“Well?”

“Hm?”

They had travelled via Sou Yuet's ginseng leaf several hundred kilometres to a town that seemed distant enough for the time being. At least, it didn't seem like anyone was on the look out for a blond cultivator and a scary-looking witch, so the pair had managed to get some accommodation after Sou Yuet treated the inn owner for her rheumatism. They examined their empty medicine containers ruefully.

“I should go and see what medicines they have to offer around here.”

“Hey! Dammit, monk, why aren't ye talking to me?”

Sou Yuet put down the bottle. “What do you want to know?”

“Feck, where do I start? Why've yer eyes got green bits in them now? Did ye like mine that much?”

“While I was laying out the array and fighting Lí, I broke through from Second Daan-tin Expert to Third Daan-tin Apprentice.”

“Ye what?”

“Our cultivation practices are centred around developing the energy in the body from its most basic form to a state of nothingness. Dzing becomes hei, hei becomes san, san turns to nothing.”

“Sounds like a waste of time, but go on.”

“We're all born with dzing. The day we run out of dzing is the day we die. Those who cultivate learn to transform dzing to the higher energy hei in the First Daan-tin, located in the base of the stomach.” The monk indicated the location. “Those with higher cultivation can transform hei into san in the Second Daan-tin, at the solar plexus, and then process san into nothingness in the Third Daan-tin, here at the third eye.” They tapped their forehead.

“And you're a Third-whatsy Apprentice now?”

“That means I've been able to active my Third Daan-tin and begin transforming san into nothingness.”

“Nothingness... Is there... anything beyond that? What does that even mean?”

“'There is form in emptiness, and emptiness in form.' When we reach a state of absolute nothingness, we are one with the world. We are part of all things and all things are part of us. We Ascend.”

“I don't get it. Do ye become a god or something? What's the point?”

“It's rather esoteric, isn't it?” Sou Yuet agreed with a laugh. “In any case, by activating my Third Daan-tin, I can use the sight arts of my practice, Jade Eyes, now. Hence the appearance of the green. When I have mastered it, I believe my irises will become fully green.”

“So we'll have matching eyes then?”

Sou Yuet just smiled.

“Why does ye old master have gold things in his eyes then if yours are green?”

Sou Yuet's smile faltered. “Did you hear what I said before, about being the direct disciple of the Azure Dragon?”

“Yeah, I did. Who the heck is that?”

“Master... Yuen Muk Si fu, he... he raised me, he taught me things he knows, but he's not my true master. Lady Maang Dzeung – I've actually never met her. Around two centuries ago, the Five Kingdoms were at war. It was the first time demons appeared, and the Five Kingdoms that existed were not united about how to deal with them. They began fighting among themselves.

“At the time, the Ng Dzeung, the Five Divine Guardians of the world, wandered the human realm. Each managed an element, and a location. They took part in the war and brought the world back to peace, but the cost was great. Many people died. The Dzue Kingdom fell. The Ng Dzeung were exhausted and retreated from the mortal realm. Only a few of the main people involved stayed behind. One of those was Si fu.”

“I suppose he's old enough. I'm not surprised anymore after you told me your age.”

“Si fu was the direct disciple of the leader of the Ng Zeung, the great Leoi Wo, the Yellow Earth Dragon of the Centre of All Things, and the mother Goddess who created humanity. In his cultivation path, the Fool's Way of the Mountain, the sight arts are known as Dragon Eyes, and they manifest as gold irises.”

“His eyes aren't all gold though. Has he not mastered them then?”

Sou Yuet's voice was very small. “Master... could achieve full Dragon Eyes at any time.”

“So why hasn't he?”

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“Because when the Ng Dzeung left the world, he stayed behind to take on one last task. At the time, there were only three direct disciples – himself, and the disciples of Lady Ling Gwong, Vermilion Bird of the South, and Lord Gaam Bing, White Tiger of the West. But Lady Maang Dzeung and the Black Tortoise of the North, Lord Dzap Ming, predicted the advent of their own direct disciples after they had left. They entrusted their arts to Si fu to pass on while they were away from the mortal world.”

“So the old man is here... because of you? What does that have to do with the Dragon Eye thing?”

“Once one fully realises the sight arts of their practice, they achieve nothingness and Ascend the mortal realm.”

“Why does that sound like they die?”

“It is, in a way. It's the death of the mortal self, the rising to something that transcends humanity. If Master allowed himself to fully embrace the Dragon Eyes, he would Ascend soon after.”

Seeing Sou Yuet's miserable expression, the necromancer changed topic. “Does that mean yer Master found the other disciple already?”

“Ah, yes. You've met her.”

“Met her... Not that crazy- That Senior Sister back at Yùhǎi?”

“Second Princess Chūn Zéyì. She's the direct disciple of the Black Tortoise of the North. Her cultivation is higher than mine but it's difficult to tell since her eyes are dark already. One would have to look very closely to see that her eyes are more black than dark brown. And in any case, her hei deviation has... altered things. I didn't want to say anything to her in front of anyone else...”

The necromancer groaned and clutched his head. “This is way too much information for me.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, honestly I'm just kind of thick. Never been good at learning. Hey, don't look at me like that.”

“Lie down, let me treat you now.”

The necromancer fell back on one of the beds in their rented room with a fake whimper. “Don't hurt me.”

“Behave.”

“No.”

“Sunny.”

The si dzi flung her fluffy stomach over the necromancer's face.

“Argh! Get off! Abuse!”

“Stay still or I'll stab the wrong place with my needles.”

The monk worked silently as the witch settled with Sunny's fluffy body pillowing his head. The silver needles flew about, finding acupuncture points along the necromancer's torso. He watched the wooden hairpin bob up and down, once more innocently holding back the monk's hair.

“So when ye get yer sight arts.... does that mean ye'll be leaving too?”

The needles paused.

“I don't get it. What's the point? Ye all cultivate and whatever, rushing towards leaving this place as soon as possible... Where do ye go? Is it better there? … Is it so bad here?”

“I'm surprised to hear you say that. Haven't you suffered a lot here?”

“Yeah, but... There's just so much to see, isn't there? Even just these few months travelling with ye, I've seen so many things I never knew before. I've met all kinds of creatures... Ye know, those kids... when I asked 'em if they wanted to help their mam...”

“Where were they?”

“At the back of the cave, buried under the sand. She'd brought them there, hidden them. I'm really glad I found them. I don't think she would've been able to move on peacefully if they weren't there to... call her home.”

“Thank you.”

“It's one of my few skills. Might as well use it.” He stared at the mud ceiling. “I wonder how Mam is.”

“We'll find out soon.”

“What's that fox's deal, anyway? He acts like he's something grand, and next minute he runs off. And his face? He makes fun of how I look with a face like that?”

“Fox spirits have a few common powers. Seduction, as I've told you before -” The necromancer snorted “- and the ability to create and manipulate nightmares, is another. I expect that appearance of his was a manifestation of the latter. They are also renowned more for their ability to escape than to fight,” Sou Yuet explained, packing away the rest of their needles. “Stay still for a bit. However, they're persistent. They'll run as soon as they see they're at a disadvantage, but they'll come back soon enough.”

“So what do we do about the anqa's body?”

“The array will hold long enough while I contact Master... and tell him what I did. I hope. It's difficult to tell - Lí's dominant attribute seems to be Wood, like mine. And then from what you've said, he also has powers like yours...”

“Similar. Psychopomps lead those who are dead or dying to where they need to go once their lives have ended. I kind of slip in between and chat to those who haven't quite moved on yet. Ask 'em for a favour.”

Sou Yuet's brow creased.

“Worried?”

“I just don't know how long the array will hold. Lí hasn't just been running away because he was going to lose to us or he was scared. We've practically had to show all of our skills to fight him, but we have no idea if he's got any other powers. At least one thing's been explained that I couldn't understand.”

“Hm?”

“His servants. How he has so many, their efficiency... I did vaguely wonder if anyone has tried to speak with them to get some information. But of course, they wouldn't get anything.”

“Servants... ye mean those random wooden objects?”

“I've heard it's a phenomenon in Yamato,” Sou Yuet said thoughtfully. “Old objects, especially those that have been well-used, can gain a kind of sentience, almost a divinity. Those that are treated badly can become demonic, but well-loved items can become protective of their owners.”

“The world really is a big place, huh? What the hell else is he going to pull out of his arse?”

“Hopefully nothing else. He's causing enough trouble as it is. Alright, I'll take these out now.” Sou Yuet withdrew the needles and packed them away. “Are you going to put your clothes on properly?”

“I would, but ye'd be sad, wouldn't ye?”

The monk coughed and busily emptied their sleeves of their remaining possessions. “Let me do an inventory.”

The necromancer watched Sou Yuet quickly lay out the objects and examine them with excessive intensity. The burn salve, the dagger, a few bunches of herbs, a pouch with a few coins left... He was pleased to see, for some reason, that the clairín búirthe was still in Sou Yuet's possession, although there would have been no reason for the monk to get rid of it. His eyes followed the flow of the pale blond hair, like a field of silvergrass, over the monk's shoulders and back. He was brought out of his thoughts when Sou Yuet reached up and tapped the hairpin as if using the action to add the object to some mental list. The monk's expression was growing dark again as he examined the meagre spread.

“Hey, Ah Yuet.”

“Hm?”

“I... Ye asked before, about... if I'd killed someone before.”

The monk stopped sorting their belongings.

“What ye were saying, about objects gaining divinity... and yer whole ascension thing...”

The tattoos on his neck writhed.

“There's... Do ye know there's another way to create a god?”