v6c60: Mountains and Hills

And so Yun Ren found himself heading home again. Instead of just heading back over the mountains, they went south first, to where the rest of the foxes had been waiting out the winter. It was a very bumpy journey, as Bi De once more took the opportunity to train his flight technique. He still couldn’t turn properly, which was frustrating the rooster to no end. Their camp at night was full of diagrams and moon phases he drew in the snow, muttering to himself.

Their pace was unhurried. It was kind of funny. The times they said it wouldn’t take long, they were delayed. Now, when they purposefully gave themselves a lot of time in case there were delays, they finished what they were sent to do early.

The heavens were laughing at them, probably… but Yun Ren was glad things had actually gone smoothly this time. He would have hated it if every time he left the province there was some kind of bad incident to deal with.

Well, there was a bad incident, it just so happened to be resolved without them.

“Oh? Fengyan is quite upset,” Shen Yu mused when they saw the Imperial Declaration of Censure that was plastered front and center on the local village sign board.

“What does it mean?” Bi De took the initiative in asking.

“A Declaration of Censure is not that damning in what it directly does to a sect that receives it,” Shen Yu explained. “It merely strips them of their guarantees as a sect. They are barred from tournaments for a time, must pay taxes like they are mortal subjects, and are no longer allowed to call mortals to arms.”

“And I’m guessing with it being shouted out like this that the outcome is going to be… not the greatest for the Frozen Cloud Sect?” Bi De continued.

Shen Yu’s smile was not a pleasant one. “What do you think the people of Verdant Hill would do if the Lord Magistrate announced to the population that a certain family had spat upon his good will and lawful orders?”

“Oh, they’re gonna be driven outta town, but… cultivator style,” Yun Ren said. He would have felt sorry for them… if he hadn’t seen the aftermath of one of the towns left to fend for itself due to the Frozen Cloud Sect’s actions in hampering their regular defenders.

“Indeed,” Shen Yu replied.

They continued their journey after that, and it did not take long for them to reach their destination, which was hidden under an illusion. Without Nezan’s directions, they never would have been able to find the place. But with Nezan’s direction, and Yun Ren being able to feel the illusion, they broke through the veil and found themselves in a picturesque valley.

People looked to the sky, at first with concern, but then they pointed and cheered when they realised who it was and started waving.

They set down just outside of a manor compound, and Su Nezuhua, the owner of the Den of Delights, was there to greet them.

“Lord Shen Yu! Young Master!” she said with a bow. “It’s good to see you again!”

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They were quickly welcomed into the compound, which had enough room to house several hundred people. Unlike last time, where basically everyone had been adults due to Nezan considering the possibility of war, this time there were more families than fighters.

Gaggles of children, bundled up in winter clothes, played games and chased each other around. Out of the hundred or so children Yun Ren had seen while walking through the compound, less than an eighth of them had real fox tails and ears—the rest were fake, and Yun Ren counted only two actual foxes amongst all the children he saw, gamboiling around with the others.

“It’s been so long since we’ve gathered in such numbers, and even longer since we took account of our families. This is… well, this is most of us,” Nezuhua told him as they settled in with food and drink.

“There’s more of us than I thought. I still can’t believe that the hunts have actually stopped, most days,” Nezuhao mused. The wizened old woman was the one who owned and maintained the various scattered manors and safehouses. Her voice was melancholic, a raw and personal pain showing momentarily as she turned her old eyes on Yun Ren. “You have our gratitude, Young Master. Should you ever need anything…”

Yun Ren nodded solemnly at her voice. There were more of them here than they had in Hong Yaowu, that was for certain, but there were at most a thousand or two people in the foxes’ tribes in total. He understood the gravity of the situation. There was no denying the debt; it would dishonor what they’d lost. Instead…

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“I do actually have something you can do for me,” Yun Ren said after a moment. His words made them all straighten up. “Y’see, you know how you were going to meet with Grandpa? Well, uh… how about you all come to my wedding as well?”

The tension and preparedness immediately went out of the foxes, and the two women gave him warm smiles.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Young Master,” they replied.

“Good! Grandpa would tan my hide if you all weren’t there,” Yun Ren said, to the amused chuckles of the other foxes.

They stayed the night with the foxes—there was good food and drink, and Yun Ren showed off his recordings to all the kids.

He offered to escort them home, but they had their own plans. Yuanlin would be coming to get them, and they already had plans with her, so they were sent on their way.

Through Stone Gate, and back toward the Dueling Peaks.

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Caring for so many families was a demanding job, Nezuhua mused, completing another ledger, but a rewarding one.

It had been so very long since she had seen so many children. It had been a few days since the Young Master’s visit, and she had been very busy arranging everything for their trip to the Azure Hills.

“Hey all, I’m back!” Yuanlin’s bold voice echoed through the compound as she strode into the meeting room, her smile bright and her pointed teeth on full display. Nezuhua chuckled at the booming greeting. Yuanlin’s ears were positively bouncing along with her tails—though what was new was the blue scarf around her neck, decorated with geometric patterns. It was quite a fetching piece. “And we gotta get ready! The Young Master is getting married, and we’re all invited!”

“The Young Master stole a march on you!” Nezuhao retorted. “Tell us some actual news!”

“Ah, he was here already? Good!” Yuanlin said, before looking around in the meeting room. It was just Nezuhua, Nezuhuo, and the newly arrived Xue Ji, the severe-looking clerk fresh from her own travels. “Where’s Da Jin?” Yuanlin asked, referring to Nezuhua’s assistant.

“She has taken over the Den, as we thought it prudent to keep it open,” Nezuhua replied.

“She had been leaving her post and meeting with Che Han, before the whole thing with the Frozen Cloud Sect. She thinks she’s being sneaky about it,” Xue Ji added absently.