Taoist Master

A Hearing

For Bai Qian, the following few days were taken up with learning more about Mo Yuan and preparing herself for the next debate which Di Jun was hosting in the Celestial Heavens.   And being the most revered ancient God among them, he was one of the few deities that steered the course of his debates with topics that interested him, so with Mo Yuans assistance, she was able to quickly put together a summary of what topics he might open with which didn't really excite her as much as it did Mo Yuan.  

Mo Yuan on the other hand was dealing with the new trading post bordering the Demon Lands which surprisingly to him, both sides were agreement with.  It really was a brilliant solution but for a while, Mo Yuan thought he might face rejection, especially from the small neighbour who really did want their land back, even though thousands of years had passed since they last owned it.

No one really knew how the Demons ended up occupying it, but border raids and land grabs were the most likely explanation.  And even if it was ruled an illegal occupancy, it would have been a logistical nightmare getting the Demons off it anyway, because their people had already built their homes, schools and farms on the land which had been handed down through the generations.  There was really no other option than for the Demon Lord to show good will by allowing the trading post and for the losing tribe to concede graciously while gaining a much better deal in the end.

This took Mo Yuan a mere three days to settle before handing over the reigns to Di Juns men to oversee before pulling out completely and allowing both sides to govern the trading post with the right men in place and suitable legislation that would ensure fairness for both sides.

Now quietly taking a stroll under a warm summer sun, he quietly contemplated on the effectiveness of her highly ingenious solution along with the way she ran her own lands.  From what he had seen so far, not much happened in Qing Qiu because her people were either at work, or resting in the many botanical gardens that dotted the landscape.  And though it was still a busy place as any other large populated area, the people themselves were genuinely pleasant, quiet and assuming yet also hardy.  

Their lives without magic, meant they did everything themselves.  Toiling the land, fishing off the coast that Qing Qiu bordered, and even building their homes with the wood they cut down themselves by hand just like the Mortals did, and despite being labour intensive, her people seemed truly happy.

Though disputes did arise from time to time, but they generally tended to be minor incidences that were taken care of by the local constabulary that she had put in place thousands of years before which worked well for her people.  While anything that went beyond the normal squabbles, were brought directly to her notice and she would deal with them herself and only if both sides were unwilling to work together for a solution.

And that meant a mediation meeting where both sides meet in a court setting which really was a last resort and what no one wanted because it meant involving their own queen.  She had no judges to maintain the law of the land, because the corruptness she had learned of from other lands, meant she just didn't trust anyone else with the lives of her people.  So that meant, she personally oversaw all court hearings that made it to her attention, which thankfully was not that often.  Her people despised any form of confrontation, so did strive to reach a resolution before it went that far.

And it was the court case he had witnessed earlier that morning that was still playing on his mind.  Since meeting Bai Qian, he had formed several judgements based on her character alone and most of those were not all that flattering. 

Of course she could be most charming and endearing when she wanted to be, especially when it came to Taoism.  Her knowledge of the Tao was unmatched and at times so profound, that she had even him digging deep to gain understanding and even the words to convey his own thoughts, because several times, she had left him utterly speechless.  In fact, it was when she was in a Taoism element, that he saw the very best of her emerge.  The wit and ability to use obscure yet relevant scriptures to maintain her arguments, was exceptionally clever and he was always left shaking his head.