Fenghuang Yu decided to make a few stops on the way home. The first was to the dining hall. She ate a Lightning Affinity meal alone. She liked the extra tingle and spice. Then she went around to the back of the building. Finding the rear kitchen entrance, Yu was directed to who Elder Ting told her to contact, the head butcher.

She walked up to him as he was yelling at some of his junior butchers and turned around in surprise.

“Hello, sir. May I speak with you?” Yu asked.

The butcher straightened his back, cleared his throat and said, “Of course, disciple. How can I help you?”

The man looked shocked to be spoken to by a disciple. Yu thought perhaps he also looked a little nervous so she smiled gently at him, hoping to relax the man a little. Of course, she was almost certainly more nervous than him given she was placing a rather large target on herself. This was her last chance to change her mind. Once she completed this action, all hells would break loose.

But, in the end, Yu decided that she would not let fear rule her, like Grandma Huan always said. And besides, she needed the points and the skills. Hopefully, the auction would help put her over the edge so she could finally break even in skills and have points to spend on a few things. That lightning bow . . .

Yu took a deep breath and said firmly, “I am here to turn in the monthly beast meat mission.”

Near them, there was a clanking sound and someone screamed in pain. Yu looked over in surprise and gasped as she saw blood spurting. The butcher swore and started to move but without thought, Yu pushed off the kitchen floor and was next to the injured man before any of the mortals even knew she had moved. The younger mortal was on his knees, gripping his hand which had a slash between his thumb and forefinger so deep Yu could see the bone in the back of his hand.

Yu started to glow blue and laid her hand on him. She noticed the pain slowly fade from his face and he relaxed. She said, “Easy there.” Using Follow the Water, she saw the damage was bad, but relatively straightforward to repair because it was all above the bone.

Yu watched as the young man was able to focus and saw her kneeling in front of him, glowing. Instantly, his face went from relief to terror and he tried to pull away, but Yu, trained to hold injured patients still by her uncle and again Elder Mi, did not allow his hand to move.

He pled, “Please, I can’t afford a healing.”

The poor man looked terrified but Yu was baffled. “Why would I charge a mortal for a healing?” and shook her head. She sent her grade 1 Wood skill, Regenerative Vines, into his hand. Him—being a non-cultivator—had no resistance and so could not stop her, even had he wanted to.

Yu wasn’t thrilled with forcing her intent onto another, especially a mortal, but he would be permanently disabled with a wound like this. His livelihood would likely be ruined.

Slowly, small green vines formed and began knitting his flesh back together. It started at the small veins to slow and stop the major bleeds, then the tendons and muscles, making sure he would have full movement, and ended at sealing the skin.

As the man had a weak body, Yu didn’t want him to have to feel the pain of the healing so she used only the Wood skill and no Water skills except Soothing Flow, to numb his hand. After a few minutes of everyone silently watching his hand knit itself back together, Yu exhaled and stopped glowing green. She flashed blue briefly doing a quick post-healing diagnostic, found everything as it should be, and then stood up.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult healing, but it also wasn’t exactly easy because she had to use Wood only and not a mix of both, which was her usual approach. She felt bad for healers that only had Water or Wood and not both. It also gave her additional appreciation for her uncle's renown.

She patted the man on his shoulder and said, “You should be fine now. I recommend you eat a little but otherwise, you’re good as new.”

She saw everyone in the kitchen staring at her open-mouthed and felt herself blush. Clearing her throat she just waved and said, “Umm. I really like your food. Thank you all for making such delicious meals for us all the time. It must be a very hard job.”

Yu heard some stomping and a woman four heads taller and three times and wide as Yu stormed in. The ground seemed to vibrate with each heavy step. She stopped, staring at the room, apparently seeing everyone standing around doing nothing.

She screeched, “Who in the nine hells said you all could take a break!” Everyone jumped and started scrambling but she continued anyway, “If I don’t see everyone working like their life depends on it to deliver food to the sect that houses and feeds and keeps us, you’ll be begging for scraps on the foot of the mountain!”

Then she turned to Yu and, unlike the other workers, seemed to offer no deference to a disciple when she yelled, “Who in the hells are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?”

Yu opened her mouth to answer that she was there for the head butcher but he beat her to it.

The muscular man next to her coughed and said, “She is here to turn in a food mission, Madam Chi. Please don’t be too harsh on them. You know the kitchen staff can get a little excited when they get to see a disciple in person.”

The woman crossed her arms across her ample chest and stomach and harrumphed, causing her body to jiggle. She said, “Well, get on with it then! We have work to do in this kitchen feeding you disciples and we can’t do that if you distract us by standing around chatting away like a bunch of old hags.”

Yu said, “My apologies, Madam Chi. It is entirely my fault. Please don’t blame them. I’ll just conduct my business with your excellent head butcher here and be done and gone quickly.” The large woman humphed again, turned around, and marched off, yelling at some other set of people who weren’t doing whatever they were doing to her satisfaction.

Yu turned to him and said with half a grin, “We had better get along then. I don’t want anyone to get in any more trouble. Myself included.”

He chuckled lightly and said, “No worries. Follow me to where we assess our meat.” He led Yu through a few passageways until they entered a room that was so cold Yu’s breath misted in the air. He pointed at the middle and said, “Place your kills there. The formation conducts an assessment based on the quality, grade, condition, and all that. It also will tell us what points to offer for the other beast parts based on what the Alchemy Market sets as their weekly rates.” That sounded like a complicated formation to Yu, but if it was constantly in use over the period of years or decades or more, it made sense to create and maintain it.

Yu started emptying all the meat she gathered into the pile gently placing it so as not to damage it. The man’s eyebrows rose and he asked, “Most of this looks professionally cut. You had it pre-butchered?”

Yu shook her head, not stopping the emptying. “I try to do it myself. That way I don’t have to spend the points, which I can’t really spare. And I like doing it; it keeps me in practice for when I eventually have to feed myself.”

He started looking over the pile but spoke on another topic while assessing her butchery skills. “Don’t be offended by Madam Chi. She has a loud voice and is very strict, but she loves that kitchen and the people in it like her own family and takes joy and pride in feeding the sect. That is partially why she gets so upset for anything that disrupts it.”

Yu smiled as she dropped the final pieces of butchered meat. “Can you do an assessment on that and then I have one final carcass that is a grade 3 which I was not confident in being able to dress so I wanted to do that one separately.”

The man asked in an obviously surprised tone, “How many were in your hunting group? I will need their names so I can add them to the report I will provide the Mission Center. That way everyone will get their share.”

Yu blushed, looked down, and said, “Umm. No group. It was just me.”

The man spluttered and then looked annoyed. “I know for a fact that this mission has only been active for a week and a half and you are telling me you caught all this meat by yourself?” Yu nodded.

He gave her a squinting look and said, “When your group comes to claim their points don’t expect me to say anything except that you took them all and to go see you. Whatever happens after that is your business and none of mine. And I will testify to law enforcement the same thing.”

Yu just sighed and nodded. There was no point in getting into a more involved discussion on the topic.

She stepped back and he ordred, “Put the grade 3 as well. It breaks value down by grade and will deduct butchery cost automatically.” He seemed to have lost his cordiality at thinking her a thief.

Yu did and the beautifully dangerous fox appeared in nearly perfect condition on the pile. The head butcher whistled but pushed a blue stone on the wall, similar to the way that the Auction House did it. Except he didn’t look into the crystal for the information because in the air above the formation a Sign shown for any present to see.

Grade 1 Beasts:

134 catties

Meat Value:

108 dragon points

Miscellaneous Value:

33 dragon points

Grade 2 Beasts:

61 catties

Meat Value:

554 dragon points

Miscellaneous Value:

0 dragon points

Grade 3 Beasts:

18 catties

Meat Value:

2,147 dragon points

Miscellaneous Value:

3,303 dragon points

Yu nodded at the numbers and thanked him. The 33 miscellaneous grade 1 points were probably from the fish she hadn’t dressed for lack of knowledge. They were apparently grade 1. That reminded her that she needed to go to the Alchemy Market to sell the rest of the beast parts next.

Interrupting her planning, the butcher asked, “Do you accept the offers stated?” Yu nodded and he said, “That grade 3 fox was impressive. You had better be ready for the wrath of your fellows. This is a lot of points. It would be worth a lot more than that in silver on the open market. I’m not responsible if they take action against you.”

Yu sighed and just stared at him, waiting. He shook his head, wrote out a document, sealed it with red wax, and touched the wax seal with a white glowing stone he took from a shelf. It flashed and he handed the document to me with a final warning. “Don’t come whining to me when you are reported for stealing points.”

Yu shook her head and left. She understood his perspective but he didn’t have to keep saying it.

Would people really try to steal from their own groups? Doing so didn’t make any sense to Yu because it was so easy to track. Maybe some folks were desperate? Or just foolish.

Either way, Yu made her way to the Alchemy Market and told them she had many catties of beast parts to sell. They took her to a formation that calculated the same way as the butchery.

Grade 1 Beasts:

188 catties

Cores

Value:

171 dragon points

Miscellaneous Value:

383 dragon points

Grade 2 Beasts:

63 catties

Cores

Value:

843 dragon points

Miscellaneous Value:

1,742 dragon points

Yu was thrilled of course but utterly shocked at the same time. How did anyone not make the 1,000 point monthly requirement? She was absolutely going to take the twins hunting. She could help them learn, keep them safe, and they would earn their monthly rent all in two or three hunts. It was too perfect. Ai was different, of course.

Yu did find it fascinating how little grade 1 beasts were worth compared to even just the next two grades. It begged the question of how much value would a grade 4 carcass and beast core would hold.

Yu shook her head fiercely, putting her daydreaming of the future aside. She walked to the mission center and stopped at the entrance. Gathering her courage, she marched in. She hoped her fear did not show as she checked for the fox mission. Disappointingly, it was gone. Someone had taken it.

Not willing to get upset over something entirely out of her control, Yu stepped into the line to turn in gathering quests. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to her, but likely the groups unknowingly searching for her would soon be informed of what happened in the kitchens. In fact, she was surprised it hadn’t already gotten around. Thankful for the peace she knew was only temporary, Yu turned in the herb quest and received another 421 points.

Immediately after, Yu changed lines to the beast hunting mission turn-in and slowly worked her way to the front. The whispering had started and Yu figured it would happen at any time. Smiling to herself as she stepped up to the desk to the bored-looking outer sect disciple and said, “I am turning in two missions at once.” Yu tapped her badge and selected both the poison sack mission and the monthly beast meat mission.

An explosion of sounds happened then and Yu noticed two disciples running out of the Mission Hall. Yu handed the parchment with her beast meat assessment over and the bored girl suddenly became entirely attentive. Her raised eyebrows looked between the parchment and Yu and back and forth four times.

She asked in a high-pitched voice filled with shock, “It was you?”

Yu raised a single eyebrow and asked without a bit of visible discomfort, “What was me, disciple?”

The disciple opened her mouth but shut it with a click and stared at Yu across the desk. Not getting an answer Yu asked, “Can you please confirm my mission rewards? I still have to turn in the poison sack mission again.”

The poor disciple could just blink at her and Yu sighed and asked simply, “Points? Poisons?”

The girl jerked and nodded.

***

Yu left the mission center having gained all her mission points, with a disappointing 287 from the poison sacks. She hadn’t run into many venemous creatures that trip. Yu chuckled to herself thinking it was ironic that she was disappointed that she hadn’t been attacked by poisonous demonic beasts. Life could be weird sometimes.

The moment she stepped down the stairs, Yu stopped and stared at the group of four disciples lined up six paces in front of her, two with blue hair, two dark brown. She noticed three were outer sect disciples, and one was an inner sect disciple. Yu sighed, turned right, and started walking towards the Skills Library.

The four Bao Consortium disciples, for it was obvious who they were, walked together and stepped in front of her. They said nothing but Yu was forced to stop or run into them. Yu raised her eyebrows. Nobody said anything so she shrugged and moved to the right and started walking around them. They shifted the same way and she stopped again.

Flapping her arms against her sides in frustration, she demanded, “Well? Did you need something?”

One of the outer disciples, the blue-haired one to the right of the inner sect disciple, growled at her. He actually growled.

Yu raised her eyebrows and said, “Really? You’re acting like children. Aren’t you supposed to be more adult than the child you're bothering? Speak or get out of my way.”

The one who growled took a step forward and Yu looked him straight in the eyes. The inner sect disciple held out an arm and held him back. The inner sect disciple cleared his throat and finally spoke. “Disciple Fenghuang Yu. You stole from us. Return it and everything you have earned.”

Yu looked around and saw a sea of faces watching. Some in anticipation, some curious, and only one or two in sympathy. No help there.

Yu looked at the speaker without fear and responded, “I don’t even know you four, never mind stole from you.”

That same short-tempered one on the left spat as he took a step forward again, “You little bitch!” He was once again silenced by the adjacent disciple who elbowed him in the stomach. The elbower was the inner sect disciple.

Yu’s eyebrows rose at that. “How rude.” Then she turned to the inner disciple again and said, “Look. I wasn’t lying. I don’t even know you, nor did I steal anything. As I have never stolen anything in my life—at least not from a human—I can say for sure that I haven’t stolen from you. Now stop blocking me.”

Yu took a step to the left and the group did the same. Yu looked towards the heavens and put her hands on her hips. “Either produce evidence and call the law enforcement group or go away. It is that simple. Either way, you have to move. You are disrupting your fellow disciples.”

It was the inner sect disciple who stepped forward next and said, “Don’t think your master can protect you.”

Yu shrugged and said, “He doesn’t have to. Now either make an official accusation or move. I have to do things that matter with people who matter, neither of which includes you four.”

“Oohs” came from around the five of them as the crowd reacted to that slap in the face. Yu shook her head. Didn’t people have better things to do?

Yu once again stepped to the side but that time she sent Qi to her legs, stopped mid-step, stepped the other way, crouched, and leaped with nearly all her might and a miniscule flash of silver flame at the bottom of her feet. She flew over the four while flipping in mid-air and landed in a crouch and roll. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that same angry younger Bao flash blue for a moment but once again he was stopped by his inner sect neighbor.

Yu started jogging away with a wave over her shoulder. As soon as they were out of sight, she started to sprint home, up the forty-nine flights of stairs, and into her suite.

Yu slid the door shut behind her and turned around to find all three girls and her tiger cub staring at her. Covered in a sheen of sweat, Yu smiled and said, “Let me just wash up and I’ll be out.”

A few minutes later she was back in the suite with the girls and cub, looking better. Yu walked over to pick up and feed Bai and plopped down on the couch between Gui Ai and Jao Lu. They were watching her, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Yu laid her head back and said, “You need to stay alert and try to be careful. I’ve been found out and the Bao hate me even more now. Although I thought that was impossible with what happened in Water Warrior class.”

While Li looked excited about the prospect of fighting all the stupid Baos, Lu looked contemplative. Then a soft voice to Yu’s left said, “You could talk to my brother.”

Yu and the twins turned to stare at Gui Ai. It was the first time she mentioned her family to the three of them. Ai blushed and hid her face in Yu’s shoulder.

Yu leaned over and kissed the top of the shy girl’s head. “That’s sweet, Ai. But I can’t get involved in imperial politics. In fact, it’s critical I stay out of it as much as I can. If I flee to your brother for help, I will be seen as taking sides in the conflict between your family and the Baos. Right now it’s all personal for me and them.” Ai nodded into Yu’s shoulder.

Yu said to the room. “Well, for now, there’s nothing we can do. Oh! Are you interested in joining me in a private room in the Auction house on Day 6?”

They all looked at her baffled and she told them of her strange day. Lu looked a little dreamy at the idea of a bond, but a fox wasn’t a good match for her. The same was true for her sister, given neither was gifted with an affinity for Light or Darkness. And of course, none of them could afford to keep a bond anyway.

All four went to bed excited to see what an auction would be like. Even Ai seemed interested in the auction, which surprised Yu. Either way, she was pleased she could bring her friends. So Yu laid in bed looking forward to the next few days despite the annoying, and sometimes scary, things that she knew lay ahead.