“It’s processing your gains from killing your opponents. I’ll make sure this process doesn’t happen until after you’re in the clear.
“I doubt it happening in the middle of an extended fight would be ideal,” Locke said. “And before you ask, no. Your rank won’t increase. They were much weaker than you were, but it was still more than you would have gotten from a session of meditation and cultivation.”
Ash worked on cycling his Qi through his meridians at a slightly faster pace. It seemed to help with the full feeling, and it kept him from letting his mind focus on the fact that he’d just killed two people.
Trav wouldn’t have cared.
Why do you care?
Trav would have just killed them and then moved on. Nothing ever stopped him.
Nothing could stop him.
Except, where is he? Did he come with me here? Or is he still on the boat with Uncle Derek?
Sighing, Ash gave his head a shake.
“We are here,” Jia said suddenly.
Looking up, Ash frowned at Xing City’s gates.
They were indeed outside the city now. Somehow, he’d practically walked the entire way here without even noticing the time slipping away.
“You were clearly working through your thoughts on having killed your foes,” Jia said, her eyes watching him. “Moira and I felt it best to let you process your feelings on your own. No one can compel you to walk the path of the cultivator, but to do so is to walk a path of blood.”
Moira nodded her head once.
“A mage’s road is made on the bones of others. We often open our gates through devouring the souls of the defeated,” said the Owl woman. “Not always. But often enough. I myself became powerful through murdering another mage who was much more powerful than I.”
Jia nodded her head at that. She looked to Moira with an odd mix of respect, curiosity, and wariness.
“I know. And I’m going to do what I need to do. I know that. It’s just… it’s not what I was expecting to do with my life,” Ash said with a shrug.
“And what were you expecting to do?” Jia asked.
“Finish high school. Probably… go to college. Get a job with my uncle,” Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I ended up here.”
“Here?” Moira asked, tilting her head to one side.
“This… that is…” Ash paused, unsure how to continue. He’d given Jia a very, very, brief overview of how he’d ended up here.
But he’d left out the part where he’d more or less traveled from another world. Perhaps even a different reality entirely.
She’d taken his explanation as having traveled from another of the veils. That he’d simply wandered across from one of the border veils and ended up here.
And from there, he was taken in by the Sheng family.
Jia glanced over her shoulder at the gate guards. They were busy speaking to a group of people looking to get inside.
Moving in close to Ash, Jia pressed a hand to his shoulder.
“I know you have more secrets. In time, I would like to believe you would give me enough face to share them with me. For now, we must go. We have things to prepare, like registering for the exam and what events we will be competing in. The examination does have some fees that will need to be taken care of as well.
“I personally must make ready. You are welcome to join me, or to go it on your own,” she said, smiling at him. “Though you must treat me as a male acolyte once we are inside Xing City again. Not as Jia the woman.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it,” Ash said with a smirk. “No making passes at you or staring.”
Jia raised her eyebrows at that.
“He does stare, though only when you aren't looking,” Moira said helpfully.
Ash felt his face turn a deep, dark red, and his ears were on fire.
“Let’s go inside then,” he said, quickly moving ahead down the road toward the city gates.
Probably should see if there’s an auction today. I need money since my stones are empty of Qi.
I wonder if I can trade them in at a fraction of their cost? They don’t have any Qi anymore, but someone could refill them rather than make or buy new ones.
Eleven
Ash bit his lip as he stared at the auction house. Moira was waiting for him at the inn room he’d rented. She hadn’t wanted to come back here.
Not that he blamed her at all for that. He doubted he’d want to come back here if he was her, either.
Steeling himself for a probable encounter he didn’t want, Ash walked into the auction house. Turning toward the familiar anonymous entry area, he found a hostess he didn’t recognize. She nodded to him and indicated a cell to enter.
Shutting the door behind himself, Ash sat down and contemplated what to do.
He hadn’t tried to convert the spirit stones yet, as he wasn’t even sure who to go to for that.
Or whether he even could.
This had been his first stop after getting the inn room. He hadn’t even yet visited the Sheng family.
Then again, he wasn’t quite sure where they’d moved to.
Jia had immediately left his side after they’d entered and gone to settle her own affairs.
Giving his head a quick shake, Ash broke himself out of his thoughts and touched his ring.
One of each element type popped up into his hand.
Need to buy more paper. I wonder if that brother and sister pair is still there.
Opening the drawer, Ash dropped in the Transference papers. Pulling his jade token from his ring, he set it down atop the papers.
Then he closed the drawer.
Ash heard a clatter from the other side of the cube. After perhaps a minute passed, the drawer opened again.
Inside was a small slip of paper and his token.
Picking up the token and then the paper Ash paused. Beneath where the paper had been, he saw a small card. Picking up the card as well he looked to the paper and read it over quickly.
The auction house wanted to sell the papers tomorrow instead of today. So they could generate interest in an auction.
On top of that, they’d given him a card with two percent of the amount that the auction had previously been able to sell his items for. This payment in was meant as a bonus if he agreed to waiting till the following day.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ash dropped the paper back in and slipped the card into his ring.
He could wait a day.
Closing the drawer, Ash got up and left quickly.
Walking past the hostess, he got back into the street fairly quickly.
He now had more than enough money to do anything he needed.
Let’s get more paper and ink first. The market should be just now opening. After that, we’ll go find Mother Far and Father Duyi.
Now we just have to hope we’re not attacked again.
I’d rather not deal with that.
Heading down the steps, Ash vanished into the press of bodies. His hair had grown longer in the time he’d been away. His clothes had also fallen into disrepair.
Where once a young acolyte had strolled the streets, now a young ill-dressed youth remained.
Ash blended in better now than he had previously.
His walk to the market was unremarkable and no one bothered him.
Slipping into the stalls, Ash headed straight to the location where he’d previously found the brother and sister.
A small wooden stall stood in the exact same spot as last time. The boy was nowhere to be seen, but the young girl was there.
Looking at the stall, he realized now it wasn’t the same one as before. This one was put together with a small bit of quality and care. It wasn’t a full merchant’s stall, but it was definitely something you could find in the market proper.
The girl had cleaned herself up considerably as well. And filled out a bit.
Previously, he’d thought she was in her early teens. With some meat on her, and looking considerably healthier, he’d
put her at seventeen maybe.
Her light-brown hair was cut short and framed her face well. Each customer received a smile as they approached, and her hazel eyes made definitive contact with each person.
She’s really brought herself up a bit since the last time.
The young woman was doing a brisk business in paper, pens, and various other small trinkets. She had a number of different types of paper behind her as well, of varying quality.
Ash waited for a break in the customer numbers. He wanted to approach when no one was there.
Finally, her stall was empty.
Taking this chance, Ash strolled up, eying the paper the girl had behind her.
There was more than enough for his purposes. Having different types would also let him play around a bit and see if there was any difference in changing the material types.
“It’s you,” said the young woman, catching Ash’s attention.
Looking to her, Ash didn’t immediately respond. He’d somewhat hoped she wouldn’t recognize him so easily.
“You bought my paper,” she said, her eyes locked on his face.
“I did,” Ash admitted.
“You changed everything. Everything. I… I have a small room I rent now. Li Jie is in a training sect.
“Everything changed,” said the young woman, shaking her head once, as if to clear her thoughts. “My name is Ying Yue.”
“I’m glad you’ve done well for yourself. I didn’t think my single purchase would do such a thing, though. It was only a gold coin,” Ash said, feeling a bit sheepish.
“It was enough to buy more to sell, and reinvest. I went back and got the coin back from the merchant after. I wanted to keep it.
“I carry it with me.”
Ash smiled at the woman’s tenacity. People who pulled themselves up from their bootstraps were rare. Those who did it with the smallest of advantages given to them were admirable.
Let’s see what she can do. Let’s invest in her.
Ash took out a spirit stone from his ring and set it down in front of her.
“I want all your paper, ink, and pens,” Ash said, smiling at her.
“This is simply too much. I do not have the amount that this would purchase,” Ying Yue said.
She laughed for a second, looking at the spirit stone, and then she looked up to Ash.
Her laughter died away when Ash didn’t say anything. Reaching out, he pushed the spirit stone an inch closer to her.
“All your paper, pens, and ink, please,” Ash repeated himself.
Ying Yue blinked and then nodded her head a bit. Mechanically, she began to bundle up all her materials into packets. Tying them shut with small ribbons.
When she finally completed the task, she gestured to the small mound of items on her countertop.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the change necessary for your purchase. I don’t know what to offer you in exchange and—”
Ash waved his hand at her, silencing her words. Glancing around himself, he realized no one was paying attention to him.
If he didn’t know better, he would get the impression people were deliberately ignoring him. As if he were causing trouble for Ying Yue and they didn’t want to get involved.
When he tapped his ring, his purchase vanished as if it had never been there.
Turning his face to the merchant, he smiled at her.
“Consider the remainder of the payment me purchasing your silence about this whole thing,” Ash said. Then he reached over and tapped the stone with a fingertip. “Be sure to take this somewhere safe immediately.”
Ying Yue nodded her head slowly, her hands gently closing around the spirit stone. “I… I will.”
Nodding to her, Ash turned and left. He needed to find Far and Duyi. Leaving the market, he set off on his search.
Ash got lucky though. The first place he went to ask about news of his adoptive family, an old neighbor who had been kind to the Shengs, knew exactly where they had gone.
A small, quiet neighborhood full of moderately well-off merchants. They’d purchased a home that could fit a family of eight, but that wasn’t overly immodest. It was something the vast majority of merchants in the city could and would purchase.
Walking into the courtyard in front of the new Sheng home, Ash felt a smile on his face. He could hear Duyi playing his Guqin.
Something he hadn’t heard for a long while. There simply had no longer been enough time in the day for Father Duyi to relax.
Following the sound, Ash crept around the side of the home. Sitting in the back of his own fenced-in yard, Duyi was kneeling on the grass with a small mat in front of himself.
A stringed instrument that reminded Ash of a guitar lay on the ground directly before him. He was not playing loudly, but more for the simple enjoyment of hearing himself.
On more than one occasion, the older man had said it wasn’t so much an instrument as a way for him to communicate with his own soul.
Mother Far was seated nearby, relaxing with a cup of tea.
Her eyes slid open as Ash entered the area. He could tell she was about to exclaim loudly and get up.
Holding a finger up to his mouth, Ash smiled. He didn’t wish to interrupt the moment.
Far blinked twice but nodded her head almost imperceptibly.
Ash kept himself to the side so Duyi wouldn’t notice him. Getting as close as he dared, Ash took a seat. He listened quietly, thinking back to when he’d first joined the family.
Duyi had had more time back then.
Looking at the man who had given him a home, Ash felt happy.
Duyi’s dark hair, which he habitually kept short, was finally growing out. His complexion was healthy, and his small frame seemed it had finally put on some healthy weight.
Now that he thought about it, Far looked much improved as well. The two aging parents no longer had to expend their own lives to provide for their children.
Blinking, Ash accessed the two cards in his ring without pulling them out.
He transferred three thousand stones to one card and the remainder to the other with the empty stones.
Three thousand should be more than enough to keep them situated for a long time.
Duyi finished and sat up straight, letting out a breath.
“That felt good, Father Duyi,” Ash said.
Duyi’s head turned to the side, and a wide smile broke across his face.
“Ashley!” he said, getting to his feet.
Preparing himself for the crushing hug he knew was coming, Ash stood up and waited with a smile.
“Haha, it’s so good to see you,” Duyi said, pulling Ash in close to himself.
“Hello Father Duyi. I’m glad to see you’re taking time out for yourself,” Ash said, patting the older man on the back in a hug.
“Yes! I spend much of my time simply… enjoying life. It is good to be taken care of by one’s children.
“It’s the hope of any parent,” Duyi said and leaned back, looking at Ash. His wide smile hadn’t faded. If anything, it was more infectious than ever. “You look well. Well and healthy.”
“So do you,” Ash said, prodding at the other man’s middle.
“Hahaha, yes, Far has always been an amazing wife and cook. We just never had the best ingredients that she deserved,” Duyi said, gesturing at Far.
For her part, Far was watching with a smile, sipping her tea quietly.
Duyi leaned in close and whispered for Ash alone.
“Don’t let her fool you, she’s been worried sick about you. Now come, come. Tell us about your travels, where you’ve been, and what’s going on,” Duyi said, pulling Ash along with him as he went back to Far.
***
Standing in line for his turn at the testing stone, Ash waited quietly.
Though he knew it was rude, he cultivated as he stood there. He didn’t owe these people anything, and they more or less treated him as a non-existence anyways.
Slowly, the line moved. Person by pers
on, he made his way closer and closer to the first part of the examination. He was only several people away from having himself tested. Though he’d started much closer to the end of the line.
Many of the stronger people had gone up to be first, rather than wait in line to take the test.
It was a fairly standard test at that.
One had to demonstrate their ability to use Qi, and to what extent.
“There you are,” said a voice at his side.
Ash opened his eyes and cut his cultivation off.
Jia simply appeared in front of him, stepping into line. The person behind Ash made no noise about her cutting in.
“She gave him a small coin before she addressed you,” Locke said.
Grinning at Jia, Ash raised his eyebrows.
“You were looking for me?”
“Of course. I wanted to be there when you were tested. I am very curious about where you will rank. I do truly believe you took it easy on me,” Jia said.
He wasn’t used to her being dressed as a man again, and Ash was honestly having a hard time looking at her without feeling like the image was wrong.
“I prefer the other version of you,” Ash said suddenly, frowning at Jia.
Blinking rapidly, Jia opened her mouth and then closed it.
“I have my reasons,” she said finally. “But it is good to know I have not lost that side of myself either and that… you liked it.”
The line shifted ahead suddenly.
Apparently, in their conversation, they’d lost where they were in line to a degree.
“Looks like you’re up soon,” Ash said, nodding his chin at the line behind Jia.
Jia glanced over her shoulder and then moved to her position at the small ramp and turned back to him, looking to re-engage in their conversation.
“Next!” called a voice atop the stage.
Jia rolled her eyes and sighed, then moved up the ramp.
Curious, Ash watched her walk up to the man in charge.
The platform was a wide wooden affair. Built to hold the recruiters from each sect as the students were tested.
The examiner spoke to Jia for a moment before calling out her name to the recruiters.
Jade Fist, Mountain Bear, Dragon Warrior, Blood Oath, and finally Spark’s Jump, the host sect.
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