Heavenly Shae

Chapter 20: "Fortune's Flavour is Bold."

Shae felt she had made good time running. Without qi she was significantly slower than when going down the mountain. Just balancing out her leg strength a little bit did so much for her speed. Still, the road was straight and well maintained. There was daylight remaining, about mid afternoon, and she would reach the city in under an hour. Its few tall buildings and the straight road let it peek out of the dense forest.

She tried to plan out the rest of her day. She needed to meet the sect cultivators, do I want to do that as I am? She looked herself over, robes shredded from her fall, the shoulder burnt out from lightning cleansing and a certain spear wielder. Her pack had a bundle of sticks tied to it, and was also damaged. "Right" She decided out loud, "I'll need a bit of help first."

There was one person she knew nearby that could help her, well, more than one, but one that I like. She had been surviving in this area before the old monster found her, even if she never went into the city walls. She stopped in at a quaint farmhouse on the outskirts.

"Auntie Mei!" She called out when she found the woman.

"Eh? Who's there... Zhi Shae? Is that you? By the heavens, I hardly recognize you. You've changed so much!" The older woman called back. She looked the picture of a rural medicine woman or sometimes a witch, depending on the day. Long gray hair hanging out a shawl, then more shawls to block the autumn chill. Unless she was working her garden you might miss that she was probably stronger than most young men, her lifetime of farm labor building on her family's natural athleticism, so she said. She still hunched as she walked, however, age was weighing on her.

"It's nice to see you too, Auntie."

"What happened to you? You look like you fell out of a tree." She pulled at the young girl's travel robes, looking at the cuts and tears in the fabric."

"Fell through a tree, more-like. I was up the mountain, had quite the adventure getting down. Say, could you help me clean this up a bit?"

"So you can look less like you were attacked by a fire-barking wolf? Sure thing. Come come." She pulled Shae along, guiding her inside her home.

Along the way Mei grabbed two ceramic cups of cooled water. A few drops of tarte fruit juice breaking the taste the old well had added. Her seamstress room was fully equipped and even had its own table and chairs for two.

A few stitches later, and patches covering the largest holes, plus they had flipped Shae's robes inside out, revealing an almost pristine interior. The girl's clothes looked almost as good as new. Auntie Mei even wrapped her in a shawl to help cover the hole in her shoulder.

"I can't take this, Auntie. Winter's coming, I can't deprive you of warmth!"

"Nonsense, girl, I get more of these given to me in a year than I can wear through. Even while handing them out to lost souls. In fact, take two!"

Shae smiled warmly. "Thank you, Auntie Mei." Then she sat at the table to drink the refreshing water. "Say, do you know any good woodcrafters in the area? I have something that might be worth something."

Mei looked at her pack; it was still tied with the bundle of branches, the leaves were drying out and dropping off now. "I can see something. Are you that desperate for silver that you'd drag this fool's gold all the way down the mountain?"

"Hmm, it was only, like, halfway down."

Mei sat at the table, then her eyes went wide. "You really were up there? Dear girl, why? That can't be good for your health."

"Eh, it was not so bad, but not really my choice at first."

The older woman suddenly had a look of understanding, "Ahhh, that old coot is still up to his games? But I haven't seen you all summer, what rock have you been sunbathing on?"

Shae grimaced slightly, she could lie to the woman but that usually ended their conversations, she could smell a lie before it was out of Shae's mouth. "Eh well, I was up there all summer, almost since I saw you last."

Mei gave her a serious, considered look. "If you weren't so embarrassed by it I'd think you were lying, no one stays up there that long." Then a suspicious eyebrow, "He treated you well, yes? If he did anything out of line, I will march up there myself and crack him in half."

"Auntie, it's fine." She pleaded trying to calm her down, not for the old monster's sake, she feared for the old woman's health. "He was tolerable, didn't do anything untoward. Took a while to crack his shell, but he opened up a bit. And cracked himself in half, really."

"Hah! Well if there was anyone that could chip that egg, it would be you." She shook her head, "I was less worried about his behavior, more how he sent you away, did he pay you?"

The girl cringed again, "Ehh, in a way?"

"Stingy old rat!" She cursed. "Well, I bet he gave you a gift or two, always gives the girls a present or two." Shae's eyes went wide. "No, not like that! The old grump might be carved from stone but he's got a weak heart at his core. Has a huge family, so many descendants, most women, to the other half's disdain."

"Huh. That might actually explain a thing or two."

"Hmm? No, don't tell me, it will just make me want to go kick him in the shin." Mei sighed, "Well if you are out of coin we will have to remedy that." She walked over to a drawer and rummaged through a few small pouches.

"No, Auntie, I don't want a handout." Shae complained as she was handed a small pouch.

"Yet you'll still take it." She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Consider it payment for your time. You are young, your time is more precious than his."

The girl frowned and twisted with internal conflict. "Ah! Let's make it a trade then." She fished through her bag until she removed a small package. "Here, a gift for you."

The medicine woman returned to her seat and carefully inspected the package, stating "Ginseng." flatly before she even saw the root. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw the small piece. She sniffed it deeply, "Hmm, call it a 27 year, on a good day. Where's the rest of it?" She mimed the size of the rest of the root, about how big it was when Shae found it.

"Mmgh." The girl grumbled. "Bit of a story there."

"I have time." She sat back and sipped her drink.

Shea recounted a very brief version of Elder Ngoc claiming the root.

The older woman frowned. "Within their rights. Yes. Yet, a petty move. You must have pulled her hair. Ah, look who I am talking to, of course you did, probably had her fuming after three sentences."

Shae dipped her head, shrugged, then conceded a nod.

"Still, it was petty and you deserved more than just this cutoff." She got up and fetched another bag of coins, swapping it for the one she gave Shae. By the sound it made on the table it was clearly much heavier.

"Auntie no! That is too much!"

Mei waved her hand in dismissal. "If she is staying up there, she will have to come to me to sell it. And I will be sure to sort out the balance of your fortune."

Shae smiled and lunged in for a hug. But the woman was too fast, holding the girl back.

"Now now, you're welcome. And are you sure the old man didn't give you something for your time?"

Shae thought, then pulled out the unmarked letter from Elder Ghon. "There was this, for his sect. But I'm not sure why it is unmarked."

"Mhm, like he didn't want it delivered. Give it here." She took the letter and smelled it, a deep inhale along the edge, concentration on her face. "No qi markers, or traps. Go ahead and open it."

She took it back and hesitated slightly before cracking the small wax seal. There were three letters inside. They said Shae, Auntie, and Sect.

Dear Zhi Shae,

I asked you to deliver this if something ill of fate befell me. If it has, I would like to assure you that I hold you completely apart from those events. You are not to blame, and you should hold no guilt for what transpired. I know this may be difficult to accept, but I plead with you to not be held back by my own mistakes.

I hope you have opened this letter early, as it will make my suggestions easier to follow:

Firstly, the second letter, labeled Auntie. Near the village there is a medicine woman called Auntie Mei. I wouldn't be surprised if you know her already. If not I am sure you two will be fast friends. The locals should know her, please give her that letter. If you have already passed far from Minlin village, and are nearing the sect, then there are diviners who would suffice. Elder Toh, or Old Bai in the village below the sect. I have included instructions for them to charge the sect directly, so they should not ask for additional taels.

Second, the last letter for the sect. It is encoded so even if lost it would not have dire consequences. Still, try to get it to the sect, and hand it to an Elder there directly.

I would like to say that your path ahead is bright and boundless. In truth I do not know if you will find guidance for your current path. Cultivating divine qi is not something that I have heard of being done. You may need to backtrack. You may need to forge your own way, though most would tell you not to do that, including me. I do believe your fate is grand, but the specifics of how you get there... I cannot know. Good Luck.

Thank you Shae. Regardless of the outcome of our last discussion. Thank you.

Elder Ghon Fixiu

The Honorable Dragon's Entreaty

Partway through reading, Shae handed the second letter to Auntie Mei, smirking as she did so. "Seems he intended me to meet you."

"Hah, that fool always was a few steps behind."

Silence enveloped the room, the two women reading and sipping their drinks.

When Shae finished, she struggled with a few emotions brought up by the letter. Trying her hardest to shake off all the 'what ifs' in her mind. Mainly how she might have felt if the old monster had died from their last discussion. She looked up at a waiting Mei.

"Take your time."

"Nah, I'm okay, just the old monster being dramatic."

"Old monster? Heh. But really, take your time. How about some tea?"

Shae took a deep breath. "Yea, tea would be nice."

In the time it took to make tea Shae was able to decompress from the emotional lance. She had already been told that he didn't blame her, but it was still impactful to read it again. As they drank the tea in companionable silence. Shae wondered if she had let herself really process the events of the summer, and the last month especially.

The tea was a different blend than what Auntie Mei had served Shae before. The aroma was fresh and clean, while the core flavors were strong: distinct points of freshness and fruit that were somehow not muddied. The aftertaste lingered, holding on the refreshing notes, and Shae noticed something else.

"Auntie!" She exclaimed. "You're spoiling me again. There's spirit herbs in this, isn't there."

Mei smiled warmly with just a hint of smugness. "Well, yes, of course. I must always serve the best teas to visiting cultivators. Wouldn't you agree, Fairy Shae?"

The girl's eyes opened wide, "Argh, no! Anything but that." she groaned and buried her face in a sleeve on the table.

"Ah, yes. The old fart's letter did say you preferred Heavenly Shae."

"Mmghm." She groaned less dramatically into her sleeve. "That's only slightly better. Why did he pick something so pompous."

The older woman shrugged, "I cannot say, it is a powerful title, if he picked it, then you earned it. He would not throw such acknowledgements around just to tease you."

The girl continued to mope. Sipping at the tea while playing into her own drama. The powerful freshness of the tea made this difficult and dragged her mood back up again.

"You could always give up on cultivation, or rush to core and be named Elder instead."

"Huh. Both of those seem more absurd than just tolerating either title." She sipped her tea, getting close to the bottom, the loose tea leaves clumping together in the cup. "Why do people use Fairy anyway?"

"History and the past is not my specialty." Mei shrugged. "You might get lucky, your youth will lead more to call you Junior. Writhing at Fairy will only earn you more teasing. And Heavenly is... going to bring its own challenges."

Shae knew she was overreacting to the title. The word had its own baggage for her, and her childhood playing with other kids, in both worlds, only added to that. She drained the last sips from her cup, a small burst of qi distracting her.

"Ah! Empty?" Auntie reached across the table and plucked the cup from the girl before she could react. Instead of refilling it, she gazed into the bottom of the cup, twisting and tilting it as though there was a world of depth to be seen in the dregs.

Shae took a breath to catch up. Then sharply inhaled before questioning, "Really? Superstitious fortune telling?" Her wry smile broke on the older woman's sharp eyes. She replaced it with pursed lips, waiting for her judgment.

Mei's work passed slowly and Shae relaxed, growing bored. The woman's expression did not betray her thoughts.

"Well?" Shae finally asked when Mei clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"Nothing I couldn't have guessed myself. Give me your palm."

Sighing, she extended her right hand. Mei's focus landed on the center of her palm, her fingers tracing the fine creases, then her expression turned confused. She flipped Shae's hand over and pulled up her sleeve. "What's this? This isn't normal cleansing."

Shae grunted. "He kept the details very brief, didn't he?" She sighed in preparation. "I survived a tribulation." She only said, as though just that was enough.

Mei raised an eyebrow. "And then held onto the bolt for a week? This is barely your own hand anymore."

Shae just half shrugged and offered her left palm instead. Causing the fortune teller to sigh.

"Mhmm, this looks more like what I would expect. Hard worker, strong personality, multiple strong life lines, this is interesting, passionate lover-"

"It doesn't say that!" Shae interrupted.

"Haha, it does not say that, no. I would read it that your personal relationships will be strong. The emotion and passion of your personality will carry to your friends, and your devoted as well."

Shae squirmed in her chair, conflicted by the compliment?

"More specifically, for your cultivation, I see no indications of specific elemental alignment. No restrictions on it either. Some of that I would look to your right hand for, but it is a blank slate." Mei shook her head in dissatisfaction. "I should have read you at our last meeting."

"For my cultivation? Was this what the old monster asked for?"

"Hm, more or less. He specifically asked for a spirit root test, but I do not have the tools for that here, they are expensive instruments because of their precision. What I can say about that, is that you should not take the test with both hands, the cleansed hand will corrupt the results. As to your future and fate, I do not like to hand-out specifics." She assessed the girl for a moment then asked. "What uncertainty of your future concerns you the most?"

Shae took time to think about the question. She wanted to discard all the fortune telling as hoax and ruse, but she respected Auntie Mei too much for that.

"Elder Ghon spent so much time holding me back from cultivating, refusing to teach me anything. Enforcing the importance of needing a cultivation manual. Yet now, I've had to learn without one anyway. Forge my own path with the divine qi from the tribulation. It is distressing to have no one to discuss it with, to not even know what to expect." She sighed and fought her own disappointment. "Is there such thing as a manual for divine qi? Will I find another that suits me?"

Auntie Mei inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply. Sadness in her eyes. "I might not be an old master. But I can listen, and I think you need a friendly ear now more than anything."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Shae recounting the important points of what had happened in the last few months. Venting about the frustrations with the old monster and with her experiences handling qi. Auntie Mei provided no dramatic revelations to the girl, but was relentlessly supportive and kind.

As the sun reached the horizon their conversation came to a close.

"I cannot say what is in your future, Shae. But I think it is brighter than most. Now, you have a letter to deliver, and I've no spare bed for you tonight. So, go find that Bai boy, and sleep in a proper bed for once."

Shae chuckled, hugged the woman, then walked to the city gates in the dimming light.