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Aside: A Minor Disruption.
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Apollo breached the clearing, finding Long still standing and staring at the path back to the main road. He finished retracting his Dao. Then nodded at her, after a pause. "Apollo," he greeted.
She returned a more respectful head tilt. "Master Long. She's quite the handful, isn't she?"
"Were you watching her or me?" He asked after a breath.
"Everyone. Always." Apollo smirked. It was hidden by a cloth wrap covering the lower half of her face, yet her eyes and tone of voice said just as much.
He glared at her.
She didn't change her expression. "I heard through the grapevine that I'm expected to help scout today? More so than usual."
He pointed at the collapsed pile of earth and mud. "Spirit beast activity is high. We'll need to scout tomorrow as well."
She shrugged. "Oh, is that what I felt?" She looked up at where the third cultivator in the area was walking away. Though the trees blocked her sight, they did not block either of their divine senses or her scouting techniques. "She tear you a new one again? I'm sad I missed that. Would have been here if I'd known you were planning on confronting her again." She walked to the destroyed rot-dog and checked over the larger rocks.
"Honestly, a witness to that would have been helpful. I'm still not entirely sure what she did with her intent." His gaze went hollow briefly. A subtle thing, but on his face it meant a lot.
"She helped with this then? Wouldn't think you'd need the assist."
"I didn't, of course. It interrupted us during a tense moment: fell victim to both our intents."
Apollo looked the pile over more carefully. Sharpening her qi senses to feel the disturbed qi lingering in the elemental's body. After a few breaths, she inhaled deeply. "Complete intent disruption? That's... rare."
"Exceedingly. Though, I'd wager the timing of both our assaults was a factor. And the fact it was already so weak "
"Hmm. So if you shattered the body's intent, she shattered the spirit?" Apollo raised an eyebrow.
"Shattered is generous, in both cases."
"Still, why did you crack the core? Surely it was harmless after that?"
Long sighed. "Reflex. A small mistake, in hindsight."
Apollo shrugged. "Wouldn't be small during a real battle. But yes, R&D would have appreciated the core." She picked out a piece of the central rock. "Huh."
A glimmer of green caught the dappled light through the trees. It sparkled both a deep green and a lighter creamy green.
"A Jade core?" Long asked, knowing the answer already. "Which kind?"
"Nephrite. Half decent quality if you hadn't shattered it. Still, a few good practice pieces." She reached out to grab the larger chunks, then hesitated. Instead, she replaced the missing pieces and carefully reassembled the shattered rock. Once done, the whole puzzle disappeared into her spatial storage in the next heartbeat.
"You should let the qi disperse. It won't be able to later, what with the added density in the sect." Long lectured, no real admonishment in his voice.
"I know. But, the boys and girls in R&D have a few tricks up their sleeves. I think they'll want to see it. Well, if I can convince them this actually happened." She looked at Long with a questioning eyebrow raised.
"Alright, I'll write a report."
"Thank you."
"They'll want it right away, though. Even in your storage the intent will fade."
"Hmm. I'll scout today, then head back tonight? You can handle tomorrow." She flapped her hand in his direction.
"Hmgh. No, we both should be here tomorrow and the rest of the trip. The beasts won't get any nicer closer to the sect. Go now, and be back to take over scouting this afternoon." He waved a hand and a small writing desk appeared out of his spatial storage. He sat on the ground and prepared to write.
"Be back..." Apollo gaped. "I'll run my legs off trying that."
"Don't be humble, you're faster than that. Didn't you check on the girl over lunch the other day?"
"That was a technique, not travel."
"Oh? Divination? Didn't know you had that."
"Hah, barely an augury on a good day. It didn't even tell me she was injured." She walked over to watch Long write.
"The threat was brief, perhaps she had healed enough by then?" He asked absent-mindedly while planning the letter.
"Brief? Didn't you see her arm?" Apollo shuddered. "Don't know who the idiot was that let her fight the thing."
"She brought back a report; if you'd really like to know."
She paused to consider. "Nah, it won't go well if I find out."
"Fairy Yun is taking care of it anyway."
"Ooooo! That'll be fun to hear about. Someone should get strung-up for that."
Long shook his head. "Probably not, but she thinks the city should provide some compensation to the girl."
"Tsk." Apollo clicked her tongue. "The city. Hardly a city. If they were a city they'd not need a lost child to fix their problems for them. And they'd pay her properly without needing Yun to throw their own laws at them."
"She'd not like you calling her a child."
"Perhaps, but she understands humor, so would laugh at that, unlike some." She glared at him.
"Mhm." Was all he said, his attention was fully on the page in front of him. With a nod he began writing. His movements were smooth and fluid. One continuous action without hesitation, only pausing to dunk his brush in the inkwell again. While the brushstrokes were grand and dramatic, the writing was not, and somehow it all fit on a single page. The writing was tight and precise, but with the characteristic style that could only be achieved with brush. Though it was small the writing was still finely detailed with brushstrokes that looked far smaller than the tip of his brush.
The two observed the work for a few breaths. Apollo clicked her tongue again. "Tsk. Cheating water cultivators."
"You're not far off. You could learn it too."
She flapped a hand at him. "I'm no scribe. I'll be back tonight." She extended a hand to accept the letter.
He almost handed it to her before pulling back. "Just after lunch at the latest."
"I can't run that fast." She frowned and tilted her head. Her mouth was still covered by the cloth mask, but at this distance Long should be able to sense her expression.
He eyed her for a breath. "They didn't provide a movement tool?"
"No, I was going to be gone too long. Unlikely to need it, they said."
"You could have Elder Riko throw you back?"
"Ugh, no. I'd rather just be late, or run my legs into nubs." She retracted her outstretched hand and crossed her arms over her chest. "I could borrow a flying tool with your permission?"
"Hmm." He hummed and frowned slightly.
"Or you already have one?" She leaned in excitedly.
"Can you test your augury technique? See if it says you need to be back?"
She shrugged, "It's more for specific people, and only the present. At least, it is before large success."
He frowned and rested his hand on his Jian.
"Ahh, it's your sword. I can see why you wouldn't want to part with it." She nodded. "A trade then?" She summoned a sword from her own spatial storage. It was too long by a hand, and the scabbard was a menacing dark purple with black engravings that were hard to examine.
"Your cursed blade!? I can't take that." He recoiled slightly.
"It's not actually cursed. Just store it away and don't use it." She proffered it to him again.
He hesitated again, then sighed and deflated. "Fine, but don't tarry." He waved a hand over the sheathed blade to store it, then handed his Jian to her. "You don't need to draw it, and just hang from it if you can't balance."
"Oh-ho! I'm going to balance on it." She declared. A flare of her qi and the blade twitched in response. It flipped out of her hand to float parallel with the ground, about a pace up. She jumped up on it to stand mid-air. It hovered and wobbled under her so she casually stuck a hand out for balance.
Long watched with a smirk.
"This doesn't seem so hard." Apollo said while constantly adjusting her balance with minute muscle twitches.
"Try moving."
The blade twitched and vanished out from under her, appearing again two dozen paces into the forest. Apollo fell in place, rotating backwards slowly. Right before she landed, she tucked into a tight ball and spun through a backflip to open up again and land perfectly on her feet. "Hah. Wow! Has some kick to it."
Long stood and handed her the letter. "Be back before lunch."
She accepted the paper without complaint. Then flinched when she noticed she had. "Ah, shit."
"Have a safe trip, Junior Apollo." He turned to leave.
She sighed. "You as well, Master Long. Oh, and don't harass the poor girl for a couple hours. You both need to cool off. Better yet, wait for me to get back so I can watch the show."
Long shook his head and kept walking, waving a hand behind him without looking back at her.
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Chapter 45: "A Much Better Conversationalist."
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Shae was grumpy for the rest of the morning. She tried to shut her brain off and focus on the current Manifold Journey practice. Mostly ignoring her scouting duties, she repeatedly sprinted a dozen li ahead of the caravan then back to it.
Because the other scouts noticed this, they began giving her updates, but she forgot most of the ones that were basic updates until Mistress Ping chewed her out. She recognized that the young woman was frustrated but insisted that she at least keep her updated on the status of her scouts.
> "Your spat with Master Long is less important than whether or not one of my scouts is missing. If something is picking them off, or even if one has simply gotten lost, I need to know. Forgetting reports is unacceptable."
>
> Shae cringed at the very valid criticism. She ran an embarrassed hand through her hair, then straightened up and bowed deeply to the woman. "I apologize, Mistress Ping. I'll be sure to track down all of the scouts this time."
>
> The woman nodded in approval. "Be sure that you do." She said then went about her other business.
It wasn't all the silly arguments with Master Long that were bothering Shae. Her thoughts about her past life that she had let crop up last night kept returning like a song she couldn't get out of her head.
Reminiscing about her past life was something she had decided not to do; a decision she made when she was quite young. It wasn't that her past was traumatic or depressing. Quite the opposite. The joy of meeting children and showing them the library was what gave her past life meaning. It wasn't a perfect life, of course, she had regrets, had made mistakes, and had experienced unfortunate events. Yet, she had learned quickly that losing herself in the nostalgia of the past was possible and was quite dangerous.
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I made a promise. She recounted her first lesson learned in this world. A promise to not dwell on what is gone. A promise to not lose sleep, not waste time regretting what can never be. She took a deep breath, focusing on her memories of that first philosophical breakthrough. A promise to make this life different. To have fewer regrets--she wasn't so delusional to expect no regrets--and a promise to never fear anything.
Fear had been her greatest adversary upon being born into this world. Fear of disability, serious injury, and of a more generalized loss of control. She was a baby and could barely see properly, couldn't control her body well, and couldn't control its natural functions. Intellectually she understood this was natural, but emotionally she was a wreck. Even remaining conscious and aware of herself was a difficult thing.
Between the short bouts of light and sound and warmth was darkness.
She didn't dream; she wasn't simply sleeping or unconscious. She was trapped within her own soul, detached from her body, the connection too tenuous or weak to allow her old soul constant residence in her new body. At that time she didn't understand; all she had was the fear of the dark nothingness and her nostalgia of the past.
She felt it had been a kind of torture. Possibly an intentional trauma meant to separate her new life from her old. Surely any mind would break, and in healing itself later, it would shut out those memories as nightmares and delusion. Surely a mind would not allow itself to hold onto such trauma.
Perhaps ironically, it was a fear of the loss of who she once was that drove her out of the dark.
She emerged from her nostalgia fugue to find some time had passed, her eyesight and body control were stronger, but her sleep was still full of darkness. She forced herself to find new things to do in the darkness. New thoughts and dreams of the future, instead of reminiscing on the past she could never reclaim.
She slowed as she neared the next ten li water station: another well. There were fewer and fewer houses and farms the further north they went.
She found a few of the scouts gathered around the well.
"Ah, good." She said and marked their names off the chalk slate she had borrowed. After Ping's words, she had taken checking up on the scouts as a serious task that she needed to focus on. Quickly getting a list of names she could track as she did her laps ahead of the caravan. Looking at the last unchecked name on the list she asked the group, "Anyone seen Tunai?"
The group silently looked between each other, they had stopped chatting almost as soon as she appeared. That awkward silence of an outsider wandering into a private conversation filled the clearing.
"Ah, no, Miss Shae. But I think she's up ahead with Master Long." One of them offered.
She frowned at the name, then added Long to her list, and Apollo a beat later.
"You seem more focused, Miss Shae?" Another one asked. "Feeling better than this morning?"
She paused for a breath to consider the question. "Was it that noticeable?" She nodded. "Yes, I am feeling better, thank you for asking."
She checked her waterskin and found it mostly full, she turned to leave, waving and asking as she left. "I assume nothing to report?"
The group collectively waved back and agreed they had nothing to report.
As she returned to the road, she frowned at having to go find Long again. Even if Tunai or Apollo isn't with him, he'll probably know where the other two are.
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Shae caught up to Master Long a short time later, he was alone and walking along at a normal pace, matching the pace of the caravan. He was a little further out than her laps had been taking her, probably a full dozen li from the caravan.
She slowed and approached wide along the other side of the road. She noticed his sword was missing and immediately grew suspicious. Yet, the qi she felt flooding the area was still his water qi.
She used her wide approach to manage her qi practice, feeling out her body for soreness indicating what muscles and joints she had pushed during her last sprint. She had been slightly disappointed by how little she was pushing her body. The distance just wasn't enough to seriously strain her.
She got a little ahead of the old cultivator and confirmed her suspicion, his eyes were closed. Likely using some Long range sensing technique, good thing I didn't run right up to him... probably.
A few breaths later he roused. "Back so soon- oh! Wise Shae! To what do I owe this surprise?"
"Master Long." She stepped closer and gave a slight bow. "I'm checking on all the scouts, have you seen Tunai?"
"Ah, yes. She's been traveling with me at the front. Just saw her crossing to the east."
She nodded and checked off the last scout name on the list. "And..." She glanced at his missing sword. "Apollo? I assume she was the other cultivator involved in scouting?"
"She was. Now she is traveling to the sect to deliver something, she'll be back near lunch."
Shae's eyes went wide. "That's rather fast."
"Yes!" He smiled and nodded. "And there's something else bothering you? About me perhaps?"
She opened her mouth to quip, but held it.
"Something new, I mean."
She nodded. "Just paranoia, I suppose. Would it be inappropriate to ask where your sword is?"
"If you added my name and title, that would be the correct way to ask. Though, without a good reason, some might still take offense."
She nodded and tipped her head forwards in a slight bow. "My concern, Master Long, is only about Apollo. I've noticed she doesn't carry weapons, even when disguised. So-" she gestured to his side. "I just wanted to be sure."
"Hmm. Not a terrible reason. More than good enough if you were my equal, or senior, though I'd suspect you would be able to tell more directly if that were the case. Alright, I'll give the question a pass."
Shae noted he hadn't answered the question, but chose to wait him out.
He nodded once after a few breaths. "Any other tells you've found? Reasons to be suspicious of me?"
"If she reveals her steam qi, I'd count that. You are using yours, clearing you of that suspicion. Which is why I asked if it was appropriate, instead of assuming you were her. I don't actually suspect you, if that was unclear." She sighed then continued, "To the sect and back? Since she doesn't have her own, did she take your sword to fly on?"
He inhaled sharply at the question then coughed to the side. "A-hem, a dangerous assumption, to say she is without a weapon."
"Is that what I said? Maybe I meant flying tool?" She teased with a smirk.
He cleared his throat again. "That would be a rather good guess if you did."
"Hmm, it's not much of a stretch. Unless she just needed it to show that you sent her."
"Ah, but couldn't I just write a letter?" He asked with an equally teasing tone.
"Heh. I suppose. I don't know how your sect operates."
"Really? Didn't you say, back in Flame Well, that you read the sect's history and rulebook?"
She nodded. "The one from over a hundred years ago. Nine sets and two, to be exact."
"I understand base ten. You don't need to convert. Hmm, a hundred and ten years, yes I suppose the rules have likely changed, though only the fine print. The base intent was laid out by our matriarch at the founding of the sect."
"Matriarch?" Shae's voice pitched up in excitement.
"Of course, the empire has an Empress as well. Were female leaders uncommon in your past?"
Shae sighed at the memory. "Without qi to balance strength, testosterone makes men stronger and more aggressive. You might think sentience would balance the scales. Maybe at least, let people understand each other." She shook her head. "Social progress is something people resist, as idiotic as that sounds."
Master Long let the declaration hang in the air.
A dozen breaths later he spoke up. "I'd like to claim we are better, and yet." He shrugged and gestured back towards the caravan. "I think it's evident that this world is no utopia. Having seen more of it, I would say this land is more fortunate than most. Yet I believe a cynic would still say we are socially stagnant." He let out a deep sigh. "How was progress made?"
She nodded and thought. "The will of the people. I suppose. Generally politicians needed to agree and champion the new ideas. They always claim to represent the people, but ultimately they tend to mainly represent their own wealthy sliver of like-minds. The past had revolutions, the lower classes rising up to physically change who was in charge." She shook her head. "But not in modern society. We moved away from that kind of violence, fewer wars, and generally better living conditions. A cynic might say the people are passive now. Unable to rise up and change their fate." She laughed bitterly. "Fate? Maybe doom. But that's not the same thing you think it is here."
He nodded along in understanding. "The cynical view often sheds the most light. You could say... Well, most wouldn't, but the most cynical would give reasons for the way things are, unpleasant reasons. The will of the people, as you say, can easily be overcome by a single cultivator. It takes individuals with great vision and power, mostly power, to make changes."
She looked back at the caravan. "Peasants versus nobles, what are the numbers for entry into the sect? Somehow I assume we will be outnumbered, though there should be more of us."
"Us? Speak for yourself, heh heh heh. But you are mistaken to a degree. There are always more peasants, by at least two to one. The advantage the nobles have is the same as the merchants, but stronger."
"Money." She sighed.
"Yes, and family connections. People that have come before and can lead them. We are all trained from a young age to be cultivators. Even before our spirit roots are tested. I've been told there is less resentment between young nobles if all the children are treated equally, even if that is more expensive."
"But when they are tested? Only the high grades leave for the sects?"
"Correct, Wise Shae. The others are still taught and given opportunities within the family's ability. Though, low grades are usually provided with very few resources."
She sighed, then tilted her head, remembering something. "Master Long. Forgive me if my memory is misleading me, but couldn't the low grades go through tempering? Even the slow way?"
He nodded. "No forgiveness needed," he coughed, "in this case. Some choose to do so. Many consider their potential to be lower to begin with, so don't bother. Even so, families still need mortals, or weaker cultivators to fill out the ranks. So to speak." He waved a hand around, implying he was simplifying.
"Hah, everywhere needs their fail-sons." Shae chuckled.
"Hmm? I don't think I've heard that one?"
"Err, just a term from my old world. Powerful people sometimes raise individuals who were rather incapable of matching their parents. Usually fathers-and-sons, Thus-" she shrugged and offered her palms forward.
"Ah. Hmm. I suppose we don't see that as much. Families try quite hard to find something for their youth. Ah, and there's always death."
"What?" Shae gawked.
"Heh, what I mean is: if a stubborn young cultivator attempts to stand above his own ability-" he matched her earlier leading gesture.
She inhaled sharply. "I see."
Silence stretched between them again.
"Will I have to worry about that?" The young woman asked.
"Hmm. I wonder..." The old man stretched out his answer, receiving a sharp glance. "Heh. Usually the ones who are least worried should be the most concerned, and the mirror is also true."
"Hmm. So be aware of it?"
"Heh, depends what it is?" He chuckled. "You know, Wise Shae, you are a much better conversationalist when you're not screaming and swearing."
She frowned at him. "What a shame it took you so long to have a normal conversation with me, instead of whatever misguided motivation you previously had, Master Long."
He frowned back and summoned a small ball of water.
She continued her glare.
He splashed her in the face.
She smiled, "Thank you, Master Long, I was still feeling warm from my run. Which I should get back to."
"Anytime, really." He smirked. "Before you go. I should commend you on that use of intent earlier."
"Hmm? All of it, or just the last bit?"
"Heh. Considering your age- or cultivation stage rather, all of it was well done. Forming a distinct feeling usually requires more directed teaching. However, the final act was what I meant. Helping me disrupt that rot-dog, a difficult thing to do, even for me."
Shae looked away and frowned, "I'm not sure I follow, I thought you broke it with your Dao."
"I broke it's core, yes. At least, what passes for one in such a creature. Together we disrupted its physical form. That takes more than just brute intent, which is what I was using. Could you explain what you were doing? Could you repeat it?"
She sighed at the shift in conversational tone. He's back on his bullshit, probably going to test me again. She tried to wave it off, "It was just an extension of the earlier ideas, like the comet."
He shook his head in denial. "It was more than that, you threw it at me first, remember, half explanations won't cut it."
Shae signed again then stayed silent, considering how best to answer.
"I should say, the reason Apollo returned so swiftly is to bring the creature's core to our researchers. They'll be interested in what you did."
The young woman groaned. "So other people will also be asking me to explain it? Ugh. If it's all the same I'd rather only explain it once."
"It's not the same to me. I'd consider it a favor, and I would be willing to use that favor to make your first year easier, especially considering your dramatic claim this morning."
"Ugh. Blackmailing me with my own words, how noble of you." She thought of how to explain it quickly. She looked then pointed up at the sky, at an empty spot of blue. "Space. Vast and filled with unfathomable nothingness." She pointed at the sun. "And large explosions of highly energetic matter. Most are stars like this one." She dropped her hand. "But not all. Some can release much worse things than light, not qi but potent energy that can travel the gap between stars and still destroy fragile life upon arrival. It's rare, exceedingly rare. As I see stars and nebulae at night, I assume such things are still possible here. Maybe more possible?"
"Maybe she says." He huffed and shook his head. "To create intent strong enough to disrupt a spirit you would need more than just a maybe."
She shrugged.
He glared at her for more. Then huffed again, "I rarely teach first years. Unless we are particularly short staffed you will not need to enforce your claim next year. Though, I may give a lecture or two. I'd recommend reconsidering your stance for those, and for future years."
"That doesn't sound like you doing me a favor?"
"Hah. And your answer was very lacking, I think we're even."
She turned a glare at him.
"In this exchange at least." He added with a smirk.
She nodded. Took a deep breath and sighed. "I cannot say I regret my actions. But I would have enjoyed more talk like this and the first day. I'll try to refrain from further judgements of your or other Elder's teaching methods. I'm not so egotistical- err, self centered, as to think my past world's mortal methods are always going to be correct."
He nodded and gave her a very slight bow. "I'll take that as an apology, I'm sure the others will appreciate avoiding what I did not."
She gave the road half a frown but remained silent.
"I think I have a similar stance to that. While I feel I've made very few mistakes in our interactions, it is clear the road could have had fewer bumps."
She almost growled, "Very few mistakes, he says! Try looking again from my perspective." The words rushed out before she properly considered them. "That's not-" she stopped herself from apologizing and breathed. "I understand your perspective is different. Your choices were not as simple as they appeared to me." She breathed again. "I'd rather not falsely take back things I've said, but if there's something in particular bothering you, we should discuss it."
He nodded slowly. "A very mature and diplomatic approach. I approve. Hmm. Perhaps your repeated assault on my intelligence?"
She considered it, humming and hawing to stretch out her response.
"Oh, come now." He sputtered.
"Well, you did give your flying sword to a spy so she didn't have to run, what? A square dozen li each way? Around twice the distance that Fairy Yun covered in an evening, while carrying me back from Flame Well."
Long stopped walking. Shae stopped and turned a few steps later to see his expression.
"Shit." He said with a dark frown pointed at the ground.
Shae laughed brightly. Then patted his shoulder on the way past. "See you on the next lap, Master Long." She laughed again as she jogged back towards the caravan.
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