"I suspect ti for lessons will be limited until the offensive ends,” ng Duyi mused. “Is it known whom I will teach?"
Ling Qi bowed her head. "My little brother. I ask you to include Cai Renxiang as well. She wishes to learn to ensure that she can understand the infrastructure needs of her more traditional subjects in order to properly administer the settlent."
ng Duyi stroked his beard. He looked at her, and Ling Qi straightened up as the weight of his gaze grew much heavier. The full attention of a greater cultivator could not be ignored. "She did not order you to say that."
"She indicated interest, but she did not."
"Acceptable. And interesting."
"Ah, Zhengui has a request for Mister Harmony, too! Our scholar-friend, Mister Crinkled Pages, would be good to teach! He is good at helping Zhengui with small and fragile things, and Zhengui wishes to do sothing nice for him! His human na is, um… Fen Xiang. Is this okay with Big Sister?"
She tilted her head. In truth, she did not have a strong idea of what other students to bring on, so she hardly minded. "If Sir ng would not be opposed to lower realm students…?"
"What I aim to teach here does not require any great might, though weight of spirit may make the lessons more effective. This is your boon, Lady Ling. Spread it among your household, kin, and fellows as you wish."
Assuming she didn't request him to directly teach a mber of another comital clan, she supposed nothing taught by the geomancer would be a truly dire secret of the ng clan. Perhaps Mother would…? Well, she’d need to speak with her first.
"That gives us three students so far. For now, Sir ng, let us go to the shore. The reason we requested your presence now is because we are embarking on a major project, the establishnt of rites and a temple to the spirit of the lake. I have studied thods and spoken to the spirit previously, but I would like expert advice when proceeding with our project."
"Sensible. Let us walk along the lake's edge, so that I may get a better feel for the nature of these waters."
They crossed the main road and strolled down the grassy slope toward the yet undeveloped section of the lakeside. ng Duyi did not not hesitate to let his feet squish into the dark mud on the shore, to push through the rushes that grew there, and to let the waters lap over his ankles. She followed him, though her steps were lighter, leaving the mud untouched and the water rippling gently under the soles of her boots. Zhengui remained behind them, respectfully… or bashfully? Either way, the mud stead under his tread, and he did not follow them further onto the lapping waters.
ng Duyi only stopped when he was knee deep in the waters, planting his sapling-like stick in the mud. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. The lake’s qi responded. Moisture in the air was taken in with his breath, cycled through his ridians, and then exhaled, dense with his own qi, a gift freely given to the lake and a greeting all in one. She felt the water ripple in contentnt.
"Fortune favors you to find such a calm and kind lake in these harsh lands," the geomancer said. "Even the spring lt is but a lapping ripple to this one in these lands where the ice never vanishes fully."
"I have been most honored that she has accepted us so kindly on these shores and raised bounty from the depths for our benefit," Ling Qi acknowledged. "And so, I want to ensure that she is properly honored in turn."
"Your sincerity is felt." ng Duyi reopened his eyes. "I have the shape of this spirit in my mind now. She is content as things are, but there are many acts a settlent could do to change that. This purity and kindness could easily grow tainted. You said you were laying the plans for rituals? A temple?"
"Yep!" Gui chirped from the shore.
"It will be as resplendent as Lady Snowblossom herself," Zhen insisted.
ng Duyi chuckled. "A harsh bar you set yourself, young master. Co, Miss Ling. There are others who will need to be involved in these talks as well, no?"
"Yes," Ling Qi agreed. "And I may as well show you to the quarters we have prepared for your arrival. This way, Master ng."
***
"This is not a bad choice, but this”--ng Duyi tapped his finger against a different blueprint rolled out on the large planning table in the middle of the eting room—“would be alienating to the spirit."
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"I see." Cai Renxiang stood with her arms folded behind her back, leaning forward slightly to observe. "What difference brings about the trouble?"
"If I may?" Gan Guangli questioned. The table creaked with the weight of his fra as he lood over the drawings, palms pressed to the tabletop. "It is the length and intricacy of the canals in the second that is a problem, is it not?"
"Just so, young baron," the elder geomancer praised. "The pattern woven around the temple structure is pleasing. For a god of wells and reservoirs, it would be excellent. However, while your lake is currently serving those roles…"
"It is not the core of the spirit's identity," Ling Qi finished. "The lake is the lake. Perhaps in ti, a child spirit or two of wells and canals might form."
"And so, the designs which place the temple on the dockside itself are best. It should either be open to the lake or have a direct path to an inner pool which can serve for communion," ng Duyi instructed.
Cai Renxiang nodded. "Very well. The efficiency of the second design in integrating the center's clean water supply appealed, but it is not efficient to force your patterns where they do not work."
ng Duyi gave the Cai scion a sharp, considering look in the wake of her statent.
Gan Guangli pointed to a third design. "Ah, and what of this option?"
Ling Qi leaned forward. "Oh! I did like that idea."
In her arms, Zhengui, shrunk to the size of a large cat, bobbed his head. "Yes, Gui thinks the boat idea is very cool!"
In it, the temple would be an enclosed dock with limited facilities. In its center would be the shrine proper, a large boat which could be sailed out into the center of the lake for communion.
ng Duyi's qi rippled slightly, a frisson of sensation across her skin. He was mildly discontent, but not truly disapproving.
"The Bai style is not ineffective," he admitted grudgingly. "I cannot say that we ng do not use so variations of it in the larger pools and waterways, though we do so by pole barge rather than row or sail. It does, however, require a certain bravery from your priests—so might call it arrogance—to go fully into the center of the lake's power. Should it ever be discontent, it is risky, too."
"Also, our shipbuilding capacity and experience is currently limited. If we chose this design, the first shrine boat we construct would inevitably be sowhat shabby," Cai Renxiang pointed out.
Gan Guangli sighed. "That is a problem."
"Before any such choice is made, there is another you must first make," ng Duyi said firmly. "I must know what role you intend to nurture the spirit of Snowblossom lake into in order to give proper advice."
"Well… I think she would be the tutelary god of our settlent, Shenglu, wouldn't she?" Ling Qi asked. "Together with Zhengui, the two of them would be the center of the local spirit court, the focus around which our rites revolve."
Zhen hissed, squirming in her grasp. What was agitating him so? anwhile, Gui let out an uncharacteristic mocking snort toward his other half.
"A fine choice, but one with side effects. In this focus, the lake itself will grow ever more distinct from the river which she is fed by, the watercourse which runs across the breadth of your land," the geomancer cautioned. "Thus, you will divide the upper and lower river, and you will likely need rites to propitiate both separately."
"Then, a thod which treats the whole of the watercourse as one great entity might be better for the stability of transport and movent across the fief," Cai Renxiang said. "Is this possible?"
"The river, neither upper nor lower, has not developed a separate sense of self. So it is. However, there would be a cost to this proposed focus as well. If Snowblossom were to be a central god of Shenglu itself, Lake Snowblossom would grant Shenglu, your city on its shore, many benefits and blessings, assuming devotion and right action remain in good stead. The other thod's more impersonal and larger spirit would not be so sensitive to human behavior."
"Relatively speaking," Ling Qi said.
"Relatively," ng Duyi agreed.
"There would probably be further benefits to river trade, milling, and other activities along the water’s course," Cai Renxiang mused. "In either direction, it is a harsh trade off. I assu it would be ill advised to try and snatch both peaches in this case."
"No good cos from dithering with in-betweens when deciding on matters of this import."
"I, Zhen, think Lady Snowblossom would be best on her own as the guardian of the shores," the snake half said with great dignity.
"Gui thinks either is fine, but letting her sprawl out and get wide is good, too!" This earned his other half a poisonous glare.
Ling Qi pondered her little brother’s behavior before her eyes widened. Oh, what she had suggested… That was… Oh. Spirits! Her little brother was much too young!
No, wait, he wasn't human, and treating him like one was inappropriate… Ugh, she was not equipped to think of these things.
Comfort. No sad! Brother big. Good. Lake big. Good.
At least her dress was warm. And very simple.
No tying self up. Bad sister.
Maybe her dress was getting more articulate already.
ng Duyi regarded her with a creased brow, a mixture of confusion and befuddled amusent on his face. She let out a huff, turning her eyes to the others. Gan Guangli was oblivious. Cai Rrenxiang rely raised a brow.
Ling Qi put any implications of her little brother’s love life out of her mind. "We should decide our purpose."
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