I walked through the narrow, unkempt dirt road running through the middle of Green Brook. It was a small village, barely more than a few shoddy houses and fields.

  Despite their rather rudimentary quality of life, the people I saw strolling about had smiles on their faces and shouted out warm greetings as I passed. I wondered what it would be like to return to a life like this.

  I’d never had the choice.

  From the moment I arrived in this world I had been forced into the brutal world of cultivators and had to fight for my life. Leaving the Cloudy Falls Sect and Three River City behind had given me a little more freedom, but danger still surrounded us.

  I had three goals for my trip outside the sect. The first was obtaining a talent stone. Not only would this let me appraise Xiao Cui’s spirit roots, but it would help us better judge potential new recruits.

  Wang Ren told me it was an essential item for any sect. Which made me wonder why the idiot hadn’t bought one himself when he’d gone travelling…

  There wouldn’t be anyone selling a talent stone in Green Brook. They probably didn’t sell anything here, except crops to the nearby city.

  I didn’t stay for long, but I had a spring in my step when I left the village. They’d been friendly and seemed to have a peaceful way of life.

  That boded well for the surrounding territories. I remembered the underlying fear that the villagers in Nine Paddy had. Living under a city lord like Teng Shi wasn’t easy.

  Although a large part of that was likely down to the corrupt councillor Gao working underneath him. Good riddance.

  My next stop was North Peak Town. That was the home of the Li Clan. Before making any moves on the headless Azure Tigers or contacting the Golden Leaf Consortium I wanted to go over their heads.

  Wang Ren had told me the Li Clan might be fanning the flames of conflict and profiting from the clash between the other two forces. The fisherman profits when the sandpiper fights the clam.

  North Peak was surrounded by a high wall, made of large stone bricks. In each of the cardinal directions there was a towering iron gate with watchtowers on either side. I approached from the East, the closest gate to Million Flowers Celestial Peak.

  I managed to get within ten paces of the gate when a guard in the left tower called out to me. “Halt, state your business!”

  I put on an amicable smile and clasped my forearms as I looked up at the man. He had a round face and messy hair—not the appearance one would expect of a highly trained guard.

  However, I wasn’t here to throw my weight around but simply to pay a visit to the clan and figure out what they wanted. I should begin with friendly intentions.

  “I recently moved into the area and heard of the Li Clan’s prowess in formations. I wished to meet with your patriarch and share a cup of tea,” I declared.

  Anyone with half a brain could read into my intentions, but who knew whether the guards at the gate would be smart enough… At the very least, I only needed to enter the town.

  While the Li Clan nominally controlled it, there were still mortals who lived there. A clan like this had many mortal members and even the Body Tempering and Early Qi Gathering cultivators had to eat.

  The guard stared at me intensely. I felt his qi probing at mine, but I rebuffed it with ease. I didn’t push back however, as that could be taken as an insult.

  His expression stiffened when I brushed off his qi without breaking a sweat. “Wait there. The third elder will escort you to the central manor,” he replied, looking up and to the right.

  Qi communication?

  Whatever the case, I had been shunted up the chain of command rather fast. I didn’t take a step forward yet, not wanting to scare the guards whose eyes were glued to my figure.

  It took around the time for an incense stick to burn before the gates groaned and slowly opened, swinging outwards. Smart design. Easier to pull shut against any attackers.

  A man dressed in earthy green robes decorated with swirling lines of silver stepped out once the gates were fully drawn apart. His arms were clasped and he gave me a martial salute and a shallow bow.

  “Third Elder Li Wei greets you. What might this one call Senior?” he intoned formally, his gaze locking onto mine as he raised his head.

  Unlike the guards, he didn’t attempt to probe me with his qi. Given his term of address, he already knew I had a greater cultivation than him.

  A single glance was enough to tell me that he was only a three-star Qi Gathering cultivator. Yet he was the third elder?

  I had to assume the other two elders and the patriarch were far stronger than this man. Wang Ren told me the Li Clan was the most powerful force in the area, but that made no sense if this fellow was in their top five cultivators.

  Then again, they were formation specialists. Perhaps that allowed them to close the gap a little. I would find out soon enough.

  “This one’s name is Zhao Dan. I recently established myself on a nearby mountain with some of my companions,” I replied, not wanting to give too much away just yet.

  “I see. Welcome to North Peak Town, Senior Zhao. I regret to inform you that the patriarch is currently indisposed, but us Elders would be willing to have a conversation, if that suits you?” he said, turning around and beckoning for me to follow after him with a flick of his sleeve.

  As I passed through the gate, I felt a thin web of spiritual energy for a breath. No doubt some sort of security formation. I was tempted to try and push it, but perhaps that would be a stupid risk.

  I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or if this was needless posturing to establish their dominance over me as the foremost local power. I didn’t care.

  I could take the measure of the Li Clan by meeting their elders or their patriarch. In fact, meeting without him might allow me to control the flow of conversation better and learn information I might not otherwise have a chance to.

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  As the elder led me through the town, I appraised the layout. Unlike many settlements in this world which seemed to have sprawled outwards from a single point, North Peak was constructed with an almost military strictness.

  The roads were paved neatly and laid out in a grid formation. Buildings were of uniform height and width. Where they differed it was for a purpose—a smithy or shop, rather than a house.

  “The town is well built,” I praised.

  “Indeed. The clan’s second ancestral patriarch was an expert in artificial formations. While the founder had a focus on working with nature, his younger brother defied it. That is why the town is so… precise. Beyond the walls however, things are a little wilder,” the third elder explained.

  He was giving away quite a bit of information. Then again, those stories might be ones that anyone who grew up here knew, so it might not be a valuable secret.

  “Do you know much about formations, Senior Zhao?”

  “To tell the truth, I am in the dark on the matter. My own talents lie in alchemy and… healing,” I answered.

  I had considered hiding the healing from him, but given that the third elder was being friendly and open with me, I felt that I should do the same. Besides, Wang Ren had already spread the knowledge that a healing sect had appeared, so the man might already have some idea who I was.

  Lying would only drive a wedge between us before I had an opportunity to sow the seeds of friendship. As we approached the centre of the town, the straight roads joined together into a circular ring which surrounded a large manor.

  The walls were painted the same earthy green as the elder’s robes and the gates decorated with ornate silver carvings of mountains, rivers, and forests. They swung open before we reached them, revealing a magnificent garden filled with dozens of various flowers and plants.

  The layout of the garden reminded me of the flowers back on the mountain. A natural formation.

  “This is the Li Clan’s main compound. All the most talented members of the clan live and train here,” the elder explained, waving an arm around the courtyard. “The manor is just ahead.”

  In the very centre of the compound, a two story building that resembled the grasping life palace, but far more gaudy, rose from the surrounding buildings. A few younger men and women watched us as we walked through the garden, all of them resembling the man leading the way.

  He led me through the corridors inside the manor and we soon arrived at a rather plain hall. The floors and walls were made from mahogany and a long table rested in the centre of the room.

  Four chairs had been laid out, three on the opposite side and one on the side closest to us. The intention was clear.

  While the furnishings were plain, everything was spotless. Every inch of the wood was polished until it shone.

  Two of the three chairs were already filled. On the right sat a man resembling the third elder, but with his long hair tied up in a ponytail.

  He also had a scar along his left cheek that ended just above his lip. His gaze first landed on the third elder, an air of superiority hanging around him, before it turned to me.

  Given the stark similarity between the two men—even closer than between the elder and the youngsters outside—I surmised that they were brothers. In the middle chair sat a middle aged woman.

  Her hair flowed freely, hanging down to her waist. Streaks of grey marred the shimmering black locks, but despite the trace wrinkles on her forehead and the crows feet at the corners of her eyes, they shone brightly.

  As she stared at me, I felt a shiver run down my spine. Peak Qi Gathering, there was no doubt about that. We stared at each other for two breath’s time, then she smiled.

  “Welcome to the humble home of the Li Clan, Sect Leader Zhao. Please, have a seat. A servant will bring some tea shortly,” she said, waving to the empty chair that faced them.

  The third elder sat on the woman’s left and I took the seat nearest to us. After making myself comfortable, I reclined slightly and crossed my hands in my lap.

  “You are well informed, First Elder,” I said with a faint smile. “Our Grasping Life Sect has only been established for a few weeks, yet you already know who we are.”

  “It is my responsibility to stay informed of all affairs in our little corner of the world. Only a fool lets the seas rise up around them without making preparations.”

  “Is that what you see us as? Rising seas?” I snorted.

  “Perhaps. Only time will tell. Perhaps this conversation will give me more insight. What is your purpose? There are already two sects lording over these lands. Do you intend to challenge them? You will be crushed.”

  “Challenge the Cloudy Falls Sect and the Soaring Sword Sect?” I replied, still smirking. “An interesting choice of words. You make it sound as though we aren’t allowed to exist without fighting against them. I assure you, our sect has no violent intentions. In fact, we are a healing sect, as you have no doubt heard.”

  “A bold claim. I wasn’t sure whether to believe the news. Healing is… a little unbelievable. Sure, alchemists and herbalists make pills and concoctions, but true healing is a myth. Are you a mythical man, Zhao Dan?”

  The second elder snorted and leaned back in his chair, fixing me with a mocking glare. “This whelp? He’s only a six-star, what could we possibly have to fear? Just send Hu Qing to wipe them out. He’s had his eye on that mountain for years,” he jeered.

  The first elder’s gaze snapped to him and I felt her presence swell. The second elder seemed amused at his brother being suppressed, but didn’t say anything.

  “Hu Qing? That name rings a bell,” I said in a sing-song tone, tapping a finger against my chin. “Ah! Yes, I remember. A man by that name attacked us in the middle of the night a few days ago. He’s dead now. As is his backer.”

  “What! Preposterous,” the second elder yelled, leaping to his feet and throwing his presence at me.

  I was forced to cycle my qi to rebuff him, but managed to remain calm and composed. The third elder was equally shocked, but didn’t directly assault me—clearly the less temperamental of the two siblings.

  As for the first elder, she raised an eyebrow and turned to me with renewed interest. The way she shifted in her seat briefly told me more than the other man’s uproar, however.

  “Oh? The Azure Tigers attacked you already? Was it you who killed Hu Qing, then? If so, we may need to bring some better tea,” she chuckled, snapping her fingers at a servant who’d just walked in with a tray.

  The man’s eyes widened and he rushed back out with a short bow. Poor fellow…

  So far, I was impressed with the Li Clan. The second elder’s fuse was a little short, but the other two comported themselves well.

  I could see us having an amicable relationship. With that out of the way, it was time to make my real request.

  “I have a request for the Li Clan, if I may be so presumptuous,” I began.

  “Oh?” the first elder said, waving an arm for me to continue as the servant returned.

  “My sect is rather new. We have plenty of knowledge of healing—whether you believe it or not—and other arts. However, I would like to obtain some basic manuals and perhaps even instruction in formations. Your esteemed clan seemed to be the best source,” I finished, nodding in thanks as the servant handed me a steaming cup of tea.

  “That is not an unreasonable request. We could do this. You wouldn’t get access to any of our clan’s secret arts, of course, but foundational texts wouldn’t be a problem,” the first elder replied.

  “Of course.”

  She smirked and leaned a little closer, flashing a pale neck. “What would we be receiving in return? While such knowledge is not priceless, it is not without value.”

  “I like working with straightforward people,” I replied, straightening my posture without allowing my gaze to wander. “What do you want?”

  “What do we want?” she chuckled. “Many things… and nothing at all. The Li Clan is the preeminent power in these parts. Everyone knows what we can bring to the table. You, however…” she trailed off, letting the unspoken statement hang in the air.

  What could I give them that would be worth what they were offering? I didn’t want to get scammed, but at the same time I couldn’t be too stingy.

  After wracking my brain for a few seconds, I had a perfect idea. There was something that I could offer that wasn’t too difficult for me to give, yet anyone would desire.

  “Is it common for members of your clan to injure themselves when practicing formations goes wrong?” I asked, a devious glint in my eye.