Both sides still as the spear pierces Qiu’s chest. A trail of blood follows her down, bits and pieces flaking off her armor and the spear alike while she falls. The frozen ground cracks beneath her when she crashes into it. For a second no one moves, all eyes on the motionless body in front of Ling. Then the world turns white. Chill winds send cutting shards of ice flying through the air, cutting and tearing at any that still stand. The layer of frost on the ground thickens locking all but Shun in place. Snow billows obscuring vision and ice crystals sprout from the floor to pierce through feet. Throughout it all a single voice can be heard, like wind howling through a blizzard. 

“Shun, see to Qiu.”

Ling shoots forward like an arrow loosed. Her first target is the man she had failed to best earlier, her jian lashes out with a keening wail forcing him to block even as icy thorns wrap around his ankles, crystals tear at his soles and a white rose blocks off his retreat. Her hand wraps around the man’s blade, a thick layer of ice manifesting and locking both in place while she aims the tip of her sword towards his chest and thrusts. The villain side steps, more torn cloth revealing a white robe below the cloak and cutting a fine line across his torso. Refusing to let go Ling pulls her left hand back dragging the sword along with it, her frost creeps down the blade to his arm but finds itself unable to affect the man. 

“You will die. It shall be painful. This I swear, lest my name is not Li Ling.” She speaks in a voice as cold as a glacier. Knowing she cannot best her opponent she pushes forward with no regard for defense and directs a faint towards his head. Seeing him start to dodge she freezes a single foot to the ground to halt her momentum and cuts lower, tearing through the cloth at his side before increasing the density of her Qi to feign unleashing a lethal move. The man’s eyes widen beneath his mask, letting go of the blade still stuck within Ling’s grasp he leaps back before turning on his heel and dashing away full speed. Not even considering giving chase, Ling shatters the ice and lets the blade drop. Clenching her fist tight to stop the bleeding she turns to the ambushers trying to free themselves from the thorns freezing them in place and the crystals tearing through their feet. She pierces hearts, severs spines and cuts arteries on her way to the man that struck at Qiu. Ignoring the few that manage to break free and run she sends a hail of ice towards him while striking with her jian. Their blades lock. The moustached man spits at her through gritted teeth.

“Cur of the Li! What have you done to Lady Shen!”

Her jaw clenches. He has the audacity to blame her? Was it not he that shot a spear into her ribs? She meets his glare with cold eyes.

“That is Lady Li to you, mongrel.”

With a fierce shout the man sends her flying back. She lands on her feet, flourishes her blade and parries his next strike with ease. It’s a shame she cannot make his death slow, she thinks, but disabling him promptly is far more important. Exchanging blows several times she finds herself far more skilled than the man yet outmatched in strength. Just as she determines she will need to tap into her reserves in order to finish the man quickly the terrain changes.

A powerful qi tears through the blizzard clearing ice and snow like the sun in spring. With commanding steps the Grand Elder of the White Rose Sect, Lai Min dispatches one of the fleeing intruders before turning to their leader. The moustached man turns to the other side to flee only to be stopped by a veritable mountain in the form of a man. Qing stands wide-eyed and panting by her father’s side while they hem the man in from all sides. 

“Curse you, surnamed Li!” The man shouts as his skin begins to wither and blacken. The light in his eyes fades and within seconds he is but a mummified corpse. Ling grits her teeth, they would not be able to get even a single word out of the man now that he has burned his own soul.

A heart wrenching scream tears through Qing’s throat. “Qiu!” Ignoring all else she rushes to her friend’s side, dropping to her knees and sliding the last meter to skid to her side. “No, no, no. I came as fast as I could, this can’t be.”

“Calm down, Lady Hu. Her life hangs by a thread, she needs immediate medical attention. Please clear space and fetch an expert.” Shun softly instructs her while prying bits of blackened rock from the wound in her chest and applying a thin paste to stop the bleeding. Qing nods, latching on to the feeble hope she fails to notice the way Shun’s hands shake as she goes, desperate to keep the girl alive long enough.

Ling channels ice qi through her veins until mist billows off her skin, desperate to hide her emotions in front of the Grand Elder. She clasps her hands and offers a strained bow, blood seeping from the cuts on her body and the palm of her hand.

“My thanks for your assistance, Grand Elder, Patriarch.”

Taking a deep breath she focuses and pulls the remaining ice within the surrounding area to her. She gathers it within her hands, compressing it and turning it back into qi. Slowly purifying it she channels her recovered qi back into her dantian, pressing her palms together until all of the ice between is gone. No one notices the small item she has pulled in along with the ice, she slips it into her sleeve and looks over at Shun and Qiu, dread filling her heart at what she is about to see. 

Qing glowers at her. The entire time Qiu’s life was fading the cold woman had not even taken a single glance at her. Not knowing it took everything Ling had to keep herself from breaking down Qing mistakes the emotionless visage for apathy. Her fury burns hot at the disregard Ling has for the safety of her dear friend. She resolves herself to free the girl from her grasp, refusing to let her suffer serving under such a callous tyrant.

 

-----

 

Li Ling sits in the lotus pose in front of a small mountain cabin. Wood creaks as she takes a deep breath letting the chill air permeate her lungs. She opens her eyes to a small garden filled with budding flowers, some barely breaching the soil, some in the process of growing tall and others blooming into fine lilies. She reaches for the closest, a sense of warmth and safety filling her when she touches a petal. She lets out a content sigh at the feeling. Caressing the flower with her finger she feels as if she were sitting by a hearth, a warm mug in her hands and a soft melody playing somewhere in the back. Ling inhales deeply, the nostalgic scent of herbal tea flooding her senses as the shutters rattle under the winter winds and the burning logs within the hearth crackle softly. She indulges for a moment more before she lets go, a shiver running through her at the sudden absence of warmth. Noticing one of the flowers hanging limp she extends her arm towards it. Finding it just out of reach she leans forward. Like a tunnel extending ever on she reaches further and further, the flower staying in place yet ever out of reach as she watches it wither, unable to stop it, unable to help, just barely unable to-

“Ling?”

She opens her eyes with a gasp finding a concerned Qiu looking at her while rubbing her eyes. Taking a second to center herself as she ceases meditating she looks at Qiu trying to rise from her sickbed within the infirmary. The redhead lets out a pained hiss. Clutching a hand to her chest she lays back down while staring at the ceiling.

“I survived.”

“You did.”

“I thought I was a goner.”

“...why?”

“Because of the spear?” Qiu replies with a raised eyebrow, dazedly turning her head to the side to look at Ling. She freezes when she sees the tears run down the ice princess’s face.

“That is not what I mean, Qiu. Why did you save me? After all I did to you, why would you risk your life for me?” 

Ling hunches over with her hands on her knees, a heart wrenching sob tearing its way out of her throat. The last thing she expects is for Qiu to gently begin to pat her head. She looks up astounded and confused, Qiu can’t help but chuckle at the wide-eyed look on the young lady’s face. Her chuckle turns into a cough and she cringes back from the pain. She lays down again, her hand moving to Ling’s leg to maintain contact even as she sags into the bed. 

“I can tell, you know. Sure you get mad at me but in the end you try to help me improve. You didn’t just humiliate me just to humiliate me, I could tell it was that ‘break them down to build them up’ kinda thing. Besides, no matter what I asked you always answered, never got a ‘stick to the task, Qiu.’ ‘Stop being so obnoxious, Qiu’ ‘focus on your cultivation, Qiu’, even if my questions clearly annoyed you.” She wheezes out a laugh. “I can tell you care. Even if you were kind of a bitch about it.”

“Excuse me?” Ling replies instantly without thinking. She cringes immediately afterwards. She doesn't have the heart to explain she had merely done as she pleased. Guilt weighs heavy on her whenshe hears the ex-heiress continue.

“Besides, I've had far worse, at least you did it out of love. I… I don’t think I've felt that since my mother passed. Thought Honourable Father did too but… Nah, didn’t feel the same.” She turns to face Ling once more. “When I thought you were gonna die, my legs just moved by themselves. I… I love you, Ling. And I love you too, Shun.”

With slow, shaky steps Shun walks closer to the girl lovingly looking at her. Unable to meet her eye she drops into a kneel and kowtows to her, regret plain in her voice.

“I’m so sorry, Qiu. This is all my fault, I should never have asked for such recklessness.”

“It’s alright.”

“It is most assuredly not. You could have died because of me.”

“You can make up for it.” Qiu smiles sweetly. “Give me more lessons, please teach me everything I need to know.”

“Of course. Of course.” Shun replies while pressing her head to the floor. Qiu awkwardly asks her to rise. The three huddle together, each holding the others as if afraid they’ll vanish the moment they let go. Ling and Shun only notice Qiu’s grit teeth once the girl pats their shoulders. They quickly prop her up against the pillow so she has support while sitting. Still they stick close together, foreheads nearly touching when Ling takes a deep breath.

“I’m deeply touched that both of you would take such a risk for me. We need to make sure that in the future, such things will no longer be necessary. We can’t have something backfire on us like this, never again.”

They all nod. Ling rests her chin on her palm while thinking. More guilt flashes through her at the expectant look Qiu aims her way. Like she knows all the answers. Like she knows how to solve the problem and make all their issues go away. Qiu’s faith presses down hard on her shoulders as if she were carrying the weight of the world. And in a way, is this not the case? Is she not responsible for their lives, their worlds? She feels a shiver run down her spine at the thought, it thrills her more than she expects yet it also leaves her distraught. How could she know what to do when even a simple outing went so wrong. She channels a mote of ice qi through her veins. Well, perhaps not wrong if her standing were the sole thing she cared for. She clenches her fist at the memory of how Grand Elder Lai praised her for having the Shen heiress take the blow, how it showed her competence and her new servant’s undying loyalty and how much it would assist the negotiations. Lai Min even added she would personally fund the girl’s full recovery to show the White Rose Sect’s generosity towards those that follow them.

Knowing that to refute her point would only hinder her and limit them further she had no choice but to take the praise with a smile and a nod, anger swelling within her all the while. She puts the thought aside, acknowledging there is no point in lamenting the past and that she will need to fully focus on the future.

“In this order our priorities are gaining strength, collecting resources and gathering allies. The first shall be the easiest. It is not arrogance to say all three of us are beyond talented and shall have little difficulty remaining above our peers. The second shall be more difficult, while I have managed to ensure we will receive a significant amount upon our return, we shall still be hindered by the fact that moving freely shall be risky.”

“I.. uh…” Qiu averts her eyes. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem once we get back. I don’t think our… I mean, the Shen Clan can take the risk of attacking so close to your sect.”

“I see, you believe it was them as well. If it were only them we would indeed be safe soon. It is not that simple, sadly. I strongly believe they had help from the inside. Rest assured I already took steps to resolve this issue.”

Qiu exchanges a glance with Shun, seeing that even the maidservant has no idea what Ling is talking about she feels the need to speak up. “What did you do?” Ling reaches into her sleeve and pulls out a silver token bearing the mark of the Hu.

“One of the attackers slipped up. While he was able to mask his abilities I know enough of the swordsmanship taught by our Sect to recognize that not only was it one of our techniques but at a proficiency far higher than my own. Within the current delegation there are only two participants able to move freely other than Grand Elder Lai that are more powerful than me, given that I have no quarrel with Du Juntao I took a gamble.”

Ling's shoulders shake, a conniving laugh tearing its way out of her throat matched by such a villainous look on her face that it causes Qiu to jerk back instinctively. Shun does not even flinch, ignoring her mistress’s action with the practiced ease of one that long suffered bearing with such eccentricities. “You see, I have memorized the layout of Cai Yin’s robes, it just so happened that one of my strikes cut open the internal pocket within one of the robe’s folds. I must say, I am most curious what he will do without this token. It matters not that he has support within the Hu, they would not dare be so brazen as to let him back in without investigation. Likewise he will not be able to rely on his connections with Elder Lai to return scot free, it would be quite a slap in the face to suggest admission that someone of our sect aimed to take the life of one of their own during a diplomatic event after all.”

The smile drops off her face, a cold and calculating look replacing it. “As for who within the Hu is responsible for this plot we shall have to hold off investigating until the gathering. It would cause offence were we to ask questions regarding such a thing within the Hu’s own home.”

Ling’s train of thought grinds to a halt when Qiu unexpectedly stretches her arms above her head, she cannot help but gulp at the way it presses her chest forward. She turns her head away with a blush, the outline faintly visible through the infirmary’s thin white robe ingrained within her mind. She chides herself and channels a mote of ice qi to suppress her emotions, somehow this was far easier before Qiu confessed her love to her. Noticing her mistress’s distress Shun decides to call for a break before Qiu notices and Ling is unbalanced further. While she gets up to make a pot of tea the three idly chat, avoiding more serious topics until each has had the chance to drink. Ling realises she cannot delay any further when each of their cups have already been refilled before she can gather the courage to continue, to admit one of her failures. She suppresses a sigh and straightens, her face morphing to the emotionless mask she usually uses whenever she leaves the comfort of their privacy. Qiu gulps at the sudden shift, paying close attention when Ling speaks up in an even yet strained voice.

“The most difficult challenge we’ll face is gathering allies. I have focused most of my efforts so far on personal strength and shunned outside contact, most of our clan’s allies are already within either one of my sibling’s circles or within those of the Cai and Du.”

“Oh, is that why you made that deal with Hu Qing?”

“Indeed, the Hu clan is yet unconnected to the White Rose Sect. Given that it is to their advantage to create strong ties with the future leadership of the sect this is the prime, if not only, time to ingrain themselves within our core. It is likewise our only opportunity to bring them to our side before they are all snatched up. Sadly my attempt seems to have backfired. Qing’s involvement in the ambush is suspect at best and until we know who else assisted Cai we cannot risk allowing anyone within our inner circle.”

Qiu blinks. “No way, you think Qing tried to kill us?” Ling cranes her brow. “She certainly has the motive. That said, no, I don't think she tried to kill us. I believe she tried to kill me.” Crossing her arms, Qiu hums. She thinks back to all their interactions before replying. “I doubt that’s the case, I mean, she’s always been nice right?” Ling hesitates for a moment, unsure if she should say her thoughts out loud. In the end however she decides to take the risk, desperately hoping Qiu won’t shun her if she spells it all out this way. 

“I enslaved you Qiu.”

“I already said I underst-”

“Let me finish. She clearly cares for you, I think that can be said without a doubt. When we first met you were, let’s say wild, acting before thinking and going at your own pace. Now consider that when you two reunited you were demure and subservient. Is it any wonder she believes I've done despicable things to get you to obey that well, that perhaps I might be forcing you to by threatening you or those you hold dear?” She lets out a hollow chuckle. “Is she wrong to?”

“Miss Shun, I can’t strain myself yet, please hit Ling for me.” “As you say, Miss Qiu.” “Ow. Wha-” “Stop taking all the blame and stop taking on all the work all the time, we’re here too, Ling. You’ve been a right cunt alright but I get that you’ve been under a lot of pressure and I haven’t made it better. Share your troubles with us.”

Ling channels another mote to calm herself. 'She’s wrong, nothing I've done can be justified that way.' Knowing there is no way she can convince either of them she puts the matter aside for the moment and changes the subject.

“I’ll have to trouble you in the future then. For now, rest and get well, we’ll talk more when you’re better.” 

“My head didn’t get injured, Ling. I can think while resting, let me help. Don’t tell me you’ll ‘trouble’ me and then turn around and do everything by yourself again.” Qiu pouts.

“We’re in no rush, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss this on the way back to the sect. I’m afraid I have duties to attend to right now. I do believe Shun has something to help you stave off boredom until then.”

Shun replies with a simple nod and picks up a cloth wrapped bundle. She carefully unties the string holding it shut before handing the bundle over to a surprised Qiu. The redhead’s eyes light up once she removes the wrapping causing a warm smile to bloom on Shun’s face.

“We already have the complete anthology of Song Huan’s adventures back home which you may peruse upon our return. This book contains tales on her notable descendants and disciples including Immortal Blazingblade, Immortal Ironflame and The Silent Sword.”

“Thank you!” Qiu replies in an upbeat tone. “I’ll, uhm, I’ll let you two get to your duties then.” She adds while looking back and forth between them and the book.

Ling can’t help but hide a smile behind her hand at the girl’s excitement. Turning back to wave goodbye once she reaches the door the ice princess finds Qiu nose-deep in the pages already. She smiles contentedly before schooling her expression once more, knowing that if she does not head out now she could stare at the look on her face for hours. Taking a moment to center herself she steps out with a cold glint in her eyes, she would make sure they’d be able to have many more moments like this, no matter what had to be done to attain them.

 

-----

 

The next few days pass peacefully. The trio keeps themselves secluded to recover from the attack until it is time to depart once more. Ling focuses entirely on her cultivation after managing what little affairs that still had to be handled, taking only brief pauses to check on her companions. Shun on the other hand puts her efforts towards preserving and refining the misty blossoms recovered during their foray, the quality of the maidservant’s medicinal cabinet has left the flowers unaffected by the elements thrown around during their fight but without the attention of an alchemist they will lose their potency in time. Time passes quickly for Qiu, the book enrapturing her for days to the point she hardly notices the scenic route they take from the infirmary back to their belongings, albeit she cannot help but wonder whether they are taking the long way around to avoid running into Qing. Before long the day of departure arrives and both the delegation and hosts gather in front of the airship to bid each other farewell.

Qiu prepares herself for conflict, the brief glance she manages to take at Qing’s face revealing a fierce glare directed at her liege. Ling however does not notice, unwilling to risk harm to look the caramel skinned girl in the eye yet reluctant to lose the advantage of Qing believing her able to observe her without any difficulty she refuses to look at her at all. Instead she turns to their delegation’s leader.

“Grand Elder Lai, I cannot help but be concerned that Young Master Cai is not yet present. Has he run into any trouble?”

“Sir Cai has left by his father’s orders on a journey to temper himself. I had hoped to convince him to delay due to the dangers your group experienced but he was insistent on strengthening himself further prior to representing our sect.”

'Did the Cai have this excuse planned in advance? No, there was no way of knowing I would venture outside of the city which means Elder Lai is covering for him. That could be troublesome. Let’s do some probing.'

She widens her eyes. “So close to the territory of the Steadfast Rock Sect? Grand Elder, is there no risk of him being targeted as well?”

Grand Elder Lai smiles serenely, “There is no need for concern, Lady Li.”

<Please rest assured the Cai clan has sent several hidden experts along. While risk cannot be avoided it is unlikely he will come to harm.>

'Oho, now isn’t that interesting. I wonder why you’re tipping your hand so easily, Lai Min, there is no way a Nascent Soul grandmaster would miss the presence of several experts. Given that I am still alive it’s clear there’s no chance he actually has any of the Cai’s hidden experts with him, clearly this excuse was made after the fact. I wonder whether she is simply going along with this to project an image of unity to the Hu, after all, the sect would lose quite some face were they to have evidence I was betrayed to the Shen and nearly slain by one of our own.'

She truly hopes it is just that, for the alternative is that Lai Min had known in advance. Such a close alliance between the Lai and the Cai would be quite troublesome. But then why would she promise to personally fund Qiu’s recovery? To have her show up to the meet in less than perfect condition would be a loss of face to the Grand Elder, her comment practically ensures the Shen heiress’s safety, and by extension her own, until then. She takes a mental note to keep an eye on their actions once they return to the sect. Suppressing a sigh she dreads the immediate future. It would seem none of them were going to get rest any time soon.