A few minutes later, Outside the Black Dragon Sect Dining Hall:

Fenghuang Yu’s legs had shaken so badly during her descent down the stairs that she almost fell more than once. Those were some of the strongest individuals she had ever been around and despite her bravado while speaking to them, she was terrified they might blast her to pieces for her words. Hopefully, none of them could detect her fear. Not that she regretted saying what she said, because she didn’t. On the other hand, Grandma Huan had always said it was important to know one’s limits and she had pushed them. Maybe too far. She could not depend on her master to save her, both because she should use her own power to defend herself and also because he likely wouldn’t. Not that anyone knew that.

Having escaped outside, Yu leaned against the pagoda wall and just stayed there, breathing in the cool night air and hoping she hadn’t just done herself in.

After an unknown number of minutes getting a hold of herself, she stood up and started walking in the direction of the Mission Center. Whatever happened, Yu couldn’t stay paralyzed so she decided to keep going under the assumption she wouldn’t be expelled. . . or silenced.

Taking a breath, Yu reflected on her list of tasks. First, she needed to turn the nectar mission in and then visit the Skills Library to pick up her new free skills. After that, Yu needed to find out how much she needed to save up for skills.

The first had to be Water Aura so she could rejoin that class because the other teachers allowed her to at least attend even without one; although that wouldn’t last. Once she arrived at the Mission Center and entered, Yu found the place surprisingly busy, considering it was so late. Oddly, several disciples were simply standing around, watching others. Yu located the quest turn in line for gathering quests and got in it, seeing one of the standing disciples staring at it. Recalling her time categorizing quests, Yu wasn’t surprised she had to wait a good few minutes before she was standing before a bored-looking outer sect disciple who said blandly, “Tap your badge for the quest turn in.”

Yu said, “I am only turning in one but have two. How do I do that?”

Still bored, the disciple answered with, “Tap your badge and choose the quest you want to turn in.”

You tapped it and she quickly chose the nectar quest. The disciple looked at his tablet and said, “This quest requires you to go to the Alchemists’ Association building on the Wood Mountain. According to what I have in front me, you have to directly turn it in to the quest giver.”

Yu bowed and left. She started a brisk jog towards the Wood Mountain. Surprisingly, the association building was about the same size as the one in her home city, despite being made of a single massive tree, as all buildings on that mountain were. Yu shrugged and entered through the large bark-covered double doors with vines and vials embossed in gold all over it. She was immediately assaulted with the familiar overlapping smells of herbs and concoctions. Yu looked around and quickly discovered why this building was smaller than she expected - because there were no sales there. All commerce was done in the Alchemy Market in the center city; the building she was in was for creation and research only.

Speaking of, Yu had no idea how to find the target of her delivery. She looked around and everyone seemed busy and bustling. Shrugging, Yu walked to the stairs and went up. She reached the second floor and found numerous rooms, none of which were labeled, and absolutely no people were walking around. There was however a much stronger set of smells, some of herbs and some of burning. Truthfully, Yu found alchemy fascinating and if she wasn’t so interested in enchanting, she might have decided to get involved in that profession instead. After all, her family would benefit from a clan alchemist too, if quite a bit less. Realizing she was staring at an empty circular floor, Yu sighed and tried again on the third floor where she actually found a person. A youngish outer sect disciple who had her face in a book exited a room followed by a waft of smoke and the smell of burnt materials.

Yu coughed and called, “Excuse me!” The girl jerked and looked up. You tried to smile through her desire to cough and said, “Hi. I’m looking for Senior Alchemist Yanjing. Can you tell me where to find him?”

She blinked back at Yu but did not respond. In fact, the disciple seemed confused. You waved the smoke from her face and tried to speak clearly. “I have a delivery for Senior Alchemist Yanjing from the Mission Center. Can you tell me where to find him?”

The girl still seems confused and Yu became concerned she was in the wrong building. Could he be in the Fire Mountain Alchemists’ Hall?

“That’s Apprentice Alchemist Wuji. She won’t be able to help you.”

Yu jumped and turned around to face an inner sect elder with long white hair in a braid down her back. The smell of herbs wafted off of her and the slightly wrinkled face smiled and said in a questioning tone, “Perhaps I can help you?”

Yu cleared her throat and asked, “Can you tell me where Senior Alchemist Yanjing is, elder?”

The woman’s thin white eyebrows rose. Yu said, “I have a delivery for him from the Mission Center.”

The woman’s face relaxed and she said, “Ah. Of course. In the future, ask one of the apprentices on the first floor for assistance.”

Yu bowed her head and said, “Yes, elder. I apologize for the breach in protocol. This is my first time here and I didn’t know.”

She nodded and said, “You will find Yanjing on the fifth floor, room number eight.”

Yu bowed and said, “Thank you, elder.”

The woman nodded and walked past Yu to stand in front of the disciple behind her. While heading back to the stairs, Yu heard, “It’s fine, Apprentice Wuji. Let’s see where you went wrong, shall we?”

Then she heard a door slide open and closed and Yu climbed two more floors. The fifth floor was smaller but had many more people bustling around, all inner sect disciples. Not a single outer sect disciple was among the crowd which explained the many curious and few sneering looks she received.

When she was walking to door 8 she heard, “What are you doing here? Your kind belongs on the lower floors.” That voice was unfamiliar but the tone certainly wasn’t. It was the same as all the arrogant sect representatives that visited her family and the arrogant nobles that thought she was beneath them.

Yu turned towards the voice and saw three young men in inner sect disciple robes. They all looked in their late teens or maybe early twenties and were much larger than Yu. None of them was huge, but they were still at least a head taller than her. “I have a delivery for Senior Alchemist Yanjing. I am simply delivering it and then I will leave.”

The middle of the three, a plump young man one head taller than her with black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes, took a step forward and said, “Are you ready to pay the toll?” He was sneering down at her and the smell of herbs and sour smoke was strong enough to make her take a step back while turning her head to the side. Damnit. Her sense of smell was still far too sensitive, even after all that time.

She coughed and said “I am making a delivery for the Mission Center. You can work out any costs with them.”

He said, “This toll is personal, not for the sect.” He then took another step forward and Yu took another step back until she thumped into the wall.

“I am only here to deliver something to Senior Alchemist Yanjing. I have nothing someone like you would want.”

He closed in on her and she pressed against the wall harder. The smell was so strong it was hard for Yu to focus and she said in a soft tone, “Senior. Please leave me be to make my delivery and go. I won’t disturb you.”

He leaned down, brought his face close to hers, and said, “Too late. You’ve already disturbed me.”

Yu turned her face to the side, her legs shaking. Then she felt Qi surround her and she could no longer move. He was giving off no glow that she could see but she felt the power press down on her.

Yu had felt similar to a lesser extent when her parents and Grandma Huan had released their power to show her what it was like when someone compressed their Qi and used it directly on another. It made her feel completely helpless and utterly under his control.

Terrified, Yu reached for Qi but found it blocked. Her stomach roiled in panic as he whispered into her ear, “You owe me a toll and I like them young.” Yu felt his breath on the skin of her ear and cheek and she shivered. He wouldn’t actually do anything, right? In the open? Yu’s mind was scrambling for ideas. Maybe she could still call a knife from her ring? Anything?

Then she heard a woman’s voice bellow from down the hall. “Picking on the little ones, huh Xing? Is that the only way you can feel strong or get a girl?”

He took a step back and spun towards the person who just taunted him. Yu felt his hold release and she took a shuddering breath, sliding down the wall to crumple to the floor, still shaking. She looked over and saw a young woman about the same age and size as the boys, but with bright red hair tied up in a twist and held there by two crossed steel rods. She was also wearing inner sect disciple robes but what stood out was her badge. Three of the ten symbols between the first and second golden circles were lit, meaning she was ranked eighth of all the disciples in the inner sect.

Xing growled out, “This is none of your concern, Qingge.”

She said, “You getting that close to a clearly terrified little girl is not only against the rules in this building and the sect, but absolutely disgusting. You are so foul I can’t even look at you. Get lost before I toss you down the stairs.”

He spat at her while jabbing his finger at her in the air, “You won’t be protected forever!”

She just waved it off and walked right up to him. She entered his personal space and glared at him. “Leave.”

He snarled at her and she slapped him across the face. Yu jumped slightly, shocked by her unexpected action, and immediately discovered it was no normal slap. Xing’s body left the floor and was flung sideways only to slam into the wall. He collapsed to the floor somewhat near Yu who scrambled backward farther away from him. Her mind was still filled with shock and terror.

The young woman stepped over his prone and dazed form and stood over Yu who looked up at her. The girl held her hand down and said, “Hi.”

Yu blinked up at her, trying to figure out what she wanted. The girl said, “Let me help you up.” Yu blinked again and slowly lifted a visibly shaking hand to the young woman’s. Not wanting to wait, she reached down, grabbed Yu by the forearm, and pulled her to her feet. Yu staggered, her legs barely holding her up, and whispered shakily, “T-Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Then she turned around and stepped on the back of the neck of the young man who was rising, pressing him onto the floor. Looking back at Yu, she asked, “Why are you here anyway?”

Yu blinked, cleared her throat, and looked between them. She was starting to get a little control back and said weakly, “I have a delivery for Senior Alchemist Yanjing.”

The girl raised her red eyebrows in surprise. “A delivery?”

Yu responded, her voice a little stronger. “Mission Center.”

The girl’s face showed relief. “Ahh. That makes sense. A mission delivery no doubt. Here. Let me guide you.”

Yu bowed her head and thanked her. Stepping on Xing’s head to pass by, Qingge guided Yu to a room with the number 8 on it. She knocked twice and waited. They both heard, “Enter!” called through the door. She opened it and gestured Yu in.

Yu bowed again and entered. The girl did not follow; she just closed the door behind Yu. The scents that filled the room overwhelmed Yu’s sense of smell and she coughed a few times. Once she got control, she saw a black-haired man at a desk overflowing with parchments and bottles, writing in a journal of some sort. His voice was deep when he said, “One moment.”

Taking the chance to get a hold of herself, she saw every single area of the room was filled. Not even a sliver of the wall was visible, they were so covered with shelves, herbs, bottles, parchments, or books. The floor had parchments all over it except an area in the corner which was cleared except for a large copper cauldron. Yu recognized it from her reading and knew immediately that it was the primary tool for alchemists to make their various pills, powders, and other concoctions.

There was a barely walkable path in the middle where one could place their feet between the various documents seemingly randomly thrown about the floor. The man looked up then and was obviously surprised. “What would an outer sect disciple be doing here?”

Yu coughed again and said, “Umm. Are you Senior Alchemist Yanjing?” Thankfully, Yu had that extra time to gather herself. She could review the prior events and perhaps have a breakdown later. For now, she just needed to last long enough to deliver the bottle and get the hells out.

He raised his black eyebrows and said, “I am. Who are you and why are you here?”

Yu bowed and said, “Elder, I am Fenghuang Yu. I am here to turn in the migomo nectar mission.”

His entire face changed then. He looked like a child who was told he would receive the best present in the world. “Truly? How much did you gather? Let me have the bottle.”

Yu held out her hand and a small but nearly full jade bottle appeared in it. Elder Yanjing leaped from his chair and lunged for the bottle. Yu jumped and nearly fell backward from the surprise. She also felt the fear from earlier resurfacing. An image of the boy holding her body still with his power flashed in her mind and she began shaking again, her legs weakening. But faster than she could react, the man grabbed the bottle and was nearly running away from her and towards the wall. Yu let out a shaky breath and shook her head firmly a few times, hoping it would clear the memory, at least temporarily.

Still unsettled, she watched as the elder grabbed a device and walked both back to his desk. The device appeared to be another jade bottle but with a large funnel on top and a transparent blue hourglass-shaped crystal in between. The whole contraption was about three times the size of the nectar bottle. Then he stood lifting the bottle she provided, broke the seal, and slowly poured the contents into the funnel.

Yu saw the hourglass glow slightly and the clear nectar slowly, one drop at a time, dripped down. Without consciously thinking about it, she was counting the drops and at the same time watching his face grow more and more pleased with each drop. Thankfully, it started going quickly and after a good amount of time passed doing nothing but watching the nectar drain, the final drop fell and he was nearly glowing with excitement. Yu couldn’t help but smile slightly at his silent enthusiasm.

He then walked over to a shelf near the cauldron and placed it on, mumbling the entire time. “I didn’t expect to get so much nectar. This should be enough for at least a thousand tests. I can change the density of the. . .” Then he started mumbling again and Yu couldn’t make out what he said. She watched as he started wandering around the room gathering various herbs and a few stones and crystals and piling them next to the bottle, speaking to himself the whole time. Yu was tempted to keep watching to see what happened but felt like that would invade his privacy.

She cleared her throat when he paused in a moment and his head whipped towards her. He looked at her curiously and he asked, “Why are you still here?”

She said, “Elder Yanjing, I am here to officially turn in the quest and receive my points.”

Be blinked and said, “Oh. Yes. Of course.” Then he turned towards the bottle and swore. Yu was baffled now. He had the points she hoped. Yu wouldn’t get screwed out of her points after everything she went through, right?

Her question was answered when he said, “I didn’t count how many drops.”

“5,977, elder.”

He blinked at her and then back at the bottle, then back at her.

Yu blushed and said, “I counted while we were waiting.”

He coughed and said, “Well, that seems about right considering the size of the bottle. Honestly, I was expecting to be lucky with a few hundred. How did you come by so many with the bees there? I know they're not fake because of the filtering. You know what? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Fine. I’ll take them from the Hall’s pool.” He nodded, turned away, and went back to his work when Yu cleared her throat and said, “Umm. Elder. How do I turn it in? Don’t you have to provide some evidence so I can take it back to the Mission Center and receive my dragon points?”

He blinked at her again. “Right. Of course.” Then he went over to his desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a piece of parchment, wrote on it with ink and a thin brush, blew on it, rolled it up, sealed it with wax, and tapped the seal with his finger. He said, “Thank you. You may leave,” as he held it out impatiently.

Yu took it, stored it in her ring, bowed, and turned around. He immediately went back into his world of herbs and flame. Yu was impressed by how passionate he was regarding his work and smiled until she reached the door.

Suddenly her fear returned and her arm wouldn’t raise to open the door. Yu’s breathing sped up. She couldn’t make herself slide the door aside. What if he was out there? She closed her eyes and tried to focus. She tried to replace the memory of the boy’s face and breath against her skin with that of Bai. She needed to get to him. He needed her.

Taking a deep breath, Yu grit her teeth and tried to lift her hand again. It started to rise and then stopped as the boy’s face reappeared. She squeezed her eyes tightly and forced Bai into her mind again. She could almost feel his concern and comfort through their bond. It reminded her she would be safe at home soon.

Yu was focusing on that so hard she was surprised when she felt her fingers touch the door. Opening her eyes, Yu slid it aside slowly. Slowly and shakily she leaned forward and looked both ways in the hall. There were not nearly as many people and she saw no sign of Xing. Exhaling, Yu stepped out, closed the door behind her, and walked at a near jog to the stairs which she leaped down three at a time. She dodged the occasional disciple and when she landed on the bottom floor, she ran at a sprint out of the building and away from the Wood Mountain.

She sprinted all the way to her room. The girls were thankfully asleep and Yu nearly ripped the clothes off her body, removing the scent of him and that place. She threw them in a basket with her other dirty clothes but buried them underneath. Picking up Bai, Yu climbed into bed without putting on new clothes or washing up, covered herself entirely with her blanket, and snuggled the cub right up to her face so she would smell only him, hoping it would overwhelm the scents in her mind.