Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 6

Before Envoy Po returned to the divine realm, he would attend the meeting with the Aureate Empire’s ruling family to make clear the divine sects approved of what had happened. Instead of flying the whole way under their own power, Po removed his official Divine Fire Phoenix Sail Shuttle from his spatial ring.

Chao had seen riven ships back home. They were mostly rowed by teams or qi powered paddle boats, so they had no sails. This one looked more like the sail boats he’d heard of. It was gigantic, though—capable of holding a hundred people or more. Its body was streamline and wasn’t rounded on the bottom. It looked like it was made to be landed on the ground and lived in if necessary.

Envoy Po requested them all to board. He explained while they did. “Since we will be remaining on Lifestone, it is unnecessary to travel within the hull. That is only required for interplanetary travel. Within, there are forty cabins and two lounges. You’re welcome to take a look, but, for those of you that have never traveled by sail, you don’t want to miss the experience of flying on deck.”

It wasn’t just Chao and Huifen present. Zan and Quinyuan would represent the Ice Phoenix Palace and Fang was coming as the Fire Phoenix representative with Ping at his side. The rest of the sages would remain. There was still much work to do after the battle.

Huifen didn’t take time taking Chao’s hand and leading him to stand at the bow.

“You’ve flown like this before?” He asked.

“Not on anything this big,” she replied. “Father Tu owns a fleet of smaller flying vessels for his merchant business, so I’ve flown in a similar manner. This is just—” She threw her arms wide as she motioned to the ship’s size.

He pulled her toward him into a side embrace as they took in the divine shuttle. He examined the three masts. The sails were already loose as if ready for the wind, but he knew it wasn’t the wind that powered them. He was immediately curious but remained with his wife. Their trip would not be a long one, so he wanted to experience what she was wanting to show him before getting lost in his curiosity.

Within a minute of boarding, Envoy Po had everything ready from within the captain’s desk. When they were about to take off, father and mother joined them.

“Son, you won’t find anything like this in the lower realm,” Zan said, stopping with Quinyuan to stand beside them to look over the bow. “It takes an exuberant amount of crystal qi to power it. The divine realm has a much higher density of qi in the air, so such crystals form much easier. What is common there is an exceedingly rare here. It’s impressive, isn’t it?”

“Yes, father.” He tried to imagine what it would take to power something with the resources he knew of.

His attention turned to the figurehead at the end of the prow. No surprise, a carved phoenix was perched there. He had no idea what material it, or the ship for that matter, was made of.

The shuttle began to rise in the air and Chao was quick to stabilize himself. Before reaching the sky realm, it wasn’t rare for his wife, Zan, or Quinyuan to life him with their qi, but this felt like the very earth beneath his feet was lifting him up.

When they’d risen above the Ice Phoenix palace, the shuttle took off. Its acceleration was subtle, but unending.

Chao watched the joint sect disappear, then Phoenix City. They were leaving in a different direction than when he’d first entered the city, so all that he saw was new to him. There were rolling hills as far as the eye could see, with random thickets, creeks, and ponds. Within a minute, they were traveling at such a speed that it blurred beneath them. They were only a few hundred meters above the ground, so things came and went quickly. The further they traveled, the higher they seemed to be, but Chao realized their elevation wasn’t rising, but the hills were becoming smaller.

“A vessel that can travel as fast as an overlord,” Sage Fage said, joining the rest of them at the bow with Sage Ping. “I knew it was possible, but it’s different experiencing it.”

Chao and Huifen glanced in their direction, bowing their heads in greeting.

“This is just a fraction of its top speed,” Quinyuan replied. “Observe.”

They followed her instructions, and it didn’t take long until they realized that not only was it still accelerating, but the rate was even increasing.

Meeting his wife’s eyes, he saw her excitement building. “Don’t fall off,” he teased her.

She looped her arm in his and gave him a challenging look.

“Little Lotus’s physique is strong enough that she would survive,” Zan responded. “Chao’s, however…” He chortled. “His skin may or may not peel at this windspeed.”

“Husband,” Quinyuan rebuked.

“It’s just a joke,” he said, waving it off. “If tossed overboard, the energy field covering the ship is too strong for him to pass through it.”

Chao only had a few minutes to reach out with his sound to examine the energy field his father mentioned for they were already reaching the heart of the Aureate Empire—the Golden Palace.

His wife’s grip tightened. He glanced over and saw her eyes widen. She’d said she’d been here, but it was before she’d entered the Ice Phoenix Sect since she’d been here without heart of ice. That was over ten years.

The buildings of the city were made of a glossy silver stone with tiles of red and unpolished gold. Most of the common ones had two sided, wedged roofs, while the more expensive ones were many stories taller with pyramid shaped rooftops. Those were the ones outside the palace gates. Inside, the buildings took on a completely different design. They were domed on top with large spires pointing up toward the heavens.

It was the palace itself that stole the eye’s attention. Its external walls were laden with gold, as were its dome roofs. It wasn’t as large as the Ice Phoenix Palace, but Chao couldn’t imagine any other building beating it out for second place.

Their deceleration was more intense than their acceleration had been. Even so, Chao didn’t feel himself having to brace against it. It wasn’t until they came to just outside the palace gates that they came to a stop. They were still high enough that they seemed to be looking down on the Golden Palace. Perhaps that was the point. As impressive as the empire’s palace was, the Divine Fire Phoenix Sail Shuttle was much more intimidating.

Envoy Po appeared next to them a moment later. “It seems their greeting parting is coming.”

They all looked down to see a party of nine individuals flying toward them from one of the palace’s towers. There was one man that looked to be leading them. His hair was grey as was his long beard. He wore a golden robe that glistened like silk.

Four of the people with him were likely honor guards of some kind. They wore golden platemail without helms. Their swords were strapped to their waists and two of the carried standards that waved in the air as they flew.

The final four members of the party were beautiful women in golden gowns. Chao wasn’t sure what their role was.

They made room for the greeting party to touch down. As soon as they did, the four women stepped forward and kowtowed. The four guards kneeled in a row behind them, and robed man bowed at the waist.

“Chancellor Fu welcomes the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sects to the Golden Palace,” the man announced.

“Greetings, Chancellor. I am Sect Master of the Ice Phoenix Sect, Quinyuan,” she called. “This is my husband, Great Elder Zan.”

The chancellor straightened while the rest of his party remained the same. He gave the Sect Master a martial salute.

Chao noticed immediately that she’d introduced father before the envoy. If his father was anyone else, it would’ve been considered an insult. But as a divine cultivator and now someone with close ties to Elder Law, it seemed his father had somehow slipped into a high rank position. Either that, or mother was just honoring father more…

“And this is my Ice Phoenix Sect’s Divine Envoy Po.”

“Chancellor,” Po said without even the slightest bow of his head. He didn’t seem upset that Quinyuan had announced him second. He didn’t hold the political elite of this lower realm in his eyes, though. Just to acknowledge the man was a large show of respect.

As soon as the envoy was announced, Chancellor Fu turned two shades whiter. He bowed fully to the man.

“And this is the Fire Phoenix Sect’s new Sect Master, Fang. At his side is his wife, Sage Ping.”

The chancellor’s reaction wasn’t extreme, but he continued bowing fully. The man was obviously a practiced politician. Even if he couldn’t control his body’s reaction to the envoy being here, he didn’t let it affect his expressions.

“And these two are some of our joint sect’s newest sages, Long Chao and Long Huifen.”

The man bowed to them, but Chao caught him, as well as some of the guards and kowtowing women trying to catch a glimpse of them.

“If it pleases you, people follow me to the throne room where we might discuss the future of this grand Monolith Continent.”

They were flying toward the main palace entrance a moment later. He then noticed that most of the women in golden gowns weren’t flying on their own but relying on the sky realm guards to carry them with their qi.

“Who are they?” Chao whispered.

“The Gilded Guard and the ladies are maids,” Huifen replied. “Both are highly sought positions. Some of the women are cultivators but being a maid to the royal family is considered to be one of the highest roles a mortal can reach. Many of them become cultivators or, if not interested, are given medicines able to extend their life and beauty. The Gilded Guard is the personal bodyguards of the royal family. They also defend the palace and the city by extension. To join their ranks, one must be a sky realm cultivator.”

As they touched down at the entrance to the Golden Palace, the giant arching doors made of solid gold as thick a man’s chest were already swung open and hundred of Gilded Guards were formed up on either side. Chao glanced down to see that the stones laid at their feet were the same dull golden color as the shingles of the buildings he’d seen during their arrival.

Having so many people greeting them was nerve-racking as it was, but as they entered the palace, the line of people didn’t seem to stop. After they seemed to have run out of guards, the palace’s staff was lined up in similar fashion to the maids that had greeted them. Officials came last in line followed by what must have been their families. There were young men and women, even children.

It was just enough people for the line to extend all the way through the great hall to its end, through another set of grand doors and into the throne room. It wasn’t as massive as the great hall, but it was much more extravagant. The throne was elevated at the head of the room and looked caved from a giant chunk of gold. Its cushions were red, and it remained empty. There were other lesser thrones on the platform, but not a single person was seated.

Chao found a group of richly dressed people standing off to the side at the base of the platform. There were more than twenty of them.

The chancellor walked them toward the throne. As soon as they neared, the chancellor stopped and waved the group to come.

They did. From children all the way up to the elderly, the twenty remaining members of the Sun family fell to their knees and kowtowed.

Chao felt Huifen’s hand reach his arm as if preemptively trying to him back. He didn’t run to them to insist they rise as the might’ve expected. His eyes narrowed, but his expression didn’t give away what he was thinking. He was wondering if it was possible for them to allow the Sun family to remain on the throne without killing any of them. And if some of them were bitter enough, they’d have to die. He tried to harden himself to not look favorably on them but spotted a little girl of maybe three or four years old peaking up at them. As the maid next to her whispered sharply for her to place her head back on the floor, the little girl did but her head of blonde hair flipped forward like an outspread blanket. He knew that this little one didn’t understand. It was still a game to her. Everything was.

He looked to his wife and found her staring back at him softly. “We’ll spare as many as we can,” she said so lightly that only he would be able to pull the sound to his ears.

He hadn’t forgotten his wife’s anger toward this very family after what Prince Rong had done. Now only had the man sexually assaulted her, but his father had tried to capture her with threats of doing even worse. His older brother had also tried to kidnap her as a last-ditch effort to save himself. And yet, her anger hadn’t returned even hotter as it likely should have. The thought kindled a blinding flame inside of him. Turning away from her, he closed his eyes and shook his head as he struggled to snuff it out. The moment of rage passed.

The chancellor’s four maids and four Gilded Guards were all kowtowing with the royal family. Only the chancellor himself remained standing, bowing at the waist. “Introducing Empress Sun Yan Ya,” the man said. His voice was amplified by the room’s natural acoustics.

It was then that a woman near the center of the group lifted her head off the floor while remaining sitting on her knees. Her eyes were bloodshot as if she’d recently shed many tears. Her dress was golden, but trimmed with black as a sign of mourning

“This one begs the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sects to spare my Sun family. We are willing to uproot and leave the continent—never to return—if you would do us this mercy.”

Huifen didn’t wait for the others to respond. “I asked Emperor Sun if he had any heirs that might be capable of taking his place and that I might personally approve of before I took his life. Which of you is named Koshing?”

A boy, no more than ten, lifted his head just enough off the ground to catch a glimpse of the empress. She nodded, and he rose to his knees before saying in a weak voice. “I am Sun Koshing.”

The boy’s hair was dirty blond and not the platinum of the younger girl. His eyes were wide, but he clenched his jaw as if gaining courage from the act.

The empress hissed at the boy under her breath, and he was quick to correct himself. “This one is Koshing, forth son of Emperor Sun Berthold.Forgive me for being rude.”

“Are you capable of ruling in the place of your father?”

The boy was already shaking his head but catch a glimpse of his mother and stopped immediately, lowering his head.

Huifen continued. “Without letting bitterness over your father’s death rule you?”

“I—” the boy struggled. “I’ll do whatever Senior Fairy asks of me.”

They obviously had no idea of the conversation she’d had with the emperor before his death. With that information and no time to direct the boy before this meeting, his reactions were as genuine as could be.

“Do you understand why we are here today?” She asked. “You know what your brother did to me?”

He nodded but wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“Your father sought revenge instead of justice. If I followed your father’s example, what do you think I would to your family?”

He leaned forward onto his hands and lowered himself. His voice was loud with the high-pitched tone of a boy that had yet to reach puberty. “Kill us and take our women as maids.”

“The women of your family are cultivators, are they not? Why wouldn’t I kill them too?”

Even the empress sunk lower where she sat.

The boy didn’t dare to say it aloud.

“Any what if I only sought justice? Should I kill anyone else in your family?”

Silence lingered as she let the boy work it out and find the nerve to respond. “N—no. The people that have wrong you are dead.”

Mother Quinyuan stepped forward, holding Huifen in her gaze. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she turned to walk toward the Sun family.

“Rise,” she commanded. A strong gust of qi rushed out of her and lifted them all to their feet. “Empress Sun Yan Ya, there was once friendship between us. For that reason alone, I mourn your loss. Both Jin and Rong were disciples of my joint sect. Their betrayal is just, as it the death of your husband, but that doesn’t make it any less tragic. As my disciple Sage Huifen has said, there is no need for mercy for those that have not sinned. However, if any of you are found to have conspired directly against my joint sect, justice will be executed swiftly.”

A few tears slipped from the empress’s face as she waved Prince Koshing over. Grabbing the boy by the shoulder, she guided him to stand before Quinyuan. “This one thanks, Sect Master Quinyuan. I present to you, my son. From this day forward, I dedicate him to the Fire and Ice Phoenix Sects. Rear him as you will.”

***

They were soon led to a place where they could sit to discuss matters. The children, including Koshing, were led away. Chao watched the little blond girl as she departed glance around in wonder at all the serious grownups. The last few paces she skipped out of view.

On of the first things that happened once they were seated in a majestic throne room of gold and pearl. No one sat at the head of the table, for there would be much negotiation as they worked through the practicalities of the Sun family’s involvement in the empire.

The empress approached Huifen before she was seated. She bowed as she said. “This one is sorry. I deeply regret how my family has wounded you.”

After they were seated, the discussion of how the empire would be ruled until Koshing was old enough to take over. The chancellor was quick to suggest the Sun family continue with the day-to-day business of running the empire, while the joint sect take on the role of overseer. It was a very practical suggestion that would take limited resources from the joint sect. They could be as active or hands off as they desired. Empress Yan Ya would be the ruling figurehead.

Chao agreed it was the best method, but there was something about Chancellor Fu that didn’t set well with him. The man was an official and not a member of the Sun family, so Chao understood he might want to distance himself from them. He was surrounding himself with the pomp of the Gilded Guard and beautiful maids following him around, though at a time that seemed completely inappropriate. He often also spoke for the Sun family as if he personally held the same level of authority.

Later that night, mother and father pulled Chao and Huifen aside to discuss their thoughts. The talks had only been an overview. There would still be weeks before they’d finished with all the details. They all seemed to agree that things had gone well and thought things were going in the right direction. It was only near the end of the conversation when Chao mentioned that he was suspicious of Chancellor Fu even if he couldn’t explain why.

“The chancellor is the real person in charge of making sure the daily affairs of the empire are taken care of,” Zan explained. “Kingdoms often have men like him. The best of them are practical men that excel in managing others. I share your concern. This Fu has much he’s hiding, which isn’t abnormal for such men in his position, however, he’s made the mistake of distancing himself too much from the royal family. It shows a lack of loyalty as a best case scenario and that he despises the Sun family as the worst. My guess is that he’s hoping to leech more power for himself during this transition and the years following. He’s a sky realm cultivator and only the empress and a few of her elder relatives are her equal. Without a domineering figure like the ex-emperor his knowledge of the empire and vast political experience puts him in a powerful position. If he’s arrogant as he is ambitious, then he might be looking to depose the royal family entirely.”

“But here’s the biggest issue. He’s needed by both the royal family and our joint sect. It’s not that this isn’t possible without him, but it will be much easier with him. And here’s the heart of the issue. Keeping him around will make things easier for us, but because of his position, it’s almost impossible that he wasn’t involved in the planning and logistics of the crime committed against Little Lotus.”

Chao’s hum filled the air as his temper flared. Huifen grabbed his hand and ran her finger in circles over his palm as a gentle touch of ice qi cooled him down.

“How shall we proceed,” she asked, keeping her cool even when he didn’t.

“You both will remain here for the rest of the week as the majority of the finer details are worked out, then you will leave for the monoliths. Sage Kang will be a few days behind you with a party from the joint sects.”

“Father,” Chao objected.

A weak burst of qi stopped him and Huifen from speaking when Zan added. “One day, you will have no choice but to make the decisions that will affect millions and billions of people. Today is not that day. Your mother and I didn’t make this decision because we think you are incapable. It’s simply the wrong time for you to dedicate what it will take to see this through. We will get the process started, but regardless of what Chancellor Fu is planning and who knows how many other people that want to take advantage of this transition, the Aureate Empire is for all practical purposes under the joint sect’s rule. It doesn’t matter how much these little politicians squirm.”

There was silence. Mother Quinyuan broke it. “It is time you both go out adventuring. Too much peaceful cultivation or its opposite, constant life and death struggle, are limited in how much they can help your advancement. Understanding of every facet of life is necessary to reach the peak. Go out and see new places. Experience new things. There is much this world has to offer. There is good as well as the bad. Light as well as darkness.”

Chao looked at Huifen and sighed. He knew struggling against mother and father when they agreed was something there was no hope against.

His wife looked at him still contemplating what had just been said.

“For now,” Zan said. “Go spend some time with your seniors Fang and Ping. You have much to learn from one another. Build friendships when you can, especially with another likeminded couple that is likely to ascend one day. Once you reach higher realms and your lifespan is measured in thousands if not tens of thousands of years, such friendships can be as deep as a bottomless well.”

“Yes, father,” they both replied.