Chapter One Hundred and One: Something Fun
Breakfast at the Azure Wolf Consortium was usually a noisy affair whenever all of them managed to appear at the same table. Jin Wei talked enough for three people, Mirage considered stealing food from other plates a legitimate form of hunting, Amon ate outside because placing an Iceback Glacier Drake inside the dining room would have created architectural difficulties, and Whisper had recently developed an inexplicable fascination with watching steam rise from hot tea. That morning, however, there was a mystery to solve.
"Where did you disappear to yesterday?" Jin Wei asked.
Lei Zhenyu looked up from his breakfast.
"Training."
Nobody reacted.
That was the most Lei Zhenyu answer imaginable.
Lin Xia continued eating. Yun Che reached for another steamed bun. Jin Wei nodded as though the universe had returned to proper order.
Then Lei added, "I joined a football team."
Silence fell across the table.
Yun Che's hand stopped halfway to the bun.
Lin Xia slowly looked up.
Jin Wei blinked.
Even Mirage, perched beside a bowl of fruit, turned around.
"You what?" Yun Che asked.
"I joined a football team."
"You?"
"Yes."
"Football?"
"Yes."
Jin Wei leaned forward.
"Voluntarily?"
Lei frowned.
"Why is everyone asking that?"
Yun Che stared at him. This was Lei Zhenyu, the young man whose idea of relaxation involved reading about swordsmanship, playing chess or practicing swordsmanship at slightly reduced intensity. He had followed Yun Che across the countryside because losing two duels had made him curious. He had watched a city football match and somehow concluded that the proper response was to join the team.
"Why?" Lin Xia finally asked.
"Footwork."
And suddenly it made perfect sense.
Everyone relaxed.
"Oh," Jin Wei said. "Of course."
Lei nodded, apparently satisfied that the matter had been adequately explained.
"The Foundation Realm players use movement techniques. Their acceleration, feints, weight shifts and changes in direction are useful. The captain is a wind cultivator. His footwork is particularly good."
Yun Che leaned back.
Of course Lei had joined a sport because he had discovered a way to turn it into sword training.
Then another thought occurred to him.
Lei was still playing a game.
He played chess.
He apparently played football now.
Jin Wei liked toys, music, performances and collecting things. Lin Xia enjoyed designing clothing and artistic rune work. Mirage seemed capable of entertaining herself merely by finding reflective surfaces. Amon liked racing, hunting and frightening people who had not yet noticed him. Whisper enjoyed exploring waterways and interacting with other spirits.
Yun Che frowned.
What did he do for fun?
Reading.
Research.
Blacksmithing.
Experimenting.
Training.
Reading about training.
Experimenting with things he had learned while reading about training.
That was not a promising list.
He enjoyed all of those things. Blacksmithing in particular genuinely relaxed him. But even his hobbies demanded concentration. His brain was always doing something—calculating, designing, analyzing, comparing, improving.
He had nearly tried to spend an entire night in a library because he considered that recreation.
Lin Xia might have been more correct than he wanted to admit.
Again.
Lei looked at him.
"You should join."
Yun Che blinked.
"Football?"
"Yes."
"I'm terrible at football."
"You introduced it to Mistforge."
"I introduced the idea. That doesn't mean I was good at it."
"You would improve."
"That sounds suspiciously like training."
"It is."
"Then it doesn't solve my problem."
Lei looked genuinely confused.
"What problem?"
"I need something to do that isn't work."
"Football isn't work."
"You just joined because it improves your swordsmanship."
"That is an additional benefit."
Yun Che gave him a doubtful look.
Lei considered him for another moment.
"Your footwork is average."
Yun Che stared.
Jin Wei immediately looked down at his food, shoulders trembling.
Lin Xia covered her mouth.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"You could improve it."
"I have perfectly acceptable footwork."
"For a blacksmith."
Yun Che's eyes narrowed.
Lei continued eating.
Yun Che considered challenging him to a duel, realized this would prove Lei's point about turning everything into training and abandoned the idea.
"Later," he muttered. "I have too much work already."
That, Yun Che realized immediately, was also the problem.
He always had too much work.
If he waited until his work disappeared before finding something pointless and enjoyable to do, he would probably reach the Immortal Realm first.
He would have to look around Goldriver.
There had to be something.
Something entertaining.
Something that required very little thinking.
Preferably something that did not become a cultivation project within ten minutes.
Considering his personality, that last requirement might prove difficult.
Shortly before eight, Yun Che and Lei walked together toward the municipal service office.
Goldriver was already fully awake. Barges moved through the canals carrying produce and construction materials, bicycle couriers threaded between pedestrians, shopkeepers raised shutters and breakfast stalls filled the streets with the smells of fried dough, grilled meat and spices. Yun Che found himself paying more attention to the recreational advertisements they passed than he normally would.
Boat tours.
Swimming halls.
Fishing competitions.
Beast races.
Public gardens.
Theatres.
Music houses.
Board-game halls.
Martial arenas.
He dismissed that last one immediately.
Absolutely not.
The entire purpose was finding something that wasn't training.
They reached the office and presented their service cards.
Officer Qiao Wen barely glanced up.
"Lei Zhenyu."
"Here."
"Sewer extermination."
Lei paused.
Yun Che looked at him.
"Sewer extermination?"
Qiao Wen slid a document across the counter.
"Western drainage system. Something has been breeding in the lower channels. Maintenance workers reported a colony. Kill them, confirm the nests are clear and report to the supervising guard."
Lei picked up the document.
"What creatures?"
"Tunnel Maw Rats."
"Realm?"
"Mostly Mortal. Possibly one Foundation specimen."
Lei nodded.
Yun Che smiled.
"Have fun."
Lei looked at him.
"I will."
Of course he would.
Qiao Wen picked up Yun Che's assignment.
"Municipal maintenance."
Yun Che's smile vanished.
"What kind?"
"Water-gate mechanisms. South Canal District. Inspection, rust removal, replacement of damaged components, reinforcement where necessary."
Yun Che stared at the document.
Lei looked at him.
"Have fun."
Yun Che narrowed his eyes.
Lei left.
There was nothing heroic about maintaining canal gates.
Yun Che spent five hours inspecting gears.
He cleaned corrosion.
He replaced pins.
He repaired two damaged locking mechanisms.
He reinforced a cracked support bracket.
He discovered one gate had been making an unpleasant grinding noise for nearly six months because someone had installed a gear slightly out of alignment and apparently everyone had simply decided to tolerate it.
Yun Che fixed that too.
It was useful work.
Important work, even.
A city built around waterways depended upon its gates, locks and drainage systems functioning properly.
It was also extraordinarily mundane.
Nobody attacked him.
Nothing exploded.
There were no ancient secrets hidden inside the mechanism.
No mysterious rune array revealed itself when he removed the casing.
At one point Yun Che found himself hoping for a damaged formation simply so he could have something interesting to investigate.
There wasn't one.
By the time his supervisor signed his service record, it was nearly two in the afternoon.
Yun Che looked at the completed mechanisms.
Then at his dirty hands.
Then at the peaceful canal.
Perhaps mundane was good.
He had spent enough time wishing his life would become less exciting.
It seemed ungrateful to complain when the universe finally listened.
Golden Haven Children's Home was lively when Yun Che arrived.
Several younger children were running through the courtyard. Others sat beneath the shade of a tree while a teacher read to them. Two older children were repairing one of the climbing structures Yun Che had worked on during his previous visit.
He found Grandfather Wei in his office.
The elderly manager smiled when Yun Che entered.
"Back already?"
"I wanted to talk about Liora."
That gained his attention.
Yun Che explained what he had observed during his previous visit: the strange green-gold Ki, the dying plant recovering beneath her hands, accelerated growth and the tiny injury she had healed almost instantly.
Grandfather Wei listened carefully.
When Yun Che finished, the old man leaned back.
"We know Liora has an affinity for plants."
"I think it's more than that."
"Her teachers believed she might eventually become an herbalist, healer or perhaps an alchemist's apprentice."
"That's possible. But what she's doing doesn't look like ordinary plant affinity."
Grandfather Wei folded his hands.
"What do you think it is?"
"A bloodline. Maybe a constitution, but bloodline seems more likely."
The old man's eyebrows rose.
"A significant one?"
"I don't know yet."
Yun Che deliberately emphasized that.
He had learned enough recently to be wary of making grand declarations based on three observations.
"It could be minor. It could be something much more important. There are too many vitality, wood, plant and Yang-associated bloodlines for me to identify it from what I've seen. But if her ability affects both plants and people, I don't think we should assume she's simply good at gardening."
Grandfather Wei was quiet for a moment.
"You want to test her."
"Nothing dangerous."
"She is ten."
"I know."
Grandfather Wei gave him a look that suggested Yun Che occasionally needed reminding.
Yun Che sighed.
"Supervised. She stops whenever she wants. No exhaustion. No injuries beyond something tiny if healing needs confirmation."
The old man considered him.
Then nodded.
"I'll supervise."
Liora was delighted to see him.
She was in the garden again, wearing another simple dress with her straw hat hanging down her back by its cord. Dirt covered both hands.
"You came back!"
"I said I would."
"Adults say that a lot."
Yun Che paused.
There was no accusation in her voice. She had simply stated it as a fact.
"I'll try not to be one of those adults."
Liora smiled.
Then proudly raised her wrist.
The Ki-storage bracelet Yun Che had given her was there.
"I filled it."
Yun Che examined it.
She had.
Not completely, but nearly enough.
More importantly, she had followed his instructions and filled it gradually rather than exhausting herself trying to do it in one sitting.
"Good."
"What are we doing?"
"A few tests."
"Will anything explode?"
"No."
She looked slightly disappointed.
Yun Che wondered whether he was becoming a bad influence on children despite having done almost nothing.
They chose an empty patch of soil under Grandfather Wei's supervision.
Yun Che placed a seed into Liora's palm.
"A flower."
"What kind?"
"A normal one."
"That's boring."
"That's scientifically useful."
"That's boring in longer words."
Yun Che stared at her.
Grandfather Wei coughed into one hand.
Suspiciously.
"Just try."
Liora planted the seed.
She placed both hands over the soil.
Green-gold Ki emerged.
Yun Che immediately concentrated.
The energy did not behave like ordinary wood Ki.
It seeped into the soil and seed with an almost gentle quality. The seed absorbed it.
Then moved.
A tiny green shoot pushed through the earth.
Grandfather Wei's expression changed.
Liora concentrated harder.
The shoot lengthened.
Leaves unfurled.
The stem thickened.
Roots spread beneath the soil.
Yun Che could sense the bracelet slowly emptying as Liora drew upon its stored Ki in addition to her own reserves.
The plant grew.
Not violently.
Not unnaturally twisted.
It simply passed through what should have been days and weeks of development in minutes.
A bud appeared.
Liora's face tightened with concentration.
The bud opened.
A flower bloomed.
Silence settled over the little patch of garden.
It was not a spiritual herb.
It was not a legendary medicine.
It did not release heavenly light or fill the courtyard with miraculous fragrance.
It was simply a flower.
A perfectly ordinary flower that had gone from seed to bloom before their eyes.
Grandfather Wei slowly crouched beside it.
Liora looked exhausted.
Then she smiled.
"Pretty."
Yun Che stared at the flower.
"Yes."
The scientific part of his mind was already racing.
Growth acceleration.
Vitality transfer.
Plant development.
Earlier evidence of biological healing.
Green-gold Ki.
Likely Yang association.
Possibly plant-life affinity integrated into a vitality bloodline.
Or perhaps a specialized wood lineage.
Maybe a rare life constitution rather than a bloodline.
He needed comparisons.
Family records if any existed.
Bloodline indexes.
Ki-response tests.
Healing behavior.
Different plant species.
Animals—
Liora sat down heavily.
Yun Che's thoughts stopped.
"You all right?"
"I'm tired."
"How tired?"
She considered.
"Don't-want-to-do-more tired."
"Then we're done."
Liora blinked.
Yun Che had wanted at least four more tests.
He wanted to see whether she could accelerate a damaged plant rather than a healthy seed. He wanted to compare healing against growth. He wanted to measure whether the energy changed according to the target.
But she was ten.
Not laboratory equipment.
"That's it?" Liora asked.
"For today."
"But you brought all that."
She pointed toward Yun Che's notes.
"Those can wait."
Grandfather Wei looked quietly pleased.
Yun Che ignored that.
Based on what he had already observed, his best guess was a Yang-associated life bloodline rather than a simple plant affinity. The ability to promote plant growth alone could have indicated wood or botanical affinity. Healing living tissue as well suggested something broader.
But Yang bloodlines were not one thing.
There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of known expressions across different species and families. Some focused on vitality. Others purification, regeneration, sunlight, physical strengthening, growth or resistance to death-aligned energies.
And even if he identified the general category, that told him nothing about its rank.
Liora might possess a minor bloodline that would make her an excellent healer.
Or she might possess something important enough to attract the attention of a major sect.
Guessing would accomplish nothing.
Evidence would.
Grandfather Wei stood.
"I'll submit today's observations."
"To whom?"
"The children's development office first."
Goldriver's orphanage system did not simply house children until adulthood and hope matters worked out. Information moved upward. Teachers, caretakers and supervisors submitted aptitude records, academic results, cultivation progress, behavioral assessments and unusual talents. The administration compared that information against schools, apprenticeships, businesses, military programs, cultivation organizations and sponsorship opportunities.
Children who showed unusual potential were flagged.
If Liora was fortunate, her file might climb considerably higher.
Perhaps even to the people directly beneath City Lord Cao Jinhai.
Cao had built an enormous network for finding useful talent throughout Goldriver. A gifted orphan was not merely a charitable responsibility in his system. She was a child worth investing in.
Yun Che liked that philosophy more each time he encountered it.
"Include the healing observation," he said.
"I will."
"And the Ki color."
"I wrote it down."
"And—"
Grandfather Wei raised one eyebrow.
Yun Che stopped.
"You know how to do your job."
"I have managed children longer than you've been alive."
Liora tugged his sleeve.
"Can you help me?"
"With what?"
"The garden."
Yun Che looked toward the flower beds.
"I thought you were tired."
"That's why I need help."
There was a certain ruthless logic to this.
Yun Che glanced at the notes he had prepared.
Then at Liora.
She had done what he asked.
She had filled the bracelet.
She had performed the test.
She had grown an entire flower from seed and exhausted herself doing it.
The least he could do was help with something she cared about.
"Fine."
For the next hour, Yun Che gardened.
He loosened soil.
Moved bags of compost.
Pulled weeds.
Repaired a broken support for climbing plants.
Liora sat nearby giving instructions with the authority of a general who had discovered an unusually obedient siege weapon.
"That one goes there."
"This?"
"No, the other one."
"They look identical."
"They don't."
Yun Che examined the two plants.
They looked completely identical.
He wisely said nothing.
There was something strangely pleasant about the work.
The smell of soil.
The quiet repetition.
The satisfaction of seeing a messy patch become orderly.
Plants did not require combat calculations.
They did not attempt to kill him.
Most did not explode.
Yun Che found himself understanding why people enjoyed gardening.
After a while he sat beside Liora beneath the shade.
His hands were dirty.
His shoulders were relaxed.
And he reached an important conclusion.
"This isn't it."
Liora looked at him.
"What isn't?"
"My fun thing."
"What fun thing?"
Yun Che considered how ridiculous this conversation was about to become.
"I need a hobby."
"You don't have hobbies?"
"I have hobbies."
"What?"
"Reading."
"That's school."
"Not always."
"What else?"
"Blacksmithing."
"That's your job."
"Experimenting."
"That sounds like school again."
"Training."
"That's definitely not a hobby."
Yun Che frowned.
Perhaps asking a child had been a mistake.
Liora looked genuinely concerned for him now.
"What do you do for fun?"
"Those things."
"That's sad."
Yun Che stared at her.
Children were cruel.
"I enjoy them."
"Then why do you need another thing?"
"Because apparently everything I enjoy requires me to think."
Liora considered this enormous adult problem.
Yun Che waited.
Children possessed a kind of curiosity adults gradually trained themselves out of. Perhaps she would suggest something absurd enough that Yun Che would never have considered it.
"What do you like?" he asked.
"Swimming."
"All right."
"Racing."
Yun Che nodded.
"Anything else?"
"Games. Climbing. Boats. Riding animals."
She looked past him.
Amon was lying at the edge of the courtyard.
Several children had gathered around the enormous drake again. One was touching his scales. Another was apparently attempting to climb his foreleg.
Amon wore the expression of a mighty dragon enduring profound indignity.
Liora pointed.
"Why don't you race with him?"
Yun Che followed her finger.
"Amon?"
"Yes."
"In what?"
"That water race."
Yun Che stopped.
Liora continued innocently.
"You said Goldriver has beast races."
Yun Che stared at Amon.
Amon, perhaps sensing danger, turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Yun Che remembered the Watercourse Arena.
The enormous aquatic course.
Beasts swimming and running across water.
No flying.
Speed.
Obstacles.
Competition.
Crowds.
Amon had refused when Yun Che first mentioned entering him.
But that had been when Yun Che was thinking of Amon racing alone.
Yun Che slowly stood.
Amon's eyes narrowed.
Yun Che walked toward him.
The children moved aside.
Yun Che stopped in front of the drake.
Amon stared down.
Yun Che stared up.
Neither spoke.
Several seconds passed.
Liora watched curiously.
Grandfather Wei watched from his office doorway.
Amon's tail moved once.
Yun Che's mouth slowly curved upward.
Amon's enormous jaws opened in what was unmistakably the draconic equivalent of a grin.
Yun Che pointed at him.
"Race?"
Amon rose.
The children scattered, laughing.
Race.
Yun Che's grin widened.
There were no cultivation theories to study.
No experiments to record.
No techniques to perfect.
No debt to calculate.
No ancient bloodline mysteries.
Just speed.
Water.
Competition.
And an enormous frost drake who hated losing.
Yun Che suddenly had a very good feeling about this.
Then Amon lowered his head.
I will win.
Yun Che blinked.
"We're supposed to be a team."
Amon's grin widened.
Then keep up.
For perhaps the first time since arriving in Goldriver, Yun Che had found something he wanted to do for absolutely no sensible reason at all.
That made it perfect.