Morning found Sen sitting out in the courtyard. A small part of him made note of the city coming to life around him, not the city was ever truly silent. Even in the deepest parts of the night, there was still activity. Most of his attention was focused on his cultivation. Lo ifeng had been right that her property likely was the best place in the city to cultivate. Minimally, it was the best place outside of one of the sect compounds. Sen knew enough about formation to know that the sects likely had formations similar to or even better than the ones he had placed around the property. Not that he particularly needed to cultivate. His passive cultivation thods were usually more than enough for his needs. It was simply the best way for him to get a feel for any minor weaknesses in the qi-gathering formation that he may have overlooked during his initial examination.
Once he felt that hed spotted all of the problems he was going to find, Sen got to work. The qi-gathering formation was, much to his surprise, still in good shape overall. That wasnt to say it was great because it wasnt. He could tell how much of a hurry hed been in when he first set the formation up. He took an hour to make about a dozen adjustnts that improved the efficiency of the formation by close to ten percent. He could have made sothing much better but it would have required tearing down the wall around the property and starting over. Even with his solid control over earth qi, that was a process that would be very loud and attract a lot of attention. Hed already drawn enough attention for one visit. So, Sen decided to go with the quieter solution, even if it did bother him to use the lesser solution.
The defensive and offensive formations hed made were another matter entirely. Hed gotten a lot of practice making those in much more dangerous conditions than the city. He considered what hed done before and just shook his head in disappointnt at himself. It would be a kindness to call them sloppy work. There were gaps that could be exploited by soone who knew formations well. There were spots where the energy being fed into the formation fluctuated in strength. So of that wasnt Sens fault. The demands on environntal qi in the city were higher and more unpredictable than they were out in the wilds. Qi flows that had looked stable when he made the formations would fall off in strength depending on the ti of day. He solved so of those problems by burying minor natural treasures at strategic points around the property. Those served the dual purpose of stabilizing the qi flows and providing a more reliable source of qi if there was an exceptionally strong draw from sowhere else in the city.
It wasnt a permanent solution, but Sen estimated it would hold up for at least ten years as long as no one too powerful tried to breach the formations. He did have plans for permanent fixes. Assuming he could find the right plants, he could set up a kind of qi garden that would help to reinforce the environntal qi on the property and insulate it sowhat from fluctuating qi in the surrounding area. Part of him wanted to stay and set up that garden, but it would require months of effort and multiple trips out into the wilds. Plus, it was the wrong season for that kind of work. Hed just have to do what he could and live with it for now. He also gave so consideration to purchasing the surrounding properties and turning the whole thing into a kind of compound. With that additional space, there were things he could do that wouldnt make sense within the relatively small confines he had available. He tucked that idea away to give it so more thought later.
By the ti Lo ifeng ca out to see what had been occupying him since before dawn, it was closing in on midday. She spent close to fifteen minutes wandering around the property and examining what he had done. When shed finished her inspection, she walked over to him and started shaking her head.
What? he asked. Its better now.
It was good before. This is Im going to have to be careful that one of the sects doesnt try to steal this place from .
Sen frowned at her. Why would they?
Youre still ridiculous, she said, although her tone was fond rather than chiding. Youve made this place an ideal location for anyone looking to advance through the core stage.
Sen shook his head. This is just a quick fix to all the things I screwed up the first ti. Maybe soone will bother you after I do the permanent fixes, but I doubt it.
Why is that? Cultivators dont like hearing no for an answer.
Because the nascent soul cultivators in the city dont know how I killed Tong Guanting, said Sen, his mind briefly flashing on the rather grueso end of Shadow Eagle Talon Syndicates leader. And believe , they wanted to know. None of them are eager for to co back here looking to take revenge because so sect idiot tried to take what I gave to you.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
How did you keep that information from them? asked Lo ifeng. I was always curious.
Youre right that cultivators dont like hearing the word no. Even cultivators will accept it when you say it the right way. I said it very firmly.
And they just went along with that?
Well, I was in a bad mood, and I had just blatantly and publicly murdered a nascent soul cultivator. I suspect that they were unnerved. They certainly didnt seem to be in a hurry to test if I could do it again.
No, I dont imagine they were, said Lo ifeng in a thoughtful tone before she let out a light laugh. I wish I could have seen their faces when you refused to answer.
I thought the veins in the one guys head were actually going to rupture he was so angry.
Where did you find the nerve for that? Most people would have caved in that situation.
Like I said, bad mood. Plus, I was already dying. It was a lot easier to be recklessly brave when I only thought I had a year to live. In the end, though, I had more to gain by not telling them. Things you understand arent as scary. I dont know what explanations they dread up, but I bet they all lost sleep thinking about it happening to them. At the sa ti, I also made it pretty clear that I wasnt looking for a fight with any of them. From their perspective, its better if they just let go my own way. Making sure that their lackeys dont do stupid shit like bothering my friends is just good business.
What if they decide that killing you makes more sense? No offense, but I think thats what Id decide.
Sen shrugged. Its possible but nascent soul cultivators play the long ga. Sure, Im a potential threat to them. As threats go, Im a pretty passive one. Itd be one thing if I was openly hostile to their agendas, but Im not. So, what does killing get them? It might make them feel a little better, but it risks bringing down the wrath of Master Feng. Besides, why break a tool when you can potentially aim it at your enemies down the road?
I dont rember you being quite this calculating in your decision-making, said Lo ifeng.
Dont give too much credit. I didnt think of any of this stuff until after the fact when I was trying to figure out why they hadnt killed .
Maybe you should do a little more of this kind of thinking before you make decisions.
I have been trying. It doesnt co naturally to . Plus, the situations I find myself in dont always allow for it.
Lo ifeng gave a halfhearted nod. I rember. Things do seem to co at you out of nowhere a lot of the ti. Still, its worth trying to think through the ramifications before you jump straight to the Im going to do sothing terrifying and impossible option.
For what its worth, Ive been doing my best to keep my head down the last year or two.
You've been out in the deep wilds for the last year or two. How hard is it to keep your head down when the nearest people are a weeks travel away?
Yeah, thatd be fine if people were my only problems. Do you rember that empty town where I fought all those spirit beasts?
I do. Why?
The ghost panther man I t there turned up again demanding that Falling Leaf go with him.
What happened?
Sen gave Lo ifeng a smile that made chills run down her spine. I said no, very firmly. Falling Leaf told him that she wasnt going to go with him. Id like to think thats the end of it, but I doubt thats the last Ive seen of him. No doubt, he sees as the obstacle to claiming what he imagines is his.
So, youve spent your ti in the deep wilds making enemies of the spirit beasts. Well done.
Oh, you have no idea. They ca after us in hordes. A bunch of tis. We were killing them by the hundreds.
Im not sorry I missed out on that adventure.
I wish I could have missed out on it, said Sen. Its a lot more fun to listen to stories about adventures in the wilds than to live them.
Theres usually less blood involved with listening.
Agreed, said Sen before he turned and gave her a warm smile. Well, its about ti for to go. I did the things I ca here to do. If I stay much longer, sect people are going to start turning up or the king will insist that I go see him. Im honestly surprised neither of those things have happened yet.
Lo ifeng hesitated before she said, Do you want so company? I could stand to get out of the city for a while.
Sen was a little surprised by the offer. He didnt think that Lo ifeng had particularly enjoyed their ti together on the road before. Then again, the circumstances had been quite different. Hed been a job for her before. A tiny little part of him whispered about trust and betrayal, but Sen ignored it. Hed had plenty of ti to think about all of that and decide that it just wasnt worth hanging on to that old grudge. Before Sen could actually answer, a voice called out from the gate.
Id be interested in coming along.
Sen and Lo ifeng both turned deeply unfriendly looks toward the gate. Zixin stood there looking like he feared hed made a terrible miscalculation about the situation. Sen was trying to decide exactly what to do about the man, but it seed that Lo ifeng had reached the end of her patience. A sword made of pure fire qi appeared in her hand, and she started walking toward the panicked Zixin. The man looked at Sen with a pleading expression.
You brought this down on your own head, said Sen.
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