By the time Ling Qi made it back to the tournament stadium, the sun was on its way toward the horizon’s edge, painting the sky the colors of sunset. Being cleared by the Inner Sect medics staffing the underground hospice took some time.

  As one of the winners and continuing participants in the tournament, Xiulan was afforded a private room to rest in, unlike the losing disciples. Some of the losing disciples had already been released into the custody of family present, who would be responsible for any trouble caused by the released disciple. The rest would be allowed to leave only after the semi-finals were completed.

  Ling Qi knocked lightly on the door to Xiulan’s room in the wing set aside for tournament participants. A moment later, she heard her friend’s voice inviting her in and slipped in.

  The room was well appointed, its stone walls and floor panelled with finely polished wood softened by decor. A small “window” set into the far wall lit the room, giving a view of the tournament grounds despite the room’s position underground. The only furnishings were a small end table, a narrow but comfortable looking bed set against the rightmost wall, and a pair of padded chairs, one in the corner and one near the bed.

  Her friend was sitting up in bed as she entered, her back against the headboard, which left her facing Ling Qi. Her hair hung loose down to her shoulders, and rather than her usual gowns, she wore a soft silver robe similar to the ones Ling Qi had worn at the start of the year.

  “Only you would still be looking good after a match like that,” Ling Qi joked as she shut the door behind her.

  “As if I would allow a few wounds to mar my poise,” Xiulan replied with a haughty sniff, setting aside the book which had been open across her lap. “My foe had the worst of it by far, I’m sure,” she added with a cruel smile.

  “I wonder if she will have to shave her head to fix all of that burnt hair,” Ling Qi laughed, taking her seat in the chair near the bed.

  “Unfortunately not,” Xiulan said with an exaggerated pout. “There are many elixirs for that kind of thing.” Her smile grew sly then. “Then again, I was hardly the only one inflicting wounds today. How easily you got under that Chu girl’s skin.”


  “Well, it wasn’t a difficult weakness to exploit,” Ling Qi noted. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about her statements in that match for all that it had been easy to do in the moment. She didn’t say anything she didn’t believe in, but they had been deliberately inflammatory.

  “Oh, indeed,” Xiulan laughed. “Still, it is good to see you dipping your toes into that sort of combat. Perhaps I might tutor you next year,” she added brightly.

  Ling Qi smiled at the other girl’s enthusiasm for having made it into the Inner Sect. “Perhaps. Friends should help one another after all,” she said lightly. “Will you be well for the matches tomorrow?”


  “Normally, such wounds would leave me bedridden for several days,” Xiulan acknowledged. “However, the Sect makes use of greater resources in cases like this, so I will be well by morning. You would not believe the itching,” she complained, plucking at the hems of her robe with nervous motion.

  Ling Qi suspected that “itching” would be the least of her worries if she had suffered the wounds she had seen Xiulan take. “I’m sure you will survive somehow,” she said instead.

  Xiulan hummed in agreement. “Where have you been, by the by? I had half-expected you to be hovering over my bedside when I awoke,” she teased, settling her hands in her lap.

  “I had thought to leave that to your family,” Ling Qi replied. “I’m sure that your Mother wished to speak with you.”


  “.…… She did,” Xiulan admitted, a complex mix of emotion in her eyes. “But you did not answer my question.”


  “I wanted to see the presentations of the crafters,” Ling Qi explained, letting her friend’s discomfort slide. “Li Suyin will certainly be joining us in the Inner Sect.”


  “That little mouse?” Xiulan clarified with a small grimace.

  “She has more of a bite than you might think,” Ling Qi said glibly. “Just ask how Xu Jia and her friends have been doing.” She felt a little bad about revealing something Li Suyin wasn’t proud of, but she wanted her friends to be friends – or at least not sniping at each other. One had to strike where there was opportunity.

  “I see,” Xiulan said, studying Ling Qi’s expression. “Well, I have been wrong before. If she does not get left behind either, I shall admit that your eye is the better one on this matter.”


  “I’ll hold you to that,” Ling Qi said playfully. “In all seriousness though…… Congratulations, Gu Xiulan. I knew you could do it.”


  “Of course I could,” Xiulan boasted. “I will not let you leave me behind so easily,” she huffed, meeting Ling Qi’s eyes. Silence stretched between them before she looked away. “.…… And really, there is no need to be so formal in private, Qi.”


  “Oh, you do not mind if I call you Lan-Lan now?” Ling Qi asked with a grin.

  Her friend scowled at her. “I will find a way to set you alight, no matter how fine your defenses.”


  Ling Qi laughed, leaning back in her chair. “You would too,” she mused. “Sorry, Xiulan, but I had to.”


  “Tai is going to pay for that nonsense when I see him next,” Xiulan grumbled, crossing her arms.

  She stayed with her friend for a little while after that, chatting about minor things, but all too soon, it was time for her to go. Xiulan needed her sleep, and Ling Qi had a gathering to attend. As she left the tournament grounds to meet up with her liege, she considered the question her liege had asked earlier that day in light of having to face Ji Rong next, and if she prevailed against him, Sun Liling the day after.

  She was well stocked with everything easily available, and she had no other arts in the first place, so that left picking up some qi cards that were loaded with the Abyssal Exhalation worm constructs and to request her liege charge another card with her techniques, if Cai Renxiang were amenable.

  ***

  “The qi cards will be all I need,” Ling Qi finished with a bow toward her liege as they prepared to leave the girl’s Outer Sect residence for the visitor’s grounds below.

  Qi cards could store techniques for later use, opening up more options in a fight. They were falling off in use now. Cards which could store techniques more potent than the earliest Green Realm arts grew rapidly rarer, so she should make use of them while she could.

  “I see. You intend to alter your usual strategy then?” Cai Renxiang asked absently as they stepped outside, her feet lifting from the ground a moment later. The light emanating from around her head and shoulders made the evening shadows flicker wildly.

  Ling Qi followed suit, luxuriating in the sheer ease with which she could maintain flight in the other girl’s presence. “I just wish to keep my options open,” she said. She wasn’t quite sure of exactly how she would approach her battle with Ji Rong yet, but the worm constructs were effective in bogging down a melee attacker like Ji Rong. They were usually too qi-expensive to use out of the blue in her matches, but in a qi card with the qi expended ahead of time, they would be a potential option.

  “I hope my last request wasn’t too presumptuous,” she added carefully.

  Cai Renxiang kept her eyes forward as they soared silently toward the foot of the mountain, the cool night air tugging weakly at the hems of their gowns. “It is unusual but not unheard of. You have earned that much favor. Rather, given my resource restrictions, such a thing is only reasonable. Allow me a time to consider which my techniques might complement your skills best.”


  Ling Qi let out a near silent sigh of relief. She hadn’t been sure if asking for a qi card charged with her liege’s art would be appropriate, but she remembered that she had turned a fight against Huang Da with Meizhen’s technique earlier in the year. “I see. Moving on then, what are your plans for your mother’s gathering, my lady?”


  “We will present ourselves to Mother first, of course,” her liege replied as their flight path began to angle downward toward the twinkling lights of the ostentatious tents and homes built in the visiting area. They were heading toward the vast construction of white silk which now sat at its head. “After, I will speak with those dignitaries I have not yet had time to visit. I cannot give an absolute itinerary.”


  “How surprising,” Ling Qi said lightly. “That must bother you a great deal.”


  “Quite,” Cai Renxiang agreed, a subtle sour note in her voice. “You will attend to me for the duration of the party. I am certain you know the required etiquette.”


  “I do,” Ling Qi reassured her, repressing the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long night, wasn’t it?

  “Recall that this is to your benefit,” Cai Renxiang reminded her, briefly glancing back as they neared the long carpet spilling out over the grassy field from the entrance of the Cai’s great pavilion. “Good impressions upon those I will speak to will serve you well in the future.”


  “I remember,” Ling Qi said, repressing a sigh at the reminder as they alighted on the carpet. “I did well yesterday, did I not?”


  “Hmm. I suppose,” Cai Renxiang allowed. “Just do not go drifting off,” she added with a tiny touch of dry humor.

  Ling Qi held back a grumble as she smoothed her gown. She was not that bad. The two of them entered the pavilion a moment later, the two guards flanking the entrance saluting and bowing in unison, their polished armor and white plumed helms gleaming in the resplendent light radiating from within.

  The interior of the grand pavilion nearly took her breath away. In the center was a great marble fountain, water rising and falling in glimmering spouts from the mouths of entwined dragons picked out in lifelike detail at their center. Smaller fountains dotted the grounds as well, and from the frothing waters rose glimmering rainbows that cast shifting light on the crowd below. The pavilion was well furnished with long tables groaning under the weight of delicacies lining the rear of the tent and well upholstered couches and chairs occupied by chatting nobility surrounding the various fountains.

  On the far left of the tent, there was a raised stage where a beautiful woman in a many layered gown played a serene melody on a harp as large as her body. A pair of dancers in trailing silk scarves performed on either side of her, the motions of their limbs and the silken fans in their hands perfectly symmetrical.

  Ling Qi didn’t have much time to observe the festivities. Cai Renxiang proceeded further in without pause. Ling Qi put her focus on maintaining the proper distance and pose: two steps behind her liege and just slightly to her left, head very slightly tilted down, and back straight, her hands clasped in front. The pose still felt a little awkward since she was so much taller than Cai Renxiang, but that couldn’t really be helped.

  The hairs on the back of her neck rose as they moved further in, exchanging polite greetings as they went. She was more used to the riot of spiritual sensations now, but even here, among so many nobles, she could feel Cai Shenhua’s presence bearing down upon her, an oppressive weight draped about her shoulders. It grew more intense as they reached the Duchess herself, reclining upon a long plush cushioned chaise lounge beside Minister Diao.

  Ling Qi shuddered as those empty pools of colorless radiance which served as the woman’s eyes chanced across her face, ducking her head a little more. The Duchess had seemingly shed the outermost layer of the gown she had worn this morning, leaving the pale marble-like skin of her shoulders exposed, although the floaty silks and lace which remained left her figure tastefully ambiguous.

  As Cai Renxiang smoothly bowed to her Mother, Ling Qi did the same, her bow much lower of course. It took a moment to drag her attention away from the Duchess and note that the woman was not alone. Seated in a wide arch around her were a great many people who made Ling Qi very nervous indeed. To her left sat Bai Suzhen and Bai Meizhen, the older of which was studying them coolly over the rim of a teacup and the younger of which was studiously not paying her any mind. To her right were a pair of heavily garbed figures with wide tortoiseshell patterned hats seated in individual chairs. Those would presumably be the Xuan admirals she had heard about.

  At the “bottom” of the arch was Guo Si and one of his guards, and opposite him was a massive bear of a man with wild red hair and a short beard of the same shade, his bare and muscular arms thrown out casually over the back of his couch. It was hard not to feel as if all eyes were on her, even if she knew they were actually looking to Cai Renxiang.

  “Greetings, Mother,” Cai Renxiang said. “Your humble daughter presents herself for your inspection.”


  “So you have,” Cai Shenhua replied, the light of her gaze falling upon Cai Renxiang’s back and casting her face in shadow. “Still using that same style, I see. Really, you should do something different once in a while, young lady. That austere look of yours……” The Duchess sighed, resting her cheek in one hand.

  Ling Qi did her best not to twitch nervously. This conversation wasn’t one she had been coached to expect in this kind of situation. Thankfully, her liege seemed more prepared for her Mother’s statements.

  “My apologies, Mother,” she said evenly, maintaining her picture perfect bow. “I did not feel that I had the time or skill required to make worthy changes to your designs.”


  “I suppose so. We will have to have a little mother-daughter time tonight then. I am certain you will look stunning on the morrow,” Cai Shenhua said. Ling Qi couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity at the nigh invisible tremble in Cai Renxiang’s hands which came in the wake of those words. “But I am being rude. Raise your head and greet our guests.”


  Ling Qi carefully straightened up a beat after her liege, but she kept her eyes down as was appropriate given the company. Following Cai Renxiang’s lead, she offered shallower bows to each of the guest groups in turn.

  “Honored guests, thank you very much for attending,” Cai Renxiang intoned. “As you know, I am Cai Renxiang, and this is my retainer and attendant, Baroness Ling Qi. I hope you have all enjoyed your stay in the Emerald Seas thus far.”


  Guo Si smiled, bowing his head in return as he answered first. “The trip was worth every step, I assure you, Lady Cai. The beauty of your home is beyond compare.”


  The red-haired giant let out a rather uncouth guffaw, pinning the Guo scion with a look of amusement. “The entertainment has been a bit lacking,” the mountain-like man said baldly. “Your girl gave the closest thing to an amusing show, Guo. Your youngest generation is slipping, Bai Suzhen.”


  The aforementioned woman shot the red-haired man the sort of look Ling Qi had only seen on the faces of wealthy women encountering the filth of the street. “As crass as ever, I see, Zheng Po,” Bai Suzhen retorted coldly. “My niece has a kind heart. That is hardly a fault in moderation.”


  Ling Qi had to struggle to maintain her even expression at that statement. Bai Meizhen was her best friend, but to call her kind……

  “Now, now, do not get distracted now,” Cai Shenhua interjected lightly, raising a cup to her lips. The clear glass in her hands glimmered, the rainbow-hued liquid within shifting hypnotically. “You are greeting my daughter, not airing old grievances.” Ling Qi had to struggle to keep her shoulders straight as the weight of the woman’s aura spiked.

  Zheng Po grinned at the Duchess. “As you say, Matriarch,” he laughed. “Young Cai, I look forward to your matches going forward. The young Gu looks like she will at least put up a fight.” He then shot a sly look the Guo scion’s way. “The ladies of Golden Fields are at their best when they are trying to kill you after all.”


  “I will be sure to take your compliment home, Sir Zheng,” Guo Si replied blandly, crossing his bare arms over the fine vest he wore. “My aunt will surely be glad that you remember her.”


  Bai Suzhen ignored the two men’s byplay to look straight at Cai Renxiang, only briefly glancing over Ling Qi. “You have done well, young lady, despite some early obstacles. I am certain you will give my niece a good match,” she said, briefly resting her hand on Meizhen’s as she spoke.

  “I look forward to facing you on the field of battle, Lady Cai,” Meizhen said smoothly, dipping her head very slightly to the other girl.

  “A more impressive sight I am sure we will not see this year,” Guo Si agreed, ending his staring contest with Zheng.

  “Your words are too kind,” Cai Renxiang replied in the beat of silence that followed. “I will be certain not to disappoint any of your expectations.”


  “You have been very quiet, Sir Xuan Ci, Sir Xuan Ce. Do not tell me that you have fallen into torpor on us,” Cai Shenhua said. “Have you been enjoying the festivities?”


  “Nay, O radiant one,” the leftmost of the heavily cloaked men spoke. His robes shrouded him almost entirely from view, the space between his high, stiff collar and the lower edge of his hat only just enough to leave his stormy grey eyes visible, along with a band of pale flesh marked by black scales. “My brother and I agree……”


  “.…… thy governance has been a great boon to this weary land,” the other said, his voice softer than his brother’s. “Though, we admit……”


  “.…… that the dance of limbs and blades are not to our interest,” his brother finished. Ling Qi found herself stiffening then as his gaze fell on her, the sight of a storm-tossed sea, frothing and violent, flashed before her eyes. “This one is most curious where thy daughter’s hand found a Brother in these southern climes.”


  “It is a matter the Sect would prefer not be aired openly,” Cai Shenhua answered smoothly, saving her the need to try and explain.

  “In that case, we shall have to share words with the venerable Yuan He,” the rightmost brother said, turning his gaze to Ling Qi as well. “This one shall hope he needs not inform the young lady of the honor she bears.”


  Ling Qi bowed more deeply. “Zhengui is precious to me. I have raised him from his egg with diligent care. I do not intend to give him anything but my best.”


  “Zhengui?” the rightmost brother asked, his stern voice sounding faintly bemused. “I see.”


  Ling Qi’s cheeks flushed. “It…… Ah, his name……” Suddenly, the pun did not seem quite as funny.

  “It is fine, young wraith,” the leftmost brother replied. “Worry yourself not over such things.”


  “Hah! So even the Xuan have a sense of humor. How surprising,” Zheng Po laughed, glancing at Ling Qi briefly.

  “As always, you mistake reserve for humorlessness,” Bai Suzhen said with a sniff.

  Cai Shenhua smiled thinly, her radiant eyes narrowing. “Well, my daughter, I am satisfied with your greeting. You are dismissed for the moment. See to our other guests, and ensure that they find our hospitality acceptable.”


  Cai Renxiang bowed deeply to her mother once more. “As you command, Mother. It was my honor to be allowed to greet such esteemed guests. Ladies Bai, Sir Zheng, Sirs Xuan, Sir Guo, please excuse us.”


  Threads 199-Rite 3

  Ling Qi and the spirit stood there for a moment as the faint strains of music echoed through the dream. She gave a terse nod. The spirit’s liquid avatar spasmed in a way resembling a bow. With a flex of her legs, Ling Qi shot back into the sky, catching a current of wind to drift her way toward a spinning leaf as they fell from the hills and cliffs of Seven Stream’s domain.

  Sixiang materialized behind her, a hand on her shoulder. “You did good there. That was probably the least messy way it could have gone.”


  Ling Qi breathed out, balancing atop the drifting red leaf. “A few weeks, maybe a month,” she said tersely.

  Sixiang grimaced. “That’s what you gave up, huh?”


  “It’s not much,” Ling Qi said. “Not when I have so much time ahead of me. Keeping up my reputation so Renxiang and I’s project succeeds is much more valuable. Hanyi’s performances are probably going to be more important than I thought.”


  “The temple priests are gonna give you trouble on that. The fact you succeeded is just gonna prick their pride more, even leaving aside other stuff,” Sixiang noted.

  “Some will, but I’m not going to assume how many people will be. If the ones who don’t like me are holding all the tiles, then I just have to find the right friends to give a boost to.” Ling Qi wasn’t quite as confident as she portrayed, but she hadn’t chosen an easy path. That was just how it was.

  “Hm, I won’t say I mind you being more aggressive.” Sixiang leaned on her shoulder.

  Ling Qi let out a huff of laughter. “Let’s get back and see if I can catch the end of the show.”


  ***?

  They weren’t able to catch more than the final procession through the temple gardens in the end. She supposed the transfer of power must have taken longer than she had subjectively perceived. At least she had been able to slip in among the crowd to add her applause to the end as Hanyi took her bows. It seemed as far as the audience had been concerned, it was a splendid festival performance.

  She spent some time among them, mingling with her fellow nobles. After her negotiation with the river spirit, it was almost relaxing to field questions about the “unique twists” to the ritual and deflect with a smile and some words about changing conditions.

  There was some legitimate unease, but between her confidence and the silence of the clergy, it was no more than that. It seemed that whatever their opinion on her, the priests had no interest in showing weakness either. Eventually, as the guests were called to the holiday feast set for after the ritual, Ling Qi was able to make her way back into the staging area and meet Bao Qian again.

  “Of course I knew that there were ten rivers,” Bao Qian said, seeming a bit offended at her question. “I was assured in our correspondence that the priests were planning a special individual ceremony for the Seven Hill’s Stream since its source was in the snow melts and might view this as an intrusion.”


  “I hope that you kept every piece of the correspondence then,” Ling Qi said stiffly. Her temper had cooled, but she still felt very irritated by all this.

  “As do I, since I wrote of no such thing.” An older woman’s voice reached them, and Ling Qi frowned as she peered through the door to their destination. It was a room filled with tables and benches for the ritual performers to relax in. Right now, it held only the older woman and Hanyi. Her junior sister was looking smug, and the two of them seemed to be studiously ignoring each other.

  “High Priestess,” Ling Qi greeted, entering the room with a bow. “I was able to prevent any immediate issues.”


  She didn’t let her voice waver toward pride too much.

  Chao Yanlin narrowed her eyes. “Yes, though we shall see what a river spirit drunk on darkness might do in the coming year. How did you achieve your negotiations so quickly, Baroness?”


  “I must keep my methods to myself,” Ling Qi replied. “As you see here, it is sometimes necessary to have some secrets.”


  The older woman’s nostrils flared in irritation.

  “Lady Ling's privacy is not up for debate, but I do apologize for any trouble. You can be sure that the temple will receive a donation to aid in covering any lingering trouble,” Bao Qian said diplomatically, stepping in behind her. “Lady Chao, might you want to share the other issue which came up during the procession?”


  Chao Yanlin shook out her sleeve, the tiny bells woven into the fabric ringing, and an iron cage appeared on the table between her and Hanyi. In it were a variety of pulsing lights bobbing and bouncing crazily in the confines. They were dark blue black and shimmering white. Winter faeries, if Ling Qi had her guess. “There was further sabotage. An attempt to disrupt the ritual was made using a bound mortal servant.”


  “Luckily, my own arts were able to detect something wrong with the man carrying the spirit cages since Lady Ling informed me that high alert was necessary. Unfortunately, there was little to be gained from the poor mortal.”


  Ling Qi squinted at the cage. The faeries shrank back under her gaze, huddling at the bottom of the cage. “What would releasing these have accomplished?”


  “Important rituals interact with the flow of the world's energies. They are the region’s meridians, if you must compare it to human cultivation. Introducing foreign qi into the midst of a ritual unplanned would confuse and anger the spirits of the land and may even cause them to lash out at the performers, perceiving an insult,” Chao Yanlin said sourly.

  “Why isn’t there more security then?” Ling Qi asked.

  “Because open sabotage like this is not done,” the woman shot back. “Not since Her Grace’s reforms to the Ministry.”


  “It seems really sloppy to me,” Hanyi said absently, watching the fairies dart around their cage. “The Duchess is really scary. You’d have to be pretty dumb to break her rules like that.”


  There was a shared moment of silence among the three of them. Truth from the mouths of children indeed.

  “It does seem very hasty and ill advised,” Bao Qian agreed. “But before we get too far, the letters?”


  Ling Qi was silent as the two of them spread letters across the table.

  Sixiang mused.

  She watched as Bao Qian and the priestess reviewed the letters, stabbing their fingers down at the suspicious ones and politely bickering over their origin. It was clear that someone had altered the mail as well. Most importantly, it was becoming clear that this was more than idle sabotage. Someone was looking to seriously undermine her and her sister.

  “Whoever did this was quite a forger,” Bao Qian said sourly. There was no trace of his joviality. “Although, I do believe they have made a mistake.”


  “Oh, and what is that?” asked Chao Yanlin, looking as if she had bitten into something sour herself. “By my measure, you were bamboozled completely.”


  Ling Qi bit her tongue to keep from pointing out that the priestess had been tricked as well. It wasn’t helpful.

  Bao Qian rubbed a finger across the text of one of the offending letters. “I had no reason to find it suspect before, but the ink used in the altered letters is different. The soot in it comes from a specific grove of valley pines.”


  “How do you know that?” Ling Qi asked curiously.

  “Family trade secrets,” Bao Qian answered.

  “How… convenient,” Chao Yanlin said.

  “Hey, none of you are going to eat those, right?” Hanyi asked, interrupting them to point at the cage of fairies.

  “Hanyi,” Ling Qi sighed.

  “Hey, it's not just cause I’m hungry. I bet you I can tell you where they came from if you let me eat a few,” Hanyi said defensively. “When Momma went wandering with her second soul to visit other ice spirits, she’d bring me treats like this from all over the place.”


  Ling Qi paused. So did Chao Yanlin and Bao Qian.

  “If neither of you object?” Ling Qi asked.

  Chao Yanlin pursed her lips. “A more trustworthy method, I suppose. Spirits do not lie half as well as men.”


  “By all means,” Bao Qian allowed.

  Ling Qi gestured, and Hanyi’s hand shot out, kicking up sparks as it slipped between the bars of the spirit cage to snatch a pale blue fairy. The little thing let out a distressed shriek, its delicate wings fluttering furiously as Hanyi popped it into her mouth and brought her teeth together with a sharp crunch like a sugar candy being chewed.

  Hanyi spent several long moments chewing and rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing. She grinned, and the rest of the faeries in the cage cowered. “Oh, this one's easy. It's from the Green Stone Gleaming. It’s tangy.”


  Ling Qi frowned in confusion.

  “Mount Tong,” Chao Yanlin identified. “That would be…”


  “In the same viscounty as the pine groves. It is the great quantities of copper in the soil which lend the pine soot its properties after all,” Bao Qian concluded triumphantly. “Our letters would have passed through the Ministry of Communication’s office in Ganjian, would they not?

  “Yes,” said the Priestess.

  “Then it seems we have a lead,” Ling Qi said.

  "This is a matter for the ministries to pursue," Chao Yanlin said. "Whatever my opinion, this is clearly a crime. Leave this matter to those who know their task.”


  “I will cooperate with the Ministry of Law in all ways, but this matter is a personal attack as well,” Ling Qi said frostily. “However, just because I am not acting on my own does not mean I will not be involved."

  She was, after all, a direct retainer of the Cai clan. If she could not use that influence now, it was useless. She did not think even Renxiang would see making sure any investigations were not lost or buried was wrong. Indeed, the mere fact that the heiress, through her, was watching should ensure it was not. Renxiang would probably tell her that it wasn’t necessary though.

  Chao Yanlin gave her a measuring look, but eventually, she gave a nod. “This is not my business going forward. What is, however, are the plans for the lesser festivals on your circuit. I believe a full review of your plans and ‘my’ advice is in order.”


  “On that, we agree.”


  ***?

  Running through the plans for the rest of the tour took the remainder of the evening and well into the morning, but by the end, everyone was satisfied that the plans were correct. It seemed that their saboteur hadn’t seen a reason to mess with them. Ling Qi supposed that if the initial festival had been ruined, there would be no need to sabotage the following rituals.

  Priestess Chao had left the moment that the last ritual was reviewed, leaving her alone with Hanyi and Bao Qian.

  Bao Qian broke the silence. “Please accept my sincerest apologies. My diligence was lacking.”


  “Nah, it’d be totally crazy to expect you to check for something like that,” Hanyi said dismissively.

  “Even if you had noticed a difference in the ink sooner, it wouldn’t have necessarily been suspicious,” Ling Qi said. “I don’t think it’s healthy to live in a way that you perform divinations on every little thing.”


  “Nonetheless, I will be more careful. This endeavor has turned out more important than I had thought it would be,” Bao Qian grumbled. “Ugh, the licensing and inspections from the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs…”


  “Why weren’t they involved?” Ling Qi asked. “That is, once you two had decided to look into this kind of performance.”


  “As we were only acting as guests of Viscount Chao, supplementing his own priests, it fell into a gray area of the laws. I had intended to build up a little more and make sure the business was viable before seeking the Ministry’s approval.”


  “Plus, it sounded like a big pain,” Hanyi said around another mouthful of crunching fairy.

  “Hanyi, finish chewing before you speak,” Ling Qi said repressively, and the young ice spirit wilted and closed her mouth. “Well, what can I expect to need done?”


  “Some testing. As a baroness, you technically have a license to act as a priest, but your lack of a fief makes the matter more confused,” Bao Qian answered. “Her Grace has recently granted the Ministry some additional privileges in investigating nobility… They will likely wish to exercise it.”


  “But I suppose they won’t want to be unfair to the heiress or her retainers either,” Ling Qi analyzed. “More of a ‘look how fair and effective’ we are kind of thing?”


  “Mm, I’m gonna have to study, aren’t I?” Hanyi asked forlornly. “I know that look, Big Sis.”


  “We’ll both have to polish up a little,” Ling Qi consoled, patting her head. Her knowledge of spirit kenning was unorthodox, and the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs was a very orthodox organization from her understanding.

  “I will cover any fees that might accrue, if only to make up for my error,” Bao Qian offered.

  “And what do you intend to do about the perpetrators?” Ling Qi asked.

  Bao Qian’s nostrils flared, his own irritation clear. “My father has contacts within the Ministry of Communication. I am certain that they will understand how upset he might be to learn that individuals have trampled upon their hard fought neutrality.”


  Ling Qi laughed. That was helpful. “I will focus on the Ministry of Law then. Lady Cai has a good relationship with them.”


  “A pleasing plan. But, if I may have your leave, I have another meeting I need attend to,” Bao Qian said, standing.

  “Go ahead,” Ling Qi said. She didn’t watch him go. “How are you, Hanyi? it was your show.”


  Her junior sister’s smile faded. “I’m mad, but I’m also scared. Somebody tried to use me to hurt Big Sis,” she muttered.

  “You can’t blame yourself for that,” Ling Qi said.

  “I’m not sure you can say that,” Sixiang interjected.

  “I get that. It's why I’m mostly mad,” Hanyi huffed, crossing her arms. “But I’m also really happy cause the show went well.”


  “And that makes you feel a little bad too,” Ling Qi said wryly.

  “Yeah, it just feels really great to perform, you know? I can feel all those people paying attention to me. Not just all those noble guys, but the workers and the people outside and even the spirits.” Hanyi’s voice sounded a little dreamy. “And they’re all here for me. But now I know doing it is gonna make more people try to hurt you.”


  Ling Qi opened her mouth and then closed it. “You shouldn’t think of it that way.”


  “How should I think of it then?” Hanyi challenged.

  “You shouldn’t give up what makes you happy,” Ling Qi replied. She rolled her shoulders, feeling a bit of tightness there. ”I won’t say you shouldn’t worry, or that you shouldn’t think about how what you’re doing could hurt someone, but you can’t just give up on something because of what an enemy might do.”


  “You’re my Big Sis though.” Hanyi fiddled with the locket hanging from her neck.

  “And you're my junior sister,” Ling Qi said. “Family can’t…. Family can’t just go one way.”


  “But you do everything,” Hanyi complained.

  “That’s not true,” Ling Qi said firmly. “Because you know what we learned today?”


  “What?” Hanyi asked, cocking her head to the side.

  “That someone thinks what you’re doing is important. Maybe they think you're supporting things with the ice people, maybe they think you're influencing the temples in my favor, or maybe they just don’t like my name getting out,” Ling Qi said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling like proving them right.”


  Hanyi blinked and then slowly smiled. It was a sly spiteful thing, much like the one she had worn in their first game of tag. “Yeah, I like that idea too, Big Sis.”


  In her chest, Ling Qi felt an almost forgotten knot of tension begin to loosen.