There was no smell of ash, but water dripped, a sound as obnoxious as the window the night before.

The drip was from the same window, the ashy water from the wet cloth trying to thaw, small droplets crawling down the wall.

Hao didn’t have the chance he wanted to question the two women named Wu.

Doubts he had from being knocked unconscious the previous night were thrown away as they rushed him around in the morning.

Both Meiqi and Zhengqi were moving before he opened his eyes.

It was the moment he moved his head that his morning started.

They dragged him from the bed when only half of the large sun was in the sky. An act just as aggressive as the way they put him in it.

The hours of sleep he got were countable on one hand. At the very least; He was thankful he slept in the bed alone, his robe still tied on.

They were cleaning the room and him, but had yet to rip them off him.

Another thing to be thankful for this morning.

Once he would have complained about the night.

Now restless nights were closer to a friend than a stranger.

Since his initial Breakthrough to Reclamation sleeping became an easier task, less ‘needed’.

The wake-up blurs were gone; he had not seen them since.

Still, sleep was glorious in a sense. It was better than waking up.

The rather strange conduct of the Wu women continued, no different from last night.

It was not something Hao could get used to in a few hours of interaction.

After they pulled him out of the bed’s comfort, they stood him up and straight and greeted him, like they didn’t just wrangle him.

After the greeting bow and the good morning, they dragged him to a bed’s frame, sitting him down.

Meiqi tended to him. Zhengqi was moving many things around the room, mainly buckets of cold, ashy water, or water from the tub that had been swapped out and used before he woke.

Meiqi was brushing his hair, her hands smelled of soap.

She talked to her daughter Zhengqi while she did it.

I could get used to this. Hao thought. His head was leaning back as a light tug massaged his scalp. Good smells greeted his nose, song voices blessing his ears, melodious. No one was looking at him, and he didn’t have to watch behind himself, not yet.

He would have thought it was another dream, a dream he thought was cast on him like a spell, an Immortal’s magic.

Do I really want to know? He pushed the thought back. His head was in Meiqi’s hands.

Hao could have fallen asleep right there, but the word “Young Master,” occasionally ripped through the room.

It felt like someone pinching his earlobe when he heard it, making his leg twitch.

A discomfort — the words were hard to apply to himself. I am a fisherman’s son who can not fish, an Islander who can not row a boat… Young Master.

The sound of breaking ice pulled him from his thoughts. Zhengqi was trying to pull the window open.

Hao got up. Meiqi had paused, but she was not done. She simply kept one hand on her shoulder and the other on his head. She moved them as soon as he leaned forward.

He went to Zhengqi.

Hao was the one who put the cloth in the window in the first place.

“Here,” Hao said. Placing his hand on the cloth, the water began to drip fast, his steady body temperature and the sun made the ice drip away.

With a pull and a creak, the window peeled open.

Hao turned and handed the wet cloth to Zhengqi. She also smelled of soap. It was clear she had some type of powder on her face as well. Her hair was tied high and cleaned of ash.

And I wish to sleep for no reason; They must have been up before the sun. But they let me be. Hao felt a little ashamed.

“Now come back here. I want to get that hair straightened out,” Meiqi spoke. Hao was growing to enjoy the voice.

“I’m afraid that is likely impossible,” Hao said. He walked back to her, doing as she asked of him.

“At one point in my life, if you told me people could fly, I would laugh,” Meiqi said.

Hao tried not to look surprised. He had no good response to give, just an honest, “I would prefer it the way it is. Meiqi…”

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“Very well, I will do my best to keep it from covering the nice face of Young Master.” She said, moving quickly around the room.

She came back with a towel and a bundle of blue string.

Behind Hao once again she pulled his hair back, tying a blue string once around; the rest of it hung both the hair and string.

The color of the string was close to the blue of the robe he was wearing.

“Young Master doesn’t have to call me by my name. I am a servant.”

She began to wipe down Hao’s face before he could respond.

That was on purpose. Hao thought.

When Meiqi released Hao, he had little left to say.

“Would you teach me? There is a lot I don’t know, but I will call you by your name if you call me Young Master.” Hao said.

“Young Master is not bad with words, clever as well. Clever enough to hide his wit, Young Master has probably figured out more than he would lead others to believe.”

Meiqi walked around to the front of Hao.

“But you are right… These games they play, they are complex in their foolishness,” she said, disdain filling her eyes as she spoke of the righteous games of Immortals on the mountain.

“Zhengqi come here.”

Meiqi pulled on Hao’s arm, leading him to the back wall near the firewood.

Hao’s back was against the wall, and Meiqi was far from done, pulling Zhengqi in front of Hao.

“You are young, not a fault, but it can be a weakness. Get close to him, look in his eyes, don’t let him look away.” Meiqi said.

“Wait, who are the servants here?” Hao said. He wanted to back up as the younger, but just as beautiful Zhengqi leaned towards him.

The only thing he could move back further was his head. She just took another step closer when he tried.

“I apologize, Young Master, but if you wish to learn, then learn. Look into her eyes.” Meiqi said.

Meiqi’s smile could be heard, and Zhengqi was having her fair bit of fun too, chuckling at the squirming boy.

When Hao stopped moving, only looking back, just out of reach of her breath, the games stopped.

He was red but held his eyes; the embarrassment began to fade.

“Get used to it. You must be able to look everyone in the eye, even your betters. In The eyes you can find more than intentions, there you can seize control. Tame your expressions, hide your thoughts even if you have none. Get used to beauty. It’s a weapon to those who master it, and they can use it to steal advantage in every situation.” Meiqi said. Just loud enough for every word to resonate in Hao’s ears.

Hao was slightly overwhelmed; that seemed nothing new. But it was the first thing in the morning; his face was just washed.

In a situation filled with pressure, three lessons were dropped on him. Each one was not entirely unreasonable.

He knew the first two lessons well; He realized himself while being a servant. By getting attacked by Axe and the First Elder.

The last one was from the Second Elder. The deal was good on both ends, but she was the one who got the treasure she desired. I got a bridge built from one shoddy plank.

He got many things considered valuable, but the path back was gone and she said so herself: That he deserved more.

“You should also be taught of the joining of man and woman, but this old lady won’t take you unless you take her first,” Meiqi said.

Holding her sleeve over her mouth, trying to hide her blatant laugh.

“What does that have to do with anything!?” Hao said.

The red in his face took on a little anger.

“Zhengqi, what is the first set of armor?” Meiqi asked.

Hao looked over at her, but her stare was far more intense than her daughters.

“Face. Reputation.” Zhengqi said. Answering without hesitation, like this was rehearsed, or that had talked about this before.

Hao squinted, but his anger was going away as she continued.

“Beauty can be just as dangerous as useful, especially to the weak and mortal. I had to learn as well as teach my daughter. Reputation is similar in a way; A tool that brings certain dangers.” Zhengqi said.

She spoke more in that single breath than Hao had heard her speak since the morning started.

Meiqi continued where Zhengqi left off. “Most people won’t climb in a cage with a tiger unless they want the title: Tiger Killer.”

“Young Master will find it difficult to keep his head low once anyone knows you. The best is no one hears, but if anyone does slowly everyone, even the servants will hear of disciples that met with the Elders. Besides, a low profile will only keep you safe for so long, eventually; it will attract mosquitoes who want to build a reputation from you. A fierce reputation will repel the mosquitoes but attract the tigers. Only one king can rule the mountain.” Meiqi said.

Her voice became quieter than before, making Hao cling to every word.

“I think the Young Master has the countenance of an Emperor.”

Hao flinched at the world. “Surely you can tell where I am from; you have been close to my hair?”

All the color was draining from Hao’s face, the embarrassment that was previously there melting. His eyes bounced between the two.

They did not nod or give any indication, that was enough.

“It’s not often people from the Islands are set to land, once a generation. But I heard that stopped a generation ago. I’m an Islander’s son who can’t fish. Trained for the Temple and turned away.” Hao said.

“Yet you are here, a place above both those places. There is no need to look down because you have already climbed up. What use does an Emperor have for one fish? He owns the ocean.” Meiqi said.

She walked forward and grabbed Hao’s hand, “And the temple is just a rotten hovel for monks who have forgotten their place. If an Emperor lifts his shoe, the monks should kiss it.”

Hao had never seen a face of real disgust when someone spoke of the Temple of Water. It was hard to hear words against the Temple at all.

“Young Master has the countenance of an Emperor so young, he may yet be a dragon with time,” Meiqi said again.

“Indeed, Emperors should bow before a dragon, all the lands and ocean below him.”

“What exactly are you trying to say? What is this act you are showing supposed to teach me?” Hao tried to pull his hand away, but Meiqi was holding down surprisingly tight. She touched one knee to the ground.

“Young Master must be illustrious when it benefits him most. If I must, I will help you become a demon. I just hope the Young Master does not forget this servant’s risks and protects her family.” Meiqi pulled his hand to her face, kissing the back of his hand.

Hao held mercy no longer, pulling his hand back hard. He was disturbed, to say the least.

But the words served their purpose, feeding his pride. So did the display of loyalty, but it was too much.

Not that Hao entirely disliked it.

“Please, get up before I regret accepting your offer,” Hao said in a whisper. “I would say you influence me less than you think, but it seems more like you’re toying with me.”

“If the Young Master knew my reasons, he would understand,” Meiqi said.

“Perhaps, but now I think I want to know less,” Hao said.

“I apologize, Young Master. I was hasty, but you still have much to learn.”

Both women took a step back, and the conversation calmed to a spot where it had been in the first place.

But the things I just learned, I will never forget. I hope that is all they wanted from this.

Hao had many lessons to learn before the sun had taken any more of the sky.

They taught him words, speaking, mannerisms, bowing, and a few other forms of manners, even greetings. That was all for the day. A piece of what he would need for his first day.

They finished as it had just begun.

Feet started to scrap the stone tile outside as a loud bang lifted the cauldron from the ground.