Unintended Cultivator

V13 Chapter 36 – Too Many People

Sen did everything he could to minimize the ceremony when he left the capital. Once he’d decided it was time to move on, every delay started to grate on him. There were constant attempts to get just a few moments with him from all corners. Then there were the people trying to give him gifts in a final, futile attempt to buy his favor. The only part of the process that made it tolerable was seeing the mortals. When he and the army first entered the city, they had all been hiding. Now, they were lining the streets and trying to get a look at him. Most of the faces were curious, while a few were angry. Yet, there was very little fear to be found. He knew that could have been very different. So, he was grateful for that small victory.

When Sen finally reached the city gate, the new imperial governor was waiting there with a modest retinue. The man and all the people behind him bowed.

“Lord Lu,” said the new imperial governor.

“Governor,” replied Sen.

“We have come to wish you good fortune in your endeavors.”

Sen had to resist the urge to snort at that. This was nothing but an act put on for the crowds. The new governor had, up until a day or two ago, been an underling of one of Sen’s generals. A fact that had renewed irritation among all his generals. He’d learned early on that all of them had expected to be put in these kinds of positions. However, he suspected the reasoning and desire varied among them. For some, he knew it was pure greed. Being a governor over a province the size of a kingdom would have allowed them ample opportunities to make themselves rich at Sen’s expense. Others seemed to just see it as their due. A reward for service.

A very few seemed to believe that they were just the best-suited to the role. In fairness to that last group, they were probably right. The generals were used to managing large groups of mortals and navigating politics. The thing that Sen had never allowed himself to forget, however, was the way some of those generals had sought to undermine him and General Mo back in the capital. The generals he’d picked up from conquered armies were less obviously political, but he assumed that they all represented noble interests back in their own lands. So, he never chose any of them. Instead, he watched their underlings. He looked for the ones who seemed diligent, but not entirely under the sway of their seniors. It wasn’t a guarantee of good service, but he had to pick based on something.

Sen inclined his head to the new governor and said, “Your words are appreciated. Mind this province well, governor.”

“Yes, Lord Lu.”

With that, Sen was finally able to exit the city in the early morning light. That triggered the very slow process of the army moving away from the capital and resuming its long march to the south. Once he was out and away from the walls, Falling Leaf appeared from somewhere. Even Sen wasn’t quite sure where. He slowed and extended his qi platform, which she stepped onto without the slightest hesitation. This was something they’d become well-practiced at. He gave her a curious look.

“Where have you been recently?”

She gave him a predatory smile and said, “Watching the Feng make the cultivators shiver in fear.”

Sen glanced back to where many of the cultivators were moving together as a group. It was miles away, but his enhanced eyesight made it trivial to get a look at their faces. He’d been busy with the nobles and preparing the city for his departure, so he hadn’t been keeping a close eye on his teacher. Most of the cultivators looked, well, Sen had seen actual beaten dogs while living on the streets. Many of the cultivators bore more than a passing resemblance to those dogs. Not that there were any signs that they’d actually been beaten. However, the look in their eyes and the way they flinched at things said it all. Master Feng had broken many of them.

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Sen didn’t see that as a bad thing. Too many of them had far too high an opinion of themselves. He’d long thought that a dose of humility would prove beneficial for the entire group. There had never been a good opportunity at a good time for him to handle it himself. Now, it seemed he wouldn’t have to bother with it. He’d have to be sure to thank Master Feng the next time they saw each other.

“It’s good that we’re leaving that city,” said Falling Leaf.

“Why is that?”

“Cities aren’t good for you. Everyone is always asking you for things they don’t deserve. Or they’re telling you that they deserve things for no reason at all. They make you angry.”

“You’re not wrong about that. That is one thing I’ll say for the spirit beasts. They’re very straightforward about what they want. I may hate

what they want, but I never wonder what it is. It’s almost refreshing after dealing with nobles, politicians, and cultivators. You never really know what those people want. Half the time, the thing they say they want isn’t the thing they actually want. That means I’m constantly trying to figure out what they’re truly after, so I can decide if it’s worth the trouble of keeping it from them. It’s exhausting.”“Why don’t you say no to everything?” she asked with a curious expression on her face.

“Because I can’t, no matter how much I want to. The obviously selfish things are easy enough to deny. Unfortunately, not every request is unreasonable. Not everyone is trying to deceive. Many of the things people are asking for are necessary or will be necessary to keep the city up and running. But there are gray areas. Things that aren’t obviously selfish and might or might not be necessary. Some people want positions that aren’t, at first glance, easy to use for their own greed. However, just because I can’t always see how someone might abuse their position, it doesn’t mean they won’t. And even if they can’t abuse that position, I have to worry about what might happen if they advance to a position with more authority.”

“The Kho says that governments are just corruption wrapped up in a robe of law,” said Falling Leaf. “Is all of this what he means?”

Sen thought it over and said, “Yes, at least in part. A government isn’t a real thing. Not like a tree or a rock is a real thing. You can point to those and say, that’s a tree, or, that’s a rock. You can’t point at a government because a government is just a lot of people doing work. And because people are so often corrupt or weak, a government becomes corrupt or weak. When that happens, everyone suffers. It might not be obvious at first, but it becomes more and more apparent over time. It’s like someone who gets sicker and sicker. If nothing changes, the person eventually dies. The same thing happens to kingdoms with corrupt governments. The kingdom falls.”

Falling Leaf frowned as she thought that over. Eventually, she gave him another curious look.

“So, you’re trying to prevent corruption?”

“No,” answered Sen in a tired voice. “That would be ideal, but it’s not realistic. Not when we’re conquering kingdom after kingdom. The best I can do is try to keep the corruption from becoming so bad that my empire disintegrates behind me. It’s why I never make generals into governors. They’re too selfish, or greedy, or too tied to noble houses in whatever kingdom they came from. They’d inevitably try to declare themselves kings or recreate their old kingdom. Then, I’d have to reconquer these lands. I don’t want to have to do the same work twice. I particularly don’t want to have to butcher human beings for no reason. There’s going to be a lot fewer of us after all of this.”

Falling Leaf pondered all of that before she asked something Sen hadn’t been expecting.

“After the war, what will become of me? I can never reveal that I’m a ghost panther. I have no interest in being a human. What will I do?”

“You will do whatever you want. Any wish that I can grant you, I will grant it. If you want a kingdom of your own, I’ll build it. If you want a thousand miles of land to yourself, I will bestow it. And no one will ever bother you there. As for your status as a ghost panther, no one will care because you'll be a hero of the empire. People will sing songs about you. Mortal parents will tell their children to grow up to be like you. No cultivator will dare look sideways at you. After all, even after I’m forced to ascend, you will still be the close personal friend of my daughter, the empress, who adores you. To say nothing of being an ally to nascent soul demigods like Auntie Caihong and Uncle Kho. I mean it when I say, you will do whatever you want.”

Falling Leaf stared at him for several long seconds before she said, “Silly human boy, I don’t want a kingdom. Too many people.”