The next morning, Xiu brought over one of the last people I expected.
The matriarch slowly sipped some tea in our reception room.
Zhi and I shared a subtle glance.
I had expected one of the Nascent Soul cultivators to come, not the matriarch herself.
“I understand there was an incident last night.” Her voice was not as elegant now.
Smokier.
I guess she didn’t feel the need to put on a façade with us seeing as she was dressed normally too.
Zhi nodded.
“Ming was charmed, and felt compelled to find a man who was tugging at her.”
She nodded.
“Yes, but what caught my interest was the source of the tugging.
Ming, if you would be so kind as to give me your left hand?”
I held it out to her, but instead of examining my pinky, she turned my palm over and looked it over.
Her eyes narrowed.
“As I thought.
I have a powder here, may I use it on your pinky?”
“Yes, of course.”
We all watched as the grandmother pinched a bit of glowing gold powder from a small pouch at her waist.
She gently rubbed it on the base of my pinky, and a glowing red string revealed itself.
She rubbed it a little ways down, and it trailed away from my hand, heading for the doorway to the outside.
She sighed and withdrew.
The string slowly faded from view.
Zhi growled.
“So, someone did charm her.
Can you remove the string?”
The grandmother shook her head.
“I’m sorry.
I can’t.
In fact, I don’t believe anyone who isn’t a god can remove that string.
In fact, even gods may not be able to.
What you saw was no charm.
It was the red string of fate.”
The… “Wait.
Are you talking about the string that’s supposed to lead to my soulmate?”
She nodded.
“I had my suspicions when I heard you felt tugging from your left pinky.
It seems the person on the other end is trying to find you.
However,” She leaned forward and plucked something from my eyes.
I blinked rapidly as they watered and rubbed at them.
The little shiny twisted spell she had in her hand faded.
“A high-level compulsion spell.
You don’t have to be worried about being controlled again.
Xiaobao must have placed it on you at dinner last night.
This means they are connected to the person on the other end of your string.”
Xiu groaned.
“A red string of fate.
Grandmother is right, there is no getting rid of that.
But… I don’t understand how you can tug on it.
It’s an aspect of the spiritual world, not the physical one.
It should be impossible for anyone other than a god to interact with it.”
I swallowed.
“Does that mean… the person on the other end of my string is a god?”
The grandmother shook her head.
“Not necessarily.
But it does mean a god is involved.
You should tread with caution.”
Fuck.
A god, my stomach swirled with worry.
There were mentions of gods in the original story, but none were involved in the main plot.
But… why me?
Who was on the other end of the string?
Zhi growled.
“So.
What you’re telling me is that not only did Xaoge kill my entire family, he’s now trying to steal my wife away from me.”
I glanced up to see hatred burning in his eyes.
“What makes you think it’s Xaoge?” Xiu’s eyes narrowed.
“Zhong and Xiaobao are clearly here for Ming.
He placed the spell on her.
And they’re both closely entwined with Xaoge.”
The matriarch worked her jaw.
“I haven’t heard of a god working with Xaoge.
But… it does line up.
Xaoge knows about the string, and wants your wife because of it.
However, it is too soon to tell if he is the one on the other end.”
“It doesn’t matter.
Ming is my wife.
No one else may have her.
If he wants to get to Ming, he will have to kill me first.
And I plan on becoming his worst nightmare.
Thank you for your help Lady Tang.”
The matriarch watched him for a moment before nodding.
“I came in part to satisfy my own curiosity.
Just remember, a red string of fate is unbreakable.
Ming, one day you will come face to face with the person on the other end.
But… what happens after is up to you.”
The grandmother stood up, and Xiu followed suit.
“Goodbye you two.
I’ll come back to let you know when our unwelcome guests leave.”
They walked out.
I took another sip of my tea, still trying to digest everything that happened.
I… I had a red string of fate.
Leading to either Xaoge or someone connected to him.
Ack!
A pair of arms picked me up by the waist, and Zhi set me in his lap.
He held me tightly.
“Ming, I’m sorry.
But I can’t let you go.
I won’t.
I’ve already lost too much.
I refuse to lose you too.
You’re my wife.
I don’t care if the man you’re destined to be with is at the other end of the string.
You are mine.” Zhi’s eyes burned with jealousy, hatred and… fear.
He was genuinely scared that I would either be taken away from him or…
That I would leave him.
I sighed and leaned back.
I looked him in the eye.
And then I flicked his nose.
He flinched, his hand shooting up to rub it.
“Ow!
Ming!
Why—”
“Shut up.
I don’t belong to anybody.
I’m my own person, and I choose who I want to be with.”
His face fell, and I felt his arms tighten around me as tears pricked at his eyes.
I leaned forward and he froze in shock as I kissed him.
I leaned back again and smiled at him.
“That said, I choose you.
I don’t know who is at the other end of my string, and I don’t care.
You’re my husband, and I belong with you.
So don’t think I’m some shallow woman who’ll cheat on you.
If the person on the other end of my string does take me from you, then I’ll be counting on you to rescue me.
Because there’s no way I’ll ever willingly accept him.
Understand?”
He sniffed and bit his lip to try and keep his tears in check, and nodded.
“Okay.
I’ll protect you.
I swear it.
From now until the end of time.
So… please don’t leave me.
Don’t ever leave me.
I… I love you Ming.”
Oh Zhi.
I embraced him back, and we hugged each other as hard as we could.
“I love you too Zhi.
And I swear I always will.”
We embraced for a few minutes before he tugged me back, and kissed me.
We kissed softly.
Slowly.
I could feel his tenderness and feelings through it.
But I wanted more.
I patted him and he broke it off, still a little teary.
“So… I want you to make love to me.
Exactly how you kissed me just now.”
The corners of his mouth turned up and he chuckled.
Anything you desire.
I’ll make gentle love to you.”
He lifted me up, carrying me, and he took me straight to our bedroom.
I absentmindedly munched on some crackers, occasionally flinging one at Zhi.
He was practicing his sword forms again, and every time I flung half a cracker and hit him, I could see his eye twitch.
It was hilarious.
I took a bite of another stale cracker before tossing it at him.
He turned and sliced cleanly through it with his sword and glared at me.
“Ming, I love you, but I’m about three seconds away from ripping that bowl out of your hands and hurling it over the wall.”
“Then you know how I felt when you kept eating crackers in our bed.
It’s gross, and annoying.
Stop.”
“What?!
Just tell a servant to get new bedding!”
“Three times a day?!
We don’t have that much bedding!
And you do it when I’m trying to read!
This is vengeance!”
“I get bored when you’re just sitting around reading!”
“You’re the one who always says you want to spend more time together!
But you always get in the way when I’m trying to work!”
“What so you decided to try and do the exact same thing!?”
“Yeah!”
He was still in the middle of the yard and I idly munched on the old crackers as we bickered.
A conspicuous throat clearing made us both turn to one of our three servants, an older woman who kept the place immaculate.
“Lady Xiu is here to see both Masters.” She gave a bow.
Ah.
I hopped up and Zhi sheathed his sword.
I gave the crackers to the servants with a nod.
“These are stale, can you please take them back to the kitchen?”
She bowed her head.
“Of course my lady.”
We went to the front gate, me brushing the crumbs off my dress as Zhi opened it up.
Xiu gave us a smile.
“Hello, I have good news.
And… some bad news.”
Zhi and I stepped aside, letting her in.
“Have the unwelcome guests left yet?” He asked.
It’s been about a month since they’ve first arrived.
A week and a half since the dinner and my attempted kidnapping.
She nodded.
“They left this morning, so the two of you are free to leave your guesthouse again.
Zhihao, I would like to duel with you tomorrow at the training grounds.”
He grinned.
“Oh, hell yeah.
I’ve got the Ring of Fire technique down, so beware staying at a distance this time.”
She smirked.
“Don’t think my fans aren’t capable of fighting at close-range.
And I have a new technique up my sleeve too.
But first.”
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a letter.
“They left this.
For Ming.”
I hesitated reaching for it.
“For me?
Is it safe?”
“Yes, my grandmother checked it over.
It’s completely mundane.
Do you mind if I see it too?”
I gently took the envelope.
“Yeah, but let’s head inside first.
We’ll get some tea and I can read it with the two of you.”
One of our younger servants served us some tea, in our reception room with a low table.
I took a sip before working up my nerves and opening the letter.
I read through it.
As I did, I steadily got angrier and angrier.
Finally I threw it down on the table, pissed.
Zhi gave me a questioning glance.
“Did they insult you or something?”
I scoffed.
“Worse.
They insulted you.
And they way underestimated my own intelligence.”
Zhi picked up the letter.
He began trembling in fury as he read through it.
The paper crinkled and almost ripped in his grip.
Finally he got to the end, and he ripped the letter in half, then ripped the pieces.
He kept ripping until it was confetti.
Xiu was leaning away from him.
“Um, what exactly did they say?”
“They told me about all of Zhi’s past misdeeds and said they could help me get away from him.”
Zhi growled, and looked like he was trying to set the pieces of the letter on fire with heat vision.
“Those motherfuckers!
They’re acting like I’m abusing Ming!
As if they’re not the ones who tried to fucking kidnap her!”
I sighed and massaged my temple.
“While I’m glad they’re gone, I’m sure this isn’t the end of it.
They want me for some reason.
Um… can they track me?
Through the red string?”
Xiu shrugged.
“I imagine they have some way of tracking you.
However, according to my grandmother, it won’t be very accurate.
Or, more that it can’t be accurate.
The string slinks in an out of the spirit realm to connect the two of you.
I imagine they can track to within… a three thousand li radius?”
Zhi let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s plenty to keep our distance.
I suppose that’s why it took them so long to find us.
But after we leave we’ll have to keep moving so they can’t find us.”
“I would recommend that.
How much longer until you reach Core Formation?”
I gnawed on my lip.
“About… thirty years?
What do you think Zhi?”
“About twenty to thirty yeah.
After that we’ll officially start our Dao journeys in preparation for Golden Core.
We can start the official Liu Dao Journey.”
Right.
When we finally formed our nascent cores, we would have to travel while cultivating and gain new experiences and wisdom.
Once our core settled on a Dao, we would reach Golden Core.
Golden Core to Nascent Soul was more straightforward, as we built an extra soul in our cores in case of emergency.
To go from Nascent Soul to Spirit Transformation, we’ll have to master a Dao.
From there?
Spirit Transformation to Immortality.
Even I didn’t know how that lofty transition took place.
Feasibly, in order to take Xaoge down we’ll have to be immortals.
He had the backing of the Soaring Skies Sect, and the leader of that sect was an immortal.
That said, Zhi probably had more experience with the various stages than me, having lived in this world and educated as the heir of a prominent family.
He had been a Core Formation for a few centuries before he died to Xaoge.
He had been at the beginning of his cultivation journey himself.
Xiu stood up.
“I should be going.
The two of you will always be welcome in our clan, but I’m afraid we don’t have any resources that can help you.
Our clan focuses on the Dao of poison.”
Zhi stood up too, and I followed.
We walked Xiu to the gate.
Zhi shrugged.
“That’s fine Xiu.
We understand.
I’m trying to follow the Dao of the sword, and Ming has no idea what kind of Dao she wants to follow yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s not poison.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it Xiu.
Just focus on your own training.”
We bid her goodbye and she left.
Whew.
Zhi and I went back to have some more tea.
I sipped gently on my cup as he happily burned the shreds of the letter, and threw the ashes in with the trash.
He sat back beside me, grumpy.
“Where do they get off villainizing me?
Acting like I’m horrible to you.”
“I know.
They could at least bother to do their research before trying to persuade me.
And… is it just me or did they talk down to me?
Saying they would protect me?”
“Well, they likely think you’re just a weak woman.
“Xiu doesn’t seem that delicate.
And the matriarch is a woman.”
Zhi paused.
“Um… I mean, they are cultivators.
The strength difference between men and women disappears in Chi Gathering.”
“Then stop acting sexist.”
“Sorry, but I was raised to take care of women and ensure they’re safe.
And I fully intend on keeping to that.
My father was very adamant that a good swordsman doesn’t use his skill to bully those weaker than him, including the fairer sex.”
I rolled my eyes.
“What if you’re challenged to a duel by a woman?
Like Xiu?”
“Then I shall defeat her.
It’s not bullying if it’s a proper challenge.”
“Okay, what if she attacks you?”
“Then I shall defend myself.
And fight right back.”
“Then how is that any different than how you behave with men?”
Zhi actually thought about it for a moment before answering.
“I suppose the biggest difference is if a woman weaker than me is acting aggressive, I would take it easy on her.
If a guy was trying it, I’d demolish him.
No mercy.
But… I was always taught you should look out for women.
And children.
If an emergency happens, you should defend them first.”
I sighed.
“I guess I can just consider that chivalry.
But just so you know, I’ll call you out if you do something I think is bullshit.”
“That’s fine Ming.
But… have you thought any about the Dao you want to go into?”
I was quiet for a moment as he stared at me, gradually realizing I have not.
“Noooooo.” I whined and slumped into my arms on the table.
He sighed.
“Ming, you need to start thinking about it.
You can learn the Dao of… whatever you want!
Let’s try and narrow it down.”
I groaned.
“All I know is that I don’t want to go into a martial Dao.”
“Then you don’t have to.
I mean, you can specialize in illusions, formations, treasures.
There are plenty of Daos besides the martial Daos.”
“Zhi, I just don’t know.
Sure I like all of those skills, but… I don’t really connect with any of those.
Not in the way I think I should.”
He watched me for a moment before nodding.
“We both have time.
I never made much progress on my own Dao before I died.”
“How do you even pursue a Dao anyway?”
He tapped his finger on the table and looked into his tea thoughtfully.
“It’s… complicated.
My dad said that while we all learn the sword Dao, the way we connect to it is different, and it leads to different paths of growth.
My mother didn’t have a sword Dao, she had the Dao of people.
She called it the Dao of Communication.
It’s a more esoteric Dao than just the sword.
She said it’s a personal journey, and there’s no set path to ascension like the first two stages.
That’s why so many cultivators stall out in Core Formation.
And it’s even harder to master your Dao.
But for now… just keep learning skills.
Once we start our journey, you’ll have plenty of time to meditate on your Dao and learn about yourself.
The most important thing about your Dao is that it resonates with you.”
“How… how do you know the sword Dao is for you?”
He thought for a minute or two.
“It…It’s hard to describe.
A part of it is that I grew up looking up to all the warriors in my family, and all Liu’s pursue the sword Dao.
But… since my family has died I’ve felt lost.
Adrift.
Until we arrived here and I finally began practicing the sword again.
It… feels right.
Grounds me.
I feel like it connects me to my father and the rest of my family, even if they’re not here.
And when I feel that way, I can feel my chi responding.
It flutters and is easier to control.
It’s like it’s taking on other qualities and feels… sharper.”
Ah.
He smiled and I found myself speechless.
He looked… confident.
Comfortable.
Like he belonged.
Maybe that’s how a Dao feels.
It just feels…right.
Like it’s a part of you.
Once we reached Core Formation, I had no doubt Zhi would reach Golden Core.
He already looked halfway there to cementing his connection to the Dao.
Meanwhile I still didn’t have the faintest idea.
I sighed and closed my eyes and toyed with my chi.
It wasn’t that I had no ideas for Daos.
I had plenty, especially when I remembered my past life.
Gravity, words, the world, communication, and so, so much more from my previous life.
But… while I’m sure all of those would be cool, none of them feel right.
Not like the way the sword felt right to Zhi.
I’d… I’d have to think about it.
Like Zhi said, we still had time before we even reached Core Formation.
From there, we have fifteen hundred to two thousand years to consider our Daos and learn everything we can about them.
We’ve been flying through our cultivation so far anyway, so we would have plenty of time.
“Actually, do you know what Dao Xaoge has?
His attacks… are unusual.”
Oh.
“The Dao of Revenge.
Originally it was justice, but it twisted when he took a shortcut and invited a demon into his body.”
“Revenge.” Zhi’s face twisted to distaste.
“He really sacrificed his entire future to kill the Liu family didn’t he?
Only an idiot sacrifices everything for power.”
“That’s surprisingly insightful of you.
Especially considering you own goals.
Aren’t you after revenge?”
“Well, yeah, but I’m not going to sacrifice everything to get it.
While vengeance is important to me personally, I know my parents would tell me it’s more important to rebuild the family.
To stay safe.
They wouldn’t want me to self-destruct for their sakes.”
Huh.
They sounded like… good parents.
“Huh.
They… they really loved you didn’t they?”
He nodded.
“They did.
I was… well, now I see I was really spoiled.
They always gave me the best of everything, and had a hard time telling me no.
But they were just happy to have an heir.
They spent eons trying to conceive.
But… being the only child of two immortals meant I had a lot of pressure on me.
To be a cultivation genius and unbeatable.
That’s part of why I was so insecure.
I feel like I’ll never be able to quite live up to them.”
He let out a long, frustrated sigh.
I watched him take a long sip of tea.
“Hey.
I don’t know what your parents were like.
But I think you’re pretty great.”
He softened as he looked at me.
“Thanks Ming.
You… you’ve helped a lot.
You don’t expect me to be the heir of the Liu family or suck up to me, or even treat me any different than you do other people.
And without you here, I might really be self-destructing to try and get revenge.
With you, I can just be… me.”
Awwww.
My heart filled up as I scooted around the table and hugged him.
“That makes me happy Zhi.
I’m glad you rely on me.”
He hugged me back.
“Well, feel free to rely on me too.
Whether it’s doing something nonsensical like searching an abandoned mountain, using your strange magic to plunge into a death jungle, or even just making you feel better after you failed a formation five hundred times.
I’m here for you.”
He really did make me happy.
When we just relaxed together in the evenings, when he protected me, and even when he annoyed me sometimes.
“You still have to stop eating crackers in bed though.”
“As long as you don’t throw them at me during sword practice.”
I didn’t realize it wasn’t just my heart fluttering.