Immortal Connections - Chapter 9 preview

Chapter 9 - Yang Mu

It would have been simpler if they had allowed her to leave in silence, without the drama and the pageantry that was demanded. If they clans had been willing to close their eyes and look aside, to allow her to depart with their gifts and good memories rather than be forced to undergo another long, ritualized departure, one filled with false words and promises of alliance and friendship that neither party truly believed; no matter how earnestly they might desire to.

It would have been better, but here, on the outer skirts of the city; the gathered four clan members and their heads had chosen to meet her in the early hours of the morning, as morning mist dissipated and the lingering smell of alcohol and last night’s feast rode on the edges of the wind.

The wind pulled at her robes, reminded herself of one who was lost to her. Insisted that she confront the grief that threatened to overwhelm the boundaries of the box she had set them within, but decades of control had her keep the lid closed, tied off by the barest thread of hope – a promise by a man.

And how fickle those could be.

“Will you not change your mind and stay a little longer?” Elder Su asked.

“I am certain. I have obligations to manage.” Her lips compressed, gestured to the city in the distance. “You cannot hold my enemies forevermore, not without enmeshing yourself in a battle you do not wish to engage within.”

“We could, if…”

“Ah Ying will not return any time soon. You know that is not how such things go.” All the stories, all the tales were the same. Immortals left, rarely to interact with this world and when they did, it was centuries later. That was the way of things, for all but a few; and those few were the exceptions not the norm. “Do not plan your crops for this year in hopes of shade from a tree that grows in twenty.”

“Wise words.”

“A farmer’s viewpoint.” A small sad smile at those words. “Now, I wish you well, Clan Heads but…”

“There was one other thing…” Elder Weng said, coughing into his hand to draw attention to him. “The mystic realm.”

“Was paid for.”

“Not that. There’s a small, hmmm, problem.” A graceful eyebrow rose in enquiry and the Elder rushed on. “We have need of a formation master, a true master. The chain that holds the taotei trapped is wearing away, progressing at a rate that is unexpected. The Immortal’s ascension pushed it further, for the release of energy as he was tested was drawn in by the taotei.”

“I am not specialized in trap formations. Or the creation of such chains,” Yang Mu said, frowning. “While I have some expertise, what you require more than expertise, you need specialization.”

Elder Weng was nodding, having anticipated her refusal. “Yet the Silver Merchant has contacts all across the lands. Multiple kingdoms and sects and always, always is able to find what one is looking for.”

“An exaggeration, certainly. Nor do my services come cheap, especially for the location of someone so specific.”

“That is understandable.” Elder Su gestured and a chest dropped, waving at the others to mimic his actions. In moments, five different chests ranging in size appeared. “Payment, sufficient we hope, for what you need.”

At another gesture, the chests popped open, revealing their contents. Two were formation flags, one a simple scroll, a fourth a painting rolled up and hidden and the last but a chest of spirit stones of varying quality but great value. 

“You cannot expect me to gauge the value at just a glimpse,” Yang Mu said, lips thinned. “And I do have to leave.”

“We trust that Silver Merchant will not cheat us and will judge things fairly. And if it insufficient, well, further negotiations may be conducted but we trust it will meet your needs.”

She disliked this ambush, the way they had set up this negotiation. It was smart of them, in a way, for it allowed them to dictate the time and position, to enforce upon a time table. She could take it all and leave and then say it was insufficient, but in so doing, it might affect her reputation. For someone like her, working at the highest level of negotiations, where goods and services were traded or bartered, a reputation of scrupulous honesty was more valuable than any singular deal.

“I will review what you have brought and inform you how long you have purchased my time for,” Yang Mu said. “Even if I can provide you the introductions, the final acceptance of your request and the price set will have nothing to do with me. A slight beat, and then she continued. “Nor will I shade your circumstances in any way.”

There were a few unhappy looks at that. “But you will be discreet?”

“As discreet as possible. In the end, whether your secret will be revealed and to what extent will be up to fate.”

The group bowed low. They understood her warning, though she wondered if they were ready for the coming storm if the reason and method of the creation of their mystic realm was revealed. Numerous sects and groups would have much to say, a willingness to protest the capture and enslavement of a creature, the reckless growth of a beast that was well known for its unending hunger. A Nascent Soul-level demonic beast was a creature that required multiple Nascent Soul level cultivators to manage, not just one. At the very best, with the right variety, one might only see minor damage to the city and people all around but the chances were that the loss of life would be unimaginable really.

Beyond the practical, philosophical differences on the approach that the mystic realm promoted would draw others into the conflict. Refinement of soul and body through pressure and stress, through trials and tribulations were a common thread amongst the orthodox, but there were heretical cultivators in the dozens who believed not in the strain of existence but the joining of self to the Dao, a melding of consciousness and body rather than a forced attempt of inclusion.

“Then we are agreed and I shall take my leave now.” She waited just a beat for any further objection before she kicked her steed into motion. It was past time for her to make a move on it, and though the _______ saddle allowed her to cross many li by the spending of space and time itself, she had far to go if she was to rejoin her parents.

There was a battle to finish, one that she intended to join. Whether it was against her parents wishes or not, their enemies had taken her sister and her family. That kind of loss, that kind of action could not be allowed to pass untouched. 

If not for her and her family, but for all the other cultivators who had families. The rules of the jianghu were clear on such things, and it was only the social contract that kept parties in check. Break them, break society and eventually, it would be all out war, with no innocents or audiences left to live their lives in peace.

The Middle Kingdom was a world of conflict and pain, that was the promise and fate of it. Only in the heavens, amidst those who had aligned with the Dao could there be peace.