"Whoa...who’s the foreign beauty?"
"I don’t know, but she’s giving off the kind of vibes that suggest that if you insult her in any way, she’ll slice your face off without a second thought. Which is weird, because I ain’t seeing a sword on her."
"So sayeth the swordsman...wait, hold up..."
At a certain location of the Sapling Festival fairgrounds, a woman that clearly wasn’t native to Roaring Tide was causing a bit of a commotion among the other festival goers.
It wasn’t that this woman was doing anything particularly interesting or showing off her power and wealth for all to see, rather, it was just her mere existence that caused the people around her to stop and stare if only for a brief moment.
This woman had sharp features, blonde hair that seemed to capture the rays of the setting sun magnificently and a passive charisma that demanded others to stare at her.
In essence, a woman that could put even super models to shame and then some.
’Ah the attention. I’d prefer to get it while on a stage, putting on the show of a lifetime, but passively also works.’
This woman was none other than Razorstella the bladed ballerina, or to play into her disguised persona, she was "Rachel", a foreign dancer looking to enjoy a cultural festival abroad both for relaxation and inspiration for her upcoming shows.
’Delectable foods, performances that are interesting despite not being as good as me and more carnival games than I have finger-knives...what should I do first?,’ Razorstella asked herself as she kept walking, her eyes flittering about from one interesting sight to the next.
Having been given the go-ahead by her director to explore Willow Scale City in a non-professional fashion, she had decided it was a good idea to don her human disguise and participate in the festivities properly like a mortal.
That being said, Zhen Liu had also made sure to provide her with a pouch of money in order to buy things and a couple of zako pearls in case things went sideways during her excursion.
His exact words being, "you’d be surprised how many issues could be solved by throwing money at people, or just straight up outnumbering them."
Granted, Razorstella was also a kaijin that had powers equivalent to an Aether Grandmaster and could probably handle most situations by herself, but it was nice to know that the director wanted to make sure she was safe.
’Those roasted fish look really tasty, but that sword dancer looks to be gearing up for something big...oh, duh! I can do both! First I should go and get a fish and then I can...huh?’
Just as Razorstella came to a decisions about how to start her evening of relaxation and fun, something out of the corner of her caught her interest significantly more so.
Or more specifically, a group of people that she had a tangential relationship with.
’Isn’t that the director’s cousins? What are they doing here without...right, the director was invited to come along but refused them because he wanted to rest after being out in the sun all day...or so he told them. I wonder what they’re up to though...’
A mixture of curiosity and protectiveness bubbled in Razorstella’s illusionary stomach as she watched the group from afar.
She thought about her next course of action for about ten seconds, before decisively walking in the Zhen Clan’s scions’ direction.
’The director did say I was free to explore the city at my leisure, and for the time being... they’re part of the city,’ Razorstella told herself as she walked over to them.
Of course, she did make sure to do so in a manner that prevented them from seeing her...for now.
’Besides, if they’re anything like the director, then they’re going to trouble magnets that’ll bring me something... entertaining.’
_____________________________________________
"Elder Zhen Fei, it’s-," Zhen Wang began to say, only to be interrupted by Zhen Fei.
"I’m going to stop you right there, Zhen Wang," Zhen Fei said with a serious tone.
"Because I recall, gathering all of the information that I could about the dastard who not only harmed our honor, but the honor of the Royal and Imperial families, giving that information to you and sending you to that deserted frontier town with enough men to wipe out not only him, but the bastard offspring he had produced with the former princess, long may she rest. Is that right?"
"Yes...it is," Zhen Wang agreed while maintaining a calm voice.
"We also made sure to provide the resources necessary for you to bribe the local powers that be in order to make it look like a domestic incident moreso than an international one."
"You rid," Zhen Wang agreed again.
"In that case...WHY AM I GETTING REPORTS THAT YOU BROUGHT HIS BASTARD OFFSPRING HERE, NO PROOF OF HIS DEATH AND DURING THE FESTIVAL OF ALL TIMES?!," Zhen Fei roared, his rage clear as day.
"For what possible reason could you have for failing such a simple mission and making the matter even worst?!"
"Pray tell, what is it?!"
"The information we were given was outdated. He broke through."
As soon as Zhen Wang stated this simple answer, Zhen Fei immediately sounded deflated.
Zhen Wang took that opportunity to elaborate further.
"By the time we arrived to Stone Claw City, we had found out that Zhen Wang had not only cemented his family’s position as the local hegemony, but he had also broken through to Aether Lord rank. Several firsthand accounts state that the man broke through during a conflict in which one of the other local powers attempted to seize control of the city themselves. Meaning we couldn’t kill him even if we wanted to, and any local powers that we could have used to try and take advantage of the situation, had already sworn fealty to them in one way or another."
Silence ensues as Zhen Fei processed this information, but he eventually finds his voice again to ask a question.
"Alright, I can see why going the direct route wouldn’t work...why didn’t you just kidnap one of his offspring then? Establish any form of leverage? Poison him?," Zhen Fei asked further.
"Oh no, we tried that," Zhen Wang replied, "but that’s when we discovered something even more harrowing."
"What, that he has a powerful backer?"
"Well, to be more precise," Zhen Wang explained, "one of his grandsons has been taken on as a direct disciple of an Aether Overlord."
"An Aether Over-wait. How...how do you know this?"
Zhen Wang then regaled the elder the whole story about how their entire group was kidnapped, how his grandson was used for ransom and how the day after agreeing to the Overlord’s demands that when they went to go meet with Zhen Shi that they found out how the disciple was the Fourth Young Master, aka, the guy they labelled as a non-combatant non-factor due to being crippled.
"Wait, that guy? How? All reports said that he wasn’t able to use aether in any meaningful fashion."
"My grandson here can explain it better than me," Zhen Wang said as he passed the conversational baton to Zhen Li.
Another moment of silence occurred as Zhen Li was bit a caught off guard about being passed the buck, however, he managed to continue the conversation regardless.
"Well...yes, he is unable to use aether arts as the reports detailed, but his master found a work around. He can apparently use aether puppets as a means to channel his aether and use them to perform the aether arts for him."
"That and whatever formula he is cultivating, it has bestowed upon him a physique that I can only describe as...freakish."
_____________________________________________
’Huh...okay...,’ Zhen Liu hummed while listening to the recording of this conversation between Zhen Wang, Zhen Li and this Elder Zhen Fei.
So far, the information being given to Zhen Liu just amounted to a conversational report between the two main branch guys he was familiar with and an elder who had a vested interest in wanting his grandfather dead. On top of that though was a lot of justification as to why they failed, which did wonders for Zhen Liu’s ego.
However, near the tail end of this conversation, Zhen Liu heard something that actually piqued his interest.
’Of course he isn’t gonna let this go...’
_____________________________________________
"Let me get this straight. The reason why Zhen Shi has returned to Willow Scale City, after all these years, after we had sent multiple assassins after him, is because Princess Bai Hua...wanted him to make amends for eloping?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Huh...is Zhen Shi and his children here at the estate."
"No, elder. I believe that they were trying to find lodging somewhere in the city. They thought it prudent to try and maintain some distance before presenting themselves to the main branch."
"Hmmm...so what you’re saying is...only you, me and your grandson here are the only ones who know that Zhen Shi is here...in the heart of the main branch’s territory..."
"Interesting...this means that we have a homefield advantage...and that makes things...significantly easier..."
_____________________________________________
A little after this ominous statement, the zako’s playback ended.
Whether it was due to the zako being unable to convey anymore information or Zhen Li had been sent out of the room around this time was unknown, either way, Zhen Liu heard all he needed to hear.
’Of fucking course there’s an elder who wants my ass de-’
[DIRECTOR, WE HAVE AN ISSUE!]
’SERIOUSLY?! WHAT IS THIS TIMING?!’