Demonic Tribulations - Chapter 79 preview (Patreon)

Chapter 79 – Fa Yuan

Diverting the conversation after she had ascertained their initial positions so that no one was too stuck into any one particular viewpoint was easy enough. It had grown a little tense when Prince Liu arrived to join the group, the air of suspicion increasing. However, Fa Yuan had broken the group apart deftly, putting the individuals who knew one another together and pointedly shifting conversations to the social. Keeping attention on the disparate social groups was a minor task for her, as she flitted between them whilst waiting.

The generals who joined, speaking with one another about military matters and a potential war, she left alone. Matters of great strategy were for them to hash out. Once she had couched the matter as a training exercise and a puzzle, she knew that the generals would be inclined to the entire expedition. Let them work out the difficult portions of it together, finding solutions ot any objections that might arise.

Even if their own opinions were that such an attack was foolish, they would be better off if they had begun the planning immediately. In the end, the generals would march where the kingdom ordered them, and so it was the royalty that needed management.

It was, thankfully, simpler than it could have been. Elder En had taken those few other cultivators, members of the orthodox sect, on a long walk to the waterfalls that fed the river that fed the monastery and town. He had insisted on their company, wanting to speak with them outside the ears of the royal sponsors.

She knew that he would have them well in-hand by the time they descended. Any orthodox sect that might seek to avoid such a call would be shamed into compliance, any cowards rooted out and sent back home to be replaced.

The cultivators would take action, but sadly, outside of a few groups – mostly descending from the State of Yan – the orthodox sect in the newly formed kingdoms were small and weak. Years of repression, of forced service to the Cai king had seen their best and brightest winnowed away. Only those who were wise enough to keep their head down, to grow twisted and low had survived. Any poplar, any oak that rose above were struck down, all too early.

When the Wei mirror finally arrived, it came with an unhappy addition. Unhappy on both the purloined cultivator’s portion and on Fa Yuan’s. Her eyes widened at the sight of her old friend, noting how he had aged, though he still exhibited the old grace of his namesake. Clad in the green robes of the Verdant Green Waters inner sect, he stayed near the door as the announcements were made and the mirror finally set-up. While conversations rose and many crowded around the mirror to see such a wondorous and rare spirit instrument, Fa Yuan made to speak with her fellow sect member.

“Hei Mao,” she said. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d retired…”

“To a branch sect to become it’s branch head?” Hei Mao nodded. “I did. After all our adventures did not lead me higher, when I was stuck on that last meridian, I retired. However, I had the bad fortune to pick one too close to the border. Such that when the orders came, I was subjected to them.”

“Orders?” Fa Yuan said, surprise in her tone.

“Oh, yes. Orders from the Sect Head.” He reached sideways, conjuring the scroll and handing it to her. Knowing that she could not read its contents yet, she placed it in her storage ring.

“What are your orders after that?”

“To accompany you till your return to the Shen kingdom. Perhaps even to the sect.”

A graceful eyebrow arched, but before she could pursue the matter further, chi churned in their surroundings. It drew their attention to the mirror whose silver surface had twisted and warped, lines of colour flickering. When it reappeared, the figure behind was in black and white, as though printed on a pristine piece of paper. Only occasional flashes of color surfaced, streaking moving hands, flickering candles and glinting robes in color.

“-hear me?” the General, another familiar figure, spoke.

“We can, general.” Prince Liu replied. “Are you alone?”

“I am. My authority is sufficient to say what needs to be said.” The general grated out.

“Before you provide your answer, perhaps we could-”

“We don’t need your honeyed words, not you. Certainly not that traitorous Fairy who stole a prisoner away,” growled the general. “The Wei understand you intend to do battle with the Cai forces. To decapitate them properly. We think it foolish, to push all the way to the capital to take more land for kingdoms newly born. There’s nothing to be gained from a land already struggling to survive..”

“It’s not just about taking land,” Prince Tien said, quickly. “The Cai cannot be allowed to recover. Their armies are still present.”

“They’re boiled rice, those armies. They will be shrunk and dispersed in a year, when their meals stop arriving.”

“They’ll take from their people,” Prince Yan said. “Feed their armies first. We know this to be true.”

“You don’t talk,” snapped the general. “The Yan risk little by sending these others to do their fighting for them.”

“We are ready to commit three of our famed cavalry regiments to the cause.”

“Three. Hah!” The general snorted. “Famed. Hah!” He spat to the side, continued. “I care not. We will not delve that deep.”

Fa Yuan’s eyes narrowed, and she moved. A small motion, a raising of her hand. Enough to give indication of her intention to speak.

“But you do intend to invade them.”

As though it hurt him to speak, the general nodded. “I have been informed that taking additional land would not be to our disadvantage in the future.” Lips compressed, as he continued. “So long as Elder Yang provides us further details about the mystic realm from the fugitive.”

“You want to know what Yin Xue told me.”

“Yes. What to expect, what dangers to avoid, what might be acquired from the realm.” Lips pressed together, he jerked his head upward. “The Six Jade Gates promise they can provide such information soon, but have already lost one Elder to the realm. It is the Prince’s belief that it would be better to spend soldier lives than cultivator ones.”

Surprise registered on faces all around, as he provided the blunt calculus and assessment that so many of the royals might make but never speak. After all, true cultivators were rare. Their strength difficult to replace, and expensive to do so. Soldiers on the other hand were always easier.

“I can provide such information.” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing the royals around. Sensing the pressure of some other spiritual senses. “And can even speak for the sect, in the allocation of shares so that losses taken in the upcoming battle are fairly compensated.”

“As though lives can be can traded for spirit stones and spirit herbs,” Prince Kwok said.

“I apologise. You are correct. They cannot be – but at least, we may offer further opportunities in advancement to others.” A slight pause, then she added. “Not to mention an opportunity to locate some of the many artifacts that the Cai have acquired over the years.”

There it was, the hook. The Wei had thrown themselves onto the bait already, desirous of the advantages they could acquire. Now, it was but a matter of reeling in the rest of the prizes, carefully.

That, and defusing the rocket[1] that Prince Liu had already lit.

[1] Small reminder that the Chinese did have rockets and gunpowder for ages. While they make few appearances in the book, gunpowder technology was around. It was mostly used for firecrackers and rockets though, since their reliability was suspect and their expense, high.