Before the Finals
With a loud sigh, your shoulders slump and you step back from Yu Gan. You suppose that the gig is up. “Yes. I am the disciple of Zhang Jue,” you admit, loud enough for the audience to hear. A ripple spreads amongst the crowd at your acknowledgement.
“Very good. You admit it,” smiles your accuser grimly. “You have nowhere to run, Man Tiger Pig. Fight me here and now.”
“You want to fight me here?”
“Of course! Why else would I be here?” shouts Yu Gan.
“But I do not want to fight you here,” you say simply.
“Then you are a coward after all,” he snarls. “Is that what the disciple of Zhang Jue is? Everyone, take a look at this gutless wimp!” Yu Gan stretches out a finger, pointing it right in your face as he laughs loudly to the crowd.
“You misunderstand me, Yu Gan. I do not wish to fight you here because it would be dishonourable of me to do so,” you reply.
“Dishonourable – what are you talking about? Stop trying to find excuses and face me like a man! Not fighting me is dishonourable.”
“But you see, sir,” you say with a hidden grin, “You are angry and excited at finally being able to take vengeance for your father’s murder upon the disciple of the man who you say killed him. I can understand that feeling. I, too, would be just as emotional. However, I am sure your respected master taught you not to rush into a fight hotheadedly. It would not be fair to you if I fight you now, when you are not in your best condition.” You linger on that last sentence for a while, making sure that the crowd catches it, before continuing. “After all, is it not said that the wise man’s heart is as stable as the root of the world? Battle me when you are calmer, so that you may exhibit your full prowess in pursuit of justice.”
“I-I am calm,” he says quickly, slightly taken off guard at your sudden speech. “You will not trick me with your flowery words!”
“Are you sure?” you ask concernedly. “I would not want to take advantage of you, sir. In fact, if I am truly Zhang Jue’s disciple you must know my techniques are dangerous. Why risk your life impulsively? I am perfectly willing to take your challenge when you are feeling better.” The audience seems to agree somewhat with your sentiment. At least, they are not jeering you and chanting for you to fight.
“There is no need to wait. I am thinking perfectly clearly right now.”
“Are you really, really sure?” you ask again.
“I said I was calm!” he shouts, drawing his sword. It looks like he is ready to attack. “Whether you like it or not, Man Tiger Pig, justice will be served today. If I cannot reach your master, I will settle for teaching you a lesson!”
“...Is that so?”
The man takes a step back. You stand there, head half-cocked to one side in the silly pig’s mask, your posture loose and relaxed. Your sudden calmness is unnerving him.
“Y-yeah.” He grips his sword with both hands. “I won’t let you escape this duel.” It looks like he will attack you even if you refuse to fight, regardless of the damage to his reputation that it will do. There is a slight tremor in his stance, however. It looks like his instincts are up to the task of warning him. A cornered tiger is dangerous, even if wounded.
“Stop!” A familiar voice rings out across the stage. Its owner glides down to the stage gracefully like a white swan whose neck you’d gladly like to wring. Bai Jiutian. The crowd gives a murmur of approval. “Brother Gan, as much as I hate to admit it, Zhang Jue’s disciple has a point. You are being too rash right now. Do not throw your life away against this scoundrel.”
“Brother Jiutian, I cannot give up this opportunity to redeem my family’s good name! I will need to avenge our humiliation at Zhang Jue’s hands,” cries Yu Gan, clearly upset. Your words seems to have had the opposite effect of what you intended, inciting him instead of calming him down. “Even if it costs me my life to do so!”
He attempts to lunge at you, but Bai Jiutian holds him back easily with one arm. “No, brother! This will be unseemly. Besides, what good is it if you lose your life defending your father’s name? Your father would have wanted you to live a good life and continue the family line. That is your most important duty!”
“But-“
“Do not worry, Brother Gan. You are part of Huashan. When you entered the sect you became as family to us. I look up to you as if you were my own older brother. There is no need for you to fight Man Tiger Pig. He is Zhang Jue’s disciple, not Zhang Jue himself. This fight is beneath your level. Leave it to me. I will take on Zhang Jue’s disciple in your stead.”
The crowd roars in surprise at Bai Jiutian’s announcement, excited at the prospect of seeing him battle you.
“Not today, however,” he says loudly. “As we can all see, Man Tiger Pig is injured from his previous battles. We will have our fight here, at this very place, the day after the finals. As a member of the tournament committee, I have the authority to do so. Whether you win or lose tomorrow, Man Tiger Pig, you will need to be made to acknowledge your master’s misdeeds. We will not be fighting to kill. There is no need for more bloodshed… but I would have you kneel and apologize to everyone you tricked in this tournament, prostrate and apologize for the crimes of your master, and unmask yourself to demonstrate your respect for the pugilistic community, to swear you will not demonstrate such disregard for our feelings ever again. In return, you have my word that until the conclusion of our duel, no one else in the orthodox community will challenge you for their numerous grievances against your master and disrupt your tournament preparations. What say you?”
You whistle. “That is a very long list of demands.”
“You are free to make your own demands should you win,” shrugs Bai Jiutian elegantly.
“Unfortunately I cannot think of anything on such short notice. After all, I already had the fortune of witnessing the splendour of one of the Twin Flowers of Huashan yesterday. Anything I can ask now would pale in comparison to that,” you say. The crowd laughs despite themselves. Bai Jiutian’s face darkens, his smile turning upside down. “Still with that flippant manner, I see. Very well. Name your demands before the fight then. I would not have you crying afterwards claiming that I did not give you sufficient motivation besides defending your own honour,” he says coldly.
You turn to leave, but he calls out for you to stop again. Sighing, you turn around. “What now?”
Bai tosses a small pouch at you. “Medicine for your wounds. These herbs are extremely effective. I would have you in your best condition before our duel, so that there can be no complaints.”
Such a perfect gentleman. You nod in thanks.
“Well, okay. I am sure you are more than satisfied to have taken the limelight away from the finals tomorrow, so could I leave now?”
“I did not-“ begins Bai Jiutian indignantly, but you leave before he completes his sentence.
***
Later that evening, it is just you, Qilin, Cao’er and Murong Yandi. Guo Fu and Pu’er had been carried off by Wudang disciples led by Wu Jin, who had lost handily to the big lad but was impressed to the point of wanting to recruit him as a fellow brother. The Grand Taoist had mysteriously vanished before Wu Jin could obtain permission from him, but in the end he had managed to get confirmation from a senior Wudang disciple on the committee. Guo Fu promised that he would drop by later, however. Yifang had been summoned by the Abbess – according to Cao’er, she was to spend the night meditating in order to strengthen her mental discipline.
“…these are expensive herbs, Jing,” says Cao’er. “…golden fox leaves. They can heal physical wounds extremely quickly. You should be fully recovered by the time you fight with the white one if you use it. If not, by my skills alone I will only be able to restore some mobility to your arm in time for tomorrow’s match... it will not be fully healed for another week.”
“I can’t detect any traces of any poisons either,” says Qilin as she lies belly-down on your bed, feeding one of those extremely expensive leaves to her toad. “Of course, he might be using something I have no experience with, but I doubt such a poison exists. I never ingest anything of dubious source, though, so on the off chance I missed something - as unlikely as it may be - I do recommend you don’t use his medicine. I don’t trust that stuck-up prig.”
“I, for one, am still surprised that you are Zhang Jue’s disciple,” says Murong Yandi. “It gave me the shock of my life.”
“Why’s that?” you chuckle. “Did you cross paths with my master? I hope he didn’t kill any of your family.”
“Oh, no, of course not, but he has his… reputation. My master fought yours before. According to him, Zhang Jue was one of the few pugilists who could make him draw his sword in battle.”
“That’s not surprising. By the way, I have not met your master before. Do you think you could introduce us?” Yandi shakes his head sadly. “I’m afraid not. My master is a bit of a recluse. He doesn’t like talking with people, which is why he wants me to turn out differently.”
***
Tomorrow will be the finals. You will be facing Nameless, the Persian fighter. Then, the day after, Bai Jiutian has scheduled a duel with you. He seems rather confident of winning. You could skip his challenge, of course.
A. You spend time studying ways to defeat Nameless, based of Qilin’s first hand experience and Cao’er’s observations. You should focus on what is immediately ahead of you for now.
B. You spend time getting a headstart on preparing for the match against Bai Jiutian by consulting Murong Yandi. Since he came here to face the man, he should know something of his techniques.
C. You don’t care about the fights at all. You hit the streets, attempting to lure out the people-in-black now that you have revealed your identity as Zhang Jue’s disciple.
***
A. You use the medicine that Bai Jiutian gave you.
B. You do not use the medicine that Bai Jiutian gave you.