Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1063: Leadership and Matters of the Heart

Li Yu and Zhan Chen guided the remaining large crowd of rescued prisoners up the spiraling stone stairs and out into the fading sunlight of the ruined capital city. The fresh air washed over the haggard group and many of the captives fell to their knees while weeping in gratitude. Soldiers from the Lunaris Kingdom rushed forward with healing pills and water to tend to the victims.King Sterling walked among the survivors with a heavy expression on his aged face. He stopped in front of a few individuals wearing tattered garments that still bore the faint silver crest of his own kingdom. After speaking with them briefly and confirming their identities, he learned they had been kidnapped from the border towns months ago.

The king discovered the people that were captured were from all across the realm. Some were wandering cultivators from distant sects, some belonged to minor merchant clans and others were citizens of rival kingdoms. The cruel Matriarch had not discriminated when gathering fuel for her demonic arts.

The Lunaris king clenched his fists in frustration as his soldiers carried out a few lifeless bodies of his own citizens that had perished in the dark cells.

“I should have taken action much sooner,” King Sterling declared with a voice thick with regret and simmering fury. He scolded himself in front of his generals while staring at the covered bodies. “I knew the border towns were reporting strange disappearances but I chose to act cautiously to avoid sparking a direct war. My hesitation allowed my own people to suffer in the dark.”

The display of genuine remorse showed that the king truly cared for his people but Grandmaster Orion stepped forward to offer a harsh dose of reality.

“That action would have been foolish and you know it,” Orion said while resting a hand on the shoulder of his ruler. “If we had marched our armies here and attacked the capital without the aid of Zhan Chen, the Matriarch would have slaughtered our entire fleet. We would not have even made it past the outer walls before she turned us all to ash. Your caution saved the kingdom from total annihilation back then.”

The king let out a long sigh as he processed the grim truth of the situation. He nodded his head slowly and agreed with the assessment of his trusted grandmaster. Knowing that he made the best decision possible at the time helped but the sting of letting your people suffer still stuck with the king.

Sect Master Korren of the Crest Spine Sect landed nearby with a few of his elders trailing behind him. The scarred dragon cultivator walked over to the group of prisoners and identified several men and women possessing draconic features. There were indeed a few disciples from his own sect mixed among the victims.

“I cannot believe the depths of this betrayal,” Korren muttered while scolding himself loudly enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear. “I am deeply ashamed to have worked with such traitors.”

Li Yu stood a short distance away and watched the sect master put on a show of regret. He narrowed his eyes and tried to read the subtle body language of the dragon cultivator.

‘Is he being sincere or is he just trying to shift the blame now that his hidden benefactor is dead?’ Li Yu thought to himself. He could not tell if the sect master was truly ignorant of the kidnappings or if he was simply playing the role of a betrayed leader to avoid facing the wrath of the Zhan Clan. Li Yu decided to keep his suspicions quiet for now since the sect leader did not have that bad of a karmic aura and let his cousin handle the politics.

Zhan Chen decided it was best to stay in the capital for a few more days until everything had stabilized properly. The sudden death of the royal family and the removal of the Matriarch left a dangerous power vacuum that needed to be managed with care.

Over the next few days, Zhan Chen set up a temporary administrative court within the least damaged wing of the palace. He helped the Lunaris officials and the dragon sect elders divide up the territory, the hidden resources and the trade routes. The local leaders were happily surprised by his skills regarding governing and land management.

Zhan Chen navigated the complex treaties and resource allocations with the sharp mind of a seasoned politician. With his overwhelming power backing his words, it also made things go much faster as the other leaders did not dare to disagree with his final rulings.

During this busy period of reconstruction, Princess Lena of the Lunaris Kingdom took a very keen liking and interest in the handsome heir. She frequently visited his temporary office to bring him teas and pastries. She admired his rugged good looks and his dominant presence, hoping to mainly catch his eye and it would also secure a powerful alliance for her family.

She always wore her most elegant dresses and lingered near his desk while asking trivial questions about his heroic deeds. Zhan Chen remained perfectly polite during every interaction but he never showed any real interest in her advances. He always steered the conversation back to logistics and rebuilding efforts before dismissing her to review more territorial maps.

Li Yu noticed the one sided romance playing out and decided to ask his older cousin about it one night while they were relaxing in a private courtyard. They sat across from each other at a small stone table covered in spirit beast meat that Li Yu had cooked and several jugs of high quality wine. The night air was cool and the stars shone brightly above the ruined city.

“Are you not even a little bit interested in Princess Lena?” Li Yu asked before taking a long drink from his wine cup. “She is known as a beauty in these lands and she clearly wants to grow closer to you. A single word from you and King Sterling would gladly offer her hand in marriage.”

Zhan Chen swallowed a piece of roasted meat and wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin before shaking his head. “No, I am not interested in her. She is a lovely woman and a dutiful daughter but I don’t have the interest currently. I already have other plans and already know who my first wife will be.”

Li Yu paused with his cup halfway to his mouth and blinked in confusion. “Your first wife? You are planning to have more than one?”

Zhan Chen let out a booming laugh that echoed through the quiet courtyard while he poured himself another cup of wine and leaned back in his wooden chair. “Of course I plan to have a few wives. My grandfather had three wives during his life and my father currently has four. With that historical precedent in mind, it only makes sense for me to have five.”

Li Yu chuckled at first and then stared at his cousin and realized he was not joking at all. Zhan Chen was completely serious. It was as if the heir felt a strict familial obligation to outdo the previous generations in every single aspect of life including his romantic endeavors.

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The older cousin grew a bit more serious and rested his arms on the stone table. “I already have three women in my life that I deeply care about and I plan to marry all of them eventually. The one that will be my first wife is a woman I met by chance during my early training journeys. We crossed paths while hunting the same spirit beast and we just grew to love each other over time. Her name is Liana.”

“What is her background?” Li Yu asked while feeling a genuine curiosity about the woman who managed to capture the heart of the Zhan Clan heir. His desire for gossip flared up as he poured his cousin another cup of wine.

“She comes from a kingdom in the realm that I was at the time,” Zhan Chen explained with a fond smile warming his features. “She is weaker than I am right now and is currently only in the Law Seed realm but she is also younger than me. She possesses an incredible amount of talent and an even greater amount of pride.”

“Does she struggle with the pressure of your status?” Li Yu pressed further.

“She refuses to let my status define her,” Zhan Chen answered proudly. “She did not want my help to get stronger or my resources to smooth out her bottlenecks after learning about my real background. She wants to advance using her own abilities and forge her own dao. I offered to shower her in pills and heavenly treasures but she turned me down. I respected her choice and backed away but I told her I would definitely help her once we got married. I want her to live a very long life with me and share the endless centuries ahead.”

“Why did you not marry her yet then?” Li Yu asked.

“She has her own ambitions and does not want to just fly along my wind as a helpless dependent,” Zhan Chen said while swirling the wine in his cup. “We truly love each other but she told me she has to accomplish something important on her own first. She has not revealed what that personal goal is yet but I am willing to wait. However, knowing who I am and understanding the political burdens of my status, she told me I can get married to others first and she would never get in the way of those arrangements.”

Zhan Chen took a slow sip of his wine and his smile widened. “But she also made sure to tell me to keep the status of first wife strictly reserved for her.”

Li Yu chuckled at the bold demand. Liana sounded like a fierce and independent woman who knew exactly what she wanted. “And what about the second woman?”

“The second woman is a political arrangement with the Jade Melody Clan,” Zhan Chen continued as he picked up another piece of roasted meat. “Her name is Lyra. It was an arrangement made by our parents who happen to be good friends with one another. The Jade Melody Clan is much weaker than the Zhan Clan so the arrangement was designed to bring them under our protective umbrella without making it look like a hostile takeover. Protection for friends so to speak.”

“So it was a forced engagement?” Li Yu asked, remembering that his great grandfather made a similar agreement with the Gongsun Clan.

“Not at all,” Zhan Chen quickly clarified. “Our clan values personal freedom too much for that. The arrangement simply allowed the two of us to spend time together and get to know each other first before going forward with any formal binding. It was more like a promise for our families to push us into the same room, give us opportunities to be together and if we liked each other then we could move forward. If we hated each other, the deal would be called off without any loss of face.”

“I take it you did not hate her then.”

“No, I actually like her quite a lot,” Zhan Chen admitted with a soft chuckle. “The Jade Melody Clan is famous for their skill with musical weapons and the dao of sound. Lyra is in the Domain King realm and she plays the zither with such skill that it can soothe even the most chaotic battle intent. She has a gentle soul but a sharp wit. It turned out we got along very well and I am actually slated to marry her in about a year.”

Zhan Chen pointed a finger at his younger cousin across the table. “You must be sure to come to our wedding when the time arrives. It will be a grand celebration and you must attend.”

“I will be there, of course,” Li Yu promised while raising his cup in a brief toast. “I would not miss it for anything. Who is the third woman on your list?”

“The third woman is from the Sundered Steel Sect,” Zhan Chen said and a competitive glint flashed in his eyes at the mention of the name. “Her name is Valera. The sect is famous across the western continent for their brutal skill with the heavy axe and the destruction dao. I must admit that out of all the women I know, Valera is the one most similar to me in personality and martial skill. She is currently at the Paragon realm and is the chosen heir slated to take over her sect one day.”

Li Yu widened his eyes in surprise. “That is a very powerful background. Is her sect strong?”

“The Sundered Steel Sect is around the same level as the Zhan Clan in terms of might but they are weaker overall when you factor in our hidden ancestors and our vast wealth,” Zhan Chen explained as he detailed the political landscape. “This was the most complex political arrangement out of them all. It was made by my grandfather long before I was even born. He made a promise to a close friend of his within that sect, a friend who just happened to be one of their ancestors.”

“Did they use the same promise method as the Jade Melody Clan?” Li Yu asked.

“Yes, the promise was simply to get the two of us together and see what happens. Of course at that time, no one knew we both would be the heirs of our respective factions.” Zhan Chen said while shaking his head in fond amusement.

“But because of our aggressive personalities, it started off as a fierce and bloody rivalry between the two of us. We could not stand each other at first. I ended up suppressing my cultivation down to her level and we fought one another for weeks on and off across a barren mountain range.”

“Who won?”

“I usually won the majority of the spars over the years.” Zhan Chen stated with undeniable pride and a grin on his face. “But I did lose a few times when she managed to catch me off guard with her axe intent. Those rare victories gave her the hope and the drive to keep challenging me. Over all those intense fights, we actually started to respect each other and our relationship formed from that foundation of combat. Having many things in common like our similar burdens, our heavy expectations and our aggressive natures, we eventually really liked each other and fell in love.”

“When is the wedding for her?” Li Yu asked as he poured them both another round of wine.

“The date is undetermined,” Zhan Chen sighed as a hint of frustration entered his voice. “Because the status of our clan and her sect are close together in power, it makes things a lot more complicated from a political standpoint. The elders on both sides are constantly arguing over where we will live, which family name our children will take and how the alliance will be structured. While my marriage with the Jade Melody Clan is easy because the Zhan Clan is overwhelmingly stronger, this union has too many restraints blocking the path.”

Li Yu listened intently to the romantic tales of his older cousin while he absorbed the stories of first loves, political arrangements and fierce rivalries turning into deep bonds. The wine warmed his chest and loosened his tongue as he thought about his own journey.

“I must confess that I too have someone I harbor deep feelings for,” Li Yu shared quietly while staring down into his cup of wine. He thought of the beautiful girl and the complicated emotions that always surfaced when he remembered her smile. “I sincerely hope my situation can eventually lead me to where you are with Lyra from the Jade Melody Clan. I want a future where things are settled and happy.”

Zhan Chen set his cup down and looked at his younger cousin with a gaze full of brotherly warmth and serious conviction.

“If you are truly determined enough and with a bit of help from luck and fate, you shall reach that future,” Zhan Chen said firmly. “The path of cultivation is long and filled with endless dangers but we must not forget to build a life worth living along the way. Never give up on the woman you want, unless her heart is with another and keep moving forward without fear. Just remember to proceed with care so you do not break the things you are trying to protect.”

Li Yu smiled and nodded his head at the solid advice. The two cousins bumped their cups together in a silent pact of brotherhood. They continued eating the roasted meat and talking deep into the night as the cool wind blew through the quiet courtyard.