Fates Parallel Chapter 381 - Ideal

At the end of the tenth day, the army finally broke. They didn’t retreat, and their endless numbers weren’t exhausted—as the sunless sky darkened, they simply vanished. Thanks to Yoshika’s generous contribution, they’d managed to weather through the relentless assault.

Yue still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Obviously if it was between arming their allies of circumstance, or falling to their enemies, then Yoshika had made the right decision. The only trouble was that allies of circumstance had a nasty tendency to become enemies once the circumstances changed.

When and if that happened, Yoshika would have made their work that much more difficult by throwing away the edge that the Flowing Purewater sect had given them. They may have traded trouble now for trouble later.

According to Chou’s words, the trial would end at dawn, and since he’d made no appearance yet, it seemed that they were to be given a night of much-needed rest. Yue had almost expected fighting over the divine artifact to begin immediately, but everyone was far too exhausted to bother with that yet.

Even the fiends had started running out of energy towards the end, and the only ones who weren’t completely spent were Yoshika and Iseul. The not-so-little-anymore elemental was uniquely suited to such an ongoing battle, thanks to her ability to directly manipulate the mana around her.

Yoshika were just monsters. Her domain had grown enough to encompass the entire village, which meant that she could have each of her bodies stand on opposite sides of the wall. She’d even volunteered to keep watch overnight while the rest of the group recovered, bless her heart.

Yue had never been so exhausted in her life, and she was looking forward to a quiet night of rest and relaxation. So it was with no small amount of annoyance that she cracked one eye open to address the lingering interruption to her meditation.

“Can I help you, Zheng Long, or are you simply going to loiter in the doorway all night?”

He pursed his lips and stepped inside the featureless dirt hut.

“My apologies, Yan Yue. I wasn’t sure whether I was interrupting.”

“You are, but I’m sure you wouldn’t waste my time with anything too trivial, would you?”

Zheng Long hesitated for a moment before straightening his back and scoffing.

“I must say, I’ve missed that barbed tongue of yours.”

“Is that what you’ve missed about my tongue? Here I thought you preferred the sweet saccharine submissive types.”

“Don’t be crass. I never liked the false simpering—you were always at your best when cutting Han Yu down with your words.”

Yue snorted.

“He didn’t exactly make it difficult, did he? Are you sure you should be celebrating your best friend’s embarrassment?”

Zheng Long shook his head.

“Han Yu is like a brother to me, but I’m not sure I’d call him a friend.”

“Spoken like a man of the empire. Was there a point to all this, or are you just here to reminisce? Because as much as I would enjoy tearing Han Yu apart, it’s just not the same without him here to feebly defend himself, and I am quite tired.”

“I’m not sure, to be perfectly honest. I just...felt as though things were left unresolved between us.”

Yue raised an eyebrow at him.

“How so? Our relationship was one of mutual convenience—each of us using the other to further our ambitions. Once it was no longer expedient for either of us, it ended. What else is there to say?”

“Is that really how you felt?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“What is this? Your fiance died and now you’re searching for new prospects? Need I remind you that I’m already engaged?”

Zheng Long huffed and shook his head.

“It’s not like that! I just...I don’t know. I don’t think I realized how I felt until someone pointed it out to me, and now it’s all I can think about.”

Yue’s eyebrows rose, and understanding dawned on her face.

“Aha...so this is Yoshika’s doing, is it? The little meddler. She ought to know better.”

“I don’t think that was her intention. Miss Lee simply spoke without thinking, but it was like she knew me better than I know myself.”

“Tsk, she tends to do that, doesn’t she? Yoshika would be a nightmare in political courts if she had even a shred of patience for it, or the ability to keep a secret.”

Zheng Long groaned.

“Ugh, can you believe that she spilled every detail about that damnable artifact the moment she was pressed?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Frankly, I’m amazed she made it an entire week.”

“Are you sure you should be celebrating your best friend’s weakness?”

Yue chuckled at having her own words turned around on her.

“They are my friends, but they aren’t perfect, and they don’t care enough about face for me to pretend otherwise.”

“I see...”

The silence stretched out awkwardly between them, then both of them spoke at the same time.

“Zheng Long—”

“Yan Yue—tsk, how embarrassing. This damn suppression makes it impossible to read people’s intentions.”

Yue shook her head.

“That’s probably a sign that we rely too much on our cultivation. May I go first?”

He gestured for her to continue, and she nodded.

“Zheng Long, you are a man of great talent and ambition. You are witty and charming, despite your incredible ego, and nearly every woman I’ve spoken to agrees that you are among the most handsome young men in the entire empire. Any woman would be lucky to have your affection.”

“Why do I sense a caveat approaching?”

Yue smiled.

“You are exactly the man that my father wishes my little brother could have been. That is, in part, why I was drawn to you. If Yan Zhihao was enough of a disappointment, then perhaps my father would have been willing to take a chance on you as the clan heir. But it’s also why I could never have truly been attracted to you.

“Perhaps there was a small kernel of truth in our relationship—for you—but to me, you are the physical representation of everything I hated about my old life. You couldn’t be more repulsive to me if you tried.”

He winced.

“Well, so much for letting me down gently.”

“We both know you came here to be rejected, Zheng Long. The least I could do is grant you one last taste of that barbed tongue you’re so fond of.”

“It’s less appealing from the receiving end. I still remember when you said that courting death was preferable to courting me. That hurt, you know.”

Yue chuckled.

“It was meant to. I was seething with resentment after my entire life had fallen apart, and you were near the top of the list of candidates responsible for it.”

“Yet you were aiding Lee Jia and An Eui, who I should think were even higher on that list. I’ve never understood that—why throw your lot in with them, after everything?”

She leaned back on her hands and stared up at the ceiling.

“Why indeed? Honestly, I didn’t blame them at all. If they wanted to destroy me, they could have done it any number of ways. I was stupid and arrogant, and if I’m being perfectly honest the one most responsible for my downfall was none other than myself.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

“I suppose not. Do you know why Yoshika had me join them here, above any of their other friends and allies?”

Zheng Long shook his head.

“I was more curious about the mage, but I suppose you’re an odd choice as well. The Fox Princess would have been a more formidable ally, and Guan Yi or even Xin Wei would have made better combatants.”

“The first reason is as arbitrary and emotional as you might expect from them—we’re friends, and they want me by their side as support. The second was that they hoped I might be able to smooth over any difficulties maintaining the truce with you.”

He scoffed.

“That’s uncharacteristically shrewd of them.”

“Maybe, and yet it seems that they’ve managed to win you over just fine without me.”

“I wouldn’t say they’ve ‘won me over.’ I resent their leadership, but I’m not unreasonable—it would be impractical to try to contest them. Cooperation is simply the better path to survival.”

Yue giggled, eliciting a questioning look from Zheng Long. She waved him off and shook her head.

“Sorry, it’s just that I thought almost the exact same thing back at the academy. ‘I might not like them, but they’re the best option I have.’ That’s how they get you, Zheng Long—you’re already under their spell.”

“Tsk, you make it sound so insidious.”

“Consider this—you and I can have this conversation because while I may never have loved you, I do like you. I may have held a grudge against you once, but it’s in the past now, and I find it much easier to enjoy your company when I don’t have to pretend.”

Zheng Long scratched his head.

“Thank you, I think? But what does this have to do with Yoshika?”

Yue cocked her head.

“She hates you.”

He blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Zheng Long, you killed Lee Jia. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, insofar as she is obviously still alive and well today, but with nothing supporting you but ambition and flimsy excuses, you murdered her without hesitation. That’s not the sort of thing someone just forgives.”

“I acted in what I thought was my duty to our sect and the empire.”

Yue rolled her eyes.

“You acted to curry favor for yourself at any cost, thinking nothing of the nameless ‘beastkin’ you were trampling underfoot. But that’s fine, I lived with them during Lee Jia’s rehabilitation, and I promise you they hated me just as much.”

“The ability to make nice with your enemies is hardly special.”

“That’s just it—Yoshika is terrible at being duplicitous. Her decision to work with you is not a shrewd calculation. Their choice to continue working with me after I betrayed them wasn’t because they had no other choice—they had several much better options.”

She met his eyes firmly.

“Zheng Long, what I am trying to stress to you is this—when Yoshika says that they want to work together it is not because it strengthens their domain. They are not holding daggers behind their backs while they smile at you. That is simply who they are. When they say they want everyone to survive this tomb—I believe them.”

Zheng Long crossed his arms and frowned.

“Tell that to Bai Lin.”

“If you were in Yoshika’s position, when would you have killed Bai Lin?”

It wasn’t even a question of if, but when. Yue took for granted the fact that he would have, and to his credit, Zheng Long didn’t deny it.

“The moment we arrived, probably followed swiftly by Han Yu and myself. That would be enough to cow the inner disciples, most likely. Then the demon—she’s strong, but I still say she’s too much of a liability.”

“Yet they gave Bai Lin a chance—and they hated her even more than they hate you. Perhaps more than anyone. You at least pretended to be doing your duty—Bai Lin tortured Eui just for her own satisfaction. Do you think you could have done the same?”

“I’m not even convinced that Yoshika should have.”

Yue shrugged.

“Nor am I, but you have to admit that it takes a certain kind of strength to do so and genuinely mean it. That’s the strength that draws me to her, and whether you admit it or not, it’s caught your attention too.”

“Even if I do trust that her intentions are as pure as you say, we both know the kinds of atrocities that can be perpetrated with ‘pure intentions.’”

“You mean like murdering innocent children for crimes they didn’t commit?”

He gave her a warning look.

“Yue...”

“You don’t have to lecture me on the responsibilities of leadership, Zheng Long. Yoshika walks a hard path, and I have chosen to follow her on it, for better or worse. I know it takes more than good intentions to change the world, but that’s why I choose to stay by their side. Even the God-Emperor does not rule alone.”

Zheng Long pursed his lips.

“They are not rulers, Yan Yue, nor will they ever be. Diplomats, generals, leaders—but not rulers. But say I believe you—that you can remain by their side and advise them to be better leaders. Why, then, is Xiao Chong still alive?”

“Would any of the rest of us be if she weren’t?”

He scowled, but refused to answer. Yan Yue sighed and shook her head.

“Then you have your answer. What happened to your junior was a tragedy—clearly Xiao Chong needed a firmer hand to keep her in control, and Yoshika erred by giving her too much leeway. But as I recall, it wasn’t me who guided her to correct that mistake.”

“I had intended to convince her to slay the demon.”

“It’s not the role of an advisor to control their leader, only to guide. I’d say Yoshika did quite well by using your advice to turn our resident demon into a formidable weapon.”

Zheng Long grimaced.

“A weapon that’s now pointed back at us. I can see it in her eyes—that demon is plotting something.”

“Then as advisors, it is our duty to make sure that our leader is aware of the dangers and prepared to act accordingly.”

“Don’t lump me in with you, Yan Yue!”

She giggled and gave him her most condescending smirk.

“It’s too late. You’re trapped in her web, and there’s no escape. You may as well just accept your fate and succumb—it will be much easier that way.”

“Tsk. Goodnight, Yan Yue. I expect we will need the rest for whatever this wretched place has in store for us next.”

Yue waved goodbye as he stormed out.

“Rest well, Zheng Long. Pass my regards on to Han Yu, will you?”