Chapter 10 – Family Reunion

  Taking care of errands should also mean receiving contributions when possible. But like all errands, they end up with lectures instead.

  He first went and visited Uncle Xunran. He explained in private what he had seen and heard from all the other tiers of the pagoda, including the final reward.

  “That, my nephew, should never be repeated again,” Uncle Xunran warned. They were in his office at the same dojo. “Don’t repeat it to any other Grand Elder, and especially not to anyone that’s not your direct family—and even then, reconsider before you tell them.”

  That had come as a surprise.

  “But why?” Diyuan asked. It wasn’t the response he had been expecting.

  Uncle Xunran leaned back into his chair. “You’re still young, and as ruthless as you may think you are, you still haven’t seen the real cutthroat world. It may not matter with the Reflections Pagoda, with the upper world cutoff and all that, but it’s a good habit to hide your treasures until you're strong enough to keep it. And don’t forget: you might trust your direct blood relatives, but your other relatives may be quicker to stab you in the back.”

  Uncle Xunran must have seen something in Diyuan’s face, because he did his lightning speed zap to appear right next to the younger cultivator and rubbed his hair messy.

  “But you’ve cleared the entire thing, yeah?” Uncle Xunran grinned. “To think this Lady Pagoda called the Tribulation Shroud a prison. Can anything even exist out beyond?” He looked off contemplatively. “I’ll give it some thought,” he said more to himself.

  Diyuan left, but not before having a couple more sparring matches with the Watcher trainees. He took Uncle Xunran’s advice to heart, but some of it he had known to some degree. That was why he hadn’t revealed his misty trump card named Zun Ji. The ability to temporarily copy any treasure was something he would hold onto for a long time.

  It took little time for him to be back at the Records Hall to return the bestiary book he had checked out, which he wrote into. Coincidentally, Grand Elder Huizhong was reading something in an aisle of books. Someone at that age could die of fright.

  Diyuan warped right next to the healer, the arte’s reverberating echo sounding like a thunder in the quiet hall. Grand Elder Huizhong flinched, which was a great win, but then he looked incredibly angry as his face transformed into something scarier than the Primordial Sovereign Devourer.

  “Wait, wait!” Diyuan said quickly as he held up the bestiary book. “If you think that was bad, take a look at this book. Someone wrote inside it!” He turned to the pages to a demonic beast that used to have the least information, but was now filled in with his own writing. “Who would do such a thing? I thought I should report it to you right away.”

  Grand Elder Huizhong’s eyes flickered to the book briefly, his annoyed face still lingering. What he should be reading were words that followed the same writing style as the official records, since Diyuan didn’t want to add his own jargon to make it sound unprofessional.

  “Where did this information come from?” Grand Elder Huizhong asked.

  “Great question,” Diyuan nodded. “Someone handsome had the opportunity to obtain some knowledge and decided upon himself—or herself—to record it for the future generations. No doubt expecting to receive a great reward for doing such an outstanding thing.”

  “Is that so?” His mouth started to pull into a smile. That was never a good sign. “The paper used in the Records Hall were all soaked in moonlight dew, so normal ink won’t stick for long. Such a shame, this researcher was willing to do so much, but now his contributions are for naught. Tsk tsk.” The Grand Elder shook his head sadly as he pushed the book back into Diyuan’s hands. “Alas, we could have been willing to give great treasure for such a deed.”

  The Grand Elder then walked towards the exit. Diyuan called out and ran up to him. “Okay, fine! It was me. What sort of ink do I need to use?”

  The Grand Elder made a brush and a bottle appear and handed it over. “It needs to be written and rewritten three times, to ensure accuracy and longevity of our records. If a second author touches it, the paper becomes destroyed. What manner of buffoon must you be to write in our books without authorization or knowledge?”

  Diyuan, feeling sheepish, let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. He found a table to sit and write. This was going to take a while.

  Some time would pass as Diyuan worked page by page. After several hours, a servant of the Records Hall walked up to him, holding onto a journal-looking item in her hands.

  “Excuse me, but why are you writing in that book?” She asked.

  “Adding ‘ew ‘formation,” Diyuan slurred. He was resting his cheek on his hand lazily, bored out of his mind. “Who knew that these books were soaked in moonlight dew?”

  She gave him a smile that said ah, an idiot. “Um…we don’t soak anything into anything. Grand Elder Huizhong said that if you were still here after my shift ended, to tell you…and I’m quoting exactly… ‘you’re a buffoon that’s nine centuries too young to play this game against me, Genius-boy. There is no special ink, only a special mind that you have. But no medicine can fix that.’” She then pushed forward the journal looking item towards him. “This is your reward…he says.”

  She left after he took it. Diyuan sighed. This was his loss.

  ***

  The journal that Grand Elder Huizhong left him was his personal notes on alchemy. Now, to anyone else, that might have seemed like a treasure. But to Diyuan? He had already abandoned exploring alchemy. In a world where spiritual energy was rich, many tier one pills were obsolete. Pills for drawing in spiritual energy? Or the ones that helped strengthen the body? There was even a pill that was supposed to help form the Foundation core. Early alchemy was just a spirit stone sink.

  Maybe it was different before the world was destroyed, but that wasn’t the life they lived now.

  However, the most interesting thing about the journal was the piece of paper that fell out of it. It gave Diyuan specific instructions to go to Xifeng City and purchase alchemy ingredients, specifically at a shop owned by the Misty Lake Yuhan-Shi branch—the second branch of his Yuhan family. Diyuan might not know much about alchemy, but he did know something was off about Grand Elder Huizhong’s instructions. Why would he need to tell Diyuan to do that? The most likely reason would be to ensure Diyuan went there even if he had the ingredients already.

  Something was afoot.

  So he went undercover, with his hood up. It was near the end of the year where crowds of people filled the street, purchasing what they might need for the upcoming week-long New Year festival. There hadn’t been any snowfall yet, so the ground was clean and the air felt nice without any wind.

  The Misty Lake Yuhan-Shi branch was responsible for overseeing the Misty Lake—hence the name—which grew spiritual plants at a rapid pace. They would then utilize those plants for the needs of the Yuhan family as a whole, where they could sell it to other Yuhan-Shi members after the pricier ingredients were stored away. A reward for their labor would allow them to get the first fruits before putting them up for sale, which could produce talented youths; and that in turn could result in more resource allocation for their branch. It created a sort of a benefit loop; thus, some competition was made where other branches might sometimes compete to obtain ownership of things like the Misty Lake.

  Such a system was necessary because there was a limit as to what could be shared with everyone. The Yuhan family’s Benediction Balm, for example, had restrictions as to how many jade tablets could be created at any period of time. When a master of the healing arte made a jade tablet with that skill, their core would be “exhausted” and prevent them from making another one until the core was refreshed to do so. As a result, artes like that would be given as rewards to talented cultivators, via tournaments or other activities, and to those that contributed to the family.

  Of course, the main family lineage, such as Diyuan himself, had first pick of everything by default. There was an expectation that the main family would never fall behind.

  As he walked through the streets he heard his name being said in a conversation. He decided to stop on the side to snoop. He heightened his hearing and focused in on the area where he had heard it. It was a conversation between two young men.

  “You really shouldn’t say something like that,” the first guy said. “And I’m not saying that just because Young Maiden Ranxi has been cutting people’s arms off.”

  “Shouldn’t you be calling her Young Lady instead, you besotted fool? She would cut off your arm just for calling her a maiden,” the second guy said.

  “And I’d thank her,” the first joked.

  The second guy leaned in and lowered his voice, as if cultivators were now somehow banned from listening. “But notice what she doesn’t do? She doesn’t say anyone is wrong. Yuhan Diyuan was a genius. He should have been almost level 2 Spiritweave by now, right? So how come we haven’t heard him breaking through to the Spiritweave realm at all? Is it really wrong to say that the Misty Lake Yuhan-Shi branch’s Young Master would be a top tier genius if they had the same resources as Yuhan Diyuan? The Nine Circulation Pill can be absorbed in a month and can reduce cultivation time by nine; one of those and anyone’s dog can be a genius!”

  Diyuan, listening aptly, didn’t miss on the fact that the branch family’s son was “Young Master” but his own name was said bluntly, without a title. It seemed the prestige of the main family had dropped because of him.

  He continued to listen and learned a few things from those loose lips. The first guy was a Yuhan-Shi family member—meaning, he was from a branch family, perhaps Diyuan’s cousin. The second guy wasn’t from the Yuhan family at all but sure was full of praise for the Misty Lake branch family. If outsiders could speak confidently like that in public, then that meant the Misty Lake Yuhan-Shi branch did not correct their tongue. Or maybe, they were the ones to encourage it.

  Things would need to be set back into their proper place. Allowing loose lips on the streets was a symptom arising from a deeper-rooted problem. It was time to visit the branch’s shop, and Diyuan suspected it wouldn’t take long to find something suspicious.

  A public display of power would be needed.

  Diyuan made his way to the Misty Lake shop, where he saw some oddities during his walk there. People who weren’t part of the Yuhan family or the Yuhan-Shi branches were entering and leaving with alchemy ingredients. No matter what situation was happening in the Zhengyi clan, economic problems or otherwise, one thing that would never change was the fact that the Yuhan family wouldn’t split their goods with outsiders.

  And yet he could hear those same outsiders tell other outsiders that they could enter the shop and purchase high quality spiritual herbs for their alchemy projects.

  “It’s to celebrate that Young Master Lingtian broke through to level 2 Spiritweave at the age of 22!”

  Diyuan frowned. The Misty Lake shop was not open to those outside the Yuhan-Shi branch families, regardless of the reason. And as such topics continued, the natural and eventual responses drifted to…

  “If Young Master Lingtian had the same cultivation resources as Yuhan Diyuan, from the main family, then who would be the real genius?”

  Those ideas and discussions were widespread the closer he got to the shop. There was no pretense of saying it under a secret shadow, and there was no voice of opposition.

  Diyuan entered the shop and saw several problems. The wares were running low and the prices seemed off, like things were discounted.

  With his hood still up, Diyuan walked up to attendant.

  “I am looking for ingredients for tier one pills. Entry level things,” Diyuan said.

  The attendant pulled out paper and looked through his list. “Lucky for you, we have plenty of tier one items remaining. If it was for tier two or tier three recipes, there’s a waiting list for those.”

  Diyuan frowned, though the attendant didn’t seem to notice. “A wait list? Is there a special event happening right now?”

  “You mean other than the New Year festival?” The attendant asked. “You must be visiting if you don’t know. There’s a good reason to celebrate—the Young Master Lingtian broke through again! Low prices to tell everyone he reached level 2 Spiritweave. He’s only 22 years old too, and that’s without the main family’s resources! Can you imagine what it would be if more attention was given to him?”

  The spiel sounded rehearsed. And while branch families didn’t have automatic resources like the main family, the branch family in charge of Misty Lake didn’t have a right to complain about resources, considering how they got the first fruits of their labors. But that’s what greed did.

  “Don’t I need to be part of the Yuhan family to buy from this shop?” Diyuan tested.

  “No need to worry about that. We all know the hard times everyone is in because of Yuhan Diyuan, but Young Master Lingtian wants to help share the burden. Let me get you what you need.”

  Diyuan nodded and told him the ingredients. After the transaction was completed, he stood off to the side, as if to examine something. He thought on how he could display his authority. Truth be told, this situation was something that his father should already be aware of. One of the Yuhan Elites would have identified the problem and reported it. Yet it’s persisting?

  Diyuan recalled how his brother had once complained about his father’s leading tactics; the Yuhan patriarch wouldn’t act until the situation got out of control. It was a method enjoyed by his father as nothing reminded everyone of power like a carefully crafted plan crumbling at its apex. Diyuan didn’t agree with that philosophy. It was better to cut the problem at the root, especially when it was his own name being needlessly dragged through the mud.

  Loud voices from outside the shop could be heard. Diyuan moved to investigate.

  “You dare say that about Young Master Diyuan!” Someone shouted. The chattering crowd stopped what they were doing and looked at the new commotion. “And only my Yuhan family can buy from this shop, so why are there so many outsiders here?”

  Oh? There was someone reasonable here?

  Multiple people began to shout down at the heroic young lad. Don’t let them wear you down!

  “I am Yuhan-Shi Taoran, of the fourth branch!” The hero shouted. “I demand that Yuhan-Shi Lingtian to come and explain himself!”

  Diyuan crossed his arms and nodded enthusiastically.

  Other cousins argued back against Hero Taoran the Brave. Even some outsiders called out how “Young Master Lingtian” had the right to decide how things work, not some fourth branch lackey. Fortunately, the young hero did not falter. A bigger man walked up behind him, so Diyuan was prepared to take action if needed. His eyes began to glow under his hood as he prepared to warp, only to realize the bigger man nod as he placed his hands on Taoran’s shoulder. An ally.

  It seemed that act gave resolve to others, and soon the street split into two factions: those that supported the Young Master Lingtian, and those that opposed. The opposition side was significantly smaller, with a total of half a dozen.

  “Cousin Taoran,” a voice broke through the crowd. A figure leaped into the air, his graceful body spun and his robes elegantly followed after. The person landed gently, his long hair flowed gracefully behind him. The crowd gasped, their murmurs hushed. Yuhan-Shi Lingtian had appeared. “Why are you disturbing this peaceful crowd with your violent words?”

  Triumphant Taoran stepped forward and thrust his finger at his peer. “Lingtian,” he said the words like venom. “How dare you sell off the Yuhan name for your own profits. You sell the Misty Lake plants to outsiders when it should be reserved for the family!”

  Lingtian gave a deep and exaggerated sigh. “Is someone of your skill allowed to address me so informally? We are both 22 years of age, yet you are still level 1 Spiritweave. Do call me Young Master.”

  “You deserve no respect, and you dare call yourself Yuhan-Shi,” Dauntless Taoran the Unruffled spat. The people behind him nodded and said their piece as well.

  Lingtian paced before his side of the crowd, looking at them in a way that suggested his opposite had a mental condition. “Then who do you say deserves respect? Is it the main family, who feeds Yuhan Diyuan all their resources, only to remain at the Foundation level?” He turned to the crowd and held his arms out wide. “The same person who is causing so many of us to struggle with our own resources by closing pocket worlds? And for what? Because he refused to part ways with his storage ring after murdering someone in the pocket world?”

  Lingtian successfully riled up his half of the crowd, causing them to shout their own opinions—as if that mattered in the slightest. Little did they know that Lingtian’s cultivation speed of level 2 Spiritweave was due to having the first rights to the spiritual plants from the Misty Lake. If anything, Exalted Taoran was more impressive, reaching level 1 Spiritweave at 22 years old despite being from the fourth branch. It was faster than the average talented person.

  “To curse the main family, and to do it so openly in public, mocks our name.” Mighty Taoran made his sword appear. “I will stand for it no longer.”

  Lingtian made his own sword appear. A blue aura surrounded his body. “Not even Young Lady Ranxi can claim I am wrong. Who are you to defend the sinner of the Zhengyi clan?”

  A similar blue aura appeared around Stalwart Taoran, Pride of the Clan. It wasn’t necessary to show off the blue energy since it had automatically strengthened the body already, but it made for a spectacle. Taoran was at a disadvantage, as level 2 Spiritweave was twice as strong as the former level. If he had any ability to fight up in cultivation levels, now would be the time to prove it.

  The two clashed. The people hopped and repositioned themselves to get a better view. Cultivators would jump up on top of buildings for a different vantage point. The sound of the swords colliding echoed with each swing. Mighty Taoran’s face was fierce and serious, but Lingtian was relaxed and playful.

  Diyuan was somewhat surprised to see…a lack of talent, to put it nicely. After spending so much time in the Reflections Pagoda and also with the trainee Watchers, he became used to opponents that didn’t waste movement and fought with the intention to kill. But their little duel showcased wide movements, inefficient strikes, and a display of flamboyancy. There were multiple times where Diyuan could simply kick the foot of one of them, which would then cause them to stumble.

  It was nice show, if nothing else.

  Lingtian’s strength was unstable as well. One thing cultivators needed to do after absorbing beneficiary things was to consolidate it. If they didn’t and kept advancing by taking pills, their strength would fluctuate. At times Lingtian would have the full power of a level 2 Spiritweave cultivator, at other times he may as well have been a level 1 Spiritweave cultivator. His life as a cultivator would be crippled if he kept advancing without consolidation.

  “Come now, is this the strength of the person defending Diyuan?” Lingtian mocked. “Surely you have some special trick up your sleeve?”

  Taoran, the unfortunate na?ve swordsman, fell for the bait. He jumped back, collecting the blue aura towards his sword.

  He was preparing to unleash his level 1 Spiritweave arte. Much like how it was common to have an internal arte for level 3 Foundation, it was also common that the level 1 Spiritweave arte was an attack that could increase in power the higher the cultivation. The arte at level 1 wouldn’t be impressive, but it certainly would be at level 5 Spiritweave, when it was over a hundred times stronger.

  Diyuan’s eyes glowed once more as he stretched out his warp tunnel. He already suspected what was going to happen next, and he figured that the Yuhan Elite family member was going to interfere with Lingtian’s plot. But the sinister plot wasn’t going to end with an accidental murder.

  Taoran swung his sword down into the empty air.

  “Fierce True Slash!” Taoran shouted.

  A blue sword energy flew forward, with all the sharpness of a sword and then some more.

  Lingtian was prepared. So much so that he even had the perfect person behind him. Lingtian acted as if he was going to block, but instead sidestepped and rushed forward to Taoran.

  The energy attack continued forward, towards a surprised and defenseless man at the Foundation level.

  Diyuan knew that man had no chance to block the attack. Even when he himself was prepared pre-pagoda, he had been barely capable of stopping Gu Mugong’s fan attack, parrying it just enough; but it had still slashed his neck to a degree where he would have died if not for the passive healing arte.

  Despite knowing the man was at risk of death, Diyuan had not carve his warp tunnel to him.

  Taoran was surprised by his own reckless attack, seeing how it was aimed at the crowd. He ran forward, defenseless himself, as if Lingtian would stop the match. But that was exactly what Lingtian was aiming for.

  Lingtian intended to kill Taoran.

  Then, several things happened at once.

  Just as the energy wave was about to hit the man, who now held his arm up in a pitiful defense, a figure appeared and blocked it with a flick of her hand. Her outfit and her eye mask revealed her to be a member of the Yuhan Elite. But Lingtian’s attack on Taoran had not stopped. Lingtian swung up.

  “Earth Ravine Cleave!” Lingtian shouted.

  A power burst from his sword, creating an energy extending around and beyond his sword, now large enough that the tip sliced through the ground effortlessly. It was an attack meant to cleave his opponent in half. Taoran realized too late he had been set up. His eyes went wide in fear, his hands too slow to do what his mind wanted it to do. Lingtian’s sword curved up, moments away from killing Taoran. His comrades behind him started to run forward, but they knew they would be too late.

  A sharp, reverberating beat sliced through the air. A gust of air pulsed in the middle of the two combatants. Diyuan had appeared.

  Diyuan—arms stretched out—lightly touched both of them, stunning them in place with his evolved Stunlock Bind. The arte disrupted Lingtian’s energy flow, causing the power at his sword to dissipate. Diyuan’s hood remained on, casting a shadow on his face, but the glow of his eyes pierced through that darkness. Both Taoran and Lingtian, frozen in place, moved their eyes to look at him.

  “Step back,” Diyuan commanded, the natural authority embedded in his tone. The lingering humming noise from his arte filled the air as the crowd watched in silence.

  Both of them unfroze and jumped away. They could sense that Diyuan was not a Spiritweave cultivator, but they also could not deny that they had been hit with the Yuhan family’s stunning arte. Even more surprising for them was that they both got stunned at the same time. An evolved arte was something that usually happened with high comprehension; typically seen at higher Spiritweave ranks, or even at the Dharma realm.

  They cautiously saluted him with their fist-in-palm, curious to know who he was.

  Lingtian’s plot was obvious. He knew the person in the crowd would not die, since a nearby Yuhan Elite would swoop in to save him. He also knew that if he killed Taoran in a duel, he could claim that the sword had no eyes, and then shame the fourth branch even further by disgracing Taoran for recklessly unleashing an attack into a defenseless crowd.

  None of that planning could be proved, of course. But it didn’t matter; Diyuan could now showcase his own authority in a domineering way.

  “I, Yuhan-Shi Lingtian, greet you,” Lingtian said, straightening after he finished saluting. “I am the Young Master of the Yuhan-Shi’s second branch. May I know who you are?”

  Taoran also stood up, curious to hear the answer. Those on the roofs of buildings leaned in. A man who looked like Lingtian, but older, was now mixed in with the crowd. He was another member of the Yuhan-Shi second branch—Lingtian’s father.

  It seemed like the only person who wasn’t curious was the Yuhan Elite woman. In fact, her appearance reminded Diyuan of the one who would always stand ready for his father. If she knew who he was, then it’s possible that she was following him for some time now. Which made sense, as he had an unresolved Nether Mark bounty.

  “Curious that you treat me with respect now, Cousin Lingtian.” Diyuan lowered his hood, revealing his face. “Is that what it means to be a member of the Yuhan-Shi second branch? Treat strangers better than the main family?”

  A glimpse of shock appeared on Lingtian’s face, but was quickly replaced with a malevolent smile—as if the situation was even better than he expected. It would be unfortunate for him, since the situation was, in fact, the best for Diyuan instead.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Lingtian saluted again, bowing deeper than necessary. An act worse than what Mugong would pull off. “I greet the genius of the main family, the Foundation cultivator Yuhan Diyuan! Who could possibly match your grace?” His voice was a mockery of false deference.

  Lingtian played the part publicly, and the crowd behind him fell into their role of this predictable play. Murmurs started, but a lone voice broke through.

  “How is he a genius!” Someone shouted. A young man stepped forward, his robes marking him an outsider of the family. “Give Young Master Lingtian the same benefits and see how much more he would soar!”

  “Yeah!” Another yelled, this voice deeper. “The main family hordes resources, and for who? For him?” The anger in his voice gave way to the crowd joining in unison. The sound of a sweet chorus. Maybe this was why his father would wait until a plot reached its climax before he intervened. They might think they were wagering on the winner’s side. Alas.

  “The second branch deserves better!”

  “Why should someone talented bow to a talentless waste!”

  Diyuan stood, unmoved. His expression was calm, though it did take some control to prevent his amusement from showing. However, that only angered the crowd more, claiming him to be all the more arrogant and all that.

  Some would unconsciously flare up their energy. The Yuhan Elite woman would walk to the side, eyeing the increasing chaos, but was otherwise unbothered. She casually tapped on the sword at her side, which members of the Elite leave out in the open rather than having it stored inside their storage ring. From what he knew, she was intelligent enough to not step in if Diyuan intended to get injured. After all, if a member of the main family got injured by outsiders due to a branch family’s provocation, whether subtle or not, the entire situation would end with the second branch’s defeat.

  Lingtian would know that, too. He raised a hand, calming the crowd. “Here now, let’s not be too harsh on my cousin. It’s not his fault he was born into the main family. Who wouldn’t take the free gifts given to them?”

  Another member of the second branch stepped forward. “But Young Master Lingtian, if you had every advantage, you would’ve surpassed him several times over!”

  Diyuan sensed a movement behind him. He looked and saw that Taoran and his party ready to do battle on Diyuan’s behest. Commendable, but unnecessary. He held up his hand to have them back off.

  “Cousin Lingtian,” Diyuan said, scratching his ear lazily. “I don’t mind giving you everything that has been given to me by the family. But let’s first see if you’re worthy, yes? How about we share notes?”

  Lingtian couldn’t suppressed his own amusement as his swung his sword back and forth. “You may not know this, but I have reached level 2 Spiritweave. I would be accused of bullying if we dueled.”

  “Who wouldn’t know that by now, with how it’s being proclaimed? Enough of that nonsense.” Diyuan motioned his hand as if to swat a fly. “I am asking to be taught what a talented cultivator looks like. I can only look at the mirror so often, you know?”

  That got the crowd going again, their anger feeding off his Diyuan’s arrogant comments, and egging Lingtian to show him what a true genius was. Lingtian looked to the Yuhan Elite, who gave no reaction to her own thoughts.

  Lingtian’s father stepped forward. A more heavyset man, and also someone who was still at level 1 Spiritweave himself. A rather low cultivation, all things considered. He would have to actively not cultivate to remain so low. Probably told himself that he sacrificed his own resources and gave them to his son; a worthy enough excuse to mask his own laziness. Or perhaps he botched his breakthrough, ending his cultivation path. Or, even more likely, he broke a vow.

  “Should we could do a gambit?” The father proposed. “When exchanging notes, the winner can take hold of the resources given to you?”

  Diyuan looked at the older man. That wasn’t how gambits worked, since he already “owned” the prize in question. But that didn’t matter, because the stakes needed to be even higher.

  “Just my share to Lingtian? Why, let’s go bigger. If you agree, I will personally ensure that the resources of the Yuhan family given to me since I was 10 years old to now, will be what the entire Yuhan-Shi second branch receives if the gambit liaison determines my loss. Whatever you get now will be swapped with my Yuhan-given resources.” Diyuan leaned and looked at the crowd behind Lingtian. “And the liaison can be the crowd behind you. Their shouts can decide who the winner is after we’re done.”

  A look of surprise crossed both Lingtian and his father, and among the crowd. They cheered at the suggestion, some still calling Diyuan arrogant for the proposal. Lingtian’s father couldn’t hide his joyful glee, as he practically hopped to join the crowds after they agreed.

  Taoran expressed his disbelief and asked Diyuan to reconsider, who simply ignored the request. To those that aligned with Lingtian, this was a gambit of their own interest. To everyone else, this was a fun show to watch to finish off the year. If anyone had been paying attention, they would have noticed the Yuhan Elite woman’s mouth tug slightly to a smile.

  At least one person knew the trick at play.

  Diyuan’s black sword appeared. Both got into position. People shouted their encouragements to Lingtian, where Taoran and his party tried to match their energy, but they were outnumbered. The setting reminded Diyuan of the first floor of the Reflections Pagoda.

  But Lingtian was no Zun Ji.

  Diyuan motioned Lingtian to come. The opponent launched forward and their swords clashed. The brunt of Lingtian’s force dissipated due to the black cold steel weapon, and the rest of the power was held against Diyuan’s stance—using only one hand.

  Diyuan was not forced a single step back.

  Lingtian, bothered by the unexpected defense, aggressively began his relentless assault. Diyuan, feet firmly planted, blocked and parried each strike with ease. His one arm took no effort to redirect Lingtian’s sword. Again and again Lingtian tried, but he accomplished nothing.

  “Use Stunlock Bind!” Lingtian’s father shouted.

  That caused Taoran and his party to shout their cheer noises. It seemed like everyone, Lingtian included, had expected brute force to win the fight. But the Yuhan family’s stun arte was a good way to ensure victory. Since the cycle time for it was typically several minutes for the lower-level cultivators, they assumed Diyuan wouldn’t be able to use his again, since he had already used it on his entrance.

  Lingtian posed his stance in such a way that it was obvious he intended to use the stun arte. The kind that suggested a full body press; if he touched Diyuan, or Diyuan touched him anywhere, the stun would apply—albeit slightly weaker than a focused stun. Unfortunately for the older cultivator, there was a partial weakness in this strategy. Lingtian ran forward, but this time Diyuan ran out to meet him. With a swift maneuver, Diyuan slipped through his defenses and kicked his foot off-balance, causing it to hit his other foot.

  Touching Lingtian automatically activated the Stunlock Bind arte. Diyuan was frozen in place, with his foot still out. Meanwhile, Lingtian fell and rolled. He immediately positioned himself to block any incoming attack—a habit drilled into anyone if they were forced to the ground. It took him a second to realize that Diyuan was frozen in place. He rushed forward, but it was too late; Diyuan unfroze and deflected the attack with ease.

  A burst of laughter was heard, but not just from Taoran’s side. Some of the cultivators on the roofs thought the scene was comical.

  It was Lingtian’s father that noticed something strange.

  “That sword!” he called out. “It’s black cold steel, isn’t it!?”

  The crowd awed at the weapon, probably the only one of its kind as it couldn’t be purchased with stones.

  “Ha…” Lingtian shook his head, evidently relieved he had an excuse. “No wonder you acted so arrogantly, who can compete against a treasure like that? Your father gift it to you? Don’t forget, my second branch gets everything you’ve gotten once I win. I hope you’ll permit me to use my Spiritweave artes since you have that sword.”

  Diyuan looked at it and made a face as if he was seeing the sword for the first time. He turned around and walked towards Taoran, tossing him the black sword. “Cousin Taoran, lend me your sword for a moment.” Once Diyuan had a normal sword in his hand, he swung it once and then twice. It was good enough. “Cousin Lingtian, you’ve went against Taoran’s sword. I hope you won’t complain if I’m using it,” Diyuan said.

  “If you intend to use that as an excuse for your loss…” Lingtian prepared to attack. “But don’t forget who decides the final victor!”

  He leaped at Diyuan, who still wasn’t in a defensive stance. Instead, Diyuan held out a hand. “Ah, wait a second!”

  Lingtian stumbled as he stopped. “What now!?”

  Diyuan held out his offhand, looking at it as if it was a creature he had not seen before. Then, very theatrically, he placed it behind his back. “Since you mentioned excuses, I decided to only use one arm. Can’t have you say it was unfair that I used all of my limbs.”

  Lingtian scoffed and went back to his side of the street. “I don’t care what you do. Maybe this is your way to save face? But don’t forget, the gambit will remain no matter the handicap.”

  It certainly may have looked like Diyuan was giving a handicap, but with his Bonegrit Dreadflesh arte, he had reallocated the strength of his offhand to his main hand already. There was no loss of strength. A game of theatrics. Diyuan nodded and motioned Lingtian to come.

  Without the black cold steel sword, Diyuan needed to apply some real effort in his defense against someone at the level 2 Spiritweave realm. He swapped from regular grip to reverse grip and back again; he fought in a very flashy manner, to showcase the skill difference. Sparks started to fly. The combatants circled and slid as their attacks continued and the pace quickened. The shouts and cheers quieted as they watched the match. It would be hard to deny that Diyuan was peerless.

  Lingtian’s embarrassment rose to such a degree that his face flushed red the longer the fight went. Diyuan was using one hand and was an entire great realm lower than him. To pour salt on the wound, Diyuan would sometimes slip in and touch Lingtian briefly, applying the stun skill. When he did that, he tapped Lingtian’s neck with Taoran’s sword and backed off. Once Lingtian unfroze, they went it again, and after ten seconds passed, Diyuan would freeze him again. It continued again and again. Those on the roofs began to comment on how quickly Diyuan’s arte cycled, and that it shouldn’t be possible for it to be that fast even at the peak Spiritweave realm.

  Lingtian had enough. A blue energy circled around him, different from the cleave arte he had used against Taoran.

  “Ironspine Tortoise Barrage!” Lingtian shouted.

  The blue energy solidified and spikes shot out all around. Just as Diyuan was about to get hit, he teleported away, safely landing on the other side of the street with glowing eyes. The so-called fortress was a simple energy solidification in the shape of an egg surrounding Lingtian, but with spikes pultruding out. That would have made several holes in Diyuan if he had stayed nearby.

  Well, that wasn’t true. With his defensive arte, it probably would have hurt, but the wounds wouldn’t have been that bad. It wasn’t meant to do damage.

  But he was wrong to assume it wasn’t meant to do damage; that wasn’t the end of the arte. The spine spikes suddenly shot out in all directions, connected to the shell by a solid blue energy chain. Just as several spikes were about to pierce the crowd behind Lingtian, they turned up and redirected themselves towards Diyuan.

  Diyuan deflected the first few that came his way with his one hand, each hit feeling a bit more weighty than Lingtian’s normal sword strike. They would hit his sword and then hit the ground, tearing it up, then redirected and came at him again from behind. Diyuan couldn’t help but feel a little enjoyment from this; it was essentially another pagoda trial floor.

  There were a dozen chained spikes flying about and Diyuan wouldn’t be able to take care of them all—at least not while he had to concern himself with accidentally hitting the crowd. He repositioned himself while deflecting the ones that reached him before he was ready. Once he was able, he jumped off of one to another, and then jumped again, higher in the air now. In a matter of moments, Diyuan was now battling in the sky, forcing necks to crank upward, knocking the tethered spine spikes away and jumping off of others.

  It didn’t take long for Diyuan for get a feel of the momentum. Foundation cultivators would usually avoid fighting in the air, but controlling how he got knocked back and running on the chains made the entire aerial scene his show.

  When he was in the right spot, he deflected the cute little barbs in a controlled manner. Before Lingtian knew what was happening, a few crashed into his energy egg, cracking it. The arte failed to continue, disappearing and allowing Diyuan to finally touch the ground. He did so with a graceful spin, his robes trailing after him without a single tear or damage to them.

  Taoran took the opportunity to trash talk from the sidelines. “Hey Lingtian, aren’t you ashamed to use Spiritweave artes against a Foundation cultivator? Not that it matters, Young Master Diyuan put you in your place!” The group with him laughed and jeered.

  The cultivators on the rooftops couldn’t help but nod and reveal their own amazement.

  “Well played, Diyuan!”

  “Hard to say he isn’t a genius after that.”

  Lingtian had lost his cool and the comments didn’t help. Even the crowd that had supported him was looking confused and concerned. They could still cheat and declare Lingtian the winner of this gambit, but with the difference in skill being so blatant, they would probably fear repercussions.

  Diyuan should give them an out, lest his own plans fail.

  Lingtian ran at Diyuan, but with much less control over his strength. His mentality had been disturbed significantly, affecting his performance in a way that should never happen. His power would sometimes be at its peak, but other times it would only be at a third of its strength. Diyuan identified when it would weaken, and rushed in to meet him.

  Just as Lingtian’s sword swung down, Diyuan reached up with his offhand, the same one he said he wouldn’t use (though now with proper strength allocated to it), and caught the weaker strike in his hand. A flash of pain pierced his hand, and the heat of fire burned throughout Diyuan’s skin, to his entire body. He sensed his body share the pain from the wound that was meant for the hand alone. Bonegrit Dreadflesh was doing its duty.

  Lingtian, shocked at Diyuan catching his sword with bare hands, jumped back and reassessed the situation. Diyuan looked at his hand, which had a cut. The warm blood flowed out down his wrist and arm. Without the passive healing, he would need to take a healing pill.

  “Darn, I used the hand I said I wouldn’t use,” Diyuan admitted, putting on an act. “I was so arrogant I couldn’t see the world before me.”

  “What!?” Taoran ran forward. “That’s not true! You obliterated him! Everyone saw it!”

  Diyuan tossed him his sword back and took the black cold steel. “Look at my hand, it bleeds still. My energy is so low that even my healing arte isn’t working. The difference in cultivation is vast! How could I arrogantly assume to challenge a Spiritweave cultivator!?”

  Maybe he should take notes on how Mugong spoke, to learn how to talk all flashy-like.

  Lingtian warily stood up straight, confused by the outcome. The crowd behind him broke their silence and cheered, simply happy to have a reason to declare their champion as the winner.

  “Lingtian! Lingtian!”

  Lingtian was the gambit victor. But Taoran and friends disagreed, they started yelling, asking how could it be possible for Diyuan to lose; the difference in skill was obvious.

  Diyuan popped a healing pill and strutted forward, black sword on his shoulder.

  “That’s enough, Cousin Taoran,” Diyuan said seriously. “A gambit is a gambit. It is time for the second branch to get their just reward. First, let’s find out exactly what each member will be getting. Elite, come to me.”

  The Yuhan Elite, who had been watching from the side without a worry in the world, walked forward and saluted Diyuan. “Young Master, what is it that you need?”

  “The crowd has fairly determined that I have lost the gambit,” Diyuan said. “Per the agreement, the second branch’s resources will equal to what I was given starting from when I was 10 years old. Let’s begin with my training instructor. Which Yuhan teacher did I have?”

  The Yuhan Elite remained in her salute bowed position. “You did not have a Yuhan instructor.”

  Diyuan nodded, then raised his voice. “From this moment on, not a single person from the Yuhan-Shi second branch is allowed an instructor from the Yuhan family.” The crowed murmured. Lingtian and his father were prepared to raise their objection, but Diyuan cut them off. “Next, what pills and alchemy resources were distributed to me?”

  “None,” she said. “You were banned from receiving any resources after you executed the heir of the Yuhan family.”

  Diyuan nodded again, and once more he raised his voice for everyone to hear. “From this moment on, not a single person from the Yuhan-Shi second branch will receive pills or alchemy resources from the Yuhan lineage. Next, what special formations or other benefits have I received since the age of 10?”

  “You have received no benefits. You were banned from all of its uses. You were instructed to use pocket worlds to obtain your own resources until you reached level 3 Spiritweave.”

  The look of shock and bewilderment overtook not just Lingtian and his father, but everyone else. Those on the rooftops, Taoran and his party, and the outsiders, all shared the same confusion. Diyuan not receiving support from the Yuhan family was something his father had ordered, but it wasn’t publicly announced. It had certainly begged the question as to how Diyuan’s original cultivation speed was so quick.

  “I now speak as the only living son of the Yuhan family’s main lineage,” Diyuan said with a raised voice. “The second branch will be banned from all Yuhan benefits. As well, I have found the second branch lacking, and will remove their authority over the Misty Lake, along with all of its benefits.”

  “You cannot do that!” Lingtian’s father shouted and jabbed a finger at Diyuan. “You don’t have the authority—”

  Slash!

  Diyuan swung his sword up, cutting through the level 1 Spiritweave cultivator’s arm. He had put all of his strength into it, severing the limb entirely. Blood splashed onto the people behind the father. A blood-curdling scream echoed into the air. His hands soaked with blood instantly when he reached for the missing limb; eyes closed and full of pain.

  Lingtian turned and prepared to swing his own sword, but stopped instantly. Diyuan’s eyes were glowing; he had every intention to swap out his black sword with his Wind’s Edge dagger. If Lingtian so much as took another step forward, Diyuan was going to warp and cut his head off. Lingtian must have sensed that, or saw something on Diyuan’s face, because he made his sword disappear into his ring altogether. He took out a paper talisman and placed it on his father’s bleeding arm, halting the blood flow.

  All the while, the Yuhan Elite remained in her saluting pose.

  “Elite, what is the current Nether Mark on me?” Diyuan asked casually, as if the muffled pain noise from the father wasn’t happening.

  “You have a five million spirit stone bounty on you, placed on you by the Gu clan,” she answered professionally.

  “Since I need to wait until level 3 Spiritweave to gain family resources again, I don’t want to be so cruel to the second branch and make them wait that long. They can obtain resources again once Cousin Lingtian reaches a bounty at least equal to my own. It should be easy, since his talent is better than mine.” Diyuan pretended to turn away, as if the matter was settled, but stopped. “That reminds me, if a branch family was willing to throw away resources meant for the Yuhan lineage only, would they be tempted to sell me out for the Nether Mark bounty?”

  “Yes,” the Yuhan Elite said simply.

  “From this moment on, if any member of the Yuhan Elite hears a voice of dissent of any kind from the Yuhan-Shi second branch, execute them immediately and without trial.” To emphasize his demeanor, Diyuan’s eyes began to glow, despite not having the intention to warp anywhere. He saw the father wince at the announcement. The father looked up at Diyuan, as if to say something, but Diyuan spoke first. “For example, if Lingtian’s father speaks up in protest right now—kill him.”

  The Yuhan Elite immediately shifted from her salute and poised herself to strike with her sword at the father. Whatever pride Lingtian had now was completely mollified. He clasped his father’s mouth shut with his hand, and forced both of them to bow. They turned to leave, taking the severed arm with them as that could likely be reattached.

  But Diyuan wasn’t done. Reputation was important, and keeping face was more than a simple matter of pride. If permission was given for people to talk down on the main family, that would lower their social standing. Their words would hold less weight; necessary alliances may become shaky. People would stop trying to curry favor and give less gifts, and in turn give it to opposing factions. Conflicts that would normally be avoided could sprout.

  The Misty Lake spiritual plants were meant for the Yuhan lineage, who acted as enforcers in all six Zhengyi cities. This was a known fact. When a king, who sat on his throne, offered a seat, face would be given when the offer was declined; only another king could sit with the king. Even if the second branch offered the plants for a celebration, outsiders should have declined and offered their own gift to celebrate the cultivation advancement. If they accepted the Misty Lake plants, they would be holding the branch family in higher regard than the main family, who ordered the restrictions, effectively shifting allegiance.

  And now that would be stomped out. “As for the outsiders that purchased goods designated for the Yuhan family alone—identify them and ban all future endeavors with them, their blood relatives, and marriage relatives for the next 200 years. I will personally pay for any contract breaches that will take place as a result of this ban,” Diyuan said.

  The same people who had shouted fiercely against Diyuan before now had a look of fear. Not of the Yuhan family, but likely of their own personal family. If they had relatives that worked with the Yuhan family but had been suddenly been cut out, the relatives would quickly find out why. The face of regret was now reflecting on those that aligned with the second branch.

  He then turned to Taoran and his party, who was looking at him as if he sprouted wings. “Fourth branch of the Yuhan-Shi, step forward.”

  Taoran took one step forward, but so did the party behind him. It seemed like they were all from the same branch.

  “I can’t be bothered to look after Misty Lake myself,” Diyuan said. “Since the second branch has been removed from duty, the fourth branch will now be in charge. All of its responsibilities and benefits belong to your family now.”

  Just as Taoran was about to bow even lower in thanks, Diyuan touched him lightly and applied Stunlock Bind to stop him. Once he was unfrozen, Taoran spoke. “I give my thanks to Young Master Diyuan!”

  The others from the fourth branch shouted their gratitude as well. This minor power struggle was now at an end. The crowds began to disperse, since the show was done. The few on the rooftops saluted Diyuan before jumping away. The Yuhan Elite woman had vanished somewhere, but still probably lurking.

  Taoran lingered, his expression a mix of gratitude and hesitation. It seemed like he was gathering courage to ask something.

  “If you’ve something to ask, just ask,” Diyuan said. He intended to go visit home once he was done here.

  “I am forever grateful! The fourth branch will never let down your trust!” Taoran said quickly. But then he turned his head away, almost reluctant to speak his mind. “It’s just…the punishment. So many will suffer for the actions of a few. Is that…truly just?”

  Ah, so Taoran was one of those people. Though, Diyuan should have known this was coming. “You think it’s unfair that entire communities suffer for a single person’s actions?”

  Taoran hesitated even more now. He was just given a grand opportunity for his fourth branch. The Misty Lake resources would elevate not just the youth with him now, but have a great reach to those that may have been left behind for a lack of resources. Perhaps he’s considering that it’d be best to stay silent.

  If he did stay silent, Diyuan would be disappointed.

  The others behind Taoran didn’t nudge him one way or another; they left the decision to him, and Taoran delivered. “Many had no hand in the second branch’s schemes, or the outsider’s greed. But their livelihood, their future…they have no fault in today’s matter.”

  Diyuan understood why he thought that, despite being wrong. The world was small and everyone was part of a community. There was no such thing as individuals or rogue cultivators; there were only communities that governed themselves, and those communities gathered together to create an alliance known as the Zhengyi clan. Each member, no matter how lowly, represented their community. A simple disrespectful act was the same as looking down on an entire community. If they weren’t going to correct the actions on their own, it would lead to a wider conflict. An event like today’s could not be ignored.

  That being said, it wasn’t like Diyuan left them no way out.

  “Nearly all my commands will be reverted,” Diyuan said. “With the exception of the Misty Lake ownership, I would be surprised if even one of them remained this time next year.”

  Taoran’s brow furrowed, not expecting that. “But you made it very clear that…”

  Diyuan waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s break it down; first, the outsider communities will offer an apology on behalf of their member by delivering a tribute. Something big enough that shows their sincerity, but nothing too crazy. They give us face by accepting responsibility; we keep face by accepting their apology. Contract breaches will be reverted and they will put fear into their community to not do something like this again.” Diyuan watched Taoran’s reaction, but simplified it even further. “They essentially just need to pay us a fee, an amount they themselves will determine.”

  Taoran nodded, seeing a form of enlightenment. Diyuan continued. “As for the second branch, my command to execute without trial is far too tyrannical. They will go to my father and dispute it, and my father will overturn it. However, they will need to decide if they’ll try to dispute my ‘no resources for thee’ rule. My father will not overturn that, marking it as an official ruling.” Diyuan leaned in, causing the others listening to do the same as he whispered. “But if they don’t mention it at all? That’s the same as saying they accept my command, since both commands were said by me at the same time and they only complained about one. So, tell me Cousin Taoran, what will the second branch do now?”

  Taoran, heroic as he may be, likely never needed to consider the governing rules of the branches, so he wouldn’t know. He simply shook his head.

  Diyuan gave the answer to finish his teaching. “The second branch will need to rebrand themselves. All their current leadership will need to be swapped out with new elders, and anyone else with authority will be restructured into something else. They will then come to my father, claiming my command no longer applies to them since they are a ‘different’ second branch. My father will agree, and the resource ban that should last until they get a bounty of five million spirit stones will be lifted instantly.”

  It would be a new branch in another sense as well. They will live with a newfound fear for the main family, and for Diyuan himself. But, of course, fear was such a nasty word for a hero like Taoran, so Diyuan left that part out.

  Such a restructure of the second branch meant that Lingtian wouldn’t be punished by the main family in any long-term sense. They could decide to discipline him if they wanted to, or not. However, should the second branch act out like this again anytime in the near future, no one would have the right to complain if the main family simply executed the offending party instantly.

  That, too, was not something Diyuan would tell Taoran, who now had widened eyes.

  Taoran bowed deeply, his previous doubts vanishing completely. “Young Master Diyuan’s wisdom humbles me. My eyes could not see the broad designs you’ve made!”

  Diyuan nodded and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s not your job to know that stuff. Your job is now the Misty Lake.”

  And with that, Diyuan left.

  ***

  A familiar place could look smaller as the years pass.

  The Yuhan estates was a sprawling place. Training grounds were off to the side; a large, open area with reinforced flooring. There were obstacle courses, sparring arenas with array formations, weapon racks, repair areas, and some meditation platforms.

  The outside wall encircled the estate grounds, embedded with defensive arrays. A garden had a greenhouse for rare plants requiring specific conditions. A stream ran through the plot, with a short wooden bridge that led to the central manor and the residential quarters. The soothing sound of the water was refreshing to the exhaustion that surfaced and release within Diyuan.

  Home.

  The area was void of people, likely out and about for the holiday respite. Well, almost all people. Two people stood in front of the residential quarters area. One a servant, but the other a terrifying being if she should ever get angry.

  Zheng Rulong, Lady of the Yuhan family. Better known as…

  “Mother,” Diyuan said automatically as he approached her. The servant bowed as she said something to Mother and left.

  Mother was a beautiful woman, decorated in ornaments and a fanciful robe to exude her position of power. From what Diyuan knew, that wasn’t how she dressed before becoming the Lady of the Yuhan family. But now she represented a position, not just herself. However, even with all the eye-catching detail, one thing drew attention the most; its purpose to remind people of something that mattered less and less to others as time passed.

  Every morning, Mother would apply a black “vein” on one half of her face. Starting near one eye, a black line trailed downward across one cheek. It branched out: two long and one short. The two long black painted veins represented Diyuan and Ranxi. The shortened black line was a daily reminder to herself that her firstborn son was executed, both to herself and to everyone who saw her face.

  When Diyuan was younger, Mother assured him on a regular basis that the paint should not make him feel guilty. Instead, it should make everyone else feel shamefaced. To this day, Mother believed her firstborn was innocent. She believed the truth would come to light.

  Mother raised up her hand and cusped Diyuan’s cheek. He felt her thumb rub affectionately as her hand slowly rose to his ear. He knew what was coming but suppressed a groan—it would be less painful that way.

  She gripped his ear and pulled.

  “And who taught you to cut off people’s arms?” Mother asked sternly, yanking his ear again.

  Fortunately, no one was in the courtyard. The ear yanking would continue until he gave her the response she wanted. So, naturally, he did the opposite.

  “His clothes were out of style, Mother.” Yank. That was fast enough that it was like she expected him to say nonsense.

  “His arm brushed against a maiden, making her unsuited for marriage. No one defends the maidens like me, Mother.” Yank. Her tug sharpened, her eyes narrowing.

  “He said Old Hu’s restaurant was not the same as it used to be. I restrained myself from cutting off his head, Mother. Everyone clapped.” Yank. She pulled harder, her patience thinning.

  When Diyuan wanted to be free and didn’t want to suffer more pain, there was a tried-and-true method that would always work:

  “Mother, it was Ranxi who taught me. She said I could do whatever I wanted because I was handsome.” Yank. Yank. She then let go, but a faint smile betrayed her amusement.

  “Inside,” she commanded. “Food will be ready soon.”

  Diyuan hurried inside before she changed her mind.

  Food was something Mother ensured they had as a family, mimicking the ways of the non-cultivators so that they could all sit together and talk. Since spiritual energy supplied them most of their needs at the earlier cultivation levels, the amount of food intake they actually needed was little. But food did taste good.

  Inside, Diyuan sat at the table, food not yet ready. Mother stood behind him and they had a casual conversation. Her fingers slipped into his hair. She tugged gently at loose strands, each pull carried a soft sting, which she soothed with her fingernail. Her voice softened as time passed, becoming a lullaby as he leaned his head into her touch. Eventually, he stopped responding with words and only hummed. Being lulled into a trance, he felt the exhaustion of the last few years vanish.

  That was the thing with Mother, she would treat her family with a good level of physical affection, which had amplified after his brother died. In a private setting it wasn’t so bad, but she would also do it in public, regardless of one’s age.

  Mother’s fingers paused mid-tug, her head tilting as if hearing a distant sound. She released him and gracefully walked to the side of the door, hiding her view from anyone that might walk into the hallway. Her presence also “disappeared,” where Diyuan couldn’t sense her at all despite looking straight at her—who now had her own mischievous smile.

  Only then did Diyuan finally sense someone entering the courtyard. The supposed intruder wasn’t acting silently at all. Only his sister could be that loud. Ranxi shoved open the door and boldly stepped in.

  “Diyuan!” Ranxi said with a cheerful face. “Years have passed and you look even more handsome than ever. What sort of troubles will you get into now?”

  She walked forward towards him, not yet aware that Mother was in the room. Considering that she had saved his life, he should do the right thing and warn her. However, that was not the brotherly thing to do. To be a good brother was to let her share in his suffering.

  Just as she stepped into the room, Mother’s hand flashed and found her ear. She froze in place. A level 5 Spiritweave cultivator stood no chance.

  “So,” Mother began, “you did teach him to cut off someone’s arm, then?”

  Several emotions passed through Ranxi’s face. First, confusion. Second, betrayal. Third, amusement. “You cut someone’s arm off?” She asked brightly. Yank. “Ack!”

  “And who taught my children to be so violent?” Mother asked.

  Ranxi, wincing in pain, responded. “But Ma, why do they have arms if we can’t cut them off?” Yank.

  The banter between the three continued as the food arrived. Ranxi the Violent would take Diyuan into a headlock, claiming betrayal for not warning her. Mother would then brush his now messy hair while they conversed. A few years had passed since he last saw them, but their relationship was as normal as could be.

  Diyuan intended to stay until he finished his preparations to advance to the Spiritweave great realm. He had already begun after he reached level 6 Foundation and expected his success shortly after his nineteenth birthday.

  For now, though, he would enjoy the chaos of his family. And hopefully avoid Ranxi’s violence and any other ear-yanks.