by Tao Wong
Once the pair were comfortably seated in a semi-private room, in view of servants and attendants but with enough privacy that few would bother them, Li Yao unrolled the mission scroll. Together, the pair perused the details of the mission, inspecting the enclosed map and the sparse information provided by the assignment hall.
“A pack of demon dhole?” Wu Ying’s eyebrows creased together. The dhole was a red, almost dog-like creature that moved in large clans. But the dhole rarely held large territories or moved them. “Why are they a concern now?”
“Probably one of their members is close to a breakthrough. In those cases, the demon dhole widen their territories and search for more chi-intensive resources,” Li Yao said.
“Chi-intensive?”
“Humans. Preferably high-level cultivators.”
“Ah…”
A clan of dhole could be dangerous, since their hunting packs would wait to take down their prey. If the demon beasts were attacking people, they would be smart enough to prey on those at the edges of a village.
“The local Lord?” Wu Ying said.
“It’s Lord Chu.” When Wu Ying did not make any acknowledgement of her words, Li Yao sighed. “The old Lord Chu and his two sons died two years ago. The current Lord Chu is six years old. Even their army has been severely reduced.”
“Oh.”
Li Yao shook her head. “This damnable war has seen too many deaths. I know of a few families who have been all but wiped out and forced to marry their daughters away to secure their lands. Not that their families are still existent, but at least they have security.”
“I worry about my parents too,” Wu Ying said softly. “Without my money, they wouldn’t be able to hire additional help. My father has mentioned bandits—peasants thrown off their land because they could not pay the tax—roaming the countryside. And last year, the Wei were within a hundred li of the farm.”
The cultivators fell silent, remembering the pressures the war placed upon the sect and their families. The pair had trained with many who’d proceeded to take the sect’s war missions. Only a portion of those came back. Some because they extended their stay. Others because they would never come back—crippled or dead from the fighting. The drain on personnel was slow but noticeable and would increase when spring arrived and the fighting season came again.
“Dhole,” Wu Ying finally said, drawing their attention back to their mission. “Two-day jog.”
“Jog?” Li Yao said. “Should we not take a horse?”
Wu Ying scratched his head, shame running through him. “I don’t know how to ride one. Or have one.”
“Oh. We can rent one for you,” Li Yao said. “The sect has a few placid horses. You should learn. Spring’s better though.”
“Why?”
“The ground is softer,” Li Yao said, eyes twinkling. Wu Ying stared at the woman before she laughed, waving. “You’ll be fine. You’re not a beginner cultivator anymore. Learning the physical aspects of horse riding will come faster than studying a new martial style. As for care for the animal, we can stop at inns.”
“I know how to care for horses,” Wu Ying said stiffly. His village had had one draft horse and the village children had all been tasked with caring for it at one point or another. However, a draft horse was not a riding horse and no child would have dared the wrath of the village elder by attempting to ride.
“Good. Trust me, I’ll make sure your first time is good!” Li Yao said.
Wu Ying offered her a wan smile before he looked down to hide the slight blush.
Oblivious as usual, Li Yao continued. “We should get bows.”
“And use ourselves as bait for the dhole?”
“Exactly.”
“A good idea,” Wu Ying said, rubbing his chin. “Though actual bait would probably be better.”
“Maybe we could get one of the outer sect members? About Body Cleansing 4 or 5 would be perfect,” Li Yao said agreeably.
“I was thinking a demon beast or a spirit beast,” Wu Ying said.
“Oh, that makes much more sense.” Wu Ying eyed the cheerful female cultivator warily, but Li Yao ignored his looks, tapping a fingernail on her lips. “Can you use a bow?”
“Not well,” Wu Ying said.
“Crossbow then?”
“For the best.”
“Okay. So I’ll use a bow, you a crossbow. We’ll get a demon beast from the kitchen or in town. There are always a few lives ones on sale for the kitchens,” Li Yao said.
“Bait, weapons, and horses. And food enough for a week?”
“Sounds about right.”
“Then shall we leave in two days?”
“Two?” Li Yao frowned.
“I want to speak with Senior Goh. He should be able to give me a better idea of what plants to harvest,” Wu Ying said. “I will, of course, share the proceeds with you.”
“Proceeds? Harvest?”
“Spiritual herbs and fruit,” Wu Ying said. “We might not find any, but if we do, it could increase our contribution greatly.”
“Oh, right! Tou He mentioned you got those Dark Flowers.”
“Night Blossoms.”
“Great. You get me flowers, I’ll get the other gear,” Li Yao said.
Wu Ying flushed again but shook his head, pushing aside romantic thoughts. They were about to go out to deal with dangerous, carnivorous animals. This was not the time to be thinking about such things.
Once the pair had cleared out other minor details, they took their leave. Wu Ying watched Li Yao bounce away to her residence. It would be the first time Wu Ying would be out with the cultivator. A female cultivator.
Wu Ying shook his head, pushing aside the thought. Double entendres or not, Li Yao was a friend and fellow cultivator. They were on a sect mission, not a walk along the river.
Days later, the pair left the sect town on horses, a hog-tied demon beast piglet strapped to the back of another horse. The piglet was large enough it had made more sense to rent a third horse than carry it on one of theirs. Wu Ying found Li Yao’s earlier comments were correct—finding the rhythm of riding was not as hard as he had thought it would be. He was, at least, competent enough to ride at a canter on the placid beast Li Yao had picked out for him. He was still getting the hang of the trot, much to the dismay of his buttocks. But even so, Wu Ying felt he would soon find that rhythm too. Hour after hour, the pair rode, eating up the distance and passing the few winter travelers on the road. Conversations started and stopped, languid and without purpose.
“Did you get all our stores?” Wu Ying said, glancing at Li Yao, who looked to be rather sparsely equipped.
“In my ring,” Li Yao said.
“Oh, right,” Wu Ying said, shaking his head.
Of course she had one and probably a much larger one than his own gifted chest-sized storage ring. Larger, more useful rings were worth tens of thousands of contribution points. Even getting on the list to acquire a larger storage ring required a thousand contribution points. And that was not even a deposit. He was once again grateful for the gift he had received, the tiny chest-sized ring that was enough to carry his basic supplies. When Li Yao indicated for the pair to rest the horses, Wu Ying was grateful to slow his horse, the horse naturally moving up next to the other cultivator.
“Heels down.”
“Thank you, Senior,” Wu Ying said, dropping his heels and clenching his thighs around the horse.
It was lucky timing, as the horse suddenly balked, jerking to a stop shortly before Li Yao’s followed suit, the pair of equines whinnying.
“Trouble,” Li Yao said, making her bow appear in her hand. She held the reins loosely in the same hand that held her bow, her other hand dipping to extract an arrow from the saddle quiver.
Wu Ying debated for a second, but as his horse continued to whinny nervously, he slid off the animal while keeping a hand on the reins.
From the side of the road ahead of them, a group of bandits made their appearance. Unlike Wu Ying’
s previous encounter with bandits, this group looked more like a series of bedraggled and hungry farmers than hardened criminals. If not for the crudely made wooden spears and a few rusty swords and poles, Wu Ying would have estimated them to be harmless. Wu Ying’s extended senses told him the group mainly consisted of those at Body Cleansing 2 or 3.
“Bandits,” Li Yao said, her voice unnaturally calm. She was already nocking an arrow, causing the group to ready their weapons and, in one case, draw a bow.
“Stop.” Wu Ying was not sure why he spoke, what instinct prompted him, but his words made Li Yao pause.
He guided his horse forward and to the side, where he looped the reins over a nearby branch, then he walked toward the bandit group.
“Why are you here?” Wu Ying said to the group, hands away from his jian so that he did not look like a threat. Not immediately at least. He let his gaze stay unfocused, though the bow wielder stayed in his peripheral vision.
“We’re… robbing you?” one of the bandits spoke, someone from the second row. The moment he did, the others parted and he was shoved forward. Wu Ying eyed the man, saw how thin he was, how ratty and dirty his clothing had become, the way his eyes shifted from side to side as he swayed on his feet from nervousness and exhaustion.
“Was that a question or a demand?” Wu Ying said.
“A… demand?” the swaying bandit said.
“I am Long Wu Ying, inner sect member of the Verdant Green Waters Sect. This Lee Li Yao, my Senior.” Wu Ying said. Their robes should have already informed these desperate peasants. Hunger and desperation must have driven them to try their hand against the cultivators. “Who are we speaking with?”
“I am Tang Bu…” Tang stopped, realizing he was introducing himself to a man he intended to rob. “Why…”
“Well, friend Tang, it seems you have a choice here,” Wu Ying said gently. “You can put your weapons down and come with us to the next village. They’ll hang you there, but we’ll feed you and you can sleep safely. Or you can charge us and die here.”
“There’s more of us than there are you!” Tang said, his voice trembling like his hand.
“Yes. There are,” Wu Ying replied. Still he stood there, hands away from his jian, waiting.
“I don’t want to die…” another of the bandits said.
Beside him, his friend stared at the crude spear in his hand. “You’ll feed us?”
“Yes.”
“Wu Ying…” Li Yao called out tentatively.
Wu Ying turned toward her, offering her a half smile. Perhaps it was the momentary show of weakness. Perhaps they had been waiting for this. But the talkative bandit yelled and jumped forward, swinging his sickle at Wu Ying.
Dragon unsheathes his Claws. A flash of light as Wu Ying stepped past the falling body, blood exploding from the wound across his attacker’s chest. Even as Wu Ying finished his step, an arrow lodged in the bow-wielding bandit’s neck, sending him sprawling and choking on his own blood. Galvanized by the deaths, the group exploded into action.
It was not a fight. How could it be? The pair of inner sect members tore through the starving, barely trained ex-farmers like a scythe through rice stalks. In mere seconds, the massacre was over, leaving Wu Ying standing amidst the corpses. Once the pair had moved the bodies off the main roadway and marked their location, Wu Ying and Li Yao restarted their journey.
Only then did Li Yao broach the question in her mind. “Why?”
“Why what?” Wu Ying said.
“Why did you offer to bring them with us?” Li Yao said.
“I… it was a small mercy. The best I could offer,” Wu Ying said softly.
When Li Yao opened her mouth to inquire further, Wu Ying kicked his horse into a trot, leaving the female cultivator. How could he explain to her when he did not know why himself? How could he explain that he’d seen himself, his friends in them? How easy it was to have a bad year and be kicked off your farm? How it was such a small step from farmer to bandit for so many? And yet, Wu Ying could not let them go. How many travelers had they waylaid already? How many would they kill if left alone? The sentence for banditry was death. The moment they chose to become bandits, they signed their own death warrants.
All Wu Ying could offer was the smallest mercy. A warm meal. A quick death. And a name remembered.
Chapter 14
The remainder of the journey had been prosaic─boring. Like before, the village elder had greeted them with a smile and all the courtesy he could muster. They had been given the village elder’s house, the man and his family vacating to live with another family. Then they’d been given the detailed list of attacks and the actions the village had taken to stem the dholes. As the dholes were diurnal hunters, the pair had partaken of a quiet meal in the evening and rested early, getting up long before dawn broke.
That was how the pair found themselves seated in the branches of two trees in the early morning, staring at the staked-out demon piglet. Grown specifically to feed cultivators, the creature had a cultivation of Body Cleansing 2, bordering on 3. Given enough time, it might reach even the apex of Body Cleansing 3 as a demon beast. A tempting enough target, the pair hoped, for the dhole. Better than having them attack and tear through flimsy mud walls to take another villager. Or, worse, their child.
Seated in the closer tree, Wu Ying had the crossbow on his knees. Unlike Li Yao, he had little experience with archery. He had played and practiced with the bows and crossbows in the village. It had been part of their regular training, the necessity of a land always at war. But a few hours every few months was obviously not sufficient for real competence.
The piglet squealed and shivered in the cold of a winter morning, staked on the flat, level ground near the rice fields, where rice stalks and grain would be stored. Wu Ying was grateful the trees that shaded the area rarely shed their leaves, unlike the stories he had heard of plants in the north. How strange would it be? To have bare trees, frozen rivers, and snow that refused to leave until spring returned.
Shaking his head, Wu Ying brought his attention back to the surroundings. Being on watch was boring. No matter how often you told yourself to focus, idle thoughts and boredom would win and you would find yourself distracted. More frustrating was the fact he could not even cultivate. Doing so would change the flow of chi in the surroundings. While Wu Ying was not certain what kind of expanded senses the dhole had, it could easily include the ability to sense ambient chi.
That was also why Li Yao was farther away. Unlike Wu Ying, she had not trained to contain her aura, making her presence more notable. Unfortunately, all their caution would be of little use if Wu Ying did not pay attention and catch the dhole as they sneaked up on the piglet.
Like now.
Wu Ying tensed as he realized the dark brown spots moving in the long shadows of early morning light were his targets. He flicked his gaze across the clearing, searching for the others. If there were two, there must be more. One more, in the corner near the ditch. And perhaps one in the ditch itself.
Wu Ying slowly moved his hand in the pre-assigned signal to Li Yao. He would turn back, but previous attempts to spot her had failed, so he would not attempt it again. Better to hope she saw his signal. Wu Ying cocked the crossbow and raised it to his chest, keeping his movement slow and smooth. Once he had it snugly against his shoulder, he looked down the sights and adjusted his aim.
Already, one of the dhole had crept to within ten feet of the piglet. The piglet was frozen in fear, a primal sense telling it of the danger it faced, but unable to escape. As Wu Ying watched, the other two demon beasts he had noticed crept forward, completing the encirclement.
The arrow that sprouted from one of the dhole was a vicious surprise. It took the monster in the side, making the dhole stagger in its crouch as it got ready to spring forward. The pig thrashed, pulling at the rope that held it fast, but Wu Ying ignore the distraction as he targeted and pulled on the trigger of his crossbow. The bolt shot forward, only to be dodged by th
e dhole he had targeted. The monster threw itself at the piglet, intent on finishing off its prey.
Forced to choose, Wu Ying discarded his spent crossbow and jumped down, already drawing his sword as he darted forward. The three surviving dhole rushed their prey, tearing into the staked piglet and killing it. Closer, Wu Ying could see the demon beasts in greater detail. The dhole looked like a larger variant of its mortal cousin, with its body nearly the size of an adult wolf but with a flatter and longer skull, reminiscent of a fox. Like the fox, it had a tawny, red coat but had a stripe of colour alongside its backbone that glittered in the dark.
As Wu Ying closed in on the group, the lead dhole clamped its mouth around the piglet and worried the body, attempting to retrieve the remains from the collar. Each jerk moved the stake up an inch or so. While their fellow pack member worked the corpse, the other two faced the charging cultivator.
A quick swipe and a proper lunge later, Wu Ying had one of the dhole skewered. As he recovered forward, lead foot shifting and rising to kick aside the other leaping monster, an arrow flickered by Wu Ying’s gaze. This one caught the leaping dhole high up on its body, throwing the monster away from Wu Ying.
Startled by the sudden loss of his packmates, the remaining monster dropped the corpse and turned to run. Wu Ying threw himself forward, only to cut the edge of the monster’s back leg as it darted away. In short seconds, the monster was gone, lost in the low brush and ditch, leaving the pair of cultivators with three corpses and their dead bait.
“Did you mark it?” Li Yao asked Wu Ying as she walked up.
“Yes.” Wu Ying looked at the tip of his sword. Blooded, the monster should be easy enough to track.
“Good.”
Li Yao turned to the monsters before them, quickly ending the life of the one remaining, dying dhole before she began the process of extracting the demon stones. Wu Ying followed her example, making sure to string up the creatures and cut their jugular veins. Leaving the creatures to bleed out, Wu Ying washed his hands on the offered water bottle and retrieved his crossbow. The villagers would finish the skinning, gutting, and butchering for them, but leaving the demon stones was a touch too much temptation.
