When Lin Quenye accepted the position of Sect Mediator at Mistveil, he imagined he’d be dealing with occasional sword disputes, maybe some brooding disciples with heartache issues.
He did not expect:
- a weekly Fire Lotus duel over peach jam ownership,
- three masters who refused to be in the same room due to “a reincarnation argument,”
- and a floating meeting platform that drifted off mid-conference because someone forgot to spiritually anchor it.
He also did not expect to be the only mortal in the entire sect.
***
Mistveil Sect was known for two things: its glorious tea terraces and its absolute lack of internal chill.
Built atop a series of cloud-wrapped peaks, it had trained generations of elegant, terrifying cultivators who could slice falling leaves midair.
Unfortunately, none of them knew how to talk to each other.
That’s where Lin Quenye came in.
***
His first day began with a bellow.
— Who took my spiritual ginseng mochi?!
A junior disciple named Ren Yunu—eighteen, fiery, refused to wear his robes properly—was standing on a roof, accusing everyone below of dessert theft.
Two elders had already unsheathed their swords in “support.”
Quenye sighed.
— Let’s all step off the roof before someone achieves premature ascension.
They didn’t listen.
So he climbed up himself, handed Ren Yunu a fresh mochi from his lunchbox, and asked,
— Would it help to write a communal fridge agreement?
Ren Yunu blinked.
— Like… on paper?
— Yes. With a quill. Or blood. Your call.
***
Over time, Quenye became the sect’s unofficial therapist, dispute handler, and emergency snack provider.
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When Master Huaiyan and Master Chao went into week three of silent feuding because one accused the other of "emotional energy theft,"
Quenye brought them tea.
Then slipped truth-serum talismans into their cushions.
And gently asked, — Was the real problem spiritual betrayal… or that he kissed your sword last duel?
***
He wrote scrolls titled things like:
- Ten Steps to Not Exploding During a Lecture
- How to Share a Training Platform Without Screaming
- Apologizing With Dignity: A Guide for Sword Cultivators
He held weekly sessions titled “Monday Meditations for the Aggressively Enlightened.”
Nobody attended the first three.
Then someone brought snacks, and it became sect canon.
***
One night, after resolving a dispute involving a cursed cloak, a ghost rabbit, and three passive-aggressive scrolls, Quenye sat under the peach trees and asked himself:
— Why am I still here?
A faint, polite cough answered.
It was Elder Shan, usually silent, floating above the path like a melancholy spirit.
— Because no one else can do what you do, Lin Quenye.
— Mediate?
— No. Be reasonable while everyone else is spiritually ridiculous.
They sipped tea in silence.
Somewhere, a disciple yelled about injustice over laundry rotations.
Quenye stood.
— I’ll handle it.
***
The next year, Mistveil was named “Most Stable Sect in the Southern Peaks.”
Disciples stopped stabbing each other mid-meal.
Elders gave passive-aggressive gifts instead of curses.
A new department was founded: Interpersonal Cultivation and Emotional Alchemy.
Lin Quenye never flew, fought, or glowed.
But he kept the entire sect from collapsing.
Which, in this realm?
…Was practically divine.
—
?? Mistveil Mini-Theatre:
Conflict? We Prefer Dramatic Tension
Scene:
The floating Conflict Resolution Pavilion, which doubles as a snack storage room.
Lin Quenye sits at a low table, sipping tea.
Ren Yunu is upside-down, practicing “emotional sword balance.”
Elder Shan floats behind a bamboo screen, pretending not to listen.
QUENYE:
So. Why exactly did you try to set the sword library on fire?
REN YUNU:
It insulted my internal clarity.
QUENYE:
It’s a bookshelf.
REN YUNU:
Exactly.
ELDER SHAN (softly):
He’s not wrong.
QUENYE:
...New rule. No weaponizing metaphors.
REN YUNU:
Can I weaponize guilt?
QUENYE:
You already do. Every day.
[A peach falls from the tree. Nobody catches it. Enlightenment, delayed.]
?? Surprise Bonus:
Internal Sect Memo
??? Mistveil Sect Official Communication
From: Department of Interpersonal Cultivation
Subject: Updated Disciplinary Pathways
Dear Disciples,
Due to recent “spiritual disagreements” involving:
- The training platform foot-poke incident
- The passive-aggressive plum wine exchange
- That thing with the screaming umbrella
…please be reminded that we now resolve disputes via mediated scroll poetry or controlled silent staring, NOT through shadow duels at dawn.
Also: stop hiding snacks inside spirit beasts. The kitchen is not liable for consumption-based disappearances.
With reluctant serenity,
— Lin Quenye
but the one quietly passing out snacks and emotional stability.
and may your robe rotation never spark an actual rebellion.
See you next scroll. ?????