Chương 25: Long Life Figs

Rowan"Are those figs really that valuable?" asked Rowan mentally. He knew he couldn't get away with whispering to the bloodstone here.

"The figs? Who cares about the figs?" Rowan's eyelids twitched. That was what was on auction, after all." I'm sure we can work out a nice dessert with the figs. They're quite sweet, so they pair well with mare's milk, or with stewed barley." Rowan had never had mare's milk, or stewed barley. Neither did he want to.

"Are you blind or just pretending?" thundered Ostra." Look at the leaf, boy. The leaf." Rowan stared at the leaf. It was a little wilted, and looked similar to most other leaves he'd seen.

"That is a cutting from a Bodhi Tree. How in the world did the leaf of a Bodhi Tree arrive in this dirty little sty of a town?" Rowan felt defensive of Righteous Mountain.

"Similar to how you arrived, I suppose." The stone was silent. There was a chuckle." I suppose that could be true." A pause." You must obtain it," he repeated." For any price."

"Any price?" Rowan asked. He had fifty spirit stones left, after winning the auction on the piece of ore.

"Even for fifty–-"" Fifty?" the stone whispered." That leaf is worth more than the mountain and the entire sect on it. Fifty thousand would be a bargain." Were there fifty thousand spirit stones in the entire peninsula?" Given how thin the qi is here? Probably not," mused the bloodstone." How did the leaf of a Bodhi Tree come to be reborn to the branches of a Long Life Fig Tree? How did it end up wilted when the figs are so well-nourished?"

Rowan stopped conversing with the stone, realizing the heated battle for the Long Life Figs had reached a pinnacle.

"Forty spirit stones!" cried out Senior Sister Nila.

"Forty-five!" called Rowan. The woman pinned him with a surprised look.

"You want the figs too? You won't win. You have fifty spirit stones with you. I have twice that, and much more back at the sect if needed. Don't you think you've made the auction house enough money for the day?"

"Truthfully, Senior Sister, I don't need the fruits. I just want the leaf," Rowan said.

"The leaf?" Nila looked confused.

"Well, I suppose it does carry some of the Wood qi with it. It might be better served if you plant the branch itself. I have a junior brother, a fellow core disciple, I can introduce you to. He has had practice grafting the cuttings of qi berry bushes onto mundane plants. We can work something out, if you'd like." That was as good an excuse as any. Rowan nodded immediately.

"What are you suggesting?" She gave him a thoughtful look before offering her hand to shake.

"We'll split the price. Since the figs are more valuable, I'll put up two of the three parts of what it is worth. I'll take the fruits, you take the branch and the leaf. Deal?" Rowan shook it firmly.

"Deal." Unfortunately, he wished he'd made this agreement before signalling his interest to the entire auction house. Because, without delay, the next person to make a bid was Barrett Fross!

"Fifty spirit stones!" said Barrett, shooting them a high and mighty look. It was clear that he believed Rowan had no hope of beating him. Senior Sister Nila, however, could call the man's bluff with her Qi Sense.

"That's all he's got," she whispered before shouting, "fifty-one!" Barrett looked between Nila and Rowan, somehow figuring out they were in cahoots with one another. The auctioneer began her countdown when Barrett yelled out in fury.

"Wait! Give me five minutes - I will buy those figs for double the price."

'Double?' Nila and Rowan mouthed to each other. They could potentially still cover the cost together, but it would take most of their combined funds - a terrible loss for Nila and far worse than that for Rowan. The Fross family was really swimming in it, weren't they! Nila cursed under her breath as she watched Barrett run up the stairs of the auction house.

"He's heading for the private boxes on the third floor. He's going to ask his great-uncle for more money!" Nila hissed.

"Who knows how much money he's got on him? Double, triple, this could be over for us." Lee shook his head.

"Matas!" he called out, catching the guard's attention. Lee made a pushing motion with his hand and shook his head - clearly a signal of some sort. Matas stepped in front of the stairs leading up to the second floor and intercepted Barrett.

"I'm sorry, sir. Please present your token if you wish to be allowed on the second floor!"

"Get out of my way, peasant! Are those eyes of yours just for decoration? Don't you know who I am? How dare you stand in my way!"

"I apologize for any inconvenience, but no one is allowed past this point without the express permission of the Lothesbys," said Matas, who'd become the picture of bureaucratic calm. Barrett responded by lightly shoving Matas. He didn't use any qi, but the difference between an inner disciple of the sect and a mortal was too great. Matas flew back, off his feet and crashed to the ground.

"Matas!" Lee shouted, horrified.

"Guards!" cried out Matas. In a flash, a contingent of Lothesby guards appeared almost out of thin air. They circled Barrett, stopping him from proceeding any further. Considering Barrett's cultivation, he could probably charge through them, but that would only invite higher-ranked cultivators associated with the Lothesbys to take issue and start a larger commotion.

"Uncle Baudelain!" called out Barrett furiously up the stairs.

"Put these arrogant commoners in their places! Uncle!" A voice, quiet but encompassing, came from his uncle who appeared at the top of the stairs on the third floor.

"Is that the proper way to address me in public, nephew?" The voice was amplified by the man's cultivation, broadcasted across the entire auction house so everyone in attendance could hear the disappointment in the man's voice. Baudelain Fross. The half-brother of the Fross family head, Barrett's great-uncle, and by most accounts, the true power of the family. It was said that all business with the silver mines was decided by him.

"Is this how you believe you should conduct yourself as an inner disciple of the sect? Haven't I taught you-""Just toss me a couple of spirit stones!" demanded Barrett, cutting his grand uncle off. Did Barrett just interrupt his ancestor while receiving a public lecture to ask for money? Dead silence. The commotion had certainly been the center of attention before, but now a dozen or so elders were craning over the side of the stairwell to watch.

Auctiongoers on the first floor were unabashedly climbing onto the stage to get a better look at what was happening. With the number of hired guards that had arrived, Rowan wondered if anyone was even watching the front gate. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. After all, there probably wasn't a single person between Righteous Mountain and Deepwhale Pier who didn't know who Baudelain Fross was.

In fact, it seemed as though Barrett was the least familiar.

"That is a crazy way to speak to your elder," muttered Lee, who had the most informal relationship with his older relatives that Rowan knew of. Everyone else seemed to think so too. They waited in silence for the old man to respond. In particular, those who didn't come from cultivation families who had crowded onto the stage downstairs seemed the most excited. Most of the Lothesbys' guests on the second floor showed one of two reactions. Lady Hema was staring in abject horror.

Lee was pinching his brow and shuffling his feet, overwhelmed with secondhand embarrassment. The elders that Rowan caught sight of in the staircase all looked furious. Baudelain Fross had represented the Fross family in official business for over a century by this point. Despite the many complaints about the family and their silver business, Rowan had never heard anyone say a bad thing about the old man.

As long as Rowan had been alive, Fross had been a grandfatherly presence who gave sound business advice and hosted generous parties. He was a guest elder of the sect, and it was widely rumored that he had declined a permanent position at some point. Fross was also known for making things that troubled the people around him his concern. He had sent more medication to Rowan's mother than his own family ever did.

He funded the lion's share of the merit scholarships for talented first-time cultivators from the mortal families. He provided flood relief to high risk neighborhoods in the form of lumber and labor. He didn't charge interest for the many loans he gave to aspiring entrepreneurs. It wasn't just that people were shocked that someone would speak to an older family member in such a tone, but also the person it happened to be. In the stretching silence, Barrett had now realized what a scene he had caused.

A tinge of pink showed on his ears. It was a lot more negative attention than he'd likely expected. The last thing Rowan expected was for Barrett to double down.

"Well, do you have some on you or not?" Barrett snarled. Unbelievable. Baudelain finally spoke.

"What are you planning to do with-" He turned to look over at the podium.

"Those fruits."

"It is a matter of my cultivation," said Barrett.

"As an inner disciple of-""I am also associated with Righteous Mountain Sect," said Baudelain.

"And while I would normally consider the primary relationship between us to be that of uncle and nephew, you seem to disagree. So now I'm asking you as someone who has also pledged to act in the interest of Righteous Mountain… why are you unduly inconveniencing your sectmates, Barrett?" Barrett sneered, but Rowan had caught a flash of panic on his face. Baudelain had phrased the question in a way to remind Barrett of the sect vows that inner disciples took when they accepted their golden robes.

Breaking the sect vows was grounds for removal from the sect entirely.

"Who am I inconveniencing?" asked Barrett.

"My purchases here today have been entirely for the furthering of my journey to immort-""You're allergic to figs," said Baudelain.

"It is a small matter to extract the wood qi from-""I am still in possession of my eyes and my ears," said Baudelain.

"Do you even remember how many spirit stones you've spent?"

"It is just a few small purchases," said Barrett, in a far less confrontational tone.

"You know this to be unacceptable. I don't need to be your grandfather, or your senior brother, or even an acquaintance to know that this is the height of foolishness. There is little that is impressive about wasted wealth." He turned around, walking back up the stairs.

"If you find yourself without a single tael on your body after the auction is over, I'll lend you five coppers to pay for a carriage ride back home. Anything more is unfortunately beyond the means of this old man." There was an audible wave of chuckles that floated upwards from the floor of the auction house. Barrett clenched his fists. Baudelain wasn't fully up the stairs yet when the sudden whispers and the sound of people joking about the situation set Barrett off again.

"It doesn't matter," he said to one of Lothesby's checker-robed managers who was trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.

"I will still be buying those figs." Barrett fished out a marbled block from within his robes.

"I just need to go across the street to the exchequer's office."

"What's that?" Rowan asked Lee, squinting at the block of stone in Barrett's hands.

"There's no way," said Lee.

"He's taking out a loan from the Dao Court."

"They do loans?" asked Rowan, bewildered.

"No," said Lee.

"Not without one of those." Barrett was now arguing with the Lothesby manager. Suddenly, a black tendril lashed out from Baudelain's private box. It wrapped around Barrett like the tentacle of a squid and yanked him from the second floor straight into the private box on the third. No sounds could be heard. The curtains were fully drawn, preventing any curious eyes from peeking. There was a beat of silence before the auctioneer started up again.

"Fifty-one spirit stones from the beautiful Lady Nila! Do I hear fifty-two?" No one continued to bid for the figs. Not long after, the Long Life Figs were delivered to Rowan and Nila. She handed over thirty-four spirit stones to the manager, and as he shook seventeen out of his sleeves, she carefully plucked the figs off the branch and slipped them into her own bag.

"Seventeen spirit stones for a twig and a leaf," said Nila.

"I feel like I've taken advantage of you." Rowan shook his head, hoping he didn't incur punishment from the heavens for deceiving his senior sister. The auction went on for a few more hours, but none of the items interested Rowan aside from their rarity. He wasn't rich enough to recklessly spend his spirit stones, and Ostra hadn't commented on any other good deals.

At the end, as the auction winded down, Lee had been summoned by his father - probably to discuss the commotion with Barrett - and Senior Sister Nila ended up getting dragged into a conversation with another core disciple. Rowan walked toward the exit, escorted by Matas. He smiled to himself, pleased with his haul. Just then, a voice called out.

"Young Master Helsing?" The man looked to be in his forties, with a full head of steel-gray hair and smile lines around his mouth. He had a charming, good-natured face. Rowan hadn't been directly introduced to him before, but he knew who he was. Rowan swallowed his apprehension, cupping his fist and bowing lightly.

"Honored Elder Fross. I apologize about today - Barrett is my senior brother, but it seems we've gotten on the wrong foot." Baudelain Fross waved the issue away.

"He's a disrespectful little brat. The only good thing about him is that he has a bit of talent with the family scripture." Something about his own words seemed to bring him amusement.

"I have a good relationship with your family. Your uncle and I do business with each other from time to time, so I would hate for my nephew's actions to ruin that bond. I was hoping to smooth over any enmity between the two of you." The man reached into the storage pouch on his waist and pulled out the pot containing the Setting Sun Seabreeze Dew. This was the source of Water qi that Rowan had desperately wanted, and what Barrett had bid thirty spirit stones for just to snatch from him. Rowan's mouth went dry.

The man was really going to give this to him?

"I can't accept such a valuable gift," Rowan forced himself to say. Baudelain smiled at him.

"It's no trouble, Young Master. If you need anything, feel free to consider me a personal friend." The man handed him the pot, taking Rowan's numb hands and wrapping them around it to keep it steady. He gave him a quick wink and then left. Rowan stared dumbly at the man's back as he disappeared. He went to Forgemaster Luzon's immediately after, delivering the pot and the bare branch. The forge was hot and lit only by smoldering coals. Master Luzon inspected the items carefully, giving Rowan a satisfied nod.

Rowan sighed in relief. In his sleeve, he had kept the single leaf from the branch for his own cultivation. Before he had pinched off the leaf, he had asked Ostra several times if it was alright - if he needed to use any special method - but the stone assured him that even if he ate and digested the leaf, it would still come out the other end intact. In fact, he suggested that Rowan do so immediately were he to be captured by an enemy.

"I'll need a few days to prepare the materials," said Master Luzon in a gruff voice.

"When the time comes for your assistance, I'll send word."

"Thank you, Master Luzon," said Rowan as politely as he could. He pulled out the Milky Starsurge Ore and held it out.

"I happened to acquire this. If the Master likes it, I would be honored if he would take it as a token of my appreciation." The man took it, holding it up closely to his blind eyes.

"Bribing me, boy?"

"No! No, I just - ""You should be careful who you give gifts to, and who you receive gifts from. It could entangle your karma with theirs."

"Oh," said Rowan awkwardly.

"I thought… that was only for life debts and things like that."

"A big gift can lead to a big entanglement. A small gift can lead to a small entanglement. Even simply meeting someone can lead to entanglement."

"I apologize. If you don't want the gift, I'll - ""Did I say that?" Master Luzon pocketed the piece of ore.

"I haven't worked with Milky Starsurge Ore in years - none of the good materials ever makes it all the way to Righteous Mountain City." He paused.

"Besides, I'm making you a sword. Our fates are already entangled. Now, scram. I've got work to do." Rowan bowed one last time and left the forge. His thoughts spun in his head. The gift Baudelain had given him - or was it a gift? Maybe the man had been trying to sever the karma between Rowan and Barrett? The study of karma was vague and mysterious and no one knew much about it, much less a student like Rowan. Still… he began to run faster and faster towards the sect.

He had ample spirit stones and the Bodhi Leaf, the two things he needed to try and break through to the second layer of Qi Condensation! Then he could finally start learning proper spiritual techniques from the rank-six Ensouled in Wood manual!