The oasis bustled with activity. The geometrically perfect roads paved with marble and gemstone were lined with the stalls of merchants and craftsman, they called out the nature of their wares, everything from food and wines to trinkets, jewels and fine cloth. The smell of spices polishes, and perfumes filled the air. Their voices together blurred into a comfortable cacophony. Gu Xiulan sighed in satisfaction as the carriage cut through the thinning evening crowds.

The Argent Peak Sect had certainly been nice, in a provincial way, but its sleepy village could not compare to a true city.

“What a lively bunch!” Zheng Nan boomed, she heard him clearly over the crowds, even walking ahead with Guo Sho.

“And why would they not be,” the Guo laughed. “This Blooming Life Oasis, and here the dangers and horrors of the dunes and the Grave cannot tread. The safe and prosperous are always merry!”

“I’ll drink to that!” Zheng Nan chuckled, and she saw him carelessly toss a pouch of silver onto a winesellers counter, as he snatched a bottle from it. The coin spilled out far more than a bottle of mortal wine could be worth, and the seller bowed profusely as he vanished behind them in the market.

There was a crunch and a crack as Zheng Nan bit through the clay neck and spat the top and cork alike into his hand, before slugging back the alcohol as if drinking from a jug of water. “Not terrible for mortal stuff. You didn’t tell me your people were so rowdy!”

“It is evening,” Gu Xiulan said dryly, leaning out from the window of her carriage. “The sun falls, the heat dissipates and we may all take a breath free from the day's heat, while the Walkers grow sluggish. It is only natural to enjoy the time one has.”

“The Lady is right! The day is full of danger, the roads are long, when night and safety comes, that is the time to celebrate,” Guo Sho said agreeably, the people of the oasis parted easily before the tread of his mount, with all the respect and reverence these folk owed to a son of their rulers. “But these are only the mortals and commoners, come, let us get to the inner circles where we might find you some appropriate lodgings. I must report to my uncle, so the night wardens may be sent out, but my friend will show you the way, and I will join you later.”

As they reached the end of that first wide road, where the paths split to the left and right, Guo Sho hopped down from his scorpion’s back and the beast dematerialized in a swirl of sand and smoke, returning to his dantian. Giving them a jaunty salute, he turned down the left hand path, leaving them with his companion who still floated atop his stone platform some two meters in the air.

“Where too then, Sir Deng?” Asked Captain Yun, bowing politely. He stood near them at the front of her procession.

“The right,” he said tersely, his face was still hidden by his veil and he had spoken little, the opposite of his gregarious companion. “There is lodging there, four turns north and west. Follow.”

They resumed their path, leaving behind the thick market crowds. They began to pass through a crafts district, its many workshops closing down for the night and their laborers beginning to raise their voices for carousing. It all remained respectfully far away naturally.

Zheng Nan took another long draw from his broken bottle. “So, good fellow. I know the Guo, who rule, the Fan who feed you all, and the Han, responsible for these wonders,” he said gesturing around at the construction of the oasis.

“But what is your Deng’s claim to fame. I’ve not heard their name.”

Xiulan drew in a sigh at his blunt rudeness prepared to apologize, but Deng man replied first, not looking down.

“Speed and communication,” he replied. “Where the Guo brought their rule, we made it stay.”

And their exclusive control of the windstone wastes, far in the east, where the Cataclysm had melted a part of the sky itself into the earth. She glanced at the stone disc under his feet and the crystals protruding from it. It was prized everywhere, with only the Guo and the

Imperial seat receiving a significant amount through taxation.

They journeyed on and the city surrounding the oasis grew quieter further in. Still brightly lit and festive, but the noise and cheer now mostly rose from establishments serving soldiers rather than workers. They traveled inward, leaving even those behind, passing into the area on the south side of the oasis where the Blooming Life’s administration lay. They came to an ornate manor, lit with bright yellow silk and paper lanterns A coachhouse rose beside it and they guided their procession inside. Gu Xiulan saw the heraldry of many clans, from the Celestial Peaks, From the Alabaster Sands, even a single one bearing the sigils of the far away Western Territories.

She restrained the urge to stretch as she left the carriage, happy to be free of the increasingly stifling confines. Captain Yun and her guards fell into place around her as she approached Deng Man and bowed. “Thank you for your guidance and hospitality.”

Deng man who had at last laid his boots to earth, his flying disc vanishing away, gave a single nod. “It is my duty. Guo Sho will want to speak with you.”

“And what about you, not looking for any stories of far off lands?” Zheng Nan challenged clapping him on the shoulder. The tall Zheng grinned down at the shorter man. “Come on, I’m sure you have a tale or two to tell on your own, over drinks maybe?”

Deng Man looked up, expression inscrutable behind his masking veil, and tilted his head to the side. “Perhaps, are you buying, traveler?”

“Hah, naturally!” Zheng Nan laughed. “Know a good place?”

“One or two,” Deng Man shrugged. “Lady Gu, the servants have already been informed of your arrival. Rest in comfort.”

“Thank you again,” she said, feeling a little irritated at her exclusion. Still Captain Yun looked relieved and she did suppose the old man deserved a break. “Come then, Captain, let us settle in and make ourselves presentable for our hosts.