87: The Deeper Teaching
The deeper teaching began at the second hour past dawn on the first morning of the third month back.
Lin Wanyue had set the small writing-table aside. She had, by her preceding preference, cleared the small careful preceding floor of the writing room and laid, in its place, a small careful preceding mat of pale clean grey wool — the cultivator's seat for two practitioners.
Su Yan sat opposite her.
Linglong, by his mother's preceding preference, attended at the cushion against the eastern wall.
"Yan-er." His mother's voice was low. "By my preceding preference, the careful preceding small private hour of the next ten months will, by my own bookkeeping, *teach* you the careful preceding small private substance the kingdom of Beicang's standing cultivation manuals do not, by their preceding work, contain. The careful preceding small private substance is — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping the Aleph-line has kept for the careful preceding small private hour of perhaps thirty thousand years — *the careful preceding small private hour of the Cage*."
She paused.
"You have," she said, "by your own preceding read of the cellar's preceding small private history books, encountered the careful preceding small private name. You have not, by my preceding read, encountered the careful preceding small private *full preceding small private description*. By my own preceding preference, the careful preceding small private description is — *the careful preceding small private foundation* upon which your preceding small private next several years of preceding small private cultivation will, by my preceding read, *depend*."
Su Yan inclined his head — small, formal.
"Mother."
"The cosmos," she said, in her low even voice, "is — *a prison*."
The careful preceding small private silence of the writing room held for a long count.
"It is," she said, "by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping the Aleph-line has assembled across thirty thousand years, *constructed*. By beings the careful preceding small private Aleph-line calls — *Architects*. The careful preceding small private Architects have built the careful preceding small private cosmos in *layered cells*. Each cell is a careful preceding small private *world*. Each world is calibrated by the Architects' preceding small private design to *appear*, by every careful preceding small private interior read, as *the entire universe* to its preceding small private inhabitants. Each world is, by its preceding small private structure, *capped* — by a careful preceding small private upper boundary the cell's preceding small private inhabitants cannot, by any preceding small private cultivation calibrated within that cell, *cross*."
She paused.
"The careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang," she said, "is — by my preceding read of every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *one careful preceding small private continent of one mortal-tier cell*. The careful preceding small private mortal-tier cell is — *one of the careful preceding small private outermost cells of the careful preceding small private cosmos's preceding small private prison*. Above the mortal tier, by the careful preceding small private hour of preceding small private ascension, lies the careful preceding small private *Lower Immortal Realm*. Above that, the careful preceding small private *Mid Immortal Realm*. Above that, the careful preceding small private *Upper Immortal Realm*. Above that, the careful preceding small private *Nine Heavens of the Divine Tier*. Above that, the careful preceding small private *Warden Tier*. Above that, the careful preceding small private *Outer Court*."
She paused again.
"Each tier," she said, "is a careful preceding small private *cell*. Each cell is — by the careful preceding small private hour of every preceding small private bookkeeping the Aleph-line has kept — *guarded* by careful preceding small private *Wardens*, who have themselves — by some careful preceding small private hour of their preceding small private rise — *passed* the careful preceding small private upper boundaries of the cells beneath them and have, by some careful preceding small private private agreement with the careful preceding small private Architects, *taken* the careful preceding small private hour of *guarding the cells they have left*. The careful preceding small private Wardens are — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *the careful preceding small private agents of the careful preceding small private Architects' preceding small private design*."
Su Yan held very still.
"Beneath the careful preceding small private cosmos's preceding small private cells," his mother said, "at the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private deepest preceding small private layer beneath even the careful preceding small private mortal tier, lies — *the careful preceding small private Convict*."
She paused.
"The Convict is — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping the Aleph-line has kept — *the careful preceding small private being the careful preceding small private cosmos was constructed to contain*. The careful preceding small private Architects built the careful preceding small private cells to *imprison* the Convict. The careful preceding small private cells are, in their careful preceding small private function, *nested barriers*. The careful preceding small private further from the Convict a cell sits, by the careful preceding small private hour of the design, the *more secure* the careful preceding small private barrier."
She inhaled.
"The careful preceding small private Aleph-line," she said, "is — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping I have, by my own preceding small private private preference, assembled across the careful preceding small private hour of fifty years of my own preceding small private preceding study — *descended* from the careful preceding small private *fragments* of the careful preceding small private Convict's preceding small private essence. By the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private Architects' preceding small private original construction, the careful preceding small private Convict's preceding small private essence — *bled* into the careful preceding small private cells. The careful preceding small private bleeding produced — by some careful preceding small private accident the careful preceding small private Architects had not preceding-time anticipated — the careful preceding small private *Aleph-line*. We are, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *the careful preceding small private Convict's children*."
The careful preceding small private writing room held very still.
"The careful preceding small private Hollow Veil," Lin Wanyue said, "is — by the careful preceding small private hour of every careful preceding small private bookkeeping I have assembled in nine years and three months of preceding small private central facility custody — *the careful preceding small private chain of careful preceding small private cells' preceding small private agents who have been instructed, by the careful preceding small private Wardens above them, to *hunt the careful preceding small private Aleph-line and prevent its preceding small private members from rising to the careful preceding small private upper tiers*. The careful preceding small private Wardens have decided — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — that the careful preceding small private Aleph-line, if permitted to rise, will — by the careful preceding small private hour of the rise — *threaten* the careful preceding small private Architects' preceding small private original design."
She paused.
"They are, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping," she said, "*correct*."
Su Yan inhaled, slowly.
He did not, by his preceding preference, allow his face to register what the careful preceding small private hour was.
"Mother."
"Yes, Yan-er."
"By your preceding read, am I — by the careful preceding small private hour of my own preceding small private substrate — *capable* of rising to the careful preceding small private upper tiers."
She held his eyes for the count of perhaps five breaths.
She inclined her head — small, formal.
"By my own preceding read of your preceding small private substrate at this hour, Yan-er — *yes*. By the careful preceding small private hour of perhaps thirty years of preceding small private continued cultivation, you will — by my preceding read — *be capable*. The careful preceding small private hour of your preceding small private rise will — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *threaten* the careful preceding small private Architects' preceding small private design. The careful preceding small private Wardens will — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *attempt* to prevent it. The careful preceding small private Hollow Veil — *and* the careful preceding small private Wardens' preceding small private direct agents above the Veil — will, in the careful preceding small private hour of the careful preceding small private next thirty years, *come* for you."
She paused.
"They will, by my preceding read, *fail* — *if* you, by your own preceding preference, *do not climb alone*."
She inclined her head.
"The careful preceding small private *Aeon* the careful preceding small private will-fragment in your preceding small private Mirror — *my predecessor in the careful preceding small private title* — *climbed alone*. She failed. Her preceding small private failure produced the careful preceding small private *Aeon Rebellion of thirty thousand years ago* — by which the careful preceding small private Wardens *culled* the careful preceding small private Aleph-line by an order of magnitude. The careful preceding small private hour of her preceding small private failure has, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping of the careful preceding small private past thirty thousand years, *taught* every successor she has had — by the careful preceding small private hour of one final marginal note in her preceding small private will-fragment's preceding small private last entry: *Don't be alone.* — *not* to climb alone."
She paused.
"You, Yan-er, by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping I have read in nine years and three months — *will not be alone*. You have — by the careful preceding small private hour of nineteen months of preceding small private preparation — *built* the careful preceding small private faction the careful preceding small private rise will require. You have — by the careful preceding small private hour of nineteen months — *built* the careful preceding small private alliance with the careful preceding small private royal house of the careful preceding small private kingdom of Beicang. You have — by the careful preceding small private hour of nineteen months — *received* the careful preceding small private alliance of the careful preceding small private Crown Prince of Eastern Yan. You have — by the careful preceding small private hour of one Frost Lotus Sect substrate scholarship exchange — *opened* the careful preceding small private channel of one further sect's preceding small private quiet support. You have — by the careful preceding small private hour of one teahouse meal at the western edge of the royal city — *gained* the careful preceding small private teaching of one Heavenly Immortal who has, by his own preceding preference, agreed to *come for you in the careful preceding small private hour of any preceding small private threat the kingdom of Beicang cannot, by its preceding standing arrangement, address*."
She inhaled.
"You will, by my preceding read, *not climb alone*. You will — by every careful preceding small private bookkeeping — *succeed*."
The careful preceding small private writing room held still for a long count.
Su Yan inclined his head — small, formal.
"Mother. By my own preceding preference, *thank you*."
"By my own preceding preference, Yan-er. By every preceding bookkeeping. *Climb*."
The careful preceding small private first morning of the deeper teaching closed.
The careful preceding small private hour of the next ten months — by the careful preceding small private hour of one mother's preceding small private private description of the careful preceding small private cosmos's preceding small private structure — *opened*.