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Unintended Cultivator V8: Chapter 19 – Big Asks
🕑 Added 2024-04-06 08:24:03 +0000 UTC“It was,” admitted Jing, “but maybe we shouldn’t change the subject just yet.”
“Do you really want to compare complaints right now? Because I just got taken through the city by what I assume were royal guards hand-picked because they walked slowly.”
“About that—” started Jing.
“Which has prevented me from maintaining even the tiniest shred of anonymity in a place where there are people who do not like me. At all,” said Sen, his voice dropping closer and closer to a growl. “So, I very much hope that this wasn’t just an exercise meant to keep your damn nobles in line.”
Jing looked a bit startled at those last words, and then it was his turn to wince. He raised his hands in a placating motion.
“I swear to you, this had nothing to do with the nobles. Not my nobles, at any rate.”
Sen blinked as he tried to parse meaning from those words.
“What does that mean?”
“The reason I wanted you to come is because I’m hosting some representatives from beyond our borders.”
Sen frowned and then shook his head.
“No, I still don’t see the connection.”
“There are those gaps in your education again,” said Jing, not unkindly. “On this side of the Mountains of Sorrow, cultivators and mortals have a sort of agreement. Sects manage themselves and cultivators, for the most part. Obviously, there are exceptions, such as yourself, but the majority of cultivators answer to a sect. It maintains some kind of order among people who would otherwise be walking disasters. In exchange for not interfering too much with the sects, mortals are generally left to rule themselves,” said Jing, raising a hand to stop the flood of angry objections that were about to pour out of Sen’s mouth. “It’s not perfect. I won’t pretend it’s perfect. We both know that cultivators are often a menace. Destroying things. Killing each other. Killing mortals. Making people think the world is ending.”
“Point taken,” said Sen, letting his hostility toward sects subside.
“Good. Now, that’s how things are done here. Things are a lot more complicated beyond those mountains. There are places there where cultivators are the nobility and royalty.”
That gave Sen pause. Cultivators as nobility? As royalty?
“Why in the thousand hells would they do something that stupid?” asked Sen.
Jing assumed a look that was quite familiar to Sen. It was the same look the man had worn when he was giving Sen lessons about the mortal politics of the capital several years earlier. So, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Jing asked a question instead of providing an answer.
“What are cultivators seeking?” asked Jing.
“Ascension,” Sen answered automatically.
“How many achieve it?”
Sen felt stupid, already seeing where this was going now that Jing had pointed the way.
“Not many,” answered Sen.
“Yet, even if they fail to ascend, they have strength, power, and long lives. If it becomes clear that they’ll never reach their goal, what are they do with those things?”
“Apparently, set themselves up as political powers.”
“Just so. And, loathe as I am to admit it, there are even a few benefits to that approach.”
“Why am I so dubious?”
“Because you don’t trust anyone, but that’s a different matter,” said Jing with a smile. “One of the most perilous times for any kingdom is during a succession. Kings don’t just hold power because they have the name. They also build relationships or, barring that, hold dangerous secrets over the heads of their nobles. When the old king dies, all too often, those relationships and secrets die with them. The new king must hold the throne until he can forge alliances and learn secrets of his own. Which is to say nothing of the threats that can come from within your own house. Sibling killing each other are a sad fact in many royal families.
“Most of those problems disappear or are at least pushed far, far down the road if your king will sit the throne for a thousand years. It’s even more true if that king has very few enemies with the ability to kill them. They offer stability in their territory. A stability that no mortal royal family can ever hope to equal. Stability often goes hand-in-hand with prosperity, although not always. Not all kings are equally talented.”
Sen grudgingly conceded the logic, even if he shuddered at the idea of a cultivator-king. Yeah, it could be a good thing but only if a lot of things aligned in just the right way. Sen could easily see any number of young masters being absolute horrors in a position of authority like that. Of course, if there were already kingdoms being run that way, why hadn’t they simply overrun all the mortal-ruled kingdoms on this side of the mountains? When Sen posed that very question, Jing nodded in approval.
“There are, thankfully, several reasons for that. The most salient reason is that they’re usually focused on fighting with each other or, minimally, keeping each other in check. Beyond that, it’s complicated and expensive to seize and hold land that is over a difficult to traverse mountain range. A final reason is the existence of the sects. I know you despise them, but they are a strategic deterrent to would-be cultivator warlords. Individually, they might not be a particular threat, but collectively they are a monumental force.”
Sen desperately wanted to poke holes in what Jing was saying but this was not Sen’s area of expertise. More to the point, he didn’t believe Jing was wrong about any of it. He just wanted to the king to be wrong about it, so he could go on thinking that every sect burning to the ground would be a boon to the world. He didn’t want to see them as contributing anything positive. A sinking feeling took hold as Sen realized something. If I were a normal cultivator in a sect, I would probably be five hundred years old, maybe older, before any of this became remotely relevant to me. These were the kind of concerns that elders, patriarchs, and matriarchs worried about. People with real influence and true power. People like me, thought Sen. A feeling of deep inadequacy washed over Sen. He’d been a nobody, living on the streets in probably the least important town in the kingdom less than fifteen years before. Now, he was standing in the throne room, talking with the king, discussing the importance of the sects in deterring cultivator-kings from invading the kingdom. I don’t belong here, thought Sen. I’m not ready for any of this.
As if he could read Sen’s thoughts, Jing said, “Terrifying, isn’t it? Getting a clear view of the big picture? Seeing just how precarious the balance of forces really is?”
“Yeah. Honestly, I’m inclined to pack up and leave right now before I get pulled deeper into any of this,” said Sen in a weak voice when a thought struck him. “You know, I think we kind of got off-topic. Just why am I here? You said something about hosting representatives, but you weren’t too specific about what you’re hosting them for. Come to think of it, you didn’t say anything about what I’m supposed to be doing in all of this.”
“Ah, that. Some of the people I’m hosting are cultivators. While I’d love to believe that none of them are planning to assassinate me, it’d be unforgivably stupid of me to assume that none of them are thinking about seizing the opportunity. I’m new to the throne, which makes this an ideal time for one of them to eliminate me and launch an invasion.”
“Didn’t you say that doing that would be complicated and expensive?” asked Sen.
“I did,” agreed Jing. “Complicated and expensive doesn’t make something impossible, though. Especially if you have five hundred years to plan it. Which brings me to you. Chan Dishi is here to be my very obvious bodyguard.”
Sen mulled it over.
“So, you want me to be your less obvious bodyguard?”
“I’d certainly welcome that if someone does try to kill me, but I mostly just want you in the room.”
“Why?”
“Because, to them, you’re an unknown quantity. A tremendously powerful cultivator who very publicly executed a nascent soul cultivator just prior to entering the city with a royal guard escort. A man who warrants a private meeting with the king. That’s the kind of man who will make people think twice before they attempt an assassination. At the very least, you’ll keep them unbalanced.”
Sen was quiet for a long time as he thought all of that over.
“I owe you. It’s why I’m here. I even understand your reasoning. But this is a big ask. You’re putting me directly in the way of cultivators who, up until now, were either not interested in me or didn’t know I existed. You and I know both know that will have consequences for me. Consequences that could well haunt me long after your reign is over,” said Sen, pausing as he considered his next words. “More importantly, it could have consequences for my daughter.”
For the first time in the conversation, Jing seemly truly at a loss for words.
“Your daughter? I wasn’t aware you were with anyone.”
“I’m not. She was orphaned. Her whole village was destroyed by bandits. No family left to take her in. So, I adopted her.”
“Orphan,” murmured Jing. “I see. And the bandits?”
“They won’t be bothering anyone. Ever.”
“Good. That’s for the best. I’d have had to send troops out to destroy them. We can’t let something like that go unpunished,” said Jing before he gave Sen a questioning look. “You haven’t said no, yet, even though I’m quite certain you want to. I take it that means you want something. Did you have something in mind?”
Sen had some vague notion that he wanted something out of the deal to make it worth the present and potential future hassles. The longer he thought about it, the more problems he could see. What could possibly make up for all of that potential trouble coming to his door? He couldn’t think of anything. Sure, he could always just move on, or go live in the wilds if it came down to it. But that would be no kind of life for Ai. No home. No roots. No potential to build a life for herself separate from him. He couldn’t do that to her. A mad idea hit him then. He dismissed it for madness, but it came back. Insistent. Nagging. He weighed it, almost dismissed it again, and finally decided that maybe it did have some merit. It’d be utterly worthless to him. In fact, it would be nothing but headaches for him but not for Ai.
Grinning a little, Sen said, “The House of Xie is going to disappear, but their holdings and business concerns won’t.”
Jing frowned and asked, “And?”
“This is what I want. The House of Lu.”
Comments
Codered999
Sen is going to actually end up creating a race of shadow hounds at this rate which will be eternally loyal to the Lu House, able to live in and freely leave the shadow realm and become the shadowy assassin bodyguards of the members of the house. Is going to be great when they don't have to follow conventional biology thanks to shadow anatomy and open their mouths go bite enemies like Resident Evil mutant puppers.
Dylan Alexander
This!😂
Dylan Alexander
That depends, she might want to be a cultivator.
Dylan Alexander
Hence why he said it was a mad thought.
Robert Adams
Sen is also making a big ask in being granted all of House Xie's assets after he destroys them. It sets a precedent in very bad ways. To most, it will look like a wandering (if legendary) cultivator walked in, killed everyone, and was REWARDED for it. Even if they justify it, saying they were traitors or corrupt, people will argue the point anyway and may invite others to try the same. Then things get messy real quick. Even if they say it's a matter of the jianghu, keep what you kill and all that, the precedent it will always be a problem.
BelligerentGnu
Alright Jing, I'll give you that one. It is indeed a damned good reason.
Wes Brown
That was a bit unexpected, ngl.... watch Grandma Show up and then Sen is suddenly more wealthy than the king. Which he could be anyway but maybe like....eclipsing the entire GDP of this kingdom. Also where is our boat captain, I expect to be greeted by an entire navy.
Nim
Neither did Sen. It's a spontaneous "inspiration". Those always work out great for him :)
CentaureHeart
Given that Sen already kinda hates being Patriach of his academy I would say his grandma. Laso this would start a precedent of Cultivator Houses
Sanctum
Her other unfilial children must be suffering a distinct sort of pain
luda305
Now I'm thinking of Sen receiving a Worlds Best Dad tea cup.
Stephen Kabes
So who will be patriarch of the fam, him or his grandma
Sanctum
Grandma Lu adopted Sen, passed on her name, set up a business network for him. Sen adopts Ai, passes on that name, establishes a noble house for her, and expands the business network. - Paying forward acts of kindness. I like the theme :) Thanks for the great chapter!
ParoxysmDK
I honestly hope we get so see this, great idea m8.
Benjamin White
Because as you stated he is his friend. also back when everything went down with the last King, Jing himself admonished Sen for the actions he took in causing the death of nearly the entire royal family when if he knew about it before hand he could’ve done something else. Sen agreed and after talking to Lo Ming (?) (forgot her name) he also saw how badly he had damaged that friendship and felt that he had to make it up to Jing.
Abdulaziz ALRumaih
Little princess of the Lu house Princess Ai may her rule be filled with shadow dogs
IndyBart
So is he is unintentionally adding a house of cultivators? His daughter may not be one now, but why wouldn’t she want the chance at that if ALL the people around her are? Is it just a house that supports the king and brings stability by being a potential nuke waiting to go off? I wonder how the sects will react.
Almedin Karabasic
How exactly does sen owe the king? Not only did he stop the vile actions of a apaphetic, twisted predator without slaughtering anyone but the one at the top, he also keeps on saving the kings people ever since he stepped out into the world, and yet sen owes him? Not only that, the king doesnt give a rats butt about sen, using him again and again just to further his own agenda without as much as informing sen of what hes going to face because of that. Of course the argument can be made that sen doesnt want innocent people to die just as the king doesnt want that, what it doesnt do is change the fact that hes putting sen into mortal peril, setting him onto people as if hes his personal hound, manipulating the perception of others with the sole intent of putting sen infront of himself as a convenient meatshield without as much as a word of warning. To me, sen in the first few arcs seems alot wiser and ALOT more introspective then this, i just dont see why he acts in this precise manner and why he believes he owes the king anything whatsoever. So... why does he think the king is his friend when every single action of his points to the exact opposite?
Elijah Overland
Oh this is going to end terribly.
E Brown
Hopefully this bodes the return of Grandmother Lu?
Sid
I'm just happy that there's a potential future in which some neighbor nasacant soul king underestimates him cos he's another core cultivator who "pressured" the king and turned noble and then Sen slaps him down lol
Vaughn Fredericks
Wow. I did not see that one coming.
Eric Dontigney
I've been building up to the whole "what's on the other side of the mountains" thing for a long time. I'd had the notion for cultivators to be in leadership/ruler positions there for a while. But I needed Sen to be at a certain power level before I introduced all of that. Now, he's in a position power-wise, maturity-wise, and influence-wise where it makes sense for him to be interacting with those kinds of people. He's also at a place where he can appreciate the bigger picture. There might not be much in that picture that he likes, but he understands it. Three books ago, if someone had told him sects had an important role to play in the overall safety of the kingdom, he just wouldn't have been able to hear anything after the word sect.
CipherFTW
O.O Ai gonna be a queen some day, calling it now
Keven Leigh
They should hang out and just chill. Glimmer doing web things while they all talk about weird things
Mark
Great chapter as always, thank you. And it has a lot of interesting background information on the wider world. Now I see why my recent question ‐ why cultivators are not ruling everything ‐ might have led to spoilers ;-)
Codered999
Well that's certainly one way to secure a legacy for your family, just take over an already well established legacy and paste your name over it like one of those AI artists stealing someone else's art, removing the watermark and going, I drew that.
Santiago Gil de Loño
Wonderful!
