~~~

Xiao Shuang watches with bated breath as Liu Jin synchronizes his memories with those of his copy. Despite having the timing of the cycles committed to memory, she has been waiting in his study for the past two hours.

“Well?” she asks. Her entire body vibrates with anticipation. Her hands are balled into fists, which she holds up just below her chin.

Liu Jin smiles at her.

“As of two hours ago, they have safely arrived at Cloudburst Arena and have begun settling in," he says. "Xiao Nan is safe.”

“Magnificent!” Xiao Shuang says, doing a little jump. “Brother is going to be so happy!”

“I am rather surprised he is not here,” Liu Jin muses.

“He did not want to seem anxious. You know how childish he can be about his pride,” Xiao Shuang explains. “However, he has been beset with worry for Cousin Nan and Li Ren.”

Liu Jin blinks. So that’s his name.

“I was worried too, of course,” Xiao Shuang says. She breathes a sigh of relief and places a hand over her chest. “I can rest easy now, knowing Cousin Nan is safe and close by.”

“You do not plan on going?” Liu Jin asks her.

“I am not unaware of the circumstances,” Xiao Shuang replies. “I am your wife. Should I leave the safety of the Storm Dragon Palace, I’d expose myself to danger. Your enemies could attempt to use me to draw you out. That cannot be allowed to happen.”

“I am sorry,” Liu Jin says, his smile turning sad. “I have put you in an unpleasant position.”

“Don’t be,” Xiao Shuang says, shaking her head softly. “If it weren’t like this, it’d be my status that would put you in danger, husband. This is only a minor inconvenience. Cousin Nan will inevitably become a shining Emperor. Once he does, he will be here.”

Xiao Shuang’s Qi thrums softly as she speaks. It is not a deliberate expression of power but something deeper. Her Dao has become more defined over the past few days. The coldness in it has not grown weaker, but it is now accompanied by warmth, the joy of being with one’s family.

“My copy spoke with Big Sister Bai. She said something I can no longer dismiss." Not after seeing that chasm. Not after running into Somber Edge and being saved by Xiao Nan and the Duke. "I…If I were to ask the Divine Frozen Palace for aid, how many do you think will come here? How many will actually be willing to act to protect my citizens instead of merely standing guard around the palace?”

The Eternal Flame Clan promised him five hundred disciples, who are expected to arrive later today. As much as Liu Jin is thankful for them, the Eternal Flame Clan will ultimately act to protect their interests in his country. His citizens are rather low on that list. To truly ensure their safety, Liu Jin needs more.

“It is as I told you before, husband. There are many in the Divine Frozen Palace who would be glad to volunteer,” Xiao Shuang says. “The Divine Frozen Palace is by far the smallest of the Four Great Sects. Because of it, we are far less inconvenienced by the factionalism that so often plagues the other three. Our disciples are free to pursue their training, and many are eager to put that training to use.”

“And your master?”

Xiao Shuang grimaces.

“My master… would relish the chance to fight," Xiao Shuang answers, though it takes her great effort to do so.

“You dislike her that much?”

“Not at all. She’s like a mother to me,” Xiao Shuang says with complete and unfailing certainty.

“If that is the case,” Liu Jin begins with visible confusion, “why do you seem to be so against the idea of her coming here?”

“Because she’s a mother to me,” Xiao Shuang repeats with defeated finality. “My master is opinionated, willful, and of uncommon wisdom. She has a hard time acting in coordination with others and often angers people without realizing it. However, her instincts are second to none, and her character is unmatched. Victory will inevitably be drawn to her grasp. Do not hesitate to call on her. No more reliable ally than her exists.”

It is very curious. When Xiao Shuang speaks poorly of her, her words do not sound like insults. When Xiao Shuang speaks fondly of her, her words do not sound like praise. No matter what, the faith in her voice remains unwavering.

It is all far beyond Liu Jin's wisdom.

~~~

Pleased as Liu Jin is with Xiao Nan’s situation, his duties do not stop because of it. The Emperor’s day is always full of challenges. Some are tedious. Some are critical. Some are both. Hours after he and Xiao Shuang talked, the disciples promised to him by the Eternal Flame Clan arrive.

“I miss the days when I could punish you by ordering you to go pick Odious Crown Imperials. I do not think I could get away with it now.”

A tall and elegant beauty with dark hair and pure white skin. Elder Xue looks the same as she did when Liu Jin first met her over four years ago. Such is what is expected of an Emperor. However, that does not mean things have not changed. No longer is he the one going to her. Instead, Elder Xue is the one who requested a private audience with him. Despite objections from General Nie Dan, Liu Jin agreed to it. The throne room is empty save for the two of them.

“Would you believe me if I said I miss those days as well?” Liu Jin asks her. She smiles at him.

“Of course I would,” she says. “You have always had good sense. You just happen to be quite good at ignoring it whenever you do something reckless, which is often.”

“I have heard similar things far too often recently,” Liu Jin says, resting his cheek against his fist. “How is Elder Chang, by the way?”

Liu Jin gets the feeling that Elder Xue does not roll her eyes only because it would be improper.

“He is progressing along as expected. That is to say, he will be an Emperor sooner rather than later. He was always ready for it. It was only the matter of the succession that kept him from seclusion,” Elder Xue says. “However, I do not believe it is your esteem for Elder Chang that makes you ask.”

“He is someone who understands how important it is for Xun Huwen to be returned to the Punishment House,” Liu Jin replies honestly. “That alone is enough for me to hold him in great esteem.”

For Liu Jin, it is impossible to go to the other side of the Dead Plains to find Xun Huwen. However, that’s not the case for Elder Chang. If the man wants to do it, Liu Jin will support his quest in any way he can. A person like Xun Huwen is far too dangerous to be left to his own devices. The last thing the world needs is another Murong Bang.

“Your skin will wrinkle if you worry about too many things,” Elder Xue tells him.

“It is my nature to worry,” Liu Jin replies. “For instance, I worry about why is it that you are here, Elder Xue.”

“Oh?” She smiles. “Has it escaped your notice that I am bringing the disciples who will help defend your poor borders?”

“Not at all,” Liu Jin says. “However, and forgive me for being blunt, the Eternal Flame Clan did not hesitate to send us on our own to the Dead Plains once upon a time. There was no need for an Elder like you to escort them here. Senior Brother Lotus was deemed sufficient last time.”

“Would you believe me if I said I was worried about you and wanted to see you with my own eyes and scold you a little to ease my worries?” Elder Xue asks him.

“Of course I would, and I’m also very glad to see you,” Liu Jin replies. “However, I do not believe that’s the only reason why you are here.”

Elder Xue’s smile grows approving.

“Good. I will be frank, then. It was deemed necessary for certain matters to be discussed in person. Due to our closeness, I was the one chosen for it,” she tells him. “Bringing the disciples just provided a good excuse.”

“What matters?” Liu Jin asks, leaning in. “I assume this does not have anything to do with Feng Hao. Otherwise, it’d be Lady Ling here.”

Lord Feng Gui would simply never come before him. It was one thing for them to meet when they happened to be in the same city, but the future Patriarch of the Eternal Flame Clan would never lower himself by seeking an audience with someone who, in his mind, should be his subordinate.

“Even if Young Feng Hao were involved, it would not be Ling here,” Elder Xue says. Her smile turns into a smirk. “That woman hates putting herself in a position of inferiority. While she is still stronger than you in pure cultivation, the reality of your growing power is starting to set in. You are not just a promising and useful talent anymore. That woman has realized she will be surpassed very quickly if things continue like this. It has been fun watching her work on her cultivation after so long.”

Liu Jin blinks. He hadn’t put much into it, but he and Lady Ling are now in the same realm of cultivation. He may be at the bottom of it, and she might be at the top, but that’s the same as the difference between her and Xun Huwen when they fought.

“Your growth has been exemplary, Your Majesty. I met you as a young lad in the Spirit Realm. A little over four years have passed, and you have become a man in the Heaven Realm,” Elder Xue says. She says it with so much warmth and pride that Liu Jin blushes a little. “However, no matter how proud I am of you, that is absolutely not the norm.”

“Is there any point in mentioning what is normal when talking about people like us?” Liu Jin asks her. “If you walk around this palace all day, the only people who can be considered normal are the servants, and even then, not all of them.”

“True enough,” Elder Xue says, nodding. “Prodigies exist in every generation, but this one is particularly blessed. Do you realize that every single participant chosen to represent the Eternal Flame Clan in the Crimson Cloud Tournament happens to have been close to you at one point or another? It is quite a curious thing. It is almost, and please do forgive the outlandish idea, as if you were involved in their growth.”

Elder Xue laughs.

Liu Jin does not.

A long time ago, his master said that turning a talentless idiot into someone who could defeat a once-in-a-generation prodigy would be a simple matter for him. From anyone else, it would have been an outrageous boast, but his master had not been boasting. He even claimed it was the reason why he had so many enemies. Considering how problematic Art of the Roaming Thief seems to be, the last bit was probably not the full truth.

Regardless, his skill was true. From him, Liu Jin learned how to unblock and improve someone's meridians, but what his master had been talking about went so much deeper than that. Liu Jin realized it when he saw his master's first meeting with the masked woman. When she reshaped his master’s body, she didn't just make him healthy. She turned the body of a starving orphan into the body of a prodigy. Factions such as the Eternal Flame Clan have spent generations adding numerous gifted bloodlines to their own. That woman gave Old Jiang a body that was superior to theirs with a flick of her wrist.

Liu Jin, even when experimenting with his own body, has never gone that far. He might understand the theory, and he might have experienced it through the memory jades, but manipulating someone’s body to such a degree is too difficult and dangerous. It says much that he deemed it safer to work on manipulating tribulation lightning when preparing for the tournament.

However, that does not mean he has not made any changes to himself and others. Little things. Minor improvements. The first time it happened was in the Dead Plains. They had just overcome a Core Disciple through some planning and a lot of luck, but there was no telling how much luck they had left.

Thus, Liu Jin had discreetly improved the meridians of some of his companions without ever telling them he was doing it. It had been easy since he was in charge of treating their injuries. Liu Jin might have also done it a few other times after that. Both because he was grateful for their help and because the dangers ahead were many.

One thing Liu Jin had realized was that his master's reputation was mostly known on the other side of the Dead Plains, meaning the risk of discovery was relatively low. Besides, the modifications Liu Jin was making were all very minor things. He went a little further with the three former disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan because he needed them to reach the Heaven Realm, but they were already tied too closely to him for it to matter.

Unfortunately, little things add up over the years.

Huang Shing, Bei Hong, Lu Mei, and even Fan Bingbing are generational talents that would have become exceptional without his involvement. That should be obvious to everyone. Fan Bingbing had the attention of Elder Ju long before Liu Jin joined the Eternal Flame Clan, and Lu Mei was born with a high aptitude for the Eternal Flame.

However, people such as Ten Zichun, Ni Cai, Gan Nanfeng, and even Pan Qiu were nothing more than “ordinary” Inner Disciples. Nothing about them should have propelled them to the heights they have reached. Of those four, only Ni Cai was not chosen to participate in the Crimson Cloud Tournament.

Usually, delegations for the Crimson Cloud Tournament are made up of disciples close to the age limit. The Eternal Flame Clan’s delegation was made up of people close to Liu Jin. The leaders of the Eternal Flame Clan are many things, but they are not foolish. They must already have some idea. This is not something he can play off.

And yet, he cannot possibly admit to it.

“That is certainly an outlandish idea,” Liu Jin says. “I am just fortunate enough to have encountered reliable companions. It was the Eternal Flame Clan that provided a nourishing ground for us to flourish.”

“Yes, that is what I thought as well,” Elder Xue says, nodding along with him. “I said as much to Lord Feng Gui before coming here. In light of recent events, some of which His Majesty has been involved in, he is rather worried about the future. It is his hope that other disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan can be similarly inspired to grow.”

Ah.

So, it is like that.

“The ones you brought here?” Liu Jin asks.

“Perhaps by being near His Majesty, they might find their talent flourishing,” Elder Xue says. Liu Jin chuckles.

“Perhaps that might happen to some,” Liu Jin says. "Of course, that might depend on how safe the country is. With more disciples, it'd be easier to guarantee that."

"Rest assured that the Eternal Flame Clan wishes nothing more than the safety of your country," Elder Xue says. "If more is needed, more could be provided.”

Liu Jin tilts his head. “That easily?”

“Does more need to be said?” Elder Xue asks him, shrugging.

He has not admitted or promised anything, and neither has she. No treaty will be drafted. No document will be signed. Yet, the understanding remains. Perhaps that is the way of things.

"I suppose you are right," Liu Jin says.

"Good," Elder Xue says. She brings her hands together in a clap. "Now that there is no longer any need to speak of such boring things, will you show me your work station? Do not expect me to believe you have been too busy for alchemical work.”

Liu Jin smiles and rises from the throne.

“Nothing would please me more,” he says. “I have been working on something interesting lately. Are you familiar with the Elixir of the Enduring Fall?”

“That old thing?” Elder Xue asks as she and Liu Jin walk out of the throne room. “Don’t tell me you are working on a solution for the internal damage.”

“That’s exactly it,” Liu Jin replies. “I’ve been considering adding blue spirit grass.”

“An unusual choice. How do you plan on getting around the adverse reactions when combined with the heartwood?”

“That's the interesting part. Remember the Odious Crown Imperials?”

Their conversation soon echoes throughout the hallways of the palace.

~~~