Heavenly Shae

Chapter 26: "Juiced Dessert."

Shae enjoyed her meal alone. It was a dramatic change from the rough fare she had been eating for the last few months, and even before that when she was traveling alone after leaving home.

Her thoughts wandered back to her childhood. Bittersweet memories of her loving family tinted with the knowledge that she would leave them eventually. She didn't believe in fate, but she knew hers was not going to be the tedious life of a peasant wife.

She forced herself to stop reminiscing. It was bringing her mood down.

This wasn't a high end restaurant but the food was still well made. The large town knew how to cater to more expensive tastes, even with simple local ingredients. She asked for another serving of the main course. She was still a growing teenager and could muster an appetite to match, especially when it was her first real meal in a few days.

A few of the other customers sent over drinks, and there was an immediate tension as Shae had to sort out what their motivations were. She flatly denied one, but accepted the others as they were related to the enlightenment.

The most recent had been brought over by the man himself, with all the awkwardness that followed.

"Could I offer you a drink?" Elder Bai asked.

"Elder Bai, aren't I a bit young for you?" She teased.

He sighed. "Miss Shae, could we have a discussion without the prodding and teasing?"

"Only after I get you to blush again."

"I don't believe I blushed before."

"Hmm... There it is! Thank you. What would you like to discuss, and what did you bring me?" She looked in the cup he brought over.

"A local juice and tea blend, variations are available at most places. One of our group recommended it."

"They did? Did you try it yourself?" She sipped it and made a pleasant hum from the sweet and herbal flavor.

"Um, I did not. She said it was a favorite of most young girls."

Shae lifted an eyebrow. "You got me a ladies drink? Or worse, a little girl's drink? Well you had better order yourself one or this meeting will not go particularly well."

"Over that? You wouldn't."

"I will, I've done more for less."

He grumbled under his breath and waved over a server.

Once the drink was ordered she continued. "So, come to bow and scrape, or just try to bribe me into the sect?"

He frowned. "Do you really think so highly of yourself?"

"No. But yesterday had to count for something, and I don't think I'll have the opportunity to use that line much."

"So, you just enjoy the drama then?"

"A bit of controlled conflict is always exciting. And some people need their buttons pushed so they can get up off the rods they are stuck on."

"That is colorful." He grimaced.

"Why have words if we don't use them? Now, why are you here, Elder Bai?"

"I don't like games, so to get to the point: I would be severely reprimanded if I left things as they are. Ignoring a possible recruit that triggered three enlightenments with one conversation might be enough to get me demoted."

"Three? Two and a half, and that is being generous."

He raised an eyebrow. "You haven't heard?"

She frowned slightly. "I really should talk to the others. But what's this about demotion? My understanding was that your standing was based mostly on your cultivation stage. How does demotion work?"

"Painfully. Though, it is rare. The usual method of punishment is sanctioning access to sect resources. Which you should take note of if you intend to act the same way within any sect."

"Ah, already getting warnings from my elders." Shae faked a pout.

"No, Elders do not give warnings."

"Do they understand humor?"

"Of course. They find many things funny."

She waited for the punchline.

"As I was saying. I would be remiss to not follow up. If the situation was different, another might be trying to sway you with gifts and promises of what privilege you will have at the sect."

"Not you, though... yea, you don't seem like the type."

"And your own actions are to be considered as well."

The silence lingered between them. Interrupted by the server dropping off Bai's drink, which turned out to be called a Flower Nectar by this establishment.

Shae spent the time looking over the man's clothes. He wore the standard white robes with blue and red embroidery, matching his sect. His blackwork made the dragons look particularly fierce, with sharp talons and clawed wings. Like Elder Ngoc he had several badges on his chest. A half moon at the top, with a sword piercing it.

"This is quite good." He said, gesturing with the drink.

"Of course it is, your sect mate did recommend it." She sighed. "I hope you're not trying to bait me into an apology."

"Hm? Apology? Why would you think I'd want that?"

"Yesterday? I feel no guilt about it, but I imagine I wrinkled a few feathers. And the dramatic pause before the drink arrived?"

"I noticed the server approaching and didn't want to interrupt our conversation."

"Ack!" Shae almost choked on her drink.

"Careful." He said plainly, without mockery, then switched back to their conversation. "Like the other elders, I am not the type to ask for apologies." Shae felt a slight ringing in the air as the edge of his killing intent was revealed. The rim of his clay cup caught the light and glistened like a shard of broken glass. "I prefer to cut-"

"-cut right to the point." She barged in. "You're a sword cultivator!" Shae smiled wide and leaned across the table. "That explains a lot!"

He froze for half a heartbeat. "That. Was not the reaction I was expecting. And why does everyone say that explains anything?"

"Well, I can't speak for everyone. For me it explains... well, I suppose I would be taking an unkind opinion of athletic types by saying that it is why you were staying away from other Bai's paperwork. Also, why you don't bother to mince words, and why you manage to be so blunt."

His intent sharpened, again. "Blunt?"

She smiled wider at his reaction. "Words have a strange way of being able to mean vastly different things. And contradicting words can mean the same thing. You say you are being precise, cutting to the point of the conversation. Yet, you are also being blunt, throwing the entire purpose of the conversation out before you, slamming it between yourself and others so all know exactly what you want out of it." She paused. "There is probably more meat to this metaphor, but I think you've heard this lecture before."

He was frowning and looking slightly above Shae, possibly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "One of the Elders insists we spend time honing out conversation skills. It sounds even more absurd from the mouth of a child."

"Ah, and now you reveal a weak point-"

"Don't. She does that too. It's not effective."

"Clearly your defense against common sense is quite strong."

"Heard that one too."

"Hah, I think I am going to like this woman. When can you introduce us?" Shae thought she heard a stifled groan from across the table.

"If you join the sect. And progress to core, I'm sure she could make time for you."

"Nonsense. People can interact without being in the same sect, or near the same rank. We are talking now, are we not?"

He frowned again. "She is very busy."

"I'll meet her within the first week. Especially if she has time to teach you lessons you don't want to learn."

"I want to learn from her." He said a bit too defensively.

"Hah, you lie to yourself-"

"I do not." He cut in.

"Hmmm? Half a lie then, or a buried truth, a feint of truth!" She said, almost getting through to him, she thought. "You want to spend time with her, have her teach you anything, but you do not want to learn. If you wanted to learn you would understand what she is trying to teach you. Stop wasting her precious time and tell her this."

"I do not appreciate being lectured by a child."

"Same weakness again, would you show the same opening twice in a fight? Especially after it was pointed out the first time? You underestimate me because I am a child. Have you never fought a shapeshifting spirit beast or cultivator specialized in deception or illusion?"

"Of course I have."

"Then you should know..." she prompted.

"Not to rely on a single sense. It is the first lesson."

"Good, what do your senses tell you about me? All of them?"

"That you are young-"

"Skip the boring ones, please."

"... you are as you appear to the basic senses. You appear to be in qi gathering, but have also performed some cleansing."

"Why do I appear to be in qi gathering?"

"Because your Dantian is empty."

"You can see inside it?"

"The scan technique gives basic feedback about your stage based on gathered qi within the Dantian."

"So how does it distinguish anything above gathering?"

He sighed, not enjoying having to explain this. "This is explained early in your first year, do I really need to repeat the whole lesson?"

"Fine." She dismissed her question with a wave. "So, you believe it can see if there is qi in my Dantian. Would you prefer I attempt to meditate and try to watch while your scan fails to see within my Dantian, or would a simple demonstration that I do have qi suffice?"

"Suffice for what?"

"In proving that your assumptions about me are wrong. You might need to re-evaluate me based on my actual actions rather than my appearance."

He tightened his jaw. "I'm not going to argue and split hairs, but I think you've made your point."

"Hmm, I've certainly threatened a point, brought it near your neck, but I haven't landed the strike yet." She paused to stare at him but he didn't respond.

Shae took off her hairpin ring, and pulled one of the other two pins from her hair. Placed the straight one across her cup and hung the ring off of it. Then she pulled up her right sleeve, flourishing to reveal her arm was bare.

A few moments of concentration and qi movement within her arm were enough for Bai. "You've made your point, Miss Shae."

"Mhm. But now I'm having fun, Cultivator Bai." She felt the tingling of sparks in her finger, wanting to leap to the ring as she held it close, but did not touch it. Her qi had changed a lot just today, the added density alone making lightning easier to generate. It was still a challenge to get it out of her body, however.

Small sparks began leaping across, barely visible, and the ring took on a slight glow, which passed to the other pin.

"Good trick." Bai said, trying to sound impressed, but Shae caught that it was placating. She was focusing too hard on the moment to miss it.

"I think I can try something new, then." She said cautiously, trying not to lose her focus. Sparks were flashy, but electricity could do so much more. She made a loop with her index and thumb, then placed it near the ring coil with the two circles facing each other. She focused on running the lightning qi inside her hand, around the loop of her fingers.

It stuttered as she recognized that her finger and thumb were not a complete loop, there was technically a break there, but it had started to work before she thought of that. So she decided it was close enough, and it worked again just as easily.

Another push on her qi, asking for something more specific and the ring started to wobble. Then she got the angle correct and the ring spun, slowly rotating on the other pin's axis. After a few more breaths it sped up then started glowing brighter. The slight scraping it was making on the cup and pin started skipping, and finally it rose slightly to hover in place without touching the pin or cup.

Bai looked at his drink, finished the rest, then asked the passing server, "Another flower nectar, and add some hard spirits to it."

Shae waved off the server without ordering anything. Then looked between Bai and the spinning ring. Finally she gestured at it, "Impressive, yes?"

"For any wandering cultivator below meridian cleansing, yes an impressive parlor trick. Within the sect, disciples are expected to excel. Expected to progress quickly. This ability to use spiritual tools in a unique way will not set you apart."

"Tough crowd." She muttered and shook her head. "Out of curiosity. What would impress you?"

"From you? If you knew why or how your Dantian was blocking the scan. But why would you want to impress me?"

She didn't bother to hide her grimace. "I do suspect a reason why, but how or why it happened, I do not know. As to why?" She shrugged. "Got carried away with an example and thought it was neat, but I suppose I am more accustomed to a simpler crowd. Also, I'd like to ask you more questions and don't want you to run away because they are too simple, covered within the first year, or something else you might use as an excuse."

"Let's finish the business I came here for first?"

"But if we do that, you'll be able to leave whenever you want!"

"Mhm, yes. So." He placed a small vial on the table with a single pill in it. "Just in case you are still uncertain about joining our sect. I would like to demonstrate how we treat our inner disciples. This is a qi gathering pill. Useful even to meridian cleansing cultivators. We regularly supply these to ensure their steady advance."

She leaned forwards to look at the small pill. It had a metallic sheen to it like it had been polished with silver. "Why is it so shiny? You guys don't add mercury or something do you?"

"I am not an Alchemist. You would have to ask one of them. Hundreds are made and consumed every year, so there's no need for concern over the ingredients."

She reached to grab the vial, hesitating only to glance at Bai to see if he stopped her. She cracked the cork open and sniffed it. It had a sharp chemical smell laced with herbs, like gasoline if it was brewed into tea. She flinched away.

"It is meant for long cultivation sessions, so don't just take it to see how it works. That doesn't usually end pleasantly."

"Wait, you're giving this to me?"

"Of course. It wouldn't be much of a demonstration if you didn't get to use it."

"Umm what happened to not trying to curry my favor?"

"As I said, I could be reprimanded if I did nothing. Most find the effects of these pills to be invaluable."

"Huh. How does it compare to... let's say a 27-year ginseng?"

"Oddly specific. I've only heard it compared to a 50-year. They said the ginseng is gentler and can be used more, but the effects were better from the pill, when measured on a monetary value basis."

Shae gave a twisted half frown. "So, a first one's free kind of deal. Do I want to know what this costs? No, don't tell me, I'll have a hard time using it. Actually how do I use it, dissolved under the tongue like ginseng slices?"

He nodded. "It can be swallowed, but usually that is only done after clearing your stomach meridian."

"Is it just for drawing in more qi? Like the name suggests. Or does it also aid cleansing?"

"Mostly the former. Some have said it helps with cleansing, but I found that to be wasteful."

"Hmm. I guess then, thank you, Elder Bai. Can I ask you about sword qi now?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "You wanted to ask about that? Well, perhaps I will stick around longer."

"Hah! I knew it!"