~~~

Weeks have passed since the Brotherhood of Thunder released him and his men. Since then, Liu Jin has been traveling the countryside, making his men fight Spirit Beasts to protect the towns and training his Lightning affinity. Officially, he is still looking for bandits, something his many reports to City Lord Lei can attest to. But really, he is just making time until he has a working plan.

And, far more often than he should, he is visiting Elder Liu.

“...Of course, my little Fei Fei was not going to let us get scammed. She had a plan,” Elder Liu narrates from his bed. “You might not know this, but sheep are not the cleverest of animals. Very dim-witted. That night, my daughter sneaked into the farm and led the sheep out one by one. You can imagine the surprise of those at the farm the next day, and…”

Liu Jin listens to his grandfather’s story with all the attention in the world. Not when even his father or Old Jiang were teaching him medicine was Liu Jin so captivated. Elder Liu’s stories paint a picture in his mind, an image of his mother in a space that until now has been empty.

It pained his father to speak of her, so Liu Jin never pushed him to do it. The more he hears Elder Liu’s stories, the more Liu Jin regrets not inconveniencing his father a little more. Hearing about his mother is not the same as having met her, but it almost feels like it.

“That was quite daring of her,” Liu Jin says when Elder Liu finishes his tale.

“My daughter was like that,” Elder Liu says proudly. Something shines in his eyes, but he wipes it away. “I thank you, doctor. I think I have spoken more about my daughter over the past few weeks than I have in years.”

Liu Jin shakes his head. “Nonsense. I am grateful Elder Liu has chosen to share stories of his family with me.”

“Oh, I am an old man, Doctor Qing,” Elder Liu says. “I do not need a reason to talk someone’s ear off, merely a willing listener. Sometimes not even that, as my son can attest to. It is because you make so much time for this old man that we can speak like this.”

“You are my patient, Elder Liu,” Liu Jin says. “It is natural that I would make time to see you.”

That is a lie.

Elder Liu is not in danger of running out of medicine anytime soon, and his condition is perfectly stable. There is no need for Liu Jin to visit as often as he’s been doing. Liu Jin even tested Elder Liu’s blood and that of his son without them noticing just to make sure he wasn’t wrong about their relationship.

That is how deeply Liu Jin is aware of his grandfather’s health.

“Besides,” Liu Jin adds. “Your son keeps complaining you do far too much.”

“Oh, what do the young know of the burdens of age,” Elder Liu says, snorting and waving his hand dismissively. “If I want to take a walk around the city and let the sun warm this old body of mine, that’s my business.”

“That might be true,” Liu Jin says, “but remember, you might feel better thanks to the medicine-”

“But I’m still a tired old man who’s not growing any younger. I know, doctor,” his grandfather says. His smile is full of melancholy. “Trust me, I know. I am thankful that I can walk without pain and speak without having to worry about choking on my own spit. But don’t make me feel healthy, then ask me to live like a sick man.”

Liu Jin closes his eyes, not knowing what to say. His knowledge of medicine is profound, but his experience addressing the worries and fears of patients is lacking.

His father was the one who handled those things.

“I apologize, Elder Liu. It seems I am still ignorant.”

“Don’t apologize, Doctor Qing. You’re just looking out for my health,” his grandfather says. “How about I tell you another story? I just remembered a really good one.”

Liu Jin smiles.

“I’d love that.”

Hours later, Liu Jin leaves Elder Liu’s room, his grandfather asleep and tucked into his bed. Liu Jin finds Leader Liu waiting for him outside, not that it is a surprise. Liu Jin noticed the man’s Qi a long time ago.

“Why are you doing this?”

“He is my patient,” Liu Jin replies. “Seeing to his health is my duty.”

“No,” Leader Liu says, shaking his head. There is not a hint of doubt in his eyes. “That’s not it. There’s something else.”

Liu Jin fights the urge to frown. It is annoying how certain Leader Liu sounds. At first, Liu Jin assumed it was simple distrust that caused the man to question everything about him, but it seems the man’s instincts are just that annoyingly good.

“I lost my family a long time ago. Some of them, I never knew,” Liu Jin says, deciding some degree of honesty would work best. “Being with Elder Liu makes me think of what being with my grandfather would have been.”

“How surprisingly childish of you,” Leader Liu says, but his gaze does soften a little.

“I do not mind being thought of as childish,” Liu Jin replies. He waits for Leader Liu to move out of the way, but the man stays in front of the door with his arms crossed.

Liu Jin takes the opportunity to ask a question. “Have you thought about my proposal?”

Leader Liu immediately scowls at him.

“You have a lot of nerve calling that thing a proposal.”

Liu Jin raises his hand in a placating gesture. “I apologize if the language I chose was too blunt. Considering the situation, I thought it best to be direct. Leader Liu must have noticed it as well. The way things are is untenable.”

Every time the Brotherhood rescues people, their city grows in population. It is not as if those people have anywhere else to go, and trying to mobilize entire towns worth of people would be too difficult,

“The more people you rescue, the harder it will be to keep this place hidden,” Liu Jin says. “The only reason the City Lord’s soldiers have not yet found it is that the people here are too weak for them to sense properly. That will change eventually. Even their sensory skills aren’t that lacking. You have to-”

“I know!” Leader Liu snaps at him. He winces, conscious of his volume, and spares a glance toward the door of his father’s room. When no sound comes out, he continues in a much lower voice. “I know, but directly fighting the City Lord means going against the Lei Clan!”

“You have been fighting against the Lei Clan all this time, then,” Liu Jin points out. “So far, you have benefitted from the City Lord’s incompetence, but as long as the Brotherhood is committed to stopping the slave trade-”

“It always will be.”

“Then you must eventually turn to the root of the problem,” Liu Jin says. Leader Liu frowns and rubs his forehead.

“… I’ll need to think about it,” he says.

“That’s all I ask,” Liu Jin says, sensing the conversation is done. Once more, he waits for Leader Liu to move out of the way.

Once more, Leader Liu does not.

“Is there anything you wish to talk about?”

Leader Liu does not answer right away. He stays in place, hesitating and vacillating before finally asking the question.

“How is he?” he asks, his eyes fixed on the door to his father’s room.

Liu Jin’s reply is immediate.

“Stable.”

Leader Liu snorts. “The more you use that word, the more I realize how little it means. Do I really need to say it?”

“No,” Liu Jin says, shaking his head and grimacing. “You are right, Leader Liu. Forgive me. It’s a bad habit of mine. He is not in pain, but he’s not well, either. Based on his current condition, I’d say he has a few weeks left.”

Leader Liu inhales sharply. His body lightly rocks back, and his nails dig into his arms.

“I see…” His voice sounds hollow. “Thank you for being honest.”

He glances at his father’s door. “Does he know?”

“He does.”

Leader Liu takes another deep breath.

“I see.”

Liu Jin says nothing back. There is nothing more to say. Leader Liu finally moves out of his way, and Liu Jin walks out.

Yes, Liu Jin is deeply aware of his grandfather’s health.

That is why he has to make sure to spend time with him before he passes away.

~~~

Rainstorm City is an ugly little thing. Bright and gaudy where it isn’t dark and miserable. The people are self-important idiots, the servants are barely competent, and the cage matches below the casinos are dreadfully boring. Living here is so very tedious.

Jin really asks too much of her.

“You seem troubled.”

Lu Mei’s hands tighten around the windowsill, but only for a moment. A proper lady does not frown or show nervousness. A proper lady always knows what to do. Her mother’s words are as clear in her mind as the day she first heard them.

“It is nothing, Lady Bai,” Lu Mei says as she turns around. “There is no need for you to trouble yourself over me.”

“It is no trouble at all. I am bored,” Lady Bai says. Lu Mei gets the sense that she is pouting behind her veil. “Playing the part of your servant has not given me much to do.”

Of course, it hasn’t. Lu Mei has never once dared to give Lady Bai a single order.

Qing Jin, in that odd, unfailing way of his, has managed to earn Lady Bai’s good will and trust. However, no such thing protects Lu Mei, and she is not in any hurry to anger a cultivator at the peak of the Heaven Realm. Especially one that, by virtue of belonging to the same sect as the wife of her boyfriend, has a reason to be negatively predisposed toward her.

“Please, share your thoughts with me,” Lady Bai says, motioning her to speak.

“I am…” Lu Mei lightly purses her lips, trying to decide how to best phrase things. “... not yet sure how to best handle our situation.”

“I can understand that. I have often thought about destroying this city and being done with it.”

The words are said in the same tone a person might use to suggest where to have lunch, yet Lady Bai completely means them. The woman might be innocuously sitting on a chair, but the moment she decided to do it, the entire city would be gone in seconds.

That cannot be allowed to happen.

“That might anger Murong Bang, Lady Bai. Refusing to play his game would most likely cause him to hurt Qing Jin,” Lu Mei says, trying to appeal to the kinship Lady Bai feels towards her boyfriend.

“Oh, do not look so worried. It was only thought,” Lady Bai says, and it takes a great effort for Lu Mei not to collapse in relief. “Since you are going to truthfully share something with me, I thought I might share something as well.”

Lu Mei stares at Lady Bai.

Did she just… threaten her?

A proper lady does not show fear, Lu Mei reminds herself, her hand drifting to her hip where Liu Jin’s soul fragment is sleeping. He does that for most of the day, only waking up occasionally so they can exchange information.

Right now, Lu Mei finds his presence especially comforting.

“A few days ago, an enemy of Qing Jin arrived in the city,” Lu Mei says.

“Ah yes, the boy who tried to kill him. I thought I sensed his presence.”

“The very same,” Lu Mei says, a little surprised that Lady Bai would bother taking notice of someone as relatively unimportant as Han.

“And you are worried because you fear for young Liu Jin?”

Lu Mei’s eyes narrow. It is a probing question. A trap.

“No,” she answers honestly. “I was relieved.”

For the first time, Lady Bai’s veiled face turns to look at her. “Oh?”

“Lately, I have been contemplating various things,” Lu Mei says. “Things I am not sure my Jin would approve of, but that I sincerely believe would work to his benefit,”

And not acting on them has been so very hard. The City Lord is such a stupid man. Reasonably powerful, but stupid. He’s the type of person that’s begging to be used by others.

“It is important for someone like Jin to quickly build up a reputation,” Lu Mei says. “I believe I am not stepping out of line when I say we can both agree that it would be for the best if Jin plays a critical role in the way things are solved here.”

“True enough,” Lady Bai says, nodding. “That is often the case for young prodigies like him. You as well. It has taken you less than two decades to accomplish what others do in a hundred years or more. As such, you do not have the benefits of a lifetime of achievements and connections.”

Lady Bai is not wrong, but there is more to it than that.

Jin has already made a name for himself among the younger disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan, but that’s not nearly enough for the scope of his ambitions. He needs the sort of name that is known across all the lands. The sort of reputation that would immediately convince any would-be foe to surrender and try to negotiate rather than oppose him.

“However, Jin is not the sort of person who cares much about his reputation.”

It is something that causes him to miss certain angles. For example, they both agree that keeping the City Lord’s actions against his citizens a secret from Lady Bai is for the best. However, Jin thinks that way because of the many potential complications that would come with Lady Bai acting before they are ready. She, on the other hand, does not want Lady Bai to know because then the achievement would be Lady Bai’s, something Jin has probably not even considered.

“If he had his way, Jin would solve all of this quietly, so quietly people wouldn’t even know he had done it,” Lu Mei says with some irritation coloring her tone.

It is the most maddening thing.

Though Jin has very gradually, very reluctantly been coming to terms with what the scope of his ambitions requires him to do, there is a part of him that still wants to work quietly. He is rather greedy that way. Really, he is the worst sort of greedy person. The type that fails to realize how greedy they are.

“Some of the ideas I was contemplating... They would push him more to the spotlight,” Lu Mei admits. “He wouldn’t have liked it. The idea I had… It would have endangered many people.”

To be more specific, it would have endangered a few towns and cost more than a few lives, mainly those of the Brotherhood of Thunder. However, Lu Mei is not naive enough to think she can get away with something like that without Jin learning of her part of it.

Lu Mei smiles sadly. “He tends to frown on that.”

“You do not.”

“I don’t,” Lu Mei says. “Is that a surprise? Personally, I find it common. People put their self-interests above everything else. It is the people who speak of virtue and mean it who are the odd ones.”

Curse the Heavens for making her so attracted to a man of principles.

“That’s why I was relieved when Han showed up. He will force things to focus on Qing Jin, which means I do not have to.” Nervously, she asks, “Will you tell him?”

Her Jin knows what she is. Lu Mei knows that.

And yet she fears what his reaction would have been.

“Why would I?”

“What?” Lu Mei can’t hide her surprise. “But you and Xiao Shuang belong to the same Sect and…”

Lu Mei stops talking as soon as Lady Bai starts laughing.

“I apologize. I did not mean to laugh at you, but Little Shuang is the furthest thing from my mind right now,” Lady Bai says. “That is a matter for the three of you to face when you are together. My interest in young Liu Jin is chiefly related to his development as a cultivator. He’s in a difficult place right now. Then again, so are you.”

“Lady Bai?”

“We cannot be anything but ourselves,” Lady Bai tells her. “Trite as it might sound, it is true. As we grow in cultivation, our personalities become more pronounced and our differences inevitably force us to clash.” She pats the bed next to her. “Come, sit here.”

Lu Mei does, very slowly and carefully, as though she were approaching a wild tiger, but she does.

“The Divine Frozen Palace is led by the Five Fairies, all of whom are Emperor Realm cultivators, all of whom have different Dao that pull them in different, sometimes incompatible directions,” Lady Bai tells her. “My master is their leader, but that does not mean they agree on everything. Sometimes, they disagree quite harshly, and sometimes, they go behind each other’s backs. For cultivators as strong as they are, it is inevitable. What is important is that regardless of their disagreements, they remain as close as sisters.”

Lu Mei frowns. She thinks back to the relationships she knows and finds only scheming, lying, and denial.

“How does one manage that?”

“Everyone does it in a different way,” Lady Bai says. “However, I will tell you this. You are grateful you were spared from acting this time. That is the wrong way to look at it. You should be asking yourself how to act in a way that is true to yourself without losing anything at all.”

Lu Mei frowns. “I thought people are supposed to be taught that they cannot have everything.”

“We are cultivators. We are meant to strive for everything.”

“That sounds… greedy.”

“Do you disapprove?” Lady Bai asks her. Lu Mei somehow senses she is smiling behind her veil.

“No,” Lu Mei says, softly shaking her head. “I just… I thought your Dao was justice, Lady Bai.”

“Then you know my greed is Just.”

~~~