Chapter 305: Endure

~~~

The second stage of the tournament has reached its conclusion. Jades containing the memories of those wealthy enough to witness the countless exciting matches shown in the Crimson Cloud Stadium are being sold on nearly every corner of the city for exorbitant prices. The better and clearer the memory, the higher the price. 

In the seventy-seventh district, the only memory jades one can buy for anything resembling a reasonable price are the copies of copies of copies from those who sat on the worst seats of the stadium. That will change in a few months as prices adjust for decreased demand, but it is all they have until then. Many will say, not without reason, that such low-quality products are not worth purchasing.

They are sold out in less than a day.

“It was beautiful, I tell you! Beautiful!”

The Three Hogs is packed that day. Bo the Orphan dashes from one table to the next, carrying heavy trays over his head. A large crowd has gathered around Wei the Carpenter. The young man’s mouth moves quickly as he makes wild motions with his arms. 

“There were two of them! Two! Well, he was fighting only one of them at first, but the other was lying in wait! It was one of them ambushes, or something! But Chen Guo was ready! He ripped out an entire tree from the ground as easy as I can lift this cup and rooted them out! You should have been it! It was bigger than any house around here, but he was using it like a sword!”

“What happened next?” asks Greedy Chun. The shopkeeper is not the sort who shows his excitement easily, but he is as caught in the atmosphere as the rest of them.

“They fought! There was fire and light and punches and kicks!!” Wei says, his gesticulations becoming wilder as everyone leans in with anticipation. “And then! And then!”

“And then?”

“Well… it ended,” Wei admits sheepishly, making everyone in the bar groan in disappointment. “But it was really good before that!”

“Bah!” says Ying the seamstress. “That’s what you get for buying some low-quality jade! You only got half a fight!”

“No, I swear by the grave of my grandparents!” Wei says, patting his chest. “The merchant said that’s all there was of that fight!”

“You were obviously scammed,” the old woman says. “Accept it.”

“Bah,” says a morose man as Bo fills his drink. His chin is pressed against the table, and his eyes look at the glass without emotion. Undoubtedly, Gambling Xin has seen better days. “Don’t talk about the tournament. I’m sick of hearing about it.”

“What happened, mister?” Bo asks. “You were so excited before!”

“Oh, I’ll tell you what happened, brat!” Greedy Chun says in a loud voice. His teeth gleam as his mouth forms an eager grin. “That useless lout over there lost all his money gambling! Not a single one of his so-called sure things came to pass!” 

The look Gambling Xin shoots at the aged shopkeeper is so foul that Bo finds himself stepping away from his line of sight. Seeing a man who nearly always has a clever retort ready fuming in silence says all the bar needs to know about the truth of Greedy Chun’s words. 

“Really?” asks Wei, crossing his arms. “Not one thing?”

“Of course I got a few things right!” Gambling Xin shouts, slamming a fist on the table. He grabs his beer and takes a long sip, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I bet on some lesser-known contestants making it to the second stage, and they did. But all my big bets failed! I lost more than I gained!”

Bo blinks in confusion. Though young, spending enough time in Gambling Xin’s presence has taught him more about gambling than most kids his age know. The trick to them, as Gambling Xin often says whenever he is not bragging about outlandish bets, is to bet on relatively safe things. One gains less from that, but it is better to make several safe bets than to put all of one’s money on a large, unlikely result. That is how Gambling Xin tends to do things. While it hasn’t made him rich, it also hasn’t made him poor.

“Well, who told you to make bets?” Greedy Chun says without one bit of empathy. “You probably bet on your little picks passing the third stage, didn’t you?”

“I’m not an idiot!” Gambling Xin says. “It was supposed to be a sure thing! It’s all because of that damn Dragon!”

The bar goes silent. No one moves. For one brief instant, everyone is holding their breath, waiting for what happens next, as if saying his name would make him appear before them.

He does not. 

More than one sigh of relief is breathed.  

“You really need to watch what you say, you fool!” says Ying the seamstress. The old woman brandishes her finger like a weapon as she points it at him. 

“Yeah, that’s not smart,” says Wei the carpenter. His eyes are still darting around the room, wary of every shadow.

Gambling Xin rolls his eyes.

“Bah! Stop treating him like he’s some monster out of the stories! He’s a cultivator like the rest of them!”

“Is that why you bet against him?” asks Greedy Chun.

“Not one more word out of you, old man!” says Gambling Xin, glaring at him. “I already said I’m not an idiot! Why would anyone bet against him? Especially after everything that’s happened since the tournament began!”

The people in the Three Hogs all nod. The Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire has given them plenty to talk about.

“Some people are just too lucky,” laments Wei the carpenter. “One girl from the Eternal Flame Clan! One girl from the Divine Frozen Palace! Why can’t I get even one beautiful woman interested in me!”

“Get yourself a country, and that might change,” says Greedy Chun with a loud laugh. “Still, to have a flower on each hand. It makes me wish I was young again!”

“Whatever for? Women would ignore you just the same,” Ying the seamstress says, making the bar laugh. 

“Our lonely shopkeeper’s poor luck with women aside,” Gambling Xin says, unable to resist the urge to take a jab at the older man, “I am not just talking about the Young Dragon’s popularity with women. I’m not even talking about his appearance at the Imperial Banquet, which apparently caused quite the stir, or so the palace servants tell me. I’m talking about the other thing. You all heard about it, right? Felt it, too. These bones of mine sure did.”

A few shiver. Many nod. There is no need for Gambling Xin to elaborate. 

They still vividly remember the afternoon in which the Young Dragon and the Wandering Wind clashed.

“Scary, that was,” Wei says, holding his arms and shuddering. “Had a customer who fainted right on the spot. Nearly fainted myself as well.”

The way the presence of the Young Dragon spread over the city had been overwhelming to many of the city’s weakest inhabitants. However, that was nothing compared to what they felt when the Wandering Wind had met him. Her presence had been too much. It had been like staring into the sun without being able to close one’s eyes.

“Why did that even happen?” wonders Wei. 

“Isn’t it because of the banquet?” asks Bo, already more than familiar with the conversations and theories of those at the bar.

“Most likely,” Gambling Xin says, grimacing. “It’s all about the Xiao Sect, you see. Turns out, the girl of the Divine Frozen Palace the Young Dragon is engaged to used to be part of the Xiao Sect, the daughter of the previous Patriarch. The Divine Frozen Palace wants the Xiao Sect, but the Endlessly Raging Valley supports the new Matriarch. The Young Dragon’s obviously trying to look good in front of his woman, but standing up to the Wandering Wind is not the sort of thing anyone can do.”

The Wandering Wind is the Wandering Wind. That is something everyone knows. 

The Old Man of the Mountain. The Ruler of the Eternal Flame. The Queen of the Frozen Palace. Along with the Wandering Wind, those are the four strongest people in the entire continent, as far as those in Imperial Cloud City know. Even Emperors have to submit before them. That is how powerful they are.

So what does it mean that the Young Dragon dared to stand in the Wandering Wind’s presence?

“That’s why it was all perfect!” Gambling Xin says, banging his fist against the table again. His glass of beer is empty once more. “I put so much of my money on the Young Dragon!”

The bar collectively blinks.

“But if you put your money on him…” Bo says as his young mind struggles to put together the puzzle.

“Doesn’t that mean you won?” Wei finishes for him.

“You’d think so, right?” Gambling Xin says with palpable vehemence. “I bet on him defeating at least five other fighters during the second stage, encountering at least one member of the Five Great Sects, and a whole lot of other minor things that should have obviously happened! But here’s the problem! They didn’t show a single one of his matches! Not one was shown throughout the whole second stage! Since there’s no way to prove what happened or what didn’t happen, the bets should have been canceled! It’s obvious, right?! But they’re saying we don’t bet on the outcomes! We’re betting on whether the outcomes will be shown! Damned bloodsucking leeches! Such a stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Excuse!”

He bangs his fist against the table again and again.

“Accursed Dragon! He probably arranged something with the Emperor to keep his abilities hidden! I just know it! My money! My money!”

“Serves you right.”

Multiple heads turn towards the corner where an old man sits. No one knows his name, yet he is one of the bar’s regular customers.

“It’s not up to people like you to make money from people like him,” the old man says. 

“Bah! What do you know about people like him and people like me?” Gambling Xin asks him.

“I know his fate is beyond our scope,” the old man says simply. “Had you known it before, your pockets would be full instead of empty.”

~~~

“How is she?”

“Asleep,” Liu Jin says, closing the door behind him. “She needs it after everything that happened. To be honest, I am surprised I managed to bring her back with us.”

After the end of the second stage, the participants were released from the Crimson Cloud and given a week to prepare for the final stage, a six-round, single-elimination tournament, until only one remained. Naturally, all the disciples were expected to return to their places of residence within Imperial Cloud City to recover. 

Su Daji declared she’d go with him instead.

There were some protests from her teammates, but no one with authority tried to stop her. The one in charge of the Endlessly Raging Valley’s delegation, a man named Ruan Chenshu, merely let her go. Now, Su Daji is sleeping in Liu Jin’s room in the Imperial Cloud City Branch of the Eternal Flame Clan.

“It is curious,” Lu Mei admits, patting the spot next to her on the couch for Liu Jin to sit. The two are in a common area exclusively for the use of the tournament delegation. The others have gone out to relax or are in the middle of meditation. “Considering the Wandering Wind stopped you from meeting her the first time, it would have been natural for her to interfere again.

“Maybe it’s a matter of timing,” Liu Jin says. “She did not want me to meet her during the first stage, but she always knew it would happen. If she wanted to prevent it, she’d have never brought her here.”

Lu Mei frowns. “Are you saying she had already told the man in charge of the Endlessly Raging Valley’s delegation that she was to leave with you?’ 

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Liu Jin sighs and looks up at the ceiling. “I really cannot tell what that person is thinking.”

Su An…Su Daji claimed the Wandering Wind helped her all these years because she was interested in the state of her soul. Liu Jin does not disagree with that assumption. Su Daji must have presented an interesting experiment for her. However, does letting Su Daji stay with him mean the experiment is done? 

Or is this merely another phase of it?

“In any case, there is not much we can do about the Wandering Wind, is there?” Lu Mei points out. “There is no point worrying about it. Worry about your friend instead. You finally have her back. In a manner of speaking.”

“You’re right, of course.”

“As usual.”

Liu Jin smiles weakly. “Su An… Su Daji is still confused. I do not think we are in danger of her, but she will need peace and quiet for the time being.”

“Things that are so readily available here,” Lu Mei says dryly. “We’re lucky Bei Hong is meditating.”

“You were speaking to that disciple of the Endlessly Raging Valley,” Liu Jin notes.

“Oh, we were talking about this and that while you two had your little moment. You should be thanking me, really.”

Liu Jin is about to say more, but Huang Shing suddenly enters the room.

He has a black eye.

“Brother Jin! There’s an old lady here to see you,” he says. “She’s mean.”

Liu Jin blinks.

~~~

“Lady Zhao, it is good to see you,” Liu Jin greets the old woman. She waits for him in the courtyard of the Eternal Flame Clan’s estate. Her bony hands are wrapped around her cane.

“Interesting. I think you might have meant those words,” the old woman says. 

“Naturally,” Liu Jin says, inclining his head.

Granny Zhao stares at him in silence. Her eyes are so small it looks like she is squinting at him.

“How annoying,” she says, tapping her cane against the ground. “I suppose it could not be any other way. Satisfy an old woman’s curiosity, lad. Are you still intent on participating in the last stage of the tournament?”

“I am,” Liu Jin says.

“Why? You have the fox girl with you, do you not?” the old woman asks him. “Isn’t she why you came here? You could leave now.”

“We both know that is not true,” Liu Jin says. “I am resolved, Lady Zhao. I will not apologize for it.”

“Resolve, he says.” The old woman snorts. “What do young ones know of resolve? Endure this age and the next. Then you can speak to me about resolve.” 

“Lady Zhao,” Liu Jin says gently. “It was you who asked the Crimson Cloud not to show me to the audience, was it not? Was that your way of protecting me?”

“How presumptuous of you,” Granny Zhao says. “Why would I intercede for you?”

“You were in his memories,” Liu Jin states. The old woman freezes on the spot. “When we met, I said Fu Lihua told me about you. That was true, but I knew of you even before that. It might not have been a long time but… I believe he treasured you in his own way.”

“Not enough, it seems,” Old Lady Zhao says, turning away. Her voice sounds tired. Old. “Do not say more, child. I’m an old woman doing useless things. I know this. When young people wish to act, there is little we old people can do but watch.”

“I will survive,” Liu Jin says. “When I do…Would it be all right if I talked to you about him?’”

Old Lady Zhao does not turn.

“I think I’d like that.”

~~~

“This is her? Really? This little brat?”

Young Jiang holds a girl up by the back of her robes. She has brown hair tied in pigtails, and her eyes are wide and expressive.

“Who are you calling a brat?” the girl says, struggling to escape Jiang’s grip. “Unhand me at once, or you’ll be sorry, you savage!”

“As if!” Young Jiang laughs. “Who’d be scared of a cowardly pipsqueak like you?”

“Again! You insulted me again! No one has ever insulted me twice.”

“Really?” Jiang quirks an eyebrow. “They should have.”

“Now, now. Don’t be mean to her, disciple,” says a masked woman standing behind Young Jiang. “If you only judge people by their appearance, character, and manners, you’ll surely be disappointed.”

“Hey! That was worse! That was way meaner than what he said!”

“Was it?” The masked woman asks, tilting her head. “You must have misunderstood me, surely.”

“The worst! You two are the worst!” The girl cries. “But I’ll have you know, I won’t submit! I refuse to go back.”

“Wonderful,” the masked woman says, clapping her hands. “An excellent decision. I fully support it.” 

The young girl blinks. “Huh?”

“We’re here to escort you to a place that will make much better use of your talents, my lady,” the masked woman says. “Please consider us your arms and legs until then, albeit ones more opinionated than usual.”

“She means we are not your lackeys,” Jiang explains. The masked woman turns to him.

“Was there really a need to elaborate, disciple? I thought my meaning was clear.”

“You are as clear as muddy water, master.”

“Rude. You could have said I was as mysterious as the moon.”

“The moon is bright!”

“A new moon, then.”

“Then there’s no moon!”

The young girl stares at the two with a sinking feeling of despair.

~~~

Mini-Character List

Liu Jin: Our Protagonist. Resolved.

Bo the Orphan: Orphan boy. Knows gambling.

Wei the carpenter: A young carpenter with dreams of adventure. Was not scammed but will believe he was.

Greedy Chun: Greedy shopkeep. A widower, so technically he did have luck with at least one woman. 

Ying the seamstress: A seamstress. Very doubtful. 

Gambling Xin: A gambler who is always on the lookout for a sure thing. Did not make money from said sure thing.

Old Man in the Corner: An old man who sits in the corner. 

Lu Mei: Liu Jin’s girlfriend. Talked about this and that. This and that are worrying.

Granny Zhao. Old Lady. Was young once. Has endured several eras.

Young Jiang: Old Jiang but young. Can insult people twice.

Masked Woman: Old Jiang's master. Mysterious. That's no moon.