by Wong, Tao
He trailed off, then stopped. He tried again, attempting to find the right words to explain the glimpse he had of reality, of the Dao. “It’s all the same, but separate. You must weave them together but keep them separate. But it can’t be separate, right?”
Lei Hui raised a hand, stopping Wu Ying. “Enough. You’ve tried. But I’m just getting more confused. Some understanding cannot be explained. Only experienced.” Lei Hui’s eyes crinkled a little. “Or you could just be bad at explaining.”
“Maybe. Sorry.”
“No need.”
“Where are the others?” Wu Ying asked even as he forced himself to his feet.
Lei Hui frowned as Wu Ying pulled out new peasant robes of hemp to put on. After all, his other Sect robes were damaged. All but a single pair left, and he was not going to get those messed up.
“Dealing with the aftermath. Yu Kun was dealing with the cultivators and our bets. There were some disputes if you won or Lu Ren.” At Wu Ying’s frown, he shrugged. “Your last blow was lethal. And he had already injured your hand. Had you on the ground. If he’d stopped…”
“I would have lost,” Wu Ying said. If he had stopped, Wu Ying would have given up.
“Tou Hei is helping him, while Wang Min is accompanying Elder Yang. She is dealing with Lu Ren and the attack.”
Wu Ying winced. “Do you know why he tried to kill me?”
Lei Hui shrugged. “Elder Yang might know better. But I’ve been here.”
At Lei Hui’s insistence, Wu Ying took a seat once more on his bed and cultivated, reinforcing both his understanding of the enlightenment that he had failed to explain and the chi within his body. There was little left to do until the others returned.
***
Late that night, Yu Kun and Tou Hei finally returned, glowing triumphantly. Wu Ying had stopped for a short while to drink and eat with the others before returning to his bed to cultivate. The hard rosewood bed was spacious and comfortable, and in his room, he had peace to contemplate the day. Neither of his friends had much to report, only able to confirm they’d managed to deal with the bets and keep their share of the fees. A small fortune for them all to split.
Of course, the plan had revolved around the bet. They knew Tou Hei might lose, but it would give them the opportunity to make the bets bigger, to earn more both betting on Wu Ying himself and in the management of the bets. It earned them funds without much risk. At least, that had been the plan.
But more importantly, Elder Yang would do the same above. Where the real fortunes would change hands, where she could make wagers with the Elders of other sects. Gain additional help, taels, or spirit cores. She was the linchpin…
Or meant to be.
But she had not returned, even after supper. And so, Wu Ying cultivated. Patience, instilled by years of cultivation, left him seated on his bed, breathing in the fresh night air as wind blew from the rivers to him. Letting him heal slowly.
A presence slowly intruded on his mind and drew him out of his cultivation. He looked up to see the Elder seated across from him, holding his damaged jian. She was idly sharpening the weapon, working out chips with a whetstone on a side table set between them.
“Another moment of enlightenment,” Fa Yuan said, a half-smile on her face. “I do envy you. To be so young again.”
Wu Ying greeted her, bowing from his seated position. “I’ve been lucky. And received much guidance.”
“Mmm… yes. Wise guidance,” Fa Yuan said, taking her hand off the weapon to place against her chest. “You might make it to the Core stage, if you keep it up.” Wu Ying raised an eyebrow and she shrugged. “Many stall at the late Energy Storage stage. More and more chi is required for each breakthrough. Each blockage requires greater force behind it. Even normal cultivation might be insufficient.
“Enlightenment deepens the pool, allowing one to force more chi into the blockage. Enlightenment itself makes the dantian larger or denser. Makes the chi within one’s veins thicker.”
“Or?” Wu Ying said as he uncrossed his legs. He moved gingerly, making sure he had not frozen his feet. Ever since he passed the Body Cleansing stage, it never happened, but old habits died hard.
“Or. Or it might do something else.” Fa Yuan shrugged. “It varies for each person. Each enlightenment.”
“Oh,” Wu Ying said. “And you had many of these?”
“Almost all Core cultivators do. Enlightenment in the early stages is easy,” Fa Yuan said. “You grasp at small facets of the world, peer through the gaps in the walls and see something that you feel is important. It is,” she clarified before Wu Ying could object. “But later on, those small gaps are insufficient, nothing more than a brief blink in your understanding of the Dao. As you progress, your understanding must be more than a small thing. The field that feeds your body must be larger.”
Wu Ying considered her words. In the silence, Fa Yuan returned to sharpening the sword. Eventually, Wu Ying blinked, glanced at the sword and his martial sister before deciding against objecting. If it amused her, who was he to say anything? And while it was an intimate act, it was not wrong. She was his martial sister after all.
“About Lu Ren…” Wu Ying said. “His Master…”
“Tried to kill you. Or cripple you at the least,” Fa Yuan replied, her voice hinting at the anger she kept contained. “We stopped him. Bu they are refusing to honor their agreement on the bet. Saying you cheated. As if enlightenment could ever be a cheat.”
Wu Ying winced at the acid in her statements. Still, he could not help but ask, “Why?”
“Did you smell it?”
“Huh?”
“Their chi,” Fa Yuan said. “I know Master taught you his smelling chi exercise. Did you smell Lu Ren’s chi?”
“Yes. It was impossible to miss,” Wu Ying said.
“Then that is your answer.” Fa Yuan placed the sword on the table. “Finish caring for your weapon. And maybe buy a proper one at the auction.” She walked to the door, leaving Wu Ying still puzzling over her answer. “Cultivate well.”
Wu Ying picked up the sword when she left, leaving him alone late in the night. He blinked, realizing how scandalous it might seem to others, and was grateful that no one would know. Still, as he sharpened his sword, he turned over her answer in his mind. Her answer, and the smell. Where…?
A hint, a memory. Of when he’d learned the chi smelling exercise with his Master. The smell coming from Elder Cheng himself, soaking his sweat. Burnt wood, soiled earth. Something wrong, something sickened.
Eyes wide, Wu Ying froze. The hiss of his sword sliding against the whetstone paused as conclusions were drawn. He exhaled hard and started the process of readying his weapon. He would need it.
Then he paused as he found his hands trembling on the whetstone, on his blade.
It seemed their enemies were not going to let them just act without interference.
Chapter 23
Four days passed in a blur as Wu Ying stayed at the inn and cultivated. He reinforced the gains he had achieved, practiced his form, and tried to grasp the entirety of the moment of enlightenment he had achieved during the sparring match. In between, he occasionally left their residence to enjoy the city with his friend Zhong Shei. However, unlike their earlier escapades, they were always accompanied by at least one other cultivator.
In fact, none of the Verdant Green Waters Sect cultivators were allowed to travel by themselves—with their obvious exception of Fairy Yang. The restriction on their activities grated upon the other cultivators, especially as Elder Yang and Wu Ying would not explain their reasoning. Better to let them assume it was to reduce trouble with the other sects and wandering cultivators than to think that the pair were jumping at children’s stories. One was a plausible explanation, the other just eroded trust.
Only Tou Hei did Wu Ying tell the truth. As usual, the amicable ex–monk but hummed a little before nodding in acceptance. When asked why he did not seem surprised, Tou Hei explained himself with a single
Amitabha.
In this way, the four days between Wu Ying’s fight and the auction passed in a blur. Yu Kun and Wang Min partook of the dueling rings in the interim period, but they only earned a little more. After the initial burst of wagering, the cultivators had grown wary of additional losses, especially as the auction grew closer.
On the day of the auction, Wu Ying and the team walked to the auction house in a group. The auction itself was held in a large hall, most commonly used for opera and musical performances and the occasional dining festivity. The building was located to the east of the magistrate’s residence, close to where the affluent merchants resided and where the breeze from the conjoined rivers constantly blew, providing relief from mosquitos and summer heat in equal order.
The outside of the building was relatively bare, the large two-story wooden building’s exterior painted white. Across the front and along the eaves of the windows, red silk drapes hung, giving the hall a festive air. Large banner scrolls were placed on either side of the main doors, announcing the auction to one and all.
A large crowd had gathered around the hall—mostly commoners in the lower ranks of Body Cleansing cultivation and their children. They milled about, pointing and murmuring words of awe and wonder as they spotted the cultivators who entered the building.
As Wu Ying walked through the crowd with his friends, he overheard the conversations all about him.
“Look at him, Mama. He’s got such a great big beard!”
“Who’s the red-faced man? Is that bandit Cho?”
“I think so. But he’s not a bandit anymore, so don’t use that title. He’s in the middle stages of Energy Storage and could squash us like bugs!”
“Is that the Blistering Axes? I hear their men are really manly. If you know what I mean…”
“Ah Liu!”
“It’s true!”
“Look at that sword, I bet it’s enchanted.”
“That’s the Eight Flower Spear. I hear it was given to Elder Gan’s direct disciple. What was his name… Li? Lee? Liu?”
As they made their way deeper into the crowd, a silence fell over the nearby individuals as they caught sight of Fairy Yang. They would stare, many men not even daring to breathe as they drank in the rare beauty among them. Yet none of them dared to make a move, the subtle hint of her killing intent, the pressure from her aura denying any crass action at the pain of death.
In this silence and a slowly growing murmur behind their backs, Wu Ying and the expedition entered the auction hall. Guards, including a familiar face, stood before the main entrances, checking invitations before allowing the cultivators within. Fairy Yang, who proffered her invitation, was waved in without hesitation, Zhong Shei not even bothering to glance at her invitation.
“Elder Yang, your booth will be on the second floor.” Zhong Shei gestured within, glancing at the crowd and at Wu Ying before he continued. “I can send one of my men to show you the way, if you wish.”
“You wouldn’t want to do it yourself?” Fa Yuan said, her voice dropping in register and growing husky. Wu Ying could almost swear that she batted her eyelashes at his friend.
Zhong Shei gulped, straightened his back, and shook his head. “I would be honored. But I have my duty.” He turned and looked at the other guards, spotting how each of them was silently vying for the honor and privilege of spending more time with the Elder. “Senior guard Yun could show you the way.”
Wu Ying’s lips twitched, for the female guard called upon beamed.
Unfortunately, her interest was crushed moments later as Fa Yuan spoke. “It is fine. I know my way there.”
Having said her piece, Fa Yuan swept through the room, leaving Wu Ying and company to hurry after. He could only cast one last glance back at his friend to glimpse Zhong Shei wiping his face as he consoled the unlucky female guard.
A few quick steps took Wu Ying toward his martial sister’s side, allowing him to speak with her and still stay half a step behind as was proper. “Why did you tease Zhong Shei?”
“Perhaps I was interested in him?” Fa Yuan said. At Wu Ying’s narrowing of his eyes, she smiled. “I was curious to see the kind of man you had made friends with.”
“Oh.”
They ascended the wooden stairs and turned down the hallway. He absently offered bows and greetings to the various Elders they passed, mimicking his fellow cultivators.
It was only when they stepped into their private room that Wu Ying asked, “And what did you think?”
In reply, Fa Yuan smiled.
Wu Ying sighed, knowing his martial sister was unlikely to answer him. She got into these moods at times, when she tried to play enigmatic teacher and came off as an annoying older sister instead. Or perhaps that was what she was going for. It wasn’t as if he had an older sister to compare to. Rather than pursue the matter, he surveyed their room.
The viewing box that extended from the room was not large, with barely enough space to cram in the half dozen chairs required to fit all the members of the Verdant Green Waters Sect. Soft curtains and a single painting of a standing white crane added to the ambience of the room, while the lone table hosted a tea set, the rising steam from the pot of water indicating its recent addition to the room.
Tou Hei moved toward the tea set, beginning his practice and brewing the provided refreshment. The only other mildly amusing addition was the set of placards in the room to indicate the auction number they had been allocated.
Moving toward the balcony, Wu Ying looked at the hall below. Even a half hour before the auction was scheduled to begin, the hall was teaming with cultivators. A push of his senses allowed Wu Ying to sense the widely mixed chi below. Too much chi, too many overlapping auras hid everything from his senses at first. There was no way for him to pick out individuals. Not easily. So he settled for trying to spot faces that he knew.
Individuals moved around the hard benches that ringed the stage, offering seating on the ground floor for the majority. Most of those below were wandering cultivators and the smaller sects unable to acquire one of the limited viewing boxes on the second floor. To Wu Ying’s left, a mezzanine floor provided additional seating for the poor and the curious, while independent viewing boxes, set on the second floor and separated by wooden walls and silk curtains, gave the Sect Elders privacy and a view of the auction itself.
“Do you see them?” Fa Yuan said to Wu Ying as she joined him at the edge of the balcony. With practiced ease, she ignored the pointed fingers, the inclined heads that turned toward their box at her appearance.
“Who?” Then Wu Ying finally turned his head to view the viewing boxes directly opposite them. He spotted his assailants, the members of the Heavenly Lake Sect. The Elder was looking at them, glaring at the pair with undisguised distaste. “Do you expect problems?”
“Problems? Certainly. Violence? No,” Fa Yuan said. She tapped her finger against the wooden bannister, long nails drumming slightly in nervousness. “But it is always worthwhile paying attention. Trouble can arise from directions you least expect.”
Taking his martial sister’s words to heart, Wu Ying turned his gaze away from the known problems to continue searching for others that might cause issues. More than once, he spotted cultivators staring at them, regarding their box with jealousy, lust, or avarice. But he also spotted a number of guards from the auction house and the city guards. A few minutes before the auction was to begin, even Zhong Shei arrived, standing at the back doors as they closed.
The chime of a small metal gong, set just below the stage, drew the attention of the crowd. It signaled the imminent start of the auction and cultivators hurried to take their seats. A couple of brief scuffles broke out between wandering cultivators as they attempted to acquire the same resting spot. They were dealt with by the guards via harsh words and threats of being rejected.
The second chime indicated the true start of the auction. From the back of the stage, an older man walked out, flanked by two stout and muscular individuals. Rath
er than the long, coiled hair of the people of Wei, these were northerners who had shorn their hair to their shoulders and woven it into a single knot. Both wore metal scalemail armor, and each held a large, unsheathed sword.
For all their visible menace, it was the older man Wu Ying paid attention to. Instinct had Wu Ying focus his senses on him, searching for a reading. In a few seconds, he leaned over to speak to his martial sister. “I cannot sense his aura at all.”
“True.”
From that simple answer, Wu Ying drew a rather dire prediction. That old man, with his long white whiskers and simple brown and black robes, was at least at the top end of Core cultivation. More than that, as Wu Ying stared at him, he noted how the old man was perfectly balanced, how he’d automatically spread his weight across both feet, and his gaze rested on the crowd with simple assurance. He had no fear of potential violence. At least, not violence conducted against him.
It would take true bravado to launch an attack here. While most of the auction house guards were at the upper ends of Body Cleansing, there were a few Energy Storage cultivators. And deeper in the building, Wu Ying could feel the quiet, steady strength of at least another Core cultivator. Perhaps two. As he watched the back curtains, his eyes widened as he noted the magistrate’s daughter peeking out, her eyes sweeping over the crowd before she stepped back behind the curtain.
“August personages and great Elders, I would like to extend Magistrate Song’s and my gratitude for your attendance at the first spirit cultivation auction of Hinma. As you may know, the midlands of the State of Shen have long been missing such a gathering, and it was only with the wisdom and bravery of the magistrate that this matter was viable.” The old man’s voice carried to the far reaches of the auction hall with ease.