I sprawl out on the floor near Jingyi and emit the heaviest, most depression-laden sigh I can manage. She is accustomed to my antics, so giving me her attention barely slows her meticulous needlework.

  “What is troubling you?”

  “I must be missing something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After three days, I can’t make the stupid qi blast thing happen!”

  I raise my arm and extend two fingers towards His Excellency who is perched over head and pantomime an explosion with my other hand. He is thoroughly unimpressed and promptly turns his beak up at me.

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “I’m defective?”

  Jingyi finally sets her things aside and turns to face me. “You know that isn’t true.”

  “Ban-shijie already figured it out, and so did most of the class, but not me. If I don’t make some progress soon then I will be the only one to fail!”

  “I can’t help you, but I know that pouting won’t sort it out. Maybe ask His Excellency?”

  I stare up at the preening bird and shake my head. “He doesn’t even have hands…”

  “What about Miss Bai? She said she’d help you.”

  “Ugh… I don’t want to bother her with something so trivial!”

  “Bother me with what?”

  I’ve never sat up so fast in my life! I nearly fling myself off the storehouse’s steps and into the dirt, but manage to stop before that point at the cost of throwing out my back.

  “Bai-shijie!” I choke.

  Jingyi politely bows her head. “Miss Zhou is struggling and needs some assistance.”

  “With what, exactly?”

  “I can’t… use a qi blast.”

  “Qi blast?”

  “This week’s exercise is to make a qi blast and hit a target.”

  Lingfei puzzles over my words for a moment. “I suspect I know what you are doing, and maybe even why it isn’t working.”

  “Really?”

  “Get up,” she waves her hand to encourage me and steps out into the garden. “Come. Join me.”

  Jingyi smiles and I do my best to not look nervous as I scramble after Lingfei. Despite having her assurances that she will be more than happy to help me if I need it, I have avoided Lingfei’s offer until now.

  ‘Curse my misplaced pride!’

  “Stand here and use the tree as your target.”

  “I don’t want to damage it…”

  Lingfei’s expression tells me all I need to know.

  “Yeah, I guess that isn’t likely.”

  “Show me.”

  So I do.

  It goes as well as ever. My hand seals are passable. My qi flow is steady and pure. I direct the qi towards my fingers and outward to do… nothing! I give it another try, and even attempt a third time, but before I can keep up my string of failures, Lingfei stops me.

  “Hold still for a moment. I need to check something, so if I give you instructions, please follow them.”

  I nod while she moves close behind me. Lingfei’s arms loop around my body and I watch as her fingertips brush along my arms in a strangely analytical manner. Based on the sounds she makes, she is satisfied with what she discovers. I figure that is the extent of it, but she suddenly takes hold of my hips and begins rearranging me like a doll.

  “Okay, I want you to try again,” Lingfei peeks around my shoulder to observe while keeping her fingers gently clasped around my wrists.

  “What uh… what is this for?”

  “I’ll explain later. Just try again.”

  I take a deep breath and begin. I take extra care when forming my hand seals, and then adjust the flow of qi from my dantian into my meridians. From there, I urge it through my system and outwards to create the qi blast.

  Nothing happens. The qi just dissipates.

  “I see. Once more, please.”

  I gulp and start with my hand seals.

  “What are you two doing?” Ban Xiuyi asks.

  I was so focused I didn’t hear her come through the gate, and considering how quickly Lingfei peels away from me and whirls to face our roommate, she hadn’t either.

  “A lesson,” Lingfei replies curtly. “Your junior has fallen behind, and you should be the one assisting her, not me.”

  Xiuyi crosses her arms, raises an eyebrow, and smirks with truly overwhelming smugness. “It looked like you were enjoying yourself. Consider this your responsibility!”

  “Stupid fox,” Lingfei grumbles as Xiuyi struts off.

  Only once Xiuyi has gone inside and her laughter dies down does Lingfei turn back to me. Her frustration and anger is evident by the lively red blush on her otherwise fair skin.

  “The solution is quite simple. Your focus is all wrong.”

  “My focus?”

  “The exercise isn’t about the qi blast, but enhancing your control. I assume you are also trying to purify your eight extraordinary meridians.”

  “That is true, but I’ve been prioritizing the qi blast.”

  Lingfei shakes her head. “You’re going at it in reverse. This exercise is intended to refine your control specifically to purify those meridians. You will not create this qi blast until you have done so.”

  “Really?”

  “Truly. Your qi is too unsteady by the time you try to use it. The eight extraordinary meridians connect your major internal organs, so it may not seem relevant here, but imagine running down a path and it is filled with garbage. Clearing even half of it away will make it much easier to reach the end without tripping.”

  I turn to stare at the tree.

  Her metaphor is simple and easy for me to understand. I just need to adjust my priorities and everything will work out! Only… I have no idea how to do it.

  “Focus on your qi the moment it leaves your dantian,” Lingfei instructs before I get a chance to inquire. “The most likely path is through the eight extraordinary meridians, especially if left to decide on its own. They are like the major arteries for your blood.”

  “And then what?”

  “Do what you did to clear your dantian. Force it out. Purify it.”

  “You make it sound so easy…”

  Lingfei smirks. “Because it is.”

  “Do you think she will figure it out?”

  [I have no doubt.]

  “Really?”

  Jingyi puts the finishing touches on the small side project she has been working on while observing Zhou Ran and Bai Lingfei in the garden and holds it up for Xujun to see. The raven hops closer to examine it and bobs his head in approval.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  [She discovered something about herself and that has troubled her. Once she overcomes her own self doubt she will progress swiftly.]

  “I have noticed that she has been anxious since we arrived here. Zhou Ran was never a fidgeter in the past, but now she can barely hold still!”

  Xujun hops up onto her knee and spreads his wings so that she can help him don the little coat styled as a doaist robe she stitched up. [You know her best of all. Furthermore, she clearly relies on you.]

  “Do you think it’d be better if she learned to do things on her own? I could teach her to cook.”

  [Hrm! She may rely on you for the mundane, but that is not what I am speaking of. To her, you are a pillar of stability, a reminder of home, and a comfort among the unfamiliar world she has found herself in.]

  Jingyi turns her gaze back to Zhou Ran as she tries to do whatever she has been working on for the hundredth or more time. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it is not for her to understand. Zhou Ran must learn to do it, and Jingyi believes she will if she keeps at it for long enough. She has always figured things out eventually.

  At first, she thought Lingfei was being incredibly patient with Zhou Ran, but she is smiling more than usual. She is enjoying their time together and having the opportunity to teach someone certainly seems fulfilling for her. The Great Dragon said Zhou Ran will need friends and mentors, and she has found a few of each already.

  “Did you know she never left home before?”

  [I’ve heard it mentioned.]

  “I bet she is overwhelmed by so many changes.”

  Xujun seems to agree, but does not reply. He merely continues his observation, so Jingyi uses two fingers to gingerly brush the feathers along the back of his neck and head. His feathers puff up at the attention, but he doesn’t protest.

  “She had a tutor, Master Li, who by all accounts is one of the best around. He taught her so much: history, politics, martial arts, and even music. Zhou Ran is a really good musician, did you know that?”

  [I did not.]

  “She doesn’t either. She never met any other musicians, so she only knows herself and Master Li. She doesn’t know what she has achieved already. Maybe she will be more confident when she does?”

  [Hmm… Perhaps something can be done about it.]

  “Maybe.”

  [I do know that Ruyilong would not send her here if she could not succeed.]

  “She can. I know it. She’s never had any expectations, though, or deadlines. There was always as much time as she needed and never any pressure, but here — there is so much of both.”

  [This is why you are her friend.]

  “How so?”

  [Anyone can notice these things, but only a friend would worry about them as if they are her own troubles,] Xujun hops a few times so he can turn around and peer up at Jingyi. [Only her best friend would agonize about being unable to do anything to shoulder some of the burden.]

  “You’re right,” Jingyi replies with a soft chuckle. “Should I make a hat for you?”

  [Mmm…] Xujun turns back to the girls. [Yes… A really big one.]

  I hesitate in the doorway and stare down at the handful of spirit stones I fetched from my room. These unfamiliar things hold some value, but I do not know how much. Every initiate receives two dozen a week as an allowance, but I ended up with an extra six, which I now clutch tightly in aching fingers. These are my rewards from the previous week, but they hardly feel like something I earned.

  Looking at Bai Lingfei, seated at her desk as usual, I can’t help but feel she deserves them more than I. Is it honor or shame that drives me to her? Will she think less of me for giving up what was given to me, even if she is the only reason I attained them to begin with?

  “These are for you,” I make my declaration with a shaky voice and uncurl my trembling fingers so the stones can clatter onto the table.

  She looks up at me, but does not speak.

  “I… I received these from Elder Cai because you helped me,” I hang my head and stare at my feet. “You’ve helped me again, and I feel it is only right to give you these.”

  ‘Shame… it is definitely shame.’

  “I don’t understand.”

  I raise my eyes just enough to meet her piercing gaze. “I was given these because you gave me the answer, and you just spent your entire afternoon helping me. I owe you something, but I have nothing else to give.”

  “You owe me nothing.”

  “But—”

  “You did not receive these because of an answer you provided, you were given the stones because you found the answer you couldn’t otherwise get on your own. You told me that yourself.”

  “I know, but—”

  “You are my shimei. It is only right that I help you.”

  My aching fingers clutch at the fabric of my skirt as she interrupts me again.

  “You owe me nothing.”

  “I must!”

  Lingfei leans back a hairsbreadth at my sudden outburst, but makes a quick show of assessing the spirit stones. “Do you know what you are trying to give me?

  “Spirit stones.”

  “Do you understand their value?”

  I shake my head.

  “Many erroneously view them as a currency, but no official institution of the empire will ever declare them as such. They do have value, and because of their myriad uses, most will trade for them, just like rice. They have limited uses to the common citizen, but to us who cultivate, they are crucial. By giving them up, you are harming yourself and benefiting me.”

  “I don’t feel like something that benefits you is something that harms me, Bai-shijie.”

  She smiles; the expression is warm and pleasant, not arrogant or demeaning, which tells me all I need to know. “I decline because I do not need these as much as you. I am much further in my cultivation than you are, and you will need every resource you can get if you ever hope to catch up.”

  “Catching up doesn’t seem possible from what I hear…”

  “Oh? And what have you heard?”

  “Only that you are already so far ahead that it doesn’t make sense for you to be an initiate like me.”

  Lingfei chuckles. “That is not quite true. Perhaps it will be next week, though.”

  “Why next week?”

  “I shall be advancing to the next layer at that time, which will complete my requirements to advance to outer disciple. However, I will still have to wait until everyone else catches up.”

  “Woah… So soon! You’re amazing, Bai-shijie!”

  She chuckles again and shakes her head. “No, what is amazing is that at the end of these three months you and the others will have achieved what took me three years. That is amazing.”

  “Well, I’d still like to give you something for helping me.”

  “How do your hands feel?”

  “My hands?” I hold them up and examine my pained and trembling fingers. “All of the hand seals gave me some serious cramps.”

  Lingfei plucks one of the spirit stones from the table and holds it up. “Then I shall accept this one, but on one condition: hold your hands out for me.”

  “Uh, okay…”

  She places the stone between her palms and forms a simple hand seal. A faint blue light radiates from between her fingers and when she opens her hands the stone is gone. I have the urge to inquire but she suddenly takes one of my hands between hers and gently massages it.

  Her delicate fingers are delightfully soft, yet I do feel the barest hint of calluses as she kneads the joints and tendons. There is a cool sensation radiating from each tender press and each time the fatigue and discomfort diminishes a little more.

  She looks up at me and the corners of her mouth curl up into the faintest smile. “How is that?”

  “Much better,” I reply as she switches hands. “What are you doing?”

  “It is a simple technique you will learn soon enough. However, rather than using my own qi, I have absorbed the spirit stone to use in its place. You see, spirit stones are naturally formed crystals of condensed qi, and the color indicates the density, and thus value, of the stone. These light blue ones are not worth a lot, but they suffice for basic things like this.”

  “So, you can use them to acquire qi?”

  “In a way, yes. They form from dragon veins, the purest of qi flowing through the very earth. It has yet to acquire a nature of its own, meaning it is suitable for anyone to use, but often less effective than their own qi. For you, however, spirit stones will be very valuable.”

  “Because of my spiritual roots…”

  “Yes, because of your spiritual roots. If you come across spirit stones that are darker blue, you should do your best to keep those safe. The darker, the better, as that indicates their potency will be greater.”

  “More blue is better. Got it.”

  “Little blue stones like these are not worth a lot, so you might buy a meal or three with one. I had the chance to visit the Imperial Palace some years ago where I saw the Heart of Xi’an. It is a spirit stone as large as this table and the color of the midnight sky on a moonless night. The value of such a stone is beyond comprehension because it powers an array that nullifies all qi within the palace. It is the ultimate defense which renders even the strongest cultivators mere mortals.”

  I find myself smiling at Lingfei. Sure, my hands are feeling a lot better and I appreciate that, but this is the first time she has rambled like this. Normally, I have to ask or at least prompt her to start talking about something, and even then she is rather tight-lipped, but I am certain that if I don’t interrupt her she will keep going.

  ‘There is a lot of passion beneath that reserved exterior, huh?’

  She releases my hand and returns her own to her lap. “Better?”

  I give my fingers a few test flexes. “Oh! I feel amazing!”

  “I am glad. Being my test subject will suffice as compensation.”

  I wobble my head as if considering whether or not I’d agree while sneakily shifting a nearby cushion over with a toe of my awkwardly outstretched leg. I prefer to sit on something a little more comfortable than the bare floor when I have the choice. Lingfei watches me, a bit confused about what I am up to, but equally amused by my posturing.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, just getting something to sit on.”

  She raises a brow as I lean forward and smirk mischievously.

  “Tell me more about this spirit stone in the palace. Have they ever actually needed it?”

  “Ah, of course. Well, there have been a few instances in history where…”

  I half-tune her out as she starts rambling about events from the past and just observe Lingfei instead. There is a world of difference between the common Lingfei and this passionate version. Her pretty blue eyes wander, unable to look at me for more than a mere moment before flickering away. It leaves an opening for me to gaze unhindered and I find myself comfortably lost in them.

  A truly mesmerizing blue.

  Character & Setting Guide

  Bai Lingfei (Bái Língfēi — 白凌菲) — Taiyi Sect Initiate and Zhou Ran’s roommate

  Bai Xujun (Bái Xūjūn — 白虚君) — Three-legged Raven bonded to Bai Lingfei

  Ban Xiuyi (Bàn Xiùyí – 半秀怡) — Taiyi Sect initiate and Zhou Ran's roommate

  Xiang Jingyi (Xiāng Jìngyī — 相婧祎) — Zhou Ran’s maidservant; Taiyi Sect Dao Attendant

  Zhou Ran (Zhōu Rán — 周然) — Taiyi Sect Initiate and main character

  Spirit Stones

  Spirit Stones are a common feature of most Xianxia stories and serve a number of purposes. At minimum, they are a form of currency. Generally, they are also going to serve as a sort of one-use battery or “mana potion” for qi. They can have other purposes, but these are the typical ones.

  As laid out by our helpful Bai Lingfei, these blue stones are concentrated qi in a solid form. This qi tends to lack an elemental nature meaning they are universally useful, albeit at a reduced degree to elemental qi. The best applications, aside from a trade item, are to consume them like Lingfei did, or to use them to power long-standing arrays like the Heart of Xi’an.

  The average spirit stone is going to be a nice, semi-transparent blue. Probably a lighter blue which signifies that it isn’t particularly dense. How big? Most will be the size of a finger bone, so the tip of your thumb or some such is not a bad guess. Anything smaller than that wouldn’t have much value, or might be ground up to use for alchemical pills or ink to draw talismans.

  Dragon Veins

  Dragon Veins are another feature found in a lot of Xianxia stories. They can also be things like ley lines. In this story, dragon veins are streams of qi flowing through the earth. Most will be a gaseous form, but some can be liquid qi, so actual rivers. Qi in these dragon veins does not yet have an elemental nature, and when it reaches the surface, or leaves the vein, it can crystallize into spirit stones! So, that is where they come from.

  So, there was a section of Feng Shui before, and dragon veins are integral to the best feng shui has to offer. A place like Huiyang had good Feng Shui, and is known for producing large quantities of darksteel, a metal valuable to cultivators. Want to bet there is a dragon vein there? How about Nangao, the home of Ruyilong? I’d bet there is one there, too!

  That means controlling areas with dragon veins is a good way for a sect to acquire valuable resources and wealth through spirit stones. I can’t imagine this will ever come up!