treave
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Leaving Luoyang
There is a rather sizeable throng awaiting your match with Bai Jiutian. At the centre of the stage you see the man himself waiting patiently, the perfect picture of a refined gentleman. The duel had been scheduled a few hours past daybreak, but the sun was now approaching its zenith. Even the calm and composed Bai Jiutian is already sweating from standing in the heat.
A twitch of irritation passes across his face. You decide to reveal yourself – the crowd is getting restless. Standing up from your shaded vantage point on a nearby roof, you call out to your opponent. The crowd begins to murmur as all eyes are drawn to you.
“You are late, Man Tiger Pig. What are the limits of your irresponsible ways?” Bai Jiutian replies loudly, shading his eyes as he looks up at you.
“My apologies for this late arrival, Young Master Bai, but my wounds from facing down the Fire Cult have yet to heal. I spent most of the morning unable to walk.”
“Did the medicine I give you not help?” he asks suspiciously.
“About that…” You throw the pouch at him. Bai Jiutian catches it, turning it around before his eyes.
“I am not sure why you thought wormtail leaves would help my recovery,” you continue. “Those are useful for fevers and the like, but hardly suitable for injuries of the limbs.”
“Wormtail leaves?” Bai Jiutian is surprised and angered. “I gave you golden fox leaves as a mark of my goodwill!” Opening the pouch, he rummages within and picks out a shining leaf to prove it to the crowd. “There!” He seems to be slightly relieved to see the leaves he gave you for some reason.
“Oh, I am truly sorry for my ineptitude, Young Master Bai,” you say. “I am not a well-studied person. Still, you cannot blame me. Wormtail and golden fox have a similar colour when dried, and I was not expecting to see something as valuable as golden fox leaves. I did not think a Huashan disciple could have afforded to walk around with such expensive medication, let alone give it away to someone he considers a foe. My presumptuous nature has caused me to behave in an unsightly manner, it seems.” You lower your head in an apologetic manner.
“I… No matter,” grimaces Bai Jiutian. “It was not something I bought. It was a precious gift from a precious friend, and I would gladly use it to preserve the honour of Huashan, even if it would have been wasted on a scoundrel like you.”
“It is good thing that it was not wasted then,” you shrug.
“Are you going to come down and fight me, Man Tiger Pig? For that matter, why are you still appearing with that mask?” he challenges, going straight to the point.
“This?” You tap the side of the mask – tiger-striped pig’s masks have become rather popular with the roadside stalls since yesterday. It was no trouble getting one. “It’s become a habit. The mask makes me feel safe.” In truth, you only did it because you know it will irritate him further to look at that mask.
“It makes you look like a coward,” taunts Bai. “Will you come down and exchange moves with me now?”
“I would, but I won’t.”
“Truly a coward,” sneers the man. The crowd begins to jeer at you.
“You misunderstand me, Young Master Bai. I do not wish to fight you simply because I do not wish to injure you. Everyone knows that Zhang Jue’s techniques are cruel and lethal. Should I harm you by accident…”
“You will not lay even a finger on me,” he replies confidently. “The swordplay of Huashan is beyond your ability to defeat.”
“Yet I laid my hands on your junior’s sash.”
“Only because you, Man Tiger Pig, are no gentleman.” But he pauses for a while, uncertain – if you had a trick up your sleeve, there was still the chance that you could hit him. He is not so blind as to deny that possibility.
“I fear only the rare probability that a misjudged attack might wound you, Young Master Bai. I would not tempt fate. It takes only one stroke of misfortune to ruin a man’s life forever. Indeed, if you were injured, who would lead the ranks of our generation in the battle against the Fire Cult?”
The crowd murmurs their approval. It seems like they already do see him as their leader. Bai Jiutian himself seems slightly thoughtful as he considers your words. His gaze falls downward, probably calculating the risks and honour at stake.
“Even though I may be the disciple of Zhang Jue, neither of us are aligned with these cultists’ interests. They are an intruder into our way of life,” you say. “Under their rule the pugilistic world would be forever changed. Is it so hard to believe that I would not like to see their victory any more than you do?”
Bai Jiutian looks up. “There is no evidence that you are telling the truth-“ He finds himself talking to empty air, as you have slipped off while he was lost in thought. You have no time to debate him right now – you suspect that his intentions in this are not pure, and he would force you into a fight regardless of what you said should you stay there for too long.
***
You board a barge down the Grand Canal after bidding goodbye to Cao’er, Yifang and Guo Fu by the riverbank. You reminded Cao’er of your promise to pick her up at Emei, but it seems that you had no need to do so – she has been counting down the days till your probable arrival. Yifang reminds you that you owe her some time, but she says that she will not make good on that claim right now, though she does not give a reason why. Guo Fu and his wife thanked you profusely for all you have done for them – thanks that you receive with some embarrassment. Now that he is a Wudang disciple, his livelihood should be assured. You told him to convey your regards if he should meet the Grand Taoist Wang Zhengchong, and to look after his wife even while training hard in martial arts.
Qilin was not here, but that wasn’t surprising. When you woke up this morning you found a small letter addressed to you lying by your pillow. In it, she said that she was returning south to her ‘family business’ in order to get a better grasp on recent events. She also left you a sachet of Five Poisons Special Powder as a sample of her work, which she claimed to be her own modification of a bread-and-butter Wudu Cult product after doing some testing here. She describes it as a type of poison that causes the victim to go into seizures without inflicting permanent harm.
Of course, she also took some taels from your pouch while you were sleeping as compensation. Apparently it wasn’t a free sample.
***
You stop by Xuzhou on your way to Yangzhou – the barge will hold here for a day or two while they take on and unload cargo. Giving Scholar Jiang’s residence a wide berth, you head towards Luoying Manor.
As always, Lady Ji is there, a constant, unaging presence. She invites you in kindly and has her maids bring you to the inner courtyard before mysteriously disappearing off somewhere. At this time of the year the Manor does not get many visitors, but still there are a few strange scholars and wandering fighters present. You should be able to find out some things from them.
***
Formulate two questions to ask, with each question addressing a single subject of interest. You can ask anything you want, from politics to techniques, but there is no guarantee you will get an answer useful to you, or even an answer at all, depending on what question you ask. For example, general questions get you general answers that could be too vague to be useful, while specific questions might get you more details, but with a greater risk of getting no useful information if no one here knows anything about the specific thing you are asking.
There is a rather sizeable throng awaiting your match with Bai Jiutian. At the centre of the stage you see the man himself waiting patiently, the perfect picture of a refined gentleman. The duel had been scheduled a few hours past daybreak, but the sun was now approaching its zenith. Even the calm and composed Bai Jiutian is already sweating from standing in the heat.
A twitch of irritation passes across his face. You decide to reveal yourself – the crowd is getting restless. Standing up from your shaded vantage point on a nearby roof, you call out to your opponent. The crowd begins to murmur as all eyes are drawn to you.
“You are late, Man Tiger Pig. What are the limits of your irresponsible ways?” Bai Jiutian replies loudly, shading his eyes as he looks up at you.
“My apologies for this late arrival, Young Master Bai, but my wounds from facing down the Fire Cult have yet to heal. I spent most of the morning unable to walk.”
“Did the medicine I give you not help?” he asks suspiciously.
“About that…” You throw the pouch at him. Bai Jiutian catches it, turning it around before his eyes.
“I am not sure why you thought wormtail leaves would help my recovery,” you continue. “Those are useful for fevers and the like, but hardly suitable for injuries of the limbs.”
“Wormtail leaves?” Bai Jiutian is surprised and angered. “I gave you golden fox leaves as a mark of my goodwill!” Opening the pouch, he rummages within and picks out a shining leaf to prove it to the crowd. “There!” He seems to be slightly relieved to see the leaves he gave you for some reason.
“Oh, I am truly sorry for my ineptitude, Young Master Bai,” you say. “I am not a well-studied person. Still, you cannot blame me. Wormtail and golden fox have a similar colour when dried, and I was not expecting to see something as valuable as golden fox leaves. I did not think a Huashan disciple could have afforded to walk around with such expensive medication, let alone give it away to someone he considers a foe. My presumptuous nature has caused me to behave in an unsightly manner, it seems.” You lower your head in an apologetic manner.
“I… No matter,” grimaces Bai Jiutian. “It was not something I bought. It was a precious gift from a precious friend, and I would gladly use it to preserve the honour of Huashan, even if it would have been wasted on a scoundrel like you.”
“It is good thing that it was not wasted then,” you shrug.
“Are you going to come down and fight me, Man Tiger Pig? For that matter, why are you still appearing with that mask?” he challenges, going straight to the point.
“This?” You tap the side of the mask – tiger-striped pig’s masks have become rather popular with the roadside stalls since yesterday. It was no trouble getting one. “It’s become a habit. The mask makes me feel safe.” In truth, you only did it because you know it will irritate him further to look at that mask.
“It makes you look like a coward,” taunts Bai. “Will you come down and exchange moves with me now?”
“I would, but I won’t.”
“Truly a coward,” sneers the man. The crowd begins to jeer at you.
“You misunderstand me, Young Master Bai. I do not wish to fight you simply because I do not wish to injure you. Everyone knows that Zhang Jue’s techniques are cruel and lethal. Should I harm you by accident…”
“You will not lay even a finger on me,” he replies confidently. “The swordplay of Huashan is beyond your ability to defeat.”
“Yet I laid my hands on your junior’s sash.”
“Only because you, Man Tiger Pig, are no gentleman.” But he pauses for a while, uncertain – if you had a trick up your sleeve, there was still the chance that you could hit him. He is not so blind as to deny that possibility.
“I fear only the rare probability that a misjudged attack might wound you, Young Master Bai. I would not tempt fate. It takes only one stroke of misfortune to ruin a man’s life forever. Indeed, if you were injured, who would lead the ranks of our generation in the battle against the Fire Cult?”
The crowd murmurs their approval. It seems like they already do see him as their leader. Bai Jiutian himself seems slightly thoughtful as he considers your words. His gaze falls downward, probably calculating the risks and honour at stake.
“Even though I may be the disciple of Zhang Jue, neither of us are aligned with these cultists’ interests. They are an intruder into our way of life,” you say. “Under their rule the pugilistic world would be forever changed. Is it so hard to believe that I would not like to see their victory any more than you do?”
Bai Jiutian looks up. “There is no evidence that you are telling the truth-“ He finds himself talking to empty air, as you have slipped off while he was lost in thought. You have no time to debate him right now – you suspect that his intentions in this are not pure, and he would force you into a fight regardless of what you said should you stay there for too long.
***
You board a barge down the Grand Canal after bidding goodbye to Cao’er, Yifang and Guo Fu by the riverbank. You reminded Cao’er of your promise to pick her up at Emei, but it seems that you had no need to do so – she has been counting down the days till your probable arrival. Yifang reminds you that you owe her some time, but she says that she will not make good on that claim right now, though she does not give a reason why. Guo Fu and his wife thanked you profusely for all you have done for them – thanks that you receive with some embarrassment. Now that he is a Wudang disciple, his livelihood should be assured. You told him to convey your regards if he should meet the Grand Taoist Wang Zhengchong, and to look after his wife even while training hard in martial arts.
Qilin was not here, but that wasn’t surprising. When you woke up this morning you found a small letter addressed to you lying by your pillow. In it, she said that she was returning south to her ‘family business’ in order to get a better grasp on recent events. She also left you a sachet of Five Poisons Special Powder as a sample of her work, which she claimed to be her own modification of a bread-and-butter Wudu Cult product after doing some testing here. She describes it as a type of poison that causes the victim to go into seizures without inflicting permanent harm.
Of course, she also took some taels from your pouch while you were sleeping as compensation. Apparently it wasn’t a free sample.
***
You stop by Xuzhou on your way to Yangzhou – the barge will hold here for a day or two while they take on and unload cargo. Giving Scholar Jiang’s residence a wide berth, you head towards Luoying Manor.
As always, Lady Ji is there, a constant, unaging presence. She invites you in kindly and has her maids bring you to the inner courtyard before mysteriously disappearing off somewhere. At this time of the year the Manor does not get many visitors, but still there are a few strange scholars and wandering fighters present. You should be able to find out some things from them.
***
Formulate two questions to ask, with each question addressing a single subject of interest. You can ask anything you want, from politics to techniques, but there is no guarantee you will get an answer useful to you, or even an answer at all, depending on what question you ask. For example, general questions get you general answers that could be too vague to be useful, while specific questions might get you more details, but with a greater risk of getting no useful information if no one here knows anything about the specific thing you are asking.
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