The fall of night found me slipping back into the compound. Most of the buildings had soft light leaking under doorways and through windows as families settled in, getting children ready for bed, or feeding husbands and wives that had worked late.

Healer's Hut was no exception, the soft glow of lights powered by beast cores gave an almost fairy tale aura to the few homes, blacksmith, and Healer's Hut that made up the community. Shadows continued to deepen as the night grew longer, the moons and debris that made up the ring that filled the night sky making it impossible for complete darkness to set in.

It was enough, animals quieting, livestock safe for the first time since the raids began, there was a serenity that had returned to the valley that wasn't here when I'd first arrived. Most of the inhabitants thought the danger past and paid little attention to what was transpiring past hearth and home. It made it easy for me to thread a path between dwellings, using the shadows to obscure my movements.

It was only the last part of my journey that might present problems. Healer's Hut was a stand-alone building. There were no shadows, no obstructions that I could use to sneak to the back of the building, so I abandoned stealth for speed. Channeling Qi, I activated [Lightning's Rush], my route firmly entrenched within my mind, and moved. Too fast for anyone but another Cultivator to see what I had done.

Movement techniques were more than moving quickly, they allowed a person to activate their Qi to move efficiently. To find the small handholds or crevices along the path, to find the places a toe or foot might find practical. Climbing to the top of the building was reminiscent of those computer games that awarded achievement points by jumping or climbing in hard to get to places. Places that required dexterity, skills, and a bit of luck.

The building wasn't tall enough for me to be concerned about falling if I failed, there was no real chance of hurting myself. My understanding of [Lightning's Rush] was perfected enough that that wouldn't happen. Running down the side of the mountain had pushed the limits of my understanding for this technique, I might even advance that understanding to the next milestone when I got a chance to meditate and cultivate, focusing and working to incorporate some of the insights I had gained.

For this two-story building, a building with window boxes and door frames, it was child's play. A matter of a second to follow the path my Dao of movement recognized and execute the needed movements and skills required to go from ground to rooftop. It was when I was able to completely embrace the technique, to harmonize and understand the underlying Dao the technique was based on that I was most in-tune with the world of Qi.

The roof was flat enough that I was able to find a place to sit and settled into a lotus position, my Qi perception extended, as I settled in for what could be a long night. As I began cultivating, gathering Qi that I noticed, I wasn't the only one that had staked out the Healer's hut. One of the homes nearby had a familiar face peeking between window slats, keeping an eye on the empty quad.

Matriarch Helena was more perceptive than I'd given her credit for. She must have the same epiphany that I had. I thought she realized that the only way to protect the guilty party from exposure was to silence the injured bandit, but I wondered if she had considered exactly how far a cornered and desperate person would go.

Her actions were amateurish at best, but probably effective for this community. I did wonder what made her wary, what actions or words had her considering that someone in her community may be contemplating murder.

I was able to rely on my Qi perception when earlier. For me, Thomas's words were so charged with deception, that he might as well have admitted that he had something to hide. My only real question was if he was alone in his scheming or if others from the community had joined him.

The night was productive for me, one of advancement. I focused on the day's gains with [Lightning's Rush] as I cycled my Qi. My ability with [Transcend the Heavenly Footpath] cultivation had also continued to make gains. I could manage a complete rotation once every thirty seconds now.

I knew that I was still nothing but a fumbling beginner, even after almost a year of practice, but the repercussions from making a mistake while cycling my Qi left me wary. That wariness translated into slow and methodical gains, building a foundation for my Qi that was steady, strong enough to advance my Realm without the chance of deviation or injury.

It might mean I was a half-step behind others when ascending Realms, but I was alright with that. I was on the cusp of a breakthrough, right between the Middle and Perfected stage of the Low-level Body Refinement stage. My foundation should make the effort to break into that next stage effortlessly.

The Qi in the valley wasn't ideal for my water affinity, the river helped, but there was no permanence to it. Not like Flowing Water where the river opened into a basin that filled a lake, brimming with elemental water energy. But the Valley did have elemental air, the air that had a unique flavor to it, and made me realize that the purity of elemental energy differed from place to place.

I thought this must be why Sects specialized, not only in places that were abundant with energy but in places where the 'flavor' of that element would serve the Cultivator's needs. This Valley didn't accumulate enough air aspect to build a Sect, but for one sole individual, it provided a bounty.

The attempt at assassination came much earlier than I'd expected. I'd thought Thomas would wait until almost morning when everyone was certain to be asleep. What was even interesting, was that Thomas wasn't the one to venture out. A woman I vaguely recalled meeting earlier, a relative of the young woman who was purported to be the cause behind the raids, had crossed the courtyard and entered Healer's Hut.

"Anya," she called out as she opened the door, "I brought you a restorative. I thought it might help you recover a bit after trying to keep that man alive all day."

"Elder Shia's recipe?" Anya asked hopefully. I had no problem hearing their conversation. My perception extended and refined to the extent that I might as well be standing in the room next to them.

"Yes. Thomas and I had dried a batch of Mint tea. The leaves were harvested earlier in the season when they were young, and the Qi density wouldn't be overpowering. I added a bit of wild honey as well, it will add to the restorative effects of the tea," she explained.

"It makes the tea more soothing than stimulating," the woman promised.

"Will you join me, Lenna?" Anya asked as I heard the rustling of cupboards and the clinking of crockery.

"Not tonight," Lenna the woman who had entered finally identified by Anya said. "I still need to finish a bit of work before I turn in, and I'm sure the children have made a mess of the bathing chamber by now. You know how lenient Thomas can be with them."

"So true," Anya said laughing at some memory that the two women shared. "I won't hold you then. Thank you for the restorative and don't work too late. I don't need another patient in here because she ran herself to exhaustion."

"As if that would happen," Lenna scoffed.

"How is the man?" She asked as she opened the door to leave.

"Will he live?"

"Yes. The Sect member that captured him acted quickly enough to ensure that. He should wake sometime late tomorrow afternoon."

"That's good," Lenna affirmed, "maybe we can finally bring proof to Cleave about the young master's actions and bring this to an end.

"I'll be sure to bring you another cup of restorative in the morning"

I considered following Lenna, her actions seemed innocent enough and she might have been just making friendly conversation, but knowing she was married to Thomas had me believing that she was working with him or being used by him.

Just as I had decided it was best to follow her, Matriarch Helena made her own foray into the night. I watched as she began to sneak her way across the courtyard. Her approach to Thomas and Lenna's house suggesting that she had her suspicions and that Lenna's trip to Healer Hut was not normal.

I decided to leave her to her bit of skulking and make sure the restorative potion that had been offered to Healer Anya wasn't going to result in death. My perception was not powerful enough to analyze the ingredients from where I was. But my knowledge of Alchemy and Pill formation should easily allow me to identify exactly what was in that cup if I could examine it.