Senior Brother Que tapped Hao on the shoulder before letting go. “Senior Ci Yue is unforgiving.” His words sounded like a warning, whispered, but heard by enough people to make heads turn. He looked satisfied, almost.

  “His disciple, Junior Zu, however, is a pleasure to have on the peak. Her progress has been amazing to watch, all of it due to her talent, which exceeds what can be called rare. One-of-a-kind, let’s say.”

  The words were spoken to Hao, but for all to hear, or at least that is what Hao thought, with the way Que’s eyes brushed over blushed, bumbling faces. A word of warning to those who dared try their luck. With a few jabs from a tongue so barbed it made Pao Taoyi’s seem pathetic, He managed to call a man who was a Senior in every way, a dim, merciless, bad teacher in only so few words without doing so to garner retaliation or discipline.

  Fascinating, this is an Elder’s direct disciple, not all of them are like Mo Bangcai, I guess.

  Hao could see a smirk on Que’s face. From the corner of his eye, he saw the bald, arrogant Ciyue in his silver robes glare right at the two of them.

  They walked the rest of the way. Hao couldn’t chase away the thought of how much more powerful that girl, Zu, was. Her strength grew faster than his. She was able to walk on air and drag objects behind her the first time Hao saw her, but now she could do all that easily while using something as simple as a leaf to make it a precise killing weapon.

  Zu Wairen, she did it all on this cozy flower-covered mountain.

  So, this is the real difference between those who do and those who don’t have aptitude and talent. She is even prettier than before…

  Hao left his thoughts behind once he truly opened his eyes to the building in front of him, like some sort of fantasy tower from a lie his Great Uncle would tell when he got his hands on fresh wine.

  The pagoda was visible from a distance. But even a dragon seems like an ant when you’re far enough away, up close, its majesty was hard to ignore.

  It blended in with the sky. The blue, like the flowers and the ink that made the signs, coated the entire pagoda, a hint lighter. Stretching up higher than any cloud could hope to reach.

  “We are here,” Que said, stepping ahead of Hao.

  “Eldest Brother likes to wander around the hall when Master is out.”

  Que reached out towards the large, dark wooden door. Fashioned with studs of iron that had a grimy look compared to the rest of the structure, the same went for the door round knockers, which were large for human hands, and too high for anyone but a nine-foot giant to reach, and that would still struggle to lift them. The tree fashioned into a door had to weigh a ton.

  Que put his hand on the bottom quarter of the door and stepped forward, as if the door were a flag, not a small ship; it made way.

  Hao was swept away inside. The shift of wind encouraged his feet, and so did the waiting look Que gave him. With the first step inside, he passed banners. After the banners, he found everything he thought the sect was missing: the mystical allure that each story his mother told him had.

  The rest of the Sect was no different from the Island—same sky and clouds. Work, earn your keep; if you don’t, you don’t eat. The only difference is that if you work hard enough, live long enough, food is no longer a concern, mortals’ needs are shed, and eventually, the sky is beneath you.

  The ambiance was just one of many things that were different. Everything here made Hao think he was living in a painting; this is what he had hoped for when he passed the Bone-Shaking trial, but this wasn’t his reality, just a place he came to complete an errand. To save a woman.

  “Incense is burning, First Brother is in. Good, no need to wait, come.” Que said, waving his hand and closing the door behind them.

  *

  The inside of the building had its own resplendence. More stunning than the outside, with its clear sky above and curtain of clouds below, the entryway alone made Hao’s step stutter.

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  In a way, it seems larger inside than he could tell from the walls outside. Larger than the Island Hao left when he went to enter the temple before being dragged to this mountain.

  Hao smiled, an odd smile, one of awe, but a smile. It almost made him happy that the Temple of Water rejected him. He glanced around, walking behind Que, waiting for the scent of incense to hit him.

  It wasn’t painted blue like the outside, no, it was all constructed of the same rich wood that made the door, created the floor, walls, and the rows of pillars that had arches stretched between them. Lights glowed a soft yellow, like flame. But they were not flame or fire, open or contained, just stones of bright orange that hung from chains or rested upon silver sconces placed on two opposite faces of the pillars.

  They passed beneath banners. Blue fabrics of that constant shade, painted with other colors like yellows and black, created vivid and bright scenes of dragons and tigers that were at the same time chilling.

  “The banners were done by my senior sister, a sibling disciple. Some of the carvings too…” Que mumbled. The hollow detachment in his voice was so different from his almost belligerent honesty until now that it woke Hao for just a moment.

  Que continued as if his never wavered. Pointing his finger, he announced, “Just up ahead. First Brother can be absentminded when he is focused on work, but he is reliable and righteous.”

  Hao had little time to take it all in when the scent of incense finally hit him, aggressive but not overpowering. The mixture of scents made him feel content.

  They passed under the last few archways, each more intricate than the one before. The last one was disorienting. Lights shone through them, giving the Dragons and Phoenixes glowing eyes, as detailed scales and feathers fell, crushing the trees, towns, and people. A mountain right at the center of the piece was starting to crumble…

  “Absent-minded, huh?” A voice, soft-spoken yet boiling like a lava flow, struck Hao’s ears. It sent the image away and pulled him back to the quiet reality around him.

  The speaker was on a raised platform, too big to be a dais. He glanced over for just a moment, his eyes like hot embers, making the room feel small. Tall, breadless, short-haired, appearing as if he were in his late twenties.

  There was only one person he could be. Leaned over a table with a censor burning incense at his side, the First Disciple of the Fifth Elder. He was human, but too imposing. His robes’ sleeves were rolled up, and the muscles that rippled like taut wire reminded Hao of the Green-Horned Bulls he had hunted.

  Que slowed down, throwing his hands out to his sides. “If you heard that part, you heard the whole thing.”

  Hao followed Que’s lead, giving a gesture that was hardly a bow before stepping up to the side of the table.

  “I’ll take the reliable part,” The First Disciple chuckled. He lifted his head again, a grin ear to ear, “You can keep absent-minded for yourself, though, it fits you far better, Little Que. Like how you meandered here, taking up our guests’ time, and gathering some unneeded tension on the peak….”

  He pushed himself up off the table. His tone changed along with his posture to something akin to thunder without the crack; only the low rumble remained. There was a hint of warning in his voice. No admonishment or threat, not even a hint of aggression. It seemed just a caring reminder.

  “Enough of that, you should have hurried. It’s always a welcome event to meet a stranger.”

  Que seemed to take the words to heart. He gave a nod, a smile, and moved on, presenting the man before him with his arms wide open.

  “Junior Brother Hao, this is Master’s First Disciple, Senior Brother Guan.” Que turned away from Hao, stepped to the side, his arms now pointed at Hao, “First Brother, this is Junior Brother Hao; he has one of Master’s tokens.”

  Hao lowered his bow slightly along with the introduction.

  The man, Guan, returned it, posture and form perfect, he even cupped his hands, a sign of respect Hao would never expect from a person Senior in many regards.

  Guan came up from his bow with a big grin. “Master, he gives out quite a few, but none are undeserved. Little Que, I have a few disciples under house arrest. Someone snuck wine onto the peak.” Righteous conviction leaked from his heart into his voice, making the wind from his breath warm.

  Hao got the feeling that this was a common thing. A daily occurrence. The way Que shook his head, letting out sighs in between direction changes, made it easier to understand why he had emphasized that whispered ‘righteous’ earlier.

  “First Brother, you can’t hold everyone to such a standard. Not even Master is so strict on the rules,” Que scratched underneath his chin.

  Guan simply looked up at his junior disciple, Que.

  That big, beaming smile made Que let out his longest sigh yet. “Fine, Fine. Don’t do anything Master wouldn’t do… Please.” Que looked between Guan and Hao before turning and taking a leaping step, which brought him across the room.

  Hao was left alone with this volcano of surreal righteousness.

  “Come, Junior Brother Hao!” Guan spoke as he walked over, his voice and steps shook the foundation of the pagoda, yet his tone was soft and his steps light.

  Hao stepped forward towards the table, meeting the hand coming for his shoulder. The hand gripped him lightly and pulled him closer. Yet Hao froze for a moment when Guan’s first finger touched him; he thought he could collapse.

  “Oh? This is a lot… You… interesting. Junior Brother, do you practice physical cultivation?” Guan said, his fingers pinching Hao’s shoulder a little harder.