Dragging the unconscious bodies behind her and thinking back to the revelation about Li, Yu was still astonished at how strange occurrences seemed to happen in the world. How did a family with a long history of average cultivators with average powers and average meridians suddenly find itself having produced such an aberration?
Not that Yu wasn’t thrilled to the heavens for her friend and for their clan. Li would be able to offer them an astonishing set of advantages that they have been missing. Eighty-eight meridians accounted for something like fifty times more Qi than her average clansmen. And unlike Yu, Li’s power wasn’t a threat to any of the higher imperial clans. So it was good news all around.
The pure strength Li could bring would give her family and clan opportunities that could propel them to a much higher standing in their city – and possibly even their nation. In fact, she would likely be stronger than the lord of her small city on the verge in a few years, almost guaranteeing her family’s rise.
The most obvious material benefit of her future power would be it will eventually allow them to push farther into their local wildlands. A single cultivator can’t change everything, but someone as strong as she’ll be, with the amount of Qi that will be at her command, will allow them to clear out large swaths of land from demonic beasts. And that does not even account for if her copper grade offered any additional advantages. None had been discovered yet, be she was only at the start of her cultivation journey.
Either way, Yu knew Li will allow her city to grow in size and population, thus making it more appealing for sects, organizations such as the Alchemists’ Association and Enchanters’ Hall, not to mention noble and even royal factions and their branch families.
Lastly, many more and stronger marriage proposals will be available to her, which will include substantial dowries and political connections.
Which reminds me…
“Have you told my brother yet?” Yu asked Li over her shoulder with squinted eyes.
Li visibly wilted under Yu’s attention. “Not yet,” she mumbled.
Yu sighed. “Look, I told you I wouldn’t get involved with you two, and I won’t. I keep my promises. But I really think you should tell him you’ll be attending the tournament.”
“I know, I just… I’m scared he’ll be angry and… you know.”
Lu just shook her head and mumbled. “Idiot.”
“Li, you can’t not tell him. Hells, he’s as an inner sect disciple. He can leave the sect any time he wants, which means he can attend and be there to support you.”
And Yu knew he would. Those two had gotten quite close over the last year and a half. It took Li almost as long just to work up the courage to ask him for just a date. Shortly after, the parade of boys she ate up and spit out as a distraction and temporary entertainment had slowed and then eventually stopped all together. The pair of them seemed really… well… fit to each other. They were just two really good people who could grow strong together.
As far as Yu knew, nothing official had been discussed with either them or their fathers, and Yu understood why. With Li being a bit of a stand-out for a small and inconsequential clan and city and Lei being the heir of a city lord, things could get complicated. The only thing Li could really bring to any marriage is personal power, which is certainly not something to discount. But generally, marriages to strong cultivator clans involved more. At least, marriages to first wives did.
That thought encouraged reflection on Yu’s own future. She knew she would be far too strong to be under anyone in authority. She was not her mother who was fine not getting along with her “lead” sister wife. No, Yu had no intention of being hated by her future family – nor would she put up with what her mother had allowed to happen.
But none of that mattered now. All of that was years and years into the future. That may not be true for Li though, especially considering how things were going with Lei. To the contrary, Yu was hopeful. Li was practically a sister as it was and making it official by being wed to her brother would be wonderful as far as she was concerned. And knowing Lei as she did, Yu was confident he would end up with the maximum of three wives like their father. Thus, Li would have the opportunity to be one. Especially since her clan did not allow for female leaders, strong or not.
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What would matter more to Li’s clan would be the connections, and the likelihood of producing strong children. Humanity needed more cultivators. It was simple math. There were trillions of beasts, and less than fifteen billion cultivators in the Gui empire. Thus, women had an obligation. Even as powerful cultivators, women were responsible for carrying on the family and clan lines. Their freedoms were fewer. Just math.
Fair or not, right or not, it was what it was. Their world, where death literally surrounded them in the shape of teeth and claws, was not a fair place. And right and wrong only mattered if one was powerful enough to enforce them.
Yu hoped to survive long enough to be that strong.
All that aside, sometimes everything worked out for the best – like Yu hoped it would for her brother and Li. The world had many happy couples too after all.
Not that Li and Lei’s relationship was any of her business. She had her own relationship issues to worry about.
“Oh, before I forget. Ai said she wanted to go out for dumplings on Day 6,” Lu said out of nowhere.
Yu almost tripped for a second, but caught herself and nodded. “Sounds good. Dumplings, Day 6.”
“Of course,” Lu said with a laugh. “Whatever Ai wants, Ai gets.”
Yu looked back at her with a face that said, “Well, yeah. Why state the obvious?”
***
“Again?” said the grumpy-looking inner sect disciple in charge of assigning and tracking rides to and from the sect mountain. His name was Chengue Wong and he was a familiar face to Yu and the twins by this point. They had helped him out once when he had gotten himself into a spot of trouble fighting four grade 3 beasts at once. It had been a random encounter and not really his fault, but he very much appreciated their timely assistance. He had paid it back by being one of their greatest sources of information in the inner sect, occasionally passing news, warnings, or advice.
“Not my fault,” Yu said with a shrug. “They attacked me first. I was just defending myself. They probably have concussions and some internal bleeding along with all the broken bones. You should call the healing team. I’m too annoyed to do it myself. This one,” she kicked the young man in his ribs, “actually almost got a shot in. He was hiding pretty well. I bet he’s Fire and Darkness, otherwise I doubt he could have snuck up on me as well as he did.”
“Not that it helped,” Li said. Then she kicked him again just for good measure.
“Nobody considers smell,” Yu muttered. “The stench of whatever perfumes he uses was awful.”
“Whatever,” Chengue Wong said as he walked over impatiently and looked down. “Inner sect this time, huh? What a disgrace. Why don’t you just challenge one of these idiots and switch to red robes already? Everyone knows you can do it any time you want.”
“I wish I could,” You sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Of course it is.” It was easy for Yu to read his face. It said, Your master is an insane madman killer and I have no idea how you’re still alive.
Of course he did not say that out loud. Instead he just shook his head and tapped his badge. “Well, none of my business. Need a ride up or are you heading back into the marsh?”
“Nahh, I’m done for the day. Kind of ruined the mood.” Then Yu turned her head to glance behind and to her left. A few moments later Bai silently trotted out of the forest and appeared beside her. Chengue Wong nodded to him. The tiger yawned.
While all that was happening, Lu had been looking around the riders and birds. However, she did not find what she had hoped to and slumped in disappointment. Or more specifically, who she had hoped to. Their favorite transportation method, Zhao Minge and his enormous eagle Jin Kong, weren’t there.
Yu had been friends with Minge since her first week in the sect and had introduced him to Lu in hopes that their joint appreciation for demonic beast care would spark a friendship and maybe future career connections. To everyone’s surprise, it had turned into more than two years of them being together exclusively. Lu would often borrow Yu’s private silver-level suite in the Treasure Pavilion’s Auction House to spend intimate time together with him.
As far as Yu knew, they were very serious. As neither individual nor clan was of any particularly standing politically or strength-wise, there would not be many obstacles to them taking the next steps to making an official alliance between their families through marriage. The biggest issue they had was location. Lu’s city was about thirty million Li from Minge’s. This meant they had a hard decision to make in regards to where they would live after they left the sect. Of course, if they joined the same faction or business or whatever, that would make things easier. Not that they were in a rush. Again, not her business, but she wished the best for two of her greatest friends.
“How does a Diamond-clawed Screech Hawk sound for a ride up?” Chengue Wong asked. “She’s free, that species is dominant enough that it won’t mind your little monster there.” He gestured at the tiger whose shoulder went up to his ribs. “And her rider needs the contribution points.” Then he whispered, “She’s struggling to pay for her bond and looking for a faction that can help her out.”
The three humans and tiger agreed. After all, it was nice to help people out when you could… and you never know how that sort of thing would end up… in time.