Chapter 6- Pretty Songbirds All in a Row

Tian groaned and pulled himself into a lotus pose. It was as easy and as comfortable for him as sitting in a chair, and after so many years of meditation, he hardly noticed himself doing it. Instead, he turned his attention to capturing the feeling he found in the illusory battlefield. But how do you consciously understand something you experienced in a moment of no-thought?

It was a feeling. A sense of simply moving with what the world gave you. It wasn’t quite what his father did, or at least, he hadn’t reached the same level of insight into the art. Tian felt that his utilization of the technique still leaned into aggression. It was that part of him that never forgot what it was to be small, and hurting, and weak. Desperate to kill anything that might hurt him worse, or to hide from it. Physical pain, emotional pain, didn’t matter. All problems would be resolved by fight or flight. Fighting with the art of effortless action was neither.

He was starting to wonder if it was even fighting. He remembered forgetting his arts. The vital energy cycle flowed without conscious direction, his body following the path practice had worn into his bones. Even something like Moon Crossing the Lake, which he only had a preliminary understanding of, was sublimated and made part of a single coherent expression.

Tian’s fingers clenched unconsciously. He was trying to grasp things, put words to things. Things that he struggled to understand even in the confines of his own mind. He was committing acts of violence. He was killing people. People he wanted dead. But he wasn’t fighting them, exactly, and at his peak, he wasn’t even trying to kill them. His presence, and their hostility, caused them to die. If one of the two elements was absent, they would have lived.

He silently laughed. “Maybe it’s the kind of thing you need a master to explain to you. What a joke.”

He opened his eyes and forced himself to his feet. He hadn’t been the only one meditating.

Around him were Burning Heaven and Liren. A bit further away was the crow Brightheart and his human companion, then to his near shock, Martial Uncle Gen and his swan companion also sat in meditation.

“I thought they had been eliminated before. And where are Elders Rui, Redmane and Deepwalker?” He was speaking to himself, but the Emissary answered him anyway.

“Your elders were here to escort you up the mountain. They tried their luck, but they didn’t have any real expectations of being accepted. Now, they are escorting the ones who didn’t make the cut back down the mountain. Simple as that.”

“Thank you, Emissary, you are very kind to answer my questions like this.”

“You don’t actually think I am kind.” The little bird hopped around, her yellow feathers cheerful against all the gray and muted green.

“No, but it was the polite thing to say, and I do appreciate you answering my questions.”

“Better. And there is a simple reason I’m answering your questions. Can you guess what it might be?”

“I cannot, Senior.”

“I’m a chatterbox.”

Tian thought about the sparrows he had seen, decided that the senior was speaking the absolute truth, concluded, further, that this was one of those statements that didn’t have a good response, and simply cupped his fist and bowed.

“Hehehe.” The sparrow chuckled, slightly menacingly. Tian couldn’t understand why, then the realization hit again.

“Yep. Reading your mind.”

“I can’t imagine why, Senior, it’s a fairly quiet place. Others must be much more interesting.” Tian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At the moment, he was leaning towards the latter.

“You have no idea. The more repressed someone acts, the more they are repressing. You would not believe some of the deviant, degenerate, depraved, morally indefensible if sickly compelling fantasies some of your sect mates are dragging around. Let me give you some examples… Oh, it looks like everyone is stirring. I guess they don’t want to waste any more time loafing. Next time.”

Tian looked around. Liren looked ill. Tian smiled encouragingly at her.

She flinched. She physically recoiled.

Tian felt a blade cutting at his heart, and couldn’t understand where it came from. She looked away.

“Later. Please. Not. Not with everyone… Later.” She muttered, not looking at him.

“It must be something she saw in the illusory array. I must have done… awful things. Said awful things. Damn. Damn!”

He knew that it wasn’t his fault, that he hadn’t said or done whatever it was. That blame properly fell on the Emissary. It didn’t ease the stabbing feeling in his heart. Liren wasn’t looking at him. She flinched when she saw him. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

“Alright, introductions! I’m Mourning Cry, and I’ll learn your names if you wind up sticking around. Or, well, actually I know all your names already, but I think you get my meaning. Yes, you do. Good. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the Windsong Pavilion. Well, I say lead, carry is more like it.”

Tian jumped onto Burning Heaven’s back. Liren stared up at him for a long moment, then jumped up too, sitting in front of him.

“How are you doing, Sister Heaven?” Tian murmured.

“Not great, but I’ll figure it out.” The little sparrow shot forward into the still misty valley. Moving so fast, the mists parted around her. The remaining candidates followed the channel, each lost in memory.

The trip was surprisingly fast. Tian didn’t notice until he happened to spot a small tree moving past in a blur, far faster than Burning Heaven seemed to be flying.

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