The Ice Empress was feared for her cultivation and her skills in intrigue. She fought the six-headed demon bull Yanzi on the precipice of the Shattered Peaks. She brokered a peace treaty between the Molten Heart and Swift Waters clans. She also killed and replaced the clan heads of multiple smaller houses to consolidate the power base of Clan Li.

  Fangyi Li was used to people fearing her as the Ice Empress. Ever since she could cultivate, she knew that she was different. Growing up in the charnel house of Clan Li, she had fought and backstabbed her way to the top. She swore that she would grow strong enough that no one would ever be able to bend her to their will. So why was it then, as she sat there listening to her youngest daughter, little Gigi, that she felt like the little girl had her wrapped around her finger?

  Fangyi Li watched her youngest daughter as she regaled her on her first mission. She remembered when little Gigi was three and used to cling to her wherever she went. Her other daughters respected her and were in awe at her prowess, but little Gigi loved her like a mother.

  All her girls were adopted, more accurately they were chosen or picked from the multitude of branch families under the Li Clan umbrella. Except for little Gigi, they were all selected for their beauty, grace, and talent. Gigi had chosen Fangyi Li. The Ice Empress had chosen never to take a consort, opting instead to have lovers. She did not have time to be pregnant, to be vulnerable.

  Fangyi Li saw a little beggar girl with the most distinctive nose in the streets on one of her dalliances. The mortals and cultivators prostrated before her as she approached the interesting child. All except little Gigi, who walked up to Fangyi Li at age three and hugged her tightly, refusing to let go. The Ice Empress's heart melted a little that day.

  Flash forward to the present day, Fangyi Li still saw that brave little girl where her adult daughter stood. Fangyi Li did not like to play favorites, but everyone in the clan knew who had her favor.

  Little Gigi reminded Fangyi Li so much of herself. The intelligence, the cunning, and the creativeness of her schemes all made Fangyi Li smile in private. Sadly, the girl had no brawn to back her brains. In this world of cultivators, not having the power to back your words was paramount to signing your death warrant. Fangyi Li always told little Gigi that if she needed to use her title to settle a dispute, then do so. What was the use of cultivating a fearsome reputation if you never flaunted it?

  She poured a cup of tea and handed it to her daughter.

  “Slow down, Gigi. Here, sip while I process what you are telling me.”

  “Yes, Mother, it’s just so much happened, and I don’t want to waste your time, so I thought I would…”

  Fangyi Li placed a finger over her daughter's lips.

  “You are not wasting my time; I just want you to slow down so you don’t confuse the details.”

  Fangyi Li swept an errant strand of hair out of Guan Li's face and motioned for her to drink.

  “You were saying that the two younger sons of the Tai and Wang family were about to come to blows when what happened?”

  Guan Li flushed a little red and quickly drank her cup of tea in one gulp.

  “Well, that's when he appeared out of nowhere,” Guan said with trepidation.

  “Ah, that’s right, the naked cultivator,” Fangyi teased.

  “Mother, please, I’ve seen naked boys before,” Guan whined, flushing an ever deeper shade of scarlet.

  “And this naked boy defeated both young masters unarmed using strange body cultivation techniques?”

  Fangyi Li's expression changed and replaced that of the Ice Empress.

  “Yes, Mother, he must have been only at the initial Foundation stage, but he moved so fluidly and precisely. His strikes were targeted at weak points of the body, with no waste of motion at all. Strangely though, his ki control was atrocious.”

  Guan noticed the shift in her mother’s tone, gone was her dotting mom and in her place was the Ice Empress evaluating a possible friend or foe.

  “Tell me Gigi how would you describe this rogue cultivators ki, how did it feel to you?”

  Fangyi reclined in her chair and poured herself another cup of tea.

  “It felt compact and sturdy; I have never felt such thick ki. The little that leaked out seemed like it was trying to suck in all the ambient ki in the area. The ki felt greedy, mother.”

  Guan thought she caught a flash of emotion across her mother's face. It quickly passed, but Guan knew something she said had surprised her.

  “Tell me, Gigi, what color were his eyes?”

  “His eyes, mother?” Guan asked, confused at the question.

  “Yes, dear, what color were his eyes when cultivating?”

  Fangyi took a sip of tea, relishing the subtle bitterness.

  “They were gold mother, and they pulsated when his ki leaked out. It was like they had little sparks of lightning in them.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Fangyi nearly choked on her tea at her daughter's words.

  “Mother, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, no, Gigi, I was just surprised.”

  Fangyi Li got up and wrote a quick message on a slip of paper, infusing it with her ki. The paper folded into a little sparrow that grew translucent and flew swiftly out of the room.

  “Is something wrong, mother? Should we be worried about this rogue cultivator? He was of middling skill and power at best.”

  Guan thought her mother was grossly overestimating that naked weirdo.

  “Nothing for you to fret about, dear; now, with the two young lords having signed your contract, what do you intend to do with them?”

  Fangyi sat back down, now much closer to her daughter, and an ice comb appeared in her hand.

  “I’m going to fleece those two idiots for all they're worth,” Guan said as she settled into her mother.

  “Good dear, but remember you mustn't push them too far. Only pressure them to the point when you think they will break. Then you back off and do nothing. You must keep the enemy guessing and disoriented.”

  Fangyi combed her daughter’s hair as she imparted the subtle art of mental warfare.

  ****

  Sometime later, when little Gigi had left, Fangyi sent a mental command to the head of the Li clan's Intelligence Bureau. In an instant, there was a knock on her door.

  “You may enter."

  “My lady you summoned me,” said a thin tall man clad from head to toe in black, only his frost blue eyes were visible.

  “Have you accomplished the task I asked of you, Hu?"

  “Yes, milady, we have confirmed what Lady Guan has reported, and we were also able to confirm your suspicions,” Hu said as he stood ramrod straight.

  “Very good. I expect nothing less from the Night’s Whisper.”

  “This one is not worthy of the praise, milady; I must warn you, though, that you might not like what we managed to find,” Hu said.

  Discomfort leaked into his words regardless of his professional demeanor.

  “You will not be reprimanded, so be free with your words.”

  Fangyi Li poured herself another cup of tea.

  “The rogue cultivator was indeed spotted in the Splitting Heaven Sword Sect. He wore strange clothing, most likely what he was able to steal from the two young masters of the Tai and Wang clan.”

  Of course, those two would not be a match for his progeny. Fangyi Li motioned for Hu to continue.

  “He acquired the help of a servant named Old Gao, who he rewarded with a low-grade ki stone.” Hu could not believe this himself when he heard it. That stone could set the old servant up for life.

  “He does not know the worth of ki stones because he does not need them,” the Ice Empress said as if to herself.

  She takes a sip of her tea and nods at Hu.

  “This rogue then forced two mid Foundation sect guards to submit, one ran away while the other I think his name was Bing Du, said that it felt like a beast was holding him down with its ki.”

  “What did the guard say his level of cultivation was,” The Ice Empress said, holding her teacup to her mouth dainty.

  “The guard claimed that the rogue was a peak rank Core cultivator.”

  Crack!!

  Zhang Yi had shattered her teacup.

  “ What color were his eyes, Hu? What color did the guard say his eyes were? " Zhang Yi asked urgently; she was visibly shaken at this point.

  “They were gold milady," Hu answered with fear; he had never seen his mistress like this before.

  “You may leave now; wait before you go. Where was he headed?” Fangyi said gravely.

  “Crucible City milady,” Hu said hastily; he wanted to make himself scarce, especially when his mistress was in this mood. Whole martial houses had burned for less.

  Fangyi rubbed her forehead to alleviate what felt like an oncoming migraine as she motioned for Hu to leave.

  Why did little Gigi have to be entangled with his progeny? She had been around for long enough to know that her daughter had a crush on this rogue cultivator. She cursed at the irony of the situation as she grabbed a small jade slip from her spatial storage ring.

  The slip had the symbol for North on it; she fed it some of her ki and waited. For a second, she was relieved that nothing had happened until an image projected itself into the air.

  The image was of a man with a demon in a headlock.

  “Little Snow Rose, you are surely a sight for sore eyes,” the man said as he punched the demon repeatedly until it yelled Uncle.

  “Old North, I do not want to exchange jabs with you. Come get your progeny; he is on his way to Crucible City.”

  “My progeny? You have got to be more specific,” said the man as he kicked another demon square in the chest, liquefying it.

  “Your progeny accosted my daughter, stripped the clothes off two young masters of the Wang and Tai clan, and strong-armed two mid-foundation guards into letting him leave the Heaven Splitting Sword Sect. Sounds like a chip of the old block.”

  Fangyi Li gave the man a look that could freeze fire.

  “Well, well, that sounds like a fascinating young man indeed, but Little Snow Rose, all of my children are accounted for, and they all know that they are not to leave our lands without my consent,” the man said, ripping a demon clean in half with his hands.

  “So I ask you again, what progeny do you speak of?”

  The man wiped his bloody hands on his vest and took a big swing from a wine flask at his waist.

  “He has golden eyes, Hei; they blaze when he channels his ki,” whispered Fangyi Li

  The man lost all control when he heard that statement.

  His once pale amber eyes flared with ki, turning gold and sparking with power. With a roar, he punches the air. As if in answer to his command, lightning comes streaking down from the heavens, vaporizing the thousands of demons around him.

  “You said he was going to Crucible City, correct?”

  All humor is gone from his voice, and the man glares at Fangyi with those golden eyes.

  “I will come to collect him, and he will remain unmolested until I arrive. If any harm befalls him, I will hold all of the South and you personally responsible,” the man said with a finality bordering on a threat.

  The golden-eyed man raises his fist to the sky as a lightning bolt descends upon him. Fangyi Li blinked for a second, and he was gone, leaving behind a scene of death and destruction as far as she could see.

  Help a Bro Out!