Nine Streams

The inn's front courtyard had a two-story building. The first floor served as both the main hall and a restaurant, while the second floor held guest rooms.

In the finest room at the western end of the second floor, a graceful woman sat upright in a chair by the window. She wore a red dress, with a light veil covering her face.

Her pale hands rested elegantly, one over the other, on her lap.

Master Qiao sat beside the table opposite her, his expression displeased and his tone unfriendly. "I don't care if you're looking for something, but don't use those tricks of yours on the strong young men in my town!"

The woman giggled, her laughter edged with mockery. "Qiao Zi'ang, you really are protecting this town, huh? Don't think I don't know about the business you're involved in behind the scenes!"

"I won't stop you from entering the town, but don't lay a hand on my people!"

The woman tilted her delicate head. Her bright eyes, hidden behind the veil, seemed to study Master Qiao. "You want to be Headman?"

In the Great Ming, an official appointment alone wasn't enough to make someone a Headman.

Among the Mountain Runners in those mountain villages, each village's Headman was one of them.

Master Qiao didn't deny it. His attitude remained firm. "In any case, you keep to your side of the river and I'll keep to mine. That way, things will go smoothly for us both."

Master Qiao returned to his own courtyard, where Steward Liu was waiting. He hurried to his feet to greet him. "Master."

Master Qiao's face was stern as he asked, "Have many people gone into the mountains lately?"

"Many." Steward Liu didn't just handle the accounts. "Just in the past few days, that Xu Yuan in the back courtyard has taken five groups into the mountains. There's another group going today."

Master Qiao frowned. "Why didn't you send someone to notify me?"

"That boy has taken people into the mountains and come back alive every time." Steward Liu explained carefully. "If there were really a problem, how could he have come back? I didn't think much of it."

Master Qiao's brow furrowed deeply. "Find out what these people are looking for!"

The distinguished guest had brought many attendants. That evening, after Uncle Rong Kui prepared supper, he sent Er Liang to deliver it.

Er Liang had been here a long time, so everyone trusted him more with errands like this.

When Er Liang came back, he seemed dazed and lost. Xu Yuan shared a room with him. The bed was a broken wooden plank laid over dried grass. Er Liang lay flat on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Yuan, I want a woman."

Xu Yuan glanced at him.

He could see Er Liang's "fate."

Most people had only a "fate" and no "destiny." Er Liang was one of them.

His "fate" was ordinary white, but after he came back from the front courtyard, a trace of red had mixed into it!

Xu Yuan worked out the numbers for him. "You earn six qian of silver a month. How many years have you worked here?"

"Two years and three months."

"That's fifteen taels in wages altogether. But you're sweet-tongued and hardworking, so you've probably gotten some tips from the guests too. Let's call it twenty taels." Xu Yuan pointed at the sedan chair outside. "See those gilded silver hooks on the sedan's door?"

Er Liang looked at him blankly. "What are you trying to say?"

"That pair of silver hooks came from Nanxiang. One sells for thirty taels of silver in the county town, so the pair costs sixty taels."

Er Liang was at a loss for words.

Xu Yuan rolled over, turning his back to Er Liang as he prepared to sleep. "What's the point of moping? Widow Yang at the end of South Street charges three hundred wen a go. Fair prices, enthusiastic service—she's perfect for you."

Er Liang looked puzzled. "You've only been here half a month. How do you know so much?"

"Uncle Rong Kui told me."

"Uncle Rong Kui's only been here five days!"

Xu Yuan said nothing.

But he wasn't really asleep. He was thinking things over carefully.

His stepmother really had driven him out of the house, but she'd had no choice. Xu Yuan had vaguely known about the family's troubles. After eating the June Bug, he'd guessed what his stepmother had in mind.

If he couldn't become a Fate Cultivator, he couldn't help with the family's affairs anyway. At least out here, he could keep himself alive.

She'd kicked him out for his own good.

But Fate Cultivators were special. They were truly powerful: not only could they "gaze at fate," they could actually "Defy Heaven Change Fate"!

Every great clan and major power in the Great Ming wanted a Fate Cultivator of their own, to ensure their prosperity would endure.

That included the Imperial Family and the imperial court.

And Fate Cultivators were the only practitioners among the Seven Great Gates who could inherit their path only through a "Medicinal Guide," not through a "Guide."

Other practitioners still had to "Enter Stream," but after taking the Medicinal Guide, Fate Cultivators went straight to the "Ninth Stream" and gained their first "Destiny" at once.

The Destiny they gained was random. It could be ordinary, particularly good, or superlative.

The "No Taboos" Destiny was undoubtedly superlative—which made the value of the "June Bug" easy to imagine.

But Fate Cultivators were truly weak, too.

At the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Streams, they had no abilities beyond their Destiny and "Fate Gazing."

When they advanced to the Eighth and Seventh Streams, they would each condense another Destiny.

But Destiny itself wasn't a direct ability.

This path was not only weak in its early stages, its cultivation speed was also painfully slow.

That was why almost all Fate Cultivators threw in their lot with great clans and major powers.

Without their protection and support, it was nearly impossible for a Fate Cultivator to reach the Upper Three Streams.

Practitioners of the Seven Great Gates were all ranked from the First to the Ninth Stream.

The First, Second, and Third were the Upper Three Streams; the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth were the Middle Three Streams; and the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth were the Lower Three Streams.

Only at the Sixth Stream could Fate Cultivators use Fate Arts.

Their ability to fight would increase greatly.

At the Fifth Stream, they could condense a "Fate Object," making them very difficult to kill at the same level.

If a Fate Cultivator truly reached the Upper Three Streams, they would be terrifying. Under the unseen influence of their many powerful Destinies, their opponents often wouldn't even know how they had lost.

Take the "Heaven and Earth as One" Destiny, for example. It would always bring its bearer all kinds of inexplicable "assistance." Anyone who fought against them would be plagued by bad luck, forever running into one "accident" after another.

What troubled Xu Yuan now was that a Fate Cultivator of the Ninth Stream seemed like a useless burden. Even if he went home, he might not be able to help much.

The fastest ways to gain fighting power were the Pill, Arts, and Crafts Gates.

He had to find a way to cultivate in another one as well.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice how late it had gotten. In the dead of night, strange noises came from outside the room. Some were high in the air, some came from the street, and others... seemed to be right outside the door!

In the stable, the draft horse that pulled Master Qiao's carriage snorted anxiously.

Forbidden Night Travel!

Who knew how many things had come down from Ghost Witch Mountain tonight?

Fortunately, they couldn't get inside.

Every door had Door Gods pasted on it. As long as the Door Gods remained intact, they could keep ordinary monsters from entering.

Xu Yuan yawned silently and slowly drifted off to sleep.

At dawn, a loud, clear crow shattered the darkness.

The many omens that had hung over the town the night before faded away with it.

The rooster belonged to Granny Ying. It stood nearly half a person tall, with bright feathers and a proud, imposing bearing.

It was the only chicken in the entire town. The rest had been eaten by evil spirits that could slip through doors and burrow through holes.

Xu Yuan got up, yawned, and looked at the almanac.

The tenth day of the seventh month.

Auspicious: cleaning, bathing, burial, worship.

Inauspicious: marriage, meeting friends, building a stove.

Forbidden: daydreaming, night travel!

Xu Yuan hurriedly shut his mouth.

"Forbidden Daydreaming means that if you accidentally doze off and dream during the day, some evil spirit could take the opportunity to enter your dream and cause trouble." Xu Yuan splashed cold water from the corner of the room onto his face. "Doesn't concern me. I don't have time to sleep during the day anyway."

Er Liang opened the door, and fresh, crisp air flowed in. "Time to get to work."

He was a little impatient. If Uncle Rong Kui asked him to deliver food again in the morning, he'd get to see that woman one more time.

Uncle Rong Kui prepared two breakfasts. He had Er Liang take one to the front courtyard, and Er Liang hurried off excitedly.

He had Xu Yuan take the other to the side courtyard, adding casually, "The master specifically told me to have you deliver it."

Xu Yuan paused, then picked up the tray and went.