by Tao Wong
“Something, honored pixiu?”
“Something.” The pixiu chuffed out loud. “My instincts tell me not to near it. Nor does it hold anything of interest to me.”
After letting out a wide yawn, the pixiu swallowed the last of the delicacies and lay down next to the table before Elder Po made it disappear into his ring. Stretching out lazily in the clearing, the pixiu basked in the sun, no longer interested in the humans or their expedition.
“Come quickly. And make sure to thank the honored pixiu,” Chao Kun ordered the rest of the party.
The party moved past the resting pixiu, bowing low as they traversed the clearing. The line of bobbing sect members was of no interest to the creature.
Until Wu Ying. A single slitted eye, brilliant gold, cracked open as Wu Ying passed by. It regarded Wu Ying with predatory consideration, freezing Wu Ying in a half-bow.
“You. You smell familiar.”
“Honored elder?” Wu Ying said.
“Your name.”
“Long Wu Ying, honored elder,” Wu Ying said.
“Ah. That is why.” The eye drifted closed, Wu Ying dismissed as its curiosity was assuaged.
Wu Ying stayed bent over till he decided the pixiu was no longer interested in him. Together, Wu Ying and the expedition group left the clearing, the pixiu still basking in the sunlight and reveling in the delicacies it had eaten. Wu Ying’s last glimpse of the pixiu was of the golden-furred creature, eyes closed, relaxing in the sunlight. Content only the way a cat could be.
***
When the group had left the lazy creature a distance behind, Wu Ying was accosted by his friends and Chao Kun.
“What did it mean, you smell familiar?” Chao Kun started.
“I don’t know, Senior.”
“Do you have the blood of dragons in you?” Tou He asked.
“No.”
“Have you met dragons before?” Li Yao said.
“No.”
“Then why would it say ‘that is why’?” Chao Kun said.
“I don’t know!”
“Can I have some of your blood?” Liu Tsong said.
“No!”
“I just want to test it,” Liu Tsong tried again, batting long eyelashes at him.
Li Yao frowned at Liu Tsong when she did this.
“No!”
“Fine, fine,” Liu Tsong said. “But if you have a dragon’s blood, your family would be due a significant amount of support. Bloodlines, even weakened bloodlines, are precious resources for the kingdom.”
“We don’t!” Wu Ying snapped at them as the uncertainty the creature had engendered in him and the persistent questions broke through his calm. He raised his voice, knowing the Elders were listening too, even if they were not making a show of it. “If we did, don’t you think we’d be more than a peasant family? That we’d make use of it so we wouldn’t ever have to count the number of cups of rice till the end of winter? Share a single piece of meat, boiled in the soup till it is tasteless, among all three of us? Do you think we like being poor?”
After the silence dragged on, broken by the thump of feet on the ground, Li Yao said, “Sorry.”
In the distance, the Elders shifted their attention away, content to leave the matter alone.
“It’s fine. I really do not know why the pixiu said what it did.” Wu Ying scratched his head as embarrassment at his outburst caught up with him.
“No harm done,” Chao Kun said.
The group ran in silence for a time before Tou He spoke up. “He does have a dragon’s temper… owww! Damn it, Wu Ying, you didn’t have to hit… owww!”
***
The remainder of the journey to the base camp was filled with no surprises. In fact, things became routine and almost boring. As there were no further dangers, Wu Ying was forced to spend hours harvesting what herbs and spirit plants they could find. Even as the expedition decreased the volume of area they harvested in, the lack of civilization ensured the harvesters always had something to pick. When everyone else had time to rest, eat a proper lunch, and sleep a full night, Wu Ying had to scarf down his food then harvest until short hours before the dawn sun rose. Even if the guards accompanied the harvesters, at least they could rotate shifts. By the time they reached the clearing from which they intended to operate, even Ru Ping was feeling the strain of the unending work.
If there was one advantage to all this work, it was how the constant running and fighting had provided Wu Ying further impetus to reinforce his cultivation. As Wu Ying slumped by the beginnings of the cooking fire, he felt his eyelids drift closed, and his breathing deepening. Only to be interrupted by a slap on his back.
“Wake up. No cultivating yet,” Tou He said as he sat by Wu Ying.
“I wasn’t cultivating,” Wu Ying said.
“I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt,” Tou He said.
Wu Ying shook his head, looking around the buzzing encampment. The porters were already at work, one of them tending the burgeoning fire. The other porter was setting up the expeditions’ tents from the backpacks they had borne all this way. As this was intended to be their base camp for the next week, the porters were taking greater pains in the set up.
Even the other members of the expedition were taking part in this activity for once. Liu Tsong was beside Elder Wei, carefully clearing the ground in the spot they deemed worthy of their time. Elder Dong was walking the encampment with his compass, judging the lay of the land as he planned the layout of their defensive and spirit-gathering formations. While Elder Dong was just of the second ring as a formation master, his formations were sufficient to protect and alert the group against most threats if he had sufficient time to set them up. Outside of these groups, a few of the guards were being directed by Elder Po himself as they cleared a few saplings around the base.
The only people who were not doing anything, Wu Ying realized, were himself, Ru Ping, and a couple of guards. When Wu Ying located Ru Ping lounging under a convenient tree, the senior cultivator gestured for Wu Ying to stay seated.
“Should I help out?” Wu Ying muttered.
“No,” Tou He said firmly. “You’ll likely have to do some harvesting soon. But it seems like there is no rush, since we will be here for a while.”
“How about you?” Wu Ying said, curious as to why Tou He was not forced to help.
“Elder Li is concerned the flower might have blossomed already,” Tou He said. “As such, once we’ve rested, a small group will be traveling to view the flower.”
“And you’ve been chosen,” Wu Ying said.
“Along with Senior Ge,” Tou He acknowledged. “We’re taking the majority of the guards.”
Wu Ying frowned, wondering if he would be forced to go, thus Ru Ping’s gesture. Then again, no one had spoken to him about the trip. After a moment, Wu Ying shrugged and left the matter alone. He had no desire to volunteer for more work.
In a short twenty minutes, Ru Ping walked over, glancing at Tou He. “Did your friend speak of what we are doing?”
“Yes,” Wu Ying said. “Am I coming?”
“No. The two of us are sufficient,” Ru Ping said. “We’ll take you there eventually, but it is unlikely you will be needed. Rest for now. Maybe take a shower.”
In short order, the guards and Elder Li assembled and took off, heading farther west. Wu Ying eyed the group, knowing they intended to head not toward the peak but to a clearing just below it. Even as Wu Ying watched, the smaller group disappeared into the undergrowth, the dense vegetation swallowing them with nary a sign of their passing.
Wu Ying sighed and closed his eyes to relax. For the first time in a while, the cultivator could rest without concern. At least until the group returned in a few hours.
***
Later that day, when Wu Ying woke from his short but restful nap, he found the camp abuzz with activity. A pot hung over the cooking fire before him, the smell of well-cooked porridge wafting to Wu Ying’s nose and waking his rumbling stomach.
Around him, groups of cultivators walked, talked, or cultivated, most murmuring softly to one another. As Wu Ying looked up, he was surprised to see it was late in the day, the edges of the sun peeking out from the mountain peak.
“Awake at last?” Liu Tsong said as she came to sit beside him. Wu Ying could not help but notice she automatically took a seat upwind, another reminder he had yet to shower since today’s earlier cultivation-inspired run.
“Yes,” Wu Ying said, then decided washing could wait. He conjured a bowl from his spatial ring and ladled the porridge into his bowl, then he pulled out a spoon and stirred the rice porridge to cool it faster. “I’m surprised no one woke me earlier.”
“There’s no point.” Liu Tsong gestured to where Elder Wei continued to fuss over her pill cauldron. Beside the Elder stood an inner sect member with cleaning pads, an urn of spring water, and infinite patience. Liu Tsong’s movement then shifted, encompassing Elder Dong, who continued to walk the perimeter, marking out locations for formation flags. “No one has work for you to do. Until the formations are complete, we do not want to attract any further attention.”
That made sense. Though he was surprised Elder Li had let him rest this long, even if it was sensible. Turning his head to where her tent was located, he was surprised to see it dark and empty, as was Ru Ping’s. A quick scan showed the encampment was busy but lacking in bodies.
“Are they not back yet?” Wu Ying said.
“No. Elder Li mentioned to Elder Wei she might delay returning in order to spend the time modifying the environment,” Liu Tsong said. “You should be able to sleep well tonight.”
Wu Ying smiled at the truth of the statement. There was little use in harvesting material when it would have to sit and wait for Elder Li’s return to be properly stored. Wu Ying shook aside a flicker of misgivings, focusing instead on the fact he could, at last, rest. The time spent running and cultivating had stretched his dantian, putting him closer than ever to his next breakthrough, but it had also wearied him more than ever.
“Good. How are you doing with this trip? We haven’t had much opportunity to talk,” Wu Ying said.
“It’s interesting,” Liu Tsong said, her voice lowering to keep the conversation between them. “I do not like sleeping outdoors very much. Too many insects. And I still do not understand why we could not have left earlier and used horses.”
“Spirit animals. Demon beasts.”
“Autumn Wind is trained not to run,” Liu Tsong said.
“That’s your horse?” Wu Ying said, surprised.
“Yes. I trained her with my father since I was young,” Liu Tsong said. “She will not run.”
“You know, not everyone can afford a spirit-trained animal,” Wu Ying said.
“Spirit horse,” Liu Tsong corrected. “Autumn Wind is in the fifth stage.”
“Ah, of course,” Wu Ying said, making a face.
Liu Tsong’s eyes narrowed as she spotted how Wu Ying reacted. “What is it?”
“It’s… never mind.”
“No. What is it?” Liu Tsong insisted.
“Nothing. Just how you nobles have it easy.”
Liu Tsong arched an eyebrow. “Nobles?”
“Well, you and your horses. It’s not as if everyone can afford a tamed spirit animal.”
“No. Of course not,” Liu Tsong said. “Do you really think we’re all the same?”
“Well—”
Liu Tsong snorted, shaking her head. “I thought you had gotten over that already. Are you still feeling persecuted?”
“Yin Xue—”
“Yes, yes. I know of him,” Liu Tsong said. “But did you ever think about why the nobles reacted to you and not, say, Tou He?”
“Well, Tou He’s an ex-monk—”
“Ex,” Liu Tsong said. “And you might be rare, but you’re not the only commoner in the sect. So why you?”
“I…”
“It’s that look on your face, the way you hold yourself.” Liu Tsong sniffed. “You carry yourself as if you’re better than us. As if because we were born as nobles, we’re less worthy than you.”
“I don’t—”
“Really? Are you really saying you don’t think nobles are lazy and gifted with everything?”
“I—”
“And we’re where we are because of our money and status?”
“I guess so,” Wu Ying admitted. “But in the outer sect—”
“Oh yes, the outer sect. That’s why I never said anything then. There are those in the outer sect who rely on their status and money, on their circumstance, and hope it is enough. But you’re not in the outer sect now, are you?” Liu Tsong fixed Wu Ying with a flat gaze until he reluctantly shook his head. “And do you see any inner sect member being lazy? Relying on their status to get ahead?”
“Lazy…” Wu Ying fell silent and Liu Tsong allowed him to do so.
He thought over his recent interactions. Of how Bao Cong worked for hours in front of the forge, sometimes going so far as to reforge pieces he, personally, found unacceptable. Or Li Yao, who was at the training grounds every single day, working herself to the bone to better her martial styles. Or even Liu Tsong, seated beside him, intent on learning how to be a better teacher and visiting him again and again. Even the Elders and Seniors Wu Ying had met who were bad teachers were not bad cultivators. They just had no interest in teaching.
Wu Ying sat beside his friend, going over the people he knew, his interactions, and his own reactions. The way he cursed nobles all the time, how he blamed them for their upbringing—even when he bemoaned their actions of blaming him for his own upbringing. Wu Ying turned over in his mind what he had done, how he spoke, who he spoke to, and came to a realization. About himself. And the sect.
“I’ve been a bit of an ass,” Wu Ying said.
“A bit?”
Wu Ying shook his head, leaning back as something in his chest unclenched. He opened his mouth to say something else to Liu Tsong, but the bitterness that had sat within him from being picked upon by Yin Xue and his sponsors faded. The anger, the resentment, the hurt bled out and, in doing so, opened previously blocked meridians. Enlightenment—just a touch, a moment of grasping the Dao—pierced Wu Ying’s mind.
Around the pair, chi swirled as Wu Ying’s enlightenment was acknowledged by the heavens. Chi hummed and flowed and Wu Ying sat straight, his aura loosening as he grasped at the sudden increase in ambient chi. As chi poured into his dantian, Wu Ying did his best to corral it and send it swirling within, intent on making it his own and, perhaps, pushing for a breakthrough.
Liu Tsong watched for a moment before she stood, a rueful half-smile on her face as she walked away from the campfire. All around Wu Ying’s still form, cultivators glanced at the child reaching enlightenment before they looked aside, leaving him alone to savor the opportunity.
As she walked away, Liu Tsong muttered to herself with little intent, “Maybe I should consider holding a few grudges.”
***
“I am going to be so happy when I’m done with this stage,” Wu Ying said as he gagged on the stench that rose from his body as he exited his cultivation. But even the smell could not stop Wu Ying from basking in his accomplishment of breaking through to Body Cleansing 11. Though a moment later, Wu Ying flushed in shame as he realized why he had achieved his breakthrough. “I’m going to have to apologize to a lot of people, aren’t I?”
“You could start with me,” the outer sect porter said, arms crossed in. “I had to make a new fireplace and dinner since you decided to cultivate right next to mine.”
Wu Ying winced, glancing at the burnt porridge that sat over the dying fire in front of him. He apologized to the porter, promising to finish the spoiled food after he had completed his shower. Only when Wu Ying had apologized a few more times did the porter give in, though Wu Ying wondered if the eventual acceptance was the porter’s desire to make Wu Ying leave.
Wu Ying shrugged and stood, turning his mind back to the momentar
y enlightenment he had received. And the apologies he had to make. The one he looked forward to least was Yin Xue. Even if there was bad blood between them, even if Wu Ying had real reasons for his dislike, for his enmity. Holding on to the grudge had only managed to clog up his own meridians. Dwelling in the past, reveling in it, was not good for one’s dao. Not for most.
Some darker daos, those that people did not discuss in polite company, used such negative emotions. Held them close, tended them. Made them part of their belief system, their mentality. Used them to grow stronger, even if doing so made progressing through Body Cleansing and Energy Storage harder. Those stages might be aided by enlightenment, but it was, in the end, a physical cleansing and cultivation. Even Core Formation was mostly physical. Only when one needed to form a Nascent Soul did the need for a proper dao ideology matter. And at that point, those who held, who believed in, a darker dao could act. Could form their immortal souls based around a belief of hate and anger, of vengeance and jealousy.
These groups, these cults, these individuals, were not spoken of much among proper cultivation societies. The dark sects were feared, spoken of in hushed conversations late at night among close friends. Creatures who preyed on the weak, who threw their immortal souls into the flames of their baser instincts, were prone to violent whims and petty jealousies. Hushed conversations of entire families, entire sects destroyed due to a careless word added to the fear.
Wu Ying pushed away those thoughts, bringing his attention back to the present. Not the time or place for it. Especially when he was about to get naked. Chuckling, Wu Ying headed for the outdoor shower.
Shower. Supper. Then an apology to Liu Tsong. And his other friends, when they returned.
Chapter 20
The next morning, Wu Ying was completing his forms when Liu Tsong walked up to him and the remaining group of martial specialists. The young pill refiner had an extremely serious expression, one which made the other martial specialists pause in their practice as well.
