In the depths of the imperial palace, within the garden Hanluyuan, green bamboos gently swayed while blossoms flourished amidst soft breezes brushing over tender willows. Queen Li leaned lazily upon the carved railing, stroking a cat pure and white as freshly-fallen snow nestled in her arms. The scenery, the woman, and the elegant creature formed a breathtakingly exquisite picture—except for a discordant note marring its perfection.
In the Queen’s arms, the white cat twitched frantically, frightened eyes wide as they locked onto some dreadful sight unknown to others. It opened its jaws in a silent cry. Try as it might, struggling endlessly, it could no ground beneath paws—it remained tightly ensnared in Li’s gentle, almost liquid caress.
A maid stepped forward with measured grace, drifting in as if upon water. She arrived beside the Queen, bowing before softly speaking: “Your Grace, Guardian Liu has arrived bearing what you requested.”
Queen Li subtly shifted a fine drawn brow and said, “Bring him here.”
“Yes, my Queen.” With deferent steps the maid turned and quietly departed, yet through all these interactions, her gaze remained humbled, never rising even for a glance at the snowy feline perched upon the Queen’s arms.
When she at last withdrew, the pet suddenly stilled. Helpless and defeated, it quit resisting.
Moments later, Guardian Liu arrived slowly. His gait somewhat aged his stance heavy with weariness, leaning lightly upon the arm of a youthful squire nearby. His presence was indistinguishable from that dying old man—nothing suggested latent strength in his frail bearing.
Seeing him present himself, Li rose from her seat, gracefully motioned with a slender limb. “Bring seating forth.” Instantly one of the maids hurried forward presenting a soft and finely woven cushioned stool slightly askew to the seat of rank.
Wasting no ceremonial humility, Liu sat, the Queen following slowly. Her command then swept away all attendants.
Alone now, Queen’s voice brimmed with both tension and yearning: “How goes everything?”
Liu slowly exhaled: “There were complications still things unfolded with success thus far… That fellow, Luo Bingfeng surpassed my expectations—upon Mount Sanctum even nearly rivaling myself in might! Happily however, the righteousness within proves a flaw. His fall was orchestrated via the joint scheme of Lord Seven and Zhang Buzhou, allowing us safe control of the passageway. Young Torrent managed to breach through into the Vortex. Your Queenly affairs rest at ease.”
Though Liu concluded on a calm tone, a shadowed concern played in her delicate features: “Truly much to Guardian Liu’s efforts, and…how does it appear inside the Maelstrom now?”
“Chaos reign in its currents—I cannot pierce within, the vortex shields vision. However, given the youth wields extraordinary skill, and fortune’s glow marks him, we dare rest on optimism despite the shadows that lie ahead.”
“Still I wonder if the path inside hadn’t cost too much…sure your efforts against the Throne of Blood was what made acquiring the pathway possible! That dark gate leads to its inner depths none have set foot in. Hope the boy endures.”
“In regard,” Liu interjected, “mayhap we’ve encountered more complication still… Cloud brothers of Yunzhong sought betrayel upon the eve, sabotaging young Qian Ye amidst conflict, but now both are no longer. Deceit extinguished.”
At his words, Queen Lin’s delicate eyebrows furrowed: “To whom did they owe allegiance—and thus dare such acts?”
“A matter tangled, difficult indeed—we set eyes searching though answers may not come easily.”
Her face hardened faintly, picking intent in Liu withholding truth: “There’s something still? You’d find secrets that elude *you*? A challenge then requires aid—my edict you may claim as aid.”
Old servant bowed with humility: “Age dulls me… even gifted such a decree, my wits waver too frail hands unfit for further action.”
Hearing this response, quiet amusement traced Li’s lips: “Thus matters remain unforced between us then. Perhaps…speak instead how *he* performed?”
At this, Liu’s manner darkened, “Truth, my lady, or words that flatter?”
“Truth I crave. No eyes here to bear the weight. Let words pierce through.”
Elder servant paused with grimness upon the edge. “Truth it is—but one cat still gazes.”
With a slight tilt to her head, Li laughed: “An animal…a foolish thing only. Cannot move tides in the least. A trinket, no matter sharp their claws—they’d scratch this humble vessel? But it’d leave but traces on my grace!”
Yet still, the elder murmured gravely: “Wild beasts sometimes bite when frantic! My lady’s sacred form—shouldn’t meet scratch, regardless!”
A soft, almost coquettish smile played on Li’s lips: “What’s harm is done matters little… just a little blood perhaps to remind the creatures that rise without thought, what heights I truly rule from above.”
Hearing her reasoning and humor return, the eunuch nodded, his lips easing into neutrality: “Thus…then I reveal nothing withheld. But the lady must choose—what do you wish knowing most?”
“Perhaps I let you offer…how you saw fit.” she whispered back.
Liu pondered briefly before answering, “Regrettably—I remained blind myself in critical moments—the one known as ‘Blood Seat’ had marked my steps too sharply. Though word did reach—that final blow…terrifying…stirring sorrow to gods themselves…”
That news caused Li’s lips widened in rare excitement: ”Since long have passed the last joy such as this.”
Yet Old Liu countered gently: “It’s joy…mingled half in shadow, and so incomplete. Here…” He drew carefully from within folds of robes, a modest yet palm sized scroll.
Queen delicately received the offering, yet on acceptance of the gift, her slender pinky flicked subtly against Liu’s aged wrist once—almost unnoticeably.
Eunuch bowed, face calm, voice hushed: “If you will allow—permit me my absence, that mayhap your Grace may look this through only after I part.”
She agreed solemnly and bid him depart graciously from court. After he vanished, with slow care Li unfastened the sealed binding and unfurled the document.
On tiny scrolls, ink depicted shadowed wings—black, alive as if to tear from parchment into sky. Fixed gaze unmoving, the Queen’s eyes shimmered with emotion—equal parts joy and dread reflected.
Sighing faintly, she tore the scroll into tiny fragments and tossed it and frame alike to the reflecting pond.
Numerous carp surged to surface instantly fighting over scraps—their golden bodies swallowing the fragments whole, frame and all.
Suddenly, something below caught Queen’s eye—the small feline in hand was rigid, fixtated, unable to blink, still transfixed on watery disappearance of the painting. With amusement curling her lip, Li murmured:
“Carla—deliver this creature.” One servant took the cat hastily by firm clasp to her body, bowing deeply as she left hurried.
“Pluck its eyes upon descent. Then abandon it away; let it linger without its senses for remainder.” The voice calm but edged, “But allow the creature to fall dead…then your lives, too, shall fall.”
Once the servant vanished, Li retreating once, seated again—yet within the still silence she whispered a low, deadly whisper: “Shan’t hold back next chance. Let’s see what games you may yet play. I need not sit idly—this I promise…!”
Beyond political games, over Tidelist town in the Neutrals, flagship Hanli halted above for over days now. On-deck stood Song Zining executing a spear dance—their silvery lance vanishing and returning seemingly impossible angles, weaving its course like dragon wind dancing.
Finishing a series of complex moves, Song heard a voice clattering nearby: “What grace! A dance that is both fiery and solemn now fully alive within seventh Lord Song! So near completeness—it’s safe to believe even his forebear would be proud, surpassed now in skill as only elder Song’s ghost could match such artistry in life!”
Song turned, smiling warmly, recognizing another high-ranking officer approaching:
“A humble art only, Grand Eunuch Z. Even if you find it worthy!”
Laughter followed: “Modesty still graces prodigy as young as seventh master! With this mastery already, even heaven-kin ranks may yet bow to youth, but what old eunuch such as I—a simple joy to scrape one, at two ranks above mortal before this body fades. None like seventh Lord!”
The boy chuckled: “To climb past god-general mark? Your words flatter. Yet if one surpasses the peak guardian, that high post shall not long remain out of reach—and you know that the palace—relies often, in its quiet ways on those whose whispers decide tides.” With this, he motioned the eunuch within, into guarded privacy of their shared chamber within the flagship’s deck chambers.
Once seated, soft drinks served, Song’s visitor shifted forward whispering softly: “Grant an old fellow boldness, but speak—what Queen Mother’s house doth truly shelter you now, if I may?”
Without hesitation Song’s calmness returned to answer: “Then allow truth—yes, these past moons found me performing small services within the Royal Court upon Queen Mother’s favor.”
This response loosened the elder visibly. “Well—that does grant confidence indeed! But another question burns inside…How vital, is the East Ocean to your ambitions—really?”
A grin formed from confident teeth. “I hauled almost everything of mine—of Hanlan Works—to the East Ocean provinces! How grand a weight must this land hold indeed in my heart?”
The elder seemed moved at hearing, jaw setting: “Thusly I choose. Though aged myself, if the heavens offer another few short years—I yet may break free of even *divine general’s limits* soon! The imperial harem’s secrets still whisper—there may yet power serve you from within their silence.”
Then he paused, the final blow struck: “I have labored in shadowed corridors over thirty years, built resources scarce noticed in palace circles. My treasures shall now be given freely—for if I must throw one final gambler’s chip, it shall be upon a youth destined toward empires!”
Song chuckled: “Though great, this bounty will take many hands—glad would be I for your alliance indeed. For together—we may feast heartier.”
Laughter soon bloomed warmly amid old men now plotting future feasts upon empire flesh. Beyond the imperial camp outside Tidelord City, within another shadowed pavilion of noble elders, another tense debate echoed across candle shadows between the House patriarchs convening:
Elder Lu snarled darkening: “Back and forth—we argue like children! Time wasted! We *must* decide *immediately*, act quickly and decisively—offer *major stakes* and persuade Grand Eunuch Zhang to lend influence. Without support of Zhang, extracting any coin at all from Zining’s grip remains beyond grasp.”
General agreement rippled though no clear agreement on terms followed immediately—a contest over weight, over contributions erupted between the great lords who found common cause, but no clarity in distribution yet.
Up top upon his ship, Song cast his gazing eye below upon all—the imperial camp, Tidelist City, murmuring softly with wind: “Fleas attempting to rule kingdoms in the shadows…all this postering for power—you think yourself worthy opponents to the might of one born to command. How silly—such creatures forget how fire tastes—”
With slow steps, reaching his shipboard edge, he stared distantly at Sanctum Peak where again the ominous dark light coalescenced now far clearer than a few nights previous. Zining broke again to whisper amusement in cold amusement:
“How intriguing…watch your move. Known each other now so many longs years—we both know one can’t hide all their treachery. My clever little *Ye Qian…*” (Though these words themselves possessed zero technical relevance to any divining or calculation methods—no incantational effect nor formula to trigger the hidden workings of Heavenly Pattern Divination, it seemed he spoke purely in mischievous humor…)
Yet upon that last phrase’s utterance, without further intent, the divinical workings within Song had sparked to light—and yet were still forming when he felt the darkening skies of inner vision descend.
Within that dark, something awakened—a being unseen stared at Zining with eyes of terrifying omniscience, eyes beyond comprehension that watched.
Then a contemptuous hum followed.
The calculating wand he used for calculations snapped in its middle, the upper end flew back suddenly with violent force—slamming hard into his own brow—and all was darkness.
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