It was a beautiful day and a picturesque scene, but neither of the two young people savored it, focusing entirely on the matter at hand.
After a pause, Ji Kang spoke first.
“I’m not sure if Senior Sister Liu has yet met Elder Geng Yazhu’s new disciple?”
“I have not, though I have heard his name is Xiang Chang and that he possesses astonishing A grade talent.” Liu Su hoped Ji Kang would get to the point.
“Indeed, so have I.” Ji Kang said, despite the fact that this was the first time he had heard Xiang Chang’s name. “What you might not have heard is that my Young Master Lu Wu has declared Xiang Chang his rival, saying that this Xiang Chang is foolish and uncultured, and that A grade talent is wasted on him.”
Lu Wu had said no such thing, as of yet, but Ji Kang wasn’t concerned about sticking to the facts. Lu Wu would undoubtedly say some variation of that at some point, so there was little chance of anyone being confused by Ji Kang knowing of Lu Wu’s opinions before they were revealed to the general public.
Liu Su’s eyes glittered at this juicy morsel of information. As someone who had worked her way into a position of influence on the social scene she understood the value of knowing the gossip before others. She was the type of person who used her social status like a tool to achieve her goals and ambitions. She wielded secrets the way ordinary cultivators used spells and her beauty was her sword and shield.
Just like Ji Kang, though more advanced, she had put quite a bit of effort into developing an informal network of relationships to gather the latest information. Liu Su recognized that Ji Kang had a purpose in telling her this, only mistaking what it was.
She thought Ji Kang was offering to act as a channel of inside information into the coming rivalry, in order to spend more time around her and pursue her.
“I’m terribly sorry to hear that Junior Brother Ji, disharmony among the sect is truly lamentable. Perhaps you could keep me informed on what develops? I would hope to do what I can to ease tensions.”
“I’m glad Senior Sister Liu has such intentions, that is exactly what I had hoped to accomplish by seeking you out. I wonder if Senior Sister would be so good as to tell me what she has heard about this Xiang Chang? I too would like to do my part to foster peace and mutual understanding within the sect.” Ji Kang smiled insincerely while his eyes shone with mischief.
Liu Su once again was forced to re-evaluate Ji Kang. He was looking for an exchange of information, bringing her useful information and simultaneously gathering information on Lu Wu’s enemies. Clearly Ji Kang had depths that weren’t obvious at first glance.
“Of course, I’m happy to help however I can. Rumor is that Xiang Chang is the most recent inheritor of a historically renowned line of swordsmen that has recently fallen upon hard times. His father is a somewhat wealthy farmer who just barely managed to finance Xiang Chang’s application to the sect by buying a tangential connection with one of Elder Yazhu’s mortal relatives, and then introducing his son to the elder for consideration as a disciple. Xiang Chang himself seems to be proud, stubborn, and ambitious; determined to succeed and bring honor to his family. I can confirm that he is excellent with the sword, having trained in his family’s unique style since birth.” Here Liu Su paused to examine Ji Kang with a critical eye before deciding to continue.
“I have heard that he has shown some infatuation with his fellow disciple Guo Ru.” Liu Su gave out this last sentence like she was bestowing Ji Kang with a precious gift.
“Thank you for your assistance, Senior Sister Liu, with your help I can feel reassured, so now I will take my leave.” Ji Kang stopped and turned towards her, cupping his fists and bowing before walking in the opposite direction of the gazebo they had come from.
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With this information, Ji Kang felt much more confident moving forward. The next step would have to be arranging an encounter between Lu Wu and Xiang Chang, with extra attention paid so that the encounter went poorly.
Every month Inner Sect disciples with cultivation below Foundation Establishment were given a stipend of one Qi Burst pill and five spirit stones. Ji Kang had joined the sect almost six weeks ago, and had already collected one monthly stipend, so he was familiar with the process.
The time for the next round of stipends to be given out was in a few days. If Ji Kang could observe Xiang Chang and find out when he went to collect his stipend then Ji Kang could bring Lu Wu and Yu Shuren to collect theirs at the same time.
Ji Kang’s tumultuous upbringing had instilled certain skills in him, including the general knowledge of how to shadow someone, but his skills were more suited to a city environment than a cultivation sect. Luckily, Ji Kang’s book of mystical techniques included a technique to reduce the caster’s presence, effective in preventing detection from those below Foundation Establishment and those lacking highly tuned instincts.
The technique was called Turtle Breathing and Ji Kang was eager to put it to the test. That night he left Shen Lan’s courtyard residence after his nightly mediation session and went to Eler Geng Yazhu’s place. Before leaving he asked Lu Wu for leave to enter seclusion for a couple days as he felt himself nearing an early bottleneck, to which Lu Wu agreed quite happily, seeming pleased at the idea that Ji Kang would be struggling with his lower talent for several days.
Elder Geng Yazhu lived in a modest house with only a handful of rooms and no perimeter wall, it was exactly the sort of home Ji Kang had expected all the elders of the sect to live in, having been somewhat surprised by Shen Lan’s taste in architecture.
Ji Kang set about building a small hunting blind out of fallen bamboo stalks and camouflaged with leaves. From inside the blind Ji Kang was able to observe the house and the attached cleared patch of land he assumed was the martial arts training field. Ji Kang had persuaded the kitchen servants from Shen Lan’s house to prepare him several large waterskins and some hard bread.
With these provisions he would be able to remain here for days, restraining his presence with the Turtle Breathing whenever necessary.
Late in the following morning, Ji Kang saw Xiang Chang for the first time. Shi Guiling hadn’t been lying, Xiang Chang truly was a handsome young hero in the making. He had sharp eyebrows, short dark hair, and he was covered in the lean muscles of an expert swordsman.
Over the next few days Ji kang meticulously charted Xiang Chang’s routine. He would awake at dawn, practice his sword drills for three hours, meditate for four hours, go on a short run, and then go back inside to practice spells and mystical techniques, only emerging early in the evening to spend time with Guo Ru.
One day Elder Geng had come to instruct Xiang Chang for a short while before leaving. As soon as Ji Kang had noticed Elder Geng he had immediately given up looking, only returning to observation when he heard noises to indicate the elder had left.
According to these observations, Ji Kang concluded that Xiang Chang was likely to collect his stipend together with Guo Ru in the late afternoon, early evening. Coincidentally, this time worked well for Ji Kang’s existing schedule and didn’t require him to act out of character.
The day before the stipends were to be handed out, Ji Kang returned to Shen Lan’s courtyard. He resumed his usual cultivation schedule and while resting between sparring bouts he brought up the stipend to Lu Wu.
“Young Master, tomorrow is the day for collecting our monthly stipend. Do you have a preference for when we set off?” Ji Kang asked
“What? Why would I care when you two go to pick up your stipends? We already know from last month you aren’t allowed to pick up mine, so I can’t imagine why I would care.” Lu Wu replied, frowning.
“I thought you might like an escort from the two of us, Young Master. After all, you never see the powerful disciples alone. Take Liu Su for example, she never goes anywhere without her coterie. According to our usual schedules I believe we are all free after our sparring session, we could go then.” Ji Kang put on an obsequious and guileless smile, hoping to seem like he was just sucking up.
“Hmm, that’s a good point. It doesn’t suit my status as a young master to be walking around the sect alone. Yes, that’s a good idea Ji Kang, let’s go collect our stipends around this time tomorrow.” Lu Wu wore a contemplative frown before making a decision and looking very pleased with himself.