The Third Kingdom - Chapter 20 preview (Patreon)

Wu Ying was halfway down the street the next morning, having finished a simple meal of congee, fresh steamed fish with ginger, sesame oil and garlic and fried doughnuts with the requisite cups of tea to fortify himself for his fights when the commotion began.

Brows drawn together, Wu Ying followed the group of noisemakers, knowing that he had enough time. When he came to the building involved, he had to wonder, if there was going to be a match today at all. For the crowd had led him to the front of the guard’s headquarters.

“What is going on?” Wu Ying asked the man standing beside him, one of the roadside merchants. He only received a shrug in answer.

To Wu Ying’s great fortune though, another cultivator who had been in front of the crowd and had been pushing out answered his question. “Someone killed the Investigator. They found her body inside.”

His words sent a ripple of shock and dismay through the crowd including Wu Ying. The cultivator went so far as to freeze entirely, his mind returning to the evening before when had just spoken to the young lady. Reflexively, he expanded his aura, sending the wind swirling around him and towards the building only for his aura to be rebuffed by a formation.

“What…?” Wu Ying eyes narrowed. Never before had they thrown up such a formation. Why the change? Did they refuse to take proper precautions till now because it was not their people’s dead? Or was it something more?

Pushing his way to front, Wu Ying ignored the grumbles and protests. There was nothing to see but a cordon of guards, all of them looking nervous as they tried to reassure the angry and restless crowd before them.

“We demand to know what is going on!”

“You cannot keep us all here, to be killed one by one.”

“What are we, chickens to be slaughtered?”

Voices rang out through the crowd, demanding answers. Fear ran rampant through the group, for strong cultivators than most of the contestants had been killed. Even the merchants who, thus far, had felt it was a cultivator matter were afraid. For now, a mortal had been killed and the small shred of false safety they had had been stripped away.

A particularly belligerent cultivator, fed up with the lack of answers the guards had to offer strode up to the edge of the line. Wu Ying’s eyes widened as he recognized Hao Zhi who shoved the guard that was standing in his way aside, using his greater strength to toss the man away. That started a chain reaction, as the guards standing beside the assailed had to catch their friend.

The crowd surged into the gap led by Hao Zhi. He took a half-dozen steps forward, nearing the entrance before Wu Ying sensed it. The shift and opening in the formation, the speedy exit that was led by a single foot.

Thrown backwards by the kick, Hao Zhi flew through the air backwards, spewing pain and blood. Other cultivators and mortals were thrown away too, the group tumbling over one another as Hao Zhi’s body arced through the air before crashing down a distance away, the sound of her foot hitting his body and ribs snapping still echoing through the street.

Cries of pain and confusion as those bowled over stood up or nursed wounds, while Hao Zhi senseless. A few of his friends tried to voice their belligerence, only to clamp their mouths shut when they realized who the assailant was.

Standing on the steps, just outside the formation that had so briefly opened was Elder Cao in her army uniform. The dark colours and militant air was perfectly paired with the cold eyes and sneer upon her lips as she stared at the crowd. Wu Ying idly noted other than the floating flying sword by her side, she was missing her dagger-axe.

“I do not expect much from the mortals, but even if you might be wasted vagrants, you are still cultivators. Have some dignity,” Elder Cao said, scornfully. “A few deaths and you all run around like mewling babes. You have a duty – to yourselves, if not the kingdom.

“Do better.”

None dared speak up, the aura that she blanketed the town within having grown heavier. Some of the mortals were even finding it difficult to breathe, as she choked them on the depths and heaviness of her dao. Duty, unbending, unyielding.

For long moments she stood there, crushing them all with sheer personality before she turned about. But before she could enter the formation and room again, another voice cut in, cracking apart the oppressive aura as its own pushed back against it. A hard, unyielding one, that spoke of the strength of the earth and its impassivity to mere mortal concerns like duty.

“And is my concern considered petty? That the investigator into my disciple’s murder lies, slain?” Elder Eng rumbled, floating high above the group on his own weapon, that massive podao that warped the environment.

“Not at all,” Elder Cao said, turning around and putting on a conciliatory smile on her face. Yet, her stance was still unyielding as she continued to speak. “But such discussions can be held at a more appropriate time and place.”

“No. I think a discussion here and now, of what has happened is appropriate,” Elder Tsui spoke up. Like his compatriot, he had chosen to make his way over via flying sword “I would not have such knowledge kept from the others. Secrecy only breeds resentment and rumors.”

Elder Cao’s eyes narrowed as she regarded the two Elders. Then, her gaze flicked down, landing upon the silent Wu Ying. Of those gathered, it was the three of them that she could not so summarily dismiss. After all, they were her equals – in cultivation stage at the least.

“The Inspector is dead. Slain, by a blow to her head. We believe it happened while she worked late at night after returning from the party,” Elder Cao said, reluctantly. “The manner of her death indicates it is likely the same culprit. More details will follow once we finish our investigation.”

Backed up by the hovering elders, Gao Qiu who had pushed his way forward dared to speak up. “And what do you intend to do now? How will you find the murderer, when your very inspectors are being killed?”

Those last words sent a murmur of agreement through the crowd. There was a tense air of expectation, as they waited for the General to provide an answer. Out of the corner of the open doorway, Wu Ying noticed that Teng Fei was watching the proceedings but stayed within, out of sight for many.

“Because I am here,” Elder Cao said, intently. “Or do you believe that the murderer has avoided attacking myself or the other Core Formation cultivators because they are able to do so?”

Her confident words quietened the crowd for a second, but Gao Qiu bulled ahead. “That’s fine for you and the Elders, but what about the rest of us? How will you protect us?”

Her lips curled up in disdain. “I thought you wandering cultivators were all independent souls, intent on making your way through this world alone.”

“We are. And if you’d let us leave, we’d be fine,” Gao Qiu said, a little too smugly. His tone of voice drew a glare from the woman, but he forged onwards. “But we are here by your choice. Under duress. So, your duty would be to take care of us, under circumstances you have created.”

If the air could freeze, it would have. But her aura and her dao was of duty and responsibility, not of winter or the frozen edges of snow. Even so, the regard she turned upon Gao Qiu was enough to make the man pale and tremble, as she considered what, exactly, to say.

Eventually, she spoke up. “We shall consider your words. And what we may do to further preserve your lives. I would, however, recommend that none of you stay alone till such additional security precautions are implemented.”

Then she turned around and walked in, leaving the group alone. She moved so fast, it would almost be called a retreat if she was not so graceful in doing so. The Elders hovering above them regarded the building with narrowed eyes before turning in unison and heading back to their table at the restaurant.

For a long second, Wu Ying stood in the crowd, debating what he should do. He caught Gao Qiu’s gaze, the man having regained some of his coloring now that Elder Cao was not turning her killing intent on him. The other cultivator inclined his head to the side, and Wu Ying sighed internally, nodding as he moved to follow after the man.

He might as well get it over with. As much as he disliked being drawn into politics, Gao Qiu was also his only major source of knowledge and connection to the other wandering cultivators. And it seemed that the on-going deaths were something that needed to be dealt with, not just for the sake of justice but also the necessity of keeping his head on his shoulders.

The pair rendezvoused a short distance away, each of them regarding the other with some minor trepidation. After all, their last encounter had not been the most agreeable. Eventually, Wu Ying chose to break the silence.

“How is Liu Ping?” he asked.

“Well. As well as can be.”

“And how well is that?”

“Crying late into the evening. Praying to gods and immortals above and the demons below for vengeance. Lying in bed, late into the day before stalking the alleyways late at night, seeking the killer,” Gao Qiu clarified.

Wu Ying made a face.

“I do not know if the matches are continuing, but we should make sure. And if not…” He paused, then resolved himself. “If not, you should come with me. We’re meeting to speak about this incident later.”

“We?”

“The Association. And others interested in finding the murderer.”

Wu Ying frowned. “You know I don’t want to get involved in your politics.”

“What you want might not matter.” Gao Qiu hesitated before adding, softer. “Liu Ping has something to say. To you.”

For a long second, he hesitated. Then, Wu Ying nodded, acceding to the request. For the friendship he had shared with her and her brother, he would come.

***

To everyone’s surprise, the tournament matches were not postponed. Or perhaps it was only to Wu Ying’s and a few more empathetic individuals. Everyone else wanted the tournament over, it seemed. At the least, the gifts and prizes that would be shelled out at the end, used carefully might have provided the winners with a greater chance of surviving their unknown assailant.

Or so Wu Ying assumed. It was hard to tell what some of the other contestants thought.

By action, they were hurried and ready to finish the battle; but they were also more careful and less brutal and competitive than he had expected. Even though there were only eight contestants and four fights remaining, the other dueling rings were not in use, only the central one in play. Enchanters and other workers took apart the remaining rings, while a few addicts and those looking for a way to distract themselves from forces outside their control crowded around the betting tables.

Everyone else packed themselves around the rings, with a majority of the population there. Perhaps it was the desire – and safety – of crowds that led them there. The warmth of humanity as the cold breath of death lingered on the back of their sacrificial necks. Perhaps it was just the need for gossip, for there was a lot of that.

As for the fighters within, they received short shrift. Up first was the northern archer, his bow strung and his arrows blunted with small hide coverings. He moved and loosed, half-drawing and releasing his arrows, the chi strings on their ends and front guiding the missiles to move in ways that were impossible otherwise.

Even so, his opponent, Kong Lai swatted the attacks away with casual disregard, her defense impenetrable. No matter what tricks he tried, she stood unshaken. Only a single line of blood where a trick shot preceded by an exploding arrow had managed to harm here caused her any major issues.

The moment he ran out of arrows, Jochi gave up. Even beforehand, he had barely been able to keep ahead of Kong Lai who had hounded him around the ring as he loosed upon her. Rather than subject himself to humiliation and potential crippling injury like Liu Ping, the archer chose the better part of valor. He ended the fight to some little jeering and polite applause, though Liu Ping continued to glare from the sidelines.

Even so, the woman barely even sneered at the man before she stalked off to return to the side of Elder Eng to watch the next fight from the second floor of the restaurant.

Next up was Pan Shui and one of the other wandering cultivators. He was a fire-enhanced Elemental Storage cultivator who wielded a pair of jian. The man barely had a Sense for the Sword, but it allowed him to wield both weapons in such a way that he did not clash them together, which was necessary when one was dual wielding.

On the other hand, compared to Pan Shui, he was vastly outclassed. He lasted for a short while by managing to deflect her attacks with his weapons, but he was unable to enter his own measure, Pan Shui skillfully deflecting his attempts at stepping in with punishing strikes of her spear.

When he grew desperate and started releasing waves of flame, the younger cultivator retreated a little, dodging between the flame-edged projected strikes. Through scorching flames, she wove her between attacks, spinning, jumping, twisting as she attack came within inches of burning her.

The battle ended abruptly, when the flame cultivator began to flag after releasing a half-dozen arcs of flaming energy, the movement of his fighting form complete. In that small gap before he transitioned to another attack, Pan Shui exploited the gap by extending the blade intent of her own spear. It exploded forwarded, extending the range of her own attack to pierce his shoulder.

That was all that was necessary for the cultivator to give up his attempt at winning a greater prize, the man retreating to the edge of the ring whilst calling out his defeat. Leaving the ring, there was only the slightest hint of satisfaction on Pan Shui’s face, the Zhuang clanswoman slipping in amongst her sisters soon after. They made no move to leave, though the way Pan Yin glanced towards the road leading back to their temporary abode, Wu Ying had to assume they intended to.

He did not blame them. He too wanted to return to his room. There were things to be done, including increasing their defences. Initially, he had held back due to custom and courtesy, but he no longer cared if he crossed lines of civility.

That was, however, an issue for later.

“Cultivator Long. If you will…” the ring attendant that had appeared before him was gesturing and Wu Ying sighed internally.

It seemed it was time for him to choose if he was to lose here or in the next round. Or defy the Elders and grow enmity with them, over items and resources that he had minimal use for.

Though winning would be pleasant.