~~~

“I believe you should be the empress.”

Lu Mei slowly puts down her book. Whatever she might have expected when Xiao Shuang entered her room, it was certainly not this.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I believe you should be the empress,” Xiao Shuang repeats.

“That is…” Exactly what she is after, but hearing it voiced by her main competitor makes her naturally suspicious. “Exceedingly generous of you. Might I ask where this generosity stems from?"

“It is not generosity but basic observation,” Xiao Shuang replies. “I have been noticing it ever since we arrived here. You know all the relevant people in court and have several allies among them. You make deals, compromise, and push your goals with ease. You understand their enmities and history. In short, you understand the empire in a way I do not.”

Lu Mei’s first reaction is not to feel flattered by Xiao Shuang’s summation. That comes later. Instead, she worries that Xiao Shuang has been observing her so closely that she noticed all of that without her realizing it.

“While all of that is true, I have been here for a couple of years now," Lu Mei points out. “There is no point in comparing our progress.”

“It’s more than that,” Xiao Shuang says. “You have been raised to be good at these things. While my training did not omit matters of diplomacy, the emphasis was always on my cultivation.”

Lu Mei suspected as much. She cannot even say it was the wrong choice for Xiao Shuang’s training to be structured that way. From the perspective of the Divine Frozen Palace, Xiao Shuang had centuries to learn about all manner of things. It was better to capitalize on her cultivation so she’d make an impact on the Crimson Cloud Tournament and focus on other things later.

“You still have time to learn,” she says.

“Maybe so, but I do not have the inclination to do so. Right now, I am needed as a warrior first, and I accept that. It’s best for me to hone those gifts. Besides, I do not enjoy lying and scheming, while you seem naturally gifted. Despite being far weaker than I, the role of empress suits you best.”

Lu Mei’s eyebrow twitches.

“You really let your tongue loose there,” she says

"Perhaps," Xiao Shuang says, flashing her a small smile.

“The Divine Frozen Palace would take offense if I became empress," Lu Mei says, wondering why she's not agreeing to this already.

“That might be an issue, but the empire needs an empress,” Xiao Shuang says. “Things are well now, but once open hostilities begin, it will become necessary. Our husband will be spread too thin. The Empire needs another figure. We agreed we’d decide between us, and I believe this is the best choice.”

A vein throbs on Lu Mei’s forehead. It is not that Xiao Shuang is saying anything wrong. Indeed, Lu Mei always assumed she’d eventually become empress for all the reasons Xuao Shuang just listed, but something about this just annoys her.

“No,” Lu Mei says.

Xiao Shuang tilts her head. “No?”

“I could say something about how my father’s wife would get unreasonably angry and probably send assassins after me again, which would complicate things with the Eternal Flame Clan, but that’s not it,” Lu Mei says, before pointing a finger at Xiao Shuang. “You’re thinking you can dump all the responsibility on me and become an empty-headed fool like Bei Hong! I don’t like that!”

“I am doing what is most prudent,” Xiao Shuang counters, crossing her arms. “You’re being needlessly contrarian.”

“You think focusing only on your cultivation is what is most prudent? He already has Emperors helping him. Will one more strong person really make a difference?” Lu Mei asks. When she sees the small flinch on Xiao Shuang’s face, she smiles. It all finally makes sense. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a secret that I want to ease his burden,” Xiao Shuang replies.

There is an odd weight to that statement. Xiao Shuang's Dao. Hearth. It might sound innocuous, but the ways in which Xiao Shuang's mind works to preserve it are anything but. She picks a course and follows it through with bullish intensity. That might satisfy Xiao Shuang, but it won’t satisfy Lu Mei’s Greed.

“Me becoming the empress won't do it. Not in the way you think,” Lu Mei counters, an idea already taking shape in her mind.

“Oh, then what do you suppose will help? Do you mean to make me the empress instead?”

“Never,” Lu Mei says, before smiling. “However, what will ease his burdens is not you becoming another overwhelmingly powerful person. If you mean to stand at his side, then it would not be the worst thing if you learned a few things. In fact, you must. You are a wife of the Emperor. It's forbidden for you to be clueless about matters of state."

She offers Xiao Shuang a chair.

“Sit down,” Lu Mei says, smiling. “I think it is time you learned the fine art of politics.”

“I suddenly regret coming here.”

~~~

“You look terrible, Boss.”

Liu Jin smiles weakly as Su Daji lets herself into his room. She’s caught him at a bad time. He has just reassimilated the flesh and soul from the copy he sent to investigate Serene End. The memories of the flesh, which his copy pushed to limits Liu Jin never had before, combined with the damage lingering in his soul from modifying Xiao Nan’s meridians, made the experience far more unpleasant than he expected. His skin is pale and sweaty, and the taste of blood lingers in his mouth.

“I did not expect you here so soon,” he says.

“That’s a lie. There’s no way you expected us to stay in that boring place until your copy finished helping those two,” she replies before pointing at him. “And don’t try to change the subject! I knew I’d find you like this! I knew it!”

She stomps over to a small table by the corner and picks up the teakettle there. A flash of her Qi heats it up.

“It is not as bad as it looks,” he says as she all but shoves a steaming cup into his hands.

“No, you tripping and falling on your face when you were a kid trying to learn that movement technique was not as bad as it looked,” Su Daji says. “This is bad. The soul is not a toy. I know that better than anyone.”

Right, the Su Daji that exists before him is the product of two souls being pushed well past any reasonable boundary. The original Daji might have chosen that, but Su An was simply caught in the circumstances.

“I’ll be sure to keep your words in mind,” Liu Jin says, taking a sip from his drink. Tea always calms him. “Creating another soul fragment, especially as I am now, was too reckless. I’ll not do it again.”

Su Daji looks at him suspiciously before nodding.

“Good,” she says. “Did you get something good out of it?”

“Serene End told me where to find the disciples of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows,” he replies, drinking more tea.

“Oh,” Su Daji says. “You know she’s just trying to use you to kill them, right?”

“Of course,” Liu Jin says.

Regardless of what Serene End might have said about the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak, the truth is that all three powers of the other side of the Dead Plains exist under a tenuous peace. They cannot directly attack one another, so she cannot be the one who kills the disciples of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows.

However, there is no problem for her if he is the one who does it.

“Are you going to do it?” Su Daji asks.

Liu Jin takes another sip from his cup before answering.

“I’d prefer it if it doesn’t come to that,” Liu Jin replies. “It will all depend on what they plan to do.”

Had Serene End wanted to, she could have destroyed a city or two without him being able to do anything about it. She hadn’t because there would have been no way to obtain his willing cooperation after a stunt like that. However, there is nothing like that holding back the disciples of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows. If they mean to do harm to his citizens, he will have no choice.

This would have never happened if he hadn’t revealed himself.

Su Daji frowns and pokes him in the forehead. Well, she tries to. The palace immediately puts up a barrier that stops her offending finger half an inch away.

“That’s just unfair,” she says, trying and failing to push her finger past the remaining distance. “Boss, drop this so I can poke you.”

Liu Jin takes another sip. “No, I don’t think I will.”

“Cheater! Coward!” She puffs her cheeks. “Anyway, this is all your fault. You already know that.”

Liu Jin blinks. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me not to dwell on dark thoughts?”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I keep you honest and away from dumb thoughts, Boss,” Su Daji says. “It’s a heavy duty, but it is mine. When you told me what you planned to do, I told you it was dumb. I’d be surprised if there was someone who knew and didn’t tell you that at one point or another.”

Liu Jin decides not to answer because he’d just be proving her right.

“However, you thought differently. You decided to listen to yourself rather than the rest of us. Why?”

“Because it was what was needed,” Liu Jin says. “Had I not done anything, I would have gained maybe a decade or two before Cao Bian acted, but that would have meant allowing Cao Bian to act unhindered for that long. He would have just kept accumulating advantages. I’m not sure if I could have stopped him. The Crimson Cloud Tournament presented the perfect opportunity. It caught everyone by surprise and left them all unbalanced.”

Liu Jin allows himself a small smile.

“Even now, they are not sure how to act. Just because the Death Fashioning Scripture wants me alive, they are on the verge of conflict with the Temple of the Thousand Shadows. That’s more than I could have hoped to do on my own. I might have put myself and others in danger… but if I can stop the entire continent from being overrun, the price is well worth it.”

“Well, there you go,” Su Daji says, shrugging. “You’re a terrible, unrepentant tyrant. At least, try to enjoy yourself. I’ll let you brush my tails if you want.”

Liu Jin laughs when she offers one of her tails to him.

“That seems more like a reward for you,” he says. “Did you enjoy your trip to the Dead Plains?”

“It was terrible,” she answers without hesitation. “It’s boring to stay in those Flame-Wheeled Wagons for so many hours, and awkward having to listen to you and that Big Sister woman talk. The temple was creepy, and so was the Lotus guy. The monsters in the Dead Plains were all ugly, and there’s nothing fun to do there. Your bird stole my prey, and we got ambushed! I don’t think I even talked to Xiao Nan. He might as well be a stranger to me now.”

“Do you want to do it again?”

“Maybe. A little,” Su Daji admits, sitting down next to Liu Jin. “When I was with that…woman, she told me a person is defined by the choices they make. That’s why she put me through a bunch of terrible scenarios to force me to make choices, but that’s the thing. It was all forced, so you can’t really call them my choices, can you? But if it's like that, then who am I?”

She sighs. Her tails wrap around her body to give her warmth. Liu Jin’s hand falls on her shoulder.

“After the tournament, I went with you. That wasn’t just to be away from her. It felt natural. It felt like I couldn’t not go with you. However, going to the Dead Plains was something I actually chose to do on my own. I felt like doing it, so I did it. I never had that privilege before, Boss. I want to do that again. I want to see more places. I want to do things, choose things. I even want to see what’s on the other side of the barrier. Not now, obviously. Not this century. But maybe one day. Does that bother you?”

Liu Jin thinks it over.

“Not really,” Liu Jin says. “Does that mean I can expect you to leave soon?”

“Not really,” she says, echoing his response. Her tail wraps around his hand. “I am exactly where I want to be right now. Besides, if I left, you’d probably become the most stressed man on the continent. That’d be no fun.”

“I don’t know,” Liu Jin says. “I am pretty sure I’d have some competition.”

~~~

Ruan Chenshu has never been quite this stressed in his life before.

Killing Ruan Haoran, in addition to bringing him some joy, was absolutely necessary. However, though the Elders of the Ruan Clan were quite content to let him take the lead on that matter, they have proven considerably less inclined to allow him to hold the reins of the clan. The past weeks have been full of pointless meetings, shameless excuses, and empty power-grabbing from a pack of old fools that might serve the world better if they left it.

If not for the Grand Council, Ruan Chenshu would be sorely tempted to help them with that. The Grand Council is a gathering of every major person in the Endlessly Raging Valley: Elders, Branch Masters, and more. The last time one was held was a little over half a decade ago, so there usually wouldn't be another one for a hundred years. However, things have changed.

All because of Emperor Qing Jin.

In a world shaped by people who believe a century is little more than the blink of an eye, it is hard to believe a child of less than two decades can have any meaningful impact. Yet, that child is the one who set everything in motion. Masters with centuries of experience have been left scrambling about like children due to his actions in the Crimson Cloud Tournament.

It is infuriating, but if not for that child, Ruan Chenshu wouldn't have this opportunity. Due to a lack of a better candidate, he has been chosen to represent the Ruan Clan in the Grand Council. It is not a permanent position, but if he can capitalize on it, it can become one.

Thus, Ruan Chenshu plays his role. He meets the right people and speaks the right words, using every opportunity to secure his power.

Then, the night comes.

Under the cover of darkness, he is gathered by the Green Tiger Squadron. The Elders told him this would happen. In fact, if not for this one thing, he would have probably never been chosen for this duty. This is what made all those power-hungry Elders too afraid. However, he is not like them. Ruan Chenshu believes in himself. Thus, he allows himself to be led to the highest point in the Endlessly Raging Valley. To the Room of the Secret Wind.

As soon as he enters, he stops and stares.

“Your ladyship!”

“Ruan Chenshu, I see you have made progress.”

“How like a Ruan to make us wait.”

Lady Ding is already seated at the table. The woman eyes him with cool disdain that has been learned, practiced, and mastered. However, she is not the focus of Ruan Chenshu’s attention. That would be the person to her left. Her Qi is as low as he has ever felt it, yet Ruan Chenshu could never possibly mistake the Wandering Wind.

She has a black eye.

The woman looks at him as though nothing is wrong, but the bruise in her eye remains unchanged. Once Ruan Chenshu's gaze can finally move past it, he can detect several other smaller injuries on her body. Not a single one of them makes sense to him. The Wandering Wind is a Divinity. A young one, perhaps, but a Divinity still. She could let him cut her head off, and it’d simply regrow because he lacks the necessary power to wound her in any meaningful way.

Only another Divinity could have done this, yet such a clash would have been impossible to miss.

No, that’s still not the real issue.

Why does she look so satisfied?

“Will you sit already?” Lady Ding asks. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

Her annoyance and antagonism are expected. That Lady Ding is willing to talk like this in the Wandering Wind’s presence is not. Indeed, the Wandering Wind smiles at the woman.

“You’re so much more interesting like this. Why is it fear that must drag out what little courage you have?”

Lady Ding glares at her, yet she does not dare insult the Wandering Wind.

“What a pity,” the Wandering Wind says. “It’s not enough, is it? Oh well, take a seat, Ruan Chenshu. I still have some hopes for you.”

Those are very ominous words. Ruan Chenshu feels like fleeing would be the smartest thing to do, but he walks to the table instead. It is a round thing made of ancient wood with four seats around it, each one marked by a different symbol: a swordsman, a pheasant, a mouse, and a child. The Wandering Wind is on the seat of the child, and Lady Ding is on the seat of the mouse. Ruan Chenshu, much like he imagines Ruan Haoran must have done many times, takes the seat of the pheasant.

As soon as he does, the seat of the swordsman lights up, and the outline of a person appears on it. A voice soon rings in his ears.

“Ah, it seems we can begin.”

The voice sounds bookish, not at all what Ruan Chenshu expected, and yet…

It is the voice of the representative of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. Infuriatingly elusive as the Elders had been, Ruan Chenshu now understands the whole Grand Council is nothing but an excuse so this meeting can take place. The Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak gives directives, and those directives are passed down through them to the rest of the Sect.

This is the true face of the Endlessly Raging Valley.

“I see we have new faces this time. We heard about what happened to Ruan Haorong. He was a stalwart servant of the Endlessly Raging Valley. The Sect is made poorer by his passing.”

No.

That’s not his name.

Ruan Haoran was a bitter, infuriating, and stubborn old man who did not have the decency to die or step down, but he served the Ruan Clan and the Endlessly Raging Valley for centuries. Did these people not even bother to remember his name? Ruan Chenshu looks at Lady Ding and the Wandering Wind, but they do not seem surprised or angry. They are just amused. They expected. They knew.

“A pity he could not get his hands on the legacy of the Roaming Thief,” the representative from the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak says. “Things would be much easier if he had. Now, we have this mess on our hands. Dreadful. Oh well, it is what it is. If Art of the Roaming Thief were so easy to eliminate, we wouldn’t be talking about it.”

The representative clicks his tongue. Lady Ding flawlessly steps into the pause.

“The young emperor has returned to the Storm Dragon Empire. The country remains weak after its civil war, but he has powerful allies. The Eternal Flame Clan and the Divine Frozen Palace have made it clear they stand with him. The Infinite Mountain Sect has been silent on the issue, yet their inaction can be taken as a statement. If two of the four Sects side with him and another one remains neutral, we cannot possibly obtain him.”

She gives an annoyed side glance at the Wandering Wind, whose smile merely grows a little wider. The meaning is clear. If their own Divinity will not help them, then what can they possibly do against the other Great Sects? The boy emperor is annoyingly well-protected. It might have been risky, but Ruan Haoran was right in trying to kidnap him during the tournament.

“Yes, yes, very inconvenient business this one is,” the representative says. Ruan Chenshu hears the sound of a brush writing on paper. “There has been much deliberation. Her Ladyship the Wandering Wind personally let us know her opinion, and it has been decided that her suggestion has the most merit.”

“What?” Ruan Chenshu asks before he can stop himself.

“The renewal ceremony is still some years away,” the representative continues. The brush never stops writing. “It would be a problem for us if too many important bloodlines died right now. No doubt, the Death Fashioning Scripture and the Temple of the Thousand Shadows will not be as retrained, but that is within parameters. However, any mistakes they make will be up to us to capitalize on. Not you. Your part in this is over. Just… remain as you are. That would be for the best.”

“What?” Ruan Chenshu asks again. This time, he does not stop there. “You’re telling us to do nothing? To sit as though we were children?! Who do you think you are-”

He stops talking.

The sound of the brush has stopped and has been replaced by the very real feeling of a blade at his throat. There is nothing there that he can see. The representative from the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak must be on the other side of the Dead Plains.

And yet, Ruan Chenshu feels as though he could die.

“The origins of the Endlessly Raging Valley can be traced back to a disciple of the Peerless Heavenly Sword Peak. As such, we view you as younger siblings,” the representative says. “You enjoy the privileged position of receiving guidance from us, and right now, it would be best for you to heed that guidance.”

“I…” Ruan Chenshu grits his teeth.

“Do forgive him,” Lady Ding says, not taking the chance to undermine him. “The loss of Ruan Haoran has affected him dearly.”

The blade retreats.

“I suppose that’s understandable,” the representative says. “Regardless, do keep your heads down for the time being. That is all.”

The messenger vanishes. Just like that, the meeting is over.

“Good,” the Wandering Wind says as she stands up. “That was much less annoying than the last meeting.”

She pats Ruan Chenshu on the shoulder before leaving. Lady Ding only deigns him a passing glance before she does the same. In no time at all, he’s alone.

It’s the same.

It’s the damn same!

He has nearly become the head of the Ruan Clan, yet what is the point if he is still nothing but a disposable subordinate for someone who will not even bother to remember his name if he’s killed? What point was there in him being here?

What point is there in the Endlessly Raging Valley existing?

No.

He cannot think like that. This is just a setback. At least, now he knows what the actual problem is, and Xiao Yifan, for all her issues, ended up being a success. There is a path forward for him. He cannot doubt that. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

If he lacks the courage to believe in himself at this point, that just means he was an ordinary person from the start.

~~~