Chapter 657

Chapter 657

To good food, good wine, and good company!

Draining his cup dry in a single gulp, Nian Zu savoured the warmth as it spread through his belly, thoroughly enjoying the new year festivities. At first glance, the Bekhai seemed a cold, taciturn lot, humourless isolationists who were deeply suspicious of strangers, but once you made it through their prickly, guarded shells and into their good graces, they were warm and hospitable to the extreme. Generous with friends and difficult with strangers, that summed up the Bekhai in a nutshell, but after more than a year of working together through weal and woe, he was gratified to finally be brought into their inner circle.

No, perhaps hed been brought in much earlier, now that he thought about it. During last years new years celebrations, Baatar had invited him to enjoy Zheng Luos concert at an outdoor venue, but Nian Zu took it for a political ploy. Difficult not to considering how matters unfolded, beginning with the Imperial Consort revealing her stunning musical talents, followed by the Bekhai youths taking the stage to demonstrate their martial prowess, all culminating in with Gerel revealing himself as a Peak Expert and rising dragon, a young Lu An Jing or Dugu Tian Sha in the making. Everyone there saw the concert as a declaration of strength, the Bekhai showcasing their hidden talents to better support the recently crippled Falling Rain, but Nian Zu now knew better. That concert had not been arranged for their enemies, but for their friends, the allies they invited up to the top floor of the tea-house to enjoy the show alongside them, such as Yuzhen, BoHai, and Nian Zu himself.

This was more in line with their way of thinking, he realized this now. As recent events had shown, Akanai was a powerhouse comparable to the Colonel Generals of the Empire, and Baatar himself was not too far behind. If they really wanted to warn off their enemies, either one of them couldve called Rang Min out to duel, instead of allowing a young Warrior fight their battles for them. No, the challenge was all Gerels idea, for the hungry young dragon was always eager to test his blade against Warriors of renown. Though Nian Zu was objectively stronger than the young man by no small margin, strength did not always guarantee victory in combat, it only made victory more likely. Despite sparring with young Gerel some hundreds of times now and handily winning every single match, there was never a single match in which Nian Zus victory had been assured, and several times when he might well have lost if luck had turned against him.

Such was the way of battle. Though statistically, he would win 999 battles out of 1000 times, it wouldnt matter if they fought a single time and Gerel lucked out to emerge victorious, not in a real life and death match.Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

Lounging in his chair on Nian Zus left, Yuzhens young husband made for an impressive sight, and not just due to his handsome looks or fashionable clothes. With his long hair tied in a topknot and held in place by an elaborate silver band, he looked the perfect part of Imperial Hero, and the loving gaze reserved for his wife made him seem all the more relatable. They were often the talk of the Empire, the brilliant half-beast Marshal and her devoted young Dragon of a husband, two powerful individuals who were clearly head over heels for one another. Jaded as it might sound, true love was a rarity among noble elites, but the people did so love to see it happen. Already a number of stylized dramas featuring Yuzhen and Gerel were on display in the Citadel theatres, most of which were wildly popular but had no basis is truth. Nian Zu had watched most, if not all of them, and his only complaint was that all too many of them ended in tragedy, as if the playwrights couldnt even imagine their relationship ending well.

Turning his gaze to another loving human/half-beast couple in the room, Nian Zu admitted that the playwrights might have been onto something. Baatar and Sarnai were every bit as much in love as Gerel and Yuuzhen, if not more, but where the latter appeared perfect for one another, seeing the former side by side made for a bittersweet sight. Though still a handsome woman, Sarnai was a woman of almost eighty years and showed it, but Baatars features seemed untouched by time. Were it not for the love and passion in their eyes, one might think them mother and son, with Falling Rain being Sarnais grandson to boot. They were a beautiful couple who were clearly still in love after a lifetime together, but seeing the stark contrast between their perceived ages brought about a sense of melancholy Nian Zu couldnt shake, because the more loving the couple, the more painful the eventual parting would be.

At least Baatar and Sarnai were smarter than hed ever been, cherishing what they had together instead of waiting for another day. Du Yi hadnt even taken the time to bid him farewell, only leaving a letter he cautioned Nian Zu to burn after reading, which he never did. The letter was all he had left of the man he loved, the man he wish hed married. Why would he burn it? Who was left to even care?

Those who might care dont matter, and those who matter dont care.

Buoyed by the thought, Nian Zu moved on to a happier topic. Having seen what a wonderful job Yuzhen had done with her husband, he had hoped she could work her magic with Baatar, but the man was not amenable to change. Easy to forget he was also an old curmudgeon, since he hardly looked older than Gerel himself, but the half-wolf hero was set in his ways and stubborn to boot. Dying his silver hair black and letting it grow long would have done much to help the people of the Empire accept him, but the intractable man would not have it, to say nothing of convincing him to take a second, younger wife, if only for show. Even getting him to trade his roosequin in for a horse had him grumbling for weeks now, and upon learning Baatars mount was a Spiritual Beast, Nian Zu at least understood why.

Despite fighting alongside them for so long, the Bekhai still managed to hold back a handful of surprises, and he suspected they still had more to share.

No matter. Although the common people had little love for Baatar, the same could not be said of the soldiers under his command, even those he disciplined and publicly humiliated. Why, Nian Zu could only speculate, but he believed it had to do with Baatars particular brand of disproportional justice. Normally, this meant the wealthy, well-connected soldiers and Officers were given free rein to do as they pleased, while those without powerful backers were punished for even minor infractions, but in Baatars eyes, the higher ranked an individual was, the more responsibility they must bear for whatever went wrong. While an individual soldier might be given extra training or physical exertion for a lapse in discipline, their commanding officers usually suffered worse since Baatar considered a lack of discipline as a failure in leadership. If too many soldiers in a single unit were found lacking, their commanding officer would be punished as well, and the correlation held as true for junior officers and their higher-ranked commanders. Several Officers had been booted out of the army and even more had been stripped of rank, and while his actions made him many enemies, Baatar paid no heed to the bribes and threats that came his way, because his goal was not to rise through the ranks and accumulate money and power, but solely to defend the Empire from the Enemy.

For almost sixty years, Nian Zu had searched for someone with such dedication to groom as his successor, and it pained him to discover just how rare this sentiment truly was. Baatar might see himself as one of the Bekhai and show prejudice against strangers in his personal life, but when it came to soldiering, he didnt see family or affiliation, only comrades and complications. Getting rid of the complications did him no favours politically, but the career soldiers under his command thoroughly appreciated his actions, because Mother knows the higher ranks held more dead-weight than most cared to admit. Many of the decorated Officers serving under Nian Zu were worth less than the carved jade tokens denoting their rank and were about as bright to boot, but politics made for strange bedfellows, or so the saying went. Now that Baatar, and Nian Zu by extension, had demonstrated their willingness to place more emphasis on discipline than face, the only people who had reason to criticize them were those already in the wrong, and the Imperial Army was better for it.

Or at least, the Northern Imperial Army was better for it. Nothing Nian Zu said or did would affect the other provinces, and in truth, he preferred it this way.

Smiling as Yuzhen dutifully filled his cup for the umpteenth time, Nian Zu inwardly shook his head and chuckled. When did he grow so old and jaded that he couldnt take his mind off work for even a single night? Here, at this new years banquet amongst friends, was a rare opportunity to relax and ease his worries, if only for a few hours, and hed spent most of it lamenting about how things were not as they should be. Du Yi would be laughing if he was watching from on high, and he would be right to. Work as hard as needed, sleep as often as possible, and play the rest of the time, that was Du Yis mantra, even if his schedule didnt allow for much sleep or play. Still, if ever there were a time for Nian Zu to enjoy himself, it was here and now, on the dawn of a new year alongside all the people he cared for.

Hosted by Baatar and Sarnai, they spared no expense for the festivities and kept it reasonably intimate despite the long list of attendees. Aside from family, which included Akanai, Du Min Gyu, and Medical Saint Taduk, only the closest of friends had been invited, but the Bekhai had made many since coming to Central. Taokang Geyan, Lishan Suzhen, Taiyi ZhuShen, and his Disciple Li TieGuai were the guests of honour, while Nian Zu sat at a seat of honour due to his rank. Other notable attendees included Magistrate Tong Da Hai and his son Tong Da Fung, BoHai and BoShui, Jia Yang and his nephew Jia Zian, as well as a bevy of other trusted individuals here to share in Baatar and Sarnais good news, for Falling Rain was once again in good health, and ambulatory once again.

Gazing into the empty stare of the young Legate himself, Nian Zu choked back a sigh of regret and wondered if theyd erred in revealing young Rain in his current state. Though no longer comatose and now capable of standing, walking, and even eating if given enough time, Falling Rains recovery was less than complete. Physically, he was in fine health, better than hed been in months, but the poor boys mind had yet to return. There was nothing hiding behind his amber eyes, nothing remotely resembling awareness, just an empty mind to match his vacant expression as he sat and stared at nothing. It took several weeks of treatment to get him this far, treatment Nian Zu suspected cost several vast fortunes in Spiritual Plants, but at least young Rain wasnt dead to the world anymore. Hence Yuzhens reasoning for suggesting this banquet, to let the world know their Legate was up and about once again, a goal they accomplished by having his carriage parade through this streets with the windows wide open to show him in good health, then making a big show of having him exit the carriage and walk upstairs unaided, save for sweet Mei Lin clinging to his arm.

Sadly, that was about the full extent of Falling Rains recovery, and the problems were worrisome to the extreme. Thus, only trusted friends and allies had been invited and the venue, one surrounded by Death Corps, Imperial soldiers, Bekhai Experts, and more, all with Domains deployed to block Scrying and standing orders to kill anyone and everyone who might happen to spot the Legates infirmity. A risk bringing him out like this, but a risk they needed to take, because the outer provinces were fast falling apart without his presence to unite them. A silly thing to squabble over, whose opinion should matter most, but Nian Zu was unable to get his Central counterparts to see sense, while Yuzhen and Central Marshal Yo Jeung-Hun lacked the ability to sway Southern Marshal Quyen Huong, who had his hands full dealing with the issue of the recently deceased Colonel General Tran Hoangs replacement. From the outside looking in, Nian Zu would have thought the steely Marshal in firm control of his entire province, but much like the Society of Heaven and Earth, the South only stood together against outside pressure, which meant they were likely far less united than hed previously believed. A shame that, because if the South had remained undivided, then he could have worked with them to exert pressure on Central to keep Shuai Jiao and Ryo Dae Jung from running amok.

Turning back to the young Legate, Nian Zu watched the boy mechanically eat the food before him and stifled back yet another sigh. Rumours of an ambulatory Falling Rain might keep Central and South in line for another month, but nothing short of his direct intervention would tear down the metaphorical walls between the outer provinces. Had he known this might happen, Nian Zu wouldve never let Rain lead the reinforcements to Castle Jianghu and kept him back in the Citadel where it was safe, but it was difficult to argue against him when his mere presence added tens of thousands of Death Corps Guards and three thousand lion-mounted Royal Guardians to the field.

Elbowed in the side by young Yuzhen, Nian Zu came to his senses as she Sent, Stop staring. Your thoughts are laid bare for all to see.

Probably. Maybe. I dunno. If the world isnt real, who knows what all the rules really are...

Technically, time shouldnt have anything to do with the Natal Soul becoming self aware and developing a personality. Its more to do with me and my own perceptions, subconscious though they might be. In expecting the Natal Soul to gain sentience and independence, I pretty much set it on the path of a self-fulfilling prophecy in that it will become a split personality, all because I expect it to and the Energy of Heavens makes it so. I still dont entirely get how it works, because even with limited omniscience, I couldnt render the information down into understandable concepts. Its like trying to teach a monkey quantum physics. A really smart monkey might learn how to count and speak in sign language, but you cant really teach it abstract numbers or whatever else you might need for higher level math.

And me? Im the monkey. Or worse. I mean, I used to work in a call centre. What do I know about higher level physics?

The monitors dark screen remains blank and unresponsive, while my phone sits silent for once. Ive filtered out all temptation from reaching me, and Ive even managed to keep from checking it for a good amount of time. At least it feels like its been a good amount of time, but Ill never be sure until I check. The fact that I am aware of all this already means Im failing to proceed along the Noble Eight-fold Path and find oblivion, but what else is new? I never was very good at doing things right, so why would I expect things to be any different in here?

Dont get so heated. Out with the bad emotions. Out with the good.

Dont check the phone. Stay true to your goal.

Dont check the phone. All it brings is pain and misery.

Dont check the phone. Emptiness within. Emptiness without.

Dont check the phone.

I check the phone. More snoot selfies, which I absolutely adore. Youd think Id gain an immunity to cuteness after scrolling through hundreds of pictures of Mama Bun from the same awkward angle, but it hits me as hard as it ever did, if not harder. The more I see her, the stronger the urge to hold her grows, but I must stay strong and reject her requests for a face to snoot meeting. Id feel like the biggest idiot in the world if I let Zhen Shi lure me out with snoot selfies. I might go full Demon just from the shame alone, though something tells me the old monster does not want that. He wants my body, and not in the happy fun times way, which would be bad enough. No, he wants Falling Rain as his meat puppet, and all the power and influence that comes with it, though personally, I feel like hed be wasting his time. I was never vital to any plans or anything, and Im sure the Empire is doing fine without me. I left Luo-Luo in charge and she has all the right people around her, not to mention all the competent Marshals and Colonel Generals ready to pick up the slack.

Judging by her messages, Luo-Luos doing alright. Yan, Mila, Song, and Lin-Lin too, though they could be better and all miss me very much. Yea, even Song, which is weird, because I thought she only tolerated me, but apparently she appreciated the little things I tried to do for her, even though she should rightly detest me for my power over her. The strange thing is, none of them are concerned Ill never recover, even after I woke up as a blank slate. They just think its only a matter of time before I regain full control of all my faculties, and even quarrel amongst themselves for the right to tend to my needs. Well, not Song, but she does more than her fair share, since Luo-Luo is busy elsewhere, Yan and Mila take daily trips to the bamboo grove, and Lin-Lin is Lin-Lin, as flighty and easily distracted as always.

Their hopes and expectations are like a dagger through my chest, because I will ultimately end up disappointing them. It doesnt help that my Core has been mended and I am a Martial Warrior once more, not quite where I was moments before I shattered my Core, but on the Path towards a full recovery. Its fascinating to watch the mending process in action, because it answers so many questions I never even thought to ask. As my Core mended, I noticed flaws in the process, flaws in my soul which, if left unfixed, would have left me stuck at Core Formation for years to come, if not decades. Flawed as it was, my Core would have been left unable to withstand the... increased pressure, for lack of a better word, or perhaps the metaphysical weight that comes with each successive milestone along the Martial Path. Thats how other Martial Warriors get stuck, because their Cores and souls are lacking. How would someone even fix that though? Mine was flawed because Ive been chopping pieces off willy nilly, though to be fair, my soul is much stronger than your average soul on account of my Devouring. Thats all Spectres really are, after all, bits and pieces of severed souls given agency by the Energy of the Heavens. All the Natal Souls I cast off are also Spectres of a sort, though conceived for a different purpose and devoid of ill-intent, intent given to them by their creator.

Not always on purpose, though I suspect Zhen Shi provides more than a little ill-intent himself. I shouldve made better use of my limited omniscience when I had it, but Im not really tempted to use it more either, because... I dunno. When connected to the Heavens, I feel less like me, less like a person, and more... detached. I dont like that.

As I go through all the messages, I discover its been less than a day since I last checked in, which is actually a new record. Woo. I suck at this. My family and loved ones are in the midst of a new years banquet, one held to celebrate my recovery. I woke up a few days ago, but this is the first time Ive been out in public for weeks now, and everyone is beside themselves with joy. Luo-Luo is also hard at work crafting rumours for our political rivals to hear, things like how I might actually be wholly recovered and stronger than ever, but hiding it to bait my opponents into acting rashly. Shes a brilliant woman, and Noodle is longer and thinner than when I last saw him, so things are going great. Mom and Akanai have taken her under their wings and treat her like a daughter, just as I knew they would. Theyll all be fine. Im not really needed.

Which of course is the perfect time for Nian Zu to chime in otherwise.

Seeing a message I left for him, I idly wonder when I sent it. I must be helping without even noticing now, so used to creating new Natal Souls to do whatever it is that needs to be done. I see this potentially coming back to bite me in the ass, so maybe I should be more careful about what I do, but Nian Zus concerns leave me more conflicted than ever. Am I really needed? Is my presence as a figurehead really so vital? Why isnt the Imperial Clan doing anything about this crisis? Should I send a Natal Soul to check? Bad idea probably. Better to focus my efforts on delaying the Defiled offensive some more.

As I set my mind to this work, I stumble across the answer to a question I have yet to ask. After so many weeks of self-mutilating my soul, how is it I still have soul left to sever?

Because love is good for the soul, and my family, floofs, and friends have been providing plenty of it.

A sentiment which makes me simultaneously feel both better and worse. Better for knowing I have their love, or at least, the illusion of it which is almost as good, and worse for abandoning them without even saying goodbye. I wish I had the courage and determination needed to risk finding out if they are real or imagined, but I fought the good fight for as long as I could, and I cant do it anymore. Trials and tribulations without end? Wrong. Cant lose if you dont play, and I already quit. Its gg no re, so I might as well just close the phone and get back to my journey towards oblivion.

Right after the new years celebration comes to an end. Everyone looks so happy and relieved, it wont hurt to watch just a little more...

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