Destiny in Cinders

”No need to thank me, boy. I am well aware that you’re no spy,” said the old woman at the counter with a chuckle. ”Lil’ Wang didn’t mean any harm. He’s just too responsible for his own good, a trait that others can exploit to sway him. Even so, listen to an old woman’s advice. You should leave this place as soon as possible. Keensight these days isn’t a place of good fortune.”

An Jing knew where this old woman’s confidence that he wasn’t a spy stemmed; she had been able to discern that he wasn’t a Dustdawner, after all. Yet, wouldn’t a citizen of Grand Chen that disguised himself as a Dustdawner raise even more suspicion? Why didn’t she mind it? The old woman was quite mysterious indeed.

An Jing repeated himself. ”Either way, thank you for the help. I will take care. Also, the milk tea you serve tastes wonderful.”

He waved for the waiter and bought a serving of savory milk tea, which the old woman personally handed to him. He pretended to accidentally brush against her hand and was shocked, though he didn’t let it show on his face. She doesn’t have meridians... Her hand was ice cold! Is that how it feels to touch a dead person?

An Jing kept his words to himself. When he was finished with the tea, he returned to the inn.

***

Madam Huai returned to the room in the rear of the teahouse. Though the main hall was already quite dim, the inner room was pitch black and devoid of sunlight. Yet, the old woman was able to move around unabated as if she saw everything clearly. She opened a hidden door, behind which a pair of golden eyes shone.

”Little girl, it’s fine now. The people you said might come for you ran into another even more mysterious and tough young lad. He took on this misfortune in your stead and almost got arrested. He would’ve been fine given his skills, though. Not many in Keensight can stop someone like him.

”You would’ve been much safer during the ensuing chaos of his escape as most people would turn their attention to him. But if it had turned out that way, quite a few people would die. I couldn’t bear to let it happen, so I got him out of trouble. I hope you don’t blame me for that,” said the old woman.

”It’s fine, madam,” said a timid but unexpectedly flowing voice. ”You were someone who pitied and helped someone like me; it’s only in your nature to help that youth too. It’s more than your nature. It’s what your life stands for.

”That aside, my misfortune isn’t something a normal person can bear. I’m happy that the passer by managed to get out of trouble. Perhaps this would add up to some good karma after all.”

”What a kind girl you are. I really wonder why those people are after your life,” the old woman said with a gentle sigh. ”However, this isn’t the best place to hide. Quite a few people have their sights set here too. When there’s a chance, I have to get you out of the city. I hope it’ll work out well.”

”Working out well, huh...” whispered the girl with golden irises before she fell silent. The old woman closed the door and faded into the shadows.

***

”That old lady had a lifearc,” Yvelbane said once they returned to the inn. ”She has also awakened an ability. She bears a root arc at the very least. For someone with an arc like hers to live at a significant geomantic intersection... An Jing, I suspect that you ended up bearing someone else’s misfortune. I think the target of the slavers earlier wasn’t you. They were just waiting for someone near the teahouse to show up to lure the old woman out. It just so happened that you were also a decent target for them to use as bait, so they settled on you.”

”My lifearc allows me to take on the misfortune of others too?” He raised a brow as he continued to draw the map of Keensight. ”Then again, Madam Huai is definitely no layfolk. However, she’s not a martialist, nor is she a mandate bearer. What kind of status does she have for a mere word from her to be capable of stopping the constables from arresting me? From Constable Wang’s reaction, she seems to be quite senior.”

He put the brush away and inspected the map he just drew. He had been committing the streets of Keensight to memory and reproduced all the details he could recall on paper. The map seemed to be coming together rather well.

Most of the cities in Grand Chen and the wider Northblack Sacrifice Continent were built at places where terrestrial veins intersected. In fact, this was basically a requirement for a settlement to be considered a proper city. Otherwise, they’d just be larger villages or fortresses.

The cities of Grand Chen typically had two important roles, one martial, one administrative. Not counting larger prefectural cities, places like Keensight were sure to be stationed with an adept of the Clearing Realm along with an administrative aide of the Fortification Realm at minimum, one who had received one of the mountain-water mandates. With the death of Majesty Yang Fist, the local scholar-official with a landscape title had to be stationed at the central hall of Keensight at all times where the terrestrial veins intersected.

”With the central bureau of Keensight as the center, the city’s layout can be split into four yang and four yin nodes. They cover most of the city’s territory.” An Jing began to analyze the city’s layout with Yvelbane.

”There’s the armory and barracks, the town square and market, the riverside street, residential area, prison, workshops, medical facilities and martial academies. Huai Teahouse is situated right on top of one of the four yin nodes. It seems that someone is trying to give her trouble over the node. I just don’t know why they chose to act when I happened to be around. This lifearc of mine is too much of a trouble magnet. Will I keep triggering problematic events wherever I go?”

Yvelbane seemed quite calm in the face of An Jing’s troubled expression. ”Putting aside the fact of the adept’s absence, there’s still the matter of the heavenly fiend appearing and the various factions gearing up for something. You shouldn’t find it odd even if you’re the root cause of all this. The workings of fate send all sorts of trials the way of lifearc bearers. Their lives won’t ever be peaceful ones.

”But if you look at it another way, people who strive to live peacefully without desiring anything more than their lot in life won’t ever awaken lifearcs. As for those who strive harder to rise up, most of them would do so in their respective fields. For instance, a cook that strives to improve their dishes joins cooking competitions. These people awaken mixed arcs that are relevant only to their vocation. Your celestial arc, however, is no mere catalyst. Even if you weren’t the cause of those troublesome situations, your arc guides you to them naturally. Not to mention, isn’t this exactly what you want as well?” Yvelbane asked with a teasing tone.

”Indeed.” He smiled as his interest in the situation developing in the background began to grow. ”I sure would like to see what they’ve got brewing in the background.”