Chapter 30 - 5 4-10

Book 5: Chapter 4: Where the Orchid Grows

Xiulan couldn't help the smile that overtook her face as Tigu went from slumped in defeat to grappling the laughing Yin. Tigu picked the silver-haired woman up and planted her head first into a snowbank, huffing with mock anger.

"...Zhuye, Red Leaf, is a fine name, suitable for my little brother," Tigu declared. "It approaches Kai in strength—and is much better than Li. Really now, Ri Zu can come to me to name her children. Her naming sense is—gah!'

With a flare of fire Yin melted the snowbank, still laughing, and tackled Tigu. They began a slow, over-exaggerated, and playful fight. They were even purposely bumping into the others to drag them in, and at their level of strength even Bowu could hold his own.

Xiulan watched it all, feeling the weight on her shoulders lessen with each peal of laughter. She had been under an immense amount of pressure lately. Leading the entire Sect coalition of the Azure Hills as the Grand Marshal was a titanic task at the best of times. Somehow, through skill and luck, she had managed to balance on that piece of twine over a bottomless chasm, where her fall would mean the end of her dream. Soothing wounded pride, stopping fights, and bringing Sectmasters around to initiatives—like the increased patrolling between mortal settlements—they didn't see the point in.

She understood completely now why Jin didn't want to lead others. The months had ground her down, despite the flawless image she presented to those she met with. She had been the vital, unstoppable Grand Marshal, who looked pristine even after mediating a conflict between the Azure Horizon and the White Water Sects for sixteen hours straight. Or running two thousand Li in less than a week visiting every sect in her path and drinking entire bottles of Spiritual wine that had been brought out to toast her arrival—and then having to spar with most of the sect when she was visiting with Elders, to prove her talent and skill.

There had been entire weeks where Xiulan slept for less than two hours in total—and if she had not been a cultivator, she would have died from the relentless pace that the Azure Hills had required. Of course, her companions had kept similar schedules a lot of the time, assisting her the best they were able—but there was only so much they could do when nearly each and every Sectmaster asked for Xiulan specifically.

By the end of it all, she hadn't even noticed the pressure upon her until it started easing off. Each and every step to Fa Ram was like a millstone being removed from her neck, and now, watching as her friends played and roughhoused with carefree smiles on their faces, Xiulan felt strange—like she was slightly wobbly and that if she took even a single step she would fall over, so great was the weight that had been lifted from her. That was why she had paused when the others had run forwards. The feelings had been nearly overwhelming.

Lucky then that she was being kept upright. Meiling was leaning on Xiulan's side and looked amused at the little scrum they were having right at the gates… but even as she watched, her fingers were working at Xiulan's back, hitting pressure points that were making her muscles unclench. Jin's arm was comforting from where it was slung around Xiulan's shoulders. She was leaning against him, his body a steady, stable anchor that would never let her fall. 

"Hey, Xiulan?" he asked her, and she looked up into his practically sparkling green eyes. "Welcome home."

Xiulan rested her head against his chest, feeling almost like her muscles had completely failed her.

"It's good to be back," she replied. Indeed, all was right with the world. They stayed a moment more, while the others got some of their excess energy out of their systems.

"Let's get warmed up! You've all had a long journey, so come on and take a load off instead of brawling at the gates!" Jin finally called out once everybody but Yin was wet as the woman's body heat was forcing all of her clothes to dry out.

The skirmish ceased instantly. Tigu bounded over, a bright smile on her face, and Jin laughed as she clambered up onto his back. Yin hopped astride Chun Ke and snuggled up against Miantiao.

They started up the hill that was in front of the gate. 

"So, so! What have you all been up to?! We were moving around too much to get letters from you! How was the harvest, was it good?! Did we get lots of potatoes?!" Tigu demanded, her eyes hungry. They were questions Xiulan wanted answered for as well, and both Yin and Huo Ten perked up.

Jin chuckled. "The harvest was great. It took a little longer without as many helping hands, but we got it done. Bowu was a big help with his reapers, you know? They're the talk of the commandery." Xianghua's head jerked back to her little brother as the young man preened. "As for the rest…? Well, how about you see for yourselves?"

Jin finished talking right as they crested the hill, and judging from his little grin, that had been intentional.

Tigu's jaw dropped. Xiulan's eyes widened.

"Holy shit," Yin said, her voice shocked.

Xiulan was used to the farm changing. She was used to more fields being added; but for the most part, she had been there as the changes had taken place, and some things, like Jin's house, had been a constant.

It was different. Not different enough to be unrecognizable—its layout, and dare she say, its soul had been preserved. It still felt like home, its arms open wide to welcome them back, and explore the new, yet familiar place.

""I think… it's time for the grand tour, eh Gou?" Jin asked, smiling.

"Damn straight!" Gou Ren replied, as they walked down the path to the first drastic change. "We went all out!" 

Gou Ren's house, the one he had inherited from Jin, had been expanded into a more traditional manor with rust red shingles. The walls were adorned with the geometric designs of Gou Ren's mother's tribe. It had a full courtyard, tree saplings within, and glass windows. There was even an entire outcropping of the house that was glass, mimicking Jin's greenhouse, and this was clear of snow and filled with green and growing things. Within the courtyard were stacks of lumber and stone, what looked to be a mock-up of a miniature house, and a bunch of Bowu's machines, all under varying states of construction.

Gou Ren scratched at the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I maybe went a bit overboard," he admitted. "But there were a bunch of things I wanted to try, and well, it's not just my house. Bowu lives here too, and Chun Ke and Pi Pa sleep here a lot of the time, so…"

Xiulan nodded as she looked at the house and noted that every door had a large protrusion on it—so Chun Ke could easily grab it and open the doors, she realised. 

"We got it knocked out in under a month. It's got the works: water crystals and fire crystals for hot and cold water, light stones, plumbing, an indoor shower, the toilet is connected to the septic system we made—I'll show you all how it works later," Jin narrated as Gou Ren let them in. "Everybody worked really hard on this."

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It was simple, clean, and homey… and there were technical and architectural drawings pinned up against most of the walls—all except one, which had a bunch of the images Yun Ren had made displayed proudly on it, the most prominent of them featuring Gou Ren, Bowu, and Xianghua.

Xianghua looked like she was about to melt as she stared at that wall—covered in their smiling faces.

"Isn't it great, Big Sis?" Bowu asked.

"It's wonderful," she whispered before giving Gou Ren a look out of the corner of her eye as he explained the sink to Huo Ten. Xiulan had seen Jin's design drawing for it. It was quite like what they had at the Dueling Peaks, now that Delun had fixed the formations powering the water supply. "Though, I would ask for your consideration tonight, Little Brother—"

"I'm sleeping at Jin's place," Bowu whispered, giving a thumbs up to his sister. Miantiao, Pi Pa, and Chun Ke all nodded as well.

Xianghua's smile was one of a cat which had just caught a bird, stolen a fisherman's catch, and topped it all off by raiding the milk pail.

Xiulan prayed for her Junior Brother's pelvis. Gou Ren hadn't noticed still, as he was showing off the toilet bowl.

Yin in particular was examining it with an experienced eye.

"As expected of Shifu! Look at that smoothness on the glaze! And the durability!" Yin said, her eyes full of admiration.

'Indeed, my disssciple. It was a mossst engaging project!' the snake replied.

From Gou Ren's house, they continued down the path. To the right, there was a new clearing in the forest, filled with three enormous warehouses. They were slightly hidden from view by the forest, and from the main house they would be completely invisible. Jin opened the door of the first warehouse and Xiulan had to pause and just stare at the row upon ordered row of rice bales.

"Are all of them full?" Xiulan asked. They had been pretty full last year, but this? It made her feel a bit guilty for being gone for the harvest.

"Yup. If it ain't food it's building materials—and these are the warehouses for the stuff we're going to sell. There's more storage in the cold cellars, and we repurposed Huo Ten's tunnels as the new cold cellar."

'Oho? Tha's a fine use for my tunnels!' The monkey said. 'Tell me if they need to be expanded more—digging is always fun.'

They turned back and kept walking on to the island, and as they rounded the forest they saw another building downstream on the first, smaller river's bank, slightly shielded again by the trees.

"That's the guest house for people like the Guan siblings to stay at," Jin narrated as they continued on. "Having so much stuff to maintain is a bit annoying, but that one just needs a quick look over like once a week." 

They then reached the first bridge—it had been redone—it was wider and made of stone, with a red lacquered railing. They then crossed over onto the island.

To the left was the medicine hut. Though hut was hardly an appropriate term for it now, as it was now a true medicine warehouse. Complete with a bunch of warnings on the door in Jin's goodcalligraphy, telling people who entered not to touch anything without permission, complete with an amusing looking drawing of a man getting poisoned. The warning was apparently courtesy of the…'Oh Sha' sect? She had heard Jin say something about Oh Sha before, like when they were all wearing helms by the drop hammer.

To the right was the bath house, which looked much the same and was already puffing smoke. Beside the bath house was an old friend—the mighty form of the General that Commands the Winter stood proudly. Yet he still obviously needed more snow, as well as his hat—it was only half built, and there was a hollow in his chest where the perfect sphere of crystal that was his 'heart' was yet to be put in.

"We dragged our feet a little bit, because we knew you guys were coming home," Meiling said with a smile. "We'll finish him up tomorrow, if you're all feeling up to it."

That got enthusiastic nods from Tigu and Yin.

Finally was the house. Again, Jin and Gou Ren had captured the soul of the original. It looked much the same, but there were small differences that spoke of the lessons Jin had learned. There were separate ways of grabbing doors for Spirit Beasts, and they were slightly wider to accommodate Bei Be's bulk. On the rooftop, every corner had an additional, perch-like extension, and there were small divots carved into the pillars that held up the roof, so smaller creatures could easily climb to the top.

It was the small things, to make life easier for the people who lived there.

They opened the door to the house, and the smell hit Xiulan—the comforting scent of home. The mudroom was again nearly how she remembered it, though there was a difference.

"You fixed the Feng Shui," Xiulan said, pleasantly surprised. That had been the only blemish on the otherwise lovely house—the paths Qi had taken through the building were strange, and that was why when Xiulan did cultivate she did so on the roof.

Jin rolled his eyes. "Gou Ren fixed the Feng Shui. That said, there are two people who need to meet you. The first is Vajra."

Xiulan blinked. "The bee? She's a Spirit Beast?"

Jin nodded as he led them into the living room. Xiulan couldn't wait to lay down on one of the couches.

"Yup, she's a Spirit Beast. And she did a very good job of guarding Zhuye—he fell asleep a bit before you arrived."

The bee, which had been sitting on the back of the couch, buzzed into the air and started bobbing up and down. Xiulan paused, examining the dance.

She… she was understanding the bee?

…praise…Emperor, be welcomed… warriors of…?

'Friend Vajra thanks Big Brother. Welcomes returning soldiers home,' Chun Ke oinked, translating for the bee.

Oh, Xiulan was quite close then. Though she was fairly certain Vajra's language had been significantly more flowery.

And when she had wiggled at Xiulan, it had an undertone of… insult? Maybe?

Xiulan squinted at the bee before paying her no mind, instead focusing on the last member of Fa Ram.

Zhuye was asleep on a blanket at the foot of the couch. Tigu was already on all fours before him. She was clearly restraining herself from just picking him up.

"He's gotten so big!" Xiulan whispered in awe as she looked at the boy's rosy cheeks and peaceful face. He had to be three times the size he had been when they had left! And he was so cute!

Especially the way his nose started twitching.

The boy squirmed in his sleep, sniffing the air like Meiling did. He paused and sniffed the air again.

His eyes snapped open and locked on to Tigu and Xiulan as his nose kept twitching.

Then Zhuye started bouncing and wiggling as he made grasping motions. Tigu scooped him up into her arms and the boy squealed with happiness.

"Little brother! I'm back!" Tigu cheered.

Xiulan's cheeks hurt from her smiling.

=============================

It had been early afternoon when they had arrived, and by the time they finished the tour, looking at the second greenhouse, the expanded drop hammer, and all the new fields, the sun was starting to set.

After that, they had a feast. Jin, Meiling, Wa Shi, and Pi Pa had gone all out. The familiarity of home was accented by an assortment of foods Xiulan could have never even dreamed of. Wonton soup sat beside Ta Kos filled with beef. Rice was served with a Ka Jun boil that had crawdads, potatoes, and corn with a spicy pepper paste in it. Meiling had even made a roast duck, one of the last of the season that had been preserved and aged wonderfully by Gou Ren.

They mostly talked about everything that had happened on the farm, rather than any of their own exploits—they spoke of things like the Wandering Deer Caravan, having sampled vodka mixed with berries, and laughed about Wa Shi getting launched out of the toilet.

They also asked about Bi De, Ri Zu, and Yun Ren. They were told they were fine, but that it was a story for tomorrow.

After the meal, they had a bath; and for the second time today and the first in eight months, Xiulan got to feel the skilled fingers of Meiling, who tutted about the state of Xiulan's back, even as she efficiently dismantled every knot and left Xiulan a pile of jelly.

And then, by that point, it was dark out, and Tigu had started yawning.

Xiulan was fading quite quickly too, so they decided that it would be better to sleep.

She went into her room. Her room, which previously she had called her borrowed room. It was again, a bit bigger. But everything she had left there had been lovingly kept and tended to. The clothes were clean and fresh. The images and seeds from Chun Ke she had kept on her desk had been left largely undisturbed, so that she could arrange them how she pleased later.

Xiulan changed into her sleepwear, which Meiling had put by the fire so it would be warm, and walked out onto the small balcony—another new addition for the rooms. And, in another moment of consideration, it was easier to get onto the roof from here. 

She swung herself up. The roof itself was completely clear of snow, and she walked over to her normal place and sat down.

She sighed happily as she stared out at the winter-blanketed land, setting her hands on either side of herself… before pausing and glancing down.

…there were little circular divots in the roof tile—the perfect size to hold a cup of tea. Xiulan smiled slightly as she heard approaching footsteps.

Speak of Cao Cao, and he shall arrive.

"I thought I'd find you up here," Jin said, carrying a tray. Meiling was right behind him. "Tea?"

What could Xiulan do but agree?

The tea was as warm and comforting as the two people who sat on either side of her.

Home. She was home.

Book 5: Chapter 5: Hearth and Home

Meiling smiled at the scene before her as she laid propped up on her arm. The house was quiet and dark, with everybody else still asleep.

Meiling reached down and absently tucked a strand of hair behind Tigu's ear. The girl stirred at Meiling's touch, leaning into it slightly before settling again on her pillow—in this case Jin's arm. Though Tigu was not the only one using that pillow. Xiulan's forehead was almost touching Tigu's as they faced each other. Tigu was closer to Jin, while Xiulan's back was touching Meiling. Between Tigu and Xiulan was Zhuye, her son's fingers wrapped around Tigu's. Jin had thankfully made the bed a bit larger, so Xiulan and Tigu had fit in just fine—and this time Tigu stayed human instead of having to shift into a cat.

Meiling took a deep breath, focusing on the clean purity of first Xiulan's Qi, then Tigu's.

Her small smile widened.

She had been in a good mood ever since she caught her family's scent on the breeze as they returned home. There had been a minor undercurrent of bubbling stress, especially to Xiulan, but otherwise the smell of their Qi was perfect: no acrid tang, no rotten sweetness. They were hale and hearty—they just all needed a bit of pampering.

Meiling had simply dragged Xiulan past her own room and into her and her husband's when they had retired from the roof. It said a lot that Xiulan hadn't even put up a token resistance as Meiling pulled her along. Then again, Meiling hadn't made any jokes either, but now was not the time. Xiulan had needed some comfort and support, not teasing, for the wonderful job she had done. Especially considering how Xiulan had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Meiling had carefully completed her examinations of Tigu and Xiulan as they slept. Her Qi had ghosted through both of their bodies as she fixed minor tangles in their meridians, removed minor blocks, and smoothed out the remaining knots. It felt a little like she had wrapped them both in a full body hug, and the results had been quite pleasing, as both Xiulan and Tigu fell into even deeper slumber.

Now their Qi had calmed completely. Meiling resolved to take care of both Yin and Xianghua the next chance she got. Both of them deserved it—as well as Loud Boy, Rags, the Torrent Rider, and Delun. All of them had performed excellent work.

She didn't get to look much longer at Tigu's cute, sleeping face, however. A reedy crow echoed out as Xiao Ku, Little Yell,greeted the morning. They had finally given their "backup rooster", as Jin jokingly called him, a name. Xiao Ku shouted as long and loud as he could… until Meiling heard the thump of him hitting the wall of the coop, having nearly passed out from his own crowing.

Zhuye then opened his eyes and proved why his nickname was Little De. A sound quite like a rooster issued forth from her son's throat as he woke up. He huffed, obviously satisfied with himself, before turning to look up at where Meiling's face normally was.

He seemed slightly confused to see Xiulan instead, and then he turned his head again in shock and confusion as he saw Tigu instead of Jin. He stared into Tigu's yellow eyes as she woke up. His face screwed up for a moment, like he was going to cry in shock at this new situation… until he started sniffing. Meiling's little one pondered the smell in his nose… before his face brightened and he reached out to Tigu with a 'Gah!'

Tigu let out an amused sound from her throat as she stood and scooped her little brother up, rubbing her cheek against him as she giggled.

"Good morning, little brother!" she called out as she spun him around.

Jin laughed as Tigu zoomed Zhuye around the room, much to his delight. Jin's Qi flexed and the room's Light Stones lit themselves, illuminating the bedroom. They watched her for a while, then her husband turned to her.

"Good morning, love," he said and he leaned over to give her a good morning kiss. She could see some of the tension that had been plaguing him was well and truly gone too. He wouldn't be back to 100% until Bi De returned… but this was good.

Xiulan, her head still on Jin's forearm, grumbled slightly. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Meiling looking at her… before Xiulan picked up her head, grabbed Jin's arm, and put the limb over her eyes to block out the light.

"Come on now, it's time to get up," Meiling said in an encouraging tone.

Jin just snorted with laughter at Xiulan's grumbling as she shook her head in denial.

"Let's let her rest. She's earned it," Jin said, an amused look on his face..

"Oh very well," Meiling said fondly… and chuckled at the small victorious smile on Xiulan's face. Well. She did deserve her rest.

=======================

It was fantastic to once more have an undercurrent of noise at the breakfast table. Meiling was just waiting for the rice to finish cooking and then everything would be done.

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She glanced out into the living room and smiled at the sight that caught her eye.

Tigu was bouncing Zhuye up and down on her knee, Zhuye making excited noises while Tigu talked with the others.

"You sleep well?" she asked the two newcomers that had come downstairs.

"Ah, yeah, I slept great—let me tell you, getting into bed as a human feels way different than as a rabbit—covers pulled up to your face, under a warm blanket. Roughing it can be fun, but there's something to be said for this, yanno? Bein' home," Yin said happily as she leaned against Chun Ke. Miantiao was curled around Yin's arm and had his head resting on top of hers. Yin was gently tracing her fingers over the snake's scales. She looked a little sleepy still, but her smile was infectious. It was bright and happy, before it turned slightly bashful and Yin glanced up at Meiling. "And, uh... thanks again for the room, Mistress. You guys didn't have to make me all that stuff!"

That 'stuff' being the bed, the extra clothes, and human-sized copies of the gifts she had received as a rabbit.

"Of course we had to; you're part of the family. That room is yours, as is everything within," Meiling stated simply.

Yin blushed, her features stunningly beautiful. A fairy from the heavens come to earth.

"What did you think of the toilets?" Bowu asked.

"They're great! Shittin' inside sure is crazy!" Yin said enthusiastically. "I actually turned back into a rabbit and tried it out that way. My shits are round when I'm like that and they go whoooo all 'round the toilet bowl when you flush—"

The fairy disappeared as Yin got more into talking about her bowel movements' interactions with the toilet, complete with hand gestures.

… honestly, Meiling couldn't entirely blame her. There was something fascinating about watching objects circle the whirlpool, only to drain away. Meiling had actually kept dropping leaves in one day until the toilet had clogged. She had ended up needing to bribe Wa Shi to get it unstuck. 

Jin still didn't know she had done that.

Meiling shook away that embarrassing thought.

Soon enough, the rice was finished and they started to bring out all the food—from the grilled river fish and rice to the freshly baked bread; fried, scrambled, and poached eggs; deer sausages, and mushroom patties, as well as their massive stock of pickled vegetables. Meiling's brine from home, as well as Jin's new, spicy ones.

Xiulan couldn't stay asleep with the smells wafting upstairs and quickly staggered down, rubbing what remained of it out of her eyes.

Meiling smiled at the much fuller table—and then the door opened and the last two members of their family present arrived.

"Good morning, my dearest friends!" Xianghua thundered out as she walked into the room. She was practically glowing, a massive smile on her face as she marched over to hug her little brother. "Today is an absolutely wonderful day!"

There were, however, blemishes on her skin—mostly faded bruises on her neck and collarbone, as well as on her wrists. Meiling very much knew where those bruises were from, as she had worn them plenty of times herself.

Meiling had heard some of the great struggle of wills that had taken place in Gou Ren's house while they were on the roof, but their own room was sound-proofed enough that it hadn't interfered with their sleep.

Behind Xianghua, moving much more gingerly, was Gou Ren. Her brother in all but blood was limping slightly and looked like he did after that one time he had tracked a herd of deer for two weeks straight before finally managing to make his kill, then he had to get it back through the worst rainstorm they had had in years.

He was exhausted, bruised, and looked dead on his feet. It looked like every step was done only through supreme willpower and his cheeks were hollow.

Yet he had a smirk on his face. He locked eyes with Jin as he hobbled up to Meiling's husband.

Both of them reared back their arms before their hands met in a mighty clasp.

Jin simply nodded at Gou Ren, manly pride practically radiating off him.

Gou Ren nodded back… and then hobbled to sit down beside Xianghua, who was still practically sparkling in the sun.

Meiling could only start laughing. Oh, it was so good to have everybody back.

======================

Her good mood continued as the day progressed.

They went out into the snow-filled yard and started on the General; with the extra hands, they packed more and more snow onto his already towering form—though this too was slow going as Yin and Tigu started a snowball fight in the middle of it all. Only Xiulan and Gou Ren abstained, cheering on the brawl instead of partaking. Meiling kept both of them topped up with tea as they dozed in the winter sun.

Eventually, however, the snowball fight petered out and they returned to working on the General. 

Jin climbed up to the divot in the middle of the General's chest and inserted the completely round crystal within it, sparkling with motes of white inner light. He packed the snow tight around the crystal's new resting place.

Wa Shi placed the biggest carrot of the harvest into the General's face as his nose, and Chun Ke brought over massive branches for his arms.

And finally, Meiling and Tigu heaved up the dark hat made of reeds and together… they placed it onto the General's head.

For some reason, Meiling almost felt like something was supposed to happen. It must have been the story Jin had told her about the magic snowman.

They both hopped down and turned to look up at their handiwork. The General, in his wonderful tall hat and carrot nose, stood tall. His sooty eyes and smile beamed out over the treetops.

Meiling very much liked this tradition. They sat for a while, admiring their handiwork—before retiring inside to roast chestnuts.

The General stayed smiling, strong and proud, the Qi of everyone who helped make him swirling around his core.

============================

It grew and grew, as a nascent spirit formed. It reached out, almost blindly, and touched a web of gold. There were gaps in the web. Places where subordinate spirits were supposed to assist the Provincial Spirit. Minor land spirits that had been shattered and broken thousands of years ago. Dead, never to be recovered.

The General ghosted along these connections, as it had last year. His power flowed as he touched his subordinate.

He felt the Warden, who had fallen in battle last year; yet he was reborn from the will and belief of those who had retrieved his mighty hat.

And then there were others. Many others, small subordinates close together. They were tiny things, most of them set just outside of houses or on front steps. 

Yet one was larger. One was much larger, and he had a name. The Captain who Braves the Devil Storms would be a fine subordinate; built as he was by guards, he knew his duty well.

He could feel it. The belief. The faith. The wish that had made him and even now empowered him.

He was the General that Commands the Winter.

He had a duty. He touched the web again. He grasped it.

There was a spark. 

An empty position was once more filled; as the General swore fealty to Tianlan's throne.

Book 5: Chapter 6: A Sunny Bunny

"How's it going up there, Yin? Miantiao?" an amused voice asked, and Yin's eyes fluttered open. She was warm and content as she laid in her hammock. She turned her head slightly and looked down to where Master Jin was smiling up at her. "Should it be higher or lower?"

"This is really fuckin' great. Perfect height," she said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Well, here's the five minute warning. We're all gathering up for Bi De's letter—and we're going to do it in here," he called up to her, to which Yin nodded. She was looking forward to hearing what had happened!

"You got it, Mast—" she cut herself off at his raised eyebrow. "Big Bro."

Big Bro Jin snorted with amusement and left Yin to it. She watched him go for a moment before turning back to look at the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. The hammock was slung in roughly the middle of the greenhouse, and the glass concentrated the sun's rays just enough to feel perfect—even in late afternoon it was just right.

It was really nice of Big Bro to show her this spot. The bed last night had been great, but this? This was perfect. Swaying on a hammock, within her Shifu's greatest creation, with a glass of cold fruit juice and some tasty nuts…

They never got this much relaxing time back at the Peaks, and this was… exactly what she had needed. So far today she had eaten the most delicious breakfast she had eaten in eight months, built a giant snow golem, gotten a massage from Big Sis Mei, which had feltfantastic, and then Big Bro had given her this awesome spot to nap, and had brought her up fruit juice while Wa Shi had given her some snacks.

Like she had said before: it was really fuckin' great. Yin yawned and stretched, smacking her lips happily.

On her chest, her Shifu stirred, the old snake opening one bleary eye. His scars looked slightly less rough and painful these days, and a few of the biggest had actually shrunk down after his last shed. The first year, Shifu's wounds hadn't seemed to heal at all, only getting slightly less painful. But now Big Sis Meiling's healing arts were working their magic, slowly and steadily. 

The only thing that was completely the same was Shifu's broken back… but that too Big Sis Meiling was working on. Spines were delicate things, and she wanted to be absolutely certain nothing bad would happen—especially because the tests she had performed on fish only succeeded half the time.

But she was working on it, and that was all Yin could ask for.

'Issss it time?' her Shifu asked, and Yin nodded.

"Want me to leave you up here for the last ray of the sun?'

The snake pondered things for a moment before shaking his head.

'I do not wissshh to misss Tigu's expression,' the snake stated simply, looking amused. He nuzzled Yin's cheek, then curled around her arm so she could move.

Yin filed that away, but didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she rolled out of the hammock and dropped three stories to the ground. Her feet landed on soft grass, and she looked up at the hammock strung between the ceiling's support beams. The only way up to the hammock was to jump up to the beams.

Yin stepped off the grass and onto stone. She set off towards the main seating area, once more marveling at how much even the greenhouse had changed.

Like everything else, it was bigger… but just a bigger greenhouse wouldn't have been that amazing.

Last year it had bare stone floors and raised planters. It had been very nice to have a warm place with a bit of green during winter, but that hadn't been good enough for Big Bro Jin, apparently.

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This year, the stone floors took up only a quarter of the space they once did, relegated mostly to small foot paths that wound between different sections of the greenhouse. A lot of the floor was now grass. There were still a bunch of raised planters that the vegetables grew in, but they were no longer the only thing. There were a couple of transplanted fruit trees, some berry bushes, and what had to be hundreds of flowers. There was even a small river and a few ponds—generated from water crystals. They were growing Wa Shi's favorite river weeds that didn't grow during the winter.

The plants weren't the only life, either. Yin raised a finger as she walked, a butterfly landing briefly on it before the pretty blue and black thing fluttered off again.

Big Bro Jin had taken in some butterflies at the end of summer, whose children now fluttered about and helped Vajra and her servants pollinate things.

Yin didn't really understand the Spirit Beast bee at all, but that was fine. They'd be able to talk some day, and that was enough.

"Good job girls," Yin said instead as she passed by some of the bees that were gathering more nectar. The bees turned and bobbed up and down like a bow. Yin grinned as she kept along the path, taking a detour to check out the sunflowers—her favourites.

It was… a magical place. And from what Big Bro had been talking about, if the expedition south all went well, it would get even prettier.

It truly was a piece of transplanted summer made possible only by Qi-wrought glass. In addition to these were the "conservatories" attached directly to the houses as well as the glass drinking vessels, porcelain plates, and clay pickling jars…her Shifu and Master Jin had truly outdone themselves.

…and maybe, just maybe, if her Shifu was feeling well enough, he could start taking apprentices? And then, the whole of the Azure Hills could see such wonders! Wouldn't that be that 'irony' thing? Shifu's village that Sun Ken had destroyed would instead have a monument in every village; a glass house to help them through the winter.

She'd bring it up to her Shifu later.

Yin and her Shifu arrived at the meeting place not long after, her steps light and a smile firmly on her face. She could feel the warmth of the sun, inside her body and out.

They were the last to arrive. Huo Ten and Pi Pa were drinking tea with Big Sis Meiling, Bowu, and Chun Ke. Tigu and Big Bro Jin were sitting on the bank of the artificial river with their feet in the water, talking to Wa Shi. Xianghua and Gou Ren were leaning against each other on a stone bench. Bei Be, to Yin's surprise, was watching over Zhuye, the child crawling along the grass.

Xiulan was wrapped up in a blanket and dozing still.

Big Bro Jin smiled as he saw them and then stood up.

"Alright everybody, gather around—I'll wake up the Xiu-Shi roll," he said, looking amused. Yin was a bit confused, before realizing who he was talking about. She snorted. Xiulan did look kind of like some strange dessert, or food item, all rolled up like that.

Jin stuck his finger, wet from the river, in the woman's ear.

Yin burst out laughing as Xiulan yelped, flailing for a moment in her blanket—before turning and glaring impotently at him.

Big Bro just stuck his tongue out and dried off his hands. He then picked up a scroll that was sitting beside a pile of woodblocks and began to read it.

Fa Bi De pays his respects to his Great Master, the Healing Sage, and his fellow disciples…

And thus, they settled down to listen to the story of Bi De's journey. One of Yin's closest friends, the one who had brought them to this wonderful, wonderful place.

They listened in relative silence as their journey progressed—until a certain line.

Thus, to facilitate our infiltration of the Shrouded Mountain Sect and investigate the potential Demonic presence, we transformed into humans.

"Ha! I knew they could do it!" Tigu shouted. "Come on, let's see what they look like! I'm sure Bi De looks insufferably smug, and Ri Zu is short!"

Yin noticed practically everybody who had stayed at home turned to look at Tigu, as Big Bro Jin pulled out the woodprint and turned it around.

Vibrant red hair immediately caught Yin's eyes. A perfect, masculine face. Muscles for days. And those green eyes—Yin swallowed as her heart sped up.

"Wow," she breathed out.

And then Tigu broke the spell.

"That rat is going to be absolutely insufferable when she gets back, isn't she?" the woman asked, her eyes glaring at the second person in the image. Yin managed to tear her eyes away from Bi De and look at—

Oh, so that's why everybody else was watching her. Yin turned to Tigu after that too, taking in her twitching eyebrow.

"Why?! It isn't fair, damn it! Why does she get freckles! And after saying my taste is weird, look! Look at her arms, she has some muscle there!" Tigu marched up to the wooden block and glared at Ri Zu. "Look! Look at that little smirk! She's mocking me! I know it!"

"She's cute though," Big Sis Mei said, smirking.

"Of course, they're both good looking! How could Ri Zu be anything but devastatingly cute when she looks like Mistress?! How could Bi De not be handsome when he looks like a girly version of Master?!" Tigu demanded. Yin saw Wa Shi nearly spit out his drink as he started laughing. "I'll admit that Bi De's musculature is nearly perfect… but he would be better with a bit more ruggedness! And what the hells is this?!" A finger jabbed at Ri Zu's chest. "Why are they so big?!"

Yin pulled out the snacks Wa Shi had given her for the hammock and settled in, a smile on her face as Tigu ranted.

Fuck, she loved being home.

========================

They did eventually get through the story.

It was quite a tense one, full of twists and turns… but Yin contented herself with one fact; there had been no demons, and the old bastard Shen Yu was currently bearing down on them.

She was still afraid of the man. She still didn't like him, for threatening her home.

But if that asshole was on the case? The demons were fucked.

Yin went to sleep on the hammock, content.

Book 5: Chapter 7: A Calm Day of Mist

Liu Xianghua was quite certain she had never been more content in her life as she gripped her Ha Qi stick in her hands. The air was full of the sound of blades sliding along the ice, shouts of exertion, and laughter.

They were taking advantage of the last bits of daylight to engage in this wondrous game, Bi De's story having taken a few hours to finish. It had been exactly like one of those stories she used to read to her brother; a righteous cultivator exposing a corrupt sect and winning the day. It was quite nice to have one more thing that had been worrying herself and Xiulan off the long list of potential problems that they would have to deal with. Now, instead of a potential attack, Xianghua could just sit back and be amused that the bastards who had interrupted her first night with Gou had been defeated by a chicken, a rat, and her beloved brother.

Xiulan had found it similarly amusing. Xianghua glanced at her friend who was for once not playing. Instead, she was sitting on the sideline, holding Young Master Zhuye to her chest while the babe chewed on her hair. Both were bundled up, and Xiulan looked absolutely content. The foolish Blade of Grass had been playing tough the entire time they had been at the Dueling Peaks, and had finally let the weight fall from her shoulders.

There was a small part of Xianghua that wished to be right beside her, dozing today away. But that was impossible, for right now she was doing something she had hoped to do for a very, very long time.

"Get your head in the game, Big Sis!" Bowu scolded as he skated past her, his face flush with exertion and his steps wonderfully steady.

She was playing with her brother. Properlyplaying with her brother.

Bowu, before his leg had been crippled, had always loved to run, jump, and chase her around. He had always been on the move, her little brother. And now, he was again. How utterly wonderful. But he was right! This was no time to get teary-eyed. They had a game to win!

Xianghua shook herself out of her introspection and refocused. Herself, Bowu, Gou Ren, Pi Pa, and Huo Ten versus Jin, Meiling, Tigu, Wa Shi, and Chun Ke. Yin was asleep in the greenhouse with Miantiao, and Bei Be was, after every match, going over the ice with his plough. This left perfectly smooth ice with a mirror finish, and while he wasn't playing the ox seemed to enjoy this duty immensely, snorting with satisfaction… and sliding on his side across the mirror finish back to the snowbank.

She locked her eyes on the current scrum, and a flash of pride filled her chest as Gou Ren managed to steal the puck off Lady Mei—Meiling. The woman fell on her rump and skidded into a snowbank, shaking her fist good-naturedly at Gou Ren. Her beloved stuck his tongue out at her and turned to begin his run for the goal—only for his eyes to bug out.

"Huo Ten!" he shouted and slapped the puck to the monkey moments before Gou Ren joined Meiling in the snowbank, courtesy of Wa Shi's coils. The dragon continued on to Huo Ten, his eyes gleaming.

Yet the monkey was equal to the task, dodging around the dragon with simian grace before passing the puck to Bowu.

Bowu's eyes filled with concentration as Xianghua formed up beside him.

"Let's go! Left side!" Bowu shouted as he rocketed forward on his skates. Xianghua followed his callout, going left to intercept Tigu, clashing with her friend in a clatter of sticks and letting Bowu break through. Both Tigu and Xianghua gave it their all, their battle ending as they hit the riverbank and fell into the snowbank together.

Xianghua immediately sat up, watching as Bowu skated down the gap—only to come face to face with a mountain.

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"Wa-ha-ha-ha! You dare challenge me?! The Master of Ha Qi?!" Jin boomed, a big smile on his face and his eyes dancing with what Xianghua was certain was amusement.

Xianghua was quite pleased with herself for her certainty. Jin's expressions had changed quite a bit after he met with Lord Shen Yu, and Xianghua had had to relearn all of them. A task she had accomplished in record time, and his expressions had not changed further!

Jin barred Bowu's path. Normally, this would signal instant defeat, to challenge such a Master— but Jin was adamant that they restrained themselves to mortal capabilities during these games, to better show their skills… unless it had been agreed beforehand to use Qi.

Thus, her little brother had a chance as he skated towards Jin. The man barreled towards Bowu, intent on a hip check, but at the last moment Bowu stomped down on his once-bad leg and threw himself into a dodge all members of the Misty Lake Sect were taught. It was perfect—like he had never stopped training. A dodge befitting of the Young Master of the Misty Lake.

However, Jin was a master of Ha Qi, and though momentarily foiled, launched into an immediate second attack.

Bowu managed a hasty shot before he was taken off his feet. Jin's bulk crashed into him and again Bowu took the full force on his bad leg. 

Xianghua knew that there was no risk, yet it did not stop her slight breath of relief when there was no crack, no shout of pain. Bowu skidded along the ice, his eye on the puck.

Chun Ke's own stick tagged it… but not enough to deflect it from the net.

Bowu shouted with joy.

"Good play, good play!" Jin praised as Gou Ren got himself out of the snowbank so both he and Bowu could jump into the air and slam their chests together—and then he did the same thing to Huo Ten.

Xianghua was up on her feet instantly. Bowu saw her coming and braced for a jump. Their chests connected and Bowu landed without stumbling, laughing.

There was no look of surly anger. No constant grimace of pain… and Xianghua realised that she would have to study her little brother more—these expressions were no longer familiar to her, being so full of what she was quite sure was joy.

It was a wonderful thing.

=======================

Their game did eventually end, as the sun set and they headed back to the house for dinner—where Xianghua was finally regaled with the whole tale about Bowu's machines and their spread across the commandery.

"And they were interested?" Liu Xianghua asked her younger brother as he finished talking about the exhibition.

"Were they ever! The main problem was the price—I know how little mortals make, but out here the margins are even lower so nobody could afford to buy them outright. But! That's where Big Bro Jin and the Lord Magistrate came in," Bowu said with pride.

"We set up a subsidy. We pay a portion of the machine's cost, to make it more affordable," Jin said simply. Xianghua nodded. Jin, for all that he said he was not a Sectmaster, took care of the mortals like one… or rather, like one was supposed to.

"How many ended up using this subsidy?" Xianghua asked.

"We sold ten machines this year!" Bowu said, puffing out his chest. "'Course, me, Miantiao, Uncle Che, Big Bro Gou, Big Bro Jin, and Ty An had to do, like, three all-nighters to get them all done, but it was great! Everyone loved them, and they made the harvest way easier. There weresome issues that the farmers brought up, but I think I have them fixed. I already got a new iteration made! And I'm probably going to have to hire a bunch of smiths—the Lord Magistrate said more villages have seen what they can do and are asking about them."

From there, Bowu launched into a bunch of technical explanations while Xianghua sat back to listen to him talk, committing every word he said to memory. Her shoulder was against Gou Ren's as she followed along.

Like Xiulan, she let the stresses of her duties to the Misty Lake Sect and the Dueling Peaks wash off her shoulders. What greater way to feel refreshed, than to know those she loved were content?

===============

Finally, she lay in bed with Gou Ren. His breath tickled her face and his arms were wrapped around her. Xianghua smiled at his face and his freshly trimmed sideburns.

She didn't mind it when it was all bushy… but Gou had admitted that he let it grow specifically so he could ask her to cut it.

He liked the feeling, which was adorable, and nearly had her go for a repeat performance of last night… but they had kept it sweet instead. They were both too tired after their activities the previous night anyway.

She had, as outlined in her letter, endeavored to break Gou Ren's bed. In the end, however, she had been bested. Gou Ren's reinforcement skill was surely heavens-defying to resist the power of one nearly a full Realm above him.

She let out a breath and hugged him a bit tighter.

They needed to set a date for their wedding. Gou Ren had said he wanted to wait until he had something worthy of her… and he no longer had that excuse with the fine manor he had crafted.

They just had to figure out how they were going to spend their time, with her being Sectmaster and all. Having two homes wasn't the worst thing, and she could always say she was entering Closed Door Cultivation or going on a resource gathering mission when she left to come back north.

Those were thoughts for the future—a future Xianghua was sincerely looking forward to.

As she drifted off to sleep, Xianghua thanked the heavens for their kindness and for giving her a place like this.

Book 5: Chapter 8: The Master of the Azure Hills

While it was nice to relax with everybody, there was at least some work to be done before we went to Hong Yaowu later today… as well as some messages and reports I had to take as "The strongest man in the Province" rather than just Jin.

Normally a guy would probably take correspondence from the leader of a powerful clan in an office as they pondered the political ramifications over some fine wine or something.

I took them in my barn as I performed my monthly cognitive tests on my normal animals. Afro, Pompom, and Fuzzy the sheep completely disregarded me trying to communicate with them. They were butting my hands, trying to get more food. They were treasured members of my farm, and their fleece was in a good portion of our clothes, but it didn't look like I would be holding any new lessons. Still absolutely zerothoughts in these guys' heads.

"Of course I'll make some time to go to Crystal Hill to have dinner with Master Gen, Huo Ten," I said, answering the polite request from the monkey. "It'll be good to visit again."

'Thank ye kindly, Master Jin,' the Monkey said, bowing. 'Master Gen wants to thank everybody who helped us retrieve our past, and this is the least we can do to show our appreciation. Near fifty of my kin have awakened. It's glorious… but we're a right barrel of monkeys right now, with everyone discovering themselves.'

I laughed at his joke, and Huo Ten chuckled from beside me when I got an idea. "Actually, I'll remind him of my previous offer. If Master Gen or any of your people want to stop by, my door is open."

'Oh, you'll definitely get some visitors then, Master Jin. The young'uns are adventurous!' Huo Ten replied. 

It would certainly be fun having a bunch of sapient monkeys around.

The thought was appealing. I could only hope the Cultivators of the Azure Hills thought similarly…

"And Huo Ten? I know you're all taking a massive risk, exposing yourselves to the humans of the Azure Hills. If anything bad happens…" I trailed off, looking directly at him.

The monkeys of Crystal Hill had extended their hand in friendship to the people of the Azure Hills, and I was partially responsible for them deciding to break their cover.

I wasn't just gonna let them hang out to dry.

Huo Ten's smile faded slightly as the seriousness of my words resonated with him. Huo Ten clasped his hands in the gesture of respect before bowing slightly.

'On behalf of all of my kin… thank you, Master Jin. I can only hope that we will never need to make use of that kindness.'

"I hope the same," I said before giving the begging sheep one last handful of food and then turning to face the monkey fully. I clasped my own hands but didn't bow, as was expected of a man in my position. "Thank you for the message, Huo Ten of Crystal Hill. You've served your Master well."

The monkey repeated my gesture, bowed again, and nodded at me before setting off to the house.

I watched him go for a moment before turning to the other "messenger" for today. Xiulan was standing in front of my cows, Lonlon and Malon, and their calves. She was looking into their eyes and feeling for their Qi, as well as asking them questions in a soft voice. The cows obviously weren't getting a word, just like the sheep, but they were extremely happy to receive scritches from the floating brooms and brushes Xiulan was levitating.

"Yes, you're a cute little girl, yes you are," I heard Xiulan murmur as Lonlon leaned into her. Lonlon was pregnant again and would be giving birth this spring.

"So, Grand Marshal of the Azure Hills, what message do you bear?" I asked in my most pompous voice. Xiulan snorted at my tone, before her voice became a bit more serious.

"Ulagaan Baatar, Patriarch of the Grand Ravine Sect, humbly invites you to the Grand Ravine," Xiulan said.

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"That's quite a big thing, isn't it?" I asked after a moment, remembering the lessons the Lord Magistrate had given to me. The people of the Grand Ravine rarely tolerated outsiders. To receive an invitation from the Patriarch himself? Well, that just didn't happen. "Did he give any indication what it is about?"

"He said it was so the Grand Ravine Sect could better serve your will… and I do believe he is telling the truth. Out of everyone, they were the least surprised by what the crystals contained… and when we first met them at the Peaks, they were bearing a banner that said Tianlan upon it," Xiulan replied. "Tarkhan—Guo Daxian the Younger, as you know him, also mentioned something about listening when the earth speaks."

I grimaced as I realised what Xiulan was implying. "They think I might be Tianlan, or Xiaoshi's successor, don't they?"

"It's very likely," my friend said as she leaned against the cow she had been scratching. "They gave no indication that they know Tianlan is an Earth Spirit, just that she was a good friend to their people and that she and Xiaoshi were the ones to swear brotherhood to them."

I chewed my lip for a moment. That was a can of worms I didn't particularly want to deal with. And yet… the secret was out.

"Will it make your job easier?" I asked her. Xiulan smiled softly at me.

"I will not say, because I know what your answer will be if I indicate one way or the other. The Patriarch of the Grand Ravine Sect holds no hopes in his heart that you will agree to meet with him, and I told him the answer would likely be no."

"Jeez, can't make it easy on me, eh?" I asked her before I sighed.

Did I want to meet with him? Not particularly. But the Grand Ravine was a powerful sect for the Azure Hills… and I should probably keep my finger on the pulse of things, just so I didn't get blindsided later.

Well, I guess it was time to put my political education from the Lord Magistrate to work, eh?

"I'll meet with him after Big D comes home, or at the end of summer, whichever comes first," I said after a moment. "I'll talk with the Lord Magistrate as well about it. Baatar will have his answer… if only to dissuade him from "serving me" in person. Best to cut things off before they build up too much curiosity and do something dumb, eh?"

Xiulan bowed her head slightly.

"Then the Grand Marshal shall convey Master Rou Jin's profound words to the Grand Ravine Sect," Xiulan intoned… with just as much pompousness as I had given her earlier. We both held our serious faces for a moment before smiling. Xiulan shook her head. "Now that that's out of the way… Meiling was saying something about a bad smell?"

I paused at the question, mulling it over. "We're trying to find it, but it comes and it goes. We think it's some kind of flying creature, because we can never actually find the damn smell. Lu Ri even helped us once. I don't know if it's trouble… but we want to be more safe than sorry, so whenever she says anything about it we try to find it."

Xiulan frowned, and for the first time the sleepy aura around her pulled back, revealing the Grand Marshal of the Azure Hills rather than my tired and stressed-out friend. An aura settled around her, powerful and regal.

I swallowed slightly. 

"If it is anything that wishes to cause you trouble, we'll make sure it doesn't last long," Xiulan promised. She held my gaze for a moment… before the aura faded. "Especially if it interrupts my sleep."

I snorted as Xiulan went right back to leaning on Lonlon, looking like she was about to drift off right there.

"Well! That's hopefully enough serious stuff for today! Let's head out! Hong Yaowu, then Verdant Hill—where you guys can tell the Lord Magistrate all about the "Special Inspector" you guys met."

"If he is the Lord Magistrate's son, he will surely be pleased that his son is such a righteous, upstanding gentleman," Xiulan said optimistically. She set pace beside me as we walked back to the house.

I, knowing my teacher a bit better… well. He was sure to be something.

========================

Soon enough, we were on the way to Hong Yaowu. Each time we made that journey it seemed like the time it took for us to get there was shorter and shorter.

It used to take me about three or four hours of full speed running, and then another three or four hours to hit Verdant Hill. For a mortal, it would take a day and a half to get there, and then another two days to Verdant Hill.

These days, it felt like it took an hour at most to get to Hong Yaowu. Thirty minutes if I really pushed it.

As always, the kids noticed us first, cheering as Chun Ke rounded the bend. I saw near the forge Ty An as she raised her hand in a lazy greeting, the freckled girl covered in soot from stoking the forge.

Both Bowu and Tigu waved enthusiastically back… and I saw Xianghua squint at Ty An, consideringly.

I wondered if she knew about the betting pool going on around her and her brother. I shook my head and turned back to surveying the village. Pops had come out from his house to say hi along with Meiling's little brother… and I turned my gaze to the two newest 'members' of Hong Yaowu.

Su Yuanlin, one of the foxes from the Howling Fang Mountains and Gou Ren's kind of cousin, was talking with Lu Ri, my Senior Brother from the Cloudy Sword Sect. She handed him a small pouch and Lu Ri looked slightly surprised before he nodded his thanks, then turned to greet us.

Yuanlin had a big smile on her face.

I idly wondered what that was about, but it wasn't really any of my business. The fox woman was staying with Gou Ren's parents and had been taking little trips around the countryside. She was waiting for the Nezin tribe to return to their overwinter campground, instead of trying to find the semi-nomadic tribe.

"Senior Brother," I greeted, as Lu Ri approached. "Are you well?"

"Indeed I am," Lu Ri stated, before he turned his attention to Xiulan and Tigu. "I see your disciples have returned, Junior Brother; and I also hear some interesting things about what you have done in Grass Sea City and at the Dueling Peaks."

He sounded quite approving as he inclined his head to the women. Tigu grinned, while Xiulan bowed, but there was a considering look on her face.

"What brings you to the village today, Senior Brother? Checking the wards?" I asked, and the man nodded.

"Indeed. I shall be making sure the wards are stabilizing correctly—I also bring news from Verdant Hill," Lu Ri stated. "The Lord Magistrate is currently being audited."

I paused at the statement, a bit confused.

"He's being audited?"

Book 5: Chapter 9: The Plum

Lu Ri, Senior Disciple of the Cloudy Sword Sect, was mildly amused at how quickly Rou Jin, Hong Meiling, Cai Xiulan, and Hong Xian prepared a table and tea to better hear what Lu Ri had to say about the audit.

The concern all of them had for the Lord Magistrate warmed his heart; truly, the Patriarch of Verdant Hill's virtue was rewarded with such a loyal student, and similarly loyal subjects. Even the least of the mortals who lived here were a cut above many Lu Ri had seen. 

However, before such talk could begin in earnest, Lu Ri did have his duties to attend to… and duty came before discussing such things, especially duty to Honoured Allies of the Cloudy Sword Sect.

Lu Ri intently studied a set of glowing symbols; a diagnostic formation deployed with a key of which only he and Elder Yukong held copies. He considered them at length, noting their strength and position, and referencing it against the thick scroll he had been given by Elder Yukong.

It took perhaps thirty minutes to complete his task, and then, with a nod and a flex of his Qi, the formation disappeared.

"The stabilization continues according to the timetable Elder Yukong granted me," Lu Ri informed his companions. "By summer, it will have fully stabilized and all of its protections will have fully activated."

There were pleased looks from Jin and Meiling, both appreciative of the protection being offered this village. Some would say it was excessive, to protect a village of mere mortals so heavily.

Those people would be fools.

"Thank you once more for your hard work, Master Lu Ri," Hong Xian intoned, bowing his head politely. Lu Ri inclined his head in return. Like working with the Lord Magistrate and Lin Bao, working with Hong Xian was always a pleasure. Lu Ri could safely say the mortal was brilliant—he could even comprehend the barest secrets of the Formation that protected his home, after Lu Ri had explained them.

A formation crafted by Elder Yukong of the Cloudy Sword Sect. There were cultivators who would have sat there dumbfounded after Lu Ri's explanation, yet Hong Xian had grasped the basics..

As expected of the man who had managed to complete a formation so profound it had earned him the title of Honoured Ally. The Demon Siphoning Formation would be of great use to the Cloudy Sword Sect in the centuries ahead, and indeed the entire Crimson Phoenix Empire. His intelligence had also clearly been inherited by his daughter.

Hong Xian was also a very good host; he always had a room prepared for Lu Ri, despite the fact that he rarely rested in the village… and his ability to create herbal teas was top notch. Lu Ri wet his palate before he addressed the tiger in the room.

The bitter medicinal flavour contrasted well with the honey candies Miss Yuanlin had given him. He did not know the woman well, but she was kind to him whenever he came back to Hong Yaowu to check the wards and listened intently whenever he spoke about the mail. She seemed very interested.

Lu Ri swallowed his candy, feeling quite relaxed, and began.

"Indeed, the Lord Magistrate is being audited. The Imperial Auditor arrived last week—quite uncharacteristic of most I know to arrive so late in the season and brave the hardship that the snows bring, yet his credentials were wholly in order."

"Is it anything to be worried about? Because I've only really heard of audits in the sense of things to be avoided… or as things the government uses to attack people they don't like," Jin said, his arms folded and a frown upon his face.

Lu Ri inclined his head slightly at the insightful, if cynical, answer from Jin. The man had an intuition about him that was top notch. "Indeed, wielding the powers of government against one's rivals is something of a common practice in the cities. This far out, I originally assumed there was no ill will to his investigation. This Lu Ri has examined all of the Lord Magistrate's records, and there can be no fault found with his bookkeeping."

Hong Xian looked slightly shifty at Lu Ri's words. The man obviously knew about the state of the Lord Magistrate's finances. Lu Ri knew about the discrepancies, and Lin Bao had obviously assisted the Lord Magistrate with some… creativebookkeeping.

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However, the most hidden and most severe breaches were all done for virtuous reasons; funds for the construction of the Gutter, buying and distributing food after harvests failed, taking in the survivors of one of Sun Ken's rampages, all of these were buried so deep Lu Ri nearly hadn't noticed them and he was quite certain that the auditor would not at all.

These breaches of the law, in Lu Ri's determination, were not true crimes. Yes, they violated the letter of the law; yet the man had always paid back everything he had 'stolen' from the government's taxes… if slightly down the line.

There were other small sources of corruption as well, hidden competently but noticeably. Lu Ri knew that these were likely put there for a reason. Auditors came expecting at least some corruption and guilt. Having some minor things that could warrant a slap on the wrist at most, if the discrepancies were even found, would have the auditor walking away satisfied.

These too Lu Ri dismissed. A crate of a certain type of wine every three months or so using some of the tax revenue was permissible, especially when the man had put far more of his own personal finances into aiding his commandery than he had ever taken out.

Indeed, there should be nothing of concern for most auditors to uncover.

But of course… that was only if an Imperial Auditor was acting in good faith.

"Originally?" Hong Meiling asked, her eyes narrowing. "He is here to harm the Lord Magistrate?"

Lu Ri smiled at her deduction, as well as the affront in her voice that anyone would dare target Lu Ri's good friend. How pleasant was it, to have intelligent conversation partners. Things had been getting better since Elder Ge had restored order to the Sect, but there were still few who were so open with Lu Ri.

"Yes. Originally, I thought him merely a delayed asset, sent north to assess the higher amount of taxes the Lord Magistrate was sending forth. However, I did ask a friend about his background and they were only too happy to tell me. It appears he is a creature of the Wu family—the family of Lady Wu, the Lord Magistrate's wife. Previously, he had been deployed to the Dueling Peaks, to make trouble with the Lord Director there and send information about what the cultivators were doing to the mortal noble families."

Cai Xiulan blinked. "At the Peaks—Lord Director Bai Huizhong was complaining about an auditor. They were one and the same?"

"Yes. After being chastised by the Patriarch of the Grand Ravine Sect, it appears he planned to try another target that had been given to him," Lu Ri finished, taking another sip of tea.

Meiling frowned heavily. "So what were you planning on doing about this bastard?"

Lu Ri raised an eyebrow as he swallowed his beverage.

"Nothing, of course. The affairs of mortals are the affairs of mortals, and the Lord Magistrate has this auditor well in hand. It is a pleasure to observe his maneuvering," Lu Ri replied simply. Imposing a cultivator's will into these matters was generally considered in poor taste by the Founders. The apparatus of government was there for a reason, and only if it was broken should a cultivator step in and administer justice.

The woman seemed taken aback at Lu Ri's calm, matter-of-fact reply. The fire and anger in her eyes dulled as she considered Lu Ri's words.

"...I mean, yes, the Patriarch probably does have things well enough in hand, but after telling us all this I did think that we were going to do something with this information," she ventured.

"Truly? It was merely an interesting distraction to me, and I assumed you would like the information," Lu Ri replied, amused at Meiling's desire for action. 

And then his eyes widened as he comprehended another piece of the Founders' wisdom. He had not known why the Founders had called the 'fires of youth' charming; it resulted in broken bones and bad sparring matches in his experience, but here, with a young woman hungering for justice for a virtuous man, he was beginning to see why the Honoured Founders enjoyed it so much.

Especially because after she was gently chastised the woman tempered her fire and gained new wisdom; truly wonderful!

"Of course Teacher has it covered," Jin said, nodding his head, displaying the faith a student should have in their honoured teacher. "But, since we're headed over for a bit… we'll ask him how he wants to play things."

Lu Ri inclined his head. Leave the offer for assistance open, yet do not act unless requested. That was indeed the best way to approach this situation.

"Quite so, Rou Jin, quite so. And if the auditor is a fool… there are certain mortal contingencies in place. I have some friends looking into things for me," Lu Ri finished and took another sip of his tea.

The mood in the room slowly relaxed… though Cai Xiulan was still looking at him strangely.

"Even though the plum tree does not move, one might still find themselves in its shadow?" the woman asked.

That was quite pointed.

"Quite poetic," the Leader of the Plum Blossom's Shadow replied, a slight smile on his face.

The woman stared at him a moment longer, trying to see behind his mild mask… before Cai Xiulan's gaze became less intense and her smile more genuine.

"Thank you," she replied… though it was for more than simple thanks for him complimenting her poem.

Lu Ri took another sip of his tea as both Jin and Meiling looked between them for a moment, before Jin shrugged.

"Oh! By the way, I finished that scroll you gave me," he said.

Lu Ri's eyes widened. "Truly? What did you think?"

"The Honoured Founders were much more interesting than I initially thought. They really thought about everything, and they were completely different than I first imagined…"

To Lu Ri's delight, he spent the rest of the day discussing the wisdom of the Founders with Jin. The man had even copied out sections of the scroll he wanted to study in more detail, and he had truly read it.

The Azure Hills truly was a marvelous place. Lu Ri was most pleased with his day… especially the moments where he got to ponder about what the Lord Magistrate would do to suppress the villainous auditor.

==============================

A man, glaring at pages in an archive, with an entirely too jolly and fat First Archivist standing beside him, felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Book 5: Chapter 10: Bureaucratic Nightmare

Sheng Yanjing, the Auditor General of the Azure Hills, had his head in his hands as he prepared himself for the sure-to-be-trying day ahead. It had been a week and he was nearly at the end of his rope.

Trying… that was all his days had been ever since he first got told to investigate the Dueling Peaks. The Wu Clan had wanted to know what exactly the 'incident' a year ago had been, and they hadn't believed the official story about a drunken cultivator brawl. Even asking the Plum Blossom's Shadow and getting the same answer hadn't assuaged the nobles, so they had sent him.

Yanjing was to punish Bai Huizhong. First with as much bureaucratic interference as he could muster. Secondly, to find out as much of Huizhong's operation as he could until the man capitulated and spilled whatever secret he was hiding. The nobles of Pale Moon Lake City also planned to find enough blackmail to financially ruin the Lord Director or have him stripped from his post if he did not comply with their demands.

It had actually been rather fun to annoy the Lord Director of Spiritual Ascension Affairs. The man obviously liked to be on the move with his multiple businesses and constant rota of visitors. Forcing the man to sit with him and go over his books line by line had been hell for the Lord Director. Yanjing had taken great delight in seeing the annoyance double whenever he found a discrepancy and forced the Director to explain each and every one with excruciating detail.

Surprisingly, Huizhong hadn't started throwing his subordinates under the carriage wheels and instead was the one who came to answer. Oddly respectable in a way, but Yanjing hadn't risen to where he had by allowing idle sentiment to govern his decisions.

Really, it had almost been a game of Huizhong trying to hide things while Yanjing sniffed them out. Huizhong's books were well-cooked, and though the Auditor had his job through connections with the Wu Clan, sussing out discrepancies had been the reason he had attracted their attention in the first place.

They were the ones who had sponsored a commoner and advanced him up to such a powerful position. A deal with a demon to break free of the mire and become something. Become someone.

So he had slowly ground Huizhong down, trying to find the pattern and get to the real meat—but right when he was on the edge of a breakthrough that would make Huizhong squeal, the Cultivators had told him to leave.

It had been Yanjing's first time ever really feeling Qi, and it had nearly made him piss himself. Cultivators had always just been stories to him. Now he knew why there were so many tales. They had made the world tremble in their passing.

Yanjing wasn't stupid enough to stay after being told point blank to leave. He had to content himself with the more minor items and forward them to his masters. They had not been very happy with him, screaming his ear off over a private transmission, which was annoying as Hells.

He would have liked to see any of those noble lords or ladies shrug off the attention of the Patriarch of the Grand Ravine Sect… but insulting the Wu Clan would do unfortunate things to him. So instead, he chose the other route, a task given to him by Lady Wu. A town in the north had been reporting increased tax revenues, so it was on the docket to be examined. But his patrons had intervened and wished for Yanjing to be the one to examine their records.

And by 'examine their records', his patrons meant to ruin the poor bumpkin. Find every little secret, for there always was at least some. Find the right people and bribe them to testify about the petty abuses that always occurred this far out. Rile up the peasants and dirt farmers against their lord's mismanagement. If the local Archives were disorganized enough, there were even some… less scrupulous things he could do. And then, at the end of it all, report back to the Palace that the Magistrate was unfit and have him replaced. His own guards and appointment by Pale Moon Lake City would make any attempts at retaliation impossible.

It was supposed to be something easy, to give his patrons time to cool off and give them a success. He had looked into some of the other Archives along the way and he had only gotten more assured. He hadn't known why they wanted to ruin some random backwater Magistrate, only that that was his task as thanks for them sponsoring his position.

Of course, his plan immediately was bucked from the horse. 

When he finally arrived, he was practically ambushed by the fact that the Magistrate's wife was a crippled and exiled Wu—or formerlycrippled Wu. The commandery also apparently had the backing of the Azure Jade Trading Company!

That first day had set the tone quite low already. And it had only ever gone downhill from there.

Yanjing sighed heavily as the appointed hour was upon him. He organized his notes one last time and prepared for the heavy knock on the door. Yanjing had taken over the man's own office as he liked to do. It unsettled everybody else he had done it to.

The Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill, however, had somehow managed to make it seem like he was doing Yanjing a favour.

A knock on the door echoed out. "Auditor General, are you ready for today?" a calm, pleasant voice rang out, like the headman telling a prisoner it was time for his execution.

Yanjing calmed himself as best he could. "Yes, do come i—"

The door was opened without him finishing his sentence and the Lord Magistrate swept in, his back straight and his expression pleasant. Behind him stalked a man with the jolly smile of a wolf that had cornered a rabbit. First Archivist Bao had once more prepared supplementary material. Historical data, and the codified laws themselves so they could reference things directly.

Yanjing eyed the man warily, once more wondering why the Hells this man was here. Lin Bao's Archives were the best organized he had seen outside Pale Moon Lake City. Instead of the absent caretaker who barely cared or a doddering old man who had a hobby, theseArchives were efficient, well-run, and organized to the highest, most exacting standards. They were clean and in perfect condition, and seemed to have been memorized by the fat bastard walking towards the desk.

He could quote twenty year old census data verbatim. Who the Hells could quote twenty year old census data verbatim?

Yanjing was actually impressed enough to try and get the man to…well, make the right choice. Yanjing could certainly have a use for Bao's skills, and would have loved to have the level of organization that this backwater commandary's Archives had for his own. It would be a kindness even; the man could live somewhere tolerable to support his growing belly. Yanjing was gracious to those useful to him, after all.

The First Archivist had feigned stupidity and pretended he didn't know what the careful probing questions were about, and in the same conversation smoothly tried to get the Auditor General to admit that he was trying to bribe him.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Yanjing hated the smart ones who were against him.

And Yanjing was beginning to suspect the fatty was right to want to stay where he was. Because even after the ambush, Yanjing had thought his task was still salvageable. He could still possibly make it work; he was the Auditor General. Everybody hated having to drag up all their old tax paperwork and official recorded edicts.

But these bastards almost seemed eager for an audit.

The pages thumped onto the table and the Lord Magistrate took his seat.

"Are you ready to begin? I do believe we're on my second year managing Verdant Hill. Page five." The Lord Magistrate settled in like a child settled in for their favourite story.

"Yes, we will begin with line six, the sudden influx from… Pine Glade," Yanjing said, trying to take control of the conversation. His efforts instantly failed as the Lord Magistrate's eyes lit up.

"Oh, yes, the previous administration had struck the village from the maps, for some foolish reason, but during my tour I rediscovered them. The road practically didn't exist anymore! I entered the village and spoke with their headman. There we had a fruitful discussion…" He was smiling wistfully as he spoke.

The Lord Magistrate must be mad because he seemed to be actually enjoying all of this. He was enjoying remembering all the paperwork he did, how many shit-stinking dirty villages he went to, and waxing poetic about the people he had met who all apparently now really liked him.

It pissed Yanjing off.

"Then what about here! A forty percent death rate in a village? Please do explain these numbers, Lord Magistrate. Forty percent is unacceptable!" Yanjing tried next.

Lin Bao immediately jumped in to counter. "Ah, but Auditor General, that was during an outbreak of the Bleeding Pox. As you can see here, historically, the Bleeding Pox in the greater Azure Hills has a death rate of nearly seventy percent and spreads rapidly to others. It was due to the Lord Magistrate's quick thinking that it was onlyforty percent—and that it did not spread beyond a single village, thanks to the help of our specialists."

Yanjing smiled blandly back at them both while internally cursing at them. 

A week of this shit. A week of it! And he still had twenty more years to get through! If they went at this pace it would take decades to finish the audit!

And so it went.

Yanjing picked at the most minute thing, and they had a story and records to completely counter it. All it did was make the man he was supposed to be discrediting look even morecompetent!

Hells, the man had inherited a complete shithole! It was absolutely unbelievable that he had turned it into this lovely prosperous town and region without illegal activity, but it was staring him in the face. It had to be the two of these bastards working together in tandem to seamlessly cover their tracks.

At the rate this was going, he was just going to have to make things up to get the man deposed. Which the Azure Jade Trading Company would never stand for if he had read the room right on the first day. He had to have something big, something actually actionable.

Yanjing got more and more annoyed as the hour progressed—and his eye began twitching when he found the most obvious and blatant piece of funds misuse, a crate of expensive wine.

Now that… that was insulting. It was just hidden enough to say 'I tried to hide this.' It was a sop for a man to say, 'Look, I found the obvious corruption that was worth the most minor fine.'

It wasn't something he could take action on and demand removal over, because that would set a precedent that would piss off every otherMagistrate in the Province, if not the world,because they all did it. If he deposed a Magistrate for that, the others would have him assassinated within the week to set the counter-precedent for any future fool.

He was furious by the end of the meeting—until he got an idea. These two were working in tandem to hide everything. If the books were useless to him, the common man was sure to have their grievances.

"Well, there are some things I cannot just take your word for, Lord Magistrate. I'll be taking some time to conduct some interviews… without your presence, of course, so the peasants don't feel pressured to lie. This is no issue, yes?"

The Lord Magistrate froze, his eyes widening, and Yanjing knew he had one over on the bastard.

"I see. Of course, that is your prerogative," the man replied, his features dropping their smile.

Yanjing nodded. The next day he would begin his true counterattack.

==================================================

The next day, just after noon, Yanjing walked back into his room, opened up a wine bottle, and began drinking.

Was this entire place a fucking cult?! If he had to listen to one more person kiss the Lord Magistrate's ass he was going to hang himself!

Still, it might just be the townsfolk. The villagers in the outer settlements would surely have something else to say.

==================================================

"The Lord Magistrate?" the man asked. He was certainly a big one, with blotchy freckles all over his cheeks and that stupid, guileless smile of a peasant. He had a short, equally freckled woman beside him, probably his wife, and the shrew had the audacity to frown at him! "Oh, the Lord Magistrate is great!"

Yanjing felt any hope leave his soul. 

What the Hells was this? What the eight burning hells and eight freezing hells was this?! 

Nobody wanted to talk about anything bad the Lord Magistrate had done. Nobody wanted to even hear an unkind word. All of them waxed poetic about how great of a ruler the Patriarch of Verdant Hill was!

Yanjing ignored the rest of the peasant's fulsome exaltation of the Lord Magistrate. He could feel his soul starting to leave his body.

Why? Was it Heaven's punishment for accepting the Wu Clan's money? Was it karma for overly desiring this position?

All he knew is that he wanted a Gods-damneddrink.

"Uh, you alright, sir?" the peasant asked, and Yanjing jolted.

"Yes. Yes, that is all. Go about your business," Yanjing commanded the peasant.

He walked off, slightly unsteady, and headed back to his room.

=============================

"So! I think I met the Auditor," Jin said as he took tea with the Lord Magistrate. "I was going to see if you needed a hand, Shifu, but I don't think you need it."

The Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill smiled into his mug. His table was full today, with Jin, Lu Ri, Meiling, as well as Cai Xiulan and Tigu in attendance today.

"It is a teacher's shame to have his student fight his battles," he declared.

Really, asking for a cultivator to intervene would be embarrassing when he had so much support already. Especially when he was having so much fun—it was great to be able to recount his past accomplishments in front of fresh eyes, and watch as the Auditor General bore a look of grudging respect on his face!

He hadn't known that even the praise of an enemy could do it for him, but knowing that a person who hated you couldn't help but acknowledge your skill was proving quite delightful.

And it would be no good to end the man's suffering so soon if Jin or Lu Ri got involved. He was sent by those who wished his wife harm. There was a pound of flesh he required in payment for that.

If the Wu Clan had done this a few years earlier, it likely would have posed a bit of a problem. He would not have had the support of the Azure Jade Trading Company, and there was a good chance that he might have been stripped of his rank… but the more likely outcome was a fine that would beggar him. They probably would have left it at that.

He knew his wife's family. Her sister, who he was sure had ordered this, had a cold, lazy kind of maliciousness.

It incensed him. It enraged him that they would target his wife like that, after everything she had been through. But he banked his rage. Realistically, there was little the Auditor General could do to him… but there was also little he could do to the Wu Clan without involving his student.

He let out a breath. He had nothing he could do to them at present, so all he could do was bide his time and think.

That and listen to Rou Tigu and Cai Xiulan regale them with what exactly had gone down in Grass Sea City. His messenger, Ming Jie, had reached Pale Moon Lake City. The man had sent back about how the equipment he was using was holding up, to Lu Ri's pleasure—and discovered his son was most certainly not in the city.

Their son was not at school like his letters said. He was, in fact, getting into all sorts of dangerous things.

It was a father's pride to have a son grow up to be just like them, but the Magistrate wished that his son wasn't… quite so like him.

He sighed as Tigu began her enthusiastic retelling and held his wife's hand as her eyebrow twitched.

All he wanted was a nice, normal life. Had that been too much to ask?