STNS: Chapter 478 (Patreon)

Not much time had passed since Mei Xilan and her faction reclaimed the palace. The first thing she did was make a public announcement to the people. While just about everyone in the capital already knew about her and what she hoped to achieve, they didn't know if she would succeed. The people needed to reassure that she had accomplished her task. She also needed to assure them that she would not betray their trust and ensure their continued safety and prosperity.

The people seemed to have mixed feelings. Wu Jian had wandered the streets a few days after the decisive battle to find that not everyone was pleased to see her reclaim the throne. However, for every one person who was upset, there were at least two that were happy. And ambiguity seemed to be the most prominent feeling among the people. To them, it didn’t matter if the Undying Sun Sect or Mei Xilan were in charge. They were all just faceless rulers who lorded over them from on high.

Not long after her announcement, Mei Xilan found herself swamped with all kinds of work that she probably hadn’t even considered. Her first task was forming a council and reorganizing the army. She needed to appoint several people in various positions of governance, which meant finding people who were suited to these specific tasks. Only a few people in her army actually knew how to govern. Most of them were just simple farmers who’d had their lands stolen from them.

Fortunately, there was someone who was actually well-versed at governance and could help her.

Hou Jingshu.

It was often easy to forget this woman was the princess of the Shang Kingdom because of her warrior attitude, but Hou Jingshu had been educated in all manner of royal decree. She hadn’t been taught how to govern a nation since she was the princess and not in-line for the throne, but she had gleaned enough that her presence was a huge boon to Mei Xilan, whose education had been cut short due to the coup d'etat.

Hou Jingshu helped Mei Xilan establish the Council of Seven, which consisted the Four Pillars, a young cultivator who had proven himself during the battle, and two non-cultivators who could act as the voice of the people. The two non-cultivators were hired on Hou Jingshu’s suggestion. She said the people were the most important part of any nation, so it was paramount they have a voice that could convey their desires.

Wu Jian did not have much to do during this time. He was no ruler, and while he had been taught how to govern a province and lead a clan, ruling a nation was far beyond him. He was only brought on a few times as a consultant before Mei Xilan realized his own knowledge on ruling was severely lacking.

Because he had very little to do, he spent most of his time sparring with Shuchang and Youmei, or watching Zhou Lihua refine pills. The young alchemist didn’t have many ingredients left, but Mei Xilan had said she could raid the Undying Sun Sect’s medicine hall and take whatever she wanted. This was compensation for all the work she had done.

“To be honest, I don’t really remember much of the battle. That Qiang Bao guy apparently used a sealing array that made us hallucinate… or like, see visions of our deepest desires. When I broke free of the illusion, almost half the elders were already dead. Dispatching them and Qiang Bao once I woke up was pretty easy, honestly.”

At the moment, Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Zhou Lihua were having tea and snacks as they discussed the battle. They hadn’t had time to do it until now since Hou Jingshu was so busy helping Mei Xilan rebuild her nation. This was the first Wu Jian had been able to hear her recounting of events.

“Well, he might have been at the Seeker Realm, but his cultivation method was far inferior to yours,” Wu Jian said, reaching for his cup. It was a fine piece of porcelain with light blue snowflake delicatly painted upon it's surface. “Honestly, someone like him should not have given us so much trouble to begin with.”

They were sitting outside on a veranda that overlooked an extensive garden currently full of sunflowers and other brilliant orange and yellow flora. Mei Xilan said she would eventually replace all these plants, but for now, they remained a low priority.

Wandering amidst the flowers was Youmei, who had taken to following butterflies and leaping at animals that hid in the flowers. There were quite a few rabbits and other critters scurrying about. Wu Jian just hoped Youmei wouldn’t attempt to eat them raw. He knew she wasn’t really human, but he didn’t want to see someone who looked human tearing apart raw meat.

“You two did quite a bit. I fear that, in contrast, my contribution was very small,” Zhou Lihua said with a sigh.

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Wu Jian shook his head. “What Hou Jingshu and accomplished had an immediate effect, but what you did will have an impact that will last for many years to come.”

Hou Jingshu nodded. “All we did was help her defeat an enemy, but you made it so they can defeat enemies on their own. I think that’s much more beneficial than what we did.”

Zhou Lihua looked startled for a moment, eyes widening as though she hadn’t considered their take, but then she smiled, her face softening. She wasn’t wearing her veil right now. That meant Wu Jian had a very clear view of her beautiful smile.

“You do bring up a good point. I hadn’t considered that,” she said softly.

“I feel like most people don’t. While alchemists are in high demand, cultivators are who everyone celebrates,” Wu Jian said.

As they discussed the battle and reassured Zhou Lihua that she had helped a lot, an aid came by and said that Mei Xilan was requesting to see Hou Jingshu. The young woman sighed as she stood up and bid them a good day. Wu Jian watched her go, then turned toward Zhou Lihua.

“It seems some people can’t catch a break, huh?” he said.

“Yes, it certainly does seem that way,” Zhou Lihua murmured with a soft smile.

***

Roughly one month passed and a lot happened. Mei Xilan finished forming a council, re-established and reformed the legal system to ensure fairness and justice, and consolidated her power by ensuring the loyalty of local leaders and military commanders. A lot of this involved traveling not only into the capital but to smaller outlying villages as well and meeting with the people in charge there.

She also addressed the issue of the Undying Sun Sect members who had surrendered. Some of the disciples had only been part of the sect as a means of survival or to provide for their families. She pardoned those who were willing to display their loyalty to her by taking an oath under heaven. That would ensure their complete loyalty to the ground. While most of the disciples took one, there were a few who refused, and Mei Xilan had no choice but to put them down. She did not publicly execute them, however. Public executions were used more as examples of what happened to those who displayed disloyalty. This was merely getting rid of dissidents.

Through the two non-cultivators who had joined her council, Mei Xilan learned that the Undying Sun Sect had not done much to stimulate the economy. While her nation wasn’t in danger of becoming destitute, there were many people who struggled to pay their taxes, and the merchants had very little to offer since they were not allowed to leave the kingdom. In order to stimulate economic growth, Mei Xilan temporarily lowered the taxes for the month, provided loans to farmers and small business owners, and opened Siwang Pass to the public. Now merchants could leave the country and foreign merchants could come into the country and trade. They wouldn’t see much in the way of growth yet since nobody knew the Sui Kingdom had ended its isolation, but Mei Xilan had sent people out to spread the word.

Establishing diplomatic relations with other nations and powerful sects was also something that Mei Xilan expressed an interest in. She had even brought Zhou Lihua and Wu Jian in to consult with them about establishing contact with the Southern Tang Dynasty and Heavenly Sword Sect. While Wu Jian could not promise anything because he was low on his sect’s hierarchy, he told her that he would speak with someone about this. The person he planned to speak with was Wu Meiying. She was much more important than him and would therefore be a better person to help Mei Xilan establish a relationship with the Heavenly Sword Sect.

While she had called him for occasional help, Wu Jian found himself with a lot of free time more often than not, so he had taken to training her troops. Mei Xilan wanted to train her army up some more. Since he had the time, he decided to help out there. He already had some experience training soldiers now thanks to the time he had spent in this nation. Many people had already called him a demon for his spartan training methods, but he had been given another nickname eventually.

Asura.

Long ago, there was a man whose name has been lost to history. Many people considered him to be the first cultivator. Legends had it that he had the power of a thousand men, that with just a swing of his hands, he could rend mountains, part seas,  and split the very heavens.  He was a warlike man who had constantly involved himself in conflicts. As his legend continued to grow, so too did the rumors surrounding him. Some said he was a fearsome warrior with multiple heads and arms to signify his power and aggressiveness. Whatever the case was, people eventually began calling Asura.

Wu Jian wasn’t too fond of the nickname and decided teach the disciples who had taken to calling him that a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget.

After a month had gone by, Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, Shuchang, Zhou Lihua, and Zhou Wen stood before Mei Xilan as she sat on her throne.

“You are leaving?” she asked.

“It’s about time we return to our homes,” Wu Jian answered.

“I understand, though I wish you could stay longer.” Mei Xilan paused, as though waiting for an answer, and when none were forthcoming, she sighed. “Very well. I believe I promised you something quite specific.” She glanced at a young maidservant. “Bring it, please.”

“Yes, Sui Mei Gōngzhǔ.”

The young woman left and came back with a small black box that was unadorned with any embellishments, but was still exceedingly well-built. She knelt before Wu Jian and offered the box. He took it and slowly opened the box.

“This is…”

What lay on a small bed was a pill about the size of his thumb. It was almost pure black save the sixteen white stars. The surface was slightly uneven, showing this wasn’t a perfect pill, but it was still in great condition.

“The Sixteen Star Advancement Pill,” Mei Xilan said. “You cannot use it right now because your cultivation is too low, but once you are ready to break into the Realization Realm, that pill will help you.”

“Thank you very much.”

“I should be the one saying that. Thanks to you, my kingdom has been restored to me. You have my gratitude.”

The others were also given gifts, though none of them were quite so extravagant. They left not long after receiving their rewards.

It was early in the morning, and the people were just starting to rise. Stores weren’t open yet, but the smell of baked goods coming from several shops let him know they would be soon, though they would not be around long enough to buy anything. Indeed, it was not long before they left the capital city altogether. Once they were outside city limits, the group flew all the way to Siwang pass. Several guards were stationed there. Wu Jian showed them his pass and they were let through.

“We’ve been here for so long that it’s hard to believe we’re finally leaving,” Hou Jingshu said.

“Right?! It feels like we’ve been in this country for forever,” Shuchang exclaimed. He walked with his hands behind his head and his posture lazy. “I can’t believe we’re finally leaving.”

“What are you going to do from here, Shuchang?” asked Wu Jian. “Hmmm. Good question. I was thinking of sticking with you, but…”

“I’m heading back to the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

“I thought so. In that case, I might travel some more.”

They walked through the pass instead of flying since there were magical beasts who made their nests above. Wu Jian thought about what he would do once he returned to the Heavenly Sword Sect. He was looking forward to seeing Wu Meiying again. He missed her. Turning, Wu Jian was about to address Hou Jingshu, to ask if she’d like to travel to the Heavenly Sword Sect with him. He was certain Wu Meiying would be happy to see her childhood friend.

He would never get the chance.

“WU JIAN! LOOK OUT!”

Wu Jian was startled when Hou Jingshu called him by his real name, but he didn’t get the chance to say anything as he was shoved to the ground. He landed on his rear end in shock. Looking up, Wu Jian’s eyes widened when he saw Hou Jingshu standing in front of him, arms spread protectively as if to shield him, and a hand emerging from her right shoulder, drenched in her blood.

“You have good instincts, girl. That attack was meant to take your boyfriend’s heart,” said an insipid voice that he knew very well, though it sounded so different from what he was used to.

Standing behind Hou Jingshu with a malicious glint in her eyes was Zhou Wen.