by Jeremy Bai
“My Phoenix Crown.”
“Yes. While taking care of your Phoenix Crown, I happened to notice something very interesting. Watch this.” With that, Sunan unstrapped the burlap sack which had been tied to his back. Reaching into the sack, he pulled out a small wooden box, a box that Bao recognized.
“Is that the wind stone?”
“Indeed. Observe.” Holding the wind stone’s box in his right hand, he stepped toward the table and extended it toward Bao’s box.
As the wooden box and the iron box neared, a faint droning sound reached Bao’s ears. At first it was almost undetectable, but as the boxes got closer to each other, it became clearer and clearer. Then Bao noticed the air between the two boxes distorting, in the same way waves of heat would rise up from the horizon on a hot day.
Sunan brought the two boxes so close that they were almost touching. The distortions turned into ripples, which spread out for less than a meter in each direction, and the droning sound became even louder.
“What is this?” Bao whispered.
“I don’t know. Throughout all the years, we never brought the Phoenix Crown and the wind stone into the same room with each other, let alone put them next to each other.” A moment passed, then Sunan pulled the wooden box away and put it back into the burlap sack. “I shudder to think what might happen if I opened the wooden box. Or the iron box. Or both of them at the same time.”
Bao reached forward and put her hand on the cool surface of the iron box. “The Phoenix Crown and the wind stone almost seem like they belong together.”
“Exactly. Bao, I remember you mentioning someone adept at forging objects of power. The same one who forged your Phoenix Crown.”
She looked over at him and smiled. “It’s time for a trip to Mount Fohe.”
Chapter 50: Meteor Hammers
The Pure Phoenix Sect had always been a bit smaller than the Golden Dragon Sect. Before the siege of Daolu, the Golden Dragon Sect numbered a bit over 200 members, whereas the Pure Phoenix Sect only had about 150 or so.
Casualties during the fighting had been significant but not heavy. After camping at the foot of Zhifu Shan, a census revealed that the refugees included 156 Golden Dragons, 126 Pure Phoenixes, 23 constables, roughly 300 soldiers, and hundreds of commoners. The majority of the constables and soldiers expressed interest in joining one of the sects or the other. Only about half of the commoners were interested.
There was some disagreement among the leadership of the two sects regarding how to split up the new recruits. The Golden Dragons, of course, wanted to retain the edge they’d had in Daolu, whereas the Pure Phoenixes were pushing for a leveling of the numbers.
Even after squabbling for the better part of the morning, Mao Yun and Sun Mai couldn’t come to an agreement.
Mao Yun slapped his thigh. “Our sects should be on equal footing, Brother Sun Mai! Even Kong Zhi said, ‘Have no friends who are not your equals!’”
Sun Mai chuckled coldly. “Please, Brother Mao Yun. Are you really trying to match wits with me? Quoting Kong Zhi? Even children know that quote. However many quotes of Kong Zhi you know, I know ten times as many. No. A hundred times. Maybe a thousand! For example, Kong Zhi also said, ‘Never impose upon others what you would not choose for your own self.’
“Would you choose to intentionally make yourself weak? I think not! Besides, Kong Zhi also said, ‘The beginning… er, um… the beginning state is the perfect state!’ In the beginning, the Golden Dragon Sect was roughly thirty percent larger than the Pure Phoenix Sect. That ratio should be maintained, don’t you think?”
Mao Yun narrowed his eyes. “‘The beginning state is the perfect state?’ I’ve never heard that before. Did you just make that up? You did, didn’t you? That’s not a saying of Kong Zhi.”
Sun Mai snorted coldly. “A little test, Brother Mao. Thankfully, you passed it.” His eyes suddenly turned up in thought. “That is a great statement, though. Perfect for my scripture.” Looking at one of the nearby Golden Dragons, he said, “Quick, go write that down! I need to remember it!”
As the man hurried off to find writing utensils, Bao and Sunan entered the tent.
Both sides laid out their arguments, and in the end, Sunan insisted that the sects’ numbers be equal.
“Now is not the time to vie for superiority,” he said. “Our two sects need to work together, not compete with each other.”
Sun Mai and some of the other Golden Dragons grumbled a bit, but they abided by his wishes.
Those among the new recruits who wished to join one sect or the other were allowed to do so. Those who had no preference were divided up to ensure that both sects had roughly three hundred members.
The Golden Dragon Sect now had six major divisions, each one led by a Dragon Lord. One of those Dragon Lords was Mao Yun’s sister, Mao Mei. Sun Mai retained his title as chief minister, and of course, Sunan was still the sect leader.
The Pure Phoenix Sect was organized into four divisions, with each division led by one of the Claws of the Phoenix. The only surviving member of the original Claws was Flying Death, Liu Jiahui. One of the newly promoted Claws was Wang Tian, who had distinguished himself during Bao’s hunt for the fei beast. Mao Yun was given the title Phoenix General, with powers and responsibilities similar to Sun Mai’s. Bao, of course, remained chieftainess.
Of the commoners, only some showed talent in terms of qi cultivation, and they were allowed to officially join one of the two sects. Most others had skills that were not martial in nature, but they were valuable nonetheless and were organized into a large outer sect that was officially separate from either of the two main sects. Among that group were cooks, blacksmiths, tailors, and even a fan-maker named An Jian.
The necessary formalities, ceremonies, and rites took an entire day. The following morning, the newly reorganized Golden Dragon and Pure Phoenix Sects broke camp and headed south. Their destination was a cave somewhere at the foot of Mount Fohe.
The ordinary sect members weren’t privy to the details, but the Dragon Lords, the Claws of the Phoenix, and other higher-ranking leaders were told that they sought a skilled blacksmith named Ruan the Flamingo.
The journey south was relatively uneventful. Master Wang Tian, newly promoted Claw of the Phoenix, had originally been a hunter, and he had also been to Ruan’s cave before. He led the way as they left the shadow of Zhifu Shan and headed toward the towering peak that was Mount Fohe.
A few days later, they made camp on a plateau that jutted out from the foot of Mount Fohe, which was only about an hour’s ride from the location of Ruan’s cave. They had decided that showing up at his doorstep with a small army wouldn’t offer the best impression.
After camp was set and lunch eaten, a small group headed toward the cave, including Sunan, Bao, Mao Yun, Sun Mai, Mao Mei, and Wang Tian, as well as about ten ordinary members of each sect.
As the sun shone down, they threaded their way through the mountain foothills, keeping a moderate pace.
When they arrived at the cave, Bao immediately sensed that something was off. Things looked different from before.
“Chieftainess Bao,” Wang Tian said. “Look. The door.”
When Bao turned to look at the door leading into the cave itself, she realized it was open. In fact, a moment later, a gust of wind caused the door to swing wide open, then it slammed shut momentarily before opening again.
The group immediately tensed up, and the sound of swords pierced the air, as well as spears being unstrapped and arrows nocked, as they prepared to defend.
“Bao?” Sunan said.
Bao slid out of her saddle and pulled two long daggers out from her belt. “Something’s off. Mao Yun, you stay here. Wang Tian, you’re with me.” Making quick eye contact with three of the other sect members, she continued. “You three as well.”
Sunan picked three Golden Dragons. Leaving Mao Mei with her brother, he and Sun Mai joined Bao as she padded cautiously up to the door.
Once inside, t
hey found that the corridor was well-lit, just the way it had been last time Bao came. Keeping her daggers in a ready position, Bao led them slowly down the corridor toward the main room, where she had met with Ruan previously.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the corridor or the room, and yet somehow the strange feeling that prickled at the base of Bao’s neck wouldn’t go away.
“This all looks the same,” she said quietly to Sunan, “but my feelings tell me that something’s wrong. Where is Ruan?”
Sunan gripped his saber with two hands as he looked around. “No signs of a fight…”
Before they could confer any further, a voice echoed out from one of the doors at the other end of the room. “Well, what have we here?”
A man emerged, tall and well-built. He was dressed in red robes, and his head was shaved clean. A chain was wrapped around his right forearm, at either end of which was a metal ball carved with a monstrous face. As the man entered the room, others followed—men and women of varying ages and builds—all of whom wore red robes and had shaved heads. The entire group seemed to be armed with the chainlike weapons.
Before Bao or Sunan could react, eight red-robed men and women were facing them.
“Are you friends of Ruan?” Bao asked, gripping her daggers.
“Friends?” the man said. He chuckled. “I think not. Ruan has committed crimes worthy of death. However, he managed to scuttle away before he could be punished. What of you people? Are you friends of this Ruan?”
Bao immediately cursed the fact that she had left her Phoenix Crown in her saddlebag.
“We’ve never even met Ruan,” Sunan said. “We’ve only heard of him by reputation. If he’s not here, then we’ll just take our leave.” He took a step back, as did everyone else, including Bao.
“You’ll not take another step,” the man said. He suddenly sniffed the air. “Is that… the stench of blood? And of demons? Who are you people, exactly?” He slowly began to swing the chain back and forth with his right hand.
Sun Mai took a step forward and clasped his hands formally. “I am Chief Minister Sun of the Golden Dragon Sect. Friend, I like your hairdo, but considering I don’t know your name, I am unable to compliment you properly. Would you please grace us with your honored surnames and explain from whence you come?”
A cold glint flashed through the man’s eyes. “I am Blackleaf of the Hen-Shi Sect. We come from the Demon Maelstrom. Golden Dragon Sect, you say? I’ve heard of you people.”
“We’re quite famous,” Sun Mai said immediately. “Brother Blackleaf, although I’ve never heard of your Hen-Shi Sect, I’m sure it’s a powerful organization. I am the highest-ranking Golden Dragon here. Since Ruan the Flamingo isn’t present, our group will now take our leave. Farewell!” With that, he clasped his hands in formal fashion and then turned to leave.
“Do you take me for a fool?” Blackleaf said. “It’s true, the Golden Dragon Sect is very famous, as is the Pure Phoenix Sect. There are even pictures of the famous leaders of those sects, Young Dragon Sunan and Heroine Bao. Do you really think I wouldn’t recognize its two most famous leaders, who are standing directly in front of me?
“And do you really think that the Hen-Shi Sect, we, the most devoted followers of Hen-Shi, sworn to rid the world of all those who would kill or harm others, would possibly allow the bloodstained hands of people like you to remain within Qi Xien?”
He extended his right hand, allowing the two monstrous iron balls to drop down until they almost touched the ground. “Our meteor hammers smite the wicked and cleanse the world of violence. And now, they will cleanse the world of you scum!”
Without another word, he swung the meteor hammer through the air, launching it directly at Sun Mai.
***
Several days to the north, a horse entered a ravine. A camp had recently been set up in the ravine, and little had been done to erase evidence of its presence.
Seated on the horse was a hulking figure clad in bonelike armor. Flanking him were a few other men in similar attire.
After entering the ravine, he looked around, sniffed the air, and said, “There’s no need to lurk about. I know you’re here.”
A flash of gold could be seen from a nearby tree, and a moment later, a man dropped to the ground a few meters away.
“Greetings, Bone General,” the man said, adjusting his golden robes.
“Greetings, Golden Immortal,” the Bone General replied. “So, you’re chasing them too?”
“Indeed.” The Golden Immortal’s eyes flashed. “I have unfinished business with that boy and that girl.”
“What of your arrangement with the Love General?”
“We’ve parted ways.”
“Interesting. Well, I happen to have unfinished business with those two as well. The King of the Pure Ones expressed a disturbing lack of concern but has indicated that I may hunt them down to my heart’s content. I intend to destroy their ragtag army and then watch them die in torment. Do you care to join me?”
The Golden Immortal grinned. “As long as I get to be there to watch them suffer.”
Chapter 51: Sulfur. Saltpeter. Charcoal.
Blackleaf and his fellow comrades from the Hen-Shi Sect looked impressive and spoke in a very domineering fashion, but the truth was, they couldn’t match up to the Golden Dragon and Pure Phoenix Sects in terms of experience or skill.
Sunan and Bao had led their forces to fight ogres, hunt monsters, and kill demons. They had fought in tournaments, on city walls and on rooftops, in back alleys, forests, and rivers. In terms of martial arts, they had forged their own paths, and built their skills by means of both trial-and-error, and hard work.
The Hen-Shi Sect, on the other hand, was a reclusive group that had just begun to flex their muscles in the outside world. Although Bao and Sunan would have no way of knowing it, Blackleaf and the other seven from the Hen-Shi Sect had never actually fought anyone of a similar skill or power level as themselves. Although they possessed unusual strength, and despite the fact that their meteor hammers were capable of inflicting shocking levels of damage, in the end, experience trumped strength.
Sun Mai easily evaded Blackleaf’s initial surprise attack. In the moments that followed, the other Hen-Shi Sect fighters hurled their meteor hammers out with astonishing force. However, only one of the meteor hammers hit its intended target, slamming into one of Sunan’s Golden Dragons. The man was sent flying backward until he slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch.
All the other meteor hammer attacks were countered with ease. Then the Golden Dragons and Pure Phoenixes fought back.
Two of the Hen-Shi Sect fighters were killed in the first volley.
The rest of the fight lasted for only a few breaths of time.
In the end, five of the original eight red-robed fighters were dead. The Golden Dragon who had been hit in the first attack was the only casualty on their side.
The three enemies who survived, including Blackleaf, were quickly bound and gagged.
After a more thorough search, they confirmed that Ruan was nowhere to be found. From the look of things, he’d left in a hurry.
The cave was much larger than they’d anticipated. In fact, it wasn’t so much a cave as a cave network, which Ruan had only used parts of. As for the deeper recesses, they had clearly been occupied in times past, perhaps by a local warlord or bandit.
It didn’t take long for Bao and Sunan to agree that it was a good place to make a temporary base. They immediately sent word back to the camp, then turned their attention to Blackleaf.
After his gag was removed, the man merely glared at them icily but didn’t say anything. Bao and Sunan exchanged a glance.
“Why did you come for Ruan?” Bao asked.
Blackleaf simply stared at her.
“Why did you attack us?” Sunan growled, his hands tightening into fists.
Blackleaf snorted. A moment passed, then he said, “I already told you, Young Dragon. We are sworn to rid the w
orld of all those who would kill or harm others. I don’t know how many lives you’ve taken, but I can tell that your hands reek of blood. It is our duty to cleanse the world.”
Bao reached over and picked up one of the meteor hammers. Hefting it, she said, “You want to cleanse the world of killers… by killing them? Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?”
“It’s called fighting poison with poison,” Blackleaf replied. “When the world is clean, the instruments of cleansing will also be cleansed. This is not the Perfect Realm, and thus we must use imperfect methods to achieve that which is pure.”
Bao and Sunan looked at each other again and could see the odd expressions in each other’s faces.
“It’s a good thing our friend Sun Mai isn’t here at the moment,” Bao said, “otherwise I think he might be interested in debating you. But I’m not. I couldn’t care less about philosophy. Tell us why you came looking for Ruan and where he is now. If you do, we’ll let you go.”
Blackleaf’s eyes narrowed. “You expect me to trust the word of wicked murderers like you? You killed five of us!”
“After you attacked us with no warning and killed one of my men!” Sunan barked. “Truth be told, I don’t care what you call us or what you accuse us of. If we wanted to kill you, you would be dead.” He picked up the gag and took a step forward. “Tell us what we want to know.”
“Or what?” Blackleaf said
“Just tell us what we want to know. You have my word you’ll be on your way before the moon rises tonight.”
Blackleaf looked at Sunan, then Bao. Then he took a deep breath. “An object of great power was stolen from us. The branch of a tree that once grew in Emo-Cheng.”
“The underworld?” Bao asked. In the past, she wouldn’t have believed his words for even a moment. However, her view of the world had changed after her encounter with the phoenix demon.
“Yes, the underworld. Our sect acquired a branch of the Epoch Tree, which we intended to use in our fight against evil. However, that branch was stolen from us.”