A Thousand Li

by Tao Wong

  In the end, the group chose to split their forces while assuming there would be no attack during the day. Since it was unlikely the dark sect would conduct a direct assault, they would have to achieve their objectives by stealth. Just like with Wu Ying’s assassination attempt.

  In the meantime, the members of Xiang Wen’s sect would see what they could gather about the wandering cultivators and prepare for the evening. Wu Ying was relegated to further consolidation of his cultivation breakthrough, while the other members of his team would continue to watch over Wan Yan. Once the tower closed in the late evening, the Verdant Green Waters Sect members would take position on a rooftop to watch over the tower in the evening.

  “And you’re sure it’s better for us to be watching outside?” Wu Ying said. “And not watching Wan Yan still?”

  “To stop whatever they are doing? No,” Shi Rong said. “But that’s not your job. Your job is to be bait, remember.”

  Wu Ying sighed but nodded. At least Shi Rong and Xiang Wen were going to use what influence they had to alert more Elders in the Double Soul, Double Body Sect. Given enough warning, maybe the attack could be thwarted entirely. It was possible that, having failed to kill Wu Ying, the entire thing might have already been called off. With so few boats coming in though, tonight or tomorrow would be the best time for an attack. That too had been discussed briefly, but there was little they could do if that was true.

  “Of course,” Wu Ying said.

  Well, his role was no less important, if they were to split the dark sect’s forces. And most importantly, if the dark sect attacked him, it would most likely be before they launched the attack on the tower. That would give a small, but important, opening to rouse the Double Soul, Double Body Sect to arms.

  “I do have a question,” Wu Ying said,

  “Ask it then,” Shi Rong said. The group had gathered near the entrance to the courtyard mansion, about to show Wu Ying and Tou He out, and the bushy and large cultivator looked impatient. “Though you could have earlier.”

  “It has nothing to do with the tasks assigned,” Wu Ying explained.

  Shi Rong impatiently gestured for him to continue.

  Wu Ying said, “I was just wondering why you all are so fast to join us. I understand Cultivator Sun’s motivations, but—”

  “They harmed my mei mei[13]. Of course I will act against them.” Shi Rong looked incensed at Wu Ying’s question. More than that, he suddenly had a crafty expression as he leaned forward and went so far as to put a hand on Wu Ying’s shoulder. “I’d hurt anyone who hurt her. For any reason. You understand that, right?”

  “Of course,” Wu Ying said. “It is good to care for one’s family.”

  “Exactly.” Shi Rong’s grin widened while Jia Yi’s sewing needle stabbed in punctuation. “I’m glad you understand.” Shi Rong took his hand off Wu Ying’s shoulder after giving it a final squeeze.

  “Thank you again then, for your assistance, Cultivator He.”

  “Mmmm… do not be so distant. Call me Shi Rong. I expect we will soon be much closer.” Again, that big grin.

  “Of course.” Wu Ying nodded. Fighting side by side created strong bonds, ones that were nearly as tight as that between members of the same lineage or familial, blood connections.

  Once Wu Ying and Tou He exited the mansion, they made sure to eye the rooftops and the streets for another tail. It was a little late to be wary, but they could not change the past.

  “Shi Rong was quite intense at the end, was he not? He really must care for Cultivator Sun a lot,” Wu Ying mused.

  Tou He looked at his friend before he nodded. “Yes. I’m sure that was it. Now, come on. We need you to firm up your cultivation base further. Then I’ve got to see to Yu Kun.”

  Wu Ying sighed but followed his friend. He wasn’t sure how much more he could in a few hours, but it was the most useful thing he could do now. The pain might have subsided, but it was not gone entirely. His body had many months of damage to fix.

  If nothing else, soaking in the medicinal bath would help firm up his base and relax him. And taking a few moments to relax was important.

  For tonight would be hectic.

  At the very least.

  Chapter 25

  Dinnertime arrived all too soon, with Wu Ying dragged out of the cultivation chamber by his friends. The evening meal had been booked at one of the many restaurants that overlooked the tower, the tower square being one of the more popular hangouts and locations for events.

  Thankfully, since there were no celebrations this evening, their reservation for the restaurant had been easy to acquire. That left the three friends seated around an expansive meal, watching the people below while the cold evening winter air flowed into the room. Not that it made a difference for the cultivators, whose enhanced bodies barely noted the chill.

  As for the young hostesses who had wanted to join them, the trio had chased them off with alacrity. Tou He had blushed a little at their presence, while Yu Kun had looked quite uninterested. Not a surprise, considering his taste. As for Wu Ying, paid companionship, even of the platonic kind, was unsatisfying, not to mention too expensive for his stingy nature to even contemplate.

  Never mind the possibility of an attack and the mortal endangerment of the women involved.

  The group lingered over their meal, content to order more as necessary to keep the owner happy with their presence, and watched the comings and goings to the tower. Much of it was routine and benign, leaving the group to speak on their lives.

  “So you’ve stabilized enough?” Wu Ying said, glancing at Tou He.

  “Well enough. I could have more, and there seem to be some additional minor blockages that have cropped up after the breakthrough,” Tou He said. “In time, I expect to be stronger than ever.”

  “Good.”

  Yu Kun shook his head, and when the pair looked at him, he put a hand to his chest and looked theatrically mournful. “And none of you noticed anything with me.”

  “That’s because you keep your damn aura contained so we can’t,” Wu Ying said.

  “Yes. Someone has lost his training…”

  “I’ll get back to it! I have had other things to worry about.”

  “I take it you’ve progressed. Again?” Tou He said, cutting the pair off before they could bicker further.

  Wu Ying had to admit, he was interested too.

  “I have.” Yu Kun smirked. “I’ve broken through another stage.”

  “How?” Wu Ying said. Did Yu Kun not just do that a few weeks ago?

  “What do you mean how? Hard work!” Yu Kun said, acting scandalized.

  “Really? That works for someone so old? I thought you were too ancient for that now…”

  “Come here. Let me show you ancient!”

  “I’m more surprised he actually worked hard,” Tou He said. A pause. “At anything other than gambling.”

  “Hey!”

  The door slid open as they teased Yu Kun, leaving the group to turn in unison at the interruption. And freeze, since the new addition was not someone they had expected. Glaring at the tableau of Yu Kun about to smack Tou He with a free hand, the intruder sniffed.

  “Cultivator Hao. I’m surprised to see you,” Wu Ying said, recovering first.

  “Why? Can I not join my fellow sect members for dinner?” Wan Yan said, sweeping in and walking over to an empty space at the table. She placed a hand on the back of the chair. “Or am I not invited?”

  “Well—” Yu Kun started only to be cut off by Tou He.

  “You are of course welcome, Sister Hao.” The ex-monk gestured for her to pull out the chair. He then waved to the waiter, requesting a bowl of rice for the newcomer. “We haven’t seen you much.”

  “Perhaps you haven’t been looking,” Wan Yan said. “Because I saw Yu Kun just today. And yesterday. And the peasant more times than I cared for.”

  Wu Ying’s eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised you’re willing to sup with a peasant and a mere wandering
cultivator.”

  “Ex!” Yu Kun protested.

  “Well, you are paying,” Wan Yan said, smirking. “I also came by to ask what you think you are doing.”

  “Eating,” Tou He replied.

  Wan Yan’s flat stare, which had entirely no humor in it, was all the reply he received. When the other two chose not to answer, she picked up the small bottle of wine and poured herself a cup, making a face at the cheap liquor when it hit her tongue.

  Still, the trio stayed silent, the tension in the room ratcheting up.

  “You are all delving into matters that do not concern you,” Wan Yan said, choosing to break the silence. “Things that some of you”—her gaze landed on Wu Ying—“should know better than to get involved in.”

  Again, silence greeted her statements.

  Wan Yan’s lips curled up a little into a sneer. “You should consider well if you want to continue down this path. It is not one that mere Energy Storage cultivators should indulge in.”

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wu Ying said, wanting to bait her to reveal further details. Or at least speak in such a way that revealed her true allegiances.

  The small sneer on Wan Yan’s face grew more pronounced. “You think you know what you are doing, but you know nothing. Your actions will only bring harm to yourselves. It is best for you to stop. Leave, even, before matters progress further.”

  Yu Kun snorted. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you.”

  “Yes.”

  The man stuttered to a stop, her frank answer making him freeze. He ran a hand across the bare portion of his scalp, then paused as he felt the slight bumpiness from regrowing hair. For a moment, he was distracted before his gaze sharpened once more.

  “Tell me, what do you think you are fighting for then?” Tou He said, compassionate eyes fixed on Wan Yan.

  She met the ex-monk’s gaze, the sneer not faltering even as she sipped on the wine. Then again, she made a face. “Really, you could not get something better?”

  “You’re welcome to order something better. And pay for it,” Wu Ying snapped.

  “Never mind.” She sniffed. “And I’m not fighting for anything. I believe in doing what is best for me. Not for some distant Elders who care nothing for my progress. Nor for those who laud their progress over me, while being stuck. Failures, and still acting as though we should respect them. How many of these ‘Elders’ ever become Nascent Soul cultivators? How many immortals?”

  “The path to immortality is fraught with danger and difficulty,” Tou He said gently.

  “Har!” She brought the glass down so hard that it splashed wine around the room. Wu Ying was surprised that the glass itself had not cracked. “That’s what they tell you. But there are other paths to immortality. Better, more certain ones. But they won’t let you tread them.” She sneered. “Fear holds them back. It holds you back. It will not hold me.”

  “Is this where you ask us to join you?” Yu Kun said derisively.

  “No. You three are too enamored by their lies. We have no use for people like you.” Again, the sneer reappeared. “But that does not mean we want you getting in our way. You or any others. Step aside. Watch what your Elders really say and do. Then, perhaps, you’ll understand.”

  Wu Ying shook his head and leaned forward, palms flat on the table. “No. We know the stories, and we’ve seen what you will do. I—we—will not stand aside.”

  Wan Yan smiled and stood. “I told them. But they wouldn’t believe me. What comes next is on your head.”

  Those were the last words she spoke before she strode out. The trio watched her leave before Tou He sighed, looking a little sad.

  Wu Ying broke the glum silence that had fallen over the group by stating the obvious. “I guess we know who it is then.”

  “Either that, or she really doesn’t like me gambling,” Yu Kun said.

  “No one likes you gambling,” Tou He said, turning to the ex-wandering cultivator. “Or the gambling groups you set up.”

  Yu Kun continued grinning unrepentantly.

  “We best finish eating. I expect trouble will arrive soon enough,” Wu Ying said, gesturing to the food. Suiting words to action, he picked up a piece of gai lan[14] and placed it on his plate. Then, grinning, he grabbed a bowl of spareribs just before Tou He could.

  ***

  Contrary to Wu Ying’s expectations, they were not attacked after Wan Yan left. They were not even attacked when they departed the restaurant after it closed for the evening. Even when they took their place on a nearby rooftop to watch over the tower, they were left unmolested. While they did try to hide their presence, they also took care to take precautions against an attack. Not that they expected it to help much, since their observers had already shown themselves able to watch the trio without being seen.

  With the sun down, the night quickly grew cold and ice crystals formed on the rooftops as the humidity from the river cooled and froze over. Each breath sent a plume of visible vapor from their mouths as more lights were lit throughout the city.

  The trio took turns changing positions, two watching the rooftops surrounding them, eyeing the shadows that shifted and formed under the cloudy, moonlit sky, while the third watched the tower. There had been a brief discussion about splitting up, which had been refused due to the danger of such an action.

  Instead, they watched together as the hours passed, the drum beat of the city’s clock towers marking the change of hour. In less used and illuminated streets, they caught sight of the moving lanterns of pedestrians and the occasional wagon, while the creak of wooden signposts and the slow shift of buildings rose from all around them. Even the noise from individuals going on about their evening routines died away as midnight came and went, leaving the trio to watch.

  In silence.

  The night grew on, the trio using little trickles of chi from their dantians to keep themselves awake. Their attention would occasionally waver, but long days of forced meditation and contemplation, of exercise and form practice meant that they brought their attention back soon enough.

  And still, nothing happened.

  Until it did.

  ***

  The first sign of a problem was the hiss of crossbow bolts flying toward the trio. The attack came without warning and would have ended the three of them—or at least injured them badly—if they had not taken precautions.

  Protective talismans on the rooftop flared, words scrolling up in columns of yellow light. The crossbow bolts shattered against the protections, the sound sending the group searching in surprise. Weapons rose as they stared into the dark for their attackers. Tou He crushed the talisman they had brought to signal the ambush was sprung.

  Silence greeted the trio, until another round of crossbow bolts flew out. Once more, they struck the protections, which flared and, in a few cases, cracked. The protections were cheap, created to deal with surprise attacks, and were meant to be combined with other protections around a camp to alarm sleepers.

  “Where are they?” Wu Ying drew a deep breath, searching. He smelled nothing but the river water, the ice crystals, and the tile around him. The wind was blowing in the wrong direction, it seemed.

  “I see them!” Yu Kun cried. Drawing and releasing in one smooth motion, his arrow flickered through the protection, slowed down and deflected only a little before it exited. Insufficient to push it off entirely, as the strangled cry of pain as it struck informed Wu Ying.

  Another pair of bolts flew through the air. This time, the attack was staggered, the first bolt shattering the protection they hunkered behind. The second bolt, Tou He deflected with his staff.

  “Go!” Yu Kun shouted as he drew and fired again.

  Wu Ying had spotted the attackers by now and threw himself forward, bounding across dark clay tiles, triggering his qinggong technique as he did so. To his surprise, he flew across the tiles with greater ease and distance than ever, his newly integrated Wind Body allowing him to cross the rooftop more smooth
ly than ever. So much so that he almost flew off the roof.

  While Wu Ying was dealing with his self-made predicament, Tou He was moving more confidently to face their attackers. The ex-monk batted aside another pair of crossbow bolts and a dagger attached to a chain before he stopped. Appearing from the shadows, masked, black-clad attackers rushed the ex-monk. Wu Ying’s lips pressed thin as he realized that three of them were facing his friend, with another three—one injured and attempting to extract the barbed arrowhead Yu Kun had fired into his shoulder—hanging back.

  Landing firmly, Wu Ying made a quick decision and twisted, drawing his weapon with the same motion. The Spirit-level sword glimmered, the higher-grade weapon allowing him to push his energy through it with greater ease. The wind chi rippled through and around the weapon as he projected his sword intent. The attack flew through the air, tearing up black tiles and forcing the three melee attackers to dodge, breaking up their careful formation.

  As one of the attackers landed, his paired short daos held aloft, Yu Kun’s arrow slammed into his calf. Perfectly estimating where the man would land, the attack arrived before his opponent could block it, crumpling him to the roof. Immediately after, Yu Kun had to throw himself aside, a crossbow bolt bloodying his arm as he dodged a little too late. The cultivator cursed as he scrambled to his feet, drawing another arrow from his quiver.

  In the meantime, Tou He had used his momentary reprieve to pound on his assailants, shifting position constantly so that it would be difficult for the archers to attack him without hitting their friends. His staff swept around and down, catching a foot here, striking a shoulder there, always moving. The longer weapon and the wide, sweeping attacks and defenses kept Tou He’s assailants at bay.

  In the meantime, the injured archer had removed the arrow and slapped a talisman on the wound, holding it closed, before grabbing his crossbow. Wu Ying surged across the rooftops, cutting at the crossbow bolts that were fired, closing the distance to the archer. When he was two-thirds of the way there, just outside of lunging distance, the remaining pair of archers drew their weapons.