Threads 260-Yonder 1

As they moved out into the gardens to take a small lunch, conversation turned to the recipe she had provided Suyin, an elixir that would aid in the fourth realm breakthrough coming in their future.

“Have you made anything of it?” Ling Qi asked as she took her seat at the polished marble topped outdoor table, allowing the serving constructs to pull out and push in her seat. Beside her, Bao Qingling did the same, crossing her arms over her chest.

“The writer certainly had a twisty mind.” Li Suyin gestured for her attendants to bring forth the plates stacked with sweets and dumplings and snacks. “I’ve found three places where the recipe is ciphered. Following the openly listed instructions at those steps would result in a terrible poison instead.”

It was a good thing that Suyin was a cultivator, or she might really end up round, Ling Qi thought wryly as she observed the spread. “I trust you’ll get it all figured out. Is there anything I can do?”

“Well,” Suyin said tentatively, “I will need some funding once I have everything worked out.”

“Enough ingredients for two elixirs,” Ling Qi said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Bao Qingling snorted into her teacup.

Li Suyin grimaced under their combined stares. “… Yes.”

Ling Qi gave a satisfied nod.

“What you can do now though,” Li Suyin continued more firmly, “is look for a core of the proper type, one that resonates with you.”

“Resonates?” Ling Qi asked.

“I think I see where she’s going,” Sixiang offered from thin air. “She means something that reflects your domain. You need a matching beast or spirit core.”

“Yes,” Suyin agreed. “Elixirs like this… They have recipes, but they require personalization for each user. It will need to be from a beast that is at least on the cusp of the fourth realm itself, if not in that realm itself for proper potency.”

That was a tall order, but for an elixir so important, Ling Qi would have to begin keeping an eye out.

“Also…” Li Suyin trailed off, fiddling with a tea stirrer.

“Also?” Ling Qi echoed.

“I wanted to know if I could help…” Suyin began.

Bao Qingling leveled a flat look at her.

Suyin pouted at the older girl but corrected herself. “… if I could offer my services at a reasonable price.”

Bao Qingling grunted somewhat approvingly, chewing on a bun.

“For what?” Ling Qi asked.

“Surveying your lands for impurity, places with easy passage to the underworld,” Li Suyin said. “Um, that is, I’ve developed a device for it. Although it requires some training to use, I could offer that as well as the device to your surveyors.”

“Of course. I’ll recommend you to Lady Cai. I know your work is good.”

“Thank you. The Sect has recommended that we offer our services to the new nobles moving into the acquired territories, and I wanted to be sure you were getting the best.”

“Is that pride I hear?” Ling Qi wondered, popping a sweet into her mouth.

Li Suyin flushed, but smiled. “I didn’t say anything untrue.”

“Hmph, what a junior I raised,” Bao Qingling said without expression or inflection. “But it is true that no one among the disciples has reproduced your impurity detection devices yet.”

Suyin said primly, “I know not to rest on my laurels. But I can also offer good rates on security formations as well until you can develop your own in-house solutions.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ling Qi said. She did have some ideas for a personal variation on the typical wardstone formation and the ways she could pluck at the lines of the liminal to disincentivize wandering spirits, but she’d need to put aside more time to study formations than the dabbling she had done so far. Quite frankly, she wouldn’t have time to do so until after the summit at the least. “But I was wondering about something actually.”

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“Yes?” Suyin asked curiously.

Ling Qi looked to Bao Qingling. “I know you’ve been preparing your supply routes. How are things looking at the summit location?”

“The work of motivated high realms is, as always without peer,” Bao Qingling said flatly. “The road is carved, if rough, the forest and valley scoured, residences thrown up, and the ruins repurposed and their formations either restored or removed.”

“So quickly,” Ling Qi muttered.

Bao Qingling shrugged. “It is still a wild place, but it is being swiftly ordered. A similar group of foreigners have shown up to arrange their own matters. There have been no violent conflicts so far.”