STNS: Chapter 469 (Patreon)

The war council room was not a thing of opulence but utility. A large table sat in its center and surrounding it was a variety of items whose purpose was to help them with planning. There were only a few decorative details. Large, detailed maps of the Sui Kingdom were spread across the walls or rolled out on tables. Each one was made of silk. The table they were using, the one in the center, was a sand table. A cultivator with an affinity for earth had created a large, three-dimensional representation of Shengshi City. In the center of the city was the Palace of the Sun. It had originally been called the Sui Palace, but the name had been refurbished after the Undying Sun Sect took over.

“I would have your reports now. How is our soldiers progress?” Mei Xilan asked of the people gathered.

Everyone standing around the table was someone of important to her army. There was The Four Pillars, of course. They had been the generals of Rén Xuě’s forces before she arrived, and since none among her army were stronger than them, she planned to have them keep their positions. Also standing amongst them was Jian Wu, Hou Jingshu, Zhou Lihua, Zhou Wen, Youmei, and Shuchang. While Zhou Wen was only present because she was Zhou Lihua’s maid, the others were all important to their goal. They were also the ones who had been responsible for training Mei Xilan’s soldiers.

Jian Wu and Hou Jingshu appeared to glance at each other--appeared because Jian Wu still wore that mask on his face.

“I’d say they’re about as strong as they’re going to get without more time,” he said after a moment, shrugging as he turned back to her. “Their cultivation is still weak, but they’ve come as far as they can go in so short a time thanks to Lili’s alchemy pills.”

Zhou Lihua had worked nonstop for several days to concoct as many alchemy pills as she could. She had worked tirelessly for Mei Xilan’s sake… or so most people thought. Mei Xilan knew the truth. This woman was here to support Jian Wu. She never let her irritation show on her face, but she was secretly bothered that Jian Wu was intimate with both Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu but not her. If he would at least help her sire a child…

“What is their cultivation like?” she asked, shaking the thought away. It was far too late to consider that now.

“Half of our forces are at the Anima Realm,” Hou Jingshu answered for him. “We have one hundred people at the Asura Realm. The rest are at the Hunger Realm.”

Their numbers had swelled as of late. Within the last month, almost three hundred people had migrated to join their army. Many of them were people who were dissatisfied with the abnormally high taxes, but a few of them were the oppressed remnants of the old guard. In order to quell any dissent, the Undying Sun Sect had made an example of dissidents. Some were just killed, but others had their families killed. Rén Xuě had been of the latter group. In either event, with Mei Xilan now present to legitimize their fight and act as a symbol of authority, the people who had disliked the Undying Sun Sect but were unable to do anything had come out of the woodworks to join the cause.

Their last estimated number of cultivators had been two-thousand. That was a far cry from their original five hundred.

“And what of those one hundred who have reached the Asura Realm?” asked Mei Xilan. “Are they any good? Do any of them display admirable leadership qualities”

Shuchang answered that. “I’ve been watching them and a few of them are promising, but most of them are too old. I have a list here. I’ve separated them into cultivators who would make able-bodied leaders in your army and cultivators who should become instructors after you’ve reclaimed your throne.”

A scroll appeared above his hand from within a storage ring and floated over to her. She took it, unrolled it, and read over it. Of the one hundred who had reached the Asura Realm, only about seventeen were listed as people who’d make good leaders of her army.

A national army like the one she wanted to create after re-establishing her rule always consisted of several key positions. Among the high command was the General of the Armies, the top military commander responsible for the overall strategy and command; the strategist, who advised the General of the Armies on tactics and strategies during military campaigns; and War Council Advisers, whose job was to provide expertise in various fields like logistics, intelligence, and cultivation techniques.

Those were just the high command roles. There was also the cultivation-specific roles such as Cultivation Master and Chief Surgeon. The Cultivation Master would be responsible for training soldiers in cultivation practices. It was a crucial role for maintaining the strength and capability of the cultivators in her army. The Chief Surgeon was a healer. They needed to be a cultivator who practiced healing techniques. Sadly, she didn’t have anyone like that in her army right now. She was relying on Zhou Lihua’s alchemy pills.

Speaking of…

She set the list on the table.

“I’ll take this list under serious advisement. Thank you. Zhou Lihua, was there anyone in my army who might make a good alchemist?” asked Mei Xilan.

Zhou Lihua tilted her head. “I… haven’t had much time to check your cultivators to see if any of them are suited toward becoming an alchemist…”

“I see.”

Jian Wu interrupted here. “There is someone in my group who has a fire and wood affinity. I don’t know if they’d make a good alchemist, but they at least meet the most basic prerequisites for becoming one.”

“Could you look at them to see if they have what it takes to become an alchemist?” Mei Xilan asked Zhou Lihua.

“I suppose I could…”

Zhou Lihua ran a finger over her lip. Every member of the Four Pillars inhaled sharpy as she ran a delicate finger over her shapely lip, including old Zhang Ming, who was well past the age of getting easily sexually aroused. Mei Xilan pursed her lips. She knew it wasn’t on purpose. Zhou Lihua, as a member of the Zhou Clan, had been trained from a young age to use her beauty as a weapon. She understood that. She just wished her soldiers had more self-control.

Not like it matters. Zhou Lihua is already taken.

She hadn’t said anything because they were trying to be discreet, but she had caught Zhou Lihua and Jian Wu together once. It was late one night and she hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d gone for a walk to clear her head when she discovered Zhou Lihua slipping into Jian Wu’s bedroom. Curious, she had gone to the door and heard loud moaning from the other side.

Mei Xilan was aware that Zhou Lihua needed to maintain her chastity and was tested once a month to ensure it was still intact, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be sexual. There were many things two people could do short of having sex. She didn’t know how far those two had gone, but they were clearly very intimate if those sounds were anything to go by.

Should I tell Zhou Wen? I’m sure she already knows though…

She was forced to refocus her attention as Zhou Lihua finished speaking.

“Very well. Let me take a look at them. I can’t promise much since I’m still learning myself, but if they have what it takes to become an alchemist, I’ll teach them what I can while we are here.”

“Thank you,” Mei Xilan said with a slight bow.

There were still many important matters to discuss beyond this, so they soon changed the topic to their current plans.

“I believe now is the time to remove the Undying Sun Sect from the Sui Kingdom,” Mei Xilan placed her hands on the table. “Our army might not be a match for theirs, but we currently have momentum on our side.”

“The Undying Sun Sect knows they can’t win in a direct confrontation because of Shuchang and Hou Jingshu, so they won’t attack us. We’ll need to attack them,” said Zhang Ming. “Attacking the Undying Sun Sect on their home turf might not be the best idea. I’m sure Palace of the Sun has a powerful sealing array to help fend off intruders. That’s why they haven’t come out to fight.”

“The best thing to do would be to starve them,” said Li Wei. “We can prevent them from getting food and force them to confront us. Even cultivators have to eat to survive.”

Mei Xilan had considered that idea. The Undying Sun Sect’s stock of food came from several farms several klicks away from Shengshi City. They could easily take over the farms and prevent them from delivering food with the help of Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Shuchang. However…

“We can’t do that. The Undying Sun Sect should have enough food stocked away to last in the event of an emergency. It would take years to starve them like that, and these five aren’t members of our army. They can’t remain here that long.”

Jian Wu, Hou Jingshu, Zhou Lihua, Youmei, and Shuchang could not remain in the Sui Kingdom for such an extended period of time, especially when they couldn’t offer them something of equal value. They had already done more than she could have asked them to. Even she was not so shameless as to continue demanding their aid for practically nothing in return.

“Well… you’re not wrong but…” Fang Heng muttered, trailing off.

“If we are going to attack them, then we need to come up with a plan,” said Zhang Ming. He looked resigned.

Mei Xilan nodded. “I have been thinking about that. We might not know what sort of sealing array protects them, but we have some clues.”

“We do?” asked Wang Jian.

“We do. It’s in their name.”

The Undying Sun Sect was a sect that worshipped the sun. All of their cultivation methods and techniques also utilized the sun’s power, known as sun chi, as a form of energy.

“I see.” Zhang Ming cupped his chin in thought. “Whatever protection they have will be reliant on the sun to use.”

“Yes. So if we attack at night, they won’t be able to use their sealing array,” Mei Xilan said.

“Yes, that would make sense. Still…”

Zhang Ming and the others seemed to agree, though they still seemed reluctant. Unlike Mei Xilan, who had lived away from the Sui Kingdom for several years, these men had been fighting against the Undying Sun Sect ever since they took over the kingdom. When you’ve been under someone’s yoke for so long, you begin to think that your oppressors are too powerful to defeat. They had been living like this for years now and even though they are fighting, they did not believe they could win.

“I understand your concerns,” Mei Xilan said. “However, now is the perfect time to strike. Our forces might not be as strong as them, but they are strong enough to fight, and we have several extremely powerful cultivators on our side.” She turned to Jian Wu and the others. “I’m sorry. I want my forces to win under their own power, but I will have to use you guys for a little while longer.”

“That’s fine. We’re here to help you, so just use us how you see fit,” Jian Wu said for the entire group.

“Thank you.” Mei Xilan smiled for the first time in a while. She didn’t know what would happen to Jian Wu and his group once they left, but she was grateful enough to hope they survived what was to come. Wiping the smile from her face and the guilt in her heart, she looked at everyone gathered and began speaking once again. “In that case, here’s the plan…”