Chapter 107
The Art of Diplomacy
One did not appear at the Ming Clan’s door and demand an audience with their patriarch. Not unless they wished everyone to know that the Ming Clan served another. However, the defensive array that protected their clan’s palace was something that Tobias had constructed himself. Teaching Lung Mei had given him plenty of time to turn his academic understanding of the different cultivation professions into practical skills. He was far from being the greatest array master, but for those outside The Three Kingdoms, he was considered exceptional.
Tobias was tidying up the formation in Patriarch Ming’s private garden with his aura when the man noticed his presence. The relaxation formation he had made for him decades early had lost its balance as amateurs tried to maintain something well beyond their skill level.
Patriarch Ming slid the door open with his aura and cupped his hands and bowed. “This servant greets his Lord.”
Tobias inclined his head as he motioned for Patriarch Ming to come over and join him at the table for tea. The Wo trading company had begun branching outside of The Three Kingdoms nearly a century ago, hoping to find him, and had reached the city of Ming in the past few decades, so Tobias could once again drink Three Towns Tea. Only the lowest quality tea made it out this far, but it was superior to anything produced locally, though a few of the local teas had interested him enough to collect seeds to give him grandpa upon his return.
Patriarch Ming sat at the table. “This servant is grateful to have the chance to speak with you, my Lord.”
“There will be many such opportunities over the next few decades. I have taken an interest in the winner of your competition. I will be staying in the Silver Blossom Pavilion to oversee her training.”
Patriarch Ming rose to his feet and bowed. “My Lord, you may take my palace.”
Tobias shook his head and invited him to sit again. “That is not necessary. And it would not work in your favour.”
Patriarch took a seat and frowned. “In my favour, my Lord?”
“Her mother does not trust me, as I did not tell her who I was or what my standing was when I asked to train her daughter. I was informed only Flowers and Blossoms may live within their walls and train the children who live there, and that if I wished to stay, I would have to go through their training.”
Patriarch Ming studied Tobias. “You do not seem offended, my Lord.”
“One should never take offence when a parent is trying to protect their child, and the thought of going through their training and becoming a Flower or Blossom amuses me.”
Patriarch Ming took in the pronouncement and frowned. “The girl is extremely talented, but you do not need to debase yourself, my Lord. There are other ways that you could become her master.”
“None that would not involve using my power to manipulate her mother, and that is not the actions of one who walks the righteous path.”
“Then I will say no more, my Lord.”
Patriarch Ming had heard the words that were left unspoken.
“I’m sure you will say much more when I explain how this is to your benefit. Once I have undergone my training, I will be a practicing courtesan. The nature of my interactions with suitors will be left up to me. As such, I am here to invite your clan’s prodigy to visit my pavilion for lessons.”
Patriarch Ming’s eyes widened. “You would train Ming Dai Lu directly, my Lord.”
“Yes. And all it will cost you is my fee as a Flower or Blossom of the pavilion.”
Patriarch Ming paused. “You wish to people to think she is an admirer, my Lord.”
“The face I will wear when she meets me will be worthy of admiration. You will have to choose between your clan’s reputation and the heights it can achieve with a prodigy trained by me. However, I promise you that if Ming Dia Lu trains under me, she will become a nascent soul realm cultivator. She will cement your clan’s legacy.”
Patriarch Ming might have been his servant, but he did not know who Tobias was. All he knew was that he was a nascent soul realm cultivator. That was more than enough to secure his allegiance. If Tobias had told him he could make his great-great-great-granddaughter reach immortality, the man would have thought him a liar, and a lot of his trust would be lost.
Over the past century, Tobias had become the lord of more than thirty clans and sects. Each one was saved from an impending disaster and recognised to be of good character. Tobias had cleaned up their cultivation methods, taught them a little more about different professions, and then left them to maintain law and order over their territory, making the world beyond The Three Kingdoms much safer than before. It was stills more dangerous than Tobias would have liked, but there was only so much he could do without arming them and creating a much greater future war when The Three Kingdoms expanded.
Patriarch Ming brightened. “If you wish to take Ming Dia Lu as a concubine, I will be more than happy to allow it, my Lord.”
Tobias shook his head. “You have done everything that I have asked of you. I have no interest in your clan’s prodigy, beyond using her to reward you for your service.
“Is she unworthy of being your disciple?”
“Disciples take time and effort, and as their master, I act as a master should, which means anything they need is provided to them until I cannot teach them anything else. Such a commitment is not to be made lightly, because I can take them so far. Ming Dai Lu is exceptional, but I have met many exceptional prodigies over my lifetime and studied how they progress, so she is not worth my investment because of those who came before her. However, watching Han Fen’s development will give me insights that I will find nowhere else, so she is worth my time and effort.”
Tobias left out that much of what he thought Han Fen was capable of. If he didn’t, the Ming Clan would be more concerned about her than they already were.
Patriarch Ming bowed. “This one accepts his place. Having our prodigy taught by you directly is more than enough. We have not been able to guide her as she needs. I have feared that she would meet the same fate as her father.”
“Who was he?”
“I don’t truly know, my Lord. He had recently reached the core realm when he appeared in our city with little more than the clothes on his back. He did small jobs and didn’t cause trouble. After a few years, he asked to pledge his service to me. He was good, loyal, and hardworking, and he fell in love with Ming Dia Lu’s mother, who had little standing in our clan because she was born without the ability to cultivate. I allowed the marriage, because that was what they wanted. After a decade, they were blessed with a daughter, but her mother did not survive the birth. Looking at her reminded him of what he had lost. He did not take it out on his daughter, but he did not spend time with her either, choosing instead to visit courtesans or cultivate. He died due to chi deviation when he attempted to form the second layer of his core. I believe that whoever trained him or who he was running from specifically altered his cultivation method for this to occur.”
“He was murdered.”
“I believe so.”
“Do you have his manuals?”
Patriarch Ming nodded. “I will get them for you, my Lord.”
While Patriarch Ming went off, Tobias began preparing tea for both of them. He had not seen the man in fifty years, and the only reason they were speaking now was that he had asked for his help through his network. Offering him tea was only appropriate when he was certain their relationship hadn’t changed. It appeared it hadn’t.
Patriarch Ming had just wanted his help because he could not guide their clan’s prodigy. The tournament was supposed to showcase her talents and encourage him to guide her. Instead, it had shown him a greater talent and left the Patriarch too embarrassed to broach the subject himself.
Tobias heated the water as the palace roof exploded, and he sensed his disciple running for the outer wall, with Patriarch Ming close on her heels. The old man was sending a barrage of techniques after her, but she was countering everyone with little trouble. She went over the wall a second later and used the shrouding spell he’d taught her so Patriarch Ming couldn’t follow.
Patriarch Ming took a few moments as he returned to check on his son, making sure the injuries would not permanently harm him or cripple him. They wouldn’t. She hadn’t even broken any bones. He would be miserable for the rest of the day and unhappy tomorrow, but the day after that, he would be fine. He was a foundation realm cultivator, and Lung Mei had been relatively gentle.
When Patriarch Ming was certain that his son wasn’t in a life-threatening situation, he gave his son a good tongue lashing, reminding him that outsiders had been present at the tournament and that he was lucky their guest was so righteous, otherwise he would be dead. Embarrassing a little girl who had gone out of her way to give them face was beneath their dignity as a clan and should have been beneath his dignity as a father. Patriarch Ming told his son to reflect on his actions and then went to collect the manuals.
Tobias poured them both a cup of tea as he sat down.
Patriarch Ming smiled. “I see you also enjoy good tea, my Lord.”
“I’m happy that the Wo Trading Company has finally come this far West. Travelling halfway across the continent every year was tedious.”
“I imagine those you met on your way were grateful for your assistance. News of your heroics always brings me joy.”
Tobias picked up his cup. “Your own reputation has grown substantially since we last met.”
The Ming Clan was viewed favourable wherever he went. Patriarch Ming had created an oasis of peace in a desert of lawlessness.
“You are too kind, my Lord.”
They drank the first cup, and Patriarch Ming handed over the manuals. They had no titles, but Tobias recognised the dao that surrounded them immediately. They were the Han clan’s main branch cultivation methods and techniques.
Tobias read them and put the last one down with a frown.
“You seem troubled, my Lord.”
“These are the cultivation method and techniques of an old enemy of mine. If I had not read the original version, I might not have been able to tell that this has been altered to cause chi deviation. It looks like a series of minor mistakes, which could easily be mistakes, but they are not.”
“Then he was murdered.”
“It would appear to be so.”
“I understand if you no longer wish to train our prodigy or be associated with our clan.”
“He may have been practiced his methods and techniques, but he was a stranger to me, so not my enemy.”
“That is an enlightened view.”
Tobias rose to his feet, and a list appeared in his hand. “I will inform you when my training has finished, and I am ready to accept suitors. Until then, expand your prodigy’s education in these areas.”
Patriarch Ming frowned at the list. “These are mortal studies.”
“You lay your cultivation foundation in the mortal realm through body meridians. You lay your dao foundation in mortal studies through understanding the world around you as mortals do. Even you will find great insights by expanding your mortal knowledge.”
Patriarch Ming bowed. “Thank you for your guidance, my Lord.”
“You have adhered to my rule about not allowing your clan to open energy meridians before the age of twenty-five, so it was time for me to grow your understanding.”
“The wisdom of your rule was not obvious when you first laid it out, my Lord. But I have watched the younger generation grow into our strongest generation because of it. They do not bicker or fight amongst themselves, and they do not have the bottlenecks of the previous generation. It is a simple change, yet profound. The faults that many of the older generation have had for so long do not apply to them. I will treat this list with the same reverence and study hard myself.”
Tobias nodded and then shrouded himself, vanishing from his perception.