Chương 65: Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Ignatius"Which constellation is that one?" Pia pointed up at the pitch-black night sky, at the field of stars twinkling overhead. Around them, the terrace had been filled with wooden tables, and various disciples from Blackscale Sect and Righteous Mountain mingled. There was even a smattering of cultivators from Myriad Winds Manor in their stormy grays. Cylindrical paper lanterns had been hung from poles speared into the ground, casting the festivities in a warm yellow light.

Ignatius squinted, unable to see any pattern to the collection of stars Pia was pointing at.

"Um… is it a dog? I can kinda make out its ears." The girl shook her head, terribly amused.

"That's the Black Tortoise! Gosh, Iggy, you better hope he wasn't listening. Calling him a dog –" His eyes flew open, suddenly alert. A cold sweat prickled his back.

"Pia, did you just trick me into offending an immortal? That's not funny!" She waved her hand.

"The stories say the Black Tortoise is in the northernmost sea of the world, slumbering under ten thousand feet of ice. I doubt he's going to wake up and charge through all that ice just to attack you."

"But he could curse me," whispered Ignatius worriedly, wringing his hands.

"Immortals can do that. And worse!" Pia turned her head to look at the table, eyes focusing on a tiny beetle crawling across it. She crunched it into the wood with the tip of her finger.

"Happy now? I've offended the Bug Immortal. Now we're even."" Pia–" He cut his complaints short when Cavern Lord Whitewing of Blackscale Sect strode up the pathway. He held two disciples by the shoulder in each hand, roughly urging them up the stairs. When they were a few steps off arriving, he lost patience and half-shoved, half-threw them into the center of the courtyard. A group of disciples sitting in a circle scrambled out of the way as the two crashed to the ground. Lavinia Bruschard and Ash Helsing.

A wave of scattered laughs echoed across the courtyard. Almost faster than he'd thrown them, Whitewing towered over them in stony silence. He was not laughing. Ash wore an expression of genuine worry. Lavinia was sobbing in silent panic.

"Oh no," Pia whispered sharply.

"What did she do this time?"

"There must be a misunderstanding…" Ignatius said, a little too loud. His heart wrenched at the sight of Lavinia crying. He was sure there had been a mistake. Lavinia wasn't a troublemaker, and even if she was… this was… this was too much! A hush fell at the sound of heavy footsteps pounding down from higher up the mountain. Elder Patino charged onto the scene. The elder, famously, only interacted with inner and core disciples. Or when big trouble appeared.

This time, Elder Patino looked even more annoyed than usual. To Ignatius's surprise, Patino began by addressing the disciple from the other sect.

"You're Bael's son." He frowned.

"I told Yarrow he'd gone soft in his old age. If you'd gotten the beatings your father did, I would still be eating dinner right now. What do you have to say for yourself?" Ash looked taken aback for a moment. If possible, he'd gone even paler. He hung his head and then dropped to his knees.

"This disciple–" Not quick enough.

"Are you hard of hearing or too proud to apologize?" roared Whitewing. Lavinia quietly shifted herself and knelt as well, trembling. The soft rustle of her robes was deafening in the silent courtyard.

"This worthless disciple has erred greatly. The blame for this falls entirely on my shoulders," said Ash, speaking quickly as he could, pressing his forehead to the floor.

"This disciple has been away from home for a few years now and wanted to hear about all the changes to the city. I convinced this fellow daoist to come along, without regard for–""How chivalrous," said Patino, cutting him off with a scoff.

"That's rich coming from you, Patino." Whitewing snorted coldly.

"You didn't even greet old friends when they arrived." Before the elder could respond, Whitewing began berating Ash again.

"I'm sure you were quite convincing. Your sect's reputation, your master's reputation, your new friend's standing with her sect. None of these things matter, do they? No, no- Young Master Helsing does not need to observe the curfew." Ignatius stared. Was breaking the curfew such a serious matter? He looked to Elder Patino, who it seemed had just realized what the charges against the disciples were. The man arched an eyebrow at Whitewing in disbelief, even more annoyed than before.

Did Whitewing just want an excuse to publicly humiliate Ash and Lavinia? Ignatius didn't understand.

"This disciple accepts any punishment he will receive," said Ash, head still lowered. Somehow, this Ash Helsing had managed to look handsome and heroic while kneeling and apologizing. Paired with Lavinia, the prettiest disciple from Righteous Mountain, it looked more like a scene from the stage of an expensive wine hall. Ignatius didn't have much of an opinion of Ash Helsing, other than that he was quite dashing and already had a few admirers from Righteous Mountain Sect. Lavinia, however, was his closest friend.

That was why he found it painful that she probably considered him nothing more than a friendly acquaintance. Expected, but painful. He wasn't very talented or interesting. Someone as special as Lavinia only spent time with someone like him out of pity. She knew he didn't have many friends. Just her and Silvester. It was still more than he could've hoped for. Pia, he knew, only spoke with him when there was no one better around. If not for Lavinia, they wouldn't have spoken at all. Ignatius glanced at her.

Now that it was clear nothing tragic had happened, Pia was no longer worried. Instead she was staring at Ash Helsing with a slight frown. The silence stretched on. Whitewing began to pace.

"For four years, you've cultivated at Blackscale Sect. Not a month has passed in that time where you haven't been connected to some incident. If you'd cultivated with a fraction of the effort you've put into causing problems around Deepwhale Pier…"

"And there are many problems at Deepwhale Pier, like rampant theft," supplied Elder Patino.

"Even Blackscale Cove wasn't spared." Whitewing continued his tirade without acknowledging the interruption.

"There is nothing that is more infuriating to me than waste. Pyrus Helsing was a great man, and a close friend. And this is what you've done with your uncle's legacy? The Dry Fire burns in the hands of a Qi Condensation cultivator at the second rank?" Ignatius winced, deeply uncomfortable. He felt like he shouldn't be listening to this. Pia shook her head sternly at him, sensing what he was feeling and telling him to lose any thought of leaving. There was a flash of crimson.

"What… what in the name of the eight waterfalls is going on here?" A woman of nondescript age and understated beauty appeared with a frightening abruptness in front of Whitewing, blocking his path mid-pace. She leaned into him, her face just a little too close to his. She was heavily frowning and even more heavily drunk.

"What's the boy done this time…" The woman drew herself back.

"Whitewing." She wrinkled her nose, as if she'd smelled something foul.

"What's the damage this time? Taels or spirit stones?"

"Your prized student," hissed Whitewing, "has decided that the curfew is beneath him."

"What curfew?"" Dawnshard!" Was this person truly Cavern Lady Dawnshard of Blackscale Sect?

"The curfew that the Dao Court is assisting us in enforcing. The request that you personally submitted." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Well, it's quite terrible manners to read the mail you're supposed to deliver," snapped Dawnshard.

"I'll think twice from now on before I hand you anything imp–" Patino interjected with a wistful shake of his head.

"And now your student is sauntering down the Main Road, giving tours of his ancestral compound, dragging the precious disciples of my Righteous Mountain to their knees with his lawless behavior. Think of how it reflects on you, Honored Fairy." If Ignatius hadn't known better, he would have sworn that the notoriously strict and easily angered Elder Patino was mocking Whitewing.

"Your disciples?" murmured Dawnshard. The Cavern Lady snapped her attention to Lavinia, who'd spent minutes staring at the same spot on the ground. She looked from Ash to Lavinia, and back to Ash and then back again.

"Disciple." A quiet horror had overtaken her.

"Who is this?"

"A friend I've met this afternoon, master," said Ash.

"She is very beautiful," said Dawnshard in a dangerous whisper. Dawnshard turned back to Elder Patino.

"Did you say they were touring his family's compound?" Patino nodded solemnly.

"Disciple. Why did you take this girl to meet your family?"

"Master, you've misunderstood," protested Ash.

"We weren't there to- We were just–""You were just stalling so you could come up with a flimsy excuse to placate your master?" asked Dawnshard. She stood in front of him at full height. Less still was the long, thick red ribbon in her hair that had seemed to come alive.

"We went out early with my cousin, and split up with him. We thought he'd gone back to the Helsing Compound to confront-" He stopped, glancing around.

"To deal with some urgent family business."

"And this cousin is conveniently nowhere to be found? Against all odds, audaciously evading the thousands of patrolling officials from the Dao Court and elders from his sect?"

"The dozens," corrected Patino.

"Dozens of veteran investigators working for the most powerful institution in the empire to keep Righteous Mountain safe," corrected Dawnshard without slowing down.

"Master, I must clarify," said Ash, trying his best to get in a word. Dawnshard pounced, grabbing Ash by the ear and hauling him off the ground. Ignatius winced.

"I told you not to fall for a local girl! You have a nice young lady waiting for you back at the sect!" She narrowed her eyes.

"You've barely been here for a day, how could you already have found someone to bring to your family?" Ash grit his teeth in pain.

"Master, it's not-""I'd heard for decades that all Helsing men were cavorters. To think that I was fooled by your coy protests of not wanting love to ruin your cultivation prospects." She stopped angrily.

"This Cavern Lady has decided that she will provide you with the beating you deserve!" She grabbed Ash by the shoulder and vanished in that same streak of red. Patino looked down at Lavinia.

"Get up, we'll notify you when we've decided on your punishment," he said to her.

"Go report to Disciple… report to your teacher," he said, pointing up the mountain at the Inner Sanctum.

"Nothing is as worrying as a missing disciple." She shot to her feet, nodding rapidly and bowing. She took off in just short of a dead run up towards the Inner Sanctum. Patino, without another word, flew off in a streak of light. Whitewing gave a final, sweeping glance around the courtyard, let out a disgusted sigh, and left as well. The silence remained in the air for a few seconds.

"Are they gone?" someone overly brave asked from several tables away. When no Righteous Mountain elders or Cavern Lords answered, the explosion of noise from everyone talking at once was nearly painful. Pia tugged at Ignatius's sleeve.

"I never thought Lav could move this quickly. Three of the top eligible bachelors in the city," she said with relish.

"If you told me this would happen a week ago, I would have never believed it. How do you think she managed it?" There was something in Pia's eyes that made Ignatius uncomfortable.

"I guess we didn't know her as well as we thought," finished Pia.

"No," Ignatius shook his head frantically.

"It really wasn't like that. Ash Helsing was telling the truth. Rowan really did leave with them earlier. I was there. I saw them." Pia snorted softly. She was no longer as animated. Instead, she wore a glum smile.

"What's wrong?" asked Ignatius.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything worked out. Lav's not actually in trouble and…" Pia folded her arms.

"It's just that I always knew this would happen. That she would leave me behind. But I didn't think she would trade up so quickly. From merit students and first generation cultivators to the Fross family. From the Frosses to the Helsings. To Rowan Helsing." She paused for a while.

"If I stole one of my father's ships and sailed for seven days and seven nights, I would be halfway up the peninsula named after one of his forefathers. How could a shipwright's daughter be friends with 'Lavinia Helsing'?"

"Rowan and Lavinia are just friends," protested Ignatius.

"You could try to be friends with Rowan too, if you wanted."

"Is that what you really think? They're 'just friends'?" Pia rolled her eyes.

"You're too smart to delude yourself like this."

"I'm not deluding myself," protested Ignatius.

"Rowan said so."

"You expect me to believe that you went up to him and started questioning him about his feelings?"

"It wasn't like that," said Ignatius, his cheeks burning.

"I had no choice. Lavinia got into a fight with one of the disciples from Blackscale Sect and I thought something bad was going to happen, so I- I went to warn him."

"Right. Instead of any of the elders or maybe an inner disciple?" She paused.

"I guess Rowan might have been a better choice than just any inner disciple, given what happened to Barrett Fross…"

"I didn't look for him on purpose. I just happened to see him first." Ignatius looked down.

"My only thought was rescuing Lavinia. I was sure Rowan would come help, because I was sure they were together."

"And he told you they weren't?"

"He was surprised I even believed that." Pia considered it for a moment.

"In that case, maybe they really aren't." A speculative look appeared on her face.

"Maybe I should get to know him. If he's willing to duel an inner disciple for Lavinia, and they're just friends, I wonder what he'd be willing to do for someone he loved…" Ignatius wasn't sure what to say. Should he wish her luck?

"It's fun to dream big," said Pia, who'd noticed his discomfort.

"But it's important to be realistic. Lavinia… is a better cultivator than me," Pia paused.

"And prettier," she said grudgingly.

"And, apparently, charming enough for noble heirs to fight over. But still not good enough for Rowan Helsing." She sighed.

"But honestly, he does seem like an easy person to befriend. That's clearly worth a try. Honestly, you have a better chance than I do. You have a good reason to talk to him - tell him you're thankful he killed Fross. Which you should be, anyway, since now you'll get assigned a real teacher." Ignatius shook his head emphatically. There was no way he would have ever approached Rowan had Lavinia not been in danger.

"You can't still be scared of him, can you?" Pia asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. His quick progress hasn't made him a different person. He's still turning in three word essays to Sutter and cutting class."

"His duel with Senior Brother Fross," Ignatius started.

"He–""You can't possibly believe that Fross didn't deserve to be killed. If Rowan wasn't wooing Lavinia, what was the point of challenging him to a duel to begin with?" Pia asked, incensed.

"Everyone was saying that the red talisman Fross activated at the very end was demonic. The core disciples would have killed him if Rowan didn't." Ignatius nodded uncomfortably.

"And that wasn't even the dirtiest trick he pulled. Who plants explosives in the street when they're fighting someone two layers beneath them?" Ignatius did. Ignatius, and Fross's other apprentices, had planted the talismans in the street. His hands shook.

"What's wrong?" Pia asked.

"It was me!" Ignatius blurted quietly.

"I did it. Fross made me and his other disciples set traps in the street before his duel with Rowan. I- I didn't want to. I knew it was wrong. Dishonorable. But… I did it anyway. I- I can't tell an inner disciple no." Ignatius shook his head, and looked down at his hands. He didn't want to see the look of disgust Pia was surely giving him.

"I'm sure Rowan knows," Ignatius continued.

"He doesn't seem like he wants to kill me for it, but everyone knows how cultivators deal with their enemies."

"You're being ridiculous," said Pia, in the most reassuring tone he'd ever heard from her.

"If he somehow knew you planted the talismans, he would know that you didn't have a choice. If you'd refused, Fross would've just planted them himself." Ignatius wished he could believe her.

"Speaking of talismans," Pia said, reaching into her spatial storage pouch. After a few seconds, she pulled out a familiar golden talisman.

"Remember when we tried to get Rowan to come along with us to the Wilds, and he said no?" Ignatius nodded. It was the talisman that Rowan had given them, a signal flare, in case they encountered trouble in the Wilds. The talisman was worth at least a quarter of a spirit stone. Even though they should've given it back to him after they returned to the sect, none of them wanted to, not even Lavinia. Their excuse had been that they would need it in the near future for their next trip to the Wilds.

Ignatius had envied Pia for being the one to keep hold of it. Though, he never voiced his objections out loud.

"Give this back to Rowan," said Pia, pushing it into his hands and closing his fingers over the talisman.

"He's an upstanding daoist. And a hero of the sect. Just talk to him like you talk to all the other cultivators in your family. He'll see that you're honest and loyal - nothing like Barrett Fross." Ignatius's brows pinched together as he worried over Pia's logic. Maybe she was right. Rowan wasn't unreasonable. He had to realize, like everyone else, that Ignatius had no choice in the team leader he'd been assigned.

He slipped the talisman into his sleeve with trembling fingers, resolving to do the right thing and return the talisman the next time he saw Rowan.