Chapter 384 - Distraught8 May
Yang Xiu felt numb. After having played out the events with the mayor in her head over and over, it was weird that the situation was finally resolved. What would take up all the time she spent thinking about it?
She floated far above the town and monitored him while keeping one eye on her wristwatch. After all, she gave him a perfectly reasonable deadline to vacate the town. If he wasn't fast enough, that failure was entirely on him and justified her killing him.
Not that she rooted for such.
Except that she did. She rooted for it with more fervor than she'd cheered for any of her sect mates at her first tournament all those years ago.
Unfortunately—or fortunately? She really didn't know—Fang Bao made it past the town gates with minutes to spare.
Of course, traveling alone was dangerous. If he were simply to not make it to his destination, who could say what happened to him?
Yang Xiu blew out a breath. No, before she made her judgment, it would have perfectly acceptable to have him executed. To go back on her decree, however, would be … disastrous.
Such thoughts weren't appropriate for a high realmed representative of the Rising Tide Sect. It wasn't likely that anyone would ever find out what actually happened to the man as long as she was careful, but if anyone did, it would be a massive loss of face for her and the sect.
Besides, Master would truly be disappointed, and it would be almost impossible to hide the murder from him.
And she had other things she needed to do.
Actually, she winced at the thought. Logistics should have been handled before she left the sect. Guards needed to be stationed in the town to keep order and prevent unsavory elements from taking command. An audit had to be started as soon as possible so records couldn't be destroyed. A new mayor would have to be appointed.
All those things should already be underway but weren't.
Yang Xiu was disappointed in herself. When she'd been fifteen or sixteen or seventeen, such lapses were acceptable. She'd barely even understood logistics. As a co-vice sect leader, she had to do better. Which she normally did. An emotional personal experience didn't excuse performing her duty any less than perfectly.
She sighed. Getting back to the sect quickly was of paramount importance. There was no time to fly to the nearest portal, meaning she'd have to burn one of Master's Teleports.
Mistakes compounded. There was no help for it. The situation was such a monumental screwup that she'd have to visit Mo Nuying at the Punishment Hall. It was the only way for Yang Xiu to restore some of her honor.
Decision made, she pulled the appropriate talisman from her dispenser and tore it, appearing instantly outside the program's administrative headquarters. She rushed inside and issued the appropriate commands to get everyone moving.
Foundation Establishment realm guards and an auditor would portal to the nearest hub exit and fly via gliders to Seventh Brilliant Raven Town. The advance team would arrive in less than an hour and a half with the rest following no more than an hour after that.
Hopefully, they'd be quick enough.
With that task finished, she had another one to take care of, one that filled her with even more dread that visiting the Punishment Hall—telling Yang Ru what she'd done.
***
Yang Lin felt like she'd entered a land of fairy tales. Ever since she'd died, her life couldn't have been any better. Two kids. A loving husband. A very loving husband. Golden Core. Being a true member of the council of elders. Treasures the likes of which she could never even have dreamed of.
Of course, she sometimes still felt guilty that Yang Ru slowed his cultivation for her. Yang Xiu reached Golden Core a full two years before either of them. He didn't seem to mind, though.
Yang Lin smiled. If fact, he seemed quite eager to pass along some of his cultivation to her literally on a daily basis. Which she quite enjoyed as well. At times, though, she felt their behavior a bit odd. After all, most cultivators weren't usually so active in that sense.
When she'd gone to Master to ask that question, he'd said, "All couples find their own rhythm. Do what works for you and him."
Considering the fact that she couldn't get pregnant unless she actively took pills to make that happen, there was no harm in it. Not that she was against having more kids. It was just that two were good for the moment as they balanced raising those children with their very important positions in the sect and with cultivating. Besides, they had plenty of time, centuries at the very least.
She glanced at her wristwatch. It was almost time to pick up Ting'er, named in honor of Yang Lin's grandfather, from school and Hong'er, named after Yang Ru's father, from day care.
Before Yang Lin could leave, though, she sensed someone quickly approaching the house—Yang Xiu. Given her movement speed, something must have happened.
"Ru'er, your sister is coming. I think it might be important."
Yang Lin hated to disturb his cultivation, obviously, especially considering how much of it he sacrificed for her, but both of them knew that the decision about how to handle Town Lord Fang Bao a difficult one for Yang Xiu. It was likely that she'd made the choice and needed assurance that it was the right call or she was simply frustrated at her inability to choose. Either way, she needed her family.
Yang Lin threw open the door and knew she'd made the right call as soon as she saw her sister-in-law's face.
When she was younger, Yang Xiu had been difficult to take sometimes. She had too much energy and overflowed with enthusiasm. Growing older hadn't completely diminished her natural exuberance, but it had tamed it to a manageable level.
The Yang Xiu that showed up at the door showed none of her normal optimistic, excitable self. Instead, she seemed nervous, almost manic. Distraught.
Yang Lin ushered Yang Xiu inside just as Yang Ru emerged from the back of the house.
"I didn't kill him, Ru'er. I didn't. He killed our parents, and I let him go."
Yang Ru stood there frozen, looking at her.
"I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?" Yang Xiu paused, and when she spoke again, her tone was much lower. "No. Of course you can't. I messed up."
She turned to go.
"Xiu'er, wait!" Yang Lin said.
She glared at her husband.
Yang Ru wasn't a natural hugger. When the first set of children had been born, Master had been quite clear on a number of issues regarding how he wanted families to work. For one thing, kids needed both their parents to the greatest extent possible. It was up to each couple to figure out their own roles, but whereas society normally didn't expect fathers to do much other than provide discipline and communicate expectations, Master believed that children were best off when both parents were actively involved in all parts of childrearing, including diaper duty.
Perhaps even more impactful was Master's idea that kids needed love more than anything else. As a practical matter, that expectation conferred two responsibilities on parents toward their kids—telling them they were loved multiple times per day and giving them hugs.
Yang Ru had adapted well. Whenever Ting'er skinned a knee, Daddy was the first person she ran to. Whenever Hong'er got scared due to a thunderstorm, he wanted Daddy.
Even Yang Lin agreed that the man did give good hugs.
Seeing his sister distraught, though, wasn't the same as his kids. For one thing, Yang Xiu always had an aura of toughness. She rarely either never let anything get to her or she didn't show it.
That time, she clearly needed him.
Having been married for nearly eight years, Ru'er knew exactly what Yang Lin meant. He rushed to his sister before she could leave and embraced her.
"You're okay," he said, as if to one of the kids. "I've got you. It's okay."
"I didn't… I should have… Should I have… I couldn't…"
Yang Lin had known that her sister-in-law had struggled with the decision, but to see her normally bubbly visage so distraught… It was heartbreaking. Truly. She hadn't been so affected by anything since Ye Zan's death.
"It's okay, Xiu'er. I understand. You made the right decision."
"How could you say that?" Yang Xiu shouted. "He killed our parents!"
"No, he didn't. His son did. And Master already took care of that long ago."
Yang Xiu's desire for revenge was understandable, of course, but as someone who didn't have children of her own, she just couldn't understand how utterly devastating the loss of a son or daughter would be. Yang Lin couldn't even imagine suffering such a thing herself. She felt that some degree of clemency was warranted.
Not that she'd even state her opinion. Such matters were best left to the people most impacted.
Yang Xiu looked up at him. "You're really okay with my decision?"
"I am."
She broke out of his embrace and backed up a few steps before cupping her hands. "Gratitude, Brother."
Chapter 385 - Reunion10 May
It had been more than ten years since Yang Ru's parents had been murdered, and while he'd never forget them and was glad the perpetrator had been published, he had his own family to worry about. Frankly, making sure that Ting'er actually brushed her teeth instead of simply running water over her toothbrush and protecting Hong'er from monsters hiding underneath his bed held far, far more importance.
Yang Ru believed that his mother and father would have thought the same. They would have wanted the happiness of their grandchildren to come first.
Yang Xiu was different. No family. No love interest. Nothing but Master and fighting and leading the sect and cultivation. She did have friends and loved her new niece and nephew, but they weren't enough to take the place of what she'd lost. Avenging their parents ranked way too highly on her personal priority list in Yang Ru's opinion.
"Gratitude, Brother," she'd said while cupping her hands.
He smiled at her, glad that she'd found her peace with her actions. Which was what she'd been seeking in the first place. Like she'd ever be that torn up over his opinion of her actions. She was far too independent for that.
Still, she was obviously shaken up, and he was glad that he'd helped in some small way.
"So," she said, now that she'd calmed down. "The new mayor?"
Normally, it was very much not the Rising Tide Sect's job to deal with such matters. The Emperor's faction and only the Emperor's faction was in charge of deciding who led a mortal settlement. Given the twins' status, however, they were being given much face in being deferred to in making that choice for their hometown.
Most of that regard was due to either Master's supreme lack or extreme mastery of negotiation skills. Whenever either the Poison Claw Sect or the Emperor himself offered a boon, Master refused it most of the time, claiming to be a simple man who didn't need such extravagances when everyone knew he wouldn't whittle a stick without a blade crafted to such a high standard to make a Nihility realm cultivator weep. The other two factions fell all over themselves trying to keep the relationship balanced, meaning that anytime someone from the Rising Tide Sect actually desired something, it was almost always granted.
Of course, neither of the other factions had understood how valuable all the beachfront properties and the various farm and grazing lands far from established population centers that Master had wanted would become once he set up the portal network. They'd had no inkling such a thing was even possible at the time. Nor how high the value of putting hotels and resorts and restaurants near the ocean could become when formations were erected to keep the truly nasty sea creatures away.
Not even counting greater spirit coins and the cost of his formations and crafts, Master's developments alone made him the richest man on the continent.
"I assumed we'd appoint someone qualified from the town's council," Yang Ru said.
She hesitated before responding, like she usually did when she planned to propose something he was sure not to like. "How about Uncle Shen?"
The idea stopped Yang Ru cold. They'd had Zou Tian's intelligence division track down their uncle years ago. Not so they could approach him, of course. But many fortuitous occurrences came about since that improved his family's status. Like a wealthy merchant coincidentally being near their farm and desperately needed just the crop they were harvesting and willing to pay three times the price for it. Or that time when an array had somehow accidentally gotten placed around a rice paddy that caused production to be five times higher than normal.
Given what Uncle Shen's family had suffered due to the twins, improving the family's finances from the shadows wasn't much payback. Raising their uncle to Town Lord, though? That was a major improvement to his status. Most simple farmers would take the tradeoff of ten years of exile in exchange for such an advancement.
The only problem was that it meant they'd need to present the situation to their uncle personally. Which obviously meant seeing their aunt and uncle for the first time in a decade. Frankly, Yang Ru felt more than a little trepidation at the prospect of a reunion.
On the other hand, their oldest nephew was of the age to be inducted into the sect. Considering that a position in the Rising Tide Sect was sought by literally hundreds of thousands of people, arranging that for a family member was a significant boon and the least the twins could do. Not to mention that Master had long since created perfect cultivation methods for older family members, designed for ease of use and to give maximum health and longevity benefits. Giving those to Aunt and Uncle would mean they'd live decades longer.
The presentation of those boons was something both Yang Xiu and Yang Ru had wanted to do for the last few years but had been procrastinating due to their anxiousness at the situation.
"It's a good idea," he said, "but you know what that means."
"I do. There's still time today."
Yang Ru grimaced but knew his sister was right. He grunted assent.
"Let's all go," Lin'er said. "The three of us and the kids. Ting'er and Hong'er would love to meet their cousins, and making it a family visit should lower tension."
Both the twins nodded. It was a good plan.
When Ting'er emerged from school, her eyes went wide at seeing the trio, and she rushed directly to Yang Xiu. Yang Ru didn't take offense, though. Lin'er had explained that it was good for their daughter to have a "cool aunt" as a role model. Besides, once the moppet let go, he and Lin'er got their hugs as well.
It wasn't until after the embraces were over that Ting'er thought to ask why all three of them were picking her up. They held off of the explanation by telling her she'd have to wait until Hong'er could hear as well. Since they were heading directly to the day care, even a six-year-old's patience could last that long.
Of course, once they reached the day care, Ting'er ran to embrace Master, who, laughing, lifted her up.
"How high?" he said.
"All the way to space!"
He pursed his lips. "You sure?"
"Yes! Please!"
That was a big moment. Ting'er had always been a little apprehensive about going so high. Master glanced at Lin'er and Yang Ru for confirmation. Lin'er nodded, and he grunted.
"Ready for launch?" Master said.
"R-ready."
Ting'er was clearly apprehensive, and Yang Ru's heart swelled at her bravery. It was always so amazing to see one of his children let go of a fear.
"5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Liftoff!" Master yelled.
As soon as he said the last word, he threw her upward with great force.
Obviously, he wouldn't throw her all the way to space as the gravitational forces exerted on her fully mortal body would be too great, so he extended a qi shield in front of her to cut down on wind resistance and wrapped it around her to hold in warmth and air while using a series of Teleportation jumps to take her out of the planet's atmosphere.
Even with Yang Ru's Golden Core perception, he could barely see his little girl as she passed into the vacuum of space. She'd barely even started her fall, though, when she appeared in Master's arms.
"How was it?" Master said.
It took her no time at all to readjust to being back on land, a testament to how used she was to Teleportation. "So pretty! And … a little scary."
"I know. You're such a brave girl."
She nodded her head firmly. "I'm gonna grow up to be just like Aunt Xiu'er!"
That brought smiles to all the adults' faces, especially Yang Xiu's.
Since Ting'er had a turn being thrown into the air, Hong'er, of course, wanted his turn—a wish that Master of course granted, though not nearly so high for the four-year-old.
With both kids on the ground, it was time for Yang Ru to explain the plan, so he told them about going to meet their great-uncle and their cousins. They were excited, of course, mainly for the prospect of flying on swords for longer than just to go across the sect grounds instead of for meeting family they hadn't known existed.
Master, of course, knew instantly what the trip represented.
"What did you decide?" he said to Yang Xiu.
"Exile to a small farming village." Her tone held only a trace of bitterness.
Master cupped his hands. "Gratitude for your service to the sect and for showing mercy. I'm proud of you."
When she didn't answer, probably due to being a little choked up, Lin'er said, "We all are."
Both women and the two kids got hugs from Master, and Yang Ru was given a handshake and a unenhanced slap to the back.
"Light's fading," Master said, his voice a bit choked as well. "Best get to it."
So they did. After using the portal to get close, they flew the rest of the way, Hong'er with his mom on her sword and Ting'er with her aunt.
The trip in total took less than an hour with the flight being five times longer than the portals had taken, and soon, Yang Shen's farm came into view.
Yang Ru and Yang Xiu shared a glance, one that said, "It's right down there and we've come all this way so we kind of have to go down there, right?"
"How dramatic do we want to be?" Yang Xiu said.
Yang Ru pondered the question for a moment. "Uncle Shen wouldn't react well to cultivators descending from the sky. Besides, it feels like a rude way to re-introduce ourselves."
Lin'er nodded vigorously, so he knew he was on safe ground.
From Yang Xiu's expression, she obviously agreed as well. "Change into peasant clothes, then?"
That question, too, required careful thought. It was good to take steps not to startle people, but consideration could be carried too far.
"We shouldn't hide who we are with family," Yang Ru said, "and we'll need to convince them of our authority to make him the Town Lord."
No one disagreed, and slowly, they descended, touching ground on a dirt path that led to the small farmhouse.
The twins looked at each other before leading their small group toward the house. No one appeared to Yang Ru's spiritual sense, but the sounds of manual labor came both from inside and out in the fields. Mortals, as expected.
The closer they got to the door, the harder Yang Ru's heart beat. Which, in a way, was silly. He was a Golden Core cultivator. One swipe of his spear, Irresistible Force, that Master had crafted for him, and the entire farm would be destroyed. There was nothing physical anyone present could do to him.
No, it was purely emotional damage that he feared. When he and Xiu'er had fled. It meant that Uncle Shen's family had to flee as well, and the man had built his home and farm over the course of decades, had lived in Seventh Brilliant Raven Town his entire life.
And he'd had to give up all that due to the twins. His family had struggled for years to get established. One bad crop could have ruined them.
Yang Ru honestly had no idea what they were walking into. Uncle Shen had every right to blame them for every sleepless night and every time their kids went hungry.
Yang Xiu clearly felt the same way as her steps grew slower the closer they got.
Eventually, though, the inevitable had to happen—they arrived at the door. As the siblings hesitated, Lin'er stepped forward and knocked.
Steps approached from the other side. Like it or not, a reunion was about to happen.
Chapter 386 – Life Was Funny Sometimes12 May
5/13/26 A/N: My 12yo daughter used Canva for school, and I told her that authors sometimes use it for covers. One thing led to another, and I promised her that, if she made me one, I'd use it for a week on RR. See below. If you have any really nice things to say about it, I'll pass it along to her.
Yang Shen's back ached as he bent to pick another weed from amongst the mustard greens. He definitely wasn't getting any younger. At least with the fortuitous windfalls he'd experienced over the last few years, he didn't fear that his family would starve when he could no longer work.
Since the day was warm and his bones were weary and, more importantly, he'd hired hands to do much of the most difficult labor, he decided to stop working an hour earlier than he would have just a few years prior, something he found himself doing more often as of late. He sighed. There was no help for getting old.
His oldest son, Yang Pengfei, was an adult himself with a wife and a newborn on the way. The couple had their own house on the opposite edge of the farm, and more and more Yang Shen thought about handing ownership over to the next generation.
Even Yang Gui, the younger of his two children, was almost an adult. He was courting a young lady in the village and planned to start his own small acreage.
Honestly, the farm was doing quite well, better than the one in Seventh Brilliant Rain Town had ever done. Between merchants finding his door with extravagant offers before he had a chance even to get to the market and remarkable crop yields, it was like the place was blessed by the heavens.
Yang Pengfei could buy the place in installments, which would fund his father's retirement.
That wasn't a bad plan, but what would he do with himself if he didn't have chores to occupy him? He'd annoy his wife by hovering and his son by interfering. Maybe in a year or two when his age would slow him so much that he couldn't work. At that point he'd just have to take up a hobby.
He chuckled. There were many times in his life when he didn't think he'd survive until the next week, and now there he was considering what to do in his leisure time when he retired.
Life sure was funny sometimes.
After washing up, he eased into the house and snuck a kiss from his wife, Yang Xiurong, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.
"Your back again?" she said.
He nodded.
She sighed. "You really should go to one of those healers in town. I hear their pills work wonders, and it's free."
All kinds of stories were coming out about the new facility and portal network that had been established about a year prior. Enough people he trusted had experienced the miracles first hand that he could no longer doubt it, but he honestly didn't know what to think.
"Free except that it would take me a full day to walk there and another day back. Who would do my work?"
She gave him a flat stare that said, "You know good darn well that Peng'er and the hands can handle the place without you."
He humphed, stalling really as he tried to come up with a proper reply. A knock on the door saved him from the necessity.
"Who do you reckon that could that be?" he said.
Their nearest neighbor lived over a mile away, and the farm definitely didn't get many visitors, especially as it was getting on supper time. That late in the day, someone at the door usually meant trouble, be it a lost calf or a fire gotten out of control or something equally worrisome.
Rong'er obviously had the same thought as she stayed right behind him as he rushed to the door and opened it.
Three young people stood before him. A nice looking young lad and two equally nice looking young ladies, along with two children. Which was weird because the three adults all wore cultivator robes. Did cultivators normally travel with kids?
More importantly, what would cultivators want with him?
Whatever it was wasn't likely to be good.
Yang Shen didn't deal with people of such power and stature often, but he knew what to do. He cupped his hands and bowed low, a slight pain tugging at his aching back. "Greetings, Esteemed Cultivators. How may this lowly mortal assist you?"
The prettier of the two young ladies stepped forward, cupped her hands, and bowed even lower than he had. "Uncle Shen, how are you?"
Huh? Uncle Shen? Who?
His eyes went wide. "Xiu'er? Is that you? And Ru'er?"
They each nodded as Yang Shen stood there, stunned into silence.
"I thought… We thought… Heavens be blessed! You're alive. Alive!" Rong'er rushed forward and threw her arms around Xiu'er, letting go only to embrace Yang Ru.
As happy Yang Shen was to see them returned hale and happy, he wasn't sure how to react. Not only were the three of them wearing cultivator robes, but everything about the way they appeared screamed incredible wealth, from the cut of their clothes to the multiple rings they all wore.
His wife didn't have the same issue, apparently deciding that kin was kin.
"And who is this young lady?" she said.
Yang Ru stepped forward. "Honored Aunt, Honored Uncle, may this lowly one present my wife, Yang Lin and children, Ting'er and Hong'er."
The very respectful address—ludicrously more than a cultivator should use for a pair of mortal farmers, elder relatives or not—spoke volumes about how they wished to be treated. Rong'er obviously had the right of it. Not that he'd really doubted her.
She was already embracing their new niece and soon moved onto their new grandniece and grandnephew.
After introductions were finished, the young people were invited inside, and they all exchanged small talk until Rong'er finished serving tea.
"Cultivators, huh?" Yang Shen said finally.
The twins told a story that was almost too fantastic to believe, starting with being saved by a powerful cultivator who appeared out of nowhere just when the young master had caught up with them and continuing with being essentially being made the heirs of their sect.
"Wait," Yang Shen said. "The Rising Tide Sect? Is it associated with that Rushing Waves Sect that's been installing all those portal things?"
The three looked at each other and began laughing.
"That is us, Esteemed Uncle," Yang Lin said. "We're the Rushing Waves Sect."
"But I thought you said…"
"What my lovely wife is trying to say is that the sect that is building the portal network is the Rising Tide Sect, which is our sect. We have formed a tight alliance with the other two factions on the continent to bring prosperity to all."
If what he said was true—and Yang Ru was never much one for lying or bragging—Yang Shen's niece and nephew had really come up in the world. They were probably two of the most important people on the continent.
Yang Shen cupped his hands. "Gratitude for the explanation."
Rong'er had slipped off to finish up dinner, though listening as much as possible as the tale unfolded, and called all of them to the table. As he stood, though, the tricky muscle in his back caught, and he winced.
"Uncle!" Yang Xiu said. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Just getting old."
A jade bottle appeared in her hand from nowhere.
No, not from nowhere. One of the rings she wore must have been a spatial treasure. Rich and important, indeed.
"Take one of these," she said, holding out a pill.
Her tone brooked no disobedience. Even as her elder and with the deference they'd been showing him and Rong'er, it would have been the height of foolishness to disobey someone of her stature. He meekly accepted the pill and swallowed it.
Immediately, warmth spread through his body, and his aches and pains faded.
"That's amazing," he said. "Is that what they've been giving out at those blue pavilions."
"Basically, Uncle," Yang Xiu said. "These are slightly stronger as they're refined by Master himself."
After they'd all sat for dinner, Yang Lin said, "These lowly ones have discourteously intruded at dinner time. May we contribute something to the meal?"
There was maybe enough food for everyone if they rationed, but Rong'er would have to make something later for the field hands. As she was about to refuse, he spoke over her. "If you wish."
He really didn't want Rong'er to have to do even more work as she was getting just as up there in years as he was. Besides, he was kind of curious what they had available.
Yang Xiu grinned, and a large serving dish with a circular food about four inches tall appeared. "I've got dessert. Master calls this a cake. As long as you cut off about half of the icing, it's amazing."
Yang Shen's newest niece conjured two small bowls, both still steaming, that she placed in front of the two little ones. "Apologies, but our children are on a special diet that Master developed. It supposed to make them grow up to be bigger, stronger, and healthier."
Surprisingly, even Yang Ru had something to add as he first made a small table appear. An instant later, the top was absolutely covered by a single massive serving platter containing a roasted boar, which was still sizzling, that had an apple in its mouth.
"Why do you even have that?" Yang Lin said.
Her husband shrugged. "Never know when you might need to provide a feast for mortals. Best to be prepared. With the newest version of Master's dimensional storage device, it's not like I'm worried about having enough space."
"I would like to meet this Master of yours," Yang Shen said. "He deserves my thanks for looking after you two."
"For all three of us," Yang Xiu said excitedly.
She always was enthusiastic. Age had muted it somewhat, but he was glad to see that some of it remained.
"At least neither of us actually died."
It turned out that Yang Ru's wife had died. Literally. She remembered her soul leaving her body, and their master had drawn it back. How powerful did one have to be to do something like that?
His extended family was definitely no longer simple.
Eventually, though, the dinner ended, and it was time to find out the reason for the visit. As soon as they'd all settled in the other room, Yang Ru said, "Yang Xiu ousted Fang Bao. He is no longer the mayor of Seventh Brilliant Raven Town."
That was to be expected, actually, given the power and wealth they'd displayed and the backing they'd so casually mentioned. The real surprise came next.
"We'd like you to be the new mayor, Uncle," Yang Xiu said.
His objections were many and their answers even more plentiful. He was just a farmer. He would receive lessons, and the Emperor's faction would provide a qualified assistant. It was dangerous since the guards were loyal to the old mayor. Cultivator guards would be provided—six recent graduates from The Tortoise Academy would be recruited and be supervised by Rising Tide Sect guards until the younger ones were fully trained and deemed faithful.
"That all seems like a lot of trouble and expense for an old man," Yang Shen said.
"Not for family," Yang Ru said.
And that was that.
The next surprise was almost as big—Yang Xiu made many jade slips and several beast cores appear. "Cultivation methods for you, Uncle, and you, Aunt. They're easy to use and will make your healthier and extend you lifespan."
"We can't let you reveal sect secrets to us!" Yang Shen said.
Again, the three looked at each other and laughed.
"Don't worry." Yang Lin said "The only person in the entire sect higher in stature than your nephew and niece is Master, and we have his permission."
"We also can offer our cousins a choice," Yang Xiu said, "either cultivation methods like we gave you or actual membership in the sect. Keep in mind that we have tens of thousands of applicants yearly and only accept a few hundred."
In a couple of hours, Yang Shen had went from a broken old farmer pulling weeds in a field to a future cultivator and Town Lord.
Life sure was funny sometimes.
Chapter 387 – Weighing Lives14 May
Chao Su felt like he'd taken a nice, long, relaxing vacation. For the last several years, he'd basically tinkered around inventing things and spent most of each day playing with his great grandchildren. He didn't even have to do almost any of the actual childcare work as there were plenty of sect members seeking contribution points to take on those tasks.
He just … played, getting really good at literally juggling tykes.
Besides being the person to establish new portal hubs—which only he could do—he really had no responsibilities. The kids had even mostly taken over the task of running the sect, and between Wu Hua, the twins, Yang Lin, and Zou Tian, he trusted that it was in good hands.
Sometimes, though, a situation came up that only he could resolve, and though he wasn't much of a tealeaf reader, he saw that events were progressing to a point where he'd have to make a decision.
It turned out that he was right. A week after the new portal connection was made in Seventh Brilliant Raven Town—a fortnight after the twins had replaced its mayor—the sect's council of elders formally requested that he attend a meeting.
Knowing the subject, he accepted the invitation, which, honestly, he wouldn't have refused anyway. Though he enjoyed relaxing, it wasn't like he didn't make himself available whenever the kiddos needed him.
The meeting, still held in the Administration Hall, started out as normal. Each of the pavilion heads gave their status reports, and those all basically amounted to, "Things are proceeding normally."
After sect matters concluded, the topic turned to the status of the Program, and everything was peachy keen there, too. The twins' hometown was the last of the settlements on the continent scheduled to get a portal connection, and integration was on schedule there. Labor for the remote farms was a little stretched due to the sheer amount of crops grown with the assistance of their arrays, but no one would be going hungry. The Alchemy Pavilion and its remote factories had even scheduled a severe reduction of the production of mortal fasting pills in response to projections.
The farms, though, were run basically as a non-profit to keep the cost of food low, so the biggest success story from an investment standpoint was the beach resorts and their associated hotels. Sure, anyone could easily access the sand and waves through the portals for a daytrip, but staying onsite had become a status symbol, just as their partners in the Premiere Jade Treasures Auction House had planned.
"That brings use to our final order of business—expansion." Yang Xiu turned to Chao Su. "The continent is completely accessible. A Foundation Establishment cultivator with a glider can reach from any point to any other point in under an hour. We're ready to bring the network to new continents."
The unasked question was—did they have his permission?
Chao Su sighed. He pulled up an illusion that showed their continent in the center and two others relatively close by. "The one plan southeast from us is similar in qi density to what we're used to. The cultivator strength maxes out at Nascent Soul and the ranks of the spirit beasts are largely within the capabilities of our Golden Cores."
He pointed to the continent due north. "This one, the Da Qing continent, is different. It's the one where Lei Bohai of the Twelfth Majestic Order of Formations Masters came from. It's also where Qian Liqin and the Thousandth Heavenly Li Sect are located as well as the two strong Nascent Souls who traveled with her for the ambush and their factions.
"More importantly, it's the home to at least five Nihility realm cultivators."
Chao Su paused to let the information sink in. "I do not feel that it is safe for us to tread the waters of the Da Qing continent yet. We need more Nascent Souls at the very least and ideally a few Nihility realms of our own."
He hadn't even reached that vaunted realm yet. Though he knew the requirements by heart, he silently had the System pull the information up for him again.
Modified Average Loyalty was no issue and wasn't likely to become one in the near future. It turned out that, when your sect became the most exclusive one around and gave out huge benefits to members, the people who joined tended to be quite loyal from the start.
Neither were Qi Gathering realm cultivators an issue. They had thousands and only needed six hundred twenty-five.
The requirement for Foundation Establishment members was likewise easy to meet as they also had literally thousands in that realm as well, compared to the required one hundred twenty-five.
Even Golden Cores weren't an issue. He only needed twenty-five, and they had over fifty on the roster, about an even split of people who'd been with him from the beginning and recruits who'd joined the sect already at Foundation Establishment from the Jade Chameleons and Swift Blizzards.
Of course, those numbers could have been much higher, but two factors slowed the advancement of those formerly enemy cultivators. For one thing, their cultivation methods had been so dreadful that he'd made every one of them go back to the start of the realm. Some had balked at the imposition, but the expansion of their qi pools and the raising of their spiritual roots had shut them up pretty quickly.
The second reason was more problematic—loyalty. Coming on the heels of the complete destruction of the two sects, worry over former members of the two holding enough of a grudge to join the sect just to sabotage it was a real thing.
They did employ some mitigation, of course. The Rising Tide Sect only accepted former enemy sect members with high karma scores. Obviously, the score didn't guarantee that none of them acted against the sect's interests. Good karma tended to indicate good people, though, and good people tended not to commit bad acts—unless they felt like they had a good enough reason, anyway.
Thus, karma scores weren't nearly enough protection, but it was a start.
The second layer was forcing each of those newly inducted members to cultivate a special Mind technique. There was no brainwashing involved, obviously, as the Rising Tide Sect was a righteous sect. The technique simply strengthened the user's ability to apply dispassionate analytical reasoning, which made them more susceptible to the viewpoint that the enemy sects were in the wrong.
Zou Tian represented the next layer of protection. Or, rather, his Intelligence Pavilion did. Each new member, regardless of their background, was investigated thoroughly, and their actions monitored closely for years. Three traitors had been caught, which, unfortunately, resulted in their execution.
The final hurdle for potential saboteurs was simply time. New members from those two sects weren't allowed to progress as fast as others, giving them more years to assimilate into their new community.
To date, the methodology had worked as the only bad impacts had been grudges and rivalries, but even those had mainly been a problem in the early integration period.
Regardless, the Rising Tide Sect had plenty of Golden Cores to meet the requirements and more in the pipeline, so that wasn't the problem. The next category was—Nascent Souls.
Simply put, Chao Su had no way to accelerate any of their current members to that lofty realm in any reasonable timeframe without employing measures he wasn't comfortable with. Fatty Ren was the closest, Having been a Golden Core for around eight years, he'd just recently reached the second minor realm, and that achievement was only because Chao Su had long ago installed a Gluttony aspected Time dilation room at the palace.
Without accelerating Time, it would have taken at least eighteen years just to hit the second minor realm, and each minor realm took longer than the one before it. A normal C ranked cultivator from one of the sects averaged about five hundred fifty years to hit Nascent Soul from the beginning of Golden Core, assuming no bottlenecks.
Of course, the System's top heaven grade cultivation methods shaved off up to a quarter of that duration, so Fatty Ren, without Time dilation, could have done it in about four hundred ten years, more than four hundred times the age of the Rising Tide Sect.
Even applying every shortcut that Chao Su could imagine, reaching Nascent Soul would take any of his disciples a century at least.
His only recourse to advance them more quickly was to have them literally live constantly in an accelerated state. Which he absolutely would not do. In fact, he forbade any of them from spending more than ten objective hours per day doing so, and he discouraged even that much use except for isolated durations.
Life was for living, not just for advancing.
Basically, it would be a long, long time before he reached Nihility. And he could live with that outcome. It just meant that the kids' expansion plans would have to be put on serious hold.
Obviously, he didn't lay out his path to advancement for the council, but they understood the math as well as he did. Based on the directive he'd just lain down, they were multiple centuries away, at the very least, from adding the Da Qing continent to the portal network.
"What about the one to the southeast, then, Master?" Yang Xiu said.
"The Xiao continent." Chao Su was quite familiar with that one, having both been born and joined a sect there. "Not counting our allies, they greatly outnumber us in higher realmed cultivators. I'd be willing to let you establish diplomatic ties with the factions as a first step, though, one we reach, say, one hundred Golden Cores."
Advancing that many members should take a decade at most, more likely half that.
From their faces, he could tell they were all disappointed, which he understood completely. The sect highly encouraged travel along the path of righteousness, and the Program did truly good work. Mortality rates for common citizens had declined sharply over the last five years. Almost no one died of disease, and both starvation and malnutrition were fading into bad memories. The economy flourished. There was work for anyone who wanted a job. Crime and spirit beast attacks were way down. Quality of life was way up.
Every minute they hesitated in expanding the Program was another minute that hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people continued suffering. Thinking about so many people in such dire straits sucked, but Chao Su could live with, for the moment, doing nothing.
Long ago, he'd made peace with himself at the destruction he'd caused following the short lived sect war, but the immediate aftermath had been a dark time for him. He'd personally killed around a hundred cultivators. That was a lot of blood on his hands, and despite his Mind and Soul Cultivation, there had been many sleepless nights.
Moving past it had taken years of thinking. The final breakthrough came one day while he played with Ting'er. A feeling of just how much he loved that little girl—and all the other little ones, of course—had washed over him, and he realized that keeping her and the others safe was worth truly any cost. If he hadn't killed all those enemy Nascent Souls and Golden Cores, she never would have even been born.
So, in a way, he felt callous disregarding the suffering of so many, but against the lives of the children whom he loved so dearly, even the weight of countless other kids didn't stack up.
Chapter 388 – Go to Her16 May
For nearly four weeks, Lei Lanfen had, without fail, taken the portal to her new job and hoed, raked, plucked, picked, watered, toted, baled, or done whatever else was required of her. At the end of her first five days of work, she'd asked for her pay, and the seemingly kind overseer, Xiong Weizhe, had showed her how to check her "bank balance" on the wrist device she'd been issued.
Frowning, Lei Lanfen had done as instructed. An image, which was explained to be Illusion qi, had popped up that showed a balance of five silver taels. Her expression immediately grew stormy, thinking she'd been cheated. She wanted real money, not just a number in the air.
Xiong Weizhe had just chuckled in response.
It turned out that it was extremely easy to turn those numbers in the air into actual silver Lei Lanfen could hold in her hands. And, at first, that was exactly what she did. Eventually, she realized how easy it was to pay for items using her wrist device, though, as seemingly overnight, every merchant in her little village accepted electronic payment.
Everything that the Rising Tide Sect members in the outpost had told her turned out to be true. Even better, the five taels a week was only for working "weekdays." Work on the extra two weekend days earned one and a half taels per day! In twenty seven days, she'd made twenty-nine and a half taels, a sum the her of only a month prior would have considered a fortune.
As her shift ended, she swiped her wrist device near the "timeclock," a name that seemed quite redundant, and waved to Xiong Weizhe.
"See you Monday!" the overseer said.
Lei Lanfen stopped in surprise and turned back toward the man. "But I'm coming in tomorrow? Like always?"
The overseer shook his head. "You didn't read the rules? Employees are encouraged to only work five days a week, but it's allowed to work more than that. It is forbidden, however, to work more than twenty-seven straight days. So see you Monday."
Lei Lanfen opened her mouth to object.
"You're a great worker," Xiong Weizhe said, "and I'd love to have a hundred more just like you. But it's out of my hands. See you Monday."
Lei Lanfen scowled.
"Take a day off," the overseer said. "Go to the beach. Relax. Read a book. I don't know why you're so desperate to work, but one day surely won't make that much of a difference."
That was … true, actually. Lei Lanfen was so used to putting her head down and going to work that she forgot to consider whether it was even necessary. Her mother was healthy and working, so the family was actually doing great. They'd even all bought new clothes and paid to have someone fix the drafty hut to make it weathertight. An extra one and a half taels was no longer the difference between starving and surviving.
Xiong Weizhe looked down at his tablet. "Hey, I know what you should do tomorrow. You're close to fourteen, right?"
She nodded.
"Go to an outpost and get yourself scanned," he said. "Maybe your roots have finished growing."
"I doubt I'm talented enough to cultivate. Even if I were, I'm not sure I'd want to. The stories…"
"Don't believe everything you read. Look at what the Rising Tide Sect has done for us."
She had to admit that the improvements to her life and for all the villagers had been something special. There was a sense of optimism from almost everyone. But one thing about his statement confused her.
"I thought all three factions were responsible," she said.
The overseer looked right and left before lowering his voice. "They're always careful to give credit to all three equally, but look at the facts. The Poison Claw Sect and the Emperor's faction have existed for centuries. Did they ever do anything to truly help commoners? No. Then the Rising Tide Sect was formed, and less than a decade later…" He gestured at the farm and at the tablet he held.
The cultivators Lei Lanfen had met certainly hadn't been what she'd expected. They were as nice as any of the villagers, nicer than most, actually. At first, she'd thought it was some kind of act, but the longer they stayed in the village, the more she began to think that was just the way they actually were. And they were all from the Rising Tide Sect.
"Anyway," Xiong Weizhe said, "becoming a cultivator isn't the only reason to get your roots checked. While I'd love for you to stay here on the farm working for me, it's a proven fact that people do better in jobs that match their aspect. You'll both be more productive and happier overall in the right position, and I don't want to hold you back from that."
Growing up dirt poor, Lei Lanfen survived by looking out for herself and her family and expecting everyone else to do the same. She was not used to people considering her interests important. That the overseer was willing to lose a good worker simply so that worker would be happier…
She cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Esteemed Overseer."
He smiled almost bashfully, and the two said their goodbyes, both aware that it might be their last meeting.
The next morning, she did something almost unprecedented—she slept in. It was hours past dawn when she finally woke, and she followed that by cleaning herself, and eating a leisurely breakfast in a quiet house, her mom working and little brother being watched after by a friendly adult for a small fee. Eventually, though, there was only so much lazing she could take, so she headed for the outpost.
As she got closer, a bit of nostalgia tickled her. She been so, so young and stupid upon her first visit. How could she have made such a fool of herself, doubting everything she was told and expecting a scam around every corner and, worst of all, mistaking a Golden Core as a teenager not much older than her?
Heat rose to her face. Maybe they wouldn't remember her. It had, after all, been almost a month since she'd been inside.
The same giant of a Qi Gathering cultivator who'd been on guard duty for her previous visit was there.
He grinned as he caught sight of her. "Lei Lanfen! It's been quiet here without you visiting. How have you been?"
So much for being forgotten.
She cupped her hands. "This lowly one has been doing well, Esteemed Cultivator. Working steadily."
His eyes shone, and his lips were pressed tightly together, a sure sign he had something he thought clever that he wanted to tell her. In a way, he resembled nothing more than an excited puppy.
She sighed. "Just go ahead and say it."
"This one has cut way down on his bullying since your reprimanded me." The words practically exploded from him as he rushed to get them out. "I haven't harassed more than a half dozen sect elders in the last month."
Lei Lanfen rubbed a hand over her face, but she couldn't help but laugh. If anyone deserved to be teased after her performance last time, it was her. "How long have you been wanting to tell me that?"
"Almost a month," he said, his smile wide.
She shook her head ruefully. "Keep up the good work, Junior Brother."
He saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"
It felt so surreal to interact with an actual cultivator like he was one of her friends, but at the same time, it felt so right. He wasn't much older than her, and he certainly didn't act like some kind of pretentious snob who wanted everyone to bow down to him. None of the people she'd met in the outpost behaved like that.
"What can we help you with today?" he said.
She told him her purpose, and he nodded as she turned toward the administration area. To her immense embarrassment, the same girl as last time answered the bell and, upon seen Lei Lanfen, called for the outpost leader.
"I just need to see if I can get my official registration yet," she said once Lin Tao appeared. "You don't need to handle it yourself."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but a sect elder took a personal interest in you, correct?"
She sighed again. "Yes, Esteemed Outpost Leader."
"Imagine this, I'm back at the sect giving a report about how the outpost is doing, and Zou Ai asks about you. I say, 'I think she's fine. She came in for something, but my assistant handled it.' Then, Zou Ai gets angry and blasts me with a death ray."
"I'm pretty sure that cultivators don't use death rays, Esteemed Outpost Leader."
"You haven't seen the Sect Leader's Void finisher."
Obviously, Lin Tao exaggerated a bit as she was sure that Zou Ai wouldn't actually kill the man, but still, Lei Lanfen could understand his perspective. Best not to chance it.
By that point, though, he was already scanning her, so there wasn't any reason for her to respond further.
His eyes went wide. "Did Zou Ai give you her card?"
Lei Lanfen patted her pocket. "Yes…"
"You know what to do with it if you need her?"
His reactions were starting to be alarming.
"Yes," she said.
"Do that. Now. I have to upload these results by the end of the day, but I'll withhold it until then."
"What? Why?"
Lin Tao met her eyes. "You're not in any trouble or any danger, but I strongly recommend that you get someone a lot more knowledgeable than me to go over your options with you. Unlike all but a tiny, tiny percentage of mortals on this continent, you have a personal connection with someone like that who can help. Please take my advice, and go to her. Now."
Chapter 389 – Unintended Trouble16 May
Zou Tian couldn't help but be worried. Even though his two youngest children were playing in gentle waves no deeper than their mid-calves and there were two Foundation Establishment lifeguards on duty, the sight of so much water made him anxious. The fact that Zou Su was old enough to swim on his own made that anxiety even worse.
Of course, in all the years the beach resorts had been open, there had been no drownings or even serious injuries, so his worry was somewhat overblown. He knew that. Still, he worried.
He and Master had discussed the issue once.
Master had simply said, "Now you know how I feel about you pulling that stunt during the ambush."
Zou Tian didn't have a ready answer.
Still, the beach wasn't all bad—the pleasant heat of the sun, the sound of the waves, the strong, clean breeze. At first, he hadn't understood Master's insistence for creating the resorts, but as with almost everything else, Master had proved to be right.
And the kids absolutely loved playing in the sand and water. "Can we go to the beach?" was about the most common phrase heard in his house.
Zou Tian simply had to manage his anxiety as well as he could.
Something besides his children suddenly drew his attention—a black piece of paper folded into the shape of an owl darted toward him.
The technique used to create it was similar to Master's blue dragons but even more complex. For one thing, the owls interacted with the portal networks to speed their delivery. For another, almost no one without a special technique could see them.
He surreptitiously plucked it from the air with his qi and sent it to a special storage device. The ring verified his qi signature, decoded the note, and projected the message onto his eye where only he could read it.
Visitor for Zou Ai at main gate. Lei Lanfen. Has card.
Hmm. He remembered his wife telling him about the girl. She didn't sound like anything special, of course, but his wife had grown attached enough to give her a card.
A lot of mortals might have sought to use the connection for their advantage, but the girl had simply gone about her life, working on one of the farms. Something must have happened to have her seek out Zou Ai.
Zou Tian opened his tablet and pulled up all recent activities involving Lei Lanfen, starting with an update to her registration that hadn't been uploaded yet.
Ah. That made sense.
"Dearest wife?" he said.
Zou Ai had been mostly napping in the sun while he watched the kids, and he hated to disturb her. Like him, there was little time in her life for relaxation what with her job, the kids, and cultivation. She looked so peaceful lying there.
"Yes?" she said.
"You're needed back at the sect."
Once she heard that Lei Lanfen was looking for her, Zou Ai agreed immediately, and Zou Tian sent a message to the gate guards, one of the dragons that time. Fortunately, Master was there that day, and he willingly agreed to watch the kids until they returned. So, after some quick hugs goodbye, the couple departed.
***
The Rising Tide Sect apparently had two portal exits, one for members and one for visitors. Lei Lanfen had been dumped from the latter not far from the gate. She stood for a moment, hesitating. After all, she wasn't seeking entrance to a small outpost in her village but the actual main grounds of a powerful sect.
It was more than a little intimidating, and the guards looked big and scary.
Of course, appearances could be deceiving. Li Bo looked big and scary, too, and he had turned out to be a bit of a goofball. Besides, all the Rising Tide Sect members she'd met so far had been nice.
As she approached the gate, a guard addressed her. "What is the purpose of your visit?"
Lei Lanfen almost chuckled. Zou Ai had said they'd ask her exactly that.
"Greetings, Esteemed Cultivator, this lowly one is here to see the Exalted Sect Elder, Zou Ai. This lowly one has a card."
The expression on the guard's face transformed between the start of Lei Lanfen's statement and the end. When she'd said who she wanted to see, the man was clearly skeptical, but when she'd handed him the card, it was almost deferential.
"Of course, Honored Miss," he said. "Give me a few moments to determine the Exalted Elder's location, and I'll have you escorted to her. In the meantime, please have a seat in our waiting area."
The area was very nice, and a lady came in to offer Lei Lanfen tea and snacks, which she refused. Hopefully, it wouldn't take that long. If things went right, someone would come soon and take her to Zou Ai. If thing went wrong, they'd ask why Lei Lanfen was there, which would be a problem because she didn't rightly know.
After a short while, well less than five minutes, the guard entered the waiting area. "Apologies, Miss, but it appears the Exalted Elder is away from the sect. How would you like to proceed?"
Before she could respond, the weirdest thing happened. A blue flying thing appeared in the middle of the room.
Obviously, Lei Lanfen recoiled from it, thinking it some type of attack, but the guard wasn't disturbed at all and simply plucked it out of the air. As soon as he touched it, it turned into a … piece of paper.
"Apologies, Esteemed Miss," he said. "The Exalted Elder and her Exalted Husband have been made aware of your presence and will be here shortly. If you will just wait a few more minutes?"
"Of course, Esteemed Cultivator."
As he left, it took a few moments for the door to close, and while it remained open, she could hear him talking to a fellow guard.
"Who is she?"
"I don't know, but she must be important. Elder Zou Ai and Elder Zou Tian are both rushing back from the beach to meet with her."
Lei Lanfen felt bad. She hadn't meant to cause any trouble, especially not for Zou Ai to leave a relaxing day. There was nothing to be done about it, though. So Lei Lanfen waited.
An embarrassingly short amount of time later, Zou Ai and a man entered the waiting area. From the complete obsequiousness shown by the guards, both of them appeared to be quite important.
Ugh. Lei Lanfen wished she hadn't listened to Lin Tao's advice.
"Lan'er!" Zou Ai said. "How are you?"
They were close enough to use diminutives now? Lei Lanfen didn't think so. She'd only met the woman once, and she definitely wasn't going to start referring to her as Ai'er.
Lei Lanfen cupped her hands. "Greetings, Exalted Elder. This lowly one apologizes for bothering you."
"Nonsense. What's wrong?"
Before Lei Lanfen could answer, the man said, "Greetings, Honored Miss. I'm Zou Tian, this lovely woman's husband. Perhaps we should move somewhere more private for our conversation?"
Lei Lanfen didn't know if that was appropriate or not, considering that she didn't even know why she was there, but it was always best to go along with a powerful cultivator's suggestion. She cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Exalted Elder."
Zou Tian led the small group to a room in a nearby building. "We're inside a silencing array. Nothing said inside will be transmitted to the outside."
Her eyes went wide. What could possibly be so important?
Zou Ai slapped her hand lightly against her husband's shoulder. "My dear husband is professionally paranoid. He thinks our grocery list should be top secret."
"Well," he said, obviously pretending to consider the matter, "if an enemy knew what we ate on a regular basis, it would make poisoning us easier, wouldn't it? I'll get to work on encoding our private messages."
Zou Ai rolled her eyes. "Anyway, whatever you have to say is surely not that worrisome. Between he and I, we can handle it."
Left unasked was the question—why did you come?
All Lei Lanfen could do was tell the truth. "I don't know why I'm here." She went on to explain what happened with Lin Tao."
"That sounds easy enough," Zou Ai said. "We'll scan you."
"No need." Zou Tian pulled out a tablet. "Here's the reading from Lin Tao."
For the second time if a few minutes, Lin Lanfen's eyes went wide.
"Don't worry about it," Zou Ai said. "He does this kind of stuff all the time. It's his job."
Zou Tian grinned and winked at Lei Lanfen. Winked. The man was surely a Golden Core cultivator and an elder of a major sect, and he winked at her.
Zou Ai was already reading the tablet, though, so she didn't notice. When she finished, she chuckled. "Yeah. Okay. I see Lin Tao's point. It's probably best for you to have someone you trust to discuss your options with."
Lei Lanfen's heart was pounding. "Options, Exalted Elder?"
"Oh. Right. You don't know yet." Zou Ai handed Lei Lanfen the tablet.
Name:
Lei Lanfen
Affiliation:
Azure Dusty Hills Village
Age:
13
Cultivation:
None
Techniques:
None
Spiritual Roots:
A
Qi Aspect:
Core metal of heavens piercing target to annihilation
"Uh… What does any of that mean?"
She got the first three lines, obviously, but the rest escaped her.
Zou Ai started to speak, but when Zou Tian met her eyes, she waved for him to continue.
"Spiritual root ranks range from G, someone who literally cannot cultivator, all the way through F, E, D, C, B, A, and S, someone whose talent is supreme in all the world. Further, each rank is divided into three subcategories—minus, neutral, and plus. Currently, there are no S ranked cultivators known to exist on this continent. They are extraordinarily rare."
Lei Lanfen didn't understand his emphasis on S. The screen, after all, showed that she was an A.
"Don't get me wrong," he said. "A is good. A is really good. The top member in our sect is A+, and her talent is phenomenal. It's also rare. Any sect on the planet would gratefully accept an A ranked prospect."
That was a lot to take in. She'd gone from unwanted mortal to desired recruit in the matter of seconds.
"Even as an A, each of the three major factions on this continent—the Poison Claw Sect, the Emperor's faction, and the Rising Tide Sect—would seek to recruit you. Fear not, though, no one will force you into anything. The three organizations have close ties in many areas, and no one would jeopardize our peace and prosperity for a mere recruit, no matter her potential.
"We can present the case for our sect and have representatives from the other factions come in to present theirs. No one will be mad at you for not choosing their faction. It is completely your choice, and there will be no coercion. You can even choose not to join any of us. Understand?"
Okay. That was something she could deal with that. She was a valuable commodity but not so important that people would kill for her to join their faction.
"Yes, Exalted Elder."
"Lan'er, I have to ask, what do you want—to stand out or to blend into the crowd?" Zou Ai said. "From your aspect, I'm guessing the former."
Lei Lanfen had never really thought about it. Since her father's death, she'd prayed nightly to the heavens just to survive. Standing out wasn't even something she put in her eyes.
The prospect … didn't sound bad.
"See how she lit up, Tian'er? Aspects never lie. I wish I could take her as a disciple."
A moment ago, Lei Lanfen had never considered the possibility of becoming a cultivator. Now, she found herself strangely disappointed at not having Zou Ai for a master. An exalted elder. Lei Lanfen's master.
Wow, her arrogance was already growing.
Zou Ai must have sensed the disappointment because she rushed forward and hugged Lei Lanfen tightly. "I'd love to, dear, but look at your qi aspect, 'Core metal of heavens piercing target to annihilation.' If ever there was a recruit destined for the martial path, it's you, and I'm all about alchemy." She paused. "Oh! I know! Senior Sister will adore you just as much as I do. She can be your master."
"S-senior sister?"
"She's like a third sect leader when Master is off crafting or playing with the children, which is most of the time, and half leader of the Martial Pavilion," Zou Ai said. "Besides not using a sword, she'd be a perfect fit for you."
Lei Lanfen's head was spinning by that point. So much was happening at once. "A sword?"
"Well, I mean, look at your aspect. Piercing target to annihilation? Sure, you could use a spear or bow or any bladed weapon, but I bet your sword affinity will be through the roof."
"Ai'er?" Zou Tian said. "We can make our case, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The other two factions have to be allowed to make an attempt, and we haven't tested her karma."
"Poo on that," Zou Ai said. "Who would decide to join one of those two when the Rising Tide Sect is an option? And I know her karma is good because Yun'er hugged her. Besides, we haven't even told her the best part of joining us."
The best part?