[LP CYOA] 傳

[Kashmir Slippers]

There is no need to throw a hissy-fit because people disagree with you.

 

[TOME]

The past seven pages have been terrible to read. Just fucking retarded DISCUSS!!!. Just a few things I would like to mention:

-I don't see why the three masters would strong arm us into service, and even if they would, do you think not going there is going to stop it from happening?
-Zhang only found out about our qi by channeling us, and the Wudang master will be no different.
-Fighting style and social life are two completely different things. We can be unorthodox in former, but we can't go on throwing insults left and right. Our mission is to infiltrate the pugilist world and make useful contacts (like masters of the orthodox sects), not make everyone hate us.

Edit: didn't we have agility of 9 at some point? Character sheet shows it's 8 at the moment.

 

[Smashing Axe]

It used to be 7, it came up to 8 after the last attribute improvement choice we made. We can go up to 9 using our disciplines.

 

[Nevill]

Great, some actual arguments to engage with. (I mean that without sarcasm.)

It seems like I've missed all the action while I was away. At a certain point you have to give up trying to convey your point with two sentences from a smartphone. Still, I will try to answer the questions you asked to the best of my ability, even if I'm somewhat late to the party.

1) And that network will be used to give us information about our ZJ mission targets? No. About Yuhua Hall? Well they'd ask, why? About WiB? They didn't know anything before and why will they tell us what they find out? There's no leverage we can use here.

Why did they summon us if it weren't for something they needed to learn, or be done? This is our leverage. As for what we could learn from them, see below.

2) Again, loredumps about what? (See above)

2) Yes, let's tell everything to the maniac's apprentice/aka the clown that ha been humiliating the sects on stage/aka the guy who has been running around town with a fake identity. He seems trustworthy. More likely we'll be given a little info and then cajoled into service.

We have lead a very secluded life for the past three years, at first wandering from town to town with Yao, then hunting the tigers on the Maniac's Island. We have zero idea of what is happening in the world. The most we have gathered on a political situation in the Empire was "there are some troubles with the tribes in the north". Someone is trying to pit orthodox and unorthodox disciples against each other, and maybe even frame orthodox sects for some foul deeds, if the attack on Guo Fu is anything to go by. Why have they decided to act now? Maybe something big is happening that warrants such distractions. If so, we need to learn what it is.

As for our mission, we know even less. Who are these WiB? How many are there? Do they operate in multiple cities? Do they have headquarteds, or do they operate independently? What are their goals? Who are their targets? How long it was since they have been spotted first?

Do you really think that the sects only learned about WiBs from us? Their disciples have been attacked for a while. The rumor of Zhang Jue's disciple had been around even longer. Now that they know that the real disciple of Zhang Jue has nothing to do with this, they want you to share your part of the story to see how you fit into this, and to try and piece things together. If they had nothing before, what would they need you for? You do not know anything about WiB - that is why you tried to consult with your friends yesterday, and that much should have been evident even to Yifang. No, you are only a part of the puzzle they are trying to solve.

And, Lambchop19, do you think that they summoned you because you were a victim, or an important witness, or something? They have their own disciples that would fit that role perfectly. If you think that you have some measure of anonymity left, you might want to prepare yourself for disappointment. They called for you exactly because they know who you are.

I am not afraid of my identity. The bulk of the reason why I wanted to remain anonymous is because people are scared of the name of Zhang Jue and everything that is associated with it to the point where communication becomes impossible. Look at what our reputation did with Guo Fu. These people, they have no reason to be afraid of us or our Master. The Abbess certainly didn't go "begone, you spawn of Satan" when she first saw us. They will see us for what we are - a kid that is trying to make the best of what the life throws at him, the kid that could be of use to them. Naturally, we should hold the same view of them, instead of demonizing them straight away because LOL WE ARE UNORTHODOX, DISCUSSION IS FUTILE.

As for being cajoled into service... give me a single fucking scenario where they could force our hand. What can they use against us? Take the love-of-our-life Qilin hostage? We have no family, no lovers, no money, no property, no reputation to uphold, no-fucking-nothing but our fanatical devotion to the crown prince, and I'd give that shit away for free. Oh, we also have our life, but even Tigranes admits that suggesting they would threaten you with death is a retarded hyperbole. They have absolutely no leverage to force a deal that would only be favorable to them upon us.

It boils down to this: do you think the Grand Taoist, having grasped that we have a fucked up qi - and he will grasp it - do you think he will want to help us, give us advice? Or just observe, and to monitor? Or to think that, now or later, this kid needs to be seized, confined, studied, perhaps 'cured' even if it means the loss of life or combat ability or whatever?

It is Great Taoist this, Great Taoist that, do you trust the Great Taoist to do the right thing? What kind of fucked up reasoning is that? No, I don't trust him, obviously. I do not distrust him either. Hell, I know literally nothing about the guy, part of the reason I chose to go there is because I want to meet him and the other higher ups on neutral terms to see if they can be reasoned with, while your alternative to that is barging on their schools' territory, beating up their disciples, spitting them in the face to then proudly declare "See? I knew this guys always had it in for us!".

The question you should ask is not about the Taoist. You should ask yourself who told them about you and why. The answer is obvious - the Abbess, your only friend among the sect leaders, deemed this meeting important enough both for you and for them to reveal your identity. Ultimately, it was her decision, and one thing you can be certain of is that she does not wish you harm. Even if she weren't a good woman with a somewhat dubious past herself - which she is - she has multiple reasons to maintain good relationships with you, for you are privy to her secrets and is an important person to her family. Even if she can't show it openly in front of the other leaders, as it would pose too many questions that are better left unanswered, you can count on her support. The question you should pose is thus: do you trust the Abbess to do the right thing?

The Abbess can't help us, Nevill. With two other sect heads involved, she can't really put her neck out to help us if they both know we're Zhang Jue's apprentice.

She had taken you with her to the highest echelons of power, to the people that can decide the future of the whole Empire, should they wish so. This is a place of enormous opportunities, a place where you already have an ally, and you would have to be a fool not to take a peek at what they can offer you.

She doesn't have to put her neck out for us. We are in no danger for her to do so. But with her as our ally, we can put aside the fear of them trying to swindle us.

 

[treave]

The update's longer than I expected so I'm breaking it into two parts. Second part comes tomorrow.

 

[Tigranes]

Clearly Part One is the infodump and Jing trolling the Grand Taoist until news comes that Guo Fu's wife has been kidnapped and he is going on a rampage, and Part Two will be a street chase between Jing and Guo Fu with the former yelling DON'T DO IT! NOOOOOO

 

[treave]

Meeting with the Masters

At the inn where the sect’s masters are staying, you knock on the door to announce your presence. The Abbess’s voice comes from within, giving you permission to enter. You do so. Inside the room, Abbess Miecao is sitting together with an old Taoist and an elderly monk – they look to be roughly her age. To your surprise, the Beggar Sect’s Chief is also there, his ever-present gourd in his hand. You give them a deep bow, your hands placed together in a respectful salute. “Xu Jing, disciple of Zhang Jue, pays his respects to his venerable elders.” You doubt that they would not know of your real identity.

The monk – Abbot Fangzhang – frowns. “Wait, what’s this? That kid actually produced such a polite apprentice?”

Miecao nods. “Yes. It was rather surprising. I suppose he was born polite and Zhang Jue couldn’t beat it out of him, though he uses it well enough as a weapon.”

The Grand Taoist Wang Zhengchong eyes you for a moment, and then chuckles. “I don’t buy that. You are only polite to those you think will react better to politeness, aren’t you? I doubt you are naturally polite.”

“Isn’t it the proper way to communicate with people as they wish to be communicated with? A bit of politeness goes a long way,” you respond. “Exactly right,” grins Qi Liuwu, who seems to be very slightly drunk already even if it is only morning. He tosses the gourd at you, which you catch nimbly. “Which is why you should drink that. This is not a place to stand on ceremony.”

“I’m not sure what you mea-“ You begin, but the grandmaster of Wudang cuts you off with a laugh. “It means if you don’t take a good gulp you’ll be disrespecting us. This is not a place to stand on ceremony.” You stare at him and shrug, before taking a good swig from the gourd. It is rather good. You wonder how a beggar affords such good wine. Then, you heed his words and sit down without being invited to. The old men grin approvingly, though Abbess Miecao just sighs.

“So, what’s this all about?” you ask.

“Nothing much, really,” says Wang. “We were just curious as to how Jue’s disciple would turn out.”

“That’s all?” You don’t believe that they’d have called you in just to take a look at you.

“Of course not,” snaps Miecao. “There’s that matter of the people pretending to be you, going around attacking people in the streets.”

“That is a rather silly thing to do,” sighs Qi Liuwu. “If it was a show targeted at us, it was a bit ignorant.”

“Of course it was,” grunts Abbot Fangzhang in annoyance. “Zhang Jue wouldn’t have his disciple assault random, no-name disciples on the street. I know the kid well, he’d be a bit more arrogant about it, like sending his disciple out to beat down all of our best students at once. That’s more his style. Idiots might buy it but I certainly wouldn’t.” You attempt to change the topic. “I am curious – it doesn’t sound like you have much bad blood with my master, from the way you talk about him. I would have thought that the orthodox sects would hate him.”

Wang Zhengchong replies solemnly. “Your master is a killer and a dangerous man, there is no doubt about that, but there is not one of us here who has not taken a life in the past. It is not our place to judge his way of martial arts. As far as I know, he only uses his power on those already involved in the pugilistic world. When you step into the jianghu, you must be ready to risk your life whether you walk the orthodox or unorthodox path. Of course, in the orthodox sects we try to minimize that risk and avoid pointless loss of life, but the danger is still present. His methods are cruel but not entirely out of place. Besides, as his former masters we cannot lay the blame entirely on him… but that is not a story that concerns us today.”

“What the longwinded old fart means,” interrupts Qi, “is that everyone has their own path and we won't judge them outright without looking at the circumstances. I mean, take a look at me. I’m a beggar, but before this I was a prince. You have read about the civil war thirty years ago, right? It was before your time, but that war brought the current Emperor to power.” It is not spoken of much nowadays, as the Emperor had been keen to make his rule appear more legitimate by suppressing talk of him having seized power from his siblings by force, but you know of the war. You nod.

“Lots of my brothers died back then. I was a minor prince, never in contention for the throne, but I saw enough to walk away from it all. Now, the point I’m trying to make is, in the pugilistic world we should never try to judge a book by its cover, whether we are orthodox or unorthodox. There are always factors to consider.”

“But the orthodox sects tend to act self-righteous and lord it over those not in a sect,” you point out bluntly. They did say that you should not stand on ceremony.

Wang Zhengchong sighs. “Yes, that is a problem I have started to see recently. Those of us who fought against the Tujue in the war forty years ago, and in the subsequent civil war ten years later – we know what happens when ideals try to shape reality, or when pragmatism goes too far. We’ve tried to find a balance since then by guarding the country as best as we can, but I am unsure if it is working out well.”

“Yes, I am slightly ashamed to say this,” grumbles Fangzhang, “but even as the sect heads we cannot reach everyone. You can only teach those willing to learn.”

“Shouldn’t you lead by example?” you ask.

“Tried that,” shrugs Wang. “Sure, they listened for a while, but once my back is turned they begin acting up again. For example, that business with Shunshi.” The old Taoist frowns. “Never liked that hypocrite Song Jiangke. He tried to stiff me once when he lost a bet.”

“You know Master Yao?” You aren’t too surprised by this, seeing that the Abbess seems to be on good terms with them, and that Master Yao already has an acquaintance with Qi Liuwu.

“Yes, we met during the war. All of us did,” says the Abbot. “That sneaky little bastard Song Jiangke deserved what was coming to him. He knew Shunshi had his price.” He is being surprisingly bloodthirsty for a monk.

“It’s a good thing I’m a beggar and don’t need to bother with all of these silly hang-ups about reputation,” laughs Qi Liuwu. “Maybe you guys should resign your positions. Then you could go about beating up those hypocritical gentlemen running your sects.”

“That would just cause more troubles, but don’t think for a second I haven’t been tempted to knock some sense into them in the past ten years, Liuwu,” grumbles Wang. “Unfortunately the generation after ours is lost. They have reached that age where they think they are wiser than their elders and more experienced than their juniors. We need to let the younger generation take the lead here. Besides, cleaning house now would mean all the burden of running the sect falls on us again, and possibly disastrous to the other members of the Eight Sects where they don’t have leaders ready to step up. I mean, I don’t want to have to end up running their sects for them too.”

“Wait, you mean in the end you aren’t doing it because you’re lazy?”

“W-well- not exactly. As I said, I do not judge the path that people take. Persuading people by force is not really my way.“ the Grand Taoist falters as he gives his excuse. After this meeting, you think the dignity and reputation of the Eight Sects’ grandmasters will never be the same in your eyes again.

“Ha! The boy got you there, Zhengchong,” grins Fangzhang. “I run a tighter ship at the temple, but perhaps you should begin paying more attention to things going on around you, my dear Taoist friend. Still, we are all only human. Boy, please forgive us our weaknesses and sins.” He takes a long good drink of wine, certainly breaking the monastic prohibition against alcohol without shame.

“If Xuzhan saw this…” you murmur to yourself.

“Yes, I heard that someone fitting your description led them out of the red-lantern district. Now why did you do that, after I had painstakingly given them the directions there in the first place?” says the venerable Abbot of Shaolin.

“You mean… they weren’t lost?”

“Oh, sure,” snorts Fangzhang. “They think they were lost because the great grand Abbot would never give them directions to a den of lustful sin. I say that a monk must seek out temptations and fight them. Cloistering yourself in a monastery makes you weak.”

“As I recall,” muses Wang, “back in the day you never even made an effort to beat temptation after shaving your head. What was that the girls at Yuhua Hall used to call you? Iron Shaft? I distinctly remember you showing off the Jinzhongzhao by having them attack your-“

“Shut up, damn Taoist bastard,” snarls the Abbot, “you weren’t much better, what with your Taiji F-.”

Abbess Miecao slams her palm on the table, cracking it. “That is very much enough out of you idiots,” she says coldly. “Can we get to the actual topic of discussion now and stop shaming yourselves in front of those who are supposed to look up to you?” You think it is a little too late now for them to regain any form of dignity.

“Right,” coughs Wang Zhengchong. “About Yuhua Hall… I believe that has something to do with the current situation?”

“Yes,” nods Miecao. “Yifang told me that Xu Jing seems to have been hit by something similar, and it was not the first time.”

“I doubt they are actually involved,” says Wang. “The Madame of Yuhua Hall is a personal friend of ours. They do not get involved in matters of the pugilistic world, as a rule. I suspect if there is any connection, it is via a rogue courtesan, but of course we have not had much contact with her recently.”

“We could change that,” says the Abbot, slightly too eagerly.

“I think,” you say slowly, “that having the Shaolin Abbot walk into a brothel might really shock certain people.”

“The boy speaks sense,” says Miecao, “so stop acting like fools for a while and be serious. We can deal with Yuhua Hall later. Now, why do you think they used Zhang Jue’s name in attacking our people?”

“Rather simple in my opinion,” says Qi, “they merely wanted to unite the orthodox sects against him. I suspect that we have someone in our ranks working with these mysterious assailants. Xu Jing obtaining that invite was not a matter of coincidence.”

“I agree,” says the Grand Taoist, turning to you. “They wanted you here. As the Southern Maniac’s disciple they had expected you to act like your master, walking in brazenly and possibly maiming one or two arrogant fools who decide to bite off more than they can chew. They were probably prepared to provoke you into doing something foolish.”

“But when you didn’t appear,” he continues, stroking his beard, “they decided to fall back on another plan. I hear someone else is rumoured to be Zhang Jue’s disciple – a rather promising lad by the name of Guo Fu. Of course, the boy looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, not on purpose at least, but with the right triggers he could be made to serve their purpose. At the very least, they are trying to stoke outrage against Jue. And if they succeed…”

“There would be people seeking to band together and bring him down by force of numbers, citing him as a threat to the pugilistic community?” you say.

“Exactly that,” beams Qi Liuwu. “But what would happen if they attacked Zhang? How do you think your master would react?”

“He’d slaughter most of them. No offense, elders, but besides the people here in this room, I doubt there are many that could defeat him. My master is strong.”

“That he is,” says Fangzhang. “That kid has always been a brutal fighter. He has absolutely no understanding of the concept of holding back.”

“And when that happens,” says Miecao, “the leaders of the Eight Sects would be forced to act. After all, we are the only ones that can bring him down, but I am afraid at that point they would ask for his head… I see. This could be what they are aiming for.”

“But why do that?” you ask. “What is the purpose of it all?

“Unfortunately I’m not sure about that,” says Wang. “They could have some deeper motive for doing so, but it is out of my calculations for now. When it comes to that point, it would be impossible for us to talk them down, not even with our influence, but I would not wish to kill Jue over something I know that was ultimately not his fault. I think it is more important that we do not let things progress to that stage.”

“I agree,” says Qi. “For now I will have my beggars gather any information they can. Do you have anything else that can help us, Jing?” You wonder if you should reveal the initial encounter with the woman-in-black, and the attempt on Shun’s life, but decide against it. You are not yet willing to reveal any part of your connection to the Imperial Palace – that might drastically change their behaviour towards you. You shake your head, and the beggar chief nods. “Then that’ll be it for now.”

“We might need you to reveal your identity during the tournament, if things get to the point where we feel they may begin rounding up people for an assault on your master. We will vouch for you if necessary,” says Wang abruptly.

“Are you sure that is okay?” you ask.

“Oh, I am sure you can think up a suitably theatrical way to do so.” His eyes twinkle with amusement. “You’ve brought the most fun to the tournament in years. I am glad I decided to visit this time around. Usually we don’t bother. Too many years of that insufferably uptight Huashan prig winning. I swear, he and his master are cut from the same cloth.”

“They are upright men, are they not?”

“There’s such a thing as being too upright,” says the Grand Taoist. Then, he adds darkly, “When upright men push their righteousness too far, they tend to get people killed for their own ideals, from my experience.”

“Do you suspect something about them?” you probe.

The Abbot laughs when he hears your question. “Never trust a guy so clean that his clothes shine. We don't get to live to our age without learning that. Unfortunately, we can’t interfere directly with other sects, or I’d give that Bai Jiutian a spanking to loosen his spine a bit.”

“Perhaps I can give it on your behalf,” you offer with a sly grin.

“Oh?” Fangzhang’s eyes gleam. “Now that would be interesting to watch.” There is a similar glint of interest in Wang Zhengchong’s eyes. “Yes, I do remember something about your match against Emei’s Yiling,” says the Taoist suddenly. “Are you actually using Zhang Jue’s neigong, the Wushuang Bawang Skill (無雙霸王功, Peerless Conqueror Skill)? I don’t think so, right? It felt different.”

You hesitate to tell the Grand Taoist, but with a blur of his hand he hurls a cup at you. You instinctively reach to grab it before it smashes, but as your fingers close around the cup, you find that Wang Zhengchong’s hand has gripped your wrist. You feel him pouring energy into you, probing the depths of your inner strength. Unlike Master Zhang’s qi, the Grand Taoist’s is calm and still, almost imperceptible in its flow despite its vastness.

Your Yuanshi Hundun rises uncontrollably, attempting to repel the intruding qi. Wang Zhengchong’s eyes widen as he lets go of your wrist. Then, he laughs loudly. “Of all the things to discover today, this is the best! I have been meditating for the past ten years for an answer as to whether anything lies beyond the Way, and today it has appeared in front of me.”

The other old people in the room stare at him. “Well, no stopping him once he gets like that,” mutters Fangzhang.

“Xu Jing,” says Wang Zhengchong excitedly, “do you have any idea what you possess?”

“Uh,” you reply nervously, “a heresy to the Way? That is what Master Zhang said.”

“Hah, that is what he would say. No, this is an answer to my prayers. The heavens smile upon me. This is something I have been seeking for decades, something to push the boundaries of knowledge in our universe!”

“And… what does that mean, exactly?” you ask.

“I have absolutely no idea,” says the Grand Taoist with a straight face, “I need to meditate for a few more years to grasp the magnitude of this discovery.”

“Wait,“ begins Miecao, “You can’t be-“

“I’ll be leaving things in your hands, my friends,” says Wang Zhengchong as he gets up. “I’ll be returning to Mount Wudang to meditate in seclusion. Farewell!”

In the blink of an eye, the Grand Taoist is gone, leaving behind an open window.

“Oh no, not again,” grumbles Miecao. “The last time he did that he didn’t come out for ten years. Anyway, it looks like this meeting is over, since the supposed leader of the pugilistic world has left the building. We’ll update you if anything important turns up, Xu Jing.”

She gets up and leaves the room. The Abbot leaves next, but not before giving you a smile of approval and whispering, “Good job with the stripping, lad.” Finally, Qi Liuwu comes to you. “Have you been practicing the Xianglong Palms that I taught you?”

You give him a non-committal gesture. “It’s only one move, Master Qi, though it is a useful one.”

He looks puzzled. “But I showed you the full set!”

“Unfortunately,” you say humbly, “I’m not smart or perceptive enough to pick up the entire set in just one glimpse.”

“That is a shame,” sighs the beggar chief. He looks around him furtively, then throws you a grin. “Well, there is no one around right now, kiddo, so…”

 

[Baltika9]

Now I see why Zhang decided to fuck these guys off. The greatest Masters of the world are a group of frathouse bros, no wonder he's so crazy. Awesome.

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

That went a thousand times better than I ever could have hoped it would.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Is it possible the Grand Taoist is simply breaking the fourth wall and meditating on the nature of the universe as a work of fiction, related to us directing Jing?

Your Yuanshi Hundun rises uncontrollably, attempting to repel the intruding qi. Wang Zhengchong’s eyes widen as he lets go of your wrist. Then, he laughs loudly. “Of all the things to discover today, this is the best! I have been meditating for the past ten years for an answer as to whether anything lies beyond the Way, and today it has appeared in front of me.”

“Hah, that is what he would say. No, this is an answer to my prayers. The heavens smile upon me. This is something I have been seeking for decades, something to push the boundaries of knowledge in our universe!”

Granted, there are other legitimate interpretations. I do wonder though.

Now I see why Zhang decided to fuck these guys off. The greatest Masters of the world are a group of frathouse bros, no wonder he's so crazy. Awesome.

At least they're a bunch of well-meaning drunken fratboys. The next generation sound like they could be very dangerous for us as Zhang's student.

Nice update overall, looking forward to the next.

Also:

Xianglong Eighteen Palms. (降龍十八掌, Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms).
Level 2:
The Arrogant Dragon Regrets - a weak palm strike that is humble and formless, allowing you to chain it smoothly into any form of movement for infinite variations.
The Sky-Soaring Dragon - a leaping attack where you strike downwards with your palm from a high position.

 

[Nevill]

I hadn't laughed that hard at the update in a long while.

But I bet it was nothing compared to what treave felt reading the 'discussion' that preceded it.

 

[Jester]

Was right hahaha it was lulzy option. Expected something awesome but not this much awesomeness.

Edit
WAIT A SEC

leaving behind an open window.

He exit through window. : D

 

[Smashing Axe]

We haven't seen all the consequences of our current decision yet. I'd hold my breath a bit longer before celebrating. I suspect the Farmer will be suffering the consequences of our inattention whilst we've been entertaining a bunch of old redundant geezers.

On the bright side, if the Farmer is injured, we might very well win the coming match.

 

[Nevill]

Yes, they have implied this much:

I hear someone else is rumoured to be Zhang Jue’s disciple – a rather promising lad by the name of Guo Fu. Of course, the boy looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, not on purpose at least, but with the right triggers he could be made to serve their purpose.

I would not have been worried about Guo Fu getting injured. I'd be more worried about him killing someone.

 

[Tigranes]

Well, that went amazingly well. Guess they're the Masters of this world; powerful fratboys, but narrative-wise destined to be overshadowed by greater powers including Jing.

Clearly, the point is that these enemies want ZJ taken out because they want to unbalance the pugilistic world, discredit the sects, make factions more hostile towards each other - all of which could very well collapse Chinese political order as a whole.

 

[asxetos]

“Hah, that is what he would say. No, this is an answer to my prayers. The heavens smile upon me. This is something I have been seeking for decades, something to push the boundaries of knowledge in our universe!”

“And… what does that mean, exactly?” you ask.

“I have absolutely no idea,” says the Grand Taoist with a straight face, “I need to meditate for a few more years to grasp the magnitude of this discovery.”

Amazing :D

The meeting went better than expected but we didnt gain much information.
Now i am very curious about the consiquences of ignoring A and B on the previous update.

Clearly, the point is that these enemies want ZJ taken out because they want to unbalance the pugilistic world, discredit the sects, make factions more hostile towards each other - all of which could very well collapse Chinese political order as a whole.

I think you nailed it right there. If the sects unite against Zhang and kill him, they will set a precedent, and the next time someone is being set up, it will be far easier for the rest to do the same.

 

[Smashing Axe]

Well, the waifu will be targeted, no doubt about it. The effect could be just the same, us winning the next match whilst he goes on a rampage against the wrong target. Of course, this being the Codex, we will rush to his aid, and both be disqualified from the coming fight. That or we help him and he decides to concede to us the match.

 

[treave]

To make a rough division, you have those in their 60s-70s, let's call them the first generation, which includes the Grand Taoist, Shaolin Abbot, Emei Abbess, Yao, etc. Actively involved in the most turbulent period.

Then you have the second generation of leaders, including the recently deceased Qingcheng leader, current Huashan, Taishan, and Kunlun heads, Zhang Jue, Wudu Leader, etc. Generally about 40s - 50s. These would have been born or had their childhood near the end of a warring period.

Third generation is basically late twenties and below, including current Qingcheng head, Bai Jiutian and several other older disciples that have yet to make an appearance. The current batch of senior disciples usually hail from the older end of this generation, but the younger ones, at or below twenty years of age, have more talent so far. Born in a time of relative peace that is gradually degrading.

 

[Jester]

We haven't seen all the consequences of our current decision yet. I'd hold my breath a bit longer before celebrating. I suspect the Farmer will be suffering the consequences of our inattention whilst we've been entertaining a bunch of old redundant geezers.

On the bright side, if the Farmer is injured, we might very well win the coming match.

I expect that they had made attempt to do something but Yandi and after that Yifang had make it hard for them, hell with testimony of sword saint disciple farmer should avoid prosecution.

 

[Smashing Axe]

We haven't seen all the consequences of our current decision yet. I'd hold my breath a bit longer before celebrating. I suspect the Farmer will be suffering the consequences of our inattention whilst we've been entertaining a bunch of old redundant geezers.

On the bright side, if the Farmer is injured, we might very well win the coming match.

I expect that they had made attempt to do something but Yandi and after that Yifang had make it hard for them, hell with testimony of sword saint disciple farmer should avoid prosecution.

Not if he kills the innocent. What they'll do is nab the wifey when they get a chance, they'll be watching the building, she'll step out for a second, and they get her. Then they'll leave clues incriminating an otherwise innocent party. Farmer gets mad and procedes to dish out the beat down. Bad stuff consequently happens.

 

[Kipeci]

They probably did something to his wife, I'm rather worried about what will be going on... this update is almost certainly worth it, though.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

There is no need to throw a hissy-fit because people disagree with you.

Oh, suck me. I was just trying to guilt some of you into flopping to B. Actually, I haven't been genuinely pissed since the whole Naim eye-shooting thing in the last lp. Man, I hated that guy.

Plus, I really can't stand the hypocritical and downright inconsistent decision making process that many of the LARPers here seem to share. Turned out well enough though.

 

[Esquilax]

This was glorious. But yeah, we've got to be mindful of the opportunity cost here - and we haven't really learned anything new by attending the summons either. The Masters all have theories, but nothing concrete available, so we're not much wiser here. The upside is that apparently everybody hates Bai Jiutian, so it seems like we've got the green light to kick the shit out of him.

I'm inclined to agree with Smashing Axe, these people are going to try frame Guo Fu as Zhang's apprentice, and the only way to really get him violent enough to serve their purposes is to either capture or, worst case scenario, kill his wife. That being said, the big guy still has Murong Yandi watching his back, so perhaps he's alright. A possible outcome here is that Yandi is the one who gets hurt trying to protect Guo Fu and his wife - which would be a shame, as I'm rather intrigued by the Sword Saint.

Also, I still really want to learn more about the masked Persian fighter. I'm nearly certain we'll be squaring off against her in the finals.

 

[Kipeci]

We clearly did learn something new if for nothing else than that we nabbed an expansion to the palm technique, and I would definitely say that we made off with much more than that.

 

[asxetos]

I'm inclined to agree with Smashing Axe, these people are going to try frame Guo Fu as Zhang's apprentice, and the only way to really get him violent enough to serve their purposes is to either capture or, worst case scenario, kill his wife.

They might do something missguided like that, but the big picture is that the masters are aware of the plot and it will not work.
If they have Guo Fu's wife, we might be forced to reveal our identity and draw them to us. That would be the bro thing to do. I will hate it if we lost any of the squad :/