by Wong, Tao
“Done!” Wang Min punctuated her words with a stroke on the guzheng, a trill of metallic strings rising. This was just the prelude to the song she began. It was a fast-moving, high-tempo tune, one that slipped beneath the consciousness of those fighting.
Wu Ying grinned, already feeling the chi she wrapped in each note affecting him. Focusing deep within himself even as he took another clawed attack that cut his robes, he took hold of the chi flowing in his meridians and his aura, tightening his hold on it all.
As if the monstrous suiko before him understood the danger, its attack gained a new tempo, a greater frenzy. Claws and elbows lashed at Wu Ying, attempting to trap his sword darting between them, sometimes blocking, other times threatening the creature’s face and chest. At first, they stalemated once more, Wu Ying bleeding as he accumulated additional light wounds. Then the suiko made a new move.
After throwing its right claw at Wu Ying and being deflected, it kept its body rotation even as it hunched its head backward. Offering Wu Ying its back, it then launched itself at the cultivator, trusting in its hardened shell to defeat the cultivator’s sword. Caught off guard, Wu Ying was struck by the creature.
Reacting by instinct, Wu Ying gripped the monster’s shell with both hands as he allowed his weapon to drop. Even as he was pushed back, he launched himself upward, sending chi to his feet as he triggered the Twelve Eastern Gales Movement qinggong skill to lighten himself and empower his jump.
Together, the joined pair arced over the bowed Wang Min, who continued to play, her fingers flicking with practiced discipline. At the last second, Wu Ying forced one last surge of strength through his arms to throw the monster over his head. He made full use of the creature’s body to cushion their fall, even as they crashed into the deck and slid across the blood-clotted deck, bumping into corpses along the way.
Reacting by instinct, using the techniques drilled into him by Elder Hsu, Wu Ying scrambled to roll the suiko over. On top, he then proceeded to attempt to hold the creature down and strike at it. Unlike Elder Hsu, he had not studied the snail style in depth. Nor did he prefer that kind of grappling. Instead, Wu Ying chose to gain a position where he could attack back.
For a few moments, Wu Ying had the advantage. But one issue with fighting monsters was that, in general, they were stronger than cultivators. Pound for pound—and the suiko was heavier than Wu Ying—they were stronger. In their cultivation, they diverted chi into organs, muscles, and tendons rather than meridians. In that sense, a creature just as powerful as Wu Ying—in the Energy Storage level of cultivation—would be physically stronger.
A heave and twist and Wu Ying flew off the monster, tumbling head over heels and bowling over another suiko. Wu Ying struggled to his feet; head slightly woozy as he got himself ready. A moment later, the creature Wu Ying bowled over had struggled up to its feet. Rather than deal with it, Wu Ying spun and kicked the monster in the head, sending it tumbling away again.
Setting himself, Wu Ying conjured another sword from his spirit ring. But before he could deal with the monstrous suiko he had been fighting, Elder Yang had taken action. She flitted over, her other sword wreathed in ghostly flame as she sank it into the creature’s chest. It punched through the monster and out its shell with ease, making the creature struggle for a moment before it slumped over.
Even as Elder Yang finished the creature, the other monsters were struggling to stay focused, their eyes heavy, their movements slow. Wang Min’s constant strumming, her aural assault, had taken over the chi within their bodies. And as Wang Min slowed the tempo of her playing, lowering both volume and repetition, the creatures found themselves lethargic too.
The sudden change gave the beleaguered defenders a boost in energy, allowing the cultivators to finish the monsters with minimal fuss. As for the sailors… outside of the captain and his first mate, the sailors struggled to shake off her playing. It was only when Wang Min purposely plucked a wrong string that her hold over the men shattered. At that point, most of the surviving monsters woke too, but faced the cultivators’ weapons alone.
“Get the sails down! Second shift, to the oars,” the captain barked. “We need to make farther distance. And get the signal flags and buoys out.”
Elder Yang, having cleaned off her swords, turned to the captain. “These were their leaders. I doubt they’ll follow.”
“No offense meant, Elder Yang, but I’ll sleep better if we have more distance from that nest,” the captain replied.
“None taken.” Fa Yuan glanced at the bodies some of the sailors were already moving to toss overboard. “Don’t.” When the sailors acknowledged her words, she turned to Wu Ying. “Can you search for beast stones?”
Wu Ying blinked, making a face as he stared at the monster’s bodies. He understood the words. He even understood the need. But digging around through corpses was less than pleasant. Still, as he finished retrieving his original sword, he made his way to the largest body.
“If the Elder doesn’t mind, I’d like to do it,” Yu Kun called. “I have some experience with these creatures and know where it is best found.” A pause, then he grinned. “And for most of these, I can even retrieve the shells for more funds.”
His last words slowed the movements of the sailors as they piled the bodies out of the way. Many looked puzzled.
Yu Kun continued. “I know of a few instrument-makers who make good use of these shells. And a few of the stronger ones can be sent to the Hmong,[13] who prize such shields.”
More than a few looked puzzled at such an utterance, not having heard of this particular tribe. Not that that was particularly surprising. After all, the lands under heaven were large and expansive, almost impossible to tell the full extent.
Seeing that he had an audience, Yu Kun regaled them with his experiences as he worked. He spoke of the Hmong tribes he’d encountered in his wanderings, tribes that lived dangerous existences in the wild, fighting spirit beasts and shifting their villages as soil gave way or a particularly dangerous spirit beast rose in prominence.
When his stories were exhausted as he showed the sailors and the cultivators how to peel the shells off the suiko backs and clean them, he sang. His voice was surprisingly strong, and in short order, Wang Min joined him on her guzheng.
None of them recognized the words nor the dialect Yu Kun sang in. But his voice and the accompaniment had the group entranced as they worked, for there was a longing in his voice, a sadness that made them listen with care. For a time, the creak of the oars, the snap of the sails, and the song were all that could be heard.
Eventually, Yu Kun ended the song, then flushed a little in embarrassment as the group clapped.
“What was the song about?” Tou Hei asked.
“It’s a song of parting. Of… loss,” Yu Kun replied.
When the group asked further questions, he shook his head and stood. He walked over to Wang Min to thank her for her accompaniment, leaving the other inner sect cultivators and sailors alone.
“Huh…” Wu Ying said. “He has some stories to tell, it seems.”
“Indeed,” Lei Hui replied as he stared at the talking pair of cultivators, his eyes narrowed.
Wu Ying noted the look but dismissed it for the moment as he eyed the working sailors and cultivators, arms deep in guts and shells. A quick count ensured that he had all the demon stones, including the largest three. Free of the viscera and muscles that held them to the body, the stones were irregular shaped pieces in light and dark blue. Only the larger stones were more regularly shaped, almost as though a bored jewel-maker had begun work on the stones themselves. After cleaning the stones, Wu Ying wrapped them in a handful of silk and headed down the stairs.
Outside Fa Yuan’s door, Wu Ying hesitated, feeling the boat move to the slow rhythm of the river. He chuckled, knocking on the slim cabin door as he stood in the narrow hallway. At her request, Wu Ying walked into Fa Yuan’s room.
“Sister, the demon stones.” He offered them to her.
&n
bsp; Taking the cloth, she let it spill open while she spoke. “Did you appraise them?”
“Yes. Two minor Energy Storage stones, dim and mostly used up. The larger stone is an Energy Storage stone too, but brighter. That was taken from the suiko I fought,” Wu Ying said. “The rest are Body Cleansing stones.”
“And the shells?”
“Yu Kun says he can arrange for their disposal and payment to be sent to the Sect,” Wu Ying said.
Fa Yuan nodded, tapping her lips. “Do you trust him to do so?”
“Of course,” Wu Ying said. Then, he hesitated. “Should I not?”
“Trust is good, but we know little of him. Or what price these shells might garner,” Fa Yuan pointed out. “It is best to trust but verify.”
“Verify…?” Wu Ying frowned.
“Speak with some merchants, learn the price we could get for them normally. At the least, we will know the minimum.” Fa Yuan leaned forward, fixing Wu Ying with her gaze. “And if the route he opens offers a greater return, his contribution to the Sect will so increase.”
“Oh, that’s good for him. I should tell…” Wu Ying finally caught on. “I should tell him about the future opportunities available, shouldn’t I.” The last was stated more firmly. By doing so, he could curtail any potential issues. It might hinder their ability to truly verify if Yu Kun was telling the truth, but the Sect would care more for long term gains than short term benefits.
Fa Yuan smiled and waved Wu Ying out. He exited the cabin with one last bow, closing the door. Through their entire conversation, the door had been left a little ajar, just in case. And so, as he ascended the steps, Wu Ying mulled over the little lesson.
There was much he could learn from his martial sister, it seemed. Including how to skip out on the gross cleanup.
Chapter 11
Days later, the group of cultivators met in a tea house overlooking the harbor, taking one of the few rooms that allowed the group to watch the industrious waterfront. When Wu Ying managed to make his way inside, Fa Yuan was already seated, Wang Min beside her and Tou Hei perched uncomfortably on a chair nearby. Yu Kun was seated at another table, chatting with a trio of wandering cultivators, while Lei Hui was still missing.
“Are you finished?” Fa Yuan asked Wu Ying as he took a seat next to her.
He smiled as he watched Tou Hei relax at his presence, the ex-monk putting away the prayer beads he’d been counting. As Tou Hei sat, he swept his robes aside, his darker and plainer hemp robes a stark contrast to the pale green and blue Sect robes the group wore.
“Yes,” Wu Ying said, nodding. “We should be fine to go overland. There are no major bandit groups or beasts along our proposed route. The Sect doesn’t have enough horses for all of us though.”
Fa Yuan frowned. “Why? I already informed them of our arrival.”
“It seems that three of their mares fell ill just yesterday. Some bad feed. The outer sect member involved was whipped,” Wu Ying said, shaking his head. Careless idiot hadn’t paid attention to what he had been feeding them and hadn’t noticed the demon weevils that had spawned.
“Unfortunate,” Wang Min, normally quiet, said. “How many do they have?”
“Four that they can lend us,” Wu Ying said.
Fa Yuan’s lips quirked. “I guess you might be running then.”
“Who’s running?” Yu Kun said as he returned. “And why? Are we not taking the boats?”
“That still remains to be seen.” Fa Yuan’s eyes lit upon Lei Hui as the fussy apothecarist arrived. “Clear the table.”
The group quickly moved the sample dishes and teacups aside, allowing Fa Yuan to spread out the map she’d brought. By the time Lei Hui took his seat with the others and offered his greetings and apologies, she’d had everything settled.
“The issue of river travel is not our next ship, but the one after,” Fa Yuan said, tracing her finger along the river then a canal. “This canal is blocked. It should be cleared by the time we arrive. Or we could help clear it, if we charter a boat. It should not take long…”
Lei Hui made a face, looking almost affronted at the idea of manual labor.
Wu Ying frowned, but for entirely different reasons. “I don’t think it’s that simple…”
“Oh?” Fa Yuan raised an eyebrow.
“If it’s been blocked this long, it might have been a major failure,” Wu Ying clarified. “Otherwise, the local villagers would have dealt with it.” He pointed farther down the map, where a small village was marked. “Without the canal, they’d face great difficulty with planting. Which makes me think it requires more work than you’re assuming.”
“It’s not a complete blockage,” Fa Yuan objected.
“Even so…” Wu Ying trailed off. She too might be right. After all, if there was enough water that the captains were willing to travel upward, it should be fine. Maybe.
“I agree with Wu Ying. Even if we do clear the canal”—Yu Kun traced his finger upward—“won’t we need to change again and move upriver here?”
Fa Yuan eyed the location then shook her head. “I’d planned on going overland then. There is a location here”—she tapped on the map farther north—“that has a chance for one of our goals.”
“Ah.” Yu Kun retrieved his hand and dropped his objection.
“Then we are going by water?” Lei Hui said, sounding less than enthused.
“There is one other issue.” Wu Ying tapped the map just a little farther north from where they were located. It was off the main road by a significant distance, requiring the group to travel overland to reach it. “There are rumors of a monster living in a marsh here. Most indicate it is a snake of some form, but at least one rumor has it as a poison frog.”
Fa Yuan’s eyes narrowed. While they had been asking for such information all over the sect and among the merchants, the local rumors were always more important. After all, unless the creature was attacking the local populace, few chose to hunt such monsters. And this particular location was quite a distance away.
“You said most are of a snake?” Tou Hei said.
“Yes. Three stories, two from traveling merchants and the last from a local woodsman,” Wu Ying explained. “It was the woodsman who claimed to see the frog.”
Fa Yuan’s eyes narrowed a little more. Obviously, the words of a woodsman were more trusted than a merchant. One could more reliably be expected to tell the difference. Though the difference between a monstrous snake and a monstrous toad was significant. Even a lowly merchant should be able to tell the difference.
“Your thoughts?” Elder Yang asked. Mostly though, she focused on Wu Ying.
Wu Ying knew part of the reason she was even letting him speak was so that she could see how he thought, to train him. Otherwise, she would, as Elders were wont to do, make the decision herself.
Wu Ying held his fingers over the map, doing a quick estimate of the distances. This map had been picked specifically for this region, providing more details on the rivers and canals that linked up in the region and even indicating the positions of local villages. Of course, much of the map was marked for the use of traders and merchants. It lacked many of the defining features of the landscape, indications of mountainous or marshy lands. Those, Wu Ying had to mentally fill in from his own experience and his recent conversations. At least the map was roughly accurate in terms of distances, with the local legend giving distances in li.
“Figure about… two weeks to arrive at the destination. It’d add another week or so,” Wu Ying said. “And I’m not certain we’d find anything. The Chan Chu is quite different from other demonic frogs.”
There were a round of nods. A three-legged frog was rather different than most of its four-legged companions.
“But the Ben have yet to migrate. No word of their arrival has come as yet. And the Sun Lotus blossoms might be locatable farther north.” Wu Ying traced his finger away from where the monster was rumored to live to an empty spot on the map. “This area has the required ch
i density and environment. As for the canals, it is a sure thing we can make it through eventually. But we only save time at the start and lose it later if we have to wait for the Ben to arrive.”
Fa Yuan stared at the map, at where Wu Ying’s fingers had been. She stayed silent even as the others chimed in with their differing opinions. Lei Hui, realizing they would be forced to trek through wilderness, was suddenly more enthused about the canals. Yu Kun pushed for the overland journey while Wang Min hesitantly voted for the canals, though she offered no reasoning for her choice. As for Tou Hei, he just sat, smiling and sipping on his tea.
“Is the underbrush too thick for horses?” Fa Yuan asked.
“Unlikely, as one of the merchants made his way through on horses. But it could be tough in the marshes,” Wu Ying said.
“Why did they go through there?” Tou Hei said, suddenly speaking up. “Is there a road or passage we missed?”
Wu Ying shook his head. “One was attempting to cut through to save time on foot. The other—the one with the horses—never explained his reasoning to those I spoke with.”
“Is he still around?” Fa Yuan asked.
Wu Ying could only shrug. He hadn’t considered asking about that, since he hadn’t planned on finding these individuals directly. He’d already spent a few hours moving from tavern to tavern to stable, gathering information.
“Is it important?” Lei Hui said. “Who cares what these mortals do? Their actions are often senseless.”
“It might matter, depending on their reasons,” Yu Kun retorted.
Fa Yuan nodded, which silenced Lei Hui’s objection.
“We’ll go over land. Get us the horses we can, and we’ll take turns moving on foot,” Fa Yuan decided. “We’ll stay the night in town and leave tomorrow morning.”
“Again, why don’t we have enough horses?” Yu Kun said. Wu Ying briefly filled him in on the issue, making the ex-wandering cultivator frown. “Two horses then?” He rubbed his chin. “I’ll see what I can do.” At Fa Yuan’s raised eyebrow, the cultivator shot her a cocky grin. “Don’t worry. I have my ways.”