Chương 17: Master Wan's Gambit

Master Wan, Hao, and Xing Jia all sat around a distant campfire a ways off from the encircled wagons where the rest of the caravan set up for the night. Winds howled across the Lonely Plains, carrying with them an unearthly chill which seemed to cut Hao to the bone. They'd cut north from Verdant Plains Town, skirting within a few hundred miles of the Four Winds border.

Close enough that the caravan was constantly uneasy, twitching at every gust, with quite a few of the mortals sending Master Wan skeptical looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Tales of greedy Four Winds raiding parties had spread through the caravan in the form of fearful whispers. Stupid of a mortal to think they could catch a Ruminator off guard, but Master Wan was more generous than most true cultivators. Master Bolin would've taken an eye for doubting him. Two if he was feeling spiteful.

But at least it meant that Hao could show off his hard-earned gains to Master Wan unbothered. None of the mortal caravaneers dared leave the protective confines of the encircled wagons. Formations shielded them from any ambush.

"This is what I took from the Grey Hilt Bandits. Not a bad haul, eh?" Hao waved his hands over assorted items from Xia's hoard. He was willing to trade most with Master Wan, on top of providing a few choice items free of charge. There were some things that the Warden-Errant could put to far better use than Hao could. His eyes widened as Xing Jia zeroed in on some 'choice' items.

"Uh, Sister Xing, I wouldn't touch those—""What's this?" Xing Jia's eyes narrowed as she inspected a few of Xia's shiny black oblong totems. She turned green as she picked out that each was shaped of male and female figures intimately bound together. Combined with their phallic shape and length, it took little time for Xing Jia to turn to Hao, aghast." Brother Xiao!"

"They're not mine!" Hao protested as Xing Jia leaned back as if she'd been struck. She avoided Xia's 'personal items' as if they were laced with poison. Which they very well might be, actually, given Xia's alchemical stockpiles.

"They're not technically heretical, either, so I kept them. I threw away the really gross one. Those could be valuable, right?" Hao sent a pleading look at Master Wan, who shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Brother Xiao. They're made of Thrice Fire-Forged Glass. Mortal items, albeit rather well-made. Not even worth a low-grade spirit stone." He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Damn it all! I've kept those in my storage ring for a week now. You mean to tell me I hauled Xia's… fertility instruments across the Lonely Plains for nothing?" Master Wan offered Hao a solemn nod.

"I should've done worse than piss on her ashes," Hao groused, instantly returning the totems back into his storage ring. He didn't want to touch them, and he didn't want to put them in his campfire. He'd burn them another day when he didn't have to stick around the fumes.

"Well, what about these pills? I used a few on the way to Verdant Plains Town. They're garbage except to refill my unrefined qi, but your Calcinators may be able to make use of them."

"Qi-Refining Pills, Nine Night Bloom Pills, Blood Regeneration…" Xing Jia muttered, glancing over the collection that Hao laid out. Master Wan had already traded for Xia's pharmaceuticals, curling his lip at the sight of the hallucinogens and anesthetics. Hao kept the Lover's Delight for himself.

"All low quality, but the quantity is exceptional. Was your heretic raising an army?"

"She's not my heretic," Hao scoffed.

"I wondered that myself, actually. There's always the possibility that Xia pillaged some caravan intended for a low sect, but it seems…intentional. She was sacrificing cultivators for her artifact. I wonder if she might have been fattening up her own men. Master Wan, you said that the artifact was likely intended for other locations, yes?" Master Wan nodded.

"On the rare occasions that a heretic eludes a Warden-Errant or the local sects, we often see them reappear in regions with higher qi concentrations to continue growing their strength." Hao frowned, ignoring Xing Jia as she catalogued the collection of pills. Hopefully Master Wan would trade something decent for them.

"Qi is antithetical to sorcery, isn't it? I wondered about that after fighting Xia. How did her sacrifices strengthen the Grey Hilt?" Master Wan didn't correct Hao granting the Grey Hilt a name for once. His expression darkened.

"Sorcery is parasitic to our realm. The fingers of alien worlds extend into our own, grasping for purchase. Qi rejects them, but it's a source of power all the same. Entities born of the Dark World anchor themselves in corrupted yin qi, granting them a foothold in the material, but to grow they must further crack the veil between realms. There are sorceries which allow them to devour qi and both strengthen and expand their earthly vessels."

"So the sacrifices widen the gap," Hao surmised. His brow furrowed as he considered Master Wan's explanation.

"Does that mean we're only seeing a shadow of the abominations? Was the Grey Hilt growing, or simply gaining access to more of its innate power?" Master Wan's eyes brightened.

"What we perceive as artifacts are merely the protrusions of the Dark. Manifestations of their influence. By consuming of our world, they can extend their own reach."

"Heresy begets heresy," Xing Jia said in disgust, shaking her head. She waved her hand over the assortment of pills she'd been cataloguing.

"Our Juniors will make good of this, Master Wan. Sister Mei and Brother Shang are almost ready to condense their first droplet of distilled qi. I believe we can strengthen the foundations of several others before we make it to Sun Wall City."

"Excellent!" Master Wan clapped his hands together.

"Add that to the trade pile. The children are always so impatient to grow. They've had time enough to strengthen their current foundation. Expanding it a little earlier than planned won't hurt." Hao grinned as the pile of objects that Master Wan was willing to pay for steadily grew: the pills were the centerpiece, but he'd been interested in the spirit meat jerky for Xing Jia, as well as two of Hao's piecemeal cultivation manuals.

The White Surging Current which he'd taken from Yuchen immediately attracted interest, as did the The Way of the Ashen Vessel.

"This is barely worth the scroll it's written upon, but a few of the Lonely Plains sects might be interested. It's somewhat useful for developing an initial control over a Ruminator's spirit," Master Wan declared." The White Surging Current is good, solid work. Hand-to-hand techniques, an excellent cultivation art for advancing beyond Integration, and a few spear arts as well. I'm surprised you're willing to part with this, Brother Xiao." Hao shrugged.

"I've taken what I need from it." The White Surging Current was high-quality, one of the customary Cheng Clan Arts which had been adopted by the White Rivers Sect, but it was largely incompatible with Hao's techniques and strong fire affinity.

"It might as well see some use elsewhere." Plus, Hao relished the thought of one of the White Rivers' sacred manuals spreading throughout the world. Exclusivity lent power. Spreading the basic foundations of the White Surging Current would be more a thorn in the White Rivers' side than any angry Distillator.

"Perhaps the Last Glacier Sect might appreciate it," Master Wan said, stroking his chin.

"They're hungry for knowledge, particularly for manuals to complement their rudimentary library. Otherwise, the Azure Tigers…"

"Sister Mei might make use of it in the meantime," Xing Jia chimed in.

"Her wood affinity might syncretize well with the minor yang bent of the texts. Though the Sunray doesn't work so well with the White Surging Current's emphasis on flowing motions." Master Wan nodded. Hao watched them hungrily, caught off guard by Master Wan actually considering Xing Jia's contribution. She was only the apprentice, but he gave her words genuine attention. It was bizarre.

They debated for a while before Hao drew their attention to the small pile of inscripted jade tablets which the Grey Hilt Bandits had used as communications tablets.

"Would you be interested in these? I experimented with them a bit. Basic to use, unsurprisingly. Xia's group was mostly trash. Even a Filtrator could supply enough qi to activate the inscriptions."

"Low-quality, but better than trash," Master Wan agreed.

"I don't mind the tablets being largely disposable. It's preferable to using high-quality tools in heretical environments. Why, you wouldn't believe just how much we spend on maintenance of our supplies!" He shook his head.

"Your bandits were rather well-equipped, Brother Xiao."

"Again, they're not my bandits," Hao replied.

"They had a successful operation, largely driven by the flood of refugees fleeing the Four Winds. Xia was no slouch, either. A half-rate Distillator is a force to be reckoned with in the Lonely Plains, even without her sorcery." He looked consideringly at Master Wan.

"I do wonder just how quickly an Acolyte would have dealt with her." Xia had been a costly fight for Hao, draining him of a good seven drops of distilled qi. Her treasures had been helpful in regenerating the precious liquid qi, but Hao hadn't fully recovered yet. He was waiting until they made it into the Blue Night Mountains before rebuilding his advancement foundation. The higher energy concentrations there would smooth his journey and prevent waste from leakage.

"The Sunstruck Dragon Form would make it a simple affair," Master Wan said, inclining his head to Hao.

"Neophyte-grade sorcerers are stumbling infants, unused to true resistance. Their sorceries would break upon me." Hao frowned, recalling just how troublesome Xia's arcane powers had proven for him.

"What exactly is the Sunstruck Dragon Form? My old master described it as the ultimate Yang Distilled Form: quick, precise, and deadly. My Wildfire is supposed to be highly compatible with it." That earned a deep frown from Master Wan.

"Your previous master is well-informed."

"I know he's been to the Dark World," Hao said, shuddering at the memories of some of those stories. Even Master Bolin didn't tell tales of the Dark World lightly.

"He served in the White Rivers contingent in Sun Wall City for some time." Master Wan's eyes glimmered. He grunted, then turned toward the firelight.

"Hmph. There's little I can tell one who hasn't undergone their Trials, but I can say this: to embrace the Sunstruck Dragon Form is to fill your veins with gold, to stand closer to the Emperor than any other. A powerful transformation, though fickle." Something flickered across Master Wan's tanned face. He stared deeply into the flame, turning silent. Xing Jia lowered her head.

"A Distilled Form like that…it must have a proper catalyst, yes?" Hao prodded. Generally, the Concept one modeled their path on from the time of Calcination guided their transformation into a Ruminator. Sparking the adoption of a divergent Distilled Form was fairly common, but it did require specific environments or resources to achieve.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to share what that may be?"

"No." Hao blinked at the flat refusal. He hadn't expected a true answer, but Master Wan was generally happy to wax on about most topics, even if he couldn't share certain details about the Acolytes. It was one of the things that Hao appreciated after so long with nothing but his own voice for company. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Apologies, Brother Xiao," Master Wan spoke up after a few silent moments. A cold gust swept through the fields, earning a scowl from the Ruminator.

"I'm proving a poor host, aren't I? I seem to have forgotten myself. Forgive an old man for his lapse."

"Is there anything else you wish to survey, Master Wan?" Xing Jia asked, looking doubtfully at the large pile that they'd already claimed.

"Brother Xiao will be walking away from this campfire as a rich Distillator nonetheless."

"I don't have any other wares to share, but I did want to give you these," Hao said, grimacing as he manifested the jade box full of encrypted orders which Xia had stored away. The night darkened around them as the taint of sorcery. Light, but foul. Even the flames reacted, shuddering, writhing as if alive.

"Xia had these stuffed in her storage ring. I didn't dare touch them—""A wise decision," Master Wan said, swiftly taking the box from Hao. He swiftly muttered a prayer to the Emperor over the box. Golden sparks flashed from his fingers as he wove some sort of protective shroud around it, sealing away its heretical presence. The world came alive again, as if inhaling after holding its breath.

"Thank you, Brother Xiao. I'll examine these later. My superior will be able to decrypt what I cannot." Hao nodded. He'd traded away most of Xia's hoard, though he'd kept a few choice items: the mortal weapons which he could use in place of the Cheng Spear, the Stone Draught which would enhance the stability of his energy channels as he prepared for his ascension, and a few particular concotions from Xia's pharmaceutical collection.

You never knew when you needed to drug an enemy with enough hallucinogens to melt their brain. Had Hao found an opportunity for such a tactic yet? Not quite. But perhaps that would be a fitting punishment to Yuchen for chasing him across the Lonely Plains… Yuchen's presence was never far, though he must have detected Master Wan and chosen against rushing their confrontation. The Cheng bastard was fully caught up now, lurking only a few dozen miles back. Nothing for a Ruminator to cross.

Now all Hao had to do was find a way to force their confrontation, preferably in a way that didn't send his newfound relationship with Master Wan up in flames. He'd have to fill the Acolyte in soon.

"Now, about my payment!" Hao grinned over at Master Wan.

"You mention a Sunfire Pill, yes? I'd also like to examine that Four Souls Warding Talisman you showed me earlier." After facing Yuchen, Hao ached for the defensive potential of a Ruminator's aura. It had stymied him at every turn. The Warding Talisman could help supplement his poor defenses even before his ascension.

"Oh, and that Dawn Lord Spear Art—""Junior Xing, go retrieve the items we discussed earlier," Master Wan directed at his student, who leapt to carry out his commands. When she left, he motioned at Hao's storage ring.

"Manifest your spear." Wary of the sudden intensity in Master Wan's gaze, Hao did just that. The weight of the Cheng Spear settled upon his lap. The great heavenly jade spear tip shone beautifully in the firelight, seeming to come alive with streaks of glinting emerald and gold.

"Your gift to the Acolytes is much appreciated," Master Wan said, rapping his knuckles against the cursed jade box that Hao had given to him.

"And so I shall give you a gift in turn." Hao arched an eyebrow at Master Wan. He clutched the Cheng Spear protectively.

"A fine weapon, truly," Master Wan said, admiring the Cheng Spear.

"It's accepted your hand. But you don't know what you wield, Brother Xiao. You don't have a Ruminator's eyes just yet." Hao stiffened. His fingers tightened around the spear as Master Wan's aura flickered over them. The Cheng Spear twitched in his hand. So mething shifting within. An awareness, perhaps, or a will. The same odd sensation of hunger filled his gut as when he'd slain Xia and the Grey Hilt.

"What do you know about the Cheng Spear?" Hao asked, regarding Master Wan with more than a little suspicion.

"Ah, so that's where you found such a princely weapon. I'd wondered," Master Wan said, shaking his head ruefully.

"Even I know the Cheng Clan's reputation in West Lake City. I suppose we should keep our eyes peeled for their agents, eh? It's no wonder you've fled so far west."

"Just one idiot Ruminator to worry about," Hao grunted.

"It's a long story."

"One I'm quite interested to hear," Master Wan said, though he didn't seem overly worried. No doubt his status as an Acolyte protected him from petty clan feuds.

"To cultivate is to grow oneself. You must walk the path yourself, but let me help you take the first step: learn to listen."

"Learn to listen?" Hao blinked, supremely unimpressed with Master Wan's 'wisdom'.

"I believe I'm doing that right this moment." Master Wan chuckled.

"Not to me." The Ruminator lowered his eyes to the Cheng Spear laying across Hao's lap.

"To that." The caravan pressed to the northwest over the next few days, breaking away from the Lonely Road which led to the Blue Night Mountains. Master Wan was tightlipped about the change, only saying that they had business to attend to. His pupils were swift to quiet any sounds of discontentment. They were gentler with the frightened mortals than Hao would have been.

Even the cultivators grew concerned as Master Wan guided them off their standard route, taking them alongside some of the lesser used roads which led to the fortress-cities on the Four Winds border. Those doubts only waxes as the wind grew more and more unforgiving. They swept south into Sunbeam and beat down upon the Lonely Plains like a lash. Morning dew frosted over. Golden grasses lost their luster. Mortals wrapped themselves in winter cloaks.

Hao knew from whispers in the White Rivers that the Emperor had commanded the vast majority of Sunbeam's forces to the northern border along the Corelands, securing the empire's most valuable provinces from the Four Winds Emperor's hungry gaze. Master Bolin and many other White Rivers Elders heeded the Emperor's call alongside the rest of the Great Nine. There just wasn't much worth fighting for in a qi desert.

Master Wan had made mention of a North Point Fortress averting a great Four Winds host from striding southwards into the Lonely Plains, though skirmishes erupted regularly through raiding parties on both sides. But the Emperors clashed with more than armies. An irrelevant province like the Lonely Plains might be spared the attention of great cultivators, but it was still caught between two divinities. The absence of the Four Winds' legions didn't mean there was no danger to be had.

It was that threat which kept the cultivators up at night. And when cultivators grew anxious, there was one tried and true outlet for those nerves: sparring.

"Give him a good wallop, Senior Xing!"

"Don't hit Cultivator Xiao in the face, though. He's pretty!" Hao fought back a laugh as he and Xing Jia separated from their brief exchange of pointers. She was swift and graceful, flowing like a rushing river before spiking her qi at critical moments to transform into a deadly torrent. Xing Jia circled him, blade raised in anticipation, catching the morning sun upon its bright edge.

"Perhaps too pretty, Junior Mei. A scar or too might keep him from distracting you during your cultivation exercises. Your concentration has been abysmal the last few days." A few mortal onlookers laughed, clapping their hands as Mei flushed. It was a rare bit of levity amongst the merchants as they strayed further and further north. Vicious gusts of wind pounded upon them day and night now. The sun seemed duller with every step they took towards the Four Winds border.

"Or it might make me even more dashing," Hao called out, grinning as one of Sister Mei's fellow apprentices whispered something to her that made her bury her face in her hands.

"Give it a try, Sister Xing. Will it be your Riptide Torrent this time, or will you try the Stone-Splitting Jet again?" Xing Jia adopted a new form, slowly shifting to raise her sword higher. Hao would've taken the opportunity to punch his spear through her throat in a real fight, but he just waited patiently now. There was no reason not to let the prickly Sister Xing show off for her juniors.

"Surely not…" Sister Mei squeaked. She still covered her face, but peeked through the cracks of her fingers to watch the two Distillators exchange pointers.

"Sister Xing, you can't! Not the Four-Pronged River Surge. This is just practice!"

"Cultivator Xiao is always boasting around the campfire. I am generous enough to let him back his words up with action."

"Too kind, Sister Xing!" Hao laughed, spinning his mundane spear in a blur of motion to impress their mortal audience. A few tiny children shrieked as he spat a little puff of fire from its tip, though he couldn't channel much power at all through the weapon compared to the Cheng Spear. That had spoiled him forever, Hao thought, even if the Cheng Spear hadn't yet yielded its secrets to him.

"Go on, then. Show me what Master Wan's greatest pupil can—" They all froze as a bitter wind roared through the clearing, chilling them to the bone. Mortals shrieked as another gale swept across the caravan, battering the wagons. Hoarfrost crept along the stalks of the endless golden grasses, coating them in a pale crust. Mothers hugged their children close to shield them from the cruel elements. The sun burned overhead, but the usual infusing warmth numbed, as if a great cloud had veiled them from the bright rays.

Hao shuddered, stunned for a moment, like a child whose blanket was ripped away on a winter morning. He'd spent his entire life swaddled in the Sunbeam Emperor's nurturing radiance. He and his father had roamed far and wide across Western Reaches, but they'd never left the Empire. For just an instant, Hao felt the touch of another: imperious, cold, and wild in their whims. The world turned frigid and cruel, scraped bare of mercy and other such frivolities.

Winds raged, sweeping away the Sunbeam Emperor's comfort, and Hao feared the dread moment had finally come. Had the Emperors finally risen from their thrones? Was today the end of their world? Then the sun's warmth returned, searing away the gelid incursion as the Sunbeam Emperor's influence returned. They were further spared from the North Wind's harsh howls as Master Wan's spiritual presence swept over them, blazing like a beacon and shielding them from the distant breath of a cruel Emperor.

Master Wan carved out a little pocket of light and warmth as the prairie around them frosted over. But not for long. Such resistance didn't go unnoticed.

"What is that?" Hao squinted up at the distant clouds far to the north, still shivering until his Wildfire flared back to life. Something detached from the great bank of grey clouds, tiny from this distance but undeniably large. It vaguely resembled a thin, flat stormfront.

"Master Wan!" The small cloud suddenly surged forward as if driven by a great gale. Hao replaced his mortal weapon with the Cheng Spear, allowing the Wildfire to billow into existence as the cloud—a ship, he realized dumbly, catching sight of a wooden hull riding upon the cloud's swirling surface—shot closer. Sunlight seemed to gnaw at the edges of the cloud, steadily burning its support away.

It reminded Hao of the way that the Emperor's light seared away the Grey Hilt's power, although he couldn't detect a hint of sorcery from the cloudship. Only cold, crisp air like that which sank from a mountaintop.

"The Four Winds!" Hao bellowed as realization struck.

"To arms!" Twelve figures dropped from the ship and sailed through the air. They were only distant specks, but Hao's eyes widened as cloudy wings flared outwards from them as they fell, allowing the cultivators to control their path. Only the lead cultivator seemed able to fly rather than glide. His wings were more substantial than the rest, appearing almost solid. A great spiritual pressure erupted from the leader, pounding upon the Lonely Plains like the blow of a hammer.

Mortals collapsed beneath the weight until Master Wan's aura cleaved apart the spiritual pressure like a sunbeam peaking through the clouds.

"Finally!" Master Wan murmured, drifting over to stand between Hao and Xing Jia. His hand remained on his sword's hilt.

"I thought they'd never notice us. To the wagons! Active the defensive formations—I will not allow them to touch you. Remain hidden while we clean up this Four Winds trash!" Mortals scrambled into their house-wagons as another cruel gale swept through, scraping Hao's warmth bare. He gritted his teeth, bearing the wind's lash as the Calcinators frantically gathered around Master Wan, barraging the Ruminator with questions. The clamor was cut off by a thunderous boom which rattled the caravan like thunder.

The Four Winds warband soared closer.

"Free Gale!" They chanted, following closely behind their leader until they were practically on top of the caravan. The warband split into pairs and encircled the clustered wagons, though they couldn't fly directly above thanks to Master Wan's defensive formations.

"Free Gale!" A bow carved from the horn of some terrible creature appeared in their leader's hands. He had a cruel face and eyes well-suited for looking down upon the world. His long black hair billowed freely behind him as the wind swept through it. The man sneered down at them.

"Bow to this Free Gale, earthbound scum! The Emperor of the Four Winds has claimed these lands. Swear yourself to His service, or I will flay the flesh from your bones!" Master Wan spit upon the grass.

"Ah, Free Gale! I hoped it would be you. Caravan after caravan has told stories of your cruelty. You'd have already been squished like the ant you are in kinder days. Let me correct the Army's mistake." Given the Ruminator's attitude, Hao leveled the Cheng Spear at one of the cultivators gliding near Free Gale and spat a thin column of raging flame which punched a hole through the warrior's cloudy wing, sending him spiraling down to the plains below.

The warband howled their fury, though proved more disciplined than Hao had expected. They didn't attack just yet. Free Gale's eyes gleamed." Good. I prefer my prey to show some spine!" Free Gale roared.

"Paint the Lonely Plains red with Sunbeam blood. Kill them all!"