Chapter 45:

Chapter 45

~~~~~Tai Su~~~~~

Formations are not something I have much experience with, but they are something I learned existed a long time ago. The Seventh Yellow Hill Town had a formation in it, one meant to prevent rodents and insects from living in it.

It wasn’t a very good formation, as rodents and insects could live in its outskirts where the formation was the weakest, but it had tangible results and more importantly you could see the boundaries of its effects by the number of cats hunting near spots with appetizing food left for the rats just beyond where they can reach.

The old archivist explained to me how they operated, you set a boundary, define the rules and draw out the formation somewhere nobody can interfere with, then you feed it Qi from spirit stones or alchemical reagents and the formation does what you demand of it.

Running it costs spirit crystals, an ungodly amount of it as even one of them costs at least twenty golden taels and I don’t think my family has earned that much money yet since I was born. It’s why I wanted Bao to focus on drawing so much as that ability would allow her to earn a lot of money and most importantly would not require her getting into danger and allow her to stay in roughly one place when not working.

The formation we were in now had little in common with the one back in town, but it operated on similar principles and the most obvious sign of it, was the nigh-impossible to miss golden glow.

It wasn’t there yesterday and it wasn’t there this morning when I went inside of it to check it for any clues, but it was there when I was linked to multiple people. The connection was obvious, this part of the trial was meant to assist those that are either incredibly lucky or come in groups or fulfill some other requirement to let them see where they are meant to be going.

“Are you still feeling sick Mei Lin?” I asked the woman I was carrying on my back.

“No, it only returns when I try to open my eyes.” She replied promptly.

We’ve tried seeing if the sickness passes but she started feeling ill the moment we did anything but carry her while she was helpless. Having her walk with her eyes open or closed made her physically ill, moving to much made her dizzy and even just opening her eyes almost made her puke.

This entire walk was torture for the ice blooded woman and the only way she had any chance of passing was if she had managed to ingratiate herself to people that are willing to put up with her even when she is nothing but a chore. If she’d came here alone then she would have failed.

If she came here with people that weren’t loyal or that she hadn’t earned the loyalty of, she would have failed too, which I suppose makes sense somewhat.

“One more argument for the idea that ice blooded are allowed in the sect.” I said cheekily.

“Yes.” She replied in a flat tone.

If multiple parts of the trial are targeted towards the ice blooded specifically in a non-lethal way, then that means that the sect is aware enough of the way they act and think and are still willing to let them in.

Now that I’ve confirmed that Mei Lin is well I need to look after the other issue.

“Ya Xue, are you well?” I shouted.

The illusion formation did strange things to our senses. I can no longer sense the emotions of others here, but I am otherwise fine, Mei Lin is essentially crippled and Ya Xue started acting weirdly.

I am assuming that the lack of stimuli she’s grown used to being gone affected her in some way, either that or her perception of reality is muddled while inside of the array because she started acting strange.

She reminded me of old Yi, the shaman of our village, in one of his more lucid states, which is terrifying to consider when Ya Xue has so far not acted much like him.

“She says she is fine, also you don’t need to shout, she can still hear normally.” Haoran Lin replied a few seconds later.

She can still hear me, but nobody except those I am directly linked to by rope can hear me. Due to this, all of us can talk, but only Ya Xue can still hear those which aren’t linked to her directly.

“No strange noises?” I asked, this time in a more measured tone.

“She says no, also Bao wants to know if Mei Lin is well.”

Responding took little time as I assured Bao that her junior is fine.

Communicating through intermediaries is a painfully annoying process. Responses need to be kept short, you have little clue if the one you’re talking to has sent the message you meant to send properly and you have little way of making sure that what you meant to say is actually what the one you’re talking to heard.

In front of us the golden light continued to shine, each step taking us closer to it and towards the entrance to our new lives.

Conversation started and died quickly, the flow one needed to maintain a conversation being hard to maintain when one needed intermediaries to talk or when individuals had little to talk about.

Da Xiu and I had little to talk we haven’t already talked about and neither of us were the talkative type. I could hold a conversation if needed be, unlike my gruff fellow bannerman, but it didn’t mean it was where I was the most comfortable at. Mei Lin was too busy trying not to get ill, and her brothers seemed focused on a conversation about some strange man called Zi.

Why would someone name their child ‘purple’ is beyond me, but it did not seem like the man left a good impression on the two.

“Who is Zi?” I asked Mei Lin.

I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation and it wasn’t like Mei Lin had anything to do while I was carrying her.

“One of father’s uncles. He wanted to take our parent’s apartment for himself once our parents died and came close to it until he ran afoul of some cherry bannermen and had to leave the Prefecture. My brothers don’t like him because he wanted our home without us inside of it.” She answered.

Her answer gave rise to another question from me.

“What happened to your apartment?” I asked.

My parents owned our home and father had the village to help with his work or could call on teacher now that I wasn’t there to help. The Xiaoli’s had Bai to look after the elderly couple and make sure the work was getting done while the Xiu were a decently sized clan and would not need to worry now that two of theirs left to try and join the sect.

The Lins on the other hand were estranged from most of their family which meant that their house was most likely empty and an empty house meant someone will make it theirs eventually.

“The Lord Protector’s office took charge of it. We’ll get it back the moment we go back and if we’ve failed and don’t get back in a year then the office will keep it.” She answered.

Lord Protector was the official title of any city or town lord so I assumed she meant the lord of the Prefecture’s capital.

I wanted to ask more but reality shifted and the gray world was no more and was instead replaced with a sparse forest and a single large gate made out of black stone. It reminded me of the table in Black Table Village but I didn’t have time to wonder if the two are related.

“Status!” I demanded of the others.

I needed to know if they were under the illusion still or if another had taken hold.

“In the grey.” All of them said as one.

So my hunch was right, the sect did prepare one final trick on us. If they words were true then they wouldn’t be able to hear me.

The illusion mist prevented us from communicating unless we were connected in some way, but it affected Mei Lin differently.

Her mind registered things that weren’t there and did so out of sync. When she tried to move her hand she felt three hands move, all at different times, when she heard someone speak she heard multiple voices, each of them off beat, when she wanted to talk she felt as if she had multiple bodies, none of them hers, none of them being willing to listen to her or act at the same time.

If the sect’s formations can change what Mei Lin’s senses receive then they can do the same to us.

I silently stepped back into the gray mist, there at least I could know that what I spoke was what the others would hear. The others quickly followed.

“My hunch was right, there’s another barrier there. All of you told me you were still in the gray barrier when I shouted for you. “I said.

Haoran Lin went and transmitted my words to the others while I assumed Ya Xue was doing the same.

“What does it do? Turn our words into lies?” Da Xiu asked.

“I don’t know, I know little about formations but you’re probably right Da Xiu.” I answered.

The formation made others understand the exact opposite of what one meant. I don’t know if it looked into our minds and changed the meaning of the words we meant to the opposite of it, or if it just chose the antonyms of whatever words we used and I quite frankly didn’t care.

The solution to dealing with it was simple, don’t talk to anyone. We decide here what we do and then we do it and don’t listen to any words anyone else says.

“Bao Xiaoli is asking if we should be removing the rope from our arms.” Haoran Lin said.

“Yes, once everyone does so we walk towards the black gate without listening to anything anyone says until we’re inside.” I replied and proceeded to untie the rope from myself.

“Do I get down from your back?” Mei Lin asked.

I considered her question, there was no need to risk things and she was light enough that I could comfortably carry her still.

“No, you stay there until we’re out of any mind altering formations to be sure. When it comes the time to get you down someone else will pull you off my back, don’t trust any words you might hear, we’re finishing this together” I answered.

Haoran Lin and Da Xiu disappeared from sight and as they did so, the golden gate in front of us dimmed. It was no longer shining with the brightness of the sun. However, the glow wasn’t fully gone yet, It was a glowing softly now, so softly that one could miss in-between the illusory trees, but it was undeniably there.

“Very well.” She replied simply.

I took that as my signal to start walking and soon the gray world was replaced by the real one.

I could already hear people talking and breaking my orders and proceeded to ignore it. My friends and family know better than to disobey me so openly, especially Mei Lin who I could hear started talking behind me. I ignored everything and proceeded to walk towards the black gate.

Words meant little now, the only thing that mattered was the trust we held in one another.

We walked forward, the false conversations turning vicious even as no combat seemed to happen despite insults that would have started feuds happening. Cries of cowardice, treachery and more flowed over me like water as the formation became ever more desperate to get us to attack one another.

A black haired woman appeared in front of us and the whispers ceased. I could see that her shoes held the motifs of the cherry banner, even if they weren’t what bannermen were issued.

This meant she was a daughter of the cherry banner which passed the trial, one of high ranking most likely, considering she was here to greet us. She was also blocking us from entering through the open gate.

“Greetings aspirants, I am La Shi, and elder of the…” She wanted to speak but I decided to ignore her.

The Trial wasn’t over yet after all, we haven’t passed through the gate.

She was speaking nonsense about power and how only the strong deserve to win or some nonsense and told us we need to fight among ourselves. I met her words with silence as I walked straight towards her.

The elder acted outraged at my ‘disrespect’ and yet when I walked towards her, it was her that avoided me, not the other way around, which would have been unthinkable.

If she actually believed that nonsense she wouldn’t have moved, if it was true she would have struck me down, instead she moved which told me more than all of her words put together.

“I have no reason to consider the words of cowards or liars.” I declared as I passed by the woman.

This was just one final test and I was sick of them by now.

The black gate presented nothing but an endless void and I passed through its threshold without hesitation and trusted that everyone else will follow.

What greeted me past the threshold was a single corridor illuminated by strange blue stones I recognized as spirit stones. The walls were barren and so was the floor with only the ceiling holding the lights illuminating our way.

The sound of clapping hands met my ears as the last one of my squad passed the threshold.

“Well said young man, well said.” Sect Master Fu Jian said as he appeared in front of us.

“Is this another test?” I asked tiredly.

The man in the pure white robes met my question with a deep laugh. He was laughing as if my words were the funniest joke he ever heard in his life.

“No, this is no test, all of you passed, you are officially disciples of the Blazing Fist sect if you want the position.” He answered.

“Haoran Lin, Cheng Lin get your sister off me.” Was all I said as I considered his words.

The two proceeded to do as I said as I considered their words and nobody else dared speak.

“Yes.”

“Come here sis.”

Once Mei Lin was off my back I addressed the sect master’s words.

“You speak as if there are other options.” I replied.

“Yes, to all of you but the Lins the option to join your banners as elites is open to you. It implies twenty years of service, the chance to advance up to the second tier being guaranteed to you and you can continue being part of mortal society during and after your service is done.” He answered

“And the Lins?” I asked.

That sounded like a good offer, but even if I was to take it, I wasn’t about to just let the Lins out to dry.

“There are positions in the capital’s bureaucracy that each sect is allowed to fill with whoever they so choose. Those that pass all Trials are guaranteed one of those positions if they believe cultivator life is not for them. All of you can choose to go into the bureaucracy if you’ve had your fill of violence, but you won’t be allowed to advance past your current tier.” He answered with a soft smile.

That sounded even better to me than merely joining the banner. Positions in the government are always well paid, stable and most importantly conductive to having the peace and security to raise a family.

My intuition told me two things, first was that the offer was genuine, this was truly the end of the trial to enter the sect, but now another trial awaited us, the trial that would decide if my plan for the future held.

Both positions satisfied our desires, it allowed the Lins a comfortable position as they craved, it allowed us to either make our families and clans proud or to live comfortably and do so not as a consolation prize but as a well earned victory.

It was also a poison, a poison that was meant to destroy all I’ve built during my preparations for this very moment. My plans to start my own cultivator clan would be crushed, my desire for power gone, the bonds we’ve made here could weaken into irrelevance and I had no power to stop it or keep on to it if anyone else wanted to go and do anything else.

I’ve lost all power despite having gained so many options to get what I want and despite all that all I could do in front of this was chuckle.

There was no need for me to look back to the others to try and convince them, if the past few weeks weren’t enough to convince them, no words I could say now would be.

I could see the sect master’s eyes sparkle with mischief, he realized I caught on to this schemes.

“We thank you for the generous offer sect master, but I choose to become a cultivator. If anyone else wishes to do otherwise, then the only thing I wish to say is that it has been a pleasure knowing them and that I hold no animosity towards them for their decision and that I will still consider them to be my friends.” I replied.

“I’m not leaving Tai out of my sight. I choose to become a cultivator ” Bao said as she came to my side.

The warmth inside my chest grew more and more as nobody else chose to become a bureaucrat or soldier that day.

All eight of us decided to become cultivators.

AN: And the Trial is done! There will be a few more chapters and one interlude to close things off and then we're off to the second volume.