Dai Qian's Advice

I still stand out there, completely at a loss, when a familiar face appears. Feng Yu rides out of the city on a large, brown horse.

“I heard what happened,” he says and holds out his hand.

I let myself be pulled up and am soon seated sideways in front of him, basket in my lap. I look up at Feng Yu, who brushes a few unshed tears from the corner of my eye.

“Can I take you home?” he asks and I nod silently. “Thank you.”

The horse slowly walks back into the city and I sink into Feng Yu’s arms. I observe the people around us as we make our way towards Huoyun Sect, clearly gossiping about the playboy catching yet another woman. I can’t be bothered to pay them any mind. All I can think about is Liu Renqing, kneeling at the mercy of his mother, who didn’t hold back even in public. I can’t even imagine what he has to listen to right now.

“We have to help Shixiong,” I say and look up at Feng Yu.

He looks back at me with a determined expression. It seems he cares for his old friend after all. But even though I should be glad, all I can think of is getting Liu Renqing out of there and packing him in cotton wool to keep him safe.

“I heard that General Liu wasn’t pleased with him… again.”

I briefly explain to him what Liu Zixuan said and did, though I don’t mention why we’ve been together in the first place.

“Do you know of their relationship?” I ask.

“I was friends with Liu Yi. She didn’t know of my double life, but she didn’t mind the allegations that were thrown her way. I mourned her death as well, though maybe not as much as her family. Qing-ge changed after she died. He lost his light. I should’ve never… If I’d known it was this bad, even if we’re fighting over you, I should’ve never left him alone. He always pretends to be stronger than he is.”

This is prime shipping material. This is a monologue from which a thousand fics could spring. Emotional hurt and comfort. Childhood friends. Regrets. He even called him Qing-ge! Yet I can’t bring myself to be happy about it. All I see is Liu Renqing’s tears.

“You can still be there for him. Go to him. Show him he isn’t alone.”

The horse has reached the stairs that lead up to Huoyun Sect and Feng Yu stops it. He wraps both arms around me and lays his head on my shoulder.

“I can’t. Not now. General Liu won’t let anyone see him if he has to take his punishment. But I will try it tomorrow.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

“Do you want to join me?”

“I think my presence would only distract you. You need to talk to each other like you did before you knew me.”

Feng Yu nods thoughtfully. “I know you’re right, but I will miss you anyway.”

I smile at him and flick his forehead. “Playboy,” I say with a wink.

“Oh, I can give you a playboy,” he replies and leans down to kiss me… but he doesn’t cross the whole distance, diverts at the last moment and pecks the tip of my nose instead. Ah, he’s so cute. Damn. I hope they’ll be happy together. We hop off the horse together.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. A lot, actually. Thank you.”

“Everything for my little dragon,” he whispers. “Even though she has no idea what she picked in the valley.”

“Wow. Is everyone a botanical expert except me?”

“I only know what’s being traded… and most of these are not among the goods I usually see. Except this blue-ish one. That’s for qi circulation. Cultivators often drink it before meditating to help build stronger meridians.”

“… Shixiong picked that one.”

“As expected. I hope he doesn’t overdo it. I know his mother has high expectations, but indulging in too many of these supplements can have harmful effects.”

I bite my lip and Feng Yu reaches for my hand.

“Don’t fret. I’ll try to visit him tomorrow.”

“Alright. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You don’t need to thank me. He is my friend. I just forgot that for too long.”

Feng Yu kisses my forehead and I jump down from the horse. I watch him ride away, waiting until he disappears before turning around to climb the stairs up to the sect compound.

I wish I didn’t have to reject both of them. I wish they could both be happy with the woman they love so much and as friends with each other. I… I stop in the middle of the stairs, looking back over the city. The sun is low in the sky, bathing the cliff in red light, filtered through the desert sand in the air. There are a few scattered clouds, shining as red streaks in the sky. What if… what if they could all be happy together? An idea lodges itself in my head that I haven’t considered before. No, they first need to get along. But then…

I walk up the stairs with renewed vigour. Maybe I’ll look for Dai Xuan, so she can tell me what horrible things I picked up before I end up poisoning someone by accident.

——

After relinquishing my finds and listening to a lengthy lecture on their properties from Dai Xuan, I go to Sect Leader Dai’s rooms. If she’s so much better after just two applications of dragon internal energy, I have to continue the treatment to make sure she’s well enough in the coming battle… whenever that might be.

Dai Qian welcomes me while sitting at her desk, writing a letter. She gestures with her head towards the right side of the desk, where her ink is located. Luckily I know what she’s implying. I sit down on the floor next to her and reach for the ink stick. The ink smells salty as I grind it, slowly producing the black liquid as I mix it. With a few drops of water, the consistency is just right. Dai Qian dips the brush tip into the ink and writes another line of characters, elaborate and precise.

“Can I transfer some qi while you work?”

“That would be appreciated.”

I sit behind her and put my hands on her back. With some concentration they grow warm again, the energy flowing smoothly.

“Do you feel better?” I ask.

“It’s like night and day. A few more days and I’ll be able to loosen up my muscles in practice with the disciples.”

“They won’t know what hit them.”

I can feel Dai Qian chuckle, her body jumping. She dips the brush into the ink again.

“I’ve let the sect business lie for too long. There’s so much to catch up on…”

“No one can fault you for recuperating after that attack.”

“Maybe not, but I feel bad regardless. I’m writing about the monster attack to the queen. I’m sure she already knows about it, but I need to report nonetheless. If you need an excuse to visit her, you can deliver the letter.”

“I appreciate that, but I have a more pressing matter to investigate.”

“Oh?” Dai Qian puts her bush down and scatters some powder over the letter, which dries the ink quickly.

“I want to look into who could possibly summon such a large amount of yin energy to possess the animals that attacked the merchants. It doesn’t seem like a regular cultivator could have the potential to do it.”

“So you’re thinking there must be a clan like yours, with a lineage that has the affinity to accomplish such a feat?”

That wasn’t at all what I was thinking, but now that you mention it, it totally is. Good thinking, Dai Qian. You’re not the sect leader for nothing.

“Precisely,” I say, as confidently as possible.

“Then that’s all the more reason to go to the palace. Their records are much more extensive than ours and with your status, you will be able to access them. Take the letter and deliver it personally to the queen, then you don’t need another excuse.”

She slips the folded paper into an envelope and places it on the table in my reach.

“I can’t imagine what it must feel like to need an excuse to visit your mother.”

“We all have to carry out our duties to the best of our abilities,” I say solemnly.

“Sometimes even beyond them.”

Even if I’m not Murong Zhiyu, I’ve also been put into this role without having any say in it. In this, if nothing else, we are alike. Dai Qian is silent as I complete the treatment. When I take away my hands, she rolls her shoulders and lets out a deep sigh.

“The power of dragon genuine qi to remove poison really is miraculous. I should’ve let you help me when you first offered it. My pride made me suffer and Xuan’er worry needlessly.”

Of course Murong Zhiyu was just as determined to help her second mother. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. I wish she had been more persuasive, but it’s alright now.

“What’s important is that you’re getting better. That’s all that counts.”

“You’re right. No one is helped if I’m sick, least of all myself. Her royal highness is wise beyond her years.”

I lightly slap Dai Qian’s shoulder and she looks at me for a moment… before we both burst into laughter. In these moments, it feels like it doesn’t matter that I’m a princess and she’s my martial arts master. She has an aura about her which commands respect, but not in fear, but through trust and admiration. She is everything I expected a wise master to be, gentle in her power. And I’m only just realising the power she possesses. Through my treatment I can feel it building like a reserve, like the water behind the dam, deadly when unleashed. I fear the battle, but I can’t wait to see her fight. The dramatisation couldn’t do her justice because she never got to fight at all.

“Thank you for the letter. I will visit the palace right now and will probably stay the night.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

I stand up and bow. “Thank you, Sect Leader Dai.”

“Be careful, my child. And change your clothes before you go. The whole city already believes you to be joining the Feng family, you don’t need to confuse them with Liu colours.”

“It’s not like that…”

“It doesn’t matter. That’s what it looks like and that’s what they’ll talk about.”