Earthly Determination, Heavenly Will
“Armaiti,” you say patiently. “There’s a certain order to these things in the Central Plains. You can’t just go around challenging people like that.”
“It is in my sister’s name.”
“Even so.” You grab Armaiti’s shoulders firmly and turn her around to face you – the young woman looks fairly perplexed at your actions. “You are supposed to challenge the disciple first. That would be me.”
Armaiti’s eyes widen as she realizes the meaning of your words. Quietly, she mutters, “That would be improper.”
“Vairya does not seem to share your opinion,” you say cheerfully. You clap her shoulders twice for emphasis and look over at Master Zhang. “I will be taking this fight from you, master.”
“You can do as you wish, but if you do not finish the match by the time I finish my dumplings...” Zhang Jue pops another dumpling into his mouth, unruffled by Armaiti’s challenge. The plate is still piled full of them. “Then, I would like an after-meal workout.”
“No problem,” you say, looking at the frowning Armaiti. You laugh. “Cheer up. It could be worse. My master could have a dozen more disciples for you to fight through to get to him. Besides, if you cannot even beat me, you do not stand a chance against him.”
Armaiti casts a glance at Yunzi, and then at you. “It is not about winning, or even about living.”
It looks like she does realize that defeating Zhang Jue at this moment is not very probable. You recalculate your approach. “If you want to throw your life away, you need my permission to do so, do you not? Beat me and I will grant you that permission. Before that, however, you are still my Amesha Spenta.”
The serious look on Armaiti’s face relaxes, a flicker of embarrassment momentarily crossing her face before being wiped off by her usual, amiable grin. “Alright then, my lord. If you want. I’ll hold nothing back. If I beat you, I will have free rein to challenge your master at any time in the future.”
“If I win, you and Yunzi need to sit down with Yifang for some etiquette lessons.”
“Hey! Why drag me into this? And you’re one to talk!” shouts Yunzi angrily.
You flash her a grin but otherwise ignore her as you leave the restaurant with Armaiti, heading for a more suitable spot that will not disrupt business… well, at least not any more than you already have. Shun walks up next to you, looking decidedly amused. “I will have Gao Ying clear out the square ahead. Just try not to destroy any buildings.”
“Don’t worry. My master isn’t involved, so Luoyang should be safe.” You think about Armaiti’s techniques for a while, and add, “Probably.”
***
The fight ends with one dumpling left to go. With a time limit in play, you had gone all out from the start, and Armaiti was forced to respond. Your duel had left the square in ruins – hopefully Shun will bill that to the Imperial Treasury, since he suggested the venue – with long, deep cracks radiating along the pavestones as the scars of combat. In the end, you were forced to resort to Wuxiang Qiankun. Even knowing that you had that move in your arsenal, the sudden use of her own moves against her threw Armaiti off. It was but a split second, but you exploited that opening to hit her with a Shadowless Thunder Breaker.
Panting and spent, you resist the urge to collapse on top of Armaiti as you stand over her body. Her defensive ability was easily on par with Shaolin’s abbot and her strength was a match for yours. If you had been a bit less tricksier, this was a match that you would have lost. “Well?” you ask, looking down at her.
“I yield, my lord.” Her eyes are closed, her breathing heavy. “I cannot say that I am pleased that you decided to interfere, however. Why?”
“Complaining after the match? Not very seemly,” you chuckle as you sink to your knees. “You Amesha Spenta cast away your real names to take up the titles of holy spirits. You are supposed to behave as aspects of some divine being… well, most of the time,” you falter halfway, remembering Vahista crying and drinking his sorrows away. Shaking your head, you continue, “That tells me that ‘Armaiti’ is something… no, someone important to the temple and its followers. Am I wrong?”
“No.”
“Why did you take up this mantle in the first place? For your sister, or for the temple? Would you serve the Holy Flame as a corpse or as a living being? Devotion is your role and the strength you contribute to me, and your devotion is as a guide to me, not I to you.”
After a moment of contemplation, she finally says, “…my lord, have you been reading the holy texts? Your speech sounds suspiciously familiar. You’ve also got some parts of it wrong. For example-”
You quickly interrupt her. “W-well, the message is what’s important.”
Armaiti laughs. “I get it. Just make those etiquette classes short, for the Holy Maiden’s sake.”
A shadow looms over you. Looking up, you see Master Zhang, holding an empty plate in his hand. “The both of you displayed some interesting techniques,” he says quietly. Then, he drags you up by the back of your clothes. “Dear disciple, the memory of her techniques is still fresh in your mind, is it not?”
“Yes, master, but-“
“None of your bones are even cracked. You are clearly still in a condition to fight,” he grins, and you feel the familiar rush of adrenaline returning, warmth suffusing your body in response to Master Zhang’s bloodlust. Pushing yourself beyond your limits, fighting on when you thought you could not even stand anymore…
“I bow to your superior knowledge of the human anatomy, Master” you say wryly.
“Desperation brings out the best in you. You will be my after-meal entertainment, Jing,” says Zhang simply as he releases you. You land, shakily, but somehow find it in yourself to keep your body upright. Walking a short distance away, Zhang takes a stance.
“My lord?” asks Armaiti nervously.
“Oh, don’t worry,” you sigh. “This is just how we do things on Maniac Island.”
***
“So, why are you travelling with my master, Your Majesty?” you sigh, wincing as Cao’er treats your broken body in bed. Master Zhang had not let you go until you demonstrated all of the new techniques you had learnt on him, together with what Armaiti had used on you.
“Coincidence,” smiles Shun. “I bumped into him on my way down to Yangzhou. I must say, he is hard to miss.”
“Easy enough to miss him if he doesn’t want to be seen,” you groan, remembering all the painful times he had successfully snuck up on you while training in the thick forest. “And you’re going all the way to Yangzhou… why?”
“For the same reason as you, I suspect. Why else do you think I sent Xiahou Yu ahead?”
“I thought he was going there so that he could bring his wife around to meet her old colleagues. It was under orders from you?”
“You say it like I’m some tyrant controlling his personal life!” Shun pretends to be offended and laughs. “No, it was a matter of two birds with one stone. He and Miss Liu needed a short vacation away from the capital anyway, given that Zhang Manlou has been strutting around more and more recently. Yu would have found it hard to keep her from attacking that man.”
“Not so over it, I see.”
“People manage at different paces. Now, back to the subject of Yangzhou… it is the Xuanyuan Sword I am after.”
“Afraid someone will take the throne from you?” you tease.
“Oh, they can very well try, and if I lose the throne I never deserved to park my bum there in the first place. If someone has that sword, though, they must have taken it from the resting place of the First Emperor. That’s grave robbery.”
“Punishable by death?”
“Death is the last punishment on the list, if that’s what you mean,” says Shun gravely.
“Right. You know I’m not too versed with the legal codes,” you chuckle. “That’s just your excuse, though.”
“It is,” Shun admits, “but this is an issue I would rather handle myself.”
“It might get dangerous. One of the people who might be attending is Nie Wuxing, leader of the Huashan Sect.”
“I know who he is, and how he is in bed with the Zhang clan,” says Shun rather dismissively. “Do not worry. I think I will be alright. Besides, I have you around to protect me, right? What can go wrong?”
***
You are surprised when Shun later indicates that he knows you used the Wuxiang Qiankun Skill to copy Armaiti’s techniques. Citing a scholarly curiosity, he wonders if you will at least describe the basics of the technique to him, even if he does not have the foundations to learn it.
A. You describe the fundamental thought behind Wuxiang Qiankun to him.
B. You do not describe the fundamental thought behind Wuxiang Qiankun to him.
***
It is not long before you leave Luoyang for Yangzhou. This time, your retinue has expanded to include the Southern Maniac as well, in addition to Shun, Gao Ying and Xiaofang. In an awkward turn of events, Guo Fu and his family had to be persuaded for a good half hour to raise their heads from the floor when they eventually found out about Shun’s true identity. As you travel, you find more time to progress your study of martial arts…
*Pick two*
I. You learn the Qingcheng Stab from Yifang, incorporating it into your self-taught technique with the Yuchang Sword. As her skill with it is perfect, watching her demonstration will likely gain you a perfect understanding of the technique.
II. You learn the Qingzi Sword (青字劍, Green Letter Sword) from Song Lingshu, a swift swordplay that is heavily focused on offense; it is said to be one of the quickest sword techniques in the jianghu. Designed to be used in conjunction with the Chengzi Step to form the Qingcheng Sect's famous Qingcheng Jianwu combination technique.
III. You learn the Chengzi Step (城字舞, City Letter Step) from Song Lingshu, a defensive qinggong geared towards evading the attack patterns made by weapons, particularly those from the orthodox sects. Designed to be used in conjunction with the Qingzi Sword to form the Qingcheng Sect's famous Qingcheng Jianwu combination technique.
IV. You learn the Liushen Shanshen Great Skill (六聖善神大法, Spenta Ormazd Great Skill), from Yunzi and Armaiti – this is the characteristic fiery neigong of the Fire Temple. Your qi will take on the characteristics of fire, augmenting the damage done by your attacks and burning your enemies.
V. You learn the Dingdi Step (定地步, Earth-Stabilizing Step) from Armaiti, a technique that allows you to remain in an extremely stable, grounded stance while not losing an ounce of your usual speed. It will increase your defensive ability greatly when employed.
VI. You learn the Xiongshi Violent Roar (雄狮暴吼, Manly Lion’s Violent Roar) from Zhang Jue, a qi-based technique that blows away the enemy with a loud roar. The strength of the move depends on the amount of neigong that you have.
VII. You attempt to pick up Zhang Jue’s Jinshe Baojun Fiery Eye (金蛇暴君火眼, Fiery Eye of the Serpent Tyrant), an advanced technique that enhances perception and allows the practitioner to project qi from his eyes to immobilize or damage his opponent.
VIII. You learn the Taiji Fist and Taiji Sword from Guo Fu, the signature Wudang techniques that are said to be the most profound and complete counter-attacking skills in the world. The principles of the two are interchangeable, and as such you would be able to train them together.
IX. You practice the fundamentals of the Yiyang Finger (一陽指, One Yang Finger), one of the finger techniques you obtained from Xuxian. The Yiyang Finger specializes in projecting qi from a finger to attack an opponent at a distance with a destructive effect. It can also be used by a skilled acupuncturist to hit pressure points invisibly from far away.
X. You meditate on Wuxiang Qiankun, attempting to advance your knowledge of the technique to a higher level now that you have had more practical experience with it in a real fight.
XI. You meditate on Wuxiang Qiankun with Xuezi’s help, allowing her insights to guide your development of the technique in a different direction than you would have on your own.