When the cultivator spits on you, clean it and thank them for their attention. When the cultivator hits you, thank them for the pointers and offer them compensation. When the cultivator is kind to you, run for all your legs can carry you. Failing that, fall to your knees and beg, for there is no kindness in their souls. -Words of the Cult of Rags

* * *

Xinya had been completely absorbed by the performance from the Spirit Caller Sect. It was her favorite story, put on display for all to see. The Darkened Moon was mesmerizing in his elegance, and she’d been riveted to the scene when the Sword Saint appeared. It was only when the Darkened Moon was killed and the wave of strange qi she felt but couldn’t see blasted over the crowd that she even considered how Uncle Yoru might be feeling.

She chided herself. After all he’d done for her, she should have been nicer to him. He hated this story and with good reason. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if her worst moments were put on stage for all to see.

“Uncle Yoru?” she asked, turning around. Though he’d been right behind her a moment ago, he was nowhere to be seen. Uncle Lin was gone, too.

Xinya’s eyes darted over the crowd, searching for the horrible man who was Shen Yaoxan’s father. He was wicked, she could tell. The whole time she was near him, the lightning within her core churned and twisted angrily, as if it craved to smite him. The only problem was that he was so dizzyingly powerful compared to her that she didn’t even have a good grasp on just how powerful he was. All she knew for certain was that he was evil and a liar, and that he wanted to kill her master more than anything.

“Pollen,” she whispered, tugging on the queen’s sleeve. The honeybee knelt, and Xinya pointed to where Shen Tori had been standing. “He’s gone! Only that other guy is left!”

Even as she said it, there was a scream from the crowd. “Attack! The Administrator is under attack!”

Immediately, both Pollen and Pharyx were on edge. As the crowd scattered for safety, Xinya spotted Uncle Yoru’s bamboo hat as he raced away. The wicked Shen Tori was right on his heels.

She wasn’t the only one who saw the direction of the commotion, either. Shen’s companion did, as well. He began to jog in the same direction. Xinya scowled. If he reached the fight, then he would make trouble for Uncle Yoru. She didn’t doubt her master could win, he was a legend, after all, but if there was anything she could do to help, she had to try. She was tired of sitting on the sidelines, being constantly bullied and beaten by her betters. She’d stood up to Madame Tenri for that, and she never wanted to bow like that again.

“Hey!” she shouted, running as fast as she could.

“Xinya! What are you doing!?” Pollen called. Padding footsteps indicated she and Pharyx were right behind her, so Xinya didn’t bother stopping.

She raced around the slightly-less-wicked-than-Shen-Tori artist and planted herself in his way. He skidded to a halt, startled by the appearance of the small girl. She pinned him with her fiercest stare.

“You’re here to hurt my master, but I won’t let you!” she challenged. A moment later, she was yanked back by her collar. Pollen wrapped her arms around Xinya, as if to hold her back.

“Meimei, this man is far outside your league,” she explained. “He’s Iron, at least.”

“You are Lang Xinya, yes? And her…” he looked at the two spirit beasts guarding Xinya, “guardians?”

“You could say that,” Pharyx answered, his voice a low warning.

“Then, allow me to introduce myself.” The artist bowed respectfully to the two queens. “I am Shen Taihua. Shen Reixin was my older sister.”

“Still don’t think I believe you,” Xinya growled, and the man smiled sadly.

“I don’t expect you to,” he admitted. “Reixin ran away for a reason, and I would not be surprised if the reason was because she didn’t want you around us.”

Xinya narrowed her eyes. “So, you realize that the Lunar Hunt are just a bunch of bandits who deserved what they got! Why do you stay with them, knowing that what they do is wrong?” Shen Taihua looked at Xinya for a long moment. Then he closed his eyes and turned to Pollen and Pharyx.

“With your permission, I would spar with Lang Xinya,” he said. “I would test her heart and the strength of her resolve. I promise not to harm her. You may intervene if you believe her to be in danger.”

Xinya looked up to see Pharyx and Pollen exchange a look. It was clear that neither of them particularly liked the idea of an Iron sparring with a Leaf, but Xinya didn’t much mind. Her resolve was more than strong enough to make Shen Taihua surrender. She was sure of it.

“I’ll do it,” she announced, not waiting for the queens’ answers. She shrugged off Pollen’s arms, then stepped forward, taking a fighting stance.

“You fight unarmed?” Taihua asked curiously.

“Uncle Yoru said I needed to know the basics before I could use a weapon,” she said.

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“He’s very wise.” Taihua took a similar stance, leaving the sword at his side sheathed. “First move is yours.”

Her confidence wavered. So many eyes were on her, and this was her first formal duel. Her every action would reflect on herself and on Yoru’s teaching. If she failed to live up to expectations…

No. You have to win. Uncle Yoru is depending on you stalling Taihua here.

And yet…everyone present was Iron. She was just Leaf. They wouldn’t be impressed by anything she could offer in this fight.

Light is my shield, my sword is made of patience. That was what Yoru taught her. She might not be a mighty cultivator yet, but she’d only been training under him for a few months. Ascendents were not born overnight. Even the Darkened Moon and the Sword Saint were Leaf once…or so Yoru claimed.

Three deep breaths filled her lungs, focusing the qi of her small core and preparing her to fight. Then, she opened her eyes, her resolve strong and clear.

Xinya struck, punching with all her speed and strength towards Taihua’s solar plexus. He blocked it easily, moving so fast that she could barely see it.

“Very good, your form is excellent. Your master clearly knows what he’s doing,” Taihua praised. “Now, let’s see if your defenses are just as solid.”

He returned her punch, and Xinya could tell that he intentionally slowed his movements so she could keep up. Even if he was going easy on her, she was heartened that she stood a chance. She dodged back, letting the fist sail in front of her.

Then she lunged forward. She ducked behind Taihua, calling lightning to her fingertips. Her qi arced between her and her opponent’s back. He tensed for a moment, and she took the opportunity to throw her entire body into the back of his legs.

In her head, Taihua would have fallen to the ground and hit his head or something, immediately going unconscious. In reality…the results were a lot less spectacular. In fact, he only took one step forward from the weight of a small child being thrown at him while he was stunned.

Before Xinya could even right herself a little bit, he’d moved again with speed more incredible than she could imagine. She was lifted by her collar and set gently on her feet.

“On an artist your level, that move would have definitely knocked them down,” he praised. “But, it leaves you vulnerable as you try to right yourself.”

He smiled, and for the first time, Xinya was struck by a sense of familiarity. It was the way his eyes creased at the sides and the way his nose wiggled ever so slightly. She never knew her mother, but she was sure that her mother smiled like that.

“If you want to use a tripping move like that to its full effectiveness, you’ll want to roll in such a way that allows you to stand quickly. Use speed to your advantage whenever possible.” Taihua suddenly ran at her so fast that all Xinya saw was a black shrouded blur. It clipped her side, sending her spinning, but before she could fall down, the artist’s hand was on her shoulder. “As a lightning artist, you could probably use a similar technique with practice. After all, lightning, wind, and void all have aspects of speed enhancement.”

Xinya wasn’t sure if she should be insulted that he’d turned their “spar” into a teaching moment. He wasn’t her master, but what he was saying made a lot of sense. She pondered Taihua’s words deeply. In time, would she be able to infuse qi through her body like he and Yoru did?

Taihua gave her time to consider his words, and when she was ready, she took her fighting stance again. This time, when she raced at the man who claimed to be her blood uncle, she tried her best to stay quick and light. Yoru was fast, Taihua was fast, she could be fast, too.

Yet, no matter how light she was, she would never compare to the speed of a higher-level artist. Taihua was always a move ahead, seeing her punches before she’d even fully committed to them. She threw punch after punch, but he blocked them all. When he returned the strikes, he was slower, but she had to devote all her focus to dodging.

How does Yoru do it? Attack and defend all at once? There’s just so much to think about so quickly?!

Xinya quickly grew frustrated with the battle. She couldn’t win, but how could she show her resolve and get him to surrender if she couldn’t even get a solid hit in! She’d done one, and now Taihua left no openings. She sped up her attacks, frantically searching for a way to get around his defense, but none came.

How could she beat him? She had no fancy foresight techniques like Yoru, nor the overwhelming power and speed that artists like Kansi and Pharyx had. She was just Leaf…

“Xinya,” called Pharyx from the sidelines. “You cannot beat him in a head-to-head fight. If he won’t give you an opening, then make one for yourself.”

Make one for myself? That was easy for him to say. He was an epic fighter with a cool lance and a temper that could outshine the sun. When his enemies were impenetrable, he cracked their armor with sheer force of will.

An idea came to her. Raising her hand, she called on the other aspect of her core: the moon. Moon was harder for her to tame, for reasons she didn’t understand. Maybe it was because she had spent so long wrangling lightning that she’d learned how to handle it, but moon qi was always slow to react to her call. It took coaxing, despite the fact that she supposedly had a very strong affinity for it.

However, now, that was her only chance. To make an opening, she needed all the tricks in her repertoire, and that included her only moon technique: Light.

She focused everything into creating a brilliant flash of silver light. Her core emptied out, and she felt dizzy, but the technique had worked! Taihua blinked several times, trying to refocus his eyes after the flashbang, and Xinya leapt on the opportunity. She slammed her fist into his stomach, charging with all lightning qi she had left, then, before stopping at all, she shoved him with all her strength.

He stumbled back several paces, rubbing his eyes clear. “Very good. I shouldn’t praise the use of a moon technique, but it was well-executed, at least.” He raised his hands. “You certainly are your mother’s daughter. I see her a lot in you, especially that determined scowl of yours. I don’t have the heart to fight my own blood anymore. I surrender to you and your spirit beast guardians.”

Xinya blinked in surprise. She really won? She really did it? Of course, it hadn’t been a real fight. She never would have won. But she’d impressed Taihua enough that he surrendered! That was worth celebrating.

“We need to help Uncle Yoru!” she said. Though, as soon as she took two steps, she stumbled as her legs gave out beneath her. Pollen quickly helped her to her feet.

“Easy, Meimei,” she said with a chuckle. “You worked hard on that fight and spent a lot of qi. Give yourself a break.”

“But we need to help Yoru!”

“And we will,” Pollen reassured her. In an instant, Xinya felt herself be snatched off the ground. Pharyx twirled her around until she landed on his back.

He flashed her a smile. “All aboard? Let’s go!”