Chapter 17- A Rock Worth More Than A Kingdom

“You two will remain in the Manor for the next little while. I plan on giving Juniors Wang and Su some more time to work down in the city. They are digging up…” Elder Feng paused, her eyes growing a little hazy. “Painful truths. Our trip through the country might not be a peaceful one, unfortunately. Which is not good for healing.”

Tain was really doing his best to pay attention. It was quite hard looking away from the newly regrown ring finger on his left hand. The sudden loss of symmetry threw him, but he was entirely willing to put up with it in exchange for having an almost complete left hand. The questions “How?” and “Why?” clawed their way up his throat, but were firmly held back by his teeth.

She flicked her fingers towards the door. “I’m sure you have endless questions for each other. Don’t ask them. While I have trained myself to ignore a great deal that goes on around me, in truth, everything on, in and around the Windblown Manor is within my perception at all times. I would prefer not to learn things that I have no business knowing, even if you don’t mind telling me. I will say only this before I dismiss you. Junior Tian, you conducted yourself with virtue, compassion, and more cunning than I would have given you credit for. You are also playing with the kind of forces that destroy entire nations. Don’t do it again. Meditate on this. The next scroll you study will be relevant.”

Tian bowed ninety degrees. “As you command, Elder.”

She nodded lightly. “Junior Hong similarly conducted herself with compassion, intelligence, and the kind of guts that makes this old woman have some hope for the future. But suicidal courage is merely despair in heroic dress. You too should meditate on this. Otherwise, well done. Both of you.”

They bowed and left the study. As the door closed behind them, they turned, looked at each other, opened their mouths, then closed them again. The two laughed softly and shook their heads.

“Tea?”

“Not this time, thank you, Brother. How are you in the mood to make anything after… everything?”

“I’m not at all in the mood to do a damned thing.” Tian smiled, looking like he had bitten a lime. “I just didn’t feel like being alone for a while. Reading or meditating together would also be good. I… don’t really want to talk either, now that I think about it.”

“Sounds good. Common room?”

“Sure.”

They walked off, both feeling awkward. Tian couldn’t stop wiggling his ring finger, and Hong’s hand kept creeping up to rub her bald head.

“Do I look like a freak?” She asked. Liren tried to sound unbothered, but she wasn’t looking Tian’s way.

“No. You look like my sister. And if that Lin animal says anything different, I will use the full catalog of insults my brothers taught me, including the ones on the forbidden list.” Tian’s voice wasn’t quiet in the slightest.

“Hah. I have plenty of my own, thanks. Oh, congratulations on growing a new finger.”

“No problem. And thank you. I really do have a lot of questions. But I won’t ask.” He chuckled awkwardly. He idly wondered if more of her hair would grow back red this time.

“Grandpa, what exactly happened?”

Not the time for it. Just… Hong fought for you. She fought the fake Tribulation Lighting that might have killed you. I was too stuck into refining your body to have the energy to wake you up. I know you have saved her life a few times, and aren’t keeping score, but just be aware. She had a choice. She decided she would rather die defending you than live a coward that betrayed her brother.

Tian silently engraved it on his heart. She wouldn’t abandon Brother Fu. Wouldn’t abandon him.

“Hey, Sister Liren?”

“Yes?”

“You aren’t one of the rock throwers. I thought you were when we first met. But you aren’t. So,” Tian groped for what he wanted to say, and came up empty handed. “Sorry? Thank you?”

She laughed softly. “When we met, I WAS one of the rock throwers. It took my sisters some time to teach me better. Thank them, not me.”

“I will then.” Tian turned sharply away, and looked firmly down the hall.

“You could thank me too.”

“No, you are useless. Your sisters are the great heroes of the world, second only to my brothers.”

“OI!”

“Shh. We aren’t talking right now. Peaceful meditation. Let big brother show you how to be a good daoist.”

“Good daoist? Did you miss the bit where you declared eternal war on heresy?”

“I did no such thing.”

“Did.”

“Did not. Wars are organized. I don’t have a plan. Which is very daoist of me.”

“I have a literal stack of books on strategy that says you are wrong. Savor them. Marinate in the knowledge of your ignorance.”

The two bickered before slipping back into silence. It felt more comfortable this time. For Tian, anyway, he was informed that he was tapping his newly returned finger constantly, and in an irritating way. A fact he chose to ignore. After an hour or so, Tian thought it was a good time for some snacks. He was about to pull out a bag of cheap rice crackers, when his eyes shot open. “Oh no!”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“What is it?”

“I never got to try the food stalls!”

Tian used the quiet time to take stock of himself. His body had undergone another change. More subtle this time, aside from the sudden appearance of a new finger. His bodily condition felt superb. Exhausted, but superb. He could feel the vital energy flowing through him quickly and unimpeded. He thought he was drawing in more with every breath, too. But it was more subtle than that. Tian felt inexplicably right with the world. He groped for the words to describe it, and failed.