The full moon shone high in the sky as Li Wanyu returned to his home. It was always night, and the moon was always full in the Li clan’s domain. It was how his Grandmother kept a watchful eye on her kin and subjects. Even though this constant effect on the region forced them to import crops, the matriarch felt that control was more important than silly things like food for the people she ruled over.

  Besides, it instead allowed them to grow the yin infused herbs and plants they used for the medicines their clan was famous for. The fact they were also known for their poisons went without saying. After all, the difference between medicine and poison was just a matter of dosage.

  As he walked through the fields of medicinal herbs, gazing at the small city surrounding his clan’s compound, Li Wanyu thought back to the journey he had been on the past few months.

  After drinking with Senior Rowan, he had met back up with Hao Wen the following morning. The fact he had shown up hungover and missing his outer robe was then a source of constant speculation and amusement for the other man as the months of their fruitless search went on.

  He had kept his promise and delayed his return as long as he could. However one of his clansmen had found them and relayed orders for the both of them to return to their respective clans. Which meant it was time for him to face the consequences of his actions. He took the slow routes, not making use of the Seo clan’s waterways to expedite his journey.

  Even now he was delaying, walking through the fields instead of on steps of moonlight through the air. This time not because of a promise made, but due to his fear of what fate will await him when he fully returns home.

  His friend and constant companion Man Yue was also hiding due to a fear of their relative. Whenever Li Wanyu looked up at the moon hanging high above the city then his spirit would tremble in the space between his brows.

  But he couldn’t delay forever. He picked up his pace as he arrived at the ornate gates to the city of Mingyue. The two guards standing outside were dressed standard for those in their position, painted black metal armor with a full moon placed prominently upon their chests. They let him through without comment though the looks on their faces spoke volumes. Things were tense in the Li clan’s domain.

  The young man walked through the familiar streets of his home. The moonstone lights cast harsh shadows between buildings. The number of people sharing the roads with him were sparse, and everyone he saw walked with a clear destination in mind and furtive looks around them. The only ones who looked unafraid were the guards located at every intersection and outside the most prominent shops, but even they looked tense.

  With heavy footsteps he continued to the center of the city, where his clan's main compound resided. The guards here were dressed finer, with moonstones accenting their painted black metal armor. The energy in the stones wasn't being used to emit light like the majority in the city. They were instead being used to strengthen the metal and make each piece more suitable to channel yin energies.

  Like all male members of the clan he was made to wait until a lady, usually a direct family member, came to collect him. What genuinely surprised him was who it was that came for him.

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  A young girl with similar features to him, but still with some baby fat so she looked like a little cherub, rather than the beautiful woman she would become. Her straight black hair that normally went down to the middle of her back was currently done up in elaborate braids. The black silken robes, common to all of the Li clan family, were given extra silver accents for the girls outfit.

  “Greetings to junior sister.” Li Wanyu said with a bow.

  Li Xianyin glared up at him, surprisingly imperious for an eight year old half his size. “You missed my birthday, brother. Do you have a present to make up for it?” Greed was apparent on her cherubic face.

  “My present to you would have been the rare spirit I was searching for, but alas, I am found lacking.” Li Wanyu said with a wry smile.

  The girl pouted. “But Wanyu you promised! You said you would get it for me!”

  “I said I would try, and I did. However, unforeseen challenges arose, and I could not rise to meet them.” The young man explained.

  His sister’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “But you’re strong, it’s why you were sent out in the first place, even though you’re a boy. What stopped you from getting my spirit?”

  Li Wanyu grimaced. “That’s for me to report to Grandmother first. You know the rules.”

  Li Xianyin looked him over. “Then you should replace your outer robe. How’d you lose it anyways?”

  He tried to keep any embarrassment from his face. “That will also be in my report.” It hopefully wouldn’t, but the man held no delusions about it eventually being revealed.

  The young lady shrugged in an unladylike fashion. “Very well. Let’s go.” She then started moving deeper into their home, and her brother followed behind her. They made a brief stop at his sparse quarters so he could change into a new matching set of robes, and so he could drop off his light travel sack. Afterwards they made their way to the centermost building in the compound, directly beneath the moon in the sky.

  His sister left him in the antechamber of the building, a bare room with a cushion in the center and an ornate door of dark wood to the chamber beyond. As was custom he sat on the available seat to await his Grandmother’s summon.

  He waited for a long time in perfect stillness and silence. He couldn’t tell if the long wait was due to his Grandmother being angry with him or if she was genuinely seeing to other matters. What he knew for certain was that she was keenly aware of his presence here. He had his eyes closed and did meditative breathing exercises to pass the time, anything else would be viewed as an insult to her.

  Over four thousand breaths later the door to the main chamber opened. He got up smoothly and entered, keeping his head and eyes down to not show the Matriarch of the Li clan any disrespect. When he was the appropriate distance to her throne he knelt down and offered his greetings.

  “This one returns from his mission and offers his greetings to the Matriarch.”

  Silence was the only reply, but Li Wanyu kept his head down and his face impassive. The beating of his heart was the only movement he allowed his body to make.

  Many beats later a reply was given from a voice cold as ice. “Look at me, boy.” The last word said with particular venom.

  He immediately complied.

  His Grandmother shared the features of most of his family, features that others called beautiful, but he couldn’t see the beauty in them due to the ugliness that lay beneath. Her white hair was a symbol of her pact and power, not the sign of age it was for most people. The only mark of time she had allowed herself was some light lines around her eyes, which were piercingly white.

  She spoke with slow deliberation.

  “Why did you keep me waiting?”