Threads 111-Intermission 1

“Hoh, and what happened next?” Bao Qian asked distractedly.

“After Senior Brother Liao helped to finish things, he was able to lead us to the Commander and then out of the Dream through a relatively safe exit,” Ling Qi continued. Seated on a fence post, she idly kicked her legs back and forth. It felt good to move again.

Bao Qian squinted up at the axle of his wagon. He crouched, holding the vehicle up at an angle over his head. “You came out in the underground still, I assume? I heard that the attack was repulsed, but I suppose it must have still been ongoing.”

Ling Qi thought back to their emergence into those dark tunnels and the twisted shapes of shishigui monsters clogging the earth with rotting liquid flesh. Commander Guan Zhi had carved them a path to safety with her fists alone once they had returned to the material world. “It seems that the shishigui realized that there wasn’t a full attack ongoing by that point, so they retreated, leaving those constructs of theirs behind to block the path.”

Bao Qian nodded, carefully maneuvering the ink brush in his other hand to fix a worn stroke in a formation character. “But their original reaction was quite telling?”

Ling Qi thought about their debriefing. Elder Jiao had been deeply irritated for all that he had only let it show for a moment. He had picked apart their reports in a matter of moments, and the picture he painted with them was worrying. “They were expecting a heavy reprisal, and their mobilization was impressive. It seems that space manipulation techniques cannot be relied upon in areas under their control either.”

Bao Qian set down his wagon with a shuddering thud. Standing, he twirled his ink brush between his fingers, dismissing it back to his ring. “Not an easy enemy, hm?”

Ling Qi remembered the sour looks on the faces of the army officers and core disciples present at the debriefing when the truth had become clear. The shishigui were a sophisticated enemy, one which would respond in a swift and organized fashion to any probes or attacks. “Of course. I bet you already knew that.”

Bao Qian gave her a wry look. “One tribe or kingdom of foreigners is not the same as another. It would do many of us well not to assume such things.”

Ling Qi huffed. “They’re not just barbarians. They’re monsters.”

“There are many monsters in the world,” Bao Qian said agreeably, dusting off his knees. “In any case, congratulations are in order. Your contributions were truly superb, or so I have heard.”

“You wouldn’t know it, looking at the rankings,” Ling Qi complained a little irritably.

“Petulence does not suit you, Miss Ling.” Bao Qian chuckled. “I think you are underestimating your gains. You salvaged a truly unforeseeable situation. I would expect that to be a consideration in the future as well.”

Ling Qi knew that. She had discussed it with Cai Renxiang too. It was likely that her gains in coming months would receive a subtle bump as well, assuming she continued to contribute to the Sect’s war efforts.

With the start of the new month, the ninth month, she had made a significant jump in rankings. A jump from rank 730 to rank 705 had moved her into the next tier of rewards from the Sect, enabling her to take intermediate lessons from the elders, assuming they were still happening. She was just frustrated at being stuck on the edge. If she had made it under rank 700, she could have gotten another green stone in her monthly distribution from the Sect, and she could have moved to a residence with a greater argent vent.

The rest of the team had been similarly rewarded, aside from Liao Zhu, who maintained his rank 2. As for Su Ling, she could no longer avoid the Inner Sect even if she wanted to. The Sect had promoted Su Ling into the Inner Sect at rank 800, skipping her past the tournament qualifications entirely.

“But I doubt you are here to fish for praise, unless my impression of you is wholly mistaken?” Bao Qian asked.

“Not this time,” Ling Qi shot back with a touch of humor. “I’m here for business.”

“You should not so easily speak such alluring words,” Bao Qian joked. Flicking his wrist, a small pouch that bulged with stones appeared in his hand.

Ling Qi reached out, allowing him to press it into her hand. She tugged at the drawstring, peering inside. “Not bad at all,” she said. There were five green stones and eighty yellow ones inside. That was enough to fuel most of her cultivation needs for a month.

“I am pleased by your praise, but I assure you this is not my limit,” Bao Qian replied, puffing out his chest. “Once the material has proven itself, demand will rise, and with it, our profit margin.”

“I’ll pretend I know what that means,” Ling Qi said facetiously.

<Isn’t someone in a good mood?> Sixiang chuckled sleepily in her head. The muse was still lethargic after their escapades.

More cultivation resources always put her in a good mood. It would be much easier to maintain her pace with this boost of income. “And how are things on Hanyi’s end?” Ling Qi asked, vanishing the pouch.

“I admit some difficulty there,” Bao Qian said. “I believe I may have a lead on a promotion venue in the near future. Please have the young miss continue filling out her repertoire.”

“She’s been surprisingly on task, so that should not be hard,” Ling Qi commented. She stretched her arms overhead and winced. There was still a painful twinge in her spine. Xin had done… something, but she would still be feeling her wound for the rest of the week.

Bao Qian nodded agreeably. She could see in his eyes that he had seen her wince, but he hadn’t said anything. “Good to hear. Did you need anything else, Miss Ling? I might be able to spare the time for an outing if you are interested.”

“Not just this moment,” Ling Qi said a little too quickly. “I have a meeting at my home. My family’s security needs to be improved.”

“Understandable,” Bao Qian replied, although he looked disappointed. Ling Qi wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that. “If you will excuse me, Miss Ling…”

“Wait a moment,” Ling Qi said as he began to turn away. “I did have one other question.”

Bao Qian turned back, one eyebrow raised. “What has captured your interest, Miss Ling?”

“Where would I look to investigate disputes between the Bao and the Luo clans?”

Bao Qian stared at her for a moment and then let out a laugh. “I wonder if I should feel hopeful,” he said, and she flushed. “It might be best to study Emperor Si’s reign. There were a number of land disputes at that time.”

“Thank you,” Ling Qi replied, bowing her head as she slid down from the fence post.

“It is no trouble. Good day, Miss Ling.”

***

When Ling Qi alighted in the garden of her mother’s home, Zhengui was there where she had left him. It had been a strange request, but he had gotten so much better at limiting his size, so she had seen no trouble with letting him idle in the garden.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Zhengui stood by the clear garden pond at only a meter and a half long, not including his serpentine half. He almost looked like an exquisitely carved and painted garden statue. If he hadn’t been moving, anyway

One of the house servants, a younger one only a few years Ling Qi’s senior, crouched nearby with a basket of berries. Gui was eating out of her hand. She startled when Ling Qi landed, shooting to her feet. Only Ling Qi’s steadying hand stopped her from tripping into the garden pond.

“Careful, there,” Ling Qi said, amused.

“I am sorry, Lady Ling,” the young lady replied, bowing profusely the moment she had regained her balance. The girl was clearly nervous, but at least she wasn’t afraid, so Ling Qi had made some progress with her household. “Please forgive this humble servant’s lack of attention.”

“No, I should have announced myself,” Ling Qi dismissed. “Thank you for seeing to Zhengui.”

“It was my honor, Lady Ling,” the gardener said, bowing again. “I will inform Madam Ling that you have arrived.”

Ling Qi nodded absently as the girl hurried off and looked down at Zhengui. “Have you enjoyed your chance to rest, little brother?”

Zhen and Gui both peered up at her, but it was Gui who responded. “Gui is feeling fine.”

“But is Big Sister?” Zhen asked, examining her carefully.

Ling Qi crouched down next to him and ran her fingers over the serpent’s brow ridges. “I’m fine. Thanks to you, I just need a little more rest.”

“Zhengui did not do much,” they both replied, and Ling Qi frowned at the synchronicity.

Ling Qi examined him, and her frown only deepened. He had not come out of that battle unmarked. Even with his prodigious vitality, scars remained. Her eyes marked every chipped spike on his shell, every scratch on his scales. There was a line just above Zhen’s right eye and a spiralling scar on his left foreleg where a ribbon had curled, trying to tear his leg from under him. Those were only the most prominent marks.

“You did very well, Zhengui. You protected me, and I’m proud of you,” Ling Qi said.

Both of his gazes looked away. She could tell he couldn’t quite believe it. She could also tell that pushing the matter would only be detrimental at the moment. She had gotten better at that.

“It looks like you were enjoying yourself,” Ling Qi said, bypassing the subject. “Did you like those berries?”