25. Chapter Twenty-Five #3
I’ve never really been all that concerned with magic. To be honest, I’ve barely given it a second thought. What is the use of something that I could destroy with a mere flick of a finger?
And yet somehow, I find myself wanting to learn more about Fanqing’s magic. If it interests her then it interests me. If she is passionate about it, then I want to be too.
I step toward Fanqing, reaching out and plucking the talisman out of her hand. I turn it over once, noting her careful penmanship before I look up at her. “I always wondered why you cultivators had to write so many things out. Can’t you channel the magic yourself?”
Fanqing rolls her eyes at me. I suppose it must be an idiotic question to ask a cultivator, but surely, she realizes that not everyone knows as much about magic as she does.
“You must be speaking of this,” she says as she holds two of her fingers together and circles her arms in front of her. She rolls her wrist, pointing the heel of her hand toward me and a purple flash erupts from her hand.
I stumble back as if an invisible hand has pushed me.
I frown reaching up to rub at my chest. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. If you can do that then what is the use of having to write everything down?”
“Because that is basic magic,” she says as she skips up to me.
She studies me for a long second before she plucks the talisman out of my hand.
“It is simply redirecting the magic in another direction, but it does little to control it. It only works as an outward force like what you just experienced, it cannot take another. And your skills are only as good as your inner core is strong. However, with written magic, you are able to direct it into specific spells. Such as the flight one I showed to you earlier. Simple spells can be kept on talismans while for the more complex ones we need this.”
She twists to the side so that I can see the bamboo scroll hanging from her side. She taps it, looking quite proud of herself.
“So, you write and the magic follows the direction?” I ask, leaning closer to see her getup better.
There are an inkpot and a small sheath with an ink pen also hanging from her belt.
I wonder if she is used to having them there like I am used to carrying my sword around.
Like they are simply an extension of herself.
She nods. “Naturally. The cleverer a cultivator the more they are able to accomplish. Scribes especially specialize in these written spells, dedicating their lives to testing and discovering new ones, and recording them. I was training to become an imperial scribe, the highest of the order before…” Fanqing trails of, nibbling on her lip.
“Well, I can see how your skills will come in handy with my duties as a spirit catcher,” I say quickly, hoping the conversation hasn’t gotten too awkward.
Fanqing glances up at me, the corner of her mouth tilting up as she takes me in. “But what use is magic if you can just cancel it out?”
I reach up patting her head. “Why would I cancel it, when I have such a powerful cultivator by my side? It sounds like a foolhardy strategy to me.”
Suddenly, my brain catches up with my movements, and I realize what I am doing.
I move back, bracing my hands on my hips.
I glance around the alleyway, remembering for the first time the whole reason that we came back here.
Quanyu is probably wondering what is taking us so long, but then he is used to keeping watch for a good long time while I haggle with unscrupulous merchants and arrange a fair deal for moving our goods through them.
“Oh, by the way. You said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Don’t remind me!” Fanqing snaps as she reaches out to smack my arm. “I’m furious with you.”
I feel my eyes widen, stunned by her sudden switch in attitude. “What did I do?”
Fanqing’s eyes flash. “I know about the—" she cuts herself off and glances around to make sure that we are still alone before she steps up to me.
I feel my breath stall in my chest as she glares up at me.
We are standing so close that she can practically wear my cloak as well.
“I know about the smuggling,” she hisses.
My breath all comes rushing out of my lungs like I have been punched in the chest. I stumble back a step.
Did she just say that she knows about my smuggling? But why is she telling me this and not his majesty? Could it be that she really wasn’t sent by the emperor to spy on me?
Or does she intend to blackmail me?
Fanqing reaches up, and to my utter shock, she adjusts my cloak.
“It’s why I came tonight,” she continues, oblivious to my internal turmoil.
“To make sure that you didn’t do anything risky.
You may have been doing this for a while, you may even be good at what you do, but my life is on the line now too.
You need to be careful. I need to ensure that you are careful. ”
She looks up at me and narrows her eyes. “If you drag me down with you because of this, I won’t ever let you off.”