CK 2: 4 Wild geese coming home
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Song wan didn't know whether to weep in regret or be impressed when Xu shirong stepped into his shop less than a month after he'd left. He had only looked at the horse so far. He hadn't yet ridden it. But the owner was already back. What a hatefully admirable person Xu shirong turned out to be!

Walking behind Xu shirong were two other men. With a perceptive glance, he noticed an otherworldly quality about them. They looked exactly like immortals in flowing robes from the stories he'd read as a child. 

"Master Song, I hope you are in good health. Your excellencies, this is man."

Xu shirong said, getting straight down to business.

They inquired again about the painting that Xu shirong bought from him. Song wan answered their questions respectfully all the while staring at Xu shirong in aggrieved silence. Indeed man is a victim of his own success! If he hadn't oversold the painting as a magical item, this wouldn't be happening to him. For an ordinary person like him, having cultivators at his doorstep wasn't good news. He'd spent most of his life in New blossom town apart from the regular trips to the city for resupplies. He'd seen his fair share of cultivators but few of them made it to this little town tucked away in the wilderness and those who did mostly passed through without stopping. The town had never before seen guests of this calibre and it was all because of him.

They had come to find out more about the master he'd talked about.

"The master lives in the forest but i don't know if strangers like you will be welcome."

Song wan explained somewhat uneasily.

"Master Song, we will be very grateful if you could introduce us to this master. I assure you that we will pay handsomely for your help. You won't be disappointed." 

Slightly cowed and unable to refuse their request, he nodded and promised to try. 

"That's more good enough."

The oldest of them said before gesturing to Xu shirong who bought a number of digging tools standing on the nearby rack.

Song wan was happy for the business, but the burden they'd placed on his shoulders was immense. He stood between them and his benefactor. He owed most of his business to her. They were cultivators who could smash him into meaty paste with a glance. The master was a simple recluse. She won't fault him too much, will she? They were cultivators after all. They were the lords of the world.

Soon after they'd left and before Song wan could calm down from the tense state he'd been in, another group entered the shop. He didn't have to be a cultivator to feel the aura invading his small shop. This new group was more powerful than those before.

"Hic!"

His breath caught again.

"Young man, give us the same things they bought!"

Crimson thunder ordered as his unruly aura ran rampant. Dawn Star shook her head and left Crimson thunder to his devices. 

Song wan spent the rest of the day on tenterhooks. When he couldn't take it anymore, he closed shop early and walked into the surrounding wilderness to extend their invitation to the reclusive painter.

The entrance to the blackwood house stood ajar. The door creaking eerily in the wind and the charred dead tree in the courtyard lent a haunted feel to the empty house. There was no one at home at the moment but Song wan was used to waiting for her. She usually returned in the evening from her forays into the wilderness. He built a small fire outside as night fell. The evening chill set in early in these parts.

True to custom, she walked in through the door as the coolness of evening set in and  fireflies danced around the fire he'd built.

He recognised her from the white veil obscuring the lower half of her face and from her billowing scarlet robe. 

"What brings you here, Song wan?"

Her displeasure rang sharp in his ears.

"Master Bai. I know you value your peace and quiet, but you have guests. They come from the Holy cultivation city and they wish to meet you."

Bai li yue frowned. Why would anyone be looking for her? She didn't know anyone from the Holy cultivation and more importantly nobody knew she was here.

"Do you know why they want to see me?"

He shifted from one foot to the other and bit the inside of his mouth. There was no way around it. He gave her a quick answer.

"It's because of the painting. The one you gave me."

"You gave it away?"

"The buyer offered a handsome price for it."

Bai li yue opened her mouth to scold the man, but she couldn't stop a business man from doing business. She'd given him two paintings as a gift in exchange for his invaluable help in gathering array materials. Since the gift was his, he was free to do whatever he wished with it.

"Why are they looking for me?"

"I presume, they like the painting and wish to meet the artist."

"I don't want to meet them."

"But they came all the way from the Holy city- to see you!"

"That's their problem; not mine."

"Can't you just meet them? Don't artists need patrons? They look very powerful and very wealthy. You could sell more of your paintings and earn a lot of money."

"Powerful people?"

"Powerful cultivators. Very powerful."

All of a sudden, a curious flame ignited in her heart. In spite of wariness, she was curious about the guests. She glanced at the tree for a second.

"I'll see only one of them. Bring them in the morning before I leave for the day."

Song wan clapped his hands together. He didn't know what he'd said to convince her but his mission was a success. 

"Splendid!"

He borrowed a lantern and left the house in a hurry.

Bai li yue looked at the creaking charred tree and tsked a few times. 

"I'm simply curious. That's all."

She took a seat under the tree and poured a cup of wine for herself and the tree. It was the first tasting of the year's full moon wine, best drank on nights when the moon was bright. The light from the moon reflected into the liquid as she whirled the wine in her cup.

"The light illuminates my drink.

Shall i drink the moon

This night too?"

Along with other things, she'd gained this new habit from the mad woman. Although, not much of a drinker herself, it felt nice to drink on a beautiful night. Bai li yue sighed in delight, relishing the smooth layered tones of the wine. After the fifth cup, she wallowed in the mellow warmth of happier memories.

Sovereign Three leaf breathed a sigh of relief when Jiang weizhe entered his room at the inn. The other sovereigns had kept him occupied all through the night. They were bound to still be watching his every movement. Day was dawning and his meeting couldn't be changed. 

"Jiang weizhe, this is a silent image skill. You will only look like me. The skill is perfect but it is a silent skill. You can't speak or the illusion will break. Just pretend you are meditating when the other sovereigns arrive."

"Don't worry, master. I'll keep them busy until you are far away."

Jiang weizhe reassured his master and took a seat beside the decoy Sovereign Three leaf. He chuckled, excited to be part of the subterfuge. He quickly read through the skill and activated it, creating a perfect image of his master seated in cultivation.

The real Sovereign Three leaf meanwhile met Song Wan in the forest outside the town and followed him to a house that seemed out of place in the landscape. The house, the scorched earth and the surrounding gullies gave off the uncanny feeling. He wondered what sort of person lacked the basic aesthetics to build a house in such a place. 

Song wan knocked on the door that swung easily open. There was a steaming pot of tea on a small table. 

"Master Bai is waiting for you. I'll leave you two to your discussion."

He said, setting a lantern down on the inside of the door. Sovereign Three leaf sent him off with a nod. 

He stood in the middle of the courtyard wondering whether to call out a greeting to the owner or sit and wait. A soft voice from his left broke through his hesitation.

"Sit! Your tea is getting cold."

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