Chương 63: Chapter 12

"I may be able to offer some help, Founder." Chen Liwei strode close, clipped and soldiery as always. She almost made it work. Now, if only her Qi didn't do that "recruit meets her hero" fluttering it always did in her presence, and her kid wasn't being boggled at by Lin after asking "to be explained the protocols for this game." Ignoring Xing's skeptical glance, Wu Zetian inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Chen Liwei stared, remembered where she was and started her talk by eating her first syllable, which for her was the equivalent of tripping on one's feet. And they keep saying she's such an icy terror. Really, I don't see it. Something about not plumbing beyond the surface?

"Side branches of my Clan live in the Dragon Empire," she said, and you flick the idle thought away to listen.

"They've relocated there with Master Zhan's new policies." A shadow flickered over Xing at the mention of the late Master, but the Elder kept his peace.

"Most of those who left Qinghai have likely abandoned the Black, but not the Chen. I expect that my cousins will hold to faith, and will be eager to return once the Sect makes its survival known. Once Elder Xing reaches them, they'll supply him with information, no doubt." Not one to mince words, but neither one to entertain false hopes. If she said it, she truly believed. It remained to be seen if reality would be as kind.

"I see."

"Useful, but not exactly pertinent," Xing commented.

"The Night seek new Elders. And I fail to remember anyone among the Chen families bound for the west about to reach Nascent Soul." Chen Liwei's glare was equal parts annoyance and satisfaction.

"The honored Sorcerer grows somewhat forgetful. My cousins may be preparing themselves for the Great Path in different ways, but before the Siege cut communications, they had sent word about giving hospitality to a Nascent Soul." That got her attention. Wu Zetian raised an eyebrow, inviting the General to continue.

"There isn't much to say," the woman said, her satisfied tone not matching the words.

"The Hochen branch communicated that the esteemed Bodhisattva Lyungyen had taken shelter in their compound. They thought the Sect may be interested in acquiring his talent and since the esteemed monk walked on his own and may be looking for a new home, attempts at recruiting were made. The first reports were optimistic." She frowned.

"The Siege cut off communication before any conclusion could be reached." Xing Xing huffed, the motion unflinchingly refined and still managing to be not so different from a dragon's.

"We can only hope the esteemed monk is as patient as his title suggests then. Otherwise, he'll have exhausted his patience by now, or the Hochen's supply of food." Chen Liwei glared daggers.

"I'll have you know, Sorcerer, that my cousins know their hospitality."

"I am sure they do. Differently from the average soldier, I am sure."

"Why, you…!" Wu Zetian sighed. Like dogs and cats. And yet… Bodhisattva. In the Buddhist movement's hierarchy, they supposedly were enlightened souls who could have ascended to Nirvana, but opted not to, remaining in the impure world to relieve suffering and shepherd others on their same path. Power-speaking, they didn't lose to Nascent Soul, even if their power didn't come from the same type of cultivation. But popularity-speaking? A massive coup. Bodhisatthiva were venerated.

Having one would bring immense reputation to the Sect. Why, the advantages were almost enough to make her forget that she was forced to hand out high-level leadership posts to strangers. Almost.

"Well, we can hope, can't we?" She said, closing her eyes.

"Not like we are working on anything but old news anyway. This is just another lead worthwhile of investigation. Well done bringing it to my attention." Chen Liwei preened. She preened and threw a triumphant look Xing's way. The Sorcerer, deciding he was too polite for this childishness, focused on tea-tasting. Didn't stop him from throwing his hat in the fight, of course.

"Before the Siege, I held a series of correspondences with various personalities of the Empire. One of them was a fellow named Fou Men Yan." Liwei took the seat Shanti offered her, frowning.

"The Sage of Flowers?"

"The very same." Xing nodded, pleased.

"A delightful conversation partner for all things botany-related. In case you'd find yourself with a passion for gardening, my Lady, I'd be delighted to share all the knowledge he gifted me with, or to carry a letter of yours myself."

"Well, I must keep it in mind then. And is this Sage a Nascent Soul?" In her memories, there was no mention of anyone wearing the title. Chen Liwei was still frowning, but more out of confusion than annoyance.

"No, Founder. The Sage of Flowers is, was, a member of the Dragon Queen's Court, very appreciated for his centuries of experience in handling rare blossoms. An authority on the topic, enough that he was given precedence even over Nascent Soul when it came to that. But he never was one." The Sorcerer smiled in an astute, self-satisfied way, and Wu Zetian wasn't sure if being amused or exasperated. The former, of course, even if Chen Liwei didn't share in the sentiment.

"Out with it, Sorcerer!"

"As it happens." Xing ignored the fuming General.

"Fou Men Yan considered me reliable enough to entrust me with a small secret: his Master's location." He glanced toward Chen, a flash of glee passing over him at her stunned expression.

"The Sage of Flowers a Nascent Soul may not be. But the Blossom Keeper indeed it is."

"The Blossom Keeper has disappeared centuries ago," Chen snapped.

"She even rebuffed the Dragon Court's appeals. And you now say you know her location?"

"Indeed." He bowed to Wu Zetian.

"And an order from the Founder is all it takes for me to extend an invitation to the Keeper to join the Night as a Sect Elder."

"Gladly given." Wu Zetian smiled.

"But for shame, Xing. Isn't this a gross breach of your friend's trust?" Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Never." Xing looked outraged.

"The revered Fou Men Yan asked no oath of secrecy from me, only that I share it only with those worthy of absolute trust. And this case…" He smirked, not an ounce of shame to be found. Oh, this wolf. Beside her, Shanti let out a small sigh, which became a small yelp when a tendril materialized by Zetian whipped her backside.

"We may have something then, more than I hoped," she said, folding her hands on her lap, while Shanti did her best not to jump.

"Let's put it all down, shall we?" The final list wasn't… nothing. The Blossom Keeper was an ancient drinking buddy of the Dragon Emperor. They split over policies, and she had been in seclusion since, ignoring the repeated summons back to the Capital. Last available news said that the Emperor had had enough of her and wouldn't mind never seeing her again. With her centuries of teaching and botanical experience, the Blossom Keeper would have been an invaluable addition to the Sect.

Add governmental experience, good character and excellent connections, and you had the perfect Sect Elder candidate. The problem? She was obsessed with a type of highly-invasive Divine Plant, and would likely demand the creation of a whole domain where she could pursue her experiments undisturbed and a whole bunch of investments to keep them going. Bodhisattva Lyungyen was the quintessential Buddhist monk, caring little for politics and everything about the spreading of his religion.

It was lucky that the Dragon Empire was experiencing a surge in anti-Buddhist sentiment before the Siege. Apparently, an important monk had gotten into a shouting match with a Prince, which then devolved into blows. Not very enlightened if the official version was to be believed, and the movement refused to, with the result that the Empire had been clamping down on its spread.

Since the Emperor had wanted to do just that for a long time – apparently, cultivators didn't much like Buddhists -, it was expected that it would still be ongoing. The Bodhisattva could be convinced to move beyond the Basin to find better pastures. It would take some attention not to have his religion eat up the Sect, but it was doable. Better not expect a stellar administrator; he was a preacher, not a ruler. Still, the mountain of connection and goodwill he would bring easily made up for that weakness.

Father Jun was the rarest kind of Nascent Soul, the one who happened on it by accident. Once upon a time a young man with little to his name, no idea of how the world worked and an enormous talent, he started cultivating and never stopped. Convinced by some freak happenstance that the world outside his isolated mountain was incredibly dangerous, he kept climbing the Great Path with little idea of how good he was and that the fruits he used for his soup were high-level ingredients.

By the time he realized his mistake, he was four hundred years old and people in the villages around his slopes were worshipping him as a hermit saint, especially after he single-handedly repelled an ogre invasion. The "old boy", as he was increasingly getting known around cultivator circles, had been looking for a way out since. Apparently, the Dragon Emperor terrified him, and he would have loved nothing more than to get out from under that scaly thumb.

Working for another Immortal was a small price to pay for it. Out of all candidates, he was the least experienced in everything by far, but that also made him the easiest to mould. The Wandering Sword was, amazingly enough, just that.

A sentient sword said to be possessed by the spirit of a Nascent Soul who took a wrong turn along the Great Path, the artifact allowed promising pupils to wield it in exchange for the chance to possess their bodies for limited times, so that it could continue refining its fighting style. It could have done so by force, but the spirit held itself to a rigid moral code and refused even to entertain the notion. A self-styled Adherent of the Sword, it rejected the Empire's hierarchy, preferring a life on the road.

Getting it would mean giving it a fair share of autonomy, but the trade would still be profitable. If the Sect could keep up with the sword's ethical standards, that is. Since that time he trashed a party of imperial soldiers for being "villains oppressing the people" and got a bounty put on its, theoretical, head, the Wandering Sword showed how much it cared about those. A good administrator? Not even close. Combat powerhouse and excellent teacher? A resounding yes.

Minister Wang was a favorite of the Dragon Emperor, once. After a streak of unconventional ideas, the distinction had slipped him by. He had, in order, sustained that mortals could be turned into good servants of the state, upheld legalism to obsessive degrees and turned into a fanatic of merit over blood. The result was that he had been stuck in the same problematic post for two centuries now and was very much spent and bitter.

Quite good in administration, he lacked both strength and teaching credentials, but his connections were adequate and he would sit just right in the Sect's value. Still, he would need time and resources to recuperate from his fatigue before he could be of use. A long-term investment for balanced, reliable results. And since strength was everything in a cultivation world, a ranking was impossible to miss.

From what Xing Xing and Chen Liwei told her, the contenders went, from weakest to strongest: Minister Wang, Blossom Keeper, Father Jun, Bodhisatthiva Lyungyen, Wandering Sword. There were others, but Wu Zetian was very quick in rejecting them. Blood-Crushing Patriarch. Likely to be extremely interested! Powerful! Unaffiliated! Also had seventeen warrants for mass murder. Rejected. No thanks. Master Golden Peacock. Wonderful cultivation, tremendous reputation, excellent connections.

Would likely demand an Elder's palace larger than the Ancestor's. Rejected, without a glance back. Riu Ling of the Iron Hand. Hated the Dragon Empire. Wanted revenge for some kind of public humiliation. Likely to offer juicy secret intelligence. Rejected. She didn't want troublemakers. Commander Lan. Brilliant administrator. Excellent fighter. No attachments. Mild disagreement with Imperial policy. Shown repeated enthusiasm about the idea of joining the Godless Night in the past. Rejected. Too perfect.

Wu Zetian's nose smelled a mole, and she was rarely wrong about this. Quite the list, all in all, especially after considering that only Nascent Soul who were unaffiliated or whose poaching wouldn't offend the Dragon Emperor too much could be considered. The empire may have its problems, but as a ground for creating practitioners of the Great Path was unmatched. As though peace and organization needed another reason to exist, a petulant part of her said.

"In the end, it's only speculation," Xing Xing commented, brushing his beard with a small smile.

"Our information is dated from before the Siege. Thirty years aren't much when it comes to Nascent Soul, but they aren't nothing either. It may be that the situation changed."

"Less likely for those whose disagreement regarding the Dragon Emperor," Chen Liwei interjected.

"Immortals are less prone to changing their stances compared to the simply long-lived." She eyed her, almost expecting her words to insult her. Wu Zetian hummed, closing her eyes.

"It's sufficient, I suppose. Yet…" She paused. Her previous self's memories pressed, aching and insistent.

"I'll add two more names for you to check." Skullcrusher. A berserker grown to be a weapon and little else. Likely as powerful as the Wandering Sword, with little in the way of other skills and with problems in the way of character. Still worthy of light scouting.

"In the Empire's northern provinces, look in those places where a drunkard would be likely to linger and waste away. Search for a man covered in scars and unwilling to allow the world to see them. Get him drunk to earn his favor. Never suggest he'd lay down his mace." Yan Wua Zhu. An alchemist obsessed with her craft and the distillation of the elixir that will bring the dead back to life. Comparing her to the Blossom Keeper in terms of strength would be a fair statement.

A horrible teacher and an excellent administrator. And, of course, losing to none in the field of alchemy.

"In the Empire's heartlands, look for isolated communities yet not so isolated as to be cut away from the main commerce. Once you find them, ask for peach trees with their bark peeled and scorched. You'll find a shaggy woman with tatters for garments and hair as long as a river in a cavern. She'll be startled by you. Quiet her with gifts of rare alchemical ingredients."

"If you find either of them, tell them that it's the one who succeeded who asks for their presence. When they refuse, tell them that the beckoner would sneer at them." She didn't add anything more. If there would have to be a segue to this, it would be when they stood before her. The Father's litter, the same from which I… she came. There was a complicated tangle of emotions there. Xing Xing's frown had an intrigued bent to it.

"I'll do so without fail, Founder. Even if I can't offer any certainty."

"I'd be disappointed if you tried." Wu Zetian smiled.

"I trust you'll bring great results to the Sect, Xing. And interesting prospects for me to vet." The Elder bowed.

"But enough of this. Shanti? If you could be so kind." Shanti, who looked like she wanted to say that "enough of this" wasn't a thing, lay a small pouch on the table. Under Chen and Xing's curious gazes, she opened it, revealing…

"Cookies!" Wu Zetian said, delighted.