"Stand down," said ng with a growl.
"I am, in fact, very stood down. My weapon has been dismissed, my hands are in the air, and I have no desire to resist. I'm perfectly willing to accept being sent into an illusionary coma, as long as it's not so deep that my body will just shut down. Recovering doesn't have to be likely, just possible," said Shun slowly and calmly.
"Hmm… yes you have been remarkably cooperative, do you have any further requests?" asked ng.
"I wouldn't want to presu," said Shun with sowhat false modesty.
"No, you've made it clear this was a business decision for you. As such, it will cost you so years in paynt for acting against , but I agree it isn't worth your life. I won't go too far out of my way for you, but I shall not attack you for overstepping in your requests," said ng.
"In that case I'd like to make two requests, I believe will be accepted, and one I am unsure of," said Shun.
"Get on with it. I'm feeling pretty good about Jian getting taken out, so I'm willing to hear you out. I said that. Stop beating around the bush like you're trying to buy yet more ti," said ng, noticeably less pleased with the continual deferring of her offer.
"Right. My apologies," ng glared at Shun as he spoke, "The first request is permission to pen a letter, infused with my signature qi, explaining the minimum to my family. That I am fine, that I accepted this punishnt for my action, and that I will live through it and have no desire to seek retribution. I am even willing to allow you to look over my writings if you so desire. I seek to hide nothing," ng nodded easily.
"My second request," Shun continued, seeing ng's lips tick upwards ever so slightly at the corners, "Is to get permission to activate one of my teleportation talismans. I have a hidden bunker on the mountain, and I am able to activate it on a delay, of your choosing. I would like to set it up to take there once you have applied your illusions to your satisfaction. I have other treasures that can save , but it is while valuable, less so then the others. Additionally, I believe myself to have the best chance of surviving if I use it, especially in conjunction with the letter."
ng tapped her cheek a few tis "As long as you swear by the heavens that the talisman will not activate before whatever ti limit you give , and swear not to chase myself or my children for… fifty years," offered ng.
"That is a most generous offer, I accept," said Shun, bowing forward though still with his arms raised into the air and open pald.
*I don't know how to feel about this. I an, is this a good deal? Fifty years, is a long ti… but it's not that long if you're sleeping I guess. It's just… feels super weird to be having this conversation after we murdered his… what work companion? Acquaintance? At least it wasn't in cold blood but… cultivators are weird.*
Lily sent a feeling of agreent over the link. As ng spoke up again, "Good. Do you have any request as to the type of illusion you wish to be subjected to?"
"You would allow such a boon?" asked Shun. ng glared at him, hard, and Shun winced, understanding it looked like he was delaying things again. "Of course, you would not have offered otherwise milady… though… if you will permit … why are you asking for requests? Is this not to be a punishnt?"
ng shook her head with gritted teeth. "Yes… but I am not out to torture you for decades with horrible illusions. I want a certainty that you will not be able to harm and mine for at least a decade, hopefully longer. If you choose the illusion you will be more likely to let it run its course. Though… I hesitate to jump straight to a pleasant illusion, many would consider knowing that joy is fake worse torture then any amount of pain,"
"Yes… I understand…" mumbled Shun with a nod. "If you had offered an illusion of my Dao partner I would've been insulted, and aggrieved. I… hmm… is it possible to have you prepare an illusion based on the stars in the night? I wish to ditate on the aning of my light,"
"That feels a little like a chance to power yourself up…" said ng with a hum, and Shun just shrugged in response. "You know what? I can respect it Shun. That's what I'll give you. Now, please write out your letter and then we can begin. My goal will be keeping you under for a century, but I doubt my illusion can truly hold up against soone of your power for so long, especially if you decide to actively unravel things. Of course… if you wish to keep ditating…"
ng let the knowledge hang in the air, and Shun accepted the offer with a deep bow as he pulled out a small desk that could be used while kneeling and started on his letter. Shun understood the offer. ng would set up her illusion well, an offer, a temptation of power. If only he allowed himself to remain imprisoned for just a little longer. Shun felt his respect for his, now no longer, matriarch of the Holy Icy Wind sect.
What he knew, as a mole, was that ng had been good for the sect in the long run. If she had not been forced out of her roll, despite the 'sabotages' she had attempted, she'd just been a cut above the original ng in terms of operational efficiency. If the sect managed to survive this blow, it would likely co back stronger. Of course, the chance of that was low. Many other sects would circle like vultures, and with him gone, many of the elders confused, and the rest of the sect in a panic… it was unlikely they would survive.
Still, Shun had hope for the future. Perhaps in the unlikely event this illusion provided him with unique enlightennt it would allow him to break into Rank 5. Shun doubted it, but he did believe it would provide him unique enough insight to pass down to his descendants and allow them a real chance at cultivating to such a height. Shun thought he was getting off extrely lightly.
As such, he didn't try to leave any hidden ssages in the letter he was writing. Shun was straightforward and wrote out exactly what he felt his descendants needed to know. It read as follows:
""Greetings children, I am unsure which of you will receive this letter but I ask as your elder that you pass it around to all of my descendants. I have co up against ng, who you will soon know as a traitor. This both, is, and is not true. ng who has run the sect for most of your lifetis, is not the original ng of this sect. None the less, I was tasked, by the sa organisation that hired her, to take her out when she went even further rogue for the sake of sothing precious.
I lost, this should not be a surprise to any, as I am but a re elder and she is the matriarch of our great sect. Her departure will leave us weaker, and while I would love for you to remain within the sect and bring it to greater heights, a safer, and more practical course of action is to abandon the sect and find another to take you in. Sothing that will likely be easier now then at any other point in history.
I am not dead, so do not morn . I have taken a penalty that will allow to live, though I will not be free to act for quite so ti. I do not regret the course of action that led to this outco, and I am hopeful that it will have been a boon once this is over. The organisation that hired myself, and ng, may contact you with an offer of resources in exchange for the assistance I provided…
Yet they also may not. Assuming that I am dead and thus cannot apply pressure on them to provide what was promised. Know that while I did make deals to benefit my descendants, without my active and provable presence, anything they offer you may have a massive number of hidden strings attached. I say this not to scare anyone away, but as a way for you all to understand the dangers, and benefits better.""
ng looked over the note as it was offered to her and nodded, seeing nothing objectionable. "The oath please," Shun nodded and recited the oath as promised, before bringing out the talisman and
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