----------------------------------------
Chapter 34: "Review and Retelling."
----------------------------------------
After waiting through several long breaths of laughter from the fairy, Shae got curious and checked what part of the legal book Yun was reading over.
> ...
>
> Cultivator treasures recovered from a crime shall be held until the crime is fully resolved and a suitable period beyond to allow for challenges to the resolution to complete.
>
> If the treasure was instrumental to the crime itself, it may be confiscated to prevent repeated offenses. If not, it may instead be held by the city until the criminal has served their sentence, or paid all due fines.
>
> Any provable loss of value from the confiscation may be: (a) included in the offender's sentence like a fine, or (b) compensated with an equal value of treasure or spirit stones from the city's treasury or armory; selected by the lead investigator. Option b may also be used if the item was damaged by city personnel during recovery.
>
> ...
Shae frowned at the section. Interesting, but not particularly helpful.
Yun finally settled down and turned around to sit beside the young woman on the bed again. "Don't frown too hard. Legal's not that bad to read."
She shook her head, "It's not that. I was just hoping it would be more relevant."
"Hmm, I think it is." She paused to watch Shae's confusion then tapped the last paragraph.
Shae read it over again. "Was I city personnel?"
Yun smiled. "Good question. That was my next thing to check. We should also note that the spatial item was used in the crime, but whether it was instrumental or not is debatable." She tapped the other section.
"Hmm, they did say it had shadow magic cloaking it from detection. That part seems instrumental. Any other spatial item could have been used, but would have been found sooner, I assume."
"Good point. Let's assume they do use that as an excuse. Spatial items are very valuable. I highly doubt the stolen items exceed the value of the ring, so the fines might not either."
"Meaning the city might need to repay the value. No, definitely will. It was full of raw metal and simple tools, no way that even comes close."
"Hmm, Flame Well has an interesting stranglehold on some metals. Could you tell what it was?"
The young woman shook her head. "No, but they were basics, like pots and pans, kitchen knives. Lou said they were smuggling weapons and armor, but I saw no trace of that."
"Hmm, but you only saw inside the one ring, yes?"
Shae snorted, "Heh, sorry, that wording was funny to me." She waved away any further explanation. "Yes, I only saw one shipment. But if you were going for weapons, why stop completely this late into the operation? Surely space in the ring is at a premium, you wouldn't put something inside you didn't need."
The two women took a moment to think.
"You might be on the right track." Yun nodded.
"I'm worried that I am, and what that means for the group getting these supplies. At worst, the city is framing this as a rebellion. Claiming they are stockpiling weapons. They could use that as an excuse to crush whatever group is outside the city. Even if it's just peasants trying to get by."
"That seems rather extreme."
Shae forced an exhale, trying to expel her worry, "I read a lot in my past life. History and fiction. I might be looking for vipers in a can of worms."
Yun gave her a questioning look.
"Eh? Sorry, that was a mangled metaphor." She forced another breath. "People in power don't like to be challenged. They will make excuses, push pieces into place, and encourage others to do the same so that they can keep that power. No matter how absurd the end result is." Another huff. "Just look at what Tan did today. Now that I've had a moment to get a few clear thoughts in: I just know that she only did that because her boss made her. Maybe she was trying to lead me in the right direction, but it wasn't her idea. She's too nice for that."
"Oh? How do you know? Didn't you just meet her?"
"Uh. Well yes. I suppose it's just a hunch then. She was very nice and cooperative earlier. Even if her ability to act was limited, she could have had Lou explain it to me, or you. I feel that her hands were tied by direct orders, I can't imagine it any other way."
"Hmm. I only heard this one conversation. Yet, I agree. Her attitude and demeanor shifted when handling the reward discussion. So, we need to figure out why." She tapped the book a few times.
"Right." Shae nodded. "So. Hmm. We know they can confiscate the ring. How exactly they get away without paying for it maybe isn't our problem. Not to be too self-centered, but the question might be around my place in the puzzle. I wasn't directly hired, but assisting of my own free will."
"Were you? How did that happen?" Yun turned a curious gaze on her young friend. "Why did they let you snoop around so easily?"
"Oh, because of my sword. Oh, right. I guess it wasn't completely of my own free will. More like an implied obligation."
"Your peace-bound sword? I had heard they were meaningful to some groups, yet have never heard the details directly."
"Hmm, right, Sergeant Xiang said most people don't know, even grunts and basic guards don't seem to recognize it. Second Captain Lou did recognise it, and all but demanded I help him out. I think he just wanted me to distract the inept Inspector Choun for a bit so they could get more people through the gates. Yada yada, you know the rest."
"I don't, actually. Tan was very tight-lipped."
"Oh." Shae nodded and gave Yun a fast overview of what happened, answering some questions along the way.
----------------------------------------
> "Hmm, so he did refer to you as an outside contractor when introducing you to Tan, that we should remember."
Shae nodded and continued the story.
> "Princess Tan! Really! You said that!" Yun laughed heartily, a more open and joyful laugh than the surprised one she had broken into earlier.
Her laughter was short lived, yet it returned throughout Shae's narration.
> "Haha, what fun teasing, and you say she was blushing the whole time? Do you think he'll court her now?"
>
> "He'd better." Shae said sternly.
>
> "Hah, I agree. Tell you what, I'll keep an eye on them, and maybe give a little push if nothing happens."
>
> "Heh, thanks Yun." The young woman smiled.
>
> "So that's how you found it? It wasn't just on the roof, right?"
>
> "Right."
>
> Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Shae continued her story.
> "Why the noodles?"
>
> "I was hungry." She shrugged and continued.
----------------------------------------
"And that's when the trap triggered. The rest is kind of a blur of pain and panic."
Yun patted her hand. "I don't need you to relive that now. Tan's report might be more useful for what happened."
Shae frowned.
"Not that you're unreliable. Rather, that kind of situation tends to warp our perceptions. What you experienced may be easily summarized by a more experienced cultivator."
"Oh, right. Except the thing in my arm that they have no clue about." She chuckled.
"And did you want to fill me in on what that was?"
"Hmm. I'm not sure. I don't think it's something I'm supposed to have. Not yet, at least."
"You do seem to like doing things far too early, out of order, and quickly. Van said you already improved your mental focus? How?"
"Heh, I spent a few tough hours learning to swing a knarr." She chuckled. "Heh, that sounds so unimpressive, I know. It had a weight enchantment, so I had to use qi strength. Then I pushed my mental focus to improve accuracy of the ax strike, and also to reduce qi usage. That brief window where the blade is descending and about to hit wood worked as a great focal point."
"Weren't you with the caravan? Why were you chopping wood?"
"Oh! You probably didn't hear. There was a mudslide: it washed dozens of trees across the road. I had to clear it before the caravan got there. A dozen-ish li north of the city."
"Why you?"
The young woman shrugged. "Because I agreed to help. I was acting as runner and scout for Mistress Ping. So she had an easy means of asking, and we worked something out. A guy in town named Fedir had the knarr, though he calls it Marta."
"Marta? Well, okay, that all follows easily enough. And you had to return it after, which is why you came back," the young woman nodded and the older continued, "but surely you couldn't have practiced mental focus more than a few times, maybe a dozen or two if you spaced it out and recovered properly. Which you wouldn't have known to do. How soon did you almost pass out?"
"Actually that took a while, I had almost cleared out one side of the road before it really hit me, but I think my qi was helping maintain me. Less than an hour."
"Hmmm, that shouldn't be that easy. You must have had strong mental focus to begin with. I don't think it would carry over from your past life, but other challenges might have forced you to train it."
"Huh, didn't consider that. I don't think I could have trained it in my past life, unless putting up with screaming children counts. Heh. Even if I had, it would need to be attached to my soul and not my mind, right?" She missed Yun's raised eyebrow as she continued thinking out loud. "Hmm, other challenges, there have been several things that could fit. The only repeated one was enduring Elder Ghon's directed tempering."
"Directed tempering? Did you mention that before? I think I knew you were tempered, but directed tempering is rare. Takes a lot of effort from the Elder controlling it."
Shae wobbled her head and hand with uncertainty. "He kinda got to cheat a little. He used the mountain's pressure as the tempering force, and just had to monitor me. I had to push through and stay conscious, so the session could last longer. Longer sessions meant fewer, he said."
Yun nodded. "Yes, I suppose that could do it. You might have strengthened your mental focus by reflex, just straining to stay awake. I'm not sure the old man would have noticed your tenacity, since directed tempering is so rare."
"Heh, the stone-faced grump probably wouldn't have said, even if he had noticed. Send him a letter and ask."
"Me? Why not you?"
"Surely, Miss family-contacts-everywhere has to have a good reputation with an old man on a mountain."
"Pfffff. Silly girl!" She mussed up Shae's hair. "So, back to your other absurd exploits. You almost passed out after an hour of work? Then what? Came back? Van said something about Master Long noticing."
"Oh, I took a quick break, hired some locals to move logs, then kept going. Swinging Marta and focus-training my way through the other, more crowded side of the road. Not as sloppily as the first time, though. I used it more sparingly and took more breaks."
Yun stared at her, clearly expecting something else. "You're serious?"
"Uh, yep!"
"Even with some existing mental strength, you should have been unconscious after a few dozen well-trained focus strikes. I can't even imagine." She sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "How? Focus use takes hours to recover from."
Shae coughed. "Like I told Van, I think some of the enlightenment from the other day helped me out. It must have let me recover faster."
Yun frowned. "Theoretically possible, but why are you lying about it? If you were going to boast about something, just say that you got an enlightenment while working, and used it to keep going. That's still absurd but believable."
The young cultivator looked down at her lap. "Sorry. I'm worried."
The fairy sighed and reached a hand over her shoulder to pull her into a side hug. "I promise, whatever it is, I won't make fun of you for it."
Shae snorted a laugh. "I'm more worried that it's not something I should be able to do, like the little orb thing in my arm was, and how people will react to either."
"Shouldn't we just be excited for you? Unique bloodline abilities and body constitutions are rare, but they are generally seen as positive. What really worries you?"
"Hmm, I guess I might be overreacting. But like, you know the other night, when I refined that nectar qi, then got it into the spirit water without contaminating it?"
"Yes, that was a little impressive, but not impossible. Just improbable for your stage."
"Right, so if that was more important, someone might turn me into some kind of living qi filter, just doing that all day with no freedom!"
"You have heard far too many stories." Yun squeezed their hug tighter for a beat. "People don't do that. Rumors claim demonic cultivators did that to people a long time ago. Yet, even back then, honorable sects put a lot of effort into wiping them out. Divine Inquiries, like the one you experienced are a huge part of that. They are supported by the Heavens directly but must be used cautiously. Soul Calming Root has also helped a lot for the really nasty and evasive demons and cultists."
"Huh? How so?" She scratched her head. "Uhh, did I hear this already? It is sounding familiar."
"Heh, I think I mentioned it while you were rather angry at Master Long, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Did the others you received it from not explain it either?"
"They said it did what it says on the tin. Calms the soul. The monks said it... increases harmony between the body and soul, or something? Then they wouldn't answer my follow up questions."
"What follow up did you ask?"
"Hmm, how our bodies could be not harmonized already, if we were born with our souls."
"Ahh." She sucked in air through her teeth. "I can see why they didn't answer that."
Shae groaned. "You too?"
"Mmhm. Me too. Though, I don't think I could give you a solid answer anyway."
"So about the root then?"
"Right, in short, if a person's soul is corrupted, or wrong in some specific ways, then the root acts like a poison. High doses can kill outright. What is usually served in testing tea, like you received, is only enough to show the effect, not do permanent harm."
"So, if I was some cultist, I'd start coughing up blood, or something?"
"Hmm, I've never seen it, but I'd bet that's one possibility. Depends on the specific case, I believe."
"Hmmm. Uh. What about just not liking the flavor?" The young woman asked cautiously, then turned to look up at Yun for the answer.
She raised an eyebrow. "I suppose. Stronger or older souls can supposedly taste it, like you say you can. So, it makes sense they would not like the taste."
"Uhh, that's maybe bad then."
"Oh? Why?"
Shae quickly explained her encounter with Inspector Choun and how he disliked the addition of the diluted spiritual water, which was stored in the old Soul Calming Root bottle.
"...But, I guess we mixed it with old tea. And it wasn't served in glass, like spiritual water should be. His cup was bone china, can spiritual water dissolve bone?" Shae backtracked at the end, making a few reasonable excuses for the situation.
Yun's worried expression finally broke. "Well, those are good points, actually. You had me rather worried there, but spiritual water can bring out strange tastes. I'll follow up with Chef Van, he will be interested to hear the results of the mixing either way."
"Thanks, -"
An odd knock came from the door. Then some weirdly distorted speaking.
"What?" Shae asked.
She looked at Yun and the woman shrugged.
----------------------------------------