The trio settled in for the night. They chose a grassy place to rest that wasn’t much farther away from the imperial officer’s retinue. They had set up camp over a larger area up the road.

Sun Ren was resting in another earth dome that Lu Na made. Hen Li was sleeping against a nearby tree. Lu Na had first watch and she was bored.

“Hey Nugua, you’ve been pretty quiet for the last few hours. What are you thinking?”

“I was focused on your omni-breathing technique,” Nugua said.

“You can use it too?”

“Of course. The general idea is not actually breathing. I don’t need actual air to make it work. What it’s really showing is the idea of pushing spirit energy into your personal spirit realm, not air.”

“What? That makes no sense.”

“Fine, I’ll make it plainer. You know the very air you’re breathing? It contains water spirit energy. It’s the same type of energy you pull from when you make your inventions. Now, instead of trying to shove everything into your spirit realm, try focusing on only the spirit energy that you breathe in.”

Lu Na hadn’t thought about that before. It was so obvious now, but she never considered it. She’s always used the spirit wand to draw in spirit energy and used the wand to separate the spirit energy from whatever she pulled from. But now she was going to have to do it herself.

Lu Na closed her eyes and breathed in. With every breath, she tried to focus in on the different things that made up the air. She could easily feel the cool air, but not the spirit energy.

“Hey, wake up. You’re supposed to be on watch,” Nugua said.

Lu Na shook herself awake. She didn’t realize she almost fell asleep. She got up and an icy breeze hit her, making her shiver.

“I can’t do it Nugua. I can’t separate them.”

Nugua laughed a hissing laugh.

“Little Na Na, you just started this practice. Summoners take years to fully grasp these concepts. Weren’t you listening to how long it took Sun Ren to even hear her spirit speak to her?”

Lu Na thought for a moment.

“Did she tell me that?”

“Two years. And here you are, a few days into the practice and you think you’re going to achieve everything they did? I mean, look at that burly monk. Did you know he wakes up earlier than everyone at the crack of dawn to practice his martial arts? It took years of dedication and practice to look that good.”

Lu Na nodded in understanding. It took her many years to create her inventions even after her mother trained her. But looking at her two companions, she knew she was nowhere near as capable as they were in dealing with this situation.

“Do you think it was a mistake to do this?”

“Oh Na Na, I’m going to be honest with you and tell you I’m not the one you should ask. I need you to find your mother so she can give me what she promised.”

Lu Na didn’t forget their meeting when they bonded.

“But I will tell you something else,” Nugua continued. “I would have wished you had never activated the hairpin. I’ve watched you grow up into a smart young lady and it would have made me happy to watch you grow into an old lady, never leaving the city of Jianye.”

“But that’s not possible anymore. I have to find my mother. I have to help her or save her. And with the Wintersweet Sect always bothering me about it, I wouldn’t be able to rest, anyway. The last thing I need would be for them to attack my home again.”

“So you answered your own question. Just be a little patient and have compassion for yourself. You don’t need to be as strong as Sun Ren or the brawny monk. You have them to help you. Lean on their expertise and help and do what you know to do best.”

Lu Na peered over at the two. These were two of the strongest people she knew and they will follow her on this quest.

“Then does this mean I should stop trying to practice the summoner arts?”

“Oh no. You need to practice it and try ten times harder,” Nugua said. “You might not see any progress for a year or two, but you’re too weak even without those two. A strong wind can break you.”

“Thanks for the confidence. But you’re right. I have this opportunity to practice. I’m going to use it.”

“And don’t worry. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

Lu Na felt reassured by those words. It almost felt like her mother had a hand in helping her without being there.

The next day, the trio continued their journey to the labyrinth. However, they had a different issue.

“What do you mean we need to go faster?” Sun Ren still walked with a limp.

“I know you are still injured, but the spirit energy from the hairpin is fading.” Lu Na took it out. “Nugua estimates it has three days at most before it runs out and we can’t go back to charge it again. We won’t be able to solve the puzzle of the labyrinth without it.”

Sun Ren took out her map and she looked around.

“I’m going to hate this, but judging from the distance, we’re only about a day away from the labyrinth if we sped up and didn’t take any rest.”

“Amituofo. Or we could get there by nightfall in two days, allowing you to rest some more,” Hen Li said.

Sun Ren looked at the spirit horses that pulled the carriage. The imperial officer’s entire retinue was resting, but they never dismissed the spirit horses.

“If only we had one of those horses. We could keep going without resting. But no, I don’t want to only have one day to figure out the labyrinth. It’s not called the peaceful courtyard where anyone can come grab the secret.”

Lu Na chuckled. This was the first time hearing Sun Ren tell a joke.

“Besides, I think a few more hours and Baihu can fix my leg,” Sun Ren said. “Then we can walk much faster.”

“Amituofo. I agree.” Hen Li grabbed the packs from Lu Na. “To help you out, I’ll carry these. When we get to the labyrinth, I’ll give it back to you.”

Lu Na felt like flying the moment he lifted the packs off her. She hadn’t thought about how heavy it all was, especially while also carrying Sun Ren’s packs, too.

“See, look at that burly monk go. He’s got more muscles in his arm than you have in your entire body, Na Na. Oh, what I would do to him if I was outside,” Nugua said.

Lu Na gagged, but she was right about the other thing. Maybe she should have trained with her brother. When she went back home, she would do that.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The trio walked past the imperial officer’s large retinue. While some soldiers made a note of their passing, they didn’t stop them either. Lu Na couldn’t help but marvel at how well prepared they were. Not only did they have tents and places to sleep, they had some caged sheep, pigs, and chickens with them. Traveling like this wasn’t any different from taking a vacation.

It took most of a day of walking before they reached a village. Based on Sun Ren’s map, it was Qingxizhen village outside of Shi city. They passed by the large Chao lake on their way and many other mountains. Luckily, the route was mostly flat land and no bandits were around to stop them.

“Lu Na, are you alright?” Sun Ren asked.

Lu Na was quietly riding on top of Panhu. She had tripped and sprained her ankle on a tree branch. While she appreciated not having to walk the last stretch, she would rather not have the aching pain in her ankle.

“Yes, I think it’s almost fixed thanks to Nugua. How did people survive without being healed by their spirits? This is such a miracle.”

“They usually called a doctor,” Hen Li said. He looked haggard but at least he wasn’t carrying the packs anymore as Panhu did.

“Or they don’t.” Sun Ren was the only one of the trio who still looked fresh from traveling at the speed and distance despite her own injuries.

The first thing they did was find an inn when they got into the village. Like most villages, they only had one inn. Most people would have traveled the extra distance to rest within the city walls. They would have done it too if Hen Li wasn’t about to collapse.

It was a small inn with a small dining and reception area with all the individual rooms constructed just behind it. They rented a large room for the two ladies and an individual room for Hen Li.

“Oh, thank Buddha we finally have a place to rest,” Lu Na said when they brought their stuff inside the inn.

“That’s not what Buddha... That’s not how you talk about… Ugh, nevermind,” Hen Li dragged himself and the packs into his room.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen Hen Li so exhausted. He didn’t even say ‘Amituofo’ for a few hours.” Lu Na had dragged their packs into her room.

“It’s hard to walk so fast, especially since he spent a while in jail. I wonder if they have baths.” Sun Ren unpacked a new black tunic.

“How are you not tired? I rode Panhu for the last stretch and I’m still exhausted.”

“I’ve trained with my father’s army and my sifu. They would march us for sixty to seventy li on slow days. Some days, they pushed us to almost one hundred li.” Sun Ren unsheathed her daggers onto her own bed. “Of course it wasn’t every day they did that, but training is very important.”

Lu Na stared at this super human. How? How did a young miss of the most powerful person in the region train so much and train so hard?

“I don’t think I can do that.”

Sun Ren paused her inventory and stared right back.

“You can if it’s your life on the line. Every day our soldiers go out to fight and it might be the last day of their lives. It wouldn’t be fair if my father didn’t give them the proper training to survive.”

“And the soldiers do that without being summoners?” Lu Na had collapsed onto the bed by now.

“The human body is much stronger than you think.” Sun Ren had put away everything. “I’ll go ask the owner to see if he can get us a meal and a bath.”

“Okay,” Lu Na said. She was fighting the sleepiness, but was losing. “Wake me up whenever.”

A short time later, Sun Ren was shaking Lu Na awake.

“The meal is ready. The monk is already eating,” Sun Ren said.

Lu Na opened her eyes and saw the soft glow of a candle from somewhere behind Sun Ren. She turned over and rubbed her eyes. She wiped the small trail of drool on her left cheek.

“Thank you. I’m coming.” Lu Na straightened her tunic and brushed her hair with her hands. It was a mess because she didn’t take off the tie properly before she fell asleep. The worst part was, she had no maid to help her.

Maybe Sun Ren can help later.

Lu Na walked into the small reception area that was aglow with many lanterns on the wall. There were a few wooden tables in the center, with a small reception desk by the door. Many of the tables had people sitting and eating. They all looked like farmers from the village as some of them had their farming tools leaning against their table.

“This is odd. There weren’t that many people when I went to get you,” Sun Ren said.

“Maybe it’s just dinner time for them as well,” Lu Na said. She walked over to where Hen Li was already seated.

His face was buried into the largest mound of rice Lu Na had ever seen before.

“You look better,” Lu Na said.

Hen Li nodded before grabbing more vegetables from a nearby dish. Most of it was gone.

“You started eating without us, monk. Do you have a death wish?” Sun Ren asked.

Hen Li smiled and kept eating.

“What do you mean? The food looks delicious. Let’s eat!” Lu Na grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

“Wait. I have to test it for poison first.” Sun Ren took out a small pin and poked the food. “I would hate to repeat the same mistake as with Magistrate Hu.”

“He used a spirit technique. Can your little pin detect that?” Lu Na asked.

“That’s what you’re here for. This pin is for the more common poisons.”

Lu Na looked with spirit vision, finding nothing. Honestly, at this point she was so hungry as she stared at it she would eat it even if it was poisoned.

“There’s nothing. So can we eat?”

Sun Ren looked around at the other tables.

“Wait. Give me five taels of silver, Lu Na.”

Lu Na looked from her chopsticks to the food and then to Hen Li who was halfway done with his large bowl of rice. She sighed with every fiber of her being and put down her chopsticks. She gave Sun Ren five taels of silver from her inner chest pocket.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Sun Ren approached a nearby table with three farmers happily eating.

Lu Na drooled as she stared at the food in front of her.

“Might I offer you three a trade? I’ll give you five taels of silver if you give me your food,” Sun Ren said.

There was a slight pause before they accepted the money.

Sun Ren brought the four dishes of food over along with their rice bowls to their table. Now they had more dishes than can fit on the table.

“Eat only from these bowls and not the others,” Sun Ren said. She picked up her own chopsticks and began eating.

Lu Na nodded before she followed suit. Her chopsticks flew from the dishes to her mouth. The flavors were greasy, salty, and oh so good. She didn’t recognize any of the dishes but she didn’t care.

Any meal that wasn’t dry, white buns or dried rations from the fishing village was a win.

Hen Li saw he had a monopoly over his dishes of food and so he ate even more of the vegetables from all the dishes.

“Did you hear about the men in the labyrinth?” a man from a nearby table asked his table mate. “They’re still sending more people in there. Can you believe it?”

“Who cares, as long as they don’t start forcing us in there,” his table mate responded. “They’re going to make our village rich with how much they’re buying from us.”

“But I heard they’re funding their operations with banditry. Isn’t that bad?”

“Excuse me,” Sun Ren interrupted. “Are you two referring to the large labyrinth north from here?”

The man turned toward Sun Ren.

“Not from around here, huh? A group of men came a few months ago and have been sending people and supplies into the labyrinth. It seems like they’re going to solve it.”

“A bunch of idiots is what they are,” his table mate chimed in. “We’ve had this labyrinth for over a thousand years and no one has ever solved it. Entire empires have tried to solve it and they couldn’t with their resources. How would this small group be able to do it? All they’re doing is sending in more people to die.”

“Thank you for the information,” Sun Ren said.

“You three aren’t entering the labyrinth are you?” the man asked. “We get some adventurous people from time to time but they never come back either.”

“Wait, so when you go in, you can’t come back out?” Lu Na asked.

“No one ever has. Only idiots would go in,” the table mate said. “But you know, if you want to be an idiot like those people, then feel free. Just know no one is going to save you.”

Lu Na turned back to her food. She pressed her chopsticks to her lips. She didn’t expect it to be that dangerous. Would her hairpin allow her to come back out? Her mother wouldn’t send her to her death, would she?

“Sun Ren, what do you think about—”

Sun Ren shook her head.

“We’ll talk about this later. Finish your dinner first. It might be the only good food for a long time.”

“Amituofo. That was a good meal.” Hen Li burped loudly, despite covering his mouth. “I haven’t eaten so well since before staying in the jail.” He yawned.

“Glad you enjoyed the food,” Sun Ren said. “But let’s not fall asleep here. Let’s go back to our rooms. Are you done Lu Na?”

Lu Na nodded and put down her chopsticks. She got up and walked with Sun Ren and Hen Li toward their rooms.

“What do you think about the labyrinth, Nugua?”

“I think that your mother wouldn’t have told you anything that would harm you. The hairpin is a key for the labyrinth’s secret so maybe it’s also the key to the labyrinth itself,” Nugua said.

When they got back into their room, Sun Ren packed her stuff furiously.

“What are you doing? I thought we weren’t leaving until tomorrow,” Lu Na said.

“Get your stuff now. The bandits are going to come for us soon and rob us.” Sun Ren strapped her pack to her back and unsheathed her sword. She was serious.

Lu Na had seen that look on her face when she faced all the summoners back when they were dealing with the Wintersweet Sect. She packed what little she had unpacked. The last thing she did was plop down onto the bed when she was done. She wasn’t going to pay for a bed and not sleep in it at least once.

“How do you know the bandits are coming for us?”

“Many signs, but the biggest one was where I recognized a bandit that was eating two tables over.”

The door to their room flew open and two men rushed in with swords.