907 - Dignity and Decorum
“So, you’re really alright with all of this?”
Mei Li tilted her head, trying to puzzle out what her elder sister – she still thought of Solvei that way, even if her husband’s first wife had instructed her to be informal – meant by the question.
“I confess that I am not sure what you mean by ‘all of this,’” she admitted as she accepted a wooden plate with a spread of cold meat and sliced vegetables. With the sun coming up, Solvei had volunteered to fix another meal, for which the kumiho was grateful. There had been precious little food to be had while she’d been lost on the Plane of Ice. “But I am not displeased with my current situation.”
Setting another plate aside for Nenet – the sphinx was still asleep, cuddled up in the same spot she’d taken last night after the discussion about their husband’s ki had finished – Solvei sat down with her own breakfast, spearing a slice of meat with a bone utensil and munching on it. “So you really don’t mind that Kara’s blessing might be the reason you care about him?”
Again, Mei Li struggled to understand what was being asked of her. “The influence of the pony goddess of love is not the only reason I honor and revere our husband,” she answered slowly, wondering if this was a test. As the first wife, Solvei had the right to question her and confirm that a new wife would be an asset to their husband’s household; if that was the case, Mei Li knew she had to make a good impression!
Sitting up straighter, she took a bite of her vegetables before answering, hoping that partaking of Solvei’s cooking – simple though it was – would earn her some of her elder sister’s consideration. “Our husband is powerful and courageous, facing a demigod in battle without flinching. Yet he’s also generous and compassionate, sparing my life and offering me his protection, even after I was forced to face him as an enemy. Even his distress over thinking that he...took liberties with us, is evidence of a noble and respectful disposition. Any vixen would be pleased to be the wife of someone so upstanding.”
She smiled then, not having to fake the warm feeling that came over her. “But even if none of that were true, the nature of the gods is to administrate over their respective dominions. A god of the sea will make sure the tides rise and fall, a god of the harvest will see to it that the crops grow full and bountiful, and a god of love cause hearts to be drawn together. To have a god personally ensure that the many wives and concubines our husband will take will all love him back – keeping his household stable and peaceful – is a wonderful thing.”
Solvei sighed at that, picking at her food. “Many wives and concubines, huh?”
This time, Mei Li didn’t need to guess what her elder sister was thinking. “It is our husband’s nature, the way it is for a hawk to soar. He did not ask to be born with no yin in his ki, and so cannot help but seek it out through female companionship. And as a xianxia, his ki condensation is far beyond that any single mortal, so he can only make up for that by surrounding himself with many sources of yin.”
“There’s a lot of young warriors here that I’m sure would love to claim that they can’t help it if they need more ‘yin’ in their lives,” huffed Solvei, spearing another slice of meat a little harder than necessary before biting into it.
Mei Li wasn’t sure what to say to that, eating another portion of her meal to give herself time to think of an appropriate response.
But to her mild surprise, Solvei was the one to speak again, closing her eyes and taking a breath before giving her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just frustrated. If Master-, if Lex had just waited a few minutes, we could have worked this out. Instead, he refused to listen, and now he’s off in the middle of nowhere, torturing himself over what happened even though he didn’t do anything wrong!”
She snarled the last four words, gripping her utensil so hard that it snapped in her fingers, causing her to let out a mirthless laugh. “I hate knowing that he’s so unhappy, and I hate it even more that it’s because of me. I want to be someone who makes him feel better, not worse.”
Mei Li waited for a moment, giving Solvei a chance to calm down, before speaking. “What our husband is doing right now is not because of you.” She kept her voice soft but firm, the way she’d heard her Aunt Yuyan do so many times growing up. “It is his nature to overthink, to have trouble with issues of emotion, and to take on more responsibility than he should. He cannot help himself, any more than the snow can help being cold.”
That got a snicker from Solvei, and Mei Li felt relief at the smirk her husband’s first wife gave her then. “So what should we, his devoted wives, do then, o font of yin?”
Mei Li smiled. “We cultivate his household, turning it into a place that soothes his mind and eases his heart.” The words came easily, quoting the manuals about feminine etiquette – The Domestic Lessons, The Admonitions of the Court Instructress, The Lady’s Precepts, and numerous other classical texts – that she’d spent her childhood reading. “His wives, children, concubines, and servants should all serve as pillars, supporting him in his efforts to be the bridge that leads his nation into the future.”
Solvei was quiet then, and Mei Li could see her digesting that, the two of them eating in silence. It was only after she’d cleared her plate that the adlet spoke again. “About this idea of yours...to make your clan’s vixens be Master’s concubines...”
Hearing the doubt in Solvei’s voice, Mei Li fought down a rush of anxiety. While a conscientious husband would make sure that all of his existing wives approved of a potential new bride before marrying her – which had been why Mei Li had made sure to take note of the approving smiles on Solvei and Nenet’s faces before she’d bound herself to the immortal who had rescued her – new concubines required no such approval. Neither, for that matter, did a new wife’s dowry.
But being technically within her rights wouldn’t mean anything if the peace of her husband’s household was disrupted.
And a first wife who was unhappy about her new sister using a loophole to bring her entire clan into their master’s home was a surefire way to create problems.
That had been why Mei Li had given voice to the idea last night. Even if Solvei and Nenet had no official right to comment on her dowry, or on their husband taking new concubines, Mei Li felt sure that their approval – or lack thereof – would play a large part in their husband’s reaction to gaining an entire clan of kumiho as his servants. For a husband to refuse a dowry was exceptionally shameful for his wife, but with how generous his bridal gifts to her had been, Mei Li knew she wouldn’t be able to protest if her master did so now.
But at the same time, she couldn’t just leave her clan to fend for themselves.
Not when their prospects were already so dire...
Which meant that for the sake of the Pimao Jingzhi’s survival, Mei Li needed to convince Solvei that they would be an asset, rather than a liability.
“I swear on my tails,” murmured Mei Li, bowing her head to Solvei, “my clan will be a boon to our husband’s household. My Aunt Yuyan has six tails, and has much experience in raising children. Her presence will be a source of succor and comfort not only for him, but for all of us. Nayao, her eldest daughter, is graceful and strong, with a dedicated and loyal heart. The twins, Jing Bei and Jing Xiao, are like two blossoms grown from a single bud, being elegant and refined in all that they do. And Shiji, her youngest, is still immature, but will absolutely grow into a great beauty one day.”
She could only hope that Solvei wouldn’t ask how many tails her aunt’s daughters had.
But when Mei Li snuck a glance at the adlet, she was frowning, giving her an unreadable look. “Mei Li-”
“We also have servants of our own!” Inwardly cursing herself for being so rude as to interrupt her elder sister, there was nothing she could do about it now except plunge forward. “Our retainers are few in number, but they have been with us for many years! All of them will be our husband’s now! I can personally guarantee their loyalty, as well as their usefulness in maintaining a home! The males have all been properly castrated, and the females are also prepared to serve our husband’s needs!”
Solvei’s eyes widened. “Wait-”
“And we have treasures as well! Our material wealth is lacking, but my family’s relics are well-known even among the larger clans! We possess the View From the Heavenly Mountain Gate, the Nine Methods of Earthly Formation, the-”
“Okay.”
It took a moment for Mei Li to register what her elder sister had just said. “...o...kay?”
Solvei was still giving her an odd look, but managed a small smile. “Bring your clan here. I’m sure Lex wouldn’t want you to be separated from your family, and he’s planning on going back to his homeland soon anyway. Taking them along should be just fine.”
Mei Li swallowed, not trusting herself to speak as she nodded, having the distinct feeling that she’d given away more than she’d intended to. Still, the fact that Solvei had likely glimpsed her desperation and tried to comfort her, rather than berating her, was enough to ease the tightness in her chest. “My husband’s first wife is truly kind,” murmured Mei Li, bowing reverently toward Solvei. “I hope that his second wife will feel the same.”
“I’ll talk to Nenet, but I don’t think she’ll have a problem,” replied Solvei. “She practically lit up when you started telling her about that ‘ki’ stuff. It was like when I made an ice palace for her to play in; she’s starved for new things to try.”
Laughing as her tension fell away, Mei Li sat up. “I’ll try to call my clan as soon as possible. Now that I have nine tails, it shouldn’t be hard, but I’ll need some time to figure out how to use the magic in them properly.”
“Well, since we’re just sitting around waiting for Master to get back, time is something we’ve got,” noted Solvei wryly. “But I do have one question in the meantime.”
“Oh?” Mei Li tilted her head. “Please, ask without hesitation.”
“I know you said that foxes all have a lot of ‘yin’ in their ki. Do any of your clan have...the female version of whatever Lex’s condition is called? Where they’re all yin and no yang?”
Mei Li shook her head. “No. Nor have I ever heard of a vixen – or a female of any race – whose ki is entirely yin. Though, to speak plainly, I’m not sure it would matter.”
Solvei raised a brow. “How’s that?”
“Ki is a complex force, as it reflects the nature of the soul,” explained Mei Li, glad to be back on a topic that didn’t concern her clan’s future. “It’s not just a matter of yin and yang, but also of its condensation level, which represents its cultivation...its strength, if you will.”
“I think I see where this is going,” murmured Solvei. “You mentioned something about his ki being too ‘condensed,’ or whatever it is, before, right? Why one girl’s yin isn’t enough for him now?”
“That is essentially correct,” nodded Mei Li. “Now that he’s a xianxia, his ki cultivation has reached a degree of condensation beyond what all but the most enlightened of mortals could ever even begin to approach. Even if a mortal female with undiluted yin were to be found, it would be like pouring a jar of ink into an ocean; the water on the shore would not change its color.”
“So I guess our master will just have to be satisfied with you, me, Nenet, Drafty, Sonata, Aria, and all the rest of your clan until he can find some lady-titan who’s all yin,” snorted Solvei, shaking her head ruefully. “You were right about what you said before: it’s a good thing Kara gave him her blessing, otherwise this would never work.”
“I find it difficult to imagine what such a ‘lady-titan’ would be like, if she happened to possess ki that was pure yin,” added Mei Li, shrugging lightly. “She would have to be some sort of incarnation of muliebrity, possessed of great power but only able to express it through the most feminine of attributes.”
“I’m not even going to ask what those attributes are-”
Solvei couldn’t finish as she suddenly gasped, sitting upright as her eyes went wide. Off to the side, Nenet suddenly jerked her head up, blinking in alarm.
Mei Li didn’t need to ask them what was wrong, having felt the same thing as the other two.
Even with his having closed their telepathic connection, she had been aware of the direction in which her husband had gone. It wasn’t much, but it was still comforting to know that she was aware of his location, even if only in the abstract. If she ever truly needed to find him, she’d have known where to look.
But that had just changed.
Now, the only thing she could feel with regard to her husband – the same thing that she knew Solvei and Nenet were feeling at that very moment – was that he was no longer on the same plane of existence.
His connection to Solvei and the others was even more muted now.
Lex had suspected something like that would happen, of course. Even with his holding their telepathic connection shut, he knew they were still aware of his location, the same way he was cognizant of theirs. But that depended on the distance between them being something that could be bridged by physical movement.
Now that he was within the demiplane he’d created, that was no longer the case.
It had taken him the remainder of the night to develop the spell and then successfully cast it, the process having been painstaking even with the powers and intelligence that he now commanded. But the effort had been worth it, having managed to create a space that was ideal for what he was about to do. Having no physical exit, and designed to allow planar entry but not egress, it would last as long as he needed it to, being small but stabilized against attempts to tear the artificial space apart.
That had been absolutely essential, given that he planned on summoning all of Adagio’s creditors at once.
There was simply no other alternative, since summoning only one ran the risk – however slight – that they’d spread the word of what he was doing before he could summon the next. Given that he had no idea which of them had Adagio’s soul, the risk that one of them would offload it somewhere when they heard he was hunting for it wasn’t something Lex was willing to chance. Having the element of surprise only mattered if he knew who to use it against, and with seven suspects, the only choice was to interrogate them all at once.
Of course, calling seven beings who had so much aristeia that they could afford to give some away was no easy task.
But Lex was no simple spellcaster.
Despite the fact that he made no gestures and didn't need to chant, the demiplane shook under the waves of power that he conjured as he cast his spell, the extradimensional space contorting as he forcibly opened seven gates to seven different realms simultaneously. It took all the power he was capable of mustering, along with Nenet’s metamagic to act as a crux, but he could already feel it working, mystical senses registering the entities on the other side shrieking and struggling as they found themselves suddenly scooped up and pulled into his presence. Try as they might, however, they were unable to resist, and within moments all seven were in front of him.
It was the opening gambit in what was almost certainly going to be an exchange that was no less fierce than when he’d fought Kryonex.
But far more enjoyable.
“Greetings whores,” rumbled Lex as Adagio’s creditors – all of them ladies who surpassed even Adagio herself in erotic appeal – slowly righted themselves, the words deliberately provocative.
“You have something that I want.”
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Lex just grabbed the Seven Deadly Sins?
Lust, Lust, Lust, Lust, Lust, Lust, and last but not least, Lust?
Will Lex bite off more than he can chew or will the beast inside him help him 'subdue' Adagio's creditors? Granted, as the one that summoned them, he likely put some sort of limitation to their presence like he did with Nisha(at least I think that was her name) and that minor demon/spirit back in Vanhoover that he intimidated to do what he demanded in exchange for some gems though its name eludes me.
11804170 I'm sure it's more along the lines of Lust, Lasciviousness, Carnality, Concupiscence, Lewdness, Licentiousness, and Prurience. All unique and highly dissimilar from each other.
11804198 Given that Lex apparently put together a demiplane just for the summoning, he's presumably got some sort of plan in mind, although given that he's apparently intent on working out is desires on them, one hopes that he's thought it through instead of letting that cloud his judgment. Still, he at least knows that this is going to be an encounter that he'll have to tread carefully, even if it's not going to be an issue of martial ability.