Chapter 218: 282. Debt

“I don’t really see what the fuss is, honestly.”

Li Meili rubbed her temples as Pan Jiaying tried to defend herself. After their discussion, Meili had needed a moment and Pan Jiaying was kind enough to invite her over for tea. She went on as she set a steaming cup in front of Meili.

“So it’s a little higher than I thought, but it’ll still only take another six or seven years to pay off. I just never really saw the point in trying to pay it off when my goal was to become an inner disciple.”

That was the trap, wasn’t it? Meili scowled into her tea, unable to make eye contact. Either pay their exorbitant fees, stay in their debt, or commit yourself completely to their cause—no matter which path you took, the sect benefits at your expense. It wasn’t about the money—it was just a way to exert control.

As much as she’d love to say all of that, Li Meili was still being watched, and she doubted that the sect would tolerate her badmouthing them. That did give her an idea, however—something that might serve to help them both. Meili took a long sip from her hot tea and set the cup down firmly.

“It’s not the debt that bothers me, per se. The sect has every right to ensure that they are compensated for their service to the empire.”

The words burned her mouth more than the tea did, but Meili pressed on.

“What disappoints me is the quality of that service. You haven’t been getting your money’s worth, Pan Jiaying.”

Pan Jiaying went pale, looking over her shoulder as if she expected someone to be looming behind her. She leaned forward and spoke in hushed tones—not that it would help.

“M-Miss Li, you can’t say things like that! I’m very happy with the sect and everything they’ve done for me.”

Meili understood Pan Jiaying’s concern—it was definitely risky to provoke the sect intentionally, but she wasn’t about to back down. She sighed and shook her head dramatically.

“Of course—I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. I’m sure the sect has done the best with what they have, it’s just...no, nevermind. You’re right, I’m speaking out of turn.”

Pan Jiaying leaned forward, her curiosity piqued.

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Li Meili cast her gaze out the window, and stared as if lost in thought. After a moment she felt a bit embarrassed putting on such a performance, but it was crucial to sell the part.

“I just didn’t realize that the sect was so impoverished that it couldn’t afford to procure even a single yin art for such a dedicated student. I had high hopes when I heard about the alchemist here, but as beautiful a place as Lushan is, I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

Pan Jiaying began to visibly sweat, and Li Meili felt bad for pulling her into the performance. As much as she disliked the political games that Qin cultivators were so well known for, she had learned a thing or two from her time in the academy. If they were going to present her with a ‘bad example’ to warn her away, then she had to turn it back around on them.

She could only hope that whatever benefits she managed to get on Pan Jiaying’s behalf would be worth the distress she was currently putting the poor woman through.

“Miss Li, please. I understand what you’re saying, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m just an outer disciple who’s barely managed to contribute anything. In fact, my debt has grown since I joined—it would be too audacious by half for me to demand something as rare as a yin art.”

“Oh, of course I understand, Miss Pan. I’m not insulting your sect at all—in fact, I’m extremely impressed with how much they’ve accomplished under such limitations. The economic efficiency of the Gaze of the Everwatching Mists is an inspiration! I’ve no doubt that they would ensure you had all the tools necessary to earn your keep if only they had the means.”

Pan Jiaying nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, exactly! There’s no way the sect could afford to invest so heavily in someone like me! It’s already generous of them to let me remain when I’m just a drain on their resources.”

Li Meili winced internally. Either Pan Jiaying was incredibly good at playing dumb, or she hadn’t picked up on what Meili was doing. Had twenty years among Qin cultivators not been enough to teach her about faint praise? Or maybe Yue had been a more corrupting influence than Meili realized. Either way, she tried to steer the conversation back on course.

“Right, exactly—and that being the case, I doubt that a stranger like me can expect to prevail on their generosity. I still look forward to meeting Luo Mingyu, but I suppose I’ll have to make the journey north after all.”

“Hm? You’re going inland?”

Meili nodded magnanimously.

“I was hoping to avoid it, since it’s such a long journey, but it’s starting to look like I’ll have no choice.”

Pan Jiaying leaned in, her eyes shining with wonder.

“What’s up north?”

Meili giggled.

“The whole empire! We’re all the way out at the edges, but there’s half a continent to explore. More specifically though...”

She glanced over her shoulder and leaned in performatively—she knew her watchers would hear every word, regardless.

“Have you heard of the Grand Academy?”

Pan Jiaying blinked.

“I think so? It was a short-lived attempt at making peace with the barbarians beyond the frontier. I heard it got destroyed after the beastmen summoned an army of demons with their heretical magic.”

Meili had to fight extremely hard not to react to that bombshell. Instead she just nodded.

“Right, exactly. Before, uh, that happened, I had a few friends that were lucky enough to get in and study under Yan Hao, of the Awakening Dragon Sect. I might be able to share secrets with them, but it’s quite far to go on a thin promise.”

“By the emperor! You know people from the Awakening Dragon? Ugh, your life sounds so much more interesting than mine. So you came here hoping to learn from an alchemist a little closer to home?”

“Mhm. But, oh well, I’ll just have to deal with it. What sort of itinerant would I be if I stayed in one place my entire life, anyway?”

Pan Jiaying giggled.

“True! I do hope you can stay a while, though. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky and Luo Mingyu will be willing to talk to you after all.”

“Maybe, but I won’t hold my breath. For now, why don’t you show me those gardens? Then, as thanks for taking precious time out of your day, how about I teach you a little something?”

Pan’s eyes went as wide as saucers as she sprung from her seat so quickly that she knocked it over.

“Really?! I mean—u-uh, yes of course! We can go right now, come on!”

Li Meili smiled as she followed her excitable escort out of the house. Her trap was set and baited—now it was just a matter of waiting.

 

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“So how do you think she’s doing?”

Eui mulled Jia’s question over while she watched Lee Narae hover a few inches off the ground, desperately trying to lift a tiny bag of sand.

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“Not great. I don’t think that even weighs a single pound. I can see why Master Ienaga wanted her to train up.”

Jia smacked her on the shoulder playfully.

“Not her. I mean Li Meili.”

“Right. Well, knowing us, she’s probably doing something stupid or reckless, getting distracted by someone else’s problems, or getting in way over her head. My money’s on all three.”

“Ugh, we should have sent Rika with her or something. Sneaking and subtlety isn’t what we’re good at.”

Eui snorted.

“Or at least looped her in with joint meditation when we made the avatar.”

Jia grimaced and shook her head.

“No, I don’t like that idea. I’m already worried enough about that technique without mixing our friends up in it.”

“Yeah, I know. Speaking of which—when are we going to talk to Master Ienaga?”

Jia flopped back in the grass and groaned, covering her face.

“I don’t know. I know we should, but it’s so awkward.”

“It doesn’t need to be. Your sister is right—Master Ienaga is a reasonable woman. She’s always supported us, even when we did unthinkably stupid things like inextricably link our souls together after knowing each other for like a week.”

Eui reveled in Jia’s embarrassment, even though she shared it. That had been a vulnerable time in both their lives, and they were lucky it had turned out so well.

“Yeah, yeah. I just don’t think we’ve ever made her angry before.”

“I’m not angry with you, girls.”

Ienaga’s sudden appearance startled Eui enough that she had to fight back the reflex to throw a knife at her.

“Master, you startled us. Most people can’t sneak up on us like that.”

Master Ienaga sighed and took a seat in the grass next to them, her face as placid as ever.

“I shouldn’t be able to either. Pay better attention to your surroundings, and don’t forget to watch for conspicuous absences. The fact that I wasn’t with Narae should have alerted you.”

Jia crossed her arms and pouted.

“Well sorry if we weren’t expecting you to randomly ambush us—we were more concerned with external threats.”

Ienaga smiled slightly.

“My apologies. I overheard you speaking about me and thought it would make a good opportunity to harmlessly test your alertness.”

Eui grinned, if Ienaga was going to tease them, then it was only fair if she reciprocated.

“Are you sure it wasn’t Jung that tipped you off? You’ve been spending a lot of time together, recently.”

Ienaga just nodded.

“We have, and in truth she did mention that I should talk to you. I would have done so sooner, but I needed time to compose my thoughts.”

Eui cursed internally. Ienaga’s composure was impenetrable. Trying to get a reaction out of her was harder than even Guan Yi—at least he could be trusted to quip sarcastically. Jia gave Eui the mental equivalent of a kick on the shin.

“Stop that! We’re trying to make her less upset with us.”

“Sorry, force of habit.”

Jia sighed.

“We did too. Creating that avatar technique was a...weird experience, and we didn’t really have time to fully consider what we were doing in the moment—even if we tried.”

Master Ienaga gave her a stern look.

“Where have I heard that before?”

The girls cringed, but Eui had to offer some defense.

“Our readiness to experiment like that has always been an important part of what we do. Half of our accomplishments would never have happened if we didn’t jump at the opportunity.”

“Half your failures, too.”

Eui opened her mouth to retort, but came up short and scowled instead. Ienaga chuckled lightly.

“Girls, I don’t fault you for what you did. I understand that it’s different from the circumstances of my breakthrough, despite the superficial similarities. I was too hasty in my reprimand, and for that I apologize.”

Jia and Eui exchanged glances before simultaneously adjusting their posture so that they could bow properly.

“Thank you, Master.”

Once again, Ienaga Yumi had reminded Eui why she held her in such high regard. Master Ienaga respected them enough to tell them if she thought they were wrong, and to admit it when she was.

“Don’t thank me just yet. I still need you both to understand the ramifications of your actions. I know that you’ve struggled to determine whether Li Meili is a truly individual entity or whether she is an extension of yourselves. I’m here to tell you that she is both, and that you must accept the worst of both sides of that coin.

“When Murayoshi crafted my body and conducted the ritual to transfer my soul, my original body was obliterated, as was the kami that facilitated the ritual. All of the loose threads that would have forced me to consider whether I was truly myself were annihilated before they could cause any trouble. A suspiciously convenient outcome—but whether it was by design is a secret that I expect my uncle will take to his grave.

“Regardless, it is a thought that has plagued me for over a century, so please take my words with the same solemnity in which I give them. Li Meili is you, but you do not control her. Her actions are her own, but they are also yours. This means that you must be ready to take full responsibility for whatever happens during her time in Lushan, understood?”

Jia and Eui both swallowed nervously and nodded. When Ienaga was satisfied that the gravity of her words had sunk in, she stood and smiled down at the pair innocently.

“So, how do you think she’s doing?”