Information. He needed information.
Jiang Shiqin went back and forth within the room, staring at the grey-tiled floor. In the capital, benefits were the currency, and anything could be bought with the correct price. Here in this land of martial arts, where the laws of jianghu ruled and brotherhood and master-disciple ties transcended life and death, the sects kept within themselves, and not a single mosquito could pass through that century-hardened wall. Xia Jingming had high-ranking spies everywhere, from Prince Qing's inner court to the border garrison to the Merchants' Alliance, except for the five great sects.
There were many reasons behind this. The Distant Lands had only accepted imperial rule a decade ago, and truthfully it remained an autonomous region in every aspect that counted, which meant Xia Jingming's influence was limited. Furthermore, in accordance to tradition, the residences of the elders were taken care of by inner disciples and secured in the highest manner possible, plus those inner disciples were as loyal as a lion's cubs. These cultivators' highest aspiration was the sword, which meant bribery was hardly useful unless it was some sort of treasures and Jiang Shiqin did not possess any. Outer disciples had neither power nor voice, though collecting a few pieces of news was still possible.
In some senses, the people in the Distant Lands lived in a cultivation world while the rest of the continent belonged to a normal historical era.
A long sigh escaped from his throat, as he took up his brush again and wrote a few letters detailing his orders.
-0-0-
This year, as the most distinguished sect, Falling Stars Sect was granted the honor of holding the celebration banquet.
In an azure-colored robe decorated with tiny silver lines, Jiang Shiqin stood in front of the manor's gate. His eyes were closed, the faint morning rays enveloping him in a leisurely manner.
A few minutes later, the distant sound of horse hooves disrupted the stillness of the atmosphere. The scholarly young man awoke from the faraway land of thoughts, a hint of joy in his eyes. A group of horses approached him, their hazel-colored fur glittering. At twenty steps away from Jiang Shiqin, their riders reined in the horses and descended, lilac strips of silk fluttering in the remnant wind.
The leader, who looked not a day after sixteen, performed a standard greeting to Jiang Shiqin. His clear, intelligent eyes with a mischievous overtone coupled with his youthful features gave off an energetic feeling.
"You must be the brother Qin that Elder Sister Dai has mentioned."
Jiang Shiqin returned the gesture. "Indeed. This brother, you are...?"
"Su Wei, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Elder Sister Dai's younger martial brother." The youth grinned, revealing a canine tooth. "Elder Brother Qin, you truly match the rumors."
"Oh?" Jiang Shiqin felt a little interested. "What rumors can there be about an unimportant character like me?"
Su Wei gave him a glance-over, a humorous light in his eyes. "There are both praises and insults. Male cultivators say that you're pretentious and feminine, with nothing good but your face. Female cultivators," amusement filled his voice, "consider you a gentleman and a romantic scholar."
For the first time in a while, Jiang Shiqin was speechless. If he remembered correctly, the only person that he had interacted with till now was Su Dai. How come he was so famous?
In response to his questioning glance, Su Wei said assertively. "Elder Brother Qin, you must understand that Elder Sister Dai is every man's goddess and every woman's idol! Her tastes can influence the entire martial arts community. You don't know how many people shed rivers and oceans of tears when you were going on dates with her!"
The youth sighed dramatically. "Ah, how cruel it is to love one person one-sidedly, as endless days passed by, lonely and hopeless. Love is a raging inferno that can burn even the heavens, and yet once it is extinguished, only ashes remain in one's heart. Elder Brother Qin, your happiness means a thousand others' pain!"
Jiang Shiqin could only make a helpless expression. How was he supposedly protect himself against this kind of logic? However, he understood the gist of these flowery metaphors - he had been too close with Su Dai before, and from Su Wei's speech, she had not spoken about their argument a few days ago.
Thankfully, after his melodramatic performance, Su Wei finally remembered the reason behind their visit and invited Jiang Shiqin to come along. One of the people behind him, who looked to be an outer disciple judging from the lack of a golden lotus pin on his purple robe, led a horse to Jiang Shiqin, who then swiftly climbed on horseback without any hesitation.
Su Wei kept talking for a long while, telling stories about the Thousand Blooming Lotus sect and the Distant Lands. Despite having known most of it, Jiang Shiqin listened to the lively voice contentedly, not realizing that his facial expression had softened with an indulgent light in his normally dispassionate eyes.
Along the road, Jiang Shiqin noticed that buildings and people were dwindling, replaced by ancient trees with a thousand green hues and the soft whispering of wind. Once, a keen-eyed cuckoo bird perching on a thin branch inclined its head, as if evaluating these strangers who had invaded its territory, before chirping indifferently and spreading its deft pair of wings, flying towards the lake-clear sky in a kingly motion.
There was a delicate scent in the air, akin to that of pure snow and flowing streams on a wild mountain. It reminded people of still bushes and lazy rivers, of the peace and tranquility attached to natural, untainted scenery, a place far away from men and the troubles of the mortal world. The entire group seemed to fall into a daze, as the horses involuntarily slowed down, their dark eyes half-closed.
Jiang Shiqin glanced sideways, only to see the energetic youth having a serene expression for a change. Feeling his stare, Su Wei spoke in a soft tone, as if afraid of disturbing this rare moment of placidity: "Falling Stars Sect's secret." He did not speak for the rest of the journey, leaving this inadequate explanation and a bewildered Jiang Shiqin.
When they passed through the lulling forest, everybody seemed to have awoken from a deep slumber, hazy smiles not yet dissipated. A faint sense of grief hang in silence.