An unkindness to the Spirit Beasts of the land, and one viewed without favour.

Gone were the abilities they had fostered, their insight to the Greater Dao, and the nourishment of Qi, now discriminate beyond their power.

Humanity were lower than the mortal insects, existing only to be consumed, yet now granted the full scope of gifts once cherished by they alone.

Thus the Spirit Beasts, even at the urging of their Divine Elders, looked dispassionately upon their new world.

Showing the same disdain held for their immemorial foe, the Demons, to this new, upstart breed that dared diminish them so. Tides were formed, scouring the unworthy, and borders shifted, promising violence for many that would dare intrude, or covet what little they now held.

- Excerpt from “The Twelve Great Gifts,” by an Unknown Daoist

Fu knew little of blades, yet these were keen, and immediately observable as they closed in on his neck.

The chain, wound upon his wrist, mitigated much, and the [Water Qi] shaped in such deadly crescents broke against it. Slivers of flesh were nonetheless carved wherever the metal was not bound, but it was a far more fortunate result than to face the attack with skin alone.

[Autumn] lent power to these strikes, suffusing itself to strengthen the conjurations that flew from the air of the brigand ahead. This foe, this ragged scrap of a man, snorted in derision, mumbling something to his [Spirit Cat].

“Hushi,” called Fu, and his own Bond burst from the adjacent river to swiftly ensnare the animal.

Water slick, slanted rocks broke the current between the two cultivators, and this is where Fu leapt.

From tip to flat, in a bound of dizzying movement.

These last two days had shown his improvement, owing to [Control].

Numerical values meant nothing to him, not when faced with the precision his body could now bring forth. Using only the ball of one foot, he leapt again, landing on the opposing shore and within range of his foe.

A whir was loosed alongside his chain, impacting dead centre in the brigand’s chest to knock the breath free. Which is when Fu arrived to tackle him into the river.

“Call back your Bond,” he ordered, wrenching the man by his threadbare scraps to lift his head free of drowning.

[Water Qi] warbled above them, though this formation was shaky, and uncertain. A frayed edge compared to the sheerness of before. The brigand was sodden, spluttering insults that Fu did not wish to hear.

“You are courting death, fisherman!” he spat after laboured gulps.

Fu passed assent to Hushi through his link, and, unencumbered by lungfuls of water, the brigand began to choke. “I am sorry, yet none of you see reason.” With a small effort, Fu hefted his captive to the shore to wait out the rest of his short sentence.

Qi flared outwards shortly after, marking Hushi’s subjugation of the [Spirit Cat] as complete, and immersing the area in a wash of disappearing, cerulean light.

A reaction spluttered from the brigand at this, overwhelmed and defeated by the loss of his Bond. It was violent, and dirty, but Fu wished to keep his hands dry of further blood.

The death of his foe in the [Reliquary] still had his lip to curl in shame. A thought recurring in the quiet moments, of which he thankfully had few.

Shock at his loss saw the brigand fall into unconsciousness, and Fu released a sharp call to his junior, having her arrive at his side. Sporting her ill-fitting, male hanfu, Mei patted the fallen for any items and drew out a set of [Spirit Cores].

“As before, senior, none hold [Air Qi],” she said, offering both.

Thumbing the lighter of the two, he stowed it in the brigand’s hand. Fu had to ball the flaccid fist to keep it there.

“The other is of [Light Qi], bringing your total to four. With the remaining days until we approach the [Paifang], this should find you well,” he said.

Mei bowed her head quickly. “The day has only just begun. With your ability, this junior has no doubt the search will be successful.”

[Spirit Beasts] of my own affinity continue to grow scarce. Do they perhaps know of my intentions?

Where the pair stood now was but a handful of li from his first encounter with the [Spirit Apes], and Fu wondered if this was the reason he could sense so many eyes upon him.

A blaze of foliage had turned the surrounded riverscape into a thing of bloody hues, and so too was this mirrored in the water’s reflection. If nothing else, it removed the natural maskings that came with [Summer’s] verdant tones, placing many [Spirit Beasts] as stark against this backdrop.

Yet not all.

“I fear I must ask for your understanding once more, Mei. Will you come with me to higher ground? This air presses at my throat, and selfishly, I hope to encounter more of my affinity there for the same reason.”

“Senior has no need to ask,” she bowed.

Following near-familiar paths took the pair into a shallow ascent, skirting the edge of the thickest sections of forest.

Hushi had not withdrawn from his reeded midden in the time since their latest bout, and showed displeasure at the notion that he might track for any sources of [Air Qi]. It was with a single tentacle that he wafted scents towards Fu, and even then only the barest show of teal could be seen.

“Hushi struggles more with the [Tyranny of Seasons] with each passing day,” noted Fu. He passed along reassurance, hoping to share that he too suffered under [Autumn’s] weight, as he had since the [Season’s] arrival.

Perhaps absently, Mei stroked at her [Spirit Lizard]. “It pains me that senior must experience this alone. When [Spring] comes, I will welcome the [Tyranny], that I might greater understand your strife.”

Fu affected a half smile.

The woman’s fingertips drummed upon the blade at her hip, just one of the treasures looted from the [Reliquary]. “Might I ask, senior, what to expect? To prepare myself.”

Fu did not answer immediately, concerning himself instead with a violet [Spirit Hare] that was listening intently to their conversation in the grasses ahead. “It is as though you can see a meal being eaten upon the shore, yet your boat cannot drift any closer.” With two fingers, he called a stop, and they stole lower.

I will try again.

Time together had given Mei an insight into his mind and she edged away as his chain was unspooled.

“Hushi,” he spoke, quietly. “Firm yourself, opportunity is ahead.”

With deftness of hand, the weapon was sorted into an appropriate length. Twenty paces ran between he and the valiant hare, whose ears were now pinned back.

Fu evoked an image in his mind, searching for the sensation of his [Dao of Reach]. The closest trigger he could call upon was the image granted by his [Epiphany], and so he called forth distant stars.

In doing so, the link between he and Hushi grew cold. Not to their detriment, but rather to share the clarity one might achieve by submerging themselves in a lake at early morning.

A script of runic characters flowed along the length of his chain. He saw them, unspooling as he lashed it forwards with a sudden jerk of motion.

The [Spirit Hare] was swift, yet was no mortal beast. It barked at the weapon’s approach, and birthed an aura to match its skin, an arm wide on all sides. Autumnal grass darkened at this touch, growing damp and sticky to adopt the same [Poison Qi] that the creature possessed.

A skill in dodging presented as it bounded away from the chain’s reach, marring the ground where it touched to create sickly pools of ooze.

Fu lashed horizontally, and then again, goading the beast to play at the edge of his range without taking a step himself. It watched this intently, showing pride he had not expected while continuing to evade.

Now.

Fu focused in on the clarity of the link, activating his [Dao of Reach].

Suddenly, the chain radiated with subtle, golden energy, elongating at least half again its length to drive like a serpent.

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In a twist, he snapped left, and the chain followed suit, catching the creature short. Links and rope wound, and wound again, the extra length leaving only a set of ears exposed to the air.

With some difficulty, the fisherman rushed to inspect his catch. A great deal of what Mei had explained to be mental energy had slackened his mind, now frayed with even this minor usage.

Fu pulled tight as he neared, snapping the [Spirit Hare’s] neck.

A sizzle of [Poison Qi] sprayed atop the back of his palm, furthering the growing nausea granted by use of the [Dao], but he powered through. Pleased at his hunt, despite it all.

🀨

Sunset was called far sooner this evening than it had the previous days, severing the available daylight that both felt were required for hunting.

What freshness the [Autumnal] dew had wrought settled into something more chilling, leaving Fu to long for his seasonal cloak, which may now lay amidst the remnants of Thousand Shore City’s flotsam.

Current actions had spurred a mite of nostalgia in him, though it was warm, despite the yearning.

Sheltered in the canopy of a trailing willow, he instructed Mei on the proper way to gut a fish. Her [Spirit Lizard] illuminated both the curtain of branches and the rockface behind in intermittent flashes, ill-focused as its tongue licked hungrily at the sight.

“A blade is an improper tool for this,” he said, supportively.

Mei was frowning, a butchery among butcheries in her hands. “Another wasted. This junior shall forfeit her share to Hushi, both this, and their next, should senior find it within himself to bless her with further training.”

Already, tentacles slapped the fish down to be consumed. Guts and all.

“My own children learned to do this when they were no more than four moons old. Have patience.” A content hum sounded from his chest, and without thinking, he clapped Mei’s hand. “I should think Yuling will have many questions for you, once we return through the [Paifang]. Perhaps you may trade Sect knowledge for fishing advice?”

The lizard’s glow waned, however slight. “I- I look forward to it, senior.”

Fu shared a warm smile, quite enamoured with the thought of returning to his family. “With the knowledge that it will be but a few days until I look upon them once more…”

Spying his junior’s face brought a curse to his lips.

I forget myself here, adding salt to her wounds.

A shuffle ensured that her full attention was upon him, and in the next moments he kowtowed before her. Twice. “A debt already hangs above my head, yet what I owe you is a value of lives that I can never repay. Though one I shall forever strive to balance. Gratitude, Mei.”

“Senior?”

“Without your guidance, I would be but a floundering bass, destined for the crows.”

Her hands urgently pried his own from the loamy ground. “This lowly junior has delivered nothing but misfortunes. Please, senior, and forgive my disrespect as I ask you to rise- Such praise is unfitting, I have done nothing of note.”

“Not two days past did you stop me from charging through the brigand’s camp. Without your readings, I would not understand how the [Law of Origins] affects the calendar between [Mystic Realms]. At [Autumn’s] first sign I might have returned to my family in pieces, arriving before the [Season] had passed beyond the [Paifang]. What you grant is far from misfortune.”

They were quiet for a time after that, and Fu was content having said his piece, returning to the fish at hand. He sliced with the hands of a seasoned expert, moving the creature itself rather than the unwieldy implement.

Mei rejoined his efforts in the following minutes, and silently, he handed her back the blade.

Sated, and sometime further into the night, Fu listened on as Mei regaled him with tales of her time at the Azure Shoal Sect. It was more a classification of sorts, leading on to the conversation at hand.

“-though Senior has no doubt gleaned this.”

Four articles were arranged in a row beneath the glow of her [Spirit Lizard], and he parsed his lips at the final explanation. “Ah, so they are titled as they are for pride.”

Mei’s brow twitched. “Senior has a unique view on this matter.”

Grasping the first article, a soft marble of pink, Fu removed it from the surrounding net-like pouch. “[Foundation Tempering Pill],” he said, then gesturing to the others. “[Three Heavens Binding Formation], [White Gate Elixir].” His final observation was the blade. “And this is no sword, but a sabre?”

“This junior apologises for her muddied explanation, I will begin again if senior sees fit.”

Fu waved her away. “No, no. I appreciate what you have already said. If you wish, you may go first. My practice calls to me, and I wish to further my martial arts before settling down to cultivate.” A protest was expected, and so he handed her both a core of [Fire Qi] and of [Light Qi], knowing that it was this composition that formed the closest available components for Mei’s affinity of [Sun Qi].

Both were drawn from his own pouch as only he had space to store their many items.

The coming protest was replaced with a bow. “Gratitude, senior.”

Leaving her in the lotus position, Fu emerged through the willow’s curtain to place himself as vanguard. An immediate cold welcomed him, disparate from the cosy glow of lizards and good company, and here he watched the treeline.

“Hushi, once the next [Meridian] is opened, we will make our push against the brigands. I know that you are aware.”

Understanding, clearer than any their bond had previously supported, flocked to Fu. The octopus descended from his douli, now slung across the fisherman’s chest. Those golden eyes locked with his own, intense in their intellect.

“I am glad that you do not share in this love of vengeance and violence, Hushi. You help me to keep… firm. In this place.” The link returned some measure of reciprocation, and Fu nodded amidst the feeling. “My thoughts are open to you, as wide as the sky. Do you think me foolish? To mask my doubt of what lies beyond the [Paifang?]”

Hushi’s arms tapped at the join between ribs, twice.

“The [Three Eyed Spying Array]. It fades to the rear of my thoughts, and I cannot feel it. But it begs questions that I am powerless to guess at. We must do what we can do, for that is the only course that will return us to the children.” Fu strengthened his gaze. “Your family, if you should wish to join it.”

A burrowing sensation, harmless in delivery, drew at the skin upon his stomach.

It wound lower as the tentacle did, tracing a path between two points. The Qi hummed within, rising from his [Dantian] to highlight his most recently opened [Meridian], where Hushi traced further. First to one point, two fingers higher, and then to another at the same distance.

“Two [Meridians],” stated Fu. “I will try my best, Hushi.”

🀨

His role that night was as vanguard, and saw a quiet spell that Fu was most grateful for, allowing him to further progress his cultivation through the [Stifling Stream Revolutions]. Small progress, however, doing more to empty his available Qi than break through to the next stage of power.

[Autumn’s] [Tyranny] denied him access to the ambient Qi, suppressing his own [Season] of [Winter], and leaving him spent.

Perspiration flushed across his skin for this reason, and another.

The malevolent, cyan eyes in the canopy ahead lent such credence to his nerves.

A weight of [Intent] had brushed against his awareness for some time, waxing the closer his repeated strikes and motions brought him to the next set of willows, and subsequently faded in reverse.

Thus he and Hushi had rested, vigil against this masked foe.

There is a flavour to this that is familiar.

“Peace, beast,” he finally called, and the eyes narrowed.

A prowl had this creature descend, grace in four feline paws. At the base of the trunk, it brushed through its own trails of willow, intensifying its [Intent]. Shadow, some dread wave, darker than night, extended from its frame.

For fear of a sudden strike, Fu unwound his chain slowly, and the [Spirit Beast] bared a set of white fangs.

Then Hushi, in no haste, unslung from his perch. With a sparsity of Qi, he could not enlarge as was his standard act, but partially crossed the distance despite this.

“Be wary, Hushi, the strength of this beast makes my skin crawl.”

A bold reassurance passed between their bond, and Fu trusted in this, taking a measured step back.

Does he wish to test himself? It is unlike him.

The [Spirit Beast] snarled as the precursor to a sudden blitz, massing the Qi created shadow beneath to form a hazy duplicate of itself.

Which sprung with no indecision.

Hushi scrawled to the side at this sudden pounce, avoiding a set of claws and teeth by a narrow margin. A dance then followed, creating distance between he and the hazy [Spirit Beast].

Fu watched this continue with bated breath, fingers ever at the ready to snap out with his chain.

Ahead, the solid feline paced, never joining the fray. Almost as impartial observer as the cultivator himself.

[Air Qi] rushed around Hushi’s many arms, lending the octopus a greater grasp on his surroundings. He scrawled further, his movements, as always, a drag and scramble across the open ground, taking him beneath the opposing canopy.

He vanished behind this curtain, and the clone of shadow followed. A raucous set of noises emerged within seconds, a series of snaps and breakages, strands of willow toppling to the ground as smudges of gloom.

The sounds rose, ascending the tree, and Fu spied both race upwards as though such verticality meant little.

Then all fell silent, save for the low purr ahead.

“Hushi!” called Fu. The bond between them signalled no damage, yet his concern flourished against reason.

There was a sudden rush of Qi from the [Spirit Beast], and [Intent] battered against Fu’s soul to deliver cold.

Pure, raw emotion that shared in no uncertain terms that this creature wished him dead.

A [Killing Intent].

As if toying with him, it advanced slowly. Paw after paw, nearing with a further display of power as materialised another clone of shadow by its side.

Fu struck out with his chain, cursing to see it pass clean through.

This shadow was as smoke, untouchable, and where the head of his weapon had struck it reformed in heartbeats. “Hushi!”

A suffusion of golden characters raced along the set of tentacles that came next, bursting from the willow’s canopy. But these arms were an impossibility, broaching a length multiple paces longer than even his chain.

They ensnared the [Spirit Beast], cording around its physical neck, and suddenly lashed backwards in a reduction of size.

Frantic snaps tore the creature’s head around. All four legs tore at the surrounding ground to gouge muddied channels of earth. It braced, fruitlessly, inching back, and back, until its strength faded in the face of Hushi’s [Dao of Reach], whipping back towards the trunk with an almighty crash.

Suddenly unencumbered by the [Killing Intent], Fu staggered in a broken gasp. Palms immersed in the loam, he made to rise, yet stopped upon sensing Hushi’s return.

Both were gleeful upon the sight of the other, no matter the reason.

“Your grasp on the [Dao] is far greater than mine, Hushi. Perhaps I should have Mei name you senior in all of your dealings.”

The octopus was sunken. Spent from his exertion, but otherwise vital, and he pressed a [Spirit Core] into Fu before re-entering his perch.

Motion broke behind the pair at almost the same moment, heralding the end to Mei’s cultivation. “Senior, under your diligent watch I have cleansed another [Meridian]! Gratitude.”

“Welcome news,” smiled Fu.

His junior bowed, palms clasped. “Senior is truly blessed, it seems, to have such an undisturbed watch. I only pray that the Heavens will likewise favour this junior with the same fate.”

“Perhaps a focus on vigilance might serve us better, Mei,” he began, only to trail off. “If you wish your watch to be like my own… Let me remind you that I am but a branch away, yes?“