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And we gave Song Lingshu the No-Effort Sword Song? She's going to return to Qingcheng with a pretty impressive array of new techniques. That might help her in her bid to be an accepted leader.
The old beggar leads you to a ramshackle inn on the outskirts of the city. The only people you see lounging outside the establishment are a few rough-looking men, who give you the natural, challenging stare of those used to owning the place – or at least, pretending to. You stare back with your single eye. Their gaze breaks first.
As promised, you find Jiu Mou within the inn, at the furthest room in the back. He looks up as the old beggar brings you in. With a silent nod, he tosses a tael at the beggar. The dirty old man gives him a quick salute and hurries away. “Wait,” you say, “I already paid him a tael to find you.”
Jiu Mou makes a face of exasperation and groans, “Liu, that old bastard! Oh well. In times like this I can’t be picky. Chief You has eyes and ears almost everywhere in the union.” He leans back, gesturing at the cheap food and wine laid out before you. “Take a seat first, Xu Jing. I need to be going off again soon. There is – unfortunately – beggar business in the east.” He gives you a pained look as he says it.
“I never knew beggars were so busy,” you say, doing as he asks. “The one I knew seemed to take life easily enough.”
“New management, new rules,” he sighs, pouring you a cup. Then, he gets up.
“Going so soon?” you ask, puzzled. “We haven’t even started talking.”
“Thankfully, it’s not me you came to see,” he grins. “The old man will be here soon. I’ll let him do the gabbing, heaven knows he loves it so much. I’m sure I’ll see you somewhere around the jianghu on our wanderings, someday.” With a quick nod and the flash of a dirty smile, Jiu Mou exits the room, leaving you alone with the meal.
Not knowing what else to do while you wait, you tuck in.
A dozen minutes later, the door opens again.
“Hey, kid. Long time no see.” Qi Liuwu enters, having maneuvered the door open with his feet.
“Master Qi.” You incline your head, your greeting muffled by the food in your mouth.
He sits down with no issues, his empty sleeves hanging loosely from his shoulders. He is a bit more aged than before, but the former beggar chief seems to be in better condition than Miecao. “It was quite a surprise when I heard that you were looking for me. You must have a few questions to ask,” he says, expertly lifting a gourd to his mouth with just his foot. It looks like even the lack of arms will not prevent him from his drink.
“I didn’t come just for the questions, Master Qi,” you say. “I thought it would also be nice to sit and drink with you.”
“Yes, that would be nice,” he laughs, dextrously manipulating a pair of chopsticks using his toes. Evidently he has no problem going about his daily life too, and you smile, impressed. Qi Liuwu catches your smile and shakes his head slightly. “It wasn’t easy getting to this stage.”
“It is a shame, though. What did happen on that day?”
Qi Liuwu’s story matches that of Miecao’s, and you gain no further insights. He seems rather certain, however, that the cliff was brought down by the energies of Wang Zhengchong and Ahura’s battle. The conversation then turns to Jiu Mou, and the Tufan situation.
“I guess you could call him my protégé,” says Qi Liuwu. “When Chief You called for the snap election and took over, I did not contest on the terms that Jiu Mou would be acknowledged as the vice-chief. It is almost traditional for the vice-chief to be promoted to Chiefhood during the beggar elections, as it is a position that helps him garner support from the rank-and-file of the Beggar’s Sect.”
“Elections?”
“Oh, yes. As beggars, we believe in giving every member an equal say in determining our leaders. Every few years, or when it is called for, we pick the members of the council as well as the chief,” explains Qi Liuwu. “When my nephew got into contact with me, I figured that I might as well give Jiu Mou some exposure to royalty too.”
“What were the two of you doing in Tufan anyway? I was surprised to see a beggar there, contesting for a princess’s hand,” you say wryly.
“Oh, that wasn’t all that important, my nephew already had that filthy bastard Zhang Manxing around. We were there to investigate the Shaolin monk Xuxian.”
“Him? The one with the powerful inner strength?”
“Ah, yes, of course you would have fought him,” nods Qi Liuwu. “He used to be a cook at the temple. One day he injured the Abbot and escaped from Shaolin. Apparently he learnt some of their techniques without permission.”
“Isn’t that a matter for Shaolin to handle, however?”
“Not if one of those techniques was the Xiaoming Jiuyang Divine Skill,” grins Qi Liuwu.
“You mean…”
“Yes, we believed that his drastic increase in inner strength was due to that particular manual. In the last struggle for the manuals, Shaolin Temple was rumoured to have kept a copy of the Xiaoming Jiuyang skill, though they have always denied it. They still do. Jiu Mou talked to Xuxian, however, and we can confirm they have at least a copy of the first part, which advances the neigong of the practitioner.”
“Then, the copy of the Xiaoming Jiuyang Divine Skill that was stolen from the constables was…”
“No, that also appeared to be the real deal, as far as I could tell,” said Qi Liuwu, shaking his head. “There have been quite a few copies of these manuals made over the years, some real, many fake. Most have been lost to the world thanks to the slaughter that usually accompanies them, but once in a while, they reappear…” He closes his eyes and sighs. “Anyway, my nephew told me that his agents managed to track down and uncover that manual in an old temple just south of Chang’an, hidden behind a Buddhist statue. It was sent to a safehouse for his constables to guard. He hoped to use secrecy as his primary defense, but apparently there is a leak somewhere, compromising his efforts. The constables on duty were no match for the assailants. I do not know much more than this; only the Imperial Constables have access to further information.”
“Are they undertaking an investigation into the missing manual?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. They do have other things to do, though I would assume that the deaths of their brethren would have stoked a bit of anger in their hearts. Anyway, there is one other thing I have heard that you might be interested in.” Qi Liuwu leans forward, grinning. “The Ten Great Swords. You still carry the Yuchang Sword, don’t you?”
You nod.
“Perfect. Apparently there is going to be a Conference of Swords on Taoying Island in a few months. All of the current holders of the Ten Great Swords have been invited.”
“I didn’t hear about that.”
“Yes, well, you were off wandering foreign lands, weren’t you?” he laughs. “I have it on good faith that there is a bait being dangled here… the Xuanyuan Sword.”
The most powerful of the Ten Great Swords… you can’t help but grin disbelievingly. “Someone really knows how to bait swordsmen out.”
“Considering that the jianghu is in a mess over the Three Manuals already, I have good reason to believe that every current wielder will attend the conference… including those who have kept themselves secret thus far. It is said to be a peaceful conference, a meeting where the Ten Great Swords meet up and elect a leader who will wield the Xuanyuan Sword.”
“It looks like whoever planned this has intentions of forming a power bloc of their own,” you say. “Given that some of those swords are in the hands of the Eight Sects, I can’t see it going over well.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that the Eight Sects’ leaders like Nie Wuxing will be present. Wudang, too, even if they have lost their Qixing Longyuan Sword. They are going to want to see who shows up with it.” Qi Liuwu nods confidently. “It might prove to be an enlightening conference.”
“I doubt that it will be a peaceful one,” you laugh, and the old beggar laughs together with you in agreement.
***
Before you end the day’s meeting, you wonder if you should exchange tips with Qi Liuwu: he must not be able to use many martial arts now that he has no more hands. Perhaps you could teach him the Wuying Leipo Kick in return for verbal instruction in the Xianglong Palms.
A. Offer to spend a few days teaching Qi Liuwu at least half of the Wuying Leipo Kick technique in return for seven more moves of the Xianglong Palms.
B. You don’t make the offer; you would rather spend the time investigating other places in Chang’an and its vicinity. You might miss out on important information otherwise.
***
You find out that Gao Ying had left the city soon after your talk with Qi. It looks like you have lost your opportunity to meet with him for now.
A. You pay a visit to the Imperial Constabulary, now that you have heard from Qi Liuwu. There might be someone in the headquarters you can talk to.
B. You exit Chang’an and sneak up Mount Hua. You are interested in talking to Bai Jiutian; antagonistic as he may be, perhaps he may be of aid to some of your goals here in Chang’an.
C. You go to the Zhang clan manor to pay your respects…
D. You leave Chang’an, heading towards Luoyang in the east. Shaolin Temple is there, and it is clear they have at least part of the Xiaoming Jiuyang manual.
***
Final Tally:
Kick/Palm:
Tribute - A
Baltika9 - A
Kashmir Slippers - A
ERYFKRAD - A
Rex Feral - A
Fangshi - A
Azira - A
Kz3r0 - A
GreyViper - A
archaen - A
ScubaV - A
Absinthe - A
Jester - A
TOME - A
profreshinal - A
Akkudakku - A
Ifeex - A
Grimgravy - A
Tigranes - A>B
Lambchop19 - A
Nevill - B
Elfberserker B
Smashing Axe - B
Esquilax - B
XenomorphII - B
Kipeci - B
A - 20
B - 6
***
Next Destination:
Tribute - A>B
Baltika9 - A
Kashmir Slippers - A
Elfberserker - A>D>B
XenomorphII - A
Kipeci - A
Absinthe - A
Jester - A
TOME - A
profreshinal - A
Akkudakku - A>B
Grimgravy - A
Esquilax - A
Lambchop19 - A
Nevill - B
Rex Feral - B>A
Smashing Axe - B>A
ScubaV - B
Ifeex - B>D
Fangshi - D>A
Azira - D
Kz3r0 - D
GreyViper - D
archaen - D>A
Tigranes - D>A
Hm. I guess without Xuxian's part whoever has the manual won't be able to access the whole technique.
I am glad Liuwu is doing well. I was afraid he was taking it harder.
I guess now would be the time to visit either the constebulary, or Bai Jiutian - either to continue the investigation, or to sabotage Nie Wuxing's powerbase.
Does he need it, though? He is not participating in the tournaments lately.
This is not a courtesy, this is a trade. It's not that I don't want him to have it, but if it is on a-favor-for-a-favor basis and I feel I don't need the tech, I think I can safely refuse without hurting anyone's feelings.
Does he need it, though? He is not participating in the tournaments lately.
This is not a courtesy, this is a trade. It's not that I don't want him to have it, but if it is on a-favor-for-a-favor basis and I feel I don't need the tech, I think I can safely refuse without hurting anyone's feelings.
Re: Luoying Manor, there is no Manor without Lady Ji, and she has been missing ever since. There is however a successor location of sorts on Taoying Island, though not as prestigious or as well-attended as the Manor's conferences were. The scholars are still rather nervous.
Taoying Island is the successor to Luoying Manor. We really ought to go there and jack the sword, lest Wuxing gets his grubby paws on it and becomes a real problem.
Does he need it, though? He is not participating in the tournaments lately.
This is not a courtesy, this is a trade. It's not that I don't want him to have it, but if it is on a-favor-for-a-favor basis and I feel I don't need the tech, I think I can safely refuse without hurting anyone's feelings.
He's still in the jianghu, which means he's going to need to be able to fight, and fight well. He needs some solid kicking techniques, considering he's got no arms now.
Which is true, but seven more levels of the Eighteen Palms (we'll have half the set) and giving Liuwu some self-defense techniques will be worth it. No arms and all.
We don't know if Yunzi is here, but she sure as hell wouldn't be going to Huehueshan. treave, can Qi Liuwu put word out on the street for a girl named Yunzi to help us find her?
He's still in the jianghu, which means he's going to need to be able to fight, and fight well. He needs some solid kicking techniques, considering he's got no arms now.
We don't know if Yunzi is here, but she sure as hell wouldn't be going to Huehueshan. treave, can Qi Liuwu put word out on the street for a girl named Yunzi to help us find her?
He doesn't have the same clout he has before. Too risky, the Beggar Chief might be wondering why he's looking for this person using the beggars' network and would investigate further.
Would the Constables be able to help us out there? Kinda feel dumb for missing out on her in Qingcheng when our Ameshas told us to find her. Nevill, the Douchebag Council is in charge of politics, and this is the jianghu. Unfortunate accidents do happen and a man with no arms is an easy target.
Learning new moves is always helpful, especially when we are talking about such powerful techniques. I think Qi Luwu appreacietes our kicking technique since he is still part of jianghu and martial artist skills in that road are most useful thing one can have. The only doubt that I have that we will miss information, especially with that constables lead.
First choice A, because, hey, he's a bro, he's in league with Shun and this might save his life one day. Besides, we get payback in 7 moves of one of the most powerful techniques.
As for the second choice...I don't know, I'm not keen on going back to court politics or imperial agents, though it is the Shun option.
I'll go second choice A, because the alternatives sound worse. I don't trust Bai Jiutan with anything besides Unlikely Allies, I don't want to go Shaolin since it seems boring and I think we antagonized Zhang Manxing enough. With our luck and his we'll slip on a banana and break ourneck just as we arrive at the clan manor.
Given how powerful another seven moves of Xianglong Palms could be I am inclined to trade a few days for it, so A.
As for where to go. We know Shaolin has part of one of the manuals at least so might as well head over there. The constables might also have more information for us so I suppose that is also an option.
treave, could we simply teach Qi one part of the Wuying Leipo Kick as a token of appreciation for him giving us the two levels of the Dragon Palm? It took no time for him to teach that to us on those two occasions.
Anyways, I'm not a fan of all this fucking around. We have a nice opportunity and a powerful technique dangled in front of us, but it is not worth the price of losing out on our main goal, which is what we're here for. When we were taking the slower, longer route for Song Lingshu and stayed a few days to get medicine for her, it made sense, but there is absolutely no moral dilemma at play here. There is no reason not to stay on track right now - this manual stuff is too important to dilly-dally about on over one technique from a BRO character. If we meet Qi Liuwu again, fantastic, but the stakes are too high to get distracted by shiny-object syndrome.
As for the current options, seeking out Bai Jiutian by sneaking into Mount Huashan has become a tempting prospect now that our Stealth skill has improved. He can tell us about what's going on in the orthodox world and maybe we'll have a few ways to improve our shattered reputation. With Stealth 8, it is going to be very difficult for anyone to detect us:
You get the feeling that he has sensed your presence – his eyes dart towards the window that you are besides, though from that angle he would not be able to spot you clearly. You edge further away from the window.
Sure, you can teach him how to jump really high. That'll take no time at all. If you want him to get any use out of it, however, you'll have to take the time. Dude has no arms to balance with, he needs to adapt the technique for himself with your tutelage.
You get the feeling that he has sensed your presence – his eyes dart towards the window that you are besides, though from that angle he would not be able to spot you clearly. You edge further away from the window.