Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 232: Thoughts

Hearing Wuyi's thoughts about heaven, Master Zhang sighed.

He shook sand over the paper, shook it, and blew on it. Then, after struggling with a candle, he managed to drip heavy black wax on the document and affixed the great seal from the ring on his thumb. "Your defense here will never be forgotten by my Warriors." He shrugged. "Even if outside these walls men say the king won the battle, and defeated the demonic Wild." He handed over the parchment.

"Heaven loves you, and every other living thing, Young Master. Heaven loves the sick, the blind, the leper, the unclean – the duskreaver, the swampling, and the demonic humans. They are beings born under heaven; it's just that they went on the wrong path and used taboo energy."

Wuyi glanced at the sum, drawn on the lotus sect – a draft redeemable at any branch in any kingdom in the empire – and nodded. He even smiled. "This is more than I contracted for, and honestly, she had made the payment," he said.

"I supposed that you contracted for the loss of men and horses, and for the usual victory bonus," Master Zhang said.

Wuyi shook his head. "No," he said. "I had no idea what I was getting into."

Master Zhang nodded. "I don't know what your problems are with heaven," he said. "But I won't let you add ingratitude to your list of offenses you think heaven has done to you. Without you and the sacrifice of your group, this place would have been lost and all humanity would have suffered for it."

Wuyi rose and bowed. "You do me too much honor. For my group—" He found himself unable to speak for a while, only able to sigh. When he was master of himself, he said, "I will recruit more."

"Easily, I predict," Master Zhang said. "Listen, young man. You have interests beyond the mundane. You will not turn to heaven. So be it. But you have a brain, and it's a keen one.

Did we win here?"

Wuyi hadn't expected this turn of conversation. He stood in the doorway with his payment in his hand.

Master Zhang rose and poured two cups of wine. "Sit." He sat and drank. "No?"

Wuyi stayed silent.

Master Zhang shook his head. "Of course we did. Had we lost, the king would be dead, the Tianqin border would be west of Xian stronghold, and the Royal Host would be shattered. But of course, we didn't win either, did we?"

"Luding burned every house and barn from here to Xiang," Wuyi said. "And hit the population hard."

Master Zhang nodded.

"Most of the survivors will leave. Move west." Wuyi sipped some more wine. "That's why – I'm guessing – there was no fight at the wall first. Luding never intended to fight there. He went deep—"

"Stop saying his name," Master Zhang said. "He still lives, licking his wounds."

"He still lives, and nothing died out there but this year's crop of swamplings," Wuyi said bitterly. "Sixteen Dusha, a dozen Flying Serpents and some demons"

He rubbed his face. "We're losing the exchange."

"We're losing, period," said Master Zhang. "In our order, we have records that go back six hundred years. We are not winning this war." He shrugged. "If the demonics were not so utterly divided against themselves, they'd have swept over us a thousand years ago."

"What can we do?" Wuyi asked.

Master Zhang bent forward. "Well, at least you are interested. Where is your next contract?"

Wuyi leaned back. "Huoyan. A rebellion and a conspiracy gone bad." He looked out the window. "What will you do with this place?"

"Put defense into it, for a while. I don't quit easily – I'll offer a sizeable benefit and a total remission of tithes to any family who will stay here and rebuild. And I, too, will recruit – there must be younger sons south of the river looking for farms. I'll find them."

"That will cost a fortune," Wuyi said.

"I have a fortune," said Master Zhang. He leaned forward. "You have power."

Wuyi shrugged.

Master Zhang shook his head. "Your power is unique. I've seen it."

Again, Wuyi shrugged.

Master Zhang nodded. "Very well. But if you ever choose to talk about it, there are many Warriors of the order who channel the unique bloodline powers. We know more about it than you might think."

Wuyi finished his wine, rose, accepted Master Zhang's greeting, and even stayed still while the man prayed to heaven for his group.

"Will you not tell me why you turn your back on Heaven?" Master Zhang asked.

Wuyi looked at him, smiled, and shook his head. "When you offered to make me a warrior of the order, just now—"

"The offer remains open," said Master Zhang.

"—I'll treasure that," he finished.

"Your brother turned me down, as well," Master Zhang said.

Wuyi nodded. "Guan is riding west with me," he said.

He walked out of Master Zhang's accommodations and down the stone steps. Wuyi didn't feel the slightest need to take leave of the king. Or the princess. Or, for that matter, their new favorite, the foreigner already known as the Victor of Yushan.

Instead, he walked to the Healing Hall, up the steps, and to Zhenyin's bedside. A trio of local farmers stood by his bed, with Johne Wuli Yuan.

"A moment, good brothers!" cried Zhenyin. "This worthy warrior must always have first call on my time. Damn my foot," he said, trying to twist in the bed. "How can it hurt so much when it isn't there?"

Wuyi embraced the merchant. "You look better."

"I am better, my friend. That wonderful young lady poured her spirit into me, and I feel twenty years younger for it." His eyes sparkled. "Though if I was home, I daresay the goodwife might tell you that the deal just struck with these worthies was part of my joy. Eh?"

Wuyi looked around. Wuli Yuan had acquitted himself very well against the enemy. Every farmer present had carried a spear or an axe. Wuyi knew them by name – Ryoma, Jiro, Bai Chen, and young Haruto Lan, a rogue, a scoundrel, and despite that, a very successful farmer.

"He's bought the whole grain crop," Wuli Yuan said. He smiled.

Wuyi glanced around. "Of course – it's all in the cellars."

"A little messed about," One-legged noted. "But grain's grain, and the need downriver – the price, when they hear of the battle and the burning of farms!"

"How will you ship it?" Wuyi asked, to be polite.

"Boats!" Merchant Zhenyin said. "All those boats which brought the princess? Mine."

Wuyi shook his head. "A coup, my friend. You will be rich."

"I'll break even or a little better," Zhenyin said with a smile. "Drink with me," he said.

Wuyi nodded. "May I broach a small item of business, myself?" he asked.

Merchant Zhenyin nodded. "Always open."

Wuyi took Master Zhang's note. "You are a bank, are you not?"

Merchant Zhenyin sniffed. "Not of the size of the lotus sect, perhaps. But I do my—Gracious heaven!" he said. His eyes snapped to Wuyi's.

"I'm investing in you," Wuyi said. "I may have to make some payouts and buy some horses, but three-quarters of this sum is at your service for at least a year."

Wuyi had a cup of wine, embraced all concerned, and met Wuli Yuan's eye. The man nodded.

He went back through the ward to the bed where his brother lay reading. He had his feet up, but he was fully dressed and his kit was neatly packed in wicker hampers. "She's not here," he said. "Don't even pretend you are here to see me."

"I won't, then," Wuyi said. "Where is she?"

Guan shrugged. "I need out of here, Little Brother. I'll kill the foreigner if I stay."

"I'll have another bed put in my pavilion. We ride tomorrow." He turned to go. "Where is she, Guan?"

Guan met his brother's eye. "I'd tell you if I knew," he said.

Wuyi headed out. He peeked into the apothecary, and he climbed the steps in the dormitory. No one had seen her.

Finally, in the courtyard, he met Elder Yueli. She smiled at him and took him by the hand to her cell in the pavilion hall. "You are going," she said, pouring him wine.

He tried to refuse the wine, but she was a forceful woman and a pleasant one, and her silence intimidated him. She waited him out. Finally, he drank it. "Tomorrow."

"We will celebrate the feast of saints tomorrow," she said. She smiled. "We will honor the old traditions." Yueli looked at her hands. "I will be ordained pavilion mistress in her place."

"Congratulations," Wuyi said.

"There is talk that the whole pavilion is to be moved south," Yueli said. She looked Wuyi firmly in the eye. "I won't have it."

Wuyi nodded.

"We will also accept the vows of novices advancing to pavilion members tomorrow," she said.

"She is performing her worship at the moment," the elder said. "Drink your wine, young master. No one is forcing her to."

Wuyi took a breath.

"We owe you so much," Yueli said. "Do you think we do not know it? But she is not for you, young master. The heavens have other plans for her; it's what she wishes."