Fates Parallel Chapter 344 - Court

“Girls, it’s nearly time. We need you to be present for this.”

Jia ignored Yue and frowned up at the roiling cloud above. It was high above the rest of the clouds—some of which were even below the mountain peak—and unnaturally dark. She had never felt the power of a tribulation cloud from so close before—it was oppressive.

“Jia, did you hear—”

“I heard you, Yue. The delegates are meeting, right?”

“Exactly. We need to get you ready to meet them—this is what I’ve been preparing you for all week. There will be other talks, but the first one will set the stage for the rest of the summit. You cannot afford to miss this.”

Jia sighed and shook her head.

“Why now, though? It feels like Eunae’s tribulation is close—couldn’t we put it off a while longer?”

Yue tapped her foot impatiently.

“I would try explaining just how much closed door negotiation went into doing just that, but I know you wouldn’t listen to me. Suffice it to say that a lot of politicking was involved, and today just happens to be the one that was chosen. It’s mostly arbitrary anyway.”

“Is it? Because it seems like Eunae was intentionally excluded at best. At worst—I don’t know. I have a bad feeling.”

Eui glanced up from where she was meticulously applying makeup and other adornments to their Yoshika avatar.

“You should listen to her bad feelings. Jia’s got a history of sniffing out disasters.”

Yue rolled her eyes.

“Well I know it, but that doesn’t change our current reality. Whatever the reasons, the meeting is happening now and you need to be there. Ja Yun and Rika will be here to make sure Eunae is alright.”

Jia scuffed the ground with her foot.

“Why do we need to be there? Nobody is going to care what we’ve got to say—not with Master Ienaga and Seong Misun there. They represent their nations way better than we ever could.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Jia. You stand for what you have always stood for—Unity. Ienaga Yumi represents Yamato, and Seong Misun represents Goryeo, but you are the bridge connecting them. We need you there to represent the alliance.”

“Yeah, I know it just...this doesn’t feel right. The timing is too weird. I want to be there for Eunae when her tribulation happens and it feels close.”

Yue pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I trust your senses, Jia, but you sound paranoid. Nobody can predict when a tribulation will strike, and certainly not with enough foresight to plan this entire meeting around it.”

Jia grumbled noncommittally while Eui shrugged.

“I mean, if we can sense it, I’m sure that some of these millennia-old grandmaster cultivators have their ways. I agree that we don’t have any choice, though. Besides, we’re still going to be here, technically.”

Jia turned her attention to Eunae, sitting in the middle of an impressive array of formations and meditating quietly. She’d long since started working on her breakthrough, and Misun had been very firm about the fact that she wasn’t to be disturbed—not that Jia needed to be told that.

Rika and Ja Yun sat together nearby, and Rika waved when she saw Jia looking.

“Don’t worry, Eun-eun is safe with us, right Yun?”

Ja Yun hesitated briefly, then nodded.

“We should be fine here, but I’ll be sure to inform you if anything happens.”

Jia bowed.

“I appreciate that, thank you.”

Yue let out an exasperated sigh.

“If you’re satisfied, could we please get moving? It would be a disaster to arrive late.”

Jia spared one last look up at the ominous cloud above before nodding.

“Alright, let’s go.”

—-

Like Yoshika’s first meeting with the grandmasters of the Spiritual Flowing Purewater Sect, the delegates gathered over dinner in the grand hall of the main temple. It was close enough that she could control her avatar without needing to use Yue’s projection technique, but the oppressive auras still made her nervous.

At the head of the table, Qin Yongliang had the seat of honor, with Grandmasters Xin Hai and Guan Yu on either side of him. Lin Xiulan sat at the corner next to her husband, directly across from Yan De. The remaining grandmasters of the sect filled out either side of the long table, with Yoshika wedged between Ienaga and Misun at the end of the table.

She felt so out of place. Everyone seated there was a xiantian cultivator except for her, and the Qin grandmasters all spoke to each other with the same kind of familiarity she would expect from a group of extended family. They all had history together, but she was an outsider.

She sat in silence for nearly an hour while they exchanged pleasantries and mostly ignored her side of the table, with the exception of a few curious questions or comments directed at either Ienaga or Misun. Yoshika herself may as well have been invisible.

While she waited for the torturous preamble to conclude, Yoshika tried to make a point of remembering the important faces.

While Bai Lin wasn’t present, her father Bai Renshu was unmistakable. He had the same narrow eyes and cruel smile, and Yoshika noticed many of the southern grandmasters shooting him dirty looks whenever he complimented Yan De sitting next to him.

The Austere Mountain grandmaster was also quite distinct, in that he looked unusually normal among his more ostentatious peers. Yoshika recognized the pure-white robes worn by their sect, and was surprised to see that the grandmaster dressed the same as any other member. His name was Qian Shi, but most of the other grandmasters referred to him only by title—he wasn’t from a noble house.

Finally, there was Sun Quan, the leader of the Silver Orchard. A severe looking man with neatly trimmed facial hair and a rigid expression that gave the Guan men a run for their money. He kept to himself, only bothering to speak with the other representatives enough to avoid snubbing them.

What was she even doing here?

The room went immediately silent as Qin Yongliang stood, the prince effortlessly capturing the attention of everyone present.

“You have all traveled far, so I will not mince words. Though the purpose of this gathering is to celebrate the upcoming and historic union between two of the empire’s most respected and prolific clans, today we entertain guests from beyond the frontier, who wish to make a petition of this auspicious gathering of elders. I offer them now the opportunity to plead their case.”

All eyes fell on Yoshika’s side of the table, and she had to fight not to wilt under the combined pressure of so many powerful people.

Master Ienaga stood and bowed. She’d chosen to attend in her full armor, though she’d left her sword behind.

“Thank you, Your Highness. My name is Master Ienaga Yumi, from Clan Ienaga of Yamato. I am joined by Princess Seong Misun of Goryeo and our disciple, Ambassador Yoshika.”

Yoshika bowed. They’d agreed beforehand to present her as Misun’s disciple, stretching the truth slightly to add legitimacy—Magus Hwang Sung’s name simply didn’t have the same kind of status.

Misun also rose, though her bow was much more perfunctory than Ienaga’s.

“As you all know, the demonic incursion commonly known as the Descent of the Gods has disrupted the balance across our continent. The demonic enclave is located on the former grounds of the Special Extranational Territory of Geumji, also known as the Forbidden Mountain. Geumji’s position at the intersection between our nations is no coincidence—we’ve fought over it for centuries, and nobody has ever been able to maintain control.”

Ienaga smoothly took over from Misun—they’d rehearsed it.

“However, we were once able to come together in a pact of cooperation to share its resources. I was one of the deans of the Grand Academy of Spiritual, Martial, and Arcane Arts. I believed in its mission then, and I still believe in it today. The demonic incursion was a tragedy that prematurely ended what should have been the beginning of a long and fruitful peace between our peoples.”

Once again, Misun took over.

“We don’t see why that should have to end. What we propose today is a treaty of cooperation—not only to drive the demons off and retake the Forbidden Mountain, but also to restore the Grand Academy and recover the divine artifact that led the demons to invade in the first place.

“We know that you are preparing for an expedition to find and open the Tomb of the Bloody Sovereign. Our own divine visitors have confirmed for us what you have no doubt been told by your own Sovereign Shen Yu. We propose that our three nations work together to prevent such an artifact from falling into the hands of invaders like the demons occupying Geumji.”

When Seong Misun was finished, the table erupted into a cacophony of voices speaking over each other before Qin Yongliang raised his hand to silence them.

“One at a time, please. Grandmaster Qian Shi of the Great Austere Mountain Sect—you were the first to speak.”

Qian Shi stood and bowed.

“Thank you, Prime Minister.”

He leveled a glare at Master Ienaga as he addressed the room.

“These barbarians come to us with fine words, but as barbarians they know only how to truly speak with their actions—and their actions have spoken volumes. Ienaga Yumi is a general of Yamato, and one of their most powerful warriors. She claims to be the only martial artist ever to have ascended to the ranks of xiantian, and whether her claims are true or not, the fact remains—more of our xiantian masters have died to her hand in the last century than the entire remainder of our illustrious empire’s history.”

He slammed his hands on the table.

“Most recently, during this so-called ‘mission of peace,’ our own Elder Qiao Quan of the Gaze of the Everwatching Mists was ruthlessly assassinated within his own territory, and two of his sect’s disciples kidnapped—their current whereabouts unknown, but presumed dead due to the destruction of their spiritual jade tablets.”

Yoshika wanted to shrivel up and die. This was supposed to be one of the people they were trying to get on their side and he was already dead set against them. Nevertheless, they had prepared for this accusation.

Qin Yongliang inclined his head to Ienaga.

“Master Ienaga, how do you respond to these allegations?”

She met the prince’s eyes without flinching, her gaze hard.

“It’s true that I have killed in defense of my land and people. I have no doubt that I will do so again. Who among us here doesn’t have blood on their hands? Our proposal today is meant to put an end to such senseless death. As for the death of Qiao Quan, I admit it freely. I killed him just like the rest—in defense of those weaker. In this case, however, it was not my people I protected, Qin Yongliang, but yours.”

A brief susurrus went through the gathered delegates before Lin Xiulan politely cleared her throat.

“If I may, Prime Minister—the two disciples in question are alive and well, and witnessed the entire event.”

Qin Yongliang nodded.

“Summon them.”

A few moments later, Luo Mingyu and Pan Jiaying were kowtowing before the delegates, looking as anxious as Yoshika felt. The prime minister regarded them coldly.

“Speak truly and in your own words. Understand that if any part of your recounting is false or rehearsed, everyone here will know.”

They both remained kneeling as Luo Mingyu went first.

“My time in the Gaze of the Everwatching Mists was not pleasant. The sect placed great demands on me as an alchemist, and I had to obscure my familial obligations in order to prevent fellow disciples from using them against me. Miss Yoshika entered the sect under false pretenses to request my aid in treating one of her family members. I took pity on her—sympathizing with her desire to help her family—and agreed to help. However, it was junior sister Pan Jiaying who raised the ire of our master.”

Pan Jiaying swallowed hard.

“I...um...I joined the sect when I was only six years old, but in all that time I experienced only bullying and mistreatment. I tricked myself into thinking that it was because I was a woman, and unsuited to much more than tending the sect gardens, but Li—Yoshika shattered that illusion and taught me that women can cultivate just as easily as men. So when she asked us to help her sister I...”

She let out a shuddering breath, terrified of what she was about to admit.

“I helped steal a root of hundred-year-old ginseng from the sect.”

Another outburst from the gathering of elders, but Qin Yongliang quickly silenced them.

“Continue, child. How did Elder Qiao Quan meet his end?”

“We got caught. Elder Qiao Quan appeared before Luo Mingyu could begin work on his elixir and accused us of consorting with foreign spies. He was about to kill us all, but then...they showed up.”

Jiaying gestured toward Ienaga and Misun, and the princess rose to finish the tale.

“I used a secret technique to hide our presence from the Elder, worried that it would alarm the sect. When Qiao Quan struck, I opened a portal for Master Ienaga, and she did the rest.”

Ienaga nodded.

“I would do it again. Those children were innocent.”

Once more the table erupted in conflicting voices. Yoshika couldn’t hardly tell who was saying what.

“Children? They’re all old enough to know what they were doing!”

“Qiao Quan had every right to protect his property!”

“For a bit of ginseng? It was barely a hundred years old.”

“He always did think too highly of himself.”

“Enough!”

Qin Yongliang’s voice resounded through the room, and Yoshika heard him as clearly as if he’d been standing right next to her—she recognized the trick as one that Elder Qin Zhao had used.

“I have heard the testimony. If any wish to sway my decision, indicate it now.”

A few hands went up, including Lin Xiulan’s, Qian Shi, and Yan De of all people. Qin Yongliang let the master of the Austere Mountain go first.

“Your Highness, I believe that Qiao Quan was only protecting his interests, and that of the empire, as he understood them at the time. Our resources, no matter how cheap, are not to be squandered on unknown foreign agents.”

Lin Xiulan was next.

“Pan Jiaying’s story is a familiar one. How many girls must a man abuse before he answers for his oppression? Did I not submit to the dissolution of my cult precisely so that women like her would be given fair treatment? Where is it, Qin Yongliang?”

Yan De scoffed.

“You dissolved nothing, Lin Xiulan, and every man at this table knows it. That said, I cannot debate the core merits of your argument. Many of the smaller branches resort to such petty oppression to get ahead, especially with talents as rare as the young alchemist. There’s not a man among you who hasn’t tried to poach my Yan Hao, and I think you can all imagine the lengths someone as meager as Qiao Quan would have gone to in order to keep his grip on such an asset.”

The silence that followed Yan De’s words was a heavy one, and Yoshika’s head was spinning. What was happening? Wasn’t Yan De their enemy? Had Yoshika accidentally fallen into some kind of backwards reality?

Qin Yongliang nodded once.

“Very well. Qian Shi, your allegations are dismissed. Master Ienaga Yumi did nothing more than cut out corruption from your lands.”

The grandmaster bowed.

“As you say, Your Highness. Master Ienaga, forgive my brashness. I was mistaken.”

Yoshika was surprised at how quickly the Austere Mountain’s grandmaster flipped his attitude. But she didn’t have time to recalibrate before things began moving again. Luo Mingyu and Pan Jiaying were dismissed, and Qin Yongliang returned to the table.

“We will hear Grandmaster Bai Renshu, of the Labyrinthine Forest of Unbreakable Threads next.”

Bai Renshu stood and bowed with the same rote motions as the one before him, thanking the prime minister before turning to address the elders. Perhaps it was her bias speaking, but Yoshika thought his voice sounded greasy and sinister.

“I must admit that I am new to gatherings such as this, but I feel I must ask—who is this Yoshika girl, and why does she sit among us? I understand she was introduced as our guests’ disciple, but so what? None of us have brought our disciples. I’d like to hear, in her own words, why she considers herself to be our peer.”

Yoshika went pale as every head turned to look directly at her. Not Ienaga or Misun, not at her side of the table. Her.

Qin Yongliang met her gaze, cold and unyielding, and nodded slowly.

“Very well. Miss Yoshika, please explain yourself.”