“This lowly one thanks Lady Ren for her boundless generosity.” The man bowed as best he was able from his seated position, despite the numerous bandages and salves that liberally covered his bruised form.

Behind him, the other nine occupants of her drawing room bowed in turn, though only five of them were guests. The other four were her household servants. Those skilled in healing. Or at least, skilled in the mortal equivalent of the art.

And though Delan Ren smiled back graciously at the clear leader of her guests, her eyes were not on him nor his compatriots, instead they lingered on the now dented suits of armor that were piled together in the back corner.

Even at a glance, it was clear to her they were made of good steel and would provide comprehensive protection to the wearer – even if they had done little to protect the men in front of her from the vicious beating they had endured.

Though the fact that they are still more or less uncrippled is a point in the armor’s favor, she thought.

Not even the city guard of Ten Huo were afforded such comprehensive protection. Yet, if her sources were correct, then it was not just the men in front of her who had been provided such suits. Thirty five other mortals, who were even now camped outside the walls of Ten Huo, were equally well equipped.

Forty suits of plate armor. Forty sturdy well-made pikes. A secondary armament in the form of a short knife. Tents. Cooking pots. Wagons. Oxen…

It was a not inconsiderable investment for a group of mortals. Stranger still, they had not a single cultivator accompanying them.

So, she was curious. Which was why she had taken the group before her into her home when she had found them - beaten and left to bleed in the street by the thugs of the Marble Cloud Sect. Though she had not known the truth of their origins at the time, only that their armor was of interest to her.

It spoke of wealth – and she was very interested in wealth.

“You are welcome,” she said, giving them a welcoming smile as she moved to sit in the seat her servants had hurriedly provided for her.

She did not give them leave to raise their heads though. She’d already made a show of kindness by bringing them to her home and having their wounds seen to. Now she needed to subtly reinforce her authority.

That, she found, was the best way to negotiate with mortals. A small show of face backed up by the promise of violence should they resist. Violence she had no issue with delivering if her questions were not answered to her satisfaction. Because while she liked to think of herself as a merchant first and foremost, she was still a cultivator - and violence was merely a continuation of negotiations by other means. Means that could be costly when employed against other cultivators – but remarkably cheap when used against mortals.

In the short term at least, she thought, her kind smile giving no hint of her inner thoughts as she tucked an errant lock of blonde hair behind one ear. Its long-term viability is debatable though. So, for now, let’s try to see what results we can get from kindness.

She moved to sit in a particularly opulent chair. “Though I find myself curious, how did five well-armed young men find themselves in such a state?”

“We were robbed by cultivators!” One of them called out, before flushing. “Uh, great one.”

The one in the lead, older and wiser than his subordinates, dared not shoot his subordinate a look, even if he clearly wanted to.

“Oh?” Ren cooed as she seized upon the talker. “Do tell?”

She knew the broad strokes, of course. Her people had already informed her of what had happened by way of interrogating the witnesses to the ‘fight’.

The mortals had been intercepted on the way to the market by three members of the Marble Cloud sect. A short conversation was had between the two groups before the mortals were soundly beaten by the sect cultivators and the purse they had been carrying taken.

She also knew what that purse had contained.

Gold.

A large chunk of it, according to the guards who had inspected the party at the gate.

“Those bastards claimed it belonged to them.” Emboldened the lack of censure, the talkative young guard continued. “That it was part of Jiangshi’s tithe to the Marble Cloud Sect. Which is ridiculous! They didn’t even know where we were from before they stopped us – and Jiangshi belongs to the Black Scale Sect.”

Wrong on both accounts, Ren thought wearily.

Sect members did not make a habit of waylaying random mortals in the street. It was beneath them. More to the point, doing so would draw the ire of the city overseer, as she was a woman who valued good public order. Which meant that the Marble Cloud Cultivators had known exactly who they were targeting when they waylaid the men in front of her.

The Marble Cloud would have known they were carrying gold and they would have known they were from Jiangshi. Because, like every sect in Ten Huo, they had informants in the gate guards who would have informed them of any objects of interesting moving into the city.

And a large pouch of gold being escorted by a band of mortals would have been of interest to the traditionally commerce poor sect.

Especially when said band of mortals hailed from Jiangshi, a territory that very much did belong to the Marble Cloud – as a direct result of the overseer’s recent reshuffling of sect territories.

A contentious move, certainly, but one well within Huang Dai, of the Lightning Hands, ability to make.

Especially because it had served as an object lesson to the other sects of Ten Huo that the Imperial Family would not abide their cities starving because the sects thought themselves above protecting the surrounding farmland from corrupted beast attacks.

That was a lesson the Marble Cloud had taken to heart – in letter if not spirit. The predominantly goat-descended sect had sent out many of its junior members to the surrounding villages, with instructions to ensure that what remained of the harvest was collected before it spoiled. A response echoed by the other sects of Ten Huo. Even Ren’s own Jade Fang Consortium had utilized the same strategy.

And from all reports those Initiates had succeeded in their tasks, if at the expense of a great many mortal lives.

Carelessness, Ren thought. Foolishly shortsighted carelessness.

Had the sects extended even a modicum more effort than the perfunctory, they could have protected those villages in near totality. Instead, a great many farmers had died for short term gain. And with those fathers gone, who would teach the son the craft? Who would plant and harvest next year’s crops?

No, Ren could see issues arising in the future. Which was why, if she hadn’t already been stockpiling food, she’d have redoubled her efforts.

Still, that was a different issue. One only tangentially related to the one in front of her. The long and short of it was that the Marble Cloud Sect certainly did own the territory these men hailed from – but she sincerely doubted this early ‘tithe’ would result of any lessening of any future taxation later in the year.

So in essence, yes, they had indeed been robbed.

“A most unfortunate series of events.” She feigned sympathy. “Though I wonder why it was that you were targeted by these wayward brigands? Forgive me if I’m incorrect, but I’ve heard it said you were carrying a not insignificant amount of gold?”

There was a sudden wariness in their postures at her words. Even the talker suddenly became reticent. Good. That meant they weren’t total fools. Either that, or their most recent misfortunes had been a learning experience for them.

She flared her killing intent and watched as it rolled over them. Naturally, their sudden reticence to speak crumbled.

As expected, she thought.

Though she did feel a mite guilty about the fact that her hired help had been caught in the crossfire. Still, such was life.

And it was worth it, as her guests proved to be a veritable font of interesting information.

They had indeed been carrying gold. Gold intended to buy food for their hometown. Gold that had been provided by a hidden master. One who had saved them from s spirits beast attack. A master who had then subsequently taken over the town’s mine of all places. Then he had provided them the means to build walls. And had them form a militia. Forty members of which had been sent to Ten Huo.

Ren reclined in her seat as she considered the deluge of information that had just been presented to her. It wasn’t everything. She was sure of that. The mortals were withholding some details. She was not concerned with that though.

The hidden master was a man! She could scarcely believe her luck. A trip out to this ‘Jiangshi’ would be worth it to garner his acquaintance alone. With any luck, she’d be able to entice him to return with her to Ten Huo once her business in Jiangshi was complete.

She doubted it would be too hard. What could a small rural village offer him that her home in Ten Huo could not?

The dog-woman could already envision the deluge of invitations and favors from wealthy sects – and perhaps even the overseer herself! - that would be hers if she could just convince this hidden master to let her act as his guide to the city.

More to the point, the presence of a male cultivator did not preclude her taking advantage of the original reason for her interest in the small southern mining town.

Delan Ren was not some ignorant peasant. She knew that cultivators could no more summon gold from nothing than mortals could. If this hidden master had access to gold, it was because he was sourcing it from somewhere. And that somewhere was obvious.

She wanted access.

The value of gold had only risen in recent months. Because while it was more often than not considered a mortal currency, it was still used by cultivators. Especially in wartime, when the solidified ki coins the sects normally traded in were otherwise put to use as a cultivation resource. During that time, gold coinage served as a stand-in currency.

Ren made a decision. Not that it was truly a decision at all.

“You are in luck, mortals.” She said finally, eyes roaming over her guests. “This Delan Ren has been moved by your plight. She will not just supply you with sundries equivalent to those you might have acquired had you not been so cruelly taxed by the Marble Cloud Sect, but she will accompany you on your journey home as well.” She smiled. “All the better to ensure no accidents occur.”

She would need to see this source of gold. And then grab as much as she could before the Marble Cloud Sect mobilized to lock down the new source of gold within their newfound territory.

“This lowly one thanks you for your beneficence, Lady Ren.” The lead guard bowed. “Jiangshi will praise the young mistress’s kindness for a hundred and one generation.”

Pretty words, but it was clear to see the man was wary – if relieved that his mission had not been a total failure.

“Yeah, thanks Miss Ren!” The young talker echoed his elder’s words with significantly less decorum.

Ren resisted the urge to let her eye twitch at the casual speech.

“You are all most welcome.” She smiled.

With any luck, she’d be able to teach these country bumpkins some proper etiquette during the journey to their tiny home town. It would not do for mortals to be treat her with such… familiarity the entire time.

Honestly, what is this ‘Master Johansen’ teaching these people?

--------

Ren could only stare at the wagon ahead of her as it trundled along.

Continuously.

Smoothly.

A direct contrast to her own rickshaw, which rocked most uncomfortably with every stretch of uneven road. Of which there were a lot. The Rabbit Road was once a shining example of Imperial engineering – but the last few centuries had been rather unkind to the great cobblestone construct, as Imperial interests shifted further and further away from topics as mundane as infrastructure.

Now it was an uneven pothole covered mess – and Ren could feel every inch of it as her very expensive rickshaw trundled over it. Naturally, she’d chided her driver once already for the discomfort, but it had simply been a matter of face. There was literally nothing that could be done about it.

Or so I believed, she thought as she stared at the smooth motions of the wagon in front of her.

Loaded down by all manner of preserved foodstuffs, and pulled by two ornery oxen, the wagon nonetheless remained almost perfectly stable as it lumbered along.

Ren was fascinated. And only continued to grow more so as their convoy continued to eat up ground without the usual stops to repair a broken wheel or axle.

Normally one could count almost down the minute how far a wagon train might travel before it needed to stop for repairs.

Well, excepting those wagons in possession of chi enhanced wheels, but those are a rare and expensive commodity. They were the sort of thing you’d see the Imperial Logistics Core have possession of. Not something you’d ever see in the hands of mortals.

Not that this group was any exception to the rule. Instead it seemed they had come up with an alternative answer to the age old problem of broken wagon wheels.

Metal. The entire wagon was made of the stuff.

Yet it clearly wasn’t too heavy for the beasts pulling it – even loaded down with food. The oxen pulling the mortals wagons weren’t spirit beasts. She’d checked. Twice.

Just regular oxen. Pulling along a wagon made of mystery metal that was somehow absurdly light.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

Ren nearly jumped in her seat. Resisting the urge to make her displeasure known, she turned to smile lightly at the mortal that had chosen to speak with her.

It was the talker. The same young guard that had proven such a font of information back in Ten Huo.

“What are you referring to?” she asked.

The man gestured with his free hand. “The wagons. I saw you staring at them.”

Ren resisted the urge to flare her intent. The audacity of this mortal? To out and out state that she would be interested in anything as low as wagons.

That it was true had no bearing on anything. It was a matter of face. Cultivators did not interest themselves in the mundane. Not outwardly. Face required that they show sufficient detachment from worldly affairs.

At least, those not related to ki. The ki enchanted wagons of the Imperial Logistics Service were considered a brilliant and coveted resource by mercantile inclined sects across the Empire. Yet by contrast, if some mortal managed to imitate the feat using mundane means – as one clearly had – it was expected that any cultivator worthy of the name would consider it beneath them to take note of the fact. Even if they subsequently acquired as many as they reasonably could – likely be seizing them from the mortal who originally came up with the innovation.

Such were the dizzying paradoxes that were the games of face.

Fortunately for her, there were no other cultivators within earshot, and the servants that had accompanied her from Ten Huo, and even now marched in lockstep behind her rickshaw, were trusted to keep silent.

“It is an… impressive accomplishment,” she finally allowed.

Ignorant of her deliberate show of disdain, the young fool opposite her simply nodded along.

“Yeah, Master Johansen is one smart meatbun.”

Ren paused – even as she parsed the no doubt local idiom. Throwing face to the wind – it wasn’t like anyone who mattered was around anyway – she leaned forward.

“Do you mean to say it was the hidden master who created these wagons?”

Flushing, because of course the young idiot had a crush on her, the mortal nodded rapidly.

“Aye, that he did, Miss Ren. He’s a great man. Created all the stuff we’ve got. Just summons it out of thin air, he does.”

“Out of-”

“Xinya! Quit harassing the cultivator and get back in formation!”

Wincing, ‘Xinya’ shot her an apologetic look, before scampering back to his position in the mortal formation. Lined up on four blocks, each ten men strong, the ‘militia’ were arrayed to the side, front and back of the wagons, perfectly boxing it in on all sides.

A foolish move in Ren’s eyes. In the event of an attack, the untrained oxen were liable to bolt, which meant they’d quickly be bowling over one part of the formation in their attempts to flee. It was better to let them run and then collect them later, rather than hem the animals in and possibly have them gore allies at an inopportune moment.

Of course, she knew those thoughts merely served as a cover for her irritation at losing out on an opportunity to learn more about these wagons and the man that had built them.

She could hardly call the mortal back. That would be a step too far where face was concerned.

Instead, she was forced to – not huffily! – recline in her seat as it continued to trundle on toward Jiangshi.