“That’ll be a silver,” said the man behind the noodle counter. The warrior sighed and set the payment on the counter, feeling the weight of her money pouch…or, rather, the lack thereof. It wouldn’t be long before she was penniless, but that didn’t matter to her. She could starve to death, but she would still fulfill her master’s mission.

Four months. Normally it would take someone three or four times that time to cross the distance between the edge of the Pearlescent Valley and the Moon-Soaked Shore, but she was gifted with the techniques of her master. The Wind Master taught many things, and, though patience was one of them, this disciple had always been particularly bad at internalizing it.

She sighed and sat down with her bowl. The broth wasn’t as flavorful as it was back home, which surprised her. Having made it all the way to the town of Haishui, she’d expected a bit more. Nearly five hundred thousand people lived here, yet the noodles were bland. What a tragedy. For a regional capital, she wasn’t impressed.

But, then again, she’d travelled the world with her master. Despite her low advancement, she’d studied under her master for nearly a hundred years before his death. She’d been to the Summoned Isle, climbed the Indomitable Mountain, and swam in the deathly waters of the South Sea. She’d been to cities that spread as far as the eye could see, where you could climb the highest building and still never see the wilderness beyond the walls. This place was practically wilderness in comparison…not that the Pearlescent Valley was much better.

“Excuse me, sir?” she called to the shopkeeper.

“What can I get for the young mistress?” he answered. The warrior wrinkled her nose at the title. It made her feel like a spoiled daughter of a wealthy family, all ribbons and pretty things. She desperately hoped that others didn’t truly see her that way. She was a rough and wild cultivator, not some spoiled brat.

“I was wondering if there were any strange occurrences in the Moon-Soaked Shore of late,” she explained.

The noodle vendor rubbed his chin before answering. “Your accent is strange to me. I take it you’re a wandering spirit artist?” She nodded. “Well, nothing strange in the western towns, but there have been some troubling rumors in the east. Rogue cultivators taking over towns, making deals with shades and spirit beasts alike.”

“How curious,” she mused. “What do the rumors say, specifically?” The vendor sat down across from her and leaned in conspiratorially.

“They say the Four Spirits of the Shore are getting anxious.”

“Four spirits?”

“Yeah. The four major shades who keep coming back, no matter how many times they’re dispelled.”

Location bound shades, she noted. Some shades were bound to a house or road. Others could wander. Those who were bound to a specific place often had a source of power there, or a lingering regret keeping them from moving on. If these shades had been dealt with many times, their regrets must have been great.

“What have these shades done?” the warrior asked, her hand on her blade.

“Well, the weaker ones, the Flower Maiden and the Blood-Soaked Bride are known to snatch people right off the roads,” he explained. “They have a taste for the blood of innocents, but they’re nothing compared to the other two. The Two-Faced Serpent likes to possess government officials and use them like puppets to bring down their towns, but at least, she can be reasoned with. The last one though? The Chain-Bound Fury? He’s always been a savage, ruthless predator. It’s said he could hunt a man clean across the shore, and that none could escape once he set his sights on them.” The noodle vendor leaned in closer. “I heard he was spotted in some fishing village in the east a few months ago. Killed a dozen cultivators and kidnapped a little girl right out of the town square. Poor thing was probably eaten.” He shook his head at the tragedy.

The warrior, however, didn’t flinch. Instead, she drank the rest of her bowl and set another silver on the table to pay for the information. Then, she stood and began walking.

Her mission was to find a cultivator, one unlike any other in the land, but that was all she’d been told. She knew nothing about the cultivator she was supposed to find, not even their name. However, if there was one thing common to nearly all cultivators, it was that they were drawn to conflict like moths to a flame. If there were rogue cultivators, wild shades, and ravenous spirit beasts to be had in the east, then that was where she would go. If she was lucky, her cultivator would be at the heart of the mess.

However, perhaps this time she would take things more slowly. She still had no idea if this cultivator would be friend or foe to her, only that they were a friend to her master long ago. By her estimation, it was extremely likely they’d had a falling out at some point, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a need for secrecy. Though she was determined to deliver the letter burning in her pocket, she needed to be prepared in case this unknown cultivator turned out to be an enemy. Saving her qi, keeping a lower profile during her investigation, all of this could prove critical, if things went south.

With that in mind, she asked the noodle vendor to point her to the nearest caravan heading east. With luck, she could be a guard and fill her dwindling money purse along the way.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

* * *

As the wayward disciple found her way, she did not see the man lurking in the shadows. A small paper cutout of a man sat on his shoulder. It whispered to him, and he smiled.

“You’re absolutely right. What excellent luck to run into her here,” he murmured. “And anywhere she is, things are certain to be interesting. Who knows, maybe she knows our target.”

The paper crinkled as it nodded. Then it whispered once more. The man listened attentively.

“Of course. Let the mantis hunt the fly, we will be the oriole waiting just behind.”

* * *

In the dead of night, long after the town of Saikan had long since turned in for the night, Pharyx slipped quietly out of his room and crept down the stairs. The inn was quiet, but the head of staff leapt to his feet all the same when the hornet reached the ground floor.

“Is there something this servant can do for the young master?” he asked with a bow.

Pharyx shook his head. “Just going for a walk. I’ll return shortly.”

“Of course, sir. Please let this one know if he can provide anything.” Once again, Pharyx nodded before stepping out into the cool night air.

He sighed as he made his way, first toward the southern gates, then into the forest beyond. It was dark, and he was tired. Negotiations were hard, but at least, he had his bed in the Saikan inn to return to.

Humans had such cozy rooms with wonderful blankets. Nothing like his rooms back at the nest. Opulent as they were, they weren’t built for the comfort of a humanoid being. His bed was hard and he had few squishy blankets, but at least, the food was good.

And yet, just as he’d been laying down to sleep, a soft mental ping had announced that She wanted to speak with him. Why She wanted to speak in the middle of the night was beyond him, but it wasn’t his place to question it. Instead, he’d wearily risen, done his hair back into a proper style, then set out for the forest. It wouldn’t do to be overheard when She was speaking.

He reached the woods and pulled the brilliant sun diamond from his hair and held it before him. It glowed and shimmered with sun qi, the mark of his office and his relation to Her. Slowly, he pulsed his qi into it, indicating he was now prepared to speak.

An instant later, Pharyx felt as if he was falling into the pin. Though his physical body was still in the forest, his mind was being pulled and twisted along invisible pathways. Soon, he opened his eyes in a room that did not exist anywhere on the Moon-Soaked Shore.

This was his homeland, though he had no memories of ever being there. He’d been sent away from the Dawn Empire with his sisters well before any of them could remember living there, and yet, he knew the place well. The tall flowers and never-setting sun were a common element in the racial memories passed down to him through his bloodline.

Immediately, he knelt and kowtowed before the throne. “Greetings, Mother. I wish you a thousand lifetimes of good health and prosperity.”

The honey-haired woman on the throne nodded approvingly before gesturing for him to rise. Pharyx did so, but he kept his eyes down. He was already on thin ice with the Dawn Empress. One wrong move, and he worried that he’d be removed and replaced with another of her brood.

“Do you have news for me, my only son?” she asked. Pharyx winced. There was no malice in her words, but the dagger-sharp glares from the hornets serving her were enough to make it clear what his place was in this hierarchy. He was a lesser child from a backwater nest. More than that, he’d dared to lead a coup against his oldest sister, the one who’d been formally placed in charge by the Empress herself.

“We have made great progress in eliminating the threats to our nest,” he reported. “With the death of the spiders, the only others with a claim on the land’s resources are the humans and the honeybees. I intend to pursue diplomatic relations with both.”

“Good. And what of your other mission?”

Pharyx bit his lip and bowed deeply. “I…I have made no progress in determining the cause of the bright moon. I beg your forgiveness, Mother.”

“You are forgiven. The needs of the nest come first. You were wise to deal with the threats to your kin. However,” the Empress stood and beckoned him forward, “this matter may become a great threat to all the Empire, not just your nest.”

“What does the bright moon mean?” Pharyx asked, keeping his head bowed.

The Empress lifted his chin to look at her. “My child, even I do not know the answer to that, but the winds are changing. The other Ascendents have been quiet, and that’s never a good sign. Pursue your diplomatic efforts, if you must, but do not shirk your investigation, either.”

Pharyx bowed his head. “Mother is wise, as always.”

“Go well, my only son,” she said. “You are the light which will guide the Moon-Soaked Shore to prosperity. Of this, I am certain.”

With a wave of her hand, the connection between them shattered, and Pharyx found himself back in the darkness of the azure forest. Somehow, he was even wearier now than he was before.

How could he begin investigating something so great and large as the moon? Why was she so certain that what he was looking for was even here? The Moon-Soaked Shore had been so named because of the surplus of moon qi that had poisoned the land ages and ages ago. Even the Empress wasn’t nearly old enough to remember when it was otherwise.

Maybe he should ask Tsuyuki. After all, he was at least a moon artist, and, if Pharyx’s math was right, he had to be in the Moon-Soaked Shore on the day the moon shone bright, given the size of the region. Perhaps he’d seen something…

Or…on second thought…Pharyx shook his head. This was his investigation, and everyone knew that a moon artist on the Shore was not to be trusted. So many elements of his background were shrouded in mystery. He was so knowledgeable about cultivation, but there were inexplicable gaps in his common knowledge. Not knowing about the continents of the world, yet claiming to have been to several of them? It was suspicious. It proved that he didn’t really know Tsuyuki at all. What was his past? What motives brought him to the Moon-Soaked Shore? Could he be working for the nefarious force that gave the Empress such concern? Pharyx could be tipping him off by asking.

No, for now, he would have to keep this to himself. He would need to work fast if he was going to have something to report by the next time she called for him. Luckily for him, nothing could begin until the morning anyway, and there were still a few hours until dawn. That delightfully cozy bed was calling his name, and he wanted to answer.

First, sleep. Then, investigate. That was an excellent plan.