Gazing out one of the many windows of the royal palace, Elder Shao spoke quietly. “Say… how do you suppose she controls that Beast?”
Seated nearby, Elders Guo and Yao quietly drank tea. ‘Well…” Elder Guo began, “at first, I simply suspected it might be a simple quirk of animal behavior. But seeing how well it seems to respond to her commands…”
“I’ve seen plenty of people in the Jianghu that command Magical Beasts. Usually, they were from some old clan or sect that specialized in those sorts of techniques.” Elder Yao smirked. “And even then, they needed years of training to produce what would typically end up as little more than a living puppet, unable to follow anything but the simplest commands.”
“Truly a fascinating talent… I wonder if she will still be able to control it when it grows older and wiser…” Listening to Elder Guo’s words, Elder Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t bother thinking too hard about it. It doesn’t really matter what kind of talent someone has. If they’re too impulsive, they won’t live long enough for it to matter.”
Elder Guo interjected. “Come now, making sure our disciples live long enough to see their talents bloom is what we are here for, isn’t it?”
Thoroughly unconvinced by Elder Guo’s words, Elder Yao groaned. “…You do so love to foster mediocrity… I’ll endure your methods. But only for so long as Patriarch Zhao remains in closed cultivation.”
Uninterested in the bickering of her peers, Elder Shao quietly observed Jun Li as she slowly thinned the crowd of palace guards around her. “Hmm?” Elder Shao’s attention was suddenly drawn away from the fight by the unsubtle sound of someone walking through the nearby palace halls.
When they first arrived here, the three of them made sure they would go largely unnoticed, only going out of their way to notify a select few servants of their presence.
Even in a time of unrest, the elders of the Glass Cloud Sect had a nigh untouchable authority over the palace, often surpassing even royalty.
Hearing someone moving about in the halls was a surprise, especially considering their clamorous gait, unlike what would be expected of a trained servant. Within a few seconds, a brusque knocking at the door drew the attention of Elder Shao’s peers as well.
Without waiting for an answer, the door opened, and a man stepped inside. “Excuse me… I trust I’m not intruding…”
Gently closing the door behind himself, the well-built man who entered the room wore a bright coat, trimmed with red fur in a fashion that accentuated his foreignness from the Zhao Kingdom.
“Well, it’s been some time, Director Zhu, I suppose you’ve taken an interest in the younger generation’s drama?” Recognizing the man, Elder Guo rose from his seat and gave a courteous bow.
“Well… when I sensed someone of the Crimson Palace stage using their strength in such an unrestrained manner, I simply had to come take a look, what with how uncommon that is here…” Zhu Enlai walked through the room to gaze out the window as he spoke.
“And what do I find but… my own student, maiming the guards in this kingdom’s highest place of power.” He smiled as he turned to the Glass Cloud Sect Elders. “Or, second highest, I should say.”
For a moment, Elder Guo was silent, simply stroking his beard in deep, patient thought. ‘Things get more complicated by the moment… It feels like Jun Li becomes more difficult to work around every time I see her…’
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Seeing an opportunity in Elder Guo’s silence, Zhu Enlai continued to speak. “I must ask, how did you intend to handle this incident?”
“We don’t intend to let the two of them kill each other, naturally. And they will certainly be receiving some considerable punishment when we drag them back to the sect, but…” Elder Guo spoke his answer with confidence. “…conflict can spur growth, and fostering growth is our priority.”
Elder Guo smiled with genuine warmth. “Don’t worry, we will ensure the safety of our Disciples.”
Zhu Enlai nodded his head in approval as he listened. “Well said. I must ask, however… does that include the other two, higher up in the palace?”
At those words, Elder Guo’s expression changed slightly. “Ah… that is… a more complicated situation, I’m afraid.” From near the window, Elder Shao flatly spoke. “We can’t.”
“The Patriarch doesn’t want us interfering with the affairs of his descendants, even if they rip themselves apart.” Hearing Elder Shao’s disinterested explanation, Elder Guo sighed. “Well… there you have it.”
Zhu Enlai nodded his head. “I somewhat expected that. Experts of the Sovereign Crown stage tend to take great care not to interfere with their descendants, though I don’t presume to know why.”
“More importantly…” Elder Yao spoke up for the first time since Zhu Enlai entered the room. “Would you like to make a bet, Director Zhu?”
Seeing the expression of careless amusement on Elder Yao’s face, Zhu Enlai gave a polite smile. “Well, I suppose I don’t mind a diversion while I’m here.”
… … … … … …
“So…” Leaning back into his seat, Zhao Shun looked to his sister with genuine disappointment. “…just what made you think it was a good idea to start getting in my way, after all the time you spent on the sidelines?”
Standing between Zhao Shun and the door leading out of his room, Zhao Xiaoli wore a calm expression, looking her brother in the eyes without balking. “I think it was inevitable… I just wish I realized it sooner.”
“Inevitable!?” Zhao Shun didn’t bother to hide the disdain he felt. “Do you realize how pathetic that sounds? ‘Ahh, it was inevitable that I’d end up walking into the wilderness and jumping into a tiger’s jaws, if only I did it earlier!’”
Letting out a scoff, Zhao Shun shrugged. “You could have just stayed put. There’s absolutely no good reason for you to throw your life away like this.”
“That’s a surprise. I didn’t think you cared at all about the lives of others.” Hearing his sister’s words, Zhao Shun rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, I’m not a monster. I only kill to protect my own life.”
The instant she heard his words, a long-repressed hate welled up in Zhao Xiaoli’s eyes. “Just how did Second Brother threaten your life that you felt the need to kill him before you left the kingdom?”
“What an awful thing to say!” Zhao Shun shook his head in feigned distress. “He was my brother, too. It’s just…” A smirk of barely restrained amusement flickered on Zhao Shun’s face. “He was just a bit too young and a bit too talented. If I just let him be, he might have become strong enough to… complicate everyone's lives, let’s say.”
Zhao Xiaoli sighed deeply, nothing her brother said was truly unexpected, but now, looking him in the eyes, she could see just how callous he truly was. “Just… what’s the point? Why do you care so much about the throne that you don’t think twice about killing innocent people, your own siblings, in order to take it for yourself?”
Calmly, Zhao Shun stood up, not once blinking or averting his gaze from his sister. “Don’t misunderstand now, I don’t really care about the throne of some backwater Mortal Kingdom, I'm just here to gather some more resources before I head back out into the Jianghu."
"Once our dear old father dies, I can just sit back and relax for a few months while our brainless little bureaucrats carve up the kingdom’s wealth for me.” With a smile, he casually explained his intent, as if it were no scheme or malicious act, but a simple chore. "Of course, I'll only take what's truly valuable. Medicines for Cultivation, Treasure weapons, Purple Jade… It lines up quite neatly, doesn't it? A Mortal Kingdom has no real use for such things."
“But I suppose you’re not going to sit around and pretend you don’t know what’s going on anymore? In that case...” Drawing a short sword from out of his sleeve, hidden in a manner much like his sisters, Zhao Shun’s expression was peaceful.
After taking only a half-step forward towards his sister, his expression brightened as an idea sprang to mind.
“Ah…! Perhaps you should kill yourself, actually? I think it would be a more dignified end, and certainly easier for me.”
