Fractured Harmony: Establishing a Sect
Walking through the jet hallways of the Ling compound, Ling Feng pondered his approach. Each step he took whispered of rain, and each beat of his pulse caused the air to tremble with violence. Roiling under his tanned skin was the flesh of cloud and the bones of rain. Lightning replaced blood, coursing through his heart of thunder. While those aspects would give him sway with those outside of the Ling clan, Cousin Moshui would require a different tact. There was a man of ink and paper, of hidden words and moonlit secrets. It was… difficult to get along with him, too diverse in opinions on the direction of various projects joined with a streak of stubbornness that would make the ancient trees of the Emerald Seas proud. So, out of mutual understanding, Ling Feng and Cousin Moshui had agreed to stay out of each other's way. Which had been surprisingly successful. Until now of course. The current situation was deteriorating into an untenable position which meant drastic action was needed.
Knocking at Cousin Moshui's door, Ling Feng waited two heartbeats before hearing an invitation to enter. Opening the door with a gingerness born from long practice, he stepped into an office quite unlike his own. A large desk carved from dark wood took center stage, upon which were reams of paper. Bookshelves covered the walls, holding tomes with silvered lettering on each of the spines. In front of the desk stood a low small tea table holding a golden teapot emitting fragrant steam from the spout. Porcelain teacups had already been set and Cousin Moshui, a thin wispy man with delicate features who was a head shorter than himself, was already kneeling down at the table.
"Come! It has been too long since we have had tea," his cousin said with a smile and gestured at the cushion set at the other side of the table.
"Indeed," Ling Feng said, the words rumbling from the bottom of his chest. "It has been a busy time for the both of us."
"Well," Moshui began, "I am glad that we can take time from our duties to enjoy some tea. I hope it is to your liking, this is a new blend from the roots of Xiangmen itself."
Taking a seat at the proffered cushion, Ling Feng breathed in the aroma drifting around the tea. It was sweet, reminding him of wildflowers and gentle rains. Allowing his cousin to pour him a cup, he took a gentle sip and let the liquid linger on his tongue before swallowing it whole. As a sweet tea, it was quite good.
Pleasantries were exchanged, inquiring on various hobbies that each pursued in their dwindling free time. Cousin Moshui waxed eloquently about his efforts at translating some newly discovered literature from before Tsu the Diviner's ascension into prominence. Ling Feng returned with a more taciturn exploration of his woodcarving efforts. Before long, however, they lapsed into a short silence before turning to the reason for this meeting.
"I have read your proposal Feng, about assisting you in navigating through the various bureaucratic niceties to establish your own sect, and I have to admit some confusion about why you wish to begin such an endeavor. Especially given the fractionated nature of the Ling clan at the moment and our faction's effort at installing you as head of the clan's scouting force. Perhaps you can enlighten me as to your thought process?"
"For the same goal as always. Saving the Ling from factionalism."
"And yet," Moshui said with a sigh, "I can't see how this will help with that. Attempting to create a sect will take you out of the running for the position we need you in."
"Heian's faction has committed too much endorsing Cousin Yinying," Ling Feng said with a sharp smile forming, "an individual that the Bing and Yueliang factions do not care for."
Cousin Moshui began tapping the table, rhythmic clicking taking up space in the office. Then, after a few moments, he smiled as well. "You clever bastard. This is a Hui's gift, is it not? We'll approach the Bing and Yueliang with the information you want to make a sect and they'll throw themselves behind your new venture to get you out of the running. But they'll also turn away from the Heian's, they couldn't stand Yinying getting that position."
"The Heian's are clever enough to realize the trap."
"Of course they are!" Moshui said with a clap. "But that's the beauty of this! They'll know it is a trap but either option ruins their coalition. They can support your request and remove you from the running. Doing so, however, removes you as a figurehead to rally their coalition around, it'll descend into infighting about who should get the head scout position. Fighting against your request, however, creates the appearance that they are not wholeheartedly against our recommendation that you be selected for the position. A weakness that other members of their coalition will seek to leverage against them."
"Hence my request. You still talk out loud too much."
"Nonsense!" Cousin Moshui said with a small frown, "my voice is a gift from the Great Spirits themselves. Failing to speak when I have the opportunity would be akin to not cultivating when you have the spark! While I understand your taciturn nature, given your voice is like poorly quarried sandstone, not everyone should be burdened by…"
Waving a hand in front of Moshui's face to interrupt him, Ling Feng asked the final question. "Will you help?"
"Yes, yes," Cousin Moshui said, waving Ling Feng's hand away. "You'll get my assistance in this endeavor. But what will your sect focus on? At least to start. It'll need a focus at the start to make this seem like anything more than a political ploy."
"Violence and Storms."
A/N:
@yrsillar, another omake for the omake throne! This story percolated in my mind with the release of the Dune movie. Also, the idea that the Hui would have something negative named after them was too good to pass up. A Hui gift, then, is a gift that is as damaging to accept as it is to refuse. I hope you all enjoyed the read!
