by Jeremy Bai
Everyone looked over expectantly.
“Jinlong, Chunfeng,” he said, “would you be willing to help out your Granduncle Gongye? I have an important mission to go on and a long journey. Having the two of you along to protect me would leave me feeling much more at ease. You could give your parents some time to handle the important matters back home before you join them.”
Bao frowned. “What mission are you talking about, Uncle Gongye?”
Gongye Zheng stroked his beard as he continued, “Back when I met you at Mount Fohe, I said that I wanted to flee the empire to somewhere safe, that destination being Naqan. The truth is that there was a lot more to the story than I revealed. I was on a mission for the Timeless Master and Lady Qixia, a mission which, to this day, nearly two decades later, I have yet to fully accomplish. Now that Li Buwei and Qixia are dead, I can delay no longer. The mission must be seen to its end.”
Chunfeng’s eyes glittered. “A mission for the Timeless Master and Lady Qixia?”
Gongye Zheng smiled. “That’s right. You know the story of how Li Buwei rescued Lady Qixia, right?”
“Of course!” Jinlong said. “It was during the Uprising of Xuanlu. Qixia the Butterfly was accused of cursing the Demon Emperor publicly and was sentenced to death. Just as the sentence was about to be carried out, a band of masked men broke onto the scene, killing the Demon Emperor’s soldiers and saving the young girl. Of course, those masked men were led by Li Buwei. He fled with Qixia into the Banyan, where they got married and eventually became the leaders of the martial world.”
“Yes,” Gongye Zheng said. “You know the story well. However, there are some details that were never made public. The executioner actually swung his blade down toward Qixia, but her struggling caused him to miss on the first strike. Moments later, Li Buwei and his men burst onto the scene, and fierce fighting broke out. During the melee, Qixia grabbed the executioner’s blade, turning it upon the executioner himself and taking his head. However, because the blade was so large, Qixia couldn’t control it, and it spun off to the side, where it struck a golden tripod that was actually a powerful magical item.
“When the blade struck the cauldron, something like a crack of thunder was heard, and a wave of energy blasted out through the entire room, knocking everyone off their feet.
“Apparently the blade was imbued with powerful magic during that incident. Lady Qixia took it with her when they fled into the Banyan, hoping to unlock its secrets. However, she and Li Buwei soon realized that the powers of the blade were beyond their ability to control. Therefore, they entrusted the blade to me, instructing me to take it as far away from the empire as possible and place it in safekeeping until someone appeared who could use it against the Demon Emperor.”
Jinlong frowned. “But Granduncle Gongye, you were never with Lady Qixia and the Timeless Master. You’re from Yu Zhing. Why would they entrust the blade to you?”
“Clever kid!” Gongye Zheng said. “You see, Lady Qixia’s surname is Guo, and her father, Guo Minghan, was the chief constable in Xuanlu. However, before holding that position, he was a mid-ranking constable in Yu Zhing, and for years he had been a drinking companion of mine. After his transfer to Xuanlu, we kept in contact, and he was aware that I detested the Demon Emperor and planned to leave the empire for Naqan. Therefore, when the matter of the magical blade came up, he was the one who arranged for me to take it to the far corners of the earth.”
“But Granduncle Gongye,” Chunfeng said, “I don’t understand what you mean when you say that the mission is not accomplished. Didn’t you live in Naqan for years?”
“I did, and I spent almost a decade of my time there preparing a special place to store the blade, an underwater vault of sorts. However, in the hopes that I would eventually find someone worthy of wielding it, I never fully sealed the vault entrance. For some reason, I feel that now is the right time to finally complete my mission.
“Jinlong, Chunfeng, will you two be my escorts back to Naqan? Being the born martial artists that you are, perhaps one of you could unlock the secrets of the blade and wield it in the fight against the Demon Emperor. And if not, you can help me to seal the vault once and for all. Afterward, we can return to the empire. By that point, your parents would surely have been able to keep you safe.”
As Gongye Zheng spoke those final words, Sunan and Bao exchanged a glance, and Bao nodded ever so slightly. As for Jinlong and Chunfeng, this tale of a magical blade buried beneath the sea, once wielded by the now-dead heroine Lady Qixia, had already begun to tug at their hearts and minds.
“Children,” Sunan said, “what do you think?”
“Father,” Jinlong said, “Granduncle Gongye shouldn’t make such a difficult journey on his own. He needs escorts!”
“That’s right,” Chunfeng said. “Besides, what if that magical blade has powers that can help in the fight against the Demon Emperor? Jinlong and I are probably stronger than Li Buwei and Lady Qixia were when they sent it to Granduncle Gongye to take to Naqan.”
She looked over at Bao, who looked over at Sunan with a knowing look. “Well, I don’t know,” said Bao. “It sounds dangerous.”
“Think about it, Mother, it makes sense. Jinlong and I can go to Naqan to help with the blade. By the time we finish and come back to meet you, you’ll have had plenty of time to make sure things are safe.”
Bao was somewhat torn. At this point in her life, her children were more important to her than anything, especially her desire for revenge. She truly did feel that it was too dangerous to bring them right into the middle of the chaos that was the empire and the martial world. On the other hand, the idea of sending them away to the other side of the world was equally heart-wrenching. However, the latter decision seemed the safer of the two.
“Very well,” she said. “It makes sense.”
Jinlong let out a whoop of excitement, and Chunfeng grinned and clenched her hands into fists.
The week of preparations seemed to fly by. When the day came to depart, the entire family stood on the docks of Sunharee Machalee. Sunan, Bao, Lawat, and Mao Yun would boat up the Zhe River to Scorpion Villa, the home of the Scorpion Swordsman.
As for Gongye Zheng, Jinlong, and Chunfeng, they would make the journey to Naqan over land. There hadn’t even been a discussion of them going by ship. The waters to the west were infested with pirates, making any such journey far too dangerous. They would travel the mountain passes north to the Kushen Basin, and then go straight west all the way to Naqan.
Sunan embraced his children and gave them a few parting pieces of advice. Bao tried hard to keep her tears from flowing but failed. Even Mao Yun’s eyes were a bit damp. Being Kithiri, Lawat was a very complicated individual, but even he seemed to be moved.
With that, they parted ways. As the ship slid out of the harbor, Sunan and Bao kept their eyes glued to the docks and the sight of their children waving goodbye.
The first days of the journey were made mostly in silence. However, as they settled into the rhythm of travel, they soon resumed their normal routines of meditation, martial arts forms, and sparring.
The trip north was mostly uneventful. Having made the journey on multiple occasions, Mao Yun knew exactly where to stop along the way to find the best and safest accommodations. He knew which stretches of the river were prowled by bandits, and how to avoid them. He even knew a bit about the river currents.
Overall, things went very smoothly.
“I can’t believe you made this journey every year for so many years,” Sunan said to Mao Yun.
Mao Yun smiled. “Bao is my sister, and you’re my brother-in-law. And I love those children like my own.”
“Speaking of which,” Sunan said, “after all the years, why haven’t you married yet?”
Mao Yun chuckled. “Don’t tell Bao, but it won’t be long before I am,” he said.
Sunan’s eyes widened in shock.
Eventually they reached the northernmost stretches of the Zhe River, where they aba
ndoned the boat and began to hike north toward Mount Peng.
It took three days to reach Scorpion Villa, where the Claws of the Phoenix and the Dragon Lords were waiting. To some extent, it was an emotional reunion, and yet the leadership of the two divisions viewed Sunan and Bao with such awe and reverence that they didn’t dare treat them with excessive familiarity.
There were many familiar faces, including Liu Jiahui, Tie Gangwen, Li Runfa, Mao Mei, Lin Cuirou, Sima Zikang, Ma Ge, Wang Tian, and others. Of the original group of fourteen leaders, a few had perished in combat throughout the years, but the majority had maintained their position. All of them had advanced significantly in their martial arts, with Liu Jiahui, Tie Gangwen, Mao Mei, and Lin Cuirou all being in the profound master level, although not quite as advanced as Bao and Sunan.
After the initial formalities and pleasantries, the Dragon-Phoenix Sect held its first official meeting in more than fifteen years.
Chapter 82: Women and Children
The meeting began with each Claw of the Phoenix and each Dragon Lord providing a detailed report of their division, including the martial arts skills of all their key disciples, where those disciples were hiding in the Banyan, and any developments in those areas.
Secret codes and methods of communication had been established, whereby the entire sect could be mobilized within days and meet in any number of predetermined meeting points, including Zun Shan, Chrysanthemum Lake, the Falls of Sura, or even more distant locations such as Zun City, Huisheng, or Xuanlu.
Li Runfa was the last to present his report. Being the spymaster of the sect, he naturally had access to deeper resources than the other leaders.
“After the death of the Timeless Master, the Demon Emperor turned his attention to other powerful martial artists in the empire and issued warrants calling for their arrests or deaths. In fact, he’s already captured the Twin Giants of the Zhaoze Swamp. All of the top martial artists have gone into hiding, and unfortunately, since the Timeless Master was the one taking the lead, we don’t have any way of contacting them all. In fact, we don’t even know the full extent of how many martial artists were part of the alliance.
“What I find even more worrisome is that almost immediately after the Grotto of the Timeless Master fell, the Bone Slicers began to recruit heavily. Although I don’t have precise figures, their numbers seem to have quadrupled in the recent months.
I fear that they are planning something…”
“That monster Geng Long is still the Bone General?” Bao asked.
“Yes, Phoenix Sovereign. No attempts to take his life have been successful. According to my reports, I suspect he’s long since reached the profound master level.”
Bao frowned. “Kill one Bone General and another one pops up in his place.”
“Indeed.”
After a moment of silence, Sunan said, “What about Sun Mai?”
“His teachings grow more popular with every new scripture that he puts into circulation. However, the fact that Sun Mai himself is such a powerful martial artist makes him just as much a target of the Demon Emperor as any of us. He tends to stick to the more remote parts of the empire, preaching and gathering followers for his religion.”
“Gathering followers?” Sunan said, sounding a bit surprised. “Religion?”
Li Runfa chuckled. “Yes, only a few years ago, he began to call his teachings by the name Qi Zhao. In Classical Fei, that means—”
“Rising light?” Bao said. “Something like that?”
“That’s right,” Li Runfa said. “According to my latest reports, Sun Mai was last seen in the western parts of the Dai Bien Forest, not too far from here, actually.”
Sunan looked over at Wang Tian. “Is there any way we could reach out to him? I have some important matters I wish to discuss.”
***
Somewhere beneath the streets of Yu Zhing was a wide corridor, in the middle of which was a channel filled with flowing water. At the end of the corridor was a wooden door, heavily guarded by burly men in bone armor. Beyond the door, which was bolted and barred from the inside, was a chamber that had been decorated with countless bone sculptures.
In the middle of the chamber was an enormous bone table, seated around which were several men all wearing bone armor far more ornate than that worn by the guards outside. Only one person at the table wasn’t clad in armor. He was the rather handsome man who lounged in the seat of honor, wearing black silk robes and a crown that appeared to be made from interlocking finger bones.
One of the other men at the table was middle-aged, with a long scar running down the side of his neck. “Bone General Geng,” he said, “the recruitment quotas have all been met, and the training is going well.”
“How much longer until the plan can be carried out?” Geng Long asked.
“In terms of training, immediately,” the man with the scar said. “Each squad will be led by one of the Bone Slicer Elites, with the new recruits mostly serving as muscle and extra hands.”
Another man at the table was young, with cold eyes and thin lips. Leafing through a pile of paper in front of him, he said, “The Bone Slicer Elites are all here in Yu Zhing. From the time you issue the order to execute the operation until they all reach their target destinations and strike, I would say less than a month. Presumably the best thing would be to set a specific date upon which to act. Give them plenty of time to arrive and scout things out.”
Geng Long nodded. “Any developments with the Dragon-Phoenix Sect?”
The cold-eyed young man shook his head. “They remain in hiding, and we only have tabs on about a quarter of their disciples. As for the leaders, we are fairly certain they fled south, either to join the Scorpion Swordsman in Zhe Valley or Hua Pi the Skin Dancer in the Dai Bien Forest.”
“No word of Bao or Sunan?”
The only response was another shake of the head.
“Dammit,” Geng Long said. “I was sure that the death of that scum Li Buwei would draw them out of hiding. They must have had children. That’s the only explanation for why they would leave for so long.” A sinister gleam appeared in his eyes. “If we could include those children in this plan, then everything would be perfect.”
“Bone General,” said the man with the scar, “after the first stage of the plan is carried out and we move on to the second, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dragon Sovereign and the Phoenix Sovereign show their faces.”
“If they don’t,” said the cold-eyed young man, “then by the time they do, it will be too late.”
***
Fifteen years of absence couldn’t be made up for in a single afternoon meeting. Days began to speed by in which Bao and Sunan were brought up to speed on all the details of things happening in the empire.
Plans were hatched and strategies outlined as the Dragon-Phoenix Sect prepared to pick up where the Timeless Master had so tragically left off.
Wang Tian left to track down Sun Mai, and in a very strange turn of events, returned only a week later.
Sun Mai was with him, as well as a few of Sun Mai’s disciples.
He and Sunan embraced, and then Sunan clasped his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
Sun Mai smiled. “Last month I had a dream in which I learned of your imminent return. How could I not come to see my brother?”
“You couldn’t have come at a better time. Bao and I have some dreams to discuss with you, and some poetry.”
“Ah.” Sun Mai’s eyes glittered. “The poem is done?”
Sunan nodded.
“Excellent,” Sun Mai said. “Over the years, I’ve meditated on the subject quite a bit, and I have some insights you’ll find particularly interesting.”
“We can talk more later. First let’s catch up on years past. Are you almost finished with your scripture?”
“I’m reaching the end. Look.” He pulled a bamboo scroll out of his sleeve. “The latest volume. I’ve yet to share it publicly.”
***
When Liu S
hasha sold her last steamed bun of the day, she packed up her vendor’s cart and began to push it through the cramped streets toward her little house at the edge of Zun City. Tucked into the palm of her left hand was a tiny roll of paper that a random customer had handed her along with a few spades for a bag of buns.
After pushing her cart some distance away from her usual selling spot, she ducked into an alley, looked around to make sure she was alone, and then unrolled the little slip of paper.
A tiny line of characters appeared, which she couldn’t even read without putting the piece of paper right in front of her nose.
Shasha, I hope you are well. Good news! Momentous events are coming, and we may be reunited soon. Please kiss the children for me. —Tian
Liu Shasha sighed as she ripped the paper into tiny bits and scattered them in the alley. “Stay safe, husband,” she murmured. “Come back to us soon.”
With that, she continued pushing her cart down the street until she arrived at home.
Liu Shasha sold steamed buns, but she was not just a simple street vendor. Her husband was Wang Tian, who led the Eyes of the Phoenix for the Dragon-Phoenix Sect. Although Liu Shasha was only a member of the outer sect, her husband had taught her a bit of martial arts. She had even made a breakthrough with qi cultivation, which made her far tougher and able to take care of herself than the average woman.
Furthermore, she was cautious by nature and was not the type to blithely stroll through life unaware. As such, she immediately noticed that the main gate of the residence was open. Considering that her parents were responsible for watching over her two-year-old toddler and five-year-old child, that gate was normally kept shut and barred from the inside.
But here it was cracked open, as though someone had just entered or left.
Eyes narrowing, Liu Shasha reached into the fold of her robe and pulled out a curved knife from Dhamma that her husband had given her as a gift years ago.
Abandoning her vendor’s cart, she stepped forward carefully, knife held in a ready position.
After pushing the gate open carefully, she looked into the courtyard beyond it but didn’t see anyone or anything.
