~~~
“I must say. These are quite good.”
Yong Zhunyi has a thoughtful look on his face as he eats one of the cakes brought by the servants. He does not add ‘Your Majesty’ to the end of his sentences because Liu Jin has already asked him not to.
“The palace cooks are surprisingly good,” Liu Jin says. “Considering the state of the country, I expected far less.”
“It should not be too surprising. The powerful tend to keep those most skilled to themselves,” Yong Zhunyi says. “It’s quite tragic, really.”
Liu Jin hums in agreement as he eats his cake.
Yong Zhunyi eats in silence as well. Ye Zheyu and Shi Qingxia are behind him, the former staring straight ahead, the latter scowling and repeatedly tapping her knee.
Lei Kong stands behind Liu Jin. His aura is on alert and his body ready to take action. Lu Mei merely smiles, her eyes brimming with amusement.
“Very well,” Liu Jin says after several minutes of silence have passed. “I suppose there is only one alternative.”
“Indeed,” Yong Zhunyi says, inclining his head. “I think so as well.”
“We are in agreement, then?”
“Quite. I apologize for burdening you like this.”
“Do not worry. This is not even close to being the largest burden I have put on my shoulders.”
That is as much as Shi Qingxia can take.
“Enough!” she shouts as she stands up, her chair falling behind her. Her pointed finger alternates between the two. “You two have just been eating cakes and drinking tea! There is no way you could have discussed anything! Don’t even try to pretend you used your aura to communicate! We would have sensed it if you had!”
Lu Mei hides her laughter behind her sleeve, but that does nothing to minimize the sound. Shi Qingxia’s glare immediately turns to her.
“Did I say something funny, junior?”
“Merely amusing, my dearest senior sister,” Lu Mei replies, smirking when others would have already flinched away. “This lady now understands that even accomplished senior disciples can look like common people under the right circumstances. This one thanks you for the lesson.”
Something cracks. Probably Shi Qingxia’s self-control.
“Ha? It seems I was far too lenient the other day,” Shi Qingxia says with a positively predatory smile. “Don’t worry, junior sister. I will be thorough in my guidance this time.”
Gold shines in Lu Mei’s eyes at the same time as light flickers around Shi Qingxia.
“Sister Shi,” Yong Zhunyi says, his tone gentle. “There is no need for posturing here. We all know where we stand. Our juniors will not falter just because they’re threatened a little. You already know this, or you would not be so eager to play with them.”
Shi Qingxia crosses her arms but says nothing, leaving Liu Jin with the unsettling realization that Yong Zhunyi is right. Shi Qingxia, it seems, is the sort of person who never grew out of the habit of bullying those she likes.
“I suppose Senior Brother Yong and I could have been clearer in our conversation,” Liu Jin says in what he hopes is a sufficiently conciliatory manner. “As you all know, Senior Brother and I encountered each other in the Storm Dragon’s spatial realm during the battle…”
~~~
“I beg your pardon. I seem to have misheard you.”
“I believe you heard right,” Yong Zhuyi says. “You made an offer to us once. The time has come for us to accept it. I ask that you please remove the flesh buds from our bodies.”
Liu Jin stares at Yong Zhuyi.
Yong Zhuyi meets his gaze with resolute stoicness.
“Senior Brother, I hope you will forgive me for this, but I am not particularly inclined to trust you,” Liu Jin says. “The last time I made this offer, you were holding me hostage and were going to deliver me to whoever you answer to, the Fleshcrafter most likely.”
As he speaks, Liu Jin raises his Qi, readying himself for a potential battle. Though he is in the Earth Realm, Senior Brother Yong Zhunyi’s level is still higher, and he is far more experienced than him.
“I see.”
To Liu Jin’s complete surprise, Yong Zhuyi sits on the floor. Not only that, his Qi goes nearly inert. He is essentially leaving himself open for a single attack. It might not seem like much, but Yong Zhuyi knows Liu Jin only needs one touch to manipulate the flesh bud inside him.
“I understand your doubts,” Yong Zhuyi says, presenting his open palms to Liu Jin. “When we last met, I told you I was acting for the benefit of the Eternal Flame Clan. I could no longer stand the ways of the Feng Clan, so I could not change my path.”
“And has that changed?”
“Not at all,” Yong Zhuyi replies. “That is exactly why we can no longer remain as we are.”
It takes Liu Jin two seconds to understand the meaning behind Yong Zhuyi’s words.
“You did not know about Yuan Tao’s ancestry,” he deduces.
Yong Zhuyi nods.
“Indeed,” he says. “Years ago, I was approached by Elder Fa. He noticed my discontent and offered me an alternative. I truly believed he represented a better future for the Eternal Flame Clan. However, what point is there in ridding the Eternal Flame Clan of one group of Fengs only to replace them with a new one?”
Yong Zhuyi admitting he was working under Elder Fa’s orders does not come as a surprise. However, his last sentence does give him pause.
“A new group?” Liu Jin blinks. “Wait, does that mean…”
“At this point, I am nearly certain Elder Fa is not just someone given access to the Eternal Flame Clan due to his position as an Elder. Rather, he is of Feng blood,” he says. “Whether Yuan Tao is his son or not is not something I am sure of yet. However, Elder Fa’s true motives have gradually become apparent to me. He is offering the Death Fashioning Scripture access to the Eternal Flame in exchange for their support. With their backing, he intends to establish himself as the new Patriarch of the Eternal Flame Clan. It would be the beginning of a new Feng Clan.”
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“What a pity,” Liu Jin says dryly. “It seems all the disciples you helped kill died for nothing.”
“Is this where I bring up the people who died because you wanted to ingratiate yourself to Elder Xue and helped her take over the Medical Pavilion?”
Anger flashes in Liu Jin’s eyes. He has a reply at the tip of his tongue but lets it die.
There is no point fighting here.
“Should you be speaking so freely?” Liu Jin asks instead. “The Fleshcrafter could overhear you and take over your body.”
Yong Zhuyi smiles.
“Like I said earlier, this spatial realm is quite useful. The shifting dimensions should make it impossible for the Fleshcrafter to overhear us. You should be able to remove his taint from me without alerting him.”
Liu Jin frowns as he considers it. It is an offer he already made, so he does not have many objections to it. However...
“What about the other two?” He asks. “Are we to travel together and hope we find them?”
“There is no need. We knew about the spatial realm beforehand, so we prepared accordingly.”
Yong Zhuyi lifts his hand. At first, Liu Jin is confused about what he is meant to be seeing, but his senses gradually pick up on the string tied around Yong Zhuyi’s finger. It is thin and transparent, almost ghostly. It is no wonder he has not noticed until now.
It is no string at all.
“You fashioned your soul into a piece of a string?” Liu Jin asks, struggling to keep the disbelief out of his voice.
“I used my soul to tie us together,” Yong Zhuyi says. “How you interpret the bond has more to do with you than with me. You must have quite a low opinion of us. However, if it is like this, it should not be impossible for you to remove the parasites from them.”
Not impossible is one way to phrase it. Yong Zhuyi is asking Liu Jin to use his soul as the conduit through which to remove the parasites from his brethren. Not only is Yong Zhuyi leaving his soul vulnerable to him, but there is no guarantee the process will go as smoothly as he suggests.
“I will warn you in advance. This will hurt.”
“Worthwhile things often do.”
~~~
“You have been freed from the Fleshcrafter,” Liu Jin says. “However, the fact remains that you are our prisoners.”
“It is only natural,” Yong Zhuyi says. “We are traitors to the Eternal Flame Clan. The most correct course of action would be to turn us in.”
“Usually, that would result in us being taken to the Punishment House for questioning,” Ye Zheyu adds.
“As if Elder Fa would let that happen.” Shi Qingxia snorts. “The old man will have us killed before we ever see the inside of a cell! As if it wasn’t an open secret he’s a traitor! Pathetic.”
“Which is exactly why I cannot just send you to the Eternal Flame Clan,” Liu Jin says, frowning. “You saved Senior Brother Mud’s life. For that, you have my deepest thanks. Besides, though I disapprove of your actions, I sympathize with your motives. It would be a pity for you to be killed just to cover up Elder Fa’s crimes.”
“However, we cannot just let loose three cultivators of such caliber,” Lu Mei points out. The smile on her face tells Liu Jin she already knows where this is all going. “Who knows what you would do? It is not as if your goals have changed. You just realized you were foolishly working for a Feng all along.”
“It is as you say, “ Yong Zhuyi says. “Since the Eternal Flame invested many resources in us, they’ll probably hunt us fiercely. Without Elder Fa’s protection, there is no telling what we would have to do.”
“Unless you had a place to stay,” Liu Jin finishes the thought. It is the conclusion he and Yong Zhuyi already came to. Saying it is just a formality.
Still, he sighs deeply and puts his hand over his face.
“The Eternal Flame Clan will be told that you died in captivity. Some last trick of the Fleschrafter to keep you silent.” Hopefully, he’ll be able to convince Senior Brother Mud to go along with it. “In return, there will be three new servants in the palace once this is all over.”
“That is most acceptable.”
~~~
Days pass, and Liu Jin is finally strong enough to walk on his own again, much to the consternation of servants and soldiers alike. Every time Liu Jin takes a walk, which is quite often, he seemingly disappears from the palace. No matter how hard they search for him, they cannot find him until Liu Jin wants to be found.
Liu Jin considers it good training. It has been a long time since he forced himself to use [Art of the Roaming Thief] for extended periods of time. Doing so under the influence of the Earth Realm only adds to the challenge. Besides, it is not as if he’s missing any meetings.
No matter how much he wishes he could.
Liu Jin sighs. Everyone expects him to be at the meetings, and everyone asks for his opinion before, during, and after each one. What does he know about ruling? He’s out of his depth. The only reason he’s being a part of this is that he wants to ensure the people of the Storm Dragon Empire will no longer be mistreated. In a way, it is arrogant of him to involve himself this much. It is the same as saying he trusts no one other than himself on this.
However…
He trusts no one other than himself on this.
“How did things get to this point?”
“You made choices, and things happened. That is usually how it works.”
Liu Jin stops and stares at Feng Zhi. The Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan is sitting near a pond in one of the gardens. His body is obscured by the shade of a tree.
None of that should have stopped him from sensing him.
Had he been so busy with his thoughts that he stopped paying attention to his surroundings? No, that cannot be. While he might be distracted enough to miss the presence of one of the servants, he could not have possibly missed Feng Zhi’s Qi.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Young Master?”
Feng Zhi snorts.
“You’re the one who interrupted me. This is my resting place,” he says, gesturing at his surroundings. It answers one of Liu Jin’s unspoken questions. Feng Zhi had not located him under [Art of the Roaming Thief]. Rather, Liu Jin was the one to walk in on him. “I was having a nice day until you arrived. As usual.”
“You have not been attending the meetings,” Liu Jin says.
“Why should the Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan involve himself with the policies of the Storm Dragon Empire?” Feng Zhi asks, leaning back against the tree with his arms crossed behind his head. “No, that’s better left to others. I understand the Emperor enjoys no such privileges. What a pity it is to be you.”
Liu Jin looks at him oddly. Despite his words, there is no hostility in Feng Zhi. None of the usual simmering frustration. Instead, the young man looks curiously at ease.
“You have changed,” Liu Jin says.
“You are the last person who should be saying that,” Feng Zhi says. “You’re not wrong, though. I came to an important realization about myself, you see.”
Liu Jin waits for Feng Zhi to continue. He does not. The seconds pass, and as Liu Jin is about to give up and go on his way, Feng Zhi speaks.
“I am an ordinary person,” he says softly. “Perhaps I have no right to say that. I have been blessed beyond measure, but at the end of the day, I’m a simple, powerless person. It has always been like that. Things have always been beyond my control, but I refused to accept that.”
He laughs. The sound is surprisingly free of bitterness.
“Given your changes, I’m going to assume you know something about demons,” Feng Zhi says.
Liu Jin frowns. “Is that noticeable?”
“Not as much as you think. Not as little as you’d like,” Feng Zhi replies. “I went on a demon hunt once. My mother took me with her. It was supposed to be a simple subjugation. However, the beast proved far stronger than reports indicated. My mother died protecting me.”
Liu Jin stays silent. What is he even supposed to say in a situation like this?
“I blamed myself for it,” Feng Zhi continues. “I also blamed several other people. For a long time, I suspected my uncle or Lady Ling. Both benefited from her death a great deal. I decided I wasn’t going to let anyone else hurt my family, not even themselves. However, that was a desire beyond my means.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’m happier like this,” Feng Zhi says. “Healthier. Stronger. Better. I thought it would be giving up, but it is not. For me, this is a step in the right direction. I have freed myself from a burden I should have never carried. However… I’m pretty sure you’re the opposite, aren’t you? If you tried to free yourself from your burdens… It’d kill you, wouldn’t it?”
Liu Jin’s silence says it all.
Feng Zhi chuckles.
“You poor fool.”
~~~