A Thousand Li: The Second Sect: Book 5 Of A Xianxia Cultivation Epic

by Tao Wong

  That thought made Wu Ying pause. He almost envied the cultivators of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect. They, at least, were valued. By the sect as a whole, that was. Obviously his Master and Fairy Yang valued him. But in terms of the Sect, he was but another faceless body.

  Pushing aside the thought, Wu Ying turned back to the assignment boards in his mind. One advantage of being here was the increased price he received for his plants. With both Elder Li and the other Gatherers in play, his contributions, while useful, were not as valued at the Verdant Green Waters. Here, good spiritual herbs in decent quantity were rarer. That would play a large part, he expected, in him making the necessary points.

  Eventually though, Wu Ying walked away from the boards holding a series of bamboo slips. Among them, three different ones for individuals looking to receive education on tending spiritual herbs and two, from Elders, to help restore failing herb gardens. Truth be told, he’d have preferred more of the last, but he took what they had.

  The lone attendant looked up, pushing at the sleeves on his arms and arranging himself primly. Wu Ying placed the bamboo slips and the small token he had been given on the counter, extracting his guest token as well. Briskly, Wu Ying explained the token and his needs, the attendant nodding along until he was done.

  “The contribution points are no issue. As for these assignments…” The attendant eyed them before he nodded. “These, I will be happy to see gone.”

  “But…?”

  “But I must warn you, as a guest, there are many assignments I cannot allow you to take.”

  Wu Ying frowned, turning his head to look at the empty assignment hall and the boards that were filled with bamboo slips.

  “It is not just what needs to be done, but what is appropriate.” The attendant shrugged. “There are some Elders who would prefer we bring more individuals into the sect. Having such a vast array of options and payments is one of the benefits of joining us, they say.”

  “You don’t sound like you agree.”

  “Well, I would be more supportive of the idea if those same Elders didn’t arrive every week, asking me why their assignments have not been filled.” The attendant rolled his eyes. “Because it’s obviously my fault that it hasn’t been taken.”

  Wu Ying chuckled at the attendant’s obvious disdain. It was a little surprising to see the man speak about issues with their sect so openly though. Of course, Wu Ying wouldn’t mention that. Let the man complain. He would accept any information he could acquire.

  “But I take it you’re a Spirit Herb Gatherer and gardener?” the attendant said as his hands moved over the slips and token, marking them as taken and infusing Wu Ying’s token with the information. When Wu Ying agreed, he continued. “Good, good. If you don’t mind, I’ll make it known then. It’s been so long since we’ve had one here, many have removed their assignments or stopped coming by to make offers, preferring the auction and merchant houses.”

  “Merchant houses?”

  “Yes. We have a few in the city who have connections to other sects and cities. They often bring in herbs for our practitioners.” He leaned in, dropping his voice a little. “Though they cheat our sect members like crazy. Tael-greedy merchants.”

  Wu Ying nodded in complete and sympathetic understanding. Greedy merchants were a universal problem, one that no individual had not experienced. Then again… “Auction houses?”

  “We have two in the city. Minor ones, but they host semi-monthly auctions with the rarer goods they bring in.” The attendant sighed, sweeping his gaze around the empty hall. “It’s partly why we’re so quiet. Not enough sect members to finish assignments means that the assignments we get are either hard to complete or are underpaid.”

  Wu Ying nodded, recalling what he saw. Though he had to wonder what the attendant considered underpaid, since some seemed worth more than his own experience. Then again, if the merchants were overcharging by a large amount, it was possible that everyone in the sect had warped perspectives too.

  “Or worse, they just never bother putting anything in,” the attendant added. “Which means others don’t use us. If the sect didn’t require contribution points, we’d be truly empty.”

  “I’d be grateful if you could inform me of any assignments I might take that are worth more. Obviously any Gathering work, but I have some minor accomplishments as a martial artist. I also have a decent understanding of the wilderness, having to journey through it. Maybe assignments that work well together…?”

  The attendant nodded along until he mentioned being a martial artist. Then he looked over Wu Ying, the way he leaned to the side, probably recalled the slight hitch in his steps. And while his face was yet to be marred, Wu Ying followed the attendant’s gaze to his arm, where his sleeve had fallen down to display the mark of growing corruption.

  “Well…”

  “I’m not at my best, of course,” Wu Ying cut him off, smiling. “But I am not that injured. And my friends who arrived with me are quite well-rehearsed at working with me.”

  “Ah. The wandering cultivator. He was with you?”

  “Yu Kun?” Wu Ying said and got a nod in confirmation. “Yes, a good friend of mine. Though he’s no longer a wandering cultivator but a member of the Verdant Green Waters.”

  “For now.” The attendant sniffed. “But if he’s with you… well, I’ll let you know.”

  Wu Ying smiled, taking back his guest token. He slipped it into his storage ring before offering the other a bow. “I’d be grateful, honored attendant.”

  The other man snorted but waved him off and Wu Ying walked away, smiling a little. Now, best to get to the library. He still had a lot to read.

  ***

  To Wu Ying’s surprise, he found Tou He standing outside the library-cum-formation-tower looking annoyed. His friend was staring at the tower which pulsed with power, the ambient flow of chi directed up and into the building with each pulse.

  “Tou He?” Wu Ying called when he was close enough. He was amused to watch his friend start, a hand rising automatically to protect himself before he spotted Wu Ying. “Is something wrong?”

  “Yes. I’ve been bumped back. Again.” Tou He crossed his arms, gesturing with his chin at the active tower.

  “What happened?” Wu Ying growled, irritated on his behalf. He drew a breath to calm himself then cocked his head to the side.

  “There was a new… what is it?” Tou He broke off, spotting Wu Ying sniffing at the air again.

  “The smell. The corrupted chi smell. It’s back.”

  Tou He frowned and shifted stances to one more appropriate for a fight. “Where?”

  “All around here…” Wu Ying walked a few steps, turning his head from side to side. “It’s faded. Very faded. If there was no wind…” He shook his head, turning to stare at the double-doored entrance. “But I think it leads inside.”

  “Inside?” Tou He frowned. “I was just pushed back because they needed the tower for an important personage. Someone who arrived last night.”

  “That’s a little… coincidental.” Wu Ying stared at the tower that glowed with power, drawing in chi from around the city to help power it. He stretched his senses to the maximum, feeling at the kinds of energy that ran into the tower, hoping to discern a clue of some sort. He failed as he realized that it was just pulling in environmental chi without care or differentiation.

  His friend did the same, though he occasionally glanced at Wu Ying. Still, the pulse of energy continued. Finally, Tou He prodded his unmoving friend.

  “What?” Wu Ying asked.

  “You should go study.”

  “But…” He gestured into the sky. “The corruption…”

  “I can watch for who comes in and out. And now that I know to look for it, I’m sure I will spot it. If nothing else, we can always visit the suspects later.” Tou He gestured around the small city-sect. “It’s not as though we cannot find them.”

  Wu Ying remembered the long, long night he had spent searching. He ev
en had to hold back a yawn as his body reminded him of its exhaustion. But with Tou He on watch and with knowledge of who—or at least, where—they were…

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’d point out you are also rather well-known,” Tou He said.

  “And you’re not?”

  “I have a reason to question them.”

  Wu Ying bit his lip in uncertainty before he nodded. “Fine. Just be careful.”

  Tou He chuckled, waving his hand around the square. While it was not crowded, the library and its surroundings, including a few restaurants, were always occupied. Add the fact that it was broad daylight and Wu Ying had to flash a sheepish grin at his friend. If something was to happen, it would be truly unlikely to be here.

  “Fine. I’ll see you tonight then,” Wu Ying said.

  In minutes, Wu Ying was in the library once more, speaking with an attendant and acquiring a new set of body cultivation manual summaries to review. Even so, he made sure to take a seat near one of the open windows where he could see his friend standing at ease before the doors of the tower, waiting.

  After the manuals arrived, it took Wu Ying a long while to focus. Occasionally he would look out, checking on Tou He, on the flow of energy through the room. Inside the library itself, the flow of environmental chi was muted, harder to discern. It was obvious they were shielded from the effects of the formation. Either that or being in the center, they were just unable to sense the storm that swirled around and down the tower.

  Once Wu Ying was able to focus properly though, he forgot about his friend and the potential problems—until hours later, when he glanced outside to find the square empty. Without any indication of a violent altercation outside, Wu Ying consoled himself that Tou He was probably okay and already on another task.

  At least, Wu Ying hoped so. He would learn otherwise tonight.

  ***

  “So?” Wu Ying asked Tou He the moment he entered his friend’s room.

  The ex-monk’s room layout was identical to Wu Ying’s, consisting of a large living room with an adjacent, open-plan bedroom and a similarly designed dining room. Both were blocked off with hanging bamboo drapes, offering a touch of privacy and delineation in what was an otherwise open layout, broken only by the slightly raised platforms each of the other rooms were built upon. Tou He was seated in the living room, lounging with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other.

  “Four individuals. All who arrived at the end of last night. Two servants—Body Cleansers at the marginal levels—and two true cultivators from the Whistling Iron Monkey sect.” Wu Ying frowned, and Tou He waved the book he was holding. On its back was the name of the aforementioned sect. “Might be more, but those were the ones who exited the tower.”

  “You’re reading about them?” Wu Ying said.

  “Obviously. Of the two cultivators, one was stained—compromised—by the cultivation exercise and boost we had faced before. The other was their Senior, I presume. Neither were past the Energy Storage stage, though they both carried talismans blocking any further investigation.”

  “Did they suspect you?”

  “Possibly. I waited until the guide had bid them goodbye before I spoke with the guide, but they did linger a little to listen to me,” Tou He said contemplatively. “I believe they might have accepted my curiosity and irritation at face value though.”

  “And their names? Where they’re staying?” Wu Ying said, already considering how he could bump into them. Tou He’s method of sensing chi cultivation was cruder than his, reliant on sight rather than smell—a sense that was commonly blocked.

  “I learnt both later,” Tou He said. “I also have been guaranteed my spot for tomorrow. Unless another major emergency occurs.”

  Wu Ying flashed him a smile, happy about the last bit. Still, he would not be distracted. “And the emergency…?”

  “Was the corruption in their cultivation base. The cultivation exercise creates significant problems for those who stop using it. The guide did not, of course, speak directly about what they had learned, but it seems that those who try to wean themselves off the dark sect’s cultivation exercises and aids are facing great difficulties now.”

  “Now, who could have foreseen that as a problem,” Wu Ying said sarcastically.

  “I wonder though…”

  “Wonder what?”

  “If we are being a little paranoid. They are looking for a solution to their problems. If the dark sect had given them this cultivation exercise and the tainted cores as a way to control them, I do not see how those who are actively trying to shake off the shackles could be working for them.”

  Wu Ying’s lips pursed. “Unless they are expecting everyone to think about that. If the dark sect realized that they have made it easy to locate their pawns, they might be trying to recover some of them.”

  “Maybe.” Tou He stared at Wu Ying, who was still standing. The ex-monk gestured. “Might as well sit.”

  Wu Ying smiled in gratitude before taking the seat. As he squatted, a wave of exhaustion swept through him, making his knees buckle. He almost fell off the chair as he landed a little off, his face growing pale before he steadied himself. As he forced himself straight, he realized that Tou He had placed down the book and teacup .

  “You’re getting sicker,” Tou He stated.

  “It’s fine. I might soon find something to help cleanse myself. Or at least, slow down the progression.” Anyway, I didn’t sleep much last night. It’s probably just that.”

  Tou He shook his head, dismissing Wu Ying’s blatant attempt at underplaying his problems. “I don’t think you should be focusing so much on the dark sect. You need to find a body cultivation manual. The damage to your body, it seems to be speeding up.”

  “It is,” Wu Ying admitted. There was little point in hiding that fact from his friend. As more poison and corruption chi collected in his body, it grew and replicated itself, creating an endlessly growing spiral. Even his efforts to cleanse it were doing little to slow the growth “But as I said, I think I’m close.”

  “Then I’d say you should focus on studying for now. Don’t worry about the dark sect. I’ll keep an eye on them. I got the feeling from the guide that we are not the only ones watching them.”

  Wu Ying blinked in surprise. He inadvertently turned toward the tower, barely in sight out of the room’s window.

  “When they left, I noticed a couple of followers. Sect members of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect,” Tou He said.

  That made sense, now that Wu Ying thought about it. If he knew about the corruption and its origins, the Double Soul, Double Body Sect probably did too. Especially considering the fact that the new guests were here to solve the issue. Knowing that, it would be foolish for the sect to not watch them. Still…

  “Why would they even agree to help?” Wu Ying said.

  His friend could only shrug.

  Chapter 13

  Later that evening, at Wu Ying’s insistence, the pair found themselves at one of the many Body Cleansing training rooms that the Double Soul, Double Body Sect hosted. They did not even have to pay to use the facilities—that was how sparsely used the facilities were. Obviously, whoever had planned the development of the sect had expected a more normal ratio of Body Cleansing to Energy Storage cultivators than reality had borne out.

  Seated in the basic chi gathering array, Wu Ying slowed his breathing as he focused deeper within. He had acquired one of the cheapest Wind body cultivation manuals—one that had cost a quarter of his accumulated contribution points in the sect—to test a theory of his.

  Of course, it was a potentially dangerous theory to test, which was why Tou He was watching. Still, if Wu Ying was correct, he would succeed in dealing with the ever-increasing damage his body was facing. Or at the least, slowing it down.

  Wu Ying drew a deeper breath, trying to calm his racing heart, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that had crept up his left buttocks as he sat cross-legged. Meditating in this posi
tion had never really bothered him. Pain from overwork, from training with his father, was just another thing he had learnt to tune out. A night’s sleep, a few hours of rest, and most of it faded.

  Unfortunately, his situation now was different. Sleep was difficult due to the constant aches. Just because he could ignore and work through the

  pain, when it never left, when it walked beside him companionably every second of the day, it wore at his control. It rubbed the edges of his personality like a whetstone, grinding his actions and his emotions into sharp edges.

  He had snapped at Tou He, snapped at the attendant, even growled at a cultivator who had not gotten out of his way in time. The pain was getting to him, the slow grind down as weeks passed. The past few months made him marvel at his father’s self-control. How much worse was it for him, who limped day in and day out?

  Wu Ying would need to speak to his father, maybe explain the new view on life he had gained, when he returned.

  Distracted.

  He was distracted again. Pushing against his wandering mind, Wu Ying focused on his breathing again, trying to center himself and push past the pain.

  Fear came next—fear of the pain, of the damage he might cause himself. That fear caught at his breathing, made his fingers tremble and his mind quail. He felt the fear and forced himself to accept it. Accept that he was scared.

  Why wouldn’t he be? He was reaching into the fire again, knowing he had been burnt once. Yet Wu Ying had no choice. If he was to pull himself from the edge, to save his harvest and survive until a real cure was found, he would have to risk it.

  And he was procrastinating.

  Again.

  Another breath, and Wu Ying threw himself down his mind. Ignoring the lamentations of his body and the grip of fear, he turned deep within and sent his chi coursing through his body. First, through the third and eighth meridian, across forty-seven meridian points. Shifting the type and kind of chi he held, transforming it from his unaspected chi into wood, then wind chi.