Chapter 55- A Father in Old Age

“Junior Tian, sit down!”

“I need to go to my brothers. I need to be there with them!”

“Tian! No!” Hong yelled.

“I have to go to them!” He lurched for the side of the platform. Elder Rui snarled and made a sharp gesture. Tian collapsed, flattened against the wood.

“You think I don’t know how you are feeling? Four hundred years ago, it was me down there! Two hundred years ago, I was picking the bones of my best friend out of my cheek after some bastard of a heretic made him explode! I know. I know!” The elder was breathing heavily, droplets of sweat the size of beans pouring down his face. “But right now, you will only hurt them, not help. Right now, you are exactly where you need to be.”

Tian heard the words, but he couldn’t believe them. He needed to go to his brothers. It was alright if he died. The last few years had been blessings enough for one lifetime. Someone else could kill the mad god. Or he could try again after he died and reincarnated. Either was fine. But he had to go to his brothers!

He couldn’t even struggle against the pressure Elder Rui was putting on him. He knew exactly what he should learn from that fact. He just couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I thought you would be the wild child, Junior Hong. This boy always seems alarmingly well behaved.”

Hong had the good sense not to volunteer a response. Tian couldn’t see her face, but he was sure she wanted to jump in too. Maybe that family of hers was chaining her down.

“Senior Redmane…”

“I heard her.”

Tian hadn’t. There must be some form of silent communication between the Direct Disciple and the Elder. And the giant crane, of course.

The bird made a lurch, then stretched into a long swooping turn. Elder Rui started a grumbling chant. It felt different this time. Something about the cadence and the way the stress fell on certain words.

Tian shifted a bit. The elder had released him, but Tian knew that he couldn’t leave the platform. He could sit quietly and keep his mouth shut, and that was it.

“Don’t want to stand and fight? How very unlike you bird brains. Well, I’ll just slaughter this depot of yours.” Eunuch Hei’s voice was high pitched and mocking. Tian softly closed his eyes.

There was a dreadful sound.

“And that’s the end of that, I think.” The Eunuch giggled. Senior Rui didn’t break his chanting. His whisk flicked upward, as though he were shooing away the stars. Long seconds passed. Tian forced himself to watch the Elder. It really was like he was gathering the stars to him. Little flickers of light had started forming a loose halo above Senior Redmane.

For the first time in the battle, Disciple Sung started playing on her zither. Not an angry note, but a furious melody. Deep, throbbing notes building up to sharp twangs, a song of fury and hatred. This wasn’t like the spring tune that slaughtered the army of undead. It was full of righteous fury, carrying a holy will of extermination.

“Where do you get off being so angry? Why are you mad? All the people in the base are expendable to you. Servant disciple, that’s what the Saintess called me. We aren’t even really part of your sect. Lay Brothers and Sisters. So why are you so mad? Did he make you lose face? Did he slap your face when he cut off our heads?” Tain wondered, his emotions dull. He didn’t speak out loud. He couldn’t muster the strength.

“Illuminate the Pavilion of Eternal Pine and Rigid Bamboo, plumb blossoms scatter over the bones of heroes, heed the command of the Guiding Star, SUPPRESS!

Senior Redmane swung around again. Tian felt an incredible gathering of fire and metal qi, as well as whatever the Elder was doing. It was within the five elements, of course, but the complexity of it overwhelmed him. It wasn’t as simple as a purely elemental attack. And he couldn’t see through the Direct Disciple’s attack at all. Everything was made of the five elements, but not everything was so easily dissected.

The giants were roaring again.

“RUI, YOU OLD FART!”

“Your enemy is me, Hei!” Disciple Sung’s voice was cold. Her fingers never stopped plucking the zither’s strings. Tian couldn’t see what was happening below. The noise was already more than he could stand.

“Oh. It’s my fault. That’s why this is happening. I was meant to die in the trash. Then my brothers reached out to me and took me in. Everyone helped me. Everyone was kind. So they all have to pay. They defied the heavens, and now they have to pay the price. Even my suicide wouldn’t wipe the slate clean. What about all the years of happiness? That can’t be washed away with a single death, can it?”

Tian felt the heart demon draining out from around his heart and wrapping around him. He had misunderstood it before. It wasn’t the heretics he hated. It was the consequences. He was blaming others for his own actions. If one arm of the scale went up, the other must go down. He had been raised so high. Food had to die for him to eat. Silkworms died so he could have clothes. His brothers died to pay for his life.

His dao heart shuddered and fractured. He could feel it breaking apart. That was fine. That was just right for him.

Oh Tian, no. No! This isn’t your fault. This isn’t something you could control.

“Mind if I join in, Daoist Sung?” A new voice, strong, masculine, the clash of steel and the warmth of sunlight in it.

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“Wandering Sword Fei! Has Sword Peak gone insane, or have you given up on Daggertooth Valley?”

“Insane, Hei? Without you holding down the front line, we have swept halfway to Black Iron Gorge! Our kids have turned the Valley into their own backyard. Did you really think your little deception went unnoticed?”