Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 53

The tension between the formed-up Ice and Fire Phoenix Sect and the encroaching Morning Midst Village was palpable. All conversation ceased and only whispers remained. Elder Harnish was seemingly ignorant of the force aligned against him. He finally slowed after passing the Trial of Might platform. There was only a short distance between his party the joint sect formation and Mother Sya and Father Tu.

Before words could be exchanged, Elder Alfori of the Night Pearl Sect took to the air, landing beside Sya just outside of Tu’s array formation.

Huifen observed the woman was a good meter in front of the Ice and Fire Phoenix elder, but she had also placed herself behind the frontal array flag. On the surface, it looked like she might try to play peacemaker, but she was also in a defensive position clearly on the side of the joint sect.

There were many ways to read into the woman’s actions. All of them might have been true, or none of them. She knew the woman was a political creature as was the way of her sect. She inwardly bemoaned. There had been a time she enjoyed politics because the mind games were a different sort of challenges, but after her and her husband’s conflict with the Sun family, she’d be happy if she didn’t have to bother with them for the rest of her life. And yet here she was, hidden on the sidelines trying to discern the intentions of powerful people.

Glancing over at Chao, she watched as he looked between the three elders of different sects facing off. He wasn’t unwise to political maneuvering. He’d proved he caught on to more of what was going on than he outwardly revealed. If he involved himself though, he’d do anything but try to maneuver himself into the best possible position. He was too honest for that. It would make him feel like he was trying to take advantage of others. He’d also call out Elder Harnish and force him to drop the act. She’d enjoy it if he did, but remaining in hiding gave them advantages a force of power couldn’t. A hire likelihood that Harnish would reveal what he’s up to for instance.

Even if the smug look never fell from the Morning Midst Village elder’s face, he scanned his surroundings and his gaze settled on Elder Sya. Lifting up his voice and spoke with a melancholic tone. “Everyone can rest assured. The danger has passed. The Divine Spires defensive pylon seems to have returned to normal.”

So that’s how you’re going to play it. Huifen nudged Chao’s wrist, feeling the sound barrier surround them immediately.

“He’s lying,” Chao hissed under his breath.

“Yes. Unless there’s conflict, we shouldn’t act. If he feels like he must hide it, then he lacks confidence in overpowering his opposition.”

He nodded.

“Elder Harnish,” Elder Alfori of the Night Pearl Sect said with a shallow martial bow. Her veil still covered her face. “What happened?”

The man put on a doleful expression, making a point to meet the gazes of the crowd before responding. “Regretfully, Morning Midst Village lost one of its promising disciples to the vault’s defensive array. As far as I know, his was the only loss of life.”

There were several gasps from the crowd, but one in particular pulled Huifen’s attention. She glanced over to find the Dvora woman, the very one that had tried to seduce her husband, standing behind him. Her first thought was to blast the woman away from him with her qi, but she hadn’t forgotten Brother Baros’s plea.

Despite the man’s insistence, she had difficulty believing that a seductress like Dvora didn’t have him deceived. That wouldn’t explain her reaction to Elder Harnish’s words. Huifen had almost felt her fearful yelp at what he had said. But why?

She scanned the disciples behind the elder and found Baros at the front of their group. He was shiftily eying the crowd, but his eyes drifted in Dvora’s direction more than once. The fairy’s reaction didn’t make sense if she were reacting to a stranger. If she instead feared it might have been her secret fiancé, however…

“We mourn for your loss,” Elder Sya finally spoke. “Given the situation, I must ask, why did you required the elders of every other sect to leave instead of soliciting their help?”

The man look back at her as if dealing with a pitiable student without the wisdom to know their own foolishness. “It was with their safety in mind, I assure you.” He walked forward with his hands behind his back in a comfortable gate. He then turned to the crowd and began to pace as he explained. “Before the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sect returned to the Divine Spire, I was here during the year of their absence. It is rare for the vault’s defensive array to activate, but I’ve been able to decipher a few of its mysteries.”

He stopped close to the crowd with his back turned to his opposing elders. “I suspect that the reason the pylon activated today is because my sect’s disciples directed killing intent toward the vault itself, whether intentional or not. Once it activates, for a short period of time which I have yet to discern, it is more sensitive to negative emotion.”

Spinning, he slowly walked back and address the elders directly. “As you know, water cultivators are able to project their emotions, so I took it as my responsibility to clear the area wait at the pylon until I sensed it had returned to normal. Since my fellow elders do not have the same experience that I do, I requested they leave as well with ever intention of explaining my actions as soon as I deemed it was safe. And thus here we are.”

His explanation was completely reasonable, and yet Huifen was just as certain it was filled with deceit. It begged the question, what was he really doing at the third-floor vault? Why else would that man had spent more than the last year of his life here? He was seeking the unknown treasure inside. Before the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sect’s return to the spire, he’d had freedom to do as he liked. As soon as Pangfua had been gone for a day, his true intentions had been revealed. He’d even gotten one of his sect’s disciples killed in the process. If he was willing to sacrifice the disciples of his own sect, then what else was he willing to do?

***

Pangfua had been greeted in a way contrary to how the Treasury of Earth and Sky leadership was pompously dressed. Their robes were made of enough fabric for three people. Their colors were while laden with gold. They were polite enough, but fear permeated their every word.

The guild hall was a nine-story pagoda made of red brick, a dark stone roof, and golden trim. It had a rustic, but majestic look. It was rare for rich merchants to purposely make their buildings look old on the Monolith Continent, but the Treasury of Earth and Sky was near the border, so they took much from Land Bridge as well as Monolith. She had to admit that she preferred this style above the cleaner style in Phoenix City and the capital.

The guild master didn’t just come out to her for their greeting, but his entire family of more than fifty exited with him and prostrated themselves before her. The children were included. It wasn’t just a display of prominence. The children’s presence was a plea for mercy.

Their hired cultivators also appeared flanking the family on both sides, giving deep martial bows. There were as many of them as there were family members. There were sky realm cultivators in both groups. It was some show of strength for a merchant guild. She also knew they had good relations with three or more sages.

Without showing any emotion, a sweep of her qi lifted them all from the ground and placed them back on their feet. “I have not come to seek retribution,” she called out.

The guild master hurried forward bowing as he did. “Sage Pangfua of the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sect. This one is at your service.”

The crowd quickly dispersed as the man led her to the top floor of the pagoda, flying there himself. Besides a woman whom he introduced as his wife who served them a rich herbal tea, they were alone.

He had long mustache that curled at both sides. His sideburns were grown long as well curling upward outwardly in the same manner. The man proceeded to apologize.

Pangfua let him. Her presence here was to reassure him and his family as it was to get answers. It was tedious, but she didn’t really mind doing it. A lesser sect wouldn’t bother showing up at all if they had no intentions of pursuing anything, or if they did, it would be to extort an exorbitant amount of resources from the unfortunate party. Under Quinyuan’s leadership, they’d do no such thing. Such conflict presented an even better opportunity. Friendship prospers in adversity. It had taken her decades to understand this lesson of her master, but she now knew its worth. There was a reason why the Sun family hadn’t been able to cause more harm to the families of their disciples. The good will they’d acquired over the last few centuries unexpecting parties willing to lend a hand when the need arose.

She took the man’s gifts when offered, making a point not to response to their worth. She reassured him that the joint sect had no intentions of hold the Treasury of Earth and Sky responsible for what had happened. It was then the conversation turned to the employment of Sister Nang and her husband. The man had already gathered much information and had it written in a card jade. She also was given the contracts to read the couple had signed.

It was as she expected. There was nothing suspicious about what she discovered. If Pangfua didn’t have the experience she did with the sects of the Land Bridge Continent, she wouldn’t have been able to pick up on the holes in their story. In the end, her suspicions were confirmed. She was even pretty sure she knew the Asura organization she’d joined. It was known for carrying out assassinations just not on the Monolith Continent.

Before half a day was over, she had everything she came for. She’d stay for a few more days so that the guild could show their hospitality and develop relations.

It was in the afternoon of the second day while the guild master was showing off some of his best wares that she received the voice transmission. Only after she excused herself and apologized for having to leave so suddenly that her expression turned bleak. She already knew that Elder Harnish had been trying to open the vault before their return to the Divine Spire. If the man had just been forthcoming, she wouldn’t have denied him, and even offered assistance. So why the secrecy? Why wait until she was gone? Was he so used to civil intrigue he was incapable of an honest approach.

No. If he thought it would gain him the most benefit, he would’ve involved her. If he was in her current situation with the Treasury of Earth and Sky, he was the type to extort resources from them. The joint sect had managed the Divine Spire for the last few centuries. They were the highest ranked sect and had the right claim. The only reason they’d chosen to share the benefits of the spire with outsiders was because their good will. After Harnish had gotten a taste of having the spire mostly to himself, it seemed he didn’t want to let it go.

Once she’d taken to the air, she didn’t hold back as she shot into the distance.