The Fourth Fall - Chapter 39 preview

Two days. It took them two days before they were willing to meet again. The missives from Cai had grown in number and ever more strenuous in their demands for a meeting before a final ultimatum had been sent. They would meet and continue the negotiations today, or the Cai would leave.

Given no other choice, the allied nations had chosen to meet.

“All of us,” Wu Ying muttered, looking at the gathered group. They were making a show of it, the entire Shen contingent - barring those not directly related, like Yang Mu - were making their way therein a long procession. Once again, it seemed, they were going to have a meeting, but this time around...

“This is not how these negotiations occur, you know.” Fa Yuan was muttering under her breath to Wu YIng, the group once more tightly enmeshed in a series of spirit conversations. “Pushing this negotiation and the signing - even of an initial non-aggression treaty - is as likely to fail as succeed.”

“As I understand it, the Princes,” of the Shen, for they were still uncertain of the Wei and their people, “are no longer willing to wait. The attacks have sped up their timetable, and they believe that it gives them a chance to get at least the preliminary deal signed.” Wu Ying could only shrug as he finished relaying his news.

“They are not the only ones.” Sect Head Yan muttered. “This entire peace treaty feels off. I am no longer willing to risk our people while waiting. And they are not wrong, this attack might give us the opening we need to resolve the impasse. If we can have the King sign at least an initial treaty, placing his cultivation at risk for breaking it, we will have achieved the minimum of our objectives.”

“And if he is unwilling?” Fa Yuan asked.

“Then we leave,” the Sect Head said, firmly.

The words brought a chill to the conversation, for they understood that would be the most dangerous moment. If the Shen were willing to break the negotiated truce with the Wei, if they pushed matters too far; they might actually anger their allies. If the Cai chose to, they could attack the allied group as well, hoping to damage the nations military might. After all, here, now, both nations had a significant portion of their martial strength.

Of course, such an action would also hamper any future negotiations or treaties they attempted to conduct. No kingdom, no city, no nation would ever trust them to negotiate in good faith. Future wars would be fought to the last man and woman, for there was no guarantee that a peace treaty might be honored.

There was a reason why such treaties were, generally, honored. More than matters of face or integrity; the practicalities of such actions dominated the real politick of nations.

Which was why, of course, the earlier assassination attempts and the losses were so puzzling.

***

Tensions were high. They had only grown higher in the intervening few hours, as the morning turned into afternoon and the negotiating teams refused to break for lunch. While no one was openly wearing armour, every cultivator, soldier and guard were wearing their weapons openly. Most - like Wu Ying - had on protective robes or armour beneath their robes, and the Princes almost gleamed with the concentrated power of the protective enchantments they wore.

Not that the Cai were any better. Even their King wore his armour, a burnished piece of scale mail of the Saint-level in quality at the least, an item that had been infused with a dao of hardness and an enchantment to further protect the wearer. His bare hands sported a trio of new rings, each of which contained such concentrated fire, ice and destructive chi that the hair on the back of the wind cultivator’s neck had stood up upon seeing them. And those were the most powerful enchanments he had noticed. Certainly, there were others that were better hidden.

No surprise that the entire meeting had been tense, filled with ornate and ritualised greetings and initial remarks. No surprise that not much had gotten done in the first few hours, and even less that after the initial discussion of their demands, nothing had moved.

“Surely you can see how we feel,” Lord Shi Mu was saying, over on the other side of the table. Surprisingly, he had been the Shen’s strongest supporter on the Wei’s side to getting an initial document signed. “These attacks are extremely concerning, and we must have assurances that the Cai had nothing to do with them.”

“Our word is not enough?” General Woo said.

Funny, how one moment to the next, a person might change. Wu Ying’s impression of the Guerilla General had altered, from the hunt where the quiet man, almost scholarly before though ruthless in his opinions, now seemed sharper and more focused. There was an edge to his words, to his movements that had not been there before. As though, in sensing conflict, something in him had awoken.

Opposite him, his counterpart, the Rock of the Wei stood, eyes sharp. No shield on his arms, though his legs were spread and separated such that he felt like a mountain standing there. He reminded Wu Ying of Tou He, of his martial techniques the Mountain Resides. Something that one could lean upon, to trust to hold, no matter what.

Except...

General Woo opposite him still seemed to burn brighter, to be more substantial. The difference in dao’s, in cultivation level and the size of the immortal spirit within the Rock of the Wei. For the man would never step forward, never pass on to the next threshold.

“It is not a matter of enough,” Lord Shi Mu replied, though he had started sweating a little. “It is a matter of providing visible and concrete assurances of intentions. We have danced around the matter long enough. Even a preliminary injunction against launching overt attacks should be sufficient.”

“Overt.” A smirk then, as the Guerilla General leaned back. “I am certain if a document, bearing such words had crossed our vision, we might have deigned to sign it. But what you have provided...” a gesture now, at the elegant scroll that was sitting before their king, the silent ruler glowering at the group thus far, allowing his advisors and ministers to do the talking, “that is not what you have indicated.”

“A cessation of hostilities along the border within three months and pulling back of all forces of fifty li beyond the current borders we have marked should be no issue. The distance is more than sufficient, and we only require full armies to do so,” Lord Shi replied. “Numbers below that are of no concern, for either party, no?”

General Woo opened his mouth to object further, only for the king to raise his hand. He closed his mouth immediately, even as the ruler leaned forward before he spoke.

“Quantity is your only concern then, Lord Shi?”

“The kingdom has many concerns.” A cocking of his head. “But an army or a large force, coming to our borders and destroying our cities or villages as a prelude to an attack is chief among them.”

“And not a small, but powerful group, allowed near the borders who might do the same.” A small smile then, and something in Wu Ying tensed as he saw it. “Is that the Wei’s viewpoint?”

“Of some, yes.” The First Prince of Wei spoke now, turning his head to the side as he stared at the Shen. “Our allies in particular were concerned of that. Focused, ifyou will, on the movement of armies and the prelude to war. After all, how else would you conquer a kingdom?”

“How else indeed?” now King Cai Meng De was sounding amused. “How else could one take over a kingdom, how welse would we gain the necessary stores from a nearby kingdom to stave off the hunger of our populace and feed our marching armies? For surely, that is the important aspect.”

Lord Shi shrugged, eloquently. The First Prince of Wei mimicked the motion, though a smile danced on their lips. The Sect Head and Patriarch, so close to the King tensed, and even Prince Shen Qi looked increasingly ill at-ease. There was a look in Meng De’s face, as though a cat had chosen to move now, to play with its prey before it killed them.

“The...” Shen Qi cleared his throat, when he found his words had cracked. “The agreement should be signed, now. Perhaps Prince (?) wishes to begin. I believe King Cai would be more at east, after he has seen our sincerity.”

“No, no. The King has a point, we should definitely explore the various motivations of those involved.”

“What are you playing at, Lord Shi?” Patriarch Yi Lai asked. The old man had pulled his hands closer to him, his hands clasped around the ornate teacup.

“Not playing. Not anymore,” Patriarch Kang of the Six Jade Gates said. “We no longer need to play.” Now, that smile was wider, savage and twisted as he sneered at the Sect Head and the Patriarch from his seat further down the table.

So clear now, so obvious. Wu Ying stretched his senses, searching for the signs outside. The winds spoke to him now, as it looked closer and details of their treachery became apparent. In the space between the spiritual instruments, hidden behind formations were members of the army. Wei and Cai, coming in from different angles. Surrounding the tent, approaching their own instrument. He stretched further, only for the winds to be rebuffed, his senses thrown into disarray as a dao, domineering and distasteful threw him back.

“Treachery.” Patriarch Yi breathed the word out, as though it was exhausting to even consider the word. “So predictable, among the Wei.”

“And your sister?” Yin Xue said, surprised. Sat as he was on the other side, between the Wei, he looked around in fear, noticing how the Wei guards had crowded closer, some with their hands on their weapons. “You sacrifice her, your King’s very own cultivation base!”

“Dear sister is regrettable, but it happens. As for Father...” now the First Prince sneered. “He has held on long enough. It is time that someone more suited to the changing times take charge.”

“Ah...!” Fa Yuan exclaimed. “Thus the first attack. You wanted to be shamed, you needed to be taken off the negotiations. You engineered your disgrace, to make sure we demanded your father’s signature.”

“Yes. So predictable,” Lord Shi sneered. “So easy to manipulate. You Shen-men have always been simple.”

“Do you think the scorpion can be trusted?” Sect Head Yan said, looking now at the Cai. “Do you think they will not sting you, when it has recovered?”

King Cai tapped the document before him, smiling wide. He sent a pulse of energy into the document, causing it to burst into flames and come apart. He sneered at the Shen as he continued. “They already have their assurances, signed and sealed long before this meeting. We will not attack them, so long as they provide us the necessary foodstuff. With our armies turned from this border, we can beat back our own rebels and continue our conquest.” A vicious looked entered his eyes, as he spoke. “We will repay back the affrontery of those who stand in my way. We will show the world what happens to those who oppose us.”

His words sent a chill through the tent, a chord seeming to have been struck in the heavens themselves. It was not exactly a cultivation oath, but it was so close to it that i rung in the souls of these cultivators.

“And that includes us,” Prince Shen Ru Yuan said, into the silence after it had dragged on for a while. Blind to the world outside, the Shen party sat, tense, guards clutching at swords, all eyes turned on the Wei. A few of the Wei nobles, a number of their cultivators including the Three Swords of Iron Pass were looking extremely unhappy, surrounded by their own people who were edging closer to them.

Fractures in the Wei, a conspiracy of betrayal of the King that had not spread to all of them. It was something Wu Ying felt they could exploit, knew that his martial sister and the Right Guardian were doing, even now. He could feel the tendrils of their dao, the shifting of energy as they extended conversations.

In the meantime, he and the Sect Head contested the Guerilla General and the King, wind blowing cloud to obscure movement and plans being laid. He could feel them doing battle with the Sect Head directly, while he bolstered the Sect Head’s own elements. Not only was the man obscuring movement by Fa Yuan and the Right Guardian, but he was also attempting to obscure the words and commands passed by those ahead of him.

In a space beyond sight and sound, in the realm that souls and auras lived; a battle raged. Wu Ying and the Sect Head were not the only contestants, as other members with the strength of their dao and immortal spirits took up arms. For Energy Storage cultivators and those below, this battle could not be seen, only sensed. Their souls quailed, mortal understanding coming up against conceptions they could not grasp; not yet.

Some, Wu Ying knew, would emerge later with epiphanies. Enlightenment would arrive, or threatened to arrive for some. Many would grow from this clash - if they survived.

If.

“Not necessarily.” A hand twitched, a new document appeared. The words already written, the spirit binding in place and just requiring blood or spiritual aura to be imprinted upon the document. King Cai was somber now, as he spoke insistedly. “None of you need die. If you swear to not take part in the fighting for five years - only five! - you will be allowed to live. You can stay, imprisoned, here, till the end of your term.”

“So we need only stand aside and allow the Wei to attack our land? For them to take what is ours, to feed their people when they’ve sold their own rice and grain to feed your armies?” Right Guardian Chang sneered. “I would-”

Words were cut-off as Chang Xue Meng head snapped back. He caught himself before falling off his chair, blood leaking from a split lip. The older man eyes narrowed in consideration, the dao imposed attack seeming to require nothing more than a flexing of will by the King.

“The barking of insignificant dogs are no longer required or will be listened to. Only those who have won the right to speak via strength can speak.” The king’s gaze flicked past the Princes who looked angry and afraid to land upon the Patriarch, the Sect Head and yes, Wu Ying. It was clear, then, what he meant. “It is strength that matters here, no?”

“Why risk so much?” Sect Head Yan asked, his voice filled with curiosity. Not showing thestrain of their battle, the continuing discussions happening in the background. “We might not have your numbers, not now that the Wei and you are working together; but you must know, if we fight; you will suffer much.”

“Will I?” now the king smirked. “Or will you attempt to finish off the Wei? After all, I cannot reach your country.”

Lord Shi jerked, eyes wide as he looked at the king. The First Prince though seemed calm, as though he had expected such a betrayal all along. Perhaps he had, and he did not care enough that they might be sacrifced during the fight. Or he was confident enough that he wuld survive, if not others in his force. After all, the Prince likely knew it was his existence that was important to the continuation of their agreement. Everyone else, much less of a concern. It was hard to tell what the Prince thought, and in the end, Wu Ying was uncertain it mattered all that much. After

“Not yet. But ending you would make the threat to our kingdom significantly lower in the long-term. Nevermind the fact that I doubt you’d let us deal with the very real threat to our kingdom first.” No head turned, no glance to the Prince, but they knew who was being spoken about.

“True. But I would worry most of all, about your own charges. Even if you manage to win free, without them...” An eloquent shrug.

True enough. Losing not just one, but two Royal Princes would be a major blow. Even if most of them survived, the Sect would be punished, the King’s faith in them diminished. Other sects would take the opportunity to pull them down further, to suggest that the privileges given to the Verdant Green Waters be withdrawn.

None of that concerned Wu Ying. Those things could be dealt with, but the deaths, the losses to the people he cared for here, that was more than he cared for. More than he was willing to bear. And so, he flexed his dao, checking against the chains that were holding him down, considered if he could pull them out.

No orders were forthcoming, there was no need. It was clear who Wu Ying and the other Nascent soul cultivators had to deal with. In truth, they had discussed such things previously, marked the many variations of the battle to come. Even, briefly, considered treachery by the Wei and Cai at the same time.

He knew his objectives, and they only delayed now because they had more allies than they had expected. And even then...

Even then, they knew, this was not a battle they were likely to win. Not without significant losses

“Can some of us, who are not significant, sign-on anyway?” Yin Xue spoke up, hesitant. Braced to be attacked.

The king turned, smiled. The Princes - all of them - stared at Yin Xue, though he did not quail, even as they stared at him. He returned their gaze, his demonic eye gleaming red and yellow. Wu Ying turned too, eyes narrowed. Curious if this was on purpose, a delaying tactic. Or reality.

“Well, it seems some of you have sense. Not much loyalty, but sense.”

“What loyalty?” Now Yin Xue sneered. “They brokered me to the Wei. And now the Wei stand around me, a blade to my back and threaten to kill me. I am nothing to the Shen and even my sect have no use for me.”

“Yin Xue...” Wu Ying spoke up, softly. “If you take this step, there is no coming back.”

“What of it?” the nobleman jerked his chin, reached forward. He could not touch the letter, not seated as far away as he was. Nor was he going to use his chi to pull it to him. “What do I care, if the great Verdant Gatherer disapproves. You and the Sect Head will not survive this day.” A slight smile. “Perhaps, done well, I might become someone of import.”

“Treacherous.” A wider smile, then the King nodded. “We shall speak, afterwards. If you sign, we will not attack you. As for surviving the displeasure of your friends...”

“I can handle them.”

The King pushed the document over, others further away picking it up to pass it on. Tension, on the other side, between Shen and Wei increased. Handles were gripped, guards shifted a little as they considered what to do. The tension, already so great that it could have snapped with the wrong person sneezing almost became a living scream.

Was it a wonder then, that when it snapped, mayhem exploded?