Hao thought he was going to crumble.

  Guan released him, walked around the table back to where he was before, the ash-filled censor billowing smoke behind him, giving off the scent of sandalwood and sweet flowers.

  His big hand reached out again. Tap, tap, he lightly hit Hao’s shoulder, gripping as he pulled him over right in front of him, on the other side of the paper scrolls and bamboo slips rolled out on the table.

  Hao had the answer on the tip of his tongue. Physical Cultivation, he heard of it a few times, but never practiced it.

  He was trying to think, but couldn’t focus. The pressure of the hand on his shoulder put his mind deep into a swamp of questions.

  The only person in mind he could compare Guan to was his Junior Disciple, Que. Que before was like a boulder. A large stone waiting to roll at an opportune moment.

  Hao knew Guan was something else. He could tell the moment that the first finger touched him that Guan was a mountain of fire that stood tall, always ready to erupt, the Fifth Elder’s first disciple. Yet hardly just a disciple. He was stronger than the lower-peak Hall Leaders and had the air of an Elder, but the youth of someone far from that life.

  Gaun squeezed tight, leaving Hao no choice but to push against it.

  “You have a small frame. But good blood vessels, I can feel World Energy radiating in your bloodstream. I won’t lie, your aptitude is well known to people who know the significance of the Bone-Shaking Bell, those who keep track of that kind of thing.” Guan gave a big, glowing smile.

  His honesty never faded from his face. A flicker of disapproval when he mentioned Hao’s aptitude, his passion when he started again.

  “Aptitude has nothing to do with Physical Cultivation as long as you have the resources to afford the demands!”

  Hao shook his head. The red Qi, the red World Energy in Demonic Beast blood, is that what he is talking about?”

  He would be lying to himself if he didn’t want to hear more. “Thank you, Senior, for your praise, but resources and knowledge have a hefty cost.”

  All he knew of Physical Cultivation was the lack of benefits compared to the cost.

  Guan nodded, looking up at the ceiling like he was taking notes. “The best person to talk about the cost of Cultivation would be the Second Elder. She is clairvoyant when it comes to cultivation insight.” His face held nothing but respect when he mentioned the Second Elder. It seemed she had more secrets than just the face she kept hidden, a connection to the Fifth Elder?

  Or Senior knows I have her badge too, not just the Fifth’s.

  Guan started to clear the desk. Everything that could be stacked, like books, was placed on the floor until they were nearly as tall as the table. Scrolls and slips are made into a pyramid.

  Hao had the Second Elder’s journal in the Spirit-Holding Bag. The one she left behind, which served to prove his words, she had more than a few insights on every aspect of Cultivation. Most of them were hard to digest.

  If the Spirit-Holding bag was something she used long ago, and the journal was just something forgotten she left behind, he couldn’t imagine what kind of insights she could speak now. The thought made him shudder. He suddenly felt like a newborn all over again, not for the first time, stepping on this mountain where giants walked around him.

  “It seems rather easy to guess Senior practices Physical Cultivation?” Hao asked, putting one of his hands on the now-empty table.

  Guan looked back up. Not smirking, only smiling, chuckling, “I’m a lot older than I look. I was a Master’s, the Fifth Elder’s disciple when he was still settling into his position as the Fifth Elder. He always had status. Resources were easier to come by in the Drifting Stream at that time. I jumped at the opportunity to try Physical Cultivation as soon as the Master let me, against his wishes, of course.” He chuckled, a little embarrassed. For a moment, it looked like he had forgotten Hao was a disciple from the Lower Peaks.

  Hao laughed, trying to move the conversation along. “I’m a disciple on the lower peak. I have to buy food from the food hall if I get hungry. Now, you are making Physical Cultivation sound even harder to practice.”

  Any trace of awkwardness faded from Guan in an instant, and the fire rekindled in his eyes. “That’s why it’s interesting.” He wore confusion, just for a second, and no longer, “You’re a disciple from the Lower Peaks with a below-average aptitude, yet you can keep up with more talented, far richer peers.”

  Hao thought he saw a flicker of excitement in Guan’s eyes for a second.

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  Guan leaned back, then forward, “If that was just luck, know that it was keeping you afloat forever, but. Physical Cultivation, while it doesn’t give you the longevity so many on this mountain seek, the strength is hard to deny. If you think you can pursue it.”

  Hao nodded, feeling the need to move this along. He placed the Fourth Elder’s token out on the table, pushing it forward. Taoyi’s letter was next.

  Gaun’s eyes raised the moment he saw the Servants Hall seal drawn on it, not really much of a seal, but at least it was recognized, which saved Hao from having to explain it.

  The letter never reached the table. Guan took it, his eyes scanned it in a second, “Hmm, I will see this gets to Master. As for the Token, unless you want to wait for him, the most it can get you is a housing arrangement.”

  He flicked the token. The piece of wood turned to dust, which was carried away by an unnatural gust of wind. “I can handle that much.” One of the few books on the table was slid over to Hao by the same gust of wind.

  Hao nodded, flipping the book open and scanning through the pages. It was a list of locations, a few crossed out, others with notes, small valleys that were isolated far from the Sect. The places not taken weren’t left for a reason. Hard to get to, limited World Energy, and others had people lingering.

  “It will be rather hard to find a good place that is unused inside the Sect.” Guan threw out his words once Hao got to the last few pages.

  The words were wasted. Hao already found something he likes, a bad place in nearly every way. He wasn’t sure if he would ever use the place. Certainly not for Cultivation.

  “This one. This will do fine. I need a place for rest rather than anything else, one where multiple people can stay.” Hao pointed out the place where there was a drawing, along with vague directions to the location. It was through the drawing that he recognized it.

  Gaun didn’t share Hao’s enthusiasm. He let out a small sigh, “It seems you have a good heart, Junior Brother Hao, but you should pick with a little more care.” The book dragged itself from Hao’s fingers. Pointing down at it, Guan shook his head. There is no place in the Sect I would consider worse. This concerns your Cultivation too.”

  Hao nodded his head, but he wasn’t going to play along. Not this time. To him, the place was perfect, a convenience, not far from the Mining Division, where he wanted to cultivate, not far from the forest with that pond. It would eliminate his need to sneak around the Sect. He could just walk to his little Cultivation Cave, hidden in that mining tunnel, when he wanted to.

  Not to mention, it was untouched by human hands. Forgotten by the Sect, abandoned, with multiple untended buildings, a small water well, what better place for Meiqi and Zhengqi than a cold-blooded sea-snake like Taoyi was eager to keep their trails.

  Hao knew this was the place. “Thank you, Senior Brother, but this is the place I need,” he said, finishing off his words with a bow of genuine thanks.

  Guan scratches the back of his head. “Alright, but I feel a little uncomfortable using Master’s favor on a group of buried houses on the outskirts of the Sect.”

  The always so animated man went still. A moment to think, that’s all it took him. He was honest, quick to act, and didn’t want to cheat Hao out of a deal he hardly deserved.

  “This should do,” he mumbled. He took a bamboo slip from the jade ring on his thumb, threw it.

  Hao caught it before he knew what he was doing. It unfurled halfway from the way he held it. He unrolled the rest of it at the urging of Guan. It was a cultivation technique. He looked over the boldly burnt-in letters before giving a bow.

  “Senior, thank you for your assistance and this kindness. I’m not sure what to say,” Kindness was the last thing he expected on this mountaintop.

  Guan kicked the censor away from him. “No need, no need. Come, I’ll walk you back to the entrance.”

  As they walked between the Arches, Hao listened to every word Guan spoke about the contents of the slip.

  A Physical Cultivation Technique, it was mainly exercises in the initial process, similar to Water Break Fist, but it was far more complex from the first stretch. The applications, too, had far more use.

  It was a gift, another surprise on this so-called Sky Flower Peak. A beautiful place that he was suddenly fond of, with too many unexpected benefits and positives. He hoped he would come back sooner rather than later.

  Guan pushed the giant door in the entryway with his wrist. The hinges tremble, a monster, the man could crush the skull of Hao’s toughest hunt with a flick. Yet so calm, he savored the fresh air. His head lifted to breathe in the scent of flowers in the thin mountain air.

  “Ho, that young girl truly is a talented one, learning to fly at her age is already a feat, but to control a treasure at the same time,” Guan said, nodding to the person everyone outside was still staring at. A few had moved away. Others stopped their tasks and chores, halted their cultivation just to watch her.

  “Junior Brother Hao, if you like, you can explore the peak or enjoy the show. I will find little Que to take you down to the peak’s entrance; it’s a long walk even for those without injuries.”

  Guan bowed, not giving Hao a chance to say anything.

  Hao returned the bow as Guan pulled the door to the pagoda, “Thank you, senior, truly, for your hospitality and help.” His words were from his heart. But he kept his questions hidden behind his cupped hands.

  The people he had felt spying on him earlier today, when the ship carrying everyone from the Mid-Summer cave arrived, watched him make a gravestone. Saw him go to the medicine hall, but not Taoyi’s residence, which was too far from the courtyard. It had something to do with the upper peaks, but which ones was the question on his mind. The Fifth Elder, for one, and he hated the First Elder, so he wasn’t involved, for now, that was enough.

  The mention of the Second Elder. Was that a slip, or a genuine tip? No one should know of his deal with the Second Elder, not that it would change anything for him now.

  Guan interrupted his thoughts one last time, “Like I said before, Junior Brother Hao, thanks are not needed. Master gives his token casually, but that doesn’t mean they are common. This peak owes you more than you could know if you can make the master laugh.” A sad smile, still big with pearly white teeth, shone as he closed the door.

  Hao stared at the door, knowing he didn’t have the liberty to worry about that at the moment. The letter was delivered. Meiqi, he had to get Meiqi out of Taoyi’s residence if that’s where she was.