Mistress Bai arrived at the edge of the square to find what could charitably be described as a mess.

  The cobblestones were cracked in places, the air still holding the faint shimmer of dissipating Qi. Two of the Ironwood Pavilion’s younger disciples were sprawled on the ground, one groaning, the other clutching his shoulder and looking like he was trying very hard not to cry in front of witnesses. A few mortal onlookers lingered at a respectful distance, peering around corners as their curiosity battled with their instinct for self-preservation.

  Opposite the two disciples stood the current source of most of her recent headaches – Jiang Tian and the Azure Sky disciple. Zhang something? Both looked entirely too composed for Mistress Bai’s liking — which was usually a sign that something very stupid had happened and they didn’t yet realise the depth of it.

  Behind her, Li Xuan’s sigh was long-suffering. “Couldn’t even last an hour,” he muttered.

  “Be honest,” she replied, feeling a rare moment of sympathy, “you expected as much.”

  He didn’t argue.

  Elder Gui arrived last – mostly for dramatic effect, she was sure. He took in the scene at a glance – the cracked stones, his bruised disciples, the faint residual Qi – and his expression darkened like a gathering storm.

  “What,” he said, voice low, “is the meaning of this?”

  One of the younger disciples managed a bow, wincing. “Elder, we— we were merely discussing cultivation insights with these Azure Sky disciples and—”

  “By ‘discussing,’ you mean losing,” Li Xuan supplied, tone bland.

  Mistress Bai caught the faint twitch of Elder Gui’s eye. He was irritated, but not truly angry yet. Duels between young cultivators were as common as rainfall; he’d probably already forgotten half a dozen from last month alone. This was just another bit of posturing, a chance to try extorting some apologies from the Azure Sky Sect, or, failing that, making themselves look better.

  Which, knowing her luck, would involve Elder Gui making some kind of petty show of force to remind her, a ‘mere’ independent cultivator, of how much more powerful the sects were.

  Irritating, but she would let him have his moment. She’d long since learned that letting men bluster for a few sentences cost her nothing and bought her quiet later.

  “I trust,” she said lightly, in an attempt to head it off at the pass, “that none of your disciples were seriously harmed, Elder Gui? You know how enthusiastic young cultivators can get when they start comparing notes.”

  His eyes flicked to her, sharp and assessing. “Indeed. Though enthusiasm should be tempered with respect.”

  “Of course,” Li Xuan said before she could reply. “We will ensure our juniors remember that lesson.”

  Jiang said nothing – which was, frankly, the most promising sign Bai had seen all morning. He stood with his hands loosely clasped behind his back, the faint trace of Qi still coiled about him like heat haze. Zhang, beside him, looked contrite and furious in equal measure. She didn’t know who had started this mess, or what it was about – nor, frankly, did she care.

  The important thing here was to get Elder Gui out of the area before he could realise that Jiang was a Pact-bearer.

  Unfortunately, it was already too late.

  Elder Gui’s gaze, which had been fixed on Li Xuan, shifted. It swept past Zhang, dismissing him as an irrelevance, and landed on Jiang. He paused. The anger in his eyes faltered, replaced by a flicker of confusion as he took in the strange, raw quality of the boy’s Qi, the lingering threads of shadow that still clung to him. The confusion sharpened into dawning recognition. And then, it settled into a look she had seen a thousand times before on the faces of powerful, greedy men.

  The bluster vanished. The posturing was gone. It was replaced by a sharp, focused intensity that was far more dangerous.

  “You,” Elder Gui breathed, his voice a low, hungry thing, all thought of his defeated disciples forgotten. He took a step toward Jiang, his eyes alight with a possessive gleam. He ignored Li Xuan entirely. He ignored her. “What is your name, boy?”

  Li Xuan moved, stepping deliberately between the Elder and Jiang. “He is a disciple of the Azure Sky Sect,” he said, his voice cold and flat. “And his name is not your concern.”

  Elder Gui hesitated for only a fraction of a second before he laughed. “A disciple that doesn’t wear the robes of your sect? Clearly, he feels no allegiance to you – and that is a mark of his wisdom.” He looked past Li Xuan’s shoulder, his eyes still fixed on Jiang. “My Ironwood Pavilion has always been welcoming to promising young cultivators. We could offer you resources, instruction… a true path to power.”

  “His path is with us,” Li Xuan stated, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

  “Is it?” Elder Gui’s smile was all teeth. “I am an Elder of my Sect. You are a mere Inner Disciple. You do not have the authority to make such claims.” He took another step, the air crackling with his intent. “Stand aside.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Mistress Bai decided she had let them bluster for long enough.

  “Elder Gui,” she said, her voice quiet but cutting through the tension like a blade. “While your Sect’s… recruitment efforts… are noted, this is still Qinghe.” She took a step forward herself, placing herself at the apex of the triangle formed by the two Sect cultivators. “And in my city, matters of acquisition are handled with a certain decorum. You will not be laying a hand on anyone.”

  He finally turned to face her, his expression one of pure, condescending dismissal. “This is Sect business, Mistress. It does not concern you.”

  She was getting really sick of sect cultivators coming into her city and assuming she would do nothing about it.

  “A brawl between disciples in a public square, followed by an Elder attempting to forcibly recruit a junior from a rival Sect?” She gave him a thin, cold smile, reaching out with her Qi to brush the intangible threads connecting them. This man was a guest in her domain, and he was breaking her rules. Her position was weaker than she’d like – he was an Elder with the weight of a sect behind him, and while she could technically claim to rule Qinghe, the claim would be tenuous indeed – but the principle of it gave her an advantage. “It concerns me very much. It is a disruption. And I do not tolerate disruptions.”

  Gui hesitated, clearly weighing the cost of a direct confrontation. He may not be attuned to the connections between them and thus couldn’t directly sense her actions, but he was a powerful cultivator in his own right and could likely detect something.

  Then his smile returned – slow, confident, unpleasant.

  “You’re right, Mistress Bai,” he said, inclining his head a fraction. “It would be beneath me to cause trouble in your charming city. But you misunderstand my intentions. I’m not here to take anything. The boy’s talents merely deserve… recognition.”

  His Qi flared subtly – a ripple of pressure that spread across the square like heat from a forge. It wasn’t enough to be overtly hostile, not yet, but it was a warning. And, she realised as she felt the faint answering hums of Qi from half a dozen points nearby, it was a signal to the disciples he’d brought with him.

  Li Xuan’s hand twitched toward his sword again, but Bai shot him a sharp look before he could move.

  Elder Gui’s smile deepened. “Surely the Azure Sky Sect wouldn’t begrudge a promising young man the chance to join a Sect that truly values strength? You can’t own him, after all. Pact-bearers belong to Heaven’s will alone.”

  Bai almost laughed. “A pretty justification,” she said dryly, “and an old one. I’ve heard the same argument used by slavers.”

  His expression didn’t flicker. “And yet, Mistress, the difference between bondage and tutelage lies in the worth of the teacher.” His gaze flicked past her again, fastening on Jiang with that same covetous gleam. “I would offer guidance, protection… the sort of patronage your city cannot provide.”

  Li Xuan’s voice cut through her thoughts, clipped and cold. “Elder Gui, if you persist in this line, I will be forced to assume your Sect is declaring open hostility toward the Azure Sky Sect.”

  Gui barked a laugh, genuinely amused. “Don’t be absurd, boy. You don’t have the authority to make such declarations.” He took another leisurely step forward, his presence expanding with every motion. “You’re out of your depth. Do yourself a favour and stand aside.”

  The air around them thickened. Dust trembled on the cobbles.

  She exhaled quietly.

  This was no longer a matter she could resolve neatly. While she had dozens of deals and debts she could call upon from the other independent cultivators in Qinghe, she knew exactly how that would play out. The moment they understood what they were fighting over – a free, unclaimed Pact-bearer – any sense of community would evaporate. It would descend into a chaotic free-for-all, a dozen minor powers tearing each other apart for a prize they couldn’t hope to hold. It would be a disaster.

  Gui’s Qi pressed closer, the faint hiss of power curling like smoke around the edges of the square. “I mean no insult,” he said, his voice gone almost gentle. “But some opportunities are simply too important to ignore. The heavens have marked him. Surely you see that.”

  Bai looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

  Her gaze flicked to Jiang. The boy was standing his ground, his hand on his sword, his expression a mask of grim, defiant resolve. He was a valuable asset, yes. A long-term investment. But he was not worth the price of her city. He was not worth the decades of work she had put into building this place, this quiet, stable domain of hers. This was a battle she could not win, and she had no interest in dying for a cause that was not her own. The deal she had made with Jiang was void; she had offered her help, but she had also been very clear that she would not stand against a Great Sect for him. This was that moment. A pity, but a necessary calculation.

  Unfortunately for her, Li Xuan noticed the flicker of hesitation.

  “Now!” he yelled, and lunged.

  It wasn’t a signal. There was no plan.

  But Elder Gui didn’t know that.

  The elder didn’t hesitate. His lips peeled back in a wolfish grin as he twisted the moment to his advantage. He met Li Xuan’s blade with a backhanded slap of his own Qi-wreathed hand, the impact a thunderclap that sent shockwaves rippling across the square.

  “So that’s how it is,” he said, loud enough for the gathering crowd – and, more importantly, his gathering disciples – to hear. “The Azure Sky Sect and Mistress Bai conspire to attack an Elder of the Ironwood Pavilion without cause!”

  Mistress Bai turned her furious gaze on Li Xuan, feeling decades of effort crumble as an elder of the Ironwood Pavilion Sect all but declared war on her. In that instant of pure, incandescent rage at the disciple’s recklessness, she felt it.

  It was a feeling she knew intimately, the core of her entire cultivation. A sudden, immense weight, a connection snapping into place. The debt Li Xuan now owed her for forcing her hand, for jeopardising her city and her life, was a mountain.

  And it was utterly, completely useless, because she wouldn’t live long enough to collect it.

  Elder Gui was already moving. His Qi expanded like a storm front, swallowing the square in an instant. The cobblestones cracked beneath the pressure, and the air shimmered with the distortion of his aura. His laughter was thunder, rolling over the panicked shouts of his disciples as they took their cues from it.

  “These two are mine!” Gui bellowed to the disciples. “The others – take them alive!”

  His next strike came faster than thought. She met it head-on, channelling the full weight of her domain. The unseen web of connections flared around her, visible only to her mind’s eye – every oath, every promise, every favour owed in Qinghe turned into raw strength.

  For a moment, they were evenly matched – the air split between them, energy screaming in protest.

  Then Gui pressed harder, his sheer cultivation eclipsing her borrowed strength.

  Bai staggered, blood on her lip, her mind racing through contingencies. She caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye – Jiang, already grabbing the stunned Zhang and pulling him back, melting into the shadows of the nearest alley. Good. The boy had a survivor’s instinct.

  It was the last clear thought she had before Elder Gui was upon her, and the square erupted into a storm of steel and splintered stone.

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