Chapter 84: Life 61, Age 24, Martial Grandmaster Peak

While most of the clans and groups that had initially shown interest in working with me had backed off, the Hu family was eager for a partnership. I met with Instructor Hu in one of the Pavilion conference rooms to discuss the details. “The clan elders are willing to work with you and teach you all our knowledge of formations. I can promise that we will not hold anything back,” said Instructor Hu once we were seated. “That’s very generous of you,” I said, surprised. “Even for quality Rank 3 pills, this seems beyond what I would normally expect.” “Yes.” The instructor steepled his hands while trying to explain. “There are conditions which you may be unwilling to accept, but as long as you do, we will freely share all of our clan’s secrets with you.” My eyes narrowed in suspicion at that. They wouldn’t be clan secrets if they were willing to share them so openly. “What are the conditions?” “First, you are not allowed to pass on any knowledge you gain from us.” I nodded in agreement. “That sounds fair.” “Second, you are not allowed to profit from creating formations for others within the kingdom.” I thought about this restriction. “I’m allowed to create them for my own use and the use of my subordinates without restriction, though, correct?” “Of course.” I waved the restriction away. “I can accept this.” “Finally, you must make a pledge to this effect on the kingdom’s Oath Stone.” When saying this, Instructor Hu seemed to get slightly nervous. It seemed he expected me to be unwilling to accept such conditions. “What exactly does that mean?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. “As you know, I’m new to the kingdom. I’ve never heard of an Oath Stone.” “It’s considered the most valuable artifact of our kingdom. A pledge on the Oath Stone connects you with the kingdom’s Bagua Formation and through it to the Heavenly Dao. If you break your oath, the Heavenly Dao will pass the information to the formation, and the formation will annihilate you. If you are too far away, the formation may not be able to reach you, but once you return within its range, you will be destroyed.” I tapped the table in thought then turned toward my regular Pavilion mediator. “LiPin, is swearing on this Oath Stone safe? Are there any hidden dangers the Pavilion can tell me about?” She hesitated before speaking in a somewhat strained voice. “The Oath Stone is well known, and we have no information about hidden risks associated with it. Beyond what Master Hu has stated, when you are close to breaking an oath, you will feel it, so you will not be able to break one accidentally. However, it is possible to force someone to break an oath. If you swear never to say something, you could be tortured to the point where you are forced to speak. At that point, your oath would be broken, and you would be killed.” “So,” I said, returning my focus to instructor Hu. “You are willing to teach me your secrets, but you need to ensure I can’t pass them along to others.” “That’s correct,” he responded. I couldn’t get any kind of read of whether this was intended as a trap or as an open offer, but no matter how it was intended, it was a double-edged sword. Still, I could try to navigate the oath to my benefit. “I can agree to this, but I need a few changes and clarifications to the oath I take.” The instructor seemed relieved. “You said I can’t teach the knowledge you give me to others. Let’s make that pledge stronger. I will swear to never teach anyone anything about formations, but my pledge will only last until the day I die. I am not sure if reincarnation is real or not, but if this oath is connected to the Heavenly Dao, I don’t want any chains binding me in my next life.” “That... should be acceptable to the elders. I will need to check,” said a cautious Instructor Hu. The most important formation I learned for my own use, even if I couldn’t use it in this life, was the Rank 1 Qi Gathering Formation. This was a formation specialist’s response to Qi Gathering Pills. The pills worked far faster and could quickly help a Disciple advance, but while the Qi Gathering Formation was slower than pills, it allowed one to cultivate at a controlled consistent speed. With the formation, Disciples were at a far lower risk of absorbing impure qi, and using the formation didn’t introduce any toxins into the body. For normal cultivators with limited access to regular pills, the formation would be far, far more valuable than the pill. For me, it wouldn’t change my behavior too much at the Disciple level, but it would be useful for my subjects after I reached the Ruler tier, and if I learned higher ranks of the skill, it could be a definite improvement to my cultivation speed as a Grandmaster. The final topic I studied during these years was how to properly nurture talents as a future Water Groom. I took several classes for this in the Mountain District, and I disagreed with many of the lessons, but there were several that stood out in my mind. The first was focused on how to manage a domain. According to the teacher, the key was maintaining a proper hierarchy. A Lord should manage his Grandmasters, Grandmasters should manage their Masters, Masters manage Disciples, and Disciples handle the mortals. Only by maintaining the proper hierarchy could a domain advance as a united whole. She gave us an example of a Lord who directly managed both the Masters and Disciples below him. His domain became much more powerful under his leadership, but after he stepped down, the Grandmaster who replaced him didn’t have the experience necessary to govern as a Lord. I could understand the reasoning behind this idea, but the strict hierarchy she described seemed like too much. I felt that while a Lord shouldn’t micromanage, they would still need to be involved in all parts of their domain. While they can and should delegate, that doesn’t mean completely stepping away from overseeing the events on the ground. Of course, I was viewing this from the perspective of the old world. Things were different here, and this might be a necessary difference. I wasn’t sure. The second part that stood out was when she talked about helping others with their cultivation. It was made clear that what I did with Mei and SuYin was considered extremely improper, especially regarding Mei. I directly controlled her qi during her Master and Grandmaster advancements. According to the instructor, this would lead to a cultivator not understanding their own cultivation base. While excessive assistance wouldn’t do too much damage, it would lead to the one helped being unable to properly function as a Lord. They wouldn’t have certain experiences considered necessary for nurturing followers. This made me wonder how Mei was handling things. If it was as bad as the instructor implied, she might be struggling to improve her domain, but her blessing should be providing some assistance at least. The final part that stood out was when the instructor talked about the proper role of a Flower. “Once a Groom becomes city lord, his Flower steps back from leadership and becomes his strongest pillar of support. She will be your consort and wife, giving you all of her affection and love, but she will also be your Grand Chancellor, ensuring the smooth functioning of your domain by using her knowledge and experience to assist you.” I thought about Mei in this kind of role. Her blessing would certainly be of use in the political sphere. She would be able to easily manipulate her rivals. I snorted internally. I wasn’t sure if relying on her for such a thing was smart, but she was made for those situations. I wasn’t. “She will have eleven years of experience, and you should rely on it to help you, but keep in mind that she is your wife, not your servant. She is there to support you, but you are the one who is in charge of running the city. After a Groom ascends to lordship, the Flower’s primary duty is to nurture her Seeds while you are in charge of governance.” The teacher handed us each a paper that contained a historical account so we could better understand the role of a Flower. In the story, the new Water Groom ascended to his position and began leading the city. He wanted his reign to be marked by significant changes and improvements to the city, so he worked with his ministers to craft a series of proposals for new street layouts, improved roads, and a sewage system. His proposals would have affected nearly every significant interest in the city, and if he had implanted them directly, the major clans would have rioted. This is where his Flower helped. She did not mediate with the clans directly. Instead, in her role as Chancellor, she advised the Groom on how clans would react and gave suggestions that would improve his ideas and make them welcomed by everyone involved. The Groom created the plan. The Groom implemented the plan. But the Flower was in the background, lending her experience and guidance. Three years after coming to Hundred Flower City, the King Selection took place. While I did take notes about it, I didn’t involve myself in the festivities. I had no interest in pursuing a position as Eight Flower King in this life. The day after the new king was crowned, LiPin met me in my workshop. “Several clans wish to meet with you to discuss a deal,” she said frantically. “We’ve had over two dozen organizations contact us today. Manager Bai is dealing with it, but you need to be prepared. She isn’t in a good mood.”