“How did it feel, forging the Spirit tal? I felt the Qi, but directly handling it?” Tigu demanded of Handso Man while he wiped his brow with a cloth. He looked exhausted from the forging; everyone who had taken part did. They had poured every ember of their Qi into heating the great forge and hamring the tal. It had taken eight hours to forge the Spirit Iron into Master Jin’s new shovel.
Handso Man chuckled and leaned into the cool cloth she was pressing to his forehead. “We weren’t expecting the critical mont to arrive quite so quickly. The scrolls say that it generally requires more convincing—sotis it can take weeks. But being there, assisting in liberating the slaves, made quelling its grudge easier and thus made it eager to change. It took a lot of Qi to keep things stable, but to be able to work with such a tal… it was a dream. It felt so powerful. So… primordial. It was mighty, and yet we got it to follow our lead.”
His eyes were distant, rembering the mont, and his smile was bright. It was very, very handso.
“Ah! I want to forge so now!” Tigu said, her eyes still locked onto the wistful expression on Handso Man’s face. “You can teach —it looked very interesting!”
“The next ti we get so, you can certainly participate,” Liquin said, leaning one of her arms on Tigu’s shoulder. She was a tall woman, as tall as Pi Pa’s human form, and her muscles were very well-defined.
Tigu liked Liquin. She hadn’t known the woman long, but the short ti she had been in the sect before Master had arrived had painted a wonderful picture. The Hertic Iron Sect was small and close knit, and so it was like she was everyone’s mother. Neither the mortals nor disciples had any fear in reaching out to the woman, be it for advice or if they needed help. She was a lot like Tigu’s Mistress in that way. She was a pillar of support for any who needed it.
They had carved a few statues together, and they had had a wonderful conversation about which muscles were best! Liquin was a true connoisseur! They were kindred spirits; Liquin’s favourite muscles were on the back. It was the most difficult part of the body to properly sculpt, but the shapes a flexing back created were so fascinating. If Tigu could only sculpt one body part for the rest of her life, it would be the back!
“Really?” Tigu asked, turning to Liquin. “I don’t want to pry into family secrets…” Tigu didn’t really care about that kind of thing. She had nothing to hide, and Master showed everyone he t his techniques. The only thing that was really a secret was Tianlan… and that was just because she didn’t like being bothered.
“Eh, it's fine. You’ll just have to beco family then,” Liquin said, a smirk on her face. Handso Man imdiately blushed, while Tigu cocked her head to the side.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to be adopted,” Tigu said apologetically. She had a family already! Liquin snorted, then laughed.
“Ah, you’re the cutest,” she said.
“Mother!” Handso Man scolded.
“She is indeed,” Mistress interjected. Liquin imdiately straightened up at Mistress’ words. Tigu turned to beam at her mother and little brother. Little De was once more in Mistress’s arms, his head buried in her neck. Eight hours had been quite long for him, huh?
“Lady iling…” Liquin trailed off, seeming a bit awkward, but Mistress just chuckled.
“Our Tigu is a wonderful girl, so it's only natural you’d want my daughter as your own. I don’t mind such talk,” she declared. Tigu preened at the blunt praise, while Liquin relaxed. “But that talk is better suited for another ti.”
“Yes it is. We have created sothing wonderful. Instead, we should focus on that!” Liquin agreed. She patted Tigu on the shoulder and looked to where Tigu’s little brother reached out towards her. “May I?” she asked, and Mistress nodded.
Liquin let Zhuye grasp her finger, and let out a noise of delight. “A strong grip!”
“Yes, he's growing well! What about yourself? You’re a month along; how are you feeling?” Mistress inquired as they started walking towards where Master and Handso Man’s father stood.
“So accurate!” Liquin said, looking mildly shocked. “Yes, a month along. My morning sickness is not too bad, and my Qi fluctuations are small enough to be manageable. Hopefully this ti they don't get as bad as my first pregnancy. During the end with Delun it was… difficult.”
Mistress’s eyes sharpened, and Tigu knew that look. It was the “there is a problem I need to fix” look.
“Oh? I may know so things that can help. May I give you an examination later?” Mistress requested. Liquin looked incredibly relieved.
“What kind of fool would say no to a Spiritual Doctor of your calibre?” Liquin responded.
Mistress and Liquin started chatting, while Tigu stepped up to her Master. She and Delan had to make their presences known to the crowd of disciples around him and Handso Man’s father.
After witnessing the creation of such a fine piece, it was only natural that the disciples of the Hertic Iron Sect crowded around so that they could try and glean so insight from the shining tal.
Handso Man’s father was simply looking on at all the discussion, while Master gazed at his new shovel with interest.
When he noticed Tigu walking up, he gave her a smile and held the tool out to her. Tigu reached out and grasped the shovel. Imdiately she could tell the difference.
The shovel noticed her. There was Qi within it—more Qi than last ti, and not simply her master’s lingering reinforcent. It made the entire tool slightly warm to the touch. It tasted Tigu’s own Qi, almost judging, but that feeling quickly went away.
Tigu’s Qi gently patted the Qi within the shovel, and it seed to lean into her touch. It was not really aware. There was no spirit like Sumr’s Sky or Sun Ne, but there was certainly sothing there!
Next, she turned her attention to the carvings on the haft. They looked like they had been freshly treated with oil, any nick or scratch in the wood sealed over and vibrant. Out of the end of the haft, a single small branch had grown, bearing a single leaf, which continued Tigu’s designs on it. At the bottom of the haft, where it connected to the tal of the shovel, it had grown there too, little tendrils of wood grasping tight onto the new tal that had been fused with it. From there, the wood transitioned nearly seamlessly to tal, and the carvings of vines and flowers continued into the tal, which then turned into the more bold, earthy style of the Tie family. It etched them in a darker black colour, like veins of ore—ore that had little flecks of gold within. The main body of the shovel was a wide, sturdy blade that curved into a point. An uncommon style that her Master had specifically commissioned. The tal was bright silver, and almost white in so places, like it was mimicking marble, or perhaps white jade.
It was truly beautiful. Maybe so would scoff at the fact that it was a shovel; but it was better than a sword. Master would make wonders with this. It was a tool worthy of him.
Tigu let out a breath and turned to Handso Man. “You’ve outdone yourself!” she proclaid. “And Grandfather, your carvings go very well with my own!”
Liquin’s father gave a small smile. “I did my best, Young Mistress,” he said. Even the grandmother who had been very quiet the entire ti Tigu had been here was smiling.
Bei Be gently nudged Tigu from behind with his nose. ‘May I see?’ he asked, getting her attention.
“Ah! Sorry for hogging this!” Tigu said apologetically, turning and presenting the blade to her fellow disciple. She rested it against his horn when he turned his head. The ox’s eyes were full of interest—and strings of Qi from Sun Ne reached out eagerly from the plow, brushing along the new blade. The blade spirit was nothing like how Tigu rembered the Crimson Demon’s Tooth—it was quite a cute little thing, and only had a mind for clean cuts.
‘It shall cut the earth well,’ the ox declared.
“Do you want to give it a go?” Master asked.
‘, first?’ Bei Be replied, seemingly surprised.
Master nodded firmly.
The ox considered the shovel, and then nodded. He locked it against his horns, and looked for sothing. After finding a bare patch of ground, he twisted his neck again.
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Three strikes hit the earth, and three perfect furrows carved themselves. The Hertic Iron disciples gasped at the perfect cuts. Handso Man’s grandparents, at least the ones who could see, all gasped.
‘Eager! Very eager!’ Bei Be praised.
Their Master laughed and took the shovel when Bei Be handed it back to him. He smiled brightly at the shimring tal, and then brought it down with a negligent air.
Every single furrow flattened back down, turning once more into undisturbed earth.
“Back to peak form, eh, Lao You?” Everyone heard the na Master Jin spoke—Lao You—a fondly rembered old buddy. The kind of person who was always reliable. Who you always made room for at your table.
Master was pleased.
“Let's get so food; our Masters look hungry!” he declared.
Handso Man’s stomach took that mont to gurgle. He flushed.
=====================================
Lunch, or rather dinner, was a more private affair. Delan sent all the disciples out to ditate on the forging process and see what they could glean from what they had felt during it, so it was just our two families eating as one.
I had my new shovel resting against my shoulder. I could feel the Qi of the Spirit Iron interacting with mine still—I got the sense that the forging process wasn’t fully complete, as there was still so kind of reaction happening.
So I just let it do its thing. It felt right.
The table was a lot less formal this ti, the satisfaction of a job well done leading to a celebratory atmosphere. Conversation flowed freely. ii was talking to Liquin, and both of them were sharing stories about motherhood—stories Delun was clearly trying hard to ignore, his attention focused entirely on Tigu.
Babe was talking with the old blind carver about cuts, the old man running his fingers over a carved plate that depicted one of Gramp's stories. Delun’s grandfather looked like he was having a fantastic ti. Washy was deep in conversation with both of Delun’s grandmothers, both of them talking about cooking.
I was talking to Delan about the state of the Ironfields’ agriculture.
What the man was saying painted a rather bleak picture.
“It’s the rust—and in so places the ground is poisoned entirely. If we could just get a handle on it…” he sighed. “Half the doctors don’t know what to do with our people either. They just say they should be dead.”
“And if the rust could be removed?” I asked. Delan turned to look at . Really look at , as he realised what I was offering. “I can remove most of the tals within the soil.”
‘What do you think, Tianlan?’ I asked the Earth Spirit in my head.
“The land is not supposed to be like this. The tal Qi in the soil is also having a sterilizing effect. If we shift it back to neutral, that will take care of most of the problems, ’ Tianlan replied. “Like I did in the Grass Sea. Less Wood, more neutral. It still works for Xiulan’s formation, it would just take care of the worst of the damage.”
“...you would do that for us?” Delan asked. “Master Jin, we cannot repay such generosity.”
“In truth, it is a promise made to an old friend. There are certain sites that they asked to fix around the Azure Hills,” I said. “The only reason why it is not done already was because I do not wish to unduly disrupt the people who live here. But if it is solely beneficial, then there is no issue.”
“An old friend?” he asked. He looked just a bit skeptical, but in the end, he closed his eyes and nodded.
“Then a tour of the Ironfields tomorrow. Of the most affected places,” I declared. We would probably be here for a week or so.
Delan let out a breath. “My son is right. You truly are a different kind of man,” he said after a mont, before turning to look at where Tigu and Delun were both hunched over a page together, doodling so design. Delan smiled at the scene, before he sighed, and steeled himself, turning once more to . “I know I lack the qualifications to even begin to ask this question, Master Jin. But for my son’s happiness I shall ask anyway. My son and your daughter… they enjoy each other’s company. Is she promised to another? Will this end in heartbreak for my boy?”
I paused at the statent.
Marriage. That was indeed a big concern. And I was Tigu’s father.
Delan had every right to be worried. Delun was the taphorical toad lusting after a swan’s flesh; that was to say, Delan thought Tigu was out of his son’s league. I was a powerful Master. Why would I ever even think of the Azure Hills cultivators, when thinking about my daughter’s future?
But for the sake of his son’s happiness, he felt he had to ask anyway.
I pondered the question. I liked Delun. I rather liked the Hertic Iron Sect. They were solid, dependable, and rather down to earth people.
I looked at ii. She locked eyes with for a mont, before giving a little nod, basically putting the ball back in my court. She had been a bit hard on Delun at first, but well, he had Tigu’s mother’s approval, at the very least.
“She is promised to no one. My daughter will marry whom she wishes to. But… it was always a question of her own maturity. Delun is a good man. He never used her curiosity or her affectionate nature against her, and focused on being her friend, rather than wanting to be her lover.” Delan nodded firmly at my words, pride entering his eyes. They had raised a good kid. There were a thousand stories of untoward actions in this world. Cultivation stories were rampant with them. Delun had always done what was best for Tigu, no matter how big his crush on her was. “I need to speak to her about this.”
Delan nodded solemnly. “Thank you for your candor, Master Jin.”
I nodded. Ti for another stressful conversation. Man, my daughter might already be grown up enough to be engaged, and I had only been a dad for three years!
===========================
Tigu was easy enough to arrange a eting with. All I had to do was wave her over to our room, and she skipped to join us.
I soon had her in my lap, brushing her hair. Tigu practically lted into . It was nice. It was peaceful. We nattered about the changes at the Dueling Peaks, and the things that happened there.
“They’re all so nervous! It's funny!” Tigu said. “They don't need to be afraid of Master! They need to be more like Iron Mom and Iron Dad!”
I snorted at the childish nickna.
“Do you like them?” I asked.
“Yes! They’re nice! They’re more like you and Mistress—the mortals around here all really like them too!” Tigu said.
“And what do you think of Delun?”
“Handso Man is my good comrade! But you know this!” Tigu said, sounding confused.
… not what I was going for.
“What would you think about them being our family?” I asked, gently.
“Eh? But I already told them I don’t want to be adopted?” Tigu asked, still puzzled.
I snorted at the confusion in her voice. ii giggled.
“He ans marriage, Tigu,” she said, an amused lilt to her voice. “That is how they would be family.”
Tigu blinked. Then her face slowly turned red. “Ah, that's what she ant…” Tigu suddenly said, looking embarrassed.
I patted her head. “Do you like Delun?” I asked again, this ti directly.
“I… I don't know if I’m mature enough to get married,” Tigu whispered. “But when I look at him. When I see his passion for his work… I don't want to look away. I want to walk beside him. I want to share those monts with him. When you asked if I wanted to marry him… my heart started racing.” I smiled at the emotion in her voice. It was earnest, and she was baring her heart to us. She clearly didn’t know if it was love. And yet... it sure sounded like it to . “We have so much to do. We have so much to explore! We have the entire Azure Hills to protect! I think I might like getting married to him, but I don’t know if I’m ready to have children yet, either…”
Tigu trailed off. I tightened my hug on her, and iling held her too.
“Marriage doesn't an you have to do those things right away—and you don’t have to get married imdiately, either. ii and I… well we jumped right into it,” I said with a little smile.
“He stole my heart and had to take responsibility,” ii said, her nose in the air. Tigu giggled.
“Would you be fine with telling everybody, ‘I want to get married to this person in the future’? You rember Gou Ren and Yun Ren’s betrothals, right?”
Tigu thought over my words for a mont, and then tentatively nodded. “I think… I think I would like that, but does Handso Man feel the sa way about ?”
“Yes,” i and I chorused.
Tigu blinked at the imdiate answer. Her face flushed brighter.
“Oh! Oh, that's good!” she decided. “But…how is Handso Man supposed to kidnap ? I will have to train him hard if he wishes to succeed!”
“Well, normally it doesn’t involve kidnapping. We just talk to each other's families,” I said, ruffling her hair. “That’s part of Hu Li’s family’s traditions, not necessarily ours.”
“Oh,” Tigu sounded vaguely disappointed. She frowned. “Can he kidnap anyway? It sounds fun. That way we can train together more!” Tigu was starting to look excited again. She nodded to herself and then popped up from my lap, a determined look on her face.
“Then let’s go! No ti like the present!” She took off, zipping from my grip. i and I sighed, and followed after her.
We found her, standing in front of the smaller stone manor. She banged on the door, and planted her hands on her hips.
Delun opened the door.
“Yes, Tigu?” he asked, looking a bit confused.
“We’re going to get married in the future, okay?” she declared, thrusting one finger directly towards him. “When you can steal from my Master’s ho! That is… if you w-want t-to?”
She stumbled a bit at the end. Delun gaped at her. Tigu’s resolve started to waver when he didn’t react, her face slowly turning redder and redder—
And then Delun’s Qi exploded from him. It rose like a bonfire, pure and clear up into the sky.
“Yes, I want to marry you!” he shouted. He grabbed Tigu, lifted her up, planted a kiss on her that made her toes curl, and then carefully set her down. Tigu blinked, looked quite dazed, then Delun marched right up to us and bowed at ninety degrees.
“Master Jin! Lady iling! I will take good care of your daughter!” he roared so loud the walls shook.
My eyes t Delan’s, standing in the doorway. The man was beaming at his son. I started laughing. This was a very Tigu proposal. Full force. No hesitation.
Just walking fearlessly into the future.
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