3seed

Fate's Attendant 1.12

Added 2025-08-11 21:35:20 +0000 UTC

The next morning, Yu Yong showed up at Hong Fei’s door with a righteous expression on his face. The boy also had his sister and both their companions in tow.

All of them had been speaking excitedly, and Hong Fei had heard them coming well before their arrival. He’d had more than enough time to stow the bowls of empty rice porridge in his courtyard’s kitchen.

“Chen Wenbin said yes,” Yu Yong proudly proclaimed from the doorway.

“We’ve all gotten permission,” Chen Zhengyi said, “and we’ve come to escort you to the training hall.”

“It’s to make sure you don’t run away,” Mei Hua added helpfully.

Yu Ning’s ears turned pink in embarrassment at the antics of her brother and friends, but she didn’t back off, doggedly sticking close so that she would be included.

Hong Fei wiped his hands and looked over the gathered youths. He’d already observed how they were inclined to move, as well as heard the steward’s report about their current training regimen. Showing up at his courtyard was a surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t have been with how hot Yu Yong’s temper ran. If there ever was a boy firmly on the path to fire-aligned qi, it was him.

“All right then,” Hong Fei said, moving to sit on the bench below the cherry tree. “Make yourselves comfortable, and we’ll begin.”

The youths looked at each other, and wordlessly agreed for Yu Yong to represent them. “Here?”

“That was the implication, wasn’t it?” Hong Fei replied.

Yu Yong sought clarification: “We’re not going to the training hall, and instead you want us to sit on the ground?”

“Next time you can bring cushions,” Hong Fei suggested.

“You’re not going to lecture us, are you?” Mei Hua asked, looking worried.

Hong Fei sighed at the girl. “A teacher needs to know the students, and the students must learn of their teacher. How else are they going to find the way forward together?”

Yu Ning asked, “Is that how you learned the sword?”

“A good question!” Hong Fei replied. “The answer is most definitely yes. My teachers were my parents and my older siblings, so of course we knew each other well. One might even say too well for how easily they goaded me into striving to greater heights.”

Mei Hua was clever, and she was the first to catch on. “There was a lot of goading in how you were taught. In how you yourself teach…”

Hong Fei smiled—the innocent one he used on first meeting new troops.

The youths were fooled by that smile and brushed aside the cherry petals to sit on the cold stone. It was a novel experience, at least, and they seemed to take it as a promising sign that other interesting things would eventually follow.

Hong Fei almost felt bad for them. “Let’s begin by reviewing the state of your cultivation. The duke tells me that all of you are at the mid-realm of Qi Gathering. You have a grounding in the army’s martial arts, as well as your own family styles.”

Mei Hua raised her hand, then yelled, “That’s correct!” Her voice was louder than one would expect from such a slight body.

“What are you doing?” Hong Fei asked, taken aback.

“Doesn’t everyone bellow in the army?” she yelled.

Hong Fei resisted the urge to sigh and pointed out, “But you’re not in the army.”

“Oh,” Mei Hua said, disappointed.

Before anyone else could interrupt with another ridiculous notion, he asked the group. “Tell me… how was the experience in the Body-Forged realm to you?”

The youths looked at each other again, and this time Yu Ning was chosen to respond. “Fine? The exercises and breathing techniques were hard at first, but they eventually grew familiar. Everyone who wants to cultivate must temper their bodies in preparation, so there was no avoiding it.” She paused to consider if there was point hidden behind the question. “The realm is a struggle for those without resources, but our house could afford the medicines and treasures that eased the way to Qi Gathering.”

“Were there any problems activating the first cauldron and storing essence within it?” Hong Fei asked.

His question was met with all of them shaking their heads. They’d apparently ascended through the realm of blood and sweat with ease.

“Now that you’re at Qi Gathering, you’ve been steadily transforming your essence into unshaped qi. Your lower cauldrons ought to be full, is that correct?”

His question was met with nods.

“None of you feel a swelling in the lower cauldron, or a sense urgency to move qi to the middle one?”

Hong Fei examined each face carefully as they reported no issues with the state of their cultivation. None of them appeared to be lying.

“Good, good,” he said. “You’ve likely heard the warning countless times before, but do not under any circumstances attempt the climb to Qi Blossoming without the house’s backing.”

Mei Hua raised her hand and using her normal voice asked, “Is it really so hard?”

Hong Fei leaned against the tree’s trunk. “I’ve seen too many promising warriors die when the proper resources might’ve seen them finish the climb. The worst is when they try to ascend in secret, fooled by the thought hard work alone will be enough to see them through. The world is unfortunately crueler than that.”

“We know,” Yu Yong said pointedly, and the others made noises of agreement.

“Yes, I imagine so,” Hong Fei said.

The youths believed the duke to be in seclusion, and that if he didn’t achieve a breakthrough, he would die.

“Let’s talk about the path ahead,” Hong Fei continued. “Qi Blossoming is described as ‘gathering the hundred spirits in one furnace.’ It’s where the middle cauldron is ignited, and the unshaped qi you’ve gathered will be given its aspect, of which there are five: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. You should, by this point, know the elemental alignment that will be yours.”

Yu Yong raised his hand. “Fire.”

Yu Ning was next. “Earth.”

Mei Hua’s answer was: “Water.”

And finally, Chen Zhengyi answered, “Metal.”

“All of you have different affinities. That’s surprising.” Hong Fei rubbed his chin, thinking. “I will once again probably be repeating information you already know, but too many young warriors misunderstand the nature of these alignments. They describe personalities and processes, not the actual forces of nature.”

“Fire is heat, passion, and explosive power,” Yu Yong said proudly.

“And metal is sharpness, order, and cold,” Chen Zhengyi said.

Yu Ning said, “Earth is stability, nourishment, and barriers.”

Mei Hua spoke like she’d said the words a hundred times before: “Water is flow, concealment, and depth.”

Hong Fei nodded. This information had likely been drilled into them from a young age. The fact that they were willing to sit through it again spoke well of them.

“Very good,” he said. “Both earth and metal offer structure, but the first is supportive, while the second is intrusive. All things being equal, two fighters of these elements would find themselves at a stalemate. The same would be true of those aligned with fire and water. The fire’s powerful blows would become lost in the water’s subtle movements, while the water’s attacks would find difficulty entering into the fire’s vigorous movements.”

“Most martial styles,” Hong Fei continued, “include forms for all the elements, especially those meant for many people to study, like the one belonging to the imperial army. Others are more specialized; family styles are often that way.”

The lecture continued: “Once you step into the Qi Blossoming realm, your strengths will begin to accumulate around these characteristic aspects of your elements. The proliferation of elemental qi also opens the realm to spells and magic. By the time you reach the Essence Body realm, that elemental qi will have suffused you. The power, the speed, the solidity, and the subtlety—they will reach levels the Dustborn can only dream of.”

“After that is the Refining Spirit realm,” Yu Ning whispered. “Where the soul transforms and brings the cultivator into even deeper union with their element.”

“It’s the realm my grandfather failed to reach,” Yu Yong added.

“That’s right,” Hong Fei said gently. “Time is limited when the cultivator starts the climb from the mid-realm to the next realm. Take too long and the cauldrons crack, the energies run amok, and if one is lucky, they die. If not, they enter a demonic state.”

“Have you ever fought a demonic cultivator?” Mei Hua asked, forgetting to raise her hand.

Hong Fei nodded, his heart racing at the memories. “The Askalousans make a habit of gathering them up and letting them loose on the battlefield. Well away from their own people, of course.”

“That must’ve been difficult,” Yu Ning said.

“What are you saying? They would’ve been smashed by the People’s superior tactics and cultivation,” Yu Yong objected.

“Don’t underestimate those who aren’t the People,” Hong Fei chided. “They may be barbarians, but they also have their own ways to grow strong and develop their societies.”

“You sound like you’re fond of them,” Chen Zhengyi said, sneering.

Hong Fei thought back to the parleys with the Askalousans’ war leaders. They’d drank tea together, discussed the beauty of horses, and played chess before the negotiations had begun. If not for the deadly fighting between them, the experience would’ve been pleasant.

“Fond, no.” Hong Fei shook his head. “But I respect the Askalousans. They are quick of mind and stout of heart. Their grasp of strategy and their efficiency in moving themselves and their supplies across the steppe is unmatched.”

“You say that even though they killed your troops?” Yu Yong asked, confused by the contradiction.

Hong Fei nodded. “I do, and they would say the same. How many of their warriors have I killed? Yet they treated me with respect. The way they intended to kill me is reserved for only their greatest foes. I was meant to be a sacrifice to their Sky Father, the god they worship.”

The youths sighed together, as if hearing the conclusion to a good story.

“Who is stronger, you or our xiàowèi?” Chen Zhengyi asked.

“Chen Wenbin is no doubt stronger,” Hong Fei said plainly.

“But your sword…” Yu Yong objected.

Hong Fei put a hand on Fortune’s Favor and pulled the scabbard onto his lap. “True, my skills are likely sharper, but I estimate him to be at the Qi Blossoming mid-realm. The gap between us is too wide to cross with skills alone.”

“So what realm are you?” Mei Hua asked. “I sense Body-Forged, but that can’t be right.”

“A dūtóu has to be at Qi Gathering; that’s the law,” Yu Ning pointed out.

“You are both correct,” Hong Fei said. “My cultivation has fallen because of my injuries.”

“So I should’ve beat you!” Chen Zhengyi blurted.

“If one only looks at realm, then yes,” Hong Fei explained. “But at the lower realms, the gaps can be crossed, especially if there exist disparities between skill levels and the solidity of foundations. Q i is more powerful and more flexible than essence, yet I was able to overwhelm you without either. That was your lack of experience affecting you. What would you do next time now that you know that?”

“Bring my qi into play from the beginning, then I’d give you a punch in the face.” Chen Zhengyi made a fist with one hand and hit the other with it. The silly boy actually infused qi into the punch, so the courtyard echoed with the sound of flesh against flesh. He did his best not wince.

And Hong Fei did his best not grin in amusement.

###

After the lesson, Hong Fei’s mirth faded. The memories he’d conjured earlier lingered, and he found himself recalling the tang of the fermented goat milk the Askalousans used to doctor their tea; the wild cries of the demons let loose, as well as his troop’s desperate efforts to drive them toward the imperial army’s Qi Blossoming cultivators; and the impossibly huge sky above him as his elbows were smashed with hammers. The shaman had pierced his hands with needles, draining the qi out of him like a pig being bled before butchering.

Everything he’d told the youths was true. He respected the Askalousans. He also hated them for everything they’d done.

Caught by the memories, Hong Fei hardly noticed when Auntie Ling came out to sit by him, the cherry petals falling around them both.

ToC | Next Chapter >

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