Ku Yu Zhengzhong's team was next in line for the shop. As Ku Qin Zemin passed him he whispered something to him. Ku Yu Zhengzhong gave him a quick nod before continuing into the store. A moment later him and his team exited carrying mining equipment that the store was selling for 50 points per set. In addition to the 150 they spent on the equipment, their points fell an extra 1000 points bringing The Dominators' new total to 2050, currently second behind Ku Wang Xiaobo's 4450.
Ku Shen was nonplussed by this clear display of collusion. “It seems their truce will continue through the second round. I wouldn't be surprised if they are working with Xue as well,” he practically spat the words as they left his mouth.
The hawk mask still hid his face, but it was obvious from his voice that Lin Liqin was playfully smirking as he said, “Well two can play at that game. With your permission Miss I'll try to get that gambit of yours up and running.”
Ku Shen and Tsubame turned to face Ming Jia Ying as Lin Liqin awaited her answer. She thought it over for a moment before handing him the tokens for the ten extra carts and the bulk multiplier that the quartermaster had given them, “Don't reveal our plan. If these aren't enough to convince him move on.”
As Lin Liqin headed off towards the barracks Ku Shen picked up on the key word, “Him? You already know who he's going to approach.”
“There's really only one person who might agree at this point that would be of any use, Xiaobo,” Ming Jia Ying replied.
The mere mention of Ku Wang Xiaobo's name made Ku Shen pull a face as if he'd just stepped in poop, but he didn't voice any complaints.
Ku Shen and the remaining members of his team continued to watch as a few more teams entered the store. These teams didn't have very many points to play with and most only spent 250, most likely on an additional cart of silver, or 150 on a set of mining gear for the team. All of the remaining teams seemed to be hesitant to let their point totals drop below 1000, probably due to the fear of going later and being ambushed.
Eventually, they decided to return to the barracks to get some rest before the next round could begin. As they were headed over they spotted Lin Liqin and Ku Wang Xiaobo leaving together. Not wanting to spoil the deal, Ku Shen simply gave his cousin a nod as way of greeting before heading inside. Ku Wang Xiaobo wore a face of complete shock as he let his cousin by, this was clearly the kindest interaction the two had ever had.
At first Ming Jia Ying was surprised, but then she thought to herself, -Such a conniving, manipulative opportunist must be good at reading the room. I've only seen him getting pushed around by Cousin Wei, so I'd almost forgotten who we were dealing with.-
Ku Wang Xiaobo addressed Ming Jia Ying with a little more surprise in his voice than he'd intended, “I'm told you're leading this team Miss Yingying. I admit your offer is intriguing, but I have some reservations.” It was clear from the way he glanced at Lin Liqin that he'd thought he was the leader and still found it difficult to believe this young girl in a bunny mask was the one in charge.
Ming Jia Ying nodded, “I am. These two are my retainers. We were recently hired by Prince Shen to create this team because he felt the tournament's objectives laid outside his agents' area of expertise. Now, what are these reservations? I hope I can lay them to rest for you.”
“You've already started,” Ku Wang Xiaobo gave a small sigh of relief. “As you can imagine, I have difficulties trusting anyone tied to the Ku Clan because of the Ku Wang branch's status. Hearing that you have no strong ties to Cousin Shen is a relief.”
Ming Jia Ying considered holding her tongue for a moment, but decided that being truthful may help prove her sincerity, “While it's true we have no ties to Prince Shen beyond this mission, we do have ties to another member of the Ku Clan main branch and I have a personal connection with one of the branch families. I'm afraid I can't tell you which at the moment. I'll understand if this is a deal breaker for you.”
Ku Wang Xiaobo was taken aback, “Why are you telling me this?”
“At least one of my connections will likely be revealed before the tournament ends and I don't want you to feel like you were lied to.”
While Ku Wang Xiaobo still seemed a bit wary he did not immediately call off the deal, “My other concern is how we're going to deal with the other teams. You may have noticed, but my techniques cause a lot of collateral damage at the moment. Not only is that an issue for anyone I team up with, but it could also bring the mine down on everyone.”
“We'll handle any fighting,” Ming Jia Ying responded confidently. “If at any point you feel like we're losing you're free to run. As I recall, lightning cultivators specialize in dashing techniques. I doubt any of the other contestants here could stop you from escaping.”
Ku Wang Xiaobo was very hesitant, but he chose to believe them. While their offer seemed too good to be true, he had to admit that there weren't a lot of good options for him going forward solo. “I... accept your proposal.”
“That's great!” Lin Liqin exclaimed while wrapping his arm around Ku Wang Xiaobo's shoulders. “Then I think it's time we head to the shop and spend those hard earned points.”
Lin Liqin and Ku Wang Xiaobo arrived in time to watch the last team enter and exit with a set of mining gear. The quartermaster popped his head out the door to inform them, “The shop is now available to all teams until the beginning of the second round.”
Ku Wang Xiaobo quietly followed Lin Liqin into the shop. The quartermaster quickly recognized the hawk mask and stated with a laugh, “As much as I'd like to haggle with you again friend, I'm afraid your team has already spent their points.”
“We'll have a rematch next round. Right now I'm just here to help my friend pick out a few things,” Lin Liqin shot back with an equally jovial tone.
The quartermaster finally seemed to take note of Ku Wang Xiaobo before tapping on his clip board, “Right... the odd one that didn't buy anything. Hmm... forty four fifty. So, what'll it be?”
Lin Liqin walked through the shelves examining the remaining stock on the items. As expected, the bulk multiplier was out of stock. This basically confirmed that Ku Xue was working with Ku Qin Zemin and Ku Yu Zhengzhong for the second round, it was the only way they'd have enough carts of silver to make it worth while. Surprisingly, all five of the soldiers for hire were still available. There were also a dozen sets of mining equipment left, Lin Liqin couldn't help but wonder why they'd even put a limit on it. That was until he examined it and noticed the blasting caps, a few mischievous ideas bubbling up. Lastly, there were still three 100 point boosters. They sold for 250 but increased the price point of your carts by 100, so you needed at least three carts to turn a profit.
Ku Wang Xiaobo approached Lin Liqin and after a whispered word from the latter he turned to the quartermaster, “I'll take four sets of mining gear and the remaining point boosters.”
Ku Qin Zemin entered the store just in time to hear the order and wore a sour expression as the quartermaster said, “Very good sir! You still have thirty five hundred points left.”
Not wanting to miss out on anymore limited stock items, Ku Qin Zemin quickly interjected, “Quartermaster, I'd like all five of the soldiers, please.”
The quartermaster quickly checked his clipboard, “Hmm... Siege Squad was it? That shouldn't be a problem. Minus twelve fifty... you have two fifty left.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
After his purchase Ku Qin Zemin had a quick sidebar with his cousins who subsequently ordered additional carts of silver, two for Ku Xue and three for Ku Yu Zhengzhong. That brought their totals to 1400 and 1300 respectively, just a bit higher than the next leading team with 1250. Despite finishing their orders they made no move to leave. It seemed they were interested in what Ku Wang Xiaobo would buy next or perhaps they were trying to figure out why he was with Lin Liqin.
Under the stares of his more influential cousins Ku Wang Xiaobo was feeling the pressure until a hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder. Lin Liqin whispered in a voice Ku Wang Xiaobo could barely hear, “You've already proven you belong on this stage with them. Time to be bold.”
On the way to the store they had already roughly discussed what to buy, so when Ku Wang Xiaobo saw that Lin Liqin had no further requests he knew what to buy next. He fought to keep his voice from cracking as he placed the order, “Convert the rest of my points into silver.”
Ku Xue and the others were clearly shocked. Even the quartermaster seemed a bit surprised, his fingers tapping on his clipboard as he made the mental calculations. When the tapping stopped he looked at Ku Wang Xiaobo with a playful grin, “Fourteen carts of silver is thirty five hundred points, bringing you to zero. Just a reminder, that means you'll be leaving last, but I dare say you'll be in good company.”
The quartermaster proceeded to hand them the four sets of mining equipment they purchased earlier and gave them a wink as they left the store. The entire time Ku Wang Xiaobo's cousins just watched, seemingly finding it hard to process what he'd just done.
There were some shocked gasps from a few of the contestants still in the courtyard when they saw the point totals on the chalkboard being updated. No one had expected Ku Wang Xiaobo to spend all of his points or for Ku Qin Zemin to be second to last with only 250 points remaining. Many teams began to wonder if holding on to their points was the right choice, but the fear of being ambushed by teams that entered before them won out.
The flurry of last minute purchase ended just as quickly as it began and it wasn't long until all of the contestants started making their way to the barracks. The next day arrived promptly and soon it was time to depart. Some of the teams that had arrived at the tail end of round one still looked worse for wear, but the majority of the teams were anxious to get started.
Captain Fan seemed as disinterested in addressing the contestants as usual, but stepped before them once again with a brief announcement, “The second round is about to begin. There will be a twenty minute delay between departures. As stated previously, you'll be leaving in order by current point total. Ku Xue, please step forward to receive your silver.”
As Ku Xue came to the fore of the crowd a group of footmen approached with twelve carts of silver. Once the carts were in place Captain Fan declared, “Round two has officially begun! Ku Xue, you may leave when you're ready. The twenty minute timer starts now!”
Many of the contestants were curious how Ku Xue planned to transport so many carts on his own. The answer was simple yet effective. Ku Xue first created a large earthen blow by mobilizing his Chi. Then he preceded to unload the silver from the carts into the bowl. Once all the silver was loaded up the bowl closed, forming a large sphere. As Ku Xue started heading for the mine shaft the sphere began to roll, following close behind like an obedient pet. As it rolled the shifting silver inside clinked together. The sound was muffled, but distinct, like rain on a window.
It wasn't long until it was Ku Yu Zhengzhong's team's turn. They received four carts of silver, but for some reason the sight of them simply pushing the carts towards the mine shaft came across as shabby. That was despite the fact most of the teams here had no other option but to do the same when it was their turn.
For Ku Qin Zemin each twenty minutes felt longer than the last. He wasn't an inherently impatient person. In fact, his Siege playstyle was often described as slow and deliberate. But that was him setting the tempo and the waiting served a purpose, it was building towards the most opportune moment to strike. This, however, was just waiting to kill time, waiting for waiting's sake, and he abhorred it.
Finally it was Ku Qin Zemin's Siege Squad's turn to which the young man audibly sighed in relief. Ku Shen and some of the other sponsors watched on with incredulous looks as five soldier stepped forward and the newly formed team of eight pushed one lone cart of silver toward the mine shaft.
As he stood on the platform with his team Ku Qin Zemin turned to face Ku Wang Xiaobo and Ku Shen's Lesson Three, shooting them one of his signature smiles. Ming Jia Ying was very grateful for the rabbit mask, it hid her growing blush as she admired the smile she hadn't seen since they first met.
“Arrogant bastard,” Ku Shen hissed under his breath.
The elevator descended, carrying the smiling Ku Qin Zemin and his team deep into the mountain. After they faded from view Ming Jia Ying laughed, “He's probably laying a trap for us at the entrance.”
Ku Shen and the others got a chuckle out of that, but Ku Wang Xiaobo was still stone faced. “Why is that funny? You all agreed to handle the fighting, so what's so amusing about a potential ambush?” he pointedly asked.
Ming Jia Ying didn't answer Ku Wang Xiaobo directly and instead asked Captain Fan a question, “We aren't strictly required to enter the mine this round, are we?”
Captain Fan smiled and said, “No, you're not.”
Turning back to Ku Wang Xiaobo, Ming Jia Ying giggled again, “So, we aren't going into the mines. I wonder how long Zemin will wait before he realizes we aren't coming.”
A few more moments passed before Captain Fan announced their departure, “Since you're tied you may leave together or decide on the order yourselves. Here are fifteen carts of silver for Ku Wang Xiaobo and eleven for Lesson Three.
Ming Jia Ying produced the writ of temporary reassignment and presented it to their coachman. After reading it he began preparing his stagecoach. Meanwhile, the other sponsors were watching curiously as Ku Wang Xiaobo and the rest of Lesson Three unloaded the silver from the carts into the barracks. Ming Jia Ying arrived in time to help Tsubame guard the door after Lin Liqin had entered. It was clear they didn't want anyone to see what he was up to.
A couple minutes later Lin Liqin exited the building looking just as spry as when he'd entered, but a few keen eyed sponsors noticed that all the silver that'd been piled up on the floor was missing. Ku Shen's Lesson Three boarded the waiting stagecoach, Ku Wang Xiaobo hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the barracks before joining them.
With a couple knocks on the roof from Lin Liqin the coach lurched into motion. He turned to the clearly nervous Ku Wang Xiaobo. “Don't worry, it's all right here,” he said as he patted his chest.
Perhaps Lin Liqin could sense that he still wasn't convinced, because Ku Wang Xiaobo stared in awe as he pulled one bar after another from inside his jacket until he had a small mound. It wasn't until a small bump in the road threatened to topple the pile onto the floor that he returned them to his jacket's inner pocket.
Once Lin Liqin was done with his little display Tsubame teased, “If you're done showing off I'd like to see the map.”
At the mention of a map Ku Wang Xiaobo perked up, but was quickly dumbfounded once again as he watched Lin Liqin remove a roll of papers longer than his torso from within his jacket. Once the pages were unrolled he noticed that it was indeed a map of the mine as he'd expected. These people obviously had unique skills that they weren't interested in explaining in depth, but Ku Wang Xiaobo couldn't help but ask, “How did you get a map? I thought they were impossible to get a hold of.”
“I made it,” Ming Jia Ying admitted nonchalantly. “And it's probably more accurate than any maps they had at camp, because this one includes the recent cave ins. Most likely created by the proctors for this tournament,” she added.
There were five pages to the map with one floor on each. The lifts from Fort Grendel and Fort Beowulf arrived at opposite ends of the first floor, but because of the cave ins there was no direct route between the two. There were several sets of stairs scattered across each floor connecting them, however the cave ins made some inaccessible and others led to dead ends.
Ming Jia Ying ran her hand across the maps, “As you can see the whole thing is a three dimensional maze. A strong enough earth cultivator might be able to carve a path through without bringing even more of the mountain down on their head, but it would be slow going.” Pointing at a few lines drawn through the tunnels she continued, “There is a path through the third floor, but it involves a lot of twists and turns, it'd be very easy to get turned around and lost. The easiest to navigate path involves going all the way down to the fifth floor where the cave ins are the lightest. All this is to say, there's a good chance we'll arrive at Fort Beowulf first.”
Five hours ticked by traveling over the mountain pass before Ming Jia Ying's prediction was proven true. They arrived at Fort Beowulf where the gate guard informed them that they were indeed the first to show up. The moment they exited the carriage Ming Jia Ying closed her eyes and started probing the mine. To her surprise there were several teams making their way up the last set of stairs. It would just be a moment before they made it to the lift leading up to Fort Beowulf.
When Ming Jia Ying opened her eyes she saw Tsubame with some of the mining gear placing blasting caps around the mine shaft opening. “You read my mind Tsu,” Ming Jia Ying said as the two began to laugh.
Lin Liqin had gone to find the captain of the fort as well as the quartermaster with Ku Wang Xiaobo in tow. It wasn't long until Ku Wang Xiaobo returned to the ladys' side with a warning, “Captain Fan, that is Fort Beowulf's Captain Fan, I think they're brothers. Anyways, he's received reports of what you're doing. He warns that attacking a contestant within the fort will not be tolerated.”
Ming Jia Ying just shrugged, “It was always going to be a bluff anyways if it's the teams I think it is coming up the lift.” As she finished her sentence the cables started to run, drawing the platform to the surface. Tsubame and Ku Wang Xiaobo took a few steps back, Ming Jia Ying on the other hand walked over to a bench and sat with her hand lightly resting on the plunger detonator for the blasting caps.
The lift rose to reveal Ku Xue, Ku Yu Zhengzhong, and Ku Qin Zemin along with a few carts of silver, presumably the rest of their men had stayed behind with the rest of the silver due to the limited space on the platform. The three were about to step off the lift when Tsubame giggled, “I really wouldn't do that if I were you.” It was at that moment they noticed the holes in the dirt around them with wires leading to the detonator in the little girl on the bench's hand.
Ku Qin Zemin spoke out on his cousins' behalf, “You know we won't surrender the silver, so what do you want?”
“When the tournament is over I want you to accompany me while I go shopping for fine silks.” Despite the rabbit mask hiding her face the joy in Ming Jia Ying's words was clear.
Everyone was baffled by the turn in the conversation, but none more than Ku Qin Zemin, “That voice... I recognize that voice... Is it really you Jia Ying?”
Ming Jia Ying removed her mask, unveiling a dazzling smile even as her cheeks blushed crimson. She fought back tears of joy as she exclaimed, “Hello dear husband!”