Chapter 26

The mountain of the Whispering Guides Sect was located above two dragon veins. They did not intersect, but rather came close to each other flowing in opposite directions, causing a turbulence which stirred up the Qi in the environment, making it a valuable location for cultivation.

It was as valuable for demon beasts and spirit beasts as it was for cultivators, however. Fiora, frustrated that she had missed an opportunity which had been part of her plans for years, decided to spend the night venting her frustration in the most constructive way she could conceive of.

She went hunting.

The elders spent the night in debate. Elder Yotu was interrogated relentlessly about the matter of the first jade slip that he’d received from the Shen family. The other elders were now afraid that they had failed in the hidden master’s request to see to the growth of the Red Rooster and that they would be judged when Hoten returned to his village.

That didn’t mean that they could refuse to return him, however. If Hoten’s mother was dying, then it was his filial duty to journey to visit her one last time, or, if he should fail to make it in time, to attend her funeral or, failing that, visit her grave. The idea of him not returning upon hearing the news of her illness was so unthinkable to the elders that nobody even suggested it.

What were they to do? They hadn’t been treating Hoten unfairly compared to the other outer sect members. Quite the opposite; he’d been given a very fair price for the goods that he’d brought with them and hadn’t had to go through the usual process of hazing which most young cultivators faced in gathering their prayer mat and weapons to venture into the wilds surrounding the sect.

Elder Yotu insisted that was in line with the message in the original jade slip, but the others were concerned that the hidden master had expected this disciple to have been coddled and spoiled with expensive resources.

Argoth, one of the pill masters of the sect, was especially nervous given the recent turn his relationship had taken with the Red Rooster. He was experimenting on the boy. He wasn’t making a secret of it, and had explained in plain words exactly what he was doing to Hoten. But the power dynamics between them had meant that either Hoten would embrace the ‘opportunity’ or lose his standing in the sect.

He was very concerned with how the hidden master would see this development.

The other elders were more concerned with appearances than anything else. The items available through the contribution store were of mediocre quality. This was deliberate; a way to equip their new members with suitable gear and insights while leaving them thirsty for more. Better weapons were always crafted for the individual. Guidance between master and disciple required the establishment of a master-disciple relationship.

Those outer sect members who fell into the trap of seeking to better themselves through the contribution store were never destined to rise to the top.

But what would the hidden master think of his students reports of what was available?

Why had Yotu given them contribution points instead of directing them to the forge or the library? Why hadn’t he done this, or done that?

The debate lasted well into the night.

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Hoten, meanwhile, was exhausted but determined. He had taken the second experimental pill, and his insides roiled with Qi. It was perfect for his cultivation, but thick and difficult to control. He struggled to make it flow through his meridians and settle into his dantian.

He did not know why the children were here. But he was certain that something was about to happen, and the feeling of doom would not leave.

Won, Ko, and Pao slept soundly in the guest rooms of Elder Yotu’s mansion, unaware of the other events of the night. Tan, however, lie sleepless in his bed. Something was bothering him. Sighing, he got up and dressed in the darkness. A “Keee!” sounded, and he remembered his Qi guardian was sleeping on the chair next to the bed. The little draconic being was awake, and figuring “Why not?” he put it on his shoulder as he went for a walk.

He sensed something in the air. Nothing malevolent, just … off. He sniffed, and Key sniffed with him.

“Do you smell something?” he asked the Qi guardian.

“Keeee!” the little thing chirped.

“Yeah, me too.”

He followed the sensation—it was more a sensation than a scent—closing his eyes and trusting his other senses to guide him in the darkness.

They brought him to the Pill Master’s estate. He sensed it when Hoten broke through into the eighth stage of the initiates realm.

Uncertain who it was that had just had a breakthrough, but sensing the breakthrough clearly, Tan decided to congratulate them. He flew up to the roof of the mansion, settling nearby, only to do a double take when he recognized the young man he had come to find.

“Hoten?” he asked.

Hoten pulled himself out of the afterglow of his breakthrough at the sound of the unwelcome voice. He turned around, dreading the form that he knew would be there. “Hey kid, you got big,” he said, uncertain what else to say.”

“It is you. Congratulations on your breakthrough,” Tan said. “Although you feel …”

Tan paused, uncertain how to explain what it was that he sensed from the young man in front of him. While he was clearly in the eighth stage of the initiate’s realm, his strength felt … empty.

“Never mind,” Tan said after a minute. “I’m glad I found you.”

“So it was me that you and your friends are looking for. I knew it,” Hoten said. “Whatever it is that you want, I’m not buying it. Your father made it very clear what he thought of me and I have no interest in—”

“Your mother is very sick, Hoten. We’re not here for you. We’re here for her,” Tan said.

“What?” Hoten said, struck off his game.

“Mother says that she won’t survive the winter. We were sent to bring you home to see her one last time. The elders are talking about it now, Father gave them a message explaining the situation so that you won’t lose any respect or whatever in the sect. I’m sorry. You should prepare to leave soon. Your mother is waiting for you.”

Hoten was silent for a moment. “I see,” he said at last. “Thank you, Tan. Please leave now. I want to be alone.”

“Yeah. Okay. I’m sorry about your mother, Hoten.”

Tan flew off, Key on his shoulder, leaving the Red Rooster behind to contemplate how this changed things.

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