Please... Just Let Us Eat.

  Jianrong and the five matrons found a seat overlooking their road intersection where people were walking and working.

  “Oh, wow, perfect, I wonder why no one is sitting here?” Rong said, surprised.

  Bao Yu smiled when Rong pulled out her seat for her. “Child, act the daughter you are.”

  Rong snorted as she pulled out He Yun’s seat as well. “I am still your junior.” She grinned.

  He Yun paused mid-step, then sat anyway.

  “We will discuss hierarchy after you stop smiling at strangers like you’re recruiting them.”

  Rong blinked. “I smiled?” She realized it would be much harder to stop than she expected.

  “Yes,” Qing said quietly, already fanning herself. “With enthusiasm.”

  Na leaned in, voice low. “You smiled with teeth.”

  “Oh.” Rong considered this. “That cannot be good, I imagine?”

  Bao Yu sighed and folded her hands. “It is not bad. It is just… loud.”

  They sat.

  Food was chosen and ordered.

  Around them, bowls clinked. Conversations resumed—carefully.

  Too carefully. A man at the following table abruptly decided he was finished eating and left half a dumpling behind.

  Lin Su watched him go, then looked at Rong.

  “Small bites,” she advised. “No stretching. And please—no lightning.”

  “I wasn’t planning on lightning,” Rong said reasonably.

  He Yun gave her a look. “That sentence is never comforting.”

  Food arrived. Steam rose. The smell of broth cut through the tension like mercy.

  Rong picked up her chopsticks and paused. “…why is everyone staring?”

  No one answered immediately.

  Then Bao Yu reached out and gently turned Rong’s shoulders two degrees to the left.

  “There,” she said. “Now you are not facing the room.”

  Rong looked down at her soup. “Is this a threat thing or a manners thing?”

  “Yes,” said Na.

  Rong nodded, accepted that, and took a bite.

  It was excellent.

  Her shoulders relaxed despite herself.

  Across the table, Qing finally exhaled. “Good. Eating helps.”

  “I like this place,” Rong said around a dumpling. “It feels calm.”

  All five matrons stared at her.

  He Yun spoke first. “Child. Three people have already left.”

  “Because of me?”

  “Because of fate,” Bao Yu corrected smoothly. “Which you are apparently carrying in your sleeves.”

  Jianrong looked around. “I have traveled a bit, and I have been in one place where women cover themselves, both body and hair, for modesty when outside the home. What you got were conservative outfits, but eye makeup that drew you in. Interesting fabrics and cuts. That place had good food and good sun. I could understand it better than this place.” Rong said, talking about her time in another life without admitting it.

  The women listed and each thought about such a place.

  “How were marriages?” Qing asked.

  “Arranged…that is human nature, but sometimes good, sometimes bad. I knew people who were placed together and stayed together for five decades... happy. I knew others who married for love and fell out of love after a few months. Humans are funny animals.” Rong laughed.

  The woman chatted away as tea was brought.

  “When we get home, I will make you some meat that dissolves in your mouth!” Rong promised as she turned to take Bao Yu’s hand and began to massage it.

  Within moments, Bao realized Rong was using Qi to heal minor damage from a life of cultivating.

  “Child...What are you doing?!” Bao asked, alarmed.

  “Fixing the damage,” Rong replied simply.

  Lin Su rested her hand on Rong's shoulder. “Child, stop, let me explain, but for now, just stop.” She asked softly.

  Jianrong nodded, then placed Bao Yu’s hand to her forehead and gave a small prayer with a murmur.

  Rong turned to Lin Su and waited.

  The thin scholarly woman took Rong's hands and smiled her eyes full of warmth.

  “The ability to heal is a great gift. But it cannot be given freely or openly.” She said softly.

  Jianrong nodded.

  Lin Su slowly explained how the need to control how healing was provided and who saw it was important, but also how pain and its acceptance were part of the cultivator culture.

  “Child, you are…strong. Do you ever feel that it is not deserved?” Lin Su asked as all the matrons leaned in.

  Rong tilted her head. “There are different paths that got me here. Training in martial arts is arduous. Understanding Qi without manuals or teachers took time. But I never think ‘I did not earn this,’ “Rong replied.

  Lin Su paused .

  She, like the others, had thought Rong would have a fragility, a shame at having gained power inappropriately, or survivor's guilt.

  Rong held none of that.

  “She will not break under pressure. She will also not be shaped easily.”

  “Child, most Cultivators believe that gaining power must hurt, that pain proves legitimacy, and endurance equals virtue.” Lin Su said, and the others nodded.

  Jianrong’s eyes widened. “Oh, interesting. The exiles I train with still believe that, but we took all their pain away, so now we all train together. We beat one another with rods, suffer excruciating pain and strain, damaging muscles and bones alike,” she said with a smile.

  Thinking back to what seemed ages ago, she laughed.

  “Andy and I have been burned, beaten, cut, crushed, stabbed, choked, drowned, crippled, and put into a comatose state. Then…we heal each other and do it again. That is how we know our limits and step into a fight without fearing the unknown. I don’t fear a blade to the gut, or a fist to the face, along with an extensive range of pain because I have already endured them.” Rong said amicably.

  Each person at the table felt a cold chill.

  Someone who doesn’t fear injury

  Someone who has rehearsed catastrophic failure

  Someone who heals afterward

  That produces:

  An uncontrollable combatant.

  Not berserk.

  Not suicidal.

  Reliable under extreme conditions.

  For the Cultivator, this was ideal. For those in power, this was catastrophic.

  He Yun saw what no one else says aloud:

  Jianrong has already passed the death line multiple times and returned by design.

  This places her outside:

  Deterrence

  Threat escalation

  Normal political coercion

  You cannot threaten someone with:

  Injury

  Maiming

  Death

  When those are already training checkpoints.

  He Yun’s internal verdict: “She is not fearless. She is inoculated.”

  Bao Yu asked a question she knew she would regret.

  “Child, have you ever fought people in the same realm as you?” Her voice was strained.

  Rong turned and smiled. “Sure, plenty of times.”

  “Is this sparring or a fight?” Qing asked.

  Rong blinked. “I have done both, what …is the question?” She asked, confused by their concern.

  Na licked her lips. “Why did you fight?”

  “Well, if we pick the ones where I did not diffuse the problem and instead escalated it, the last one would be me fighting a city's strike team that forced me to treat them as enemies,” Rong said easily.

  There was a prolonged silence.

  He Yun finally opened her mouth and asked. “What was the outcome?”

  Rong tilted her head in surprise. What did they THINK happened? “I ended their lives in a pursuit they refused to give up on, even when I explained the situation.” She explained.

  Lin Su’s lips moved as she tried to articulate her thought. “Was the Strike Team Officially Mandated?” she pressed.

  “No idea, did not ask, did not care.” Rong pointed out.

  “Were there witnesses? Talismans and other means to record what happened?!”

  Bao Yu demanded.

  Rong shrugged. “Probably, I was in a major city market picking out gifts when seven Core Formations demanded I surrender or be dragged off like a prostitute. I tried to reason with them, but they attacked with Aura, so I fled. They were more persistent than bed bugs, so I started folding them up one by one till none remained.” She explained.

  “Do they know who you were?” Bao croaked.

  “I had to go back there for official business, they suspected, but I declined to interview with them, and since they cannot prove it…Well, I just don’t go inside that city.” Rong grinned.

  Na downed her tea and asked. “What was the official business?”

  “Ah, I was tasked with flying and an Imperial Officer and his scribe around to count Feral. This was before the-“ she waved her hands around her body. “and I was commissioned under Minister Cyreth Elaren as her special attendant. I think it's my tea that she likes most if I am honest.” Rong smiled.

  “Does she know… what you did?” Qing demanded.

  Jianrong nodded. “I did not confess, but she is a smart, attractive, very attractive woman,” Rong admitted.

  “You listed attractive twice, child.” Bao Yu murmured.

  “I thought it might be relevant,” Rong replied.

  “How close to her are you, child?” Bao asked.

  “Close,” Rong admitted.

  “Would you invoke her name if cornered?” Qing asked.

  Rong snorted. “Never.”

  “She is the Empress's aunt. Do you know the empress? If so, how closely?” Lin Su probed.

  “Yes, I, “Rong cleared her throat. “ I her it well.” She admitted.

  “Child,” Bao’s voice trembled. “Could you use her name to gain protection?”

  Rong shook her head. “That would put the two of them in a precarious position. I won't do that.” She explained.

  Bao Yu finally understands why she regretted asking the first question.

  It is not because Jianrong is dangerous. It is because Jianrong is incorruptible in precisely the wrong way.

  She would not:

  Buy safety

  Trade favors

  Sacrifice others

  Or hide behind power

  Which left only: Competence, restraint, and isolation.

  That is a razor-thin path.

  She is not reckless.

  She is not arrogant.

  She is not ignorant.

  She is choosing to carry the consequences herself.

  He Yun leaned over. “Why did they have you operate the flying treasure?”

  All their eyes turned to Rong, who blinked.

  “Ah…no…we have a magical construct we can create using Qi, I used that to take them around.” Rong clarified.

  He Yun blinked. “They had you do that instead of using imperial assets?”

  Rong smiled. “Have you ever in your life seen a flying construct here?” She smiled at the obvious answer.

  The silence was broken by footsteps coming up the stairs.

  Rong turned when she felt half a dozen Spirit Senses wash over them.

  Rong’s brow rose as people exited the stairway and spread out.

  Customers who saw the men immediately made their way to the stairway, and one man by a window removed himself by slipping out; a moment later, they heard him hit the ground with a painful thud.

  Jianrong actually smiled and laughed as the men surrounded them, then a handsome middle-aged man in a deep-purple robe with silver dragon embroidery on his chest moved forward. The sash at his waist held a Jian in a lacquered sheath.

  The weapon was well-maintained and exuded power.

  “Good afternoon.” The man said his eyes were calm, only seeing Jianrong.

  Jianrong smiled and gave a salute.

  “Elder brother's reputation seems to precede him; wherever he goes, the crowds make way. This little one bids you good day. Did you have some questions for us, or is this your preferred place to sit?” She turned, brushing the hair out of the way so she could see the street. “If so, we can understand and don’t mind moving.”

  Her voice was gentle and kind, as her eyes sparkled.

  The five matrons stared in silence, feeling that several of the group were very powerful.

  What little Rong had done was precisely correct. To speak would be to undermine the groundwork she had laid.

  “Young lady, my name is Wu Lóng Yuān.” The man introduced himself.

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  “Greeting, Excellency, did you …need something?” she asked, observing his companions, who seemed unsavory and without a moral compass.

  The man smiled brightly. “You are as beautiful as you are insightful. I have indeed come to ask you to join me. We would like to ascertain the nature of your Yin.” He said, amused.

  “The nature of it, I could simply tell you. Feminine but reserved, perhaps uncomfortably fragrant. Was there anything else?” she asked smoothly.

  Yuan shook his head. “Unfortunately, I must insist, or I will need to resort to harming your companions. You would not want that, would you?”

  Jianrong leaned back and sighed. “Wouldn’t having a cup of tea with some lovelies be more entertaining than dragging me around to determine whether or not I have Yin, be more preferable?” She pouted.

  Yuan frowned when he glanced around at her companions. “You jest, all I see is one woman who needs to know her place and five who have already been put in theirs.” His tone hardened.

  Bao Yu turned and faced Yuan. “Excellency, this is a public establishment.

  Threats against elders over tea will draw questions. Surely that is beneath your reputation.”

  The Aura of a Core Formation enveloped the table, making everyone, including Jianrong, flinch.

  Yuan smiled brightly as his companions chuckled, licking his lips.

  “I dislike it when people below me presume to speak to me.” He stated while his spiritual pressure made the Matrons groan. If Yuan chose to keep pressing down, the Matrons could be seriously injured, crippled, or die.

  “Excellency, please mercy. She spoke only to protect me. We know when to accept our fate. Please release my aunties, and I will follow you willingly.” Rong pleaded with her hands up in submission.

  The Matrons spoke up, trying to get a word in to make the man realize he was wrong.

  His Aura landed like a mountain, making Jianrong collapse from her chair with a sharp cry as she covered her head as his Aura collapsed inward.

  Yuan froze.

  Not in alarm.

  In surprise.

  The girl hit the floor harder than he expected, chair skidding as she curled inward, hands over her head, breath breaking in a sharp, involuntary sound.

  That sound mattered.

  It was not defiance.

  It was not cultivated resistance.

  It was pure neurological overwhelm.

  Yuan’s smile faltered—just a hair.

  His companions stopped chuckling.

  One of them frowned.

  “…She didn’t shield,” one muttered quietly.

  Another leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing. “No rebound. No counterflow.”

  Yuan let his pressure ease by a fraction as he watched closely.

  The matrons gasped as the weight lifted just enough for them to breathe.

  Rong stayed down.

  Didn’t flare.

  Didn’t retaliate.

  Didn’t harden her aura.

  She just shook once, like a startled animal, and went still.

  Yuan straightened slowly.

  Interest replaced amusement.

  “That’s…” he murmured, tilting his head, “…unexpected.”

  One of the men glanced at the matrons, then back at Rong. “Excellency, she took that like a mortal.”

  Yuan’s eyes flicked back to the girl.

  “No,” he corrected calmly.

  “She took it like someone who never learned to defend against cultivators.”

  That landed in the matrons hearts.

  His lips curved again—but this time the smile was measured, not cruel.

  “Careful,” he said lightly, lifting a hand to halt his men as one shifted forward.

  “If she were bait, she would have resisted.” another said.

  He studied Rong where she knelt, small and folded in on herself, hands still raised even as she trembled.

  Submission.

  Untrained.

  Unshielded.

  Not fake.

  Yuan exhaled through his nose, pleased.

  “Well,” he said, voice warm again, “this just became simpler.”

  One of his companions swallowed. “Excellency… do we—”

  “No,” Yuan replied immediately.

  “Do not touch her yet.”

  He looked down at the matrons, still bowed under the residue of his pressure.

  “She already offered herself,” he said mildly.

  “There is no need to make this ugly.”

  Then, to Rong—pleasant, almost indulgent:

  “Stand up, little one. Slowly.”

  His aura did not press again.

  Not because he was merciful.

  Because he had just decided she was breakable.

  And breakable things are handled with care.

  Jianrong, with trembling muscles, pressed herself up, then, with a pale face, emptied the contents of her stomach and began to sob.

  Wu Long Yuan’s smile faded, and he moved to a more neutral position as his mind processed what was happening.

  He kept his Aura restrained, but his voice was sharp when the matrons wanted to help her.

  “Do not move, or I will not hesitate to use my Aura, and then our little friend will be the one to suffer.

  Bao Yu was so confused that her hands wrung in concern.

  Qing and Na voiced support for Rong, who slowly got up with trembling legs. Vomit still on her lips, she stepped away from the table with her hands up in submission.

  The second Core Formation frowned; he could barely feel the woman now. He thought she was a candle about to extinguish.

  “Haven't they trained you?!” the man demanded.

  Jianrong shook her head. “They abducted me from my home to capture my mother, but she abandoned me.” She said weakly.

  Yuan blinked. “You're not Bloodforge?!”

  Rong looked at him with dead fish eyes. “My mom was, but she was exiled twenty years ago.” She said, then hiccupped, covered her face, and started crying again.

  Qing moved, got water, and wiped the food from Rong's mouth.

  The matrons all glared at Yuan, who didn’t seem to care. The second in command moved forward and gritted his teeth as Rong sought out his hand gratefully to support her.

  The man turned to Yuan. “She smells amazing even over the vomit, but I have a dog with a stronger Aura.” He didn’t know what to do.

  Yuan took a breath, sighed, and stepped closer to decide whether there was any point in taking someone who would be more hassle and expense. He took her left wrist and sensed.

  She had a Core, he could sense it, but it was so silent he imagined it was tiny.

  Rong turned from the one man to Yuan.

  She took a quivering breath, and the lieutenant patted her arm supportively.

  Then her hand flicked, and the Qi thread attached to her knife handle on her vest behind her chair snapped tight.

  “Please…don’t hurt us.” Rong breathed pure gold seven affinity Qi into the man's face, causing him to take a shuddering breath.

  Both men's Spirit Senses caught the movement from the ground near the bundle of materials that lay in the girl's hand.

  The next moment, Yuan’s heart was bisected by her heavy knife that slid up under his rib cage as his body was lifted off the ground from the driving force Rong had applied to her arm to drive the dagger through his reinforced flesh.

  There was a moment where time paused as the Core Formation brigand stared at his boss, who was dead but did not know it yet.

  Then the arm that was holding up Rong collapsed under the crushing pressure of her grip, his flesh parted as her grip made his bones ache, then fracture.

  Then she yanked him into her proximity, setting off an even greater pain.

  He went to let out a scream of agony when he was head-butted in the face, stunning him, as stars washed across his vision.

  A breath later, his life ended when the knife exited Yuan and entered through his right eye and stopped at its hilt.

  There were five men left.

  Only one was Core Formation.

  Rong waved her hand as Yuan coughed up blood, trying to do something, anything to keep his second most crucial organ working.

  The air in the room snapped toward Rong.

  His eyes met Jianrong's as she smiled and flicked an air needle at the Foundation Establishment, who was looking at the other Core Formation for directions.

  A moment later, blood blew out of his mouth and neck as the needle had slid into his throat above his armor, blowing his esophagus apart.

  The Last Core Formations Aura exploded as his blade destroyed his sheath by forcing his blade out fast enough to attack the woman who was on top of him.

  Her speed made him go cold, but what was more terrifying was the dazzling smile she had as her eyes sparkled violet.

  The blade sailed past her as she leaned back, avoiding his feral strike.

  Her hips shifted and carried her momentum, and she smashed his left knee with a blow that buckled the bone and bent the joint backwards with her left foot.

  He went down with a scream, then rolled over to defend, searching for the blade he dropped when his face smashed the floor, stunning him.

  A moment later, a foot landed on his face, shattering his nose and making him move his hand to protect his face.

  Rong's foot landed on his throat like a hammer, crushing his airways and ending his fight forever.

  The remaining three men saw their better crushed without Qi and knew they had seen enough.

  They dove out of three different windows.

  Jianrong sauntered back to Yuan, who was pouring Qi into his organ to stay alive.

  His eyes bore into her as he trembled in rage.

  She squatted down and ran her fingers through his hair gently.

  “You know…it’s kind of ironic…I could actually save you.”

  For a moment, hope entered his eyes.

  Then she laughed. “But who are we kidding? I would never help someone like you. But here, let me send you along.”

  She took a deep breath, then blew slowly and steadily into his face. The refined Qi made him euphoric, and he could no longer sustain his Qi-healing; moments later, he was still, a faint smile on his face.

  Jianrong stood up, placed her foot on the lieutenant's chest, pulled out her knife, and used his robes to clean it.

  She rested the blade on her forehead and closed her eyes. Then she gave thanks to the ground below, the sky above, and her mother.

  She reached into Yuan's robe, found his coin pouch, and found a gold piece.

  She returned to the table, sat down, placed the coin for payment, and re-served herself food to refill what he had discarded, pretending to be weak.

  Glancing up, she saw everyone staring at her, each matron pale and wide-eyed.

  Bao Yu looked like she might go into shock.

  “So…want to hit the market after here? I can make a frozen fruit dessert you might like.”

  Rong said with a smile.

  Bao Yu silently cried, nodding yes at the market.

  Qing stared at Rong's hands that just crushed bone, now casually eating.

  Na started mentally cataloging everything that happened for later analysis.

  He Yun drank her tea in one long swallow.

  Lin Su looked at Rong, then carefully, diplomatically said, "Rong’er... perhaps we should discuss what just occurred?" Her heart was pounding as she was awash with complicated feelings.

  Rong glanced around. “Seven men entered a restaurant, making the customers terrified. An Imperial attendant conversed with them to try to placate them, but they, in turn, attacked with Aura, intending to harm. As a representative of the crown, I was forced to protect the populace from bodily harm. Unfortunately, the men were hell-bent on dishonoring Empress Sulara’s good name, so I had to use lethal force so none of you would be harmed.” Rong said smoothly.

  Less then a chime later the restaurant was filled with enforcers.

  They were stunned.

  “When was the last time we had a double homicide of a Core?” One man said to an older woman.

  The woman blinked, thinking back. “Sect war with that one Clan that collapsed. What…over eighty years ago?” She murmured.

  Two chimes later, Jianrong was sitting alone in a room with a man and a woman.

  He was the Senior Magistrate's Deputy, and she was a government liaison.

  “Please, for the record, repeat what you think transpired.” The liaison stated evenly.

  “Of course, unsavory malcontents entered a respectable tax-paying business, ran off the customers, then when they attacked my delegation of older women I was eating with, four died due to sustained injuries due to poor training and lack of self-preservation,” Rong stated.

  The magistrate's jaw tightened.

  “Each time you tell the story, it gets shorter.” He pointed out.

  Rong smiled. “Efficiency means less waste on taking up your valuable time.” She offered with a smile.

  “Were you acting under any formal authority at the time?” The magistrate asked.

  Rong smiled. “When a crime happens after you are off duty, do you shrug and let it happen, Deputy?” Her question was light, so was the tilt of her head, and her congenial smile.

  The liaison glanced at her companion and cleared her throat. “Did they identify themselves by sect or insignia?”

  “He only identified himself by the name of Wu Lóng Yuān; we assumed he was a local criminal avoiding prosecution.” Rong offered.

  “At what point was Aura first released?” she asked.

  “When Senior Matron Bao Yu tried to reason with him. He seemed confused, as if large words like honor were too complex for him to conceptualize. He released his Aura, making the room freeze. Licked his lips, then adjusted his manhood in what I assumed was arousal.

  “Please restrict your account to observable actions.” The man said, becoming angered.

  Rong tilted her head forward with a smile growing. “He knew him…”

  “I see, well, let me rephrase it then. The honorable Elder Matron Bao Yu spoke up, trying to dissuade the man from abducting someone and breaking the law. The assailant grew confused; his mouth moved like a fish out of water, his eyes glazed over. Then he released his aura, watched the occupants at the table struggle, and licked his lips while using his entire hand to touch his groin. Was it clearer?” she asked sweetly.

  Eventually, the Liaison’s questions ended.

  The man stared at Rong, who seemed both unperturbed and unaffected by their deaths.

  “Have you changed clothes since the incident?” The man asked slowly.

  “Unfortunately, I have not had the time to step away since duty requires all the paperwork be completed. Did you wish for me to disrobe so you could check them?” she asked.

  The Liaison saved the man once more. “There is no need for that.”

  Rong’s eyes slid over the woman. “She is on their side, self-preservation most likely.”

  Jianrong nodded to herself and then looked at the two people. “Was there anything else I can do for you, or are we done?”

  The man smiled, finally.

  “Yes, we are done. However, we ask that you remain in the city for a few days until the official report is filed and cleared, so we don’t have to chase you or the other witnesses down for clarification.

  “I see that may prove difficult. I arrived with a large contingent from the Bloodforge Clan this morning; it will require me to get approval.” Rong lied.

  The woman shook her head. “The Team Leader was already briefed on the events and understood that you and the matrons would need to stay for an additional amount of time; they were pressed for time, and since your presence was just a coincidence, they felt it was unjustified to remain while you took care of personal business.” She explained.

  Rong’s brows rose, then she gave a small laugh. “Of course…I had forgotten that even though we share the same name, we are not tied to one another.” She pursed her lips. “I assume that my entourage was also seen as part of that explanation?” Rong asked.

  The man nodded. “They made it clear that your attendants were not theirs to manage.”

  Jianrong’s eyes sparkled violet. “Of course, when our paths cross again, I will be sure to thank him for reminding me of my duties.” Said softly.

  Jianrong's eyes moved to the man, and a predatory presence made his heart still, and a coldness moved through him.

  “Where are my people?” Rong asked.

  “They are being held at another location for questioning.” The man said, amused.

  “So, you're questioning my property without me present?” she asked, confused.

  The woman opened her mouth, then turned to the man, who realized they had simply made the woman hers by default, by accepting the Bloodforge excuse; all parties involved were agreeing that the Matrons were Jianrong’s.

  A pressure folded over them, locking them in place as the room's light dimmed, Rong staring at them with a smile that was not a smile.

  The small woman seemed to tower over them as her pressure threatened to squeeze the blood out of their very pores.

  Rong let out a small sigh of relief, letting her Aura go, then her eyes locked onto the two, who realized they had just made a enemy for life.

  “I would like an explanation of why you think it is appropriate to take imperial assets and do with them as you see fit without at least clearing it with their owner.”

  Her eyes turned to o the woman as the pressure increased, making the chairs groan.

  “Was this…. your idea?” Rong asked softly, her smile only growing as her fangs seemed to glisten.

  “There appears to have been a misunderstanding of custodial status,” The man sputtered.

  Rong's hand moved from her waist to the table.

  With a loud thump, her imperial token landed, then slid across so both could clearly see it.

  All of Rong's presence moved to the man. “I see, so it was your team who did not understand.” Jianrong stood up, moved behind them, took her gear, donned her tactical vest, and checked her knife, all while the pressure never eased.

  Jianrong’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, and her voice entered his ear.

  “You will provide a suitable escort to my people, and we will remain until this is resolved unless there are any other issues that arise that force us to seek political asylum back in Tianrelion, so this can be resolved amicably through an imperial mediator,” Rong murmured sweetly. Her breath rested on his neck for a heavy moment, where he felt she might consume him.

  No one moved.

  “Do I look like someone who has an abundance of time to waste, Deputy?” she asked as the pressure eased and she stood up straight, waiting.

  When the Deputy stood, it was sudden and uneasy.

  The man towered over her, but his friend had died to a single strike of her blade.

  The medical examiner had described extensive trauma to the rib cage where the blade notched the bone, and the heart and the tissue around it were severed and crushed.

  No Aura residue.

  No Qi used.

  Just power, more power than a Core Formation could muster with such a weapon.

  “Right this way, I will have a runner take you.” He said his voice was weaker than he intended.

  Rong turned to the Liaison and bowed.

  As she moved through the building, Rong realized something when someone moved to make her break stride and avoid them.

  They needed her to play along.

  The man who moved in her way he was shoved to the ground with a dismissive hand.

  “Learn to use your Spirit Sense or stop cultivating,” Jianrong warned as she kept walking, uncaring.

  The man opened his mouth to rebuke her, but she strode away behind the Deputy as if he was below her attention.

  A young man was pushed forth after an unwarranted wait for clarification on the Matron's current location.

  The Deputy waited with Rong as a man in an office checked some documents and wrote a few writs, which were taken away urgently.

  When he finally received a notification in return, he smiled. “There we go, everything is now ready for you to pick up your property.”

  Rong waited.

  “Was there something else?” the heavy-set man asked, dabbing his forehead with a delicate silk towel.

  Rong smiled, taking it all in. “You might recall, I will need documentation for when I arrive.”

  The plump man glanced at the deputy, who said nothing, unwilling to become more involved.

  “It should be fine now.” The man said, his voice trailing off as Rong shook her head.

  “I assure you it will be fine.” He reiterated.

  “I see, may I see your token, please?” She asked sweetly.

  “Why?” he asked, alarmed.

  “So, I know who I will throw under the wagon.” She replied, delighted.

  The man turned to the Deputy, who now turned his head away, actively avoiding the other's eyes.

  “Ah…let me get that writ for you.” He mumbled.

  “Excellent,” Rong said, then turned to the Deputy. “I find it comforting that when my leadership needs to solve a problem more directly, they choose me. It gives one a sense of confidence that others see you as dependable…but of course, as I am sure you already know, that can weigh on you. Mistakes are made. Best to have yourself covered…at other people's expense.” She covered her mouth and gave a small laugh.

  The boy ran like he was trying to escape a ghost.

  He took turns suddenly, cut through crowds, and was gasping for air when he stopped in a side alley, looking out for any sign she was keeping up.

  With a slight chuckle, he opened the note once more,

  “Lead her through the third lower market, at which point, lose her.”

  He felt in his pocket, and there sat two silver pieces.

  He would run her all around town if need be for that amount.

  A slender arm slid around his neck, and Jianrong looked down at the note, her Aura caressing him like he was a clown fish and she was a sea anemone.

  “It seems my little plump friend did not wish for me to reach my companions. Why do you think that is?” Rong's words filled the young man's mind with dread as he was reeled in terror.

  The sun was getting low in the sky as the two stood in the narrow alley.

  “I am sure I don’t know.” The young man's teeth chattered as he said it.

  Rong smiled and gave him a small hug, “Well, it seems you have outlived your usefulness then. Too bad, too sad.” She giggled.

  “Wait, please wait, mistress!” the young man begged, trembling.

  Rong's lips brushed his earlobe, making him tremble more. “Pray tell, what is it that I am waiting for?” she asked sweetly.

  “They had me running to the Dragon Mountain Sect… the same sect the men that died belonged to.” He admitted.

  Rong nodded, then nuzzled his head with hers. “You must be exhausted from all that running, but not too tired not to open and read what was sent…right?” she said softly.

  The young man trembled for a moment, deciding whether or not to demand money, when Rongs fang took hold of his earlobe and sliced through it, making him begin to bleed as her Aura tightened around him.

  “You taste yummy.” She whispered. “If my people are in danger and you are trying to decide how much their lives are worth to me… that will end badly for you.” She sighed, and the armed man holding him pulled him closer with an impossible strength. “But you're smart, you knew that, you were just clearing your mind so you could get to the point.” She murmured as a pulse of Blood Qi moved through her tongue to the injury, sealing it but leaving the cut.

  The boy felt a sharp euphoria that made him tremble anew as his body heated from her scent and the Qi flowing into him.

  Rong clicked her tongue and smiled.

  “How about this, tell me what I know, and you can go hit the lantern district on my coin since I seem to affect you.” Rong purred, her grip loosening until her finger trailed across his chest, no longer restraining.

  The young man swallowed, then took another deep breath, shuddering with pleasure.

  “They will be waiting for you on the path I tried to leave you on.” The runner stated.

  “From where you left me, describe the route to the detention center my people are at,” Rong ordered.

  When she knew everything was done, she let him go and placed the silver in his hand.

  “PLEASE WAIT,” he cried when she turned to leave.

  Rong turned back, her brows raised.

  “You're beautiful, I, uh, we could, you could bite me more.” He sputtered.

  Rong smiled at him, making him blush, then she leaned in and took his chin with her thumb playfully.

  “Go have fun, lover boy,” she laughed, then disappeared upward onto a house, then across the street with a leap that did not glide but propelled forward with urgency.

  Jianrong found three Core Formation warriors waiting for her on the road.

  Unfortunately, she was not on the road but racing along adjacent to it on rooftops.

  “They will have spotters at the detention facilities.” She thought.

  A moment later, she felt a Spirit Sense, then more locked onto her.

  Seems they had a lot of spotters.

  Air raced around her body, and her speed increased threefold.

  In her wake, the team meant to intercept her held their tokens, turned as one toward her, and set off in pursuit.

  The people behind her started to gain ground.

  Jianrong gritted her teeth. She could run faster, but she could not leap faster without crushing material and falling through roofs. If she were on the ground, she had to worry about killing someone simply by running into them at full speed.

  When they got close, she laughed as the houses and road ended at a massive river; she would not be able to cross it.

  Movement to her side caught her eye as more people with dragon motif robes moved about the large bridge that was packed with traffic.

  Rong let the air armor gather more and more volume as she cleared the last courtyard and landed on the bank.

  Three people landed on the house behind her and laughed.

  “Lady Jianrong, a moment of your time, please!” a woman called.

  Rong didn’t pay attention as she walked across the road, as people looked at her as she threaded between them, then up at the cultivator above them.

  More Qi flowed into the ground as she strode forward.

  The oldest man glanced at the woman. “She plans on swimming or water walking?” he asked seriously.

  The woman held her token and issued orders, and across the river, a contingent broke from the bridge and ran to where Jianrong might come ashore.

  Then everything seemed to still as Jianrong’s form became luminescent, taking on the form of a white spirit fox, its golden eyes glowing and swaying as if smiling at the people who stared and gawked.

  Then white wings extended from the form, smooth and graceful like a seagull.

  She stepped onto the incline leading to the water and stomped her foot.

  Gravity had been folded, compressed, and held by Qi; it released her, sending her falling at an angle toward the other side of town.

  It was only for a breath, but at nine gravities, she moved like a beam of light, startling everyone, including the sect enforcers, who stood, unsure what to do next.

  Jianrong raced past the shoreline at a thirty-degree angle when her wings snapped open wide.

  She had never tried to fly with these, only let Elaren use them to hold onto when they played in her quarters.

  Her mind had already built a miniature of the albatrosses, and her feet had the tail shape of a swallow.

  Houses raced by, then one building, then another…then momentum could carry her no further.

  With a thought, the shape collapsed and darkened as the sun was now below the horizon.

  Her form fell as air pulsed, aligning her body and guiding her down to an alleyway.

  Then it was gone, her tactical armor came off, and she carried it like luggage.

  She touched up her hair and stepped onto the main street, matching the pace of those around her.