70: The Summer Passes

Summer, by the kingdom of Beicang's standing calendar, ran from the first day of the sixth month to the last day of the eighth.

For Su Yan, by the careful preceding small private hour of the past nine months' preceding small private bookkeeping, summer was the third quarter of his preceding-time first arc. By the small careful preceding small private hour of the carefully calibrated preceding small private fourth quarter's preceding small private public-read recalibration, summer was — by every careful preceding small private observation of every senior cultivator paying attention — *the most active and most quiet quarter of the kingdom's preceding small private generation*.

Active, because the careful preceding small private hour of the next king's preceding small private public read had — by the careful preceding small private hour of the Tournament's preceding closing ceremony — *changed* the careful preceding small private bookkeeping of every careful preceding small private noble household in the kingdom.

Quiet, because Su Yan had, by his own preceding preference, *not yet* taken any of the small careful preceding small private public actions that the careful preceding small private noble households were, by their preceding small private bookkeeping, expecting him to take.

He did not, by his preceding preference, hold any public banquets.

He did not, by his preceding preference, conduct any small careful preceding small private public diplomatic meetings with foreign delegations.

He did not, by his preceding preference, attend the kingdom's preceding small private quarterly council, although the King had — by quiet preceding standing arrangement — extended the careful preceding small private invitation.

He did, by his own preceding preference, conduct the careful preceding small private hour of the next ninety days as follows.

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He cultivated, in the inside-night sessions on the foundation platform of the Mirror, by the careful preceding small private hour of his mother's preceding small private cellar's preceding teaching, by Master Qing's preceding small private quarterly mathematics, and by the small careful preceding small private substrate-anchor stone's preceding small private resonance pattern at the inside pocket of his preceding small private inner robe. By the close of the first month of summer, he reached *Foundation Establishment Late*. By the close of the second, *Core Formation Early*. By the close of the third, *Core Formation Mid*.

He held, on his outside display, *Foundation Establishment Late* throughout. The kingdom's careful preceding small private public read, by the careful preceding small private hour of three months, registered him at *Foundation Establishment Late, with depth*. The careful preceding small private kingdom's senior cultivators, by the careful preceding small private hour, were *not surprised*. A Heaven Spirit Root cultivator twelve months past his Trial of Aptitude was — by the careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private generational record — *honestly expected* to be at Foundation Establishment Late, with depth, by the second summer.

He was — by the careful preceding small private hour of the kingdom's preceding small private public read — *exactly on schedule*.

He met, by Cousin Su Lin's standing preceding arrangement, the second of his quarterly meals with Master Qing, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the summer. He received the second careful preceding small private substrate-anchor stone. He carried it, with the first, in the careful preceding small private inner pocket.

He met, by Cousin Su Lin's standing preceding arrangement, the second of his quarterly meals with Princess Cang Xueyi, on the third day of the seventh month of the summer. The meal was at her writing room. The careful preceding small private courtesy was — by both their preceding mutual preferences — *deepened*. The fifth meal between them, by the careful preceding small private hour of seven preceding meals across the past year, *closed* with the careful preceding small private hour of one second back-of-hand against one cheek, this time held — by Cang Xueyi's preceding preference, by Su Yan's preceding preference — for the count of perhaps fifteen breaths.

She did not, in the careful preceding small private hour, kiss him.

He did not, in the careful preceding small private hour, kiss her.

The careful preceding small private mutual preference — by the careful preceding small private hour of two columns having become one — was, by the careful preceding small private mutual courtesy of two young people whose preceding small private formal arrangement was scheduled for fifteen months from that summer's preceding small private afternoon, *to wait*.

He sent, by the unmarked Eastern Yan courier line, the first letter to Han Yifeng. The letter was short — three pages, by the careful preceding small private hour of substrate-scholarship exchange — and contained the careful preceding small private summary of two of his mother's cellar books on body-cultivation calibration. Han Yifeng's reply, by the careful preceding small private hour of three months later, was *eight* pages of the careful preceding small private kingdom of Eastern Yan's standing scholarly observations on the same topic, with the careful preceding small private mutual courtesy of Yifeng's small private signed *Yifeng* at the close.

He sent, by the unmarked Frost Lotus Sect courier line, three further careful preceding small private summaries to Senior Elder Mu Bingyu. The Elder, by the careful preceding small private hour of four months of careful preceding small private exchange, had — by his preceding preference — *quietly added* Su Yan as the careful preceding small private *external scholarly affiliate of the Sect's substrate scholarship office*. The kingdom of Beicang's standing arrangement did not — by Cousin Su Lin's careful preceding read — *register* the affiliation.

He attended, in the second month of summer, two banquets at minor noble households of the eighth district. The careful preceding small private courtesies were, by every careful preceding small private public read, *appropriate*. He sat at the third-rank tables. He drank the careful preceding small private cups offered. He spoke when spoken to.

He let himself, by Linglong's careful preceding small private quiet courtesy from the side garden, *not* show.

The kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private public read of the careful preceding small private next king of Beicang was, by the careful preceding small private hour of three months, *a young clansman of the Su clan branch family who is, by the careful preceding small private hour of the public read, conducting himself with the small precise unhurried discipline of a young man who does not, by his own preceding preference, enjoy being looked at*.

The kingdom — by the small careful preceding small private hour of the public read — *liked it*.

By the close of the third month of summer, Cousin Su Wenfu's first quarterly report from the kingdom's south-eastern foothills arrived at the eastern wing's writing table by the unmarked courier line.

The report read:

> *Cousin. I have, by the careful preceding small private hour of three months, conducted the careful preceding small private mapping work the briefing required. The kingdom's south-eastern foothills register — by the careful preceding small private substrate instruments my preceding small private training has equipped me to operate — *seven* discrete substrate anomalies. Six of the seven are, by my careful preceding small private read, ordinary natural substrate variations of the kingdom's standing geological record.* > > *The seventh is, by my read, *not natural*. It registers, by the careful preceding small private hour of three independent measurements I have conducted by the small careful preceding small private precise unhurried discipline of three weeks, as a *substrate concealment* — that is, the careful preceding small private active small careful preceding suppression of an underground location's preceding small private substrate signature, by the careful preceding small private hour of preceding small private substrate-cloak technology of a kind the kingdom of Beicang's standing record has not, by the careful preceding small private hour of two centuries, *registered*.* > > *The seventh is — by the careful preceding small private read of my preceding small private map-reference — at a small careful preceding small private location in the foothills of the south-eastern range, eight days' ride south of the city of Mei-cun, in a small careful preceding ravine the kingdom's standing botanical record has filed, for two centuries, as *uninhabited*.* > > *I have not, by my own preceding preference, *approached* the seventh location. I have, by my preceding preference, conducted the careful preceding small private mapping from a small careful preceding small private distance of approximately three li. The careful preceding small private substrate-cloak's preceding small private preceding range registers, by my small careful preceding small private read, at approximately *one li*. I have remained at three. The careful preceding small private substrate-cloak has, by my preceding read, *not* detected my preceding small private mapping work.* > > *The careful preceding small private second priority — recruitment — has, by the careful preceding small private hour of three months, produced *six* new members for the southern branch. The four further members the briefing's preceding small private target required will, by my preceding preference, be added across the next two months.* > > *I will return — by my own preceding preference — by the careful preceding small private hour of one further month, with the careful preceding small private maps and the careful preceding small private final intelligence.* > > *— Cousin Su Wenfu, by the careful preceding small private hour of the third month of summer.*

Su Yan read the report twice.

He inclined his head, in the lantern-light of the writing room.

He inked the brush.

He wrote, on a clean half-sheet of plain rice paper, a single short reply:

> *Cousin. The careful preceding small private location is — by my preceding read of your report — *exactly* the City of the Voiceless. By my preceding preference, *do not approach* further. Return by the careful preceding small private hour of one further month, with all maps and final intelligence. The careful preceding small private substrate-trace gathering will, by my preceding preference, be conducted by *Linglong and me* in the careful preceding small private autumn.* > > *Until then, by my preceding preference, *be careful*.* > > *— Su Yan.*

He sent it.

The summer of the kingdom of Beicang's preceding small private year — by the careful preceding small private hour of three months of careful preceding small private quiet preceding small private active preceding work — *closed*.

The autumn was — by Su Yan's small careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *the careful preceding small private hour of the City of the Voiceless*.