Chang-li watched as Young Master Feng strode into the center of the garden. He spoke loudly enough to attract everyone's attention. "My fellow cultivators," he bellowed. "Honorable Gem Court, my Grand Master has given me permission to let you be present for this."

Chang-li stood apart from Min as the crowd turned interestedly to watch. Across the way, he saw Joshi, close beside Princess Hiroko. They made a powerful-looking couple. Joshi was dressed in dark robes, cut like a cultivator's, but in no particular color pattern. His head gleamed in the fading light as he towered over most of the rest of the crowd. He had always been muscular, even when suffering from the privations of his slavery, but reaching the Peak of Bodily Refinement had been good for him. His sleeves were rolled up, showing his muscular forearms. He looked well-fed. No one would suspect he had worn a slave's collar not a month ago. He looked like a cultivator, and the most impressive one here. Chang-li suspected Feng thought the same, hence his display.

Feng pulled out a bottle containing a pulsing, red, fist-sized object—the heart of the bird, which he had been allowed to cut out and take from the tower. "Behold," he said dramatically, "I have finished my meditations and devised a cycling pattern that will enable me to use this treasure to its fullest."

"Why is he showing off like this?" Min whispered. "Don't competitors usually do this sort of thing in private?"

"He must be very sure of himself," Chang-li said. "But I suppose with a core full of lux, it shouldn't be too great a risk."

He watched jealously as Feng held up the bottle before removing its stopper, lifting it to his lips. Chang-li didn't see how he could possibly consume the whole heart, but he did. The contents of the bottle slipped down his throat.

Feng threw back his head and stretched out his arms. He shouted, "Raa!" and Chang-li felt the lux boiling off him. That heart had been condensed, purified, red lux. What would it do to him?

Feng sat with crossed legs, not on the grass, but hovering a foot above it. Some of the disciples of the other sects gasped while the Soaring Heavens disciples applauded.

Min was staring. "How can he do that? We're not at a tower."

Chang-li had never seen this sort of display either, but he had heard stories from his uncle's friends who had scribed alongside cultivators. "Usually that sort of technique is only possible inside a tower, but Feng has reached the Peak of Mental Refinement. That means his core is both larger and denser than a cultivator who's only reached Bodily Refinement. Since we were all inside a tower only yesterday, his core should be almost full. You still have lux in your own core, don't you?"

"I do," Min agreed. "Princess Hiroko showed me a cycling technique while I was there, and it seems to be helping me hold on to the lux, but I can feel it slipping away."

"Not a good feeling, is it?" He couldn’t help but give a knowing smile.

"No." She frowned deeply.

Chang-li suspected Hiroko had passed along Purification of Mind and Soul. It was the simplest of the techniques Joshi had taught them and easily passed along. But if Min had mastered it well enough with just one simple instruction to still be getting use out of it outside the tower, she had good presence of mind herself.

Feng was cycling a complicated pattern. Chang-li tried to follow it. Outside of the tower, there wasn't as much ambient lux to distract him. He could get a basic idea of what Feng was doing. It was mostly red lux, which he was circulating through his body. It felt like he had great control over his individual lux channels. Chang-li could move lux from his core through any one particular channel, but if he wanted to send it to his hand, he wasn't yet able to specify which finger, though his lux channel opened up at the wrist and spread out into five smaller channels.

Feng had mastery on those smaller channels. He sent a stream of lux to each of his index fingers and then out, connecting between them. The crowd applauded. Chang-li was impressed at Feng's control. He might not like the arrogant young cultivator, but the man was strong. It would not do to underestimate him.

Then Feng lifted his hands high. The red lux fountained up from his hands, surrounding him in a circle. He wove in green and a little orange to harden the shell that formed around him.

"What is that?" Min asked, sounding fascinated.

"It's a lux cocoon," Chang-li guessed. He had read the term in Scribe Wulan's notes but didn't know what it was for. Fortunately, he didn't have to admit his lack of knowledge, as a moment later, the cocoon shattered. Feng rose, lifted high to shoulder height, still in his sitting pose. If his aim was to be the center of attention, it was working.

His hair billowed out behind him as though blown by a breeze that touched no-one else. His skin was luminous, and he just looked more real than anyone else here. The moment passed. Chang-li rubbed his eyes, and Feng was just a normal overpowered, overbearing Young Master.

Feng shot a technique skyward that exploded over their heads in a shower of sparks. He unfolded his legs and stood, bowed to the cultivation master. "Have I your approval?"

"An impressive display," Master Bao said impassively. "I am satisfied that you have truly reached the Peak of Mental Refinement and are progressing beyond it. You will be permitted to enter the tower with a party of lesser cultivators on you to assist with the cleansing. Consult with your Grand Master to decide whom you will take."

Feng bowed. "Thank you," he said, then strode off through the crowd.

"Smart move," Min watched as Feng left the party, clearly heading for the cultivator's quarters. "Leave them wanting more. He's made himself the center of attention here. All of the other nobles will be talking about this all night. He might even take the spotlight off of Young Master Joshi."

"I hope he will," Chang-li said fervently.

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Min plucked at his sleeve. "Come, let's have a quiet word." She maneuvered him past the edge of the crowd and around behind the buildings. There, the gardens were dim. Small benches were set among trees and flowering shrubs. She led him over to one which was surrounded but not concealed by bushes and sat him at one end of the bench.

"The watchers will be able to see us just fine here," she said. "We might have some gossip, but nothing too much." Now she focused her eyes on him, and he swallowed hard. "Let's talk about this problem of yours."

"It might be two problems," Chang-li confessed. "I came to the attention of the cultivation master and also my new boss, Inspector Dah. They're asking about when I acquired my license. I told them that Inspector Ji’in sponsored me, but I didn't think to forge records backing me up. So they're going to send to him to find out if I'm telling the truth."

"Which you're not," Min said.

"No. And then when they follow up on my license, they may find out about Brother Stone's as well."

To his surprise, Min smiled rather than looking worried. "Well done, making your problem my problem. You'll be fitting into the Brotherhood in no time. What happened to Inspector Ji’in?"

"He was sent down from the tower in disgrace. I thought at first it was just to give Inspector Dah his position, but I was listening to the other scribes' gossip, and apparently, he was caught drunk on the job a few too many times, his records out of order. On the one hand, that does make it more believable that he just didn't file all of my paperwork."

"Any chance we could convince them that he forgot and you found the paperwork now?"

"That seems risky," Chang-li said. "They've already looked in the obvious places. I could try to slip it into files in Inspector Dah’s office, but I'm still afraid they're going to send him a message."

"I suggest trying the forged papers first," Min said. "It's always better to fake a paperwork mistake than have to find a way to persuade a witness that they didn't see what they knew they saw. But I'll put out some feelers and make sure that if a messenger is sent to Inspector Ji'in, we know about it."

The way she said "we" cheered Chang-li up intensely.

"Where did you learn a technique?" Min asked. "That's what it was, wasn't it? I know the fight was confusing, but I have heard stories of cultivators. You were using a technique."

"It was in a book," Chang-li said.

Min's eyes brightened. "You learned cultivating from a book? I thought you needed grandmasters and ancient teachers for that."

"The sects keep their secret techniques locked up, but they have them," Chang-li scrambled to come up with enough half-truths to satisfy her. "And of course, they need scribes to copy those techniques out. We are duty-bound to the Empire to make copies and file them with the local Office of Cultivation. They're kept secret for a period of time, but if a sect fails to renew the seals, the technique manuals are open to anyone who chooses to peruse them."

"Is that so?" Min asked.

"Anyone who's a cultivator, that is.” Chang-li hoped she would stop with this line of questioning soon.

"Where is the nearest of these libraries?"

He shrugged. "I don't believe we have one here in the camp. This isn’t a permanent facility and leaving manuals like that where they could be stolen is against Imperial law. There'll be one in Golden Moon City, of course."

"Oh, of course," Min said. "But I see you are trying to avoid my questions. What is the connection between you and Joshi?"

He could get up right now and walk away from this conversation. Min would know he was hiding something but not the details. On the other hand, she was the only person in the camp likely to be able to aid him, and right now he wasn't sure how to help Joshi.

"You've probably guessed that I entered the tower on my own.”

Min nodded. "I deduced that from the way that you handle yourself like a cultivator, have a cultivating technique, oh, and just reached the Peak of Bodily Refinement. I don't think you can do that on your second trip into a tower."

"I found another entrance.” He held up a hand. "I'm not going to tell you where or any details about it. It's my secret, and if I sell it to you, there'll be a price."

Her eyes sparkled. "Indeed, there will."

"Joshi entered with me. It was an accident, but we cultivated together. He remained inside after I left."

"Why did you leave?"

Chang-li shook his head. "Too many secrets. Let's leave it at I came back and Joshi continued."

"How does he have the ring of a sect? Is it a real sect?" Min asked.

"It was a real sect," Chang-li allowed.

"Oh," she rubbed her hands together, eyes sparkling. "You've got your hands on secrets from a defunct sect. Do you have any idea how much that could be worth in the right hands? Wait, I'll need to think about this a lot. So, the two of you cultivated. You've both reached Bodily Refinement, but Joshi is pretending to be a Young Master. He's still here, so I expect that means he wants to continue cultivating, but if anyone looks into his background too closely, they'll find holes.”

“Big holes in a couple of days when his functionaries don't arrive with the proper paperwork," Chang-li said grimly. "I was thinking if I could get my hands on the right parchment and ink, I could forge the documents and have them sent in a courier's package."

"Right.” Min rolled her eyes. "A Young Master on his own with no attendants, no disciples, no sect backing. Let me guess, no money either?" Chang-li shook his head.

Min rose, rubbing her hands together. "You scribes think too much of paper work. In this case papers are the least of what he is missing. Let me think… It wouldn't take too much. I can't have Brother Stone involved. He's been a little too prominent in the camp. In fact, I wouldn't want anyone who's in the camp at all, but that makes it easier in some ways. Yes. Hmm. I'll need the papers from you as soon as possible. Do you think you can have them all handled tonight?"

He blinked, trying to keep up with her. “You mean —”

“Forge everything your friend needs to cover his tracks. Licenses, permits, whatever.” She waved a hand. “You’re a scribe, you must have a better idea than I do.”

"I've got most of what I need but not the seals," he said.

"Where are those?"

"In the cultivation master's office.”

“And he'll be here until at least midnight based on how these parties go. All right. We're wasting time," she said.

He blinked at her. "What? I haven't even finished telling you everything."

"You've told me enough. Your friend needs paperwork. The rest I can manage. But the paperwork we need as soon as possible, if I'm going to arrange to have it sent down to Golden Moon City and then come back with everything else we need to support Joshi's claim."

"Why would you..."

"Oh, come on," she said. "You must be able to tell just how much use I could get out of having a cultivator at Bodily Refinement. No, two.” She looked Chang-li over. “Both of whom owe me a favor or two.

Chang-li stood up. He felt stiff. He bowed, as deep as he thought, and then straightened. He didn’t know how he could possibly help Joshi on her own. Min had an answer for everything. And that left him cold inside. "I appreciate your help. But I do not want to get further entangled with the Brotherhood. I've heard stories..."

Her eyes were hard and cold. "We take care of our own," she said. "That's what those stories are about. We don't wantonly go out there and murder people for getting in our way. We also don't excuse rape just because some asshole is of a sufficient rank. So, I think that puts us ahead of several sects I could name. But I'll tell you what. I'll do this. You and Joshi are both going to owe me favors. However, I will give you some say in when they're cashed in. That’s a promise."

He held up a hand. "I'm not sure…”

“But I am," she said. "Come on. We've got work to do and you're wasting time."

"What sort of work?" he asked as she led him through the darkening gardens toward the gate.

"You are going to need to get those seals and forge documents. I'll have a couple of my Younger Brothers help you while I make the rest of the arrangements. Get those papers to me at the inn where we met previously. If I'm not there, you can give them to Brother Stone. He'll be waiting. Have them to me before dawn, and I'll handle everything else."