Chapter 11

Knights

Jien ran along the roads of Zhouhei, sneaking through houses, street shops, and any walls he could find. But Jien avoided the alleys. He searched for the Jade Knights, who were in the center of the city. So far, he had counted over twenty of them. Jien hoped he had made the right decision. If he was right, sending Hari to the Alcove would kill her.

The crackling of the fire and the smoke that hung over Zhouhei made his mission easier. The pieces of wood burned across the floor, the chaos, the screams, the smell of blood and the desperate atmosphere. All these factors were familiar to Jien. He knew them as well as he knew himself. The Immortal’s style of conquest did not differ from what the Kriegs did a hundred years ago, when the Eight Realms were still independent of each other and the Age of Conquest was just beginning.

Since then, so many conquerors came and gone, launching small and large wars over the territory of the ancient Eight Realms, that Jien rarely cared. He was calloused. But he still cared about this part of the war. Jien still cared about the Immortal.

So Jien had to get to the Alcove fast.

Amidst the smoke, Jien spotted two excited Jade Knights looting and destroying what they left of the city. Two big men, broad backs, as hairy as mountain bears. Those shapes would frighten the citizens of Zhouhei easily — with their outfit that simulated the appearance of Rarik’s beasts. This was also one of the Immortal’s strategies. By making his enemy believe that the Jade Knights were like beasts, by making them behave and act like such, and by spreading rumors of things that happened to cities that resisted the Knights, the Immortal could win battles before they even began.

Jien knew a master tactician when he saw one, and the Immortal certainly was one. The Immortal instructed the Jade Knights to kill all men and children, but to spare the women. Rumors said they took them into a sort of personal harem of the Immortal. But Jien believed that this was just another way the Immortal had found to lower a city’s morale. When husbands feared for the futures of their wives and children, they were the first to surrender and hand over the city easily to the Immortal.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Jien approached the Knights.

I should have brought Fushi’s dagger.

The Knights were well armed, armored and on horseback. As experienced as Jien was, attacking them unprepared would be a danger he wasn’t willing to take. However, he needed that horse if he wished to get to the Alcove in time. That was, he would have to cultivate.

I hope this is really the last time.

Jien circulated his breath through his Dantian, generating chi from the center of his body, racing through his meridians to every drop of blood, every bone, every muscle. His heart slowed, the air became colder, as if his Dantian sucked all the moisture out of the air to itself, hungry for cold. The heat of the world ceased to exist for that moment. Jien opened his eyes, staring at the moon, his former companion, and reveling in its bluish glow. Jien became one with his mind, lunar chi coursing through his entire body. A warm, familiar feeling settled over him, like the touch of an old lover. A kiss of pure love. Jien smiled as the moonlight bathed him in its glory. As long as it was night, he could go all out.

The Moonbender Cultivation Method activated.

Jien leapt from the shadows into the moonlight in one step, surprising both of the Jade Knights, who were too busy trying to find something valuable among the fire debris.

“A cultivator.” one of them barked, but it was too late.

Jien ran to the first one, jumping to the height of the horse. The Knight swung his glaive in a heavy horizontal slash, which would have cut Jien in half with ease.

Too slow.

Jien stopped the glaive’s trajectory, gripping the weapon’s hilt and pulling it, unbalancing the first Knight, who fell off his horse. The second Knight approached from behind with a side cut. The horse gave him extraordinary mobility, but Jien did a backflip, dodging the blade and landing on the second rider’s horse. With a kick, Jien also knocked him off his horse, but the knight grabbed Jien’s robes during the fall and the two fell together.

Good reflexes. Jien thought.

With both of them off the horses, Jien would have a better chance of defeating them. The Jade Knights looked at each other, probably startled by the presence of a cultivator, but then attacked in unity, with a double vertical slash.

Still too slow.

Jien took a step to the side, but the second knight’s blade suddenly sped up, almost hitting him in the shoulder. This second knight was smarter than Jien imagined. So Jien would deal with him first. Pole arm weapons like glaives had a clear disadvantage, and that was close-range fighting. They were excellent against common enemies, however, if your opponent was fast and closed the distance, the glaive would become useless.

Jien knew this and in one leap approached the second knight, imbuing his hands with lunar chi for a precise punch. But to Jien’s surprise, the man blocked the punch with the pole arm of the weapon, lessening the impact, splitting the glaive in half.

Jien didn’t stop his movement, pivoting gracefully on his heel and hitting the second knight with a kick to the temple that sent him spinning across the street. The kick must have been enough to break his neck. Even clearly scared, the first knight attacked, but Jien hit him with a punch to the stomach before he could hit him.

Jien went to the broken glaive and took the half that still had the blade. Now, he had a sword. He ensured both knights were dead by slitting their throats, took one horse and rode towards the Alcove.

The houses were ruined. The shops and street vendors could not be found, and the smell of burning meat grew stronger and stronger as Hari approached her destination. She could only hope now, hope that someone could still be saved.

Hari crept through the alleys, smearing herself with mud and anything else that could have been in Zhouhei’s alleys. Things that Hari didn’t even want to think about, to keep some of what little sanity was left. Luckily for Hari, Zhouhei’s alleys were narrow and shady, which meant the Knights wouldn’t be passing through with their gigantic horses.

With Fushi in the lead, they quickly reached the street where Fushi’s clandestine shop was. But there was a Jade Knight near the entrance.

“What do we do now?” Fushi asked, hiding behind Hari, but she wasn’t tall enough to work as a cover for him. Most likely, he would just use her as a shield in a desperate situation. It was amazing how that man’s attitude had changed since the Invasion.

“I don’t know. Why are you asking me? You should be the one who knows what to do.” Hari said, but she didn’t expect any miraculous action from Fushi. Hari knew she would have to come up with a plan herself.

“I am just a sponsor. I do not understand fights, I just give the money.” Fushi said, whispering despair.

“Aren’t you a military captain in Hyperia? You should be used to invasions and battles.” Hari said. During all these years, she always heard about the heroic stories of Captain Fushi and his power on the battlefield. How now he behaved as a scared cat?

“I am a captain, of the Musicians Regiment.” he said, lifting his nose proudly. That meant something important to him. “I have never been in a real battle. We musicians are not pawns or lackeys. We do not get our hands dirty. We only attend noble events, parties and important meetings.” Captain Fushi whimpered.

Come to think of it now, Fushi really didn’t have the build of a soldier, let alone a fighter. Hari couldn’t believe that all this time she’d feared a man who couldn’t even maintain a little pride.

“Then why did you carry this huge dagger?” Hari said, wielding the weapon she had stolen from him earlier.

“It is a decorative item given to all members of Hyperia’s military force. A symbol of the strength of our kingdom. A dagger made of Cold Iron.” Fushi said.

Hari had heard of Cold Iron. One member of the Cultivator’s Treasure owned a weapon made of the same material. As far as she knew, Cold Iron was stronger and more malleable than common iron, even stronger than steel. So he had such a weapon, huh? But that didn’t change the situation. They would have to deal with the Jade Knights if they wanted to get close.

Suddenly, Hari had a plan. A stupid and dangerous plan.