It was impossible to know someone perfectly without being them. Shu Yue had asserted that. And on further thought, Ling Qi felt she understood that more clearly now. People hid or held thoughts bac...
2023-04-03 21:39:31 +0000 UTC View PostIn the beginning, there was joy.
There was a whole world to explore, infinite in possibility
But it was the nature of that world to define, to limit, to order. Solidity, stability, self...
2023-03-31 00:40:23 +0000 UTC View PostThe words struck her with physical force, sending her to her knees as her bubble of control collapsed. The wind swept in. Rotten leaves and snow plastered themselves across her, filling her nose wi...
2023-03-28 00:31:35 +0000 UTC View PostThe air around them darkened, and she saw Sixiang stiffen, something cold and cruel and alien seeping into their eyes. The threads dug into her wrist, and the binding grew tighter.
She’d kn...
2023-03-23 21:29:28 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi landed lightly on extended toes, surrounded by shards of glass. She stood on immaculate jade tiles, surrounded by cool mist and music. Applause greeted her, and she was met with a grand bal...
2023-03-13 22:56:04 +0000 UTC View Post“What you said, those were the Duchess’ words?” Ling Qi asked.
“Only the first. The rest are my thoughts.”
Ling Qi wanted to share them with Renxiang.
“You desire to q...
2023-03-10 00:04:23 +0000 UTC View PostIt's that time again. Another set of arcs will be finishing next week and that means I'll be taking one week to destress and plan the next set. I hope everyone has been enjoying things, and I hope ...
2023-03-08 19:26:36 +0000 UTC View Post“I’ve been ignorant,” Ling Qi said. “My world was small, barely larger than what lay before my eyes.”
She thought of scrabbling for food and shelter, never able to look up, barely a...
2023-03-07 01:32:08 +0000 UTC View PostAnd here's the second chapter, with the extra commissioned, enjoy!
“Do you accept this mission, officer?”
“Naturally, I would not refuse such a vital d...
2023-03-06 22:28:56 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi crouched by the overgrown pond that sat among the ruins of the old temple, looking down into the murky waters.
The old stones were swept and cleaned. The broken structure had been gro...
2023-03-03 01:23:20 +0000 UTC View PostAN: Just a little late but there will be a second chapter this week thanks to a kind commissioner.
They were harried at every step.
The ashwalkers were dogged and unrel...
2023-03-01 20:13:49 +0000 UTC View Post“And that is what I was able to get from our countrymen today,” Ling Qi said, bowing at the waist as she finished her recitation and returned to her seat. Together with Cai Renxiang and Gan Gua...
2023-02-28 00:15:57 +0000 UTC View PostThere was so much Ling Qi wished she could cover, so much information she was yet lacking. She had only two short months to prepare for the admittedly month-long summit, and so very many things to ...
2023-02-24 01:03:42 +0000 UTC View Post“May I ask for your understanding of this summit in your own words?”
Ling Qi didn’t know enough about him. If most of her information toward Cao Chun was going to be filtered, that coul...
2023-02-21 02:33:12 +0000 UTC View PostThere were some unexpected circumstances this week in my life and it resulted in me losing a bit of organization. My apologies for the delay on yesterday's update everyone.
2023-02-17 14:57:19 +0000 UTC View Post<Heh, you already getting practice in, huh?> Sixiang laughed.
No reason not to, Ling Qi thought. Qi circulated in the threads of her dress and through the wind, and before her feet coul...
2023-02-17 14:54:38 +0000 UTC View PostIt always annoyed Bao Qian just a little, that mortal coins were so much better designed as currency than the money of cultivators. Coins were good, round and flat, stackable. A hole punched throug...
2023-02-14 01:06:58 +0000 UTC View PostTraveling across the severed mountain peak and following the half-constructed road laid out by posts and string, she made her way toward the southern edge of the plateau. She had begun to feel a ho...
2023-02-10 00:52:28 +0000 UTC View PostAN: For my patrons I decided a little late that I'll be adding the coming interlude to the main story so you guys will get it here, but Royal Road may see it placed otherwise.
<... 2023-02-07 01:52:56 +0000 UTC View PostIt was a few hours later, the sun having passed its zenith, when Ling Qi made her way out, traveling up and over the switchback path that led toward the top of the severed mountain. It was unpleasa...
2023-02-03 01:17:09 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi followed Wang Lian away from the work site, chatting about Hanyi and her tour and the work going on at the site. Wang Lian seemed tentatively approving. The woman seemed to approve of innov...
2023-01-30 22:44:35 +0000 UTC View Post“The Bountiful Earth must smile upon us!” Gan Guangli laughed. He leaned against the side of the carriage, his bulky arm resting upon the window frame.
“That is definitely the implicati...
2023-01-27 01:11:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe shouts of men, the clattering of bone against rusted metal, and the whistle of the wind past her ears combined into a cacophony of sound. The sound of thundering hooves combined with the hiss a...
2023-01-26 19:50:29 +0000 UTC View Post“You can leave if you like, Lao Keung. Thank you for your assistance.”
“What assistance is that? A few words on waterborne toxins? Hmph, I feel as if this expedition was only an excuse ...
2023-01-23 16:55:08 +0000 UTC View PostThere will a break to let me take care of some offline business until the above date. Thank you for your patience! I'll return with a new update and hopefully some fun announcements. See everyone t...
2023-01-12 22:21:37 +0000 UTC View PostHe nodded once and reached up, unwrapping his head scarf and vanishing it into a storage ring. His coat followed, leaving him in a sleeveless tunic. Ling Qi did not stare, obviously. Not everyone c...
2023-01-12 22:19:36 +0000 UTC View PostFinal Frost’s Serenade.
The alliteration appealed, Ling Qi thought, lowering her flute. Around her was a copse of trees, dripping faintly with melted frost. There were a few shattered trunk...
2023-01-10 02:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHanyi began to sing, and Ling Qi listened closely. The song was light and graceful, resembling the piece Ling Qi had helped her compose some time ago for that last concert before the journey south,...
2023-01-06 00:36:24 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi blew out a breath. “Too much to put in good order, little sister.”
Her eyes scanned the books, the neat scrolls, and journals and collated anthologies before straying to the far m...
2023-01-02 23:44:13 +0000 UTC View Post“Big Sister! I bet you’ve been in all sorts of trouble without me!” Hanyi yelled gleefully, all but jumping into her arms for a hug.
“Maybe a little. “I’d like to hear what you’...
2022-12-30 00:25:10 +0000 UTC View Post