[Tian] 1:30 (Patreon)

*******

LIUFAN TIAN STOOD BEFORE HER MOTHER.

“It will be fine,” Tiao said in a soft voice. “There is no need to worry. The Heavens watch over us. The Heavens see all. I will be vindicated, Tian. I promise.”

The girl tried to suppress a sniffle. She failed. “T-this is my fault. I never should have… should have…” Tian burst into tears.

“Hush, my daughter. Worry not. Come, lead me to the Cerulean Courtyard. I have not been at the sect in a long time.” Tiao took Tian by the hand and stepped out of their humble abode. It was a small hut, made of flimsy wood and stood on shaky foundations. A light breeze would cause it to rattle and wobble. It was not much. But it was their little sanctuary.

Now, they were going to leave it. They were going to dive into deep waters, straight from their shallow cove. Tian didn’t want to go. She protested— she begged mother to stay. It was irrational of her. The girl knew that it would draw the wrath of the Patriarch. Yet, she begged and she begged and she begged.

To no avail.

Tiao soothed her. Mother led Tian through the undulating fields, under the thicket of zakra trees, taking the steady bridge over a calm stream, before the sect was in sight. The Liufan sect was one of the most influential and powerful sects throughout all of Jhisie. Its members numbered in the thousands. And the serfs under it numbered in the tens of thousands. Although those weren’t sect members. They lived in terrible conditions around the sect, overseen by the elders and the Patriarch, working all day, never allowed even close to seeing the tall buildings of the Liufan sect.

Tiled rooftops. Chiseled walkways. This view was something Tian was unfamiliar with as well. But she saw them before. Just, rarely.

However, Tiao was accustomed to this. She had grown up here, walking these street paths, speaking to other sect members on the daily. Before her fall. Before her failed ascension. Before her shame.

Tian never remembered such a time; she couldn’t even speak when father died, and mother’s Qi was poisoned. She rarely ever walked the roads of the sect. She could count the number of times she had set foot on the cold stone floor of the Cerulean Courtyard in her own two hands. Once for the Ripening Festival; and for the Day of Celestice, multiple times.

Eyes darted towards the mother and daughter. Faces turned, looking down at them from their tall houses, built from sturdy zakra wood. Tian looked away, but Tiao held her head high. She wasn’t intimidated by them. Not in the least. How could Tiao be so relaxed, even now? How was she so… confident?

Tian almost admired it. Tian wished that was her. But she was scared. Too afraid to even look up.

“Thank you, Tian,” Tiao said, stopping just before the Cerulean Courtyard. The sect hall laid before them— its sweeping roof spread wide, the eaves casting a menacing shadow over the pair.

“Please don’t go,” Tian pleaded one last time.

Mother shook her head. “I will be back soon. Return home, and be strong.” With a final smile, Tiao left Tian alone.

***

The girl didn’t know how much time passed since she was told to wait for mother to return. She simply remained silent, to herself, head faced to the tiled floor. She heard the whispers; she saw the sidelong stares. They were looking at her. They knew who she was. Liufan Tian. Daughter of the disgraced Liufan Tiao. A mother and her child that lived far beyond the rest of the sect in their shame.

Normally, Tian would be overwhelmed by the looks. She would want to shrink away, return to her small shack, extricate herself from their hateful gazes. But she couldn’t think about that. Not right now. All she had on her mind was her mother.

She was afraid. What kind of a punishment would the Patriarch pass upon Tiao? Tian wouldn’t know. The girl didn’t know how long it would take for a decision to be reached. Would it take a dozen cycles? Two dozen? How many cycles had to pass before judgement was made by the sect elders? Mother told her to go back. But Tian didn’t want to leave. She had to wait. She had to stay. She had to hear what decision was made when it happened.

But perhaps, the girl’s stubbornness was a fault of hers, not a boon.

The Heavens dimmed their light overhead, and night soon fell. The Cerulean Courtyard emptied out. The watchers vanished into their homes. Only the little girl remained outside. Even as the first of the droplets fell from above.

A light pattering of rain quickly became a heavy downpour. Lightning struck down from the Heavens. Thunder boomed in the distance. It all came to Tian in a muffle, as if she were locked up in a box, and the storm was happening outside.

But footsteps drew her attention. They weren’t discreet. They would have been masked by the deluge, but they were deliberately loud enough for Tian to hear. She glanced up. Tears were streaming down from her eyes. Lost in the rain. Blurry figures moved before her. And her eyes grew wide.

“Lihua,” she whispered.

“Good evening, Tian.” The black-haired girl was accompanied by her usual posse. Xiaomei and Chun flanked her left and her right respectively. They covered their mouth with their hands, giving Tian an almost pitying look.

“What is she doing here? She’s not supposed to be in the sect.”

“Does the Patriarch know about this?”

“I assure you, Chun, Grand Elder Xiaoming is well aware.” Lihua smiled. There was a tilt of the head, a twisting of the face, and a mocking laugh. “After all, he was the one who called Tian here to deliver her punishment.”

There were gasps. Chun and Xiaomei took a step back. Their hands had shifted positions, now held over their chests. They were trying to prod Tian, crack the girl from her shell, and give her another beating.

But Tian wasn’t biting today. She ignored them and turned away, letting the rain drown out their inane words.

“Tian is getting punished?”

“What did she do?”

“Well, what didn’t she do? It’s really not an unexpected outcome for someone like her.” The black-haired girl shook her head.

Tian wouldn’t get riled up no matter what she said. Lihua sneered.

“But it’s not her fault this time. Her mother was the one who set her up by—”

Tian screamed. She spun around and charged Lihua, fighting through her tears, swinging wildly for the black-haired girl.

Lihua blinked, caught entirely by surprise for a mere moment. Then her eyes narrowed. She snapped a finger— and Tian slipped.

She splashed into a large puddle of water. She was even more drenched than before. Was there even a puddle there before? No— that was Lihua’s cultivation. Tian clenched a fist, a simmering anger rising up into her chest.

“Do not insult mother!” she yelled, getting back up.

“Or what?” Lihua snorted, and threw a kick at the girl.

Tian braced herself. She held her arms up, actually blocking the hit. But her poor footing still caused her to stumble back.

Lihua drew her lips to a frown. “Is this mutt actually trying to fight back against me?”

Xiaomei and Chun stepped up to Tian, surrounding the girl from all sides.

“How dare you lay a hand on Lihua!”

“Apologize to her, now!”

Tian had been in this situation many times before; she knew she was going to receive a beating. And yet, she gritted her teeth.

“I said: shut up!”

She threw a punch, swinging for Chun. Again, the posse of girls didn’t expect it; whenever Tian had been faced by all three of them before, she folded. But this time was different. Not only did she just see the way mother carried herself in the face of contempt, she had taught herself how to fight for many years. Her martial arts might not have seen any practical use before now, but it was far better than the lack-of that her opponents had.

Tian’s punch landed right on the snout of Chun. The other girl reeled back, letting out a cry, falling to the ground as she grasped at her face.

Spinning around, Tian ducked under a wild swing from Xiaomei. She adjusted her stance, fluidly shifting from an offensive posture to a defensive one, her body water. Xiamei loosed a barrage of attacks at her— kicks, punches, anything the other girl could possibly land— but Tian was ready for it all.

With a swift counter, the girl plunged a knee right at Xiaomei’s abdomen. It knocked the breath out of the other girl. She staggered away as Tian was now faced with only Lihua.

The black-haired girl stared at Tian, arms crossed, her face seething with cool anger. “You can still apologize, you know? I will forgive you for your offense against me if you grovel right now and beg for mercy.”

There was a thought that screamed at Tian to apologize: the consequences of her actions would be severe, and it would only be logical to alleviate it given the opportunity. But she steeled herself. She met Lihua’s gaze with an eerie calm. Her resolve was evident.

“No,” Tian said, fixing the black-haired girl with a glare. “You’re the one who should apologize to me. For what you’ve said about mother. For what you’ve done to me in the past. Apologize. Now.” It was a warning. Tian took on a wide stance— a fighting stance.

Lihua still had the audacity to let out a laugh. “Apologize? For teaching a rabid, stray dog a few lessons? As if.” The black-haired girl inhaled deeply as Tian charged once more.

And again, Tian slipped and fell. She got back up, only to barely duck under a strike from Lihua. The girl stepped back— and found herself on the ground, facing the Heavens, and the rain that fell under their majesty.

“Cultivation,” she whispered to herself. “Lihua is using Qi.”

Tian felt a hard kick strike her side. She rolled away, grunting in pain as she barely dodged a follow-up stomp. Pushing herself back to her feet, Tian faced Lihua as the black-haired girl strolled forward.

“You should be thanking me,” Lihua said, sighing.

Tian frowned. There was a dim light. Almost translucent. But visible, nonetheless.

“I’m teaching you manners. Something which you’ve never learned!”

Lihua launched out with an open palm strike as Tian stood her ground. The girl’s eyes glazed over the tiled floor, searching for the expected puddle. There. It was to her left, this time. So, Tian side-stepped to the right.

She didn’t slip. She didn’t fall. Instead, she steadied herself and struck at Lihua’s left cheek with a satisfying slap.

“Why you little mutt!” Lihua staggered away as Tian pressed her. She took in a sharp breath, and there was another glow.

Tian halted just before the new puddle. A grin spread across her face as Lihua’s eyes grew wide.

“How are you—”

A kick. Straight at the black-haired girl’s waist. Lihua cried out in pain as she crumpled to the ground. Tian the one which stood over her.

“Apologize!” Tian screamed as she kicked the beaten-down Lihua. “This is how it feels— now apologize!”

The black-haired girl whimpered, coiling up into a ball. Her lips quivered, but nothing came out.

“I said: apologize! Take back everything you said! Now!”

It was her fault. All the wrong that had ever befell Tian was caused by Lihua. If not for Lihua, Tian would never have wanted to become a Cultivator. If not for Lihua, Tian would never have met Xun. If not for Lihua, Tiao would not be… not be…

Tian screamed louder than she ever had. She battered Lihua, pummeling the black-haired girl until she was a sobbing mess. Finally, Lihua let out a soft voice.

“I-I’m… sorry…”

It was barely audible. Even as the storm eased into a light drizzle. Tian stared at Lihua. The rage in the girl’s eyes gradually vanished. She collapsed to her knees, feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with cruel satisfaction. Overwhelmed with a sense of liberation. But also overwhelmed with the knowledge that this changed nothing.

Xun would never speak to the girl ever again. Tian was still a Bud. And the one which pained her the most: Mother was still going to be punished. Nothing changed—

Liufan Tian’s eyes grew wide. A shadow loomed over her. A broad figure stood behind her, emanating a furious aura. And she knew that something changed.

The Patriarch was here, and he was going to kill her.

*******

Author's Note:

Hopefully I'll be back on track tomorrow with both Salvos and Melas chaps. Possibly tuesday, though.