It's harder without that intense sensory highlight but she is definitely making progress. Slightly fumbly progress.

Then they can practice with it on again, and then off, and so on until she has it down.

She's still pretty shaky on it for anything more complicated than a single meridian, or anything fast, by sunset. Wen takes a pause to dig a burrow and wonders if Rebecca wants help making a lean-to or something.

She can erect a tent from her camping backpack from Dressing Room.

They can get more practice in by firelight before eventually turning in, then.

Wen prowls the nearby area by moonlight for a while and sleeps in the next morning. Rebecca can steadily learn to manage her meridians and breathe in spiritual qi more quickly, and even hold it there by tensing her spirit.

She's back by lunchtime, with a few wild herbs and onions that smell magically delicious in the tiny pack that stays on her back when she fox-ifies.

"What are those, spirit plants?" she wonders out loud.

"Yeah, barely, in the same way the boar was a spirit beast. More, ordinary plants that happened to draw in qi by cosmic luck." Shrug. "Ingredients for the infinite lunchbox?" Toss.

Duplicate! She tosses back a quantity of each that looks more than enough for lunch.

She idly pops a copy of one of the more leafy-looking ones in her mouth and chews.

"How do your clothes work with your transformation?" she wonders. "Your clothing vanishes with you but the pack stays on. Do you choose? What are the limits?"

"It's instinctive. It's sort of a... Folding away thing? Like spatial bags do. And it's actually quite tricky to fold away anything more than a finger-width from my skin. Thus the choice of clothes. Also they're comfy and I don't care about pretentious robes."

Nod.

"We need to get ahold of some of those spatial bags," she comments.

Lunch?

Lunch.

"We should discuss whether to stay a little while or move on. Advantages to staying: You learn more of the basics before proceeding and my patience for societal questions recovers. Advantages to going: You see pieces of the cultivation world in motion in a way I can't really... Describe. Either way, mortals looking at us will assume you're in charge but be deferential to both, and cultivators looking at us naively will assume I'm in charge, which is probably for the best at first. You'll probably surpass me at some point, but as long as I get gains from it I don't actually mind that."

"I feel I'll learn more from moving on. I can continue cultivating in the city, right, it's just I'll have less time to spend on it and there's always a small chance we run onto trouble? As you said, it'll make more sense seeing everything in action. I can restrain my societal questions, especially when my brain has something to chew on.

"We'd need a cover story for why I'm travelling together and why I'm so weak. And a policy for what exactly I need to do if someone picks a fight.

"What do you think?"

"Technically, the natural energy in the city is lesser, but we're profligately burning through spirit stones so it doesn't matter. For a fight... Let me take the lead unless there's an obvious emergency? I know how to save everyone's face. As for a story... Well, we're a pair of wandering cultivators headed vaguely in the direction of Cloudsoar City but in no hurry. We don't have to explain anything except that you're a junior. If pressed, you have a unique constitution, and no, I won't be explaining our innermost secrets to you so that's all you need to know."

"Just stand there and say nothing; got it. You mentioned before staying aloof is good for de-escalation: do I just go expressionless and try to ignore them, or is there a specific way to do it—or should I not bother trying for a particular presentation? Maybe I'm overestimating how much cultivators go around picking fights from that one bit of law I read."

"Complete passivity could read as scared or overly arrogant? More, I won't rise to that insult. It's hard to put all this into words. But the worst case isn't so terrible if we're not confronted by a powerhouse. And I'm not sure if you are or not. It's a thing. Pretty often I end up trading verbal barbs, at least."

"If we get the chance to see it happen I can watch and learn. I'll not worry too much about it."

Also, she just remembered she has Size Difference which might be able to make her look younger, but—she doesn't want to. So she won't. And, honestly, she looks twenty-something, not forty, so it's not a big deal.

"Okay. Let's clean up camp and go, then. We probably won't make Amber Hill City by sunset, but we ought to be in villages by then."

Dressing Room garbage disposal go brr

Sprinting along the dirt path! For hours!

Wen slows suddenly to peer at a line of wagons approaching in the distance.

Humanizes, and tells Rebecca, "This caravan is either heading to Clotting, where we were, or possibly a hidden village or anomaly or something else. Or planning to cut across towards the Great Swamp. We're going to offer to buy stuff from them, as a Cultivator socialization exercise. Most of these people are from the martial arts world, but I feel at least two Foundation Establishment cultivators. We're not a threat. We're not an easy target to rob. This is perfect."

"Sounds good. Anything specific or are we just browsing?"

"Just browsing."

She turns and shouts. "To the caravan, I would speak with you about the no doubt fine spiritual goods you might carry!"

A man in green robes wearing a fair bit of bling runs out ahead of the caravan. He gives a bland smile and shallow bow.

"This Sun Li is honored to make your acquaintance, wandering daoists. Though the road makes for poor hospitality, please, enlighten me as to how we can both profit from this encounter."

"I am Wen Huli, and this junior is Reb Ka. We have had some fortune in service of the Gao family, and now seek to convert our gains. I have been seeking to replenish my supply of talismans, for example?"

"Of course. We have a modest supply of utility talismans, including the Lantern Bearer and the Mirecaller's Strike."

"Hmph. I suppose the limited selection is expected so far from the capital."

"Indeed, it is regrettable. We do also have a few copies of texts we are permitted to distribute, if you seek new techniques."

"Oh? Reb Ka, what sort of techniques are you curious about?"

"Anything suitable for those of metal alignment?" And after a pause, "What depth of cultivation is the selection suited for?"

"Unfortunately our travel library only contains introductory materials for qi gathering, though of several respected disciplines, such as the Iron Skin Method."

"That's not a good method."

"Surely, you jest. Iron Skin is perfectly respectable introduction, and certainly aligned with metal."

"What, do I look like a country bumpkin? Don't waste our time with trash."

The man frowns. "For our discerning customer, we also have the initial steps of Quicksilver Movement, the Martensite Crucible Technique, and from the hand of an Elder of the Three Jades Sect for the elucidation of all, a tome on sword cultivation simply titled 'separation'."

"That's much better. I wasn't aware Martensite Crucible had a qi gathering version."

"It's an uncommon technique, more used by craftsmen than warriors, certainly, but as a merchant such things soothe the soul."

"Yes, the separation of matter and qi is useful indeed. It even has a secondary fire affinity, does it not?"

"It does."

Wen nods firmly and glances at Rebecca.

"The Quicksilver Movement and the Martensite Crucible may be useful for comparison," she says. "And while we do not walk the path of sword cultivation, a manual by an Elder of the very Three Jade Sect may be worth appreciation to broaden our horizons, no?" She flicks her eyes at Wen. "The three?"