Heart of Cultivation 58. Master Zhou Arrives (Patreon)

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Their carriage was ushered inside without any further delay. Jian had expected Meirong's say-so would get him inside, but he hadn't anticipated just how smooth the process would be. He could only marvel at the ability of the Heavenly Sword Sect to exert influence on every far flung corner of the Empire. 

A moment later they came to a stop. Jian gestured at Shan to get out first. Jian could hear the conversation clearly from where he sat.

"Ah, this must be the grandson of the great master," Meirong said. "You are in the presence of the city lord of Baolei Town."

"An honor," Shan said.

"Please, be welcome," a man's voice replied. He could only be the city lord. He sounded like he was a little older than Jian's father, but still full of energy and confidence. A good thing for his role as defender of the Empire's border. Less so if he had decided to forswear his oaths and truck with extraplanar creatures.

Jian waited in the carriage a moment. It was best to lay the foundation of his personality right at the outset. After a moment, he could feel the tension even from inside the carriage. He was tempted to wait even longer, but if he took too long then Meirong might just bodily drag him out of the carriage. Judging that the time had come, he opened the door and stepped out.

Shan hurried to offer him support. Jian allowed him to brace his elbow as he took a careful step down. He straightened himself and took a slow look around the courtyard, his hands clasped together and hidden by his sleeves as he adopted the mien of an old master.

Their surprise arrival had prevented the city lord from deploying a full welcoming party. The servants standing around the edge of the courtyard were mostly those whose duties saw them assigned to the area. The man himself was standing a few paces away from Jian. He towered over Meirong, not that she ever let something like that get her down.

The city lord's appearance matched his voice. Everything from his upright posture to his clothing to his neatly trimmed beard gave the impression of a man who was forthright and steadfast. Jian couldn't see through his cultivation, but considering the position he held his progress as a cultivator had to be substantial. The city lord didn't look the least bit like a man who would consort with demons and devils for his own gain, but then Jian knew that appearances could be deceiving.

"Master Zhou," Meirong said, clapping her hands together. "I'm so glad you could make it."

Jian deigned to respond to Meirong with a simple nod of his head. She held up her part of the act, taking his dismissive response in stride.

"Master Zhou," the city lord said. "Welcome to Baolei Town."

Jian let his silence stretch out, watching the city lord for any sign of discomfort. He maintained his composure admirably. Jian finally replied to him with another nod.

The city lord smiled, and gestured to one of the servants standing off to the side. "She will show you to your courtyard. Please do tell me if anything is not to your satisfaction."

Shan offered thanks on Jian's behalf. Jian ignored him and walked off, picking a direction at random. The servant had to scramble to get out in front of him and guide him towards the courtyard where they would be staying. Jian faced his most difficult test yet as he had to keep his amusement from showing on his face.

The courtyard they had been given was on the outskirts of the compound. Jian had expected as much, as Meirong would have emphasized that he would need peace and quiet in order to do his work. The seclusion would also allow him and Shan to make plans without much fear of being overheard. They were located on the opposite side of the compound from the Heavenly Sword Sect's courtyard. It would make clandestine meetings more difficult, but Jian appreciated having some space to work.

The servant led them to a sitting room, then began preparing a pot of tea. Jian took a seat and indicated for Shan to do the same. They enjoyed their tea in silence as another set of servants finished bringing their luggage inside. They continued sitting in quiet contemplation until the servants bowed and left them to their own devices.

Jian held up a hand for silence just as Shan began to talk. He stood and made his way to the doorway, then drew his engraving pen. It was simple enough to add a small pair of formations on either side of the door that would block sound from being carried outside. Jian felt it was a bit wasteful to have to drain his hard-earned spirit stones to power the thing, but now that he could top off his own stones if necessary it didn't hurt as much as it once did.

Once his work was done he returned to his tea and flopped back into a seat.

"There," Jian said, "now we can speak freely."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Shan said. "I can't believe you'd snub the city lord like that."

"Best to start as we mean to go on," Jian said. "As long as I'm consistent then he'll come to think of it as natural."

Of course, if Jian were to meet the city lord in his ordinary capacity, then he would be on his best behavior. Now, though, he was meant to portray himself as a stuck up eccentric who ignored both status and cultivation. Such an idea couldn't be introduced midway through a relationship. 

They were left to their own devices for most of the afternoon. Meirong should have explained to the city lord that Master Zhou hated to be disturbed by unfamiliar servants, and preferred that most domestic tasks be carried out by his long-suffering grandson. It was no guarantee of privacy, but when combined with his privacy formations Jian was confident that their artifice would at least not be casually seen through.

Jian spent much of the afternoon setting up his "artist's studio." It would in time be a full-fledged crafting workshop. Albeit a workshop with a large block of marble on display that outsiders would believe was being turned into a statue. Until that block of marble was delivered, Jian would have to maintain appearances, only setting out tools that might at least theoretically be used in stone carving. The good news was that much of the work of a formations expert involved twisting metal and stone into the proper shapes, so there was a great deal of overlap between the two.

Jian wouldn't truly have the studio the way he wanted it until the end of the week, but it was at least in a state where he would be able to work in it by late afternoon. All he needed was that piece of living jade Meirong had promised him so that he could start his work. He needed to flesh out his theoretical understanding of how living jade behaved with practical experience before he could even begin to design the next iteration of his artificial heart.

He was antsy at not having the living jade in his possession, but he didn't expect Meirong would fail to deliver. At least not out of malice. He wouldn't put it past her to just forget. Fortunately, he had Shan to run around as a messenger boy if needed.

First things first, though. Master Zhou was a noteworthy guest, and would therefore be received by the city lord with all due pomp and circumstance. The nature of his arrival had kept things somewhat manageable for first impressions, but he could expect the city lord to make up for it with tonight's banquet. Most of the city's movers and shakers would have received invitations, and most of those could be expected to show up. It would be Jian's first chance to get a look at the most likely suspects with his own eyes.

He didn't expect to crack the case in one night. But any future investigation would be informed by his knowledge of the suspects as people. Jian had been looking forward to dinner all afternoon, eager to get started. He was also hungry after having spent all day on the road.

Of course, he still had his part to play. Master Zhou would hardly lower himself to raid the kitchens. Nor would he sit in the front room eagerly awaiting the summons so that he could hurry forth and chow down. No, Jian sat and waited in the workroom, doing his best to distract himself with a meditation exercise until he finally heard the soft knock on the outside door indicating that a servant had arrived.

He continued to meditate, staying in his workshop as Shan and the servant conversed in low tones. A moment later there was a soft knock on his door. Shan opened it and stepped in after a respectful pause.

"Dinner is ready," Shan said.

Jian nodded and stood. The two of them followed the servant to the banquet hall.

The hall was big enough to seat nearly a hundred people, and it looked to be packed full. Jian had seen impressive banquets before, of course. The Guo family had played host to many important visitors over the years. What was different this time, of course, was that he was to occupy the seat of honor.

He trailed behind the servant as she led him to the head table. Shan split off to dine with the other attendees who had enough status to attend but not enough to be worth noting. As Jian drew near the high table, Meirong spotted him and waved him forward with a smile on her face.

"Master Zhou!" she said. "I'm so glad you could join us."

Jian nodded and took his seat. To his left was the city lord, while Meirong was to his right.

"It's such a pity you took that vow of silence," Meirong said. "I'd so enjoy hearing you discuss the path of an artist."

Jian just nodded again. Meirong's friends and servants were busy spreading two or three different versions of the tale behind his unwillingness to speak, each more fanciful than the last. Rather than put out a single explanation that might be picked apart under scrutiny, Jian was satisfied with letting every listener pick the version of the story that they liked best.

With an effort, he turned his attention away from Meirong. She hadn't brought him here to socialize, after all. This was his first chance to scrutinize the suspects with his own eyes. It was best that he got right to it. 

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