Chapter 409: Extra 4.

Bai Li read the relevant documents and asked why the families had not used the boundary markers recorded in the old survey. Yan Cijin noticed that one of the documents had been copied from a much newer map, and that the stream’s course had changed after a flood three years earlier.

"The map is probably out of date," she said. "They may both be relying on records that no longer match the ground. Send someone to survey the area again. Until the new boundary is agreed upon, neither family should cut timber there. If either side hires more fighters, their claim will not be treated as a reason to give them special consideration."

Bai Li added, "Tell them we are not going to decide the dispute based on which family can shout louder. They can bring their documents to the magistrate, and we will provide an impartial witness for the survey."

The elders took notes. The visitors from the River Cloud Sect watched with growing attention. They had expected martial legends to speak in grand declarations about justice, loyalty, and the honor of the jianghu. Instead, the two Matriarchs were asking about bridge repairs, outdated maps, medicine supplies, and the difference between an accusation and a confirmed fact. Their strength did not make the practical details disappear. It made them more responsible for noticing those details.

The next few matters concerned Mount Hua itself. Several disciples had completed their first year of training and wished to take missions beyond the mountain. One needed permission to visit her elderly father in a village two days away. Another had shown promise in the medical hall and wanted to accompany a traveling healer. A third had argued with a classmate and requested a transfer to another training group.

Yan Cijin read the last request with a small crease between her brows. "Why does she want to transfer?"

The instructor responsible for the group explained that the two students had been competing over the same advancement ranking. One believed the other had received extra attention from their teacher. No serious fight had occurred, but the disagreement had spread through the group and made practice unpleasant.

"Have they spoken to each other outside training?" Yan Cijin asked.

The instructor admitted that they had not. Each had apparently decided that the other was unwilling to listen, and neither wanted to risk being the first to approach.

Bai Li set down the request. "Then moving one of them will not solve anything. Let the instructor speak to both students separately, and then arrange a conversation in which neither can turn the matter into a competition. If they still wish to train apart after that, we can consider it. But we should not teach them that every difficult conversation can be avoided by changing rooms."

Yan Cijin nodded. "They are young. They will make mistakes. Our job is not to pretend that they will never disagree. It is to teach them how to disagree without trying to hurt each other."

The words could have applied to sword practice, sect politics, or marriage. Bai Li glanced at her wife, and Yan Cijin caught the look. She gave Bai Li a small, knowing smile that made the first elder lower his eyes to his notes with suspicious speed. Lu Wenshu had learned that there were moments when it was better not to observe the Matriarchs too closely.

A representative from the River Cloud Sect finally stepped forward. He was an older man with a narrow beard and a robe embroidered with pale waves. He praised Mount Hua’s recent achievements, spoke politely about their training methods, and offered a modest gift of tea from his sect’s mountain gardens. Bai Li accepted the gift on behalf of Mount Hua. Yan Cijin thanked him and asked whether the tea had been dried this season. The man’s expression brightened when she mentioned a fragrance that only appeared in the first harvest, and for a moment the visit became a simple conversation between people who shared an interest.

Then he asked the question he had clearly been waiting to raise.

"Matriarchs, forgive me if this sounds impolite. There has been much discussion throughout the jianghu about Mount Hua’s leadership. Some people wonder whether two women sharing the highest authority can maintain unity when difficult decisions arise. They say that even the strongest marriage cannot replace a single, clear chain of command."

The hall became quiet.

Bai Li lifted her eyes. The visitor seemed to remember, one painful second too late, that he was speaking to a woman whose sword could cut apart a stone gate without touching it. He shifted his weight, preparing to soften the question with another compliment, but Yan Cijin smiled before he could continue.

"Have you encountered any disagreement between us during your visit?" she asked.

The man blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"You have been here since early morning. You watched us review the reports. Did you see a disagreement that prevented us from making a decision?"

"No, Matriarch, I did not mean that you had already..."

"Then perhaps the problem is not our leadership structure," Yan Cijin said, still perfectly gentle. "Perhaps it is the assumption that authority becomes weaker when it is shared by people who respect one another."

Bai Li rested one hand on the arm of her chair. "Our authority does not come from our marriage. Yan Cijin reached the Heavenly Dao Sovereign Realm through her own training. I reached it through mine. We became Matriarchs because we had the ability and judgment to lead Mount Hua. Our marriage happens to be the best part of our lives. It is not the reason we are qualified to govern."

The visitor’s face turned slightly red. "That was not my intention. I meant only that some people in the jianghu find the arrangement unusual."

"The jianghu finds many things unusual," Bai Li replied. "It has survived most of them."

A cough came from somewhere near the rear of the hall. It might have been an attempt to hide a laugh. Lu Wenshu studied his notes with great seriousness, and Yan Cijin’s smile softened as she picked up her teacup.

"Would you like more tea?" she asked the visitor.

The question was so ordinary that it took him a moment to understand that the discussion had ended. He hurriedly accepted the offer, drank a little too quickly, and announced that he had learned a great deal from the council. By the time the meeting moved on, he had decided that it might be wise to tell the other sect leaders that Mount Hua’s leadership was not a subject to debate unless they had a more convincing argument than rumor.

The remaining reports passed without incident. Bai Li approved two training missions, asked for an update on the defensive formation near the eastern ridge, and requested a review of the grain stores before the coming winter. Yan Cijin checked the medical hall’s supply list, reminded the council that injured disciples should not be encouraged to return to training too early, and requested that the sect’s annual expenditure on village clinics be recorded separately so that the elders could identify where additional support was needed.

Neither woman rushed through the work. They listened, asked questions, and made decisions. They also disagreed on two small matters, one involving the timing of an inspection and another involving whether a senior disciple should take a mission alone or with a partner. Their disagreement lasted less than five minutes. Bai Li explained her concern about the route. Yan Cijin pointed out that the disciple had experience in that region and would learn more by handling a difficult assignment under careful conditions. They adjusted the plan to give the disciple a partner for the first stage of the journey, then permission to continue alone if the initial report showed no unusual danger.

The council accepted the compromise. Nobody had been humiliated. Nobody had needed to surrender merely to preserve the appearance of agreement. It was a small example of the way the Matriarchs led, and one the elders had learned to appreciate over the years.

When the formal agenda finally ended, the visiting representatives bowed and departed. The instructors gathered their papers. Lu Wenshu remained near the front of the hall, reviewing the last few notes while Bai Li and Yan Cijin spoke quietly about the village reports.

"The southern road needs to be inspected," Bai Li said. "I want to see the place where the caravans disappeared before we make assumptions."

"Then we should go to Reedbank," Yan Cijin replied. "It will give us a chance to see the damage to the road and speak with the headman ourselves."

Lu Wenshu looked up. "Matriarchs, do you intend to travel there personally? I can send a capable team."

"We can send a team later," Bai Li said. "But the first report should be based on what we observe, not what someone believes we ought to see. We are already planning to descend the mountain."

Yan Cijin looked at her with innocent interest. "Are we?"

"We are."

"Is there a reason?"

Bai Li’s expression did not change. "I believe you mentioned something about candied hawthorn yesterday."

Lu Wenshu set down his notes very carefully. He had heard the Matriarchs discuss the future of the sect, the possibility of a hostile alliance, the repair of a damaged defensive formation, and the responsibilities that came with reaching the peak of cultivation. Somehow, those conversations had all seemed less likely to derail a morning’s work than Yan Cijin’s desire for a particular sweet.

Yan Cijin looked pleased. "I did mention it."

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TO BE CONTINUED.