"Your partner, eh?" Evin glanced at Sana. "Didn't know you already have one. You're betrothed?"
Sana paused. She thought for a while, and realized it was probably better to be upfront. It should deter some of those who wish to court her. "Yes. Something like that. He's my husband, I guess."
"That's fast. Do you like him?"
The young mistress paused and glanced at the other young mistress. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're in the Roaring Dragon Sect now, where there are young dragons and phoenixes. There are bachelors here who are easily more eligible, with better qualities and talent. So, if you don't like him, and manage to snag someone more capable, I don't see how he could do anything to stop you from choosing anyone else." Evin said.
Sana considered the statement, her fingers touched her chin. "That is true. But I think it'll be quite hard for that to happen."
"Really?" Evin frowned again. "He felt like he had no cultivation whatsoever. Even for an invited cultivator, that's low. Are you sure you didn't get cheated into this?"
Sana looked around, and noticed even more young masters and ladies. Many are her peers, some are more junior. She could generally sense most of their cultivation to be not far from her. There was a bustle coming from outside the building, from the candidates competing for a spot in the trials.
For the privileged few to be invited in, their spot is confirmed.
Sana's wandering eyes then caught the attention of two young masters.
At that point, two male young masters approached both Evin and Sana. They were both generally good looking, fit and had beautiful hair. "Hello, beauties. I'm Serhan Mong, and this is my cousin Jahan Ladar. May we have the privilege of learning the names of the two beauties?"
Evin merely smirked. Sana wasn't familiar with the Mong or the Ladar family. "Sana Eshtar."
"Evin Emmaria."
The two clasped their hands and greeted the ladies. "Well met."
***
Zahar walked along the corridors, and walkways. It was a large network of covered walkways that linked the main buildings to the residential district.
It was quiet in this part of the world. The outer disciples from earlier batches and some of the inner disciples are on duty for their once-every-three year recruitment drive and trials, open to those aged sixteen to twenty-five.
Outside of the recruitment drive, admission to the sect would require endorsement of the elders, either via direct invitation, or as personal disciples of the elders themselves. Each outer elders, those in the 5th or 6th realm, are allowed five personal disciples, while those inner elders are allowed ten personal disciples. Venerable Elders of the Sect, those in the 7th or 8th realm had no limit, but in practice, they never took more than five anyway.
It was a rather pleasant walk, as Zahar managed to walk uninterrupted. He stopped when he saw an elderly woman sweeping the floor in the middle of the garden. Their eyes met momentarily, and after a moment of disbelief on the elderly woman's face, the elderly woman smiled at him.
Zahar noticed, then decided to sit by the side, watched the woman at work, and after a while, he spoke.
"The days are long, but not long enough."
The woman moved her broom and swept some of the leaves into a container. She had a smile on her face. "Too short, still too short. The heavens are especially cruel."
Zahar picked up a stone, and just held it. "Cast out like a stone unwanted. A stone out of place."
She adjusted her broom slightly. "There is no place for a stone that doesn't belong."
"Thrown away." Zahar said.
The elderly woman responded by picking up a stone, and deftly tossed it into the garden's lake. "Then the stone sinks."
"The stone sinks." Zahar looked up at the gradually darkening skies. The trials could be heard from far away, their battles and roars. A life he once had.
The elderly woman slowly approached Zahar, her gait and walk seemed very much like that of a mortal. "A price to be paid to see one's children."
"The heavens are cruel." Zahar repeated.
"Not to you." She answered. "Your stone is too smooth. There is no ripple, and the children will look for you."
"It is the way."
"Paint your stone. Hide it. One of the heavens should know better." The elderly one smiled, and her aged eyes looked at the mountains that towered along the edges of the valley. "Even now they can't see."
"We are willfully blind."
"And so the heavens are willfully cruel." The elderly woman's arm reached into her sleeves, pulled out a bracelet and offered it to Zahar. "Enough of this waiting one. At least, a stone must look like a stone."
Zahar nodded and wore the bracelet on his leg. Suddenly, Zahar leaked the presence of someone in the 2nd realm.
The elderly woman smiled. "The ancient sun pretends to be a stone. It now looks like one."
"This one thanks the ancestress." Zahar answered. "The heavens have been too cruel to you."
She sighed wistfully, as she looked up at the mountains. "It is nothing. If they see, they see. Till then, the stone awaits for their children."
"Be well, ancestress. May we speak again."
"We best not test heaven's patience too much."
Zahar nodded, and retreated to his chambers. His chamber was decent, befitting of the chambers reserved for nobility, and already he could feel the stronger ambient energies in the valley. The energy was stronger further, deeper into the valley. A Dragon's Vein emerged as a spring of Earthblood, and that was at the heart of the Roaring Dragon Sect.
For now, this was sufficient.
***
"You're married?" As the day went on, more people came to talk to both Sana and Evin. The fact that Sana was already promised to another man was apparently a hot topic.
Sana nodded. "Let me clarify. Specifically, I'm a concubine of my partner."
"That's degrading for someone of your stature. No offense, Lady Eshtar, surely your father is under the influence of some kind of drug or wicked cultivation technique that twisted his judgment."
The young lady shook her head. "It is not so. There was a demonstration of his abilities, and my father was satisfied with his ability."
"Surely he had assistance, perhaps someone was helping him?"
Sana just shook her head. "Nothing like that. The arrangement was proper. Let's not speak of me, and talk about something else."
The other young masters clearly didn't feel satisfied at Sana's response at all. Evin, could sense it, and she asked. "Sana, can I just ask one last thing?"
"Yes?"
"Do you love him?"
Sana suddenly felt Evin was being difficult. This was pretty much an arranged marriage, a business transaction. One that she was trying to love. She thought of it carefully, and then answered what was in her heart. "Not yet."
"Then why do you put up with it? Just because he helped your father move up a realm?"
One of the young masters immediately interjected. "If I knew that's all it took to win your heart, Lady Eshtar, I would've bought those pills for your father. All I needed was to empty half of my coffers, but it'll be worth it. Surely, your father sold you too cheaply. I won't stand for this arrangement."
Sana sighed. "I am satisfied with him and do not oppose being his concubine. Please, let's drop this topic."
It was hard for Sana to explain why she stuck with Zahar, because her father had a tip. "We don't know what enemies Zahar has, so, it's best if you could keep his identity a secret until he reveals it himself. I asked him whether he had enemies, but he said no. Still, we best be careful. I know this will put you in a very difficult, and complicated position, but it'll be infinitely better than dealing with opponents of realms much higher than you."
It made sense. If Zahar had enemies, they would want to strike while he is weak. Sana regretted, at that moment, for not asking Zahar's own opinion on the matter. She decided she would that night itself. If he was alright with revealing his origins as some kind of ancient progenitor, then she could send a strong message.
"Lady Eshtar. Outer disciples are permitted to issue challenges after the first week." One of the young masters, Hunt Barong said. "I wish to challenge this Zahar. If I win, he will revoke the marriage."
Sana sighed. This was getting out of hand. "Let's talk about something else, and please don't challenge him. It won't end well."
"Oh?" The young master said. "Do you doubt my capabilities, lady Eshtar? I would like to let you know I'm already in the peak of the 2nd realm. If he is only in the middle steps of the 2nd realm, I should take him on easily."
Sana wracked her mind trying to figure out how to tell this young master that he was courting death, without offending the rest of the young masters' present. "He is far more powerful than his realm indicates."
"Then there is no issue, isn't it?" The Young Master Barong couldn't back down. Not when there are other young ladies listening in. Sana could see that he wasn't really trying to impress her, but the other ladies.
She sighed, and gave up. "Very well. Just speak to him yourself."
"I will."
Thankfully, the conversation switched to something else, as one of the other young masters began bragging about his journeys and adventures back home.