Shang sat across from his mother, ChuHua, with a wooden board between them. His feet were folded under him, and his hair was tied away from his face. The room was silent except for the sound of clinking stones. His mother was an instructor in the FuJia weiqi salon, and he helped her once a week with the instruction of the more novice players.

During their midday break, she always requested a game with him. It should have been an honor. ChuHua’s skill with the game was unparalleled in FuJia, but Shang was weary whenever they played. ChuHua had an uncanny sense of the game. Whenever they played weiqi he felt his soul was laid bare before her. If he had a bad day, like today, it would be reflected in his play.

The board was covered in black and white stones. It was the endgame, and he had played poorly. Shang could tell his mother was holding back, her attacks prodding and gentle. ChuHua pursed her lips at Shang’s impatient incursion in the center of the board.

She did not wait for the game to finish before asking the obvious. “Did something happen today?”

Shang’s hand paused atop the board before pulling back and dropping the stone into the bowl. The day was fine if a bit mundane. He enjoyed his time teaching the game, and it was always a joy to see faces light up when a new position was discovered. But even when he was joking along with the students, he could not shake his dream.

In it, was the old crow. Its eyes drilled into him. There was nowhere for him to hide. No matter how far he ran, the crow was always there, a grotesque skull clutched in its talons.

He had woken with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The feeling that the world was falling down around him, and he was the sole culprit. The guilt followed him even now.

“I didn’t sleep well,” Shang admitted. He knew his mother would sense it if he lied.

ChuHua nodded in understanding. “That same dream again?” Shang nodded, eyebrows knitted together in a frown. ChuHua’s fingers pressed between his furrowed brows. “Be careful, your face might get stuck like that.” Her hands were cool and calming against his skin. From the point of contact, Shang felt a wave of cleansing coolness wash through him. He relaxed his expression, managing a small smile.

“I wouldn’t frown so much if you weren’t killing me in this game,” he said accusatorily.

ChuHua just tusked in disapproval. “This game was lost before you sat down, so don’t blame me for your poor play. Remember what I told you?”

“Yes, of course I do. I’ve only heard it a thousand times,” Shang grumbled.

“Well, then you won’t mind hearing it once more. This game is a conversation. The only way to win is to listen to what your opponent is saying. Your stones are screaming out to me, exposing your weaknesses, as are mine, but you are not listening. A conversation is not one-sided Shang-bo, you have to open your ears and your heart to hear.” ChuHua pulled at his ears chidingly.

Shang just sighed in response. Easier said than done. They continued the game, but it was already lost. Shang shortly forfeited, and proceeded to clean the board, placing the white and black pieces back in their respective bowls.

ChuHua hummed a sweet tune as he worked. The sound further soothed his roiling mind. While he hated needing to be coddled by his mother, especially since he was now fifteen, he had to admit she always had a way of making him feel better.

Shang glanced up when ChuHua’s humming paused mid-song. Her face was tense as she stared out the window. Before he could ask what was wrong, a pulse of qi hit him. His meridians tingled at the sensation, but the feeling quickly dissipated. Shang staggered forward, catching himself on the edge of a table.

“What was that?” Shang asked.

“I’m not sure,” ChuHua mumbled. Her eyes were unfocused and distant. The look didn’t last long. Without preamble, she started back her humming and began helping Shang clear off the board. “Let’s get the shop ready. The afternoon lessons start soon,” she said.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Shang was not a master at mind reading like his mother, but he could tell something was troubling her. Before he could question her further, the afternoon students stepped in.

The Master Elder was a regular customer at the salon, and he always reserved lessons with ChuHua. He was away on business in the last month, and many of the remaining elders jostled to be ChuHua’s students in the meantime. Weiqi was a common tool to settle disputes among villagers. The villagers may have whispered foul words behind his mother’s back, but if they wanted to win bets and best their annoying neighbors, there was no one better to help them than ChuHua.

Her student for the afternoon was Master Lan. Shang bowed low at the waist. Master Lan was almost the same age as the Master Elder, and he was the head instructor at JaLong. Despite his status, Shang found him surprisingly personable. He carried himself with an easy air and always treated Shang and ChuHua with respect.

As ChuHua and Master Lan settled down onto the padded cushions, Shang heated water for jasmine tea. These jasmine blossoms were from his mother’s own garden. Even sealed away in a porcelain jar, their sweet aroma suffused the room. If Shang had to guess, more than a few students came just for the tea. His mother always had a way with plants.

Shang made sure not to heat the water too much. ChuHua had drilled into him the ideal temperature for brewing each type of tea. Fresh jasmine blossoms were easily burnt. Their flavors needed to be extracted slowly to bring out their ideal sweetness.

The teapot was set on a serving table beside the board. Shang poured a cup for each of his mother and Master Lan to allow the tea to reach an ideal drinking temperature.

There were two other boards occupied by more casual players, his students for the afternoon. Shang sat between the boards, giving pointers when needed. The players were young, though not younger than him.

Shang remembered their annoyance when he was first introduced as an instructor here. Weiqi masters were generally gray and wrinkled, and it must have hurt their pride to be taught by someone younger. Thankfully, they eventually got over their reluctance after a few teaching games with Shang. Though he was uninspired compared to ChuHua’s majesty, he was still a skillful player. It was hard not to be, growing up in his household.

A few minutes into the first game, the wooden doors of the shop slammed open. Shang frowned at the intruder, ready to chastise them for disrupting the games. He recognized the large boy looming in the doorway. It was Cui, the boy YiHua had so thoroughly defeated during the First-Year exhibition matches.

Despite his cultivation, Cui’s face was red with exertion. “Master Lan, something’s happened at the gorge. The bridge, it collapsed.”

Shang’s eyebrows shot up at his words. That bridge was questionable on a good day. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that it had fallen. The village would finally invest in a better bridge.

“I was near the base of the gully when it fell, I couldn’t be sure, but there might have been people on the bridge when it collapsed.”

Master Lan’s annoyed face immediately shifted to one of worry. “Did you go the gully and check if there were survivors?” Master Lan asked.

Cui shook his head. “I was closer to the village, so I thought it would be wiser to come and get help.”

Master Lan walked briskly to the door and whacked his fan against the taller boy’s head. “Stupid boy, what does getting help do, huh? I cannot turn back time. If there was anyone hanging on the ledge or, heavens forbid, at the bottom of the gorge, time is of the essence.”

Without another word, he pushed past Cui and into the street. Shang immediately followed. “YiHua was hunting near the gorge today. I just want to make sure she’s okay,” he shouted back at ChuHua.

He had to run to catch up with Master Lan. “Master Lan, would it be possible for me to accompany you to the gorge? I have a friend that I would like to make sure is safe.”

Master Lan barely looked towards him. He gave a grunt of what Shang hoped was approval. Even if Master Lan allowed him to follow, he did not care if Shang could keep pace. Before long, Master Lang was far ahead of him, his figure disappearing into the forest. Shang pumped his legs faster, but there was little he could do to account for the difference in cultivation. Slowly, but surely, he made his way to the gorge.

As he neared the valley, he could hear the sounds of many voices. Shang breathed a sigh of relief. The voices were loud and filled with excitement. Shang broke into the clearing to see a group of JaLong students huddled around two figures. Xin was among them. He noticed Shang as he walked up to the group and pulled him forward into the huddle, pushing a few students out of way in the process.

Standing in the middle of the group was YiHua and a boy in her year, LiQin. Qin’s face was split into a toothy grin as he talked animatedly with his fellow students. Shang sat back and enjoyed his retelling of the events. He especially enjoyed the looks of adoration that Qin kept throwing at YiHua. She just shifted her weight back and forth, uneasy at the attention.

Xin patted YiHua heavily on the back. “Way to go HuaHua,” he leaned in with a loud stage whisper, “and it looks like you recruited another boy to your harem.” Xin eyed LiQin meaningfully, and the boy lit up red as the setting sun.

“OW!” Xin jumped away from YiHua, cradling his arm. She did not look amused. Shang had to hide his smile behind his hands. He wasn’t sure he would survive any of her punches now that she had opened her tenth meridian. Better to be safe.