NOVEL SIMPLE 16 – Let’s have a lesson on geography… or maybe interpersonal relations
A thousand questions crowded into the disciples' mouths, but the look on the Grandmaster's face warned them to swallow those questions back down. She produced several documents – replications of the demonic writing, pages of neat script, a map.
“I convened a meeting of the Ng Dzeung,” she said, with the same tone of voice of someone saying 'I managed to gather together a group of kittens with supernatural powers hiding in a field of long grass'. “We agreed that Ling Gwong needed to be retrieved. However... The others are... not at liberty to assist.” Her last sentence was said through gritted teeth.
“And so, there is a need to send proxies. Gaam Yuk Ying.”
“Great Empress.”
“Gaam Bing has nominated you as his proxy. Take this token.” The Grandmaster held out a belt ornament with a silver tassel. The ornament itself was round and made of a silver metal, intricately carved, or perhaps moulded, to display the side profile of a roaring tiger. Gaam Yuk Ying took it with both hands and attached it to his belt, on the other side from his dou, and reseated himself between Gou Dzing and Chan Bik.
“Lau Yan.”
“A-po1阿婆 (a3 po4) - Maternal grandmother..”
“Your mother has already conferred you with her authority in this matter. And Maan Dzi King, you've accepted to be Dzap Ming's proxy, yes?”
“Yes, Your Divine Majesty.” Maan Dzi King held up a token, this one made of some pale stone-like substance showing the side profile of a snapping tortoise, a black tassel dangling below.
“Chan Bik.”
“Y-Yes, Your Div- Great Em- Grandmaster?”
The Grandmaster didn't speak immediately, choosing instead to tap the table with her pipe first.
“I was not certain about bringing you along, to be honest. You are not yet Ling Gwong's direct disciple, and seeing you now, your cultivation has not progressed as far as expected-”
“Grandmaster! It's all because of the Fire Master! He's not teaching her properly!” Cheng Baak-hap burst out. “Ah Bik has done really well considering that the most help she's had has been from us, who aren't Fire-aligned...”
She sat down quickly, face pink. Chan Bik's eyes were shining. Gong Lau Yan laughed, although Maan Dzi King's mouth twisted disapprovingly.
“Is that so...? Ying Fo2螢火 (ying4 fo2) – 'Light of a firefly'. has become more unruly than I thought. Ling Gwong will have to pull him into line when she returns.
Ying Fo? s that the Fire Master's name?
Circulate your hei, Gou Dzing chanted to himself desperately. Chan Bik had no such inhibitions; she burst out laughing wildly.
“YING FO? A man like that is called firefly? No wonder he never uses it! I'll have to tell everyone when we get back!”
Gong Lau Yan grinned. “I like this little girl, A-po. Let's see what we can do before we leave to get her stronger.”
“It's not really Little Bik that I'm concerned about,” the Grandmaster said gravely, turning her caramel-brown eyes to Cheng Baak-hap. The young woman was a brave soul, but no one could stare down the highest of the Ng Dzeung. She fixed her eyes on the Grandmaster's chin instead. Chan Bik squeezed her hand.
“Master-”
“Little Gou, be quiet right now. You can speak after me.”
Gou Dzing's hands made fists on his knees. The group of disciples seemed to lean in to each other, although Gaam Yuk Ying stayed perfectly still, his silvery eyes on the Grandmaster.
Wong Tang saw the movement; her eyes softened, but grew more troubled. “Cheng Baak-hap. I'm well aware of your skills. I am not saying you are not a capable individual. What I am saying is that given the dangerous place we are going to, your physical skills are not enough. You are... First Daan-tin Adept, correct?”
“Yes, Grandmaster.”
“Little Cheng, that is not enough. Little Chan is at the same level as you, however-”
“She has high Fire aptitude and has achieved this level without proper guidance within less than a year. I understand, Grandmaster.”
In the silence that followed, Cheng Baak-hap shifted uncomfortably. “I apologise for being rude and interrupting, Grandmaster.”
“My children,” Wong Tang said gently, putting down her pipe. “You cannot be children forever. In this war, because war it will be, if it is not already, will strip your childhood from you more cruelly than you can imagine.” Her eyes drifted over the small group sitting close together. “I am not trying to frighten you, but I am warning you. When this is over, you will not be the same.”
Even the smiling Gong Lau Yan looked grave. Chan Bik and Cheng Baak-hap's hands tightened in each other's grasp.
“Grandmaster.” Cheng Baak-hap stood and bowed. “In that case, I cannot in good conscience allow Ah Bik, and Gou Si-hing and Gaam Si-hing, to go without me. If I am not around they forget what class they have to go to, let alone where they have left their weapons...”
Gou Dzing and Chan Bik shuffled guiltily.
“... Perhaps I will not be on the frontline with them, but please allow me to be in the strategy rooms, in the meetings... If this war is coming, it will reach me no matter where I am. At least let me grasp the weapons I am most skilled with.”
Surprisingly, it was Maan Dzi King who spoke up next. “Your Divine Majesty, allow me to take responsibility for this child.”
“Dzi King?” Gong Lau Yan raised an eyebrow.
“I sense she has some Water energy in her, which may be the reason why her Earth skills are lacking. I wish to offer her some guidance.”
Gong Lau Yan laughed, but said nothing. Maan Dzi King ignored her.
“Maan Dzi King, never forget that humans have greater limitations than us,” the Grandmaster warned.
“Yes, Your Divine Majesty.”
“Cheng Baak-hap, will you accept the guidance and protection of Third Rank Maan Dzi King?”
“Yes, Grandmaster! Thank you, Lady Maan.”
Maan Dzi King accepted the bow and sat down again. Cheng Baak-hap and Chan Bik could barely contain their excitement. Gou Dzing caught sight of Gaam Yuk Ying's face. He was frowning.
“Then I'll look after Little Bik,” Gong Lau Yan offered. “I might not have Fire affinity, but I know lots of people who do.”
Maan Dzi King shot her a sharp look.
“Chan Bik?”
“Yes, Grandmaster! Lady Gong, I would be happy to accept!”
“Let's get along!”
“Pay attention now.” Wong Tang spread out the map.
“It's the Dzue Kingdom,” Gou Dzing explained to Gaam Yuk Ying. “See that character there?”
Gong Lau Yan pointed out the landmarks. “Here is the river Ming Dzu. My Dze-dze is the spirit of this river and therefore the guardian of Dzue. Here is my river. These little tributaries are my nieces. This pine forest is a highly spiritual place, with many divine creatures residing within. It forms a protective barrier around the country to the north-west, and of course, we have the ocean in the south-east. The palace of my Aunt, the Yeung Tin Wong, is in the ocean here. That's where Dzi King serves in the army.”
Maan Dzi King coughed lightly.
“Oh, sorry, Maan Dzi King. Anyway, here is the capital of Dzue, Ming Yuet3明月 (ming4 yuet6) – 'Shining Moon', the name of a legendary pearl that glows in the dark.. Since it's a port city, it has the natural protection of the ocean, and of my Aunt and her army. However, in this case...”
“Where are the demons coming from?” Cheng Baak-hap asked thoughtfully.
“Exactly. It's not like they are entering the city over the land or the sea. As far as we can tell... They appear to be entering through portals from their own world.”
“What kind of technology...? Magical arts?”
“We don't know,” Maan Dzi King replied stiffly.
“Well... how long has this been going on for?”
“About a year, as far as we're aware. They've never come into Ming Yuet itself, but they've been seen in the outer towns, and the reports from Sek'syun to the north and Cheon4春 (cheon1) – 'Spring'. to the west indicate that they've somehow crossed through Tsaam Lam5杉林 (tsaam3 lam4) – 'Pine Forest'. to reach the other kingdoms.”
“I don't understand,” Maan Dzi King hissed. “What is Lo Ma Luk6老 (lo) - old. As for the remainder of the name, 鹿 (luk) is 'deer'. Ma is not entirely clear. It appears that 'ma-rok' is the Old Chinese pronunciation for deer (and by old we're talking around 2000 BC or older). At the same time, there is an ancient species of deer that was made extinct in the wild and only returned after British born captive-bred individuals were brought to China, the milu 麋鹿 (mei luk). Eating the mei luk's meat is meant to bring ever-lasting life. Lo Ma Luk is likely an ancient land god in the form of a mei luk deer. doing?
“Lo Ma Luk is... well, he's essentially the guardian spirit of Tsaam Lam,” Gong Lau Yan explained to the confused-looking disciples. “Technically the little fox, Tsaam Lei7杉狸 (tsaam3 lei) – 'Pine' and 'Fox'. is the spirit of the forest but... Lo Ma Luk is the one who keeps it safe. And kind of scary. No one seems to know anything about that old guy, except maybe you, A-po?”
“Not my place to say. Leave Lo Ma Luk be.”
“I wasn't going to bother him, A-po...”
“I wasn't talking to you, Lau Yan. Maan Dzi King, I see that look on your face. He has his own reasons for things.”
Maan Dzi King sniffed but didn't argue.
“So...” Cheng Baak-hap placed the tips of her fingers together thoughtfully. “Around a year ago, demons began to appear in Dzue. Rather than head to Ming Yuet, they apparently travelled through Tsaam Lam to enter Cheon and Sek'syun, where they've been stealing food, tools, weapons... Mount Fa has had to respond to calls of demons trying to occupy buildings, and steal livestock, and... steal babies.”
“Taking children?” Maan Dzi King said.
“Yes, but... only for a while. They were some of our earliest reports. It only lasted a month or so, and then they stopped, although the stealing of other things continued.”
“And these incidents, I expect they were violent?”
“The first few weren't, but of course, when the children started being targeted, it did. And from then on, the incidents...” Cheng Baak-hap frowned, recalling details. “The first death happened in autumn, about three months after we first started receiving reports of demon activity. A farmer in the Sek'syun countryside was hit by a demon with a stick when he tried to stop them from stealing some peaches. The stick struck his head and killed him almost instantly. The demons fled.”
“After that, there was no holding back on either side,” Gou Dzing picked up. “The demons were stealing human weapons and fighting us with them, the humans were fighting back...” He sat back with a sigh and folded his arms. “Things became very different.”
“Wait, so you're the kid they call the Jade Exorcist?” Gong Lau Yan asked.
“... Yeah.”
“Ah, I was confused. I though Little Gaam here was the Jade Exorcist.”
“... Why me?”
“Uh... Because of your name, for one? Plus your level of cultivation is higher, and... you have a lot of fighting experience. I can tell.”
Gaam Yuk Ying didn't respond.
“Well, that name just somehow came about because of my sword,” Gou Dzing laughed. “I also think it suits Yuk Ying more than me.”
“... Again, I ask, who looks like a jade here?”
“You know my answer to that.”
Gaam Yuk Ying smirked faintly and fell silent. Gong Lau Yan watched the exchange with great interest until Maan Dzi King coughed again.
“And so, we arrive at the present day. An escalation of aggression between two sides who have great difficulty in communicating with each other, and now a hostage situation.”
“... Question.”
“Little Gaam?”
“Dzing said... They're escaping their world...”
“How do we know that?” Wong Tang finished his question.
“Mm.”
“I had a look through one of their portals,” Gong Lau Yan explained casually. Chan Bik's mouth fell open.
“WHAT?”
“That's what I said.” Maan Dzi King shot a disapproving look at her companion. “What were you thinking, Lau- Gong Lau Yan?”
“You can still call me Lau Yan, it's fine.”
“...”
“About four months ago, Tsaam Lei came running to me saying he had seen a strange light in the forest. He couldn't find Lo Ma Luk, and he had seen some demons nearby. You know how fast Little Lei runs, Maan Dzi King, so of course we got back in time before we lost the portal. I just popped my head in.”
“And?” Chan Bik demanded excitedly. “What did you see?”
Gong Lau Yan took a deep breath. “Well... I'm hungry, why don't we have dinner first?”
“ARGH!”
Wong Tang tweaked her grand-daughter's ear, but called Ah Sik over. “Go ask the owner to arrange some food for us, please.”
The others stretched and sighed, the humans rubbing their eyes in the dim room. Gong Lau Yan flicked her fingers and a little fresh breeze crept in through the door as Ah Sik opened it, despite how far underground they were. Everyone felt a little more clear-headed.
“Thank you, Lady Gong.”
“Call me 'Master'~ Ow!”
Maan Dzi King coughed again.
“Are you getting sick, Maan Dzi King?”
“Sick of you, you mean?” Gaam Yuk Ying said flatly. Everyone stared at him. He raised his eyelids a little. “Am I wrong?”
Wong Tang tapped the table a third time with her pipe. “Maan Dzi King, you are here because I trust you to act professionally. If you want to bring personal feelings into this, you can leave and another can take your place.”
“I apologise, Divine Majesty.”
“Um... Lady Gong, since Lady Maan will be taking care of me, would I be able to swap seats with you?” Cheng Baak-hap offered. “Then you can get to know Ah Bik, after all.”
“Ah, that's a good idea, Little Cheng. Thank you.”
Gong Lau Yan stood and glided around the table. Chan Bik reluctantly let go of Cheng Baak-hap's hand, and the latter moved to occupy the empty seat.
At this point, Ah Sik returned with several servants bearing food, who all kept their eyes scrupulously fixed on their hands as they laid out the food and then retired.
The Grandmaster folded away the documents. “Eat first, then talk.”