Many thoughts played in Yan Yun’s mind as she masked her Qi, stepping through the shadows. Should she really be doing this? To follow these disciples like this through side paths while she neglected her cultivation and went against her grandfather’s wishes?

A part of her desired it, the taste of freedom having enchanted her, and she was loathe to let it go. For so long she’d been trapped. For so long she’d been playing the act of a talented young lady. She’d yearned to be free, yearned to go out with her friends and have fun, but her grandfather had restricted her, allowing her to only mingle with those of high standing.

Yan Yun didn’t like the other female cultivators of her age. Not all of them were as burdened with the expectations of their families, their fathers usually content to let their sons bear the responsibilities of their sects and clans.

It’d only made Yan Yun envious of their lives, and be in contempt of their disregard for their own fate of being married off at the pleasure of their fathers and brothers. Yan Yun hated their acceptance, hated how she felt guilty for trying to grasp of her own fate and rise above her grandfather one day when she was around them.

Yan Yun is too disturbed today. Your Qi is in turmoil. Leiyu said quietly, rousing from his short lived slumber.

Yan Yun sent an apologetic thought to Leiyu, as she shoved her thoughts to the back of her mind. She put her attention back on Lu Jie, following him quietly.

Qi pulsed ahead, and Yan Yun sensed Lu Jie’s lover hurriedly move away. She spread out her senses, watching Lu Jie stop in his tracks. She wondered if they’d had some sort of fight. Perhaps Lu Jie was trying to reconcile? What if the quarrel had been because of her? Had she just become a thorn in their paths?

Yan Yun felt a strange sense of worry at the thought. She’d hate to get between any of this, as she’d prefer to silently watch on from a distance.

Like a deviant. Leiyu scoffed.

Yan Yun felt a flush rise to her cheeks. She couldn’t deny that it was very shameful of her to be following Lu Jie around like this, especially if she was to be putting herself in the midst of a lover’s quarrel.

Perhaps she should return?

Yan Yun stood conflicted, for a moment, unable to decide. She’d already come so far, would it really not be worth the stay to see who Lu Jie’s lover was?

She sensed some movement ahead and hurriedly turned back. Lu Jie had begun walking on his own, in the direction his lover had gone in. Her Qi thrummed with excitement once more as she continued to follow him.

She’d stop just as she saw his lover. Yes.

Shadows assimilated with Yan Yun’s being, as she pulled all her presence in completely. It was uncomfortable for any cultivator in the Fourth realm or above to retract their presence. The first circle within their dantian held much more Qi than a Third realm Qi shaping disciple’s dantian would contain, and forcing the Qi inwards was unpleasant.

It was also a skill she was sorely lacking in, having never needed to sneak around. She’d let Zu Ri handle any task that needed such and her lightning arts didn’t lend themselves to stealth either.

Yan Yun felt a presence move behind Lu Jie, she focused on the presence and felt surprise rising as she saw Lu Jie’s lover move behind him. She stared at the boy, taller than Lu Jie, and moved towards him silently.

Her heart started to beat nervously as she stared at the boy and moved in closer, before Qi flared and he grabbed Lu Jie pushing him against the wall. Yan Yun gasped as the older boy moved extremely close to Lu Jie, the other boy’s hand at Lu Jie’s neck as this face moved in towards Lu Jie’s face.

Yan Yun froze for a moment, as blood rushed to her cheeks. Her heart thundered and she rushed away from the sight, burning to have caught such a scene. Her heart burned with embarrassment as her suppressed Qi erupted in a sparkle of lightning she struggled to hold back and she could sense Luyei’s disappointment through their link. She didn’t care.

A silent giggle poured out along as her cheeks burnt red like flames.

She’d just caught them together.

***

I took a deep breath, refreshing my mind as I walked out. The other two guys had walked off somewhere, as Su Ling stood nearby handing the old woman a pill. One of the pills that I’d given to Su Lin.

The old granny took the pill in her hand, inspecting it a few times. I could sense the Qi coming from the smoke moving around the granny’s hands. “This isn’t the standard recipe they have for the pills is it?” she said, turning to look at me.

I didn’t reply in any way, but I didn’t deny it either. I doubted she was going to have an issue with that, seeing how she was running an Alchemy shop in this corner. Not exactly the kind of person to have the halls in their good books.

“Changed the composition I see. Added a bit of unnecessary stuff in there as well. Bah. Sloppy work, the impurities haven’t all been refined. That old fool has gotten sloppy in his teachings,” the woman muttered and I paused.

“You know the Old man?” I asked her, and the woman snorted, as she swallowed the pill. “Yes, I know your master. Isn’t hard to guess, the herbs have hints of his Qi, and no one else would be foolish enough to take you in as a disciple in the sect. Those that would’ve been are dead.” she said, and I paused once more. She really didn’t like the sect did she?

My eyes drifted to Su Lin, who was doing some odd chores around the home, but I could see that his attention was still towards our conversation here.

“Why haven’t you joined one of the halls? I heard they didn’t like free alchemists roaming around and doing their own thing,” I asked the woman.

“Well, why haven’t you boy?” she asked and I stood around for a moment, nodding. Prying questions were a no go then.

“Alright. A different question. What happened to that guy, and are all people with crippled cultivation like this?” I asked, I saw Su Lin freeze for a moment, before he resumed arranging the little jars of items on a shelf nearby. This really did feel like a witch’s home.

“No, not always. Not to this extent. If done correctly, the cultivator can live as a normal person, simply incapable of cultivating again. Some have issues and feel weak for their lives forever from that point, and have other difficulties, but rarely are they bed ridden like this,” the woman said, smacking her cane into the ground.

“Then why?” I asked, and I heard a sigh.

“His cultivation was ripped out forcefully. Shattered and destroyed over and over, before what remained was sealed within him. It is a miracle that he survived. And a sign of his talent, perhaps.”

“What good did that talent ever do to him?” I heard Su Lin interject and I saw his grip tighten. I frowned. There was far too much to unravel here, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to invade in Su Lin’s life so much.

I felt a strange conflict brew in my chest. Wasn’t my path all about bringing cultivation to all who I could? To demystify the mystical magic? This could be a way for me to try and study a crippled cultivation, and understand how Qi interacted with our bodies better. If I could find any clue of restoring a crippled cultivation, then perhaps I could also find a way of letting even commoners cultivate and use Qi.

“Is there no way to heal him?” I asked, turning towards the old woman.

“There are a few herbs and elixirs that might. I doubt his cultivation will ever heal, but he could be allowed to live a normal life,” the woman spoke and I nodded.

“I would like to come here, if I can, to check on your brother Zhan,” I replied, and I felt a pause before the old woman huffed quietly to herself.

“Think yourself some kind of medical saint? Well, I doubt there’d be any harm if you try, as long as you don’t create a ruckus in my shop,” the old woman said, before continuing. “Now go and have a look, and pick what you want from here.”

I watched her make her way towards her cauldron once again, the contents swirling with Qi. I scratched my chin awkwards, turning around to walk towards the numerous herbs and other tools sitting in shelves.

“Whatchu’ need? I doubt you can find it in all the mess the old hag makes,” Su Lin said, and I gave him a thankful sigh as I dug in my pocket.

I felt a silent mirth rise in me as I saw Su Lin grimace at the long list I held in my hand. Time to get shopping, my partner in crime.

***

I sighed, sitting on the floor as I inspected the small cauldron I’d picked up.

“By the soaring heavens, ya made me open up shelves I think the old hag hasn’t opened in decades. The stench alone must’ve taken a decade off my life,” Su Lin groaned, and I smiled apologetically.

I sat on an assortment of items I’d decided I needed for the lab. The first and foremost had been a smaller cauldron for more controlled tests of a smaller amount of materials. The cauldron I had was meant to produce large batches of simple pills, not really suited when I wanted to test fine details and sensitivities.

I’d still prefer a test tube though.

The next item was a thermometer. Or a heat-sensing spirit stone that served as one. I held the crystal out in my hand. The crystal would change colors, turning a bright red when it reached the boiling point of water. It wouldn’t let me measure temperature extremely precisely like a thermometer would, but it was still much better than having nothing and just going by vague estimations.

I set aside the many porcelain replacements of petri dishes I got, alongside a dozen spirit stones, and the bag of spirit herbs. I was surprised Labby hadn’t leapt at them yet, seeing how he was pretty much addicted to them at this point.

I dug in my pouch, taking out a dozen or so silver coins before I handed the pouch to Su Lin. It stung slightly to part with more than half of what I’d earned, but with the new equipment, and better techniques, it would be a worthwhile investment.

Running a pseudo cultivation lab was quite expensive.

I got up from my place, picking up the tied up items, before realising that it’d be quite difficult to carry all of this by myself.

I saw Su Lin roll his eyes, muttering something under his breath, before he picked up some of the herb pouches.

“I need ta go back anyways,” the boy said and I paused.

“You’re a surprisingly nice guy,” I told Su Lin, surprised by his actions.

“And you’re a surprisingly clumsy guy. Now move, I don’t wanna be shouted at for being late. Wasn’t supposed to take this long today.”

I shrugged, shaking my head, as I followed him out of the shop. We walked in silence through the alleys for a while as I quietly followed Su Lin behind, when suddenly, I frowned, sensing a few presence nearby.

“Oh, look who we’ve found. Isn’t it Su Lin there?” a voice came from ahead, as a burly man walked in, his Qi flaring. I frowned, sensing his cultivation and found him at the start of the Third Realm.

A few other men walked by, near the peak of the first and lower second realm, wielding short daggers and disheveled robes.

“Zou,” Su Lin muttered and I cursed to myself realising what was happening.

I’d just walked into the 'surrounded by bandits in a side alley' event. Goddamn it.