Chapter 87: Life 61, Age 35, Martial Grandmaster Peak
After the competition, I was not taken to meet with Mei. Instead, I was whisked away to a small room near the top of the amphitheater for a private audience with the Eight Flower King. When I walked in, I saw a powerfully built man with raven black hair and a short, tidy beard wearing an elaborate robe of reds and golds.
“Your majesty,” I said, giving the man a deep bow that took my torso past horizontal. In an empire, it would have been proper to kowtow, and even in most kingdoms, it was appropriate to kneel, but in Eight Flower, a deep bow was all that was required.
I was forced to hold my bow for many long seconds as the man looked at me. “Rise,” he finally commanded.
I did so, but then found myself standing awkwardly in silence. It wasn’t my turn to speak, and the king was content to quietly examine me.
“Su Fang,” he said, once his examination was complete, “I’m disappointed you didn’t accept my offer. You would have made a fine subordinate, and your aid could have helped me a great deal these past few years. Still, it isn’t a total loss. You are now my vassal Lord.” He paused to emphasize this statement. “Unfortunately, I only have one year left as Eight Flower King. I expect you to assist me during this time.”
“Of course, your majesty. I will fulfill my duties as city lord to the best of my ability.”
The king fixed me with an intent gaze. “My cultivation has been far more limited these past eight years than I had hoped. If you can turn that around, you will be well rewarded. My blessing allows me to concoct high-quality pills, but the number I can produce is… limited. If the number of pills you made for the Mao Clan when you first arrived is any indication, yours seems to be far better in this aspect. I know you have limited the clans you cooperate with due to our past differences, but I hope you can set aside past grudges to work for the betterment of the kingdom.”
“Your majesty, I didn’t refuse the work because of a grudge but because I had far more important research to conduct. If everything works as I have planned, you should be very satisfied with the results.”
The king smiled thinly at that. “Very good. If you can improve my situation, our situation, sufficiently, I will consider assisting you during the next King Selection if you wish.”