Ruwe's men took rooms on either side of theirs in Tea Breeze, and Pia could hear their voices from the room's open windows.

As soon as they'd entered their room, wide and spacious, with a balcony overlooking the street below, Master Ruwe had pulled paper and ink from his pack.

"Draw me a map of Baisha," he instructed.

Sighing, Pia dropped to her knees and pulled the ink stone to her. Adding a splash of water, she began to grind the ink.

"Of the terrain? Or the locations I've memorized?"

He took a seat across from her and rested his arms on the table to watch.

"Overall map, include capital and locations I've shown you."

Dipping her brush in the ink, Pia reached for a piece of paper and began to draw. She had a feeling that he was going to ask for more than just Baisha, so she started in the center.

Siji was located directly in the middle of the four major lands. While it was its own country, the capital was also Siji. Ruwe had informed her that after the last major war, the four lands had agreed to cede land to Siji, where the Emperor would reside.

The victors hadn't anticipated it becoming such a prosperous place, so they never thought to add a capital. As such, Siji was always known as Siji, both the capital, the main city, and the land.

To the west, Baisha, a place of white sands and towering rocks. To the east, Guihai, split almost in half by an ocean in its middle. To the south, Liyang was where the sun burned hot and bright. Next, she drew Dwelling, a spot located near the bottom of Chean, close to Siji.

When that was finished, she added markers on the paper—Siji, Siji. Caihe, Chean. Lanxu, Baisha. Baiyun, Liyang. Yufeng, Guihai. Then, she placed Xs across the map, indicating all the supplied and safe places Ruwe had forced her to memorize over the years.

It took her some time to complete, and the sun had set by the time she shook her hand out and handed her paper over.

"Good work," he praised, scanning over the paper. Pia hadn't missed any.

Still looking over the paper, he offhandedly said, "Set a formation for the room. No sounds out."

Raising her brows, Pia got up and began to lay one. The Jingtai techniques Master Ruwe had taught her came in handy with formations. Combining multiple elements to bring to life something that was not but could be.

She wasn't skilled at doing them effortlessly yet. So she drew a series of runes across the door, a combination of wind and fire, and keyed them to the wood of the door. If any should try to enter, the runes would activate and blast the intruder with wiggling fire snakes.

Next, she drew a single array, a glowing circle of interlocked talismans and runes, in the air, pulling in silver strands of wind yi and water yi. The wind would buffer the water, dampening anything that might slip through, and water would act as a smothering blanket over the room. No sound out. While she was good at laying them, she'd be the first to admit she wasn't very creative with interior formations.

"Adequate," Ruwe said wryly as he watched the array slide into place on the ceiling, sending trailing waves of yi across the roof and down to the floor.

She shrugged and returned to her seat. Ruwe was deep in thought, drumming his fingers against the table, map laid out between them. Hesitantly, he began to speak, "Let's talk about the Xieya Sect…"

Her ears perked up, and her back straightened in anticipation. Ruwe couldn't help but quirk a smile at the excitement on her face.

"While Chasu, Lei, and you might've felt very sneaky about sharing information, I'd realized you were aware that Xieya had divisions and at least knew two of the names," he said, giving her a pointed look.

Rather than looking admonished, Pia grinned unashamedly. Trying to get any information had been like uprooting a mountain. She was proud she'd scraped something up over the years.

Ruwe continued.

"Smart to keep your cards to your chest and wait. Before I get into divisions, let's discuss the nature of Xieya first. I want to explain why I was so averse to you learning and participating in sect activities."

Ruwe slid the papers on the table away and, with a wave of his hand, brought forth a chess table. Pia held back a sour look at the ease he could use his spiritual power. The most she'd been able to move between spaces had been her dagger, and only from her room at Lunar Haven to the Plum Blossom tree in the courtyard.

Ruwe set up a move on the chess board. In the center, he placed a cluster of white pieces. Around them, he placed black pieces, encircling the white. Dipping his hand into the bowl of white pieces, he pulled out a handful, changing them to blue.

"These are Xieya divisions," he said, placing the blue pieces down, intermixed between the white and black playing pieces.

He pointed to the white, "This is Siji," and to the black, "These are Chean, Baisha, Liyang, Guihai, and any other group that stirs up trouble. As a broad generalization." Ruwe paused to make sure Pia understood. When she tilted her head in understanding, he continued.

Pia leaned closer, watching as he moved the pieces around the board.

"I'm sure you've deduced, based on the nature of the Cranes and Larks, that Xieya is not only a martial arts sect. Xieya is the information reception and distribution connection for Siji, particularly for the Emperor."

"Spies, you mean," Pia stated, watching as Ruwe continued to shift the board, white and black pieces moving, separating, and connecting with others. Yet, at least one blue piece always stayed on the tail of the black pieces.

"Yes, we spy for Siji. It's why we are based in Chean, close to the border," Ruwe confirmed. He pointed at a set of pieces, changing the color to a light grey. "This is Chean. Chean and Siji are close allies since the Emperor married a Chean Princess, making her an Empress of both Siji and Chean."

"Wait," Pia interrupted, latching onto that information. "I thought that there was only one ruling Emperor for all the five nations now?" she asked, remembering the few political books she'd read during her training.

He nodded, sitting back.

"Exactly. After the war, it was agreed that there would be a central Emperor with a court filled with advisors, ministers, and scholars from all five nations. However, each nation still maintains a state government. Each King and Queen have dominion over their lands but defer to Siji for political matters."

Stolen novel; please report.

"That's…confusing," Pia admitted. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Didn't it cause issues with the other four nations that a Chean princess married the Emperor of Siji? Wouldn't that have caused tension as two nations allied through marriage?"

Ruwe smiled fondly at her, reaching out to squeeze her arm.

"Keen observation. Yes, it did cause tension, to say the least. That's where Xieya comes in. After the last war, Xieya moved from a town called Xiefeng, located in the center of what we now know as Siji, to Chean, into Cangzhi. Mow and I agreed it'd be the best place to work towards our goals as we shifted from wartime efforts to peacekeeping measures."

Clearing her throat, Pia reached out and picked up one of the blue pieces. Spinning it through her fingers, she thought it over. From what he said, it seemed that Xieya had its hands in many threads around the nations. Xieya worked to protect Siji? That had never been one of the many theories she'd imagined about Xieya.

"So why tell me this now?"

"You've been fiddling with the token around your neck every five seconds," Ruwe drawled, teasing her. "I could practically touch the curiosity wafting off of you."

She flipped the blue piece into the air, sending it flying upwards. It landed on the back of her knuckles, and she continued spinning it between her fingers.

"I've been dying to know everything and anything about Xieya since I was fourteen," she reminded him, focusing on the piece in her hands. Playing with it gave her something to expend her suddenly restless feelings on, secretly dying to reach across the table and shake Ruwe's shoulders until he spilled every secret.

"Okay. Let's go back there," he said suddenly. Pushing the board aside, he leaned on his arms and stuck out his arm. "Hand," he said.

Flicking the piece back into the bowl, Pia sighed heavily as she put her right hand in his left hand. One day, she thought, she was going to be the one to start an arm war with a handicap for him.

"This is us," he said, clasping her hands and beginning to push.

Immediately, Pia pushed back, lips thinning.

"You're fourteen, gallivanting through the wilderness with the brains of a bunny. It's my job to find you and convince you to return with me back to Cangzhi," he said, pushing on her arm.

Brains of a bunny!… It made her lips twitch with laughter, but she forced herself to ignore that. Ruwe was much stronger than her, and Pia's arm started to slide backward. Scowling, Pia forced her muscles to push back against Ruwe, stealing back the little bit of ground he gained.

"But then we were still like this," he shook their straining, interlocked hands for emphasis, "even after traveling the grasslands for weeks, you were always wary and suspicious. I knew that if I brought you back to Cangzhi and made you a Xieya apprentice, gave you over to their training…when you found out Mow was the one who 'failed' you… You'd have butted heads with everyone after that. That was one reason," Ruwe said, and then he gave her a viciously sly grin and pinned her hand to the table.

Flexing her hand out, Pia scowled from losing. The man was cursedly strong.

She asked, "One of the reasons?"

"Yes. One. Another was that, frankly, you had no choice. Mow saw you as something to use and took advantage of your situation. I didn't want to do the same. I am his disciple, but you are mine. That is why I have given you the Wraith division. You are well suited for it." His voice held a peculiar tone of bitterness when he spoke about Mow. It intrigued her, and Pia tucked that information away for later. For once, she was getting information out of her Master; she wasn't about to change the topic now.

Wraith division? Pia tugged her leather necklace out of her robes, looking at the dangling token. A carefree, elegant cloud. How did he get Wraith from a cloud?

"What exactly is a Wraith?"

"Wraiths and Hounds are two divisions that I started. Similarly to you, they are members of the Xieya sect who work directly for me. Wraiths are my devil-may-care members; they wander as they please," he said, a little smile dancing the edges of his lips. It seemed there was more to it than he was letting on.

Dropping her token back against her chest, she crossed her arms. "They sound like they're lazy drifters."

He laughed. "Not everyone is cut out for a patient, scheduled routine. Look at you; it takes only a quarter of a joss stick for you to get restless."

Pia played with the end of her braid, thinking it over. It sounded…like a made-up division. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Wraiths sound like they don't do much."

Ruwe shook his head, pulling the chessboard back between them.

"Look," he said, pulling more chess pieces from the bowls, changing their color to red as he did. While Pia watched, Ruwe crushed the red pieces in his fist and blew the dust over the board. The crushed red pieces scattered all over the board, sprinkling random red fragments everywhere. Some places had lots, and some had none. Was it totally random and unpredictable? Was that the point?

"I see a mess?" Pia said in confusion. She leaned her head over the board, trying to understand what he was showing her.

"Now watch," Ruwe said, sending a pulse through the board that rattled and shuddered. The white, grey, black, and blue pieces mostly stayed in place, moving just a little off their mark. The red pieces danced chaotically across the board.

Interesting. Pia watched in fascination as the unconstrained red pieces moved with ease. In contrast, the whole playing pieces bumped or shifted slightly, running into one another or clattering together. All while specks of red pieces fluttered around the board wildly.

"This is what they're good for. Wraiths are, in essence, chaos agents. Well-trained, talented, loyal but restless cultivators seeking more than just a life chasing a 'mission.' Don't get me wrong, there are still other parts to this division, but the gist is that Wraiths are a much better fit for you than anything Xieya has."

"So, Wraiths are just free flyers unless you call them for a task?"

Ruwe swept his hand across the board, sending it away. It disappeared, leaving a teapot and two cups in its place.

"Show off," Pia muttered, making Ruwe grin.

He poured them some tea as he answered her question.

"Yes and no. Overall, yes. Wraiths are a working division, so some take a more traditional role. There are specific skills that Wraiths excel at that others do not. Most of my Wraiths traverse the wide openness of the world, only checking in through our network or sometimes in person."

She swirled her teacup, watching the steam rise in long, thin stretches.

"What you're saying is…you kept me from Xieya because of politics? You kept me as an apprentice to prevent Mow from getting his way? And, now, you want me to work for you as a Wraith?"

Ruwe hummed, brow crinkling.

"Yes? Basically."

"Okay. What now, then?"

He looked at Pia suspiciously, as if he couldn't believe she'd acquiesce so quickly. Seeing that, Pia laughed.

"I've been waiting for any information for over three years! You could have told me that Xieya was secretly working for the Monkey King to overthrow the Heavens…I probably would've believed that too." Her voice came out a bit more sarcastic than she meant it to.

His lips thinned, and Pia winced. She realized it sounded like she didn't believe her Master. The truth was…she didn't fully believe him. Was there some truth in it? Probably. But, there was a hint of too much convenience that it lacked credibility to her. 'Wraith' division sounded like something he'd made up to keep her happy but still out of the loop.

"Sorry," she said with a sigh, looking away.

He waved it away.

"I understand. I've kept you in the dark, focusing solely on training," Ruwe paused and picked up his tea. "In a lifetime, years may continue to come, but you only experience your youth once. Those years should be savored."

A sad look flitted across his face, one Pia had never seen before. She might've missed it if she'd not been watching him like a sheath on a blade. Whoever or whatever he was thinking of was a sad memory.

"Now, let's discuss your Forging the Heart."

Immediately, Pia's hackles were up. Her shoulders scrunched up, and her arms tightened across her chest.

"You said you'd be doing it with me."

Rolling his eyes, which shocked Pia, he said, "Let me finish! I'm keeping you on a leash," which Pia didn't like to hear, "but I'm not holding your hand. You're partnering up with one of my Wraiths. It's tradition. Just as Chasu and Lei have partnered with one of their division counterparts, you too will work with a Wraith."

He grabbed the map she made and pulled it close.

"You'll meet him in the morning and travel to Baisha, Liyang, and Guihai. Here, here, and here," he pointed out each spot on the map, leaving a glowing mark behind to indicate.

"I'll be near, but the journey will be for you and your fellow Wraith to accomplish."

She didn't like the sound of being matched with a total stranger—probably someone boring and stingy with information like her Master.

"Do I even get a say in this?" she asked resignedly.

Equal parts of dread and excitement were rising in her. Dread at being stuck with someone new, excited at exploring the world, somewhat alone!

"No, but I think you'll find it to be more interesting than you're fearing. Just trust in yourself, your training, me, and the Wraith. I'd never partner you with someone you couldn't handle," Ruwe told her consolingly.

The consolation made her more suspicious. 'Someone you couldn't handle' sounded a lot like a warning.

"Can I get a name at least?" she asked.