Anti-Pirate Alliance
The main hall of the Zhou Clan’s Manor is crowded with pugilists by the time you and Xiahou Yu arrive. The two of you blend into the crowd, not wanting to cause a stir. Given the different uniforms on display, you note at least six or seven minor schools present. The masters of those schools are seated at the front of the hall. One of them looks familiar, but you cannot place him at the moment. Only one of the Eight Sects has sent representatives; Kunlun, but you do not recognize their faces. They appear to be senior to you in age. Surprisingly, you spot Miss Xia there. Why would Yuhua Hall send a representative?
After some time, a distinguished, middle-aged gentleman with an elegant beard steps out from behind the main hall. He is followed by two youngsters – one male, one female, both rather pleasing to the eye. From the looks of it, they are probably his children. The gentleman clears his throat and calls for silence. It looks like he is the master of the manor, Zhou Dingqiu.
“Everyone, I am pleased to have you here today at the Zhou residence. I hope that you have been greeted with the greatest courtesy by the members of my household.” The crowd nods and murmurs in agreement; it looks like you have missed out on a free lunch earlier today. You cluck your tongue in disappointment. Zhou Dingqiu begins addressing the leaders of the minor schools, thanking them for their attendance. As he rattles off the names, you find terribly bored; they are all fodder – it doesn’t seem like there are any pugilists of interest here. You look around the hall. Xiahou Yu is actually listening intently, but you have better things to do with your time.
Then, you recognize the master you had found familiar just as his name is called, Zhou Dingqiu thanking him for coming all the way out here to help. Rong Muben of Songfeng. He stands up and bows in acknowledgement, looking rather hale and hearthy. It looks like there are some Songfeng disciples standing in the crowd too, though they have yet to notice you. You look away from him, deciding to focus on the matter in front of you first. Zhou and the various masters, as well as the Eight Sects’ representatives, finally finish their greetings and start discussing the main issue.
“We are all gathered here because of the problem plaguing this prefecture’s coastline. Wo pirates. They have been pillaging coastal villages for many months now, and no one has stood up against them.” begins Zhou Dingqiu.
“Ah, that is interesting,” whispers Xiahou Yu.
“What is?” you whisper in return.
“You know the Wo are the people of Nippon, right?”
“Even I know that. What is so interesting about them being pirates?”
“A treaty was signed sixty years ago to prevent this very thing from happening. It is a matter of foreign policy if the Wo are pirating on our shores.”
“Oh, did they?” It must have been taught to you in your studies. In fact, you recall hearing something like this, now that Yu has jogged your memory, but the details do not come to you. “If that is the case, the prefect should be dealing with it, or should have submitted a report to the Court for action. Why is he not here, with a Tang fleet to subjugate a single band of pirates? We do have a navy and it has not seen any action in… what, a century?”
“I wouldn’t know about that. It could be that he is in league with the pirates somehow,” conjectures Xiahou Yu. “It’s a wild guess, but the other alternatives don’t make him look much better.”
You nod. “Incompetence. Why he isn’t helping isn’t that important right now anyway, since the sects are taking matters into their own hands.”
“Now,” says Zhou more loudly, apparently distracted by your whispers with Yu. “The government will not aid us in this venture. The prefect has sent a letter detailing his approval of our actions and his gratitude, but there will be no money or ships forthcoming.”
“Do you expect us to swim there?” shouts a rotund master. “Sure, you can walk on water, but the rest of us aren’t so capable.” The crowd laughs as Zhou tries to calm them down. “Master Ji, this is why Lady Xia of Yuhua Hall has kindly agreed to sponsor our campaign.”
“Taking money from a brothel?” shouts a skinny master. “Why, I would never! This is a disgrace!”
“He’s right,” murmurs Xiahou Yu, “I’ve seen him give money to Yuhua Hall, not take it.”
“Well then, he’ll be a good customer for my product,” you grin. “Remind me to keep him alive so that he can continue whoring.”
“Now now, Master Gong, we really have no choice. For the sake of the people,” pleads Zhou Dingqiu. “This is not a time for our pride to stand in our way.”
“That is right, Master Gong,” says Rong Muben, joining in on Zhou Dingqiu’s side. “When the people are in trouble, we must help them. They are the livelihood of the country; we cannot let pride force us to reject help.”
“It is a merely a matter of community service,” Miss Xia speaks up. “Yuhua Hall continues to prosper because the people give to it.” She gives Master Gong a wink, sending him falling back into his chair with a red face. “It is only natural that we give back. If you will not work with us for your sake, at least for the sake of your wife?”
“W-well,” splutters Master Gong, “Fine. Do as you please. I have no objections.”
Zhou gives a sigh of relief. “Now, I will let my son, Zhou Zhideng, explain the plan.” The young man comes to the fore and begins talking. It is a rather basic plan that is hard to mess up – now that they have identified the hideout of the Wo pirates, they will sneak in under cover of darkness, burn the pirate ships, and begin exterminating the scum. One on one, every pugilist should be a match for any pirate, and it seems that they outnumber the enemy at that.
You notice the girl, Zhou Zhideng’s sister, looking moody and displeased. You sigh.
“What’s the matter?” asks Xiahou Yu.
“See that girl? Zhou Dingqiu’s daughter?” you whisper.
“Yes, what of her?”
“It’s going to be trouble. I know how this is going to go,” you grumble. “She’s going to try to sneak on board the ship and tag along for some reason or another.” Xiahou Yu chuckles. “Surely that cannot be true. She looks too meek to do such a thing.”
“Trust me, brother Yu. You’ll see.” You sigh again.
Then, the whispers begin.
“Hey, wait, that boy… Man Tiger Pig… that’s the Man Tiger Pig, isn’t it?”
“Zhang Jue’s disciple!? What is he doing here?”
“That… can’t be right, can it? I had heard Zhang Jue’s disciple was a mountain of a boy, not a scruffy young man who looks like he has just started shaving!”
“No, that is him! I saw him at the tournament! It’s Man Tiger Pig!”
You find yourself and Xiahou Yu in an ever-widening circle of space as the crowd backs away from you. You suppose it would be too good to be true to hope that no one would ever recognize you, but you had no intention of hiding your identity anyway. Looking confidently at Zhou Dingqiu, you bow politely in greeting, giving him your best smile.
“The disciple of Zhang Jue pays his obeisance to the master of Zhou Manor.”
Xiahou Yu follows suit quickly, calling himself a humble scholar.
The entire hall is frozen, with not a soul moving an inch; none of them know what to make of your sudden appearance in their midst. Zhou Dingqiu looks at you with suspicion. Rong Muben, on the other hand, has an expression of anger, but he does not move from his seat. The Songfeng disciples jerk into action, as they finally recognize your face.
“That is Xu Jing! Master, that’s the murderer of our young master! Let’s-“
“Stop!” roars Rong Muben. His disciples’ swords are half-drawn as they shrink back at their master’s voice. “I have no idea why this… cur… is here, but I have vowed that the Songfeng Sword School would not take vengeance for Zhiyu’s untimely demise. I will not break that vow as long as I live! Sheathe your swords!”
Heeding their master’s orders, the disciples step back, glaring daggers at you.
Up in front, Miss Xia arches an elegantly painted eyebrows at the revelation of your identity. You give her a brief shrug – it is what it is.
“Now, ah, Young Master Xu,” begins Zhou Dingqiu awkwardly, not entirely sure how to handle this mess, “Why are you here? I hope it is not to challenge us to battle. As you can see, we are rather occupied at the moment.”
You laugh, waving your hands in denial. “Oh, of course not. I merely heard of your manor’s call to arms against the pirates, and decided to participate.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” He seems genuinely puzzled.
“Why can’t I?” you reply simply, looking straight into his eyes.
Zhou does not answer, knowing that the only way to reply would be to drag your master’s reputation into it. Then, he shakes his head, a little sad smile crossing his lips. “Very well. I will judge you on what you do, not what your master does. It is not my position to question help, if indeed you are offering it. I have heard of your victory at the recent tournament – you will be a strong addition to our task force. I cannot turn that away.”
The hall erupts in protest at his words. It seems like no one here trusts you.
“They really hate you,” whispers Xiahou Yu.
“They can go die in a fire,” you say.
“That’s rather poetic. Maybe I should write it down.”
Rong Muben stands up from his chair.
“Master Rong,” begins Zhou Dingqiu, “where are you going?”
“I may not seek vengeance against that boy, but I cannot work together with him,” he grimaces. “I cannot even stand to see his face.”
“But-“
“It is done, Master Zhou. Songfeng will not be participating in this assault. It would sully my integrity if I cooperated with my son’s killer.”
“Is that pride I hear speaking?” you call out. Rong Muben turns around, glowering at you wordlessly. You continue, “Is the suffering of the people less important than your integrity, Master Rong?” One of the Songfeng disciples steps up. “I hate to say this, but if we leave now, Master, we are only going to let this bastard win. Perhaps that is what he wants, to drive this alliance apart. Maybe we should…”
You only laugh, looking around you casually. All of the pugilists seem to be on guard, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. “What is this? Are all of you going to pile on me? Who will make the first move? I do not think this is a good start to your anti-pirate alliance if you start losing people even before you set foot on the island.” They back away nervously as your gaze meets theirs; no matter what, your reputation does precede you, and these are merely a bunch of fodder schools compared to the Eight Sects. Of course, being a major sect doesn’t seem to stop the Kunlun representatives from looking worried as you grin at them.
“Look,” says Zhou Zhideng, trying to help his father salvage the situation. “Can everyone just calm down? I have seen Man Tiger Pig in battle. I do not think he is here to cause trouble, and I think he will be of great help.”
“You already have,” whispers Xiahou Yu.
“That I have,” you nod knowingly.
“Please, listen to my father,” says the young master of Zhou Manor. “We must not underestimate the pirates even if everything appears to be going right for us.”
“If…” says Zhou Dingqiu heavily, “if Young Master Xu is willing to promise his good behaviour, will you all accept his participation?”
The old man is trying to speak for you. Your first instinct is to interrupt him, but Xiahou Yu tugs at your arm. “Wait,” he hisses.
“Or perhaps he can take us on in a friendly match. No grudges,” says one of the Songfeng disciples heatedly. “If he wins, he gets to participate. If he loses, he gets out of here immediately.” Zhou Dingqiu looks taken aback at the idea of having a fight right now, but does not say anything for now. Master Gong speaks up suddenly, deciding to get involved. “How about we have a competition for the head of the Wo leader? We can settle the grudge that way, instead of fighting in Zhou Manor. If Zhang Jue’s disciple wins, it’s all good. If we win, it’s all good too!”
The hall seems to like Master Gong’s idea – Songfeng aside, none of them seem overly keen to fight you. Still, to be chased out by them now - to retreat - is an idea that irks you too much to even consider...
***
A. You decide to take on the Songfeng disciples in a ‘friendly’ match. It will not please Zhou Dingqiu, but backing down from their direct challenge will make you look like a coward in front of everyone. Besides, it’s about time you settled things with them.
B. You take the challenge of being the first to claim the head of the Wo leader. This should be able to satisfy everyone except Songfeng; some of them may start to say that you backed down out of fear of them.
C. You back down and promise your good behaviour to avoid any further trouble. This will only satisfy the Zhou Clan. You are not going to be taunted into any challenge – you are here to check out the pirate activity and perhaps subdue it, nothing more. You do not care whether a bunch of minnows think you soft.