The acrid smoke thickened as flames began to devour what remained within the camp. The encampment wasn’t surrounded by trees, so the likelihood of the fire would spread was at minimum.
Susu hissed as she winced, feeling her right shoulder scream out in protest as she tried to move. The burn of her old injury returned and it felt as if she her hand was about to fall off.
She knew using her right hand and creating an imbalance of Yin and Yang essence within her Qi would’ve made the injury resurface, but she didn’t care. “Ensuring Zhao Li’s protection will always come first.”
“Mo…Lady Susu” Zhao Li shouted, darting the blood-stained ground. She ran into her arms, coughing as the smoke sinked into her nose.
Susu’s heart clenched. We’ve been in this fire too long, she noted. Her eyes began to sting from the smoke and ash. “I’m sorry Li’er, I should’ve brought you here.”
Li’er’s eyes welled with tears, but she squared her shoulders bravely.
A smile touched Susu’s lips despite the pain. She felt relief, but most of all satisfaction. This was her first time fighting to this extent in a long time.
In Axsum, the kahntian warriors used the earth to power their attacks, which made all of her fights seem futile…she always won, but the fights were not as exhilarating as they were in Huaxia.
Susu turned to look at the woman in green one more time and something caught her attention. A leathered binding peeked out from within the woman’s robes. She patted Li’er on the shoulder. “Go back to Luan, we’re leaving now.”
She nodded and sprinted across the ashen ground. Susu then turned to the corpse and approached it. She knelt down, looking at the leathery bind and pulled it free. “A book?”
Susu opened the book and her eyes widened as she scanned the contents. “A toxicology manual,” She whispered. She tucked it into her own robes. If there was an antidote for the poison, it might be hidden within these pages.
“SCORPION MAIDEN!” Hong Quan shouted, “The fire’s spreading faster…we should leave!”
The heat intensified and smoke grew thicker, making it harder to breathe with each passing moment.
“The tunnel,” Wei Long coughed, “lets leave…”
Luan grabbed Zhao Li’s hand and scooped her up onto his back. The fire roared and hissed, as if it were living dragon. Susu picked up the woman in green’s corpse, remembering the bounty and headed towards the tunnel.
As they all left the encampment, making their way back to the forest. No one spoke a word, it was if, their experience was telling enough.
It also didn’t help when Susu and Quan were carrying two dead bodies. It was as morbid as it gets.
It took them between four hours to return to the city gates on foot. As the gates were shut, they decided to sleep in the forest tonight.
Zhao Li complained of hunger and Susu winced at her annoyance. How could she forget the food? It pacified Zhao Li promising her a hot breakfast tomorrow, and offered her some water in the mean time.
The moon casted its light across the forest and Zhao Li eventually went to sleep in Susu’s arm.
Hong Quan, Wei Zhen, Wei Long and Luan didn’t sleep in the trees, but rotated shifts, rotating shifts of two hours.
The morning dew still clung to the grass beneath their feet, and the first rays of sunlight pierced through the canopy above, creating dancing patterns on the forest floor. When the sun caressed the forest, Wei Long, and Luan were the ones to head into the city to fetch the carriage.
They returned after three, bringing the carriage and food. It wasn’t hot, but it was hot enough to sate Zhao Li’s frustration.
“Is Liu Feng alright?” Susu asked.
“He’s much better since we got the antidote, but there’s no toxicology specialists within the Martial Arts alliance to help expunge the poison from his arm.” Luan answered.
“I see, he has to back to the valley. Master Bo should take charge of his recovery.”
“He might lose his hand by then Master,”
“I rather him lose his hand, than his life. The closest city is Shaanxi, and that’s two weeks away. We cannot dally.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Luan folded his hands into fist and Susu could see his resilience. Although he wasn’t there when Liu Fang had been injured, she could tell he felt responsible for him.
“Luan, it’s not your fault…I was there and I even I could stop him from being poisoned.”
Hong Quan appeared next to Luan and clapped his shoulder, “lad, this is part of life in the jianghu. If you can’t move pass this, it maybe best you return to the sect and never set foot in the jianghu ever again.”
Luan turned to Quan, who was still squeezing his shoulder. Susu could tell he was searching for words to reply, but he just stood there, with his hands clenched.
“You have to accept that some things are beyond your control,” Hong Quan finished, releasing Luan’s shoulder.
They loaded the two bodies onto the carriage and wrapped the corpse in coarse linen.
As they approached Sichuan’s outer walls, the rusted gleam from the granite blocks was due to centuries of siege and storm. Scars from countless battles, yet they stood as proud and unyielding as the day they were raised.
Green moss crept up the lower thirds of the walls, creating an ethereal tapestry that spoke of both age and resilience.
Susu stood at the back of the carriage, unfolding the bounty certificate one final time. The yellowed parchment bore the crimson seal of the Martial Arts Alliance, its edges worn from being frequently handled during their pursuit.
The detailed description matched their quarry perfectly: bandits plaguing the western forests of Sichuan, particularly along the vital trade routes leading to Faizou in the north. The certificate's emphasis on their use of poisons had proved prophetic.
The city guards wore armour of overlapping steel plates lacquered in deep azure, the colour of Sichuan’s governing family. Their helmets, crowned with dramatic crimson horsehair plumes, caught the morning light and seemed to blaze like living flame. Each guard carried a glaive of polished steel, highlighting their prestige in the city in which the Imperial Family came from.
As the carriage approached, two guards crossed their glaives, blocking their path. The sharp ring of steel on steel echoed primly. “State your business,” A senior guard commanded. His golden insignia on his shoulder armor marked him as a captain, and the scars on his exposed forearms spoke of years of combat experience.
Susu stepped forward presenting the bounty certificate. As she unfolded the yellow paper, she ensured that the senior guard saw the alliance’s stamp. “We come bearing proof of justice served,” she said calmly, then waved her hand pointing to the bodies in the carriage. “These are the leaders of the Phantom Fox Brigade. They have been terrorising the wester forests that lead to Faizou, obstructing the trade between the two cities.
She opened her hand and Luan placed a lacquered box on. She turned to the guards and opened the box, vials with liquid dark as midnight and clouded misted liquid as well. “The poison they’ve been using in their attacks, along with the cure.”
Not giving a guard a chance, Hong Quan stepped forwards, his eyes cold as steel. “This is Iron Fan Lan, a mercenary.” Hong Quan said, gesturing to the second corpse. “This woman appears to be their toxicologist, though her name remains unknown to us.”
The guard captain took the certificate and scanned it. He then passed it to a scribe who’d emerged from the gatehouse. The scribe was a young man carrying a thick ledger bound in red leather. It didn’t take long for him to compare the seal of the martial arts alliance.
A second guard, with silver markings on his, stepped forward to examine the vials. He uncorked one of the poison containers. The acrid smell that wafted forth caused him to recoil, his eyes widening in recognition.
“Sure you don’t want to hand these over? We’ll pay you five gold coins, that’s probably double what the alliance would pay you.”
“Maybe another time,” Susu said with a laugh, “My disciples need the points for their bounty class to increase.”
“Figured…”
The scribe returned the certificate to the captain and he rolled it back before giving it back to Susu. “The Imperium appreciates your duty. You may enter Sichuan,” he announced, waving them through.
“Thank you, Captain.”
They nodded to the guards and guided their carriage through Sichuan’s gate. The vendors of Sichuan were now setting up their stalls. The bustle of commerce faltered as people caught sight of their grim cargo. Mothers pulled their children closer, and even hardened merchants bowed their heads in silent acknowledgment of justice served.
Zhao Li dozed as she rested her head on Susu’s lap. As Susu looked down at her veiled face, she could only remark on how courageous she had been throughout the entire ordeal. She didn’t complain, she didn’t whimper, she stood firm, as if she was in battle herself.
Susu knew though, she was scared, because she herself was scared of failing, and the fact that Liu Fang got injured…was more than enough proof of her failure. She’d never been responsible for disciples before, and on her first outing with them. I need to be better, She moaned. A lot better!
The architecture of the Martial Arts Alliance command office building rose like a mountain carved from wood and stone. As they dismounted before the grand entrance, Susu instinctively tapped the toxicology manual pressing against her chest, secured by her inner robes. She had no plans of divulging its existence to anyone other than Ming Lei, who was an understudy for her Martial Brother Bo Ying. If there’s anyone that can help Liu Feng, it would be him.
“Master Susu…Master Quan.” A scholarly-looking man said, greeting them with a bow. His robes were embroidered with the markings of an Alliance administrator. His eyes widened progressively as he took in their battle-worn appearance – the blood-stained clothes, the shadows of exhaustion beneath their eyes, the grim cargo they bore. “My name is Qing Si, I’ve heard word of your triumph with the Phantom Fox Brigade. Come, the adjutants are ready to debrief you.”
“Right…Wei Zhen, look for Ming Lei…you too Luan, Li’er…listen to Luan, understood?”
“Yes please,” She said with a eager nod.”
“Good.”
Susu and Quan followed him into the building's cool interior, Susu exchanged meaningful glances with Hong Quan. They had completed their mission, brought justice to the roads of Sichuan, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this was merely the beginning of a larger story. The toxicology manual hidden against her heart held secrets that could heal or harm – a double-edged sword as sharp as any blade in the Jianghu.