Chapter 203: Judgment

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Song Daiyu listens to his story. At first, she does so with amused interest, but that amusement fades before Liu Jin hits the halfway mark, leaving only interest behind. Disgust, shock, and disbelief are the next to take turns playing across her face. Her eyebrows rise and fall, and her skin pales and greens as Liu Jin tells his tale.

In the end, only pure, simple shock remains on her countenance.

“I do not wish for you to be telling the truth,” Song Daiyu tells him once they are alone. Yi Jiao has long since retired to the accommodations provided to them by Manager Xiong, Liu Jin’s story having proven too much for her to handle.

“Does it sound like I am lying? Liu Jin asks her.

Song Daiyu does not reply immediately. She takes a long drag from her pipe and breathes a long stream of smoke into the air.

“It sounds like you made the most inconceivable story possible just to shock me,” she scoffs, the pipe twirling between her fingers. “The only thing missing was a surprise appearance by the Wandering Wind.”

She tries her best to sound angry, but Liu Jin does not fail to notice how tightly she holds on to her pipe or how it trembles as she waves it around.

It is only natural. Liu Jin didn’t just tell her he encountered one of the three major powers from beyond the Dead Plains. He told her that they had agents in the Eternal Flame Clan, that they were very likely present in the Storm Dragon Empire, and that Duke Lai might be knowingly or unknowingly working with them.

It is a lot to take in.

“I understand how outlandish it all sounds,” Liu Jin says, drawing a small laugh from Song Daiyu. “But do you believe I am lying to you?”

Song Daiyu’s green eyes peer into his for a long time.

“I have never known you to be a dishonest man,” Song Daiyu says before trailing off.

“But that was a long time ago,” Liu Jin finishes for her with no small amount of sympathy and understanding.

Old acquaintances is how Song Daiyu described them, but even that term is too kind. They talked, fought in a tournament match, and talked some more. It has been years since then. The time since they last saw each other far outstrips any length of time they ever spend together.

They are strangers with familiar faces. Nothing more.

“Indeed,” Song Daiyu says sadly. “We meet again after so long, and you warn me against doing business with Duke Lai. However, you do so wearing the colors of the Eternal Flame Clan.” She points at his robes with her pipe. “Your interests and mine are opposed. Why wouldn’t you lie to me? You have every reason to.”

She looks expectantly at him. As if waiting for him to deny it.

On this, however, Liu Jin must disappoint her.

“You are right,” he says. “I am here as a disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan.” He frowns and pauses. “Allow me to rephrase. It is no mere formality that has put me here. I joined the Eternal Flame Clan so I could be here today. I am fully invested in this mission.”

“And for your mission, you would ask me to turn my back on a deal that would greatly boost the reputation and power of the Song Clan as well as my status.” Song Daiyu sighs theatrically and moves to sit next to him. She leans in so her face is dangerously close to his. “Would you really be so cruel?”

Even though her dress somehow slips below her shoulders, and the scent of lavender surrounds him, Liu Jin’s gaze remains on Song’s face. He has far too much experience with Lu Mei to be swayed by something like this.

“I would,” he says.

Song Daiyu’s face falls.

“Even though you know I am acting in concert with your wife, you will still ask me to stop?” She tries next.

At that, Liu Jin falters. It does not last more than a second, but it is enough for a flicker of doubt to appear on his face.

“I… am still unsure how I feel about that,” Liu Jin admits. “I never expected anyone else to be on a road parallel to mine. Now that I say it aloud, I realize how foolish that makes me.”

After hearing what happened to Eastern Port City, Xiao Fang would surely have his hands full handling the Xiao Sect and the many attempts to usurp his position that would ensue due to his father’s death. Meanwhile, the Divine Frozen Palace would not allow Xiao Shuang to put herself in danger, whether to aid her brother or to avenge Eastern Port City. She would be safe but perhaps not content.

Those had been the assumptions he had been working under.

How naive of him. Time passes, and people will not be content to stay still. The world neither revolves nor depends on Liu Jin’s actions.

“Then won’t you reconsider your stance?” Song Daiyu asks. Just as doubt flickers on Liu Jin’s face, a glimmer of hope shines in Song’s eyes.

However, once more, Liu Jin must disappoint her.

“No,” he says sadly. “It is true I still do not know how to feel about this, but I do not intend to turn my back on the Eternal Flame Clan. I have met many people and made several commitments. I do not intend to betray them.”

“I imagined you’d say something like that.” Song Daiyu sighs and places a hand over her forehead. She takes another drag of her pipe. “Oh, why did you not go to the Divine Frozen Palace after Eastern Port City fell? We would not be having this problem if you had!”

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“I did not think that possibility was open to me at the time,” Liu Jin replies, startling Song, who perhaps had intended her question to be purely rhetorical. “You might have thought well of me, but to the Divine Frozen Place, I was merely an inconvenience. My marriage to Xiao Shuang was simply an obstacle that prevented them from taking Xiao Shuang right away. I was nothing more than a speck of dust that happened to fall on their prized jewel. If I had gone there, even assuming they believed who I was, I doubt they’d have allowed me to talk to anyone important, let alone see Xiao Shuang.”

He smiles sadly.

“That is why I sent you that letter. You had the name and relevance I lacked and could see Xiao Shuang where I could not. I never once considered the Divine Frozen Palace would go as far as to move their influence in the court so they could declare war on the Storm Dragon Empire.”

Even now, it seems incredible to him that they are doing exactly that. Certainly, the attack on Eastern Port City could be considered an insult to them, but the Divine Frozen Palace has already obtained everything they could want from the Xiao Sect. They merely needed to go through the motions of saving face.

“I see. So that’s why,” Song Daiyu mutters. “I suppose I cannot blame you for thinking like that. It is only natural. Still, if a name was all you needed, you could have come with me to the Divine Frozen Palace! Had you kept trying to find me instead of vanishing, we could have gone to Shuang together!”

“That… is something I could have done,” Liu Jin admits, thinking back to why he did not do so at the time. “Perhaps the possibility did not occur to me. I was not at my best back then.”

Perhaps he did not believe Song Daiyu would actually deliver his letter.

Or maybe…

“Has Xiao Shuang…” Liu Jin begins talking, then stops. The words suddenly seem stuck in his throat. He swallows and pushes on. “Has she talked about me?”