Tian’s mind was a mess. He latched onto one phrase in particular. “It’s working?”

“In the sense that we have made battling us seem like a bad investment compared to fighting Sword Peak or the others. The gains aren’t worth the losses for the heretics. You couldn’t say we are winning. We have just made winning more expensive for Black Iron Gorge. A price they are currently unwilling to pay.” Auntie Wu nodded.

“It hurts, Auntie.”

“Yes. And it hurts more when you remember the brothers and sisters we have lost.”

The faces of his brothers from West Town Temple flashed through his mind. How they would laugh silently and flick tasty bites of food into his bowl at dinner. The way they were always sparring, or arguing, or sitting up in a tree writing poetry. He remembered Brother Meng’s teasing jokes and fast hands.

So many of them would never come home. Tian could see Brother Tang waiting in his chair by the temple gate, watching them go. It must have gutted the proud swordsman. He probably wished that heretic had killed him on the spot, rather than letting him live and be tortured every day with the thought of his brothers dying while he sat helpless in the Temple. Someone had to be delivering their wills to their families and friends. Tian wondered if it was Brother Tang.

It hurt. The thought was all sharp edges and dripping acid. It was ruthless. And it was working. Trading the few lives of the Outer Court and the more… disposable… Inner Court members preserved the core strength of the Mountain. Better still, it preserved the Broad Sky Kingdom, with all its resources and people. So long as they existed, there would be new cultivators and new resources to nurture them.

In the face of eternity, what are a few brief lives? It’s not like they would be gone forever. In just a few years they would be back, ready to struggle for immortality in a new life or savoring the sweet and bitter of mortality.

It was ruthless. But was it wrong? Was his suffering wrong? He didn’t know. He wanted to say it was. But truthfully, he had known since he woke in the garbage that survival had its price in pain.

“I think I would feel a lot better about this if I knew the Sect Master and the Daoist Masters were suffering. If they understood our pain without needing one of those teaching lies.”

“First, never say that ever again. Ever. Being Unfilial potentially carries the death penalty. Second, they have been exactly where you are. Which one of those ancients hasn’t fought in many wars? Which of them hasn’t lost brothers and sisters? They have known and lived with this pain for longer than some countries have existed. Third- one day I swear I will make you understand metaphors.”

“I understand what they are used for, it just seems dumb. Say what you are trying to say. Don’t make up a little story about it. ‘They were like the dawn in a chamberpot-’ That’s just confusing.”

Auntie Wu laughed softly. “Yes, I too would struggle to figure out why someone was like dawn in a chamberpot. Although that is a simile, not a metaphor. To make it a metaphor, you would say “They WERE the dawn in a chamberpot.”

Tian snorted. They sat together quietly for a few minutes while Tian pulled himself together. Eventually, Tian smiled. It felt fragile on his face. “The world shouldn’t be this way.”

“Perhaps. I can’t fly high enough or see far enough to say what the world should look like.” Auntie Wu’s smile was almost as fragile as his.

“One day, I will fly that high. One day I will stand in a place where I can see how things should be, and put it right.”

Tian was called into the Mission Hall late the next morning. Rather than the usual room with its desks and display boards, he was directed to an office in the back. Hong Liren was already waiting outside the door when he arrived. His inquisitive eyebrow was met with a shrug and a pointed finger- the sign next to the door read “Office of Harmonious Cooperation.”

The Treasure Weighing Magistrate. He looked carefully at Hong. She was openly inspecting him too. She looked like hell, but she didn’t seem broken. His lips twitched. Hers did too. They straightened their robes, settled their faces, and waited patiently.

They were young daoists. They were good at waiting.

When they were finally called in, there were three people in the room. One was sitting behind a large desk with a balance scale on it. He wore the robes of the Inner Court, but the unusual hat perched on his head lent him an extra layer of authority. Blue and red silk brocade, with a bright coral button on the top. It was the first time Tian had ever seen anything like it.

The second person was Elder Rui. And the third was Martial Uncle Ku.

“We greet the Magistrate, the Elder and the True Disciple.” Tian and Hong bowed.

“Mmm. Rise.” It was the Magistrate who spoke. Tian wasn’t quite sure what that signified.

“Hong Liren, West Town Outer Court, assigned to the Disciplinary Squad as a Trainee. Current cultivation- fifth level of the Earthly Person Realm. No disciplinary infractions, consistently above average Military Merits based on her cultivation level since being deployed.” The Treasure Weighing Magistrate had a small stack of papers in front of him, but didn’t bother glancing at them as he recited their information.

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“Tian Zihao, West Town Outer Court, assigned to the Medical Department as an Orderly. Current cultivation- fifth level of the Earthly Person Realm. No disciplinary infractions, consistently above average Military Merits based on his cultivation level since being deployed.”

A small, though seemingly genuine, smile graced his face.

“Two very gratifying juniors. I must say your case has caused a small commotion in my office. We have been through your records and your submissions very carefully, and I don’t think you will be too shocked to learn that my investigators have their ways of verifying the accuracy of your accounts.”

To Tian, that sounded an awful lot like “We have searched you and your possessions down to the cracks between your teeth, and you never noticed us.” Which did not enhance his calm.

“A case where every body was recovered, every storage ring was recovered, every mission treasure was recovered, and they were all returned properly… well. It’s not unique, but it’s the first time this Seat has seen it in the present war. Combined with the significant success of the mission and in consultation with the Outer Courts’ supervising Elder,” He nodded politely towards Elder Rui, “This office is granting the two of you a special reward in addition to the mission awards you are entitled to.”

Uncle Ku nodded, a slight smile on his face. Elder Rui was looking mild as milk, yet somehow radiating an air of almost physical smugness. It seemed that this was not simply the Magistrate’s Office acting out of their own good wishes.

“The first, and least, of your rewards is that both of you will receive a Three Stripe Steel Heart Shield Mirror.” The magistrate pushed over two small velvet boxes. “Bind them with a drop of your blood.”

The two youngsters reached out and opened the boxes. For such grand sounding devices, the Mirrors were quite small and plain looking. They were a dull silver, hardly reflective, and they did indeed have three faint white stripes running through them. The mirrors didn’t even fill the palm of their hands. A quick prick with his new dart, and Tian bound it. The mirror seemed to dissolve, vanishing from his hand.

“Good. You can consider it a sort of enchantment, or an enchanted item. It will stop one fatal blow for you, up to the third level of the Heavenly Person Realm. I don’t think I need to tell you how precious such an item is. To my knowledge, less than fifty of them have been granted to members of the outer court in the last century.”

Tian and Hong bowed and murmured their gratitude. Tian had never even heard of such life saving treasures. Hong had, but only in the same sense that she had heard of the Monastery. Neither she, nor anyone she knew, had ever seen it themselves.

“Next is five thousand Military Merits apiece. Before you get too excited, you are losing them immediately to pay for a trip to the Six Turns Cavern. Be clear about this- the merits cover your trip and the time off. Access to the Six Turns Cavern is by Elder Rui’s arrangement. What you can earn there is up to you, but if you wash out early, you can consider this life a waste and know that your cultivation journey will be pathetic.”

The magistrate took a moment to let his words sink in, then continued.

“Lastly, your names have been recorded on the Responsible list.” Tian didn’t blink. Hong nearly fell over. “Yes, I can see who’s on the Disciplinary Squad quite clearly. Junior Tian, the Responsible List is an internal document the Sect administrators use to record disciples who display a serious and trustworthy character suitable for undertaking tasks of significant responsibility. This is distinct from capability. One might be a superb fighter or doctor, but can’t be trusted with the petty cash.”

Tian bowed to show he understood, not really understanding. The Magistrate laughed lightly. “If we have jobs that we don’t feel comfortable entrusting to just anyone, we see who’s available on the Responsible List. Sometimes those jobs involve fighting. More often, they are jobs like managing Temples or acting as an emissary. When you rise to the Inner Court, you will find that some of the available masters will only accept disciples who are on the list. Of course they don’t publicise that little fact. Character being what you do when you think no one is watching.”

The Treasure Weighing Magistrate tapped the papers in front of him. “Juniors Hong and Tian, we expected great things of you both, and so far you have truly not let us down. Well done. Your portions of the treasure are here.” He tossed them two bags the size of coin purses, both plainly spatial items. “Return the bags to the desk downstairs once you have transferred the contents to your rings. Junior Tian, your share is considerably less to offset the value of the Myriad Tormenting Worms Dagger in your possession.”

“The what now? Is that what the dagger is called? It’s been pressed to my back or in my storage ring almost every second for the last two months. How the hell did they examine it without me knowing?” Tian kept the words firmly inside, however, and simply bowed again.

“Dismissed. And well done.”

“I’ll see the two of you out.” Elder Rui ushered the two out the door, but instead of heading back out to the main hall, he led them towards the back of the building. “The caves open in eight months. You will be on base until then, continuing your current duties.”

The distinguished elder steered them down an empty hallway. “You both understand the principle of not displaying your treasures, so I think you know not to mention your additional rewards to anyone? Good. I have been following you two with great interest. My initial investments in you have clearly been worthwhile. Consider this my hope that one day soon, you will both rise to the Monastery and bring honor to this old man’s name.”

Elder Rui smiled slightly. “I will escort both of you to the Cavern when the time comes. Don’t try to ask around about them, nobody here will be able to tell you anything that will help, and it will make people wonder why you want to know. Lastly,”

The elder stopped by the back door and turned to face them both. “You have made me proud. Both of you. I know you took this mission hard. I know you took the aftermath hard, and watching True Disciple Ku being fêted was damned hard. But you both still have your honest hearts. Battered. Scuffed. Far from dustless. Still true. I am immensely proud of you both.”

They bowed and walked back out into the sunlight. They stood outside the door, looking lost. Eventually, Tian stirred. “Want to try that Plum Blossom tea?”

Hong snorted. “Yeah. By the way, when’s your birthday?”

“Dunno. When’s yours?”

They wandered over towards the awning out back of the hospital, quietly bickering over nothing much, trying to figure out what they were feeling but not wanting to feel it alone.