Chương 16: Chapter 15

"I am abreast of the general situation on the Plateau," Wu Zetian said with a hint of dismissal.

"Tell me about our neighbors." She kept her amusement faint as her grandson dipped into a bow and leaned over the map. He was quite the refined young man, the tension that hung over him like a cloak not enough to spoil his noble, sharp features. Even with his fine eyebrows lowered in a focused frown, as he mouthed names of locations. Wu Zetian stood corrected. She had a very cute grandson. Not as cute as that little scamp who met her first, but a close second nonetheless.

Honestly, she wasn't sure how to go about this. Family was never her strong point. She could control, impress, subdue and read, but connect? Let down her barriers and see and be seen? In her very modest opinion, that was harder than shifting mountains. The only true connection she had was with her son, and it only worked because she let him go.

"Qinghai Province, Ancestor," Wu Nenqin said, tearing her from her reverie. She crushed the fretting and listened. Wu Nenqin's finger traced a concave shape over the parchment. If Wu Zetian had to compare it to her previous experiences, it was roughly the size of a European country. A mountain range cut it in half in a slight crescent, surrounded by hills on the western side and a wide plain on the opposite. The Wu Plateau stood at the center of the mountain range, looming over the tallest mountains.

Beyond the plains, the Umbral Basin was a splotch of dark ink, hugging the Province's whole eastern side. Interestingly, the landscape differed a little from the civilized territory of her previous incarnation. Settlements still clustered around waterways, commercial nodes and resources, but they also clung to places that, following the logistics she was accustomed to, wouldn't deserve a second glance. An infertile, rocky valley. A cluster of ruined tombs. Bare, sandy peaks.

They all played host to villages and settlements, often dating as far as millennia. Different rules, but only slightly so. Then there was the frankly ridiculous, like the mountain-beasts wandering the countryside, the flying islands, the inverted lakes, the moving forests, or the forbidden zones, where reality stopped being a law and started being a rarely heeded suggestion. It was a ridiculous world.

Shame the marvel it was wasted on Wu Zetian: she wasn't prone to bouts of enthusiasm, and fantasy literature wasn't really her thing. But she would arch an eyebrow as a tribute.

"We've updated our maps as far as five years ago," Wu Nenqin, and it was to his credit that the shame he felt didn't reach his face.

"When the siege made sending or receiving explorers too dangerous. You… you can see the state of the domain easily, Ancestor." She indeed could. The Night Domain, the wide circle of mountains and hills where her Night held sway and kept the sun in an endless twilight or in darkness, was gone. The Outer Sects that dwelled on the lesser peaks and the mortal cities that served them had been exterminated, or their inhabitants had been pulled onto the Plateau and then eaten up by the siege.

It was a zone at high Qi density, second only to the Plateau itself, renowned for its mining efforts and hunting zones. Wu Zetian saw images of ruins taken over by unchecked spiritual beasts, many of which would have likely started to prey on the lower lands.

"The Province itself has long been taken over by Rogue Cultivators," Wu Nenqin continued, not even his training enough to keep the grimace from his voice.

"Vultures, profiting off the Sect's misfortune to prey over its subjects." Wu Nenqin pointed to the many settlements that dotted the hills and plains. Qinghai was a densely populated province, or at least, it had been. Thirty years of ravenous warlords fighting each other for resources had left most of the largest settlements in ruins. What remained was a network of smaller cities and villages struggling for existence. The sight ignited annoyance in her chest. Wasteful, stupid. It repeated itself everywhere.

Without the Godless Night's protection, Rogue Cultivators or, worse, demonic ones, had taken control and peaceful society had broken apart as a result. Incessant fighting had drained resources and destroyed the infrastructure needed to produce more. The worst was around the major points. Two minor Dragon Veins coursed the Province, and they had been warred over so long and fiercely that the land around them was all but deserted. What small organization remained lacked the manpower to make use of them.

Wu Zetian let out a mental snort. The equivalent of an apocalypse, and for what? Large-scale industry had collapsed as well. Deprived of the commercial network needed to sustain themselves, the major cities had lost their wealth and the population had dispersed in the countryside, looking for safety. Left untended, palaces, roads and public buildings had turned into ruins and been abandoned.

"The only exception is here, at Danghan's Revenge." Wu Nenqin perked up a bit, tapping at a wide circle in the north of the plains. The land was heavily forested there, with numerous small settlements of fairy spirits.

"A handful of Godless Night Disciples led by Elder Qyanyu have been holding the land, thanks to the help of the earth spirit tribes. Magistrate Elderleaf leads them," Wu Nenqin added, watching her warily. Wu Zetian noted, but said nothing. Sure enough, the cities of Danghan, deeply entwined with the forests, endured. Diminished, yes, struck hard by the loss of support infrastructure from the rest of the Province, but nowhere as badly as the world outside their boughs.

There was even a small Sect distributed along the needle-like peaks ruling over the region, their Disciples having grown skilled in the use of war-kites. Wu Zetian nodded approvingly.

"A lone light in an otherwise bleak situation. Quite the waste." Wu Nenqin wilted under the comment. His lack of will annoyed her, but then she reminded herself how important it was for him. And she was trying to connect here, wasn't she?

"It's good that it was mostly Rogues and failures that did so, though. From what I gather, almost all the demonic ones were concentrated on the Plateau, to stifle the main Sect's resistance." Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! It was an implicit compliment, and Wu Zetian felt a flicker of relief at seeing it land. Wu Nenqin stood just a little bit taller.

"Yes," he coughed.

"But that's not all." Allergic to compliments, are we? Wu Zetian smiled.

"The stump-folk have also taken the chance to emigrate into the Province." Wu Nenqin pointed to the south-east. A chain of hills and small, rugged mountains filled the zone.

"Stump-folk?" Wu Zetian wasn't familiar with the term. Wu Nenqin flinched.

"Oh! Of course. It would be the dwarves, Founder. Stump-folk is a slang term that came into vogue in the latest decades." Wu Zetian hummed. Dwarves… as in the stout semi-humans who made a living growing… crops? How strange. Her previous memories of fantasy literature returned mining and forging, but the ones of her actual incarnation were pretty final. Dwarves, who planted and raised high-quality grains on hill plantations.

"The area they settled in had long been vacated by settlers," Wu Nenqin explained.

"But it remains part of Qinghai, and their high chieftain never swore loyalty to the Sect, or even asked for permission to move in." He frowned, as though personally affronted by the act.

"We'll take care of it," Wu Zetian said blandly.

"What about our neighbors?" Wu Nenqin's eyes flickered beyond the edges of the Province. Savage lands stirred there, primeval forests, looming mountains, wastelands and kingdoms of beasts and monsters.

"With the numbers the Twelve Demon Alliance brought to bear, I reckon the Borderlands are all but empty of any meaningful force." Wu Nenqin's finger traced a wide stretch of land that hugged most of the Province's south-west border. It was a dry place, swept by poisonous Qi and poisoned itself.

"That is good, but it also means that our buffer with the Red Wasteland is gone." His hand lingered on the rugged desert stretching over the map's border. Wu Zetian saw a landscape of red sand and geometrically shaped rock formations, where primeval beasts ran unchecked and only mad hermits could live.

"We had a line of fortifications against the Borderlands once. I advise their reconstruction." Wu Zetian hummed, not committing. Her gaze moved northward. The land rose in solemn mountains as she did. There was a savage world there, she knew, inhabited by monsters and demons. A whole sea floated among the peaks, filled with shadows and mysteries.

"What about the beastkin? Does Yellow-Brow still rule?" Wu Nenqin tensed minutely. Mentioning another Immortal wasn't done with a light heart, even here.

"Yes, Founder," he said slowly.

"The Yaoguai tribes had pushed into Qinghai during the siege, but they left after pillaging what they could find. The Great Mountain Sage recalled them, seemingly to chase his feud against Chi You." Wu Zetian scoffed, fluttering her sleeve.

"Typical. Those two are so obsessed with each other, they may as well be husband and wife." Wu Nenqin flinched but said nothing, likely marvelling at how easily the Founder dismissed such legendary figures. Inside, Wu Zetian was… impressed. Yellow-Brow and Chi You the Bloody-Handed were Immortals of her same Realm, a godly undead and a divine demoness respectively, embroiled in a feud that went back tens of millennia and predated her arrival from across the Basin.

"Are they now…?" Wu Zetian didn't emphasize the question. She didn't wish to look concerned. But Wu Nenqin grasped the importance of it nonetheless.

"From our intelligence, they are embroiled in fierce combat, Founder," he said dutifully.

"Both Immortals have picked up their weapons and are fighting personally against each other." Wu Zetian let out a mental sigh of relief. Her previous self had looked down on the "barbarian immortals", but she had been very wary of them, as they were the only pieces on the board that could rival her power in the region. The feeling was mutual. The two monsters hated her, but they hated each other more, and that was more than Heaven's blessing at the moment.

With her depleted forces, she didn't think she would be able to hold against them.

"Well, that gives us space and time. We only need to make the most of it." Wu Nenqin seemed encouraged by her steadiness. Good thing she was quite skilled at faking it then.

"They didn't disturb Gonggong, I reckon." Wu Nenqin winced at that. He went pale, but then reined himself in and shook his head.

"N-no, Founder. The… the Flood God remains asleep, and Heaven didn't… show itself." Of course they didn't. Half of the region would be gone if they did. Gonggong, the thing asleep at the center of the floating sea, was a living catastrophe, one even she couldn't challenge. The two idiotic Immortals may fight all they wanted, but even they weren't foolish enough to disturb his slumber. The Upper Realm would have long wiped them off the map if they did.

Wu Zetian took a moment to appreciate how at ease she was with terms like Heaven and Gods, then moved on. In this world, they were just another piece on the chessboard.

"And the Tower sleeps." Wu Zetian's gaze bore on a point on the map, in the upper part of the beast lands. The enigmatic Tower loomed there, a monument left behind by primeval Gods. Its gates swung open erratically and when they did, no Immortal in the world remained insensitive. Wu Nenqin nodded stiffly. She and Wu Nenqin went over other minor factions, but that was most of it. Now, she had a good vision of the general situation.

"Worse than I hoped, but better than I feared," she said eventually, settling back on her chair. Sensing her relaxed mood, her Artifact Spirit emerged from her sleeve. The Sun-Devouring Serpent appeared as a noddle-size snake the color of a lightless pit and with ruby eyes. It coiled around her wrist, little tongue daring out to taste the air as it reared, looking for a pat. Wu Zetian's expression softened. She offered it gladly.

"The Sect is at your orders, Ancestor," Wu Nenqin said, and it was to his credit that he didn't even glance toward the creature.

"Every soul belonging to the Night belongs to you." Wu Zetian hummed. Plans and calculations already flitted across her mind, but she put them aside for a moment, focusing on her grandson instead. It would have been very easy to terrify him into obedience. To play the Old Monster part and secure his absolute loyalty through overwhelming power and intimidation.

In those stories his son sent her, there was plenty of families just like that, where an old patriarch or matriarch flexed their power at every gathering, ruling as kings and making sure that every family member was always cowed. It made her wonder. Was their pride so fragile that they needed to have their power constantly acknowledged? Were they addicted to it? Didn't they ever feel lonely?

You didn't terrify those whom you trusted, and having to always look over your shoulder was so tiring, even if you were an Immortal. Didn't it scare them having to walk time always alone, never loved? If they never did, they were stronger than her. Thinking about it was enough to terrify her, to cut her breath and tie her guts into knots. Feeling her emotions, the snake pushed his little head against her palm, trying to soothe her. Wu Zetian smiled, caressing it gently. No, she didn't want that.

She had no need of confirmations and she had received enough acknowledgment of her power to last her eternity. All she wanted was a family to love and to be loved in turn. A place to call her own. A home. She glanced toward Wu Nenqin, waiting patiently for her orders. Her poise, so carefully cultivated and strengthened, stuttered.

"You… did well, grandson." Wu Nenqin blinked, looking confused. For a moment. Then, as Wu Zetian feared, he looked hesitant, scared even. She turned away.

"…never mind." Her grandson didn't look convinced, and Wu Zetian could almost see the gears turning in his head. Why had the Founder spoken like that? Did he do something wrong? Was it her way to say he was dismissed? Or had he upset her in some ways? She gestured imperiously.

"Forget it." It didn't help: Wu Nenqin straightened at once, but she could see that it only cemented in his mind the importance of her words. Wu Zetian sighed internally. That was why she didn't do family, or emotions. Back to more beaten territories it was.

"Dawdling is pointless now. I have already formed my thoughts on the proper course of action for the Sect. You'll listen, and then you will see it done."

"By your will, Ancestor!" Wu Zetian didn't bother repressing the small ache blooming in her chest. She really wanted him to call her grandma. Eternal life, endless power and she couldn't get that. Heaven must be laughing at her expense now, she did not doubt it.