Chapter 14

Tren watched with pride as his son masterfully set free the bindings that were torturing the innocent fire spirit. He hated that technique. Would have had it banned and called a demonic technique if he had the power to do so, but although he lamented the pain that it caused to the spirits who got caught in the web of the Mother Spider’s Embrace bonding technique, it wasn’t something that he was prepared to fight a war over.

To know that the Zang family had been misusing it, likely for generations, had filled him with anger when he had detected its twisting flows within the girl’s dantian. But it wasn’t his place to do anything about it. It was their family, their traditions. They had captured the spirit and abused it, but after the girl’s lifetime the flame spirit would have recovered.

And likely become vengeful against humans for the suffering inflicted upon it, but what was one more vengeful spirit in a world filled with them?

When the ebb and flow of the girl’s Qi settled down and began cycling naturally once more, Tren relaxed his own Qi, which he had pulled on and was currently oppressing the Zang family and their retainers with. When they recovered from the shock of his Qi, the parents of the girls began demanding answers.

“What is it that your son has done to our daughter?” Mahn demanded. “He has assaulted her unprovoked, and we demand --”

“How dare you come into our home and --”

Tren allowed them to vent their anger for a few moments. They were right, his family had provided them an insult. He had just displayed a portion of his strength that would prevent them from actually attacking, but he would allow them the face of cussing him out for a bit.

“Why did you bind her to her spirit with the Mother Spider’s Embrace?” he asked after they were running out of steam. “It is a poisonous technique, and a dangerous one. My son has done you a favor by undoing it.”

“He has undone her cultivation?” Mahn Zang demanded.

“Do you not have senses? Can you not see that your daughter has benefited from the actions of our son?” Wensho demanded. “She is more powerful now than before.”

“But at what cost?” Toh asked.

“None, except that she must now deal with the spirit that your family has wronged in more ways than one for the rest of her life,” Tren answered. “You did not answer my question. Why does yoru family make use of the Mother Spider’s Embrace?”

“If you are talking about the Subsumation Bonding Technique, then we use it because it increases the compatibility between the host and the spirit,” Toh said after she gathered her wits a bit. “That is the technique that has been undone here, and we do not thank you for it. For a short term gain in power your son may have crippled my daughter.”

“He has increased her potential. You do not know the history of that technique. It lobotomizes the spirits that are caught in its web and reduces their power. It was used in ancient wars to turn vast numbers of mortals into cultivators to generate an army of weaklings. The sect that developed it was declared demonic, but not the technique itself,” Tren explained. “To use this technique is a crime against the very spirits through which we gain our power.”

“Who are you to police our family’s internal matters?” Mahn demanded.

“And that is where you are correct. I humbly apologize for the unwanted actions of my son. I offer five greater spiritual stones in recompense, on top of the five that were previously offered for the misunderstanding regarding the spirit I captured for him three years ago. I admit no fault in my actions in regard to the wind spirit, but I do admit fault and apologize for my son’s actions today,” Tren said.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

This show of granting them face molified the Zang family considerably. They gathered up their daughter, who was unconscious, and began to return to their parlor.

“We will consider your offer. Remain in Lima City until we have come to a conclusion. We must wait for our daughter to awaken and assess the damage to her cultivation before we decide whether the offer is suitable to the offense caused,” Toh said, somewhat imperiously.

As though Tren had not moments before demonstrated that he could easily crush them all. She was pushing her luck, but fortunately she did have propriety on her side. The Shen family had given offense to the Zang family today, and while might makes right, the Zang family could make problems of many sorts for them if the situation were not handled delicately.

“My wife and son will return to our home. I will remain in the city until we have come to a conclusion that satisfies all parties,” Tren declared.

“That is acceptable,” Toh said. “Now I ask that you leave our compound. We will send an intermediary when we are ready to negotiate further.”

Tren bowed humbly to the offended cultivators, and he and his family promptly left.

Tan waited until they were some distance away from the estate before apologizing to this parents for his actions.

“Zephyr tricked me. She said that it would be easy, and that it wouldn’t hurt her. I believed her. I didn’t realize that it would cause so much trouble when I tried to help the fire spirit in Kora,” he explained.

“Zephyr saw a sister in pain and took actions to resolve the situation using what tools she had available to her,” Wensho said. “I hesitate to say that you did the wrong thing, because like your father I find the use of that binding technique atrocious. But you have caused problems, Tan, and you’re old enough to help your family correct them.”

“How do I to do that?”

“Your father will be paying for your mistakes from his own trove of spiritual stones,” his mother explained. “It seems only fitting that you pay him back for your part of the price we must pay the Zang family for your actions, does it not?”

“You want me to find spirit stones as my punishment?” he asked.

“It shouldn’t be hard,” his father promised him. “Not with senses like yours. And with a spirit like Zephyr to guide you.”

“Okay, but I don’t know what to look for,” Tan protested.

“We’ll teach you when we all get home,” Wensho promised. “It’s about time that you learn how anyway.”

They returned to the cheap inn where they were staying, changed out of their fancy clothes, and spent the rest of the day wandering the city. Tren bought his wife a bracelet made of jade, his wife bought him a book on farming, and they both bought Tan so many treats from the street vendors that his belly was bulging by the time they returned to the inn for the night.

In the morning, Tan and Wensho left early, before dawn, while Tren remained behind.

Three days passed before Kora awoke from her ordeal. She was in the lush rooms of the wife of the merchant whose compound they had commandeered. She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before the spirit in her belly realized that she was awake and began cursing at her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that there was anything wrong with our bond until the … the twistingness was shattered,” she told the spirit. She got on her knees on the floor and bowed humbly towards the rising sun. “I humbly apologize for the pain and injury my family caused you by enforcing an unnatural bond upon you.”

The fire spirit paused a moment, surprised to receive such a heartfelt apology so easily.

“Well you’re still a stupid, vapid little girl for not realizing it sooner!” the spirit said. “Could you not tell that the bond, twisted as it was, was hampering your growth?”

“I could feel some sort of barrier, but did not understand it,” Kora admitted. She flexed out with her Qi and lit a candle from across the room. It was easier to control flames now than it ever had been before. “I must talk with my family. My future husband has benefited me greatly, and we must repay him for his kindness.”

“Your future husband, eh?” the spirit teased. “Does he know that?”

“If he doesn’t yet, he will soon,” Kora said, grinning.