Egiya tagged the beasts with a script that send up a plume of smoke in the infrared spectrum. Before long a large air barge showed up. If someone had taken a river garbage ship and made it fly, it wouldn't look too different than this, except just that it used a lot of balloons, and less steel. I could clearly see two cultivators performing wind movements to course correct.

They arrived, took note of the beasts and with some system of pulleys that made my head spin, they were able to weigh the Bhederii one by one, then pull them on board.

We got a fair bit more than I expected, with two extra carcasses. Moon Lee promised to keep our money safe. She wasn't a bank but she was strong as heck and I wasn't going to mess with her.

The men thanked us for the business and flew on after another signal I was able to make out when I squinted my eyes.

We packed it in and went back to gather lunch before Xueyie had to get to hair and makeup. Moon Lee had us change to a different set of outer robes in case we were being watched.

We slipped back into the city. For the first time it felt like home.

___

In order to safely move our people around we went as a pack. The girls would be safe when they were with their families. Having third realm relatives was excellent for morale. Except when they were bullies to their own family. It just so happened that one of those two was feeling ready for a breakthrough. Otherwise I would have dropped both of them off one by one.

Having work even in a fantasy world, felt a bit much.

If someone needed to mind the shop that took little business in then surely the shop could close tonight from time to time.

So we dropped off Xueyie before our return to the Moon clan compound. I was sponsoring Egiyas closed door cultivation. Her mother had known that this was an option. We confirmed it on our way back, and I offered for her mother to stay with us. At least until this all blew over. The Jin clan could take care of themselves. To no one's surprise she had a packed bag ready to go.

"I'll hold that for you ma'am," I said grabbing the embroidered canvas bag.

"What an honorable man. How was the hunt?"

She gripped my other arm as we walked.

"I had an idea of what to expect, but I didn't appreciate the difference between how powerful I am now versus how powerful Egiya is. If those beasts were the equivalent of first realm then our training has gone better than I could hope."

"Even the half step up to the fourth realm feels like a vast change in comparison. You'll feel it. You should be ready to form your core soon and that in itself is a feat."

"Everyone is telling me that, but I don't feel it. I have been pulling in more aura and it feels like I am able to pack it down."

She squeezed my arm.

"That is good. You're well in your way, then. Thank you for this. I know that my daughter will be grateful."

"That is-this is the least that I could do. She has been a steadfast companion to me this whole time and I'm so glad that I stumbled into her shop. I have every hope that this will be a long and prosperous friendship between our two families."

There was a look that a woman had when she was surveying someone as a potential suitor for her daughter. I'm not saying that she had it, and I know I have seen it dozens of times, but there was something lurking under the surface about deeper intentions. I decided that snacks were the better part of valor and brought out something sweet and savory.

"I believe that you might enjoy this particular delicacy, Madame Kang. I hope that you don't find it too forward that I'm bring it out of my gingham pouch that contains no less than twelve more should a certain hungry person desire more than one."

"It would be rude of me to decline such a wonderful host."

We walked a bit while she ate the bun with her other arm.

"Truly splendid. The bake itself is a wonder. I think that another visit to this shop might be in order after my daughter finishes her advancement. After all we must celebrate with the best that Western Jewel has to offer."

I couldn't agree more. We chatted idly until we were in the safety of the Moon Clan compound, then sent Egiya off to complete the next part herself. Promises that we wouldn't let her mother out of out sight we given and then she walked into the room on her own. Her mother and I sighed as she crossed the threshold. She gave a wave and then it was just the three of us.

"Tea?"

---

Eighteen hours later, a sweat drenched woman walked out of closed door cultivation. Her bare feet slapped the ground with wet thuds as she walked.

"I see that you left me something to change into. I appreciate that. I'm going to go thoroughly wash myself before doing anything and I'm hungry as hell."

Without opening my eyes, I tossed her a meat bun. I heard only the sounds of her eating.

"Thanks. I assume you want to train with me?"

"You assume correct. Min is excited as well."

"She's going to have to get in line like the rest of you."

Her footsteps echoed down the hallway to the Moon clans cultivator bathhouse. She had made certain to have us do a quick walkthrough of the three turns and a straight away it took right before her session. I was making sure she would knew what I dearly wanted to know myself.

I hadn't let the time pass idly either. Sometimes with or without, I had focused on pushing qi into my dantian and trying to piece together a core. It was rough, but it was all coming together. I could feel something the size of a pebble right in the middle of my body and it greedily accepted qi as I drew aura in.

"Let's have at it then," Egiya said upon her return.

We walked to the closest open space reserved just for this type of practice. Dozens of junior Moon Clan hopefuls all lined the walls taking turns fighting. Most of them were lifetime first or second realm but there were a smattering of third around. The moon clan has several fourth realm cultivators and only one matriarch in the fifth realm. I had in my spare time, been taking some of the members on and working with them had given me a special insight into advancement as an institution.

Simply put, the powers that be were terrible at their job informing their people of what they should be doing. They needed the kind of introspection that felt alien to all but a select few. Moon Lee had told me that being with me had shown her a true purpose, one that she wanted to embrace. Someone's purpose could be anything, but how they use that to focus on aspects of their cultivation showed up in their sparring and their techniques.

"Did you find a purpose in there?"

I batted away a fist blocking it off to the opposite side.

"Besides beating your face? Yes."

Her movements were much more fluid now and I was actually having to try to get out of the way. A nudge here and there and it was more of a fight than I had expected. In looking to anticipate her movements, my reaction time wasn't sufficient.

I put myself into an assault, stepping into her guard. Her eye twitched and instead of kicking or punching, she grabbed me, trying to wrestle me to the ground.

I wasn't going to give her the dignity of that, but it appeared that she was ready to take it from me anyway.

"Ooof."

And then I was on the ground with her in the full mount, trying to pin both of my arms underneath her thighs. I tried to buck to move her to a side and instead of fighting it, she gave in, looping her arms around my left arm. Then she pulled it behind me and up.

I tapped, because there was nothing like being dominated by a more sound technique from a smaller opponent. She had so thoroughly kept me off of what she was doing next but making me focus on the now.

"Sorry about that arm."

"Don't be sorry If you have to go to the ground, then you want to make it quick. If you're on bottom, you want to get out of the situation as fast as possible," I said, parroting my trainer, "The ground is unforgiving and you could have your face pushed into it at any time."

I hated imagining someone in the mount just punching my face. I woud hate it worse if they were doing the same thing to Egiya.

"That was excellent. Again."

She smiled and resumed the empty stance, awaiting my charge.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

---

We sparred for about and hour as she got used to her new strength. She was now able to push a little bit of her qi into her movements. One throw caught me going to far out of the ring that I expected to crash through a wall, but Moon Lee helpfully caught me. She swapped in after that and I watched with Min.

"Companion Egiya is graceful."

"Do you think she could beat you?"

"In a fair fight, yes. But I never fight fair. You've been working on your budding Nascent soul. With it you may be able to pull someone weaker into their dreams against their will. Or someone of the same strength, if she is willing."

Min flicked her tail back and forth.

"If I reach out with my senses, I can feel you if I am close but that sense doesn't extend very far. What are you saying?"

"It's going to extend further as you grow. Cousin Moon Lee might not say it, but she is developing a moon technique that will allow her to store things in a spiritual vault. As she grows in strength both her vault and her extended senses will follow."

Having some sort of storage inside of my soul sounded a bit odd, but if that was an option I might go for it. The moon clan had a plethora of cultivator techniques that I could draw upon.

"If you can sense me here, you may be closer than you think to the next realm. This- you've spent the hours while companion Egiya was in closed door cultivation working on your own dantian. You feel ready. I should take a page out of your book and cultivate while I wait for my ally to advance."

"I mean really, I don't want to rush into things."

"The red fang have been watching. The moon clan haven't mentioned it, but whenever you leave, there is a lookout that behaves oddly. It's not always the same person, but since I know to look for it, it has become quite apparent. I don't know why they didn't move on us when we went to hunt, but perhaps they couldn't get the message through. Wait, what are you doing?"

I got up and walked from the room.

"I'm going to advance."

___

The ambient pure aura of the closed door room enveloped me. It was now simple to turn the aura into pure Qi, gathering it and packing it into my dantian. Then from there I visualized it flowing into the budding core, repeatedly filling it to the brim as I forced it to expand. Each time it expanded to accept more, I gathered more aura, packing it in again.

I performed this endless cycle for hours. I lost count and let myself go. The tired meets wired feeling kept me going. I felt like I was ready to make the girls pancakes after their friends slept over and that thought of being in dad mode made me smile. If nothing else, the only way back would be through some crazy elder cultivator techniques.

As I cycled, I thought about how Moon Lee spoke of aspects. More advanced cultivators began to assume a persona that was a product of their cultivation. I didn't feel like I needed to change much, but I accepted that change was the only constant in life. So I welcomed the chance to look into who I was as an expression of my journey. Perhaps the culture that surrounded this region was a bit misaligned in that part.

If meditating on what one was, and what won would be was a part of advancing, I was ready for it. Introspection was something that I did regularly. Here's a pro tip- therapists often see other therapists to work on their own issues. Nothing is less attractive than not working through your trauma,

It's nothing earth shattering, sometimes everyone needs something. And sometimes you just need to vent. Or be left alone. Or distracted. Which was in essence what a friend should do for you, but without having to ask.

Cultivation had the feeling of all of those. When I felt like I needed to vent, it let me vent my frustrations about not being able to apologize and make up with Lauren. When I wanted to be distracted, it kept me on the task at hand. When I wanted to be left alone, it let me sit and meditate on what I was doing.

I lost myself in the work, diving deep into it with no plan to come up for air.

---

It didn't take me eighteen hours, but it sure felt like it.

I stretched both arms, reaching for my inner panther. Standing up, everything felt lighter and I had to grab my drenched pants to keep them up. Thankfully my moon clan training Gi was long. I didn't want to show off the dragon, but I did want to drain it.

An elder clan attendant nodded when my totally normal request for new dry pants. She looked like she had seen enough mostly out of it cultivators to know what I was looking for.

One awkward hobble to the baths and I was refreshed. Training pants that were dry got cinched close around my waist and I put on a blue white Gi top that Moon Lee had left for me. I was curious as to why they were all missing, but they couldn't wait around for me perpetually. I could sense Min on the periphery of my senses so I decided to reach out.

It was like being the first person at a bit event or a surprise party. I was expecting something, but with the exception of the attendant, I was alone.

I pulsed to feel where Lin was and she pulsed agitation back. If I was judging my directions correctly, then she was on top of the guest quarters I had been assigned to.

The clans holdings looked better with my new senses than the closed room I had been in. The drab exterior with the single set of candles, mats and copious aura made it feel like a meditation retreat. The sun barely rose above the ground. My crew was probably just sleeping, I supposed. Lauren had never been that much of a morning person, but she got the job done. Maxine- Maxine had been a morning lover, someone whose entire life was about that morning hustle as she called it.

"Morning, Jackass."

The familiar woman resting outside of my door sent lightning up my spine. I was certain that I would never have seen her again, but for the second time since arriving here, I was being addressed by my ex wife.

"I'm not here right now," I said, covering my eyes and reaching out with my Nascent soul, "Leave a message after the beep."

I felt a rock coming my way and instinctively adjusted my path to avoid it. It was an underhand lob, nothing I wouldn't have been able to dodge otherwise. I could clearly feel the rock though it was three feet away. It moved through my new field of perception like a softball.

"Whoa."

"Joe! I'm here to talk to you. You're stirring up shit that you probably shouldn't. The red fang has been burning some of their agents trying to sneak someone into the Moon clans inner sanctum to get you and drag you back. They're about to quit playing nice."

I snapped my eyes open and yes unfortunately, she was there.

"I don't have anything to say to you. If they want to fight because I wouldn't join their Sect, then they can bring it on. And I'm still mad about you leaving the girls. I didn't have a choice in the matter-"

"Neither did I."

I finally looked directly at her. The dark circles around her eyes reminded me of the fights we had about her need to head out and do all of these trips away from home where I was more than content to tag along for a time.

"Joe, I know that you're not going to believe this, but we're on the same side here. I only provisionally agreed to help them when I first came over and they're so persistent that it's- they're not letting me leave, Joe."

"So you came to me. Do you want my help or do you just want to vent about this?"

"Typical Joe. But yes. I was about to board an airship and get off this godforsaken continent but I wanted you to understand. The Sect leader knows who you are. They're not out to recruit you anymore. They-they're out for blood."

I rolled my shoulders back and adjusted my Gi. Beyond Maxine, I could see Min lounging on a wall, taking all of this in.

"I can take him."

"Joe don't be stupid. Not only is he a core elder, but he has two personal bodyguards in the fourth realm and you're only...Joe how did you?"

I brushed imaginary dirt off my shoulder. "You're looking at the beneficiary of several weeks of top tier training. It's something that you should be able to achieve yourself. I had an idea that they would stop the gentle sales pitches and move to something more like a time share presentation, but even this feels like a lot."

"They're coming."

"Or, I can take the fight to them."

"Don't be stupid Joe, they're not- you can't...."

"I can and will."

"And you're going to get your harem to help or something?"

"They're not a harem."

"Are they orphans then? Trying to be a better dad in a new world?"

"They're not orphans. They're friends and members of my team."

"And I suppose you came into this world all ready to make a team to take the place of your daughters, didn't you? It's so easy to drop your responsibilities and carry on like nothing it happening?"

"I didn't fucking choose this shit either."

"Who is watching the kids?"

"Well if you're not and I'm not, I don't have a fucking clue now."

She sat down, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Well. Fuck."

I stepped forward and knelt down.

"Maxine- if there is a way home then I'm going to find it. I'll destroy this whole world if it's keeping me from my girls. But more pragmatically, we planned for this kind of thing," I almost brushed a tear off her face,"Our parents are in good health and the girls are old enough to get through high school on their own."

I wonder if I left a body or if there was no trace. Surely someone from the office would review the footage and send a note to Rachel and Courtney, or better yet, someone trained to handle disappearances.

"It's just a bit of a punch in the gut after all the fights we had and... God we can't start over but Joe we want mostly the same things."

"You want me to kill your new boyfriend, I take it."

"Sect Leader Shai is not my new boyfriend, but yes. He is going to pressure the Moon clan to turn you over. Word on the street is that he already has the Taoists ear. It won't be long before your Harem is torn asunder."

"I don't have a Harem."

"And I don't have a boyfriend."

"Alright, what are you proposing?"

"Joe you have to understand something. These guys are like missionaries taken to a whole new level. First they want to recruit you but if you aren't devout enough or go back on anything you say ever, then they'll use the flimsiest excuse to use your corpse to train themselves up. I saw it once by accident and I still retch every time I-"

She gagged slightly.

"The point being that the Sect Leader is stronger than you."

"Does he have some weakness? Like garlic or salt? Do you have anything that can prove that they're doing what they are doing? Because the blue coats I am certain will not tolerate their kind of problems if they understand the scope."

Maxine laughed, a full belly laugh, the first I had seen her drop her facade here.

"Oh you think that the cops here aren't corrupt? These guys make our corrupt pigs look tame. They're just held back when someone is spoken for by a powerful cultivator. But civil asset forfeiture and bribery is just common business practices and that's not even looking into whatever internal affairs mess they have. In short, you can't trust them."

Oh, biscuits.

"I figured as much. Oh well. I was looking for a real cultivator, a person of character, but seeing none that fit the bill, I'm going to have to step up."

We made plans to meet up again. I was happy that I wouldn't have to track her down. That would have been a problem, especially since she had earned some title just by making it to the third realm and the girl was running that check to the bank.

There was just something about a woman who understood the oblique bureaucracy of a world she had found herself in, just one month prior to me.