Chapter Text
It was pure chance Yu Ziyuan had even noticed him. They were passing through Yiling, on their way to a meeting at Lanling. They stopped for a moment in the small marketplace, just to buy something warm to ward off the chill of the late autumn air. As they were entering the tea house, she glanced to the side, just for a moment, but long enough to notice him.
A little boy with eyes so familiar her breath froze in her chest.
She had Yinzhu bring the boy to her, and they settled in a private room in the tea house, warm and dry. He was a street child, she learned, a homeless orphan no one wanted to take pity on for longer than it took to slip him a stale bun or some vegetable peels. His parents had been rogue cultivators, they hadn’t come back, and the boy ended up on the street, still waiting.
He was covered in dirt, far too thin for a child his age, bite wounds and scars on his arms and shoulders. Yet he smiled just as his mother did, and looked at her with his father’s eyes.
She’d found him. Wei Ying, the missing child her husband has spent so long searching for.
She sipped her tea, watching as the boy greedily ate what could possibly be the only warm meal he’s eaten in nearly two years. She knew that if she took him home, her fool of a husband would lose his mind spoiling him. She could easily see him neglecting their own children, considering how attached he had been to both Cangse Sanren and Wei Changze.
She could not bring him to Lotus Pier, she was certain of that. But she could not just leave the boy as she had found him, starving on the streets. She would not be able to consider herself human if she did.
But that just left the question of where to place him. She could just dump him in a farmer town, have him spend his life happily growing things for a living. But no, that would feel like an insult to Wei Changze, who had always been cordial and kind to her. Not to mention the boy already had a golden core, probably the only thing that had kept him warm during the winters.
She could place him in one of the numerous smaller sects, to be trained in cultivation. She could easily find a sect small enough they’d accept any street orphan as their disciple. But if she brought him to them, they’d be sure to try to use him to gain her favor, to try to influence her to use her high standing for their own gain. They’d be stupid not to. And that would run the risk of Jiang Fengmian finding out.
Unless she found a sect far away and too removed to know who she was, though that seemed unlikely with her fame. But even if she did find such a sect, it still carried its own risks. A sect that obscure would be difficult to keep tabs on and ensure the boy wasn’t being mistreated or starved. As much as she hated his vapid mother, the boy didn’t deserve to be plucked from one misery only to be placed at a different one.
The boy smiled brightly when Jinzhu poured more warm tea into his cup, thanking her cheerfully.
Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She took a moment to contemplate it properly, both its validity and the mechanics of pulling it off. The sect was a proper one, well established despite its leadership. It would not waste time vying for her favor by waving the boy in her face. It would treat him well, feed him regularly. They were known for taking in any sort, as long as they did the work. Not to mention that the Sect Leader was young enough to fall for it if she phrased it right.
It would be a good placement. Good enough to stop Jiang Fengmian from throwing a snit over it if he ever found out.
If.
Yu Ziyuan smiled and placed a sweet bun on the boy’s plate, smiling wider when he grinned in thanks at her.
*~*
They had to stay the night in Yiling. The boy was filthy and dressed in literal rags, that needed to be fixed. They found an inn easily enough, and Yu Ziyuan ordered the staff to prepare a hot bath. While that was being prepared, she sent Jinzhu to secure some clothing for the boy, a night robe and an outfit proper for presentation. Yinzhu stayed in the room with them for protection, as was proper.
Yu Ziyuan bathed the boy personally. It served a double purpose. For one thing, it ensured the boy would be actually clean when he left the tub. For another, it would deepen the boy’s emotional bond towards her. The closer to her he felt, the easier it would be to convince him.
Jinzhu returned just as the tub was being removed, and Yu Ziyuan left the boy in her and her sister’s care to get dressed. Meanwhile, Yu Ziyuan penned a quick message explaining that she had been unexpectedly delayed, then sent it off via talisman. Madam Jin Nianzhen would make excellent excuses for her even without in-depth explanations, so that should give Yu Ziyuan a couple of days to deal with this matter.
With that done, she returned to the boy.
“Jinzhu and Yinzhu. I need to speak with A-Ying. Please guard the door from the outside.”
“Yes, Madam Yu.” They both saluted, never ones for questioning her orders. They closed the doors behind them, though Yu Ziyuan was certain that they were right outside the door, two imposing figures keeping threats away.
She smiled in satisfaction, as she often did at her cousins/body guards. Nothing beat Yu training.
The boy tugged at her robe, smiling up at her. “Auntie, can A-Ying really keep this robe?” One of his hands was fisted in the material of his new sleep robe. It hung a little loosely on him, but with proper food he would fill it out nicely.
“Of course.” She sat down in front of him and patted his hand until he released his hold on the fabric. She smoothed the sleep robe out, rubbing the fabric between her fingers to check its quality. Nice and soft, good. It would not do if she presented him still dressed like a commoner. “You need proper clothes, A-Ying.”
She grinned at her, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Thank you, Auntie! It’s so very soft!”
“I’m sure you’ll have good dreams sleeping in it.” She made a show of pausing thoughtfully, then gently tugged the boy down to his knees. “A-Ying. There is something I must discuss with you.”
“Yes, Auntie?” He knelt down in front of her, staring up at her with his big eyes.
“We must discuss where we’ve found you. And how you were living before we did.”
The boy lowered his gaze, staring at her hands. “A-Ying was living on the street.”
“Yes.” She nodded, modulating her voice to sound caring. “You were homeless, without food, without parents nor a roof over your head.”
The boy fidgeted in his spot. “A-Ying had a roof. There’s a wooden box in an alley near the butcher, it doesn’t leak much.”
Dear gods. “A-Ying. It is unacceptable that you have been left to fend for yourself.”
“A-Ying did okay.” It was mumbled. The boy would have to be an absolute idiot to believe that.
She took a deep breath, calming her thoughts. It would not do if the boy sensed her disdain. “That is not the point. You are a child and children need caretakers. They need a family.”
A-Ying lowered his head and said nothing.
Yu Ziyuan watched him for a moment, then cleared her. “As I’ve already explained, your mother was my distant cousin.” She’d told him that while they had still been in the tea house. The boy had swallowed the lie instantly, immediately requesting to call her Auntie.
He nodded, his smile returning. “ A-Ying remembers.”
“Although she and I were distantly related, I’ve come to know her very well, and sadly you becoming homeless does not surprise me.” She put on a sympathetic smile, lying one hand on his shoulder.
The boy frowned. “My mommy was the best!”
“A-Ying, I’m sorry to break it to you, but you are a child. To a child, especially one your age, parents can do no wrong. Especially dead parents.”
“I don’t understand.” He was clearly upset, brows drawn together and lips pursed into a pout. “Why are you saying this?”
She sighed. “A-Ying. I am trying to explain that there is a very important reason why you had been abandoned.”
“My mommy and daddy died on a night hunt.”
She nodded. “Yes, they did. But there is a reason why your parents had left you all alone, and then died, leaving you with nothing.”
“There was?” He edged closer, staring at her as if she held all the answers to his life.
And she did. Just not the ones he was hoping for. “Yes. Your mother and father were not well regarded by the Cultivator World.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means everone thought of them as dangerous and foolhardy.”
The boy frowned, his face reddening with anger. “Auntie, that’s mean!”
Yu Ziyuan pushed down her instinctual scowl. “It’s not! The truth is never mean, just uncomfortable for those who learn it.”
The boy shook his head, eyes filling with angry tears. “My mommy and daddy weren’t bad!”
All right, bluntness was not enough. Subtle manipulation it was then. “I’m sure they were excellent parents to you.” She reached out and pulled the boy close to her side, petting his hair. “I know that they loved you very much. But there was a reason that they couldn’t do actually right by you.”
The boy pressed against her, no longer angry. He stared up at her, confusion clear on his face. “I don’t understand.”
“There was a reason why they had to travel all the time and be essentially homeless.”
The boy wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. Disgusting. “They were rogue cultivators. They were helping people.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s what they told you.” She nodded, the corners of her lips pulling downwards in what looked like disappointment. “However, your father used to belong to the Jiang Sect, one of the Great Sects. He had a very high position, second only to the Sect Leader himself. Wouldn’t he be able to help more people if he’d stayed there?”
“I guess.” The boy kept frowning, his eyes darting all around. “But he left.”
“Yes. He left a prominent sect, a steady job where he was respected, and a home where he could’ve raised you safely. Without running the risk of you ending up alone on the streets.”
“...why did he leave?”
She let out a deep sigh, as deep and sad as she could. “A-Ying. That topic is very difficult to explain to someone your age. The simplest way of explaining it is that your parents held views that differed greatly from the accepted views of the Cultivation World. Very dangerous and harmful views. The Sect Leader gave them a chance to renounce their views. They refused, and the Sect Leader had to ask them to leave Lotus Pier. So they packed their things and left that same night.”
“...so they left.” The boy repeated, brows drawn tightly together.
“Yes. They considered their views more important than your safety.” She watched as his brows furrowed further, and she reached out to pet his head. “A-Ying. I’m sure they were wonderful parents. I think it would be best if you focused on that. You had a loving mother who gave you kisses-”
“She did.” The boy agreed with a nod.
“And a loving father who played you songs on his flute.”
“He played a lot for A-Ying.” The boy smiled, humming a bit to demonstrate.
She gave him a smile. “And those are good memories. Focus on them, remember only them, and try to forget the not so nice memories. I’m sure they argued, I’m sure there were days when you or them went hungry. Try to let that go, so you can remember them fondly.”
A-Ying chewed on his lower lip, one finger flicking at his nose.
Yu Ziyuan watched him mull it over, then reached out and untied the red ribbon in his hair.
The boy reached up to stop her. “No, it’s from my mommy!”
“I know, I remember her wearing it.” She took the ribbon anyway. She straightened it out between her fingers, then spread it across the table. “Now, we must discuss our next steps.”
“Next steps?”
“Yes.” She grabbed her bamboo writing tool. She wrote the characters for the boy’s name in the middle of the fabric, in perfect calligraphy.
“What’s that?” The boy asked, edging closer.
“This is how you write your old name.”
“Old?”
“Yes.” She took the ribbon and folded it into a small neat bundle. She used a string to tie it together. “For your safety, A-Ying, it will be best if nobody knows who exactly your parents were.”
“Why?”
She lowered her voice, to make it seem like she was telling him a grand secret. Children tended to be impressed by those. “They had many enemies, people who rightly despised them for their views.”
“They ones they liked more than A-Ying?” The boy asked, voice lowering sadly.
“The ones they valued more than you. I’m sure they liked you the best.” The boy gave her a weak smile, and she nodded. She held up the folded up ribbon. “This will be the symbol of your old life. Something to hold on, to help you remember the good about your parents, no matter what you might learn in the future. Keep it safe, keep it hidden, and carry it always close to your heart.” She tugged open the boy’s robes and tucked the ribbon inside.
The boy reached up and cradled the ribbon through his robes. He sniffled. “But if A-Ying doesn’t have a name, who will A-Ying be?”
“A-Ying.” She gathered the boy close, letting his hide his face in her lap. “I never said you would be without name. I would never want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Really, Auntie?”
“Of course. No matter what your parents believed, you are and always will be my little cousin.” She grimaced at the cliché statement, but it helped soothe the boy's tears at least. “I will do everything in my power to keep you as safe as you can possibly be.”
The boy lifted his face from her lap, staring up at her with tear filled eyes. “Then you’ll take A-Ying home with you?”
She sighed again, deeply and emphatically sadly. “I cannot. While I do care for you, the rest of my family… would not, considering who your parents were. But worry not. I will find you a good proper home, and I will make sure that they will treat you right.” She tugged his head up and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “This I promise you.”
A-Ying gave her a tearful smile.
Yu Ziyuan patted his head, then reached up to her travel bun, untying one of the long purple ribbing keeping it up. Her hair unraveled, spilling down her back, but it was fine, she had spare hair accessories.
She gathered up the boy’s hair and tied it up into a half-bun, securing it with her own ribbon. “There.”
The boy reached up and tugged one end of the ribbon to the front, staring at it in awe. “Thank you, Auntie,” he breathed, and Yu Ziyuan nearly snorted. So she’d thought correctly – the silly boy equated a gift of a ribbon with motherly love. Not a surprise, considering all he had of his own parents had been the red ribbon.
Yu Ziyuan smiled and cupped the boy’s cheek. “Now, if you would accept, I want to grant you my name. It will help me keep you safe.”
The boy grinned and jumped onto her lap, wrapping both arms around her neck. “Thank you, Auntie! Thank you so much!”
She wrapped her arms around him and patted his back. “I’m glad. Be sure to cherish it.” She pushed the boy off her lap and to the side, then she reached for a piece of paper and her bamboo writing tool. “Now then, I will write your name for you.”
The boy shuffled closer, nodding eagerly. “Yes, please.”
Yu Ziyuan wrote slowly, placing each mark with care. The boy stared intently, his wide eyes trained on the paper.
“There. Your name is now Yu Ying – 虞硬. It means ‘good and strong’. You’ve already proven you are strong, for you survived all alone for so long. And I can see the good in you, shining through your eyes. You have your father’s eyes, and he had been such a good man before he met-” She cut herself off, making a show of looking away and pursing her lips. “No matter. That is in the past.”
A-Ying, clever like his mother, understood exactly what she had meant. Good.
Yu Ziyuan huffed through her nose, then placed her bamboo writing tool into the boy’s hand. “Now, how about you practice writing your new name.”
“Yes, Auntie.” The boy nodded and shuffled closer to the table. He wrote even slower than she had, each line placed only after making sure its placement was correct.
Yu Ziyuan watched him, giving him encouraging pointers as he worked. His handwriting was atrocious, but nothing that shouldn’t be weeded out with practice.
Hopefully, she had planted enough seeds of doubt in the boy, so that they would take root within the memories of his parents. With luck, even if Jiang Fengmian found the boy in his new home, he’d be unable to recognize him.
*~*
They set off in the morning, after a proper night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast. The flight to the Unclean Realm took them several hours. The boy rode with Yu Ziyuan, chattering on and on about this or that. Yu Ziyuan used the opportunity to ask him some more pointed questions about his parents and what they had taught him. The boy answered beautifully, talking eagerly about what games they had played together, but falling thoughtfully silent each time she asked about any ‘opinions’ they might have tried to teach him. She also instructed him on proper etiquette, since everything he might’ve learned had probably been lost after he’d been orphaned. Homeless children had little use for proper bows.
They arrived close to noon, setting down in the barren field near the front gates. The guards were puzzled to see their entourage, but immediately sent word to their Sect Leader, then they were ushered inside past the gates. Nie Mingjue himself came to greet them, and they all bowed respectfully, the boy clinging to her robes.
“To what do I owe this visit?” Nie Mingjue asked, straightening from his bow.
Yu Ziyuan kept hers, arms perfectly circled. “Sect Leader Nie. I come to you with a matter of grave personal importance.”
Nie Mingjue looked startled but nodded. “Very well. Follow me, I will escort you to my private office. We can speak safely there.”
*~*
As soon as they were in the office and properly seated, Nie Mingjue activated a silencing array and nodded at her.
“You may speak freely now, Madam Yu.”
She nodded as well, her hands folded on her lap. “Sect Leader Nie. I know you are a straightforward man, thus I will speak clearly.”
“I will listen, Madam Yu.”
She gestured to the boy, sitting at her side. “This is A-Ying. Bow like I showed you.” The boy did, little arms awkward from lack of practice. “He is the son of a distant cousin of mine. she and her husband both died over a year ago on a night hunt. Sadly, due to certain… decisions made by them in their life, they were not well liked within the family. No laws had been broken, but my family’s standards of decorum and behavior are… strict.” She paused, staring off into the distance meaningfully, before shaking her head and returning to the conversation. “No one noticed their disappearance until recently.”
Nie Mingjue gave a shallow bow, first to her, then to the boy. “My condolences.”
The boy copied him, a shy smile on his little face. “Thank you.”
Nie Mingjue nodded, then looked to Madam Yu with a frown. “If no one noticed for a year, who took care of the son?”
Madam Yu folded her face into a pained grimace, bowing her head in a practiced show of shame. “It pains to admit that no one did. We had assumed he’d been hidden away somewhere, with a kind family willing to take him in. The reality was not so.” She reached out, petting the boy’s hair with a visibly caring hand. “By pure chance of fate, I happened upon him when I was traveling through Yiling. He was living on the street, starving and forced to fight the wild dogs for any scrap of food he could find.”
The boy bowed his head, little hands trembling in his lap.
“I could not leave him there. Sadly, considering his parents’ reputation within my sect and outside of it, no one would be willing to take him in. I could, of course, demand it of one of my cousins, yet I would not be able to ensure A-Ying’s well-being in such a situation.”
Nie Mingjue nodded slowly. It was obvious he didn’t understand what she was implying, but he was willing to listen to her expertise on the subject. Good.
“I, myself, am also unable to take him in, no matter my feelings on the subject. I am far too busy with my duties as Madam of Lotus Pier, wife and mother. I have neither time nor energy to take another little one under my wing.”
The boy made a worried noise at her, shifting closer to place a small hand of her arm. “It’s okay, Auntie. A-Ying is a big boy, I’ll be okay.”
Before she could rebuke his words, gently and patiently like any proper maternal figure would, Nie Mingjue spoke, arms crossed over his chest.
“Not alone and not on the street, you’re not.” He huffed with a frown. “I understand your plea, Madam Yu. Why come to me with him, though? Why not place him with a smaller branch of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect?”
She shook her head. “Sadly, I am not yet familiar with the smaller branches of the Sect. Making sure they were capable and willing to provide for A-Ying would take time, time A-Ying cannot spare. I would not wish to have him neglected while I search for any family willing to take in another little mouth to feed.”
“Yet you came to me.” It was said mildly, his voice filled with curiosity. Excellent.
She nodded. “I have. I know that Sect Leader Nie is a kind man with a strict moral code. Your Sect is famous for welcoming everyone, even children of such… parents as A-Ying’s. I am certain that your sect would raise him correctly, instill nothing but the strongest moral stances within him.” She glanced at the boy again, gracing him with a kind smile. “A-Ying has been with me for a couple of days, and I can assure you he is a good boy. He is kind-hearted and bright, cheerful to a fault no matter his circumstances.” To prove her point, the boy smiled at her, just as brightly as he’d smiled when she’d introduced herself as his aunt. His smile was like the sun shining after a rainy day, and she would be happy to see the boy go. She was sure that her fool of a husband would spoil the boy rotten just to ensure that smile of his, so like his mother’s. The thought alone was sickening to her.
She turned back to Nie Mingjue, who was watching the boy with contemplative eyes. “I’ve spoken with the boy at length about his parents. Thankfully, they had not managed to instill any of their rotten ideas in his head, and he is an innocent, as any child.” She paused, as if hesitating. “I also believe he would be a good playmate to your brother.” Nie Mingjue’s eyes snapped to hers, sharp and intense. “They are of a similar age, and with your brother’s health I do understand the need to limit his contact with others. However, I do know that children always develop better with siblings, especially those close in age, it has long been known to strengthen both the physicality and minds of children.” She paused as if just realizing her words, and her expression tightened as if she had misspoken. She bowed her head. “I apologize. I am by no means asking you to take A-Ying into your family as your own. Having a playmate is just as beneficial.”
“Peace, Madam Yu. I understand your meaning and no offense has been taken.” He was silent for a moment, staring at the boy.
The boy stared back, his little lips pursed. He brought up one hand, a little finger flicking his nose, then he brightened with an idea. He bowed, his little arms too wide in his exuberance. “Sect Leader, A-Ying promises to be good. A-Ying doesn’t want to cause any problems for Auntie or Sect Leader. A-Ying knows how to be real quiet and to hide so Sect Leader doesn’t have to see or care for A-Ying. And A-Ying eats very little and will be happy with anything he gets.”
Nie Mingjue stared at him for a moment, then his lips tightened. “I will be taking in a child, not a ghost. If you’re here, you’ll be taken care of and fed as much as you want. Understand?” The boy looked startled, but nodded, jerking his head up and down rapidly.
Nie Mingjue huffed at him with a small smile, then turned to Yu Ziyuan, back straight and chin lifted. “I will grant your request.”
Yu Ziyuan allowed a smile to stretch her face. She bowed, the boy copying her. “I thank you for your kindness, Sect Leader Nie. I will, of course, try to compensate you for all expenses related to raising him.”
“If any compensation is necessary, I will let you know.” Nie Mingjue stated with a nod. “Our sects have always been on good terms. If you claim he will make a good disciple and playmate, I am willing to trust in your expertise.”
“Thank you, Sect Leader.”
“Thank you!” The boy chirped at her side, his little face bright with one of those smiles of his. “Thank you so much! A-Ying will try his best to be a good dis- disc-”
“Disciple,” She corrected him. “Sect Leader Nie means that he is willing to teach you cultivation.”
If possible, his smile brightened even more. “Like my mom and dad? They taught A-Ying to make talismans for light. The dark is scary.”
Nie Mingjue’s brows lifted. “Show me.” He took out a piece of talisman paper from his desk as well as a writing tool. The boy took them, laying the paper on the floor and bending over it, his tongue peeking out as he drew. Within a few moments, the crudely drawn but workable talisman was activated, and the paper started emitting a warm light.
This was another reason Yu Ziyuan didn’t want the boy at her home. He was obviously talented and she would not have a son of a servant outshine her own son.
Nie Mingjue took the paper, looking suitably impressed. “Good job,” he praised, and the boy’s shining smile returned. Nie Mingjue glanced at her, and she bowed her head, expression carefully grateful. She watched him look back to the boy, a small smile on his lips to answer the boy’s grin.
Her chest felt warm at this victory. Hook, line and sinker.
She stayed for another shichen, long enough to witness the boy meeting the little Young Master Nie. He was a slip of a thing, shy and soft and spoiled by his brother’s affections if the shout of ‘Da-ge!’ was any indication. He warmed up to the boy very fast, the two soon playing a game that Nie Huaisang’s well-known frail health would withstand.
She left soon after, citing her urgent duties as an excuse. It wasn’t far from the truth, but taking a few days to spend on ensuring the boy’s presence wouldn’t meddle in her family was not as much as a damper on her schedule as she made it sound.
She let the boy hug her goodbye, patting his little back and making him promise to be good and to listen to Sect Leader Nie and the little Young Master. The boy promised, nodding his head so much she thought it would fall off of his stick of a neck. He also promised to write to her often, and she nodded.
“I will await your letters then. But I will not accept any with bad handwriting, so practice before sending the first one.”
“I promise, Auntie!” He hugged her again, and she felt her shoulders relax in relief. The boy would surely do well here, away from her own family. A weight off her chest. She felt so satisfied at the situation that she gifted the boy a kiss on the forehead. It would cost her nothing to play the caring aunt, and it would only make her look better in Sect Leader Nie’s young eyes. Seventeen year old children were easy enough to manipulate after all.
*~*
The first letter came after two months. The handwriting was shaky and uneven, yet it was clear great care had been put into it. The boy had heeded her words then, good.
She unrolled it and started to read.
Yu Ying greets Honored Aunt, Yu Ziyuan, Madam of Lotus Pier
Hello, Auntie! Did you like my greeting? A-Sang helped me write it! I hope it’s good enough, I’ve been practicing my calligraphy lots! Every day after afternoon tea I practice with A-Sang. His calligraphy is so pretty, our tutor always praises him! I asked him to write one of the poems from his favorite book, just for you!
Immediately under that there was a passage from a poem about a little bird hopping from tree to tree. The calligraphy was delicate, graceful and the lines so carefully placed they seemed to flow. Impressive, especially for an eight year old Nie boy.
She went back to the letter.
Pretty, isn’t it? A-Sang really likes that poem, because it’s about birds! A-Sang really loves birds, Sect Leader Da-ge even promised him one once his breathing illness is cured. A-Sang is really amazing, Auntie! He’s smart and pretty and so nice! He shares all his toys with me and reads to me everyday! We play all the time, though we always have to be careful because of his breathing illness. A-Sang has a lot of visits with doctors of all sorts and has to breathe in a special mist so he can breathe normally and go play with me. Some days he feels so good he’ll run around with me and go climbing trees! He’s not very good at it, but I always make sure he doesn’t fall. Some days A-Sang feels very bad, though, and doesn’t have a lot of strength to walk around for too long. He’s really sad then, so I carry him on my back and we go exploring the keep. There’s a little yard where birds gather, and they always cheer A-Sang right up, because he really does love birds!
Sect Leader Da-ge says I’m being a very good playmate! He should know, he’s super smart too! He has to be, ‘cause he’s the Sect Leader. I never knew young people could also be sect leaders, so he must be someone very skilled! A-Sang and I watch him practice a lot, and Sect Leader Da-ge’s saber is super big! This big!
Beneath was a drawn image of a saber as long as the page was wide.
Sect Leader Da-ge is super strong to lift it! I tried once and I couldn’t even lift it off the ground! He’s so amazing! He’s busy a lot. A-Sang says it’s because being a sect leader is a lot of work he has to do everyday. He doesn’t always have time to spend with us. But he joins us at each mealtime, and usually manages to spend some time with us in the evening! He also finds time to do dog-training with me. I hate it, I’m so scared! Dogs are horrible and scary, they only want to eat my food and bite me! But Sect Leader Da-ge says I can’t be that afraid of dogs because all the other cultivators would mock me for it. Are cultivators really so mean? Daddy always said that most of them are nice!
I’m doing better at dog-training now. Yesterday I even managed to touch a dog’s head without screaming, A-Sang said that’s ‘good progress’. Sect Leader Da-ge said that when I’m all better he might get A-Sang and me spirit dogs, but I really don’t want any. I think A-Sang would like a spirit bird more. Do they make spirit birds, Auntie? Where could we find one?
The keep is really big, Auntie! The walls are big, corridors are big, the people are big, the sabers are big. Even the food is big! A-Sang is the only little thing in here! The keep is called the Unclean Realm, but it’s not dirty at all. Sect Leader Da-ge won’t tell us why it’s called that. He says we’ll learn when we’re older, but A-Sang says Sect Leader Da-ge just doesn’t know and is hiding it from us.
I have my own room, and I love it! I have a bed and space for clothes and a shelf for books and even a table! I’m sitting at it right now, as I’m writing this! I practice all my calligraphy here and I play games with A-Sang every day! A-Sang’s room is really close, too! Our rooms are connected by a big garden, A-Sang calls it the inner Nie Family Garden, which sounds funny. There’s an outer Nie Family Garden as well, but A-Sang says everybody just calls it the Reception Garden, because they use to it for banquets and celebrations. It’s really big, it could fit all the disciples if they squeezed in!
The food is so yummy, Auntie! There’s a lot of meat every day, and I always get to eat as much as I want! Cousin Nie Yating says that’s good, and that I’ll grow big and strong like a proper Nie disciple. I’ve started training already, though we don’t have our own sabers yet. I have a wooden practice saber and I work very hard on all the forms, I promise! Sect Leader Da-ge sometimes comes to see us all practice, and he says I’m one of the better disciples in the group! Are you proud of me, Auntie?
I try to train everyday, but I don’t always get to. Every two weeks, we fly to a place called Cloud Recesses for a couple of days. There’s a special pond there that can help heal people, and A-Sang swims in it to get better with his breathing illness. I go with A-Sang and Sect Leader Da-ge there to help cheer A-Sang up afterwards, because the water is really cold, and A-Sang always cries because he has to stay in it for a long time. But Sect Leader Da-ge says it’s important for A-Sang’s health, so I always try to cheer A-Sang up afterwards and help him get warm.
When A-Sang is in the pond, I can go wander around. Cloud Recesses is very pretty. It’s in the mountains, so high up that it looks like it’s hidden in the clouds. Gods don’t live there, though, I know because I asked one of the nice Cloud Cultivators. There are a lot of rules there! They have so many, they had to carve them into a mountain not to forget them all! And each time we visit, everybody is dressed in funeral clothes, so I try to be really quiet and not bother them too much. It’s super sad that people keep dying there, though.
But Auntie, when I was walking around Cloud Recesses, I met the prettiest boy. His name is A-Zhan! He has really pretty eyes and really pretty black hair, and he has the prettiest smile, and he likes bunnies and he’s learning to play the guqin, just like his brother and uncle! I’ve never seen his mother or father, but I don’t ask because A-Zhan always wears funeral clothes, too. I always give A-Zhan a big hug to cheer him up when I see him. I hope one day I’ll get to see him in some colorful clothes, like in green or purple. I’m sure he’ll look even prettier then! He’s really fun to play with or just walk around with, he’s super fun to talk to as well! Last time he even gave me the ribbon he wears on his forehead, so I gave him the ribbon you gave me, I hope you don’t mind! A-Zhan said that his ribbon is very important, so I wanted to give him something really important as well! But his older brother, Huan-ge, made us switch our ribbons back. He told us we can switch when we’re older, so I promised A-Zhan I’m only ever gonna switch ribbons with him. A-Zhan promised me the same thing! It was a strange, but fun game!
I didn’t tell you about Huan-ge! Huan-ge is A-Zhan’s older brother, and he’s also really pretty, but not as much as A-Zhan. He plays the flute like my Daddy, and he promised to teach me to play as well! Huan-ge and A-Zhan live with their Uncle. He looks very mean, like that one butcher that always said he’d make me into sausages. He can recite all the rules from their wall from memory, which must mean he’s super smart! He even gave me a candy once, and I didn’t even have to beg him for it!
When we’re in the Cloud Recesses, we get our own cabin and we also get to eat with everybody! Their food is not as nice tasting like the food in the Unclean Realm, and there’s no meat! But it’s always really warm and it fills my belly all the way, I’m not hungry at all when I finish one bowl of congee! They have lots of rules about food, Auntie! One rule is about not talking during meals, but that’s okay, A-Ying knows how to be super quiet. Another is about eating too much, so I think they don’t have too much food to go around. But they always share with me and A-Sang and Sect Leader Da-ge. They’re super nice about it too, never complain that we’re eating their food. I really like their Sect.
A-Sang doesn’t really like the food, but Sect Leader Da-ge says it’s very rude not to eat everything. And after we’re finished, A-Sang pouts real hard at Sect Leader Da-ge, A-Sang is very good at pouting! Sect Leader Da-ge always gives him some sweets to cheer him up. A-Sang always asks for extra, and he shares with me and A-Zhan and Huan-ge. A-Sang is so nice!
I miss you, Auntie! I think of you every day, and I practice hard every day to make you proud!I am being a good boy, like I promised! A-Ying sends the biggest hugs he can! And those are getting very big, because the Nie disciples are helping me train my arm strength! They’re so nice, Auntie, I love it here!
Love you, Auntie! I added some pictures I drew and some of my calligraphy, I think I’m getting better! I’m gonna write a formal goodbye too, I hope you like it! A-Sang helped me pick it out just for you!
Yu Ying sends regards to Honored Aunt, Yu Ziyuan, Madam of Lotus Pier.
Until fates align for us to meet.
Yu Ziyuan huffed through her nose as she finished reading, a small smile on her face.
“You are in a cheerful mood today, my Lady.” Her fool of a husband commented, and she pursed her lips.
“Should I not be?” she barked at him, and he looked down at his own correspondence with a sigh.
“Merely asking, my Lady.”
She stared at him for a moment, then decided to show him leniency. “A letter from a distant cousin. He’s barely learned calligraphy and he already insisted on writing a letter to me.”
“Ah.” Jiang Fengmian gave her a polite smile. “Are you two close?”
“Not particularly, I’ve met him once in my life. But one does indulge family and a little letter here or there is of no consequence.”
“If you’ve only met him once, you must’ve made a strong impression on him.”
She shrugged dismissively. “His previous living situation had been unacceptable. I’ve facilitated his relocation to a more suitable family. He is merely grateful, like any child would be.”
“My Lady is kind to all.” Jiang Fengmian said in a tone that was almost like pride.
Yu Ziyuan smiled at him, wide and satisfied.
END