Chapter 554

Chapter 554

As the steady hoof-beats fade into the distance, I force myself to breathe and tell myself this is for the best.

Dad knows what hes doing. If I were there with him, Id only be a burden and distraction. Here, Im safe in Taduks garden and Dad is free to act without having to worry about keeping his crippled son safe. Nor should I worry about his safety, because hes the Bloody Fanged Wolf, Baatar of the People, a powerful Peak Expert in his own right, and the Imperials will pay a bloody price for underestimating his strength. Sure, Ive never actually seen him fight seriously with my own eyes, but Ive heard stories, and anyone trained by Akanai must be a force to be reckoned with. Even Nian Zu, a Living Legend and Hero of the Wall, acknowledges Dads strength and skills, so hes probably pretty high up there when it comes to ranking Martial Warriors.

I just hope itll be enough. Strength is nice and all, but a dagger in the dark kills Martial Warriors almost as easily as it kills civilians.

Instead of offering banal platitudes or empty reassurances, Lin-Lin simply hugs me from behind while I sit on the ground, clutching me close like a calming, weighted blanket. She knows any attempts to mitigate my anxiety needs to be backed by facts and information, or else it makes things worse as I focus on coming up with arguments as to why things wont necessarily be all right. But they will be all right. For sure. Nothing to worry about. The Imperial assassins probably wont even attack once they notice Ping Ping and the Death Corps arent a part of the convoy. Theyre all sitting outside the grove being Concealed by Guard Leaders veiled underlings, so Im sure someone on the opposing team will stop and wonder why the carriage convoy would waste Chi Concealing the Guardian Turtle and a few wagons filled with Death Corps. I mean yea, Guan Suo did it often enough, but hes an Ancestral Beast with plenty of Chi to spare, or so Id assume, so I doubt regular Peak Experts would have such an easy go of it. Concealing on the move is harder as well, especially at the speeds the convoy will be travelling at, so its entirely possible our competent enemies see through Dads ruse and let him by without attacking.

Which is... good news, I guess, if you ignore the fact that there will be assassins waiting for me when I ride home in a few hours from now. Maybe I should just stay here forever. Sorry Legate, cant go to the banquet, too many assassins blocking the way. Yes, this could work. Itd force him to protect me, right? Or abandon me completely. Ugh. I hate politics.

Sensing my inner turmoil, Lin-Lin leans closer and presses her cheek against mine, though she might just be trying to get a better look at the chubby chonker nestled in my embrace. Glancing down at my new furry friend, my heart breaks to see the bucktoothed baby in such distress, swaddled in a clean quilt yet still trembling with fright. Having gone limp and catatonic after a brief struggle, the groundhog lays prone in my arms with a distant, far-off look in his eyes, the look of a creature resigned to his fate. Its not despair or hopelessness, but utter indifference as he waits for the sweet relief of death, and no amount of gentle scritches or tasty treats can snap him out of it.

Poor thing. I hope his heart doesnt give out from terror. Its okay cutie. Im not gonna hurt you.

Hubby, Lin-Lin whispers, her voice filled with concern. Maybe we should let him go, ya?

...Yea, maybe. Seeing Taduk ready to object, I add, Not here and not now, of course. Later, somewhere far away from the garden. Far, far, far away. Sorry little guy. Its this or the chopping block for you my friend, because you stole from the wrong half-hare. Rocking him from side to side like a furry little baby, I silently pray he learns to overcome his fear and aversion to humans like Mama Bun eventually did, because Im already enamoured by his chubby cheeks and oh so boopable snoot. His dense, silky floof is another plus, and while hes not as soft as Mama Bun, hes the perfect size to carry around, small enough to hold with one arm, yet large enough to comfortably nestle in both. Besides, another Elemental-Blessed pet would be awesome, especially if he can serve as an early warning system for those stupid mole-rat Demons. Ping Ping and Pong Pong are Water-Blessed, but they were pretty much worthless against the Defiled and Pudge in particular. What I need to do is add variety to my floofs with Awakenings, lest I be accused of being racist or something, and an Earth-Blessed ground squirrel would tick so many boxes on the diversity checklist.

...Hang on. Why is he so weak?Follow current novels at novelhall.com?

At Lin-Lins nonverbal prompting, I explain, This little guy has gotta be Earth-Blessed, right? How else could he shift dirt around like he did? If thats the case, then why is he so weak? I thought the Blessing of Earth came with super strength?

Thats not how it works, silly. Instead of answering herself, Lin-Lin looks to Taduk, but hes too busy keeping watch on his seeds even though the culprit has already been caught. Unwilling to bother him, my wifey leans back to look around him and says, Mmm.... its better if you explain, ya?

Not all Blessings are identical. Even though I knew she was lurking nearby, I still flinch upon hearing Guard Leaders voice come out of nowhere. Following Lin-Lins gaze, I find the veiled woman sitting cross-legged with hands folded neatly in her lap, far enough from my teacher for the sake of propriety, but close enough that she could have theoretically just shifted over a bit before dropping her Concealment. Much like the Forms, the Awakenings are a guideline on how to use ones Blessing, and different individuals can arrive at vastly different conclusions. Increased physical strength is but one facet of the Blessing of Earth, one this rodent no doubt failed to grasp. Shrugging, she adds, It is also possible that it has an Auxiliary or Esoteric Blessing which allows it to manipulate earth, or even no Blessing at all and is simply relying on a Talent of some sort. The mysteries of the Dao are infinite and the mind of a rodent incomprehensible, so it is pointless to try and understand how or why it does what it does.

Guard Leader was a lot nicer to Mama Bun, which makes me think theres some form of floof discrimination going on here. Maybe theres a pair of floppy bunny ears hiding underneath that veil, though Im still not entirely sure if Guard Leader is a strong half-beast or a de-facto Ancestral Beast. Im hoping its the latter, because Ive been feeling a little exposed ever since I learned I had three Divinities watching my back all through Sinuji, and I still almost died multiple times. Seriously though... maybe Guard Leader is a bicorn bunny Ancestral Beast. If so, then I bet shes freaking adorable, with big, round eyes and a cute, dainty nose. Thats probably why she wears the veil, because no one would take her seriously without it.

Wisely not pressing the pet discrimination issue, I consider Guard Leaders explanation for a moment and decide it makes sense. I mean, Mole-Rat Lady was raising waves of dirt, but Eccentric Gam uses his Blessing in a different way. Rather than directly manipulating dirt, he Amplifies physical force to send Reverberations through the ground and create localized, miniature earth-quakes. It could just be a power limitation which keeps him from imitating Mole-Rat Lady, but it could also be a matter of lacking comprehension holding him back. This might also be why I had no success with making water bullets and water shields like Elder Ming or water tentacles and water spears like Pudge, because I dont have the right... software, I guess. I can probably do other things with Water Chi that they cant, like... make Chi Tea, I guess.

With my luck, my Blessing of Water will allow me to summon a light drizzle and inconvenience my enemies by forcing them to fight whilst mildly damp. Such intimidate. Much horror.

If the Martial Dao were a puzzle, this would be yet another few pieces which fit together, except I dont know where this particular cluster is supposed to fit in the overall picture, or even what the final product is supposed to look like. Talking things out with a group of Peak Experts did not solve my problems as I hoped they would, because it turns out the blind arent great at teaching other blind people to see, so we all need to find our own ways of navigating the Dao. Me, I like to rush around and crash into things face first at reckless speeds because I hate myself, but thats no longer a viable option. I need to find myself a walking stick, guide dog, or even a lifeline from the Heavens, anything to get me back on the right track, because stumbling around in the dark isnt getting me anywhere.

Time is running out. Dad was prepared for Imperial aggression this time around, but what about next time? Or the time after? I cant expect my family to keep blocking bullets while I flounder about in the open, else its only a matter of time before one of them gets hurt. Then theres all the non-familial members of the People who are working hard to keep me safe, most of whom are nowhere near as strong as my father or grandmother, nor are they as enthusiastic about it either. Stifling a sigh, I crack a wry smile at Guard Leader and say, I guess you were right. I bring nothing but trouble.

I stand by my statement, Guard Leader replies, as frank and forthright as always. This conflict in particular, however, is not your doing. You exhibited your skills and won great glory for the People, but noble hearts are fickle and their gratitude short-lived. They seek to use your life and death as political currency, but they will soon learn that the People look after their own.

...The People look after their own. She means me. Im one of the People.

My throat closes up as an invisible weight lifts off my shoulders, and I clutch the catatonic groundhog a little closer to my chest. Even though my close brush with exile is now water under the bridge, Guard Leaders acknowledgement has parted the last dark clouds hanging over my head, and now the sun is shining brightly once again. Its silly, because the People have never treated me differently, not by much. I dont interact with many people, but thats because Im a socially awkward recluse. They call me foundling, but to them, its no different from referring to someone as the bakers son or the blacksmiths daughter, with no malice or hatred in the moniker, only a statement of fact. Even then, when I was crippled and sent off to the front lines to die, thousands of Sentinels came out to ride at my side and bring me home safe, each one ready to lay their lives down to protect or avenge me. Ive long since accepted that my near exile came from a place of logic and reason rather than a personal dislike of me in particular, but...

This is the first time since then that someone outside my friends and family has acknowledged me as one of the People. Its... nice.

...Oh, Taduk wanted me to change the subject and stop talking about Pong Pongs Aura. Considering shes still stuck to Taduks side, it seems like Guard Leader still hasnt fully recovered from her brush with bleak despair and crippling depression, which is totally reasonable now that I think about it. Once you fall into that particular pit, it isnt easy to pull yourself out, even if youre lucky enough to have the love and support of family and friends to help you up.

Believe me. I know.

With the rabbits all in check, I head back to my teachers side, but this time I take a seat beside Guard Leader instead. Not because I think she wants me close by, but because Taduks not the only person she cares about. Theres Lin-Lin too, else Guard Leader wouldnt be her... leader of guards. I guess. Im not entirely sure why, or what their relationship is, and its not my place to pry, so I sit with my sweet wifey clinging to my back and adorable Mama Bun in my arms to wait for the rest of my beloved betrotheds to finish meditating in the grove.

Song too. I gotta stop including her along with the rest of the girls. That wont end well.

...Im also waiting for my sister, mother, and grandmother too, cant forget them or theyll be upset.

...andddd now I have nothing to keep me busy anymore, so its back to worrying about Dad. Do you know how the convoy is faring?

Theyve dispatched one group of assassins, Guard Leader replies, and my breath catches in my throat before she adds, No casualties. Your brother spotted the ambush well in advance and feathered them with arrows before they could act.

Good, good. Swelling up with pride, I glance over towards where Alsantset sits in quiet meditation, knowing shell want to hear about her heroic husbands exploits. I just hope the news will still be good when shes finally done meditating. More out of a nervous need to fill the silence than anything else, I say, Charok is kind and soft-spoken, but hes as tough as any of the People, and doubly so when his family is in danger. Remember how he was in those days after the Society contest? That was the first time I...

While I wax on about my brothers exploits, Taduk, Lin-Lin, and Guard Leader all listen in silence, no doubt sensing I need to get this off my chest. Around ten or fifteen minutes later, as my tale is winding down, Guard Leader informs us that Baatar uncovered a second group of assassins who were also summarily dispatched, though this time there are a few injuries. Nothing serious, Guard Leader assures me, all easily Healed using Panacea before they arrive back at the citadel. Unable to sit still I shift my sleepy wifey over to Guard Leaders shoulder and set to pacing about, telling random stories that come to mind so I dont have time to dwell on my thoughts.

Halfway through my rendition of how I found Banjo and Baloo, Song slips back into the garden and takes a seat by the wildcats, still lost in her thoughts despite ending her meditation session short. So not to distract her, I lower my voice and continue the tale, eventually moving onto another happy story regarding the Laughing Birds and their first meal of danger noodles.

Time crawls by as I tell story after story, with only short pauses in between as Guard Leader keeps us up to date with Baatars progress home. By the time they make it back, my back is drenched in cold sweat, as each successive ambush turns out worse than the last. Thankfully, no one dies and everyone makes it back okay, but before I have time to feel relieved, I realize the severity of our situation. Five ambushes, five Supreme Families, including the Legates. Guess going to him for help will be utterly useless, but Ill swallow my pride and try anyways, unless Luo-Luo thinks its best not to.

Lines are being drawn in the sand now, and I will remember and redress these grievances. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but someday.

...

You know, assuming I survive the trip to the Central Citadel and back.

...

And actually figure out my Dao and become awesome again.

...

Then somehow miraculously Shatter the Void and become a true Divinity, because anything short of that probably isnt strong enough to go against the Empire. If that happens, then... the Five Supreme Families should watch out.

...

Fuck it. I should just give up the warriors life and collect more powerful floofs to protect me. I can pick up some adorable bear-cat binturongs to start, because they were pretty murdery and territorial to boot. Red Pandas for sure as well, because theyre so damned cute, but I bet theyre different here and are also grouchy and carnivorous. Honestly, it wouldnt surprise me if the locals in Ping Yao called them the wolves of the trees or something equally ominous, but Ive held off on looking into it because I didnt really want to ruin it.

Also I should also get a dog, because its weird that I dont have one yet. Dogs are awesome. Wolf is okay too, but dogs are better.

Thats my Dao, its gotta be. The Dao of the Floof Master. Ill be the very best, like no one ever was. Forget being a Martial Warrior or figuring out my Elemental Blessing, I just want my Aura back so I can collect fluffy friends again. Please Mother in Heaven, make it so...

Chapter Meme