Chapter 45- Generous Hosts

Tian and Wang were invited to take a tour of some of the Five Element’s Sect’s points of interest. Lin, Hong and Su were going with some young ladies on a slightly different tour. Why they were being split up, Tian didn’t know. He was in a better mood this morning. The lack of any game playing at breakfast no doubt was a contributing factor, as were the ample portions of bread and mutton soup.

“I think the mountain air is making me hungry,” Tian tried to justify his gluttonous behavior to Wang. “I usually eat maybe a quarter of this.”

“I thought you were in a mood yesterday. I guess you are just at that age. Eat up, you are probably going to shoot up an inch or two.” Wang chuckled.

“Or ten?” Tian asked, eyes wide and hands clenched.

Wang paused, then put a little extra meat in Tian’s bowl. “Sure.”

Tian sighed and ate up. “Can’t say I liked being called ‘Little Daoist Tian’ by Mei last night.”

“I’m not a huge fan of being called ‘Fatty,’ when you get right down to it. I don’t mind-mind, but I don’t like it either.”

“What’s wrong with being fat?”

“What’s wrong with being short?”

The two shared looks of commiseration.

“Seriously, though. Being pissed off and feeling disrespected all the time is, like, sixty to eighty percent of your teens. The other part is borderline psychotic arrogance and complete indifference to consequences and the suffering of others. Combined with feeling some powerful new urges, and it’s a hell of a ride.” Wang chuckled.

“They threw women at us. I guess they were counting on ‘urges?’” Tian asked.

“Oldest, well, second oldest, trick in the book. They were blatant to the point of being disrespectful with it, but people keep doing it because it works.” Wang shrugged.

“You did seem rather close with Daoist Mei…” Tian grinned.

“She’s a sweet little thing. She likes playing the silly little sister and what am I if not a big brother? Once she and I got on the same page, we really clicked.” The big man laughed shamelessly.

Tian had become fond of Brother Wang, but he couldn’t stop a mental hand from waving. “Are you a big brother? I wouldn’t know. The only thing I know about your family is your damned surname and that they sell rice!”

“She’s a spy, and she’s going to try to set me up and manipulate me. But she knows I know, and she knows I’ll know when her strings are being pulled, and we are both grown up enough to enjoy the game for what it is.” The big man grinned, managing to look foolish, yet cunning, naive yet scheming. It was quite an expression. Tian wished he could preserve it on paper forever.

“And what is it, Brother Wang?”

“Life.”

Tian shook his head. Wang just smiled a little more deeply, and finished up his bowl.

“By the way, aren’t you going to ask for your cut?”

“My cut of what, Brother Wang?”

“The winnings, of course.”

“I get a cut?”

“Heh. I’m not such a bad brother as all that. Here.” Brother Wang put a heavy sack of crystals into Tian’s hands. “Sister Hong collected hers before we even left the dueling ground. I’m keeping most of it, of course. I took the risk and provided the wagers in the first place.”

Tian felt the weight of the bag, the texture of the fine silk, and the warmth of his good brother’s care. “The very best thing about our sect is the brothers in the Outer Court. Thank you, Brother Wang. Thank you very much.”

Perhaps his brother’s obsession with privacy wasn’t such a bad quirk.

The big man chuckled and looked away. As they were leaving the dining room, Tian asked “If ‘urges’ are the second oldest trick, what’s the oldest?”

“‘I’m your best friend, of course you can trust me.’”

A small scroll flew through the air towards Tian. He caught it and, not sensing anything nefarious from it, opened it.

Junior Tian-

I am sending the Snow Grace Crane down in a moment. The Five Elements Courtyard has a special training ground that should be of use to the two of you. They have agreed to make it available, as they have other training grounds, for the duration of your stay. This is both a way for them to boast, a way to test you, and a way to establish their superiority. Take the suckers for everything they are worth. Junior Wang should be your example here.

I also expect they will cause trouble over the Crane. They might try to steal her, harm her, claim she damaged something and demand repayment- any number of little tricks.

Do not be deceived. There is only one game being played. It was being played last night, and it will be played every day until we leave. A game of comparative power. The stronger we appear, the better our negotiating position will be, and the more help we can get for Depot Four and the rest of our battle front. Which, in case it wasn’t clear, is why we are here. We need to maintain the Mountain’s standing in the alliance, but we also need a lot more support.

They know we are doing this, of course. But they know better than most how quickly perception becomes reality. If we can root a feeling of inferiority in the hearts of their most talented juniors, then they will behave as our inferiors in the future. A massive strategic loss at the hands of the most basic of tactics. Naturally, they will try to crush you for the same reasons. They will fail.

All this is to say- meet complexity with simplicity, deceit with honesty, cruelty with compassion and remember that schemes tend to disintegrate when you strike without warning. They intend to be cruel to those of us fighting in the desert. Be compassionate, and ruthlessly destroy their schemes.

This narrative has been purloined without the author’s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Keep up the good work, you are doing your brothers proud.

Feng