“Who is that?”

Though Goujian held high expectations for young Gen, it took considerable effort not to backhand the churlish little wretch across the face for his disrespect. As the Confessor, even the most prominent of dignitaries and officials had afforded him the highest of respects, and as the boy’s (admittedly self-appointed) Teacher, he should demand no less, but Gen was a stubborn, mulish bumpkin who lacked the proper upbringing to appreciate Goujian’s efforts. The boy would be brought to heel soon enough, but it was not a matter which could be rushed, so he let it slide and answered Gen’s question. “He is Han BoShui, Young Patriarch and Tiger of the Han Clan.”

Fixated on the battle between BoShui and the Ursine Transcendent, young Gen studied the obvious threat and reevaluated where his personal strength ranked in relation to his peers. Though BoShui’s speedy advancement along the Martial Path came as a surprise, it was a blessing in disguise as far as Goujian was concerned. Managing young Gen’s unbridled arrogance was tiresome to say the least, so perhaps this rude awakening would teach him some modesty. Killing a warrior, even a Peak Expert, could be easy as turning a hand if properly arranged, but staying alive was far more difficult. Even though young Gen had enough power to kill a Colonel in a direct confrontation, his defensive capabilities were sorely lacking. He stood no chance against the Ursine Transcendent unless he killed it before it reached him, whereas BoShui danced unharmed alongside his powerful foe. Even Yuanyin had a sixty percent chance to emerge victorious in a life and death battle against young Gen, simply because the talented young man put too much emphasis on his Elemental Blessing and not enough on his Martial skills.

Pillars of fire, unbreakable skin, and impact redirection were all fine and dandy, but whether it be stamina or focus, their efficiency left much to be desired. All it would take was one moment of distraction for a blade to slip through young Gen’s throat, and his endurance was much like the flames he so loved to wield, a powerful burst which then dissipated into nothingness. A poor match up for Falling Rain who so loved to drag matches out and flaunt his prowess in Healing, but the petulant Gen would hear nothing of it, much less his lack of experience and woefully inadequate Martial skills, the foundations upon which a Martial Warrior’s prowess was built.

Granted, Goujian’s criticisms were somewhat harsh considering the boy’s meteoric growth, but as the future Sovereign of the Holy Azure Empire, young Gen had to be held to a higher standard. Using Yuanyin as a foil, Goujian used his Disciple as an excuse to educate young Gen, for the boy could learn much from BoShui’s style. “Disciple, pay close attention to BoShui’s footwork, Snake Coils About Its Nest fused with Mantis Stalks the Cicada. Snake and Mantis, both standard Forms for an extreme close combat specialist like him. See how he weaves his attacks in between every step? He sticks close to his larger opponent, yet remains wholly in control, not merely avoiding the attacks, but dodging with purpose and intent, thinking three, five, or even seven steps ahead of his opponent. Skewer the Blossom, Spear Hand, Twisting Thrust, and Darting Fang, all minor, almost inconsequential strikes, but they set the tempo. Even if his attacks do no damage, the opponent still must guard lest the feint turn into a – there! He slips left and kicks the exposed knee, then backs away to avoid the counter, but his arms are already raised to deliver a decisive blow, a crushing two-handed hammer strike to the Transcendent’s skull. Planned to perfection and easily avoidable with proper foresight and... Eh?”

Pausing in surprise, Goujian Scryed for a closer look. Heavily injured by the last strike, the Transcendent staggered about as if ready to collapse, its vitality dwindling after mere minutes in combat. How though? Previously, it had been matched against Gunan, one of Goujian’s most dedicated Aspirants who’d been given orders to delay at all costs, but now the Transcendent was on the back foot after a short exchange with BoShui. The Ursine Transcendent was far from the weakest under young Gen’s command, a burly, powerful creature with a thick, armoured hide, so how could BoShui’s singular strike injure it so? No, not a singular strike, for the young tiger’s prowess was far more advanced than expected. Impressive enough for him to develop a Domain so early, but BoShui had also learned how to harness the destructive power of Resonance.

While it was still plausible for BoShui’s advancement along the Martial Path to be natural, Goujian now wondered if the Han Heir’s dazzling improvement was due to Imperial guidance. It wasn’t unheard of for previously unknown Experts to experience a sudden and significant jump in strength thanks to a confluence of chance and Insight, and developing a Domain alone was enough to set Experts far above their peers, but for a man once known as the paper tiger of the Han Clan to transform from an indolent weakling to the extraordinary warrior before them was almost incomprehensible. Were it Situ Jia Zian battling the Transcendent, Goujian wouldn’t think twice about it, but BoLao’s worthless little cousin?

...Oh BoLao. The sweet girl often spoke of BoShui until Goujian’s other Disciples were seething with jealousy. She would be so proud if she could see him today, a valiant, heroic warrior of the Empire. A shame he was proving so stubborn to MuYang’s efforts to draw him away from Falling Rain’s beguilement, else he too would prove a staunch ally against the Dog Emperor.

“Mentor, what is Resonance?”

Yuanyin’s timely question brought Goujian out of his contemplation and he realized he’d been mumbling and had trailed off mid-sentence. Clearing his throat, he said, “My apologies Disciple, but I was mistaken earlier. Those previous ‘inconsequential strikes’ I mentioned? From this distance, I failed to see the true power behind them. Though it seemed as if his attacks were warded off by the Transcendent’s armoured hide, BoShui used Resonance to transmit the force of his blows past the surface and inflict internal injuries. A complicated, higher order Chi manipulation, but a powerful one which renders external defences all but moot.” Which made him a grave threat to young Gen since all his defences were external, so best to eliminate BoShui before Goujian’s foolish student got it into his head to issue a challenge.

Whilst expounding on the finer details of Resonance out loud, Goujian took a measured risk and reached out to MuYang through Sending. “Han BoShui must be eliminated. Sacrifice yourselves if necessary, but he must die immediately.” It should be a simple matter since Goujian had four Aspirants by BoShui's side, not because he thought the young tiger of vital importance, but because he was sorely lacking in other contacts to slip his Experts into Sinuji.

Breaking from protocol, MuYang Sent, “Master, this cannot be done. BoShui knows we are Aspirants and has raised his guard against us.” As if his incompetence weren’t enough, the fool even had the audacity to try and cover up his mistakes. “There is a thread of hope to be found, however, for young master offered to bring us to meet Falling Rain. We can use this to draw close to him and –”

“Worthless!” Goujian Sent, barely able to contain his anger. “Your own words betray you. Young Master? Han BoShui is an Imperial stooge, one wrapped tightly around Falling Rain’s finger. Kill him, then yourselves. Do it now before he kills the Transcendent!”

“...You mean the Demon, Master?”

“Do not mince words with me! BoShui is a threat, so kill him now and be done with it!”

Long seconds passed without a reply, and Goujian thought MuYang had learned his place, but neither he nor his fellow Aspirants moved to strike. One by one, Goujian contacted them, starting with Gunan, then Jadhar, and even the naive Kanri, but not a single one returned his Sending, nor did they move to kill MuYang or BoShui. Bristling with rage, Goujian condemned each in turn as traitors and apostates and Sent warning of their betrayal to the still loyal Aspirants in Sinuji, ordering all four killed on sight. Unfortunately, he had no loyal Aspirants situated on the northern flank, for the majority of his agents were scattered amongst the mundane workforce and currently ensconced inside the fort proper.

There was little he could do except watch as Han BoShui danced about the Transcendent and whittled away at its strength. A single errant strike would spell the end of the young tiger’s life, but the Han Clan was famed for their indomitable defence, a must when their favoured weapons were fist and foot. The Ursine Transcendent wasn’t the only one struggling to deal with its foe, and across the battlefield, the other seven were duly suppressed by various Experts of the Empire. They, like Gen, were too young and untested, with not a single one over three months old, and while they were most formidable for newly formed Transcendents, they were not strong enough to stand against the likes of Twinned Dragon Jukai or Eccentric Gam. The former had already dispatched his opponent and returned to Zian’s side, while the latter chased his fleeing opponent about in wild glee and left destruction in his wake.

“Three of my Transcendents have died,” Gen declared, as if no one else could see or count, “and Samat won’t last much longer. Save him, UmiBozu. Save all of them.” The last was directed towards the hulking Water-Blessed Transcendent waiting at his side, the only one besides the Uniter’s mouthpiece which had yet to take action. Lumbering forward to obey, UmiBozu fired five watery projectiles at the engaged Experts, buying time for the Transcendents to retreat while wounding BoShui and another junior Expert fighting on the fort walls. Alas, neither one was in danger of dying, and BoShui even retreated under his own power, exiting the field to recuperate after a hard fought battle.

Turning to Goujian, young Gen snarled at the unspoken censure and said, “Fine. So I should not have deployed the Transcendents, but things are not going as you said they would. The Imperials hold fast against our assault and I grow weary of waiting. We outnumber them ten to one, so why have they not crumbled yet?”

“No battle goes exactly as planned, young warrior, though some plans are... more effective than others.” Giving a none-too-subtle glance at the Defiled Commander, Goujian laid the blame at the tribal primitive’s feet, unable to pronounce his name which was little more than a series of grunts. A half-beast no less, with twin spiralled horns protruding from his head-wrap, the sum total of his commands had been ‘attack’ and ‘press the attack’, according to their translator, an Imperial-born slave who’d defected to the primitives more than a decade ago. Thankfully, the Defiled Commander seemed no less committed to seeing Falling Rain dead than Goujian, for he dispatched the bulk of his forces after the northern camp after asking where the ‘Devourer’ would be. Why they called him this, no one would say, aside from telling him it was what the ‘ancestors’ called him and he needed to die forthwith.

Goujian assumed the ‘ancestors’ were a part of whatever shadowy magics the Uniter used to control the tribal primitives, because it would be absurd to think those base, disgusting creatures could ever hear Heaven’s commands, much less obey them. How laughable...

Unfortunately, the Bekhai runt still had yet to show himself during the battle, and Goujian had not thought to ask MuYang about Rain’s location before denouncing the Aspirant as a traitor. It was possible Rain had ridden out into the stalemate with the rest of the Imperial cavalry, but whether he was on foot or quinback, someone was Concealing his presence. Shrouding valuable commanders and important officers in Concealment was standard battle protocol, and Goujian himself was keeping young Gen hidden from sight, but as an Imperial Puppet, Falling Rain’s purpose was to be seen and idolized, so his glaring absence was contrary to expectations.

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Perhaps the Society finally did something right and removed Rain from the battlefield, though this was probably too much to hope for...

At least this meant young Gen had yet to set eyes upon his hated rival and could still be reined in. To keep his complaints to a minimum, Goujian assured him the Imperials were on the back foot and continued expounding on the intricacies of the Forms, Chi Manipulation, and rudimentary battle tactics to Yuanyin out loud. Though arrogant and prideful, young Gen possessed a ravenous thirst for knowledge, so the indirect lessons kept him quiet as the battle continued unabated. An hour passed, then two, but soon Goujian’s voice grew hoarse and raspy as he ran low on relevant and engaging topics to cover.

In response to his suggestion that they break for lunch, Gen scowled and declared, “Today, I will feast upon Falling Rain’s flesh and nothing else.” Throwing a dark look at the Defiled Commander, he added, “I once thought they were the True Enlightened, but I now see that they too have worthless dregs lurking about their ranks.” Mounting his gajashia, he strung his bow as he rode away, and Goujian hurried to keep him Concealed. “Come. It’s long past time we joined the fight. Gather my huntsmen and let us deal with their cavalry first, then this glorious army of Chosen will march forward to conquer Sinuji. Perhaps then, the cowardly Falling Rain will deign to show his face.”

Whether through Heaven’s Guidance or Warrior’s intuition, Goujian immediately knew this was a disastrous idea. Falling Rain could very well be hidden amongst the cavalry, and mounted battle relied too much on stupid animals for Goujian’s tastes, so this was not a risk he wanted to see the future Sovereign take. Wracking his brain for an excuse, he found no safer target for the cavalry short of circling around to the eastern side of the fort, a lengthy prospect considering the massive, impassible trenches stretching north and south of the camps, a new addition since he left three days past. Eccentric Gam’s work no doubt, and the hateful half-fox still had yet to step off the battlefield since early this morning. Unlike most Experts who preferred to remain Concealed to conserve their strength, Eccentric Gam was all but inviting an assassin to...

Heavenly inspiration struck as Goujian realized how to delay young Gen once more, but it would come at great personal risk. Though never one to gamble, the more he thought about it, the more he grew to fancy the idea, for the Heavens would never present him a trial without leaving him a path to victory. Even if the worst should come to pass, he was confident in his ability to avoid death and escape with head intact, far more so than his ability to keep young Gen alive in the chaos of a mounted battle. “A moment young warrior,” he said, catching Gen’s attention. “If I may make a suggestion? A cavalry battle, while thrilling, will most likely end in a stalemate. The Defiled irregulars are of no consequence, but your valiant huntsmen are few in number and slow to train. No need to waste their lives chasing Imperial cavalry about the fields of Sinuji, for they are meant for greater things than this.”

“I have already wasted half the day idling about, listening to you drone on and on. How much longer do you expect me to wait?”

Forcing a smile, Goujian explained, “The Imperial forces still hold because the Defiled are unable to bring their greater numbers to bear against this defensive position, but the stalemate will not last much longer. Their numbers are waning and their spirits flagging, and the northern flank holds by the barest of margins only because Eccentric Gam still stands in their midst.”

Turning his glare on the distant half-fox, young Gen seemed ready to attack the Peak Expert himself, which would be disastrous indeed. “Yes, one foot in the grave and still he resists. Most vexing.”

Seeing he’d taken the bait, Goujian drew himself up to full height and said, “Since the old half-beast knows no shame, let this one go out to teach him a lesson and clear the path to victory.”

“Oh?” Taken aback by the offer, young Gen could barely hide his derisive sneer, but Goujian pretended not to notice. “Did you not advise against sending the Transcendents in? You said it would be better to wait and force the Experts lying in wait to exhaust themselves against the Defiled first. You were right, but now you’re volunteering to go out and fight? While the half-fox is likely spent, the three Patriarchs you warned me of have yet to show their faces, so why take this risk? You are an able advisor and I still have use for you yet.”

At least the boy had been listening and was concerned about Goujian’s well-being. “Perhaps this old man was inspired by your heroic demeanour,” he replied with a smile. “Besides, since new waves inevitably overtake the old, the older generation must learn to give way to the young. With Eccentric Gam dead, the northern flank will collapse, and the Defiled will close in on the fort and spread their lines thin. Victory will be ours within the hour.” And with luck, Falling Rain will flee the battlefield before young Gen issued his challenge.

Grumbling beneath his breath, Gen considered his options and sighed. “So you advise me to continue waiting whilst you head out in search of glory? I do not like this, but I ignored you before and lost three Transcendents. Perhaps this time, I should heed your advice.” Shaking his head, he continued, “Very well then. We will do as you say, but should you fail, then I will lead the charge.”

“As you wish, young warrior. As always, this one is merely here to advise.” After explaining his intentions to the Defiled Commander, the haughty half-beast merely sneered and waved Goujian aside like an unwanted nuisance, only agreeing to have someone keep young Gen Concealed after being reminded of the Uniter’s orders. With his charge safe, Goujian leapt into the skies and Cloud-Stepped over to the northern flank unseen. Shrouded in obscurity, he drifted to the ground and made his way through the press of Defiled bodies, striding over a veritable mountain of corpses before finally reaching the front lines. There, Eccentric Gam fought with intractable obstinance, swatting aside inferior Defiled with an almost bored expression on his blood-soaked face as he moved about the battlefield unchecked. Foolish to leave himself open to ambush, but even more foolish of the Defiled Commander not to take advantage.

Rather than risk exposure, Goujian took his time and waited until the half-fox looked away before making any movements, readying his square-hooked sword for a decisive killing blow. Much like young Gen, Eccentric Gam relied too much on his Earth-Blessed defences, but after half a day of non-stop battle, his Chi reserves were no doubt bordering on nil, which would make him an easy target for Goujian’s blade. How to go about it? Decapitation would be best, but difficult to pull off considering how packed his surroundings were. He would have no issue killing a handful of Defiled or Imperials with his opening attack, but their deaths could give Eccentric Gam enough time to react. An overhead strike then, but this would require careful positioning, so he slowly but surely made his way close to the Peak Expert while the battle raged around him.

Spotting BoShui returning to the battlefield, Goujian considered killing two birds with one stone. Slaughter the Eccentric first, then BoShui, but they would have to move closer for this to work. Perhaps he could –

Holding his sword out before him, Goujian dug his feet in and Deflected the oncoming blow, but the dual slashes still sent him crashing into the crowd. Entrapped by the press of idiotic Defiled, he blocked a flurry of follow up attacks delivered by Twinned Dragon Jukai, his dual sabres whirling about as if possessed with life of their own. Tossing an errant Defiled at his opponent, Goujian’s first thought was to flee and extricate himself from this dangerous situation, but then he realized failure meant risking young Gen. Gritting his teeth, he went on the offensive Wolf Form – Twisting Snap and the spiralled thrust caught both of Jukai’s sabres in the crook of his sword. Almost as surprised as his opponent, Goujian flicked his wrist and drew his sword back while throwing out a palm strike with his free hand. The twin sabres arced through the air as Goujian’s hand slammed into Jukai’s chest. Bones cracked and lungs ruptured as Jukai dropped to his knees, blood spraying from his mouth and eyes wide with shock.

Then, his head joined his sabres on their journey through the air, the Twinned Dragon neatly decapitated by the Confessor’s hooked sword.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, and Goujian stood frozen in muted disbelief. Earlier, he’d watched Jukai battle the wood-spawned Transcendent and had been impressed by the younger warrior’s prowess, but now this Expert lay dead at his feet, easily defeated even after catching him by surprise. Incredible... So this was how far his strength had come since he’d stumbled upon the Truth. Raising his head to the skies, he cackled with sheer delight, thanking the Heavens for blessing him with strength and purpose.

A furious howl brought Goujian back to the battle and he smiled at the sight of Situ Jia Zian charging towards him. Intending to avenge his fallen second no doubt, a touching sentiment, though foolish to the extreme. Aiming to take the fledgling dragon’s head and place it alongside Jukai’s, Goujian’s instincts screamed to retreat and he did so without thought, leaving Zian intact as the ground exploded in a pillar of dirt and gore. “You shouldn’t have come here,” Eccentric Gam snarled, wrenching his staff out of the crater before him. “Now you’re gonna die.”

Straightening up, Goujian smirked and flourished his sword. “So you think, but I –” The impact cut his reply short as he barely Deflected the oncoming thrust, so rudely interrupted by a half-cat warrior. Du Min Yan’s slave guardian, an impressive specimen, but not even the match of Jukai. “You dare?” Goujian roared, as his riposte smashed through the slave’s paltry defence and broke his arm. “A mere slave thinks he can –”

Interrupted once again, Goujian was forced back before Eccentric Gam’s furious charge, slipping away through the crowd of Defiled while the half-fox bowled straight over them. Impressive as Goujian’s strength was, he could not compare to the Earth-Blessed half-fox in brute force, so he led him on a merry chase about the battlefield without caring for collateral damage. Only when Goujian brought him back towards Imperial lines did Gam slow his steps, his chest heaving and brow soaked with sweat. Seizing the initiative, he lashed out with a series of probing thrusts and avoided clashing with Gam head on, dancing untouched around the spent warrior and driving him towards death. His first thrust to break through Gam’s defences was Deflected aside, as was the second, and third, but soon enough, he connected and his blade slid off unharmed flesh. Undeterred, he continued his offensive and forced the half-fox into the Imperial crowd, killing any soldier who drew too close while knowing it was only a matter of time before his sword sank into tender flesh. Seeing BoShui nearby, Goujian directed the duel towards him and lashed out to take his head, his mind already picturing the beautiful fountain of blood which would soon erupt.

There was no impact and no rebound, no clang or crash. Instead, Goujian’s blade merely stopped in place as it was caught in Han BoDing’s steely clutches. No, not even, for his weapon was held fast between two fingers, but no matter how he tugged or twisted, he could not even budge the blade. Repressing a snarl, he opted to reason with the hulking bear of a man, standing there so calmly as he stroked his beard in thought. “This one is honoured to match skills with the great Patriarch of the Han Clan,” Goujian said, doing his best not to sound sarcastic, “but I thought you’d have thanked me if I killed the black sheep of the Han Clan.”

“All noble families have their internal struggles,” BoDing replied, his deep baritone rumbling in Goujian’s ears, “but regardless of our differences, BoShui is still surnamed Han.” Raising an eyebrow in a condescending sneer, he asked, “Who are you to interfere in Han Clan affairs?”

Abandoning his sword, Goujian dodged the fist by the skin of his teeth and barely escaped with his life. Cold sweat dripping down his back, he continued to back away even though BoDing remained rooted in place, putting a good fifty meters and hundreds of Defiled between them. As if he couldn’t be bothered to pursue, BoDing studied Goujian’s hooked sword and said, “Ah. I thought you looked familiar.” Throwing the weapon back, he Sent, “How far the mighty Confessor has fallen. Truly a poor investment on my part, but perhaps I can make up for with your head.”

As soon as the weapon was in his hands, Goujian took to the skies and fled, shrouding himself in Concealment before rapidly changing directions to throw his pursuer off. A chorus of screams erupted behind him and he glanced back to see yet another crater formed in the dirt, originating from where he’d only just been standing. Monsters one and all, these damned Patriarchs of the Society, so Goujian made his way back to young Gen’s side in a hurry. Powerful though he might be, surely there were Defiled here who could match him, and if not, then UmiBozu could at least buy them time. Luckily, the Han Patriarch didn’t pursue, so after long seconds of scanning his surroundings, Goujian wiped his brow with a sigh of relief.

Even then, he didn’t feel safe enough to drop his Concealment, so he turned towards Gen and Sent, “The Eccentric still lives, but –”

For the fourth time today, Goujian was interrupted mid-sentence, but he lacked the means to even be angry. Staring at the shaft jutting out of his ribs, he foolishly wondered how it got there and why it hurt so much, then turned to his Disciple and wondered where Yuanyin was dragging him to.

“Form ranks!” Young Gen’s voice boomed over the thunder of crashing hooves and the world came back into focus. Turning to the east, he shielded his eyes from the sun only to realize there was no need, for there was a dark cloud passing overhead. “Spears at the ready!”

No... Not a cloud, but a hail of arrows. So many arrows, like the one stuck in his ribs or the others protruding from the corpses of Defiled, Huntsmen, gajashia around him.

“Charge!”

Though he wanted to follow behind to keep young Gen safe, he couldn’t find the strength to keep his eyes open. Rethinking his stance on ranged weapons, he closed his eyes to Heal and prayed young Gen would survive without him. His injury would be difficult to fix for the arrow had shattered ribs and pierced his lung, but Goujian had done enough for one day, so the Heavens would have to do without him for now.

And when he opened his eyes again, hopefully young Gen would greet and regale him with tales of his magnificent victory over Falling Rain. If not... well... Perhaps Gen wasn’t so necessary after all, for Goujian was in peak health and more than capable of fathering a better, more amenable heir.

If such was the Will of Heaven, then who was he to oppose it?

Chapter Meme