Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1052: I’ve Made Up my Mind

The central plaza of Oakhaven slowly transformed from a chaotic battlefield into a highly organized command center. The disciplined soldiers clad in polished silver armor worked with ruthless efficiency to clean up the aftermath of the skirmish. They gathered the fallen bodies of the Bloodied Fangs and stacked the discarded weapons while ensuring the frightened townspeople were safely escorted back to their homes. The oppressive tension that had choked the air just an hour prior faded away and a fragile sense of peace settled over the cobblestone streets.A large and opulent tavern situated near the edge of the square was quickly commandeered by the royal forces. The establishment served as a temporary meeting hall for the key figures involved in the afternoon conflict.

Inside the spacious main room, a long oak table dominated the floor space. Princess Lena sat near the head of the table while projecting a calm and regal authority. Grandmaster Orion sat to her right with his Sovereign aura firmly contained beneath his simple brown robes. Protector Vance occupied the seat to her left while resting his grand bow against the wooden wall.

Across from the royal delegation sat Queen Morrigan and the scarred captain who acted as the second in command for the Nightfall Corps. Li Yu claimed a comfortable chair near the center of the table with Faen resting quietly beside him. Borum stood like an immovable stone sentinel near the tavern doorway and kept a watchful eye on the bustling street outside.

A nervous tavern keeper quickly poured hot tea into ceramic cups for the gathered experts before rushing back into the kitchen to hide.

Morrigan took a slow sip of the soothing tea and let out a tired sigh. She looked around the table and began to explain the harrowing events that led to her current frail state. She recounted the brutal ambush orchestrated by Prince Darian and the desperate flight through the dense wilderness. She spoke of the agonizing pain as her internal meridians fractured and her core cracked under the overwhelming pressure of her pursuers.

She then detailed her miraculous reunion with Li Yu inside the hidden cavern. She explained how they knew each other and how he helped her to heal. However, she carefully omitted any specific details regarding their shared history in another realm to protect their deepest secrets from the locals.

Princess Lena listened to the harrowing tale with a deep frown marring her elegant features. She reached across the wooden table and gently rested her hand over the trembling fingers of the Night Queen.

"I am so very glad you survived that ordeal," Lena spoke with genuine warmth and relief. "But your story raises a rather important question. What exactly is your true connection to this young cultivator? You spoke of him with great reverence but you also mentioned a soul contract."

Morrigan looked down at her ceramic cup and offered a soft smile. She knew she could not hide the profound magical tether binding them together.

"I am actually a bound servant to Li Yu," Morrigan admitted with a calm voice. "The contract was forged under dire circumstances to secure my freedom from a terrible situation in the past. However, we are much more like traveling companions rather than a master and a servant. He has never issued a single task for me to complete and he has never asked for any tribute. I rule my own faction and live my own life, it would be more accurate to say we are strangers bound by fate."

This surprising revelation stunned the young princess and the others around the table. Lena stared at Li Yu with wide eyes before turning her attention back to her dear friend. Out of a deep sense of caring for the woman who had saved her life a year ago, Lena decided to intervene on her behalf.

"A soul bind is a heavy chain for anyone to wear," Lena stated while looking directly at the youth. "Li Yu, I am incredibly grateful that you healed my friend and saved my friends being held hostage. If you are willing to release her from that binding contract right now, I swear upon my royal lineage that I will reward you greatly. Name your price in spirit stones, rare artifacts or cultivation manuals and I shall provide it without hesitation."

It was a sincere and kind request rather than a royal demand. The princess genuinely wanted to buy the freedom of her friend and she possessed the vast wealth of a kingdom to back up her promise. Li Yu raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to politely decline the generous offer but Morrigan quickly spoke before he could.

"It is quite okay, Lena," Morrigan assured the princess while squeezing her hand gently. "You do not need to empty your royal treasury for my sake. I currently owe him two great life debts. One for securing my freedom in the past and one for dragging me away from death's door just recently. It is more than fine for me to remain as his servant. As I mentioned before, he is truly not a very demanding master."

Morrigan finished her statement with a soft chuckle that carried a hint of genuine care for Li Yu, he had helped her and her family many times now while she had done nothing for him yet. Li Yu smiled across the table and felt happy to see that she truly viewed their dynamic in such a positive light but as she said, they were mostly strangers bound by fate. He respected her autonomy and he was glad she recognized that respect.

Even still, Lena did not look very pleased with the arrangement. She understood the harsh reality of soul contracts. Li Yu could technically ask Morrigan to do anything he desired and the magical laws binding her soul would force her to obey. It was a terrifying vulnerability for someone to possess. However, Lena also possessed a respect for the personal choices of her friend. She let out a reluctant sigh and decided to drop the subject for the time being since her friend found it to be okay.

With the personal matters temporarily settled, Li Yu shifted his posture and steered the conversation toward the looming political crisis.

"I am curious about how you plan to handle the imminent aftermath of today," Li Yu asked while looking directly at the princess and the Sovereign expert. "You just executed a royal prince in broad daylight for all to see."

Grandmaster Orion set his tea cup down with a solid thud and answered the question instead of the princess.

"There is nothing complicated to handle here," Orion declared with a voice full of supreme confidence. "We will return home and openly claim that we were the ones who ordered the execution. If the Solaria Kingdom wants to push the issue further and demand blood, we are not afraid to meet them on the battlefield."

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Li Yu recalled the geographical information Faen had gathered during her scouting trips. The Kingdom of Lunaris was located far to the West of the Solaria Kingdom. Their borders did not actually touch each other since a vast expanse of neutral territory separated the two nations. However, they were known to be constantly at odds with one another regarding trade routes and ideological differences.

"That arrogant prince truly deserves his fate," Lena added while her eyes flashed with cold anger. "He is widely known across the underworld for forcing women into his harem and destroying entire families to satisfy his twisted desires. He chased lust and power without any regard for life. This realm is much better off without him breathing our air."

Li Yu nodded his head to acknowledge the vile nature of the deceased noble but he did not accept their simple political narrative. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the oak table.

"I agree that the man deserved to die," Li Yu noted with a sharp gaze. "But was your father truly okay with such a drastic decision? You rushed here today for the sole purpose of saving your personal friends. You did not launch this strike for the strategic interest of your nation. Now you have added a burden to your kingdom by inviting a potential war."

Li Yu looked back and forth between the princess and the grandmaster.

"From what I have heard during my travels and rumors, it is not like your nation is greatly stronger than the Solaria Kingdom," Li Yu continued his breakdown. "If you possessed overwhelming military superiority, you would have destroyed them years ago to secure the region. The fact that both kingdoms are still standing proves you are relatively equal in power. Your father might have allowed this rescue mission to proceed, as evidenced by the fact that Grandmaster Orion was permitted to travel here, but that does not mean a devastating war is actually what the king wanted."

Princess Lena and Grandmaster Orion stared at the black robed youth in silence. They were highly surprised to hear such a pragmatic and piercing geopolitical analysis coming from a wandering cultivator. On top of it all, he was talking about their best interests and not his own currently.

Taking the sole blame for the assassination was the best possible outcome for the mercenary group and for Li Yu himself. The Kingdom of Lunaris was offering to shoulder the vast political burden so the Nightfall Corps and himself could walk away clean. Yet here Li Yu was actively questioning if their noble sacrifice was actually a wise decision for them. It was a strange thing coming from the person that was benefitting the most from this.

They did not offer a rebuttal as Li Yu continued to speak his mind.

"I have been thinking deeply about the heavy burdens of leadership and all that entails more and more lately," Li Yu explained while his thoughts drifted back to the difficult choices made by the Astor Patriarch in Silverguard City. The choices his father, mother, the Zhan Clan, the Li Clan and his grandfather made on the daily. "While I am normally a person who likes to be carefree and do things based purely on my instincts, I recognize that the flow of the world is just not that easy to navigate."

Li Yu sat up straight.

"If I just sit back and let your kingdom bear this political burden alone, it is a great outcome for me," Li Yu admitted with brutal honesty. "But the resulting war and the countless deaths will fall on your shoulders. I came to this town to help Morrigan and in doing so I planned to get rid of a great evil. However, it simply does not sit right with my thoughts to walk away now. I refuse to let the heavy burden fall solely on you just because you took responsibility for a friend and a debt you owed."

Without allowing anyone else the chance to speak or argue, Li Yu let his thoughts out and declared it to the room.

"I will head to the Solaria Kingdom myself," Li Yu announced with a calm but unyielding tone. "I want to see if their royal family is truly righteous as their public image claims them to be. I find it highly unlikely that the ruling family did not know about his actions. I want to know if this prince was a lone anomaly or if the ruling powers are truly corrupt like the man they raised."

Grandmaster Orion chimed in without hesitation. "It is certainly the latter. They are rotten to the core but they go through great lengths to keep up their pristine public appearances."

"If it is indeed the latter," Li Yu smiled a dangerous smile. "Then I will cause chaos within their capital. I will dismantle their foundation so your kingdom does not need to bear this burden alone. I will ensure they are too busy dealing with me to think about marching an army toward your borders."

Everyone sitting at the oak table was stunned into silence. The scarred captain gripped the edge of his chair while Protector Vance stared at the youth like he had grown a second head. Only Morrigan remained relatively calm.

She had seen the terrifying woman named Lian and her legion of devastating generals back in the demon territories. She knew that Li Yu possessed the backing of supreme forces so he had no reason to be scared of a kingdom like that. However, she did not realize that the grand legion was just a temporary favor and that Li Yu was currently operating on his own power.

Grandmaster Orion furrowed his brow and offered a stern warning.

"That would be walking directly to your own death, young man" Orion cautioned while shaking his head. "The Solaria Kingdom also possesses a Sovereign expert like myself protecting their capital. He is an ancient ancestor of their royal family and he will not show you any mercy if you breach his domain."

Li Yu let out a bright laugh that echoed through the quiet tavern. He looked at the supreme expert and his eyes danced with a fearless light.

"If they have just a single Sovereign defending their walls, then I think I will be quite okay," Li Yu said with a confident smile.

His casual dismissal of a Sovereign threat stunned the royal delegation once again. Princess Lena turned her head and looked at Morrigan with an expression caught between confusion and horror.

"You truly have a crazy person acting as your master," Lena joked while shaking her head. "It is highly best to get that soul contract broken right now before his madness infects you. Though I suppose if he dies walking into that kingdom alone, the laws will break and you will be free anyway."

Li Yu chuckled warmly at the dark humor and nodded in agreement. "Then it sounds like a win-win-win scenario for all three parties involved. You won’t bear all of the burdens, I have my own reasons and Morrigan either gets a safe home or her ultimate freedom."

He pushed his chair back and stood up from the oak table. He looked down at the princess and offered a respectful bow to her.

"I ask that you take Morrigan and her surviving mercenary group back to your kingdom where they will be safe until this political storm is over," Li Yu requested while gesturing toward the injured demoness. "She still needs a peaceful environment to recover her strength and I do not want to have to worry about their safety while I am there. I will visit your kingdom once I have settled everything."

"Of course I will protect them," Lena agreed without a second thought. "Even if you had not asked me, I would have demanded that they return with my forces. They will be treated as honored guests within my home, they are my friends after all."

"Then our business here is concluded," Li Yu said while turning toward the tavern door. "I will leave now. I have some interesting plans forming in my mind."

He walked toward Borum and Faen who stood ready to follow his lead. He had started this chain of events by stepping out of the forest to help save Morrigan and he was going to finish it on his own terms.

He wanted to see this so-called righteous kingdom for himself. If they were truly hiding a foundation built on rot and suffering, the Calamity would ensure their walls crumbled into dust.