Behind The Curtain.

  Nadia watched her daughter holding Auriel in her arms, surrounded in her home by some of the roughest women Ironwood had, and the look on her face was one of delight.

  Rosha had her arm over Rong's shoulder, watching little Auriel as she listened to the entire story from Rong's perspective.

  “Child, when did you move your Qi threads into place?” Ivana asked as she took a seat across from the young woman.

  “When he lay me down to deflower me, I ran my finger over his face as if I was in love, then caressed his head and ran my hands down his back like I was trying to guide him.” Jianrong laughed.

  Time passed, and stories shot up from around the room.

  The group slowly thinned out when Nadia kissed her daughter on the head and took Auriel to bed.

  “Sleep,” she instructed, then looked at those who remained, at all the scars on faces and hands, and sighed but said nothing.

  She understood her daughter was popular, but perhaps much to popular.

  The next day, Jianrong sat with Shepard in the sun.

  Inside her robe rested the colorful pheasant that refused to act like a wild bird.

  “Do you feel it, a slight distortion…nothing firm. Like a shadow from mist.” She explained.

  After a few chimes, Shepard nodded.

  “Got it.” He murmured.

  “Okay, so it's in between states of phase, you will need to saturate the Body and Soul at the same time to get a hold of it. I did it in a swirling pattern within the structure.

  After a dozen breaths. “Got it.” He stated.

  Jianrong nodded. “Now, while you're rotating it like a storm, move it directly forward slowly, like… painfully slow, as if you pass through the membrane, you have to start over.” She explained.

  A few breaths later. “Gods…. dammit.” Shepard cursed.

  Rong chuckled. “I feel you.” She laughed.

  Over the course of several chimes under Jianrong’s guidance, the blob of his spirit stretched out like a soap bubble.

  The Qi firmed the media's outer skin. Then, slowly, that edge overlapped with the shape of the Souls at Shepard's forehead.

  For the time it took to clean and cook rice, the storm of Qi kept a portion of the Spirit aligned with a portion of the Soul.

  Rong finally told him to reduce the storm's radius and wait.

  The three of them sat in silence while Shepard looked inward.

  With a soft voice. “It's attached.” Shep acknowledged.

  Jianrong nodded. “Good work, now…smaller storm front and change perspectives, imagine you're wallpapering the inside of a mannequin.” She explained.

  Shepard laughed as he did exactly as she explained, anchoring the Spirit to it, which lay before the Crown Chakra.

  This was not to the strength of being fully seated, but it meant every day it grew was another day it could be more anchored in place to the Soul.

  Jianrong released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Good work."

  At midday, Jianrong and Shepard sat with Jang, Serel, and Virea.

  The most powerful cultivators of orthodoxy in Ironwood were going to test Rong and Shepard to decide whether the slow process she had come up with was viable.

  Under the watchful eye of Matriarchs and Elders, Jang, Royal Investigator and father-in-law, performed the test after each person felt where the Spirit was partially seated.

  Serel was fascinated.

  Virea was relieved.

  Jang was terrified.

  Each felt different, but everyone understood that all four Dars were in danger, and the Celestial Sect had proven that even a simple negotiation had turned into pressure testing any failure point for self-gain.

  First, Jang let his Aura go into a room full of Core Formation warriors.

  Then he did something Jianrong did not fully understand. He pressed his Intent, the representation of his will and presence, into her.

  Meanwhile, Jianrong looked inward, into her oblong-shaped Spirit, seated in the front portion of the Soul, which overlapped the cranium.

  She watched as the thing they called Intent pressed the portion that was not seated like a bladder being squeezed. The soup bubble flexed under Jang's growing pressure.

  They had explained to the Dar’s that intent, if pressed with enough force, could not just disable someone, as happened with Rong, but others could take over their body briefly. Say something at the wrong time, stab an ally, jump to one's death.

  Rong had heard the stories—demons seizing bodies like hermit crabs, crushing Spirits and inserting their own. She watched Jang's Intent press against her unseated Spirit and understood this was how it happened.

  Jianrong moved Qi through the bubble, but it had no effect. The same water pressure that would collapse a vessel filled with air if dropped into an abyss.

  Eventually, under strong enough Intent, you buckled and lost the ability to move, as your Spirit was the body's and soul's operating system.

  Mortals benefited from their sealed Chakra, but only to a degree.

  Rong could already endure more than she could with her blocked Crown.

  She had felt both Erin and Serel, and what she found made her flinch.

  Serel's Spirit did not fully align with her body; it was like having a child, a picture, and handing them a paintbrush and expecting them to keep the color within the lines.

  It didn’t work that way.

  Erins had been worse. She didn’t know if it mattered, but she felt that the closer the Spirit matched the soul's shape, the better.

  Now she just needed proof before Dar Luso, and Andrew performed the same process.

  Since Lin Su had opened up, the others had come to Jianrong to discuss her time in the caves.

  There was a list of those found worthy; they had received signs.

  Some worshiped Rou.

  Some worshiped Ling.

  Some, like Dar, paid closer attention to Da Jun, and the cave that had a three-legged crow etched into an actual golden sun she had made.

  All of the people giving prayer had felt different presences, and now a structure was being built over its entrance.

  “We know you have familiarity with them, Rong’er, but now you are our connection with them. We would like to have your blessing to be present during the union.” Lin Su said gently as Na and many others nodded.

  Jianrong leaned back and rested her hand on Pleasant, her pheasant that would not leave her alone.

  Even when Pleasant ran around, the dogs just let him be.

  Unlike Colonel Sanders, God rest his soul, who the dogs would bully for rushing about.

  The bird made a ‘gobbling ‘noise, and Rong sighed.

  Biting her lip in thought, she finally sighed. “They have already guided all of you to take care of me afterwards, which I understand but am still coming to terms with….and learning to not dry heave to…”

  She turned to Matron Bao Yu and Qing, who had become devout followers when Rou had spoken to them in the darkness of the morning light when they had accompanied Lin Su the third time.

  Those who worshipped Ling, the Earth mother, were nearly all warriors and always people who had lost a child or loved one to the cruelty of the world.

  Her presence made the loss make sense, eased it, and opened them to life beyond what they had confined themselves to.

  Rong clicked her tongue. “Very well, all of you will help me before and after their visit. I trust and love all of you. But we keep this only to those who are believers.” She warned.

  A wave of relief washed over the room.

  Then…Rong found out they had plans for a location just for this action.

  She felt her soul wanted to leave he body as a room full of people discussed her joining with her lovers as a religious and communal imperative to give it appropriate weight.

  Then Erin arrived with Serel, and Lin Su moved to them and hugged them.

  Lin Su brought them over to her hand; Serel pulled by Erin, and they moved to sit with her.

  Rong did not realize it, but her heart was pounding.

  The discussion continued, but now Serel spoke up about what was appropriate and what was too much.

  Rong found herself looking up at the woman in relief and adoration—Serel's academic mind, the same precision that solved cultivation puzzles, now deployed to protect her.

  She could do what Rong couldn't: negotiate while her own throat closed with panic.

  “Shen Vey has asked if she can come stay with us. What do you think?” Serel asked.

  Rong smiled and nodded.

  She didn’t really hear what she said, only that if Serel wanted it, then she wanted it too.

  Erin pinched her cheek, making Rong laugh and wipe her face as Lin Su leaned over her back and whispered into her ear.

  Jianrong lost track after that; she was just happy and amused by how Pleasant periodically gobbled.

  Time passed in the village like anywhere else.

  When there was nothing to do, time seemed to be in overabundance.

  When there was work to be done, the day would end too soon.

  Dar Luso, Shepard, and Jianrong trained their bodies when they weren’t taking turns in the Bloom.

  Learning Heaven Script had turned into a slog. They realized each one of them understood different parts better than the others.

  Even Andrew would ‘meditate’ at the same time as his master, but in reality, he would enter the Bloom and study.

  Then they would cross paths, and the memories and understanding were handed over.

  What should have taken several lunar cycles took less than ten days.

  When it was time to greet Ling, the area near the shrine entrance was cleared of people.

  Jianrong's hair was braided and beaded.

  Her nails were shaped and smoothed to perfection.

  Her shimmering skin was softer to the touch, as special oils had been used to make her smell divine and feel as heavenly as a warm summer day.

  Ten women guided her, their faces concealed so Jianrong would not feel subconscious about what would come later.

  The place prepared was simple, private, and sealed.

  Rong had barely lain down before her lover rose to embrace her.

  To Rong's delight, Ling had all of her hands and arms to hold her close and mesmerize her when they spoke.

  To Jianrong's surprise, Ling spoke to the others in the same way she had to Jianrong, but Jianrong could not hear what was said.

  She only knew each came forward, paying their respects and acting as guides and support for Rong as Ling changed into her male avatar to make love to her.

  In the end, Rong was holding the hands of others as Ling moved with such urgency that he collapsed across her back and held onto her as if she were there to steady him.

  It was the first time she had ever endured beyond what her lover dished out as the cycle overwhelmed them.

  Then Rong realized she had been their Qi throughout the process; the pain and pleasure had concealed the truth.

  Unable to endure any more, Ling kissed her farewell and fell into the earth, leaving no trace.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Rong accepted what came next without regret.

  Ling had broken bones, torn ligaments, and torn skin when they had joined in other instances.

  This time, it was a pleasure, with only minor pain.

  Realizing she did not want it to be strangers, she pulled back their face coverings one by one and accepted them. Then the village had shed its blood to return her to the land of the living.

  She could endure them taking from her what she could not hold or use.

  In the end, she had to be helped to her house, regardless, as the sensations overwhelmed her and the emotions she felt for each person who became part of the process.

  When Jianrong opened her eyes, Pleasant pheasant gobbled from her chest where he was nestled.

  Shen was on one side, asleep; Ai on the other.

  Ling had explained that an Envoy was coming, A representative of Heaven.

  They would have to stay away, for being in her presence would draw the Envoys' attention.

  Rong sighed.

  “Can't these people just fuck right off?” she thought.

  When morning came, and water was boiled, the faces of the ten came to her home with others.

  Without realizing it, her hands found theirs, her head leaned into theirs as she grappled with her feelings. Some she kissed; others were simply held; a few needed more, losing themselves to emotion.

  Solomon had been a part of all these people's lives; now it was as Jianrong.

  Jianrong just so happened to be an elixir that the gods came to visit.

  When she thought of it that way, of course, the village would be involved.

  She already knew the next hurdle, but thinking about it could wait as the two gods had taken a break for everyone's safety.

  With more divine essence, Rong's Spirit had grown expansively as the upper portion of her body was now securely seated.

  Shepard would take months to catch up, but the process had been proven to work, and both of them realized they could feel more.

  The connection to the Soul meant they knew more about what was happening without using their Soul Sense.

  When Ebon landed on Dar’s shoulder, he knew it was serious.

  “WAWA…Envoy.” Ebon croaked.

  Dar stood slowly, fed his companion, and set off to get ready.

  The Golden Claws Heaven Dynasty Liaison and Heavens Envoy, Lu Nara, was in her coach resting when they reached the fork in the road to Seldara, where the Ironwood was.

  The Captain of her modest contingent knocked on her door.

  With a gentle smile, the attractive woman exited the coach and took stock.

  In the distance, the wall and spires of Tianrelion’s capital were clear to see. All around the farmland stretched across the flat valley.

  “Excellency, do you wish to visit the Capital first or proceed directly to the village.

  Lu Nara shook her head. “We will proceed directly and decide on our actions, then move to the capital should we need to secure a wetnurse and a custodi-“Her voice halted as she looked up, a moment later, two people were falling from the sky.

  She blinked as she felt no Aura from them.

  One was a young man in full military armor, the tree symbol emblazoned on it. He bore a metal shield on his back and a short, straight sword on his hip.

  The other was a smaller young woman in conservative grey robes; she wore a head covering that concealed her hair and throat.

  In her hands was a massive bow of a shape she did not recognize.

  On her back were arrows, more like small ballista bolts.

  In silence, the two landed on the road, blocking the way to Ironwood nearly five hundred meters away.

  They did not speak.

  The man undid his shield and rested his hand on his blade, while the woman notched an arrow.

  There was a heavy silence when Lu Nara stepped forward. Her aura was releasing enough to let them know what she was.

  To her surprise, both simply spread out so they were not both together. The archer pulled more arrows and settled into a low stance as if waiting for the order to begin.

  A Scribe stepped forward, and the woman's amber eyes locked onto them, her body shifting.

  “State your authority. Are you Ironwood wardens?” Lu Nara called out.

  Dar Luso nodded. “Yes, Excellency, we stopped by to let you know we are not accepting visitors. My mother gave birth to our sister and is still recovering.”

  “Do you refuse Heaven’s audience?” the captain shouted.

  “Correct.” Dar Luso nodded.

  “Do you dare name yourself?” the captain demanded.

  “Dar Luso Bloodforge, Son of Nadia Bloodforge Exile and Matriarch of Ironwood,” Dar announced.

  “Jianrong Dar Bloodforge, Daughter of Nadia Bloodforge, Exile of a coward clan, Mother to Ironwood!” Rong shouted.

  "Captain, assess their strength. Prepare for engagement." Lu Nara stated. "I need to know what I'm facing."

  "Yes, Excellency." The captain stated.

  Several men moved to spread out and suppress them.

  “Go ahead and fall back, buddy. I will see you on the flip side,” Rong said as her Aura unfurled.” The pressure was greater than a Golden Core.

  Dar turned. He knew she was right. The moment the Envoy released her intent, he would fold.

  Jianrong could at least hold for long enough to flee.

  As the group watched, the armored man fell upward at an impossible speed until out of sight.

  The scribe had written all their words down, and the men were moving.

  “Child yield, hand over the infant, and we can let this go.” Lu Nara warned, then paused.

  The woman began to sparkle with a golden light.

  “Or we can all move on to the next stage of life together? My sister is not your property.” Jianrong said with a smile.

  Lu Nara’s eyes narrowed. “Hold”

  The light turned into a golden corona around Jianrong as the air trembled from the resonance of her Core reaching over 90 percent of its duty cycle.

  "You're willing to die for that infant. Why? What is she to you that's worth this?" Lu Nara.

  Jianrong laughed, she laughed at the Envoy’s question because it was absurd.

  “She is my family; cultivators don’t know about that…just how something benefits them. This must be confusing. I know, why don’t you offer me something to buy my compliance…that is how you see life…right?” Rong grinned.

  “You are a Cultivator, you have been seen and judged worthy by Heavenly tribulation. Heaven's Authority is an absolute child. It transcends Sect, Clan, or family.” Lu Nara stated.

  Rong tilted her head. “So, nothing matters except Heaven, for their goals, their ideals, their doctrine?” she asked.

  Lu Nara blinked. She felt this was a verbal trap, but could not explain how it benefited.

  “Yes, that is correct.” Lu Nara nodded.

  Jianrong nodded back. “So, if nothing matters beyond serving them, then nothing and no one matters, right? Your life has no more value than the Scribes as long as Heaven says it needs more Scribes than Envoys. That means my life is as worthless as yours. Isn't that interesting?” She laughed.

  Lu Nara paled, realizing what had happened, her mind was moving, trying to work out a way to staunch the wound she had just inflicted on herself.

  “Send your dregs over to die, that way Heaven can escalate this into a threat containment.” Jianrong laughed at the captain. “Hey, you, dreg, come here. Your life has no value, your family and all the generations before it were worthless too. Come, come, serve your masters, they say it's time to dance, so come dance for them.”

  Jianrong slapped her thigh with one hand, whistled like she was calling her dogs, then laughed so loudly it echoed across the plain.

  The men turned white, then red.

  Then two air constructs in the shape of wedges in Tianrelion’s colors flew past.

  The Bloodforge Kunai that had shaken Golden Claw’s capital city not long ago.

  One headed south, the other headed north. Both accelerated hard and were gone within a few breaths.

  Jianrong's Aura disappeared, and she put her arrows back in place.

  “I changed my mind, please…come to Ironwood. How can we help you today?” She smiled with her best customer service smile.

  The captain pointed at Jianrong, anger in his face.

  Jianrong turned and pointed in the same direction. “Yes…that way. Good work, Dreg.” She congratulated him.

  Lu Nara ordered the caravan to head toward Ironwood.

  Jianrong walked alongside them one hundred meters away and did nothing but match their pace.

  The caravan moved through the forest and finally reached the stone walls after the sun was low on the horizon.

  Jianrong smiled and approached. Pick any house you like; move on in. Stay as long as you want. Was there anything else you needed from me?” she asked amicably.

  Lu Nara ordered her men to set up camp outside the wall, then turned to Jianrong. “We will see the child now.”

  Jianrong made a popping noise with her mouth. “You mean my sister?” Rong asked sweetly.

  “The child that was born three weeks ago in this village.” Lu Nara clarified.

  Rong nodded. “Ok, well, they fled. So, not sure if you want to split half your people to go south and the half to go north, or if you just want to settle in… it's up to you, just let us know how we can serve and worthless bundles of flesh to ensure Heaven gets what it is due.” Rong pointed at a bench. “I will be over there, take your time, Excellency.”

  Lu Nara’s aura flared. “Where did they go?” she demanded.

  “How would I know that, Excellency? You saw what I did; an airship went north, one went south.” Rong pointed out.

  “We will search the village.” Lu Nara stated.

  Rong nodded, then projected her voice.

  “Attention, Ironwood, our betters from Heaven are here to search for a newborn baby. They want you to comply with their demands. Remember, your lives mean nothing; only heaven’s will matters. Feel blessed to be used and discarded. Thank you!”

  Rong turned and smiled.

  “Please proceed.” She motioned.

  Lu Nara waved, and her people moved in three small teams.

  One person used a magical device once they found where Auriel slept to track her.

  What came back was the trail ended where they stood.

  The compass showing direction simply spun.

  Lu Nara stood tall, her hands behind her back, as she hoped someone would do something to justify her actions. Instead, people left their homes, their doors open. Some sat on the ground, others simply lay down in defeat.

  “Gobble, gobble.” Pleasant pheasant ran over to Jianrong and hopped into her lap.

  The young woman began petting the bird.

  Meanwhile, Lu Nara tried to understand why, for a brief moment, her meridian had begun to resonate. Her Qi cycled more easily, and her breath came lighter.

  Jianrong looked up at the taller woman as she sat, petting her colorful bird. “Do you guys take a lot of children to manage them, Excellency?” she asked, curious.

  "When children show unusual spiritual characteristics, Heaven must investigate. For the greater good." Lu Nara stated.

  “You must be confused.” Jianrong pointed out.

  Lu Nara blinked.

  “You said the GREATER good, so what you meant to benefit Heaven, right? Because that is all that matters.”

  "Yes, I suppose Heaven's benefit is what I meant." Lu Nara said evenly.

  Jianrong nodded. “Well, that makes sense. Her Karma was full, and she had three affinities. She would be a useful drone, running around performing for Heaven.” Rong smiled, nodding along.

  Lu Nara watched as her people returned with nothing. The general response that was given was ‘I am not sure’ or ‘I didn’t see where they went,’ but what they could prove was that none of them was lying.

  "The child may have fled, but YOU remain. You show signs of divine modification. Unauthorized cultivation methods. You will come with me for the investigation." Lu Nara stated.

  “Divine modification?” Jianrong smiled. “Are you investigating gods or Heaven now?” She held up her hands to be shackled.

  The Envoy had to clench her jaw, not frown. “There is no need to restrain you, is there?”

  Rong raised her brow. “Do you normally ask criminals if they broke the law or not?” Her voice was light with amusement.

  "I don't need your mockery. Divine modifications require investigation. You will report to Heaven for examination." Lu Nara warned.

  Rong nodded. “Ready when you are, Excellency. Will my time be compensated if it is found I just have a special constitution, it's not like I am under mandate and work for the Empress or anything?” She offered.

  The captain or Lu Nara’s guard detail hated Jianrong, but he hated Lu Nara’s inability to stop them from looking like amateurs who were disposable more.

  "I don't care about mandates. Heaven's authority supersedes kingdom jurisdiction." Lu Nara stated.

  “Oh yeah,” Jianrong tapped her fist on her head. “I forgot only Heaven matters. Not even the Emperor of Golden Claw Heavens Dynasty is in the eyes of Heaven; he is just like us… a nobody.” Rong laughed.

  "Did she just... did she just declare the EMPEROR is a nobody? The Emperor of the Golden Claw Heaven's Dynasty? The man we all ultimately serve? She just called him worthless? To assert authority over a peasant?" The Captain stared at Lu Nara as if she lost her mind.

  Lu Nara was a Nascent Soul, which meant she was powerful, experienced, trained in martial power, schooled in diplomacy, and absolutely, positively keenly aware of what she had just done.

  Jianrong still had her hands out waiting while her grin grew larger.

  “How does it feel to have kings, queens, emperors, and empresses bow their heads to you because of who you serve? Bet it feels good.” She commented, then looked at the scribe. “You can quote me on that.” Rong said with a smile.

  "She's right. I DO enjoy it. Feeling superior to the Emperor, making monarchs bow. That's why I said it. Not because doctrine required it. Because I WANTED to assert that power, and it destroyed me. The addiction to feeling superior... just ended my career." Lu Nara felt physically ill.

  "I can't stop this. If I try, I prove her right - that I abuse power. If I don't, it goes in the official record that Heaven's envoys are power-addicted. I'm keenly aware of being trapped. I can SEE the trap. I KNOW the consequences. And I can't stop it. Because stopping it... proves the accusation." Lu Nara screamed internally.

  Jianrong lowered her hands and shooed Pleasant away. “Taking bets, two to one the Nascent Soul kills before we get to the capital to protect her position,” Rong said, watching Lu Nara.

  "She just... she just predicted Excellency will murder her. Publicly. And she's probably RIGHT. Excellency is trapped, destroyed, and desperate. Murder would be the only way to silence this. But we all heard the prediction. If this woman dies on the way to the capital... we're witnesses to premeditated murder. Do I... do I protect the peasant from my commander? Or do I become an accomplice to assassination?" The captain thought.

  Jianrong turned to her entourage, saw their faces, and stated. “Oh, you think it will just be me?” The young woman smiled, then laughed.

  Rong’s eyes moved to Lu Nara, “Excellency, you could do it, just unfurl your Aura, crush us all flat.”

  The young woman smiled.

  “My family left when you were talking to me. For all anyone knows, the village fought you tooth and nail…nothing but heretics, they subverted your own people with heresy…you were forced to act to follow doctrine. No one here has value but yourself. Think of all the hard work you put in to become Envoy, the acts you had to justify to gain such a prestigious position.”

  Rong waved to her own people.

  “Are you really going to let some village in the middle of nowhere take that from you?”

  Rong pointed to her entourage,

  “Your own people sabotaged your mission from the start, talking when they should have been listening to your orders. The only person here in the right is you,” Rong stated, as if the actions they all knew she was considering were logical.

  The Captain stared in horror. "She's right. I DID sabotage. I DID question. I DID make her lose face publicly, twice. By the doctrine we serve, by the logic of Heaven, my execution IS justified. And the peasant woman is explaining why it's LOGICAL to kill me. Not as an accusation. As helpful advice. Making my murder sound REASONABLE. And I can't... I can't argue with the logic. Within the system, I deserve death. The system is EVIL." He thought as he glanced at his men, then at the wall.

  Lu Nara looked at her men briefly and realized that since Jianrong’s Core was silent, she would never be able to stop her in time with suicide, which meant…"She's... she's right. I COULD do it. Just unfurl my Aura. They'd all die instantly. No struggle. No evidence. Say they attacked. Say they were heretics. Who would question me? I'm Heaven's Envoy. They're nobody. And I DID work hard. Centuries of cultivation. Decades of service. All those... 'acts’ I had to endure. I've compromised before. For the position. For the power. What's one more? What's... what's 225 more?"

  Horror washed over her, but it was surprisingly weak.

  "I'm considering it and actually calculating. She gave me the method. The justification. The cover story. And I'm... I'm seriously thinking about it. Mass murder. Genocide. To protect my career. She's describing me. The monster I am. And making it sound LOGICAL. Because it IS logical. Within the system. Within the doctrine. Mass murder IS the rational response. Which means... which means the system is evil. The doctrine is evil. And I'm... I've become evil."

  "I could do it. Right now. They're all here. All the witnesses. One surge of Aura. They're all dead. Blame them. Return to the capital. Report the heretic village eliminated. Get commended, maybe. Keep my position. All I have to do is... is become exactly what she said I am. Power-addicted murderer who values position over lives. Who sees people as worthless. Who murders 225 people to protect a career? Do I... do I do it?"

  Jianrong glanced at Lu Nara’s men, then to the Envoy, who felt she was the most honest person she had ever met.

  “The ones you have to worry about are the guards with movement techniques…once they get away, everyone will scurry away like cockroaches, you will never catch them all,” Rong advised like a devils advocate.

  Lu Nara turned to the Captain, and in that moment, her intent probed him.

  The man screamed as he launched himself forward and over the defensive wall towards Seldara, using his movement art.

  In that moment, Lu Nara was forced to decide. If he said she attacked him, Heaven would assume that with all that had happened, she had gotten cold feet and pulled back.

  To Lu Nara, the entire Village began to move in slow motion.

  She watched the entire Fort with her Spirit Sense; the only person not moving was the young woman giving the Envoy advice.

  Lu Nara almost wished she didn’t have to do what she had decided to do, but she had some questions she would squeeze out of Jianrong first.

  After she dealt with her guards, the rest she could suppress: stage the bodies, set some fires, and put the narrative in her favor.

  Her Aura could not stop Captain Lou.

  So, she struck with killing Intent.

  Sharp and focused, her aim was assured, even for a Core Formation elite; he was only a minor character to her.

  Captain Lou's movement technique broke under her attack. The backlash was already happening as his body went limp mid-air, his muscles released, and his heart seized as the overwhelming Intent attack crushed his Spirit.

  Lu Nara had moved to kill absolutely; to hold back was to sign her own death warrant.

  Her eyes were moving away from the captain when darkness engulfed her.

  Her mind registered that all her external senses were gone; she deduced it was an attack, but with no reference point, she did not know where it was coming from.

  She did not freeze or hesitate. Her Qi barrier raced from her Dantian through her meridians in her chest to protect her.

  When it met the shadow, the shield never took form.

  As the energy expanded forward, then around her body, it dissolved into irrelevance.

  In the darkness, within Jianrong’s Dantian, her singularity consumed over five percent of her reserves,

  A single expenditure of so much Qi that the Nascent Soul would be shocked, a Core Formation could endure.

  ENDLESS NIGHT

  Then a thick knife pulsing with a powerful Aura entered the top of her head and was yanked out breath later.

  As Lu Nara’s body began to cease its function, the blade arced around, shattering the woman's sternum and impaling her heart.

  Jianrong had seen the writing on the wall.

  In a sense, she had seen a bit of Uncle Ning in the woman.

  There was a strict belief system in her mind, and anything outside that could not be left alone.

  She was not going to travel back to Golden Claw for a month to admit she had failed to deliver results.

  The reality was that Nadia and Auriel, along with all the other women with babies, were in the Bloom of returning.

  The Kunai’s had been a diversion to make her think they were gone, because if there was no readily apparent answer… they would squeeze, and that meant villagers hurt or detained.

  Or worse.

  Sitting to look small, her legs were pre-coiled to move. Under her robe, the earth had risen up and hardened into ridges that would support her full-power launch.

  Jianrong sat perfectly still, becoming the lowest threat vector to the Nascent Soul. When Endless Night snapped outward, she was already moving with it, ensuring the woman could not triangulate her position by moving too soon.

  One moment, Jianrong was sitting watching Heavens Envoy initiate a mass murder, the next she ended it.

  Jianrong watched the world unfold slowly as her adrenaline mixed with her Qi accelerating her thoughts began to fade.

  The guards were launching themselves in every direction.

  The villagers were terrified by the scream and sudden actions of the demigod.

  The space around Lu Nara and Jianrong was a receding wave of people trying desperately to get away from being crushed by an Aura they assumed was coming.

  Lu Nara’s body hit the ground, and Rong let out a slow breath. Her robe was destroyed, torn asunder by her legs stretching apart violently.

  The stone bench had been torn from the ground as her hand pressed back on it to accelerate.

  As the screaming hit her consciousness, she looked down.

  “Gobble, gobble.” Pleasant pheasant was waiting.

  Rong sheathed her blade and held out her arms.

  In a flurry of color, he jumped up to her arms and settled in.

  Rong moved to the bench, picked it up with one arm, and returned it to its home.

  The scribes, the weakest people, were the first to notice they were not dying.

  The guards had all cleared the inner wall and were running for their lives using every skill they had.