The Undying Immortal System

Even though problems arose because of the events at the Thunder Groom Selection, Minister Jin still insisted that I attend the Fire Flower Blossoming the following year. She was willing to concede that the associated social gatherings were optional, but she was firm in her stance that I needed to attend the actual competitions themselves if at all possible. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I accepted this as a responsibility I assumed when I became the Water Groom.

At the Fire Flower Blossoming, I sat with Mei in our designated booth. We were both hesitant to speak, so we mainly focused on the stage, but I did glance at her occasionally. She looked more tired than she had the previous year. I wasn’t sure what projects were consuming so much of her energy, but I was slightly concerned about what her blessing’s goals could be.

The tension between us seemed to build as we sat together alone in silence, so I tried my best to diffuse it. “Are you sleeping well?”

She flinched at my words. “Yes. Things have just been busy recently.”

I nodded, but I didn’t know how to continue the conversation, so I returned to watching the competitors. I noticed Mei turned her head slightly toward me, but she quickly jerked it back to focus on the stage below. This made me sigh with regret. I wished I could help her, but her psychological burdens were hers to bear. I had no way to assist with them.

After the competition, I swiftly returned to North Lake City. I wanted to immediately seclude myself again, but I needed to talk to someone about what Mei had been up to. I wasn’t sure who to ask, but since Mo was my Minister of Justice, he should know a little bit about everything happening in the city, so I decided to have a quick consultation with him.

“Minister Mo, do you know what Flower Mei has been doing recently?”

He looked surprised but responded promptly. “Yes, Lord. I told you some time ago that young scions of two of our city’s clans had gotten into an argument. The situation has deteriorated quite a bit since then, with both clans constantly at each other’s throats. This has caused a great deal of damage to the city, and few are willing to offend either clan by trying to stop it. Flower Mei has been working to calm both sides and restore sanity to the situation.”

“Thank you, minister. That is all,” I said, dismissing him.