"Ah.  Yeah, we don't have anything strictly limited and also mandatory.  It's mostly teachers, and I guess some politics stuff regarding not looking like we're gathering the forces to start a fight.  We also don't have unique unlearnable powers- all cultivators could learn to use all techniques if it weren't for sects keeping certain techniques secret and only teaching their own disciples."

"...oh, because you're warriors normally, right. Gods do fight sometimes but we don't normally use our followers to do it, and it'd be strange to optimize acolytes for that. I guess you aren't much like acolytes, though."

"Do you have flights often?" She flicks her tail concernedly against his back.

"There's something every decade or so.  Two sons of a sect leader both trying to be the one to take over after he dies, or sects all ganging up on one that's done something forbidden and terrible.  Add in some fights against individuals - the main job of cultivation sects is to solve supernatural problems, and normally that's monsters and undead and curses, but sometimes its rogue cultivators who decide they want to join bandit gangs.

"Most recent was the Sunshot Campaign.  The Qishan Wen sect was the biggest sect around and had been for centuries.  Then they decided that all of the other sects needed to be wiped out.  They burned several sect residences, including Lotus Pier.  If you were curious about the wreckage, it was them.  The other sects - Yunmeng Jiang, Qinghe Nie, Gusu Lan, most of the minor ones not too cowed by the Wen, but mostly not the Lanling Jin who stood by and watched until the very last push when victory was basically already assured - all gathered to defeat them.  That's what we've all been doing the past two years.  

"Now, Wen Ruohan is dead, so we're back home.  That should be the end of it for a while.  I hope so, anyway."

"I hope so too."

"I'll have to think about what I'll want to do about that sort of thing, if it's happening that regularly," she adds thoughtfully.

"It doesn't seem common to us, though that might be because we don't have anything better to compare it to."

He spots a boat he recognizes and gets sidetracked onto one of the docks.  Except it's not a sidetrack, because Wei Wuxian is supposed to be sharing news.  Informing someone at the docks is going to help with that.  If he tells at least one person in each place, they can spread the information around. "Uncle!" Wei Wuxian calls.  Not a real biological or legal uncle, but a term of familiarity.

The worker, a middle-aged man with a short neat beard, glances over.  Even without looking he ties the boat to the dock with a practiced ease.  "Ah, if it isn't Wei-gongzi.  It's good to see you."

Wei Wuxian peers at the boat.  "Did you bring anything interesting today?"

"If you think roof tiles are interesting, young master.  Which I suppose you do- you cultivators, always clambering about over the roofs.  But if you came looking for snacks you'll have to wait for another day."

Wei Wuxian pouts at the inedible tiles.  "Lotus Pier has a new neighbor."  He gestures to the cat on his shoulder.  "This is Deviskaryl. She's a god from probably-another-world, and now also the forest just over that way."  He points in the vague direction of where he'd been.

"It's good to meet you. I might not spend much time by the river, but we're setting up a mail system, you can talk to me there if you'd like."

The sailor's eyebrows raise at the talking cat for a moment before he bows.  "This one is honored to make your acquaintance," he says.  He's not sure what he'd personally go to visit for, though it's nice to be invited.  "I'll be sure to pass around the information."  That being what Wei-gongzi likely told him for - news travels on the river just as much as any other cargo.  A god would need to get their name out to potential worshipers. 

He winds up asking similar clarifying questions as the farmers, mostly.  Wei Wuxian chimes in with the answers he knows.

"How many mail stations are you going to make?"

"Half a dozen seems comfortable to start with, and I'd consider two or three times that many in the longer run - maybe more, depending on how I settle in here, but I wouldn't want you to count on it."

"However many you wish to make will be appreciated.  Us sailors can handle the final stretches between towns from there."

"I'm glad to hear it; it's good to be able to work with others."

He agrees wholeheartedly.  "There's been enough strife around these parts for a lifetime.  I'm happy that things seem to be getting back to normal.  Especially since one of my nieces is about the right age to be considered as a potential disciple, and my brother has asked me to bring her after the spring planting is done."

A mule-led cart has come up behind them, and while the man leading it is being patient and respectful it's also clear that he's waiting for the cultivator to leave.  The sailor looks over, then turns to Wei Wuxian.  "It looks like it's time for me to get back to unloading this cargo.  It was good to see you again, Young Master Wei, and good to meet you Goddess Deviskaryl."  He bows.

Wei Wuxian bows back (shallowly, so as to not unseat the cat on his shoulder). 

She clings, carefully, rather than jump down. 

"I'm curious," she says after a minute. "What kind of acolyte power would you want, if you could have one?"

Wei Wuxian hems and haws, avoiding answering the question.  "How could I possibly have an opinion on the best acolyte power when I don't know all of the acolyte powers that have ever existed?" but also: "And I'm sure that pretty much any acolyte power would be useful, in creative enough hands."

There are, in fact, abilities that Wei Wuxian very much wishes he had. 

"I didn't ask about the best power," she says, amusement clear in her voice. "That's healing, and I may settle for it, if you don't have other gods here offering it. I think it's a little boring, though. It's fine for everyone but not really great for anyone."

"Ooh, healing.  That does sound like a good power to have around, especially if it can do things cultivation can't do.  Regrowing limbs, for example.  Even just having enough of it to go around that everyone can get it would be great.

"It's not the sort of thing I've ever considered doing, before.  My thing was always being out in haunted caves chasing after monsters, or in the workshop tinkering with new inventions.  But - traveling around, helping people in such a direct way... I suppose I could see myself doing something like that.  I do love having an excuse to go around talking to new people, after all."

There is a hollow place in Wei Wuxian's future, where he'd always expected going out and continuing to fight monsters would be. 

"I could work something for regrowing limbs into a different power, I think." She twitches her tail thoughtfully. "The problem with a healing power is that I like to switch mine around every generation, so I don't want anything that people will depend on too much. But maybe if you have your own healing and I'm just filling in a gap it'll be fine."

"It hadn't occurred to me, but it makes sense that you might want to switch them up now and then.  I'd certainly want to!  Doing the same thing all the time would get pretty boring.  I'll keep thinking on it."

In the meantime - they've headed up the path and have come back into Lotus Pier itself.  There's a pair of guards who let Wei Wuxian in with a shallow bow and greeting of 'Da-shixiong'.  Immediately visible within are what look to be warehouses and silos.  

"And we're in Lotus Pier itself again!  Though still not the prettiest parts.  Cultivators need a lot of the same stuff that the mundane do.  Not everything can be meditation gardens and training fields," he says, playing at looking apologetic. 

"Oh, it's the same at home, don't worry. The only thing people like less than the smelly trades is not having them." She looks around, clinging carefully to his robes.