinted up at her. “Hey, why do I feel like I’m not being complimented at all?”


  “It’s just your imagination, little sister.” Ling Qi kept a straight face. “Anyway, I came up here because Bao Qian sent me a message. He’d like to speak with us.”


  “Ohhhh, I bet I have to prepare and stuff.” Hanyi grimaced. “I just want to sing. Other people should do the rest of the work.”


  “Being a performer is definitely hard.” Ling Qi chuckled. “But Bao Qian does take care of most of the side stuff though.”


  “I guess so.” Hanyi huffed. “He’s a pretty responsible guy.”


  Ling Qi ignored the conniving look in Hanyi’s eye as she glanced at Ling Qi. Like she wasn’t unaware of her junior sister’s desire to set her up. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry. Hanyi didn’t understand enough about humans to do anything dangerous.

  Sixiang sighed.

  Patting her on the shoulder one more time, Ling Qi stood up. “C’mon. Let's head down. Your hair’s a mess.”


  Hanyi stood as well, and Ling Qi realized something. She didn’t know if it had happened all at once or if it had been ongoing, but… Hanyi had grown. She was taller than Suyin now and only a bit shorter than Meizhen. Her face still had some childish roundness to it, but she could also see more of Zeqing in her features.

  “You know, I think I want to try something different than braids,” Hanyi said absently.

  “We’ll figure out something together,” Ling Qi said. “Why don’t we visit my mother? She’s better at that sort of thing.”


  “Kay,” Hanyi agreed cheerfully.

  In the end, they decided on a single plait rather than pigtails, something simple but elegant. Of course, Hanyi got excited about the idea of ornaments and wire, but that would be something for later. By the time they were done with her, the time had come to go and meet Bao Quan.

  Ling Qi and Hanyi soon arrived at the clearing north of the town where he had permission to set up. The first thing Ling Qi noticed upon her arrival was that Bao Qian’s carriage had changed. Thin plates painted steel had been affixed over its top, and new formation arrays marked its shutters and wheels, heavy with the qi of metal and mountains.

  Sixiang grumbled.

  “Greetings, Miss Ling!” Bao Qian called out to her as she descended from the sky, dusting off his trousers as he stepped down from the rear of the wagon where he had been seated on the steps.

  “Sir Bao,” she acknowledged with a nod, releasing Hanyi’s hand as the spirit's bare feet touched the grass. “I see you have been investing in security?”


  “Mm. Well, the border has been a touch more dangerous of late,” Bao Qian replied. “Worry not. I’ve not encountered anything worse than unsettled beasts or spirits. I’m not a warrior, but I certainly know how to craft a surprise or two.”


  “It looks kinda ugly though,” Hanyi commented idly, squinting up at the plates bolted onto the vehicle's roof.

  “I have to agree, but it is hopefully a temporary measure,” Bao Qian said, stroking his chin. “Regardless, thank you for coming, ladies.”


  “It’s no trouble. I won’t find myself too busy until after the New Year’s Tournament,” Ling Qi replied, settling down on the grass as well. “What is this about though? You were a little vague in your message.”


  “It’s a matter of opportunity. The performance I arranged for early in the next month, along with my efforts to spread the word and your own exploits, have resulted in some smaller holdings in the same viscounty making requests. I wanted to talk the matter over with you.”


  “Oh, really? More people want me to sing?” Hanyi asked, excited.

  “Indeed. We are a little helped by the year's divinations… It is likely to be a bad winter.” Threading his hands together, Bao Qian stretched them over his head, causing an audible pop from his back. Ling Qi glanced away.

  “You did say you wanted to market her performances for more practical effects too,” Ling Qi said, recalling an earlier note. “Was it that effective?”


  “As I said, some part of the effect is external to our efforts,” Bao Qian explained. “The Duchess’ approval has benefits.”


  Hanyi pouted. “Whatever. I guess that’s fine. They’ll want me back next year anyway after I perform.”


  Ling Qi nodded, patting her junior sister on the shoulder. “So what will we need to work out? Travel times and scheduling?”


  “Mostly that, yes,” Bao Qian agreed. “But before we get into the details, there is another matter I’d like to ask you about.”


  “What’s that?”


  “Well, we’re both busy people and so we haven’t gotten as much opportunity to get to know each other as I’d like,” Bao Qian said. “Since I know you have some free time, I wanted to invite you out.”


  “Out where?” Ling Qi inquired warily.

  “I’d hoped to give you a choice on the matter. You know I perform some odd services for local nobility, and being the active sort of woman that you are, I thought you’d enjoy some light adventuring to something more idle like a dinner or theater performance.”


  Ling Qi frowned, glancing at Hanyi, who had adopted a perfectly innocent expression.

  Sixiang drawled smugly.

  “I suppose I don’t see the trouble with that.” It wasn’t like she distrusted Bao Qian, and getting away from the Sect for a few days didn’t sound bad. She doubted they would run into anything actually dangerous given the way Bao Qian spoke of the matter. “What did you have in mind?”


  “Of my current contracts, I can think of one that might appeal. The owners are rather busy with mustering at the moment, and they have been looking to reclaim an abandoned manor, but it requires a bit of survey and exorcism. I’ve been given some rights of salvage in exchange.”


  “That does sound like a fun afternoon,” Ling Qi allowed.

  ***

  “I have to wonder: even if they’re busy, isn't hiring someone like you to do work like this pretty expensive?” Ling Qi asked. It was a nice day out, only a little cloudy. The wind was brisk and cold, blowing past her as the wagon trundled down the well kept gravel road.

  “You are correct, although I have been discounting my services quite a bit,” Bao Qian replied cheerfully. He sat at the other end of the driver’s bench, a warm red fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders.The reins hung loose in his hands, the horses pulling the wagon needing little guidance.

  “Why would you do that?” Gui piped up. Her little brother, as their “chaperone,” sat on the bench between them.

  “More shiny rocks are better, yes?” hissed Zhen. Right now, Zhengui was only the size of a large dog, so their voices had regained some of that cute squeaky quality that Ling Qi sometimes missed.

  “If I had to guess, it’s probably a long term ploy in a way,” Ling Qi said absently. She glanced back into the shadow of the wagon where Hanyi had decided to take a nap, bored by the trip.

  “Miss Ling is insightful,” Bao Qian praised, leaning back on the padded bench. “I have said that I have many advantages, and this is one of them. With the wealth of my clan stipend at my back, I can easily cut my rates so much that no competitor can compete while I build relationships with my clients. Most troubleshooters of this type are second and third children of small barons who need to amass their own fortunes.”


  “And you’re fine with that?” Sixiang inquired, appearing as a phantom face peering over Ling Qi’s shoulder. “Didn’t you say you wanted to build something on your own?”


  “Indeed I did, but this is not my business. It is merely networking,” Bao Qianclarified. A short tug on the reins brought them around a turn, trundling into the forested hills that abutted the Wall in this region. “That said, there are other reasons why the local baron is not handling this ‘in house.’”


  “What are those?”


  “Mainly the value of priests capable of proper last rites. It is not a popular profession, and one way or another, it seems likely their services will be in high demand in the future. That is why we are going to demolish the building in the end and let wild spirits reclaim it. It is considered more economical than a true exorcism.”


  Ling Qi considered Bao Qian’s explanation. So far, the battles had been contained, but they couldn’t expect that to stay true. She supposed Bao Qian was right that priests would be getting a lot of work. Silence fell over them as the conversation petered out, leaving only the sound of horses’ hooves, the south wind, and the wagon wheels.

  Eventually, Bao Qian coughed into his hand. “I do hope my sudden request didn’t give you any trouble with your mother. You mentioned informing her.”


  Ling Qi nodded. She was working to be better at keeping her mother informed of her activities. Her mother had worried, of course. “Zhengui is a very dependable chaperone, aren’t you, little brother?”


  “Yes! We will keep an eye out for Grandmother,” they both chirped.

  Ling Qi rolled her eyes, and Bao Qian chuckled.

  “To be serious, no, my mother trusts me with the matter.”


  “That is good. I would not have minded meeting her to make my case though,” Bao Qian said casually.

  Ling Qi glanced his way. That would feel like taking a step she wasn’t ready for yet. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”


  “Maybe after the tourney. Your mom is putting a lot of work into making things presentable,” Sixiang interjected.

  Internally, she sent a nasty look Sixiang’s way. The muse whistled innocently in her head.

  “I suppose if we’re talking about that kind of thing, what about your parents?”


  “Ah, that is a long way off. We would probably need to come to an actual agreement first,” Bao Qian replied carefully.

  Ling Qi caught what she thought was his meaning though and wrinkled her nose.”I suppose there is that much of a difference in status,” she noted neutrally.

  “That was not my intention,” Bao Qian deflected. “They are just very busy individuals. Even I only see them once or twice a year most of the time. Their business is such that it can only be set aside for major events and festivals.”


  “My apologies.” Ling Qi should probably try to take these sorts of things less personally. “What do they do?”


  “My father is the overall administrator of the clan's business in the eastern half of our county, serving under the clan head himself,” Bao Qian answered. Watching his face, she thought she saw some genuine pride there. “Mother is one of the most renowned jewelers in the Empire and spends much of her time in her homeland of Celestial Peaks. Several princes and princesses are among her clients.”


  “They wouldn’t have much time then,” Ling Qi said. “Do you have any siblings?”


  “Only two. I have a brother and a sister some decades my elder. They’re apprenticing under my parents at the moment.”


  Ling Qi nodded as Bao Qian, in turn, began to ask a few careful questions about her own situation. It wasn’t an unpleasant way to while away the remaining hour of their trip.