Chapter 45 — Preparations

Xu Fang’s house was a mess, which was the first thing Lin Che noticed, considering how tidy it had been just before the road trip. Everything was everywhere, and there was hardly space on the sofa for two people.

Lin Che sat on the sofa and accepted the coffee and waited for Xu Fang to sit down across from him.

“You said it was important,” said Xu Fang.

“It is.”

“You also said it was complicated.”

“Also true.”

Xu Fang looked at him with softer eyes and held a hand out to his heart. “Are you dying?”

“No.”

“Is someone else dying?”

“Not immediately.”

“Okay,” said Xu Fang, settling back slightly. “Then take your time.”

Lin Che put his coffee down and began to speak. “My family has a cultivation background.”

“Like… farmers? I thought your mum was an accountant.”

“Yes she’s an accountant, but I more meant the magic martial artists in the novels kind of cultivation.”

“Oh, yes, because that makes complete sense.”

“Okay, fine. Hear me out and I’ll prove it to you too. But essentially, the Lin Clan has some sort of history, but is now dormant. I need your help to restore us to our former glory.”

“I’m not doing anything until you prove to me you’re a cultivator,” laughed Xu Fang.

Lin Che looked around the room. “Do you have a glass you don’t particularly care about?”

Xu Fang got up and came back from the kitchen with a small drinking glass that had a couple of chips on the rim.

“This one was from a set of six,” he said. “We’re down to two, so I don’t think the set is recoverable at this point.”

“Put it on the table.”

Xu Fang put it on the coffee table between them and sat back.

Lin Che looked at the glass. He extended his Qi outward with careful attention, attempting something that required much more fine control than he’d ever used before. It was different to using his Qi as a weapon, as that could just be a sharp point extending outward from him — this time he had to control the grip and shape much more carefully.

He found the surfaces of the glass and pushed, slowly.

The glass moved.

It slid about three centimetres across the table scraping against the wood, and then wobbled. Lin Che then lost the thread of it entirely and it toppled sideways off the edge of the table and hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

There was a brief silence.

“Sorry,” said Lin Che. “I’ll pay for the glass.”

“There’s nothing to pay for, it was already chipped,” said Xu Fang, leaning forwards and looking at the glass on the floor with wide eyes. “You didn’t even touch it! Does that mean then—” he turned to Lin Che. “You said the novels. Does that mean it’s all real? The techniques, the archaeological sites, the lost clan histories—”

“Yes,” said Lin Che. “That’s actually a significant part of what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Xu Fang sat back. “I’m listening.”

Lin Che had already known that this was the way to win over Xu Fang’s heart. As much as he said he wasn’t a big fan of old historical artefacts, the fact that he hadn’t sold off his old antique shop and instead diligently maintained it always betrayed him.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it’s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Furthermore, Xu Fang used to read cultivation novels quite a bit, but not for the power dynamics. He was always more interested in the material culture of it and the expansive histories of all these worlds.

“The Lin Clan had sites,” said Lin Che. “Multiple ones, but I only know of one for certain. Figuring out where they are and recovering them — and what the clan’s actual history was. I need someone I trust to go through all that for me.” He looked at Xu Fang. “You have an eye for things; you always have.”

Xu Fang’s eyes moved back to the shattered glass on the floor. “You’re recruiting me to help restore your clan.”

“Yes.”

“What do I get out of it?”

“I’ll give you access to all the techniques. I already planned on providing you and Mingzhe with some resources specifically suited to the two of you. There are even herbal preparations that accelerate the early stages, which I can make for you.”

Xu Fang took a sip of his coffee. “I’m in,” he said.

“Thanks, Xu Fang,” replied Lin Che, extending out a hand for him to shake.