It wasn’t long after Auntie Caihong dragged a weakly protesting Shen Mingxia into a corner to negotiate for the picture that Falling Leaf arrived. Sen couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the startled look on her face. The scene she had walked into was a little bit more exciting than what she was used to seeing. Two little girls were sitting on a shadow dog, cheering wildly as Uncle Kho made a tiny figure made of lightning dash across the wall, leap over windows like they were great chasms, and do battle with an appropriately-sized shadow dragon that Sen controlled. Having fought a dragon or two in his day, Sen naturally knew that the appropriate size was enormous relative to the puny human figure that Kho had created. Sen was also using shadow construct appendages that he’d temporarily affixed to a wall to help prep some food for a meal. The sheer noise and chaos had been too much for Fu Ruolan. She had fled back to the quiet of her home. It seemed that the ghost panther was at a loss about what to address first. Finally, she turned to Sen.

“Sen, why does the Mingxia look as though she’s about to start crying?”

“She’s afraid of Auntie Caihong and Uncle Kho. Mostly Auntie Caihong, I think.”

Falling Leaf considered that statement for a long beat before she said, “Wise.”

The epic battle between lightning man and shadow dragon played out for a couple more minutes before the great beast fell. There was more elated cheering from Ai and Zhi. Uncle Kho looked over at Falling Leaf and smiled. The girls followed his look and ran over to the ghost panther, their words tumbling over each so fast that only the occasional lightning, shadow, Uncle, and Auntie were understandable. In the end, it was just a wall of noise that crashed into Sen and Falling Leaf. Sen knew he’d need to rein everyone in soon. The girls were getting overexcited, but he supposed that was part of being a child. It was also a little entertaining watching the ghost panther try to adjust to the sudden change in circumstance. She’d come a long way since the first time they’d met Ai. Then, she’d simply frozen up, uncertain what to do or say. Now, she was more accustomed to the children, but their sheer exuberance at that moment was a bit more than she knew what to do with.

“Okay, girls,” said Sen. “I think it’s time for quiet playing. I see some paper over that doesn’t have flowers or birds or anything on it.”

Seeing the obvious disappointment on their faces, Sen decided to take advantage of his guests.

“If you’re good, Uncle Kho might even make something else out of lightning.”

The girls immediately whirled to look at Uncle Kho, who stroked his beard thoughtfully. He dragged it out until the Ai and Zhi were practically dancing on their toes.

“If you’re good,” he finally agreed.

Of course, it wasn’t quite that easy, but Sen eventually managed to get the girls settled down with the paper and charcoal again. He was about to go back to Falling Leaf and Uncle Kho, who had settled into chairs and were chatting about something, but Auntie Caihong turned and looked at him.

“Sen, can you join us please?” she asked.

He dutifully changed course to join the alchemist and the miserable Shen Mingxia. The foundation formation cultivator alternated between giving him pleading looks and ones that promised vengeance as he approached. He supposed he’d had more than his share of fun at her expense. It was time to extract her from this situation she’d been wholly unprepared to face.

“Yes, Auntie Caihong?” he asked.

“We were discussing what would be an appropriate payment for the picture. Do you think you can make her one of your elixirs with this?”

Caihong lifted a hand and summoned a delicate flower from one of her storage treasures. Sen didn’t recognize the flower, but he could feel it positively bursting with air qi. That was the kind of natural treasure that sects normally had to organize entire expeditions to retrieve from the deep wilds. It was also the kind of treasure that he thought they probably reserved for their core formation members. Knowing Auntie Caihong, though, she’d likely just picked it because she thought she might be able to do something with it someday. He briefly examined it with his senses and qi, confirming what he already knew, and then gave Shen Mingxia a questioning look.

“You’re certain that an air qi focus is the way you want to go?” he asked her.

It seemed that she didn’t even hear the question at first because her eyes were locked onto the flower. It seemed like she was worried that it was some kind of an illusion that would disappear if she so much as blinked.

Stolen story; please report.

“Mingxia,” said Sen with a bit more force.

She did blink then and turned her attention to him.

“What?” she asked sounding confused.

Sen shook his head a little and repeated his question. She gave it the kind of deep consideration that all decisions affecting the rest of one’s life should get by immediately nodding.

“Yes. Yes! I am very completely certain!”

Sen looked at Auntie Caihong. “Sure, I can make her something.”

“Good,” she said and gave him the flower before walking over to show off her newly acquired picture to Uncle Kho.

Sen swiftly stored the flower in his own storage ring to preserve its potency. The exaggerated disappointment on Shen Mingxia’s face nearly drove him into a fit of laughter, but he fought it back. She didn’t deserve that.

“It’s best to keep plants like that stored until you’re ready to use them,” he explained.

“I know,” said Shen Mingxia. “It’s just, how often am I ever going to see something like that in person?”

“Well, I mean, I’ve got a storage ring full of things like that if you ever want to see some,” offered Sen in a bid to be helpful.

Shen Mingxia closed her eyes and took several deep breaths before she said, “It’s very hard to know you some days.”

“What? Why?”

“Seriously? If I came back to the sect with something like that flower, well, I’d never be allowed to keep it. But I would also get massive rewards and all kinds of cultivation resources. And you’re telling me that you’ve just got a pile of things like that sitting in a storage ring.”

“Um, yes?” said Sen, uncertain if honesty was the best choice.

“Sitting in a storage ring,” said Shen Mingxia in a clipped voice. “Sitting. Doing nothing. Just there for your convenience if you ever decide that you have some use for inconceivably valuable natural treasures.”

“I am an alchemist. Gathering natural treasures and doing things with them is pretty much the whole job.”

She pointed her finger at him, grimaced, and said, “It’s really easy to forget that you’re an alchemist. Still, a whole storage ring with treasures like that? Why don’t you just go sell or trade some of them to the big sects in the capital? Hells, you could throw an auction all by yourself. You could finance ten new sects with the gold and resources they’d throw at you.”

Sen blinked at her a few times. A look of burgeoning comprehension crossed her face. She closed her eyes again.

“It never occurred to you to do that, did it?”

“In my defense, I’ve had a lot of things to deal with since the last time we met.”

“That’s the heavens’ own truth.”

“Okay,” said Sen after glancing around, “everyone is preoccupied. Let’s get you out of here.”

“Yes, please.”

Shen Mingxia visibly relaxed once they were outside and away from the nascent soul cultivators. She shuddered, and Sen didn’t think it had anything to do with the cold. She peered at him and seemed oddly shy.

“What will you make with the flower?” she asked hesitantly.

Sen shrugged. “I don’t know yet. It depends on you and what you’re looking for.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I can make all kinds of things with the flower. I can think of ten or fifteen things right off the top of my head. I could make something that would enhance your air qi affinity, for example.”

“Really? I mean, I heard about things like that, but it’s not something I ever saw at the sect.”

“That may have more to do with the alchemists at your sect than anything else. A pill or elixir like that has to be made specifically for someone. It’s not like healing pills. You can make those in batches and expect them to work more or less the same way for everyone. So, it makes sense for the alchemists at your sect to focus their time and energy on making things that everyone can use. I imagine they reserve specialized pills and elixirs for the inner sect disciples, core members, and elders.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“Of course, I don’t care about any of that. I can make whatever I want. That doesn’t make the things I’d think to make with that flower into things you need. It also doesn’t make them things you could survive taking. We’ll have to talk about it. I’ll take a look at your qi, your channels, and your dantian. We’ll take it from there.”

“Can you make me something that will help me advance?” she asked, eager and reluctant at the same time.

“Yes. The question is whether that’s a good thing or even the most advantageous thing. I could make you something that would help you advance right now. I can probably also make you something that would help you break through to core formation and form a stronger core when the time comes.”

Sen held out his hands, palms up, and moved them up and down like they were balancing things on a scale. He continued.

“I get it. Everything in cultivation is focused on pushing forward. Not losing momentum. I’m just saying that rapid advancement isn’t always a good thing. Advancing too quickly can have consequences.”

“Easy to say when you’ve advanced so quickly.”

Sen nodded in acknowledgment of the point. “It came at a steep price. Most of it paid in pain. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I won’t help you advance now. I will if that’s what you decide you want. I’m only suggesting that you consider the state of your cultivation. Look at all of the options. Then, make the best choice for you.”

Shen Mingxia stood there in thoughtful silence before a little smile formed on her lips. She pressed her fists together and bowed.

“Yes, senior,” she said with merriment in her voice.

“Ugh,” groaned Sen.

“This humble Shen Mingxia is grateful for the patriarch’s advice.”

“Gods save me.”

“You had that coming, and you know it. Leaving me alone with that terrifying woman.”

“She’s just Auntie Caihong.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that,” muttered Shen Mingxia as she turned and walked away.