The Jade Temple, Xian would learn, was the largest temple to Xuewen in Semetra. Every monk who wished for Xuewen’s blessing while studying his teachings would study and meditate at the Jade Temple, many often making pilgrimages multiple times in their lives back to the temple.

But Xian was not to serve Xuewen as a monk.

He was too tainted to serve Xuewen, according to the monk who escorted him to the temple. He was so tainted with dishonor that if Xian were to seek the god’s blessing, no doubt Xuewen would be so insulted he would be struck down where he stood.

But there was another purpose for Xian in the Jade Temple.

The Lotus Pond.

From what Xian understood, those who went to the Lotus Pond were those who had more bad karma than they could hope to erase in one lifetime. Serving in the Lotus Pond meant pledging lifelong service to the Gilded Emperor and Semetra, but service to the Gilded Emperor was service to the gods’ mortal vessel. If one could serve in the Lotus Pond well enough, Tanjoshi would be merciful to them in the next life.

But only the strong could be permitted to the Lotus Pond. Xian had to prove he was strong. Strong in body and in mind.

“I am not hungry.”

Even as the words left his mouth, Xian could feel his stomach churn and voice its protests. It was now impossible to ignore the twisting agony wreaking havoc on his body.

The noise also had not escaped the notice of the men across from him.

“Come now, child,” One said calmly from behind his long, well-groomed mustache, “It has been four days. How much longer do you expect to last?”

“All we need is your name.” The other added, a pale hand smoothing down the silk of his hanfu as if the act was more intriguing than Xian.

Both men were finely dressed in lavishly dyed silk hanfus, with embroidery that glittered in the low light of the single lantern over their heads. In contrast, Xian wore only a threadbare shift of linen that barely covered his body.

The only other item in the room was the tray situated between them on the tatami mat. A tray laden with a heaping bowl of rice, a plain tea pot, and a single cup.

The tea was a new addition, the heavy perfume of jasmine wafting through the room and assaulting Xian’s senses. He swallowed involuntarily, his throat dry from the effort.

Xian wasn’t quite sure how this test was supposed to prove he was strong. The only instructions he had been given was to not give his interrogators the information they wanted. Xian was sure the men already knew his name back when they first asked several days ago, so he didn’t know why they kept asking him. Trying to bribe him with food felt like cheating, no matter how hungry he was.

“I am not hungry…” He repeated, his voice a dry rasp.

“There is no need to lie.”

“No one need find out. We aren't asking for much, just your name.”

Lie. Xian wasn't even sure if four days had truly passed, or if it was an attempt to trick him.

“I…” Another growl from his traitorous stomach almost forced Xian to double over, “...I am not hungry.” He had to prove he was strong enough to be permitted to enter the Lotus Pond. He needed Tanjoshi’s blessing.

A-die needed that blessing.

“At least have some tea. Something to quench your thirst.”

Xian's throat felt like it was on fire. Had it been four days since his last drink of water?

“I…” Xian's vision swam, black spots dancing across his eyes, “I…”

The black became far more than spots, not that Xian had been aware either way.

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Four days. That was how long Xian had been questioned, how long he had gone without food or water. Apparently, after his collapse, he had to be force fed by the monks of the Jade Temple.

But at least Xian had made it into the Jade Temple. He still wasn’t sure how exactly that test was meant to show that he was strong, but he thought better of asking the monks who tended to him.

He also knew better than to complain when they cut off all his hair, shaving it down until his head was completely naked. Xian didn’t like having all his hair cut off, mama always loved combing his hair before bed. But mama wasn’t here now, she wouldn’t ever be coming back.

When Xian followed the monk through the Jade Temple grounds, he couldn’t help but look around at all the grand sights. With the Jade Temple being located in Xuyuan, it was no wonder that the temple looked almost as grand as what Xian imagined the Heavenly City must look like.A-die and mama had even brought him to the Jade Temple on one occasion when A-die's work had brought him to the capital to discuss things with the Gilded Emperor himself. But Xian did not remember this part of the temple.

"Stop gawking," said the monk, barely sparing Xian a second glance as he walked through one of the side courtyards, "I have no time to be chasing down misbehaving children."

"Yes, sir," Xian immediately looked forward to the center of the monk's back, "I was just looking for the Lotus Pond..." He didn't remember a lotus pond the last time he had visited the temple with A-die and mama, but maybe it was just in a hidden part of the temple.

"We are in the Lotus Pond now," The monk replied as they passed an archway that led into another courtyard. This courtyard wasn't as lavishly decorated as the others Xian had seen. In fact, it was rather austere in comparison. Perhaps this was where the monks lived.

But Xian couldn't see any ponds, let alone a lotus pond. "Where are the lotuses?" He asked

The monk stopped abruptly, causing Xian to walk directly into his back. When the monk turned to face Xian, there was a distinct look of disgust on his face, as if Xian had gotten something particularly vile on his clothes. "The Lotuses in this pond are not flowers. If you are capable and prove to not be a complete imbecile, you may hope to one day become a Lotus and make your life worthwhile."

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It would take Xian almost a year to understand what exactly that meant.

Lotuses grow from the muck at the bottom of ponds and lakes, only revealing their beauty upon breaking through the surface of the water and flourishing under the light of the sun. Likewise, Xian and the others brought to the Lotus Pond also came from muck, and the Pond was where they were meant to try to grow and bloom into something that could please the gods. At least, that was what Xian understood.

Xian understood many things in those first few years.

The first was that the man who led him into the Lotus Pond was not a monk. He was an official of the Gilded Emperor's court, but one that never attended court sessions, and only seemed to answer to the Gilded Emperor himself. It would take Xian until his ninth birthday before he learned the man’s real name, Akita Kunikage, and until his tenth birthday before he fully understood what it meant to be the Gardener of the Lotus Pond. He was the one in charge of making sure every sad soul who came to the Lotus Pond was properly trained and educated, the one who made sure that those who failed to flourish were properly pruned from the Pond.

Xian was eleven when he understood what was meant by "pruned."

Day in and day out, Xian would wake up before the sun rose and attend training with the Gardener with the other children his age. There had been a couple dozen when Xian had first joined the Lotus Pond. That number dropped every year. Xian was twelve when he understood that eventually, there would only be eight remaining, and that if Xian was to gain Tanjoshi's blessing on his A-die's behalf, he needed to be one of those eight.

Xian was thirteen when he finally understood what the Lotuses of the Lotus Pond were.

It had been what Xian had thought was a normal training session. Akita had instructed Xian to sneak into one of the fancy houses in Xuyuan, and to retrieve the contents of the desk in the second-story office. All without being seen.

Xian hadn't asked questions about who lived in the fancy house. Based on the house itself, as well as the fact the house appeared to be staffed with a dozen servants and guards, it was the home of a minor court official, or perhaps a second home for higher ranking officials. The reason it was important for Xian to take note of that was the number of people whom he would have to avoid as he made his infiltration.

It was when Xian was inside the office that he was able to know for sure it was a minor official, given the fact the locks on all the doors and drawers took next to no effort to pick. The desk itself was a complete mess, no sense of order whatsoever, which explained why this particular official had failed to climb any ranks in office. The false bottom in the desk drawer was obvious and clumsy, but Xian was hardly going to complain about his job being easier.

Akita had only instructed Xian to bring the contents of the drawer, but Xian knew better than to assume the Gardener meant every document. It was Xian's task to sort out which documents were the ones Akita wanted. A quick perusal of the hidden documents revealed a large gambling debt, several letters written by different women, who seemed to all be under the assumption they were writing to a husband-to-be, and several detailed trade manifests of goods coming in from Mecadet.

Trade manifests that held several inconsistencies.

With his prize in hand, Xian made quick work of recreating the document, placing the forgery in the false drawer before setting the room back to exactly how he left it. He had spent far too many trainings with Akita or one of his underlings on the importance of attention to detail. He had been forced to memorize entire mosaics with only seconds to view them, instructed to recreate them perfectly to avoid punishment. Xian did his best to avoid punishment whenever possible.

Be good, Xian.

If Akita had been pleased with Xian's work retrieving the trade manifest, he did not show it. Xian did not expect praise. The Gardener did not give praise, only an absence of punishment.

But that night, Xian had been pulled from his bed by Akita's men, and ordered to meet the Gardener in one of the many underground monastic cells in the temple. Xian knew better than to ask what was going on.

When Xian arrived at the specified location, Akita was waiting.

As was another man, finely dressed, bound to a chair. Based on the state of the fine clothes in disarray, Xian could hazard a guess that the man had not come willingly. It also wasn't terribly hard to guess the connection the man had to that day's training.

Akita pointed to a table next to the man, drawing Xian's gaze to the rows of bamboo needles of various widths.

"Make him talk." That was the only command the Gardener gave before he moved to the other side of the room, took a seat, and ordered one of the guards to bring him a pot of tea.

Xian made the man talk. It had gotten easier once he tuned out the sound of screaming. Every once in a while, Akita would ask a pointed question over his cup of tea (something about kickbacks and contraband, but Xian wasn't being instructed to remember the conversation, so he didn't worry too much about the conversation).

When it appeared Akita was satisfied (and the bound man was reduced to a sobbing mess), the Gardener took something out of his sleeve and tossed it at Xian.

Xian caught it, because it was not a good idea to drop anything the Gardener gave you. Once Xian was sure that he would not be reprimanded for being distracted, Xian examined the object in his hand. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple, if lovely, hair stick. Something Xian could not wear with his shaved head, so there must have been a secondary use. He found it quickly, at what appeared to be part of the engraving; a seam. It gave way easily under Xian's thumb, the two halves of the hair stick coming apart without a sound. But rather than two completely separate parts, there was a thin wire that kept the two connected. A wire that Xian had seen used once before. Sigang thread, woven from the silk of the giant Bukiko spiders. Thin as a whisper, yet stronger than steel.

When Xian turned his attention back to Akita, the man simply took another sip of his tea.

"Get rid of him."

It was as Xian was washing up the aftermath of the "lesson," that Xian understood that his purpose was to collect secrets, give them to his betters, and perform their dirty work so they did not have to sully their hands. He was a tool in the hands of the Gilded Emperor's servants, a weapon to cut down Semetra's enemies before they became a problem.

The next morning, when Xian had reported to breakfast with the others in his cohort (there were three missing, but Xian had learned not to think too much about where they might be), the monks did not come around to shave their heads as they did every morning.

"You lot have earned the right to allow your hair to grow to serf's length," One of the guards had said when no one asked about the change in routine. "Count your blessings, and praise the gods for your chance to serve the Gilded Emperor and Semetra further."

Later, while they were running their usual drills in agility and endurance, the whispers began.

"This means we're going to be the next Lotuses," One girl, Shimi, hissed as they climbed a wall, avoiding the spikes at the top. Xian wasn't sure, there were still more than eight of them, after all.

One of the other boys, a broad boy named U-jin, shook his head, "Nah, we're too young still. We have to give up our faces first before we're officially Lotuses."

"He's right, there's a whole ceremony and everything," added Wei as they moved across the bamboo pillars serving as their way across the gap between buildings, "The Gardener has to decide where we will serve first."

That was another thing Xian had come to understand. Oftentimes, Lotuses did not remain in Semetra for very long, instead traveling deep into the hearts of Semetras allies, neighbors, and enemies. There, they were to uncover their secrets and ensure that Semetra was always informed, always knowing, always one step ahead.

Shimi huffed with the effort to clear the same distance as those with longer legs, but made no show of slowing down, "Any idea where you might be sent?" She asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they sent me into Zilynth or Uthwain," U-jin admitted, "Though I'd rather deal with Zilynth than the frigid cold of Uthwain."

'Better the hot than the cold," Wei nodded, "If I'm lucky, maybe the Haivai Islands, or maybe Mecadet."

"Since when have any of us been lucky?" Shimi scoffed, ducking the swinging log before making another vault over the next obstacle, "I honestly don't care where I get sent, as long as it isn't Rathania."

"That goes without saying," U-jin agreed, "Only the unlucky ones, or the ones with the worst karma, get sent to Rathania."

Xian didn't say anything, focusing on his movements through the set of exercises. But he would be lying to himself if he didn't think about what the others were saying. Especially since he had a feeling which one in their group was most likely to be sent to Rathania.