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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Ok, I will give you that some of the cults worshiped creepy sexy alien abominations, and on the whole said abominations were somewhat reasonable when they were not trying to kill us. I mean I love Sekh, and I am glad she and Ean got their sort of happily ever after, but those early encounters could have go either way.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Well lets not go overboard here, until we stepped in Sekh was still eating people and she only developed her friendship and romance with Ean because he was remarkably resistant to being killed (and staying dead). It took along time to bring her around to a more moderate position and while the same may be true of the Fire Cult it still means they are a potential threat in the short to mid term so we definitely should be careful around them.

Also 100% what Nevill said, either they give back Jing's fiancee (since she really does not seem to like being around them) or we kick them out of China.

(Of course if you can promise me tentacles for everyone I may be forced to reconsider...)
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
If they give our Yunzi back, let go of their grudge against Zhang Jue (I cannot seriously consider anyone's words of peace when they cannot accept our gentle and kind Master) and offer their services to Shun Li, then sure, come on in. Make yourselves at home.
Will they agree to that? Hell no.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
I don't think CHA 7/Speech 7 will be able to accomplish that. We will need a hell of a rep with them. Kinda hard if us and GFF will be fighting over Yunzi every step of the way. But then again, Indians had some weird customs back then.
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
2,951
A2, I'll play a contrarian and vote for keeping our mouth shut. Maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea to reveal ourself to an idealist like her with our bad reputation, she might get some ideas even if she hasn't heard about our connection with Yao. We can probably say our name and how we got hurt, but there is no need to tell our life story to everyone we meet on the road. Anyway, A1 is going to take this one.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
It's all just to speed the natural healing process of course. Get the yang flowing, whatnot.

...

Can you tell I'm a doctor by trade? +M
:lol: Hey, it's our 'own' advice:
“I can see that he is exactly as you describe him,” you say. You had just one more thing to say. “Ah, Madam Rong, my senior had bid me say something about your husband’s condition.”

She becomes nervous. “What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, oh no. Not at all. She just said that until the dawn comes, your husband would do better with his spouse’s touch. The medicine she made promotes an energetic circulation of yang qi. She says it will aid his recovery in both his flow of qi and… ah, other matters if you stay by his side tonight.” You say the last line with a tone just suggestive enough that a mature woman would understand its meaning, though you take care to keep your manner remote.

“Oh, oh my,” says Madam Rong, turning slightly flushed. “That… would be nice. Cao’er is a very knowledgeable girl for her age, isn’t she? Thank you.” Rong Zhiyu gives a slight choke of disbelief, a scandalized look creeping over his face at what you have just implied.
 

asxetos

Augur
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
820
Location
Greece
B1.
The true gentleman reveals his identity to the lady but refuses help in order not to cause any trouble in Qingcheng sect.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
A1

It doesn't feel like deception would work here in this instance. God, we're just so fucked up.
 

treave

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
11,370
Codex 2012
Return to Emei

“I really do appreciate the offer, but before that there is something you must know.”

“What is that?” says Song Lingshu, smiling. Your demeanour changes, a cocky grin spreading across your face. “Are you sure it is okay for the head of Qingcheng to be helping Zhang Jue’s disciple?” She laughs loudly and turns to Xiahou Yu. “That’s a good joke! You didn’t tell me your brother is such a prankster… is he?” Her expression becomes doubtful as she sees Xiahou Yu looking rather disgruntled.

“I wish it was. I am the Man Tiger Pig.” You confess your identity, giving her a serious look. Song Lingshu’s laugh fades as she glances awkwardly at you. “Seriously? I mean, I don’t really understand why anyone would lie about that, but… oh, this is just weird.” She scratches her head, frowning. You notice that her manner of speech has become decidedly more boyish and informal as she gets more perplexed. “Are you really that guy?”

“The one and only, though as you can see I’m in a bit of a tight spot at the moment.”

“If you are really him, it would be bad for me to help you. I mean, you’re the disciple of the Southern Maniac and everything! My reputation would be ruined! Ah, this is so confusing!” she groans.

“What’s so confusing?” you ask, starting to get confused yourself.

“Well, you’re clearly injured, and in need of help. If I didn’t help you I really couldn’t live with myself, but if you are the Man Tiger Pig I shouldn’t be helping you...” Her voice trails off and you can almost see the gears working behind her head. “Forget it,” she says finally.

“If that is how it is, I understand. ” You knew that there was a likely chance she would refuse to help if she knew your true identity. “You would get into trouble with the other orthodox sects if they found out, after all.”

“No, that’s not it.” Song Lingshu shakes her head. “I mean, I’m not going to think about it too much anymore. You’re injured and I’m going to escort you. There’s no need to consider anything else. Whether you are really Man Tiger Pig or not doesn’t matter.”

“Are you sure?” You are mildly surprised at her decision.

“Of course! I help because I want to do what is right, not because of what people are called. I promised to help you before I knew who you were, and that was because I sensed you are a good guy. Even if you are the Southern Maniac’s disciple, nothing has changed from five minutes ago. I’m pretty sure you’re the sort of guy who’s kind at heart,” declares the girl confidently. Something about what she said sounds familiar…

“Hm, if that’s the case, I graciously accept your offer. I’m in your debt,” you say. If she’s willing, you have nothing against it.

“No need for thanks,” smiles Song Lingshu. “Now, we should probably get going. I’ll drop by later to chat. I know it’s wrong of me to say this as head of Qingcheng, but you just won’t believe how boring the disciples are sometimes. See you soon!” She ducks out of the wagon as quickly as she came, leaving you and Xiahou Yu behind.

“She’s a chatty one, isn’t she?” you remark. “I can’t believe you actually told her your true identity,” sighs Yu, his shoulders sagging. “For that matter, I can’t believe it worked!”

“It was a gamble,” you admit. “I didn’t know how she would react, though I was hoping that she was one of those genuinely optimistic people that sees the good in everyone.”

“You mean like yourself? Knowing a kindred spirit, that sort of thing?” Yu laughs for a while before he seems to realize something. His laughter stops and his face turns sombre. “That’s not right, is it? You aren’t a very optimistic person,” he says suddenly.

“Hey, I’m always thinking positive,” you grin. “That’s why I can take so many gambles.”

“I don’t know,” Yu disagrees. “It just seems more like you don’t care what happens to you, rather than being optimistic. Anyway, I’ll also be riding outside for a while. Get some rest while you can.” As he leaves the wagon, it begins to move slowly. You are on the road again.

***

True to her word, Song Lingshu returns to accompany you inside the wagon, and often. It seems that she finds your company preferable to that of her own sect members. By her account, they seem to be a rather bland bunch who can only see her as the leader of Qingcheng and not as her own person. On your part, you find her rather affable and easy to talk to.

“You know, I always thought your master was just some murderous nutcase that lost control by practicing unorthodox martial arts. From your stories, that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Yeah, most people think that, and I don’t blame them. It is rare for most people to meet someone that can kill a man as if they were crushing an ant, and Master Zhang is one of them.” You had regaled her with tales of your experience as Zhang Jue’s disciple, including the time when the two of you went after some hapless pirates that had decided to raid Maniac Island, not knowing who it belonged to. “I suppose the world is very wide, and there are different forms of justice,” she says thoughtfully, but adds excitedly, “I still believe in my own path as the right one, though!”

Just then, Yunzi climbs into the wagon, holding a bowl in her hand. “Hey, dinner is ready...” She stops upon seeing Song Lingshu there. “Ah, am I interrupting?”

“No, not at all!” replies Lingshu cheerfully. “Are you here to feed him?”

“Of course not,” says Yunzi coolly as she glances at you. “I was just bringing the dinner. This man needs to learn how to feed himself.”

“He still seems too weak to hold the spoon.” Lingshu turns to look at you. “Well, I will help out with the feeding then. I used to do it for my sick mother.”

“Do as you wish. I’ll just leave the bowl here then.” Placing the bowl down on the floor of the wagon, Yunzi leaves before you can say anything. Lingshu picks it up. “You know,” she says, “your friend Xiahou Yu initially introduced her as your wife. That doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Of course not,” you say calmly. “The heavens will rain blood before I marry that shrew.”

“That is not a nice thing to say.” She stuffs your mouth with a spoonful of hot gruel. “I thought you had a reputation for chasing after every girl that crosses your path?” You swallow before replying indignantly. “That is not true, and even if it was, I definitely wouldn’t go after that girl. How about you, then? Doesn’t the fair maiden of Qingcheng have a man in her heart?”

“Well…” she replies tentatively, suddenly shy despite her usual boisterous behaviour. “There is one guy.”

“Oh, do tell,” you say, grinning. “This should be good.”

“Right, keep it a secret from my fellows in Qingcheng,” she whispers theatrically. “Bai Jiutian.” You try to keep yourself from spitting the gruel all over her face at the mention of his name. “Seriously?” you choke.

“Yes,” she continues, mistaking your tone, “It’s a bit silly of me, I know, but I’ve always liked him… A-anyway, enough of that! Let’s talk about something else.” You do so, thankful that she wasn’t going to start reminiscing about how dashing Bai was.

The wagon continues to travel slowly but with little incident as the days go by – if there was any pursuit, the sight of the Qingcheng contingent seems to have kept them away. It looks like the Black Dragon Society or the secret police might not be keen to engage in open conflict with the orthodox sects for now. By the time you reach the foot of Emei Mountain, you have regained enough strength to walk, though anything more strenuous would inflict excruciating pain. You sit on the outside of the wagon, watching the others prepare for the ascend.

“Young mistress, we will depart for Qingcheng first,” says a tall, bearded man, who appears to be her right-hand disciple. “Please return as soon as you are able.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” says Song Lingshu. “I haven’t been to see Yifang in a while, so I’d like to catch up with her. I’ll see you soon, Uncle Mao.” The man nods and turns away, leading the rest of the disciples in the direction of Qingcheng. That’s right; Song Lingshu is Yifang’s childhood friend. There is something else you are interested in, however – her Uncle Mao. You have a hunch about this, and approach her. “Uncle Mao?” you ask. “He seems rather commanding. Is he related?” She shakes her head. “No, he’s just my father’s good friend. Mao Sanjiao is one of the best men in Qingcheng. He took care of me often while I was growing up. That’s why I call him uncle.”

You only smile and nod.

You definitely have to talk to Yu and Chanfeng about this when you get the chance.

***

When Song Lingshu and Yifang meet, the Qingcheng girl immediately puts her hand on the Emei nun’s shoulder and sweeps her off, talking about justice excitedly.

So that’s where she really got all her fanciful notions from.

Next, Xiahou Yu went for his private audience with the Abbess, together with Liu Chanfeng and Xiaoqi. He wants to arrange for a safe haven for them here, though he has confessed to you that he is going to ask Chanfeng to skip the part where she becomes a celibate nun.

It is just you and Yunzi left in the visitors’ hall, and she seems slightly glum for some reason. After a while, you ask, “Are you okay?”

“Of course. There is no need for your concern,” comes the reply. “I am just counting the days until I need to return to the Fire Temple. I have been away too long.”

“Are you worried about them?”

She doesn’t respond. You are undecided whether to probe further when Cao’er finally arrives. Surprisingly, she’s followed by Chi Qilin – you didn’t know that she would be here. The two of them enter the hall with a spring in their step. Upon seeing you, Cao’er runs forward and greets you by jumping into your arms. “Jing!” Qilin whistles approvingly. “My my, it looks like someone was really missing you, Xu Jing. Oh, naturally, I missed you too.”

“Hey.” You muster up a greeting though Cao’er’s embrace is squeezing the life out of you. “I-I can’t breathe.”

“…oh, sorry.” Cao’er lets go and steps away, looking at the floor. “You don’t look good… help?”

“Yeah,” you say. “I’m going to need to rest here for a while.” Cao’er’s face brightens up, happy that you’ll be staying. “…good… I have new things to try…” Something about that worries you a little, especially since Qilin is grinning widely like she knows what is going to happen.

“I see you haven’t been idle in seducing helpless young girls,” remarks Yunzi from the side. Before you can retort, Cao’er walks up to her. “…so, you are number four…”

“Number four? What do you mean?”

“Um… I’m first… then there is Qilin… my sister… then you are number four, right? …or did you want to be the first wife? We can negotiate…”

Yunzi turns beet-red upon hearing Cao’er mutter those words innocently.

You do not want to recall the fight that came after, especially after the devious Qilin slid herself into the mix and began adding oil to the fire.

***

Cao’er had said that your recovery would be painfully slow, but Miecao had appeared with a small satchel; it contained precious golden fox leaves. Song Lingshu had left them with the Abbess before she left, saying that she was not sure whether to give it to you directly, but would like the Abbess – who she thought wiser than herself – to decide whether or not you deserved the help. “I suppose Qingcheng would be rich enough to afford it,” says Miecao acidly. Being a strict nunnery, Emei wasn’t exactly swimming in money.

The leaves were definitely a tremendous help; though you had needed to use every last leaf, under Cao’er’s expert and tender, if slightly dubious, care, your physical recovery was complete within a month. Your neigong, however, was a different matter. It was out of her expertise to heal – you suppose you would just have to wait for it to recover on its own. After consulting with Miecao about the toad demon incident, she had instructed one of the more spiritual nuns to write you some talismans just in case there were any problems with your body. They looked somewhat different from the one the exorcist Master Zhong had given you, but hopefully they would have the same effect if required.

Then, with less than three months to the Fire Cult’s challenge, things began moving. First you received news that Luoying Manor had been burnt to the ground by the Emperor’s troops. Lady Ji was missing, and the land had been turned into a temporary base for Tang soldiers.

Shortly afterwards, even worse news came.

The Emperor had been poisoned and fallen into a coma. The blame was put on Tulu Huodu of the Wudu Cult, and an army of ten thousand had been dispatched to exterminate them. Leading the army was the Crown Prince Li Shun – as the favoured heir it seems that the court had pressured him to take personal responsibility for the attack on his father.

Qilin’s face had paled when she received the news – this was the first time you had seen such a scared expression from her. She ran off to her room to begin packing immediately. At the same time, Yunzi decided that she would also be returning to the Fire Cult – it seems that with the fresh troubles going on in the Central Plains, she needs to go back and see what the temple has in mind.

“I will be staying here for a while until Chanfeng is more stable,” says Xiahou Yu later that night. It seems that her ordeals have left Liu Chanfeng traumatized even though she tried not to show it, and it will take a while longer in a safe environment before Yu felt she was ready to travel. In the meantime, the two of you had been asking the nuns about Mao Sanjiao of Qingcheng – there is little you can find out about him except that he had been sworn brothers with Song Jiangke and is one of the best fighters in the Qingcheng Sect. He did not seem to recognize Liu Chanfeng on your journey here, but you cannot be sure.

The Fire Cult’s challenge is not far away now, but there are a few urgent matters you need to follow up on.

***

A. You decide to follow Yunzi back to the Fire Temple. She had said, once, that if you were curious about that organization she could bring you in for a look. She had not elaborated much on it, but you think that she might actually be a bit pleased if you went.

B. You will follow Qilin to the Wudu Cult. Qilin seems convinced that her uncle was framed. Besides, if the army attacks it will be an extremely dangerous situation for Shun. Tulu Huodu is not one of the Five Greats for nothing, and though he may not be able to defeat an army of ten thousand, if Shun is poisoned there…

C. You choose to stay in Emei to recuperate and practice your martial arts in preparation for the Fire Cult challenge; you are really behind on your training. Since Qingcheng is not far away, you could also pay them a visit and see if you could find out more about Mao Sanjiao.
 
Last edited:

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
Oh, good. At least we made it to a reasonably healed and safe stage without everything blowing up immediately. Good to see that events are now progressing.
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
Looks like we got our timeskip either way.

Ugh, torn between B and C. One one hand, this is most likely a ploy to get Shun on the front lines, the perfect position to be tragically killed in battle. On the other hand, I really want to investigate Mao Sanjiao further. Overall though it seems like B is the more urgent situation so I'm going with that for now. It really is too bad, I like Song Lishu. Really glad we didn't kill her way back when.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
It seems that Du Yao have found another fool to do his bidding. A shame the Manor was burnt. It looks like our allies are diminishing by the minute. How long it would take until they send an army to exterminate Minamoto?

I wonder who really did poison the Emperor.

Heh, did the leaves BJ had come from Song Lingshu? Was she the 'friend' he spoke of, and was it the reason behind relief when he saw them returned? I guess he feel something for the girl as well. Might be worth noting.

It also looks like we may have found the reason behind the changes in Qingcheng policies. And we thought Kunlun was a nest of imperial agents.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
2,951
B

The fire cult is at this moment problem of the orthodox sects, they can fucking deal with them as far as I'm concerned. Following up on the lead we have in C would be nice, but fuck, this takes precedence. On one side we have our friend, on the other our Prince and things are not looking good. We need to get out there before this gets worse and try to find something before it's too late for one of them. Also, there are very few things that are more important than to find who is truly responsible for poisoning the Emperor, preferably before they try the same on the Prince.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Ah. Important decision. Too bad the neiggong is still messed up. Meta-knowledge wise we have an idea what can cure it, but we don't know if the new talismans would be able to fend off "the toading", so it's not entirely safe.

I think the Fire Cult might very well be able to help with the neiggong. So would the Wudu Cult likely. Choosing C seems the "safe" option, and would probably mean a skill increase higher than what we might be able to garner otherwise.

I could probably be persuaded for any of the options, but I'm leaning the most to either A or B for now.

[EDIT]
Just occured to me that staying might mean we have to defend possession of a certain blade again. Maybe that's how we'll be training the martial arts skill? :)
 

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