Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 163: Heartless

To Meiying, Wuyi said, "In the future, no matter how badly off they are, take the new refugees below the fort. Let Yun Ming keep their ravings contained."

Meiying nodded. "I should have thought of that," she said wearily.

Wuyi cut her off. "No, it should have been me who thought of it, Meiying."

Yun Ming shook his head. "It's worse than you think, Young Master."

Wuyi gave him a long look, and Yun Ming quieted. "Apologies, Young Master," he said.

"It happens that I know the mountains well enough," Wuyi said quietly.

Yun Ming was not so easily put down, though. He produced something from his bag and placed it on the table.

The Pavilion mistress turned as white as parchment when she saw it.

Wuyi raised an eyebrow. "ShaoZhu," he said. It was a demonic boar-looking beast, only darker, larger, and more ferocious.

"Or GuiZhu, or most likely YingZhu." Yun Ming nodded respectfully. "So you have known about these."

"How many?" Wuyi asked.

Yun Ming shook his head. "At least one. What kind of question is that?"

Yun Ming looked around, and then, like a conjuror, produced a second item, different from the others—a small pouch decorated with complex characters. It was a storage bag. When his audience looked blank, he smiled. "Duskreaver. Large muscles and all of it mean."

He had been busy hunting these for fun, it seemed. The pavilion mistress was more white as a sheet. Unlike Wuyi and company, it had been a while since she had seen these demonic beasts. They came in hordes; the threat for the first time became too real for her.

"That's enough, Yun Ming," Wuyi spoke.

"Just saying. And there were tracks," he shrugged.

"Nicely done, Yun Ming. Now give me some quiet," Wuyi pushed his chin towards the door.

The strict and quiet Yun Ming in front of all the group members was very different from the Yun Ming he was when he was with Wuyi. He bowed and left.

Wuyi glanced at the Pavilion Mistress as soon as they were alone. "What's going on here?" he asked in his pleasant but professional voice. "This isn't the random violence of the demonics, an isolated incident, a murder, a couple of creatures coming over the great defensive wall built generations ago and going on a rampage. This is a war. Demonics, flying serpents, Duskreavers, and now the ShaoZhu.

All we seem to lack are a few swamp things, a Shiyao Gui or two, and then maybe the dragons will enter the field too. Pavilion Mistress, if you know anything, I think this is the time to tell me."

She met his gaze. "I can make some educated guesses," she said, her lips curling down. "I gather the youngest maid girl spent the night here?" she asked archly.

"Yes, she did. I forced her repeatedly and threw her naked into the courtyard in the morning," Wuyi said, his annoyance showing. "This matters.Why are you changing the subject"

"And the girls of my pavilion don't?" the Pavilion Mistress countered. "Heaven says she matters as much as you do, Young Master. As much as I do. Perhaps more. And spare me your posturing, Young Man. I know why you're so touchy.

She spent the night with your attendant. I know. I have just spent a few minutes with the girl. We spoke about this." She looked at him. "Will he marry her?"

"You can't be serious," Wuyi said. "He's originally from a noble clan. He may be on the outs with his family just now, but they'll forgive him someday when he awakens his bloodline soon enough. His kind doesn't allow that—I don't mean to be disrespectful—but the clan will especially not allow a girl who opens her legs to any boy who shows her some admiration. You know that, Mistress."

Wuyi had invested time in Jia; he had plans to fix Jia's relationship with his clan. If this happened, his plans and investments might be affected.

"She was a virgin a few days ago," the Pavilion Mistress said. "Calling her a girl who opens her legs for anyone doesn't make her one. Nor does it make you stand any better in my sight."

"Fine," said Wuyi. "She's a fine, upstanding lady with impeccable morals, and my nasty attendant got her into bed. I'll see to it that he pays for it—both morally and financially. Now, can we please talk about the true threat here?"

"Maybe we already are. So far, no creature of the demonic faction has done as much harm as your men have," the Pavilion Mistress said.

"Untrue, my lady. I mean it: I will see that justice is done for this young woman. I confess she looked quite innocent this morning, and very young. I am embarrassed my attendant has acted in such a way."

"Like master, like attendant," the Pavilion Mistress said.

Wuyi sighed. He controlled his irritation, his two life experiences still making it difficult for him to handle this old woman.

"I think you are avoiding the topic. Elder Xingchen was murdered. Her murder was planned. Perhaps she was the target—perhaps you were. The demonic that did the killing had inside help. The men who helped the demonic then fell out among themselves, and one killed the other, burying his body to the west.

Shortly after, we arrived. We found a flying serpent and killed it. Jin and I found a pair of strong demonics; one died and the other escaped. We scouted and found an army forming under a powerful demonic. As of this morning, the woods around us are full of enemies and the path to Xiang stronghold is cut.

Xiang stronghold's town has fallen to the demonics, and I put it to you, my lady, that you know more than you are telling me. What is really going on here?"

She turned her head away. "I know nothing," she said, in a tone that merely showed she was a poor liar.

"Did the pavilion touch a hornets' nest somehow? Are your farmers raping demonic women? By all you hold holy, my lady Pavilion Mistress, if you do not help me understand this, all are going to die here. This is a full invasion, the first that has been seen since your youth. Where have they come from? Have the northeast kingdoms fallen?

Why have the demonics come here in such strength? I grew up in the desert, but I know demonics—they raid and run, destroy a village or two; they don't siege fortresses. I've been to villages outside the great walls of the righteous factions of empire, eaten their food. There are far more than we admit—tens of thousands of nomads.

If they have come to support the demonics directly, we will be swept away in a sea of foes. So, what exactly is happening here?"

The Pavilion Mistress took a breath as if to steady herself, succeeded, and raised an eyebrow. "Really, Young Master, I have no more idea than you. The actions of the savages are beyond me. And 'Demonic' is just a name we give to an amalgam of evil, is it not? Is it not sufficient that we are holy and seek to preserve ourselves, the Heavens, and our way of life? And they seek to take that from us?"

Wuyi met her gaze and shook his head. "You know more than that. Demonics are not so simple."

"Demonics hate us," the Pavilion Mistress said.

"That's no reason for them to mass against you now," Wuyi replied.

"There are burned trees and new fields out west toward the Xiang stronghold, also in the east," Meiying said.

The Pavilion Mistress turned, as if to reprimand the woman, but shrugged. "We have to expand as our people expand. More peasants to feed require more fields."

Wuyi looked at Meiying. "How many burned trees? I don't remember them."

"They're not right along the path. I don't know—ask Jin."

"They go all the way to the Xiang stronghold," the Pavilion Mistress admitted. "We agreed to burn the forest between us and bring in more farmers. What of it? It was the old king's policy, and we need that land."

Wuyi nodded. "It was the old king's policy, and it led to the Battle of Yuhan." He rubbed his chin. "I hope that one of my messengers made it to the king, because right now we're in a whole heap of something that will be very difficult to escape from."

Jia came in with cups of wine. He flushed very red when he saw the Pavilion Mistress.

Wuyi glanced at him. "All warriors, Jia. Get Shen from the Bridge fort too."

Jia sighed, served the wine, and left again.

The Pavilion Mistress pursed her lips. "You wouldn't abandon us," she said, but it was more a question than a statement.

Wuyi was looking through his window to the west. "No, my lady, I wouldn't. But you must have known there would be a response. Since I got paid, I want to see it through, but you really misunderstand me if you think I care. I just want to have this experience for my future. I am a heartless young master, even my people know it.

I will watch your fort burn while I take lessons of war from the demonics for my future. So I suggest if there is anything else hidden, you tell me."