Chapter 302: Patchwork

~~~

“Is this okay?”

“A little bit higher…Ah! That’s the spot!”

Liu Jin looks down as Su An relaxes on his lap, her long purple hair splayed all over. The young woman sighs in bliss and nuzzles against him while his fingers lightly scratch behind her ears. 

“I am not quite sure this is right,” Liu Jin says.

“No, you’re doing it absolutely right, Boss,” Su An says, her eyes closed. A content hum leaves her throat.

“That is not what I meant,” Liu Jin says. Still, he smiles. “We’re in the middle of the second stage. It is not the best time-”

“Boss!” Su An interrupts. She turns in his lap to look at him. “A lot of things have happened! A lot of very confusing, very painful things! I need this! Besides, I let you rest your head on my lap a bunch of times in Eastern Port City. This is only fair!”

It is a solid argument, so Liu Jin allows Su An to continue relaxing. Her content sighs resume as he runs his fingers through her hair under the shade of a tree. It is a rare moment of peace.

Unfortunately, Liu Jin cannot let it go on.

“You did not have these when we began our fight,” Liu Jin says, lightly rubbing her ears. “Does it not tire you to keep them manifested?”

“The opposite,” Su Daji mumbles. “It takes time to make them appear or go away, but keeping them manifested is easy. I’d prefer to have them out all the time, but she said it would be a bad idea.”

Liu Jin hums. “She is probably right.”

“Don’t take her side, Boss,” Su An grouses. Liu Jin smiles, but his opinion does not change.

After all, just like Liu Jin’s scales, Su An’s fox ears seem to be a sign of her status as not-quite-human. Certainly, there are some differences. Liu Jin needed to work a lot on keeping his scales from manifesting whenever he used too much Qi, while Su An seems to be able to lock them away more completely. Regardless, it could cause some trouble if it became widely known either of them had demonic characteristics. 

No… That’s still not the main issue. 

“I…” Liu Jin vacillates for a moment but pushes on. “When Eastern Port City fell, I thought you were dead. When I learned of Daji’s existence, I was confused. When I saw the state of your soul, I despaired. Now, you are back, and I can only feel relief.”

Su An’s body goes very still.

“Boss, you are saying good things, but the way you are saying them worries me,” she says.

“I have to ask,” Liu Jin says, resigned.

“Do you really need to–”

“Are you my Su An?” Liu Jin cuts her.

Silence answers him.

“Are you?” Liu Jin repeats.

She squirms in his lap, avoiding his gaze. His hand leaves her head. Her body is so close to his, yet Liu Jin feels not one bit of warmth, just a cold pit forming in his stomach as the silence stretches and the pressure mounts.

“I…Daji is the stronger name,” she says at last. Her voice is a barely audible whisper, yet Liu Jin hears it boom in his ears. “I am sorry, Boss.”

He looks down at her, but she still refuses to look back, her long purple hair hiding her face. Liu Jin sighs and leans against the tree behind them, lightly knocking the back of his head against the trunk.

“What does that mean?” He asks. “Where does that leave us?”

“How am I supposed to know?!” She shouts, her Qi rising a little. “I haven’t known anything in a long time! My memories are bits and pieces. My soul is a patchwork! When you showed me your memories… It helped put a lot of things in order. I remember some of it now. Eastern Port City. The Xiao Sect. You…”

“But…” Liu Jin prompts, already knowing the answer.

“Daji is the stronger name,” she says without a shred of doubt, with conviction that has become certainty. “The name is… It is Divine. It has to be. I can barely remember her, you know? Just bits and pieces. Less than Su An, yet I feel I have to bear her name.”

Liu Jin closes her eyes.

“She was a fanatically stubborn woman.”

Su An…Su Daji sobs and laughs at the same time. 

“It doesn’t have to matter!” she says, almost desperately. She turns towards him, her eyes puffy and teary as she holds onto his robes. “Believe me, Boss! I do remember you! I do feel for you as she did! You can call me Su An all you want! It’s just… It’s just…”

It is just that she is not quite Su An.

No matter how much either of them wants her to be.

“I see,” Su Daji says, looking down once she sees the answer written on his face. “Very well, I…”

She tries to rise.

He stops her. His arms are gentle as they wrap around her, yet to her, his grip might as well be made of stone.

“B-boss?” she says in a painful mix of surprise and hope as he pulls her in a hug. Her purple hair occupies his vision. Her lavender scent fills his nose. Su An had neither of those things. No matter how he tries, Liu Jin cannot stop himself from seeing that this girl is not quite his friend.

However, she is not quite Daji either.

“I am sorry,” he says. “This situation… It is unfair. I know it, and you are not to blame for it.”

If not for Murong Bang attacking Eastern Port City…

If not for Daji recklessly clinging to life and violating Su An’s soul…

Is he going to add to her strife by blaming her for not being exactly who he wanted her to be after burdening her with his memories?

“Who you are and who you are to me... Those are complicated questions, and I am sorry I do not have the answers,” Liu Jin says. “However, right now…do you mind if we stay like this for a little longer?”

She sniffles into his robes.

“I think…I think I’d like that, Boss.”

~~~

“Hmph, they still need work.”

Emperor Xiang glances at the diminutive old woman next to him. Unlike everyone else in the imperial box, Granny Zhao is standing. She has her bony fingers wrapped around her cane, and her tiny eyes are fixed on the images projected by the Crimson Cloud on the center of the stadium. 

Even though the fights are happening in a separate spatial realm, the Crimson Cloud can project them for their viewing pleasure. Without a doubt, it’s a marvel. If it wished, the Crimson Cloud could easily project the fights all over the city, but the imperial coffers would not benefit nearly as much from the ticket sales if it did.

Due to the way time works in the Crimson Cloud, every fight they are watching happened hours ago, yet the crowd does not mind. They clap and cheer for every fight, greatly enjoying the opportunity to watch the greatest talents of the new generation. Even centuries-old masters will forgo all decorum when their chosen disciple triumphs, often laughing in the face of the opposition and boasting loudly for all to hear. It is always amusing to watch.

However, Granny Zhao is not exactly wrong. The tournament participants might be prodigies, but they’re still children. Lacking an emotional attachment to any of the competitors and possessing greater cultivation than them, Emperor Xiang is often bored by their duels. Granny Zhao must feel the same, which makes her presence here all the more odd.

“Why are you here?” He asks, looking at his old nanny. “You never come.”

“Am I not allowed to be interested in the new generation?” the old woman asks.

“Can those shriveled eyes of yours even see anything?” asks Lady Shao Zhilan. Perhaps sensing she’d see Granny Zhao today, she is dressed more conservatively than usual. Emperor Xiang is not sure whether to be relieved or saddened by it.

“Oh, these old eyes of mine can see a great many things,” Granny Zhao says while laughing. It is a truly terrifying sound. “Especially when there’s something worth watching. What a pity it is not the case so far. Young people are so disappointing.”

“And yet, you are here,” Emperor Xiang points out once more. “Why?”

Even as he asks, his mind is already reviewing different possibilities. The old woman never does anything without a purpose. If she has come here, it is because she expects something important to happen.

Or because she has her eye on a specific person. 

The Crimson Cloud never shows everything that happens within its realm. There is simply not enough time. Instead, it shows them what it considers most interesting according to heavily biased criteria that Emperor Xiang has long given up on understanding.

And there is one person who has not been shown at all so far.

“Oh, I am an old woman. Who knows why I do things?” Granny Zhao says, shrugging her bony shoulders while looking at the fight with bored eyes. “Perhaps I am open to being proven wrong?”

More than one person in the imperial box snorts.

“Or perhaps, like many old people, I am merely feeling nostalgic.”

~~~

Pan Qiu does not feel even the slightest bit of nostalgia. 

Nostalgia implies longing, and there is nothing about this situation that he has longed for. Yet again, he is in a far too violent situation involving the struggle of powers far beyond him. Yet again, there is danger in every corner, and yet again, Qing Jin is involved. 

A few weeks ago, Pan Qiu’s family sent him a letter congratulating him on being chosen to represent the Eternal Flame Clan. His achievement has dramatically improved their status, and that is all well and good for them, but what does it do for him? Status and respect will not make his bones hurt any less when they break! 

If there is one thing Pan Qiu can take comfort in, it is that the forest is large and has several places for him to hide. He has cunningly buried himself under the roots of the tallest tree. Even if someone comes here to gain a better vantage point–something he suspects will happen eventually—they will never think to look below the tree. Everyone is always busy looking high up to pay attention to what’s under their feet. He was the same once upon a time.

His antics will surely earn him the mockery of others. They will say he’s being far too cautious for no reason. Of the contestants remaining in the tournament, he only has to worry about those belonging to the other three of the Four Great Sects and a few other standout disciples. The odds of running into them are low. 

However, the Heavens are cruel. If Pan Qiu gives them a chance, they will surely laugh and toy with him as usual. No, he’d rather avoid all that. He’ll endure until the third stage and put on a proper fight then. That should satisfy everyone.

A proper coward must always follow the safest path.

~~~

“Stop being a coward!”

Bei Hong shouts as he chases his reluctant opponent through the forest, his golden body shining like a beacon. Unfortunately, shouting does not make his fleeing foe slow down. He must be using some sort of special movement technique to outspeed him. If Bei Hong lets this continue, he might actually lose him.

Veins throb all over his body as Bei Hong takes a deep breath. 

He lets loose.

[Magnificent Golden Roar]

The sound creates a shockwave that uproots several trees and tosses them to the winds. It expands rapidly through the forest, covering over three hundred yards without slowing down. By the time it fades, miles of forest have been turned into a barren field.

“Are you insane?!” His opponent yells, having been forced to stop and turn around to project as much Qi as possible to protect himself.

“I should have done that from the beginning,” Bei Hong says, panting a little. Uprooting trees does not require much power, but making his technique cover that much area was somewhat tiring. “There is no place to hide now.”

“You have announced our location to anyone within several miles of us,” his foe points out. “They will wait until our fight has finished and try to eliminate whoever is weakened.”

“If I’m lucky,” Bei Hong says, showing all his teeth.

His opponent sighs.

“Let’s not do this.”

“What?”

“You are a member of one of the Four Great Sects. Defeating me brings you no glory,” his foe points out. “As for myself, I risk much by fighting you. I merely seek to secure my participation in the next stage so that my Sect’s reputation might increase. Why take unnecessary risks? Surely, it is better for us to go our separate ways. If that does not satisfy you, I am willing to compensate you after the tournament. Is that agreeable?”

For a moment, Bei Hong does not say anything.

“Idiot,” he says, slowly starting to advance. His opponent unconsciously takes a step back.

“Did you not listen? I-”

“Shut up!” Bei Hong Grows. “Security? Risks? Compensation? Nonsense! All of it! This is a battle! From the moment you stepped into the Realm of the Crimson Cloud, you agreed to do battle! Not only do you not understand something so simple, but you ask me to tarnish myself by playing along with your cowardice?!”

Bei Hong’s Qi burns gold.

“Raise your fists and grit those teeth!”

~~~

Huang Shing raises his hands, but they are not curled into fists. For the first time in a very long while, he faces his foe, not with a confident or eager grin, but with a nervous smile that threatens to fall off his face at any moment. 

“I know this is somewhat of a surprise,” he says.

He does not answer.

He does not move.

Chen Guo of the Infinite Mountain Sect only stares at him with a face as impenetrable as the mountain he hails from. The effect is enhanced by his impressive stature. While Huang Shing does not consider himself to be a short person, Chen Guo is someone who cannot enter most rooms without lowering his head and bending his knees. 

“I was on a personal journey the last time we met,” Huang Shing says nervously. “My mind was elsewhere...I might have said or done things that were…”

Huang Shing sighs. What is he even doing? 

This sort of weak-willed approach is not like him at all!

“Do you even remember?” Huang Shing asks. 

“I remember,” Chen Guo says, making Huang Shing flinch. “It has been years, but I remember.”

“Oh,” Huang Shing says in a small voice. “That’s... a little surprising.”

“It shouldn’t be. I have never been quite so insulted in my entire life. Why wouldn’t I remember?”

“Ah.”

“I should not be surprised that someone like you is part of the den of vipers that is the Eternal Flame Clan.”

“It is not a den of vipers!” Huang Shing shouts while thinking that maybe the Eternal Flame Clan is a little like a den of vipers or perhaps a collection of hungry cats. “Also, I was not a member when we met. They had nothing to do with that.”

“That just makes your actions worse,” Chen Guo replies.

“Probably,” Huang Shing says, crossing his arms. “However, your subordinates were trash, and the butcher’s daughter did not deserve what they did. I don’t regret that.”

“No, you acted fairly,” Chen Guo admits, nodding. “If it had been only that, there’d be no problems.”

Huang Shing grins guiltily. There is nothing he can say about that. What happened had been out of line, and all because…

Because he’d assumed Chen Guo was the same sort of jerk as Feng Zhi.

He’d assumed that, so clearly, any measure taken to challenge him would be just and fair. Back then, he’d been too wrapped in his quest and how he’d been wronged to truly realize the sort of situation he’d been in. He hadn’t been able to see Chen Guo. Worse, he hadn’t been able to see himself.

“If it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t human excrement.”

Chen Guo’s Qi spikes.  

“I am not a man prone to anger,” Chen Guo says, his thick, brown eyebrows furrowing minutely in his brow. “However, I am going to beat you now. I shall stop when I feel it has been enough.”

“That’s just as well,” Huang Shing says, his Qi flaring as he assumes a stance. “It does not suit me to try to solve things without violence.”

~~~

Mini-Character List

Liu Jin: Our protagonist. In deep thought.

Su Daji: Disciple of the Wandering Wind. A new being. 

Granny Zhao: Very old. Nostalgic.

Emperor Xiang: Emperor of the Crimson Cloud Empire. When in doubt, doubt some more.

Shao Zhilan: One of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace.  Her version of conservative is still fairly revealing.

Pan Qiu: Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Hidden.

Bei Hong: Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Not hidden.

Huang Shing: Disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan. Hidden master of unconventional fighting methods.

Chen Guo: Disciple of the Infinite Mountain Sect. Nettled.