Xian Fenghuang, the first heir of the Azure Phoenix Clan, was bored. He didn't have many entertainments, especially lately, ever since Elder Shu had forbidden him from traveling to the surrounding villages.
"I'm bored, you understand, dear," he addressed his wife. He stood up, walked to the window and stared into the distance at the blue mountains visible in the far-off. He sighed.
"Why am I bored, you ask? Because I love challenge and movement. Don't think I'm complaining, Elder Shu is within his rights, but still. After all, I'm the clan heir and a decent fighter for my cultivation level. Did you hear how General Tao praised me? I can stand up for myself, and Elder Shu is just being overly cautious, as if some peasants could defeat me. Would you like tea? Right now..." He rings a bell and immediately a silent and pale servant girl appears, she bows and hurriedly runs to the kitchen for the teapot. Watching her leave, Xian thinks about how flat this young servant's bottom is. Though, of course, thinking about such things in the presence of his own wife isn't proper. After all, you're a married man, Xian Fenghuang, get a hold of yourself, what do you need servants for. You're lucky, you have one of the most beautiful girls in Chanyuen as your wife, and you're already looking elsewhere. No, this won't do.
"Sorry, dear," he says. "I... just... you understand, you're so beautiful and..." At that moment the bedroom doors burst open, and he only managed to jump to his feet - one shouldn't burst in on them when he's declaring his love to his spouse! But in the doorway loomed the imposing figure of the Clan Head.
"Lord Shao!" the heir immediately bowed his head. "What a joy..."
"Whelp!" A heavy blow to the face knocked him to the floor, his mouth immediately filled with something sweet and salty. Probably blood, he thought, slowly getting up from the floor and wiping himself with his sleeve.
"Is Lord Shao pleased to be angry?" he asks, restraining himself, restraining his anger at the unjust punishment. He hadn't done anything, he was just spending time with his young wife! Poor Suna, she was probably completely frightened by the sight of such violence against her husband. He'd have to comfort her later, explain that Head Shao wasn't really so terrible and it was all because his first wife couldn't bear a son, and the third one bore one, but without talent for qi manipulation. And only a concubine was able to bear an heir... what a disappointment. The first heir of the Azure Phoenix Clan born from a concubine. That's why he was an unloved child, even though he became the heir. Perhaps that's exactly why he became one. No one gave him any breaks, no one pitied him from childhood. He could only rely on himself. The Head's beloved wives persecuted the concubine who dared to bear an heir, drove her to suicide. They gave him no peace, often beating him so badly that he pissed blood for a week afterward. They tried to poison him, arranged accidents. And most importantly - he couldn't befriend anyone, couldn't have attachments. Once he took a liking to a floppy-eared puppy that he fed and petted all day. The next morning they served him meat soup, good, tasty soup. And only after he ate it - they showed him the severed head of that puppy. Just the head, because the rest went into that very soup. When he grew old enough to start liking girls - he was captivated by the smile of one of the little servant girls. She was immediately accused of theft and attempted murder of the Head's wife. And beaten to death with wooden sticks, while he was forced to count the blows and watch her die under the strikes. He remembered that day well. His powerlessness. And the terrible desire for her to die as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, the girl turned out to be strong and died very slowly and very painfully. Almost the whole day. Even then he learned a simple lesson - you can't love anyone with all your heart, you can't show your attachments. You can't show them that you love someone, you can't open up. You need to wall yourself off from everything - from your feelings, from anger, from resentment, from pain. Wait it out. Become the heir and when the Head dies... if the old wives outlive him, they'll be very sorry. And if not them, then their children. Grandchildren. You can't get attached.
"What are you doing, bastard?!" shouts the Head and rewards him with a slap. "These are your antics, aren't they? Peasant community revolts in three villages! Have you lost your mind? What is this? What the hell is this right of the first night?!"
"But... honorable Head Shao, these are just peasant daughters and you yourself said I could do whatever I want with them... and with their husbands."
"You're an idiot. Of course you can. Of course, you can fuck all the peasant daughters and kill their husbands. But not like this! No one would say a word to you if you did it because they offended or insulted you, or at worst if they turned out to be spies or rebels. You're within your rights. But to show up at a village wedding and rape the bride right on the table, in front of everyone, and even kill her husband and father... are you completely sick?! Couldn't you have taken her aside? I'm your father and even your action disgusts me. And these simple-minded peasants even more so. They bow before the Will of Heaven, they don't see the whole picture." The Head closes his eyes for a second and exhales, calming down. Opens his eyes. Sits in a nearby chair. Heir Xian Fenghuang kneels before him.
"You left them no choice, son," Head Shao finally sighs and rubs his face. "You deprived them of the opportunity to save face. If you had taken her around the corner, lifted her skirt there and had your way, and then she returned to the table with a bloodied hem and a distorted face - they would have endured it. Pretended not to notice, not to guess, that it seemed to them. These are peasants, they're cowardly creatures. But still, still they are people. Therefore, after what you did in those villages, they had no choice but to rebel against our clan. Do you know what rebellion in lands subject to the Son of Heaven is and how it's punished? I see you do. This morning Elder Shu burned those villages along with all the rebels."
"That's what should have been done, honorable Head Shao. Rebels are subject to the death penalty," the heir bows his head. The Head looks down at him and shakes his head.
"Do you know how much a young girl costs if sold into slavery? And a boy? Do you know how many such people Elder Shu killed this morning? Your bad behavior cost us several thousand gold ingots! But most importantly, it cost us something that can't be bought for any money! A bad reputation! The whole county already knows what tricks you pull! What did I teach you, son?! Tell me?"
"Don't get caught," heir Xian Fenghuang bows his head again.
"Exactly! Don't get caught!" Head Shao stands up and briefly, without a windup - kicks the heir in the chest, who falls backward and whimpers pitifully from pain.
"If you continue to cause trouble for me and our entire clan, I'll personally burn out your qi center and sell you into slavery!" roars the Head and kicks the lying heir again. "Do you hear me?!"
"Yes, Head Shao!"
"Because of you, everyone's up in arms. Liu Baigu, for example, this bandit and rebel has long wanted to get his hands on our lands. The clan of our sworn enemies has made an alliance with him. But most importantly, your behavior made that old stubborn Baoshu think." says the Head, settling into the chair.
The flash of anger passed as quickly as it arose, leaving behind sharp regret. Maybe I was too harsh on the boy, he thinks, after all, who is this Baoshu? Yes, almost a third of the fertile lands belong to the Won Mi family, but he himself is just a merchant and landowner. Not an official. Not admitted to court, didn't pass the Imperial examination, has no guanxi, just a very rich man. But wealth is not virtue, it can be taken away. Yes, they pressured him, essentially putting him before a choice - either bow before them and become a junior family in the clan, giving up most of his lands and property, or cease to exist. They wanted to formalize everything through marriage, he happens to have one daughter. But now this fool Baoshu has started his own game and at what level! If not for the Hidden One, the highest-class spy, this Won Mi Baoshu might have succeeded! Indeed, Baoshu took in some gifted girl from outside, adopted her and for two weeks fed her Golden Qi pills. Tell anyone else - they'd hang themselves from envy, such pills cost incredibly much, however you can't eat them like candy. After one such pill, the qi circulation system should take at least a year to return to normal, and they fed her every day! How she hasn't burst yet, hasn't dissolved into air or turned into a spiritual familiar. And on top of all this Golden qi - the "qi bomb" spell technique or "Flash of Ten Thousand Suns," blocking the natural outflow of energy through the meridians. This is a forbidden technique, forbidden and secret too. Truly, money opens all locks, and the Won Mi family is incredibly wealthy.
And the old merchant calculated correctly, as soon as the qi bomb is under the shield dome - the explosion, the release of such a volume of qi will immediately overload all the shield amulets. The shield will collapse, and then Liu Baigu's soldiers will storm the castle. If the Azure Phoenix clan had at least one cultivator above the Heavenly rank - they could still struggle, but now... now the clan can field no more than a hundred spellcasters at once and all below the fourth rank, the so-called Earthly.
"You nearly exposed the entire clan to attack," grumbles Head Shao, but his voice no longer sounds accusatory, he's rather just stating a fact. The earth is solid, the sky is blue, and heir Xian nearly exposed his clan to attack. And if not for that effeminate Lu Jizhen - they could have been destroyed by a sudden joint attack of Liu Baigu's army, the North Star clan spellcasters, and the family guard fighters of the noble Won Mi house.
However, forewarned is forearmed. After all, this knowledge also gives him opportunities.
"We cannot allow this girl to cross the threshold of the Phoenix stronghold," says Head Shao. "However, refusing the marriage is also not an option. It would be best if the adopted daughter, this walking qi bomb - explodes in their house. Or is killed. Then old Baoshu will have no other options but to give his real daughter. Hmm. What if we arrange an attack on the wedding escort while it's still passing through their territory?"
"This worthless Xian suggests changing nothing," the heir says quietly, not trying to get up and still lying on the floor. "All we need is for the qi bomb not to get under the shield. I can ride out to the hunting grounds and deal with the girl there, so the Phoenix citadel and the protective spells around it won't be damaged."
Head Shao looks down at him. There's nothing terrible about the heir liking to cause pain, about him being so inventive in torture. Just like any other vice, you need to know moderation in this. A little wine at lunch and dinner will make your day brighter, but you can't overdo it, otherwise you'll stop being a reasonable person, start making mistakes, making wrong decisions. Passion will cloud reason. Just as appreciating flesh and the company of a courtesan from a brothel will only add spice to everyday life, but only a fool would seriously fall in love with her. And now his first heir is closer than ever to that title. And he showed such promise.
"Get up," says Head Shao, finally calming down completely. "Get up already. Rise, don't disgrace the clan by lying on the floor." He watches as the heir gets up, wipes the blood on his face with his sleeve.
"In other times I wouldn't insist on this marriage. But now are difficult times. Times when storm clouds hang over the entire country. Unfortunately, the Son of Heaven has withdrawn from governance, either due to age, or because he's become disappointed in this country and these people. Sitting in the Forbidden City, he's unable to understand what's really happening, eunuchs and courtiers simply lie to his face. At the same time, the country is being torn apart by military commanders and merchants, formally pretending to obey the Emperor and court, but actually - already self-proclaimed governors. That same Liu Baigu - would such a thing have been conceivable three hundred years ago? Three hundred years ago, as soon as he dared to disobey the will of officials sent by the Emperor, not to mention their disappearance in his region - a punitive expedition from the capital would immediately advance. Liu Baigu's army would be smashed to smithereens, and the military commander himself would be brought in an iron cage to the capital to be executed in the central square as a rebel. And now he's captured an entire county and doesn't give a damn! And when officials from the Emperor came to him - he either doesn't let them cross the threshold, or they disappear at his house. But outwardly everything is impeccable. And our sworn enemies, the North Star clan - how are they better? Their strongholds on the North Star peaks are impregnable fortresses, into which the path is forbidden even to messengers of the Son of Heaven! They're open rebels and three hundred years ago... ah, what's the point of talking..." Head Shao waves his hand. "Everything would have been different. In our county there's no Emperor's authority, even the Commander of Silent Screams has secretly taken a position on the side of our enemies. If everything continues like this, then soon power will belong not to those who by the Emperor's and Heaven's will are placed here to watch over legality and order, but to those who have more strength. The Azure Phoenix Clan is able to stand up for itself, however unnecessary losses during war will weaken us. And the approaching times of change won't forgive weakness. Therefore your marriage to old Won Mi's daughter is so necessary for us. The opportunity to legally take such an influential family as vassals, and over time - absorb them along with all their wealth, that's what marriage to Baoshu's daughter means, even if adopted. Every move I make is aimed at bringing benefit to the clan and shaming our enemies. And you, young Xian, heir of the clan, what are your thoughts directed toward? Since you were declared heir, you've stopped progressing in cultivation and instead of thinking about benefit for the entire clan - you think only of your pleasure. Even now. What benefit will there be for the entire clan from you receiving Baoshu's daughter in the hunting grounds? None. And why did you suggest this? Simply to amuse yourself with her, to play with her for your pleasure. This thought so captivated you that you forgot the most important thing - this girl is a qi bomb. What will happen to you when you tear off even one nail from her hand? Explosion." The Head shakes his head. "Xian, please start thinking with your head, stop disappointing me. Don't you know why exactly you became the heir? The others were too spoiled and couldn't withstand the competition, but now you're starting to worry me."
"Forgive me, honorable Head! It won't happen again!"
"I certainly hope so. Stop giving people reasons for worry and gossip. If you really want to do something... like that, then make sure no one finds out. At least..." At that moment there's a quiet scratching at the door. The servant with her tea, and he had already forgotten that he sent for it.
"Come in," the Head permits, and through the slightly opened door enters that same girl from the servants, she carries a tray with a tea set on it. She looks straight ahead, places the tray on the table and pours two cups of tea. Bows.
"Wait," the Head raises his hand and the servant freezes in place. "You're spying for the North Star, aren't you?"
"What?! My lord..." Lightning flies from the Head's hand and throws the girl against the wall like a broken doll. She falls to the floor, her skin smoking, and her clothes begin to smolder.
"Like this, you understand, my wayward son? If you want to kill someone - you find a reason. Accuse them publicly. And only then lock yourself with her in the basement. This death is on your conscience, Xian. Why? Because servants shouldn't see you pathetic. And especially shouldn't see this in your bed. Remove Suna's body already, she's starting to decompose and smell. The whole room stinks."
"I embalmed her. This is residual smell... after all, she's my wife and..."
"She's dead and if someone sees that you sleep with a dead body, gossip is unavoidable. Remove her. Just bury or burn her. You'll have a new wife soon."