The exchange of spiritual energy between cultivators is as intimate as the sharing of secrets between lovers. It requires absolute trust, for in that mont, two souls touch across the void that separates all beings.
—Sage Master Liu Yue, Walker of the Midnight Path
The third day of siege brought relentless attacks, each impact sending tremors through the city’s ancient stones. Everyone had to work in synchronized shifts, each group using whatever thod they had to deflect or block as much damage as possible.
Not all efforts were successful. Xiulan found her own techniques weren’t well suited to mass projectile stopping without using copious amounts of qi, so she ended up in a support role.
Between attacks, she rushed to check on i Chen. The sight of her companion sitting up in bed by the end of the day sent waves of relief through her tired brain.
Dark clouds of smoke stained the sunset crimson. The fires still burned, but fewer than before. The defenders found their rhythm before they were buried.
The fourth day settled into a grinding pattern of artillery exchanges. Zhang Huo’s precise shots prevented the enemy from resting. Every so often he would score a critical hit and an enemy engine would explode. Every ti that happened it sparked cheers from the tired defenders.
"Master Qingfeng lives." Brother Long reported. "The lightning left its mark, but he endures."
Xiulan spotted Yang i limping toward the Treasure Pavilion’s entrance. The sight of the empty space below her left knee twisted sothing in her chest. She rushed forward to support the earth scout.
"Miss Lin." Yang i attempted a formal bow but stumbled.
"Don’t." Xiulan steadied her. "You’ve done more than enough."
The pouch of spirit stones felt heavy in her hands as she pressed them into Yang i’s palm. "I’m sorry. This doesn’t begin to cover what you sacrificed."
"My earth sense still works." Yang i grinned through obvious pain. "This is just a temporary setback."
Two Treasure Pavilion servants erged to escort Yang i inside for more extensive treatnt. She’d remain inside the ’neutral’ compound for the rest of the siege even if she managed to recuperate.
The earth scout’s optimism struck deeper than any arrow could.
On the northern wall, Xiulan stared at the empty roads leading to the Lin manor. No scouts had returned—not a single ssage had made it through. The silence gnawed.
Feng Yu, wherever you are, please hurry.
She gripped Severing Light tighter, thoughts drifting to those she left behind. Ren Chun, keep them safe, no matter how much you might think what I did wrong. Keep my brother and mother alive.
Later that night, Xiulan hunched over the writing desk in her room, squinting at yet another failed talisman.
The complex object repair script from Ming’s example sprawled across dozens of practice sheets, each stroke demanding perfect precision. She crumpled another botched attempt and added it to the growing pile.
The brush trembled against the paper as she traced the intricate patterns for the hundredth ti. Ink splattered where it shouldn’t, refusing to obey her will. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she reached for a fresh sheet.
i Chen bustled around the room, humming an off-key tune while adjusting already-straight blankets and reorganizing their ager possessions.
She picked up Xiulan’s travel pack, moved it three inches to the left, then back to its original spot. Then she began to target the incense holder.
"It’s perfectly fine where it is," Xiulan said without looking up from her work.
i Chen ignored the comnt and shifted the holder anyway.
Xiulan rolled her eyes at the restless reorganizing and set down her brush. The failed talisman attempts could wait. "We should practice cultivating together."
i Chen blinked rapidly. "What do you an?"
"Rember when I helped clear your core?"
i Chen nodded but turned away. A rosy flush crept across her pale cheeks. "Feng Yu told that... that..." She fidgeted with her sleeve. "That sort of thing has... connotations."
"Ugh, she said the sa thing to !" Xiulan threw up her hands. "But really, I need to check on you."
"Check on ?"
"You were completely out of your body. What if you lost so power? Or your yin energy got unbalanced again?" Xiulan smoothed her robes.
"I think I’m okay..." i Chen twisted the fabric of her sleeve. She looked away, refusing to et Xiulan’s eyes. "But if you want to try, we can."
Xiulan nodded and retrieved two ditation cloths from a chest, laying them carefully on the wooden floor. The familiar patterns of clouds and mountains adorned the white fabric.
She settled onto one of the ditation cloths, crossing her legs into a lotus position. i Chen mirrored her movents on the other cloth, though a bright pink flush spread across her pale features.
"Oh, co on." Xiulan adjusted her robes.
"It’s just..." i Chen stared at the floor. "You have more experience than ... please treat gently."
Xiulan dropped her face into her palm. "I won’t be able to keep a straight face if you keep saying things like that."
"I’m sorry!" i Chen squeaked.
Xiulan straightened her posture on the ditation cloth. "We’re just going to cultivate and exchange qi. I need to check your ridians and practice so qi threading techniques."
She adjusted her sleeves with a casual shrug. "It’s not like we’re going to have sex or anything."
i Chen wobbled sideways, barely catching herself before toppling over. "S-s-s..." Her face blazed crimson as she stamred. "Se-sex! That’s—that’s improper Miss Lin! That’s not sothing ladies c-can... can do!"
"What do you an?" Xiulan tilted her head. "It happens all the ti."
Okay, maybe it wasn’t ntioned or broadcast out in the open in ’ Ancient China Land ’ but Li i knew better than that it never happened at all. It was just human nature, and she had seen a lot of dodgy erotic roleplay happen in certain areas of the ga that had earned ’that’ reputation.
i Chen’s mouth opened and closed. Incoherent squeaks escaped as she flailed her hands in front of her face. The poor girl looked ready to combust from embarrassnt.
Xiulan closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, settling into a ditative rhythm. The familiar sensation of qi flowing through her ridians helped tune out i Chen’s continued sputtering. She’d let her friend recover her composure in her own ti.
After several minutes of blessed silence, i Chen cleared her throat softly. "Maybe... maybe we should sit back to back instead?"
"If that makes you more comfortable." Xiulan smoothed her expression.
i Chen nodded quickly and turned around. Xiulan scooted backward until their shoulders pressed together. The familiar chill of i Chen’s spiritual energy tingled against her skin through their robes.
What am I even looking for? Xiulan wondered, but the need to verify i Chen’s wellbeing pushed her forward. They should have done this earlier, but the idea hadn’t popped up until now. She reached back and found i Chen’s cool fingers, clasping them gently in her own warm ones.
"I’ll start now," Xiulan said.
"Okay." i Chen squeezed her hands in response.
Xiulan gathered her qi and threaded it carefully through her ridians, extending a delicate tendril toward i Chen’s palm ridian. The mont her qi touched i Chen’s skin, the energy whipped through i Chen’s entire system in a dizzying rush—far faster than Xiulan could track.
The qi thread snapped back through i Chen’s other palm. Xiulan barely caught it, steadying her breath against the sudden return. She guided it back through her own system at what felt like a snail’s pace, though she pushed herself to move as quickly as possible. The energy settled into her dantian, creating a circular flow between them.
Their combined qi accelerated, rushing through both dantians in an endless loop. Xiulan tried to map i Chen’s ridians but found herself baffled. The spiritual pathways seed to float untethered except for the flow that had ford between them.
I really should study more cultivation texts . There was a severe gap in her theoretical knowledge.
At least nothing seed wrong. While i Chen’s qi remained heavily yin-aligned, enough yang energy swirled in her core to maintain a flowing balance and prevented another frozen spiritual crisis.
Xiulan exhaled slowly. Her breath crystallized in the air between them.
"You’re like sumr." i Chen’s whisper carried a note of wonder.
"And you’re winter incarnate." Xiulan chuckled softly.
Through their connected qi, concern radiated from i Chen—worry that her cold nature might harm. Xiulan focused her thoughts on wrapping i Chen in warmth, like a protective embrace.
i Chen relaxed against her back. Pure contentnt flowed through their bond. The feeling spread through Xiulan as well, settling deep in her chest.
They drifted together in ditation. Yang and yin energy exchanged between them in gentle waves. The peaceful sensation reminded Xiulan of floating in a calm pool—minus the chemical sll—suspended between sky and earth.
A thunderous boom shattered their peaceful ditation. The building shuddered beneath them as more explosions rocked the city.
"We need to move." Xiulan sprang to her feet, breaking their qi connection. The lingering warmth of their cultivation session surged through her ridians—her body thrumd with more energy than she’d felt since before the siege began.
i Chen snatched up their dical supplies while Xiulan grabbed Severing Light. The familiar weight settled onto her shoulder as they burst out the door.
Flas painted the midnight sky in violent oranges and reds. Burning projectiles arced overhead like deadly teors. The constant impacts created a hellish percussion that drowned out screams and shouts from the defenders.
"Where are Sun Gai and Liu Shui? They should be maintaining the defensive arrays!" Xiulan scanned the chaos.
Tiles cracked and scattered under their feet as they sprinted across the rooftops toward the western wall. The acrid stench of smoke burned Xiulan’s lungs with each breath.
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A blur of purple robes caught her attention—Ming Lihua bounded between buildings, outpacing them toward the city gate. The senior appraiser’s speed spoke volus about the situation.
Blue spirit beasts slamd against the forming talisman barrier over the western wall. The translucent shield crackled with failing energy before shattering into sparks of dissipating qi.
"Fuck." Xiulan gripped Severing Light tighter. Enemy cultivators had already reached the wall—far sooner than expected.
Through the chaos of falling debris and scattered energy, Zhang Huo’s commanding voice rang out. The commander directed his crossbown with precise gestures, their formation shifting to et the new threat.
Xiulan launched herself onto the wall beside i Chen. The height gave her a clear view of the approaching army—and the cultivators leading the charge.
She tracked their advance. They moved with supernatural speed across the field, leaving their mortal troops scrambling to keep pace behind them.
Ming Lihua stood atop the main gate. A hundred talismans floated around her in a series of arrays, each paper glowing with stored power. Energy lances erupted from the formation toward the enemy.
A massive tal sheet burst from the earth, providing cover. Green-tinged mist seeped around the makeshift shield, creeping toward the walls with lethal intent.
"i Chen!"
"Yes miss!" i Chen darted to the wall’s edge. She drew in a deep breath, chest expanding, then exhaled a torrent of freezing wind. The blizzard tore across the battlefield, pushing the poison fog back toward the enemy’s mortal lines.
Frost crystallized across the ground, transforming the muddy field into a frozen wasteland. The poison master dismissed their technique rather than risk their own forces falling to the redirected toxins.
Xiulan studied the tal shield deflecting Ming Lihua’s energy bolts. The defense proved effective, but a plan crystallized in her mind. Four iron darts slid smoothly into her palms.
Qi flowed through her ridians as she channeled opposing energies into each pair. Yang energy crackled with positive charge in her right hand while yin energy pooled like ice in her left. The darts vibrated against her skin, straining to contain the volatile forces.
She released them simultaneously—yang-charged darts soaring upward, yin-charged darts plumting downward. No need to announce the technique. They had seen it before…
Just not doubled in capacity!
Lightning erupted between the darts, thick as her torso. Electricity connected heaven and earth through the tal shield. Thunder bood, rattling her teeth and sending a wave of pressure through her chest.
"And fucks you up!" i Chen bounced on her toes, pumping both fists into the air.
A startled laugh caught in Xiulan’s throat.
A smoking figure stumbled from behind the ruined shield. Electricity still arced across their twitching form.
Six more cultivators leapt through the dissipating energy. Ming’s bolts slamd into their ranks, but they pressed forward. Blood-red spears materialized alongside wooden darts and razor-sharp tal shards while spheres of concentrated qi blazed toward the walls like angry stars.
Heavy footsteps thundered across the stone as Wei Kang sprinted along the wall. "The mountain! The mountain!"
Ming Lihua ceased her barrage. Golden light blazed from her hands as she traced intricate patterns in the air. Qi surged through ancient formations, and a translucent barrier materialized above the gate—its surface rippling like molten gold.
Wei Kang’s tattooes blazed and behind the spiritual gate rose a towering mountain and the two formations sparkled in gold relief, rging into a gate atop a mountain. The entire defensive barrier widened until it covered the western wall.
A second later the barrier absorbed hundreds of incoming projectiles, absorbing or dropping them harmlessly to the ground in a scattered rain.
Xiulan’s muscles tensed as another wave of cultivators erged from behind the ruined tal shield. These weren’t the sa attackers from before—every face unfamiliar, every qi signature unknown. Sohow they’d shadowed the other’s while being invisible… or cloaked in shadow?
Fresh reinforcents ant the enemy had been holding back. And they had sent others to the manor?
Xiulan grit her teeth. They had been badly outnumbered from the start.
A massive crane materialized before the new arrivals, its spiritual form blazing with ethereal blue light. The cultivators leapt onto its back, and the beast launched skyward toward the walls.
Xiulan pointed toward the incoming threat. "i Chen!"
Arctic wind howled as i Chen unleashed her frozen breath again. The spiritual crane banked and rolled, its ghostly form twisting through the ice storm.
Xiulan gathered qi and then her Thunder God Clap technique erupted from her hands, sending a spiraling vortex of wind toward the aerial attackers. The crane dissipated into motes of blue light, but its riders used the montum to propel themselves forward.
They sailed through the air in perfect formation, their robes whipping in the wind as they descended toward the battlents.
Xiulan drew Severing Light from her shoulder, its blade gleaming in the firelight. Beside her, i Chen’s claws extended with a frosted whisper. Li Ren and Li Jan materialized beside them, their short swords ready.
The enemy landed as a group a blast of qi knocking the nearby mortal soldiers into the air or crushing them into the stone. Both groups of cultivators faced each other and stared for a second.
Multiple explosions rocked Ming Lihua and Wei Kang’s mountain gate barrier, sending spiritual shockwaves across the battlents.
That served as the signal to fight. The enemy cultivators launched forward in unison.
i Chen sprang into action with inhuman speed, frost trailing in her wake. The Li brothers matched her pace, their footwork precise and asured. Xiulan positioned herself behind i Chen, extending Severing Light to maximize its reach.
Stones blazed through the air like teors straight at i Chen. Green vines whipped outward from the Li brothers’ hands, snatching the projectiles mid-flight and smashing them against the ground. More vines lashed toward the attackers.
An enemy cultivator wielding tal fans stepped forward. His weapons spun, qi crackling along their edges as they shredded through the brothers’ vines. Plant matter scattered like confetti in the wind.
Zhang Huo appeared suddenly, jumping to the front. His thunderous clap split the air and heat rolled outward in a suffocating wave as he extended his palms. The tal fans turned cherry-red and the blades warped and dissolved under the intense temperature.
A short, round figure erged from the enemy ranks. His staff traced intricate patterns, summoning a barrier of water that neutralized Zhang Huo’s inferno. Steam hissed where the opposing forces t.
i Chen raged and raised her hands and the steam began to form into ice shards poised to impale the enemy.
Sand erupted from the stone wall as bricks disintegrated and the dust swirled around the shards, shredding them before binding and turning into a slop of mud that flowed toward Xiulan’s group.
Before it could reach them grass began to sprout from it, solidifying the mass into a mat of green.
Full circle. Perfect counter to every move , Xiulan thought. She channeled yang energy into Severing Light until the blade blazed like a fallen star. Five iron darts materialized in her free hand, each one thrumming with concentrated yin energy.
The darts sailed toward their targets. The tal cultivator responded instantly, launching his own projectiles. They collided mid-air, reducing Xiulan’s darts to glittering dust.
A savage grin spread across Xiulan’s face. The tal cultivator had helped her—the yin energy remained active within the scattered particles.
She jumped forward to the very front, a hand pulling i Chen back behind her.
Severing Light plunged into the stone. Lightning erupted from the blade, transforming into a devastating wave. It surged toward the dust cloud surrounding their opponents, sending the mat of grass exploding outward off the wall.
Lightning cascaded through the dust, striking every enemy cultivator. The tal user shrieked—a sound that pierced through the thunder. tal poles burst from the ground around his group, channeling the devastating energy into the wall. Smoke rose from his singed robes as he stumbled backward. His companions twitched and shuddered, electricity still dancing across their bodies.
i Chen darted forward. The Li brothers followed, their short swords gleaming as they pressed the advantage. Despite the lightning strike, the enemy cultivators raised their weapons.
Xiulan spun Severing Light in a defensive arc, moving to guard i Chen’s back.
i Chen pounced forward like a frost-wreathed predator. Her claws raked across a cultivator’s chest, leaving trails of ice that spread across his robes. His scream cut off as Xiulan moved in and slashed his throat before he could regain mobility.
Green vines erupted from the Li brothers’ hands, wrapping around the enemy group’s legs. The plants constricted with supernatural strength, preventing escape. More vines crept upward, pinning arms and weapons.
Xiulan swept Severing Light in a horizontal arc, channeling yin energy through the blade and releasing it in an icy crescent. The tal cultivator stumbled and fell as he blocked the strike with a steel staff.
Zhang Huo stepped forward, his weathered face illuminated by gathering flas. Heat rolled off him in suffocating waves as he thrust both palms outward again. A column of fire engulfed the enemy’s only possible avenues of escape.
i Chen reached out to grab the vines, and then ice spread across them like a virus, rapidly reaching and freezing the legs of the enemy group.
The tal user’s desperate attempt to raise another barrier shattered. His companions’s resistance followed a second later, overwheld by the synchronized attack. Their weapons clattered against the stone as i Chen’s frost spread up their bodies, transforming the battlefield into a garden of ice sculptures.
They blood as ice spikes exploded through all of them except the short enemy who channeled water qi. He struggled against the vines while focusing on preventing the ice from expanding to him.
He looked up as Xiulan stepped forward.
"Wait—"
She removed his head with a single, swift slash of Severing Light.
They did it! They had beat the enemy group.
Xiulan wiped sweat from her brow as she caught her breath. The tallic stench of blood mixed with ozone. Her companions showed similar signs of exertion—Zhang Huo dabbed at his forehead while the Li brothers leaned against each other.
A whistling sound drew her attention upward. Red streaks cut through the night sky toward their position. Blood spears—dozens of them.
"Above!"
i Chen shrieked. Frost erupted from her hands, forming a crystalline do over their group. The blood spears shattered against the barrier in crimson explosions. Other projectiles followed to hamr the shield, each impact sending vibrations through the frost.
Xiulan scanned the battlents for Ming Lihua’s purple robes. Nothing. The senior appraiser had vanished from her position. Did the enemy overwhelm her while we fought?
Her stomach twisted as realization struck. They’d taken too long with their group. Ming Lihua and Wei Kang had been defeated…
There was no ti to grieve or panic.
The Li brothers pressed closer as another volley slamd into i Chen’s barrier. Zhang Huo’s shoulders tensed as more projectiles arc toward them through gaps in the frost shield. Xiulan gripped Severing Light tighter, muscles coiled and ready despite her exhaustion.
Spirit beasts materialized from wisps of blue energy. Spectral tigers prowled forward on massive paws while serpents weaved between their legs. Ethereal boars charged with crystalline tusks lowered, attacking from every direction.
"Guard the flanks!" Zhang Huo shouted.
Xiulan spun Severing Light through a precise arc. The blade humd as it dispersed a serpent’s spiritual form into azure motes. More beasts pressed through the dissipating light, crowding beneath the do.
"Behind you!" Xiulan called as a tiger lunged at Zhang Huo.
"Not today, beast." Zhang Huo’s palm blazed with crimson energy as he struck, the tiger’s form exploding into scattered light.
"Brother, pattern three!" Li Ren called out. The twins moved in perfect synchronization, their short swords carving through the spirit creatures. This was definitely a task their twin short swords excelled at.
"They’re breaking through!" Li Jan’s warning preceded another wave of blood spears hamring the barrier. tal darts whistled through gaps in the frost.
Xiulan pressed up against i Chen’s. "Take my energy—like before."
"But miss—"
"Do it!"
Xiulan grabbed i Chen’s hand, extending her qi. Their energies rged instantly, familiar from their earlier connection. A tal spear sliced across Xiulan’s cheek, drawing blood, but she maintained focus on the qi bond.
"Die already!" Zhang Huo roared as his flas consud another wave of beasts.
i Chen’s power surged, wild and untad through their connection. The truth was she didn’t need more energy, there was already a massive pool far greater than Xiulan’s small pond. But the ratio was off and the extra Yang let her pull more without risking a pure yin episode.
"I’ve got you." Xiulan wrapped her arms around i Chen, channeling more energy into their defense. The frost crystallized into dense ice above them and then ice spikes began to flash up into the air at their attackers in a furious exchange of projectiles.
Li Ren and Li Jan’s blades flashed in perfect harmony, shattering the last spirit beasts into scattered light.
Xiulan turned her head toward the enemy siege weapons. Her breath caught as she spotted a dozen more advancing cultivators—far too many for them to handle now.
And right behind them…
A man wearing the armor and insignia of a lord atop a warhorse, flanked by a Whispering Shadows assassin, and... Bai Chen? She thought her father’s head of the house guard had died during her family’s massacre.
It left no question as to who the lord was, or how he had known so much.
Lord Chao.
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