Chapter 34:

The next morning—almost noon really—I left my house a bit groggy. Which, considering how little sleep I got, was perhaps another bonus of my high Vitality. If I’d only gotten four hours of sleep before coming to this world, I would be dead on my feet. Instead, I was just yawning a bit as I made my way across the compound.

The reason I only got four hours of sleep was related to the hidden Foxfire in my arm—another reason to hate foxes! After I went to find Jianfeng to get his opinion on it, who was thankfully cultivating instead of sleeping, we ended up going to find Zhao Wei to look at it. Sun Xia had already turned in for the night, but Zhao Wei was always ready to deal with potential security issues. Which is exactly what the Foxfire might have been.

It could have been a tracker, but Jianfeng had heard stories about insidious hidden techniques like this. Ones that went unnoticed but would end up debilitating the target when they least expected it. Or worse, would allow someone a foothold past otherwise powerful protective arrays. Like the ones that protected the Sun Compound.

I hoped that perhaps he was just being overly careful, but Zhao Wei had agreed with his assessment when we told her the story. I didn’t explain how exactly I noticed the Foxfire. Just that I felt something odd, and then the flames burst out of my arm when I tried to probe it. I also mentioned how it could have come from the two spirit foxes we’d encountered today, but the location of the fire was the exact location where the fox pet of the Black Wind Marauders had bitten me.

Zhao Wei seemed to take that last possibility the most seriously. Apparently, the remnants of the Marauders had yet to be caught, and there were rumors that they’d joined forces with other bandit groups. Bandit groups that there were now rumors about using demonic techniques as well.

With that threat still out there, possibly tied to whatever had been in me, Zhao Wei made sure to scan me very thoroughly. Something that I learned was an incredibly uncomfortable process. The feeling of being examined so deeply was quite disturbing. And the worst part was that it didn’t end there. She found something in me that warranted further study.

Jianfeng, the lucky duck, had been cleared and so had Lin and Sun Yun, who’d needed to be checked as well. After that, it seemed very likely the Foxfire had come from the fox that had bitten me during Sun Yun’s rescue. If it had come from the other foxes, who’d never actually touched me, then it would be odd for me to be the only one affected.

Once that was figured out, Zhao Wei then took me to a more remote part of the compound where there was a small isolated building. Inside was an array that was meant to look out for hidden dangers like we were worried about. I had to sit in there for hours as Zhao Wei meticulously checked for other foreign Qi that might have been hidden inside me.

Part of me worried she’d see something about the System, and that might raise some false flags. Thankfully, that didn’t turn out to be the case. Not as far as I could tell, anyway.

At the end, when I really just wanted to go to sleep and after hours of examination, Zhao Wei concluded that whatever that Foxfire was, it had tried to settle deeper into my body. But whatever I’d done had managed to purge it. What she had detected was just traces of the attempt left behind.

That was both relieving and worrying as all hell. Relieving because I managed to get rid of it. But worrying because I’d only gotten rid of it with luck. If I hadn’t gotten the Foxfire Skill, who knew what it might have done?

Zhao Wei had seemed to sense my worries as she tried to comfort me by saying that it might have just been the reason I was targeted by the two spirit foxes in the forest. That the mark would have just made fox spirit beasts more likely to attack me. But something in her gaze made me think she might have just said that to make me feel better.

Which was another reason I got so little sleep. Even after I was free to go, I had a hard time getting to bed as I imagined all the horrible things that might have happened to me if the Foxfire had stayed in me unnoticed. Some were not that bad. But others…

Well, let’s just say I had a very active imagination and leave it at that.

I shuddered at the memories of some of the scarier things I came up with as I neared the center of the compound. I was taking a shortcut through one of the main buildings to reach the other guest quarters on the other side of the compound. While I’d been asleep, Pan Song had gotten his meeting with Sun Xia in the morning. He’d impressed her enough to gain her patronage and was either moving in now or was already moved in.

I learned this all from a note left at my door and was going to meet with them to discuss the expedition we’d talked about before.

I wasn’t quite sure if we still needed to do that, given that he’d proven himself to Sun Xia. She was a rather prominent figure, a prodigy alchemist who was the disciple of one of the best alchemists in the entire city. While she couldn’t match the Qian Clan alone, her word should be enough to beat out whatever claims that Qian Zhi made.

But the note had made it sound like the expedition was still on, so maybe there was another reason for it I didn’t understand.

As I pondered that, someone else appeared in the isolated corridor. I looked up and was about to greet them when I actually took in the appearance of who it was. Then I froze.

I stared wide-eyed for what felt like an eternity. Then I spoke before I could help myself. “What are you doing here?”

Xing Yaling, or the Icy Fairy as many called her, turned to give me a very unimpressed look. She was still wearing her white veil, but I could practically feel the disapproval from what I could make out of her eyes.

“My apologies,” I said quickly, cursing at myself as I bowed low in apology. Now was not the time to forget all the etiquette I’d learned over the last week. That was one of the things covered a lot outside of all the training I’d done, as offending the wrong person in this world could mean death.

“I did not mean to presume to question you. The question slipped out before I realized who I was speaking to.”

The most ironic thing about all this was Xing Yaling was the exact kind of person my etiquette lessons had been meant to help me from offending. The Soaring Cloud Sect—the main one, not the branch in the city—was the hegemon of the whole province. While, technically, the empire ruled this province, like it did all the others under its borders, the Soaring Cloud Sect was just as influential in the region. And Xing Yaling was a member of this sect.

She could probably kill me if she wanted to, and no one would bat an eye. Even if she didn’t, she could still complain to Sun Xia. And if that happened then…

I had to hold back a shudder at the thought of Sun Xia deciding I needed personal lessons with her. I’d heard from Lin and Jianfeng just how their own etiquette lessons had been like when they first became her retainers. They didn’t go into detail, but it was clear that the experience was very… memorable, to say the least.

Both still gained haunted looks at the memories of what they had to go through, and I really didn’t want to find out firsthand what it took to leave such a mark on my two rather tough friends.

I stayed in my bow position for a long moment, cold sweat running down my back. Hopefully, things wouldn’t come to that, and Xing Yaling would just forget about this encounter.

“Do I strike you as such a terrible person that you must be this worried about offending me?” Xing Yaling finally asked, breaking the silence.

It took me a moment to register her words. When I did, I cursed myself again and straightened up. “No, of course not. I, um…” I trailed off as I saw what might have been a small smirk on her face through her veil. That calmed me a bit, and I took a second to take a breath. Afterward, I spoke again, but much more calm and collected. “I actually just had a really long night and am still a bit sleep-deprived. I apologize for any offense I might have given.”

I bowed again, but not super low this time, and only for a moment.

“I suppose that’s understandable,” Xing Yaling said, nodding ever so slightly. “Your apology is accepted.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I let my shoulder slump a bit at that and nodded. “Thank you.”

Xing Yaling laughed softly at that as she walked past me. As she did, I smelled some kind of floral scent, along with something that made me think of ice and snow. It was a bit odd but nice. Then, just like that, she was gone.

I watched her go for a second before I turned away, not wanting to be caught staring. Then I took a breath to calm myself again.

That had certainly been an interesting, if a bit nerve-wracking, encounter. The last thing I expected today was to run into the Ice Fairy. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing here. But then I decided it was best for me not to think too much about it.

As curious as I was to see what was under the veil, I had more important things to worry about than the potentially super-beautiful woman. Like meeting up with Pan Song and discussing the expedition and the trial.

Even if part of me felt that Xing Yaling was a far more interesting topic to be thinking about.

I shoved that part of me down and started walking again. Hopefully, that would be the last thing to take me off guard today.

—line break—

“What happened to your face?”

It wasn’t the most diplomatic question I could have asked Pan Song after seeing him again. But it just kinda came out of me when he opened the door, and I saw his face.

“That bastard Qian Zhi’s goons,” Pan Song said, frowning as his hand went up to his face. Specifically, his eyes, which were now both black. He had two black eyes. Kinda.

They weren’t black eyes in the sense that they were bruised and swollen. Instead, there was a jagged splash of black that crossed both eyes, like someone had splashed ink on his face. Which might have been exactly what happened.

“Is that ink?” I asked as he let me into his residence. It was much like my own, though the decorations and color scheme were a bit different.

“Yes,” Pan Song said, shaking his head as we made our way to the sitting room. Lin and Jianfeng were there, sitting on some rather decorative couches. I waved at them as we entered. “The bastards tried to attack me where I was staying.”

“They did?” I asked, spinning to face him and a bit stunned. It probably shouldn’t be surprising, given how lawless this world could probably be when it came to the powerful and well-connected. But it still took me aback how brazen they were, even if they only… well, attacked him with ink. “So they broke in and splashed your face with ink?”

“What? No,” Pan Song said, shaking his head as we both sat down. There was a small table in front of us, and I sat on an individual seat across from him. “I was staying at an inn, but I had plenty of time to set up a protective formation. Those bastards must still be underestimating me cause they took forever to break in. I was long gone by the time I felt my protections fall.”

“Oh, well, that’s good,” I said, still confused. “But then what’s with the ink?”

“They still tracked me down before I could reach the Sun Compound,” Pan Song said, shaking his head. “But we were in too crowded an area for them to start a fight. So, of course, they decided to be petty. Pretended to slip and spill in on me.”

“Oh,” I said, finally understanding. “Well… At least it's just ink, right? I’m sure it will come off… soon…”

I trailed off as I saw both Jianfeng and Lin shaking their heads.

“I wish it was just ink,” Pan Song said, leaning his head over the back of his couch and sighing. “This is Crimson Squid Ink.”

He said that name like it should mean something. But I had no idea what that might mean, so I looked to Lin for help.

“Crimson Squids are a type of spirit beasts,” Lin explained. “They're famed for their high-quality ink. Mainly for its rich black color and… its powerful resilience.”

“Oh…” I said, realizing the problem. So he was going to have that ink stain on his face for a while it seemed. That… Well, it was way better than him getting attacked in his own room by thugs. But it was still rather annoying for him. “Well, at least the meeting with Sun Xia went well, right?”

“Ugh, yes,” Pan Song said, straightening himself up. “The honorable and esteemed Young Miss truly lives up to her reputation as being beautiful and wise. She still gave me a chance to prove myself and offered to sponsor me. She even allowed me to stay at this house immediately since my room at the Inn was no longer safe. Thanks again for setting up this opportunity, Li Lan.”

Pan Song gave me a small bow after saying that last part.

“There’s no need for that,” I said, rubbing the back of my head and feeling a bit awkward. I was never good at accepting gratitude. Especially in cases where I didn’t feel like I deserved it. “Jianfeng and Lin did more than me.”

“But you still were the first to give me a chance,” Pan Song said firmly. “I am grateful to them as well, of course, and I hope to be able to repay all your kindnesses.”

“I appreciate that,” I said, nodding before trying to move on from this. “So, should we talk about what we want to do for the coming trial? Given this attack, I doubt Qian Zhi is going to forget us when the time comes. Any ideas on how we should deal with that? I’m assuming you’d be willing to team up to handle whatever might happen?”

“Of course,” Pan Song said, nodding firmly. “You were targeted because of me, so I will do my best to help deal with anything that bastard might do. We were just talking about our expedition to some ruins before you arrived. That should go a long way in helping deal with Qian Zhi.”

“It will?” I asked, confused. I wasn’t sure how spending time going to an ancient site would help. “I thought the whole reason you wanted to break into one of those ruins was to improve your reputation. But with Sun Xia’s reputation and her sponsorship, that shouldn’t be an issue anymore, right?”

“The Young Miss’s sponsorship will go a long way,” Jianfeng said, joining in the conversation. “But if she too openly declares this, it will be a slap to the face of the Qian Clan as a whole. And while Young Miss Qian Chi is on our side, it would be best not to cause such troubles. Not when there’s an alternative. If Pan Song opens a ruin and brings back artifacts from it, it allows him to prove himself without the Young Miss needing to risk alienating more neutral members of the Qian Clan. Pan Song’s success and her quiet support will be much less provoking.”

“Oh,” I said, nodding. “But how does that help with the trial?”

“It will help in multiple ways,” Pan Song said eagerly. He then went on to explain the various reasons opening the ruin could help us. From getting him resources to use for stronger formations in the trial. To the boosted reputation keeping more neutral parties from wanting to suck up to Qian Zhi by messing with us. As well as the chances of gaining rare cultivation resources or useful spirit artifacts. Even if they weren’t useful for us specifically, we could sell them for spirit stones and more useful gear.

Overall, it was pretty convincing. I especially liked the idea of getting some spirit artifacts—what they called magical items here—or earning enough to buy some in the city. Maybe I could get some magical armor to keep me safe or a better sword.

There was also perhaps a small vindictive part of me that wanted Pan Song to succeed just to damage Qian Zhi's credibility and reputation. Given his threats for something so petty, the bastard deserved whatever loss of face we’d end up giving him.

“Alright, I’m convinced,” I said, nodding along. “When should we head out then?”

“How about today?” Pan Song asked eagerly. “The Young Miss agreed to the idea of us going to the ruins, so Shui Jianfeng and Ming Lin are both ready to head out. We were just waiting on you to see if you are ready to go.”

Huh, I hadn’t expected that. I took a moment to consider if there was any problem with leaving today. I hadn’t made my choice yet about Foxfire, but it would literally just take a moment to do it. And thinking about it, my choice hadn’t changed.

The other options were pretty amazing, especially Crystalizing Foxfire. But I’d already seen something that could block the crystallization process, and range Qi draining just seemed the most useful in the long run, especially since I fully expected to get better Skills in the future.

So QI Devouring Foxfire was the best option in the end.

With that decided, was there anything else holding me back?

“Alright, today is fine with me,” I said when I couldn’t think of any other reason why not. “So where is this Serpent's Nest Ruin? I’m assuming it's not in the Great Southern Forest?”

“It isn’t,” Pan Song said, shaking his head. “But we won’t be going there.”

“Why not?”

“Because Pan Song talked to a lot of people about it,” Lin said, making Pan Song wince. “Many people who’ve been to the Starguard Hall know he’s planning on going there. Given the attack by Qian Zhi’s people, it's likely he’ll have people watching the site to keep Pan Song away.”

I frowned.

“Thankfully, there are plenty of minor ruins,” Pan Song said quickly. “And I am confident I can open those, and not just the Serpent’s Nest Ruin. So we can just go to any of the other ones. Given the rumors about what’s happening in the Great Southern Forest, Qian Zhi won’t be able to spare the men guarding them all. Even guarding one will tax him.”

“You mean the spirit beasts rampaging?” I asked. “I thought the Imperial Army was taking care of it. How does that affect Qian Zhi?”

“They're saying they’ll handle it,” Lin said, shaking her head. “But given what’s happened in the East, the great clans of the city are not going to take the chance and rely solely on them. There are already rumors of the great clans organizing an expedition. In fact… It is likely after you pass the Starguard trial there will be priority group extermination missions at the Hall. Something to look forward to, as those are great ways to make contribution points from what I’ve heard.“

I took a moment to process all that and then nodded. Interesting to know, but not directly relevant right now. The most important part was that the Qian Clan wouldn’t have the extra manpower to give to Qian Zhi to guard all the ruins around. We just had to pick another one and bypass the petty bastard.

“Well, alright then,” I said, moving to stand. “Then let me just prepare some things, and we can leave immediately.”