In the shade of a large tree overlooking a nearby creek the three sat together to enjoy their meal. While Ming Jia Ying was enjoying a batch of steamed buns Shan Yang was regaling Ming Fang with tales of his adventures since she left the military.
“A water cultivator stranded in the desert, you must have cut quite the sorry figure Old Goat. Can you imagine one of the empire's Three Pillars in such a state Ying'er?” chortled Ming Fang.
Ming Jia Ying nearly choked on her food at the question. Of course she'd heard of the Three Pillars, having cultivated to the Scholar Realm, their power in the empire was second only to the Sage Emperor Ku Pa. Scholar Ku, also known as Imperial Prince Ku Fu, is the youngest of the three, possessing boundless potential, he could be the first to rise to the Sage Realm since the emperor. Commander of the Shock Troopers, an elite squad of lightning cultivators that specialize in eliminating high value targets behind enemy lines, Scholar Long is believed to be the strongest of the Three Pillars. Due to his keen mind, Scholar Shan holds the record for most consecutive victories of any general in the military's history, it's even rumored that he defeated Sage Emperor Ku Pa in a mock battle.
No matter how hard she tried, Ming Jia Ying couldn't match up the image of a reliable, wise and dependable general she'd read about in school with the rambunctious Shan Yang before her. As she attempted to calm her mind he let even more shocking news slip, “Actually, I'm no longer one of the Three Pillars. I retired.” As the silence of the mother daughter pair dragged on Shan Yang sipped his tea with a content look on his face.
Finally Ming Fang erupted, “Don't try to sell us that fucking bullshit you damn old geezer! There's no way the emperor would let you retire. At least not without a ceremony honoring your achievements and announcing your successor. You were too important to the war effort and morale to be allowed to quietly exit the stage.”
Seeming quite pleased with Ming Fang's outburst, Shan Yang simply replied, “I faked my death,” as he continued to enjoy his tea.
“What!? Why?”
“As I was telling you, I ended up separated from the brigade I was leading, we were attempting to breach further south into Alkebulan[1] than we ever had before. The emperor personally appointed me to the mission in the hope that I could find water sources as we crossed the desert. I squeezed every drop of water I could out of the clouds that passed over head. Things were going well until the sand wyrms attacked.”
“Sand wyrms! I thought they were just a myth.”
“I thought so too. Military intelligence was never able to verify the stories. We assumed we'd be able to handle it with numbers if it turned out to be true, the stories only ever mentioned one wyrm, but we were attacked by dozens. I ordered a full retreat and covered their escape. I pulled in water from every cloud I could see and bombarded the wyrms in an attempt to draw them away. I could sense a large source of water in the distance and made my way there with the wyrms in tow. I took several hits, but I eventually made it to an oasis where I took a stand against the beasts until they eventually gave up. However, by that point I'd already been heavily wounded. I only survived by the grace of The Academic.”
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“I didn't take you for the religious type. And as a soldier shouldn't you be thanking The Contender?”
“I'm not, I'm giving thanks where it's due. As my consciousness began to fade I saw a door materialize in the middle of the oasis, the door opened, revealing a great library. When I awoke the door was gone, it was night and a small wet compress was on my forehead. Before I could rise a man came around a small fire and told me to rest. He explained that I had a high fever due to an infection. Over the next few days my awareness drifted in and out as he continued to treat me and feed me. When my fever broke and I had longer moments of lucidity, we began to chat. When I asked him about the sand wyrms, he explained that they'd been drawn over by the rain. Turns out they need the rain to mate. After that we talked about a wide range of topics, from military strategy to political sociology and social psychology. He even helped me get past a recent road block I'd encountered in my cultivation.”
“Is this another of your tall tales Old Goat? Don't go pulling my leg. How could he help you with your cultivation? He'd have to be at your level or even higher!”
“That's my point! Peak cultivation realm, the library, a desire to help others, and nearly limitless knowledge. Sounds like The Academic to me! As I said, I survived by the grace of The Academic.”
“Say I believe you Old Goat. That still doesn't explain why you'd fake your death or why you'd risk being discovered to come visit Ying'er and I.”
Shan Yang's voice grew quiet, almost bashful, “I never had a family of my own, the military was my family. The respect and admiration of those under my command was enough for me. That is until you, Ming Fang, you were the daughter I never knew I wanted. When Ming Ping passed away and you retired to raise Ming Jia Ying I felt so alone.” Turning to look lovingly at Ming Jia Ying, “Despite this being our first meeting, I have always thought of her as a granddaughter. She's even more magnificent than your letters described.” Smiling brightly at Ming Fang, “As I laid there in the oasis, thinking I was about to die, my thoughts drifted to you. I desperately wanted the strength to survive, to see you once more. But the weight of my rank and responsibilities seemed so heavy, I wanted nothing more than to cast them aside. The thought of returning to the military was so exhausting that the idea of death seemed almost peaceful by comparison. After recovering from my injuries I intercepted a messenger bird carrying a notice stating I'd been missing since the encounter with the sand wyrms and was presumed dead. I left them to their assumptions and came here looking for you.”
“You foolish, sweet Old Goat! What a troublesome father you are,” said Ming Fang as she choked back tears while Ming Jia Ying looked on with equally misty eyes. As she wiped the corners of her eyes Ming Fang asked, “Where should we go? Should we leave the empire? We can't let them discover that you're still alive!” The thought of sending Shan Yang away to keep her and her daughter out of danger never even crossed her mind.
“No need to run away. In fact I'm thinking of hiding in plain sight. I spent most of my time on the front lines so few people know what I look like. In fact, there's a man in the capitol whose life I once saved. Said he'd give me a piece of property as thanks, so I thought I might open a shop or something.”
Author's Notes:
[1]Alkebulan is the oldest known name for the African continent, meaning mother of mankind