The flicker of a black cloak caught Cha Ming's eye as he left the Alabaster Group. He normally would have paid it no heed, but its intense ochre coloring was difficult to ignore.

What is he up to? Cha Ming thought. He probed the man's cultivation before continuing his pursuit; peak foundation establishment was hardly a threat to Cha Ming's companions.

He followed the figure for several blocks before it vanished into a side street filled with various disreputable businesses. Then it ducked into a dark alley.

Huxian, are you ready? Cha Ming asked as he followed the figure.

Born ready, his shadow replied. Cha Ming steeled himself and entered the alley. To his surprise, his resplendent force could no longer detect anyone. The alley was completely quiet, save for a few rats that were aggressively nibbling at a large bag of waste. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Dodge! Huxian yelled.

A sword whizzed past Cha Ming's chest, cutting a two-inch gash and glancing off his ribcage as he rapidly laid down a Stormwalker Formation. He ran up the alley's wall as nine figures in black cloaks rushed toward him. He hadn't realized that the black-cloaked man was bait.

Is it time yet? Huxian asked.

Not yet, Cha Ming replied. He winced in pain as the flesh in his chest slowly recovered. Flying swords and sabers left the nine men's hands and shot toward him. In response, Cha Ming threw down the Clear Sky Staff and poured his resplendent force into it. Instead of becoming longer, it became three feet thick. The swords and sabers bounced off the heavy object as Cha Ming sent out thirty-six blue sigils, encasing the entire alley in a frigid atmosphere.

"Now!" Cha Ming yelled.

The three initial-core-formation cultivators and six peak-foundation-establishment cultivators slowed down for a fraction of a second before shattering his rapid combat formation. That partial second was more than enough, however. Huxian appeared from the darkness, and Lei Jiang and Silverwing burst out from his two tails and pounced onto the shocked cultivators. Huxian summoned a bagua to trap them as lightning burned them and sharp blades of wind lacerated them. Nine sizzling corpses soon dropped to the ground.

Huxian landed on Cha Ming's shoulder. "Who would have thought they'd underestimate us so much?" Huxian said.

Cha Ming shrugged. "I don't think it will work more than once. We'll have to be careful until I finish forging my bones."

They quickly made their way to the Talisman Artist Guild. They entered through the back entrance, which was reserved for members to bypass the storefront. Cha Ming immediately proceeded up the stairs to Jun Xiezi's office, who let him in right away.

"You're back so fast," Jun Xiezi said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"Two reasons," Cha Ming replied. He flicked a golden Sharp Talisman to Jun Xiezi. "First, I owe you a debt. This is the first installment. This talisman contains my insights on the sharpness of gold. People sharpen their skills in much the same way they do swords."

Jun Xiezi grinned. "Painting is the same way. I'd never thought of creating a painting about painting itself before, but I think I'll give it a try. What else can I help you with?"

A flower was already steeping in a clear teapot. He used his mastery over wood and water to accelerate the brewing process and poured the tea into two clear cups.

"I paid a visit to the Song Kingdom's Talisman Artist Guild," Cha Ming said as he sipped. "Are you aware of its current state?"

"A truly deplorable branch guild," Jun Xiezi said, pursing his lips. "The only reason it hasn't been shut down is because it wasn't worth the effort to send someone out there to do it. Why? Are you interested in taking it over?"

"If only I had so much time to spare," Cha Ming said. "There's a civil war brewing in the kingdom, and you know how these things work."

"I take it you've already picked a side?" Jun Xiezi asked.

"Yes, I've thrown support behind the third prince, who is backed by the Wang family," Cha Ming said.

Jun Xiezi raised an eyebrow.

"The second young master of the Wang family."

"That explains it," Jun Xiezi said. "But why are you talking to me about this? I don't have the time or energy to oversee yet another branch guild."

"But what if it was just a subsidiary branch? One that funneled a portion of its profits to the Quicksilver branch?" Cha Ming said. "In return, the Quicksilver branch could provide support through a vice branch head and some teaching support. It would be an easy way to increase your branch's profitability. You could also satisfy the ambitions of some of your senior members."

"But setting up distribution channels and a reputation is a huge pain," Jun Xiezi said, massaging his brow. "It's just not worth it."

"You do have a point," Cha Ming said. "Give me one second." He withdrew his core-transmission jade and placed it on the table. It pulsed slightly before revealing a miniature jade Wang Jun.

"Brother Cha Ming, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Wang Jun's figure asked.

"It's like this," Cha Ming replied. "Quicksilver's Talisman Artist Guild is considering setting up roots in the Song Kingdom, but they don't want to deal with marketing and establishing distribution channels. Can you deal with this side of the business? Say, in exchange for a sole-sourcing agreement with the Jade Bamboo Conglomerate in the Song Kingdom?"

Wang Jun thought for a moment before answering. "For a thirty-percent list-price discount on all talismans, we could definitely do this."

"That's too much," Jun Xiezi interjected. "No more than ten percent, or it isn't worth it."

"Come now, this agreement is worry free," Wang Jun said. "I'll tell you what, since distribution costs are much lower for magic-grade talismans, I can agree to ten percent on those. However, I'd like to meet in the middle at twenty percent for mortal-grade ones. That way, you can just worry about production and training. What are your thoughts?"

"That's reasonable, but I want an additional provision," Jun Xiezi said. "I want to begin negotiating a non-sole-sourced distribution agreement with the Jade Bamboo branch in Quicksilver. I don't need an agreement now, only an introduction."

"Done," Wang Jun said. "I'll have a preliminary contract sent to you in three hours. Cha Ming, you're familiar with Wang Bing, are you not? Would you mind setting up an appointment?"

"Not at all," Cha Ming replied.

Wang Jun's figure winked out, leaving the two men and their tea.

"I figured it would be easier if we just skipped the process. Bureaucracies can be excruciatingly slow."

"Tell me about it," Jun Xiezi said. "My business development team and legal department would take three months trying to resolve a deal before letting me know about it. By then, any potential client would be too annoyed to offer us a favorable deal. All I want to do is relax and paint, but I always spend my precious time cleaning up their messes. I can't wait until I finish repaying this favor, and then I can continue my permanent vacation. By the way, what are your thoughts on who should take over the Song Kingdom sub-branch?"

"Let me talk to someone first," Cha Ming said.

***

"The concept is definitely intriguing," Feng Huoshan said as he leafed through a book on high-grade talismans. "But I'm worried about the teaching load and the distribution aspect. I'm all for moving up in the world; if I do well, I might end up in headquarters where I can access the more advanced study materials."

"You won't need to worry about distribution," Cha Ming assured. "My friend Wang Jun and the Jade Bamboo Conglomerate will take care of it. As for the teaching load, why don't you bring a friend along? Perhaps Hua Dong or Luo Ming?"

"Hua Dong might," Feng Huoshan said. "There are many people who don't want to be alchemists or glorified gardeners in the Song Kingdom. His brand of talisman artistry might prove to be quite popular. Luo Ming, on the other hand, is far too lazy. I doubt he'd be willing to move his mountainous rump."

"Who has a mountainous body?" a voice transmitted through the walls. "You're a mountain. Your whole family are mountains!"

"My name literally means 'fire mountain,' so you're technically correct," Feng Huoshan said.

"That's the best kind of correct," the fat Luo Ming said as he barged in and took a seat. "Besides, I've been eating Quicksilver's food for quite a while. A change would be nice."

Cha Ming laughed. "You can't all take off at once. Jun Xiezi will have my head."

Luo Ming shrugged. "What can he say if I leave for a year?"

"That's fair," Cha Ming said. "I'd really like to stay for longer, but I must be on my way. Duty calls."

"Can't you at least stay for dinner?" Luo Ming asked. The man liked any excuse to go out for an extravagant meal.

"I still have many stops to make," Cha Ming said helplessly. "We need to leave in three days, and I need to leave town for a while."

"Go on, then," Feng Huoshan said. "There will be plenty of time to eat together in the Song Kingdom."

Cha Ming nodded and tossed a pouch on the table. "Can you do me a favor in the meantime? I want to purchase all the excess talismans in the guild. Can you do that for me?"

After a brief discussion, he flew off to his next destination: the Alchemists Association.

***

"What are your thoughts on the proposed terms, Grandmaster Yao?" Cha Ming asked the short balding man in front of him. The man was drinking a pungent liquid from a laboratory flask on his desk. Cha Ming held a similar flask. He sipped from it gingerly, hoping that his strong constitution would neutralize any laboratory chemicals he might accidentally ingest.

"The terms are good," the grandmaster Yao said. "My most senior apprentice is looking to move up in the world, and I'm just not ready to give up my spot. This might be just the challenge he's looking for. When do you need a team by?"

"We'll leave in three days," Cha Ming said. "On another note, I have a request of a more.. sensitive nature."

The grandmaster frowned before rotating a device on his desk. An intangible ten-foot-wide barrier formed around them.

"What's this?" Cha Ming asked.

"It's a nulling device," Grandmaster Yao said. "You might be surprised to hear that there are ears everywhere. I activate this whenever I want to hide specific things."

"Why not use it all the time?" Cha Ming asked.

"Because the energy consumption is rather alarming," Grandmaster Yao said. "Now, please hurry up with whatever you want to say. Spirit stones are literally burning away."

Cha Ming immediately summoned a vial containing a purple liquid and placed it on the alchemist's desk. "The venom of a qi-binding serpent," he said. "An important figure in the Song Kingdom has been poisoned with this venom. I was only able to identify it by seeking the aid of a serpentine beast monarch."

Grandmaster Yao frowned. "Does this have anything to do with the recent investigation into the king's health?"

"Yes, it's the same case," Cha Ming said. "The third prince informed me that your association has already performed exhaustive tests."

"Our poison master did perform some tests, but he was unable to isolate a specific poison," Grandmaster Yao said. "Given the nature of the venom, it's not surprising that he failed. Most conventional techniques extract poisons using qi. That's because virtually all alchemical compounds can be extracted in this manner; the same applies to most non-alchemical ones."

"Do you think he'd be able to determine an antidote with this isolated compound?" Cha Ming asked.

"It's difficult to say," Grandmaster Yao said. "Let's ask him."

With a wave of his hand, the nulling field retracted, and the orb it came from flew into his empty palm. Cha Ming followed him out of the lab and past the front desk, where Yao Ling stood at her usual post. They entered a large corridor that led to the master-alchemist laboratories.

Cha Ming recognized the many doors he'd failed to enter during his embargo. They passed these doors and proceeded to the end of the hallway, where a shabby brown door Cha Ming had always assumed was the janitor's closet was located.

Grandmaster Yao knocked on the door and sent a message through a jade slip. The door creaked open a few moments later and revealed a spiraling stone staircase. They walked down several floors before entering a dungeonlike room.

"What brings you here today?" a voice said softly. It came from a man with a young face whose black hair was filled with streaks of white. The unkempt man was manipulating a green ball in the open with his spiritual force. With a wave of his hand, the ball jumped into a bottle, which he rapidly stoppered.

Grandmaster Yao threw out the small nulling sphere once more. "Do you remember the recent case in the Song Kingdom?"

The man frowned. "A frustrating case. One of the few failures in my three-hundred-year career."

"Which is why you didn't accept payment for performing the work," Grandmaster Yao said. "Have you ever wondered why you failed?"

"Every day," the man said. "I've narrowed it down to three possibilities. The first explanation is that it's a transcendent poison. I find this unlikely because it would be prohibitively expensive. The second possibility is that it's not a poison but rather an injury or curse. An injury is unlikely because the medical examination revealed no such trauma. The damage would need to take place on the cellular level. Curses, on the other hand, would be much easier to apply. However, the curse would need to exceed the capabilities of the Church of Justice."

"And the third one?" Grandmaster Yao asked.

"The poison would need antidetection properties that exceed the techniques in this realm," the man said. "The world is a vast place. This possibility is the most likely explanation, but I won't discount the second one. After all, the Church of Justice is not all-knowing in the field of curses."

Grandmaster Yao nodded. "Take a look at this," he said, placing the vial of violet liquid in front of the man, who opened the vial and dipped his finger inside it.

"Why would you—" Cha Ming started. He was interrupted by a harsh gesture from Grandmaster Yao.

He has an innate poison constitution, making him immune to most poisons, Grandmaster Yao explained mentally. He's able to identify poisons like no one else. His obsession in life is to reach the pinnacle in his craft. He loathes interacting with others and prefers to seclude himself down here, where he runs no risk of accidentally hurting anyone.

"What's your name, boy?" the man said as he licked the residual poison from his finger. "And where did you get this venom?"

Cha Ming noticed that he had a pair of familiar red pupils.

"Du Cha Ming greets senior," Cha Ming said, bowing lightly. "I had this poison manufactured by the Geomantic Sovereign in the Silverwing Mountain Range. After analyzing the king's blood sample, she determined that the source of the poison was the venom of a qi-binding serpent, a rare creature in this realm. Fortunately, she was able to duplicate a large quantity of the venom."

The man sighed. "It will take some time to research an antidote. The venom is far too rare, and natural ingredients must typically be counteracted with other natural ingredients. I'll need to go traveling."

Cha Ming waved his hand, depositing a pile of poison-related medicinal ingredients onto the floor. He also placed two hundred vials of various venoms on the table. "Feel free to use any of these in your research."

The man's eyes widened. "Then it's settled. I'll come find you in the Song Kingdom once I've made sufficient headway." He gestured once more, summoning the purple orb of venom and manipulating it in strange ways.

"May I know how to address senior?" Cha Ming asked before leaving.

"You may call me Zhou Bei," the man replied. "The traitorous ancestor of the Zhou Clan."

***

It was dusk before Cha Ming finally arrived at the Jade Bamboo Auction House. The moment he entered, he was ushered to a bamboo garden several times larger than the one he'd seen in Green Leaf City. A tea time later, Wang Bing's familiar figure walked in from the opposite direction.

"Would you like wine, or has my cousin's obsession with tea corrupted you as well?" she asked.

"Tea will be fine," Cha Ming said as he sat before her. "I hear the embargo has been lifted on the Alabaster Group?"

"My uncle made a silly decision," Wang Bing said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I advised him against such meddling, but he was too keen on currying favor with the first young master. He didn't know the second young master like I did."

"I heard it was Lu Tianhao's connections that made the difference," Cha Ming said.

"Is that what he told you?" Wang Bing said, shrugging. "Regardless, I'm happy to assist you in any way possible. I am not like my foolish uncle. As a token of our branch's apology for the prior matter, I've prepared a gift for you."

"I don't believe that's necessary," Cha Ming said. "I came here for a simple matter, nothing more. I don't care about past grudges."

"But I care," Wang Bing said. "Bad karma should be cleared as soon as possible. Please indulge me as I bring it out. I'm sure you'll like it." She withdrew a small bag of holding from within her green cultivation robes and inverted it onto the table. A small pile of crisp white flags with gray poles poured onto the top. In addition, there was a pile of 108 clear blobs—unaligned sigil focuses. "You may not need these now, but I'm sure they'll be useful in the future."

Cha Ming was tempted. The pile of unaligned high-grade and top-grade formation flags would be extremely useful in these difficult times. Ultimately, he pushed them back toward her. "This is far too large a gift."

She pushed them back. "I've investigated your purchases and your dealings with Mo Tianshen. I estimate your losses at roughly 20,000 high-grade spirit stones. The number is hardly exact, but I believe that compensating your losses is the best way of settling the karma between us."

Cha Ming looked long and hard at the pile before drawing it into the Clear Sky World.

"Fine. We owe each other nothing now, but I'm hoping that you'll do me a small favor," Cha Ming said. "The branch leader of the Talisman Artist Guild would like to negotiate a nonexclusive supply agreement with the Jade Bamboo Conglomerate in Quicksilver. I'm hoping you'll treat them fairly."

"I don't mind being owed a favor," Wang Bing said. "It's your karma, not mine."

Cha Ming shook his head. "I still don't understand anything about karma. Is it really such a big deal?"

"More than you know," Wang Bing said. "Second Young Master Jun would be the best person to explain it you. Will you be requiring anything else?"

"Yes, I'd like your help in completing a large transaction," Cha Ming said, dumping a sack on the table. It contained 800,000 high-grade spirit stones, the remainder of his half of the profits from ripping off the arena. "I need this converted to as many generic pills, weapons, and talismans you can get your hands on. Mortal, magic, and core-grade treasures are all acceptable."

"Aren't you a big spender," Wang Bing said. "It seems I'm the one who owes you a favor."

"Not at all," Cha Ming said. "It's just business."

A tea time later, Cha Ming walked out of the Jade Bamboo Auction House with a significantly lighter purse. "See, I told you she wouldn't cause any problems," he said to the empty air.

A small figured jumped out from his shadow and onto his shoulder. Huxian licked Cha Ming's ear as the latter scratched his small head. "It's better to be safe than sorry," Huxian said.

Cha Ming smiled. "Thanks for worrying about me. By the way, is Silverwing up for flying again soon?"

"Where are we headed?" Huxian asked.

"A small town not far from here called Crystal Falls," Cha Ming replied.

***

The sun was rising in in the small mist-covered village. A reddish-orange glow refracted through thin clouds as they landed nearby. The farmers had just risen with the dawn, and they were feeding and watering their oxen in preparation for a hard day's work while their children fed the chickens and their wives prepared breakfast.

Cha Ming hopped off Silverwing's back and walked toward the village. He took his time as he walked down the well-built path in the woods. Soon he passed a small guard shack where an elderly man was napping.

"Cha Ming, Cha Ming!" a couple of children yelled and grabbed on to him as soon as he reached the main street.

"Xiao Bao, Mei Guo, you've grown up," he said as he ruffled their hair. "How are your parents?"

"Tired but happy," Xiao Bao said. "We need to run, or we'll be late for school!" The two children rushed off and joined their friends, who were filing toward a small building. A young woman he didn't recognize herded them in and began teaching them to read. Such a thing hadn't existed back when the village remained in isolation.

Cha Ming soon found Li Yin's office. He smiled as he opened the door but was surprised to discover a middle-aged man seated at a desk, waiting for his first patient. A spirit-doctor emblem was pinned to his chest.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

"Where is Dr. Li?" Cha Ming asked. The office looked nothing like the unorganized mess it usually was. There were no bandages or splint materials. Now it only contained an examination bench and a shelf full of herbs and beakers.

"Ah, you're looking for Elder Li," the middle-aged man said. "My name is Yong Bai. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He held his hand out in a peculiar fashion. Cha Ming shook it awkwardly.

"Does the doctor still live here?" Cha Ming asked.

"Of course, he does," Yong Bai said. "I just help him take care of patients while he conducts his research. It's fascinating that he's managed to accomplish so much without being an actual doctor."

Cha Ming supressed a fit of anger. "I take it this door leads to his house just like before?"

"Of course," Yong Bai said. He opened the door before yelling out, "Elder Li, you have a visitor." Hearing no response, he waved Cha Ming inside. "Just wander down the hall to his study. He often doesn't hear me when I holler."

Cha Ming walked into a newly built dining room, which resembled Li Yin's old accommodations. The hall contained new pictures; he passed these and lightly pushed open the door to the old man's study.

He sighed in relief when he saw Li Yin sleeping on his desk, as he usually did after a night's hard work.

***

The kitchen was different than Cha Ming remembered. For one, it contained more cooking equipment than it used to. For another, he noticed a lot more vegetables on the man's shelves. Cha Ming lit a fire before thinly slicing potatoes into tiny sticks. He washed them with water to remove the starch. After this, he heated a wok and added oil, peppers, and leeks to the pan, letting their fragrance seep into the oil. Then he threw in the thin potato sticks and stir-fried them until they became slightly translucent. He added salt and vinegar before throwing the dish onto a plate and moving on to the next one.

This time, Cha Ming cut tomatoes into chunks and heated them over a low fire. He cooked them until they broke down before throwing in small pieces of cauliflower. He finished this simple dish off with salt and pepper. Then, after washing the wok, he threw in some leftover rice and water, stirring until it formed a thick rice congee.

"Miss Xiao, why does the food smell different today?" Li Yin called suddenly from the dining room.

Cha Ming chuckled and brought a tray of dishes out to the dining table to the shocked Li Yin. He set a place for himself and the old doctor while Li Yin rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Is it really you, my boy?"

"What, I can't visit my teacher?" Cha Ming asked.

The older man smiled and helped himself to the dishes. "You're always welcome to visit this old man. What brings you in today?"

Cha Ming looked toward the door to the doctor's office. "This Yong Bai doesn't bully you, does he?"

"Heavens, no," Li Yin said. "I ran into him a month ago. He was a middle-aged man with minor achievements as a spirit doctor. Since he'd reached a dead-end in his career, he was looking to settle down somewhere peaceful with his family. I invited him to stay in the village. He's been treating people here ever since, and they've never been healthier."

"But what about your medical practice?" Cha Ming asked.

The man had made phenomenal breakthroughs in mortal medicine. The thought of him being displaced by a lesser man boiled Cha Ming's blood.

"My boy, I've always known that my greatest contribution to medicine is my research," Li Yin said. "Through that, I can forge a better path for mortal doctors and improve the well-being of millions of people. If this man is more capable than me at treating the people, shouldn't I let him do it?"

At these words, Cha Ming calmed down. They ate in silence, and Cha Ming quickly washed the dishes as Li Yin brewed a terrible blend of tea. Cha Ming drank it like it was the best in the world, for the person you drank with mattered far more than the contents of the cup.

"I need your help with something, Teacher," Cha Ming said as they drank.

"You always need my help with something," Li Yin said. "What silly thing is it this time? Did you stub your toe and lose your will to live?"

"I returned to my home in the Song Kingdom," Cha Ming said slowly. "Things are less than peaceful, and the king has fallen ill. The country is on the brink of civil war."

"Ah," Li Yin said. "Well, I can't help you much in the field of politics. I've always avoided aristocrats like the plague."

"I need your help with the king's illness," Cha Ming said. "I've discovered that he's been poisoned with the venom of a qi-binding serpent. Any qi used to treat him breaks down upon entering his body. Spirit-doctor methods are useless to him."

Li Yin frowned. "What are his symptoms, and at what point does the qi break down?" The focused look of a researcher returned to his eyes.

"Slow organ failure," Cha Ming said. "Blood poisoning, faint heartbeat, lack of blood coagulation. The brain is fine, but the king is unconscious. His qi pathways are dry, and his core-formation cultivation is restricted but not destroyed. As soon as healing qi symbols contact his organs, they deteriorate. The venom has permeated every bit of his flesh."

Li Yin shook his head. "I might be all right at preliminary medicine, but I know nothing about poisons. This is a job for an alchemist, not an old man like me."

"The venom is being analyzed by the best poison master in Quicksilver," Cha Ming said. "We're just trying to keep him alive for as long as possible. Can you at least help with that?"

"It's difficult," Li Yin said, "but I can try. However, I doubt that the spirit doctors there will let me anywhere near him. They disdain people like me, and their words carry much weight."

"I can help you take care of that," Cha Ming said. "Can you help me? There are many lives on the line, and things will get bad very fast if the king dies."

Li Yin sighed. "I can try. Truth be told, I've always wanted to try my hand at treating a king. Let's see if he's any different than the rest of us."