Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

"Stick to the negotiation I worked out with Ji Rong," Ling Qi said, "However much Sun Liling pushes."

"Yes, in the end there is only so much we can corral the Sun, buying their favor at the cost of opinion among the actual participants is simply not useful," Cai Renxiang said.

"Masterful though, really?" Ling Qi said, smiling slightly.

"No one shouted, threats of violence were minimal and largely spiritual in nature. We have a tentative agreement on border lines," Cai Renxiang replied blandly. "So yes. I give compliments where they are appropriate."

Ling Qi considered the many personalities here, and dipped her head. She would accept the compliment she supposed. "Still, you may need to take the lead more here. I might be your voice, but if Sun Liling gets it in her head to be stubborn, only you truly have the status to shut her down."

Cai Renxiang grimaced briefly. "It is true. I have left this round to you, given this is all very… feeling based, unlike the previous week's negotiations, but perhaps that is for the best."

"May I ask what is for the best, Lady Cai?" Gan Guangli asked as he approached too, people were starting to drift back to their places.

"That I speak primarily for us when we invite Princess Sun to the table," Renxiang replied. "We are not going to be permissive with the West."

"I see the wisdom," Gan Guangli said. "Ah! But the Sects and the observers for the Jia are pleased. Thanks to the firm claims on such much buffering land, there is very little complaint, even from Rushing Cloud. I feel the Jia will be much easier to invest into infrastructure and management now, when the time comes to speak of that later this week."

"That is good," Cai Renxiang said. "Very well, it is time. Take your positions. Support me, but leave me the lead."

"Yes, Lady Cai," they both affirmed, falling in behind her as they returned to the head of the table.

When all of the delegates had settled into their positions again, Cai Renxiang rose from her seat to address them all once more.

"Today we have made excellent progress, though the details must be worked out in following days, to ensure there is no confusion or discrepancies, we have achieved a broad consensus, however, before we retire this day there is another matter which we must see too. The Empire is wide and we are not its only province, as the White Sky is not the only territory of the Polar Nation. In the East the Grave of the Sun presents an impassable barrier, and so that may be left aside. In the west however, the Province of the Western Territories and the Territory of the Twisted Pines may come into contact. As such, some degree of agreement must come to their border as well, though they may negotiate themselves at a later date. Thus, I invite Princess Sun, representing her Great Grandfather, King Sun Shao of the Western Territory, to this table."

"And I cede my scepter now to Emissary Dzintara, Blade of the Twin Crescent Temple-Lodge" Jaromila said, nodding to the other woman.

Dzintara rose from her seat. "Very well, here, I speak now for Twisted Pine, my other home."

"And I suppose I finally get to pry myself out of this chair," Sun Liling drawled from the observer's portion of the hall, rising to her feet. She was still wearing those snakeskin boots, and their heels clacked on the floor as she strode up to the table. Ling Qi eyed her warily as she crossed the room at a confident pace. A gesture from Cai Renxiang had a number of their functionaries clear space for the princess to stand across from Dzintara. The two faced each other as a second, smaller map was placed on the table, showing the far less expansive stretch of mountains in the West.

"So hear your people are pretty tough. Don't think you're woods are as hard as the jungle, but it doesn't sound like a bad camping ground," Sun Liling said casually.

"I do not believe one should wish for one's land to be hard, but it is so. It has shocked us to learn of your conquest. Those in the further west, the Barrier Princes of Khusan did not report to us any change in our talks these last five hundred years."

"That what the fellas in those ugly stone forts far out west are called? Maybe if they ever did anything but shoot at our guys, there'd have been something to talk about," Sun Liling said with a shrug. "Well guess some of the more feral tribes that fled our soldiers are still acting up over there. We've been a bit busy taming the stretch we've got."

"But you desire the mountains all the same."

"Course we do, jungle's a lot of things, but a source of good building stone and metal isn't one of them."

Ling Qi watched Sun Liling carefully. She was…. A little wary, about how inoffensive the Princess was being, relatively speaking.

"And, the southern Border of the Western Territory has never been well defined," Cai Renxiang said, gesturing to the map."

"True! Ain't been much reason until now," Sun Liling drawled. She bent over the table and reached out, tapping finger along the mapped mountains. "So I'll be honest, we'd like all this from the pass where your Ancestor's sitting, on over to here with the,,, what did ya call them, Barrier Princes? Yeah over to the fort that sits here."

Where she pointed there was nothing on the map, but Dzintara's frowning expression showed no incomprehension.

"That is far too deep, unlike our brethren in the east, we have our own holdings in the mountains. Things we will not give up. And the Axemother will not bear a foreign presence as close as you indicated. You claim to kill and harvest the Flower Demons flesh, but its stink is still upon you."

"Hey now, that's a little rude," Sun Liling said, crossing her arms. "Cmon now."

"Emissary Dzintara," Jaromila said softly.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "...Your power is too similar. It will not be tolerated in this region. You may argue with the Axemother on this, for all the good it will do you."

"I think it best if the Sun Kingdom remains in this region in the north, as your own representative said," Cai Renxiang said calmly, gesturing to the map as well, outlining three overlapping radiuses around the sites of the Sun's new mines. The one closest to the main range did cut a decent way into the mountains.

"Rich, coming from the bunch who just added on a hefty third to their province. Am I really being unreasonable here?" Sun Liling wondered.

"Princess, you nor your retainer placed conditionals upon our agreement," Cai Renxiang said calmly.

Sun Liling huffed, but surprisingly didn't take a more aggressive posture or tone.. "Eh, fine, not like we really need it."

Dzintara glanced at Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi and tsked. "This is better, but needs to be pushed to… here, to avoid the Goddess' wrath."

"Dunno, we've been handling it pretty well," Sun Ling said. "Our hunters are having some fun with those flying lizard things."

"I assure you, if you remain there, they will not. The black zmeya are the least of Her blades," Dzintara replied challengingly.

"Hm…. sounds like you WANT to have a go," Sun Liling said, tilting her head. She grinned, sharp toothed and glinting.

"It would not benefit anyone. There are methods which can ward these creatures in a limited fashion, I think," Ling Qi said. "Princess Sun, how many of your people is a few kilometers of unusable wilderness worth? None but your elites can even walk those lands."

Sun Liling made an irritated face at her, but to Ling Qi's continued surprise, she didn't clap back with something else insulting. "Tch, suppose that's fair. Wouldn't do for me to be less concerned about our boys and girls than you are."

Cai Renxiang regarded the Princess thoughtfully. "Emissary Dzintara, where would you place the limits of your Ancestor Goddess' sacred land?"

Ling Qi observed the soft murmuring of the other delegates and experts present. None spoke for this really was a matter out of their hands.

Dzintara frowned deeply, and Ling Qi caught the faint sound of grinding iron as her jaw worked. "Here, along the ridgeline. This is a defensible position. Should you prove to truly be harvesters, then perhaps we might speak on warding methods in the future, Princess."

Sun Liling's gaze flicked over the map. "Hm, guess that would make a good line. If we're gonna withdraw here though, the Sun want…. This. The mountains flanking this valley further west, No complaints about us building up forts either, eh? You put in a word with those Barrier Guys too, tell them to stop shooting those sun missiles at guys carrying our flag."

"...I can order no such thing. Our Emissaries will inform them that there is a flag that can be spoken too."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Sun Liling dismissed. "And the mountains?"

"The mouth of that valley is… acceptable, provided we come to an agreement over any road built further in."

"Riiiight, kinda far out in the future, but we gotta think like that huh? Maybe you stick a big gate on your end too. High Fences are good neighbors, eh?"

"Agreed," Dzintara said coolly. "We will claim the lands along this line. There has been no need to codify our northern lands, so this is only making truth official, unlike the primary negotiations."

Ling Qi shared a brief look with Cai Renxiang. This was… going well? It kind of made her suspicious, just what was Sun Liling up too?"

"It pleases me that this goes well, do you have any objection to the general claims, Emissaries, Princess?" Cai Renxiang asked.

"Gotta turn this pretty line into a bunch of squiggles so it follows useful terrain, but that's what tomorrow is for innit?" Sun Liling said casually. "Yeah, guess this is fine."

"It is so. We will need to speak more on what is allowable in the unclaimed zone," Dzintara said.

"And we need to chat about your big lizards, Zmeya was it?" Sun Liling said. "We ain't gonna spare what attacks us."

"That is fine, so long as you do not intrude where you are not needed, black Zmeya exist to freeze and slay the encroaching roots, they are merely constructs."

"That why the big skull turned into slush?"

Ling Qi took a deep breath, she didn't know precisely what Sun Liling or her family were planning, but for now, it was working out for them. That would have to be good enough. Looking at the princess, the blaring, raging Yang tinted blaze of her self was banked. It felt like slitted predatory eyes peering back at her through the brush, low to the ground and stalking.

She was plotting.

But, they could call the opening round of the border negotiations complete.

"There is further infiltration than we were aware of," Cao Chun's voice was grim. Seated behind his desk, he folded his hands under his chin.

"How much so?" Jin Tae asked. He stood in the office with them this time. A silver mirror hung on his belt this time, a weapon, Ling Qi thought. Not his domain weapon, but a potent talisman. His spirit was all rippling water and shimmering glass under her new gaze, reflecting back her own distorted face from a hundred angles.

"I have detected traces in over fifty percent of our construction force, and twenty percent of Embassy staff. It has taken… immense effort, for me to inspect and uncover further taint nondestructively," Cao Chun said.

Jin Tae's eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath.

To be fair, so did Ling Qi, only Zheng Fu's own grim expression stayed fixed behind his headwrap.

The big man beside her crossed his arms. "Huh, that's…. Catastrophic. You ain't talking about them all being infested like those two more guys though, huh?"

"I am not," Cao Chun said sourly. "Calm yourselves. The great majority only held traces of being touched by the subjects qi. Either a decoy mechanism, or, I think more likely showing mere signs of being a tool of transmission."

"....There are only so many of those thought parasites," Ling Qi concluded. "They are extremely complex, even a sixth realm Master could only produce and stockpile so many. They can move from victim to victim prior to their activation though."

"Yes, I have only discovered three more in my investigation, all are neutralized," Cao Chun said, he grimaced briefly. "One of those foreign crow creatures has informed me that their own investigation has uncovered two."

Ling Qi smiled at him, he narrowed his eyes at her, mustache twitching.

"It seems that we are making good progress then teacher," Jin Tae said. "What of the culprit?"

"I have refined my understanding of their qi, though all targets required immediate destruction," Cao Chun said. "It is my opinion that the culprit is mostly likely of the Meng Clan, though not of a recognized Name. The signs of the underground beasts are mere chaff to throw off our scent."

Ling Qi frowned deeply. Having one of the major clans engaged in such a scandal would be a serious blow to the stability of negotiations. "Are you certain? Wouldn't such a high figure among the Meng be one of their Elders? Or at least one with access to truly secret stockpiles."

"Hah, we don't show off all our oldsters, I expect your clans ain't any different," Zheng Fu laughed. "Plenty of Ways don't make themselves big and public."

"It is as he says, Baroness," Jin Tae said. "The Meng report their number of cultivators as any clan does, but no ruler has been so tyrannical as to demand an exhaustive listing of Way Names."

Of course, she should have expected that.

"Regardless I have tracked further possibilities," Cao Chun said. "Baroness, can your… ability be used again?"

"There is a limit, I can only handle such a feat maybe… once a day. It is mentally and spiritually strenuous."

"Hm, we are limited then," Cao Chun said. "I have three likely hosts. The Astronomer from the Capital, the White Plume Sergeant Xia Lin, and the Bai retainer, Xia Anxi. Infrastructure, Military, and Diplomatic vectors."

"Astronomer Wu is a realm above me, I am not certain I could," Ling Qi said warily.

"I have procured a talisman which will make up the difference, for a time, if your ability is a manner of liminal stealth," Cao Chun replied immediately. "But if you are not confident… take another target. I have observed that these parasite constructs hold varying levels of information, one invested in more important sabotage may be more useful. I will give you the choice of targets."

"And the others?"

"Now that I've gotten a look, I think I might be able to do something, can't snatch it like you, but I could glean something if I know what I'm looking at, as I dig it out," Zheng Fu said.

"And I will simply eliminate the last parasite," Cao Chun said. "Which target, Baroness?"

[ ] Astronomer Wu
[ ] Xia Lin
[ ] Bai Xia Anxi