The Magistrate: Chapter 52 (Patreon)

Chapter 52

An Unexpected Answer

Summer progressed to Autumn as the Great Clans and sects began their offensive. Every day, news of skirmishes reached Tobias as both sides sought an advantage. The 3rd Emperor's armies were scattered across The Three Kingdoms, conscripting peasants to fight the armies of the Great Clans. The sects had the 1st Imperial Army locked in the north, unable to head south to reinforce the smaller state armies. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Imperial Army had three of the Great Clans' ancestral homes surrounded, leaving the border manned by the 5th Imperial Army.

While this was underway, Tobias strolled through his training ground beside his majordomo, examining his family's progress under Field Marshal Kang's instructors. The instructors taught martial arts for recurved short bows, jian swords, and straight spears, as well as chi reinforcement and healing. The head instructors of each discipline were the second-best instructors Field Marshal Kang had. Their two aides were his most promising cultivators, officers whom the field marshal hoped would gain much from Tobias's insights.

Each one had the natural divinity of a cultivator, was under thirty years old, and had made significant progress since he'd begun teaching them.

Tobias stopped and frowned. His Cousin Ping was trying to learn a sword technique, but was doing so poorly that he was holding up everyone else's progress. The instructors were a limited resource. Their time was far too precious to waste on those who lacked talent.

Tobias glanced at his majordomo. "Starting today, I want the instructors to cut the least skilled member of my family from their class. This will happen each day until they have ten members left in their class. I then want them to focus their efforts on only those ten members each morning. In the afternoon, the ten are to teach the rest of the family what they learned."

Majordomo Wo made a note in his ledger. "May I know the intent behind your command, Patriarch?"

"Field Marshal Kang wants his people back by Spring. If we continue to move at this pace, that isn't nearly enough time. Once they have figured out who the best instructors in my family are, I want them to devote all their attention to them. Those who learn as quickly as they do may also attend the classes. The rest will learn in the Spring."

"Your words will be passed along."

"Have the instructors mentioned anyone with noticeable skill?"

"A few names have come up. Their instructors feel that, given enough time and effort, they would be able to go through elite training."

Army elites were considered half cultivators because two of them could safely fight an average cultivator and win, rather than requiring three to do so. Elites were the pride of the army, but they were not a replacement for cultivators. Tobias wasn't looking for elites either. He was looking for a true martial artist. Someone with innate fighting talent to fight on equal footing with cultivators.

The Great Clans sponsored hundreds of martial arts schools around The Three Kingdoms, searching for mortals with that sort of talent. Any time someone was found, they were swiftly recruited into their personal guards.

Cultivators were as varied as anyone else, and many who chose the warrior path had no more talent for it than anyone else. The sects let their disciples choose their own paths, which, in Tobias's mind, was a mistake. It was wiser to find where someone's talent lay and then teach them what they needed to excel. The Great Clans had the right idea with their martial arts schools, but Tobias didn't have time to copy their playbook.

"So, my family lacks a talented martial artist?"

Majordomo Wo nodded. "It would have been highly unexpected if you had someone like that."

"It was highly unlikely that Lingling would be a cultivator."

"Not that unlikely."

Tobias turned to his majordomo, surprised by the reply. "What do you mean?"

Majordomo lowered his ledger. "A few of the disciples who have been purchasing specific meridian opening and cleansing pills for their families have discovered that an older brother or sister has a divinity of one. Since having a divinity of one is as rare as having a cultivator in your family, it seems like the two might be linked."

Tobias held up his hand, stalling the other man from saying more. "We should discuss this in private."

Tobias led his majordomo through the compound to his palace, dismissing his servants on his way to his study.

As he took a seat behind his desk, Majordomo Wo bowed and did not rise. "This one must assume that he has failed his duties based on the Patriarch's reaction."

"Get up. It's not your fault. I wouldn't have even known this might be relevant until a few months ago. Now, how many disciples had older siblings with a divinity of one?"

"I've heard of seven, Patriarch, but I have not gone searching for this knowledge, only caught up with old friends."

"Were they all older siblings?"

"Yes, Patriarch."

"I want you to go and speak with all the disciples who have bought pills for their family and find out how common this occurrence is. I also want you to acquire the contact information for all of these siblings with a divinity of one and collect a family history. Inform the disciples that I intend to invite their siblings here for evaluation."

"May I know your intent, Patriarch?"

"I wish to see if they share my cultivation talent."

"We are years away from being able to raise foundation realm cultivators to test this."

Tobias had discovered the limits of his abilities while teaching the army's instructors. He was one man in one place, and he could not pass his knowledge on quickly enough without giving up all his free time. When the war was over, he'd intended to approach the Great Clans and sects about teaching their more talented children and disciples, but if he could find individuals with his talent himself, then he could open his own academy.

"If they share my talent, they will be able to understand my manuscripts as well as I do. If they understand my manuscripts as well as I do, then they can pass that information on to others as well as I can."

"You intend to take on more disciples."

"If they have the talent, it would be foolish for me not to teach them."

"Your first disciples will not be pleased when she discovers that she must share her time with you."

"They won't be direct disciples, but if this works, in the future I will not have to teach individuals like the instructors myself but have my disciples do so, freeing me to continue my studies and spend more time with her."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then this entire experiment will have been a waste of time."

"Perhaps a more careful approach then, Patriarch."

Tobias shook his head. "The moment the Great Clans and sects learn I've discovered a way to find highly talented individuals, they'll round them up and claim them. I don't have the luxury of moving slowly."

"As you wish, Patriarch."

"Make it clear that the candidates will not have to leave their families if they become my disciples and that there will be a one-hundred-day trial period before they are accepted. Spouses and children can live with them in our guest wings, along with ailing parents, but no extended family. Should they need money for travel or papers, we will supply it. Should they have been recruited into the army on our side and wish to leave, I will do my best to arrange that."

"Can you arrange that?"

"So long as it is for the war effort, I believe I can. If they possess my talent, they will be able to return to the army as an instructor. An instructor would be more valuable than a mortal cultivator soldier."

Majordomo Wo bowed. "I will see to this request immediately."

"No. Inform the instructors of my new requirements and then set out to fulfil this task."

"As you wish, Patriarch."

***

Two weeks later, in the early morning, Tobias sat in his study examining the results of Majordomo Wo's investigation. Elder Xi had confronted his majordomo shortly after he began his investigation. The moment Elder Xi learned that Tobias thought he was onto something, he gave Majordomo Wo his full support. Disciples had been organised and made to help for the good of Cloud Sect, spilling everything they knew, even if they didn't want to. Not that many didn't want to. They were extremely grateful for everything Tobias had done for them over the years.

Tobias put down his brush and sighed.

A full tenth of Cloud Sect's disciples who did not come from cultivator families had a sibling with a divinity of one. Families that had two siblings who were cultivators occasionally had two siblings with a divinity of one. So many of the other cultivators had mothers who had experienced miscarriages right before they were conceived that it suggested they also had conceived low divinity children. The rest didn't know whether their mothers were the same and had written home to ask.

The data his majordomo had collected painted a picture of how cultivators came into existence outside of cultivator families. They came about because an older sibling had not inherited the divinity they should have and somehow passed it along to their younger sibling.

Tobias was well aware that most mortals had a divinity of three. Around a tenth had a divinity of four and were usually healthier than average. Another tenth had a divinity of two and were a little sickly —many didn't make it out of childhood. Those with a divinity of one were less healthy than those with a divinity of three, but healthier than those with a divinity of two, which was odd, unless their talent made up for their lack of divinity.

Tobias accepted he could be wrong, but the data suggested that this needed to be investigated.

Tobias had a list of fifty-seven names that fit his criteria. There were likely more individuals out there who met his requirements, but only a portion of Cloud Sect and Mist Sect's retired disciples had been able to purchase the pills their families needed.

Tobias set the data aside and began composing a letter to the first name on the list. He doubted he would get a response before Winter, but he might. With how many men had been conscripted, there was a strong chance of a widespread famine this year. Many might see an opportunity to come to his compound as a way to escape.

One of the first things Tobias had done when his compound was finished was fill his new granary. It had arrays and talismans to prevent vermin, allowing him to safely store a mountain of rice. He'd lived through enough famines that he wanted a source of food he could deliver to his family when there was a problem, but it was also a long-term investment. The chi density in Cloud City would slowly infuse the rice over time, turning it vibrant purple and increasing its value, so even if no one ate it, he would still make money on it.

In the past, Cloud City had a large industry in enriching rice, but that industry fell out of favour as the number of cultivators drastically decreased. Now, chi-enriched rice was only produced in state Capitols. There were laws against producing it outside these locations, but Tobias could circumvent them by selling it to the state if necessary. Tobias's family hadn't touched the granary's contents yet, so the famine wouldn't affect them unless it lasted for years.

As the day entered late afternoon, Tobias finished the last letter and handed it to a servant to box before it was sent out for delivery. His family was on its way to becoming a third-tier noble clan, which meant that he needed to play the part, giving ostentatious displays of wealth to prove they were a family of means and power.

Tobias stretched his arms and cracked his back. The familiar motion wasn't necessary as his body didn't ache, but it felt right after sitting for so long.

As his servant went off to fulfil his task, another entered the room and knelt on the cushion in the corner. Tobias looked at the servant, considering how he would spend the rest of his day, unsure whether to dismiss them and continue reading the sect libraries or find something else to do with his free time.

His household had supplied the gatherers Cloud Sect needed, and with the new training regime, those who had failed to perform as gatherers were making progress towards some basic combat capability. When Tobias asked why the instructors hadn't implemented a better training method themselves, he was told that the army taught everyone, not just those who excelled, and that if he wished the instructors to teach differently, he would have to instruct them to do so. It had been a reasonable response, so Tobias had dropped the matter.

Tobias realised he didn't have any immediate concerns and that he had only a brief period of freedom before he had to teach his night classes to the army instructors. This prevented him from leaving the compound to visit Xu Ling, but it did give him enough time to deal with one of his other problems.

Lingling hadn't studied cultivation in months. She was spending all her time in the kitchen cooking for the family. Until now, Tobias had been willing to indulge his little sister after pushing her away from the path she should have been taking all along, but indulgence could only go so far.

Tobias rose to his feet, dismissing the servant with a flick of his fan. "If anyone needs me, I'll be speaking with my sister Lingling."

The servant bowed as Tobias left the room.

Tobias made his way out of his palace and into the main compound, heading for his family's central kitchen. Preparing food in a few central locations and having servants deliver it was easier than having chefs scattered throughout. It also reduced the amount of smoke in the air.

The cooks immediately dropped what they were doing and bowed as Tobias entered the kitchen.

Lingling looked around, then spotted him and smiled. "What brings you to my kitchen?"

Tobias motioned for the cooks to rise. "Are you free to talk?"

"I can always make time for my favourite brother."

Tobias raised an eyebrow.

Lingling smiled sweetly. Tobias realised she knew why he was there, which would make this conversation more straightforward. Lingling followed him out of the kitchen.

Tobias didn't want to run into anyone in the family, so he headed for the empty guest wings of the compound, using the servant paths. Tobias folded his arms behind his back as they walked. "You've been neglecting your cultivation studies, Lingling. I've allowed it until now, because you spent more time visiting with our family than you did in the kitchen, but that is no longer the case. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Cooking is my dao path. I saw that during my enlightenment."

"Was it general cooking or elevating food to an art form?"

Lingling frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Elder Xi's dao path is that of a teacher and alchemist who never fails to produce a pill. It is not the path of an alchemist who creates something new, but one who perfects what already exists, passing his knowledge on to the next generation freely and without restrictions. No two alchemists will share the same path, neither will two chefs, so what path do you intend to walk?"

"In one of my visions, I stood in the emperor's palace being praised for the banquet I'd prepared. In another, I was in a small restaurant preparing meals for weary travellers. In another, I was giving a bowl of herbal porridge to a sickly orphan on the street. In another, I was cooking a meal for a group of sage realm cultivators who had crossed the world to sample my cuisine. I prepared great and simple meals for our families and guests. I did the same for my own husband and children. I did anything and everything you could possibly imagine. Cooking is my path."

Tobias nodded. "I do not disagree."

Lingling frowned. "Then why are you nagging me about studying cultivation?"

"You are the only cultivator our family has. The family may be able to protect themselves from initiate realm cultivators, but a single core realm cultivator will wipe them out. If you do not progress your cultivation, we will never be safe."

"You told me I didn't have to sacrifice my dao for the family and that I'm too young to progress my cultivation further."

"I'm not asking you to progress your cultivation further, I'm asking you to study."

"Postponing is sacrificing."

Tobias nodded, because his sister was right. "You are correct."

Lingling smiled, sensing she had won.

"Allow me to rephrase my wishes and implement a time-honoured tradition used by the Great Clans and sects."

Her smile vanished.

"To assist you with your dao path, I'm going to hire the greatest chefs to teach you everything they know. But in order to earn such a reward, you must study cultivation."

"For how long?"

"For every ten days you study cultivation, they will teach you cooking for a day."

"Three days."

"Five days."

"Deal, but I get to pick the chef."

"You know famous chefs?"

"I know of one."

Tobias frowned. "How?"

"I asked the chefs of the sect heads and Great Clans who taught them to cook when they were here. They all studied under the same teacher. A cultivator by the name of Plum. He survived the Great Plague."

"How long was their training?"

"I didn't ask."

"If I remember correctly, those chefs were all foundation realm cultivators. Was that a requirement of their training?"

"I don't know."

"Write to the leader of Cloud Sect's chef and ask if there were any special requirements. If the training is as long as I assume it will be, you may not be able to go through it for several decades."

Lingling groaned.

"Lingling cultivators with your knowledge and divinity live for centuries. A few decades may feel like an eternity now, but it is the equivalent of a few years for a mortal."

"You've repeatedly told me most cultivators die young."

"That's because they behave foolishly and you are far too wise to behave like that."

Lingling smiled, happy with the praise. "Will you help me write the letter?"

Tobias nodded. "We can do so now if you like. I've got some time before my evening lessons with the army instructors."