The Third Kingdom - Chapter 19 preview (Patreon)

Entrance to the Seven Pavilion’s compound was through the once barred main gates. The gate guardians looked carefully at both Pan Shui and Wu Ying, verifying that they were one of the eight contestants meant to join the dinner before they stepped aside, waving the pair within.

Walking in together on stone paving stones, the path was lit by numerous paper lanterns, potted plants and stone praying urns alongside the walkway. Within the compound itself, Wu Ying spotted a half-dozen buildings, the stables and wagon storage to the left, huge warehouses set along the same axis while residences, a cafeteria and training ground on the right. Dominating the center though was the main hall, both residence and bureaucratic center for the Seven Pavilions merchant center and the family that ran it.

Servants drifted along the surroundings, some hurrying back and forth with plates of food and refreshments, guiding guests or finishing last minute tasks. The cultivators and the members of the Seven Pavilion group were all in the main building itself though and it was there that Wu Ying and Pan Shui were guided by a servant.

Rather than the flickering lights of candles and wick, the interior of the mansion was illuminated by the use of spirit stone lamps. Those provided a steadier glow, bathing the luxurious surroundings of the mansion so that the many details, from flower garlands and red silk hangings were easily noticed. Along with that, the merchants had added exquisite wall hangings and paintings to the walls.

Passing through the outer buildings, the pair were led into the central courtyard of the mansion where the guests were currently congregated. On the opposite end of the entrance, the doors leading into the massive dining room where they were to be seated and supped were thrown open, the gleam of fine porcelain cups and dining ware spotted among the moving throng.

Wu Ying breathed deep as they strode within, sorting through scents automatically. Plum blossoms – out of season, but still present thanks to chi formations to aid their growth – and fragrant flowers dominated the background, while the delectable smells of deep fried finger foods and thinly wrapped rice rolls of vegetables surrounded them, all mixed with the aroma of open containers of wine.

“Cultivator Pan, the Director of the Third Northern Bureau would like to have a word with you.” The servant had made his way over the moment the pair had entered. Clad in simple grey and brown robes, the servants blended into the surroundings.

When Pan Shui looked at him, he gestured a little to the side where an older gentleman stood, speaking with another pair of men. He was dressed in a set of understated merchant robes, the darker blue and yellow a sharp contrast to some of the more flamboyant styles present.

“Of course.” Pan Shui lips thinned a little but she turned to Wu Ying, bowing to him. “Remember, no leaving without me! But I do need to speak with him. The Director is a family friend and handles most of the trade. Making a good impression will help the village.”

Wu Ying nodded, understandingly. While the kingdom itself was different, being on good terms with the merchants who arrived in his village was not that unusual. The Chief and his father were always certain to ensure they were comfortable when they visited, for otherwise, they might be taken off the trade route. In so doing, the village would have a hard few years till a new merchant decided to exploit the village.

Even then, it would take a few more years before the merchant understood the idiosyncratic needs of the village, from specific wood carvings and literature preferences to tastei n wine and tea leaves. Not that Wu Ying had experienced the changeover of merchants himself but his father had complained often enough of an incident when Wu Ying had been a toddler.

“I’ll… find someone to speak to,” Wu Ying said, waving her off. He let his own gaze dance across the room, spotting the pair of sect Elders and their own disciples off in one corner. The disciples might have normally been socializing, but recent events obviously saw them less enthused than normal.

Along with Shi Fei and Kong Lai, nearly all the other cultivators who had managed to make it to the quarterfinals were there – from the confident northern archer Jochi to Wu Ying and Pan Shui herself. Liu Ping was notably absent, but he doubted many felt that was an issue.

Elder Cao stood by herself, off in the furthest reaches of the courtyard, sipping on a drink. Teng Fei, the Guard Captain was mingling among the various merchantmen, dressed not in his armor like the Elder but in civilian robes. He seemed to be politely enjoying himself, putting on a façade of studied interest.

It was the presence of Investigator Chu that surprised Wu Ying. Sufficiently enough that he even made his way to her, catching her under the boughs of the tree she had isolated herself under.

“Are you a guest or on duty?” Wu Ying asked curiously, as he stepped under the tree too.

His words caused the young woman to jump, spinning in place a little and letting her hand drop to her sheathed short sword.

“How did you notice me?” she said, surprised.

“Ah, so the formation was meant for you and not just the tree. It’s a pitiful one, if so.” Wu Ying gestured down to the crossed flags. “It would not work on any but the weakest cultivator…” Then he snorted. “But of course, you are used to dealing with mortals alone, aren’t you?”

“Yes,’ the Investigator answered reluctantly. She stared down at her formation and muttered softly. “That merchant swore to me that this would be effective even against cultivators.”

“Did you define what level?” Wu Ying said. When she shook her head, he nodded. “It’s one of the things new cultivators learn to ask. In either case, it wouldn’t matter. Unless you were paying and powering the entire formation with a Spirit Stone, formations like these require knowledge to set up. You need to take  account of the local environmental chi flow and need to be integrated into it using your own chi. Not doing so, it’ll mean the formation is all too limited.”

The Investigator nodded, memorizing every word he said. When Wu Ying stopped, she asked. “You know much about formations then?”

“A little. It’s part of my training as a Gatherer and farmer. There are herbs that need formations built around them, fields and greenhouses that have to be cared for. That kind of thing.” Wu Ying paused, then added. “I also took some general classes, so that I could understand the common use of formations.”

“The army runs such courses too,” the investigator said, sadly. “They don’t bother with such for the guards though.”

“Or even train you to break through your first meridian,” Wu Ying said, disapprovingly.

“It’s not necessary for our duties,” she parroted some long ago authoritarian with distaste. Then, she smiled a little. “If I manage to solve this case though, Elder Cao has promised to put a word in for me. Those with good references can often receive dispensation to purchase the pills needed to cultivate.”

“You have a manual?” Wu Ying said, a little surprised.

“I received one from Investigator Dee while in his service. But I fear I have no talent in it,” Investigator Chu said, offering a sad shrug.

Wu Ying eyed the woman again, noting the slight lines across her eyes, the fold in her necks. She was not old, but certainly not young. On the other hand, he found it hard to judge her age, since he had few experiences with pure mortals. Not till he came to this kingdom actually. Someone with the signs she exhibited would be in her forties, maybe fifties depending on their age. It was only when they reached the end of their lifespan that the aging process sped up.

Rather than follow up on what was obviously a sore subject, Wu Ying asked. “How goes the investigation? Did the eye witness reports help?”

She looked around a little, verifying that no one was paying them attention before answering him. “Not at all. In fact, all our suspects were cleared.” She sighed. “We need to rebuild timelines once more. It’s hard though, for even with a cultivator’s memory, it was not as though you all were watching one another or paying attention to the incense clocks.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“Oh, we will. Still, there’s something about these deaths… the painting in particular…”

“Oh?”

She opened her mouth to reply then suddenly shut it as a presence made itself known among the opened doors. The older man – easily in his late sixties, with a low grade Body Cleansing cultivation – stood before them all whilst a small gong was run by a servant behind him.

“Please, Honored Guests, dinner is served.”

Wu Ying turned to the Investigator who shook her head, gesturing for him to leave. Understanding that she was not invited, he abandoned her to her tree and doubts, following the group and startling a few of the mortals by seeming to appear out of thin air.

Hopefully, dinner itself was not too boring.

***

Dinner was a full ten course meal, starting with simple cold appetisers of pickled vegetables and salted meat before the meal. Once that was partaken, the array of foods from the banquet was offered with ceremony by the servants, starting with the meat of the suckling pig before moving on to shrimps and scallops, crab, kailan, an egg soup dish, abalone, chicken, sea bass and then finally the long noodles to signify prosperity before dessert was served – in this case, chilled longan soup.

To Wu Ying’s amusement, he was seated near the end of the table away from the host. It was obvious that his status as a foreigner with few ties presently and, likely in the future, to the merchant house had relegated him to this location. Even the Northern tribal archer had a seat closer to the head, his more impressive track record in the rings offering him that courtesy.

Worse than his seating position though was the company he was forced to keep. The low-level local merchant bureaucrats who sat around Wu Ying were more than happy to attempt to ply him with drink for hints about the status of the war in his previous kingdom while tempting him with their sons and daughters initially. When he showed no reaction to the lusty offers, they had turned to just probing him for information.

The entire affair was frustrating and tedious for Wu Ying, only relieved by the quality and quantity of food that arrived. Even his hearty appetite was a matter of commentary though, especially for the mortal young lady sat opposite him who shot him longing gazes each time he was served even more of the dishes brought forth.

As such, he was thankful when dinner was finally over and he was able to escape the mortals. Being polite and gracious was difficult for him, after such long periods of isolation in the wilderness. Yet, innate politeness kept him answering questions when some of the other cultivators had dismissed the poor mortals who had gathered around them all.

Eventually, he managed to break free as the dinner was completed.

Outside in the courtyard, Wu Ying was surprised to be approached by one of the few cultivators in the Seven Pavilions employ, a man who was in the lower grades of Energy Storage. “Cultivator Long, may this undeserving one have a word?”

Wu Ying happily agreed as he spotted a new set of mortals coming for him. He was led to a less busy corner of the courtyard, slipping under the isolated pavilion with the man. Once seated, the other cultivator beckoned one of the servants over, taking the bottle of warmed mulled wine and personally pouring a cup for Wu Ying.

“I am Cultivator Yao Zedong, honored cultivator Long,” the man began. Wu Ying bowed in greeting, waiting for the other to continue. “I understand that Cultivator Long is a Body Cultivator?”

Wu Ying frowned a little but eventually nodded.

“Ah,” Zedong murmured, relaxing backwards a little. “Perhaps Cultivator Long would be willing to provide a few pointers?” Zedong touched a hand to his chest, and Wu Ying noticed the way his skin glinted a little, almost as though along the lines of his visible veins, metal had been embedded.

“Metal body?”

“Yes, only the first step however. Veins and arteries.” Zedong bowed his head. “I have not the skill that Cultivator Long has.”

“Skill or resources?”

There was a pause, then Zedong laughed softly. “I see Cultivator Long is sharp too, like the northern wind. I lack both.”

Wu Ying sipped on his wine, letting out an appreciative noise as the expensive and fragrant drink slipped past his lips. He felt it rest on his tongue and burn a little as it slid down his throat, even as he considered his options. Options and opportunity here, though…

“It seems this will be less of an exchange than a lesson. And such lessons are… expensive.” Wu Ying knew there was only so much information he could provide to another Body Cultivator, especially since both were of such different elements. Still, he was much further along the route.

And if all else failed, he did have some herbs and pills that might aid the other.

Zedong smiled a little. “Cultivator Long might not know, but I am something of a collector of jian.” He turned his hand and beckoned and a mortal servant hurried over to offer a weapon case. He took the weapon case, hand caressing the case for a second before offering it to Wu Ying.

Taking the simple green sword case, Wu Ying placed it on his own legs before opening the wooden lid Within the soft silk and wood block housing lay an unsheathed sword and its scabbard. Even on first glance, Wu Ying could tell it was a weapon of superlative quality just from the way it affected the environment by its sheer presence. Tiny carvings on the inside of the wooden case indicated why it had not .

“Saint tier?” Wu Ying said, not touching it just yet.

“Yes.”

He hesitated for a second, before he was forced to admit. “I’m not sure if I have sufficient knowledge and materials for such a trade.”

“The hallmark of a good trade is that both parties are content with what they receive,” Zedong leaned forward. “Saint-tier weaponry are relatively abundant in this territory, for the right individuals. Knowledge about Body Cultivation on the other hand…” He sighed mournfully. “It is relegated only to those in the special forces.”

“Special forces?” Wu Ying said, and watched as Zedong turned his head, gaze landing on Elder Cao. “Oh….”

“Yes.”

Wu Ying frowned as he regarded Elder Cao with new eyes. He had not noticed that with her, but then again, depending on how far she had progressed with her Body Cultivation and what kind she had undertaken, it might not be as not noticeable. It was the in-between stages like the cultivator before him that were most noticeable. A stage that he had literally bypassed by spending his time in that medicinal bath and having his bloodline trigger.

As he stared at her, memories of what she had told him rung in his ears. A weapon of sufficient quality. For a second, he stared down at the sword on his lap. He let out a long breath and closed the sword case, latching it.

“Very well. As you said, if we are both happy.” He tapped the case and then raised it, handing it back to the other man. “But you will hold onto this, till the end.”

“An honorable decision.” Zedong leaned forward. “Now, with the method that I am working with, it consists of multiple medicinal baths that I must soak within. The first three baths are simple enough to handle and acquiring the herbs has not been an issue. However, the problem is the fourth bath which consist of the Clear Sky Liquid, the Seventh Bloom of the Purple Rink…”

Wu Ying nodded along as the other man went into detail. He would see what he could do, and he would offer him what herbs and suggestions he had. And perhaps, in his own journey’s and collections of body cultivation, he might have suggestions for the other. Maybe he might even learn something.

Either way, it seemed that this night was not the waste he had thought it would be.

Especially since he had an idea of one other thing he could ask.

***

“This is where he was killed,” Zedong murmured, gesturing at the tiny garden. Just off to the left, inside the compound a short distance away from where the wagons and horses were kept but hidden by the rising edges of the walls of the enclosure and other storage buildings. A rock garden rather than the greenery of the main gardens.

“Thank you,” Wu Ying murmured, bending down.

That was a distraction, of course. Rather, he asked the wind to aid him, bringing forth a tiny dust devil that searched the enclosure, bringing with it the myriad scents that lingered. Mortal smells predominated, not unusually. Those could be discarded.

Some cultivators including Teng Fei, Zedong and Elder Cao – their scents were also pushed aside. They must have investigated the murder scene, so they were unimportant. Outside of that, Elder Eng’s scent dominated here too, and the way his own chi bounced off a few locations where rocks had been crushed, he must have lost control of his dao and chi.

Again, irrelevant.

Eyes closed, he traced the scents, the location of Gao Qiu’s body as it fell. He stood up, nearing the location and bent, flipping some stones over to find the droplet that had been missed. Or discarded. So, around here he had been killed.

Struck from behind they said… turning his head, he frowned. That core sect token he had, the protective one. Why had it not worked?

He bit his lips, staring around him. Whoever had struck, they must have done so quickly or with overwhelming force. Yet, there was no indication of that attack, no destroyed tiles, no shattered stones other than the one around Elder Eng’s feet.

So. Powerful control, so powerful that it could breach a talisman without leaking the energy elsewhere. High Core at the least. And there was only one such individual here that that description fitted. Or they were using impeccable aura control, which in this kingdom was unlikely.

The other, more likely option. The token had been taken. Either removed from Gao Qiu before he could pick it up, or stolen at some point. Which spoke of a different kind of skillset entirely. A part of Wu Ying leaned towards that explanation, not just because it was the safer one for himself but also due to the lack of evidence of a singular, explosive attack.

After all, his own skill at sensing energy was not insignificant.

“Are you done?” Zedong asked, sounding a little nervous. “We’re not really supposed to be here.”

Wu Ying stood up, looking around himself once more. His eyes skipped over the surroundings before he sighed, done with this. If there were more secrets to be found, it would not be by him.

“Yes, I’m done. Thank you, again.” A slight motion on Wu Ying’s part and he extracted the bottles of pills, handing them over to Zedong along with a couple of boxes of spiritual herbs.

Zedong smiled, taking his payment in hand. He chivvied Wu Ying back to the main party before hurrying to put aside the goods still clutched in his hands.

***

Later that night, Wu Ying found Pan Shui, regaling a group of admiring young ladies with tales of her exotic hometown. Many were wide-eyed with wonder, taking in the different dress, the rougher accent of the Zhuang woman. Her occasional halting speech as she searched for the right word. Her own background as a cultivator coupled with her travel across the kingdom made her an exotic, but still somewhat familiar, figure.

Wu Ying stayed on the fringes of the group, content to watch as Pan Shui answered questions about clothing and harvests, of fashion and mercantile proceedings, jumping from topic to topic with expansive gestures and a wide smile. He had to admit, she had some talent there, seeming to take to the conversation with the group with aplomb.

Eventually though, the lights within the compound were dimmed, the group being gently ushered out. He too stepped up to Pan Shui, helping her make excuses for not accompanying one of the braver merchant for the night.

Guiding her out, Wu Ying cocked his head to the side as they left the compound. “You seemed to do well, speaking with them.”

“It’s among my duties in the village,” Pan Shui said, shrugging elaborately. “Finding a suitable match that will strengthen the family is important.” She turned her head, a small smile on her lips. “And you? You did not seem that interested in the sixth niece of the Merchant Clan.

“Too low class for you?”

Wu Ying shook his head. “No. I have little care for such concerns. If anything, the fact that she is but a mortal would be more of a hindrance than her profession.”

“Of course. The noble Verdant Gatherer would not look down upon mere merchants but does concern himself that they are but pitiful mortals.”

“Pitiful…” Wu Ying let the word linger. “Yes. Surely it is so, if cultivation and ascension, or even a longer, healthier life is given only to the fortunate.”

“Any may join the army,” Pan Shui said. “Or study for the imperial examinations, joining the ranks that way.”

“Really?” Wu Ying lips thinned. “I notice that Investigator Chu continues to be mortal. Her mind is sharp, her skills undeniable. But to study for the imperial exams requires time and money, space to contemplate works that are outside her current job.

“Impossible for one who began in an environment that is not conducive to such efforts. Craftsmen and farmers alike, we have little time to study. Merchants may have the time and, of course, the nobles; but the scholarly path is not for all. As for the army…”

“And what are your thoughts on the army?” Pan Shui asked, probing quietly as they crossed through the quiet village. Late as the night was, there were few individuals out and about. The murders had cast a grim parlor over proceedings and many no longer chose to revel late into the evening.

“That not all individuals are suitable for the army,” Wu Ying said, remembering the Army Captain who had warned him off. After all, criticizing them, even on a quiet night lead to additional difficulties for him. “Physically or by temperament.” He touched his own chest, offering a wry smile. “I for example would find it hard to handle such strict strictures.”

“Oh really? I find that hard to believe.”

“Mmmm, not everything you’ve heard – or have yet to hear – is entirely true. Or wrong.” Wu Ying said. Rumors might fly fast but all too often rumors and truth had only passing kinship with one another.

“Ah Shui!” The voice called out, interrupting the pair as they neared their residence. Above them, leaning out of the window was an incensed Pan Yin. “I told you to come back earlier to rest! You have a match tomorrow! You better not have drunk too much.”

Pan Shui stuck her tongue out, jutting her chin upwards as she replied to her sister. “I was talking to some merchants! You’re the one who told me to learn about their trading plans.”

“Yes but not too late!” Pan Yin snapped. “If you lose tomorrow…”

“I won’t.” Pan Shui sniffed. “I’m better than them all. You know so.”

Pan Yin let out a long, theatrical groan. She then turned her head to the side, her gaze landing on Wu Ying. Pan Shui blushed when she realized she had inadvertently insulted him.

Deciding not to ease her embarrassment, Wu Ying bowed to the ladies. “Good evening, ladies. I should get some rest. After all, I need every edge I may find.”

Pan Shui’s jaw dropped a little, then her eyes narrowed. Wu Ying walked towards the entrance as she called out behind him. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”

“May the kitchen god miss that, Ah Shui. You insulted the Verdant Gatherer. If you won’t seduce him, at least try not to insult him! You know father would love him to visit our clan. They say he always has the best herbs on him,” Pan Yin scolded her sister from her window.

“You know I can hear you,” Wu Ying called out from the open door of the entrance before he slipped in, grinning wide as he heard the gasp and spluttered outrage and the ringing peal of laughter from Pan Shui. He would leave the two to stew, while he headed for his room. He really should rest after all.

And he really would miss it, when people knew of his true level of cultivation.