Chen Ai’s face lit up when I gave her the elixirs I’d picked up from Alchemist Ran Jun.

  “None of this would have been possible without you,” she said with a deep bow. “Thank you, senior brother.”

  I smiled as I stood in the doorway of her room.

  “We haven’t known each other very long, have we?”

  “A week now.”

  There was a hesitation in her gaze, but I met her eyes with confidence.

  “What would you say if I forgave the life debt?”

  “I would tell you that isn’t how life debts work… actually, you already forgave one, and I don’t know if I can accept that. I was rash to ask that of you after fighting those other cultivators. Your life wasn’t truly at stake and —”

  “It’s alright, junior sister.”

  She nodded.

  “So, I still need to save you twice,” she said. “And to do so, I shall get stronger.”

  “You’ll take the elixirs straight away?”

  “I’ve already selected the candidates. Is there anything else that needs doing?”

  “How long will it take you to imbibe them?”

  “Two days. I’m only planning on progressing to Stage 9; otherwise, I couldn’t join you on the expedition.”

  Of course, that made perfect sense. Only people in the Qi Condensing realm could enter the Howling Blossom Valley. Nobody was quite sure why that was the rule, but it had always been in place, even going back over a century to the last records of expeditions that went inside. The other known laws were that groups of nine had to enter at once, and that once inside, you couldn't leave for nine days. As to the dangers inside, and other rules that might come into play... we couldn't know until we entered.

  Even though there was nobody in the hall, I gestured for us to step into her room. She looked a little flustered but obliged. I closed the door behind us.

  “When you emerge, you will learn that the expedition has been officially canceled. You’re to meet us at the Stone Cicada Trail, and from there the expedition will continue in secret.”

  Understanding dawned in her eyes.

  “You’re taking the City Lord’s money.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The money was obviously a trap. Did you even consider how we might move that much money?”

  She thought about it for a moment.

  “Storage rings?”

  I frowned.

  “Huh.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t think of that.”

  “Senior brother… did you think we would use a horse and carriage?”

  “...”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Did you decide to swap heads with that cabbage you always carry around?”

  My heart pounded with fear as I quickly checked. No, thankfully, Cabbagy was still in my room with Cabbajoe. This was simply a mistake in my logic brought about by my inability to use qi. Still, why had the Matriarch misled me like that? Or was it simply a test? If so, why?

  “I still believe the money is a trap,” I said.

  “Of course it’s a trap,” she said. “But we should still try and take it for ourselves.”

  Greed burned in her eyes brighter than any qi, and I couldn’t figure out a way to say no. My merchant memories considered proposing, but that was certainly ridiculous.

  “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

  “Of course I have,” she said with a wink. “Now, make sure you’re discreet in how you arrange things. I don’t want to emerge from this room with the City Lord’s assassins waiting for me.”

  “Can you take the elixirs while outside the city walls?”

  She caught on to what I was saying.

  “I’ll pack straight away. The Stone Cicada Trail?”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  She clasped her hands in a martial salute, and I did my best to copy her.

  Leaving her to pack, I went and visited my disciple’s room.

  “Master,” he said as he answered the door with a bow. “It is good to see you.”

  He let me into his room. I sat on a chair while he sat on a bed. I’d only known him for a few days, but it didn’t feel like I knew him at all. His eyes still burned with devotion.

  “I have a request, master.”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you give me a name?”

  I nodded.

  “You don’t have a name besides the Flawless Blade?”

  He shook his head.

  “Whenever I think of myself, there is a gap…”

  “Like an empty bottle.”

  “Exactly! I knew you would understand.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  I did understand. There were names missing from my memories, and my own name was missing, but that was not something I would wish on someone else. I don’t know what I saw in this man who called himself my disciple, but perhaps I saw a life ready to be shaped as mine had been shaped, and I felt a desire to do a better job than was done upon me.

  Perhaps.

  “What name do you desire?”

  “Whatever name master thinks best.”

  He was serious, but after realizing how wrong I’d been about carrying the silver, I wasn’t sure if I was someone who knew best about anything. I gazed out the window for a moment, watching the sky as I considered his request.

  “Disciple?”

  “Yes, master?”

  “You have seen me fight.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve seen me interact with people.”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you hope to gain from me?”

  “I hope to learn how you see the world.”

  I leaned back in the chair. Of all answers, I hadn’t expected that.

  “Why?”

  “Because when we fought on Sleeping Ruin Pass, my blade could not see you. By learning how you see the world, I know that my blade will be able to cut the world.”

  His words might have been monstrously violent if spoken by someone else, but I only detected a childlike excitement. He was truly an apprentice dedicated to his craft. At first, I wanted to tell him that I simply healed faster than he could cut, but did that change his point? He hadn’t seen that was happening… maybe I could help him after all?

  “You have high aspirations.”

  He laughed.

  “Why have any other kind?”

  “With that attitude, one day you shall be the Flawless Blade again.”

  “Perhaps,” he said with a smile. “But I need a name until then.”

  “Would you accept the Dreaming Blade?”

  He bowed.

  “Thank you, master.”

  “Disciple?”

  “Yes?”

  “I have an important task tonight, and so I need you to do something for me.”

  “Of course, master,” he said with a fire burning in his eyes. “What would you have me do?”

  “I need you to deliver some messages.”

  ###

  Cabbagy still sat on the dresser, gazing out the window. Beside him, happily oblivious, Cabbajoe floated in a bowl of rice wine.

  “How are you two?” I asked.

  “I’m fine, kid.”

  “Hee hee hee, I’m fucking great!”

  “You’re drunk,” Cabbagy said.

  “You’re old and stupid.”

  I picked up Cabbagy before he could start retorting.

  “Ignore him, Cabbagy. It’s fine for him to enjoy his last day alive.”

  “Yeah, you old wanker! Hee hee hee!”

  Cabbagy sighed, and a small fly flew away.

  “You’re sure you want to do this, kid? I’m telling you, this could change things in ways you don’t understand. Remember what you told me about Ghost Fang and the creatures from the facility? What if you become something like them?”

  I smiled.

  “With a master like you, I know that’s impossible.”

  “You’re just trying to flatter me.”

  “Maybe,” I said with a grin.

  He met my gaze, searching for something, but at last he nodded.

  “Alright. If we’re going to do this, you need to collect some ingredients, and then you need to find an abandoned space. You can’t do this where people can walk in and find you.”

  “What exactly does this ritual entail?”

  “I have no idea, kid. It’s trapped inside your head after all, but if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s not going to be simple, pretty, or discreet.”

  ###

  The ingredients were simple enough, but once more, I found myself wandering all over the Merchant District. It was annoying that Cabbagy hadn’t told me about these ingredients earlier in the day, but I knew he was hoping I would pull out of this even now. Too bad he underestimated how far I was willing to go to save him.

  At last, I collected the ingredients and made my way to an abandoned location. A few well-placed questions here and there had led me to a district of warehouses. Most were in use, but there was one old building scheduled for demolition after the auctions.

  I felt intense anxiety as I scanned the quiet streets leading to the warehouse. I’d hid from some patrolling security as I made my way here, but now it was the first time since arriving in Mountain Root City that I found myself truly alone.

  Well, except for Cabbagy and Cabbajoe, who shared a sack slung over my shoulder.

  “Look at us!” whispered Cabbajoe. “We’re two balls in a sack!”

  “Stop saying that,” Cabbagy said with a groan. “Have you found the place, kid?”

  I’d found it.

  The warehouse was several stories tall and set into a cliff at one side. The stone wood structure appeared sturdy enough, and the doors were heavily chained. Breaking down the doors would only attract attention, and so I scaled the cliff, my blood gloves easily hauling me higher.

  I broke through one of the upper ventilation windows and used blood tendrils to catch any debris that might fall. After that, I was inside the warehouse.

  The space was vaster than I expected, and quieter. A haunting sense of deja vu came to me as I climbed down and walked amongst the silos that occupied the space. The metal structures cast long shadows across the floor. This place must have been bustling once, but the smell of rust in the air told a story of long disrepair.

  I pulled Cabbagy out from the sack and held him up so he could have a look.

  “There’s a door in the back, kid. Head there.”

  I headed in the direction he indicated. The back wall was the rough stone of the cliff, and a chained door stood taller than me.

  “If I’m inside there, won’t I be cornered if anyone comes?”

  “It’s a risk worth taking,” Cabbagy said without hesitation. “You want the utmost privacy for this.”

  “Alright, master,” I said in teasing acquiescence.

  The chains were heavy iron, and they weren’t rusted like the silos, but with blood pumping through my muscles, my gloves swirling up my arms, and my enhanced strength from eating Jiang Jian, I managed to rip apart the metal without too much effort.

  “I’ve really come a long way,” I said as I pulled the door open.

  “This is just the beginning of your journey, kid.”

  I nodded and stepped into the room carved into the cliff. It was pitch black inside, as though someone had stored shadows inside, and only slowly did the darkness recede from the dying light coming from the warehouse windows. I closed the door behind me, and the darkness became absolute and suffocating. There was nowhere for light or sound to occur, and even my steps as I shuffled deeper were swallowed by the thick dark.

  “This is exactly what you need,” Cabbagy said with approval, his voice muffled. “A place as dark as the center of the mind.”

  “I don’t like it,” Cabbajoe said with a voice that indicated he was sobering up with fear.

  “Have you changed your mind?” I asked him.

  “No regrets!” he shouted.

  There was no echo.

  “This place reminds me of a tomb,” I said softly, as though speaking loudly might agitate the darkness. “Are you sure it’s a good location, Cabbagy?”

  “Why would anyone follow you in here?” he asked me.

  “Well,” I said as I counted off on my fingers. “The City Lord is angry with me for the expedition, that Celebration Flame Sect guy is angry that I ate his friend, and the Matriarch of the Stone Forest Pavilion tricked me for some reason. Honestly, there’s probably more people I can’t think of…”

  “What’s your concern exactly?”

  “This just doesn’t feel like something that should be disturbed.”

  After a long moment, Cabbagy sighed.

  “I’ve been telling you not to do this, kid. I won’t argue if you want to leave.”

  I scowled at him, though I knew he couldn’t see my face.

  “Forget it,” I said. “I’m doing this no matter what!”

  Standing in the dark, I set down the cabbages and produced the items Cabbagy asked me to find: candles, incense, and a meditation mat woven from reeds. It took me a long time to find the exact candles and incense, but I wasn’t sure what Cabbagy was looking for in them.

  Jiang Jian’s qi burned at my fingertips as I lit the candles and placed them around me in a loose circle. Their tiny flames danced, and the dark lurked around them. They gave a little light, but I saw nothing except the smooth and dusty floor. I couldn’t tell how large the room was, what its original purpose might have been, or if anything remained inside, but I knew I was alone.

  That sufficed.

  I lit the incense, and smoke curled up full of rich, relaxing flavor. As I knelt on the meditation mat with the two cabbages on either side, I felt a sense of peace settle in my heart. This was an experience that my three memories shared: that of the hood falling over my face.

  Except now, I was facing that darkness of my own volition, seeking answers and power to enable my freedom, rather than losing all three.

  “Are you ready, kid?”

  “Aye aye, Cabbagy.”

  “Then repeat after me.”

  He started to utter a mantra of prayer, and I repeated word for word. After a moment, perhaps feeling left out, Cabbajoe joined in. The three of us sat in that dark space chanting, and then I fell, as though in a dream, and found myself standing in a dark space.

  Far below me, my body sat surrounded by cabbages and candles, still chanting softly. Around me stood four people. I instantly recognized three of them: myself the farmer, myself the street rat, and myself the merchant. I smiled at myself, and I smiled back. Behind them, in the dark, stretched the fragmented tapestry of their memories. I could dive into them and learn more about myself, as I had remembered my street rat days of climbing into the garden… but that wasn’t why I was here.

  As one, my memories pointed behind me, and I turned to face the fourth figure. I had never seen them before.

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