《A Large Debt (Shuli Go Vol. 2)》


 Part 1

    In the final decades of the Shan dynasty, the Shuli Go ¨C magic-infused lawmen and women who had kept the peace for two thousand years ¨C were disbanded as a caste. Rendered infertile by the magic that granted them superhuman strength and speed, they gained a reputation for promiscuity as they wandered the Ten Kingdoms in search of work, food, and shelter from the elements.


    Qui 20, 3264 ¨C Hobei Kingdom ¨C 12 Years Before Wamai


    Bandits, as a catchall for the vagrant criminals of the Central Empire, were largely indistinguishable from one another. Some were murderers first, some thieves, some rapists and drunks, but they all performed the same gambit of atrocities, and they were all one thing first: desperate. Zhao Lian had identified bandits by every sense ¨C smell being the definitive one in many cases ¨C but she knew a bandit best by the look in his eyes when they faced her. Bandits, Lian was convinced, were not bad people. They were desperate people.


    That warm summer day it was the smell that first brought them to her attention. She was downwind from them nearly a quarter of a mile on a rarely used path that ran north, towards the coastal city of Chongqing, The smell alone was not definitive though: a group of ten to fifteen men travelling on the road, foul as they may be, was not a clear indication of bandits. It wasn¡¯t until she was upon them that she knew what they were.


    There were other hints, of course. The sounds they were making ¨C the shouts, the screams of the victims, the sound of cutting and death ¨C were good indicators, but Imperial soldiers often emitted disgusting odors and killed people and animals on long-hidden roads. Lian knew it was bandits only when she approached from west of the road, towards a small clearing where a merchant¡¯s caravan had pulled off before being waylaid.


    The road was cutting through a jungle that had just started to regrow after a terrible fire had swept through it a decade earlier. The trees were only twice as tall as Lian, and the bushes were few, but she stayed hidden, low to the ground, and took in the scene. Most of the caravan¡¯s caretakers had been killed already, five bodies ¨C two women, three men ¨C lay with their throats opened in the middle of the clearing. A single bandit was on top of another woman. The other ten were split between rifling through the covered carts, and threatening the other survivor: a man, somewhat better dressed than the dead bodies, tied up in the dirt, a rag shoved in his mouth and a deep swell around his left eye. He was awake, but barely.


    Lian didn¡¯t pay much attention to the man though ¨C her first priority was the woman being raped. She considered trying to use a rock to kill the rapist from a distance, but then she looked closer. The woman wasn¡¯t just immobile. She, too, had had her throat cut. Lian briefly reconsidered her philosophical stance on bandits and decided to kill this one nice and close.


    She walked out of the brush at a brisk pace and approached the necrophilic rapist. He caught sight of her just fast enough to stand and for her to cut him in half just above the hips. His scream, shortened as it was by his organs falling out from inside him after she kicked his torso off, alerted the others. It was a thick scream, guttural and surprised. A scream of desperation.


    All ten of the other bandits looked at her, and she looked at them, and recognized the eyes. She fought the instinct, burned into her after years of Shuli Go training, to announce their rights to a fair hearing if they surrendered. Instead, she told them, ¡°If you put down your weapons, you can live for a few days more until you go before the magistrate.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    They didn¡¯t put their weapons down. Instead they rushed at her in typical bandit fashion, haphazard and uncoordinated and with dulled, third-hand weapons stolen from sentry outposts and farmhouses and roving mercenaries. The ones pilfering the carts were closer to her, so she dealt with them first, knocking the first man straight back into the others, taking three of them down to the ground and allowing her to cut the heads off of the other two. Then she hacked limbs and cut throats of the three on the ground, before the other five approached and she had to turn to them.


    The three that rushed single-file fell easily enough as well, losing a leg, arm, and head, respectively. The last two were smarter and more difficult: one a tall man, well built and powerful with a large axe that glimmered with the potential to tear into her body, the other an obvious former soldier who actually knew how to use the single-edged sword he bore. Lian was forced to maneuver quickly to keep one of them between the other one, until she goaded the large one into swinging his axe too hard and she could flirt by him, cutting off his leg at the knee and sending him toppling over. Then it was just her and the soldier, their swords colliding a few times before Lian overpowered him, knocking the sword out of his grasp and spearing her blade through his heart.


    She killed the survivors quickly, always a sword straight up through the jaw and into the brain ¨C the way she¡¯d been taught to give a quick merciful death. When she was done her ears were ringing in the sudden silence of the new jungle and echoes of the men¡¯s death cries ¨C the two rebounding through her skull at just the right speed to match the throbbing of the blood in her head.


    Her pulse was riverlike, fast and strong. Still, even six years after her graduation as a Shuli Go, the denouement from a fight left her trembling and lightheaded. She absorbed the silence outside her and tried to channel it through her nerves, into her hands, which had set her sword trembling.


    Then the man they had captured groaned and Lian was given another point to focus on.


    After removing the rag, helping him sit up, and cutting his hands and feet free, the man¡¯s eyes were still hazy, but he could respond.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I think I am alright.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked.


    He shook his head, as if trying to swipe away the fogginess of the attack. ¡°My name is Tang. My family name is¡­¡± he squinted, trying to remember through the concussion, ¡°¡­Wei. Wei. I was going to Chongqing with my¡­¡± He looked past Lian and saw the dead bodies, including those of his travelling companions. ¡°My family. We are¡­ they were merchants.¡±


    He hung his head and started to cry. Lian¡¯s heart instantly went out to him, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently and giving him a sorrowful look when their eyes met. He attempted a smile through the tears.


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know them well. My father, he¡¯d sent me away to school when I was very young. I had just come back¡­¡± a heavy sob, ¡°to learn the business.¡±


    He wept into his hands and Lian squeezed his shoulder. She had done this plenty of times since she¡¯d become a Shuli Go as well. Just like killing, it hadn¡¯t become any easier.


    After he stopped crying and managed to look up at the bodies Lian asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know the customs here. Do you bury your dead?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he sniffled, ¡°we burn them. We send them to heaven.¡±


    Lian sorted the bodies, arranging them carefully to preserve their dignity, and then took to cutting down a few trees to prepare a pyre. Tang eventually joined in, washing the blood off of their faces and saying prayers over the bodies, one by one. The day was getting late when they had finally prepared everything. Before Lian moved to start the fire, she introduced herself.


    ¡°My name is Lian. Zhao Lian. I¡¯m a Shuli Go.¡±


    Tang¡¯s eyes opened wide, and he nodded, awareness in his face. She walked up to the pyre with the five bodies on it, pressed her hand to the wood and quietly recited, ¡°Huono waitu.¡± The spark shot out of her hand and caught on the wood, igniting it instantly.


    Tang watched the bodies burn, his head down in prayer, as Lian organized the bodies of the bandits off to the side of the clearing, taking a hand from each: there could be a reward for them in Chongqing, and Lian hadn¡¯t worked in almost a month. As the pyre was roaring Tang came up to her and said he was ready to move on. They repackaged as many of his family¡¯s goods as they could onto one cart, and pulled it together, back onto the road towards Chongqing.

 Part 2

    They only made it a few miles, Lian giving Tang as much quiet as he needed, before the rain started to come. As the sun set the rain became heavier and the wind picked up. The tarp on the cart started to come loose and the thin forest provided hardly any protection against the sting of the driving droplets.


    Then the lightning started and Lian decided they had to find shelter.


    ¡°There!¡± She pointed past Tang towards a rundown shack that had probably been a checkpoint some decades earlier before the latest census had redrawn the administrative lines. Tang nodded and together they ran into the invisible sting, the rain feeling like tiny daggers and the wind making it hard for Tang to pull at all. When they reached the shack they tucked the cart against the outside wall and rushed inside through a broken doorway.


    They were not the first travelers to seek refuge in the shack. A small stack of reeds and grain stalks sat in one corner, kept dry by the thin planks and the heat that stagnated in the enclosed space. The roof had only one hole, where a bird of some sort had until recently kept a nest. There was even a small circle of stones for a fire. Lian grabbed a handful of the makeshift bed and started a fire, dimly illuminating the room and taking some of the chill away from their soaked clothes.


    ¡°Use this,¡± Tang offered, pulling out a small jug that smelled of heating oil. ¡°I grabbed it when the tarp was breaking loose.¡±


    Lian accepted the oil and carefully poured it onto the fire, where it hissed and jumped before catching and filling the room with light and heat.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt,¡± Tang said, his voice filled with concern.


    Lian was similarly concerned. She hadn¡¯t noticed anything. She looked to Tang then followed his eyes to a small scratch on her right thigh, already scabbed over. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± she assured him. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse cuts from pet cats.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± he formally bowed his head, ¡°allow me to look after it. I was training to be a doctor, at school. I should make sure it won¡¯t become infected.¡±


    He looked up at her, and for the first time she really saw his face, untainted by confusion or grief or the exertion of carrying the cart. His hair slightly cleaned and slicked back by the rain, it had turned into quite a face. Handsome, probably the same age as Lian, with only the hint of a beard and thick, straight eyebrows that framed long, beautiful brown ovals for eyes.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Those eyes locked on hers and she knew he was not lying ¨C he wanted to treat her wound. But he wanted more than that. And so did she.


    ¡°Ok,¡± she nodded. He bowed his head again but kept his eyes on her, then knelt at her side as she slowly loosened her tunic and pulled her trousers down to reveal the wound, and several inches higher.


    Tang brought a hand up and ran his finger along the skin surrounding the wound before announcing, ¡°You were right, this will be fine,¡± but it was no longer fine because that slightest touch had electrified Lian. It had been a few months for her, and she assumed it had been a while for him as well.


    She kept her clothes exactly where they were and responded, ¡°Are you sure? Perhaps you could take another look?¡± Before loosening her top entirely and letting it fall next to the fire. She watched him take her in, his eyes lighting up and a smile ¨C sly and exhilarating ¨C showing everything she needed to know.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± he swallowed, ¡°maybe I could take a closer look. You Shuli Go are¡­¡± another swallow, ¡°special cases after all.¡±


    She gently pushed his shoulders until he was on his rear, then kept pushing him towards the pile of dried husks, slipping out of her pants as she did so. ¡°It¡¯s true what they say about us,¡± she said as he fell horizontally onto the pile, ¡°every single thing.¡±


    ¡°Infertility. Such a shame,¡± he responded as she reached down into his robe and found his cock hard and ready.


    ¡°It has its advantages,¡± she whispered into his ear as she brought herself down onto him and was flooded with the overriding sensation that a few months had been a few too many. She too had become a desperate person, almost without knowing it.


    As they fucked though, she realized it had been even longer for him. As in never before. She had assumed a student, let alone a student physician, would have frequented the brothels of his university town on a regular basis, let alone formed at least a few illicit relationships with the female students. Especially a doctor-to-be as good looking as him. But Tang¡¯s movements were bumbling, hesitant, and misdirected. After the initial waves of pleasure had taken her past the stage of tingling excitement, she reoriented, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him, softly but fully. She did not want his first time to be an awkward mess he would regret. She slowed her rhythm, undressed him fully, and pressed her body against his, guiding his hands and encouraging him with the movements of her body. And she kept encouraging him as the oil began to burn out, the smoke lifted out the small hole in the roof, and the storm pounded on the walls of shack.

 Part 3

    The next morning Lian woke early and checked the cart while Tang slept. There was a small bow and arrow inside that she used to hunt geckos and a snake for their breakfast meal. She saw he had never eaten a reptile by his dubious expression when he awoke to find her roasting them. But his expression was also tainted with memories of the night before. Lian, in spite of herself, was tainted with them too.


    ¡°Trust me, they taste better than they look. I¡¯ll cut off the heads too, so you don¡¯t have to think about what they look like whole,¡± she winked at him, and he blushed and smiled. As they ate Lian prompted him to tell her about himself ¨C where he studied, why he¡¯d stopped.


    ¡°I had an older brother, but he was drafted six months ago. My father and uncle ¨C they were the two older ones¡­ back there ¨C they were getting too old and didn¡¯t want my sisters to have to give up marriage, so they asked me to come back.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to?¡±


    ¡°I realized I¡­ didn¡¯t want to be a doctor,¡± he admitted, and Lian found herself waiting on each of his pauses, feeling a slight joy when the thought he completed matched what she had assumed it would be. At once she chastised herself, and realized it would be better if they reached Chongqing that day. Then they could go their own ways. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do now, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll stay in Chongqing. I think I need to find a new path.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Before they finished packing up to leave, Tang stopped in front of her and bowed again. ¡°Madame Zhao,¡± he implored a formal tone, ¡°I owe you¡­ a great debt. Not just for my life, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I had fun last night too,¡± she joked, causing him to blush and throw on that smile which softened her heart.


    ¡°I mean it,¡± he responded, looking her straight in the eye, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be alive without you. I do owe you.¡±


    She returned his smile and slapped him on the shoulder, ¡°well maybe once you sell your goods you can buy me a nice meal. Something warm blooded.¡±


    He nodded and they set off. It was five more miles to Chongqing, but they quickly joined a major road and were caught up in the swell of the city¡¯s traffic as farmers and other merchants joined them on their way into the city. Just after entering the city gates, they pulled off of the main road and said their goodbyes.


    ¡°Well Mister Wei, I wish you the best.¡±


    ¡°And you too, Madam Zhao. And I¡¯ll remember what you said. If I have enough money leftover from my sales, I¡¯ll buy you a meal.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll have more than that for you next time we meet,¡± she said slyly, not meaning to, but finding herself unable to resist. Her desperation had returned much more quickly than she¡¯d expected.


    Tang just blushed again, before bowing formally and taking his cart to go. Lian went too, her heart a little heavy but her head much clearer as soon as Tang was out of sight. She asked a few locals for the way to the mayor¡¯s office, and set off with her bag of severed hands, to try and find her reward.

 Part 4

    The minute Lian approached the mayor¡¯s office, she felt uneasy. The guards at the door stared right at her, their faces grim and threatening. Inside was no better. Everyone, from the women washing the walls to the men with long spears, viewed her with open hostility. Every nerve in her body told her to turn back and leave, but she didn¡¯t yet trust those instincts. She had only been a vagabond four years, and Shuli Go were still trusted in many parts of the Empire. Not, however, in Chongqing.


    She approached the reception area, a raised dais on which three of the mayor¡¯s servants sat and met with supplicants. The two women and one man almost had their eyes bulging out of their heads as she made her way to them. Still, she bowed formally and began the formal supplication process.


    ¡°My ladies and lord, I, of the family Zhao, of the Shuli Go order¡ª¡±


    ¡°The former Shuli Go order!¡± The leftmost woman, a bulging calamity of a matron, bellowed at her.


    ¡°Uh¡­ as you, as you say, of the former¡­¡± but it was too late.


    ¡°You dare wear a sword in the city of Chongqing without wearing the formal seal of her lady the mayor?¡± The other woman, a thinner, older woman with a high-pitched, shrieking voice accosted her.


    ¡°I did not know¡­¡±


    ¡°To wear such a weapon in Chongqing is punishable by not less than ten years of servitude to the city,¡± intoned the man in the middle, a man whose very face exhaled bureaucratic boredom.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°I did not know it was required. I will happily surrender my weapon until I have the proper seal,¡± Lian offered, her face flushing and the realization of the men all around her with long spears creeping back into her consciousness.


    ¡°That is unlikely to occur. Our Lady the Mayor of Chongqing has decreed that Shuli Go are to be banished at first sight. The guards should not have even allowed you entry,¡± the fat woman boomed.


    ¡°I¡­ I arrived with a friend. We travelled under his papers.¡±


    ¡°Forgery and deceit then too!?¡± The older woman railed.


    ¡°What business would a Shuli Go even have in Chongqing?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lian stumbled, a searing hotness saturating her face and boiling her brain. She bowed again and panicked, ¡°I¡­ I killed some bandits, outside of the city. I¡­ I thought I¡­ there may be some reward. I brought their hands¡­¡±


    When she looked up she saw her fate amidst the illustrious court of her Lady the Mayor of Chongqing had been sealed.


    ¡°You admit to murder in this hall! Before all the Gods and ancestors! What depravity!¡±


    ¡°You bring us their hands as if we know who they belong to? You could have murdered our citizens, how are we to know the difference?¡±


    ¡°Remember the family yesterday, who had been expecting ten relatives to arrive for a week? I think we have found their killer.¡±


    ¡°No, wait, I¡­ the man I was travelling with. The Wei family, they were attacked, I defended the survivor¡­¡± but Lian¡¯s voice was lost amidst the shouts from the mayor¡¯s representatives and those of the guards who quickly moved in and grabbed hold of her arms. She was too shaken to even consider fighting. Instead she slumped, her face red with shame and confusion, as the guards took her belongings, her sword and her bag full of hands, and escorted her down some stairs and into the darkness of the Chongqing jail.


    She was thrown into a cell in a long string of them, iron lattice separating one cell from another, and only one tiny candle at each end to illuminate anything. It was cold, humid, and smelled of rot and disease. It was only when the jailer threw the lock on the gate behind her that the heat lifted from Lian¡¯s head and she realized she was in trouble.

 Part 5

    She spent three days ¨C distinguishable from the nights only by the jailer alerting the prisoners to ¡°go to sleep it¡¯s night time ya fucks!¡± ¨C in the cell without a hint of respite. She attempted to ask the jailer ¨C a grimy, fat man who plodded up and down the aisles of cells one minute of every hour and seemed to sleep the rest ¨C for an audience with a judge. But his only reply was a whack from his preferred implement: a thin iron rod that stung and cut, but did not break bones.


    On the third night she¡¯d been told, rather rudely, to go to sleep, a new prisoner was thrown into the cell next to her. Even though it was perennially dark to the point of black inside the dungeon, Lian¡¯s enhanced eyesight recognized the man immediately.


    ¡°Tang?¡±


    Tang, though, didn¡¯t respond, and Lian was quickly informed it was not just because of his visible dejection at the prospect of being the latest victim of Chongqing¡¯s justice system.


    ¡°Is that the name he gave you?¡± the jailer asked, emitting the laughter he usually reserved for a particularly good smack with his iron rod. ¡°He was Zhu when he was caught trying to stow away on a ship heading to Thanjar.¡± The jailer laughed again then returned to his nearby desk where he promptly fell asleep.


    Tang looked from the jailer to Lian and approached the set of bars they shared, ¡°Lian! You got caught up here too? What happened?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not fans of Shuli Go around here. I found out a little late.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re a fan of much, except bribes. I sold my entire cart and didn¡¯t even have enough to book passage out of town after I paid for all the permits and seals I needed.¡±


    Lian tilted back slightly, ¡°Why did you give them another name when they arrested you?¡±


    ¡°Oh! That. I¡­ I didn¡¯t want to besmirch my family name by becoming a criminal. I, I panicked.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t,¡± she said flatly. ¡°The Chongqing authorities aren¡¯t my favorite right now, but they would never touch a cart like yours that bore an official Imperial emblem of trade. The mayor would lose her head in a fortnight if more than one merchant was taxed unfairly. It¡¯s a port city for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±


    Lian pointed out all the errors in Tang¡¯s story without feeling hurt about being lied to. Chances were Tang was a man just slightly less desperate than the men who had tied him up four days earlier. Tang, for his part, contorted his face into distress and defiance for a split second before he saw that Lian was completely unmoved. Then his features switched entirely, as if one face had been wiped away and another revealed underneath.


    ¡°Oh, fine, no point with a charade any more,¡± he shook his head. ¡°Might as well tell you my real name. It¡¯s not Tang, and it¡¯s not Zhu either. I¡¯m Mei.¡±


    ¡°Mei?¡± Lian asked, chuckling, ¡°Mei¡¯s a girl¡¯s name.¡±


    Tang-Zhu-Mei nodded, his smirk beleaguered from repetition, ¡°A fact I¡¯ve had explained to me many times. Go ahead and laugh if you want. I¡¯ve heard it all. Every pun and insult. Go ahead, try me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to insult you. I¡¯m frankly too busy being impressed.¡±


    Mei smiled, ¡°Impressed?¡±


    ¡°You know how many people can lie to a Shuli Go and get away with it? You¡¯re the first I¡¯ve met.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well lying is one thing I¡¯ve had plenty of experience with¡­¡±


    Lian truly was impressed. His entire body had changed along with his face. Gone was the woe-filled merchant with the halting spaces between sentences. Instead there was a trickster whose aura was pure nonchalance, even in the face of an interminable jail sentence. The weeping sweep of his lips were even mangled into a confident grin. Those lips¡­


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your first time,¡± Lian said, more to herself than Mei.


    He retracted for a second, almost searching back into his mind for what she could mean, before arriving at the night in the sentry post. ¡°Ah¡­no,¡± he grinned again. ¡°Sorry about that. I figured you wanted to and I just kind of wanted it¡­ that way.¡±


    ¡°You figured I wanted to?¡±


    ¡°Well, you Shuli Go have a reputation.¡±


    ¡°You think I just sleep with everyone I come across on the road?¡±


    Mei shrugged. ¡°I dunno, maybe every second one?¡±


    Lian grunted. ¡°And what about you? Every woman who¡¯s willing I¡¯d imagine.¡±


    ¡°Mostly,¡± he chuckled, ¡°and I usually pay for the unwilling.¡±


    All at once Lian saw how the three previous days had played out for Mei and his ill-gotten goods. He¡¯d quickly sold the contents of his wagon, then spent two days gambling and whoring, probably intending to leave a sizable portion of money intact for his future travels before either a woman or a game of cards got the best of him and suddenly his investment had dwindled to nothing. It was a story she¡¯d seen dozens of times, even back when she still had her own Go and had been responsible for enforcing the debts of the troubled and horny.


    ¡°So who were they?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The dead merchants.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I paid them for passage. They said they could get me to Chongqing safely¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them then, right? You¡¯re not some bandit commander who got turned on by his men are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? No, I don¡¯t have the stomach for banditry. I am¡­¡± here he paused like his Tang identity would have, ¡°¡­I am an outlaw though, of sorts.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Well, not any more. You¡¯re firmly in the law I¡¯m afraid.¡± Lian knelt down and leaned her back against their shared wall of bars.


    ¡°Oh, you mean this? Oh no, I¡¯ll have us out of here in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lian snapped her head back to look at him, intrigued but disbelieving. She had been looking for ways to escape since her capture. Not out of any desire to escape the law of course, but just in case a riot broke out or the city¡¯s justice system was more corrupt than it appeared and her right to a fair trial looked to be postponed indefinitely. In three days she¡¯d found nothing.


    ¡°Sshh,¡± Mei held his finger to his mouth before motioning for her to come closer. She did so and found that close up, Mei was even better looking than Tang had been. Grimier, with a sheen to his hair and bits of dirt on his face, but with a rugged handsomeness she couldn¡¯t ignore. She allowed the handsomeness to carry her into a state of excitement: at the prospect of escape, at the conspiratorial nature of his voice, even just the proximity to his body. ¡°You ever heard of Jinshu magic?¡±


    Lian had heard of it. She couldn¡¯t imagine someone who hadn¡¯t heard of it. Hearing it come from Mei¡¯s lips shriveled her excitement into a husk and sent it somewhere deep inside her. ¡°You mean the magic of metals?¡± Her voice was lacquered with pure dismissal. ¡°The make believe magic people tell their kids to scare them away from careers in alchemy? Yeah, I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    Mei, instead of becoming discouraged, just grew more handsome by the width of his smile. ¡°Do me a favor Lian. You can see better in here than me. Is our guard asleep?¡±


    Lian didn¡¯t need to look ¨C the jailer¡¯s snoring, while quiet enough for most to ignore, had been one of her constant companions the past three days. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then all you need to do is stand over by him, and our exit will present itself to you.¡±


    Lian almost laughed it off, but decided to humor Mei after his smile refused to fade. She walked over to the edge of her cell, the first in the row, and then looked back to Mei. Her former lover¡¯s face reverted away from a grin and into concentration as he gripped the iron bars that connected to Lian¡¯s cell and began to mumble.


    At once the hairs on Lian¡¯s neck stood upright, a telltale physical sign amongst Shuli Go that magic was in the air. Air escaped her lungs and brought out an audible gasp as the jailer¡¯s keys ¨C haphazardly left on the desk next to his iron rod ¨C began to tremble, then move, inches at a time, scraping along the desk before flying across the gap and striking the metal cage of the cell, sticking there as if held there by invisible string.


    A thick clang ran through the hall of cells, every set of eyes suddenly on Lian, even though none of them could see well enough to know exactly what was going on. A rumble of murmurs began to bubble amidst the cells, each prisoner asking what the sound was, what was going on, who was making the noise. None of which woke the jailer, who was used to sleeping through robust conversations between prisoners. What almost woke the guard though was the iron rod also being pulled towards the cage, slowly spinning towards the end of the desk, picking up speed with each rotation.


    ¡°Mei! Stop it!¡± Lian hissed.


    The keys dropped to the ground and the rod stopped its motion, half extended over the edge of the table. The mumblings calmed down.


    Lian grabbed the keys even as she failed to believe what she¡¯d just seen. As a Shuli Go she¡¯d been schooled in every known magic. Even those Shuli Go weren¡¯t supposed to actually control, they had been taught to recognize and repel. Yet Mei had bound metals across a room with a few words. She walked the keys over to him still in disbelief, racking her mind to find the appropriate question to ask. Instead she was forced to ask, ¡°What are you doing?¡± When he reached through the bars and took the keys from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting us out of here.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean? I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯m not about to become a fugitive.¡±


    ¡°Sweet heavens Lian,¡± it was now his turn to dismiss her concerns, ¡°you really are the densest woman I¡¯ve met in a long time. You think you¡¯re ever getting out of here?¡± Mei was already fiddling with the lock to his door, trying each key in the darkness, one at a time.


    ¡°Of course, I was arrested based on a misunderstanding. They have no reason to keep me.¡±


    ¡°Except I¡¯m sure they told you every crime in Chongqing is punishable by service. Service without pay. Slavery is why they¡¯d want to keep you.¡± He found the right key and turned the lock, the gate coming open with ease. That familiar, longed-for sound was picked up by all the other prisoners, who restarted their rumblings with renewed vigor.


    ¡°But, I¡¯m forbidden from staying in one place, by law. When the Empire learned they were keeping a Shuli Go in servitude, they¡¯d force my release.¡±


    Mei stood outside the door to her cell and whispered his reply, ¡°You idiot. Chongqing is a five day sail to the Eastern Kingdoms. Ten days to the Slave Islands. You¡¯d be thrown in chains too strong for even you to break and sold as a slave. Either way the city of Chongqing gets your value as a permanent servant.¡±


    Lian wanted to argue with him ¨C argue that slavery had been outlawed in the Central Empire for two thousand years and that the punishment for even trading with slavers was death ¨C but at the same time she knew as well as anyone that Chongqing was the last hub of slavery in the Empire. A final place where the law turned a blind eye to profit and the incoming riches of the spices, silk, and craftsmanship of the Eastern Kingdoms. Lian looked down the hall of cells, each of the prisoners in there young, still fresh despite their imprisonment ¨C just approaching the breaking point past which the dark path of forced servitude had been set out for them. She listened to their voices calling to be released from their cells and heard their accents ¨C each one a foreigner, away from their families and any protection. They had been chosen, like Lian, for their susceptibility. Lian¡¯s competing drives as a Shuli Go ¨C between a sense of justice and an even greater trust in it, and the survival instincts to assess a situation ¨C clashed and Lian came to a painful realization.


    Mei, whoever he was, was smarter than Lian in this particular field.


    ¡°Get me out,¡± she said, her voice firm but her eyes imploring him. The situation had won out over justice. It was not the first time in Lian¡¯s life these two had collided, but it was the first time she was about to be the victim of justice herself. The sensation of being on the wrong side of the law but the right side of survival sent a bitter rush of bile through every one of her senses.


    Mei¡¯s smile returned and he opened her cell. ¡°I¡¯m going to release all of them too,¡± he nodded towards the other cells. ¡°We¡¯ll need a distraction when we try and make a run for it.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re criminals,¡± Lian refused, grabbing Mei¡¯s arm, ¡°some of them probably deserve whatever punishment they get. We can¡¯t just let them all go.¡±


    ¡°You want to give interviews?¡± Mei¡¯s voice was incredulous, and quickly getting drowned out by the growing cries of the other prisoners. Their shouting finally reached the breaking point, prompting the jailer to jerk half-awake and brush the iron rod, sending it clanging to the ground. And that sound, finally, woke him up.


    He jerked awake but took a second to piece together what was happening in the darkness. Finally he reached for his missing keys and shouted an incomprehensible sound of alarm, loud enough to alert others higher up. Lian¡¯s situational instincts kicked into overdrive and she instantly closed the distance, kicked the iron rod up to her hand and smacked it across the jailer¡¯s face, sending teeth flying and knocking him out cold. Just like in the forest, her hands instantly began to shake, but this time it was tainted by the knowledge that she had, four years after being pushed out of the legal profession, broken the law herself. Not just broken it, but stepped right past it, as if it didn¡¯t apply to her. The bitter taste sank all the way to her stomach where it rotted into nausea.


    Her illness allowed Mei time to unlock the rest of the cells, gathering the other inmates ¨C about twenty or so ¨C to gather around her, near the door that would lead them upstairs and into the city guard¡¯s headquarters. Lian¡¯s ears were ringing with self-doubt when he gave his instructions, but she heard his final batch, whispered only to her as she trembled on the spot.


    ¡°Hold on to the rod. Use it if you need. And follow me.¡±

 Part 6

    Not all of the prisoners escaped the Chongqing jail, but most did, skittering like mice as they exited, casting a dozen different trails for the city guard to track down. Lian dropped the iron rod just outside the gate, dripping with the blood of two more guards, grabbed onto Mei¡¯s arm and followed him through the labyrinth of Chongqing¡¯s crowded streets. Somewhere along the way, Mei had grabbed her Shuli Go sword and handed it to her as they ran. For the first few blocks her heart was pounding as every set of eyes fell on her, each pair casting a thick weight of guilt, as if they knew the exact weight of the betrayal she had committed against her oaths and her order.


    Eventually their run turned into a walk and their infamy into obscurity ¨C just two more poor lovers making their way through the city. It was in the quiet thrum of the city¡¯s background noise that Lian finally thought to ask, ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°Where we¡¯re going?¡± Mei replied, turning back to her and flashing another grin. In her shame that smile had lost any effect on her. She didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Yes,¡± he continued, ¡°I have a place we can hide for tonight.¡±


    It was almost night, and while Lian was glad she could see at least a sliver of the sun before it disappeared, the place Mei took her to hide from the guard was little better than the cell she¡¯d left behind.


    ¡°A gambling den?¡±


    Mei just smiled.


    The owner of the den owed Mei a favor. Or more accurately, Mei owed the man money and a man trapped in the city dungeons was not likely to pay back any debts. Mei convinced the owner to keep them in the basement ¨C a tiny room with a small fireplace and another makeshift bed. They roasted some meat of an indecipherable animal and ate a small bowl of rice together, but Lian didn¡¯t taste any of it. Even the fire provided no warmth. She kept replaying the escape in her mind, wondering if there could have been a way to avoid injuring the jailer. If escape was even the best approach.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you hit him.¡±


    Lian just stared at Mei for a moment. She didn¡¯t blame him, even if he had prodded her. All her life she¡¯d been taught that decisions are the one thing a person can own, and she¡¯d made her decision. That it hung around her neck, seeming to grow ever-tighter, wasn¡¯t his fault or problem. It was hers.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too harsh on yourself.¡±


    ¡°You would say that,¡± she whispered. ¡°Whatever cult or order you learned your magic from probably doesn¡¯t care much about a code, or duty.¡±


    ¡°Your order doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the oaths I took. To uphold the law above all else.¡±


    Mei chuckled the chuckle of someone who knew far more than the other partner in a conversation. That, finally, broke Lian out of her laconic spell and into anger.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly understand. They weren¡¯t just oaths, they were my entire way of life.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± he began, taking a deep breath before beginning his tirade. ¡°Two points against that. First, again, your way of life was taken away from you by the Emperor. So maybe you should have re-evaluated that four years ago when the decree was issued.¡±


    Lian was about to interrupt but Mei held up a hand with two fingers extended.


    ¡°And two. Have you ever wondered if that¡¯s part of the reason the Shuli Go were disbanded in the first place?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your unwavering dedication to the law,¡± his voice was loaded with sarcasm. ¡°You know how many people the Shuli Go have killed? How many good people? Good people who were driven to do bad things, and were punished too harshly by the law? You ever think that maybe that¡¯s why places like Chongqing don¡¯t welcome any former Shuli Go? You think that¡¯s why there were riots and massacres at the schools afterwards? Because people were tired of a simplistic code that didn¡¯t leave any room for the realities of the world?¡±


    At once Lian thought back to first meeting Mei, and the bandits who had captured him. She knew they had once had fathers and mothers, probably people who still loved them to that day. Yet she had gone straight to the legal solution to their banditry: their deaths. They had killed, and she had determined that they had to die. She¡¯d thought it merciful to kill them quickly ¨C up through the jaw, into the brain ¨C but perhaps she could have tried to bargain with them first. Perhaps she could have saved Mei¡¯s life without needing to kill all those men. Perhaps she should have brought them in to the city alive ¨C it may have even saved her from being arrested herself. Maybe, she finally considered, she should no longer be an absolute arbiter of justice at all.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± she responded, too angry to truly consider the last point, or Mei¡¯s questions. They were questions for another night, after the initial anger had subsided and she was not running for her life from the city guard.


    Mei chuckled in reply and then stood up and dropped his pants.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± She asked, stunned and incredulous.


    ¡°Well, we have to have sex again¡­¡±


    Lian stared at him. She wondered briefly if someone had damaged his brain with an iron rod.


    ¡°I repeat my question,¡± she repeated. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Lian, please,¡± he responded, almost as if speaking to a child, ¡°tomorrow, heavens willing, I¡¯m going to be on a ship to the Eastern Kingdoms. You, still wedded to the Imperial code, are not going to be joining me. This is likely the last time we ever see each other.¡±


    ¡°And from that you decided¡­ we should have sex?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s face it, Lian. I¡¯m the most interesting man you¡¯ve ever been with. And you, by far, are one of the most interesting women I¡¯ve ever been with. Granted, most of my conquests have been paid, but still¡­ this is an opportunity both of us will regret if we don¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°You are insane.¡±


    ¡°Come on Lian, admit it. It was pretty great the other night. Even you said you had fun.¡±


    ¡°I am not sleeping with you.¡±


    Mei stared at her and she stared back, avoiding his midsection at all costs. He sighed, but not a sigh of defeat or acceptance, but again, a sound as if he was exasperated that he was going to have to explain something very obvious to her.


    ¡°Let me ask you something. The infertility thing, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­For Shuli Go? Yeah.¡±


    ¡°100% effective? No way to become pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Well there is that old wives tale that a Shei Chaste who¡¯s taken their vows of chastity could procreate with a Shuli Go.¡±


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t the vows of chastity remove all sexual function from the poor bastards?¡±


    ¡°Hence an old wives tale.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok. So you can¡¯t get pregnant. Shuli Go are immune to all human diseases, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your senses are immeasurably better than any human, you have twice the stamina, twice the strength, and a good deal of flexibility¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°My point is that reputation you all have is completely understandable. And that¡¯s no reason not to fuck me silly right now.¡±


    Lian had to take a deep breath to keep from shouting. Her voice came out measured but seething. ¡°You think I¡¯m not going to fuck you because I¡¯m worried I¡¯ll be called a whore? I¡¯ve been called a thousand worse things in the last month. The fact that I hadn¡¯t fucked anyone for months before you doesn¡¯t seem to matter to the people who say ¡®whore¡¯ under their breath at me. The fact that until this day I hadn¡¯t broken a law more trivial than forgetting to pray on the date of my parents¡¯ death anniversary didn¡¯t matter to the people who shouted ¡®meddler¡¯ and ¡®freak¡¯ at me as I walked through their towns, solving their problems and protecting them from bandits. You think I¡¯m worried about words? And that¡¯s why I won¡¯t fuck you? Think again.¡±


    Mei¡¯s face contorted into sorrow, directed at Lian and projected with the luminosity of his beautiful, intent face. ¡°I know that¡¯s not why. I know exactly why. Because right now you think you¡¯ve passed some milestone in your life you¡¯ll never be able to go back from. That today you went past some gate you can¡¯t climb back over, and that you¡¯re stuck on the other side. You¡¯re worried this side is darker, more dangerous. Unfamiliar. But I¡¯ll tell you something: this is the side most of us live on our whole lives, and we get by just fine. It¡¯s not easy, and the way isn¡¯t crystal fucking clear, but we muddle through and do alright. And I¡¯ve got news for you Lian. Today wasn¡¯t the day you crossed that gate. That was four years ago. You¡¯ve just been wandering like the rest of us, only you didn¡¯t know it. And trust me, it¡¯s easier if you wander with someone else by your side.¡±


    Whether it was the sympathetic voice or his good looks or her own exhaustion, Lian couldn¡¯t help but see some logic and truth in what he said. However one problem had presented itself, she realized.


    ¡°That was a pretty good speech,¡± she told him, grinning herself just a bit, ¡°but it¡¯s really hard to take it seriously when your cock is just flopping around there.¡±


    Mei¡¯s grin returned and, despite everything, the appeal of it had returned to Lian as well. He took off his top as well so he was standing entirely naked, and asked, ¡°Would that make it better? I can say it all over again.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ok, how about this then: you¡¯re gonna remember this day, Zhao Lian, despite my best efforts to ensure you don¡¯t. So you can do one of two things: you can be miserable all night long and remember this forever as the night you were miserable all day, broke the law, and then were miserable all night. Or you can remember this night in thirty years time ¨C when you¡¯ll still be beautiful and youthful and I¡¯ll probably look a lot like my Great Aunt Mu ¨C as the time you were miserable all day, broke the law, and then had that great, very pleasurable night with that handsome stranger who gallantly saved you from a lifetime of servitude in some heaven-forsaken country in the east.¡±


    Lian¡¯s smile grew in spite of herself, and somehow the sight of him, grinning and naked and confident beyond belief, rekindled the same desire she¡¯d felt for him four nights earlier in that other dark, cramped enclosure.


    ¡°Do you know some sort of other magic? Some sort of libido stimulant?¡±


    ¡°Nothing more than good sense and good looks I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    She looked at him for one more second, sighed, then took off her own top and began wriggling out of her trousers. ¡°All right, get over here.¡±


    And Lian did remember that night¡¯s sex for many, many years.

 Part 7

    The next morning they left the gambling den just after sunrise ¨C Mei having promised double his losses plus interest to the owner ¨C and set off towards the docks, where Mei promised he still had a deal with a merchant ship heading east.


    ¡°You mean the one that sold you out to the guard when you couldn¡¯t pay?¡±


    ¡°No, that was a different ship, after the captain of the one I did pay for found me trying to sleep with his sister.¡±


    ¡°So our escape relies on a man who¡¯s already turned you out once and whose sister you bedded?¡±


    ¡°Tried to bed. And yes. That was three days ago now though, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°And what about passage for me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll probably have to work for your keep, but it shouldn¡¯t be hard for a Shuli Go¡­¡±


    Lian wanted to let him know just how terrible his plan was, but she didn¡¯t have a better one, and she wanted to leave Chongqing as quickly as possible, preferably without any conflict. Working her way east before coming back to the Empire wasn¡¯t the worst solution she could think of.


    They reached the shore and hid atop a low roofed building adjacent to the docks, then surveyed the situation. The docks were already filling up with men and cargo coming and going, the usual dockside vendors also opening their stores. Most importantly, there were only four city guard on watch, each on two slow, leisurely patrols. Lian did not expect it to be difficult to avoid them.


    ¡°That one over there,¡± Mei pointed to the ship second farthest from them ¨C a medium sized one with one large sail painted the eastern merchant blue. ¡°We need to get aboard quickly, the captain said he was leaving at first dawn.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Lian responded, wrapping her sword in a cheap piece of fabric that they¡¯d stolen from the room the night before.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Mei asked.


    Lian nodded, and they descended the side of the building, then waited for a set of laborers making their way to the dock for a day¡¯s work: their clothes and appearance as haggard as Mei¡¯s and Lian¡¯s. The pair fell in behind the laborers, hoping to blend in. The laborers headed to the first available ship, and Lian went as if to follow them, but Mei pulled away, heading straight to their target. Lian paused momentarily between the two paths before quickly trotting to catch up with Mei. She glanced around nervously to see if anyone had noticed the oddity of her path, but it was still too early for anyone to care. The two pairs of guards were each interacting with the merchant stalls a hundred yards away from the piers, and the way was clear. Lian and Mei both picked up their pace as they reached the halfway point to their ship.


    Then a full division of the city guard came around a corner from the other end of the dock, near their ship. Twenty soldiers in armor, spears and swords, walking on a direct path to intercept them.


    Mei grabbed Lian¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°We need to run!¡±


    Lian squeezed his hand back in warning, ¡°If we run, they¡¯ll notice and stop us.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t run they¡¯ll spot us anyway. That¡¯s the same group of guards that arrested me¡­¡±


    ¡°Just keep walking, nice and calm, keep your head down¡ª¡±


    But Lian knew it was too late. Mei was panicking, his entire body vibrating through to his hands. More than anything he wanted to avoid capture, and for once he was not clever enough to know how to get what he wanted. So he let go of her hand and sprinted, straight towards the ship, still a hundred and fifty yards away.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Lian cursed, jogging to catch up to him, hoping that their pursuit looked like two lovers in a fight and not two escaped convicts making a run for it.


    Unfortunately for her, no one bought it. One of the guards spotted Mei and with her superior hearing Lian could hear him announce to the whole guard, ¡°There! The man running! Isn¡¯t he the one we arrested?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± A different voice, louder and gruffer, asked. ¡°The one who escaped?¡±


    ¡°That is him! Quick!¡±


    ¡°Fucking shit,¡± Lian swore again, and then set off in a sprint. She caught up to Mei quickly and just as quickly realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to make it to the pier before the guards did. ¡°Keep going!¡± She yelled into his ear, making sure he heard over the sound of his own panicked wheezing, ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some time.¡±


    She turned her run towards the city guard and yelled over her shoulder, ¡°Make sure it¡¯s ready to go!¡±


    As she approached the guards a chorus of shouts rose up to get out of the way, each yell colored with a unique condemnation of her gender. None of them saw her as a threat however. It was that stupidity that let her kill three of them before the first of them even shouted, ¡°She has a sword!¡±


    After those first three, her fight instantly became desperate ¨C her every effort not on killing or even wounding any of them, but just keeping them focused on her while simultaneously not surrounding her, so that she could eventually make a run for the ship. Their spears posed the greatest risk, but Lian had trained against similar weapons for years, and killed men more skilled than these many times. She parried, slashed, and broke shafts with ease, even managing to grab hold of the spears and pull the soldiers in towards their death on two occasions. But eventually the louder one who had shouted ¨C the captain, evidently ¨C began to realize what was happening, and ordered his men to form an encirclement.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Lian glanced back at the ship, no more visibly ready to go than it had been moments earlier. They needed more time. Lian grimaced as the encirclement became complete, slowing her movements and prompting the guardsmen to do the same. Every few seconds she glanced at the ship, until finally she saw movement on the sails.


    The circle was now tight however, and the guardsmen with spears remaining were too numerous to attack individually. Instead of striking out, she flipped her sword downward in her palm, faced towards the ship, closed her eyes, and channeled her energy.


    ¡°Puoto-de, kuotu-yuano¡± she intoned in ancient Imperial, and struck down into the ground with her blade. And directly in front of her, in an arc of about thirty degrees, the ground shook with a terrible vibration. A vibration that travelled up the feet of each of the guardsmen, and into their legs, where it struck their bones and shattered each one into hundreds of pieces.


    More terrifying than the sound of the wave were the screams of the fallen, their bodies collapsing onto the ground but lacking a way to die immediately. It was one of the most painful spells a Shuli Go could cast, and Lian hated using it, but it was all she could do in the situation. She sprinted past the fallen soldiers and left the ones still standing shouting and shrieking in disbelief. The captain was attempting to corral his troops back to attack her but she was too fast. She made it to the pier, then to the rope ladder waiting for her on the side of the ship. Hauling herself up, she arrived on the deck of the ship to find it in a flurry of activity as they prepared to leave.


    The guard captain was not finished however. He brought three men from his guard and the four patrol officers with him, and they too, made it to the ship. One of the deckhands tried pulling up the ladder and received a spear into the throat for his trouble. The deck grew quiet and the crew backed away, leaving a small clearing near Lian, where the guard captain appeared first, followed by his other men.


    The bone shattering vibration spell had taken more energy out of Lian than she liked. Her sword was starting to feel heavy in her hands, and her entire body was racked with soreness. Channeling enough energy to destroy bodies had left her own exhausted. And eight men, determined and well armed, might as well have been eight hundred.


    Still she raised her sword into a defensive posture and breathed deeply, trying to marshal her strength.


    Then Mei stepped in.


    Whispering something of his own in ancient Imperial, he came up beside her and flicked his hands. With each flick the wind roared to life, nearly pushing her over and successfully knocking three of the soldiers off the side of the ship. The others barely held on, falling to their knees to lower their centers of gravity.


    It took Lian a moment, but eventually she realized it was magic. Yet another type of magic that very few people in the world knew. But this was not bedtime story magic, this was something she recognized, and identified him at once for who he was.


    ¡°Leave now,¡± Mei bellowed, his voice strong and menacing, the final metamorphosis away from the lighthearted man who had brought her out of sadness the night before and the delicate, wounded merchant she¡¯d met on the road. Very few had the training to be all three things and to be each of them so convincingly.


    ¡°Mei,¡± she whispered. To herself really, her face contorted in confusion and fear.


    ¡°Leave!¡± He yelled again, his voice booming, the wind echoing his words and their ferocity.


    It worked too, the four other soldiers all voluntarily jumped off the ship and ran back onto the pier rather than face this much magic all at once.


    The captain was unswayed. An older man, perhaps in his forties, with grey in his beard and sweat pouring down from under his helmet, looked calmly at Mei and grinned as though he had seen through all of Mei¡¯s tricks and could now kill him in style. Lian was about to interject and fight him herself, when the captain suddenly lunged at Mei with his spear outstretched.


    Mei reached a hand out towards the guardsman and then flicked his fingers apart. At once the captain¡¯s spear dropped out of his hand and he stumbled towards the ground. Mei¡¯s hand remained pointed at the guard¡¯s head, and the older man rolled about on the ground. When he faced upwards again Lian knew what Mei was doing.


    The guardsman¡¯s face was blue, deprived of all oxygen. Mei had created a vacuum around the man¡¯s head, a magical barrier through which no air could reach. The man clawed at his throat, his face, and finally at Mei himself, but eventually he died, every blood vessel on his face exploded, his chest cavity expanded and his eyes the full black dilation of death.


    Mei closed his hand and exhaled, the powerful magic taking something out of him too. Lian stared at him for a second, wanting to ask him a million questions, when the captain of the ship appeared and asked them instead.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Captain, good sir,¡± Mei¡¯s jovial attitude coming back quickly, ¡°we really should be going shouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? They¡¯re going to have me fucking hanged for that! You kill Chongqing guardsmen on my ship? And expect to get away with it?¡±


    ¡°Please, it was purely in self-defense, and I think you¡¯ll find¡ª¡±


    But the captain was having nothing of it. ¡°Boys! Get the swords, we¡¯ve got to kill this bastard and send his body back to the mayor before she has us all gutted.¡±


    Before Lian could even think of responding, Mei already had.


    ¡°You won¡¯t do that,¡± he said, the joviality out of his voice faster than it had arrived.


    ¡°Like hell I won¡¯t. I make my living coming to this port. I¡¯ll not have it closed on me because of some two-shit wizard decided he and the missus needed a honeymoon.¡±


    The crew had produced daggers and small knives, and were already getting closer than Lian liked. She began to count how many she could kill before they overwhelmed her.


    ¡°You so much as take another step, I¡¯ll do to you all what I did to him!¡± Mei announced, the wind once again appearing out of nowhere and amplifying his voice.


    ¡°Like shit!¡± The captain spat at Mei and then rushed him.


    And Mei did to them all exactly what he said he¡¯d do.


    He spread his arms wide and all at once the air disappeared for fifty yards in all directions. Including around Lian.


    The experience was amazing. And terrifying. She was struck first by the change in pressure, her lungs suddenly feeling as if they¡¯d been expanded with a bellows. So fierce was the desire to exhale, she spent half her breath before she realized what was happening and managed to keep it in her lungs. Her vision began to cave almost instantly, and her entire body went numb at once. She collapsed onto her knees before she began to channel her Shuli Go techniques of elongation, the kind that allowed her to breathe underwater for minutes at a time. But this was not breathing underwater, this was unlike anything she¡¯d ever experienced. Worst of all was the pain, emanating from every point of her body, as the oxygen ran low and her body burned with a deep hunger ¨C a hunger so used to being sated its appearance was a profound torture she had never expected. It was that torture that eventually rendered her unconscious.


    But not before she caught one last sight of Mei, his arms outstretched and his eyes wide open, the irises a blazing hot red and the whites themselves illuminated as if with a fire.


    ¡°Mei,¡± she tried to whisper to him, only there was no air to deliver the message.

 Part 8

    She awoke an hour later, the time estimated based on the sun. She was alone on a small rowboat, with two oars, her sword, and a box. Inside the box were some foodstuffs, a cheap silver bracelet that would have been at home on one of Mei¡¯s regular sexual partners, and a bar of chocolate. On the bottom of the box was a note.


    ¡°Lian,


    I¡¯m sorry for all the hassle. You were a grade A partner though, and I hope these small treats are enough to get you on your way.


    And don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t forgotten. I do owe you quite a debt. You¡¯ve saved my life twice ¨C well, it was more of a team exercise on the ship but I¡¯ll spot you one ¨C and I only had the chance to break you out of prison once. So I¡¯m still most certainly in the debtor column with you. I look forward to repaying you one day.


    Yours,


    Mei¡±


    The shore was out of sight, and Mei¡¯s ship was a small dot on the horizon, heading east. She set down the note and watched it disappear entirely, the sun reflecting off the water and a vague sense of the beauty therein eating away at her.


    She began rowing west. Chongqing was on an inlet, and there would be smaller villages along the coast. It took her almost two days and most of the food, but she eventually made it to a small fishing village which treated her well and sent her along her way.


    She was only three weeks and a few hundred miles west, heading towards Northern Shu, when she confirmed what had happened to her. She changed direction at the next town she came across, sold the bracelet and her sword for a horse and enough food for a few months journey. She bought warm clothes and prepared for a trek. It took her three and a half months, but when the Zhosian Mountains first appeared before her ¨C a warm morning for the fall months, their tips just visible like daggers pointed towards a clear, crystalline blue sky ¨C she knew she was on the right path.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She stopped at a small town just south of Daming and spent the last of her money on a good pair of shoes. When she reached the base of the mountains she sold her horse and began the long climb.


    The Tiendu Shu pilgrims she met called it ¡°The Climb of Ultimate Atonement¡± and each of them carried some form of sin with them on the way up: a family member they hadn¡¯t had the chance to say goodbye to, a crime they¡¯d committed that they hadn¡¯t been properly punished for, a hatred in their heart that they could not rid themselves of. The people were kind and patient, shared their food and blankets with one another when it grew cold, and asked her what she was seeking atonement for. When she took off her heaviest robes and they saw how much she was showing, they didn¡¯t ask again.


    Halfway up the mountain, at the shrine to Pingying, one of the Tiendu Shu¡¯s holiest saints, the rest of the pilgrims turned back, but Lian found a monk to take her the rest of the way up. He initially told her the path would be too covered in snow, and that she should wait out the winter. She told him she couldn¡¯t, and that she was sure she could handle the climb if he could. His pride insulted, he said he would take her. They had good luck and managed to avoid the worst of the early winter snowfall.


    She reached the Zhosian Plateau on the 36<sup>th</sup> of Zai, as the end of the year was approaching. The Zhosian capital of Bhuo was only a few miles into the plateau, and she was shown to the head monk of The Keepers: a hundred and ten year old man who reportedly had demi-god blood and had reached internal peace at the age of fourteen.


    By that point Lian¡¯s body was distorted to the point that everything hurt. After a month long climb up a mountain in winter, her legs and back were exceptionally sore. She imagined she looked like any other pregnant woman two months shy of her expected date at that point ¨C swollen and angry and fattening ¨C but the monk took one look at her and was taken aback.


    ¡°A Shuli Go?¡± He asked.


    She nodded, relieved that he had spotted it so easily.


    ¡°How?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± she replied, ¡°it¡¯s a bit of a long story. But let¡¯s just say, I have a large debt coming due.¡±