"It does mean we have to be wary for people who have reached the late stage of the second stage," Wu Ling admitted, instantly increasing the weight of the atmosphere. "That said, we're not entirely without ways to deflect such challenges. Brother Yu, I wonder how close you are to being able to pass your Novice exam?"
"I still need at least two to three months more concocting practice before I would be close to ready to make an attempt," the young alchemist said, instantly shooting down the idea that he could advance formally. "And I can't take the exam without returning to my sect anyway."
"What if you took the exam from the Alchemy Consortium?" Wu Ling asked.
"Brother Wu," Yu Jinqi said, his brows lowering as he scowled at the young artist. "You aren't mocking me, are you?"
"No, not at all," Wu Ling said, raising his hands in protest. "I've heard that the Alchemy Consortium holds sway in Bufa City because there are no second-rank Alchemy sects in the city. The identity of an Alchemy Novice is a shield of its own. If you only display an Initiate's single flame, you won't be taken as seriously."
"Hmm," Yu Jinqi pursed his lips in a tense frown, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused on the campfire while he considered Wu Ling's suggestion. "I'll do it," he finally said after several moments of careful consideration.
"But all of you, you have to promise not to speak a word of this to my sect!" Yu Jinqi said intensely. "I still intend to take a proper Novice exam when I return. As far as I'm concerned, once we return to Silver Sword City, the novice badge of the Alchemy Consortium can be burned as the rubbish that it is."
"Is it really that bad?" Zhang Buyan asked, looking at the unusually assertive alchemist. "You'd think that Brother Wu had asked you to dip yourself in kelp and fish guts the way your nose has crumpled on itself."
"It's not that bad," Yu Jinqi said, shaking his head at the image Zhang Buyan had put in his mind. "But please understand that the Alchemy Consortium maintains the absolute minimum standards for a person to call themselves an alchemist of any grade. Their standards can be said to be comparable to that of the poorest third-ranked sect."
"In places where there are no sects of note, some Consortium Alchemists may actually be very accomplished but the badge is barely worth the fabric it's sewn on," the young alchemist finished with a sharp shake of his head.
"Brother Yu, I apologize," Wu Ling said, surprised at the strength of the young man's reaction. Clearly he had a great deal of pride in meeting the standards of a second-rank Alchemy Sect. While Wu Ling knew that the standards of the Consortium were lower and a badge might be easier to obtain, he had no idea how darkly it was viewed by proud sons of heaven like Yu Jinqi.
"No, it's fine," the young scholar finally said, shaking off the prickly feeling that had consumed him when Wu Ling suggested he take the test from the Consortium. "Brother Wu didn't know, and you meant no insult by it. You were just looking to help keep me safe."
"But what about you, Brother Wu?" Yu Jinqi asked. "You can't hide behind the Alchemy Consortium and while you're mighty, I'm not sure that you'd win in a fight against a late-stage Soldier. How will you defend yourself from others?"
"Brother Wu mentioned that his sect has a presence in the city," Jin Wuya pointed out. "Perhaps we'll finally see you in sect robes like the rest of us. Is your sect powerful enough in the city to provide you with an identity that offers some protection?"
This whole trip, Jin Wuya refrained from asking any more questions about Wu Ling's mysterious sect but that didn't mean she hadn't been immensely curious about it. Now that he was using his identity as a sect disciple to gain access to the city, perhaps they could all learn a little bit more about his mysterious background!
"About that," Wu Ling said, awkwardly scratching behind his ear as he looked around the group. "I will be hiding behind a different identity while we're in Bufa City," he admitted. "It's just that it's likely very different from what you expect." Wu Ling took a deep breath to steady himself, but after everything he had been through with this group of friends, he felt like he owed them his trust in this.
"I trust you all. We've fought together and you all watched over me while I broke through… you've even followed me and continue to do so despite the injuries and risks," he said, trying to build momentum for himself to say what he was preparing to say. "So, I trust you all with this secret," he said, taking a deep breath and looking into each person's eyes before he continued.
"The Bamboo Silk House doesn't have a very large presence in Bufa City because it's a dangerous place for the kind of women who cultivate in the sect," Wu Ling began to explain.
"But we still maintain a small chapterhouse there because the information that can be acquired in Bufa City is too valuable to ignore. You won't see me wearing sect robes," he told Jin Wuya, flashing an ironic smile. "But I have a few lovely dresses that Big Sister Yeyan gifted me after the expedition."
"Brother Ling," Xiong Dahuo said, sputtering and nearly choking on the wine he'd been sipping. "You're going to dress yourself up as a woman? I know that you're a bit, um, that is, your appearance might be a bit delicate but…."
"It's fine," Wu Ling said with a soft smile. "As far as the Bamboo Silk House is concerned, with a few exceptions who know the truth, I've always been a woman. For the duration of our visit, you can call me 'Sister Hua Qianhu,' or you can call me 'Sister Vixen' if you like," he added with a flirty wink at Yu Jinqi.
"Apologies for not greeting you when you saw me at the Amber Lily Academy, Brother Yu," he added, his mannerisms becoming softer and more exaggerated with each word.
"Brother Ling has long concealed himself in skirts and dresses," Su Xiang explained to the stunned group of young cultivators. "From the time he was seven years old. It was necessary to escape the enemies who wanted to eradicate his father's entire bloodline."
"After so many years," Wu Ling told the assembled group. "It's become harder and harder to say where 'Brother Wu Ling' stops and 'Sister Hua Qianhu' starts, and that's only more true now that I've reawakened."
"Hall Master Bian Xing requires that I maintain my feminine identity whenever I'm engaging with the sect," he added. "So I'd have to change one way or another just to visit the chapterhouse. I hope you can all understand why this matter needs to be kept quiet."
All around the campfire, the entire group had gone still. Aside from the crackling of the fire and the faint slapping of waves on the lakeshore, not a sound could be heard in the camp. For several moments, no one knew what to say to Wu Ling's revelation.
Dressing as a woman for years, just to escape his father's enemies? Continuing to live that way in a sect that was almost exclusively female? How were they supposed to feel about their friend with this kind of revelation?
"Brother Ling," Xiong Dahuo finally said. "I only have one question…"