Interlude: Fortuitous Encounter

“Remain here.” Shen Yu commanded. “I shall continue alone.”

With that, the old monster strode forwards along the paved road, and left Lu Ri behind.

Master Shen Yu wished to see Jin Rou alone, which was perfectly understandable. One day or thirty it mattered little— Lu Ri had been commanded to wait, so he would wait until Master Shen instructed otherwise.

At least Master Shen had left him in a town, though the wilderness would have been no object either. He would have scouted the area, set a small camp, and then settled in to meditate.

Instead… He got to explore this quaint little town. He turned from the gate back towards the town center and began to meander around the area. It was a quaint thing. In form it was much the same as any other town in the Imperial Heartlands.

Only in that manner though. The town wasn’t in the Imperial Heartlands.

From what Lu Ri had seen, the towns of the Azure Hills were tiny, smelly, and often dirty things. Imperial Palaces and roads were poorly maintained. Lack of funds, corruption, and simple time had worn most of them down into something undeniably rural and provincial.

Indeed, Lu Ri could see signs of wear on this town as well. It felt old to Lu Ri’s senses, like all the other towns had. The weight of history from people living here for thousands of years.

In Verdant Hill however, that old, worn, and run down feeling had been replaced with something almost optimistic.

He had already read the report his men had given him on Verdant Hill, but reading a report and seeing the reality in-person were two separate things. He trusted his men to do their utmost, but the town of Verdant Hill had actually exceeded what he had been informed of in the letter.

The cobbles were immaculate. The air, which this far north should have been thick with the smell of animals and people crammed in together, merely had the smell as an undertone. The rest got carried away by the spring breeze. Even the sides of the buildings looked like they were washed regularly.

Lu Ri took note of it all as he explored Verdant Hill. Even the district that was the poorest and most run down did not appear dilapidated. There was a man scrubbing at a spot on the street, cleaning up whatever had stained it.

A drunkard, his cheeks rosy red, staggered to a labeled receptacle and tossed his refuse into it. He stumbled away, but the fact that he hadn’t just left his waste in the streets was interesting.

Lu Ri continued on, examining the people as he went. They were no different than normal mortals, he deduced. There wasn’t anything at all special about them, as they went about their lives.

This... this had been imposed, but unlike other places Lu Ri had seen in his life, this imposition upon the people was not egregious, or even truly forceful. The drunkard looked like he did it out of habit, not that there was any true punishment for simply leaving his spent drink containers on the street.

Lu Ri glanced at the receptacle, and the slate beside it listed pick up times, as well as several names: the names of men who had performed the duty, apparently writing it down when they completed the task.

Lu Ri raised his eyebrow at the system, and noted its usefulness. From the bottom of the town, he returned to the main streets; past the gossipping wives and street vendors, until his path was interrupted.

A crowd had formed on the main street, the people hollering and clapping.

Lu Ri navigated the crowd, wondering what they were cheering on, when he saw the line of guards running through the street with heavy packs on their backs. Their boots were muddy, and several looked close to falling over and passing out. By mortal standards, their conditioning was exemplary, Lu Ri deduced, as he cast a clinical eye on the men. Unlike the sloth and indolence that infected the far flung reaches of the Empire, these men walked with purpose.

The eyes upon them were filled with pride, and not an ounce of fear. These were not mere enforcers of the Magistrate’s will, as was often the case in cities. These men were beloved fathers and sons.

“Look at ‘em go—” One man shouted.

“Ha! The Lord Magistrate certainly had them go for a long one—” another boy chuckled.

“Go on, Han! You can do it!” a young woman called, waving to one guard in particular.

The pack was led by an older looking man— likely the guard captain. He had a salt and pepper beard, but age had done little to dull his physical capabilities. His eyes were bright and sharp, and his breathing was even as he ran with his men. Lu Ri approved of the man immediately. He had a certain air about him. A certain undeniable charisma, as he led the younger men onwards. His stamina in particular was astounding for a mortal, to still be at the head of these young bucks.

“Come, gentlemen!” The guard captain boomed, his voice clear and strong. “We have nearly reached our goal!”

“Yes!” the men gasped out.

Lu Ri looked on with amusement, as the men managed to redouble themselves for the final stretch— one last sprint into the town square, where they slowed to a stop, panting.

The guard captain turned around, gazing at the men with obvious pride.

“Excellent work, men! I do believe that was faster than last year!”

There was a ragged cheer, as aides started handing out water skins to the men.

The captain nodded, “Excellent! I praise your hard work and dedication, guards of Verdant Hill. However! I know you know what comes next.”

The men groaned.

“Indeed! Procure your practice blades— a problem shall not wait for you to be well-rested to arise!”

Lu Ri nodded his head at the Captain’s wisdom. Still, mortal swordplay was not something particularly interesting—

“Yes, Lord Magistrate!” The guards managed to shout as one.

That isn’t the guard captain, but the Magistrate?!

Lu Ri turned back around immediately. His sharp eyes focused on the man again.

He wasn’t fat.

Perhaps…. That was uncharitable. Not all Magistrates were fat, but the Lord Magistrate of Crimson Crucible City was. The mortal was always surrounded by enough wealth and decadence that it was repulsive. The man had thirty wives, on the last count, and was bedecked with enough gold to buy this town forty times over.

Oh, the man had a mind that even a cultivator could be wary of, and a vicious cunning that had kept him in power for decades— but that was what Lu Ri thought of when he thought of a Magistrate. A creature far removed from the Honoured Founders’ writings, evil tolerated out of necessity.

Lu Ri could not help but watch as the Magistrate brought out his sword and invited his men to trade pointers with him.

The Magistrate was… passable. He was the best swordsman in the town by far— though that was not saying much. The orthodox style of the Imperial court, mostly used for self defence, was well practised.

He instructed his juniors admirably well and showed them how to properly fight multiple opponents as a mortal. Namely dodging, running, and using one’s environment against them, as he slipped around his men like a wily fox.

He was better at dodging than he was at fighting. But as a mortal he could not really afford to get hit at all, so it was only logical.

Soon that too came to an end, as several men started to fall to their knees at around noon.

The Lord Magistrate looked down upon the men and nodded.

“Verdant Hill, what do you think of our brave protectors?” the man asked of the crowd.

A cheer rocked the streets.

“You are dismissed for the rest of the day. Rest up, gentlemen,” the Magistrate called to them.

This time, the guards cheered too. The Lord Magistrate nodded and turned to an aide, who handed him his outer robes and sash that denoted him as the Lord Magistrate.

Lu Ri sharpened his ears to hear what he was saying.

“Lee, inform my scribes I have finished here and will be available for the review of the spring visitations. Make sure all the villages we missed last year are on it. Then, compile the summary of investments in the Gutter.” The Magistrate commanded the rather severe looking man beside him.

“Yes, Lord Magistrate.” the aide replied.

“After that, get the documents to the Azure Jade Trading Company and procure the items my Lady Wife requested.”

“Yes, Lord Magistrate.”

“Then purchase yourself and your fellows some tea,” the Lord Magistrate finished, handing the aide some coins.

The man’s lips quirked. “Your will is my command, Lord Magistrate.”

Only after giving out his orders, did the Magistrate take a breath, put a smile on his face, and turn to the crowd that was growing closer to him.

“A fine showing this year, Lord Magistrate!” a man called out.

“Indeed it was, Xi Shou!” the Magistrate replied as he waded into the masses. Lu Ri kept his eyes on the man as he greeted the vast majority of his subjects by name. His smile and vitality never wavered, even after the punishing run. But Lu Ri could see the minute muscle spasms that told of bone deep exhaustion.

To the mortals, it would be invisible.

Lu Ri had to admit that he was impressed by this mortal. Indeed, his thoughts returned to the man as he visited a quaint little shop and sampled their snacks and tea.

They were passable, though the tea was a bit too weak for his tastes.

Eventually, however, he made a decision. He had time to spare… so he might as well investigate something interesting.

============================

Later that night, Lu Ri was in the town’s tavern.

“Huh, another new guy. We’ve been getting more visitors recently, ever since the Trading Company set up shop.” The man mused as he took a sip of alcohol.

“Indeed. This one is but a traveling scholar, though he does work for the Azure Jade Trading Company.” Lu Ri replied. The man looked amused at the formal pattern of Lu Ri’s speech, and then after a moment his eyes lit up as Lu Ri signaled to the serving woman to bring them both a fresh bottle. “I saw the performance earlier— tell me, was that truly the Lord Magistrate?” Lu Ri asked, dropping the excessive formality.

The man grinned.

Soon, the entire bar was all too happy to sing of the Lord Magistrate’s exploits.

The firm but fair Patriarch, guiding them as a captain guides his ship. The visionary scholar, who could plan ahead decades. The compassionate ruler, wading into floods to stack sandbags with the common folk.

The Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill.

Some of the stories were slightly absurd. Like the man commanding cultivators to heal plagues and patrol the roads.

However, they were repeated enough that they had to have some grain of truth to them.

Each word painted a picture. A picture Lu Ri had heard of, but never seen. One referenced in the writings of the Honorable Elders of the Cloudy Sword Sect.

“A true Magistrate is the picture of prudence and forbearance. He is strong in both body and mind; tireless in the pursuit of justice and in following his oaths to the Emperor and Empire….”

Had he found a gemstone, hidden in this far flung town?

Lu Ri paid the tab and left the bar, venturing out into the clean, well-patrolled streets.

Before he arranged a visit with the man and took his measure, he decided to do more research.

The people of Verdant Hill disparaged the previous Magistrate. They called him lazy and spat upon his memory.

If he could compare the years before the current Lord Magistrate’s coming, to the years after he came to power… what kind of picture would it paint?

He doubted Master Shen would be back tomorrow, anyway. Now, where to get that information? The mortal Archive stored taxation information, did it not?

Reaching into his pocket, Lu Ri pulled out some of the papers the Plum Blossom’s Shadow had given him. At finding the authorization for the archives, he nodded.

He had a wonderful distraction for tomorrow.

============================

The Lord Magistrate was in a wonderful mood, as the light streamed in his window. His bed was wonderfully soft and warm… and after the vigorous exercise yesterday, running the guards through their paces, he was relaxing.

He smiled at his Lady Wife and scooped up some syrup laden cake.

“Open,” he commanded and his Lady wife obliged him, allowing him to feed her for at the moment she was indisposed. She let out a pleased sound at the taste.

“Ah, a thousand blessings on that young man. Our breakfasts were dreadfully boring before Jin came along,” she said.

The Lord Magistrate chuckled. “He's not a bad boy,” he agreed. Indeed, Jin had been causing him less stomach aches recently, so he was inclined to forgive him.

He picked up another piece of pancake and brought it to his wife’s lips again. He missed slightly on purpose, so that the syrup ran down her cheek.

Lady Wu giggled at his antics.“Oh, trying to make a mess, husband?”

“Perhaps,” he replied with a smile, even though she couldn’t see it at the moment, before sitting back to examine his handiwork.

As much as the present had been embarrassing, Jin had given them really good rope. It didn’t abrade the skin quite so much— so he was free to try new things. And truly, this pattern he had crafted was most pleasing. Black rope, white skin, and the slightest hint of red.

“Are you still alright, my dear?” he asked Lady Wu. The blindfolded woman smiled.

“I am having a most relaxing time, my husband. It would be even better if you cleaned up the mess you made,” her voice was sultry and sent tingles down his back.

The Lord Magistrate made to oblige her… when there was a harsh buzz that filled the room. He jumped and cursed along with his wife, glaring to his bedside table.

.

One of the lesser transmission stones he had was the object making the racket. They were only for emergencies, so with a sigh he reached across and tapped it twice. It buzzed harshly again, crackling with interference, before smoothing out.

First Archivist Bao’s voice came from the other end, reverberating oddly, so the Lord Magistrate tapped the blasted thing again.

“Bao,” he said, knowing the man never interrupted without good reason.

“Good morning old friend, my deepest apologies for disturbing your morning, but… well. There is an oddity, and I thought it prudent to contact you, just in case.”

“It is alright, Bao.” Lady Wu replied.

“Ah, my dear Lady Wu! I am doubly sorry then, for contacting you when you’re so tied up with other matters,” there was an amused lit to the archivist’s voice. “But as I said, there is an oddity. First thing this morning, a travelling scholar claiming to be related to the Azure Jade Trading Company showed up with all proper and official papers to the restricted section of the archives— but when I asked the men the company left behind, they weren't expecting somebody for the next couple weeks.”

The Lord Magistrate frowned. “That is a bit odd. What's he doing?”

“Going through all of your financial documents, taxation data, and everything we have on the Gutter, starting from the day you ascended to your position.” Bao reported dryly.

The Lord Magistrate froze, confused. What the hells?

Was he perhaps some manner of Imperial Agent?

“....are we being audited?” He asked, incredulous, the only real outcome for wanting that information arising.

The transmission stone snapped and hissed. “I’m unsure.”

The Lord Magistrate sighed.

“Well, if that's all he's doing… That's what the Archives are there for, I suppose. I have nothing to hide from the Empire.”

Well, he had a few minor things to hide. He had purposefully underreported the taxes he owed the Empire a few times in the early years, when he needed capital to reinvest into the Gutter.

But when your Archivist is on your side, it became surprisingly easy to fudge the numbers without leaving a trail.

…Okay, and he had brought some expensive wine with some of the money too, but he was only a man.

“I’ll send somebody to request a meeting,” the Lord Magistrate decided. “One that's not urgent. Thank you for telling me, Bao.”

“Of course, Lord Magistrate. Lady Wu,” the crystal stopped buzzing.

The Lord Magistrate sighed, just a bit annoyed.

“Duty calls?” Lady Wu asked him.

“Duty calls. I’ll get you down.”

===========================

The records painted a picture. A work, crafted lovingly by a master. They were skilled, prudent, and downright visionary.

Lu Ri consumed the records in the archives like a mortal might consume a good book. For hidden in taxation and logistics was a tale as riveting as any about cultivation.

Every asset leveraged. Careful loans, and at times, money from his own coffers in order to do what had to be done. Trips to far flung villages, to recover after disasters. Massive shipments of medicine from a village nearby, all paid for to help refugees from a cultivating bandit named Sun Ken.

Each challenge met in time, and solved with barely a hiccup. The creation of supply chains, wholesale for a public works project that had already paid for itself. The Gutter. An uninspired name. An artifice that a cultivator could make in days. Yet judging by the dimensions, and the lack of Qi in this province… completed all with only mortal might.

He was everything the Honoured Founders said he should be. The Lord Magistrate. The Patriarch of Verdant Hill.

He had to meet this man. He had to see, if independent from the writings of the Founders, somebody else had understood. Somebody else, a mere mortal, had arrived at their conclusions.

And perhaps… perhaps he would have a fresh viewpoint for Lu Ri. Bow to the mortal who enlightens you; disdain the barbarian who only knows the strength of his arms.

A man beside Lu Ri coughed politely.

============================================

The scholar from the archives did agree to a meeting.

But The Lord Magistrate noticed something was off the instant the man stepped into the room and smiled.

The scholar did not have a face suited to smiling; it was too taciturn, too severe—and it looked like the man was smiling at an old friend.

There was also a small spark in his eye that made The Lord Magistrate’s blood run cold.

He cut the man off, as the scholar made to bow and give pleasantries, instead rising to his feet.

“How may Verdant Hill aid the Master Cultivator?” he asked instead.

The man froze, and the smile, if possible, got just a bit wider.

“Your instincts are truly sharp,” the ‘scholar’ said, and he sounded like he was praising the Lord Magistrate.

The Lord Magistrate took a breath, bracing himself on the desk even as his legs turned to jelly.

The morning had been going so well, too.

He wondered what the man wanted.

“If it's a cultivator, don’t try to be a hero, Teacher. Cooperate with them as much as they want, and then send them to me. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Jin’s words echoed in his head… and he was just a bit grateful that Jin was the pragmatic sort.

The man before the Magistrate changed. The small spark in his eyes turned into an inferno, as a bland looking scholar turned into a cultivator. His presence filled the room. A mountain, stark and beautiful.

“This one is Lu Ri, Senior Disciple of the Cloudy Sword Sect.” The man declared, and the Lord Magistrate’s body seized up. The world slowed to a crawl. If his body hadn’t frozen, the Lord Magistrate was certain he would be screaming in fear, terror, and anger. Okay, it was okay, Jin said that he was part of the Cloudy Sword Sect…. Unless he had been lying and oh gods why him.

In the midst of desperately trying to banish his rapidly rising panic, the man's hands came up—

And performed a proper, respectful greeting, like Jin had done all those times.

“He greets the Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill.”

The Lord Magistrate stared blankly. After a beat, he managed to force words past his locked up throat.

“Again. How may the Verdant Hill aid the Master Cultivator?”

The man nodded at the question, before tapping his finger. In a flash of light, several sheafs of paper suddenly appeared in his hands from a ring.

The Cultivator smiled again and made his request.

The Lord Magistrate was so shocked that even his internal scream petered out.

==============================

And that was how the Lord Magistrate found himself having dinner with another cultivator, one who was much, much too friendly with him, discussing politics, taxation, and logistics.

The worst part was that this was not the first time this had happened.

He had been tempted to try and get Jin’s attention, but after the shock had worn off he recognised the man’s name. Senior Brother Lu Ri.

Who was supposed to be Jin’s friend.

It was, surprisingly, not terrible. The man was knowledgeable and polite enough, but for the first half of the conversation it felt more like the man was quizzing him.

He answered as best as he was able, and strangely, each answer made the man happier and happier.

And just like a certain other cultivator, this one surprised him as well, at the end of the meal, with something he didn’t expect.

He stared at the meticulous notes. He instantly grasped their meaning, and how to use such a thing, but the words still came out.

“Mail?”

“Yes, Lord Magistrate,” the cultivator said with honest respect in his voice. “Mail.”

….why did he get all the weird ones?