The Second Archon War: Interlude 13

Interlude 13: The Broken Land

Standing amidst the ashes, Jing Tianqiong wanted to cry. He looked around, at where the apartment buildings had once stood, but now nothing but twisted metal, ash, and a few broken bits of masonry were left. 

“It wasn’t my best work, but did they really have to burn it down?” he said plaintively. A few people around him were picking through the still-warm ashes, but there wasn’t much hope they’d find anything.

The mental plans for the building were still strong in Jing’s mind, so he walked to right where his apartment would have been. Well, five stories up, but still. He traced out where the walls would have been, his desk, his bed, a few landscape paintings. There was a hunk of concrete there, so Jing sat, taking off the backpack he had on. He opened it up, rummaging around until he found the rest rolled-up paper, and spread it out, looking down at the building plans. 

“Just another uninspired apartment block, I know. But still…I built it. It would have stood up to almost anything,” he said forlornly. His gaze wandered over to the burned-out building across the street, and he winced. “Damn parahumans…”

A young boy digging through the ashes paused and eyed Jing skeptically for a moment. 

“What? No, I’m NOT a parahuman, see!” Jing dug out his Vision and held it up, pointing to it. “Dendro Vision! Not a Parahuman!” 

“Sure, mister! It was pretty cool when you beat up the other guy though. Sort of wish you’d done it before he burned the building down though,” the kid said. 

Sighing, Jing stuffed the scroll back in the pack and went over. He towered over the boy, who cringed at his approach, so Jing squatted slightly so they were on eye level. “Hey, what’s your name, kid?”

“Bao,” the kid said, giving Jing a gap-toothed grin. “Got any food though? I haven’t seen my parents since the fire, and I’m getting kinda hungry…”

Unfortunately, Bao’s parents were likely dead. Or they’d abandoned him. He looked to be about eight, with messy dark hair and an ash-covered face. Sighing, Jing went back to his pack and pulled out a small container of rice and gave it to Bao. “This is all I have. If you can’t find your parents, come find me later, OK?” 

“You got it, Mister!” Bao agreed eagerly, grabbing the rice and hiding it under his shirt before scampering away. There were too many in the city like him. Too many for Jing to feed. He looked around at the rubble and sighed again. It hadn’t been such a bad building…

He’d always dreamed of designing the most wonderful buildings. He had plans for them in his backpack. Designs inspired by traditional chinese architecture, by nature, blends of tradition and modern technology, with built in solar panels in the windows and so much more. But now he’d never get to use them. 

No. One day he would. One day, he’d rebuild Shanghai. More glorious than ever. 

Tucking his Vision in his pocket, Jing raised his voice. “Right, um, if you’re injured, or have injured family members…I can help them. I’m not the best healer, but…”

For a while, no one approached, and Jing just stood there. Then, a woman with an ash blacken face hesitant stepped forward. “How much?”

“I mean, I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll do my best,” Jing said, trying to smile reassuringly. 

The woman shook her head. “No, how much for the healing. My daughter…she was burned in the fire. Badly. I don’t know-”

“Well don’t just stand there, where is she!?” Jing demanded, rushing forward and grabbing the woman’s arm before she could flinch away. “Hurry, if her life is in danger, we have to move quickly!”

“Yes, but how much will you charge? I…I can only offer my body. We, we have nothing, everything was lost in the-”

“Confound it woman, you don’t charge for emergency medical care when someone’s life is in danger, you just help them! The charge is you stop talking and just show me who’s hurt!” Jing snapped, feeling awful that he was berating this poor woman. Paying with her body. She definitely wasn’t his type. 

She started crying, which made him feel worse, but then she was thanking him and bowing, then towing him over to an alleyway where an older boy and a younger girl were curled up on the hard ground in clothes that smelled of soot. The boy had only a few minor scrapes and bruises, but the girl was unconscious, with second and third-degree burns all over her body. 

“Merciful heavens, please grant me strength,” Jing muttered, kneeling and taking the girls burned hands gently in his with one hand, clutching his Vision with the other. There was so little Dendro here, but Jing was going to do all he could regardless. He wove what elemental energy he could into the girl, soothing away her burns and healing her hurts. 

When he was done, Jing felt drained, but he held the girl, hoping he’d done it right. Her mother clutched at the girl’s brother, crying as the girl lay still. Had he killed her?

The the girl’s eyes fluttered open, and she sucked in a breath. “M-mommy?”

Smiling, Jing stepped away as the mother hugged her daughter tightly. He turned away, only to find several more people, carrying injured reletives or hobbling along on their own, lined up, looking at him with hope.

He groaned. “Alright, actually, I am going to charge.”

The people all looked disappointed, a few made to move off, some reached for money. He hastily clarified. 

“Look, I can’t do this without food, and some Dendro. I need green living plants. Also the aforementioned food. This takes energy, and if I don’t eat, I can’t heal.”

He was soon surrounded by a large number of potted plants that had miraculously survived the fire, and pressed with all the rice and boiled vegetables he could eat. He stuffed himself to bursting, not because he was a glutton, but because he really was burning a tremendous amount of energy as he worked his way through the lamed and crippled residents. 

“Sorry about all this. I didn’t think challenging that parahuman to a fight would end this badly,” Jing told a cute young man as he finished healing him. Not really his type, he prefered more of a muscle-man, but still. 

“Sir, if you hadn’t fought that demon, he would have raped my girlfriend. Thank you,” the boy said.

Damn. The cute ones were always taken. Oh well. “It was my honor.”

It was midafternoon before Jing was forced to tell the now endless line of injured that he simply had to take a break. He was completely dry of elemental energy, had a pounding headache, and was about to pass out. Someone had erected a tarp over his head, so he lay back and tried to take a nap, surrounded by flowers and ferns. He closed his eyes, and tried to dream of peace. 

“There you are. Get up. We’re wasting time.”

“Even in my dreams I can’t get any peace,” Jing said, gritting his teeth at the extremely familiar and incredibly grating voice spoke. 

Something nudged his side, right where he was most tender. “Stop loafing around. If you had any motivation, you’d have actually done something with yourself instead of ending up in a back alley like this.”

It wasn’t a dream. Jing bolted upright, glaring up at the man looming over him. “YOU! What are YOU doing here!? Wasn’t breaking my heart and making me miserable TWICE enough for you?!”

Adjusting his glasses, Wang Xiaotong frowned down at Jing. He had short cropped hair that was going grey early, was wearing a black turtleneck that looked spotless, with khaki slacks that actually had a crease on them, and black leather combat books. Actually, the black leather combat boots were new. Previously the man had only ever worn the most expensive of dress shoes. Despite the fact that he was just as much of an academic as Jing was, Wang’s neck was simply enormous, as were his arms and upper body. Jing also know from experience that Wang never skipped leg day, and had well-toned thighs and legs. 

“This is why we always come into conflict. This isn’t about you, Jing. It’s about my work.”

“Oh, it’s ALWAYS about work with you!” Jing said, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. “What, did I leave my coffee on one of your damn equations again and ruin the whole thing?!”

“No. Though I am given to understand that you had a little spat with a parahuman with fire-based powers, which has finally cut off power to my house. Meaning I can no longer work, as it is too dark,” Wang replied. 

“Well use a chalkboard and paper for my ancestor’s sake! Don’t come crying to me about it! I’m an architect, not an electrician!” Jing huffed, folding his arms over his chest and glaring up at the annoying hunk. 

“I have considered this solution. It is inefficient. Modern computing is required to solve more intricate equations. Besides, my latest paper is saved on my hard drive, and I will need power to be able to retrieve it,” Wang stated. “Additionally, I have had a deplorable lack of good food lately, which has hampered my productivity. We’ll also need to secure supply lines and get the farmers back to work.”

“And you’re coming to me about this…why? Just to piss me off? Can’t you see I have important work here?!” Jing demanded, gesturing to the cowering people, many of them injured. 

Wang turned to regard the people, stroking his chin, which had far more stubble than it usually did. “Hmm. Yes. We will also need to institute effective medical facilities if I am to continue my work. This is hardly sanitary, or efficient.”

“Well, it’s all there is, so unless you-” Jing began, only to cut off when Wang pulled out a Dendro Vision of his own. Half against his own will, he popped to his feet, his mouth hanging open. As usual, it annoyed him that blocky Wang was eight centimeters taller than he was. Or, well, he was more turned on, but the man was a heartless bastard so it didn’t matter. 

“I forgot to mention I have also attained a Vision. I apologize. Come. The first thing we will need to do is to acquire adequate weaponry. I believe I know where to locate some,” Wang said, turning away.

Jing grabbed the other man’s arm and spun him about. “Weaponery!? Wang, what in the ten layers of hell are you talking about?!” 

“Obviously, we are going to conquer Shanghai,” Wang said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “This city is in a completely deplorable state which makes it impossible for me to do any meaningful work. Since no one else seems capable of rectifying this, we will have to do it ourselves.”

“Conquer- are you INSANE?! No, of course you are. You can never see beyond your damn scribbles!” Jing ranted. 

Wang frowned. “They are highly complex mathematical formula which you could understand if you weren’t so busy wasting your time with purely non-functional decor.”

“For the last time, no one wants to live in your soulless block houses. YOU don’t want to live like that! You had a very tasteful house, especially after I was done with it! And you even ADMITTED you worked better when the Fung Shui was in alignment!” 

“That’s only because it was mathematically harmonious. Not because of any ancient superstitious nonsense,” Wang said dismissively as he turned and started walking again. 

“Now you listen here. I am not embarking on any mad crusade with you!” Jing argued, hurrying to keep up. “If you get yourself killed, don’t come crying to me!” 

“Obviously, if I am killed, I will not be doing anything, as I will be dead,” Wang said flatly. “Stop being irrational.”

“And you stop with your stupid logic! Which, by the way, was your one semi-redeeming quality,” aside from his rock hard abs, “that you seem to have completely thrown away. Conquer Shanghai!? How!?”

“It’s completely logical. There are relatively few Parahumans or Vision Holders in the region. You’ve proven yourself quite a capable combatant by defeating that firebug yesturday. I have done the same by routing General Shu and his Tinkertech armed troops last month.”

“Wait, that was YOU!? You defeated an entire army?!” Jing demanded. 

Wang snorted. “Hardly. I simply applied maximal force at the point where it would be most effective. Namely, killing the general and destroying the Thinkertech. After that, the army dissolved into infighting and was obliterated by other groups. It was only logical.”

“Yeah, well, fine. But we still can’t conquer Shanghai! You’re a muscle headed academic who only leaves his house to work out, and even then insists on doing reps while he solves formulas, and I’m an architect who is currently homeless!” 

“Exactly. So, since we are both unemployed, it stand to reason we have plenty of time to conquer the city,” Wang said as if he agreed with Jing. 

“No, you idiot! What I want is PEACE! To be able to BUILD something, not destroy it!” Jing ranted.

“Quite. And, pray tell, what must one do before one begins construction on a new project?” Wang demanded. 

“Well, first, you need to conduct a survey of the location,” Jing began. 

“Yes, yes, and draw up plans. But once you have the plans and the location, before you can begin construction, what do you have to do? Say you want to build on a location that already contains a condemned structure.”

“I know where you’re going with this, and no, demolition of a old building and clearing the land before you can lay a new foundation is NOT the same as conquering an entire city!” 

“I don’t see the difference. Shanghai is a ruined husk that’s been fought over by a dozen factions. The infrastructure is completely ruined. Obviously, we need to clear all that away, then build something new. If we want peace and a society where we can pursue our work in quiet, then we shall have to ensure that such an environment exists ourselves. And we will do it by conquering Shanghai,” Wang stated matter of factly. 

They were into the market now, and Jing looked around. It was a husk of its former self. There was little food for sale, and what there was had outrageous prices. Most of the vendors had armed guards with rifles standing near them, and those that didn’t had their own weapons ready to hand. Worse, they were only accepting hard currency: American Dollars, German Marks, even the hated Japanese Yen. That or barter. Chinese Yuan was worthless here. The people Jing could see were beaten and downtrodden, fearful and sick. He grabbed Wang’s shoulder and pointed. 

“Look, instead of fighting, we could be helping! You can heal too if you have a Dendro Vision, or make crops grow! That would be far more useful than simply starting another bloody battle!” 

“Once more, your lack of foresight disappoints me,” Wang said, grabbing Jing’s hand and turning towards him, his face right in front of Jings. “Yes. We could set up and clinic and heal the sick, or start a farm and feed the hungry. But what would that accomplish?”

“We’d make a difference. People would be healed, be full. It’s productive,” Jing hissed. Damn this handsome gorrila. 

“A small difference. Say you heal twenty a day. Well, the warlords and fighting injure thousands. Perhaps you grow enough food to feed a hundred. The warlords pillage crops and destroy fields that could feed millions. The obvious solution is not to perform meaningless acts of charity. It is to create a stable environment where society functions and the many are cared for instead of a paltry few.”

Jing tried to come up with a good counter argument. He’d always been bad at this. Wang had always been able to talk circles around him. Worse still, the man was probably right. If he did set up a clinic, all that healing could be undone by one cape fight. A farm could be looted and burned, or those it fed slaughtered. 

“I…I suppose you’re right,” Jing admitted. 

“Good,” Wang said, turning around again. “I trust you are still adequat in combat?”

“Adequat!? I was the top disciple in Master Feng’s school and you know it!” 

“No, I was the top disciple, as evidenced by my flawless win record against you. You were second. Come. I’ve stored the tinkertech swords this way,” Wang said, and strod off again. 

Jing hurried along beside him, seething quietly in anger. And sexual frustration. Wang always did this to him. Brow beat him into his heartless, logical schemes, that completely ignored any sense of aethetics. Finally, he had an idea. 

“Wait, stop. If we’re doing this, there’s one demand I have,” he said, planting his feet on the road and folding his arms over his chest. 

Wang turned, once more shifting his glasses with his index finger in irritation. “Fine. Make your demands.”

 
Holding up a finger, Jing said, “We need to look good while we’re doing this.”

Wang looked down at his near immaculate dress, then at Jing’s burned and dirty clothes. “I believe you are the one lacking in this department.”

“We are not wearing slacks and turtlenecks into battle!” Jing snapped. “We’re getting PROPER clothes for battle. Something that will provide protection, as well as will look stylish. And before you argue that would be frivolous, need I remind you that we will need followers and subordinates, and people are drawn to leaders who look the part?”

“Hmph.” Wang turned around again, but nodded. “Fine. You are in charge of designing our uniforms. We will also require a banner.”

“Good! At least you’re finally seeing SENSE,” Jing said, and followed along after Wang. 

He was led to Wang’s building, which had security guards of all things still. Wang had always been a rich bastard, and it seemed he still got to live in style. They let him in, and Wang led Jing to his own apartment. It wasn’t the same one that Jing had helped him decorate back when they’d both been graduate students, so the lighting was terrible and the decore barebones and spartan. The was a weight set, a computer, a bed, and not much else. 

“You live here?” Jing said, looking around in distaste. “I knew there was a reason I hated you. I wouldn’t make a prisoner live here.”

“It seems rather an upgrade from your current dwelling,” Wang commented, going over to a trunk with a sturdy lock on it, though that was probably less protection than the ward he’d crafted. Where’d he learn about spellwork like that? Probably on that computer, Kusinali posted basic incantations online for free. 

“I’ll have you know, my apartment is tastefully…” Jing trailed off, and grew even more heartsick. His shrine to his parents and their photographs. His grandfather’s tools. His uniform from his time as a disciple. The video recordings of his dates with Wang. Not that he’d ever show the prick those. They were all ash. 

Wang paused, looking up. He took off his glasses, squinting at Jing slightly. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. The truth is, I moved here as it’s one of the few secure places in the city. Power is intermittent, but they were happy to have a Dendro Vision holder as a resident since I agreed to help with security. We’ve both lost our homes and our careers. But that ends now. Come. Look.”

Jing hurried over and peered into the trunk, then let out a gasp and flinched back. “Where in the name of the ancestors did you get THOSE?!”

Within the crate lay four oversized katanas, more properly dai katanas. They were sheathed, but by their workings and markings, Jing recognized them as products of the Raiden Gokuden. Forged by the She-Demon of Japan herself. 

“General Shu no longer needed them. I removed them from his subordinate’s corpses,” Wang said, giving Jing a satisfied smile. Asshole. No wonder General Shu had been a contender as a warlord. If he had this many blades…well. That was a lot of power. 

Slowly, Jing knelt, picking up one of the katanas and drawing it to reveal a few centimeters of steel. He could feel the power in the blade, as well as see the glow of power in the rippling metal. “Wang…do you have any idea how much these are worth?” he asked hesitantly.

“They are priceless. Any amount you could receive would not be commiserate with the value of these swords. They were smuggled from Taiwan from fallen Japanese mecha. I’ve already bonded one with my Vision. You shall have another. We’ll use the others as either assets to sell off if we need a large infusion of cash, or to arm trustworthy subordinates who share our goal of conquering the region and restoring order,” Wang stated. 

“With these…Wang, we might actually be able to liberate the city!” Jing said, actually excited about the prospect now. It didn’t seem so impossible with god forged blades. 

“Indeed. That’s why I approached you. As much of a lackadaisical dreamer as you are, I know I can trust you to do what’s right for the city and not stab me in the back for a shot at power,” Wang said, closing the truck on the other three katanas. 

“I might, just to see the look of surprise on your face,” Jing muttered. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sword. He’d never had an elemental weapon before, so he wasn’t sure how to bond it, but…

“Force energy into the blade through your Vision. That will bond it to you,” Wang instructed. 

Jing did so, and after a few moments of feeding the katana elemental energy, he felt a connection with it. When he let it go, it vanished, stored safely within his Vision. He summoned it back out to get a feel for it, then dismissed it again. “Right, easy enough. Well, how do we get started?”

“We need an actual plan. Step one was finding you, but I’ve drawn up other proposals. This will take some time,” Wang said, putting his glasses back on and striding over to his desk to pick up a piece of parchment, holding it up to the window to read in the unlit room. 

“Fine, fine. I guess I’ll be staying here them? I suppose you’ll make me sleep on the floor,” Jing grumbled. 

“You may have the bed. I have a yoga matt,” Wang said absently. 

“Good! As long as you don’t assume we’ll be sleeping together again,” Jin said, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at Wang. 

“I did not make that assumption. Our relationship will be purely professional. Our mutual loathing prohibits any other sort,” Wang said, meeting Jing’s eyes. 

He nodded. He supposed he could live with that. Even if Wang had thicker arms than ever. 

A few days later, a new power arose in Shanghai, a due of Dendro Vision holders armed with Japanese God-Forged blades. They called themselves the Mathematician and the Architect (or Arcitect and Mathematician, they argued which it was constantly), and thanks to their martial prowess, soon attracted a following. The city was still in wartorn chaos, but people whispered that this time, these warlords were different. 

They cared. 

The name of the village was Baigu, set in the foothills of the Meili Snow Mountains. Shenhe knew this now, thanks to her mother teaching her to read and write. She doubted many of the villagers here knew how. Baigu was similar to the village where Shenhe had grown up, in that it was mostly terraced rice paddies and some other subsistence-level farming. It had been sheltered and protected from the wars that ravaged China mostly thanks to its remoteness and the difficulty in getting there. 

One desperate band had made their way to the village though. They had one jeep, the rest were on horses or mules, and they were armed with old Chinese Type 56 assault rifles, though a Westerner might have called them AK-47s. The bandits had already killed two farmers with ancient bolt action rifles that had tried to resist them, and there was little fight left in Baigu. 

Which was why Shenhe was standing in the roadway, blocking the bandit’s path. 

The leader of the bandits was dressed in an officer’s uniform from the CUI, and most of the others had parts of old soldier’s uniforms, though they had supplemented it with whatever they could scavenge. The jeep was covered in dents had had more than a few bullet holes, and it clearly barely ran by the noises the engine was making. 

The leader stood up, pointing a pistol at Shenhe. “Well, well. Are you offering yourself, girl? You’re pretty enough. My boys will have fun with you.”

“Boss, she’s dressed funny,” one of the smarter bandits said nervously. “What if she’s a cape?”

Shenhu was wearing a Crane School uniform, which was a black bodysuit, overwhich a green and white tabard with the character for "Crane" had been written in black ink. Simple, but effective.  

The officer spat to the side, grimacing. “There’s no capes all the way out here. That’s why where here, dumbass. Now put the spear down, girlie. Or we’ll just shoot you.”

“If you turn and flee now, I will not kill all of you,” Shenhe lied. She would hunt every single one of these brutes down and end their pathetic existence. If they didn’t rape and murder here, they would do it elsewhere. Men like this did not deserve life.

“Boss, she’s got grey hair. Maybe she is a cape,” the smart bandit repeated. 

“Then shoot her, moron!” the leader spat, and his pistol barked. The rifles all sounded as well, bullets spraying at Shenhe in a remarkably bad display of marksmanship. Not that better aim would have helped them. 

As soon as the violence started, Shenhe saw nothing but red. Roaring in anger, she dashed forward, ice spraying out in front of her as she whirled her spear. She took one bandit through the chest, then yanked out her spear as she delivered a kick to another’s head that separated it from his body in a spray of blood. With a quick chant, she sent her spirit out and through the leader, freezing him solid even as he pointed his pistol at her. 

The others turned and ran. They didn’t get far. When Shenhe came to herself, she was standing over the broken and frozen bodies of a dozen men, with a trail of destruction behind her. Her hands were bloodied, and her uniform was stained. Gasping, she took out an elixir from her bag and hastily swallowed it, closing her eyes. 

After a few moments, the draught calmed her, and Shenhe was able to mostly regain control of herself. She ignored the corpses of the dead, going back to the jeep, and tossing out the body of the dead bandit leader. She inspected it, and nodded to herself. “Mother will want this.”

Then she went over to the bodies of the two farmers. Both men were dead, having died bravely, if foolishly. If they’d simply waited a few more minutes, Shenhe would have been there. She shook her head in disgust, then turned to the side. “You can come out now, Ganyu.”

“A-are the bad men gone?” a fuzzy purple head with two dark horns popped up, and Ganyu looked around nervously. That made Shenhu smile. For all her timidity, Ganyu could have dealt with the bandits even more easily than Shenhe herself. As it was, Shenhe was happy to spare her sister’s innocence. 

“They are dead,” Shenhe said firmly. “Go and tell Elder Gao that Baigu is safe once more. The Crane School will continue to watch over them. I will see to the vehicle. Mother will want it.”

“Kay!” Ganyu agreed eagerly and scampered off on pudgy legs to find the village elder, who was probably hiding. He’d done the smart thing and launched the signal as soon as the bandits had been seen approaching several hours before, and Shehe and Ganyu and immediately flown to see to it that the village was defended. 

Ganyu came back with Elder Gao a few minutes later. He was an old man, but though he walked with a cane, he was still strong, with a weather-beaten face and a long white mustache. 

“Thank you, Young Lady, for coming to our aid once again,” Elder Gao said, bowing deeply to Shenhe. “We could never have resisted these bandits on our own.”

“It is our obligation. You provide us with rice, we provide you with protection,” Shenhe said, returnin the bow. “Call for us if you have need of aid again.”

With that, Shehe hoisted the jeep, lifting it over her head. It was too heavy for Ganyu to carry, so they’d have to go back the long way. It would be several days of hiking, but she didn’t mind. It was good training. 

Ganyu trotted along side Shenhe for a while, wandering off ever now and then whenever she smelled a tasty bit of grass or herb under the snow and ice, and returning contentedly munching on it. 

“If you keep eating like that, you’re going to get fatter,” Shenhe said, a faint smile on her lips.

“I’m not fat! I’m just small,” Ganyu said, patting her belly. She was quite rotund, though admittedly she still looked like she was four or five years old, and chubbiness in a child that young was more cute than anything else. “Besides, I’m bored. Can’t we just fly back?”

“You can fly back and tell mother I’m coming. But she’ll want the parts in the jeep, you know that,” Shenhe said with a shake of her head. 

Ganyu sighed, but didn’t protest further, or fly away. She got lonely if she had to fly alone, and she’d be worried about Shenhe alone in the mountains. 

Not that she needed to be. Ganyu aside, Shenhe was by far the scariest thing for miles around. The only possible competition was their mother or their sister Shuyu, unless an enemy cape happened to be nearby. If they were, Shenhe would simply kill them. She would tolerate no intruders in her mother’s domain. 

The mountain air was chill, as it was the middle of winter, and snow covered the ground. Shenhe wasn’t bothered by the cold and hadn’t been since she’d obtained her Vision, shortly after the Scream that heralded the arrival of the next Demon. She’d heard this one was to the north in the land called “Russia,” but Shenhe had only ever seen that in the books her mother had, and wasn’t terribly interested. As far as she was concerned, the only place that mattered was her home and the land the Crane School claimed as their fiefdom. That was as far as her mother could fly half a day in any direction, which Shenhe knew was about 400 kilometers. 

That meant the Crane school controlled one of the largest territories in China, but most of it was empty mountains. They had a few dozen small villages and a handful of larger towns under their control that they spent time patrolling, and fighting off bandits like that latest band. That had been near the southern border of their territory, but you’d think the fools would learn by now. There was a reason no bandit groups claimed that territory: The ones that tried were all dead. 

They camped that night in a clearing surrounded by trees, with Shenhe and Ganyu curling up in the beaten back seat of the jeep to sleep. Dinner was dried herbs, which was nearly all Shenhe consumed these days. The villagers had given them some rice, but Shenhe gave that to Ganyu, who devoured it eagerly. The little qilin had a bottomless appetite, probably because her true size was somewhere around that of a very large horse. 

As Ganyu lay atop Shenhe, she looked up at the stars. The night was clear, though Shenhe’s divination told her that there would be a blizzard the next day. She could see her own constellation this night, next to that of her mother’s and sisters. Her mother had taught her about that, saying that the stars recorded their fate, according to what she’d read in a book she called “The Internet.”

“The Comb of Sorrow,” Shenhe said, tracing the stars with her finger. She held her Vision up to her eye, and she could see the connection there. Odd, that her fate was foretold so boldly. If only she knew what it meant. 

“Which one’s mine?” Ganyu asked quietly. Shenhe took her chubby hand and pointed it towards the sky. 

“There. The Qilin. Hold your Vision up, you can see the shape,” Shenhe said quietly. 

Ganyu giggled as she did so. “There’s momma and sissy’s! Um, the Heavenly Crane, and…um…which one is it?”

“There. The Dancing Kite,” Shenhe said, tracing the stars with her finger. “It’s new.”

“Yeah, ‘cause sissy only got hers a little while ago! Mine’s the oldest! Does that mean I’m the big sister?” Ganyu asked, turning over to grin down at Shenhe.

“Yes, you’re the biggest sister, at least when you transform,” Shenhe said, rubbing her nose against Ganyu’s and making her giggle. “Now go to sleep. We’ve a long journey ahead of us.”

As Shenhe was about to shut her eyes, she saw a flutter of wings and a burst of anemo from a nearby tree and smiled. They were not alone, it seemed. But that was alright. 

The blizzard hit early the next morning, but Shenhe ignored it and soldiered on. Ganyu transformed into a unicorn and stampeded amongst the winds, stamping her hooves and sending out bolts of lighting to crash amongst the peaks. That made Ganyu smile at her sister’s mischievous nature, though it did get slightly annoying when Ganyu sent gusts of icy wind toward Shenhe, and nearly caused her to lose her grip on the jeep as she carried it up the mountainside. She had to take several of her elixirs to keep her temper under control and to fortify her body so she could continue the trek. 

Four days later, they arrived at Mount Qixi, where nestled in a valley down below was the Crane School. It consisted of a cluster of buildings made of wood and stone, with puffs of smoke from the fires that warmed them coming out. There were rice paddies, a barn, several workshops, a large dormitory, and the cozy little cottage where Shenhe lived with her mother and sisters. 

 It was a long drop to the valley floor from where they stood, but the waterfall was currently frozen, so Shenhe simply slid down the icy river, holding the jeep over her head. Ganyu rode inside the car, squealing with delight at the ride and honking the horn loudly as she called, “WE’RE HOME!” 

A whirlwind burst out of the cottage, racing along the valley floor to the frozen lake at the bottom, where it coalesced into Shuyu, who waved excitedly to her sisters. “Welcome home! How was your trip? We expected you back days ago! Mom was getting really worried. She checked on you twice, did you see her?”

“Only the first night,” Shenhe said, skidding to a stop in front of her sister. “I missed it the second time. I must have been lax in my attention.”

“Or mom’s getting sneakier,” Shuyu giggled. “She told me about the car. She’s really excited! We’ve already got ideas on how to use the parts!” 

“Ride with me!” Ganyu said, honking the horn again and making Shenhe roll her eyes in annoyance. Did she really have to keep doing that?

“Um, you don’t mind, do you, Shenhe?” Shuyu asked.

Shenhe shrugged. “It’s fine. Your weight won’t make any difference.” 

“OK!” Shuyu lept up, landing in the car seat, and making Shenhe regret her words. Because now she had two annoying little sisters honking that damn horn. 

Even outside in the cold, groups of disciples went about their chores or practiced katas in the courtyard. While many of them were young, no older than Shenhe, others were old enough to be grandparents. What they all had in common was simple: They’d lost homes and loved ones to the ravages of the bandits and warlords that plagued China. 

“Lady Shenhe! Welcome back! Did you bring us anything?” called a pair of young children. They were a brother and sister named Hao and Rui that Shenhe’s mother had rescued from a burned out village, and had been adopted by a family here at the school.

“Not this time. I had to carry the jeep,” Shenhe said. 

“Hi Hao! Hi Rui! We got a car!” Ganyu said, and honked the horn again. Shenhe just sighed in exasperation. “I got some berries!”

That made Shenhe frown. Berries? In winter? 

Ganyu hopped off the car, finally laying off that stupid horn, and produced golden colored berries. Shenhe immediately set the jeep down and grabbed them before either Ganyu or Hao and Rui could eat them.

“Hey! I’ll share, but they’re mine!” Ganyu protested, jumping up and down in an attempt to get her food back.  

“I don’t recognize these. They might be poisonous, Ganyu,” Shenhe said seriously. She opened her Inner Eye, and examined the berries. They had an unusually high amount of elemental energy in them, and looked a bit like yellow raspberries. 

“Nuh-uh. I already ate a bunch, see?” Ganyu said, and stuck out her tongue, which was stained yellow from the juice. 

“Yes, but you are a qilin. Just because they are safe for you does not mean they are safe for everyone. I’ll take these to Alchemist Lao later and he can test them,” Shenhe said sternly as the children all made groaning noises. 

“Shenhu’s right,” Shuyu said, jumping out of the jeep and hovering over Shenhe’s shoulder to examine the fruit. “You can eat pretty much anything Ganyu, but normal people can’t. Let Uncle Lao take a look.”

Uncle Lao, or Alchemist Lao, was an old man who had specialized in traditional Chinese medicine and alchemy. He claimed that his medications had become especially efficacious in recent years, and talking about the alignment of chi and other things. Shenhe didn’t know why they worked, only that the elixirs he made for her helped contain her murderous rage. Without them, she was quite likely to go on another killing spree. The last time that had happened, she’d very nearly murdered the villagers she’d been supposed to protect as well as the bandits who’d been attacking them, and would have if her mother hadn’t knocked her out soundly. That had been before she’d gotten her Vision too. Now she was even more powerful, and without Uncle Lao’s medicines, her Chi would be completely out of balance with too much yang energy. 

“Fine…can we go see him right now?” Ganyu asked hopefully. 

“No,” Shenhe said. “We’re going to see Mother first and give her the jeep.”

“Kay!” Ganyu said, then flew back into the jeep and honked the horn. “Let’s go! Beep beep!” 

Shenhe was going to rip that damn thing out and toss it off the mountain. 

No. Calm. Focus. You need to meditate. 

Taking a calming breath, Shenhe picked the car back up and hurried up the path to her mother’s workshop, where smoke was coming out of the chiney in bursts of green and pink. She must be working on something again. 

When the sisters were still several hundred meters away, the door opened, and their mother stepped out. She was in human form, her hair tied back in a messy tail, her hands stained with grease and grime. She was wearing a leather apron over a simple robe, and she was wearing her glasses. Amusingly, their mother was farsighted, and almost always had to wear glasses when she was working on something delicate or reading. Spying her daughters, their mother transformed into a crane, lifting off and swooping down to nearly tackle Shenhe in a hug. She very nearly dropped the jeep. 

“There you are! One was becoming worried when you were delayed,” Cloud Retainer said, her warm feathers enveloping Shenhe. She stepped back, using her talons to adjust Shenhe’s uniform. “Shenhe. You haven’t bathed in days! Even if it is cold, that is no excuse for poor hygiene. Certainly not for a young lady of your age. One wonders if you have heard anything one has to say on the subject.” 

Shenhe shrugged. “We were camping. I wasn’t worried about it.”

“Yes, but you still have blood on your uniform. Come come. Set that down, and let’s get you to the bath house. We simply must get you clean. Ganyu! Have you taken a bath since you departed?” 

“No, mom!” Ganyu said, honking the horn for emphasis. 

“Hmph. Cease that racket! One heard you coming from a league away. Shuyu! Have you bathed today?”

“Uh, no mom, we’ve been busy in the workshop,” Shuyu said, hanging her head down over the side of teh jeep. 

“Ah, yes.” Cloud Retainer examined her own grease smeared feathers and winced. “It appears one is also in a slovenly state. Very well, we shall all bathe together.” 

The four women all headed to the bathhouse, which was heated. Shenhe made a face as they stepped into the steaming interior. She rather disliked the heat, much preferring the cold.

“Don’t make that face, young lady,” Cloud Retainer said, swapping back to human form. “A cold bath in this weather is not good for your health, Cryo Vision or no. Besides, one needs hot water and soap to really get clean.”

“Yes, mother,” Shenhe sighed. She took out her last elixir and downed it. The heat would imbalance her yang energy even further, so best to be safe. The last thing she needed was to fly into a rage in the middle of a bath again. It would take days to rebuild, even with their visions. 

Despite Shenhe’s reluctance, it was relaxing to bath with her family, taking turns scrubbing one another down and relaxing in the hot water, even if it was far too hot for Shenhe’s taste. She just considered it endurance training. She also told her mother what had happened in Baigu. 

“One understands. And you lost control again?” her mother said, peering into Shenhe’s eyes. 

She flushed, looking away. “Yes. Even with taking an elixir before the battle. I just…I was so angry. They reminded me of…”

“Oh, Shenhe,” her mother said softly, and pulled her in close for another hug.

Tears started to trickle down Shenhe’s cheeks. She hadn’t realized how upset she’d been, and she returned the hug tightly. 

“I’m sorry…I just…it’s like there’s a demon inside of me…” Shenhe admitted. 

“One has been reading some of Alchemist Lao’s texts,” her mother said, reaching up to wipe away Shenhe’s tears. It was silly. They were damp and went from the steam and water they were sitting in. But she did appreciate it. “One believes we can try a binding that may help. Do not lose heart, Shenhe.”

“I know, it’s just…did I trigger? Am I demon-possessed?” Shenhe asked, looking away and hugging herself.

“One thinks not. One cannot identify a corrona pollentia within you, and there are few cases of parahumans receiving visions. One will continue to look into it, but one believes that it is a different kind of evil spirit that possesses you. Perhaps we were too aggressive with your regiment of elixirs and potions,” Cloud Retainer said regretfully.

“No!” Shenhe said, slapping the water and freezing it. She winced, watching as the layer of ice bobbed away in the bath. “No. I had to get stronger. Had to be able to protect everyone. It was the right way. Plus, otherwise, I might not have gotten a Vision.”

“One worries you are more concerned with revenge than protection,” Cloud Retainer sighed. She raised a hand. “No, no, one has heard your arguments. And, well, one understands your rage. One also would like to visit sorrow upon the Japanese Devils for destroying ones mate and eggs. But, first, one must care for one’s new chicks.”

“I’m not a chick, mom,” Shenhe said, a faint smile tugging her lips. 

“Hmph. You are not so old yet as to be ready to leave the nest fully,” Cloud Retainer said, ruffling Shenhe’s hair. That made her giggle, though she tried to stifle that and frown. “Hmm. You are going white, Shenhe. One has read of this. It is not of any real concern, but…”

“But it’s my yang energy,” Shenhe said, making a fist. She hated this. Why couldn’t she just blance her energies?

“Well, it is perhaps odd for a young lady to have so much Yang, but it will be well. Tell me though, you have not been led astray by any young males, have you?” Cloud Retainer demanded, frowning and quinting at Shenhe. 

“No. I don’t care about that,” Shenhe said with a shrug. She really didn’t. There were some boys her own age, but they didn’t impress Shenhe. None of them were as strong as she was. The girls were even worse. They just wanted to talk, which Shenhe found irritating. She spent most of her time alone, training, or with her sisters. Also training. 

“Well. You are young yet. When you have fully matured, one is certain you will find a mate. One has explained to you the ordinary courses of women of your species already,” Cloud Retainer said, blushing mightily. Shenhe understood that her first cycle had been quite the surprise for her mother, who had spent most of her life as a bird. It had been rather awkward when Shenhe started hers only a few months later, and her mother tried to “explain” things to her. Shenhe had just found the book her mother had been quoting and struggled through it herself. It wasn’t that complicated, though the book didn’t mention much of the pure murderous rage that dominated her own mood swings. 

After the bath, Ganyu was tired, so Shuyu took her back to the cottage to sleep. Her mother took the jeep into her workshop, so Shenhe sought out Alchemist Lao in his hut at the edge of the school. The hut was made of simple wood, though it was well insulated, and decorated with various symbols. Herbs hung all around the hut, and there was a small garden where Lao grew many of them. Shenhe plucked one of the fresher herbs and stuffed it her mouth, as she was feeling rather hungry. She couldn’t eat red meat, and had to avoid spices. Alchemist Lao had her on a special diet of dairy, lintels, and herbs, though the herbs helped the most. 

She knocked on the door, chewing on the herbs, and heard a voice call from inside. “Yes, who is it?” 

“Shenhe, Uncle,” she replied. 

A moment later, the door opened, and Alchemist Lao blinked at her owlishly, though the sun was already going down. “Ah, Shenhe, you’re back. How were my potions?”

“Helpful. But I need more. I’m out,” Shenhe explained. 

“Ah, well, I have several mixed up for you. Come in, come in.”

Shenhe followed him inside. There were cages with various animals and insects, more herbs, and plenty of scrolls and books, along with candles and various arrays that were supposed to protect against evil sprits. There had been several of those that Alchemist Lao had delt with, though if they were too powerful, Shenhe or her mother handled them. Ganyu was too easily frightened by any evil spriits, even if she could easily banish them. Though now that Shuyu had a Vision, she could probably deal with them too. Shenhe would have to show her how. 

“There’s a nest of slimes that have shown up further up the valley. Anemo, so I’ll need your help to kill them and harvest their condensate,” Alchemist Lao said, bustling around and retrieving various vials of glowing liquid. He handed them over to Shenhe, who tucked them away in her pouch. 

“Very well. There is one other thing.” Shenhe produced the berries, handing them over to Alchemist Lao. “Are these edible?”

“Hmm. I’ve never seen berries like this before,” the old man said, holding one up to examine it. “Where did you get them?”

“Ganyu found them in the mountains. She ate some and didn’t get too sick, but she has a stomach like a goat, so that doesn’t prove anything,” Shenhe said with a shrug. 

“Wait…I think…yes…” Alchemist Lao scrambled around for a moment, before pulling out a notebook that had several loose pages in them. Most of them had been printed by her mother from that “internet,” and there were many spells and formulas that looked like they’d come from Kusinali’s school. Alchemist Lao flipped through until he found a picture that matched the berries. He stared at it, stunned. “Seven Sages. It’s Teyvan.”

“Oh?” Shenhe looked at the page, frowning at the scribbles. They were in some other language, but Alchemist Lao had written notes in regular characters. Her lips moved as she puzzled them out. “Sweet…Berries?” 

“Yes, they should be perfectly edible. I’ll test them to see what sort of energy they have, but this is most remarkable.” Alchemist Lao stroked his pointed beard thoughtfully. “How did a Teyvan berry get in the Meili Snow Mountains?”

“Bird shit.”

Alchemist Lao blinked and looked up at Shenhe. 

“Bird shit,” she repeated. “You know, like mother. A bird ate the berry, and carried the seeds here. Or the wind did.”

“I…suppose. They’re cultivating them in Iraq, you know,” he mused.

Shenhe did not know. She didn’t care about Iraq. Her family didn’t live there. 

“Well, test them. Ganyu wants to eat more,” Shenhe said.

Alchemist Lao bowed. “Of course, Xianyun Shenhe. It will be as you say.”

“What did you call me?” Shenhe asked, frowning.

“Ah, it is after your mother. She is Lord Xianyun, so you are Xianyun Shenhe. We’re planning a small celebration soon. For the New Year, you know. I had to think what characters to write on the banner,” Alchemist Lao explained. 

“I see,” Shenhe nodded, a warmth suffusing her. She thought for a moment that she was being overwhelmed by Yang energy again, but no. It was…peace. Contentment. Love. “Thank you. I will keep the secret.”

“Thank you, Lady Shenhe.”

“I will return at dawn, and we will go hunt the slimes,” Shenhe promised. Even if they were Cyro Slimes, she could still kill them with her spear. Her mother had forged it using elemental energy, and it was quite powerful. For slimes, it would be too easy, actually. Shenhe would just use her fists. 

She departed for the cottage, where Ganyu was already asleep, and Shuyu was getting ready for bed. She walked over and gave Shenhe a sleepy hug. “Good night. Glad your back. I’ll help mom make some cool stuff with the jeep, promise.”

“Good night,” Shenhe said, kissing the top of Shuyu’s head. Her mother was in the corner, reading by the light of an elemental lamp she’d constructed. It was a bit rough, one of her earliest works, but Cloud Retainer was still proud of her craftsmanship, and kept it for a reading lamp. 

Shenhe went over to sit by her, and told her mother about the berries. 

“Hmm. That is fascinating. One will have to have Ganyu show one where these berries can be found. We will have to attempt growing them, especially if they bear fruit even in the depths of winter,” her mother mused, giving Shenhe a smile. “Good work. Now, get some rest.”

“Yes, mother. Good night,” Shenhe agreed, leaning in to kiss her mother on the cheek. She changed into her nightgown, then crawled into bed with her sisters. Shuyu and Ganyu had their arms wrapped about one another and were snoring softly, so Shenhe eased in and put her arm over both of them. 

She would do anything to protect her family. No matter what path she had to walk. She would scour these mountains until not a single bandit was left. She would become the strongest. 

But tonight, she hoped she dreamed of flying. She was reluctant to ask her mother to take her flying, she wasn’t a baby anymore, but still. It was so wonderful. Closing her eyes, Shenhe fell asleep.

But her dreams were dark, and full of blood. For in China, there would be no peace. 

The Celestial Sage had yet to arrive. 

Author’s Note:

Yes, Mom Retainer has a Cultivation School now. It’s a legit one too: drink enough of those elixirs and do enough training and you really will get super powers and/or immortality. Works in Genshin too, basically all the adepti are ancient cultivation sages. Mom Retainer is basically just a baby by those standards, but she’s already well on her path. 

Also, yes, that’s Kaveh and Alhaitham. I’ve been trying to find a way to mention them for a long time, and now seemed like an auspicious time. This is basically setting the groundwork for Zhongli when he (finally) arrives. I’ll work in Keqing later. This chapter was already a monster.