Unintended Cultivator

When reasoning kicked back, Sen realized that they all clearly had a lot to talk about. More importantly, there were big parts of it that he, at least, didn’t want people listening in on. Falling Leaf’s actual identity as a transformed, evolved, metamorphosed – Sen wasn’t sure about the terminology – spirit beast was very high on his list of things to keep contained to the five people standing in that little group. He wasn’t sure what big sects would do to capture and study a spirit beast that had taken on human form, but he expected they would spare no expense. He also didn’t like to imagine what cultivators would do as part of that studying. His deep concern must have shown on his face because everyone started looking around like they expected a dragon to descend on them at any second. Shaking off the moment of shock and mild paralysis he’d just gone through, Sen made an announcement he hoped sounded casual.

“We should move away from the gate. We’ll be in the way here. There’s a nice spot in that direction,” he waved his hand vaguely, “where we can all catch up.”

Sen created a small platform of qi to stand on, only to have to immediately expand it to catch Falling Leaf as she leapt up next to him. She grabbed his arm, and he wasn’t sure if it was simply to keep her balance or to assert possession. Maybe it’s both, he thought. This is going to take some work to sort out. The three nascent soul cultivators took their cue from him and floated off the ground on their own qi platforms. He flew them about two miles west of the compound and landed in one of the spots that had been burned during the battle. Auntie Caihong gave him a decidedly unimpressed look.

“This is a nice spot?” she asked.

“Not at all, but it is a spot where I can do some things without leaving more destruction in my wake. This may take me a couple of minutes.”

Sen let the presence of almost all of the people he cared about most in the world fall to the back of his mind as he concentrated. He’d pushed himself hard during the battle and found out that he could do more with earth qi than he thought he could. He also thought that, if he took it a bit slower, he could do more complex work. Even taking it slowly, it still wasn’t easy work. What Sen had in mind was vastly more complicated than making earth mounds or stone spikes. He wanted specific shapes and features since he expected that they were going to be out there for a while. Sen started with pure flows of earth qi, sinking them down into the ground, and doing most of his shaping work there.

It grew harder once he got beyond the basic shape he wanted, demanding more of his concentration as he layered in complexities. Then, he had to add in flows of other kinds of qi to finish his modest construction project. He was vaguely aware that sweat was beading on his forehead and his upper lip and that his hands were shaking a little. Still, it was nearly complete. All that was really left was to draw the thing up to the surface. He pulled on his core qi to give himself an extra boost and then, as though he had something sitting across both his palms, he lifted his hands into the air. The ground shook a little as it rose, but he used his qi to direct the displaced soil away from himself and the others. Once it was above ground, Sen slumped forward with his hands on his knees.

“Okay!” he gasped. “That was harder than I thought it was going to be.”

“Did the Sen just make a den?” asked Falling Leaf, sounding impressed.

“That’s one way to put it, little sister,” said Master Feng. “Gods, boy, you’ve come a long way in a short time.”

“Did you build formations into this place on the fly?” asked a stunned Uncle Kho.

“What?” asked Sen, looking up at the stone house he’d literally just crafted from bones of the earth. “Oh, yeah. They’re nothing special. Just some privacy, obscuring, and offensive formations. I got a lot of practice with those this last year. I could put them up in my sleep now. I’d have to add beast cores to power them for any kind of sustained siege, but I mostly just wanted something to keep our conversation private.”

“Well, they should certainly do that,” said a distracted Uncle Kho, who was studying a particular spot in one of the walls.

“What’s that?” asked Auntie Caihong, gesturing at a small stone structure near to the house.

“A well,” said Sen, shrugging.

“Why?” asked Auntie Caihong.

“I assume that someone will take this place over once we’re done with it. It’s a valley full of fire cultivators. Easy access to clean water seemed like a good idea.”

“So, in between designing this place in your head, assembling it below ground, and adding formations, you had the time and energy to think about what the next person would need and throw in a well?” asked a voice from behind him.

Sen looked over his shoulder and saw Lo Meifeng. He wasn’t sure if she’d just followed them or been brought along by Master Feng. He supposed she had as much right to be included as anyone else. Plus, it was probably a fair question. He nodded.

“Yeah. I mean, the well was easy compared to the doors and the furniture. It’s just a hole in the ground with stone around the edges. Stone hinges? That was hard.”

“Did you say furniture?” asked Lo Meifeng.

“Yeah. We have to sit somewhere.”

She shook her head and pressed a hand over her face. “Ridiculous.”

Sen smirked a little at that. “Come on, let’s go inside.

Sen led the way over to what he’d imagined as the front door and gave the simple handle he’d fashioned for it an experimental tug. He had to put a bit more effort into it to actually get the door open, having wildly underestimated the weight of a solid stone door. He was happy to see that the hinges worked the way he expected them to. The front door led into a large open space with a big stone table and benches around it. There was a fireplace built directly into one of the outside walls, and small nooks in the walls where candles or lanterns could be placed for more light after dark. He’d left spaces empty spots in the wall where someone could install windows, but he’d drawn the line at trying to make glass. He thought he might be able to do it, but he wanted to see the actual process before he made the attempt. He’d crafted stone shutters instead. There were doors leading to other rooms. As Sen was smiling around at the space, Falling Leaf poked him in the ribs. He looked over at her.

“Where do those go?” she asked, pointing at the doors.

“Well, they’re mostly just empty spaces, but,” pointing as he spoke, he said, “bedroom, bedroom, bedroom, library, storage, and kitchen.”

“You made a kitchen?” asked Auntie Caihong.

“Sort of,” admitted Sen. “Someone would need to install a proper stove for it, but it has everything else you’d need. Counters, storage spaces, and so on.”

“Why go through all this trouble?” asked Master Feng.

Sen gave him a surprised look. “Why would I do a bad job of it when I could do a good job? Isn’t perfection the goal?”

Master Feng mulled that sentiment over for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, I suppose it is. Well done.”

Sen smiled brightly at the praise before he let the reason that he’d done all of this come back to the front of his thoughts. He eyed Falling Leaf, who didn’t seem at all disturbed by his close examination and returned his stare. She looked entirely human to him. Although, he supposed that there could be any number of telling signs hidden beneath her robes. He couldn’t think of a polite way to ask about that, so he let it go for the moment. When he let his spiritual sense and qi wash over her, her eyes went a little wide, and she gave him a disapproving look, but she didn’t object. Even then, she felt human, but there was an intangible oddness to what he was getting back that he couldn’t put his finger on. Still, while that oddness might trigger some curiosity, there was nothing there that would automatically alert anyone to her true nature. Of course, when she did things like call him a human boy, it was a bit of a dead giveaway that she was different. At least those kinds of behaviors are fixable, in theory anyway, he thought.

As if to return the favor, Falling Leaf made a slow circuit around him, her head tilting for one way, and then the other. A few times, she reached out and pressed her index finger into his arm, his back, or his chest. She made a dissatisfied noise when she was done. He’d gotten so used to women reacting favorably to his appearance that her dissatisfaction was both startling and amusing for Sen.

“What?” he asked.

“You look bigger,” she complained.

Sen wasn’t sure how to react to that. He wasn’t even sure he understood what she meant. He was pretty sure he hadn’t gotten any taller. Had he put on some muscle? Maybe a little, but not enough to be noticeable, he didn’t think.

“Bigger?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve grown much.”

Falling Leaf made a frustrated noise and looked to Auntie Caihong for support or help.

“I think she means that your qi is different. Stronger.”

“Stronger!” shouted Falling Leaf. “Yes! You’re stronger than me now.”

That admission seemed to annoy the girl, cat, panther, Sen wasn’t sure how to think of her anymore. She huffed a few more times, and then a determined expression crossed her face.

“I’ll catch up,” she announced.

Sen thought about saying something and then thought better of it. He had the distinct impression that anything he said about that comment wouldn’t be met with happiness. Instead, he looked for something else to focus on. He zeroed in on Auntie Caihong who had, while he wasn’t looking, built a fire and started cooking. He went over to her and started pitching in. She smiled at him and then they went about the mundane work of cooking rice, searing meat, and steaming dumplings. This was also work that Sen had gotten much practice with over the last year, and he caught the approving look from the older woman. Once the food was cooked and set out on the stone table, everyone gathered around to eat their fill and share their stories.

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