The rain was heavy as the two cloaked figures stood before the gates of The Hunting Lodge. Even as they did, the smaller of the two figures couldn’t help but wonder if the owners had ever actually seen a real hunting lodge before because this looked nothing like one. It was a fortress. Thick walls of stone and earth adorned with black and silver banners rose so high that they rivaled the massive depths of the Black Crevice where she grew up.
“Keep close, Lihua. These people aren’t fond of outsiders of any kind, and they’ve been particularly touchy towards spirit beasts lately,” her mentor instructed as the gates were opened for them.
The smaller figure wondered if she could even be considered a spirit beast anymore. After all, her spider form was gone…along with everything else she had in that life. When she’d crawled to her master at death’s door, he’d saved her only by removing her soul and putting it in the puppet she’d worked so hard to construct. The spider body had been beyond recovering.
“Master, why exactly are we here?” she asked. Eyes bored into them from all sides as dirty, wet cultivators looked them over like rabid dogs barely held by their leashes. They noted her smaller figure and the bright pink of her dress peeking out from beneath her cloak, and they grinned wickedly at her.
“We are here to speak with the Lord,” he answered. “I imagine he’s in quite the foul mood right now. This is the best chance to capitalize on the situation and get what we want.”
“What we want,” Lihua repeated. She knew what they wanted: that beautiful cultivator. Even the thought of him made her cheeks flush pink. That sweet smile he’d worn at the temple while paying his respects to the Wind Master, the cold fury in his eyes when he fought, the way his hair sparkled in the moonlight…she wanted it all. He would make the most beautiful knight, and she wanted him more than anything.
After her defeat in Heimian, she’d nearly given up hope of ever attaining such a wonderful prize. She’d also been sure her Master would abandon her for her failure, but he hadn’t. After being chased halfway across the tiny town, her Master had found her, and, with a smile, had told her it was time to continue her training. If she worked hard, they would bring the cultivator to their side. That was what her Master promised.
If being in this rotting cesspool of cultivation scum would achieve her goal, then she would hold her head high and step through the muck and mud. Goodness knows there was plenty of filth here…
“Who are you to disturb our lord?” asked another wretched human. Lihua couldn’t be bothered to even look at his ugly features. He wouldn’t even make a beautiful corpse, and thus, was beneath her attention.
“Lord Shen will want to speak with us,” her Master said.
“We weren’t expecting strangers, so get lost.” The cultivator in question took a threatening step closer to the pair, sneering at them.
Lihua shook her head, then moved with a flash. She was intimately familiar with the human body after creating one from scratch. Her fan jabbed at the cultivator’s chest, slamming into six key pressure points in quick succession before she stepped back behind her Master. Her fan snapped open, and she waved it lazily as the cultivator crumpled in a gurgling pile.
“Who knew they’d use such trash to guard their master?” she mused. “Not even an Iron.”
“Most of their Irons are playing with your lunar friend,” answered the Master. Lihua pouted. By his tone, she was sure that her friend was playing quite rough with them, but she couldn’t help but feel just a bit jealous that they got to see him, and she didn’t.
Another cultivator rushed over. Unlike the others, he actually had some semblance of decorum and was wearing a nice leather cloak with a fox fur collar to keep off the rain.
“Wandering Master,” he greeted with a bow, recognizing the powerful presence of his visitors. “Please forgive us for our rude subordinates. I’m quite certain my father would be keen to meet one as wise and learned as yourself.”
“You must be Shen Taihua,” Master greeted. “My condolences for your loss.”
“My…but how did you…?”
“I have my ways.”
Shen Taihua glanced from master to disciple in quick succession before deciding not to inquire further. Wandering Masters and Hidden Masters worked in mysterious ways, and it was often best not to question them. Even Lihua had learned that her Master often would not tell her the method behind his actions, expecting her to figure them out for herself.
“Please, my father is within.” Shen Taihua bowed once more before leading the pair up several flights of stairs to the main keep. They ducked out of the rain and shed their cloaks.
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A roar of anger followed by the crash of something fragile against the floor was the first taste of the Lord that Lihua heard. It was several rooms over, but he was clearly livid. Yet, her Master approached with an ethereal confidence that Lihua did her best to emulate. It was difficult. There was something about the grace with which her Master walked combined with the way his sky-blue robes flowed that gave him an almost inhuman grace. Still, she tried.
“Father?” Shen Taihua knocked gently on the door. “Father, you have visitors.”
“Send them away! Can’t you see I’m busy?” fumed his father.
“Yes, Father, but,” the young master glanced at the pair, “they knew about Yaoxan.”
The room beyond suddenly went quiet. It was a long minute before the man within gave the order to enter. Lihua followed her master in, head bowed.
“Lord Shen Tori,” Master greeted. Lihua followed her Master’s lead and bowed. Luckily for him, Shen Tori had the presence of mind to stop her Master.
“Please, I would be incredibly rude to make such a powerful cultivator bow to me,” he said, bowing instead. Lihua saw her Master’s lips twitch upward just slightly, clearly pleased with the man’s observation.
“I see you’re a very perceptive man,” he praised. “Thank you for seeing me unannounced.”
“Taihua said you had information about Y-…about my son.” It was then that Lihua noticed the red rim around the Lord’s eyes and the loose strands of hair he’d hastily tied back into his topknot. Specs of dust were clear on his gloves and the bottom hem of his robes. He was grieving, and it was recent enough that neither he nor his remaining son had donned a white sash of mourning.
Are humans really so volatile after the death of their spawn? Lihua thought to herself. Mother would never have mourned any of her children, but I guess humans only have a handful of offspring.
“Yes. In fact, along with my condolences, I would like to offer my assistance in removing his killer from play,” Master offered.
“You know who it is, then?” Shen Tori’s eyes narrowed.
“Of course. Tsuyuki Yoru is making a name for himself. I hear that several of the eastern towns praise his efforts to ‘free the shore,’” Master continued. “They don’t realize the chaos that would bring if the moon artists are allowed to run free.”
Shen Tori crossed the study. On one wall hung a large map of the Moon-Soaked Shore, dotted with dozens of towns, waypoints, and outposts. Lihua almost believed he was studying the map before realizing he was actually staring at a small plaque situated on the bookcase next to the map. It held three tassels, each with a jade pendant and bell hanging from the bottom. The first and second pendants were both cracked, their normal green luster faded to a dull gray. Beneath each pendant was a name: Shen Yaoxan, Shen Reixin, and Shen Taihua.
“Tsuyuki killed my son.” Shen Tori’s voice trembled in rage. “It happened only a few hours ago.”
“You are a devoted father to keep Life Bells for your children.”
“It was seven years ago when my daughter’s bell cracked. I had hoped to be long gone before hearing that sound again.”
Master bowed his head in sympathy. “The death of a precious child is truly the cruelest twist of fate for a parent, especially one so devoted to his duty and to his country. Moon artists like Tsuyuki are dangerous.”
“He’s a moon artist?” Shen Tori’s nose crinkled in fury as he turned to face Lihua and her master. Black mist wicked off his clothes like smoke, and Lihua swore she could hear voices like the softest whispers filling the room. A chill went up her spine and she edged slightly closer to her Master.
“He is. Though he frequently pretends to be a void artist, I have reason to believe he uses moon qi to help fabricate this image,” Master said. “Also, I believe he’s working with one or more of the Spirits of the Shore. It is no understatement when I say that he well may be the greatest threat the Shore has faced since the Lunatic Dynasty and their Dark Moon Worship.”
Shen Tori considered the new information for a long moment before he swept behind his desk and sat, gesturing for the pair to sit across from him. He poured tea from a nearby pot, but Lihua thought she noticed several cups missing from the lineup. It was unbecoming for a leader to throw such a tantrum as far as she was concerned. Void artists were so uncouth with their need to break things all the time, but she kept that thought to herself as she accepted and sipped the tea quietly. She would need to put faith in her master’s plan. If this uncouth void artist was necessary to get her precious, pretty Tsuyuki as her knight, then so be it.
“You mentioned you had a plan to remove Tsuyuki from play?” Shen Tori’s voice was low and serious. “What did you have in mind?”
“It’s simple, really. I’m sure a void artist like you understands the need to isolate one’s enemies. To take him down, we must first take down his allies and the town in which he shelters.”
“With all due respect, what do you think my son was trying to do when he was killed?”
“Your son only had so many resources at his disposal,” Master countered. “I have far more. We must first remove Administrator Tenri, then the Spirit who is aiding him. Only once they’re out of the picture will the path to Tsuyuki himself be revealed.”
“And what will your generous help cost?”
“Only Tsuyuki himself. The rest of the town is yours to do with as you please, but I want him.”
“But-” Shen Tori leapt to his feet, fury burning in his eyes as his qi roiled in a dangerous black haze around him.
“Settle down. You are welcome to kill him first, if that would make you feel better. So long as the body is mostly intact, I will be satisfied.”
“Mostly?”
“Mostly.”
Shen Tori sat back down, considering the proposal. Lihua bit her lip. She needed him to accept her Master’s terms. She needed that artist to be her knight. It was the only way to truly have him, and it was within her grasp.
“Very well, what did you have in mind?”
A kind smile spread across Master’s face, but his eyes were still cold. Lihua didn’t know what he was planning, but the look of absolute determination filled her with excitement.
“I can tell this will be a beneficial arrangement for us both,” Master answered. “Leave the Administrator and the Chain-Bound Fury to me. When I’m through, they’ll be too broken to ever challenge anyone again.”