It had taken Jiang an excruciatingly long time before he'd been able to slip away from the discussion. By that point, they'd spent the better part of an hour agreeing that finding Gao Leng would be difficult, dangerous, and possibly impossible. The only clear plan involved rooting through bandit groups one by one, interrogating survivors, and killing anyone who looked at them wrong. It wasn't elegant, but Jiang supposed it would work eventually.

The only real problem was that the one person who actually knew where all the bandits were – the Broker – was now extremely dead. Jiang had noticed the brief, awkward silence when that came up. Mistress Bai had shot him a look that he'd interpreted as keep quiet with a side of I'll end you if you speak. He'd decided silence was the safer option.

Things had only gone downhill from there – for whatever reason, they were circling the same three points again: finding a demonic cultivator was difficult; Gao Leng was using bandits to hide his movements; and the Azure Sky Sect and the city guard were definitely going to work together harmoniously this time.

From the tones and expressions on their faces, both Mistress Bai and Li Xuan found that last point unlikely.

By that point, even Zhang had the polite expression of someone condemned to witness a debate he was neither senior enough to interrupt nor useful enough to include in.

Having finished off all of the available sweets and being reasonably certain no one present was looking to either kill and/or capture him anymore – though he hadn't missed the thoughtful expression on Li Xuan's face – he'd taken the opportunity to mumble something about checking on someone and left before anyone could press the issue.

They hadn't exactly been happy about it, of course – Mistress Bai had a faintly suspicious look on her face, and Li Xuan looked like he was moments away from following along just to make sure Jiang didn't run away again – but neither of them wanted to be the one to say something first. For once, face worked in his favour.

Outside, the air was cooler, quieter. He took a deep breath, feeling the tension unwind from his shoulders. He hadn't realised just how much pressure had been packed into that room – and not only from Mistress Bai's spiritual presence. Everyone there had something to prove, or something to lose.

From his perspective, he had what he needed now — or, at least, the illusion of it. The route to Biragawa, the place where his family had been taken. On paper, that meant he could finally do something. In practice… it raised more questions than it answered.

He didn't know anything about the region. He didn't know who had them, or where. If they'd been sold – and they probably had – then what? Did he plan to buy them back? The idea left a sour taste in his mouth. He wasn't sure if it was pride or fury. Probably both.

He was a cultivator now, technically, but that wasn't a shield. The last few months had proven that clearly enough. Announcing himself as one would just draw the wrong kind of attention. Every time he'd crossed paths with other cultivators, something had gone wrong – badly wrong. He didn't think he could afford another "incident."

Even once he solved that problem, there were more waiting for him on the other side. For all his cultivation, all his Qi and pacts and power, he still had no idea what came after. Once he found his family, then what? Liuxi Village was gone. Burned. Even if it wasn't, he doubted they could ever go back. He could make money, that wasn't much of an issue any more, thankfully – if nothing else, he could return to being a hunter. With the advantages he got from being a cultivator, it would be a simple matter to provide for his family and sell any excess.

He snorted at the thought of hunting a deer by bringing the shadows at its feet to life. It would be hilariously overkill, but something about the simplicity of the idea tugged at him. It had only been a few months since that was his life, spending hours or days in the forest with nothing but his own thoughts for company.

He missed it.

But now he had bigger problems – the kind that would likely try to follow him wherever he went. With that in mind, where were they supposed to live?

Qinghe was out of the question. Too many sects, too many eyes, and he didn't trust that the Azure Sky Sect wouldn't eventually come poking around again. Somewhere quiet, maybe. Somewhere no one cared enough to ask questions. But then again, wasn't that how Liuxi had started?

He sighed. He hated this kind of problem – the sort that couldn't be solved with a sword or a plan. The sort that demanded patience and foresight, two qualities he had never possessed in abundance.

The last of the afternoon light was leaking out of the alley by the time Jiang reached Old Nan's door. He eased it open and slipped inside.

The room smelled faintly of boiled herbs and old wood. Lin lay where he'd left her, bundled under a patched blanket on the cot. Someone – Nan, presumably – had changed the bandages and set a clay bowl on the stool beside her with a line of dried green scum crusted to the rim. Lin's breathing was slow and even. Better than before, at least.

"Close it," Old Nan said from the corner. "You're letting the cold in, and I'm not keen on sharing."

Jiang shut the door. She sat at the table with a kettle and three chipped cups, her back a little straighter than it had been that morning, though a tremor ran through her fingers when she lifted the lid to check the water. She caught him looking and bared her teeth in something that wasn't quite a smile.

"What?" she said. "Expecting me to be dead already? Sorry to disappoint."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I wasn't—" He stopped. No point arguing the small things. "How is she?"

"Breathing." Nan flicked a knuckle toward the cot. "Got a healer down here to have a look at her. He's not exactly the best in the city, but he's reliable enough. Did what he could; stitched what needed stitching, pushed what needed pushing. He gave me a poultice that smells like a swamp and works about as well. She'll be fine with a few days' rest." A pause. "Did you deal with the ones that took her?"

Jiang nodded. "They're not going to be a problem any more."

"Mm. Good. Less trouble that way." Nan set the lid down with care, then let out a breath as if that small act had cost her. "Alright then, spit it out, boy."

"Spit what out?"

"Whatever it is that has you all wound up like that," Old Nan scoffed. "You need to work on a proper stoic expression, or everyone will know exactly what you're thinking."

Jiang sighed, hesitating for a moment before slumping into a chair.

"I had an interesting conversation with Mistress Bai today," he said simply.

Old Nan paused. "And what did the peacock have to say?"

"She told me more about how the sects view Pact-bearers." He watched her face. "More than you told me."

Nan's mouth flattened. "Did she now. And what grand lecture did the city's queen deliver?"

"That Pact-bearers are… valuable. Useful." He kept his voice even. "That a lot of sects would want one, even fight over them. A bit different from what you told me, isn't it?"

Nan snorted. "Useful. There's a word that says nothing and everything." She reached for the kettle, hesitated, and settled back without pouring. "Fine. Yes, I gave you a… specific version of the truth. A sharp one. You want me to say I left things out? I did."

"Why?"

"Because you're not stupid, but you are young," she said, tired and short. "Because the sects would take you and call it protection, not slavery. They'll call you ward, disciple, asset, junior. They'd keep you close, feed you techniques, and make sure your loyalty was carved into your bones. You'd be allowed to eat well, sleep indoors, and fight when told. The leash would be nice and soft, but it's still a leash. And if you try to slip that leash? If you venture out from beyond their walls? The other sects would be waiting for the chance to kill you, just to deprive a rival of an 'asset'." Her gaze cut to him. "I may have told you a version of the truth, boy, but it was still truth. I just… trimmed a little."

He held her eyes a moment, then looked away. "You trimmed hard."

"That's how you keep a boy from sticking his hand in the fire." Her tone sharpened. "Don't look at me like I kicked your dog. I've watched the sects longer than you've been breathing. You don't know the lengths they'll go to, the terrible things they're willing to go to in the name of advancement. You've bought into their nice shiny exterior, the things they show the peasants." A brief, sour smile. "Trust me, boy. You've gotten lucky to last this long while being tangled in with sect business. Run while you have the chance."

He let the silence settle. The really irritating part of this was that he couldn't refute her. Even Mistress Bai had agreed that the sects would cheerfully accept him into their ranks, and just as cheerfully kill him if he refused. Did that make it okay for Old Nan to lie?

He didn't know.

"So what were you doing talking to the old bat anyway?"

Jiang raised an eyebrow at the wording, but was smart enough to not point out that Old Nan fit that description better than Mistress Bai did. Besides, with how cultivators aged, Mistress Bai may well be older than Old Nan anyway. He gave her a brief, unadorned account of the events at the Broker's office—the standoff, the deal, and the final, brutal intervention from Mistress Bai.

"—so now she's agreed to help me," he finished, the words feeling strange even as he said them. "Which I suppose is a good thing."

"There's no such thing as a good thing when someone like her is involved," Old Nan said flatly. "There are only varying degrees of complication. She's put you on her leash now, same as the Sect would have, just with a longer chain. She'll help you, yes. And in return, you'll owe her. A debt to a cultivator of her level is not a small thing, boy; there are people out there that can twist you up with nothing but words, and the next thing you know, you've sworn to serve them for nine generations."

Jiang thought she was getting a little free with that 'leash' metaphor. "And is it such a bad thing to owe someone a favour?" he asked. "Nobody does anything for free, I know that – but if I can afford the price, do I care?"

"I'm not saying it was a bad choice," she conceded, her tone softening a fraction. "Just a dangerous one. Which brings us back to you. Now that you have this information, this path to your family, what do you intend to do?"

Jiang hesitated, then leaned back in the chair. "That's the question, isn't it? Part of me – a large part – wants to just run directly towards my family, and ignore anything that doesn't get in my way."

"But?" Old Nan prodded.

"But I don't know the first thing about Biragawa," Jiang huffed. "I don't know what the dangers are, how to find what I need without drawing even more attention to myself. Having the support of Mistress Bai could be the difference between everything running smoothly and everything going wrong – and this time, it's not just me at risk."

Old Nan hummed thoughtfully. He could at least appreciate that she was thinking over the matter carefully and wasn't just jumping in with some useless advice like 'follow your heart'.

"And what happens if you stay?" she asked rhetorically. "You heard the Azure Sky disciples; the other sects are coming. They will descend on this city like vultures to a corpse, drawn by the scent of a demonic practitioner. And what do you think will happen when they arrive? When elders with centuries of experience and senses sharp enough to taste the very nature of your Qi get close to you?"

Jiang didn't need to imagine.

"They'll see you for what you are," she whispered. "And this city will become a warzone with you at its centre. They will not see a boy. They will see a prize, a weapon, or an asset to be claimed or destroyed. I cannot protect you from that, boy. No one can."

"So you think I should leave, then?"

"Ah, but there's the rub," she cackled. "Gao Leng is a threat, and he's got ample reason to hunt you down personally. Demonic cultivators are all the same like that; they can't stand to have someone get away. The moment he learns you're the reason the sects are sniffing around, he'll crawl out of whatever hole he's hiding in just to sink his teeth into you. And if he can't find you, he'll settle for the people closest to you."

He studied her face. "So what do you think I should do?"

"I think," Nan said, her voice lowering, "that you're in one of those charming situations where both choices are wrong. Stay, and you risk getting crushed when the big fish come sniffing. Go, and you risk Gao Leng tearing through everything you care about just to spite you. Pick whichever mistake you can live with."

Jiang huffed, half a laugh. "That's not terribly satisfying."

She barked a laugh that turned into a cough. "Welcome to life, boy. If you ever meet someone who says they've got all the answers, check your purse after."

He smiled despite himself. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. It's supposed to make you stop whining." Nan leaned back, grimacing as the movement pulled at something inside her. "Now, get out of my sight. I've done enough wisdom-dispensing for one day, and if I have to look at your indecisive face any longer, I might start being sentimental."

Jiang stood, glancing once more at Lin's sleeping form. "Thanks, Nan."

"Don't thank me," she muttered. "Just don't die stupid. I'd hate to have wasted all this good advice."

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