Chapter Four: Rats Within the Dragon’s Lair

How foolish I was. I sighed, staring at the ceiling of my rooms. Whatever that lock was, clearly I couldn’t destroy it yet. Whether it hid my power, my memories, or something else entirely I couldn’t say. Whatever piece of me it was, I wanted it back.

I had been bedridden for two days after the lock knocked me unconscious. Shui had diligently cared for me in that time, reteaching me the basics of cultivation and teaching me more about the Gāoyáng Continent. Aside from him, I hadn’t seen or heard any other members of the palace.

I sighed, shutting my eyes. Is this place to become an extravagant cage for me?

“Excellent, you’re awake, Lady Mingzhu!” Shui exclaimed as he entered my rooms. “His Imperial Majesty has called for you to join him once you’ve had breakfast.”

“Must I…?” I sighed heavily before sitting up slowly in bed. “Fine, fine, I will go take my bath.”

“Ah, I will help you into the proper attire once you are done, my lady.” Shui pressed one hand into the other and bowed.

“Help…? I don’t need help. I am not that weak,” I scoffed.

“Ah…you misunderstand, my lady, the clothes you must wear to meet with His Imperial Majesty are much too complex to be put on by oneself. It is my duty as your servant to help you.” Shui bowed deeper as I strode past him.

“I see…” I let out a small sigh, then held out a hand. “Then at least give me my undergarments so I can put those on myself. Even if it’s nothing you haven’t seen before…I’m still a lady. I should maintain some of my dignity.”

“Of course, my lady.” Shui hurried over to the wardrobe and fetched a few items for me. “These should suffice. I will lay out our breakfast while you bathe. Call on me when you are done.”

“Very well.” I took the black undergarments from him before retreating to the bathroom. This place is full of such troublesome men. The women in the city should be thankful they don’t have to deal with…

I sighed to myself and shook my head. How very foolish of me. Frustrating or not, Yahui and Shui both deserved my gratitude. Even if I didn’t fully trust their intentions in ‘harboring me’ yet. Yahui almost certainly wanted to use whatever power I had for something. He gave me the impression he didn’t like my elemental alignment very much, as well. I sunk into the bath and hugged myself. The idea that Yahui disliked me for such a reason didn’t sit well with me. It wasn’t good enough.

“What strange markings,” Shui remarked with an audible frown, his fingers tracing down my lower back. “I’ve never seen such patterns before, let alone tattoos which glowed.”

“Mmm?” I glanced over my shoulder at him. He promptly handed me a hand mirror so that I could check my reflection in the much larger mirror nearby. Sure enough, there were intricate markings on my lower back which glowed crimson. “The women at the bathhouses never mentioned those…”

“They may not have been able to perceive them, my lady.” Shui traced one with a finger, seeming oblivious to the shiver that ran through me. “I believe these marks were made with qi or similar. We will have to make certain they aren’t something meant to harm you.

“Are you alright, Lady Mingzhu? You look feverish.”

“I’m fine.” I set the mirror aside and strode toward the waiting clothes. “I should get dressed if we’re going to eat before seeing what His Imperial Majesty wants.”

“Ah, of course.” Shui joined me and lifted the first layer of clothing. “If you will allow me, my lady.”

A while later, Shui led me through the palace and in the direction of the audience chamber. We exchanged a look when the sound of men arguing drifted down the hallway to us. When we arrived, Shui bowed and opened the doors to me, murmuring that we were meant to join the emperor at the back of the room.

“Humph, this is the woman?” An unfamiliar voice muttered as I strode down the center of the room. Which of the many men was the owner of the voice, I couldn’t say.

Representatives of nearly every race I could imagine of was present, along with their wives and children. Even Lady Xu was present, with what I could only assume were her many daughters.

“You decided to join us after all?” Yahui remarked.

“I had to tend to a few things first…but yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Once all the guests were to my back, I gave Yahui a glare to indicate that I knew I had no choice in the matter. After plastering a faint smile on my face, I took a seat where he indicated near the long, very comfortable-looking throne he had stretched out lengthwise on.

“My lady, tea?” Shui bowed to me.

“Please.” I nodded.

I quickly studied the several dozen guests in the audience chamber. Above their heads, coils of shadow dragons lurked, their eyes glowing with colors to match Yahui’s. Many guards in formal armor were scattered throughout the room, with Xing cultivators joining them disguised as palace servants. Despite Yahui’s relaxed outward appearance, his power held a suffocating malice. Either none of our guests were cultivators…or perhaps they were too weak to detect the emperor’s presence.

“Your Imperial Majesty, do you truly intent to keep this woman…Mingzhu? Here?” A man with long, pointed ears stepped forward and bowed deeply. “By your description I thought she might be one of my people, but I do not recognize her.”

“Bah, who cares about the stray?” Lady Xu scoffed. “We all came here to offer our daughters to His Imperial Majesty, did we not? Why don’t we drop the pretense.”

Yahui sighed heavily and shook his head. “I have no resonance with any if your spawn. I will not be marrying any of them. We have been over this before. Do not waste my time with such trivialities.”

“Then what of our collective trade with the continent to the west of Lady Xu’s home?” A woman with wolf ears spoke up. “Lady Xu brought samples of their wares from the surface with her. The gemstones are unlike anything I have ever seen.”

“Show me.” Yahui made a lazy motion with one hand, then glanced down at me with a small smirk. “You could join me if you prefer.”

“I will stay here.”

“You dare deny His Imperial Majesty’s request?!” A man growled.

“My lord, it sounded like an offer. Not a request and certainly not an order,” I answered boredly, examining my nails. “Or do you mean to say that His Imperial Majesty’s ‘requests’ and ‘offers’ are dangerous to decline?”

“T-that isn’t what I meant at all!” The man quickly bowed and pressed his forehead to the floor as Yahui let out a low laugh. “His Imperial Majesty is a benevolent ruler, Lady Mingzhu, and an expert at eradicating the Blighted.”

“Boring…” I sighed, shaking my head.

“Your Imperial Majesty, are you sure you don’t want one of my daughters?” Lady Xu pressed. I glanced toward her, a little surprised by her persistence. “Any one of them would make a fine—”

“You wish for my death, Lady Xu?” Yahui drawled, trailing his fingertips down the armrest. “Human lives are so short, so powerless…especially in a country such as yours where cultivation is a myth.”

“And this Mingzhu creature isn’t human?” Lady Xu demanded.

“Mmm? Me?” I frowned as Shui knelt beside me to pour my tea.

“Pay her no heed, my lady,” Shui whispered by my ear. “Lady Xu’s family are geniuses in only one area. All else…suffers.”

“The woman is clearly not human!” A noble close to Lady Xu stared at her in disbelief.

“Mingzhu.” Yahui’s tone made me pause, tea in hand, to glance at him. “Show my guests just how real cultivation is—without hurting them, of course.”

I took a sip of my tea, then let out a small sigh. “Very well, Your Imperial Majesty.”

After a few deep, collected breaths, I summoned spears of prismatic light upward from the floor around Lady Xu’s party, making certain to pierce several people’s clothes. If the fools thought such displays were illusions, I would teach them otherwise.

“Light… Yahui, shouldn’t your powers be at odds?” A tall, bulky man with only one horn rose to his feet and stepped forward.

“Mingzhu is my guest while she recovers from her trauma, nothing more.” Yahui made a dismissive motion. “Unlike those who share her abilities…I will not look down on her for being my power’s opposite. She has already made it clear she is unlike those barbarians.”

Barbarians? I glanced between Yahui and the nervous demon.

“I just worry about you, Brother Yahui.” The demon’s shoulders slumped. “You trust her?”

Hmmm? Did they train under the same master? I examined the bulky man. He seemed to be the only person present who could get away with calling Yahui by name. At least, of those I’d heard speak.

“I can manage her.” Yahui took a sip of his drink, then glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. “Mingzhu believes intent matters more than alignment, as do I. Thus, I will speak no more on the matter—nor will we pursue this ridiculous notion of my marrying any of your daughters.

“Mingzhu, you may free them.”

I would much rather kill them… I willed the spears of light away. “Is there aught else you needed, Your Imperial Majesty? I was meant to begin my training today.”

“You will remain here and observe instead.” Yahui made a dismissive motion. “Learning the affairs of the Gāoyáng Continent is just as important as your training.”

“Very well.” I bit back a frustrated sigh.

Shui knelt beside me and placed a tray of bite-sized food in front of me, a pleasant smile on his face.

It seemed that I was indeed stuck there for the day.