We didn’t have far to go, since the village was directly next to the sect compound proper. But I saw several spirits on the way.
Most of them had roughly the form of animals. One looked like a tree made of qi. A few were humanoid, although they looked more like children. All of them had that wispy, qi-formed look, and none of them were as strong as the spirit who’d warned me. In fact, I guessed they were weaker than me.
The longer we walked, the more of them I noticed. Were they coming to watch me? At least they didn’t seem hostile. Those with recognizable faces smiled when I looked at them, and a few of them waved. At least, I interpreted the tree’s branches moving as a wave.
One of them, a small childlike wisp, sprang onto the path in front of us. After gazing at me for a moment, the spirit laughed and ran back into the forest. It was only a moment later that I noticed a snake with emerald scales hanging from the tree I’d been about to walk under. I’d put it in the late third stage, but it had hidden its qi well. I shivered at the feeling of nature and the cold stillness of an ambush and gave its tree a wide berth. At least it didn’t do more than hiss at me, probably sensing that I was stronger.
Lorn didn’t take his eyes from it, but he made no move to attack. He hadn’t said anything since we started walking.
Soon after, the trees receded. We stepped into a large clearing. One side of it was filled with huts, while behind those, they must have cleared the forest, until tree crowns rose again in the distance. Small fields with a variety of crops filled the space, and I could see people working in them. Not enough to account for the number of houses, though, there had to be at least fifty of those.
We slowed down even more to normal human walking speed as we came closer, and I took a good look at the village. The houses were small and made from wood, but they seemed well-built at least. A lot of them showed signs of neglect, though, from chipped or discolored boards to broken roof tiles. The street between them was dirt, although someone had put effort into making it less muddy by spreading gravel across it. If my guide wanted to help them, why didn’t he just harden the ground? Well, maybe he did. As we stepped on it, the road was reasonably firm.
There was an open square in the middle of the village, with some benches and a few small trees set up. A few people sat there. Only the elderly or women with hordes of small children, though. They all wore rough clothing they probably sewed themselves. All in all, the scene felt far away from what I’d seen in the palace, but that was to be expected.
Lorn hesitated a bit, giving me a sideways glance, before he headed for an elderly couple sitting beneath a withered tree that didn’t sport many leaves. When they saw us, the villagers rose, their joints creaking with age.
“Honored disciple,” the man said, wheezing a little. “We did not expect you back so soon. Is something the matter?”
“No, Elder. I’m simply playing guide, showing around the —”
“A fellow disciple,” I cut in, shooting a look at the boy. “I’m another newcomer to the sect, but I was curious about this village, so I asked Sect Brother Lorn to show me.”
The elder eyed me with ill-concealed suspicion at that.
“The rising star of our class, who beat me when I challenged her, I was going to say,” Lorn grumbled. “I’m not afraid to admit it, although her humility does the sect sister credit.”
Good. Maybe he has a brain in his head after all. I knew cutting him off would be awkward, but better that than being outed as the Imperial Princess.
Now, though, the man looked noticeably more relaxed, even smiling a bit at our interaction. “Naturally. I don’t know what you’re hoping to find here, honored disciple, but you are of course welcome.”
I inclined my head. “Thank you, Elder. I will try not to impose.”
“Is there anything in particular we can help you with?”
“As I said, I’m new to the sect, and I’d like to understand how everything works. You farm this land to feed the sect?”
His face soured a little. “Yes. We farm, build and repair their houses, keep the grounds, and other tasks. All work the sect deems too mundane and peaceful to bother their disciples.”
I nodded, looking around. I had to remind myself again that cultivators could subsist on qi instead of food to a large degree. Most of the food grown here was probably for the younger disciples, who hadn’t reached a high stage yet. But these villagers were only in the second stage at most, and would need at least as much. None of them looked malnourished, but none of them was anything approaching fat, either.
Right on cue, several men came from the direction of the sect, where its wall loomed over the fields. I turned and watched, my enhanced eyesight easily bridging the distance. They trudged along with slumped shoulders, but at a fast pace. Wood shavings and stone dust were caught in their clothes and hair. Focusing on their qi, I saw that all of them were close to empty. They all had Earth affinity, though none were above the early part of the second stage.
“I see,” I said. “I suppose this land belongs to the sect? And how much do they charge?”
“Enough to eat up most of what little they give us,” another woman said. She was younger, although her posture and the lines on her face would suggest otherwise. She bent down to grab the hand of a little boy who’d run around close to us, gathering up little sticks. “Excuse me.”
“No, stay,” I commanded before she could return to her previous place. “Explain. You have my word that I won’t be angry.”
The woman hesitated, clearly unsure about what her moment of venting had caused. “I’d not talk out of turn.”
“That’s alright,” the male elder said. “If the disciple wants a woman’s opinion, we can humor her. My good wife would hardly speak in my place, would you, Lir?”
The elderly woman shook her head. Her expression didn’t change.
Sexism. Here. I rubbed my temple and suppressed a sigh. I really hadn’t expected that. This reminded me again that just because the law said people were equal, traditions and social norms were harder to change. For whatever reason, I hadn’t considered the Empire would be like this.
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Well, this part at least. The Empire was vast. I knew there were a lot of different cultures or subcultures or whatever in it. But this area was pretty close to the capital.
“Being a woman myself, I don’t appreciate that attitude,” I said with some sharpness. “Now, let her talk. Please, miss?”
The woman shifted a little, pulling her son closer to her. “Well, my lady. It’s just as I said. The sect’s rent and taxes are, of course, fair and just. But being simple commoners, we can’t do much work of worth. Therefore, we don’t receive much pay, even though we work hard. Often ten or twelve hours a day. Nothing wrong with our industriousness, is there? But …”
I nodded, sighing. “I understand. Even if the sect owns the land, you’re all free citizens, though, aren’t you? Can’t you find work elsewhere?”
The woman scowled. “If only we could. My man had a cousin who tried, few years ago. Came back three months later, minus a good deal of weight and his shoes.”
“The sect doesn’t want its workers leaving,” Lorn commented. I noticed he’d balled his hands into fists.
“The Greater Spirits know we’re grateful for the Empress’ laws,” the elder added. “At least now we can’t be forced to stay if we can’t bear to. But,” he gestured around, “this is our home. Here are our families. Few have the courage to leave it all behind, knowing how small their chances are.”
Just then, the small boy ripped himself away from his mother and trundled over. He tugged at the hem of my tunic, staring upward. “Pretty light. More light.”
His mother gasped, and I could see the elder freezing. I felt a little awkward about this, but what could I do? So, I crouched down, ruffling the child’s hair. “Thank you. How about this?”
I let some light qi trickle out and conjured a spark in my hand. The child giggled and tried to grab it. After a second of thought, I used a bit more qi to turn it into a real qi construct, letting it fly away. After the boy was occupied chasing the butterfly of light, I turned back to the adults.
“Your son has to have talent, to see my affinity this easily,” I said to the mother. “You must be happy.”
She nodded, smiling shakily. “Thank you, lady.”
Unspoken, we all knew that his talent wouldn’t amount to much, growing up here. He might have a slightly easier time with the work, if he reached the second stage quickly. But I doubted the people here had much time for cultivation, or any means to afford the resources that would help. Even if a few kind disciples like Lorn helped out and gave them a few tips, they’d be hard-pressed to match even the average citizen of a city with some prosperity.
The work party came closer. A few of the men split up to go into their homes, but most of them continued on to the fields. They waved at us, but didn’t head over. All of them eyed Lorn and me as if we were hungry spirit beasts. I returned their waves, smiling as I scrutinized them and the village.
“Lorn, let’s take a look at the fields,” I said. “I thank you for your indulgence, kind folk.”
Lorn obviously stifled a sigh and fell into place beside me as I walked off, leaving the small gathering behind. I cataloged everything I saw, but my thoughts were occupied with trying to analyze it, so I didn’t speak.
I didn’t see anything outright ‘evil’. No armed guards, people being whipped, or women dragged away. This was a more muted form of oppression. In a way, that made it worse. I could see the way their circumstances weighed them down, shaping their minds and bodies. I noticed the signs of exhaustion and overwork in their bodies, the way continuous hard labor strained them. I didn’t recognize the crops, but they used hand tools to work the fields. Although the tools were fed with qi to turn into something like half-automatic devices.
I sighed and pinched my nose. Lorn looked pleased at my reaction. Whatever. Let him think their plight makes me burn with anger and sadness. In truth, nothing I saw came as a particular shock. But I was annoyed. Irked because I’d seen a problem that I felt obligated to fix. But how do I do that, in a sustainable way that benefits everyone the most? I could easily give them enough money to leave, but the sect would just bring in a new group of workers.
After a while, I turned back. “You’re not from here, are you, Lorn?”
He blinked. “No. I’m from further down west, close to the Purple Shores. But this isn’t so different from home, in some respects.” He trailed off and shrugged. “I was just a street rat, before a merchant family grabbed me from the streets, to turn me into their champion. Then an elder from the sect visiting his family noticed me and offered me a scholarship.”
I nodded, although I didn’t much care about his backstory. “How does the situation here compare to others? I’m assuming this isn’t unique.”
Lorn scratched his cheek and hesitated a bit. “To be honest, it is worse than usual here. But … not fundamentally different in many places.”
“I see.” As I’d thought, then. I started walking back to the people we’d talked to before, Lorn trailing behind. His aura had tightened in a way that betrayed his rising tension.
When I came back to the young woman I’d talked to before, I smiled and greeted her pleasantly. “You do have a beautiful village here, despite everything. The way you keep going despite adversity is admirable. I’ll see if I can’t find the time to help out occasionally, if you need more beasts repelled or the like.”
The woman brightened up at that. “Thank you so much! That would help a lot. You should talk to the elder about it, though.”
I shrugged. “No need to bother him. You can pass that on, can’t you?” I dampened my voice a little. “To be honest, I don’t like the way he talks about women. Don’t let him get to you. You’re all citizens of the Empire.”
The woman smiled conspiratorially. “We have our ways of dealing with old bigots. But thank you for the sentiment.” She paused, her eyes flicking about the scene and back to my face. “Ah, do you mind a question?”
“Ask away.”
“I’ve heard that the Imperial Princess is at the sect.” The woman bit her lip. “Do you … think she will help?”
My thoughts came to a screeching halt. I could feel my face freeze. “I’m sure she will,” I said after a moment. “After all, the Empress and her family are very concerned with giving their people justice and the chance for a better life. It might not be tomorrow, but things will get better.”
“I’ll personally make sure she’s aware of the village’s circumstances,” Lorn put in, the corners of his mouth twitching.
I extended my domain to have some invisible qi slap him, but didn’t let anything show on my face. To his credit, he mostly suppressed his wince and didn’t look at me.
After a moment of thought, I pulled two medicinal pills from my storage ring and handed them to the woman. “Here, take these. To help with the problems and lasting conditions caused by overwork. They’re meant for the third stage, so you need to dilute them. Give everyone about half a cup, no more than a fifth of the total. But only for those who really need them, otherwise the effect will be too weak.” I was drawing on knowledge from a book that had mentioned this offhand, but I was pretty confident in it. At least, this wouldn’t make things worse.
The woman gasped. “Really? That’s very generous of you. May all the Greater Spirits bless you.”
I smiled, trying not to show my awkwardness as I pressed them into her hand. “It’s nothing.” Only a stopgap measure, but that’s alright. “I need to get back now.”
It took a moment to extricate myself and Lorn from the village, and when we finally walked back into the forest at a good pace, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Go on ahead,” I said to Lorn. “Thank you for playing guide, but that’s it. And don’t talk about this to anyone, or I’ll be … upset.”
He gulped and gave me a bow. “Of course not, Your Highness.” With that, he took off, cutting through the forest.
I watched him go for a moment, but he’d put on speed and was soon out of my sight or hearing. Then I sighed and started walking back at a more leisurely pace, pulling out my robe and waiting for a good spot to put up a darkness screen and change.
“Do you hear me, spirit?” I said, glancing around me. “I don’t know if you led me here on purpose. If you did, I understand. These must be your people, the ones who give you offerings. Even though they have so little. For the sect, they’re just conveniences. But to you, they’re worth more. I get it. People are people. I know that everyone has the same value and worth, that everyone has rights that need to be respected. The nobles and the sects, they think they’re better than that, many of them, don’t they? But they’re not, and things will change.”
No answer came.