A city’s strength lies not in its walls but in its organization. When the framework of authority crumbles, swift action must rebuild these structures before disorder takes root.
—Master Lin Feng, Scale of Heaven and Earth
Feng Yu turned and waved before disappearing down the winding mountain path. Xiulan squeezed Mei Chen’s cold hand and studied the steep cliff face before them.
"Mei, we’re going down the hard way." Xiulan gestured toward the sheer drop. "Can you float?"
Mei Chen tilted her head, dark eyes scanning the rocky descent. "Yes?"
"Great." Xiulan released Mei Chen’s hand and stepped to the cliff’s edge. "I’ll go first—follow when it’s safe."
The first outcropping jutted from the cliff face twenty feet below. Xiulan gathered qi in her legs and leapt. Her boots struck solid rock with a satisfying crunch. A second ledge beckoned another fifteen feet down. She pushed off again, landing in a crouch. Three more precise jumps brought her to a wider shelf.
Xiulan glanced up to check on Mei Chen—and nearly lost her balance. The ’wrathful spirit’ hovered just overhead, completely inverted.
Mei Chen’s brown ponytail dangled toward the ground as she gaped at Xiulan. "Xiulan, be careful! You could fall!"
A weak laugh escaped Xiulan’s throat. "You’ll catch me if I do."
Determination transformed Mei Chen’s features. She held out her clenched fists and nodded firmly. "Yes."
Xiulan chuckled and continued her descent through a cluster of cypress and pine trees. The slope gradually leveled out, and Mei Chen touched down to walk beside her.
"Where are we going?" Mei Chen kicked at loose stones. "Why didn’t we stay on the road with Miss Feng?"
"We’re looking for a special spot." Xiulan traced the flow of ambient qi through the mountainside. "Somewhere with strong spiritual energy."
Feng Yu had extracted the location from Ren Chun—a rare qi-rich spot where he achieved his breakthrough.
Xiulan scanned the dense forest ahead. Blackmere suffered from spiritual drought, making cultivation spots as rare as diamonds in mud. The alternative meant venturing into monster-infested wilderness beyond the county borders.
She glanced at Mei Chen. No way would she risk that right now.
Still, she needed to find the place. Her cultivation now lagged behind both Ren Chun and Feng Yu. The golden pill’s power helped, but she refused to fall behind so badly.
The forest thickened as they approached the area between manor and city, closer to where mist rose from the distant swamps. Untamed wilderness stretched in every direction.
Mei Chen sniffed the air. "I don’t smell anything special."
"Keep trying as we walk." Xiulan stepped over a fallen log. "Your senses might detect it before we get there."
"Yes!" Mei Chen straightened and lifted her nose higher, determination etched across her pale features.
Xiulan quickened her pace through the dense forest. Behind her, Mei Chen showed off her new supernatural agility—floating over fallen logs and darting between trees. Her delighted laughter echoed through the branches.
The sun climbed higher as they pressed deeper. Sweat dampened Xiulan’s robes while she maintained her enhanced speed for hours, scaling small ridges and navigating around thorny thickets.
"Xiulan! Xiulan!" Mei Chen bounced in the air. "I can smell it!"
Xiulan halted mid-stride. "What do you smell?"
"The forest scent grows thicker there." Mei Chen pointed northeast. "Different from everywhere else."
Following Mei Chen’s direction, Xiulan pressed forward until the ambient qi density shifted. The spiritual energy thickened like honey in her meridians with an entirely new resonance. Perfect.
A small clearing opened before them, ancient stones arranged in a perfect circle amid a small break in the forest canopy.
"I need to refine my muscles like Feng Yu explained." Xiulan turned to Mei Chen. "It might take a while and... I’ll probably smell terrible. Could you patrol the area and keep watch?"
"Stinky?" Mei Chen tilted her head.
Xiulan reached out and flicked Mei Chen’s nose playfully. Mei Chen yelped and rubbed her nose.
"Yeah, but not as bad as the first time. Though with your sensitive nose it might be... worse," Xiulan said.
"I’ll guard you while you do it!" Mei Chen declared.
Xiulan nodded and then began removing her gear and outer robes.
"Miss Xiulan, you’re getting naked!" Mei Chen squeaked and spun around.
"Yes." Xiulan mimicked Mei Chen’s tone with a laugh.
Mei Chen moved to a safe distance and floated up to a tree branch to sit and watch.
Xiulan finished disrobing completely, leaving nothing on to be ruined by whatever left her body. She settled at the center of the stone circle in a meditative lotus pose.
The air felt different, charged with potent qi that pulsed through her meridians. Thankfully any remnants from Ren Chun’s breakthrough a few days earlier was completely absent. The qi flows likely dissolved any residual filth quickly, unlike the gunk that had marred her courtyard back at the manor.
Xiulan watched Mei Chen follow Ming inside, then turned toward the merchant district. She had scattered military officials to track down.
The main watch building buzzed with disorganized activity. Junior soldiers rushed past each other without purpose or direction. Papers scattered across desks, and half-eaten meals sat abandoned.
"Where’s the Captain?" Xiulan grabbed a passing soldier’s sleeve.
"Don’t know, Miss. Haven’t seen him since yesterday."
Three more soldiers gave similar answers. At the captain’s desk, Xiulan rifled through scattered reports. A hastily scrawled note caught her attention—orders for immediate transfer to a distant village, signed by the Captain himself.
Coward.
A broad-shouldered sergeant hustled past, barking orders at two recruits. Xiulan stepped into his path. "Sergeant. Your name?"
"Liu Bao, Miss?" He straightened his uniform.
"Miss Lin Xiulan. Your lord’s sister. Congratulations on your promotion to Acting Captain, Liu Bao."
His weathered face paled. "But Miss Lin, I’m just a commoner. I can’t—"
"You can and will. Round up every soldier in the city. Appoint new unit leaders from your most capable men. I want everyone assembled at the government building within four hours."
"The men won’t listen to a commoner’s orders."
Xiulan grabbed Liu Bao’s arm and pulled him toward the officer’s quarters. Dust coated the abandoned room’s surfaces—papers scattered across desks, half-empty tea cups growing mold. She yanked open drawers until the glint of brass caught her eye.
"Here." Xiulan pressed the officer’s seal into Liu Bao’s calloused palm. "Now it’s official. Your second task: locate Instructor Han Shun and gather information about our family’s soldiers."
Liu Bao studied the seal. "Some Lin guards integrated with city patrols after the attack. The rest..." He shrugged.
"What a mess." Xiulan pinched the bridge of her nose. "Listen carefully. Gather everyone—all one thousand guards—tonight. Anyone who refuses faces arrest, regardless of rank. They’ll hear a decree from me."
"Yes, Miss Lin." Liu Bao straightened his spine and hurried out.
Good. Xiulan hurried out of the building. She had the hard part to take care of now.
The city magistrate’s building came into view as Xiulan strode through Blackmere’s streets. The doors were abandoned. She pushed them open and froze. The chaos inside surpassed even the watch building’s disorder.
Papers littered the inner courtyard. Inside, overturned desks and empty wine bottles painted a picture of abandonment and chaos. The scent of spilled ink and stale alcohol permeated the air.
How many days had it taken to devolve into absolute anarchy and utter abandonment of their duties?
The two assassin cultivators had truly destroyed all morale and discipline...
A snore drew Xiulan’s attention to a portly official sprawled across three cushions. She grabbed his collar and yanked him upright. "Wake up!"
The man’s bleary eyes snapped open. "Wha—"
She released him and stormed through the building. Empty offices. Scattered documents. A trail of destruction that spoke of hasty looting rather than organized evacuation.
A flash of movement caught her eye—another official trying to slip out a side door. Xiulan crossed the room in three strides and seized his arm. "Get everyone. Now."
"But—"
"Now!"
Twenty minutes later, two dozen trembling officials lined up before her. There should have been at least forty. Their wrinkled robes and unwashed faces betrayed days of neglect.
"Pathetic." Xiulan paced before them. "You abandoned your posts when the city needed you most."
Several shuffled their feet. One stared at the floor.
"Tell your missing colleagues they have until tomorrow to resume their duties. After that, they’ll be branded criminals." She stopped pacing. "Spread the word."
She stopped and looked at them, her gaze probing. "Who’s the highest-ranking official present?"
Silence answered.
"Dead or fled, Miss Lin," someone mumbled.
Xiulan pointed at a middle-aged man with ink-stained fingers. "You. Congratulations on your promotion."
The man stammered. "But I just handle tax records—"
"Not anymore. Listen carefully: Stock the granaries. Check the fire-fighting equipment. Fill every cistern. Keep the streets clear. These are the priorities to be taken care of immediately."
She swept her gaze across the group. "Tomorrow, we begin the draft. Any official who fails their duties goes first on the list."
The assembled bureaucrats straightened their spines and bowed. "Yes, Miss Lin!"