~~~
The Dead Plains are an impossibly vast area through which only a select few can travel. Anything that happens on the other side is a mystery to most people. Even those skilled in the art of sensing Qi cannot sense what happens over there. The distances involved are simply too large.
And yet, there are signs.
A day after the failed invasion, a light tremor shakes the earth. Most are quick to dismiss it as an aftereffect of the battle. The day after, night takes an hour longer to arrive. The next day, the weather is a little cold in places where it should be warm, and warm in places where it should be cold. A massive bird migration is reported the following day.
A week later, a green sky can be seen at night in various parts of the Storm Dragon Empire.
“You can’t know that for sure!”
Liu Jin sighs and looks away from Emperor Xiang’s angry face. Thanks to a set of mirrors provided by the Divine Frozen Palace, the two can communicate without leaving their countries. Liu Jin doesn’t doubt that the Divine Frozen Palace must have some way to overhear their conversations, but that doesn’t really matter to him. Not right now.
Right now, he wishes Emperor Xiang would stop being so stubborn.
“What I am saying makes sense,” Liu Jin says. “You know this.”
“I know that you want it to be true, but that doesn’t matter. You are not treating this seriously enough!” Emperor Xiang replies, jabbing his finger at the mirror. “You almost lost the entire population of your country. Do you have any idea what could have happened after that? If the other side starts thinking they can get away with doing that at any moment, my country would have been next in line!”
“But it didn’t happen!” Liu Jin counters. “In the first place, the attack was an attempt by the Temple of the Thousand Shadows to make me surrender before they were forced into open conflict with the Death Fashioning Scripture. It failed, so it follows that hostilities between them have begun.”
“And your evidence of that is the weather?” Emperor Xiang shouts, shaking the mirror in his hands. “Four Emperors are dead! An event of that magnitude is bound to have repercussions! These events could easily be attributed to that.”
“You know I am right!” Liu Jin insists. “You can feel it too, right? No, you should be able to feel it better than I. The unease. The restlessness.”
Emperor Xiang frowns, not wanting to admit it, but Liu Jin knows he has to feel it. Ever since the attack, several high-level cultivators have reported a constant, nagging discomfort. A sense that things are not quite right. Liu Jin feels it, too.
It is as though there are giants fighting behind him, shaking the earth with their blows.
“I always feel uneasy and restless. That doesn’t mean anything,” Emperor Xiang says. He sighs and looks behind him. “Granny Zhao?”
There is a pause before the aged voice of the old woman is heard.
“The young Emperor’s theory is not unsound. Those from the Other Side have been waiting for an opportunity to battle. However, there is no point in you two arguing. Wait, and you will know.”
Liu Jin and Emperor Xiang frown.
“How exactly will we know?” Emperor Xiang asks. He sounds like he already dreads the answer.
“When Divinities battle, you will know,” Granny Zhao replies.
~~~
“How could you not have noticed?” Liu Jin asks his friend with fond exasperation. “You advanced a level of cultivation. Had you been a few levels stronger, you’d have been struck by tribulation lightning.”
Huang Shing shrugs.
“What can I say? There were more important things happening, Brother Jin,” he says, nodding at Lady Meng Yue. “By the time it was all over, I was already in the Eighth level of the Earth Realm.”
Liu Jin sighs before turning to the other people he has gathered in his study.
“Huang Shing’s case is not the only one,” he explains. “Several people in the palace experienced breakthroughs during or after the battle. I…am not an exception to this.”
Liu Jin’s Qi rises slightly to confirm the truth of his statement.
Heaven Realm, Level Two.
It happened after the battle. He needed but a moment of solitude to allow the change to come over him. Usually, he’d need to prepare to endure the tribulation lightning, but that’s not really a concern in the Storm Dragon Palace. Nothing can harm him here, not even lightning from the Heavens.
“Even soldiers who were not near the site of the battle, much like Huang Shing, have reported improvements,” Liu Jin adds, looking at Lord Feng Shang. Officially, he remains in the palace to oversee his son's recovery and evaluate Feng Hao’s progress. Unofficially, he also wants to spend time with his daughter. It would be foolish not to take advantage of his expertise. “I knew seeing high-level cultivators battle could lead to improvements, but this seems a little excessive. I was hoping you could help me understand.”
“That’s easy,” Lady Meng Yue answers instead. Liu Jin only asked her to be here because he feared not seeking her advice would offend her or Xiao Shuang in some way. “When an artist beholds majesty, he aspires to immortalize it in his canvas. The same principle applies here. It’s a matter of the soul. ”
“It is as she says. The soul instinctively seeks to perfect itself,” Feng Shang says. “People such as Lady Meng Yue and I are what people such as you seek to become. When we battle and brandish our Dao, our souls are too loud for yours to ignore. The exposure leaves an imprint, a model, and that model leads to progress. The scale may seem surprising to you, but that is the result of the power of the people involved.”
“That makes sense,” Huang Shing says, immediately understanding the concept after comparing it to his experience.
“If this is the case, why is the principle not used for training?” Xiao Shuang asks her master. Liu Jin suspects she is very close to a breakthrough as well. “I imagine many disciples would benefit from it.”
Meng Yue shakes her head.
“That wouldn’t work, Little Shuang,” Meng Yue says. “A practice match won’t have nearly the same result. For you to hear my soul, it needs to be in a serious battle to the death, and there are too many risks involved with that. If you weren’t as strong as you are, being near such a battle could completely destroy your cultivation.”
“The barrier around the palace likely protected the people inside from the worst of it,” Feng Shang adds, stroking his chin. “Otherwise, the cultivation of several people would have been damaged. The others who have benefited from this incident were simply too far away to be at risk.”
That… is not something Liu Jin considered when this began. He always knew Emperors were strong, but the idea that his soldiers could lose their cultivation just by being in the general vicinity of their battle feels ridiculous.
And somehow, that’s still not the most worrying thing he must discuss today.
“Feng Hao has been in the palace this entire time,” Liu Jin tells Lord Feng Shang. “I imagine that if not for the talismans on him, he’d have already undergone a breakthrough.”
Multiple of them.
“I believe the talismans will not hold for much longer,” Liu Jin adds.
Lord Feng Shang does not answer right away. He looks at Meng Yue and mentally debates the merits of disclosing sensitive information about the Eternal Flame Clan’s strongest talent before concluding that there is no risk in saying anything important in front of Meng Yue.
“I will speak to my brother about readjusting his talismans. We may need to allow my nephew’s cultivation to advance a few levels,” he says. “Of course, that will have to wait until after Feng Zhuo is fully healed.”
Multiple people in the room blink.
“Eh…” Huang Shing is the one who dares to speak. “Isn’t Feng Zhuo in the Heaven Realm? He wasn’t even hurt that badly, Lord Feng Shang. You can easily go to Lord Feng Gui and come back.”
“I will remain here until my son is completely healed,” Feng Shang repeats with finality.
Liu Jin wants to be surprised that Lord Feng Shang is an overprotective father, but considering everything about Feng Zhuo, it is really the only thing that makes sense.
~~~
Of the three Emperors that attacked the other day, only Red Shadow’s body was completely destroyed. Though heavily wounded, Gentle Shadow and Quiet Shadow’s corpses were still in acceptable condition. Lady Meng Yue could have claimed the latter, but she was glad to let them have it after some prompting from Xiao Shuang.
Just like that, Liu Jin has acquired two more Emperor corpses. He has already removed their golden cores and stored them in his spatial pouch. Having three represents a great temptation, but entering the realm of the profane does not quite appeal to him.
Besides, things are not that desperate. Quite the opposite, really. As the days pass without an attack and the number of strange phenomena increases, Liu Jin becomes increasingly certain that he is right about the Temple of the Thousand Shadows and the Death Fashioning Scripture having begun hostilities against each other.
They will keep each other busy for now, but Liu Jin needs to be ready for when that is no longer the case. The corpses on his table are crucial to that end. Life may have departed them, but Liu Jin can still feel the power within them. A lifetime of training and dedication has been imprinted in their flesh, in their bones…
In their brains.
Liu Jin removes them carefully. Their flesh and bones melt under this touch as he reaches into their skulls and pulls out the very prized organs. Immediately, he puts them into special jars filled with preserving liquid and seals them with multiple temporal talismans. He is not sure how much use he can get out of them, but it does not hurt to experiment a little.
The rest of their bodies collapses under his touch, turning into something that almost looks like clay. Liu Jin treats it as such, molding it with his hands until he has turned it into a large ball that grows smaller by the second as he compresses the matter it is made of. By the end of it all, the whole thing fits inside Liu Jin’s hand.
It is the highest grade of biological matter he could possibly adquire, ready for him to use for any number of things. He already has a few ideas in mind, some of which are only slightly morally dubious.
“Arf!”
Liu Jin turns around. Marrow looks at him expectantly. The dog has been watching him the whole time and now eyes the flesh ball like a new toy. He jumps in place and nods.
“This is not a toy,” Liu Jin tells him.
Marrow barks happily and jumps twice. His tongue is hanging out.
Liu Jin sighs. Despite knowing Marrow is smart enough to understand his words, he splits off a tiny piece of the flesh ball. It quickly grows into something the size of his fist.
“Fetch,” Liu Jin says, tossing the new ball.
Marrow doesn’t fetch. He eats the whole thing in one gulp.
Liu Jin stares.
“That… I…I am not sure what the consequences of that will be,” Liu Jin says.
Marrow barks happily.
~~~
“Do you like it?”
Liu Jin looks at the toy held in front of him. It is a white snake with red eyes and a little red tongue peeking out from its mouth. The whole thing is made from soft materials.
“What am I looking at?”
“Merchandise,” Song Daiyu replies. “Minister Chu brought up the idea of people needing things to commemorate the occasion. Can you believe a cotton farmer was already making these for the children of his village? We just needed to increase the size of the operation a little.”
“It is the Storm Dragon Empire,” Liu Jin says, stressing the middle word. “That’s not a dragon.”
“It might be the Storm Dragon Empire, but everyone who has seen you fight has seen you throw white qi snakes at every problem. Word travels,” Song Daiyu counters, making the toy’s little head bounce. “Clearly, the image problem is yours.”
“Of course,” Liu Jin says. He pinches the bridge of his nose and contemplates the merits of trying to ban this thing. Ultimately, he decides that it would be far more trouble than it is worth. “I suppose it’s fine as long as the people enjoy themselves.”
“If you want, we could add little horns to its head so it looks more dragon-like, but I don't think it is needed. Preliminary market research shows incredible potential,” Song Daiyu tells him seriously.
“Is your market research the women in the palace?” Liu Jin asks, fearing they have already been bribed with toys.
What he does not expect is for Song Daiyu to blush and look down.
“Ah, that’s not…We haven’t really talked much recently,” she says.
“Really?” Liu Jin asks, tilting his head to the side. “Why?”
“They are being…well, pushy,” Song Daiyu says, blushing redder.
“Pushy?” Liu Jin says. “What do you mean by…Oh.”
Silence follows. Since Su Daji ruthlessly dragged it out into the open, neither of the two has brought up the subject. Mostly, because the war has made Liu Jin very busy, but also due to an unspoken agreement. However, things have become calm now.
Calm enough for this to be awkward.
“Well?” Song Daiyu asks him.
“Well, what?” Liu Jin asks.
“Is there anything wrong with me?” she asks, standing up. Though her face is as red as it can be, she still spreads her arms and looks expectantly at him.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I understand that I am not much compared to the personal disciple of one of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace or a daughter of the Feng Clan capable of wielding the Eternal Flame, but it is not as if I bring nothing to a potential union,” Song Daiyu says, placing a hand on her chest. “I am the daughter of the Song Clan. By all accounts, I will be its next leader when my grandfather retires. Among the ruling families of the Five Blessings Group, we are the strongest. That is not little.”
Liu Jin can only blink in confusion.
“Are you… intimidated by the others?”
“Shouldn’t I be?” Song Daiyu asks him. “Xiao Shuang is my closest friend, but I am not blind to what she is. Every person you have surrounded yourself with is very impressive. You have set the standard very high!”
“I did not get close to them because of those reasons,” Liu Jin says, rubbing his forehead. However, it suddenly makes sense why the girl who is usually so forward has been so timid on this matter. “I enjoy your company. That’s why we have been friends for so long. I’m not going to shun you just because you have failed to meet some arbitrary standard.”
“Then why haven’t you done anything?” Song Daiyu asks him.
Liu Jin feels a headache coming. Like he said, he enjoys spending time with Song Daiyu and he’d be lying if he said he doesn’t find her attractive. However, is that enough for him to pursue her when he has already somehow ended up with two wives?
“For some reason, people take it for granted that I will go and gather women to keep at my side,” Liu Jin says. “I don’t know why. I am not sure if you have noticed this, but it is very dangerous to be at my side right now. Why would I expose anyone to that?”
“Ah…” Understanding dawns on Song Daiyu. “So that’s how you see it…”
Liu Jin’s eyebrow twitches. “Is there any other way?”
“Several,” Song Daiyu replies. “For people like us, relationships are transactional. It is all about what we offer and what we stand to gain. It is expected that we should be seeking to build our power through marriage. Of the people who have asked for my hand in marriage or brought up the idea, the best two candidates right now are the leader of the Ji Clan, who looks old enough to be my great-grandfather, and the son of the Cai Clan, who is still in his mother’s womb. You bring a lot more to a potential union than both put together, and… I actually enjoy spending time with you.”
“But I never made an offer, and you interpreted it as an implied rejection rather than the result of my life being what it is,” Liu Jin says.
Song Daiyu blushes once more, this time embarrassed for a different reason.
“When you put it like that, I suppose it seems foolish, but I also cannot help my upbringing. I think of relationships differently,” Song Daiyu says, smiling sadly. “I understand this is not as sweet as what Xiao Shuang feels for you. However, I am serious about this. When I am here with you… I think it wouldn’t be so bad to spend my days like this.”
“I…”
“You don’t have to answer now,” Song Daiyu says before he can get another word out. “I said it already. Relationships are transactional, and I do not yet offer enough. I’m not yet worthy to stand at your side. Give me time. I will make a suitable offer. I only ask that you consider me seriously until then.”
“You don’t have to-”
“I do,” Song Daiyu insists, her green eyes shining with determination. “I have obtained much thanks to you, and I will not cheat you with an unfair offer. It is like you said. Your life is difficult, so I’ll grasp the whole of the Five Blessings Group in my hand and use it to make it easier. Once I do, please give me your answer.”
~~~
Mini-Character List
Liu Jin: Our Protagonist. Woke up one day and had two wives.
Emperor Xiang: Emperor of the Crimson Cloud Empire. Loves complaining. Dislikes danger.
Granny Zhao: Old lady. Too old to walk onscreen.
Huang Shing: Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Focuses on the important stuff.
Xiao Shuang: Disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace. Happy that Serene End is no longer around.
Feng Shang: Lu Mei’s father. Overprotective.
Meng Yue: One of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Family. Actually really smart in several ways that are not immediately obvious.
Marrow: Dog. When you were playing Minecraft, he was mastering the ball.
Song Daiyu: Daughter of the Song Clan. Big wedding gifts. Actually still somewhat scared Liu Jin might reject her.