So war it was. The news didn’t come as much of a surprise to Qingge. Master Wei had already told her his personal position beforehand, and even if he hadn’t, she would have guessed that this was where things were going on her own.

  As general director of the Enforcement Hall, she had better access to the sect’s intelligence than most and she was well aware just how bad the war was going for the new alliance. If the Lunar Peaks Sect hadn’t chosen to interfere, it was quite likely that both the Parting Clouds Sect and the Serene Plains Sect would be either destroyed or badly weakened and rolled into the Roaring Thunder Sect’s sphere of influence.

  Once everyone had somewhat recovered from the war, the Lunar Peaks Sect would then be facing a singular, much larger power than their own, that was evidently hungry for conquest. They couldn’t allow that outcome to occur, and the earlier they started working against it, the easier it would be.

  But despite all of that understanding, despite not being surprised on an intellectual level, despite having received more information beforehand than anyone around her, the announcement hit Qingge just as hard as the rest of the crowd. Hearing the Patriarch, clothed in simple robes and surrounded by all fourteen of the sect’s elders speak the words out loud, tell them with a grave expression that the sect would be heading to war against one of the great sects, was something no knowledge could have fully prepared her for. Qingge could feel her heart running faster and her breathing intensify.

  Word had gone out around noon that an announcement would be held at the Patriarch’s Palace at sunset and that anybody was free to drop their work and head there, if they wanted to attend. This wasn’t actually an option for everyone of course, depending on how far away they worked, but since the Enforcement Hall was situated quite high on the same mountain as the Palace, Qingge didn’t even have to skip her work to make it here in time.

  She had already known what this announcement would be about, and many of the others in the crowd had probably been able to guess as well. Nevertheless, they had still wanted to be here to hear it for themselves.

  War.

  And not only that, a war that she would have to participate in. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

  The last major war, though not nearly on this scale of course, had been the war against the Rising Eagle Sect, about sixteen years ago. Qingge had just been an inner disciple back then. Disciples didn’t participate in sect warfare, at least not directly. At most, they would be enlisted to fill the roles of absent members back at the sect, to keep everything going smoothly. But now Qingge was a full-fledged member, even if moments like these made her feel incredibly small.

  Qingge continued listening to the patriarch’s announcement. For the time being, nobody would be allowed to leave the sect without direct permission from an elder. This was done to prevent any information of the sect’s intentions leaking out prematurely and would apply even to servants, messengers, traveling merchants and the like. The ban was expected to be in force for about two weeks. Detailed information about the sect’s strategy would only be made public when it was immediately relevant for the same reason.

  All members were to report to their respective halls within two days, where their current level of cultivation, special skills and combat ability, and other relevant information, like recent wounds, would be recorded. The halls would then plan accordingly and get back to them with their assigned roles and inform the members of everything they needed to know.

  The sect would supply arms and armor to those who didn’t own adequate ones, though most older cultivators were probably not affected by this. The Alchemy Hall would offer cultivation medicine at a discount to all members who were close to a breakthrough to another realm, and the Training Hall would oversee a short but extensive training program, mandatory for all members who were assigned to active combat.

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  Meanwhile, economic production would slow down, with only key roles still being filled. With all trade suspended anyways, it only made sense to cut out production of what would’ve otherwise been shipped away anyways. Any time gained like this would either be spent training or cultivating.

  That was all the Patriarch told them for now. After a few closing words, like wishing them luck and asking them to pass around the message to those who weren’t here today, he retreated back into the palace. Some of the elders followed him, others took off into the air and flew away.

  Once they were gone, the crowd started disbanding as well. Notably, few people talked at all, and those that did, did so in muffled voices. Considering the gravity of the news just broken, it seemed a little strange, but most people seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

  Qingge was just the same, heading back down the mountain towards her home. Night had already fallen, but the path was well lit by the glimmering stars and the bright moon. She’d talk to Daiyu about all of this tomorrow, but right now she just wanted to lay down.

  She didn’t get very far before a familiar voice caught up with her.

  “Qingge.”

  “Master Wei.”

  She had already half expected him to show up. Turning around, she saw her master landing on the path right behind her and greeted him with a bow.

  “I wanted to talk to you. I suppose that you have questions, and I have things that I want to tell you as well.”

  “Thank you for your consideration, Master.”

  Master Wei caught up with her and gestured forward.

  “Walk with me.”

  As they did, he continued talking.

  “I can imagine that you feel rather shaken right now. I know I did when I first had to participate in a war, and that was nothing remotely approaching this scale. I also know that you feel very conflicted about killing at all, even disregarding the danger to yourself.”

  “I… yes, I do feel that way.”

  Qingge hadn’t told him about these thoughts, but she supposed that it was only natural that he could guess it either way. She had spent quite a lot of time thinking about this issue in the last months.

  Professor Lei’s counsel had helped her a lot; specifically, it had given her good reasons to grow stronger. Strength meant the ability to protect others, to enforce justice. It also meant the ability not to kill her enemies. Mercy was the privilege of the strong.

  All of that was very reassuring in allowing her to continue walking her path, but it didn’t quite resolve her feelings on an emotional level. It also only helped her in considerations of the far future. Right now, she wasn’t strong, and that wouldn’t change overnight. Because of that, Qingge was still struggling with these thoughts, even if it had become a little easier.

  “Your concerns are normal to have and not easy to bear. I can’t offer you a perfect solution because, as far as I know, there exists none. What I can tell you, is that you don’t have to walk the way of a warrior. There are plenty of professions that a cultivator can choose from, just as there are plenty of Daos. Crafters, alchemists, healers… Just as I won’t tell you to follow me in studying the Dao of Fire, I won’t tell you what profession to specialize in.”

  That wasn’t something Qingge had thought of. She had naturally assumed, until now, that she would follow in the footsteps of her master. It was something she had accepted as part of the deal when she had agreed to become his disciple. Of course, combat remained a relevant part of the reality of all cultivators, no matter the profession, but it didn’t have to hold the same level of significance to all of them. Perhaps, a more peaceful path was still an option for her…

  “All of that is just a matter for the future though. It won’t help you in the upcoming war. Regarding that… Well, sadly this isn’t an offer I can make to all members of the sect, even though I’d like to. But if you, as my disciple, do not feel ready yet, I can keep you out of it. Some members will need to stay behind at the sect anyways, and I could make sure that you are one of them. You don’t need to see any combat, if you don’t want to.”

  Qingge bit her lip. Yes! Yes, she wanted that. That was what she wanted to blurt out. But something inside her stopped her from doing so. She’d be running away from her problems. Hiding in the privilege of her position, a privilege that others didn’t have. Could she do that, just like that?

  “I understand that this isn’t an easy offer. You don’t need to answer me right away. Take some time to consider, to clear up your thoughts. There’s plenty more I want to talk to you about, so I will visit you in the Enforcement Hall tomorrow, after I have sorted out things with the Training Hall. With the organizational nightmare about to transpire, I imagine that you won’t be able to leave from there. For now, I think you have enough to ponder about, so I’ll leave you to it.”

  “Yes, I do. I’ll make my decision before tomorrow. Thank you, Master!”

  “Try to catch some sleep anyways. Goodbye for now, Qingge.”

  With a friendly nod, Elder Wei bid her goodbye and took off into the air. Soon, he had disappeared between the bright stars of the night sky.