Chapter 409 - Epilogue 3 - In-Laws Are Always Just A Tad Difficult (Patreon)

Wow, been a while since I posted a chapter this late! I'll count it as a wednesday chapter for the sake of my emotional well being. Enjoy! Another VISCERAE chapter will be out shortly, and then we start arc 10. Maybe. I might need a break and some editing time. I dunno, I'm sleepy, enjoy-

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The surge of strange flesh-magics that have arrived in our world has been a note of severe curiosity to many scholars, as the sudden change in power balances among lesser disciples and cultivators has reached a point where it must be acknowledged and studied. Where previously, the only source of many of the life-saving artifacts, weapons and treasures came about from the actions of well-worn paths, and innovation was brought about by the workings of talented blacksmiths, array-masters, and other crafters, now we face a new sort of production process, which is far less predictable due to its inherent novelty and distinctness. 

Rare metals, vital natural treasures such as Dust-Bloom Lotuses or Earth-Tree Jade, the clean and specific method of forming circuits of array formation- all of these are simple examples of well-known ingredients used to create familiar forms of power. Be they musical instruments, bows, shields, jewelry, or perhaps the ever-popular and ever-trusted sword, our republic has mastered multiple avenues of power, which have been intimately explored. Admittedly, not to their most perfect extent- even now, there are depths to the Dao that we can only glimpse, and masters and geniuses both find drastic and profound new insights all the time. Still, they have been understood and mastered by many, and their efficacy, profoundness, and intricacy have been proven, over and over, reaffirming the correctness of their paths and their role in our world. These instruments are quintessentially tied to our culture, our society, and our might- and for untold ages, the methods of their creation have remained, if not identical, then certainly similar.

Now, even this choice of word has been stretched past credulity. 

Less than a year past, the outside world, beyond the bounds of our interests until now, came calling upon the five Great Sects and all that they empower and uplift. In barely a few weeks time, an individual, whose name I shall not record here for the sake of dignity and the honoring of the rulings of my elders, arranged for an auction after gaining the support of the Watchful Fields sect. How this occurred, and what her motivations might have been in doing so, is still unknown, but the results cannot be denied. The local economy of our great Republic was thrown into upheaval, causing lasting ripples that burned many fortunes and established many more in those bold and creative enough to see the possibilities. Multiple families lost or gained entirely new positions, and the workings of that one tumultuous auction caused more upheaval than simple money ever could.

An entirely new resource was introduced, auctioned, and promoted. A renewable, mutable, modifiable, enchantable source of material for the creation of any of the mainstays of the most potent and well-regarded spiritual tools, treasures, and artifacts, while also opening the door to new and inventive possibilities from those creative enough and daring enough to see past the superficial distastefulness. Suddenly, hundreds of newfound crafters, discovering brand new techniques, disrupting every part of the production of rare tools and weapons. New weapons, new tools, new methods, new requirements- all arriving onto the scene fast enough that conventional wisdoms must adapt to match.

And in spite of the strange nature of these new tools, one cannot deny that their popularity has risen, matched to their rise in their availability, uniqueness, and potency. Now, it is rapidly becoming rarer and rarer to find outer disciples without one, and harder to ignore. Especially as the asymmetry and power of these new tools and new resources continues to increase. 

-Personal notes of Core Disciple Xing Gengxin, preparing a report for his master on the nature of newfound artifacts and their effects on the outer sects and local precincts

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“There’s no way this keeps working.”

“Yes way, it absolutely does, and it will only get more working the more we learn how to do it.”

“You’re literally the worst at this I’ve ever seen. And I can’t handle all of this on my own! The minute someone gets a whiff of weirdness, people are going to swoop in here and wipe this place off the map. How they do it will just depend on which sect finds out first.”

“Which is why they won’t find out.”

“That! Is! Not! A! Plan! That is a vague affirmation that is going to give me a goddamn stomach ulcer if you say it one more time.”

“They won’t find out.”

A plate moves through the air so fast that it shatters from the wind resistance, a shower of sharp-edged ceramic pellets clattering off of impermeable skin.

“What did I just say? Huh? You think I don’t have enough to stress over, that I need to add you to the pile?”

“You keep acting like you’re doing this all on your own, but you’re not. I’m here too! Don’t act like you need to take this on alone!”

“Oh? And when I have to juggle the next five shipments, negotiate who’s getting our next harvest without insulting anyone badly enough that they try to kill us, and try to find out who to bribe and who to threaten, what do you do?”

“I’ve killed three people just this week! And I’m the one who always ends up talking to the wives and husbands, because you’re always too busy!”

“Oooooh, what a burden! Having to comfort and manage all these attractive would-be concubines!”

A gasp. 

“Sister, you’re better than that. Have some pity! This isn’t easy for them, either, being tied to this mess of a house, to someone they’ve never met! And frankly, I’m insulted. I might not be as smart as you, but even I’m not stupid enough to take any offers. There’s far too much drama involved, for one thing. I’m pretty sure some of them are forming factions. Frankly, it takes a lot more than you’re saying to keep this house from being painted in blood.”

“I- KO! THE HOUSE IS PAINTED IN BLOOD! LITERALLY!”

“Well, it’s still a good metaphor.”

Aria pauses. Takes in a long, slow, careful breath. Exhales, even slower, until her lungs start to ache a bit. 

Ko, to his credit, does his best not to look smug as he waits.

To his discredit, he is not very successful. 

“Fine. Fine! You’re just smart enough not to fall for the most obvious bad decision that existence has ever crafted. That does not change the fact that this isn’t sustainable. We’re- I am running on fumes here. You know I’ve had to turn down sixteen marriage proposals in the last three weeks? Some of them from truly dangerous families, the kinds that would rather no one find out I said no to whatever princeling or second son they threw my way.”

“So. Both of us are smart enough not to put our-”

“Do not finish that sentence.”

“Both of us are smart enough not to get involved with romantic dramas.”

“...”

He shrugs. She feels a vein in her head throb.

“The point, Ko, is that we need to figure out what we’re doing next. We need to find our next steps. Recruiting the mercenaries was a good idea, and we have some tentative alliances, but if anyone realizes what we’re doing, all the money in the Jianghu won’t save us. Honestly, I’m pretty sure that half of these concubines-”

“Spouses. Technically.”

“Half of these spouses would absolutely kill us in the right circumstances.”

“Oh, without a doubt. That’s a good half of what I do these days. One of those three I killed this week was one of the husbands, actually. Tried poisoning me, and I think he was going to try to seduce you and then claim to be the head of household, get his clan an in to start making moves.”

“...Ko, maybe next time you can tell me when we have an assassination attempt from inside the house? Is this- was this the Geng spouse? The one you said died?”

“Yes. Because he did. When he tried to poison me with tainted wine.”

“How did you know it was poisoned, Ko?”

“Because I took a taste and suffered a minor Qi deviation, my liver melted, and my lungs stopped working. It tried to stop my heart, too, but that’s one of the things I improved last month, so I managed to stay awake long enough to cut his head off. “

“I- Ko, I sent them a letter of condolences. I implied it was in a conflict with one of the other spouses. I… there are, like, four different conversations I had under the assumption that you had nothing to do with that. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Honestly? You didn’t ask, didn’t tell me you needed to know, and seemed extremely busy.”

Aria blinks. A different vein pulses in her head. 

“That is a distressingly logical explanation for a decision that I deeply disagree with.”

Ko nods, his face as hard to read as ever. The movement makes his hair jingle, very slightly, the metallic sheen to his scalp making a pleasant ringing hum. 

“Understood. I’ll be more detailed about the reasons when someone dies in the household next time.”

“That is appreciated, Ko. Thank you. I may have started a small clan war about his death, so maybe we can both decide to do better next time.”

“...Well, I mean, I only killed one person. Clan war sounds bad.”

“It’s not good, no.”

Ko snorts, though he doesn’t seem to mind much. Uncrossing his arms, he walks over to the tea set cooling on the table, pouring out a cup for her. He does so perfectly, the pour utterly soundless, every action rehearsed and refined until the steps are known by heart. 

Aria stops pacing long enough to collapse into a chair, flopping into it far less gracefully than she would prefer. Mostly.

When he brings over the cup, held in the proper grip, facing the right way, she accepts it, gratefully. 

He isn’t even trying to do extra, or appease her. He thought she would like some tea, and that’s the way tea is poured and given. She knows it, too. They’ve done the dance before, and she’s learned, over the course of months of feeling like she was hitting her head against a brick wall, that when she asks him something, Ko answers. Immediately and honestly. 

“Thank you, Ko.”

“You’re welcome.”

She takes a sip. 

It’s not very good tea. Ko’s not very good at making tea. She isn’t either. So they both make do with poorly brewed tea, mixed with whatever ingredients they thought would work at the time. 

Safer than trying to drink anything made by anyone other than the two of them.

Ko takes a seat across from her, both of them taking up some of the more comfortable places to sit in the expansive, expensive, deeply uncomfortable office. 

There are papers, scrolls and letters piled up high enough to start looking like landmarks on the surface of the desk they inhabit. There are shelves of books, filled with reference books, texts, scrolls and slips, detailing bloodlines, prices, historical trends in market fluctuations, detailed descriptions of different natural treasures and their combinations- and more. There are chairs and places to sit, with different set-ups for different types of meetings. 

It looks, all in all, like the office of a powerful clerk, a well-learned academic capable of competently wielding the bureaucracy of a noble house with the stroke of a pen.

If said clerk was severely overwhelmed. 

Aria is not a clerk. To say she is severely overwhelmed would be somewhat disingenuous from the equally severe understatement of such a description. 

“Alright,” she says, taking another sip to calm her nerves. “I can admit. Maybe I have been neglecting some of the duties of the inner household.”

“I don’t think you’ve neglected anything.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying that because you think it’s well-managed, or because I haven’t met the proper definition.”

“The latter. Neglect is when you have something that’s your responsibility or in your control, and then don’t pay it the proper attention. You’ve got enough work to overwhelm a dozen scribes, and handle almost everything coming from the outside- the inside is my responsibility.”

“Is that how you see it?”

He shrugs. “It’s how it’s been. And we’ve done alright.”

“We’ve done alright because all of our enemies prefer to move over years rather than days. That doesn’t mean they won’t if they see weakness, or find a way to get what they want without needing us. Which is guaranteed to happen sooner than later.”

“Then we burn it all down and run.”

She pauses at that. Turns to face him fully, sitting upright in her chair.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s simple. The flesh only responds to us, so we are the only ones who can manage who harvests what, and how, so we’re valuable. If they figure out how to get it to respond differently, we lose value, which we don’t want, and they gain value. But if we just erase all the value, they won’t want that either.”

“Ok. Except we can’t do that.”

He looks at her like she’s said something unbelievably stupid. 

She tries not to take it personally.

“They don’t know that we can’t do that.”

Aria wonders if she should take it a little personally. 

“Ok. That. Is a true fact. That I may have already implied a few times. I-”

Ko shakes his head, lifting a hand to forestall her recriminations. “You’ve been dealing with a lot. You’re good at seeing all the little intricacies, I’m better at seeing the deep stuff. Like you said- you were already figuring it out.”

“Well, I was implying I’d remove access to it, but with the thought that we can burn it all down, that… some of the letters I’ve sent come across a lot more aggressive. In a good way.”

“Good.”

“Right. Ok. I mean, that buys us a little time. It doesn’t negate the equation, though. Eventually, they’ll figure out we’re bluffing.”

“We’re really good at it, though.”

“Fair. Then they’ll figure that they have a safe enough bet to go out and risk it anyways.”

“Sure. But in the meantime?”

“... if you had to say. How many of the spouses do you think can be trusted.”

“Oh, like, three. At most.”

“There’s like three hundred here.”

“Two-hundred and sixty seven. Used to be two-hundred and eighty four.”

“I’m sorry, did you kill all of those?”

“No, some of them killed each other. Like ten of them in one day, once.”

“Alright. Ridiculous, but alright. So. Pick the three you think can be trusted. I think we need to establish a new head of household. And I could use some help with the house finances. And-”

“You need help with a lot.”

“And you don’t?”

Ko looks at her like she’s said something stupid again. “You’re my help. And you need help. That matters more.”

She almost throws another plate at him for that. 

How does he not understand how that sounds?

“Fine. Fine! We get those three. Maybe… vet some new hires. The manor’s coffers are literally running out of room, even with the mercenaries, the shipments, the appeasement payments, the supplies, the food, the upkeep, the servants… ugh. Maybe we find a way to expand territory? Pull some strings to make sure we have more safety? Some additional defenses? I would sleep a lot easier knowing that we have some more formations ready. Hells, I’d take some spirit constructs, if we can swing it.”

Ko nods calmly, like everything she’s saying is perfectly obvious.

“If this is so obvious to you, how come you didn’t think of it?” she asks, a bit sour. 

“Oh, none of this is obvious at all. I would fail at managing the things you do in a heartbeat. The only obvious thing is how you would figure everything out once you took a moment to breathe.”

The bastard. He has to know how he sounds.

She knows he doesn’t. He doesn’t see things that way.

Part of her wishes he did. Maybe. About her. Just a little.

She sighs, shaking her head.

“Fine. We should get started. Can you bring me the people you were talking about?”

“Of course. One of them is behind that wall, if you’re interested in talking to them first.”

There’s a very small sound of someone trying to scrabble through a very tight passage in the wall.

The sound stops very audibly as two Nascent Souls turn their weight onto that wall. 

In sharp, jingling Cuts, the wall, turned to porcelain and ivy, comes apart. It’s almost delicate, and not a single strike touches the young woman behind them.

She smiles awkwardly, hesitantly giving a little wave.

Aria sighs, hard enough that it hurts her chest a little.

“Yeah. Alright. Why not.”