Reach Heaven Via Feng Shui Engineering, Drug Trade And Tax Evasion

They spoke for two hours, yet reached no consensus.

Wang Yonghao wanted to talk about where they should head next, but Qian Shanyi insisted against it. It would be better if they all had some time to process it, without rushing to conclusions. And besides, no matter what they decided, Wang Yonghao still had to meet with Wang Tingting. It would be a bit silly, after all, if they claimed to all be from the same sect, yet Wang Yonghao did not have a corresponding sect seal.

And so they stayed in Wang Yonghao's inner world, while he headed off down the road, towards Flowering Azalea Springs. It would take him most of the day to get there - and by the time he arrived, almost two days would have passed on the inside.

"Let's start with your training," Qian Shanyi said the moment the entrance to the world fragment had closed.

"Very well, master," Linghui Mei said and made to sit down to meditate - but stopped, seeing Qian Shanyi's gesture.

"No, don't bother with the meditation," Qian Shanyi said, motioning for her disciple to rise up. "We have the perfect environment, and I need a workout. It's time for the practicals."

"The… practicals?"

"Yep," Qian Shanyi said, beginning to stretch, rolling her shoulders. "time for you to learn how to properly use that dagger of yours."

She had already refilled her dantians while they ate, but she pulled a bit more spiritual energy into her body, and pulsed the extra through her meridians, stretching and contracting them. If done repeatedly, it would widen them over time. Ordinarily, peak refinement stage cultivators had to pay a fortune for such a treatment - and here, she could simply do it whenever she wished to.

"At first, I wanted to wait until you had your inner spiritual energy senses fully under control, perhaps even until you could produce a proper spiritual shield…" Qian Shanyi continued, moving on from her arms to her legs. "But I've reconsidered. If Wang Yonghao's luck will keep putting us face to face with fools, then it only stands to reason that you should know how to kill them."

Linghui Mei got her dagger out while she stretched, looking at Qian Shanyi a little warily. "Is it not… dangerous, Shanyi?" she said, tapping the side of the blade. "What if I cut you?"

Qian Shanyi snorted. "You'd have to get close first," she said, pulling her sword out and pouring her spiritual energy into it. It flew up, and took its rightful place just above her shoulder. "That will be your first lesson. In a real fight, your spiritual tails will always be your greatest weapon. As long as you can get close, the victory should be yours, so let's see if you can manage that."

A flash of something passed through Linghui Mei's eyes, too quick for Qian Shanyi to quite tell what it was. "I've killed a dozen cultivators before," she said, pointing her dagger at Qian Shanyi. "You think I do not know how to do it?"

Qian Shanyi laughed. "I am sure you do," she said, mirroring her disciple's gesture with her flying sword, letting it hang in the air two meters ahead of her, her hand stretched out towards it. "From an ambush, wasn't it? Not in open combat."

"You are so arrogant," Linghui Mei said, that same angry flash passing through her eyes again. "I ate two people last night. I am full of energy - this will be nothing like our first fight."

"We'll see," Qian Shanyi said, winking at her disciple. She walked over to their table, and turned over a little five minute hourglass they bought this very morning - far more precise than any clock she could hope to build. "The rules are simple: if you touch me, you win. If you can't touch me until the sand runs out, I win."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"And can I -"

Qian Shanyi winked again. "Time is already flowing, disciple."

Linghui Mei sneered, and rushed towards her, dagger at the ready. Qian Shanyi sprung back - she didn't want to damage the table.

It was time to see what her disciple was made out of.

Qian Shanyi leapt up on top of a rabbit coop fence, her robes fluttering in the wind. Linghui Mei sprang after her on four paws, crossing the distance in a single blink - but Qian Shanyi's flying sword spun in between them, and Linghui Mei almost fell, one of her tails digging into the ground to stop herself mere inches short of being cut.

Qian Shanyi smirked, her quick feet taking her to the cross point, where the corners of three different coops met together. The thick posts shifted slightly under her weight, but held. She kept her eyes on Linghui Mei as she retreated and saw her disciple scramble onto the very same fence, the posts shaking far more under her greater weight. Those paws of hers were strangely adaptable to the climb, twin tails easily letting her keep the balance.

"Six to zero, little disciple," Qian Shanyi taunted her. "And time is running out once more. Will you let me get to ten victories with nothing to show for it?"

Linghui Mei did not rise to the bait, hopping off the fence and into one of the rabbit coops, stalking ever closer. Staying on the fence had restricted her movement far too much - she had already learned that, in one of their previous bouts. The rabbits had panicked as soon as they saw her and bolted for their burrows, not daring to leave even an ear poking out above the ground.

Perhaps it wasn't very nice to stress them out like this - but Qian Shanyi figured they would learn to not worry soon enough. That wasn't going to be the last fight they witnessed in the world fragment.

Either that or they'd get eaten. It all worked out to the same thing, in the end.

When Qian Shanyi sent her flying sword after Linghui Mei, the jiuweihu dodged to the side - and then pounced directly at Qian Shanyi, fangs bared, before she had any chance to bring her sword back up to line. She had been getting better at these little tricks, her responses flowing together more naturally. She was faster, too - easily twice as fast as when Qian Shanyi had fought her the first time.

But that speed had its disadvantages. When Qian Shanyi dodged aside, falling into a different coop, the gravity pulling her far from Linghui Mei's grasp - the jiuweihu's momentum had carried her very far away indeed. It gave Qian Shanyi more than enough time to hop another fence, getting out onto the open grass once more.

She kept track of Linghui Mei almost entirely by her spiritual energy, rarely even bothering to turn around - though the sound of splintering wood made her do so right away. Her disciple leapt over the coop fence, following after her - and as she passed over it, her tail wrapped around one of the fence posts, effortlessly ripping it out of the ground.

"Careful with the fences, you brute!" Qian Shanyi called out, having to duck as the wooden pillar as thick as her arm had sailed just above her head. Linghui Mei was strikingly accurate with her throws - it almost gave her a win once. Almost. "I'll make you fix them!"

Linghui Mei snarled in response and pounced as soon as she landed, claws reaching for Qian Shanyi. It was terrifyingly fast, a predatory motion that could throw her all across the world fragment in a single blink. If this was her first time, it would have surely caught Qian Shanyi unawares.

It was also a mistake.

The pommel of Qian Shanyi's flying sword slammed into Linghui Mei's ribs, and she fell down onto the ground, howling in pain. Her leap, so carefully aimed directly at Qian Shanyi's throat, came up short, leaving the jiuweihu to roll head over paws on the grass - and Qian Shanyi easily hopped well out of the way, calling her sword back to her.

"Why do you leap so high into the sky, my silly disciple?" Qian Shanyi laughed, patting the grass beneath her feet, once she was back at a safe distance. "To cultivate is to rebel against the Heavens. It is the earth that is your closest ally."

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"Kalesherdek kra," Linghui Mei wheezed, still struggling to get back up. Smoke and ink flowed on air, her form shifting, broken ribs reconstituting themselves. Not the first time tonight. "You talk - too much."

Qian Shanyi snorted. "You lose too much."

She went back over to their table, and picked up the little hourglass. It had finally run out - seven to zero.

"Your leaps are quick, but once in the air, you can no longer dodge," Qian Shanyi explained, leaning against the wooden surface, waiting for Linghui Mei to get back up. "Even your usual trick with using one of your tails to change direction is quite predictable. Stick closer to the ground and use your paws. Even if you'll be slower, the control will help you greatly."

Linghui Mei grunted, her form shifting back into that of a woman. She coughed up some blood, but finally got back up on two feet. Her robes moved along her body as her limbs changed their shape, her body growing smaller, more delicate, until she had to pull them close and retie her belt.

Qian Shanyi was glad to see no new tears in the fabric. These robes were fitted to a human form, but were loose enough that her vulpine one could still wear them, even if they got in the way somewhat. Qian Shanyi was already making plans for how to sew a garment that could fit both - but that was a project for the future.

"Another try?" Qian Shanyi asked, playing with the hourglass. "Or do you want a break?"

Linghui Mei gave her a pensive glare. "I don't need a break," she said, spitting a bit more blood on the ground. Old blood, it seemed - whatever her body did to put itself back together, it didn't make the already spilled blood vanish. "Where did my dagger go?"

"Sixth coop, I think. Over by the hut."

While Linghui Mei went to get her weapon back, Qian Shanyi poured herself a cup of tea. She kept a large kettle right next to the fire node, keeping it warm. With all this running around, her throat found itself parched quite quickly.

Besides, it gave her an excuse for a break. Even if her disciple was too stubborn for one, she could tell it was needed.

"Are you sure you don't want to discuss your strategy?" Qian Shanyi asked, once they met in the center of the world fragment once again, her flying sword spinning gently by her side.

"I don't need a strategy," Linghui Mei said grimly. She transformed again, slowly this time, falling down on all four paws. She handed her dagger off to one of her tails, the crimson blade glistening dangerously in the sunlight. "I just need to beat you."

"Did you know that the flying sword is called the king of all spiritual techniques?" Qian Shanyi said idly. "It's versatility is simply unmatched. And you expect to win against the king with sheer stubbornness? Now, I respect the dedication - but what do you hope to achieve?"

She was exaggerating greatly. Linghui Mei had changed her strategy greatly, she was simply refusing to talk about it. At first, she tried to keep her human form - but after two losses, changed tracks, and transformed completely. And yet even if she was learning, she was still as stubborn as a herd of donkeys. Qian Shanyi had three dozen other pieces of advice already in mind, for when she finally gave up - but for now, mostly kept her mouth shut.

"I hope to win," Linghui Mei growled, the animal throat warping her voice. "Set the damn hourglass."

Qian Shanyi shrugged, and set the hourglass down on the table, before walking a bit to the side. "Go," she simply said, once she was standing away from anything too precious to damage.

Linghui Mei immediately threw her dagger in Qian Shanyi's face.

Qian Shanyi had barely refrained herself from rolling her eyes even as she sent her flying sword to intercept it. It was a decent enough move, but when they were so far away, it was hard for her disciple to capitalize on it. Sure, Linghui Mei pounced right after she threw the dagger, but Qian Shanyi would simply bat it aside, and then her flying sword would already be there, already in place to intercept Linghui Mei. That meant she would have to dodge -

Linghui Mei didn't dodge. She leapt up and bit onto her flying sword, her jaws a secure vise around the blade - so tight it would fly nowhere and could cut nothing.

Qian Shanyi had but a moment of sheer panic before one of Linghui Mei's tails slammed into her head and sent her flying twenty meters away, straight into the edge of the world fragment, where she bounced off, and fell down to the ground, her spiritual energy shield shattered to pieces.

"I win," Linghui Mei pronounced, smugness positively radiating from her. She sat down, still in her vulpine form, with her tails twirling cheerfully behind her.

"You -" Qian Shanyi groaned, and tried to rise - but somehow, the entire world fragment started to spin all around her, and she fell back down again. "Oh, sweet mercy, how are your tails this strong?"

"I've been eating well."

"Maybe a little too well," Qian Shanyi grumbled, deciding to get up on her arms and knees instead. It felt far safer - and far more stable, especially given the sudden changes to gravity. Strangely, nobody except her seemed to be affected.

"Is my master being a sore loser?"

"You realise that in any real fight, you'd have risked me taking your entire head off?" Qian Shanyi sneered. "To think you would try to bite my sword. Never try that with someone who is actually trying to kill you."

What an absolutely ridiculous trick.

She tried to raise her head to look Linghui Mei in the eyes, but even that little movement almost made her throw up. Instead, she lowered her head into her arms, rubbing her forehead. Nothing felt broken, so this should only be temporary. Some good news, at least.

"And yet I won."

"We are seven to one!"

"Does my master want to try again?"

Qian Shanyi groaned, turning onto her back again. The grass itched against her neck, but at least the ground felt nice and solid. "Not until this world fragment stops spinning," she said. "You can meditate while I recover. Besides, I still have to check on the rabbits."

"Very well, master."

"Great. Now stab me in the face."

Qian Shanyi held Linghui Mei in a neck hold up against the wooden wall of the baths, jiuweihu's lithe body flush against her own. Linghui Mei's chosen body was shorter than Qian Shanyi's by a good head and a half, and so she had to stand up on her toes just to avoid the elbow pressing into her neck.

Linghui Mei shifted in her arms, for all that there wasn't much space for her to do so. "Shanyi, is that really necessary?" she said.

"Quit stalling and do it."

Qian Shanyi thought hard after the Tang Jisheng incident, and decided to draw some lessons from it. It seemed quite unlikely that the exact same situation would repeat itself, but just in case it did… She wanted the next idiot to face a nasty surprise. Sooner than Tang Jisheng ended up facing one, at least.

"I am worried about this knife," Linghui Mei continued, still refusing to pull out the dagger that was hanging by her side. "It's.. it's really sharp."

Qian Shanyi snorted. "Didn't seem to worry you any when you kept throwing it at me."

From where Qian Shanyi was standing, she could only see a corner of Linghui Mei's cheeks - and yet she still saw her blush. Felt it, too, in how her neck warmed up against her hand. "I apologized, didn't I?" Linghui Mei pleaded. "I just… I lost my temper for a moment."

"And I accepted your apology for almost bashing my skull in," Qian Shanyi said in what she felt was her most agreeable voice. "That was a mistake, and mostly mine at that, for underestimating you. This little dagger? I've already accounted for it when I challenged you. You won't even get through my spiritual shield."

"Then what's even the point?"

"I have my spiritual shield at full strength," Qian Shanyi explained patiently. "Other cultivators won't expect you to stab them, and certainly won't expect you to have strength equal to theirs. You should punch right through."

Linghui Mei sighed, still refusing to pull out the dagger.

"Oh fine, you little baby," Qian Shanyi snorted, raising her other arm in front of Linghui Mei's face. "Stab me in the arm then."

"I-"

"Follow your orders, disciple."

Qian Shanyi felt Linghui Mei's jaw clench, but she did take out her dagger and tried to push it into Qian Shanyi's palm - carefully at first, and then much harder, when it failed to even nick her. Her spiritual shield sparkled, but held easily.

"See?" Qian Shanyi said. "It's fine. If you were pouring spiritual energy through your dagger to sharpen it further, perhaps it would be different - but seeing as how you still have no idea how to do that, it's safe enough."

"I do see."

"Excellent. Now finally stab me in my fucking face -"

The dagger flashed upwards, its tip stopping just millimeters in front of Qian Shanyi's eyeball, the sparks of her spiritual energy shield filling her vision. Qian Shanyi grinned.

I can't wait to see the look on the next Tang Jisheng's face.