Chương 54: Chapter 3

"Why, Founder, your looks outshine the Moon itself today." As that rich bass, Shanti, who was in the middle of reports, tensed in a way that reminded Wu Zetian far too much of an alarmed cat to keep her smile in.

"Only today, Elder Xing?" She asked, only a hint of irony marring her casual tone. Leave it to Xing Xing to turn every entrance into something worthy of theatre. As the passage he stepped out from snapped shut behind him, his ample robes and many ornaments billowed, rippling with crimson and deep black. He wore a heavy golden chain at his neck, the ornament gleaming strangely into a gloom that clung to him like liquid.

Set in his aristocratic features, his lupine eyes smouldered like coals, complementing a smile that was just one touch too feral to leave any spectator at ease.

"Today, yesterday and tomorrow," he said, smooth as honeyed wine.

"True Immortality shows itself by constant progress. Lucky are those blessed enough to be allowed to bask in its dark radiance." Wu Zetian rested a cheek on her hand, watching him with amusement.

"Would you count yourself among those, Elder?" The Sorcerer put a fist on his massive chest and bowed grandly.

"Only if the object of my utmost admiration would allow it."

"Let's say it happened. What would you do then?"

"Why, I would serve, to the utmost limits offered by my paltry experience, and then rejoice in the fruits of such priceless occasion." He looked at her, an intense emotion making his eyes burn. Wu Zetian huffed softly. Like in many other things, Xing was shameless in his flirting. Shame for him. Unlike your average grand elder, who eventually ended commingling in one way or the other, she liked to keep professional and sentimental life separated. Not like she wasn't tempted.

Immortality was long, after all, and the Great Path could turn cold, even at its loftiest. But she hadn't got to that point yet. Xing Xing's instinct was unmatched. He felt the shift and his expression, as tempting as that of a forest devil, shifted into something ironic and amused.

"I am patient," he just said, shameless to the end, and shrugged with a small heave that set his massive shoulders rippling.

"Well met, Shanti." The Owl raised her scroll like a shield, throwing him a look that was pure suspicion.

"Good day to you, Elder," she grumbled, and then scowled when the Elder's smirk only widened. Wu Zetian didn't roll her eyes. She didn't. You'd think that, as an effective second founder of their reborn order, the Owls would have some kind of reverence toward the Sect Elder. Not in her dreams. The Owls were as insular and distrustful as one could be of anybody, apart from her, who could claim any kind of authority over them. Good thing that the Elder seemed only amused by their antics.

"And how are your colleagues doing? Studying hard to fill up the teachings they refused to receive from me, I presume. I could supply my own knowledge, if they asked nicely." …that he liked to tease them wasn't as good. Shanti's eyes flashed, but before she could answer, another portal, this one made from darkness and swirling ice, opened, and General Chen Liwei marched out of it.

"Enough of your childish games, sorcerer. Or it's your disrespect so deep you can't restrain yourself before the Ancestor?" The General had covered herself in glory during the Borderland expedition, personally slaying many of the Guardian Beasts the demonic remnants left to guard their demesnes. That the effort gifted her forehead with a new scar didn't seem to bother her. If anything, judging by how her hairstyle emphasized the wound still to fully heal, she was quite proud of it.

Even her armor still wore its marks, the matriarch having refused the expensive repair process to show her contribution to the Sect's austerity policy. From deep and rich, Xing's voice flowed smoothly, taking a sinuous tone.

"Games, general?" He purred.

"You mistake me. I was only inferring about the Owls' willingness to serve the Founder. We shouldn't allow opportunities to pass us by when it's our efficacy in serving on the line, won't you agree?"

"I do." Chen Liwei's nod was as resolute as his red eyes were disdainful.

"And that's why your foul ways shouldn't be the first or second choice. Rather, they should train in the martial arts. Their time would be infinitely better spent in such ways."

"Would it now?" Xing Xing chuckled.

"I guess my recollection of the last Sect Tournament's results is quite skewed."

"A lucky break, nothing else." Wu Zetian glanced toward Shanti, watching how the woman looked to be actively considering it. Leave it to the old monsters to always push and pull for clout. Yet again, she could understand. Chen Liwei and Xing Xing were what you called an established duo. They had been working side by side for so long, struggled for influence and position for so long, that by now being adversaries was second nature to both. Of course, it wasn't just that.

They embodied two different mentalities, one of honor and military might for Chen Liwei, one of trickery and shadow war for Xing Xing. Both viable, they just disagreed on the focus. The General wasn't a fool: she made extensive use of stealth and trickery. What she championed were the Hand's martial arts. The Sorcerer, instead, preferred the most esoteric technique lines of the Sect rolls. Both useful, both good. It was the mentality at the base of it that made a world of difference. Love this story?

Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Cultivation should change everything, but I keep meeting people I am familiar with. Human was human, she supposed, no matter if he could throw lightning. She wasn't complaining. Those two could bicker as much as they wanted, but when it counted, they were dependable and efficient, and with enough judgement to know when to put aside their arguing. They wouldn't have survived as long if they didn't.

Case in point, they stopped at once when she cleared her throat.

"As charming as this exchange is, could we get to the point?"

"Yes, my Founder."

"But of course, Founder…" So here they were. The Founder, seated in majesty on the fabled Onyx Wing Throne, center of civilization ripped from barbarism, while the Night General, resplendent in her panoply, and the Night Sorcerer, exuding elegant ferocity, bowed before her, offering her report like in the days of old. A barrier of Night Qi kept their conversation private while the proceedings continued in the lower hall. For all purposes, their words couldn't have been safer if they were in another palace.

One brief exchange look later, one that had Shanti scowl like a gaggle of schoolchildren was playing before the Onyx Wing Throne, Xing Xing started his report.

"As per the Founder's command, the preparations for the banquet are well on hand," the suave master said, managing to make it sound like some grand accomplishment.

"It shall be a great celebration, worthy of the Sect's rebirth."

"Excellent. The lifting of the cultivation ban shall be its crowning achievement." She didn't add "if my projections hold up." While holding it better, the Sect Elders were chomping at the bit just as the rest of the Sect was. As she foresaw, banning the use of resources in the name of stockpiling could be held only so long, even with her authority and power. It would have to end soon.

"Elder Chen. Your troops and yourself shall disembark during the celebration. The relics and wealth you plundered shall be paraded as well."

"By your will." The expedition force had returned already, to her secret relief. But that didn't mean there wasn't space for an advertisement coup.

"Simply put, the letters the newcomers send back to their home will be filled with the praise of our might. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Founder. The Hand shall show the results of its struggle." Wu Zetian hummed, pleased. For all her martial ways, Chen Liwei was astute and pragmatic. She had no use for honor-bound fools, but the matriarch wasn't one by any stretch. It helped that she seemed to sparkle with a recruit's admiration whenever she turned her way. Not exactly surprising. From what Wu Zetian remembered, the Sect's history books were choked full with the "Founder's military accomplishments."

That she was the walking equivalent of a nuclear bomb had no chance against a writer's pen. But yearnings for a more honest world aside.

"Give me your reports, then. Our borders?"

"The Wasteland expands, Founder," said Chen Liwei.

"The biome had already taken over the south borderlands when we pulled out. By its rate of advancement, I foresee that it will reach Qinghai in half a year."

"Six months… fast, even for that aggressive ecosystem. Mh. You've inspected our southern border, General. Any suggestions?"

"I highly advise a fortification campaign, Founder. Give me one thousand Stonemancer laborers and the Hand shall rebuild the Qingzhu line that once protected Qinghai from the demonic ones. With the proper investments, the Wasteland shall be halted and its bounty turned to the Sect's benefit."

"The Borderlands made for little pickings because of the poisonous nature of the Qi infesting its lands. Meanwhile, the Wasteland is rich in resources. I reckon that gardening it would bring us great wealth." Most people only saw the focused, disciplined matriarch. She got to see a glimpse of the enthusiastic recruit that centuries of military service couldn't quite erase. Wu Zetian felt strangely privileged.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm," she replied, chuckling softly.

"But the Wasteland is no mere garden. Yes, General, you will have your thousand and the Qingzhu line shall be restored. But not just to stack walls. A firebreak must be built before our southern border, one that will keep the Wasteland at bay far more efficiently than force of arms. It's a whole, marching world we are talking about here. I am sure you realize this." She did, and as the realization of having gone too far washed over her, Chen Liwei bowed stiffly. Wu Zetian watched her with a mild smile.

She liked this woman. She was as earnest as faithful as the words could go. Unlike many nobles, who had to be coaxed into jumping on the wagon, the Chen Clan had welcomed her centralization project like a starving man given water after a long drought. In the intrigue-heavy cultivation world, securing supplies and support had always been a matter of diplomacy. Now, with the many institutions being blended, the Hand didn't need to fear seeing its effectiveness reduced by greedy operators.

The Hand already reflected her merit-based, effective vision, but its attempts to expand had always been hampered by the Clans' stubborn refusal to meld their private militia into the central army. Now, those same household troops had been limited in size, and turned into secondary forces that the Sect could call upon at will, after a payment. Like all the other Clans, the Chen had their own troops, castles and contracted military ranks.

During the worst moments of Wu Zhan's reign, a general had to pay to retain its title, and not so rarely it was a fool who held the scepter. To the Chen's military values, that had been the height of disgrace. They refused the change, and their resistance had seen them pay the price under the previous Deputy Master and its lackeys. They had their revenge during the civil war, but the damage was done.

They were quick to regain their predominance during the Siege, and now were the quickest to let go of their fiefdoms. For once, Wu Zetian had to actually refuse a Clan from giving away some of its ancestral estates. With the expedition out of the way, examinations had been quickly held, and the Chen had secured for themselves predominance in the Hand's upper ranks and in the Nightjar Academy as military instructors.

Wu Zetian had topped it off by gifting the Clan with the title of Sword of the Sect, and its matriarch with that of Valiant Duke of Might, which gave them status, honors and preferential treatment in Sect life. The result? The Chen loved her. While not being inexperienced in politics, what the Clan excelled at was warfare. They lived and breathed it, and had always hated having to deal with multiple institutions to secure their supplies, let alone with sycophantic amateurs infringing on their territory.

By creating Logistics, a direct, standardized continuation of the Siege's needs, Wu Zetian had saved them from the former. By making access to military ranks based on merit, she had secured them against the latter. That, incidentally, they were consistently the best among those taking the exams had meant that the Chen became the Sect's military aristocracy, both in and out of the battlefield. An aristocracy whose success depended on upholding standards, and wouldn't ever be hereditary.

Which was the point she cared about. The Chen knew it, but didn't care. The system made sure that they could continue doing what they were born and bred to do, and to do so with more efficiency and breadth than ever before. Their sons and daughters would work hard, but they would also be rewarded, which was all that mattered. Politics may decide sharing, but it was on the battlefield that cultivation resources were reaped, and it was the generals, with their percentage of spoils, that profited out of it.

As in all things, honor and interest mixed. But the Chen were better than most, and she didn't complain. And, well, one small thing for them in the end. There was a saying that went something like: "Every Chen is a spiritbeast in disguise." Quite, but not quite so. Like in every great family, there were members not appropriate to the battlefield. Those who lacked the temperament, martial attitudes, or aggressive spirit. Or were just too lazy.

Under the counter, Wu Zetian had provided the Great Clan with a small, unobtrusive batch of posts in Logistics where to unload these… problematic members. There, they would work as cartographers, archivists, bureaucrats, or fill another of the many clerk work needed to keep an army going. Not as glamorous, but neither dishonorable. And having feelers in Logistics would help the Chen smooth over how the Hand was supplied even further.

Watching Chen Liwei as she finished giving her report, Wu Zetian saw the full awareness of what was done for the Chen, and the undying loyalty that followed. She didn't mind that. Having the Clans behind her was good. Having the army do the same was for the best. And anyway, who thought that such rough figures could care so much for their so-called failed sons? It was strangely endearing.