Chapter 20- Memory Etched in Bone

“If you are angry, blame yourselves for being too high profile. We are merely solving the problems of others for money.” Tian’s eyes narrowed. Five Poisons Cult sounded like assassins, not the kind of people who stand around in the middle of the street to challenge you to a fight. But they weren’t lying in ambush, unless concealment arrays were suddenly very cheap and widely available. There was Hong, Daoist Li, the ten cultists, and if there were any other cultivators they were a long way away.

Tian reached out to the crane, checking in. She was fine. Fishing happily. He sent her an image of the ambush and called her over, sharing memories of fishermen with nets and bows that had tried to capture her in the past. He felt a surge of avian disdain as wide white wings suddenly beat on the air and the crane launched herself into the sky.

The cultists were making subtle moves, shifting around, clearly angling for better positions to attack and flank Tian and Hong. But not actually attacking. Was there a trap in the ground, perhaps? It seemed unlikely, it was the middle of the day and this was the central road through the town. Ambush from a nearby building? Ambush from who? Tian would be able to sense the immortal breath of anyone actually capable of hurting them.

It was just mortals, most quickly clearing the street, some frozen in terror, pressed up against their stalls or the doorways of closed shops.

Tian had the nastiest feeling that he had seen this before, but couldn’t remember what or when.

“Report your name, villain.” Hong drew a short spear from her ring.

“I am but a weapon of the cult. A dead woman has no need to learn it!”

“Die without a name then!” She twisted her body, moving from stillness to explosive release. The spear vanished with a flash, barely a blur to Tian as it flew towards the most senior of the cultists. The man dodged with an oath, the spear still slicing through a piece of his shoulder before it buried itself in the building behind him. She had another spear in her hand and was rushing towards him before the first drops of red blood hit the yellow earth.

Tian was in motion too- right hand flashing forward, Heavenly Swallows in flight as they drilled towards the throat of one of the level five cultists even as he rushed a second. The darts arrived at the same time as the trap went off.

Four mortals near the entrance to the tea house started vomiting white smoke. There was a smell of burning orchids, and a sudden tinny taste. Then his meridians started to burn.

“Quickly!” The men in black roared and rushed in, pulling out thin knives coated in black tar. Tian’s body was rejecting his qi, his vital energy and his meridians were suddenly incompatible and his body was tearing itself apart. Blinding pain, he could hardly stand. A knife came stabbing down towards him.

His brothers’ care rose to block it.

Hurt, confused, disoriented, weak- block anyway. His hands moved without thinking. Hundreds of hours sparring with the best in the Monastery, just for this moment. The knife came in, and a slim white hand softly grasped the wrist, slid around it and pushed it across the assassin’s body. A second slim hand swept forward and the heel of the palm smashed into the side of the assassin’s chin.

Teeth went flying. A problem that became much less urgent for the assassin as a dreadfully heavy foot buried itself in his crotch. By the time the hand holding the poisoned dagger was twisted around and driven into his chest, the Assassin wasn’t thinking about much of anything other than pain.

Tian could sympathize. He hadn’t hurt this badly since he was swallowed by the demonic bird. He desperately tried to send his mind to the crane, to warn her about the poison. He didn’t know if he managed it. It was hard to breathe. It was getting hard to think. His limbs were growing heavy. The Hell Suppressing Art was roaring into action, but that was depleting his vital energy fast. He needed to rest and cultivate. The assassins weren’t going to give him that time.

Two more were coming at him. Sister Liren. He had to get to Liren, she couldn’t push through this. They would kill her! The assassins were just blurry shapes now, evening shadows swinging impossibly long arms and legs. Tian didn’t trust himself with the rope dart. Not when every move was costing him pain. Get in close. They wanted to finish this at knife range. He’d give them what they wanted.

He stumbled towards the black shape that looked closest, moving to create distance with the other assassin. The killer stabbed out, sharp and fast, looking for his heart. Tian half fell to his right, his left arm whipping up and around in the sort of blunt parry that would have his brothers roaring with outrage. He felt something break in the masked man’s arm. Tian snapped a sharp little kick to the thigh, throwing the assassin off balance.

It was too easy to stick a knife in. Tian grabbed the Myriad Tormenting Worms dagger from the small of his back, and for the first time since it came into his possession, he used it for its intended purpose. The snake-shaped blade sliced through flesh and pierced the gaps between ribs. Once, twice, three times, each cut and stab rotting the flesh with curse qi.

Tian was turning to face the next assassin before the cursed heretic realized he was dying. From the screams, it wouldn’t be a fast death, nor a clean one. The second assassin was on him, lashing out with his knife. Tian saw the other hand move- a hidden dart! He shifted his weight as best he could, but a thick steel dart still caught his hip. More poison, burning him from within.

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He returned the favor with the Worm dagger. He hacked at anything he could reach. The curse would do the hard work. The assassin started screaming. An opening! Tian staggered forward, eating a punch to the face. A fair trade. He buried the cursed dagger in the assassin’s guts.

Sister Liren. Where was she? Was she okay? He had to find her!

Soft wings thundered above, driving gusts of wind through the street. The crane. She descended in her giant form, long feet lashing out and crushing bodies, her beak stabbing down as the men in black shouted and dodged.

One saw Tian staggering, looking for Sister Liren. Tian saw him hesitate, then reach down and scoop up a stone. The man who had hurt him so much picked up a stone and threw it at him. Tian dodged, or tried to. He heard his collarbone snap. His vision turned white with pain. Then red.