Simply Trading

"And I have just discovered that ... my fighting abilities aren"t quite up to the standard of the ... the other disciples. So I shall trouble you to get me more training in that aspect, from your father. I think it would not be out of place, for him to ... spend some time training his potential son-in-law in the fighting arts. I will not ask for secret skills, but only to practice those martial arts that I am already in possession of."

To his surprise, Xuan Mei shook her head at him immediately. And even Lingxi seemed to disagree with his demand. "You are only an Outer School disciple, and a herb-grower. Elder Xuan is in-charge of training the Inner School disciples, so that would be ... very eye-catching, if you know what I mean? I don"t think you would want that sort of attention," the latter told him, when he frowned at the pair of them.

Xuan Mei, on the other hand, had a question for him instead. "What sort of martial arts have you picked up, at the Hidden Scriptures Library?"

"Four Seasons Sword and Flowing Wind Movement. Oh, and I picked the Jade Tree Breathing Exercises as well, but I don"t need any help with that."

She seemed to brighten up a little, as soon as she heard that. "In that case, why don"t I show you how to best training in them. I know the Flowing Wind Movement as well, and the Four Seasons Sword is more or less compulsory for all Outer School disciples. So I have learned it before. We don"t need to trouble my father for that."

"That would be good for you too, wouldn"t it? It would give the impression that you are spending more time with your betrothed, hmmm? Very well, I can accept that."

Xuan Mei"s face turned bright red as soon as she got his agreement, and looked up at Lingxi in surprise. Only to the see the older girl shaking her head at her.

"You have fallen into his trap, Junior Sister Mei. I think he has been hoping for something like this, rather than actually wanting your father to take a hand in his training. Of course, I could have also given him lessons as well. But he is right. This would create a more convincing impression that you two are engaged."

Then Lingxi turned to the only man in the room with a crooked smile. "But I think you had better teach ... your intended here a few tricks about how to make a bargain. And how to deal with ... such matters. Or you might find yourself eating a loss, somewhere in the near future."

Qin Feng sighed. And shook his head at the young woman. He could understand what Lingxi was saying, so he decided to explain to Xuan Mei just what was going on. "Look. You are clearly not as skilled as I am in this regard, so I will make it simple for you:

"Think of this as a trade. I have something that you want, and to get it from me, you will have to offer me something that I want. Or something that I might possibly be interested in. Like what Ming Qingsong"s father has done. He wants those special herbs that grow in the wilderness but he doesn"t have the knowledge or the skill to get his hands on it. Hence, he gives me a chance to head out there instead, and allows me to harvest my own herbs along with those medicines that he wants. Which I would then hand over to him. As a sort of ... payment, hmmm?"

He paused then, and looked at Xuan Mei, but the Elder"s daughter did not look particularly enlightened by his example. So he sighed, and tried another tact:

"In your case, your father deals with the Inner School and the martial arts training for the same. Well, I am not interested in the former but have made you an offer with regards to the latter. So you should have begged off, and say that you will speak to your father, to see if he is agreeable. Or you might have made a counteroffer, saying that you would get a more skilled disciple, like Lingxi here, to training me in the Four Seasons Sword.

"What you had done instead, was to offer to help me yourself, with both sets of martial arts. Rather than dealing with them one at a time. Hence, I jumped at the offer, which, to me, was something that had exceeded my expectations. Do you see?"

Xuan Mei frowned, and gave him a strange look. "But ... I am more than willing to ... put in that effort, to obtain ... what I want from you. Are you saying that I shouldn"t do that?"

"No, I am not. But if you were to probe a little deeper, you might find out what I see a value in, and might be willing to exchange my time, and my effort, for. That would make it easier for you, in future ... transactions."

"But ..."

QIn Feng held up a hand, to stop her protests. And glared at Lingxi as the latter began to chuckle into her sleeve. "Never mind. Just remember what I have told you. And remember to see me with a draft of that ... break-off letter of yours tomorrow. I have a feeling that it would need a few rewrites, before you ... are capable of conveying the right sort of mood in the same."

It did not take him too long to get the girls to leave, after they had come to their agreement. Even Xuan Mei had promised to see him with a draft of her little farewell note, two days later. Which was actually more of an insurance, rather than something that he really intended to use. Like she had said earlier, there were a lot of intangible benefits, being seen as a potential son-in-law to Elder Xuan. And he intended to make full use of all of them.

One of the most obvious would be the fact that he would be able to walk right past all of those checks that were conducted, every time that he left and re-entered the School via the Gates. Added to the fact that he was getting to join any Hunt in the Southern Forest, so long as he was interested in doing so, that was going to make his harvest of wild-growing herbs much easier!

And if one included the special arrangement that he had made with Elder Ming Guanhe, and the initial contact that he had with Fu Lai Medicine Hall over at Changqing City, any extra herbs that he was able to harvest in the woods could be exchanged for those that would be of real help to him, and the formation of his Foundation.

As for his deal with Xuan Mei, it would greatly improve his Movement and Sword skills. And he had just discovered that he would need that to deal with some of the wilderness creatures that he was likely to come across in the Southern Woods. So that would certainly be a bonus.

Besides that, he would also be ... protected by his proximity to her, which would certainly make all of the disciples, Inner or Outer School, behave a lot more cautious around him. That was one of the reasons why he had agreed to those lessons from her in the first place, rather than an actual confidence in her abilities!

And as for her application to join that far-off Sect ... Well, he wasn"t too concerned. So long as he had that letter that she promised him - and he was going to make sure that it covered all angles, regardless whether she was accepted by that unnamed Sect or not! So long as he had that on him, he would be protected from everything except a scandal, when he leaves.

Because, regardless whether Xuan Mei was successful or otherwise, he had every intention of leaving the Heaven Sword School well before the Spring came again!

* * *