Much had to change in the wake of Divine Moon Hall’s defeat. The Xaio Continent’s leaders got together with the dragon and tiger clans to discuss the matter.
There was a lot of debating; the magical beasts believed they should gain access to this country since they took on the bulwark of the battle. The humans argued that this was their land and the magical beasts had their own continent.
What really came down to was greed. Many people always wanted more than they already had. The magical beasts wanted more land and resources, and the humans wanted the same thing. There was also the fear that, with a magical beast nation sprouting, it would cause friction and possible bloodshed. Humans and magical beasts had never had the best relationship.
Wu Jian understood all that.
What he didn’t understand was why he was being forced to sit in these meetings.
“We did all that work! And what did you do?! Nothing! You sat back and had us do the lion’s share of the fighting! You only came in after we had practically won!” Yán Jiéhuǒ shouted. He was a muscular man with a hulking frame and fiery red hair. The horns that wrapped around his head was like a crown and red wings spread from his back.
The person he was yelling at shifted slightly but continued to calmly sip her tea.
“You do not have to shout. This table is not that big,” Shui Meili said. “I am not denying your contribution, but you gravely underestimate what myself and my sect accomplished. We came in the country shortly after you. Not only was it due to our contribution that you were able to completely eradicate the formation, but it was by human hands that we were able to kill Zhou Shiwei. Surely, you can see why I am denying your ‘right’ to retain this land.” She made air quotes at the end.
Her words and actions caused the bulky dragon to growl. The man looked ready to bite her head off, but Loong Mei grabbed his ear and yanked him down, hard.
“Since I was the one who killed Zhou Shiwei, I guess that means this country should belong to me, shouldn’t it?” asked Wu Jian.
His words, spoken before another argument could interrupt, caused everyone to stop and look at him.
“To the victor goes the spoils, yes? In that case, I’ll take this country for myself--if only to stop you fools from arguing about it in my presence,” he continued.
“What if we create a trade embassy here, which you can use to gather resources and bring them back to the Da Continent?” suggested Shui Meili.
“Hmmm… I do not believe that level of reward is commensurate to the effort we put in,” Loong Mei said before Yán Jiéhuǒ could speak. The other dragon glared at her, but she ignored him. “While you did show up and help, you must still acknowledge that you did not appear until much later. We did do most of the work regardless of how you might try to spin the narrative.”
“I will… acknowledge that you have been of great help,” Shui Meili allowed, though she sounded quite bitter.
Shui Meili was more or less the spokesperson for all of humanity. She was the last remaining Perfection Realm Cultivator. All the others had perished. Of course, she was not the only human at the table. Aside from her, there was also Wu Jian himself, Emperor Hou Gun, and the Southern Tang Dynasty’s ruler.
Wu Jian glanced at Tang Bailin. He looked about what Wu Jian had expected. His face was lined with age, but he didn’t look old. That said, he didn’t exude much strength either. His cultivation was somewhere at the peak of the Deva Realm, which meant he was relatively weak compared to many. The reason he had been able to rule his nation so well was because of his wisdom, and he did give off those wise old man vibes. He looked more like a scholar than an emperor.
“Tang Bailin Huángdì, do you have any ideas to help settle this?” Wu Jian asked. “You have been quiet, but I am certain you have an idea or two.”
This man was called the Wisest Emperor for a reason. He was known far and wide not only for his fair and impartial judgements, but for expanding his sphere of influence and power not through combat and violence but dialogue and intelligence. The Southern Tang Dynasty was one of the most prosperous nations thanks to him.
“I believe that, rather than simply giving the magical beasts a nation on the Xaio Continent to rule, we should begin implementing policies that allow magical beasts to travel freely through our lands--provided they do not take advantage of our kindness,” he began. “Furthermore, we should create embassies in every nation with a connection to the ocean and begin building trade routes to allow for both humans and magical beasts to prosper.”
“I do not know if that is such a good idea, Tang Bailin Huángdì,” Shui Meili interjected. “There is a reason our two continents have had very little contact with each other.”
“Because we would squash your puny nations in the blink of an eye,” Yán Jiéhuǒ said with a snort.
“Because our beliefs are fundamentally incompatible,” Shui Meili rebutted with a baleful glare. “Humanity might understand that the strong are in charge, but we have laws in place to protect those weaker than ourselves, to prevent the stronger from simply bullying the weak.”
Yán Jiéhuǒ looked at her in disgust. “And that is why you humans are so weak. You are all pathetic--”
The man was unable to say more as something slammed his head into the table. A loud smacking sound echoed around the room as cracks spread across the thick wood. Nobody said anything. The silence was so profound that it felt as though they had stepped into an abandoned graveyard.
“Shut up,” Wu Jian said into this silence. “If you can’t contribute to this meeting with something productive, then keep your trap shut. I am sick and tired of sitting here. Day in and day out, you people argue over who should be in control here, but from where I am standing, none of you has that right. The only reason you can even argue like this is because I don’t care about ruling. So keep that fat trap of yours shut, Yán Jiéhuǒ.”
Everyone looked at Wu Jian’s expression and gulped. He didn’t know what kind of face he was making, but it must have been horrifying indeed to get them all to look at him like that. It was like they were staring into the face of the god of death.
“Now,” he continued. “I believe Tang Bailin Huángdì has a good idea. Let’s expand upon his idea to see if we can’t reach an acceptable compromise.”
Nobody argued with him.
Yán Jiéhuǒ was still pressed against the table.
***
Zhou Lihua had taken one of the rooms in Divine Moon Hall for herself. It was a large room, and she had filled it to the brim with all of her cauldrons and supplies. Several shelves lined the walls and quite a few cauldrons sat on stands. She had a few different cauldrons. Each one had a different use.
The one she was using right now was called Healing Pinnacle Cauldron. It was used for refining pills with curative properties. Many healing pills were made with ingredients that required a gentle flame and lower heat. The array etched into this cauldron was designed very specifically to help alchemists create that heat with their flames.
Zhou Lihua was in the process of refining another pill for Hou Jingshu. They did not yet have the ingredients required for the pill that would completely cure the young woman, so she was making due with less effective pills that would weaken the effects of her injuries. Sadly, nothing Zhou Lihua refined right now would be able to cure her. All she could do was make the pain more bearable.
“I didn’t realize you had so many ingredients,” Hou Jingshu murmured as she sat on a devan and looked around the room.
Zhou Lihua waved a dismissive hand. “Most of these weren’t mine. They belonged to the Zhou Clan. I simply purloined them for my own personal use. Nobody is going to complain.”
Hou Jingshu smiled. “Well, I guess it’s fine. The Zhou Clan is pretty much gone by this point. Some people might complain that you took all the good ingredients for yourself, but I’ll fight them off for you if they come banging on your door.”
“Not in your current state, you won’t,” Zhou Lihua said.
She waved her hand and several drawers opened, ingredients flying out and into the pot, which was already aflame and burning brightly. She stared at the ingredients in her cauldron. Her focus was so fixated on what she was doing that she didn’t even hear the door open.
“Wu Jian,” Hou Jingshu gingerly stood to her feet and walked over to the door.
Zhou Lihua frowned, tempted to look up, but knowing better. She needed to concentrate on her task.
“Refining another alchemy pill?” asked Wu Jian as he pulled Hou Jingshu into an embrace.
Zhou Lihua felt a tinge of jealousy that her friend could receive a hug even as she spoke. “Uh-huh. The pills I’ve been refining for Jingshu only reduce the symptoms, but they don’t cure her wounds, and the problem comes back, so I’m forced to constantly refine for her. Has there been any word on the search for the ingredients I need?”
Wu Jian shook his head. “None… I know Mei Loong sent some people to search for the ingredients, but they’ve had no luck as of yet.”
Zhou Lihua still refused to look away from her task, but she frowned all the same.
“I need those ingredients,” she mumbled as she finished refining the pill. She ceased using her flames and waved a hand, causing the cauldron to open and a pill to fly into her palm. She tossed it at Hou Jingshu, who caught it with one hand and placed it in her mouth.
Now that she was free from her task, Zhou Lihua bounded over to Wu Jian and threw her arms around him. He caught her and pulled her close. She breathed in his scent as she buried her nose into his neck.
“Feeling mischievous?” he asked.
“I’m feeling something,” Zhou Lihua replied, rubbing herself against him. “And so are you. Is that a jian in your pants or--”
“I’m just happy to see you,” he said before she could finish.
Zhou Lihua smiled as she leaned up and pressed their lips together.
With the Zhou Clan no longer around, she felt freer than she ever had. It was probably not a good thing to say about her family, but they had been a cage that kept her trapped. That feeling had remained even after she betrayed them. Their power had prevented her from feeling like she could freely show her love to Wu Jian. Now that they were gone, she could give him as much affection as she wanted.
“Those ingredients must be very hard to find,” Hou Jingshu said with a frown.
Still hanging off his neck, Zhou Lihua nodded. “They’re ingredients for a tier-9 pill. Of course they are hard to find. I didn’t expect to find them any time soon. I had just hoped they would.”
Zhou Lihua did not like seeing her friend weakened like this. Hou Jingshu was putting on a strong front, but she knew the other woman was suffering. Unlike Zhou Lihua, who had neglected combat for alchemy, Hou Jingshu thrived on combat. She loved fighting. Not being able to indulge in her favorite pastime must have been rough.
“By the way, have either of you seen Mei?” asked Wu Jian.
“She was here for a little while,” Zhou Lihua said with furrowed brows.
“I believe she went to help fix your mom’s problem,” Hou Jingshu said. “She said something about Wu Àiliàn before leaving.”
“When did that happen?” asked Zhou Lihua, blinking.
“While you were hyperfocused on your alchemy,” Hou Jingshu said with a shrug.
“I’ll go talk to her and see if she can’t use her clairvoyance to help find those alchemy ingredients you need. This is taking too long for my taste,” Wu Jian said with a shrug.
“We’ll come with you,” Hou Jingshu said, latching onto his arm.
Zhou Lihua hooked her arm through his other one. “Yes, I am done here, so let us accompany you.”
Wu Jian shrugged and decided they could all go together.