Daughter of the Moon Goddess

During training, Xingyin observes various types of martial arts but is drawn most to archery. Liwei teaches her how to shoot and suggests a wager: After three months of archery training, he and Xingyin will compete. The winner can command the loser for a day and the loser must follow every (reasonable) command without protest. Xingyin agrees.

While she trains, a soldier observes. The woman introduces herself as Shuxiao and offers friendly advice. Xingyin learns a little of Shuxiao’s past and family, while Shuxiao believes that Xingyin is an orphan, as does Liwei. By the end of the session, Xingyin and Shuxiao are friends.

In the evening, Liwei asks Xingyin to play the flute. He remarks that the song is much happier than the one she played at the competition. Xingyin replies that she is much happier here than she was before, though inwardly she remains homesick for the moon.

Xingyin sees a painting of a mysterious woman on Liwei’s wall: “Dark eyes gleamed from the perfect oval of her face. She sat beneath clusters of blooming wisteria, holding a bamboo embroidery frame” (87). Liwei does not provide her name but explains that he visited her as a child, until one day, she was abruptly gone. Liwei, a skilled artist, presents Xingyin with a portrait of herself in thanks for the flute performance. Xingyin accepts it, but says that it’s not necessary in the future, as her flute performances “may not be a duty but neither [are they] an exchange” (88).

Time passes, and routines develop. Xingyin goes to lessons and loves her martial arts training, though archery is her favorite. Eventually, she starts magic classes, though she is nervous about these, given her past experiences on the moon and her separation from Ping’er. While Liwei is an advanced student, Xingyin is a beginner, but eventually she progresses. Xingyin learns several important lessons about magic, including to never overextend herself and drain her energy, because to do so could be fatal. She also learns that all enchantments can be broken “if you know how” (93). This gives her hope of freeing her mother from imprisonment one day.

Xingyin advances enough to specialize in one or more Talents: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Life. There is also the “rare and powerful” Sky-fire—lightning magic—which the emperor can wield (96). Xingyin is most proficient with Air and Fire. She asks if there are any other categories, but she’s told the topic is forbidden.

Later, Liwei reveals that the forbidden Talent is Mind Magic, which can compel and control others, even immortals. Mind Talents have eyes “which glitter like cut stones” (98), and they have a bad reputation. They originated from the Cloud Wall, once part of the Celestial Kingdom. The Celestial Emperor banned the Mind Talent, leading to a rebellion and war with heavy casualties on both sides. The Mind Talents returned to the Cloud Wall, which became known as the Demon Realm. Liwei disagrees with his parents’ treatment of the Mind Talents and intends to be a different kind of ruler.

Training continues, and Xingyin increasingly values her friendship with Liwei. During their archery competition, Xingyin ties with Liwei. The tie-breaker is a moving target; Liwei wins, but just barely. Liwei says he will call in his winnings tomorrow. General Jianyun observes her progress. Xingyin spends the rest of her training practicing with moving targets.

The next morning, Liwei wakes Xingyin before dawn to sneak out of the palace. They use the same method he had when he’d found her at the river. He explains that he wanted to observe the competition candidates and see if any of them would be true friends, “untainted by ambition or greed” (107-08). He helped Xingyin because he liked her and her straightforward, determined personality.

They arrive at a traveling barter-system market, which occurs one morning every five years and has many rare and magical items. Xingyin uses a flute song to purchase a magical seashell that records sound. Liwei selects a pair of jade belt ornaments known as Sky Drop Tassels. When energy is stored in their gemstones, they will turn red if the energy-giver is in mortal peril and will lead the bearer to the endangered person. Liwei buys them, giving one with his energy to Xingyin and asking her to put her energy into his. Seeing the gold and silver energies, the stall vendor remarks that they are like “[t]he sun and the moon. A matched pair” (114).