"Hierarchy is everything," Lucy's voice resounded inside the bathing chamber, "Granted by seniority and status. You are the last to join the Pale Moon Sect, so everyone is a Senior for you."
Liam bathed while absorbing those words. The water falling on his head was strangely warm, removing all the dirt accumulated since leaving the Divine Cult's hideout.
"Disciples are split into outer, inner, and core disciples," Lucy's voice resounded from the rocky corridor again, "In order of increasing relevance, expected respect, and resources the Sect invests in them."
The gaps in Liam's knowledge steadily shrank, keeping him silent and prolonging his bath.
"You are an outer disciple now, like me," Lucy explained. "We tend to be on our own, expected to earn our stay. The Sect issues a mission board every week with tasks we can complete to earn contribution points, which we can exchange for resources and services."
Liam didn't need additional explanations to grasp the topic's depth.
Just like with animals sharing an environment, competition for resources was the norm. Even hunters fell into that category, and Liam had been part of that game for years.
Liam had counted over fifty disciples among his test's audience, which the Sect probably didn't match with fifty available tasks, fostering competition, and making Lucy's general wariness about the cultivation world gain even more sense.
"But," Lucy continued, "With your talent, you'll become an inner, and even core, disciple in no time and move to the Sect's upper plateaus. The current dispositions are just a way to give the Elders time to decide what to do with you."
"I'd rather stay with you," Liam admitted, leaving the warm pool to approach the folded pale-grey robe resting next to it.
"I heard caves in the upper plateaus have private baths," Lucy chuckled. "Inner disciples receive better resources and techniques freely. Core disciples are even groomed for positions of leadership inside the Sect."
Liam stopped dressing up, blinking. That did indeed sound good, but something was missing from Lucy's explanation.
"Elder June said she'd take me as her personal disciple," Liam recalled. "Is that better?"
"That depends on the Elder's status inside the Sect," Lucy sighed, "And it wasn't out of the goodness of her heart."
Liam finished donning the new robe, retrieved his knives, pouch, and square container with the Divine Cult's drug, and carefully hid it.
"The Elders' hierarchy is mostly about status," Lucy explained. "Most Elders only work inside specific divisions. The Halls leaders are above them, and the Sect Leader is above them all."
"So," Liam concluded, "Disciplinary Elder Logan is more important than Elder June and Elder Lewis?"
"That also depends on the Hall's relevance inside the Sect," Lucy pointed out, "But generally, yes."
Liam reached for the corridor now, finding Lucy at its center, who turned to show him her serious expression.
"A promising disciple also increases an Elder's status," Lucy revealed. "Nine spiritual roots are a miracle of the Heavens. The Elders wanted you to improve their status inside the Sect."
"Oh," Liam exclaimed, lowering his gaze. Everything made even more sense now, especially Lucy's warnings about the cultivation world.
Everyone looked out for themselves. No one truly cared about Liam. Personal gains were everything. Such was the nature of the cultivation world, and probably, the world in general.
"But the Sect Leader intervened to protect you and prevent infighting," Lucy reassured, smiling. "Now, look at you, a proper disciple of the Pale Moon Sect."
Liam's gaze snapped up, only to go down again. He lifted his arms and stretched, finding that clean robe extremely comfortable and spiritually warm.
After having no real home for over ten years, Liam finally belonged somewhere. The Sect sounded complicated, cynical, and slightly cruel, but it was a home nonetheless.
"Let me see a formal greeting now," Lucy jokingly ordered, showing what Liam had to do. "Cup your fist and bow down slightly. The right fist symbolizes respect and politeness, while the left fist is for enmity and killing intent."
Liam nodded and imitated Lucy, cupping his right fist, bowing down, but peeking at her to check he was performing the greeting correctly.
"Now, say my name," Lucy prompted. "Always the status first in respect to your status."
"Senior Sister Lucy?" Liam said.
"Greetings, Junior Brother Liam," Lucy exclaimed. "Today's cold truly invigorates the spirit."
Liam lost Lucy at that point, but she chuckled, breaking her bow to explain herself. "Those are pleasantries, casual ways to start a conversation. Though I don't think they suit you."
Liam shook his head, completely agreeing with Lucy. Knowing himself, he would end up saying something stupid or easily misunderstood if he tried.
"Come," Lucy invited. "Let's do something for your hair."
Lucy led Liam back to the hut, where a comb was already resting on a step. Liam sat there, and Lucy went behind him, beginning to address the nest that was his messy hair.
"But face is something that you must understand," Lucy casually announced while straightening Liam's hair. "Reputation is paramount. Do you remember the Disciplinary Elder's threats yesterday?"
"The whole getting insulted thing?" Liam wondered, keeping his head still against the many knots the comb straightened.
"That was the Elder's way of giving you a chance to apologize," Lucy explained. "Even if you weren't wrong, your opinion as an outsider didn't matter."
Liam connected what Lucy said to the way the two Uncles had started to behave after discovering that he was a cultivator. They humiliated themselves while praising Liam, greatly exaggerating those compliments in the hope of getting spared.
The two men were mortals, so Liam understood that the issue went beyond the cultivation world. He had never interacted with people much, so he had never learned about those customs.
"Maybe it's better if I don't speak at all," Liam concluded.
"Probably," Lucy laughed, putting down the comb. "Come on. Show me."
Liam stood up and turned, running a hand in his still-wet hair. He had forgotten the last time it had been so smooth, but Lucy's stunned expression soon claimed his attention.
"Is there something wrong?" Liam asked, but Lucy failed to answer immediately, needing some time to absorb the scene.
The pale-grey robe wasn't as tight as the black one, but Liam's impressive frame stood out nonetheless. Now that he didn't look like he had crawled out of a hole, Lucy could also begin to appreciate his facial features, which weren't bad at all.
Liam wasn't exactly handsome, but he had a strong face reeking of feral danger. Now that his hair was more human and elegant, the two created an interesting, almost magnetic conflict.
"You are a man, alright," Lucy muttered, almost to herself. Due to Liam's blinding traits, it was easy to see him as a little brother, but Lucy knew she couldn't anymore.
"I guess there are worse Brothers I could be rumored to have a relationship with," Lucy commented at Liam's evident confusion.
"Are there rumors about us?" Liam questioned.
"I spent the night in your cave and came out with my hair undone," Lucy pointed out. "What did you expect people to think?"
"Is that what it looked like?" Liam wondered, not really thinking too much about it. He knew how those things worked. Adrian would never shut up about it, but his experience with women was basically non-existent, limited to his dead big sister.
Truth be told, Liam never had the time to consider romance growing up, and his situation hadn't changed now. It wasn't that he didn't like Lucy or didn't find her attractive. The opposite, actually, but his life had so much going on, he could hardly spare room in his mind for that.
Also, by basically growing up in the mountains, Liam was close to a complete newborn in that part of human life. He would have to grow socially before those topics could gain any relevance in his mind.
On the other hand, Lucy felt a bit peeved by how casually Liam had taken the news. She had half-expected him to address it. His nonchalance almost appeared like a dismissal of her good looks, but she knew better.
"On this topic," Lucy mentioned, her tone growing serious. "I might benefit from this, too. Since everyone thinks we are close, the Elders might approach me in the hope of getting to you."
"That's good for you, isn't it?" Liam asked, smiling. Now that he sort of realized how important he could be, he understood that Lucy could benefit from his status, too.
"Won't you feel used?" Lucy wondered. "I'd become what I told you to be wary of."
"I feel like I already owe you a lot," Liam admitted. "I'm glad I can repay you somehow."
Lucy didn't see an ounce of lie in Liam's words, tone, or face. He almost looked too innocent for the cultivation world, but a genuine smile broadened on her face anyway.
Lucy also felt some timid warmth, spotting proper manliness in Liam's strong face, but he didn't need to know about that.
"I scratch your back, and you scratch mine then," Lucy happily exclaimed.
"My back doesn't really itch, though," Liam said, immediately suppressing Lucy's timid warmth, making her heave an exasperated sigh.