Chapter 65: The Speaker

Chapter 65: The Speaker

Flying crocodiles descended from the trees, and the crocodile in the pond burst out with snapping jaws as it attacked Bao. At the same time, whizzing sounds could be heard as the old man launched a handful of darts.

He’s a Qi fighter, thought Bao. As she dodged to the side to avoid the crocodile, Sunan’s Ox-Tail Dao spun through the air to deflect the darts.

Fierce fighting broke out instantly, with two or three members of the Dragon Phoenix Sect each taking on one of the crocodiles.

As Sunan flew off to fight the old man on the other side of the pond, Bao fostered the spark of rage which had just leaped up in her heart, using it to alter her Qi flow.

She had no attention to spare for Sunan or anyone else. She alone fought the flying crocodile which had initially ambushed her. After evading its initial lunging bite, she threw a knife toward its eye, but the blade merely glanced off the top of its head. Then it swung its tail, catching her off guard and sending her flying backward through the trees.

Even as she was struggling to her feet, it flew toward her again. As it closed in, she focused solely on manipulating the Qi within her body, building it up to unleash in the powerful attack she had first invented at the foot of mount Fohe. In a critical moment like this, there was no time to worry about what Du Qian had said about the danger of cathartic moves like this.

She waited until the last possible moment before dodging to the side, and then letting out a roar of rage as she swung her hand through the air. Five bands of red energy shot out, slicing through the flying crocodile’s armored hide as if it were nothing more than wet paper.

The crocodile didn’t even have a chance to react before it was falling to the ground amidst a shower of blood and gore.

The old man fighting Sunan let out a bellow of grief and anger, but wasn’t able to break free from his fight with Sunan.

Bao looked around and saw that the other members of the Dragon Phoenix Sect were holding their own against the three surviving flying crocodiles. Without any hesitation, she leaped to join Sunan in fighting the old man.

Before she could get close enough to land a blow, though, the old man suddenly inhaled deeply and then expelled the breath out of his mouth in a violent blast toward Sunan. Sunan was flung backward, landing hard on his back on the other side of the pond.

At the same time, Bao slashed her remaining knife toward the old man’s throat. The old man dodged, simultaneously throwing a dart toward her face, which she kicked aside with Dragon Cleaves the Clouds.

As Bao and the old man fought back and forth, Wang Tian and another Dragon Phoenix fighter faltered in their fight against another of the flying crocodiles, forcing Sunan to leap to their aid.

Moments later, the old man unleashed the same move he had used on Sunan, expelling a powerful breath backed with internal energy. Bao attempted to avoid the move, but was hit dead on and flew backward until she slammed into a tree, which knocked the wind out of her lungs.

As she flopped to the ground, gasping for breath, the old man leaped high into the air and threw two darts at her. Her hands were planted on the ground as she struggled to push herself to her feet, and her knife lay a few meters away from her. There was no time for Dragon Cleaves the Clouds or any other move that she could think of.

That was when a blur passed in front of her eyes, resolving itself into the form of Sunan. His sword screamed through the air, knocking down one of the darts. However, the second dart slammed into his shoulder, and the force of the blow sent him spinning off to the side.

Another spark of rage burned to life in Bao’s heart as she rose to her feet and struggled to suck in a breath of air.

In that same moment, a growling cry rose up as Mao Yun delivered a killing blow to one of the other flying crocodiles.

Even as Bao began to circulate her Qi to deliver another slash of rage, the old man made a clicking sound, then leaped backward at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the trees. At the same time, the flying crocodiles shot into the air, disappearing moments later. Almost as soon as the fight began, it ended.

Bao intentionally kept her rage simmering in case the retreat was a feint, but at the same time, turned toward Sunan, who was just now struggling up. She stepped forward to offer a helping hand, which was when she saw the dart embedded in his shoulder.

“That looks like it hurts,” she said.

He grimaced and reached up to touch the dart. “I’ve had worse,” he said.

“Really? When?”

Gripping the exposed end of the dart, he pulled it out, simultaneously sucking in a deep breath. “Good question.”

He tossed the dart to the ground next to him.

Luckily, none of the other Dragon Phoenix Sect members had received any significant injuries in the short skirmish.

“That’s not poisoned is it?” Mao Yun asked.

Bao squatted down and picked up the dart. The only thing that she could see on the surface was blood. She sniffed it. “Doesn’t appear to be. Do you feel anything strange inside of you Sunan?”

Sunan closed his eyes for a long moment. “No. Just pain.”

After taking time to clean Sunan’s wound and bind it as best they could, they proceeded on up the stream.

Eventually, Wang Tian pointed out into the forest. “The clearing is just up ahead. That’s where the no-headed man was spotted.”

They immediately struck out toward the clearing. Soon, the trees began to clear, and they could see an open space ahead of them. It was also possible to see that the clearing was occupied.

Sitting in the very center, out in the open, was a young woman wearing hide clothing similar to that worn by the old man they had just fought, except that hers was embroidered with yellow cloth. She sat cross-legged on a low, wide boulder, her eyes closed and her hands resting on her knees.

As Wang Tian cautiously led the way into the open, the young woman’s eyes opened.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said. “Greetings Young Dragon. Greetings Fierce Phoenix.” Before anyone could respond, she rose to her feet and hopped nimbly off of the boulder. “Please come with me. The True Shan are waiting for you.”

The group exchanged glances, but there was little time for discussion as the young woman was just about to disappear into the trees.

Sunan was the first to step forward and follow.

The young woman led them further into the forest, where the terrain began to slope upward.

“There’s a mountain up ahead,” Wang Tian mentioned. “Unnamed as far as I know.”

The young woman stopped walking and looked over her shoulder. “It has a name. Shenshi Shan.” With that, she continued on.

Bao frowned slightly as she walked along next to Sunan. “She has a very strange accent, but I think the name of that mountain is Classical Fei. If I’m right, it means ‘holy rock’ or something like that.”

“Interesting.”

The ground sloped upward with increasing steepness. Eventually, they reached a valley filled with small huts and bustling with people attired in similar fashion as the young woman.

When she led the group into the village, many eyes turned in their direction. However, no one seemed particularly surprised by their arrival, and everyone kept about doing whatever they had been doing moments before.

“Welcome to Zhenshan Village,” the young woman said. “The True Shan are waiting in the holy cave at the end of the village. Come.”

Bao leaned toward Sunan. “It’s definitely Classical Fei,” she whispered. “The name of their village means ‘true shan.’ It’s hard to say what that ‘shan’ means though. Originally I thought it meant mountain, but now I think it might mean ‘virtue’ or maybe ‘benevolence.’”

At the end of the valley was a cave that seemed very ordinary in nature. The young woman came to a stop just outside. “I am not worthy to enter,” she said, “and neither are the rest of you, save the Young Dragon and Fierce Phoenix. Please, go in.”

Mao Yun lowered his voice and said, “Are you sure this is….”

“Safe?” the young woman completed. “Of course. The True Shan are the epitome of benevolence. They have been waiting for you.”

Sunan patted the box with the Wind Stone in it and then walked into the cave. Bao followed.

The initial tunnel was dark, but faint light gleamed up ahead. They walked forward cautiously until the tunnel bent to the left, then the right. Then it opened up into a small cavern.

A bizarre sight met their eyes, causing both of their jaws to drop. A fire burned in the middle of the cavern, its flames violet and tinged with green. Seated cross-legged around the fire in a semi-circle were five creatures that were obviously the ‘headless men’ that Wang Tian’s scout had spotted. They were clearly not human. Each one had two large eyes on its chest, and a wide mouth on its stomach. Their limbs were slender, their fingers and toes longer than a human’s. They wore nothing except for loincloths crafted from vegetation.

When Sunan and Bao entered the room, the creatures’ eyes were closed, but only a moment later, they opened, and they seemed to shine with profound light.

Sunan swallowed hard to still his beating heart, then clasped hands and bowed. “I am Fan Sunan. Greetings, Seniors.”

Bao followed suit. “I am Shangguan Bao. Greetings, Seniors.”

The creatures blinked, and then the one in the center smiled. “We are the Shan,” he said. His voice was deep and sonorous, and his accent lilting, something the likes of which neither Sunan nor Bao had ever heard before. “I am the Speaker of this generation. Please, sit and hear my words.”

After only the slightest hesitation, Sunan and Bao both sat down cross-legged. Including the five Shan, they now formed a complete circle around the fire.

“We Shan are an ancient people,” the Speaker said. “Back when the world was filled with rivers and mountains, we were numerous. Now, our numbers have dwindled. However, we have not forgotten the words whispered to us by the ancient winds, winds even more powerful than the wind god Gushan. For countless generations, our people have waited for a phoenix and a dragon to appear among you humans. According to the ancient winds, that phoenix and dragon would either lead the world into a new era of progress, or drag it into darkness.

“The ancient winds told our ancestors that it was only by helping the human phoenix and the human dragon to succeed in walking their path to completion, would the world progress as intended. Therefore, there is no need for you to request our assistance. We offer it willingly.

“We know that you possess one of the holy Tempest Stones.” His eyes turned to face Bao. “The instant you touched it, Fierce Phoenix, we sensed you.

“Presumably, you wish to use the Empyral Hammer to forge the Tempest Stone into an object of power.” He smiled. “You need not request permission, we give it freely.”

Bao and Sunan were at a loss for words.

“Senior Speaker,” Sunan said, “we… we….”

The Speaker smiled. “Words are not necessary. I understand. The matter of the Tempest Stone and Empyral Hammer is settled. However, there is another matter I wish to speak of to you, and an offer I wish to make.

“Since ancient times, we Shan have sought truth in the winds, by means of the wind dream. Considering that you are the Young Dragon and the Fierce Phoenix, would you like to join us in a wind dream, to seek guidance about the coming days?

“Perhaps we could even catch a glimpse of the future….”

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