Chapter 15

While his wife and child had left the city, Tren remained patiently behind, waiting for the Zang family to approach him after their daughter awoke. He wandered the city during the day and slept in the frugal inn that he’d shared with his family during the night, and he bought gifts for his daughter. Ribbons for her hair, and a doll, and a new dress. He was spoiling her, he was certain, but what good was having a daughter if you can’t spoil her?

On the morning of the fourth day since the incident he received a letter at his inn requesting his presence at the compound where the Zang family was staying after everyone had eaten their noon meal. He arrived promptly, once more wearing his cultivator’s robe proclaiming him to be a grandmaster. He sighed as he donned it, he much preferred the releative anonymity of his peasant’s garb.

When he arrived, he found the disposition of the family much improved compared to when he had last seen them. That their daughter had survived, recovered, and in fact improved her cultivation was largely responsible for their mood.

“Tell us more about what you know about the Subsumation Bonding Technique,” Toh demanded once he had been settled. They had not offered him refreshments, but it was not improper to have refrained from doing so. There remained some contention between them and offering him food or drink would be a way to poison him; refraining from doing so was polite by not putting him in the position to refuse.

“I said all I have to say about that damned technique already. Your family would be best off if you burned the scrolls that describe it and outlawed it entirely,” Tren said with feeling.

“It is possible to reverse, however? That is what your son did to our daughter?” Toh pressed.

“Up to a point. It works by twisting the spirit into the shape it desires, rather than the shape that they are naturally. Upon the cultivator’s death, the spirit recovers with time, but if the spirit has been bonded for more than ten years it is unlikely that removing the formation which is responsible for lobotomizing them will have any effect. If you were to ask me to undo the blockage in your own dantian, I would be unable to assist,” Tren explained.

The woman seemed disappointed. “I was not at the stage where I was prepared to make such a request. However, after you gave me the other name for our family’s technique I contacted my allies in another sect and requested information on the Mother Spider’s Embrace. It is described as a horrible technique from a time of desperation that crippled a generation of cultivators. And as you said, I saw several unfortunate parallels between that technique and our family’s. I am prepared to accept the offer of recompense for your son’s assault upon my daughter in the form of five spiritual stones of high quality.”

Tren smiled and nodded. “I am pleased that we can resolve this situation without further violence. I must insist, however, that the ten stones I provide are not used in the Mother Spider’s Embrace or the Subsumation Bonding Technique. I believe that those techniques are one in the same, but I am prepared to accept the possibility that one simply resembles the other without making an issue of it.”

“That is an acceptable caveat. Thank you for your understanding of our position. However, we are at this time only asking for five spiritual stones from the Shen family to cover the misunderstanding from the other day.”

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Tren’s eyebrows rose. “I’m afraid that I do not understand.”

“Despite his assault on her, my daughter is rather infatuated with your son,” Toh explained. “She wishes to explore the possibility of a serious courtship.”

“Ah,” Tren said. He sighed. “That is … I believe that my son is too young for a true courtship at this time. Additionaly, his spirit still recalls the pain it suffered in the spiritual traps of the Zang family and is whispering poison against you in his ear. Perhaps in five years we can revisit the issue?”

“We are prepared to wait that long for a resolution to this matter, one way or the other,” Toh said. “If in five years time your son’s heart warms to the Zang family, we would welcome a courtship between Tan Shen and Kora Zang. If the love between them blooms, then we would bless their union. If this is not the path that destiny takes our children, then we will revisit the issue of recompense for the wind spirit.”

“I’m afraid that’s not good enough,” Tren said, seeing an advantage and deciding to press it. “I admit no wrongdoing for the tresspass that you perceive. I made the offer of spiritual stones in order to sever ties with the Zang family on honorable terms. If you are insisting upon remaining on the periphery of my family’s life for five years while my son grows, then I withdraw the offer. We will revisit the issue of a courtship in five years, but you will receive only five spiritual stones for the misunderstanding the other day, and none for the wind spirit.”

Toh frowned, the man having seen through her bluff. She wanted those stones, but the idea of marrying a genius like Tan into her family was the greater payoff, if it was a bit of a gamble. Tren was pressing her to make a decision now; she must either crush her daughter’s prospects for financial gain, or take the risk of the boy’s heart remaining frozen towards her daughter.

“Very well. We shall withdraw the request for financial compensation for the dispute over the wind spirit in exchange for the condition that your son and my daughter will explore a courtship at some point in the future. I propose as a compromise that in two years they meet again.”

“Your daughter will be fifteen and my son will be eleven,” Tren objected. “Would it not be better to wait longer for the difference in their ages to be less of an issue?”

“I would prefer not to put things off for so long. I am requesting a meeting only, not a courtship. To see how the progression of our children’s hearts is proceeding,” Toh clarified.

Tren considered. “Very well then.”

He stood, pulling a pouch filled with stones from inside his robe, and tossed the onto the ground between them. “That is the five stones that I brought for my initial offer. I offer them now to put the issue of my son’s actions the other day to bed permanently. In exchange I will accept no insult of his character or actions for freeing the flame spirit within your daughter from her bonds. Your daughter may visit my family in two years time to see if there is chemistry between her and my son at that time. Is this an acceptable outcome for this meeting?”

“Would you be greatly insulted if we review the stones for quality before we accept?”

Tren shrugged. “They are of high quality, by the way most of the world figures things. I will remain in the city until tomorrow morning. You have until then to refuse my payment. If I leave tomorrow morning without receiving notice that the payment is insufficient, I will consider the matter forever closed.”

“Very well,” Toh said. “I will see you in two years, Tren Shen.”

“In two years, Toh Zang,” Tren agreed.

And then he vanished from the compound, using a movement technique just to show off a little bit of his power. He appeared back in his inn room a split second later and began changing into this usual attire while Toh stared at the space where he had been, dumbfounded.