Chapter Text
Something was wrong in the South: the followers of General Xuan Zhen and General Nan Yang were fighting.
At first blush, Mu Qing knew, this was nothing new. The two groups had enjoyed a spirited rivalry ever since their gods ascended. Like the generals themselves, their believers had always bickered and competed and occasionally come to blows. But, also like the generals, even when they didn’t get along, the two factions had historically been able to coexist without serious bloodshed. Lately, however, something had shifted. The usual scrapping between Xuan Zhen and Nan Yang followers had escalated into all-out war, and the two generals had so far been unable to stop it.
It was particularly ironic because the fighting had intensified right as the generals’ own relationship had significantly improved. After centuries as grudging colleagues, Mu Qing now hesitantly but sincerely called himself Feng Xin’s friend. They still argued and traded insults and the occasional punch, but the arguments were shorter, the insults less venomous, and the physical blows more sparring than truly fighting. Mu Qing felt comfortable around Feng Xin in ways he never had before and even began to look forward to seeing him. Feng Xin seemed to feel the same way. He was as grouchy and loudly profane as ever, but he collaborated easily with Mu Qing on matters affecting the South and sometimes stopped by his palace or hung around after missions just to chat. It was a subtle change, but it was nice. While Mu Qing wasn’t enough of a sap to say it out loud, especially to Feng Xin, it made him happy. Add to that the fact that they’d reconnected with Xie Lian and, all things considered, Mu Qing’s life was possibly the best it had ever been.
And against that background, his and Feng Xin’s believers were trying to kill each other.
Mu Qing and Feng Xin tried hard to stop the fighting. They repeatedly appeared in their followers’ dreams and admonished them that the martial gods of the South were friends and allies and did not condone the violence. Each time, the conflict subsided for a little while only to flare up again, worse than before.
Finally, the two gods descended to the mortal realm in disguise to investigate. With Mu Qing as Fu Yao and Feng Xin as Nan Feng, they split up so that each god could covertly visit several of his own temples. When they reconvened that evening in Mu Qing’s palace, Feng Xin was livid.
“I heard the same story everywhere I went,” he grumbled. “Someone is spreading false stories among my believers to provoke them to fight against yours.”
“That’s what I heard at my temples, too,” Mu Qing said solemnly. “People said they’d heard stories about Nan Yang followers desecrating Xuan Zhen temples, stealing offerings, and attacking believers. It sounds like at first the stories were completely fabricated, but some of my followers heard them and decided to retaliate, which led your followers to do the same, and in the end both sides had real cause to be aggrieved.”
“The same thing is happening with my followers,” Feng Xin agreed. “It’s a mixture of getting riled up over fake stories and retaliating against real attacks. Even when we tell them to knock it off, the resentment is still there, so it only takes a little nudge to get them fighting again. It’s an effective way to spread chaos. The only question is who the hell is doing it, and why.”
“I have a possible lead on that.” Mu Qing replied. “Several of the people I spoke to said that they had heard stories about your believers’ misdeeds from a wild-eyed man wearing a tiger emblem.”
“General Tai Hua’s symbol?”
Mu Qing nodded. “It didn’t sound like Lang Qianqiu himself, based on the description, but it could be a deputy, or a clone. His domain borders ours. It’s possible he’s trying to undermine our power and maybe take over our territory.”
“Why in the world would he do that? Hasn’t he worked things out with His Highness?”
“I thought so, but maybe he still bears us some ill-will. Or maybe he’s just gotten more ambitious. Or I suppose it could be a rogue believer using his emblem without permission.”
“Hmph. Well, it’s our only lead,” Feng Xin muttered. “I guess the best way to proceed is to go talk to him and see if he has an explanation.”