I can't sleep after that. My thoughts keep taking to possibilities that remind me that I am a young woman with desires rather than a cultivator seeking immortality. Both things are true but I need to practice restraint. Even if he's right there, waiting for me to make the choice. Curse his restraint.
My body feels hot and I slip out from under my blankets towards the door. The others are sleeping in the other rooms nearby but I can quietly get past them to the library. There is bound to be something hidden in the scriptures that can make better use of my time. I'm not going to sit in a cave and gather qi for the next few years. I no longer have the patience and the system won't allow me to be passive.
It's frustrating, there are numerous techniques and formulas that I remember but I can't use them yet until I satisfy the system's requirements to access them again. A can't see what 's causing those things to fail, only that they wont work, not yet. The Celestial Mountain Sect has treasure vaults full of artifacts that will help one's cultivation and its libraries are full of sacred scriptures. Normally, I shouldn't expect this particular library to hold anything spectacular - I'm a new disciple to the sect and under probation. But, I have quest rewards the system owes me.
I press against the sliding door to quiet the noise it makes as I creep out of my room. The halls of the Tranquil Pavilion are long and serene, the polished wooden floor gleaming faintly under the soft glow of candles infused with qi. I step softly, taking care to not alert my guardians or disrupt the stillness of the air. Wooden panels line the walls with intricate carvings of lotus flowers, clouds, and bamboo.
As I move past, I feel the light vibrations of the wards with a melodic hum of soothing spiritual energy. My gaze shifts upward, paranoid of ambush. The high ceiling is supported by wooden beams painted in deep reds and greens, each decorated with delicate gold-leaf patterns of cranes, dragons, and celestial mandalas. No foreign energy lurks in the shadows. Thin ribbons of incense smoke drift from unseen braziers, their fragrance a blend of sandalwood and lotus, adding to the sacred atmosphere.
I return my attention to path ahead of me, listening for the telltale signs of unexpected company. A large red oak door secures the Tranquil Pavilion library from the other parts of the compound. The wooden door opens with a groan as I push on it, revealing a modest, dimly lit chamber that smells faintly of mildew and incense ash. My presence triggers a burst of light from the enchanted candles of the lanterns suspended from the ceiling. This lesser library of the sect is a far cry from the grandeur of the Celestial Mountain's main hall, its shelves crooked and well-worn, their once-polished wood now dulled by years of use. Faint traces of carvings linger along the edges—sigils of protection and preservation—but their power feels weak, like a candle guttering in the wind.
Inside, the shelves are crammed haphazardly with scrolls and thin books, some leaning precariously as if the weight of knowledge itself might topple them. Unlike the jade slips and golden-bound tomes I expect of a grand library, these texts are plain and unadorned, their covers fraying and their titles fading into obscurity. The scrolls bear ink smudges from countless hands, their edges curled from years of careless storage.
Near the entrance, a rickety table holds stacks of notes and half-completed transcriptions. In one corner, a wall-mounted cabinet stands locked. Another shelf holds manuals on mundane topics: herbology, talisman crafting, and basic meditation techniques. It's clear these works are meant for beginners or those with limited potential. I close the heavy door behind me, and move deeper into the library.
The locked cabinet calls to me, whatever is inside must be valuable or dangerous. I lean more toward valuable since the Celestial Mountain Sect specifically sent me here. I approach it, examining the lock and cabinet for spiritual traps. I don't sense anything waiting on a spring to burst that accompanies such magical effects.
The lock is heavy brass with a large keyhole slid through a brass hasp on the outside of a rosewood cabinet. Not knowing the contents of the cabinet makes destruction of the hasp unreasonable. I touch the lock and feel its energy repel mine. I sigh, pulling a couple of hair pins from my hair. It's the longer method but it's more likely to work.
It takes me several minutes of concentration and fiddling until I hear a satisfying click and the lock mechanism releases. I pull away the lock and open the cabinet, setting the lock on a nearby shelf. Inside the cabinet are smaller shelves, my eyes are drawn to three objects that softly pulse with qi.
A round, polished mirror the size of a large hand spans the center of the top shelf. Its frame is crafted from a gleaming, silvery metal that seems neither wholly mundane nor entirely spiritual. Delicate engravings of lotus blossoms and crescent moons run along its edge, shifting imperceptibly as though caught in the ripple of a breeze. The mirror's surface is not of ordinary glass but a still, silver liquid, smooth and pristine.
Sitting on the second shelf is a small bell forged from what appears to be crimson bronze. Its surface is etched with coiling serpents and blooming peonies, their intricate details partially worn by time and use. The handle is inlaid with tiny spirit stones, each glowing faintly in a shifting array of warm colors.
Resting on a stand of blackened wood, the jade slip occupies the center of the bottom shelf, its surface gleaming with an otherworldly green light. Unlike a mundane jade, it seems almost translucent, with faint, serpentine patterns shifting beneath the surface, as if alive.
I sharply inhale, reaching for the jade slip.
I sense a presence behind me and I freeze my fingers brushing against the slip.
"Li Mei," Qin Tao's voice breaks the silence, low and steady but urgent.
I turn my head, meeting his gaze over my shoulder. His dark eyes lock onto mine, their intensity holds a mixture of concern and something deeper.
"You know you're not supposed to touch that without permission," he says, his tone more pleading than stern. "The Elders won't be merciful if they catch you."
"Merciful?" Anger flares up inside of me. Past indignities and the false freedom of acceptance. "I'm in a cage."
Qin Tao frowns. "What do you mean? You're one of us now."
"This isn't freedom. It isn't acceptance if the other option was death, Qin Tao." My fingers close around the jade slip. "You know that the attacks from other factions within the sect won't stop. I need to take every opportunity I can to get strong enough to defend myself."
"That's why I'm here." He says it with an emphasis that surprises him. He pauses before he continues. "Why we're here. We're here to protect you. Let us take care of you."
I shake my head. His gaze is too fixed on my eyes to notice I've taken the slip. "Your sect is the reason why I'm in danger like this. One false step and they'll take my life as generously as they've spared it. It's a trap."
He steps closer, the faint scent of sandalwood clinging to him as his presence fills the space between us. "I know," he says, his voice dropping to a near whisper. His hand hovers briefly, then steadies itself on the shelf beside me. "But taking risks like this—it's not the way. I can't undo what they've done. But what I can do is help you become stronger. You don't have to face this alone."
I quickly turn, pressing the jade slip into the pocket of my robes as my other hand gathers the loose edges of my robe closed. I feel vulnerable and unprepared for how close he is. My pulse quickens as he leans forward.
"Li Mei, please," he whispers. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please stop... looking at me like that." His left hand caresses my cheek as I inch backward, my back striking the shelf as Qin Tao's body presses against mine. His face is flushed a soft pink. "I can't stand it."
My anger loosens its grip on my racing heart. His body is hot and his sleeping robes are unkempt. He must've rushed here when he noticed me missing. I stare up at him, unsure of what to say and what he intends to do. His lips linger dangerously close to mine.
"You're driving me mad, Li Mei." His breath tickles my face. "Please."
I see the guilt in his eyes as he stares at me pleading. "F... fine." I stammer. "Don't expect me to forget what it is the sect owes me for what it's done."
A smile plays across his lips. "I don't expect you to. Just allow me this."
"Allow you..."
Qin Tao's lips desperately press against mine, his body pinning me to the shelf.