CHAPTER 288: LAST MEETING

Winter was always a silent season, with only the sound of wind breaking the silence of this awkward morning.

I never quite thought about how a breakfast with Song Song and Fu Yating would turn out. One thing was for sure, though: Wu Yan was smart enough to take her meal to go, disappearing into the wooden house under the guise of training.

Smart.

Sadly, I couldn’t pull a Wu Yan and vanish. The moment I stepped out, I knew they’d probably be at each other’s throats and not in a friendly way. And I wasn’t about to let Song Song bully Fu Yating while I played innocent elsewhere.

Without me around, I knew Song Song wouldn’t hold back her words, and there was nothing Fu Yating could do but take it.

“We will be in a meeting with the inner elders for quite a bit, so you don’t need to make lunch,” I told Fu Yating.

“Really? Anything good being talked about there?” Fu Yating inquired politely.

With Song Song around, she had been acting overly polite ever since she arrived. Which was both nice and annoying. I liked her more when she was irritating.

“Nothing you should know of,” Song Song said with a gentle smile as if that would dilute her rather rude words.

Fu Yating nodded and didn’t ask any more questions, returning to eating her breakfast.

“I’m just joking. They’re going to talk about what my position in the Sect is going to be,” Song Song added.

Why did she go through the trouble of acting rude, only to reveal it in the end? She was just trying to get Fu Yating to react in any way.

Sadly for Song Song, Fu Yating was someone hard to break. It had taken me many months to finally break through her character. I doubted Song Song had the patience for that. And honestly, she had better things to do. Not that it had ever stopped her before… but it would generally be boring.

“The geezers don’t like me being here and probably hoped I died in some ditch somewhere,” Song Song said, taking a bite of the pork buns. “But I’m going to dunk all their heads in the mud and pull a powerful position as an inner elder or I’ll take off their heads.”

I frowned and looked at her disapprovingly.

“Metaphorically take off their heads, of course,” she added as an afterthought.

“We need to begin gathering actual support for you to become the Sect Leader,” I said. “By the way, how long do you think it will take for you to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm?”

“About fifty years, give or take a decade,” Song Song said.

That was… quite a bit of time. I knew it was still impressive. Reaching Nascent Soul under the age of one hundred probably set some kind of record. But it would be better if it happened sooner.

I should also be able to break through to Core Formation in my fifties. So, about another thirty years.

“Either way, I’m not too worried,” Song Song confessed. “Your husband has everything planned out quite a bit. Even Zun Gon, one of my greatest adversaries, might support me and end up on our side. That is a huge benefit.”

“Zun Gon isn’t exactly on our team. But he might be willing to listen if I spoke, and I might be able to convince him that this is the best decision for the Sect,” I said.

“I think you should also try and push for a Sky Grade Technique,” Fu Yating said, dropping the innocent mask she had built around Song Song.

This caused Song Song to smile as she noticed the calculating look in Fu Yating’s gaze.

“Are you sure this would be the best time to ask such a thing?” I asked, not dismissing Fu Yating’s suggestion despite finding it a bit of a stretch.

“I think so,” Fu Yating said. “After all, when they refuse to give you the Sky Grade Technique, it’ll make the negotiation table feel more equal and less overbearing for them since it gives the illusion that you’ve negotiated and that they have some power over you.”

“That is a good idea,” Song Song said.

I agreed with her.

“If they decide to still give you the Sky Grade Technique, that’s even better,” Fu Yating said, turning toward me. “You need to push for the Sky Grade Technique like you’re actually trying to get it. No offense to Lady Song, but you’re a much better negotiator.”

“No offense taken,” Song Song said.

Then she smiled and added, “Look at us, all a big happy family helping each other.”

That made Fu Yating uncomfortable, but Song Song seemed to get her morning dose of energy by seeing someone act like that. She truly thrived on making others feel mildly awkward or annoyed.

After finishing the meal, the time for the meeting was approaching. However, we didn’t need to be the first ones to arrive.

“Do you need help with the dishes?” I asked as Fu Yating picked up the plates. I picked up mine too and placed them on the kitchen counter.

Song Song raised a questioning brow at my words, but she also picked up her own plate and brought it over.

A man, especially a powerful cultivator, helping his mortal wife clean dishes? As my mother in the Liu Clan used to say, the kitchen is not a place for men. This world was quite traditional.

A husband helping his wife? Preposterous! He was probably crazy. Burn him at the stake!

I smiled as I imagined Song Song saying those words.

“I have never washed dishes before, nor have I ever done a chore in my life for that matter. But with this warning said, I will still help if you need me to,” Song Song offered with a straight face.

I was pretty sure she didn’t want to help. But it was nice seeing her be considerate. Small steps, I guess.

“No, you should concentrate on your own things. I will handle things like cooking and the dishes,” Fu Yating shook her head. “Thanks for the offer. Though if there is something you want to do for me, make sure not to leave me anxious and waiting later, and tell me the results of the meeting.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Of course,” I nodded, and Song Song and I walked outside.

Fu Yating waved at us one last time as we stepped onto the porch and softly levitated off the ground. Song Song used the power of her dense Qi, and I used a skin-tight jade armor to float.

Then, after some charging up, we blasted away like rockets, the wind churning behind us and pushing the grass to sway and dance in our wake.

As we flew, Song Song smiled and said, “Now I understand why you keep her around. She is a good person.”

Good person wouldn’t be the word I’d use. But Fu Yating was useful to have around as another perspective on any issue I might have.

We arrived at an old stone house nestled between two large rocks beside the Blazing Sun mountain. Its moss-covered walls and weathered roof gave it a quiet, aged charm. Beside it stood a small stable, rough but solid, with the faint scent of straw and leather drifting from within.

The whole place looked like something pulled out of a medieval painting.

Since the whole place didn't look like melted sludge, it was safe to assume it was built after the heavenly calamity.

Each meeting between inner elders was held at a different place for security reasons. There was no official notice about where it would be, but if you sensed three or four Core Elders in one place, a meeting was probably about to happen.

We landed on the charred, snowy ground and entered the rundown stone house.

“It smells like cow dung in here. Someone really went through the effort to make sure this place resembled some peasant farmer’s home,” Song Song said.

I shrugged and continued to look around for some kind of hidden entrance leading underground, where I sensed the rest of the inner elders were. We finally found a staircase at the back of the house, where a storm shelter would typically be located.

We walked down the stairs and, after a short descent, arrived at a dimly lit, modest room. In the center of the room was a round stone table with wooden chairs surrounding it, most of which were already occupied by inner elders.

The setup screamed 'secret cult of ancient men deciding the world’s fate' and all it needed was a torch-lit chant and ceremonial robes.

Song Song claimed a chair at the far side of the table. I picked one three seats away, just enough distance for plausible neutrality.

Mostly so when I made suggestions, people wouldn’t immediately reject them just because her face was next to mine.

She had a pretty face, but her elitist expression made it hard for people she may have wronged in the past to agree with her.

I looked around the room and mentally noted the usual faces.

Zun Gon was here, sitting with his eyes closed and arms folded. His Qi felt sturdier than before. It seemed like he had taken my words to heart and was preparing for the next step in cultivation.

Though it was surprising that Cai Hu hadn’t shown up today. After all, he had been involved in the situation with Song San. However, it seemed like he had already resolved the situation before this meeting, as there were no hostile gazes directed at us.

What could he have told them to pacify everyone so thoroughly?

Or rather, just how much had he lied, and about what? Because if he had told them the truth, some would still be angry.

Song Song’s father wasn’t here either. That was surprising, given that the man held a high position as the leader of the Song Clan.

I didn’t bother thinking too much about it and closed my eyes, spreading my senses to check for any approaching Qi or late arrivals to the meeting.

Not long after we arrived, the meeting began and the usual reports started. Most of it covered how the rebuilding process was going, on schedule and with no signs of outside sabotage so far.

One good thing the monstrous beast waves had done was make infiltration into the Blazing Sun Sect nearly impossible.

“There have been no security breaches either,” said one of the inner elders.

Zun Gon nodded and turned his gaze toward me. “What about you, Liu Feng? Anything new to report that has to do with your duties as the Martial Technique Elder in charge of the inner library?”

“I think that a lot of books were left uncatalogued, and I even found some notes from powerful cultivators of the past,” I said. “I’d like to begin cataloging everything and seeing what we actually have in the library. This is likely something I’ll spend the rest of my life doing, so I’ll be quite busy.”

The elders nodded, seemingly fine with my plan to research and uncover any insights left behind by our predecessors.

“Also, I’d like to apologize in advance in case these new commitments keep me from attending every future inner elder meeting. Unless I have something important to report, I’ll likely not show up,” I added.

Everyone nodded, and no one seemed offended or bothered. Mostly because this meant they wouldn’t have to compete with me politically. With me out of the room, they’d get a bigger slice of the power pie.

Other reports followed mine, and so far, nothing had been out of the ordinary.

“The monstrous beasts have also been acting normal this year, unlike the last couple of years. Which means this winter might actually pass without disaster," reported the elder in charge of the scouting squads.

Many of the elders let out a sigh of relief. From reports I had read in the library, last year there had even been Core Formation beasts attacking the Sect. Normally, with a Nascent Soul Cultivator around, that wouldn’t be a big problem. But with the Sect Leader no longer present, those beasts had been an actual threat.

Zun Gon turned toward me and nudged his head in my direction. “What do you think of this, Liu Feng? Since you're the expert on monstrous beasts we have in the Sect, what are your thoughts on all this?”

“I think we should still prepare this year, just like the previous ones,” I said, meeting the gaze of each elder in the room before continuing. “But I doubt I needed to tell you all this since only a fool would let down their guard now.”

After a brief pause, it seemed like everyone’s attention had sharpened, even the elders who’d been zoning out until now.

“But the Sect should also prepare something more than just a defensive strategy. We should get ready for a counterattack,” I suggested. “After all, we need to deal with this situation now. Because even a blind man can see that in a war of attrition, the beasts are going to win. There is no doubt about that.”

Most of the elders nodded, agreeing. The general consensus was in favor.

“Good, now that we got that out of the way, we should talk about the good news,” Zun Gon said. “We have new blood joining as a Core Formation Cultivator. Welcome Song Song, as a new Core Elder!”

There was a brief applause, but it was clear that some of the elders weren’t even trying to hide their dislike of her joining their ranks.

“Now, as per tradition, we should decide on a position for Song Song,” said Zun Gon, turning to her. “What about you, Elder Song, do you have any idea about what position you want? Sadly, in these times, a lot of positions are open, so you might get the chance to take your dream role.”

“Can I become the Elder of Warfare?” she boldly asked.

Elder of Warfare? Just from the name alone, that sounded like a high-standing position. But the flicker of discomfort in Zun Gon’s expression told me there was more to the title than its grandeur suggested.

Zun Gon scratched his chin and looked a bit uncomfortable as he said, “That is a bit… that position is occupied by your father.”

Song Song smiled. She clearly already knew that and was just looking to push some buttons.

“So? He isn’t in this meeting, and clearly he doesn’t care about the position,” she said.

Some of the remaining Song Clan elders didn’t look pleased when she said that.

But when her gaze swept their way, they averted their eyes like whipped dogs. They knew she never bluffed, and any threat here would likely be carried right after the meeting.

After all, most of them were Foundation Establishment Cultivators and knew her well enough to understand that if they didn’t have the power, they should keep their mouths shut or she would shut them with a clean, decapitating strike.

Zun Gon looked ready to refuse and try to cool the tension building in the room.

“How about the Elder of Open Field Warfare?” I suggested.

That was another position that would allow Song Song to build an army – something the others would no doubt try to prevent. But it was a good negotiating platform to start from, and it could be used to leverage a Sky Grade Technique.

“I agree with that,” said one of the elders.

Zun Gon, who had been frowning and looking ready to refuse Song Song’s request, smiled when he looked my way.

“Of course, Elder Song has clearly shown expertise in such matters,” he said.

What?