Chapter 35

The Frog Spirit Linyou made his way to Zifangyun Palace. He had been summoned by the Heavenly Emperor, his Big Brother Runyu. Big Brother Yanyou was not accompanying him today. He had an important meeting to attend with General Pojun.

He arrived at the gate in the last hour of daylight, and took note of the heavy force field. "That's a bit much" he thought to himself. No one in the Heavenly Realm would be able to break that.

"Big Brother Runyu!" he called out, trying to project his voice over the gate. The force field lifted. Linyou pushed open the gate and walked inside, then closed the gate behind him. Runyu was standing there.

"Your Majesty" Linyou bowed deeply.

Big Brother Runyu waved his arm at the gate and put the forcefield back in place. Then he gestured for Linyou to follow him into the palace. Linyou took note of the many planter boxes filled with dirt that dotted the front garden. Close to the door, there was a dilapidated old cart, packed with rows and rows of potted plants.

"What is all this?" Linyou asked.

"A project of mine" his brother answered cryptically. He opened the front door and gestured for Linyou to go inside.

Linyou entered the foyer, immediately taking note of the very large yin-yang inlaid with gold into the marble floor. The room was bare except for this. Runyu crossed over it without a pause and headed to the left hallway, where he led Linyou into a room filled with shelves of books and a large desk.

Runyu seated himself behind the desk, and gestured for Linyou to sit across from him. He pulled a bottle of wine out of a drawer and set it on the table.

"Have a drink with me Linyou" he said.

Linyou grimaced. "I haven't done too well with that" he admitted ruefully.

"Every gentleman needs to know how to hold his liquor" said Runyu. "Exercise moderation while you work on building a tolerance. If you feel yourself starting to get too affected by the alcohol, drink water."

Linyou nodded, he would try that. He accepted the cup of wine that Runyu handed him and sipped at it carefully. Runyu downed his cup in one shot, and then looked at it with a worried expression. He sighed.

Linyou raised his eyebrows. "Is something troubling you Big Brother?" he asked curiously.

"Many things" replied Runyu, cryptic again.

"Anything I can help with?" Linyou asked.

Runyu looked at him searchingly for a moment. "Possibly" he replied. "For now, tell me how things go at Dongting Lake."

"The army is at full capacity. We have enough emergency rations in store to last for a year. Longer if we decide to go to half-rations. We added another outpost six months ago, expanding our intel. If the Demon Realm starts mobilizing we will know within 24 hours." Linyou reported.

Runyu nodded. "Excellent" he said. "You really are the Water Immortal, in all but name. If I could give you the title I would, but I'm not ready to antagonize Xu Feng just yet."

Runyu poured another drink for himself, and offered the bottle to Linyou. Linyou declined. He was still nursing his first cup.

"Speaking of Xu Feng, I just learned today that my uncle is in the Mortal Realm" Runyu admitted, drinking from his cup.

"The Moon Immortal?" Linyou asked incredulously.

Runyu nodded. "You're going to need to step up security at Dongting Lake" he recommended. "Jimni might be clueless, but Uncle is clever, and he delights in thwarting my plans."

Linyou nodded. "I'll send word at once" he promised.

"So tell me about your Demon encounter" Runyu said, pouring himself a third cup of rice wine.

Linyou looked at him with concern. "Do you normally drink this much?" he asked.

"I've had a Hell of a day" Runyu admitted. "Was it really the Demon Princess that got you drunk?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I'm not entirely sure about that." Linyou replied. "I've never actually seen the Demon Princess before. The girl was the right age though, and she said her name was Qintian."

"Hmmm. Do you think they are targeting you because of the army at Dongting Lake?" asked Runyu.

"Actually, the girl was full of questions about Kuanglu" Linyou revealed.

"Kuanglu!" Runyu exclaimed.

"I think she followed Kuanglu here, and then ran into me" suggested Linyou.

"Kuanglu went to the Demon Realm!" Runyu pounded the desk in frustration. "Doesn't she know how dangerous that is? Why would she..." he closed his eyes and sighed. "She's looking for Uncle" he answered his own question.

"Why would she want your Uncle?" asked Linyou. "Doesn't she remember how much trouble he caused for you?"

"Her father, the Immortal Taisi, has convinced her to do that. It's got to be some sort of power play. I'm looking into it." Runyu shook his head, and then poured himself another drink. "That's why the army at Dongting Lake is so important. It's a check against the Emperial Army, in case Pojun is ever convinced to depose me."

Linyou nodded. He had known that already.

"Try to keep Kuanglu at Xuanji Palace if you can" requested Runyu. "I don't like her wandering the Six Realms like this." He finished his drink and banged his cup on the desk.

"I'll do my best" Linyou promised.

Runyu escorted him to the front gate and removed the force field. As Linyou left, he noticed one of the Earth Immortals walking up to the palace. The Earth Immortal bowed to him and Runyu.

Runyu said goodbye to him, and then disappeared back into the gate of Zifangyun Palace. The Earth Immortal went in with him. The force field went back up. Linyou stared at the gate for a moment, wondering what his Big Brother Runyu wasn't telling him.