As a Househusband, Awareness is Required (1.3)

As a Househusband, Awareness is Required (1.3)

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A battle avoided is a battle won.

While saying those words aloud would’ve gotten me killed, it was a paradigm that I subscribed to wholeheartedly. Every time that I did a favor for others that got me out of a beating was a successful mission in my book. Training my ass off so that Father didn’t consider me a waste despite being mediocre for his bloodline? That was a massive win, too.

In the context of my current situation, as the fiancé of the Namgoong clan’s heiress, it was different.

I was clearly in the top ten percent as a first-rate warrior at my age. That’s not to say that I can just throw my power around, of course. My fiancé’s generation was full of rising stars. The Orthodox Sects took their losses to heart and essentially buckled down to invest in the next generation. Most unorthodox sects took massive losses in the war, but they were becoming indolent with their victory.

Meaning that if I threw my weight around, I’d be sure to quickly find out that I shouldn’t have.

The same was for the rest of the unorthodox sects.

If not for Father’s consolidation efforts, including his efforts to churn out kids with his massive harem of skilled/talented martial artists, the Unorthodox Sects would already be on the back foot with the coming generation.

If father was taken out of the picture, all his kids would go with their mothers to their original clans, and everything would be roughly equal.

That’s if Father’s death didn’t lead to a massive civil war led by my siblings to try and take the throne.

Which they definitely would.

But I couldn’t imagine Father dead, so that’s a moot point.

Anyway, back to how I was changing my strategy to fit the current situation.

The plan was to become the perfect husband to support my fiancé. Even with my newfound strength compared to most of the Namgoong clan, I still had to seek otFher avenues to avoid fighting. They weren’t a might-makes-right sect. Using my strength in such a manner would just worsen my reputation.

So, my only path to being considered irreplaceable meant that I had to emulate the previous ‘great’ partners of the Namgoong clan’s heads.

Invigorating the clan’s coffers.

Rearing strong, talented, and capable children.

Managing the politics inside and outside of the clan according to the will of the clan head.

To do all of that required sleepless nights, especially as I kept up my training and worked with people who didn’t want me around.

In the end, though?

It was a lot easier than living in a mud hut on the outskirts of the Sect’s territory, gathering my own food and supplies, training on my own, and getting beaten up by my siblings.

Honestly, if I hadn’t been reincarnated, I’d probably have died.

Or, worse.

Been ‘taken in’ by another Unorthodox Sect and used a political piece.

Father would’ve made an example of me if that happened.

As strange as it was, making the Namgoong clan prosper and therefore not want to go into conflict was the best way for me to survive.

I just needed to make sure that the money coming in was going out as investments.

Not as fuel for the fire that’ll set the land ablaze in a decade or two.

Unsurprisingly, the devastating war between the Unorthodox Sects and the Orthodox Sects led to widespread issues across the land. The people were caught up in the conflict, a lot of lives were disrupted, monsters grew rampant without cultivators bringing them down, and independent martial artists struggled to stay out and keep their lands safe.

The Namgoong Sect, for example, governed over a whole province with twelve villages, five towns, and two cities. The governors and mayors of the various municipalities were related to the Namgoong main family; thus, they derived political power from the Namgoong sect. In exchange for keeping the region safe, they received tithes/taxes from the various municipalities, which they used to raise more cultivators, equip them, and send them out to kill monsters and protect the land.

The Namgoong Sect was one of three frontline Orthodox sects. The other two are the Tang and the other is the Shaolin. That meant the lands under their protection, from which they derived their wealth and income, were attacked. Even if a village wasn’t destroyed, time spent recovering meant time not producing, and deaths of able-bodied people resulted in loss of ‘national’ wealth in the long term.

Deaths from fighting and from hunger resulted in no less than a ten percent decrease in the land’s population from the start of the war to its end.

My eldest sibling was thirty and was born a few years before the end of the war.

Therefore, twenty-five or so years have passed, and the land still hasn’t fully recovered.

Which meant that the Namgoong clan’s finances were strained by a shortfall in what was their original income source, as well as an increase in their expenses. Not only did they lose warriors and capable individuals in the war, but they also needed to replace them, which led to them investing more into their warriors and prodigies. This encouraged them to look to other Orthodox sects for trade and allies.

Trade brings them more money, and they’ll need fewer warriors if they have allies.

However, if that all came to pass, then war was assured in the near future.

The people who fought in the war will die, the coffers will fill up as the lands recover, and soon the leaders of the Orthodox Sects will see that they’ve become stronger. The changes they made to survive the lean times will lead to decreased costs when they are prosperous once more.

Then, they’ll be prosperous and have a powerful force at their disposal.

Leading to war.

My goal was to avoid that, and I already cleared the first hurdle by alleviating the ‘scarcity’ that was being experienced. A few words with merchants and the right things to trade led to the Namgoong clan’s coffers being refilled. They had servants again and could train their own people to become warriors.

But it’ll be some time before those warriors are active, so they still might look for allies with the Orthodox Sects.

Therefore, to prevent those alliances from forming, I needed to make the Namgoong clan prosperous and find a way to alienate possible allies from the Orthodox Sects.

Thankfully, since I was my father’s son, I had a unique ability that solved quite a few problems.

Trade with the Unorthodox Sects would alienate the Orthodox Sects while making the Namgoong clan stronger.

Not to mention, if it was good enough, that would mean that the Namgoong would balk at the thought of fighting against a great trade partner.

Some would say a political marriage should be enough to ensure peace between the two factions.

I say that it’s better to be sure.

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Interlude: The 7th Sword Saint of the Namgoong Clan, Seol

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Just a few months ago, I would’ve thought it impossible for me, the Namgoong Clan’s heiress, to dine with the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon was the zenith of his generation. In the flames of war that engulfed the entire realm, which consumed so many stars, he stood at the center of it all and shaped the present that we now knew. The Orthodox Sects lamented the outcome of every battle he participated in, while the Unorthodox Sects lauded his very existence.

I thought that if fortune favored me, and if I were able to grow in strength for a few more decades, then I would have been able to confront him with able allies as age began to wear at him.

Instead, now, I found myself sitting across from him, while my fiancé poured him rice wine to his right.

The table felt infinitely small as I looked across the table at my fiancé’s father.

There was a low murmur in the rest of the reserved restaurant. Namgoong warriors were interspersed amongst the Heavenly Demon’s own warriors. There was a low rumble of conversation, mostly about the deliciousness of the food, and some regarding the gift to the Namgoong Clan, which was the white coat of an immense tiger from the far north with fangs as long as swords.

I felt more than a few gazes our way from some who I believed were my fiancé’s siblings, but they did not return my gaze.

My thoughts were interrupted as the Heavenly Demon finished drinking from his cup and put it down.

The clink of porcelain upon porcelain seemed louder than a hammer striking the side of a bell.

Then, the Heavenly Demon spoke.

“You considered fighting me when you laid your eyes on me.” He stated the absolute truth, and silence reigned across the room. Every breath was still. Only his voice mattered. “Do you believe that you could defeat me?”

I felt the weight of his power, but there was no malice.

It was a question that I had to take great care to answer.

“I cannot call myself a martial artist if I did not wish to test myself against the pinnacle.” I told him honestly and bowed my head. A small ‘ah’ left his lips. He nodded. But I was not done. “But I would make for a poor daughter to request such a thing at our first meeting. Perhaps as an anniversary gift, you would allow it, father-in-law?”

I did my utmost to convey that the Namgoong clan will respect what has been done, as well as maintain filial relations.

However, I also wished to convey that I would continue to train and reach the Heavenly Demon with my sword.

Even if only in a friendly spar.

Silence permeated the whole of the building at my proclamation, then… the Heavenly Demon… laughed and nodded.

“Ha. I shall consider it.” With that, all the tension in the room bled away. Then, he turned to his son. My fiancé raised the rice wine bottle diligently, and the Heavenly Demon stretched out his hand with his cup. He nodded at his child. “You have done well, my son.”

“This one is earnestly grateful at his honored father’s words.” Rui bowed his head and thanked his father. A bitterness arose within my mouth suddenly. The information on Rui gathered from the Demonic Sect came to mind. The weakest and most ill-treated of his siblings. I understood that was the way of the Demonic Sect, but to see him so meek did not sit right with me. As those thoughts came to mind, he turned to me. “Seol, if you feel ill at ease, challenge not my father, but my siblings. My father did all that he could for me.”

While I blinked in surprise at his words, the Heavenly Demon’s mouth split into a smile.

A smile that made the sources of so many gazes our way suddenly flounder.

A smile filled with pride at his son, if I was not mistaken.

“My children do have a need for more strength. What better way to gain strength than to face strong opponents without flinching or breaking?” Yes, that was most definitely pride in Rui. To his credit, Rui bowed his head in thanks to his father and poured the Heavenly Demon another cup of wine. The Heavenly Demon raised his cup my way, his smile still on his face, and I bowed my head low while raising my own cup to meet with his. Our cups resonated the instant that they touched. The gentleness and precision of his Qi was beyond mine, despite all his raw strength and power. “Send for them, and they shall answer. I will see that they do so.”

As strange as the notion was, I felt that I would get along quite well with my new father-in-law.

…

After the dinner, after we all retreated to our rented inns for the evening, one of the servants came forward.

An invitation for Rui from one of his siblings arrived.

Luckily, we long established spending time together having tea before retiring. It was usually spent walking in the garden, reading something together, or playing a simple game. Therefore, I could go with him to meet with his sibling without any issue.

The compound that we rented for the gathering had a guest house that was separate from the rest of the home.

I entered it first, clad in my fine clothes, with my family’s ancestral blade at my hip.

It was obvious that the sibling in question thought that Rui would arrive on his own.

She stood up swiftly, got onto her knees, and bowed.

Her head touched the floorboard.

The sight of it was worryingly satisfying.

“Raise your head, sister-in-law. There is no need to prostrate yourself to me.” Feng, if I recall her name correctly, was the one who supplied the gift to the Namgoong clan today. The beast she hunted was quite powerful. Perhaps it could even be equal to the great false dragon that I had slain. Seeing her, however, informed me that she was weaker and had yet to reach the rank of master. Meaning that she was a great deal weaker than me. She must have some sort of skill that allowed her to engage the beast with a clear advantage. “I am merely here to accompany my betrothed.”

“I offer my greetings to my honored sister-in-law.” She finished her greetings before speaking. Unlike my husband, the Heavenly Demon, Feng had scarlet hair, and her skin had a slight tan. She wore her hair up in a ponytail, and she was dressed with arms bared. Scars from claw and fang covered her arms. When she raised her head to stand, she remained wary of me. That wariness remained as she looked past me towards Rui. Good. “I greet my honored brother.”

If I were in his place, I would’ve lauded my new protector and status against those who ignored me and abused me.

Instead, Rui spoke calmly and stood by my side, rather than behind me.

My side would not block me from drawing my sword.

“Sister Feng, I greet you and offer you my hospitality. I thank you for the gift.” He spoke and moved. The room shifted with him. Before I knew it, we were seated at the small table of the guest room and we were being served by the servants. He made only a few gestures; I followed, and everything shifted according to his will. He was simply skilled. I did not follow him like a puppy, as my friends teased. “I know that you have little taste for pleasantries, so as we are served, please tell me why you are here.”

Feng nodded at his words, acknowledging their lack of closeness and making no falsehoods, before speaking.

The words that left her lips stunned me.

“If you would, can I be introduced to a young man of a respectable sect?”