A Thousand Li

by Tao Wong

  There was a bare half dozen other worshippers, all facing the single monk who sat to the side of the room, perpendicular to the statues of the buddhas at the front of the temple. The monk was on a raised platform, seated on a yellow cushion and holding a small whisk, which he dipped into the bronze bowl of holy water before him. Following his friend’s actions, Wu Ying bowed his head, feeling the splash of water on his body as the monk chanted the morning prayers.

  The morning prayers were in a language Wu Ying did not understand. Instead of joining in, he allowed the chanting to wash over him, letting the drone of words become part of the background as he joined the group in meditation. For those who believed, this would be the time to meditate on the failings of humanity and themselves, to find solace and peace in the words and to approach the middle path further. For Wu Ying, he focused within, finding a moment of peace, allowing the wash of energy that gathered around the temple to pass through him without attempting to take it for himself.

  Not cultivating, just meditating. At times, finding moments of peace and consideration, of tranquility was just as important. He cleared his mind with each breath, allowing his accumulated worries and the ongoing aches to just exist, neither pondering them nor focusing on them, but allowing them to be.

  At first, it was difficult. The pain intruded on his focus, pulled at it and demanded he pay attention. His concerns over his failing health, the dark sect, finding a proper body cultivation manual, all of it demanded his attention. But the chant, the subtle twist of chi present in the air and guided by the monk helped to put Wu Ying in the right frame of mind, helped calm him.

  Each time he pushed his focus back to acceptance, it was easier. Each time he came back to just existing, it was faster. Eventually, he floated, existing rather than worrying. Each breath cleared a little more of the tension from his body.

  When the prayer session was over, Wu Ying found himself slowly coming back, his body a little less painful, his muscles less corded, his mind clearer. He breathed, centering himself in his body and the present once more. As he did so, he realized that concepts that had earlier evaded him in the body cultivation manuals had clarified themselves in his mind. He sat still, picking at the thoughts, running them through his mind and even sensing the flow of chi within his body as it reacted to his new understanding.

  Eventually, the moment of semi-enlightenment faded and he opened his eyes. Around him, another cultivator sat, his eyes still closed as chi swirled around him. The priest was gone from his spot, having migrated a distance away with Tou He.

  Wu Ying walked over to the pair, finding himself able to move easier. His muscles ached less, his mind a little clearer. He bowed to the Elder, offering his thanks.

  “No thanks are required. It is part of why I am here,” the Elder said. Like Tou He once before, the man wore the orange robes of a Buddhist monk and had a completely bald head. Around his neck were prayer beads and deep laugh lines were around his eyes.

  “Wu Ying, this is Elder Lai Ge Ming,” Tou He introduced the pair. “He is a monk from my previous temple who achieved some enlightenment in our path—”

  “Only a minor understanding.”

  “And was sent to the Double Soul, Double Body Sect at their request to aid their members in finding the middle path cultivation.” The ex-monk ignored the interruption with aplomb. “He is an Honorary Elder of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect. I have also informed him of our findings.”

  Wu Ying smiled at Tou He, grateful that he was willing to take ownership of the issue as well. It was obvious that Tou He had been informed of his ex-temple’s Elder for cases like this. Even if the monk had left, he was still an adherent and his Master in the temple was still looking out for him.

  In comparison, Wu Ying’s Master was lacking in such friends and contacts. What contacts he had were formal and transient. Fairy Yang had even informed Wu Ying that his Master would refuse to do business with the same individuals for too long for fear of creating strong karmic ties.

  It made both Wu Ying and Elder Yang’s acquisitions as students all the more puzzling. But threads of past lives and potential consequences were one of the things his Master was able to discern, and the few times Wu Ying had asked, it was this excuse he had been given. Whether it was true or not, Wu Ying had neither the ability nor inclination to probe.

  “Elder Lai, have you noticed anything?” Wu Ying asked.

  “No.” The Elder offered a half-smile. “But I spend much of my time in this temple. I do not mix with the other sect Elders much.” As Wu Ying worked on how to ask him to do so, the Elder offered a smile. “I will, of course, attempt to rectify that.”

  “If you change your behavior, they might be alerted,” Tou He said worriedly.

  “True. But I do, on occasion, visit the other Elders and attempt to encourage them toward moderation in their actions.”

  Preaching, Wu Ying translated in his head.

  “It has been a while since I have done that. I’m sure they’ll be grateful to see me again.” Again, that smile, this time in good humor at what he probably knew was a lie. Elder Lai looked at Tou He and smiled. “I could say that your presence has reminded me of my own failings, if asked.”

  “It seems that the Elder has thought things through,” Wu Ying said, bowing to the monk.

  Elder Lai laughed. “Not at all. Such conspiracies are not at all what I am used to. But the dark sects are a danger to everyone, a stain upon the skein of dharma. It is best to cut them off when one can.” He tapped his chin. “I shall also inform a few others that I trust to watch. It is possible that what we seek might be in areas that even I am not allowed to enter.”

  The pair of young cultivators nodded, and the three of them fell into a deeper discussion of what they should do. Tou He had his own reading to complete, and Wu Ying had to spend time not only gathering contribution points but working out his best cultivation method. As outsiders, they would be watched and limited in how much they could do.

  The last thing they agreed upon was a method to communicate with one another. A simple series of talismans was handed to them, yellow marks that would allow them to communicate a desire to meet or for urgent help.

  Once that was over, the pair were sent away to finish their tasks. Tou He had his visit to the tower to attend and Wu Ying a belated trip to the apothecarist guild. As they left, Wu Ying caught sight of the Elder walking over to the last cultivator, who slowly woke from his moment of enlightenment.

  ***

  “And you gathered these items all yourself?” the senior attendant at the apothecarist hall said, looking over the array of herbs and plants Wu Ying had dropped off.

  The cultivator had gathered much of it over the course of his trip, with some having been secreted in his World Spirit Ring. Still, for the most part, the herbs in his ring needed time to grow, leaving him forced to search for wild herbs. For now, at least. He looked forward to the day when he could provide directly from his World Spirit Ring.

  Wu Ying nodded to the lady who picked up another herb, turning the cut branch over in her hand, disregarding the liquid that dripped down her fingers.

  “Why did you put them all in different bottles?” she asked then pointed at another opened bottle vase, a mixture of plants in it. “And not that one?”

  “The requirements for optimal care varies. Some will last, and are even better, stored as cuttings like this. But they require different amounts of chi and ratios of water and sustenance, so multiple bottles are the best method.” Wu Ying gestured toward the paired plants. “The autumn sprig and the climbing northern ivy, on the other hand, complement one another. It’s better to store them together, since they will improve in potency in this way. Though they should be separated in a day or so.”

  The attendant’s eyes narrowed as Wu Ying spoke, continuing to relay the care he had taken with each cutting. She perused each of the herbs and plants, muttering to herself occasionally before she finished her circuit of the table.

>   “These are all well cared for. Some could be fresher.”

  Wu Ying shrugged, for it had been a long journey.

  “And some were dried out when we would have preferred them fresh”—a very long journey—“but overall, good quality. If lacking in rarity.”

  “Then you will be purchasing them all?” Wu Ying asked, his tone of voice a mixture between a query and a statement.

  “Of course. I was summoned here because it has been many years since we had a true Spiritual Herb Gatherer in the sect. While we have a few who dabble in the cultivation of spiritual herbs, none of them have significant skills. It has led to a marked scarcity in supplies.”

  Wu Ying nodded, curious as to where she was going with this conversation. Normally when one negotiated, you did not display your weaknesses. Not having spiritual gardeners and gatherers in the sect was definitely a weakness.

  “Are you able to care for rarer spiritual herbs?” the attendant asked.

  “Certainly, if they are available. I generally can care for herbs up to the equivalent Core level without an issue. Obviously the truly rare herbs and spiritual plants might be out of my reach or require deeper consultation of other works. If you provide me a list of what is required, I could look into the matter. The area around this city is a bit civilized, but there might still be herbs that can be found.”

  She nodded. “I’ll make sure to have that list compiled and sent to your residence. In addition, will you be willing to provide training?”

  Wu Ying frowned. “I am not certain that my Master would be accepting of that.”

  As a student of Elder Li, he had obligations to the information that she had imparted to him in confidence. Without her permission, he could not take on students of his own.

  “Nothing like that. As I said, the spiritual gardeners we have are less than competent. Even the most basic instruction would likely aid them.” The attendant smiled, leaning forward and inadvertently pressing her breasts together. She drew Wu Ying’s gaze down with the motion before he pulled his attention back to her pretty face. Only the slightest hint of a smile indicated she knew what she had done. “We will be quite willing to provide the contribution points.”

  “We?”

  “The apothecarist hall.” She gestured around herself. “It is difficult to improve even our basic skills when we lack even the most fundamental of ingredients on a daily basis. Without good quality ingredients, it is impossible to make good quality pills and potions.”

  Wu Ying nodded, though he decided not to mention it might not be the other gardeners’ fault. The tower made a mockery of farming near it. At least for those without a better grounding in the intricacies of spiritual herb gathering arrays. If not for his friendship with Ru Ping, Wu Ying doubted he would be as advanced in that field of study as he was.

  Still, as a budding apothecarist himself, he understood her frustration. Even if his own skills had atrophied over the last year or so, he still understood the key points of the profession.

  “So are you saying that the apothecarist hall will double the contribution points that a Spirit Herb Gatherer might gain from such an assignment?” Wu Ying said, smiling.

  If he was being paid twice and only teaching the most basic information while upgrading their formations to guard against the tower, even his Master would find it hard to object. It was really the core teachings—that about wild gathering and higher-level plants—that were unique to her.

  Of course, Wu Ying knew that he was stretching the boundaries of propriety. Elder Li would probably not be entirely happy with what he was going to do, especially since he would not be able to ask permission beforehand. But considering his desperate need for contribution points, so long as he limited himself, it should be fine. And if not… well, if he was dead, he would pay her back in the next life.

  “Yes. But I expect to see improvement in the herbs we receive.”

  Wu Ying grinned. “I will speak with the assignment hall as soon as possible.”

  “Make sure you do.”

  Wu Ying watched as she walked away. A thought belatedly struck him as she reached the door. “I do need a written confirmation of what we discussed. And an accounting of all these terms.”

  Now, the attendant frowned. Gone was the coquettish nature she had displayed earlier as she coldly offered him a nod before she stepped out.

  For a moment, he wondered if she had intended to cheat him. If he hadn’t asked for a written confirmation, would he have ever seen the contribution points so blithely promised to him? He’d probably never know.

  Turning to the other attendant, who had been standing quietly by the wall, Wu Ying gestured at the herbs displayed on the table. “You need help putting them away?”

  ***

  An hour later, Wu Ying strolled out of the apothecarist hall, clutching the wooden slat he had been given. It was imbued with chi to prevent potential cheating, along with witness signatures to indicate its authenticity, including the mark from the Apothecarist Hall Elder. That was what had taken the longest part, though it did mean he would double his contribution points if he completed the assignments. Along with that, he held the sect token that recorded the contribution points he had gained by selling his plants. He would need to register it at the assignment hall, but that was a simple enough matter.

  The Double Soul, Double Body Sect Assignment Hall was similar in intention and layout to the Verdant Green Waters Assignment Hall. The assignment hall was much smaller and less busy, but it had the same functions. There was but a single bored attendant seated in the corner, perusing a cultivation manual, while boards of available assignments were displayed along the edges of the hall.

  Wu Ying walked over to the assignment boards to review the details. The title and brief description of each assignment was written on the bamboo slats, the slats themselves hung on metal hooks that allowed cultivators to easily choose among them.

  The assignments were varied, ranging from mundane, outer sect assignments—like Wu Ying’s favorite porter jobs—to cooking and cleaning tasks. The board of such mundane assignments was the most crowded, an obvious issue with the sect so lacking in outer sect disciples but a large amount of space. Wu Ying had already noticed the sect’s reliance on mortal cultivators to tackle jobs that would have been done by outer sect disciples in the Verdant Green Waters.

  The more specialized work—assignments for blacksmiths and apothecarists—were sparser in quantity, but more varied. Assignments could be as simple as the smelting of copper and iron to the production of a metal sphere with earth affinity meant to be wielded by a Core-leveled individual. Minimum quality requirements were indicated, as the entire object would likely be enchanted further afterward.

  Even the work for the apothecarists was fascinatingly different. There seemed to be no splitting of assignments between inner and outer sects, with the only differentiation being the cultivation level of the cultivators who could take an assignment.

  Wu Ying walked along the boards, eyeing the differences, searching for assignments that might be useful for him. Since the surroundings were relatively civilized, there weren’t many martial assignments. Those that were available often required significant travel. There were even a few that Wu Ying was certain were duplicates of the assignments he had spotted in his own Sect. That was not particularly surprising.

  After all, bandits a lord could not handle or spirit beasts and demons that plagued villages did not care who killed them. Nor did the villagers or lords pay particular attention to who completed the job, so long as their troubles were dispatched.

  Perhaps most importantly, what Wu Ying was studying was the rate each assignment paid. He knew how much he had earned in contribution points at the Apothecarist Hall and had enough confidence to negotiate directly with them. But for regular assignments, Wu Ying assumed the rates of payment would be different.

  In addition, he was trying to gauge the worth of each contribution point. After all, he knew the cost in points for
each cultivation manual he wished to peruse and buy, but he had no understanding of how much that related to the “regular” earnings a sect member might have undertaking these assignments.

  A factor that he was putting right, right now. Most importantly, once he understood all that, he could gauge how long it would take for him to acquire sufficient contribution points to peruse the more detailed manuals. Luckily, Wu Ying was not paying for them entirely in contribution points. He was just buying partial access, while the full payment would be borne by his Master.

  Once he was done, Wu Ying paused at the final board, arranging his thoughts. There were a few quick conclusions to be drawn, the first among them that the Double Soul, Double Body Sect was stingy in what they paid out. Where the Verdant Green Waters might pay a few hundred points for dealing with a bandit team, or tens of points for cleaning the Sect in a day, the Double Soul, Double Body Sect would only give single-digit numbers of contribution points for the same tasks.

  The next fascinating aspect was the way the sect weighed certain actions. Kill quests, assignments to deal with bandits or demon beasts, were less valued than in his own sect. Wu Ying assumed that was a matter of prestige, rather than an indication of martial prowess. As the premier sect, the Verdant Green Waters had to meet its obligations to the kingdom in helping safeguard its borders and villages. The Double Soul, Double Body Sect had no such obligation, and as such, they probably felt less inclined to promote such dangerous activity.

  It was also possible the Double Soul, Double Body Sect cultivators were just not as martial. Perhaps they were afraid of losing the few sect members they had. After all, with each member being unique, the cost to train and improve each individual was likely higher.

  That thought made Wu Ying pause. He almost envied the cultivators of the Double Soul, Double Body Sect. They, at least, were valued. By the sect as a whole, that was. Obviously his Master and Fairy Yang valued him. But in terms of the Sect, he was but another faceless body.