It was late evening by the time Min had a chance to speak with her husband in semi-privacy. She had spent the afternoon directing the sect in setting up a temporary encampment outside the tower. It should be only a few days of work to get the rooms ready for them to occupy, but there was no point in doing things halfway, so she oversaw everything.

After nearly a month of hard overland travel, she was so glad to finally be here, sitting around a fire with her husband and the other high-ranking members of their sect, like Brother Stone, enjoying a hot meal and relaxing.

"Tomorrow," Noren announced, "I will be taking Chang-li and Joshi to dive into the deepest mysteries. I leave the disciples in the able hands of Brother Stone, and the sect itself in Lady Min's capable keeping."

It was frustrating to have come all this way, only to be parted yet again, but Min understood the necessity. They didn't have time.

Her mind kept going back to the frantic night and day packed full of planning she and her grandfather and Noren had made.

After Noren's admission of fraud and hints at future troubles, they had sat down and discussed matters. Noren had proposed something both audacious and, as Min thought about it more and more, practical.

Prism Nai Hong's death had destabilized the Riceflower tower. In Noren's opinion, it would either decay, resulting in the lux it produced being of lesser quality, or it would advance. Min hadn't known towers could do that, but apparently sometimes they could grow new floors, making them appealing to cultivators looking to progress further. Noren had glossed over details, merely assuring them that either way, Vardin City and Riceflower province were in for decades of upheaval.

He'd argued – persuasively – that the sect needed to prepare.

They would rebuild the sect headquarters of Morning Mist and claim it as their own. The emperor had ordered it destroyed, but that was hundreds of years ago. The records were lost to time. It was a gamble, but Min was eager to throw those dice

Min had at once seen the importance of following Noren's suggestions, but her grandfather had not liked the idea of splitting their forces. "This is our headquarters," he had insisted.

"Vardin City is the headquarters of the Oaken Band Brotherhood," Min countered, "but not of Morning Mist."

"The sect sanctum has much to offer cultivators that Vardin City cannot," Noren had added, "libraries of secrets, places they can train, seclusion from the outside world, something defensible."

"You sound as though you expect enemies to come."

"I expect a war," Noren had said, "and when it does come, you may well find yourself glad of somewhere to flee."

Eventually, they'd talked Grandfather around until he threw himself wholeheartedly behind the scheme, giving Min all the resources she possibly needed. And now, impossibly, here they were.

She leaned back against Chang-li. His hands went to her shoulders and he began to massage them. "You seem tense."

"I've never traveled like that before," she said. "Weeks of travel on foot. It was a good thing Brother Stone had insisted on me being fitted for proper boots. My slippers would never have made it."

Chang-li laughed and told her about the flying cloud he and Joshi had used. She pulled back and scowled at him in mock dismay. "You, you pampered cultivator," she said, shaking her head and smiling to take any sting out of her words. "I can't believe you rode all the way being carried like a prince."

He shrugged. "Cultivators make use of whatever they have at hand," he said, grinning.

"I suppose Noren gave it to you before he made plans to come here himself," Min said. She squeezed Chang-li's hand. Their eyes met.

Chang-li rose. "Shall we take a walk?"

She nodded and joined him. There were a few hoots and whistles as they went, but she ignored those. They strolled down to the edge of the lake, and then along it, lit by the light of the full moon overhead.

"This place is fantastic," Min said with a sigh. "I've never dreamed of anything like it before, and it can be ours once we've rebuilt it."

Chang-li squeezed her hand again. "Ours," he repeated. "Yes."

"I just wish Noren wasn't dragging you away for more training just as soon as we've gotten here," she complained.

"He's right. We've squandered too much time already. There's war coming, and Joshi's people are already fighting it. How would you feel if Vardin City was under siege right now?"

She felt bad for complaining. "Of course, you're right. I shouldn't have said that."

He leaned over and kissed her briefly. "I feel the same way you do, to be honest," he said. "Oh, come with me. I have something for you." He led her along toward one of the library towers that he'd mentioned to her.

Min filled him in on the people they'd brought along as they went. "Is there anything you want me to keep in mind while you are gone?"

"I trust your judgment," he said. "I don't know how long Noren will have us training, but there's plenty of work to do here, and I'm glad to leave it in capable hands."

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She felt warm all over. Here at last was somewhere she could bring her skills truly to bear in building their sect. By the time they were done here, Morning Mist would be something to be proud of. By now, she'd read through everything she'd found in Fai-Lan City's library about the governance of a sect. She still was making it up as she went along, but at least she had a bit more guidance now.

They stepped into the library. Min blinked at the sudden brightness. "Oh, I wasn't expecting — this!" There were shelves and shelves lined with journals and scrolls.

Chang-li smiled as he looked around. "It's perfect, isn't it?"

"I'm surprised we found you anywhere but here."

He ducked his head, his cheeks going red. "Well, Joshi and I set up a schedule to prevent me from spending too much time here. I have something for you." He led her along to a stack of scrolls and books he set aside on the floor. Three stacks, really, all reaching about shoulder height. "These are the ones I thought would be most useful for me and Joshi. And this," he pointed to a fourth stack that had been out of the way. It was much shorter than the others, only about a foot tall. "These are for you."

She stared. "For me?"

"They're a bit advanced now," he said, "but I was looking at them and wishing I'd had them myself when I was reaching the Peak of Mental Refinement. It would have helped me considerably on my way."

"I haven't even reached Bodily Refinement yet," she confessed.

He met her gaze. "I know," he said gravely, "and I'm sorry. I've neglected your training. I haven't even been there. You should be much farther along by now."

"It's fine," Min said, "from what I can tell, cultivator spouses rarely keep up."

He caught up both of her hands, looking deep into her eyes. "I won't leave you behind," he said, "no matter how long it takes to catch you up. I'm bringing you with me wherever I go, I swear. So long as you want to," he added quickly, "I mean, cultivating's hard work, and you have plenty of other tasks to do—."

She leaned forward, going up on her toes, and kissed him hard on the mouth. Their arms wound round each other. After a while, she broke away and said breathlessly, "I'll have plenty of hours while you're gone, with nothing better to do."

Chang-li laughed. Releasing his grip on her, he bent over and picked up the top volume from the stack. "This is, well, here," he handed it to her.

She opened it and peered. The handwriting inside was his. She recognized it as easily as her own. Her eyes ran down the page. She felt her mouth drop open. "Oh!"

It was a personal training regime with notes from Chang-li about how she could best accompany it and a few sidebars instructing her to ask Brother Stone for advice on techniques. She looked up. "When did you make this?"

"On the nights while I've been here when I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about how I had left you and how much I regretted it. I didn't consider your own cultivation when I set off on this journey, Min, and I'm sorry for that."

"You don't have to be," she began, but he was shaking his head.

"You're my wife. I'm supposed to consider your needs the way I consider my own, and I failed there. I'm sorry. This doesn't make up for me leaving you again, but..."

"No, it doesn't," she said. She carefully set the journal down before wrapping her arms around Chang-li's neck and pulling him to her. "If there's nothing else here you want to show me, then I suggest we make good use of our precious hours together," she said into his ear.

His breath caught; he pulled her closer. "I think that's a wonderful idea. Did I ever tell you that you're the cleverest woman I've ever known, Min?"

Chang-li was gone when Min awoke the next day, along with Joshi and Noren. No one seemed to have known where they'd gone. Min busied herself directing the Brotherhood workers on their tasks. Brother Stone had the acolytes hard at work. After she'd set all of her agendas for the morning, Min approached the acolytes' group.

Brother Stone broke off his teaching. "Elder sister," he greeted.

She still wasn't quite sure how they were going to address this odd split in cultures. They weren't a full sect, nor were they a brotherhood anymore. Both halves needed to be brought together in harmony. It wouldn't do to try to force Brotherhood people to suddenly act like a sect. But then again, a sect couldn't be run like a brotherhood, could it? Sects were based on hierarchy, obedience to those stronger than yourself, from what Min had read in the journals of cultivation spouses, while Brotherhoods were built on loyalty, the idea that working together made them stronger.

On the other hand, there was a strict hierarchy there too, or else why would men twice Min's age bow to her and call her elder sister?

She refocused her attention to the task at hand. "I won't take much time from you now, Brother Stone, but I am going to require several hours of your dedicated training time each day."

Brother Stone looked surprised. "Me, Elder Sister?"

"You have reached the Peak of Mental Refinement yourself, correct?"

"I have."

"My own progression is stalled. I have yet to reach the Peak of Bodily Refinement. I'd like to remedy that as soon as possible, perhaps before my husband and the Grandmaster return. He's left me training notes. I would like you to help me implement them."

"Of course, Elder Sister," Brother Stone smiled. "I think the acolytes will be... inspired by your dedication, and —" he hesitated. "If it's all right with you, may I also begin training the Brotherhood people we've brought along, who've not already begun their progression? Only those who wish to, of course. It will take time away from their other duties."

Min nodded. "That's a brilliant idea. In fact—" The idea struck her. She gestured at the three dozen young men and women focusing very intently on their cycling techniques on the green sward in front of the Morning Mist's great tower. "Why not have them switch roles for a few hours after lunch? I'll have the acolytes clean and scrub the tower while our workers begin their own climb. After all, these acolytes were ordinary Brotherhood members just a few weeks before. And if we really are about to face a war, the more cultivators we have on hand, the better."

It went against everything she had read in handbooks of sect behavior. The cultivator spouses had written of the need to keep the secrets of cultivation out of the hands of the unwashed rabble, how the emperor in his wisdom had given them the Way of the Faithful cycling technique, and any who were truly chosen by the Heavens would find their way to a sect and the resources it could bring that they needed to prove themselves.

Every part of her rebelled against that philosophy. The Brotherhood taught that the strength of the one came from the strength of the many, that even the poorest and weakest could lend their aid together to become something greater. She had been raised her whole life believing that, and she wasn't going to change now that she was a cultivator.

"We needn't lead them very far," she added hastily. "Chang-li and Grandmaster Noren will be back soon. We can run the scheme by them, but let's teach them a proper cycling technique and foundational skills. Why, think what it would do for the average worker to reinforce his body with red lux."

"Certainly, here that makes sense," Brother Stone agreed. "But remember, in most places, the trace amounts of lux in the air are not enough to help anyone. That's why towers are needed."

She deflated. She'd forgotten that inconvenient fact. "On the other hand, the atmosphere in Vardin City is going to be rich in Lux for the next few decades at least. Why not have our people take advantage of that?"

"Of course, Elder Sister," Brother Stone smiled. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Min went off to see to her next set of tasks, feeling immensely satisfied.

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