~~~
Wang Yang is the leader of the Black Scarves, a group of spies and informants who will sell information to the highest bidder. In certain circles, his name is only spoken in whispers. Many are those who have tried to cross him and failed. Entire families have disappeared at his command.
Now, his grand mansion lies in ruins, and his ferocious guards have all been defeated. Wang Yang can only raise his hands in defeat as he backs away from his attacker. His small brown eyes are wide with fear, and his pointy chin trembles as he tries to speak.
“Plea-please! I-I swear I don’t know anything!”
A hand grabs him by the throat.
“You are the leader of the largest group of informants in the area,” Xiao Fang says, casually tightening his grip on Wang Yang’s neck. “Do you really expect me to believe you know nothing about a group of thieves so prominent even Emperor Xiang has taken notice of them?”
“It’s the truth! I swear!” Wang Yang yells.
Xiao Fang smiles and lets go of the man’s throat. Wang Yang falls to the ground, breathing heavily. However, those breaths immediately turn to screams as Xiao Fang's foot stomps on his hand and breaks it. Anger blossoms in him, but Xiao Fang’s Qi smothers it before Wang Yang can do anything.
Faced with the power of the Young Master of the Xiao Sect, there is nothing Wang Yang can do but cower.
“You were allowed to flourish due to the kindness of the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang says coldly. “Understand that you are only alive out of consideration for your past services. Lie to me again, and I will break your other hand. Lie more, and I will start cutting limbs.”
“I-I understand! I understand!” Wang Yang shouts, clutching his broken hand. “It’s just…It is not what you think!”
“Oh? What is it then?”
“I…Young Master… you…you have to understand…. Organizations don’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere. Whenever something new arises, it’s usually a collection of people who were already known. Disgruntled soldiers, disgraced disciples, banished family members. If a small town is suffering due to a bad harvest, it’s not uncommon for them to turn to banditry. That is how it works. There are always signs.”
Xiao Fang frowns.
“You are saying there weren’t any signs this time?”
“None,” Wang Yang says, shaking his head wildly. “This group…The Howling Claws...There were no warning signs. No recruitment…but.. But that’s not the weirdest part! You call them bandits. Everyone does, but if you look at what they’ve done…It doesn’t fit.”
The pressure of Xiao Fang’s aura decreases.
“Explain.”
“Small towns and villages,” Wang Yang says, rushing to get his words out. “That’s what they have been attacking, but there’s no money there. They are good targets if you want to go unnoticed, but this group attacked the Xiao Sect! Young Master, does that make sense?”
Xiao Fang puts a hand on his chin. If they are strong enough to defeat a branch of the Xiao Sect, even a small one, there are countless other targets they could have stolen from without needing to worry about the consequences. Xiao Fang’s initial assumption had been that someone had hired the bandits to do their bidding, but if he understands this correctly…
“They didn’t attack the Xiao Sect because they were a bandit group. They became known as a bandit group so they could attack the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang realizes.
“Yes! That’s right! The Young Master understands!” Wang Yang says, nodding rapidly. “This is not a bandit group at all! It’s a group made to attack your Xiao Sect!”
“I see,” Xiao Fang says. “You have my thanks, Wang Yang. Now, I understand things a little better.”
“Of course, Young Master! I am your humble servant!” Wang Yang says, bowing his head low. “This one would never turn down the opportunity to help the Xiao Sect.”
“Then why did you?”
Wang Yang goes very still. A drop of sweat falls from his forehead.
“Do you think I am stupid? That I didn’t do any research before coming here?” Xiao Fang asks. “All the places this group attacked draw a line straight to the Yellow Grass Branch of the Xiao Sect. They were announcing their intent. The Xiao Sect would have never thought to pay attention to some bandits, but you knew better. It should have been your job to warn them. You did not.”
“I-I…The Young Master is overestimating me! I could not possibly–”
Xiao Fang reaches into his robes. Wang Yang pales. Held between Xiao Fang’s fingers is a small purple crystal that gives off a dim glow.
“Did you think I wouldn't go through your coffers? A Purple-Veined Empyrean Crystal, even one this small, must be worth a fortune.”
“Y-Young Master…This isn’t! I didn’t…”
“Normally, you’d have already used it or traded it,” Xiao Fang continues, glaring at him with cold eyes. “You didn’t, which means you only received this recently and didn’t want to draw attention to yourself. It would have been too suspicious if you acquired this as the Xiao Sect fell. People might start making connections.”
“I didn’t know it would happen like this!” Wang Yang says, desperately, holding onto Xiao Fang’s robes. “Please! They just came one day and offered it to me! They said I just had to refrain from mentioning them to Xiao Sect, so they could continue their activities! The deal was too good!”
“I want everything you have on them,” Xiao Fang orders him. “Don’t even bother to pretend you didn’t look into them.”
“I tried!” Wang Yang says. “They were covering their faces the entire time! I had my men follow them in secret, but they lost them! The best I can say is that they were heading for Falling Leaf Valley! That’s all I know! Please, Young Master! Believe me!”
Xiao Fang’s cold blue eyes judge him in silence.
“You know what? I do.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you, Young Master!’
The Void Fist strikes a second later.
~~~
“Nicely done,” Bai Wen praises him as he comes out of the wreckage of Wang Yang’s mansion. Big Nose Li is several steps behind her. His friend waves at him, but does not dare get closer to the woman of the Divine Frozen Palace. “You seemed used to it.”
“It is not the first time I have had to punish traitors to the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang says. He frowns at her. “I thought you’d caution me about giving in to anger.”
“Anger, properly channeled, becomes passion. Improperly, an early grave. You have not reached either end yet, so I will refrain from telling you what you already know,” Bai Wen replies. “For now, a traitor has been punished. Justice is satisfied.”
Xiao Fang sighs. Of course, she’d only see it through the eyes of her Dao. He wonders if that’s going to happen to him as he rises in power.
Maybe it already has, and he just hasn’t realized it.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“You look very happy, Young Master!” Big Nose praises him from far away. Xiao Fang blinks.
“Do I?”
“Very much so,” Bai Wen answers. “Odd considering the circumstances, but maybe this sort of thing suits you best.”
Does it?
Why is he even asking? Of course, it does. Being with his sister and Liu Jin felt good, but ultimately, he could never truly relax under someone else’s roof. Seeing Liu Jin progress with his goals while he stayed the same made him restless and uneasy. This journey might be dangerous, but it has given him an enemy he can strike and actions he can take to realize that goal.
“It doesn’t matter if it does or not,” Xiao Fang says. “I have obtained a location. First, we'll meet up with Elder Gang, then we'll go to Falling Leaf Valley. These bandits will not roam free for much longer.”
He wonders if Liu Jin is enjoying himself as much.
~~~
Liu Jin is not enjoying himself at all.
Though no Emperor has shown itself since that first night, the puppets of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows continue to attack the border at irregular intervals. The attacks give his soldiers something to sharpen themselves with, but they are also a constant drain on the empire's resources. They cannot be allowed to continue.
Several scouting parties have been sent to find the disciples controlling the puppets, but they have had no success. The disciples of the Divine Frozen Palace and the Eternal Flame Clan have even made a competition out of who will be the first to find and kill a disciple of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows.
Liu Jin has also started doing some reconnaissance on his own. While he cannot leave the palace, sending a soul fragment–a normal one without a body–is a simple enough matter. The white snake slithers across the border unnoticed by anyone. Its small red eyes capture everything yet find nothing.
Sadly, it is what he expected. The Temple of the Thousand Shadows is exercising caution. It is the most proper move, but Liu Jin wonders how long that will last now that they know the Death Fashioning Scripture killed some of their disciples.
“-So as you see, at the current rate of consumption, there should be no problems with the agreed-upon deal. However, it would be wiser if you would purchase—Are you even listening?”
Liu Jin blinks as Song Daiyu’s angry green eyes bore down on him.
“Of course he’s not,” Su Daji replies in his stead. She does not lift her gaze from the book she found in the palace library. For some reason, she has decided to read it on his bed. “He’s doing that thing where he absorbs the memories of his soul fragments.”
“You’ll have to forgive him,” Lu Mei says. She is looking over her dresses, trying to decide which one she will wear tonight. For various reasons, she has taken to keeping some of them in his room. “Since he found out he could delegate tasks to himself, he has been abusing his soul fragments in all sorts of ways. It’s been worse than usual lately. His head is full of nothing but war.”
“This is related to the war!” Song Daiyu says, angrily waving the set of documents at him. “War is opportunity, and opportunity is business! You cannot neglect it! It’s important we discuss this!”
And why does it have to be in his room?
Liu Jin does not voice the thought, but they are all taking far too many liberties with his personal space. Maybe instead of worrying about the invasion of the Temple Thousand Shadows, he should be worrying about the invasion of his room. It’s not that he dislikes spending time with them, but his room is his room. The scent of their combined perfumes is starting to linger all the time, and that’s just distracting.
“You’re just trying to sell me stuff I don’t need, as per usual,” Liu Jin says. “What I really don’t understand is why-”
Liu Jin’s words are cut short as Xiao Shuang slams the door open. One look at her is enough to know she has not been having a good day. There is frost all over her clothes, and her white skin has gained a bluish hue. Despite her mastery of ice, she is visibly shivering.
“I,” she says, breathing heavily, “am very disappointed in all of you.”
“You are the one who told me that your strength was your most salient quality,” Lu Mei says. “Shouldn’t you be glad for the opportunity to sharpen it?”
“You are all leaving me alone with her!” Xiao Shuang says. She runs a hand over her white hair to shake off the frost. “It is very…rude!”
“You are the one she is here to visit,” Liu Jin points out. “It only makes sense…”
He stops talking, but only because the glare on Xiao Shuang’s face is a little too cold for his continued well-being. That doesn’t mean he is wrong. Lady Meng Yue is here to spend time with Xiao Shuang and fight Emperors. In the absence of one, she will clearly focus on the other. Thus, Xiao Shuang must bear the brunt of her affection, and that affection often manifests in the form of rigorous training.
“I am rather surprised you finished your training so early,” Lu Mei says.
“I managed to exceed her expectations and escaped her spatial realm early. That doesn't matter,” Xiao Shuang says, narrowing her eyes at them. “Why are you all enjoying yourself while I’m suffering?”
To be honest, Liu Jin doesn’t think Xiao Shuang entirely dislikes it. She just doesn’t like being left out.
“It just happened that we all had reasons to be here,” Lu Mei says. “That it coincided with your absence is just a coincidence.”
“What she means to say is that they have all been feeling neglected because Boss has been busy with the war lately,” Su Daji says, looking up from her book. “That’s why they all came to flirt.”
“I’m not feeling neglected!” Song Daiyu says, immediately turning to glare at Su Daji. Her cheeks have turned a light shade of red. “And I did not come here to flirt!”
“You come here to flirt with the Boss all the time. It’s all you do. Don’t bother to deny it. I can literally smell it on you. All the business talk is just an excuse,” Su Daji says, tapping her nose. She then points at Lu Mei. “If it makes you feel better, you’re not as bad as that one, which is very surprising considering-”
“Enough!” Song Daiyu says. Her face has become crimson. “I’ll hear no more of this!”
She barely manages to spare Liu Jin a look before all but fleeing—gracefully—out of the room.
“She’s surprisingly shy,” Lu Mei comments after Song Daiyu has slammed the door on her way out. “I was not expecting that.”
“That was rude of you,” Xiao Shuang says, glaring at Su Daji. “I’ll have you apologize to her later.”
“She’s right. You should not have done that,” Liu Jin says, looking sternly at Su Daji. “There are things she does not want to say yet. You have no right to drag them out to the open.”
“Hey, I didn't think she’d…Wait…” Su Daji blinks. “You knew?”
Suddenly, Su Daji is not the focus of attention. All three girls look at him with unnerving intensity and a healthy amount of disbelief. The latter is a little insulting. He has not missed how much time Song Daiyu spends in the palace, usually with him. Or how she always finds a way to wear revealing dresses around him. Or how her touch lingers whenever she finds a reason to touch him.
Or many other minor and major things.
“I am not oblivious,” Liu Jin says, crossing his arms.
“No one is trying to imply otherwise, husband,” Xiao Shuang is quick to say. “However, if you knew, why have you not done anything about it? Do you dislike Song Daiyu?”
She sounds genuinely worried he might answer yes.
“No, he lets her get away with far too much. That’s a sign he enjoys spending time with her,” Lu Mei says, studying him intently. “He also looks when it is offered.”
“I do not look.”
“You do look, Boss.”
Liu Jin sighs deeply.
“This is not really the time for this discussion.”
“You are Emperor over a nation in constant need of power and have just entered a war. Song Daiyu is beautiful and on good terms with us. You clearly enjoy her company, and she happens to be the daughter of one of the most important families of the biggest trading group on this side of the continent,” Lu Mei says, lifting a finger for each of her points. “Taking her as a concubine seems like a logical step.”
“I…that’s not…” Liu Jin tries looking for help, but they all seem very interested in hearing what he has to say, especially Xiao Shuang. He supposes that's only to be expected. Song Daiyu has been Xiao Shuang's friend for years. “It wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Lu Mei raises an eyebrow.
“How so?”
“Because you are with me, the two of you are not safe outside the palace. Anyone I take as a wife will face the same circumstances,” Liu Jin explains. “Song Daiyu is the daughter of the Song Clan, one of the most influential families in the Five Blessings Group. Marrying me would limit her actions greatly. I cannot do that to her.”
The three look at him, then at each other.
“Boss, you’re being silly.”
“Husband, has it occurred to you that people might think that the two of you are already involved?”
Liu Jin blinks.
“She is an attractive person close to your age who is on good terms with us and spends a lot of time in the palace. Most of your dealings with the Five Blessings Group happen through her,” Lu Mei points out. “How do you suppose that might look to people looking on the outside?”
Liu Jin thinks about it.
“Oh.”
“Indeed,” Lu Mei says. “If everyone thinks it is true, then she’s already in danger. That being the case, you might as well make it official.”
Something about that is wrong, but Liu Jin is not exactly sure what. This is not a discussion he expected to have today.
“I am not having this conversation right now,” he says. “In any case, this is not something that should be decided by you. It should be something discussed between Song Daiyu and me.”
“That is more than fair, husband,” Xiao Shuang says.
“So…when will you be discussing it with her, Boss?” Su Daji asks.
Liu Jin groans. The other three laugh. He does not need this right now. Not in the middle of a war.
And yet, despite it all, the weight on his shoulders feels lighter than before.
~~~
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