Beware Of Chicken

It was something new… and for the first time, Tianlan didn’t like it.

She didn’t like the way tears welled in her eyes, nor how rain poured down in her domain. She couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t control it. The dark clouds above her head cracked with lightning and boomed with thunder.

There was something stabbing into her heart. She had pulled off part of her robe, to see where she had been injured, but found only unblemished skin.

Tianlan clutched at the fabric of her clothes, as she watched through Xiaoshi’s eyes. The bodies of Chief Xin, Han, Shan, Tai, Bizhou, and Feng were cremated, using the wood of the village.

Chief Xin and his easy kindness. Han and Shan, the two constantly bickering. Their fights were the stuff of legend, as brother and sister snarked at each other. Tai and Bizhou, the doctor and his wife, the kindly couple who could never not aid somebody in need. And Feng, brave Feng, who threw himself at one of the soldiers who was trying to take Xiaoshi from behind and paid the ultimate price for it.

Her guts churned. Her body shuddered. She grit her teeth as her Qi spasmed, and she barely managed to clamp down on it, preventing Qi deviation.

Even after days, the pain was still raw. It still ached.

Sometimes, she wished she could just diffuse herself again. To let everything go, and become nothing.

Tianlan refused.

To disregard these feelings was to disregard ‘herself’. So she let herself feel the anguish, keeping an eye on her Qi. She… honestly didn’t know what she was doing. She had only instinct and a set of ‘rules’ she had to follow. This was beyond her knowledge. She didn’t know where it would lead or what would become of her. Tianlan didn’t know what she would do

She could feel the rest of herself. Distant and muted, a long way away from her “core” here.

She had concentrated her being too much. Bound it up in Xiaoshi, and now… even though she was greater as a result, much of her power was beyond her reach.

She grimaced.

And now, because of that, they had to leave Green Trees.

Part of Tianlan wanted to stand firm. To stay in this village and dare these bastards to come again. She wasn’t a fool though.While by no means weak, the captain of this group of soldiers was far, far from the strongest that they could muster, or so Xiaoshi said.

Tianlan was confident that they could win against the first few that they sent. But if the Imperial army took a real interest in them?

Wore still, to stay would be the death of even more of the people she loved. Staying could mean Xiaoshi could be lost.

And that was something Tianlan couldn’t accept.

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Xiaoshi had held Linlin’s hand as the fires burned down and the funerary tablets were crafted. In his soul, the only thing that he could hear was choked and muffled sobs.

Xiaoshi himself was simply… numb. He returned to his own home, and stared out across the gentle hills.

His house looked warm and inviting. His fields were full of growing crops. His chickens clucked and hopped around in their coop, eager for another day of eating bugs.

But most of all, he looked at the shrine he had built for his parents. The shrine he had made for them, so that they could watch over him, as he accomplished his father’s dream.

For the first time since the battle, he consciously called upon his Qi. He felt Tianlan stir, as he touched their connection.

The shrine slowly sunk into the ground as earth flowed like water, until not a trace of the shrine was left.

“I’ll be back.” he promised them. “I’ll be back, and then, you’ll see this place grow once more.”

He rose, collected what he could, and then returned to the village.

Even hastened by fear, it was still slow going, packing up an entire village and leaving. But all knew that staying here was death.

Imperial Soldiers had been killed in their land. As far as anyone of the Empire would be concerned , they were rebels.

The Emperor's soldiers were not kind to rebels and barbarians.

But what surprised Xiaoshi was when Boyi walked up, a serious look upon his face.

“...Where to, Xiaoshi?” Boyi asked, and the question cut at Xiaoshi.

Boyi would have been, should be chief. Xiaoshi should have been asking him that.

But instead, everybody was gathered around, waiting for his decision. Linlin slipped her hand into his at the hesitation.

He swallowed, and decided.

“West. Past the Cloudcatcher forest, and as close to the Mist Wall as we can get.”

There were a few intakes of breath at his proclamation, but such was the severity of the situation that nobody spoke against it.

With heavy hearts, and one last look at the ruined buildings, they set off.

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And thus they travelled past the enormous trees that were so tall they captured the clouds above.

On the tenth day of the second month, the trees started to thin out. The massive things that touched the heavens became normal once more, and upon cresting a final hill, they saw it.

The Mist Wall.

The Edge of the World. It was said the entirety of the Azure Hills was surrounded by it, a wall between them and the lands beyond the Emperor’s reach.

It was an unassuming thing. A bit of fog on the ground, twisting and roiling. The land beyond would become hazier until it disappeared completely. It looked like you could simply walk through it, and surely, it would eventually lift.

That could not be further from the truth. To enter the Mist Wall, to try and walk through it was death. None who had entered it had ever returned.

Some even said that demons stalked just within, and that they would steal through the night to attack people.

There was a mood of unease in the caravan as they beheld the eldritch thing, and Xiaoshi felt Tianlan’s own discomfort as she stared at it.

But… nobody ever really came this close to the Mist Wall. Pale Moon was the exception, rather than the rule.

So Xiaoshi searched. He searched long and hard, until he found a suitable sheltered valley.

And thus, the rebuilding began.

With Xiaoshi’s strength, and Tianlan’s help, the buildings were swiftly erected… and for the first time in months, things seemed like they were almost back to normal.

The children played. The villagers planted their crops. They built a home again.

Xiaoshi and Tianlan looked out over the valley. Something worth protecting.

=======================

“You’re going to go, aren’t you?” Linlin asked from where her head was on Xiaoshi’s chest. Xiaoshi startled at the question, and looked down into Linlin’s soft eyes. There was no accusation in them, just a simple statement of fact.

Xiaoshi pondered the question.

He hated fighting. He hated what he had done. And yet….

The faces of the miners, as quotas were increased again. The resigned tone of townsfolk as the burden of taxes drove them to cut their own meals. The rumors of Slaying Spirit Beasts, and labeling them Demon Beasts.

But most of all, he saw a burning village.

Something wasn’t right. He could feel it in his bones. The Son of Heaven had overstepped his bounds.

The earth stirred. The rage of a man and a spirit connected into one feeling. They would be safe here, wouldn’t they? Safe, and far away.

“Yes. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” he swore. “I need to try and figure it out.”

He could feel Tianlan’s support in the back of his mind.

Linlin smiled up at him, and pressed a kiss into his lips.

“Go. Do what you have to. Even if it makes the whole world your enemy.”

And thus, Xiaoshi set off for the Imperial Capital.

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Not to do battle with the Emperor, of course, for that would be foolish. What kind of idiot would just run in, screaming at the top of his lungs? He didn’t even know the man.

No. Instead… he would study his enemy. Study the man who visited suffering upon what was supposed to be “his people”.

He could not say the journey was too arduous. It was several weeks of roughing it in the forests… but he remained unmolested. Nothing came to investigate his Qi. No Demon Beasts tried to hunt him down. He had made faster time than he would have believed possible, heading initially to the south. There he disguised himself as if he came from the Great Lakes. With his reed hat and a cartful of rice, nobody bothered impairing his path as he joined in with thousands of others like him, headed towards the capital for the Grand Tournament.

For the Emperor himself would be there in attendance.

In the taverns and the inns, he heard the same story repeated over and over. Hushed complaints about taxes. News of the Barbarian tribes of the north putting together a grand host, and of raids to the southwest from bandits who melted like smoke into the shadows.

It was a time of unrest. Of weariness and apprehension.

Walking into the Imperial Domain, positioned precisely in the center of the Azure Mountains, was like walking into a different world. He entered through the massive, imposing stone gates at the top of a steep, inclined mountain pass.

The first thing he noticed, as he passed the gates, was that it was warmer here. It was more humid too.

The normal mountains had been carved into what looked like long, thin spires, jutting up from the ground and covered in vegetation and hanging vines.

Tianlan called them Karsts, though she seemed confused as to why they were here.

Each and every plant was leafier than Xiaoshi was used to. They looked like they wouldn’t survive the cold of winter, but there they were in their thousands.

But for all that the land around the Karsts looked suitable to farm… there was nobody here. The fields were well-trimmed grass and military muster-fields instead. Around the Imperial city there were five forts, the Grand Bulwarks, each one protected by formations and experts without peer.

But all of them paled in comparison to the thing floating in the sky, high above the Imperial city.

The Azure Chamber. A one hundred and eight floor pagoda that scraped the heavens, simply existing in mid air, without any kind of visible support.

Xiaoshi swallowed, as he laid eyes upon it. The Domain of the Azure Emperor. But even if it was imposing, he kind of expected it to look a bit different. In his mind, it looked like it should have a perpetual black cloud around it, or perhaps spikes, with wailing innocents impaled, but instead, it was pure, and pristine.

Xiaoshi didn’t know how to feel about that.

He checked into an inn with the money he had made off selling his rice and pondered what the tournament would bring.

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The tournament, as Xiaoshi found out, was madness. He had never seen so many people in his life. Crowded together they roared and screamed as they assembled at the muster-fields, where the soldiers of the Emperor would be showing off their skills.

Tianlan’s emotions were roiling, trapped between the excitement of the crowd and her distaste for the capital. She had spent the night kicking down karsts in their shared dream and then packing them back together to form proper mountains.

…he may have joined in.

But now, the enjoyment of the night was muted as he stared down at the serried ranks of soldiers. Each captain was a cultivator in at least the Profound Realm. The majority were in the Spiritual, flaring their Qi for all to see their might.

“Loyal Subjects of the Azure Emperor!” A voice thundered out, and the crowd began to quiet down as a crystal dais rose into the air, floating over them all. “We thank you for coming today, to witness the martial prowess of our brave and loyal army!”

The cheers erupted, as people stamped their feet.

“And now! Lower your heads! His Imperial Majesty gazes upon you!” The voice boomed out, as between one instant and the next, a shadow appeared in the box floating over the arena.

Instantly, Xiaoshi felt his skin crawl, as there was a presence.

None could see him through the screen that shielded him from their gaze, but then again, they didn't have to.

Xiaoshi felt his stomach drop, as he felt the intent. The entire crowd went completely and utterly silent as the Emperor gazed down at them all.

The soldiers, as one, fell to a knee and bowed their heads.

There was a beat, as the man observed them all. As the Emperor's eyes swept from one end of the arena to the other, spearing thousands of people.

The shadow behind the screen nodded his head.

And then his power unfurled.

Xiaoshi was struck dumb, as the heavens seemed to descend. It was dark blue, like the night sky, and full of stars.

This was the strength of the heavens.

This was the Strength of the Emperor of the Azure.

It rose higher than the highest cloud, and stretched out, past the city, and seemed to swallow the entire world.

Some fell to their knees in rapture. Others fainted dead away.

All Xaioshi could do was gape openly, as Tianlan trembled in his soul.

They couldn’t fight that. It was impossible.

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The rest of the tournament was spent in a daze. The blood of the combatants soaked the arena as men sought to climb in rank.

Both Xiaoshi and Tianlan were silent, as they staggered off, feeling utterly demoralized.

“...what do we do now?” Tianlan asked, frustration in her voice.

“We go home, and find a really, really good hiding place. We can’t fight that.” Xiaoshi replied, still shaken from the sky full of stars.

He felt vague disapproval from his companion at his statement, but she didn’t have a rebuttal. Neither of them really knew how to fight, and the Emperor was a tiger wearing the skin of a man. “We’ll go back home, and build a fortress. Something so hidden they’ll never find us.” He glanced back at the giant pagoda, jutting into the sky.

It looked far more imposing now than it did earlier.

“Do you think he’s compensating for something?” Tianlan asked.

Xiaoshi choked on his own spit at the sudden statement. “Where the hells did you learn that?”

“Linlin asked Boyi if he was compensating for something after he built that watch tower.”

“Do you even know what that means?!”

“Nope. But it sounded insulting, and Boyi went really red.”

And that was how Xiaoshi wound up explaining innuendo to an earth spirit, as they walked out of the city.

“So, big house, big power, tiny little…?”

“Yes.”

“Heh.”

He could feel the amusement rising off the earth spirit, and he realised that he had just created a monster.

His steps felt a bit lighter, as he walked back home.

It lasted until he came to rest in a village. His mood soured instantly.

Men and Roadspinners alike were clapped in chains. Whips lashed their bodies as they were forced to dig, building the foundations for a canal. The Roadspinner’s shells were dull and full of cracks. Their inquisitive eyes were downcast and broken. They looked utterly miserable as mud weighed down their bodies.

For what reason would they be taken like this? Roadspinners were occasionally a nuisance, but they were mostly harmless!

The people of the village were looking nervous and muttering to themselves as they watched the work. Some flinched when the whips struck.

A particularly hard lash struck one of the Spirit Beasts, and she fell, Qi invading her body.

Xiaoshi turned his eyes away. He couldn’t get involved. To fight that was to fight the Emperor.

“Xiaoshi.” Tianlan’s voice was cold and hard. He could feel it. The point where their connection strained.

He glanced back at the canal as the whip reared back again, and then a child, still bound in chains, moved. He dashed forwards, and threw himself in front of the whip heading towards the Spirit Beast.

The whip cracked into the child, right across his eyes, and he screamed in pain.

It was a scream Xiaoshi knew well. He had heard it enough times from his own lips.

Xiaoshi’s fist clenched.

‘This is the way the world works.’ The Overseer declared.

No. This could be better.

‘This place is so wonderful. I love it!’ Tianlan sighed.

He would make it better.

He turned his eyes to the Emperor’s soldiers.

Even if it took a thousand years. Even if he had to make heaven itself his enemy.

The onlookers gasped, as on the backswing, Xiaoshi caught the whip.

“You dare defy the Emperor?!” The soldier demanded.

The power of the heavens, so completely eclipsing the earth. A sky full of stars, each one a fire that would burn him to ashes.

“Yes.” Two voices said as one.