Fates Parallel Chapter 355 - Parting

Jia nibbled sullenly on a leg of poultry while Misun berated her.

“I cannot believe how much food you were stashing in that thing, you kleptomaniac! You don’t even need to eat!”

The dimensional storage ring had been emptied of everything so that Misun could measure its capacity, then refilled to the brim with what Misun designated as important or useful items—mostly talismans, cores, weapons, and a few select artifacts. Her wardrobe of spare clothing was pared down to only enchanted robes—including her old uniform—and her food stash was ruthlessly cut.

The injustice of it! Jia didn’t even know her ring had a maximum capacity.

Xin Hai laughed and shook his head.

“There’s nothing wrong with a healthy appetite! What’s life without a bit of luxury?”

“Some of this food was obviously stolen from you, Elder Xin. That doesn’t bother you?”

“You can’t steal that which was offered freely, Princess Seong. Miss Lee, don’t fret—you can have as much as you like to replenish your stores upon your return.”

Jia grunted in acknowledgement. They were missing the point. It wasn’t necessarily the loss of her stash that bothered her—she was even glad that everyone was taking the opportunity to take a meal break—but even for the crowd of people present, there was far too much. It was going to go to waste.

She hated wasting food. Knowing that most of it was going to get thrown out was half the reason she bothered stealing food in the first place. Meili understood, at least—dutifully continuing to snack well after everyone else had eaten their fill, just like Jia.

Lin Xiulan set aside her empty plate and cleared her throat.

“In any case, now that we’ve worked out the logistics and gotten you all properly equipped, there’s one more matter to discuss. Jia, how much do you trust Shen Yu to uphold his end of your bargain?”

Jia swallowed her mouthful of food and shook her head.

“Not at all. The only thing he loses if he breaks the agreement is my cooperation. Once he doesn’t need that anymore, he won’t hesitate to renege—in fact, he’s probably planning on it. By demanding my family’s safety, it prevents him from using them as leverage before we get to the tomb, but it also tells him that he can use them for leverage afterwards. I bet he’s already making arrangements for what to do if I emerge from the tomb with the tear in my possession.”

Yue raised her eyebrows.

“You considered all that. You?”

“I may not like all the politics and manipulation, Yue, but I’m not stupid. Not only is my family not safe here, they’re in active danger the second we leave.”

Xiulan grimaced.

“I wish I could argue that point, but after the attempt on Eunae’s life, I’m not sure that I can.”

Xin Hai grunted irritably.

“I can’t apologize enough for that. We should have caught it long before it went that far, but meetings like this rely heavily on tradition, etiquette, and convention to keep things running smoothly. Sun Quan’s willingness to break convention is unprecedented and disturbing.”

He bowed to Eunae, who responded in kind.

“I accept your apology and forgive the lapse. The world seems to be changing faster than many of us can keep up with.”

“Indeed. So that brings us to the question of what we should do to protect Lee Jung and Lee Narae against reprisals from Shen’s camp.”

Eui scowled.

“My parents too, in Goryeo. I don’t doubt for a second that Shen bastard would find a way to go after them.”

“Hrm—a bit beyond our reach, I’m afraid, but perhaps your princesses can think of something. In the meantime, I’d suggest sending them along with the Geumji expedition under heavy guard.”

Jia raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“Into an active war zone?”

“It’s safer than you might think. Here in the sect, there’s just me—and as much as I’d love to pretend otherwise, I can’t control everything that happens on this mountain. At Geumji they’ll be surrounded by powerful allies, and more importantly closer to home.”

Guan Yu pointed to the map, where Geumji was located at the intersection of the three great nations.

“The Yamato-Goryeo Alliance—I suppose the continental alliance, now—has already mobilized against the enclave. Their timing is auspicious—either they got lucky, or they have a very skilled strategist leading them. In either case, we anticipate that once we arrive, we’ll be able to coordinate a two-pronged attack and siege the academy grounds from all sides.”

He traced a line from Qin’s side to Goryeo’s, skirting around the edge of the demon-occupied territory.

“The Lees will join our Goryeon allies, where Sovereign Shen’s influence is more limited. In the case of retreat, they will be among the non-combatants fleeing back to Goryeo. Making it back to a shield city will be the safest option in the long-term, at which point Princess Seong Misun can arrange for their asylum—along with the Ans.”

Eui furrowed her brows as they went over the plans.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Strategic planning of our objectives is my duty as—”

“No, I mean all of you. Why are you committing so much to this? Why are you all helping so much?”

Guan Yu didn’t answer, but Lin Xiulan offered the girls a warm smile.

“It’s simple—we believe in you. More specifically, you’ve left such a strong impression on your friends and allies that it’s bled through to us. I trust Yue and Wei’er, and they trust you. My husband trusts me, and Guan Yu trusts him. We have faith in you and your cause because you have inspired it, girls.”

Guan Yu shook his head.

“Speak for yourself. I simply agree with the merits of our continued cooperation based on the circumstances as I understand them. This is what is best for us and our people.”

Guan Yi looked at his father, then slowly turned his gaze to Jia and Eui—his stony facade not budging an inch as he spoke.

“Forgive my father. He has a habit of hiding his true feelings behind objective reasoning. He likes you at least as much as I do.”

“Yi, I did not request your clarification.”

“Yes, father.”

Misun rolled her eyes at the bizarrely stoic father-son banter and scoffed.

“Honestly, I still think this entire thing is an unmitigated disaster, but what the hell? I’m already in too deep to get out of it, so I might as well commit.”

Lin Xiulan shrugged.

“There you have it. It’s not all altruistic, either. I’m sure you’ve gotten similar sentiments from others, but we can all sense the change in the wind. Whatever shape the world takes after this, everyone is going to be scrambling to find their place in it—we’re just trying to stay ahead of the curve.”

Jia bowed her head, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

“Thank you all for everything. I will do my best not to betray the faith that you’ve put in me.”

—-

“Are you sure about this?”

Lee Jung smiled and bent down to give her nervous little ‘sister’ a gentle kiss on the top of her head before getting back to packing up her limited belongings.

“You’re the one who left the decision to me, Jia. It’s been wonderful traveling the world and getting to know you again, but if I’ve learned anything after all this it’s that I’m not cut out for all this excitement.”

“It’s going to be dangerous—you’re heading into a literal war.”

“Life is dangerous, Jia. Are you going to try to tell me we were never in any danger during our travels with you?”

Jia blushed and looked away.

“Well, no, but...”

“But that was danger you had a say in—danger you could control and mitigate, not to mention blame yourself for. I know how you think, sweetheart.”

“That’s not fair.”

Jung sighed and set down the silk robe she was folding—that Yan Yue was far too generous with her gifts.

“Jia, you can’t control everything. Besides, you’ll still be with us, won’t you?”

“I won’t, no, but we will. Meili is part of us now, but it’s complicated.”

As much as Jia liked to hide behind the complexity of her identity when it suited her, Jung didn’t think it was as difficult to grasp as all that. She shook her head.

“You told all of us to think of Meili as you. Her words are your words, her actions are your actions.”

“No, we said that Meili is Yoshika.”

“Which is you.”

Jia let out an exasperated groan.

“Big sis, you’re doing this on purpose.”

Jung giggled and shook her head.

“I’m not doing anything, honey. You’re the one getting things all twisted inside that overactive head of yours. You’re not leaving us alone, you’re not abandoning us again, and you’ve done more for Narae and I than we ever could have asked for. You’ve done everything to ensure our safety, and you’ve even gone as far as to find a way to be in two places at once to keep us company. So yes, I’m sure. We’re going home.”

Jia furrowed her brows, but Jung knew that she was just anxious. It’s not like there was any alternative—Jung couldn’t stay in Qin forever even if she wanted to.

“What about Yumi?”

Jung smirked and tugged sharply on one of Jia’s ears—something she used to do to discipline her as a child.

“Tsk tsk, when did you get so disrespectful as to call your master by her given name?”

Jia rubbed her ear and pouted performatively—there was no way Jung could actually hurt her.

“Don’t dodge the question.”

Jung sighed and smiled sadly.

“Yumi has been lovely, but our relationship was never one that was meant to last. Eventually, either her duties would call her away, or my health would fail. Perhaps we’ll meet again and resume where we left off, or perhaps by then we’ll have both moved on. Perhaps this is the last we’ll ever see of each other.”

Jia looked down at her feet, forlorn.

“That’s so sad, though...”

Jung cupped her cheek and smiled sympathetically.

“Oh, honey, it’s perfectly normal. Love doesn’t always get it right on the first try. You may have gotten lucky with Eui, but it’s not like you were her first.”

She blushed and averted her eyes.

“W-well, I mean, I was her first—”

Jung flicked her in the forehead.

“Not what I meant and you know it. The point is, we do our best with whatever fate befalls us. You’ve given me another chance at life, and I refuse to waste it pining endlessly over what might have been. Not when I’ve already been blessed with an impossible future.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to give up.”

“Who said anything about giving up? I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that I remain in her thoughts while we’re apart, but that’s between her and me. You have bigger things to focus on right now, Jia. Narae and I will be fine—you are leaving us in good hands.”

Jia stepped forward and wrapped Jung in a hug that was almost too delicate—she was always so careful.

“I’m going to miss you, Big Sis.”

Jung returned the embrace and stroked her hair.

“I would say I’ll miss you too, but from my perspective you’re not actually leaving.”

Jia chuckled.

“I guess that does make for a pretty awkward parting.”

“A little. Now go on and let me pack up all these clothes your friend keeps showering me with. Go show the world what I’ve known since I first laid eyes on you.”

Her little sister gave her one last gentle squeeze before separating.

“Thanks, mom. I love you.”

Jung fought to keep herself from choking up as her eyes grew misty.

“I love you too, dear. Good luck.”