by Tao Wong
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.” Elder 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, knowi
ng 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.
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[8] 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.
Sitting back, Wu Ying stared at the map, willing it to offer more clues, to make the harsh math of travel times different. When his wishes offered little succor, he put it all away and walked into his courtyard. If he had to leave soon, then it was time to focus on his cultivation and stop with the exercises. The middle of a war was not the time to be running low on chi.
***
Thankfully, Li Yao returned the next day. Wu Ying met her as she left the Assignment Hall, informed of her return via the speedy servant gossip network. Li Yao burst into a grin upon seeing him, the smile washing away the exhaustion he had glimpsed on her face. She skipped forward to meet him, but the smile disappeared as she noticed Wu Ying’s unusually serious mien.
“What is it?” she said.
Wu Ying brought her up to speed on his current predicament. She frowned as he spoke, growing more obviously pensive with each word.
When he finished speaking, Li Yao gripped his hand tightly. “Of course I’ll help. I’ll contact my parents immediately. They will do the best they can to make Lord Wen let your parents go.”
“No. That wasn’t what I wanted to speak to you about. I’m going to speak to Lord Wen myself,” Wu Ying said, squeezing back on her hand in reflex.
“That is not a good idea. If you come to him as you are, you have nothing to offer him. He’ll have all the advantages. You need to think about this properly.”
“Think about it? What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?” said Wu Ying, his tone brusque. “All I’ve been thinking of is my parents.”
Li Yao winced. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean it that way.”
“What way did you mean it?”
“I’m just trying to help you.”
Wu Ying heard the contrition in her voice, but it didn’t stop him from releasing her hand. “In what way did you mean it? All I asked of you was to help me on the expedition.”
All that worry, all that concern Wu Ying had had for Li Yao and his parents, all that stress burst out of him as she
questioned his judgment. What did she know? There was no time for her parents to talk to Lord Wen. Even if she could contact hers and they deigned to help her, it would be too late. It would take at least two weeks for her message to reach her parents and a similar amount of time for a reply to return. She just didn’t understand the timelines.
“I know what I’m doing!” he said.
“Don’t talk to me like that!” Li Yao said, her temper flaring as Wu Ying raised his voice at her.
“Then stop trying to put up obstacles. I don’t need you to do that.” Wu Ying threw up his hands in exasperation.
“Maybe you don’t need me at all!” Li Yao crossed her arms and stepped away from him.
When she did so, she looked about and noticed how they had drawn the attention of the other Sect members. Relationship drama was not uncommon, but it was always good theatre.
Wu Ying followed her gaze, spotting the gawking crowd. His stern gaze landed on an outer sect member who was watching the pair. Wu Ying’s lips curled up as he glared back, forcing the man to look away before scurrying down the path. Unfortunately, Wu Ying’s actions made Li Yao even more self-conscious, her fists clenching by her body.
“Maybe I don’t. Maybe you should just stay here. I’m sure I can handle it myself. He’s just another noble,” Wu Ying said.
“Like me?” Li Yao huffed. “Fine!”
She turned away and stalked off to her residence. Wu Ying watched her retreating back, already regretting the words he had said. All he wanted her to do was agree to come along. To help him. Not take over the assignment. Not to make suggestions over something she didn’t understand. But maybe he could have done better in how he said it. He had just been so worried about her. About his family and the situation there.
He shook his head and turned around, heading back to his own residence. As he walked, he ignored the looks shot at him, the shock that adorned a number of faces. Let them stare. He had more important things to do. Like informing the rest of the team that it was time to go.
