Cutting Branch
“What they desired was not the sword, but that which was hidden inside of it.” Bai Jiutian had not revealed her own thoughts about your story of what happened on the island, but responded by telling you what she knew instead. And it seems that within the fake Xuanyuan Sword, a copy of the Xuanming Jiuyin Manual had been hidden. Bai did not know who provided that information to her master, but she is certain that Nie has acted on the assumption that it was true.
“Have you seen it?” you ask.
She smiles enigmatically, and says, “So far, only he and shimu know of the manual’s existence. The rest of their allies have been kept in the dark, including Taishan, Kunlun or the Zhang clan.”
“And you managed to find out?”
“I can be subtler than you think, when I need to be.”
“It certainly didn’t stop your shimu from suspecting that there was something between us.”
“Suspect?” Bai laughs coldly. “She had definite proof. Our little… rendezvous left behind an unfortunate side-effect. She is keen enough about these matters that I could not conceal it from her. Well, in any case, I would have needed her help anyway.” She gives her belly a light, mocking pat.
“You mean-“
“It is none of your concern, Xu Jing. What is done is done. I would suggest that you turn your mind to more important things instead,” she says amiably, turning away.
Now, looking at Bai Jiutian as she crosses the river to intercept Pang Xiaohu, you wonder if you should have done anything differently. You don’t know. Letting out an uncharacteristic sigh, you move to assist the Huashan Twins. Leaping off the boat, you move towards the far bank. The tips of your boots are wet by the water, but only slightly, as you skip across the river with a series of light, gliding steps.
When you arrive, the Twins have engaged the bandits in battle; they have managed to slow down the bandits’ retreat with a sequence of graceful steps, moving together in tandem. You are quite sure the fight would go in their favour even if you did not step in, but their opponents do not seem to be unskilled amateurs themselves, and the bandits’ advantage in physical bulk and durability means that it would take the Twins a bit more than a few minutes to dispatch them.
You are sure you can do slightly better.
You let out a loud cough to draw their attention to your presence.
At the sight of you, the fight stops immediately. The bandits seem tense, wondering what you are going to do.
Nie Mudan – the twin in green, and the one you had stripped a few years back – shrinks back, while her blue-clad sister extends a protective arm in front of her. “W-what are you doing here, Man Tiger Pig? Are you showing your true colours and attempting to help the bandits?” demands Nie Shuixian.
At her words, the bandits’ face appear to brighten up slightly with the colour of hope.
“No, I’m here to help capture them.”
Some of the bandits make a grumble of disappointment. “What? C’mon, ya must be kidding me!” exclaims a grizzled old veteran. “Why would you help the orthodox pugilists?”
“Do I seem like the sort of person who constantly explains his whims?” you grin, moving towards them as you roll up your sleeves.
“S-sorry, friend, that was not a demand for an answer,” he explains hurriedly, stepping back. “Hey, brothers, this is it for us. I’m not going up against him.” The bandit drops his sabre and raises his arms as the Huashan Twins stare on in astonishment.
“What? We still outnumber them at least three to one,” complains a younger looking ruffian.
“Really? I’d rather surrender to the soldiers than enjoy ten-to-one odds against the One-Eyed Tiger! At least I’d still get a proper trial, and have arms to feed myself with in prison, and getting me head chopped is an easier way to go than fighting him too,” snaps the older bandit.
“Be a coward if you want, but Big Brother Pang would be ashamed of you!” cries out the young bandit. “We proud remnants of the Bandit Kingdom will not back down from a single man!” Hefting his axe aloft, he charges at you with a cry. From his posture, speed and balance, you can tell that he is a skilled fighter; he would have posed a challenge to you, about two years back.
Folding your hands behind your back, you deftly step back, the edge of his axe barely missing your clothes as it whistles past the front of your chest. The young bandit grinds his heel into the ground and spins, whirling around for another blow from the side of your covered eye. It seems like he has the presence of mind to exploit apparent weaknesses too. You are almost impressed. You duck, letting his swing pass over your head harmlessly. Your right hand reaches out and plucks a short branch – almost a twig – from the ground. Concentrating and imposing the order of control on your inner energy, you feel your qi changing as it flows through the Sword Saint’s arm and into the branch.
As you rise, the bandit attempts to bring his axe down on the top of your skull. You side-step his attack, making a circular shift to the side as you utilize the principles of Taiji to draw him off balance – at the same time, you strike out with the branch in your hand. The rough, thin stick shears off the axe-head at the shaft. The bandit squeezes his eyes shut as he yells out in fear, your branch lashing towards him in a blur of movement.
What he gets is a hard tap across his cheek.
As he open his eyes in surprise, you toss the branch away. “Really, now, you should play a bit fairer next time, my friend. I didn’t even have time to draw my sword,” you say, patting the wodao at your side. The bandit’s fingers run over the angry red welt forming across his cheek while his knees give way; you think you spy a dark patch at the seat of his pants, but you make no mention of it. The other bandits have all thrown down their weapons and are sitting in a subdued circle, cursing their luck.
“Right, so all that’s left is to wait for the soldiers to arrive…” Turning, you see the Huashan Twins striding towards you.
“Where… where did you learn how to form such perfect sword qi?” demands Nie Shuixian.
“I thought you were just a mediocre swordsman! Even your master is not known for his skils with a blade,” adds her sister.
“Why are the two of you so concerned about my sword skills?” you chuckle.
“You are a threat to our father,” declares Nie Mudan.”…and to Bai shixiong, too. If you are practising some strange, demonic art to grow stronger, we cannot let you be.”
“It is our duty to investigate and interrogate suspicious unorthodox behaviour, and your sudden increase in prowess definitely qualifies as such,” says Nie Shuixian. “As such, we challenge you to an honourable duel, to settle this suspicion.”
You have to admire their total lack of subtlety, for girls that were supposedly brought up by Madam Nie; it looks like Bai was the one who received the benefits of that tutelage. These two seem to have bought in entirely into the orthodox-pugilist-fighting-for-justice concept, like Yifang and Lingshu… no, they might be even more naïve, with strong loyalty to their adopted parents.
“The two of you are really filial, aren’t you?” you say with a kind, amused smile, and that elicits an embarrassed blush from the twins immediately. Before they can respond, some soldiers arrive to take the bandits into custody. It looks like Bai Jiutian has successfully subdued Pang Xiaohu with little difficulty. Not that you would expect anything less of her.
You talk to the commanding officer of the squad, as he looks over his men getting to work tying up the bandits. There, you find out something surprising: it seems that the Bandit Kingdom has been hit hard by Imperial forces just a couple of weeks ago, and Pang Xiaohu had been fleeing to the east ever since. The soldiers here have been dispatched from Xiangyang, and will be bringing him back there to stand trial for his banditry. A death sentence would be likely for them though not yet absolutely certain.
You are travelling to the same destination, but you do not have the reputation to negotiate for Pang Xiaohu and his bandits to be escorted by your group – it would take a bit longer compared to marching with the soldiers, but they would get there regardless. Nie Wuxing does have such a reputation, but you definitely know what he would say about the whole idea. Perhaps you could manage to convince him… you glance at the Twins: they might be of help.
Still, there is this pre-existing suspicion of your martial arts in their minds that you would have to get past… you have a feeling that regardless of whether or not you seek their help, they are not letting you back on that boat without an answer.
***
A. You explain to the Twins that you had lost your arm, and it was replaced with the Sword Saint’s. Hopefully they will accept this answer; it is the truth after all, and if they doubt it, they can check with the Saint, a known pillar of righteousness.
B. If they are that insistent on you being a practitioner of demonic arts, perhaps you can duel them and demonstrate that the only thing demonic about you is your uncanny ability to tease them.
C. You do not give them an explanation or the satisfaction of having a duel. Your skills are of no concern to them.
***
1. You attempt to ask for the Nie family’s help in negotiating to escort Pang Xiaohu to Xiangyang.
2. You do not ask to escort Pang Xiaohu to Xiangyang. If the trial is of concern to you, you can only hope you arrive in time to witness it.
