He brought up his guard as quickly as possible, activating every limit-breaking technique he had. The Crown of the Starry Sky, the Clockwork Boots of the Golden Dragon. He summoned elastic blast shields composed of four elements and threw out every defensive talisman he had. He unleashed Words of Destruction and his five poetic talismans.
There was a flash of white. He felt pain in every bit of his body. He felt himself burning bit by bit. His body disintegrated faster than it could regenerate. If not for all his defensive measures and his quick movements to place himself behind stronger cultivators, he wouldn’t have survived. He was relieved to find Mi Fei was all right, as were the others in his team. They hadn’t been near the front with the clan and sect patriarchs. Most of the gold-ranked guardsmen were alive, but the silver-ranked guardsmen had suffered serious casualties.
As for the room… it was devastated.
Panes of destroyed materials and spatial glass lay everywhere. There wasn’t much blood, because upon learning they’d been discovered, the rakshasa had decided upon a different course of action compared to their demonic counterparts. The Li Clan Patriarch was not one their number, it seemed, and only a few of the elders had been corrupted. But several had died, as over half a hundred Li Clan members had simultaneously self-detonated.
“Holy mother of hell,” Crying Toad said, picking himself up. He’d used a treasure that summoned a bubble of flexible shielding, the type Cha Ming imagined often came in handy when conducting alchemical experiments. “I hope that wasn’t all their members, because otherwise, it looks like the Li Clan is finished.”
Indeed, very few of the others that had been imprisoned were left. They’d been destroyed when the others self-destructed.
“This is… awful,” Killjoy said as she registered what had happened. “We disliked them. We competed. But this…” Her own patriarch seemed to agree. The most powerful cultivators assembled had been able to defend a good portion of the bystanders, but they’d done nothing to protect the Li Clan.
“Well, then,” Captain Xing said, dusting himself off. He revealed the unconscious rakshasa he’d recovered. “I got one. You?”
“Two,” said Lord Burning Lake, revealing a fold in space and dumping two of the ones Cha Ming had named out.
“One,” said the eldest truth watcher. He’d covered himself in a shield of light. “I confess myself surprised. And impressed. I’ll be sure to conduct an extensive tutorial on detecting these monsters. It is frightening that even someone such as I could not detect those even in the rune-carving realm. At least until I knew how to look.”
“As I was saying,” Cha Ming said. “These rakshasa have infiltrated a great clan this deeply. They have used their influence to precipitate wars that affect the political situation of prefectures, if not the empire. Left unchecked, this would be disastrous. My contribution is uncovering them and giving you the means by which to detect them.”
“Is that all?” Captain Xing asked.
“Yes,” Cha Ming replied.
He grinned. “Well, I guess you pass. Welcome to the Crimson Guard, Clear Sky. What you found involved all types of crazy, which is what the Guard was made for in the first place.”
“Serrendil?” Cha Ming asked.
“Also passed,” Captain Xing said. “You’ll receive your rewards once this is all cleaned up. And I’m afraid, dear Li Clan Patriarch, that your lineage is finished.”
The shock still hadn’t faded from the man’s face.
“I imagine there will be a great deal of liquidation involved,” said the captain.
“Liquidation?” the Li Clan Patriarch asked.
“Why, for reparations to families, to pay for the investigation of an entire city, and all sorts of other things, I imagine,” Captain Xing said. “Moreover, I’m sure many debts will be called in. I understand your family is highly leveraged.”
The elder’s shoulders slumped at that last bit.
“One last thing before this is over,” Cha Ming said. “Did you bring it, Captain Xing?”
“Are you sure?” Captain Xing asked. “I will not be able to protect you if you do this.”
“Regardless, I must make my own road,” Cha Ming said. “I can’t let others do that for me.”
“Then best of luck,” Captain Xing said. He handed a golden scroll to Cha Ming.
Cha Ming took the scroll and walked over to Lord Dripping Blade and Lord Burning Lake. He handed them the scroll.
“What’s this?” Dripping Blade said, taking it. He frowned when he looked inside it, then handed it to Burning Lake.
“You must be joking,” Burning Lake said after reviewing it.
“I challenge you,” Cha Ming said. “Both of you. To the death, in six months’ time. Failure to attend results in forfeit and death. The challenge is issued by myself alone, and if you sign, you will swear off all harm against my companions and those affiliated with me, win or lose. I won’t expand on the specifics orally, but they are clearly visible in the contract.”
“Unacceptable,” Dripping Blade said. “Black Fish landed the blow that killed my son.”
“But you and I both know the only reason he ever went after us was because I led him on,” Cha Ming said. “He killed my friends. So I baited him. I left breadcrumbs for him to follow. He was on that ship because of me.” He said it so that all in the room could hear. All the most powerful cultivators in the prefecture. There was no taking those words back.
Dripping Blade stepped forward, but Burning Lake stopped him with an iron grip. “Stop. He is still protected.”
“And I’ll keep being protected until I’m able to run away from you,” Cha Ming said. “And then, you’ll have to live with me for the rest of your lives. Because I won’t rest until I rid the world of you both.”
“Smart,” Burning Lake said softly. “But also foolish. Your sentimentality is your weakness.”
“Perhaps,” Cha Ming said. “I’m willing to give up indefinite protection to shield my friends. What about you? Are you brave enough to gamble? I’m challenging both of you, and one of you is an early-rune-gathering Dao God, the another an early-rune-gathering Daoist. And me? I’m just a late rune-carving cultivator.”
“One month,” Burning Lake said.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cha Ming replied. “As I am now, that would be suicide. But can I close the gap in six months? I’m taking a huge gamble here. Possibly even digging my own grave.”
“He has a soul-bound weapon,” Dripping Blade said.
“But not enough time,” Burning Lake said. “Even with time acceleration at twenty times, he would not have enough time. Very well. I accept.”
“Both of you must accept,” Cha Ming said.
Dripping Blade and Burning Lake exchanged a look. They exchanged hidden words, then finally, Dripping Blade nodded. They took turns signing the contract in blood, after which the contract split into three parts and imprinted itself onto their souls.
“See you in six months.”
“Well, that was a surprise,” Burning Lake said once the contract was signed. “A gift, really. Especially after the favor you’ve done us.”
Cha Ming’s eyes narrowed. “What favor?”
“Well, it just so happens that as we speak, Cao Wenluan is finishing up his offensive on a few minor clans in demon territory. Twenty percent of the lands have been occupied. The inky wells are changing ownership, and now, we don’t even look like we’re in the wrong.”
“Nasty business, demons,” Lord Dripping Blade said. “Look at how they destroyed one of our great clans.”
“That wasn’t them,” Cha Ming said.
“Demons are demons,” Lord Dripping Blade said. “Always fighting against humans.”
“I don’t mean to say the esteemed citizens of the prefecture, of course,” Lord Burning Lake added. “They are wonderful examples. We will offer third-class citizenship to any willing migrants.”
“You monsters,” Cha Ming said. His blood was boiling,
his fists trembling with rage. To take such a tragedy and turn it around in this fashion?
“No need to worry yourself with prefectural business,” said Lord Burning Lake. “You’ve got duels to train for. Two of them, in fact. Though we would be happy to move the schedule up, Clear Sky. Come along, Dripping Blade. He might bust a vein if we keep at this. Then the dear captain might blame us for injuring him.” They laughed as they walked away.
Cha Ming cursed their cleverness. This was the last piece of the puzzle he’d been missing. Why were the rakshasa and the humans trying to destabilize the demons? Why had the Li Clan Patriarch gone along if he wasn’t a rakshasa? Moreover, why hadn’t the prefecture lords cared about the trade interruptions? It was all political maneuvering for them. A pretense to attack.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Silver Fish said, walking up beside him.
“You heard our conversation?” Cha Ming said.
“Everyone did,” Silver Fish said.
“Wonderful,” Cha Ming said. “I wonder what everyone else thinks?”
“Your fox brother thinks it’s awesome, but everyone else, Shneraz included, thinks you’re mad.”
“And what do you think?” Cha Ming asked.
“I think it’s unfortunate you made this promise,” Silver Fish said. “You didn’t know this, but I found a teacher recently. He’s much stronger than they are. They wouldn’t have been able to hurt me.”
Right, Cha Ming thought. He’s who Elder Ling is teaching. “Even so, I had to do it,” Cha Ming said. “It’s not just you, Silver Fish. There’s Mi Fei. Special Night. Killjoy. Shneraz. Even Wei Longshen, and all these people they could hurt just to get to me. Any other future acquaintances. I don’t want them dictating my every action with threats along the way. This needs to be taken care of. Now. No matter the risk.”
“I get it,” Silver Fish said. “I’ll help you how I can.”
“Help the inkborn, and you’d be taking a load off my shoulders,” Cha Ming said.
“I can do that,” Silver Fish said. “In fact, I was going to do it anyway.”
Their band was parting. Everyone had somewhere to go. Killjoy, Mi Fei, and Special Night had to meet their clan leaders. The Li Clan’s fall was a big concern, and Shneraz and Serrendil were in a hurry. The Li Clan had been their nemesis, and there were potential dragon metals to procure for their starving clansmen. They had to snatch them up before word spread.
As for Huxian and his gang, they needed a family meeting. They might have to move their business. Hostility between humans and demons was becoming a problem. As for Crying Toad? Cha Ming hadn’t even seen him leave. He wondered if he would ever see him again.
“Don’t let them get to you,” Captain Xing said when everyone else had left. The room was still filled with corpses and rubble. “They’re trying to rile you up. You need to focus on your duels.”
“I know,” Cha Ming said. “It’s just something I didn’t think of putting in a contract.”
“If you had, they wouldn’t have agreed,” Captain Xing said. “Moreover, restraining a prefecture lord in such a way is technically illegal.”
“Unfortunate,” Cha Ming said.
“On that note, a piece of advice,” Captain Xing said. “Anyone who joins the Guard is part of the empire.”
Cha Ming’s expression darkened. “You mean I can’t even fight them if I wanted to?”
“Quite the contrary,” Captain Xing said. “This has nothing to do with the empire. It’s a local conflict. A minor one, at that. If you were to attack the prefecture itself or sabotage its government, that would be one thing. But defending demon territory, especially demons who are your friends and allies? As long as it’s not an imperial war, you’re free to do as you like. So is the entire Guard. In fact, I’d advise any friends who haven’t joined the Guard yet to do so. I could work in the frog, the mountain, and the sea nymph and fold them into this mission. For their substantial contributions, of course.”
“Thank you,” Cha Ming said.
“It’s what I can do,” Captain Xing said. “I was planning on watching over you for a while yet, but you’ve created your own protective umbrella. You’re shielded by contract now. It’s quite a tight contract, if I do say so myself. If anything comes your way, it’ll probably be your fault.
“As for the duel? Well, let’s just say you’ve placed a tall order, even for a karmic anomaly. Time does not favor you, even if you do have a time-accelerating treasure.”
“I had to do it,” Cha Ming said.
“I, more than most, understand,” Captain Xing said. “I have lived through what you have, and I’ve seen others do the same. Some lived, and some died. None of them came out unscathed. But they changed for the better, in my opinion. Those who lived.” He sighed as he recalled those painful memories. “Ah, before I forget, here you are.” He gave a ring to Cha Ming.
Cha Ming glanced inside and saw a clear glass vial. The material was strong—it would have to be—and he gasped when he saw what was inside. Within it swirled a significant amount of gray mist. “Grandmist?” he asked.
“The very same,” Captain Xing said. “Let’s just say that I see more than most. Your way of carving your core is intriguing, and I’d hate to see you run into a dead end. And if you don’t use it? Sell it for merit points. This is most of your reward, by the way. Grandmist is a very valuable commodity, and it’s easy to trade it for merit points. Going the other way is mostly impossible, even for Crimson Division members.”
“Thank you,” Cha Ming said. “I guess I should probably finish my report.”
“Please,” Captain Xing said.
Cha Ming took out a jade and inscribed it with his soul. It contained his version of events, as he had witnessed and heard from others, along with his own opinions. The captain eyed the new additions and gave Cha Ming a strange look.
“Keep the inkborn and their use in creating rakshasa a secret?” Captain Xing asked. “Protect and support them? I’m not sure your recommendations are appropriate. Most would think it would be better to kill them all. Get rid of the problem at its roots.”
“But now we know about the rakshasa and how to find them,” Cha Ming said. “They will be more covert about their actions. Any missing inkborn will lead you to them. Besides, I have it on good authority that variants like these are a product of the plane. Ask any high-ranking demons you know. The plane is defending itself, Captain Xing. Would it be wise to deprive it of its chosen defenders? Even captivity may harm this world, for all it would prevent the making of rakshasa.”
“Some might disagree,” Captain Xing said.
“But you won’t,” Cha Ming replied. “You’re a reasonable man. I recommend keeping much of this secret, for only those with wisdom should be given the opportunity to act.”
“I am but a captain of the Crimson Guard, Cha Ming,” Captain Xing said. “I cannot control everyone.”
“But you can control some of them,” Cha Ming said. “And influence others. Frankly, that’s the best I can hope for.”
“You’re an interesting man, Cha Ming,” Captain Xing said. He held out his hand, and Cha Ming took it. “I hope to have the opportunity to work with you again.”
“Same here,” Cha Ming said. “Assuming I survive my duels.”
“I’ll volunteer as arbiter,” Captain Xing said. “I’d hate for them to corrupt the process.”
“I guess this is it, then,” Cha Ming said. “For now. Take care, Captain Xing.”
“Drat,” Captain Xing said. “We did it again. That thing I usually do.”
“Ah,” Cha Ming said, looking to the exit. “Awkward goodbyes. Let’s get the walk of shame out of the way, then, shall we?”
“Yes, let’s,” Captain Xing said.
They left the rubble of a room behind them and braced themselves for a war and a city in chaos. All the while making awkward small talk as they left the basement. An ending none of them had expected.
Epilogue
&
nbsp; A full day had passed since the death of the Li Clan. Yes, death. There was no recovering from what had happened to them. Drama still ensued, of course, and Mi Fei’s family was completely embroiled in it. It was nice, really. It gave Mi Fei some time to think. She lay in her bed while Xiao Bai was off galivanting somewhere. Perfectly free. Unlike herself.
It was only in the quiet times that one could really think about what was important. Adventures changed you, true, and you learned many things. But you were rarely given time to process them.
Mi Fei wondered at what she truly wanted with her life. She wanted respect. She wanted freedom. Freedom from her family, from her obligations, and from any particular location. She’d known this before her adventure, but the things she’d seen had solidified this idea.
This mission had presented something new to Mi Fei. For the first time, she’d been part of a team and not just been babysat by her family and Xiao Bai. She’d also tasted bitter defeat. She’d encountered unexpected emotional trauma and gotten past it by improving herself.
She was stronger now. Not just in cultivation, but in outlook. She’d learned to fight more efficiently. She’d learned her strength was also a weakness, and she’d learned that to grow stronger, she could weaken herself, and by restraining herself, she could gain the freedom she wanted. She was comfortable with all these facts.
Now, only one thing bothered her: What the hell am I still doing here?
You’re worrying again, Xiao Bai said through their link.
Quiet, you, Mi Fei said. It was good to be alone. Xiao Bai was helpful at times, but she really liked to shape Mi Fei’s opinions. Apparently, she was her companion across several lifetimes. It was a useful perspective to have. The problem with that was that it gave her a static view on how she should act. Freedom was important to Mi Fei. She didn’t want to be restricted. Even if it was by her demon companion.
I want to ditch my family, Mi Fei decided. I don’t need them or want them. As for Wei Longshen… well, I gave him a chance. He had all that time we were on our mission to sort things out, and he still hasn’t gotten anywhere. He’s all about family and loyalty, and he’s not willing to take any risks for me.
Crown of the Starry Sky: Book 11 of Painting the Mists Page 61