The Path of Clouds and Solitude

Chapter 17: The Aether is Gone

The carriage jolted endlessly. Mo Tiansong huddled in the corner, each second an eternity of dread. The man who’d taken her, Li Yushan, ignored her completely, lost in his own meditative cultivation.

A sudden lurch. The driver’s voice filtered through the canvas. “Master Mage, Liancheng.”

Li Yushan grunted, eyes barely slitting open. His hand shot out, rough fingers clamping around Tiansong’s arm. She flinched back instinctively, a useless gesture. He yanked her off the carriage bench and dragged her stumbling onto the street.

*Liancheng.* The big city her tiny village belonged to. A place most villagers never saw. But Tiansong saw none of it. She was a ghost, numb, hauled along by Li Yushan into the first inn he found.

He demanded a room and shoved her inside. He ordered food, sprawling at the small table while she remained a discarded heap near the wall.

*This morning… I told Tianqiao I was leaving…* The thought surfaced, only to be crushed by cold reality. *Even if they realize I’m gone, even if they know it was him… who would dare chase a Cultivator? For me?* A bitter taste filled her mouth. *To them, mortals are insects.* She swallowed hard, forcing the panic down. *Forget them, Mo Tiansong. You save yourself.*

Her mind, sharpened by terror, began to work:

*First: He blocked my Aether flow. But not forever. He said it himself – I need to cultivate to be “useful” to him. He’ll have to let me cultivate… and that’s my chance.*

*Second: “At least a few years.” Okay… years. I’m safe for now. Survive. Just survive. Time is my weapon.*

The resolve settled in her gut, cold and heavy, but strangely anchoring.

Food arrived, steaming and fragrant. Li Yushan picked up his chopsticks, not bothering to look at her. “Eat if you want. Starve? Not my problem.”

Her stomach growled, but the thought of sharing a table with him made bile rise. *Survive.* She clenched her jaw. After a moment, she pushed herself up and shuffled over. The food was rich – a man revered as an immortal by mortals lived well. She kept her head down, mechanically pushing rice around her bowl. It tasted like ash.

Her apparent submission seemed to please him. A smug smile touched his lips as he sipped his wine. *Good. The brat’s broken in. Less trouble. Now, just need a reliable way to bind her… raise her for five, six years…* He mused. *Wandering? No. Better to find a quiet spot to cultivate. Kunwu Mountains… vast spirit veins, always a place to squat. Other places are too thin or already claimed.*

Decision made, he glanced at Tiansong again. Hunched over, eating tiny bites, utterly cowed. Satisfied, he turned away.

After eating, Li Yushan moved to resume his cultivation. His gaze flickered to Tiansong in the corner. A flicker of unease. He rummaged in his robes, pulling out several engraved discs and small, triangular flags. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent them spinning towards the room’s corners. They settled, humming faintly before fading from sight.

Tiansong watched, wide-eyed. She’d never seen anything like it.

“Formation,” Li Yushan announced, his tone condescending yet edged with warning. “Seals Aether, has defenses. Don’t even think about running.” He didn’t wait for a response, tossing a thin, musty-smelling blanket towards her. He dug in his pack again, pulling out a worn book and flinging it at her feet. “Stay put.” Then he settled onto the bed, eyes closing, sinking into his trance.

Tiansong silently spread the scratchy blanket. She picked up the book. *Compendium of Spiritual Flora and Fauna.* She opened it. Diagrams, illustrations, descriptions of plants, minerals, creatures… their properties, uses. Basic stuff for any cultivator stepping out of the mundane world, she later learned. But for Tiansong, starved of knowledge, trapped and terrified, it was a treasure. The Qinglian Hermit’s notes had been vague overviews. This? This was detail. This was *power*. She devoured the pages, the information a fragile shield against the fear. All the while, part of her remained acutely aware of Li Yushan’s still form on the bed.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the air in the room thickened. A faint current of energy – Aether – began to gather. Thin as gossamer, hard for even Tiansong to sense. It drifted, drawn towards Li Yushan.

Tiansong’s pulse hammered against her ribs. *Now.* Her right hand slid into her left sleeve, fingers finding the cool beads of the simple glass bracelet hidden there. She touched one, focusing a silent command.

*Suck it dry.*

A vortex, silent and invisible, opened at her wrist. The thin streams of Aether twisted, drawn violently towards her. In moments, the room felt… empty. Vacant. Drained.

Li Yushan’s brow furrowed deep. His face twisted in confusion, then irritation. He pushed harder, seeking the flow… nothing. After a few more frustrating minutes, his eyes snapped open. He glared around the suddenly barren-feeling room.

Tiansong yanked her gaze back to the book, feigning intense study. Too late.

“*You!*” His voice was a whip-crack. His eyes, cold and dangerous, pinned her. “Get over here.”

She froze.

“*Deaf?!*” Fury exploded. He lunged, grabbing the front of her tunic and hauling her upright. His fingers dug into her collarbone. “*What did you do?!*” He shook her, his breath hot and foul on her face. “Talk!”

Pain shot through her neck. Black spots danced at the edge of her vision. She shook her head frantically, choking sounds escaping her constricted throat.

He glared, his Spirit Sense washing over her like icy water, probing, searching. *Artifact? Impossible! She’s got nothing. I barely have my own lousy flying dagger! And I’d see it! Technique? Her core’s locked up tighter than a vault! She couldn’t cast a spark!* Yet the room was devoid of Aether. It was undeniable.

Frustration contorted his features. With a snarl of disgust, he hurled her back into the corner. She hit the floor hard, skidding.

“Cough! Cough! *Cough!*” She gasped, curling into a ball, tears streaming from the pain, her throat raw.

Li Yushan watched her, contempt clear on his face. He didn’t resume his cultivation. Instead, he remained on the edge of the bed, eyes narrowed, watching her like a predator assessing wounded prey.

Tiansong buried her face in her knees, shoulders trembling. Tears dripped onto the thin fabric covering her legs. *Cry. Let him see it. Let him think you’re just scared, broken…* The initial tears were forced.

But then, the dam broke. Real terror, profound isolation, a future shrouded in unimaginable horror, crashed over her. Since her mother died, she hadn’t cried. Mama wouldn’t have wanted her sadness. She knew no one cared. She’d *made* herself strong. But this… What did this monster want? What was the “use” he planned for her? Would years from now bring a fate worse than death? A tool? A prisoner? No chance to cultivate properly? No hope of ever finding her father?

The images flooded her mind, cold and terrifying. Her face went bone-white. The tears, hot and unstoppable, were real now. She sobbed silently into her knees.

Hidden in her sleeve, her hand clenched around the cool glass beads of her bracelet until her knuckles turned white. The only lifeline in a drowning sea.