Heavenly Shae

Heavenly Shae: Book Three

Addressed to Wise Kaiun Yungfan

Written by Heavenly Wisdom's Shae

at The Honourable Dragon's Entreaty Sect

during mid-fall, two weeks past the equinox.

To be delivered by Runner Carli

Prepaid, but feel free to give her a tip if
she arrives promptly. She may be willing to
make the return trip.

Dearest Yungfan,

I've made it to the sect whole and healthy. As predicted they have gladly accepted me into their ranks of fresh recruits.

It was a surprisingly eventful journey for such a direct path. I'm sure rumors will have reached you with Runner Carli, if not before. We were caught in a battle with spirit beasts as we arrived at Gatewash. While I did my best to stick my nose into it, I remained unharmed throughout. Only suffering for my proximity to the main combatants' spiritual pressure, which I recovered from quickly.

I wasn't even forced to use a defensive talisman. Please let Wise Kwan know I was given one, and have received guidance on when and where to use them.

Speaking of guidance, the Manifold Journey practice was very effective. Wise Wuan should be happy to learn the strain effect was rather constant, even if I didn't notice it until the end. Perhaps too effective even: I passed out briefly while trying to use the practice and fight off qi pressure during the trip north past Gatewash. I recovered quickly, just couldn't practice it then.

The final wrap up step seems to have worked as intended. I felt quite a bit of mental relief afterwards, and haven't felt any lingering downsides.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give the other practices a fair shake. I also suspect the sect will have replacements for most. Still, I am very grateful for your group's generosity. So much so that I must seek it again. The sect's options for my unique qi combination seem to be rather limited. I was hoping the Golden Orchard Monkery could assist me there.

I won't write the details of it; I feel Kwan and yourself received a fair taste of it during our first meeting. I have since advanced my understanding of it and blended it more fully with the pure qi base. Regular contemplation and a little of the Gatewash battle are to thank. I made most of the advancement less than a week after the battle.

Elders at the sect have informed me that my understanding of my qi's nature would rival most near mid-core, so please don't feel the need to provide the basics. Although, perhaps I should have them anyway, sometimes it feels as though I've skipped quite a lot.

I made one fast-friend upon arrival, in addition to the few I made in the caravan. Though, there is also one unique individual that seems to be out of place. A young boy that looks to have fallen directly out of monk life. Perhaps you know of him, his name is Kensu.

Thank you for altering the tattoo on our parting. I really like the new look. I think it might still have a life of its own. I could swear it has been changing slightly as I traveled. Oh! Another of my experiences has gifted me with an almost matching mark on my other arm. If you are ever passing through Flame Well, please visit Fairy Yun at the Gilded Aurochs. I'm sure she could tell the story better than I can write it.

It saddens me that our correspondence will be so slow. As such, I won't trouble you with all the small goings on. Though I've only just arrived here and there's not much to tell.

I hope Runner Carli will make the trip back and forth, providing consistency to our long chain of communication. Yet, I fear it is a lot to ask of a mortal, especially that last dangerous leg around Gatewash. I feel a certain need to advocate for Runner Carli, to help her further herself. However, she should want our assistance. From what little I got out of her: she fears stepping onto the path of cultivation. And yet, the way she speaks of running, the flow and the rush, I expect she is already on her own path.

Ah, we've reached the end of this page. Until next time, live well.

Heavenly Wisdom's Shae

The new recruits were housed in small, packed rooms, like a cramped dormitory. They were told this was temporary housing until they were moved in the new year, just before classes started. Shae suspected it was to force all the first years to either mingle or explore the sect. In this it was successful, most of the recruits didn't spend time at the dorms except for sleeping hours and meals at the nearby cafeteria.

As best she could tell, the dorm building spent the rest of the year as a hotel, of sorts, housing any other visitors to the sect. Only the end of the year saw it packed with cots for the new recruits. Though, she suspected the cramped conditions were optional and fully intended. Her group had arrived late, and they were only on the third of six floors. Those above them presumably empty and able to provide more upscale comfort to the sect's higher stage guests.

The cafeteria system was somewhat novel and interesting, and what they would be using going into their first year. That novelty grew to be mildly inconvenient if you wanted meals to go or otherwise close together. They were each given a meal chit. A small coin-like token that held a simple qi formation.

As best Shae could tell, the formation was inactive, lacking any qi. Once they received a meal, they presented the chit and the cafeteria attendant injected a small portion of qi into the chit, charging the formation. She paid close attention the first time, out of curiosity, yet the formation was disappointingly simple. It simply worked like an hourglass, slowly draining qi until empty. The process took about four hours, and they wouldn't be allowed back into the cafeteria with a charged chit, or without one.

It did work as a mild incentive to get up early enough to have breakfast at least four hours before lunch. That first week the prime gossip among recruits was how inconvenient that was. Many of the noble students were accustomed to getting meals whenever they requested them. Shae and many others held their tongue, happy to simply have access to multiple free meals a day, regardless of the conditions.

The menu itself rotated weekly, and generally provided multiple substitutions per meal if you didn't like something specific. With the exception of two days a week, where all meals are restricted to the grain purification diet. As far as Shae could tell, it was nearly a vegan diet, and most of the recruits were unhappy with their meals on those days.

The exception to that was one student, a young boy dressed more like a monk, who insisted on the grain purification meal every day. Though not shown on the menu, it was an option, you simply had to ask for it.

It was early morning on the second day when Shae met the monk boy. She had travelled to the cafeteria alone and was surprised to find the restricted meal plan in place. The boy entered just before her, yet she didn't catch his name. When she presented her meal chit and introduced herself as Wise Shae, the boy stumbled and looked back, yet appeared confused when she looked at him.

He was taller than her, as most kids her age were. Even still, he'd definitely hit his growth spurt already, though there was no telling if it was done. More lanky than fit, the sect's new recruit robes hung loosely on him, but flashes of bright yellow stuck out from underneath. The loose clothes reminded Shae that her own robes could use some real tailoring: she had resorted to pinning them to fit better. They had all been given a fresh set, though the sizes were more generic and limited. A plain light-grey robe with small and richly colored embroidery details. Red on the right side, blue on the left.

Like most people, his dark hair contrasted light skin. He wasn't as pale as most, but the slight tan didn't compare to Shae's richer skin color, or what was left of it. His hair was cut very short, practically a buzz cut that reminded Shae of military cuts. He blinked at her, flashed a bow, then turned and rushed into the building.

"Hmph? You know him?" The guard asked.

"No." Shae shook her head. "I'm certain we're both new recruits, though. Pretty sure I've seen those bright robes at the dorm building."

"Well, probably won't be the last to be surprised by your title." The guard smirked and nodded, waving her in.

Unsurprisingly, they ended up beside each other in line for meals. Shae thought his body language read as slightly uncomfortable. He held his back to her, acting as though she didn't exist.

He maintained that stubbornness until she saw the menu.

"Huh? What the heck is grain purification?" She mumbled to herself.

The boy turned and couldn't stop himself, "Really? Wise one?"

"Hmm?" She hummed at him, confusion still across her face.

"Surely, one so Wise as yourself would be familiar with the diet, it is served at every monastery." He spoke the words with an accusatory tone.

"Ah, that explains your confusion over my confusion. He-he-he," she giggled. "I've spent no time at any monastery. Rather, I received my title from the Golden Orchard monks in Minlin city, just a few weeks ago."

"Just a few weeks..." His eyes went wide with surprise. "Then you're... Or you saw them? The Heavenly Child?"

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"Tsk." She shook her head. "What a silly name. Don't call me that. Yes, I am Wise and Heavenly Shae. Calling me a child is insulting. You're younger than I am. Just Wise Shae is fine, or Senior Sister, now that we're both in the sect."

He gaped down at her. He had to since he was a head and a half taller than her. "This one must apologize, Wise Senior Sister." He bowed an appropriate distance, straightening up and going silent.

She waited a pair of breaths, then poked a finger towards him. "And yourself? Name and monastery, if you don't mind."

"Ah. This one is Junior Brother Kensu. This one does not hail from a monastery." He twitched out another bow.

"Not from one? Then your teacher was, surely?-" She waved a hand between them. "Sorry, it's not really my business if you don't want to share, Junior Kensu."

"Hmm. You have the right idea. My sensei asked to remain a secret."

"Sensei? Odd word choice. Their word or yours?"

"Ah- this one misspoke. They are my teacher."

Shae paused. "Yes, I could tell what word you meant. Keep your secrets if you must, especially if they are not yours." She pointed up at the menu board. "Instead, what's this grain diet about?"

"Ah yes, that can be spoken of. It is a meal plan designed to aid cultivation. Not by speeding it up like an elixir does, rather it aims to reduce or eliminate additional impurity strain on the body. Meals made with meat, for example, are thought to include the impurities that the animal possessed in life. Thus, consuming them will add to the work needed to purify yourself." He waved a hand in a circular 'and so forth' motion.

"I see. There's some solid logic to that." She nodded. "Even if you don't absorb them directly, your body still has to process them."

"Correct, Wise one. My s- teacher insisted we always follow this diet. On other days, when it's not the only item on the menu, you may request one from the cafeteria staff. There is much more to the diet overall: balancing Yin and Yang, and the elements, for example. However, as cultivators we can do that ourselves, for the most part."

"Ah, sure. That makes sense. I suppose it's limited enough that they don't provide a lot of options?" She gestured to the cafeteria attendants.

"They do not." He nodded. "It's rather simple fare. Those of us that practice it constantly know ourselves enough to adjust our consumption as needed. The diet is also designed to only require two meals a day. Unless you are training heavily, then you should seek out specific supplemental foods." He closed his eyes and held up a finger while he was lecturing.

Shae nodded vigorously at his last point. "Mhm, right. You'd need more protein, so more meat- err, beans and corn." They were far enough that they were now receiving the meals. She saw they consisted mostly of grains and beans, with a smattering of sliced fruit. "It looks carb heavy, so yea, two makes sense."

"Hmm? This one is not familiar with that word? Karb?" He tilted his head.

"Oh, sorry. It kind-of means energy dense. It's mainly used for foods heavy with sugar and starch. Grain is rich in starch, good for keeping the body's energy up. Err, it's physical energy." She quickly curled and flexed her arm to enforce the point.

"Impressive knowledge. That's fairly similar to how my teacher explained it. They also said that sugars are less effective because they burn faster."

Shae nodded. "Your sensei was well educated. I'd be interested in meeting them if they are ever at the sect."

"Ah, uhm." He swallowed. "My apologies, Senior. They are unlikely to visit."

"Unlikely? Well, that implies they are still living, that's good to hear. Did they send you off to learn the ways of the world or something?"

"Hah hah, or something, yes."

They took their trays past the attendant who charged their chits with a hand wave.

Shae was surprised to see the boy take chopsticks as utensils. She considered matching him, she did know how to use them, even before she was reborn. Yet she still grabbed a spoon instead; their meals were in shallow bowls.

"I'm intending to sit with you," she told him as they walked to a table, "but you must tell me if you'd prefer privacy."

"This one wouldn't dream of rejecting his Wise Senior's intentions."

She briefly frowned at him, then again because he didn't seem to understand his own words. "Well, you should. I won't be your senior forever."

"Yet, you will be Wise as long as you like, none will take that from you."

"Hah, so it's only my own ignorance that can challenge my wisdom?"

"It is as my Wise Senior says." He bowed quickly to hide a smirk.

She just snorted out a short laugh and began to eat.

Most of the meal passed by in relative silence. There were other people in the cafeteria. The start of the meal was only disturbed by Kensu obviously waiting for Shae to begin first. She directed him not to, yet he waited anyway.

Kensu ate slowly, deliberately using his chopsticks to carefully lift food to his mouth. Halfway through her own meal, Shae noticed he hadn't dropped any food from his chopsticks. Though his method meant he was eating far slower, only nearing the one third mark as she was half done, and she wasn't trying to eat particularly fast.

She paid more attention to her own meal after that, now somewhat self-conscious of losing food off her own utensil.

As she scraped the last bits of rice from her bowl, she noticed Kensu stopping at each sharp noise.

"Senior sister-" he caught himself.

"Hmm?" She asked through a mouthful.

"Ah, it is nothing." He restrained a grimace.

Shae saw a flash of familiar fabric behind him and stood up. "Hmgh!" She grunted through her food, then waved over Kensu's head.

She sat and quickly swallowed that bite in time for someone to arrive at their table. "Junior Nalin, good to see you. Come, sit with us, Junior Brother Kensu, this is Sister Nalin. Sister - brother." She waved back and forth between them. "Mh! Sorry, did you want to go by Nalin, or Shu?"

"Nalin is fine. Thank you for the seat, Wise Shae. Brother Kensu, well met." Nalin bowed quickly and sat.

"Sister Nalin, good to see you well. This one believes we met at Gatewash, or perhaps during the journey?"

"Aha! Yes, I saw you during the boat ride. You didn't ... err, look well. I hope the testing was simpler?"

"It was a pleasant stroll up the mountain. This one was quite relieved," Kensu said and set his chopsticks across his bowl. "This one heard that others found more challenges along the route?"

"Found other routes, more likely. I went direct, had a few cliffs in my way, wasn't a problem until it was." Nalin shrugged. "But it worked out."

"And yourself, Wise Senior Sister?"

"Hmph!?" Shae had just stuffed the last spoonful into her mouth. She held up a finger in front of her lips as she quickly chewed, then had a sip of water. "Ah. Right. Hmm, it was a fairly pleasant hike. I would have liked to see it during the day. That would have also stopped me from stomping my way into that bog of a river. That was the worst part." She nodded. "The stars were very pretty at night, though."

"You traveled at night?" Kensu looked concerned.

Nalin smirked and began her meal, she had already heard this story.

"Yes, it was because I didn't travel with the group. We arrived late the same evening that you started the test. I could have waited until the next morning, but I was sort of baited into it. Not maliciously, I don't think. As Sister Nalin said, it worked out." She smirked.

"Hmm. That explains why you seemed unfamiliar." His hand reached up to his robes, pulled at something through the cloth and worried at it through the fabric. "It still seems odd that they would send another boat so soon. They forced us to wait a week just for more people to arrive."

"Oh we didn't take a boat." She waved the comment away.

His hand clenched at his robes and his eyes went wide.

"Oh, Shae! Are you coming to sparring practice today?" Nalin leaned forward and pointed with her spoon.

Shae shook her head. "Sorry, no. I've an appointment with Master Long, then I'll probably be too annoyed and want to find somewhere to meditate."

"Nah, annoyed is good. Will make you fight harder."

"And that's the problem. I don't want to actually fight or spar, just a little training practice. I worry I'll not be able to pay attention if my mind is clouded with anger, as they say." She mimicked a lecturing tone.

Nalin laughed, covering her face with her sleeveless arm. She snorted and clapped both hands over her mouth, looking surprised.

"Uhm. This one fails to see the humor. Could Senior Sister elaborate?"

Shae waved the joke away. "We stopped by the training arena yesterday. It's on a big plaque: the rules of proper dueling etiquette. They were taking it very seriously, mostly to impress the rules upon the new students, I think."

Kensu wrinkled his forehead. "And the humor?"

Shae resisted rolling her eyes and just looked up at the ceiling. "Hmm, think about it this way... under what conditions would you demand a duel? What emotion would drive you to challenge another?"

He tilted his head. "This one would not."

"Tsk, then for someone else? Especially bratty noble kids that have had their honor besmirched."

"Uhm. This one does not know that word. Be-as-itched?"

Shae snorted. "Don't say it like that. Be-smirch,"she repeated it clearly. "To affect negatively. To have offended their honor."

"Ah. Thank you." He nodded into a slight bow.

An awkward breath passed as the conversational thread was forgotten.

Nalin pointed with her spoon again. "Point is, if someone challenges someone else to a duel, it is probably because they're angry."

"So having a rule about duels not being clouded by anger is..." Shae trailed off, gesturing to Kensu.

"Sensible." He nodded.

"Bah!"-"Gah!" Both women shouted and threw their arms up in the air.

"Hopeless." Shae shook her head. "Well anyway, I should be going." She stood.

"Ah, Senior, you mentioned wanting to meditate?" Kensu asked and she nodded. "This one suggests the gardens just north and above of the dormitories. They are quite peaceful."

"Oh? That does sound nice. Thank you Junior Brother Kensu. See you both later." She nodded to them.

They returned a slightly deeper nod that passed for a seated bow, saying their own farewells at the same time. Nalin laughed at the awkwardness and Kensu smiled at her as his cheeks flushed with a slight redness.