Xiao Rai had joined the White Flame Sect when she was fifteen years old. She had set out from the imperial capital, stealing away from her family's estate during the full moon, her head filled with stories of ancient Anri sects and the martial arts required to tap into their power. Her parents had wanted her to learn under the Cranes of the Weeping Lotus, but she knew she was no healer. She was no Sun Ya, First Wife of the Emperor, who could heal all ills by touch alone. No, when Xiao Rai thought of Anri, she thought of fire and action, motion and necessary violence. She had read every scroll related to the War of the Sovereign Horse and the White Flame Sect, for even though such texts were banned by imperial law, it was a poorly guarded secret that many noble families close to the Emperor secreted away censured information. Left it open for their children, in hopes that there may one day be found in them a weapon to erase the Sun Dynasty and replace it with their own.
So she traveled across the elephant's back. Traded stolen valuables from her family home for safe passage through the empire. Braved the swamplands, braved the fields with the Horse Lord Bandits, who ever warred against the Emperor's armies, the thousand year rebels and enemies of a hundred dynasties. She hunkered down in old ruins, slept in new inns built on the ever-pushing frontier, searched for the elusive monastery of the White Flame Sect.
Found it, at last, in the tucked away Opal Hills. She, too, took the path up the mountain, as Zheng Jo did, exchanging the villagers’ suspicious looks with a snarl, with the haughty laugh of the noblewoman she might have become. Yet by the time that Xiao Rai had finally ascended the steps to the monastery and met Grandmaster Zhou, she was destitute. She had sold everything. She had nothing. She had become nothing.
For the first step in the White Flame is to purge the self of all possessions, and cast them to the flame, be it metaphorical or physical. In Xiao Rai's case, it was the former.
That was three years ago.
And now she was re-wrapping bandages around her arms. The chickens in the coop were violent creatures, more monster than poultry. They had decided to go on a rampage as she was tending to them that morning. All she had to speak for that was a few eggs and nasty cuts up and down her arm.
Tai Haoran was already gone to bed for the night. The moon hung in the sky above. The stars twinkled. The crickets were already chirping their chorus.
She had not had the time to do her exercises. Her day was spent living the life of a simple servant girl, cleaning the monastery and tending to the animals. It were as though she was not a student of the White Flame at all, but its maid.
The thought of this made her clench her teeth, her hands ball into fists. She rose.
She would do her exercises under the moon's gaze.
She walked out into the courtyard. Did her warm-ups.
(Though they were sloppy)
And started with her kicks. Her jabs. Breathing in the Anri, holding it in, letting it flow through her body, spark to flame around her hands and feet.
She practiced for what felt like hours. The stars wheeled overhead in their snail trail races. The crickets continued their song. In the distance, a wolf howled.
And Xiao Rai was almost finished when she heard a tapping on the stone. She wheeled to see Grandmaster Zhou draw out from behind a pillar.
“Your form is still poor,” he said, “You put too much emphasis on rigidity. You must flow, for your blows to strike true.”
“When I flow, you tell me that I must be like stone,” Xiao Rai said, her exhaustion burning away formality, “Which is it, old man?”
Grandmaster Zhou smirked at his pupil's insubordination. He ignored this as he walked over. “It is a balance,” he said, “Too soft, and you lose force in your strike. Too hard, the same is true. For maximum damage, for the Anri to flow properly, you must find the center, and strike from there.”
He sniffed the air. Noted the scent of flames in the wind.
“Be like Tai Haoran,” he said.
“I don't want anything to do with Tai Haoran,” Xiao Rai said irritably, “Stop comparing me to him.”
“I compare you to greatness, so that you know to achieve it,” Grandmaster Zhou said, “You are weak, girl. The way you are now, you will never be him.”
She flushed red. Wanted to say something to retaliate. But she had been toeing the line enough, tonight. Grandmaster Zhou sighed.
“I want you,” he said, “To accompany Wang Ro the Elder and that newcomer when they set out into the mountains tomorrow.”
She looked up at him.
“I must practice tomorrow,” she said.
“Nonsense. Practice, and your chores, will be there for you when you're finished,” Grandmaster Zhou said, “Think of this excursion as a lesson-”
Her fists clenched.
“-and meditate on what you've learned.”
Xiao Rai bit down mutiny. She gave a bow. Headed into her room.
Grandmaster Zhou watched her go.
In truth, his needles were having their intended effect. It was only a matter of time before Xiao Rai took matters into her own hands. She was not as powerful as Tai Haoran. Her inexperience and her impatience meant that she was only an average student.
But what she could not win through training, she would win through cunning.
And the Grandmaster hoped for that.
***
Moon waned. Sun rose. Stars closed their eyes.
Guo Liling woke up at the first sign of dawn. Did her daily washing, noted that she would want to bathe tomorrow. She did her hair, tying it up in her usual messy ponytail. She put a bit more effort into it this morning, for she knew Zheng Jo would be downstairs for tea.
Even after...
Even after she heard of his conversation with Zi Shi Ying.
Her mouth tightened into a thin line. She felt distracted, as she did the rest of her morning routine.
Her father was already cooking breakfast when she walked into the bar. The smell of rice and fresh fish from the river filled the room, and already Guo Kenan's brow was slaked with sweat as he worked. He met her gaze. Dropped it quickly.
They had not spoken on the trip back to the village.
But it was a new day now. But, even so, clouds were beginning to whisper across the sky. Zi Shi Ying's warning of rain was bearing fruit. Guo Liling went outside, drew water from the well, came back in and plunged a rag into the bucket, began to wipe the bar.
“What did you hear, Little Jasmine?” her father asked.
Guo Liling was quiet.
“What did Zheng Jo say?” her father pressed, “Is he... an Anri user?”
“I...” she swallowed, “I don't know, Baba.”
“Could you not hear him well?”
“I could hear him fine,” Guo Liling said, her voice a bare whisper, “But he said... many things. I'm confused, Baba. I'm scared.”
“Scared?” Guo Kenan's voice took on a new tint, that of concern, “Of what?”
“I don't know,” Guo Liling said, “It's... a feeling. In my stomach. He said many things. I do not know if he is what he says he is.”
Guo Kenan was quiet at that. Guo Liling continued to wipe down the bar. The tables. The chairs. She began to warm a pot of tea.
An hour later, Zheng Jo came downstairs. He was dressed for travel, with his cloak and walking stick, a pack slung over his shoulder, his hair tied up in a comfortable bun. He gave her a smile.
“Hey,” he said.
“G-Good morning, Zheng Jo.”
She already had his tea ready. He sipped it as he took out his journal, his strange little book, opening it up as he sat down. Guo Liling glanced over at her father in the kitchen, who gave her a grim nod.
“Zheng Jo,” she said, “May I... ask you a question?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
“I do not know what that means.”
“Oh, uhm,” Zheng Jo thought for a moment, “Just... ask your question. That's what it means.”
His smile became a bit awkward. Guarded.
“Ah, I see,” Guo Liling said, “Err, what did you and Zi Shi Ying talk about last night?”
And now she could see the wheel turn in Zheng Jo's head. He thought quickly.
“Just about the mines in the area,” he said, a half-truth, “For the project.”
For the project. A project from his...
Multiverse.
Something in the back of Guo Liling's mind tickled.
(For possibility is impossible to contain.)
“That's it?” she said.
“Yeah,” Zheng Jo said, and he let out a light laugh, “Nothing crazy. I just wanted to know a bit more about them from someone who's been around the block a few times, you know?”
Guo Liling nodded. Gave him a bow.
“Thank you, Zheng Jo,” she said, “Enjoy the tea.”
The traveler, this 'metahuman,' raised an eyebrow at the sudden formality. He regarded her for another few moments, before he finished his drink, closed up his book, and rose. He gave a bow to her, said his goodbye, and left the inn.
Guo Liling watched him go. Resisted the temptation to run out after him.
To do what?
She did not know.
All she knew was that this multiverse was in the back of her mind. And like a snake in late summer, it writhed about, refusing to stay still.
***
Joseph went over to the clinic after leaving the inn. The building was small, all things considered, because from what Joseph gathered, Wang Ro the Elder more often than not visited his patients in their homes, tended to their injuries surrounded by his patients' families and old comforts. Not like the medical wing at Castle Belenus, which had specific rooms to segregate injured guildmembers from the rest of the guildhall. Elenry preferred her privacy, and the medical wing was her domain.
As such, there was only a small waiting room, a back office, and living quarters for Wang Ro the Elder and his son. The decoration in the room was sparse, the only object of note being a painting hanging behind the desk of a woman. Wang Ro the Elder's wife, Joseph assumed. He hadn't seen her. Had probably passed on, from what he knew of the physician.
Wang Ro the Elder was sitting at the desk itself when Joseph walked in. The physician adjusted his glasses – much like his young son – and rose. He already had a pack in hand.
“Ah, Zheng Jo,” he said, “Good of you to come.”
“Well, you said I needed a guide, so here I am,” Joseph said, leaning against the doorpost, “Anyone else coming?”
“I was hoping my son would join us,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “I sent him over to retrieve Xiao Rai, who knows a bit about Anri here, and will be able to help us, if we run into trouble.”
Joseph nodded, though he frowned.
“What sort of trouble?” he asked.
“Bandits occasionally come through here, especially this time of year,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “Around this time, we usually set up militias to patrol the road. Xiao Rai and Tai Haoran accompany them.”
“Right,” Joseph said.
“Unless, of course, you think you're capable enough to defend yourself,” Wang Ro the Elder said.
“I've taken my fair share of licks,” Joseph said, “I can handle myself.”
There was a way the physician's eyebrows rose. Joseph shrugged.
“But, if you're feeling uncomfortable with it, if you think that only having the suspicious newcomer around to protect you and your kid is a bad idea, then go ahead and call her.”
“I already did, Zheng Jo,” Wang Ro the Elder said, and he gave a bow, “Forgive my caution.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“I suppose I can't blame you,” Joseph said, “I'd do the same.”
Xiao Rai came down to the clinic with Wang Ro the Younger. She was dressed for travel as well, with loose fitting pants with a sleeveless red vest that left her bandaged arms bear. She wore her hair longer than most other Anri users, down to her shoulders like a shawl. Not tied up, though Joseph suspected she didn't care.
She was a rebel, and he could respect that.
“'Sup,” Joseph said, and he gave her a wave. Something dark flashed in Xiao Rai's eyes, her face contorted for a split second, before she gave him a jerking bow.
“This is the newcomer?” she said, “The esteemed Zheng Jo?”
“Well, I wouldn't say 'esteemed,'” Joseph said, “Just a traveler. You're Xiao Rai, yeah?”
“I am,” Xiao Rai said, giving him a haughty look, “I'm not impressed. Tai Haoran made you sound like a dog.”
Joseph shrugged. Tried to be casual.
(The word ‘dog’ set him on edge.)
“He's just exaggerating,” he said, though he found it difficult to hide some heat in his voice, “But enough about him. We ready to go?”
“Yes, enough about him,” Xiao Rai agreed, and she turned her attention to Wang Ro the Elder, “Your son has brought me. I am here as a member of the White Flame Sect to accompany you, as per the instructions of my master. Shall we go?”
Wang Ro the Elder was putting on a large pack.
“Yes,” he said, “Let us be off.”
***
To ask if the Opal Hills was beautiful was to ask if a river ran downstream or if the sun was warm. Even with the rainclouds now gathering, gray streaks through an azure sky, the Opal Hills lived up to their name as a tucked away paradise of rolling green mountains, with calm roads and gentle winds. Birds greeted them as the small party weaved through the mountain that held the town, moving across a pass via a rickety old bridge. A couple of signs pointed them in the direction of a few notable landmarks, shrines to ancestors or spirits, and they followed a few of them as they went. Zheng Jo looked down at his map, occasionally asked questions of his fellow travelers. But he took point for the journey across the mountains.
“I must insist you be careful, Zheng Jo,” Wang Ro the Elder admonished, “If you stray off the wrong path, it could lead to trouble.”
“Thought you said it was nothing major,” Zheng Jo said, “Besides, we've got Xiao Rai, right? She’ll catch me.”
He flashed her a smile. Xiao Rai glared.
And they pressed on.
At one point they came upon the first of Zheng Jo's mines. Its entrance yawned at them, supported by wooden pillars taken from the forest nearby, and had once been used to carve out iron to be cast for pots in the town, weapons for the various wars outside of the province. But it had been used up long ago, hollowed out of any valuable minerals. All that was left was simple stone.
Zheng Jo took note of it, looked down at his map.
“Ah, Agate Tapir Mine,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “What interests you in there?”
Zheng Jo scratched his cheek.
“Not sure,” he said, “But I definitely want to check it out.”
“Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not go down there,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “It's precarious. Most of the old mines are. They haven't been tended to since their abandonment. To go inside is to court a potential tunnel collapse.”
“Suit yourself,” Zheng Jo said, and he started walking towards the mine.
Wang Ro the Younger looked at his father with a bit of worry. The physician's eyes were fixed on Zheng Jo's back.
“Go with him, Xiao Rai,” he said, “Give him some light.”
The Anri user scoffed. But nonetheless marched over to Zheng Jo's side.
“Glad you could join me,” Zheng Jo said.
“Pray to your ancestors that we don't die in a cave-in,” Xiao Rai spat.
They came up to the mine's entrance. Zheng Jo took a few tentative steps in, noted that the ground slanted downwards. He gauged his every move, paused after every footfall. Xiao Rai followed his movements. She took a deep breath. Held it. Breathed out.
And a white flame lit in her open palm. She held the realized Anri there, illuminating the dark tunnel. Zheng Jo smirked.
“Nice,” he said.
“You mock me,” Xiao Rai said.
“No, seriously. It's good work.”
He said this with a casual air. Xiao Rai's harsh glare lessened, then fell. It was rare for her to receive a compliment. She held up the flame higher into the hair, casting light further into the mine.
But they were too late. A cave-in had already occurred as they rounded one of the bends. Old wood pillars had given way to rot and time, for the trees in the forest were not the best for this sort of job. Zheng Jo and Xiao Rai found themselves face to face with a dirt wall.
The traveler could only nod at that. He pulled out his journal, scribbled a few notes, squinting in the fire light.
When he was finished, he turned to Xiao Rai.
“Right,” he said, “We're done here.”
“That's it?” Xiao Rai asked, “No soil samples?”
“Soil samples?” Zheng Jo said, “...No.”
The Anri user crossed her arms, the flame moving to an elbow.
“What are you researching, exactly?” she asked.
Zheng Jo hesitated. Xiao Rai's brow furrowed.
“It's...” Zheng Jo hesitated, “Mostly the conditions down here in the mine. The Three Sons Trading Company were specifically looking at plantlife and wildlife here in the Opal Hills. That includes inside of it.”
“I have never heard of animals living within the mountains,” Xiao Rai said.
“...Well, I haven't either,” Zheng Jo said, “But they wanted me to investigate. Hey, I'm just the messenger here.”
He kicked an errant pebble into the dirt cascade.
“Just the dumbass in the mine.”
***
They emerged from the mine no worse for wear. Zheng Jo shrugged as Wang Ro the Younger approached.
“Was there anything in there?” he asked.
“Nah,” Zheng Jo said, pulling out his map, “There was already a cave-in. Mine's blocked off.”
Wang Ro the Younger deflated.
“I see,” he said.
Zheng Jo noted the kid's disappointment, and patted him on the shoulder.
“Hey, it's alright,” he said, “Plenty of other mines to check out.”
Wang Ro the Younger smiled at that.
“Can I... explore one?”
“No,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “It's too dangerous.”
“Baba!”
“They're old, my son, no place for a child,” Wang Ro the Elder said, his voice soft, “Do you not enjoy the air? The travel we're already on? Anything interesting about the Opal Hills is atop them, not within.”
Wang Ro the Younger looked at his father with a pleading look. Wang Ro the Elder returned it with a mask of stone. Zheng Jo grimaced, then sighed.
“It'll probably be a bunch of boring tunnels,” he said, “Nothing worth getting yourself hyped up about.”
“...'Hyped up'?” Wang Ro the Younger asked.
“Ah, excited about,” Zheng Jo said, a hair too quickly. He earned a hidden, suspicious look from Wang Ro the Elder.
(Who was starting to piece a few things together about this traveler.)
Wang Ro deflated a bit, but seemed to accept his answer. The skip to his step returned as they returned back to the old dirt path.
“Wang Ro!” his father called, “Be careful!”
“I will, Baba!”
The old physician shook his head, but wore a good-natured smile.
(That was a mask.)
Zheng Jo and Xiao Rai followed after. The Anri user softened a bit with Zheng Jo, and chatted a bit more amicably.
***
They checked two other mines before stopping for lunch. Both told the same stories. Green Root Mine had collapsed a few years ago, once more after its first bend. Shallow Tortoise Mine had flooded. It slanted downwards as soon as one entered, and a dirty lake dominated what had once been the primary landing of the mine, where workers had once rested before heading back into a spider web of tunnels.
Zheng Jo crossed these off with an annoyed sort of precision. Only a few more to go.
They ate lunch, packed from the inn, noodles, steamed buns, and a bit of rice. Zheng Jo and Wang Ro the Younger did most of the talking. The Younger asked questions. The traveler answered as best as he could.
“Well,” Zheng Jo said, “It's not so bad, being far from home. You get to learn to be yourself, you know?”
“But I already know who I am,” Wang Ro the Younger said.
“Maybe,” Zheng Jo said, shrugging, “Or maybe you just know who you are in relation to your town. To your Baba.”
He nodded at Wang Ro the Elder, who gave that polite, bemused smile.
“Bah,” Xiao Rai said, “It's not so good, traveling. It is a rigorous business. It is difficult, when you don't know where your next meal is coming from or where you're going to be placing your head at night. I'm glad to be done with it, for now.”
“Yeah, that's true,” Zheng Jo said, “It's a tradeoff. Freedom for discomfort. I'd take it any day of the week.”
“Hmm,” Xiao Rai said, and she did not refute that. She did miss that. Missed not having to do endless chores, or escort annoying travelers to abandoned mines.
“Baba,” Wang Ro the Younger said, “Perhaps when I am older, I'll go out on my own.”
“Perhaps you will,” Wang Ro the Elder said, though he sounded a touch apprehensive, “When you do, pray to your ancestors every day. The world is a dangerous place, my son.”
Wang Ro the Younger nodded at that. But to tell a child that the world is dangerous is an exercise in folly. When the boy thought of danger, he thought of glory and adventure.
***
They arrived at the next mine more than two hours later. By now the once-blue sky had become a horrid gray. Thunder rippled like a drum in the distance, and when Zheng Jo squinted, he could see sheets of rain on the far horizon. It made him comfortable, as they arrived at the mine.
But Wang Ro the Elder was hesitant.
“It looks like a powerful storm, Zheng Jo,” he warned, “The road will become slippery. We'll be caught in a mudslide.”
Zheng Jo grimaced.
“It's just a few more mines, man,” he said, “Nothing crazy.”
“The physician is right,” Xiao Rai said, matching Zheng Jo's gaze on the horizon, “I'd rather not be caught out in the open when the storm comes.”
“A White Flame practitioner, scared of a little rain?” Zheng Jo mocked, eyebrow raising, “Seriously?”
And she threw him a truly scathing look. The good opinion she'd had of him went out like a light.
“I am afraid of many things,” she said, “Grandmaster Zhou says it's normal to be afraid. I'm not afraid of a little rain. I'm afraid of a storm. And being caught out in it with a young one.”
She gestured to Wang Ro the Younger. Zheng Jo sighed.
“Right,” he said, “Low blow. Sorry.”
He breathed in, out, looked at the map.
“I suppose I shouldn't get this water damaged, either,” he said, “...Alright. Give me a second. You guys start heading back. I'm going to check out the mine.”
“You don't want help?” Wang Ro the Elder asked.
“...Nah,” Zheng Jo said, and he forced a smile, “It'll probably be caved-in anyways.”
Xiao Rai rolled her eyes, started back on the path, the way back to the village. Wang Ro the Elder was considering Zheng Jo with a somber look.
“Seriously, it's fine,” Zheng Jo said, “Just a quick look. That's all.”
“...Very well, Zheng Jo,” Wang Ro the Elder said, “Come, my son, let us be off.”
The two moved off. Zheng Jo watched them go aways, before he turned back to the mine.
***
The mine indeed was empty. Joseph picked his way through it, listening for thunder rumbling above, for any sign of a Darwinist project below. This mine, however, was smaller than the others. It evidently had become abandoned due to a lack of funds, for it ended rather abruptly after a few bends, the pickaxes that had been hammering at the stone still resting on the wall, caked with dust and rust. Joseph picked one of them up, considered it for a few moments, before tossing it away.
He put his hands on his hips for a moment, thinking, pacing, before taking out the map. With a frustrated grunt, he crossed the mine off of his list. Weaved his way back to the surface. Perhaps Wang Ro the Elder was right. The storm outside looked dreadful. He shouldn't have said anything to Xiao Rai. That had been going too far.
Biting his thumb, Joseph noted that the three of them were well and already on the path. Good. He turned a corner, looking down at the map again.
The last mine. Golden Lion Mine. It was one of the places that Zi Shi Ying had specifically pointed out to him. A bit of a ways away.
And yet...
He couldn't go to it right now, but he could get a good look at it. Joseph was a metahuman.
A Child of Imagination.
And there was no distance he could not see.
He moved off of the path, rounding a bend so the others would not be able to see him. He closed his eyes. Let his soul, the eagle, start moving around in its circuit throughout his body. Using metahuman abilities felt good. Like breathing fresh air. Like falling in love. Like waking up to a rainy day.
His soul realized, growing out of his back like a butterfly from its cocoon. Only the eagle's head, connected to a thin line of electricity. It climbed into the air, ascending like the periscope of a submarine, until it could see over the mountain. A bird of prey's eyes are much sharper than a human's, and the soul's were no exception. Joseph could see the land around him. Could make out individual leaves on the trees, bits of gravel on the road, even the strands of hair on Wang Ro the Younger's head as he bounced ahead of his father and Xiao Rai.
It swiveled, turning to consider Golden Lion Mine. It was out of the way, certainly, and from his research he knew it had been one of the more prominent mines in the region, expelling near-endless gold at its height. But that height had been generations ago.
The river that ran through the mine was no longer tinged with metal. It ran clear.
And thus the mine was abandoned.
The soul descended, melted back into Joseph's back. Rested in the nest that was his stomach. He felt, despite his frustration at the loss of the day, content.
He made his way back.
…
…
And did not notice that his turning of the bend did not fully hide his metahuman gift. Wang Ro the Elder's eyes, sharpened from years of experience and paranoia, caught the eagle's head as it swiveled around. He took note of this. Took note of the way that Zheng Jo had been speaking. This traveler was not who he said he was. He was of the multiverse.
But... how of the multiverse? Was he of the damned Federation? Was he guildfolk?
Was this Three Brothers Trading Company a guild?
He did not know. He would need to send someone to Old Gate City.
Perhaps this Zheng Jo was just a guildfolk. Perhaps he was there to root out the project.
Wang Ro the Elder had to know for certain. He did not leave such things to chance.
He had survived for so long by taking his time, and being methodical. He would do the same here.
***
They returned back to the town. Went their separate ways. The physician and his son, Elder and Younger, went back to the clinic. Yin Biya was complaining about her knee again, especially with the oncoming rain. He prescribed her a few pills to ease the pain when she went to bed at night.
Zheng Jo returned to the inn, took his customary spot at his table, pulled out his journal and the maps. Guo Liling, upon noting the traveler’s return, approached him.
“May I join you?” she asked.
Zheng Jo raised an eyebrow at her.
“Sure,” he said.
She sat down. Helped him with a few translations. Mostly just watched him work. This curiosity of the multiverse. He muttered to himself, a bit darkly at times, threw out words that she had never heard, but knew to be curses. They ate dinner with her father. Traded a few stories.
The storm rolled just after sundown. A deluge, it pelted the roofs of the Opal Hills, drank into the dirt, swelled into mud along the dirt paths. Trees swayed and bent, and a few broke. Children laugh-screamed into their parents' homes. Windows were shuttered. The wind battered against the walls, which shuddered and howled as if in pain.
The day wore away. The storm continued into the night. High in the monastery, Grandmaster Zhou decided to turn in early, his back and his legs aching. Tai Haoran decided to meditate in the rain, stepping out into the courtyard and closing his eyes. It was an exercise in concentration, a rare opportunity to use such harsh elements to one's benefit.
Tai Haoran did this every time it rained.
…
And it was a golden opportunity, as he meditated, looking inwards to himself and his own training, numb to the world, for Xiao Rai to sneak into his room.
She did this usually when he was out. But the journey outside the town had distracted her. Xiao Rai rose from her bed, kept low to the ground, was careful where she placed her steps as she moved over to Tai Haoran's room. She could see him through the window, outside, in a lotus position, the rain battering around him like a thousand needles.
She opened the door to his room. Tai Haoran kept his quarters bare of any decoration save for a scroll by his bed that read out a list of breathing exercises to strengthen the heart.
Xiao Rai searched quickly. Found what she was looking for. Tai Haoran's prescription. His pills from Wang Ro the Elder. For his heart. She did not know what exactly was wrong with TAi Haoran's, save that it was where his malice dwelled, but the medicine certainly helped with it.
Or would have. As Xiao Rai removed the medicine from its bottle, and replaced them with simple sugar pills. They looked much the same as Wang Ro the Elder's, and every time she visited Old Gate City she made sure to grab more.
What she could not get from Grandmaster Zhou with training, she would get with cunning.
Every Anri user had their weakness, and Tai Haoran's was his heart.
She took the proper medicines in hand, and returned back to her room. Did a breathing technique to pull in Anri, much as she had during her trip into the mines earlier with Zheng Jo. The fire lit up Wang Ro the Elder's medicine, burned through the casings and crushed-up plants completely. All evidence of treachery gone, she went to bed. It would be a long day of chores tomorrow, she knew.
…
She had been doing this for two months now.
It was only a matter of time.