Chapter 100: Life 61, Age 44, Martial Lord Peak

Even though problems arose because of the events at the Thunder Groom Selection, Minister Jin still insisted that I attend the Fire Flower Blossoming the following year. She was willing to concede that the associated social gatherings were optional, but she was firm in her stance that I needed to attend the actual competitions themselves if at all possible. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I accepted this as a responsibility I assumed when I became the Water Groom. At the Fire Flower Blossoming, I sat with Mei in our designated booth. We were both hesitant to speak, so we mainly focused on the stage, but I did glance at her occasionally. She looked more tired than she had the previous year. I wasn’t sure what projects were consuming so much of her energy, but I was slightly concerned about what her blessing’s goals could be. The tension between us seemed to build as we sat together alone in silence, so I tried my best to diffuse it. “Are you sleeping well?” She flinched at my words. “Yes. Things have just been busy recently.” I nodded, but I didn’t know how to continue the conversation, so I returned to watching the competitors. I noticed Mei turned her head slightly toward me, but she quickly jerked it back to focus on the stage below. This made me sigh with regret. I wished I could help her, but her psychological burdens were hers to bear. I had no way to assist with them. After the competition, I swiftly returned to North Lake City. I wanted to immediately seclude myself again, but I needed to talk to someone about what Mei had been up to. I wasn’t sure who to ask, but since Mo was my Minister of Justice, he should know a little bit about everything happening in the city, so I decided to have a quick consultation with him. “Minister Mo, do you know what Flower Mei has been doing recently?” He looked surprised but responded promptly. “Yes, Lord. I told you some time ago that young scions of two of our city’s clans had gotten into an argument. The situation has deteriorated quite a bit since then, with both clans constantly at each other’s throats. This has caused a great deal of damage to the city, and few are willing to offend either clan by trying to stop it. Flower Mei has been working to calm both sides and restore sanity to the situation.” “Thank you, minister. That is all,” I said, dismissing him. Such a conflict should have involved the city lord, and I should have gone out to put a stop to the chaos myself, but no one had come to inform me of the escalating nature of the situation. It seemed Mei’s blessing was trying to keep me away from it. I wasn’t sure what game she was playing by putting herself in the middle of such a conflict, but I would allow it to happen. In the end, this city wasn’t important to me. It was only a means to accrue karmic energy and test some of my ideas. If Mei’s blessing wanted to do something to it, I would let it. I needed to return to work. As the years passed, my cultivation grew rapidly. With the new production lines in place and the beginning of new herb farms to feed them, the karmic energy I gained from the city accumulated faster than I could spend it. This growth in karmic energy production was slightly surprising. I thought the effect of the factory would taper off as the benefits from the pills plateaued over time. Nearly everyone in the city who needed a Nutrition Pill was provided one within the first year, and I didn’t expect the continual supply to have much of an effect. My working assumption had been that making everyone healthy would have a large impact, but keeping them healthy would at most keep karmic energy production constant. However, the rate at which it accumulated only continued to grow. This could partly be explained by the additional production lines we created for new pills, but it still seemed like far too much. None of my other projects were of much benefit to the city, so I could only conclude my original assumptions about karmic energy production were wrong. When I was 39 years old, this influx of energy allowed me to break through twice, reaching Martial Lord 7. From there, I broke through one stage each year, reaching Martial Lord Peak when I was 42 years old. At that point, I had two years left as a city lord. It didn’t matter how much Lord-level karmic energy I built up, I would never be able to use it to break through to Martial King. However, I spent another year stockpiling enough reserves that I would be able to use it to ascend to False King if necessary. Once all my possible needs for karmic energy were met, I still had over a year in the position of city lord and no use for the energy it gained me. Instead of wasting it, Minister Jin helped me through the process of naming Mei the nominal lord for that remaining year. During her reign, she had only reached Martial Lord 6. This nominal lordship should allow her to reach Martial Lord 8. Mei had helped manage the city during my long absences, and this was the only thing I knew to do for her in return. The ball lasted for hours, and with Mei as a constant companion, the time passed far more quickly than I expected. I felt myself begin to relax and almost enjoy the event. But as with all things, the night eventually drew to an end. After returning to the City Lord’s Complex, I was ready to return to my studies with renewed energy. With the new Flower on the way, I would need to find a new residence the next day, and I had to finish a few projects first. Before separating, Mei tenderly cupped my cheek with her hand. “Thank you for tonight, Fang. I’m finally free.” With those final words, she departed, her scarf trailing after her. The next morning while I was in my workshop, one of Mei’s Seeds burst in with a frantic look on her face. “Lord Su, Flower Mei... Mei... One of her servants found her earlier today alone in her room with a white silk cloth around her neck. She... committed suicide, Lord. She’s dead.” I stared at the young woman. Mei was dead? She committed suicide? She seemed so happy the previous night. Realization struck me. “Bastard...” Her damn blessing had driven her to suicide. Why? What was it trying to get from me? Did it want me to feel pity and help her more in the next life? Did it want me to stay away from her? It was impossible to know, and it was impossible to second guess. No matter how I reacted, it would be exactly the reaction her blessing wanted. I cursed, but I couldn’t do anything to thwart her blessing’s machinations. As I was about to react further, my body froze. I didn’t know what to do. Mei’s death was tragic, but I couldn’t do anything about it anymore. I needed to return to work. She wasn’t dead forever after all, and I had to remain focused on what mattered. I felt these thoughts were wrong deep in my soul, but it was impossible to express my feelings. I needed to see Mei’s body, to say goodbye, to say... something. A funeral... I had to arrange a funeral, right? The thoughts of my body and the desires of my soul began to war against each other. I felt a fracture form between the two, cleaving my mind in half. I wanted to visit Mei. I needed to return to my work. I felt I should say goodbye. I knew it wasn’t goodbye, so it didn’t matter. I had to set aside my feelings for the moment. What was really important? Was it saying goodbye to someone I’d see in a few years anyway, or was it working to acquire the fire seed? The thoughts of my body triumphed against my weaker soul. I returned to work.