Chapter 20 – Business and Barriers

Lin Yue sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, far enough from the Tree of Inked Souls that Shadow couldn’t snack on the glowing fruits. Three days of careful observation had proven Rou’s information annoyingly accurate.

The daily meditation sessions didn’t really help her recharge. Mostly because she had no skill at cultivation meditation, and she didn’t dare get closer.

Shadow wouldn’t listen to her when she demanded he not eat the fucking tree.

So meditation practice was a skill building exercise. First, she focused on wielding the thin needle of qi through her meridian network, poking open blockages one at a time.

There were a seemingly infinite number of them and they liked to block off after she opened them after a while. According to her Sable Script manual, they would do that until she cleared specific groupings which would permanently open an area.

But that required her to hold multiple points open at the same time, and that was difficult. Building her qi threading skill to the point where she could open all her meridians would take a long time.

If only there was some cheat that would let her open them all at once…

Yesterday’s session had yielded an unexpected discovery. She was able to use the qi needle to poke Shadow directly, catching him lurking like a parasitic worm through her soul pathways. The dragon squirmed each time she jabbed him.

It was much more effective than jabbing the inky tattoo that still traveled across her skin.

Other disciples started to leave, so she took the hint and followed suit. Best not to stand out or draw attention.

Back in their room, Xue hunched over basic reading primers. The girl had begun to sound out characters with growing confidence. Literacy had jumped up to the very top of the list of important skills her little sister could learn. Yue grabbed the sect rule manual and began to study as well.

The Blackspire Pavilion’s sect rules proved surprisingly entertaining despite the dryness. She flipped through another page of increasingly specific prohibitions. Each one hinted at some disciple’s spectacular failure of judgment.

One rule stood out: “Disciples shall not dump headless spirits from pagoda roofs at the Hour of the Rat in order to summon heart demons to torment junior disciples.”

Lin Yue snorted. Some senior disciple had clearly gotten creative with their hazing attempts. Or was it revenge?

There were a lot of more mundane rules, but they generally weren’t anything extraordinarily strict. Thank god she didn’t land in some type of ascetic monastery.

More concerning were the lack of certain rules.

Everything was mostly concerned with protecting the various Houses in the pavilion, rather than personal protections. Theft and murder stood out as the primary prohibitions of other members, but there was nothing about physical violence or blackmail.

She drummed her fingers against the rule book. Learning to fight properly ranked highest on her priorities, but the senior disciples charged spirit stones for combat lessons—stones she lacked.

There were actually some lessons she could afford, but she needed to protect her seed funds.

The basic jobs posted on the board offered measly payments of one or two stones per week. At that rate, it would take over a month before she even got her first ‘lesson’ and she doubted one would be enough.

She had her explosive talismans, but those were more like suicide devices and had never been tested. And she had no idea how the shield talisman would do. She didn’t really want to find out.

Shadow coiled through the air above her head. “Those three stones from the frog won’t last long.”

“I know.” Lin Yue checked the charged stones tucked safely in her robes. Getting more meant sneaking back to the demon market to trade with Yanlue again. The pavilion’s guards watched the exits like hawks, making unauthorized trips a risky gamble.

She needed a cycle—trade souls for inert stones, have Shadow charge them, then repeat the process. There wasn’t a way to do that inside the Pavilion. The supply store didn’t sell inert stones.

Charged ones were the primary currency of the sect. You couldn’t even sell or trade inert ones. Everyone was expected to meditate and gain enough energy to recharge the stones themselves.

Lin Yue tapped the book against her knee. The entire system seemed designed to keep outer disciples dependent on the sect’s resources. There has to be another way to get more stones.

She got up from her desk and went to flop onto their bed.

“Taking a nap?” Xue peered up from her reading primer.

“Just plotting.” Lin Yue stared at the ceiling beams.

The Tree of Inked Souls pulsed with spiritual energy like a giant wireless charger, keeping the disciples topped up better than any modern EV station. If it could sustain Ink House’s cultivation needs, surely it could handle Shadow snacking on it to charge some spirit stones.

Her second plan involved solving the food situation.

Her fellow cultivators might subsist on pure energy, but normal humans needed actual meals. Setting up proper food deliveries would require ingredients and contacts in the city, maybe kidnapping or hiring a chef? Or deliveries from outside, but that would probably be shot down because of security reasons…

Any mortal living in the sect would likely need to be desperate… or suicidal… She didn’t think many would want to be bound like Xue, and she didn’t want other people’s souls mucking about in hers, anyway.

Shadow insisted a spirit stone would fetch enough gold at any demon market money changer to fund the venture on the mortal side.

Both plans crashed into the same wall—getting permission to leave the pavilion. Without reputation or backing, requesting an elder’s approval seemed like begging for suspicion. Lin Yue rolled onto her side, watching Xue struggle through another character.

The solution clicked. She needed allies first. Not friends exactly—she didn’t do friends—but connections who could assist. People who could smooth the way to getting out regularly.

Or at least people who could feed her useful information about the sect’s inner workings. She rolled the thought around, examining it from different angles.

Rou bounced through her mind—all smiles and eager helpfulness. Too eager. The other disciple’s constant cheer had set off warning bells. No one stayed that happy without ulterior motives.

Other disciples had to exist who’d prove more... reliable. Lin Yue drummed her fingers against the wooden bed frame. She’d spent the past days avoiding everyone except Xue, treating the pavilion like another gang’s territory to navigate unseen.

Time to change tactics.

Lin Yue sat up. Memories of how to navigate through life with the Tiger Gang flashed. Back then, socializing meant sharing watered-down ale that tasted like horse piss while plotting petty crimes. These “brothers and sisters” probably expected more refinement.

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“Shadow.” Lin Yue glanced at the dragon coiled above her head. “How do evil cultivators make friends?”

Shadow twisted through the air, radiating smug superiority. “Make them fear you first. Nothing builds respect like terror.”

Lin Yue focused her qi into a needle-thin point and jabbed it through Shadow’s soul. The dragon yelped, coiling away from the spiritual attack.

“That hurt!” Shadow rubbed his tail against the ceiling. “Such disrespect for your ancient and wise advisor.”

“Ancient and annoying, you mean.” Lin Yue stood up from the bed. “Xue, I’m heading out to mingle. Maybe pick up some actual advice from people who aren’t parasitic dragons.”

Xue didn’t look up from her book, finger tracing each character. “I’ll keep working on my letters.”

“Good girl.” Lin Yue patted Xue’s head.

The door’s ward activated with a soft hum as Lin Yue stepped into the hallway. The sapphire tattoo embedded in her palm pulsed every time she used it.

She flexed her hand, trying to ignore the collection of unauthorized markings decorating her body. Master Ruixian’s red mark burned on her forearm, Shadow’s inky black mass slowly shifted position at random, and the door ward key...

She descended the oak stairwell, each step creaking under her feet.

When she reached the main common room with the job and class boards, she found a spot to watch. Other disciples flowed around her like they were a river splitting around a stubborn rock.

The room drew constant traffic, disciples crowding to scan new postings or chat in small groups. Without scheduled meditation to thin the crowd, the noise level rivaled a marketplace at noon.

A few other disciples nodded to her randomly or just stared at her as they passed by.

Great. Social interaction with strangers. Just shoot me now.

Facing another demon market vendor started to feel more appealing than attempting to stumble through awkward introductions. Even Rou’s relentless cheer seemed preferable to this mess.

Hong Wei’s tall frame caught her attention as he strode past, his black robes decorated with intricate silver scripts. The senior disciple who’d first welcomed her hadn’t shown any obvious hostility.

Better than standing here like an idiot.

Lin Yue pushed through the crowd, intercepting Hong Wei’s path. “Senior Brother Hong Wei.”

He stopped, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. “Junior Sister Lin Yue. What do you need?”

“I wanted to ask for some guidance about the sect.” Lin Yue kept her tone respectful.

“Didn’t Junior Sister Xia Rou take a job helping you adjust?” Hong Wei raised an eyebrow.

“She showed me around and explained things. But I need some additional advice.”

Hong Wei’s shoulders tensed. “If Junior Sister Xia left you with questions, I’ll need to speak with her about her duties.”

Lin Yue weighed her options. Throwing Rou under the bus might earn favor with Hong Wei, but it could backfire. In the end, the truth seemed safest.

“Rou gave an excellent tour on the first day. She explained the basics and showed us around.” Lin Yue shrugged. “But I haven’t seen her for the past two days. I’ve just been following the meditation schedule and studying the manuals and rules.”

Hong Wei’s posture relaxed. “At least you’re taking the proper approach. Understanding what is and isn’t permitted forms the foundation of being a disciple.”

“Right.” Lin Yue straightened her robes. “About the jobs, though—the positions pay very little in spirit stones. Rather than take one… I noticed a significant gap in the House’s services that could be profitable.”

“You found a lack on your first day?” Hong Wei’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses. “Do tell.”

Shit. Lin Yue’s stomach clenched. Had she just insulted the entire pavilion?

“The food situation.” Lin Yue kept her tone neutral. “The main pavilion restaurant only serves plain rice. A wider variety of properly prepared dishes could—”

“Mortal food?” Hong Wei’s brow furrowed. “Why would we need that?”

She studied his genuine confusion. Did advancing as a cultivator somehow strip away basic human desire? Or did they just forget what it meant to be mortal?

Lin Yue measured each word carefully. “The pavilion lacks variety in food options. With the right suppliers and ingredients, we could offer—”

“Profitable?” Hong Wei scoffed. “You want to sell mortal food?”

“Some disciples still eat. Like me and Xue,” Lin Yue said. “Plain rice gets old fast.”

Hong Wei pushed his glasses up with an ink-stained finger. “You’re wasting time on mortal concerns. The Tree of Inked Souls provides all necessary sustenance through meditation. Focus on your cultivation instead of chasing trivial pleasures.”

“But—”

“No.” Hong Wei crossed his arms. “Take the standard jobs like other disciples. Earn your spirit stones properly. This discussion is finished.”

He left.

She kept her anger and annoyance from showing while moving through the crowd to find a new spot to stand and rethink her approach.

Shadow twisted through the air above her head. “Such a naïve little cultivator. Did you really think anyone would waste time listening to your ideas?”

“Shut up before I stab you with qi again,” Lin Yue muttered.

The job board loomed, covered in the same pathetic listings. One spirit stone for organizing sect scrolls. Two stones for cleaning the ‘gore pits.’ What the hell was a gore pit?

Nothing seemed worth the effort.

“Quite the intense discussion with Senior Brother Hong Wei.”

Lin Yue turned. A woman stood behind her, edges seeming to blur in the dim light. The same disciple who’d sat drinking tea when she had first arrived at Ink House—the one whose concealment techniques had caught her attention.

“You’re Wu Lan, right?”

“Indeed.” Wu Lan smiled. “Now what exactly did you propose that got our stern senior brother so worked up?”

“Just a business idea.” Lin Yue gestured at the job board. “Setting up proper food service here. Quality meals instead of plain rice, maybe even a delivery system. I thought it might earn spirit stones if done right.”

Wu Lan leaned against the job board. “So you’ve been here less than a week. Haven’t mastered any skills. Have no backing or connections. Yet you’re already looking to start a business?” She crossed her arms. “What stops someone from simply taking it from you if you succeed?”

Lin Yue opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. Shit . The words hit like a punch to the gut. She’d jumped in without thinking it through.

From a street perspective, she’d just walked into a new gang and proposed promoting a new drug and taking territory with no muscle or reputation to back it up. Of course Hong Wei shot her down—she hadn’t earned the right to propose anything.

She rubbed her forearm where Master Ruixian’s brand lingered beneath her sleeve. She couldn’t afford to waste years climbing the ranks through proper channels, not with whatever plans that bastard had for her. But rushing in half-cocked would get her killed just as fast.

“Point taken.” Lin Yue stared at the pathetic job listings. “I got impatient.”

What if there was another option?

She met Wu Lan’s appraising eyes. “What if someone else ran it? Someone with actual standing in the sect? They’d get a steady income stream, and I’d get a better payout than what these jobs offer.”

Wu Lan snapped open an ornate fan, the motion blurring at the edges. “You might be in luck. I’ve wanted to one-up our Senior Brother for quite some time.”

“Really?” Lin Yue straightened.

“But first—” Wu Lan waved her fan lazily “—you’ll need to prove there’s actual demand for this little venture.”

Lin Yue nodded. “To get started, I need a way in and out of the sect without getting locked up.”

“That...” Wu Lan’s fan stilled. “I might be able to help with. Of course you’d be taking all the risks.”