Forge of Destiny - Threads 60-Bao Qian 4
Library

Threads 60-Bao Qian 4

Threads 60-Bao Qian 4

There was no hurry in her search so when Ling Qi took to the air, she flew at a lazy pace, rising up past the tree tops with the hems of her gown gently fluttering in the wind. Soaring up into the sky, she took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the wind on her face and the sound of Hanyi’s joyous laughter in her ears. The young spirit was light on her shoulders, a far cry from the immense weight she had carried the last time they had done this.

Glancing back, she took in her companions. Li Suyin and Du Feng had produced camp chairs and other sundries from somewhere, and she could feel the heat of boiling waters. Bao Qian had gone off with his own spirit to walk around the ruined foundations. He looked up as her gaze passed over him and waved. Zhengui, on the other hand, was still, but she could feel his qi beneath the earth, spreading through the root network of the nearby trees.

“C’moooon, don’t stop,” Hanyi complained. “Let’s fly!”

“You’ve gotten so impatient,” Ling Qi laughed. “But fine, if that’s what you want.”

Yes, she should definitely take the lessons of the last few weeks to heart and simply relax. With that in mind, Ling Qi tried not to laugh out loud as she darted forward, spinning in the air and drawing a startled shriek from Hanyi. In her thoughts, Sixiang laughed enough for the both of them. Taking off into the clear blue sky, Ling Qi began her search.

It made for a relaxing afternoon. The region they were in was thickly forested but comparatively flat, so from above the trees, it almost seemed like an unbroken carpet of greenery. Faeries of wind and water fluttered and danced through the air around her, barely visible wisps even to her sharp eyes. Below, the spirits of wood and earth lurked among the branches and leaves, following their own slow paced and inscrutable whims.

She saw and felt the passage of many beasts below her, but none dared challenge her path. Some hid or fled from her while others ignored her entirely. Her search was entirely peaceful and almost dull, or it would have been if she were alone. Hanyi was not one to let silence linger, ironically enough.

“So, what do you think of that Bao guy, Big Sis?” Hanyi chirped. “He seems kinda boring to me, but I think he likes you!”

“I would doubt the Bao clan’s competence if they sent someone who couldn’t give that impression,” Ling Qi replied dryly as they flew lazily over a babbling brook. Spotting the faintest hints of gravel and a regular path marking some remnant of civilization, Ling Qi shifted her course, following its direction.

“Ugh, you’re no fun sometimes,” Hanyi complained. “And you better not spin me again ‘cause I said that!”

Ling Qi hid her smile behind her sleeve, innocently pretending that she hadn’t considered doing just that. “Why so interested? Usually, I have to fight to get you to pay other people any mind.”

“Hmph, I’m trying to follow your advice!” Hanyi huffed, tightly gripping Ling Qi’s shoulders as she banked sharply in the air to follow the curve of the old road. “I guess I’m worried about you, Big Sis.”

Ling Qi glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “What are you talking about? I’m doing fine.”

Hanyi pouted back at her. “Big Sis takes care of me when I get sad or worried or whatever, so I just thought that you needed someone who could do the same for you.”

Sixiang mused.

Ling Qi thought back at Sixiang. “I can handle myself, Hanyi,” she said aloud. “That’s not something you need to worry about. Besides, why would you latch on to a stranger for that?”

“Well, he wants to marry you, right?” Hanyi asked innocently. “He just can’t say so ‘cause of weird human things. Husbands and wives are supposed to take care of each other and make each other happy!”

Ling Qi wasn’t even sure where to start. It made her wonder just what things had been like in Zeqing’s household given what she had seen of her mentor’s husband. It wasn’t like she was going to bring that up to Hanyi though.

Sixiang made a sound like a person sucking in air through their teeth in her thoughts.

“I appreciate your concern, Hanyi, but things don’t quite work like that,” Ling Qi finally said. “Bao Qian is just here to work out some business. Anything else is a consideration for a long time in the future.”

“If you say so,” Hanyi said dubiously. “Big Sis is weird sometimes,” she muttered.

“Ah, I see something ahead!” Ling Qi announced, pleased to have a distraction from this uncomfortable conversation.

Up ahead, the canopy changed. There were wide gaps, and the trees seemed to grow in an oddly regular pattern. As she grew closer, she found herself looking at a badly overgrown grid of what could only have been streets across a sprawling section of the forest. The paving stones were long gone, but she could sense the lingering qi of the builders in the dirt, suppressing the growth of plants through the packed dirt. Dotted all through the streets were deep and regular holes; she assumed they were the partially collapsed remains of cellars and such.

Yet there were no other ruins. A deep trench ran around the site, and its nature was only made clear by a handful of foundation stones for the settlement’s wall she saw scattered about. There was no other wreckage to be seen.

“This must have been the main settlement.” It was certainly big enough. “Did all the materials get carted off though? If the Sect did that, why did we have to search?”

“Oh, I know this one!” Hanyi announced excitedly. “Momma told me a story once that when the big storm came north, it was so big and so strong that it sucked all the trees and little houses and walls and people right up into the sky, and it rained rocks and wood and frozen bits for a week after!”

Memories bubbled up, and she recalled Elder Jiao’s trial last year. She remembered ushering people away from a besieged city and the sight of a vast wind funnel descending upon the settlement. That put Hanyi’s story in context. She probably should have expected something like this then given that she knew they were looking for a