Grunting as he straightened up, Goujian patted the horse’s flank and motioned for the attendant to bring it away. Working at the cricks in his lower back, he waited for the next horse to be brought in and idly wondered how many hooves he’d trimmed in the last hour alone. A farrier’s lot was not an easy one, made harder still by the sheer number of horses in need of maintenance, but he was never one to shy away from adversity. Running his fingers through his scraggly, sweat-soaked beard, he covertly checked if the dye was running, though he knew it wouldn’t. A simple disguise, shaving his head bald and blackening his new beard, but these two minor changes stripped a full forty years from his appearance. Much of it was thanks to his recent comprehension of the Truth, allowing him to harness the Energy of the Heavens to Rejuvenate his body and mind, so he now looked like a commoner of forty-odd years rather than an ancient grandfather well past his prime.

So much gained after a mere six months of study, small wonder the Imperial Clan still held power over the Empire after so many millennia...

During his lifetime of devotion in service to a lie, Goujian had mastered Concealment to defend against ambush and assassination. Hard to plant a knife in someone’s back if you could never spot them, and there were countless people in the Empire who wanted the Confessor dead. Thus, he spent most of his time Concealed and guarded, but his circumstances were hardly unique for Peak Experts. On the path to the Peak, Martial Warriors were bound to butt heads, and strength and vigilance only went so far. As a young man, he’d dreamed of using Concealment to uncover secrets and gather information, but after years of experience, he found the art of disguise was far superior for these purposes. Few criminals cared to monologue their crimes whilst alone in the privacy of their own home, but Goujian had convinced many to boast of those crimes using the right disguise.

Though his blackened beard and shaved head made him look decades younger, it still wasn’t enough to pass as a lowly commoner, but the best disguises came in layers. Not to say he donned a mask or complex prostheses, because his goal wasn’t to have his disguise pass close inspection, but instead to avoid the need for close inspection to begin with. Having learned of their ability to detect Scrying, Goujian feared the Imperial Clan might have other methods to defeat the various Chi skills, such as intercepting Sendings or piercing through veiled Concealment, so he relied on mundane skills to escape detection. Goujian’s grasp of the Truth had yet to provide him with these secrets, nor had his ‘ally’, the mysterious ‘Uniter’, seen fit to share, so Goujian had no choice but to work with hands bound and eyes covered.

Regardless of the risks, he trusted his skills and Heaven’s Blessing to keep him safe. By basking beneath the hot Western sun, he darkened his skin until it took on the texture of leather, while his eyebrows grew thick and out of control without daily grooming. Two shallow cuts changed the slant of his eyes after the injuries healed naturally, and he took up a habit of chewing betel nuts to stain his teeth, blacken his gums, and almost imperceptibly change the shape of his jawline. Then, he set his mind to learning new habits, such as spitting often, leaving his tunic unbuttoned to keep cool, and keeping his shoulders slumped and head down as befitting a man who spent a lifetime hunched over an anvil or bent over to inspect hooves. All of this was enough to keep Imperial spies from recognizing him at first glance, and though others might think his actions excessive, experience taught him that even the slightest flaws could give you away. Once, he’d joined a merchant caravan and was uncovered by an uneducated wagon driver because he held his pipe the wrong way, cupping the bowl in hand instead of holding the stem between thumb and forefinger. This minor blunder cost those good merchants and workers their lives since Goujian could no longer clandestinely determine if they’d turned Defiled and was forced to resort to harsher methods.

Goujian now knew they’d been enlightened to the Truth, but this knowledge came decades too late to save the merchants and their workers. So many lives wasted on Imperial lies, including the lives of his beloved Disciples. Such sin, such regret.

Straightening in surprise, the blood drained from Goujian’s head as he blinked the darkness out of his eyes. Recovering from his shock, he smiled at the attendant and mumbled something about his old age while reaching for more betel nuts, using the time to calm his nerves before returning to work. What had he been thinking about? Right, the steps he took to arrive here. Having posed as a farrier before, he already possessed the requisite skills, so all that was left was to reach out and get himself legitimately hired on. His contact was also a farrier, one marked by Goujian’s information network as sympathetic to his cause. The aged farrier never learned of Goujian’s true identity, only that he and his agents were working to right corruption and injustice throughout the Empire, and for a patriot like the farrier, that was enough to secure his aid. The man even tried to refuse payment, but Goujian insisted, for if ‘the greedy and unscrupulous could benefit from crime, then why should good men not be rewarded for their good work?”

A shame to kill such an honourable patriot, but at least the farrier’s death served the greater good, and he made certain the money would find its way to his widow and children.

Goujian enjoyed working with his hands, for oftentimes, hard work was rewarded with Inspiration and Insight. This had been his way even when he was blind to the Truth, and doubly so now that he’d been Chosen by Heaven. Though his mind was brimming with new secrets and concepts to peruse, he put them aside to focus on the work at hand lest he give himself away by staring off into the distance. There was always more for the farriers to do, which was one downside of his mundane disguise, but the benefits heavily outweighed the costs. While he could have Concealed himself and walked about the camp unnoticed, with so many souls about, a single mistake could see him surrounded by Experts and captured alive. In contrast, a farrier moving about during his scant off-hours might as well be invisible and the work provided him with a safe place to sleep at night to boot. Martial Warriors were a proud bunch who all too often ignored commoners and expected them to be blind, deaf, and mute to boot. All too often, officers conversed about military secrets or orders were left in plain sight, for few cared to guard against mere commoners, a prospect which made them useful spies. Goujian had an entire network of servants, stable-hands, porters, and barkeeps feeding him information, an organization which stretched across the four provinces, which was how he embedded himself and his Aspirants into this well-guarded camp.

A task sadly made easier considering how scant few remained. Over three months had passed since he’d sent an open letter to the nobles of the Empire, one denouncing the hypocrisy of the Imperial Clan and their puppet, Falling Rain. In his letter, he laid their crimes bare and called upon all true loyalists of Heaven to aid him in overthrowing the corrupt and traitorous Imperial Clan, but thus far, the response was far from what he’d imagined. According to his spies, nothing had changed in the wake of his shocking revelation, with no public outcries for justice or clandestine meetings taking place, no whispers of overthrowing the Empire or even discussions of Imperial wrongdoings. As far as he could tell, the nobles of the Empire had unilaterally dismissed his claims and cared nothing for justice or integrity.

It pained Goujian to see his beloved countrymen fall so low, but such was to be expected. Even his most trusted Disciples, young men he’d taken in and treated like his sons could not be made to see the Truth. Imperial lies were a cancer upon society, a cancer which had spread far and wide, so he could only excise the tumours and pray enough healthy tissue remained to Heal and start anew.

If not, then perhaps the world would be better off without humans and their ilk...

Though the nobility disregarded Goujian’s open letter, the Imperial Clan’s response was swift and bloody, condemning his Aspirants as traitors to the Empire and hunting them down wherever they might hide. Some even renounced Goujian and defected, using their skills and knowledge to help uncover their former comrades, traitors one and all. A year ago, Goujian had commanded a veritable army of loyal Aspirants, tens of thousands of men and women dedicated to cleansing taint and corruption wherever they might find it, but he would count himself lucky if more than a hundred remained. Before sending his open letter, Goujian warned as many as he could to go to ground, but aside from those who’d been operating in the West or were working with him in Nan Ping, he had precious few Aspirants left to call upon.

Though lacking in resources and allies, Goujian felt compelled to do something about the deep-seated corruption in the Empire, so thus, his need for a disguise. Luckily, his spy network was largely untouched, being comprised solely of commoners who were beneath Imperial notice, but it was a shame his new allies proved so unreliable. Jianghong and the Uniter content to rest on their laurels and fortify the Western Province, one a puffed-up Martial Warrior who thought himself far more clever than he really was and the other a shadowy puppet-master drunk on power who misused the Truth for his own benefit. What the Uniter’s ultimate goal was, Goujian could only guess, but as a man who commanded Divinities, he was too powerful to openly oppose. A mere minute of his guidance was enough for Goujian to ponder over for weeks without end, and even with a second lifetime of training, he feared he would still not be the Uniter’s match.

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But, just as new waves overtake the old, the next generation was poised to surpass his own. Yuanyin’s prowess had improved by leaps and bounds since discovering the Truth, his progress only hindered by his earthly distractions as he was too fixated on the pleasures of the flesh. Thus, it was young Gen whom Goujian pinned all his hopes on. Though ostensibly the Uniter’s Disciple, Gen bucked beneath the tight reins imposed by his Mentor, as any righteous young hero rightly would. Better if they never realized the reins were there, and with Yuanyin working to get into Gen’s good graces, when the young hero eventually butted heads with his Mentor, Goujian would be there to support him. With him paving the way, Young Gen would soon blossom into a true hero of the Empire.

Which was another reason Goujian had returned to Sinuji, for the Heaven’s had drawn him here to carry out its Will, even aiding him by convincing the Uniter to change his tune and offer Goujian his full support. Days of planning and preparation later, and here he was, and when the expected booms of warning horns told him that his arrow had been loosed, he looked up from his work and feigned surprise. The camp came alive as soldiers and workers scurried about, so he called to a passing porter and spoke around a mouthful of betel nuts. “Wot news? We under ‘tack?” A lowly farrier would always be concerned about coming under attack, for they were helpless to defend themselves.

“Nah,” the porter replied, not stopping for Goujian and instead shouting his reply over his shoulder, a sign of utter disrespect. The porter would pay for this when the time came, for Goujian had marked his appearance in memory. “That be the signal fer Wraiths. Cowardly spooks is what I say, too afeared ta take part inna stand up fight.”

Though expecting the answer, Goujian put on a show of fear, swallowing hard and almost retching in disgust when he swallowed the bitter, peppery tar of crushed betel nuts. Spitting them out, he rinsed his mouth with water and reluctantly reached for more, as he’d already established himself as a man with an addiction, not to mention how his educated accent and polished enunciation would instantly give himself away. Some of these peasant accents were almost impossible to understand, not just for him, but even amongst themselves, which often led to loud screaming matches over minor misunderstandings.

For the next few minutes, Goujian had no need to feign concern because he was genuinely nervous. His agents had struck, but it would be some time before he learned whether it’d been a failure or success, too wary to use Sending without others also Sending in his vicinity. Unsure if the Imperials knew how to listen in, he knew all-too-well how the act of Sending could be perceived by Peak Experts, so in tune with their surroundings they could sense the tell-tale fluctuations of foreign Chi around them. Goujian himself could do it, as could any number of Experts moving through the camp, which was why he chewed his betel nuts and wrung his hands while waiting for what he hoped was good news.

Alas, man proposes and Heaven disposes. Soon enough, one of Goujian’s Aspirants walked past, a man who went by the name of MuYang and had been inserted into Han BoHai’s retinue using connections forged by the dearly departed BoLao. Without slowing his steps, MuYang quietly signalled their plan had failed and Falling Rain still drew breath before continuing on his way. Disappointing, but considering how well the Imperials guarded their little lackey, he was hardly surprised. With Smiling Slaughterer Guan Suo openly protecting him and Ascendant GangShu hiding in the shadows, Falling Rain might be the only person in the Empire with two Guardian Divinities, for it was well known even the Emperor himself had but the one. Considering the old Monk had also served such a purpose, who knew how many more were lurking about, perhaps even the mysterious Abbot of the Penitent Brotherhood. Not trusting the Treaty to keep them from interfering, Goujian had devised a plan which mostly removed the Divinities from the equation, but even the best laid plans often went awry.

It wasn’t until the next morning when Goujian learned the exact details of how his plans fell through, and the news was dire indeed. To protect against discovery, he never met with his Aspirants face to face, nor did they ever converse through Sending. Instead, they set up a number of dead drops throughout Sinuji where they could leave encrypted letters, a practice made easier with cheap paper so readily available. No one would think twice about a lowly farrier in possession of paper anymore, though they might if they saw him reading or writing, but to this end, their cipher had been purposely made to look like carelessly scribbled drawings, a harmless pastime which was now affordable for a man of his station.

Hmph. It defied common sense how everyone believed Falling Rain was responsible for such a miraculous discovery. A savage tribal child who was not only an unparalleled Martial talent, but also a genius inventor and brilliant businessman? It was so absurd, Goujian almost found it laughable were it not for the dire implications.

After reading the report and destroying the evidence, Goujian returned to his farrier’s work with a bellyful of anger and bile. They’d been so close to success, but their plans had been utterly ruined by the damned coward, Chun Yimu. The young man had seemed like the perfect patsy, an idle shirker who repeatedly begged his family to allow him to return home from the front lines. From there, the plan was simple, as the best plans often were. While Concealed Wraiths drew the attention of Falling Rain’s guardians, Experts and Divinities alike, Goujian’s Oath-bound Aspirants would disguise themselves as Chun Yimu’s slaves and assassinate Falling Rain in the chaos. Those three were the most devoted warriors left to Goujian, each volunteering to take the necessary Oaths for this plan to succeed despite knowing it would mean their deaths. If the Wraiths and Aspirants failed, then there was even a Transcendent hiding in the earth and waiting for the boy to visit his latrine tent where he’d be alone and exposed.

So many measures taken to ensure Falling Rain died, for such was the Will of Heaven.

Unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong, did. The details were scant since his people didn’t dare Scry on Falling Rain lest they give themselves away, but from what Goujian’s Aspirants could piece together from rumour and hearsay, the runt had been tipped off to the presence of Wraiths, no doubt by his Divinity protectors. While charging forward to save Chun Yimu, the fool mistook Falling Rain’s assistance for deadly intent and cried out, “Wait!”, an exclamation so lacking in detail it forced Goujian’s Oath-bound Aspirants to inaction because there was no way to be certain the command had not been directed at them. Goujian had anticipated he might get cold feet and had placed a Wraith close to him, for if the token were to be destroyed and Chun Yimu to die, then control of the Oath-bound Aspirants would revert back to MuYang, the last holder of their token. Alas, fortune favours fools and Chun Yimu survived by the skin of his teeth, somehow saved by Falling Rain himself. Then, to make matters worse, before passing out, the little coward ordered Goujian’s Aspirants to protect the amber-eyed runt, a command which forced them to save the Falling Rain’s life when he was later attacked by the Transcendent in his latrine tent as planned.

Disaster heaped upon disaster, Not only had the other Wraiths and Transcendents failed to kill any of the runts allies, Goujian’s Oath-bound Aspirants were also still alive thanks to Chun Yimu’s orders and their token still firmly in his possession. It burned knowing that not only were his most devoted subordinates forced to protect this traitor of Heaven, they had already saved the runt from certain death more than once. Though sworn to silence and striving to remain hidden from the meditating Falling Rain, once Chun Yimu regained consciousness and forced the Aspirants to reveal themselves, then the Imperials might unravel their origins and connect them to Goujian.

Time worked against them, for Falling Rain had to die before the Uniter’s army arrived. Not only because Heaven Willed it, but due to their past history, young Gen was obsessed with Falling Rain and likely intended to challenge him to single combat, a recipe for disaster in Goujian’s opinion. Though young Gen’s skills were impressive and far outstripped anything Falling Rain had displayed, the cunning savage was undoubtedly playing a pig to eat the tiger, a simple fact Jianghong and the Uniter seemed utterly blind to. Were the runt not hiding his true strength, then events would never have played out as they did, with Falling Rain coming so close to death and defeat countless times before, only to rally at the last moment and emerge battered, but victorious. Despite young Gen’s prodigious strength, one could not overlook his lack of experience, having only stepped foot on the True Martial Path a short year ago, whereas Falling Rain had undoubtedly been trained from birth for his role in Imperial propaganda and picked out from hundreds, if not thousands of his peers, all of which meant a direct confrontation between Falling Rain and young Gen posed far too many risks for the young Chosen of Heaven. The problem was, a team of Wraiths, Aspirants, and a Transcendent had already failed to take Falling Rain’s life, which left Goujian in something of a bind. The runt had to die before young Gen arrived, but how was he to accomplish this?

Perhaps fortune could be found in misfortune, since now, Goujian’s Aspirants were in good position to assassinate the runt. As the day passed, his Aspirants sent word that Falling Rain wasn’t putting much effort into uncovering the hidden Aspirants or discovering why they were there, which led Goujian to rethink the runt’s relationship with the Imperial Clan. Perhaps he was merely a pawn and not privy to all the details, so he believed the Aspirants were Imperial agents rather than suspecting them. If so, then Goujian could use this to his advantage...

With hammer and hoof-knife in hand, Goujian carried out his farrier duties with the utmost devotion, eagerly counting the minutes until he would be free to make contact with his agents in the Society and rope yet another foolish cat’s paw into the game. It would take days to gather his pieces into place, but this was for the best. Let Falling Rain grow careless and overconfident, and when the opportunity presented itself, Goujian would risk everything to remove the runt from the equation and free young Gen from his unhealthy obsession and giving him more time to grow in safety.

For until Gen took his throne as the Divine Son of Heaven, no harm could be allowed to come to the future Sovereign of the Azure Empire.

Chapter Meme