~~~

Elder Xue’s hands are inside a floating orb of magma.

The look on her face is one of intense concentration, and her Qi fills the laboratory with quiet purpose. Though not hostile or violent, it is still the Qi of an Emperor. The other experiments in the laboratory would have surely been ruined already were it not for the multiple barriers surrounding them.

Even Liu Jin finds it a little hard to breathe under the circumstances.

The magma shifts and bubbles as Elder Xue’s hands work inside it. It is clear to Liu Jin this is no normal magma Elder Xue is working with. That does not mean he knows either its nature or its purpose. Such things are beyond his comprehension.

“Pass me the salamander eggs,” Elder Xue says.

She takes one of her hands out of the magma and holds it towards him. Naturally, there is not a single injury on her skin. Liu Jin wordlessly takes the salamander eggs from the crate he is holding and places them on her waiting palm. The crate has many talismans attached to it to keep the eggs in stasis. It is a standard procedure to conserve time-sensitive ingredients. Now that the eggs are exposed to the heat generated by the magma, it is only a matter of time until they hatch.

Liu Jin’s eyebrows go up as Elder Xue places the eggs inside the magma before that happens. As the last of the salamander eggs goes into the magma, the sphere glows blue, then turns incandescent white. Its radiance is such that Liu Jin has to shield his face with his arms. When it fades, the magma is no longer magma. The sphere has become a flaming orb, almost like a miniature sun.

Elder Xue frowns.

“Another failure.”

A small head pokes out of the flames after she says that. The small, moist-looking body of a baby salamander follows it. Then another one and another one. The baby salamanders are bright red with black spots. They stick to the fire with their tiny, webbed feet, heedless of gravity.

Elder Xue waves her hand, and the salamanders are levitated off the sphere and forced back to the crate Liu Jin is holding.

“Still, there was some progress,” Elder Xue says pensively. Her eyes do not stray from the flames. “Take the salamanders to the pens. I no longer have any need for them.”

“As you command Elder Xue,” Liu Jin says. “However, before that…”

“Ah yes, you came here to discuss something.”

Liu Jin came to Elder Xue’s laboratory fully intent on discussing what Feng Zhi said. However, Elder Xue started ordering him around before he had even fully opened the door. After that, Liu Jin had been too engrossed in the experiment to interrupt.

“I talked to Young Master Feng Zhi today,” he says.

Elder Xue turns around and gives him a sharp, measuring look. She does not need to. Someone like Elder Xue can sense everything she needs without using her eyes, so Liu Jin guesses she is doing it only for the intimidation effect.

It is fairly effective.

“Continue.”

“We talked amicably enough,” Liu Jin says. Some would call that a bald-faced lie, but compared to how other enmities of his have ended, his relationship with Feng Zhi borders on friendly.

It is actually pretty sad.

“However, Feng Zhi said something that worried me. He said Elder Xue has been talking to Lord Feng Gui about the Storm Dragon Empire.”

“I see.” Both Elder Xue’s Qi and her face are completely unbothered by Liu Jin’s words. “I was hoping you would not find out about it until later. I did not imagine you’d go to the Young Master or that he was paying such close attention to his father.”

“Is it true then?”

Try as he might, Liu Jin cannot stop some suspicion from creeping into his tone. This matter is too close to his heart for him to keep calm, it seems.

“Child,” Elder Xue says, placing a hand on her hip. “Have I done anything to warrant being looked at with such distrust? Have I ever dealt with you unfairly? Have I betrayed your secrets? Have I ever reneged on any of our agreements?”

Each question hits him like an arrow and leaves him wincing, but Elder Xue is not done.

“Or have I empowered you? Have I not given you authority? Have I not shielded you? Have I not given you the tools to make your goals more accessible?”

Liu Jin looks away, guilty.

“Well?”

“I apologize,” Liu Jin says, bending his body a full ninety degrees with the crate still in his hands. “Elder Xue has shown me many kindnesses during my stay in the Eternal Flame Clan. The matter of the Storm Dragon Empire is just very dear to me, and hearing something like that worried me.”

“Your stay in the Eternal Flame?” Elder Xue echoes with amusement. “Is that how you see it?”

Liu Jin raises his head and blinks. “Huh?”

“It does not matter, I suppose,” Elder Xue says while raising several barriers around the flaming sphere to hide it from sight. “To answer your question, yes, I have been talking to Lord Feng Gui about the Storm Dragon Empire. The motive, however, is not something you will have any issue with.”

Elder Xue pauses. Liu Jin leans forward in anticipation. Only the newborn salamanders happily moving about inside the crate break the stillness.

“I have been bringing up the matter of changing our policy in the Storm Dragon Empire to Lord Feng Gui,” Elder Xue tells him at last. “He has yet to decide, but the idea holds great appeal to him for more reasons than just annoying his brother. Rest assured, you will have what you came here for, an end to the stalemate between the Three Heavenly Generals.”

“…”

For once, Liu Jin is so overwhelmed he cannot utter a single sound. He came to the Eternal Flame Clan because he knew the Eternal Flame Clan controlled one of the Three Heavenly Generals of the Storm Dragon Empire and, through him, helped perpetuate the civil war. Joining them and working to change things from within seemed like the easiest way to end the civil war. The other alternatives he had considered were far too dangerous for someone of his meager strength, and waiting until he grew strong enough to realize them would take far too much time.

However, Liu Jin had never expected things to shift so quickly. He thought he’d need years of work to rise within the Eternal Flame Clan, and even those estimates felt too optimistic at times.

“Elder Xue, this one thanks you from the bottom of his heart,” Liu Jin says at last, bowing his head even lower. The solemnity of the moment is somewhat ruined by one of the baby salamanders crawling out of the crate and over his head.

Elder Xue sighs.

“Raise your head.” She gestures to him with a finger to do so. “Do not act as though this were an act of mercy or magnanimity. You have given me the Medical Pavilion, helped depose Elder Cheung, and worked towards making Lord Feng Gui the next Patriarch. My power within the Eternal Flame Clan has grown considerably, and my position is more secure than ever. You have more than proven yourself, and such worthiness deserves a proper reward.”

She smiles.

“Besides, this change of policy will benefit the Apothecary in the long term. Having access to the entire Storm Dragon Empire is obviously better than having access to one third of it. The Division of Exploration will also look favorably upon this, something I am sure you have already surmised.”

Liu Jin nods. Talking to Fan Bingbing has taught him that much.

“The choice has not yet been made,” Elder Xue reminds him. “I expect this talk to remain private until it does. I’ll have to notify Lord Feng Gui about his son. His lips should not be so loose. The wrong ears could have easily heard what he told you.”

Liu Jin winces. Yet another thing that Feng Zhi will resent him for.

“When will the announcement be made?” Liu Jin asks. He picks the salamander from his head and places it back into the crate without batting an eye.

“Perhaps in weeks. Perhaps in months,” Elder Xue says airily. “There is no need for you to concern yourself with that. Now that you have recovered from the Dead Plains, I expect you to come here every evening for lessons. It is time you learned how to properly make a soul fragment. Once that is done, I recommend going into isolation. You must be ready for your eventual ascension.”

Liu Jin blinks. “Ascension?”

“Surely, you did not think you could go to the Storm Dragon Empire as an Inner Disciple, did you?” Elder Xue shakes her head. “No, that won’t do. After your performance in the Dead Plains, you and several other disciples are being considered for the honor of becoming Core Disciples. You must ensure your power matches your status.”

Going to the Storm Dragon Empire as a Core Disciple. Certainly, that will increase his convincing power inside and outside the Sect. Liu Jin nods.

“I will do my best, Elder Xue.”

“There is also the matter of the traitor. Elder Fa will try to sabotage this.”

Liu Jin tilts his head to the side and stares at Elder Xue without moving for several seconds. Patriarch Feng told him there was a traitor among the Elders. However, Elder Xue revealed the traitor’s identity so casually that he does not know how to react, and she is saying it as though he should have already figured it out!

Although, in hindsight…

The Division of External Relations handles negotiations with other powers, be they countries, cities, clans, or sects. If there is someone in the Eternal Flame Clan with the opportunity to make contact with the powers beyond the Plains, then it would have to be Elder Fa. The only other person in a position to do so would be Elder Ju of the Division of Exploration, but he supports Lord Feng Gui.

“How can he try to sabotage this?” Liu Jin asks instead of trying to discover how Elder Xue knows who the traitor is. He has a feeling if he asks, she will be needlessly mysterious. “Can he interfere with the Patriarch’s decision?”

“No,” Elder Xue says with full confidence. “Once Lord Feng Gui brings it up to Patriarch Feng, the matter will be settled. There is nothing Elder Fa, or anyone else can do to stop it. What he can do is be made part of the process and be as obstructive as possible. Bureaucratic interference, to put it simply.”

“Oh.”

Liu Jin’s face sours. With all the death and blood lately, he had forgotten this too was a part of being a cultivator.

“Once the policy change is made, we will send a delegation to General Nie. He might like it. He might not. It does not matter. He will have to comply if he wants to keep receiving our support,” Elder Xue explains. “You will be part of that delegation, but make no mistake, you will not be in charge of it.”

Someone in the Emperor Realm will not listen to the words of someone in the True Realm regardless of who backs his words. Elder Xue does not need to say it for him to understand.

“Elder Fa will try to have his men included in the delegation,” Elder Xue continues. “They will try to undermine our authority, and they will try to sabotage our efforts at every turn, albeit they will do it discreetly. You must not let them succeed.”

“How does Elder Xue expect me to interfere with them?”

“Use your own discretion. I could order you to kill them discreetly, but you will not be happy with such an order. Besides, Elder Fa would escalate if you did. Make no mistake, he is someone in contact with the powers from beyond the Plains. We must ruin him carefully. His power must be neutered by degrees.”

Liu Jin nods. “Understood.”

“Of course, this is only half of the equation,” Elder Xue continues. “You understand, right? We can change our policy. We can order General Nie to win. We can give him resources, but in the end, those are not substitutes for victory. You will be sent to a war zone. The other two generals will not submit without a fight.”

Liu Jin looks down, but only for a moment. When he lifts his head, his eyes are resolute.

"I will not falter."

If he wants peace in the Storm Dragon Empire, victory is the only method.

~~~