Interlude

Act II — The Search for Sarif

Hari thrust the dagger into the Jade Knight's thigh.

"Spit it out!" she barked, her voice projecting through the murky sewers with an angry echo.

"I don't know." The knight said, spitting out blood and painful groans. His situation was precarious, but with the right care he would survive. Hari was being careful enough not to kill him. The information he might possess was too valuable.

"I'm just a messenger." he concluded, in a heavy Nan accent. There was a bit of sincerity in his eyes, Hari noticed. But that wasn't enough. She could still feel that he wasn't telling her everything.

In the last three months, Hari had discovered that the Jade Knights' hierarchy was much more plentiful than she had thought. Before, she thought they were all a single unit of extremely skilled individuals. And, while this information had a kernel of truth, not all Jade Knights were well-trained soldiers.

According to the information she discovered—and other information Jien provided—the Jade Knights were divided into numbered detachments, ranging from Five-Man Captains to Generals. In addition, due to the constant invasions, many locals were incorporated into the Jade Knights to increase the army and provide the chances of dominating the battlefield.

If you could ride a horse, you had the qualifications to become a Jade Knight. The criterion was very low. In the end, Hari learned that she should really care about Sentinels, Warriors, Commanders, Captains of Men, Heralds, and Generals. Fortunately, these made up only a third of the force that constituted the Jade Knights.

In Zhouhei, Hari found that only one Jade Warrior was there, the others were just soldiers. The same could be said of the messenger in front of her, just another soldier.

"So what is this and where were you taking it?" Hari said, displaying the letter she found in the bag he was carrying. She couldn't fully understand the Nan script—despite the similarities, the alphabet had a few different symbols, written horizontally, which made reading confusing. But a familiar name caught her attention. Yassiri Sarif, the name of the most skilled swordsman in the Fortunate Cultivator's Treasure.

During the months that Hari spent trying to find information about the Jade Knights—their strategies and positioning—she never thought she would find anything about a member of the Cultivator's Treasure instead.

"It's a letter to Captain Muzheng." the messenger said. Hari suggested he keep talking. “He is in a camp on the Southwest Border of Nansshu.”

Nansshu? Dangerous and far away. "What is written here?" she said, pointing to the open letter.

"I don't know, I didn't look." he paused. "Please don’t kill me."

Hari glared at him. Despite his accent, that man didn't seem of Nan descent. He didn't have the characteristic blue eyes, nor the night-black hair. Furthermore, he lacked aggressiveness, physical bearing and exaggerated pride. Perhaps he was a prisoner of war, a refugee, an orphan, or just a wretch who was born on that side of the Eight Realms.

“Read to me.” Hari pressed.

"I will." he said and Hari held the letter for him to read. “Captain Muzheng, you have orders to capture and arrest Azim Maham, the burgomaster of the Lao Province. Azim has information on one of our targets, Yassiri Sarif. Though, if you get information about Sarif on your own, Azim can be discarded. Long live our Lord.”

So they didn't know where Sarif was? It was a relief and an annoyance at the same time. Hari was waiting for more concrete information. But at least now she had a clue. Lao Province, Azim Maham. Hari would have a long journey ahead.

Hari sighed. There was still Jien's problem to deal with. "Thanks." she said. "What is your name?"

“Yunan. Tengou Yunan.”

“Do you have family, Tengou?”

"I do. A wife and a little boy."

"Go back to them." Hari said, cutting the ropes that held Tengou's legs and hands together. "I left your clothes outside the tunnel."

“My armor?”

“I will keep as a fee for your life. And the glaive too.” she said and Tengou nodded.

Hari waited until Tengou left the sewers and turned to the second Jade Knight she had captured. The man was gagged, but Hari could see the desperation through his eyes and the muffled sounds. Jade Knights like him didn't expect to be captured like that. It wasn't easy, as they were often together. Or fully armored. But with patience, a little chasing—stalking, a bow, arrow and the right poison, it was possible. Unlike Tengou, that man was clearly Nan, his eyes betrayed him.

Hari removed the gag.

“Fucking bitch! I’ll fucking kill you!” he spit on Hari’s face, staring at her with a disgusting pride.

Hari didn't care, wiping off the spit and wielding the dagger close to his neck. Within seconds, Hari saw the pride disappear from his expression.

“Wait, wait, wait. I have family too.” he said, his rough accent was even more uncomfortable.

"I had too." Hari said and cut his throat. She waited to feel his blood touch her skin, to be completely satisfied. Afterwards, Hari cleaned the blade and left the tunnels of the sewers.

Hari emerged from the sewers of Weiyang — a small town in An'xi Province in Hyperia, facing a large field of flowers. She walked along the outskirts of town, off the main road, into dense, poorly lit woods. It was still daytime—early afternoon—and a light breeze carried the scent of flowers along the way. There, she buried the glaives and armors of the Jade Knights. Entering Weiyang with those objects would raise unnecessary suspicion.

Upon reaching the entrance to the city, Hari breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had found something that could lead her to the Cultivator's Treasure. Finally, she could begin her quest for revenge against the Immortal. Then she smiled. Sarif would be the first.