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Today, however, the fine porcelain was set out, on his insistence. One of the few things the Wu clan had deigned to give their crippled daughter as part of her dowry, the finest pieces form the capital. The Lord Magistrate thought they were better suited to be art pieces, but he was born a mere commoner, what did he know?. The meal itself would be somewhat rushed, but same-day meetings simply did not leave time for proper feasts. Still, the chef had given it his all, his eyes set to blazing when he had personally promised to have the perfect meal for such a short notice. There were no complaints; the staff had swung into motion immediately, each knowing that something must be happening, for he never made such demands.

Every inch of the room was immaculate. The room had been cleaned to even Luhai, his head servant’s exacting standard, the man walking around with a white cloth in his crusade against dust. The formal reception room was usually the beating heart of most towns and cities, where words were daggers wielded in gladiatorial combat. Dynasties and deals rose out of this nearly unused room, and The Lord Magistrate didn’t miss that particular facet of city life.

However, a formal dinner request from a superior had been made. To greet him outside this hall was a faux-pas in the extreme. Even if there were only two seats prepared, directly across from each other. Decorum demanded they be seated on cushions, and brought their meals, but this was also a delicate matter. The servants, who would normally bring them most of the food, would be dismissed. Instead, his wife would be serving them both. A show of respect, that even the wife of the Lord Magistrate would serve him.

He was seated on his cushion waiting. The Lord Magistrate was rather lucky that when he was nervous, only his back started to sweat. His face remained clear, and it allowed him to sit perfectly still in his formal dress—even if he had gone through three shirts before, and had changed right before the appointed hour. His mind churned, every possible reason for calling this meeting playing out in his thoughts. Rou Jin had never asked for an official meeting before, and Zhuge Tingfeng had said that “Brother Jin seemed unusually serious.”

Did the Cultivator mean to replace him?

He thought it highly unlikely. Their relationship was cordial, even friendly on the cultivators part. Even if cultivators could be mercurial there was no cause he could think of for removing him from his position, so he discarded that train of thought.

Things could be more complex than they seemed, however, and on consideration he was unable to fully abandon the line of reasoning. Rou Tigu had come in second in the tournament…. Was the man coming to inform him that he had created a sect, and now Verdant Hill was part of his territory? That was more likely than anything else he’d come up with. Sects had the right to collect taxes from towns under their control, and levy the population to battle.

It fit with the arrival of the Azure Jade Trading Company. They were well known to cater to the needs of powerful sects—yet he hadn’t had a transmission from Pale Moon Lake City or Grass Sea City informing him of the change in his status.

He took a slight breath. Hopefully it wasn't—

A quiet familiar voice broke his train of thought. “Lord Magistrate, it is time,” He glanced up at Luhai.

The Lord Magistrate took a breath to compose himself. “I will see him now,” he declared. Luhai rose, and swept out.

He did not have to wait long before Rou Jin arrived, trailing one of his more trusted guardsmen. The cultivator was different today, which only added to his worries. He had actually dressed differently, rather than his rugged, ripped sleeves and boots. His clothes were well made though out of rough cotton, not silk. He was clean and groomed. His hair, normally unruly, was tamed.

The guardsman exited swiftly upon formally announcing Rou Jin, leaving the Lord Magistrate only three people in the room. He didn’t know whether to be grateful that his servants were loyal enough to obey him so easily, or offended that there were none listening in, in case things went south, so they could rescue him.

Well, when all else failed, decorum triumphed. Everything else was in place. He went to greet the cultivator, as protocol dictated, and as usual, the cultivator interrupted him.

“Lord Magistrate!” The man greeted with his usual bow. It always seemed just the slightest bit mocking. Perhaps it was sometimes the pause before it. Like he was deciding whether to bow or not, and he always had a strange, self satisfied smile after.

“Rou Jin,” he greeted, bowing respectfully in his seated position. When he rose, the cultivator was still standing, his eyes flicking over the Magistrate, before he too sat upon the cushion.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice,” the man continued.

“It was no trouble,” the Magistrate said, dipping his head again. His mind raced on exactly what he was supposed to do at the moment. He didn’t know what the cultivator wanted, and Rou Jin had arranged the meeting.

They lapsed into silence. The cultivator smiled brilliantly at his wife, as she set the food in front of them, thanking her. He always did get tense, when the cultivator interacted with his wife…. But he likely wouldn’t do that sort of thing. He had already defended a peerless beauty from another man, the Shrouded Mountain Disciple. That particular vice seemed absent.

His wife raised an eyebrow at the breach in etiquette, but remained silent, bowing deeply.

The Lord Magistrate waited for the cultivator to speak, ceding the conversation, and wondering what he wanted, as they began their meal.

“This is good!” Rou Jin said. “My compliments to the chief!”

“They shall be pleased at your praise, Rou Jin. They have accomplished wonders this night.” he agreed easily, despite barely being able to taste the food.

They lapsed into silence again. The Lord Magistrate’s back was drenched through, as Rou Jin would glance at him occasionally, then simply take another bite.

The silence lengthened until it became awkward. His wife prepared more tea, pouring another cup for them both.

Rou Jin took a sip from his cup then licked his lips. Finally, the cultivator spoke.

“Lovely weather we’ve been having lately.”

The Lord Magistrate was taken aback by the casual statement, and felt a little surge of irritation. “Forgive me, Rou Jin. I have rarely gotten out this past week, but the sun does seem beautiful from the window.”

“Ah, you’re really busy? That sucks—is unfortunate. I hope I haven’t been adding to anything…” The man said with a laugh, joking. The Lord Magistrate felt a surge of irritation, but opened his mouth to respond in the negative.

“It has not been too much—” He caught his wife’s glance, as her eyes narrowed.

“You have, quite a bit, my dear.” His wife interrupted, with mild reproach.

Rou Jin’s laugh died in his throat. The Lord Magistrate felt like she had just punched him in the stomach.

His wife had just chastised the cultivator. To his face. The man had been all too easy-going so far, but The Lord Magistrate couldn’t imagine a world in which he let this go.

And yet, as always when he felt fear, he froze up completely. His body couldn't move to clap his hands over his wife’s mouth and apologize for her slights.

Especially when she kept going.

“The Azure Jade Trading Company coming to town requires an enormous amount of work, as do the roads. Oh, and the cultivators coming through. Just last week one came through town. After decades here without any, all of a sudden our little town seems to be playing host to a great many. My, things are changing quite quickly, and you’re certainly giving my poor husband more than he should have to deal with. Interfering with his quiet, peaceful life.”

Her words were calm and measured, delivered with a sweet smile that looked anything but amused..

The cultivator stared at her, a frown on his face. A moment flashed in The Lord Magistrate’s mind of the horrible shrieking boom, and his wife screaming in pain as Qi burned her body and soul.

An endless parade of memories overwhelmed him. Lady Wu screaming and thrashing, foaming at the mouth as her body tried to shake itself apart. His wife not noticing the small cuts on her fingers, her sense of touch deadened to near unfeeling. It was why they had started using ropes and rougher play in the first place—just so that Wu could feel anything at all though her reduced senses.

The cultivator slumped, looking like the Lord Magistrate’s own son did when his wife lambasted him.

He looked contrite.

“The Azure Jade Trading Company—ugh. I didn’t even think it would be an issue,” he muttered to himself, before he looked back up. The man grimaced. “I’m sorry for adding to the work.”

The lord magistrate let out the breath he had been holding. His frozen muscles unseized, and his shoulders slumped. There was no violence. There was no surge of Qi. No flash of panic and terror as the people closer to the impact died screaming in agony.

Instead, Rou Jin looked wholly apologetic

The Lord Magistrate swallowed thickly, his mind racing.

“It is a bit of work.. But it will likely be a boon to Verdant Hill in the long run.” He said diplomatically.

The cultivator sighed. He scratched at his head, quickly returning his neatly arranged hair to its usual mess. The Lord Magistrate’s eyes landed on his wife, who simply nodded her head like she had accomplished something other than nearly causing him to spit blood.

She refused to make eye contact with him, instead settling down beside him, slipping out her fan and watching Rou Jin.

“Alright. Uh… I can explain all of this, but…how to start this…” he mused to himself, before looking back up. “What have you heard about the Dueling Peaks Tournament?”

The Lord Magistrate paused, remembering the report that had been sent to him. “That the victor was Cai Xiulan, and that the one she defeated was Rou Tigu. It seemed likely that Rou Tigu was one and the same as the young lady of your household. I did not deem it…necessary to inquire further.”

“Yeah… Tigu’er and Xiulan fought in the finals. Was there anything else?”

Anything else?

“There was some manner of altercation? The report made bare mention of one.”

The cultivator closed his eyes. “Well, there was… an incident. What I’m going to tell you has been covered up, but I think you deserve to know, and it leads into why I wanted to meet with you tonight.”

The Lord Magistrate felt dread crawl up his spine at the man’s words.

“The Shrouded Mountain Sect attacked Tigu’er, because their Young Master was the guy who I thought was an imposter. It turned out to be true just not the way I thought. Then there was nearly a war between the Azure Hills and the Shrouded Mountain Sect.”

The words were all accurate, but they didn’t make sense. The whole of the Azure Hills was nearly plunged into war?! The Lord Magistrate glanced towards his wife, as some of her decorum broke. She was hiding her face underneath her fan, but her eyes were worried, and her mouth was open.

“Ah, don’t worry, nothings going to happen! I kind of… forced everybody to stop.”

The words sounded so innocent. The Lord Magistrate felt faint.

“.. you stopped the Shrouded Mountain Sect”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t have to worry about them at all again? I made them promise to never set foot in the Azure Hills again unless I let them, but I also kind of don’t trust them…”

The Lord Magistrate's stomach, surprisingly, was absolutely calm. He picked up the bottle of wine, meant to be drunk later in the night, and dearly, dearly wished that he could upend the entire thing, but he would need to remember Rou Jin’s words. Instead, he allowed himself a single sip.

He instantly regretted it, for the taste awoke a powerful thirst. So he handed the bottle off to his wife, to free him from temptation.

She obliged him, draining the rest.

“I guess… I should tell this better.” Rou Jin said with a nervous grin.

The tale was hard to stomach. Kidnapping, running battles, and the man in front of him strong-arming every sect in the Azure Hills as well as the Shrouded Mountain Sect.

Tao the Traveler wrote more believable stories.

He had known Rou Jin had to have been fairly powerful to possess Seven Fragrance Jewel Herbs. But to be a member of the Cloudy Sword Sect?!

The Lord Magistrate felt faint, but was compelled to ask.

“Forgive me… but why are you telling me this? And what could you possibly need from this lowly mortal?”

“Lord Magistrate? How old do you think I am?” The Cultivator asked. The question was an odd one.

“....I do not know.”

Rou Jin smiled, a crooked thing.

“I turned twenty this year. Before this, I was an orphan, living in the slums. I started cultivating when I was twelve.”

The Lord Magistrate rocked back on hearing the words. So young?!

“And now, apparently, I’m the guy everybody looks to for answers.” There was a grimace of irritation. “I came here today to ask for your help.” Rou Jin stated, lowering his head to say in a desperate whisper. “Because I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Everything clicked into place. Everything about Rou Jin that rubbed him the wrong way, that made him seem insincere at times suddenly made sense.

Every bow that the Lord Magistrate assumed to be made in jest had been in complete sincerity. Every gift, not something to put the Lord Magistrate in his debt, but a man giving his technical lord tribute. Every pause before he acted, not because he was deciding whether to show respect or not, but because he had to think about how to act.

The discussion on taxes. Taxes that he actually intended to pay. The work on the roads. Proclaiming his Spirit Beasts at his service. From the beginning, Rou Jin had intended to work with him. From the beginning, each offense caused had been unintentional.

Had… Had he truly been so blind? So hung up on his own insecurities that these obvious tells had gone right by him?

Even now, the young man, who could end his entire town with a single thrust of his fist, sat awaiting his judgement. As if he was a child before an elder.

“Why me? Why here?”

“From everything everybody has said, you’re a good man. What I've seen just confirms it. I need help, and I think you’re one of the only people I can really ask. And kind of… the only official I really respect enough to.” he said, his voice soft and head still lowered.

Rou Jin had just said he had respected him.

The Lord Magistrate licked his lips, wetting them.

“What would you wish to learn from me?”

“I don’t know most things about decorum, and talking to people properly. I know I can’t solve every problem with violence… and even if I could, I don’t want to. I need to be able to solve things with words.. Or at least know when people are trying to jerk me around. ”

The ancient scholars said that civilization is what separates men from beasts. That law and order must be valued above strength. It was an old saying. A wonderful idea that they were required to learn… and then were told in no uncertain terms by their teachers, that such things had to be disregarded in the name of practicality. When cultivators roamed, the strong ruled.

As The Lord Magistrate stared at the cultivator before him, a question bubbled to the surface of his mind, what if the strongest were committed to that old ideal?

The lord Magistrate dismissed the nonsense, banishing it from his mind. He didn’t want to get involved in any cultivator business. Where cultivators lay was madness and misery.

“Please. I need your guidance, Lord Magistrate. I don’t want this town to lose anything. I value the peace I’ve found in the Azure Hills.”

There was a young man before him seeking guidance. Young. Not yet fully ready for the trials of life, despite all his bravado and strength. The Lord Magistrate was not an altruistic man, yet he had often indulged in giving pointers to others. There were few things as pure as a junior’s eyes shining with admiration as he gifted them his wisdom. As they thanked him for enlightening them to the truth of the world.

Having the strongest cultivator in the land calling him teacher with complete sincerity.

That he was saying he valued the peace of the land… well, that was just a bonus.

In his youth, the Lord Magistrate had been an ambitious man. A man who sought to rise to the top, and rule the entire Azure Hills, before he learned the true terror of cultivators, and the benefits of a quieter, slower life.

This was an opportunity that only came once in thousands of years.

It was a gamble. Yet could he really say no?

For the sake of his quiet life. For the sake of his town. The Lord Patriarch of Verdant Hill could only say one thing.

“You may raise your head. We shall work together, then.” The Lord Magistrate decreed, his voice more powerful than he thought he would be able to make it.

Rou Jin’s face lit up.

“Thank you. I won’t let you down, teacher.” The Cultivator said, performing the proper kowtow before him, accepting him as his master in the arts of reason and politics.

They drank a cup of wine together, and then Rou Jin left, saying he would be back on the morrow to work out a schedule with him.

And so the Lord Magistrate simply sat there. His legs had long since gone numb, and he didn’t feel like he could stand. He was absolutely exhausted.

“I did tell you all you needed to do was scold him.” His wife said blandly, as she sipped wine.

“I don’t need your cheek right now, dear wife.”

“Oh? Going to do something about it?” she asked, her eyes challenging.

“When I can stand again.” he returned.

His wife snorted, her eyes looking at the door Rou Jin had exited out of, before glancing back to the Lord Magistrate.

“Poor boy. It always seems that responsibility finds those who don’t wish for it… yet are too stubborn to put it down once they have it.

The Lord Magistrate wanted to deny her insinuation. He was nothing like Rou Jin.

Still.. He did feel a bit lighter. Like... things wouldn’t be too bad. He was just dealing with a lost young man. He could deal with that. And if he could harness this strength….. Well. Then his life would continue to be peaceful.

Perhaps the future held a bit less stomach pain as well?

He smiled to himself, as he looked up at the ceiling. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Now all he had to do was teach the man who was apparently the new power of the Azure Hills how to deal with every other cultivator sect.

He paused.

Now he had to teach the man who was the new power of the Azure Hills how to deal with every other cultivator sect!

His stomach churned, as the weight of his newfound goal settled on his shoulders.

His face was still blank with a smile.

Inside his mind, he screamed in terror.