“On top of that, you’re leaving out the crucial fact that they’d not only have to be willing to take on the Dengs and take on an unknown disciple, but that they’d be in a sort of political alliance with a student.”
Setting the rag aside, Tala stepped away from the table and lifted her blade up. Turning it from one side to the other, she inspected it in the morning light.
“Mind that I’m not trying to naysay you or destroy your plans,” Tala said, rotating the blade. “Just trying to point out where the gaps are, as a gift from me to you.
“It’s not as if I care one way or the other what you do, though it does seem my status as your property will be directly affected by your own status.”
Ash had held his breath as she talked.
She wasn’t wrong. At all.
The vast majority of the elders who would be talented would have already moved up or out, or joined a family.
Those that remained wouldn’t be usable or willing to do much.
“Ah!” Yan said, patting the table. “There’s old Gen. He’s technically a master who could be elected to an elder position.”
“Gen? What is he if he’s only technically a master?” Ash asked.
“He’s the librarian. No one ever really goes there, though. Reading isn’t something we’re encouraged to do. If there is free time, we are expected to train or improve ourselves,” Yan said. “Actually, now that I think about it, I think Gen is from our family as well. He’s an uncle to Uncle Da here.”
Moira leaned to one side in her chair, moving considerably closer to Ash and invading his personal space.
“I sense a ‘but’ coming on,” Moira said.
Yan looked from Moira to Ash before responding.
“There is indeed. Gen is very old. It’s said he was quite talented in his youth, but due to some circumstances he was never able to break through into the elder ranks. Then he was injured in a duel with another master and he stepped down into the librarian’s position. They offered it to him due to his contributions to the sect.”
“Huh… so… he’s family, was once talented, was respected, but has faded considerably since then,” Ash said, staring through the table as if it weren’t there.
“He’s been a librarian for forty years now. He was a master a long, long time ago,” Yan said.
“He meets all the requirements, then,” Tala said, sheathing her big blade and starting to buckle it to her hip. “While it isn’t ideal that he’s old, as it’s likely his usefulness is limited to a timespan, it should get us through the interim.”
Good thing she’s so tall, or the tip would drag on the ground.
“Sounds like a trip to the library then,” Ash said.
“I know where it is. We can go together,” Moira said. She turned to face Ash and leaned even closer towards him. “I memorized all the relevant locations in the Jade Fist. I got a map from Yue.”
“I’ll go with you as well,” Yan said. “Uncle Da was the one who told me about him. Which means maybe Gen knows who I am.”
Yan’s reasoning didn’t sound particularly sound, but it was better than nothing.
Ash shrugged. “Alright. Tala, you staying here?”
“Yes. I’d like to practice the abilities you gave me. The speed and strength changes have modified the way in which I swing my blade,” Tala said. “Bring me home dinner. And something normal. No rice.”
Tala moved to the door, the clothes Yue had procured for her fitting a bit tightly due to her figure being outside of the normal range for this veil.
Almost against his will, Ash’s eyes slid down to her hips as they swayed out the door.
She was definitely a breath of fresh air. Her and Moira both.
“Let’s get a move on, then,” Ash said, snapping his eyes up as soon as he realized he was staring and then and following her out the door.
***
Walking through the entry doors of the library, ash was fairly impressed. The building was large.
Large, stocked well, and excellently maintained.
Ash’s footfalls were loud in his own ears. There wasn’t a single other sound in the entire library. Not the scrape of paper, the rustle of pages, fabric, people breathing—nothing.
The only noises were from Ash, Yan, and Moira.
Shelves passed by them on each side, loaded with books and scrolls.
“This is a lovely library,” Moira said on Ash’s right.
The path was only wide enough for two people and Moira had very obviously made sure to be beside him.
Yan was behind them by a single step.
Ash was keenly aware of what Moira was doing. It had started the other night, and she’d slowly been turning up the pressure on him.
He wasn’t against the idea of fooling around with her, but he still wasn’t quite over the idea that she might be doing it for the wrong reasons.
Taking his right arm in her left, she pointed to a corner of the library.
“There are tables over there. I’d like to come back another time and read through some of these tomes. If I’m going to be calling this place home for a while, I’d like to be able to better understand the culture,” Moira said.
The press of her against his side momentarily reminded him of the fact that he really didn’t have to care at all about her reasoning. If she wanted to pursue something with him, why was he going to be the one to say no?
“May I help you?” whispered an aged voice.
Looking to the right, Ash found a short old man standing between two bookshelves in an aisle.
He had short white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and neutral brown eyes. There was no emotion in his face, and he seemed mildly annoyed.
It also seemed like he was part of the library itself—he’d simply appeared without a noise.
“Ah, yes,” Ash said. Shaking Moira loose, he pressed his fists together and bowed his head to the older man. “My name is Ashley Sheng, adopted son to Duyi and Far Sheng from Xing City.”
Yan stepped up to Ash’s left and repeated the same gesture Ash had made.
“I am Yan Sheng, daughter to Duyi and Far Sheng from Xing City.”
Gen’s eyes crinkled for a moment before he smiled at the pair of them.
“I am Gen Sheng, though most call me old Gen. It is good to see two bearing the family name being promoted into the ranks,” said Gen as he bowed his head. Slowly, and without a sound, he pressed his fists together. “I welcome you to my library.”
Taking a moment to think, Ash decided to be direct with old Gen.
“Senior Gen, I’ve come to ask you to make me, Yan, and a close friend of mine your disciples. I ask this because we plan on winning the placement tournament. Our goal is to promote you into the elder ranks and cause the Deng family to suffer a loss,” Ash said. “If they win the placement tournament, it is likely Yan and I will be forced to leave the sect entirely.”
Gen’s bushy white eyebrows lifted into his forehead.
“I haven’t been someone’s master in a very long time, young one,” Gen said. “What would you want out of old Gen, exactly?”
“Ah… if you wished to not impart any wisdom on me, I would accept that your title as my master be purely aesthetic. Ultimately, we hope to elevate you to an elder position. Our end goal truly is just to thwart the Deng family. Which means what we would ask of you is to suffer for us and take on their displeasure as we did this.”
Gen blinked, his eyes flicking to each one of his visitors.
“If I take you on as a disciple, I will expect you to behave like one. I have no problem causing the Deng family a black eye—after all, they’re the ones who crippled my cultivation,” Gen said. Then he gave them a feral smile. “I would enjoy causing them quite an upset to have a cripple as an elder.”
“Forgive me, Senior Gen, but you’re crippled? No one speaks of why you’re in the library, only that you were given the position as a credit to your service,” Yan said, her voice tentative.
&nb
sp; Gen’s face betrayed nothing as his eyes slid to Yan.
“I was challenged to a duel. In my foolish arrogance, I didn’t think anything worse than losing could occur.
“Conveniently, an elder of their clan acted as referee,” Gen said, his voice growing colder with every word. “The fight was close. Close enough that it was obvious with just a bit of luck, it could have gone my way. My disciples at the time were quite talented as well. I was a threat.
“A threat I didn’t take myself for.”
It would seem the Deng family has been building their power here for quite a while. And they’ve also run afoul of our own family previously.
It might explain why they seemed to be picking on Yan and Jing directly.
“When the fight was clearly over and I had little left, my opponent struck my Dantian with an attack I had not seen before that point.
“It was deliberate,” Gen said. “He cracked the Dantian, and now it cannot hold very much Qi. The sect spent quite a bit of coin and favors to try and repair it.
“To get me back to normal. But in the end, they weren’t able to do it. They simply lacked the resources on this plane.
“Now, if I do not regularly limit my Essence intake, it has the distinct possibility of shattering completely.
“For his actions, my opponent was banished from the sect and the elder punished. Though the last I heard, he was surrounded by loyal servants and concubines. Living out his life quite well.”
Gen gave them a grim smile.
“So yes, taking a bite out of the Deng family and being your political shield are not concerns to me.”
I wonder if we could fix his Dantian. So far, this engraving ability has been… a bit godlike.
Then again, half of that is because Locke lays out the patterns for me perfectly.
“His Dantian could be fixed. It’d require little more than what you did to Yan,” Locke said, as if reading his mind. “Though if you prefer to not reveal your power further, Yue could also give him a pill to the same effect. The materials would be somewhat pricey, but not out of reach.
“In fact, you could do it in such a way as you acquired the pill for his sake, and never say how you got it.”
“Then we’re agreed. I look forward to having you as my master, Master Gen,” Ash said, bowing his head over his fists again.
Yan immediately did the same.
Gen nodded and then looked to Moira.
“And you, outlander. What is your role in all of this?” Gen asked.
“I’m his property,” Moira said, indicating Ash.
Gen narrowed his eyes, watching her. “If you are his property, why do you whisper power? I can hear it.”
All three looked to Gen in mild surprise.
Smiling at them, the older man tapped an ear, then started to walk backward into the aisle. Then he turned around and slipped between two shelves, vanishing without a noise.
“He knew?” Ash said quietly.
“So it would seem,” Yan replied.
***
Stepping into Yue’s storefront, Ash was surprised.
The number of customers in her store was quite large. They were moving through her wares and items, and quite a few people were loading hand baskets to the brim with products. The atmosphere was a dull buzz of activity as people continuously moved around while shopping.
Four citizen guards stood near the door and counter. Each was armed and had the look of someone who knew their business.
Ash was now infinitely glad he’d left Yan and Moira behind. Trying to get through this place on his own was already going to be a bit of a fight against the tides.
Ash started to push and wedge his way through the crowd. His end goal was to make it to the counter. He needed to talk to Yue about the pill for old Gen.
Except she wasn’t there.
A middle-aged woman was manning the counter, moving through transaction after transaction.
She briefly looked to him between two exchanges. Apparently, Yue had left instructions for if he showed up, because the woman indicated the door behind her.
“Mistress Ying is in there,” said the woman, before turning to the next customer in line.
Following the direction, Ash moved to the door and stepped between two guards. Opening it, he entered Yue’s bedroom and closed the door behind him.
Immediately, the din of noise was cut off to a degree and he breathed out a sigh of relief.
After coming to this world, Ash had not only gotten used to the lack of hustle and bustle everywhere—he enjoyed it.
Yue was seated quietly on her bed.
She was clearly cultivating.
Smiling to himself, Ash walked over to her quietly and sat himself down beside her on the bed.
Saying nothing, as he didn’t want to disturb her, he inspected the room around them.
He hadn’t actually been to her bedroom before. Their talks and meetings had all been conducted in her storefront.
While Yue acted like an adult most of the time, it was obvious here in her bedroom that she was still young.
Colorful knick-knacks, pretty bits of decorations, and small statues of animals all around. Not to mention she seemed to favor the colors pink and red for most of her personal belongings.
On a shelf, set behind thick glass and locked shut, were a single gold coin and a spirit stone.
I wonder if those are the ones I gave her. She said she went back and got the coin.
Picking up a throw pillow next to Yue, Ash inspected it.
On one side, animals were sewn in cute depictions, and on the other side a heart.
She really is quite young. She was forced to grow up quickly. I wonder how old she actually is.
A sharp intake of breath caught his attention. Looking to Yue, he found her staring at him, her eyes wide.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you,” Ash said with a grin. Then he held up the small pillow. “This is rather cute. I didn’t realize you were into such things. If I had known, I would have made sure to buy you a few things to match your new home rather than a book.”
Yue took the pillow from him, the emotion on her face somewhere between embarrassment and anger.
“I like the book. It’s entertaining so far,” she said. Pressing the pillow to her stomach, she wrapped her arms around it. “I didn’t expect you to come today.”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
“Moira and Jia seemed determined to keep you busy with politics. I thought for sure you wouldn’t have time to visit.
“I’m just a loose cultivating merchant, after all. I’m not in the sect.”
Ash snorted at that and went to pick up another pillow.
Yue snatched it away from him and put it behind herself.
“Honestly, Yue?” he asked, laughing as he motioned at the pillow. “Fine, keep it to yourself. As to not visiting you, don’t be stupid. You’re important to me—of course I’d visit just to visit.”
Ash chose at that moment to not give her the list of medical ingredients he needed, or the exact pill he wanted her to make.
“So, business looks like it’s going well. Tell me about it,” Ash said.
Yue chuckled softly and then sighed.
“Those knives of yours were… all I needed to get started. I sold them all to a clan at an exorbitant price, which let me cut my costs on everything else to just above margin.
“Next will be the pills. I’ll sell those to whatever family is willing to buy them, then keep my prices the same.”
Licking her lips, Yue then smiled at him broadly. “It’ll take some time, and I’ll have to keep my prices low for quite a while, but I think I’ll be able to establish a customer base fairly quickly.”
“Ha, I’m glad to hear it. You deserve it. From paper seller to pill broker,” Ash said, grinning at her.
“Mm. All because of you. Thank you, Ash. Very much. The worst didn’t come to pass. Because of you,” Yue said, her eyes locked on his face again.
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Every now and then he caught her staring at him in an almost fanatical manner.
She did a good job of burying it when others were around, but when they were alone she didn’t seem to be as on her guard.
“Tell me about your journey as a cultivator and an alchemist. I have all afternoon,” Ash said, changing the subject away from himself.
Twenty-Two
It’d been six days since he’d entered the sect.
Life was anything but settled, but by and large, it seemed normal at least. Most of the routines that would be given to brand-new Outer Sect students wouldn’t start for another two weeks and a day, though.
The veil raid had thrown the entire schedule out the window. They’d returned much earlier than planned.
Several cities had been skipped on their examination, and a second set of recruiters had needed to be sent out just to take care of them.
All this meant that Ash and Jia had been lumped in with the second years. If anything, Ash was thankful.
He was getting attention and lessons that wouldn’t normally be available to him immediately. Even simple things like developing a better understanding of the state of cultivators at large. Or refiners, as he’d found out they were called in different areas of the land.
“This seems odd,” Jia said.
Forcing himself out of his thoughts, Ash looked around.
Nothing had changed.
They were still standing in a large courtyard with all the Outer Sect disciples.
“There are several masters and an elder coming. The rest of the masters are all waiting at the edge of the area,” Jia said, prompting his attention to what she was talking about. “From what I gathered after speaking to those who have been here a while, this is normally just a sparring event.”
“Huh… alright. I appreciate you asking around. Anything else you can tell me? Rules, perhaps?” Ash asked. He probably should have done what Jia had done, but he just didn’t care that much.
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