Zhang Cai roused to the sound of birds, under a harsh afternoon Sun. His back felt stiff. His chest, arms, and head still tingled with a disturbing chill, but apart from that he was fine and happy.

Stretching his arms and legs, he cast a look across him to Shu Ligui, who in turn glanced at him once and returned to caressing the sword on her bosom.

‘’Oh...right.’’

Looking at the luxurious silken-black of the sheath, and the hilt adorned with topaz down to its pommel, Zhang Cai concluded it to be a ceremonial sword. It very well might have been a real one, but his hunch told that the girl’s weapon was something else.

Where that hunch came from, he had no idea. Perhaps his time spent with Li siblings and further travels sharpened his intuition to such things, or it could have been his cultivator senses picking up clues from the design of the blade.

Either way, it did not matter for now. As his mind cleansed of the drowsiness, cranked back to action thanks to the earlier thoughts, he stood up and approached a respectful distance to the noble girl.

‘’Good morning, Miss Li’’ He gave a short bow neither subservient nor rude. ‘’I hope you rested well?’’

He could see that she had not slept all night. Her Qi didn’t seem truly under control, her hair a little disheveled.

‘’As well as one can, sir Zhang. But I see you rested better.’’

‘’I’ve slept like a boar,’’ he replied. ‘’I hope I wasn’t snoring?’’

Shu Ligui cast a very subtle frown, so he didn’t make any more attempts at banter. Instead he took a seat, reached out to his manuals, and read on his techniques. Fifteen minutes he spent, then spent another fifteen minutes clearing away a tiny portion of his meridians, and meditated for thirty minutes to recover Qi.

Some kind of hidden sense washed over him, disturbing his concentration. Opening his eyes, he saw Shu Ligui inspecting him.

‘’Is there something wrong?’’

‘’...nothing.’’ She said. For a moment Shu Ligui seemed in thought as she put away her blade—somewhere on her person was a spatial pouch or ring. He couldn’t see her hands from the wide sleeves. ‘’You have an impressive Qi reserve, I noticed.’’

‘’Thank you.’’ He said, not knowing how to answer. The only people Zhang Cai ever compared himself against were Li Bo and Li Huan; the former was for a fair amount of time Rocksmote, so he had a insane reserve, if he perceived correct, of two thousand pulls of Qi, while Li Huan had around two hundred even as a Glass-made.

Out of respect for her privacy and for decorum, he did not attempt the same.

‘’...I assume your morning routine is done?’’

‘’It is, for now.’’ Zhang Cai nodded. ‘’Let’s get going without waiting.’’

The girl seemed to agree, so they stood up and started walking northward without any words. It would take some time to warm up.

‘’Miss Li,’’ Zhang Cai said after a while. ‘’Do you have any information for what to expect?’’

She cast him a questioning look. He was used to Li Bo—

Zhang Cai stopped his thoughts. He just noticed, but he seemed to have a habit of comparing Shu Ligui to Li siblings. He knew such thoughts would not do him good, for they would only breed discontent within him. The intimacy he shared with Li siblings was not the same, as they would pick up on his intentions even if he didn’t state them perfectly. Not doing the same wasn’t Shu Ligui’s fault.

He felt a little restrained at the revelation. He picked up on this habit way too fast, for better or for worse. But more than that, he did not find a forced companionship welcoming, even more so when the other party was clearly disinterested.

‘’I hope nothing shitty happens.’’

‘’To our Northwest is the Blue Lotus School...sect? And closer to us, around fifteen kilometers to its east is Slingerwhale castle. I do not doubt the lord of the castle would provide accommodation, but we need to get through a wide marsh.’’ Shu Ligui answered through vague memory.

‘’One moment.’’ Zhang Cai said and took out his scroll from the spatial pouch. His eyes glazed over the area and indeed, there were several rivers running beside the Slingerwhale castle down to the strait. A great marsh, named Whalers Marshes covered around one third of the Northeastern region. If possible, he would prefer avoiding such places. Mind-wrecking beasts tended to live in such an environment.

Blue Lotus Sect, however, was situated on a lonely mountain among dozens of kilometers of open plains. Li Bo had once talked about how most of their vegetables and grain came from there. The entire area was also under control of the Sect, so they were as fittingly named Blue Lotus Plains.

Zhang Cai put away the map and told exactly what he gleaned to Shu Ligui.

She stared at his map as he did so, though didn’t comment on it.‘’Where does sir Zhang plan to go?’’

Her wording revealed something vital to him, so he decided by himself.

‘’Blue Lotus Sect.’’

‘’...indeed that would be for the best.’’ She said, lacking any frown. ‘’They have two disciples around our age I would be very pleased to duel, which I implore sir Zhang to remember for courtesy’s sake: Zhao Yan of Northern Peak and Gou Ri of Scarlet Trees province.’’

‘’They equal us in cultivation, I assume?’’

‘’Sir Zhao Yan should be at the cusp of Threshold for over a year while sir Gou Ri recently advanced into Rocksmote. Though he is known for hunting Xian in the same cultivation stage, as you do.’’

‘’...my feat was not a hunt.’’

‘’Long Kongzi died, you survived. That is enough, is it not?’’

Zhang Cai didn’t answer. A few moments passed without words, their steps carrying the duo across small patches of grass to a dirt-woven path. A fair wind rustled the leaves of the trees around them, birds chirping, riding the air currents to fly across branches.

‘’Is there none over...is there no other person in the castle you might wish to duel?’’ he asked after a while.

‘’Honorable Lord Yuan has two daughters and a son: Yuan Li, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Shu. Miss Qi should have advanced to Threshold by now, but the other two remain in Rocksmote for some years, yet impressive foes to fresh ascendants like us.’’

‘’Yuan Qi...I think it sounds familiar.’’

He knew nothing of the people here, nor of the clans, nor of the culture. But there were tidbits that Li Bo and Li Huan taught him, and Zhang Cai grasped at his brain to find the relevant memory.

‘’She was...a pioneer?’’

‘’Indeed.’’ Shu Ligui said with surprise.’’She filled half of the Eastern Free Sea marine encyclopedias on her own. Because of her advancements, even our Shu Noble Clan and Li Noble Clan are able to trade further north with Central Clans without Goliaths.’’

‘’Yeah, I remember now.’’

Shu Ligui cast him a faint, questioning glance. ‘’...May I ask a rude question, sir Zhang?’’

‘’Not if it's rude.’’ He said. The girl just turned colder, so he nodded with a sigh.

‘’Where did you have the chance to learn of Miss Yuan Qi?’’

‘’Li Bro told me.’’ He replied, moving his arm to point at their backs. ‘’You know, you are practically neighbors with him.’’

‘’This Li...bro...who is he exactly? A servant from the Li Family?’’

‘’...haha,’’ Zhang Cai laughed. ‘’His real name is Li Bo, the second heir. Do you know of him?’’

Shu Ligui, for the first time, presented a completely off-put look. She tilted her head left and right and moved a strand of hair behind her ears.

‘’...he is my brother-in-law.’’ She muttered. Zhang Cai wanted to ask more about their relationship, especially since this was the first time he heard Li Bo had a fiancee. Though, he should have expected it. Even back in Curlan nobles got engaged around nine or ten years old, married at fifteen, and bore childs at seventeen or so.

Would he become Uncle Zhang, when he came back to visit?

The thought made him giddy somehow, but Shu Ligui’s disgruntled face made him hesitate asking further. Was their relationship not good?

That, he concluded, was not his business, so that was that. Instead he stopped for a moment to take a deep breath, revitalize his meridians, and turned to Shu Ligui.

‘’To Blue Lotus Sect, then.’’ He said. ‘’Do you have a flying sword, Miss Li?’’

She took out a silver-tinted shortsword and lightly stepped on with her small feet.

‘’Do you not have a spare one, sir Zhang?’’

‘’Unfortunately.’’ He had lost the flying sword amidst the remnants of the island, and only kept his chipped blade because it had floated beside him. He wondered if it had magic engraved in it to not sink. Some gears had their inscriptions inside rather than outside, like the spatial rings.

‘’...’’ Zhang Cai saw her struggle with something, and he gleaned its contents to some extent. Yet he didn’t help, nor pursue, but instead turned back towards the road.

‘’Then let’s go.’’ He said and ran away towards Northwest.

*********

After flying thirteen hours without stopping, Shu Ligui could swear on her honorable mother’s name that all this affair was a horrible mistake.

The terrain hardly changed—there would be grass, green or faded brown, and there would be sparse fields of trees and nothing else. Only the irritating Sun changed its position and flying over the trees, straight under its light, she had her fill of it for months to come. When the Zhang boy motioned her to stop, she felt a wave of relief washing over her entire being.

They hadn’t exactly stopped for rest, however. For a while, even with the meters of distance between, she could feel the tremors sounding inside the earth. There were quite a lot of spiritual beasts stalking here, or anywhere north of the strait to the end of the earth. Those around here had been culled over generations, so at most they remained in third or fourth-step Glassmade cultivation.

Zhang boy waited in silence, cloaking himself behind the deep shadow of a tree as the two meter long Ferocious Flame Boar trod past them without noticing. He also seemed aware of the White Fang Tiger stalking the same boar.

She watched him with disinterest, instead lamenting the numbness of her feet and face, while Zhang boy shot a streak of blade Qi at the pouncing tiger.

The predator had its leg cut off like butter, and the boar shrieked in alarm at its hunter. Zhang Cai came out of hiding, grasped the tiger by its nape, and hurled it away, all the while casting a look at the boar. The animal whimpered, then slowly left until she could no longer sense its stomps.

‘’Let us camp here for tonight.’’ He said to her without any show of etiquette.

She was the bigger person here, so of course she lightly nodded and came down to his level. A certain weight came off her shoulders as she touched earth and let out a barely audible sigh.

‘’It must be bothersome riding under all that Sun all day,’’ He said while setting up camp. ‘’Isn’t it Miss Li?’’

She could discern attempts at conversation at a glance—she grew up that way—but until she could affirm why her mother thought so highly of this mess of a fellow, Shu Ligui thought, she wouldn’t give him the face her mother thought he deserved.

But being the good lady she was, most of the time what she felt did not matter. Etiquette was her life and praise was her drink. Good attention never failed to do her good.

‘’I underestimated how vigorous the Sun could be,’’ she replied and sat beside a tree. She had been used to living in the rough from the vast dimensions and trials of her estate, but being in an unfamiliar environment multiplied the discomfort. It would take time to get used to these conditions. ‘’Sir Zhang, however, seems hardly affected by the elements.’’

‘’I had...well, the luck to go through harder things.’’ he said with a light smile.

‘’I hope such hardships find me too, then.’’ Shu Ligui said.

‘’I would not wish that upon anyone.’’ He answered curtly, then spoke no more until he made quick work of a bare-bones camp. He lit a measly fire, as if it could deter anything, though she could appreciate the soothing effect of its warmth.

‘’What is the purpose of this fire, sir Zhang?’’ She asked.

‘’It warms you up, for first. ‘’He said and laid back on a tree. ‘’And it alerts the animals to your presence. In our case, the boar from earlier will know we are here. So anything weaker than it won’t bother us.’’

‘’Why go through such trouble?’’

‘’Well, it is small compared to how long we will have to rest.’’

‘’I assumed that an hour of rest should be enough for us to resume.’’

‘’No one knows what could happen outside of civilization, Miss Li. It is better to have rested a few hours than face undue danger unprepared.’’

She made a curt, if not understanding, nod. Shu Ligui took out her heirloom and started washing her Qi over its sheath. The blade absorbed the earth-attuned Qi straight into its nascent core, further connecting to her soul. It might take a few more weeks before she could bind it to herself—and in turn command it without strain at will.

She moved her hands up and down, each stroke like the caress of a gentle mother, and listened to the crackle of the fire. Some time passed unknown to her, where her spirit rested, and her thoughts both muddled and cleared up. This kind of state was almost like meditation, yet sub-conscious, as if it was the natural state her mind ought to be.

She felt it that way. She always liked forests, lakes, and mountains. But she realized she liked the more...privileged nature of it. Not many could sit in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by beasts and violent feral life, and still contemplate whatever happened to be on their mind. She felt drowsy but soothed, and her breathing fell into an order with the ripples of the earth.

‘’You can rest first, Miss Li. I’ll keep watch for a few hours.’’

She raised her head, without flinching at the sudden nature of words. Her crumpled thoughts cleared up and she felt a faint annoyance at the boy; it went away right after, however, for she did not like to pick petty grudges. Unlike her big—elder sister. She considered herself better, if not at cultivation, then at being humane.

But that made her think again—what was being humane anyway?

She very lightly surveyed him from top to bottom, taking care to not make her attention obvious. A few hours ago, this boy was crying, on the verge of death, and she knew deep down he had carried a mental trauma from that encounter. Yet, he seemed uncaring. He stood beside the fire, legs crossed, staring into the flames, then sometimes glancing up at the sky, as if thinking of someone. All the while, there was no drop of emotion sneaking out of him. There was a sharp border between humane outburst and inhumane tranquility.

If she did not know better, Shu Ligui would have thought that he had taken care of the mental demons possessing him.

‘’Miss Li? Is something the matter?’’ He asked again. ‘’Uh, is there some...something mattering...any trouble?’’

‘’...nothing of importance.’’ She said.

‘’Then please, do take a proper rest. I hope to run far tomorrow, so we can spend the night at one of the inland villages if possible.’’

‘’I’ll...take up your offer then, sir Zhang.’’ Shu Ligui replied. She let herself slide a little until only her head laid on a comfortable root of the tree—as comfortable as it could be, anyway— and closed her eyes. For a while she thought of how her form looked; was she like a proper lady, would the skirt of her robe flap at a wind, would the boy cast a lecherous look at her, or hold such thoughts in his mind until she was powerless...

She felt no turbulence from the earth, however. The boy was still...very still, unmoving. Yet she kept him on her watch, until she decided she could move faster than him if the time came, and so let her consciousness drift into the realm of dreams.

For the first time in a long, long while, she did not have any nightmares. Her eyes snapped shut, then opened to a rosy dawn and a meditated Zhang Cai, who cast her a serene look. She saw a touch of amusement not well-hidden, and quickly checked her person for any trace of improperness. There was none.

‘’Good morning, Miss Li.’’ He said.

‘’Good morning, Sir Zhang.’’ She replied.

‘’I hope you’ve slept well?’’ he asked, and she returned a polite nod.

The boy took his gaze off her and returned to his meditation.

Surveying him once more while standing up, Shu Ligui made light stretches to warm up her limbs, all the while wondering.

‘’What have I done in my sleep?’’