Shuya gave a pleased smile at the sword, and then tapped Mei Hua on the arm and spoke softly, “No one’s in immediate danger, you can relax. Store the sword for now, you can practice with it later.”

Mei Hua blinked and then nodded slowly. Under her breath, she muttered, “I’ll definitely practice… dare go after my sons… my family…”

Lady Cha held up the sheath for Mei to put the sword back into. After doing that, the silver-gray haired woman handed the sheathed sword to Mei Hua. Mei acted as though she was setting the sword down on the roof, angled away from the crowd’s view below, but as Mei did so, she concentrated and it disappeared.

“Now then… let’s see… you two!” Shuya pointed a finger to the last two adults still standing among the foxes. She curled her finger towards herself and a gust of wind followed, dragged the two adults upward until they were level with the three floating already.

They hovered there awkwardly, tossed about by the wind.

One was a chubby woman wearing lightly plated armor, her black hair tied tightly in a bun on top of her head. She had a stocky muscular look to her, with a slightly square—more handsome than pretty—looking face. The other was a man wearing all black, his hair roughly cut to chin length and messily covering his face. He kept his head down as if afraid to look up.

Seeing the black clothed man up close made Mei Hua feel extremely uncomfortable. His attire was very similar to the ones who’d tortured her and that caused a sliver of panic to rise within her. She saw Jin frown slightly in her direction out of the corner of her eye, apparently aware of her sudden tension.

Inhaling deeply, she calmed her emotions. Exhaling deeply, she forced her body to relax. She would not allow herself to be led around by fear, to cower at every man dressed in black. That would be like giving power over her life forever to those who hurt her. As if she’d tolerate that!

Even if she knew that in her mind, the discomfort in her heart lingered.

She cast Jin a quick smile of reassurance before turning back to the people in front of her. She knew this would not be the last time she’d react strangely to things, but she would at least try to reduce the worry of people around her.

Goji, the young man who’d given her the Bloodstone Seal, tilted his body towards the two new additions in the air and tapped each on the shoulder. When he did, their bodies stabilized and the wind vanished. At the heavyset woman’s surprised glance, he only chuckled, floating back to his original spot.

“Go ahead and introduce yourselves.” Shuya encouraged them.

“Y-yes of course,” The woman responded nervously. Her body straightened and she cupped her hands respectfully toward Jin and then Mei Hua.

“Greetings revered Fairy Emperor and beautiful Imperial Queen Consort. This one goes by Guilei, previously of the Tortoise Clan of Jianghu.” Going along with her handsome appearance, Guilei’s voice was deep and silky, very pleasant to the ear.

The man in black bowed as well, but much much more stiffly than the woman, still keeping his face down. “Greetings, Immortal Fairy Emperor and Noble Imperial Queen Consort. This one goes by Longwei and lived in Jianghu once as well.”

“And what was your clan?” Jin immediately asked, noting what he’d left out.

When Longwei hesitated, Jin’s eyebrow rose.

Mei Hua asked kindly, “Do you not have one?”

“…have.” Longwei sighed and looked up. His eyes were yellow with the pupils in wide slits. “This one… previously belonged to the Snake Clan.”

The entire group representing the Lotus Valley Sect stopped what they’d been doing (trying to get close the Bloodstone Seal) and immediately stood up, yelling angrily.

“Murderer! Assassin!”

“Deviant Cultivator! Kill him!”

“Demon!”

“Servant of Devils!”

Hearing this, some of the younger foxes got excited and chimed in:

“We will bite you!”

“Yes, yes, you don’t scare us Demon!”

“Bite you ‘till you are bits!”

“SILENCE.”

Jin’s pressure smothered the Lotus Valley Sect into silence. He didn’t bother with the foxes, for just yelling at them caused them to curl up into tight fluffy white balls. Mei Hua reached out and pinched him for scaring the foxes again.

Ignoring her, he turned to Longwei and eyed him again.

He had dealt with people who were in Evil Sects, particularly ones that were directly under a Devil’s control. Their souls had a very specific kind of evil taint. This one didn’t have that. Otherwise, Jin would have killed him on the spot.

Yes, Longwei’s soul was blacker than compared to, say, a Merchant’s soul. But the goodness was stronger than a Merchant’s too. Jin thought deeply on the contrast for a moment before recalling something. Xuiying, his Sister, had once said:

“Just as humans change for the worse, thus blackening their soul, they may also change for the better and lighten it. In the truly repentant, never is this fact made more clear. They are a people of deep contrast. The evil they succumbed to in the past does not simply disappear for wanting to change. But at the same time, when they earnestly seek righteousness, the good in them must be so much stronger to deal with that deeply embedded rot in their soul. When they have got rid of the last of that rot, they shine brightest of all. Whenever I see this transformation, I’m deeply moved and awed by it. Truly, the capacity to change in humans is most amazing! It is why, if I see a strong streak of goodness in a person, no matter how black the rest, I will give them a chance.”

Jin had never seen what his Sister had described until now. Humans tended to have a little evil in them or an overwhelming amount of evil. Seeing a repentant soul in person, he understood his Sister’s reaction. The good was very strong, and he felt an intense curiosity and attraction to it. He wanted to see it grow.

Even though he was willing, his wife’s early reaction caused him to pause. There’d been a deep ripple of unhappiness at the sight of him, which troubled and worried Jin. He’d never bring something into their home that truly made Mei unhappy. Thinking this, he decided it was better for her to decide.

“What would you like to do?”

“Me?”

“They are here for you.”

“…that’s right…”

She looked at Longwei, feeling conflicted. She instinctively did not like him, but it was unfair to send him away without knowing anything. And Shuya had brought him, so whatever anyone says, he could not really be all that bad.

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And then there was the husky Guilei. The armored woman was shooting worried but loving stares at Longwei and furious ones at the crowd below. She very clearly cared for Longwei. It was so sweet, it almost hurt to look at.

“Master, do you want this one to bite him?” The fox kit in her arms whispered, eyes sparkling and wide. “That snake is weaker than this one, so this one can definitely hurt him if she bites him!”

Hearing this, whatever tension she was feeling vanished, and she laughed. She patted the fluffy white fox on the head and shook her head while gently scolding; ‘don’t be mean’.

“Tell me,” Mei turned her attention back to the people at hand. “Why are you no longer members of your clans?”

Guilei knew this was their only chance to win the Emperor and Queen Consort over and immediately spoke up, “Responding to Queen Consort—”

“Eh, you don’t have to be that polite. Really.”

Guilei gave Mei a troubled look. She’d been raised in a strict environment, where respecting one’s elders and superiors was drilled into her head from infancy. How could she suddenly stop? And when winning over royalty, if a commoner like her wasn’t at the very least polite, wouldn’t that be like shooting herself in the foot? Being told to be casual with a Queen was putting her in all sorts of mental anguish.

Mei Hua could practically read what was going through Guilei’s mind from her facial expressions and sighed helplessly. This was going to be a losing battle for her, wasn’t it?

“…never mind… continue…”

“Y-yes, Queen Consort!” Guilei looked intensely relieved. “Er.. Where was I..? Ah! We two are married but… ah… our family did not agree. Very opposed. Our Clans dislike each other greatly, and each side hunted us down. We’ve been on the run from both the Turtle and Snake Clans for many months now. We stumbled on the famed World Tree while seeking a hiding place.”

Shuya rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I was really surprised they found ‘me’, even if accidentally. I’m very well-hidden in Jianghu. Just for that, I definitely had to listen to their request.”

“And what was your request?”

“It was—”

Mei Hua held up her hand, stopping Guilei from responding. Nodding to Longwei she said, “You answer.”

Longwei had been silent up until now. He knew he was going to be disliked. Was there anyone but Guilei who could wholeheartedly love someone from the Snake Clan? Even other Snake Clan couples didn’t like each other as passionately as she liked him!

The World Tree had warned him that the Emperor and the Empre—er, Queen Consort—would find him difficult to accept. So he’d been trying to keep his presence small and reduce the chance of offending anyone by staying quiet. It was rumored that the World Tree’s words were accurate down to the tiniest detail. It had said the only place the Snake Clan couldn’t reach was here, so he knew if he messed this up, there was no place left for them to run.

Keeping his voice as neutral as possible, he responded politely, “Responding to Queen Consort, we humble ones are seeking a place our clans have no power over and a safe place to— to—” He stuttered, face flushing despite his best efforts. “—raise a family.”

“Family?”

“Yes, Queen Consort.”

Mei Hua stared at him and then at Guilei for a solid minute before slapping her forehead in realization. Guilei wasn’t chubby, she was pregnant!

“How far along?” She asked the newly-discovered-to-be-pregnant woman.

Guilei, while armored and handsome faced, still managed to look shy. “Answering Queen Consort, it’s only an estimate, but maybe six months or so.”

“And how long did you say you’ve been on the run?”

“…about six months or so.”

She turned to Jin and tilted her head to confirm if that was the truth. When he nodded, her shoulders slumped slightly.

“I see, ah…”

Mei Hua glanced between the young couple and then at Shuya.

Shuya blinked innocently and mouthed, “Isn’t it touching??”

She could only sigh. How could she turn away a woman who was six months pregnant? Especially after she’d been on the run the whole time! There was just no way, absolutely no way…

She gave Longwei a glum stare. She couldn’t just toss away the husband and keep the wife. He still made her feel uncomfortable but there was no way she could rationally view him as a villain, regardless of her feelings. Whatever he’d done in the past, by cutting himself off from his Clan, it was clear he was serious about changing.

Even if he looked… like that… well… his aura, how he carried himself, even how he looked at a person, it all left her discomforted. It kept reminding her of being tortured in some small manner.

There had to be a way, some way, to get past this irrational fear of him.

Maybe…

Maybe if he never wore black?

Forehead crinkled, she thought of him wearing some other color. Yellow, like his eyes. If he wore yellow… hm…. Yes, somehow that made him less threatening in her mind. Actually, he’d look pretty ridiculous in yellow so it also left her feeling amused too.

That’s what she’d do. She just wouldn’t allow him to wear black. It wasn’t solving the fundamental problem, and it was a bit like running away, but that was the best she could do right then. It was better than total rejection.

And anyway, their child— Oh! Another, more powerful, thought crossed her mind.

What if Guilei gave birth to a girl?

A squishing, cute adorable baby girl!

Surely Guilei would let Mei snuggle with her baby girl if she let her stay.

Mei Hua grabbed Jin’s shirt and surprised him by pulling him close, whispering in his ear earnestly, “Can you tell if Guilei’s baby is a boy or girl?”

Jin blinked and nodded.

“If it’s a girl nod, if it’s a boy, shake your head.”

Jin gave a cursory glance at Guilei, who was watching their behavior anxiously.

When Jin nodded, Mei Hua immediately released him.

Straightening herself and clearing her throat, she gave a single clap, and smiled.

“You can definitely stay. But Longwei can’t wear black.”

Guilei looked so relieved, she might cry. Longwei was puzzled by the color requirement but still thankful.

“Wait, wait—” Jin cut in before they got excited. “—even if my Queen Consort approves, you can’t just stay in my land for free. You bring trouble with you, with two Jianghu Clans after you, one is even an Evil Clan. How will you compensate me?”

“But you said I could decide!”

“If they could stay, not what the payment for them staying would be.”

Mei Hua rolled her eyes and pursed her lips.

Actually, Jin did not count their being chased by Jianghu folk that much of a problem. Attracting an Evil Clan was good in it’s own. The more he killed, the less existed in the world. When it came to any of the Evil Jianghu Factions, killing them was like scratching an itch in his soul. It was deeply satisfying. If they wanted to be the itch he scratched, he would happily oblige them.

As to the Turtle Clan, even if they came, they could only visit and act like proper tourists. If they caused any trouble, he’d just kick them out and forbid them from coming back. If they persisted, he supposed he could kill them too. But since they weren’t Evil, it wouldn’t be as satisfying so he hoped it didn’t come to that.

Not that he was going to tell these two anything. Negotiating was all about keeping one’s real opinions secret until after the deal was done.

Guilei bowed deeply, “The Fairy Emperor is wise. Though this one has no riches, this one will offer her life and undying loyalty both to your Imperial Majesty and the Queen Consort. All this one’s children will be taught the same.”

Jin wasn’t very impressed with that offer and looked to Longwei for something better. If he had to, he’d accept Guilei’s ‘payment’, but coming from Jianghu, they must have something better to give him. He was sure of it.

Seeing the disinterested look on the Fairy Emperor’s face, Longwei scrambled to think of what else they could give. The Queen Consort already had the Huxian Fox Clan, a famous Lost Treasure, and a Divine Sword. What could they possibly give in comparison? Any riches they might have had, they left behind when they abandoned their clans. Did he have anything at all the Emperor might be interested in?

“This one will offer up his life and loyalty as well and also… also…”

As his mind searched for something, his eyes fell on the still very angry Righteous Sect members in the crowd. He recognized their uniforms and knew they must be from the Lotus Valley Sect.

So they really had survived that fight, huh.

No one had found their bodies, causing rumors to float around about what had happened to them. Some theories had been wild, like they’d all reached enlightenment and ascended. Of course that was absurd. What Sect had that many people ascend at once? Impossible. Personally, he’d always thought they’d found a very good place to hide. It turns out he’d been right in an unexpected way.

An idea came to him.

“The Snake Clan prizes itself on producing the best assassins in Jianghu. They are famous for it. What most don’t know is the Snake Clan also specializes in intelligence gathering. This one wasn’t strong enough to be an assassin and so was instead raised to be a spy. Not to boast, but this one was considered one of the best spies in the Clan. In exchange for safety of this one’s family in the Fairy Emperor’s lands, this one will share any and all information this one possesses on Jianghu Sects, Clans, and Associations. Up to and including Snake Clan secrets and training guides.”

The anger on the Lotus Valley Sect members faces transformed into astonishment. They genuinely had not expected him to be willing to give up information on his Clan. To Righteous Sect members like them, that was the same as slicing one’s stomach open.

Longwei wanted to smirk.

No one in the Snake Clan expected him to keep his mouth shut. That’s why they’d been chasing him all these months! To make sure he was shut up permanently in the most reassuring way possible: by being dead. The only reason they hadn’t caught him was because they’d trained him too well; he was a very difficult person to find when he wanted to hide.

Truthfully, he hadn’t intended on telling anyone. When he fell in love with Guilei, he’d determined to leave his whole clan and history behind. Live life as a new man. If only they’d just left him alone… he’d have died without saying a single word.

But since they’d pushed him to this point, he might as well live up to their expectations.