In the end, Sen took Lifen’s advice and brought in Lo Meifeng to help him sort through the various invitations he’d received. Together with Lifen’s practical insights into the local state of affairs, Sen wound up declining about half of the invitations. He was surprised when Lo Meifeng suggested he accept the invitations from the other sects.

“Why? How are those not traps?” Sen asked.

“I suppose it’s possible that they might be, but it’s far more likely that it’s just the other sects doing a little bit of one-upmanship. After all, you aren’t going to visit the Soaring Skies sect, are you?”

“Heavens no. Even I know that’s like asking to be murdered.”

“There you go. If you visit the other sects, it’s a way for them to claim some extra face. You don’t trust the Soaring Skies sect enough to even step inside their compound, but you trust the other sects enough to let them fete you. It’s petty, but everyone will understand what’s happening.”

“Won’t that offend the Soaring Skies sect?”

“Do you care?” asked Lo Meifeng, genuine curiosity on her face.

Sen thought it over. Did he care? “No, I don’t suppose that I do. Plus, I can always cite concerns about other demonic cultivators looking for vengeance. It might even be true. Still, I see what the other sects get out of it. I’m not sure what I’m getting out of it.”

“Mostly, you’re cultivating some goodwill on their part. You’re bound to come back here someday. It’s helpful to have a local power base that is well-disposed toward you. Since you’ve well and truly burned your bridges with the Soaring Skies sect for at least a generation or two, the other sects are the next best thing. Besides, they’ll be sure to lavish gifts on you.”

“Gifts? Like what?”

“The usual, I expect. Fine clothes, weapons, and possibly cultivation resources of some kind. They’ll be looking to recruit you, so they’ll want to make it clear what kind of advantages they bring to the table.”

“I’m not interested in being recruited,” said Sen, suddenly feeling a lot less certain about accepting those invitations.

“They almost certainly know that, but it doesn’t mean they won’t make the attempt. After all, there’s no harm in trying to recruit you. If they succeed, it’s a huge coup for them, at least in terms of inter-sect politics. So, it’s worth the attempt, even knowing it probably won’t succeed. As long as they’re polite about it, and as long as you decline politely, it hurts no one.”

Sen sighed. “This sounds complicated.”

“It is, and it isn’t. As long as you make no promises or agreements, it’s very simple for you. You go, make small talk, eat their expensive food, and graciously accept whatever gifts they offer you.”

“So, why am I not accepting these other invitations?” asked Sen.

Sen asked more out of annoyance than any lack of understanding. He just wasn’t happy to be accepting any of them. He’d really hoped he’d be able to manufacture enough excuses to avoid dealing with anyone before he slipped away into the darkness one fine evening. Lo Meifeng had disabused him of that idea immediately. If he had meant to handle things that way, he’d missed his opportunity. If he tried that now, it would just offend the sects and every other local power player.

“Because they’re all tied up with mortal politics in one way or another. Take this as a warning or a life lesson, stay out of mortal politics. If you can’t avoid it completely, only deal with the established authority in an area. Even if you don’t agree with their policies, it’s the safest course of action. If the local political situation is in flux, avoid it completely.”

Sen almost asked why, but it only took him a moment to understand the wisdom of it. As powerful as cultivators could be, they didn’t want the massed forces of a government coming against them. If they stayed out of politics or only occasionally interacted with the current government, it meant those governments had no pressing reason to act directly against them or recruit other cultivators to hunt them. If he made a habit of meddling with local politics, that could change. After all, Sen had seen firsthand evidence that, when pushed far enough, governments would make it worth a sect’s time to hunt down people they considered rogue cultivators. They might be a little more indirect when dealing with someone who messed with politics instead of engaging in open banditry, but the end results would likely be the same.

“Fair enough,” said Sen. “It’s not like I want to get involved with politics. I’m still not sure it’s a good idea to take the mayor up on his invitation. I haven’t had good experiences with mayors.”

“It’s unavoidable. You made too much noise here and didn’t flee immediately. Now, you have to deal with the local politicians. Make them feel safe. Assure them the danger has passed and that you won’t be making more piles of corpses in their streets.”

Sen winced at the reminder. The Soaring Skies sect had come to claim their dead fairly quickly, but enough mortals had seen the pile of dead sect members that the news had spread like fire through dry tinder. By now, everyone in the city had heard about the bodies, if not about why it had happened. There were already wild rumors spreading that had only the thinnest connection to reality. Sen supposed that he did owe the local authorities some reassurances that he wasn’t planning a repeat performance. For all that the violence had been contained to a relatively small area, there had still been substantial damage to the streets and some of the nearby buildings. Sen had, very quietly, taken steps to compensate the owners of those buildings for the necessary repairs.

As for the streets, those were maintained by the city. He’d considered the possibility of compensation for the city, but he ultimately rejected that idea. The city had let sects set up shop and stay. No doubt that discouraged roaming bands of cultivator outlaws from visiting and wreaking havoc. It also meant the city had someone to turn to if an especially powerful spirit beast came calling. To Sen’s way of thinking, having those benefits meant that the city leadership assumed some risk that cultivators would occasionally break things during fights. It might be an occasional strain on their finances, but that wasn’t really Sen’s problem. If the last several months had taught him anything, it was that choices have consequences. If he had to suffer the consequences of his choices and attend a bunch of dinners, the city leadership could suffer the consequences of their choices and pay for street repairs.

Having settled on a final list of invitations to accept and decline, Sen began the boring process of writing out his responses. Lo Meifeng watched him for a time before she spoke up.

“I’m curious. What made you ask me to advise you about this?”

Sen paused his writing for a moment. “It was Lifen’s idea. She thought I needed a, let’s say, more seasoned opinion.”

“Really?” said Lo Meifeng. “How refreshingly pragmatic. I didn’t think she cared for me.”

“She doesn’t. At all. Why do you think she left the second she wasn’t needed anymore? She just didn’t let her loathing for you stand in the way.”

“I think I’m actually more impressed with her now. I’m also impressed you took the advice.”

“I didn’t let my loathing for you stand in the way either.”

“I know why you don’t like me,” said an unperturbed Lo Meifeng. “No one wants a keeper dogging their steps. Why does she dislike me?”

“I don’t actually know,” said Sen, only then realizing that he’d taken Lifen’s dislike for the woman for granted. “I never asked her about it.”

“Maybe I’ll have a chat with the girl. See if we can’t clear the air between us.”

“Yes! That’s an excellent idea. You should do that immediately,” agreed Sen.

Lo Meifeng favored Sen with an unimpressed expression. “You could be a little less enthusiastic about sending me away. I’m not your enemy. For that matter, the person you dislike only exists in your head.”

Sen frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“Aside from the fact that I’m a cultivator, my appearance, and that Feng Ming sent me, can you name a single thing you know about me?”

After searching his memory, Sen came up blank. “No.”

“Exactly,” said Lo Meifeng before she left Sen to his own devices.

Sen went back to work on his replies, but he couldn’t quite make himself ignore Lo Meifeng’s words. He didn’t know her. He hated what she was there to do, but he’d let that hate bleed over into his treatment of the woman herself. Someone who was, in the end, just doing what his master had told her to do. I guess it wouldn’t kill me to be a little nicer to her, thought Sen. He started to work on the invitation responses, but a soft knock at the door interrupted him. Beating down an impulse to tell whoever it was to go away, Sen called out.

“Yes?”

The door opened and one of the servants ducked partway through the door. “There is a visitor here to see you.”

“I’m not seeing any visitors,” said Sen, repeating an instruction he’d given a few days earlier.

“I know, young master, but it’s an elder from the Soaring Skies sect. He said he’s here about sect treasures.”

Sen sat up a little straighter. He’d all but forgotten about those treasures he’d stuck into his storage ring. Lo Meifeng had suggested to Elder Deng that Sen might barter them back for the right incentives. He wasn’t especially eager to deal with anyone from the Soaring Skies sect again, but adding insult to injury at this point wasn’t just unnecessary, it was stupid. The tentative peace between him and the sect had held, as far as he could tell, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Very well,” said Sen. “I’ll be right down.”