Chapter 758

Chapter 758

The battle for Pan Si Xing had thus far been a comedy of errors, but Baatar was confident they would still win the day.

His certainty was based on more than just blind faith and empty conviction, for hed long since learned that no matter how dark the night may be, the morning would always come in time. Any failure short of death was merely a temporary setback, for where there was life, there was hope. An idiom which was more than an empty platitude to Baatar, and instead the adage which he lived by, for the trials and tribulations of Heaven rarely progressed as expected. A lesson little Rain learned before his return to the People, taught to him by the harsh vicissitudes of life and the sadistic guards of the mining camp, but it took Baatar a great deal more time and a significant investment of Mothers effort to teach him the same.

He remembered his lessons fondly, when Mother would appear with a practice weapon in hand and hurl it at him without warning. An exercise to teach him that battle and bloodshed would never wait until he was ready to begin, so he should instead be prepared at all times. Then there was the sparring itself, which was always just brutal and unforgiving enough for him to survive to the end, but only barely. Some thought Mother cruel for pushing him so far, but he relished every second of their time spent together because it was the only time he ever truly felt like himself. To his feral, youthful mind, life in the village had seemed so complicated, but only because he refused to accept the rules as they were rather than as he envisioned them. In his mind, his bedroom was sacrosanct, a place for him and him alone, yet so many people refused to heed his warnings to keep out. Hed clearly marked the room and everything within as his, carving his name into the wood the moment he learned how to write it, yet time and time again, people ignored his warnings to keep out and somehow he was always at fault for defending his territory. It wasnt right, or at least, he felt it wasnt, but life refused to conform to his standards and it drove him mad having to live by someone elses rules.

But with sword in hand, the world made sense again, for only one rule remained: endure. That was all. Against Mother, defeat did not mean death, but there were times when the pain and suffering made him wish otherwise. Their matches would always go on until he could no longer stand, most times because he was unconscious and required Healing, and yet, he never fled from Mothers approach. No, instead he craved it. Yearned for it even. Feared she would lose interest and wanted nothing more than to recover quicker so they could fight again. Every night he thought of how to put what hed learned to good use and possibly return some of his pain to her. Not because he hated or resented her and wanted to see her hurt, but because in doing so, he would be one step further along the Martial Path and one step closer to standing alongside her, where he would finally have the qualifications to repay her for the care and attention shed bestowed upon him.

Yes, the care. Even though hed been little more than a child, Baatar knew no one else wanted him around. He saw it in their eyes whenever they looked at him, not seeing a young pup who wouldnt survive on his own, but rather a monster hiding in human flesh. They approached him like they would approach a wild wolf, only when necessary and with caution and reluctance. They left his food at the door rather than invite him to eat with them, yet barged in to take whatever they pleased instead of asking him to bring his clothes or laundry out. He was a wild, temperamental child, this was true, but he was still human, still a person with feelings and emotions. Everyone else only saw the wolf and treated him as such, all the while ignoring how people and wolves both yearned for camaraderie and affection.

Not so with Mother. Aside from the first time she appeared without warning to drag him out for a fight, she always came at the same time every morning so he knew when to meet her. When he approached, she met his eyes until he could no longer match her intensity, and never flinched when he snapped or snarled. Whats more, after all the fighting was done, shed often check his injuries none too gently and declare he was fine enough, before punctuating the seemingly dismissive statement with a gentle pat on the head or cheek. She called him pup, but she treated him like a person, and that, more than anything, was why Baatar cherished their relationship so much. She was family long before she formally adopted him, and by showing him what it was like to be accepted, she made him want to be a part of the People and belong to a community that looked out for their own. In wolf terms, the People were his pack, but in order to convince them to accept him, he had to learn not to let the wolf always be in control. So he fought his bestial urges and struggled to learn the lessons of the human world, but it was a long and arduous process indeed. Then, when he finally learned to be human, he discovered Balance demanded he let the wolf out to roam from time to time, which was the only reason why he could bear to part with his beloved rose and the comforts of home to wander the cold and unforgiving landscapes of the North.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Over the years of patrols and conflicts, Baatar learned to always plan for every situation, but he also learned that those plans rarely ever survived past the first minute of conflict. Life had a way of surprising you no matter how prepared you might be. Even the greatest strategist in the world couldnt predict what would come next, like the time Mother brought him to Shen Bin to see the megalodon terrorizing the coast, then told him to go kill it before pitching him into the water. He was seventeen at the time, and the massive, whale-sized shark could have swallowed him whole without even noticing his presence, but he eventually emerged victorious against his aquatic foe, albeit with more than a little help from Mother.

Now that had been a battle to ignite the blood, and he came out of it with a Spiritual Heart to forge his first weapon, the Bloody Fang forged from the tooth of a megalodon. Baatar had something similar planned for little Rain, but his daughter was too protective of her little brother and refused to let it happen. What a shame, for it would have been a memorable bonding experience for them both, and Baatar ended up missing out on Rains first hunt for a Spiritual Beast.

Having gone into the excursion expecting to stand on the beach and watch everything unfold, that day taught Baatar that expectations had little to do with reality. There were few certainties in life, so he wasnt all too surprised when their plans fell apart the moment they arrived outside Pan Si Xing. Even though the army had successfully made their way into the mine-shafts unnoticed, the element of surprise would not be as effective as theyd hoped it would. The boys spyglasses came in handy here, allowing the scouts to survey the city from afar without alerting the Enemy with their Scrying. Preliminary reports discovered that there was no singular building that stood out as a command centre for the Enemy leadership, meaning they had no inkling of where Bai Qi might go to assert control over his forces. This proved to be the first wrinkle in their grand scheme, but far from the last, because if they couldnt find Bai Qi to kill him quietly, then they had no choice but to lure him out.

Which would be difficult, because as unpredictable as life might be, the Defiled were even less predictable, and Bai Qi was undoubtedly Defiled. One who exhibited a remarkable amount of self-control, but Defiled nonetheless, for his actions spoke volumes to his mindset. Before embarking on this crusade West, Baatar had studied his foe in depth by reading everything there was to read about the Lord of Martial Peace. Cruel, but effective was the best way to describe his actions, a man who would happily slaughter thousands today to theoretically save millions down the line. His cruelty was not reserved only for his enemies either, for he was equally cruel to himself and his soldiers, demanding nothing short of excellence and punishing any and all who fell short. During his claim to fame in the rebellion of his hometown of Yique, Bai Qi had been but a mere Captain of only twenty-two years, hardly older than little Rain was now, yet he convinced two dozen of his peers to infiltrate the rebel Magistrates palace in the dead of night to kill the rebel leader. Only five of his comrades survived to see the next morning and their personal accounts of the action were terrifying to behold, for it painted a picture of an indomitable young Warrior who would stop at nothing to succeed.

To access the Magistrates inner sanctum, young Bai Qi crawled through several hundred metres of sewage tunnels that led into the heart of the palace. Once there, he emerged from the ladies quarters where the Magistrates wives, concubines, and younger children slept, all of whom were slaughtered in their sleep to keep them from raising the alarm. This was before Bai Qi knew the Magistrate was Defiled mind you, for hed gone into this mission without any notion that his foes were anything other than the rebels they appeared to be. Had they been guards and Warriors, then Baatar could understand the need, but killing women and children in their sleep for no reason other than convenience was beyond unconscionable, but not to Bai Qi. In his eyes, anyone enabling or supporting the Magistrates rebellion was equally as guilty as he, a black and white outlook that left much to be desired. The servants in the palace hardly had any choice in the matter, nor did the Magistrates children, and while they would have likely been sentenced to nine-familial Extermination in the end, Bai Qi hadnt known that going in.

Matters only escalated once they were inside the palace proper, and he was quick to sacrifice his allies in ones and twos to further his missions success. None of the accounts said as much of course, but Baatar could read between the lines and understood Bai Qis thought process well enough. Everything was done in the name of the greater good, whether it be the death of an innocent child or that of his comrades and peers. Guards were killed and fires set, distractions to draw his target out of hiding, and once the Magistrate revealed himself, Bai Qi did not hesitate to sacrifice a dozen more of his comrades in one fell swoop to make the Magistrate think assassins had tried and failed to strike him down. Only then did Bai Qi emerge from hiding to take the Magistrates head, attacking as soon as his foe lowered his guard before fleeing into the night once the deed was done. In the end, they uncovered evidence of a Defiled plot through sheer luck and happenstance, for in his haste to escape, Bai Qi stumbled into a secret passage which led to a hidden room filled with all manner of horrific atrocities, including an entire shelf filled with perfectly preserved human heads.

This was where the Defiled Magistrate brought his victims to satisfy his dark urges, and being a local of the city, Bai Qi recognized the head of the citys previous Magistrate sitting on the shelf, the current rebels father who supposedly died in his sleep. This was indisputable proof that the Magistrate was Defiled, and Bai Qi brought the head out to show his superiors. Against the wishes of his comrades no doubt, for of the five other survivors, three were also local born Warriors with families residing in the city, which was why theyd been willing to go along with his crazed scheme. The alternative would have been to fight the rebels and risk their families getting caught in the crossfire, to be used as hostages by the rebel Magistrate or condemned as accomplices when the Imperial Army retook the city. Knowing this, those three local survivors would have also known that revealing the rebel Magistrate as a foul minion of the Father would result in a Purge being called down on the city. While their official accounts made little to no mention of this fact, Baatar sensed they resented Bai Qi for not being more circumspect and holding off on passing this information along so they would all have time to get their families to safety.

It didnt help that Bai Qi himself had family in the city as well, parents who were eventually put to the sword by his own hand, if he was to be believed. Madness, others might call it, but from this and so many more records of Bai Qis career, Baatar could see that the Lord of Martial Peace was a man of order and control, one who adhered to a set of personal rules and would abide no deviation from them. Baatar knew this because hed once been that same sort of person, one who refused to adapt to the world around him and believed the world should adapt to him instead, Thankfully, Mother taught him otherwise, but unfortunately for the Empire, there was no one to teach that same lesson to Bai Qi, so when his world of order and control fell apart in the face of the Defiled invasion, his courage and conviction went with it. Easier to accept a lie than admit the truth, so Bai Qi rejected the possibility that his methods and actions were wrong and decided that the world was wrong instead.

Or at least that was how Baatar interpreted the mans recent actions and decisions. There were many whispers of Bai Qis oddly civilized behaviour and apparent self control, but this was merely the facade he wanted the Empire to see. The Enemy was recruiting from not only the ranks of the West, but from all the outer provinces at once. They tried to gain a foothold in Sanshu with Yo Ling and the Golden Highlands Council, as well as in Central with the Canston Trading Group. It would come as no surprise to learn that the fussy and fastidious Marshal Huong had quashed a similar attempt in the South, to say nothing of how the Enemy succeeded with the Mataram Clan in the West. This only went to show the great lengths the Uniter went to in order to prepare for his invasion, which was why Bai Qi continued to maintain the illusion of control, an illusion Baatar hoped to shatter today.

According to the boy, their foe, the monster of legend and former Imperial Scion Zhen Shi saw the outer provinces as a mere stepping stone towards his true goal, but Baatar was of a mind to turn it into a stumbling block instead.

Hurtling through the air at a breakneck pace, he unleashed a devastating blow at Bai Qi the moment his feet touched the sand. A risk, waiting so long before swinging his Crescent Moon pole-axe, but without the added strength from bracing his feet against the ground, he would have been blown aside by Bai Qis counter-attack. Their weapons collided with the force of a cannonball and numbed him from hands to shoulders, but a forceful exhale and effort of Reverberation rid him of the brunt of the aftermath. As his feet dug a furrow through the sandy streets until he came to a stop, he grimaced at the stark contrast to his foe, for Bai Qis feet remained planted where he stood. Not quite a reversal of positions from their initial exchange since Baatar had not been sent flying, but it was enough for the traitor to regain some measure of face at the cost of a minor internal injury.

A fool to care so much about appearances even now. In doing so, Bai Qi was committing to not just mere victory, but a victory achieved with grace and aplomb. A bold declaration and a grave insult to Baatar for his skills to be held in such contempt, but rather than anger, he only felt delight. Much as he would relish the challenge of a fair and equitable match against a foe of this calibre, there was far too much on the line to indulge himself so. Instead, Baatar would accept any sort of victory here, not because he wasnt confident in his odds, but because the Empire could not afford even a minor defeat, not so early in the campaign.

Though theyd crossed blades only twice now, Baatar had learned enough to confirm some of Mothers suspicions regarding Bai Qis prodigious strength. In truth, the man was monstrously strong, capable of exerting a tremendous amount of force in a single swing to overpower his opponents. There was no trick there that Baatar could see, merely countless hours of dedicated practice to build up the foundation required to unleash all his Reinforced strength in a single blow, as well as a peerless grasp of precision and timing to aim and Amplify his attacks where they would be most effective. Thats why Baatars first attack was able to knock Bai Qi back so far, because he purposefully mistimed his strike to throw Bai Qi off, a trick that would not work a second time now that he was aware of it. During their second exchange, Baatar discovered that his strength was undoubtedly inferior to his foes, but as Mother predicted, the discrepancy was not large enough to be the sole determining factor of their match.

Your father hits harder, Mother had declared, patting Baatars head and ruffling his ears like he was still a child no older than Tate. But he is slow and unable to match Bai Qi blow for blow. I am faster, but lack the strength and fortitude required to stand toe to toe against him, for even if I do everything right, there is little I can do to defend against his overwhelming power. A poor match up all things considered, especially when you add his Runic armour into the mix, meaning I must kill him decisively with a single strike, else I will not survive his dying blow.

Which really was the only reason Bai Qis head was still attached, because his life was not worth Mothers in trade. And you believe I can defeat him? Baatar had asked, more because he wanted to hear what she had to say rather than he needed the assurances. He still had yet to meet the Warrior he dared not face, for even if Mother meant to take his head, he was confident he could hold out for at least a dozen blows.

And then, with a wrench of his arms, Bai Qi ended the struggle as Baatar ceased resisting against his opponents superior strength and leverage to surrender to the flow instead. Both his feet came off the ground as Bai Qi tried to pull the Crescent Moon out of Baatars hands, but he didnt resist and let himself be pulled along and buy time to recover. Cloud-Stepping in place, he barrelled shoulder first into Bai Qis chest and grunted as tender flesh met indomitable Runic steel, but the impact freed his weapon from the confines of the ring. An unconventional move Baatar didnt even need to think up in order to turn the tide around, for in his youth, he spent the better part of a decade trying to force Mother to use an actual weapon instead of her bare hands, which she often used to snatch his sword in her vise-like grip the same way Bai Qis Green Dragon Crescent Blade had. This was Baatars advantage in this match up, for he had experienced a hundred thousand defeats while Bai Qi had progressed along his path unrivalled. If it was Mother, she would have made Baatar pay dearly to extricate himself, but Bai Qi had never experienced this himself, for hed never had to use the rings in real combat. A clever trap, but if he expected to win using these silly little schemes, then he was not half the Warrior Baatar thought he was.

In truth, Baatar had failed his son in this regard, for though he wanted to spar with the boy each and every day, little Rain always looked so miserable and unhappy when they were done. The boy was different, for he was not so deeply in love with the Martial Path, but rather resigned to it. To him, combat and sparring was a means to an end, whereas his true love belonged to the mysteries of Chi, Heavenly Energy, and other such esoteric studies, which meant that while constant sparring would help shore up his flaws, his personality meant he would come to resent the training and possibly even slow his progress along the Martial Path. Mother sparring with little Rain was fine, because at least she knew how to hold back, but Baatar would have long since gone overboard in his enthusiasm to spar with his son.

Now was not the time to become distracted however, as Baatar danced about the street to avoid a direct clash against Bai Qi while he gathered his thoughts. The rings might well be the reason why he could hit so hard, some form of extra Amplification or Reverberation, or possibly even Lightening and Stability to boot. No, an angled Deflection was most likely, aimed along the same angle as his attack to add extra impetuous to his swings. Difficult to say for sure without ample testing, but even little Rain could not afford to squander so many precious materials to craft a test weapon. Father might, but Mother kept a tight grip on the purse-strings, so whether she allowed him to squander so much on a curiosity was another thing altogether.

Gritting his teeth as he blocked a swing, Baatar cursed his own distraction. Fight now, contemplate later. Firmly on the back foot, he fell back before Bai Qis offensive flurry of blows, the air ringing as his weapon sang and struck. Unable to avoid a confrontation any longer, Baatar unleashed the wolf within and fought with every scrap of skill and fury he possessed. There were no Movements of the Forms that came to mind as he moved, merely his body responding with the Movements hed engraved into his muscles over decades of practice and repetition, but no matter how strong, agile, fast, or clever he might be, Bai Qi was always there to match him. Through the streets they moved like Wraiths, working Concealment and Cloud-Stepping into their every action as they flew about the battlefield unhinged. No longer could Baatar afford to keep this as a one on one duel, for they were so evenly matched that the unknown variables of the nine rings gave Bai Qi the unshakable upper hand. Strategically retreating before his foe, he tried to maneuver them into position for his allies to lend aid, but he was not the only one with support.

Surprisingly, Rang Min was the first to render assistance, delivering a powerful, two-handed blow that Bai Qi barely blocked in time, the surprise on his face clear for all to see. Immediately after, a small, child-like Demon nicknamed the Dark Child stepped in, and with help from three more Demons it appeared to command, they drove the fearsome former Patriarch away.

The Wedded Exarches stampeded past, unable to land a blow on Bai Qi despite their superlative speed, for his position and spatial awareness enabled him to move out of their path well in advance. The two young Exarches were talented, but too single-tracked in focus, while lacking the finer control needed to go after more agile targets. After three passes, Demons and Half-Demons alike flocked to engage them, and no more aid would be forthcoming for some time, for even though Bai Qi could dodge them, he couldnt afford the distraction against Baatar.

A Wraith appeared at Baatars back, but he noticed it far too late, so late that it was already dead thanks to Jia Yangs assistance. The man was not the strongest duellist present, but Baatar trusted no one more to guard his back, for once the keening cry of his sabre was raised, only an elite few could ever break through his defence. This was in addition to his superlative perception and flawless positioning, always knowing exactly where he was needed at any given time, a skill which served him well in his speedy ascent through the ranks. Theyd come a long way since they first met, when Baatar had readied to take the mans head in a trial for daring to covet his precious sons possessions, but he was glad theyd come to terms since.

MuYangs repeated shots either missed or glanced off Bai Qis armour, while some came dangerously close to striking Baatar instead. A Demon threw itself into the fray but died to an errant strike from Baatar, which almost cost him his life as Bai Qi renewed his offensive. The Lawgiver Won Gwang almost took the traitors arm off, and might well have had his unconventional man-catcher not gotten caught on the edge of a Runic Bracer. Time and time again, others tried to interfere in their match but were left wanting, and slowly but surely, Baatars confidence shrank as he came to terms with his seemingly inevitable defeat. Bai Qi was too strong, too fast, and too clever by far, and though Baatar had come close to killing the traitor, he was no match for the Lord of Martial Strength. There would be no escape here, not for him at least, because there was no one else who could keep him occupied while the Imperials retreated. Surely Hongji would see the writing on the wall and was prepared to order a full withdrawal, so Baatar would sell his life dearly to see that his comrades got as far away as possible before Bai Qi went a hunting.

Truth be told, Baatars only regret was that he could not see his son once again. Hed bade farewell to his rose, his daughter, his son-in-law, and grandchildren, as well as everyone else who mattered. The only person he never got a chance to say goodbye to was little Rain, and it pained him to leave things so. What if the boy never woke from his coma, having traded his life for his fathers, only for Baatar to throw it away like a fool blinded by his own hubris.

Bullshit.

Baatar could almost hear the boy cursing in that irreverent manner no one else could pull off, so full of tongue-in-cheek contempt that it was almost endearing. Now this was a sight, a father being scolded by his son for thinking so little of their bond, one that seemed imagined but felt all too real. Regardless if it was truly Rain speaking to him from afar, the exchange brought a smile to Baatars face and renewed confidence to his arms, for he could not bear to die without speaking to his son and learning the truth of this interaction. Channelling the Energy of the Heavens, he unleashed a powerful slash which was promptly blocked and trapped by Bai Qis rings, but this time, rather than go with the flow, he held fast and struggled for as long as he could to buy the precious seconds he needed.

Then he let go of the Crescent Moon and ducked down while reaching out to take the Bloody Fang in hand, which came whistling out from the building it was buried under. As Bai Qis Green Dragon Crescent Blade went wide due to the sudden and unexpected lack of resistance, Baatar delivered a series of blows to his foes armoured knee, groin, and midsection. Honed steel shrieked as it glanced off Runic brigantine, but the impact was enough to drive an already reeling Bai Qi even further back as he fought to stay upright, but in doing so, he twisted just right and revealed an opening at his hip which Baatar promptly drove the Bloody Fang into.

Bellowing in pain and rage, Bai Qi took an errant swipe that went wide as he stumbled away, pulling himself off the sword in a spray of crimson blood. Not one to give up the advantage, Baatar pounced upon his foe and gave no quarter as he bashed him this way and that using the superior speed of his short sword. This was his range, so close to his foe that their toes were nearly touching, inside the reach of most other weapons giving him free reign to strike wherever he pleased. Again and again the Bloody Fang raked and prodded Bai Qis armour, draining a significant amount of Chi with every attack. It was only a matter of time before the traitors Core ran dry, and then his invulnerable Runic armour would be worth less than the metal itd been crafted from.

Retreat.

There was no hesitation as Baatar leaped back, for he had no reason to doubt the warning. One which almost felt as if it had been delivered by Rain, the same way he chimed in to dismiss Baatars melancholic thoughts, with emotions and assurances that went beyond mere words. This was why Baatar wasnt surprised when Bai Qis Green Dragon Crescent Blade swept across at an angle that should have been impossible for the glaive, but that was because it was no longer a glaive. Instead, Bai Qi held a sabre in hand, having separated the blade and hilt from the rest of the glaive that was little more than a staff now. So not ten Spiritual Weapons, but eleven, truly Bai Qi was full of surprises, as well as words he felt necessary to bandy about.

A most worthy foe, you be, the traitor intoned, speaking with that slow, self-important cadence he so loved to use. But this Prince has no more patience for your antics. Two secrets you have forced this Prince to reveal, and as reward, you have the honour to bear witness to a third. The wind rose and the sand swirled about his feet before gathering into the palm of his hand, and it took Baatar a moment to recognize that these movements were not natural, a revelation which was soon followed by the opening of a sinkhole inside his stomach. Yes, Bai Qi said, taking great delight in the despair he saw in Baatars eyes. This Prince be Blessed by Sand, for the West be my Domain.

At least this explained why he was so talented at Reinforcement, blessed by Wind and Earth as he was. Well son, Baatar thought, calling his Crescent Moon pole-axe back to hand as he readied to sell his life dearly while hoping the boy could actually hear him. Your father is not so proud as to refuse any help you might have to offer.

Alas, the boy remained distressingly quiet, but Baatar didnt blame him for falling silent. I love you son, he thought and Sent, hoping the boy could hear him. No more needed to be said, just those three simple words, for they had a magic all their own.

And with that, Baatar shut out any and all distractions as he readied to sell his life dearly.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2