Crown of the Starry Sky: Book 11 of Painting the Mists

by Patrick Laplante

  “Did you enjoy the party?” his father asked as Wei Longshen retrieved a flask of wine his father kept to the side. The younger man poured them each a glass. It was deep red, and only mildly intoxicating.

  “I had pleasant company,” Wei Longshen replied. “A friend came to visit.”

  “I counted two friends,” Patriarch Wei said.

  “Mi Fei has been my good friend since we were children,” Wei Longshen replied. “Her visiting is hardly unusual.”

  “No more than that?” asked his father.

  “You know as well as I that she definitely should be,” Wei Longshen answered. “With your permission, I would restore the engagement.”

  His father sighed. “We’ve been over this, my son. It is not appropriate to renew the engagement.”

  “Was it appropriate to cancel it in the first place?” Wei Longshen asked.

  His father pursed his lips. “It wasn’t. I admit that. But you need not mention this again, as two wrongs don’t make a right. It would be an embarrassment to both our family and to hers to continue this spectacle. I’m sorry, my son.” He looked away and inspected one of the room’s many paintings—the only luxury the man seemed to indulge in.

  “It is said that Mi Fei is very talented,” Wei Longshen said. “Surely she would bring great benefit to our family?” He could talk about love until he was blue in the face, but that would never move the iron man.

  “If we proposed another engagement, the others would disrespect us for pursuing power and opportunity,” Patriarch Wei replied. “The official reason for the engagement when it was settled was that her father and I share a deep and lasting friendship. The official reason for the dissolution of that same engagement was the ill health of his daughter, and his concerns, as her father, that it would be unwise to proceed with the wishes of old men given her ill health.”

  “Her health is better now,” Wei Longshen said. “Besides, everyone knows that was to save face on both sides.” On the Mi Clan’s side, it was to avoid speaking of their talented daughter’s disastrous fall.

  “And that is precisely why we must consider both the unofficial and official reasons instead of trying to resume things when the situation changes,” Patriarch Wei said. “There’s no need to keep trying, Longshen. Just focus on the future.” His eyes flickered to the door. “Speaking of which, did you get a chance to meet the Cao Clan’s young daughter?”

  Ah. He should have known. Wei Longshen cleared his throat. “She did make her interests known. Cao Wenluan was with her. He was just as forceful as they make him out to be.”

  “He’s also a very active young man,” Patriarch Wei said disapprovingly. “His father should have instructed him better. A man should not have more than one wife and three concubines. Nevertheless, he is quite influential for his age. No more than fifty, and already a half step into the Rune Gathering and Muscle Empowering Realms. It would be nice to get into his good graces given the current political climate.”

  “He made his disdain for me quite clear,” Wei Longshen said.

  “And I’m sure you showed the appropriate amount of deference while still upholding our family’s honor,” Patriarch Wei said. “As you were taught.” He interlocked his fingers and leaned forward on his desk. “Now tell me. What did you think of Cao Shufen?”

  “She is ambitious,” Wei Longshen said cautiously. “She is also talented. A wonderful prize for any family to rope in. Combined with your assessment of the Cao family, it would be beneficial to form a marriage alliance. Perhaps it would be wise to maneuver for one of my brothers to court her.”

  “You are right in your assessment, of course,” Patriarch Wei said. “You were taught well. But you should know what I’m insinuating by now, and you should also know her family’s intentions.”

  “I thought I made it quite clear that I desire for you to reinstate my engagement with Mi Fei,” Wei Longshen said. “Whose clan, might I add, is a historical ally. They are also a great clan, despite the relative power of the Cao Clan. Besides, it would be cruel to let her down.” He winced as the last words came out.

  “I won’t be called cruel by my own son,” Patriarch Wei said, a little too loudly. He took a deep breath and toned it down a little. “You are my son, and as such, you have certain duties to consider.”

  “That is the only reason I did not outright refuse the girl,” Wei Longshen said. “But you know where my heart lies. How can I, in good conscience, court another woman? It would be unfair—to both her and Mi Fei.” And himself as well, if that even mattered.

  “It is our family’s good fortune that you’ve attracted the Cao Clan’s attention,” Patriarch Wei said. “She wouldn’t even consider your brothers, so don’t even try such a thing. You will show due respect for her feelings and oblige her when she wants to meet. You will be a complete gentleman. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Clear as glass,” Wei Longshen said stiffly. “Though I once again urge you to reconsider.”

  “You are determined, which speaks well to your upbringing,” Patriarch Wei said. “Unfortunately, we’re out of time.” He nodded to the clock. “If you wish to speak again about important matters, please make an appointment. Do not bother me with trivial nonsense.”

  “Naturally,” Wei Longshen replied with a light bow. “Until next time.” He turned around and left his father’s office.

  Buildings and streetlights blurred as Mi Fei and her family flew back home. Her sisters—cousins, really—rode in the ships before and behind her. Only Xiao Bai kept her company in her personal carriage. She was the powerful white-haired demon her family tolerated but clearly didn’t welcome. A protector for their prized talent.

  Wei Longshen was happy to see you, Xiao Bai said. Despite what little he said.

  His family kept him preoccupied, Mi Fei replied. As always. She sighed. Her own family had done much of the same.

  Xiao Bai shrugged. You can’t have everything you want, I guess. The food was good.

  You always worry about the food, don’t you? Mi Fei said. Then she smiled, remembering the flicker of joy she’d seen when the young fox had appeared. At least you got to have fun. What was his name again? Lord Eight Directions?

  Lord, my fuzzy butt, Xiao Bai grumbled. Huxian is a nice kid, don’t get me wrong, but it’s nothing more than that. He’s fun to hang out with. He’s a Godbeast, you know, which means he’s one of the few demons that doesn’t crap his pants holding a conversation with me.

  It must be nice to have someone honest to speak to, Mi Fei said. Lady White nodded. Or at least someone to treat her normally.

  Since Mi Fei’s return to her family, she’d been treated anything but normal. Sure, there had been the initial phase where everyone thought she was still helpless, and a few of the family juniors came knocking on her door to cause her trouble. She’d beaten them half to death, then dared anyone to try likewise. The bullying and disrespect had ceased overnight.

  Now, she was greeted almost entirely with smiles. They were plentiful, willingly given, and above all else, fake. Mi Fei couldn’t stand the sycophants that surrounded her. Even now, as her clan sisters exited their ships and waved amiably at her, all she could see was falsehood. The guards greeted her with bows of fake respect, and so did the servants. The few full clansmen they passed greeted her with the same old masks they’d worn in her childhood.

  Even the elders nodded at her with undue respect. It was unnerving. Annoying. Her parents were no less guilty. As she entered the manor, her mother made an appearance, giving her a forced hug and an overdose of false affection. Mi Fei returned the hug, if not the false warmth.

  Pleasantries completed, she proceeded directly to her quarters, ignoring her surroundings completely. She only stopped when she noticed a robed figure sitting on a wall not far from her dwelling place. As the number one talent of the family, her personal courtyard was adjacent to the sparring grounds. Daoist Burning Sword would instruct her at will, even abandoning other charges to offer her impr
omptu lessons.

  “You’re looking a little glum,” greeted Daoist Burning Sword. He was drinking wine in the moonlight. Though the man didn’t have a false bone in his body, he did have an eye for deception. Mi Fei simply smiled, and the man raised an eyebrow. “A fake smile? From you?”

  “I can’t have a permanent scowl plastered across my face, Sword Master,” Mi Fei said. “I hear I’ll get all kinds of wrinkles.”

  “Transcendents don’t get wrinkles,” her sword instructor replied. He nodded to the training square. “I’ve got nobody lined up. Care to work out some aggression?”

  “You noticed my urge to stab someone?” Mi Fei asked. “Why not? Xiao Bai, why don’t you—” She barely caught a white blur as the Jade Rabbit disappeared, likely toward the kitchens. The Jade Rabbit never liked training. “Never mind.” She drew her sword. It was long and flexible, and it gleamed in the moonlight.

  “Ladies first,” Daoist Burning Sword said with a mocking bow. His sword was still fastened to his waist. Mi Fei knew better than to underestimate him, so she attacked. She drew her sword and used the momentum to stab at his chest.

  He replied in kind, drawing his own sword and using it to deflect hers at the last moment. It was a dangerous thing to do, but drawing your sword could generate quite a bit of momentum. He easily parried her blow, and his sword glowed red like a burning brand.

  Burning Swordsman’s Flashing Draw, she thought, recalling the name of the technique. She countered with Silverlake Parry. The blade master followed up on his failed attack, stepping in and forcing Mi Fei on the defensive with Flames Scratch the Sky. Mi Fei countered with introductory techniques she’d learned well before she even started cultivating. Now that she had control over domain and qi, she could use them as they were intended. Searing Sun became Crescent Moon, which in turn became Tripping Rush. They blended together easily, effortlessly, countering the blade master’s sharp but biting crescent strike.

  “Let’s step it up a notch,” the blade master said, stepping back to give her room to breathe. His presence changed. Though the blade master fought in close quarters, he wasn’t a body cultivator. His domain, which he kept at the same level as hers, remained compressed to fit a very small area. It was to better concentrate his power, he said. He imbued concepts into every strike. His techniques weren’t mere introductory ones, but the more advanced versions he’d been trying to teach her, which made this just another attempt at teaching her what she didn’t want to learn.

  Work out some aggression? This is as bad as hiding vegetables in the desert, Mi Fei thought. It was always like this with her instructor. She sighed and gathered Grandmist on the floor. The floor became slippery like ice, and crystals began to grow from it. The nice thing about Grandmist was that it was the most flexible material in existence. It could be gaseous when you wanted it to be, and even liquid or solid. She channeled watery strength in her blade as her feet skated over the ice.

  Daoist Burning Sword frowned. “That one’s new. I don’t think it’s a technique I taught you.”

  “I made it up,” Mi Fei said. Their swords collided, and due to her momentum and his unstable footwork, she was able to force him back, but not before he snuck in a clean strike to her throat, drawing a nick of blood in the process. If he’d wanted to, he could have lopped her head off then and there.

  “Work on it, then,” he said. “Also, newer isn’t necessarily better. It looks like you crossed Sleet Steps with the Seven Waves Sword Style.”

  “And Shore-Shattering Onslaught,” Mi Fei said, shrugging. “Like I said, I made it up.”

  “Then where was the onslaught?” Daoist Burning Sword asked. He began pressing her again, and before long, she was on the defensive. He unleashed one technique after another. Burning Song became Lashing Flame Blade, which transitioned into a fiery imitation of Shattered Mountain. In response, she combined the mists as she deemed fit, though once again, she lost out.

  Techniques. Why do I even need techniques when I have this? She erupted with power, and her Grandmist domain activated. It completely engulfed Burning Sword’s domain. The blade master’s movements grew sluggish. He was trapped in misty quicksand and unable to breathe. Meanwhile, she was like a fish in the water. She pierced with her mist-coated blade at his unguarded abdomen. She was just about to make contact when suddenly, Daoist Burning Sword exploded with power. A burning world projection appeared and completely burned away her Grandmist domain. She yelped as it singed her hair and burned away bits of her clothes.

  “That’s cheating,” Mi Fei muttered.

  Daoist Burning Sword raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to be a brute, I’ll do the same. I merely used the same amount of power that you did.”

  “That was way more,” she countered.

  “If that’s what you think, you have much to learn,” he said, then he sighed. “Show me your technique, Mi Fei. Let me help you. I can’t show you how to grow your domain. I can’t show you how to use your element. But at least I can help you with that. I know you can learn quickly.”

  She knew it too. The problem was, she just didn’t want to. What was the point in making something old when you could make something new? Something perfectly suited to the situation? “Why bother with all that technique when I can just overpower my opponents? Grandmist is flexible. Techniques aren’t.”

  “There are things you can’t overpower,” the blade master said. “Flexibility is one thing, but sloppiness is another. You’re sloppy, Mi Fei. You need practice.”

  Mi Fei shook her head and sheathed her sword. “It’s good enough for the Guard. Maybe another time.” She didn’t waste her breath on him. He wouldn’t understand. In truth, she hated structure. She hated rules. That was why, by extension, she hated techniques. What’s more, it was something he obsessed over. He wouldn’t train her without emphasizing them.

  “Let’s call it a day, shall we?” Daoist Burning Sword said, noticing her souring mood. “Just think on it. I can’t force you to do anything. I don’t want to force you.”

  Mi Fei sniffed. “You try to pull the same thing out of me every day.”

  “At least I’m honest about it,” the blade master said. He glanced back at the larger central manor. “That’s more than I can say about the others.”

  “I know,” Mi Fei said. “Just not today.”

  He shrugged. “You know the basics. If you set your mind to it, you’ll learn quickly.”

  “Thank you,” she said. She knew he meant well. He just didn’t realize how hard she had it every day.

  She bid the sword master good night and returned to her residence. It was a small courtyard in the family estate, completely private save for when a maid came by to clean. As usual, the place was spotless. There were snacks on the table in case she got hungry.

  Mi Fei sighed and plunged onto her plush bed. She was exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. What happened to freedom and adventure? Wasn’t power supposed to come with both of them? On a whim, she pulled out her camera and began flicking through images. There, she saw the wondrous things Xiao Bai had taken her to see. She missed the road. The adventure.

  She’d come back out of obligation. Mostly to Wei Longshen more than anything else. Now, her family was trying to nail her to the floorboards, and Wei Longshen was getting the runaround from his parents. She didn’t have to be here. She didn’t have to stay. She just doubted any of them realized it.

  Maybe I should take another mission and get out of town, Mi Fei thought. I’m running low on cultivation resources anyway. Though her family offered her plenty of them now, she refused to rely on them. She could provide for herself well enough, and what’s more, accepting their help would sow karma. She refused to owe them.

  “If you don’t want to rely on your family, there are other ways,” a voice said. Mi Fei sprang up from the bed and stood atop it, sword drawn. Her Grandmist domain instantly filled the room. On a small armchair near her bed sat a blue-robed man. He’d been reading in the darkness,
and she hadn’t noticed him until now.

  “Who are you?” she asked. “Why are you here?”

  He sighed and set aside his book. The man had inky-black hair and inky-black eyes. There was a dark-blue mark on his pale cheek. Was he human or demon? She saw signs of both paths on his person. Natural energies coexisted with her domain, but there was also a tiny bubble of heaven-and-earth energy surrounding him. Moreover, he was strong. An inviolable aura swirled around him and batted away her powers like an adult would the arms of a small child.

  “There’s no need for that,” he said, and without thinking, she banished her domain and put away her sword. “Sit,” he instructed, and she obediently sat on her bed. It wasn’t that she wanted to obey the man’s words but that they practically oozed authority. This man’s words were law. They were gospel. They had to be followed. She couldn’t stand or move even if she wanted to.

  She had many questions, but the most pressing came to her lips. “Who are you?”

  “You may call me Dao Lord Blackwater,” the man said. “I am the leader of the Inky Sea Sect.”

  “There is no Inky Sea Sect,” Mi Fei said. “Not anymore.” She’d learned about major powers in her family’s lessons. Over a thousand years ago, the Inky Sea Sect had reigned supreme, but now? None of its former glory remained.

  “Most people think so,” the man agreed. “But we exist, as you can clearly see. You can find my name if you do your homework.” He motioned to her room and smiled. “Lovely place you have here. Provided by your family, for your convenience.”

  “The reputation and face I gain them is payment enough for such a convenience,” Mi Fei said stiffly.

  “Indeed,” the man replied. “I admire that about you. You do not want to be beholden to anyone. You are brave and free-spirited. But more importantly…” His figured blurred, and before she knew it, he’d walked up to her and poked her in the solar plexus. She barely had time to register the indignity. When he touched that spot, his fingers somehow found the private pocket in space that stored her runic core. They slid into it and touched it. “Ah. I’m sorry. I know this is terribly rude, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in person.”