~~~

Elder Xue told him to lay low and wait for instructions. That order was most assuredly given for Liu Jin’s benefit. He had distinguished himself far too quickly, and the Eternal Flame Clan is no longer the same place it was even a few weeks ago. Bu Jing’s actions showed how far some people were willing to go to remove Liu Jin. A harsher person might have confined him to the Apothecary for his own good.

“That woman is going to be cross with you for this.”

Liu Jin takes a deep breath. Down below, the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound stretches endlessly. A sea of white with tiny islands scattered throughout, each one separated from the other by a vast distance. What he is doing right now is completely at odds with what Elder Xue ordered, yet he cannot turn back.

“I am aware of it.”

“And yet, you choose to go through with it. That does not make your actions any better. Quite the opposite, really.”

Scree.

Soaring Feather’s interjection earns him a flat stare from Liu Jin. Impressed as he is by Soaring Feather’s understanding of the human language, that he sides with Lu Mei stings a bit.

Even if they are both right.

Rather than staying in the Medical Pavilion, Liu Jin and Lu Mei soar high on Lu Mei’s flying carpet. Far too high up to have to worry about the Internal Force. Most of their members lack the means to reach this altitude. Next to them, Soaring Feather enjoys the opportunity to stretch his wings.

“I apologize.”

“Oh?” Lu Mei crosses her arms. “For doing this or for me being here? The former would be novel. The latter would be unneeded. You did not ask me to come with you. I chose to do so because I could no longer stand having to hide away.”

After expelling all that fire in their office, Lu Mei’s condition has greatly improved. Liu Jin examined her body for any traces of Flame Qi, and though there is a part deep within Lu Mei where the Eternal Flame still shines, it does not look as though she is in danger of bursting into flames anytime soon. Once more, Lu Mei is free to move about as she pleases.

Indeed, a pleased sigh escapes Lu Mei as she closes her eyes and lets her body sway in tune with the wind. The sight draws a smile from Liu Jin.

“Truly, the outside suits me best.”

“I do not disagree. That is not why I am apologizing.”

“What for then?”

"I apologized for not warning you of what would become of the Medical Pavilion before. However, I did not comprehend how much danger that placed you in back then. I did not realize just how much you risk by becoming involved with the affairs of the Eternal Flame Clan."

Because Lu Mei wields the Eternal Flame.

Neither knows exactly what that means, but it is bound to be significant.

"Even if you had warned me to stay out of the Medical Pavilion that day, I would have picked a side regardless," Lu Mei replies, shaking her head. "Neutrality is not looked upon favorably by either side right now. In a way, me being there worked out for the best."

"That does not change what I did was wrong."

"True. I reject your apology."

Liu Jin blinks. "What?"

"What?" Lu Mei raises an eyebrow at him. "Do you really think I am a woman who forgives and forgets easily? Now that you have made me realize your poor manner, I must rescind all former pardons."

“I distinctly recall someone calling herself magnanimous.”

“And I distinctly recall saying it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. I was magnanimous then. Now I am cruel and terrible,” Lu Mei counters without an ounce of shame. “Do you really believe my forgiveness could be purchased by mere words forever?”

“Purchased?” Liu Jin echoes, head tilting to the side. “If not words, then what coin will you take?”

Lu Mei makes a show of thinking about it, humming thoughtfully while tapping her chin with a single, dainty finger.

“I suppose I could always ask you to teach me Ceaselessly Refining Breath. I had always been curious about it, but no. Hearing about your wife will suffice. Tell me more of her.”

Liu Jin almost chokes. He meets Lu Mei’s eyes and finds there is no trace of levity there.

“Why the sudden interest?” He asks, suddenly not comfortable with being confined to a flying carpet with Lu Mei.

“When you first mentioned her, I found her inconvenient, but only for a while. Upon reflection, it occurred to me that I had little to worry about,” Lu Mei admits with an easy shrug. “We are both members of the Eternal Flame Clan. The existence of a mere provincial girl did not change that. Even if you were, for some inane reason, attached to her, she’d ultimately be but a speck of dust in your life.”

A speck of dust in his life.

A callous way to think of someone, yet it was a natural assumption for Lu Mei to make. At the age of fourteen, Liu Jin already nears the True Realm. It is a tremendous achievement that marks him as a staggering talent. Lu Mei is in a similar category. Assuming neither meets an untimely end, the most conservative estimates of their lifespans will still be measured in centuries.

In a hundred years, when most people will already be showing signs of age, Lu Mei and Liu Jin will still be enjoying their youth. Why should Lu Mei be worried about some girl she knew nothing about? Why would she ever consider Xiao Shuang might be a cultivator on the same level as her?

Lu Mei’s eyes narrow. Her hand takes hold of his.

“But now I know she is a disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace.”

Under other circumstances, Liu Jin would be impressed by how quickly Lu Mei has picked up transmitting her thoughts and feelings through Qi.

“What do you wish to know?” He asks her, his voice a mix of tired and resigned.

The emotions that swirl inside him, however, are far more confusing.

“If your wife truly is a member of the Divine Frozen Palace, why join the Eternal Flame Clan? No one knew of you here, yet it was the Eternal Flame Clan that you chose. Even if the Eternal Flame Clan has a stake in the Storm Dragon Empire, would it not have been natural to seek the Divine Frozen Palace’s aid?”

“I considered it,” Liu Jin admits. Even after making his choice, he had considered it. “However, it is entirely possible that the Divine Frozen Palace would not even take my marriage to one of their members into consideration.”

Certainly, Xiao Shuang is the disciple of one of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace, but that does not guarantee they would hear his plea. Meng Yue certainly hadn’t seemed to think much of him the one time they met. And why should she?

His marriage to her disciple was simply a matter of convenience.

“Besides…” Liu Jin sighs. “I did not wish to cause undue trouble for her.”

That is why sending a message was all he had allowed himself to do.

“The truth is, though we were married, it all happened when we were children. We said many things to each other, but the words of children have very little weight. From the beginning, it was assumed we wouldn’t see each other again.”

Months.

That is the time he and Xiao Shuang had spent with each other. Not even a full year. Mere months. The time that had passed since he and Xiao Shuang parted ways more than exceeded the time they had been together.

“Yet, all the times I have heard you speak of her, you do it with fondness,” Lu Mei points out, her amber eyes peering into his. Even though the wind blows with great force this high up, none of it touches Lu Mei or Liu Jin. It is as if the wind itself has decided to avoid them, leaving them trapped in a false calm.

“I am fond of her.”

Their fingers are interlaced. Their Qi flows freely. Liu Jin could lie to Lu Mei and hide his feelings, but he doesn’t. He is as open to her as she is to him, both fully exposed to the other.

“Do you love her?”

Liu Jin takes a moment to think. A quickly given answer would not satisfy either Lu Mei or himself.

“I am not sure I know what love is,” he says at last. “Not in the sense you are asking, at least.”

He understands the love of a father to his son and the love of a son to his father. He understands love for one’s master and even… even love for an older sibling.

Romantic love… that he has much less experience with.

“Do you wish to see her again?”

This question is far easier to answer. Liu Jin does not even have to think about it.

“I do. I am not sure what will happen, but I think it is the only proper way to settle things.”

What Xiao Shuang will say, and what he will feel. Whether she will blame him as he blames himself. Those are things he can only find out by meeting her once more. Until that happens, that aspect of his life will remain frozen.

Static.

Lu Mei sighs.

“It really annoys me that I am more like my mother than I thought.”

Liu Jin’s grip on her hand tightens.

“I have no intention of ever treating you so poorly.”

“Oh?” She raises a skeptical eyebrow, yet her body leans against his. “I thought you did not know what love is?”

“I don’t.” Liu Jin turns to look at her. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish to find out.”

Their gazes lock on to each other, faces growing closer as their lips meet. Slowly but with passion.

They do not come down for a while.

~~~

Khong Hu first mentioned the Technique Hall when he gave Liu Jin and Huang Shing a tour of the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound. However, today is the first time Liu Jin lays eyes on it.

The Technique Hall is a round three-story building without doors or windows. The surface of the building is smooth and made of the same obsidian surrounding the main house. Were it not for its square tiled roof, the building would form a perfect circle when viewed from above.

It is here where the Eternal Flame Clan keeps knowledge of all manner of techniques stored. Disciples can be granted access to the contents of the building through the use of points. The more points one uses, the more valuable the techniques he is allowed to access. Disciples who have distinguished themselves can also be given access to the Technique Hall as a reward.

It is here where Elder Xun, the mightiest and oldest of the Elders, resides. As alluring as the contents of the Technique Hall are, it is not a place one can approach with half-hearted resolve.

At least, that is what Liu Jin had assumed.

If the crowd of disciples gathered around the Technique Hall is any indication, Liu Jin’s assumptions clearly need revising.

For some reason, there is also a pyre burning off to the side.

“I was not expecting this,” Lu Mei says, echoing his thoughts as the two land in front of the building. Soaring Feather lands on the roof, right next to a stone statue of some mythical bird. The eagle takes one look at his stone counterpart and snorts contemptuously.

“It is certainly… odd.”

Most disciples are sitting on the ground, all of them holding something too small to make out in one hand and a tiny brush on the other. The cobblestones are stained by ink, and one brush breaks every thirty seconds, prompting muttered and not-so-muttered curses from the disciples. One disciple throws the broken pieces of his brush into the horizon and stomps on the ground hard enough to crack the cobblestone. After taking a few deep breaths, he goes to pick another brush from a large pile and sits down once more.

“Welcome.”

Unlike the other disciples around them, the one who approaches Liu Jin and Lu Mei is not holding any brushes. He is tall and dark-haired. His eyes are a little too large for him to be called handsome, and his face a little too placid to put anyone at ease.

He is in the First Level of the Heaven Realm.

“This one’s name is Mud.” The disciple bows his head to them. “Welcome to the Technique Hall. If you bring any gifts, please throw them to the fire.”

Lu Mei and Liu Jin blink in unison.

“Mud?”

“Gifts?”

“Very good questions,” The disciple says with a slow nod of his head. “Master Xun told this one, ‘You are mud’ nearly two centuries ago. Who is Mud to argue with the wisdom of an Elder? Perhaps one day, something good will grow from this one. Until then, this one is Mud.”

More blinking.

“As for the gifts,” Mud looks at the burning pyre. “There have been many cases of people trying to earn Master Xun’s favor through extravagant gifts. In his great wisdom, Master Xun decided to show them what he thinks of such tactics. Any gift sent to Master Xun is sent to the pyre. So please, if you have any gifts, throw them there. It would be unpleasant if you were to try to sneak them in.”

“I… see.”

“We did not bring any gifts,” Lu Mei adds, feeling about as put out as he does.

“Wise.” Mud nods in a sagely manner. “Then do you perhaps wish to join the Technique Hall like the others?”

“Is that what they are doing?” Liu Jin asks, struggling to keep his voice even.

“Quite.” Mud nods again. “No doubt they seek refuge under Master Xun's shadow to escape the brewing conflict between Patriarch Feng’s sons. However, Master Xun is under no obligation to accept the unworthy. Only those who pass his test will be considered.”

“I see…” Liu Jin says, feeling more uncertain with every passing moment. “What exactly does this test consist of?”

“Rice painting.”

“Rice… painting?” It is a puzzled Lu Mei who asks a question this time.

“Rice writing would be a more accurate term, I suppose,” Mud clarifies. “You see, each one of the disciples here has been given a grain of rice. They must succeed in writing at least 20 characters in the rice. Without the use of Qi, of course. There would be little merit in such a feat.”

Twenty characters.

On a grain of rice.

Even with Qi, the feat would require an impressive amount of control. Liu Jin would need at least hours to succeed.

Without it…

“How long have these people been here?” Lu Mei gives voice to the question forming in Liu Jin's head.

“Weeks,” Mud says. “A few have even been here for months. The ones you see here are the persistent ones. Most give up in a matter of days. Shall I fetch you a bag of rice and ink so that you may begin your trial?”

“That will not be necessary.” Liu Jin holds out his hand. This is all too weird for him. “We did not come here to join the Technique Hall.”

“Oh?” For the first time, a glimmer of interest shines in Mud’s eyes. “You do not come bearing gifts. You do not come to join. Why are you here then?”

“I-”

“We,” Lu Mei interjects.

“We seek an audience with Elder Xun,” Liu Jin says.

“Huh.” Mud lightly rocks back on his heels. “How thoroughly unexpected. Very well. I shall inquire for you. Wait here.”

Mud turns around. As he approaches the building, the stone becomes like water, allowing him to pass through. As soon as he does, the obsidian turns solid.

“You do not have to come with me,” Liu Jin says.

“On the contrary, someone has to try to keep you alive.”

“I am touched.”

“Not much, I hope. Rest assured, many of my reasons for doing this are perfectly self-serving. If you die, who else will offer me his uninterested and reliable aid? Such a combination of services is quite a commodity.”

The obsidian shimmers once more. Mud steps out from it. Had he spoken with Elder Xun so quickly?

“I must admit to some surprise,” Mud says. He tilts his head to the side in an unmistakably owl-like way, as if somehow looking at them from a different angle would reveal something to him.

He steps to the side, leaving the way open.

“Master Xun has decided to receive you. You are free to enter.”

“You will not accompany us?” Lu Mei asks, surprised. It could be said that a disciple in the Heaven Realm had better things to do than guide a couple of Inner Disciples, but by the same token, a Heaven Realm cultivator had better things to do than to spend all his time watching disciples trying to write on rice.

“That was not within my orders. Do not worry. The path to Master Xun should be fairly obvious.”

Through it all, Mud never takes his eyes off them, and he never bothers straightening his neck.

“Oh, and one more thing… Do not peek.”

~~~