Sen had only planned to soak in the bath long enough to extract some healing from the plants. Yet, once she got past her initial surprise at his status as a cultivator, Sun Lifen became quite conversational. She asked him so many questions about what it was like to travel and where he grew up that Sen had to heat up the water again and then a third time. Sen found himself asking her questions about what it was like to grow up in the city. He marveled at how she just took all of the other people for granted. He was amused at her disbelief about how quiet it could be while out camping on the road. He did think to ask her about what sects were in the city. It turned out that there were three.

“What can you tell me about them?” Sen asked.

“Only the Soaring Skies sect really matters. They’re the largest and most powerful sect. The other two are little more than cultivator families. They’re not even really large enough to be called clans. You must, of course, be respectful if you meet them, but you’re unlikely to see members of those sects unless you intentionally visit the areas near their compounds. Soaring Skies sect members are common around the city.”

“What do you think of the Soaring Skies sect?”

Sun Lifen gave the question some serious thought before she answered. “They are considered an honorable sect. As a rule, their members are polite, pay for things, and do not abuse the mortals they meet.”

Sen frowned. “I sense that there’s more to that statement.”

“There are dishonorable people even in honorable sects. The sect is large. It moves slowly at times. When a member is a problem, it often takes a long time for the sect to deal with them. Other times, members hide behind the appearance or letter of honor, but they don’t observe its spirit.”

Sen noticed that a cloud seemed to pass over Sun Lifen’s expression at that last.

“I take it that this is the voice of experience, not merely rumor.”

Sun Lifen nodded. “We’ve had problems in the past with them.”

“Sect members come here?” said Sen, a little shocked.

“Of course, they do,” said Sun Lifen, giving Sen a little smirk. “You came here, didn’t you?”

Sen threw back his head and laughed. “I was told to come here. Besides, I’m not in a sect. Who cares what a mere wandering cultivator does?”

“Do you ever think about joining a sect? I expect most would be happy to have you if you’re already in foundation formation.”

Sen shook his head. “I haven’t been especially impressed with most of the sect members I’ve encountered so far, with one or two exceptions. I don’t imagine I’d fit in very well at a sect. What about you, though? You’re a cultivator and there are sects here. Why didn’t you join one?”

“The smaller sects rarely accept outsiders. The Soaring Skies sect, well,” she looked away, “they won’t consider someone like me.”

“Someone like you?” asked Sen. “A commoner?”

“No, of course, they accept commoners.”

“Then, I don’t understand.”

“Think about where you are. They’re not interested in assisting a prostitute, even one who works here.”

Sen stared at the girl, who looked back at him with defiance in her eyes.

“Well,” said Sen, “that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I don’t expect you to-,” Sun Lifen started to protest before she registered Sen’s words. “Wait, what?”

“I said that’s stupid. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether you can cultivate or how well you cultivate. It doesn’t prevent you from receiving moments of enlightenment. It doesn’t stop you from learning a weapon. It literally has nothing to do with cultivation at all.”

“I,” she hesitated, “agree with you.”

“Good, because I’m right.”

Sun Lifen seemed utterly lost for words. Sen got the impression that she’d been preparing to have an argument with him about it, and he’d knocked her completely off course. He decided to give her something else to focus on.

“So, you’ll have to go somewhere else if you want to join a sect,” said Sen.

“That’s a possibility,” said Sun Lifen. “I would like to travel. I’ve never even been outside of the city walls.”

“Not even once?”

“There was never a need.”

“Not even to see the ocean? I mean, it’s only like two miles that way?” said Sen, pointing his finger.

“It’s just water, isn’t it?”

“I guess it’s just water in the same way that you’re just pretty. It’s true, and it also utterly fails to capture the depth of the experience.”

For the first time since Sen had met her, Sun Lifen seemed actually flustered. Her expression suggested that she was casting about for some response before she just gave up and said, “Thank you.”

“Thank me after we go out and see the ocean. I’m not planning on staying long, but I think that’s worth taking the time for.”

That seemed to fluster her even more. “That’s not necessary. You don’t need to be seen with me.”

“You don’t need to make excuses. I realize that I’m a hideous monstrosity. It’ll be a sacrifice for you, I know, but we all have to make a few of those in life.”

Sun Lifen seemed baffled, then bemused. “I’ll just have to do my best to persevere.”

“I have faith that you’ll find the strength, somehow.”

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Sun Lifen spoke again. “I suppose I could become a wandering cultivator like you if I can’t get into a sect.”

“Oh, don’t be a wandering cultivator like me. That’s a terrible plan.”

“Is it because I’m not advanced enough?”

“What? No, it’s because I’m constantly getting into trouble. There must be some other wandering cultivator you can be like who isn’t a danger magnet.”

Sun Lifen splashed some of the bathwater at him. “Very funny.”

Sen smiled, but then he got serious. “If you are going to be a wandering cultivator, though, you need to be able to protect yourself. Do you know how to use a weapon? Sword? Spear? War fans?”

Sun Lifen seemed a little taken aback. “No, not to speak of. Is it really that important?”

“It is. I wish it wasn’t, but that’s something that the stories got right. You will have to fight. Spirit beast attacks aren’t that common on the roads, but they are always a possibility. Plus, you never know when you’ll run across another cultivator who just won’t take no for an answer when they decide they want to trade pointers. If you don’t know how to use a weapon, you’ll have to find someone to teach you.”

“Is it difficult to learn?”

“Yes,” said Sen with no hesitation. “It took me years to learn the jian and the spear, and I was practicing on an almost daily basis. I don’t want to scare you off of it, but I won’t lie and tell you that it’s easy.”

“Better to know the truth,” she said.

Something Sen had meant to ask about earlier popped into his head. “Not to change the subject, but how are non-sect cultivators and wandering cultivators treated here? Do the sects harass them?”

The girl gave Sen a vaguely confused look. “I suppose there are occasional incidents, but the sects don’t usually interfere with other cultivators. Why?”

“I ran into some Soaring Skies sect members on the road. Our interactions were, let’s say, a mixed bag.”

“You didn’t kill any of them, did you?”

“Kill? No. It didn’t go that far. I mean, technically, I helped them complete their mission. I’m just not sure how much goodwill that’s going to buy me.”

Sun Lifen frowned. “There’s no way to know for sure. I suppose it will depend on how you look when the sect gets a report.”

Sen sighed. “Yeah, I sort of thought that might be the case. Well, with any luck, I’ll be long gone by the time that happens.”

Deciding that he’d soaked for long enough, Sen pushed himself up and climbed out of the bath. When he saw Sun Lifen go to do the same, he waved her off.

“Those medicinal plants still have a bit of life left in them. You should stay and cultivate for a while. In fact,” murmured Sen, doing another quick scan of Sun Lifen, “let me add a few other things.”

Sen dropped a handful of other things into the water that wouldn’t interfere with the plants he’d already added but should provide Sun Lifen with a bit more benefit. Then, he warmed the water up until it was probably verging on uncomfortable for the young woman.

“Okay,” said Sen, “Cultivate for another half-hour, at least.”

“What will it do?”

“Worst case, it’ll do nothing, and you’ll just have taken a long hot bath. Best case, it might help clear up your qi channels a little bit. This is really more my Auntie Caihong’s area of expertise, but even I can help with channel clearing.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” protested Sun Lifen. “Cultivation resources are expensive.”

“They’re just plants. Don’t tell the sects,” said Sen in a conspiratorial whisper, “but they grow everywhere.”