The morning sun bathed the floating islands of the Divine Wind Sect in a brilliant golden light. The wind, usually a roaring presence at this altitude, had been tempered by the sect’s formations into a gentle, playful breeze that carried the scent of flowers and herbs.

  Li Yu was off with Feng Wei and Feng Xi, presumably being dragged to see the sights and enjoy the tea. The Matriarch of the Divine Wind Sect had other plans.

  Feng Meilin stood at the entrance of the VIP pavilion. She was wearing the Phoenix-Feather Robe Li Yu had given her the night before. The iridescent red silk shimmered in the sunlight, contrasting sharply with the azure themes of her sect. It made her look like a burning ember amidst a sea of sky.

  "It fits you well," a cool voice noted.

  Meilin turned. Si Luo floated down from the balcony, her violet dress flowing around her like liquid royalty. Behind her walked Bai Ruo, who was currently adjusting a pair of spectacles and scanning the architecture with a critical eye.

  "It does," Meilin agreed. "Your friend has good taste in artifacts. And generous hands."

  Si Luo chuckled as she landed softly. "He has his moments. Though I suspect he gave it to you simply to end the conversation, not to start one."

  Meilin laughed, a rich, confident sound. "That makes him even more interesting. Men who try too hard are boring. Men who don't try at all? That is a challenge. But come, let us not waste the day discussing fools. Let me show you my sect."

  Their tour began at the Hall of Whispering Gales. It was the administrative heart of the sect. It was a massive open-air structure where elders floated on cushions of air, debating policy and logistics.

  As Meilin entered, the room fell silent. Hundreds of eyes turned to her. The pressure of leadership was palpable but Meilin wore it lightly. She wasn't a tyrant; she was the gravity that held the storm together. Not only through her strength which was already top tier, but also through her brilliant mind.

  "Sect Master," a wizened elder drifted forward. "The report on the Western Quarry is ready. The Steel-Hide Badgers have migrated early."

  "Again?" Meilin sighed, shaking her head. "Tell the Third Hall to reinforce the perimeter arrays. But don't hurt them. The badgers are auspicious. Just annoying."

  "As you command," the elder bowed.

  Meilin led Si Luo and Bai Ruo onto a connecting bridge made of solidified wind Qi. The view was breathtaking. It was a sea of clouds stretching to the horizon, pierced only by the floating peaks.

  "It is a heavy weight," Si Luo observed as they were looking out at the expanse. "Managing the lives of thousands. Being the pillar that holds up the sky."

  "It is," Meilin agreed. "I didn't take this seat until I reached the Soul Formation realm. Before that, I was just a disciple who liked to fight. But once you have the power, you inherit the responsibility. You can't just be strong for yourself anymore. It is a burden, a responsibility but it also brings its own joys and benefits."

  Si Luo nodded slowly. "I understand that. My family... holds a similar position. Though my father prefers fear over respect if he had to choose only one."

  "Fear is brittle but I can’t deny that it is very effective." Meilin said. Her eyes drifted towards disciples practicing on a distant peak. "Respect can bend but it doesn't break. I lead because I am the strongest, yes. But even if I wasn’t, someone else within my family would lead due to the respect my family has."

  "A valid operational strategy," Bai Ruo interjected. "High morale correlates with increased productivity and loyalty retention. Good for leading."

  Meilin looked at Bai Ruo and smiled. "Exactly. See? She gets it."

  Meilin and Si Luo then went on to talk about ruling and taking care of so many people. Their similar experiences growing up made the two bond quickly. Bai Ruo didn’t have such experiences but she was easy to get along with and she could integrate herself easily among any group. The three of them got closer as the day went on.

  They moved to the Sky Gardens, a suspended island of soil and water where rare herbs grew in the direct sunlight of the higher elevation.

  "This is impressive," Si Luo admitted. She was walking among rows of glowing blue flowers. "The concentration of Wind Element Qi here is dense enough to cultivate spirit herbs that usually require centuries in mere decades."

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "My late husband designed this," Meilin said softly with a touch of softness on her face. She reached down to touch a flower petal. "He wasn't a great fighter but he understood the life of plants better than anyone. He used to say that cultivators should not be like bamboo. Hard on the outside but if you're empty on the inside, you’ll snap. You need substance."

  "A wise man," Si Luo said.

  "He was," Meilin smiled as a touch of sadness appeared in her eyes. "He would have liked Li Yu. They have a similar... groundedness. They don't float away, even when they have the power to."

  "Li Yu is certainly grounded," Si Luo mused. "Sometimes to a fault. He sees the world very simply and strives for relatively simple things."

  Meilin turned to face her. "Last night... I teased him a bit. He looked at me like I was a polite neighbor who was wronged."

  "He has been training," Si Luo explained with a smirk. "I have been... assisting him. Building his resistance to such things. He used to be quite easily flustered. Now, he treats temptation like a weather report. Noted, but not actionable."

  Meilin laughed aloud. "So it's your fault! I thought I was losing my touch at my age."

  "You are not," Si Luo assured her. "Li Yu is just... evolving. He is learning to separate appreciation from impulse."

  "Good for him," Meilin said while touching her red robe. "Though it takes some of the fun out of it. I enjoy a little fluster."

  "As do I. He still flusters," Si Luo promised. "You just have to find the right angle and timing."

  "Noted," Meilin grinned.

  As the afternoon wore on, they visited the Library of the Four Winds. It was a towering pagoda filled with ancient scrolls and jade slips. Bai Ruo was in heaven here. She immediately began analyzing the cataloging system and reading as much as she was allowed to.

  "Your index is inefficient," Bai Ruo noted to a terrified librarian. "If you cross-reference by elemental affinity rather than chronological era, retrieval times would decrease by 18%."

  "Let her work," Meilin told the librarian. "She might actually help to fix the mess in the archives."

  While Bai Ruo reorganized the sect’s history, Meilin and Si Luo sat on a balcony, drinking tea.

  "You are powerful, both of you are." Meilin noted suddenly. Her gaze sharpened. "I sensed it yesterday."

  "I am... capable," Si Luo said lightly.

  "You are more than capable," Meilin said. "You are dangerous. Powerful in your own right. And yet, you follow Li Yu. Why?"

  Si Luo looked at the tea in her cup and then watched the reflection of the clouds.

  "It’s a long story as to why I am following him." Si Luo said quietly. "At first it was because Bai Ruo and I had to. He also promised us to work together to find a way home. After a while though, Li Yu offers something different… Perhaps this was my fate to begin with. Perhaps this freedom from the responsibilities and duty I have back at home was the way it should be."

  Meilin nodded at her words. Si Luo hadn’t explained everything but she could gleam from her words. "Freedom."

  "Yes," Si Luo said. "Freedom."

  "Then I envy you," Meilin admitted. "I love my sect. I love my children. But sometimes... I look at the horizon and wonder what it would be like to just leave. To ride a giant centipede into the sunset and do as I want. I already did that once already, that’s when I met my late husband and broke all of the rules."

  "It is quite enjoyable," Si Luo smiled. "Though the centipede can be a bit hard to sit on at times."

  "Maybe when my children are ready," Meilin mused. "When Wei and Xi can hold the sky up on their own... maybe I'll take a sabbatical too."

  "If you do," Si Luo said, reaching out to clink her cup against Meilin's. "Look for us. We always have room for another."

  Meilin beamed. "I will hold you to that."

  By evening, Li Yu and the siblings returned. Li Yu looked windblown but cheerful.

  "We saw the famous rock," Li Yu announced while sitting down at the dinner table. "It actually did look like a hawk. From a specific angle. If you squinted."

  "It is a majestic landmark of our sect!" Feng Wei protested, though he was smiling.

  "And we saw the ancestral tea grove," Li Yu added. "Your father's trees are doing well. He was truly great at what he loved."

  "He would have been honored by your words," Feng Meilin said warmly.

  She looked around the table. At her children, safe and happy. At Si Luo and Bai Ruo, who were chatting comfortably. At Li Yu, who was currently arguing with Feng Wei about the best type of fertilizer.

  It felt... right. If she didn’t have a massive sect to worry about and only had these people in her life. She felt that it would have been okay.

  "Did you ladies have a good day?" Li Yu asked. He noticed the relaxed atmosphere and how they were much closer to one another.

  "We did," Meilin said. "We discussed the burdens of leadership, the efficiency of library sciences and the stubbornness of certain people."

  "And badgers," Bai Ruo added.

  "Sounds productive," Li Yu laughed.

  "It was," Si Luo agreed, giving Meilin a knowing look. "Very productive."

  Meilin stood up, raising her glass.

  "Tonight, we celebrate new friendships. To Li Yu, for saving my family. And to Si Luo and Bai Ruo, for reminding me that even Matriarchs can have sisters."

  "Cheers!"

  The cups clinked. The wind howled gently outside, a song of approval from the mountain itself. Li Yu drank his wine and was happy to see Si Luo and Bai Ruo making friends. It might be a long time until they found a way for them to return home. It was good that they were more and more treating this new land as a new home.