The inner grove of Elder Yan's personal valley was the literal definition of being serene, filled with blooming night-flowers and numerous small critters scurrying through the tall grass. The entire area was surrounded by tall, snow-capped mountains, creating an ethereal and isolated little island of paradise within, bathed in moonlight.

  Unlike before, this time around, Elder Baat's steps were much more mild and quieter, resonating through the flat stones of the stone pathway as he made his way towards Elder Yan's little cabin. Arriving, Elder Yan was already seated by the pond before her abode, on a large tree trunk, fishing, with the golden light coming from the open doors of her house, giving her an otherworldly aura.

  "If you are here to scare the fish away," she said, before he even had a chance to speak, "You are doing a good job."

  "Hng... Stop making things up... Anyway, I just figured you'd already know why I am here."

  Her eyes opened a little, calmly watching him as he settled down next to her. The dozens of fish in the pond splashed in unison, circling Elder Yan's bait, but none of them bit on it... Instead, they were creating a weird, swirling formation underwater.

  "It's my boy, Siu."

  "Your boy?" Elder Baat snorted, his tone disturbing the fish's rhythm for a moment. "Please! But yeah..." He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, "I focused on him while teaching the rest. The rhythm of his breath was nearly perfect, detailed and fitted, probably personally designed for his body. It was clearly tailored and taught to him by someone beforehand."

  "Mhm..." Yan's eyes flicked upward, towards the moon coming into view, "And not of any sect we know."

  "Exactly." He nodded again, crossing his arms, "I've run through every technique we have on record. North, east, even the fringe sects out of the southern borders we have... Nothing matches. The pattern is refined, but there's no telltale signature of what base was used for it. It's either rogue in origin... or it's foreign to our region."

  "Probably the latter," Elder Yan exhaled slowly through her nose. "I considered that myself. Rogue techniques are never on par with a sect's own."

  "Yes, that is exactly my issue. We––"

  "I've already dispatched two of my subordinates," she added before Baat could continue. "I am making them follow and trace his steps back to his origin."

  "And?"

  "Nothing yet." She rolled her eyes. "They were barely sent out! Patience. Anyway... he's clean so far."

  "Heh, you really want him, don't you?" He teased, making Elder Yan look at him coldly.

  "Don't push your luck, you big oaf! Strictly speaking, I want his talent to bloom. I examined him personally," Yan said evenly, her face relaxing. "If there were hidden poisons in his spirit, I would have tasted them... He is a bit thorny, with a chip on his shoulder... but every talent of his level has that. I had that."

  "Hmph", Baat grunted, but there was no challenge in his tone. "Just don't let it hurt the sect..." He stood up, not wanting to admit he was agreeing with Elder Yan.

  "Don't worry," She said without looking up at him, "If that happens, I will be the one to take responsibility and kill him myself."

  ...

  ....

  .....

  It was early morning, on the sixth day since Siu first began his breathing exercises. The mist rolling down the mountainside was still saturating the entire sect, making the mossy paths slippery and look like they were behind a thin veil. The air held a faint sweetness in it, the scent of last night’s incense still mixed into the mist while Siu made his way toward one of the open training fields set aside for the outer disciples. Right now, he was alone, his pace steady and measured, matching his breathing perfectly.

  While from the outside he looked calm and leisurely, his mind was busy, preparing for what he was about to do, trying to simulate all kinds of scenarios that may arise in just a moment.

  He had reviewed the job posting multiple times since taking it down from the board alongside Neya... And it had all the classic signs of being a blatant bait: the overly vague wording, the reward being enticing enough for newcomers but worthless for those who were already experienced. Not to mention, there were no specifics about the partner’s skill level or the training goals. Taking a deep breath, he recalled it one more time, making sure he didn't miss anything.

  "Seeking a sparring partner to assist in the application of a new movement technique. Compensation: Two Flame-grade Crystals. New disciples are welcomed. The session will last approximately the time it takes to burn one incense stick. Mutual cooperation is expected. If interested, apply in person.”

  It had been posted by one named Nue... After asking around a little, apparently she was also an outer disciple, but one who had held the position for more than seven years by now. While walking around and listening to discussions in the mess hall, she said she should become an inner disciple soon. Maybe in a year or so... Of course, that was never something that could be predicted.

  In his mind, most likely, this was someone confident enough to think they could play around with new initiates, beat them half to death, and call it 'training.' Usually, that is how it went. When developing a technique, one needed either a friend with whom they could spar... or a weak sucker. But then again, that friend had to be trustworthy. Mainly because they would get to know the technique, its weaknesses and counters... Which could be a problem. Alternatively, one could hire inexperienced individuals who had no idea what to look out for. No matter what, even if challenged by the newbie, they could still simply claim they were uncooperative or at fault and refuse to pay them in the end.

  Siu, of course, wasn’t going to give her that chance. He has already contacted the owner of the commission and scheduled the training ahead of time by sending stones. He reached the specified field first, stepping into the walled-off and stone-floored rectangle 'room,' looking around curiously. It was different from what he was used to... Back there... They had open fields, usually large enough for multiple groups to train together. They didn't have isolated, walled but open-air, private 'cages' like this. The floor was swept clean, and a row of weapons rested along one side, most of them being blunted training blades, staves, and round-tipped spears. It was quiet... but not for long, thanks to the footsteps coming towards him.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  When Nue, the owner of the posting, arrived, she looked like she owned the whole area, her black eyes already looking haughty. Well... at least, Siu's senses could catch it; others may have mistaken it for confidence. Surprisingly, she was tall and more muscular than some other disciples, probably between eighteen and nineteen years old, with long, black hair tied up into a bun. Her expression held a permanent smile, the kind that made Siu’s fingers itch. Of course, not out of fear but out of sheer irritation. He had seen that smirk many times.

  “So you’re the one who took my posting?” Nue asked in a fake-friendly voice, looking him up and down. “Huh. Not bad, not bad, you are talented enough to join us! My name is Nue Toah.”

  "Greetings, Senior," Siu bowed politely. “I'm called Siu. Just Siu.”

  “I see... Well, Just Siu," she began, and hearing her, he made a mental note to stop introducing himself like that. The people here were way too happy repeating the same boring joke, "The job’s simple. I’m refining a movement technique as stated. I hit, you dodge. We do this for the duration of one incense stick! Once everything is done, I'll pay you. Deal?”

  "Deal." Siu nodded, looking eager, and as Nue's smile widened, igniting the incense, he continued speaking. “Interesting... You mean to say you’re testing speed and evasive pressure? It can interfere with breathing if the speed doesn't match up and causes enough disharmony to be exploited... Yes?”

  "Um," She blinked her eyes, caught off guard because he wasn't that far off. “...Yeah? I guess?”

  “Good,” He nodded, taking a position opposite her. “Then let’s begin. I’m ready.”

  Suddenly finding him, being so nonchalant, and also pointing out something important... And now standing there, not making a move to take a stance, no attempt to stretch... Just standing there... arms crossed and smiling... Suddenly, she felt something was off.

  "..." With a frown, she suddenly had to ask, “Are you gonna move or not? I don't want to hurt a... fellow disciple.”

  “You said dodge and not counter." Siu frowned, "Dodging doesn't need me to prepare and strike someone stronger... Or am I wrong?”

  "Well, yes, but," Nue narrowed his eyes. “I haven’t moved yet... How can you be sure you can dodge me without warming up?”

  “Who said I hadn't warmed up before coming?" He asked back, looking surprised, "Anyway, I’m ready to evade anything Senior may throw at me. There won't be any actual harm done, no? I am, after all, a sparring partner and not a dummy. You would stop before actually striking me... Yes? You said cooperation...”

  "..." Listening to him, she had already begun walking slowly in a small circle, each step carefully calculated, letting the silence stretch out between them, while Siu noticed that the woman was matching her movement to her breathing. It was... short, short, long, short... A repeating rhythm... with a flaw between the change of the first two short breaths... As far as his ears could pick up, at least. Then, there was an irregularity in her steps right along her long breath; she was about to strike when the pattern would begin repeating.

  "A moment, Senior." He raised a hand, just in time, to make Nue falter and almost stumble, shocked at his precise interference.

  "What?" She snapped at him.

  “Before we begin..." He said, making Nue reel back a little. Before we begin? It was already on! Was... was he doing it accidentally? Or...? What...? It wasn't him reading her...? "You didn’t specify how many attacks, Senior. Or the distance... Or the weapon... Or the speed... All of that is quite vital when structuring a training session to ensure it has proper results. In fact, without clear parameters, this may not qualify as a structured martial engagement at all, which was part of the posting.”

  “Are you trying to play word games with me?” She flared up, feeling that she very much hated the boy already.

  “I’m responding to the job posting,” Siu said earnestly, stopping mid-step and turning to face her. “No worries! We’re only a few breaths in, are we not? You have the floor, Senior. Of course, we can skip that part, but then you must not hold it against me at the end, and refuse to pay." He smiled, which made her feel like she was looking at a fox, "If you’d like to attack, I’m ready to dodge, Senior."

  "Then..." She forced calmness on herself, "Let's get on with it..."

  Yet, before she would make her move, Siu once again interrupted her at the perfect moment, causing her movement to falter and her focus to break. She... she was finding it impossible to focus all of a sudden.

  "Senior, please also know this: don't blame me. If I dodge too well and you miss every time, you’ll claim I wasn’t a proper opponent... That isn't fair. Also... If I don’t move at all, you’ll say I’m uncooperative because you can't test it to its fullest if I am unable to dodge it. So…” he spread his hands, “perhaps we could clarify your expectations? Just to be sure.”

  By now, her jaws tightened, almost cracking her own teeth.

  "I won't say such things!" She groaned, sounding like some animal.

  “Hmm..." Siu tilted his head, but his eyes constantly kept watching her breathing and limbs, making sure he was reading Nue's every twitch and intention, "Perhaps the problem lies in the vagueness of the request, Senior. I’m happy to oblige, of course, we don't want to waste our precious time. But there are certain phrases here, like ‘cooperation’ for instance, that can be interpreted in many ways. If the session devolves into me being a target dummy, and I happen to fall unconscious, how would you explain that to the sect if it escalated?”

  "I wouldn't go that far!" Nue scoffed, “No one’s escalating anything!”

  “Oh, good,” Siu smiled innocently, “Then you won’t mind if I ask a few more questions. Let's see... For example, when you say 'movement technique,' is this a leg-based maneuver? A body-weight shifting method? Is a higher level of essence involved in it? If so, it would only be fair to inform me of the risk level and the rank you achieved by refining your body. After all, we’re not permitted to injure fellow disciples intentionally... I read the sect rules, and it says clearly that those occurrences are to be investigated by the Elders. We don't want to ruin Senior's chances of entering the Inner Disciples' ranks, are we now? And if I can’t reasonably evade, well, it calls into question whether the posted fee matches the hazard level, too...”

  And to her horror, Siu always found something to say. Just when she thought he was done... There was one more thing. And one more... And... One more.

  “You trying to be clever, kid?” Nue snorted, her mind in a disarray, wanting to strangle the boy. To hell with the training! She will break his neck and tear out his tongue!

  “I’m not, Senior. I wouldn't dare!” Siu met her eyes evenly. “I'm just responsive... That was the job's description: a responsive training partner. So far, you haven’t moved, Senior. But I’ve responded to every change in tone, every implied movement of intent. I’ve asked clarifying questions, too. I’ve provided proper feedback, as expected."

  "What fucking feedback are you talking about?!" She blew her top finally, unable to keep up her fragile mask of friendliness.

  "Hm?" He asked, tilting his head, "This has been an exchange of intent for the entire duration.”

  “You little worm—!”

  And just then, the incense stick finally burned down to its base, toppling, making an audible noise.

  “Ah.” Siu looked down at it, smoking on the floor, making him smile. “Well, it is time’s up.”

  "WHAT?!" Nue yelled, shocked.

  "The incense has burned down. The hour is over." Siu smiled as if nothing was clearer than what had just happened.

  “I’m not paying for this!” Nue yelled again, taking a step forward, fists clenched, ready to hit him for real. She wanted to do that from the get-go anyway...

  “You don’t have to,” Siu said calmly, “But I will report it to the elders. Of course, they’ll ask for the proof... and I will provide it." He added, pulling out a little jade token that Nue recognized as a voice-recording disc, "Then they’ll review our training... And I’ll quote you directly, word for word. Well, past me will." He flipped it in his hand, pocketing it.

  By now, Nue's fists trembled, her nails digging into her palm, ready to draw blood..

  “My Flame-grade Crystals,” Siu said, stretching his arm out, “I’ll wait.”

  Slowly, with barely contained rage, the older disciple withdrew the payment from a small pouch hanging from her waist and tossed it onto the floor right before Siu.

  “You’ll regret this,” she muttered, already walking away, looking at him picking it up without any anger on his face.

  “I might,” Siu smiled, not looking at her in return, “But I won’t be poorer for it.”