Volume 2 Chapter 6

  After he nearly died in the Umbrine spring, it took three weeks for his parents to trust him enough to let him out of the house. And, of course, the first thing that he did was go straight back to the spring.

  But he kept his clothes on, and instead simply sat on the shore nearby. When the children of the village found him there, they ran to tell the adults, who told his parents, who scolded him.

  But he went back the next time that he was alone.

  And the time after that, and the time after that.

  Each time he visited, he absorbed a little bit more of the power of the spring. He could never absorb the entire thing, he wasn’t so arrogant to try. And the water was constantly flowing in from elsewhere, so it was virtually inexhaustible. No, he was content to simply absorb a little more each time that he was able to cultivate.

  His eyes changed color. It wasn’t an instantaneous thing, but something that took weeks to manifest, going from his dark brown to a light blue. And a single lock of hair above his left ear went white at the roots. He decided he liked this white strip, and he asked his mother to cut his hair short so that the entire strip would be like that when it grew out.

  He cultivated for weeks at the edge of the spring before he was ready to make the announcement to his parents. One day, after breakfast, he decided that it was time. He placed a glass of water on the table and said “Mother, father, I have something to show you.”

  When he had their attention, he picked the water up. Without the glass. It took concentration and hand movements, but he was able to manipulate the water into floating in the air. Then, and this next part was easier, he willed it to freeze solid, turning into a near perfect sphere of ice.

  His parents watched in stunned silence for a moment, then broke out into cheers!

  “My son the cultivator!” his mother exclaimed.

  “I don’t believe it! Is this what that nonsense about the spring was all about all this time?” his father questioned. “I’m proud of you, but if you risked your life just for this then I don’t think it was worth the gamble. Things could have very nearly gone the other way and—”

  “It’s done, Jin, just let it be done,” his mother said. “Let us focus on the future, and not the past.”

  “Right,” His father agreed. “I suppose you’re right. I will write to the main house and inform them of my son’s accomplishments. We will head into Lima city at once and meet with the family head. There we will figure out how to properly back you as you set down this new path of yours.”

  Yin beamed with pride. He hadn’t been entirely certain what his parent’s response would be. On the one hand, his father ran an important warehouse for the main family, and Yin would have been expected to help him with the role as he got older, eventually moving into another position in the family’s mercantile businesses.

  But cultivation changed everything. That he had bound a spirit and become a cultivator changed everything. His future now was so much brighter.

  And it was all thanks to the spirit of Hao Shen.

  Three days later, after his father had finished taking care of some business with the warehouse, the family set out by carriage for Lima city. The trip took them four days, and when they arrived they were rushed into the main compound. They were given a chance to change out of their travel clothes and into silks that were provided for them, as prior to Yin becoming a cultivator the family hadn’t seen fit to provide them with such finery.

  The cut didn’t fit Yin quite as comfortably as the clothes that Hao dressed him in in his dreams, but he supposed that was only reasonable. It only made sense that dream clothes would be more comfortable than real ones.

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  After they had dressed, they were given refreshments, including a light meal and juice of the plum trees outside. After they had been made welcome, they were shown to the sitting room, where the patriarch of the family, his heir, and three other heads of branch families were present.

  “So then. I understand that Young Yin Wei has become a cultivator,” the patriarch said. “I do not doubt your word, as nobody would brag of such a thing if it was not true, but I do have questions. Which element have you claimed, son?”

  “I have bound a water element, one closely aligned with ice,” Yin bragged eagerly. “Her name is Umbrine, and she’s a little bit cranky but she’s very beautiful.”

  “And how far along the path are you?” the patriarch asked next.

  “I do not know for certain. The truth is that I’m only following the guidance of Umbrine and my dreams at the moment, so I’m mostly fumbling around in the dark. I need mentors and instructors in order to truly progress. Ones that I can consult directly.”

  “Of course, of course,” the patriarch said. “Let us start with a demonstration then. Show us what you can do, young lad.”

  So a bowl of water was prepared, and once more Yin caused it to float and flow around in the air before freezing it solid and allowing it to drop. The adults in the room all seemed impressed, but not overly excited.

  “Yes, this is very good. The family will officially back your entrance into the Cloudy Mirror Sect, with whom we have prior dealings,” the patriarch said.

  Yin Wei went as still and as cold as the ice that he had just frozen. “Not them,” he said.

  “Oh? Why not? They’re a decent sect, and it—”

  “Not them, Patriarch. Please. When I first sensed that I had spiritual strength, I found a spiritual stone and presented it to them in hopes of being recognized as a potential talent. They robbed me and struck me when I protested. I will not be part of an organization that robs children of talent rather than educating and welcoming them into their fold. I will not—”

  “Is this true?” the patriarch asked, turning to Yin’s father.

  “There was an incident when the cultivators last came through to collect the Sect’s portion of the taxes,” Yin’s father admitted. “I did not know the entire story, but Yin was struck unconscious and I was forced to intercede. I debased myself by pleading for mercy, for I feared my son’s life was on the line after he had given offense somehow. I was not terribly worried about it, as you know how some cultivators are. I figured that he was overly quick to offense, but that the situation was resolved once they left with their takings.”

  The patriarch scratched his beard. “I see. If this is the case, then I shall review my stance on the Cloudy Mirror Sect. I believe that the next closest sect would be the Whispering Guides. Do you have any objection to that sect, grand-nephew?”

  “I do not, but I also know nothing about them,” Yin admitted. “Are they reputable?”

  “Moderately so,” the patriarch said. “They’re actually somewhat more reputable than the Cloudy Mirrors, if I’m being honest, but they might turn you away if you do not meet their standards. Hopefully that will not be the case, but just in case we will send some coin to grease the way, as it were.”

  “Thank you, Patriarch,” Yin said, and he bowed to the man.

  They dined together, and it was the fanciest meal of Yin’s life as the main family celebrated its association with a new cultivator. There were eggs and pork, fried vegetables with several different sorts of sauces, fried rice, and a cabbage soup that was surprisingly delicious.

  The patriarch bragged that all of these goods were proceeds from dealings with the empire, as with their new place among the imperial merchant’s guild allowed them to deal with spiritual goods.

  When he realized that the warmth in his belly was Qi, Yin quietly requested permission to return to the room that had been provided for him so that he could cultivate. The adults eagerly agreed, and a servant showed him the way.

  Unknowingly, he sat in the center of the room where the healing of Safron Shen had taken place. The lingering traces of the Four Gates of Heaven Fate Defying Formation clicked into place and just slightly altered the path of his fate that night.

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