Chapter 593

Chapter 593

There was a time when I thought Mama Buns snores were the cutest thing in the world, but that was before I heard the symphony that is Mama Bun, Tawny One, and Mila snoring in concert while Aurie snuffles in the background.

My beloved wife would bruise my ribs if I ever accused her of snoring, but its a cute, dainty murmuring snore, rather than a deep and rumbling one like her half-bear Papa. Its incredible how alike the two of them are, despite the complete and utter lack of blood ties between them, but to be fair, Mila shares quite a bit with her biological father as well. Guan Suo is a cantankerous grouch, and Mila can be a touch volatile, particularly during the early hours of the day. Hopefully she doesnt get a taste for tobacco, or whatever it is Guan Suo smokes from his pipe, because Id rather not taste ashes when kissing my wife.

I suppose its the age old battle of nature versus nurture. Which one has more effect on an individuals personality? Difficult to say, but given how Milas entangled limbs and forceful reactions prohibit me from going anywhere, not to mention my unwillingness to break up the rarely seen Mama Bun/Tawny One cuddle puddle, theres nothing I can do besides wait for my beautifully freckled wife to wake on her own. This could take awhile, but Im happy to lie here all day and watch her sleep.

Unless I have to pee.

Or poop.

Both of which I now must do.

Thanks brain.

One struggle of bowels and conscience later, I get my bodily functions under control through a series of breathing exercises and sheer force of will. My day begins the second I step foot outside our bed, and I am not yet ready to face it. Who would have thought settling one and a half million families would be such a stressful enterprise? I overlooked a bajillion minor details when starting this venture, and even with an unexpected windfall of assistance from Imperial Clerks and the Spring and Autumn Consortium, Ive only been a half-step ahead of disaster for almost an entire month now. Disappearing documents, escalating expenses, scheduling snafus, and more, weve run into setback after setback during our race against time settling farmers in before autumn.

Which, by the way, was another last minute decision to correct an overlooked detail. I forgot that farmers and commoners in general wouldnt have much in the way of savings, so in order to survive through their first winter, it is absolutely vital that they sow and harvest their fields at least once or else theyd be liable to starve to death. Now, were scrambling to get as many farmer families settled in before the deadline, because as soon fall arrives next week, well have to wait until spring to resume settling. Like I said, I overlooked a lot of minor details, but some are less minor than others.

Putting work out of mind for now, I go back to basking in the warmth and comfort of my fiery wife. Sprawled out on her belly with one arm and one leg stretched out over mine, Mila is not the most graceful sleeping beauty, but seeing her in the soft glow of morning light, I cant conceive of a more beautiful sight. So bold and domineering in life, yet so bashful and submissive in the bedroom, the disparity is both shocking and erotic, not to mention how trusting and helpless she appears at this very moment. Eyes wandering over her exposed nape, bared back, and shapely arms, I still my hands and rest my head against hers, opting to close my eyes and attempt entry into her Natal Palace instead of other, more physical pursuits.

We dont have time to strap her in anyways...

Ive heard so much about Milas Natal Palace, and its been an astonishing glimpse into the whole concept behind Natal Palaces in general. Theyre more than a mental retreat or a personal world to practice Chi in, but Ive no real clues as to their true purpose, or why they are only effective when permanent. Mila says she modelled the bamboo grove in its entirety, copy-pasted it seven times, then raised a mountain underneath and crafted a river to run around it, but I dont really understand the significance of her actions. I know from personal experience that moving air and flowing water sound simple enough in theory, but are actually fairly difficult to pull off. It requires a constant... not focus, but awareness of the air and water moving about, the same way you generally know which way is up and down, even if cartwheeling around through pitch black darkness. The second you stop being aware, the movement stops, and your Natal Palace stagnates, which I got around with mental hacks and multiple personalities.This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Which makes me curious to know if the air and water continues to flow inside Milas Natal Palace when shes not paying attention. I wanted to ask, but I thought better of it, because even bringing it up might throw her off her game. So much about the Martial Path relies on intuition and instinct, or what Ive come to see as beneficial ignorance, like regrowing teeth and long-lived animals. Back before I ever heard the term Natal Palace, I was able to replicate the entire village and its surroundings in full, complete with moving clouds, flowing water, a day/night cycle, and working villagers. Problem is, Im certain my Natal Palace wasnt a perfect replica of the village, just an accurate one based on my memories. If I were to try to recreate it again now, Im not sure I could do it, because Id probably involuntarily spend too much time getting the details exactly right, only to immediately forget the moment I leave.

Details just arent all that important to me. Ill study something, appreciate it, and remember it, but I dont see the point in being able to memorize every relevant detail about something. Memories arent about the details, but about reliving the experience, and for that, the details dont always matter.

Take my Natal Palace 2.0, Keystone edition. I crafted Taduks cottage home from memory, but I dont remember putting too much thought into the details. Dont get me wrong, I made an authentic replica of the area and covered all the broad strokes. There was the organized herbal garden surrounded by its bamboo garden fence, the dining table with the mismatched chairs, and the haphazardly stacked bookshelves with disordered spines, but the details werent exact, not like how Mila describes her Natal Palace. She has bamboo plants which are the exact same shape, size, and orientation as their real life counterparts, while my bookshelves didnt have any real books, nor were they stacked in any particular order, and the scattered pages probably didnt have any legible writing, only randomly scribbled characters to give the illusion of text. Hell, I doubt I even got the patterns on the bed sheets right, since I rarely went into Taduk or Lin-Lins rooms. Personally, I dont think it matters, because the details dont matter to me. I still felt comfortable in my replica, because it reminded me of all the happy memories Id made in the real place, learning to read from Lin-Lin, being quizzed by Taduk, pulling weeds from his herb garden and playing with the quins in their stables. Those memories are the whole reason why I modelled part of my Natal Palace after Taduks cottage, and the nitty-gritty details wouldnt change anything.

Or... at least thats what I thought. Would things have gone differently if I paid more attention to the details? How, and more importantly, why?

Mila cant say why the details matter either, but shes always been a perfectionist. For me, Ive never been one to sweat about the details, just about the overall feel of an object. I focus more on ambience and optics, not just inside my Natal Palace, but in everyday life as well, so maybe our attitudes and beliefs are why our core design concepts are so different. The Natal Palace is a place of safety and comfort, and we find comfort from different things. Mila and Pong Pong take comfort in accuracy to detail, or at least I assume so because Pong Pongs Natal Palace is far too varied and lifelike to have been imagined. Personally, I prefer to surround myself in familiar trappings, like Ping Ping and her single, unending river of friends and happiness. Even the other Natal Palaces Ive seen fit the bill, like Dagen who resided in the home he shared with his wife and child, Mahakala in his monastery courtyard, Bei in the home she shared with her family, and Yo Ling sitting atop his throne while holding audience with his Spectres.

I wonder if Yo Ling truly ever controlled them, or if the Spectres simply allowed him the illusion of control, so they could better control him...

Unfortunately, I am unable to slip into Milas Natal Palace, as is normally the case when dealing with humans. Instead, I fall asleep and wake some time later to Mama Bun kisses and a protesting bladder. Putting aside my musings on Natal Palaces, I respond to Mama Buns affection with kisses of my own before glancing over at sweet Tawny One watching from the sidelines. I always thought Tawny One was stoic and aloof, a rabbit who never really cared for hugs and kisses, but seeing how happy the golden-brown bunbun was in Milas arms, I realize sweet Tawny One is just shy and introverted. She wont come to me for hugs and kisses like Mama Bun does, and instead sits on the sidelines and waits for them, except I never noticed. The poor girl has been starved of affection, and I am to blame, so I set to making up for lost time by snuggling sweet Tawny One tight.

And my efforts are rewarded with the cutest little headbutt to the cheek as she flops against me in sheer delight. Im a horrible bun-parent, neglecting my sweet bun-babies like this, and dont get me started on the sweet calfs. I havent even named them all yet, and theres almost a thousand cattle in total now, which means I need to do something before their numbers get out of hand. No slaughtering, because I cant be that heartless and theyre not really eating cattle, nor do I want to geld the bulls, because that seems even worse than killing them, but I cant really think of any other options besides giving them away to loving families.

And I dont want to do that. Theyre my cattle. Mine.

After a long, languid stretch from atop our legs, Aurie gets up and carefully lays across Milas back and my chest, blinking and rumbling in sheer delight as I greet him with a head rub. A tired groan erupts from the sleeping beauty beside me, but her half-hearted attempt to push Aurie aside barely even shifts the fat wildcat an inch. Still pretty good for not trying since hes close to three-hundred kilograms now, but my fit, athletic wife easily rolls onto her back even with most of Auries weight on her. We need a bigger bed, she mutters, yawning as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. A much bigger bed. Three times at least.

Yea, as things stand, the bears cant even fit up here. Smiling at her aggrieved scowl, I kiss her lightly and marvel at the lack of morning breath, yet another benefit of marrying a Martial Warrior. I shudder to think how terribly my breath smells, so I turn away and limit myself to breathing through my nose. Not because Im worried about how she perceives me, but because I wouldnt wish the stench of my breath on my worst enemy. I suppose its time to rise and shine. Fumbling for my pocket watch by the nightstand, I check the time and say, If we hurry, we can make it to breakfast with Lin-Lin.

Are we really that late?

Afraid so. Slipping out of bed in a hurry, I throw on a robe and let the floofs out before theres an accident, as I still havent gotten around to installing pet doors on everyones rooms. The previous owner was a wealthy lumber baron who had doors crafted out of some rare and expensive hardwoods, which mean theyre too ornate and extravagant to carve up for the sake of convenience. Some day, I intend to design and build a pet friendly manor to live in, complete with cat and bear doors, a hare highway overhead for Blackjack to zoom across, and an obstacle course for the pets to play in, not to mention a quin stable and river to house Ping Ping, Pong Pong, and Sir Inky.

And maybe, just maybe, a large bamboo grove. Not for Taduk to garden in, but to house the fattest, floofiest, grouchiest Red Panda who ever lived, assuming I can find and charm it.

With Mila on my arm, we stride out to meet the day and head over to Taduks manor, but stop in at my office to check on Luo-Luo first, where we find her hard at work managing my affairs with MuYang, Junior, and Jian Xianhe by her side. Noodle is also there, basking beneath the sunlight inside his glass-roofed terrarium, and he barely even twitches as I stroll by. Super venomous killer snakes are not my thing, but Luo-Luo seems to like him, and can even stroke his head without getting bit to death, though itll be some time before Im comfortable letting her bring him around outside of his cage, or willing to let him slither around me unguarded.

...I also brought candied salmon. Thanks to Song, who wanted to go shopping for gifts and souvenirs, which I would have never have thought to do.

Pinching my cheeks once more before helping herself to a serving of the deliciously smoked fish, she takes a seat in the grass and gestures for me to join her. The twins are off fishing and hunting with Charok, so its just the two of us here at her yurt, and it strikes me as odd for my sister, a Major in her own right, to be living out of a glorified tent with nowhere for family or guests to sit. Let me build you a manor, I blurt out, which earns me a displeased frown. Not as a gift, but because it is necessary. Youre my sister, so you should be living in luxury. Its expected of us now.

Pursing her lips, Alsantset motions for another piece of salmon and leaves me no choice but to risk the grass stains and sit beside her. I moved out here to get away from politics, she says, smiling to show shes not blaming me for her decision. You have adapted well to your new life, but I have no desire to do the same. Gesturing at her yurt with a smile, she says, This serves our needs well enough, and is already more than I want, for my heart aches to return home and reclaim the manor my children grew up in.

I miss that manor too, I lie, and I can see she doesnt buy it. I shouldve known better, but Ive gotten into the habit of speaking polite lies. But missing home is no reason not to live in comfort. Weve been here in Central for a year already, and it might be several more before we return home.

And until such a time, I will live where I please, Alsantset replies, perhaps a little more harshly than intended. Softening her tone, she strokes my hair and pats my cheek, and Im reminded of how often she did just this when I first came to live with her. Such a small gesture, but it speaks volumes to her character, because back then, there was a good chance I would turn out to be Defiled, but still she took me in. You are well-suited for this life, little brother, she whispers, her expression mournful and melancholic, But I fear I will never grow accustomed to it. For a time, living here on the farm was an escape from the reality of our situation, but now I can no longer lie to myself. You are right. It will be some time before we return home, so I will speak with Charok about building a house for our family to live in. Narrowing her eyes, she adds, You will not shame him by offering to pay for it again. My husband is a capable man who can provide for his family with his own two hands.

Too true, considering he takes a forty percent cut of every Shen Mu heartwood carriage we sell. Even though Ive been artificially limiting the supply to drive prices up, Charok has already earned more than enough to live the rest of his life in luxury. Leery of offending my sister again, I reluctantly request she abide by the rules my people set forth regarding construction on each plot and mention that I coincidentally held onto a residential lot inside the district which would be perfect suited for a family home.

Right beside the mayors house, so she can keep an eye on Bulat.

Hmph. Crossing her arms in a huff as she catches onto my ploy, she scowls and says, That fool. You would have been better served appointing his mother as Mayor.

I considered it, but she cant read.

Easier to teach Maira to read than Bulat to govern. He is too used to bullying bandit recruits and forgets he lives amongst warriors and commoners now.

God dammit Bulat. Ill talk to him about his demeanour, but I still dont know what to do about the rest of the People. Scratching my neck in sheepish remorse for asking for so much from my wonderful sister, I ask, So... got any ideas on how I can help them integrate?

Narrowing her eyes, she sighs and says, Yes, and it is the same idea as yours. Send Sentinels to oversee your militia training. Shaking her head, she pinches my cheeks for a third time and says, My sweet, honest brother is no more, and in his place is a duplicitous politician. If you have something to suggest, then come out and say it. You have no need to use these tricks to persuade me.

Sorry. Force of habit. Hugging her in apology, I offer another piece of candied salmon which she accepts with a smile, meaning Ive found a new way to bribe her. As for the matter with regulations and whatnot, I know it chafes to be told what to do, but the regulations need to be adhered to throughout the districts. If I allowed something here that isnt allowed elsewhere, others will point and ask why they cannot be exempted from the rules as well. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?

Yes. Beaming in victorious delight, Alsantset straightens up and says, Offer to aid others in securing materials for their homes. Your concrete blocks are cheap and sturdy, but they are lifeless and displeasing to the eye, and though the sod homes are quaint and filled with life, few of the People will care to live underground. We will require wood, and plenty of it if we are to build homes, and you are well-positioned to offer the best prices.

...Would just giving wood away for free be an insult? Not as a gift, but as a... I dunno, gesture of goodwill or something. I gave away yurts, so I dont see why I cant give away lumber.

A gifted manor is not a home, but merely a place to rest ones head. Smiling as she pats my cheek once more, she explains, You mean well, but we have our pride. Do as I say, but no more. Gathered here are the families of Sentinels and Healers, so they can afford the costs.

Sure, but I can still subsidize the shipping fees and offer material at cost. Taking Alsantsets hand, I smile and say, I know you think I dont miss our home in the village, but I do. Its just... I dont understand the need for division. No matter which province, city, village, or faction we hail from, we are all a part of the Empire, and we must stand together if we are to have any chance against the united Defiled.

You are right, little brother, as you so often are, but it is not so simple. Smiling ever so sadly, Alsantset sighs and shakes her head. You do not understand, but suffice it to say, the People stand apart not because we choose to, but because we must.

Well... that doesnt sound ominous at all.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Alsantset snatches away the box of candied salmon and sends me on my way. You always were one to assume the worst. I only mean that if we were to integrate with the Empire, then we would cease to be the People, and we pride ourselves on our skills and history. Run along and go fetch your wives now. I would rather not have you underfoot while I prepare lunch. I will make your favourite, stir-fried crispy chicken with mango and peppers, so hurry back.

Despite being Minister of Finance and one of the most politically powerful men in the outer provinces, my sister will always see me as the poor little slave child she saved, and I dont hate it. Mom and Dad are proud as can be, but Alsantset? Shes always been proud of me, and has been my biggest supporter ever since that first day we met, which means more to me than I could ever explain. Even without my amber eyes, I know she would have fought to protect me, because thats just the sort of person she is. Proud, fierce, and loving to the extreme, she is my sister, my hero, my guardian, and my protector.

Everything I have, I owe to her, but she won't accept any gifts more valuable than candied salmon. Good thing I slipped Tate and Tali a thousand gold each at the wedding, and had twenty War Bonds put in their names. Thats one work-around for this gift-giving stigma; just give stuff to the kids. Super weird, and I have no idea why it matters, but it does.

Now, thats enough work for today. This might be the last time I visit Taduks bamboo grove before my wedding with Yan, so I came here with an explicit goal in mind: To find me a groundhog and bring it home to cuddle. If my wedding guests arent going to gift me with floofs, then Ill just have to catch one myself, and while Ive yet to find success, it just so happens that Taduk has plenty of Spiritual Plants I can use as bait.

Dirk Diggerton, I know youre out there, and you will become a part of the family whether you like it or not.

...

Duchess Digglesby? Doc Duggerday? Richard Digglett? There are just so many great names, but I should probably catch a groundhog before settling on a name.

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