The Laughing Monk I (Patreon)

It is said that every step a young cultivator takes is a step made in defiance of Heaven just as it is said that every step an old cultivator takes is in tune with Heaven. Such is the nature of cultivation, to rage against the laws of Heaven till one becomes it.

Song Yuelin had become Heaven. By that standard, it was only natural that the cultivators he looked down on would defy him.

Young Master Chen’s ploy had been clever and his decisiveness surprising. Few would think to use such a valuable beast core simply to escape. Judging from the strength of its detonation it had to belong to one of the higher bloodlines. Just one of the many treasures Young Master Chen seemed to keep in reserve. Song Yuelin had been forced to activate his Dead Night Armor while simultaneously striking out with his full force to avoid taking a fatal injury. A reaction that was only possible through the accumulation of experience. 

Song Yuelin knew other Liquid Meridian realms who would have died in the same situation. He had underestimated Young Master Chen far too much.

The explosion had forced him out of the valley and back into the frankly ludicrous mountain of gold taels Young Master Chen summoned. In the next instant, Song Yuelin was diving down into the river once again. He immediately stretched out his senses and shadows as soon as he hit the water and shot down the river like a loosed arrow. A sky-blue pearl shined from its hidden place within his robe and a translucent film covered him, letting him breathe beneath the water and removing what little resistance it placed on him.

He followed the course of the river through its underground path till it opened up into another waterfall on the other side of the mountain that fell into an even deeper valley. Over the next three days, he plumbed the depths of that valley and swept the river in both directions multiple times. It was on the fourth day that Song Yuelin gave up the search. It was impossible that Young Master Chen had been killed in the fall and even more impossible that he wouldn’t have found a body had that been the case. It was equally impossible that he could have avoided Song Yuelin’s search. On his own at least. There was the possibility that Young Master Chen possessed a treasure that helped him escape from the river. Given the treasures he’d already displayed it wasn’t so outlandish a theory.

The question then was where did he go? Trying to track him now was an exercise in futility, there were no traces to even hint at a direction. 

Song Yuelin was left with only one option. 

———————

“Manager Song,” said the startled servant. “You’ve returned.” The morning staff had woken up to find Song Yuelin pacing the entrance hall of the manor, having snuck back into Clearsprings City in the middle of the night. It was an unfortunate truth that he did not understand the Young Master enough to guess where he would go. Thus he could only return to the city and hope for news.

“Where is Lady Fen,” he Song Yuelin said. Lan Fen had been the first person he sought out as soon as he returned. Predictably however she was nowhere to be seen. 

“She left with her people the day after you and Young Master Chen did,” the servant stammered. “She has yet to return.”

Nor did he expect her to. Without him here there was nothing to ward off her family’s Liquid Meridian realms, going into hiding was the safest option. He would have to wait for her to reveal herself when she made her move against the Lan family. Not that there was any guarantee that Young Master Chen would return to her side. He simply didn’t know enough about the boy to make any hard calls on what he might do next.

He stopped. No, not a boy. Boys did not successfully escape from Liquid Meridian realms. That unconscious disrespect is what had seen Young Master Chen slip through his fingers in the first place.

Song Yuelin sighed and massaged his temples. How had things so spiraled out of control? When he had first received the report from Manager Lin about the Young Master’s strange behavior and sudden influx of wealth he didn’t put it in his eyes at all. Such a small matter hadn’t been worth reporting to Lord Chen and seeing as how he’d been given a period of rest Song Yuelin decided to make a short trip to Clearsprings City, resolve whatever the issue was, then return to the Chen family for merit. It was supposed to be a relaxing change of pace compared to his typical business. 

Not this mess.

 He should have left after meeting Young Master Chen. He should have left after discovering the Mourning Pool. He should have left after their talk in the wake of Lan Fen’s assault on the Lan Family. He should have left before he mixed his personal feelings with his duty once again. 

Song Yuelin had been curious, he told himself. He’d long managed the reports of Young Master Chen’s behavior so seeing that he was so different in person was fascinating. He was bored, he argued. Even killing grew banal after so many decades, this was refreshing in comparison. He had to get to the bottom of these mysterious resources, he reasoned. He had to do his duty to the Chen family and help them develop.

All lies. Chen Qitao’s son had shown him empathy. Song Yuelin was trapped in chains of his own making.

At his waist, his Thunder Messenger Jade shook. Song Yuelin twitched and gently thumbed the fiery word carved into its flat surface.

Report

Speak of Chen and he shall appear. Song Yuelin channeled his qi into the jade and carved out his own brusque reply.

I have lost the Second Young Master.

It was not the report he was supposed to give. There was an uncomfortably long pause. He could imagine the look he’d receive had he said such a thing in person.

Empire?

On his own.

It was a humiliating admission. Song Yuelin had many peers, both enemy and colleague, who would laugh themselves to death hearing that one so far beneath him in cultivation managed to escape right before his eyes. Only fools and dead men placed their pride in front of Chen Qitao however. 

There was another pause. Song Yuelin went over the scene in his mind. The calm deliberation. The idle tapping of his fingers against his desk. The eventual answer.

Leave him be.

“You really were worried for nothing, Young Master Chen,” he murmured.

It would take more than just treasure to make Chen Qitao blink. 

Shen Jianyu?

Gone

The only stroke of good fortune to be had in this situation was that the peacock prince left not long after they did. Whatever his reasons for coming here, it hadn’t been for them or the port. Miracle of miracles the City Lord hadn’t given anything away, although for safety’s sake they would have to restrict ships from docking in the region for the next few months. 

Return

Song Yuelin exhaled a shaky breath. It was not an unexpected order but he still felt torn. He had much he wanted to say to Young Master Chen.

Acknowledged

It would not stop him from doing his duty, however.

He put away the jade and turned toward the entrance doors. It was time to deal with his other problem.

The doors shattered into a shower of splinters and Lan Xishen strode into the manor surrounded by armed guards. “Lan Fen,” he bellowed. “Chen Haoran. Present yourselves!” Qi pitched his demand and carried it across the estate. 

Song Yuelin heard shattering porcelain and the panicked shouts of the servants coming from within the manor. He frowned.

 Lan Xishen stopped short after seeing Song Yuelin, his eyes widening. “It’s a trap!” Green energy gathered around his palms and a misty green qi flowed from his body like a spring breeze and swept toward Song Yuelin.

Liquid shadow spilled from his sleeves and blocked the opposing qi. The other Lan family warriors assumed a defensive formation. Song Yuelin hummed. More liquid shadow flooded towards the warriors, forcing Lan Xishen to defend them.

What were the odds that the Lan family would come to cause trouble the same day he returned? Why would they think Young Master Chen and Lan Fen were here and not him? The answer was obvious. They were fooled.

“It seems I’ve underestimated Lady Fen as well,” Song Yuelin said. She knew he returned to the manor. Perhaps she had left behind spies in the staff? He was more disturbed from losing Young Master Chen than he thought to not notice such a thing. “That’s twice now.” He really had looked down on the two of them far too much. With a twist of liquid shadow, two curved obsidian daggers fell into his hands.

He would not make that mistake again.

“You are trespassing on Chen family property.” His smile was grim. “Die.”