“Who was that you were speaking to?” Xiulan asked as she came within a polite distance. The other girl had cleaned up well since her match, she had changed into a rather form-fitting gown of crimson silk with black hems and flame patterned golden embroidery and a matching veil. The daring neckline that left her shoulders partially exposed seemed rather tame, now that Ling Qi had seen Duchess Cai’s choice of dress.

  Ling Qi repressed the twinge of old jealousy her friend inspired with the ease of practice. “I am fairly certain that that was Bai Meizhen’s father,” she replied, an edge of bewilderment in her voice.

  Gu Xiulan blinked, looking perplexed as she glanced over Ling Qi’s shoulder. “Really? I had not thought……” She shook her head, the little ribbons woven into her braided hair swaying with the motion. “Well, regardless, Mother sent me to fetch you. Sir Guo will have a free moment soon.”


  “Oh, good,” Ling Qi said, relieved. She had been worried that she might miss her timing by choosing to navigate the party herself. She moved to follow Xiulan as her friend began leading her toward the other side of the pavilion. “How did your match go? I’m afraid I only saw the end.”


  “Well enough,” Xiulan proclaimed haughtily. “After I crushed the first few challengers, most of them fled before me until I met with the Chu girl.” She grimaced then, stopping just short of touching her side where Ling Qi had seen her wounded. “Then that execrable little cave dweller struck me from hiding.”


  She assumed that Xiulan was referring to Huang Da with that epithet. “I take it you expressed your displeasure?” she asked with a small smile.

  “I did,” Xiulan replied, sounding pleased. “Though I was not the one who finished him,” she added grudgingly, her face taking on a more pinched expression behind her veil.

  Ling Qi glanced at her friend as they moved through the gathered nobility. “Who did?” she asked, thinking that she already knew given Xiulan’s reaction.

  “Fan Yu, of course,” Xiulan answered irritably. “He insisted on sticking to my side,” she grumbled. “I suppose it was entertaining watching him beat that fool unconscious with his bare hands. My fiancé is not without his strengths.”


  Xiulan sounded less bitter than usual, but Ling Qi couldn’t be sure if that was due to true feelings or their current environment.

  Sixiang whispered. they mourned, fading back into the background of Ling Qi’s thoughts.

  “I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to see it,” Ling Qi said. She had left Huang Da behind in her dust, but she couldn’t say that her antipathy for the boy had disappeared.

  “There is a certain pleasure in such things,” the voice of Xiulan’s mother interrupted them, tinkling like bells, as they reached the older woman. Ling Qi’s original estimation of the woman was right. Ai Xiaoli was positively tiny, even standing up. The older woman looked up at them with a serene expression, half-hidden behind a painted silk fan. “The menfolk must prove their value somehow, yes?”


  Ling Qi flushed at the implication but bowed respectfully to her friend’s mother. “Lady Ai, thank you very much for your invitation.”


  Beside her, Xiulan offered a shallower bow, looking chagrined. “I hope we were not being too casual, Mother,” she said, not raising her eyes.

  “Hm, you were within acceptable bounds, dear,” the dainty woman replied, closing her fan with a snap. “It is expected for young ladies to be a bit indiscreet in their gossip,” she continued, glancing toward Ling Qi. “It keeps young men on their best behavior after all.”


  “I will take your advice to heart,” Ling Qi said respectfully. She was mostly sure that Xiulan’s mother was having some fun at their expense.

  “Be sure that you do,” Ai Xiaoli said airily before beckoning them to follow. “Now come. It would not do to keep Sir Guo waiting.”


  It did not take long to reach the rear corner of the tent where the Guo scion himself was holding his court in miniature. As they approached the small gathering, Ling Qi caught her first sight of him.

  He didn’t look much older than her, perhaps around the same age as Gu Tai. He was tall with a lanky, athletic build made obvious by the form-fitting sleeveless shirt in the light blue colors of the Guo; the shirt was held closed by onyx clasps that resembled the pincers of a beast, probably a scorpion given the Guo’s ancestor. His pants were of similar make to the ones Sun Liling wore, but they were a light cream shade. He had a fairly handsome face with a rather sharp nose and cheekbones, and he wore his black hair in a single tight braid that fell down to the base of his back, threaded through with gleaming metallic strands.

  The Guo scion was flanked by a pair of large men in heavy padded armor, their faces mostly concealed behind fabric wrappings but with alertness in their dark eyes. The young man himself appeared to be chatting animatedly with a third guard, who appeared no different than the others, save for his third realm cultivation. As for the Guo scion himself, it appeared that he was pushing the limits of the third realm himself.

  “Oho, welcome, Lady Ai,” Guo Si, the eighth grandson of the current Duke of Golden Fields greeted them as they approached, Xiulan’s mother in the lead. The man he had been conversing with dutifully stepped back, leaving the Guo scion to converse with them alone. “I hope you have found my family’s presentation enjoyable so far!” he said brightly, spreading his arms wide. Guo Si had quite a lot of definition for such a thin guy.

  Ai Xiaoli offered a formal bow that was a study in elegance, which Ling Qi quickly followed, along with Xiulan, her cheeks flushing a bit at the feeling of inadequacy that spiked up from watching Xiulan’s mother in motion. “Sir Guo has done amazing work, as always,” the older woman replied demurely. “Truly a credit to the resources of our fine province.”


  Ling Qi felt the young man’s gaze brush over her, prickling like the sun on a hot summer day. “You are too kind, Lady Ai. The Gu have provided much to this endeavor as well.”


  “Sir Guo gives this one too much credit,” Xiulan’s mother said smoothly. “We wished only to ensure that our province could give the best showing possible.”


  “And what a showing it was and is,” Guo Si said cheerfully. “So raise your heads, please. Who are these two young ladies with you?”


  As Ling Qi raised her head, she could tell from his tone that he already knew. Letting Lady Ai introduce them was just a formality, albeit an important one. “This is my youngest daughter, Gu Xiulan,” the older woman began. It took effort not to flinch when Ai Xiaoli simply appeared beside her daughter, vanishing from her place in front of them. “As you can see, my husband’s blood burns brightly indeed in her.”


  “Very much so,” Guo Si agreed, smiling charmingly at Xiulan and offering a tiny bow of acknowledgement. “Your family has produced yet another beauty, and one of such strength as well. Truly, the house of Gu is blessed,” he continued, a touch of amusement in his voice.

  Ling Qi could practically feel the sparks of insecurity flaring up in Xiulan’s aura, but a glance from her mother quelled them. “We are quite proud of our youngest generation. The Gu will be relying upon their talent in the future.”


  “And what talent it is,” the Guo scion said, his gaze wandering across her friend’s veiled face. “You gave a fine showing in the arena this day, Miss Gu.”


  “Thank you very much, Sir Guo,” Gu Xiulan replied, mimicking her Mother’s demure tones. “I am pleased that you feel that I did not waste your time.”


  Nodding in reply, the young man turned his eyes to Ling Qi, who had to hold from swallowing at the spark of intense interest she saw there. “And who might this be?”


  “My daughter’s good friend, the Baroness Ling, retainer of the Young Mistress Cai,” Ai Xiaoli said formally. “She requested that I introduce her on behalf of her liege.”


  “Indeed?” Guo Si asked neutrally. “I would have happily met with your Lady if she had only asked.”


  Ling Qi thought quickly, scraping together a proper response. “I beg that you take no offense, Sir Guo. My Lady’s schedule was made very frantic this morning. In addition, it was this humble vassal’s request to handle the meetings with the Golden Fields.”


  Ling Qi held her breath as the young man studied her, his expression neutral. Then, his expression broke into a rueful grin. “I understand, Baroness Ling. Why, with the Bai’s heir, the Twin Admirals of the Xuan, and even that Butcher King in attendance, I feel quite small indeed!” He laughed, but there was a gleam of something else in his eyes that passed too quickly for her to read, even with Sixiang’s help. “I am somewhat surprised that Her Highness did not decide to drop by at this point.”


  Ling Qi dutifully laughed at his joke, along with Xiulan and her mother. “I am certain that Lady Cai would make the time to meet with you if you wished it, Sir Guo,” she said after an appropriate moment. “Of course, I do not mean to impose. I merely act as my Lady’s eyes and ears.”


  “I suppose you do make quite the herald,” the Guo scion said with a chuckle. “The cold night that comes before her brilliant dawn,” he mused poetically. “Very well. By all means, inform the resplendent Lady Cai that this humble young master would be honored to take tea with her before the week is out.”


  Sixiang let out a snort of laughter in her head, almost causing Ling Qi’s eye to twitch as the spirit’s thoughts filtered into her own, helping her assemble the pieces. His interest, that flash of jealous irritation, those flowery and almost improperly humble words……

  Letting none of her thoughts appear on her face, Ling Qi smiled demurely and bowed her head. “I would be honored to pass your message, Sir Guo. My Lady will be honored as well, I am sure.”


  “I shall look forward to her answer then,” the Guo scion said amicably, turning his gaze back to Ai Xiaoli. “So, Lady Ai, I must ask, just where did you find such a supply of Sparkling Onyx Pomegranate……”


  Ling Qi allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief as things turned toward small talk, allowing her to relax a hair, and considered just how to go about breaking the news to Cai Renxiang that Guo Si was a little smitten with her.

  There was worse news she could deliver.

  ***

  “You say that you believe Guo Si wishes to court me?” Cai Renxiang asked, sounding faintly bemused as she leaned back into the padded chair behind her desk.

  “That was the impression I received,” Ling Qi replied, sinking into her own seat in her liege’s office. In the aftermath of the festivities, she had come here on the other girl’s request, so that they could discuss things before the tournament proper began in the morning. “Sixiang agrees,” she added, drawing a snicker from the spirit in her head despite the presence of the Cai.

  “I will pen a reply before I retire then,” Cai Renxiang noted. “We have never interacted before. What a strange thing. Useful, but strange.”


  Ling Qi let out a quiet hum of agreement. “I hope I did not overstep my bounds by telling him you would agree,” she said cautiously. “I know this kind of thing can be uncomfortable.” Although they had parted on good terms, she knew that she had felt pressured and a bit unhappy with the whole Gu Tai business at first.

  “No, I would not give offense by refusing such an invitation. You were correct,” Cai Renxiang replied. “It is simply something I will have to keep in my thoughts when we speak later. Physical attraction is a useful lever.”


  Ling Qi kept herself from grimacing. She had forgotten who she was talking to. “Do you think it will go anywhere?”


  “His advances, you mean?” the younger Cai clarified. “It is unlikely, I think. I do not believe Mother would find such a match favorable. While trade from Golden Fields is valuable, their power is too tied up in fighting the very land in which they live. If I must speculate, I imagine that Mother will arrange something with a man from one of the ducal houses of the core provinces in the coming decade.”


  “Not angling for a prince?” Ling Qi asked dryly. The other girl really didn’t think anything of this kind of arrangement, did she?

  “The youngest living prince is a century my senior and married besides,” Cai Renxiang denied. “I’ll need to educate you on the state of the Imperial family soon. Mother might arrange something with one of the sons or grandsons of a prince or princess though.”


  Ling Qi had been joking, but she should have expected an answer like that. “Well, leaving that aside, I do not have anything else of significance to report.”


  “Very good,” her liege replied with a nod, lacing her fingers together atop her desk. “I trust you recall what needs to be done in regards to your own propositions?”


  Ling Qi sighed. “I will finish writing up the deferrals tonight.”


  “Good. You are wise to put off such choices. Your value will only increase in the coming years. I would suggest keeping the lines of dialogue open with the Bao however. It is clear that they wish to tie themselves closer to the Cai.”


  At least her talent gave her some breathing room when it came to matters of marriage and political ties, since her title could still change relatively quickly based on her cultivation achievements. “Did anything of interest happen on your end?”


  “I believe I have made a good impression upon Bai Suzhen and the brothers Xuan,” Cai Renxiang said with a touch of satisfaction. “Our current troubles have been mitigated by our own performances for the moment. I have learned that Bai Suzhen will be taking her father’s seat as the Head of the Bai clan in the near future, allowing him to fill the position of Patriarch. I suspect the Bai’s politics will be shifting somewhat as a result.”


  Maybe she should ask Meizhen about her aunt the next time she got a chance then. “That’s all a little over my head. Hopefully, that goes well for them.”


  “Indeed,” Cai agreed. “In any case, we should discuss the tournament.”


  “What should I expect tomorrow?” Ling Qi asked, leaning forward in her seat.

  “The tournament will begin with an exhibition between elders,” Cai explained. “The stated purpose is to encourage disciples by allowing them to view what they might aspire to, but it is also a show of strength for the Sect. Following this, the brackets will be displayed, and we will know our opponents, as well as the terrain our battles will be assigned to.”


  “Will the matches be fought four at a time again?” Ling Qi asked before correcting herself, “No, I suppose that would make the tournament end too quickly.”


  “Correct,” the other girl agreed. “Disciples will be given one quarter hour to prepare themselves and plan, and then the matches will proceed one at a time in sequence. When the first round is complete, we will break until the following day.”


  Ling Qi frowned. That prep time would probably work against her. She didn’t really have a sideboard of secondary arts to attune in preparation for specific opponents. “What do I do if I am paired with you?” she asked. There were other worrying match ups, but that was the one that concerned her the most.

  “That will not happen tomorrow. It would be a blatant insult to the Cai. If it occurs in a later round though……” She paused. “I will give you the opportunity to display your talents. I cannot afford to display certain abilities before the final rounds however,” she said bluntly, meeting Ling Qi’s eyes.

  Ling Qi nodded. It would sting to willingly lose, but Ling Qi was well practiced with casting aside pride. Such a thing would be a minor issue at most. “Alright.Was there anything else?”


  Her liege shook her head. “No, I believe we are finished. Rest well, Ling Qi.”


  “You as well, Lady Cai,” she replied, rising from her seat to bow. “I will see you in the morning.”


  Threads 192-Liminal 1

  “What were the dream cults anyway?” Ling Qi asked, considering the idol. “I keep hearing about them in passing but never any mention of what they actually did.”


  “My own education on the subject isn’t exactly extensive. They first appeared a short time after the disappearance of the Horned Lord as a sort of mystery cult among the Weilu.”


  “They didn’t directly worship Grandmother or the greater Dreaming Moon, so I dunno what they actually did,” Sixiang said. “Well… I kinda remember them seeking some specific point in the Dream? That’s a really old fragment of experience though.”


  “I do know that the original cult was ascetic in nature, but this was corrupted through the ages.” Bao Qian eyed the idol himself. “If my tutors are to be believed in any case.”


  Ling Qi stepped into the room, feeling the hum of dream qi on her skin. “If Sixiang thinks they can do something with it, I’ll take it. If someone notices I have it, I’ll just have to talk my way around the accusations they come up with.”


  “As you say,” Bao Qian allowed, following after her. “I think you may be underestimating how troublesome such rumors can be, but that is your choice.”


  “It—” Ling Qi began as she reached down and picked up the idol. Her words cut off as she spun around, feeling the attention of something on her back.

  But there was no one there, and the feeling was gone, so swiftly that she could have imagined it.

  “Miss Ling?” Bao Qian asked, giving her a concerned look.

  “We may have the attention of a spirit,” Ling Qi said slowly, extending her senses. She couldn’t feel anything. She glanced down at the idol sitting innocently in her hands, sluggish flows of dream qi still being drawn into a point at its center. She was, if nothing else, certain that the source of the attention had not been a person, a human, that is. The qi was… wrong for that.

  “It wouldn’t be unusual to pick up attention from local spirits when moving the core of a site,” Bao Qian said. She felt his own, much heavier qi rippling around as he peered about cautiously. “I wasn’t informed of any fourth realm or higher spirits with territory here, so we will likely be fine.”


  “I suppose so.” Ling Qi felt a bit unsettled. She brushed her thumb over the golden features of the carved figure.

  “Mighta been somebody on my side,” Sixiang said. “I’ll keep an eye out.”


  Ling Qi nodded. Looking back up, she blinked as she saw Bao Qian gathering candelabra from the altar. “.…… Really?”


  “Waste not, want not,” Bao Qian quoted. “I’ve been running short on gold threading lately. So melting these down will serve nicely.”


  Ling Qi could hardly say anything against that. She sent the idol into her storage ring, wincing as she felt the conceptual free “space” in the ring drop massively. The dream idol was quite hefty. “Why do you need gold threading anyway? I’ve heard that gold is terrible for conducting qi.”


  “In broad terms certainly, but in modern talisman craft, it has niche applications where being mostly inert to external qi is helpful. More importantly, gold is pretty, and people like its look. That does not merely go for mortals,” Bao Qian said.

  Ling Qi made a sound of acknowledgment. She had never noticed a lack of gold filigree and other decorations, even if she saw less of it in larger quantities among cultivators. “Let’s finish up here, shall we? Just keep an eye out.”


  Once the room had been looted and the sealing stake pounded into the altar, they set out to finish their work. In the rest of the manor’s second story, there was little else of interest. With the scorch marks and open rifts in the roofing, it was clear that most things of value had already been looted or long since rotted away.

  Still, there was some fun simply in the search, and Ling Qi did find a few more trinkets, pieces of jewelry forgotten in the cracks under floorboards and such. Once they were cleaned and cleansed, she’d give them to her mother to dispose of how she pleased.

  Soon enough, she found herself back outside, walking through the overgrown garden beside Bao Qian, Zhengui, and Hanyi.

  “This has been a relaxing outing. Thank you for your invitation, Bao Qian,” Ling Qi said as they exited through the gates. She knew she was odd, feeling less intimidated by the prospect of work than a more traditional outing. But that was where she stood at the moment.

  “It was certainly an experience. I can’t say I mind being able to pontificate at length about my interests.”


  “I really do need to expand my horizons, so I didn’t mind listening,” Ling Qi replied.

  “If you like, I would not mind taking you to see some local theater or concerts in the future,” Bao Qian offered.

  “Ah,” Ling Qi said for lack of a better response.

  “Of course, I would be fine just giving you some recommendations,” Bao Qian continued casually. “I know we are both busy people, and it may be difficult to align our schedules.”


  Sixiang thought.

  “Oh, it might be cool to see a play sometime, Big Sis,” Hanyi said innocently.

  “I’ll think about it,” Ling Qi said. “In any case, are we done now, Bao Qian?”


  “Just one last step,” he said cheerfully. “If you’d step aside and give me a bit of space, Miss Ling?”


  She nodded, doing so. It would be nice to see more of what the Emerald Seas world of art had to offer… Hadn’t she insulted that corpse for being high and mighty, ignoring what lay at his feet? She just wasn’t so sure that she wanted to pair it with other concerns at the same time. Perhaps she could suggest some outings of the sort to Cai Renxiang.

  Bao Qian stood at the center of the path in front of the gates. The last of the sealing stakes was planted deeply in the dirt in front of him, its characters slowly lighting up as it activated. In her spiritual senses, she could feel the rigid sealing field coming to life, boxing in the lingering malice in the old manor. Already, she could feel the lingering unpleasantness in the air fading.

  Bao Qian set his feet widely as he looked up at the manor and took a deep breath. Ling Qi was silent, not wanting to interrupt his technique. His hands rose into the stance of a defensive style she did not recognize and closed into fists grasping at something that was not quite present. Under her feet, Ling Qi felt a small tremor. He brought his fists together, and the whole hill groaned and shook.

  Wood cracked, earth crumbled, and the manor began to cave in on itself, first slowly and then quickly as the tremors grew in intensity. The outer wall collapsed, sections falling haphazardly as the heaving earth shattered the foundations. Dust kicked up, obscuring the falling building from view.

  All the while, the sealing energies folded and changed in a way that she found difficult to follow. They flattened and spread, molding themselves to a wholly new geometry.

  When the dust settled, there was only a cleared hill and a few shattered fragments of wall here and there to show that there had ever been human construction.

  “With the physical anchor gone, the malicious spirits trapped in the sealing will disperse themselves into the natural spirit courts of the area,” Bao Qian said, answering the unasked question. “Now, we are done.Thank you for accompanying me, Miss Ling.”


  “Ling Qi is fine. And it was no trouble at all.”


  “Of course.” He turned his back to the cleared site. “And if nothing else, Ling Qi, I would like you to keep me in mind should you require a prospector’s services in the future. My prices cannot be beat.”


  “Naturally, I will think of a reliable business partner like you first,” Ling Qi agreed. He had earned that much trust at least.

  ***?

  “It’s pretty weird to think that another year is almost past already, huh?” Sixiang asked as they looked out over the Sect, perched on a high cliffside.

  “I don’t know about that. Sometimes, it feels like this year has been longer than the rest of my life combined,” Ling Qi joked, letting the stellar qi twist in her grasp as she wove the descending energy into her cultivation. Really, it was not much of a joke. So much had happened; so much had changed. It was sometimes difficult to wrap her head around.

  Below, she saw Outer Sect disciples diligently cleaning the arena. In the great open field beyond, colorful flags and ropes demarcated the zones reserved for visiting clans and their pavilions. The New Year’s Tournament was happening again.

  “Don’t make me sound like a burden,” Sixiang complained.

  Ling Qi rolled her eyes. “Since when did your skin become so thin?”


  “Probably when I stopped having it,” Sixiang replied flippantly.

  “You’ll be happy to know that I have time before my schedule gets heavy again, so starting tonight, we’re going to be working on the tools we’ve picked up. I better not catch you slacking off.”


  “Me? Never,” Sixiang laughingly protested. ”Besides, this isn’t work. It’s an adventure!”


  “If you say so,” Ling Qi said with a smile.

  “Seriously, though, this won’t go like last time,” her muse reassured. On her shoulder, she felt the pressure of a phantom hand.

  “I know,” Ling Qi said, standing up. “Let’s see what lies past the Gate of Sleep.”