After coming out of the closet to pretty much everyone possible, I didn’t have very high expectations of how future interactions with my peers or elders would go. However, at the same time, I knew those interactions weren’t really that important — what was most important was fixing my body. In comparison to that, everything else was secondary.

That was probably the only thing keeping me sane through the combined, shocked, confused, or amused expressions of thirty or so people. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to handle this... It was just... a bit too much.

Luckily, the situation didn’t last very long — not a minute after Elder Flame had called me ‘miss,’ he spoke once more, drawing everyone’s attention back to himself. “Young vi masters! This moment marks the start of today’s main event — the Master-Disciple Market!” As a bunch of the kids around me started getting excited, he snapped his fingers and a sheet of paper and a pair of reading glasses appeared in his hands. 

Elder Swan sighed and rubbed her temples. “For those unaware,” she explained in an annoyed tone, “the Master-Disciple Market gives the village’s vi masters a chance to offer their tutelage to you. Specifically, those of you in which they see greatest potential. Your actions in the past week and your cultivation progress will be taken into account.

“You, of course, have the right to refuse to become the disciple of a vi master. If multiple vi masters offer for you to become their disciple, you may choose whichever of them that you prefer.”

Elder Flame nodded in approval. “That was a very nice explanation, Elder Swan!”

“Thanks,” she said flatly, and I was pretty sure I also saw her roll her eyes. Not sure about that one, though.

“When your name is called, please stand up,” Elder Flame began. “Going from highest demand to least,” he said, reading off of the list, “Azure Cloud!”

She stood, and then most elders and a teacher raised their hands. Elder Swan — whose hand was also raised — explained, “You’re in high demand, Miss Cloud. We each want you to be our disciple. You may pick one of us, or probe us to see what we would be offering as your master.”

I turned back to look at Azure Cloud behind me, whose eyes were running along the line of elders. Finally, she sighed, and spoke, loudly, in a crystal clear, melodic voice, “I decline.” Then she promptly sat back down, legs crossed.

There were even more surprised whispers than when I’d come out, and, well, it made sense. She was quite obviously the one of us with the most promise, yet... she was declining taking a master? That seemed bizarre. Who would willingly do that? That was closing off a lot of opportunities to grow — as far as I was aware, a good master would usually invest quite heavily in their disciples, passing on techniques and skills and even vi plants.

There was no reason that I could see to not take a master, but... On the other hand, maybe that was because I was looking through rose-tinted glasses? Maybe I just wanted to have someone I could rely on.

“Y-you... you decline?” Elder Flame blinked, lowering his own hand and pulling off his glasses to give her a strange look.

I turned back to the expressionless girl, who, as per usual, was expressionless. She nodded.

The elders all whispered amongst themselves for a little while, before Elder Swan asked, “Do you already have a master, Miss Cloud?”

Azure Cloud did that shrug of hers once more, keeping her face completely expressionless. How in the world did she manage to be expressionless through so many situations like this? I could only assume she must have had the most incredible amount of self-control.

Heck, part of me was worried that her non-reactions might cause people to spit blood before my actions did. And she wasn’t even trying!

Wait.

Or was she? Was she trying? Was that her goal? Was her goal also to get people to spit blood? That seemed crazy... Like, I was mostly just looking forward to proving people wrong about me... Why would anyone else want to take causing people to spit blood as a goal?

On the other hand, I also had no idea why she was doing what she was doing — you know, rejecting becoming a disciple... So maybe it really was her goal. Maybe she secretly loved the idea of it, or something? If she did, I supposed I could relate.

Well, whether she was trying to do it or not I could consider her my nemesis in it. I was sure that having a nemesis would drive me to... break expectations even more? Or something?

Anyway, no matter what Azure Cloud’s reasons were for acting the way she did... she did. For a while after that, the village’s elders and the teachers attempted to poke and prod at that expressionless façade, but... well, no matter what they said, they didn’t actually cause any meaningful change in her response. 

Eventually, no matter how much promise Azure Cloud had, and how many benefits they could give her by becoming her master, they simply ran out of time and patience and gave up — Elder Flame was forced to move on.  Putting his glasses back on, he called the next name.

 

---

 

The rest of the Master-Disciple Market proceeded much differently than it had with Azure Cloud. Most of the new tier zeros got no interest at all from their prospective masters, some having interest from one or two, and only two getting interest from more than two of their elders and teachers. Never once did anyone get the interest Azure Cloud had, and, also, never once did anyone decline entirely.

And all of that only made the situation with Azure Cloud even stranger. 

I eventually came to the realisation that with Azure Cloud, it was only the higher-tier vi masters or the ones with greater reputations that had raised their hands. No lower-tier or non-reputable vi masters had offered to take her in.

Everyone knew just how much promise she had, no one else was worth as much... but yet she hadn’t wanted them.

Anyway, besides Azure Cloud, there were some other interesting things that had happened. Morning Rain had become the disciple of an elder, for one thing. She’d had the choice between Elder Swan, that elder with the golden hair, and one other female elder, putting her on the high end of the prospective disciples... But, on the other hand, when Morning Rain had feigned being unable to decide who to pick — which was incredibly obvious, mind you — none of the elders who were offering to become her master had caved and offered additional promises.

They were willing to train her, obviously — having an A-grade aperture was a lot of promise — but they weren’t willing to invest that much in it. Maybe because of her Demerits?

Eventually, she’d given up and gone with the golden-haired one, Elder Tea. I wondered for a moment why she made that choice, rather than going with the highest-tier, Elder Swan... But then, after thinking about it, I realised that Morning Rain was probably going with the elder most likely to share techniques with her; she had a greater chance of growth using what Elder Tea had to offer.

My train of thought was basically the following:  1. The Silent Moon Cultivation Method that Morning Rain used was likely producing a yin-type essence.  2. Elder Tea, due to her beauty and grace, likely also used a method which produced a yin-type essence.  3. Both of these were yin-type essences, therefore, they likely could share techniques, or Morning Rain could directly inherit old vi plants or skills from her.

Granted, I wasn’t at all sure about this, because it was mostly assumptions I’d made using the bits of knowledge I’d gleaned from the Yin Cultivation Method manual. I could only really make uneducated guesses like this.

Although I did wonder how Morning Rain would have actually made this decision. Maybe this was another thing that Mountain Rain had helped her with? Or, actually, even more likely, she simply just knew more about this stuff than I did. She’d always been better than me at—

“Midnight Rain!” Elder Flame called.

Surprised out of my thoughts, I looked to the stage, and around me, and once more I had a bunch of eyes on me. Right. Okay. Would I get a master today? Probably not, because I was pretty sure the last few people all had no offers... Unless somehow the stuff I’d said had changed their opinions about me, and now I had a chance?

I stood up, and looked at all my elders and teachers — the ones that were still here, anyway, since a bunch had already left. I was hoping, pleading that any of them would take me in...

But none of them raised their hands.

I would not gain a master today. 

Oh well, that was about what I expected... disappointing, though, for sure... I let out an audible sigh and just sat back down. The boy to my right gave me a look as I did, and whispered, “Did you really think you’d be chosen? Weirdo.”

“Not really, but you can always hope,” I whispered back, ignoring the insult.

I looked back to the stage as Elder Flame snapped his fingers, the paper in his hands dissolving into innumerable golden particles. “And with that, we conclude this year’s Master-Disciple Market.”

Oh. So then I was last, even. That made me feel kinda bad about myself... even if it did make sense given my ridiculously low aptitude... I sighed again. Those five Merits I’d gained earlier were probably gonna be the height of what I accomplished unless something amazing happened in the future.

At least my only true goal was to become a girl and nothing more. 

Elder Flame pulled off his reading glasses and they vanished. “For any of you that didn’t gain a master today, keep in mind that you can still gain one at any time — the Master-Disciple Market is simply our way of making it a little easier and more fair.

“Now there will be a lesson on core vi. Elder Swan?”

The woman with green hair nodded, taking centre stage. “Let’s start simple. Who here knows what a vi plant is? Show me with a raise of hands.”

That was such a basic question... Who didn’t know what a vi plant was? A magical plant that we could use to perform magic! Duh!

I hesitated, wondering whether the question was... real. Like, was it a trick question? I looked around at the other kids around me, seeing most of them hesitating as well. We didn’t want to look stupid, after all!

Seeing none of us raise our hands, Elder Flame shrugged and raised his. Elder Swan didn’t see it, though, since she was standing in front of him.

Finally, the rest of us started raising our hands, cautiously, until... it seemed like everyone was raising their hand, including me. I mean... everyone else was doing it, so it must not be a trick question, right?

“Good,” Elder Swan smiled. “Now, how many of you actually know what a vi plant is, not just what it does?”

Oh. So that’s what she’d meant... Yeah... actually I had no idea. I lowered my hand, a bit embarrassed, and saw that a lot of other tier zero vi masters around me were doing the same. On the stage, Elder Flame lowered his as well, stroking his wispy white beard as he stared at Elder Swan with a very curious and interested look. 

Wait — I snickered — Elder Flame didn’t know what a vi plant was? That was definitely what his actions looked like... even if it was completely and totally ridiculous when you considered that he was one of the village’s three Supreme Elders. 

I wasn’t the only person that snickered, by the way.

Elder Swan furrowed her brows at our quiet giggles, and turned around to look for what we were laughing at. 

“I swear... Elder Flame, were you making bunny ears again?” she scolded, holding up two fingers as if to mime the action. “How old are you?”

Elder Flame’s face turned bright red, his cheeks once more matching his name.

“Of course not!” Elder Flame sputtered.

She pretty obviously didn’t believe him — the poor guy. Instead, Elder Swan harrumphed, then spun back around to continue her lesson.

“Let me ask you all one more question,” she began. “How familiar are all of you with fairy tales?”