by Jeremy Bai
“Yes. A different weakness for each ogre, again, a function of the natural and magical laws around us. I hope you’ll forgive me if I decline to tell you my own. Ogres are very protective of that secret. Of course, considering my vast network of agents throughout the empire, and my skills, I’ve managed to uncover the weaknesses of three of the other four ogre generals. The Bone General’s weakness is…” She took a deep breath. “Paper.”
A laugh escaped Bao’s lips before she could even think to stop it. “Paper? What are you going to do, throw a book at him?”
“Very funny. No, no books. But I did take the time to make these.” The Love General reached into her robe and pulled out a small cloth bundle wrapped with twine. She quickly unbound the bundle and pulled back the cloth to reveal four white spikes, each slightly longer than the length of an average hand, as thick as a thumb at the base, narrowing into a razor-sharp point.
Bao’s eyes widened slightly. “Those are…?”
“They’re made from paper,” the Love General said. “Back where I come from, this technique is used to create art. You boil the paper into a pulp, then add a sticky substance. After that, you can mold and shape it to your liking.”
She took two of the spikes and offered them to Bao. “Here.”
Bao took them. They were very light, but they were solid and well balanced.
“Like I said,” the Love General continued, “the technique is designed to make art, not weapons. You’ll only be able to use each one once, and you will have to strike his eye, or perhaps his neck.”
Bao hefted the spikes in her palm for a moment. “I could project it with qi from a distance.”
The Love General nodded. “That would work. We are immune to qi itself, not to physical objects propelled by it. The only other option would be to get close enough to personally stab him with it. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be in a fight with the Bone General where I had to get that close to him.”
“Me either.”
“Don’t use one of the spikes unless you’re absolutely sure you can strike true. Once he realizes we know his weakness, he will be on guard, and our advantage will be lost. If you propel it from a distance, do it when he’s distracted, otherwise he will surely deflect the attack.”
Bao nodded. Looking at the spikes one last time, she tucked them into her sleeves.
The Love General did likewise.
As had been planned, Wang Tian went far to the east before circling back around and heading back to Bao.
The first thing he said upon returning was, “I found him. They’re holed up in that large building in the middle,” Wang Tian said. “It’s an inn. Phoenix Sovereign, there’s a trading caravan approaching from the east. About thirty merchants and traders. If we intercepted them…”
***
“Are they blind?” the Bone General growled. “An infant could have followed the tracks I left.”
“I’m not sure,” the Golden Immortal said. “A trader came in from the west about an hour ago and then continued on to the east. Other than him, nobody has come or gone. Should I go out and scout around a bit?”
“No. If they recognize you, we would lose the element of surprise. We wait.” He slowly pushed the tip of his knife against the skin on Sunan’s neck, until a small bead of blood pooled. “Once I have the girl, you can carve this one to pieces however you wish.”
There was a soft knock on the door, which the Golden Immortal opened. One of the Bone Slicers slipped in.
“Bone General, Golden Immortal, a merchant caravan just arrived, about forty men strong. Stopping here on their way to Naqan. Doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary with them. There is still no sign of the girl and her people.”
The Bone General gritted his teeth. “That little bitch is really starting to piss me off. I thought she was smarter than this. Fine, let’s bring the fight to her. We move out immediately.”
Sheathing his dagger, he expertly reached out with his finger and jabbed a spot on Sunan’s neck, rendering him unconscious. Then he threw him over his shoulder and reached out to grab a small bronze drum sitting on the table next to the door. The Golden Immortal quickly opened the door and hurried out ahead of him. Then the two of them followed the Bone Slicer down the short hall toward the stairs that led to the common room.
The arrival of the merchant caravan had the inn buzzing already, as the new arrivals began to pour into the common room.
“Filthy commoners,” the Bone General muttered under his breath, making sure that Sunan’s head bumped hard into the wooden wall of the inn as he turned the corner to descend the stairs. “I pray one of them gets in my way so that I can lop a head off.”
Once on the floor of the inn, the Golden Immortal headed toward the door, followed by the Bone General. Meanwhile, the Bone Slicer went to get the other Bone Slicers, who were betting on cricket fights in a small private room in the back.
It was when the Bone General and the Golden Immortal were about halfway to the door that the Golden Immortal happened to turn his head to look at some of the merchants who were sitting at one of the tables. His gaze passed over one of them, a tall, broad-shouldered young man with a well-trimmed goatee. After his gaze left the young man, he looked back, and then his eyes narrowed. He stopped walking.
“Bone Gen—”
Before he could finish speaking, the young merchant threw his cloak off and pulled an axe out from under the table.
The Golden Immortal’s eyes widened, and before he could say another word or raise his golden spear to defend himself, the young merchant swung his axe.
“Slashing Axe!” Mao Yun shouted. The wave of his axe sent a ripple through the air that slammed into the Golden Immortal’s chest. Blood spurted from the wide gash that opened up, and the Golden Immortal staggered backward, crashing into a table behind him.
More merchants threw their cloaks off and drew weapons. Two of them stepped forward to block the path of the Bone General.
The Bone General viciously kicked the nearest one in the chest, sending him tumbling head over heels.
Shouts rang out from the back of the room as the Bone Slicers leapt into the fray.
The Dragon-Phoenix Sect fighters held nothing back as fierce fighting broke out. The handful of actual merchants in the room were screaming and fleeing in terror. Tables were overturned and chairs smashed.
Lin Cuirou single-handedly took on the highest-ranking Bone Slicer, and the two were soon exchanging a flurry of palm strikes and kicks.
After being caught flat-footed, the Golden Immortal jumped to his feet and leapt toward Mao Yun, sparks flying as his golden spear clashed with Mao Yun’s battle-axe.
Then the Bone General leaned to the side as a knife whistled through the air past his ear. As he turned to look in the direction the knife had flown from, his lips twisted into a vicious, bloodthirsty grin.
There, only a few meters away from him, was Bao, holding another knife in her left hand.
“So,” the Bone General said, “you did come after all.”
“Give me Sunan,” she said, drawing a third knife from her belt.
The Bone General hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and said, “Take him!”
With that, he hurled Sunan directly at Bao.
Despite being taken aback, Bao quickly dropped her knives, planted her feet, and stretched her arms wide to catch Sunan. As Sunan flew through the air, the Bone General held the bronze drum out in front of him and raised his other hand as if to strike it.
Bao caught Sunan, staggering backward under his weight and the force of impact but managed to stay on her feet.
It was in this moment of chaotic fighting that the Love General, who was still sitting off to the side, cloaked and hidden, shouted, “Watch out, Bao, that’s the Drum of Midbar!”
Chapter 71: Sending a Message
The Bone General’s hand descended to the surface of the drum, and a sound louder than the loudest thunder exploded i
nto the room. Everything began to vibrate, from the tables to the doors to the teeth of the Dragon-Phoenix fighters and the Bone Slicers. Hands trembled visibly, and some people even dropped their weapons. Everyone stopped fighting.
A bronze beam of light spiraled out from the drum, heading toward Bao with lightning speed, and at the same time, in slow motion.
Bao had no time to think, so she immediately sent qi rushing to the meridians in her legs as she used one of the Dragon-Phoenix Sect’s qinggong techniques to try to evade the light. The edge of the brightness slashed through the leg of her trousers as she leapt to the side with Sunan in her arms. Because of his added weight, she wasn’t able to successfully complete the move, and she landed hard on her back roughly a meter to the left of her original position. The bronze light hit the table that she had been standing in front of, wrapping around it and dragging it toward the drum. Apparently the table couldn’t withstand the force crushing down on it, and it shattered into splinters.
As the light began to fade away and the crushing pressure in the room vanished, the Bone General looked over at the Love General and growled, “What do you think you’re doing, Ai?”
“What are you doing, Gu? You don’t know what the Drum of Midbar will do to humans!”
“I’ve tested it!” he replied, his voice grim. “It will hold them!”
As they exchanged words, Bao rolled over and climbed to her feet. Sunan was still unconscious, and considering his size and weight, picking him up and trying to move around didn’t seem wise at the moment. The pressure from moments ago had stopped the fighting in the room, and everyone was currently focused on the two ogre generals.
As Bao got to her feet, the Love General threw the cloak off her shoulders and took a few steps forward, drawing an iron dagger with a pearl hilt, the blade of which was so polished it was almost white. She also reverted from human form to ogre form, leaving her taller, with broader shoulders and a sturdier frame.
The Bone General snorted. “The Dagger of Sarilla? You’re going to try to fight me with that?”
Bao took a step forward, first feeling her sleeve to confirm the location of the paper spike hidden therein, and then she drew a knife with her other hand.
“I’m not interested in fighting you, Gu,” the Love General said. “You know that. But we made a deal, remember? Why aren’t you living up to it?”
“We did have a deal,” he replied. “Fine. Live up to your part, and I’ll live up to mine.”
When the Love General didn’t respond, a very bad feeling rose up in Bao’s heart. She suddenly felt as if she were in a cage with two angry, hungry tigers. Just when she was about to take a step back, the Love General spun in place and lunged toward her.
Considering how close they were to each other, Bao had no time to react. Before she could even blink, the Love General’s enormous ogre hand latched on to her throat.
A faint choking sound escaped Bao’s lips as she swung her knife toward the side of the Love General’s head. However, the Love General easily blocked the blow with her white dagger. “Sorry, girl,” she said. “But Sunan wasn’t meant for you anyway.” With that, she lifted Bao up and hurled her through the air in the direction of the Bone General.
Bao tumbled head over heels, flopping onto the ground two meters away, placing her almost exactly halfway between the Love General and the Bone General. As she once again crawled to her feet, the Bone General lifted his hand and swung it down toward the drum.
However, as his hand began to descend, Lin Cuirou, who moments ago had been fighting one of the Bone Slicers, threw an iron ball out in front of him, projecting it with a blast of qi that caused it to accelerate with unbelievable speed.
In the moment before the Bone General’s hand reached the drum, the iron ball struck, twisting the drum and pushing it to the side. The Bone General’s hand still managed to hit the surface of the drum, albeit at an awkward angle. The entire room shook as a thunderous roar again filled the ears of everyone present. The bronze beam of light spiraled out, but the beam shot right past Bao and instead headed toward the Love General.
The Love General’s eyes went wide, and she leapt to the side, but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the bronze light. The beam latched on to her ankle, yanking her off her feet and dragging her toward the drum.
She let out a shriek of dismay, and she even tried to grab at a nearby table, but it did no good. “Dammit, Gu, you’d better free me as soon—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her foot made contact with the drum, and her body began to ripple and distort as she was sucked inside. In the blink of an eye, she and the bronze light were gone.
The pressure in the room vanished, and the Bone General looked down at the bronze drum. “Well, that’s one way to end your meddling, Ai,” he said. “Maybe I should have done this a long time ago.”
As he looked away from the drum toward Bao, she gritted her teeth and took a step forward. Lin Cuirou let out a shout and used a qinggong move called Pounce of the Lion, leaping high into the air and then shooting down toward the Bone General.
Ordinarily, Pounce of the Lion was used to pin an opponent, immobilizing them and even inflicting damage via momentum and qi. However, the Bone General was no ordinary opponent, and before Lin Cuirou could complete the move, the Bone General reached out, grabbed him by the hair, and slammed him into the ground.
Lin Cuirou let out a muffled grunt and grabbed the Bone General’s wrist with both hands.
By that point, Bao was within striking distance and didn’t hesitate to swing her knife toward the Bone General’s neck. The Bone General immediately dropped the bronze drum and used his freed hand to grab her forearm. The knife came to a stop a hand’s breadth from his neck.
“You never learn, do you?” he said with a cruel grin. “I’m going to enjoy your screams when I slice the flesh off of—”
Bao sent her left hand shooting out. Within it was the paper spike, which she stabbed right into the Bone General’s right eye. Screaming with rage, Bao used the heel of her palm to shove the spike as deeply as she could into his head.
He did not cry out in pain or shock. In fact, it was difficult to determine if he had even seen the blow coming. His grip on Lin Cuirou’s hair loosened, and he dropped Bao’s other hand. Faint wisps of smoke joined the blood which spurted out of his eye as he swayed in place for a moment and then fell down flat on his back.
Bao stood there breathing heavily, the Bone General’s hot, red blood flowing from the middle of her palm down to her fingers, where it began to drip to the ground below. Lin Cuirou looked down at the Bone General with a grim expression.
The Dragon-Phoenix Sect fighters were looking over with wide eyes, and the Bone Slicers’ faces were covered with expressions of complete and utter astonishment.
Bao wasn’t sure how she felt. For years now, the Bone General had been stalking her, always lurking in the shadows of her mind. Even in the security of the palace on Zun Shan, she had always feared that he would step out from a corner to try to take her head.
And here he was, lying dead in front of her, an enemy who had haunted her dreams from Fan to Tung-On to Daolu.
“Finally,” she murmured.
The blow to the psyches of the Bone Slicers caused by the sight of their leader being cut down ensured that the rest of the fight didn’t last for long. The Dragon-Phoenix Sect outnumbered them, and they showed absolutely no mercy. All of the Bone Slicers were killed. The few who weren’t cut down in the heat of battle fell on their own weapons rather than be captured. The Dragon-Phoenix Sect suffered only one casualty, with the rest of the fighters coming out with only a few minor wounds. In the final moments of the fight, the Golden Immortal tried to make an escape, but Mao Yun’s axe took his head off in one vicious blow.
It took Sunan about an hour to regain consciousness, and when he saw the pile of bodies heaped in the corner, with the Bone General on top, his eyes went wide.
The bronze drum, which had
sucked the Love General into its depths, now seemed like nothing more than a simple bronze drum. They wrapped it up tight with cloth and resolved to study it further after they got back to Zun Shan. What they would find was that it was sealed with powerful magic that surpassed their comprehension. Eventually it would be buried deep in the caverns of Zun Shan, never again to see the light of day. At least, not for many, many generations.
That night, they burned the bodies of the Bone Slicers and the Bone General, keeping the Bone General’s identity medallion as proof of their victory over him. Before lighting the blaze, they removed the Bone General’s head and put it in a box.
Lin Cuirou accepted the task of delivering it to the Demon Emperor. He and two of the other members of the sect would make the long journey up the Zun River to the city of Jin Yu. From there, they would skirt Mount Hai’an and head north to Yu Zhing, where they would surreptitiously deliver the head to the city magistrate. By the time it reached the Demon Emperor, Lin Cuirou and his companions would be long gone from the city.
The round trip would take at least two or three months, but the message that would be sent to the Demon Emperor would be well worth it. Even though he had magical methods of keeping track of his ogres, it would be a different thing to personally see the rotten, withered head of one of his generals tumble out of a box in front of him.
The following day, they provided compensation to the owner of the inn for the damages caused by the fight. The man seemed to be in shock. After all, everyone in the empire knew how the Demon Emperor treasured his ogres. One could only imagine his rage when he found out that one of them had been killed, and an ogre general at that.
With that, the Dragon-Phoenix Sect proceeded to their meeting with the Scorpion Swordsman. When he saw the identity medallion of the Bone General and heard their tale, he immediately agreed to join a formal alliance with the Dragon-Phoenix Sect.
Chapter 72: Zhizhu Coral
Two weeks after returning to Zun Shan, Sunan realized something that made his heart sink: Bao had stopped wearing the cloth bracelet.
