Chapter 239: Under the Storm

~~~

“I wish you could make it easier to not worry about you,” Lu Mei says as she applies ointment to his wounds.

“I would apologize, but something tells me I will always end in situations like this.”

“People call that basic pattern recognition,” Lu Mei notes dryly.

Liu Jin laughs, and it hurts him to do so. The wounds Murong Bang left on him are still fresh. Luckily, they are nowhere near as severe as the first time Murong Bang toyed with him. A bath, rest, and some sleep are all Liu Jin needs to recover.

“Murong Bang already knew about what happened in Rainfall City,” Liu Jin notes as Lu Mei treats his back. “He knew about my lightning.”

“That is not surprising,” Lu Mei says. “Despite how he acts, he’s still the ruler of this region. It is safe to assume he has some sort of information network in place.”

“It is not only that,” Liu Jin says. He glances at Lu Mei out of the corner of his eyes. “You deliberately spread the information among the people of Rainstorm City. You gave money to those who lost their homes and encouraged them to relocate, using them to spread the story.”

Finding that out had not been hard. Liu Jin simply hadn’t had time to properly confront Lu Mei about it until now. Between his dying grandfather, the children of the Lei Clan, his tenuous relationship with his uncle, introducing Lu Mei to his family, and preparing for his report to Murong Bang, Liu Jin had been understandably busy.

“I did,” Lu Mei replies, not bothering to lie. “I also told them that the great Qing Jin would usher the nation into a new age of prosperity.”

Liu Jin puts a hand over his face.

“Why?”

“You know why,” she tells him. “You might not have any desire to rule, but I have little interest in denying what is obvious. The story would have gotten out regardless. I merely… ensured that your name would receive a positive connotation.”

“That’s just an excuse.”

“That doesn’t make it untrue,” Lu Mei points out. “The last thing we need is for people to associate you with the Black Dragon.”

A hapless smile appears on Liu Jin’s face.

“What else can happen when I enter General He Bin’s territory at Murong Bang’s side?”

Lu Mei frowns.

“It’s decided then? He’s planning to attack General He Bin’s armies instead of letting General Nie Dan handle the fighting?”

Letting General Nie Dan handle the war against General He Bin and the Death Fashioning Scripture would be the easiest thing to do. By sitting back as the conflict happens, Murong Bang would be free to swoop in and eliminate whoever is left. The fear of something like that happening has kept the stalemate between the three generals going all this time.

However, it seems Murong Bang has no interest in something so boring.

“He’s planning on marching to the imperial palace, and he’s taking me with him,” Liu Jin replies.

“That is not ideal at all,” Lu Mei says. “You should be entering the palace at General Dan’s side. He’s also a former subordinate of the Black Dragon, but he’s popular among his people and is a known ally of the Eternal Flame Clan. Is there no chance Murong Bang will let you return to General Nie Dan?”

Liu Jin looks at her.

Lu Mei sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose

“Right. That was a stupid question.”

“On the bright side, this means we will not meet the Eternal Flame Clan for some time.” Liu Jin tries to smile. “Considering news of my parentage are bound to reach them soon enough, that’s probably for the best.”

“It does look awfully suspicious,” Lu Mei agrees with him. “You will need support when you return.”

“Feng Zhi won’t be happy about it. Elder Xue might speak up for me. Lord Feng Gui’s attitude will vary depending on the results. Lady Ling… might be a problem. Patriarch Feng might weigh in my favor.” Liu Jin grimaces. “That might not be a good thing.”

Lu Mei shakes her head. “I wish dangerous people would like you less.”

“I wish dangerous people would like me less, too,” Liu Jin says. “Maybe then they wouldn’t try to spread my identity around.”

“I will not apologize,” Lu Mei says stubbornly.

“I never expected you to.” Liu Jin looks up and touches Lu Mei’s cheek. “I know the sort of person you are.”

Lu Mei falters.

“Do you?” She asks. “Had Han not arrived and goaded you into attacking, I would probably have tried something similar to make you act. Do you realize that?”

Liu Jin closes his eyes, yet his hand does not leave Lu Mei.

“No, I didn’t,” he admits. “I had no idea you were thinking of something like that. Now that you say it, it makes perfect sense for you to do so.”

“Disappointed?”

Liu Jin smiles and shakes his head.

“I have considered doing far too many horrible things to get angry at others for doing the same,” Liu Jin says. “Besides… I like that about you. Your drive. Your willingness to do things for your goals. The way you maneuver situations.”

Lu Mei blushes.

“If you had gone through with it, I wouldn’t be saying this,” Liu Jin admits. “But you didn’t, so I can.”

“I like you,” Lu Mei says back. Her hand touches his. “I like your vision. The magnitude of what you dare to do and imagine. Even the way you hold yourself back is endearing as it is frustrating.”

“I know how hard it is not to be practical about certain things,” Liu Jin admits. “Sometimes, it’s impossible. In the end, I had to take the children of the Lei Clan hostage.”

“So you kidnapped a bunch of children, and I didn’t instigate the slaughter of a town,” Lu Mei sums up.

“We’re both making progress,” Liu Jin says, making Lu Mei giggle.

“I guess.” Her face grows serious. “What are we going to do with those children?”

Liu Jin stops smiling when he sees what she’s getting at.

“They cannot stay here,” He says.

The Lei Clan is bound to have people loyal to them here. If Liu Jin leaves the children here, the Lei Clan might find a way to recover and hide them. However, taking them along and letting them see the war would be too dangerous for them.

“We have to send them away,” Lu Mei says.

“We can send them to Senior Brother Mud,” Liu Jin says. “He might find some way to send them to the Eternal Flame Clan. That would be better than having them stay in the Storm Dragon Empire.”

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Lu Mei looks skeptical. “Would he do that?”

“The least I can do is ask.” Liu Jin shrugs. “If not, they’ll have to temporarily stay under General Dan’s care. Or, most likely, under the care of City Lord Chu.”

“Considering how strong-willed his daughter is, he might see it as an improvement.” Lu Mei laughs. “I must say I did not expect this.”

“What?”

“We are already talking about what to do with the children,” she points out.

Liu Jin laughs.

~~~

Qing Jianjun wakes up screaming.

It is the third time in as many days he has done so. Just as they have done the previous times, the guards rush into his room and find no cause for concern. There is no attack. No intruder. No danger.

How could it possibly be any other way? In Storm Dragon Palace, none can harm those of royal blood.

The emperor just had another nightmare.

“Call, He Bin!” The emperor yells. “Call him at once!”

The guards do not bother asking the emperor what is wrong. They just briskly walk away to follow his orders. Perhaps a little too briskly, as if being in his presence was unpleasant.

They all think he is a coward.