Later that evening, Ling Qi was silent as she sat astride Zhengui’s shell, returning with him to the hill given to him by the Sect. Zhengui was quiet as well.
It was only as they began to mount the steam-pitted hilltop that Ling Qi spoke up. “Are you okay Zhengui? I saw that you had a little conflict.”
“Dumb Rockhead did not hurt Gui,” he huffed.
“I, Zhen, could ha...
2021-07-17 23:52:51 +0000 UTC View Post“I think they’ve had enough, Miss Ling!” Wang Chao’s voice echoed from outside the mist. Ling Qi glanced at the remaining young man, who was nodding fervently.
They had been at this for a while.
Lowering her flute, Ling Qi let the phantoms fade. “You can let up, Zhengui,” she said, turning to face her little brother.
Behind Zhengui was the hastily constructed stone...
2021-07-15 22:41:58 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a dull thunk as Ling Qi’s head struck the surface of the table.
“Quit sprawling over my table,” Su Ling grumbled.
Ling Qi cracked one eye open, peering at the girl sitting across from her. “Aren’t friends supposed to be more sympathetic to this kind of thing?”
“I don’t even know where to start with what you told me,” Su Ling said bluntly. “I don...
2021-07-12 23:04:21 +0000 UTC View PostCharacters: Su ling, Li Suyin Not RR Friendly
Found on Discord in Interlude Spoilers
2021-07-11 19:54:42 +0000 UTC View PostHe truly was a foolish man.
In the shade of a tree outside of White Cloud Town on a hill overlooking the fields, Xuan Shi sat down, careful to be mindful of his injury. He let his head fall back against the trunk with a thunk. His hat tipped forward, falling down over his face, blocking out the world outside.
He did not know what he had expected. He should have learned by now that s...
2021-07-11 00:16:15 +0000 UTC View PostAlright guys, girls and everyone else, the subject of the Patron Exclusive ZStory has been decided and it's going to be Journey to the East, following the story of Gu Xiulan as she returns home to far away undead infested desert of her homeland. Look forward to the first installment by months end.
2021-07-09 18:57:39 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi held the stencil perfectly still and tried not to think about how close Xuan Shi was standing as he carefully marked down the outlines of characters in ink.
It helped that she still didn’t see it. He hardly looked at her, keeping his gaze fixed on his work, but that was probably just professionalism. But even before they had started with her paying much closer attention, she had...
2021-07-08 22:32:09 +0000 UTC View PostHey all, once again thank you for your support. I look forward to bringing more and more content to you all in the future. As of today Book 2 of Forge of Destiny is out, with the Audiobook done by Natalie Naudus, the amazing reader who did volume 1. You can find them here.
2021-07-06 16:54:02 +0000 UTC View PostXuan Shi had seemed to enjoy the tea, and Ling Qi made a note to thank Lady Renxiang for her suggestions in that regard. His tastes in food had been pretty simple; he had stuck largely to steamed vegetables and rice crackers, avoiding dishes with meat or fish.
“I’m curious. Do you just not like meat, or is it a bloodline matter?” Ling Qi asked as she trailed her fingers over the wal...
2021-07-05 22:29:39 +0000 UTC View Post“Hoh, and what happened next?” Bao Qian asked distractedly.
“After Senior Brother Liao helped to finish things, he was able to lead us to the Commander and then out of the Dream through a relatively safe exit,” Ling Qi continued. Seated on a fence post, she idly kicked her legs back and forth. It felt good to move again.
Bao Qian squinted up at the axle of his wagon. He crou...
2021-07-03 20:37:37 +0000 UTC View PostInside the cocoon, Ling Qi tried not to scream.
Outside of her confinement, Hanyi sang at the top of her voice and called winter into the Dream. Falling snow mingled with swirling ash in a flurry of steam as Zhengui bellowed a challenge.
A fox pounced and rippled midair, transforming into a woman with blonde hair and a rose pink dress, identical to the face that spirit had worn, sav...
2021-07-01 20:36:36 +0000 UTC View PostWell there's still a bit of time left on the vote but given the tilt, I feel safe doing this. So, instead of disparate bonus updates once a month I am going to be starting a second story set in the same world as Forge and Threads, which will receive a full 2,500+ word chapter once per month to start. These chapters will only be available to patrons and will be posted here, for now. I may choose...
2021-07-01 19:19:23 +0000 UTC View PostIt hurt.
Resonating through two minds, the hole that had been torn in them throbbed. [Growth] failed to restore the memory that was lost. [Renewal] failed to cleanse the oily taint of the predator’s touch from their spirit.
It was hard to think, but Gui hadn’t minded. He was glad to have helped Big Sister. In feeling this pain, he had spared her from it. It had only hurt that sh...
2021-06-28 21:26:14 +0000 UTC View PostRR Friendly, Characters Bai Suzhen
Found on Discord in Interlude Spoilers
2021-06-27 19:43:48 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi took in her enemies, blanketed in their leader's power. They were not writhing in pain as she had, as her allies had. If anything, the set of the bodies and the sound of their battle cries had only grown more fervent. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a shishigui covered in horrible burns hauling himself back to his feet. There was another, caught on the edge of Guan Zhi’s kick, ...
2021-06-27 00:46:58 +0000 UTC View PostHello there folks, the monthly bonuses have been pretty out of wack for awhile now, haven't they. In addition we've covered a lot of worldbuilding content and it can sometimes be hard to work in interesting alt character interviews that don't just repeat a story point.
So I'd like to ask you patrons if you'd like to change up this particular reward. My idea to replace the more random bonu...
2021-06-24 21:32:35 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi was a little surprised by the simplicity of the plan. Some part of her still expected grand and intricate gambits from a cultivator strategist, but she supposed it made sense. This wasn’t a heist or a burglary; this was smashing a shop's front window to test the response times of the guard, or a gang burning a stall to prove that yes, they were serious about the money.
They stoo...
2021-06-24 21:22:37 +0000 UTC View PostFor just a moment, Ling Qi’s mind flashed back to the last time she had tried to infiltrate a fortress. It hadn’t gone well, even though it had only been a “play” set.
But she had grown a great deal since then.
<I have your back,> Sixiang whispered, and the murmur of her other spirits joined them.
She wasn’t alone either. So she could afford mistakes even less....
2021-06-21 21:39:27 +0000 UTC View PostCharacter's Ai Xiaoli Not RR friendly
Found on Discord in the Interlude Spoilers Channel
2021-06-21 20:02:32 +0000 UTC View PostWhile she was curious about the purpose of the dome, even if it did have a military purpose, Ling Qi had a feeling that she would get more information on their enemies by infiltrating the actual settlement. Ling Qi cast one last glance back at the fields and then darted off into the tall grass without even a rustle.
The approach to the village was eerily quiet despite the shishigui crowdi...
2021-06-20 00:08:24 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi noticed someone approaching her, their presence loud, a beacon almost as obvious as Cai Renxiang. Her expression smoothed into neutrality as she faced Ji Rong. Hanyi almost bumped into her at the sudden stop, but it only took her a moment to recover, peering around Ling Qi’s skirts to see what had drawn her attention.
Ji Rong studied her warily as he came to a stop a few strides...
2021-06-17 20:35:33 +0000 UTC View PostAn eye that had strayed too close froze solid and shattered at her word.
The creature shied back and hissed. [Go, go, Silver Thing. The way is clear…]
She stumbled backward as a tremendous jumble of images crashed into her mind, impressions of height and depth, stone and metal, and labyrinthine tunnels which wrapped around her like a vice, containing and constraining. It was follo...
2021-06-14 20:46:52 +0000 UTC View PostCharacters: Ling Qingge, RR friendly.
Found in the Interlude Spoilers Channel on Discord
2021-06-14 01:52:17 +0000 UTC View PostThere was a time and a place to hurry, to bluster and threaten. Ling Qi did not think that now was that time. Liao Zhu had not reported threatening movements from their enemies, and her group was not under immediate threat. And if she messed this up and started a fight, both of those things could change quickly.
Ling Qi looked up at the circling swarm of chittering, inhuman eyes, the quie...
2021-06-13 02:00:20 +0000 UTC View PostSilver lights, the only sign of her activating techniques, winked in the darkness as Ling Qi began to explore. Knowing that Liao Zhu was moving to scout for the enemy, Ling Qi focused her attention on the odd growth that made up the tunnels themselves, feeling the traceries of qi that surrounded her.
Sixiang was right. This growth was very large indeed. It stretched beyond her senses in s...
2021-06-10 20:29:34 +0000 UTC View PostThank you for your patience everyone! We're going right back into the swing of things resuming the old schedule. Last Months bonus which was delayed by the hiatus, will be going up this Wednesday too.
2021-06-07 20:36:23 +0000 UTC View PostThere was not much to say about the first day traveling downward. She and Liao Zhu blazed through the path ahead, scouting out the tunnels Su Ling had marked for travel. They worked their way through winding, often tight tunnels and caverns aglow with fungal wonders and crawling chitinous wildlife. They marked down dangers and reported back, allowing the others to prepare to push through the ca...
2021-06-07 20:35:21 +0000 UTC View PostKinda convenient that we hit one hundred for this huh? I mentioned that I'd be doing this in a previous announcement but the time is here. I'll be taking a one week break from posting, so the next update will be on June 7th. Thank you for all your support! I hope I can continue entertaining you all in the future!
2021-05-29 20:27:27 +0000 UTC View PostLing Qi considered the room for a moment. There were definitely fault lines in this group. She could have seen that even without her more advanced arts. However, the problems that existed… weren’t really things that could be easily dealt with. Certainly not by her. Rather, by trying to fix them, it was possible that she would just make them worse.
<You should be more confident, but...
2021-05-29 20:17:12 +0000 UTC View PostThe caverns had changed.
The crevice which Li Suyin and Ling Qi had descended had been widened into a veritable canyon, cutting through the still recovering wilderness. Around it, a guard post had been raised, which bristled with soldiery and weaponry leveled downward. The path beneath the earth had been widened, flattened, and shaped into a thoroughfare.
And hundreds of meters bene...
2021-05-27 23:05:18 +0000 UTC View Post