Wu Ying found Senior Ge in the courtyard, standing still in horse stance[21]. The courtyard was so big that Chao Kun only needed half of it for his training grounds. As Wu Ying looked, he spotted the formation flags which marked and reinforced the boundaries of the training area. In the other half of the courtyard, a serene and well-kept garden was carefully tended by the servants.
To Wu Ying’s surprise, others were waiting for Senior Ge to finish his evening practice. Seated at the garden table was Li Yao and two other cultivators Wu Ying was on nodding terms with. Both men had the look of martial specialists, with long, lean bodies and a dangerous air, only differentiated by the crooked nose on one and the closely trimmed beard on the other.
“Senior Lee,” Wu Ying greeted the lady first before bowing to the other two. “Long Wu Ying greets Seniors.”
The pair quickly shared their names, though neither of the cultivators seemed interested in speaking. Even Li Yao was paying attention to Senior Ge’s practice, so Wu Ying turned his attention to Chao Kun’s still form. As Wu Ying watched, Chao Kun broke into action. His hands flickered, moving so fast Wu Ying could not track their motion. The explosive release of strength as the punches flew out blew up clouds of dust that roiled and covered the watching cultivators. The dust and the force of pressured air pushed against Wu Ying’s body for a brief second before it passed. Wu Ying’s eyebrows climbed in surprise. He knew the impact had been significantly reduced by the reinforcement formations around the training grounds.
“Beautiful,” the bearded cultivator whispered.
“Senior Ge’s Star Beating Fist has improved again,” Crooked Nose said, admiration tingeing his voice.
As the dust settled, Senior Ge’s long hair settled around him.
“I could not see him move,” Wu Ying muttered mostly to himself.
“Few can,” Li Yao said. “The Star Beating Fist is a Core-level martial style.”
“Core?” Wu Ying said, surprised.
“Yes. Only someone as talented as Senior Ge could learn a martial style across such a cultivation gap,” Crooked Nose confirmed.
“Don’t talk rubbish,” Chao Kun said, seeming to appear next to the group. Wu Ying and the bearded cultivator jerked, both caught by surprise. “If your chi density and flow is sufficient, most Core martial styles are useable.”
“Sufficient,” Crooked Nose said with a sniff. “You mean having at least half the chi amount of a Core Cultivator. And how many of those are there in the sect?”
Chao Kun considered the number. “Hei Mao. Lu Rong. Fa Yuan, of course, before she became a Core Cultivator in truth. Seven? No. Eight of us present in the sect right now.”
“Out of two and fifty or so cultivators,” Li Yao said, tapping Chao Kun’s hand. “You’re special. Just admit it.”
Chao Kun laughed before he waved away the topic. “You’re all here because you want an assignment, yes?”
“Yes, Senior!” the group chorused.
“Good. Now, I have quite a few, but you will need to decide if you are working together or in pairs.”
“Not alone?” the bearded cultivator said.
“You’re not ready yet,” Chao Kun said firmly.
“Yes, Senior. I would prefer to work with those I know,” the bearded cultivator replied and indicated his friend.
“Li Yao?” Chao Kun asked.
“I do not care.”
“Very well. Two different teams then.” Chao Kun waved to a servant who trotted over, bearing a tray of scrolls.
Quickly perusing through the documents, Chao Kun retrieved two and handed one to the male cultivator pair and another to Li Yao. Once Chao Kun had distributed the scrolls, he ushered the four out with due haste.
Outside, the pair of male cultivators walked off, leaving Wu Ying looking distastefully at the rude nobles before he turned to Li Yao. “What did we get?”
“Let us talk somewhere more comfortable.” Li Yao frowned, considering, then pointed down the hill. “There should be a tea room open.”
Once the pair were comfortably seated in a semi-private room, in view of servants and attendants but with enough privacy that few would bother them, Li Yao unrolled the mission scroll. Together, the pair perused the details of the mission, inspecting the enclosed map and the sparse information provided by the assignment hall.
“A pack of demon dhole?” Wu Ying’s eyebrows creased together. The dhole was a red, almost dog-like creature that moved in large clans. But the dhole rarely held large territories or moved them. “Why are they a concern now?”
“Probably one of their members is close to a breakthrough. In those cases, the demon dhole widen their territories and search for more chi-intensive resources,” Li Yao said.
“Chi-intensive?”
“Humans. Preferably high-level cultivators.”
“Ah…”
A clan of dhole could be dangerous, since their hunting packs would wait to take down their prey. If the demon beasts were attacking people, they would be smart enough to prey on those at the edges of a village.
“The local Lord?” Wu Ying said.
“It’s Lord Chu.” When Wu Ying did not make any acknowledgement of her words, Li Yao sighed. “The old Lord Chu and his two sons died two years ago. The current Lord Chu is six years old. Even their army has been severely reduced.”
“Oh.”
Li Yao shook her head. “This damnable war has seen too many deaths. I know of a few families who have been all but wiped out and forced to marry their daughters away to secure their lands. Not that their families are still existent, but at least they have security.”
“I worry about my parents too,” Wu Ying said softly. “Without my money, they wouldn’t be able to hire additional help. My father has mentioned bandits—peasants thrown off their land because they could not pay the tax—roaming the countryside. And last year, the Wei were within a hundred li of the farm.”
The cultivators fell silent, remembering the pressures the war placed upon the sect and their families. The pair had trained with many who’d proceeded to take the sect’s war missions. Only a portion of those came back. Some because they extended their stay. Others because they would never come back—crippled or dead from the fighting. The drain on personnel was slow but noticeable and would increase when spring arrived and the fighting season came again.
“Dhole,” Wu Ying finally said, drawing their attention back to their mission. “Two-day jog.”
“Jog?” Li Yao said. “Should we not take a horse?”
Wu Ying scratched his head, shame running through him. “I don’t know how to ride one. Or have one.”
“Oh. We can rent one for you,” Li Yao said. “The sect has a few placid horses. You should learn. Spring’s better though.”
“Why?”
“The ground is softer,” Li Yao said, eyes twinkling. Wu Ying stared at the woman before she laughed, waving. “You’ll be fine. You’re not a beginner cultivator anymore. Learning the physical aspects of horse riding will come faster than studying a new martial style. As for care for the animal, we can stop at inns.”
“I know how to care for horses,” Wu Ying said stiffly. His village had had one draft horse and the village children had all been tasked with caring for it at one point or another. However, a draft horse was not a riding horse and no child would have dared the wrath of the village elder by attempting to ride.
“Good. Trust me, I’ll make sure your first time is good!” Li Yao said.
Wu Ying offered her a wan smile before he looked down to hide the slight blush.
Oblivious as usual, Li Yao continued. “We should get bows.”
“And use ourselves as bait for the dhole?”
“Exactly.”
“A good idea,” Wu Ying said, rubbing his chin. “Though actual bait would probably be better.”
“Maybe we could get one of the outer sect members? About Body Cleansing 4 or 5 would be perfect,” Li Yao said agreeably.