Rebirth as a Wind Cultivator

Mei Chen latched onto Xiulan’s sleeve with surprising strength as they moved down the Treasure Pavilion hallway. Xiulan patted her shoulder in gentle reassurance as they followed Feng Yu into Qingfeng’s study. The scent of aged paper and sandalwood incense permeated the air.

Merchandiser Ming stood rigid beside Qingfeng’s ornate desk, clutching a leather-bound ledger. "No incidents during the night, Master."

Qingfeng nodded from behind his desk and gestured toward the chairs. The sunlight streaming through the window cast geometric shadows across the polished wood.

Xiulan guided Mei Chen to one of the cushioned seats before settling beside her. Feng Yu positioned herself against the far wall, arms crossed.

Mei Chen wrinkled her nose. "The air feels dense."

"Dense?" Qingfeng leaned forward.

"I can’t smell anything except summer." Mei Chen rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "Like heated stones and dry grass."

"Interesting." Qingfeng drummed his fingers on the desk. He turned his gaze to Xiulan. "While I understand your need to visit your family, taking Mei Chen beyond these walls carries grave risks."

"I must meet with my mother and brother." Xiulan straightened in her seat. "We need to assess the situation and prepare accordingly. I would like to take Mei Chen with us."

Mei Chen’s reached over to cling to Xiulan’s sleeve again. Her fingers dug into the cloth, bunching the fabric.

Qingfeng shook his head. "We lack adequate safety measures. Mei Chen awakened mere hours ago."

Feng Yu stepped away from the wall. "Master Qingfeng, I spent the night observing Mei Chen. She’s shown remarkable awareness and control."

Xiulan watched as Mei Chen traced patterns on her sleeve.

"She spoke coherently. Combed my hair." Feng Yu gestured toward Mei Chen. "Asked questions about her surroundings. Followed basic instructions. These aren’t the actions of a mindless wraith."

Mei Chen’s fingers stilled. "I want to stay with Miss Lin."

Qingfeng rubbed one of his temples. "Noble intentions aside, if she lost control, could either of you stop her? The karma of releasing an uncontrolled wrathful spirit would haunt me through ten lifetimes. Think of the countless lives at risk."

The words struck like knives.

"Two skilled cultivators should—" Feng Yu started.

"Should what?" Qingfeng settled his hands on the desk. "Die trying to subdue her? Or live knowing their failure cost innocent lives?"

Mei Chen released Xiulan’s sleeve, her fingers uncurling one by one.

"I won’t hurt anyone." Mei Chen stared directly at Qingfeng. "I just want to stay close to Miss Lin."

Qingfeng’s eyes narrowed. "Miss Lin travels toward danger. Others might attack her. What then?"

Mei Chen’s mouth dropped open. Her gaze darted to Xiulan, bringing a chill to the air that raised goosebumps along Xiulan’s arms. When Mei Chen turned back to Qingfeng, frost sparkled in her hair.

"I... I... I might hurt them." Mei Chen twisted her fingers together. "But I wouldn’t hurt anyone else."

"Well." Qingfeng stroked his beard. "At least you can reason and speak honestly."

"I’m not stupid." Mei Chen’s shoulders hunched. "I’ve taken care of Miss Lin all my li... li... life."

"And what," Qingfeng leaned forward, "if they attacked and Miss Lin died?"

The temperature plummeted. Frost crackled across Mei Chen’s chair, spreading in delicate patterns across the wood.

Mei Chen stared at her hands, the frost melting away as quickly as it had appeared. The warmth crept back into the room, leaving only damp spots on the wooden chair as evidence.

"Your control over qi remains unstable at best." Qingfeng tapped his fingers on the desk.

"Well, after that question, I almost lost my temper too." Feng Yu scoffed. "’What if Miss Lin died?’ Really? Have you no confidence in her abilities?"

Qingfeng fixed Feng Yu with a stern glare. "That wasn’t my intended point, as you well know."

Feng Yu stepped behind Mei Chen’s chair and wrapped her arms around both chair and girl. "Look at this adorable thing. She’s as well-adjusted as any cultivator—better even."

"I won’t be engaging in direct combat on the trip." Xiulan straightened the wrinkles Mei Chen had left in her sleeve. "We’re visiting my family. We should have time before any forces arrive, and then we’ll return to prepare. The risk of death is minimal."

"That argument lacks conviction." Qingfeng sighed. "But if you’re determined, so be it. I’ll allow it and work on preparing a seal for Mei Chen—one that could prevent any catastrophic events. I’d hoped to have it ready before your departure."

"I apologize for the trouble." Xiulan bowed her head. "You’ve shown us tremendous consideration already."

Xiulan pushed herself up from the chair. Mei Chen latched onto her arm before she finished standing, pressing close against her side.

"Exercise extreme caution." Master Qingfeng’s weathered features creased with concern.

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Feng Yu nodded toward Xiulan, and they stepped into the lantern-lit hall.

"The gear and supplies await us in the preparation room." Xiulan adjusted her stance to better support Mei Chen’s grip. "We just need to change and equip everything."

"What about horses?" Feng Yu glanced at the windows lining the corridor.

"Horses would slow us down." Xiulan shook her head. "I planned to use qinggong—"

"But..." Feng Yu’s gaze drifted meaningfully to Mei Chen.

Xiulan studied Mei Chen’s pale features. "What do you think about trying your new legs?"

Mei Chen tilted her head. "Legs?"

Xiulan tracked Mei Chen’s joyful bounds through the mountain air. Each leap carried the girl higher, her pale form a blur against the morning sky as she landed only to spring forward again in an enthusiastic sprint.

The rocky path wound upward beneath their feet as they blazed across the terrain, qi-enhanced steps eating up the distance.

Feng Yu kept pace beside Xiulan. "I can’t believe this."

A delighted shriek pierced the air as Mei Chen launched herself skyward again. This time she didn’t descend, instead hovering above them with her robes billowing in the wind. She twisted to face backward, drifting along as they ran.

"This is fun!" Mei Chen’s laughter echoed off the mountain slopes.

"Be careful!" Xiulan called up to her. "You’ll scare people to death if they spot you flying around like that."

Mei Chen’s eyes widened. She wobbled in the air, qi fluctuating as she nearly lost her supernatural balance. With a quick recovery, she righted herself and dropped down to sprint alongside them, matching their pace step for step across the plateau that led to the family manor.

One thing was for sure, Mei Chen was acclimaitizing very quickly to her new abilities.

Qi-enhanced steps carried them across the terrain much faster than a horse could have traveled, much less a carriage or wagon. The afternoon sun was only half spent by the time the familiar walls of the Lin Family Manor emerged in the distance. Beyond the walls, the outskirt fields stretched toward the horizon, brown and understated.

The three of them halted at the crest of the final hill.

"Mei Chen, we’re almost there." Xiulan turned to face her companion. "You’ll need to blend in—no powers, no flying. Act normal."

"Normal." Mei Chen nodded with exaggerated seriousness.

"The manor is smaller than I expected." Feng Yu scanned the modest estate.

"Blackmere ranks among the poorest counties—and not just in qi density. We’re essentially a backwater." Xiulan gestured at the sparse landscape.

Feng Yu released a thoughtful hum. "I still look forward to meeting your mother and brother."

A weak laugh escaped Xiulan’s lips. "You sound eager to join the family."

"Well, I’m already your martial sister. That counts, right?" Feng Yu grinned.

"Sister!?" Mei Chen’s eyes widened. "But... but... but!!"

Laughter bubbled up between Xiulan and Feng Yu. They each captured one of Mei Chen’s arms, sandwiching her between them as they started down the path toward the manor.

"Don’t worry, Mei Chen. We aren’t leaving you out." Xiulan squeezed her arm.

Mei Chen beamed and squeezed back. "This... I... this is amazing! I should have died sooner!"

Xiulan almost stumbled. "Don’t wish that," she whispered, too soft for the others to hear.

The closer they approached, the more Xiulan noticed the subdued activity around the manor. Workers moved through the distant fields with practiced motions, and smoke drifted from the craft building chimneys. Yet something felt off about the rhythm of daily life.

The main gates stood sealed—unusual for this time of day. Metal brackets and heavy wooden bars reinforced the thick doors. The recent attack must have triggered heightened security measures.

How did they fight off those two assassins? The question nagged at her. The two killers had nearly overwhelmed her and Feng Yu despite their combined strength. For certain there wasn’t anyone in the manor capable of that when she left…

"Let me handle any talking." Xiulan kept her voice low.

"Sure?" Feng Yu shrugged.

As they drew within twenty paces of the entrance, Xiulan searched for signs of the usual guard. The small postern door remained shut tight, its post abandoned. No one looked down or signaled to them.

"We should climb over." Xiulan pointed to a section of wall partially hidden by trees.

"Is that safe?" Feng Yu eyed the stone barrier.

"Unlike Fershere or the Treasure Pavilion, these walls don’t have defensive talismans." Xiulan ran her fingers along the rough surface.

Feng Yu patted her travel pack. "Maybe we should use those ones we bought from the pavilion."

"What does a talisman do?" Mei Chen bounced on her toes.

"They create barriers against intruders." Xiulan traced the wall’s edge. "But they don’t last long, so we’ll save them."

Xiulan gripped the rough stone and scaled the manor wall with practiced movements. Below, Mei Chen drifted upward like a leaf caught in a breeze, while Feng Yu vaulted over with a single qi-enhanced leap. They dropped into the narrow alley between the wall and storage buildings, landing softly on packed earth.

"Easy enough." Feng Yu brushed dust from her robes.

"Let’s head to my mother’s pavilion." Xiulan pressed against the cool stone wall.

The inner courtyard bustled with more activity than the grounds outside—servants hurried past carrying stacks of scrolls while officials in formal robes discussed matters in hushed tones. Several people paused to stare at their group with puzzled expressions, but none showed a flash of recognition. Xiulan guided them through the winding back streets, avoiding the main pathways.

At the pavilion’s outer wall, Xiulan sprang up and balanced on the narrow ledge. Feng Yu and Mei Chen followed, their feet finding purchase on the weathered stone.

"Why are we still sneaking around?" Feng Yu whispered.

"Eh, we already came this far." Xiulan shrugged.

They slipped into the garden, and Xiulan froze.

Zhang Wei darted across the grass, wooden practice sword whistling through the air as he sparred with Ren Chun. Her brother’s laughter rang pure and clear. Her mother perched on a moss-covered rock, sunlight catching the joy in her eyes as she watched them play.

Ren Chun’s gaze shifted toward their approach, a knowing smirk spreading across his face. Zhang Wei seized the opening and cracked his practice sword against Ren Chun’s shin.

"Ouch!" Ren Chun hopped on one foot but maintained his smug expression as they drew closer.

"Xiulan!" Zhao Lian sprang up from her seat, eyes wide.