CC3 -Ch15- (Patreon)

Ash had left the meeting hall shortly afterward and proceeded to make his way to the royal mansion. Given it’s size it was hard to miss it regardless of where you were on the royal family grounds.

To the point that he hadn’t needed to ask Locke for assistance and left her to her work. He knew that she was diligently doing her best on his behalf at this moment.

There was no need to trouble her with something so insignificant when he could literally see one of the several chimneys sticking up into the skyline.

Walking along a path that looked to lead right up to a side door of the mansion, Ash kept his hands behind his back and a watchful eye. He had seen signs of a disturbance in many places.

Pools of blood, broken weapons or armor, and even a number of corpses.

It was obvious that this rebellion was still ongoing and the victor wasn’t quite settled. That there was still a question as to who would rise up on top.

Ash could feel that there were something close to twenty people up ahead of him. Just out of sight at a bend in the path. Right before he’d reach the door to the mansion, in fact.

There was a great deal of killing intent coming from them as well, but it felt hollow. Almost as if it was coming from a small child rather than a cultivator.

In the next moment Ash realized why he felt that way.

They were just royal guards without a hint of Qi in them. Empowered through enhanced weaponry and armor, but without any actual power in their bodies other than what their muscles provided.

Nor did it feel as if that hostility was directed at Ash personally, but anyone in general.

They weren’t going to be a problem for him, nor were they in a large enough number to prevent him from escaping it they attempted to be one.

Walking into their field of view Ash was already looking in their direction. Staring them down even as they locked eyes with him.

He didn’t change his pace, nor did he deviate from his path.

Instead he gazed at them as if he were passingly curious and little more. They meant next to nothing to him and didn’t merit a more studious inspection.

As a tiger or a lion might as they padded by on their way to find something to kill and eat.

“H-halt,” said one of the guards in a semi-firm voice. “Please identify yourself.”

Well, they aren’t the royal guard for nothing.

Father was nothing more than a city guard in a similar position.

If he has the courage to speak up to me, I’ll give him the dignity of a response.

“Ashley Sheng, husband to Ju Langye. Or I suppose Ju Sheng, depending on how you look at it, though I think her maiden name holds more importance,” said Ash to the man who had spoken. “The king has requested my presence.”

“Ah, yes. We were informed, thank you, lord Sheng,” said the guard who had challenged him.

Lord Sheng? That’s curious.

“To be fair, while we both know your power is that of a middling Mortal Refiner, you can easily go toe-to-toe with an Empowered Mortal,” Locke said in an offhand way. “So the title isn’t far off I’d suppose. You know, given that the realm lord is probably a stagnated peak Empowered Mortal or a crippled Enlightened Mortal.

“Though they’re really more referring to the fact that you’re married to… well… the crowned princess. If Hu dies, she’ll become the Queen of the realm. That’d be rather interesting for a Cultivator to become the consort of a queen.”

Ash tipped his head to the guards and then opened the door and entered the mansion. He didn’t have time to spare really. He was sure Hu would ask him to do something.

If he were in his position, Ash would most definitely make use of all available resources. Regardless of how long they’d been in the family or not.

Almost before he even closed the door Ash was approached by what looked like a familial servant in the royal colors. He had very generic looking face and features, someone who would blend in quite well in whatever setting he was in.

“Ah, lord Sheng, please follow me,” said the young man with a deep bow. “I will take you to his majesty directly.”

“Lead the way,” Ash said with a smile and a gesture of his hand.

The young man turned and began to move quickly toward a closed door on the far side of the room they were in. He pulled the door open and stood to the side, waiting out of sight and then bowed his head to Ashley.

Putting his hands behind his back once again, Ash entered the new room.

He found himself in what looked like a large living room type of layout.

Clearly everything had been hastily pulled out of the room and it’d been rearranged. It was now fitted with several large tables, a great many chairs, and one larger chair at one end of the room with nothing else beside it other than a small table at the right side.

Ah yes, because royal dignity must be separated from the rest.

Seated in the chair was Hu. He looked very uncomfortable though did manage to look dignified and royal as well. Behind him were a number of cultivators. A couple looked like they might be the ones who had assisted his father, but there were also others Ash hadn’t seen before.

He got the feeling that they were likely strong for their levels, but no match for Ash or his group.

Lining the walls were a number of royal guards that were watching everyone carefully.

At one of the tables closest to Hu was Ju as well as Na, Tala, Liu, Biyu, Shu, and Lifen.

Neither Chunhua or Jia was visible as far as he could see. That didn’t mean anything was wrong, but that they were still running Hou down.

Many of the chairs were taken up by what looked like local noble families, merchants, and people he couldn’t quite place. The well to do of Xing city or those that likely could influence things.

In the corner of the room, their head and hands in a portable stockade, knelt Tyan-yu. One of his eyes was swollen shut and it looked like that side of his face was swelling up.

I bet he wouldn’t shut up until someone slapped him till he lost a tooth.

“Ah! Brother!” said Hu, practically leaping out of his chair. Before anyone could say or do anything, Hu was closing in on Ash quickly.

“Your majesty,” Ash said with a respectfully deep bow of his head. “I came as soon as I finished up my investigation so that I could be of assistance to you.”

“Yes, yes,” Hu said, coming right up to Ash. He wrapped an arm around Ash and began pulling him directly toward Ju and her table.

Tala, who had been sitting next to Ju, said something to Shu who sat next to her. Shu then slid down the bench, followed by Tala doing the same.

A space was opened up next to Ju that was clearly intended for Ash.

“I must confess I have a favor I have to ask of you. A royal mission of great importance,” Hu said, leading Ash to the recently vacated seat.

Taking the hint, and deciding to add a bit of visible character development to the situation, Ash sat down next to Ju, and then slid his hand into hers. He quickly intertwined his fingers through hers, then leaned over and kissed the beautiful princesses directly on the lips. Lingering for only a second.

Ju’s hand had frozen in his hand, the woman clearly surprised at the action. By the time he’d gone in for the kiss, she’d leaned back into him to return the kiss quite warmly, having recovered her mental faculties and clearly realizing what he was attempting to do.

It made it considerably easier for him that she’d done so. He didn’t doubt for an instant every eye had been on him as he’d kissed the princess either.

There would be no end to the talk around town that there was more than just a paper that joined the Sheng and Langye households. Which was what was needed right now.

This was an opportunity for Ash to forge something that would propel his family, his alliance, his goals, further. He could propel them much higher and far faster with the help of the Lower Realm’s king than he could on his own.

Sitting back into a normal position in his seat, Ash looked to Hu.

“Of course, your majesty. What can I do for you?” Ash asked.

“I need you to leave for the Imperial City. Langye itself. As soon as you can, as fast as you can,” Hu said with a sad looking smile. “I fear that the family members I have there will be under duress soon.

“If I don’t miss my guess, than the royal guards in the capital will likely be split as evenly, if not more so, than they were here. Divided between myself and that traitorous bastard’s family in the corner there.

“I would normally ask you to wait until we’ve gotten all the information out of him, but he isn’t talking yet. I don’t think he’ll talk easily or quickly, either. So I must ask you to go ahead as my vanguard. I hate to ask this of you as you’ve just arrived and only seated yourself, but this really is of the utmost importance.”

Hm. Having me seated next to Ju was all to show I was family, then he moved straight on to the request, despite it being an immediate request.

This all makes sense.

Sending me to secure the other parts of his family works in more ways then one.

He’s sending a powerful ally, his brother-in-law, and someone who he could trust to speak in his voice. As well as someone who could get there faster than news could as well I imagine.

“If we pushed ourselves, supplemented with some basic pills, and were willing to go through some rather serious inconvenience, yes. We could outrun a messenger bird, horseback rider, or runner.

“I’ll leave immediately,” Ash said and then looked to Ju. “Is that well with you, wife?”

Blinking several times, Ju hid her surprise at being asked her opinion quite well.

“I’d be very relieved if you could go and do this, husband,” Ju said with a smile. “I worry for my mother, younger siblings, nieces, and nephews. They’re all there and have no idea of what’s happened.”

Ash nodded his head, then started to lean toward the princess again.

This time she beat him to it and had already leaned in to him. Her hand came up and cupped his jaw as she kissed him for several seconds before she released him.

“Go with my blessing and warm wishes for your safe return,” she murmured and gave him another smile.

Rather than respond, Ash got to his feet and looked to Hu.

Behind him, the rest of his group got up as well. The sound of their arms and armor clattering as it all shifted into place. It was followed by what sounded like fabric shifting around. Ash wanted to turn around to see what that was about, but he didn’t want to look away from the king.

“They’re putting their hats and veils back into place,” answered Locke.

“Thank you, brother. I honestly hoped you would say yes, so I prepared this for you,” Hu said and then held out a document case to him.

“Scanned,” Locke chirped. “There’s a letter to you in the case that describes more of what he would like you to do. Apparently his family is a concern, but not the primary one.

“He didn’t want to say it aloud, but his primary concern is the treasury. If someone from Hou’s faction gets to the treasury before someone from his own then it’s likely he’ll lose the thrown.

“If you can’t pay soldiers, guards, clerks, ministers, and everyone else, then they won’t stay. So you’re essentially his only chance to get to the treasury before Hou’s people can. You will very much need to outrun any and all types of communication.

“He includes his seal as the king of the Lower Realm. You hold a great deal of power by having it in your possession.”

Great.

Well, this is my boulder to shove uphill.

Let’s hope it doesn’t run me over in my endeavor.

I’ll take Na and Tala with me.

We’ll leave Liu, Biyu, Shu, and Lifen here to look after our collective interests. As well as my parents. I’m sure there will be more chaos here than anyone suspects.

Hopefully Chunhua and Jia can catch up to me at Langye once they finish up.

We’ll grab those weapons from the auction house on the way out. I’ll show that fancy seal Hu gave me.

Ash took the case, flung it into the Hall, and then bowed his head to Hu.

Then left.

***

Running full out Ash, Tala, and Na sprinted down the road toward the Imperial City. Given that it was paved, maintained and free of interruptions, there was no reason not to race along it.

It’d guide them the entire way there without them needing to consult a map or a guide for anything. Moving at maximum speed available to them.

Tala and Ash ran in a similar style while Na ran in that silly head down way that many of the Cultivators in the veil did. They were all moving with great speed, however.

“Something coming up behind us. The speed on it is quite high. It’s also throwing off a great deal of Qi and-oh, nevermind. It’s just Jia riding a wave summoned by Chunhua,” remarked Locke in a weird way. “It looks like Chunhua summoned the wave and Jia captured it with her affinity and made it hers.

“Infused it with her Qi and… and now they’re riding it. How very curious.”

Riding it?

“More or less. Chunhua is more or less swimming along inside a very fast moving wave of water,” Locke explained. “Doesn’t look very comfortable if I’m being completely honest about it.”

Ash came to a complete stop and turned around, looking back the way they’d come from.

Distantly he could see the wave coming for them. Crashing along the road in a never ending movement. As if it were made by a wave machine.

Na and Tala both rejoined him, standing at either side of him.

“It’s Jia and Chunhua,” Ash panted heavily.

After running for an entire day without rest he was feeling pretty winded. Winded and tired of relying on pills and elixirs to keep himself moving.

“Oh,” Tala got out, her hands on one hip and her sword hilt.

Her new sword hilt.

Tala seemed quite happy with it and often held onto the hilt or the pommel in a casual way.

“Heh. No sense in wasting that wave of hers,” said Ash, looking to Tala, then Na. “If they caught up to us this quickly, it’s likely much faster than what we were doing.

“So let’s let it happen. We’re going to let that wave crash right over us and take us with it.”

Before either woman could say something, Ash expelled Qi out from his hands and willed it into shape. Forming a sphere out of it and encasing himself, Tala, and Na in it. Pressing them in close to try and conserve his Qi usage.

“Well, I don’t mind you using this as an excuse to touch my Elegant Self,” said Tala in an amused voice. “Though I dislike you used it as a means to touch another as well.”

“She’s almost here. Brace yourself, she’s not stopping at all,” warned Locke.

Ash grabbed hold of Na and Tala both.

Several seconds later and Ash felt the wave slam into the ball of Qi.

It lifted it easily right off the ground, causing Ash to feel a moment of complete weightlessness. There was also the sound of rushing water all around them.

“She’s stabilized you. You can open the front quarter of the sphere. Might want to get them both in here as well,”advised Locke.

Ash did as instructed and opened the front quarter of the sphere.

He had a sudden view of the road rushing under them and the scenery spinning past on either side. They were indeed moving very fast.

“Get in here!” Ash shouted over the sound of the crashing water.

Reaching down he laid his palms to the bottom of the sphere and began adding more Qi to it. Expanding it till it could comfortably fit five people.

At the same time, Chunhua and Jia both tumbled in.

They were the very definition of water logged from head to toe. Water streaming down from their clothes and everywhere that it could it seemed.

To the point that Ash made a small hole at the bottom for it to drain out of. There was enough pressure and momentum that it worked well enough though he did worry that water might seeping back in at some point.

“That is a lot better,” said Jia, getting up out of the crouch she’d been in. “And honestly, it is a lot easier to control all that water from here. It was getting a little mind numbing trying to tread water and move all that water at the same time.

“Much easier to just balance a Qi sphere like this. Reminds me of the test we took together before we joined the sect, Ashley.”

Chunhua sighed reached up to push at the mess of wet tangles that was her hair.

“I shall never look at water or bathing the same way, but it did what we needed it to,” she said with a shake of her head. “We caught up to you. I regret to say that we didn’t catch Hou. He’s still at large and likely heading for the Imperial City, as well.”

“That’s fine,” Ash said with a small shake of his head and then sat down in the partially water filled sphere. He didn’t care and he’d dry eventually, it was warm out. “We’ll catch him eventually and push our family to the top with this.

“Couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to make everything happen for us. The Sheng will rise. All we have to do is play our part and play it well.”

“As it should, Master,” Na confirmed instantly. “All will see it’s rise to prominence. We’ll not be restricted to the lowest realm either.”

“Well said,” agreed Locke.