“Internalising one’s [Dao],” said the Elder.

“But Sect Elder,” I cried, marking my foolishness at the time. “This disciple does not understand!”

“The disciple wishes both to know where the river is, and how to drink!”

I recall a great reddening of cheeks before next I spoke. “The [Dao of Resilience] eludes me yet, Sect Elder. This disciple knows all- this disciple has studied the trees. The feel of bark. How supple a willow bends and how dense the maple stands!”

The Sect Elder frowned then, and I noted how his wizened brow appeared as that of an oak’s aged rings. “A scattered path! What harmony lies in this? If resilience means two things, what aspect do you take unto yourself? Greed, perhaps, though this is no facet of trees!”

‘Unto’, this lodged roots in my heart.

For always were the [Dao] external when I viewed my fellow disciples, with covetous looks as only a [Foundation Realm] cultivator might possess.

[Dao of Felling]. [Dao of Growth]. [Dao of Steadfastness].

Flashy techniques that had I thought comprised all I knew of the [Dao]. A crescent cut, or a flare of gold.

But the [Dao] are fathomless, as I now do not know.

* “Apotheosising into Fable,” a conversation with Abundant Grove Sect Elder [Aspen Li]

The fourth flag returned had Fu’s fortress swell. His four walls scaled in height, and expanded to become a fortification with a bastion in its center, adding a complexity of defence. Similarly, the awning had morphed, now a box of three walls and balcony from which to view the surrounding lands.

Such [Array] work was a wonder, and if his wits were not needed he might well have succumbed to the joy of this mysticism.

He commanded his troops from above, and the silent spectres drove into guarded positions around his flowing, ephemeral banner. Primed against those at his fortress’ gates.

“Greetings,” came the cry, a leader making herself known amongst the three cultivators there.

Fu had watched their approach for the last hour, and that of the three-banner, now four-

banner party of previous note. However, the former were first to arrive.

From his balcony, Fu returned the call. “Is it not bold to leave your fortresses undefended? I see no flags carried among your number.”

“You are kind to offer your wisdom,” called the woman, and she bowed respectfully so her entourage might follow suit. “Might we talk on equal ground? The setting sun blinds me to your looks, friend, and manners dictate that I look upon to whom I speak.”

The last trappings of the day were indeed falling, though northward, and by no means to Fu’s rear.

I delve too deep into thoughts of strategy.

While he did not quite descend from his balcony, Fu stepped to appear on the closest wall, and slung his legs over with all the decadence he could muster. “The breeze is pleasant here, speak, if you must,” he answered.

Of the three, only the speaker’s [Spirit Beast] was on show. An ape of form closest to Feng’s, with wise bearing and subtle movement. It did not appreciate his rudeness, as shown by its pitched whoop.

“I am named Feizhou Yi Nuo,” the woman bowed. “We come in invitation, to ally our forces.”

Fu tread a thin line between stoking their ire and affecting a display of strength through his arrogance, despite wishing to speak with civility. It was uncomfortable, in truth, but to be revealed as one with his vocation…

Assassins were not looked upon favourably.

“[An Array in One Hand] has time for but one disciple. How would the rewards be split between so many?” he said.

“The Feizhou clan does not forget its friends,” Yi Nuo countered. The name carried a duty behind it, and was spoken as if to conjure recognition.

One of the Clouded Court Squads could not use external favour, as notice was antithetical to their role.

“It has been a handful of hours since this trial commenced. Yi Nuo, you are busy to have gathered allies so swiftly,” he noted, winding his fingers airily. “Know that Fu Gao would not hitch his wagon to any horse, and that this Feizhou clan has not reached my ears.”

“Cur!” cursed her second, a dignified, white-haired man. Such a reaction… Fu wondered if his allegiance was set beforetheir arrival, or if he simply wished to bask in the shade of tall trees. “The Feizhou clan is renowned throughout the eastern empire. This Fu Gao has eyes, but refuses to see.”

Fu forced a laugh. “I cannot test the truth of things, and these talks may well be a ploy. Caution is no act of blindness.”

The blossoms to his rear were moving, and Hushi warned of the disruption. It accounted for the first of the missing [Spirit Beasts].

“Well said, Fu Gao, well said,” Yi Nuo nodded. “We are in competition, after all. But we are not alone in recruitment. Others have banded, and I would hope to count you in our number before long. Time is a fleeting currency, yet come morning we might petition you again?”

With a look of contemplation, Fu acquiesced. “Would you expect me to walk for li upon li to find you? Or will you visit again?”

Yi Nuo’s gaze was shrewd, and it narrowed. “Should you remain here, we would find you.”

“Oh? This contest is a changeable thing, and my mind may shift sooner than morning. Where might I find you?” he asked.

The second man scoffed, guessing at Fu’s plan. “A grove stands free between our two points. In plain view should you wish to meet once more. Mistress Yi Nuo, is this an agreeable suggestion?”

“It is,” she said.

Fu lay back on the wall, making as if to nap. “A far walk, but I will need to stretch my legs before long. Farewell.” He heard another scoff from behind his closed eyelids, and wondered if he had pushed too far.

The group left, drawing the hidden [Spirit Beasts] with them. Blossoms, parting in their wake.

Some time later, Fu peaked from the brim of his douli. Despite the grating affair of this outward appearance, he maintained it so that any watching might see him as unconcerned.

Directing Hushi through impressions all the while.

Both of their [Senses] were expanding to a distance greater than ever before, and with a small manipulation of [Inner Qi], Fu had magnified his sight of the horizon. A vague direction informed of Hushi’s position, though this was all the feedback afforded.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Until a warbling of the [Dao] had them stir.

Fu rose to see the land itself bend,

contorting in such a fashion that the vast canyon’s edge drew closer. The grounds between fortresses lessened, severing the distance by half as many li as before.

The arena has reduced. By the Heavens, what calamity is this Master that he can bring such change to bear?

He released a dramatic stretch, shrugging off his feint of sleep.

Three fortresses of a scale with his own were wrenched into uncomfortable proximity, and he saw there the passage of warring competitors drawn forth with the structures.

Hushi.

The octopus’s signature returned with greater clarity, its origin - a rolling hill that was not there but ten heartbeats prior.

This… this is to inspire combat. The Master would not see us idle.

Fu’s strategy had to evolve from the simple ambush he had planned.

To lure Yi Nuo’s party with this invitation and have Hushi strike when their fortress was undefended. His Bond could not claim the flag, but to reduce their number while Fu was in plain sight would remove suspicion.

The subtle clang of metal had reverberated across the blossoms since this shift, but drew his attention once settled.

Eastward another force was eradicated, consumed by three sets of spectres.

To the south, the banner-toting party had risen to five.

To stay as he was would see his fortress conquered, under threat of numbers and perhaps, by the skill of these [Foundation Realm] cultivators.

Thus he sent an impression to Hushi, calling for his return.

🀦

Inaction was a product of his strategy, passing an arduous hour. For every plan that formed, he would counter it with his own thoughts. Strategies that these scions and greenhouse tacticians would swiftly ruin by merit of better learning and experience.

So, with an inkling, Fu put his focus on the spectres.

He touched the spear upon one, and had his hand pass clean through.A second attempt and his palm moved with the intent of harm to draw a similar response. Both an intangibility, and a sum zero reaction from the soldier there.

“[An Array in One Hand] wishes us to succeed more on the merit of our forces then,” he mused.

The ethereality had welcomed this line of thought, and the need to test the limits of his new forces. A fisherman was no cunning strategist, but diligence may help to shore up his shortcomings in the coming battles.

Hushi held watch above, and only impressed vague concerns about various parties as they moved about the landscape. The banner-toting force, of note, and by his scoutings a woman atop a mighty [Spirit Horse].

The splay of competitors, each with a view of victory… It had Fu feel as though he fished in a tiger’s stream, and that any success would be swiftly taken if it came at all.

“Leap,” commanded Fu, and his spectres did so in uniform, vertical fashion. He transitioned into another series of commands. Simplistic, and direct. A “Crouch. Stab. Turn, and Charge.” Even if the latter was problematic in the close confines of his courtyard.

But here, his previous discovery was changed.

Fearing no damage from the intangible spectres, Fu had not stood clear. And it was to his great surprise that a peripheral shoulder had glanced across his chest, thrusting him back a single step.

A speartip caught his eye, but only a fool would test it further.

They can harm the living, but we cannot harm them. Ah. Yet another layer of complexity, as if I unravel yarn.

Fu picked at the callous formed atop his finger, if absently. Where once raw, his [Bone Refinement] had solidified the agitation into something coarse and resilient. Something he could fiddle with only within the safety of this fortress.

Truly. his persona would not feel such thoughts of uncertainty.

So saying, Fu continued to order his spectres. Cathartic, he supposed, in how they bent to his control.

He split their number, and ordered both parties at a time. His orders increasing in complexity.

“Leap after a count of ten,” he would say, and they did.

“Raise an arm when that one has landed”, and again, it was done.

Their limitations were few, it seemed, nor did these beings show signs of fatigue at the irreverent orders.

Those [Vestiges] he had encountered in the Clouded Archives were possessing of personality, speech and thoughts. Once human, or spirit, confined to a separate sort of existence than these. A fabrication of some fathomless [Dao], perhaps, or to give credence to [An Array in One Hand’s] [Dao Name], a masterwork of his craft.

An impression of warning passed from Hushi, prompting Fu to arrive beside him. The octopus was slung low, pressed so tight that few might see him from below.

The blossoming grasslands about their fortress bowed from a distant presence. Some gust unleashed as the horsewoman stampeded over a smaller party, consuming a cultivator and flag beneath.

[Intent]? And from so great a distance. That woman is formidable, and she will not make travel easy.

Indeed, her speed would make any attempts at conquest a folly. His own forces would be scythed like grain lest he took the full number, and such a strategy would leave his fortress undefended.

If done plainly.

Fu addressed the spectres from his vantage, curious. His training would be of benefit, and may well extend to his forces. He had the gate open, allowing a single spectre to steal through before it was promptly closed.

“Drop,” he called.

It was an imprecise order, and revealed a limitation that had a spear vanish beneath the blossoms.

“Sneak,” he said again, seeing the best approximation of a crouch. A human gesture that stoked imbalance in Fu’s thoughts. Thus he tried a “crawl,” for these beings held no shame that would prevent it.

The spectre was swallowed by blossoms. Neither betrayed by the heaving of a chest or excessive movement. What light cast, however, would aid as a beacon once night truly descended.

A sway of flowers likewise. Proximity. Wayward feet.

“What do you think, Hushi? Might we have them lie in wait? Or steal towards another fortress?” he suggested. “The trouble stands in the opposing forces. Yi Nuo’s position will be accounted for on the sun’s rise…”

Hushi fixed him with an interested look. Almost nefarious, to match the impression his cultivator extended.

“Let us make sure she is greeted properly, no?”

🀦

The villain, Fu Gao, stole over this rocky fortress’ wall. The eastern structure of opposing height to his own, wherein the banner’s taken numbered four.

Though this was of no concern.

Its owner, his competitor, was a woman of porcelain look. Brittle and slight, with a clear heritage within the One Hundred and Eight.

As he poised in the blackened shadow of her awning, he found the object of his search. That which had spared the first victim’s fate, if only by absence of its presence. Always beneath the full cowl of his [Clouded Ghost Arts], and against comparatively distracted opponents, his entry was guaranteed.

And so he struck.

Fu dropped, removing the wrist of this woman before his feet had struck the ground. The appendage bore a polished sapphire on one finger, humming with the faint signature of [Spatial Qi]. Confirmed as such during his observations, when a flask was drawn from nothingness.

Her [Spirit Serpent], which marked a troubling allegiance, struck forthwith. An attack of undiluted [Killing Intent] harsh against Fu’s own.

He took the brunt of it, and stumbled back with her hand in his own. “You are formidable, but my Mistress Yi Nuo is peerless,” he coughed. With a grimace, he dangled the cultivator’s ring. “These treasures will serve her well.”

Chains of golden [Dao] inscription rattled from the floor beneath him, serpentine, in fashion with her advancing [Spirit Beast].

[Might] could not avoid them, and the harsh ridges of their links scored tight against him. Bruising, surely, but mild when faced with the looming fangs.

“A black-hearted dog,” growled the Vajra. “This One Hundred and Eighth-rate Daoist wishes to be rid of your ilk.” Blood gushed from her stump, and her footsteps sounded wetly.

One Hundred and Eighth. She is of the clan that supplanted Niharika.

A glow of violet thrummed from her palm, and with a wrench the [Dao Principle] grew so tight that Fu feared his flesh would burst like an over-laden sack. “Mistress… preserve me,” he wheezed.

“Speak of this Yi Nuo, for whom your tongue so readily wags. What business has she, sending assassins?” The woman stepped close enough for her breath to brush his cheek. “Death will come swiftly when these answers are known.”

“The grove…” choked Fu. “Come morning…”

[Dao of Wayward Breezes].

Fu became the wind, arriving a stride behind. “My Mistress…” he gasped, laying this deception on thick by collapsing to the blossoms below.