“What you do with that information is up to you. I personally find the soul trade quite distasteful, so I fully encourage you to prevent any further actions by your rogue members.”
Hong Xin’s head was spinning. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and hide beneath her blankets while hoping the world went on without her. “I’m afraid I’m not feeling well, Master Mu,” she said. “It was a pleasure meeting with you, but I’ll have to excuse myself.”
“I was just leaving,” Mu Feilong said. “Our people will be in touch shortly.”
As he traveled down the stairs, Mistress Huang came back up. Then, seeing Hong Xin’s trembling figure, she used dousing arts to regulate the younger woman’s surging emotions. “What happened?” she asked.
“A disaster,” Hong Xin said. “Terrible news with dire consequences.”
Mistress Huang frowned. “Should I end the party early?”
Hong Xin shook her head. “No, we don’t want them seeing us any weaker than they already do,” she said. “Finish the party, but I want you, Bai Ling, and Ji Bingxue in my quarters as soon as the last guest leaves. I’ll be heading back to my chambers early.”
Mistress Huang nodded slowly. “Do you need anything? A scented bath, perhaps, or something to eat?”
“A drink,” Hong Xin said. “A strong one at that.” She left the stunned Mistress Huang on the balcony and walked listlessly toward her bed.
Hong Xin never drank.
Chapter 15: Changing the World
In a dark room in the Jade Bamboo Headquarters pavilion, Wang Jun stirred in his sleep. His dreams were chaotic and messy, a mixture between wonder and nightmare. He saw his sister’s bloody face, smiling and telling him to be safe while his brother smirked in the distance. He saw Elder Bai taking care of him in the numb years that followed. Vengeance burned in his heart. It threatened to engulf him if he didn’t let it out.
But how? he thought. Overcoming him financially had become all but impossible. He could kill his brother, yes, but did the man deserve a peaceful death? No. He deserved to suffer a terrible defeat and wallow in self-pity before breathing his last.
Wang Jun saw birds building nests in the spring, laying a steady foundation for when they laid their eggs. He saw humans raising their children, hoping they’d at least be as successful as their parents. Then he saw angels. They taught restraint and kindness to the deaf, while devils encouraged those who listened.
But why? he thought. Why do they even bother?
A butterfly emerged from a cocoon, completely transformed. Not all caterpillars could become butterflies, however. It was an unfair situation, much like the cultivation world. Why is it so unfair?
Below him, a beaver worked hard to build a dam. Once built, not only were the beavers safe, but all sorts of animals and fish took refuge in the changed habitat. The dam not only benefited them but many others.
I need to make money, not start a zoo, Wang Jun thought.
When he thought of money again, he saw piles of spirit stones he didn’t have, a fortune he couldn’t reach, and a bottomless pit trying to swallow it all. He saw his brother gloating with all his advantages. No, if he focused on money, his brother would win. His brother had more, and this game was rigged against him. He needed a new idea, something that would flip the board and let him start over on a playing field of his own choosing.
Then back to the birds, what are they doing? he thought, looking back to them. The birds are building a nest. A foundation for their young. It wasn’t just a safe place for them but a place for their entire family. If their family succeeded, their descendants would succeed as well. Birds who didn’t build nests didn’t last long, and the smartest birds built their nests with the best materials they could find.
And what of the butterflies? he thought. Aren’t they just living? Yes, the butterflies were living, but they were also changing. They came from the cocoons they formed as caterpillars. There was only enough food for less than one out of every hundred caterpillars. The others would die without reproducing. Humans were like butterflies in that sense. Only one out of every hundred became cultivators. Perhaps that was due to shortage as well?
And the beavers? he thought. They changed their environment to make it more comfortable. Other species couldn’t do this, for as beavers, they were equipped with all three tools—their teeth, their tails, and their knowhow. Without all of these things, changing their environment was impossible. But they had them, and they used them to change their entire ecosystem. Many other species benefited.
All for money, he thought. He saw bloodstained spirit stones and mountains of treasures. He saw jade bamboo sticks protecting his sworn enemy. They used light to expose him in the shadows and chain him, forcing him to work for those he hated.
But do I really hate them? No, he didn’t. Elder Bai, Protector Ren, Wang Bing, Wang Tong, among others. There were many family members he liked, and there were many innocent family members who simply existed under the family’s leadership. They weren’t responsible for what had happened to his sister. Neither were they responsible for what the elders were doing to him now.
Change… change… The order in his dreams disappeared, and the experience became surreal. He was in a different world, one that resembled Quicksilver City. But unlike Quicksilver City, everyone here was weak. So weak that Wang Jun felt they’d get blown over by a stiff wind. None of them were cultivators. Yet these mere mortals somehow moved about as quickly as cultivators, riding in large vehicles propelled by chemistry and mechanisms. They communicated across an entire planet, despite not having an ounce of spiritual energy.
The information they had access to was staggering, and unlike those in his own world, everyone was fed, content, and entertained. They were weak, but together they
