by Tao Wong
Bao Cong smiled widely at Wu Ying, clapping the cultivator on the shoulder and leading him up the path.
***
Wu Ying woke the next morning with the taste of dead frogs in his mouth. He rolled over while grimacing and only realized his mistake when he fell. He never managed to catch himself before he landed on the floor, bruising his shoulder. As he turned sideways on the marble, Wu Ying noticed the couch he had been sleeping on. It was a nice couch—and a familiar one too. Mother of pearl inlaid along rosewood furniture, depicting the local scenery around some village. It was the couch in his visiting room, the place where he would greet formal guests. It was not, obviously, his bed.
As he stood, Wu Ying took notice of the throbbing pain in his head. Ah Yee walked in with her serving tray containing his herbal supplement and a tea set. Wu Ying’s stomach heaved at the small amounts of noxious fumes that arose from the herbal supplement.
“Not today,” Wu Ying whined.
“What you are feeling will be extracted if you drink this. Short-term discomfort for a long-term benefit.” Ah Yee placed the tray on the serving table and opened the clay bowl.
Wu Ying’s stomach lurched again, and he held a hand to his face, turning green as he choked down vomit. “I don’t think—”
“You faced down a taotei. Is a simple drink enough to send you running?” Ah Yee scolded Wu Ying.
Shamed by his servant, Wu Ying took hold of the concoction, then while holding his nose, he choked down the entire slurry. He gasped as he slammed the bowl down and grabbed the teacup Ah Yee offered him. As he poured the hot tea into his mouth, he burnt his tongue and throat a little, but thankfully, it washed away some of the taste. Tea didn’t help with the pain, or his stomach, but at least he could focus a little.
Ah Yee picked up the tray and its contents, leaving behind the teapot and teacup as she exited. Wu Ying sat down and tried to meditate, forcing himself to ignore his roiling stomach and the pounding in his head, the glare from the sunlight. In minutes though, the feeling grew too large to be ignored and he rushed for the outhouse. At least, as Wu Ying bent over to expel the fluids, this would be good training for his Reinforced Iron Bones technique.
***
An hour later, cleaner and more alive, Wu Yang made his way out to discover if Li Yao had returned. Unfortunately, her house servant indicated that she had not, sniffing disapprovingly at Wu Ying as he usually did before sending the peasant away. Just to assure himself, Wu Ying stopped at the assignment hall and verified that Li Yao was meant to have returned already. Concern over her grew, mixing with the worry he had for his family and the future.
Since he was there, Wu Ying made sure to inform the Hall that he would be gone for an undetermined period. He made sure that they deducted the necessary contribution points he owed the Sect for a six-month period, while taking the contribution pills that they owed him for that period. At the end, all his hard work, all his savings over the last few months, even the rewards from the expedition, was gone. Almost.
Lastly, he added Bao Cong’s name to the expedition group, fulfilling the bureaucracy required before he made his way to speak with Tou He. Unfortunately, the ex-monk indicated that he had had no luck in finding additional help. Not that they needed more. With Li Yao, there would be four of them and that should be sufficient. Or so he hoped at least.
Tou He chased Wu Ying out soon after, as he had a lot of work to complete for his Master before he would be allowed to leave. Once again, Wu Ying thanked his friend as he left, vowing to help find a solution for the monk’s troubles.
***
As one of the most guarded locations in the Sect, the inner sect armory was large, isolated, and armed with multiple formations. With most of the martial specialists gone, Wu Ying knew the armory would see little traffic. Even at the best of times, the armory was never buzzing like the library, kitchens, or the blacksmiths hall. After all, most of the items within the armory were magical, higher tier equipment, not the common, mundane items made by the outer and inner set members for general use. These items were rare and expensive.
Wu Ying stared at the carved stone building for a short period, watching the small number of individuals moving in and out of the armory, before he walked in. Once he had announced himself and his intentions, he was taken to a small, private room. It was similar to the one he had been brought to last year, with its simple wooden table, plain chairs, and wall hangings. It was a place of business, not of comfort. While he waited, Wu Ying poured himself a cup of tea and mulled over what he could purchase.
“Long Wu Ying. I am surprised to see you here so soon.” Elder Wen, the Elder in charge of the inner sect armory, looked at Wu Ying as she stepped in. Standing barely five feet tall, the tiny elder had a vibrant personality and energy. Even so, Wu Ying could sense that her aura was well contained and controlled, unlike her personality. What he sensed at least. For all that he knew, she wanted him to sense the control and hid something else.
Wu Ying stood and bowed in greeting, waiting for Elder Wen to sit before he joined her. “I had not expected to be back so soon. But I am going on an assignment soon, and I am hoping that you will be able to suggest some items for my use.” Wu Ying fished out his sect seal and pushed it across the table so that the Elder could grasp his budget.
“Of course. Tell me about it.” Elder Wen touched the sect seal while he talked.
In short order, Wu Ying had related his problems. He held nothing back, knowing that the more the Elder understood, the greater the aid she could offer. When he was done, Elder Wen questioned him about his cultivation and martial styles, verifying the information she had drawn from his sect seal and adding to it.
Afterward, the pair sat in silence as the Elder contemplated. Wu Ying took the opportunity to pour refreshments for them both and offer the refreshments to the Elder. Finally, Elder Wen turned to the waiting attendants and barked out a series of names. Wu Ying knew that they would journey into the armory itself and pull these items from whatever stores the sect had. Wu Ying had never seen the inside of the armory. No one, that he knew of, had. Even the attendants were sworn to secrecy about what happened within the armory and its contents, blood bound to keep their lips sealed.
“Now, tell me about your expedition. I’ve heard a little about it, but I want to know from you directly.” Elder Wen leaned forward, her intense brown eyes on Wu Ying.
While they waited, Wu Ying regaled Elder Wen with the story about the expedition. He found himself going into detail about how the various equipment used among the various cultivators had worked, the Elder probing with insightful questions on the fit between the cultivators and their equipment. She was, of course, particularly interested in Wu Ying’s Woo Petal Bracer and his use of the equipment. Still, Wu Ying gained the sense that Elder Wen was just as interested in the gossip as the details of equipment.
Eventually, the attendants returned, bearing the equipment Elder Wen had requested. Wu Ying and Elder Wen walked to the table where the equipment had been artfully and efficiently arranged.
The first item Elder Wen picked up was a simple leather water bag. As Wu Ying took it from her and turned it around, he noted the gold inlaid stitching along the edges and across the bag’s back. It made the bag look much more luxurious than its simple use, and while Wu Ying could sense the flow of chi around the bag and note the inscription on the stitching, he could not understand its use. The enchantment of items, with formations and chi energy, was not something he had studied in detail. Even the basic lessons he had taken were to understand the best use for various types of enchantments, rather than practical identification knowledge.
“The Bag of Never-Ending Water,” said Elder Wen. “Of course, it is not never ending. It will refill itself to its brim once an hour. There’s a secondary enchantment, like your storage ring, in it too, which allows it to hold even more water. And unlike the initial attempts, this is not a failed product. The enchantment that checks the volume is not broken.” E
lder Wen spoke the last sentence with slight smirk, almost enticing Wu Ying to ask about the story behind her comments.
But when he spotted one of the attendants turn red, he decided against it. Some questions were best not asked. “I am not sure the use of this.”
Water was never really an issue, at least not during the spring. Not in the State of Shen. Between the constant rainfall of spring and the numerous streams, rivers, and canals that made up the country, it was more an issue of fighting an overflow of water. For a small group like theirs, finding sufficient water would not be an issue. In fact, with the various rest stops scattered throughout the kingdom and the river that they would likely use from the majority of their journey, Wu Ying did not expect they would ever need this bag.
“Ah, you youngsters. Always thinking short term. Did you not consider what taking your village will be like? Even if you leave behind the majority of your livestock, you will still need to water those you bring along. Do you think most rest stops will be able to take care of that many animals? How about if you continue moving through those stops? That’s not even counting if you get caught in a siege.”
They did intend to leave behind most of the livestock. Once they drove them to the nearest town, they’d probably sell what they could to the butchers and other merchants. Still, at the very least, they’d be bringing along the horses. A lot of work needed to be done, and such animals would be useful. They also made bringing along the children and elderly easier. Still, Wu Ying considered if he was willing to spend his precious contribution points on something so mundane.
He paused and scratched his nose. Perhaps he had grown a bit jaded. Even a year ago, Wu Ying would have marveled at the bag. Never having to go draw water from the well or the river? This was the kind of magical equipment he would have loved as a peasant.
“Next, we’ve got fasting pills. I don’t think I need to explain the usefulness of these.” Elder Wen tapped the simple clay bottle.
There was a group of five bottles, each containing a set of twenty pills. Of course, Wu Ying knew about fasting pills. Generally, they were not recommended for those who had yet to enter the Energy Storage stage at the least, if not Core Formation. The pills were concentrated foodstuff, but by themselves would not provide everything a body needed. Those at the Energy Storage or Core Formation stage drew much of their energy needs from the world itself, the chi that surrounded them. Still, the pills would stave off hunger and, in the short term, provide enough food so an individual could skip a meal or two.
“Large-scale Deception Formation.” Elder Wen tapped the series of inscribed flags. She rolled out one of the flags to show him the simple inscriptions drawn on it before she packed it away again. “Usable three times. If you have someone with dual air and water aspect, they could recharge it once more before the enchantment fades entirely.”
Wu Ying shook his head. Someone whose elemental aspects were dual aligned was rare. Not because the cultivation methods to achieve dual alignment were particularly secret but because aligning oneself to more than one element required the cultivator’s personality to fit both elements. After all, cultivation was about finding the right path—or face a deadlock later on.
In addition, dual element cultivation was much, much slower. Like choosing one’s dao, an elemental alignment was restrictive in what one could eventually achieve. Choosing to focus on two different alignments restricted one’s eventual dao even further. It was because of that that most people did not dual align their chi element unless they had no choice.
“Understand that the Deception Formation will only work against those in the Body Cultivation stage and lower. This will, of course, include the equivalent strength Spirit and Demonic Beasts you might encounter. I know that you are very strong and have no fear of them yourself.” Wu Ying’s eyes narrowed at the hint of mocking in Elder Wen’s tone, but it was so faint, he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination. “However, such a large group is a concern. This entire formation will contain and protect a thirty-foot diameter.”
Wu Ying made a mental note of the flags, knowing he would have to purchase them. Even if it wasn’t useful for this assignment, having something like that would be useful in the future.
Elder Wen grabbed the next item on the table and showed it to him. It was highly familiar to Wu Ying, the talismans having been shown to him the previous round. Next was a thrice-enlarged storage satchel. Then enchanted bandages that would slow down bleeding and enhance healing.
None of the items Elder Wen showed was particularly impressive, almost mundane in form. Most barely qualified as Spirit level enchantments. However, Wu Ying saw that they were all quite useful, in the right circumstances.
The next item Elder Wen picked up and handed to him was a surprise. A simple scalemail undergarment. It was thin enough that Wu Ying could wear it underneath his robes, though no matter how he peered at it and checked it over, he could not find any indications of an enchantment.
“Is this…?”
“Enchanted? No. Not all good equipment need be enchanted.” Elder Wen said. “I’d normally offer you the Azure Thunder Robes, but your refusal has been noted. This will work for your most vulnerable regions and is significantly cheaper.”
Wu Ying winced as Elder Wen basically called him cheap. It wasn’t really his fault… he just had a lot of demands on his contribution points.
“Now, who do you think will be your most likely enemy? Other cultivators or plain bandits?”
Wu Ying sighed as he realized the answer.
“Exactly.” Elder Wen smirked. “And if you get caught in the war, most of those you’ll be facing are just plain soldiers. When you are surrounded, no matter how well you wield your sword, you will be struck. This is just another line of protection.”
Wu Ying turned the scalemail undershirt around, tapping the scales and hefting it again. It was well made, and he noted light felt at each of the edges, helping to keep the noise down. Worn under his robes, it would be mostly hidden.
After that, it was just a matter of making decisions of what else to purchase, keeping in mind his limited number of points left. Eventually, Wu Ying pointed out the items he wanted to purchase—among them, the Bag of Never-Ending Water.
With his equipment purchased and his bureaucratic duties taken care of, Wu Ying was done with his preparations. All he needed now was Li Yao to return. Soon, he hoped.
Chapter 8
Li Yao did not return the next day. That thread of concern within Wu Ying’s chest grew. He started doing the math, trying to figure out how long he could afford to wait for her. There were two calculations he needed to do.
First was deducing when the first clash between the kingdoms would occur and from there, the time it would take for the armies to threaten his village. From Wu Ying’s recollections of past years and the previous year, it would take the State of Wei nearly half the fighting season before they would near the village. But that was based on previous years, when the kingdoms had posed more than fought, when armies had maneuvered around one another and been hesitant to do battle. Depending on the general in charge and how aggressive the State of Wei intended to be, it could be as quick as a two-week forced march from the border to his village. Of course, it was unlikely they would send the entire army after his village, but the army wasn’t the real threat anyway. The raiding parties that took from the villagers would be more dangerous than any actual army. They were the ones who stole all the goods, conducted the massacres, and captured children to be slaves.
Assuming the kingdoms were beginning the spring campaign as soon as possible, they would begin within the next week. If that was the case, Wu Ying needed to work out how long it would take for the armies to reach the border.
In short order, he had the map of the surrounding regions open and the locations of where the armies had gathered to train up new recruits and collect supplies for the campaign. The map was centered around the Sect, having been purchased from the Sect store itself.
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br /> From there, Wu Ying traced his finger east and south, down the river, then almost directly east again to reach his village. From his home, a straight line met the river Li, which created the natural border that the kingdoms had fought from over the last few hundred years. Of course, every few decades a few villages traded hands, but eventually, the natural impediment of the river reasserted itself.
Once Wu Ying had the map, it was a simple matter of using his abacus[64] to make some quick calculations. Thankfully, details like how fast an army moved on roads was part of the classic works that everyone had been forced to memorize, so the calculation was easy. In the end, he tapped his top lip with the end of his brush. Two weeks. Give or take a few days.
Assuming they did not have to fight and could cross the river that formed the natural barrier between the states, it would be another two weeks to his village for the army. That meant a month from now might see his village burn. Of course, that was an extremely pessimistic view and unlikely to come true. Then again, it would be the height of irony if Wu Ying did all this only to be too late. Better to be safe. Four weeks it was.
The next calculation was how long it would take him to reach his village and convince Lord Wen. Luckily, the lord was only a small rural nobleman, so his residence was close to the village. In fact, the distance between the lord’s residence and his village was negligible, which was of course why Yin Xue had been able to study in their village. All in, Wu Ying figured it would take them about two weeks to arrive, using a mixture of ship and horse. Give or take three or four days, depending on the weather.
And that was the biggest question of all. It was still spring, which meant that spring rains and the resulting muddy roads were in play. On the other hand, if it was muddy and messy for them, it would be the same for the army. In theory. Barring strange weather patterns a few hundred li away.
If he took all that into account, then Wu Ying could only afford to wait another day or two for Li Yao. He could only hope that she was fine and would return soon. If not, he would have to leave without her.