A Thousand Li

by Tao Wong

  “Yes. I extend my deepest apologies. We will stop immediately.” Er Gu hesitated, hands clutched in front of him such that his fingernails had turned white. “There is no vendetta?”

  Wu Ying glared at Er Gu, watching him pale further, before he eventually shook his head. “Just keep it off.”

  With the group in agreement, Wu Ying stalked away to find a quiet place to calm down. Standing under the eaves of a tree a short distance away, he forced himself to breathe, to accept the pain that throbbed in his head, to forget his anger. It was what it was and getting upset over someone else being greedy was like being upset at a child for stealing sweets. It might make Wu Ying feel better, but raging would not change the others’ behavior. Better to put the sweets high above where the child could not access them.

  Long minutes passed while Yu Kun and Er Gu picked at the cores, butchering a few of the animals for sustenance as well. Wu Ying breathed, settling the pain. Eventually he felt a presence near him and opened his eyes.

  “I didn’t know it was that bad.” Tou He stood beside Wu Ying, a water bottle in hand. He took a sip before offering the bottle to Wu Ying.

  Taking it, Wu Ying drank a mouthful, wetting his lips before he raised his hand and rolled up his sleeve. On his forearm, crossing over the front and back, was a palm-sized discoloration. It looked like an old birthmark, a three-day old bruise that had risen from the bone itself.

  “Ugly.” Tou He cocked his head. “Is there anything…”

  “No. We just need to find a proper manual to help cleanse my body. To stop the growing damage,” Wu Ying said.

  His friend smiled tightly then clapped Wu Ying on the shoulder. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  ***

  Er Gu left them in the city of Pingwu, staying only long enough to ensure that they had traded in the spirit stones that could not be easily divisible and that his share was recorded by the branch office Sect administrator. After that, he bade them goodbye with unseemly haste.

  During the half day before the rest were to depart, Wu Ying stayed in the branch office’s cultivation room, resting. When the group returned and they all traipsed to the boat, they regaled Wu Ying with the sights they had seen.

  A boat would take them to the headquarters of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect in the shortest possible time. In fact, the team had traveled in a slight curve to end up in Pingwu so that they could take the boat downriver, rather than traveling by horse across multiple watery obstructions. As with most travel in the State of Shen, with its many rivers and canals, the quickest route was not always the most direct.

  Unsurprisingly, the short distance between the sect and its main trading city was completed in an entirely uneventful fashion. The ship was even stopped twice by mixed patrols of city guards and cultivators, all of whom waved the group on after a quick inspection of their travel permits and sect tokens.

  It was a rainy, late afternoon when the group caught sight of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect for the first time. Unlike the Verdant Green Waters Sect, the Double Soul, Double Body Sect had established their headquarters upon an island located in the middle of a small lake. The entire city was spaced on the sloping hill that comprised the island.

  The sect itself consisted of a half-dozen large buildings that started a few streets away from the harbor, each of them four or five stories tall, and a single dominating pagoda-like tower in the center with multiple smaller buildings between each of the major sect buildings. On the northernmost portion of the island, the cultivation residences of the sect’s Elders lay in almost entirely untouched wilderness.

  For all its smaller size, the sect was impressive in its elegant beauty and security. Two different curtain walls surrounded the sect buildings, one blocking the outer portion of the sect from the mundane city that spanned the entirety of the harbor. The second wall blocked off a few more elaborate buildings, including the tall tower that dominated the cityscape. The tall, columned building, with its multiple roofs and balconies, was sheathed in gold and red paint, with a carved dragon ascending the tower on the outside.

  As they grew closer, Wu Ying realized that the pagoda and island itself had seemed deceptively small in the rain. The tower was at least fifteen floors tall, while the other large buildings were each five or six at least. Wu Ying raised a thumb to gauge the tower’s relative size, rain dripping from the woven bamboo hat he wore and wetting his sleeves.

  “That’s the library,” Tou He said. “And elemental guide.”

  “Elemental guide?” Wu Ying said.

  Tou He opened his mouth to answer, rain dripping down his bald and bare face, only to be interrupted by Wan Yan. The young cultivator held a simple umbrella above her head, the stained red and white, oiled paper keeping the water off her cold, elegant form.

  “Do you know nothing?” Wan Yan said, shaking her head. “Even a fool should pay more attention to what his Master arranges for him.” Her lips curled up in a sneer, she continued. “To help guide their members—and guests—the Double Soul, Double Body Sect built the Four Cardinal Directions, Five Element Soul formation. When a cultivator steps within the formation, it will show the cultivator his true elemental and cultivation leanings.”

  Wu Ying rolled his eyes a little. He knew that, though his Master had used another term when they had discussed that matter. Instead, he asked a question he had never asked of his Master. “Why don’t all sects have such a formation?”

  Wan Yan sniffed in disdain, not bothering to answer.

  Yu Kun, seated a short distance away from the group under an awning with a straw hat like Wu Ying’s, called out, “That entire tower is the formation. Just its construction could beggar the majority of sects. And while the Verdant Green Waters could do it, the cost of powering the formation is a single demon spirit stone of Core strength. For each use.”

  Wu Ying’s eyes widened. Considering it took either a whole team of Energy Storage cultivators or a single Core Formation Elder to kill a demon beast at the Core stage, those spirit stones were uncommon in quantity.

  “Fool,” Wan Yan muttered.

  A shake of Wu Ying’s head woke his headache again, making it throb. A reminder of his aching body as the boat rocked in unsettled waves sent sharp shards of pain through his feet. He breathed, watching as they neared their destination at last.

  Under the creak of sails and the gentle splash of falling rain, their boat drifted closer under the guidance of the sailors. They moved around the cultivators with ease, carrying them to their destination, along with the cargo, which consisted of the general sundry items a sect needed. Rice, oil, paper, fresh vegetables, cloth, and other mundane things that made life comfortable.

  As much as the sects, the jianghu tried to separate itself from the mundane world around it by drawing a line between martial politics and the mundane world, though they failed consistently. Cultivators were little use in creating the luxuries and necessities of life and were forced by simple demand to interact with the mortal world. This created an uneasy mix of politics and power as governments strove to contain the power of the sects, while needing their very strength and knowledge.

  In other kingdoms, like the State of Cai, the sects ran the kingdom, not even deigning to bother with a king. Such actions were rare, however, due to the inherent contradiction with the path of cultivation. Temporal power—no matter how great—was often in direct conflict with the daos cultivators undertook to study.

  Balance, that was at the heart of the Dao. Learning to be part of nature and not just stand within it, functioning within the rules of society, yet not being bound by them, destroying when attacked, nurturing in repose.

  Watching the rain-soaked city slide closer, Wu Ying breathed in and exhaled, striving to find balance within his own soul and body. Striving to find healing where there was only destruction.

  ***

  The team was quick to disembark, bidding the captain farewell as the crew scrambled to tie off the boat properly and begin unloading
their cargo. Wu Ying waved before descending the gangplank to spot a waiting Elder and his pair of apprentices. One of the apprentices stood with a small folio in hand, while the other held a large parasol to cover the Elder from the light rain.

  On solid ground once more, Wu Ying approached the middle-aged gentleman, in his light orange outer robes with purple edging, and bowed low. Beneath, the man wore a cream-colored inner robe that set off his outer robes well. The Elder’s eyes flicked over Wu Ying, a slight crease between his brows appearing as it stopped on Wu Ying’s hat and large backpack.

  The Elder greeted them all, inclining his head as he took in their respectful bows. “I am the Hall of Visitors Elder, Huang De Ze.”

  “We are honored that the esteemed Elder has come to greet us himself,” Wan Yan spoke for the group. She then proceeded to introduce the group by name and rank.

  “Welcome to the Double Soul, Double Body Sect. Your arrival has been expected. We can begin with a short tour of the sect itself or, if you desire, you may set your belongings aside first.” He looked at Wu Ying who, of them all, carried the largest amount of luggage. Between his gathering and the limits of his small storage ring, he had quite the backpack.

  Well, theoretically he could have stored the backpack in his World Spirit Ring but remembering the cautionary words that Elder Li had passed on, Wu Ying felt better not showcasing that particular piece of equipment.

  Wan Yan glared at Wu Ying, then turned back to Elder Huang. “We would be grateful to store our contents first.”

  The Elder gestured to one of his apprentices, the young lady dressed in form-fitting robes that had the reversed coloration of the Elder’s robes, purple with orange trimming. It was a bad series of colors on her, making her pale skin look sickly rather than untouched. “Cultivator Hou will show you the way and inform me when you are ready.”

  Having said his piece, Elder Huang walked off with the other apprentice, leaving the group to regard Cultivator Hou. The moment she left the protection of Elder Huang’s umbrella, she gestured to retrieve her own. Once it was properly deployed, she bowed and gestured for them to follow as she led them deeper into the city. They walked along the rain-slicked cobblestone main street, past the numerous buildings that made up the harbor section of the city, their heads swiveling to take in the new sights.

  “Why were you hiding beneath the awning if you can do that?” Wu Ying inquired of Yu Kun, whose aura was shedding the rain, keeping it from touching his clothing and hat.

  “I don’t like exerting myself when I don’t need to, and my control isn’t perfect.” Yu Kun wiped a finger along his robes, showcasing the occasional drop that had fallen upon it.

  Wu Ying bit his lip, forcing himself not to comment that Yu Kun would only get better with practice. After all, his friend was older and more experienced. He knew that as much as Wu Ying did. Instead, Wu Ying turned his attention to the city.

  The harbor section of the sect was an interesting mixture of restaurants, numerous merchant houses selling sundry goods—wine, tea, clothing, ink and paper and even books—as well as apothecarist and blacksmith stores. The last two were run, to Wu Ying’s surprise, by outer sect cultivators, with the occasional inner sect cultivator lounging or working further within. Or at least, Wu Ying assumed they were sect cultivators, considering the coloration of their robes and the auras he sensed.

  Their guide called back, her voice startlingly deep for a female, “Our sect feels it better benefits our members to conduct commerce themselves directly with our numerous guests. In fact, it is often recommended that guests browse the shops. I understand they have found numerous… deals… before.”

  Curious that, since merchants were often considered even lower than peasants in social standing. Asking cultivators to act as merchants was unusual at best, eccentric at worst. Then again, this entire sect was unusual.

  Tou He, his robes damp and grinning at the rain, nodded. “So I’ve heard. But I have little use for weapons.”

  “And pills?”

  Tou He inclined his head toward the tower. “We will see, won’t we?”

  Cultivator Hou smiled thinly, going on to point out various sections of the sect as they walked past. It was an abortive tour, since she only gestured at the largest buildings, many of them familiar to Wu Ying in function, if not design. The sect had all the familiar functional buildings like the assignment hall, the apothecarist guild where herbs were being purchased and sold, and communal food halls.

  The architectural designs of each building were subtly different, though most showcased the pillar and packed earthen wall architecture that made up the majority of the buildings in the state. However, the choices in paint, in carved designs on wooden posts were different, featuring a wide variety of animals and spirit beasts, unlike the Verdant Green Waters’ more nature-based edging.

  Due to the weather that day, there were few enough pedestrians on the streets and almost no roadside stalls. Those sect members Wu Ying spotted were starkly varied in their strengths. Outer sect cultivators were often in the lower stages of Body Cultivation, but almost all the Energy Storage cultivators exuded the aura of powerful, high-level Energy Storage cultivators. Those in between were rare.

  In short order, they were led to a multi-story guest house where waiting outer sect cultivators led the group to their respective rooms. Alone at last, Wu Ying set his bag in a corner and verified that the contents were well before he changed out of his current robes. It would not do to keep wearing the same damp robes, especially as the weather was finally clearing.

  Cleaned and dressed, Wu Ying hesitated at putting on his hat but finally ignored it. He was certain he could acquire an umbrella, a much more refined way of keeping off the rain. One day, he promised himself again, he’d get back to working on his aura umbrella to shroud himself from the rain. One day when he was not busy.

  ***

  The guided tour through the Double Soul, Double Body Sect was—in essence—familiar to Wu Ying. There was the practical aspect of the tour—showing the group where specific buildings they would need could be located, like the kitchens, places to trade in acquired goods and materials—and there was the propaganda aspect, where the Elder impressed upon the visiting cultivators the greatness of the sect.

  “And this is the fountain dedicated to our sixth Patriarch, Patriarch Han Le Xin of the Seven Winds Body, who achieved a Nascent Soul at the age of forty-three.” Elder Huang gestured at the fountain. “The carvings—made by Master Xe—depict the various stages of Patriarch Han’s journey to immortality.”

  The group muttered their quiet wonder. As Elder Huang paused to allow them to peruse the fountain, Wu Ying walked around it, raising an eyebrow as he spotted the fanciful carvings, ones that depicted the Patriarch’s martial exploits, his training on high mountain passes, and finally, his ascent to Nascent Soul stage by dancing through the lightning that came for him.

  “Seven Winds?” Wu Ying said, frowning. There were only four major winds he knew of, one for each cardinal point.

  “Yes,” Elder Huang said, answering Wu Ying’s question. “The Patriarch had the rare elemental body of wind. He was well-known for his ability to slip through the most numerous of attacks, once even facing off against a dozen enemy Elders. He could not be hit when he fought, so subtle were his movements, so graceful was his control of his body.”

  Wu Ying stared at the carvings that depicted the mighty battle. It would be a wonder, it really would, to be able to dodge attacks rather than absorb them with his body. Certainly, he’d be less injured if he learnt to do that. Perhaps an inspiration that he should take.

  “Now, this way…” Elder Huang gestured, leading them up the street.

  They had to pass through the second curtain wall, pausing only long enough to receive a visitor token before they continued their journey with the Elder nattering on. As they traveled up the damp streets, little rivulets of water flowed down small roadside channels to bring the rainwater to the harbor. />
  As they stepped into the square surrounding the tower, the last of the clouds parted. Just in time for them to catch full sight of the tower that dominated its surroundings. On closer inspection, the dragon that climbed the tower was plated in gold scales that seemed almost to move in the newly revealed sunlight. The sunlight, shifting in the light wind that blew constantly, made the scales ripple, creating the illusion that the dragon carving was a living creature.

  This close, Wu Ying’s senses thrummed. He felt the energy the tower contained, the way chi flowed toward it. He smelled the natural and altered chi being drawn toward the building, flowing in a subtle fashion along the dragon carving to rise to the top before plunging deep within the tower itself.

  Wu Ying squinted, applying the chi sight exercise. Elder Huang had stopped at the edge of the square, allowing the group to marvel at the sect’s greatest achievement. That gave Wu Ying more than enough time to apply his technique, to see the swirl of the many-colored chi that surrounded the building. More than that, he noticed the gleaming enchanted marks on the scales of the dragon, a single enchanted word on each tiny scale.

  Even if the entire tower was not active, it drew and warped the environment it sat upon. To Wu Ying’s senses and added to his understanding of formations, he knew that its presence disrupted the natural flow of chi. Anywhere close to the tower and throughout the island would make cultivation of herbs difficult. Care would need to be taken to create natural blocking formations to offset this tower, while herbs would have to be grown to replace the lost chi.

  Spirit Grass to the north, aligned for fire.

  Maybe a stand of Seven Leaf Ash in the east. No… better to use Metal-Leafed Maple. That was hardier, and its sap could be used in the ground to the south, where they would need to add a water feature. A swamp plant there…

  “Wu Ying.” Yu Kun’s voice and gentle nudge of an elbow broke the ex-farmer from his thoughts.