It took a week for the first of the new students to condense qi enough to pass into the second realm. An-Yong was surprised at this, but only slightly. It hadn’t shown on his face, but she could hear his heartbeat even while shielding her qi.

Her nascent soul, after an entire week of cycling, was able to hear things. She often had to shut it down, because it felt too intrusive. Jessica imagined the previous core elders listening in on junior disciples talking between themselves. She imagined smug grins on their faces as they passed judgement-silent or otherwise-on the poor souls.

The real surprise came on the third day, as one of the aunties who had taken up cycling qi reached the second realm before any of the other initiates. Of course, it was Elaine and she would have bragged if Jessica hadn’t asked her to be gracious.

An-Yong was shocked. Grace wasn’t. On their third discussion about the merits of dual entry accounting, Grace was finally getting the concept, but didn’t see the need to waste precious paper.

“Elder, it’s just that it is expensive to pay for scrolls, you see and…”

“Can the treasury bear the expense, Junior disciple?” Jessica said.

“Well yes, but-”

“If I was being paid a salary, I would ask you to take it out of that. I am not, as I see no need, now tell me about your advancement.”

The pair was sitting in the lotus position, watching the initiates cycle. Jessica arranged for Grace to be sitting on her right side, perhaps letting the Sect see the disciple as her ‘right hand woman’ would be good for Grace.

Without turning her head, Jessica felt the sensation of Grace's frustration. She felt held back and she wanted to advance but the pill she had taken hadn’t brought her up high enough. The junior disciple dutifully cycled it through her dantian for six to eight hours a day, and it was almost her time to form a core, but she just wasn’t there yet.

Jung, her rival apparent, had taken one of the pills, and according to An-Yong that core was nearly ready for formation. The disparity between the two had manifested in long consistent glares between them each time they met. The first time that Grace saw it, she imagined it as a lovers quarrel. Her nascent soul eventually made her think otherwise as Jung was nothing but proper around Grace.

Proper, and competitive as heck.

Both knew that they were in the running to become Inner Disciples if they formed their cores, and then possibly elders.

It was quite possible that either one of them could turn into an arrogant young master as both were sixteen or seventeen. Jessica was aware that some competition could be good, but she wanted them both to be on the same side.

Her side, for all it mattered.

“This one… is not ready for the next realm.”

“That one,” Jessica said, “Is ready for your help.”

Elaine had stood up and was doing some martial arts stretches.

“Perhaps she is ready to learn how to fight?” Jessica ventured.

“This one will instruct her.”

Elaine leaned over and touched her toes. She looked old, retired and-now with the Sects help- extremely dangerous. Jessica idly wondered if the five foot tall asian looking woman would one day be as strong as the cultivators she'd seen casually picking up boulders with one hand.

As Grace took Elaine through some slow unarmed martial arts movements, Jessica watched intently.

Then she got up. By the Grace of her disciple, she would learn to defend herself using as little qi as possible.

“Can you believe this? Elder is training with Grace!”

“What an honor for a Junior Disciple! Surely she will become a Senior Disciple soon!”

“Even an Elder can learn from someone else's path, it seems!”

“I hope to learn from that Elder!”

“Nobody has to know about us…”

The last voice threw Jessica off as her nascent soul had listened in on the initiates around her, almost without trying.

So there was someone in the Sect at least who was part of an ‘us’.

Jessica smiled the knowing smile of someone as she heard the ragged breathing of someone apparently trying for a new record in smooching.

And she turned her nascent volume knob down to zero.

Let them have their fun. She settled in to watch the initiators martial displays.

The other aunties had stopped attempting to cycle for the day as they watched Elaine practice. Both she and the other new second level cultivator had been trying out various weapons. While they had been practicing independently, each had settled on a type of weapon.

His was a sword and he had been practicing with one of the third realm disciples. Jessica was pleased to see that he could at the very least look menacing as he held it.

*Thunk*

Elaine had been trying out various throwing implements.

*Thunk*

A large target had been set up. A series of throwing axes, knives and rocks were laid below the straw target. Elaine has missed more often than not.

“Try the next one!” One of the aunties yelled out.

Jessica saw that this one was Mary. Mary was most vocal of the aunties, the official unofficial leader of tea time and the game master of Mahjong. Yes, apparently Mahjong had made it over to this world, and they had a deluxe set.

A weighted throwing dagger was tossed and again Elaine whiffed it.

Elaine sighed.

Then her evil laugh caused all of the aunties to stop.

“Lai la, lai la, gimme your sandals!” Elaine said.

The group looked more confused than Jessica was, from her seated position. What would she be doing with all those sandals?

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But the aunties complied and they moved quickly, and a pile of sandals was produced and placed next to Elaine.

Elaine drew in qi and threw.

*Whack*

The sandal hit dead on the painted red center.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOO” The aunties giggled.

Elaine brandished another sandal and threw.

*Whack*

It hit dead on.

“Ahhhh!” The Aunties giggled.

Jessica groaned. Had she adopted a Greek chorus?

“Ooooo!”

Apparently she had.

*Whack*

Two hour later Jessica was talking to the artisans.

“You want me.. To make hundreds of sandals?” The wiry old man said.

An-Yong nodded. It was an interesting proposition, to be certain.

“Artisan An Di, Elder Jessica has decided that it will be a suitable weapon for some of the cultivators,” he said. An-Yong also could probably use a new uniform as well. He’d been ready to accept the advancement, and Jessica was proud to get him a (XXX) belt).

“Honored artisan, we want your best sandals,” Jessica said, “Spare no expense.”

“It will be as you say, Elder.”

An Di bowed in thanks.

“Is there anything else that we can do for the Sect? We have been busy making new uniforms for all of the new cultivators,” he gestured at reams of cloth behind him.

“Try to stay ahead of it. I think that we will be doing a lot of recruiting.”

An Di smiled.

“We will be ready, Elder.”

The artisans had taken residence up in one corner of the tunnel. When the first buildings up top had become habitable again, they had argued for one. The alchemist got the first dibs.

Seeing the space that became available after building two was given to the quartermaster, An Di has instead spread out.

The fifth building for her sect followers' specialty shops was due to be completed the next day and An Di had expanded almost to the width of the tunnel. Daily shipments to the camp carried on Initiates backs provided the reams of cloth he needed. The movement up provided ample cultivators to carry textiles back down.

"Uh elder, was there another matter?"

An Di was looking like the last hippie left at burning man, and he'd been expecting a free ride out. Jess in contrast looked like a nearly empty RV.

"An Di. While we appreciate your help, it is time to move to the surface. I expect you to start working topside next week."

An Di gulped. His wiry neck revealed an Adam's apple-clearly gulping. One errant hair on a wart made Jessica grimace.

“Elder, my artisans are doing their best work now down here.”

“And they can do their best work up there.”

A staredown commenced with neither giving an inch.

For a long minute, wills clashed and Jessica struggled against a different kind of power. The stubborn old man would not yield.

“You may move as soon as you feel suitable. We will make sure that you feel…welcome there,” Jessica narrowed her eyes to match his.

He would need more prodding.

“That is most… wonderful of you to offer…” An Di’s eyes narrowed to thin slits.

This might be a harder fight than the chicken, Jessica realized.

“How good of you to acknowledge the offer.”

Jessica slowly backed away, looking for a door to slam. Finding none, she spun on her heels and gracefully floated back to the stairs.

On top of the stairs, cultivators bustled around finally laying the new walls for the two barracks buildings Jessica had asked to be built. Both would have a great view of the central area, now turned into a flattened training ground.

In between the two, a memorial for the fallen sat. The form of a pile of flat clear rocks, equidistant to the two future buildings made it front and center.

One honored the dead here and a few puffs of smoke drifted above the memorial. Jessica passed by it, paying her respects to the Elders and Senior Disciples she hadn’t known.

Walking to the dead center of the Sect Compound, two minutes from the barracks and memorial, she spotted the aunties. A large pile of sandals greeted her as she walked from the northern walkway down to the central training area. They were taking turns throwing sandals across the way. Elaine, it seemed, had caught on to something.

It had only cost them all their sandals. Socks were now in fashion.

Jessica paused to watch as one by one the pile went down. She cycled, watching as they perfected their aim. After half an hour, they took a break and came to talk with her.

Tea appeared out of nowhere. And trays.

It started to feel like an ambush.

“Elder, it has been such a pleasure training here. Why, I feel years younger,” Elaine said.

Jessica pursed her lips. They had an ulterior motive. Did she need to suss it out, or would they smack her in the face with it? She hoped that it wasn’t another proposal for her to take on one of their young sons as a future husband.

“You think that you have something that I want,” Jessica said.

The aunties giggled.

“Of course. We hear everything Elder Sister,” Mary said. Her ageless face could have put her at anywhere between twenty five and forty five. Did they have some special face cream here? Jessica wondered, not for the first time. And would they spare some for her?

“Everything?”

Mary and Elaine nodded.

“In a way, we- your dedicated devoted aunties- can be quite useful. You could say that we have an ear on current events,” Mary sipped her tea contentedly.

A table with Mahjongg was pulled out. Seriously, how had they done that? Four Aunties played a hand as most of the rest watched from a distance, listening in on Jessica's conversation with Elaine and Mary.

“If there is something that you need to know, well…” Elaine said.

Jessica was about to activate the auntie news network, but then paused.

“What is this going to cost me?”

“Oh nothing, really Elder Sister,” Elaine and Mary said in stereo.

If they were about to break into song, Jessica was evenly split on if she wanted them to continue.

“Just a special place,” Elaine said.

“In the women's cultivation hall,” Mary said, “Sisters need a place for themselves.”

“Some place just for the sisters. You understand, of course!”

Elaine and Mary both sipped their tea in stereo.

Jessica scrunched up her face as she stirred her tea about. Once again she narrowed her eyes. It wasn’t mistrust, but she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t getting swindled.

“You want what… some kind of spa in the ladies dormitory?” Jessica said.

“Oh good heavens that would be so generous, what with the little hot spring on the side,” Elaine said.

“It would soothe our old bones, and you know we need them soothed,” Mary replied.

It was true that a hot spring was on the grounds and it had been next to the path. The cultivators had asked daily to fix it up.

Now, Jessica finally had a reason.

“You’re going to have to allow the males to,” Jessica gestured, “You know… use it as well.”

“But of course!” Mary said.

“We wouldn’t dare deny them. They work so hard,” Elaine said.

“But we’ll choose when they can come in, Elder Sister.”

Jessica couldn’t argue with the Aunties restricting access to the spa but perhaps it would cause them to work better. Who knew, honestly?

“I have no problem with this,” Jessica found herself saying.

The aunties clapped, again in stereo. They had practiced this, now Jessica was certain.

“However, I am going to need the aunties to help me with a little problem now.”

Elaine stopped clapping, then signaled Mary to stop.

“Elder Sister, we live and serve. What can we do for the great Coldsteel School?” Elaine said, her tone finally serious.

“Let me tell you about my lead artisan, An Di.”

Elaine grinned and suddenly, Jessica knew that she had made the right choice.