If I could have one wish? I’d wish spirit insects didn’t exist. If I had three wishes? I’d wish spirit insects didn’t exist three times. Giant ants, wasps, flies, and others the size of a dog or bigger? Just…nope. –Liu Xin, drinking with his friends

* * *

I bolted awake to the sound of screaming. Stabbing pain lanced through my shoulder, causing my vision to swim for several moments before I forced my eyes to focus. Xinya was at the center of the flower field, screaming as a swarm of yellow and black whipped around her like a tiny hurricane.

Leaping to my feet, I rushed to her rescue. Though I’d intended to leap headfirst into the swarm, pick up the little girl, then run, my plans were quickly thwarted by our tiny adversaries. Dozens of them banded together, clinging to one another in the rough shape of an arm, and lashed out. They missed my nose by mere inches thanks to a timely warning from Flash Forward.

The curse of the voidlight had faded! I could have hopped with delight, but there were bigger threats. Glancing from side to side, I saw several large bumble bees, like the kind I’d seen in the nearby forests weeks ago. They watched in fascination, right next to the rabbits who were sniffing around the corpse of a black spirit hound. I guess they weren’t useless after all.

A burst of a thousand icicles suddenly appeared from the cover of the forest, and I immediately recognized the technique, having been on the receiving end of it a few days ago. The icicles streaked towards the swarm, and Xinya within. In some places, the insects parted, letting the attack sail through without touching them. In others, the bees banded together again to swat the icicles away.

Those that had been swatted away…they were lower down the column of insects. The ones higher up had been left alone. No wonder the rabbits weren’t interfering! The insects weren’t attacking Xinya at all!

The water artist stepped from the shadows, several more icicles floating around his head to launch at a moment’s notice. A bronze badge was tied to his arm, and now that I was able to look more closely, that badge was right above a black armband with a circular crest on it. At the center of the silver circle was a black sword.

It was actually vaguely reminiscent of my own insignia, which resembled a Heaven’s Lily at the center of a silver moon. That symbol was probably taboo, now. Using something similar was asking for trouble.

“You! Cultivator!” called the artist. He was dressed in a simple set of robes and carried a hand fan instead of any weapon. A blue ribbon with tiny waves was tied around his head. “Help me apprehend the girl. She’s a dangerous fugitive, and General Shen Tori will pay you handsomely for your assistance.”

Shen Tori…was that Shen Yaoxan’s father? Had I accidentally offended the son of a general? Normal people might be upset about that sort of thing and begin groveling for forgiveness. However, I am not normal people.

I am also not opposed to using underhanded means to win a fight, something that led to many people daring to call me an honorless coward during my tender years in the Forging Realm…before I became strong enough that no one dared call me that anymore. As such, I nodded to the water artist and began to shift towards him. While he continued his fight against the swarm, I simply stalked closer under the pretenses of “grouping up.” Three more icicles sailed at the swarm. Each one was flicked away by the time I reached the artist in question.

“Good. The swarm is protecting her for some reason,” he explained. “What path do you follow?”

“Oh, I doubt you’ve heard of it,” I answered, settling into a combat stance.

“So long as it is righteous under the Eyes of Saraia.” The artist clasped his hands in a qi channeling sign and three more icicles formed from the air. “Let us deal with these pests.”

The water artist hurled his icicles, and the swarm dodged them again. This time, seeing two enemies instead of one, they lashed outward. The water artist clasped his hands in another qi sign, but before he could finish his technique, I acted. I lunged at him, sweeping my leg under his and sending him tumbling forward into the swarm. The action was simple, but even that sent throbbing pain through my body.

The insects descended. The artist screamed, and I caught the scent of burning flesh. His skin was covered in bees which buzzed and vibrated in a roiling mass. The heat was intense. The water artist tried to protect himself, drawing ice from the air to cool his scorching skin, but the bees only vibrated harder. He screamed, and the smell of burning flesh reached my nose. The artist’s screams died, and the body grew still. The swarm released him, and drifted up into the air, leaving a burned corpse in their wake.

However, then they turned to me. They dove, and I backed away as quickly as I could until a solid tree was at my back.

These insects were intelligent. They were organized, coordinated, and moved as one entity. They were spiritual beasts, and hopefully the kind that could be reasoned with. I quickly bowed my head, hoping they’d notice before I met a similar fate as the water artist.

In the blink of an eye, the swarm was gone, and its buzzing ceased. The tip of a wicked lance pressed against my chest. It seemed to be made of shimmering black, like the shell of an insect, and was so sharp I scarcely dared to breathe.

“You have trespassed on Hive lands,” said a high and authoritative voice. “You will surrender, or we will kill you.”

I flicked my eyes up to see a woman at the other end of the lance. She was dressed in a sleeveless robe, one which revealed the yellow and black stripes that streaked down her arms like a tiger’s stripes. Her eyes were solid black, and her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Everything about her was strict save for the single pink rose tied into her hair.

Behind her, another woman who looked perfectly identical to the first knelt next to Xinya. She put a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder, and I breathed a sigh of relief. They really had been protecting her. These two women were almost certainly responsible for the swarm that had killed the water artist.

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“I’m not an enemy,” I said. “I’m prote-” The lance pressed harder into my chest, and I winced and went silent.

“You need only nod if you accept your defeat,” the lance-wielder hissed. I nodded. She released the pressure on the weapon, allowing me to breathe. With a shove, she prodded me forward.

“Careful! He’s hurt badly,” Xinya protested. Both women exchanged an unreadable look, then the one without the lance gently knelt and lifted Xinya into her arms.

“If he does not resist, he will not be harmed before he meets the Queen,” she explained just loud enough for me to hear.

The Queen Bee. She must be quite the formidable spirit beast. Not one, but two of her subordinates had fully realized human forms. That was not something easily done among spirit beasts. One needed a great deal of knowledge of elaborate rituals in order to make such a thing possible, and, even then, the recipient of the form would need to be strong enough to withstand the transformation. Not every spirit beast was cut out for that. That a hive of insects had achieved it at least twice…I would have to be on my best behavior to keep this queen from beheading me.

The twin spirit beasts didn’t say a single word to me as they marched me through the forest. They did, however, have quite a bit to say to Xinya. They kept their voices to whispers, but Xinya’s giggles said they were fawning over her. Meanwhile, every look I received was frostier than the water artist’s attacks.

Instead of listening, I observed the forest around us, trying to build a map in my head. We had gone a long way, heading further north and west through the azure trees. Bumble bees became more frequent, and the vast majority of them were big enough for Xinya to hold in both arms…if she didn’t have a terrible fear of insects. The twin spirit bees looked about as human as my Void-Touched form did, so Xinya didn’t seem to mind them, but the bees in the fields around us? She eyed them with great concern shimmering in her amethyst eyes.

The forest thinned, revealing a beautiful lake straight from the pages of legend. Bees of all sizes buzzed around a garden of flowers reaching all the way to the water’s edge, and lotuses floated gently on the water. The crystal-clear waters were fed by a magnificent waterfall surrounded by tall stalks of vibrant green bamboo which provided a stunning contrast to the pink and red flowers, as well as the blue leaves of the trees.

“Welcome to the Honey Hive” said the lance-bearing twin. “Our Queen awaits you within the palace.”

She stepped ahead of me on the path towards a mansion on the east end of the lake. It was a sprawling estate with many rooms connected by small, covered bridges. However, despite the vastness of the building, I saw no other humanoid beasts wandering the bridges. There were only the large bees.

The twins led us to the main hall of the palace, where I was forced to my knees. Xinya managed to squeeze out of the grasp of the two spirit bees before running over and clinging to my good arm.

“It’s gonna be okay, meimei,” I whispered.

“How do you know that? They’re monsters,” she answered softly. I caught a rather sharp look from the lance-wielding twin.

“Nah, meimei, they’re spirit beasts. They’re way more reasonable than any monster,” I smiled. “And trust me, I have known my fair share of yokai. Did you know I used to live in a city filled with them?” Xinya’s eyes went wide, and I nodded. “They called it Half-Moon Hearth, the capital of the Spirit Realm and the center of all activity for shades and yokai.”

“How did you live in a place like that?”

“Well, I find that most people are actually quite reasonable once you understand what they want and how they live. Yokai are no different,” I explained. “Take kitsune, for example. They like mischief, but, if you find a way to indulge their mischievous nature in a non-destructive way, such as in the roles of messengers and saboteurs, they can be quite compassionate.”

When it comes to yokai, I knew so much and more, things that most textbooks nor wise sect elders could never teach you. I spent years learning, cataloging, and finding ways for humans to coexist with all manner of spirits.

However, the one creature that I never did discover a place for were the Void-touched. They were the most volatile and manipulative of monsters. Never trust one. They are more monstrous than any raiju, spider demon, or shade. Throughout history, they destroyed nations, and laid waste to swaths of territory miles across. I should know, I’m the Void-touched who did it.

“But, they’re bees,” Xinya protested. “What could bees want?”

A door opened nearby, and the twins suddenly stood at attention. A shorter woman dressed in gold and purple finery entered. From her collar, more of the stripes that adorned the twins could be seen. Her hair was a mix of black streaked with blond and pulled into a coifed bun. A golden headdress rested on top, and it was woven with fresh flowers to match the patterns on her dress and outer robes. In her arms, she carried a whisk. No humanoid servants walked with her, but several of the large bees bumbled along behind her.

I pulled Xinya close, giving her a squeeze and letting her bury her face in my shoulder. “Why don’t we ask, hmm?”

“Announcing Queen Pollen of the Spirit Hive!” called the lance-wielding twin.

I bowed deep, kowtowing as best I could with my injuries. Xinya followed my example. The Queen settled onto the dais and seemed to study me for a long moment.

“What a curious cultivator,” she said with a sweet, but clear voice. “You show respect to the insects of the earth, even when it so clearly causes you physical pain.”

“This one’s pain pales in comparison to your radiance. It has been some time since this humble one has met a spirit beast of your illustrious caliber, your majesty,” I admitted.

“You honor your people with your manners, but you may rise. Now, do you understand why you’ve been brought before me?” Queen Pollen asked. I lifted my head, but continued kneeling, lest I incur the ire of the twins.

“This one know that your subordinates went out of their way to protect the child in this one’s care,” I said. “However, if this one may be so bold as to suggest that there may have been a misunderstanding as to this one’s involvement.”

The lance-wielding twin stamped her foot. “You spoke to the attacker who violated the peace of the Flower Maiden’s Garden! He treated you as an ally!”

“Then I proceeded to hand him to you on a silver platter,” I snapped back before schooling my tone. “Apologies for this one’s outburst.”

“Is this true?” the Queen asked. The twins exchanged a look.

“It is possible, Majesty,” one of them admitted.

Without warning, Xinya leapt to her feet, balling her fists. “It is true! Mister Tsuyuki saved me from the bad cultivator who…who k…killed my dad! He fought all of them at once to keep me safe!” Her voice wavered, but she fixed the Queen with a look of complete determination.

“Xinya,” I whispered softly, my heart aching on her behalf.

“He didn’t have to protect me! He could have turned a blind eye like everyone else in town! He took time to play with a dock rat like me when no one else would!” Xinya’s eyes filled with tears, but she raised her voice in challenge. “But...but, if you’re going to hurt him, then…then…” she raised her little fists. “Then I’ll fight you myself!”

I sighed. It was a very good thing that the bees seemed intent on protecting her from the wicked cultivators…but I did make another note to have a conversation at some point with her about how to speak to those with better cultivation than her.

Queen Pollen stared at the little girl for a long moment, then her lips trembled, and a crack formed in her perfect mask of politeness. She exploded into a small cloud of flowers, then reappeared right next to us. She practically threw herself at Xinya, wrapping her up in her arms and hugging her tight.

“Oh, my goodness, YOUARETHECUTESTTHINGI’VEEVERSEEN!”