Heavenly Shae

Chapter 10: "Sets of Questions."

Shae was wandering between the guards, interviewing them about the trip back. How long is it? What is on the way? Where's your favorite scenic location? Many answered that it was this geyser, or the next large town: Flame Well City.

In between she would stop to meditate for a dozen breaths to refresh the qi practice she was trying to use. Her personal qi liked to wander her channels, not always following the pattern she had left it in, which meant the practice sometimes stopped working.

More often she would lose concentration as she spotted the red flag marking the sects facilities, a flush of embarrassment crumbling her focus. They were remarkably modern and she was able to clean up after herself easily. She had even felt waves of qi passing over her, lightly scouring everything. She guessed it was some kind of disinfectant formation, the third pass of which had started to irritate some of her exposed skin.

Luckily the qi practice mentioned it could be started and stopped repeatedly. That was one of the key features that made it good for new cultivators.

She noticed a small change after the fifth interview. A small shift in her focus and mindset. The practice asked her to focus on her goal of clearly setting out the foundations of her journey. So, she had developed a structure for what she expected of the journey. Now, it was a structure she felt on an instinctual level, like knowing the layout of a very familiar room. With this change, if her qi broke out of the practice pattern it caused this mental map to fade out of her awareness. Yet, she would feel it again after meditating and resuming the practice.

This was about what she expected from the description in the monk's writing. This first step was said to be the hardest, as the focus and qi manipulation required was difficult. It probably would have been much harder if my qi didn't do half the work for me. What a cheat! She smirked as she went to the next guard.

"Ah, Miss Shae, Guard Tu was looking for you." The woman said.

"Oh? A few hours ago, maybe?" She let the guard nod. "Did he say why?"

"Sort of, I think he couldn't report to Master Long, and maybe needed to tell you that? Or was he supposed to ask a question?"

"Hmm, the first sounds correct. Thank you, Guard..?"

"Guard Shu, at your service." She smirked down from a full head and a half above Shae. The guard was built like an old muscle car: skin like steel and the obvious power underneath to back it up.

"Excellent! How well do you know the return trip to the sect, Guard Shu?"

"Quite well, I think. What did you need to know?"

"I'm trying to get an idea of the whole path back. How far, how long, how many stops the caravan might take, anything interesting along the way, that kind of thing."

"Well you've come to the right woman. The family are merchants by trade." She smirked and winked at Shae's reaction. "So, whatever you need. And more, for a price."

The girl held half a frown from the pun. "If I'm paying for something, do you have a map?"

"Not on me, I could draw one, or add to an existing one."

"Hmm, well I've no spare pages or ink. How about in the dirt? No one else has managed anything close to a good map."

"For you? Sure, I'll even let you pay me back at the sect."

"Fine, but if you are going to charge me sect comp, you better include a good explanation for what that's worth. I'd like to be only gouged once."

"Hah! Smart, will do. You were good to us guards last night, so I won't overdo it. It's good business to have repeat customers."

It took several cycles of Shae resetting her technique to draw out and go over the map. By the end she felt a firm image in her mind about the path ahead.

"The caravan won't push as hard as that first day, expect fifty to seventy Li a day. Mistress Ping likes to keep it easy, but doesn't put up with delays. So, it's safe to say it'll be another ten days of travel."

"Counting today? I think they are leaving soon."

"Yes. Counting today. Should be enough light to get to the narrow pass by dark. She'll use that to camp. Easier to protect with only the two entrances."

"Hmm, so about... Six hundred li?"

"I believe the saying is, Five square sets from the Dragon's Circle to Minlin square. Dragon's Circle is the trade center of the sect's nearest settlement, built as a circle instead of a market square, in Tail's Wake town."

"Hmm, how thematic." A square set is the second order of base twelve, so 5 by 12 by 12... 60 then 720, and we've already done 150 from Minlin. So 570 Li left. She sighed and returned her attention to the guard.

"Heh, expect more of the same, but don't worry too much, it only stretches so far."

Huh? Oh, more themed names. "This larger town here, you said that was halfway?"

"Yep, Flame Well is the next largest in the region after Minlin. Ma always said those two and the sect are fighting for who will get to be the real city in the region."

She turned to look into the distance. "Flame Well? Sounds like a volcano name."

"Hah, they wish. Almost the opposite, a mining town where they do a lot of smelting and smithing."

"Ah, I suppose that works."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to have your approval, ha ha ha!" Shu broke into a quiet giggle.

Shae didn't stop her own smile from showing.

So, ten days travel, if I can switch to the next practice when we leave, I'll only need to squeeze one double day in, or switch on the last day, to do all twelve.

They exchanged a few more questions before Shae left for the caravan.

Mistress Ping was glad to have Shae join and she quickly sent the girl off to be assessed by her existing team. Shae only claimed to be a fast runner, but Ping wanted her bow and tracking skills tested as well.

Shae was not surprised when she was told she had no skill in either.

"Fire a hundred shots a day and I'll think about letting you on a hunt the last couple days, maybe sooner if you're a quick study. You cultivators can learn fast, I hear." The hunter specialist said.

They regularly scouted out ahead of the caravan, finding wandering game before the 'van scared it off. They also served as an early warning for anything dangerous. The group was a little disappointed at Shae's lack of a sight or messaging technique.

In the end her open road speed saved her from being a total disappointment. "We don't usually need emergency runners, but it'll be nice to have you around. Or not if you're out running, ha-ha!" The scout leader said.

Within the first few days, her speed was used only once. It was when the sect cultivators didn't show up on the second day. The caravan had rested the second night in a small town where they expected the cultivators to meet them.

"We expected them last night, but plans can change so I'm not worried. I'd like to know if they cut ahead of us, though." Mistress Ping told her. "Stay here for the morning to see if they catch up, then get to us with their plans for the day. If not, catch up anyway and I might have you go to the next town to see if they are there instead."

She nodded. "Yes, Mistress."

The busy woman walked off without another thought.

"Uhm, apologies, Cultivator Shae. Mistress Ping is quite busy and means no disrespect." Her aide said.

"It is fine, Mister Fen. Though, please call me Miss. I'm too new to this to need the extra formalities."

He looked relieved. "Thank you, Miss Shae." He hurried off after his Mistress.

The sect cultivators did not show up that morning. Shae was glad to have the morning to review her practices. Though she was a little worried that cramming the practice into just the afternoon would be an issue. After some thought, she decided that even the wait in town was part of the journey. So, she spent some of the wait exploring the town as she practiced the new qi exercise.

She was quite glad to find that the practices after the first were much easier to maintain than the scouting one had been. The bulk of them only required her to cycle her qi past a specific group of meridians. Not through them, just past the entrances to the clogged areas. A part of her hoped this would soften the impurities, but the pages said nothing about that being a benefit.

After a tasty lunch at a food cart, she set off to catch up with the caravan. She didn't push herself super hard. The Manifold Journey text specifically said to not use other techniques at the same time, so Shae was hesitant to flood her leg with qi to support her running. Even though reinforcement wasn't a technique, the notes from Yungfan had said to be careful with her qi. Because it moved on its own it might counter what the technique was doing, if she wasn't cautious.

She only used a small amount, and spent most of her focus keeping the two groups of qi apart. Her speed suffered, but not as much as not using qi.

She caught up to the caravan a little later than expected.

"I thought you were fast?"

"Mistress Ping." She bowed slightly as apology. "They did not arrive. I decided to conserve my energy in case you wished me to run ahead."

She huffed through her nose. "Sure. And now I'm supposed to expect you to make more than a day's travel in a few hours?"

Shae scrunched her forehead. "Clearly I misunderstood. I thought I was expected to only reach the next stop, not the one past it?"

"Well, if they are not at the next, clearly you'd need to check the one after!"

The girl's eyes went wide. "Mistress, do you really think they jumped that far ahead?" Her forehead creased with confusion.

The woman's stern face cracked into laughter. "Hahaha, I'm just teasing you." She slapped the girl's shoulder. "You're fine to stay with the group. They used a spirit messenger to inform me of their delay. Got it while we were on the road this morning. Take the rest of the day off."

The girl recovered slowly from the unexpected teasing, "Thank you, Mistress Ping."

She didn't receive a response, the woman had already switched to the next task. She tilted her head respectfully anyway and took her leave.

The Honorable Dragon's Entreaty sect cultivators arrived the next day, short one Elder Bai. Scribe Bai filled Shae in while they walked alongside the caravan. "It's sect business, but you'll find out soon enough. Master Long has chosen to return to the sect, and Elder Bai agreed to watch over the geyser until another is selected." He frowned slightly.

"I take it, that wasn't the plan?" Shae asked.

He frowned again and rocked his head to the side. "it was a possibility. Like with Elder Ngoc, switching out elders at sect territories is planned for. It's just that... Well, two in one year is surprising, I suppose."

"Did he say why?"

"It is not our place to ask, or expect explanations."

"Hm. Oh, did they say why they went into the lake?"

He just frowned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Right, same answer then." She bit her lip briefly. "How about you, did you enjoy the extra day to do math?"

"It's not just math. But yes, I made good progress with the extra day. Thank you for asking."

"Heh, is it pushing to ask for details? We have a lot of walking ahead of us."

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother trying with a green-robe like you. Hmm.. What is eleven times nine?"

"Ninety nine, err, eight and three."

"Right. How about four ascend three?"

"Ascend? Haven't heard that one... Err wait! Don't tell me, I'll guess..." She set a fist under her chin to think. "Hmm. There's only so many operations I know of, so exponents seems a reasonable guess. I'd say four to the power of three, or four by four by four. So sixty four, or five sets and four in standard."

Bai sighed and shook his head. "The girl says she doesn't get along with math, yet knows how to ascend by some other name."

"So, I'm right?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Whooo!" She pumped a fist and raised it into the air.

"Now, do tell me. Who taught you that in earth standard before imperial standard?"

Shae's celebration froze and she almost missed her next step. "Ugh... Wah!" She called out as she stumbled.

Bai snorted lightly.

"Well, I guess my teachers knew Earth math a lot better than imperial. Call it a local tradition?"

"A local tradition where they can teach children reading and writing to a high proficiency before they are affinity tested." He shook his head with his eyes wide. "Sounds more like a noble house than a peasant village. You are from a peasant village, yes?"

"Yes. And even there, I am considered quite advanced for my age. I only learned as much as I did by making and insisting I be able to learn. Not something the other kids did. And I worked myself raw to have the free time to do so."

Bai sighed. "What I would have given for such an opportunity. My family barely had enough for a second book to read."

"Mhm. I know what you mean." Shae's tone became sullen. "We only had one. Took me a solid year of arm twisting to get the families to just trade books around so everyone could learn faster."

"You did that? And what do you mean by arm twisting?"

"Well, a proper lady wouldn't say blackmail."

"But you still could."

"Hey!" She batted his arm.

He only laughed.

They continued to chat about this or that. Bai never dove fully into what he was studying, only quizzing her with more math whenever she brought it up. Testing the limits of her knowledge, he said.

Eventually, Shae remembered to ask about the first year's classes again.

"There is a standard progression of classes and learning you are expected to match. Can't have an ignorant core elder so they say."

"So everyone takes the same ones?"

"Mostly. The nobles tend to be ahead of the others. Some have private lessons, some just start on the second or third year classes. The rest of us peasants need to be brought up to match them, as their propaganda goes."

Shae frowned.

"Your first year will be mostly on reading and writing. But a lot of other classes on cultivation basics. Don't think you can skip just because you can already read. There are standard techniques that the sect expects everyone to learn. These are started in the first year, so you'll probably be held back by those."

She hummed and frowned more.

"Don't take it personally when it happens. Even if it seems like they are holding you back because of your quick advancement." He turned and met her gaze to make sure his point landed. "There is far more to learn from your teachers than just what the class is said to be covering."

She nodded as she considered his point. "About the techniques, practice exercises or actual techniques?"

"Both. As I think I mentioned at the geyser, most practices can be advanced into techniques. For you the one that will seem useless will be qi slipping."

"Hmm, you mentioned that in Minlin, didn't you?"

"Good memory. Yes, it is a technique for avoiding qi pressure, but can be advanced later into more practical techniques. Controlling your own qi pressure being the most important. At core we need to be able to restrain our presence when around mortals. Slipping is the first step of that. It can also be used on others, to protect others from qi pressure."

"Hmm, that does sound useful."

"Very. And you will likely have a difficult time with it, as you don't need to learn it. Don't ignore the lessons just because they don't seem necessary. That is the most important piece of advice I can give you."

She bowed deeply. "Thank you for your wisdom, Senior."

He smirked. "Thank me again when you actually remember to use that advice."

"Heh. I will."