Interlude: The Young Miss (Patreon)

“Honesty is a servant’s most valuable trait.”

~~~

The Emerald Peninsula lies at the southern end of Amaranth. It is one of the continent's smallest territories, a land of swamps and marshes that is hot and humid year-round. It arguably has the lowest population, though that may be because many of its settlements are small towns and villages naturally hidden by its terrain. Rising Emerald City is its largest city and the seat of the Ji Clan, one of the Twelve Sacred Clans.

“What do you mean they left?!”

Lady Ji Ruoxi’s Qi makes the Ji Clan's ancient estate tremble. She is a young woman with a tall, slender figure, accentuated by her white and green flowing robes. Her lips are deep red, and her skin is white like snow. Her face would be beautiful if it weren’t twisted in anger. Her eyes are green and reptilian. Her long, green hair rises with her Qi, as though it were made of hundreds of snakes.

“I am sorry, my lady,” her aide says. She is Ji Li, a mousy-looking woman with short hair. Though she looks about a decade older than her master, she is actually the younger one between the two. “As soon as he heard the news, your Uncle left and took many of the warriors with him. Many officials and people from our most prosperous cities also went with him.”

The woman trembles as her master’s Qi rises further. Fear makes the snake in her more noticeable, scales rising over her skin and her forked tongue tasting the air to better sense how angry her master is.

“...we are finished.”

“Huh?”

Ji Li blinks, confused as her master’s Qi fizzles out. The anger that seemed boiling hot just a second ago disappears into the ether. Lady Ji Ruoxi stands in place, staring at nothing and surrounded by silence. The White Court, the Ji Clan’s ancestral home, is almost empty. The once-luxurious mansion barely has enough servants nowadays. Some rooms have not seen use in decades, the furniture there covered in blankets to protect it from the dust.

“We are finished,” Lady Ji repeats. Her eyes are human once more, and her hair, despite rising wildly just a few seconds ago, flows down her back like a perfect waterfall in a way that Ji Li cannot help but envy. “It is over. The Ji Clan’s eight thousand years of history are over.”

“My lady, surely you exaggerat–”

Ji Rouxi’s eyes narrow at her, becoming slitted for an instant. Ji Li immediately shuts her mouth.

“If you are trying to pity me, I will get angry. If you actually mean it, I might just throw you out,” Ji Rouxi says. “Don’t be an idiot. My Uncle just went to get himself killed, and he did not even have the decency to go alone. He took all our best warriors with him. We just lost more than half our fighting strength, and some of our brightest minds. Well, one wonders how bright they truly were, considering they followed my Uncle.”

Ji Li stays silent. When the Forbidden Continent reappeared, Lady Rouxi gave one simple order: Do not go there. For the humans to drop the barrier so suddenly after such a long time could only mean it was a trap. Anyone with sense could see that. It was better to wait and analyze the situation. However, her Lady’s Uncle refused to follow that order and went behind her back. By the time they found out, it was too late.

“And if my Uncle somehow succeeds, I am probably dead anyway,” Lady Rouxi says. She gives her a side glance. “You might survive if you swear allegiance to him.”

“Never!” Ji Li says. “I’d never betray you, my lady!”

“I am flattered,” Lady Rouxi says, her voice anything but touched. She sighs and flicks her long hair over her shoulder. “Follow.”

The order is given, and Ji Li obeys. Her lady does not make a sound as she moves across the floor. By comparison, Ji Li’s steps echo loudly in the seemingly empty mansion. The other servants know better than to make themselves known at a time like this.

“Where did I go wrong?” Lady Rouxi asks as she reaches a large room full of furniture that hasn't been used in years. She sits on a couch and looks at the ceiling. There are cobwebs there. “That was not a rhetorical question. You can answer.”

“What? No! I wouldn’t presume…”

Her lady’s Qi slaps her across the face.

“I do not keep you around for empty platitudes,” Lady Rouxi says. “Honesty is a servant’s most valuable trait.”

“I…it really isn’t your fault, my lady,” Ji Li says, rubbing her cheek. “You did as best you could with the resources given to you. You…You were just born too late.”

Lady Rouxi flinches.

“Well, I did order you to be honest,” she says. A bitter laugh escapes her lips. “Good job.”

Four thousand years ago, Nine-Headed Snake God fell. That was the beginning of the Ji Clan’s decline, but many would argue the main reason for their downfall came right after.

“Tell me something, Ji Li,” Her lady says, kicking her feet up onto the couch. “If you were in my great-great-grandfather’s place, would you have taken the Ji Clan to the Holy Land?”

“I…That is…”

Lady Rouxi laughs.

“Sorry, that was cruel of me,” she says. “I ask myself the question all the time, and I still can’t answer it. It’s annoying, right? That useless ancestor didn’t leave us anything but an annoying insistence that we should not eat humans. My great-great-grandfather followed it, so we remained here, in our ancestral homeland. Many of the other families didn’t care. I can almost understand my Uncle’s idiocy.”

She shrugs.

“It does not make it any less idiotic, though,” she adds, pinching the bridge of her nose. “That bitch Hu is going to throw this in my face.”

Ji Li blinks.

“Lady Hu? But she has-”

“The humans are back. Do you really think she is not going to do anything?” Lady Rouxi asks. “She is deluded enough to believe herself the queen of this continent. She’ll summon all of us, and I do not have enough power to ignore her. Worse, I am now so weak that everyone is going to be against me. If I don’t handle this properly, the others are going to be lining up to take my lands.”

She sighs.

“Who has time to worry about humans with allies like these? If they find a way to ruin everything, I will thank them.”

~~~ 

Mini-Character List

Ji Rouxi: Leader of the Ji Clan. Competent in most things, but was born too late. Has spent most of her life in a cold war against her uncle. Enjoys stone skipping. 

Ji Li: Ji Rouxi’s aide. Deeply loyal to her master. Trusted due to her sensible nature. Hapless.

AN

So tired. Almost forgot to schedule this. Anyway, I considered making this Interlude go before the last two chapters, but it kind of spoiled a couple of things, so it's here instead.