The garden exploded into motion, sand crunching and feet thudding across the training ground.
Míng Jiàn's Formation scriber shot into the air and began circling the three cousins at high speed, trailing a ribbon of golden Essence that lashed across the ground. Plumes of sand burst upward wherever the brush struck, the air filling with the dry rasp of scattering grit, rapidly obscuring them from the opposing team.
Dàilán bolted to the left at her full speed, kicking up her own rooster trail of sand as she curved around the perimeter of the garden away from her cousins in an attempt to flank the oncoming four maids.
Chénli immediately shifted to intercept her, but Dàilán dodged, easily outpacing her and slamming at speed between the two younger maids, stretching out her arms left and right to catch them both solidly across the chest. The two girls went tumbling across the meditation garden, coughing as the breath was driven from their lungs and sand sprayed across the stone.
Using the new clouds of sand to block Chénli's line of sight, Dàilán dove behind a boulder, landing in a crouch. She drew her Essence inward, closing her pores, then pushed Essence through a technique her mother had taught her when she was barely old enough to manipulate Essence.
A slight wavering of her vision and a glance downward at the sand now unobstructed by her body confirmed the technique was successful. As necessary for a technique taught to young children and designed for concealment, the technique used almost no Essence, making it extremely difficult to detect.
Pushing Essence into her feet and legs, she activated the Guan Mountain Mist movement technique and took a single long step backwards away from the boulder. The technique kept her footsteps quick and light, barely shifting the grains of sand — and more importantly, not striking the ground hard enough to break the invisibility technique.
Her movement proved not a moment too soon.
Several short-range Essence attacks blasted into the sand around the boulder as Chén'er came leaping over it, her sparring sword already stabbing downward — perfectly positioned to meet a sparring dagger in the neck as Dàilán lunged forward.
The invisibility technique snapped as she made contact, but it did not matter. Her bodyguard spasmed as lightning Essence crackled through her from the sparring dagger, the sharp scent of scorched cloth briefly filling the air before she crashed to the sand in an ungainly heap.
Dàilán immediately pushed Essence through the invisibility technique again as she bolted away toward the sounds of combat coming from the other end of the garden.
Looking around, she saw Ài engaging Yue. The two moved like choreographed dancers spinning and twirling around each other. Ài's weapons and kicks were being blocked by wide strips of cloth that snapped through the air as Yue spun and bent in a much faster version of a traditional dance, dodging and ducking anything the cloth did not deflect.
Chàng and Biyu had picked themselves up and, with Yue occupied, were targeting Míng with thrown weapons. Míng dodged quickly while scribing frantically on the sand.
"Biyu, in close!" called out Ài as she twisted aside from a length of cloth spearing toward her. "Stop her from completing the formation!"
Dàilán cursed as Biyu darted forward and flung herself across the garden. She had hoped her cousins could last longer than this…
Míng visibly smirked and spun away from Biyu's rush, still scribing.
A formation glyph suddenly flared beneath the attacking maid's feet. Biyu threw herself violently to one side — aborting the attack — as the sand erupted upward with a muffled thump where she had stood a miǎo earlier.
Similar small runes lit up and spun outward toward all three attackers. Ài was forced to break off her attack on Yue as she dodged her own sand explosion.
Yue did not miss the opportunity.
Her lengths of cloth reared up like striking snakes, spearing toward Ài from all directions. Caught off balance, Ài backpedalled and parried, but Dàilán could see she was simply trying to get clear of the strange explosive runes Míng had scattered across the garden. Yue had all of her attention now.
The youngest Heiress smiled and moved behind the maid, stabbing her sparring daggers down into Ài's back and breaking the invisibility technique again.
As Ài stiffened and collapsed under the crackling discharge, both cousins cried out in warning.
Dàilán reacted instantly, dropping and rolling through the sand as Chén'er's sparking sparring sword slammed down where she had stood.
She threw herself to her feet and backward with her daggers raised defensively. Weeks of training with the limiter made her instinctively avoid getting locked into close combat.
Chénli made to pursue, but she was a heartbeat slower than usual, perhaps still suffering from the earlier shock.
Míng's voice rose triumphantly.
Three bolts of white Essence blasted toward the standing maids from the area where Míng had been inscribing. Chén'er and the others raised their weapons to block, but the small detonations as the Essence weapons resisted the attack — and the way all three were flung off their feet — made it clear the strike was anything but weak.
The opposing team retreated to the far side of the garden, dragging Ài's twitching and loudly cursing body with them.
With all three attackers on guard and clustered together, Dàilán judged that she could not launch a successful attack. Instead, she withdrew and rejoined her cousins.
She noticed with concern that both of them were panting heavily, sweat darkening their robes, while Míng looked distinctly pale. A bead of sweat rolled down her cousin's forehead as she carefully skipped over the glowing lines surrounding them inside the formation.
"I would say well done," observed the third heiress with concern, "but you two look completely exhausted."
"We can continue," Míng said hoarsely, determination burning in her eyes.
"We are unused to such rapid Essence use and physically draining combat," Yue replied between heavy breaths. "I am accustomed to moving more than you, but your maid," she nodded toward Dàilán, "hits like a charging ox. I could not stop moving or defend Míng even for a moment. Míng rarely needs to move during our usual spars — and she worked on the garden's formations before we began, so her Essence…"
"Give me a pill, Moon," growled Míng.
"For a spar?" Yue shook her head firmly. "No."
"Yue is right, Míng," Dàilán said gently. "The purpose of sparring is to improve your own abilities and endurance so that when real fighting comes you can last longer without relying on pills. House sparring rules — needing pills or a healer is the same as being unable to continue."
She raised her voice across the garden.
"Team Cousin concedes!"
Her declaration was answered by a chorus of outraged shouts and vigorous arm-waving.
Míng slumped to the ground as the glowing formation lines faded. She looked at Dàilán in frustration.
"You are not even breathing hard! My eyes could barely track you — you were moving so fast. And you appeared out of nowhere several times, so you were using a concealment technique as well."
"Two, actually," Dàilán admitted, digging one toe into the sand. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chén'er break away from the other group and begin striding toward them with a disgruntled expression. "I was running Mountain Mist as well."
"Heavens," breathed Yue.
Míng scowled and spat inelegantly into the sand.
Dàilán's attention shifted to her visibly irritated bodyguard as she approached.
"What nonsense is this 'concede' business?" Chénli demanded. "You caught us well enough, but we could still have finished that properly!"
Dàilán stepped away from her cousins, who both looked embarrassed, and drew her friend aside.
"Chén'er," she murmured, "they are done."
"Huh? Ài is furious — said that was the best fight she has had in ages until you interrupted it. She wants another round with Yue. Bi and Chà are already arguing about how to counter those explosive runes and whatever that last attack was — it struck like a mule's kick."
She shot an admiring glance toward the cousins before giving Dàilán a pointed look.
"I will say nothing about you. You already know what you did."
Dàilán shook her head firmly.
"Let the girls come congratulate them if they wish, but Chén'er — they truly are finished. Yue can barely breathe, and Míng has almost no Essence left and is physically at the end of her strength. She just asked Yue for an Essence pill so she could continue."
The youngest heiress grasped her friend's sleeve.
"Chén'er, they may have hidden some additional techniques and tried to practise them today, but they have never trained them properly in combat. Remember the usual rules for women learning to cultivate — unlike us, they have had very limited opportunities to practise outside them, except with each other."
She paused, realising something.
"You, me, and the girls are barely getting started. Your team was pushed back mostly because you did not know what to expect. But I am almost certain my cousins were fighting at their full strength — short of using lethal techniques."
"Oh."
Understanding dawned across Chénli's face.
"Could they recover for another round in a kè or so? We could mix the teams a little — balance things better. Ài defending Dagger would be terrifying, and I suspect Bi and Chà would work well with Moon's style."
Dàilán nodded thoughtfully.
"I believe so. Their cultivation and recovery should be close to mine. It is simply their endurance and physical conditioning that are lacking."
Chénli nodded.
"We will call a break then. Bi and Chà already arranged snacks and drinks — we can exchange techniques. I want to ask Dagger about those formations. Ài loves unusual weapon styles like those cloth techniques."
She turned to leave, then stopped and looked back.
"I was joking earlier. You caught us both well. Well done — from Ài and from me."
Dàilán flushed faintly.
"I was not truly expecting to catch you with that attack. Sorry."
Chénli shrugged and rubbed her neck ruefully.
"Would you believe I forgot you could use external techniques? I remembered you were not wearing the limiter the moment my sword came down behind that rock and hit nothing."
Dàilán winced.
"You must tell me how you recovered from the shock so quickly."
"Practice," Chénli replied as she walked back toward the other maids. "I will inform the others."
Dàilán nodded and returned to her cousins.
"We are taking a break," she announced. Relief washed across both their faces. "Food and drink. You impressed them greatly — they assumed you were mocking them when we called the match."
Yue exhaled heavily, looking like a wilted flower.
"Would not dare."
"I still wanted to continue," grunted Míng as she rose and began brushing sand from her robes.
"You will have your chance," Dàilán said. "We will fight again after the break. Focus on restoring your Essence. The food and drink will help."
She guided them toward the shaded corner near the garden exit where the other girls were arranging refreshments.
"Chén'er suggested mixing the teams next round," she added with a grin. "Ài desperately wants to discuss fighting techniques with you, Yue, and I suspect the others will bombard Míng with questions about formations."
Míng brightened immediately while Yue looked surprised, then pleased.
"I wish to ask your guard about those sparring weapons," Míng said eagerly.
Dàilán laughed.
"Just remember to cultivate Essence while eating and talking. Otherwise you will be useless next round — and I will probably end up on the opposing team."
Yue looked horrified.
Míng closed her eyes as if struck by sudden pain.
Laughing, Dàilán pushed them forward toward the others, who immediately surrounded them with food, drinks, and enthusiastic questions.
"They will be fine."
Dàilán glanced aside to find Chénli standing beside her again, watching the lively scene.
"Given time, we can improve their endurance and stamina. The rest… they have talent. That cannot be taught."
Chénli snorted softly.
"How foolish the Guan clan is. They could have had three genius heiresses instead of one."
"It all comes down to time," Dàilán replied quietly. "I only hope the Heavens grant us enough of it."
"I have some ideas about that," Chénli said matter-of-factly. "We can discuss them over lunch after the sparring ends."
Then she flashed a grin.
"But first, I intend to question a Formation Master — and what appears to be a budding Alchemist."
Dàilán rolled her eyes fondly as her friend darted back toward the gathering.
Yes.
They would be fine.
There was no other choice.
They had to be.