A Thousand Li: the Fourth Fall: An Epic Progression Fantasy by Tao Wong

Author:Tao Wong [Wong, Tao]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Starlit Publishing
Published: 2024-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

The conflict began that night, the first sally by the King of Cai successful. The argument was conducted quietly, behind words of veiled intention and careful insistence between tentative allies. Egos, grown rampant and watered by bureaucrats and courtiers over decades, now clashed as they sought to lay claim to gifts they considered theirs.

Even cultivators, supposedly wiser and above such things, looked with avarice at the gifts that had arrived. They ranged in quantity and quality, from a dao of Saint-like sharpness and killing intent, to a pi—a lance—that cut the air itself as it was wielded, gifting steed and rider greater speed, to a ji that was made from, of all things, an oar. Yet the water-imbued dao within made the halberd perfect for use on a boat. The king had even related a story about its last wielder being saved from drowning, as the ji drew its wielder to the surface, clad in full armor as he might be.

Pills and even a few cultivation manuals were available, though of more interest were the martial styles that had been passed on. These manuals and styles were from defeated kingdoms, from sects that had been destroyed by the Cai; a not so subtle indication of what would happen to those they opposed.

And yet…such sect works, prized by the vanquished cultivators, had been the mainstay of their organization. It had been what allowed the formation of their sect, the core teachings that had once sustained dozens if not hundreds of cultivators. Such works could be useful for expanding the teachings of any sect, illuminating flaws in their own work, or to provide—especially in the case of the Six Gates and the Verdant Green Waters—cultivation methods for non-core members.

No surprise then, that contention was fierce.

“Look at this letter, from the First Prince’s uncle.” Fa Yuan held up the document, waving it around with distaste. “‘We seek no more than what is due, for our great and glorious kingdom, standing before the might of the Cai that we have joined hands together to meet and contend against.’ It continues, in much that vein.” She shook her head. “Not even subtle about it.”

“That is for the princes to handle, is it not?” Wu Ying asked, sprawled as he was on the ground, picking at the snacks they had set aside. The moon had descended long ago, the stars wheeling along in the sky as the world turned, the next morning approaching. And still, all parties were penning letters, negotiators and diplomats working long into the night doing battle with ink and perfumed paper. “Can we not put this aside till next week? Are we not playing into their hands?”

“Oh, we could,” Fa Yuan said. “We should.”

“But they won’t,” Yang Mu murmured, her hands shifting over a tableside sand garden, raking the earth smooth again. “They understand, of course, that they are being played. They are no fools. But they are arrogant. They believe they can play their games and still come out ahead. They see the trap but feel they are smart enough to sidestep it.

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