“Are you nervous?”

  “A little bit,” I admit while making a point of avoiding Jingyi’s gaze.

  She adjusts the collar of my new daoist robes and does her best to reassure me with a smile. “Just be friendly. You know how to be friendly, right?”

  “Yes, of course! I have so many friends. I have an unparalleled mastery of friendliness!”

  “See, it’ll be okay.”

  She pats me on the shoulder, spins me around, and urges me towards the door. We have been living in little more than a storage closet for the last few days, and despite my initial misgivings about the humble abode, I find myself hesitating and clinging to this new-found sanctuary. The sect chose everyone to be here except for me. I was foisted upon them by Ruyilong, and now they have to deal with whatever consequences my uncertain fate will bring their way.

  “What about you?”

  She doesn’t let me stall for time.

  “No, no! I will be okay. As soon as you find your courage I will be going to meet some others like myself.”

  “Huh… more Xiang Jingyi’s? Could the world be so lucky?”

  She gives me another good shove. I squawk and stumble out the door, put on haughty airs, and make a show of brushing myself off. I do not want to be the only initiate to show up with my robes all crumpled up so I make any last-minute adjustments to ensure all is in order. I have standards to live up to, even if they are all my own at this point.

  The silk robe is simple, yet dignified. It lacks some of the trappings the guards had on theirs, but it makes sense that an initiate starts out nice and simple. I find the blend of reddish- and brownish-purples charming, yet humble, like a mixture of plums and eggplants. It is not a loud combination of hues, but bears a semblance of regality that appeals to my senses and adds a splash of colors to the background of greenery and stonework all around the sect.

  “You’ll be okay!” Jingyi cheers while I strut off to find the meeting area.

  ‘I will be okay!’ I agree, though half-heartedly.

  Fortunately, it does not take me long to find where I need to be, and I even avoid getting lost. I batted the idea of wandering off around in my head for a minute, but the thought of someone having to come look for me filled me with dread.

  I discover my fellow initiates pouring into a large courtyard in short order, and shuffle my way towards them as unobtrusively as I can. Soon enough, I am standing in the middle. With every uncertain step I take towards the front my confidence grows. Not in myself, but in the fact that the others are all moving away from me. The crowd of initiates has effectively split in two in order to avoid me and the realization has my heart pounding with such vigor that I can easily mistake it for a drum.

  ‘Why are they moving away?’

  My knees are weak, and my palms are so sweaty that I cannot help but wipe them on my robes, but I dare not drag my eyes away from the stone stage before me. I fear that if I do, I will see them all staring at me. Such overwhelming anxiety causes me to tremble like a leaf in the wind, but I struggle against it and do as Jingyi suggested. I find my courage.

  I suck a deep breath in through my nose and look around.

  ‘No… no-noon-n-no! They are staring right at me.’

  Those nearest me have chosen to avoid me like the plague, but are not against staring.

  ‘They are so rude! They do not even know me, yet they avoid me in such a way? Is this to be my fate!?’

  Well, not everyone. A rather diminutive girl is still standing at my side, but I suspect it is only because she hasn’t noticed me. Strangely enough, her eyes have been closed the entire time like she is asleep on her feet. After a moment or two of staring at her, she opens her eyes and looks up at me. I’ve never seen such incredible icy-blue eyes before. Their unnatural appearance distracts me from my anxiety long enough to speak up.

  “Do you know why everyone is avoiding me?”

  The blue-eyed girl is dumbfounded by my inquiry. “Can’t you feel it?”

  “Wait? Feel it? Feel what? I didn’t think I was doing anything!”

  A sudden movement catches my attention and I gasp. “Is that a crow on your shoulder?”

  She is taken off guard by my question and seems to trip over her thoughts for just a second. The sudden redirection manifests in a little awkwardness that diminishes my anxiety considerably. I was sprinting headlong into utter dread, but now that feeling has all-but-dissipated. “He is a raven.”

  “Oh. Does he have three legs? Or is that only a thing for crows?”

  “That is a mere myth,” the girl responds, but the corner of her lips curl up into a sly smirk. “But he does have three legs.”

  “Really? Huh… so he does…” I give the beautiful black bird a cursory once-over from afar and can’t help shake the feeling he is doing the same to me. “Does he have a name?”

  “You may refer to him as ‘your excellency’, if you must address him.”

  I turn and bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, your excellency.”

  “Pleasure. All mine, I’m sure.”

  My jaw drops open. “Woah! He— you can talk!?”

  “If need be.”

  It appears that the need arose and then disappeared just as quickly, since his excellency turns away from me. I take a deep breath and muster up a smile since the blue-eyed girl isn’t scowling at me anymore.

  “His excellency has deemed you tolerable.”

  “I am honored! Is that the appropriate thing in this situation?”

  She glances at the preening bird and nods. “His excellency’s approval is not easy to come by. You should consider yourself fortunate.”

  “Then I shall,” I turn fully to the blue-eyed girl and curtsy. “I am Zhou Ran. It will be a pleasure to have you as my senior.”

  “...Bai… Lingfei,” She replies with a curtsy of her own, but only after a suspiciously long pause. I can’t help but notice her curtsy is well-practiced, and perhaps even more refined than mine.

  His excellency squawks to alert his perch of something. Bai Lingfei doesn’t hesitate and turns to the elevated arena we are gathered in front of without a word of explanation. Since she cut our conversation off so suddenly I choose to follow her lead. I also notice that the others have closed ranks and aren’t paying attention to me anymore. It certainly helps calm my nerves, but the aftereffects linger.

  A man of impressive stature and substantial musculature climbed up onto the stage when no one was paying attention, or in a manner that eluded the notice of everyone but his excellency. He is now staring down at us with his arms crossed and his handsome face marked by displeasure. He is not wearing a shirt for one reason or another, perhaps to show off his collection of scars scattered across his torso. The scars somehow feel more artistic than authentic.

  “Good. Some of you have a bit of awareness. That means you’re not all useless.”

  I’m not the only one who droops at the disparaging comment or shies back at his booming voice.

  “I am the Arsenal Elder, Shangguan Luan. Normally, I am in charge of the sect’s armory and storehouses, but today I am in charge of you,” He uncrosses his mighty arms and then slams his fist into his other palm and bows. “Welcome, initiates, to the Taiyi Sect.”

  Some delay more than others, but all of us eventually return his gesture.

  “Today’s orientation is twofold. First, I’ll go over some basic rules and guidelines, and then we’ll get your living quarters sorted out. If you pay attention, it will go quickly and painlessly.

  “As one of the five great sects, we have obligations that other, smaller sects do not. Therefore, the Taiyi Sect makes use of an initiate period, which is three months. During those three months, we will whittle you down to find those who have hidden potential. Those who do not will be sent home or given other opportunities more suited to their skills.

  “We have four–hundred and twenty-seven initiates this year. By the end of the third month, I suspect there will be no more than a third of you left. Those who make it that far will become outer disciples. At the end of the first year there will be an exam and we will use it to promote the worthy to inner disciples. It is rare that we promote more than a dozen in the first year and even less in the following years.

  “Most will give up, but so long as you perform well in the exam you will be retained as an outer disciple. Our duty is to see you succeed, and we will do our best to ensure that you do. However, by the end of the first year, I expect no more than two dozen to remain. This is normal, and failing here is nothing to be ashamed of. Our expectations are far stricter than those of the smaller sects and clans, so as long as you make it to the exam, you may have a future elsewhere. If nothing else, there is the next life.”

  The last bit is clearly intended as a joke, but no one dares to twitch, let alone laugh. Elder Shangguan is unphased by it and continues the introduction with some rules. Most are basic and justified by the average nature of people, but a few stick out.

  We are not allowed to leave the sect’s grounds under any circumstances, and if we somehow find ourselves outside we are to return immediately and avoid any interaction with the public. Furthermore, if such a situation were to arise and we meet someone from a different sect, we are not to engage them in any way, including in conversation.

  It strikes me as an odd rule, or at least, it did. Elder Shangguan reinforces the idea of the sect’s reputation being as important as anything else whenever he gets the chance. We are responsible for the sect’s reputation, and as far as I can tell, he firmly believes that it is more important than we are. It will certainly outlast all of us. Therefore, if we find ourselves in a situation that can harm the sect’s reputation, it is best to get out of it as soon as we can and with as little involvement as possible.

  He is also adamant about keeping conflict minimal. We cannot fight among ourselves outside of controlled exercises supervised by an instructor. It is a zero-tolerance policy and will result in harsh disciplinary action. He suggests that injuring others, or worse, killing them before they can reach their true potential is not a good investment for the sect.

  Elder Shangguan doesn’t hold back and informs us that we are a bunch of dumb kids about to learn mystical powers indisputably more powerful than anything we can possibly understand. The chances of us killing or maiming each other is so high that he considers it a guarantee. Therefore, we shall not even consider such an option. If we cannot resolve our differences with discussion, he is more than happy to sort it out for us.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Unlike us, he knows full well how to control his so-called mystical powers, and flexing his muscles is the least threatening thing he is capable of. His second joke of the day got at least one chuckle which brightened his mood substantially.

  “The next thing on the list is one of my favorites,” Elder Shangguan’s tone is as sarcastic as he can manage. “This tradition extends back before I was an initiate, and is filled with regrets. You will be picking your own housing arrangements, but you will also be picking your roommates in the process. There are a number of homes available that accommodate between three and five occupants, and while there are enough for everyone, there might not be enough of each size, so…”

  He lets out a defeated sigh. “You will need to sort it out. Pick your roommates, pick a house, and if there’s not enough left of that size then you may need to rearrange your groups. This is the closest you will come to all-out brawling, and if some of you weren’t a little more advanced than the others I’d say you could consider the no-fighting rule to start tomorrow and just get it out of your system, but that’s not the case.”

  He drops down and sits on the edge of the stage. “I’ll be here if you have any questions about anything I’ve gone over, otherwise you’re free to get started. Oh! Wait, before that. Last rule. Boys and girls have their own sections, so divide yourself accordingly. You may not cross into the other side under any circumstances. We will know if you do, and there will be consequences.

  “If you’re not sure where you belong, then come see me and I’ll sort it out or something, I’m not… ugh… just try not to cause any problems...”

  He pinches the bridge of his nose and waves his hand at us to encourage us along. “Get started. Once you’ve chosen your home someone will be along to provide the food and clothing you’ll need going forward. Your first lesson starts tomorrow.”

  I promptly turn to Lingfei and his excellency and smile. “Want to be my roommate?”

  “As long as I don’t have to deal with anything else, I will accept.”

  “Fantastic! That means we just need one more,” I clap my hands together and then turn to survey the crowd for a prospective roommate and gasp. “No way…”

  I scurry off without any warning to ensure I have the first chance at recruiting a particularly aloof individual loitering towards the rear of the crowd. Her fox-like features caught my eyes the second my gaze passed over her and I immediately knew what must be done.

  “Hello! Hi!” I scramble up to Ban Shuyi and promptly bow as respectfully as I can. “Oh, uh… you don’t know me, but I saw you in the tournament in Tiansheng a while ago. Would— would you be my roommate?”

  “Tournament?” She perks up right away. “You saw her? You saw my sister?”

  “Your sister?” I blink as she takes hold of my shoulders and practically shakes an answer out of me. “Ban Shuyi, my sister! I am Xiuyi, Ban Xiuyi.”

  “Oh, of course. I saw you — I mean, her. She was really amazing. She lost, but then she came back on someone’s behalf and won! It was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”

  “But after that. Did you see her after that?” She slowly releases me and I rub my shoulders. Her grip is incredible.

  “Hmm… no, I didn’t. Why?”

  “She was supposed to be here, but she’s… been missing. I don’t need to burden you with that, though.”

  “Missing? In Tiansheng? That’s horrible!” I reach out half way to console her, but considering we are strangers, I pull back at the last moment. “Uh, my dad is in Tiansheng, or heading back, at least. He’s an official, so I could ask him to look into her whereabouts if you are okay with that?”

  “Really? You’d do that?” My heart drops at how suddenly she shifts from sullen to excited.

  I nod. “Of course. Your sister is really important to me in my own way, so I am happy to do so. I’ll see if I can send a letter or something.”

  The relief she feels is woefully transparent. I cannot begin to imagine the stress she is enduring.

  “Alright, I’ll be your roommate. We’ll need at least one more, though.”

  I point towards Bai Lingfei. “She agreed to be my roommate before I came over.”

  Xiuyi’s expression contorts. “Well, we should make sure we can get a three-person house, I doubt there’s going to be many others willing to shack up with her.”

  “With her? Why is that?”

  “That must be Bai Lingfei. Maybe, maybe not, but I know she’s from the Bai clan. You know them, right? You must if you’re from Tiansheng.”

  “Those Bai?”

  I glance at Lingfei who has gone back to sleeping on her feet, or maybe it is some sort of meditative trance. Either way, she is closed off to the world. His excellency seems to be on guard with his beedy-black eyes casually watching anyone who draws near.

  It’s no wonder some might avoid her. The Bai clan in question is among the most powerful in the empire. The Imperial Palaces are brimming with them, and they hold numerous high positions in court and around the province. Last I heard, one of the ladies married a high-ranking prince a year or two ago. Being friends with someone like Lingfei might bring opportunities to the ambitious, but a single misstep could be disastrous for one’s entire family.

  “They’re politicians. Why is she here?” I ask.

  “Before they got into politics, the Bai clan established themselves as some of the most powerful cultivators in the land. Those who go into politics don’t have the talent for cultivation, but can still be useful in some way. I don’t know why she is here, though, but I’d not ask her about it. Might be a touchy subject.”

  “Huh… I never really paid attention to the daoists before.”

  “But you’re here…?”

  “Haha… yeah, I only found out a couple of days ago,” I chuckle awkwardly. “I actually thought I’d end up in politics, or something like it. I never imagined I’d be here.”

  “Well, let’s go collect her and find a place to settle before they all disappear.”

  I linger as Xiuyi saunters off to introduce herself to Lingfei and his excellency. She looks the same as her sister, and carries herself the same, too. Both are a little rough around the edges and quite prickly, yet there is something about Xiuyi that renders her endearing. Perhaps it is her earnest, forward nature?

  I smile at my good fortune and follow close behind.

  “Will this one work?”

  “It's better than anywhere I’ve lived before.”

  We look to Lingfei but no answer is forthcoming. His excellency, however, flutters over and lands atop the gate. “This is fine.”

  The home is but one among many strung out along a winding path through a lushly wooded area dedicated to the female initiates. Each house is slightly different and of varying sizes. Some of the nicer ones were claimed before we even started looking, but none of us seemed to care for the opulence. His excellency is correct. This house will be fine.

  I open the gate and shuffle inside.

  Inside the perimeter wall is a private garden. Nothing grand or ostentatious, just a little path twisting through some landscaping features and flower beds. An ancient and gnarled evergreen grows in the crook between the main entrance and what appears to be a storage shed or outbuilding, providing some shade above a little pool of water.

  I take a moment to peer inside to see if any fish have beaten us to the punch for residency, and am delighted to see a handful of colorful gobies staring up at me. I crouch down to get a closer look, but they flee from my examination. Even though I am a bit disappointed, we have plenty of time to get acquainted going forward.

  “Looks like we’re not the only ones living here,” I cheerfully announce the presence of our aquatic roommates.

  “Snacks.”

  I hold my arms out wide and stand between the pool and Xiuyi. “Not snacks!”

  “We have some space to ourselves here,” I say after Xiuyi stops teasing me.

  “The garden is nice, but impractical for most purposes beyond relaxation and meditation,” Lingfei finally speaks up and gestures opposite to the storage room. “I suspect the furniture could be cleared out of this sitting area to make more room as needed. It would then be suitable for tai chi or other martial arts.”

  The sitting area she mentions is a fairly large pavilion of sorts connected to the rest of the building by a short walkway. It is covered with a roof, so the rain wouldn’t be an issue, but it might be chilly in the winter. Lingfei is correct in her assessment, though. With a few minutes of pushing things around it could be cleared up and used for more than just sitting and socializing.

  “Let’s see inside!” Xiuyi flings the door open, but I catch her arm the moment she tries to step inside. “Huh? Got a problem?”

  “Shoes! Take your shoes off.”

  She glances down and huffs, but slips her shoes off and kicks them aside. Lingfei is more graceful and ladylike in her approach, and his excellency isn’t wearing shoes so he doesn’t have anything to worry about. He just hops inside. I try to show the building a bit of respect and set mine aside with Lingfei’s before moving indoors.

  The main room is remarkably open and well lit. The roof is raised higher than the rest of the building and a row of windows up high lets in some sunlight. There’s enough natural light that we will not have to rely on candles and such during the day. It is a very nice feature, because the room is clearly furnished for practical use and intended to be used regularly.

  Not only is there a small kitchenette for preparing simple meals, but an area suitable for studying, including a set of desks and a batch of bookshelves. Most are empty, but I suspect we will have plenty of stuff to fill them with going forward.

  “Not bad!” Xiuyi grunts and flops onto a couch. “Urk! Not as soft as it looks…”

  Lingfei takes a seat at one of the desks and rubs the surface like she is testing it for dust. She seems content with what she learns, so she returns to her meditation. His excellency lands atop the desk and observes from there.

  “What about bedrooms?” Xiuyi bolts upright, her wild mane of uncontrolled hair whipping about in a flurry. “I’ve got the first pick!”

  “Oh?” I smirk mischievously while scooting backwards towards the only doors leading from the main room. “Who says you get to pick?”

  “I’m your senior!”

  “Well, everyone is my senior.”

  “Hah! Really? You’re the bottom?”

  I sigh. “I’m not sure I like being called a bottom…”

  “What is your number, Miss Ban?” Lingfei inquires without moving, let alone opening her eyes.

  “Seventeen. You?”

  Lingfei’s lips curl up into her strikingly ominous smirk. “Three.”

  “Ugh…”

  “But I do not care which room I end up with. I will take whatever is left over.”

  I slowly close the door to one of the rooms while Xiuyi is distracted, but her keen ears catch on. “Hey! I told you I am first!”

  I try to hold back my laughter as she half-heartedly pries at the door. To my relief, she soon relents and stomps off to check the other rooms. I picked this one on an impulse, but it is closest to the sitting room so I suspected it has more windows than the other two, or at least more than the middle one. I am pleased to find my assumption is true.

  The room features extensive windows on two walls, and a smaller one on the third that looks out past the walkway and into the garden, so it reminds me of home. The furnishings, however, are very simple in comparison. It is rudimentary and functional, rather than fancy and extravagant like the main room we just looked through. I suspect it is by intent, though. We might be able to do a bit of personalization over time.

  Xiuyi manages to open the door now that I’ve been wandering the room and chuckles. “They’re all basically the same.”

  “Which will you take?”

  “Eh. Maybe the other end. Leave the middle to her.”

  We reconvene in the living room. “Miss Bai, you’ll be in the middle room. Is that okay?”

  “It will be okay. Going forward you should refer to me as your elder martial sister. The same is true for you, Ban-shimei. It is important to show respect, and since we are living together there may be some concessions for familiarity, but others may not see it the same way.”

  “Oh! Okay, Bai-shijie,” I chirp.

  She responds with an approving nod.

  “You know, I’ve been thinking, Bai-shijie,” Xiuyi side-eyes Lingfei, but she doesn’t even notice the teasing. “Is there something odd about this place or is it just me?”

  “Odd? What do you mean?” I ask after Linggfei remains silent.

  “How do they fit everything into the sect? I saw this place from outside and even if it is big, it’s not this big.”

  She’s right. I overlooked it before, but the area dedicated to the housing of initiates is at least the same size as the sect when viewed from outside. The Red Dust Pavilion houses more than just us. There is definitely something going on.

  “You’ve noticed,” Lingfei is awfully smug with her reply. “My expectations were not misplaced, Ban-shimei.”

  Xiuyi bristles at the reversal of her teasing.

  “Master daoists can do some impressive things with the natural laws of the world, including compressing reality into a much smaller space, but nothing on this scale. Taiyi, and the other great sects, are in possession of the five great wonders of Longzhou, and the wonder held by Taiyi is the miniature universe. I don’t know much about the particulars, but I suspect it is in use here.”

  “Huh… what do the other sects have?”

  Lingfei ponders for a moment. “The only other one I know is the pool of swords. I only know it by reputation, but I am not sure which sect it belongs to.”

  “Pool of swords… sounds pretty cool if you ask me,” Xiuyi shows a keen interest in it, but it fades quickly. “Didn’t they say someone would be bringing food? I’m hungry.”

  Until now, I’ve been so overwhelmed by the stress of orientation that my mind has been a mess. I could barely focus on a single thing, but now that I’ve gotten through that, chosen my roommates, and found a home for the time being, a striking clarity returns and I realize I’ve also forgotten something — or someone, very important to me.

  My gasp startles even his excellency. “I forgot Jingyi!”

  Character & Setting Guide

  Taiyi Sect (Tàiyì — 太意) — One of Longzhou’s Five Great Sects and Zhou Ran’s sect

  Red Dust Pavilion — Taiyi Sect Headquarters

  Zhou Ran (Zhōu Rán — 周然) — The main character; initiate #427 of the Taiyi Sect

  Xiang Jingyi (Xiāng Jìngyī — 相婧祎) — Zhou Ran’s best friend and Dao Attendant

  Ruyilong — The Great Dragon who sent Zhou Ran to the Taiyi sect

  Bai Lingfei (Bái Língfēi — 白凌菲) — #3 initiate of the Taiyi Sect and Zhou Ran’s roommate

  Shangguan Luan (Shàngguān Luán — 上官鸾) — Taiyi Sect’s Arsenal Elder

  Ban Shuyi (Bàn Shùyì – 半倏义) — A fighter from a tournament in Tiansheng, intended to join the Taiyi Sect, but has gone missing

  Ban Xiuyi (Bàn Xiùyí – 半秀怡) — Initiate #17 of the Taiyi Sect and Zhou Ran’s roommate; her sister, Ban Shuyi, is missing

  His Excellency — A three-legged raven accompanying Bai Lingfei; can speak?

  Daoist Sects: What are they?

  I'm not going to worry about what a real sect would be, but will focus on what they are in terms of this setting.

  There are two major classifications to get started off with, and it isn't righteous vs demonic! It is actually Imperial vs Longzhou. The big difference here is who the sect is loyal to. Imperial sects, as the name implies, are directly under the supervision of the imperial court. Whether they care about the empire, the emperor, or get involved in anything at all is up to the sect in question, but most just keep to themselves. Longzhou sects are those in Longzhou, ruled by the Great Dragon. They owe their loyalty to her, and to the emperor through the dragon. There's a lot of space in Da Xi'an, and a whole lot of people, yet there is an overwhelming percentage of daoist sects located in Longzhou. I wonder why...?

  Anyway, you can think of these sects as part temple, part university, and part military fortress. They can be similar to small cities. As seen with a sect like Taiyi, they can be very expansive and house large populations, most of which are quite dangerous. The daoists of Da Xi'an are not considered a military force, and they do not really consider themselves as such, either. Very few sects train with battle in mind, but sort of cover it through an extension of their cultivation being really useful for destroying other people and things. In many settings, a daoist sect is an incredibly dangerous thing to non-daoists. Make one angry and it will have the power to wipe out civilizations. Such sects in this story do not really exist. They do not have that substantial power, and are generally policed by each other and the imperial military. Get too violent and you will get shut down. Sects are happy to do this to remove rivals and hopefully nab any valuable treasures left behind.

  We'll learn more about sects as we go along, but I think this will be a useful primer to get you in the right frame of expectations!