Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 185: Burning

It was a simple, unstoppable act that changed the nature of the siege and cut at the farmers and the simple people of the fortress more effectively than all the military victories that could be scored.

The first fires were visible to the northeast. Birdhead town, the furthest east of the fortress' communities, was put to the torch before morning creased the sky, and the last watch saw the town burn, just two leagues from the walls.

Just as the sun began to cast forth a ruddy light, Bixue village went up to the west. By then, the walls of the fortress were lined with farm folk. Then Ningjing village went up the flames.

Feiru watched her town burn. From this high, she could count roofs and knew when her own cottage burned. She watched it with desperate anger until she could no longer see which house was hers. They were all afire – every cottage, every house, every stone barn, every chicken coop.

The fields around the fortress ridge were suddenly full of the enemy – all the creatures who hadn't shown themselves in the first days. There were swamplings and duskreavers; Yungimo and trolls, great things like giants with smooth heads and tusks which the soldiers told her were behemoths. And, of course, men.

How she hated the men. She was a widow living in her cottage peacefully, and one day the men of this fortress came and took all her livestock, her everything. The only consolation was that she was brought here to safety.

Ever since she was here, she saw many things. She saw flying serpents attack; she saw people being torn in half by those beasts. She saw how some warriors tried to force farm girls to bed them; she even fought some. She also saw how the Young Master of this warrior group punished the guilty and how he fought for this fortress.

The enemy surrounded and destroyed everything. Orchards filled with apple, pear, peach, and persimmon trees were wiped out. Old vines that had been growing for many years were ruined in just an hour, either torn up or burned by fire. Every building was on fire too. The ancient memories of the land were lost in the flames, and smoke rose into the sky like sad spirits.

As far as the eye could see, in every direction, there was a sea of fire and Yushan Fortress, a dark island in it. Feiru couldn't take her eyes away from the death of her world.

"Meat without spices, eh?" said a heavy voice at her elbow.

She started, turning to find the giant black-headed demon-looking man, the young master's group's savage, sitting on the other barrel beside her, watching over the wall.

"War without fire is like meat without spices," he said.

She found herself angry at him. "That's – my village. My house!"

The big man nodded. He seemed not to know she was crying. "Stands to reason. I'd have done the same, in his place."

She turned on him. "War! In his place? This isn't a game! We live here! This is our land.

We farm here. We bury our dead here. My husband lies out there – my daughter—" The tears became too much for her, but in that moment, she hated him more than she hated the swamplings and their horrible faces and their willingness to burn her life away.

Baijian looked hard at her. "Not yours unless you can hold it," he said. "The way I hear it, your people took it from them. Eh? As much as I know, their dead are buried there too. And right now, I'd say it was theirs.

I'm sorry, lady, but fighting is my business. And war involves a lot of fire. He's showing us that we only hold what we stand on – that he can win without taking the fortress. We hurt him last night, and now he strikes back. That's war. If you don't want to have your farm burned, you had better be strong – stronger than you were."

She struck him then – a glancing blow, pure anger without force. He let her do it.

"Not many folk can say they've struck Baijian and lived to tell the tale," he said. He flashed a crooked smile in the early morning light, and she turned and fled.

✶ ✶ ✶

Luding watched the farms burn with no great satisfaction. It was a cheap victory, but it would help break the will of the farmers to resist him.

He shrugged inwardly. Or it would harden their resolve to fight to the end. Now they had nothing to save but themselves, and even when he'd been a man, he'd had trouble understanding men. And, increasingly, he felt this contest was too complex for even his intellect. He had made himself the leader of the demonic Wild in the region, and yet his own interests were scarcely engaged here.

He was far more interested in the puzzle that was the dark sun, and in her, than he was in the prosecution of the siege.

He wondered, not for the first time, what he was doing here, and how he'd ended up so committed to this action that he was willing to risk himself in combat. Last night he'd taken his invincible new form out onto the field, and the fortress had hurt him. None of the blows he had taken were deadly, but he felt the pain of his exertions and their blows.

The pain had angered him, and in anger, he had unleashed some of his carefully hoarded Qi power – enough to damage the fabric of the fortress. It had impressed his allies, but the cost—

Again, he rustled the mis in what would have been a shrug in a man.

Last night, he had felt the breath of mortality for the first time in many years. He didn't like the smell of it. Or the pain.

But as the siege continued, it was becoming a rallying point for the demonic Wild in the East Country, and despite minor setbacks, more and more creatures were coming in. His prestige was increasing, and that prestige would directly affect a rise in his power.

None of which would matter if he were dead. He thought of her.

He could no longer shake his head – it was now a continuous bony and armoured growth from his neck, and he had to pivot around his body to look to the left and right. But he made an odd clucking sound as he considered her. She had attempted to hurt him directly last night.

And finally, he considered the third presence in the fortress besides the dark sun. Power – cold, blue power – had struck him. Pure power, untrammeled by doubt or youth. Trained and honed, like fine steel.

It was his apprentice, of course. Had Luding been able to smile, he would have.

Xilai.

There was a solvable problem.

✶ ✶ ✶

Liwei stood on the wall watching the world burn. She didn't notice him until he was at her shoulder.

"It was a matter of time," he said, as if they had been in conversation all morning.

She wasn't sure, in truth, if she wanted to say anything. She didn't want to look at him – didn't want him to see how committed she was, or how angry.

"He has to show his allies that he is making progress." Wuyi leaned on the crenellation and pointed to the western edge of the woods. "His men are building a pair of siege machines to throw large stones. It is surprising for demonics to do so. Before the end of the day, we'll be feeling their power. Not because it will actually help him win, but because it will make his allies see him as—"

If she kept listening to him she would... She turned on her heel and walked away. He had made peace with his thoughts about her. Even if it hurt his pride, she was too valuable for him to give up. He had decided to suffer through it and convince her somehow. He needed her and her power.

He hurried to catch up to her.

"People are watching," she hissed. "I am a novice in this pavilion. I am not your lover. Let me go, please."

"Why?" he asked. He seized her arm in a steel grip without trying to hurt her.

"Let me go," she said. "Or you are no Noble."

"Then I am no Noble. Why? Why change your mind so suddenly?" He leaned towards her. "I have not changed mine."

She hadn't meant to have a conversation. She bit her lip and looked around for a miracle. Elder Yueli or the Pavilion Mistress herself.

"Don't you have to do something? Save somebody? Give orders?" she asked. "Why not go and save the farms?"

"That's unfair!" he said and let go of her arm. "No one is watching us. I would know." He shrugged. "I cannot save the farms. And I'd rather be here, with you."

"You want me to have that on my soul as well? That in addition to breaking my vows, I am endangering the fortress?"