[LP CYOA] 傳

[Baltika9]

The only preview I need is a straight-up answer to "how fucked up do we get?" Without the trolling.

 

[XenomorphII]

Just post the update when it is ready. No rushing is necessary.

 

[treave]

It's uncertain whether you will even regain full strength in time for the Eight Sects vs Fire Cult showdown. Basically, you will not be in the condition to do anything related to Zhang's challenges before then. Yes, this is taking Cao'er's medical aid into consideration.

 

[kazgar]

Prepared Archers must've been from the stormtrooper school of shooting.

 

[Baltika9]

It's uncertain whether you will even regain full strength in time for the Eight Sects vs Fire Cult showdown. Basically, you will not be in the condition to do anything related to Zhang's challenges before then. Yes, this is taking Cao'er's medical aid into consideration.

So we fought all one-hundred and twenty of them? Straight up, just like that? And lived?
That's pretty hardcore.

 

[Nevill]

It's uncertain whether you will even regain full strength in time for the Eight Sects vs Fire Cult showdown. Basically, you will not be in the condition to do anything related to Zhang's challenges before then. Yes, this is taking Cao'er's medical aid into consideration.

Whoa, that's just nasty.

Are we incapacitated for months? Can we still follow up on our BDS lead?

Damn, this wait is getting unbearable!

So we fought all one-hundred and twenty of them? Straight up, just like that? And lived?
That's pretty hardcore.

And awesome.

...We should do this more often.

 

[Baltika9]

So we fought all one-hundred and twenty of them? Straight up, just like that? And lived?
That's pretty hardcore.

And awesome.

...We should do this more often.

Well, with all the time we're going to sit out, that's a given. The only way to complete the challenge is to do something so completely incredible and impossible to make up for the five months of R&R. Slaughtering the Fire Cult should do.

But seriously, we'll figure it out as we go.

 

[Anabanana]

It's uncertain whether you will even regain full strength in time for the Eight Sects vs Fire Cult showdown. Basically, you will not be in the condition to do anything related to Zhang's challenges before then. Yes, this is taking Cao'er's medical aid into consideration.

Beautiful. I was thinking we should probably try not to beat the shit out of the orthodox sect pupils before then anyway because we probably want them at full strength for the showdown. I'm thinking we should focus on R&R+Shun's quest+prepping for Fire Cult, showdown, and then if we live, finish Zhang's quest off after Fire Cult is done with.

But knowing us we'll probably elope with the Holy Maiden and spend the rest of our lives fleeing from Zhang's wrath or something.

 

[Tigranes]

You bastards. We were at the top of the world, then we had to play the hero in the middle of nowhere for a conflict of zero consequence.

 

[Zero Credibility]

I was actually thinking we should put Zhang's challenge on hold anyway, because we used not damaging the chances of orthodox fighters as an excuse for not duelling with BJ. Going around challenging everyone now would be seen like a kind of a dick move. After the fire cult challenge on the other hand would be acceptable. Hell, maybe even during the challenge - we show up and beat the crap out of both sides, just to remind everyone who is the best.

 

[Baltika9]

I was actually thinking we should put Zhang's challenge on hold anyway, because we used not damaging the chances of orthodox fighters as an excuse for not duelling with BJ. Going around challenging everyone now would be seen like a kind of a dick move. After the fire cult challenge on the other hand would be acceptable. Hell, maybe even during the challenge - we show up and beat the crap out of both sides, just to remind everyone who is the best.

But knowing us we'll probably elope with the Holy Maiden and spend the rest of our lives fleeing from Zhang's wrath or something.

Eloping with the Holy Maiden while kicking the Fire Cult's ass? Sounds good to me.

 

[Anabanana]

You bastards. We were at the top of the world, then we had to play the hero in the middle of nowhere for a conflict of zero consequence.

Yeaaaah, I have no idea why everyone pounced on the sidequests as soon as treave dangled them in front of us.

 

[Zero Credibility]

I think that this sidequest is connected to the main plot somehow. The pugilists have said to be here with the blessing of the palace, but the Imperial court could just use their navy to take care of this problem if they really wanted to, regardless of any bribes paid to make the prefect look the other way. I also find it unlikely that the Prince is behind it because of the connection to the pugilistic world. I'm guessing that the conspiracy we are looking into also has someone in the palace, and it might be worthwhile to get the name of that person from Zhou after we (hopefully) beat him down. Someone like that could be a real threat to our Prince.

 

[Tigranes]

I'm sure it was relevant in some way, but it wasn't worth being seen as betraying a hundred orthodox pugilists, trying to beat all of them up, and getting severely wounded. And all of you knew it, deep down. Attracted by fancy notions we tried to pull off some kind of Disney happy land negotiation with an inappropriate skillset then wanted to do Zhang Jue Take Two.

Once we recover, can we return to being a bit more pragmatic?

 

[Nevill]

Once we recover, can we return to being a bit more pragmatic?

...No?

“So, why are we doing this again?”

“Because it’s more fun this way.”

You pull on the pig’s mask and head out.

 

[Baltika9]

Once we recover, can we return to being a bit more pragmatic?

I don't think we'll have a choice but to act with more thought and caution, if treave wasn't just fucking with us.
Which he might have been, and I'll probably regret saying this, because our stat sheet didn't get any debuffs. I'd assume that getting even temporarily crippled severely limits our fighting capabilities. Again, I'm probably going to regret saying this.

 

[Ganymede]

So hype

Treave you cocktease.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Once we recover, can we return to being a bit more pragmatic?

I don't think we'll have a choice but to act with more thought and caution, if treave wasn't just fucking with us.
Which he might have been, and I'll probably regret saying this, because our stat sheet didn't get any debuffs. I'd assume that getting even temporarily crippled severely limits our fighting capabilities. Again, I'm probably going to regret saying this.

I can just imagine treave reading this and thinking: good idea! Check the char sheet again.

 

[treave]

 

[Jester]

Once we recover, can we return to being a bit more pragmatic?

I don't think we'll have a choice but to act with more thought and caution, if treave wasn't just fucking with us.
Which he might have been, and I'll probably regret saying this, because our stat sheet didn't get any debuffs. I'd assume that getting even temporarily crippled severely limits our fighting capabilities. Again, I'm probably going to regret saying this.

I can just imagine treave reading this and thinking: good idea! Check the char sheet again.

I hope that we had go full kill mode in this update.

You bastards. We were at the top of the world, then we had to play the hero in the middle of nowhere for a conflict of zero consequence.

Yeaaaah, I have no idea why everyone pounced on the sidequests as soon as treave dangled them in front of us.

Some wanted to check leads at once, moar votes went elsvere.

Will there be character development? Like fuck that no good deed go unpunished new credo.

 

[treave]

Hundred Man Battle

You beckon at Zhou Zixia to come closer to you; she does so hurriedly, perhaps thinking that you have some plan to solve this little predicament. Well, she’s not wrong. You seize her by the neck, putting her into a chokehold. “Wh-what are you doing?” she cries out. You hadn’t rehearsed it with her beforehand, but her shock helps drive the point home. Zhou Dingqiu shouts out in concern for his daughter instantly as everyone’s attention turns to you. You move into the torchlight, making sure everyone sees where you are.

“Alright, that’s just about enough,” you call out, holding the girl tight against her struggles to break free. “You bore me, all of you. If you don’t want this cute young maiden here to get hurt, listen carefully to what I have to say.”

“This is – this is preposterous!” exclaims Zhou Dingqiu. “How vile can you be!”

“This much, I would say.”

“If you think you are going to force us to leave by taking my daughter hostage-“

“Of course not, Master Zhou. That would be entirely too boring. No, I have in mind something much more entertaining.” Yorimitsu stares at you for a second before bowing in gratitude and retreating. You push Zixia away, towards the scholar. He catches her – knowing what you have in mind, he draws a dagger and holds it to her throat. “Listen to Xu Jing or Miss Zhou here is going to bleed out all over the sand!” he shouts, a bit too convincingly.

“No, don’t actually do it,” you whisper.

“Oh, right. Of course,” nods Yu seriously.

“You scoundrel!” The pugilists seem to agree unanimously that this was not a very nice thing to do. You laugh, stepping closer to them. “If you are not going to leave here without a fight, I will kindly oblige you.”

“We did not come here to fight, we came to uphold justice!”

“I suppose our interpretations of justice do not coincide,” you say disinterestedly. “No matter. I have my own path, and you have yours. Right now that means if you want to get to the pirates, you must first get past me.”

“You are truly just like your master,” grimaces Zhou. “I am disappointed.”

“Better hope that is the only way I am like my master then, old man,” you grin, crouching low into a Shouwang stance. “Otherwise, the sea will run red with blood before I am done tonight.”

A burly pugilist steps in front of you, appearing to be confident in his strength. “I will be the first and only one to meet your challenge. My name is Mo Mindian, of –“ You cut his introduction short with a swift blow to his belly, felling him in a single blow. Blood trickles from his lips and his eyes have rolled up in his head, though the man still breathes. Drawing a deep breath, you shout your challenge cheerfully above the roar of the waves: “Enough words! There are one hundred and twenty two… twenty one of you, and if I am to listen to your long winded introductions it will be dawn before I have finished with you. Now, come at me!”

There is a brief moment of hesitation, but their fear is soon wiped away by anger – no matter their level of competence, they are still warriors. The first two to reach you fight unarmed. You have no idea of the school they belong to, nor do you care. They will serve for a quick warm-up. The two fighters approach from both sides, starting it off with a punch. Swaying away from their outstretched fists, you grip them at the elbow, your fingers digging into flesh. With a wet, ripping sound, you drag your fingers down their forearms, tearing away at their tendons. Your opponents collapse, screaming and clutching at their crippled arms, as you take another step closer towards the crowd.

More of them leap into action.

Evading their attacks, you roll away and dart between the enemy fighters with your qinggong, moving lightly across the sandy terrain. A few unskilled hands try to grab you, but you elude their grasp with ease, slipping away with deceptive movements. You lay into them with fist and claw, summoning your inner strength to augment your might. Every blow of yours cracks bone and rends flesh. The droplets of blood that spatter the sand are dark under the pale moonlight.

You feel two strong arms hook under your shoulders and lift you up from behind. Your feet leave the ground. Before you can struggle free, a series of powerful kicks land right in your torso. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you swing your legs upwards. Your feet catch the jaw of the fighter in front of you, dislocating it and toppling him. With tremendous effort, you break your captor’s grip, flipping around behind him and sending him to the ground with a knee to the back of his head. There is no time to rest, as more pugilists beset you from all sides. Whirling around, you dodge what you can and block what you cannot, striking out at your opponents when you see the opportunity.

A spear takes you in the side, but you snap off the shaft before it penetrates further and reward your assailant with a blow to the side of his temple – he is out like a light before he even hits the ground. Before long, you find yourself trapped: six swords surround you, all aimed for your neck. Songfeng. You crouch to the ground and and throw yourself against one of the swordsmen. You barrel into his knees, knocking him to the ground. Rolling to your feet, you recover before he can and put him down with a swift punch to the chest. Blood sprays from his mouth; you have no idea what you hit to make that happen, but it probably isn’t good for him.

With one fluid movement, you rise while plucking his sword from his motionless fingers, parrying the Songfeng blades. You know that their sword technique consists of fluid, continuous movements that pressure the opponent ceaselessly – with a quick flick of your wrist, you press the attack, swinging your blade without giving them time to transition into their next move. A swift stab to the thigh brings down one disciple while the remaining four are still twirling into position. He falls on his behind, the sword still sunk into his leg. Grabbing the sword arm of the closest one, you twist it. There is a loud crack as his forearm bends unnaturally; the sword drops from his limp hand and you catch it before it hits the ground. Sweeping upwards with that same sword, you slice into the arm of another Songfeng disciple, leaving a deep cut just under his shoulder.

You wince; you had attacked on your injured side, and that movement caused your spear injury to worsen. They do not hesitate to capitalize on your moment of weakness. A swift stab is sent flying towards your heart, but you manage to move away just in time for it to only strike your upper arm, the blade’s point lodging in bone. Pivoting on your feet, you swing around and grasp the hand that wielded that sword, crushing it in your grip. Your opponent screams.

More fighters surge to the aid of the Songfeng disciples, attempting to overwhelm you with sheer force. You cannot think of anything else but fighting right now. Punches. Kicks. Slashes and stabs. Some of them hit you, some do not. You hit back. Things become a blur as you allow your instinct to take over, focusing only on surviving the battle.

You hurl someone over your shoulder. As he lands on the backs of his fallen comrades, you end it by driving your fist into his stomach. You spit out the blood that has welled up in your mouth, wiping your lips on your arm. Your knuckles are bleeding and swollen, and a gash of your head has been dripping blood into your right eye for the last dozen minutes. Your vision is blurry, your breath disordered. Your chest feels like it is on fire. You have no idea how many cuts and scrapes you have suffered, and how many times you have nearly avoided dying, but it looks like there is now a lull in the storm.

Chuckling, you turn your gaze towards the remaining fighters. “Ha…” you pant heavily, rising up to your full height, “…are you taking a break? I suppose… you need a rest… don’t you?”

Whimpering men litter the beach, their groans growing louder as the stinging seawater rolls over their bodies with the rising of the tide.

“So… who’s next?” You raise a finger, pointing at the remaining pugilists in a challenging manner; none of the masters have joined the fray, instead opting to watch with ever increasing horror as you dismantled their strike force on your own. It looks like there are less than thirty of them left. To your surprise, your arm seems to have turned a strange shade of purple – you had not noticed it during the fight. You peer at it more closely. It might be broken.

“Looks like it’s broken!” calls out Xiahou Yu.

“No, it’s not. It just turns this colour when I get serious!” you shout back. “Now, do we continue the fun, or do the games end here?”

Zhou Dingqiu, Master Ji, and Master Gong step forward; the latter two rather nervously. “Why are you going to such lengths for a band of pirates?” asks Zhou, perplexed. “Is it the treasure they promised? I do not understand, Xu Jing.”

"Then I'll hit you until you do." Cracking your neck to work out the kinks, you beckon with your fingers, urging him to continue the fight.

The masters are more of a challenge than their disciples. Despite their age they are faster and stronger than their students, and in your current condition you are hard pressed to defend yourself against all three. Their relentless blows drive you back – Zhou’s sword, Ji’s palms and Gong’s fists show no mercy, pummeling you from all sides. Your defense fails. Your knees buckle under the force of their assault. Master Gong blindsides you from the right, driving both his fists into your ribcage. You are flung away a good distance, tumbling across the wet sand before skidding to a halt. Righting yourself, you regain your stance. The surf laps at your feet as the three masters approach.

Master Ji leaps at you, his palm outstretched. Summoning your strength in the stance of the Xianglong Palms, you meet his attack, palm-to-palm. It is a clash of internal energy – Ji is stunned when your neigong proves sufficient to rise to his challenge. He is pushed back across the beach, his palm still glued to yours as the struggle continues both externally and internally. Master Gong runs to his aid; planting both his hands on Master Ji’s back, he channels his qi into his ally. Your advance slows; the both of them dig in their heels, beginning to form some semblance of resistance.

“What… what is this feeling?” gasps Master Ji as his arm trembles. If he knows one thing, it is that if he wavers for even a second you will overpower him and strike a deciding blow, such is the strange and dangerous nature of your qi. You force your legs to take an step towards them. Then another. And another. Their feet slip, backpedalling into a retreat. Drawing upon reserves you never knew you had, you push forth in an inexorable advance, allowing your primordial energy to surge forward without restraint.

Then, Master Zhou arrives to their aid. Squaring his stance and steadying his footing, he slams his palms into Master Gong’s back with a shout, lending his energy to theirs. Their combined strength is sufficient to finally force you back. Your arm shivers as they attempt to break your guard – it feels as if your arm is about to snap like a twig under pressure. You grip your wrist with your other hand, gasping at the effort and the pain it causes you. There is no other choice.

You forcibly bring your rampaging qi under control, constraining it. Compacting it.

As expected, it reacts in as volatile a manner as it had during the tournament finals. Perhaps more. There is a loud bang, the sound of air being forced outwards sharply. The force of the internal energy channeled through your palm explodes, as you lose all control over it. An invisible pressure hurls the three masters away from you. Sand and surf flies up into the air.

Your legs give way. Sinking to your knees, you try to gulp for air. Every breath you take seems to burn your lungs. You look at your opponents. Master Ji seems to have taken the brunt of your attack – he is face down, unmoving on the ground. Master Gong is hunched over in pain, while Zhou Dingqiu gets to his feet unsteadily, his breathing heavy. You force yourself back up, grinning. Every nerve and muscle and bone in your body protests in excruciating pain, almost sending you back down, but you persist.

“Well… that was… exciting,” you say, haltingly. “How many of you… left?” You do a quick count with your eyes, wiping away the blood that is smearing your vision. “Including you, Master Zhou… twenty two, it seems. Not a big number.” You exhale, balling your hands into fists and raising them. “Do you want to give it another try? Perhaps this time you’ll get lucky.”

Zhou Dingqiu scowls, raising his sword again. “Your head is made of stone. I do not think even the gods themselves can beat any sense into you, Xu Jing.”

“Stop!” Unexpectedly, his son places himself between the two of you. “I think this is getting pointless, father. Just look around you!” The beach is filled with groaning and moving bodies, some half-dead, some unconscious. It is not certain whether any of them are dead, but in the chaos of the melee that is always a possibility. Zhideng continues, “It is our loss. We cannot take on the pirates with just twenty two men. Besides, our fellow pugilists will need care and aid. We cannot leave them here like this. Any further fighting will not serve our cause.” With a disgruntled look, the elder Zhou sheathes his sword, nodding in agreement. “Very well, my son. I suppose you are correct.”

“You are still fresh, Young Master Zhou,” you chuckle, swaying on your feet even so. “Aren’t you going to test yourself?” He gives you a sad smile and shakes his head. “As I have said before, I watched your fights in the tournament. I know when I am outclassed. It is your victory.” You aren’t so sure. A light breeze would knock you down right now, and it must be utterly obvious that you are in no more condition to fight while they still have twenty fresh fighters to throw at you. You grin wearily. “If you insist that I have won, then I suppose I have.”

“We have medicines,” says Yorimitsu carefully, as he steps back to the fore. He keeps his gaze trained on the Zhou father and son, giving them a slight bow. “If you promise to retreat immediately afterwards, and never step foot on this island again, I can have my healers tend to your wounded.”

The younger Zhou seems to be considering his proposal, but Zhou Dingqiu immediately shakes his head. “No. I thank you for your offer, pirate, but firstly, I do not trust you, and secondly, it would shame me even more to receive aid from an enemy. We will take care of our own. We do not need the Wo to spare us any charity.” Casting a withering glance at you, he turns and begins ordering the remaining fighters to start helping the fallen pugilists.

You laugh loudly before falling flat on your face, your limbs finally deciding that they have had enough of this abuse and that a vacation is in order.

Xiahou Yu and Zhou Zixia run to your side, turning you over.

“I think I might need some of those healers he talked about,” you groan, tasting the sand in your mouth.

***

“The Minamoto clan is eternally in your debt, Xu Jing.” Yorimitsu and his uncle bow to you on their knees, demonstrating their utmost respect. You had successfully chased away more than a hundred pugilists by yourself, sparing hundreds of lives from a terrible battle. In the aftermath, Zixia had returned with her family, promising that she would find a way to convey a reward to you for your help in the near future. She had managed to convince her friend to leave - Yorimitsu had allowed her husband to depart the clan, and hopefully the two of them will find a place to belong.

You cough, pulling yourself upright amidst the swaddle of bandages you find yourself tightly bound in. Your body is a sack full of pain at the moment, but you can still manage to move about, albeit slowly. “Does that mean you will listen to whatever I say?”

“My honour demands that you can have my life if you should require it,” says Yorimitsu seriously. “You went above and beyond for the likes of us even when you had no obligation to do so. I would entrust my life to you without hesitation.”

“If that is the case…”

***

You should solve the issue of their piracy, but what are the measures you can take?

A. You ask them to stay on the island but refrain from any further piracy from the time being. They should have stockpiled enough supplies to last for a brief while – you will arrange for aid when you return to the mainland. Hopefully the pugilists will not have sufficient strength to retaliate… and you hope that the Court doesn’t take notice and respond by bringing in the navy.

B. Yinhu Island is but a couple weeks’ sail away from here. It is a much larger island, and from experience you know that there are some patches of fertile soil around – it should be a suitable place for them to settle on, and they will likely be safe from any reprisals if they hide there. You give them directions to Maniac Island, and a letter to show to Zhang.

------

1. You ask them for all of their treasure – it doesn’t amount to much, but you will use it to negotiate with Yuhua Hall. Being an influential establishment, they might be able to conjure up some aid, especially for the women and children. You are unsure if this is the best choice in the long term, but it is probably the safest way to get help to them, if it succeeds.

2. You go straight to the governor, trying to convince him with a mixture of blandishments and threats, as well as bribery with the pirates’ treasure. A single word from him would make the Minamoto clan’s lives much easier, and it is the quickest way to help them. Every man has his price, and he may be more amenable to reason after the defeat of the pugilists.

3. You attempt to get into contact with the Crown Prince. You know for a fact that he does not spend all of his time in Chang’an; the time of the year seems right for him to embark on one of the Imperial Southern Inspections. You have little chance of crossing paths with him, but you could bribe a beggar to convey a message in your mutual code – Shun is smart enough to handle the rest on his own. He will be keen on recruiting the Minamoto, but you are also certain that he will not want any other organizations getting a whiff of this; that means that you will not be able to seek help for the Minamoto from any other group.

***

The pirates do not have much treasure they can offer; their money would be better spent on attempting to establish relations for their long-term prospects. To that end, they have decided to present to you a gift of a beautifully forged wodao – a slim and slender sabre similar to the ones in use by the Tang, but with a gentle curve to its back. You find that the balance of the masterwork blade is impeccable for both stabbing and slashing; it is balanced enough that you could handle it as if it were a regular sword. You cannot conceal it as with the Yuchang Sword, but if you have no use for it and times are hard, you could likely pawn it for some money.

Besides that, Yoriwaka, the stealth master of the clan, has offered to impart to you one of the techniques that he has mastered in his travels over the years.

A. Reikan. (霊勘, Spiritual Instinct) A technique that involves the use of qi in such a way that it augments the five senses of the practitioner. It is analogous to multiple similar techniques known by martial arts practitioners in the Central Plains. It requires a calm inner state to be used effectively, with the greatest effects being seen during meditation. (+2 Perception)

B. Kagemi. (影身, Shadow Body). A method of silent moving that melds well with your Kuanglang Step – Kuanglang Step will increase to a higher level, allowing you to be undetectable to all but an elite few. (Additional +2 Stealth to Kuanglang Step).

***

Your convalescence means that you will be unable to practice any martial arts for a while, at least until you can exert yourself again without vomiting blood all over the place. You decide to spend your time practicing other skills with Xiahou Yu. Of course, drinking is out.

A. You play with dice with him, using your cunning to figure out how to cheat at it. (+2 Sleight-of-Hand)

B. You practice art, getting pointers and tips on how to best hold a brush, and the most interesting way of cobbling together couplets. (+2 Artistic Skill)

C. You study history and the classics, absorbing knowledge from the learned scholar. (+2 Scholarly Knowledge)

D. The both of you have little knowledge of traps, but you work together to think up various theoretical ways to set up traps. (+2 Traps)

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Fuck yeah.
3BA>3AA.

 

[Anabanana]

“No, it’s not. It just turns this colour when I get serious!”

*slowclaps* *wipes away a single tear* Beautiful, treave. Thank you.

B. Because personal ninja army on our personal ninja island. I can't wait to see the orthodox fighters' faces when they find out they have to get past Zhang the Maniac if they want to grind pirates for cash. (Err, hopefully he's not the type to care if there are people roaming about on the island if his cute disciple asks for it nicely, right? ...Right?)
3. Let's start building up Shun-bro's personal elite forces, FUCK YEAH!!

B. Because in addition to having a personal ninja army, we can become a ninja ourselves!

I know Jing's a cripple right now but damn, I'm so happy that B won. Hnghhh.

EDIT:

Man, that last option's tough. I really want to pick up some traps, if only to learn how to to detect them, but haha two noobs trying to improvise stuff is kinda lolworthy.

EDITEDIT:

Azira makes a good point that artistic skill can be used to develop new techniques. Remember that a lot of martial arts manuals are written in poetry, which means you need to be familiar with how to interpret them. In that light, I think I'll go with B on that last choice.

Conclusion: I vote for B3BB.

 

[a bear named spigot]

That's a bad man, right there. And no permanent damage!

 

[Azira]

I'm o a mind to vote
B
3
A
B
But could possibly be swayed by clever argumentation. Living on the same island as the Southern Maniac would probably leave the pirates relatively safe. From anyone not the Southern Maniac. And he'll probably be rightly amused by the tale of Jing's fight.
Then getting the crown prince in on the deal seems prudent. We want him as strong as possible, remember? Giving him a clan of ninja-pirates is a good step in the right direction, methinks.

As to the last choice, that's difficult. But I like the synergy of the shadow body tech. Getting better perception is nice. But do we really believe we'll be able to pull off the calm needed?

[EDIT]
Oh! A skillup is available.. Well, torn between scholarly knowledge and artistic skill, as those would be boosted to l4. Traps would only get to 2, sleight of hand to 3
As treave has hinted several times, the key to new techniques is often artistic skill, so votes' been altered to reflect this.

[EDIT MK#2]
Yep. Practicing that calm and getting a boost to a stat score instead of skill is really nifty. Gotta pick the perception boost here, if it also helps turn Jing slightly more calm and controlled, that's a good thing.

Plus, really dig the idea that after beating down 100 opponents, he takes the time to do some meditation and improve his artistic skills.