Beside him, Tou He winked at his friend.
“Three Stone Plum Blossom Wine?” Liu Tsong muttered, tapping the slat against her chin. “I think… yes! Oh. Ohhhhhhh.”
“Senior?”
“Mmmm, this is difficult. Three Stone Plum Blossom Wine can be bought at Yi County—three counties away,” Liu Tsong said. “But there is a problem. You see, the Zhong family that makes it, they only release a hundred jars a year. And the time for it to release is coming very soon. Worse, to go there, you’ll need to go through Li County.”
“What’s wrong with Li County?” Wu Ying said with a frown.
“Even I know that,” Tou He said. “It’s filled with bandits.”
“Especially Chao Ji Ang,” Liu Tsong said. “He’s reputed to be at least Body Cleansing 9. Some rumors even put him at Energy Gathering stage. He and his men have killed all the constables sent to apprehend him, and he always burns the ships he takes.”
“Ships?” Wu Ying said.
“He mostly stays on the river and canals that connect the counties,” Liu Tsong said. “Some say that he burns the bodies to hide his defilement of their corpses.”
“That’s horrible!” Wu Ying said, his eyes wide with shock. To do that to a corpse? Wu Ying could not imagine how he would meet his ancestors if that happened to his body. What kind of creature did that? How could he ever face his parents when they met in the heavens later on? “Is there no other way around?”
“Of course there is, but if you want to be there to buy the wine on time, you’ll have to journey there on the most direct route. The only good news is that the proprietor never raises his price—he only sells on a first come, first serve basis. If he did not limit people to three jars, there would be none for anyone,” Liu Tsong said. “This is going to be a difficult journey for you.”
“Yes.” Wu Ying fell silent as he considered the dangers of the trip.
“You practice that Long family sword style, but you don’t have a sword, correct?” Liu Tsong said with a frown.
“No. It was not something we could afford,” Wu Ying said.
It was not as if he could have taken his father’s—that weapon had been granted to him by the army on his leaving. Using it while his father was alive was a breach of propriety and law. Of course, his father had been granted that weapon for breaking the family heirloom. In the end, they were too poor to purchase a proper sword for Wu Ying. There had been discussion about picking up something cheaper—shoddy work from an apprentice smith perhaps—but both his father and Wu Ying found the prospect of such a weapon distasteful. And then, of course, the army came and it became moot.
“Come with me,” Liu Tsong said and promptly exited the clearing.
Wu Ying frowned, looking at Tou He, who shrugged. The pair hurried after the young lady whose swift steps and greater cultivation ate up the distance with ease. When they reached Liu Tsong’s residence, the Senior was nowhere to be found. They frowned, standing in the inner courtyard as they looked around, curious to where she could have gone. When Liu Tsong came out, she was carrying a sword and a roll of paper.
“Take this,” Liu Tsong said, shoving the items into Wu Ying’s hands.
“I cannot—”
“The sword is of no use to me anymore,” Liu Tsong said with a sniff. “And the map is nothing. You can get it yourself for a single contribution point.”
“Thank you, Senior. I am grateful for your words and items. But if you would, why are you helping me?” Wu Ying said with a pensive frown.
“Whim. And because Elder Mo and his kind have been doing this kind of thing forever,” Liu Tsong said. “They pick on those who have no real backers just because they can. I—and my sponsor—we do not think that is right. And so we do our best to help against it.”
“Oh. If that’s the case, can you speak of who your sponsor is, Senior Liu?” Wu Ying said.
“Of course. You actually impressed him when you met with him at the library. Elder Ko is also sometimes allies with Elder Cheng, your own sponsor. Though Elder Cheng is a little too fickle to be considered a real ally,” Liu Tsong said with a half-smile.
“I thank you, Senior Liu.” Wu Ying once again bowed his head.
“As for me, I have something for you too. Give me your sect stamp,” Tou He said, making a beckoning gesture.
Wu Ying did not move to do so. “Why?”
“You’re going to need to buy provisions for the trip. And since Elder Mo didn’t give you funds, you’ll need to take funds from the sect for your purchases. For three jars, the amount you have is insufficient, no?”
“Uhhh… probably,” Wu Ying answered. Truth be told, he had no idea how expensive this trip would likely be. It would be a real tragedy to travel all the way there and find himself short of funds. But to borrow Tou He’s contribution points seemed wrong.
“Come. Don’t waste time. This is a small matter between friends,” Tou He said, gesturing again. Reluctantly, realizing he had no real choice, Wu Ying handed over his sect stamp. “You know I would come if I could.”
“I know,” Wu Ying replied.
As sect members, none of them could just leave as they wished. Even Wu Ying would need to apply for a permit to leave the sect, though obviously with his current assignment, it would be automatically approved. And for most inner sect members, experiential training was a common thing. This restriction on external travel was due to a few factors. Each sect member was an investment for the sect, and as such, the sect would review recent contributions by each member who applied for an external trip permit. Those who had not contributed sufficiently would be gently advised to shape up. In addition, by restricting and tracking where each sect member was, the sect was able to head off potential reputation problems. As an outer sect member, there was no way Wu Ying or Tou He would normally be allowed out at this stage in their training.
“I do not know how to thank you both,” Wu Ying said, his voice filled with gratitude.
“Make sure you come back,” Tou He replied as he handed back Wu Ying’s sect stamp.
After that, preparations were simple enough to complete. Thankfully, the assignment office placed no further roadblocks on Wu Ying and happily exchanged out all his contribution points for funds and provisions. They even helped Wu Ying arrange for a place on a merchant ship traveling downstream. When Wu Ying finished packing all that he was to carry, he once again realized how little he actually had. Yet, looking within himself, Wu Ying could find little to regret about that. Money, a sword, food, and clothing. That was sufficient for a true cultivator.
“Off for experiential training already?” Xi Qi said when he saw Wu Ying walk through the pifang with his bag and sword.
“Elder Lu. I have an assignment from Elder Mo. This is my pass,” Wu Ying said cordially as he handed over the required pass for leaving.
Xi Qi frowned, looking over the simple wooden slat that detailed Wu Ying’s right to leave the sect and the reason for it. As he handed back the slat, he looked Wu Ying up and down slowly. “Continue working on your aura strengthening. You’ve progressed far. And at your stage, it is best not to travel as a cultivator. Turn down any challenges you find. Losing face is better than losing your life.”
“Yes, Elder Lu,” Wu Ying agreed.
“Also, please give this to Old Man Li when you collect the wine. That old cheat owes me one bottle still,” Xi Qi said as he tossed over a stamp infused with his chi. “Bring it back undamaged.”
“Of course, Elder,” Wu Ying said, bowing low after storing the stamp safely with the rest of his money.
Since he was going to be going to the location anyway, doing a favor for Xi Qi was a small matter. Furthermore, he was better off having a favorable reputation with at least one Elder, even if he was nothing more than the gate guard. As it stood, while Elder Huang looked favorably upon the efforts Wu Ying had put into the kitchens, he was the one who had caused all the trouble for Wu Ying. As for Elder Cheng, his supposed sponsor? Well, the less said about him, the better.