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He did feel a bit bad for the lad, though. Having the direct attention of so many cultivators wasn’t really worth the trouble most of the time. Oh, it was fine when you were the funny little mortal who organized things for them, and announced their fights, but anything else? No, you wanted to avoid being interesting.

There was a knock on the door and one of his aides entered and approached him, kneeling down to whisper in his ear.

“Sir, your meeting with the Azure Jade Trading Company.”

Huizong jumped. Ah, right, he had that tonight, didn’t he?

Quite frankly, he didn’t even know why the masters of the Azure Jade Trading Company had requested a meeting to “discuss the sale of Rou Tigu dolls”. It had never happened before. In fact, they had been more than happy to let things slide in the past. They had always been good customers and he even preferred shipping with them!

The letter requesting the meeting had been worded politely. And politely usually meant problems.

The meeting room was a lovely little villa sticking out of the side of the mountain. It was well furnished and with a commanding view of the entire south side of the town out into the hills.

When Bai Huizong entered the room he was met with two faces with whom he was intimately familiar. The first was Guan Ping, Master of the Azure Jade Trading Company, who had a calm, grandfatherly smile on his face. Huizong’s elder by several years, he was always slow and deliberate in his dealings.

Lady Daiyu, on the other hand, was still an absolutely stunning woman. She seemed untouched by time, aging as fine wine did. A few wrinkles but her scarlet hair was brilliant, and she was still a peerless beauty.

She smiled at him, showing her perfect white teeth, and Huizong wished he could appreciate her smile… but he knew better. Behind the beautiful mask was a tiger, a woman as ruthless as any cultivator.

They exchanged pleasantries as he took his seat across from the pair. Lady Daiyu accepted a fan from her servant, ostensibly so she could smile at Huizong from behind it. The fan had a painting of a Jade dragon, and billowing clouds. So, she was a bit upset, but not truly angry. Good news.

“So… to what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Daiyu?” Huizong asked leadingly. He knew who to address here. “Your letter was… vague.”

“Our apologies.” The woman said, snapping her fan closed, it’s message having been delivered. “There are just some concerns about the Rou Tigu doll. You see, we have… suspicions that Rou Tigu is related to an extremely valuable customer. We would wish to ask him about it before you went ahead in distributing his symbol, no?”

Huizong raised an eyebrow. “That's never been a problem before…” he ventured. The sects… well, the sects didn’t care really as long as the use was respectful enough. He knew the cultivators had seen the dolls he made. It's not like they were secret. But a mortal’s toy and a simple likeness? They allowed it. Better to be seen as a hero by the mortals and have their children recognise your symbol by heart.

“It… has the possibility to become one. If Rou Tigu is unrelated then you may continue. If she is related… well. We wished to speak with you about it in advance. Thanks to our lucrative relationship. We would see our honoured customer’s daughter get her fair share, if you are using her, no?” she asked, her cold eyes never leaving his face.

Huizong grimaced. The Azure Jade Trading Company was going all in for this customer. But it wasn't like he could refuse.

“May I know why this customer is so important?”

“Eighty Thousand Silver coins. With two hundred thousand more in the future.”

Bai Huizong stared blankly at them. Two hundred thousand—

“And we will of course keep the honoured Lord Director in our thoughts.” Lady Daiyu finished. “It does no good to alienate a powerful man such as yourself.”

This.. this was big. If the Azure Jade trading company was talking those numbers, then it was massive. And from one man?

The Azure Jade Trading Company would occasionally crack the threads of men who reneged on deals. This? These were the numbers that got the Azure Jade Trading Company to start hiring cultivators. From outside the province.

“Of course, I’ll inform all of my business associates that there may be a delay while we sort this out.” Huizong said.

And then there was a loud explosion. It echoed out over the hills and all talking ceased.

Huizong sighed. Things had been going so well this year too.

“If that's everything—” He started, but there was a pounding alarm gong and a rapid fire roll of thunder. It sounded quite a bit louder and harsher than he was used to hearing.

Lady Daiyu frowned heavily. “Lord Director, do you mind?” The woman asked, pulling out a minor transmission stone.

“Ah, no, please, Lady Daiyu.”

A minor transmission stone to communicate with a shop. Bai Huizong stared enviously at it. Well, after this year he might be able to get a few more for himself. The damn things cost an arm and a leg.

The woman walked to the window, and Huizong could only make out parts of what she said.

“Thank you. Guan Shi. Yes, nephew. Yes, you have permission. Pack up and get to the safehouse.”

There were more crashes and shouts.

“Yes, I’ve got a feeling about this one. Fast as you can, my dear. Ah, Aiguo and Liuhua are staying? Good, remember their hazard pay, please.”

The woman handed the transmission stone back to her servant.

“Will we be safe here, Director?” Master Guan asked lightly.

“Of course we will. It's likely just a little scrap—”

An explosion tore through the night, lighting the town up with a false dawn. Huizong nearly fell out of his chair.

“On second thought, let's retreat further into the mountain.” he corrected. They swiftly stood and exited the meeting room, his aides rapidly coming towards him from where they had been stationed in the hall.

“See if you can get the Elders, their children have gotten way too rowdy.” He commanded, and the men nodded before rushing off. Huizong was in his element now, striding forwards and in command. They managed to make it to his main office in record time. Lady Daiyu could move surprisingly quickly for a woman her age.

“Do not fear. Everything is absolutely under—” The crystal lights turned red and everything started to wail.

“—under con—”

The doors slammed shut behind them.

“—trol.”

There was an ominous click as the doors locked.

Lady Daiyu turned to Huizong and raised a single eyebrow in response.

=============================

Cai Xi Kong watched as Bao Wen performed the maintenance rites in front of the humming machine. The boy’s eyes were screwed up in concentration.

It had been over a day already. Their first activation of the machine had shut off part of the barrier. The upper floors, judging by the diagram on the machine. He could tell Bao Wen was obviously tiring. After the endless debate had concluded, they had decided upon this measure simply because there was no food in the depths. The Elders could afford to wait for weeks or months, but the mortals could not. .

Xi Kong turned back to the ongoing discussion going on between the various Elders about the future use of their collective discovery… and naturally who should get first priority of its use.

“Open the vault every year?” Elder Xinling asked

“Who should have priority on the texts?” Elder Shen questioned.

“Your sect can’t possibly make as much use of this knowledge—” Elder Shu commented.

“And yours can, you bastard? You could study the ancestors for a thousand years and gain nothing!” Elder Gang snorted.

The squabbling was hushed so Bao Wen couldn’t hear them. It would not do to expose the mortal boy to the Elders bickering over minutiae like merchants.

This wouldn’t end any time soon. Xi Kong himself was aware of the dilemma. How to disseminate the information. Sects wanted priority, special considerations…

Xi Kong remembered something his daughter had told him, or rather confided in him, on how these mortal archives worked.

“No scrolls leave the archive itself. A single copy per person may be made every month.” he said, adding his own thoughts to the discussion.

His point was considered.

“Is that not too generous?” Elder Shen asked. “Once a month…”

“I agree. No scroll should leave the confines… but what about jurisdiction? Even if a copy is made, if the knowledge is worth enough I can see things…. Going missing.” Daxian returned.

There were several shrugs. They all knew that would happen. Something going missing was inevitable, and he wouldn’t put it past his fellows to attempt something later down the line. Xi Kong himself was tempted to see if he could sneak some of the ancient manuals away.

“Is this place not already under the control of the Commission? The Sects agreed that this palace is neutral ground. Could we not keep it that way?”

“We could, but the knowledge is worth too much. We would need to create a separate group to protect the archive. It would require a competent and trustworthy man to head such a division. Few would be even able to know…”

The Elders trailed off.

Guo Daxian the Elder looked at Bao Wen. Several other heads also turned in his direction.

“It’s a big promotion, for such a young lad.” Xinling murmured.

“He will have to be impressed with the need for secrecy… but I suppose he’s an acceptable neutral party.” Elder Gang mused.

“He does require a reward for discovering this place.” Elder Shu muttered.

Xi Kong held back a sigh. He could see the calculating gleam in the eyes of his fellows, no doubt already thinking of offering bribes to “cut the queue” as it was.

Bao Wen… well, he was lucky, but there were always those who wished for that sort of luck.

Bao Wen flipped to another scroll and nodded. He shifted his body.

The barriers hummed and died. The machine snapped off with a hiss.

Every Elder heaved a sigh of relief.

“Excellent work, Bao Wen.” Guo Daxian stated, nodding firmly at the mortal. The boy flushed as several Elders nodded their heads in praise. “A fine show, child. Rest now. The Elders of the Azure Hills will pay their debts.”

======================

Huizong was in a terrible mood. First, he had been trapped in his office for nearly eight hours. Eight hours with an increasingly skeptical Master and irate Lady of the Azure Jade Trading Company. The entire mountain had rattled and shook, and each time had set his heart pounding.

At least they were somewhere comfortable, nothing untoward happened …. save for when water suddenly started pumping through long unused pipes and into basins that now held extra storage. He’d had to scramble to get everything out.

All he could do was wait. He managed to catch some sleep, fortunately, but it was in his chair. The couch was surrendered to Lady Daiyu… who then surrendered it to her husband, citing his bad back. She ended up in another chair. The woman simply worked through the night, on a little travel desk she had brought with her. Steadily working through documents one at a time as if nothing at all was the matter.

When Huizong woke in the morning, Master Guan was going over the papers his wife had worked on and nodding his head, and occasionally writing something beside them, checking over sums and figures.

He was just starting to get really hungry when the doors finally opened.

A deluge of servants immediately poured in.

His entire day, needless to say, was ruined. He was angry, hungry and sleep deprived. He ushered Lady Daiyu and her husband out then sat down to report after report of the unfolding disaster outside. Damages to the town unseen in decades, whispers of an assault on the Shrouded Mountain Sect and their manor, the entire Earthly Arena levitating—

And the Elders were still nowhere to be found.

It was enough to drive a man to drink.

One of his men dashed into the room as the afternoon sun beat down. “Sir, the other sections of the mountain have reopened,” he said. “The Elders are on their way.”

Huizong breathed out in relief at the news and prepared himself. True to his man’s word, the cultivators entered moments later and were already deep in discussion.

“Master Cultivators! Esteemed Elders of the Azure Hills!” Huizong called out standing to greet them from his table with a smile. “It's good to see you again, after… well. The entire mountain is in an uproar, I dare say you have a tale to tell, so…” he trailed off leadingly. He hoped it wasn’t anything serious.

“They may cease their uproar. The mountain has been quieted and Guo Daxian of the Grand Ravine Sect guarantees there is nothing dangerous.” Guo Daxian declared.

“As does the Verdant Blade Sect. An old formation was activated, but it has been safely disabled.” Cai Xi Kong said from beside him. Huizong noted the power shift. Normally it was Azure Horizon who spoke next.

“There is nothing to worry about then? No threat to the mountain?”

“None at all.” Daxian reiterated.

“Excellent! Excellent! There is just… one other thing.” Huizong said. The Elder raised an eyebrow and gestured for Huizong to continue.

“There… there was a battle yesterday. A large one that shook the streets of the town. I have seen the damage myself and it is severe, but we’re getting conflicting reports as to the nature of it. As His Majesty’s humble servant I would politely request if the Esteemed Elders of the Azure Hills could aid Him in shedding light on the situation.” Huizong said, folding his hands together.

“Conflicting reports?”

“Yes, ah…. They say that it involved the Shrouded Mountain Sect.”

That got all of their attention.

“As you say, Lord Director. We shall see what this is all about.” The cultivators looked at each other. “We shall get to the bottom of this shortly.” Daxian the Elder declared.

And then the Elders left as abruptly as they had arrived.

Huizong sighed and leaned back in his chair. The entire situation was a nightmare.

The one bright spot was that the bastard cultivators had decided to actually help repair the town. He had questioned the report, but his men swore that it was true. Cultivators, taking responsibility for their actions and doing mortal work!

Actually… he could work with that… That might make a good story. Cultivators have a fight then repair the damage!

Huizong snorted. A most fantastical story indeed.

=============================

The march down from the mountain was conducted in silence. They exited from the main entrance, and strode down the streets, past the sect manors. There were bits of rubble, but it was probably nothing. Mortals often mistook the severity of their fights. It was more likely to be a minor drunken brawl, but the fact that the Shrouded Mountain Sect was involved was very concerning—

Naturally, none of them were prepared for what they saw when they came to the main square.

The cultivators of the Azure Hills, the Young Masters and Mistresses were… cleaning up.

They were repairing the damage to a square that looked like a Spiritual Level technique had gone off in it. The damage was half-fixed, but the telltale signs of heavy combat remained. Stones had been shattered. The street collapsed in one location. Several buildings had holes in them, and there was a fountain that had been completely demolished. It clearly was not just a mere drunken brawl.

Much heavier combat than any of them had been expecting.

Needless to say, it surprised all of them.

Several of the children were sitting around, laughing and joking with mortals as they worked. An independent cultivator shoved a brush through a gutter, cleaning it of garbage and filth, to the disgust and disapproval of the Elders.

“They dare lower themselves to this?” Elder Shu demanded. He looked like he wanted to stomp over and pluck his boy up by the ear for doing mortal’s work. “The other provinces already call us almost mortals, and here they are, acting like them!”

Xi Kong could feel the disapproval among the gathered Elders rise.

The mood had turned sour. A couple of the boys closest to them, from the Rumbling Earth were laughing—until they felt the intent of their Elders.

Just what had happened last night?

The boys froze mid work and seemed to realize who was watching them. The mortals sensed the change and they too paled. The Masters of the Sects had arrived.

The square slowly became silent as the Elders took everything in.

The disciples of the Azure Horizon, Rumbling Earth, and Greywater Sects looked at the ground.

“What is going on here?” The Elder of the Azure Horizon Sect asked, spearing his son with a look. The boy dropped his chisel.

“”We are... fixing the street, Fath—Sectmaster.” the boy immediately corrected

“And why does the street need to be fixed, disciple?” The man asked again.

The boy swallowed and looked at the ground.

“There was a drunken brawl, Father.” A voice called out. Guo Daxian the Younger approached, his shirt obviously hastily put back on.

“A brawl?” Elder Gang asked skeptically. He looked down an alleyway and at a destroyed shop within.

The boy licked his lips.

“Yes. A brawl. Officially.”

Murmurs broke out at the boy’s words among the Elders. They glanced around at the other disciples, who were all nodding their heads. They were ramrod straight, and were most certainly lying. The Elder of the Grand Ravine Sect raised an eyebrow.

“Officially?”

“Yes, Father.” The boy remained stoic.

Guo Daxian the Elder stared at his son.

“Then how about these sons and daughters of ours come inside, and explain to us this… ‘drunken brawl’.”

======================

Behind closed doors… The Elders of the Azure Hills were politely informed by several of the younger generation what had happened. The Elders sat at a curved table, with the disciples placed between them, surrounded on all sides. Daxian the Younger took the lead.

“They what?” Cai Xi Kong demanded. Thirty two blades grew into existence behind him. Blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth and every vein in his head bulged out. He knew he must look grotesque.

They attacked his guests, they assaulted his daughter—His teeth clenched.

Xi Kong had half a mind to go out and get her, but he bit his tongue.

The rest of the hall was silent.

“What happened next?” Daxian the Elder demanded.

“Rou Tigu escaped with the aid of Cai Xiulan and happened upon Tie Delun—who joined the fray. The fight continued into the square where the rest of us were gathered. The last arrived fleeing Liu Xianghua. Zhou Yingwen attempted to threaten us against interfering.”

Daxian the Elder placed his hand over his eyes and massaged them.

“You interfered.”

“Yes father.”

“You interfered with the Shrouded Mountain Sect.”

The boy swallowed. “I did, Father.”

Guo Daxian the Elder simply kept massaging his temples.

“Who else joined in?” Elder Gang of the Rumbling Earth Sect asked, though he looked resigned to the answer. The boy stayed staring straight ahead.

“...everybody.”

“Everybody?”

“Every cultivator in the square, every sect in the Azure Hills intervened on Rou Tigu’s behalf. From the Verdant Blade to the Framed Sun Sect and the Rumbling Earth Sect. Everybody.”

The hall was silent as the grave. Xi Kong’s gut churned at the glares sent to the younger generation. The entirety of the Azure Hills rising against the Shrouded Mountain Sect was an unforgivable insult. There would likely be war for this.

And nobody could throw anybody else under the weight of the mountain coming towards them. If all of their disciples had intervened…

“You said… it was officially ‘just a drunken brawl’. I take it you mean that The Shrouded Mountain Sect agreed to this?” Another Elder asked, skeptical.

It was a good point. If the Shrouded Mountain considered this a brawl and not an affront…It would at least keep the Elders away. The younger generation though.

Guo Daxian the Younger shuffled uncertainly. “Yes. Rou Tigu’s Master arrived last night. He put a stop to everything, and, well…” The boy swallowed. “It would be better to ask the expert yourself, Father.”

“He just showed up and commanded the Shrouded Mountain Sect to stop?” He confirmed.

Daxian the Younger looked incredulous. The other disciples glanced up at the elders, looking similarly baffled. “You did not feel his strength?” Daxian asked. “You did not feel the world shudder with his passing?”

The Elders went silent.

“We were deep within the mountain, seeing to a separate matter at the time.” Daxian the Elder explained. The boy shuffled again, uncomfortable.

“Father, did our Ancestors not say to listen when the Land speaks?” The boy said, making a strange sign with his hands. The Master of the Grand Ravine’s focus sharpened.

“They did.” Daxian the Elder said, watching his son carefully.

“Last night, the land spoke. I would have been a fool not to listen.”

The strongest Elder in the meeting considered his son’s words, before making the same sign.

“Is there any way we can meet this expert?” He asked.

Daxian the Younger nodded.

Three went to meet with the Master who had stopped the fighting.

=================================

Of all the things to expect, as Guo Daxian the Younger led them to the streets to an expert, it would not have been this. At least Xi Kong had seen his daughter, whole and hale, speaking with her students.

That at least had drained some of the tension from his shoulders.

“Where is this Master?” Elder Gang asked, frowning around the street.

Guo Daxian pointed.

A large, tanned man had a child on his shoulders, the girl eagerly hammering a nail into a new construction.

“That's it. You got it, Ning.” he said encouragingly, she threw her body into each blow, grinning.

Tanned skin, instead of pale. Freckled blemishes adorning his cheeks. A body built like a bandit, instead of lithe grace. The man looked nothing like a cultivator at all.

And yet… there he was.

Men wearing Shrouded Mountain Sect robes swept the street behind him.

Elder Gang, who had still been unconvinced, hunched his shoulders and swallowed thickly. There were no guards. They were not tied up. They were sweeping the roads diligently, and without complaint.

This was the Hidden Master that his daughter had spoken of.

The Three elders were frozen as Daxian the Younger shifted uncomfortably.

The little girl finished hammering in her nail.

“Great Job, Ning. But you gotta get down for a minute, okay?”

The girl on top of his shoulders pouted as the man gently set her down.

“I’ll be back later though. I promise, kay?” He held his pinky out to the child, who with all seriousness took it.

“You’d better!” she commanded impetuously. The man laughed.

He rose and waved her off.

The expert took a breath and glanced at the Elders. There was a gentle summer breeze—

And then all of them froze.

One moment, the man was nothing. The next…

They all felt very, very small.

They all realized exactly what Guo Daxian the Younger had been talking about.

As the farmer looked at them, so too did something that encompassed the entire town.

“Yingwen, with me please.” One of the Shrouded Mountain Sect disciples dropped everything he had, presumingly this Yingwen, and bowed his head to the man.

The man, this Master Rou, turned to them.

“Let's talk,” he stated simply.