Demonic Tribulations - Chapter 5 preview (Patreon)

Chapter 5 – Yang Mu

She lurched a little, her steps stuttering as her focus returned to the present. Yang Mu found her cloth shoes brushing across cold flagstones, the smell of incense and floral arrangements filling her lungs as she was forcibly returned to her own body, her connection to her dao severed.

Wu Ying, always attentive to her, shifted to aid her but was immediately blocked. He only managed a half-lurching step before an armored body interposed themselves between the two of them, an action that had him glaring upwards. After he ascertained that she was unharmed, he smoothed his visage and returned to his initial spot.

Unharmed. That was true, in the physical and spiritual sense, though her emotions was still in turmoil at how easily the Vice Minister had dismissed her own vision. Somehow shorn her from her own dao path, blocking the visions. Nothing that the guards that had escorted them here had shown was in the same league, though neither she nor Wu Ying had given them a reason to act.

“Vice Minister Yu,” Wu Ying bowed low, the chains on his arms and legs clanking. “Thank you for greeting us.”

“Ascendant Long, I am not here for you.” A lip curled up, in distaste and dismissal. “You are Captain Mao’s charge, from now till judgment.” She gestured to Yang Mu herself. “I am here for your partner.”

“Ah, I apologise, I-!” Whatever else Ah Ying  was about to say was cut off by the shove on his shoulder from one of the guards. It was then that she realised that Captain Mao, after bowing to the Vice Minister, had continued walking.

“Keep walking, prisoner. We will put you in your cell soon enough.”

“Cell?” Yang Mu said, a touch surprised that such a building had such things. While it was a palace, surely they did not actually have dungeons and cells in it. Such uncouth matters would be dealt with in the barracks and buildings of the appropriate Ministries, not the palace where screams or smells might intrude upon the gentle reflection of those within.

“Oh, yes. We have one for him.” One of the guards chuckled only to fall silent as a spike of a spiritual aura and awareness washed over the group. He clamped his mouth shut, as they prodded Wu Ying to walk again.

He did, of course. He – they – were both going to follow the orders of those above them as best they could. Till such time as such demands were no longer appropriate. Their actions were already agreed upon, to lessen the punishment as much as possible with good behaviour. It still did not meant that her partner did not egg them on, just a little.

Wu Ying would not be who he was without a touch of a fool in him.

“I shall you later, Ah Mu.” Wu Ying called out, flashing her a smile. “Do visit, if you can.”

“No visitors,” the guard growled.

Wu Ying was shoved again, forced to turn around or fall. But that smile he sent her lingered on in his mind, even as he was led away. Surprisingly, Vice Minister Yu was willing to wait until he had departed for good before she spoke to Yang Mu.

“Welcome to the Palace of Lesser Harmonies, Ascendant Yang.” A small tilt of her head. “Your entry to our realm has been somewhat unusual, but your right to be here is unquestioned. At the Palace of Lesser Harmonies, our job is to educate you on the environment and the courtesies expected of you as a resident of the thirty six heavens and three realms. When appropriate, you will be introduced to the Jade Emperor, your education ascertained and your placement in the imperial bureaucracy determined.”

“And if one does not wish to join the jade bureaucracy?” Yang Mu asked.

“That is, of course, acceptable. We have need for craftsmen, farmers and-” a slight twist of her lips as she continued at Yang Mu, “-even merchants.”

Yang Mu was used to the way most people saw merchants. They were considered a lower social class, a necessity in the economy but a group that offered little to society. Artists, craftsmen, farmers most of all were the mainstays of society – necessary for the ongoing progression. Scholars and bureaucrats, obviously, saw themselves as important – but merchants? Middlemen who offered little beyond the shifting of goods and consolidation of them offered little tangible benefit. In many ways, she even understood it, as she considered the vast stores that her mother once had of goods.

Better for a sword to be used, a rake tilling the ground than be stored in her mother’s vaults. Herbs that continued to age, their potency growing but which could have aided another cultivator breakthrough, protective formations that lay dormant rather than sheltering villages, cultivation manuals that became dusty.

In a perfect world, all such items would find their way to the most needy, and they would make full use of them. Yet, she had experienced the importance of waiting too – when the numerous pills and formations and treasures were utilized ot save Wu Ying. When a cultivator stumbled into their hut, only to emerge with a cultivation manual that was perfect for them, an alchemical pill that would unleash their full potential – or even elevate it.

“That is good to hear.” Yang Mu smiled a little. “Though I do not know if I intend to take up my previous profession.”

“That too is acceptable.” A slight beat. “For now. Eventually, the Jade Emperor would desire you take upon a role that benefits society.”

“Oh? What of the hermits? The individuals who seek only to contemplate the Dao?” she asked, curiously.

“What of them? Even sages and those who walk that path will answer to the Emperor when their wisdom is requested.” Minister Yu shooko her head. “You would be surprised how often such individuals insights are needed. We are a celestial court after all.”

“Of course.” During their conversation, Minister Yu had begun to lead Yang Mu deeper into the complex. As they passed through the first building, she gestured to the inner courtyard and the garden within. “Now, come. I have much to show you and you have much to learn about the geography of the palace. After which, we shall begin the tests.”

“Tests?”

Misunderstanding her surprise, Minister Yu explained. “They are new, since your companion’s arrival. It was decided that a more broad based testing of an individual before they are introduced into the palace and the empire itself was unnecessary. In that way we may better decide on the classes that are necessary.”

Yang Mu nodded serenely, though internally she quailed at the idea of further lectures focused upon reeducating her properly. Exactly how much trouble had Wu Ying caused, when he had left?