Chương 303: Chapter 296

Despite the gravity of the situation, it took every scrap of Yuzhen's self-control to not burst into laughter, only her iron will and solemn respect for the office enabling her to keep her composure. Things were never dull where Rain was concerned and she looked forward to hearing the rumourmongers tell this tale come morning. For the celebrated Hero of the Wall to bow before Falling Rain in front of thousands of soldiers and civilians, this could only add to the young man's growing mythos.

Those in the immediate vicinity heard how Nian Zu's bow was for the Ancestral Beast Guan Suo, but the Colonel General hadn't spoken loud enough for more than a handful of onlookers to hear. Only a fool would think those few voices could hold back the flood of hearsay and slander cresting over the horizon. How would the gossips spin today's events? Would they call Nian Zu a spineless boot-lick for currying favour with an up-and-coming young talent?

Or would they call Falling Rain shameless or arrogant, thinking he somehow pressured the greatest warrior of the north into literally bowing before him? She looked forward to reading the fanciful conjectures both sides would spout as 'proof' of some wild theory or another. The truth mattered little when it came to bar-room tales, where the loudest voice was often taken as correct.

Her favourite theories were Falling Rain being the long lost son of some Imperial Scion and therefore of royal lineage, or an ancient Ancestral Beast in disguise venturing out into the world to amuse himself. Inwardly shaking her head, Yuzhen leaned back into Gerel's chest and sighed, taking pleasure in the weight of his arms around her.

"As much as I enjoy your company little lamb, it's time you returned to your own mount. Can't have people giggling about the Northern Marshal's boy-toy." Or about how she was a puppet dancing on Bekhai strings. It was ludicrous, if the Bekhai wanted more power they would seize it for themselves. Though few cared to admit it, there wasn't a single faction in the north who could resist them alone, aside from the Society.

One could argue not even them, considering they were an amalgamation of various powers of the North and not one unified power. One of the great hypocrisies of the Society, revering individual strength above all else while relying on strength of numbers to stay ahead.

"As you command, Marshal." Slipping into his role as bodyguard without resentment, Gerel leaped over to his own waiting horse, looking resplendent in the ceremonial black and silver armour of her Office. Donning his helmet, he flashed his roguish smile and winked before lowering his visor. With glaive in hand, he sat tall atop his unfamiliar mount, having taken to horsemanship like a duck to water.

Were it up to her, she'd strip off all his gleaming armour and spend the rest of the day naked in her tent, but alas, duty calls. Freed from her lover's beguiling embrace, Yuzhen studied the shabbily dressed Ancestral Beast riding at Rain's side. She'd heard much about the eccentric and bloodthirsty warrior but never expected to find him hidden among the Bekhai.

"You horrible man," she Sent, treating Gerel with a petulant glare.

"You should have told me Guan Suo was here." At least the Bekhai had finally taken proper measures to keep Rain safe, placing Gerel's mentor and an Ancestral Beast at his side, the Smiling Slaughterer no less. While some might think it a little overboard, Yuzhen wholeheartedly agreed with the arrangement. Given Rain's penchant for finding trouble, even two Ancestral Beasts might not be enough, assuming Akanai could find a pair willing to get along. Shrugging, Gerel Sent, "Didn't know his name before today.

Rain inherited him and a hundred other dishevelled vagrants along with the turtle. Tell me my love, is this Guan Suo strong?" Ah, things made more sense if the Bekhai didn't know Guan Suo was an Ancestral Beast.

"Stop glaring at him before he takes offence." She could hear the interest in his voice, thinking he'd found another worthy opponent. Despite losing miserably each time, Gerel loved sparring against his idol Baatar and would probably challenge Nian Zu if she hadn't forbidden him from doing so. He and Rain were so similar at times, both eager to be beaten black and blue in the pursuit of strength. Hoping to dissuade him, she Sent, "You saw how polite Nian Zu was and I expect no less from you."

She wanted to demand more but her little lamb was not a man who bowed easily.

"I am nothing if not polite, and it would be ill-mannered not to offer him a chance to stretch his legs and spar."

"Hmph. Men and their games."

"Just as politicians have staterooms and dining tables, warriors have arenas and battlefields." Bah, the hopeless muscle-brained fool.

"Do as you please, but do not go overboard. Treat him as you would treat Sarnai." That should keep him polite, if not fearful, and taking a few lumps at the hands of an Ancestral Beast might make him more receptive to her future suggestions. Upon taking office, she was made privy to a number of dangerous individuals residing in the north and Guan Suo's name featured prominently among them. Not because he was the most powerful, but because he was the most reckless.

Once he flashed his innocuous grin, described as a smile so wide his eyes almost disappeared, then no matter who stood before him, the rivers would run red with blood. Which made it imperative she learn why he was here in Nan Ping, riding at Rain's side without a care in the world. It couldn't really be because of Ping Yao's Guardian Turtle. Though some impoverished clans or sects might be tempted to kill her for a Spiritual Heart, doing so would win them the hatred of every citizen in the North.

Some considered it a Divine Beast of the Mother, but its rough, voluminous folds of leathery skin and beady black eyes made it too unsightly to inspire piety or devotion in Yuzhen and she hardly believed it could charm a deadly, destructive Ancestral Beast like Guan Suo. Was his presence here personally or politically motivated? Did he seek an old friend to reconnect with, or vengeance against a long-hidden foe?

Watching his bushy red tail swish about, it brought to mind a young girl bearing a similar rear appendage. Could Guan Suo be Sumila's birth father, here to protect her and her betrothed? Ancestral Beasts rarely took interest in their half-beast children, something about their feral instincts compelling them to abandon or even kill what they viewed as sickly, unviable children.

With Sumila recently coming into her own as a supremely talented young warrior and blacksmith, perhaps it was enough to trigger the Ancestral Beast's paternal instincts. Or perhaps Yuzhen was completely wrong and it really was about the turtle. She'd heard stranger things in her time. Riding around Nan Ping's outskirts, Yuzhen was hard pressed to suppress her irritation over the city's chaotic disposition.

No rhyme or reason went into Nan Ping's formation, as evidenced by the splendour and decadence of the towering Magistrate's Palace juxtaposed with the mishmash of housing clustered just outside its walls. To her eyes, it appeared as if the city's architect saw himself as a painter and Nan Ping his canvas for experimentation, with buildings of brick and mortar standing next to elegant wooden constructs.

A tasteful pagoda towering beside a bevy of cheap, irregularly shaped domiciles, a four-walled courtyard sitting in the shade of a gated, painted pavilion, and a refined zen garden ruined by the bustle of the adjacent marketplace were but a few of the inconsistencies she noticed. Individually, the buildings were sound and some could even be considered beautiful, but put together, it made for a jarring and unpleasant eyesore of colossal proportions.

In her eyes, the greater crime was the poor layout of the city streets, or at least, what passed for them. Dirt or half-cobbled paths full of twists and turns, she would be hard pressed to drive a wagon through the narrow routes much less bring a giant turtle through them. Thus, their delegation was forced to take a more roundabout and visible route to reach the Magistrate's Palace, entering the city through the Northern Promenade.

While this gave the Imperial Legate time to prepare to meet with the Smiling Slaughterer, their procession drew a crowd as the citizens of Nan Ping gathered to gawk at, pray to, or laugh at the Divine Turtle. Soon, their progress slowed to a crawl as the gathering mob pressed in and blocked the way forward. Curse the Legate and his damned rules. With only twenty-one people and a giant turtle, how were they supposed to disperse the flock of onlookers without inciting mass panic?

At least the Divine Turtle seemed unperturbed by all this, merely keeping a wary eye on her surroundings while using her lashing tail and swivelling neck to keep the crowd at bay. Slowed to a snail's crawl, their delegation made their way forward step by step as the crowd slowly gave way around them, heedless of the danger involved.

Were Nian Zu a lesser man, he might have unleashed his Aura and trampled over the crowd or ordered the young Warrant Officers to draw weapons and cut them down, but he was a patriot first and soldier second. A rare, dying breed, perhaps the last of his generation in this age of greedy self-interest, which made him all the more extraordinary. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

And when all was said and done, this would be yet another page in Falling Rain's Epic, the Mother's Chosen Son and his monstrous mount. She felt sorry for the boy's fat roosequin, doomed to have its glory stolen and service all but forgotten by history. Eventually, the Legate noticed their plight and sent a complement of horse-mounted Royal Guardians to help clear their path, none too gently at that.

While disappointed she couldn't see their regal lion mounts, Yuzhen thanked the Mother for sending a representative clear-minded enough not to order the citizens massacred in a fit of rage. You could never tell with these Imperial Scions who hailed from the closed-off Eastern Province. Some of them were so far removed from reality, they believed themselves descended from a literal God given flesh. Then again, throughout history there'd been plenty of Imperial Scions powerful enough to justify the theory.

Who was she to say otherwise? With the Royal Guardians' escorting them, the rest of their journey was uneventful aside from a vista of other unsightly juxtapositions. The inner city was a little more orderly than the outer city but still lacked the cohesion and congruency she so desperately desired. The Magistrate's Palace was more to her liking, a tastefully designed city district all on its own, with walls high enough to block out the unsightly surroundings so long as she remained at ground level.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been invited to stay nor had the great Nian Zu, an insult she would not forgive lightly. To look down on the Northern Province's greatest soldier was to insult the Province itself, and as Marshal of the North, Yuzhen would not stand for it. Still, she had to tread lightly considering her heritage and gender, as neither women nor half-beasts were held in high esteem here in the Central Province. Then again, neither were foreigners, so everyone had their work cut out for them.

After leaving their horses and roosequins with a group of terrified stable boys, they were brought into an anteroom to wait while the Magistrate's Crier announced their arrival. Striking a colossal gong three meters tall, the Crier introduced Nian Zu only by rank and no more, while leaving out any mention of Major General's Baatar or Han BoHai, yet another display of Central snobbery.

As the massive double doors cracked open for Nian Zu and his escorts, Yuzhen fumed with impatience over having her time wasted by a group of worthless toads. Here these nobles sat safe in the heart of the Empire, wholly unappreciative of the sacrifices made by the North, South, and West to keep them safe. No, in the absence of Defiled, they played their games of spies and politics while engaging in warfare hidden in the shadows like timid little mice too scared to be seen.

A corrupt, self-indulgent bunch of wastrels, being called to guard them against the Defiled horde vexed her to no end, but should Central be lost, then the North would be left without allies, and thus, inevitably doomed. It took ages for the gong to fall silent on its own, presumably part of the ritual, but what irked her more was how the Crier skipped herself and Akanai to announce Rain first, as if a Second Grade Warrant Officer outranked both Marshal and Lieutenant General.

In fact, as the Emperor's highest ranked servant in the Northern Province, she should have been announced first. Even the clueless Rain knew something was wrong, looking to his Grand Mentor in confusion. Swallowing her anger, Yuzhen Sent, "Stop hesitating and enter. We'll be with you shortly."

Praying Rain knew enough to keep his mouth shut and could keep the turtle under control, she waited in stony silence as the Crier individually introduced Fung and BoShui before finally announcing, "Lieutenant General Akanai, Marshal Yuzhen, and Warrant Officer Huushal," rushing through each name as if it might stain his tongue. Suppressing her burning rage, she proceeded after signalling for Akanai to leave the Crier be.

If they brought up such a menial slight before the Legate, it would be seen as whiny and petulant, exactly what the Central Nobles were hoping for, so she would not play their game. Besides, complaining would serve no purpose except see the Crier lightly punished for misconduct, hardly worth the trouble. They would see it as a victory, but Yuzhen intended to show them how pointless their games were when dealing with true Warriors of the North.

After Sending instructions to Akanai and Huushal, she strode in with head held high, ignoring all the Central nobles seated at the sidelines and noting every face so she could balance the scales whenever possible. Stopping short of the platform where the seated Legate waited, she took her place next to Nian Zu while the Warrant Officers and Turtle stood off to one side before dropping to her knees and kowtowing.

"Ten thousand years of boundless longevity upon the Emperor. Imperial Servant Yuzhen greets Imperial Legate." Lowering her head, she waited as Akanai gave her greetings beside her, who was then followed by Huushal, proceeding as if they'd been called in individually. Technically, they should have bowed together, but it was a calculated ploy.

Since the Legate was kind enough to spare the citizens, he should also be willing to overlook this tiny lapse of conduct especially considering their rank and status deserved as much. Thankfully, the Legate paid no mind to their political manoeuvring and allowed their greetings to carry on without interruption. Once Huushal finished and took his place, the hall was filled with silence as they waited on the Imperial Legate's blessing.

The sound of the slow, unhurried breaths of the Guardian Turtle filled the air as they continued to wait, punctuated ever so often by the quiet squeaking of Rain's armour as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"What a magnificent creature." In a lapse of protocol all his own, the Legate left his throne and stepped off the dais to approach them, eliciting a few surprised gasps from the watching crowd. Waving his Royal Guardians away, the Legate strode past the group of senior officers and officials and right up to Rain and his turtle. Unsure whether this would be a blessing or curse, Yuzhen covertly studied the Legate out of the corner of her eye.

A svelte, lanky man younger than she'd expected, the Legate didn't look a day over twenty five, but that didn't mean much as far as Martial Warriors went and this man was undoubtedly a warrior. Dressed in gold and black Imperial Robes and sporting a similarly coloured hat, the Legate was an impressive sight where others would look downright gaudy or ostentatious. He fit her tastes, but that wasn't why she was so intrigued.

Despite standing in arms reach of the greatest Warrior of the North and biting range of the Empire's largest turtle, the Legate moved with a warrior's confidence and an expert's caution, hands crossed behind his back while keeping a respectful distance back. Tilting his head, he addressed Rain directly in yet another breach of protocol.

"Will she object if I move closer to pet her?" Oh Mother above, another idiot animal lover. Hurriedly Sending to Rain, she coached him through what to say, making sure he remembered to remain respectful.

"Er... Imperial Servant dare not command Imperial Legate," Rain said with head bowed and hands clasped, "but Pi.. er... the Divine Turtle is a wild creature not under... this Servant's control. She... er... The Divine Turtle is here of her own free will, though why... this Servant is at a loss to explain." If only he'd stop hesitating before calling himself a servant or making those unsightly faces. At least it went unnoticed, lest he be accused of dissatisfaction with the Emperor.

Why else would a man scowl every time he referred to himself as the Emperor's servant? She understood his reluctance to pledge servitude to a man he'd never met, but this was the Central Province, and even with the Smiling Slaughterer at his side even... a foreign dragon... cannot... Wait. Where did Guan Suo disappear to? For that matter, where was Gerel's Mentor?

Taking a quick tally of her surroundings, she discovered three more missing from her delegation, both of Fung's guards and the wolf-eared Senior previously napping in the harness strapped to Huushal's back. When did they slip away? Digging through her memories, she realized they'd been missing even since the stables, but to what purpose she couldn't guess. Praying they would all behave, she returned to the present and almost threw a fit as she watch the Legate pet the Divine Turtle.

If an Imperial Scion came to harm, everyone present would lose their heads, yet here he was stroking the ancient turtle's beak like it was some favoured pet.

"Long have I heard of the Divine Turtle's splendour, and today, I, Shen Zhenwu, have finally seen it for myself. Wonderful." Pulling a fan out from his sleeves, the Imperial Legate opened it for all to see and decreed, "Hear me. The Divine Turtle's presence in Nan Ping is a sign of the Mother's Blessing. Any who seek to harm her shall be branded as a traitor to the Empire and a heretic of the Father. Thus hath it been said, and thus shall it be." Well... that was fortunate, and the Legate wasn't done.

Pointing at a fearful, sweaty man standing to the side of the platform, who Yuzhen belatedly recognized as the Magistrate, the Legate commanded, "See to it that the Colonel General, Marshal, and Lieutenant General are housed in an estate with room enough for no less than a thousand guards and two-thousand servants. Each. They've come to defend the Empire and I'll not have them slighted."

Turning to Rain, the Legate asked, "You, Falling Rain, have been chosen by the Divine Turtle, so tell me, what sort of environment does she prefer?"

"Well she... uhh... Imperial Servant reports," Rain stuttered, aging her by a decade with his near slip, "The Divine Turtle is fond open spaces and enjoys swimming in the Azure Sea. Our current encampment on the northern beach is suitable as any." At least Rain was smart enough to avoid staying in the Magistrate's Palace. Living in proximity to the Legate and so many of Central's arrogant nobles would be a disaster waiting to happen. Much safer for him to stay as far from the city and its inhabitants as possible.

"Yes, yes, she is no tamed creature but a child of the Mother, so she must be free to go where she is needed." Clapping Rain on the shoulder, the Legate made a second decree.

"Hear me, as the Divine Turtle's Attendant, Warrant Officer Second Grade Falling Rain is henceforth given free rein within the Empire to carry out his Holy Duty. Any parties caught hindering said Duty will be executed without trial. Thus hath it been said, and thus shall it be." The chorus of surprised gasps and outraged mutterings were like music to Yuzhen's ears. Who would have thought all her problems would be solved by her greatest trouble-maker?

Turning to silently thank Rain, Yuzhen's smile froze as she spotted the young Legate's cold, calculating look, so devoid of warmth or affection. It was only there for a moment and gone so fast she worried she'd imagined it, but it brought to mind her old man's description of the Imperial Clan.

'A devious, manipulative bunch who will feed you shit and make you thank them for it'. She'd underestimated this young Imperial Legate, this Shen Zhenwu. Though named 'true warrior', he was also a true politician, or, more likely, there was another older, craftier Imperial Scion controlling the Legate from the shadows. How could the nervous and apprehensive Magistrate dare openly insult the highest ranking officials in the North, right in front of the Legate no less?

Everything had been done on the Legate's orders, fostering resentment between the North and Central and placing the northern officials in his debt for his 'fair and just' approach. Rain's new appointment might be the same, since he was given the authority to carry out his 'Holy Duty' without detailing what those duties were, allowing the Legate to condemn Rain for overstepping his bounds should the need arise.

Repressing a shiver, Yuzhen bowed and thanked the Legate, worrying if she'd made the right decision to come here. While she knew people would die in this war against the Defiled, she had no intentions of allowing her people to be slaughtered wholesale, and seeing firsthand how manipulative the Legate could be was far from reassuring. It might've been safer to close the northern borders and openly rebel, but it was too late now. Chapter Meme