You would think the amount of alcohol it would take to get a Qi Gathering cultivator completely smashed would require barrels. But when you could infuse your alcohol with Qi, it gave an entirely new meaning to the phrase drinking spirits.

Yvonne had chanced across me as I was finishing up my pizza, she and a group of friends had decided to frequent the same bistro I had discovered. I was happy to reconnect with her but was uncertain about the people she was with had with her. I thought they were Inner Sect members too, but because I hadn't thought to research insignia, I wasn't certain. They had already taken the trouble to have their status embroidered on the collar of their Hanfu.

It wasn't something that was done in Flowing Water, and even if it had been, I wouldn't have thought it mattered much. Unfortunately, I found there were assholes no matter where you went. I hadn't noticed people acting in the same manner as Braun and his ilk, that sense of entitlement that every spoiled young master seemed to exemplify. But it seemed it was a truism the world over as one of the people with her, a young man made a scene when staff informed them the small restaurant was full and that there were no empty tables.

He was quick to point out the emblem he'd had embroidered on his collar and to make sure the staff understood that it meant he was a Core Disciple. His insignia was the same as Yvonne's and the other two people in her group, so I thought it best to wait until she was alone before trying to reconnect. Yvonne and I had only spoken about issues of armor. I knew of her, but I didn't really know her.

The booth I had been eating at was small, but if they squeezed in, there would be just enough room for the four of them to dine. I didn't want to draw attention to myself and was trying to think of a way to pay and leave so they could claim the booth when Yvonne noticed me.

"Jay!" She waved at me, her delight at seeing me clear. "I looked for you yesterday and this morning, but your servant explained you were in meetings both times I visited your apartment.

"You seem to be as busy as I am, and you just arrived," she laughed.

"I don't know about that," I disagreed, smiling, wondering what servant she was speaking about. I knew the apartment could be maintained and cleaned, but I hadn't gotten around to visiting Contribution Hall to set up those amenities.

"You should have left a message," I said glossing over the fact that I hadn't realized I had a servant. "I would have found time for you yesterday."

"No need to worry," she assured me, "we have plenty of time to catch up."

"I was just finished," I explained as I began to get up to leave. "I'm not sure if they have a waiting list, but if not, you are free to claim the booth."

Issues of tips and gratuities didn't exist on Shijie. They should because most of the staff that served Sects weren't paid at all. They received training, access to the library, food, and dorm assignments. The same could be true for Inner and Outer Sect members. Any funds we earned, we earned them by gathering resources and doing missions. I believed Servants had access to those same missions. It made sense that for those people that were talented or industrious enough, additional perks, contribution points, and resources might be awarded.

I'm not sure I would ever have the patience to serve as staff. They put up with a lot from the entitled young masters that populated the Sects, all for a chance to improve their cultivation. They had each, uniformly, awakened Copper or Iron Spirit Roots, roots that excluded them from entering into any Sect of real repute. By agreeing to serve as staff, they gained the resources and knowledge that would allow them to make the most of their limited abilities.

For the truly dedicated, they might do well enough in a secondary profession to branch out, leave the Sect and make a life for themselves. Especially if they had any connection to a minor Houses, or an established Clan.

"Why don't you stay and have a drink with us?" Yvonne offered. "Unless you have more meetings you need to get to?" The young man who had tried to gain a table by throwing his weight around was not pleased by her offer. It was obvious that he had set his sights on a romantic liaison with Yvonne, and her offer would put a damper on his goal. I had no intention of interfering and tried to beg off, not wanting to deal with his resentment the rest of the night.

"I would," I said, hoping to refuse without hurting her feelings or giving offense. "But I faced my tribulation to reach the Qi Gathering Realm this morning. I think I'll spend some time in cultivation and establish a better understanding of what I've gained."

"You braved your tribulation today?" One of the girls that was part of the group asked.

"Jay!" Yvonne squealed, demonstrating for those eavesdropping that no matter her position as a Core Disciple, she was still a young woman at heart. "You should have said something.

"There's no way we can let you escape now. Surviving your first tribulation is always a cause for celebration!

"Cai, Helen, where do you think? Justin's place?" Yvonne asked, ignoring my attempts to beg off and escape.

"It's early enough," Helen or Cai replied, I wasn't sure which was which since Yvonne hadn't introduced them yet. "We might even get him to crack open his latest barrel once he knows what we are celebrating."

"That's settled, then.

"Fiat. Talk to staff about a takeout order, see if we can have a dozen pizza delivered to Barrel of Fun," Yvonne ordered the young man who was all but sputtering in apoplexy, his plans for the evening ruined.

Yvonne didn't give him or me a chance to protest, as she grabbed my arm, announced an invitation to the people eating within the Bistro, and practically dragged me to a tavern that had been established near a passage that leads up to the herbal fields that the Sect was cultivating.

The location for the inn would make sense in time. The spot Justin, the proprietary and brewer selected, would allow him unfettered access to the growing fields above. His location giving him the first pick to fields where barley, hops, and grains would be planted. And bees would be farmed for their honey, another staple of good mead.

Cai, I learned, was the shorter of the two women, and the one that had spoken earlier was an extrovert and a gossipmonger, and she seemed to know everyone. Helen was more reserved of the two, but that reservation came with a wicked sense of humor and a sly sarcasm that most ignored until one of her more pointed barbs landed.

It allowed her to continue topping off my mug with the new brew that Jason had agreed to open for the occasion. I wasn't sure how much I drank, but as the night progressed, I found myself enjoying myself fully for the first time since I'd reincarnated.

Fiat forgave us not long after the mead began flowing, and I found him to be less an entitled prick than he'd first appeared. He had wanted to make a good impression with Yvonne, which had led to his behavior as bad as it had been. Once he relaxed, he became a personable young man, and I understood why Yvonne had included him in her coterie of close friends.

I wasn't sure how I got back to my apartment, or my bed for that matter that night. After a certain point, most of the evening was a morass of music and dancing. Thankfully, I had honed my body, and the aftereffects of a night of unfettered hedonism never materialized. Cultivators could get wasted as I just discovered, but we didn't have to pay the price of our foolishness with hangovers or headaches.

I did have the strangest dream, one I attributed to my altered state. I'd often dreamed of flying before, and now that I could, it only made sense that I would again. But this dream was different. It was as if I had become Storm and was experiencing her motives and actions as they were happening.

I could still taste the gamy meat from the owl-like creature we had killed. The high concentration of iron and Qi lingering long after she'd gorged herself to repletion. I remembered our embarrassment as we learned to hunt using our perception and not our sight. And I exulted with bird song and lightning discharge as we flew and soared.

It was a dream made real, and I allowed myself to fully enjoy the experience.