When Pengfei stood from the breakfast table, Nanxi stuck out his foot, trying to trip him. Pengfei stepped over the obstacle, looking for it after being caught for the past three days.

  “Dickhead.” He slapped the back of Nanxi’s head as he passed, and the rest of the table chuckled. He was smirking along with the rest of them, until his ankle caught on something, his weight continued forward, and he went sprawling to the ground.

  Xiaotong retracted his leg with a guilty smile.

  “Seriously? Asshole…”

  Pengfei’s friends erupted in true laughter now as he picked himself up from the floor and dusted off the front of his robes.

  “You guys look thirsty, let me help you out.”

  He picked up the carafe of water from the center of the table and splashed each of the jokesters in turn, with liberal helpings for Nanxi and Xiaotong. The effect was slightly diminished since everyone was already damp with sweat from the morning’s exercise.

  --Makes me feel better though.--

  Pengfei continued out of the Dining Hall with a last rude gesture toward the table of his jeering friends. He walked lazily through the sect, between the dilapidated stone buildings, making his way to the Patriarch’s residence.

  It was small for such a grand position. But this compound was never meant to be more than a temporary outpost for Kunlun. Their historical seat was back east, in Qinghai.

  --I wonder what kind of home we’ll be returning to when the sect’s punishment ends? Sprawling grounds, ornate furniture, gardens? I’d settle for a real bed…--

  Pengfei reached out a hand toward the frame of the weathered door in front of him but Chen Hongzhang spoke before he could knock.

  “Come in.”

  Pengfei opened the door and stepped inside to find the patriarch sitting and drinking tea.

  “Jin Pengfei greets the Sect Leader.” The disciple clasped his right fist in his left hand, saluting. “I have come to speak with you about the task you assigned.”

  “Excellent. Come this way.”

  Chen Hongzhang set his tea down and led the way to a small office. He sat at a desk cluttered with pieces of paper and ledgers overflowing with figures. When he looked out at Pengfei from behind the desk, the man appeared even more authoritative.

  “So, have you drawn up some plans?”

  “Plans… yes.”

  Pengfei had realized that outright refusing the Sect Leader’s assignment was ill advised and decided on a more subtle strategy.

  --I’m going to beat you over the head with the numbers until you realize how idiotic all this is.--

  He withdrew a piece of paper from his robes and unfolded it to read off the notes and calculations he had scribbled there.

  It was the culmination of weeks of thought and study in the little free time he managed. Leaving meals early or going to bed late so he could sneak off to the Scripture Hall. He had poured over veterinary and agricultural texts for every shred of information he could find on the care, upkeep, and breeding of horses, then combined it with the copious amounts of practical experience he already had on the subject.

  “Ahem - First, I think we need to move a bit sooner than you had originally planned, sir. We don’t have to take delivery now, but we should at least put an offer in for that first thirty-head. If we wait until spring we’ll have to pay premium. And if you want another – four hundred? – when we leave for Xinjiang, we’ll need to start that process now. It’ll probably require several vendors, half the money up front.”

  “Good. Then – “

  Pengfei trampled over the Sect Leader’s response.

  “But the horses are just the beginning, sir. For the ones we intend to ride, we’ll are also need the saddles, bridles, blankets, and bags. Wagons, if you want to use some as cart horses. There are all sorts of tools for the upkeep of the animals that we’ll need to buy from several different merchants, blacksmiths, and so on. Even some medical supplies.

  I’m not sure how we get the feed for the goats, sheep, and yaks down in the valley, but that first thirty-head of horses will eat more oats and hay than the rest of them combined, and it will need to be delivered regularly. We’ll need a new storage building to hold it all, and it definitely needs to be finished by next fall in order to make it through the following winter.

  The land they’ll be grazing… normally, I’d say ten mu of land per horse, but given the terrain, how dry it is, I think we need to bump that up to twenty mu each. That means expanding farther down the valley. And horses are a bit more adventurous than goats, so we might need to fence off the northern end.”

  “So – “

  “With the herd spreading out so far, it doesn’t really make sense to have shifts every week. I’d suggest whoever is working the valley stay down there a bit longer. At least two weeks at a time. Maybe a month. I’d say six people total just to manage the animals, each shift, on top of whoever else you want to send down for riding lessons.

  For that many people, we’d need another bunkhouse, with a kitchen, and a latrine. That would need to be done by next winter as well. Then – “

  “Pengfei.”

  “Yes sir?”

  “Give me the totals.”

  “I’d say … twelve thousand liang now, another eight thousand in three years on delivery for the rest of the herd. At least fifty each month in between for feed. If you want to include the cost of transportation to Qinghai, I’d call it twenty-eight in total. Thirty thousand to be safe.”

  “Done.”

  “…”

  “It sounds like time is of the essence. We should get started on this before the worst of the season’s weather… I’ll find someone to take you north to Hotan in the next few weeks.” Chen Hongzhang casually made a note on a page in front of him and looked back up, unperturbed, to Pengfei.

  “No… but sir …”

  The complete disregard with which Master Hongzhang accepted the figures was beyond Pengfei’s understanding. Thirty thousand liang. And that was on top of that forty-something thousand that the Sect Leader had earmarked for the disciples when their seclusion ended. Two fortunes, dispensed without a care. The boy from privilege was dumbfounded at the sums.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Was there anything else?”

  “… No, sir.”

  “Then you can go.”

  “… Yes, sir.”

  ******************************************************************************

  Pengfei gathered with his friends in the open space between the dormitory buildings. The others were dressed lightly for their daily exercise but he wore his thickest coat and had a bag slung over a shoulder.

  Neng detached from his own bunkmates and walked over to join Nanxi, Shutian, Xiaotong, and the twins in wishing Pengfei goodbye.

  “How long will you be gone?” Neng asked

  “Not sure. A week or two I think.”

  “It doesn’t take that long to get to Hotan and back.”

  “I’m scouting the valley for a couple days first, seeing if there will be any problems keeping the horses there.”

  “Do you have any money?” Nanxi asked, excitedly. “Nevermind, take this. Bring me back as many bottles of wine as you can manage.” He covertly stuffed several strings of coins into the folds of Pengfei’s robes then hurriedly closed the boy’s coat again.

  “Where did you get all that money?”

  “Gambling. You know the money we were promised? The idea of it made our sect brothers very daring with the dice. If Jin Andong hadn’t shut me down, I’d be able to retire to a villa by the time we return to the Central Plains.”

  --This son-of-a-bitch…--

  Pengfei shook his head, grateful that the head of the Jin disciples had caught on to Nanxi’s schemes before he bankrupted the entire generation. Their senior brother was up at the front of the mob now, starting them on their morning run.

  The boys wished Pengfei well and clapped him on his padded shoulders as they fell in with the herd of disciples running uphill along the rocky trail.

  “I’ll see you guys in a couple weeks!” Pengfei shouted after them with a wave.

  He made his way through the sect to a cluster of buildings on the outskirts. Chen Rulan operated a small forge here within the sect’s grounds. He could often be found there when he was not instructing the disciples in the basics of martial arts, though Pengfei never had occasion to seek him out until today.

  The forge was dark, the coals unlit, but its master stood outside, waiting.

  “Good morning, Elder Rulan.”

  The man grunted and waved for him to follow. They stepped over to a large building, immediately adjacent to the forge. Pengfei had never been inside but knew it to be the sect’s armory.

  --A bit shabby…--

  He had expected glinting blades and dazzling sets of armor, but the storehouse was mostly filled with wooden crates stacked on top of each other. A few weapons racks stood against the walls, holding wooden and steel swords. A spear leaned upright in one corner, its blade hidden by a leather sheath, cinched shut with a string.

  Pengfei approached one of the weapon racks and reached out for an aged saber.

  “Not that one. Here.” Chen Rulan opened a wooden crate, appraised the contents, then opened another. He extracted a jian from the box, a straight sword in a lacquered wooden scabbard, free of dust or grime. Simple, but beautiful.

  The mesmerized disciple absent-mindedly noticed several more identical swords in the crate. Dozens more crates. Enough blades for every disciple in the sect.

  When Chen Rulan handed him the instrument of war, Pengfei immediately pulled the hilt back to free the shining steel from the sheath.

  “Beautiful…” he said breathlessly, but a moment later a more pragmatic thought occurred. “But sir, I’m not very good with the jian yet.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It’s our policy, if you go out into civilization, you go armed. Don’t draw it unless you need to and don’t cut your fingers off. Come on.”

  Chen Rulan stepped back towards the doorway and Pengfei slid the blade home, moved to follow. But he stopped short at the threshold, spying something on the wall by the door.

  He reached up and took down a quiver filled with arrows hanging from a hook, picked up the unstrung bow leaning against a nearby crate. “Can I take these too?”

  “If you want to carry it, that’s fine with me.”

  --Much more my speed… maybe I can do some hunting down in the valley.--

  Pengfei awkwardly shuffled outside, holding his bundle of weapons. Chen Rulan sighed when the boy barely stopped the sword from falling, only to dump the quiver full of arrows on the ground.

  “I’ll leave you to this. Meet me at the storehouse in the valley, three days from now.”

  “Ye – Yes, sir.”

  Pengfei managed a quick salute, between picking up his fallen items.

  “Oh, and one more thing. Elder Chen Ji wanted me to remind you to keep up on your exercise. I’ll be making sure of it as we travel…I hope you didn’t think this would be a vacation.”

  “… No, sir.”

  ******************************************************************************

  Within thirty minutes of leaving the sect, Pengfei had tired of the scabbard bouncing on his thigh. It had been novel at first but the daydreams of being a chivalric warrior and master of the blade were quickly replaced with annoyance. He removed the sword from his waist and stuffed it into the bag on his shoulder.

  He stopped again not long after that to better secure the arrows and the bow in the quiver. It would have been fine if he was content to walk but Pengfei couldn’t help himself.

  --A little fresh air, a little riding – if Horse let’s me, that is – and the best part of all… civilization. Stepping foot inside an actual town will almost make this fool’s errand worth it.--

  He jogged downhill, more surefooted than the last time he had taken this path. His training during the punishment on the cliffs, and the equally taxing weeks that had followed, rewarded him with the stamina and the balance necessary to make quick work of the journey. He was able to stop for leisurely bites of food, sip at his waterskin, and still arrive in the valley shortly after midday. Hours ahead of his previous time.

  When the herd of animals and the little stone outbuilding came into view, Pengfei gave a playful shout to announce his presence.

  “AAAAAYYYYYUUUUU!”

  A few animals perked their heads up then quickly went back to grazing. The grey clad disciples were more interested. They waved their arms overhead in a gesture of greeting that Pengfei returned.

  Twenty minutes later they were face to face.

  “It’s Qingfang, right?” he asked the giant disciple.

  “Tis’ I”

  The boy was hard to forget. Not just because of his size, which set him above every disciple and elder in the sect, but also because the last time they had encountered each other, Qingfang had kicked Pengfei harder than a mule. It had been a jumping, spinning, whirlwind of pain, executed with a smile. Hard to hold it against someone who never stopped grinning though.

  The other disciple, name unknown, had settled in for a nap on the grass. Pengfei let sleeping dogs lie and set down his belongings.

  “What brings you to our verdant fields today?” Qingfang asked in his deep voice.

  “I’m doing some surveying down here for a few days, then going up to Hotan with Elder Rulan. Have you seen Horse?”

  “The horse? It was just here a minute ago.”

  They both looked around for the animal but didn’t see it in front of them. Pengfei ducked around one corner of the storehouse then the other. When he went around to the back, he found the mare standing in the slim shadow of the building.

  “Hey there girl!”

  The animal knickered unenthusiastically, but it didn’t dampen Pengfei’s own happiness. “You can play hard to get but I know you missed me.”

  He rubbed her neck hard and patted her flanks, then coaxed her around to the front of the building. He ducked inside to fetch the bridle, blanket, reins, and saddle that Pema had gifted him months ago.

  “I don’t think she’ll let you – “Qingfang began, but fell silent when the mare allowed Pengfei to dress her in all the necessary equipment to support a rider. “Nevermind then.”

  Somewhat surprised at her obedience himself, Pengfei whispered “I knew you missed me.”

  Next, he strung the bow and hung the quiver from the saddle. He thought for a moment, then just for the fun of it, took his sword from his bag and tied it to his waist once again.

  “Why do you have those?” Qingfang asked of the weapons. Pengfei could read the astonishment and envy in the boy’s face and tried to sound casual in his response as he patted the sword.

  “Policy for disciples leaving the sect, apparently.”

  “And the bow?”

  “Just for fun.”

  He reached out to grab the saddle, scared for a moment that Horse would shy away and refuse to let him ride. But to his relief, she stayed in place. He stepped up on the stirrup and threw his leg over, then took the reins.

  Pengfei looked himself over. The grey robes of Kunlun. Sword and bow by his side. A wave of satisfaction washed over him.

  “I’ll be back tonight!”

  Without any further ado, he turned Horse to the north and dug in his heels. The animal took off with such a quick start that Pengfei would have been dislodged from the saddle if he were a lesser rider. As it was, he just grinned and leaned in against the rush of wind on his face.

  “AAAAAYYYYYUUUUU!” he screamed again.

  ******************************************************************************

  The weeks had passed and no opportunity to sneak away from the rest of the squad. Now there was only one thing left to try.

  Guoyu ran over the gambit in his mind. He awkwardly hung his sword from his right hip. Until recently, Jufend had needed to do it for him, but now he could barely manage the task with his one remaining hand.

  The others were busy breaking camp, stuffing bedrolls in to sacks and the like. The Captain stood at the periphery, the enigmatic man’s few belongings hung over his shoulder.

  “Don’t do it.” Jufeng whispered.

  But Guoyu ignored his younger brother. He made his way across the camp to the Captain.

  “Sir.” He paused nervously. “… Sir, I’d like to try and recover Jichao’s remains. I knew his family in Sichuan… I’d like to bring something home to them.”

  Guoyu steeled himself, refusing to flinch under the scrutiny of the thin-faced man. A long moment passed before the Captain spoke.

  “Do you think that’s wise?” he asked with a glance downward. Guoyu followed the man’s eyes down to his own missing hand, then held the stump behind himself.

  “I don’t intend to fight the beast, sir. From what I’ve seen recently, I think it has moved west. We should be able to search the area where Jichao died without any trouble.”

  “We?”

  “I… was planning to take Jufeng with me to help.”

  The Captain didn’t say anything. Didn’t nod. Just pursed his lips and looked to the earth, holding his silence in the unnerving way he did.

  The man stood straight, adjusted the pack on his shoulder. Another look of consideration before he finally spoke again.

  “We’re meeting up with the horses in the northeast. It should take another day to break camp there. Then we’re leaving. If you’re not there by then, we’ll leave you behind.” The Captain turned and shouted out to the others. “Let’s move!”

  The rest of the black robed squad fell in behind the Captain, walking nimbly through the rocky terrain. Jufeng stood by Guoyu’s side as the others filtered past. When they had disappeared, the younger man turned to his brother.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Guoyu nodded. “Yes.”

  “What if that thing is still there? Or if it comes back while we’re wandering around its den?”

  “If it doesn’t look clear, we’ll leave.” Guoyu placed his left hand on his brother’s shoulder, looked into his eyes. “You’re worth more than any elixir.”