TALENT BEYOND LIMIT: Stacking Many Talents

Three mornings after the four guards departed Ashbourne, Joe returned to his experiments with degraded spiritual herbs. He had continued practicing the combined Foundation technique, gradually improving his control over the transition between movement and stillness. During his previous experiments, he had adjusted his circulation after the medicinal residue began accumulating around his abdomen. He now wanted to determine whether anticipating that change would improve the results.

Joe consumed a measured portion of the prepared material and entered the combined Foundation state. As the first effects appeared, he adjusted his breathing and Blood Energy circulation, distributing the medicinal residue before it could become concentrated around his digestive system.

The improvement was noticeable. More of the substance reached his limbs and strengthened internal pathways before its remaining properties began deteriorating. However, the final result remained disappointing. His body absorbed a small amount of ordinary nourishment, while most of the potentially useful energy dissipated during circulation.

Joe examined the findings and added them to his research notes. He could now receive certain degraded preparations without the immediate rejection caused by intact spiritual materials, and his combined Foundation technique improved their distribution. Neither accomplishment had yet enabled him to retain a meaningful amount of the energy they might contain.

Further improvements in circulation could help, but he needed to understand why the residue lost its remaining properties before assimilation. He secured the samples and cleaned his equipment before returning to the library. His thoughts occasionally drifted toward Blackwood, where Simon remained unaware that four true Martial Artists were travelling on his behalf.

The guards should have reached the western roads by now. Joe had already considered their likely route and could do nothing to shorten the journey, so he continued his work while awaiting news from Serena.

Nearly two weeks later, a carriage bearing the insignia of a Montclair collateral household approached Blackwood’s western gate.

The four men accompanying it wore practical travelling clothes rather than formal uniforms. Their luggage was ordinary, and none carried weapons intended for display. Only the silver emblems near their collars distinguished them from experienced caravan escorts.

The gate officer noticed the insignia while checking their travel documents.

He did not recognize the particular branch marking, but the crest belonged to a category of official identification that the town guards had been instructed to treat with care. When the oldest traveller produced a metal token bearing the corresponding seal, the officer immediately examined it more closely.

”Are you travelling on official business, sir?” he asked.

”Household business. We have instructions to visit Simon Vale of the town guard, and we carry a letter for the magistrate.”

The officer returned the token with both hands.

”I’ll have your arrival reported to the magistrate’s office immediately. Would you like someone to escort you to the guard headquarters?”

”That won’t be necessary. We have Simon Vale’s address. Please inform the magistrate that we’ll make ourselves available after speaking with him.”

The officer stepped aside and allowed the carriage through. Once it had passed, he dispatched a runner to the magistrate’s office with a description of the visitors and the seal on their identification.

The message reached the magistrate while he was reviewing petitions concerning grain taxes and commercial disputes.

He set the papers aside as soon as his clerk mentioned the Montclair crest.

”Which branch?”

The clerk supplied the designation copied from the visitors’ token. The magistrate was familiar with the ruling family’s principal branches and knew enough of its collateral households to understand their position. He had no direct dealings with the particular branch named in the message, but that made little difference. A household connected to the state dynasty had sent representatives from Ashbourne, and they had travelled several weeks to speak with an ordinary town guard.

”Have the formal receiving room prepared,” he instructed. ”I’ll visit the Black residence myself. Send word ahead that I intend to call this afternoon, but don’t interrupt the visitors if they’ve already begun their meeting.”

The clerk acknowledged the order and hurried away. The magistrate called for his formal coat and arranged a small escort. He had spent years maintaining a workable balance between the Black and Francis families, neither of which could afford to disregard the authority of his office completely. Their disputes were troublesome enough without an established Ashbourne household becoming involved.

He wanted to learn what had brought the visitors to Blackwood before the two families began drawing their own conclusions.

At the Black residence, the arrival of the carriage created an immediate disturbance. Two elders came out to receive the visitors after an attendant reported their credentials. Both understood the significance of the Montclair crest, although neither could explain why a collateral household of the ruling family would have business with Simon.

The captain presented Serena’s letter and requested a private meeting with Simon and Mira. The elders offered to receive the visitors in the main hall, but the captain explained that his instructions required him to speak with the couple before discussing the matter with anyone else. They provided a reception room and sent for Simon.

Simon arrived a short while later with Mira. He had expected a reply from Edwin concerning her proposed visit to Ashbourne, but the presence of four unfamiliar men waiting in the Black residence was another matter entirely.

Their clothing suggested experienced martial practitioners, and the deference shown by the household attendants made him cautious. He greeted them respectfully before turning toward the oldest man.

”I was told you wished to speak with me, sir. Has something happened to my father-in-law?”

”Edwin is well. He asked us to deliver a letter and confirm your circumstances. My household also received a request concerning the safety of your family.”

The captain handed him Edwin’s reply. Simon read the letter carefully. Edwin confirmed that Mira could remain at his house for as long as necessary, but he also explained that Joe had learned of the request and was concerned enough to consider returning to Blackwood.

At Edwin’s suggestion, a household associated with Joe’s cultivation arrangements had offered assistance. Simon looked from the letter to the four visitors.

”Are you gentlemen from the training establishment where Joe is studying?”

”We serve a collateral branch of the Montclair family in Ashbourne. Our household has been assisting your brother with his affairs since he entered the state development program.”

Simon knew that Joe had received support from an influential family, but he had never asked much about the household itself. He was unfamiliar with the Montclair name and could only judge its standing from the way the Black elders had received the visitors.

The captain noticed his uncertainty.

”Our branch belongs to the ruling family of Ashbourne State,” he explained. ”We were sent because your brother is concerned about you and your relatives in Green Hollow. Our instructions are to establish what happened and offer assistance if it’s needed.”

Simon stared at him for a moment before recovering himself. He had known that Joe was doing well in Ashbourne, but support from a branch of the ruling family was considerably more than he had imagined.

”I wasn’t aware my brother had such connections, sir. I’m grateful you’ve made the journey, although I hope you haven’t been sent all this way over a misunderstanding.”

”That is what we’re here to determine. Edwin’s letter suggests you’ve encountered trouble in Blackwood, but it contains few details. We’d prefer to hear the circumstances from you.”

Simon glanced toward Mira, who had also read Edwin’s letter. He had tried to keep Joe from learning about the incident because he feared his younger brother would abandon his cultivation and return. Instead, Joe had arranged for powerful strangers to appear at his door. There was little point concealing the truth now.

”A few weeks ago, Mira and I were attacked while returning from the eastern warehouse district,” Simon began. ”We’d been helping with a stock count and left later than expected. The incident happened near Tanner’s Lane.”

The captain asked him to continue, and Simon described the junction where they had encountered a freight cart travelling too quickly for the narrow street.

Mira remembered noticing that someone had covered the cart’s identifying markings. Before either of them could move into the side passage, two men emerged from it and blocked their way.

”Simon pulled me back before the cart reached us,” she explained. ”If we’d continued toward the passage, we would have been trapped between the cart and those men. One of them had been waiting with a club.”

Simon described the confrontation that followed. He had recognized one of the men as Harlan, a worker associated with a Francis warehouse. When Harlan advanced with the club, Simon struck him hard enough to force the others to abandon the attack.

”The man told me I should remember where my protection came from,” Simon added. ”I couldn’t tell whether he was threatening me personally or speaking on someone else’s behalf. But I recognized him, and I reported the incident afterward.”

”Did you hear the same warning?” the captain asked Mira.

”I did, sir. He said it before Simon drove him back.”

The captain questioned them about the cart, the positions of the attackers, and whether any of the men had spoken before the confrontation.

Simon answered carefully. His years in the town guard had taught him the importance of distinguishing what he witnessed from what he suspected.

By the time the captain finished, he had enough information to understand why Simon wanted Mira away from Blackwood.

”Did the Black family approach Francis afterward?”

”Yes, sir. The elders demanded an explanation. Francis denied authorizing the attack but admitted Harlan worked at one of their warehouses. They removed him from his duties for a while, and our household increased its security.”

”Was he ever questioned by the magistrate’s office?”

”Not formally, as far as I know. The matter was handled between the families.”

The captain examined his notes.

The incident involved an identified suspect, an apparent attempt to trap the couple on a public street, and a warning that suggested deliberate intimidation. Even if Francis’s leadership had not ordered the attack, its internal punishment did little to establish who had.

”Your concern was reasonable,” he told Simon. ”We’ll discuss the incident with the magistrate and determine whether further protection is necessary. I also need to ask about Green Hollow. Has anyone threatened your parents or approached the village?”

”Nobody has reported anything unusual, sir. I wanted Mira to stay with her father because I was concerned there might be another attempt. I remained here because my parents and the others are still in Green Hollow. If trouble spreads, I don’t want to be several weeks away.”

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”We’ll have someone check the village, but there’s no reason to move your family without evidence of danger. As for Mira, Edwin has made it clear that she’s welcome in Ashbourne whenever she wishes to travel.”

Simon thanked him. He was accustomed to giving reports to senior guards and answering questions from the commander, but having men from the state capital examine his personal affairs remained uncomfortable. Their willingness to listen without dismissing his concerns made the meeting easier than he had expected.

The magistrate arrived shortly afterward. The captain received him in the Black residence, with two household elders joining the meeting at the magistrate’s request. Simon and Mira repeated their account, and the elders described the precautions already taken by the family.

The magistrate listened carefully before addressing the question of Harlan.

”If the incident occurred as described, it falls within my office’s responsibility. Francis may discipline its employees, but that doesn’t replace formal questioning concerning an attack on a public street.”

One elder appeared uneasy.

”We hoped to avoid making the dispute worse, Magistrate. The family increased security and accepted Francis’s assurance that the men had acted without orders.”

”And do you believe the danger has passed?”

”We haven’t had another incident, but we can’t be certain.”

The magistrate turned to the Montclair captain.

”I intend to summon Harlan for questioning. If his statement supports further investigation, I’ll proceed accordingly. I trust your household will allow the town to conduct its own affairs.”

”Of course, Magistrate. We’re concerned with the safety of the people involved. We have no intention of taking over your investigation.”

The response pleased the magistrate. He had been prepared to show the visitors considerable respect, but he had no wish to surrender his legal authority merely because they belonged to an influential household.

He then addressed Simon.

”While the investigation proceeds, I’ll arrange additional patrol checks along the Green Hollow road. There’s no evidence that your family is being threatened, but the village post can report unusual visitors or disturbances near their property.”

Simon had not expected the offer. He rose slightly from his seat before answering.

”Thank you, Magistrate. My parents have no involvement in these disputes, and I’d be grateful if the patrols could avoid alarming them unnecessarily.”

”I’ll make that clear in the instructions. If the situation changes, I expect you to inform my office promptly rather than waiting for the families to settle matters among themselves.”

Simon acknowledged the order. The magistrate then announced that he would visit the Francis residence personally. The captain offered to accompany him, and they departed with the magistrate’s escort after completing the necessary statements.

By late afternoon, word of the Montclair visitors had already reached the eastern district. The Francis patriarch received them in the main courtyard with three elders and several younger relatives. Near the steps stood a broad-shouldered true Martial Artist whose involvement in the family’s affairs had increased over the preceding months. He watched the newcomers with open interest, although the patriarch took care to greet the magistrate and the Montclair captain with proper courtesy.

The magistrate explained his business without unnecessary ceremony.

”I’ve received testimony concerning an assault near Tanner’s Lane. One of your warehouse workers, Harlan, has been identified as a participant. I require him at the magistrate’s office for questioning.”

The patriarch’s expression remained controlled.

”We’re familiar with the incident. Harlan acted without authorization, and we removed him from his duties after learning what happened.”

”That may be relevant to the investigation, but it doesn’t settle the matter. Two witnesses have identified him, and I intend to hear his statement before deciding whether others should be questioned.”

The patriarch considered the request. He understood why the magistrate had come personally. The four men accompanying him belonged to a household connected to the ruling dynasty, and their interest in the incident could not be dismissed merely because it concerned a peripheral member of the Black family. He turned toward an attendant.

”Bring Harlan. He’ll accompany the magistrate and answer the questions.”

The broad-shouldered martial artist spoke before the attendant could leave.

”If the magistrate wishes to question him, he can do so here. We’ve already dealt with the man. There’s no need to have one of our people taken away under guard.”

The patriarch looked toward him.

”That’s enough. The magistrate has made a lawful request, and I’ve agreed to it.”

The man’s expression hardened. He had become increasingly influential within the Francis family because of his strength. Several younger relatives now looked to him during disagreements, and merchants who once negotiated through the elders had begun yielding whenever he involved himself.

With those relatives watching, he appeared unwilling to accept a decision that made Francis seem powerless before visitors from Ashbourne.

”We can’t allow outsiders to dictate how we treat our own people,” he insisted.

The magistrate answered before the patriarch could speak again.

”I’m not asking permission to investigate an offense committed in Blackwood. Your patriarch understands that. Harlan will be questioned according to the law, and he’ll receive the same treatment as anyone else.”

The captain remained silent while the magistrate addressed the matter. His household had no reason to interfere as long as the town authorities could carry out their duties.

The Francis practitioner nevertheless turned toward the four visitors.

”I don’t know what business brought you here, but this dispute concerns the Black and Francis families. It has nothing to do with Ashbourne.”

”Our household came because members of Joe Vale’s family may have been threatened,” the captain replied. ”The magistrate is handling the investigation. We have no intention of involving ourselves further unless circumstances require it.”

That explanation failed to satisfy him. He moved toward the passage leading into the residence and positioned himself where the attendant would have to pass with Harlan.

The patriarch’s patience was wearing thin. ”I’ve given my decision. Move aside and let this matter proceed.”

For a moment, the martial artist appeared ready to obey. Then he glanced toward the younger relatives standing along the veranda.

Several watched him expectantly. His growing influence had come from demonstrating that Francis could impose its will when negotiations failed, and withdrawing now would undermine the authority he had cultivated among them. He remained in the passage.

One of the Montclair guards stepped forward. He appeared younger than the captain and had said little during the visit. His movements were controlled, and he stopped several paces from the Francis practitioner.

”The magistrate has made his request, and your patriarch has agreed,” he said. ”Please clear the passage. There’s no need for this to become a confrontation.”

The Francis man examined him. The guard wore no impressive armor and carried nothing that suggested an unusually high martial realm.

”Are you going to force me aside?”

”I’d prefer not to. You’re free to step away.”

The man reached for his shoulder.

He intended to seize the younger guard and drive him backward, demonstrating that the visitors could not simply walk through the Francis residence as they pleased.

The guard intercepted his arm before the grip settled. He shifted his weight, caught the man’s forearm, and released An Jin through the contact.

The exchange was over almost immediately. The Francis practitioner lost his balance and was driven several paces across the courtyard. He struck the stone edging of a garden bed hard enough to break one corner before falling beside it.

The Montclair guard remained where the exchange had ended. He made no attempt to pursue the man and stepped back once it became clear that the confrontation was over.

The Francis martial artist tried to rise but stopped when one arm failed to support his weight properly. He had entered Internal Organ cultivation and possessed An Jin of his own, yet the younger guard’s control and transmitted force had overwhelmed him during a single exchange. The courtyard fell silent.

The captain turned toward the patriarch.

”Your family head has already agreed to cooperate. There’s no reason for anyone else to interfere.”

The patriarch looked at his injured relative with obvious displeasure.

”Bring Harlan,” he ordered. ”The magistrate has been patient enough.”

No one objected. The injured martial artist remained beside the broken stonework, watching the Montclair guard with considerably more caution than before.

After a moment, he looked toward the other three visitors.

”How many of you are true Martial Artists?”

The captain answered calmly.

”All four.”

The patriarch’s expression changed. Until that moment, he had assumed that one or perhaps two members of the visiting party possessed Internal Organ cultivation. The remaining men had appeared to be ordinary attendants or experienced guards.

Four true Martial Artists had travelled from Ashbourne to investigate a matter involving a young candidate’s relatives.

Francis possessed considerable influence in Blackwood, and the patriarch had spent years maintaining its standing against the Black family. He understood the value of every practitioner who advanced to Internal Organs. The defeat of his own martial artist had already demonstrated the quality of the visitors, but the captain’s answer revealed how much strength their household could spare for an assignment that had not even required the ruling family’s direct involvement.

The patriarch turned away from his injured relative. Whatever embarrassment he felt over the confrontation, he had no intention of allowing the situation to deteriorate further.

An attendant soon brought Harlan from a side building. The man entered the courtyard under escort and stopped when he noticed the damaged garden edging and the injured martial artist. Whatever argument he had prepared appeared to lose its urgency.

The magistrate ordered his guards to take Harlan into custody for questioning.

”Your household will receive the appropriate notice once we’ve recorded his statement,” he told the patriarch. ”If the investigation requires additional testimony, my office will contact you through the ordinary channels.”

The patriarch accepted the arrangement and instructed his family members to cooperate.

The Montclair captain offered a courteous farewell, and the visitors departed with the magistrate.

By evening, the confrontation had become the subject of conversation throughout Blackwood. Accounts differed about the reason for the visit and the exact exchange in the Francis courtyard, but the main details spread quickly. Four guards from a branch of the ruling family had arrived in connection with Simon Vale, and one of them had defeated a Francis true Martial Artist almost immediately.

At the Black residence, Simon learned of the incident before the magistrate’s office sent its first formal message.

He was with Mira when a town guard arrived carrying instructions concerning Green Hollow.

”The magistrate has ordered temporary patrol checks along the village road,” the guard explained. ”He wants the village post to report anything unusual near your family’s property. I need the names of everyone living in the household so the instructions can be recorded properly.”

Simon supplied the names of Mike, Lily, Joseph, Pam, and Mary.

”Please ask the village post not to frighten my parents,” he added. ”They haven’t been threatened, and they’ll worry if guards start treating their home as though something has already happened.”

”I’ll include that in the report. The patrols begin tomorrow morning, and the magistrate would also like you to visit his office. He wants to discuss what arrangements might be available if the family needs to move into Blackwood temporarily.”

Simon looked up. ”He’s offering accommodation?”

”He hasn’t arranged anything yet. He wants to understand the family’s circumstances before making a recommendation. If the situation lasts longer, he may also be able to help with property arrangements.”

Simon thanked the guard and agreed to attend the meeting. Moving his parents away from Green Hollow was not something he would consider lightly. They had farmland, a home, and responsibilities that could not simply be abandoned. However, the magistrate’s willingness to discuss the matter gave them options that Simon had never expected to receive so readily.

After the guard departed, Mira joined him near the doorway.

”Father must have been surprised when he learned how much help Joe could arrange,” she said. ”I certainly didn’t expect four true Martial Artists to arrive because we asked about visiting Ashbourne.”

”Neither did I. I knew Joe was receiving support from a wealthy household, but I had no idea they belonged to the ruling family.”

Simon was still having difficulty reconciling the visitors with his younger brother. He remembered Joe leaving Green Hollow to study martial arts and later moving to Blackwood in search of better opportunities. Even when Joe began advancing rapidly, Simon had continued thinking of him as the younger brother he had helped support.

Now people from the state capital were travelling across Ashbourne because Joe had expressed concern for his family.

Simon appreciated their assistance, but he also wondered what kind of obligations might come with such attention. Before he could discuss that concern with Mira, one of the Black elders entered. The man had taken little interest in Simon’s family affairs beyond matters involving Mira. Now he approached with considerably more consideration.

”Simon, I understand the visitors came through a household associated with Joe’s cultivation. Do you know whether your brother has established a direct connection with the ruling family?”

Simon straightened.

”I’m afraid I don’t know the details, Elder. Joe has written about his training and the assistance he’s received, but he hasn’t told me much about the people managing his affairs. I only learned who these gentlemen represented when they arrived today.”

The elder examined him.

”Has he mentioned any formal appointment or sponsorship agreement?”

”Not to me, Elder. He’s been concentrating on cultivation and medicine. Edwin would probably know more, since Joe is staying at his house.”

The elder considered the answer.

”Would your brother be willing to receive correspondence from the family? We haven’t maintained much contact with him since he left Blackwood.”

”I can forward a letter, but I can’t promise he’ll respond to any particular request. He’s occupied with his training, and I wouldn’t want to make commitments on his behalf.”

The elder accepted that limitation more readily than Simon expected. He then raised the matter of temporary accommodation for the Vale household.

”If the magistrate believes your family would be safer in Blackwood, speak with me before making arrangements elsewhere. The family has properties that could accommodate them. We can discuss the matter with the other elders once you know what your parents intend to do.”

Simon had never expected such an offer. His marriage to Mira had given him access to training and opportunities far beyond what his parents could provide, but the Black family had always been conscious of the difference in their standing. Some members had treated his connection to Green Hollow as something they tolerated rather than valued.

Now an elder was volunteering assistance for people who had no formal relationship with the family beyond Simon himself.

”Thank you, Elder. I’ll discuss the matter with my parents after speaking with the magistrate. They won’t want to leave the village without a good reason, but I appreciate knowing there are arrangements available if we need them.”

”Of course. There’s no need to decide immediately. Let me know once you’ve learned what the magistrate proposes.”

The elder departed after briefly asking Mira about her intended visit to Ashbourne.

Simon remained where he was for a moment, considering how much had changed since morning. He had expected Edwin to reply with arrangements for Mira’s journey. Instead, four powerful martial artists had arrived, the magistrate had reopened the investigation, Francis had been forced to surrender Harlan, and the Black family was suddenly offering assistance to his parents. He was grateful for the protection, but the attention surrounding Joe made him uneasy. His younger brother had gone to Ashbourne to improve his cultivation. Simon had wanted him to remain there without becoming entangled in Blackwood’s troubles. Instead, the attempt to keep him uninformed had brought the ruling family’s representatives into the dispute.

Simon asked an attendant for writing materials and sat down to prepare a letter. This time, he intended to give Joe a complete account of the attack and the circumstances that had followed.