v2c77: The Misty Duel parts 1 and 2

I redid the entire chapter of The Misty Duel part 1 for the third time as well, so I've combined things into one super chapter.

If you feel like skipping this part, its basically an amalgamation of the scrapped part and the new part. Bowu is with the Xong Brothers in the stands.

That said, this one was a doozy. Maybe it doesn't particularly fit the tone, and maybe the second part of the story is a bit dark, but I believe I'm content with this. Lets see how I did on the fight scene, eh?

Clocking in at 7.7k, I present to you the Misty Duel part 1 and 2.

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“So, An Ran is opening today?” Yun Ren asked Gou Ren, as they rose into the air. They were standing on a large platform with an entire crowd of people. The chains attached to it rattled and clanked as the platform moved, dragging it up the mountain. Yun Ren was staring at a scroll in his hands. It was an explanation of the tournament, along with the matchups, and a bit of commentary. They were sold at each street corner, lots of people seemed to be buying them, eagerly discussing what would happen in each.

“Yeah. She’s a bit nervous, but she thinks she can win it.”

“Oh? She talked to you about it huh?” he jabbed Gou Ren, a grin spreading across his face.

“Speaking of that, I didn’t see you after we got back from the restaurant. Do you have anything to say to your big brother?”

Gou Ren flushed. “Shaddup. Like I told the other vultures, we were just sitting on the roof talking. Nothin’ happened.”

He was half thankful, and half frustrated at Xiulan pushing An Ran to sit with him. She wasn’t being subtle at all. Sure, the night had been nice, sitting on the roof and just talking with the woman. She was nice. A bit less high strung, when she wasn’t dealing with her fellow ‘petals’ and hounding after them like Meimei hounded after him and his brother. She had a lovely singing voice, and a quick wit, as they started rattling off increasingly nonsensical poems. And they may have fallen asleep together on the roof staring at the stars. And she may have snuggled up to him during the night. But that was all!

He shook his head to get rid of the images, his face flushed.

Yun Ren arched an eyebrow, but he seemed to let it go, turning back to the tournament bracket scroll. “Huyi is near the middle along with Xiulan, and Tigu is last. Then it's two more rounds before the final. They have another day’s break after this round, and then they have a full five days before the last match after the semifinals.”

The lift ground to a halt, and they joined the crowd.

Gou Ren frowned. “Seems a bit awkward.”

“Probably for rest reasons? Don’t want the final fight to be two people absolutely exhausted and injured.”

“Probably,” he said, shaking his head, and starting up the flight of stairs to the seats, when something caught his eye.

The brothers noticed somebody was leaning against the wall, panting as people passed him by.

“…isn’t that the guy we sold one of the images to?” Yun Ren asked, struggling to place his face.

“Yeah. I helped him get back home afterwards.” Yun Ren nodded. “But he lived in one of the manors. Ain’t important guests supposed to have their own boxes?”

His brother shrugged.

Somebody knocked into the boy, and he scowled, nearly losing his balance, before managing to recover it.

Gou Ren pushed his way forwards, his brother trailing behind, a frown firmly on his face.

“Hey,” he greeted. “Surprised to see you here, Young Master.” He leaned against the wall below the kid. Somebody bumped into Gou Ren’s back and cursed, before going around him. Smiled and waved.

Bowu’s face ran through a number of emotions, before he settled on something neutral.

“Is it truly so surprising?” he asked, as he looked away.

“Yeah, I thought you'd be up in a box or something, but you’re getting the true way to experience a tournament!” he said, parroting Tang the Traveller.

The boy smirked, some of his grimace fading.

“Indeed. It is as you said, Gou Ren, Image Master. I wished to get the ‘real experience’ ” he said, shaking his head.

Gou Ren glanced at his brother. Yun Ren shrugged, and nodded.

“Hey, if you’re on your own, you feel like sitting with us?” Gou Ren

Slowly, the kid’s face morphed into a tentative smile. He stood up straighter.

“I suppose I can grace you with my company,” he allowed.

Yun Ren snorted, amused at the kid’s arrogance. “Well, lead on, Young Master.” It was lightly teasing, but the kid seemed inordinately happy about it. Determination suddenly overcame his face, and with his crutch, he started stumping his way up the stairs again. The Brothers walked slightly behind him, in case somebody bumped the kid again.

It was slow going, but they managed to finish the stairs, and get into the seating proper. It was pretty easy to find a spot to sit, and the kid settled in, looking around with interest.

He seemed a bit amused at the crowd.

“You get to see what happened yesterday?” Yun Ren asked.

Bowu shook his head.

The recording crystal came out, showing Bowu the highlights of yesterday.

Slowly, the stadium filled, and the booming echo of the announcer's voice resounded, as he welcomed everybody back.

An Ran stepped into the arena. The girl glanced up at the stands, and offered him a small smile.

================================

The trick to avoiding boredom with these matches, Tigu found, was to act like the crowds above.

They shouted and ranted, and it was quite fun to copy them. Especially as she could shout the loudest out of any of them. Her Qi enhanced her voice, and sent it booming off the stands. The people watching listened intently to her shouts, and echoed her sentiments. Even Ri Zu was getting into it, as she poked her nose out, chittering excitedly.

“Go on, Smaller Blade of Grass! Fight!” she demanded, her voice booming off the stands. Her opponent was pressing her hard, using his greater size and strength to try and keep her off balance.

It was finally something mildly exciting. An Ran looked far more composed now than she had this morning. During breakfast the petals had questioned Gou Ren and An Ran about their whereabouts after the meal, both had turned a shade of red, and let out frantic denials that they hadn’t done anything last night.

The rest of the petals had found this most amusing, and Xiulan had been smug about it for some reason.

All that Tigu had heard was the two of them talking about growing crops. Or at least Gou Ren had, while the Smaller Blade of grass listened. Then they started making increasingly nonsensical poems before they fell asleep on the roof, the fools, and Tigu had to get them a blanket after Ri Zu had insisted because they might catch a cold.

Now, the Smaller Blade of Grass’s eyes were focused and narrow, even as she was pressed. Small cuts appeared across her arms, and one small gash tore open her cheek.

Her eyes glanced at Tigu, then the Blade of Grass.

The next strike she blocked fully, throwing herself backwards, and grasping her sword tightly with both hands. With a flip, she landed on her feet, and took a breath. Her hair waved in the wind, as her eyes scrunched closed.

An Ran pulled her arms apart. The blade separated into two.The second sword was ghostly, and smaller by half. Near-ethereal, it's form was not quite solid.

“And An Ran shows the main technique of the Verdant Blade Sect, The Blades of Grass!” the announcer boomed. “What an accomplishment for the outer disciple!”

Xiulan was on her feet, and Tigu leaned forwards, interested. Xiulan’s swords always felt the same. As solid and dependable as the original, but the Smaller Blade of Grass’s was only half grown and incomplete. More a dagger than a blade, and still held in her hands.

Her opponent seemed surprised by the sudden shift, as An Ran abruptly went on the offensive, trying to capitalize. It was inexpert, and had clearly never been used in battle before, but it was the tipping point. The Smaller Blade of Grass managed to block the man’s strike with her dagger, the blade shattering from the force, but the strike diverted enough that she got in a clean blow. It was a cut down the side, and one that sent the man sprawling.

Tigu shouted with the rest of the crowd, as the announcer proclaimed An Ran’s victory.

An Ran managed to stagger out of the arena under her own power, and the next contestants took their place.

She smiled at who it was.

“Go and win, Handsome Man!” she shouted, her voice echoing. The crowd roared its approval, and a few began to laugh.

The handsome man’s face turned bright red at Tigu’s shout. He tentatively raised his hand, waving at her. Tigu smiled brightly at him and waved back. The man’s face somehow got even redder. His entire body coiled, as he turned to face his opponent. His shoulder muscles bunched up, and his arms flexed most pleasingly.

The match was called to begin.

The handsome man simply charged his opponent. His large, superior frame slammed into the smaller man like Chun Ke. The spearman tried to put up a fight, but his weapon simply skittered off the Handsome Man’s body.

“The Hermitic Iron Body!” the announcer roared, as the twitching spearman failed to stand.

The Handsome man looked back at Tigu, who clapped at his victory. He would be fun to fight!

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The day progressed, and the fights accelerated in speed and violence. This… this was something more like Gou Ren had expected from a cultivator fight. Fire started to swirl. The earth heaved, and the arena’s floor was scarred by blades and hammers.

“The Rumbling Earth’s Wrecker Stance,” Bowu narrated, as the entire arena shook. Dulou Gan rocketed forwards like the guy Tigu called ‘handsome man’ before leaping into the air. “Said to be derived from a truly monstrous wrecker ball. They still live within its shell, said to be two Li in length, hailing from the Bonepile.”

The man slammed into his opponent, and hit him so hard he rebounded off the barrier. The crowd roared, and Gou Ren winced as he heard bones crack even from up where he was.

The next match got just as wild. A Tian Huo spun almost like a top through the air, his sword a mad flurry of colour as his opponent desperately tried to block or parry the powerful strikes.

“The Dervish Dance of the Azure Horizon Sect. Said to be the technique that Sun Ken derived his own Whirling Demon Blade from.”

Blood splattered into the air. The kid was excited as he explained, noting the techniques and history behind them. It was kind of interesting but Gou Ren was uncomfortable, as the sword hacked downwards, cutting through another contestant’s chest and sending him sprawling.The crowd’s glee was palpable.

Yun Ren chewed his lip, as he glanced at the arena through his crystal. It was a dizzying array of techniques and powerful strikes. Maybe he had spent too long with Meimei learning the consequences of all that damage, but he winced every time he saw something leave a body that was supposed to stay inside. The brothers were assuaged a little by the fact that they could see people rather casually walking back to their seats after getting hurt so badly.

“Cao Ci versus Guo Daxian, Young Master of the Grand Ravine!”

Guo Daxian had his face fixed in a vicious glare as he stood with his arms crossed, blue tattoos bright on his arms. His eyes were narrow as he took in his opponent.

Unlike the previous battles, it was explosive from the beginning.

“The Grand Canyon's Canyon Spanning Strikes,” Bowu stated, as the strange rope-blade lashed out from Guo Daxian.

The weapon seemed to have a life of its own as it snaked and slithered through the air striking so fast it seemed to be in five places at once.

Daxian’s opponent was a man who looked familiar, he was in blue silks and carrying a spear. He desperately backpedaled, defending as best he could, until with a sudden grin, he slammed the rope blade down and into the ground. With an explosive leap, he launched himself at the Young Master of the Grand Ravine. Who suddenly seemed to get yanked off his feet, travelling towards the point stuck in the ground at incredible speed.

The spearman ran face first into the other man’s fist, his eyes wide in surprise.

“Traversing the Grand Ravine. One of the few movement techniques that exist in the Azure Hills, and ensures their dominance,” Bowu muttered.

The man went flying, but managed to stabilize himself. The rope-blade was already there, and he raised an arm to block it, instead of it cutting into his chest.

And then Guo Daxian was there. Pulled to the point on his bladed rope. He tore it free, and struck three more times. The arm broke, then the ribs. Then finally, a brutal strike to the jaw. That put his opponent down.

The man snorted, and walked off.

Gou Ren grimaced. He’d certainly hate to be down there against him.

=======================

The rest of the day proceeded most pleasingly. It seemed that the quality of the fights was slowly increasing, and Loud Boy managed a victory that seemed certain to end in his defeat. The sudden reversal in fortune had been interesting.

“And our final match for today! Rou Tigu versus Liu Xianghua!” the fat announcer man boomed.

It was finally her turn! Ri Zu sighed, and exited her shirt, waiting for Tigu in the Stands. Tigu bounced from foot to foot, her blood pumping merrily in her veins. This Misty Lady was supposed to be strong! This is what she came here for! This is what it was all about!!

She was going to face a worthy opponent!

Hopefully.

She managed to prevent herself from skipping into the arena out of sheer excitement. It was a close thing, as she calmed herself, and focused her intent. She expected to see her opponent in a similar state. Ready for battle, as they tuned out all the unnecessary distractions.

Her opponent was tall and lithe. A strange contraption was on her back, a large pipe sticking out of it and so it rose just slightly above her head. A gauntlet was strapped to her left arm. It looked like a recent addition, and her sword was strapped to her waist.

But the Misty Lake Lady was distracted. Her eyes were searching the stands, almost frantically, until they alighted on something. Her gaze abruptly softened, and a small smile appeared.

Tigu glanced at where she was looking. There was a pack of people, but one stood out. A small boy with crutches was in the stands, and he was staring directly at the Misty Lady, a complicated expression on his face.

Tigu’s eyes snapped back to her opponent.

The Misty Lady’s soft smile morphed into a grin, as she planted her hands on her hips. She took a deep breath.

Then began to laugh, her hands on her hips.

“Rou Tigu! I, Liu Xianghua, acknowledge your cultivation!” she boomed, pointing directly at her. “But be warned! Even your power, a stage above my own, will not be enough! The Techniques of the Misty Lake Sect shall defeat you without fail!”

Tigu cocked her head to the side.

“Kowtow before this Young Mistress, and I shall take it easy on you!” Misty Lady declared.

Tigu frowned, annoyed that this woman would dare even insinuate that she would take it easy on her. Did people actually do that? But the woman’s full attention was not on Tigu. Her eyes strayed to the stands. Tigu glanced back to the stands, where the boy with crutches was. He was chuckling, clearly amused at Xianghua’s words.

…she was doing it because the boy in the stands found it amusing?

Some of the ire faded. Tigu snorted and smirked, then she rose up haughtily.

“Oh, you dare? This Young Mistress shall surely defeat you. Kowtow before me a hundred times, and I shall take it easy on you!”

Misty Lady’s eyes snapped to Tigu and her smirk.

“Hpmh! A peasant raising her fangs at the heavens,” she declared.

Tigu picked at her ear. “Did you say something, Damp Pond?” she asked, feigning boredom.

Misty Lady recoiled, her eyes narrowing, but a small smile tugging at her lips.

“You court death with your words! Very well, I shall crush you with all I have!” she flipped her hair out of the way, and leaned back slightly, so she was purposefully looking down on Tigu.

Her eyes flicked once more away, this time to a box seat, high above. She locked eyes with a man who looked around Xiulan’s father’s age. There was a flash of irritation, before she rolled her eyes.

They suddenly focused, going cold and hard. Tigu had her undivided attention.

Mist began to swirl on the ground, getting thicker and thicker, as the Misty Lady’’s Qi formed around her.

For the first time in the tournament, Tigu formed a Qi Blade. Misty Lady was supposed to be strong.

Tigu glanced at the announcer man, who for some reason hadn’t started the fight yet. He had a massive grin on his face, and was rubbing his hands together. He raised his hands dramatically.

“Begin!” he boomed out finally.

Tigu attacked. A relatively gentle, probing strike. To be on the offensive was her place. It felt right, and natural. While her instincts to hunt may have faded, this had remained. In her previous two disappointing matches, her opponents could not even react to her.

For a brief moment, Tigu thought this would be the case for the Misty Lady too.

Until she moved with grace, stepping out of the way. Tigu’s blades missed by hairsbreaths. She drew her sword. It’s blade was a metallic blue colour, mixed through with swirls of white, with the tip completely white and slightly transparent, making the sword look slightly shorter than it actually was. If Tigu hadn’t been paying attention, she never would have noticed.

For the first time, an opponent truly challenged her. The sword lashed out for Tigu’s head, and she jerked herself away, a single strand of orange hair falling to the earth.

Tigu bounced away, creating some distance.

“Hmph. Is that it?” the Misty lady demanded haughtily. She had a bit of a smirk on. “I suppose it is the natural way of things for lessers to scurry away from their betters after a single exchange!”

Tigu stared at the fallen strand of hair. She considered her opponent, and her reactions.

She grinned.

One Qi blade multiplied to six. Three for each hand. The smirk vanished from the Misty Lady’s face.

Tigu absently heard the crowd’s gasp, as she poured on the speed and closed the distance, her claws ready. The Misty Lady’s eyes widened briefly, as Tigu unleashed herself on the woman.

A relentless barrage of strikes, coupled with her own bouncing movements. Attacks that had given the Blade of Grass pause.

Misty Lady proved why she named herself Xiulan’s rival. Six blades tried to break through her guard, and six blades failed.

The Misty Lady’s sword slid through the air like a swan through a lake. She moved across the battlefield silent and deceptively calm. It reminded Tigu a bit of Bi De. A kind of serenity radiated from her in the heat of battle. Misty Lady’s eyes shot from side to side, missing nothing as she catalogued every threat, and responded accordingly.

Two more Qi blades formed above Tigu’s hands.

Tigu pressed harder. Little cuts appeared in the woman’s clothes. A strand of black, tinted blue, drifted free, only to be torn to pieces by a storm of flashing blades.

And still, the Misty Lady held. Her breathing grew heavier. Tigu could feel the grin stretching at the corners of her mouth as she pushed harder on Misty Lady’s defenses.

The mist started to gather around the Lady. Her form became indistinct, and her sword wavered as it seemed to disappear and reappear.

But whatever trick it was, it couldn’t defeat Tigu’s eyes. Her fist passed through a hazy mirage of the Misty Lady’s head. The woman grunted as she was forced to twist unnaturally to avoid the blow that blew past her illusory double.

The hazy outline disappeared.

“To—defeat the Misty Shrouded Swan is no— hmph—mean feat!” the woman shouted at Tigu, trying to project her voice.

Tigu responded by slamming a kick into the woman’s side that she blocked with her gauntleted arm. The woman grimaced at the force of the blow.

Misty Lady let out a breath, and stepped into the next strike. Her sword deflected the claws made of Qi, as she tried to counter attack.

Tigu flipped away, the bold counter striking only air.

Tigu landed gently. Silent. She approved of the aggression.

Her opponent was breathing heavily, but with a single huff, that ceased as well. She clicked her tongue. The woman reached behind her back and pulled on something on the contraption.

It coughed once, and hissed. The entire device squealed loudly, as the vents on it lit up from dull red to bright orange.

Tigu paused, as the air seemed to shudder, and a burst of Qi washed over her.

“I see! You will not be defeated so easily, Rou Tigu. Loath as I am to use this against you, it seems I must use all of my skills!” she boomed out.

The pipe sticking above her back puffed, a great billowing cloud of steam pouring out, and instead of travelling up into the sky, lingered, completely obscuring the Misty Lady from view.

“Behold the technique that will defeat the Demon Slaying Orchid!”

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“Burning Breath, First Form. Heron’s Beak,” Bowu muttered. His eyes were locked on the contraption on Xianghua’s back. “Steam generation is good. The gauntlet and seals are holding. The control formation is… working?”

Gou Ren raised an eyebrow at the whispers. The kid had been quiet the entire bout so far, flinching at every hit Tigu landed, and clenching his fist every time she dodged.

“You know what it is?” Gou Ren asked. The kid’s eyes were locked on the fight.

“A converted pill furnace, burning Smokewater root, and filled with The Misty Lake’s Qi infused water. Attack and defense all in one. A trump card, against Cai Xiulan, or any of the Young Masters of the Azure Hills—

“Our Masterpiece.”

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Tigu bounced up and down, her eyes searching the mist. Her Qi Blades increased from eight to ten.

The mist was foul smelling. Like the city, or a forge.

Something hissed again. Tigu could hear something that sounded like Chun Ke, when he started to run. The steady puff puff puff as he got faster and faster, building up speed.

Tigu’s eyes widened, as she remembered one of her Master’s sayings. Something kind of nonsensical.

Building Up Steam.

The cloud abruptly sucked inwards. Pulled into the gauntlet the Misty Lady wore. Her skin was flushed pink, and her eyes were the same orange colour as the fires within her contraption.

She opened her mouth, and steam poured out in time with her breath.

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The repurposed Pill Furnace closed with a soft clunk, its long smokestack properly affixed. “It’s as ready as it’ll ever be.” Xianghua’s brother said with a sigh, as he wiped off his hands of soot and grease. “Be careful with it, okay? You can’t push it too hard.”

Xianghua smiled at him, her hair tied back, and her hands similarly greasy, as she checked the fuel one last time. “Indeed. Three may have exploded from my might, but this one shall last!” She declared.

Normally, the response would have him laughing at her over the top boast, but instead Bowu turned to face his sister with a worried look on his face. “Please be careful?” He asked, rubbing at his crippled leg.

Her eyes softened. She reached out and pulled him into a hug, the small shack on the outer courtyard was their workshop. It was cramped, but neither of them iminded.

“Yes. I’ll be careful.” She whispered.

The boy sighed, and pulled back from the hug, staring at her with a gimlet eye..

”I’m sure you will be. Just like you’re careful with your actions and words.” he muttered.

“Indeed, I am a paragon of temperance. Thank you for noticing, little brother.” She puffed out her chest, her hands still on his shoulders.

“Like when you challenged Miss Cai?” He deadpanned. “She seemed pretty annoyed with you.”

She stared at those hungry, desperate eyes. Xiulan’s movements were off. She was unsettled, with an almost maniac energy about her.

“You’re courting death.” Xianghua told her rival bluntly.

Cai Xiulan’s eyes narrowed, and her face twisted.

“I knew exactly what I was doing.” She stated primly.

“And the fact that you tweak Father’s nose every chance you get?” He whispered.

She shrugged again.

“I want to live my life without any regrets.” She said, “If father wants me to leave you alone, he can try. I seem to recall he failed the last time.”

“You threatened to destroy your own cultivation.”

She waved her hand negligently. “He hasn’t had any luck with his concubines. I’m all he has.”

Her brother sighed again. “So, what do you plan to do, anyway?”

“I’ll go as far as I can. I’ll defeat this Rou Tigu and have my rematch with Xiulan. I may have fallen behind… But I’ll surely rise, just like she has.”  Her voice was firm and proud. “Maybe this year, I’ll convince the Blade of Grass to come drink with me. Or perhaps I’ll hunt down her friend. He hasn’t visited, and this Young Mistress finds herself most insulted!”

Her brother rolled his eyes. “What did you say his name was again?”

“Gou Ren. A handsome, and upstanding gentleman. You’d like him.”

Her brother stared at her blankly. “Tall guy? Looks a bit like a monkey?”

“A Monkey? No, he looks like the depictions of the great Sage Wukong!” She refuted.

Her brother arched an eyebrow, finally smiling at her.

“A monkey. But well, he's not too bad, I suppose...”

“You met him?” She asked excitedly, shoving her face into his personal space, and nearly bowling him off his chair.

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Her opponent was strong. Her opponent was fast. Her opponent required absolutely everything she could give, or else she would lose.

It truly was a shame to reveal this so early, but there was no point in losing without showing her strength.

Liu Xianghua absolutely refused to be anything less than her best.

The air screamed. Her furnace pumped, reacting with the reagents within, and spewing out the clouds of steam.

Xainghua brought her arm back. The Heron’s beak darted forwards.

Rou Tigu, her eyes wide, barely managed to interpose her blades made of Qi, reminiscent of claws. There was a ringing clang, and hairline fractures snaked up the blue blades of energy.

Tigu was thrown from her feet from the force of the strike, barely managing to flip in the air, and nearly managing to get her feet under her before Xianghua was on her again, driving her to the ground.

The modified pill furnace on her back was heavy, but it did not slow her down too much. The gauntlet on her arm whirred and hummed as the formation sucked in the steam. It was working, just like they had envisioned it.

========================

“It’s your brother, Xianghua.” Sei Fen said, turning to show her daughter the small swaddled bundle of pink skin.

Curious, her little one took the bundle, staring at the pink face.

“He is very ugly.” She opined, and Fen sighed at the blunt statement.

They’d have to fix that, at some point. Her daughter was a strange child. Far too blunt and literal. And disturbingly obedient.

Her husband saw no problem with it. He commanded, and she obeyed without question or hesitation, cultivating until told to stop. Which was once until she collapsed, because she hadn’t received the order to stop.

Liu Xiang chuckled, as the girl held the small bundle.

“Xainghua, make sure to protect him.” The man declared pompously, so happy to have a male heir.

Xianghua stared at the bundle. A small pink face, eyes barely open. Tiny and fragile. He blinked, his eyes focusing on his sister. A little hand reached out from the swaddling, reaching for Xianghua’s face.

Interest flashed in the girl’s eye, her own hand came up instinctively to grasp the finger that reached out for her.

Her daughter’s lips quivered. Like she didn’t quite know what was happening. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. The first one that Fen had ever recalled seeing on her daughter.

“Understood.” She said, in that blunt way of hers. Fen smiled at the seriousness in her eyes.

It was rather cute. The two were inseparable from that day forward.

==========================

Xianghua’s Blade, Shrouded Intent, snapped forward. It was a Heron’s beak, spearing a fish out of the water before it had time to react. Her arm protested, as the blade struck down, again and again. Tigu managed to dodge, her movements tight and controlled even as she frantically rolled across the ground. For the first time in the tournament, little nicks and scratches marred her body.

Speed and Power.

That was the method of victory Liu Xianghua had decided upon. When faced with an absolute defense of floating blades, she had to be fast. Disrupt her opponent’s concentration. Force the normally aggressive Xiulan onto the back foot, and break through.

It was no movement technique, but hopefully it would be enough. It would have been good enough, probably, if Xiulan hadn't gone and surpassed her again.

Ah, such frustration.

But there was no sense dwelling on such things.

Rou Tigu was good. The short, stocky girl managed to regain her feet, even through the brutal strikes. Deflecting where she could, and dodging when she couldn’t. But she was off balance, and reeling from the sudden assault.

A gauntleted fist hammered into the girl’s stomach. Tigu folded over the brutal strike, coughing as spit flew out of her mouth. She was thrown across the arena, slamming into the ground.

Something inside her winced at the brutality behind the blow.

“Hmph. Take my place as her rival?” Xianghua demanded, even as she felt her skin start to burn. Her furnace hissed angrily, and Xianghua modified the amount of her Qi feeding the alchemical reaction within.

She kept her face impassive. She had pushed just a little too hard, but surely, she had dealt a blow that would be difficult to recover from.

===============================

She practiced within sight of his bed. She followed around the maids, whenever they took care of him. She marched around like a little Imperial Guard, always looking for threats to her diminutive charge.

And when he finally started to walk, and started to train, she was there with him, every step of the way. Liu Xiang praised his daughter’s devotion. She patched up his wounds. She stayed with him for hours, aiding his attempts at cultivation.

But there was something wrong. A shadow, over their little lives.

“Still not ready?” Xianghua asked her little brother bluntly, her head cocked to the side.

Bowu frowned, but wasn’t bothered by her question, as he stopped his frantic sword practise.

“Not... not yet. But! I’m sure to Ignite my Dantian any day now!” The boy said, his eyes determined.

Xainghua smiled at his determination.  “You’re right, I’m sure things will be fine. The Spiritual Doctor will clear out the block, you’ll see. Everything will be fine tomorrow.”

The doctor came. She held his hand throughout the entire proceeding, as the bearded man poked and prodded, before finally rising, and shaking his head.

The bottom dropped out from Xianghua’s stomach. Her father’s face twisted, as he rounded on her mother. Her mother’s eyes flashed, as she crossed her arms.

That night, the shouting started.

That night, everything went wrong.

==================================

Laughter.

The girl on the ground was laughing.

She pulled herself to her feet, and planted her hands on her hips. Her shirt had fallen open, exposing her stomach, and the slight mar on her skin from the blow.

And that was it.

A bead of sweat dripped down Xianghua’s forehead, as a massive tiger formed in the mist, its eyes burning with as much glee as its mistress.

Deadly. Domineering. Playful.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for.” Rou Tigu declared, her cheeks splitting into a wide, happy smile, full of teeth. Her yellow eyes had turned to slits. Every muscle flexed, eliminating what little hints of feminine softness Tigu possessed, and leaving only cold, predatory power.

The sheer joy on her face after she was struck by a blow that would splatter a mortal across the entire hill was infuriating, the only evidence of the damage done was the slight hitch to her voice. Tigu seemed unbeatable.

But Xianghua stepped forward anyway. She threw herself back into the fray without reservation.

She was never very good at giving up.

============================

Her mother and father forbade her from seeing her brother. Her Baowu.

It did not make sense. She was supposed to protect him, was she not? She liked protecting him. He never looked at her strangely, like the maids sometimes did, and was always glad whenever she was there.

But he was gone now. Gone, and mother and father hated each other. They shouted and snarled, as Xianghua sat in the corner trying to  tune out the words.

‘Cripple.’ ‘Broken meridians.’

‘Never be a cultivator’

They blamed each other.

She searched high and low for him, but couldn’t find him in the sect. Until one day.

There was a great commotion in the sect. Xianghua wondered what it was. There were shouts, and there was screaming.

She pushed her way through the crowd, and came upon a scene. Her little brother, grabbing his leg, and sobbing.

Xianghua’s blade was out before she realised what she was doing, throwing herself at the one who dared to do this—

Her father’s sword blocked her own, and it was thrown from Xainghua’s grasp. He grabbed her arm and wrenched her away from the other disciple, who looked terrified.

“Bowu. As our deal earlier. You have lost. Now begone from my sight.”

Her brother was carried away, clutching at his leg.

Protect your Brother. She made to move forwards. She would strike down the little bastards who dared to—

Her father kept his hold on her wrist. His eyes were dispassionate.

“You need not concern yourself with the cripple. He takes up too much of your thoughts, when you should be focusing on cultivating.”

He turned, and pulled her away.

Something inside her snapped.

============================

The air rang with impacts.

One, ten, a hundred in the space of a second.

The Heron’s beak clashed with savage claws. They were even. The world narrowed to the gap between heartbeats.

A gauntleted fist caught Qi claws, and forced them up, Shadowed Intent drawing a shallow line across Qi hardened skin. Like a spirit beast’s flesh, it was tough beyond measure. In retaliation, a knee planted itself into Xainghua’s side, driving the air from her lungs and disrupting her breathing.

The steam flowing into her gauntlet destabilized, and she let it. She forced it to go further. With half a shriek, and half an explosion, her fist rocketed forwards again, hammering into Tigu’s face.

Both women went flying away from each other.

Xianghua sank to her knees, greedily sucking in air. Tigu kicked out, spinning her legs and landing in a crouch, her knuckles on the ground, watching intently.

Waiting for Xianghua to get back up.

Xianghua huffed out a laugh, and decided not to test the strange girl’s patience. Her furnace spluttered, and she grimaced, rising to her feet again.

==================================

Bowu lay on his bed, clutching at his leg. The break was a bad one. It had damaged his knee, and even a week later, he could tell it was healing poorly.

“You are my blood. Be thankful for this.” His father had said, as he banished him here to the edges of the sect for being a worthless cripple, and for failing their bargain.

His mother’s eyes had ghosted over him, she’d said nothing like he wasn’t even worth the words.

Even his sister was—

“Bowu.”

He flailed, scrambling, looking for the interloper.

Xianghua was there. Her blank expression on her face. Or at least on half of her face. The other half was bruised, with her eye swollen shut.

“Xianghua—your face?!” He gasped, shocked to see her. She had not abandoned him too, had she?

She smiled at him with her little smile then pulled him into a hug.

“It’s fine. Father was just a bit rough today.” She whispered into his ear, hugging him tight. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here for you. I promised.”

Tears formed in Bowu’s eyes, as he held onto the only person who cared.

===============================

“She’s not gonna last.” Bowu muttered, staring down at the fight. He could see the rattle in the furnace. Its glow was bright and dangerously close to overloading. It was nearing its limits, and Xianghua seemed to notice it too. Her face was slick with sweat and blood.

But her opponent was slowing down too. Tigu was getting more cautious, even while the grin on her face was growing wider.

“Man, they’re really goin at it, eh?” Gou Ren muttered. Unlike the other bouts, where he had looked mildly concerned, now he just seemed amused.

The Image Master snorted. “Just like with Xiulan. I thought they were gonna kill each other the first time, but she was smilin’ then too.”

The women below clashed again.

Xianghua took a  breath, and breathed out, a jet of steam erupting from her mouth, and forcing Tigu to dodge away.

Xainghua seized the opportunity. She reached back, pulling again on the furnace.

Every vent opened, spewing great gouts of steam, and shrouding the entire arena. He saw his sister wince as the burns from the burns she had received from the furnace on her back made themselves known.

The crowd howled and booed, as they could no longer see anything.

[Blazing Breath, Second From] He heard his sister’s voice Echo.

[Keelbreaker’s Bite]

“Prepare yourself!” He heard his sister shout.

=====================================

His sister met with him every day when she could. She made him his cane. She bright him the healing herbs that didn’t seem to do much.

When father was gone, she smuggled him into the library. They played on the lake. And she complained about her teachers.

“The etiquette teachers are being annoying. They keep saying their faces are meant to convey something, but I don’t get it.” She muttered, staring at the ceiling of his shack. “The only person I understand is you.”

Bowu frowned.

“I dunno. You could just keep doing it. They always say you should be domineering.” He muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

Her blank stare lingered on him for a moment, before she shifted. Her posture straightened, her head tilted up; like she was looking down on him.

“Oh, you dare approach this Young Mistress?” She demanded.

Bowu spat out his drink.

“Ha? You’re courting death?!” She shouted, one hand on her hip, and her finger pointed straight at him

Bowu howled with laughter, and missed the gleam in his sister’s eye.

He was in the crowd, the first time she said that to the visiting sect’s Young Master. They just nodded along, like her behavior was expected.

And for some reason, the man seemed to take less offense to the insults when she shouted them, instead of replying with her usual blank monotone.

Their lives diverged as they grew up. But she was always with him. She told him about the friend she had made, this Xiulan, and how the girl was far too boring for her own good.

He had even met the woman once. Xiulan. She was nice. A bit too obsessed with duty and honour, but she had chased off the bastards who popped up occasionally when Xianghua wasn’t there to drive them off.

But his sister always, always came back, with a new tale, or with a present, and a smile just for him.

=========================================

Neither of them could see. She heard Tigu start to sneeze, as Xianghua’s Qi invaded her nostrils.

Xinghua took off her furnace, quickly pulling on it, and resetting some of its functions, as well as pouring one of her waterskins that was under the furnace into the depleted chamber. Leaving the hissing contraption on the ground, she stepped away from it.

She could feel through the steam. The feather light touches that told her where her opponent was, stalking cautiously towards the hissing.

She kept her breathing shallow, to not give away her position. She couldn’t be completely sure the other girl’s senses would be fooled. Tigu had seen through her illusion the first time.

She could feel the smaller girl stalking forwards, heading towards the hissing furnace, and walking right by Xianghua. Perhaps it was cowardly to attack her from behind. But Tigu was far too great an opponent to not try to take every advantage she could.

With her Qi all around Tigu, her intent was masked completely. It was a silent whisper, aiming for a debilitating strike to the shoulder. With surprise and force, she would hopefully end the fight immediately.

Rou Tigu dodged.

Even Tigu seemed confused, as she moved exactly out of the way, dodging an attack with no qi signature from outside her line of sight.

Tigu blinked. “Mud Balls are truly profound.” She stated, sounding impressed.

Xianghua had no idea what the girl meant, as she pulled the steam around her, hazy outlines of steam swimming into focus and attacking.

Xianghua made a dash back to her furnace, grabbing it as Tigu followed in her wake, yelping as the ghostly figures mobbed her, burning her skin with superheated steam.

================================

He was largely stuck between worlds. A cripple living at the outskirts of the sect. He did odd jobs, and worked with numbers when his employers allowed, while his sister fought in grand battles that she brought back stories of, or grabbed him scrolls that looked interesting from the library, whenever he mentioned he was bored.

He had been looking through some ancestors’ notes on mist. Some kind of channeling array. It was old and out of use, but it was kind of interesting. He was fiddling with the pinwheel his sister had brought him back and leaning back in his seat when his water for tea came to a boil. In the cramped shack, when he leaned back, his hand was nearly over the firepit.

And the pinwheel was over the pot. He stared idly at it, as it spun, faster and faster, over the boiling pot.

He looked back to the channeling array.

He could not channel Qi himself. But the steam, and this channeling array…?

He looked at his leg, sighed, and put the thoughts away.

But not before drawing out a prototype.

=================================

The furnace had cooled down. Its vents were duller, and it would be able to start pumping out steam again.

Tigu snarled, as she chased down another shadow, rending it to pieces before sneezing again.

“Come on, Misty Lady! Stop hiding!” Tigu demanded, her voice echoing from off to the right.

Xianghua tapped at her gauntlet, opening it up and checking the formation inside it, when she felt Tigu suddenly crouch down.

There was a clatter, as she seemed to be taking off something and dropping it? What was she—?

[Pounce of the Tiger]

The air cracked and screamed, and there was a hole through her mist. Buffeting winds ripped and tore at her defense, as she tried desperately to keep the steam in place.

Then it happened again.

And again. Tigu rebounded throughout the arena, slamming into the ground and breaking it nearly half a dozen times.

The steam cleared, the divots in the ground formed from Tigu’s landing. The girl panted harshly as she turned, her eyes alighting on Xianghua.

“Found you!” She declared, her smile all sharp teeth.

Xianghua pulled on the starter on the furnace. It spluttered, and coughed, before starting again.

==============================

His sister was distraught. Her rival had bested her. Ascended past her. She even went so far as to say she had lost her way.

Whatever the case was, his sister was furious. She cultivated the best she could. She even went to father, demanding cultivation resources, and he allowed it. Some expensive reagent, imported from Howling Fang Mountains.

Bowu chewed his lip, and pulled out the old drawing she had made. His father could help. So maybe he could too? Maybe, if he tweaked the formation there—

Xainghua didn’t get it. She seemed a bit confused by the logistics and the math, but she sat down with her single minded focus, learning what he was doing so she could help.

She believed in his work.

And there was no way he would let her down.

===============================

Both of them were spent. Tigu was finally running out of energy. Her strikes were slower. Her claws had dipped in number, but there was a look of contentment on her face, as They battered away at each other.

Xianhua’s furnace hissed. It was the only thing that had kept her in the fight.

It was breaking down. It was cracking, as she poured everything she had left into it.

They both staggered back from each other’s strikes. They both fell to a knee.

Tigu Roared. Her claws multiplied again, as her shirt fell around her waist. Her muscles bulged, bright red, her eyes turned completely yellow.

Xianghua reached back, and pulled on the starter. Her furnace screamed, as it began to overload, fire tearing out from the smoke stack instead of steam.

The Heron's beak closed one last time, meeting a tiger’s claws.

===========================

His sister stared around her at the devastated training room. The shattered stone walls, and the steam boiled dummies.

She cradled the furnace like it was the most precious thing she had ever received.

“I’ll take it with me to the heavens.” She swore, and reached out her hand to him.

Bowu took it.