Threads 118-Intermission 8

In her head, she felt Sixiang wince, and her own expression froze. “I would call him a sibling, as you well know.”

“Is the adult sibling who raises the infant alone not a parent? My experience says that it is so,” the other girl replied with a shrug. “Perhaps I am wrong, but to me, your bond does not hold that tenor. My only point is that a parent and a child need not share interests to the same extent. The relationship is different.”

Ling Qi was glad that between herself and Sixiang, they could manage a reasonable social screening technique to avoid eavesdroppers. “While I appreciate the advice, I would also appreciate it if you would not say such things,” Ling Qi said evenly.

Alingge gave her a searching look, seeming nonplussed by her reaction. “Know that I do not mean to… impugn your virtue,” she said as if the words were foreign. “I speak only as one raised by her own sister. Whatever the ties of blood say, it is actions which define relationships.”

Ling Qi paused, brought up a little short. That… It killed her irritation in the crib. It still wasn’t the same, but she could at least understand the chain of logic.

<I think you recognize more than that,> Sixiang grumbled. Ling Qi ignored them.

“It is fine. The line between sibling and parent can be blurry.” It was difficult to say, and Ling Qi could not hide her reluctance in saying it.

“As you say,” Alingge said slowly. The girl was not blind. Alingge could tell when she had offended someone, even if she seemed oblivious as to why. “If I may offer a suggestion?”

“You may,” Ling Qi said as they started toward the pavilion.

Alingge was silent for a time, as if formulating her words carefully. “Having observed you, I have noticed that all of your arts are things of battle or conflict.”

“Every art has such potential,” Ling Qi replied dryly.

“Perhaps, but it is not unusual to practice some minor cultivation of lesser arts as a hobby. Simple first realm things are trivial for we of the third realm to cultivate,” Alingge said. “I am no crafter, but nonetheless, I have mastered some minor artisanal techniques for use in times of peace. If you still feel that you require something more in common with your sibling, this may be a solution.”

Ling Qi nodded once shallowly. “I had considered the same thing.”

After speaking with Zhengui, Ling Qi had reviewed the arts contained within the family art tablet. There were a few arts which might be of use in gardening.

<And of course, most of the ickle firstie arts will take little enough time that you can cram them into the cracks in your schedule,> Sixiang teased her.

… There was that. It didn’t feel like a solution, but perhaps it would do until she found one. “I will give the matter more consideration,” Ling Qi said aloud.

Alingge gave her one last examining look as they reached the pavilion. “I will wish you good luck with your endeavors then. It has been a pleasure to share pointers with you.”

“The pleasure was mine,” Ling Qi said politely.

Ling Qi parted ways with Alingge and made her way to the refreshment table. There, she put her familial troubles out of her mind and observed the other disciples. Over the past week, she had gotten a better feel for those Wang Chao had invited. They were almost all the children of common soldiers or first generation commoners who had now become barons. There were only a handful from established baronial houses and one vicontiel scion.

It had taken some time to recognize, as many of them were doing what she had done, overperforming the roles they now felt they occupied and stumbling for it. It made an unfortunate amount of sense.

The Wang family was a new comital house with new lands. The families which did exist under them did not have nearly as many spare children to throw into the sects. Being so far from the centers of power, many of their people were drawn from the peoples of the southern hills, so while the Wang were a heavily imperial clan in presentation, in practice, many of their vassals were at least tacitly in favor of older traditions. There were upsides to this type of demographic, mainly in that relations seemed relatively simple compared to the complications of Luo’s entourage.

Of course, it was just that. Tacitly. Some few held hard to the trappings of the imperial court, but the vast majority of those from the Wang clan lands were focused on war and the making thereof. She got the feeling that cultural trappings were simply less important overall among these people.

That did have its advantages. Even most of those who seemed to dislike her were rather tepid about it, and her recent martial achievements seemed to count for quite a lot in this crowd.

It was with this backdrop in mind that she had chosen to focus her attention on the people who seemed well inclined to her in the first place. After all, if no one was outright hostile, it made more sense to try and make some people actually like her.

So, she selected a cup of cider and put on a smile before turning to the pair of girls at the end of the table. Stepping closer, their voices went from muffled nonsense to clarity in an instant.

“I just think it is an ill use of time to focus on something I have no talent for,” the first girl said, ducking her head. She was the girl who had spoken in praise of Ling Qi the first day and had reinforced the dummy tower for spars. Nie Ai was a positively tiny girl, of similar height to Li Suyin. Her hair and skin were similar to Ling Qi’s, though she wore her hair loose down to her shoulders.

“And I think your lack of initiative on matters of combat is going to hurt you one day. One in your position cannot seriously afford to neglect such things.” The other girl, Hou Min, was one of her first sparring partners, the one who had wielded iron fans and wind arts. She was a little more striking than the other girl, being only a head shorter than Ling Qi and having much sharper features and longer hair. Her bright green gown stood out in comparison to the other girl’s more earth-toned clothing.

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It was at that point that she was noticed, and both paused to bow their heads in her direction, murmuring a shared greeting of “Miss Ling.”

“Miss Hou, Miss Nie,” Ling Qi greeted back. Technically, as an ascended commoner, Nie Ai shared a rank with her, but thanks to Cai Renxiang, their status was different. Hou Min’s family, on the other hand, had been barons for three generations now. “Did something happen on the training field today?”

She had spent the last week getting familiar with many of the attendees, but these two were the ones which she had found it easiest to talk to.

“Only my timidity,” Nie Ai said softly, twisting a strand of her hair nervously. “I am really not suited to martial pursuits.”

Ling Qi caught Hou Min’s growing frown and spoke before she could. “It doesn’t help anyone to be too modest. You might not be leading raids any time soon, but your defensive arts are fine for your level.”

“It isn’t right for a baroness to be too retiring. How many times must I repeat my words?” Hou Min grumbled.