A Peasant’s Guide To Sorcerery 5

A Peasant’s Guide To Sorcerery 5

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Commissioned by Ichypa

Wordcount: 2500

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The Lady Fei’yen led Ying to her office and bid her to sit, while she gathered scrolls locked within a cabinet. The eldest guard that met them prepared tea and served it with surprising grace and practice whilst in armor, as the older woman began to unravel scrolls and place them upon her finely-carved table.

“Zhao Zhang was someone who went unseen by many of the Houses in this city for two years, but as my family searched for suppliers to increase our share in the market, we found him because he was anomalous.” The Lady Fei’yen spoke honestly and with a slight tremble in her voice. Though her wizened face looked composed, Ying could tell that she was feared by the mortal before her, because the woman knew that her life depended on what she now said. “He brought grains greater than he should, at speeds more quickly than he ought, whilst traversing through roads and lands on the frontier known to have many dangers while bereft of guards.”

“I see.” Ying nodded at that and bid the older woman clad in purplish, fine robes to continue. She would have felt underdressed in her simple cloak and peasant’s garb, if not for her childhood spent on the streets. “And, you sought to blackmail him and the abilities you suspected he had? Or did you simply seek to take his land for yourself while thinking he was simply blessed with incredible farmland?”

Ying was well versed in the greed-fueled acquisitions of the nobility of many city-states. Without a Dynasty looming over all the land to enforce laws, the rulers of the regions were immortal warlords who claimed tithes from cities. As long as the nobility of the city-states did as they were bid, they were free to assemble their own mortal armies, do business as they saw fit, and inflict all the harm they wished.

The Beggar Sect fought against this wherever they could, sometimes ever crossing blades with lesser immortal warlords and winning, but often the battle has been against the capricious and voracious mortal noble houses of the cities. Nobilities fat and strong with wealth garnered over generations could call upon thugs, some with even fragments of knowledge of the path to immortality, and they took what they wished from those who did not have the power to resist them.

As the Beggar Princess of the Beggar Sect, one of its probable grandmasters in the future, Ying fought against nobility many times and knew their tricks.

The harshness of her words and gaze made the elderly woman shiver and the well-armored guard to grow angry… only to freeze as Ying simply reached out for the blade by his side and crushed it with her hand. Scabbard and metal became naught but dust in her hand, as it was on mortal make, but the pain she expected did not arrive and she realized that her intimidation tactic had grown more efficient. Zhang’s improvements to her body made it so that the crushing of the weapon did not even scratch her palm’s calluses, let alone draw blood.

The Fei’yen matriarch bowed deeply after coming to realize the true strength that Ying had at her disposal. Ying could hear her desperately taking deep breaths to calm herself behind the curtain provided by her silken sleeves, whilst her head and trusted warrior stood frozen and disarmed surrounded by his weapon crushed by an immortal’s bare hand.

Ying nodded at the scene, finally content that she was being truly heard and afforded the correct amount of respect, before nodding at the matriarch of the household.

“Answer me with the truth.”

“Y-yes. I understand. Yes, we did such things to him. We tried to take his lands and even once tried to steal his wares as he travelled towards us, but each time those we sent never returned. We grew impatient and sent people after him as he was leaving… and it was then that we learned of his power.”

The Fei’yen’s elderly matriarch turned to her white-haired and bearded guard in black armor.

The man took a moment to shift amidst the shards of his broken weapon, before bowing and speaking with his back bent and firmly facing the ground.

“It was a slaughter unlike anything I had ever seen. With a smile and but a gesture of his hand, he killed and turned the men we hired into nothing more than slops of flesh, which he ground into the dirt for trees to feed on.” The man struggled to speak and for the first time Ying commiserated with the man. Recalling the image made the man incredibly uncomfortable. Ying had felt the same after seeing it herself. It almost made her feel sorry for the armored thug who lived to execute the orders of a tyrant. “Aye, after we saw that we instead sought to curry his favor… and he offered us fruits and other things that cultivators wished for above all else for prices far beneath their true value.”

Ying spoke before either could defend themselves.

“This House is built upon exploitation. You first sought to do it through force, and when that did not work you built it upon restriction of knowledge. The righteous and virtuous path would’ve seen you innocent and wealthy, but instead you sought greater riches… most likely because you wished to gain the power to suborn Zhang completely.”

“We sought to take what he offered to make incredible wealth, but never did we seek to chain him down! Many of your words are righteous, Aspirant of the Beggar Sect, but we are not so bereft of virtue!” To the untrained eye and ear, the Fei’yen matriarch would’ve seemed shocked by her words and protestations in regards to her innocence.  However, Ying had seen better actors and knew the correct path. This was choreography and practice to the point of near self-deception to which there was only a singular answer. “We admit to the wrongs you first claimed, but certainly not the last—

Power.

Ying allowed her power to flow forth from her body to its utmost limit. It was a means of silencing mortals and gaining their full attention as their bodies became infused with power meant to reach the heavens. The truly mighty could make even the apprentices of other masters fall to their knees with their mere presence. Ying had wondered since her entrance to her compound the true extent of her power and might now, so she exerted herself full against the matriarch who obviously had some training in the ways of immortality and the only guard who had resisted her earlier.

She allowed it for only an instant, but the effects were instant.

Wind flew forth from in a great gust, the earth beneath the floorboards rumbled, and all of the wood that was within the room and the room itself creaked and groaned. The scrolls on the table flattened completely, whilst a vase full of flowers cracked apart, and the flowers within sloughed as its structure was incapable of taking in the power. As for the matriarch and her head bodyguard, the results were that both fell face-forward and flattened against the ground, whilst gasps of endurance filled their mouths. The wizened woman’s eyes filled with tears whilst the white haired, well-built guard’s limbs struggled to come under his control to lift him up.

As the two struggled to even stand from a brief heartbeat of her power, Ying reached for her waist and drew her sword and laid it upon her lap.

She gave her ultimatum.

“I know your kind. You are tyrants who would take everything and make it yours. Even familial bonds are to be questioned, and you only see loyalty amongst those who cannot afford to leave you without great suffering.” Ying spoke simply and looked upon the blade that she held. She had cherished it for many years, but now it felt inadequate for her. Despite its creation involving the infusion of great power, she felt like she could crush it underfoot and it would turn into dust. She shook her head at the thought and continued to address the two in the same room before her. “You will speak again after you recover, but know that if you lie to me about your true intentions once again, you will perish. I warned you twice already. Do not test my patience.”

Ying glared at both the matriarch and the bodyguard as she became aware of a surging fury within her that filled her veins with the urge to act and inflict violence. She barely managed to control it and speak.

“Lord Zhang saved me from certain death, fed me, clothed me, and gave me power without a second thought. I owe him not only my life, but my honor and skill, as he even purged me of the weakness inflicted upon me by my foes and made me stronger.”

Ying spoke and the more she did the more she realized that anger was something that she had little experience with. To her memory, ever since her master took her from the streets so long ago, no one else had saved her. Even then, she was one of many who her master had saved and many of them were naught but outer disciples of the sect who toiled for pay or learned from the Sect more mortal skills. After she had been saved by the Beggar’s Sect, she had to work hard, gain achievements, and grow stronger… and even then she was expected to become the cornerstone of the Beggar Sect’s future.

Zhang had saved her life, fed her, and gave her strength simply because she was his guest.

Thus, because of those reasons, she felt naught but disdain for those who had exploited him, who had dreamed of exploited him, and until this day planned on exploiting him further.

So, she did not hold back in her demands and enforced them with all her strength.

Until today, she saved others because it was the way of the Beggar’s Sect.

Today she wished to save someone herself.

…

“Hello, Lady Ying!”

“Lord Zhang, may I join you?”

“Of course!”

Lord Zhang sat in a small gazebo in the middle of a garden where honored guests were meant to stay. On the table before him was a stunning array of dishes. Succulent river prawns steamed in thin layers of nearly-see-through-rice, lavish hunks and cuts of beef and pork in a myriad of sauces, and bowls of fresh rice and soups were neatly laid out. The servants trembled as she was seated and as they set her plates and gave her tea.

Ying’s actions and words already spread to the rest of the compound and they knew who truly ruled it now.

For a brief moment, Ying was surprised at the sight.

Zhang ate with etiquette and grace that she did not expect in the slightest. The way he held his chopsticks was nearly elegant and all his porcelain dishes remained proper. He ladled himself small portions at a time, enjoyed the food he took, and then served himself again when he wanted more. The former bandit Ying had saved was more slovenly, with a plate laden with food dripping into one another, and her plates and utensils looked almost askew while she ate with a bent back.

Ying ignored her charge and offered her savior a smile and a compliment.

“You eat well, Lord Zhang. Who taught you to eat so gracefully?” Ying spoke whilst mirroring Zhang. She knew how to compose herself for her dinners with the Nobility deemed amenable to the Beggar Sect’s goals. For the first time, she was grateful that she could look refined whilst eating, instead of seething at being prim and proper for lustful gazes and ambitious fools searching for glory and reputation. “You seem well versed in handling yourself at the dinner table.”

Zhang smiled at her words and proudly spoke after eating. He did not wave his chopsticks flagrantly about nor did his speaking land any spit upon the arrayed dishes. Thus, the peasant/sorcerer elevated himself above a grand majority of her previous hosts.

“My father told me that good food must be eaten with good manners, so I practiced with carved wood and imitations just to do this right!” Ying’s smile became strained at the words and a glare to her side sent one of the servant girls scampering away. She had thought that they would at least treat him to food to the point that he would learn etiquette, but now she knew better. The longer she remained with these people the more she felt naught but anger at them. “I’m very glad that I did. I’ll remember this forever!”

The genuine innocence and gladness that Zhang exuded tempered Ying’s feelings on the Fei’yens long enough for her to regain control over herself. She allowed herself to smile more gently and continue to speak with her savior.

“The, allow me to share with you some good news. The Fei’yen house has decided that your longstanding loyalty and high quality of goods is to be rewarded. They will pay you four times as much as they do for every shipment starting with this one.” Ying spoke and was eager to see Zhang’s joy at her words. The former bandit that she saved had wide eyes at the words, since she had heard the initial price of the fruits in the first place. In a single shipment, Zhang could become as wealthy as a successful merchant and create a treasury fit for a noble clan. Ying, however, found Zhang merely nod at the statement as though she spoke of pleasant weather instead of an immense fortune. A chill went down her spine. “Lord Zhang… do you know what that means?”

“Oh? Hm. More land, I guess. Probably enough to become a landlord and hire peasants to work, right? I’m not very good with numbers.” Ying froze at the words and so did their spare companion. Zhang chewed on his lower lip after swallowing his meal, while the Aspirant could only look at him in disbelief as he spoke earnestly about himself. “I think it would be best that I get someone’s help with enough money. Do you know anyone, Lady Ying?”

Ying took a deep breath after coming to realize the limits of Zhang’s education, but instead of simply letting the matter die without a single word, she decided instead to speak and take action.

“With such increased wealth, you will need an education and a capable accountant who are loyal to you. We will be hiring you a retainer and a teacher as soon as possible.”

“Oh, thank you very much!”

Ying accepted the thanks and wondered if anyone else in history ever repaired their savior from death by giving them the tools necessary to navigate society… but put that thought aside for the moment.

There was a meal to be eaten and enjoyed.

Such worries can be addressed come later.