Heavenly Shae

Chapter 32: "Inquiring Minds Want to Know."

Shae was held up at the gates out of the market district, letting the other two catch back up. She eyed the pair carefully because they were getting along suspiciously well. She kept out of their conversation even after they passed through the gates, a conversation that they were both clearly enjoying. She even picked up on the subtle flirting the two were doing. They were clearly trying to hide it from Shae, but she was no naive child.

Her pleased grin gave her away quickly. "Something catch your humor, Wise Shae?"

"Hmm, nothing to interrupt you two over. Better yet, give me my stuff and you can go enjoy the morning together."

The staff sergeant had the good manners to blush a bit. Yungfan was still playing innocent. "Together? But we need to see you off."

"Ah-ha, you said we." She leaned forward, and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Please continue, I don't mind. Just be sure to name one of your kids after me."

"Kids!" Yungfan yelped in surprise, then flushed a deep red.

The Sergeant kept up his blush, but was staring intently at the woman beside him, the edge of a smile on his lip.

"I.. I'm a monk, Shae, I have vows!"

"Oh come on, you can't have a vow for that. And if you do, break it, you're really missing out. Trust me." She tried to give her most knowing smile.

The monk was speechless, and looked away from both of them, focusing on the road ahead while her face went beet red.

After a breath or two of embarrassed silence, the staff sergeant cut in. "I don't really want details, but how would such a young girl know such things?"

Shae raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" She looked between the two. Yungfan seemed to have gotten curious enough to look back at her as well. "You haven't guessed already? Since no one was asking, I assumed you had all figured it out on your own."

The pair looked at each other, then Yungfan looked away quickly. Blushing strongly again, she raised a hand to cover her mouth with her sleeve.

"You can just ask, you know."

"Miss Shae, most in your situation would be more conservative. Keeping their secrets close and not wanting to be discovered."

"Hmm, I guess that might depend on what you think my situation is. I was pretty sure Elder Ghon figured it out and he didn't seem to care."

The Sergeant glanced at Yungfan, clearly expecting her to glance back, but she still had her sleeve up and eyes forward.

He stopped walking and looked around. Shae felt him activate a privacy ward that felt similar to the one he used during the enlightenments. Hmm, it's different, stronger?

Yungfan's head snapped around to stare at him. Seemingly having forgotten her embarrassment.

"Heavenly Shae. By the authority granted to me as a serving military officer in the Empress' Army. I, Staff Sergeant Xiang Leilong, demand a formal inquiry into the state of your soul, and its origins."

Shae felt a particularly strong qi pressure rest upon her shoulders. She didn't think it was Staff Sergeant Xiang's. It had a particularly distinct feeling to it, like the edge of a headsman's ax. Somehow it reminded her of the tribulation. Yet, unlike tribulation's wrath or enlightenment's approval and opportunity, this was very neutral, very uncaring.

"Sergeant!" Yungfan objected. "This isn't-"

"Wise Kaiun, I'm afraid it is completely appropriate, she even provoked it directly. Would you please serve as Witness?"

She swallowed nervously. Shae was surprised to realize this was the first time she had seen the monk nervous. She nodded then glanced upwards, "I, Wise Kaiun Yungfan, Witness the inquiry."

The pressure firmed, and Shae wondered, Could I run? Would the pressure stop me, or punish me?

She felt she needed to reply, and chose her words carefully. "I, Heavenly Zhi Shae, participate freely, without coercion or bribery." She didn't know if it was required, yet it felt appropriate, and she thought the pressure backed off, just a touch.

Staff Sergeant Xiang smiled warmly at her words. "Then let us begin. Heavenly Shae, you have demonstrated a depth of knowledge beyond your upbringing. Was this knowledge gained outside your current mortal lifespan?"

"Yes, it was."

Yungfan gasped quietly. Raising her sleeve again.

"Would you please detail how you obtained this knowledge?"

She nodded. "I learned it, as any mortal would, throughout the course of my previous mortal life. Uh, presumably previous." She shrugged.

He nodded. "Do you know how your soul retained those memories, and how you obtained your current body? Include all details."

"The exact details? No. I have no specific knowledge of either of those questions." She really didn't, but as her mind wandered over the possibilities, she felt the incorporeal blade pressing at the back of her neck.

"Explain quickly, Shae, even guesses." Yungfan blurted out.

"I do have guesses, as anyone would." She said, and felt the blade pressure ease slightly. She forced a focused breath then looked at the monk. "You believe in the Buddhist cycle of reincarnation, yes? That souls pass on, to be reused, their memories removed by someone, or somehow?"

"I lean more to Taoist belief. The Monkery teaches both, but neither are required. I assume you mean Meng Po's soup, which is not exclusive to any single belief."

"Alright, yes, that. Well then, my best guess is that I went through some of the reincarnation process, but did not drink the soup. I can fully recall my past life, as I could within that life. Yet, I have no memories of the afterlife, hell, or purgatory. Further-more, I did not steal this body, or displace its soul in any way; I remember warm darkness and then being born. I can clearly remember the first time my mother held me." She smiled from the memory, and the blade pressure lifted off her neck, content enough for now.

Both the adults visibly relaxed as she talked, then showed some discomfort at the last reveal. The Sergeant opened his mouth to ask the next question, and hesitated. "While we don't normally pursue criminals beyond the pale. It might be pertinent to identify your previous life." He glanced between the two women.

"That wasn't a question." Shae said. "But you would find the details of my past identity completely useless."

"Oh? How so?"

"That was a question." Yungfan pointed out.

He flinched at her declaration. "Sorry." He whispered.

She waved a hand dismissing his apology, even as she felt the blade's pressure again. "I don't mind sharing. Though, I'm not sure how this fits into Taoism or other reincarnation theories. My past life was not on this world, so my being here suggests that this world, maybe this reality, is not the only one connected to that cycle." She felt something within her resonate at those words. A slight vibration through her qi. She raised a hand to forestall more questions and closed her eyes.

She dove into a forced half-meditative state, focusing only inside her Dantian. It was the ribbons of lightning and her cat's eye marbles. They were vibrating in harmony with each other. Or, she considered, in harmony with something else.

She snapped her eyes open. "Please Sergeant, don't dig into that topic, let those secrets stay secrets."

He tilted his head, raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth.

Yungfan jumped in. "She's right." She was looking up, eyes focused outside their realm of privacy. "Some things should not be freely shared. Lest the Heavens show their wrath. And we already knew that was the case; you are not the only lost soul from other worlds, Shae."

Xiang followed her gaze up, then staggered through his thoughts, "But this is ... this proceeding is to reveal ... How can it want both?"

Shae spoke first, the pressure insisted on an answer, "Even Dao's can be conflicting. They can be parts of the true Dao, and also in direct conflict with each other." Her words rang with truth. Thrumming against the world harder than evolution had with Elder Ghon, vibrating the qi pressure that filled the area.

A golden light shone from above and enveloped the whole of the privacy formation. Yungfan spoke next, "Judgment, wrath, and enlightenment. All in harmony."

"All a part of the heavens." Xiang finished with a whisper. The golden light swelled, but he kept talking. "I bring this inquiry to a close. Let it be known that the providence of Heavenly Zhi Shae's soul is beyond reproach."

The pressure lifted, the golden light faded, and Shae guessed that the gathering storm overhead broke apart, if there ever had been one. She couldn't see the latter through the privacy barrier.

Yungfan smacked Xiang's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Xiang! You stopped it!"

He looked bashful and bowed slightly. "Err, sorry?"

Shae looked between the two and smiled. Then tilted her head. "Um, you two have something... here?" She pointed to the center of her own forehead.

"You do too, Miss Shae."

"Uh?" She touched her head and felt the drop of blood that had formed on her skin.

Yungfan now looked concerned. "Okay, maybe it was good that you stopped it. I'm not sure she could have survived that."

"What!?" Shae asked.

Xiang opened his mouth to answer, then wobbled his hand through the air. "It's kind of a divine sense thing. And far too early for you."

"Aww." She pouted. "But I want cool magic senses."

Yungfan giggled and mussed her hair. "You'll get them sooner than most, I'm sure. Now, let's get going again, you're still late for the caravan."

"Ah, right!"

Staff Sergeant Xiang dropped the privacy screen to find a dozen people had frozen in their daily routines to stare at them. "What?" He shouted with unquestionable authority.

Just like someone had shouted 'action' on a movie set, they all started moving again, content to ignore the three cultivators.

"So, do I want to know what that inquiry was all about?"

"Hmmm, someone will tell you when you're older." Yungfan smirked and fixed Shae's hair with a gust of qi.

"Hah. Why didn't you do it earlier?"

"It's generally considered impolite." Xiang said.

Shae snorted a laugh and let herself chuckle while shaking her head.

The rest of their walk through Minlin City was pleasant and much less exciting.