Still.
Wu Ying exhaled and sent a pulse of chi out through a clenched fist. The formerly still pail water twisted and jumped as the sudden force rebounded from the bottom of the pail. Water splashed out, soaking Wu Ying’s shirt and making him smile wryly. Even this small projection was better than what he had managed before. Much better…
“Do you wish a clean shirt, my lord?”
Wu Ying shook his head. “No, I’ll need to wash after anyway.”
“Of course.” Ah Yee took the pail as Wu Ying walked over to the empty center of the courtyard. “I’ll exchange the water.”
“Thank you.”
Wu Ying exhaled and closed his eye. Next. Forms for the Mountain Breaking Fist. Then Wu Ying would try the next step in the Long family style. Specifically, he would try to replicate the next step, the one that his father could only offer minor pointers on as he was not in the Energy Storage stage himself. The Dragon’s Breath. Projection of energy through the jian by making the sword part of oneself.
Afterward, exercise. Then work on his Iron Reinforced Bones technique to help fix his aching hands and tired body. All that before he had his second breakfast and went to class. Wu Ying’s days were busy. But busy in a good way.
And so, day after day passed, week transforming into another week as the winter months ground on. Training with Elder Hsu continued, as did Wu Ying’s personal martial and strength training while the cultivation exercises grew in familiarity. For Wu Ying, this was a peaceful period in his cultivation journey, a time when he grew without worry or concern. A time when he could stop, learn, and improve himself.
Sadly, Wu Ying knew all such times must come to pass, like winter itself.
Chapter 9
When Wu Ying arrived at the martial specialists’ training ground, he was surprised to see it buzzing with a larger number of trainees than normal. Further to Wu Ying’s surprise, the cultivators were not in the sparring rings but gathered around Senior Ge.
“What’s going on?” Wu Ying asked Tou He when he managed to make his way to his friend.
“Aftereffects of ghost month[15],” Tou He said.
“So late?” Wu Ying said.
The sect’s observances of the ghost festival had been perfunctory, consisting more of hitting all the necessary rituals rather than any actual veneration for the dead. They had made the offerings of vegetarian food, burnt the incense and joss paper at the entrances of the sect in large urns, and raised the spirit formations. In truth, the entire month had passed so quickly that Wu Ying had barely paid it attention, as he was so caught up in his own training. Still, the ghosts who were not appeased would create trouble immediately after the gates to hell had closed, rather than waiting for months.
“The sect only takes action after the local residents have done their part,” an older student said, glancing back at Wu Ying and Tou He. “It’s not as if we’re going to act without payment after all.”
“Oh,” Wu Ying said, recalling that all those sect contribution points and funds had to come from somewhere. “What are we doing then?”
“Receiving our assignments,” the same student said, absently tucking a strand of long hair behind one ear. “The most senior students get first pick. Then Senior Ge helps coordinate who goes where.”
“Right.” Wu Ying scratched his head, stepping back out of the crowd. As he was not technically a martial specialist, the entire allocation of posts was not really something he was directly involved in. On the other hand, it was not as if these assignments were only for martial specialists. They were just the preferred audience.
As cultivators received their orders, they split up with their assigned groups, leaving the training grounds one by one. In the meantime, Wu Ying had to wonder how they knew the allocation was even happening at all. Did it happen every year at a certain time? Or was it a daisy chain of servants running around and informing each other? Perhaps that was what the other cultivators did with their servants. Certainly Wu Ying had noticed that the assignment hall had outer sect members and non-cultivators lining up and hanging out a lot. Of course, Ah Yee was a little old and had her hands full taking care of his residence. Still, it was something he should investigate.
“Wu Ying. Tou He. Are you both up to an assignment?” Chao Kun said to them when the vast majority of the crowd had dispersed.
“Us? ” Wu Ying said, surprised.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you have others?” Wu Ying said, glancing at the others who still stood around.
“Yes, but I’ve got more work than people,” Chao Kun said. “If you sign up with us, I have some control over where you go. Unlike if you go with the assignment hall.”
“Does that mean I have to leave the sect?” Tou He said, glancing northward and eying the forest-covered mountains that surrounded the sect.
“Yes. You’re also running short on contribution points, no?” Chao Kun said.
Tou He winced but acquiesced. Wu Ying hesitated, knowing that he did not need to take the assignment. But when he spotted Tou He looking at him, he could not help but voice his own agreement.
“Excellent.” Chao Kun handed them the scroll he held. “You have Hongmao village. Map included. It’s a small group of hopping vampires[16]. Bring lots of rice.”
“Why couldn’t we take the rice from the bottom of the mountain?” Wu Ying grumbled as he carried the rice sack down, along with the remainder of his camping equipment. Carrying an entire bag down the mountain when there were literally hundreds of bags at the bottom made no sense. It did not help that Wu Ying’s storage ring was filled with the most important necessities—his weapons, his personal copies of his cultivation manuals, and notes for the next stage of his cultivation exercises. Of course, the cultivation exercises and the martial styles had to be left behind. With all that, there was no space for a big bag of rice.
“Paperwork,” Tou He said. “They need to account for each bag, which means they have to account for the ones down there when they come up.”
“I know that, it’s just…” Wu Ying shook his head. It hurt his heart to think that this could be one of the very same bags he had hauled up earlier in the year. “And why am I carrying the rice?”
“Because I’m carrying the camping gear?” Tou He pointed out.
Wu Ying fell silent since he had no counter. Rather than continue that line of conversation, he turned the topic to their actual assignment. “Did you manage to get any further information from the villagers?”
To make the request, the village had sent some of their own over with the requisite payment. While Wu Ying had gotten the rice and the rest of the camping gear together, Tou He had gone to talk to the villagers.
“Not much. The hopping vampires are based in a cemetery. The villagers have been trying to contain them with a ring of rice, but that’s insufficient with the constant rainfall,” Tou He said. “They tried banishing a few, but their Taoist priest fell ill and has been too sick to do more than paint a few talismans.”
Wu Ying grunted, recalling the specialized peach-wood weapons the pair had drawn from the sect’s stores. That the sect had these weapons lying around in the armory, waiting for someone to borrow them, was kind of amusing to Wu Ying. Because really, how often did you need edged peach-wood weapons?
“Did you get any urine?” Tou He asked.