5.49 - Return in Triumph

He Yu and Tan Xiaoling made their way north, to the looming bulwark of Jade Mountain Citadel. They kept their pace sedate. Neither felt a need to rush, and the others still had to catch up besides. Tan Xiaoling carried her uncle’s sword, resting it on her shoulder as they walked. She said it would be a potent symbol to display as they entered the city.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He Yu asked after a while. The once-verdant hills and fields outside Jade Mountain Citadel were little more than a wasteland now. Scorched by fire and heaven alike, with slowly drying puddles and patches of mud where the earth had only been subject to He Yu’s rains. A light breeze tugged at He Yu’s robes, a reminder of the storm that had so recently passed.

“What is there to talk about?” she asked. Her tone wasn’t quite what he’d expected. It was lacking any trace of regret, but neither did it contain the exultant sense of triumph he would have expected. It was, upon reflection, the tone of someone who’d just done what was necessary. Any misgivings Tan Xiaoling may have held had long since been put to rest. He Yu supposed he couldn’t blame her.

“I don’t know. I don’t really have much family. Only my father and myself. No brothers or sisters, no uncles.”

“It’s the way of our kingdom,” she said, as though she’d sensed what comfort he was trying to offer. “I was still at Foundation when my uncle declared his intent to challenge me for the right of succession. He was peak Nascent Soul, then. While my father did what he could to protect me, I couldn’t have stayed and continued to advance. Slaughtering a child of the Second Realm is one thing. Defeating a rival who threatens to overtake you is quite another. I suppose my greatest mistake was to think that Jin Xifeng’s reemergence would have changed anything. The people of the Jade Kingdom have never cared much for what transpires in the empire. My family, least of all.”

He Yu let her words rest for a moment, deliberately choosing not to focus on the implications of her last statement. If she thought she could bend her father’s ear, and convince him to aid them, then He Yu would just have to trust that she could. After some time, he simply said, “It’s an odd way to rule a kingdom. I’ll admit, I don’t quite understand it.”

Tan Xiaoling remained silent for some time longer as they walked. “It is,” she admitted at length. “But you saw firsthand what the Jade Mountains are like. At the very least, this ensures the Jade Kingdom always has strong, capable experts to lead it. Would we be better off if we didn’t kill most of every generation? Probably. But you’ve seen firsthand what the higher realms bring. Ask yourself, who would you rather have defending you? A dozen Golden Cores, or a single Sixth or Seventh Realm expert? I know which one I would prefer.”

He Yu saw the obvious flaw in her thinking, but kept his silence. They would both take views according to their Way, and it only stood to reason the Heroism and Strife would arrive at very different answers to this question.

The others arrived a short time later, with Li Heng the first to appear in a flash of moonlit snow. Li Heng had never been the best at hiding his emotions, and now he wasn’t even trying. He Yu let them have their moment. Chen Fei and Yan Shirong arrived shortly after. Together, all five of them continued on their way to Jade Mountain Citadel.

As the gates to the fortress city loomed ever higher before them, He Yu began to make out figures lining the walls and arrayed before the open gates. The formation barrier that protected the city from the weeks-long battle had been lowered, only to be replaced by the Jade Kingdom’s military.

Most were of the Third or Fourth Realm. Archers lined the walls, bows ready with arrows knocked. Twin blocks of spearmen stood before the walls on either side of the road leading through the city gates themselves. The company commanders were peak Golden Core. All the soldiers kept their presences restrained, but all appeared ready to leap into action should they need to. He Yu glanced to Tan Xiaoling.

She gave a dismissive wave. “Pageantry, and nothing more. It isn’t as if even the captains could threaten you or I. Let alone all five of us.”

He Yu didn’t let himself fully relax until they’d passed through the gates themselves. The soldiers kept their gazes locked forward as they had passed through, and the archers on the walls did the same. Once through the gates and in the city proper, mortals and low realm cultivators alike lined the streets. The reception wasn’t exactly warm, but neither was it outright hostile. Cautious, perhaps. It was tough to say. He Yu was out of his depth here. That much, at least, he could be sure of.

Tan Xiaoling took it all in stride, of course. She walked at the front of their party, her head high, and projecting the sort of imperious aloofness He Yu would have expected of a princess. As they made their way along the broad, open street leading from the gates to the palace, the mood of the crowd grew slowly more receptive. In ones and twos at first, He Yu noticed cupped fists and bowed heads. There was no cheering, only stony silence. Hundreds of pairs of eyes locked on the bloody, nine-ringed blade propped on the princess’s shoulder. It made sense—Tan Qingsheng had been popular, and Tan Xiaoling’s reputation hadn’t been the best when they’d last come to Jade Mountain Citadel. Despite that, she was the victor. And victory was all that mattered, it seemed.

When they finally made their way through the city and stood at the steps of the palace—as much a bastion as a luxurious abode—He Yu finally laid eyes on Tan Xiaoling’s father. Finally laid eyes on a figure out of legend. A man who he’d actually heard stories of in his youth. One of those experts whose deeds had inspired him onward those decades ago.

Tan Zihao was every bit Tan Xiaoling’s father. Every bit Tan Qingsheng’s brother. Tall and powerfully built, he stood a full head above the eunuchs that flanked him on either side. Even with his presence restrained, He Yu could feel the heat of a relentless black sun beating down on a bleached expanse of desert sand. Like his daughter and brother, he bore the telltale wild hair and golden eyes that were the outward manifestations of the Golden Tiger Cultivation Law. With those eyes, he looked imperiously down on the five cultivators at the bottom of the stairs below, four of them with heads bowed and cupped fists.

Looking up at her father, Tan Xiaoling heaved her uncle’s sword and threw it down at her feet. The nine-ringed blade clattered against the stone. Finally, she saluted her father. Then she spoke.

“I have won my right to succession through battle. Tan Qingsheng is dead by my hand, and that of my ally. I demand recognition.”

Tan Zihao’s eyes flicked from his daughter to He Yu. Although his presence remained restrained, the weight of his attention bore down on He Yu, regardless. Fully in the Eighth Realm—Divine Soul Apotheosis—a mere look carried tremendous spiritual weight. He returned his attention to Tan Xiaoling, then spoke.

His voice was like the roar of a golden tiger. Deep, powerful, and loud enough to carry to the entire population of Jade Mountain Citadel. “Tan Xiaoling has won the right to succession through battle. Thus, I name her my heir.”

Finally, the people of the city reacted. A great cheer rose, the combined voices of countless people thundering to the heavens. As the cheer faded, Tan Xiaoling said, “Father, I have a request on behalf of my friends.” Wordlessly, Tan Zihao motioned toward the palace. He turned and strode off. Tan Xiaoling jerked her chin in the direction her father had set off in, and set her feet upon the stairs.

While He Yu hadn’t ever thought she would refuse to honor her end of their bargain, he hadn’t expected her to move this quickly either. Maybe this was just how they did things in the Jade Kingdom. The “ceremony” declaring her heir had been perfunctory—clearly a formality that neither Tan Zihao nor his daughter placed much importance on.

The palace interior was austere and functional. What little decoration there was all had some function to it—usually martial. Spears, bows, and other weapons hung from the walls. A quick check with the Cloud Emperor’s Peerless Judgment confirmed they were all minor treasures, at least. It seemed one would never be without a suitable weapon when inside the halls of the Tan family palace.

They made their way through the palace and toward a gilt framed door with a Seventh Realm golden tiger lounging in front. The tiger regarded them with bored disinterest as they passed into what He Yu assumed was Tan Zihao’s private study. Jade slips and bamboo scrolls littered a broad desk, and more of the same were tucked into shelves lining the far wall. Tan Zihao looked up from where he sat, already back to whatever tasks his position demanded of him, and motioned for them to close the door.

“He fought well?” His words were softer than He Yu had expected. There was a hint of regret there, and while He Yu didn’t dare use his perception technique here and without leave, he had spent decades cultivating the judgment of an emperor. It seemed there was more to this succession crisis than he’d first thought—not merely an ambitious uncle seeking to secure his position.

“He gave great honor to the Tan family name.”

Tan Zihao’s features softened. He smiled, a mirror of Tan Xiaoling’s crooked half-smirk. “That’s all I could ask.” He clapped, the mood in the room shifting as some family business that was best left unspoken in the presence of outsiders concluded. “To what then, do I owe the pleasure of hosting your friends, Xiaoling? I see the mark of the Li on that one,” he said, pointing at Li Heng. “The others I don’t know. It seems you brought a mountainer to our home?”

Chen Fei scuffed her foot against the carpet. The others remained silent.

“All former sect siblings,” Tan Xiaoling said. “Li Heng and I are lovers. Chen Fei was my first friend in the sect. Yan Shirong is of the Yan family and associated with the imperial Ministry of Information. He Yu is the one from the tournament I wrote of.”

Li Heng looked as though he would curl up and die. For his own reasons, He Yu felt the same. She’d written her father about him? When? After the tournament, obviously. But why? Before he could lose himself in the implications of the fact that he had been known to Tan Zihao of the Jade Kingdom for over twenty years, the king spoke.

“I see,” he said. “Make your request.”

“I promised He Yu that should he assist me in claiming my birthright, I would ask your aid. He seeks to avenge the death of his martial grandfather, First Elder Cai Weizhe, and the destruction of the Shrouded Peaks Sect. All at the hands of the Twilight Empress, Jin Xifeng.”

Tan Zihao nodded. “That is quite the request.”

He Yu allowed himself to hope. King Tan hadn’t outright refused. That was a good sign, right? It had to be.

“You know our relationship with the empire, Xiaoling.”

“I do,” she said, expression betraying nothing.

“So you understand why I cannot.”

He Yu’s heart plunged into his gut.

“I do,” Tan Xiaoling answered, still stoic.

“Explain to your friends, then.”

As she’d been bid, Tan Xiaoling turned to face the rest of them. “For centuries, the Jade Kingdom has chafed under its status as tributary to the so-called Dragon Empire. We send the greater portion of our wealth, mostly jade, to fuel the indulgences of noble families unable to produce experts capable of standing against our own at equal advancement. The ascension of Jin Xifeng has created instability in the empire. Instability that benefits the Jade Kingdom. To antagonize her would be to draw her attention. This is not a thing we can afford to do.”

He Yu made ready to object. Maybe he could plead his case. Maybe he could find some argument that would sway either Tan Xiaoling or her father. Maybe he could salvage his last hope. Tan Zihao spoke before he had the chance.

“I will not aid you directly,” he began, standing and pulling a number of bamboo scrolls from a shelf behind him. “When word reached me of what had happened in the empire, I set my scholars to task. Cai Weizhe went to great lengths to hide all knowledge of this Jin Xifeng. Secrets are hard to keep, and knowledge—once spread—is near impossible to contain. What I have learned concerns me.

“Even so, I will not risk my kingdom, nor my people, against Jin Xifeng. We have too much to lose, and very little to gain. But you helped my daughter. My only child. For that, I owe you a debt, He Yu.” Tan Zihao fixed his gaze on He Yu, and spoke directly to him. “I witnessed your truth as you fought my brother. I understand the path you must walk. I cannot offer my direct aid, for my first duty is to my subjects. I can open my palace to you. Offer my resources. My insights.

“You and your friends will have sanctuary for as long as you need it. My alchemists are at your disposal. My libraries and their secrets are open. My artificers’ hammers will craft any treasures you need. Until such a time as my resources can no longer sustain you, you and your friends are welcome.”

He Yu fixated only on one thing. “You mentioned your insights.”

Tan Zihao’s half-smirk turned to a full smile. “One so young does not come so far without achieving considerable wisdom, it seems. Neither does one reach Divine Soul Apotheosis without coming to understand certain truths. I will act as mentor to you all, should you come to need it.”

Hope took root in He Yu’s heart once again. This was more valuable than he could have imagined. The others looked to him, their expressions mirroring his own thoughts. They still had a chance. They could reach the heights of cultivation. They could grow strong enough to challenge the Twilight Empress, and end her reign once and for all.