Chapter 151: Supremacy

Chapter 151: Supremacy

~~~

Qu Rou clicks his tongue.

They went inside.

So it seems, comes the disinterested reply from Xi Mou. He can barely see anything from so far away. Still, he trusts Qu Rou not to lie about his failings.

Under other circumstances, Xi Mou would be taunting Qu Rou for missing. It is not that Xi Mou dislikes his fellow Core Disciple. Qu Rou just happens to be highly skilled and insufferable about it, an all too common combination among those blessed by the Heavens. It is for his own good that Xi Mou must laugh at his failures when they happen.

Some would say Xi Mou has little right to say such things about anyone, but those people would surely be courting death by doing so.

Regardless, Xi Mou does not feel like mocking Qu Rou right now.

Xi Mou does not feel like doing much at the moment.

When Lord Feng Shang chose him to participate in this contest, Xi Mou was moved by his magnanimity. The Dead Plains were an opportunity to make up for his failure in the Crimson Cloud Tournament.

This is not what he had in mind.

Well? Qu Rou asks. He lets go of his massive bow and turns around to glare at him. Will you not go after them?

Go after them? Xi Mou echoes incredulously. He waves his hand at the temple miles away. You want me to go inside that place to hunt mice?

Not that it would be impossible for him to do so. Xi Mou is a cultivator in the Earth Realm. A group of Inner Disciples is nothing to him.

We have our orders, Qu Rou says. His aura simmers around him, ready to lash out. Will you disobey them?

Orders.

How often has Xi Mou heard that word since they arrived in the Dead Plains? Just where exactly did these orders come from? Senior Brother Yong had been the one to give them, and back then, they sounded perfectly reasonable. In a fight between Lord Feng Shang and Lord Feng Gui, they should naturally do their best to weaken Lord Feng Guis forces for Lord Feng Shang's eventual ascension.

Be reasonable, Brother Qu. You made them flee into the temple and blocked the way out, Xi Mou points out instead of sharing his doubts with Qu Rou. That temple is full of Spirit Beasts. Why should I bother going after them when the temple will do our job for us? If youre truly so concerned, why not go after them yourself?

Xi Mou only gives voice to the possibility because he knows Qu Rou will never go for it. Qu Rou has too much pride in his skills as an archer to sully himself by fighting in close quarters. It is a miracle he managed to rein in his natural distaste for it long enough to participate in the Crimson Cloud Tournament.

You speak as if you do not care for our mission, junior.

Qu Rous aura flares around him. As always, it is annoyingly straightforward. An arrow ready to be unleashed at the slightest provocation.

Xi Mou refuses to back down.

They are both in the Fourth Level of the Earth Realm, and Qu Rou is technically the more experienced of the two. However, Qu Rou is an archer through and through. At this distance, Qu Rou is completely outmatched by Xi Mou.

Our mission, Xi Mou stresses, is to secure Lord Feng Shangs victory. I do not see how this does anything to advance that goal. Those disciples have been removed from the competition. Why spend more effort on them when there is so much more we could be doing? We should be seeking Young Master Feng Hao, not wasting our time here!

Young Master Feng Hao is the true key to the contest. Should he die, Lord Feng Gui will gain control over the Eternal Flame Clan even if they reach Patriarch Feng first. While Xi Mou doubts Lord Feng Gui will kill his son for power, there is no telling what sort of accidents may happen in the Dead Plains.

Lord Feng Guis men cannot be trusted with the protection of Young Master Feng Hao. Even Young Master Feng Zhi, who has been hovering over Young Master Feng Hao like a stubborn cloud lately, cannot be trusted. If that one was competent, hed have been chosen to go to the tournament.

Yes, protecting Young Master Feng Hao is what Xi Mou should be doing! Not this this...

Brother Qu, this Xi Mou waves his hand disdainfully. This is beneath us. A petty pastime and little else.

Petty? Qu Rou echoes with so much rage in his voice that Xi Mou fears the older disciple will strike him. Petty? You dare claim my brothers death is a petty matter!

Xi Mou winces.

It may have been the wounds dealt by Chen Long that killed my brother, but that would have never happened if Lord Feng Guis dogs hadnt denied us supplies!

Xi Mou looks away. In the face of such naked hurt, there is nothing he can do or say. Perhaps, if he had been present when Qu Yilu died, Xi Mou would be just as bloodthirsty as the others. However, Lord Feng Shang sent him to get supplies after his shameful loss.

That single order spared him from seeing Qu Yilu die.

If this is petty, so be it, hisses Qu Rou, taking hold of his bow. I have been given prey! I will not stop until all of them are dead!

Xi Mou sighs.

Good hunting, Brother Qu, he says, turning away. He does not care enough about Lord Feng Guis supporters to fight Qu Rou over them.

However, I shall not be a part of this.

All the same, he respects himself too much to join Qu Rou in this so-called hunt.

You are betraying us? Qu Rou asks. There is no doubt in Xi Mous mind that a wrong answer will earn him the ire of Qu Rous bow.

Not at all. I already told Brother Qu, didnt I? There is one thing above all that we should be doing to secure Lord Feng Shangs victory.

He is going to secure Young Master Feng Hao.

And if Feng Zhi tries to get in his way Well, that will be a good opportunity to impart guidance on a bothersome junior.

~~~

Step. Step. Step.

Step. Step. Step.

Step. Step. Step.

The paths inside the temple are long and sinuous. The walls are smooth and curved. Even the floor undulates up and down as if whoever built this place was averse to anything resembling a straight line.

Liu Jin and Fan Bingbing walk at the front and back of the group respectively. A disciple in the middle creates fireballs that circle around them to illuminate their way. While they dont need their eyes to sense any nearby Spirit Beasts, the same cannot be said for the traps lying in wait. Most of them should have already been activated by previous explorers and wanderers, but there is no need to take unnecessary risks.

I also wouldnt have, Senior Brother Qing, another disciple says, raising his hand to speak. His name is Ni Cai if Liu Jin remembers correctly. He is from the Medical Pavilion. I am the second generation of my family to belong to the Eternal Flame Clan. My parents are both Inner Disciples. Helping win this competition would go a long way towards earning prestige for myself and my clan,

I would have listened to Brother Qing, says a disciple from the Apothecary, Dong Kuan. I just happened to be in the Sparring Hall at the wrong time and got caught in the fighting. I support Lord Feng Gui, and I support Elder Xue, but not enough to want to brave the Dead Plains. Id rather spend my time making potions and elixirs in the Apothecary. The only reason I came here is so that I wouldnt be left alone. I thought that if I stayed with the group, my odds of survival would be higher.

Meanwhile, I would have come to the temple even if Brother Qing hadnt said anything, says another disciple. He is Ten Zichun, from the Armory. I dont have any clan to help me out. Merits are the only way for someone without connections like me to rise.

I would have followed what Brother Qing said regardless of what he told me to do, says the last disciple, Gan Nanfeng. She is also from the Apothecary. I have no grand goals, but I would have been too scared of not properly following orders.

Curiosity. Family. Survival. Ambition. Fear.

Liu Jin takes a moment to absorb them all.

I see. Liu Jin closes his eyes. Brother Wong, you are not wrong.

Wong, who had been trying his best to stand defiant before Liu Jin, is left floored.

What?

You are not right, Liu Jin adds, but you are not wrong. If I had said we were not going to bother competing as soon as we landed, some of you would have listened to me, and some of you would have felt forced to listen to me. Just as some of you did not like that I kept Lord Feng Shangs supporters alive inside the worm but went along with it anyway. We cannot know for sure what those who are gone would have done. Like most of you, some were bound to have goals that mattered to them too much to quit.

Liu Jin pauses for a moment.

I have goals too, Liu Jin admits. I support Lord Feng Guis efforts because I believe my goals will be served by his ascension. I took it upon myself to lead you through the Dead Plains, but I never for a moment considered that we shouldnt participate in the competition. It never occurred to me that I should ask you whether you wished to quit or not.

There is no point in wondering whether the disciples would have been safer abstaining from participating in the game or not. One could easily argue they needed to enter the Eye of the Plains regardless. That is not the issue.

The issue is Liu Jin never considered not going to the temple.

Certainly, he had wanted to keep everyone alive from the start, but he wanted to keep them alive while making their way to the temple. That most of the disciples taking part in this challenge are those unlucky enough to be in the Sparring Hall when Bu Jing deactivated the bracelets never factored much into his considerations.

I place supremacy on my goals, Liu Jin admits. Subconsciously, I put my goals above your lives. I admit it. I will not apologize for it because I have little right to do so, especially when that hasnt changed.

It is a horrible thing to admit, yet it rings true.

Gaining authority in the Eternal Flame Clan. Stopping Murong Bang. Changing things.

It may be that, from the moment Liu Jin chose to join the Eternal Flame Clan, he had placed those goals above the lives of many.

Liu Jin has certainly placed them above his own.

How shameless can you possibly be! an outraged Wong explains. Why should we listen to you now? You just admitted you dont value our lives as much as your goals!

If you think you can survive without me, feel free to send me away.

The calmly delivered words leave Wong frozen.

You were the first to turn to me for guidance, Liu Jin reminds Wong. If you have truly changed your mind, say it now. If any of you think you can survive without me, feel free to tell me right now, and I shall not bother you again. Go on. Say it.

Wong opens his mouth, yet the words never leave his throat. No matter what, he cannot bring himself to say them, cannot bring himself to believe them.

No one can.

I see. I am relieved you still place so much trust in me.

From anyone else, those words would have surely been full of scorn, yet the gentle smile on Liu Jins face stops anyone from taking those words as anything but the truth.

In light of your trust, I shall reaffirm my intention to have us survive this ordeal. I have neither the desire, inclination or motive to sacrifice any of you. If I had to sacrifice anyone, Id sacrifice myself first.

Is that a contradiction to what he said earlier? Almost certainly.

Liu Jin is fine with it. He is a cultivator. He can be as unreasonable as he wants.

More importantly, I intend for us to win.

The disciple from the Armory blinks. Win?

When Brother Jia said Inner Disciples like us were never going to settle this, I did not disagree. I did not believe he was wrong back then. However, I now realize that mentality is unbecoming of me. It is unbecoming of us all. Why did I come here, if not to realize my goals? You have things you want as well, dont you? Even if it is something as simple as survival, why should we allow ourselves to become so passive when it concerns what we wish for?

But Brother Qing, says the female disciple from the Apothecary, Did you not say the Core Disciples have most likely gotten a temple stone to Patriarch Feng by now?

And who said that the first one to do so won? Liu Jin asks. We were told to bring a temple stone to Patriarch Feng. Not once did anyone say we had to be the first to do so.

Liu Jins words bring everyones minds to a halt.

He is right, Fan Bingbing says, stunned. We simply assumed it was a race, but did anyone ever say it was one?

No one had. Speed was never once a victory condition for this challenge. In fact, there is only one completely clear victory condition given by Patriarch Feng.

If Feng Hao dies, Lord Feng Gui wins.

That doesnt change anything, Wong shouts. Even if this is not a race, we are still trapped here!

That is fine, Liu Jin says with unshakable calm. This is the one place in the Dead Plains we know all the other disciples will come to. There is no better place for us to be.

But that Core Disciple is still outside!

He is, and as long as he is, no disciple who supports Lord Feng Gui is safe here. Not us, and not the ones who will come after us.

Liu Jin meets the disciples gazes one by one once more.

That is why we must defeat him so that he will not kill any more of our brethren.

~~~