Chapter Fourteen - Pick Me Pick Up

Nie Ruyi

https://i.imgur.com/xzisjky.png [https://i.imgur.com/xzisjky.png]

With a tired groan, Nie Ruyi dropped out of the forced, rigid posture she'd been sitting in, and laid back on the ground. She was getting the clothes she'd bought from Auntie Teng dirty, of course, but who cared! This was driving her nuts.

Song Fengling was driving her nuts, and this whole cultivation thing was a pain in her rear end.

Between the three to five hours of sword practice (HOURS!),and the meditation, during which she has to sit there and try not to think, which meant she spent the time thinking about thinking instead and wondering if she was thinking. Song Fengling swore it became easier as you practice, but Nie Ruyi was pretty sure the boy had been brainwashed.

"You can take a small break, but then we're going right back to the sutras." Song Fengling warned, from his place on the ground beside her. He was sitting in perfect lotus position, hands resting in his lap, thumbs to ring finger. His eyes were closed and his breathing gentle. It was insane to be jealous of a twelve year old’s posture, but she was.

"Sutras, sutras, sutras." Nie Ruyi mocked, turning over and standing up. She brushed the dust from the floor off of her russet-red hanfu's carefully stitched hems and headed for the table, where a set of teacups and a steaming teapot sat. The maid she'd hired, with Song Fengling's help, had just refreshed it a few hours ago.

"The Sutras are meant to clear your mind, to guide you through the rote process of falling into a meditative state, and then continuing the proper thought processes while there." Song Fengling explained, for the however-many-eth time. He didn't open his eyes or so much as move a muscle. She knew, from his explanation at the beginning of their training, that he'd been doing this since he was eleven years old which was actually a little late for most beginners. "It will help immensely with being able to circulate your qi later when you're trying to get into qi condensation stage."

"I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm having trouble concentrating. Can't we do something else? Reading? Hell, writing! I'll practice my calligraphy if I have to." She begged.

When she'd come here, she'd figured out pretty quickly that while she could read the writing these people used, she couldn't write in the characters these people used. So, along with her endless hours of training and meditation, she'd also been assigned to copy old texts, to learn how to write properly. It was both humiliating and interesting because the texts were cultivation manuals and bestiaries. She'd learned quite a bit about this world, including some of the ways monsters fit into it. Which is to say, they didn't.

"You've barely done ten minutes of your meditation practice." It seemed she'd at least gotten Song Fengling annoyed enough to break him out of his own meditation. He narrowed a glare at her as she grinned over at him with no remorse.

"And that's ten minutes more than I was able to do yesterday!" She replied cheerfully. Just as she was about to continue her pleas, there was a careful rap at the door, and the maid poked her head in. Originally, Song Fengling had helped her find someone for the position, and had suggested a Mui Jai servant. But upon explaining that she'd be buying this small child to work for her for the rest of their lives, Nie Ruyi had put her foot down and instead asked Song Fengling to help her find and hire a young person on a monthly basis, rather than a lifetime. She'd also wasted an afternoon looking into what a fair wage for such work would be in this world, and then doubled it.

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"Nie-Xiaojie, you have a visitor. Sect Heir Liang Lanlan has requested to see you." A-Rong, whose real name was Sun Xirong, gave a soft, crooked smile. Her eyes darted behind her though, as if she was afraid the other woman would just burst through without waiting.

"Oh! Thank you, A-Rong, just let her in, please." Nie Ruyi answered, "Ah, I think tea is required when people visit me, yes?" She turned to look at Song Fengling who, with a long-suffering eye roll, nodded. A-Rong confirmed by nodding softly. She'd been such a help, ever since she'd been hired. "Then tea, please, A-Rong. And if you could get some sort of snacks, that would be fantastic."

The fifteen-year-old nodded and then stepped aside so that Liang Lanlan could pass her. The sect heir stepped into the room, and when Song Fengling stood to salute her, Nie Ruyi moved to do the same. Then, Liang Lanlan gently sat at the table. Nie Ruyi settled across the table from her, as A-Rong came in and poured them fresh tea.

"I see you're settling in quite well." Liang Lanlan said, and Nie Ruyi wondered if it was just a nicety. How could one even tell? By the Xiangqi set sitting on the wooden couch, bought when the five of them were going through town? By Missy, who was sitting lazily in the sun and glowing gently?

"Thank you," Nie Ruyi said, in lieu of asking. "The Severing Firefly sect has done everything they can to make me comfortable."

"I can see that. It makes me curious, you see. Few would treat a traveling scholar to such... closeness. Certainly, one wouldn't be housed in the disciple quarters." Liang Lanlan picked up the tea, taking a soft sip, and then held the cup just in front of her chest. Nie Ruyi recognized the body language from any number of the harem dramas she'd watched. Was she trying to project an air of grace?

"Well... You see, I can't go back home, so they feel a bit... responsible." Nie Ruyi answered, letting her sad smile linger on her lips as she rubbed her index finger along the lip of her teacup. "They've offered me a position as a disciple, to replace the home I've lost to help them."

This seemed to be the wrong answer because Liang Lanlan set the teacup down so hard it actually sloshed a little tea onto the table. A-Rong scrambled forward, pressing a handkerchief to the liquid to sop it up, before bowing and sliding back into her corner.

"How strange, then, that they would leave you so... limited. Well, either way, as you aided them, you have also aided Furtive Jade Sect, and so it is my duty to reward you." Liang Lanlan flicked her hand out, which caused her sleeve to ripple like the waves, while also being an elegant way of saying 'putting that aside'.

Nie Ruyi was in awe. She hadn't expected a reward beyond being allowed to live a decent life here. "You don't have to-"

"Do you intend to refuse my sect's goodwill? What face do you leave us, if that's the case?" Liang Lanlan snapped, staring down her nose at Nie Ruyi. Part of Nie Ruyi was surprised at the vehement response, but then again the Chinese 'face' was in play. How someone was perceived by those around them was of great importance, and as such, their face, their reputation, was invaluable.

Nie Ruyi had seen many a duel fought over someone losing face and seen many a horrible thing done in the name of keeping face, if only in novels and on tv shows. She swallowed, "Not at all. I simply don’t know what to do with such generosity."

"You accept it, of course." Liang Lanlan huffed. "I'll escort you to a special training ground nearby that the Furtive Jade sect knows of. It will be beneficial for your foundation building to work in especially qi-rich areas."

"Forgive the intrusion, Sect Heir Liang." Song Fengling interjected. This drew Liang Lanlan's sharp eyes to him, "She is not ready to intake the sort of qi you're discussing. She has not yet begun Qi Circulation techniques at this time."

"Hm... I see." By the twitch of her upper lip, Nie Ruyi figured Liang Lanlan was annoyed by the lack of progress Nie Ruyi had made, which she felt a little wronged by. She'd only been here a few days! Surely, they could cut her a break?

"Also, she is still recovering from a severe head wound. The doctor has said she isn't allowed to leave sect grounds for another five days." Song Fengling continued.

"Enough." Liang Lanlan cut him off, waving an imperious hand, "Then I will fetch a Spiritual Treasure from the sect that will allow the Qi to easily integrate with her pre-foundation spirit. There is no need to worry. I will also be present to ensure no qi deviations occur. I will return in a week."

As if that ended the conversation, Liang Lanlan stood, teacup still half full, and swept out the door. Her sleeves fluttered behind her like flower petals on the wind, and Nie Ruyi had to wonder if that was a spell that cultivators learned. She hadn't managed to get hers to do that yet, and she'd been trying.

"How strange." Song Fengling murmured, brow furrowed. But when she asked, he simply shook his head in refusal. Looking to A-Rong, the two of them shared a confused glance. Perhaps this was something only cultivators could understand.

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