The Laws of Cultivation: Qi = MC^2

Yan Yan walked through the streets of the Azure city with Leiyu, and couldn’t help but find herself nostalgic. She’d often been taken around the city by her grandfather as a child, shown the various sights of the wondrous capital, when everything had felt larger and the world had felt much simpler.

Of course, even now she could also remember the words he told her, of how this was the place she belonged, and how she would bring the sect and clan honor by rising in rank and such. But even with the added insights of her more mature self partly ruining the nostalgia somewhat, she still felt a sense of attachment.

She walked through the entrance of the sect, finding entry with ease. Even though she had left her sect and clan, that shift had not changed the fact that she was still the only legitimate heir around for the Yan clan, and that she was an ally to the person currently in charge of their former sect branch on the Seventh Peak.

Making their way through the sect grounds they rather quickly found themselves within the inner courtyards of the Cloudy Peaks sect. After just a little bit of waiting, the two of them walked into a pristine chamber, as the Patriarch greeted them.

“Come in, it’s a surprise to see the two of you here. It’s been quite some time since we last saw you in person,” the Patriarch said, welcoming them inside.

Yan Yun bowed deeply to the man. “Greetings, Patriarch. It has indeed been quite some time,” she said, before raising her head.

“You’ve grown to be a splendid young woman, my dear,” the Patriarch said, holding her shoulder, acting no different than he ever had before. Yan Yun knew better than to take the man at face value, it was only due to her current position that he gave her any regard at all. Likely thinking she’d played a part in replacing her grandfather, but for the moment she simply played along with his assumptions. She had her own part to play today.

“All due to your blessings, Patriarch,” Yan Yun replied politely.

“Nonsense, we did nothing,” the man laughed. “Now come in, take a seat.” He said, and Yan Yun obliged, sitting down after the Patriarch returned to his own chair.

“So, is there something you need of us, or have you simply grown fond of this old fool all of a sudden?” the man asked.

Yan Yun put her hands together. “It wouldn’t do for me to not pay my respects to the Patriarch. Though I choose to leave over a disagreement with my grandfather, I still carry the blood of the Yan clan,” Yan Yun replied smoothly.

“Ah, ever the polite child. We’re starting to remember now. You’d been like this even when you’d just been a young girl. We always told your grandfather that you would go far,” the man said, leaning back in his chair. “Though it’s a shame how things turned out with your grandfather. We did hear of your choices regarding the sect and him. As brilliant as the man was, Yan Xian always had a problem with his anger, it is only natural to concede to the times and hand over the reins to the children. Recent events make us think he was far too foolish to have dismissed your words, or to not have learned from his mistakes when you went so far as to leave his side,” the Patriarch sighed, shaking his head.

Yan Yun didn’t reply to his words, it still stung her a little to think about her grandfather, but she wasn’t going to berate him in front of the Patriarch. No matter how awful he might be, he was still her grandfather.

“Leaving those things aside, we actually got to talk with the boy. He is cocky, like all upstarts are, but unlike most, he has proven his worth. You’ve been wise in choosing him,” the Patriarch said, leaning back.

Yan Yun shook her head. “I didn’t choose Lu Jie, Patriarch. If anything, Lu Jie chose me, and changed my life forever. There were some difficult choices in my path, and it was painful to make those, but now I know that I would’ve had to make those choices eventually anyway. And Lu Jie helped me get through those difficult times. Even after I’d lost my cultivation, he never abandoned my side, and helped me regain it back upon a brand new path as well. I… am not sure I can ever repay everything that he’s done for me,” Yan Yun said.

The Patriarch raised an eyebrow. “That’s not like you to speak so highly of someone. You sound like a young maiden in love. Do you intend to marry the boy?” the Patriarch asked.

“Eh?” Yan Yun flubbed, taken aback by the sudden question. The thought flashed in her mind for a second, as she blushed from surprise.

“We do see some quality in him. And he’s got a powerful cultivation for his age, and good ties to Lord Zhou, and the Shie from the looks of it. Definitely not a bad pick, but it’s a shame that he had to go and pick a fight with the Alchemy Halls. If he continues then the boy’s days are numbered. If you have feelings for the boy, then we suggest you clear your eyes and tell him to stop and make amends as soon as possible,” the Patriarch said.

Yan Yun snapped out of her flustered haze, shaking her head. “No, I— Lu Jie is a friend. I don’t intend to marry him. That… that would be strange,” Yan Yun replied, trying to picture the scenario one more time. She tried to see him holding her hand, as they stood together, taking their vows… but the Lu Jie in her imagination quickly got distracted by a shiny herb nearby, before getting distracted once more by some spirit animal he hadn’t seen before. Before she knew it, she was being dragged by him from one place to another, being shown whatever caught his interest. “He’s… kinda like a puppy to be honest.”

The Patriarch nodded. “Interesting, perhaps we misjudged your words then. A puppy- hah, we see it. You carry your grandfather’s cunning, my dear. But it is the master’s duty to keep their hounds in check, lest they bite someone they shouldn’t have,” the Patriarch said.

Yan Yun didn’t correct the man on his misunderstanding, trying to navigate that conversation would add far too many things to explain, and she would rather get this done and over with as soon as she could. So instead, she simply gave him a stiff smile.

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“No wonder you didn’t want to be married off to the Zhou’s brat. Your ambitions are not small— a quality your grandfather had shared, but it seems he could not understand it within you,” the Patriarch said. “So, tell us. What exactly do you seek from us?”

“I had a few requests, Patriarch. First… I wanted to know if you had heard of the whereabouts of my grandfather. Many thought he died in the battle recently, but… I know he’s alive. I just don’t know where he went,” Yan Yun said.

The Patriarch hummed to himself. “You are indeed correct, he’s still alive. We got word from Yan Xian roughly seven weeks ago. At the time he’d been in seclusion, cultivating in a location only known to him. He’d asked if we could aid him in recapturing his sect. We’d told him we would decide after meeting the boy. It would’ve been a simple matter to take the sect back, but sending that many forces all the way to the Seventh Peak was something we wanted to avoid, so a peaceful transfer would’ve been the easiest. We’d thought we could bring Yan Xian back, and put the boy as an elder under his watch, like an heir. Any child who could show such strength warranted the position of power, but Yan Xian seemed insistent that the boy was a demon. The thought was laughable but we decided to see for ourselves. And indeed, we did decide. But not in his favor. We haven’t heard from him since,” the Patriarch replied, grabbing a grape from the table next to him.

“Do you have any idea where this secluded location would be?” Yan Yun asked.

“We don’t know the exact location, but it is not too far from the Seventh Peak. In the central valley between all seven peaks is one of the ancestral homes of the celestial dragons. Also known as the dragon’s cradle. In one of the peaks, Yan Xian has this location,” the Patriarch said.

Yan Yun put her hands together, bowing her head. “Thank you, Patriarch.”

“No need. Had you simply sent a letter we would’ve still told you this much. We owe this much to you, at the very least,” the Patriarch said. “What else is it that you wish to ask?”

“I wanted to ask you what you are planning to do about the Divine Tree sect,” Yan Yun asked.

The Patriarch hummed to himself in thought, taking a moment’s pause. “Nothing, so far.”

“What do you mean?” Yan Yun asked.

“We’re watching the tides, so to speak. It is best to keep ties to both your allies and your enemies, lest you lose sight of the battlefield. And we’ve not yet decided which one the sect is so far. So for now, we’re simply observing with just enough distance. Not too close to face the consequences should the Alchemy Halls raise their wraith, and not too far to lose out on an opportunity, should the boy defy the odds. If the boy rises, we will throw in our lot. But as of now, the Alchemy Halls want him dead and that’s too big a risk to consider. We don’t see it happening,” the Patriarch said.

Yan Yun nodded her head. “I’d like to challenge that thought, Patriarch. I think Lu Jie is going to win.”

“We understand that the boy has done many impressive things, and that you’re fond of him, but it’ll take something truly miraculous for him to ever win against the Alchemy Halls. Even we cannot do that. None except the great five families can, and one of them is the royal family itself,” the Patriarch said, leaning back in his chair. “Had this come from anyone else, we would’ve called them a fool and laughed. But coming from you… we feel that perhaps your insights haven’t truly matured yet.”

Nodding and taking his words in stride, Yan Yun looked at the Patriarch. “You are aware of the auction he is holding soon.”

“That thing? Yes, we know of it. The boy seems to have found some hoard of artifacts from a master crafter with peculiar works. But that won’t be nearly enough, alone,” the Patriarch replied.

“What if there was the work of a sage present there?” Yan Yun asked.

“Nonsense,” the Patriarch replied, sitting upright once more. “All known ones are with the Alchemy Halls, or the five great families. There’s no way he simply just found a sage out of nowhere.”

“I merely speak in a hypothetical right now. What if there was a sage’s work present?” Yan Yun asked.

The Patriarch frowned, thinking to himself. “Well, then there’s a sliver of a chance, but even then it will be difficult. Unless the sage is directly present. The works of a sage are master crafts that change the empire in fundamental ways. But that knowledge is far less valuable when the person who’s created them is not present to utilize and share them in a way that can be understood by everyone.”

Yan Yun heard the Patriarch’s words, and couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve read the work of a sage before, Patriarch?” she asked.

“Of course. Our entire clan was founded upon the work of one such, the creator of the arts that run within our clan and sect,” the Patriarch said.

Yan Yun nodded. “Then you should be able to tell what this is,” she said, reaching into her robes as she pulled out a single scroll, sealed with a powerful talisman. Reaching ahead she gently put it down onto the table between the two of them, as the Patriarch looked down at the parchment.

Grabbing it, the man broke the seal as a powerful arc of energy curved out from the words, the Qi in the chamber shivering. Yan Yun heard the heavens rumbling above her head.

“This… this is real,” the Patriarch said, his eyes wide in shock. “No… no this is a mere replica, and yet… the power contained within it is… astounding,” the Patriarch said, sweat starting to bead on his forehead as the words flowed across the scroll, shining brightly.

“That is a perfect replica of a book Lu Jie has written. One of the five books he wrote in a burst of inspiration that lasted over a week,” Yan Yun replied smoothly, as the Patriarch looked at her in disbelief.

“Five?!” he shouted, standing up from his chair as he looked at Yan Yun.

“Indeed. Five books. The artifacts he is bringing to the auction are creations made from those, and he intends to not just sell those but the knowledge on how to utilize and create those artifacts. And to the great five families, he intends to offer the books themselves, in return for their support,” Yan Yun said, looking at the man.

The Patriarch sank down onto his seat, looking down at the scroll once more. Slowly folding it up, he gently put it back on the table. Sweat is beading up on the man’s face, as a hundred thoughts went through his mind.

Yan Yun held her smile, knowing exactly what the man was thinking. He was an opportunist, and she had just presented him with a golden hen.

Slowly reaching towards the scroll, Yan Yun grabbed it. “Of course, if the Patriarch supports Lu Jie, we can even consider this scroll a gift. But if you are still hesitant, I will respect your decision,” she said, pulling back the scroll.

“Wait,” the Patriarch said. “What’re you saying, my dear. How could we not support something you’ve put so much work in. Not to mention, Lu Jie is the elder of one of our branches. Of course the Cloudy Peaks sect will support one of their own, there’s no doubt within it. We will be present in the auction and fully support its functioning, making sure nothing goes wrong,” the man said, laughing out loud as if he’d just done her a grand favor.

“You’re too kind, Patriarch,” Yan Yun replied, bowing. Though behind her sleeves, she couldn’t help but smile. Her own Chi had subtly been improving the Patriarch’s mood as well, and the more Yan Yun learned about her powers, the more she became aware of the insidious uses an ability like hers came with. But in this case, she felt no remorse.

Bowing her head, she stood up from her chair, before taking her leave from the Patriarch’s chamber. She was glad she could be of help at last.

Hopefully Lu Jie would be satisfied with this.