Echoes of Divinity: Book 13 of Painting the Mists, page 8
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Cha Ming admitted. “I don’t know much about the five great clans. What about the other clans? Is there something I should know about them?”
“We don’t know much aside from the classical stories,” Graceful Twilight said. “The Inkwell Ancestor is always portrayed as moody and sloppy, while the Runebound Ancestor is always seen as patient and practiced. The Clockwork Ancestor is a haughty perfectionist. I’m not sure about the others.”
“The Star-Eye Ancestor is regretful and pensive,” Ashen Sky cut in. “The Iridescent Ancestor is basically bipolar.”
“I didn’t mention her because I thought that was obvious,” Graceful Twilight said.
“I can see bipolar,” Cha Ming said. He’d interreacted with both sides of the Iridescent Ancestor. One was an angry sob story, and the other a cool-headed scientist. “I’ll see how much of each one I can work into the formation. Now that I think about it, these personalities probably liked to bicker with each other. Maybe I could model this after Huxian and most of his friends?”
“They’re good friends,” Graceful Twilight agreed. “I hope I’ll find friends like them when I become an adventurer.”
Ashen Sky spat out a mouthful of tea. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon to talk about this? You haven’t yet broken through to the investiture realm.”
“And how am I supposed to break through if I don’t go on an adventure, Father?” Graceful Twilight asked sharply. “I’m a demon, and if I can’t find a suitable advancement quest, I’ll never break through. But that’s your plan, isn’t it?” Her eyes flickered to the multicolored plant. “How hypocritical.”
“I think you might be being a bit harsh on your father,” Deadly Grace, the assassin maid, cut in, pouring them another round of tea. “You know how unsafe it is out there.”
“Unsafe? Unsafe?” Graceful Twilight said, her temper flaring. “My father has attempted sixty-six burnings, and my maid used to kill people for a living. And you all dare to mention safety?”
“Look now, dearest,” Ashen Sky said, “I know things have been difficult. Believe me, I wish things were different. But if your mother were here, I’m sure she’d—“
“Don’t you dare bring my mother into this,” Graceful Twilight said. She got up, pushing her teacup off the table. It broke into jagged pieces and splashed its contents on the wooden floor. The angry, teary-eyed girl then stormed up the stairs toward her room. Just like she had during many of Cha Ming’s visits.
“I’ll go calm her down, Elder,” Deadly Grace said with a bow. She followed the young lady up the stairs. As she did so, Cha Ming used his domain to gather the pieces of the cup. First, he assembled them. Then, he did something he couldn’t have done three years ago—he mended them.
“That’s new,” Ashen Sky said, looking at the now-intact teacup. The tea on the floor was gone, evaporated by Cha Ming’s fire qi. “New concept?” Demons didn’t master concepts like Daoists did, but that didn’t mean they weren’t curious.
“The Concepts of Assembling and Dismantling are very specific, I’ve found,” Cha Ming said. “Using the Concept of Assembly, it’s not difficult to put the broken pieces of a cup back together. Fusing the pieces back together, on the other hand, is difficult with that concept alone. With Shattering and Mending, a metal-aligned concept, I can easily bring things back together. I can do the same for liquids with the Concepts of Breaking Waves and Combining Flows. I feel they’re related.”
“What of earth? What of wood? What of fire?” Ashen Sky asked. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re looking at eventually combining everything into another creation and destruction concept, are you not?”
“I’m not sure,” Cha Ming admitted. “I feel it’s related to breaking, in the end. Dismantling and Assembly are about taking pieces apart and putting them back together. But some things are whole and aren’t meant to come apart. That being said, they can still break and combine, even if that wasn’t the original intention in their design.” He shrugged. “She’s got a point, you know, Ashen Sky. Even I think going out on an adventure will do me a world of good.”
Ashen Sky sighed. “I know, Clear Sky. But you and I both know there were inkborn here before we came. Things didn’t end well for them.”
“Was it rakshasa?” Cha Ming asked.
“No, it was humans,” Ashen Sky said. He practically spat the words. “Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against humans. It’s just that all of you can get so possessive about everything. In this case, it was the Church of Jezeriah that claimed they were manifestations of their goddess’s enemy. They ordered them captured and sacrificed.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’d start tearing churches apart if they did something like that again,” Cha Ming said.
“I think they also know they couldn’t get away with it this time around,” Ashen Sky said. “Besides, the Republic of Asherall issued an official apology and censured the Church. As did the Pope of the Church of Jezeriah.”
“How convenient, doing so after the fact,” Cha Ming said.
“In this, we both agree,” Ashen Sky said. He sighed.
“Still, she is her own person,” Cha Ming said. “How long can you keep her captive before she runs away on her own? Even my own demon brother, Huxian, went out with his friends two and a half years ago. They know they can’t advance to the investiture realm without taking risks. They’ve been combing the desert and braving sandstorms ever since.”
“I know that,” Ashen Sky said. “It’s just…” He sighed again. “I’ll keep her here for another year. Perhaps by then she’ll have learned some patience.”
“In my experience, you learn that after leaving home,” Cha Ming said. He took another sip from his teacup and closed his eyes. “Heavens, it’s good to have proper tea.” He savored the flavor. When he opened his eyes again, he eyed the iridescent plant that had been placed in a prominent position. “When?”
“When I’m satisfied that things are stable enough, and I’ve given her my leave to go adventuring,” Ashen Sky said. “Only then will I feel comfortable in attempting my sixty-seventh burning. You might not know this, but things are happening in the background. Pieces are moving about. It is difficult for me to advance without refining my bloodline. I need another burning before things get ugly, Clear Sky. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect my little girl.”
“Before you try, promise me one thing,” Cha Ming said. “Come talk to me first. I’ve been getting good at developing new runic pills. Maybe I can come up with something more potent than what already exists. No one ever bothers with bloodline-advancement pills for elders, but I’ll give it a shot.”
“That would be much appreciated,” Ashen Sky said. “It feels so stifling to be blocked from advancing. Bloodline restrictions are frustrating.”
“Don’t I know it,” Cha Ming muttered.
Ashen Sky, seeing he’d hit a sore spot, said nothing. They drank their cups down, and Ashen Sky continued brewing.
For the next hour, they spoke about less-serious things. Mundane things. Anything to keep Cha Ming’s mind off his upcoming pill concoction. Tonight, he would create a never-before-seen pill. In the morning, he would make his third attempt at breaking into the Rune Gathering Realm.
Chapter 3: Opposing Runes
It was dark when Cha Ming returned to the school grounds. Very few students remained in the building, and those who did were laboring in their workshops, practicing the various professions they’d taken to. There were teachers as well. Iridescent Charity was one of them, and Cha Ming only bothered her briefly to borrow formations focuses and common ingredients.
He then proceeded to clear out the courtyard. Students had already been told it was off limits, but the bestial demons that made the school their home weren’t good at listening. A few teachers also thought they were beyond such notices, and the guards didn’t have the authority to bar them. So, Cha Ming negotiated, chasing them out one after another until the courtyard was empty. Only then did he isolate the courtyard using a formation supplemented by talismans.
Next came the difficult part: setting up the heating array formations and containment formations. Since Cha Ming was only a half step into the rune-gathering realm, he wasn’t strong enough to concoct higher-grade pills using his own flames. He could, however, supplement his flames through external means. Naturally, this meant that he couldn’t easily control these flames, thus the need for the containment formation. Otherwise, a single failure would obliterate the entire academy.
It was slow going. Dangerous instruments such as these needed to be carefully calibrated, and he wasn’t just using initial rune-gathering components, but middle-rune-gathering components. It was almost midnight by the time he finished. By then, he’d thoroughly reviewed his experimental formula in his mind. The pill should be possible based on his runic computations and the alchemical components in the Crystal Sand Flower. He’d already performed experiments with younger variants before with varying degrees of success.
“Clever Dusk, your timing is impeccable,” Cha Ming said, not looking up from his notes as a familiar presence appeared in the back of his mind. He corrected a few equations and lines as the nimble, black-haired girl walked out of one of the many doorways that could be accessed via the Verdant Crossroads’ Starry Road System.
“It’s been a while, Teacher,” Clever Dusk said.
“Far too long,” Cha Ming agreed. “Though calling me Teacher at this point is a bit of a stretch. When was the last time you came here for a lesson? You were still in the initial investiture realm when I last saw you. Now, you’ve broken through to early investiture.”
“The Verdant Thread Seer keeps me busy,” Clever Dusk replied with a shrug.
“You wanted to see me?” Cha Ming asked. “What’s bothering you this time? A mysterious rune? A frustrating formation?”
“Do I need a reason to visit my teacher?” Clever Dusk asked.
“You of all people always have a reason,” Cha Ming said.
“What more of a reason do I need than to keep my dearest teacher company?” Clever Dusk asked.
Cha Ming laughed lightly. “You win this one. I admit defeat.”
“A wise man knows when to give ground,” Clever Dusk agreed. She tapped Cha Ming’s mobile workbench, and two items appeared. They were spirit fruits, one black and one white.
“Unholy opposition fruits,” Cha Ming said, his eyes widening with surprise. He used his Eyes of Truth to analyze their compositions. “Grown on the same branch so as to have mediating patterns. I never thought I’d see such a thing.”
“Are they useful?” Clever Dusk asked.
“Very,” Cha Ming said. “I’ve been wondering how to incorporate the essence of each of my runes into a pill. Though I’ve found a way, it’s inefficient. My concepts repel each other. These fruits, on the other hand, coexist in nature. They would greatly improve my chances of concocting this pill.”
“I know nothing of alchemy,” Clever Dusk admitted. “Only that they would help. A queen does not need to know the details behind the experts she leans on.”
“I see that the Verdant Thread Seer’s lessons have been sinking in,” Cha Ming said. “Though I can’t accept these. They are too valuable.”
“Take them,” Clever Dusk said. “No one else has need of them.”
Cha Ming hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. I’m in a bit of a bind.”
“Master sends her regards, by the way,” Clever Dusk said. “She mentioned that the time for fulfilling your request is not far off. For now, however, she sends this as a token of regret.” She placed another item on the table.
Cha Ming picked up a small crystalline vial. It twinkled in the night sky as he held it up. He could feel the raw power it contained and a faint tightness on his forehead when he extended his senses to the contents within. “Liquified starlight? I didn’t even know such a thing existed.”
“She said it should help for what you are attempting tonight,” Clever Dusk said.
“I don’t want it,” Cha Ming said, tossing it back. “She said she’d revive my teacher, and all she’s done since then is delay.”
“Take it, or I’ll throw it away,” Clever Dusk said. “You won’t succeed without it. Trust me.”
“This isn’t like you,” Cha Ming said, grabbing the vial. “Bringing gifts all of a sudden. Neither is it like the Thread Seer.”
“You’ve been teaching me without asking anything in return for all these years,” Clever Dusk said. “Can you not offer a little reciprocation when I am able?”
Cha Ming’s gaze softened. “I appreciate it. It’s been… difficult.”
“A cultivator who can’t advance will quickly become depressed,” Clever Dusk agreed. “Alas, you don’t have much time remaining. The threads are tightening, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”
“Oh?” Cha Ming said, looking up. “Do you know something?”
Clever Dusk grinned. “The Thread Seer will seek an audience with you soon. Perhaps her request will give you room to negotiate?”
“Hm…” Cha Ming said. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Clever Dusk said. “Oh, before I forget, here’s another present. Gifts should come in threes, should they not?” She placed a piece of folded cloth on the table. It was blood red and marked with inky-black runes. “Bind it.”
“Clever Dusk, are you all right?” Cha Ming asked, noticing now that her face was pale and her eyes bloodshot. “What’s going on?”
She giggled, looking up at the stars and making the dark bags under her eyes even more obvious. “I made you something. Just in time.” She yawned loudly. “I’m tired. Go on. Please bind it. I want to see how they look. I’ve barely had a minute to rest this past week.”
Cha Ming had known Clever Dusk for years, so he trusted her deeply. He placed a drop of his divine blood on the item. The moment he did so, the cloth came to life and swirled around his body. It was a robe, one that would adjust itself to his physique and merge with his blood essence. He could feel a strong connection between it and his inner world.
Cha Ming couldn’t hide his amazement. The robe was beautiful. It was soft and warm. Moreover, it felt… alive. “Is this vitality I sense?”
“This robe is a second life,” Clever Dusk said softly. “You’ll need to pour a great deal of your blood into it over the next few days, but the protection it can give you is great. Should you be dealt a lethal blow when it is full of life, it will die in your place.”
Cha Ming’s jaw slackened.
“Of course, it’s also a perfectly serviceable robe. Red is in fashion these days. The runes will fade once utilized, of course, but they won’t wear out easily.”
Cha Ming massaged the space between his eyebrows. “Clever Dusk, what aren’t you telling me?”
“I can’t say,” Clever Dusk said. “If I speak, it will skew your decision.”
“Well, you’re clearly warning me of great danger,” Cha Ming said.
“Which you would find out anyway,” Clever Dusk said. “You should already have an inkling of what’s to come.”
“Adventure,” Cha Ming said with a sigh. “Bloodshed. Of one kind or another, depending on the choice I make. Tell me, Clever Dusk, is peace too much to ask for?”
“Historians would answer you with an emphatic yes,” Clever Dusk answered.
Cha Ming sighed. “Three years. Three peaceful years. And now, they end.”
“Three very productive and meaningful years,” Clever Dusk agreed. “You were tired. You needed the rest. Alas, Teacher, you are a karmic anomaly. You can rest, but you can’t rest for long. If you don’t find danger, danger will most definitely find you.”
“Have I ever told you how much I dislike fate?” Cha Ming asked.
“Many times,” Clever Dusk said. “Though remember: This isn’t fate we’re talking about. It’s a collision of events. An inflection point in the web. You could fight. You could run. You could travel to the ends of the plane and escape to another. Nothing is forcing you to do anything, Teacher.”
“I’m being forced to choose,” Cha Ming said. “Though I suppose most people don’t even have that luxury.” He sighed. “Please thank your master for the gift. And thank you for both of yours.”
“I stole the first gift,” Clever Dusk said. “The gardener won’t be very happy.”
“Then I’d better use it up before she finds out,” Cha Ming said. “Oh. When you get back, could you please tell your master something?”
“Anything,” Clever Dusk said.
“Tell her that if she tries to use me, she’d better be prepared to pay the price,” Cha Ming said.
“She said you’d say that,” Clever Dusk said. “She told me to say you’d thank her in the end.”
“I’m sure,” Cha Ming said skeptically. Then he looked up at the stars. Midnight was upon them. The stars changed, and the night sky became even more vivid. More alive. “It’s time. Thank you for coming, Clever Dusk. Thank you especially for the robe. I don’t know what you saw in my future, but an extra life is always useful.”
He looked to where Clever Dusk had been standing to wish her goodnight, but alas, she was already gone.
“Seers,” he muttered. Well, at least he was glad one of them was on his side. “All right. Let’s see if I can finally get this pill formula to work.”
Cha Ming spent the next few minutes clearing his mind. It was a necessary step before creating anything difficult. After emptying his mind, he drew in the power of various emotions he might need. Every emotion had a strength. Every attachment had power. How he felt about runes and how he interpreted them affected how they worked.
He summoned the Clear Sky Cauldron, setting the large item above the middle-rune-gathering Sky-Scorching Formation. Though the cauldron itself had its own flames fueled by his own qi, they weren’t strong enough to work the ingredients in question. He activated the Sky-Scorching Formation, turning tens of thousands of inkwell jades to dust in the energy-gathering receptacle.
