Li’s next opponent was a Fire Mage. Not a terrible matchup for her, but not a great one either, in Yu’s experience. The Fire and Wind Affinities were an interesting combination. Most of the time, they were used in conjunction with each other, both in and out of combat. Wind fed fire, making the fire attack stronger, faster, hotter, and such. They made a powerful combination, and because of that, Yu had long been disappointed that she did not have a Wind Affinity in her admitted absurd list of capabilities.
Was she complaining about food options when in front of a feast, yes she was. Did she care? No, she did not. She was allowed to complain occasionally too. Fire and wind were an awesome combination and wishing she had them was fair, she figured. Then again, when her father had shown her his metallic armor skills, she had wanted that too. So, yeah, maybe she was just greedy.
Shaking her head free of her avarice, she refocused on Li. When Fire and Wind were in opposition, interesting and sometimes surprising outcomes were common. For example, in a sect arena challenge, Yu had witnessed a Wind Mage actually take control over the fire from a Fire Mage, turn it into a horizontal tornado, and blast it back at its caster. Of course, that was accomplished with liquid Qi, but the experience was something that had stuck with Yu.
In the case of a Wind Warrior and Fire Mage, their faction had practiced numerous different approaches for each side to take. Yu thought she knew what Li would do, or at least attempt to do, and was… while maybe not confident, at least hopeful.
There was some small amount of fanfare before each fight, replaying “best” moments (meaning most violent), so when all the hullabaloo was over with and the judge dropped his hand, Li did exactly what Yu would have done. She charged.
The Fire Mage took what was likely his best option, which was to backpedal while conjuring flames in front of him. He created small needles of fire, which while appearing weak, were actually a good distance attack. There were a few reasons for this.
One, he could create many of them which would blanket the area, thus making dodging pretty much impossible. It was primarily an area of attack skill. Two, unlike the grade 1 Fire Lance Qi skill, these needles were compact. This meant, unlike the larger lances of the grade 1 skill, they were actually relatively decent at causing harm because the damage was over a smaller area rather than widely spread. However, individually, they were still tiny needles. One needed to be hit by quite a few to be victim to more than surface damage and pain.
Overall, it was a decent skill for a grade 2, because uncompressed fire Qi tended to spread outward quickly. Thus, it was good for this fight due to it limiting Li’s primary asset, her speed.
As a result, Li took the only real option she had unless she wanted to be peppered with tens of small painful explosions. She increased the Qi to her grade 2 Whirlwind Defense skill, which caused her skin to be surrounded by spinning air. As the defense was made of uncompressed Qi, it was quite limited in its capabilities, mainly used against, well, low impact skills.
In short, this part of the match demonstrated an area of effect attack versus an area of effect defense. It was also the best Li could do with her limited skillset using non-liquified Qi.
The outcome was as Yu expected. Constant popping sounds could be heard as the innumerable needles contacted everything, including Li, which exploded against her whirling barrier of air. She could see Li wince as many got through, but that could only be expected, and Li knew that. Far more were blocked than hit her, which was all that mattered because in a few breaths, Li was within reach of the Fire Mage.
He reacted poorly to having a petite, manically grinning, knife-wielding, spiky-haired Wind Warrior less than a pace from him. Yu could see his eyes widen and pupils narrow as Li’s knife approached, likely moving so quickly he could barely make it more than a blurry point.
This was where mages were weak. Up close, their options were limited, especially without compressed Qi. Thus, he took what was likely an instinctual action. He brough his arms in front of himself in an effort to not get stabbed in the face or heart. Yu could see Li’s right knife thrust forward in a blur, about to puncture those arms as it was targeting the man’s throat.
Li was right-handed, which meant she had almost always led with her right hand. That was until Yu beat that habit out of her. The thought made Yu smile as Li’s left hand also thrust forward, just below the mage’s arms and into his center mass.
The mage screamed and then let out a gurgling sound.
“Ouch,” Yu said quietly with a wince. “Liver. That will be a difficult wound for a healer below Consolidation.” Meaning without compressed Qi, healing a sliced liver is almost impossible due to the number of veins as well as the toxins it will be leaking into his body.
“He will not survive it,” her master said.
Yu sighed, nodding.
Hopefully Li will be okay with that. She didn’t seem to mind the last round, but one-on-one isn’t the same.
Li did not seem to have any issues as she leaped backward, black blood flying as she pulled her knives free. She jumped up and down, waving at the crowd, and the sect area specifically. The crowd roared, thrilled both with the fight, although it was rather short, and Li’s excitement afterward. Blood and death always got them riled up and a fighter recognizing them for it made them cheer all the louder.
Shaking her head at that thought, she asked, “Bao Qing is number twenty-one, so he’s only a few fights away. What do you think of his chances?”
“About the same. Mainly because, despite having the advantage of being a mage, uncompressed water is a poor weapon. It will depend on his training and skills.”
Yu could only nod in agreement. In her experience, Water Qi was the most useless of her combat affinities. That was one of countless reasons she wanted to compress her Qi. She had seen compressed Water Qi used as a weapon, and, well, as her master had said, an unused weapon only weakened her. The water version of the whip skill almost made her drool. After all, who would not want to both choke and drown someone at the same time if they could?
The next few bouts were uninteresting, until it was time for the twenty-first pairing. Thankfully, Bao Qing’s matchup could not have been more in his favor. Like Li, he also faced a Fire Mage and Yu watched as he dismantled his opponent. She was moderately capable, but only had one grade 1 and one grade 2 skill, and neither was a good counter to ranged water attacks. In short, it was no contest at all for Qing, who quickly bludgeoned her out of the ring.
He really has come a long way from that first match with me.
It was not the first time Yu had had that thought. She had been training with him after all, and had not only witnessed, but assisted with his growth. She thought of the hopes she had for Qing as she watched him walk off the stage. He would do well in the spirit realm, assuming he could pull off one more victory.
Overall, that day’s fights were short, mostly brutal, and not filled with a lot of what Yu would call quality combat. It struck her again how fortunate she was, and how something as random as the luck of her birth prevented her from being one of those fighting for a place… or one of the crowd, cheering for the brutal death of someone she did not even know.
***
“I’m more than ready for this whole thing to be over and done with,” Fan Qinxue complained on the last day of the finals.
“I agree,” Fan Ran replied. “This was such a waste of time and resources.”
“It’s not like the Empire won’t profit from it. Just the gambling revenue alone will likely offset the event expenses.”
Ran shrugged at his sister. He did not really care about the event, one way or another. Profit or loss, none of it mattered to him or his assignment.
Their family rotated seats every day so each sibling got to sit next to another. Today he was between his favorite sister and their eldest brother. The latter had moved a few seats away, but Ran could still tell he wasn’t excited to be present either. Certainly, as the leading son of their generation, he had to give off an air of aloofness, so he was quiet and passive; but Ran knew him well enough to see the boredom in his eyes, even from seats away.
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He was also the only heir of his generation of any status from any of the great clans to be heading into the spirit realm. He was the oldest who had been ordered to not advance to Consolidation, Ran himself being the youngest. Even as the eldest heir of his generation, his brother was being sent into the spirit realm. The Fan clan did not coddle its young. They were shoved into the fire and were either found useful or wanting – and nobody wanted to experience the results of being the latter.
“Tell me, brother, a member of Fenghuang Yu’s faction is fighting for a spot today, correct?” his sister asked from the seat next to him. It was the first time in a long while that Qinxue – who was his twin and the only sibling of his generation that he got along with – and he had a chance to speak.
“Yes. One of the leaders as well, who is also one of her best friends, Jao Li. She is… energetic.”
“Oh?” Qinxue said mischievously. “Interested in her?”
Ran laughed but shook his head. “Oh, definitely not. She’s too violent and childish for me. A born fighter with little restraint. Plus, she and Fenghuang Yu’s brother are together. And quite dedicated to each other if I am any judge, although they bicker like an old married couple.”
“Her brother huh? What’s he like?”
“Fenghuang Lei is a talented Ice Warrior. He made it into the sect’s top one hundred within two years and into the inner sect within five. Quite gifted. Unlike most at that sect, he is not spread too thin, primarily focusing on combat. He does take various leadership classes, but that is due to him being the heir to his father’s city lord position. Granted, it is a small city on the verge, but we both know that will be changing. He is also very close to his sister.” Seeing her interest increase the more he spoke, Ran grinned. “On top of that, he is very attractive. Tall, dashing, muscular. Just how you like them.”
“Hmmm,” she sat forward, a glint in her eye. “He does seem like my type. I don’t suppose he’s here?”
“Actually, he is. He’s here to support Jao Li.”
“Oh? Can you point him out?”
Ran stood up and worked his way to the banister of their outdoor booth, Qinxue right behind him. It took a bit, but he found Lei in the sect group reserved area and pointed him out to his sister.
“See that one in the pale blue and white robes on the third row, fifth seat in?”
Qinxue leaned over, blocking his view. While nobody was looking, Ran looked up the seats to a box a bit away from his own, where he saw Yu standing at the banister, showing her shocking good looks to the world with an unusual smile on her face.
A few breaths later Ran heard a breathy, “Oh, my…”
“Huh?” slipped out as he had gotten lost in his thoughts. For a moment he thought he might have said those words.
“Look. At. Him. Heavens. Between the pair of them, I have to ask, is their whole family this good looking?”
“Yes,” he said without thinking. Then he caught himself and cleared his throat. “Lei is quite well liked by the female contingent at the sect. I can put in a good word for you if you like, although lately he has been particularly attentive to Jao Li.”
She smirked knowingly at him, but continued without further snark. “Ice you said, right?” Ran nodded. “So, he’s deeply connected to a future major asset, heir to the lord of an up-and-coming city, has far above-average cultivation talent, is dedicated to his woman, and along with all that, he’s totally gorgeous. After everything I just listed, I almost don’t care, but what is his personality like?”
“He has always been very polite to me, despite being suspicious, which I take as a positive in his case. In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen him be cruel to anyone, unless they offend him or his. Especially his sister and her friends. I would say he borders just short of over-protective, although Yu does occasionally complain that he, how did she put it, ‘acts like an Owlbear and her life is his honey.’”
Qinxue laughed. “Oh, I like her too. No wonder you’re—”
“Aaaanyway, if I could summarize, I would say Fenghuang Lei is a good person who gets serious for all the right reasons and is able to enforce that strongly enough.”
“Right,” she said with an eyeroll. “Well, you’ve sold me. I want in. And father or the elders wouldn’t object, if for no other reason than his relation to his sister. Plus, I’ve rejected all of the suiters they offered. Bunch of spoiled losers I’d chew up and spit out without a challenge.” Then she tapped her chin. “I wonder if he’s thinking of Jao Li as a first wife or if they are open to a change.”
Ran raised his eyebrows at her blunt commentary, but he answered. “The open talk in the faction is that he and Jao Li are definitely thinking long term. However, he will absolutely have the full three wives and Li is fine with that. As far as placement, I can’t say, other than confirming that Li is of lower status. If you ask me nicely, I can dig a bit. It’ll cost you though.”
“Hmmm. Might be worth it. But wait until we see if this Jao Li lives through her last match. If so, then definitely. It will be good to plant the seed before the spirit realm – that way he’ll be thinking of me.”
The normal price for such a favor usually ended up being returned when she spoke on his behalf in front of their father or the elders. However, as they were heading into the spirit realm, he was not sure that was as valuable as it might otherwise be.
Before he could make alternative demands though, she made an offer. In a low voice, she leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I have some information in exchange.”
“Oh?” he whispered back. “Information worth me sticking my nose into Fenghuang family business?
“I think so. Has to do with the second princess and your favorite girl.”
Ran was interested the moment she said “princess,” but then coughed at “favorite girl.”
“She’s an assignment, don’t make—”
She held up a finger. “Don’t bother. I know what I see. So do we have a deal?”
Ran could have objected again, but he knew his sister well enough that he did not bother. Once she had an idea in her head, no matter how wrong it was, she stuck to it. And in this case, she was definitely wrong.
“If the information is as valuable as you say, then yes.”
“You heard Uncle Yang’s report on the meeting in the palace with all the sect heads and the clan representatives?”
Ran nodded. “The sect leader and Yu disappeared after the Gui minister and princess arrived.”
“While that is correct, it is also missing some key information.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh? Why didn’t you share this with the family?”
“You know that Uncle Yang’s domain was damaged, right?”
“Yeah. Everyone in the family knows about it. That one lady, what was her name, Long Shi something, poisoned him.”
“Yes. Thankfully he’ll be fine, but that’s not what matters here. I did not share because I wanted to use it as a bargaining tool. For example, with you, right now.”
“It’s been such a long time, I forgot how conniving you are. Okay, you have my attention.”
“We both know you didn’t forget, but whatever. Anyway, Uncle’s limited perceptions missed something important about your girl and the princess.”
“Aaaaand?”
“I just wanted to make sure you remembered what we were talking about,” she said with a snarky grin.
“Are you going to drag this out forever?” he asked dryly.
“Not forever. Just long enough to make you squirm.” Ran rolled his eyes dramatically. She giggled. “Alright, I won’t tease. The moment that Fenghuang Yu saw the princess, she froze and just for a breath, not even a breath really, her Qi leaked out.”
“Huh. Interesting.” Ran pondered that, rubbing his chin. “I wouldn’t expect that. She has excellent control. Why though? How would she even know the princess? This is her first time in the Capital and our intelligence says the princess hasn’t left it in years.”
“No idea, but here’s the trick of it. It wasn’t just the Qi. For that same bare breath of time, I swear to you I saw your girl snarl.”
“Snarl?” Ran found that as hard to believe as her losing control of her Qi. She was just too disciplined.
A snarl? Really? Yeah, right.
“I can see your skepticism, but I swear I saw it. Lip curled, teeth bared. It was real. Then she and the sect master vanished. Just disappeared. Of course, after they left, the princess looked shocked, understandably. Nobody without authorization should be able to use a movement skill in that area of the palace grounds.”
Ran shrugged. He personally would not list anything as impossible when it came to the sect master. The man was likely unstoppable in Ran’s opinion.
“Yes, well,” Qinxue continued, “Everyone in the room was surprised, whispering or openly talking about it. ‘What happened,’ ‘where’d they go,’ ‘Did you feel that?’ That sort of thing. Everyone except the princess. She’s frozen in shock. Until maybe five breaths passed, then her face changed. She became angry. No, that doesn’t do it justice. Her face turned red, her jaw was clenched, fists tight. She wasn’t just angry, she was furious. Livid. Then she stormed out without a word.”
“I see. And all of a sudden, the next morning she was no longer a neutral party in the succession.”
“That’s right. It’s up to you to figure out what it all means, though.”
Ran nodded. He needed some time to consider – play with some ideas, move the facts around in his mind.
“So, does this pay my price?” Qinxue asked.
“It does. You have a deal. Be available at the ball.”
His sister smiled hugely at him and lightly bumped his shoulder. She then returned to her seat while Ran stayed there, leaning against the balcony.
Despite his doubts, he knew his sister. Her perceptions were outstanding, even without a domain. She was one of the one-in-ten million that had been born with a special physique – the only one in their family, in fact. Hers granted her the strange ability to “see” Qi, although she described more as “sensing ocean currents,” whatever that meant. She could not see it in people, just the environment. According to her, in a place as open and full like the arena, Qi was too overwhelming for the talent to be helpful, but in an enclosed room with few cultivators, it was something she could use well.
Either way, Ran trusted Qinxue’s judgement, which meant… what exactly?
What happened that made Yu angry enough to lose control while at the same time causing the princess, an expert politician, to do the same? On top of that, all of a sudden, Yu vanishes and is holed up for days in the Long Estate, while the princess becomes a public supporter of Prince Niu, someone fighting against Yu’s fiancé? Well, future fiancé, but same thing in this context.
Ran though about those facts for a bit.
This is all very bizarre. I’m clearly missing some key piece or pieces of information, because the connections make no sense as I see them.
He leaned against the banister, glancing at Yu again.
What am I missing? What could possibly have happened to you to cause such an unexpected set of outcomes?