We show the guards of the merchant house our bracelets and they let us in. Immediately my sight is caught by gems lined up on a counter, some of them  holding strange spirit energy.

However my gaze soon moves on to the many wondrous products being sold all along the sides of the merchant house. Strange glowing artifacts, to pills that hold mysterious auras and statues so expertly carved that they look alive. 

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Ming Lai looks slightly smug because of my reaction. “Occasionally there are auctions that hold even more rare and interesting items.” She walks up to the stall full of gems that I had originally looked at. “The twenty spirit stones I won you won’t buy you anything too out of the ordinary, but I’m sure you’ll find something that you want within your price range.”

I look over at Jing Xia, noticing a strange, wary look on her face. She notices my attention and smiles to cover it up. “Once you decide on something, Senior Sister Lai and I wanted to take you to this amazing restaurant! I’ve never tasted anything like their food.” 

“That was supposed to be a surprise.” Ming Lai says, frowning at Jing Xia.

“Sorry. I’m just looking forward to it a lot.” Jing Xia looks away, slightly embarrassed. 

Ming Lai sighs, rolling her eyes as she tries to hide her smile.

I laugh at their interaction. “Thank you.” I say, turning away and walking towards a random table before they can see my smile of pure joy.

I’m glad that they are my friends. 

The table I happened to walk to holds all sorts of strange artistry on scrolls. 

The merchant at the table continues to focus on his newest artwork as I study the scrolls, his straw hat hiding his face. 

“What are they?” I wonder out loud.

To my surprise the man answers “Talismans.” 

My eyes widen in surprise. I’ve heard stories about talismans, but I know that they are incredibly rare. Talismans are scrolls that manifest powerful abilities when activated by their controller’s qi. 

“I’ve never seen a talisman before.” I say to the man, still studying the strange designs on them.

“The art of making them is a closely guarded secret. A secret which few craftsmen remember.” The man says, setting his brush down as he holds his newest creation in front of him. “I would be surprised if a young lass like you recognized them.” He finally sets the scroll down, showing a surprisingly young face that has only a scar across his cheek marring it.

I look closer at the designs on the scrolls, trying to tell what they do. “Why don’t you label them?” I ask, still gazing intently at one particular piece that looked like a burst of flame reaching towards the sky.

The man shrugs, “Those who know their worth will buy the Talisman they are looking for. Those who don’t know their worth, can spend their money on other useless things.”

“That doesn’t seem like a smart way to earn money.” I say, picking up the scroll I had been studying. “How much does this cost?”

“It works for me.” The man responds to my first comment before answering my question. “That scroll costs however many spirit stones you have in that pouch in your robe.”

I pause, surprised by his bluntness. “What does it do?”

The man shrugs. “I forget.” 

I narrow my eyes at him in annoyance. 

The man smiles, ignoring my stare. “I can tell you that it is worth far more than the amount of spirit stones you have in your possession.” 

I almost decide to walk away because of his vagueness, but my spirit sense stops me. The spirit in the scroll. It feels ancient in a way I can’t quite place.

With a sigh at my own foolishness, and knowing that both of my friends will be giving me a lecture when they find out, I pull the pouch out of my robe and place it in front of him, grabbing the scroll. 

I give the merchant a slight bow, “Thank you for your generosity, senior.”

The merchant turns away from me, waving his hand slightly in response. 

When it becomes clear that he isn’t going to verbally respond, I walk away.

It takes me a moment to find Jing Xia and Ming Lai. Surprisingly enough, they are looking at cloth. Ming Lai says something to the merchant and he bows in response, leaving as the two girls turn to face me. 

“Are you done shopping?” Jing Xia asks as I approach.

I nod in response.

Jing Xia clasps her hands together in excitement. “Wonderful, we’re done with our business as well.” She glances over at Ming Lai, and Ming Lai nods in confirmation. “So we can go to the place a little earlier than planned.”

 

***

 

The food at the restaurant is as good as they made it out to be and we all have a fun time, Ming Lai’s face turns red when she drinks more of the alcohol than she had originally planned and Jing Xia has a lot of fun teasing her for it.

I return to my room with a smile on my face, placing the scroll I bought in a pocket of my robe.

A knock on the door surprises me, as a servant I don’t recognize opens the door. 

“The Master wishes to see you.”

I nod in understanding, adjusting my sword and the flute in the pocket of my robe. Tai Qiu must wish to see me. 

The servant leads me down the same path as last night, and I see someone in Master’s robes waiting by the portal. 

My steps slow as I realize it isn’t Master Tai Qiu. They’re too tall, and their shoulders are too broad.

My hand wanders towards my sword, but I stop myself. There’s no way I could fight someone at a Master’s level. They’re likely already cultivated to Core Formation, they might even be on the verge of reaching Nascent Soul in their cultivation.

The servant leads me to right behind the master, where we stop. 

I bow to the man’s back, “Junior inner disciple Jia Lin, greets Senior.”

The man turns around with a soft smile. “Greetings miss Lin. I am Master Chung Zhao of the Alchemy Pavilion.”

I rise from my bow as he introduces himself. I stay quiet, knowing it is polite to wait for him to start the conversation.

Flashbacks of a situation so similar to this come to mind. An official of the imperial palace had called me to his study, asking me questions about my feelings towards other politicians and what I would tell my father. 

I knew what was happening then, just as I know what is happening now. Politics. A man of power that I don’t know has a servant bring me to a place where no one else is. A memory of one of Princess Da Shi’s lessons comes to mind. 

 

Her posture was perfect as always as she stared out the window. “When an official brings you to them and you are alone, they want one of three things. The first of those things is unspeakable, and I hope this never happens to you. If it does, I want you to immediately tell me and your father, do not hide it, that only makes things worse.”

I knew what she was saying. I’d heard stories of the men and women that harmed those under them from the other noble girls. 

She turned to look at me, her piercing eyes watching me carefully. “The other two things are much easier to deal with.” She stood up, her presence drawing all of my attention to her. “The second thing an official might want is a deal or bargain. Never, and I mean never trust a deal made without the supervision of others. No one will hold the other party to their word, and so such deals are dangerous.”

The princess brought out her fan, holding it in front of her mouth. “The third thing an official will want in this situation is the most valuable thing you have.” She moves her fan away from her face, showing a slight smile. “Information. Never give it away freely. Even the smallest of comments could mean the downfall of you or your father.”

 

“I heard that you defeated an outer disciple of my pavilion. Long Bai, I believe.” Master Chung Zhao speaks, breaking me from my memory.

“Yes, he was a strong opponent.” I say, trying to keep my answer as brief as possible while still being polite.

“That is not what my students tell me.” The Master says, his smile still kind as his attention turns back to the portal, “They say you defeated him easily.” 

“Your students are too kind, Master Chung Zhao.” I respond, focusing on breathing calmly and keeping my heart rate even. A master of his level can likely hear such things, and I have no desire to show how nervous I am.

“They can be.” He says, his attention still on the portal. I turn to watch it as well, noticing the slight ripples in it, almost as if it was the heat from a fire. 

I practice my breathing, dearly wishing that I could bring my flute out and play to calm myself down.

“I also hear from my students that this is not the first time you have seen this portal. I believe that Master Tai Qiu had you brought here.” He waves in a wide motion, encompassing the whole clearing.

Since he didn’t ask a question, I stay quiet. It has been a while since I’ve truly needed to practice the etiquette and intrigue that I’ve been taught since birth. I’m scared that I might say something that could hurt Senior Sister Tai Qiu.

“I’m sure her lessons here helped you in your duel with Long Bai. Perhaps you could share your lessons with me and I could offer some insight as well? I do enjoy helping my Junior Sister with teaching her students.”

I freeze, unsure what to say. 

He notices the hesitation, but waits for me to talk.

“Master Tai Qiu has been quite helpful with the manual I picked from the library.” I say slowly, trying to come up with an excuse for not telling him. Finally, something close to the truth comes to mind. “Forgive me Master Chung Zhao, but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about my lessons. You should ask Master Tai Qiu, I’m sure she can offer more insight into her teachings than I can.” My heartbeat increases, in spite of my efforts to keep it calm.

“That’s quite understandable.” Master Chung Zhao says calmly, his brown eyes watching me carefully. He smiles that kind smile again. “I look forward to speaking with you again, miss Lin.”

At the obvious dismissal, I bow. “I look forward to our next meeting as well.”

I do my best not to quicken my steps as I walk away. 

Once I’m out of the clearing, I stop, causing the servant guiding me to stop as well. I close my eyes, going over every part of the conversation and trying to memorize the exact words. Da Shi was very specific about doing this, and I want to tell Senior Sister Tai Qiu everything that happened. 

After a deep breath, I open my eyes and continue walking, the servant matching my pace. 

Maybe I’m overthinking things, perhaps Chung Zhao simply wants to help me with my learning.

But I don’t know for sure, and the feeling I got when I entered that clearing was too similar to my time at the imperial court.

Senior Sister Tai Qiu will know whether I am overthinking things. She can tell me that Chung Zhao truly just wished to help me on my path of cultivation.