*Van. Shu Jing Island. City of Shu Jing.*
The entire remainder of the voyage was shrouded in a somber atmosphere. Elder Jian's people, who were friends or even relatives to one another, found it difficult to et the glazed-over eyes of their comrades, who had so recently been full of life.
"And those were just the Junior Sages," Elder Jian finally broke the silence. "Not a weak force at all," he whistled.
I understand him perfectly... There is one main Fire Temple on the uninhabited volcanic Crescent Island, where mostly the Elder Sages and so Junior Sages reside. But there are almost as many smaller Fire Temples as there are inhabited islands in the archipelago. After all, their duties include not only coronations but also weddings, morial rites, and much more. In other words, there are a lot of them. And let's not forget their followers among the aristocracy and high-ranking military officials, who also have their own people.
"Go ahead, brew so tea, and head back. We'll wait for you," he said as soon as we docked. "On the way back, we'll visit an unnad island where, for months now, an unknown person has been abducting villagers."
"I'll try not to delay," I waved goodbye, sniffing my clothes once more. Thankfully, I brought a spare set; it would have been awkward to attend a reception slling less than pleasant.
Unnoticeably, my mood began to lift, all thanks to the picturesque views of this island. The city was nestled in a mountain valley, beside a raging river that flowed through a rocky gorge. The river had nurous rapids and waterfalls. The local nature even sowhat resembled the planet from Jas Caron's *Avatar*.
A handful of onlookers watched my back as I walked—literally just a few. A stark contrast to the bustling and vibrant capital, life here seed to stand still. But perhaps this is the very tranquility the locals seek.
"When I'm old, I'll probably want to live in a place like this," I smirked, knowing full well that old age is far from knocking on my door.
Piandao's estate was not far from the city, perched on a cliff, and more resembled a well-fortified fortress. *My ho is my fortress* takes on a literal aning here, though I'd do the sa in his position. After all, there are still high-ranking individuals who don't particularly like him.
From the cliff, the entire harbor is visible, which is probably why I was already expected at the estate gates.
"Good day to you, Master Van," greeted Fat, the swordmaster's assistant. "I hope your journey was smooth."
"Greetings," I replied. "Well, there were so minor difficulties, but everything turned out fine," I added—yes, we just lost a few good n...
"Follow ," he said, his deanor reminding sowhat of Alfred, Batman's butler.
"This country should have been called not the Fire Nation but the Nation of Spies," a thought flashed through my mind as I sensed unfamiliar eyes watching .
We then entered the house—or rather, a small fortress—where we wandered the corridors for a while, giving an excellent opportunity to appreciate the decor. Everything was minimalist yet tasteful.
"I'm delighted to welco you to my ho, Master Van," Piandao imdiately stood from his seat as we entered a room resembling a dining hall.
"The pleasure is mine, Master Piandao," I bowed as an equal to an equal. "I also want to thank you for the skillfully crafted dagger," I bowed again. Oh, these Eastern intricacies. "Princess Azula was very pleased with it."
"Oh, so it was a gift for our princess? You're a very attentive and caring ntor. The children of the Fire Lord are fortunate to have you," which translates to: "Aren't you overstepping your bounds, unknown character?" Once again, these dialogues with double, or even triple, anings.
"And you're no different," I thought. After all, you grew up in an orphanage, experienced the harsh realities of life, and only recently picked up these aristocratic quirks.
The small talk lasted no more than five minutes. We briefly touched on the political changes when Ozai ca to power and so specifics of various types of bladed weapons. Unnoticeably to both of us, we transitioned to a more casual conversation. Talking with an interesting person, ti flies at an incredible speed. Only later did we realize we had talked for a full three hours, all while effortlessly devouring the dishes on the table.
"I completely forgot the main point," I exclaid, gearing up for a serious conversation. "I know you're part of the secret White Lotus Order," Piandao's hand imdiately went under the table, and Fat began to circle behind . "Easy, give a chance to explain everything!"
"I have nothing against you, in fact, I'm rather pleased," I began. "It's highly likely you already know that the forr Fire Sages are no more," I continued, nodding in agreent with the swordmaster. "And this is a threat that could soon endanger the entire nation, and even extend beyond the islands." Judging by their grim faces, they had suspected as much. "I propose we join forces."
"How do you know about our secret society?" Piandao asked.
"Does the na Roku an anything to you?" I replied. "I'm his close friend, from the Earth Kingdom, and most likely he's now residing at the Beifong estate," they're unlikely to imdiately believe in the global threat posed by the spirit of darkness and chaos...
Let them first see that the spirit the Fire Sages worship is not so simple, and only then can we discuss more large-scale problems.
"Strange things are happening in this world. First, a veritable superman appears in the Northern Water Tribe, then we hear about the powerful earthbending mage Roku, and now a descendant of a famous lineage shows up," he began listing, ticking off his fingers. "Maybe you can give us so answers, huh?" he looked straight in the eye.
"Yes, it's all one person who can split his bodies, and I'm one of them," I replied with a serious face.
"Your imagination is wild!" Piandao laughed, slapping his thigh. You tell the truth, and they don't believe you... "Alright! I'm in! Just don't invite to any of your etings. If there's serious business, write a letter."
"So, where are they?" he began tapping his finger on the table.
"Sir," Fat appeared beside him. "Is this what you need?" he handed him a small booklet.
"What would I do without you!" the master smiled. "Here are the ciphers you should use to mask your letters," he shook the booklet. "No privacy, everyone reads everything, the bastards," he complained. "Right, Fat?" he winked at him.
"Soone spread rumors around town about the heartfelt love letters Fat writes to the local vegetable vendor," Piandao leaned toward . "You captivate my mind! My life..." he began, only to be interrupted by Fat's hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," I didn't expect them to have such a warm and friendly relationship.
"It seems you promised to prepare sothing special," Piandao quickly changed the subject.
"Right, coming right up," Fat hurried out of the room.
"I heard you lived in a colony; chances are you never got to try our ancient traditional dish," he said almost anticipatorily. "Fat worked really hard on it. I hope you'll enjoy it," that gleam in his eyes definitely didn't an anything good.
"Mmm, finger-licking good! It was a struggle to get it, even fists were involved!" Fat quickly returned with a tray. "Smoked sea slug!" he placed a large slug on the table... its appearance seed to say, "Only true degenerates eat ."
My willpower was tested once again; I even had to draw on my life energy to avoid spilling my stomach contents all over the table.
"Too bad we couldn't get a fresher slug; everyone knows it's best eaten raw!" he began sharing details, practically challenging .
Piandao watched my rapidly changing facial expressions with amusent. Now I understood why it's called one of the oldest traditional dishes—it probably appeared when there was nothing else to eat on the islands!
"Let the guest try it first," Piandao couldn't calm down.
"This is just another test, Van! You'll face fanatics, ancient spirits, and Vaatu himself, but this is just so disgusting, stinking slug," well, in the worst case, I have my second chakra open, which deals with illnesses and poisons...
Fat looked at with eager anticipation. Carefully cutting off a small piece of the slug, I slowly put it in my mouth, already ready to quickly wash down this abomination with water from the pitcher.
*Gulp*—not bad at all. Chewing it was disgusting, especially as the sli clung to my teeth, but the taste was excellent. "My gratitude to the chef!" I bowed to Fat, who, with a beaming smile, began serving another portion.
It felt especially good to see Piandao's dimd smile, as he had wanted to have a laugh at my expense. Quickly finishing the al, I suggested a sparring session. Piandao was up for a warm-up.
"Will you only use a sword?" he was surprised by my conditions. "Fine, just don't cry afterward," getting to know this person better, I had an overwhelming urge to smack him every ti he opened his mouth. How has Fat put up with him for so many years...
"I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue," I can do that too.
"Just like little kids," Fat, who brought a sword, shook his head. "Ready?" he asked us. "Alright, let's begin!" he announced.
Piandao started with an overhead attack...
*Clash of swords*—the overhead strike turned out to be a feint; he sharply twisted his wrist, aiming for my right side. Only my physical attributes saved from a hole in my side.
The speed of his attacks only increased, as if the sound of tal clashing rang out every second. Often, I could only just manage to dodge or block his deceptive moves at the last mont.
Channeling my life energy through the Avatar Kyoshi system, I was able to increase my agility and speed, thus bringing the fight to a stalemate. I couldn't counterattack properly, but his attacks also missed their mark.
"This is it! What I've been waiting for!" I thought as Piandao beca slightly faster and stronger.
"That was close," in slow motion, my gaze followed the slowly falling hairs that Piandao managed to slice off with his sudden attack.
I think I understand. If the Avatar Kyoshi technique significantly enhances all physical paraters, his technique, in this regard, is much weaker, but it helps focus on a single movent. Like just now, when he abruptly "pushed" his body forward.
From the next clash of our swords, my hand was deflected to the side. This ti, he infused his life energy into a single strike. I wonder if he learned this sowhere or figured it out himself?
For another five minutes, I morized the flow of his life energy. Slowly but surely, I'll be able to write a book about life energy...
"It feels like you're doing sothing completely different," Piandao stopped.
"That's exactly it," I admitted. "Do you know what life energy is?"
"Hmm," he paused for a mont. "Yes, I've heard sothing about it. It's the energy that perates all living beings, right? I think the Yu Yang archers use it."
"Essentially, yes," I nodded in agreent. "I noticed that you're using it, consciously or unconsciously."
"I've known this for a while," he sighed. "But I can't seem to find the key to this lock. My body fills with strength when I take a fight seriously," too bad, it ans there's no talent in managing this energy—it's all the result of relentless training and battles on the brink of death.
"Do you have blank sheets?" I hope the Kyoshi Warriors' training thods will help him awaken his sensitivity to this mystical energy.
I wanted to sketch the movents, but Piandao criticized my drawings, saying even small children draw better. How insulting...
"Is this your revenge for the slug?" the master asked thoughtfully as I finished demonstrating the Kyoshi Warriors' exercise routine. "Are you sure this isn't just a won's dance?" he asked again, showing his sketches for clarity, on which I was erotically contorting my body with an extrely focused face.
"I guarantee the effectiveness of these movents!" I firmly replied.
"Well, if you say so," he muttered, erasing all my heads from the sketches and imdiately drawing various pleasant female faces in their place. "I don't want to look at these movents with your face," he explained.
All goals were achieved; it was ti to return to the ship.
"I packed the leftover slug for you, in case you get hungry," Fat handed a bundle. C—care, and P—pleasant.
Saying goodbye, I began descending toward the town.
"I'll recomnd you to my acquaintances; they're looking for a handso boy to perform dances! Such talent shouldn't go to waste!" Piandao shouted after , quickly closing the gates, but his cheerful laughter was still audible.
"Go to h*ll!" I couldn't hold back. "Poor Fat..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)