~~~

Though Feng Zhi’s servant is dressed in dark clothes with barely an inch of her skin exposed, Liu Jin has no problems recognizing her Qi. In the past, her androgynous appearance caused him to think of her as a man, but stepping into the True Realm has taken his sensing abilities to a new level.

“What can you tell me about your master?” He asks.

Feng Zhi’s servant does not immediately reply. She looks at him with wary eyes. Her Qi is tense, her body ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

“To think Disciple Qing detected my presence so easily… impressive.”

“You could not hide from me before I entered the True Realm,” Liu Jin points out dryly, remembering when she tried to sneak into his room to deliver one of Feng Zhi’s threats. “This much is only to be expected.”

“Indeed. You have grown greatly, Disciple Qing. However, I will not betray my master’s secrets.”

“Does that mean you can tell me things as long as they are not secret?” Liu Jin asks. He raises a finger, and she flinches. “For example, you were hiding outside Lady Ling’s mansion. Feng Zhi must have ordered you to keep an eye on Feng Hao. Am I right?”

The servant does not answer. Even her Qi goes utterly still, as if not moving could somehow make him forget she’s there.

“When you saw me leave Lady Ling’s house, you decided to follow me. Why? Did Feng Zhi tell you I merited special attention?”

Liu Jin thinks about it and nods.

“Yes, that sounds like something he’d do. He’s too paranoid.”

Of course, considering everything that has happened recently, it might be better to call Feng Zhi properly paranoid.

“Do not insult Young Master Feng Zhi!” the servant yells. Her Qi hisses like an angry cat. Steel glints under her sleeve. A dagger, most likely.

“Must you show such hostility to me?” Liu Jin wonders. He takes a single step toward the servant, and she immediately backs away. “You keep treating me like I am about to attack you. Am I that scary? People keep saying that I am. I must confess… it is beginning to hurt me.”

“I have nothing to say to you!”

“I am not forcing you to betray your master, nor do I have any interest in hurting Feng Zhi,” Liu Jin calmly tells her. “I just need you to answer a few questions. Surely that cannot hurt anyone?”

Her reply to his well-reasoned attempt to calm her down is to flee. She makes it a grand total of three steps away from him before he cuts her off, appearing in front of her in the blink of an eye. Steel flashes in the night as she draws her blade.

“Stop.”

Liu Jin brings the full weight of his Qi down on her, and she falls, unable to bear his presence. Her eyes look at him with fear, yet there is resolve behind that fear. The will to never betray her master.

Liu Jin sighs.

“I am used to feeling threatened by people much stronger than me,” he says, his lips forming a thin line. “Being on the opposite side… I cannot say I like it.”

Liu Jin releases her from his presence and offers her a hand.

“If you will not talk, at least take me to your master. Give him as much of a warning as you want. I have no intention of attacking him. Even if I wanted to, it should be clear I am not his match. If you cannot trust me, at least trust your master’s strength.”

The servant stays silent for a long while.

“Very well.”

Still, she does not take his hand.

~~~

Feng Zhi's manor is far different from Lady Ling's. That is not to say it is an ugly place. Nor is it dirty or rundown. As a building, it is not lacking in the slightest. It is just… sober. Quiet. There are no ornaments on the large garden surrounding the property, no flowers, and not even a small pond.

The character of its owner is not reflected at all.

Feng Zhi's servant went inside a little over a minute ago and has yet to come out. The way Feng Zhi's Qi spikes every now and then tells Liu Jin that Feng Zhi is already aware of his presence. He has just chosen not to come out yet.

Is he going to make him wait?

It starts as a nagging worry, but as the minutes pass, it becomes an annoying reality. Liu Jin shakes his head and crosses his arms. What exactly has he done to Feng Zhi to warrant this sort of treatment? No, the answer to that is obvious. He got too close to Feng Hao, and Feng Zhi's protective streak is as deep as the sea.

"You have a lot of nerve."

Feng Zhi appears before him in a blur of speed. Hair like flame and eyes like gold stand out even in the dark of the night as if they shone with a light of their own.

"You threaten my servant," Feng Zhi says. His Qi rises just enough to be threatening without being deliberately overt. "Then you demand an audience with me?"

"Young Master, I threatened no one and kindly asked for an audience," Liu Jin says. "If being stronger than the people I speak to is all it takes for my words to be taken as a threat, then Young Master threatens people all the time."

"I do."

Liu Jin is left blinking, not having expected such a blunt and easy admission.

"That's a sad way of looking at things, Young Master."

The narrowing of Feng Zhi’s eyes is accompanied by a slight rise in temperature.

“You mock me?”

“Young Master, there is no point in trying to intimidate me. We both know you are not going to attack me,” Liu Jin says.

“You seem awfully certain of that.” The heat rises even more. “Are you sure you wish to stake your life on that assumption?”

“Yes,” Liu Jin replies without fear, meeting Feng Zhi’s eyes. “Attacking me after everything that happened in the Dead Plains would be a horrible idea. You are not angry enough to ignore that. Could we please just talk? Or shall I cower before you for a few minutes to sate your ego, Young Master?”

If Feng Zhi’s looks could kill, Liu Jin would be fulminated on the spot. Thankfully, Feng Zhi is not that good.

Not yet.

“Speak,” Feng Zhi says through gritted teeth.

"I came here to ask about a woman named Yi Jiao. As I understand it, Young Master Feng Zhi has heard of her."

Feng Zhi's look somehow manages to become even scarier. For a moment, Liu Jin fears he might actually attack him.

"I have nothing to say to you. Leave and never return."

Feng Zhi turns away and starts walking back into the manor. Liu Jin sighs.

"Huang Shing will surpass you."

Feng Zhi stops.

"There is a limit to bad jokes."

“I came here today, so Huang Shing won’t have to do it in the future,” Liu Jin says. “Please, do not bother pretending you don’t know who that is. By now, it is quite clear Young Master Feng Zhi remembers Huang Shing. I’d even dare say the Young Master has a strong inkling as to why he is here.”

“Aye, I remember him,” Feng Zhi says dismissively. “He is the fool who rejected my kindness.”

“Young Master keeps repeating that phrase. All it means is that Young Master didn’t kill him when he had the opportunity to,” Liu Jin points out. “If simply not killing someone is enough to be considered kind, then Young Master Feng Zhi truly must have led a very pitiful life.”

Feng Zhi's Qi flares once more. Angrily, but with focus. This time, Liu Jin is forced to raise his own aura to endure its power, and even then, he's pushed back a few yards. Still, he does not raise his arms or allow any hostility to enter his mind. If he does, Feng Zhi will have an excuse to attack.

"Huang Shing was a non-issue when he first came here. That must be what the Young Master thought," Liu Jin keeps talking, grunting only slightly from the effort. "But that's not the case anymore, is it? In mere months, he has grown by leaps and bounds."

"You prattle on about the growth of someone who is only in the True Realm as if that should matter to me."

"Would Young Master prefer it if I prattled on about his growth instead? I am afraid there is not much to say. You are still in the First Level of the Earth Realm, Young Master. That has not changed in all the time this one has known you. I wonder, by the time the next Crimson Cloud Tournament arrives, will you still be as you are now?"

The potency of Feng Zhi's aura doubles. Liu Jin grunts as his feet are forced deep into the ground. Even so, his knees do not buckle.

"Your tongue has grown bold," Feng Zhi notes, his golden eyes glowing. "Are you that confident in your strength? Are you really so reckless as to not feel any fear in my presence?"

The pressure surrounding Liu Jin fades, but Feng Zhi's power grows deeper. Liu Jin has no trouble recognizing what is about to happen. Unfortunately, he has felt this power far too often for his liking.

"Are you so insecure that you are about to call upon the Eternal Flame to scare off someone who is just in the True Realm?" Liu Jin asks before the flame can bloom. "Is that the quality of the Eternal Flame Clan's Young Master?"

Liu Jin's words prove far more effective than any attack. The anger does not fade from Feng Zhi's eyes, yet his power is snuffed out in an instant. The night is left in eerie silence. Now that Liu Jin has pointed it out, Feng Zhi cannot bear the thought of proving him right.

To call upon the Eternal Flame means Liu Jin has forced him to use the Eternal Flame. Feng Zhi is too proud to allow that.

"I tire of this," Feng Zhi says at last. "Say what you came here for and leave."

Liu Jin blinks.

"Did I not already say it? Young Master, what happened between you and Huang Shing is no longer an issue I can ignore. Right now, Huang Shing cannot challenge you, but in the near future, that will no longer be the case. The ramifications of his success could prove troublesome for me."

There is a slight chance that, should he grow strong enough, Huang Shing will be able to defeat Feng Zhi and get away with it, but it is far more likely that whatever possible humiliation he inflicts upon Feng Zhi will cause the Eternal Flame Clan to lose face, making retaliation a necessity.

Things could escalate in annoying ways if that happens. Liu Jin would find it necessary to step in to protect Huang Shing, which might bring him a great deal of trouble with the Eternal Flame Clan. He'd rather not have to do that. He has gone through far too much trouble already.

Of course, Feng Zhi could strike down Huang Shing right now when he's still relatively harmless, but Liu Jin has no intention of allowing that.

"That is exactly why I wish to understand what happened between you and him. If I do, I might be able to mediate the issue."

And if not, he'll have to figure out something else. Regardless, Liu Jin fully intends to settle this peacefully. There has been far too much violence lately.

"Believe it or not, I am acting in the best interests of the Young Master and the Eternal Flame Clan."

"Best interests?" Feng Zhi echoes. "Do you really think I am stupid enough to believe you? Do you think I don't see what you have been doing?"

Liu Jin blinks.

"What?"

"You enter the Eternal Flame Clan and immediately gather the most troublesome disciples. You align yourself with the Apothecary and are conveniently trusted enough by Elder Xue that she had you spy on me."

Spy?

"You approach my brother and ingratiate yourself to his mother. Then you happen to "uncover" Elder Cheung's crimes, giving Elder Xue control over the Medical Pavilion, boosting your position, and successfully sabotaging my uncle's efforts to win the tournament."

Liu Jin grimaces. When Feng Zhi puts it like that, it does sound awfully suspicious.

“Then you just happen to be in the fight in the Sparring Hall, and you also happen to be there when Xun Huwen attacked my brother, which by the way, happened days after you visited Elder Xun, whose main disciple just happened to show up in time to save you.”

“You have been keeping an eye on my movements,” Liu Jin notes.

“Any fool would realize the need for that after your first month here!” Feng Zhi yells at him. “Since you came here, things have been thrown into disarray. I thought I had decades to prepare for the fight between my father and uncle! Instead, my father has been chosen as the next Patriarch, and Feng Hao will be under more pressure and scrutiny! Don’t even get me started on everything that happened in the Dead Plains! I hear Elder Xue has even been talking to my father about the Storm Dragon Empire lately!”

Liu Jin's eyes widen.

"What?"

"Oh, so there is something your master did not include you in?" Feng Zhi indulges in momentary superiority. "Good. Let that make you feel how everyone else feels caught in your schemes!"

"Young Master, there is a misunderstanding-"

"No, I will not allow you to use your words on me!” Feng Zhi points a finger at him. “I do not trust you, Qing Jin, and I will not allow you to pry any secrets from me! You are exactly like the snakes you summon, and I am done entertaining you!"

Feng Zhi vanishes in a flash, leaving Liu Jin alone in the front yard. However, he feels neither sorrow nor disappointment. There is only one thought running through his mind.

He needs to talk to Elder Xue.

~~~

Extra Scene

~~~

“I apologize, Young Master,” his servant, Third Light, says once he returns. “Even though he had detected my presence before, I underestimated his ability.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Feng Zhi says. “None of it does.”

“My lord-”

“Leave,” he says. Unlike the increasingly rebellious Qing Jin, his servant has no problem following his orders. She’s gone from his room before he has finished sitting down, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

“Huang Shing will surpass you.”

Of all the insufferable…

You are still in the First Level of the Earth Realm, Young Master. That has not changed in all the time this one has known you.

Arrogant…

I wonder, by the time the next Crimson Cloud Tournament arrives, will you still be as you are now?”

Truths...

Feng Zhi tries to take a deep, calming breath, but no amount of breathing can stop him from digging his nails into his palms so hard he draws blood. It is not as if Qing Jin is the first to tell him something like that. Many have used his lack of progress to taunt him and spread rumors about him.

However, Qing Jin wasn’t even in the Spirit Realm when they met.

In a matter of months, Qing Jin has gone from bowing his head before him to meeting his eyes as though they were equals! It’s not just him, either. Everyone has grown. Every single disciple that has come in contact with that damnable Qing Jin has experienced some form of growth. It’s obvious he’s involved in it, but Elder Xue is allowing him to act as he pleases! She must be the one truly behind everything. His father should not allow that woman so much freedom, but he is far too busy analyzing what happened in the temple to care!

His father…

“Little Hao is already in the Spirit Realm, yet you who made contact with the relic in the temple are content to stand still?”

Feng Zhi growls. As if a level of the Earth Realm could be compared to the levels below it! If he were anyone else, people would not find his growth objectionable in the slightest!

“Do you know why you remain still, son?”

Shut up

“You are hesitating.”

Stop.

“Your path, like mine, is one of destruction. However, there is no desire for destruction in you. You have decided your priorities to take precedence over your methods and, in doing so, hampered yourself.”

Feng Zhi stands up abruptly. His Qi flares as if trying to vanish the specter of his father’s words.

He needs to see Yi Jiao.

~~~