by Tao Wong
In truth, Wu Ying knew, at a certain point, his lone study would have to end. Grips, locks, and throws just couldn’t be practiced well without a partner. The question was, who could he work with? Thinking back to his humiliating defeats, Wu Ying knew that he would need to keep at least a portion of his form hidden if he were to have any chance in the upcoming exams.
Deep in thought, Wu Ying spun and turned, the guttering flame of the lanterns he had brought slowly darkening as the night faded.
Chapter 10
A week later, Wu Ying found himself standing before Elder Huang once again, his work done for the day. Wu Ying offered the Elder a tentative smile while he gestured to the sect stamp in his hand.
“Rubbish! You think I’ll spend my time filling your contribution points for you every day? What do you think I am? So free to do this kind of work?” Elder Huang scoffed. “Go see the administrative office and do it yourself, you lazy trash. And run another delivery for me for wasting my time.”
Wu Ying bowed low even as he took Elder Huang’s chiding in good grace. The Elder was not incorrect—he should have known better than to bother the Elder with such a trivial thing. No one in power wanted to be questioned over minor things. Turning around, Wu Ying took off down the mountain, a portion of him daydreaming about the kinds of things he might purchase with his new contribution points.
Hours later, Wu Ying found himself outside a large administrative building that was but a stone’s throw from the library itself. While Wu Ying had seen it before on his—only—visit to the library, he had not paid much attention to it. Now, washed and clean, Wu Ying found himself dreading his visit to the administrative building as he recalled Liu Tsong’s earlier vague comments. Thus far, most of his interactions with others had been less than stellar.
Built on a slope on the hill, the building required one to ascend a series of stone steps to reach the door. The building itself showcased the wealth of the sect, with its intricately decorated columns and carved edging along the sloped, tiled roof. Even the pair of large, double-doored entrances were carefully decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays highlighting memorable acts by the sect’s founder. Within, a series of long counters faced the entrance, where severe-looking attendants worked. Small, discreet plaques indicated the locations that outer, inner, and core members were to line up. Not surprisingly, the line for outer sect members was the longest, with the fewest attendants waiting on them. Seeing the line continue to grow as he looked around, Wu Ying hurried to get into line and wait his turn.
“Nature of business?”
The attendant’s bored voice cut across Wu Ying’s contemplation of the cultivation exercise he had indulged in while waiting. The wait itself had not been as bad as he had expected—just over an hour.
“Collecting my contribution points, Senior,” Wu Ying answered as he offered his stamp.
The attendant took it without even looking up, passing the stamp over a jade plate on his table. As new words floated upward on the jade tablet, the attendant frowned and stilled.
“Problem, Senior?”
“Wait here,” the attendant said. Taking the stamp with him, the attendant walked away into the inner recesses of the building.
Wu Ying stood still as he struggled to keep his face smooth, a growing sense of anxiety gathering in his stomach.
When the attendant came back, he did so with an older man with a long, wispy beard, a headdress that indicated a middling status as an Elder in the sect, and a sneer that seemed permanently etched onto his face.
“Elder Mo, this is the student I spoke of,” the attendant said, bowing deeply.
“Long Wu Ying,” Elder Mo said as he tossed Wu Ying’s sect stamp in his hand. “You bypassed the assignment hall to take work with Elder Huang directly. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Elder.” Wu Ying offered a low bow. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could tell that everyone’s attention had been drawn to him. After all, this kind of entertainment could not be bought. “I ask your forgiveness. Elder Huang asked me to see him directly.”
“And you did not report here immediately?” Elder Mo said with a sneer. “You think your sponsor is enough to ignore our rules?’
“No, Elder.”
“Useless. I should take back all your contribution points,” Elder Mo said, tapping the stamp.
“But I’ve used some already…” Wu Ying said softly.
“Yes. That is why I have come up with another assignment for you. Which you will complete,” Elder Mo said and tossed Wu Ying a simple wooden slip. Wu Ying caught it and looked at the words, before looking up as Elder Mo continued. “Finish the assignment successfully or do not come back.”
Elder Mo dropped the sect stamp on the table and walked away. All around, the volume of conversations increased as the audience discussed Wu Ying’s punishment. Many wondered what kind of task he had been given, a few going so far as to crane their necks to read the slip. Wu Ying quickly slid the slip into his robes, along with the newly retrieved sect stamp, before he scurried out. Even before he left, he heard the growing hubbub of conversation.
This would certainly not do his reputation any good.
***
After reporting on the events to Elder Huang, Wu Ying retreated to the park where he always trained before he finally found the time to look at the wooden assignment slip. Any hope of Elder Huang intervening had died at the Elder’s simple grunt of affirmation, which left Wu Ying with only the choice of completing this task.
“What did he send me to do?” Wu Ying wondered.
From overheard conversations and gossiping with Tou He, Wu Ying had expanded his understanding of the kind of assignments that the sect normally tasked their members with. A large portion involved the acquisition of necessities for the sect—gold, produce, horses, lumber, and the like. Wu Ying termed those assignments noble bait—perfect assignments for rich nobles to gain contribution points. In fact, thinking back, Wu Ying could recall more than one instance when his village had been randomly assigned to new tasks to aid their lord Wei.
The next level of collection assignments were normally assigned to inner sect members—those resources were not something a low-level cultivator could expect to get. Everything from spirit stones to spiritual herbs were common gathering tasks, but rarer manuscripts, beautiful paintings, or even exotic tea could be among those assignments. Most of those assignments were issued by the Elders of the sect directly, brokered through the assignment hall, rather than a sect requirement. In this way, the Elders could gather resources and personal objects of interest without disturbing their own cultivation.
Next were bounty quests. At the lowest level, bounty quests were sent out by the local lords and the kingdom for bandits, thieves, and other riff-raff who refused to live within the bounds of society. While the local lord would often send his men to deal with them, due to the constant war in the last few years, the number of such bandits had increased. Wu Ying knew that how dangerous the roads had become was a common refrain among the merchants. In general, most bandits were peasants—individuals with low or no cultivation levels. On occasion though, famous outlaws had—through fate or fortune—received training and raised their cultivation levels. Those types of bounty quests were given by local lords or the kingdom itself to the sect. Such difficult quests were often assigned to inner sect members.
On top of that, the sect had their own enemies. Most of them were other-sect members, enemies who had higher cultivation grades than Body Cleansing. Assignments to deal with such enemies paid significantly more, but were obviously something only those with the appropriate cultivation levels could handle. Thankfully, as the largest sect in the kingdom, the Verdant Green Waters Sect had no “marked” enemies in the kingdom itself, meaning that sect members needed to leave the kingdom for such assignments.
Lastly were the miscellaneous assignments, those which were uncommon enough that their difficulty ranged significantly. Diplomatic and teaching assignmen
ts were part of this category, where experienced sect members would journey to the outside world to spread goodwill among the populace or other sects. Occasional bodyguarding requests also made their way to the assignment hall. Guarding assignments—of merchant caravans or towns—were even more rare, as few merchants had the funds to request such work from the sect, while local lords often used their own people. If there was such work to be done, it was often done by itinerant wanderers and smaller sects.
Wu Ying sighed as he stared at the plaque in front of him. A simple request for plum blossom wine—three jars[17] of it. Somehow, Wu Ying doubted the request was as simple as it appeared. Tapping the wooden slat, Wu Ying debated who could be relied upon to provide illumination on this matter.
“Told you he would be here.” Tou He’s voice cut into Wu Ying’s contemplation.
“Tou He? And Liu Tsong? Sorry, Senior.” Wu Ying stood and bowed to the Senior when he realized his lapse in propriety.
“Wu Ying. You’re becoming increasingly famous,” Tou He said with a smile. “First, you manage to make all our peers hate you. Now, you’ve managed to even make the Elders notice you.”
“This kind of fame, I can do without,” Wu Ying said as he recalled the scene in the assignment hall.
“It’s true though. Even I heard of Junior Wu Ying and how he angered Elder Mo. Quite amazing. So what kind of quest did he give you?” Liu Tsong said, eyes twinkling with amusement.
“Senior, please, don’t trouble yourself with such a small matter,” Wu Ying said, holding the wooden slat to his body as he bowed again. “We have troubled you too much already.”
“Oh rubbish.” Liu Tsong stepped forward lightly. In the space of Wu Ying’s blink, she was in front of him and effortlessly pulling the wooden slat from his fingers. “Now, let’s see. I have to have something to tell the other Seniors…”
Wu Ying groaned, having already guessed her real objective. But since she was there and it was too late to hide the matter, he might as well make full use of Liu Tsong.
“Do you know of this wine, Senior? I have never heard of it myself,” Wu Ying said.
Beside him, Tou He winked at his friend.
“Three Stone Plum Blossom Wine?” Liu Tsong muttered, tapping the slat against her chin. “I think… yes! Oh. Ohhhhhhh.”
“Senior?”
“Mmmm, this is difficult. Three Stone Plum Blossom Wine can be bought at Yi County—three counties away,” Liu Tsong said. “But there is a problem. You see, the Zhong family that makes it, they only release a hundred jars a year. And the time for it to release is coming very soon. Worse, to go there, you’ll need to go through Li County.”
“What’s wrong with Li County?” Wu Ying said with a frown.
“Even I know that,” Tou He said. “It’s filled with bandits.”
“Especially Chao Ji Ang,” Liu Tsong said. “He’s reputed to be at least Body Cleansing 9. Some rumors even put him at Energy Gathering stage. He and his men have killed all the constables sent to apprehend him, and he always burns the ships he takes.”
“Ships?” Wu Ying said.
“He mostly stays on the river and canals that connect the counties,” Liu Tsong said. “Some say that he burns the bodies to hide his defilement of their corpses.”
“That’s horrible!” Wu Ying said, his eyes wide with shock. To do that to a corpse? Wu Ying could not imagine how he would meet his ancestors if that happened to his body. What kind of creature did that? How could he ever face his parents when they met in the heavens later on? “Is there no other way around?”
“Of course there is, but if you want to be there to buy the wine on time, you’ll have to journey there on the most direct route. The only good news is that the proprietor never raises his price—he only sells on a first come, first serve basis. If he did not limit people to three jars, there would be none for anyone,” Liu Tsong said. “This is going to be a difficult journey for you.”
“Yes.” Wu Ying fell silent as he considered the dangers of the trip.
“You practice that Long family sword style, but you don’t have a sword, correct?” Liu Tsong said with a frown.
“No. It was not something we could afford,” Wu Ying said.
It was not as if he could have taken his father’s—that weapon had been granted to him by the army on his leaving. Using it while his father was alive was a breach of propriety and law. Of course, his father had been granted that weapon for breaking the family heirloom. In the end, they were too poor to purchase a proper sword for Wu Ying. There had been discussion about picking up something cheaper—shoddy work from an apprentice smith perhaps—but both his father and Wu Ying found the prospect of such a weapon distasteful. And then, of course, the army came and it became moot.
“Come with me,” Liu Tsong said and promptly exited the clearing.
Wu Ying frowned, looking at Tou He, who shrugged. The pair hurried after the young lady whose swift steps and greater cultivation ate up the distance with ease. When they reached Liu Tsong’s residence, the Senior was nowhere to be found. They frowned, standing in the inner courtyard as they looked around, curious to where she could have gone. When Liu Tsong came out, she was carrying a sword and a roll of paper.
“Take this,” Liu Tsong said, shoving the items into Wu Ying’s hands.
“I cannot—”
“The sword is of no use to me anymore,” Liu Tsong said with a sniff. “And the map is nothing. You can get it yourself for a single contribution point.”
“Thank you, Senior. I am grateful for your words and items. But if you would, why are you helping me?” Wu Ying said with a pensive frown.
“Whim. And because Elder Mo and his kind have been doing this kind of thing forever,” Liu Tsong said. “They pick on those who have no real backers just because they can. I—and my sponsor—we do not think that is right. And so we do our best to help against it.”
“Oh. If that’s the case, can you speak of who your sponsor is, Senior Liu?” Wu Ying said.
“Of course. You actually impressed him when you met with him at the library. Elder Ko is also sometimes allies with Elder Cheng, your own sponsor. Though Elder Cheng is a little too fickle to be considered a real ally,” Liu Tsong said with a half-smile.
“I thank you, Senior Liu.” Wu Ying once again bowed his head.
“As for me, I have something for you too. Give me your sect stamp,” Tou He said, making a beckoning gesture.
Wu Ying did not move to do so. “Why?”
“You’re going to need to buy provisions for the trip. And since Elder Mo didn’t give you funds, you’ll need to take funds from the sect for your purchases. For three jars, the amount you have is insufficient, no?”
“Uhhh… probably,” Wu Ying answered. Truth be told, he had no idea how expensive this trip would likely be. It would be a real tragedy to travel all the way there and find himself short of funds. But to borrow Tou He’s contribution points seemed wrong.
“Come. Don’t waste time. This is a small matter between friends,” Tou He said, gesturing again. Reluctantly, realizing he had no real choice, Wu Ying handed over his sect stamp. “You know I would come if I could.”
“I know,” Wu Ying replied.
As sect members, none of them could just leave as they wished. Even Wu Ying would need to apply for a permit to leave the sect, though obviously with his current assignment, it would be automatically approved. And for most inner sect members, experiential training was a common thing. This restriction on external travel was due to a few factors. Each sect member was an investment for the sect, and as such, the sect would review recent contributions by each member who applied for an external trip permit. Those who had not contributed sufficiently would be gently advised to shape up. In addition, by restricting and tracking where each sect member was, the sect was able to head off potential reputation problems. As an outer sect member, there was no way Wu Ying or Tou He would normally be allowed out at this stage in their training.
“I do not know how to thank you both,” Wu Ying said, his voice filled with gratitude.
“Make sure you come back,” Tou He replied as he handed back Wu Ying’s sect stamp.
***
After that, preparations were simple enough to complete. Thankfully, the assignment office placed no further roadblocks on Wu Ying and happily exchanged out all his contribution points for funds and provisions. They even helped Wu Ying arrange for a place on a merchant ship traveling downstream. When Wu Ying finished packing all that he was to carry, he once again realized how little he actually had. Yet, looking within himself, Wu Ying could find little to regret about that. Money, a sword, food, and clothing. That was sufficient for a true cultivator.
“Off for experiential training already?” Xi Qi said when he saw Wu Ying walk through the pifang with his bag and sword.
“Elder Lu. I have an assignment from Elder Mo. This is my pass,” Wu Ying said cordially as he handed over the required pass for leaving.
Xi Qi frowned, looking over the simple wooden slat that detailed Wu Ying’s right to leave the sect and the reason for it. As he handed back the slat, he looked Wu Ying up and down slowly. “Continue working on your aura strengthening. You’ve progressed far. And at your stage, it is best not to travel as a cultivator. Turn down any challenges you find. Losing face is better than losing your life.”
“Yes, Elder Lu,” Wu Ying agreed.
“Also, please give this to Old Man Li when you collect the wine. That old cheat owes me one bottle still,” Xi Qi said as he tossed over a stamp infused with his chi. “Bring it back undamaged.”
“Of course, Elder,” Wu Ying said, bowing low after storing the stamp safely with the rest of his money.
Since he was going to be going to the location anyway, doing a favor for Xi Qi was a small matter. Furthermore, he was better off having a favorable reputation with at least one Elder, even if he was nothing more than the gate guard. As it stood, while Elder Huang looked favorably upon the efforts Wu Ying had put into the kitchens, he was the one who had caused all the trouble for Wu Ying. As for Elder Cheng, his supposed sponsor? Well, the less said about him, the better.