“So, we’re going to sign up as a small delving party looking to join with others and take this opportunity to relax, recover, eat some good food, maybe even enjoy a bath and sauna?” Ya Ling said hopefully, earning a smile and nod from Nili.

  “Baths and saunas are now considered almost decadent. But for experienced Ruidians and Silver tier cultivators… and their favored guests, yes. Such luxuries can still be arranged.”

  “And if you give me a copper pot, or hell, a stone basin, I can give you a hot bath anyway,” Alex assured, before blinking at the smile Ya Ling gave him.

  “So forward!” Linnea teased. “I hope my delving sister isn’t the only one who gets the hot bath experience tonight!”

  Alex chuckled good-naturedly, eyes twinkling with genuine warmth. “Thanks again, my friends. To think that you were so worried about me that you risked your lives just looking for me…” He swallowed the painful lump in his throat. “Thank you both. That means more to me than words can say.”

  Linnea grinned. “Ooh, I do believe he’s tearing up. Next thing you know he’ll admit to having feelings for us, and isn’t it wonderful that we’ll be sharing the same quarters together?”

  “I’m not sure if that would necessarily be a good idea,” Alex began.

  “Well then think again, Alex, because that’s exactly what will happen,” Nili calmly declared, earning a blink from him and a pair of matching grins from the girls now rather possessively claiming his arms. Which, of course, earned a fresh snort from Nili. “Think it through, Alex. A young, powerfully built Ruidian male will turn enough brows all on his own. That you’re also being accompanied by two young woman in their prime, both a Ruidian and a cultivator? All will suspect you three are married in all but name. Perhaps even that this is your way of accruing a hopeful fortune so you three can start your own clan.” She smirked as all three of them suffered blushing cheeks, Silver-tier Finesse alone keeping Alex from stumbling… and making it so easy to catch Ya Ling when she did stumble. Only to feel her flinch. Yet the naked hunger in her gaze made it clear, exquisitely clear, that earlier hesitations were no longer an issue with how she honestly felt for him.

  She swallowed, as did he, a lacquered finger caressing his bicep through his changshan tunic. “You’ve gotten strong, Alex.” She bit her lip. “Very, very strong since last we sparred.” Her shy glance became bold. “I think it’s time we had that rematch.”

  Linnea pouted. “Only if I’m included, delve sister!” She crossed her arms, her mock glare’s impact mitigated by the honey still on her lips. Then she broke out in a cheerful grin. “It will be so much fun teasing him, tonight!”

  Alex forced a chuckle. “Yeah, as things stand… maybe it’s best if I rest on the floor tonight.”

  Ya Ling’s look turned sympathetic. “Is it still um… a problem?”

  Alex chuckled ruefully. “I find myself walking old paths that come to me so fucking naturally, it’s ridiculous. But there’s a cost to resonating so strongly with what I had been, once before.”

  Alex pretended he didn’t sense all three pairs of ears and eyes focusing so intently on him while seeming to be focused on their path along the palm tree-lined boulevard.

  Ya Ling squeezed his hand once more. “And that’s why you’re so strong now?”

  Alex flashed a sad smile. “In part. Mostly it’s because I’m wading through extremely treacherous waters, leveling up my skills and my body while putting down any asshole that thinks the girls of this city are theirs to use and throw away as they see fit.”

  Linnea’s eyes widened. “Really? There are leveling opportunities worthy of a Silver here? Alex, that’s both glorious and terrifying! Just how dangerous is it here?”

  “Not nearly so dangerous as it was, just a few days ago, thanks to our young hero here,” Nili admitted with a rueful chuckle. “Now? I’m betting it’s safer than most cities, for they all have well-hidden rat nests up to no good. We just had ours cleaned out more recently than most. And if you girls were to look above the manor roofs, you could see the quartz tower serving as the central academy of Wanshi.”

  Linnea squealed with awe at the sight of the massive structure of pearlescent marble and quartz while Ya Ling momentarily stiffened, shaking her head with an odd mixture of awe and what Alex swore was jealousy.

  “Ya Ling?”

  The girl beside him was shaking her head in disbelief. “How? Where did they even find the resources to build that massive edifice? With all that pearlescent marble and quartz, it glitters more brightly the entire palace of Liushi, and it’s huge! It towers over every other building in the entire city!”

  “The spirit quartz, far, far stronger than its mortal equivalent, was retrieved from the rifts, of course, over a period of decades. The building’s centuries old and I don’t know if we could ever build it’s like again,” Nili conceded with a smile. “Come on, children. With luck, it will be no problem slipping you inside with our Ruidian friends, Ya Ling, and get you all situated as a bonded group. Tomorrow, we shall meet up with my own party, and we’ll proceed from there.”

  Both Linnea and Ya Ling nodded their agreement, and in surprisingly short order, they found themselves being ushered past dozens of hopeful aspirants gazing at them with looks of envy and disappointment, yet Sun La, An elegantly attired Deep Bronze serving as their guide, seemed overjoyed to meet them, the ageless woman quickly explaining what would be expected of them and the myriad opportunities for them to make their fortunes during these ‘exciting times’ as she put it.

  “So what would we earn if we actually managed to pull a Water Core from the deeps? Linnea asked half in curiosity and half in challenge after a basic tour very much like the one Alex had enjoyed the night before, thought the dining hall feast boasted different entrees than what had been there the night before, though Alex was happy enough to dig into the veritable feast that included rich plumb pudding, fruit compotes, pots of sticky rice sweetened with honey, sauteed fish, and perfectly roasted suckling spirit boar.

  The earned bemused smiles and warm chuckles from the handful of diners at the nearest table, all radiating the potency of strong Bronze cultivators burdened by an unfortunate degree of waste Qi that remarkably didn’t seem to hinder them in the least.

  “That’s what I like to see, a Ruidian eager for the delve and searching for the ultimate prize!” One said to his fellows, their murmured conversation carried happily by the winds tickling Alex’s ears from far more than the carefully crafted vents assuring a steady constant and surprisingly cool breeze throughout the entire dining hall.

  Their hostess Sun La, happily eating right along with them, didn’t look put off at all. In fact, the cultivator gave a pleased nod. “That’s the spirit! Settle for nothing less than the ultimate prize! Any group that achieves such a miraculous feat will be feted as members of the aristocracy, given their choice of over a dozen fine manors tended by the prince’s eternal staff to call their own, and shares in the royal trust which backs, funds, loans capital to, or outright owns most of the businesses within our fair city. This assures our prince’s newest supporters a comfortable yearly stipend in perpetuity, for so long as they are residents of our city! You will also in all likelihood find yourself inundated with opportunities to marry into some of the most prestigious families of Wanshi, in addition to being permitted to attend counsel and vote on a limited number of measures as well.”

  Linnea’s eyes widened with awe. “That’s incredible! Boons like that are literally the stuff of faerie tales and fantasy!”

  “And you would be worth all of those prizes and more,” their hostess assured with a smile. “Should you manage to retrieve cores of either Water or Ice from the depths of our four-season delve.”

  Ya Ling gave her a curious look. “Four seasons?”

  Alex’s ears perked up. For all that Nili had given them the basic lowdown, he was eager to hear what a cultivator directly involved with overseeing the delves in question would have to say.

  Sun La dipped her head. “Different from Liushi, I know. For all that we have only one working fall, the Delve we do have leads to a chamber where any one of four seasons symbolizing different pocket realms may be chosen to explore and plumb the depths of. Many feel that Spring provides the best bounties in terms of cores, while Autumn provides a glorious harvest of spirit fruit, game, and other highly valued supplies that benefits our city greatly. Summer is the desert and the secrets we already know so well, with perhaps the least Dark Qi build up of all, so is a favorite of many.”

  Ya Ling dipped her head. “I see. Thank you.”

  “But what about Winter?” Linnea queried, earning a pained smile from Sun La.

  “Regrettably, it is considered the most perilous of delves that also requires proper attire. It is filled with the deadliest of all the rift’s inhabitants, so we suggest that newer delvers avoid that delve until they’ve truly proven themselves and can fight at least Deep Bronze tier capability. Or… at least Rank 7 in your preferred elemental affinity is I believe is how you Ruidians put it?”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  “Close enough!” Linnea whistled. “Wow, now I’m super excited to try Winter! And enjoy some chilly air just like my ancestors did.”

  Sun La’s eyes seemed to glow in approval with Linnea’s enthusiasm. “Wonderful. That is absolutely wonderful to hear. I suspect you three have had a long trip. No need for details. Here in Wanshi, we respect the oaths of confidentiality we know that numerous clans are bound to. No doubt you would like a day or two to rest and recuperate, perhaps take in the city’s sights. And of course, with your obvious delving background and excellent referrals, you shall be hosted for the next three days free of all charges or further obligations. You’ll be enjoying Silver tier accommodations no one who hasn’t ascended as a cultivator to at least the depths of Bronze can hope to be able to enjoy, or afford. For such is our oath of comfort to all Ruidian guests… and their companions,” she said with a pointed smile to a suddenly flushing Ya Ling who, bronze cheeks showing with a sudden crimson hue, dug into her sizzling pork and congee.

  Their academy guide leaned back, gazing at the three youths with a thoughtful smile, paying no mind to Nili who seemed to be in the odd position of being their obvious chaperon, and no more present than a gentle soothing mist.

  “Retrieving a single Bronze core of any vibrancy will assure your continued comfort here for a full moon. I can all but promise you that. And everything else you retrieve will be pure profit, upon selling it to our academy.” She flashed an almost apologetic smile. “Regrettably, Spring Clan policy forbids leaving the academy grounds with any beast core of any value whatsoever. We do, however, promise exceedingly competitive rates. For how else will we entice you to make us your home away from home as the seasons turn and the years pass. Is it not so?”

  Linnea beamed. “It is! Especially if you can entice us with farms right in the caldera! That was a brilliant start to your pitch, by the way. I’m already sold!” She squeezed Alex’s hand, giving him such a warm look with her emerald green eyes, just as he had when their hostess had first repeated Wei Lin’s spiel about the Ruidians already making a life for themselves in the caldera basin, to absolutely everyone’s benefit. Because where else would the jewel masters go to delve save here, at the academy in desperate need of a water core that everyone’s lives and futures depend upon?

  Alex thought it a both clever and tempting ploy. The best sorts, really. But if Linnea didn’t look like a young wife eager for her first child, then Alex didn’t know what was causing the twinkle in Sun La’s eyes, or Ya Ling’s own exasperated smirk.

  Though all their cheeks flushed when she gave a knowing smile. “I’ve heard it said in some circles that some of the most powerful cultivators and the healthiest jewel masters come from intermingled pairs, even if it takes several generations for the gifts to manifest. Certainly the wealth you three will be able to accrue to Wanshi’s benefit, and your own, will give you all the time and resources you need to found your own dynasty.”

  She gave a now most definitely blushing Alex a thoughtful look. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say your clan already achieved just that.” She chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, revealing exquisitely lacquered fingernails and flashing rings formerly hidden by the sleeves of her silken robe.

  Alex felt a horrified jolt of dismay, realizing that the hour was even later than he thought, and prayed that his features gave absolutely nothing away.

  “But I digress,” Sun La continued with the most innocent of smiles.

  “What jewel are you a master of… Alex, was it?”

  Alex sighed even as his heart began to pound. Knowing that his formerly idealistic hopes had been idiocy and that absolutely everything was about to change as he lifted his brow. His actions earned him a startled glance before Sun La’s beaming countenance faded to something cooler and definitely more calculating. “I was under the impression that there were two Ruidian jewel masters among you. Not one jewel master, one hanger-on, and a too young cultivator who I seriously doubt will tolerate more than a single delve per quarter.”

  Alex couldn’t help but smirk, even as Ya Ling bristled. “And here you were, regaling us with the benefits of mixing bloodlines and dynasties, just seconds ago.”

  “And I also made it quite clear, boy, that you could expect positive results by the third generation. And if you aren’t pure-blooded Ruidian…”

  Alex chuckled softly. “It just so happens that I’m not.”

  Sun La crossed her arms, no longer playing the gracious host at all. “I won’t be made a fool of, boy. No matter how eager…”

  “I think you mean desperate.”

  Her eyes flashed. “We are for quality cores. Now I’m going to ask you to leave, and best you be grateful you won’t be charged for wasting our time.”

  Alex ignored the anxious looks from his companions, locking gazes with the senior cultivator finally letting go of her control, revealing just a fraction of her killing aura as the rowdy Bronze and more refined Silvers nearby found their conversations dying off, all of them sensing the sudden tension at the table.

  Alex’s smile grew. “Make me.”

  Sun La’s eyes popped with outrage as the air grew chill as the desert in the dead of night, Alex sensing snow-white wards freezing into being around their hostess.

  The entire eating hall went dead silent at those words, everyone staring at him as if he were either a madman or a fool.

  “What did you say, boy?”

  Holding the woman’s gaze with his own, he slowly flashed a silver coin on the table top. Then one gold coin after another. And finally, a spirit pearl as the tension in the room grew so thick that Ya Ling choked back a whimper.

  “I think we’re suffering from a serious miscommunication issue. You’re assuming that because I don’t have a jewel on my brow, that not only am I unworthy of daring the rift, I’m not even worth a meal at your fancy cafeteria, let alone basic courtesy or any amount of your time. So let’s make a wager, you and I, honored cultivator Sun La. One silver and seven gold coins says I’m the equal of any Bronze or Silver in this cafeteria, including yourself. And I’ll prove it here, or in whatever excuse you have for a dueling arena.”

  She stared at him for long moments. “You’re either a madman or a fool!”

  Alex flashed his brightest grin. “Yes to both. But one thing I’m not is someone too weak to dare the rifts. So, before you throw away the delving party that can bring you and your city the Water core you so clearly need, why don’t you at least test whether or not I can actually be of use to this city and your school?”

  Alex could feel the tension ratchet up another notch, completely ignoring Nili’s furious handsign making it abundantly clear what she thought of his latest stunt.

  For long seconds Sun La glared at Alex, no matter that he didn’t flinch in the least from her killing gaze. Then it was her whose gentle olive features paled with sudden tension.

  “You will leave, and you will do so now,” she spat out at last.

  Alex cocked his head. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the rank cowardice in your voice. Could you please repeat that?”

  This earned a surprised chuckle and snort as well as several outraged shouts for Alex to vacate before they threw him out on his ass from the cultivators now looking on.

  “Leave now, or I swear I’ll wash that arrogant smirk off your face in blood!” Sun La screamed.

  “Alex!” Nili hissed.

  “Fuck off, Nili.”

  Alex’s fingers flashed as he kept his eyes on the trembling cultivator before him, radiating such fury and fear. Alex could only imagine how much she regretted things escalating to this moment, suddenly so anxious, when seconds ago she had been utterly dismissive. Not that Alex cared. Not when he had seen her secret. Not when the taste of blood was so enticingly in the air.

  Linnea gave a sad sigh, earlier cheer fading. “So, this is going to be one of those tales,” she said as the entire crowd erupted in either outraged roars for Alex to leave, threats upon their group, or dark laughter at the cowardice of those who dared to lord it over them all.

  Alex cracked the table with his knuckle, the retort causing all the plates to jump, spattered a cursing Ya Ling with congee, and momentarily silencing the crowd.

  “Challenge accepted! If the honorable Sun La manages to wipe off my arrogant smirk with my own blood, or forces me to yield, she’s up one silver and seven gold coins! If I, however, manage to get the best of her, forcing her to submit or knocking her senseless, then my crew and I can delve freely and without reservations of any sort. So, who will second the validity of this wager?” Alex said with his best bonhomie grin for the crowd.

  He was pleased to note that even if half the cultivators were scowling like they’d like nothing better than to pound his face in, a number of surprisingly cheerful voices did pepper the crowd.

  “I second this match!”

  “I third this match! Let’s see if our ‘Spring Princess’ is actually worthy her her new title!”

  “These intruders dare to mock our academy! I say we strip them bare and throw them out on the street for the royal guards to take care of!”

  “I fourth this match! If the Ruidian boy can actually take on Sun La, why the hell wouldn’t we let him in the rifts?”

  “Wait, wasn’t there a spirit pearl on the table? How the hell did a Ruidian get a spirit pearl!?”

  Alex winked, choosing to address the final comment. “Who can say? Maybe I found it in the desert sands. Maybe I challenged another overconfident Bronze who didn’t believe I could cultivate or delve. Or maybe it was my share of profits after a massive haul of beast cores.”

  Sun La glared at Alex for long moments, before her look of furious dismay shifted to a cold, satisfied smile. “I will accept the terms of your duel, foolish boy. But you’re including that spirit pearl when I crush you.”

  “Of course.”

  Her eyes twinkled with dark satisfaction, her smirk telling a tale quite different from the one starring Alex as the master manipulator. “You see how easy it is to goad the headstrong and foolish? He could have left gracefully, but he had to mouth off to his betters. So now he will leave a pauper, befitting of someone who thought he could take advantage of our school!”

  Alex smirked. “Sure, that’s one way of looking at it. So, shall we?”

  Sun La coldly dipped her head as the low murmur of excited cultivators placing bets filled the chamber. “Come, boy. We head to the sands. Which will be the last corner of this academy you see before we throw you out, penniless and broken, like the worthless trash you are.”

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