novelraw Book 12: Chapter 47: You Hold Grudges
Book 12: Chapter 47: You Hold Grudges
Book 12: Chapter 47: You Hold GrudgesThe heads lining the walls of the Soaring Skies Sect compound seemed a bit overly dramatic, but Laughing River looked quite pleased with himself. Sen was willing to concede that the spectacle made a very direct and difficult-to-misinterpret statement. I suppose it’s better to be too blunt than not blunt enough in these circumstances, thought Sen.
“So, about that granddaughter of mine,” said Laughing River with a big grin. “Rumor has it that she’s been entertaining you.”
“Is that what the rumors say?” asked Sen.
“It is.”
“Well, you should certainly take that as fact, given how reliable rumors always are.”
“Heh. It seems you have learned one or two things since we last met.”
Sen arched an eyebrow before stepping into a shadow on one side of the elder fox and back out of a shadow on the other side.
“I’ve definitely learned more than one thing.”
“So, the madwoman really did teach you something. I never would have thought she had it in her.”
“Who said I learned that from her?” asked Sen with a knowing little smile. “Rumor has it that I’m some kind of heavens-kissed genius.”“Oh, you have come a distance, haven’t you? Keep going like this, and you might actually survive this foolish war.”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” said Sen. “It’s a long way between here and victory.”
“I said survive, not win. You’ve got a lot farther to go before victory is on the table.”
“True enough,” said Sen before looking at the heads on the wall again. “So, do you think the sect has been sufficiently softened by your new decorations?”
“I would imagine so. Having most of your leaders contract an abrupt case of death tends to have a chilling effect on defiance.”
“Who would have guessed?” asked Sen.
“Who, indeed? So, are you going to ask about it?”
“Ask about what?”
“About whatever it is that has you concerned.”
“What makes you think that I’m concerned?”
“I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have. You just get a sense for these things.”
Sen gave the elder fox a long look before he said, “I’m not sure you’ve been entirely honest about why you’re being so helpful. I believe that you’re trying to save the nine-tail foxes, but I have the sense that there’s more to it.”
Laughing River rolled his eyes a little and said, “You say all of that like it’s complicated. It’s not complicated.”
“Everything is complicated when foxes get involved. I’m given to understand that’s even more true when it comes to very old foxes.”
“Well, this isn’t complicated. It’s very simple.”
“Enlighten me,” said Sen.
“You hold grudges. And since I think there’s a good chance that we’ll both ascend, I don’t want you holding one against me. Forever is a long time to be looking over your shoulder.” ṛἁℕꝊ₿ÊS̈
“I don’t hold grudges,” muttered Sen.
Laughing River pointed at the Soaring Skies Sect compound and said, “Oh, really?”
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Sen didn’t look, but he did say, “Fine. I hold grudges occasionally, but are you saying I shouldn’t have held one against this sect?”
“Obviously not. I don’t care about this sect at all. I care about whether you’re going to hunt me after ascension for things I got wrong here. I’d prefer you didn’t. There’s going to be enough of that without having you on my list of concerns.”
A petty part of Sen wanted to let the elder fox keep worrying about it. Not because Sen was holding a grudge, but because Laughing River had been an enormous hassle on more than one occasion. It felt good to have the fox feeling uncertain for once. A cynical part of Sen thought that keeping Laughing River off balance might also be a good way to get more out of the fox, but he immediately recognized that for the extremely dangerous idea it was. Laughing River might go along for a while, but it would be bad if he figured out that Sen was using him. After all, that looking over one’s shoulder forever thing could cut both ways.
“Just how many people have you made angry enough that they’d want you dead that badly?” asked Sen.
“I was young once. Young people make stupid choices, and I was no exception. Admittedly, your master probably has a longer list of people who want him dead than I do, but my list isn’t that much shorter.”
That was something that Sen had never considered. Master Feng had been around for a very long time. It would stand to reason that at least some of his enemies or people who were close to his enemies might have ascended at some point. If they were angry enough, they might well be waiting to take their vengeance in whatever place people went after they ascended. I guess that’s one problem I’ll avoid by ascending fast, thought Sen. Then again
, I might have enemies waiting for me regardless of that. He decided that there really wasn’t any benefit to creating a potential enemy.“While it would probably amuse me to let you dangle on this for a while,” said Sen, “I just don’t have the energy for that foolishness. So, feel free to stop worrying about me. I’m not holding that kind of grudge against you.”
“What kind of grudge are you holding?”
“The kind where I reserve the right to make your life hard in non-lethal ways at some time in the near or distant future.”
Laughing River studied him briefly before he said, “I’m going to choose to view that as a minor victory.”
Sen tried to think of a way to extend the conversation as a means of avoiding what came next, but he couldn’t think of anything. That made him wonder if he was tired. It had been a while since he last slept. Accepting the inevitable, he nodded to Laughing River and walked over to the gate of the Soaring Skies Sect. It had been opened, and he saw some of the cultivators who had traveled with him from the capital guarding the gate. Once he stepped inside, he found Song Lan observing the remaining sect members. They were all eyeing her warily. An expression they transferred to him almost immediately.
He didn’t bother with theatrics, aside from lifting himself up on a qi platform so everyone could see him. Having been through the process or similar ones in the past meant that he didn’t even need to think through what to say. Sen just presented the options, such as they were. Then, he gave them ten minutes to decide whether they preferred a life in service or to take their chances with reincarnation. Song Lan eyed him as he lowered the qi platform and walked over to join her.
“Did you intend for that to be blood chilling?” she asked.
“Not particularly,” said Sen. “Although, it’s probably not a bad thing if it was.”
“Why is that?”
“If it was blood chilling, none of them should make the mistake of trying to bargain.”
The Matriarch seemed uncertain about how to respond to that comment, and an awkward silence fell between the two as they waited. A few minutes later, Falling Leaf came out of the crowd, leading two familiar faces. Both Shen Mingxia and Wu Meng Yao were pale. Once she’d deposited the two in front of him, Falling Leaf took up station next to him. She seemed much more interested in the crowd than she did in the women she’d found for him. Shen Mingxia looked like she very much wanted to say something to him, but she didn’t. Wu Meng Yao did find her voice.
“Will you really kill the ones who don’t make the vow?” she asked.
“Yes,” answered Sen. “I try not to make threats unless I’m willing to follow through on them.”
“Then, why are we here and not waiting with everyone else?”
“Shen Mingxia is here because my daughter likes her, and I know the quality of her character. I don’t need a vow from her to know she’ll do the right things. You’re here because she’d be upset if I killed you. And if you can’t or won’t make the vow, I’ll have to kill you. So, the two of you will stand here and keep the Matriarch company while I find out what’s going to happen to the rest of your sect.”
It seemed that Laughing River had done a very thorough job of killing the people who didn’t like Sen. Either that, or his culling had scared the rest of them so much that it convinced them that a life of service was preferable. Sen only had to kill a bare handful of people who just couldn’t bring themselves to make the vow and mean it. After that, he made the problem of dealing with all the new “volunteers” Song Lan’s responsibility. He went through the sect, collected what he wanted, and eventually returned to where the sect’s alchemists usually worked. As he considered the cauldrons, Sen decided it was high time for him to evaluate the skills of the alchemists who would be traveling with the army.