Chapter 12:

Chapter 12

Seventh Yellow Hill Town has not fully recovered since the blizzard a few years back.

I would be surprised if it has a thousand human souls in it, even if there were a few dozen foxes now in it that weren’t here before, probably due to the woman in front of me.

“Thank you for letting us leave our bags here while the test is underway teacher Hao Wen.” I said as I bowed slightly to her.

“Yes teacher Hao Wen, the examiners wouldn’t allow us with our backpacks there, neither us or everyone else that had them. We’re lucky there are three chances to take it today, or we would have failed already.” Bao grumbled.

I wasn’t surprised in the slightest at the nonsense the examiners pulled, they always pull something like this to destroy the hopes of people and claim ‘we should be grateful’. The first testing period was early in the morning and ended just as the sun rose with an empty classroom as nobody knew to reach it, the second we reached just before it started at noon, and the third will start at dawn.

Thanks to teacher we wouldn’t need to leave our packs in the streets or with the guards. Leaving them in the streets might as well be giving them away and leaving them with the guard would quickly end with them ransacked for money and food as there’s been a thief in their ranks for a few months and they haven’t managed to find him and they can’t assign a single guard to look over our packs only as they have patrols.

We were lucky to have teacher help us with this.

The last year has been good to her too. Her tail is fluffier, her red hair brighter and everything else about her screamed contentment even if she was dressed in the same clothes as before. Judging by the servant attending her it also seems that her clan has decided to invest heavily into her.

The woman was beautiful, dignified and most of all professional as she moved with grace and discipline as she attended to us. This sort of servant do not come cheap, least of all those that move this smoothly.

If the woman wasn’t a cultivator I’ll eat my shoes.

“You have nothing to thank me for either of you. Both of you are my students and without you Tai Su this wouldn’t have been possible.” Teacher declared smugly.

Now she looked like a fox at least. The spark of mischief and barely concealed cunning that was eroded by weeks of indignity was back and teacher was once again who she was the most comfortable as.

“I can’t exactly claim credit for all of this teacher, especially as I wasn’t here when it happened.” I replied amused.

“Oh but you can and you will, your little paper ‘Of the Virtue of Men and the Valor of Foxes’ managed to reach to the honored Ancestor of my clan. He looked it over and declared it mandatory studying material combined with the workarounds we developed together as to how to integrate with Imperial culture. What you see here, this little book house? All of it is based on what I managed to learn from you, so yes you will accept credit.” She smugly proclaimed.

What? Surely that thing wasn’t anywhere near that influential! It took me months to write it into a somewhat workable format. Surely other would have just asked a fox scholar or a fox would have asked a human scholar how the other thinks and why.

“You surely jest teacher.” I tried to deny.

Teacher turned serious again.

“I am not Tai Su, the Empress and the Honored Ancestors have been trying to make our alliance work for one hundred years and we kept not understanding each other and thus kept each other at a distance. Your few papers of text may not have been the best written scholarly text the ancestors have ever seen, but it’s the first one that the Ancestors have seen that explains where some of the issues are and where they stem for. The bastards in our former colonies far west might have known this or have other texts to describe it, but they certainly didn’t share with the rest of us.” Teacher continued.

I did not know how to feel about my first attempt at writing a scholarly text in this life is now the foundational text in bridging the gap between two cultures alien to one another.

“That’s a good thing isn’t it Tai? Why aren’t you as cheerful?” Bao asked worriedly.

“Shock and the fact that this means attention from other scholars, some that will not like the fact that a country bumpkin’s work with no recommendations is now something they’ll have to reference.” I answered.

I don’t know much of scholars but what the old Archivist told me when I did give him a copy was to hope nobody will care for it until long after I’m gone. Not having a strong enough backer means that my work would either be ignored or actively maligned.

“The fox clans won’t give you issues with it, especially as the workarounds with the merchant issues are already paying dividends as we managed to figure out how to stop our more adventurous kin from being stoned to death.” Teacher offered.

It was an offer to join the clans, and from the sound of it a generous one. I was tempted to take it but I needed to know something first.

“I thank you and the Honored Ancestor Wen for the offer, but before I accept, I have to ask something. Will we be able to be cultivators among your people teacher?” I asked promptly.

The scholars aren’t that powerful that even the lowest of cultivators need fear them, not unless they had the backing of certain nobles and so if I could become a cultivator then I wouldn’t need to worry about what some scholars high on their farts thought of a peasant having their work made foundational in a given field.

One of the servant women saw that my tea cup was empty and poured me and Bao some tea.

“Thank you.” I whispered as the woman finished and I let my teacher articulate her response.

That being said, Foxes aren’t allowed to join sects in the Empire and I can’t imagine that humans are allowed to do so either among the clans.

She shook her head at that and I already knew the answer before she finished speaking.

“No, the path of cultivators is only open to those who are descended from the Ancestors, but the option remains open even if you fail to join the local sects Tai Su. The Honored Ancestor Wen has made it clear that it is an open invitation after he saw just how useful your advice was a few months back.” Teacher Wen said.

I looked to Bao and she nodded back to me. If we could not become cultivators we would take it and bring our family with us. We have an in with the scholars of the foxes, it would be foolish to not take it if it was open to us.

I bowed down and turned my hands into fists which were firmly planted to the floor and Bao quickly mirrored me.

“I thank both you and Ancestor Wen for this offer, but I will become a cultivator if that path is open to me. If it’s not then I will come live among the fox clans.” I answered.

“Rise, rise you have nothing to thank me for, I am merely transmitting the Ancestor’s words, now finish your tea, you have an exam to get to.” Teacher ordered.

I proceeded to do just that with a smile, teacher Hao Wen truly is the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘At least they are giving us paper, a brush and ink.’ I thought with annoyance.

Tai and I heard that in some years they didn't give the examinees any of that and they had to bring their own.

“You will not talk to one another, you will not look at one another, you will only look at your paper and a single glance at the paper of another will disqualify you. If you have a question in regards to one of the questions, you will not ask it. The questions are there to be answered by you and you alone. You have each been given a number and it is written on your table. Each of you will write it on your paper so that when I call a number you will know who it is I am talking with.

Have all of you understood it?” The examiner said harshly.

He was an older looking man, with white hair and many wrinkles that looked as if he hated each of us for existing.

“Yes honored one.” The entire class of twenty people responded back as one.

The man scoffed.

“I’ll believe it when I see it. Turn the pages over, you have one hour to fill in the answers. The first half of the test is a multiple answer question. You are to underline the correct answer and provide an explanation as to why you chose it over the others, not doing either of those will results in no points being given. The second half will be you answering a question to the best of your ability. The last question I will dictate to you when there are ten more minutes until you have to give me the paper. You will stay here as I correct the answers and those that fail will leave out of my sight and those that pass will be given a spot for the next part of the exam that we will leave for tomorrow. Do all of you understand?” The examiner barked harshly.

“We understand Honored one.” Twenty voices answered back.

I proceeded to to do as he ordered and looked over the pages. The first half had twenty-two questions while the second half only two.

!Question One!

What is natural Qi commonly believed to be?

1. A type of fruit.

2. Vital energy.

3. The Energy of the Heavens

4. A color.

‘Oh, I nearly forgot to write my own number.’ I fearfully realized.

A quick peek at my desk showed that I was number twelve and I quickly wrote that in the left corner of the page and did so to all three offered pages.

‘Now back to the questions.’ I though as I reread the question.

Isn’t this too easy? This can’t be right, this questions is too easy, the answer is obviously three!

I looked down on the test sheet and all of the questions in the first part were just as easy.

‘Tai was right, the primary qualifier to most things is knowing to read and write.’ I thought happily.

I underlined the third answer and wrote beneath the question the explanation I saw in the books.

Qi is a type of energy, and so it is not a fruit or a color. Natural Qi or sometimes called Heavenly Qi comes from beyond man, and it is man which turns the Energy beyond it into something he can use. One must become more heavenly before they can start creating it.

Done, now off to others.

The other questions in the first half did not take long to answer, at best two minutes each, but I only had sixty minutes and time was running short.

!Question Twenty-Three!

Why does the Empress rule the Empire?

That was such an obvious question that it had to be a trap. I wished to think a lot more about it but I did not know how much time I had left and thus had to hurry.

The Empress rules the Empire because she founded it, because it is from her power that it draws breath and it is her Virtue that determines what is right and what is wrong. If she has determined that it is Right for her to Rule, than to not have her rule is to be Unvirtuous.

That should do it, now the last question.

“Number seven and nine, get out of this classroom before I feed you your own limbs!” The elderly cultivator shouted.

I could hear the shuffle of feet but I dared not look at it, I had my own struggles to deal with.

!Question Twenty-four!

What are sects? Why are they more important than Nobility and why is it that the Empress rules as beyond both, despite her using a noble title?

That’s… is Empress a noble title?

I always assumed it was a divine one!

What do nobles do? They provide protection… Hmm maybe I could use that?

‘Please heavens guide my brush and let it be correct.’ I silently prayed.

The first part of question was easy enough at least

Sects are organizations created specifically for the pursuit of power and cultivators. They allow those that wish to pursue personal power an environment they can do so in and remain useful to the Empress.

Nobility provides protection and guidance to the masses with their strength, but nobles are not to pursue strength as their life goal, only in pursuit of their main goal which is to administrate the lands. The sects are more important than nobility, because one needs strength to rule and they are stronger than Nobles.

The Empress rules above all because she can do all she sets her mind to. She is the strongest and immortal and thus needs not bother with accumulating power above all, and she protects and guides the people of the Empire to Virtue and prosperity.

It was the last part that I didn’t know how to answer and so I had to think, why does the Empress choose to use a noble title?

“Ten minutes are left, the last question is. What are Spirit Roots?” The examiner shouted and pulled me out of my thinking process.

‘Damn it. I’ll just write the most obvious thing that comes to mind.’ I thought and proceeded to do just that.

The Empress is the strongest, she uses whatever title she wants and if anyone thinks to tell her otherwise then they may petition her to change it. They most certainly can’t tell her to do so.

I sincerely hope that correct, but now the last question.

I wrote it down.

!Question Twenty Five!

What are spirit roots?

If they are something spiritual then they relate to cultivation, but I’ve never heard of them. Maybe they’re some sort of plant or beast part? If so then what does it do?

If I recall teacher said that Beasts cultivated differently than humans and she described to us only human cultivation.

Tai said that roots both gather and store water and dirt, and it is why cutting too many trees is bad. They keep water from going too deep into the ground and the ground from moving too much.

Now how do I combine this with cultivation? And how do I minimize the chances of it being wrong?

Spirit roots are an organ that both gathers and stores Qi, a combination of both Meridian and Dantian.

I hope that is correct.

I put the brush down and proceeded to silently pray to the Heavens.

“Brushes down, those in the back rise up, collect the tests of everyone in front of you then return to your seats. Numbers One and Thirteen, you have failed this test, I told you specifically to drop the brushes not rush with writing. Leave!” The examiner shouted and pulled me out of my prayers.

A woman came and took my test and brought them to the examiner.

Once the four test takers returned to their seats the Examiner proceeded to correct the tests.

“Number two failed.” He said promptly.

The woman in question started crying but left.

“The next one that cries is getting a beating.” The Examiner remarked as if he was talking about the weather.

The rest of us remained silent a cultivator beating you meant death or crippling.

“Number three, passed, barely. Be thankful I found one of your answers amusing or you would have failed.”

“Thank you honored one!” The man said and bowed.

The older man scoffed and continued marking the tests and telling who passed and who didn’t.

“Number twelve, rise to your feet, I will talk to you about your work after I am done marking that of everyone else.” The examiner instructed plainly.

I did as he asked and did my best to hide my nervousness.

I could feel everyone’s stares as I stood up.

“Number seventeen, do the same as number twelve.” He ordered softly.

His gruff and mean exterior stopped once he called my name but returned with that of the others regardless of whether they passed or not, and now Tai was up too and I was getting more scared.

“Number nineteen failed, get out, you damned failure, you didn’t even get a single answer right!” The Examiner shouted and spit came out of the old man’s mouth as he ordered.

The failure in question did as he was told and ran outside in a hurry.

“Numbers twelve and seventeen, I would like to congratulate you. You are the only ones with a perfect score, tell me your names so that I may record them. I think the two of you are the first ones to get it right since the Seventh Yellow Hill Town was founded on the ruins of Sixth Yellow Hill Town.” The man softly instructed.

The man acted like a kindly grandfather and that made my skin crawl.

“Tai Su, number seventeen.” Tai replied promptly.

“Bao Xiaoli, number twelve.” I did the same shortly after him.

The cultivator proceeded to write both of our names down in his papers then started to speak again.

“Excellent, all seven of you that are left are to present yourself tomorrow at sunrise at the eastern gate. You have passed the written exam for entry into the Blazing Fist Sect. We will leave and have you present yourselves to the physical exam on the sect grounds. I give you one chance to give up as failure is more likely than not to mean death.” The man offered dourly.

None of us, be they standing or not took him on his offer. All of us wished power and if the chance of our death was enough to see us failed none of us would have bothered with it.

He looked at us as if we were maggots in his soup.

“Good, now get out, I need to prepare myself for the trip, I suggest you that you do the same.” He ordered and his grandfatherly front peeled back until only the spiteful old man was left.

We scrambled to leave and when I left the breath I have been holding since the man told me I got a perfect score left out of my lungs.

Big strong hands pulled me into a hug shortly after and I felt all of my worries leave my body.

“We passed!” Tai exclaimed joyfully.

“And with perfect scores!” I exclaimed back.

The hug turned firmer and I felt myself relax further in the arms of my husband.

That’s one test passed, all that is left is the physical one and then we will be cultivators.