Hu Shui swung her legs from the cushy seat under her. It was made of pure darkness and shadows, but she could never claim it was not comfortable. It was like her Ancestor usually said under his breath, sitting on clouds.

She wasn’t sure what buxom meant, or what it had to do with women, but that must be another thing only ancients understood.

Just like how this hunched spirit of shadows knew that even though his chair looked quite menacing, it was still far better than any seat she had ever rested on. Hu Shui could fall asleep in moments if not for the constant chattering before her.

Or the black obsidian tiara the mass of spirits made her wear. It was quite cold and had sharp edges that dug into her head. But it looked pretty. And that was all that mattered.

“...Ancient one is here to destroy us! We must strike before he decides to end this world as we know it. All the great spirits must be unsealed, all monsters of every era that was preserved must be released to the world. We cannot–”

All the spirits around her looked powerful. Whether it was their size, or simply the aura that billowed from their bodies. She couldn’t believe they’ve hidden for so long in this forest without anyone recognizing them, or the very least learning of their existence.

Some looked like normal people, others looked like foreigners, some beasts, and then there were a few with a human body but the head and limbs of a beast. They were rare and seemed to hover around her like guards.

If any spirit attempted to reach her, they would stop them in their tracks. They could only speak to her from a distance.

A large tiger beast slammed its paw onto the makeshift table of darkness. Its eyes roved across the twelve that were seated with it. They were the strongest spirits in the area. All of them were so powerful, she had no ability to get a read on their realm.

At the very least, they were in the Immortal realm if not the heavenly realm.

“You reek of fear, Human.” The Tiger Rumbled.

“Then what would you have us do?” the foreigner looking human squealed. “Sit and wait until that being decides to kill us all? The only chance we have is–”

The hunched figure of shadows raised a hand, its eyes glowed a brighter purple then before. All the chattering spirits around the seated twelve quieted down. Hu Shui could tell the amount of respect everyone had for this spirit.

“Speak, Old one. Do you know more about this being? And… this girl you’ve crowned before us without warning?” The Tiger said, leaning its massive head down. “She reeks of naivety.”

A monkey wielding a staff guffawed. “I could tear her arms from her shoulders before she ever noticed…”

Hu Shui gulped.

The hunched figure cracked a smile, bright white teeth appeared on its shadowed face. Nothing but its eyes and smile could be seen. It waited until all side discussion and speaking ended. Everyone wanted to hear what it had to say.

It took a deep haggard breath. “This girl…” It let out a breath, struggling to speak. “Is our…” Another long inhalation, filling its lungs.

Hu Shui couldn’t help but think it did it on purpose to keep everyone on edge. What was she supposed to be to them all?

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“...She…”

The Tiger growled.

“...is…”

The human figures shook their heads. Animal spirits began to hoot and howl. Her guards pulled out their weapons. She had no clue who they were, but they surrounded her the moment she was led here by the hunched shadow person.

“...our protective talisman against the Ancient Predecessor!” It roared, deafening even the loudest screeches and hollers. “The queen that would protect us from any fallout if that ancient being ever decided to end this realm. His distant progeny.”

Hu Shui gulped again.

Every single spirit. All thousands of them, silent and utterly focused, stared at her. None of them dared to make a single sound. Some would not attempt to breathe, lest it was too loud and it attracted her attention.

The monkey laughed nervously. “I-I was just kidding, Great Spirit Queen. This dog tongue of mine should be ripped off.” He mimed pulling his tongue out of his mouth and chopping it off.

The foreign spirit suddenly got up and attempted to escape. A surge of every single spirit converged on him, drowning him in sheer numbers and weight. There was nothing he could do but struggle in vain.

He was dragged forward by her guards, the human animal combination, and held down in a kneeling position. A massive sword held on the back of his neck and mouth gagged so he could not utter a single word.

Hu Shui could not help but stare at how downtrodden his form looked. Robes torn and covered with cuts and savage bruises.

Her guards kneeled. “Order us, Mistress. Say a single word and he would no longer call this plane home. Let him suffer in the endless freezing void as a wandering spirit.”

“Y-you want to kill him?” She asked, confused. Why would they do that?

“It is what he deserves for insulting and attempting treason against your righteous ancestor.”

Hu Shui looked at all the spirits, they seemed to agree with the sentiment.

But…

“A life is too valuable to be deemed forfeit because of wayward speech. Let him rise and seek recompense.” Her fathers words. The Patriarch of the Hu Family had taught her and held court with Hu Shui on his lap.

He had explained what that meant.

She looked away, imitating her ancestor. Stared at the fog that rose even over the tallest trees. “Life is important. Words should not be the reason someone dies. Not when we are blessed with the ability to ask for forgiveness.”

Dong ZhenKang had begged for it not too long ago, and he had been granted pardon. His subordinate’s crime had been far more egregious in her eyes when they snapped the branch of her Family’s greatest treasure. If her ancestor could forgive a man for that, who would she be if she could not forgive for petty words.

Then again, it was quite fun to lord over people.

She giggled to herself, doing her best to keep a stoic and aloof face. She would need a lot of practice to get as skilled as her ancestor.

The foreign spirit’s tensed body sagged. The guards threw him away, not allowing him to get a word in.

“Your mercy knows no bounds.” The monkey shouted. All the spirits had begun to creep towards it, only after hearing her words did they give it space to sigh.

The hunched figure stood. Hu Shui could hear the creaking of its limbs from her seat. She wanted to help him stand–

A guard disappeared from its spot. Grabbed the shadowy figure's arm, and helped him rise. Like it could read her mind.

“You are merciful and kind.” the hunched figure. “I would… continue to praise your endless glory, but we stand here, gathered and worried about our existence. We seek to understand and learn of your ancient ancestor’s plan for this world. His motives so we can align ourselves. Or if your great spirit treasure would deem us worthy of its words.”

Hu Shui knew it spoke of her shy spirit friend. The toy hammer her ancestor had given her was clearly as powerful as Xinyi’s but, it would never respond or come out to play with her. She had tried to convince her ancestor to replace it, but to no avail. Eventually, she just gave up trying and resigned herself to breaking it out of shy ways and out to have some fun with her.

Hu Shui even named it Mo Mo. Maybe after getting a name it would be willing to come out sooner?

“My Ancestor doesn't want much.” Hu Shui started, patting her toy hammer. She could feel Mo Mo’s disdain for everyone gathered. “Two things really.”

Every spirit including the twelve on the round table moved in closer. Even her guards turned sideways to get a better angle at hearing her next words. The fate of the very existence of nearly every single being alive relied on her next words.

Whether they would be able to fulfill what could only be gargantuan requests would decide if they could exist on this plane any longer.

Hu Shui understood what was happening. Her ancestor was so strong, not a single being here wanted to be on his bad side. It was a good thing for her and Xinyi too since he was going to take care of them. It was important to relay his exact words.

“To live in luxury around buxom women!”