The Magistrate: Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Chapter 25

Finch Village

Since the day the assassin tried to kill Tobias, there had been three attempts by rogue cultivators to kill his family. Each attempt was thwarted without his family ever realising they were in danger. All his family knew was that the cultivators were staying to protect them, but they had no clue that they had already acted on their behalf. These reports were why Tobias desperately wanted to visit them and see how they were doing.

In the late afternoon, two days later, the peaks of The Three Step Hills came into sight. Everything looked the same as Tobias remembered it, until they passed through the town and began to approach his new property.

Lord Bi had built a new dirt road from town to his family's village. It followed the base of the hills, replacing the rice paddies that had sat there for generations. It was a wide road made from compacted dirt, capable of holding two wagons side by side.

A retaining wall of mud and stone sat on the far side of a drain, showing where his family had begun to clear the hills in preparation for farming. It was rough work, but Tobias had been warned that it would look that way until everything was closer to its final form as rice paddies.

They were only halfway through Summer, but Tobias's family had cleared the bamboo forest from the first step and were working on the second. Tobias didn't spot any crops, but he didn't expect to. This year, all his family's efforts were going into preparing the land. They had to do everything by hand, so it was supposed to take years before they finished.

Everything Tobias saw suggested they were significantly ahead of schedule.

Tobias waved to his relations as he went past. All stopped long enough to wave back before returning to their work. Tobias spotted two crippled cultivators sitting on the hillside and waved at them as well. Each gave him a small nod before returning to watch over his family.

Tobias knew they hadn't volunteered to protect his family out of any kindness. They'd volunteered because it was the only way to get revenge for the injuries they had suffered. Losing an arm or leg as a martial artist was the end of your career. A sect wouldn't invest resources in someone like them, or so they'd told him.

Tobias spotted a handful of cultivators working alongside his female cousins. Many on the martial path were former farmers, and they seemed to have slid into place beside his family, laughing and sharing jokes as they did the work of twenty men. They waved back when he waved to them, much happier than those sitting on the hill.

A small village on the side of the hill came into sight as they rounded the bend in the road. The homes were all round houses, with bamboo walls, and a sloped roof made from straw. Tobias knew the design well. They were commonly built as temporary housing. They only lasted a few years, but they would be warm and dry until they needed to be torn down and replaced. The bamboo would be three layers thick, followed by a layer of mud for insulation, and then three more layers of bamboo. Tobias knew this because he'd paid the builders in town to make them for his family before he left.

Above the villager on the top of the hill was a lavish wooden house that looked out of place in the peasant village. It was made from interconnected boards and posts that had been sanded down and were perfectly symmetrical.

Tobias noticed that from the bend in the road to the edge of the village, everything had already been cleared and prepared. The terraces went halfway up the hill, and retaining walls had already been reinforced with stones. Tobias saw that his family had already planted vegetables on both steps, hoping to get a small crop in before Winter.

Overseer Poh had promised Tobias that he could get the work on this section of the first hill done in as little as two years, so that fact that he was over a year and a half ahead of schedule would have been shocking if Tobias hadn't seen the disciples working beside his family.

Disciple Xi didn't slow his pace until they reached the base of the village, pulling to a stop outside the large arch that had the words Finch Village carved across it. Disciple Xi lowered the rickshaw's handles and let Tobias and Disciple Wo out.

Disciple Wo immediately unstrung his bow, leaving Tobais's security to Disciple Xi. The weapon was made from simple wood, so keeping it strung for so long damaged it.

The next thing Tobias noticed was that the path up the hill to the steps where the bamboo houses were built had been loosely paved with stone. Someone had embedded them in the dirt to create the semblance of a walkway. Tobias knew his family wouldn't bother with something like that, so it had to have been done by the disciples.

"Which one belongs to your parents?" Disciple Xi asked as he scanned the village.

Tobias grabbed his luggage from the back and began walking up the hill. "My family lives on the second step. My parents' house is the one on the right side of the road. Mine's the one on the left side. We'll be staying there tonight."

"How large is your property?"

Tobias turned, put down his luggage, and pointed. "I own these two hills and the one that connects to them on the other side."

"This would be the centre of the property then."

Tobias nodded as he picked up his luggage and kept walking. "The rice paddies on the flats all belong to Lord Bi."

"What about those hills beyond your property?"

"The rest of the Three Step Hills are owned by the Shen Clan, but we're allowed to forage and collect fallen wood for Winter. You can find a lot of mushrooms if you know where to look."

Disciple Xi frowned. "When you said your family were poor, I expected to see worse conditions."

Tobias chuckled. "This is luxury compared to where we used to live. These huts are at least five times the size of one I grew up in."

"Where is everyone?"

"You saw them on our way here."

"Those weren't peasants?"

"No. They were my family."

"That was back-breaking labour."

"The sun is up, so they're working."

"All of them?"

"All except the children and my grandfather."

Halfway up the hill, Tobias heard children reciting a lesson he'd learned in his youth and turned to the largest roundhouse in the village, the school. He hadn't met their teacher, but he was happy to hear the younger generation of his family was hard at work studying. Tobias intended for them all to secure apprenticeships in the next few years. This was just the beginning of the transformation he wanted his family to undergo.

When he reached his family's terrace, Tobias dropped off his luggage outside his house and then led his assistants to the next roundhouse and raised his voice. "Grandpa, you home?"

"I'm home," he called back through the door. "Whose asking?"

"Your grandson."

"I've got a lot of grandsons. You need to be more specific."

"Your favourite grandson."

"He's off in Cloud City."

"No, he's standing outside yelling at you."

Grandpa Finch opened the door and smiled. "It would appear that he is. You got any more money? My experiments aren't going as well as I hoped."

"I've got something better."

Grandpa Finch raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his forehead further.

"Your tea is called Three Towns Tea. It only grows on the peaks of the hills in this region."

Grandpa Finch stepped forward and hugged him. "And that's why you're my favourite grandson. You're sure about this?"

Tobias gave his grandpa a tight squeeze. "I was told that by a tea expert who used to drink your tea daily for nearly a thousand years. He told me everything he knew when I said you were trying to cultivate it. Apparently, The Three Step Hills used to be a tea-growing region."

Grandpa Finch stepped back. "What else did he tell you?"

"It's very temperamental."

"I know that already."

"It needs a lot of sun."

"I know that too."

"It doesn't grow on a slope, like shade, or rich soil. It prefers rocky earth."

"Rocky earthy, you say. That explains a few things."

"Like, why the tops of these hills can't be farmed?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of why some of my attempts have failed. What else did this expert say?"

"You can't transplant the plant after it's a month old."

"Yes, you can."

"The plant will live for up to two years before it dies for no reason."

Grandpa Finch slapped Tobias on the shoulder. "You just explained half of my failures, boy."

Tobias grinned, happy to see the old man excited.

"So, plant them on the top of a hill on flat rocky soil within a month of them sprouting, leaving a lot of space around them so they don't sit in shadow."

"That's what he said. Also, don't fertilise them."

"Don't fertilise them?"

"He said that's what he was told. They get a large growth spurt and then die a few years later. The Imperial Archives apparently has several manuscripts on how to grow Three Towns Tea, but I'm not qualified to access them."

"My tea was valuable enough to be found in the Imperial Archives?"

"I've been told it's the perfect gift for any cultivator more than four centuries old. It was once the staple of nobility and cultivators everywhere."

Grampa Finch grinned again. "I knew I was onto something. Now, before we continue. Who is your guest?"

Tobias blushed. "My apologies. Grandpa, this is Inner Disciple Xi. He's my new assistant."

Grandpa Finch bowed low. "A pleasure to meet you, Inner Disciple Xi."

"A pleasure to meet you, too. The magistrate has shared your wonderful tea with me on many occasions, but he failed to mention its importance."

"He's like that." Grandpa Finch bowed again. "Good to see you again, Disciple Wo."

Disciple Wo returned the bow. "Nice to see you too, Grandpa Finch."

Tobias nodded to the nearest roundhouse. "Is that mine?"

He needed to double-check.

Grandpa Finch nodded. "It's yours and it's slightly bigger and better than everyone else's, though you will have to look hard to tell. The builders wanted to build a giant monstrosity, but I managed to talk them out of it."

Tobias smiled. "Good." Tobias turned to his assistants. "Feel free to unpack and make yourselves comfortable."

They both accepted the polite dismissal.

Tobias waited until they had gone inside. "How is everyone?"

His grandpa shrugged. "The family isn't doing too bad, considering we live with eighteen cultivators. It helps that the less agreeable ones remain in the mansion their servants built. The easy access to wells and abundant meat also does a lot to reduce unhappiness."

"So, there is no grumbling?"

"There is always grumbling, but everyone is too busy for it to go further. Learning to read and write in the evenings takes up time, and everyone who isn't married now has an apprenticeship. Everyone knows you're trying to pull us up with you, and they're taking the opportunity you've provided seriously. Houses can burn down, but skills remain, and everyone wants a chance to learn what they can while they can."

Tobias smiled, happy to see they understood his intent. "I can only stay a night, but I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well."

"Is the length of your visit related to the problem that brought the cultivators here?"

"Yes. Someone sent an assassin after me. It won't be safe for me to return for the New Year Festival from now on."

His grandpa sighed as his face fell. "Is this our last goodbye?"

Tobias shook his head. "I've been promoted to senior magistrate. It will provide me many visiting opportunities, but the threat of assassination means these visits will be unannounced."

"So, no more festivals together."

"Not for a few years. It's not safe."

"Do you know when the threat will pass?"

Tobias shook his head.

"Then we will eat well, laugh often, and hope that disaster does not fall on our heads."

***

After discussing everything he'd learned about Three Towns Tea with his grandpa, Tobias collected his assistants and went to pay his respects to the disciples protecting his family. It didn't matter that most of them were out in the fields. All that mattered was that he did so shortly after arriving, giving them as much face as possible. Tobias was truly grateful for their presence, so he would return later to speak when the rest arrived, but sticking to cultural norms was important.

The moment they reached the top of the hill, Disciple Xi and Wo both flinched.

Tobias turned to them. "Is there a problem?"

Disciple Xi shook his head. "Perhaps. Someone has hidden a powerful chi-gathering array up here. We couldn't sense it until we entered."

"Is that unusual?"

"I would have told you it was impossible just a moment ago."

"So very unusual then?"

Both of his assistants nodded.

Tobias considered what it meant for there to be such a powerful array hidden near his family. From what he understood, only the elders of a sect were allowed to use sect treasures, which were items from the nascent soul realm, and this likely fit that description. That meant an elder was likely hiding in the manor, watching over his family.

Tobias was glad he'd chosen not to wait any longer before visiting. He didn't want to offend someone so powerful. He continued walking and knocked on the front door of the lavish wooden manor.

A servant woman answered the door and bowed. "How may I help you, Magistrate Finch?"

"I've come to pay my respects to the elder protecting my family."

Elder Tan appeared behind the servant, motioned for the woman to leave, and gave Tobias a small smile. "You need to work on your subtlety. I'm hiding in here for a reason."

Tobias bowed. "Magistrate Finch greets Elder Tan."

"Come in, Tobias. We'll be having tea in the garden."

Tobias followed Elder Tan through the mansion to the central courtyard, leaving his assistants to return to his house. The garden was as beautiful as any Tobias had seen, but it contained dozens of spirit herbs, along with a small round table with six chairs at the centre.

Elder Tan sat first and then invited him to join her. She picked up a pot of his grandpa's tea and poured it into two cups. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here."

Tobias nodded. "I am. But let me first thank you for protecting my family." Tobias rose and gave the elder a deep bow. "Magistrate Finch formally thanks Elder Tan for protecting his family."

Elder Tan smiled. "You're welcome. But my presence here has more to do with our injured disciples. The sect has invested too much time and effort into them for them to throw their lives away on revenge because they suffered a few minor injuries. Someone must watch over them until they come to their senses."

Tobias frowned. "You speak like you've been here all along, but I saw you three days ago."

"You saw my mist clone. It's a technique that allows you to copy yourself. My clone has been performing my administrative duties while I'm gone."

Tobias felt his eyebrows raise, thinking about a long-forgotten anime from his first childhood. "I assume you gain its memories when it's destroyed?"

Elder Tan stared at him carefully. "How do you know that?"

Tobias recognised his mistake. She was concerned he was trying to fish for sect secrets or had already learned one he shouldn't. "Educated guess. Creating a clone would not be useful if everything it had done was forgotten when it was destroyed."

Elder Tan stared for a second longer, and then her expression relaxed. "That's not an unreasonable assumption."

Tobias decided to change the topic. "My assistants were surprised by the presence of your chi gathering array."

Elder Tan nodded. "I wouldn't be able to stay here without it. This area has a truly abysmally low chi saturation. You can actually sense the chi saturation rise each time the disciples kill a rogue cultivator."

"Chi saturation rises when a cultivator dies?"

"The cultivation world is a world created from breakthroughs and death. Each time we open a meridian or ascend a realm, the world around us transforms and the chi saturation increases. The same is true for where we die, but the effects are significantly stronger."

"I had no idea, but it certainly explains why cultivators gravitate to specific areas."

Elder Tan nodded. "One usually only notices a change in the chi saturation if the cultivator who perishes has reached the foundation realm. The spiritual energy and dao insights they've gathered to strengthen their body have a noticeable effect on the land around them. The same is true for spirit beasts and spirit herbs. However, here in the Three Step Hills, you can sense the change even when mortal cultivators perish. The Great Plague truly left nothing behind when it ravaged this region."

For the next few minutes, Tobias and Elder Tan drank their tea in silence.

Elder Tan smiled as Tobias poured the last cup. "Your grandfather's tea is always a delight."

Tobias smiled. "It was one of the few joys of my youth."

"I can imagine."

Tobias nodded.

"Your family will not come to harm over what you did for us. The mortal assassin was an oversight, but you were never in danger from cultivators while you stayed in Mist City. That does not mean you are free to visit your family as you please. You are a target, and if your enemies can predict your visit, they will come in numbers, instead of alone or in small groups like they do now."

"I assumed as much. I feel much better knowing you're here keeping them safe."

"So, you've said. May I ask why you decided to remain in Mist City after your assassination attempt?"

"It was a mixture of reasons. Good company. Curiosity over who was targeting me. And I wanted to finish my work. I take my responsibilities as a magistrate seriously."

"I was under the impression you didn't like Lower Magistrate Yun."

"I don't. However, my personal relationship with him has no bearing on my respect for him. He does his job diligently and effectively. He'll have a positive effect on the state if he continues to rise."

"You're not angry with him for giving you a reward that ends your own career?"

Tobias had had this conversation with her clone, so the fact that she didn't know told him that she was not in two places at once. It also told him that she wasn't aware of their other discussions.

Tobias chuckled. "I bullied him into getting me that promotion. I have no interest in rising through the bureaucracy."

"Not when your current position provides you with such a lucrative opportunity."

Tobias smiled. "I have no idea what you mean, Elder Tan."

Elder Tan gave a small chuckle. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but Cloud Sect will not allow you to keep housing their disciple much longer."

"I've already put plans into place so that won't be necessary."

"Would you care to explain how?"

Tobias considered the request. "How much do you know about my actions in Cloud City?"

"Assume I know everything."

"Then you know, I'm only housing the disciples out of an obligation to do so."

"It's a very profitable obligation."

"A profitable obligation that holds no appeal to me."

"Because it's not as profitable as auctioning off their pills to the Great Clans?"

"No, it's because there is no future in it."

"Because the sect will take back control."

"No, because the disciples will be able to take care of themselves in a year or two."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"The disciples were overwhelmed after learning they had reached the natural end of the path. They were not prepared to leave the sect but understood that it was necessary. Those feelings will disappear in time, and with a little effort, they will learn how to live outside the sect."

"Is that why you're building manors and mansions instead of expanding the compounds?"

Tobias nodded. "The compounds supply them with a familiar setting to get used to life outside the sect. The next step is them buying a manor or mansion and living and working independently."

A map case appeared in Elder Tan's hand, summoned from her storage ring. She unrolled a map of Cloud City across the table, showing the land Tobias had leased and the extent of her investigation into the matter. The land comprised approximately 6% of the city. Tobias noticed that it included the designs Elder Kang had created for him, showing Cloud Sect was actively helping Mist Sect as they negotiated.

She pointed to large sections of land he'd leased. "All this is going to be manors, isn't it?"

Tobias nodded. "It makes sense for the disciples to set down roots. Their growth is going to be much slower moving forward, so they have time to enjoy life. I eventually hope to do away with the compounds entirely and let the sect prepare disciples before they leave."

She frowned. "You know the sect can't let you house their disciples or keep running your auction indefinitely, so you're removing the problem yourself."

"So, I can control the only shopping and entertainment district they have access to."

Elder Tan smiled. "Something that they will have no interest in doing themselves. Where did you come up with this idea?"

"My friend Patriarch Lee likes to share stories about what Cloud City was like before the Great Plague. Much of what I'm doing comes from my conversations with him. I have no wish to try to change Cloud Sect, only return it to the old ways."

"Many don't believe we're ready for that."

"You aren't if you're waiting to do the transition all at once. However, after seeing your production for mortal realm spirit herbs, I can confidently say that both sects produce far more than they need and that you're limiting your disciples' growth by constraining them to only supply the sect."

"Can you prove that?"

"Easily. It's the main reason your sects lifted the limitation on how many general meridian opening and cleansing pills cultivators can purchase a century ago. You haven't once faced a pill shortage in the past fifty years, and your disciples have been wasting most of what you produce."

"Which you believe gives you grounds to sell our excess pills to the highest bidder."

"I believe that no longer restricting your gatherers to only producing what's needed for your sects will give your disciples access to more pills. It also won't limit your alchemists to how often they can practice."

"If I hadn't met your family, I would assume you had come from one of The Three Kingdoms' premier merchant families. You're carefully stepping around sect politics, while providing a valuable service that can only make us stronger. Whatever your ambitions for life are, you are likely to achieve them with this attitude."

"Good business is just listening to what your customer wants and exceeding their expectations."

"That philosophy would explain why no one can find a single gatherer willing to speak poorly of you despite how much you earned from selling their spirit herbs."

"They earned six times what they would get from the sects, so I'd be surprised if any of them were upset."

Elder Tan nodded. "That does make it hard for them to fault you, and that is why the sect leader wishes to move forward with your offer. Our negotiations with Cloud Sect to relocate our outer disciples, who have reached the end of their natural path, to Cloud City are expected to be concluded sometime next year. You should expect a large influx of disciples during the following Spring."

"I'll make sure I'm ready."

***

Tobias's family had seen him arrive, and most of his aunts took the afternoon off to prepare a feast. Tobias retired to his roundhouse to rest, expecting there would be a long night ahead of him. The interior of the building had a raised wooden floor that circled a pit, where stones from the cooking fires would be placed in Winter. There was plenty of room for bedding, with thin straw mattresses, but it was far from the luxury of the sect.

Tobias drank a cup of his Three Towns Tea as he reclined on his bed and turned to Disciple Xi as he had a through. "Do you know how the military chooses who they give stomach meridian opening pills and who they don't?"

Disciple Xi drained his cup and refilled it from the pot. "Temperament. Some qualities make people better at cultivation regardless of divinity. We think they indicate talent. With a divinity of three or four, their soldiers can only open and cleanse a few meridians, so the objective becomes who will do so the fastest."

Tobias paused. "Does anyone in my family have the right temperament?"

"You're asking the wrong question. The question you should be asking yourself is if you want them to spend five years of their life opening and cleansing a few meridians when you can just give them pills instead."

"When you put it like that, I would be a fool not to agree."

Disciple Xi chuckled. "Why the sudden interest in cultivation?"

Tobias leaned back and yawned. "It's not interesting, more like pragmatic realisation. At some point, the gatherers and alchemists will produce enough pills to meet the needs of their families. Once that occurs, I'm going to be the one who has to purchase the excess."

"I think you overestimate the number of excess pills the sect can produce."

"I think you underestimate the lengths the disciples of your sect will go to so they can produce the pills they need for their families. Your display at the auction upset many of them, and they've set their sights on making sure that never occurs again."

"More pills just means larger auction lots."

"True, but only to a certain extent. There is a limit to the number of pills the Great Clans can purchase annually. Once their needs are met, the excess will go unclaimed."

Disciple Xi suddenly turned his head and stared at the wall. The direction he was looking was towards the town. "Magistrate Finch, I would advise you to make yourself as presentable as possible. The 1st Prince's emissary has just announced his presence in the local town."

Tobias rose to his feet and walked over to the chest containing his luggage. "Find Disciple Wo and send him to collect my parents and siblings to receive the emissary. Then go to my grandpa and select only the best Three Towns Tea leaves from what he has available." Tobias pulled out an ornate wooden tea box that he was going to give to Patriarch Lee. "Place them in here. It should be acceptable as a gift."

Disciple Xi took the box and disappeared out the door, rushing to follow his orders as Tobias began stripping out of his casual magistrate robes to dress in his formal robes.

***

An emissary from the Imperial Family never travelled alone. An emissary carrying the authority of a prince did not travel with less than a full Tun, which was 100 soldiers, each one of whom would be on the path of cultivation.

Tobias watched them approach under the archway to his family's village. Each one rode a warhorse and wore the finest armour as they surrounded the carriage carrying the emissary. They made an impressive sight, but it was the emissary who was the actual threat. He was a core realm cultivator and capable of destroying anything in his path.

Tobias's grandfather, parents, and siblings stood behind him in rows, wearing their finest clothes, which were still poor quality. Each one had a reed mat rolled out on the ground before them, so that when they kowtowed, they would not dirty their face and insult their guest.

Tobias's extended family continued to work in the hills. They were far enough removed that they did not need to be there to receive the emissary, and they were of such a low station that the smallest slight would lead to their execution.

His family had not yet risen to prominence.

To Tobias's left stood Disciple Xi. On the right stood Disciple Wo. Each member of Tobias's entourage stood exactly where protocol dictated.

Tobias had no clue why the 1st Prince's emissary was here, but he'd done everything he could to make sure his family survived the experience.

The line of horses parted.

Tobias and his entourage bowed.

The carriage came forward, stopping precisely where protocol dictated. A group of servants quickly created a path of reed mats on the road as another lifted the 1st Prince's banner from the holster beside the door. The banner indicated that the emissary spoke with the 1st Prince's voice.

As the door to the carriage opened, Tobias and his entourage lowered themselves to their knees and kowtowed three times, remaining face down.

Tobias could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

Reed dampened footsteps approached, and Tobias heard a scroll being unrolled. "I, Han Shu, 1st Prince of the 2nd Emperor, forever may he reign, order Senior Magistrate Finch of The Three Step Hills to return with my emissary and appear before me."  

The emissary rolled up the scroll.

"The 1st Prince has spoken."

"We listen and obey," everyone replied together.

Tobias and his assistants rose to their feet. Each one cupped their hands and bowed to the emissary, bending at the waist to a slightly different degree depending on their station.

Tobias held out his hand, and Disciple Xi passed him the ornate box containing the Three Towns tea. He then stepped forward and presented it to the emissary. "You honour my household with your presence, Emissary. Please accept this humble offering of Three Towns Tea."

The emissary frowned as he took the box. "I've never heard of this particular tea."

Tobias took this to mean that the man standing before him was not from the older generation. Instead of pointing out his ignorance over the value of what he had been given, Tobias chose to name-drop. "2nd Patriarch Lee of Cloud City considers it to be his favourite tea in the modern age."

The emissary's face broke out in a satisfied smile. "If it is worthy of his praise, then it is too much."

He politely tried to hand it back.

Tobias took a step back. "It is a long journey back to the capital, and what is life without its simple pleasures. Please enjoy it and remember your trip fondly."

"If it means so much to you."

"It does."

"Then I must."

The emissary turned and looked up the hill to the house at the top. "It seems that I must pay my respects before we depart. Please be ready to leave when I return, Senior Magistrate Finch."

"I would not dream of holding you up."