Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 34

Chao played a new song as he descended from the fourth floor. It was a little suspect that an earth realm cultivator and his wife had been spending so much time in the higher floors, but both of their cultivations looked abnormal at a glance to this part of Lifestone so they made a show of ignoring their onlookers. Chao’s golden core was obviously unique, but Huifen’s glistened unlike any ice core anyone had ever seen. Unbeknownst to them, it was because of the trace amounts of tribulation ice that was being held in check. An ice core and water core looked nearly identical. And as for nature cultivators, they had the widest variety of core coloration of any type of cultivation.

His Huifen wasn’t just walking quietly at his side. She held a sprouted seed in her palm and was feeding it a steady stream of qi as it was readying to sprout. Even with her laws, she couldn’t just cause any plant to grow and flower at will. The water lily and lotus were the exceptions. The one she held she’d been nursing for hours. The process didn’t take much thought but going through it was good for her to better understand plants in general. This specific flower was the red Azalea.

It was a shrub instead of a standalone flower, but shaping it was easy enough once she got it started. The reason she’d picked such a common plant was because it was anything but yin loving. It didn’t like it too cold, or too hot for that matter. It was mentioned in her jade of poisons and could cause mad honey disease if ingested in high enough doses. The poison wasn’t her goal, though. She’d said she was trying to get close to the nature laws. She also found the flower beautiful.

Just as she had her perceptions extended, he also was looking for signs of an ambush. Their carefree demeanor was mostly for show. Now that they were on the third floor by the vault with its energy pylon defense and tens of people in the area cultivating, he mostly relaxed. Even if it was a large group that had attack of their female disciples, this group was made up of too many sects for them to be planning anything here. Besides that, their objective was just through the room and down the hall near the middle of the tower on this floor.

The barriers that separated rooms contained the elemental qi being funneled into them but allowed everything else to pass through unhindered. They had enough random arrays that they probably owned something capable of the same thing, but they hadn’t even come close to experimenting with everything the sages’ rings held. That too would take time.

They made it through the great open room that held the vault without problem and could see into the largest dedicated cultivation chamber on the floor. Every cultivator had to pass through it to get to the vault and ascend the stairs to the next floor. Chao assumed that was one of the reasons for its size, but he also thought it might be more than that. The last elemental meditation chamber on the second floor had also been focused on the water element. It also seemed the most advanced. He didn’t have more evidence than that, but he expected the civilization that created the Divine Spire was focused on water cultivation, or at least heavily favored it.

As he stepped through the barrier into the water cultivation chamber, he noticed the difference in volume. There was a conversation going on which he’d barely noticed before entering the room. When they’d taken their first stroll through this floor, there had been no conversation, so he hadn’t noticed it.

Stepping to the side, he let Huifen pass him by. She gave him a curious glance but walked past him to greet the Ice Phoenix disciples waiting for them.

He stepped back through the doorway and through the barrier to confirm the difference in volume. It seemed qi wasn’t the only thing the barriers blocked out.

Reentering the room, he didn’t make anything of it and began greeting the fairies who had stood up from the benches lining the walls. Fairies Genji, Daiyu, Zhu, Eu-meh, and even Junior Disciple Diu the library clerk were there amongst ten others. There were even two male Ice Phoenix disciples in the late earth realm that had joined them. The elder leading them was no other than Mother Sya.

It reminded him that he’d need to spend some time with Father Tu within the next couple days. Even if it would take away from his cultivation time, he was excited to spend some time with his exuberant father-in-law.

“Junior Brother Tao,” Elder Sya greeted him with a senior’s martial bow.

“This one is pleased to see you, Elder,” he bowed. Even if he was trying to limit his native pleasantries, his mother-in-law deserved an extra measure of respect.

“Everyone, take a seat,” Sya said, lifting her voice.

He then noticed that there was a group from the Morning Midst Village with their wooden armor on the far side of the room cultivating. Their presence would make this difficult.

Huifen’s hand found his arm. Their eyes met then they both looked to mother-in-law.

She gave them a subtle shake of the head.

Forcing them to leave wasn’t much of an option though. Unless he was ready to reveal his true identity. Playing his pipa to prepare them to study the laws was one thing, but the other sect would be present as they practiced. He quickly considered the possible consequences of their presence. If they limited their practice to the borrow game then there would be little the Morning Midst Village disciples could discern, but they’d also have to keep their conversations to a minimum. To the unknowing eye, using one’s elemental qi and the laws was almost impossible to distinguish. The difference between the laws being used was even a more difficult feat. Realizing this, he smiled at the two fairies waiting for him.

He surrounded them with a sound barrier. “Summon Fairies Eu-meh and Diu if you would, please,” he requested of Sya.

She called them over.

Fairy Zhu was already sitting near to Huifen, so when she saw the two girls joining them, she also leaned closer without thinking. When her eyes met Chao, they widened, but he waved her to join them as well. The taller Fairy Daiyu was right behind her as he’d expected.

He extended the barrier to conceal all of them, then began and instructed the four girls to lead the others in the borrow game. “Conversation is to be kept to a minimum and any questions should be saved for later. I’ll be playing a new song today, followed up by one you’re familiar with to be sure my enhancement takes hold. Eu-meh, Diu, I’d like for you to ask the other disciples individually their thoughts on the effects of my music after practice each day and record them. Can I count on you?”

He'd worked with the two of them the longest and trusted their abilities.

“Of course, Senior Brother,” Diu blurted out.

“We’ll do it,” Eu-meh replied with determined look.

“Thank you. Now let’s get started.” Turning to Huifen, he said, “Fen’er, would you like to sit with the Elder as she joins the practice?” They’d already discussed this, so he already knew her answer. She wouldn’t be able to directly practice the ice laws while the other sect was here, but she had other things to work on and she could do them while spending time with her mother.

Huifen nodded, smiling broadly at her mother.

He saw Sya return her nod gracefully, but there was a new exuberance in her step.

“Let’s begin,” he said.

Eu-meh took over, directing Diu to one side of the room, then began instructing Zhu and Daiyu what to do on the other. It surprised him to see how willing Huifen’s two friends were so quick to follow her instructions. It reinforced his earlier thoughts about her being closer to being his personal disciple than he realized.

Walking through the midst of them as everyone began the basic borrow game that could grow in complexity as one advanced in the laws, he spotted Genji who would be practicing with Mother Sya grinning up at him.

He couldn’t help but to grin back at the girl.

He stopped before the Morning Midst Village’s group of disciples. There were nine of them in total.

He didn’t have to wait for them to acknowledge his presence. A wiry man that looked too skinny for his armor stood. He was the only sky realm cultivator from their sect present.

Chao gave him a martial salute, “Greetings, Elder. I am Tong Tao, and it’s been requested of me to play a few songs by the Ice Phoenix Sect. I’m capable of blocking out the sound, but I wanted to ask before doing so. It’s said that my playing can help focus the mind for cultivation. If you’re willing, I’m more than happy to extend my songs to you as well.”

“Greetings, Young Tao,” the man said with a deep tone that didn’t match his image. “I appreciate that you asked. May I ask how long you intend on playing?”

“A quarter hour should do it.”

He glanced down at the disciples in his charge but didn’t think long. “If that is all, then please. We will hear you’re playing.”

“Very well. There is nothing required of you to get the most out of my music. As you see, the Ice Phoenix Sect disciples commonly just continue with their cultivation.”

“Then I thank you beforehand.”

Chao gave him a farewell salute before returning to the Ice Phoenix side of the room and took a seat on the bench near the exit. He wasn’t surprised by the Morning Midst Village’s hospitable attitude.

He’d play his new song enough to have it memorized. It wasn’t the most complex song he knew either. He still had to think of the notes to not make mistakes, so he expected it to affect his enhancement law. Turning his full attention to his pipa, he began to play. Not only did he think of the notes, but he tried to get in touch with the emotion of the song.

It wasn’t as strictly joyful as what he normally played. It had long, contemplative notes that built slowly. The song was like an adventure. More time than not, traveling was a drawn out, tedious thing. Unless one appreciated the world around them and engaged with their new surroundings, it could be boring. The song was much the same, but it held the promise that something was coming. Something grand and exciting. Minutes had passed when he finally neared the culmination.

It was like cultivation. Long hours were spent mediating, gathering energy, and practicing martial techniques. Often progress was slow and daunting, but it always led to greater heights.

The notes quickened. The force of his strumming peaked. As was always the musician’s aim, Chao lost himself in the moment.

The pace calmed, and force softened. The days after a fierce battle, even when victorious, were melancholic. He was careful not to enhance the sadness of the song, but a little slipped through regardless.

As it drew to a close, he looked up and found the entire room had stopped cultivating. He felt embarrassed. Their attention was not his aim.

Eu-meh was the first to clap, and soon the rest of the room joined her—including those of the Morning Midst Village. He hadn’t even played the song flawlessly.

Looking to his Huifen, she laughed at his discomfort. He hadn’t expected this, but it seemed she had.

Her and her surprises. He sighed. Without any delay, he launched into his next song. By the time he was done playing, the Ice Phoenix Sect had returned to their practice. He stood and Huifen joined him.

Mother Sya also rose up to bid them farewell with Genji at her side.

“Thank you, Brother Tao,” the young disciple said.

He wanted to be more personable with her but was afraid anything too intimate would be noticed by the Morning Midst Village disciples. “Thank you, sister fairy,” he replied.

As they passed, Eu-meh turned from her practice and called out, “Excellent new song, Brother Tao.”

Many of the other disciple echoed the sentiment.

He shallowly bowed and responded, “Cultivate well.”

As soon as they reached the Morning Midst Village side of the room, the Elder that he’d spoken with shot to his feet. “Thank you for sharing, Brother Tao.” The man cupped his fist.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, senior.”

He walked a little quicker than normal as they exited the room into the fire qi chamber where the Fire Phoenix Sect disciples were waiting for them. They weren’t alone. A group of Night Pearl Sect disciples were also there, and the young fairy Dvora who’d first tried to bully them outside the spire was amongst the group. This would be interesting.