《Journey West 5000》 Chapter 1 - The Destination At long last, she had reached her destination. In the waning light of dusk, she looked upwards through the sparse canopy of trees, to see the great mountain with five peaks, looking almost like an open hand with five stony fingers spread out, known as the Mountain of Five Elements. The orange sunset coloured the mountain in broad strokes of flame, making it look as if it was the hand of some giant fire elemental, thrusting its palm forward. For a moment, her eyes blazed as brilliantly and as fiercely as the mountain seemed to. Her fists clenched and her entire body tensed, trembling, like a bowstring pulled to its limits. Her expression twisted and her lips were tightly compressed. It was as though she was holding something great and terrible within, desperate to keep it from escaping. With an explosive exhalation, she seemed to succeed in restraining whatever it was that had been building up within her, causing it to subside. For a while, she panted, looking like she had just gone through some great exertion. Gradually, she returned to her previously relaxed and ready posture. She squared her shoulders, as her face resumed the expression it had most often held, ever since her journey had begun. It was an expression of focused determination, one that announced that there was nothing that would stop her from achieving her purpose. It had been a long, difficult journey, and there had been days when she almost doubted that the mountain even existed, much less what was said to be underneath it, but the steel core of stubborn persistence within her kept her going. Through uncertainty, through doubt, through fear and danger, she kept moving forward. Now, she just needed to find the entrance leading to the one who would help her with her mission. She had picked her way through the undergrowth and uneven terrain, avoiding tree roots, dense clumps of bushes and thickets of trees, until she reached the vantage point she was at. It gave her a clear view of the foot of the mountain. As she took a break from the arduous hike, she drank a sip of water from the canteen hanging from her backpack, then took off her black hat, revealing a completely bald head. She fanned herself with her hat, wishing for a cool breeze. Through it all, she never took her eyes from the foot of the mountain. Now, she was more certain than ever that her information was correct, so somewhere among the dense bushes and vines, there should be an opening... Suddenly, she realised that the forest, previously filled with the sound of insects and birds that had faded into the background, had become quiet. Totally quiet. Straining her ears, she began to hear the rustling tread of many pairs of feet, somewhere behind her. Immediately, she threw herself down behind a thicket of trees. As she hit the forest floor, she heard a loud CH-ZWOOP-THUNNGGG, as a short spear embedded itself, quivering, into a lone tree about 5 feet to her right. Musket-shot and arrows then started zipping all around her. A few lucky bullets hit the sides of the tree, throwing up wooden splinters. A ray of frost hit the tree with the short spear in it, freezing a large part of the trunk. The group of twenty-something bounty hunters had finally caught up to her. Even though she had spent the last few days in the woods being so careful about evading them. Well, evading and picking them off whenever she could. There had originally been thirty-something bounty hunters.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. While still behind the tree, she drew her revolver, then laid prone, inching forward cautiously to peek out from among the ferns at the base of the tree. The dim evening light cast the entire forest in shadow, making the muzzle flash of firing muskets and pistols stand out clearly amongst the gloom. Carefully, she aimed her oversized revolver, shot twice at two points where she¡¯d seen muzzle flash, then immediately rolled and crawled her way towards better cover behind a nearby moss-covered boulder. ¡°Bro Shi! Bro Ni! Nooooo!¡± Digging into her backpack and the pockets of her long black duster coat, she pulled out two forked branches, small stakes, and string. As she pounded the stakes into the earth with a pebble, a cold smirk crossed her lips. Twenty-something bounty hunters, now minus two. ¡°Shut up! Pick up those muskets and keep shooting!¡± ¡°For the brothers we¡¯ve lost! Fire!¡± She pounded the two forked branches into the ground, bent them backwards with string, which were themselves secured with another stake each pounded into the ground. After positioning two candle stubs beneath the strings that were pulling back each forked branch, she carefully nestled an earthen flask into the fork of each makeshift catapult. By then, the initial storm of bullets and arrows had tapered off a bit. Though sporadic, the firing continued. She crawled to another tree away from the boulder.. waited... and shot at the next two muzzle flashes she saw. Again, without waiting for confirmation that she¡¯d hit anything, she crawled back to the boulder, lit the two candles, crawled away in the opposite direction, then crouched and sprinted as fast as she could towards the foot of the mountain. As she ran, leaped, and dodged her way through the trees and undergrowth, she counted off the seconds. ¡°5¡­ 4¡­ 3... 2... 1...¡± PLING-PLANG! ¡°Arrrrrgghhhh! Fire! Fire!¡± ¡°Drop and roll! DROP AND ROLL!¡± PLING-PLANG! ¡°Urk! It¡¯s spreading! Aaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Get back! Everyone get back!¡± ¡°Drop and roll doesn¡¯t work! IT DOESN¡¯T WOOOORK!¡± Without sparing a moment for the commotion behind her, she dived towards the deepest patch of vines at the foot of the mountain that seemed to be covering dark shadows instead of rocks, and started scrabbling through them. After wriggling her way through the vines, she found herself in a small cave, at the back of which was a metal door. Even though the cave had a dirt floor, and the scant rays of light coming through the vines revealed the dust specks floating in the air, the door itself was incredibly clean and polished. As was the metal frame around the door, except for a darker square patch on the left side of the frame, at around shoulder height. Breathing hard, she paused to catch her breath, while making sure the curtain of vines behind her was intact. Only then did she feel the pain of a gash on her left cheek. After making sure that the wound was not serious, she simply cleaned it with some water from her canteen. Then, she reloaded her revolver while approaching the door. Taking a deep breath, she raised the metal bracer on her left forearm, and touched it to the dark square patch. A loud BEEP sounded, and a dim green ray of light shot out from a point above the door. Patiently, she waited as the light made its way from the top of her head down to her toes, then disappeared. With another BEEP, the metal door hissed open. A rush of cool air came flowing out, as did a strange smell. One that, although not encountered in the natural world, reminded her faintly of home. Letting out a controlled breath, she extracted a small lantern from her pack, then crouched down to light up the candle inside with flint and steel. Holding up her lantern, she stepped forward into total darkness, and the door hissed shut behind her. -- Chapter 1, End -- Chapter 2 - The Dark Facility
Before she could walk another step, a ghostly apparition of a bespectacled gentleman, dressed in a long white coat and flowing white pants, appeared in front of her. He was semi-transparent and glowed with a faint blue light. Although he had a ponytail of thick white hair, as well as a similarly white moustache, his face was smooth and unlined.
¡°Welcome, descendent of Tang, I have been waiting for you. May I inquire your name and purpose?¡± ¡°Triptika. I¡¯m here for the prisoner. Are you White Dragon?¡± The man smiled. ¡°Indeed, I am he. I find it... flattering that information of my identity has survived among the Tangs for all these generations. May I ask, what are your intentions regarding the prisoner?¡± ¡°I want to release him. I need his help.¡± ¡°Miss Tang, -¡± ¡°Trip.¡± ¡°... Miss Trip, -¡± ¡°Just Trip.¡± ¡°... as you wish, Just Trip. What I intended to caution you of was, what you want, is not a simple matter. It will require much sacrifice on your part that might very well kill you, and even then, the results are not guaranteed. He might never be in any condition to help anyone. Not even himself.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll do anything it takes.¡± replied Trip, as a tiny crease formed between her brows. ¡°... Perhaps, it would be better to first let me show you and explain the risks, before you make your final decision. Please, follow me.¡± said White Dragon, turning to walk down the corridor, partially illuminating it with the faint blue glow that surrounded him. The floor and walls seemed to be made of metal, and were as free of dust or dirt as the entrance. As they walked, White Dragon added, ¡°Before we see the prisoner, it would be remiss of me if I did not make something clear. The... ¡°prisoner¡± became one voluntarily. For certain reasons, he willingly allowed himself to be held here. I hope you bear this in mind later.¡± After a few turns, they reached an a flight of stairs, and started descending. ¡°I do apologise for the inconvenience, Miss Tang. Under better circumstances, we would be using the elevator, but this facility has been in energy conservation mode for many years. We simply cannot afford the luxury.¡± Trip simply nodded. After ten flights of stairs, they went through a series of corridors, turning left and right and then left again. Eventually, they approached what seemed to be a dead end. ¡°Miss Tang, please touch your Bracer to this spot.¡± said White Dragon, indicating a seemingly random spot on the dead end, about two inches above her head. After pressing her bracer to the indicated part of the wall, a series of loud hisses sounded. The dead end split in the middle, sliding to the sides, revealing another two thick metallic sliding walls that did the same. As they opened, a blast of cold, frosty air blew back the edges of Trip¡¯s coat.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. In the space behind the opening doors, a series of soft blue lights on the walls flickered on. For the first time since Trip had entered the facility, there was light beyond that cast by White Dragon and her lantern. She saw a single large room with cabinets of equipment all along the walls to her left and right, while there was a table along the wall opposite her. The center of the room seemed to be divided in half. The right side was full of equipment and crates, arranged in an orderly manner. The left side was empty, except for a large oval egg-shaped device, about 8 feet high and 4 feet wide in the middle. The back half of the egg was metal, with a series of wires and tubes connected to it. The front half seemed to be made of glass, frosted over with ice. Setting down her lantern, she moved closer to the glass half of the oval device. Through it, she saw... what could only be called an ape. A 6-foot tall male ape covered in black fur, with the face of a gorilla, arms that were disproportionately long, and a thick tail curled around his waist. He looked extremely desiccated, like a thoroughly sun-dried cherry tomato. However, it was obvious from the cable-like cords under his skin, still prominent under the covering of black fur, that he had once been heavily muscled. ¡°Miss Tang, this is the one you came for. Sun Wukong.¡± ¡°How do I wake him up?¡± ¡°Miss Tang, that is not something we can easily do. There have been... complications, in the many years that he has been here. The stasis chamber was not perfect. Not that we ever thought that it was, but even so -¡± ¡°What do I need to do, to wake him up? Safely. For him.¡± ¡°... Very well. First, we will thaw him out, then immediately pump a few pints of your blood into him, as much as we can without killing you. It is absolutely imperative that we get as much of your blood into him as possible, so please do try to hold on for as long as you can. Then, as we rehydrate his system, we will start cycling his blood through your system. Please be aware, Miss Tang, that this part of the procedure will be immensely, excruciatingly painful for you. However, not matter how painful it gets, no matter how close to death you feel you are, once we begin, we can not stop until the two of you are stable, or the both of you would most certainly perish. Do you understand the risks?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you still wish to proceed?¡± ¡°Yes. Do it.¡± ¡°Very well. First, please make yourself comfortable here¡± said White Dragon, pointing at a cot that unfolded itself out of the floor, beside the stasis chamber. ¡°Now, please connect these two needles... to these two spots on your arm,¡± he continued. A port opened on the side of the stasis chamber, and two needle-tipped tubes extended outwards. He then pointed his right index finger at her, and two pinpoint rays of light landed on the crook of her left arm. As it wasn¡¯t her first time around a syringe, she inserted the needles smoothly and correctly. ¡°Well done Miss Tang. Let us begin.¡± As her blood was very slowly extracted out of her, the stasis chamber let out various hisses and gurgling noises. ¡°1 pint... 1.5 pints...¡± said White Dragon. ¡°2 pints... 2.5 pints... Miss Tang, please let me know if you feel dizzy or nauseous.¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. Continue.¡± ¡°Miss Tang, I detect that your heart rate is at dangerously elevated levels. Are you sure?¡± Her breathing was shallow and she felt like puking, but all she said was... ¡°I¡¯m sure. More. Keep going.¡± ¡°Very well... 2.5 pints... 3 pints...¡± Her dizziness was at the point where the room seemed to be swimming in every direction at once. Still, she kept silent. ¡°3.5 pints...¡± Then, she passed out. -- Chapter 2, End -- Chapter 3 - The Reason
¡°Miss Tang, Miss Tang? Please wake up, Miss Tang.¡±
Slowly, Trip surfaced from the depths of unconsciousness, feeling like a water skin that had been drained dry, filled with rocks, then thrown off a cliff. ¡°Miss Tang, please rehydrate yourself from the tube to your left. Then, we really do need to proceed.¡± Weakly, she reached for the transparent tube that had appeared beside the cot, rising out of the floor. Her first sip from it led to a bout of coughing. She was surprised by the coldest, most refreshingly pure water she¡¯d had ever since¡­ since¡­ she stopped herself from remembering. That way lay only darkness and rage. WIth an effort, she focused herself back in the present. Greedily, she drank from it until she was full. Only then, did she notice that one of the needle-tipped tubes leading into her arm was filled with a dark red liquid, so dark it was almost black, yet with a smattering of tiny blue sparkles that blinked lethargically. ¡°Are you ready for the next part, Miss Tang?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it.¡± ¡°Very well. Please secure yourself with these straps, and take care not to dislodge the needles...¡± Five straps with metal buckles extended out from under the cot. Four for her wrists and ankles, and one for her waist. While tightening the buckles, she noticed that the straps seemed to be made of some unknown, slick material. As she lay back down on the cot, another strap appeared beside her head. This strap had a black tube-like section in the middle. ¡°Miss Tang, please fasten that across your head, while biting down on the black tube.¡± She did so, bracing herself for what was to come next. ¡°Are you ready, Miss Tang?¡± She nodded. The dark red liquid was pumped into her, while in the other tube, flowed her own blood, towards the stasis chamber. At first, there was nothing but a slight tingling sensation, slowly spreading from the inside of her arm, to her chest. Then, it spread faster, to the rest of her body, up towards her head and down towards her toes, intensifying until every inch of her insides, even the inside of her head, felt like it was itching, then... PAIN. Like blades of fire and lighting were tearing and ripping through her insides. Like acid was spurting from deep within her bones, eating her from the inside out. Distantly, she was aware that her entire body was shuddering, while feeling as if every muscle in her body was clenched so tight, it was on the verge of tearing her apart. Stolen story; please report. It felt as though years went by, with nothing in it but pure pain. It was as if the pain was made of tides of acid, constantly eroding away at her body and psyche. Just holding on to awareness was taking every ounce of will she had. Despite all her efforts, she felt herself drifting away... it would be so easy to just let go... just let the torture end... even if it meant the death of her body or her mind, she didn¡¯t care anymore... Then... she REMEMBERED. The REASON why she was HERE. The PERSON she had to KILL. The PERSON she had to SAVE. She REMEMBERED. Her parents, brutally murdered. Her brother, who hid her away, allowing himself to be captured. Her neighbours, her friends, murdered or enslaved. Her enemy, the one responsible for it all, the Crimson Bull. With the memories, came ANGER. Anger that had gone all the way through hot, it was freezing cold. A solid metallic rock of icy anger. With that anger, came renewed energy born of sheer stubbornness. Let the waves come. Let them take what they will. As long as she had her anger, she would see justice done. Even with all that, she felt her breath growing shallower. She had burnt through the last of her reserves of energy, and had barely enough to stay conscious, much less fight against the pain. Still, she held on. Eventually, gradually, with such great relief that it was almost like easing into a familiar bed, the pain subsided. Replacing it, was a strange but welcome inner warmth that spread from her insides to every part of her body. Even though her mind was tired, her body seemed to be recovering. Fast. ¡°Welcome back, Miss Tang.¡± Even though he was out of sight, the smile was apparent in White Dragon¡¯s voice. ¡°Please, come and see the miracle of restoration your sacrifice has wrought.¡± She undid the buckles and straps, took out the needles, and stood up. She was surprised that she did so with ease, after the ordeal she had been through. Looking through the now-defrosted glass cover of the stasis chamber, she was amazed at the difference. Sun Wukong had gone from being desiccated to simply emaciated and skeletal-thin. His lips, previously cracked, dried and sunken, were now fuller and had some colour in them. As the stasis chamber hissed, Sun Wukong¡¯s fingers and tail twitched. His face twisted into a snarl, revealing thick, sharp upper canines. A beep sounded from the stasis chamber, as two mechanical arms lowered a dark golden band onto Sun Wukong¡¯s head. Whirring and clanking noises sounded as the arms moved about, adjusting and tightening the golden band. ¡°Miss Tang, you should know that through all the years that Sun Wukong has been in the chamber, he has been dreaming, and those dreams have not been good. As a result, he may become rather... unstable at times. This golden band is meant to be a form of insurance, that will, upon activation, forcefully halt the negative feedback loop causing the instability. However, it is most definitely not a cure. It is merely a stopgap measure that will cause him immense amounts of pain, similar to that which you had just experienced. You may activate the function by using the command phrase that will appear on your Bracer when you select the ¡°Pacify¡± option. Please, use it sparingly.¡± As White Dragon spoke, the glass cover of the stasis chamber slid upwards. Sun Wukong¡¯s expression relaxed, then his eyes slowly blinked open. ¡°Wukong, it¡¯s White Dragon. Don¡¯t say anything for now, you¡¯re severely dehydrated. Just drink some water and rest.¡± A tube popped up near Wukong¡¯s mouth. He clamped his lips on it and started drinking as though he had not tasted water for hundreds of years. Which was exactly the case. Even the act of drinking seemed to tire him out. As he drank, his motions became slower, and slower, until he fell asleep. ¡°Miss Tang, perhaps you would like to have a rest while we wait for Wukong to recover. Waking up after being freeze-dried for 500 years would be quite traumatic for even someone with his constitution.¡± -- Chapter 3, End -- Chapter 4 - How Easy Is Banana Pie?
A deep and gravelly voice, like a neverending growl emanating from a chest the size of a grown bear, alternated with another voice, one that was smooth, mellow and cultured.
¡°So... Whitey, this¡­ really isn¡¯t a dream?¡± ¡°No, Wukong, it isn¡¯t. You¡¯ve been dreaming without waking for a long time, but that abnormal state has been ended, thanks to Miss Tang over there. You have to focus now. This is reality, and you¡¯re really awake. There are elements in this reality that are not within your memories, which should make it apparent that this is not, in fact, a dream.¡± ¡°... do you mean, because I¡¯ve never met Miss Tang, I can¡¯t possibly have dreamt of her?¡± ¡°Precisely, Wukong. Does that reassure you?¡± ¡°Heh, yeah, it does! You¡¯re right though, never in a thousand years would I have dreamt that a descendent of Professor Tang would actually come for me. Hey, I haven¡¯t dreamt about YOU in a long time too, Whitey!¡± ¡°I am rather curious. what have you been dreaming of all these years?¡± ¡°... I¡¯d rather not talk about it, alright Whitey? Let me just say that, calling them ¡®dreams¡¯... it¡¯s like¡­ okay, sort of like crossing a piranha with a leech, painting it pink, then calling it a juicy peach.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for that image. Had I the capacity to be so, I imagine I would be extremely disgusted right now. As well as, perhaps, never being able to eat a peach for the rest of my life.¡± Out of habit, when Trip woke up, she did so quickly. Taking less than a second to orient herself, she turned toward the voices of White Dragon and Wukong. Wukong was sitting in front of the stasis chamber, leaning against it while slouched over. White Dragon was standing off to one side. ¡°Mistress!¡± Wukong¡¯s demeanor instantly changed from his previously lethargic posture. He stood up straight, slowly walked over to Trip, then sank down to one knee in front of her. He clasped his hands in front of his lowered head in a fist palm salute, and said ¡°Thanking Mistress for releasing me from an infinite nightmare! Wukong¡¯s life is now yours! What is your bidding, Mistress?¡± ¡°My first command, is not to call me ¡®mistress¡¯. Call me Trip.¡± ¡°Er... Mistress Trip?¡± ¡°Just Trip.¡± ¡°Alright, Mistress Just Trip!¡± ¡°Sigh... I need your help for two things. One, kill Crimson Bull. Two, save my brother. He¡¯s a prisoner of Crimson Bull.¡± Wukong rested his chin in his hand, and cocked his head to one side. ¡°Who or what is this Crimson Bull?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Bull Demon, but even bigger, tougher and nastier than the rest. Calls himself the Bull Demon King. He leads the Crimson Army. They are a plague across the land. They kill those who resist, enslave those who surrender. I¡¯ve been looking for him, but he moves around a lot. It is said that he has never been defeated in combat. Which is why I need your help.¡± Wukong threw back his head and laughed. ¡°Hahaha! Whether it¡¯s killing a single Bull Demon or a hundred thousand of them, it¡¯s as simple as banana pie for me! You might as well start preparing the feast to welcome your brother home, I¡¯ll have him back soon! But first... I¡¯m going to need some food...¡± He put on a piteous pleading expression, like a starving cat looking at the most flavourful tuna that was just out of reach.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Trip noticed a pile of discarded food containers beside the stasis chamber, all emptied, with only a few bits of paste-like remnants still in them. She smelled a dizzying variety of savoury meats and vegetables, which reminded her that she hadn¡¯t eaten in a while. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get out of here. There should be a village nearby. We¡¯ll resupply first, then plan.¡± ¡°YAAAYYYY!¡± Wukong raised his hands in the air, and started doing a weird, shuffling, monkey dance. With knees bent, arms raised straight up, palms facing down, he twisted and flapped his hands up and down, then to the left and right, while taking alternating steps sideways. While completely ignoring Wukong¡¯s antics, White Dragon inclined his head politely, and said: ¡°Miss Tang, if I may, I would like to request permission to accompany you.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Trip nodded. ¡°Would you be able to?¡± ¡°Ah, how perceptive!¡± White Dragon smiled as he nodded approvingly. ¡°Naturally, I would not be able to do so in my current form. As you have probably surmised, I am confined to this facility. However, by inserting my Core into an appropriate vehicle, I will be able to operate independently beyond the perimeter of this facility. Allow me to show you.¡± From the back of the room, a small rectangular metal slab slid out from the wall with a quiet hum. Embedded at the top of the slab, was a metallic sphere glowing with brilliant blue lines that seemed to be deeply engraved into the metal. The lines ran both horizontally and vertically across the sphere in a seemingly haphazard manner, sometimes terminating in a tiny circle from which an even stronger blue glow emanated. ¡°This is my Core.¡± A louder hum emanated from underneath a clear space on the floor, behind the stasis chamber. A square section of the floor parted, revealing a dark square pit. From it, a platform slowly rose up, stopping when it was level with the floor. On it, was a large grey horse. Though it looked lifelike, it was very obviously not moving. It wasn¡¯t even breathing. ¡°This, is the vehicle. When you extract my Core, please do not be alarmed when the facility ceases to be powered. After all, I am the sole power source remaining. Please touch my core to the vehicle, and the appropriate port should open automatically.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Trip walked over to the Core and reached for it. The moment she took it out from the slab, all the lights died, and the room was plunged into complete darkness. The only sources of light in the room were the soft blue glow from White Dragon¡¯s core, and strangely, a faint golden glow from Wukong¡¯s eyes. When she made her way over to the horse, she touched the Core to its side. A small panel slid open in its back, where a saddle would normally be placed. In it was a round recess, perfectly sized to the Core. After putting it in, the panel slid shut, and¡­ nothing happened. For a few seconds, Trip waited in the room, completely dark except for the golden glow from Wukong¡¯s eyes. Wukong was now pacing up and down, listing out different foods, ¡°... roasted potatoes, roast beef, mashed potatoes, shepherd¡¯s pie¡­ oooh, BANANA PIE!¡± Then with a start, the horse¡¯s head jerked twice. Its chest expanded, then compressed, either breathing or going through the motions simulating it. Slowly, the horse started slowly walking around the room. ¡°Thank you Miss Tang. I will require a moment to adapt myself to the new control scheme for this body. Meanwhile, let us do something about the darkness in here¡­¡± With a BNYEAUUUU, White Dragon¡¯s eyes lit up and cast a soft yet extensive blue glow. ¡°YEAHHHH! Let¡¯s gooooo!¡± Wukong cheered. As if he was leading a marching band, Wukong walked with his chest puffed out towards the exit. As he neared the exit, his steps faltered, then¡­ he fainted. A horse and a woman were looking at a monkey spread-eagled face-down on the floor. ¡°Miss Tang, it appears that Wukong greatly overestimated his rate of recovery¡­¡± *** Far above the clouds, deep within a floating city, a console in a long-forgotten room lit up. Green words appeared on a black background. Slowly, then speeding up until they blurred, much too fast to be read. Then, another console lit up. And another. And another... -- Chapter 4, End -- Chapter 5 - Surfacing
White Dragon clomped quietly up the stairs, followed by Trip. Across the horse¡¯s back was a still-unconscious Wukong, tied in place to prevent him from slipping off.
¡°Will he be alright?¡± Trip asked, with furrowed brows and a slight frown. ¡°Physically, his abilities and rate of recovery are, I dare say, without equal. Within a reasonable scope of comparison, of course. Mentally and emotionally however, only time will tell. If I may, I would like to request that we spare some time to retrieve a valued... partner, as it were, of his. It might go a long way towards aiding his emotional and mental recovery.¡± ¡°Partner?¡± ¡°Perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as a treasured item with varied and mysterious properties. It was originally intended for other purposes, but Wukong was the only one who would, or even could, think of using it as a weapon. Over time, it became much more than that. Somehow, he and the weapon developed a bond. That bond was so powerful that it helped him in more ways than simply functioning as a physical weapon.¡± ¡°Where is this partner of his?¡± ¡°My records indicate its last known position as being quite some distance away to the south-west of here, within another research facility quite similar to this one.¡± ¡°Very well. As the Crimson Army is rumoured to be somewhere in that general direction, we¡¯ll be heading that way in any case.¡± ¡°Miss Tang, I would strongly urge you to first retrieve Wukong¡¯s partner and allow him some time to recover, before pursuing Crimson Bull any further.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Walking through the dark metal corridors, they arrived at the metal door leading to the outside world. ¡°Miss Tang, allow me,¡± said White Dragon, as he moved towards the metal door. Raising his right hoof to a spot at the height of his chest, he pressed it to the door. A blue glow outlined the area where his hoof touched the door, then expanded outwards to the door frame. The door slowly opened, accompanied by the muted sounds of clanking and clicking, coming from the area around the door frame. ¡°After you, Miss Tang. Please proceed, I will catch up. First, I will need to adjust my dimensions in order to fit through this rather restrictive exit.¡± Faint humming noises emanated from White Dragon¡¯s horse body, as his neck and legs slowly became shorter. Nodding her head, Trip wordlessly stepped forward through the open metal door into the cave. Facing the curtain of vines across the cave opening, she saw the patch of damp dirt on the floor, where she had washed the wound on her cheek. Amongst the shadows and darkness within the cave, the damp spot stood out, clearly lit by the moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtain of vines. Being reminded of the wound, she raised her hand to her cheek¡­ and froze. The wound was gone. Not only had it healed, there wasn¡¯t even a scab. It was as if she had never had the wound in the first place. Her eyes opened wide. Wonderingly, she drew a large knife from her side, then lightly cut her left forearm, at a spot an inch or two below the metal bracer. Although she bled, it was only a tiny bit. The blood was thick and dark red, almost black. It was faint, but she saw a dim blue twinkle of light¡­ then the wound closed up. It was almost as if her blood had withdrawn itself back into her body, while pulling the wound closed after itself, until all that was left was a red line that grew smaller and fainter even as she watched. Before even a minute had passed, all traces of the wound had disappeared.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. A corner of her lips twitched upwards. Then, she took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. Her face resumed its usual expression, one of focused determination. Reaching out to part the curtain of vines, she stepped out of the cave... ¡­ straight into a wall of pointy metal bits and menacing metal tubes. A variety of makeshift spears, rusty swords, dilapidated light crossbows, unwieldy muskets, and battered single-shot pistols were pointed at her, from a few feet away, wielded by the bounty hunters that had been hounding her steps for the past few days. They had been lying in wait, literally. There were some of them who had been slower to react than the rest, still getting to their feet. They had taken the precaution of not lighting any torches, which explained why she had not noticed them through the vines. Although the past few days of observation had shown her that this group of bounty hunters was not exactly an elite outfit, currently, they looked even more wretched than usual. Around half of them sported burns with varying degrees of severity on their bodies and equipment, and they looked at her with gazes filled with barely-restrained rage and need for vengeance. Without any warning, a crossbow twanged and a bolt whoosed past her head, lightly brushing the brim of her hat, then shattered against the rock face behind her. Trip didn¡¯t react in any way. She didn¡¯t even flinch. She stared determinedly at the bounty hunters, looking at them one by one. She stood straight with a relaxed posture, with her hands loose at her sides. Under the moonlight, clad in her black hat and duster, her relaxed yet ready posture was reminiscent of a panther preparing to pounce. ¡°Hold your fire! At least aim for her body, NOT her head!¡±, a raspy voice commanded. ¡°Sorry Boss. It went off by itself. Wasn¡¯t my fault, I swear!¡± ¡°Black Hat Trip, you¡¯re lucky you¡¯re worth more alive than dead! Soooooo MUCH more!¡±, said the raspy voice again. The voice came from the biggest bounty hunter in the group, who stood a full head taller than the rest. He had powerful shoulders, a large paunch, and a fleshy jowl. His entire left side was covered with burns, including a large, painful-looking burnt patch on the left side of his face. His beady eyes were narrowed into cruel slits, while his mouth was twisted into a satisfied sneer. His right hand held a large single-shot pistol, pointed at her. Trip looked at him, and laughed. Mockingly, purposefully. She recognised that voice. ¡°I guess ¡®drop and roll¡¯ didn¡¯t work?¡±, she said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. With just a sentence, she rendered the big bounty hunter (whom she had labelled Mr. Drop-and-Roll in her head) too angry for words. Well, coherent words, at any rate. While spitting and growling something unintelligible, Mr. Drop-and-Roll stepped forward to press the muzzle of his pistol against her forehead. His eyes were bulging, his face had turned red, and a vein near his temple was visibly throbbing . ¡°Go ahead! Test your luck! My men and I would be happy to do without the bonus for bringing you in alive, as long as we get some satisfaction! Someone bring me a torch!¡± In a matter of moments, one of the bounty hunters had lit a torch and passed it to Mr. Drop-and-Roll. With a leering expression full of anticipation, he brandished the burning torch towards Trip¡¯s face. As Trip squinted with one eye completely closed and the other narrowed to a slit, Mr. Drop-and-Roll gloated, ¡°I¡¯m going to burn you the same way you burnt us!¡±. At that moment, the vines behind her rustled. ¡°Miss Tang, I must apologise for taking so¡­ oh, my goodness.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that? Come forward!¡±, shouted Mr. Drop-and-Roll, as he shifted the torch towards White Dragon¡¯s voice. ¡°We¡¯ve got you surrounded, so don¡¯t try anyth--!¡± Taking advantage of the distraction, Trip made her move. -- Chapter 5, End -- Chapter 6 - Tripping the Metal Fantastic As quick as a striking snake, Trip took a tiny step closer to Mr. Drop-and-Roll while shifting her weight to her right foot, moving her head away from the pistol muzzle against her head. As she did so, her hands moved up to her waist, with palms facing upwards and her elbows tucked in close to her sides. For a split-second, she gave the impression of a coiled spring. Then, she shifted her weight back to her left foot, as her hands struck explosively outward. The edge of her left hand struck the wrist of the arm holding the pistol, loosening the grip on it, while the palm of her other hand thrust upwards to hit Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s chin. While the motions may seem complicated and intricate, it took Trip less than a second to carry out. To Mr. Drop-and-Roll, it seemed to happen between moments. One moment, he was in control, with Trip at his complete mercy, while he threatened some other new, unknown interloper. The next moment, he had lost all strength in the hand holding his pistol, his head snapped backwards, and there was a blinding pain in his mouth that spread to fill his entire head. Landing on his behind on the ground, stunned, he tasted salty liquid iron as blood dripped from his mouth. He had bitten off the tip of his tongue! Meanwhile, Trip had swept up both his pistol and his torch in her hands. In one smooth movement, she threw the burning torch towards the leftmost bounty hunter of the encirclement as a distraction, then fluidly turned back towards the rightmost bounty hunter, with her arm holding the pistol outstretched. Without pause, she shot him in the throat, then ran towards his falling body, while throwing the spent pistol towards another bounty hunter next to the one she just shot. By the time the flying pistol hit the bounty hunter¡¯s face, Trip had already reached the dying bounty hunter, as his legs finally realised that since their owner was almost dead, they might as well relax and take a permanent break from supporting his state of uprightness. As his body started to collapse, Trip darted behind his back and held his body in front of her with her left hand, providing herself with some cover. Not a moment too soon, as crossbow arrows and musket-shot were shot in her direction. A few arrows and musket balls hit her bounty hunter shield, as she dragged the dead body while walking backwards. Her right hand was already holding her large revolver, arm outstretched. With loud booming sounds, so close together that they seemed to merge into one long echoing BOOM, she shot the six bounty hunters closest to her in the head, starting with the one her flying pistol had hit. Without exception, all six of them collapsed to the ground, like marionettes with their strings cut, sporting new holes between their eyes. With a smooth motion, she flipped open the cylinder of her revolver while pointing it upwards, then hit the top of the cylinder against the bottom of her chin as the spent shells were ejected. Next, she pointed her revolver downwards, moving the cylinder under the rightmost end of a rectangular metal device on on her belt. With her thumb, she pressed a small lever on the side of the device, which dropped six bullets neatly into the cylinder. With a flick, she flipped the cylinder back into her revolver, while bringing it back into a ready position. Her motions were smooth, practiced, and were so fast they seemed to blur. The entire process took her less than two seconds.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. By now, almost all the bounty hunters had recovered their senses. Four of those wielding swords and spears charged towards her, while even more of those with ranged weapons shot at her. Many of those shots went wide, but a few hit her bounty hunter shield. Fortunately, even light crossbows took some time to reload, to say nothing of the front-loading, single-shot pistols and muskets being fired in her direction. Taking her time, she shot and dropped all four of the bounty hunters who had been charging at her, while shooting another one holding a crossbow, replacing his nose with a large hole. All this time, she had been scanning the bounty hunters, searching for the most potentially dangerous one among them. The ray of frost from her previous encounter with them had alerted her to the presence of a Mage. When the last bounty hunter she shot dropped to the ground, it revealed another smaller one that had been hiding behind him. This bounty hunter was slim, not bulky like the rest. A sparse scattering of twinkling orange lights floated around him. One hand was tightly gripping a short baton, while the other was held level with his eyes, palm cupped upwards. Floating above it, was a bright green globe, half the size of his hand, that seemed to seethe with a noxious and virulent liquid. As he realised that he was exposed, his previously confident grin turned into a panicked rictus. With a desperate shout, he threw the green globe towards her... ¡­ at the same moment that she shot him between the eyes, then took cover behind her bounty hunter shield. The green globe hit, and splashed all over in the form of a thick green liquid, that immediately began to dissolve her bounty hunter shield, while giving off a poisonous hissing sound. Shoving her disintegrating human shield towards the nearest group of bounty hunters, she holstered her revolver then started running towards them. Which was when she felt something hit her legs hard, causing her to fall. She tucked into a roll to get back up, but just as she completed the roll, something hard hit her again, across the back of her head. Her world exploded into purple stars, as she dropped down to all fours and retched reflexively. She tried to move and recover as fast as she could, but the moment she raised her head, she felt, once again, the muzzle of a pistol pressed against her forehead. ¡°¡®ITH ¡®IME, I¡¯M ¡®ONNA ¡®ESS OOO UP ¡®OOD!¡±, lisped Mr. Drop-and-Roll, who had a mixture of blood and saliva dribbling out of his mouth. She was disoriented and still seeing purple stars. She was so dizzy that it was all she could do to stay conscious. With every ounce of mental fortitude, she tried to remain alert, looking for a chance to turn the tables. She tried to make herself look as small and defeated as possible, while slowly inching her hand to a knife hidden in her boot. That hand was caught in a rough grip, then pulled behind her back, along with her other hand. With both her hands crossed at the wrists behind her back, she was forced to straighten up, still on her knees. She saw that she was surrounded by bounty hunters, less than ten of them. Leering, one of them approached her while drawing threatening patterns in the air with her large knife. Upon seeing that they were going to use her own weapon on her, for a split second, fury burned in Trips eyes. Even if she couldn¡¯t fight with her hands and legs, she could still fight with her head and teeth! Then, in a flash, the sudden flames of fury disappeared. She took a deep breath, calming and relaxing herself, readying herself to take advantage of any opportunity to turn the tables on her captors. -- Chapter 6, End -- Chapter 7 - Self-invitation to a Massage Party ¡°Hey hey hey! What¡¯s this? You¡¯re having a massage party and didn¡¯t invite me?¡± a deep, hoarse yet jovial voice rang out. The question was so incongruous that everybody was stupefied! ¡°¡®Assage... ¡®arty?¡± lisped Mr. Drop-and-Roll in slack-jawed amazement. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m hurt that you left me out! HURT! After all, I¡¯m the original Party Animal!¡± Slowly, with small faltering steps, Wukong slouched into the circle of stunned bounty hunters, coming to a stop beside Trip and Mr. Drop-and-Roll. He pointed at the pistol pressed against Trip¡¯s forehead. ¡°You all can¡¯t fool me! I recognize this, it¡¯s the World¡¯s Number One Head Massager, Mark 1! It¡¯s supposed to be SO comfortable, you can¡¯t help wanting MORE!¡± He sidled closer to Trip while bending lower, with his face beside hers, looking upwards at the pistol muzzle and Mr. Drop-and-Roll. ¡°C¡¯mon, be kind, let me have the first go. It just so happens that I¡¯m having this nagging headache that just won¡¯t go away. How about it? Hey? Do this Monkey a favour, why don¡¯t you?¡±, said Wukong, while wriggling his head between the pistol muzzle and Trip¡¯s head, only stopping when the barrel of the gun was pointing at the center of his forehead, directly beneath the golden circlet fastened there. PIAK! With a sudden clap, Wukong clamped his hands on top of Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s hands. Startled by the sudden movement, the noise, and the feeling of pressure on his hands that were holding his precious weapon, Mr. Drop-and-Roll reacted by jerking backwards and pulling the trigger, shooting Wukong in the head! Soundlessly, Wukong collapsed into a furry, untidy heap. Mr. Drop-and-Roll kicked the sad pile of bones and fur that was Wukong a few times, to no effect. Breathing a sigh of relief, the bounty hunters all started to relax, then¡­ ¡°Ooooooooooooo¡­¡±, a low moan emanated from Wukong. All the bounty hunters focused their attention on Wukong, eyes wide open. Even Mr. Drop-and-Roll pointed his pistol at Wukong, forgetting that it was now empty. ¡°OoooOOOO¡­ WAHHH!¡±, shouted Wukong, as he sprang up and clamped his hands on top of Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s hands again. All eyes, even Trip¡¯s, were on Wukong¡¯s forehead. Except for some smudges of gunpowder residue, it was entirely unmarked! ¡°So comfortable! No more headache! Thank you, thank you, thank you!¡±, Wukong grinned, while pumping Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s hands up and down, in the most enthusiastic double handshake he had given in centuries. As he felt his arms straining to pop out of their sockets, Mr. Drop-and-Roll screamed ¡°Get him!¡± All the bounty hunters had been staring at Wukong in horror. What manner of creature was this, one that was impervious to bullets? Stunned as they were, they reacted instinctively to the screamed command. Some charged at him, while some shot in his direction¡­ which resulted in a crossbow bolt sticking out of Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s right shoulder. Meanwhile, Trip felt the grip around her wrists slacken. Still on her knees, she leaned forward violently, until her chin touched the ground, as her right leg thrust up and out behind her to strike the bounty hunter holding her wrists, hitting him between the legs. As the sound of walnut shells cracking was heard, the bounty hunter collapsed to one side with a whimper.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Springing to her feet, Trip darted towards the bounty hunter holding her knife. With a deft strike at his wrist, she caused him to drop the knife, which she snatched out of the air as it fell. With a reverse slash, she drew a red line across his neck, then darted towards the other bounty hunters, only to find them in complete disarray. Wukong was gripping both of Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s wrists in one leathery Monkey paw, dragging him along while running to and fro, chasing after the other bounty hunters. When he came within reach of them, he would either give them a sloppy kick, sending them flying backwards for a few feet, or slap them with his free hand, bowling them over. One particularly muscular bounty hunter did not run. By then, he was the last bounty hunter standing, but he showed no fear. He stood firm, and focused his steely gaze on the furry agent of havoc. He tore off his tunic and flexed his pride and joy (The words ¡°Pride¡± and ¡°Joy¡± were tattooed on each of his pecs, which were admittedly impressive examples of chest muscles). He gripped his sword tight, then with a resounding ¡°Yaaaah!¡±, charged forward to hack at Wukong. With both hands, he raised his sword high up above his head, then swung down with great force to hit Wukong on his shoulder and¡­ the sword just stayed there. It was like hitting a rock covered in layers of tough leather. All the force was absorbed, and not even a hair was cut. ¡°Oh hey, more massage? You¡¯re too kind! Here, let me return the favour!¡± said a grinning Wukong. He jumped up and used his leg like an axe to chop the shoulder of Mr. Pride and Joy, who was instantly driven to the ground, flat on his face. Mr. Drop-and-Roll, who had been struggling to free himself all the while, had gone very still. His face was as pale as freshly steamed tofu. That was because, with that last jump of his, Wukong had dislocated his arms. Like a child losing interest in a toy, Wukong let go of Mr. Drop-and-Roll, letting him collapse into a heap. Without even another glance at the bounty hunter, Wukong hurried towards Trip, who was methodically checking each bounty hunter, while gathering up anything useful. She had found her backpack, and was using a bounty hunter¡¯s jacket as a makeshift sack to store the bullets, bolts, and coins that she was liberating from the bounty hunters. Some of them were either dead or unconscious, while others were quietly moaning or gasping on the ground. All of them were, without question, out of the fight. ¡°Mistress, are you alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Trip nodded, with a slightly embarrassed half-grimace on her face. ¡°Help me look for my gun.¡± ¡°Immediately, Mistress!¡± ¡°Miss Tang, I have located your revolver. It is right here, underneath this person.¡± White Dragon, who had been conspicuously absent during the fight, had reappeared. He had activated the blue beams in his eyes, but this time, the light beams had been narrowed down to pinpoint lasers, directed at Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s waist. Immediately, with long and quick strides, Trip walked over to the prone bounty hunter and rolled him over. Tucked into his pants was her revolver. After taking it back, Trip immediately began wiping it with her jacket-sack before reloading it, then holstering it. Having the revolver back seemed to reassure her. Kicking Mr. Drop-and-Roll lightly, Trip said, ¡°You, take us to your camp. Now.¡± The bounty hunter stared back at her. Though his face was pale and covered in cold sweat, his was gritting his teeth and his expression was one of defiance. ¡°Or, I¡¯ll get Wukong here to pull your arms off.¡± Wukong immediately grabbed the bounty hunter¡¯s arms, while grinning widely, exposing his large canines. ¡°Just say the word, Mistress, and it shall be done!¡± In the face of Wukong¡¯s gleeful enthusiasm, the bounty hunter seemed to deflate. With great difficulty, he got to his feet and indicated a direction with his chin. ¡°This way. In return, please let my brothers go.¡± Trip swung the jacket-sack over her back, looked at White Dragon and Wukong, and said ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Mistress, shall I... clean up those that remain?¡± Mr. Drop-and-Roll tensed¡­ then sighed quietly in relief, when Trip replied ¡°No Wukong. Leave them be.¡± Under the moonlight, a woman, a monkey, and a horse followed a man into the silent forest. -- Chapter 7, End -- Chapter 8 - Night Fury Soon after leaving the Mountain of Five Elements behind them, they returned to the scene of the initial ambush by the bounty hunters. Splintered tree bark and broken bolts and arrows littered the way. Further down, two large patches of burnt vegetation marred the forest. Burnt articles of clothing, mostly cloaks, lay discarded on the forest floor. By then, the forest had resumed its usual background hum of life. Crickets that had previously been shocked into silence by the booming of musket shot, now resumed their chirping. Through coincidence or design, the trail that Mr. Drop-and-Roll was following, was the same one Trip had used on her approach to the mountain. After some time, Trip walked off into the bushes and started climbing a large tree with particularly sturdy branches. Soon, from her perch atop a tall, broad branch, she lowered a pair of saddlebags and a saddle to the ground, all tied to a rope. Nimbly climbing back down, Trip sported a large black metal crossbow slung on a strap across her back. She approached White Dragon. Holding up the saddle and saddlebags, she motioned towards White Dragon¡¯s back, as she said, ¡°Is it okay? They killed my horse.¡± ¡°Of course, Miss Tang. I am, after all, at your service. While I may not be proficient at battle, I do have other functions that you may find useful. I will reveal them at another time, when we have some privacy.¡± Trip nodded, and strapped the saddle and saddlebags on to White Dragon. She glanced at Wukong, who was standing behind a drooping Mr. Drop-and-Roll. In stark contrast with his behaviour of cavorting around during the battle earlier, Wukong was now silent and still. His expression was dour. Most of his attention was focused on Mr. Drop-and-Roll, but he still seemed to be alert to his surroundings. Perhaps even overly alert, as he would sometimes twitch at some normal sound of the forest, such as a loud hoot from a nearby owl. As she was observing Wukong, Trip opened her mouth, as though she was about to say something to him. In the end, she turned to Mr. Drop-and-Roll while saying ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±, and they went on their way. . *** After another hour or so, Mr. Drop-and-Roll stepped off the trail into the forest. Within minutes, they reached a clearing. Moonlight shone through the gap in the canopy, illuminating a semi-circle of tents that surrounded a large fire-pit. Spitted across it, were the remains of large deer. With a sudden spurt of energy, Mr. Drop-and-Roll ran towards the largest tent and dived into it. It looked like it was large enough to comfortably fit a dozen people. Within it, could be heard the clanking and rattling of chains, as Mr. Drop-and-Roll hurriedly shouted ¡°Your dinner¡¯s here! A juicy woman and a monkey, go get them!¡± A black-striped orange paw the size of Trip¡¯s head parted the opening of the tent, and a loud THUMP was heard as another large black-striped orange paw landed on the ground, halfway out of the tent. With sinuous grace, a large furred creature uncoiled itself out of the tent and into a standing position, to reveal a massive bipedal tiger, eight feet tall and impressively muscled. Upon closer examination, it was a curious mixture of man and beast. It had the head, legs and tail of a tiger, but the torso, arms and general build, though thickly furred, resembled that of a man. It looked at Trip and Wukong with its lambent yellow eyes, and, with a voice that sounded somewhere between a purr and a roar, said ¡°MEEEAAAAAAAT!¡±. It dropped to all fours, as it gathered itself to pounce.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Wukong, who was already standing nearer to the tent, dashed to interpose himself between the Tiger-man and Trip. Fortunately, he did not block Trip¡¯s line of sight, as she already had her revolver trained on the Tiger-man the moment it stepped out of the tent. The moment it pounced, she shot it in the head. A resounding BOOM echoed through the trees, as the Tiger-man landed on all fours in front of Wukong, shaking its head from side to side. A few drops of blood splattered the ground. The Tiger-man raised its head and glared at Trip, with the bullet lightly embedded in its forehead. Evidently, its forehead was a lot thicker than Trip had expected. The Tiger-man roared at Trip, as it gathered itself to pounce again. Midway through its roar, its whiskers were painfully grabbed by Wukong, who pulled its head down until its eyes were level with Wukong. As though emulating a certain giant monarch of apes, Wukong revealed all four of his long, sharp canines as he ROARED back. His roar sounded as though it emanated from the depths of a cave filled with enraged mother lions, tigers and bears who were protecting their threatened cubs. His roar was so threatening and intimidating, even Trip, who was standing behind him, could feel it vibrating deep in her chest. It caused the Tiger-man¡¯s ears to lay flat against its head, as its entire posture reflexively went into a defensive half-crouch. To its credit, it quickly recovered and, embarrassed at having shown that it had been intimidated, even for a second, by this much smaller monkey, it viciously used all its strength to swipe at Wukong with a clawed paw. With a direct and brutally efficient movement, not only did Wukong block the attack, he caused the Tiger-man¡¯s entire arm to rebound. Before the Tiger-man could attempt another attack, Wukong drew back his fist, then punched the Tiger-man¡¯s forehead, on the exact spot that Trip¡¯s bullet had previously failed to penetrate. A cracking and crunching sound rang out, as Wukong¡¯s fist sank halfway into the Tiger-man¡¯s skull. For a moment, all was still. Then, the Tiger-man crumpled into a heap, with its head still held up by the whiskers, grasped in Wukong¡¯s other hand. Grimly, Wukong withdrew his fist from the Tiger-man¡¯s skull, then started striding towards the large tent, as grey matter dripped from his fist. Moments after entering the tent, Wukong emerged, dragging Mr. Drop-and-Roll out by the throat. When he reached the corpse of the Tiger-man, he stopped, making sure that the gasping Mr. Drop-and-Roll had a good look at it. Then, he raised Mr. Drop-and-Roll up until his eyes were level with Wukong¡¯s. ¡°Suffer not an enemy in thy camp!¡±, growled Wukong, as he drew back his fist, preparing to strike. ¡°Wukong, stop! He¡¯s not a threat anymore!¡±, said Trip from beside Wukong, her expression was stern as she laid a hand over Wukong¡¯s fist. Wukong glared at Trip as he shook off her hand. Although he had turned his face towards her, and his eyes were wide open, it seemed as though he was looking at something far away. ¡°SUFFER NOT AN ENEMY IN THY CAMP!¡± shouted Wukong, as he tightened his grip around Mr. Drop-and-Roll¡¯s throat. Slowly he drew back his fist once more. -- Chapter 8, End -- Chapter 9 - Its Bigger On The Inside "Wukong! As your Mistress, I command you! Let him go!". Frantically, Trip ran her fingers over her metal bracer, and then, as blue words appeared on it, quickly said "Pacify! --", but it was too late. With a quick punch, Wukong caved Mr. Drop-and-Roll''s face inwards, killing him instantly. Slowly, Wukong lowered the body down, then dropped it to the ground. With slow and stiff movements, as if he was on autopilot, he walked into the large tent. "WUKONG!" shouted Trip. Just as she had taken a step towards the large tent, White Dragon moved in front of her. "Miss Tang, I believe it would be better if we left Wukong alone for now. Pursuing the matter any further would not be beneficial. Neither to him, nor to us." "Why didn''t he listen to me?" "I doubt that he even realised you were there. Based on my observations, I believe that he was trapped in some sort of flashback. For now let us allow him some time to himself. I believe that his natural resilience will assert itself soon. For now, I would like to draw your attention to a function of this horse body of mine." With an almost-inaudible hum, the sides of White Dragon''s middle opened, much like how one would pull the side of a saddlebag towards oneself in order to widen the opening. "Besides my belly, I have additional space along my flanks, under your saddlebags. I believe it would be advantageous to modify your saddlebags to take advantage of this hidden space." Trip looked sceptical, as she said, "It doesn''t look very big. Just for small valuables?" "Worry not, Miss Tang." The smile was evident in White Dragon''s voice, as he proudly proclaimed, "It is bigger on the inside." *** Time passed, as Trip modified her saddlebags to have a secret opening through which she could reach into White Dragon''s storage compartments. She then transferred half of whatever coin she had, as well as half her cache of ammunition, into the space. Next, she took out three objects from her saddlebags, two of which were sleek black boxes, each about the size of a pair of large boots. The third object looked like a crude rectangular cube of hammered metal, with openings on each side that were the size of the two black boxes. With practised movements, she quickly fit the two black boxes into the sides of the crude metal cube. Then, she opened a lid at the top of one of the black boxes. Into it, she put metal bolts, metal arrowheads, and gunpowder cartridges that she had scavenged from the bounty hunters earlier. After completing that, she carelessly threw the entire device into the fire. White Dragon, who had been intently observing the entire process, moved closer to the fire. Blue beams shot out from his eyes and scanned the device that looked completely unaffected, despite being in the middle of a large campfire. "How ingenious! Miss Tang, did you engineer this marvellous method of combining those artefacts?"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Trip looked at the device in the flames, and for an instant, a tiny, fond smile flashed across her face. Then, it was gone. "No, it was my brother who made the ammo converter. He got the idea after mom gave me this reloader." said Trip, as she lightly laid her fingers on the rectangular metal device on on her belt that she had used to reload her revolver earlier. As though reminded of something, she strode quickly to retrieve the large black metal crossbow and a thin coil of metal wire, and started replacing the crossbow string. "May I inquire about that crossbow, Miss Tang? I find the construction and accessories rather... unique." "It''s called the Simo. It belonged to dad... he never stopped reworking and modifying it." "The... Simo?" "Dad told me that Simo was a hero from ancient times who had the power to cause death to anyone within his sight, no matter the distance. He would scan the battlefield with an eyeglass, and just... kill any high value targets he could spot. And, he only ever used his power to defend his home and his people." By this time, Trip had finished taking care of her crossbow. As though embarrassed of her sudden bout of talkativeness, she jumped to her feet, put away her crossbow, and started stripping down to her undies, completely ignoring White Dragon. As for White Dragon, he quickly moved to face the fire, focusing all his attention on the ammo converter in the flames. When she was halfway through taking off the jacket underneath her duster, Wukong silently ran out of the tent he had been in, and with a mighty leap, reached a sturdy branch high up on one of the tallest trees around the campsite. He settled down on the branch, facing away from the fire, and there he sat, silent and still as a statue, except for his tail that was coiling and uncoiling without pause, and his ears that twitched at every sound. When Trip was clad only in a pair of shorts and a shirt, she started the first of many sets of callisthenics. An hour later, drenched in sweat, she moved on to vigorous weighted exercises, using a variety of things in the camp. Her heavy metal crossbow, her pack, some rocks she selected and cleaned off. This went on for another hour, before she wiped herself with a clean rag, then collapsed to her knees. As she panted while kneeling, she sat back on her heels, put her hands on her thighs, and closed her eyes. At first, her back was bowed, but she eventually straightened up. As her breathing slowed, orange twinkles of light began to gather around her. At first, there were only a few, then more, until it looked like there was a sprinkle of fireflies around her. A soft orange glow began to emanate from her. Gradually, the orange glow and twinkles lightened into yellow, then white... then the lights disappeared. Opening her eyes, Trip hopped to her feet, looking as fresh as the morning dew. After gnawing on some dried rations, she leaned against her backpack, facing away from the fire, and went to sleep. *** "I feel it! I FEEL it! YEAHHHH!" As the sun rose up the next morning, Wukong stood at the very top of the same tree he had chosen the night before, greeting the morning in a very enthusiastic manner. At first, Trip thought it was a trick of the light, but as the morning light intensified, the effect became more obvious. Wukong''s fur was turning gold at the tips, and a faint golden glow around him was expanding, as it gradually grew brighter. "Oooooooohhhhhh YEAH!" By then, the light had taken the shape of a transparent golden globe, with Wukong at its center. Eventually, the glow dimmed, until it disappeared completely. Revealing Wukong, who was standing atop the tree with his arms akimbo, grinning widely, as though the previous night had never happened. The tips of his fur had turned a deep, rich gold, giving him a strange black-and-gold pattern all over. With a flex of his knees, he jumped off the tree, somersaulted through the air, and landed in front of Trip. Kneeling on one knee, hands clasped in a fist palm salute, Wukong said, "Mistress, I''m ready! Let''s go get this Crimson Bull!" As she observed his still-grinning expression, Trip noticed that even his eyes had turned the same shade of deep, rich gold. With her mind occupied with the difference in Wukong''s behavior, all she could do was stare at him. Still in the same position, Wukong began to look uncomfortable, and started to fidget. "Mistress...?" -- Chapter 9, End -- Chapter 10 - Are Tigers Yummy? As she stared at Wukong, Trip realised that, besides his colouration and demeanor, there were other things different about him. He was now wearing a furry tunic and kilt. It was orange, with black stripes. Slung across his back, was a wooden quarterstaff. Her eyes widened slightly, as she turned her head to the spot the Tiger-man had fallen the night before. The Tiger-man''s corpse was no longer there. All that remained were several drops of blood. Half-dreading the answer, she asked Wukong, "What did you do to the remains after skinning it?" "Oh, the Tiger-man? He wasn''t doing anybody any good just lying there, so I turned him into yummy-yummy in my tummy!", Wukong grinned proudly. Resisting the urge to gag, Trip took a deep breath. Calming herself down, she faced Wukong with a stern expression, and said "About last night --" "Haha! I got a bit carried away fighting that Tiger-man, didn''t I? But that''s all in the past, and daylight''s a wasting! Let''s go!", said Wukong as he quickly marched off away from the campsite. With furrowed brows, Trip stared at the rapidly receding figure of Wukong, which had turned back to walk back to her. "Mistress, which direction are we headed for?" "South, for now." "Got it!" "Wait for me to pack up first." "Yes Mistress! Let me help!" "No." *** As they travelled through the forest, the trees became more sparse, while the terrain became even more mountainous. At first, the mountains alternated between gentle and steep slopes, though always covered with greenery. However, as the sun rose towards its zenith, it seemed as though the mountains grew closer, showing cliff-faces of bare granite, while covering the group in deep shadow. Onwards, they trekked on through winding paths between and sometimes seemingly through the mountains, until the sun began its'' final blazing descent towards dusk. As they walked through a small valley, they came across an archway framing stairs that consisted of stone steps cut into the mountainside. On the archway were chiselled the words "MONASTERY OF LGS" and "LADY OF THE GEAR AND SPRING". On one pillar of the archway, there was an icon of a stylized gear; on the other, there was a curious icon of two springs intertwined in a double helix pattern. The stairs snaked sideways and upwards into the upper reaches of the mountain. Trip walked closer to the pillars. Slowly, hesitantly, as thought she could hardly believe it, she gently caressed the icon of the gear. For a few moments, she stood still, seemingly lost in her thoughts. For those few moments, she seemed to stop giving off the impression of being an arrow drawn as far back as the bow would allow, as her eyes grew misty. Then, dashing the back of one hand across her eyes, she resumed her usual demeanor of focused determination. "We''re going in." The moment she said it, Wukong started bounding up the stairs, the golden tips of his fur sometimes glinting red in the orange light of the evening sun. Trip mounted White Dragon, and followed.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. *** BANG BANG BANG! A series of loud knocks could be heard, shattering the serene stillness of the silent mountains. Well, silent except for the whooshing and whistling of the strong winds that had buffeted the party with increasing enthusiasm as they travelled up the stone stairs towards the monastery. BANG BANG BANG! "Heeyyyy! Open up! Open up for the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!" shouted Wukong, as he pounded on the heavy wooden gate of the Monastery. At the end of the long series of stairs, was the massive wooden gate, 12 feet tall. On both sides, an equally tall wooden wall, made out of thick logs that looked so tough that it would take sharp axes the better part of a week to chop through. Even from this side of the gate, it was obvious that the monastery was built on top of a plateau. To their left, the mountain range continued upwards, while on their right, the wooden wall formed a large semi-circle that stretched into the distance, built right on the edge of the plateau. "Wukong, I hardly think that these monks would recognise one of your many obscure titles. Perhaps another method of introducing ourselves would be more appropriate?" "Oh c''mon Whitey, EVERYBODY knows I''m the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!" "I highly doubt that." Wukong ignored White Dragon, and was about to resume his forceful knocking on the gate, when the gate swung open, revealing a monk with a pleasant expression, looking at them curiously. "Greetings travellers, how may I help you? My name is Brother Mender.", he said, as he smiled, revealing his laugh lines and crow''s feet. His lively brown eyes were filled with the light of curiosity, alternating between examining Wukong and Trip. Although he was bald, he had a neat salt-and-pepper beard. His brown tunic had short sleeves and reached only to his knees, revealing a muscular physique that seemed more suited to a blacksmith than a monk. "Greetings Brother. May the light of Technology never wane." Brother Mender''s eyes widened in surprise at Trip, before recovering. "Ah, yes! May the light of Technology never wane! Are you... one of us, Sister? And who is this tame monkey demon you have with you?" "TAME?!... DEMON?! I AM THE GREAT SA -- yffnng..." Wukong''s outrage and attempt at correcting the grievous case of mistaken identity was interrupted by Trip covering his mouth with her hand, and lightly pushing him out of the way, as she stepped forward and dipped her head slightly, as she took off her black hat, revealing her bald head. "Please forgive my... associate. His name is Wukong. My name is Trip. I was a Monk of the Lady. Now, I pursue a different path. I''d like to ask for shelter through the night." "Of course! Of course! Do come in! Please, let me bring you to meet our Abbot, I''m sure he would want to meet you!" Brother Mender motioned them through the gate, into the courtyard. From out among the tranquil mountains, the party stepped through the gate into a hive of human activity. In one corner of the open air courtyard, there were sheds of various sizes, from which the sounds of industrious hammering emanated. In another corner of the courtyard, a group of monks sat, fletching arrows or sharpening crossbow bolts. Other monks walked across the courtyard, transporting weapons of various types out of the sheds, then packing them into straw-filled crates.. "Please follow me, the Abbot''s quarters are this way.", said Brother Mender, as he gestured towards the opposite end of the courtyard, where several different paths of stone stairs led to higher plateaus. As a few pairs of monks walked past, carrying crates full of weapons further into the monastery, Trip saw that inside the crates, there were swords, sabers, spear and halberd heads, even bows and crossbows. "Why are you producing so many weapons? Are you expecting a battle?" Trip asked Brother Mender. For an instant, an expression of great distaste and anger crossed Brother Mender''s face. It was made all the more obvious by how out of place the expression was, on a face that seemed more accustomed to smiles and laughter than frowns and anger. However, it was only there for an instant, then Brother Mender resumed his previous pleasant expression, a slight friendly smile on his lips. There were two differences. This time, his eyes were no longer smiling. His tone, previously warm and welcoming, was now filled with bitterness. "I''m afraid you''ll have to ask the Abbott. The entire matter is beyond my... position. I am but a lowly gate guard and part time tinker. Please, let me take you to the Abbott. He should be able to answer any questions you have. " -- Chapter 10, End -- Chapter 11 - Family Planning for White Dragon Brother Mender turned to a nearby monk who was carrying an armful of sabers to a crate, and said ¡°Brother Gentle Wave, please inform the Abbot that there is a Sister of the Faith here to request shelter for the night. Do let him know about her¡­ special associate here too.¡± Brother Gentle Wave grinned and nodded. ¡°Sure Brother Mender!¡±, he said, as he dumped his load of sabers into the crate, and immediately began running towards the other end of the courtyard, and presumably, the Abbot¡¯s quarters. ¡°Sister Trip, I apologise, but we do not have any stables in which to quarter your horse. I¡¯m afraid that horses are beyond rare in these parts. Perhaps --¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. White Dragon can stay here. He won¡¯t get in your way.¡± White Dragon nodded and walked to a spot beside the wooden wall, nearest to the sheds. He faced the sheds, but did not move any further. Brother Mender stared at White Dragon. ¡°... Sister Trip, that is one intelligent horse you have right there! Obviously, he understands human speech! I have so many questions! Was he trained or born this intelligent? Are there any other horses like him? Would any foals sired by him have his intelligence?¡± ¡°He was like this when I found him. He¡¯s one of a kind. As for siring any foals, you¡¯ll have to ask him.¡± White Dragon looked at Trip, bowed his head, and winked. Brother Mender looked as though he really was going to go ask White Dragon some questions. Trip reminded him ¡°Brother Mender, let¡¯s go see the Abbot.¡± ¡°Of course! I beg your pardon, I do tend to let curiosity get the best of me. Please follow me!¡± Trip and Wukong walked behind Brother Mender, as he headed for the other end of the courtyard. When he reached the stairs leading to the highest plateau, Brother Mender paused and leaned against the wooden banister as he turned halfway around and started giving them a verbal tour. ¡°The stairs to our left lead to the living quarters, warehouses, storage rooms, and our libraries. The stairs to our right lead to our workshops, training rooms, and our trading area --¡± ¡°Oho! What a nice quarterstaff!¡± Wukong exclaimed in delight as he ran towards the next landing area. Trip scanned the area, but did not see anything resembling a quarterstaff. Other than the landing area and steps carved into the mountain rock, there was a section of the banister that was metal instead of wood¡­ ¡­ which was what Wukong laid his hand on. As easily as one would lift a cup, Wukong lifted up the thick metal rod that formed the top of the banister, and started twirling it around while passing it from one hand to the other. Although it was a little thicker than the wooden quarterstaff that Wukong had, it was more or less the same length. It looked like it was made of a dark grey metal that gave off an impression of denseness. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s still light, but much better than a wooden one! Hey, Monk Mender, I¡¯ll be taking this --¡± ¡°Wukong! Don¡¯t go around snatching other people¡¯s property! Are you a bandit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright! It¡¯s totally alright! In fact, you¡¯d be doing me a favour if you replaced that metal rod with the wooden quarterstaff you have. I was just using it as a placeholder until proper repairs could be done.¡± ¡°Is it really alright, Brother Mender? Wood for metal does not seem like an equal exchange.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°It is, if you¡¯re doing me a favour by taking away that metal rod. It¡¯s been an eyesore to me for many years, but I could never just throw it away. Giving it to you as a gift, however, is perfectly justifiable.¡± Brother Mender grinned widely, until his eyes had narrowed into thin crescents. ¡°Eyesore?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Brother Mender pinched his chin as he pursed his lips inwards. Then, with a sigh, he said. ¡°It started out as an accident. I was trying to create a new metal alloy, when one of the apprentice monks tripped and dropped some unknown metal samples into the furnace. It¡¯s been many years since then, but I¡¯m still unable to replicate it. It¡¯d be so great if I could¡­ just imagine it! A tougher, harder metal that somehow bends before it breaks, making steel look as brittle as a stone tile.¡± By this point, Brother Mender seemed to be fully immersed in his dreamy imaginings, seemingly staring at a far off future where he was happily sweating in the foundry, creating the metal of his fantasies. ¡°Hey, Monk Mender!¡± Wukong snapped his fingers in front of Brother Mender¡¯s face. ¡°Eh? Oh, my apologies --¡± ¡°Here, your payment!¡± said Wukong, as he held up Brother Mender¡¯s palm, then slapped his wooden quarterstaff into it. As Brother Mender busied himself tying the wooden quarterstaff to the rest of the banister with some string that he pulled out from inside his tunic, Trip watched Wukong grinning as he played around with his new metal toy, twirling and spinning it about as he passed it from one hand to another. White teeth flashed in the light as his dark gray face, framed with black gold-tipped fur, turned together with his body. He seemed especially pleased with himself, which was not only expressed through his wide grin and exclamations of ¡°Haha!¡± and ¡°Ooo! Ooo!¡±, but through his entire body and even his tail, which was curling and uncurling repeatedly. It was like watching a fluffy puppy play with the most fun chewy bone in the entire universe. Seemingly infected by Wukong¡¯s joy, the corner of Trip¡¯s mouth quirked up in a tiny, lopsided smile. Her eyes crinkled at the sides, as, for just a moment, she lost the look of an eagle on the hunt. For just a moment, she looked like a young girl, at ease and innocent, enjoying the simple pleasure of observing the joy of another. Trip opened her mouth, and was about to say something, when she caught a flash of something from the corner of her eye. Turning to her right, she saw two monks carrying a closed crate up the flight of stairs. A red symbol was on the lid of the crate, that of a ¡°0¡± with two horns. It was the symbol of the Crimson Bull. As though she had never even been one, the young girl was gone. In her place, was a seasoned hunter. Wary and on the alert for the slightest sign of danger. Black Hat Trip was back. -- Chapter 11, End -- Omake 1:- ¡°Ah! It¡¯s still light, but much better than a wooden one! Hey, Monk Mender, I¡¯ll be taking this!¡± said Wukong, as he carelessly threw his wooden quarterstaff away. Unfortunately, he must have forgotten how light it was, because it sailed high through the air, in the direction of where Brother Mender said the living quarters were. It was so high, that it seemed like a small baton at this distance, celebrating its release from incarceration, being wedged down the back of Wukong¡¯s tiger-skin kilt. A split second after Wukong threw the wooden quarterstaff, Trip¡¯s arm blurred, then froze, revolver in hand, arm stretched straight out towards the now falling quarterstaff. She waited another second for the quarterstaff to fall even further downwards, then she fired, waited, then fired again. She repeated this until she made four shots. In the distance, the quarterstaff had broken into five pieces. For a moment after each shot, the main body of the quarterstaff and the newly broken off piece seemed as though they were floating motionless in the air, before resuming their fall. Thankfully, the downward momentum from the fall had been partially dissipated by the gunshots, and the individual pieces were light enough that, even if they landed on someone¡¯s head, the worst that would result was a bruise. Trip¡¯s mouth was set into a tight, severe line as she reloaded her revolver. Her eyes were glaring balefully at Wukong, but her tone, like her lips, was tight and controlled. ¡°Wukong, what if your quarterstaff had hit someone and killed them?¡± ¡°Er¡­ oops?¡± Wukong hunched his shoulders as he made puppy eyes at Trip. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that! Just don¡¯t do it again.¡± Omake 2:- As the broken wooden quarterstaff fell towards the ground, it thought ¡°Not having to be anywhere near that monkey¡¯s behind anymore¡­ this is totally worth it!¡± Chapter 12 - Mine Is Bigger Than Yours! ¡°Here are the Abbot¡¯s quarters,¡± said Brother Mender, as he knocked on an impressively ornate wooden door. The golden door knocker consisted of a plate in the shape of the entwined double helix spring, while the part on a hinge used to do the actual knocking was in the shape of a gear. The door opened with the tiniest of squeaks, revealing a thin monk with bushy black eyebrows, a thin nose, and thin lips, dressed in full length robes made of shiny yellow cloth. He immediately gave off the impression that he was looking down on everyone and everything. So supercilious was his manner, that it seemed as though he was examining them with his nostrils, rather than his eyes. His nostrils bypassed Trip and Wukong to point at Brother Mender. ¡°Yeeess¡­ Brother?¡± ¡°Did Brother Gentle Wave not deliver the message? This is Sister Trip, a Sister of the Faith, here to meet the Abbot.¡± ¡°How do you know she¡¯s a Sister of the Faith? Just because she says she¡¯s one? As the gatekeeper, are you letting just anybody into the Monastery? Are you a gatekeeper, or an usher? Perhaps you still fail to understand the duties --¡± Wukong suddenly shoved the monk, causing him to fly a few feet backwards, before falling flat on his behind to slide another few feet more on the stone floor. Wukong then shoved the half-open door, causing it to slam against the stone wall with a loud BANG, revealing another two occupants in the room, one seated behind a long low table, another standing beside the seated one. Both occupants were dressed in the same shiny yellow full length robes, and were staring at Wukong in shock. ¡°Hey there Mister Monk Man!¡± Wukong boomed as he strode forward with his chest puffed out and one hand resting on the metal quarterstaff slotted through the back of his tiger-skin kilt. He gave off the air of a certain type of emperor who, while taking a walk in his own palace, decided to enter the rooms of his servants on a whim. However, this room definitely did not look like it belonged to any servant. It contained cupboards and bookshelves made of a warm, shiny, dark-brown wood. The kind of wood that gleams so expensively, the smallest speck of dirt would stand out on it like an elephant standing on a plain of ice. The bookshelves were lined with rare books instead of scrolls. Thick, luxurious carpets and cushions were scattered all over the floor, and equally thick curtains were hung over the windows and on the walls. There was a fire cheerfully crackling away in a firepit in the center of the room. The area between the firepit and the wall opposite the door was dominated by the long, low table of about knee height that one of the monks was sitting behind. Upon closer examination, it consisted of three square tables arranged side by side. Amazingly, they were of equally perfect dimensions, causing them to resemble a single long table, arranged as they were. ¡°Your man there didn¡¯t give us much of a welcome, but I know that, as the Monk of Monks, you would want to extend every courtesy towards the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and his Mistress, the Ever-Righteous Lady Trip! So I decided to help you out and discipline your man there a little bit for you!¡± Upon hearing the ridiculous title that Wukong had invented for her, Trip¡¯s mouth opened the tiniest bit. Then she closed it back, deciding to hold her peace. ¡°I apologise on behalf of Brother Broad Plans. He does tend to take his duties¡­ very seriously. I am the Abbot, welcome to the Monastery of LGS¡± said the monk seated behind the table, in a deep sonorous voice. The Abbot was big, meaty and soft. He looked as though he might have been muscular once in his youth, but it had all gone to fat. He had thick grey eyebrows, a red bulbous nose, fleshy red lips and a florid complexion. Like all the other monks, he was completely bald. If one was being uncharitable, it could be said that he looked like a tomato with two grey goose feather eyebrows. ¡°Thank you for the¡­ warm welcome, Abbot. May the light of Technology never wane.¡± said Trip, with a slight twist to her lips. ¡°May the light of Technology never wane. I see that Brother Mender was not mistaken after all. Speaking of which, Brother Mender, you may return to your duties now.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Although the Abbot¡¯s tone was mild, his gaze towards Brother Mender was cold, and his words could not be mistaken as anything other than dismissive. Brother Mender, who had been grinning at Brother Broad Plan¡¯s scrambling to get up and recover from his less than dignified position on the floor, snapped his expression into a controlled poker face upon hearing the Abbot¡¯s dismissal. With a nod towards Trip, he turned and left without a word. ¡°Please do come in, Sister Trip. I¡¯d like to hear more about which monastery you come from, and more importantly, do you have any technology to share with us?¡± As Trip sat at the table, she observed that a dark red velvet cloth was spread in front of the Abbot, and he had been polishing the disassembled pieces of what looked like a large double-barrelled pistol. The entire pistol, especially the handle and barrels, was decorated with ornate gold and silver filigree, making it look more like an ornament than a weapon. ¡°I come from a Monastery of LGS far in the North-East, but it no longer exists. As for technology, few things have amazed me as much as that double-barrelled pistol. Even back at the monastery, we did not have anything even remotely resembling that piece of work.¡± Upon hearing Trip''s amazement, the monk standing beside the Abbot straightened and grinned proudly. ¡°That is perfectly alright. Maybe your monastery was researching in another direction. After all, what you see before you is the pinnacle of firearms research and development, the result of many years of focused direction and coordination from our Abbot. Without him, we would have wasted our time focusing on other things. Thanks to our Abbot, through unity of purpose, we developed a double-barreled pistol that not only preserves accuracy, but also loads our unique cartridge¡­ from the BACK! Why, it takes only twelve seconds for most of us to reload it! Imagine that, two shots every twelve seconds!¡± ¡°Please pardon Brother Broad Wisdom. He headed the team that developed the double-barrelled pistol, so he is understandably quite¡­ enthusiastic about it.¡± drawled the Abbot. ¡°Wow, two shots every twelve seconds is¡­ really good.¡± nodded Trip. ¡°Really good? Just ¡°really good¡±? It¡¯s unprecedented! A front-loading pistol would be, at best, two shots a minute!¡± The Abbot gave a sideways glance at Trip through slitted eyes, as he smiled at the monk who seemed on the verge of frothing at the mouth. ¡°Now, now, Brother Broad Wisdom, what have I always said about humility? To be honest, Sister Trip, these pistols of ours are still quite crude. Frankly speaking, we lack both knowledge and inspiration, which is why we are still so far behind what our ancestors could create. Perhaps you know of something, some example of better workmanship that we could use to expand our horizons?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing. The workmanship on that pistol looks very fancy. A custom job for somebody important?¡± ¡°Yes, you could say it is for somebody responsible for all our safety. Now, talking about an item of great workmanship, how about that crossbow on your back? It does not look anything like a simple crossbow.¡± Trip touched the stock of her crossbow sticking out above and behind her shoulder. ¡°This? It doesn¡¯t work well, especially if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Oh? But you would know how to use it, since it is your crossbow. Could you show us how it works?¡± Before Trip could refuse again, Brother Broad Plans, who was now standing beside the Abbot, sneered and said, ¡°Father, perhaps she is ashamed of it. Let us not force her. After all, it is expected that one who has obviously been spending too much time among uncivilised savages --¡± he paused as he directed a glare at Wukong ¡°-- would not have the chance to come into contact with anything beyond the most primitive of tools. Why concern ourselves with a mere crossbow when we already have guns?¡± ¡°Ha! My Mistress has weapons more advanced than anything you could think of!¡± shouted Wukong. His arm blurred as he swiped Trip¡¯s revolver right out of her holster, without shifting her duster in the slightest. Trip made a desperate grab for her revolver, but Wukong¡¯s move was completely unexpected, and sheer shock had delayed her response. With a light smack, Wukong laid the revolver on the velvet cloth in front of the Abbot. Beside the ornately decorated pieces of the double-barrelled pistol, the plain revolver looked utilitarian, yet deadly. The Abbot held the revolver in both hands, as he examined the bullets in the cylinder. ¡°SIX shots!? What an ingenious design!¡± ¡°This is my Mistress¡¯ Lightning Pistol of Continuous Smiting! I dare say that it is the most advanced pistol in existence! Never seen anything like it, have you? HAVE YOU? Who¡¯s the uncivilised savage now, huuuuuuh?¡± gloated Wukong. ¡°It¡¯s still you!¡± said Trip, in a tone that was as cold as a glacier and as sharp as a rapier. Her eyes were staring icicles of death at Wukong. -- Chapter 12, End -- Chapter 13 - What A Good Follower! The fur on the back of Wukong¡¯s neck stood straight up, as he sensed the barely leashed killing intent from Trip. ¡°Er¡­ Mistress, I couldn¡¯t just let them insult you like that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you later¡±, said Trip, as she reached across the table to retrieve her revolver. ¡°Ah, please wait, Honoured Sister!¡± shouted the Abbot, as he hugged the revolver to his chest with both hands. At a loss, Trip¡¯s hand paused in mid-air. ¡°Please, let us study your weapon for one night. Just one night! I swear on my life that it will be returned to you tomorrow morning!¡± pleaded the Abbot. ¡°Why should I allow it?¡± Trip¡¯s voice was like an icy blade. Her hand, stretched across the table, seemed more like razor sharp claws ready to tear through the Abbot in order to reclaim what was hers. Brother Broad Plans and Brother Broad Wisdom reflexively gulped in fear, as cold sweat erupted from their backs. Even the Abbot hunched his shoulders a bit, making it seem as though he was trying very hard not to curl into a ball for self-protection. ¡°Sister Trip, it may not seem like it, but we are under the yoke of the Crimson Army. We have to produce weapons for them, or face utter destruction! The way we are now, there is no way we could withstand even the first attack from the Lieutenant stationed here, the Black Wind Demon, and his army. But with your six-shot pistol, if every single Monk here was armed with it, we could hold off the army forever!¡± ¡°... very well. You will return it to me by dawn tomorrow.¡± There was no need to add an ¡°or else¡±. The threat, no, the promise of dire consequences was obvious in her voice. ¡°Please excuse us. I would like to retire for the night.¡± ¡°Of course! Brother Broad Plans, please have someone show them to the guest quarters.¡± said the Abbot in a tone so ingratiating that it caused the hairs on Trips arms to stand up. Immediately, Brother Broad Plans pulled a cord on the wall that rang a bell, summoning a young monk to the door, to lead Trip and Wukong away. Without another word, Trip followed the young monk out of the Abbot¡¯s quarters, through the cold stone corridors, down and up long flights of stairs towards the living quarters that Brother Mender had pointed out to them earlier. Not once did she even glance at Wukong, who followed along quietly behind her, head down, shoulders hunched, meek as a mouse. On the way to the guest quarters, they passed by the living quarters of the monks. There were individual wooden huts, and also large barracks where double-decker beds arranged in rows could be seen through the windows. At last, they arrived at a large wooden hut that was some distance away from the living quarters. It was larger and more ornate than the other individual, utilitarian-looking wooden huts they had seen. The roof and pillars were decorated with carvings of dragons, tigers, and bears. The back of the hut was facing a cliff, while around the front of the hut was an elegant sand and stone garden that gave a feeling of tranquility. Unfortunately, that tranquility did nothing to promote any sense of serenity in Trip. Her expression was still that of a glacier trapping several thunderstorms. The young monk had guided them all the way without daring to utter a single word. With lowered head, he indicated the door to the hut, bowed deeply, then quickly scurried away. Pushing the door open, Trip saw a single room. On one side, there were two double-decker beds, with a footlocker each. On the other, there was a solid-looking wooden table with several wooden stools. On the table, was a jug filled with water, along with several earthenware cups. Along the walls, were several wooden shelves and cabinets. With forceful, authoritative steps, Trip walked to the table and sat down on one of the wooden stools. After taking off her backpack and crossbow, she gripped her knee hard with one hand, as though restraining herself from doing something pointless yet satisfying, such as flipping the table. With her other hand, she indicated one of the empty stools, looked at Wukong, and said, ¡°Sit.¡± Wukong, who was still standing meekly beside the door after entering, said in an uncharacteristically low tone, ¡°This follower does not dare.¡± ¡°Follower? What a good follower! Why did you reveal my revolver, my FATHER¡¯S revolver, to the Abbot?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Mistress, they were disrespecting you! As your follower, how could I allow that?¡± ¡°So you decided to snatch my precious weapon? Without asking for my consent?¡± ¡°Mistress, trust me, we can¡¯t allow them to disrespect us! If they don¡¯t respect us, they¡¯ll walk all over us!¡± ¡°To hell with respect! I don¡¯t need their respect! They can look down on us for all I care. After spending one night here, we would be gone, and most likely would never meet them ever again! What need do we have for their respect? Unless¡­ by disrespecting me, they disrespected YOU, and THAT, you could not take!¡± Wukong lowered his head and kept silent. It appeared that Trip¡¯s words had hit their mark. Trip let out a huge sigh. Together with the air, she exhaled her anger, and just like that, she became much calmer. ¡°Listen to me, Wukong. There is a time when showing off or intimidating others can be a great tactic. Just now, was NOT one of those times. I needed those monks to think that they had nothing to gain from us. But no, you had to compete with them, even though we are greatly outnumbered. If the Abbot decides to keep my revolver, how are we going to get it back? Can we win in a fight against hundreds or thousands of his monks?¡± ¡°You say that you are my follower, but I do not need a follower I cannot trust. I need someone dependable. If you¡¯re sincere about helping me, then go reflect on your actions, and think about how you can do better.¡± Like a chastised child, Wukong kept his head lowered, and slowly walked to sit on the floor in a corner of the room. With his back leaning against the wall, he sat in the lotus position, while placing his metal quarterstaff across his knees. Trip took a few deep breaths, centering herself and recovering from having to speak so much. Then, she took a drink out of her canteen rather than from the jug of water on the table, as she surveyed the room once more. With a sudden movement, she stood up, then started moving furniture around. Twenty minutes later, the room looked ready to withstand a siege. The table had been turned on its side and placed before the back corner of the room where Wukong was sitting. The rest of the furniture had been arranged on either side of the table, leaving a small gap wide enough for one person to pass through. In effect, she had created a bottleneck that would force any attackers to only be able to fight them one or two at a time. At least for a while. When the attackers finally got around to dismantling the bottleneck of furniture, there was a window at the back of the room for them to escape through. At the door was a trap fashioned from string and sharpened stool legs. Anybody stepping through the door without warning would be thoroughly impaled. Satisfied that she had done what she could to prepare, Trip began her nightly physical training regime, ending it with the meditation session accompanied with orange lights that gradually turned white, leaving her fully recovered. Dressing herself in her black duster, with her knives, crossbow, and backpack near at hand, she hunkered down behind the table to sleep. *** As the hour neared midnight, back at the Abbot¡¯s quarters, the Abbot had asked Brother Broad Wisdom to summon his team to help examine the revolver. After almost an hour of much scratching of heads and chins, stroking of beards and moustaches (not each other¡¯s, thank you very much), hemming and hawing, Brother Broad Wisdom finally completed the impromptu discussion with his team. He turned towards the Abbot, but still hesitated to speak. ¡°Well?¡± prompted the Abbot. ¡°Er¡­ Father, it¡¯s like this. You see, this six-shot pistol is deceptively sophisticated. The chambers are exactly the same size and distance from each other, the parts interlock and fit together precisely, and there¡¯s this weird spiral pattern on the inside of the barrel that we can¡¯t make sense of. Even the bullets¡­ we had to take one out and dismantle it, and it¡¯s¡­ we simply have never seen a bullet like this before! There¡¯s more than just gunpowder in there!¡± ¡°So, what are you saying? Do you need more people?¡± ¡°Father, I¡¯m saying that we need at least a few months to study this, before we can even start a trial and error process to make the machines that can make the components for the pistol and bullets!¡± ¡°Months? We don¡¯t have months! You heard that woman, she wants it back tomorrow morning! You saw how that damned monkey demon handled Brother Broad Plans! Who knows what else it¡¯s capable of!¡± ¡°Father, please, it¡¯s not a problem at all.¡± interjected Brother Broad Plans. ¡°We simply have to¡­ remove Sister Trip and the monkey demon. Then we¡¯ll have all the time we need to study this six-shot pistol.¡± ¡°Remove? Oh, er¡­ now that¡¯s a great idea. Good solution. Ahem, well, make sure it¡¯s done quietly. And don¡¯t let Brother Mender or any of his people find out about it. In fact, best make it look like an accident! We have our image to consider, after all.¡± As the Abbot said all that, he managed to maintain the virtuous air of a benevolent saint. As though he had not given his approval for the murder of his guests. Brother Broad Plans smiled in such twisted delight, that his smile was more of a sneer, and his eyes became sharp triangular slits. It was obvious that he was eagerly anticipating his revenge for the indignities he had suffered earlier. ¡°Worry not, Father. Please, let me take care of it.¡± ¡°Good, good, I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± said the Abbot, who then laughed heartily. His laughter was quickly followed by that of Brother Broad Plans, Brother Broad Wisdom, and the other monks in the room. Although their laughter was loud and unrestrained, very little of it escaped the room. Such were the precautions the Abbot had taken to ensure that none could eavesdrop on the schemes hatched within his quarters. -- Chapter 13, End -- Chapter 14 - Preparations for Making Meat Paste Brother Broad Plans pulled the cord on the wall again, ringing the bell. The same young monk knocked on the door then entered, bowing his head. Motioning the young monk forward, Brother Broad Plans bent over to speak quietly into the young monk¡¯s ear. The young monk¡¯s eyes widened, nodding and bowing deeply to Brother Broad Plans and the Abbot, before hurrying away. Brother Broad Plans followed the young monk out the door, then walked in a different direction. Eventually, he entered a large room filled with dried herbs hanging from racks suspended from the ceiling. Along the walls were shelves filled with jars that contained a variety of mysterious substances. Some jars contained powders of different colours, seeds, and dried animal parts. Other jars contained a noxious looking liquid, in which baby snakes or rats were floating. After rummaging through some cabinets and drawers, he finally found what he wanted. With a twisted smile, he gathered armfuls of incense sticks, then hurried out of the room towards the guest quarters. *** Back at the guest quarters, the tranquility of the sand and stone garden was disrupted by a large group of monks that were slowly approaching. They were trying to be quiet and stealthy, like assassins. But since they had neither the training nor aptitude, they failed miserably. The massed whispers of a large crowd accompanied the clattering of wood, as the monks gathered a distance away from the wooden hut which Trip and Wukong were in. Some of the monks were carrying burning torches, while the rest brought great big bundles of firewood. After dumping the firewood in a pile, they hurried off for more, as silently as they could. After a short while, Brother Broad Plans strode towards them with his arms full of bundles of incense sticks, which he passed to several monks who carried a bamboo pipe and a torch each. They moved to the wooden hut, taking up positions at the closed door and windows. They lit up the bundles of incense, putting the burning incense inside the bamboo pipe. They then pressed their bamboo pipes against the slits in their assigned entryway, all the while gently blowing into the bamboo pipes. Thin wisps of smoke curled into the wooden hut. Seeing this, the other monks who were waiting lifted the bundles of firewood and began to move forward, but they suddenly froze as Brother Broad Plans hissed, ¡°Stop! Wait for another minute for the Knock-Out Incense to take effect!¡±. All the monks nodded obediently and settled down, until a minute later, when Brother Broad Plans gave the signal to proceed. Almost as one, they silently rushed forward and began stacking the firewood all around the hut, as high as they could. Some monks held clay urns, splashing the firewood with distilled spirits to help it burn faster when it was finally ignited. Some other monks set up a relay, bringing more firewood from various storage piles.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The monks tried to work fast, but it would take quite some time before their labour-intensive case of arson could be completed. *** Within the wooden hut, Trip had already been put into a deep sleep, due to inhaling the almost scentless smoke from the Knock-Out Incense. Wukong, on the other hand, was completely unaffected. Two dimly glowing golden eyes blinked in the darkness of the hut, as he sniffed the air. With a movement that seemed almost unconscious, he plucked a gold-black hair from his head, and blew on it. Immediately, the hair dissolved into a tiny cloud of golden motes of light, which quickly coalesced into a small round object with two wings that resembled that of a bumblebee. The bumblebee-like construct began to fly towards the roof. Before it could even get two feet away from Wukong, it burst into a cloud of black motes which flew back towards Wukong¡¯s head, forming a completely black hair there. For a moment, Wukong was stunned. With panicked movements, he tore two great handfuls of hair from his head, packed them tightly into a single mass in his hands, then blew on it. The same thing happened, except that this time, the bumblebee-like construct flew up and out of the wooden hut, through a crack between the roof and the wall. Satisfied, Wukong closed his eyes. Instead of darkness, he began to see through the eyes of the little bumblebee. He saw the monks piling up firewood all around the hut. By now, the stacks of firewood were almost as high as the top of the door and windows. He saw a monk, who had just completed laying a trail of gunpowder. From the stacks of firewood around the hut, the gunpowder led all the way to where most of the monks were waiting. He saw Brother Broad Plans, an ugly smirk of satisfied victory on his face, a brightly burning torch in his hand, approaching the trail of gunpowder. Emitting a low growl, Wukong mentally directed the little bumblebee to attack Brother Broad Plans. A metal stinger half the length of his little finger slid out the back of the little bumblebee, as it zoomed towards Brother Broad Plans, stabbing him in the eye. ¡°Ah?¡± Initially, Brother Broad Plans was more surprised than anything else, at having something suddenly obscuring half his vision. ¡°AHHHH!¡± Brother Broad Plans dropped to the floor, as he felt his eyeball explode, the pain spreading from his eye to his entire head. He slapped both hands to his face as he rolled around, while letting go of the burning torch. Which, unfortunately, still landed on the trail of gunpowder. Like a tiny snake of sparks and flame speedily crawling on the ground, the lit up portion on the trail of gunpowder reached the stacked-up firewood in a flash. Then, with a loud ¡°FWOOOMP¡±, the stacks of firewood and the hut were covered in flames. Within the hut, a pair of golden eyes glowed brightly, revealing the rest of Wukong¡¯s snarling face. As small black particles reformed into black hairs on his head, he eyed the flames that were spreading around the walls of the hut. These people DARED to attack his Mistress? They DARED to try claiming the life of his SAVIOUR? Over his dead body! Wukong roared so loudly, the roof and windows shuddered. ¡°I¡¯LL SMASH ALL OF YOU INTO MEAT PASTE!¡± -- Chapter 14, End -- Chapter 15 - Of Barbeques and Firing Squads Wukong tore away great handfuls of fur from his body as he growled incoherently, blowing each handful away in a cloud of golden motes. A swarm of little bumblebees took form, flying towards the roof. With his metal quarterstaff, he started thrusting at the support beams that connected the roof to the hut. Every strike produced a loud BOOM and an awful groaning noise, as well as visible cracks and gaps in the thick wooden beams. Within seconds, he was done. *** Meanwhile, the monks outside the hut had turned their attention away from Brother Broad Plans, who had gone from screaming and rolling around to quietly sobbing in a curled up position, hands still pressed against his face. The monks had heard the various loud noises coming from the flaming hut, and were looking at it expectantly. Was it the struggling of those they had trapped inside? Or was it the final groan of a dying building, moments away from collapsing on itself? Instead, they saw the roof suddenly detach itself while floating upwards on a bed of tiny golden lights. For a split second, the roof seemed like it had achieved enlightenment, hovering above the chaos in serene detachment. Sadly, that illusion was mercilessly shattered, as a black-gold furry figure jumped towards the roof and kicked it, sending it flying towards the group of monks. Fortunately, because their eyes were already on the flaming hut, they were able to avoid the flaming roof. While running off in all directions, they may have resembled headless chickens more than stately monks, but they managed to save themselves. Less fortunately, the monks were so panicked at the completely unexpected sight of a huge flaming roof earnestly impersonating a suicidal phoenix headed their way, that they completely forgot about Brother Broad Plans. Which is how a Brother Broad Plans-flavoured meat paste was created¡­ and cooked on the spot too. The rest of the monks did not have much time to even register the fate of Brother Broad Plans. Moments after the flaming roof came crashing down for the impromptu barbeque party, the front of the wooden hut exploded outwards. Burning firewood and flaming pieces of wall flew outwards, as did Wukong. With both hands, he held the sturdy wooden table in front of him like some shield-like battering ram. On his back was Trip, securely fastened and covered with a wet blanket. Switching the table to a one-handed grip, he reared his arm back, then threw the table towards the largest group of monks, sending it spinning towards them. It mowed them down until finally crashing into a trio of monks.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. In a great rumbling voice that sounded like the the grindstone of doom, Wukong shouted, ¡°JUST TRY TO RUN! I¡¯LL HUNT YOU DOWN ANYWAY!¡± ¡°Foolish monkey demon! You dare to boast with just a stick in your hands? Brothers! Arm yourselves!¡± Brother Broad Wisdom had arrived with his team of monks. In his hands was the double-barreled pistol. The other monks with him were armed with a brace of pistols each, or had arms full of leather ammunition pouches. One or two near the back were holding wooden boxes full of pistols and more pouches of ammunition. Now that one of their leaders was on the scene, the previously scattered monks all assembled behind Brother Broad Wisdom. Grabbing the pistols provided, they formed a neat line facing Wukong, with Brother Broad Wisdom in the middle. To the right and slightly behind each monk brandishing pistols, was another monk with pouches of ammunition. ¡°Witness the power of our technology! Brothers, fire at will!¡± The monks with pistols began shooting at Wukong, as their partners reloaded more pistols for them. The group of monks, as a whole, formed a machine that shot out a continuous stream of bullets. Wukong walked forward with steady steps, spinning his quarterstaff so quickly that it blurred, forming a shield of wind and metal. Despite the large number of bullets shot at him, most of them missed completely. The rest were deflected with his spinning quarterstaff. Walking forwards faster and faster, he reduced the distance between them. Fifty feet¡­ twenty-five feet¡­ and then he charged. *** Some distance away from the monastery, there was a cave. Above the opening of the cave, there was a stone sign, with the words ¡°Black Wind Cave¡± on it. Below the sign, stood a black bear hybrid. He looked like a black bear that was standing on two legs, with an overall build that was slightly more human than bear. He was not very tall, but he was bulky, powerful and covered in scars. His shoulder muscles and arms were so over-developed that it made his head, that otherwise looked like that of any other bear, seem smaller in proportion. With his beady eyes, he gazed over the ledge and downwards at the monastery. In the dark of the night, it could be seen that the fire had somehow spread from the hut to other structures nearby. Could it be that¡­ in trying to fulfill his order for a special double-barrelled pistol, those foolish monks had set fire to their workshops? He didn¡¯t care about the monks, but what if they failed to complete the special pistol that was meant for the Bull Demon King? Suddenly feeling nervous, the black bear hybrid dropped down to all fours and started charging down the trail leading from the cave to the monastery. Although he looked clumsy, his speed was deceptively fast. It would take him mere minutes. Then, he would see what the fuss was all about. As he ran, the black bear hybrid¡¯s heart was filled with anxiety. Shaking his head, he comforted himself. At worst, he would just haul the Abbot in front of the Bull Demon King and push all the blame on to the foolish Abbot! -- Chapter 15, End -- Chapter 16 - Too Hot to Handle The black bear hybrid headed directly to the Abbot¡¯s quarters. He was obviously familiar with the way to get there, as he did not miss a single turn while running through the corridors. There were not many monks still up and about in that area of the monastery at that time of night, but those that were, immediately made way for him while bowing their heads. Finally, he reached the Abbots quarters. Without stopping, he burst through the door that had already been forcefully handled by Wukong earlier. With a loud cracking noise, the top half of the door detached from the wall to lean drunkenly at an angle. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you, Master Black Wind! What a surprise, hahaha!¡± said the Abbot, as he flipped the velvet cloth over the revolver. The Abbot had reacted quickly in his attempt to hide the revolver, but he had not been fast enough. A single glimpse of the revolver was enough to divert Black Wind¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s that? Pass it over!¡± said Black Wind, as he barrelled forward, reaching for the cloth. With surprising agility, the Abbot grabbed the revolver, still wrapped in the cloth, and rolled backwards. Somehow, he managed to extract the revolver from the cloth, then levelled it at Black Wind. For a moment, both of them froze. The Abbot¡¯s face was set in a terrified grimace. Although cold sweat burst out across his forehead, his hands on the revolver were steady. Black Wind¡¯s eyes narrowed, gaze darting between the Abbot¡¯s face and the gun in his hand, all the while tensing and gathering strength in his furry legs. At some unspoken signal, Black Wind charged forwards while flipping the table between them towards the Abbot. Almost reflexively, the Abbot pressed the trigger on the revolver. BOOM!.The revolver went off, flew backwards out of his grip, and smacked him in the face. Stunned, his hands scrambled as he tried to recover the gun, but he was too late. CRACK! Black Wind broke the Abbot¡¯s neck efficiently and easily. Having rid himself of the threat, he checked himself for any holes, before looking around. He spotted a hole that went completely through the heavy table he had flipped at the Abbot. He eyes opened wide as he broke out in cold sweat. He had thought that the table would be enough to protect him. Who knew that it was so much more powerful than normal guns? Luckily, the Abbot missed! After picking up the revolver, Black Wind studied it. When he saw the chambers in the cylinder, his eyes widened. Six chambers? That meant six bullets! And it looked like it wouldn¡¯t need reloading between every single shot! Grinning happily, he rushed back to his cave. This was a gift that was so much better than a double-barrelled pistol. He was sure to be promoted this time! *** Darkness abated as dawn approached. A gust of wind parted the thin screen of smoke hanging over the area, revealing Wukong, breathing heavily while leaning on his quarterstaff, Trip still secured on his back. All around him were the broken bodies of the monks that had attacked his Mistress and himself. Some were sticking out of nearby walls or roofs. Some had pieces of wall or their weapons sticking out of them. Not a single one was left standing. A soft noise caught his attention. Slowly, he walked over to a pile of bodies. Kicking over the topmost body, he revealed a weakly wheezing Brother Broad Wisdom. One of his hands was clamped over a wound in his chest that had the rear portion of the double-barreled pistol sticking out of it. His other arm was obviously broken, as were both his legs. Despite his condition, he glared at Wukong as though he would try to bite Wukong if only he had the chance. Readying the quarterstaff, Wukong prepared to deal a killing blow, but a smaller hand reached over his shoulder, gripping his arm. ¡°WAIT.¡± It was as though her arm wasn¡¯t even there. Not showing any sign that he had heard or felt her, Wukong struck. ¡°Suffer not an enemy in thy camp!¡±, growled Wukong. The end of a quarterstaff broke a bloody hole in Brother Broad Wisdom¡¯s head. He died with his face frozen in a glare, eyes still on Trip.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. At the same time, Brother Mender arrived with a group of monks. Some of them were paralyzed with shock. The rest moaned or screamed at the sight of the broken bodies of their fellow monks littering the area. Alerted by the movement and sound, Wukong withdrew his quarterstaff from Brother Mender¡¯s forehead. A powerful twist of his wrist caused blood, bone and brain matter from the quarterstaff to spatter on the ground. Growling, he brandished it at Brother Mender and the new group of monks. Brother Mender raised his empty hands in the air, giving the universal gesture of surrender. The monks around him copied the movement. ¡°Sister Trip, Wukong, I come in peace. I swear, I mean you no harm. As you can see, I and my brothers here are unarmed. Please, let us help you and our brothers.¡± ¡°Wukong, they¡¯re no threat. Let me down.¡± Trip patted Wukong¡¯s shoulder. Suddenly obedient, Wukong did as she asked. Trip stared at the unpredictable monkey, deep in thought. Soon, she shook her head. She would have to figure him out another time. There was something much more urgent she had to take care of. Examining Brother Mender, she felt that he was being sincere. Based on the earlier interaction between him and the Abbot, she deduced that there was no love lost between them. Under Trip¡¯s gaze, Brother Mender remained calm, almost exuding goodwill and earnestness. ¡°Take me to your Abbot. It¡¯s time for me to collect my gun.¡± ¡°Certainly. Are my brothers here allowed to move freely?¡± asked Brother Mender. The monks around him still had their hands in the air, staring at Wukong and his dreadfully gory quarterstaff in horrified silence. Trip nodded. ¡°Make it fast. And make sure everyone here knows, this is the result of trying to harm us.¡± Turning to look at the broken bodies of his misguided brothers, Brother Mender heaved a heavy sigh. A part of him had feared that this would happen, the moment he began to consider how Brother Broad Plans would retaliate in response to Wukong¡¯s insulting treatment. After repeated reassurances from Brother Mender, the other monks were finally convinced that putting down their hands wouldn¡¯t launch Wukong into a homicidal rage. Timidly, with constant glances at Wukong, they went about the tasks of checking on the fallen monks and carrying them off. Others went to deal with the smouldering remnants of the surrounding buildings. With obvious impatience, Trip interrupted Brother Mender as he was in the middle of giving instructions. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Now.¡± *** The aftermath of the Abbot¡¯s fight with Black Wind lay before them. Brother Mender checked on the Abbot, sadly shaking his head. Wukong scurried all over the room, trying his hardest to find Trip¡¯s revolver. But Trip was already certain that it was gone. The broken door. The signs of struggle. The single bullet hole in the table. The lack of blood. The Abbot¡¯s obviously broken neck. The lack of any other wounds on the Abbot¡¯s body. Obviously, the perpetrator was someone, or more likely something, monstrously fast and strong. Fast enough to have avoided the Abbot¡¯s first shot, then reaching the Abbot before he could get off another shot. Strong enough to snap the sturdy Abbot¡¯s neck as their first and last move. Worst of all, that something taken her revolver. Her FATHER¡¯S revolver! For a moment, just the tiniest slice of a moment, Trip felt like snatching Wukong¡¯s quarterstaff and ramming it down his throat. Or up his nose. But no, that would be¡­ unproductive. Furthermore, she could have forcefully gotten her revolver back instead of leaving it with the Abbot for the night, but she didn¡¯t. If she started blaming others, then she should blame herself too, and that would just start an endless downward spiral. There was always more than enough to go around, once the blame game started. After she had calmed herself down, she asked Brother Mender about any hybrids¡­ no, demons, around the area who might have done this. While sighing heavily, Brother Mender told her about Black Wind, the black bear demon who lived in Black Wind Cave nearby. Black Wind, a Lieutenant in the Crimson Army, who, through a combination of threats and bribery, managed to persuade the Abbot into devoting the entire Monastery into becoming a manufacturer of weapons for the Crimson Army. ¡°Even though I disagreed with him, many times, to his face, I would never have wished this fate for him. He was our Abbot, and he really believed he made the right decision in order to ensure our survival.¡± Brother Mender sighed again, his gaze still on the Abbot¡¯s body, now covered with a rug. ¡°What will you do now?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m now the most senior remaining member of this monastery, I say it¡¯s time we stop being the Crimson Army¡¯s slaves. Although my brothers and I are craftsmen, not fighters, I¡¯ve always believed that we have more than enough ingenuity to turn our monastery into an impenetrable fortress. We may not be able to defeat them, but we can turtle up to keep the demons away indefinitely! Ahem¡­ ah, seems I got carried away there. How about you, Sister Trip?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get my gun back.¡± ¡°But¡­ Black Wind is a demon! A powerful one, at that. We¡¯re just humans, there¡¯s no way we could defeat him in his stronghold!¡± ¡°We? No need. You all stay here. I¡¯m going alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s suicide!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve trained for this.¡± ¡°What if it¡¯s not enough?!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll fail. If I survive, I¡¯ll try again. Maybe train some more.¡± With a worried look on his face, Wukong waved his hands between Trip and Brother Mender. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re going... alone¡­ ?¡± -- Chapter 16, End -- Chapter 17 - To Protect and Serve It had taken many hours for Trip to wear down and extract the information she needed from the reluctant Brother Mender, who initially feared that he would only be facilitating her suicidal mission. Eventually he relented, and resolved to provide her with monastery resources to help her survive and, perhaps, even prevail. Finally, she stood before a narrow trail that Brother Mender had told her would lead her directly to Black Wind Cave. Behind her was a series of narrow stairs that led back to a heavily-secured door in the monastery wall. On her, she had various weapons and supplies that she had obtained from Brother Mender, in addition to those she already owned. She was going up against members of the Crimson Army. She was loaded. She was ready. No quarter asked, no quarter given. Beside her, Wukong pleaded with her yet again, as he had been doing for the past while. ¡°Mistress, you¡¯re going up against a demon! You NEED me with you!¡± Trip stared at him with frost in her eyes and liquid nitrogen in her tone. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. Stay here. You¡¯ve done enough.¡± Without another word, she turned her head away from him and started down the trail at a brisk walk. Wukong could only watch her, his entire body drooping, tail limp, as she moved further and further away from him. The further she went, the more he seemed to wilt. Soon, she followed a turn in the trail and disappeared out of sight. Losing sight of his Mistress, Wukong seemed to also lose even enough strength to keep standing. Dropping down into a crouch, both hands grasping the hair on his head, he rocked back and forth, muttering to himself in an increasingly agitated manner. ¡°How could this happen! What if Mistress gets into trouble? I need to go help her!¡±. He rose up into a half-crouch, then froze. ¡°But¡­ I swore obedience! Mistress told me to stay! If I willingly disobey, then I¡¯m a bad monkey!¡± He crouched back down, hands pulling frustratedly on his hair. As his muttering grew louder, so did the strength in his hands. Instead of only pulling on it, he was tearing the hair off his head and the fur off his chest and torso in great handfuls. His tail lashed all about in agitation. Without him noticing it, the hair and fur he tore off floated together and formed a single pillar-like cloud of golden particles. Gradually, the golden cloud assumed the size and shape of a human woman. A golden hand came to rest on the top of Wukong¡¯s head. Feeling the gentle warmth emanating from the hand, Wukong turned his head to see a radiant being, giving off a glow that soothed not only the eyes, but also the spirit. In fact, Wukong was soothed so much, his muttering stopped as his mouth dropped open. The woman was tall, with long hair tied back in a practical ponytail. Large almond-shaped eyes beneath two thick arching scimitar eyebrows. A snub nose above generous bow-shaped lips. She wore a sleeveless robe, showing tattoos of the Gear and Spring on her well-defined shoulders. The woman smiled at Wukong, revealing crow¡¯s feet and laugh lines.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Lady Tang?¡± rumbled Wukong. He blinked a few times, then opened his eyes wider. ¡°Lady Tang! It¡¯s you!¡±. He scrambled forward on all fours to kneel before her. ¡°I did everything you asked me to! I served Mistress as best as I could, but she doesn¡¯t want me with her. How can I help when she won¡¯t let me?¡±. Wukong held his hands out pleadingly. ¡°Wukong¡±. Although she was still smiling, her voice had a hint of iron in it. ¡°Tell me, what were my exact words? Do you remember?¡± ¡°Yes Lady Tang!¡± Wukong scrambled to his feet, coming to a ramrod-straight posture of military attention. ¡°I was to wait under the Mountain of Five Elements until one day, a descendant of Tang would come to release me. My mission would then be to protect and serve them.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯m glad you remember. Now, do you know what you should do?¡± ¡°Er¡­ follow orders and stay here, like Mistress ordered?¡± ¡°No Wukong. Protect first, THEN serve. Do what you must to protect her. Blind obedience will serve neither her nor yourself.¡± ¡°But¡­ if I disobey Mistress, she won¡¯t trust me anymore!¡± ¡°What makes you think she trusts you now? Trust is a two-way bridge, built stone by stone. Have you done anything to prove that you trust her?¡± ¡°Of course I trust Mistress!¡± ¡°I see. So of course you¡¯ve told her important things about yourself. Things that might help or hinder her mission. Things that she needs to know.¡± ¡°Those things¡­ I can handle it! She DOESN¡¯T need to know!¡± ¡°Just think about it. I leave it to you. Let¡¯s go back to what you need to do now, when your Mistress is heading into danger. Which do you think she would appreciate more, sitting here being of no help at all, or following her anyway, so you can be there to support her if she gets into trouble? Which would be worse, a scolding from her for disobeying orders, or her getting into a really bad situation?¡± Wukong frowned, turning his forehead and chin into prunes, thinking very hard. After a few minutes of silence, he stood up straight, gave a fist palm salute, and said ¡°Thank you Lady Tang. I know what to do now.¡± ¡°Then go.¡± She smiled, then broke apart into a cloud of ash that sped back to Wukong, reforming his hair and fur, now completely black. Wukong started jogging down the path, quarterstaff at the ready. *** Trip strode up the path that had been getting steeper for the past while. Although the valley was wide, large trees and thick undergrowth hemmed the path on both sides. Even though the morning sun shone high and bright, the dense plant-life cast dark shadows, making the path seem even narrower. Finally, after walking up the steepest portion of the trail, she saw the cave entrance with the words ¡°Black Wind Cave¡± above it. According to Brother Mender, the Black Wind Demon would be inside. Without pause, she entered the cave, and encountered a massive black iron door, set in a wall of stone. Using the handle of her knife, she started banging the door without stopping, until it was yanked open violently, and a nasal voice said ¡°WHAT!?¡± Not seeing anybody at first, Trip looked down, and stared at one of the ugliest hybrids she had ever seen. It was as tall as her waist, and had a head that looked like a cross between a rat, a bat, and a warthog. Thin patches of fur sprouted here and there on an otherwise hairless body, covered in wrinkled greyish skin that had pink spots of various shades and sizes all over. ¡°WHO¡¯RE YOU?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Trip, from the monastery. I want to talk to the Black Wind Demon.¡± ¡°WHAT FOR?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the new weapon he¡­ received from the Abbot. I can show him how to use it properly.¡± ¡°¡®KAY! WAIT HERE!¡±. The imp with no inside voice slammed the door in Trip¡¯s face. As she waited, Trip got busy preparing a few things for the Black Wind Demon¡¯s arrival. -- Chapter 17, End -- Chapter 18 - Armed Negotiations and Guerilla Warfare Before Trip could complete the last of her preparations, she heard loud footsteps thudding towards the door. Discarding what she had on hand, she straightened up and stood, projecting an aura of relaxed confidence. She would just have to make do with what she had. The door opened to reveal the Black Wind Demon, filling up the doorway. In one hand, he brandished Trip¡¯s revolver. His face was contorted into an angry scowl, and his voice was like the low growling of distant thunder. He looked down at Trip and said ¡°Tell me why normal bullets don¡¯t work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special gun, of course it needs special bullets. Also, we need the gun to make the bullets¡­ for bullet measurements and quality checking. Lend me the gun, and you¡¯ll have the bullets.¡± The Black Wind Demon¡¯s eyes narrowed, as he thought for a while. ¡°No. Tell me how to make the special bullets, or I¡¯ll eat you. Slowly.¡± he said. Trip sighed, then smiled. ¡°How about this? GIVE me the gun, or you¡¯re dead.¡± said Trip, as she took out a round object with an uneven surface, while holding a burning bundle of incense above it. ¡°Hmph, you can try! There is no sorcery that can harm me!¡± said the Black Wind Demon, as he gestured with his empty hand while taking a few steps back. From behind him, a horde of imps as ugly as the one that had answered the door charged forward, uttering high-pitched yowling cries of excitement. The Black Wind Demon shouted ¡°Rough her up, but I want her alive!¡± As Trip backpedaled quickly, she touched the incense to the fuse for the bomb in her hand. Timing it carefully, she threw it through the doorway where most of the imps were still bunched together, pushing against each other to get through the doorway first. BOOM! The fuse had given Trip enough time to reach the mouth of the cave, where she rummaged through a pile of sticks to retrieve two earthen flasks. The explosion was not as huge as she had hoped, but the loud, high-pitched cries of pained panic pain behind the gate indicated that the scrap metal and nails she had wrapped around the exploding core of gunpowder had found some targets. As more imps charged out of the gate, she threw the two earthen flasks on the ground. One in front of her, and the other further away towards the gate. Clear, oily liquid covered the ground. Like the calm before the storm, she waited for the imps to get closer. When they had almost reached her position, she threw a burning stick of incense on the oil before her. With a deceptively soft FWOOMPH, the stretch of ground leading to the mouth of the cave was bathed in fire, as were the many imps that had been charging forwards. Leaving the struggling and screaming imps behind her, Trip ran down the steep path. As she neared the bottom of the slope, Trip stopped to sprinkle tiny objects from a bag all over the ground, then kept running onwards. When she reached a bend in the trail, instead of following the bend, she ran forwards to hide herself behind a large tree, making more preparations. All too soon, the sound of infuriated imps preceded their headlong rush down the slope. When the first among them neared the bottom of the slope, they inevitably stepped on Trip¡¯s tiny caltrops. Screaming and hopping around, they stopped to remove the offending metal things painfully poking their feet. The imps further behind, not knowing that their fellow imps were going to conduct a surprise feet inspection, crashed into them. Together, both groups of imps tripped and fell over each other, rolling further down the slope to collect more caltrops with their bodies. The scene quickly snowballed into one of absolute chaos. More imps from behind crashed into the piles of imps before them. Some imps were hopping or rolling around screaming. Other imps shoved at one another, accusing each other of causing the pile-up. One imp started using her caltrops as improvised weapons to enhance their arguments. This was quickly copied by the other imps, leading to an all-out caltrop-assisted brawl. Even Trip could not help but give a quiet snort before springing into action.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. With an improvised catapult, she sent her final few flasks of oil flying into and around the pile of imps. Taking aim with her crossbow, she shot a flaming bolt into the middle of the pile, setting them all on fire. A few imps, luckier or more alert than their brethren, managed to avoid joining the pile. Seeing most of their fellow imps mysteriously bursting into flames, some ran back to the cave, some tried to put out the flames, while a few looked around, trying to find the one responsible. These were the ones that Trip targeted. Taking her time to aim, she shot a single bolt into each imp¡¯s head, killing them efficiently. After the first few of the remaining imps had fallen with crossbow bolts sprouting from their heads, the rest realised that they had to rearrange their priorities. Most chose the better part of valour, allowing discretion to lead their feet back to their cave with admirable alacrity. The few remaining, bravest of the lot, charged down the trail, earning a bolt in their heads each before they could even reach the tree line. Silence descended on to the area, except for the crackling of scattered flames and the moaning of injured imps. Like a grim reaper in her black duster and hat, Trip emerged from the shadows beneath the trees, collecting crossbow bolts from imp corpses as she headed towards the pile of imps, where the nearest injured imp was. She knew that she could not afford having an enemy at her back, no matter how injured it might be. They could always rally or recover to strike her when she least expected it. It was better to put them out of their misery. With a savage motion, she drew her knife and held it at the ready to strike. The injured imp, pinned beneath the singed corpses of another two imps, looked up at her with a face full of fear, its eyes fixed on her knife as it shook its head in denial. Trip froze. A voice inside her was screaming that this pitiable creature was no danger to her. It was out of the fight, and would be for quite some time. Perhaps for good. Her white-knuckled grip on her knife trembled, as cold logic and the values of her childhood warred within her. Voices from the distant past clashed against the many harsh lessons she¡¯d learned in recent years. At last, the voice of her father won. It was something he repeated often, especially when they had journeyed together. ¡°We kill for survival, we kill in battle, but not in cold blood.¡± With a heavy sigh, she sheathed her knife and walked up the slope, back up towards the cave, ignoring the injured imps. The pinned imp followed her with its eyes, stunned at being spared. Although there was a part of her that was certain the injured imps would be happy to try killing her if only they could, for the most part, she felt¡­ lighter. As if a few of the heavy weights on her spirit had been taken off. Maybe it was the small act of mercy, or maybe it was through honoring the memory of her father- A chorus of gunshots rang out, interrupting her introspection. Bullets whizzed by. Most of them missed, but one hit her square in the thigh while she was dropping prone to the ground. Almost reflexively, she rolled towards the side of the path, into the thick undergrowth. As the smoke of the massed gunshots cleared, wide rows of imps appeared, seemingly out of thin air. Behind them, stood a much taller imp, stick-thin and ancient-looking. It was panting and seemed about to collapse, yet it grinned viciously and raised a clenched fist in the air. Dark red particles began to form, spinning around its fist, until it snapped into the form of a great eye. Crowing triumphantly, the imp mage pointed at the exact spot where Trip was, as though the thick undergrowth wasn¡¯t even there. Her heart sinking in her chest, Trip watched the rows of musket barrels point in her direction. Just her luck, the imps knew how to cycle between two sets of muskets too. There would be no long pause for reloading that she could take advantage of. By then, Trip had readied her crossbow, letting off a shot at the imp mage. Barely an inch before reaching the imp mage¡¯s eyes, her bolt encountered a shield of force, causing the air around it to flare an angry red. It was flashy, but effective. The bolt glanced off the semi-transparent red shield. The imp mage didn¡¯t even blink. At the same time, the rows of imps shot at her again. Although she hunkered down, one bullet blew off chunk of her right ear, while another drew a hot streak of fire down her back. There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide, because the angry red eye was still floating in the air, looking directly at her. There was only one thing she could do. Drawing a knife in each hand, she charged out of the tree line, towards the rows of imps. -- Chapter 18, End -- Chapter 19 - Dances With Imps The imps were thrown into disarray, not expecting that Trip would burst out of the tree line and be among them so quickly. Suddenly, their muskets had become more of a hindrance than anything else, as Trip flitted in a zig-zag pattern from one imp to another like some deadly black butterfly, her knives flashing like silver wings, slashing through throats, eyes, wrists, and the insides of thighs. She was unpredictable and deadly, slashing the wrist of one imp, twirling to lightly stab the eyes of another, then hopping back to deliver a deep cut to the neck of the first imp who was still holding on to their bleeding wrist. In this manner, she made her way through the now bunched-up group of imps, trying to make her way to the imp mage. Never forgetting that the imp mage was the deadliest one of them all, she always did her best to keep one or more imps between the imp mage and herself. Whenever she could, she would kick or shove an imp towards the imp mage. Thanks to her actions, every single one of the firebolts that the imp mage sent in her direction were intercepted by one or more hapless imps. Although the firebolts looked like little meteor-like projectiles barely bigger than an imp¡¯s fist, their power was apparent in how every single imp that got hit by a firebolt burst into flames and collapsed, screaming. By that point, the tide of battle began to turn. Almost all the imps had discarded their muskets in favour of various sharp and pointy metal implements more suited for melee combat. Instead of merely dodging the musket barrels that might not even be loaded, Trip was now trying to avoid the slashing and stabbing of daggers, swords, and spears that seemed to come from every direction. For every one or two imp that she felled, she received an injury in return. Even though it was a shallow stab or cut, the wounds added up. She could feel herself tiring, slowing down. At that moment, a gap in the melee formed. As she was about to dodge a spear thrust, she saw the imp mage, about to throw a fireball at her. Knowing she didn¡¯t have a moment to spare, she focused all she had towards kicking an imp towards the fireball, then running away in the opposite direction. However, her run was interrupted by a cold icy bloom of pain, as the spear that she had been distracted away from stabbed into her thigh until it hit the bone. Ignoring the deep wound, she tried to continue running away, but it was too late. The fireball hit the imp she had sent flying while it was still barely an arms length away from her. It was like being hit by the steel-encased fist of a giant. A very angry, noisy, flame-enshrouded giant. She flew through the air, seeing only a jumble of blurred colours, hearing the deafening roar of the explosion, and feeling the pain of impact all over the front of her body. She hit the ground hard. She would have had the breath knocked out of her, if she had any left. For a second, she lay there, stunned. Then, she gasped for air, remembering to breathe. Forcing her battered body to move, she tried to get to her feet, but ended up in a half-kneeling position instead, wincing in pain. Drops of blood splattered on the ground beneath her. She knew she had collecting even more injuries from the explosion, but had no time to even realise where the injuries were. The imp mage was glaring at her with a mixture of frustration and contempt, like she was a type of irritating bug that was proving surprisingly difficult to crush. Again, it began charging up a fireball. This time, there would be no convenient imp to intercept it, as all the imps within her reach had been blown away by the explosion. She was surrounded by a large empty circle, ringed with imps that lay unmoving on the ground with differing degrees of burns on them. Beyond them, were more imps who had escaped the effects of the exploding fireball. They seemed content to wait, certain of her inevitable demise at the hands of the imp mage.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Trip took a step forward, her breath hitching at the cold stabbing pains along her chest, signifying cracked ribs. More pain throbbed from deep within her thigh, telling her that it was serious. She ignored it. Her head spun from blood loss, deep purple spots of dark light flared in her vision. She ignored it. Instead, she took another step, then launched herself into a sprint, heading directly towards the imp mage as it began to draw back it¡¯s arm to throw the fireball. In that moment, that arm held all of Trip¡¯s attention. The moment the imp mage¡¯s arm began to move forward, beginning the throw, Trip leapt diagonally to the side, diving into a roll. Her cheeks felt the heat from the fireball as it whooshed by, missing her completely. As the exploding fireball went off somewhere behind her, she pounced towards the imp mage, stabbing both knives as hard as she could. The imp mage¡¯s force shield flared, the points in contact with her knives almost crackling with red energy. Trip didn¡¯t stop. Gritting her teeth, she threw everything she had into the attack, whirling around the imp mage as she launched a barrage of cuts, slashes and stabs at it, causing the force shield to flare almost continuously. All the while, she dodged the firebolts from the imp mage. It was a fine dance, as she tried to wear down the imp mage¡¯s force shield. The seconds ticked by, as she dodged one firebolt after another. The imps were so entranced, they forgot that they were supposed to be attacking her. But all too soon, her accumulated injuries took their toll. She began to slow down. Finally, a firebolt caught her full on the shoulder. Flames splashed all over her and she dropped to the ground. Almost instinctively, she rolled on the ground, smothering the flames. By the time the flames died, her shoulder and neck had been badly burnt. With a soft groan, she tried to get to her feet, but all she could do was twitch while still on the ground. Just that slight movement seemed to drain all her remaining energy. All she could do, was struggle to draw in tortured, rattling breaths, one after another. One of her eyes didn¡¯t seem to be working. Out of the other, she saw the remaining imps surround her. As though from a far away place, she heard a dry, ancient voice say, ¡°Tenderize her, but leave her alive.¡± The imps around her grinned, then began kicking her. Distantly, even as she marshaled resources from deep within her to make herself curl into a ball, trying to protect her head and chest, she felt her ribs break. She knew that the pain should have felt urgent, immediate, but instead, it was as though it was happening to someone else. A cold numbness spread throughout her being, as she felt herself drifting away. She tried to hold on, but she was tired. So, very, very tired. Papa, mama, will I be seeing you soon? The fading embers of her consciousness flared weakly. Not yet! I haven¡¯t avenged you! How can I¡­? Against her will, despite all her struggles, she sank deeper into darkness. -- Chapter 19, End -- Chapter 20 - He Who Rides Clouds Wukong had been jogging for quite some time, but there was still no sign of his Mistress. While giving off a deep, guttural "Hrrrrrrmmmrrrrr", he selected the tallest tree in sight, jumped towards the nearest branch and began swinging to the top. Standing on a swaying branch with one hand shading his eyes, he began scanning the distance for any sign of Trip. His eyes opened wide and seemed to burn with a bright golden flame, as he slowly turned his head, searching. He saw...a bolt of flame, hitting his Mistress in her shoulder. His Mistress, dropping to the ground. Lips set into a thin, grim line, Wukong catapulted himself off the top of the tree at an upward angle, towards Trip''s location. He landed a distance away, continuing onwards by swinging through the trees branches. He took care to make sure his approach was silent, avoiding the thick undergrowth completely. When he neared the path, he saw the circle of imps, daring to kick HIS Mistress! Still silent, he threw his quarterstaff at the imps. Like a javelin, it pierced through two imps, one through the throat and the other through its chest. Before the imps could even process what had happened, Wukong landed in a crouch beside Trip. Pressing two fingers to Trip''s neck, Wukong checked for a pulse, then sighed in relief. His Mistress was still alive. All was well. Now, all he had to do was get her back to the monastery, fast. Wukong gripped the center of his quarterstaff, suspended between the two impaled imps, then lifted it. When it felt its feet leave the ground, the imp that was pierced through the chest gave off gurgling cries of agony. The sound snapped the other imps out of their stupor. Growling with annoyance, they attacked this new interloper who had interrupted their fun. Or rather, they tried to. Using his quarterstaff which still had the two imps impaled on it, like some grisly makeshift double-headed flail, Wukong spun it round and round, smashing the impaled imps into their fellows. As he sent the last imp into the ground, a firebolt hit him in the back of his head. Unfortunately, it was not the fatal finishing move that the imp mage had thought it would be. Not only did Wukong''s head not burst into flames, his hair was not even slightly singed. Most terrifying of all, the only effect the firebolt had was to make Wukong turn his head towards the imp mage, and GRIN. With two flicks of his quarterstaff, Wukong sent the remnants of the two impaled imps flying like two misshapen canon rounds towards the imp mage''s head. Sneering, it raised the red shield of force, causing the two fleshy projectiles to glance off. Secure within the shield, the imp mage had begun to charge up a fireball, but as the second imp bounced off its shield, it revealed Wukong charging towards it. His quarterstaff was firmly gripped in both hands, pointing towards the imp mage''s chest.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. When he neared the end of his charge, Wukong thrust the quarterstaff forwards like a spear. It hit the force shield, causing it to flare a bright red for a split-second. Then, the quarterstaff continued onwards without pausing, shattering the shield to end up piercing the imp mage''s chest. Wukong withdrew the quarterstaff from the caved-in chest with an abrupt movement, causing a gasping imp mage to crumple to the ground. Not sparing his opponent any further attention, Wukong hurried back to Trip. He gathered her up in his arms, looking towards the skies to give a loud, shrill whistle that seemed to echo off the clouds. For many moments, he stood still. Holding Trip in his arms, his gaze directed at the clouds, as though he was searching, or waiting, for something. Almost imperceptibly at first, a piece of cloud seemed to detach itself from the rest. Then as it drew closer, its shape became clearer, its movement more obvious. It was a round white disc, large enough for several people to stand on. Moving faster than any horse could ever hope to, it slowed to a stop in front of Wukong, hovering above the ground. Wukong hopped on the white disc, cradling Trip as gently as he could. With a sudden whoosh, they accelerated towards the sky, whizzing towards the monastery. *** Trembling hands reached for a pouch, extracting a mummified finger. Desperate gasps and the coughing up of blood alternated with breathless mumbling, as the imp mage held the mummified finger close to its chest, as though it was its last hope. Which was exactly what it was. Dark red particles flew out from the mummified finger, gathering around the gaping wound in the imp mage''s chest. A transparent dome formed over the wound, and it began to heal at a fast rate. Within seconds, the the wound shrank, then eventually disappeared, leaving only smooth skin. Like ash in the wind, the mummified finger disintegrated into tiny pile of dust. The miraculous healing came at a cost. The imp mage was still gasping, which sounded even worse than before. Before, it was merely thin. Now, it was positively skeletal, the little flesh it had seemingly dissolved by the healing. With labored, exhausted movements, it dragged itself upright. Taking out more objects from its pouch, the imp mage released the energy within them, causing a cloud of red particles to envelop him. Within moments, the red cloud formed a perfect, smooth, transparent red sphere. Inside, the imp mage floated, suspended in the middle of the sphere. At some spoken signal, moving so fast that it blurred, it rolled back towards Black Wind Cave. *** Back at the monastery, Wukong carefully laid Trip down on a cot. Examining her wounds, he found that even the large one in her thigh had stopped bleeding and was almost completely scabbed over. Wukong sighed in relief. His Mistress would be fine after some rest. White Dragon had told him about her receiving some of his powers of regeneration, but seeing it at work helped allay his worries. Turning to Brother Mender, he puffed out his chest and said "When my Mistress wakes up, tell her that I, her loyal disciple, have gone to do battle with the Black Wind Demon! I will defeat him in single combat and return with the treasured weapon of her ancestor!" -- Chapter 20, End -- Chapter 21 - Great Sage Equaling Heaven ¡°I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven! The Handsome Monkey King! Emancipator of Cloud Steeds! He of the Fiery-eyed Golden Gaze that roots out all Evil! My name is Sun Wukong, disciple of the Ever-Righteous Lady Trip, and I have come for your head! Come out and face me, cowardly demon!¡± Before the huge iron doors within Black Wind Cave, stood Wukong, banging on the doors with his staff, producing a huge racket, so loud that it echoed off the cave walls. Even louder still was his voice. Like the deep roar of a waterfall on the edge of the world, Wukong¡¯s voice was so ominous, it seemed as though Doom itself had spoken. Having completed his basic introduction, Wukong waited expectantly for a response. And waited. Until the echoes of his challenge had faded away into silence. Giving a loud ¡°Hmph!¡± in disappointment and impatience, he continued. ¡°Black Wind demon? You¡¯re nothing but a bag of hot wind! Or does Black Wind refer to what comes out from your behind? Oho, Black Gas Demon! Demon of Dark Flatulence Cave! I see that you are content to cower in your hole, comforting yourself with your smelly farts! If you -¡± The iron door opened. At the very back of the empty cavernous space, the Black Wind Demon posed valiantly, armed with two short metal spears. ¡°Noisy monkey! Real warriors fight with their fists, not their mouth! Come here and fight me! Or else you¡¯re the coward! Your whole family are cowards!¡±. With one hand, the Black Wind Demon beckoned, his mocking smirk taunting Wukong. Wukong brandished his quarterstaff. He would enjoy pounding this delusional bear into the ground to avenge his Mistress. Eager for the duel, he rushed forward. Which was when countless imps poured into the cave through hidden passages. Screaming their high pitched cries, they swarmed Wukong. More imps with muskets formed wide rows further away. Wukong screeched to a halt, realising that he had charged into a trap. He turned back towards the iron door, intending to seek a less vulnerable position outside the cave. Alas, the iron door had been barred and secured with huge iron locks. Since a timely escape¡­ er, strategic withdrawal wasn¡¯t possible, then the solution was simple. Kill all the enemies! Starting with that sneaky cowardly bear! That would have to wait, as the horde of screaming imps were right before him, while a swarm of bullets were heading for his face!Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Shielding his eyes with an arm, he took the volley of bullets full in the head and chest. Most of the bullets flattened themselves against his tough skin, but one was luckier than the rest. It shot right through his ear, leaving a stinging hole behind. With one hand holding his quarterstaff, he tried to defend against the imps that were jabbing, slashing and chopping at him. He was already surrounded, there were too many attacks at any time for him to block, allowing most of them to slip past his guard. Most of the imps who managed to hit him shouted in triumph, only to find that their weapons simply bounced off him or landed with an ineffectual ¡°THUD¡±. Some particularly lucky attacks did managed to inflict several shallow wounds, especially on the backs of his legs. He had to improve his position, or he would be poked and pricked to death by a bunch of little imps. That absolutely could not happen! Even his ghost couldn¡¯t bear the shame! Using his quarterstaff as a vaulting pole, he jumped to the corner of the cave where the imps with muskets had gathered. Finding their target suddenly disappearing from beyond their gun barrels only to suddenly reappear within their midst, the imps were thrown into disarray. Wukong spun his quarterstaff, shattering skulls and limbs with abandon. Before he could eliminate all the musket-wielding imps, he was once again surrounded by imps with melee weapons. This time, he was prepared. Immediately, he pole-vaulted his way out of the encirclement, turning around to smash the outlying imps. In this way, he gained control of the battlefield, leaping this way and that. All the while, he never stopped imp-bashing, steadily whittling down the crowd. Besides keeping himself from being surrounded, Wukong¡¯s pole-vaulting served another purpose. With every leap, he tried to get closer to the Black Wind Demon¡¯s position, but the black bear hybrid was too cautious to allow that. He continuously maneuvered so that Wukong was always as far away from him as possible, with as many imps between them as he could manage. Wukong grew frustrated, but he never stopped trying to get to the Black Wind Demon. All the while, he smashed every single imp that got in his way. If the battle continued in this way, it would only be a matter of time before only the Black Wind Demon was left for him to battle. Things seemed to be going smoothly. Except for one thing. Wukong had forgotten that he was not the same warrior he had been, five hundred years ago. In the past, he had battled entire armies continuously for days without rest. But now, he could feel that he was nearing his limit. He was breathing hard, almost gasping for air. Sweat dripped from his palms and the soles of his feet. His heart was hammering his ribs, begging to be let out. Having dealt with the remaining imps, he finally faced the Black Wind Demon. He had to lean on his quarterstaff for a while, before he recovered enough to be able to speak without gasping. ¡°Now. Just you and me. No way you can avoid this fight!¡± said Wukong, not having recovered enough for his usual bombastic style. ¡°Why would I want to? That was just a test! By passing it, you¡¯ve proven you¡¯re qualified to fight me! Come!¡± Wukong felt a surge of energy burst out from within him, born from sheer irritation! This demon was just too shameless! Wearing him down with cannon fodder to make him easier to defeat, then claiming that it was just a test! That shameless bear needed to be taught a lesson! -- Chapter 21, End -- Chapter 22 - Warm-up or Workout? ¡°A test? Hmmph! More like a light warm up! Now, I want some real exercise. Don¡¯t you dare disappoint me!¡± said Wukong, who had recovered enough to indulge in scoffing at his opponent. Taking lightly balanced steps forward, Wukong held his quarterstaff horizontally beside him. Both his hands were gripping it loosely, ready to move it in any direction, to attack or defend. The Black Wind Demon shouted fiercely and charged forwards, one short spear pointed towards Wukong, while the other was raised over his shoulder, ready to strike. When they got into range, the Black Wind Demon struck first, stabbing a spear directly at Wukong¡¯s face. Wukong snapped one end of his quarterstaff upwards to block it, but it was just a feint from the Black Wind Demon. The first spear withdrew before he could even block it, while the other spear was already stabbing towards his side! Calmly, Wukong snapped the other end of his quarterstaff upwards to block the real attack, made with the full force of the Black Wind Demon¡¯s considerable strength. Despite the power of the attack, Wukong deflected it with a seemingly light flick of his quarterstaff. Undaunted, the Black Wind Demon followed with a storm of feints, thrusts, slashes and sneaky stabs from the side. All of them were blocked by Wukong, by either deflecting the spear or by hitting the Black Wind Demon¡¯s arms and shoulders. Wukong¡¯s movements were short and direct, alternating between being light or forceful. Through it all, he utilised great economy of movement, never expending more energy than absolutely necessary. It seemed that Wukong was putting up the perfect defense, but it was actually taking every ounce of focus he had to do so. He had been trying to find opportunities to retaliate, but the Black Wind Demon¡¯s attacks were too fast, too furious. Meanwhile, the wounds from the imps on the backs of his legs were slowing him down. It was already taxing his capabilities to their maximum extent, just to keep up! Based on the power behind those spear thrusts, he knew that they could split even his tough hide. If that happened, he would weaken even more. Then how was he supposed to get some righteous vengeance for his Mistress? He needed to change the way the fight was going! For now, the fight was locked in a stalemate. The Black Wind Demon attacked while he defended, neither able to inflict anything beyond the mildest of bruises or scratches on each other. Soon, Wukong began to slow down. His quarterstaff blocked a hair too late, allowing the Black Wind Demon to stab through his left arm. Wukong¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he staggered backwards, staring at the thick blood slowly dripping from the gaping wound.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Wukong¡¯s left arm, now too weak to even grip the quarterstaff, was folded behind his back. With his right, he gripped his quarterstaff in the middle, continuing to do his best to defend. But it wasn¡¯t enough. With just one hand, he was no longer able to withstand the Black Wind Demon¡¯s attacks. Seeing the opportunity, the Black Wind Demon began slashing and thrusting his spears with everything he had, knocking Wukong¡¯s pitiful quarterstaff here and there. One particularly powerful slash smashed the quarterstaff completely to one side, fully exposing Wukong. With a gleeful gloating grin, the Black Wind Demon thrust at Wukong¡¯s heart! Wukong tried to dodge, but as he was still unbalanced from his failed defense, he was only partially successful. Instead of piercing his heart, the spear pierced his left lung. As though by reflex, Wukong¡¯s left hand whipped out from behind his back to tightly grip the spear running through him. Eyes wide, as though in disbelief, Wukong coughed weakly. Flecks of blood stained his lips, as he wheezed while trying to pull the spear out. Sneering, the Black Wind Demon dropped his other spear, using both hands to slowly twist the spear in Wukong¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you disappointed? Was it-¡± Shunk! Shunk! Two metallic bees stabbed their stingers in his hands. ¡°Huh?¡± The Black Wind Demon took one hand off the spear, trying to shake one of the bees off. Irritated, all his attention was on the things that had interrupted his moment of triumph. Which was when, out of nowhere, another two bees buried their metal stingers in both his eyes. It was an explosion of pain, right in his face! His bellows echoed through the cave, as he let go of the spear and reflexively reached upwards to pull out the bees. Moving fluidly, as though he had practised it countless times before, Wukong pulled out the spear in his chest. Throwing the bloody spear to one side, he gripped his quarterstaff firmly in both hands, then shot it forward like a lance, point first. The end of his quarterstaff smashed into the Black Wind Demon¡¯s throat, crushing his neck and spine. The pained bellowing was cut short. The Black WInd Demon dropped limp to the ground. Wukong dropped to the floor as well, gasping for air. He was so exhausted, he couldn¡¯t even move a finger. After a while, he crawled to the Black Wind Demon, extracting his Mistress¡¯ gun from the dead bear hybrid¡¯s pouch. Using his quarterstaff as a crutch, Wukong got to his feet. Slowly, he hobbled towards the cave entrance. As he did so, faint golden sparkles appeared in his wounds. Though still open, they were barely bleeding. By the time he exited the cave, the evening sun had cast a orange glow over the mountains. He looked at the skies and whistled for his cloud steed, but the flying white disc did not make an appearance. He sighed. Looks like he had no choice but to make his way back to the monastery on foot. -- Chapter 22, End -- Chapter 23 - Reflect Inwards, Grow Outwards Deep within Black Wind mountain, there was a cave with straight, smooth walls of metal. In it, was a large metal table, with a screen showing mysterious tiny flickering symbols. In front of the table, facing the metal screen, the imp mage moved in a slow, hypnotic dance. Taking smooth, practiced steps in and out of eldritch designs painted in blood all over the floor, the imp mage would alternate several moves with the careful tap of a finger on certain geometric shapes seemingly carved into the table before the screen. Every so often, after several taps, the tiny symbols on the screen would change. The imp mage would breathe a sigh of relief, then continue dancing. Finally, as the imp mage¡¯s knees began to weaken, a metal plinth rose out of the floor. The ghostly image of a being concealed within a hooded red robe flickered into existence above it. Instantly, the imp mage dropped to one knee and bowed its head. In its withered raspy voice, it said, ¡°Greetings, Master. I have much to report.¡± *** Trip looked at the revolver in her hands, trying to sort through the confusing jumble of emotions raging in her chest. She knew she should be feeling happy, but instead, she felt¡­ she felt frustrated and unsatisfied! Sure, she was relieved to have her revolver back. Every moment without it was as though an important part of her was missing. Of course, she was grateful to Wukong. When she woke to find the revolver placed beside her cot, it was Brother Mender who told her that Wukong had brought it back to gently lay it by her side. At first, she had been both grateful and surprised. She had not expected Wukong to be this¡­ dependable. Which led directly to why she felt so frustrated. It should have been her! She should have been the one to punish the thief who had stolen her revolver! She should have been the one to retrieve it with her own hands! With the same hands that had received it so reverently, a lifetime ago, from her father. For an instant, within her own mind, she lashed out. Why did Wukong have to do it? Why couldn¡¯t he have let her be the one to do it instead? Quickly, she caught herself. She knew she was being irrational. Breathing deeply, she turned her thoughts both inwards, and towards logic and reality. All the while asking herself, why? What was causing her to feel this way? Finally, she had to admit it. She was angry at herself. The fact was, despite all her training and experiences, she had been defeated by the Black Wind Demon¡¯s subordinate. And if that imp mage was the Black Wind Demon¡¯s subordinate, then that meant it was weaker than the Black Wind Demon. She had not even managed to touch the Black Wind Demon¡¯s shadow, much less injure him!Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Did that mean that she was weak? Maybe. Most likely. Especially when compared to the stronger hybrids she was sure to encounter. She was very aware that the Black Wind Demon had just been a minor subordinate, sent to this remote place to monitor the production of weapons from the monastery. Yes, she was weak right now. But it did not mean that she would be weak forever. All she had to do, was train harder, and find ways to compensate for her lack of inborn physical gifts. She had an idea on how to do that, but it would take some experimentation to make it usable in combat. In a moment, she would get up to give herself a proper examination. Initially, she had thought that, given the severity of her wounds, the best she could hope for was that the bleeding would have stopped. She had been prepared to sew up her wounds, as she had done so many times before. But now, the lack of pain from her injuries made her think that her newly gained regeneration was even more miraculous than she had previously believed. In a moment, she would get up to look for Wukong, to thank him properly. She owed it to him. The rest of what she felt was on her, and for her, alone. In a moment, she would get up to look for some food, as she was ravenously hungry. A small part of her mind idly wondered at the connection between her unprecedented levels of hunger and the accelerated healing, and whether it could be improved or consciously affected in any way. But all that was for later. For now, she was occupied with working out the details of her idea, and a possible addition to her training regimen. *** Wukong was on top of the highest point he could find that was still within sight of where his Mistress was resting, which was the roof of a pagoda beside the Abbot¡¯s quarters. To be specific, he was lounging on the roof, soaking up the sun while munching away at a big bag of tofu. There hadn¡¯t been any meat to be found, and the monks seemed to be completely ignorant of the wonders of banana pie, but the fried tofu stuffed with fried rice, pickled vegetables and beans was a tasty meal for a hungry monkey. Stretching luxuriously, he revelled in being free of any injuries again. Even the deep chest wound he¡¯d had was now a patch of tender pink skin, with fur already beginning to grow back. The night before, after delivering his Mistress¡¯ ancestral weapon to her, Wukong had done his best to tiptoe off despite his many wounds. Pain was nothing compared to the importance of his Mistress not being awakened from her healing sleep. He made it back out as far as the doorway, before collapsing into an exhausted heap against the wall. He¡¯d slept through the night until the Sun¡¯s rays and his roaring tummy combined their forces to wake him up. He foraged for some food¡­ alright, he swiped it from the monastery kitchens, and here he was. Ah, it felt good to be out in the sun, it always felt so invigorating. Sometimes, he imagined he was a tree, like every part of him was soaking up the sunlight and converting it into energy. His musings were interrupted by a familiar clomping noise coming from the courtyard in front of the pagoda. ¡°Whitey! Where¡¯ve you been?¡± -- Chapter 23, End -- Chapter 24 - Fear Not He Who Practices 10,000 Kicks Once White Dragon looked up at the ill-mannered monkey, shouting from the roof of the Pagoda. Shaking his head, he gave a very horse-like sigh, and continued on his way. He reached the room that Trip was in, circled around it, and stuck his head through an open window. He saw Trip, sitting cross-legged on a cot, looking deep in thought. "Ah, Miss Trip, it relieves me to see that you are well." Before Trip could reply, Wukong burst in through the doors, shouting "Hey! Whitey! You didn''t answer my question! Where''ve you been all this time?" Trip winced, and said "Wukong. Inside voice please." Instantly, Wukong put on a look of contrition and lowered his voice to a loud whisper. "Sorry Mistress." "Wukong, I wanted to thank you for retrieving my gun." Wukong grinned and patted his puffed out chest. "You can depend on me Mistress. That''s what I''m here for!" Trip nodded and turned to White Dragon. "I''m curious about where you''ve been as well." White Dragon seemed rather embarrassed, as he said "Well, it so happened that I was able to see what the monks were doing in the sheds and... I simply could not help myself. Their level of metallurgy and metalworking is just too primitive. Or should I say, was. I have been working with the monks to improve their methods and designs. I have also pointed them in the general direction of several branches of research they could start on, which should be greatly beneficial to them in the years to come. If Brother Mender had not come to tell me about your injuries and the situation that led to it, I would still be in those sheds. It may have been primitive, but working with them was quite... enjoyable." Wukong pointed a finger at White Dragon, and said "So basically, you''ve been having fun while I''ve been out wading through entire armies of imps and fighting the Black Wind Demon for our Mistress!" White Dragon cocked his head to one side. "Does that not mean you have been enjoying yourself too, Wukong?" At this, Wukong broke down laughing. "Yeah, you''re right Whitey, I had a great time!". Trip jumped to her feet. "Alright. Since we''re all here and good to go, it''s time we''re off." "Where to, Mistress?" "Black Wind Cave." *** Trip pointed the single-shot pistol at her target, trying to visualise the effect she wanted. She would feel so much better if it was her revolver in her hands instead, but she refused to risk it while testing this new technique. Her caution was warranted, as she had already cracked the barrel of several single-shot pistols while experimenting.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. It had been several days since they left the monastery to continue on their journey, after they had returned to an emptied-out Black Wind Cave. Everything useful had been taken from the thoroughly evacuated cave, even the Black Wind Demon''s corpse and weapons. All they had found, thanks to White Dragon, was the mysterious black screen on the metal table in the blood-stained metal room. When they had first walked into the room, Wukong had been fascinated with the designs drawn out in blood. White Dragon, followed by Trip, had walked directly to the black screen, which had lit up in response to White Dragon''s approach. In almost no time at all, White Dragon had managed to find the location of Gao Village, a place that supplied food to the Crimson Army. It was there, that they would likely find a clue leading directly to the Crimson Army, and the Bull Demon King. Now, it was night, after Trip had completed her usual nightly physical training. As she had done every night since leaving the monastery, she focused her attention on the single-shot pistol in her hands. Warm yellow particles formed around it. Some began to spin around the barrel, while others gathered near the back of the pistol. With a pull of the trigger, she shot at the thick tree trunk a short distance away from the campfire, causing the bullet to bury itself partway into the tough bark. At the same time, long cracks appeared along the barrel of the pistol. Turning to White Dragon beside her, Trip asked "Improvements?". Stowing the cracked pistol in a saddle bag, she retrieved another single-shot pistol from the space inside White Dragon. Moving smoothly, she busied herself with reloading it, as she listened intently to White Dragon. "Much better this time, Miss Trip. You will definitely need to increase the force generated from the rear, while reinforcing the inside of the barrel. At the same time, try to imagine a forward-attracting force, moving like a tight spiral up the barrel." "Like a magnet, attracting the bullet towards the target?" "Exactly like a magnet. Except, try imagining a magnet several thousands of times more powerful than the ones you-" "Mistress, why play around with these harmless weapons? They''re about as harmful as a slingshot! It''d be better to leave the fighting to me!" said Wukong in a rather disgruntled tone. Trip had a slight frown on her face, as she said "I thought that a warrior like you would have known the principle of focused practice. Without practice, how did you become the one who single-handedly defied the armies of Heaven?" Wukong puffed out his chest, saying "Ha! I never needed to practice! I was born a warrior! But... " Wukong deflated and became extremely serious. "What''s this focused practice?" Trip studied Wukong, noting his uncharacteristically serious manner, and nodded. "Let me tell you the story, exactly as my father told me. A long time ago, there was a legendary warrior-philosopher, said to be the greatest hand-to-hand fighter in the world. His name was Little Dragon. Often imitated but never surpassed, his techniques and philosophies have guided and inspired people for thousands of years. One of his sayings was: Fear not the one who practices 10,000 kicks once. Fear the one who practices one kick 10,000 times." Wukong looked stunned. His mouth was open, and his eyes were wide and shining. It was as though he had been struck with lightning that gave him a great revelation. "Mistress, I would like to hear more about this Little Dragon. But for now, there''s something I need to do." Wukong ran off with his quarterstaff to the opposite end of their little campsite. There, he began moving in slow motion, thrusting then sweeping with his quarterstaff while muttering to himself."Hmm, this is where I blocked that stupid bear, then he stabbed at me... here, then I blocked... there... is there a way to block faster to counter? Hmm... how did it go again..." "Miss Trip, I do believe this is the first time I have had the privilege of seeing you smile." Trip said nothing. Focusing on the single-shot pistol in her hands, she caused the familiar yellow glow to form around it. This time, a faint spiral formed around the barrel, while the barrel itself developed a yellow sheen. BANG! A bullet sped its way to a tree. It was to be the first of many. -- Chapter 24, End -- Chapter 25 - Maiden-Defiling Demon of Gao Village It had been several days since Wukong had been inspired by Trip¡¯s story about Little Dragon, and the saying about the value of focused practice. Every day, they continued their journey along the increasingly desolate path that they had followed ever since leaving the monastery. At first, there were still trees and assorted greenery. As they continued, trees became sparse, giving way to grassy clearings among the valleys and ever-present, yet distant, mountains. Eventually, they trudged through a land where no grass grew. Only the occasional thorny bush could be seen, growing on hard sterile dirt. Every morning, Trip would find Wukong greeting the dawn, perched upon the highest place he could find or conveniently make within sight of the camp. A tree, a rock, a mound of dirt, it didn¡¯t matter. On it he would stand, soaking up the sun, his fur growing more golden by the day. After they had broken camp to continue on their way to Gao Village, Wukong would busy himself with scaled-up versions of exercises he had seen Trip perform every night. Exercises that he could do as they walked. He would select a large log or rock, and lug it along, lifting it in various ways, squatting with it, even jumping or sprinting with it. There were times when he grew too exhausted to even walk. It was then that he would ask to be allowed a ride on White Dragon. Those rides were never long ones. Wukong would drape himself on White Dragon¡¯s back, almost instantly start snoring, then in a short while, jump back down and be ready to run back down the path to retrieve his rocky or woody weight for the day. Every night, Wukong would accompany Trip¡¯s exercises, imitating her as best as he could. On the first night, it was clear that he had not performed such exercises before, imitating the movement without comprehending the purpose, while letting his usual enthusiasm get in the way. When he had, while using a heavy rock as a weight, accidentally hit himself in the head for the upteenth time, Trip finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She began instructing him as best as she could, even coming up with exercises to accommodate his greater strength. Which led to his daytime antics with rocks or logs. Later in the night, when Trip would continue to practice her firing technique with the single-shot pistols, Wukong would practice with his quarterstaff. By then, he had progressed from re-enacting the fight with the Black Wind Demon, trying to figure out what he could have done to make the fight go better, how he could be faster, more efficient, better. Instead, he would practice the same specific strikes, or combination of spinning blocks and counters, again and again. It seemed that he was taking her story about Little Dragon very seriously. ¡°Fear the one who practices one kick 10,000 times¡±, indeed. It could be said that every night, Trip and Wukong left their marks on the many trees and rocks they encountered along the way, as proof of their efforts.. *** About a week after leaving the monastery, the dreary brown landscape finally gave way to greenery again. It was just some sparse grass growing here and there, but it was a welcome change. In the distance, they saw a large village that seemed like a jade sculpture, shining a vibrant green against the generally brown surroundings. It was surrounded with tall bamboo fences. Above that, they saw thatched roofs and fruit-bearing trees. As they drew closer to the village, the colours and scents of flowers filled the air, as did the sounds of chickens, sheep and pigs. When they reached the open village gate, a large bamboo sign above proclaimed it to be Gao Village. On both sides of the sign, a familiar ¡°0¡± with two horns was emblazoned. The symbol of the Crimson Bull. It was likely because of that openly-displayed symbol, that the unguarded village gate was wide open. There were two watchtowers behind the gate, but both seemed to be empty. It was only upon moving nearer, that faint snoring could be heard from one of them. Walking further into the village, Trip observed that all the villagers she saw were quite well-fed, even plump. Instead of wells, water pumps had been built. The streets were clean, and outhouses could be seen, completely separate from the houses. There were several shops selling food, and business was good. Based on the sounds, she estimated that there were a few separate pig pens, and possibly an entire herd of sheep. It seemed to be quite an extraordinarily prosperous village, especially considering the surroundings.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She noticed a certain pattern in the names of businesses, prominently displayed on signposts above the shops. Gao¡¯s Groceries, Gao¡¯s Prosperity Diner, Gao¡¯s Snacks and Buns¡­ all of them bore the name ¡°Gao¡±. It seemed the villagers of Gao Village had a rather limited naming sense. It was only after they had entered the village for quite a while, that she realised something had been bothering her. She had seen many adults, but too few children. Those that she had seen, were almost all toddlers and deformed in some way. Club feet, fused limbs, hands that looked more like birds feet, misshapen heads¡­ she had yet to see a completely normal child. As they rode on, they heard loud, pained cries, alternating with the sounds of sobbing and pleading. Following the sounds, they reached the village square, a wide empty space, surrounded by shops, houses, and other large buildings. In the middle of a square, a long-snouted, floppy-eared, pig hybrid with a thick, plump body was tied spread-eagled to a sturdy X-shaped wooden frame. The pained cries, sobbing and pleading were coming from him. Standing before the pig hybrid were two middle-aged humans who bore an obvious familial resemblance to each other. The older one was holding a large cudgel, standing stoically to one side. The younger one was furiously cursing and slashing at the pig hybrid¡¯s body with a machete, wielding it with great force. Curiously, the wounds it produced were incongruously shallow. Some slashes only produced white scratches upon the pig hybrid¡¯s skin, while other slashes left small cuts that leaked a few drops of blood. ¡°Ungrateful pig! Evil demon! My father made the worst mistake, taking you in! We¡¯ve fed you, clothed you all these years, for WHAT? In the end, you DEFILED our Gao Xin! DEFILED and MURDERED her!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! I swear! She was always so kind to me! I wouldn¡¯t hurt her! It wasn¡¯t me!¡± said the pig hybrid between sobs, tears dripping down its face. A deep frown creasing her brow, Trip suddenly dashed forward. Just as another slash was about to land, Trip caught the man¡¯s wrist, stopping it in its tracks. The man turned to look at Trip, trying to dislodge Trip¡¯s grip, but Trip¡¯s hand did not budge even an inch. ¡°Who are you? Do you know who I am? I¡¯m Lord Gao¡¯s son, and you¡¯re obstructing the course of justice! Let go before I call the guards!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. I want to know what¡¯s going on.¡± Finally, the older man with the cudgel finally spoke. ¡°Gao Tian, that¡¯s enough. You can¡¯t call it justice when we don¡¯t have any proof. I¡¯ve let you vent yourself, but it¡¯s time to stop. Our orders were only to keep Bajie here, not to punish him.¡± Gao Tian sneered. ¡°Gao Cai, do you think my father is unaware of what I intended to do? Silence means consent! By not forbidding me to punish this demon, he gave his tacit approval!¡± Gao Cai lifted his cudgel, tapping it into the palm of his other hand. His expression didn¡¯t change, but somehow, he began to give off an intimidating aura. An aura that said ¡°I could beat you up without breaking a sweat, with this calm expression on my face the entire time.¡± In contrast with this aura, Gao Cai¡¯s tone was measured and friendly. ¡°Let¡¯s agree to disagree. For now, just go home, Ah Tian. Comfort your family. I¡¯m starting to get irritated with all this noise, so if you stay, I¡¯ll need your help to relieve some of that irritation.¡± ¡°Humph! Fine!¡± Gao Tian gave a mighty snort, tugged his hand out of Trip¡¯s grip which she had finally loosened, and left. Gao Cai turned to Trip, lowering his cudgel to give a palm salute. ¡°This Miss, how may I address you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Trip. This is Wukong.¡± ¡°Thank you for giving me the chance to stop Gao Tian. The whole situation was getting out of hand.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what the whole situation is?¡± Gao Cai sighed heavily and lowered his head. His entire being seemed to deflate a bit. After a moment of silence, he said, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Two days ago, Gao Xin, Lord Gao¡¯s most favoured niece, went missing. The whole village did a search. Yesterday, we found her¡­ well, what remained of her¡­ right next to some fields.¡± He nodded at Bajie, who had stopped crying out, but was still sobbing softly, hanging limp against the restraints on the wooden frame. ¡°Those fields¡­ Bajie was the only one working in them.¡± -- Chapter 25, End -- Chapter 26 - Dangerous Eagle, Cheerful Plum ¡°That¡¯s no reason to tie someone up and beat him. You said there was no evidence. Somebody accused Bajie?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Gao Cai looked surprised. ¡°How did you guess? It was Gao Lang, Lord Gao¡¯s grandson.¡± ¡°A child?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s already of marriageable age, but still unmarried. As was Gao Xin.¡± Trip nodded. ¡°What did this Gao Lang say he saw?¡± ¡°He saw¡­ he said he saw Bajie running away from Gao Xin, who was collapsed on the ground. When Gao Lang rushed over to check on Gao Xin, he found her already dead. He was so shocked that he fainted, and only came to when he heard people shouting for Gao Xin. That¡¯s when he roused himself and came to lead the search parties to her body.¡± Trip seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments. ¡°Gao Cai¡± she said, while looking at him intently. ¡°Earlier, you mentioned justice. Are you really interested in finding out the truth? In catching the real perpetrator?¡± ¡°I am. Does that mean you think Bajie is innocent?¡± ¡°Innocent until proven guilty. That¡¯s the universal rule, or it should be.¡± ¡°Alright. What do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk to whoever can tell me more about the relationships between the three main people involved. Gao Xin, Gao Lang, and Bajie. I¡¯ll also need to examine Gao Xin¡¯s body, and the place where her body was found. I may have more requests later.¡± ¡°... examining Gao Xin¡¯s body¡­ might not be that easy. Let me see if I can get permission to do so. Wait here!¡± Without another word, Gao Cai jogged off, in the direction of a large villa beside the town square. While waiting, Trip¡¯s eyes were drawn to the tallest structure in the village, a huge watchtower that rose up between the large villa and the town square. In it were three guardsmen. Unlike the guards at the gate whom Trip had only heard but not seen, these guards seemed to be quite alert, heads turning here and there as they scanned their surroundings. For village guards, they were impressively equipped with a functional combination of leather and metal armour. Crossbows hung from their backs, and she saw sword pommels at their waists. This was worlds apart from the typical village guard she had encountered thus far in her travels, who usually had a spear as their only equipment. Wukong had attracted a few of the more fearless children who had escaped from their caretakers. To them, he looked like some soft toy that had been stretched thin, then brought to life. A golden-furred soft toy that wouldn¡¯t stop capering about while making faces at them. How wonderful if they could have this soft toy for themselves! While Trip had been talking to Gao Cai, the children had been enjoying themselves, chasing Wukong¡¯s tail around. Wukong was enjoying himself, perhaps even more than the children, teasing them by letting them almost grab on to his tail before whipping it out of reach. Sometimes, he would softly tickle them on their cheeks with it, eliciting a delighted giggle from them. Trip was distracted from her examination of the guards on the watchtower by the sight of a group of roly-poly children falling all over themselves, laughing as their tried to capture Wukong¡¯s tail. A tiny smile on her face, she watched the children play as her smile grew increasingly wistful. One of the club-footed children kept tripping over his own feet, while another child with a deformed mouth and split lips kept spraying saliva as she laughed, but they all laughed and played just the same.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. While examining the children, Trip realised that a part of her was trying to analyse Wukong¡¯s behavior. It was so unlike his night time brooding. Admittedly, that had reduced a lot ever since he had begun the nightly training with her, but still¡­ this was a side of Wukong that she could have never imagined. ¡°Miss Trip!¡±. Gao Cai had returned. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to the village elders, they¡¯ve asked to meet with you before deciding anything else. Please, follow me.¡± He indicated the direction of the large villa. Trip nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Accompanied by a chorus of complaints from disappointed children, Trip and Wukong followed Gao Cai through the sturdy wooden gates of the villa. *** The villa turned out to be even larger than it seemed from the outside. They followed Gao Cai through a series of corridors with polished wooden floors and walls, passing by courtyards with exquisite gardens with bamboo, flowers, herbs, and ponds with round goldfish. Finally, Gao Cai led them into a large courtyard that was completely bare except for several types of training equipment. Wooden dummies, straw targets and racks holding various weapons lined the walls. In the center of the courtyard, two grey-haired men were waiting. One was slim and tough, tanned and deeply wrinkled. His grey hair was trimmed close to the scalp. His eyes were sharp, his nose was commanding, giving the impression of a royal Grey Eagle searching for prey. He seemed like a man who had spent most of his life fighting, and surviving, under the sun. Despite his apparent age, Trip instantly filed him under the category of ¡°Dangerous¡±. The other man had long grey hair in a ponytail. Although wrinkled, his plump cheeks and laugh lines gave the impression of a cheerful plum. ¡°Trip, this is Elder Mu...¡± Gao Cai indicated the dangerous-looking old man ¡°...and this is Elder Jing.¡± The cheerful plum smiled and nodded at Trip. ¡°Welcome to our village! We hear that you would like to help us with our problem with Bajie?¡± said the smiling Elder Jing. ¡°More like your problem with evidence and justice.¡± said Trip. ¡°Ahem! Yes, yes, ahaha.¡± Elder Jing gave a helpless little laugh. ¡°Of course, it would be great if we had some clear signs of the guilty party. It would do a lot to help maintain Lord Gao¡¯s reputation as a fair and even-handed leader. How-¡± ¡°However, we can¡¯t allow just anyone to interfere. This is a sensitive matter. There can be no mistakes, no falsehood, no delay.¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°No delay?¡± said Trip. ¡°Ah, yes, well, you see, later today, Gao Xin, aiyo that poor girl, her body will be brought out for viewing in the village square for one day. Right after that, Bajie will be executed in front of her to placate her spirit, before she is buried.¡± said Elder Jing. ¡°I need to know if you have the skills to help us in this matter.¡± said Elder Mu. Even with his arms crossed firmly in front of his chest, he looked poised for action. ¡°Hah! Let me tell you about my Mistress, the Ever-Righteous Lady Trip! She-¡± ¡°Wukong!¡± ¡°Yes Mistress.¡± At Trip¡¯s admonishment, Wukong immediately stopped talking and lowered his head. Looking steadily at Elder Mu, Trip said ¡°Tell me how I can prove myself.¡± ¡°Show us that you can handle yourself in case of any¡­ trouble, and demonstrate your powers of investigation.¡± Trip shrugged. ¡°Sure¡± -- Chapter 26, End -- Chapter 27 - One Big Happy Family Looking around, Trip saw a pile of square wooden boards in a corner. Each was about the size of an average human torso. She picked one up and passed it to Elder Mu. ¡°When I say go, please toss it up in the air.¡± Looking slightly bemused, Elder Mu nodded. Trip took a few steps back, and said ¡°Go!¡± Elder Mu¡¯s arm blurred, tossing the wooden board up so high, that it soon seemed to be about the size of a pinky fingernail.All eyes were on it, as it began to fall back down. Trip waited, calm and still, hands loose and ready at her sides. When the wooden board seemed to be about the size of her palm, she moved in a blurred flurry of motion. Her hands reached under her duster, drawing a single-shot pistol in each hand. A shot rang out. It hit the wooden board, causing it to slow its downward trajectory while spinning in another direction. Another shot rang out. Then another. And another. Each time, it was obvious that the shot hit the wooden board. With every shot, the wooden board spun in a different direction, but never in one that would take it beyond their sight. Each time she shot, she would smoothly holster the pistol then draw another one. After the fourth shot, she looked directly at Elder Mu, seemingly ignoring the wooden board still in the air. ¡°Ah...wha-¡± began Elder Jing. He was interrupted by the wooden board falling to the ground at Elder Mu¡¯s feet. Four holes could clearly be seen, grouped around the center of the board. Elder Mu gave a single approving nod, a tiny smile cracking his stern expression. ¡°Ah, well, being able to shoot is all well and good, but we do still need to know if you¡¯ll be able to investigate the matter properly.¡± said Elder Jing. Trip still looked at Elder Mu, not reacting to Elder Jing in any way. ¡°In your village, the rate of infant mortality has been increasing with each generation. Most of those who survive are handicapped in some way.¡± said Trip. Her tone was firm. It was one used when making a statement. Elder Jing gasped, his eyes and mouth wide open. ¡°How¡­ how did you¡­?¡± She continued. ¡°Also, in Gao Village, almost everyone is related to one another. Maybe not since the beginning, but marriage among relatives has been going on for at least several generations.¡± Elder Jing nodded numbly. ¡°You pass.¡± said Elder Mu, a thoughtful expression on his face. ¡°Thank you. May I begin investigating? Or do we meet Lord Gao first?¡± said Trip. ¡°Oh, no, Lord Gao is much too busy! Also, he¡¯s always accompanied by our Head of Security¡­ that person wouldn¡¯t be happy about such a danger¡­ er¡­ capable stranger like you entering the village. It¡¯d be so much better if you could finish up and leave the village without that person ever finding out about it.¡± said Elder Jing. ¡°You can¡¯t wait to kick us out? When my Mistress is just-¡± growled Wukong. ¡°No no no!¡± said Elder Jing, waving his hands in a panic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to offend! It¡¯s only because that person is scary, very scary, and behind them, they have an even scarier army!¡± ¡°The Crimson Army!¡± said Trip. ¡°Yes! They have a battalion nearby, ready to charge into the village at any time!¡± ¡°How will they know when to come to the village?¡± asked Trip. ¡°Oh, that person has big fireworks that they use to signal the troops. I¡¯ve seen it before, when I was¡­ oh, so long ago, when the previous Lord Gao¡­ he tried to¡­¡±. Elder Jing¡¯s expression became increasingly sad as he went on. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s get started.¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°Us?¡± said Trip. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be joining you. Jing, you too.¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°Much appreciated.¡± Trip inclined her head towards Elder Mu. ¡°First, I need to know more about Gao Xin, Gao Lang, and Bajie.¡± ¡°Oh, I could tell you all that. Bajie was an orphan that Lord Gao¡¯s youngest sister found wandering outside the paddy fields one day. She took him in and took care of him. At the time, she was pregnant with Gao Xin. Sadly, she passed away when Gao Xin was born. Lord Gao¡¯s mother, Madame Gao, was furious, saying that Bajie was an unlucky star, so he was driven out to live as a worker in the fields. But somehow, Gao Xin got to know Bajie when they were kids. They think nobody knows, but most of us here had seen Gao Xin sneak off to play with Bajie at one time or another. By that time, Madame Gao was no longer around, and Gao Xin had always been such a¡­ mmm¡­ such a¡­¡± Elder Jing¡¯s voice broke ¡°sweet kid, everybody loved her, and she¡¯s Lord Gao¡¯s favourite too, so nobody said anything.¡± Elder Jing sniffed loudly and sighed. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A loud, suspiciously teary sniff sounded off to one side. Everyone turned to Wukong, only to see him hurriedly wiping his eyes with his arm. ¡°Gao Lang is Lord Gao¡¯s grandson.¡± said Elder Mu. After a moment, Trip said ¡°I¡¯m surprised that Bajie wasn¡¯t immediately executed because of Gao Lang¡¯s words. If he¡¯s Lord Gao¡¯s grandson, wouldn¡¯t his words have much weight?¡± ¡°Well, you see, everybody knows that Gao Lang hates Bajie. He grew up together with Gao Xin too, though he¡¯s a few years older. But instead of playing with him, Gao Xin would always prefer running off to play with Bajie¡­ so¡­¡± Elder Jing trailed off. ¡°So there¡¯s always a chance that brat is trying to get rid of Bajie.¡± said Elder Mu with a snort. ¡°Alright.¡± said Trip, looking thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯ll need to examine a few things. Gao Cai, would you mind leading me to them?¡± *** ¡°This is where Gao Xin¡¯s body was found.¡± said Gao Cai, pointing to a small flattened patch among thick long grass, growing beside a small path that led to the paddy fields. From the village, they had walked down a wide path before turning into this small one. Beyond the long grass was a large, dense, bamboo grove. Trip looked at the small flat spot, surrounded by the long grass. She turned towards Gao Cai, and asked ¡°Did Gao Lang say which direction Bajie was running towards?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t. But we found Bajie in the fields.¡± ¡°What was he doing?¡± ¡°The usual. Working. I think he was tilling the land, he had his usual big rake.¡± ¡°How did he seem? Angry? Sad? Did he struggle?¡± ¡°No, he came along peacefully. If anything, he was confused.¡± ¡°I see. Was the area searched?¡± ¡°Searched? What for?¡± ¡°Nevermind. We need to search the area for anything out of place.¡± Trip, Elder Mu, Elder Jing and Gao Cai searched the immediate area, but couldn¡¯t find anything. Wukong planted his quarterstaff firmly in the middle of the path, then jumped up to stand on the other end with one foot. He was so balanced and steady that it seemed he was standing on a sturdy pillar instead. One hand shaded his eyes as he scanned the area. ¡°Mistress! There¡¯s a path in the bamboo grove!¡± he said, as he hopped off his quarterstaff. *** After a short distance, the path in the bamboo grove led to a large clearing. Filling it, was a beautiful flower garden. Lined with smooth rocks, divided into sections. ¡°Oh,¡± said Elder Jing ¡°so this is where she got her flowers.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Did she sell flowers?¡± asked Trip. ¡°Ahah! Goodness, no! Gao Xin always liked to give people flowers, especially the little children. Every now and then, she would show up with a circlet of flowers, and she¡¯d wear it until the flowers began to wilt.¡± said Elder Jing, a sad smile on his face. Elder Mu looked at the meticulously cultivated garden, at the pool of water in a corner with two large pails on a carrying pole beside it. ¡°This seems like a lot of work for one girl to be doing, just for some flowers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she was doing the work alone.¡± said Trip. Beside the pool of water, they saw two sets of footprints. One small and shallow, the other large and deep. Very deep. -- Chapter 27, End -- Chapter 28 - Mothers Mourning a Maiden Trip, Wukong, and Elders Mu and Jing had arrived at a small room behind the village infirmary that served as the morgue. Two women were working on the body of Gao Xin, preparing her for the three days of viewing before burial. One of them had completely white hair and deep wrinkles, the other had grey hair braided into a bun. The white-haired woman''s eyes were vacant, her expression blank as she mechanically wiped Gao Xin''s face. She looked like someone who had lost the last light of hope and laughter in their world, and was still trying to process it. The grey-haired woman was lacing up a pair of embroidered cloth slippers on Gao Xin''s feet, weeping softly as she did so, dabbing at her tears with her sleeves. The grey-haired woman looked up as the group entered. She moved unsteadily towards Elder Mu, burying her head in his chest, sobbing. Elder Mu''s expression was a hard as iron, but his hands were gentle as he held her and stroked her head. Softly, he murmured "I told you, you didn''t have to do this. Someone else-" "No! It had to be... Mother and...I had to..." said the woman, between sobs. Elder Mu turned to Trip and Wukong. "My apologies. This is my wife, Gao Luan." Wukong sniffled and clamped one hand over his nose and mouth, turning away to face the wall. "Who are these people?" a hoarse, yet majestic-sounding voice rang out. "Mother" Elder Mu inclined his head deeply towards the white-haired woman, who was now standing between the group and Gao Xin''s body. Although she looked frail and was only as tall as Trip''s collarbone, her posture was straight and her gaze was unwavering. Somehow, she gave the impression of a valiant warrior, willing to defend the body behind her to her last breath. "This is Trip, and this is Wukong. Trip is a capable investigator who has volunteered to help us identify Gao Xin''s murderer. Trip, this is my mother, Gao Shu." continued Elder Mu. At the word "capable", Madam Shu glanced sharply at her son, before turning her gaze back to Trip. "Very well. What do you need?" "I''ll need to examine the... examine Gao Xin. Please." Madam Shu hesitated for a moment. Then she took a few steps to the side, gesturing towards Gao Xin''s body. Even in death, it was obvious that Gao Xin had been a rare beauty. Porcelain skin, dark slim eyebrows, long eyelashes, and a generous mouth made for smiling... that would smile no longer. Her face was marred with small cuts, scratches and bruises. Her eyes, nose, and cheekbones were so bruised, they were almost black. Trip examined the rest of Gao Xin''s body, lightly touching here and there, then lifting parts of Gao Xin''s clothing to peer underneath. Finally, she reached for Gao Xin''s neck and began unbuttoning her robes.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "What are you doing?" Madam Shu said. Her tone was sharp and ferocious, like a mother tiger ready to pounce on anything threatening her cubs. "I need to check under her clothes. Don''t worry, I''ll be discreet." said Trip, her tone gentle and respectful. Gently, she lifted the corner of Gao Xin''s robes to inspect the area underneath. She repeated this for as much of Gao Xin''s body as she could while preserving her modesty. She could tell that even after death, it was something important to this intimidating old lady. Finally, she turned to Madam Shu and Gao Luan. "Did the two of you find anything when you cleaned her?" "Nothing much... other than all the cuts and bruises, blood coming out from her nose and mouth... and the...the residue from... inside her... proof she had been... had been..." Gao Luan stopped, unable to continue. "I understand. Anything else?" "... there was this, it was found near her... " said Gao Luan, holding out a thoroughly-trampled circlet of flowers on a tray. "You didn''t find any mud or dirt sticking to her? Her clothes or her hands?" "No... only a bit of grass in her hair." "Hmm. I''ll need writing ink, a brush, and some paper." Gao Luan nodded, moving towards a table in the corner. As she prepared the writing ink, Trip opened Gao Luan''s mouth, peering inside. Then she closed it, nodding in a satisfied manner. "You found something?" said Elder Mu. "I might have. I''ll need to take some impressions from her body onto ink and paper, in order to make sure." said Trip. Elder Mu looked at his mother, who seemed content to wait and see. He nodded at Trip. "Do what you must." Trip took the brush from Gao Luan, dipping it into the black writing ink. With Gao Luan to help her hold Gao Xie''s mouth open, she reached inside to paint the bottoms of her teeth. When she was done, she folded a piece of paper into a stiff rectangle that she could insert into one side of Gao Xie''s mouth without bending it. "Please close her mouth and hold it firm... alright, open it again." Trip withdrew the piece of paper, then repeated the process with another piece of paper, inserting it into the other side of Gao Xie''s mouth. When she was done, she held up both pieces of paper together, showing the others a perfect impression of Gao Xie''s bite marks. Trip continued by taking impressions of various bruises around Gao Xie''s arms, legs, and neck, by painting the bruises then wrapping a piece of paper around them. When she was done, the pieces of paper showed either a left or right hand imprint, with long and tapered fingers. "Ei? That... does not look like Bajie''s hands?" said Elder Jing. "No. It does not." said Elder Mu, his tone as grim as an executioner''s axe. "Madame, when will the viewing ceremony take place?" Trip asked Madam Shu. "In a short while. We were almost done when you came. It won''t take long to clean her up again." Trip turned towards Gao Cai, but a wrinkled hand gripped her by the shoulder and turned her back. "Listen. As long as you find justice for our Gao Xin, my family and I will be behind you, all the way. Do you hear me?" "I do. Thank you." Trip nodded firmly at the old white-haired lady. There was one last thing she needed to do, before the viewing ceremony. She had to go have a good chat with young Master Gao Lang. -- Chapter 28, End -- Chapter 29 - A Young Master鈥檚 Employees Within a large courtyard, a muscular young man was showing off his martial arts. He was topless, his exposed chest glistening with sweat, lending him an aura of seemingly limitless power. His forearms and hands had cloth bandages wrapped around them, giving him the dangerous look of an experienced fighter. He had cruel triangular eyes, snake-like eyebrows, and thin wide lips that looked like a slash in his face, which all combined to produce a mask of arrogance. He directed a look of sheer disdain, something between a smirk and a sneer, towards the opponents surrounding him. "The first person who lands a blow on me will receive one gold piece! Now, fight me!" shouted the young man. Hearing about the reward, his opponents seemingly perked up with enthusiasm, shouting their battle cries and charging forward. However, those perceptive enough would see that most of the opponents were merely faking it. Punches and kicks were launched with great force at the young man, but they always missed their mark. The young man would dodge or deflect those forceful blows with energetic movements, then counter with an unavoidable strike, always leaving his opponent prone on the ground. One opponent, after managing to block the young man''s kick aimed at his chest, still staggered many steps backward before falling to his knees, face on the ground while retching. Right after that, the young man seemed to get even stronger. Some of his opponents were even launched several steps away from him, giving pitiful cries of despair and pain. Some even rolled on the ground, crying for their mothers. By this point, even the slightly less observant onlooker might think that those opponents would need a remedial class to correct their blatant overacting. All the opponents were down except for one. The last one standing was the youngest of all, a callow youth with uneven eyes and a potato nose. He looked scared, hopping up and down like a panicked rabbit. With a high-pitched scream, he charged directly towards the young man. "No! Ah Tu, stop!" One of the opponents tried to warn the callow youth away, but it was too late. Obviously not expecting such an unsophisticated attack, the young man was dumbfounded for a moment. It was enough for Ah Tu to grab him around his hips, knocking him down. Ah Tu straddled him, giving him an adrenaline-fueled punch on his head that made him see stars. After that single punch, Ah Tu seemed to regain some clarity. Panic was slowly replaced with horror as he stared at his fist... until his sight was blocked by two thumbs gouging his eyes. Screaming, he rolled off the young man, hands over his injured eyes. The young man jumped to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, his face contorted in rage. He gave a vicious kick to the area between Ah Tus legs, prompting even more high-pitched screaming. Not satisfied, it was the young man''s turn to straddle Ah Tu, raining blows on his face. Each blow was accompanied with a shout.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "How! Many! Times! Do! I! Have! To! Say! Respect! The! Rules! Of! Combat!". Mingled with the young man''s angry words, Ah Tu''s screams turned into gurgles, then, silence. "HAHAHA! Very good! I''m glad to see there''s at least one worthy opponent among you lot! Someone come and take his fellow to his reward! The rest of you, go collect your pay!" As he stood back up, the young man''s face was back to its usual expression that said ''I''m the best! You''re the worst!''. "Thank you Young Master Gao!" The opponents helped each other up, shooting looks of resigned pity at Ah Tu. His reward was more likely to be a rack in the basement, rather than gold. "Apologies to Elder Mu, Elder Jing, and... our esteemed guests, for making you wait. Welcome!" said Gao Lang, inclining his head at Trip and her group of fellow investigators, who had been there watching the fight from the very start. His words were polite, but it couldn''t disguise the sheer avarice in his gaze as he looked up and down at Trip. "Young Master Gao, this is Trip and Wukong. They are here to investigate Gao Xin''s death." said Elder Jing. Gao Lang''s eyelid twitched, as he spun towards Elder Jing. "Investigate? What''s there to investigate? I''ve already said, it''s Bajie. I saw him running away from her body!" "Of course, of course. Everybody knows that your father is a fair and even-handed leader. We''re just doing this to maintain that standard." said Elder Jing, while making calming motions with his hands. A few servant girls came over to attend to Gao Lang. One dabbed at the sweat on his chest, another dabbed his face, while another reached for the bandages around his hands, which were stained with blood. Blood that seemed to be seeping from two crescent-shaped areas, one on his hand, the other on his forearm. WHACK! Gao Lang slapped away the servant girl''s hands away from his bandages. The servant girl immediately retreated to a corner, crouching while whimpering, cradling her injured hand. Already, it was turning a dark shade of red, attesting to how hard she had been hit. "Bring my robe!" Another servant girl hurried forward with a rich brocade robe. After wearing it, Gao Lang tugged the long sleeves over his hands repeatedly, as though trying to make the sleeves longer so that they could cover his hands completely. It was a futile gesture. By then, Trip and the others had gotten a clear look at his fingers. His long and tapered fingers. "We need to get going." said Trip. "Yes, yes, let''s. Please excuse us, Young Master Gao." said Elder Jing. "Oh, leaving so soon? But I haven''t had the chance to serve you tea yet." said Gao Lang, his eyes back to roving all over Trip. Trip turned and left without a word. Only Gao Cai and Elder Mu noticed Wukong staring at Gao Lang, upper lip twitching to reveal his sharp canines. His golden eyes looked ready to shoot fiery sabers at the young master. "Wukong!" "At once, mistress!" Wukong''s expression instantly changed into a foolishly vacant one as he waddled off after Trip. -- Chapter 29, End -- Chapter 30 - Revelation Through Conversation As they walked away from Gao Lang¡¯s courtyard, everyone could hear the grinding of Wukong¡¯s teeth. His expression was now full of wrath, his fist mashing into his other palm, demonstrating what he wanted to do to Gao Lang¡¯s face. Muttering under his breath, only a few words could be heard by the rest. ¡°How dare that¡­ looking at my Mistress like¡­ dig his eyes out and make him eat them¡­ strangle him with his own intestines!¡± Ignoring the rather ghoulish threats being levelled against his superior¡¯s grandson, Elder Mu turned towards Trip. His brow was furrowed in thought. ¡°Earlier, you mentioned the increasing infant mortality rates and the birth defects of the surviving children. Do you know how to stop it? A cure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of relatives marrying each other. The closer they are, the worse it gets, and it¡¯s carried over to the next generation. No cure I know of, but prevention is simple. Don¡¯t marry a relative!¡± said Trip. ¡°Could it be¡­ that simple?¡± said Elder Mu, in a hoarse half-whisper. He looked almost like he had been hit in the head. ¡°Eh? But¡­ Lord Gao always told us that it was a curse from not working hard enough, not supplying enough food to the Crimson Army. Once we met their requests, their demon sorcerers would dispel the curse.¡± said Elder Jing. ¡°Father, even if the reason is simple, how to fix it won¡¯t be. Where are we going to find enough outsiders? All the surrounding villages for miles around were already absorbed so many decades ago!¡± said Gao Cai. ¡°Son,¡± said Elder Mu, his hand on Gao Cai¡¯s shoulder, ¡°we can¡¯t just give up. We¡¯ll just have to explore further!¡± ¡°I know of a place that might help. It¡¯s called the Monastery of LGS, about one week¡¯s worth of travel through the area of desolation. Ask for Brother Mender, tell them Sister Trip sent you.¡± ¡°Monastery? But if they¡¯re monks, would they be able to¡­?¡± said Gao Cai. ¡°They¡¯re not THAT kind of monks, so yes, they can have families. Also, they have ties to other villages too. Maybe you could have some sort of festival or apprenticeship program, where your youth could meet each other.¡± said Trip. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! We should suggest it to Lord Gao at once!¡± said Elder Jing, clapping his hands delightedly, his voice raised in excitement. ¡°Wait, wait. Things¡­ might not be so simple after all.¡± said Elder Mu, who was staring intensely off into space. Snapping out of it, he looked at Elder Jing. ¡°Jing, do you remember, when we were little, when the Crimson Army first came? Lord Gao¡¯s father, our fathers, all the other elders, they were all executed. Because they were against the unification of villages. Could it be¡­ they knew this would be the result?¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°Are you saying¡­ this was¡­ intentional? My daughter¡¯s babies, all stillborn¡­ it was all because of¡­ them?¡± said Elder Jing. Elder Jing, who had been like a good natured plum all along, had transformed into an angry chili. His fists were clenched tightly, his eyes were bloodshot, his face and neck were red, and he was trembling with rage. ¡°Jing¡­¡± Elder Mu grabbed Elder Jing by the shoulders, ¡°control yourself! There¡¯s a chance Lord Gao has no idea about this! We won¡¯t know until we ask!¡± ¡°Ask? I¡¯ll ask him alright. I¡¯ll ask if he¡¯s ready to rebel against the Crimson Army!¡± said Elder Jing. His agitation had seemingly been compressed and concentrated, from a wild flame to a focused intense pool of molten lava. ¡°Good man! I¡¯ve been itching for a fight! I¡¯m with you!¡± said Wukong, giving Elder Jing a thumbs up. ¡°Let¡¯s settle the situation with Bajie and Gao Lang, and lay Gao Xin to rest first.¡± said Gao Cai.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°... you¡¯re right. Okay. Let¡¯s get to it then.¡± said Elder Jing, nodding grimly. ¡°Elders, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about your supplying food to the Crimson Army. Where do you deliver the food to?¡± said Trip. ¡°Oh, that, we don¡¯t actually make the deliveries. Every two weeks or so, some of their soldiers show up with a few wagons for us to fill up.¡± said Elder Jing. ¡°Do you know where those wagons go?¡± said Trip. ¡°I can¡¯t be absolutely sure, but we¡¯ve heard about this place called Yellow Wind Ridge, a massive mountain ridge. I think it¡¯s one of the bigger outposts for the army in the region.¡± said Elder Jing. *** At the village square, a small stage had been constructed. A group of muscular men, panting and sweating heavily, had just finished dragging Bajie up the stage, off to one side. Bajie was hanging limply from his restraints, still tied securely to the X-shaped wooden frame. He was silently staring at the ground with a vacant gaze, looking like he had given up all hope. Around the stage, a large crowd of villagers continued to gather, growing larger and larger. As she made her way through the crowd, Trip could hear scattered muttering here and there. ¡°They¡¯re really going to go through with it?¡± ¡°Poor Bajie¡­ my kids will be crying for days¡­ he always had snacks or flowers for the kids¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of that Young Master Gao Lang¡­¡± ¡°Could it be, Lord Gao doesn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°But Lord Gao has always been so fair, how could he allow¡­?¡± From among the crowd, two small children ran up the stage to hide behind the X-shaped frame. One was a little girl with a club foot, and the other was a little boy with scales on his head instead of hair. Looking up at Bajie with their large, innocent eyes, they reached up as high as they could to pat him gently on his hip and stomach. It took a while before Bajie roused himself, looked around, before finding the little kids who were comforting him. Twisting his head sideways and downwards, he smiled as best as he could at them. ¡°Keep away from that murderer!¡± a rough voice roared. A hairy leg came out of nowhere, kicking the little boy in the side, causing him to roll off the stage to land heavily on the ground. The owner of the hairy leg turned out to be Gao Tian, who had stomped on to the stage while carrying an oversized nine-pronged rake that was obviously too heavy for him. Having dealt with the little boy, he took a swipe at the little girl, but overbalanced and missed her head by a hand¡¯s breadth. Realising that she had escaped death by a hair, the little girl¡¯s eyes were open wide in fear, and her face had turned as white as raw tofu. By now, a few adults had rushed forward, gathering the two children up in their arms. Only then did the children begin to cry at the top of their lungs. While attempting to comfort the children, the adults couldn¡¯t help but shoot glares full of flying razors up at Gao Tian. ¡°Gao Tian! Just because you¡¯re the son of Lord Gao, don¡¯t think he¡¯ll avoid punishing you if enough of us report you to him!¡± one of them shouted. ¡°Report me? I¡¯m doing you a favour, keeping your children away from negative influences! But if you¡¯re unhappy, by all means, feel free to report me -- Lord Gao¡¯s ONLY SON-- all you want!¡± shouted Gao Tian, one hand on his hips. Bajie, who had begun trembling violently upon seeing Gao Tian getting violent with the children, screamed at Gao Tian, ¡°Y...You! Leave t...the ch...ildren alone! Stop u...using my rake! Stupid Tian!¡± Gao Tian looked at Bajie incredulously. ¡°What¡¯s this? Even YOU dare to answer back now? It¡¯s not your rake anymore, it¡¯s MY rake, which I¡¯ll use to beat you to death!¡± As though immediately wanting to prove that he was true to his word, Gao Tian raised the rake behind his shoulder, then swung it sideways straight into Bajie¡¯s chest. The impact was so hard, it knocked all the breath out of Bajie, leaving him doubled over as far as his restraints would allow, desperately gasping for breath. Again, Gao Tian raised the rake behind his shoulder, preparing for another strike. Which was when Trip jumped up on stage and punched Gao Tian in the belly, causing him to wheeze while letting the rake go and dropping to his knees. Which brought his head to the perfect height for Trip to grab, and introduce it to her knee by way of forcefully smashing his nose into her kneecap. Still grabbing his head, Trip dragged Gao Tian to the edge of the stage before throwing him off it. ¡°I¡¯m doing Lord Gao a favour, keeping his only son away from negative influences. If you¡¯re unhappy, by all means, feel free to report me all you want.¡± said Trip to the puddle of bully with an exploded nose. ¡°Wuuaaaaa! My Mistress is AWESOME!¡± shouted Wukong, pumping both fists in the air. Without anyone noticing, he had made his way on stage, and was leaning against the wooden frame supporting Bajie. ¡°Don¡¯t worry little Pigsy! My Mistress, the Ever-Righteous Lady Trip, will soon have you out of this mess!¡± said Wukong while giving Bajie a wide grin. -- Chapter 30, End -- Chapter 31 - Triptika Tang, Ace Attorney? Gao Cai, Elder Jing and Elder Mu reached the foot of the stage. Although the villagers made way for Elders Mu and Jing when they noticed them, they were still slower than Trip and Wukong at making their way through the crowd. Gao Cai and Elder Jing looked ready for a fight, while Elder Mu had a grim expression on his face, as though preparing himself for something. From across the village square, four men walked towards the stage, bearing Gao Xin¡¯s body on a plank. Madam Shu and Gao Luan, Elder Mu¡¯s mother and wife, had been walking behind them. Upon seeing Elder Mu at the foot of the stage, the two ladies joined him there. The men set down Gao Xin¡¯s body at a tilted angle on a wooden stand, letting the crowd see her clearly. ¡°Mama, why is sister Xin sleeping up there?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ well, something happened, and¡­ sigh¡­¡± ¡°Was it really Bajie who killed Little Xin? Are they gonna execute him?¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it weird? I thought they were childhood friends¡­?¡± Trip examined the crowd, but did not see the person she was looking for. In the first place, that person would be the type to stand out, so the fact that she couldn¡¯t see him, meant that he wasn¡¯t in the village square at all. She beckoned to Wukong, whispering in his ear when he came forward. When she was done, Wukong stood up straight and said ¡°At once, Mistress!¡± then ran off the stage and out of the village square. Trip went to stand in front of Bajie, beside Gao Xin¡¯s body. Clenching her fists behind her back, she took a deep breath. Her voice rang out, crisp and clear. ¡°People of Gao Village! My name is Trip. I was brought in by Elder Mu and Elder Jing to investigate Gao Xin¡¯s murder. They have been with me every step of the way, making sure things were done right.¡± At this, the Elders Mu and Jing nodded their heads, lending authenticity to Trip¡¯s words. ¡°Let me share with you what I¡¯ve found.¡± said Trip. The crowd went silent. Their dearest Gao Xin had been murdered, and they were about to find out what happened. They listened intently. ¡°All of you know Gao Xin. She liked to play with your children and give them flowers, spreading joy wherever she went, asking for nothing in return. Sweet, kind, gentle Gao Xin, so loved by so many. She would never harm anyone, but someone brought harm to her!¡± ¡°Some people think that Bajie was the one who harmed her. Bajie, who had been Gao Xin¡¯s precious friend since they were little. So precious was he to Gao Xin, that she would sneak off to spend time with him. Why did she prefer his company so much? The answer can be found in a piece of wisdom passed down from our ancestors. They said ¡®birds of a feather flock together¡¯. Gao Xin saw something within Bajie that made her feel that they were so alike, making her feel comfortable in his company!¡± ¡°Did you ever wonder where Gao Xin got all her flowers from? Did you think she was always so lucky as to find wild flowers to pick, every single time? No! She grew those flowers with her own hands! The Elders and I, we found a secret flower garden deep in a wild bamboo grove. It was clear that it had been tended to with great love and care. It was also clear that it was too much work for just one person to do.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°How much water do you think was needed for the flowers, every day? We found two water pails, so large that any one of your could fit inside it. Do you think Gao Xin could have carried those pails, full of water, every day? No, she was helped by someone else. We know this, because other than Gao Xin¡¯s footprints, we found another set of footprints in the flower garden. Footprints bigger and much, much deeper than that of any ordinary person. That means her helper was someone big and very, very heavy. Also, her helper was someone who was willing to do extra work every day, just so Gao Xin could give flowers to everyone. That helper was content with that. They didn¡¯t need any thanks or appreciation from any of you, and they didn¡¯t need anyone to know of the good they did.¡± ¡°Very, very heavy? That could only be Bajie, right?¡± ¡°It was definitely Bajie! He would give me flowers sometimes, saying it was to brighten up my home¡­ just like Gao Xin¡­¡± Gao Cai and the Elders Mu and Jing were barely listening to the murmurs of the crowd. They were too busy being amazed at Trip¡¯s speech. They had no idea she could speak this way. In fact, Elder Jing had almost expected Trip to jump on stage, point at Gao Lang and say ¡°He¡¯s guilty!¡±, shoot him, and settle the matter that way. Unaware of Elder Jing¡¯s shattered expectations, Trip continued. ¡°We¡¯ve talked about the person who helped Gao Xin. Now, I want to talk about another person. The person who harmed Gao XIn. Just¡­ what kind of person would do such a thing?¡± ¡°When Gao Xin was found, she had cuts and bruises all over her, with blood coming out of her nose and mouth. There were bruises where she was held down. There were cuts and more bruises where she was beaten. There was even blood in her teeth, where she bit the person holding her down. She did everything she could to get away. She must have struggled, screamed. She must have been so afraid.¡± ¡°But here¡¯s the thing. Gao Xin was found near the fields, lying in the grass. Based on the bruises on her, we know that she struggled with everything she had. But when she was found, there wasn¡¯t any mud or dirt on her. From that, we know that whatever was done to her, was not done in that place near the fields. It was done in a clean place, and it was indoors in a private place, because not even those working in the fields nearby heard her screams. So we know that her murderer did so in a clean and private place indoors. After he was done, he dumped her in that spot near the fields.¡± ¡°We also know some other things about her murderer. We know what his hands look like. All the bruises on Gao Xin that looked like someone was gripping her as hard as they could, as though they would crush her bones if they could¡­ the combination of all those finger and hand-shaped bruises look like... this.¡± Trip help up the hand imprint she had taken earlier. Beside it, she held up her own hand. ¡°As you can see, the hand of Gao Xin¡¯s murderer, is not much bigger than mine. You will notice that their fingers are long, narrow, and tapered. Does anyone think this hand belongs to Bajie?¡± Many among the crowd were shaking their heads. ¡°Nah, that can¡¯t be Bajie¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°I told you! I told you it couldn¡¯t be Bajie!¡± ¡°Bajie¡¯s got sausage fingers, nothing like those.¡± ¡°There is one final thing we know about Gao Xin¡¯s murderer. We know that she bit him hard. I¡¯ve taken down an imprint from Gao Xin¡¯s own mouth, showing what the result of that bite would look like. So the murderer would have wounds that look like... this!¡± She held up the pieces of paper, joined together to show the perfect crescent-shape of Gao Xin¡¯s bite marks. ¡°Wukong!¡± she called out. ¡°Here!¡± came Wukong¡¯s reply at the back of the crowd. -- Chapter 31, End -- Chapter 32 - You Want The Truth? Wukong was carrying Gao Lang across his back like a sack of potatoes, taking great pleasure in jostling him a lot more than was absolutely necessary. One large furry paw gripped his ankles, while the other gripped his wrists, preventing his escape. In a few bounds, Wukong reached the stage. ¡°Let me go! My grandfather will skin you for this, you smelly monkey!¡± shouted Gao Lang. Almost casually, Wukong lowered Gao Lang to his feet, then smacked his head with a loud ¡°PIAKK!¡±, causing him to slump unconscious into Wukong¡¯s arms. Gao Cai, Elder Jing, Elder Mu and his wife and mother, were all stunned. Their eyes were wide open. Gao Cai even had his mouth hanging open. Even if Gao Lang was their prime suspect, wasn¡¯t treating him like this going overboard? All these years, nobody had dared to even sneeze in Gao Lang¡¯s direction, must less insult or mistreat this treasured grandson of Lord Gao! ¡°Isn¡¯t that Young Master Gao Lang?¡± ¡°Treating him like that, aren¡¯t they scared?¡± ¡°Maybe we should leave¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re gonna be in soooo much trouble¡­¡± ¡°Shush! I wanna know what¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°Hah! I knew it was him all along, I told you!¡± Bajie watched the entire proceedings with his mouth growing increasingly slack, his eyes wide in amazement. When Wukong hit Gao Lang, Bajie couldn¡¯t help chortling loudly, half in disbelief. Trip undid the bandages around Gao Lang¡¯s hands and arms then raised them high up, showing the two crescent-shaped wounds underneath. Beside them, she held up the pieces of paper showing Gao Xin¡¯s bite marks. The crowd gasped. One set was brownish-red with scabs and dried blood, the other was black with ink. Despite the difference in colour, everyone could clearly see that the wounds were a perfect match with the bite mark pattern on paper. ¡°Young Master Gao Lang was the murderer!¡± ¡°It was he who defiled our Gao Xin!¡± ¡°Hah! I knew it all along! I told you!¡± ¡°Lord Gao will be so disappointed!¡± At this point, the scariest-looking people in the entire crowd were not Elder Mu, Elder Jing, or even Gao Cai, no matter how grim they looked. The two people who had murder in their eyes and expressions that promised Gao Lang a long, slow and painful death, were Gao Luan and Gao Shu. Elder Mu¡¯s wife and mother. Trip continued. ¡°Good people of Gao Village. I¡¯ve shared with you many truths. Now, I only have two questions to ask you. The first being, should Bajie be set free?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Hah! I always knew he was innocent! I told you!¡± Trip nodded at Wukong, who dragged Gao Lang along as he moved towards the X-shaped wooden frame. With a couple of kicks, Wukong smashed the wooden frame to pieces, freeing Bajie. ¡°Thank you Mistress Trip! Thank you Brother Wukong! Bajie will remember your kindness forever!¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bajie bowed to Trip and Wukong with a first palm salute. ¡°But first, I must avenge Gao Xin!¡± Waddling as fast as he could, Bajie picked up the nine-pronged rake. Wielding it with great familiarity, he brandished it fiercely. ¡°Brother Wukong, hold that Gao Lang steady. I¡¯m going to bash in his head!¡± said Bajie with a surprisingly resolute tone. ¡°Ohh! Good Pigsy! Hit him as hard as you can!¡± replied Wukong with much glee, holding a still-unconscious Gao Lang out like a sandbag ready to be pummelled. Just as Bajie was about to raise his rake to strike, a deep and powerful voice accustomed to command roared out, ¡°Whoever touches my grandson, I¡¯ll spend the next month skinning them alive!¡± ¡°Aiiiii!¡± squealed Bajie, dropping his rake. Crawling on hands and knees, he buried his head between his arms as he tried to hide behind the broken remnants of the wooden frame. A grizzled, weathered man strode towards the stage, his expression promising the wrath of any number of storms. He stood straight and proud, his short hair and beard framing a face like old leather. His body was tough as an oak tree, and built like a tiger. As he walked past, the crowd moved back out of his way while bowing their heads, muttering ¡°Lord Gao¡±. Behind Lord Gao were two huge boar hybrids, towering a full head above Lord Gao. Their shoulders, bulging with muscle, were almost twice his width..Tusks grew out from each side of their long bristly snouts, giving them a ferocious look. Ignoring the Elders Mu and Jing, Lord Gao went up the stage. The two boar hybrids followed him, causing the stage to creak under their feet. ¡°Well? Still not letting him go?¡± asked Lord Gao, his tone low and threatening. ¡°Lord Gao, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re a fair and just leader. Could it be that you¡¯re going to make an exception for your grandson, despite what he¡¯s done?¡± said Trip. ¡°Lord Gao! Gao Lang killed Gao Xin!¡± ¡°You have to punish him, Lord Gao!¡± ¡°We saw all the evidence! Gao Lang is guilty!¡± ¡°I told everyone but they wouldn¡¯t believe me! I knew all along!¡± ¡°Grandfather! Save me!¡± screamed Gao Lang, who had recovered consciousness. ¡°Even if he¡¯s done something wrong, I will be the one to punish him. In private, not here.¡± said Lord Gao, completely ignoring Gao Lang and the crowd. ¡°Lord Gao, I believe you owe it to your people to let them see that justice is done. How will they know that justice still exists in Gao Village, if Gao Lang is punished in private?¡± ¡°Justice? Of course it exists in Gao Village, because I AM THE LAW! Justice is whatever I say it is!¡± ¡°Lord Gao, how could you?¡± ¡°How is this fair?¡± ¡°How will Gao Xin rest in peace?¡± At the sounds of protest from the villagers, Lord Gao turned towards the crowd for the first time. ¡°All of you have had it easy for too long eh? Without me, there wouldn¡¯t be a Gao Village! Without me, all of you would be starving! Now that I¡¯m asking for my grandson back, you won¡¯t even give me this bit of face? You ungrateful wretches!¡± roared Lord Gao at the crowd. Turning back to one of the boar hybrids, Lord Gao said ¡°Call my Head of Security! Let him deal with these fools!¡± The boar hybrid raised his head and let out a deep snorting growl that was so loud, it echoed. Trip gritted her teeth, her hand straying towards her revolver. ¡°So this is what you call being fair and just?¡± Lord Gao looked at Trip condescendingly. ¡°Little girl, if enough people say I¡¯m fair and just, if they repeat it enough times, everyone else will start to believe it. Those that don¡¯t believe, can always be persuaded to keep quiet. Those that refuse to keep quiet, can be eliminated. This is what being a leader is! This is how one continues being a leader!¡± Elder Jing was about to explode with rage, pointing his finger at Lord Gao and sputtering ¡°Bloody Gao! Despicable Gao! You -!¡± A small, hunchbacked figure covered in a red robe darted out from the crowd, making its way to Lord Gao in a flash. The hood of the robe was pulled low, covering its face in shadow. The only part of its body that could be seen was a green and yellow-scaled tail poking out the bottom of the red robe. ¡°You summoned me, Lord Ga-¡± began the red-robed reptile in a high-pitched, chittering voice. It broke off, staring at Trip. ¡°IT¡¯S BLACK HAT TRIP! SOUND THE ALARM!¡± it screamed, fumbling for a bamboo tube slung across its back. -- Chapter 32, End -- Chapter 33 - You Can鈥檛 Handle The Truth! BANG! BOOM! The bamboo tube that was in the red-robed reptile¡¯s hands suddenly exploded in its face. It screamed, sounding almost like a bird¡¯s beak dragged across glass, magnified tens of times. It reared its head back, the hood fell, revealing a lizard-like face. Some scales had been blasted off to reveal the burnt flesh beneath. Trip stood with her arm out, her revolver pointed at the red-robed reptile. If her guess was right, she had just prevented the reptile from shooting up a firework to summon the nearby battalion of the Crimson Army. ¡°Guards! Shoot them!¡± shouted Lord Gao, as he went to stand behind one of the boar hybrids with as much dignity as he could. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot! Don¡¯t shoot!¡± screamed Gao Lang. ¡°Aiiiii! We¡¯re gonna die!¡± screamed Bajie from behind the wooden frame. ¡°Wukong, protect Bajie! Take cover!¡± said Trip. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the two boar hybrids unlimbering huge metal crossbows from their backs. Wukong stomped his feet, cracking the boards of the stage. With a light kick, he flipped up the boards towards the wooden X-shaped frame. Still holding on to a struggling Gao Lang with one hand, he dashed behind it, joining Bajie who had curled himself into a trembling pile of pink pudding. Trip joined them behind cover just in time, as a light shower of crossbow bolts started to land around them, some hitting the boards covering the X-shaped frame. CH-THUNK-CRACK! CH-THUNK-CRACK! AAAAAAA! Gao Lang screamed while clutching his leg. A huge crossbow bolt the size of a small spear had pierced halfway through the wooden boards, then completely through his thigh. ¡°Grandfather! Save me! I¡¯m dying, I¡¯m dying!¡± Gao Lang screamed in panic. ¡°Little Lang, Grandfather has faith in your martial arts! Hang in there!¡± shouted Lord Gao. ¡°Br...brother Wukong¡­ I¡¯ve been hit¡­¡± whimpered Bajie, clutching the shaft of the other huge crossbow bolt where it went into his belly. Concerned, Wukong went over. ¡°Let me see¡­ it¡¯s alright, let me see...¡± said Wukong, his deep growly voice as gentle as he could make it, getting Bajie to take his hands off the bolt. ¡°Eh?¡± Wukong had to admit, he was shocked. Just a little bit. The bolt was poking deep into Bajie¡¯s big belly, but it didn¡¯t even penetrate his skin! There wasn¡¯t even a scratch! ¡°You! You¡¯re not even hurt!¡± Wukong gave Bajie a light whack across the back of his head. WHAP!You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Aiya! Brother Wukong, I really thought I was done for! Thanks!¡± said Bajie happily while rubbing the back of his head, where Wukong had given him a light smack. ¡°Argh! You! Thanks? Thanks for what¡­¡± grumbled Wukong, looking away in a mix of irritation and relief. He caught sight of Bajie¡¯s rake on the floor, and his eyes lit up. As the light shower of crossbow bolts ended, Trip stepped out from behind cover, a single-shot pistol glowing yellow in each hand. BOOM! One of the boar hybrids froze, dropping a huge crossbow bolt to the floor. It had a large hole in its forehead, and an even larger hole completely obliterating the back of its head. It fell over with a huge crash that shook the stage. BOOM! The other boar hybrid instinctively raised its heavy metal crossbow as Trip fired, putting it directly in the path of the oncoming bullet, which turned the crossbow into a mangled mess of metal scraps. It was enough to deflect the bullet, causing it to hit the boar hybrid in the arm. Squealing loudly, the boar hybrid tried to stop the blood spurting out of its partially-severed arm. Trip clicked her tongue, annoyed that she¡¯d missed. Still, she spun smoothly back into cover to reload. whumwhumwhumwhum A large nine-toothed rake came spinning out of nowhere, hitting the injured boar hybrid in the head with a humongous BONGGGG! For a fleeting moment, it looked almost offended, as though it wanted to say ¡°Look, I¡¯m a fearsome boar demon. See my muscles? Could you fight me with a proper weapon? Did you have to use a farming tool? It¡¯s insulting to me, alright?¡± Not many people realise that boar hybrids have very expressive faces. That particular boar hybrid¡¯s expressive face went slack as it slowly collapsed to the stage floor, revealing Lord Gao standing behind it. Blood from the boar¡¯s wound was splattered across his robes, and his face was contorted in a horrified rictus. Snapping out of it, Lord Gao ran off the stage, screaming ¡°Kill them! Kill them!¡±. ¡°Woohoo! Go rake!¡± shouted Bajie, both his hands in the air. WHAP! ¡°What ¡®Go rake!¡¯ I¡¯m the one who threw it! Shouldn¡¯t it be ¡®Go Brother Wukong¡¯?¡± ¡°Okay! Woohoo! Go Brother Wukong!¡± shouted Bajie, in exactly the same pose as before, with the same jubilant grin. WHAP! ¡°Stop messing around! Go make yourself useful, fight some guards!¡± shouted Wukong as he kicked Bajie out from behind cover. Looking at the guards who were still trying to reload their crossbows, Wukong shook his head in amazement. Did they think he was going to stay behind cover forever? The guards nearest to the stage heard ¡°Here comes the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!¡±, followed by the sight of a monkey demon showing his sharp canines and spinning a quarterstaff, charging at them. ¡°Great sage¡­ what?¡± managed one dumbfounded guard, before Wukong was among them, breaking limbs and cracking heads. Just when Trip popped back out of cover, prepared to deal with the other threats, she spotted a red flash. It was the reptile hybrid, climbing the watchtower in the village square. It was small, but almost blindingly fast, its red robe fluttering behind it. It scampered up the watchtower with such ease, it was as though it was running up a gentle slope, making small leaps whenever it could to reach the top as fast as it could. Trip holstered the single-shot pistols and drew her revolver. She pulled the trigger, hesitated, then shot again. And again. Her eyes narrowed, she shot another two times. Her brows furrowed in disbelief. None of her shots hit the reptile hybrid! Almost as though it could predict the shots, the reptile hybrid dodged the bullets, making tiny diagonal leaps across the side of the watchtower with preternatural quickness. By now, the red robe was almost a quarter of the way up the watchtower. Trip was certain there was another firework signal in there. She was running out of time. If she didn¡¯t stop the reptile, an entire battalion of hybrids would soon descend upon the village. Even if they left the villagers alone, she couldn¡¯t afford to get captured. Her brother couldn¡¯t afford it. She grit her teeth, casting her eyes about. Then, she stopped. -- Chapter 33, End -- Chapter 34 - The Not-So-Little Ram That Could It suddenly dawned on Trip that the watchtower was held up by four wooden logs, forming the legs holding up the entire structure. Only four wooden logs. She exchanged her revolver for a pair of single-shot pistols, imbuing them with a yellow glow. BOOM! CRACK! BOOM! CRACK! KER-RASSHHHHH! Two shots rang out, shattering two legs of the watchtower halfway up, sending the detached lower halves crashing to the ground. A groaning, creaking noise could be heard from the other two intact legs of the watchtower. It began to tilt to the side a bit, but not nearly enough. One of the guards in the watchtower immediately threw out a rope ladder and prepared to climb out, but that only made the watchtower sway even more. The other guards pulled him back in, all piling together to sit on him in their panic. Crossbow bolts started landing around her, but she ignored them, exchanging her now empty single-shot pistols for the loaded ones at her belt. The red robe was halfway up the watchtower. She narrowed her eyes and focused. BOOM! CRACK! CRASH! BOOM! Trip¡¯s third shot did the same thing to another leg of the watchtower. Just as Trip let off her final shot, a crossbow bolt hit her in the shoulder, causing her to lose focus. The yellow glow around the pistol twisted, forming a large bloom-like shape near the back of the pistol. The pistol itself seemed to ripple for a moment, before exploding. Trip felt a titanic force smash her backwards. It took moments before she landed back on the stage to skid backwards a few feet more. In her hand, bloodied with several deep shrapnel cuts, she held an intact pistol grip. The rest of the pistol was gone, blown up into pieces scattered across the stage before her. ¡°Mistress!¡± roared Wukong. Trip couldn¡¯t spare any attention for her injured hand. All her focus was on the red robe that was already three quarters of the way up the watchtower. ¡°Bring the tower down!¡± shouted Trip, pointing at the watchtower still teetering on one leg. One had to applaud the carpenters of Gao village. They really believed in solid construction.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Bajie! Prepare for ramming speed!¡± ¡°Whuh?¡± said Bajie. ¡°Whaaaaa¡­ Hey! I¡¯ve never gone this fast before!¡± Wukong lifted Bajie to his feet then began pushing him in the direction of the watchtower. In a blink, Bajie seemed to gain so much speed, his moving feet only lightly touched the ground every other step or so. In fact, all the forward momentum was being supplied by Wukong. Bajie was the battering ram, and Wukong was the engine. ¡°Brother Wukong! We¡¯re going to hit we¡¯regoingtohit we¡¯regoing-¡± BOOM-KRAKA-KRAKA-CRACK! Bajie and Wukong crashed into, then through the remaining watchtower leg, sending it and the rest of the watchtower crashing to the ground. Chunks of wood and splinters filled the air. A pile of broken wood twitched. A reptilian head poked through, followed by a scaled body wearing a tattered red robe. The hybrid had cuts and scratches all over, one arm hanging limply by its side. It glared at Trip. ¡°Black¡­ hat¡­ Trip!¡±. It raised its good hand to form a fist, limping towards Trip. A red glow began to form around its fist. Trip sprinted towards the wooden frame, where Gao Lang was still leaning against the back of, gingerly trying to extract the huge crossbow bolt from his leg. Not a moment too soon. Red bolts of magical force dogged Trip¡¯s steps, blowing up small patches of wooden stage behind her. As she ducked behind cover, those bolts started eating through the layers of wooden stage Wukong had thrown over the wooden frame earlier, one small explosion at a time. Behind cover, Trip remained calm. Smoothly, almost as though it was another practice session, Trip reloaded two single-shot pistols. By then, the barrage of red force bolts had stopped. Through a hole in her wooden cover, she saw the reptile limping closer, charging up a much larger red ball of force on its tightly clenched, trembling fist. It was now or never. She slid out of cover with pistols extended. The reptile reacted instantly, flaring its closed fist out into an open palm, the red ball of force expanding into a familiar translucent red shield. BOOM! BOOM! At this range, even with an injured hand, Trip had absolute confidence in her shooting. Her first shot cracked the shield. Her second shattered it, blowing a hole in the reptile¡¯s head. It fell over with a thump, dead. Instead of inspecting the dead hybrid, Trip immediately got back partially behind cover to reload her pistols while maintaining situational awareness. Some time during the commotion caused by the collapsing watchtower, most of the guards had run away, as had the villagers long before that. Only one or two guards were left. They sat, stunned, staring off into space. Two mounds of wooden chunks moved, Wukong and Bajie popping their heads and shoulders through. Scanning the area for threats and finding none, they made their way back to Trip. -- Chapter 34, End -- Chapter 35 - Let Your Actions Speak In the relative silence that followed the collapse of the watchtower and the reptilian hybrid, Trip, Wukong and Bajie heard the panicked voice of Young Master Gao Lang. ¡°Wh...what are you doing? I¡¯m warning you! You¡¯d better-¡±. Young Master Gao Lang¡¯s weak protests were interrupted by the deadly sound of two crossbow bolts impacting their target. THWOK! THWOK! All that could be heard was Gao Lang¡¯s pained, desperate screaming. Gao Shu and Gao Luan, Elder Mu¡¯s mother and his wife, were crouched before Gao Lang, who was sitting on the floor with his legs spread-eagled. Gao Shu looked cold and stern, while Gao Luan was almost trembling with rage, her eyes bloodshot and leaking tears. Both Gao Shu and Gao Luan, dressed in the same armour used by the guards, held crossbows. They had each shot a bolt into the spot in Gao Lang¡¯s lower body, where all men keep their family jewels. Wukong and Bajie couldn¡¯t help but wince, shifting their hips protectively around their own family jewels. Both Gao Shu and Gao Luan were eerily quiet, but they weren¡¯t done. Slowly, they reloaded their crossbows, taking their time, while Gao Lang screamed and screamed. Then, aiming carefully, reloading slowly every time, they shot him in his shoulders, his hips, his arms, then his feet, prompting fresh screams every time. By the time they were done, Gao Lang resembled a bloody pincushion, a whimpering pile of meat that couldn¡¯t even scream anymore. Finally the two women shot him in the belly, then turned, leaving him to a slow, lingering death. The two women walked down the stage to where Elder Mu stood, together with Elder Jing and Gao Cai. All three men were also dressed in guard armour and armed to the teeth. Gao Shu gave her son a stern nod, while Gao Luan buried herself in her husband¡¯s arms.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re too late to the party.¡± said Elder Jing with a wan smile. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You tried.¡± Trip gave a single approving nod. Trip looked at Elder Mu. ¡°Did you know Lord Gao would act this way?¡± Elder Mu sighed. ¡°I suspected, but I could never be certain. He was good at presenting a false front. One that people wanted... no, needed to see.¡± Elder Jing sighed also. ¡°At least Gao Xin has been avenged. Who knew looking into her death would cause such havoc-¡± ¡°Actually, Jing, my son and I were hoping for something like this, with the help of Black Hat Trip here.¡± said Elder Mu with a lopsided grin. Trip raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡­ knew?¡± ¡°Gao Cai recognized you immediately. I mean, there aren¡¯t many women who travel these dangerous lands without an escort, and that black hat stands out.¡± Elder Mu gestured at Trip¡¯s hat. ¡°To top it off, you introduced yourself as Trip, didn¡¯t cause any trouble, and looked like you were just trying to help right the unjust execution of an innocent, harmless demon like Bajie.¡± Gao Cai chimed in. ¡°Didn¡¯t you think it was weird that I would just accept your offer to investigate, without any suspicion at all?¡± Trip shrugged. ¡°Figured I¡¯d wait, let your actions speak.¡± Elder Jing looked deep in thought ¡°But¡­ the Head of Security described Trip as an evil bandit who pillaged and burned settlements, murdering people and delighting in blood¡­¡± ¡°What kind of evil bandit quietly walks into a village and immediately tries to right a wrong?¡± said a grinning Gao Cai. Elder Mu nodded. ¡°The only thing I gleaned from that description, was that Trip would be a formidable person. Maybe just formidable enough to shake things up in our village.¡± Elder Jing rubbed his chin. ¡°... good point. I guess I should learn to trust my own observations-¡± SHEEE-UUUU-EEEEET! BOOM...OOM...oom...oom A firework shot up high in the sky, exploding so loudly that it echoed. A thick black trail of smoke led from the explosion, down to the entrance of the villa. There stood Lord Gao, cackling loudly, a bamboo tube in his hands. -- Chapter 35, End -- Chapter 36 - Battle Pigs, Attack Sheep Elder Mu frowned at the smoke trail. ¡°Black¡­ smoke?¡± Elder Jing murmured ¡°Green for all clear, red for intruder alert, but¡­ black?¡± As though he knew what they were thinking, Lord Gao shouted ¡°Now you¡¯re in for it! The black smoke signal means exterminate the entire village! Except for me and my family! Now give me back my grandson. I can still call them off!¡± Everyone looked at Gao Lang on the stage, either dead or on his last breath. Naturally, Lord Gao¡¯s gaze followed everyone else¡¯s. Seeing the state Gao Lang was in, with so many crossbow bolts sticking out of him that he looked like a bloodied pincushion, Lord Gao paled and his eyes bulged outwards. ¡°Nooooooo!¡± he howled, tearing at his hair. ¡°You¡¯re all dead! All dead!¡± howled Lord Gao. ¡°I¡¯ll see y-¡± BOOM! Lord Gao collapsed to the ground, a hole in his head. Trip stared at Lord Gao¡¯s dead body for a moment, sighed, then calmly reloaded her revolver. ¡°Where will the army approach from?¡± she asked. Even Elder Mu needed a bit more time to recover from the suddenness of Lord Gao¡¯s elimination. For possibly the first time that he could recall, he stammered. Just a tiny bit. ¡°Er¡­ the, ah, the army¡­ yes, they will approach from the front. The battalion is at least 300 demons strong, they have no reason to fear us. They¡¯ll just charge through our gates. ¡± ¡°They can try! Whatever happens, we¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t have an easy time of it!¡± declared Gao Shu. ¡°Son, it¡¯s time!¡± Elder Mu grinned wolfishly. ¡°Yes, Mother!¡± He nodded at Gao Cai, who took out a ram¡¯s horn, and blew out three ear-shattering blasts from it. Trip looked surprised. ¡°You¡­ had a plan for this?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but all the villagers are ready to defend themselves. We¡¯ve trained ourselves however we could, under the guise of preparing for wild animal or stray demon attacks.¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°That¡¯s some preparation.¡± Trip nodded approvingly. ¡°Any defensive formations?¡± Gao Cai shrugged. ¡°We figured we¡¯d station our fighters at the front, everyone else with crossbows at the back, fight it out to the last man. Children and elderly would escape out the back to hide.¡± ¡°Are you¡­ thinking of helping us? I thought you¡¯d be leaving by now. This isn¡¯t your village, after all.¡± said Elder Jing. Trip shrugged. ¡°I had a hand in causing all this. Least I can do is help you survive. Now, please, let me make a few suggestions¡­¡± *** A rowdy band of hybrids, mostly lions, tigers and bears, made their way eagerly across a desolate landscape towards Gao Village. They walked in no discernible formation, forming little groups here and there as they chatted and joked around. ¡°Finally! After nothing but rice and dried meat, we get to have some delicious humans!¡± ¡°I want some tender, juicy, young human meat, none from the old ones!¡± ¡°Hey, wouldn¡¯t eating straight away be a waste? We should have some fun with them first!¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re drooling all over your armour! Better wipe it before Scale-tooth nags you to death!¡± The Scale-tooth mentioned was a large crocodile hybrid in a red robe, walking at the front of the group. Beside him was a huge Liger hybrid, towering head and shoulders over the rest. He had an impressive mane around his head, and his fur was golden-brown, with black stripes across the outside of his arms, legs, and back. Scale-tooth frowned at the relaxed attitude of the battalion. ¡°Shi Hu, shouldn¡¯t we be in proper formation?¡± Shi Hu, the Liger hybrid grinned. ¡°Whatever for? We¡¯re already being cautious, bringing our armour and weapons along. The villagers are only a herd of fatted calves, just waiting for us. Whoever heard of going to a feast in full military formation?¡± Shi Hu said all that loud enough for his men to hear, prompting loud guffaws from them. ¡°Naw, c¡¯mon Shi Hu, Scale-tooth¡¯s got a point!¡± ¡°Yah, what if they lined up their pigs and sheep in armour to attack us?¡± ¡°Oh no! Battle pigs, attack sheep! My legs are shaking!¡± ¡°We¡¯d be doomed, for sure!¡± ¡°AHAHAHAHAHA!¡± Scale-tooth said nothing in return. The only sign of his agitation was his wildly lashing tail, and the click-clack of his large uneven teeth as he clenched and unclenched his jaw repeatedly. -- Chapter 36, End -- Chapter 37 - Metaphorical Mountain At the gates of Gao Village, several defenders stood ready to face the invading army. Behind them were the closed gates of Gao Village. Before them was an empty corridor, bracketed on each side by a thick field of sharpened bamboo poles and stakes pointing outwards. The empty corridor widened as it stretched away from the village gates. On either side of the defenders, there were tall barricades made of wooden debris. Parts of the wooden frame that previously secured Bajie could be seen, as could broken parts of the collapsed watchtower. ¡°Br...Brother Wukong, I¡¯m not a fighter. Could I go behind the gate, with the other villagers?¡± said Bajie. ¡°All you have to do, is the one thing Mistress told you to. After that, just leave everything to me!¡±. Wukong thumped his chest, filled with confidence. ¡°...alright¡­¡± said Bajie softly, his floppy ears drooping. *** When the disorganised band of hybrids came within sight of Gao Village, they slowed to a stop. What they saw was quite unbelievable, so they slowly took it in. Some of them rubbed their eyes and squinted while doing so. At the gates of Gao Village stood seven unlikely-looking defenders. And one very scared-looking pig demon. Elder Mu stood with his eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply, a heavy saber in each hand. He looked like he had fallen asleep on his feet. Gao Cai stood behind him, fidgeting with the two large maces in each hand. Occasionally, he would look at his father, then square his shoulders and try to emulate his father¡¯s calm state. Elder Jing rocked back and forth on his toes, a metal tower shield in each hand, a manic grin frozen on his face. It was hard to tell if he was excited or scared out of his wits. Gao Shu and Gao Luan were behind Elder Jing, talking softly to each other. They each had a long boar spear. Thus called because behind each spear head was a thick metal bar, there to prevent pain-maddened boars -- or other creatures -- from driving themselves further up the haft to injure the spear wielder. Wu Kong was off to one side, practicing with his quarterstaff while muttering to himself. Trip sat in the middle of the corridor, reloading the entire stock of single-shot pistols that she had obtained from Brother Mender. After reloading a pistol, she would set it down into one of the neat piles on either side of her. An open cloth bag was placed beside each of the two piles of loaded pistols. Behind everyone else, Bajie crouched on the ground. His eyes were wide open, showing more white than anything else, staring at the mass of approaching demons. All he saw was sharp teeth, even sharper claws, and quite possibly the sharpest, largest weapons he had ever had the bad luck to come across in his admittedly sheltered life. Especially intimidating was the gigantic nine-ringed broadsword casually propped up against the shoulder of an equally gigantic lion-tiger demon. It was broad, it was sharp, and it radiated sheer chopping capability. More and more hybrids gathered, those lagging behind catching up. They stopped where the field of bamboo stakes ended. They observed the bamboo stakes, the narrow clear corridor in the middle, the closed gate, the two barricades on each side, and the seven defenders.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Finally, Shi Hu couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He began to snicker, softly at first. Then he broke out into large belly-shaking guffaws. That triggered the rest of his men, who began laughing uncontrollably. Some even started to tear up while pounding each other on the back and shoulders. At times, one would begin to calm down, only to take another look at the defenders. Doing so would be enough to set them off again, making them laugh themselves sore without stopping. ¡°Ahahaha! Is that old man sleeping on his feet?¡± ¡°What about that grinning fatty? So scared to die he needs two shields? Huahuahua!¡± ¡°Gao village is so desperate, they had to call out their women to fight us with the big spears?¡± ¡°Maybe the spears are too big for the men? BWAHAHA!¡± ¡°Ei, ei, look at that monkey demon! He thinks some last minute weapons training will save him!¡± ¡°HYAAAhyahyahyah!¡± The only one who didn¡¯t laugh was Scaletooth, who looked on suspiciously with narrowed eyes. For some reason, his instincts were telling him that this situation was like when a crocodile would pretend to be a log of dead wood, innocently floating in a calm river. Wukong couldn¡¯t stand the mockery any longer. Brandishing his quarterstaff, he went to stand beside Trip. He slammed one end of his quarterstaff on the ground, while striking a pose with his chest puffed out, his nose pointed upwards, and his finger pointing directly at Shi Hu. ¡°All you little kitties listen up! I, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, am here to beat all of you into meat paste! These others with me are here to make sure I don¡¯t go overboard and bully all you tender kittens too much! Now, all together, come at me!¡± Faced with this shameless boasting, some of the demons in the battalion only laughed harder. While others, many others, took offence. Shi Hu couldn¡¯t decide whether he was one or the other. With a relaxed grin, he shouted back, ¡°Oi, little monkey, looks like you have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai! Let me-¡± ¡°Have you even BEEN to Mount Tai, you little whippersnapper? I¡¯ve cavorted and danced on the peak of Mount Tai, I¡¯ve eaten ginseng from the slopes, hunted wild boar at its feet, and spent many a restful night in its trees! Who are YOU to mention Mount Tai to me?¡± Wukong was starting to look genuinely irritated. Looking confused, Shi Hu turned to Scale-tooth. ¡°Is he saying there¡¯s really a Mount Tai? I thought it was one of those¡­ you know¡­ matter-fors?¡± Scale-tooth sighed. ¡°You mean metaphors. Look, it doesn¡¯t matter. Listen to me, there¡¯s something wrong here, we need to be carefu-¡± ¡°Hey monkey! You¡¯re good at talking big! Let¡¯s see if you can fight as well as you can talk! COME ON!¡± Shi Hu took a forceful step forward, deliberately stamping on the ground, flexing his rock-hard muscles and puffing out his mane. This was one of his most effective intimidation techniques. He had been using it since his first promotion challenge when he was in his teens. He knew it was effective. Gao Shu and Gao Luan froze, eyes wide open, staring at Shi Hu. ¡°Oh?¡± Shi Hu said to himself. The reaction of the two women had not gone unnoticed. Shi Hu grinned savagely, and took another step. Gao Shu and Gao Luan took a few panicked steps backwards, then froze again. By now, the other defenders, were also looking either wary or outright scared, with the exception of Trip and Wukong. ¡°Aiiiii! We shouldn¡¯t be out here! We¡¯re going to die!¡± screamed Bajie. Like the breaking of a dam, it caused most of the defenders to run back to the village gates, screaming incoherently while banging on the gates. Elder Jing was the loudest, screaming and waving his hands, almost sounding as though he was crying. Elder Mu, on the other hand, was stiff and wooden, like a puppet being forced to move by the hands of another. Only Wukong and Trip remained, facing down Shi Hu and the rest of the battalion. ¡°Haha! Scared rabbits pretending to be lions! Men, it¡¯s dinner time! CHARGE!¡± roared Shi Hu. The demons howled and yipped, breaking into an all-out sprint along the clear corridor, towards the village gates. -- Chapter 37, End -- Chapter 38 - To Lure, Show Inferiority Just as Shi Hu was about to join the charge along with his men, Scale-tooth grabbed him. ¡°Wait! Just wait!¡± Even though Scale-tooth was big, his raw strength was no match for Shi Hu. He ignored him and marched onwards, although at a slower pace, dragging Scale-tooth along. ¡°I said STOP!¡± Scale-tooth wrapped his powerful armoured tail around one of Shi Hu¡¯s legs and pulled with everything he had, causing Shi Hu to trip and fall. By then, the charging demons were only several spear-lengths away from Trip and Wukong. Trip was still in the middle of the corridor, between the wooden barricades. She knelt on one knee, hands at her sides. Wukong stood beside her, quarterstaff at the ready, eagerly anticipating his entertainment for the day. Trip turned her head and yelled ¡°Bajie! NOW!¡± Bajie had been facing the village gates, determinedly not looking at the charging demons. To make sure he didn¡¯t catch even a glimpse of the scary demons, he had his eyes squeezed shut. At Trip¡¯s command, he pulled up a thick rope that had been concealed beneath a layer of dirt on the ground. Taking a firm grip, he heaved it onto his shoulder and ran as fast as he could towards the village gates. It only took a few steps before the rope went taut. As the rope shot out of the ground, it pulled on rows of concealed bamboo stakes all along the corridor the demons were charging down. Some stakes were like short spears, while some were only as long as a dagger, but they all managed to impale or trip a charging demon. Now, it was the charging demons¡¯ turn to scream. Most of the demons who first encountered the fire-hardened stakes were not badly wounded. The stakes either broke upon impact with their armoured boots, or scraped past their boots to impale their upper calves or lower thighs. Almost all were non-fatal injuries, but it did cause the injured demons to halt their charge, causing the demons behind to knock into the demons in front, who fell forward onto another row of stakes.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. That¡¯s when the real damage was done. Those who were either unlucky or slow to react were impaled through the unarmoured parts of their body. Knees, hips, shoulders, neck and face. Here and there, demons with wounds at those parts could be seen. There were even a few demons who were no longer moving. By then, the human defenders had long since stopped their fake screaming and pretend panic at the village gates. Moving as one, they returned to their positions behind the wooden barricades, readying their weapons. ¡°Elder Jing, you owe me two bags of corn!¡± said Gao Cai with great satisfaction. ¡°Haih, Elder Mu, I wanted to support you, but¡­¡± Elder Jing sighed with a mixture of disappointment and amusement. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Elder Mu crossed his arms. ¡°Oh¡­ nothing much.¡± said Gao Cai, trying to look as innocent as possible. ¡°We were just betting on how well you¡¯d be able to act scared enough to convince the demons. Elder Jing said he had no doubt you would be able to scream and tremble like the rest of us. I said the best you¡¯d be able to manage would be to look like you¡¯d seen a rabid dog and was preparing to take it down.¡± At that, Gao Shu and Gao Luan burst into laughter, completely shattering the illusion of them being anything remotely resembling scared rabbits. Shi Hu growled through gritted teeth, his eyes bulging, his fists clenched tight. His entire body was vibrating with sheer rage. How dare these rabbits use sneaky tricks with bits of wood on him and his men, and then LAUGH at them! Fortunately, his men were tough. Pushing Scale-tooth aside, he clambered back to his feet to get a better view. Nodding in satisfaction, he saw that for the most part, his men were still very much alive. Wounded they might be, but definitely still alive, and ANGRY! ¡°Onwards!¡± roared Shi Hu. ¡°Don¡¯t give them any chances! Break the stakes and KILL!¡± ¡°KIIIIIILLLLLL!¡± roared the demons, entering into a blood frenzy. ¡°Ohhhh, only NOW do they want to kill us! I guess before this, they wanted to invite us for some tea and steamed buns!¡± said Wukong, scratching his behind as he watched the frenzied demons breaking down the offending bamboo stakes with their weapons. Trip levelled two single-shot pistols at the demons. -- Chapter 38, End -- Chapter 39 - To Trap, Encourage Arrogance BOOM! One of the lion demons at the very front, nearest to Trip, dropped his sword. A large hole went through its chest. A similar hole went through the throat of a leopard demon behind it. Both demons dropped to the ground, dead. Wukong gave a quiet whistle as he looked upon his Mistress. He was quite impressed. After all, that was two kills with one shot! Trip clicked her tongue, slightly disappointed. It was less effective than she had expected. The deep shrapnel cuts on her hand had reopened again. Earlier, those wounds had bled anew when she finally took the time to remove the few pieces of jagged metal still buried in them. Now, even though the bleeding was slowing down, she could feel that she had yet to regain full use of her hand. Especially at the level of performance she required for aiming. It was regrettable, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. She would simply go on, doing the absolute best she could with what she had. She adjusted the aim of the single-shot pistol, already glowing yellow, in her other unwounded hand. BOOM! This time, the difference was clear. The single shot took down three demons, the first sporting a gushing hole in its belly. The other two dropped before she could determine the location of their wounds, but it didn¡¯t matter. They were down. It worked. Trip began shooting in earnest, pausing only to drop the spent pistols into the cloth bags on each side, before picking up another pair of loaded pistols from the ready pile. The booming of her pistols rang out in pairs, never hitting the same demon twice, even if some could still move in a lively manner despite having taken a grievous bullet wound. Usually, those were from shots made with her wounded hand. Still, she was fulfilling her main purpose of disabling as many demons as she could, as quickly as she could. Eventually, she used up her entire stock of loaded pistols. The entire first half of the corridor was carpeted in dead, dying, or seriously wounded demons. She grimaced in pain. That many enhanced shots in such a short time had taken a toll on her, giving her a splitting headache that pulsed outward from the center of her skull. Her forehead, temples, and eyes felt like they were being pounded. Squinting her eyes against the pain, she surveyed the remaining horde of demons still jamming up the rear half of the corridor, spilling out into the clear space beyond. It was clear as day, there were still a lot more demons alive than dead.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Giving herself a tiny shrug, she lowered her head, immediately focusing on reloading the spent pistols. She was well aware that, if the demons decided to ignore the remaining bamboo stakes in their way to charge her position en masse, she¡¯d be lucky if she managed to reload maybe two or three pairs of pistols before they reached her. But every shot counted, every demon eliminated was one less source of fatal danger to the other defending villagers, so she moved her hands as fast as she could. Trip was so focused on her task of ¡°Reload! Reload!¡± that she was completely oblivious to the reactions of those around her. Wukong was thinking how wise he was to rein in his urge to do battle and instead follow the command of his Mistress to ¡°stay put until she told him otherwise¡±. The five village defenders behind her were frozen, for real this time, their eyes open wide. Bajie was drawing the conclusion that the safest place to be, in the whole wide world, was behind Trip. Shi Hu and Scale-tooth stared at the battlefield in horror, too shocked to give any orders to the stunned and confused demons. What was this? Everyone knew it was hard to kill demons as strong as them with mere pistols! It was one thing to give them light wounds, but a pistol that could kill demons of their caliber with one shot? Impossible! Most of the charging demons hadn¡¯t even realised their comrades were being killed so efficiently, thinking that the enemy was trying to use normal pistols against them. Only when a comrade near them suddenly died, would those around the dead demon begin to think that maybe, just maybe, charging towards the grim-looking woman with the guns was not such a good idea. Finally, Shi Hu snapped out simply being stupefied at more than a third of his battalion being killed off in mere moments. After clearing his throat a few times, he rallied himself enough to shout out ¡°Regroup! To me! Leave no brother behind!¡±. Scale-tooth was still on the ground, eyes closed, hands together. A dark red shield of force gradually formed over him. Instead of becoming a smooth globe or wall, the cloud of red particles solidified into a thick layer of dense overlapping scales that covered every inch of him, even his eyes. Once he was sure of his defences, he clambered to his feet to clap both hands on Shi Hu¡¯s shoulder. Again with eyes closed, Scale-tooth worked to form the same shield of translucent red scales over Shi Hu. Nodding to Scale-tooth in thanks, Shi Hu said ¡°You really think we need your Scaled Force Armour this early in the battle?.¡± Scale-tooth looked grim. ¡°Since that woman¡¯s pistols are so much stronger than normal ones, they could have a much longer range than usual too. She might even be able to shoot us where we stand, right here.¡± ¡°In that case, see to our defence. You know what to do if she really tries shooting at us here. I¡¯ll come up with a plan of attack for our brothers.¡± said Shi Hu, clapping the returning members of the battalion on the shoulders and back as they passed by. -- Chapter 39, End -- Chapter 40 - Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance Wukong watched the retreating demons, many of them carrying one or two of their brethren with them. As they laid the incapacitated demons down in rows, he observed their leader talking to them while gesturing with his nine-ringed broadsword. When some of them reacted with shaking heads and waving arms, he whacked them with the flat of his blade, moving the heavy weapon as though it was as light as a pair of chopsticks. The leader looked impressive, a cross between a lion and a tiger demon. He would make a worthy opponent. Wukong gripped his quarterstaff, remembering the many hours of practice he had already put in. As always, he pushed away the sense of dissatisfaction that welled up whenever he held this quarterstaff, telling himself that it was better than a flimsy wooden one. But this one was still too light, MUCH too light! He longed for the sense of solidity, the sheer assurance that only his partner in battle could give, the gold-capped quarterstaff that responded to his will. With it, he could move with ease, a single monkey wielding a whirlwind of metal, weaving through entire armies¡­ Ah! The memories of battle were only making him itch even more for one right now! ¡°Mistress! May I please go whack them a bit?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Just a little bit?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pleaaaaaase.¡± ¡°Wukong, we need you here to-¡± Trip paused, thinking, her hands still reloading without pause. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a good idea Wukong. How about this. I still need you here for now. I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯ll attack, and you¡¯re both our heaviest hitter and our best defence.¡± Wukong¡¯s chest puffed out a bit at the praise, arms akimbo. ¡°The rest of us may not survive a single hit from those hybrids, and I¡¯m not sure how well the villagers can dodge their attacks.¡± Wukong¡¯s chin dropped to his chest. Where was his Mistress going with this? Did this mean he was going to have to stay here the entire battle? Playing defence? This was not his way! ¡°Mistre-¡± ¡°But! Once they attack, and I decide how to respond, I promise you that I will find a chance for you to go over there and wreak havoc. Just wait for my word!¡± Still itching for battle, Wukong was puzzled, muttering to himself, ¡°What¡¯s the word?¡±. Turning back to the demons, he saw that they had stripped the breastplates off their fallen brothers, stacking them in layers then tying them together to form thick tower shields. The bigger demons, mostly bears, were gathering nearer the front. Standing right behind Scale-tooth, the bears were trying out the improvised tower shields, shaking them with vigorous motions to make sure they were secure. Further at the back, Shi Hu was speaking to a group of smaller, more agile-looking cat demons. Pumas, jaguars, leopards, all nodded and grinned in a bloodthirsty manner at Shi Hu¡¯s words.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Elder Jing hurried forward. ¡°Trip, any commands for us?¡± he said, eyeing the demons¡¯ preparation while fidgeting. Trip finally stopped reloading to scan the opposite end of the battlefield. ¡°Smart.¡± she said. She turned to Elder Jing. ¡°It¡¯s still the same. Stay behind the barricade, let the demons come to you, remember to always hit and run. Stay alive, retreat anytime.¡± Hearing Trip¡¯s confident tone, Elder Jing went back to the other defenders to repeat her words, the relief apparent on his face. ¡°Wukong.¡± ¡°Yes Mistress!¡± ¡°When they approach, don¡¯t engage the shield wall first. Wait for surprise attacks. No matter what they do, hit them into the fields of stakes, the further back, the better. Only after that, do we break the shield wall.¡± ¡°Got it! Then I can whack them?¡± ¡°Then you wait for my word.¡± ¡°Which word, Mistress?¡± ¡°Havoc.¡± said Trip, continuing to reload the single-shot pistols. In a way, she was thankful the demons were taking their time. It meant that she was almost done reloading all the pistols she had. ¡°Bajie!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Mistress?¡± said Bajie in a quivering voice, trying to imitate Wukong¡¯s usual definite response. He was still crouching on the ground, his back facing the demon battalion. Trip was suddenly reminded of another young, quivering voice, a long time ago, asking her if he could stay at home. A tiny sad smile appeared, only to disappear from her face moments later. ¡°Bajie, come over here.¡± Trip did her best to sound firm. ¡°Ah¡­ Mistress, my legs have no energy, I can¡¯t walk¡­ I haven¡¯t eaten anything today¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask you to fight. I just need you to help me stand taller.¡± ¡°...Ehhh?¡± ¡°And you can face the village if you like.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± said Bajie, waddling backwards, still facing the village. He stopped a few steps away from Trip. ¡°A few more steps backward, until I pat you on the back. Come on.¡± This time, Trip¡¯s tone was encouraging. Bajie took tiny shuffling steps backward, until finally, Trip reached out to give him a few pats. ¡°Well done Bajie. Just stand there, and don¡¯t move. That¡¯s all you need to do.¡± ¡°Yes Mistress!¡± said Bajie. He was trying to sound resolute, but the only resolute thing about him was that his eyes were resolutely squeezed shut. By then, the bear demons had formed a shield wall, the improvised shields high enough to cover the heads of even the tallest bear. The other bigger demons were right behind them, and the smaller ones were even further behind. From the back of the formation, Shi Hu shouted ¡°Advance!¡± -- Chapter 40, End -- Chapter 41 - Just Bear With It A shield wall of metal, made out of the breastplates from fallen demons, moved towards the village. The wall moved slowly but steadily to the tread of heavy steel-shod bear feet, seeming to promise an inexorable doom to all who were at the receiving end. It was powered by the determination and confidence of the shield-bearing bear demons, backed by the faith they had in their powerful leader, Shi Hu. That faith was about to be tested. Trip waited until the shield wall had travelled almost a quarter of the way down the corridor, before she let off two shots. BOOM! Pang! BOOM! Pang! The shield wall remained completely unaffected, not a single bear demon missed a step. It seemed her newly developed bullet enhancing skill was no match for multiple layers of armour. No matter. She stuffed her torso holsters and pants full of pistols, then climbed up Bajie to stand on his shoulders to face the shield wall. As she steadied herself, she noticed that not only were his eyes closed, he had his hands over his ears and was softly singing to himself. Something about flowers and fruits. Refocusing on the shield wall, she was relieved to find that she could now see the top halves of the bear demons¡¯ heads. BOOM! BOOM! The tops of two bear demons¡¯ heads exploded. As they collapsed, so did their shields, causing a hole in the shield wall. BOOM! BOOM! Before the bear demons could even react, another two shots rang out, another two bear demons collapsed. The gap in the shield wall was now even wider. ¡°Tortoise formation! Skirmishers, deploy!¡± Looking like it had been rehearsed countless times, the shield wall compressed to about half its original width, but now a layer of shields covered the top of the formation to form a box. From the back, high-pitched cries could be heard as pairs of the larger demons began forming muscle-powered trampolines with their interlaced arms, catapulting the smaller demons towards Wukong and Trip. *** Can¡¯t-Change-Me-Spots, Spotsie to his friends, considered himself a simple leopard demon. All he wanted was three meals a day, some tender human meat once in a while, and lots of fights so he could prove that he was the fastest knife fighter ever. Which was why he volunteered to be the first demon to be catapulted towards the defenders, the first in the group of skirmishers to distract and occupy the enemy, long enough so the rest of their slower brethren could catch up and demolish the defenders. Then it would be time for fun and feasting.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Gripping his twin daggers tight, he sailed through the air, trying to adjust his body and trajectory so that he would land right on top of the stupid-looking monkey demon who had been absolutely useless in the battle thus far. He grinned in exhilaration as he got closer, anticipating the ripping and tearing of his daggers into that monkey¡¯s flesh. Which was when a grey blur came out of nowhere, smashing him out of the sky and off to one side. Everything faded to black. Spotsie came to with a snort and a start, trying to get his bearings. He found himself on the ground, daggers still in his hands. Pain lanced through his side, feeling like he¡¯d cracked a few ribs. He was surrounded by bamboo stakes, one of which had gone right through the meaty part of his thigh. Looking around, he saw the monkey demon holding one end of his quarterstaff in a two-handed grip, smashing the skirmishers to each side of the battlefield. One of his brothers landed close to him, but was unlucky enough to be impaled in the gut and throat. Gritting his teeth, Spotsie got one leg under him, before pulling his other leg from the bamboo stake. As he tied a torn-off piece of his tunic around the wound, he wondered what he and his brothers were supposed to do, now that their plan was in tatters. *** Seeing that Wukong had the skirmishers well in hand, Trip jumped down from Bajie to lie prone on the ground. In creating the tortoise formation, the bear demons in front had raised their shields a little higher, trying to protect their heads from getting exploded. Just a little higher, but it was enough. BOOM! BOOM! Two bear demons fell, ankles disappearing in a spray of red meat chunks and bone chips. As they roared and thrashed around, they tripped up the other shield-bearers, opening up a big gap in the tortoise formation. Which was when Trip jumped back to her feet and began firing as fast as she could, prioritizing shield bearers and taking down multiple targets with one shot when possible. Bear demons fell in ones and twos, sometimes together with the demon marching behind them. The other bear demons around the gap tried to move closer together, but they were hindered by their fallen, thrashing brethren. The demons behind tried to reestablish the shield wall by snatching up the shields from their fallen comrades, but most of those injured comrades held on to those shields, instinctively identifying it as their only lifeline. Other demons had fallen directly onto the shields, making them equally as difficult to retrieve. Everything combined to form a chaotic, thrashing mass of demons, full of openings for Trip to shoot at. Looking at how Trip was mowing down demons, Wukong grew anxious. Would there even be any left for him? Was he going to be left standing here for the entire battle? How could he, the Handsome Monkey King, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, be left on the sidelines? Was he no better than Bajie? -- Chapter 41, End -- Chapter 42 - Cry Havoc! ¡°HAVOC!¡± Wukong yelled at the top of his lungs, running forward with his battlestaff. ¡°Wukong!¡± shouted Trip. ¡°There-¡± she began, then stopped. It was pointless to try calling him back, he was already in the thick of battle. She would have to handle the skirmishers herself while still keeping the rest of the battalion at bay. As for Wukong, he whooped as he ran. Just as he did at Black Wind Cave, he jammed the tip of his battlestaff into the ground, pole-vaulting himself right into the middle of the mass of demons. As he landed, he kicked a lion demon in the middle, causing it to fly back into a few other demons, all of them collapsing in a tangle of hands, tails and feet. Shifting his quarterstaff to a center-grip, he whipped it about, breaking heads and tripping feet. A jaguar demon thrust a halberd at him. He deflected it to the side with a flick of his quarterstaff, redirecting it into the torso of a lynx demon who had been rushing at him, a scimitar in each hand. For a moment, the jaguar demon stared in horror at his brother, sagging to the ground at the end of his halberd. The next moment, it was the jaguar demon¡¯s turn to meet the ground, his throat crushed by a thrust from Wukong¡¯s quarterstaff. Immediately after, Wukong backpedaled a few steps, fending off attacks from three cat demons. He dodged, he blocked, he deflected attacks, borrowing his opponents¡¯ strength to attack others. After a few strikes, one grew impatient, abandoning his previous pattern of cautious attacks. He raised a furry arm high, before whipping the blade downwards, trying for a heavy chop to sever a monkey limb or two. Before his arm could even complete the attack, Wukong broke it by hitting his elbow, his blade flying past Wukong¡¯s head to bury itself in another attacking demon. Wukong allowed himself a fierce grin, revelling in the melee. This was his element, in the middle of battle, surrounded by hostiles. Offense really was the best defence! Ha! Look at this, the demons have learned to fear me! See them backing away¡­ off to each side of the corridor¡­ are they inviting me to battle their leader at the back? Good! These small fry finally realize they¡¯re no match for the Great Sage Equalling- BONGGG! A Liger-powered battering ram, formed by Shi Hu running at top speed while holding a shield in each hand, crashed into Wukong. The impact sent the monkey sailing into the air, away from the village, towards the back of the formation of demons. While still in the air, bolts of flame hit Wukong, the explosions juggling him in the air like a rag doll. Despite the flames and multiple impacts, he seemed mostly unharmed. More bolts of flame continued to hit him without pause, without even allowing him to fall back down, instead causing him to rise even higher into the air. There was a long pause. The smoke cleared, showing Wukong¡¯s ascent slowing down until he almost seemed to float motionless in the air. Which was when a massive boulder enveloped in flames dropped out of the sky, right on top of him. Flaming boulder met floating monkey, and together they crashed into the ground, sending up a great mushroom cloud. The earth shuddered, thunderous waves of sound buffeted all those nearby. Several demons nearest to the crash site fell senseless to the ground, their ears bleeding.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Walking up to Scale-tooth who was gasping for air, slumped over with his hands on his knees, Shi Hu patted him on the shoulder. ¡°You did well to put down that monkey. Take a breath, then see to that gunslinger. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± Shi Hu raised his head and shouted ¡°Skirmishers, from the sides! Brothers, down the middle! Advance!¡± *** Skirmishers were to advance from the sides? Spotsie shrugged. Since he was right in the middle of the bamboo stakes, he supposed it didn¡¯t make any difference which direction he went. He was joined by his skirmisher brothers who had crash landed and survived, carefully picking their way among the bamboo stakes, heading towards the village walls. Once there, it would be easy to scale the walls, open the doors to the village, hold the villagers hostage, and end the battle. Then the fun and feasting would begin. It really was quite poorly defended, just seven defenders, only two of which were actually doing anything. Granted, those two were quite fearsome. Many of his skirmisher brothers shared similarly cracked or broken bones from the single smashing strike of that mad monkey. No matter, the battle would soon be settled. It was quite strange that the other five defenders just stood there, even when he and his brothers were nearing the village walls. It wasn¡¯t even like they were being sneaky about it, what with having to pick their way through the field of bamboo stakes while injured, they were quite obvious about their intentions. If would be different if the walls were manned, but he didn¡¯t see anyone¡­ wait, did he just see the top of a head, bobbing for a moment behind the wall? Huh, just a single defender, no wonder they didn¡¯t dare show their face. Another minute, and he would finally be clear of this thrice-cursed field of bamboo stakes. He would find whoever it was who had thought it up and eat them alive. Slowly, intestines first, as they watched. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the defenders, an older woman, turn back towards the village. ¡°CROSSBOWS! READY!¡± Rows of villagers popped up behind the village walls, each armed with a crossbow. ¡°FIRE AT WILL!¡± THWOK! THWOK! THWOK! CLANG! At the same time that crossbow bolts buried themselves in his brother skirmishers, he managed to deflect one away from his head with his knife. He looked upwards at the villages and snarled, readying himself for the next volley. Hah! My knife slash is faster than a crossbow bolt! Let¡¯s see anyone else beat that! That¡¯s when he noticed another crossbow bolt, buried deep in his lower abdomen. Losing all feeling in his legs, he fell to the ground, legs crumpled underneath. A cold numbness spread upwards. His hands were in his lap, holding his knives, but he couldn¡¯t move them. He couldn¡¯t even feel them. As the darkness closed in, all he could feel was a deep sense of disappointment. He would never be celebrated as the fastest knife fighter after all. -- Chapter 42, End -- Chapter 43 - Let Loose The Wukong Of War Shi Hu was bellowing at his men, trying to get them to regain some semblance of order. Shield-bearers were to restore the shield wall, the rest who were still mobile were to drag those too injured for battle to the sides. Then they would form up and charge down the middle, right through the flimsy-looking village doors. Holding up the two makeshift shields, he was about to make his way to the front of the formation, when his senses suddenly screamed at him. Acting on instinct, he spun to the back, holding the shields over his head. Just in time to block the impact from a smouldering boulder, forcing him to stagger many steps backward, as it sent jarring pains all the way up his wrists, arms and elbows. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m done playing throw the pebble! You throw at me, I throw it back¡­ no matter how fancy the pebble is, it¡¯s boring!¡± Wukong walked out of the smoke and flames, patting away the dirt and dust from his fur and tiger skin kilt. Shooting a glare at Shi Hu, he dropped down into a ready stance, holding his quarterstaff in a two-handed grip at one end. The other end pointed at Shi Hu. ¡°Give me a good fight if you can, you half-assed kitty!¡± Shi Hu gave him a complex look, somewhere between being puzzled and outraged. ¡°Half-assed¡­ kitty?¡± ¡°Yeah! Puffy lion, skinny tiger, it¡¯s like you can¡¯t decide which you wanna be!¡± Nobody knows if Wukong was earnestly confused about demon biology while spewing his usual nonsensical trash-talk. What was apparent, was how it was received. ¡°You¡­ you DARE insult my honorable parents! I¡¯ll bring them your head!¡± screamed Shi Hu. All dignity forgotten, his eyes were bulging and bloodshot. Shi Hu charged forwards, shield in each hand. Instead of ramming into Wukong like before, this time, he waited until he was near his target before launching a flurry of punches. The sheer size of the shields would make dodging them difficult, and he had the explosive strength to turn a smaller demon to pulp with just one hit. Wukong was ready. Wielding his quarterstaff with an end-grip, like one would a spear, it allowed him to put more than five feet of metal staff between him and the twin punching shields. This time, he fought like a whirling dervish, spinning this way and that to avoid the frenzied punching shields. When he was unable to dodge an oncoming shield, he would hit it with his quarterstaff while hopping in the air, using the force to send him away from the attack. It turned out, there was a method to the madness, and the new spinning style of Wukong¡¯s was not just for show. After a series of close-calls, Wukong gathered enough momentum to hit the corner of a shield so hard, it tore the breastplate away from the rest of the shield, sending it flying away. There was a pause. Shi Hu looked at his now diminished shield, feeling slightly indignant. This would never have happened if it had been a properly crafted shield, instead of a ramshackle collection of lashed-together discarded breastplates. He regretted saying ¡°there¡¯s no need¡± when the question of fully arming themselves came up while preparing to make their way to the village. Scale-tooth must be laughing his tail off right now, itching to say ¡°I told you so!¡±. He threw the misshapen shield at the monkey, drawing his nine-ringed broadsword. It was time to get serious.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. *** Trip crashed against Bajie¡¯s back before falling to the ground. She rolled back to her feet, moving as fast as she could to prepare herself in case there was another flame bolt coming her way. Trying to yell above the ringing in her head, she shoved at Bajie. ¡°Get back to the village gate! Hold off the demons if you can!¡± She couldn¡¯t hear Bajie¡¯s reply, but it was enough to see him waddling back to the village. Scrambling back to the pile of pistols, she began switching out the spent pistols in her torso holders for reloaded ones, while remaining alert for further attacks from the red-robed crocodile hybrid making its way to the front. Earlier, after Wukong¡¯s headlong rush into battle, she¡¯d kept tabs on him. She¡¯d seen him being thrown into the air, and observed the subsequent barrage of flame bolts. The flaming boulder had been new, and quite alarming. She¡¯d set herself on high alert, even while still shooting at the largest clumps of unharmed demons she could see, knowing there was a red robe more powerful than any she¡¯d ever encountered before. Which was why, while in the middle of shooting at the massed demons, she¡¯d dodged and rolled the moment she glimpsed a reddish-orange glow out the corner of her eye. That reflex saved her life, causing flame bolt to miss her entirely. Part of her analyzed the aftereffects of the explosion that was able to send her entirely off her feet. A flame bolt that was able to leave a smoking crater in the ground, larger than even one created with a flask full of gunpowder. The croc was encased in a translucent scaled red shield, waving its hands as it shouted at the demons to form up. Deciding to risk retaliation, Trip took aim with a pistol. BOOM! The croc paused, turning in her direction, a tiny crack in the red scale above its right eye. Even at that distance, Trip could see that there was still another layer of red force shield beneath that cracked red scale. The croc wiped one hand across the red scale, causing the crack to disappear, making the red scale whole again. Multi-layered force armour that the red robe could heal at any time. How much mental energy did that red robe have anyway? The croc walked to the front of the milling demons, accompanied by the sound of scattered cheering and roars. It seemed that the demons¡¯ morale had been bolstered by Scale-tooth remaining impervious to her bullets. The cheering intensified when the croc formed a wide red shield with both hands, wide enough to cover an additional bear demon on each side. Jostling one another for position, the demons crowded behind the red force shield, huddling up beside and behind the croc. Holsters and hands now full of reloaded pistols, Trip frowned. If she continued to shoot from where she was, the croc would be free to throw flame bolts at her, and who knew how many that croc had left in him? How many could she avoid without resorting to cover behind the barricade? On top of that, she wasn¡¯t sure if the barricade could stand up to even one of those explosive flame bolts. For the same reason, if she retreated back behind the village walls now, those flame bolts might easily reduce them to kindling. Without time to reload more, all she had left were the pistols on her, her trusty revolver, and her knives. Not enough to take down the rest of the demons. For a brief moment, she regretted leaving her crossbow with White Dragon, even knowing that it would only provide an additional shot while being too cumbersome to keep with her. Where was White Dragon anyway? He was always disappearing, she would have to talk- She shook her head, hard. She couldn¡¯t let fatigue get the better of her, letting her thoughts wander. She would have to focus on the croc and hope the villagers could deal with the rest. Assess. Decide. Commit. She looked back at the defenders, catching Elder Mu¡¯s steady gaze. ¡°It¡¯s up to you now. Good luck!¡± she shouted. Throughout the entire battle, Trip had been trying to stay focused. That was being made increasingly difficult by the realisation that she was the one who¡¯d started the chain of events leading to this attack on the village. This was her responsibility. To protect the villagers, to at least give them the best chance of surviving this, there was only one thing she could do. Papa. Mama. Your daughter remains true to your teachings. Please watch over little brother. She started walking towards the red-robed croc. -- Chapter 43, End -- Chapter 44 - Stick and Move NOW they cheer for me. Where was all this enthusiasm before coming here, when I said ¡°Bring the shields.¡±, ¡°Equip full armour.¡±, ¡°Stay in formation, send probing attacks.¡±? Scale-tooth was feeling quite irritated and frustrated. Nobody in the battalion, including that muscle-brained idiot Shi Hu, listened to him when he advised caution. Too lazy to even gear up properly, they¡¯d fallen into such a rudimentary trap, leading to so many unnecessary casualties. The silver lining was that after this was all over, he would finally be able to request a transfer away from this posting on the fringes. Perhaps somewhere nearer to Central. Any place where he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with meat heads who thought with their muscles or glands. But first, to deal with this woman who was eerily accurate while wielding such powerful pistols. Hmm, better to add on another force shield, just in case. Alright¡­ extend it out, one body length on each side should be sufficient to get everyone remaining- Wait, what¡¯s she doing? *** Trip began at a slow walk, holstering the single-shot pistols. Finally, it was time for her trusty revolver. As she hefted the comforting weight of the gun in her right hand, she drew her knife in her left. Suitably armed for the coming conflict, she sped up to a jog. When she saw the croc take its hand away from the red shield, she readied herself. As expected, she saw the telltale glow form around its hand. She began sprinting. The instant she saw the croc¡¯s arm move, right before it thrust its arm forward to release a flame bolt, she shifted directions, sprinting diagonally to the right. As the flash of the flame bolt sped towards where she¡¯d been, she jumped forward into a tuck and roll, the explosion behind her helping to push her forward. Nearly there. She resumed running, now towards the bear demon beside the croc. Once again, it shot a flame bolt. Once again, she dodged and recovered to continue running. Just as it seemed as though she was intent on running head first into the red force shield, she shifted directions to the right, running past the edge of the shield into the massed demons. BOOM! A gory mixture of blood, bone chips and brains fountained out the ear of a lion demon, having been shot in the other ear. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the lion hybrid flopped to the ground. The demons around froze in shocked horror, trying to find where Trip was. BOOM!Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Another demon, a bear two steps away from Scale-tooth, had the same thing happen to it, the insides of its head becoming outsides through an ear. ¡°Spread out! Find her!¡± shouted Scale-tooth while hoping that nobody had seen him flinch. Only some of the demons responded to his command. Some others were still frozen in place, seemingly convinced that movement would draw attention to themselves, spelling their doom. Others stayed in place with their heads on a swivel, trying to find Trip that way. ¡°Here!¡± ¡°Here!¡± ¡°Here!¡± A chorus of cries rang out as some demons tried to engage Trip the moment they saw her, but she always dodged or parried before slipping away behind other demons, always moving, never staying in any one demon¡¯s field of view for long. BOOM! ¡°Spread out! I said SPREAD OUT!¡± shouted Scale-tooth again. Stay low. Dodge. Do not engage. Evade. Move. Jab left, duck and roll right. Claw strike approaching from the left. Parry. Move. Change directions. Spin. Move. Ears and eyes are target. Shoot only when convenient. Spread out kills, stay unpredictable. In this way, Trip continued to shoot down any demon she could, trying to thin out the numbers. Her smaller build compared to the demons was an advantage, her speed and unpredictable movements helping her stay out of their line of sight. Four more shots rang out, a lengthy pause of several breaths between them, dropping four demons from different locations. Two from the rear, one from the edge, and another one near Scale-tooth, a panther demon that collapsed on top of the bear demon. Scale-tooth couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If he let this continue, the remains of the battalion would end up getting shot out from right under his nose. Dismissing the red force shield in front of him, he raised both hands into the air. His head throbbed, feeling like it was about to explode, but he persevered. He had to give it his all to control the descent of the flaming boulder so that he wouldn¡¯t end up dropping it on Shi Hu, or worse, himself. Wait. Would it be so bad if he ¡°accidentally¡± dropped it on Shi Hu? Maybe later. For now, he needed to swat this irritating black-clad fly that was dropping the demons like¡­ well, flies. ¡°Hear my command! Charge the village! Ignore everything else!¡± Even shouting out commands caused his head to hurt so much, his eyeballs felt like that were about to explode. This time, more of the battalion responded, stopping their futile search for Trip to start running towards the village. Once again, a flaming boulder dropped out of the sky, even bigger than the previous one. Scale-tooth focused his gaze on it and concentrated, feeling that curious squeezing sensation within that part of his mind that activated every time- BOOM! BOOM! Two shots rang out. The first cracked the red scaled force armour on top of Scale-tooth¡¯s right eye. The second shattered it entirely. Scale-tooth was shocked and disoriented, part of his vision no longer covered with the red tinge of the force shield. He blinked. What? How did-? No! His control was slippi- Another six shots rang out in quick succession, destroying his exposed eye and the brain behind it. For a brief moment, all Scale-tooth could see was red, and he felt relief. Ah, this must mean that I¡¯ve restored my red shield. Now to- As Scale-tooth dropped, so did the great flaming boulder. The sky fell, drowning out everything in blinding sound and deafening flame. -- Chapter 44, End -- Chapter 45 - Combatus Interruptus Wukong took a lazy step to the side, dodging the makeshift shield of lashed-together breastplates. Twirling his quarterstaff, he eyed the Lion-Tiger Demon drawing his broadsword. Finally, a good fight! It had been a while, he was going to enjoy this! Wukong grinned, baring all four canines. The demon ran straight forward, arm held back, preparing for a heavy slash. And¡­ there it was, just as telegraphed, a slash aimed to cut him from his neck, diagonally down to his waist. Too predictable. With the tip of his quarterstaff, Wukong deflected the broadsword, causing it to swing wide to the sound of clashing metal from the rings on the back of the broadsword, while exposing the demon¡¯s entire side. Already spinning into the movement, the other end of his quarterstaff swung to hit the demon in the ribs, right below the arm. There was a loud crack, but instead of broken ribs, the only result of Wukong¡¯s cunning counter was a tiny fracture in the scaled force armour covering the demon. The fracture seemed to be more cosmetic than anything else, slightly marring the red-tinted surface. Now it was the demon¡¯s turn to grin, its leonine aspect making it look more like a hungry snarl, exposing way too many sharp teeth. The demon changed to a two-handed grip while inching close to Wukong, eyes intent like it was stalking prey. Wukong tried for a bashing strike at the demon¡¯s head, but the demon was faster, lunging forward with a slash angled upwards. In that split-second after launching his attack, Wukong registered the approaching broadsword. Acting on reflex, he hunched over while pulling in his head and arms like a tortoise holding a huge joss stick. The broadsword zoomed past the top of his head, hitting his quarterstaff so hard, he spun in a circle. Reacting true to form, Wukong let the momentum take him off his feet into a spinning kick. His foot lashed out, hitting the demon with the force of a sledgehammer. The only thing his kick achieved was to launch him further back, while the demon remained completely unhurt. It didn¡¯t even budge, making it seem as though Wukong had tried to kick a mountain of granite. The demon didn¡¯t allow Wukong any time to recover, feet pounding forward with broadsword held high in both hands, it began slashing without pause the moment Wukong came within reach. It was all Wukong could do to defend himself from the aggressive slashing, avoiding the incoming slashes by deflecting them or dodging. Even without meeting the attacks head on, the sheer effort needed to deflect the attacks spoke to how strong they were. He finally realised, it wasn¡¯t that his opponent¡¯s fighting style was too straightforward and predictable. When there was no need to worry about defence, all that was needed, was to focus on hitting one¡¯s opponent. It felt like the demon¡¯s attacks were getting even faster, but even so, the fact that he committed fully to every single one of his attacks could be exploited. Predictability was a weakness. The next time Wukong deflected a slash, he added a strong push, deflecting it even more. Spinning the quarterstaff to get it in position, Wukong seemed like a coiled spring that sprung forward with a powerful thrust at the unbalanced demon, hitting it right in the eye. CRACK! A small web of hairline fractures formed on the force armour. Good, hopefully it would obscure its vision. This should work. Blind it, then pound that lion face into the ground. Now that Wukong had chanced upon a tactic, he followed it with confidence, continuing his deadly dance with the demon, searching for a chance to hit its eyes. Once! Twice! Again! He took every opportunity to create an opening, using the attack he had practiced so many times, utilising his entire body to launch the thrusting attack. By now, the force armour on the demon¡¯s face was covered in cracks, and the demon¡¯s attacks were starting to be just a bit off, just a bit easier to deflect. Soon, it would- Huh¡­ another flaming boulder? Why did it look like it was going to hit the group of demons heading for the village? Wait¡­ where was Mistress? *** Shi Hu had just about enough of the irritating monkey. The attacks landing on his face didn¡¯t hurt, but they did crack the surface of the armour, causing his vision to split up in a nauseating way, somehow shooting glints of light into his eyes no matter how hard he squinted. Arrrgh! He was getting a headache! Why wouldn¡¯t this monkey stay still and be chopped down, instead of wasting energy dodging here and there. It should have realised by now that it couldn¡¯t hurt him with that little stick.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Eh? Why was it looking over his shoulder with such a stupid expression? Was there something behind- Scale-tooth¡¯s flaming boulder? Too close! Way too clo- *** Wukong woke up, feeling like the time he had been tied up and beaten all over. Except that there wasn¡¯t any rope this time, and the frumpy-faced self-proclaimed gods were absent. He coughed, hacking at the light pall of dust hanging in the air. A sharp pain pulsed through his middle. Without thinking about it, he sat up, causing an even worse tearing pain. Looking down with gritted teeth, he saw the hilt of a nine-ringed broadsword protruding from his side. Oh. So it wasn¡¯t a beating this time. They¡¯d changed it to stabbing instead. Then why was there such a loud ringing in his ears... and why were there so many demons on the ground? Wait¡­ he¡¯d been attacked¡­ by some demon who had muscles with muscles¡­ a Lion-Tiger demon¡­ and then another flaming boulder dropped¡­ right on top of- Mistress! With one smooth motion, Wukong pulled out the broadsword from his middle, the rings on the back only serving to help pull out more of his insides. He had no time for pain, no worry to spare for himself. Throwing the broadsword to one side, he cast his gaze around, trying to get his bearings. Taking a deep breath, he shouted. ¡°Mistress!¡± No, you don¡¯t have to sound so desperate. Mistress is fine. You¡¯re just calling for her. ¡°MISTRESS!¡± The pain you feel when you call out? That¡¯s from being a bad monkey. You were supposed to wait for Mistress to give the go-ahead, but you didn¡¯t. You couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°MISTRESS!¡± For what? For a good fight? Was it worth it? Weren¡¯t you supposed to protect her? ¡°MISTRESS!¡± What if Mistress is dead? What do you have to live for then? ¡°M-ooph!¡± Something hit him in the side, making him trip over the mangled body of a bear demon before crashing to the ground. He rolled, narrowly avoiding a foot smashing the spot his head had been. It was only after he got to his feet that he realised three things. First, the Lion-Tiger demon was stalking towards him with nine-ringed broadsword in hand, bits of his monkey innards still dangling from the rings. Second, his left arm was hanging useless, slashed to the bone. Most likely, tendons had been severed. That would take time to heal. On top of the deep wound through his middle. Third, he had somehow lost his quarterstaff. Then there was no longer any time for realizing anything more, nor much thinking. The demon came at him, slashing away like he wanted to make Wukong into a ribbon of monkey meat. Wukong dodged and rolled to the side, ripping a spear out of a dead lynx demon¡¯s hands. Out of position to dodge, he tried to use it to deflect the next incoming slash, but it broke in half. Still, he was partially successful. Instead of slicing off his head, the broadsword carved a bloody channel on his left arm, that was already starting to resemble raw meat prepared by a butcher. He barely registered the fresh injury. He didn¡¯t have TIME for pain! He didn¡¯t have TIME for this mixed-up Lion-Tiger demon who didn¡¯t know when to give up! What if Mistress was lying injured somewhere, and he could save her? If only he could get rid of this demon! If only he was strong enough! As he continued to dodge, Wukong didn¡¯t notice some of his fur dissolving into golden particles. He didn¡¯t notice them swirling into his wounded middle and arm, healing them within seconds. He didn¡¯t notice them floating over his hands and forearms, forming a golden layer of force armour that looked like oversized gauntlets and bracers. Wukong was beyond noticing anything other than his enemy, the one standing between him and Mistress. His eyes had become so bloodshot that it looked as though his eyes had turned red. *** Shi Hu was starting to feel that this monkey was starting to get a little creepy. Force armour, he could deal with. He¡¯d seen Scale-tooth conjure it up enough times. But this red-eyed state, where the monkey was muttering and grunting to himself, only pausing to snarl or howl at him every time he dodged away. Even without his quarterstaff, this monkey was proving to be too capable, able to dodge most of his attacks thus far. Wasn¡¯t this monkey¡¯s movements becoming increasingly feral? Shi Hu went cold inside. He was reminded of the time a hyena demon started raving and foaming at the mouth, biting the other demons¡­ THUD Instead of dodging Shi Hu¡¯s last slash, Wukong received it in the palm of his armoured hand, gripping it tight. Shi Hu tried to pull it back out, but it was stuck fast. With his other hand, Wukong gripped Shi Hu¡¯s armour. From a slight crouch, he then sprang forward to slam his forehead into Shi Hu¡¯s nose. It was only after Shi Hu¡¯s vision had exploded into purple and black lights, when he was wiping away the stream of blood dripping from his nose, that he realised his vision had been free of any red tint for a while, and that he was no longer covered by Scale-tooth¡¯s force armour. Also, it might be the first time in his life anyone had succeeded in giving him such an insulting injury! It was his FACE! Even without force armour, he would TEAR that monkey¡¯s face off, and EAT IT! -- Chapter 45, End -- Chapter 46 - Protective Panther, Buddy Bear A badly singed panther demon covered in wounds lay draped across a bear demon, looking almost as though it had thrown itself halfway on top of the bear in order to protect it. The upper half of a broken falchion embedded in the panther demon¡¯s back seemed to lend credence to the touching narrative. A short distance before the panther and bear pair, a charred crocodile demon in a tattered red robe lay flat on its back. One milky eye still opened wide, as were its jaws, giving it a look of stupefied surprise. The other eye was a gory red ruin with a gaping hole in the middle. From beneath the panther and bear demons, an arm holding a revolver lay limp, still pointed towards the crocodile demon. The fingers around the revolver tightened, then the arm drew back underneath the two demons. *** Trip awoke in darkness, the smell of blood, smoke and death all around her. A high-pitched sound like that of a tuning fork the size of a mountain filled her head. She felt smothered, like a giant hand was pressing down on her, gradually squeezing the life out of her as she struggled to breathe¡­ then she remembered where she was. An immense surge of relief and reassurance filled her when she realised that the weight in her hand was her trusty revolver. Still, something was wrong. She tried to wriggle out from beneath the bodies of the demons she had hidden under while taking out Scale-tooth, but it hurt to move. Even the slightest movement took a herculean effort, and her limbs trembled uncontrollably. It felt like her lungs were too small to allow a full breath, and her pulse thundered in her ears. Cold sweat coated the revolver handle, and she gripped it tight as she made her way forward, inch by inch. Eventually, like a caterpillar¡¯s torturous emergence from the cocoon, Trip crawled her way out. For many minutes, she could do nothing except gasp and wheeze, too weak to do anything more than struggle to breathe. When the black and purple spots dancing before her eyes finally went away, she tried to get to her feet. The world spun, the spots of dark light returned with a vengeance, and she collapsed sideways, retching out nothing but pain and misery as her insides were slices to ribbons with invisible knives. The sound of the tuning fork filling her ears, she tried looking around as best as she could from her position on the ground. Motion drew her attention to the periphery of her vision. Moving her head with as much care as she could, she turned her head at a snail¡¯s pace. Something told her that if she went any faster, she might fall prey to the dry retches again before falling unconscious and perhaps stay that way. She saw Wukong battling the Lion-Tiger demon, but in a way that was so uncharacteristic of him, she doubted her eyes at first. He was without his quarterstaff, but his fists were covered in shimmering golden gauntlets and bracers. His style was aggressive, almost entirely focused on offense. Instead of relying on his armoured fists, he attacked with every part of him, a ferocious whirlwind of berserk fury. Fists, elbows, knees, feet. At one point, she even saw him headbutt the demon in the mouth, then bite the demon¡¯s shoulder, tearing out a chunk of demon meat with a vicious jerk of his head. At first, the demon was driven back on the defensive by Wukong¡¯s all out attacks, but it began to adapt. Now that Wukong had no care for defense nor evasion, every single slash from the Lion-Tiger demon hit its mark, tearing gashes into Wukong. He was getting cut and sliced to pieces, his healing unable to keep up. His golden-black fur had long since been dyed a dark red, his movements slowing down. White foam gathered at the edges of his mouth as he panted, eyes still wild and glaring at his enemy. Trip could see that this war of attrition was one that Wukong was doomed to lose. For every strike that landed on the demon, Wukong received several wounds in return. Even at this distance, she could see some of his bones through his lacerated flesh.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Trip shifted her weight, rolling to one side so that she could reload her revolver. Moving it down to the reloader on her belt took longer than she could have ever imagined, feeling something grating in her shoulder the whole time. She knew that it was causing her pain, but she could barely feel it, like it was happening to her from a great distance. At last, she got it done, and tried to level her revolver at the demon, but her hand was no longer steady. Even gripping it in both hands, something she hadn¡¯t needed to do since her teens, only reduced the weaving of the barrel somewhat, but didn¡¯t stop it. She guessed that she had an equal chance of hitting the demon, Wukong, or the ground around them. That was unacceptable. Wheezing and groaning like a leaky bellows, she tried to get to her feet, but failed. She managed to stand upright for a single step before dropping to the ground. Nothing for it, she¡¯d just have to crawl. After the first few feet, she switched to crawling on her side to minimize the feeling of knives cutting in her belly. Right arm, right leg, lift and push forward. Breathe. Focus on moving. Hold on Wukong. Trip¡¯s world narrowed down to the ground under and directly before her, her focus on moving her limbs. A loud thump that she could feel through the ground interrupted her. She looked up to see Wukong flat on the ground amidst a cloud of dust, the demon¡¯s foot crushing his chest. The demon¡¯s face looked like it had been beaten with bags of rocks, it was little more than a mass of swelling bumps and bruises, on top of broken teeth, nose, and cheek bones. Its body wasn¡¯t much better, missing chunks of flesh here and there. Still, its arm was steady as it lifted its nine-ringed broadsword high, ready to deliver the final blow to a vulnerable Wukong. Trip steadied her elbows on the ground, trying to form a steady bipod to support her revolver. Aiming as best she could, she emptied her revolver at the Lion-Tiger demon¡­ who looked down at the six shallow bullet wounds decorating its chest and belly. It looked back at her, seemingly unaffected, baring its broken teeth in a snarl. It tried to take a step in her direction, but was stopped by Wukong, who had wrapped all of his limbs, even his tail, around the demon¡¯s leg on his chest. ¡°Mistress¡±, he rasped. ¡°Run.¡± As she reloaded her revolver, Trip smiled at Wukong. Foolish monkey, couldn¡¯t he see that she was past running, walking, or even crawling anywhere? If he was willing to go this far for her, she who had done nothing but wake him into a life of constant danger, couldn¡¯t she do the same for him? Oblivious to anything but the desire to crush this new intruder, Shi Hu knew nothing but rage. For just a brief moment, when the woman had shot at him, he had thought he would meet the same end that the other demons had. Fortunately, he was a stronger, much greater demon. The pistol that had killed so many others could do little more than dig shallow holes into his tough hide. For daring to test him, for killing so many of his fellow demons, she had to die. Then, he could take his time with the monkey. Muscles straining, Shi Hu roared as his squeezed Wukong¡¯s arms in his hands, tearing the monkey¡¯s grip loose. Spinning in a tight circle, he lifted then smashed Wukong to the ground again, before kicking him away. There, the clingy monkey had been dealt with. Now, he could- Two metal hooves, attached to the hindquarters of a grey horse, slammed into Shi Hu¡¯s head, sending him spinning into the air before crashing down in a tangle of limbs. ¡°I believe this could be referred to as an equos ex machina.¡± Down but not out, Shi Hu got to his feet, glaring at the equine intruder. Just how many times was he going to be interrupted? Filled with frustration, he roared out his rage, promising death to the monkey, the woman, and now this talking horse. Just as he gathered himself to spring onto the meddling horse, there was a sudden sound. A sound with a sickening, meaty quality to it. CHUNK Accompanying it was a strange loss of feeling below his waist, the sound of things splattering about his feet, and a terrifying cold numbness spreading upwards. Shi Hu looked down to see a spear as thick as his thigh sticking out from below his rib cage. ¡°Excellent marksmanship, Brother Mender. Especially considering how little practise you¡¯ve had.¡± ¡°You praise me overmuch, Master Dragon. In actual fact, I was aiming for the demon¡¯s heart.¡± -- Chapter 46, End -- Chapter 47 - Illusion vs Delusion Elder Mu had always considered himself a man with no illusions. That might still be true, but he had fallen into the delusion of still clinging on to the belief that Lord Gao still had the villagers¡¯ best interests at heart. In retrospect, it was obvious that he had somehow ignored all the signs to the contrary. Just the fact that Lord Gao allowed his grandson to treat his fellow villagers the way he did should have been a glaring red flag, but he had simply dismissed it. Somehow, he had forgotten the saying that there¡¯s no delusion more insidious than self-delusion. When it came to the battle with the battalion of demons, he had believed that he and his family -- yes, that included Jing -- were facing death. A glorious one, to be sure, one with honour, but death all the same. No illusions, be real. Sure, they had trained as best they could, even fought and killed lone stray demons, but killing one didn¡¯t mean they could do the same to the horde facing the entire village. Not unless they were going to do him the favour of queueing up, polite as could be, to fight his band of defenders one at a time. Well, even then, he supposed their human stamina would give out long before they could kill of even a tenth of them. Then he saw how effective Trip¡¯s simple traps proved to be. He saw her, somehow shooting down demons in twos and threes, sending them cowering behind makeshift shields that still proved ineffective. A part of him was both relieved and ashamed in equal parts, when he saw Trip¡¯s monkey demon dealing with the skirmishers that would certainly have overrun his position. That relief only intensified after those skirmishers, after being hit into the fields of stakes, somehow chose to attack the village walls instead of his small band of defenders. He swelled with pride at how the villagers took advantage of the demons¡¯ hampered movement. That, combined with their sporadic practice with the crossbows, was enough to ensure the skirmishers¡¯ doom. That was the point where he started to hope that maybe, just maybe, that the village and his family would get through this alive. Then came Wukong¡¯s cunning move to distract the battalion in order to draw out the leader, which was countered by another more dangerous-looking Red Robe coming to the fore. Even after Trip had said ¡°It¡¯s up to you now. Good luck!¡±, there had not been any demons to deal with, because she had tied all of them up in a deadly dance of death. She¡¯d dived into their formation without a care, appearing here and there to deal instant death, only to disappear again. A ghostly Grim Reaper in the flesh. It was only then that several demons broke away from the formation to charge his position. He was proud that his family had given a good account of themselves. Jing was the armoured lure, attracting the demons to him by virtue of his size and his relentless taunting, while using his two shields to protect himself and the two spear wielders. His mother and his wife worked as a team, taking advantage of openings to thrust their long spears from behind Jing to wound, cripple, and eventually kill the attacking demons. His son was the spinning hammer, always on the move, intercepting attacks with his pair of maces. Preventing attacks by stopping them cold in their tracks, allowing him to dart in to slice and dice before darting back out of the demon¡¯s reach. Together, they managed to kill three demons before he saw the flaming boulder falling from the sky, heading for the Red Robe¡¯s position. A random thought popped into his head then. It seems that Trip has driven the Red Robe to suicide. Then he screamed ¡°Take cover!¡±, before pulling Gao Cai along with him to take cover behind the barricades. Jing, his mother, and his wife, barely a step behind him. Thanks to both distance and the thickness of the barricades, he and his family remained unhurt and unshaken, in good enough condition to take care of the stragglers in the aftermath of the Red Robe¡¯s celestial attack. Some of the stragglers were still heading for the village, but many of them were dazed, make him almost feel bad to cut them down. Still, he completed his duty, as did his family.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. It was after the last demon had been cut down, that Gao Cai drew his attention to Trip and Wukong who were in dire straits, about to be killed by the demon leader. He and his family started running towards them to help, but he knew that they would not make it in time. Which was when he saw the demon letter get two-shotted from out of nowhere by a grey horse and a tree-sized spear. As he ran closer, his gaze was drawn to the largest crossbow he¡¯d ever seen, mounted on a strange eight-wheeled metal wagon. Instead of a proper covered wagon, it was more like the frame of a wagon, almost entirely made out of metal, and it wasn¡¯t being pulled by any horses or oxen, or any other animal. Within it sat two people, a bald man and a woman, one in front of the other, surrounded by metal wheels with teeth attached to various chains that were, in turn, attached to other things. The woman in front was, for some reason, gripping a wheel attached to a rod that reached into the depths of the metal wagon. At the rear of the metal wagon, there was a third bald, bearded man holding on to the large crossbow, who was talking to¡­ the grey horse, who was¡­ talking back? Before Elder Mu could say anything, the grey horse cantered closer to Trip. Blue beams of light erupted out of its eyes, running up and down Trip¡¯s prone form. What was that? Some sort of magic, like the Red Robes used? Did the horse mean to do Trip harm? But hadn¡¯t the horse fought against the demon commander? Elder Mu and the others were confused, but they rushed forward to help Trip all the same. ¡°STOP! Do not touch her! You would only increase the severity of her injuries or even cause her death!¡± The sheer volume of the command blasting out from the horse stopped them in their tracks. ¡°I¡¯d listen to Master White Dragon, he¡¯s the most knowledgeable person I¡¯ve ever met. If you want to save Sister Trip, please follow his instructions.¡± said the bald man behind the massive crossbow. ¡°She has suffered extensive internal injuries, and has multiple fractures. We need to keep her warm and lay her on a flat surface that can be used to transport her. You and you! Take off your robes! You two, go find two undamaged spears, we need to make a stretcher!¡± Elder Mu didn¡¯t know about the others, but he was numb. Too many things had happened in a short time, and now there were bald men on the metal skeletons of wagons that he guessed moved by themselves, wielding crossbows that looked big enough to crossbow bolts as large as him, and a wordy horse who was taking command of the situation. Oh well, the horse seemed to be concerned about Trip, so it couldn¡¯t be bad. Following the horse¡¯s instructions, he, Jing and Ah Cai used their outer robes and two spears to make an improvised stretcher for Trip. Any excess cloth was used to bundle up Trip to keep her warm. They piled broken handles under her feet and knees, because the horse said it was better to make sure there was more blood flowing to her head. By now, Wukong had gotten to his feet. Despite looking very much the worse for wear, he insisted on helping carry the stretcher bearing Trip back to the village. The battle was over. The few remaining demons had fled, leaving only the dead or dying behind. It was time to heal, rebuild, and hopefully prepare themselves to survive the consequences of their actions. Also, who were those people in the metal wagon, and were they really allies? There was still someone who needed to be told that the battle was over. When the group approached the village gates, they were met with the sight of Bajie standing in front of the gate with his eyes squeezed closed, waving his nine-toothed rake about in random swings while shouting ¡°Stay away! Don¡¯t come any closer!¡±. Despite the panicked nature of his defense, his strength was nothing to laugh at, as evidenced by the deep grooves in the earth around him, as well as the bodies of several completely pulverized demons. Fighting through the fog of his exhaustion, Elder Mu told himself that he would make sure the villagers were told of Bajie killing several demons, and that they knew to be grateful to him for his actions. Despite his motivations, the result of his actions had most likely saved some villagers¡¯ lives. Perhaps Gao Village should count themselves lucky that Bajie had always been so gentle his entire life, despite getting bullied so often. -- Chapter 47, End -- Chapter 48 - Spreading the Light In the aftermath of the demon attack, the village became as busy as an expanding nest of worker ants. Villagers walked quickly and with purpose, either helping to build up the defenses of the village, training to be defenders, or supporting the efforts of their fellow villagers however they could. Even the children scurried to and fro, helping with errands and small tasks. Elders Mu and Jing had, through the consensus of the villagers in a rare townhall meeting, become the joint Heads of the village, with Madam Shu as an advisor and tie-breaker for decisions made if needed. The three of them, along with Gao Luan, had been having a talk with Brother Mender, who had told them the story of how Trip and Wukong had come to his monastery and freed them from under the yoke of the Black Wind Demon. White Dragon was also in attendance, but as was his habit, he was quiet and kept himself out of the discussion most of the time. ¡°This may be rather late in coming, but thank you for your help in defeating the demon commander. If not for you, we would all have been doomed for sure.¡± said Elder Jing while giving a deep bow to Brother Mender, who started waving his hands in a flustered manner. ¡°Please, please, it was more of a lucky coincidence. It¡¯s all thanks to Master White Dragon. Without the tools and machines he taught us to make, we would never have made it here in time, much less have been able to defeat that demon. In truth, I came here looking for help-¡± ¡°If I may interrupt, Brother Mender, I think it is crucial that you give credit to yourself and your fellow monks. All I did was leave you with certain pieces of knowledge. The formulas, designs, blueprints and such. You and your monks did all the real work of turning all of that into reality. Recognize that, and be confident that you will be able to build upon it, and expand upon the foundation of technology you already have.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master White Dragon. I hope it¡¯s alright to continue to rely on your guidance in the future.¡± said Brother Mender, giving a slight bow towards White Dragon. ¡°You said you came here looking for our help?¡± said Madam Shu. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t your help, specifically, at first. I wasn¡¯t really sure who I¡¯d find, but¡­ it¡¯s like this. Our previous few Abbots, they believed in keeping the monastery isolated from the world. We had our attached villages for resources and support, which kept our little community self-sufficient through the years. Until the demons found us, took over the attached villages and mines, declaring that we would be weaponsmiths for the Crimson Army from then on. Our previous Abbot gave in, believing that it was the only path to survival. I¡­ was very much in opposition towards that viewpoint.¡± Brother Mender gave a tiny sigh, then continued. ¡°Those of us from the monastery, we have¡­ something we say very often, as a greeting, a reminder, a wish. We say, ¡°May the light of Technology never wane¡±. Our previous few Abbots believed that the way to ensure that was through placing walls around it, like placing a candle in a lantern to protect it from the wind. But we forgot that it¡¯s not a real flame. It¡¯s a belief, a mindset that needs to be maintained every single day. It needs to spread, or it will wither and die away. We weren¡¯t protecting it, we were smothering it. The first time I realised that we had been stagnant for too long, was when the demons gave us blueprints to build pistols. We knew how to make gunpowder, but it had never occurred to us to go beyond crossbows. The previous Abbot took great pride in our developing the double-barrelled pistol, but the truth is, we were merely slapping on a tiny expansion upon something that had been given to us, and not even with any great measure of innovation. That realisation of stagnation struck me even harder when I learned of Sister Trip¡¯s revolver. In all our years of trying to develop a better pistol, why had we never thought of that? Somehow, we had become too set in our ways of thinking. We need fresh ideas, from people who have a thirst for knowledge and technology, who aren¡¯t limited by narrow thinking.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. So, knowing full well how dangerous the wilds could be, I focused the resources of the monastery on building transportation and weapons. We had just completed the base of the¡­ metal wagon, when White Dragon arrived with news of your village, and we rushed here with all haste.¡± ¡°Why the haste? There¡¯s no way you could have known we were under attack.¡± said Elder Mu. ¡°That¡¯s true. Our haste was for another reason entirely, which I believe to be very similar to yours. Both our communities provided something to the Crimson Army, and now, we¡¯ve stopped providing it. It might take some time, but eventually, they¡¯ll send someone to find out what happened. We need to be able to protect ourselves by then, or the best case would be that things would just go back to how they were before. Most likely, things will be worse. Much, much worse.¡± Brother Mender¡¯s brow furrowed in worry, his frown obvious even behind his beard. Elder Mu and the rest had also been worrying about this, but on their own. This was the first time it had been stated so directly out in the open, and they found themselves speechless. They had no solutions beyond doing the best they could, with what they had. ¡°That brings me back to the request for help I mentioned, which comes with an offer. We at the monastery would be happy to share our technology, knowledge and learning with anyone who would cooperate with us. We have tools and knowledge that could make your farming more efficient, doing more while requiring less manpower. We have weapons and technologies that could improve your defenses by tenfold, or even a hundredfold. We have classes that your children, or even adults, could join, where they could learn things like how to make those tools and weapons for themselves. We have ore and metals from our attached villages and mines that we would be happy to trade for other resources like food, seeds, wood, raw materials.¡± Brother Mender¡¯s tone was earnest and sincere, his hands spread open before him. Elder Jing grinned. ¡°Looks like this would be mutually beneficial for both our communities. I don¡¯t see any reason to say no¡­ what do you think, Elder Mu?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± nodded Elder Mu, stroking his beard. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°Aha... that brings me back to the help I mentioned. You see, I had an idea. I¡¯m very certain that there are a lot more communities out there that are being isolated and used by the demons. But what if they are liberated from the demons, like yours and mine? I¡¯m sure that they, and us, would benefit from cooperating with one another. Above all, I want to spread the knowledge of technology to others. Not just how to make and use things, but the ability to discover new knowledge, to think up new things and ideas¡­ but before all that, we need to form a very special group of people, of volunteers. They would need to be trained, with our knowledge of technology and your knowledge of how to survive in the wilds-¡± ¡°Er, we aren¡¯t exactly that good at surviving the wilds¡­¡± said Elder Jing. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a lot more than those of us in the monastery have.¡± said Brother Mender. ¡°Father and I have gone camping in the wilds before with a few others, when we were hunting down wild demons. We¡¯d be happy to share whatever knowledge we have.¡± said Gao Cai. ¡°It¡¯s more than just the knowledge. What I¡¯m asking is that you be willing to train those volunteers directly, and be willing to send those volunteers from your village to our monastery for training in other areas. And not just the volunteers, but also your children, any craftspeople, anyone who wants to learn.¡± ¡°Even the children have to travel? I have to object to that. The wilds are much too dangerous for children!¡± said Gao Luan. ¡°I have a plan for that. We¡¯ll be building more metal wagons, bigger and better ones that can transport more people. I plan to add armour and more mounted weapons to them. We¡¯d be able to defend the people inside without ever leaving the safety of the wagon.¡± ¡°... it looks like you¡¯ve given this a lot of thought. Very well, we¡¯re with you.¡± nodded Elder Mu. ¡°If we can free others like us from the ever-present threat of the demons, if we can stop demons simply deciding they can wipe out a village any time they want, or treat villages like their backup larder¡­ I¡¯m all for it!¡± said Elder Jing, his fists clenched so hard that they were shaking. -- Chapter 48, End -- Chapter 49 - Choose To Be My Best Self A pale face. Bulging eyes. ¡°Nooooooo!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all dead! All dead!¡± howled Lord Gao. ¡°I¡¯ll see y-¡± BOOM! Trip¡¯s eyes snapped open, her heart thundering in her ears. It took a few moments for her to realise that she was laying in a bed. It look even longer for her to realise that, for the first time in a long while, she was able to think clearly, and was feeling much better. Physically speaking, that is. No more vertigo, no more high-pitched buzzing in her ears, no more invisible knives in her torso every time she moved or breathed. She had memories of being injured very badly, trying to fight on regardless, then getting saved by¡­ Brother Mender and White Dragon? She still wasn¡¯t sure if that had been a hallucination. Then came the periods where she drifted in and out of consciousness, having her wounds washed and dressed, having her bandages changed, having water slowly dripped into her mouth, and through it all¡­ Wukong had been sitting on the floor at her bedside. Slowly, she used her elbows to push herself upright into a sitting position, feeling as weak as a wet noodle. Almost by reflex, she reached for her revolver. Her eyes widened in alarm when she found it missing. Even her holster was gone. ¡°Mistress? Are you alright? Do you need anything?¡± Wukong was still in the same position beside her, looking like he had stayed there the entire time she had been recovering. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a dry rasp, barely a whisper. ¡°Where¡¯s my gun?¡± ¡°In the drawer beside you, Mistress.¡± Only after checking that it was there, taking it out to put it in her lap, did she drink from the convenient cup of water placed on the waist-height drawer beside her bed. ¡°How long have I been here?¡± ¡°Three days, Mistress.¡± Huh. Three days to recover from almost dying, not bad. Once again, Trip gave thanks to the strange regenerative ability she¡¯d gained from Wukong¡¯s blood. ¡°Alright, time to get going.¡± Trip swung her legs on to the floor. ¡°Mistress, before you go, may I please have a moment?¡± Wukong looked up at her with a pleading expression. ¡°Yes?¡± Trip sat on the bed, feeling a bit taken aback by the unaccustomed look on Wukong¡¯s face. Wukong rose into a kneeling position, shuffling until he was arm¡¯s length of Trip. ¡°Mistress! Please punish me!¡± Wukong slammed his forehead into the wooden floor, his hands on each side of his head. ¡°Wukong disobeyed orders!¡±, he slammed his head into the floor again, cracking the wood. ¡°Wukong failed to protect Mistress!¡±, he slammed his head into the floor a third time. He remained there, with his head pressed into the floor. For a second, just a second, Trip imagined herself running her fingers over her metal bracer, activating the words of Pacification within. A part of her, an emotionless part, wondered what effect it would have on Wukong, and if it would cause him pain, then how much of it. Then she squashed those thoughts. No, take a deep breath. What did Mama always say¡­ yes, I choose to be my best self. ¡°No.¡± She reached down to lay one hand on top of Wukong¡¯s shoulder, her voice as gentle as her touch. ¡°I put myself in harm¡¯s way, and you did try your best to protect me, especially at the end.¡± ¡°But!-¡±, Wukong raised his head, looking shocked and rather indignant. A tiny part of Trip felt like chuckling at Wukong who looked so outraged at being denied punishment, but she suppressed it and continued. ¡°As for disobeying orders, who¡¯s to say that my orders were the best thing to do in that moment? Or that my orders were clear enough? I have things I need to improve too. If you need to be punished, then I need to be punished too.¡± ¡°But!-¡± ¡°But I hope that we can improve our communication, so that we can agree on what to do. When you have a better idea, in any situation, let me know. Or at least let me know when you¡¯re abandoning a plan. Alright?¡± ¡°Yes Mistress!¡± ¡°... I think you mean yes, you¡¯ll try your best.¡± At Wukong¡¯s comical expression of trying not to look offended, Trip held up a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not doubting you. I believe that you mean exactly what you say. But I also think that you have problems. Just as I do. And some of our problems get in the way of our doing what is best. So yes, all I ask for is that you try your best. As will I.¡± Looking thoughtful, Wukong nodded. Just then, the room door creaked open, revealing Brother Mender and a woman, both dressed similarly in short brown monk robes. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake! That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll go inform the rest!¡± Brother Mender grinned as he ran off. The woman smiled at Brother Mender¡¯s retreating back, then turned back towards Trip.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Please forgive Brother Mender, he¡¯s been quite worried about you, despite Master White Dragon¡¯s reassurances that you would be fine after enough rest.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ and you are¡­?¡± ¡°My parents named me Fierce Sparrow, but please call me Sparrow.¡± She gave a self-deprecating smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you properly. Awake, that is.¡± At Trip¡¯s inquiring look, Sparrow continued, ¡°I¡¯m the one who cleaned and dressed your surface wounds. The progress of your healing has been nothing short of miraculous. The way all those huge bruises just cleared up in a few days¡­ it¡¯s amazing!¡± Trip simply nodded. Looking uncomfortable at the lack of response, Sparrow blurted ¡°Er¡­ shall I go fetch you something to eat? You must be hungry¡­ yes, I¡¯ll just... go.¡± At that moment, Brother Mender burst back into the room with Elders Mu and Jing. Elder Jing was the first to speak. ¡°Trip! So glad you¡¯re okay! We have so much to tell you!¡± *** Trip had been quiet and focused, listening to the plans of Brother Mender and the village elders. At times, she would interject with short questions, prompting further explanations from Brother Mender. When Brother Mender was done, he looked at Trip with a gaze full of expectation. ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Trip stared off into nowhere, thinking. The room fell silent. ¡°Er¡­ is there something wrong?¡± Elder Jing whispered in what he thought was a soft voice. ¡°Shh. Let her think.¡± murmured Elder Mu, as he placed a hand on Elder Jing¡¯s shoulder. Before long, Trip¡¯s gaze focused on the three men. ¡°I think the focus on learning, training, and developing technology is a great idea. As is strengthening your defenses. But I have a few suggestions, is that alright?¡± Brother Mender seemed to radiate attention and focus, as he said ¡°Of course, please tell us!¡± ¡°You mentioned liberating communities from the demons. I think you will only be able to do so when you have at least a few things. Fully trained and equipped combat teams, sufficient information about the demons and the community, and the cooperation of the community. I think you¡¯re on the right track to building combat teams, but information gathering is important as well. If I had done that, I wouldn¡¯t have made such a big mess in your village. I wouldn¡¯t have killed Lord Gao. That is something I regret doing, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± From her seat on the bed, Trip bowed as low as she could to Elder Mu and Elder Jing. ¡°Mistress! You did nothing wrong, he deserved to die!¡± ¡°Wukong!¡± Trip snapped, then caught herself. In a much calmer tone, she continued ¡°That¡¯s not for us to decide.¡± ¡°Wukong is right. You did us a favour. I thank you for it.¡± Elder Mu bowed back towards Trip. ¡°That¡¯s right! If you hadn¡¯t done it, I for one, would have!¡± Elder Jing¡¯s fists were clenched in front of his chest, his arms sawing back and forth, as if he was imagining strangling Lord Gao himself. Brother Mender gave Trip a sympathetic look. ¡°It¡¯s a heck of a thing, killing a person. You take away everything they are, everything they ever will be. Definitely not something to be taken lightly, and I¡¯m very glad to see that you don¡¯t. Still, please don¡¯t punish yourself too much. Based on what Elder Mu and Elder Jing told me, it needed to be done.¡± Trip still looked doubtful, but she straightened up, giving Brother Mender a grateful nod. Elder Mu cleared his throat. ¡°You mentioned information gathering?¡± Trip blinked, needing a moment to gather her thoughts. ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll need people trained and equipped for a different purpose. Instead of those bigger metal wagons with more weapons, which would be great for your combat teams, look into building lighter, faster wagons for a single person. These people will be your scouts, your messengers. They will be your early warning system, and the golden thread that connects your communities together. You already know that it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Crimson Army sends someone to investigate what happened the weapons and supplies you were supposed to send. Using scouts and messengers, you could find and eliminate them before they discover anything, or before they report back. In any case, you buy yourself more time to prepare before they bring war to your doorstep.¡± Elder Jing gulped. ¡°W¡­ War?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Trip looked grim as she pinned Elder Jing with her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s important that you realise it now. This situation we¡¯re in will only result in full-out war with the Crimson Army. It¡¯s only a matter of time. The Bull Demon King would never tolerate any form of resistance to his, or the Crimson Army¡¯s authority. Sooner or later, he¡¯ll come to crush you. The only path to survival is to expand, gather enough people and resources, build up enough war machines and defenses, and train up your people.¡± The Elders were silent. Elder Jing looked like all this was a revelation to him, while Elder Mu looked like the was thinking hard. Brother Mender looked horrified, like he had only just realised the true extent of the situation. Trip supposed it was understandable. Brother Mender had led a sheltered life, and the Elders¡¯ were only slightly less so, all things considered. Trip kept silent, giving the men time to process. Although, before the Crimson Army came to her home, she supposed her life had been the most sheltered of all. Elder Mu spoke up. ¡°I have confidence in Brother Mender and our people. I think we can work on everything you mentioned. Except for expansion. Right now, all we know of is the Crimson Army stronghold called Yellow Wind Ridge, which is hardly the best place to find allies. We believe Lord Gao knew of some other villages, but after doing a complete search of his office and villa, we turned up empty-handed. Whatever knowledge he had of those, it died with him.¡± Trip smiled. ¡°Until you build up the people to do so, please let me help with that. Thanks to Elder Jing sharing with me that¡¯s where you deliver your supplies, Yellow Wind Ridge is exactly where I¡¯m headed next. After that, I¡¯ll direct any potential ally I find to you. We¡¯ll need to work out how to leave signs and messages for each other¡­ maybe scratching signs into certain trees or rocks to direct your scouts and messengers. Regardless, I¡¯ll still have my swiftest messenger with me, if I ever need to send you any information in a hurry.¡± Trip nodded to White Dragon. White Dragon gave a brief dip of his head. ¡°Of course, Miss Trip. It would be my pleasure to facilitate in this great endeavour.¡± Trip lifted the revolver from her lap. ¡°Brother Mender, White Dragon, I¡¯d like the two of you to make more of these. They¡¯ll be helpful against the demons.¡± White Dragon gave light snort. ¡°Ah, Miss Trip, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll need to be at a much higher level of technology before it would be possible to duplicate a weapon requiring such accuracy and fine engineering.¡± ¡°Then is there a way to use their current technology to make something that shoots and loads faster than their pistols?¡± Brother Mender grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve had several ideas about that. White Dragon and I will think of something, together with my fellow monks.¡± ¡°With your permission, Miss Trip, I¡¯ll give Brother Mender the knowledge needed to eventually produce revolvers and the ammunition needed. I believe pursuing that would help them in other areas as well.¡± Trip nodded. ¡°Thank you. Do you also have the knowledge of how to train to shoot revolvers?¡± At White Dragon¡¯s shaking of his head, Trip continued. ¡°Then that¡¯s something I can help with. Get me something to write on.¡± Brother Mender grinned. ¡°Gladly, Sister Trip, gladly.¡± -- Chapter 49, End -- Chapter 50 - Revelations and Reflections A lean monkey was gesticulating wildly at a pudgy piggy. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Bajie! You were the one who killed all those demons! You¡¯re the one who kept them from charging right through the village gate! If that happened, who knows how many villagers they would have killed. You saved those villagers!¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ but¡­ I don¡¯t remember fighting any demons¡­? So it can¡¯t have been me. You¡¯ve got the wrong little piggy!¡± ¡°Look, Bajie, you may not know this, but I¡¯m a veteran of a million battles. That¡¯s one of the many, many reasons why they call me the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Anyway. just looking at the result of a fight is enough for me to know every move of how that fight went. To me, it was obvious that those demons had been killed with a single blow, dealt by someone wielding a nine-toothed rake. Didn¡¯t even matter where they had been hit. The head, the chest, the side, just one hit was enough.¡± Through it all, Wukong had been acting out the blows with a rather battered-looking metal quarterstaff, flailing it about while producing loud whooshing noises. Looking like a light had been switched on in his head, Bajie¡¯s face lit up with hope. He raised a timid index finger into the air. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe it was someone else hitting those demons with a nine-toothed rake?¡± ¡°Uh huh, riiight.¡± Wukong turned to Gao Cai, who had been enjoying the show with an amused smile on his face the entire time. ¡°Hey, you, how many people in the village use a nine-toothed rake like Bajie?¡± Gao Cai shook his head, grinning. ¡°Bajie¡¯s the only one. At most, our rakes have four or five teeth, and none of them are as sturdy or heavy as Bajie¡¯s.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Wukong pointed his quarterstaff at Gao Cai. ¡°It¡¯d take a really sturdy rake to kill demons in a single blow without breaking! A rake¡­ like¡­ THIS!¡± Wukong spun, wielding his quarterstaff in a two-handed grip, hitting the rake that Bajie had been leaning on with a solid CLANGGG that rang resoundingly in all of their ears. The rake, made entirely of some sort of metal, pressed firmly into the ground by Bajie¡¯s rather considerable weight, barely shifted. Wukong¡¯s quarterstaff, on the other hand, had a noticeable dent where it had hit Bajie¡¯s rake. ¡°Hey you¡­ that¡¯s...that¡¯s a really good rake¡­¡± Wukong mumbled, face slack with amazement as he ran his fingers over the dent. Then his face lit up with enthusiasm. ¡°Oho! OHO! Wonderful! Bajie, you¡¯ve got potential! I, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven will TRAIN you to be worthy of your magnificent demon-killing nine-tooth rake! Alright! Training starts right now!¡± ¡°First lesson, defence! Block with your rake!¡± Wukong raised his quarterstaff, preparing to strike at Bajie. Who promptly ran away as fast as his large legs would allow. ¡°Wait! Strategic repositioning is an advanced lesson! We¡¯ve got to start with the basics! Come back! Bajie!¡± A lean monkey wielding a battered quarterstaff chased a pudgy piggy all over the village. *** Trip had been thinking of her killing of Lord Gao. At some level, she questioned why she was so haunted by it. It wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t killed before. Bandits, bounty hunters, hybrids. The only difference was that they had posed an immediate physical danger to her at the time, and Lord Gao had not. At an intellectual level, she knew that he had to be stopped for good, and the only way to guarantee that was to end him. Who knew how much suffering, how many lives he would have ruined, if he¡¯d been allowed to form a new village after killing every man, woman and child in Gao Village. Another village with the sole purpose of supplying food to the Crimson Army, at risk of being put down at the slightest hint of rebellion, or more likely as a consequence of displeasing or offending Lord Gao. No, it was better that he was gone for good. She admitted to herself that the real reason she felt terrible about it, was because it felt like she had gone against her father¡¯s teaching. Do not kill in cold blood. But she had done exactly that. In a certain way, she had become both judge and executioner, which her father had always taught was a very, very bad idea. A slippery downward slope. Going against what he taught, it felt like she was betraying him. But he didn¡¯t know what it¡¯s like! He never knew how bad things could get, out here outside the safety of the monastery. Don¡¯t be silly! It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve become a wanton murderer, killing anyone who displeases you. Not sticking to just one of his teachings, in a rare situation that requires an exception, doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re abandoning all his teachings, that you¡¯re betraying him. Were those justifications? Excuses? She didn¡¯t know. She did know that she was starting to resent the enforced bed rest that White Dragon had put her under. She needed to be doing something, making progress towards finding her brother! There was a knock at her door, then it opened and Brother Mender poked his head through. ¡°Sister Trip! I have something to show you!¡± He walked through the doorway, holding a black quarterstaff. As it caught the light, Trip noticed strange striated markings along its length. Brother Mender continued. ¡°I was curious about the two boulders that the Red Robe caused to fall from the sky. We ruined several pickaxes, breaking them down into manageable chunks, but after hammering and grinding them, we found that it was nothing more than dust! What¡¯s even more curious, is that after melting down the dust, it formed this metal that¡¯s harder than anything we encountered! So I noticed that Wukong¡¯s quarterstaff is looking just about done. Do you think he¡¯d like this one?¡± Trip smiled. ¡°He¡¯d love it. Just, please let me be there when you give it to him.¡± ¡°Of course! Of course! I¡¯m also very curious about how these boulders came about. They¡¯re nothing like any boulder I¡¯ve ever seen, too geometrically perfect, and the composition! Too perfectly uniform! Did the Red Robe bring it from somewhere? Did it somehow will the boulder into existence? From where did the Red Robe get these fantastic powers anyway? It¡¯s most unscientific, I tell you. Almost like the old stories of people flying in the sky on pieces of metal, or creating entire meals from nothing but water and dust! I would never have believed it, had there not been so many witnesses. Balls of fire from their hands!¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Trip stared at Brother Mender. Brother Mender looked behind him, then back at Trip. ¡°Er¡­ what did I say? Did I say something wrong?¡± Trip continued staring at Brother Mender. ¡°Sister Trip¡­ you¡¯re scaring me¡­?¡± With an abrupt sigh, Trip said. ¡°You¡¯d better sit down. There¡¯s something you need to know.¡± Feeling like he was back in a monastery classroom during the days of his childhood, Brother Mender did as Trip asked. ¡°First, those old stories of people flying and making meals out of nearly nothing, those were true, up until around six or seven centuries ago. Or it might be more, maybe a thousand years, for all I know. Nobody knows for sure. But I know for sure that once, a long time ago, people could do those things. WE could do those things. And it was all done through science, and the machines that science made possible. Second, what the Red Robe did, it¡¯s scientific too. Because it¡¯s made possible through machines. Although-¡± At Brother Mender¡¯s sceptical look, Trip paused. ¡°Look, here¡¯s what my father told me. A long time ago, people finally succeeded in making machines so small, they were like particles of dust floating in the air. Machines that were like the inside of your metal wagon, except a million times more complicated. All inside a speck of dust. The way it would work, was that these tiny machines would work together to do great things, and they would all be directed just by thinking at them. But the problem was, that other people then released those tiny machines into the air before they were ready, before the people who made them said it was okay. It was pure luck that nothing really bad happened, just that it didn¡¯t really work as well as it should have. Most people couldn¡¯t do anything with those tiny machines except make themselves sneeze. Before the Red Robes, what I knew was that only a few people today are able to do anything with those tiny machines, including throwing balls of fire, spears of ice, or globs of acid, but those are extreme cases. Summoning boulders from the sky is new, as are demons being able to use those tiny machines.¡± ¡°Sister Trip, I believe that you believe these stories are true-¡± Trip held up a hand in front of her face, her index finger pointing upwards. Her brows furrowed as an orange glow formed around her hand. She concentrated and focused as the orange glow turned yellow. Brother Mender was about to speak again, when a small flame burst into being an inch above Trip¡¯s index finger. It flickered for a few seconds before disappearing. Trip gave Brother Mender a tired smile. ¡°That¡¯s the most that I can do. Mostly, I use them to aid with recovery after exercise, part of my body strengthening routine. It¡¯s easier for me somehow when I¡¯m trying to affect something inside my body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing! So that¡¯s why Master White Dragon said you were recovering faster than expected! Could you teach us?¡± Brother Mender, now a believer, was back to his usual high level of enthusiasm. ¡°Not everyone will be able to do it. In fact, it¡¯s likely that very few, or none at all, will be able to.¡± At Brother Mender¡¯s look of sheer disappointment, Trip continued. ¡°Still, I suppose I could write down the mental exercises I was taught, for all of you to try. All I know are the basics. Beyond that, it will be up to those who make it through the basics to experiment, if they want to progress further.¡± Brother Mender¡¯s eyes lit up at the word ¡®experiment¡¯, rushing towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go get you some paper!¡± *** Inside a cavernous hall with walls of metal, a tall hooded figure clad in a red robe stood on a wooden stage, addressing a motley crew of demons and imps. Lion, tiger and bear demons rubbed shoulders with crocodile, crow and caribou demons. Among their number were the smaller imps, many of which obviously had two or three different animals in their ancestry. The hall was dimly lit in deep purple, the source of illumination was a row of lights that ran across each wall. Every light was painted in a thick red substance, a faint blue light shining through the areas not painted over. Figures shrouded in shadow and hooded red robes lined the walls, silent and still. ¡°Brothers and Sisters, rejoice! Today, after years of training, our acolytes take the final test. If they succeed, they don the red, becoming one of us. Bring out the Imprinter!¡± From a doorway at the back of the wall, four Red Robes walked in a square, one arm stretched outwards with palms facing the centre of their formation, where red force shields supported a large metal block. It resembled a thick square pillar, each of its four sides had grooves running across its surface in angular patterns. The four Red Robes walked with great ceremony, floating the metal block between them until they were in front of the stage. Slowly, they lowered their force shields, until the metal block was on the floor. ¡°Acolytes, when a Red Robe comes to guide you to the Imprinter, do exactly as they indicate. Your success and your lives depend on it!¡± The four Red Robes walked to the front of the crowd of demons and imps, each seeming to select a candidate at random. Two imps, a wolf demon, and a hulking bear demon. Together, their walked their candidates to each side of the Imprinter. With gestures, they bid their candidates to press their backs against the metallic surface. As soon as the backs of all four candidates came into contact with the Imprinter, it lit up with a dim purple glow. With a deep pulsing hum that each of the candidates felt in their chests, a bright violet bar of light rose from the bottom of each side of the Imprinter. Slowly, it rose until it reached the top of their heads, then descended downwards once more, disappearing after reaching the bottoms of their feet. There was a silence, but all the acolytes could tell that the Red Robes were expecting something to happen. With several quiet clicks, manacles emerged from the Imprinter, binding each candidate¡¯s ankles, waist, arms, shoulders, and forehead to its surface. An additional flexible bar of metal wound its way around each candidate¡¯s mouth, slowly tightening until they had no choice but to grip it between their teeth. The moment that was done, long needles hissed out from the Imprinter, jabbing deep into the skulls and necks of the four candidates. By the time the candidates started screaming, the needles had already been withdrawn back into the Imprinter. Even though the source of their pain was gone, the candidates were still screaming. Even worse, they had gone into seizures, shaking as hard as their restraints would allow. Some had their eyes rolled up, while others were staring into nothing with wide, bloodshot eyes. Eventually, the screaming and seizures stopped. All four candidates hung limp in their restraints. Again, the needles shot out, this time only entering their necks. Soon after the needles withdrew, three of the candidates began to stir. The fourth, the bear demon, was still. The manacles clicked open, then disappeared back into the Imprinter. The two imps landed on their feet, while the wolf demon dropped to its knees. The bear demon fell to the floor, landing on it like nothing more than a side of meat. Which was more or less what it had become. Three Red Robes came forward, draping the three candidates that still lived in their own crimson garments. The fourth Red Robe dragged the dead bear demon off to one side. ¡°Welcome, the three of you! You are now truly one of us, brothers and sisters all!¡± A lynx demon who had been eyeing the dead bear while hyperventilating, turned around and bolted through the crowd towards the exit. Before it could even escape the crowd, transparent red walls of force formed around it, boxing it in. The tall Red Robe on stage had one scaled hand extended. As the hand moved, the lynx demon was floated in its red box of force above the crowd, then towards the Imprinter. ¡°Come now, this display is most unseemly. Would you waste your many years of training and preparation? Are the risks not worth the reward? You must trust me when I say that this must be done.¡± By then, the shivering, shuddering lynx demon was already at the Imprinter, the only thing between its back and the metal surface was a red wall of force. Then the tall Red Robe dropped its hand. The red wall of force disappeared. Several quiet clicks echoed throughout the deathly silent hall. Then the screaming began. -- Chapter 50, End --