The Fourth Stage - Chapter 34 preview (Patreon)

His students were quiet as they followed him up the mountain. The wind swirled around them, brushing against exhausted limbs and wicking away sweat from tired brows. Yet none of them dared complain, not after a month of exhausting work in the wilds, not even as the tension they had been under slowly increased under the disproving silence they laboured under.

Pointed fingers and whispered words followed the group as they ascended through the paifang and the outer sect grounds. Mischievous eastern wind brought tall tales being spread about the expedition while the central wind carried hurried missives and spiritual messages passed along. He ignored them all, though the children hunched their shoulders further as they noticed the attention.

Wu Ying only spoke once, and that time softly, to ensure that the appropriate individuals were waiting. By the time they arrived at their department’s building, the sect’s quartermasters were present, their supervisor and trainees spread across the tables.

“Pick an individual and table and provide them your herbs,” Wu Ying commanded.

The group moved forward almost immediately, all but Xia Hui and Ma Jie. The cautious woman grabbed the shoulders of her friends, eyes narrowing as she reviewed the attendants. Xia Hui was copying that motion, though he brightened after a moment as he spotted his target. A burst of Wind Steps allowed him to catch Gui Ting by surprise, cutting ahead of him to stand before his own target.

Gui Ting’s lips pursed and a fist clenched tight, but with one arm broken and bandaged from the battle, he turned away reluctantly to move towards the attendant right beside his original target. Not long after, all the attendants were filled but two, as the trio bunched up before Ma Jie’s choice.

“Elder Long?” the supervisor looked at Wu Ying who shook his head and gestured for the man to let it go. The supervisor nodded and dismissed the two attendees to return to their normal duties, while storage boxes, pouches and sheafs of herbs were extracted from bags and storage rings.

The first to protest was Rou Gang. He looked worse for wear, one side of his face bandaged, deep claws marks jutting out from the side of the bandage. In his haste to finish a fight he had not checked that his opponent was dead. Lucky for him, the xing tian’s weapon had been lost, so it only used its long fingernails that were like claws. The negative? The dirty film under the claws had infected the cultivator’s skin, leaving it red and puffy, with a slightly sweet odour arising from the bandages.

“You cannot be serious!” Rou Gang said. “I collected this just like the document said. How can you be giving me half the points now!”

“There’s been a change in demand since you left,” the attendant said, smiling a little as he basked in the control he had. “We received a shipment as well as one of the apothecarist who was working on the pill has shifted to another job. We no longer have use for so these dandelions.”

“This isn’t fair!”

All the answer he received was a shrug. When Rou Gang continued to glare at him, the attendant reached for the herbs and pushed them towards the man. “You may take them away if you wish. Perhaps you can sell it at another sect.”

“There is no other sect, this is a test…” At the last, Rou Gang trailed off as understanding finally broke through. He looked up at Wu Ying who had been regarding all this and clenched his fist, visibly fighting for control. Face flushed, he breathed in and out, almost snorting like a bull before he shoved the herbs at the other man, crushing a plant as he did so. “Fine.”

Taking up the crushed plant, the attendant set it aside with a pursed look before returning to sorting the plants into variations of quality. Rou Gang stalked away after he made sure the man had some plants to work, visibly working on his control in the meantime.

Wu Ying shook his head as he watched the boy leave, slightly disappointed. Among other reasons, leaving the herbs to be counted by another without watching was just bad business. Even he, as a farmer, knew better than to trust these merchants. Then again, Rou Gang was no farmer and likely was used to merchants not daring to cheat him.

Which was not true of these attendants.

“You cannot be serious. That’s perfectly picked!” Gui Ting growled, poking his finger. “You just noted it was only adequately passed.”

“I can see some minor bruising here,” a finger came up as the female attendant pointed with her brush.

“The petals aren’t important in this herb!” Gui Ting protested. “It’s the nectar within that is used.”

“That is not for me to judge,” the attendant said, sweetly. “I just mark the product as it arrives.”

“That’s garbage.” Gui Ting reached forward and pulled the herb away. “If you won’t buy it right, I won’t sell it.”

“Well, maybe I can mark it as good, it is only minor bruising,” the girl said.

Gui Ting growled, leaning over the table to continue the argument.

On the other side, Xia Hui smirked, joking and chatting with his acquantince. At the same time, while Ma Jie and the other two women were not as friendly with their own attendant, the work was being completed in an efficient and precise manner. Even the eagle-eyed trio could not fault any of the man’s choices, leading only to a few occasional discussions as herbs that were borderline were found.

Of course, Wu Ying had not laid out just traps. Xia Hui crowed in triumph as one of his rarer acquisitions were purchased for twice the number of points. Rou Gang benefited as well, having acquired some herbs that were not on the list but were always in need, with higher demand in some of the products.

Not all of it was the wind cultivator’s doing. After all, all these herbs were to be deposited with the sect itself. The normal push and pull of demand dominated the majority of the discussions, in only a few cases had he made adjustments to the points being acquired to better suit his own plans.

It was towards the end of the evening when the discussions were over, the herbs and fungi packed and paid for. Each attendant met with Wu Ying, proffering a rolled up document detailing the purchases, their commentary on any specific items or suprirses to him before leaving, hurrying back to their normal posts.

Wu Ying, of course, paid the supervisor who had been called in more than once to smooth over arguments. Not once had Wu Ying moved to intervene himself, going so far as to set himself up for lunch and tea. His presence had the chilling effect he wanted, ensuring that no single argument grew too heated.

Finally, alone, the students lined up before him. Battered, bruised, injured and exhausted, they stared at him. Awaiting his final pronouncement. He took his time, reading over the documents to ensure he understood the results fully.

Then, he cleared his throat, gathering their attention.

“Xia Hui. You’ve earned your spot as the Senior Disciple of the Department of Wandering Gatherers. Not only have you shown knowledge of the herbs and the process of gathering, you have also exhibited leadership over your fellow students and overall, good judgment.” Wu Ying gestured the man over, handing him a modified department badge with a smile.

Xia Hui was attempting to fight off the beaming smile he wore and failing, taking the badge with both hands and bowing deeply. “Sifu. I will not fail you.”

“Do not. You can only hold your position so long as you keep climbing,” Wu Ying said. He hesitated, then added. “The day after tomorrow, visit me in the morning. We shall begin working on breaking you through to Core Formation.”

“Sifu!” Xia Hui cried, surprised. He had been stuck so long as an Energy Storage Cultibator – not even a peak one – that he had given up on that idea at all. But if his Master thought he could achieve something…. Hope bloomed once more on his face as he dropped to his knees and kowtowed before Wu Ying thrice before scrambling back to his place beside the others.

“Gui Ting.” Wu Ying’s voice rose next, staring at the other man. The man met Wu Ying’s own gaze fearlessly, or so it seemed to the others. Wu Ying could see the trace of hesitation and fear lurking within as well as his conflicted feelings. “Tell Elder Kim he chose well with you. You are a credit to being a wandering gatherer, though you could be bolder. You are the second disciple.”

“Thank you, Sifu!” Gui Ting bowed low. “I…”

“I have not finished. You can take that spot, if you stop supplying Elder Kim with what I teach you. From now on, the lessons will be more private. More directed towards your own interest. It will not benefit him, nor the Sect, to spread that information around. If you agree.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I wish you the best,” Wu Ying said. “Consider the matter and tell me in two days time.” Dismissing the man, he turned to the trio. “Now, what am I to do with you three?”

“Sifu?” the three chorused the word, in variations of surprise, command or attention.

“None of you, individually, would likely have passed. Except, maybe, Ya Zhu.” Wu Ying shook his head. “You, Zhe Lan. Your specialisationn is water plants, but you did not pack for them properly. Worst, you cannot control the natural fire in your aura well enough to pick water plants!” he snorted. “You have so much fire, one would think you’re fire aspected and not water!”

She bowed her head, flushing in shame. Her impetuousness, her temper, it all came from an imbalance in her personality she knew. She’d been told, again and again, and now, it had harmed her chances.

“Ma Jie. What are you even doing here?” Wu Ying said, bluntly. “You are not a bad student. But you have no real passion for it either. And it shows in your work, in your gathering, in your aura control. It’s all… average. Cautious. You take the minimum amount when you gather, you refuse to take chances on finding new products, you study – but not deeply. Decide if you intend to stay, because this is not a career for the indolent.”

The woman lifted her chin stubbornly, but after a moment of meeting his gaze, ducked it a little and nodded.

“As for you Ya Zhu….” He sighed. “You love the plants. But your physical skills are shoddy. Every herb you gathered yourself is damaged, done badly or too hastily. You do not care to actually gather anything, because you’re too busy thinking of the next location, the next herb, the next drawing or book. You live in the future, and forget to pay attention to the present.”

“I’m sorry Sifu.” Ya Zhu said, softly.

“Alone, I’d fail all three of you.” Wu Ying said. “Together… you make an adequate wandering cultivator. Decide if you wish to be adequate or not. There will not be a second chance.”

Then he turned aside from them, as the three looked at one another. There was relief at passing and chagrin at the rebuke in equal measure, before they ducked low and answered him with a simple ‘Sifu’. That left one more, the erstwhile Rou Gang. Wu Ying swept his gaze over the tired and battered boy, as he fumed there in the line.

“Rou Gang. You did not achieve enough points, nor take the advice offered.” Wu Ying glanced down at the scroll in his hand, reading over the notes one last time before he shook his head. “You have potential, but you are rushing towards your doom. If you cannot learn to control yourself, you will not survive.”

The boy visibly trembled, taking a step forward. He opened his mouth then snapped it shut with an audible clack. By the side, Xia Hui moved to intervene as the first discple, only for Wu Ying to hold up a hand forestalling him.

“Speak, if you wish to.”

“And give you more reason to punish me? Block my ascension?” Rou Gang snarled, then shook his head. “No, I will not. I will ascend, I will become strong, Elder Long. With, or without your help.” Then he bowed low and stalked off, even before he was dismissed.

Wu Ying shook his head minutely before turning to the others to finish his pronouncements. “Tomorrow is a day off. Rest, relax, recuperate. The day after, we continue training.” He swept his gaze over the group, before smiling a little. “You have done well, overall. It has been a hard year for many of you, and you have met the challenges set before you. Even if, in some cases, in ways that I would not have recommended.” His gaze rested on the trio and they ducked their heads low, before he continued. “All the herbs you’ve acquired will be added to your contribution points. Do not spend them till you have discussed your progression with myself and your sponsor, if you have one.”

He nodded as they murmured their thanks, their farewells. His attention had already shifted away, as he listened to the wind that tracked the boy. Wu Ying felt a pang of regret at his actions, but if he had not intervened the boy would have died. As it was, the minor push of the wind during the battle had gone unnoticed by all.

A part of him hoped the boy would calm down, would find his balance. Some prodigies never did, having encountered their first obstacle and, rather than recovering, rather than collecting themselves and reassessing their actions, they thrashed around with ever greater fervor. Damaging themselves and those around as they tried to achieve their vaunted heights.

Wu Ying hoped the boy would find peace, would find balance. He hoped he would find stillness.

Because there was a strength in the unmoving rock as great as the gusting wind.

***

Wu Ying turned the corner of his residence into the dining room, ready for dinner. A simple command sent via the wind had alerted his servants that he had returned and to prepare a proper meal. As such, he was expecting the delicate and plentiful scents of sumptuous dishes as he entered his dining room. What he was not expecting was the guest, seated beside the food and already stuffing his face.

“Rude.” Eyes narrowed, Wu Ying approached the table and took a seat beside his friend. “How did you manage to hide your presence from me?”

“I had help, of course,” Tou He said after swallowing, placing the bowl of rice stuffed with candied pork down. “The problem with your method of control of the winds is that it isn’t really control, now is it?”

“No…” Wu Ying snorted, sending his displeasure to the wind through that strange half-mental, half-spiritual bond that he had with it. All he received was the wind coming by to play with his hair, pulling strands loose as spiritual laughter filled his ears. “I guess not. And your aura?”

“Spending so long with you does have some advantages,” Tou He grinned. The pair had spent a portion of their time returning trading cultivation techniques and recommendations including, in Wu Ying’s case, how to better control one’s aura. Of course, Tou He had adapted the method to his own flames. As Wu Ying reached out with his spiritual sense, he flinched backward as he came into contact with his friend’s skin. The man had not just contained his aura but burnt away probing attempts or any residual he might leave behind, such that the flame coursed up and down his body with each moment.

“Is that safe?” Wu Ying growled, sitting down. “If you scorched my chairs, I’m going to bill you for it.”

“I have it under control,” Tou He said with a sniff. Then, softer, he added. “Now.”

“Now?” Wu Ying frowned, then flicked his gaze to the bandaged left arm that Tou He had left on the table. The entire thing was wrapped around, such that not a trace of skin was visible. “What did you do?”

“Nothing on purpose,” Tou He said. “And it’s over now. So let us eat.”

Wu Ying shook his head, changing tack to tease his friend. “Your closed door cultivation practice went that badly, eh?”

Rather than answer him, Tou He began picking at the meal again, wielding his chopsticks to pick up some fried tofu and vegetables in a light soy sauce. Rather than follow his friend’s lead, Wu Ying crossed his arms before him and just waited, watching.

It took the completion of half the vegetable and hot pot dish, all of the barbecue sweet pork and two bowls of rice before Tou He broke.

“Alright, alright. Stop staring at me! You’re putting me off my meal,” the ex-monk complained. Placing the bowl and chopsticks down, Tou He sighed. “It is not as bad as you thought.”

“Your arm is bandaged,” Wu Ying said. “You told me a year or two.”

“And it was a year… give or take.”

“Mostly take.” He gestured at the injured hand. “What happened?”

Tou He eyes grew distant as he recalled his recent experience. “It began simple enough. I began cultivating, increasing the energy within my dantian once more. During that time, I also meditated on the flame, the heavens and my place in their plans. I re-experienced much of what happened, what the flames wanted me to do.”

Silently, Wu Ying reached for the wine and poured them cups, pushing it over to Tou He. His friend picked the cup up and sipped on the wine, raising an eyebrow at his friend before he placed it down.

“Good wine.”

Wu Ying chose not to answer, not wanting to interrupt his friend further. Much of what his friend had spoken about was routine for a closed door cultivation. Going through one’s recent experiences, thoughts and breakthroughs was a common way to further one’s journey to immortality and along the dao path one had chosen.

“When I was but contemplating the past, how and what we had done and what I could have improved upon, matters went as usual.” Tou He’s voice dropped as he spoke. “But I was not content to just contemplate what had been done. I began to push back in my mind, in my dao and the flame that burnt, on what had been chosen for me. I pushed against the instructions, the mindset that had taken over me when we burnt that city.”

Left hand tightened on Wu Ying’s side, unseen beneath the table. He remembered the fear as he saw his friend for the first time, his mind and control robbed of its own volition as the heavens took charge. The choking heat and the purifying flame that burnt skin and muscle to the bone when he struck the other. Agony as well as concern.

“I pushed against the idea that all that the heavens disproved of needed to be cleansed away, scraped aside just because it wasn’t what they wanted.” Now there was anger in Tou He’s voice. “That we should kill without mercy, without compassion, cleanse the world because it defied them. I pushed back.

“And the heavens, they retaliated too.”

Wu Ying’s gaze went to Tou He’s arm and he inclined his head. “Why the left arm?”

“How’d you know it’s not anywhere else?”

Hissing in surprise, Wu Ying started to stand up so he could look around. He dared not use his spiritual sense to probe his friend, not after the last demonstration. And the wind was not particularly useful for such delicate notation, especially when the fire cultivator was burning away all scent traces. He was half risen in his seat before Tou He waved him down, a smile on his lips.

“You worry too much. I am fine,” the other man said. “Well, beyond my arm.” He shrugged. “I do not know for sure, of course, but I believe it has to do with the loss of my fingers.” Raising his left hand, he indicated the missing appendages. “I… well… the heavens – or at least, the part of the heavens my flames are part of – they care only for perfection. They cannot abide flaws, imperfections in themselves or the world around – or their minions.”

“So it started at your fingers?” Wu Ying said.

“I think it started as a method to regrow them, to replace them,” Tou He said, musingly. “But fire, it cannot build. It can only consume. And when I pushed back against the flames, against the conception, it raged. My control slipped and it crept up, attempting to take me over.”

“I’m so sorry,” Wu Ying said, guilt filling his voice. It was him that had started his friend on this path, though the purifiying elements had come from the lightning that had struck his friend during his moments of enlightenment. That had integrated into it, whilst they readied themselves for a battle against a demon. He could understand that it was not his fault entirely, but the guilt still lay within him.

“It is what it is.” He tilted the cup upwards, draining it before pushing the empty vessel at Wu Ying to refill. “It was not pleasant. But the damage done was clean. The healing is clean, so Physician Gu says. I should be able to return to closed door cultivation in a few months.”

“And you’re still going to push back?”

“Yes. I will not be controlled by my own flames.” Head bowed, Tou He took back the refilled cup and held it before him, contemplating the shimmering wine within. “When the change came, I thought I was blessed by the heavens. I let them change my path, because I thought I had received a benediction.” A twisted smile then. “Perhaps it would be for another.”

“But not for you.’

“Not for me. I cannot – will not – believe that every creature is damned.” Then Tou He laughed wryly. “Or perhaps, it is better said that we are all equally damned and can only escape the cycle if we transcend this existence.”

“But why would we want to do so?” Wu Ying opened his hand. “Existence is not bitter, though at times it can be. It can be sweeter than the freshest longan, as smooth as a pearl and beautiful as cut jade.” There was a small smile on his face, as he remembered a young lady and nights on a boat deck, staring up at the moon. Dancing with sword and fan, then later on, further physical entanglements of a more amorous nature.

Tou He grunted, watching his friend and that smile on his lips. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Who?”

“Yang Mu,” Tou He said. “I like her. She seems good for you.”

“Traveling,” Wu Ying said, a flicker of sadness which he pushed aside. “Seeing the world, as she had intended to.”

“Ah…” Tou He said.

“What’s with that tone?”

“What tone?”

“That one.”

A shrug. When Wu Ying continued to glare, Tou He snorted. “Always with the looking. I swear, if I did not know you were with her, I would be worried for my virtue.” Relenting, he shrugged. “It seems you two are well suited in temperament. Though…”

“Though?”

“What kind of relationship is it, where you two pass one another like ships on a river?” Tou He said, gesturing with both hands to describe the motion.

“A brief one, at times. But is not the meetings all the sweeter?”

Tou He shook his head, as if he could not comprehend that concept. Wu Ying himself could not be sure if he truly believed that, but what he did know was that he could not hold her back. Whatever he felt. Looking down at his own hands, he let out a breath and gestured at the meal.

“Come. Let us eat, before the food grows any colder. We’ll not figure out how to deal with your recalcitrant flame or how to move you back onto the right path or my romance. But at least we can have a good meal.”

“Wise thinking,” Tou He said, picking up his bowl once more. Wu Ying caught the flash of pain as it crossed his friend’s face as he utilized his other arm, but he chose not to comment on it. He would consider what else could be done for his friend, though at this stage of cultivation, the paths they all walked were their own.

Rise or fall, it could only be crossed by an individual.

Though perhaps, a helping hand might be lowered once in a while.