Chapter 104
The Silver Blossom Pavilion
Throughout his travels, Tobias had encountered many odd establishments and individuals who could express aspects of dao. Each encounter resulted in a detour, a time when he and Ling Mei would set down roots, so he could study. The Silver Blossom Pavilion was the original reason he had settled in Ming City fifty years ago. The women who worked there carried hints of the dao of beauty. Tobias had spent weeks nearby trying to gather insights before giving up.
Back then, Ling Mei was too naïve to understand his interest, so he had not passed through their doors. She was just as naïve now, but she understood why he wanted to enter.
Hun Jia, Hun Fen's mother, was a beautiful, curvy, elegant, and educated woman. She was used to the attention of initiate and even foundation realm cultivators, but nascent soul realm cultivators were another matter. Only one core realm cultivator had visited her pavilion, and that had been Hun Fen's father. Hun Fen had shared that the man had died due to a cultivation accident shortly before she was born.
Hun Fen sat on her knees beside her mother, giving her puppy-dog eyes, after begging her to allow Tobias to stay at the Silver Blossom Pavilion and teach her the sword. It hadn't worked.
Hun Jia was not so easily swayed or intimidated, and her fan artistry was exceptional, expressing her displeasure with delicate precision. "I cannot compromise the reputation of the Silver Blossom Pavilion. I mean this with no disrespect, but you are not a Flower or a Blossom, and only Flowers and Blossoms teach within these walls. You being male is not an issue."
Tobias found Hun Jia fascinating, as he flicked his fan to accept her polite correction and explanation. She and the other women who lived in the Silver Blossom Pavilion had somehow tapped into the dao of beauty more deeply since he had last been here, allowing them to express the dao of beauty through their actions. What had begun as merely an opportunity to teach a promising prodigy was quickly turning into something else.
Tobias allowed the edge of his lips to lift. "Are you saying that if I were a Flower, you would have no objection to me remaining here?"
Hun Jia paused, sensing a trap, and changed the conversation. "What is your fascination with my daughter? Do you intend to take her as a concubine?"
Tobias found that the older he grew, the more he liked to test others. It was a little cliché, but it made it so much easier to understand who they were at their core. "Would you object?"
"Yes. Flowers chose their partner. Whether it is one or many is up to them. Blossoms are even stricter in their choices, and my daughter will be the greatest Blossom our pavilion has ever seen. I cannot agree if this is your intent, though I am powerless to stop you."
"I have no interest in your daughter in that way. As I've said, she is a martial artist, a sword saint, a prodigy and a servant. Helping her along her path is all that I wish to do."
"For what reason?"
"I wish to study her progression."
Hun Jia frowned. Even her frown was influenced by the dao of beauty.
"Your daughter is a child that is born only once in a million years. She has the potential to reach immortality and shake the heavens. If I do not watch her develop, I will never have a second chance."
Lung Mei's eyes widened at his comment, realising they might be setting down roots permanently. She flashed Hun Fen an excited grin. Hun Fen returned with a gentle motion of her fan.
Hun Jia ignores their excitement. "And yet you have not done me the courtesy of offering me your name."
"That is because I do not wish to lie. I have responsibilities that I am shirking with my clan and am travelling under a pseudonym. Locally, I am only known as The Magistrate."
Tobias had begun using the alias shortly after taking on Lung Mei as his disciple. Hiding from his clan to correct the mistakes he had made did not mean he could allow the evil he saw while they travelled to remain unpunished. And merely removing these individuals without explanation had caused mass panic. The Magistrate had become something of a phantom folk hero outside The Three Kingdoms.
Hun Jia turned to her daughter. "Go and see if Blossom Genji is available."
Hun Fen leapt to her feet and rushed off, racing through the garden as fast as her legs would carrier her. The Blossom Garden was the innermost garden of the Silver Blossom Pavilion, and while it was the largest and most luxurious, it was also the least used, so the four of them had been alone since he arrived.
Tobias indicated his displeasure to his host through his fan. "May I ask why you are sending for her?"
"The Magistrate saved her family from bandits when she was a child. If you are him, she will know."
"Will you allow your daughter to learn the sword if I am?"
"No. Our rules cannot be changed. However, your disciple may stay and teach her. She is pretty enough to become a Flower."
Lung Mei opened her mouth to give a scathing retort.
Tobias snapped his fan towards her.
She forced her lips together.
"I see your disciple does not approve of us."
Tobias smiled. "She does not understand how difficult life can be as a mortal or what one will do to remove those difficulties."
Hun Jia's demeanour softened through her fan. "You speak as if you know."
"My father was a serf. I was born a peasant. I understand how often beauty is a curse when you are born that low, and how it can also be the key to your escape. I have no qualms with the life you choose to live. And I applaud the founder of this establishment for giving so many the life and freedom that they would otherwise have never seen."
Tobias was not offering empty words.
Hun Jia cupped her hands and bowed. "I hear your sincerity and accept the respect you have offered our founding ancestor."
Hun Fei returned to the pavilion with the refined elegance of her training that she had neglected to leave with. A beautiful woman followed behind her and eyes darting around with excitement.
Tobias didn't recognise her.
Hun Jia noticed her lack of recognition went both ways. "I take it that the man who sits before me is not the one who saved you, Blossom Genji."
Blossom Genji flicked her fan, displaying outrage and anger. "He is not, Hun Jia."
Tobias inclined his head. "I have worn many faces and saved many people. Would you please tell me when and where we met, Blossom Genji? You have changed since our paths crossed, and I do not recognise who you are now from who you were before."
Blossom Genji pressed her lips together, fan still displaying outrage. "My family farmed five hundred li south of here. The Magistrate saved us from a bandit raid during the winter famine sixteen years ago."
"Would you describe something specific about your home. There were many such raids during that winter."
"My father carved a face into the tree outside our house."
Tobias made the connection. "I imagine you remember this face." Tobias changed his camouflage spell.
Hun Fen's mouth dropped open. "How did you do that!"
"It's a spell. I'll teach you if your mother lets me."
Blossom Genji's face burst into life, and she cupped her hands and bowed. "Blossom Genji greets her saviour."
The moment she smiled, Tobias recognised her, remembering the scared little girl he had to coax out from under the house with a carrot. He smiled, enjoying the simple pleasure of crossing paths with someone he had once met. It had become a rarity, unless he sought out old connections. "I see the hungry little rabbit has grown up."
Her smile grew. "You remember me."
"I remember you. However, I am old, so it can take some time for me to find where I've left my memories."
Blossom Genji cupped her hands and bowed again. "How can this one repay the debt this one owes?"
Hun Jia scowled, not bothering with her fan. "Remember yourself, Blossom Genji. You represent this pavilion with your actions, and we do not lower ourselves before anyone. Even those we owe a great personal debt to."
Hun Fen saw an opportunity. "He wishes to teach me the ways of the sword."
Blossom Genji's eyes widened, getting the wrong idea.
Hun Jia saw the miscommunication. "Hun Fen ran off this morning and fought in the mortal sword tournament. She won the tournament and caught the eye of the man who sits before me. He sees her talent and wishes to teach her the ways of a sword."
Blossom Genji paused. "And you wish to reject this offer."
"He is not a Flower. The rules of this pavilion cannot be broken."
"Could we not make an exception if he were to make himself into a Flower?"
"Our reputation would be ruined if another cultivator were to pass by and call us out."
Lung Mei giggled.
Hun Jai sighed and turned to Lung Mei. She was aware that she was a core realm cultivator. "I assume from your reaction his actual appearance is quite attractive."
Tobias nodded.
Hun Jia paused. "If your true face is worthy of this pavilion, then I will withdraw my objection to you staying here and teaching my daughter. However, you must train and then entertain suitors like any other Flower, whether you go further is up to you."
"Master will not be doing that!"
Tobias actually quite liked the idea. "Do the male Flowers accept female suitors?"
Lung Mei turned to him. "Master, is a deviant."
Tobias reached out and ruffled her hair. "Have you not noticed the dao of beauty surrounds this place?"
Both Hun Jia and Blossom Genji frowned, while Hun Fen nodded as if it were obvious.
Lung Mei scowled back. "That does not mean you must debase yourself, Master."
"You need a little more exposure to life as a mortal. Staying here will do you good." Tobias turned to Hun Jia and removed his camouflage technique. "This is my true face."
Hun Jai's eyes widened. "You're a fairy lord."
Blossom Genji blushed.
Hun Fen grinned.
Tobias nodded. "Will you allow me to train your daughter?"
"Will you accept Female suitors?"
"I will, but you will have to train me in your ways."
"Master!"
***
The Silver Blossom Pavilion was the oldest establishment in Ming City, predating the city's founding by centuries. The earliest records suggested the compound was created as the hidden harem of a powerful cultivator. This cultivator had vanished, leaving the harem to fend for itself. It had changed hands many times before, eventually becoming the Silver Blossom Pavilion.
The compound was broken into two sections. The gardens were where the Flowers and Blossoms entertained their suitors. These areas were filled with beautiful gardens and ponds, as well as open, luxurious pavilions and private dwellings. The family compound was where everyone lived, and only the Blossoms had their own homes with classrooms. Everyone else lived in tiny but comfortable huts.
Tobias strolled behind Hun Fen as she gave him a tour of his new home. The influences of the dao of beauty were everywhere.
"This is the gate," Hun Fen said, holding her lantern high. "Suitors must leave at midnight, and the gate remains closed to outsiders until after lunch. The buildings you see are just for show. They have a nice bedroom, tearoom, and dining room, but when the Flowers aren't receiving suitors, everyone stays in the family compound on the far side of the Silver Blossom Pavilion."
Tobias nodded. "I notice these buildings are less elaborate than those further in."
"This is the Outer Flower Garden. It's where the least skilled Flowers meet their suitors."
"Do you mean least attractive?"
Hun Fen shook her head. "True beauty is an illusion. If you're pleasant to look at, making yourself beautiful is all about how you present yourself and speak. Many of the wealthiest Flowers are not the most attractive, just the most presentable and engaging. They create an illusion of allure that traps their suitors in a fantasy. Mama says learning how to do this takes years, even with our training, so many start here and work their way in. The closer you get to the Blossom Garden, the nicer it becomes. Flowers and Blossoms bid on the pavilions and buildings at the beginning of each year, so positions tend to change."
"I imagine this is where I'll start?"
Hun Fen shook her head. "Mama says you're a fairy lord. You will start at the other end of the Outer Flower Garden."
"So, looks are important."
Hun Fen nodded. "If you're beautiful enough, this creates an illusion of its own. You don't have to be as skilled as others, but if you are truly terrible, you will end up here."
Hun Fen handed him the lanterns as a large cat with one eye emerged from the shadows. She bent down as the cat rushed over and scooped him up in her arms. "This is Lord. He's the king of the pavilion and my best friend. Mama says he's not supposed to be able to get in here, but he always does."
Tobias reached down and stroked the cat's head, reading the surface thoughts of its mind. The simple creature adored the little girl who held him, but he enjoyed his freedom too much to remain by her side all day long. "Your friend is a weak spirit beast, and your arrays only keep out mortal animals. Where did you find him?"
Hun Fen smiled and kissed the top of his head. "He found me."
Lord purred softly.
Hun Fen looked up. "Are you really going to become a Flower just to teach me the ways of the sword?"
Tobias shook his head. "I cannot say it is the only reason. The dao of beauty influences this pavilion in a way I don't fully understand. I will also be studying it while I train you."
Hun Fen put down Lord and took back the lantern. "What's dao?"
Tobias laughed.
"Is that an ignorant question?"
"No."
"Then why are you laughing?"
"I laughed, because the first time I met a cultivator, I asked the same question. And it's a question many cultivators never ask."
"Oh. So, it's a good question."
"It's the best question."
"So, what is it?"
"Dao are the laws that govern reality that were laid down by the heavens. When you understand a small part of these laws, you are said to have a dao insight. These insights strengthen a cultivator. When you understand a large enough part to use these laws, you are said to have a dao comprehension. Dao comprehension is how you do your tricks. You understand laws so clearly that you can force them on reality."
Hun Fen scrunched up her face. "I don't think you're right."
Tobias smiled. "Why not?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, so how can I understand dao?"
"Can you do a backflip?"
Hun Fen nodded.
"Do you understand how you do it, or do you just do it?"
"I just do it."
"Some people are born with the ability to form dao comprehensions. The rest of us must study and practice to be able to do what you do."
For Tobias's friend, Peace Master So, the dao of peace had come naturally to him. He'd used it frequently as a child to calm his abusive father's rage, but it hadn't always worked, and he'd been beaten mercilessly every time it hadn't. This had corrupted his dao path and left mental scars that did not fade.
"What sort of tricks can you do?"
Tobias motioned for her to follow him, then walked to the edge of a garden and pointed at a small scrub with closed flowers.
He crouched beside it. "There are many daos which govern life and nature. Each one must be comprehended to have any influence over it."
Tobias reached out to the shrub's closed flowers, feeling the laws that governed its existence and manipulated them to make the flowers open. His actions required not chi, but it demanded all of his focus as he made the plant act against its nature. The flowers slowly opened.
Hun Fen leaned down, squinting in the low light. "That's not very impressive. Some of the cultivators who visit can make the entire garden blossom."
Tobias chuckled. "Those cultivators use chi to do what they do. What I just did only used willpower, and despite it not looking that impressive, it is much harder to do than your tricks."
"Why?"
"Because this shrub closes its flowers at night. That is its dao. I changed its dao, so it does not. From now until the day this shrub dies, it will always keep its flowers open at night. If I wanted to, I could change its dao again and make it always produce flowers no matter what time of year it is, but the more I alter its dao, the more I remove it from its natural state. Eventually, those changes will kill it, so I'm going to change it back."
Tobias reached out to the shrub and changed it back to what it had been. Growing his dao insights and comprehensions had fascinated him for centuries. There were endless aspects of reality that he could unravel given enough time and focus. Each one strengthened him in one way or another, growing his foundation.
The cultivator who had left his clan over a century ago and the cultivator he was now were worlds apart. The depth of his changes would shock those who knew him to their core.
Hun Fen wasn't impressed. "My tricks are still better."