Luxire Worse
patreon
Dao of Fuck Off Chapter 6: Returning to the Sect
🕑 Added 2024-07-31 15:00:10 +0000 UTCThe warped boar snarled at me. It was massive, its eyes level with my own, and its shaggy back rising almost half that again from the ground.
I held my gaze steadily despite the abject fear of facing down such a beast. I was strong, yes, but having expended all of heaven’s gift to get a head start on my foundation for the next plane of existence, I was only as strong as a talented Soul Core tier cultivator.
More than sufficient for the task, but nowhere near overwhelming to it like my martial brethren seemed to expect.
My spear, the third weapon of my own hammer, danced lightly in my grip as I taunted the beast into charging at me. Like its mundane kin, the best opportunity to kill it was in the midst of its rage. Unlike its demonic kin, its flesh could still be pierced in a meaningful fashion despite the wood ki hardening it beyond mortal means.
It snorted in irritation at my continued intrusion and threat and turned to face me. This wasn’t like my tribulation, the boar hated me and meant me harm in an unmistakable way. Panic that would have overwhelmed me before my tribulation was pointedly ignored.
I had a beast to kill. It wishing to return the favor was valid.
It lowered its head and surged at me, and my every instinct screamed for me to flee. Instead, I hopped back, lined the spear up with its heart, and planted the butt of the spear against the base of a tree.
There I held the spear for a terrifying eternity. Shaggy, rippling fur consumed my vision. Blood-encrusted tusks trembled with the force of the beast’s charge, hungry for more crimson life. Thundering hoof-falls drowned out the rest of the forest.
Still I crouched with determination to rise to the challenge, staring my latest attempted death down until I felt the tip of my spear bite flesh past the tangle of fur, at which point I heeded my good sense and threw myself to the side with every muscle that could contribute.
The CRACK of the tree was the most beautiful sound I could ask to hear, because it meant that I’d gotten out of the way and survived to hear it. I wanted to collapse, but instead turned and rolled to a crouch to watch the massive beast shake off the impact that had set a massive tree toppling.
“Ah, shit.” I let myself lament as I scanned the area for more trees or boulders to constrain its death throes with. Scooping up a pair of rocks as I rolled to a good position to provoke it from, I threw the first to catch its attention with the sting to it’s snout.
It huffed and turned, laser-focused on me like all of its kin, and I threw the second stone to scuff its eye.
Would have done more, but warped flesh is like that. I could personally block mortal swords with my bare hands. A stone to the eye wouldn’t do anything. Well, anything but piss it off.
I didn’t wait for the last fraction of a second this time. Instead I let myself have the full second of its crash’s inevitability to dart to the side, draw my short sword -the second weapon I’d made, and while it was shaking off the impact I put my whole weight behind a carving swing at its left hindleg. Only to barely nick the nearly exposed tendon I was hoping to sever, because warped flesh.
Two more taunts and ruined trees later, my whittling into its leg finally cut the damn tendon, which combined with my spear having been embedded in its chest through most of its activity, finally caused it to fall to its side, glaring hatefully at me.
“I’m sorry that I’m not mighty enough to end your suffering more quickly, or I would.” I bothered to say aloud as I remained at the ready in case it rallied and alert for any of its kin or neighbors.
I stood watching it until its eyes lost focus and it let out a final shuddering breath. At which point I let myself collapse as senior Sung came into the clearing.
“No heavenly might.” he mused. “Damn fine plan and instincts though. Even if you likely spoiled an organ or two letting your spear stay embedded.”
He strode over and pulled my spear out of the boar’s chest. “You’ve got the groundwork for independent action, once your strength catches up. Which is a good thing, because I don’t see very many allies being able to think alike with you for proper teamwork.”
“I thank you for the feedback, senior Sung. And for your eloquence of example.” I spoke around the taste of adrenaline as I accepted my spear back.
“Noticed that, did you?” he chuckled.
“Brother Sung’s team has earned far too much of my respect for me not to.” I grinned back.
My fellow juniors, entering the clearing to assist in dismantling the boar, seemed not to have caught on that our seniors set me up to clarify expectations. Which didn’t much impact the fact that they, in having to carve the same hide that I fought, realized that I was impressive, but not anywhere near our Bronze-core seniors. Yet.
Which would help me immensely in controlling the eventual rumor mill complications from my taking a step into a new plane before rising through the known tiers of the common plane.
I wasn’t sure where the idea that growth was a linear process had come from, or where it got anchored as an assumed fact. But knowing now that it wasn’t, I was just exasperated that I’d fallen for it too.
---
“You schemed to spoil my marriage to Yang Jingji so you can take her for yourself! I challenge you to an honor duel!” Sang Lee shouted as soon as he saw me.
“A wonderful day to you too brother Sang.” I responded warmly. “It is good to be back. Now, what’s this about a scheme and a theft?”
Watching uptight nobles nearly implode as I refused to take them the same brand of seriously that they did was never going to get old.
“You conspired against me with Yang Jingji to get our marriage cancelled so that you can marry her instead! I will have your head for this!”
I smiled and blinked like he was spouting nonsense before looking around the gathering crowd. Seeing one of the Yang family, I addressed them. “Is this true?”
The man, Yang Zhao, grinned at where he expected this to go. “Yes, the marriage agreement was annulled.”
“No, the part about me conspiring with sister Yang. This is the first I’m hearing about this.” I paused to savor the whiplash that most of the crowd was suffering. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m deeply flattered that she deigned to conspire with me, but I would have liked to be informed of it. I’d have at least invited her to dinner! I’ve been a most disrespectful co-conspirator in this matter!”
I turned back to Sang. “Do understand that I’ll happily accept your grievance and the duel. But may I have a few days to catch up on my scheme? It would be a shame if I was planning to embarass you but moved to scar you instead due to not knowing my plan.”
In -quite understandable- response, his fist burst into flame as he threw a punch at my face.
I swayed out of the way, raising my hands in declaration that I didn’t mean to offend. The fact that this had me ‘accidentally’ hooking his arm with mine was carefully not telegraphed in my body language for him to respond to until I curled my feet up under me as if to kowtow.
At which point, our arms entangled, both of our faces met the ground. Mine forcefully, but controlled. His, abruptly.
“I deeply apologize for insinuating that I have a chance against you in our upcoming duel!” I called out as if I hadn’t noticed him eating shit next to me. “I humbly offer noon in three days as the schedule for it!”
“I’m going to kill you!” he shouted, trying to twist under my impromptu pin to strike at me
“Very amusing maneuver, Guang.” Master Smith Ho’s voice surprised me and silenced the budding laughter of the crowd. “Get up.”
I obeyed, snaking my arm out of Sang’s as I did so. He stood, beet red with rage, a moment later.
“Three days, noon. Is this acceptable, Sang?” she asked tersely.
“It is.”
“Then your honor duel is scheduled. Make yourselves ready.”
“Yes, Master Ho.” we responded in unison.
“Guang when you’ve settled from your excursion, come speak with me.”
“Yes, Master Ho.” I answered without a second thought. I’d expected some ire from her now that the screaming match had had time to settle down.
She turned and left, and Sang growled “I don’t care what aid she gifts you, I’m going to take your head.” before leaving as well.
Master Ho’s abnormally dark mood had dampened the eagerness of the crowd clamoring to know what the hell was up with my tribulation more than a month ago, so instead of continuing, they started dispersing.
Brother Yang smirked at me and asked “Would you like me to deliver that dinner invitation then? My cousin might actually accept.”
“If it’s no trouble, that would save me a trip.” I smiled gratefully. “If she has no interest in speaking, though, nothing critical will be hindered.”
“Done. And if you live, I’ll want a weapon from you at a fair price, agreed?”
Ah, battle hungry Yang priorities. “Naturally. If I survive the duel, I’ll prioritize your commission for honoring me with it.”
He nodded and headed back in the direction of the Yang compound. Technically speaking, all disciples were equal in the eyes of the sect, filtered through meritocratic reward systems. But each of the noble families had a designated portion of the sect housing that was reserved for their family and servants. Some, like the Ho, had the entire family living there. Others, like the Yang, treated it like a branch house, with the bulk of their family living in a city they ruled over.
And common-born cultivators were gradually starting to crowd the remaining space, because sect servants are easier to source from commoners, and I did the ascendants thing.
Yeah, Probably should have noticed the living space issues inherent to adding more cultivators. That’s on me, but heaven can have the credit if it likes.
The appraisal of the expedition’s haul was completed shortly thereafter, and I gratefully accepted a large pouch of contribution point tokens and a larger pouch of boar meat, which would be served over my next several meals.
Brothers Kesa and Tun caught up to me on my way to my hut and very hurriedly explained the events of note in my absence, including the quite critical detail that the Ho, Sang, Fung, and Yang families were now all but at each other’s throats over the fallout and Face loss that my suggestion had cascaded out into. And nearly everyone in said families was vocally of the opinion that I had somehow predicted Ho Quan taking the suggestion personally and ‘defending’ herself by dragging everyone’s Face through the mud.
Y’know, the level of manipulation that I wish I could pull off on purpose.
So it was with that lovely hint of a warning that I approached the smithy.
“Good. Follow me.” Master Smith Ho announced curtly as I entered, before striding out of the building and toward a lengthy garden trail.
I trailed her dutifully for nearly a dozen minutes before her stride slowed from the irritable, quick pace to one that was no more sociable, but at least didn’t feel like she was going to take my head off for breathing wrong.
“You know that I tried to have you killed several times, right?” she finally spoke, incredulity and exasperation swirling in her tone.
“I did trace six of the attempts on my life back to your machinations, yes.” I answered more calmly than I felt.
“Of course you caught all of them.” she scoffed. “And your response to this was, what? I know you never believed for a second I fancy you, so what was that ploy you used me for?”
“I made the suggestion with the sole purpose of distracting you for the weekend, Master Smith. Out of everyone who wanted me dead, I feared you might be the one to conjure a plan to use my indisposed state to achieve that goal. So I concocted an outlandish explanation for your family’s behavior and made it sound just plausible enough to redirect your ire for four days.”
She glared at me, and I was surprised to see pain behind the rage and offense. “Concocted. You place my family so far beneath your sight that you could fabricate such an accusation?”
“Nearly the opposite. The Ho family, and yourself in particular, have such a laudable command over their image that I could conceive of them having such a secret while giving no outward indication of it. I would have never thought to consider invisible embarrassments if I did not think highly enough of your family to assume them capable of such.”
“Of course an aberrant would know of the Hidden Face teachings.” she scoffed and resumed walking.
I followed respectfully, sensing that she wasn’t done.
“Do you hate the idea of being wed to me?” she asked without a single hitch of warning.
“Only as far as finding myself a poor match for you.” I answered carefully. “Every other objection I could raise is made of pragmatic calculation, and I’d set them aside with ease if I thought I could be worthy of such an honor.”
“Don’t bullshit me Guang. I know better than your toadies how highly you think of yourself.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “And that is no small part of why I place you beyond myself in the matter, Master Smith Ho. It is my understanding that a crucial difference between a husband and a cultivator is that where, as cultivators, placing oneself atop one’s eyes is simply a prerequisite for progress, a wedded couple ought to place each other above themselves. That is something I cannot do, and you, one of few to be able to see why, deserve far better in a husband.”
She scoffed again, some of her normal lightness seeping into her tone. “So you’d make a poor husband for all the reasons my family wanted to make you one?”
“Rather much, yes.” I answered easily. “I believe the unintended fallout of my ploy illustrates the truth behind the matter.”
“So what ought I seek in a husband then?” She asked with well hidden bile. “If not someone who can grow to surpass me if he devotes himself to it?”
“My thought is that you should seek a smith with a different specialty.” I gambled on her mannerism indicating she wanted straight answers. “A man who cannot hope to match your blades, but perhaps excels beyond yourself in armor, or array work. That way you can earnestly respect his mastery in his field, and he can respect you in yours.”
She pondered the idea for a long moment, then said “So your first blade was a warning against pursuing you.”
“As a tertiary note. The primary purpose was to destabilize your hatred of me long enough for me to make my own weapons.”
“By making my family think you were opening courtship?”
“A misstep, that. I thought they knew you better than to make that mistake.”
“Ha!” she scoffed into a chuckle. “They would have made an armorsmith of me, with how well they know me.”
“Ah. My condolences.”
“How do you work your steel that way?” she asked, referring to such a narrow range of possible matters that it was trivial to figure out which one she meant.
“A similar way to how I cultivate my herbs. I treat the steel’s qi as a temporary extension of my own, and shape it with a cultivation circulation while I hammer it.”
“Without provoking a deviation in the steel or yourself?”
“Much like Elder Nin’s Earth Moulding technique involves her attuning her outward-edge qi to harmonize with the ki of the soil.”
The Master Smith turned to look at me with mild disbelief. “You derived a smithing technique from a partial comprehension of an Elder’s combat style?”
“And from my obsessive study of myself, yes.”
“Hmm...” She visibly evaluated me with a fresh eye. “I suppose that settles it.”
I raised my eyebrow, not trusting my tongue to avoid a swift decapitation.
“I owe you for getting my Elders off my back, and you are clearly worthy of the family’s resources, even if the Elders now want you dead. We’ll kill two threats at once and I’ll take you as my apprentice.”
I blinked in disorientation as I pieced together the cues of the exchange. “Elder Raka was going to push the matter?”
“Indeed. Your enemies hate you more with every victory you attain. I know this personally.”
“And you count my meddling enough of a boon to share in that hatred?”
“This past month is the first one in my memory that I could sit at a meal at my family’s estate without being asked when I’m going to pick a promising smith as a husband. Replacing that expectation with their ire is very nearly a boon itself.” she answered with a wry grin.
“It is a great relief to count you as an ally, Master Ho.” I accepted her decision with a bow. “The most earnest gift I can offer in return in a timely manner is a meal, at your leisure.”
“Ever the performer, eh, Guang?” she laughed, without the edge I was used to hearing. “Leave Sang alive in three days and I’ll accept then.”
“Apprentice thanks Master Ho for her confidence.” I grinned. “Have you a dish you’d like prepared special?”
“Something bitter. But more importantly, I can’t be seen taking in a shoddily equipped apprentice. Even one that I’d have happily flayed alive last week. Take this.” she handed me a jade ring. “I imagine you know its functions well.”
“I have been saving up for one, even.” I admitted as I extended my awareness into the storage ring and barely kept my surprise off my face.
“Good. You’ve carried yourself well for a common-born, but I don’t want to see you wearing such disgraceful cloth when you use my authority as a shield. The Elders will be pulling you into a meeting to inform you of their decision regarding your promotion to Inner Disciple, likely following your victory over Sang. Refuse Raka’s trap afterward, and I’ll handle his rage. And then we’ll focus on getting your steel up to war quality.”
“Certainly, Master Ho. I look forward to your teachings with eagerness.”
“Ensure you keep up. I’ll not tolerate any failing from an ego as excessive as yours.”
“I will not disappoint you, this I can promise.”
“Good. Go prepare for your duel and for afterwards.” she waved me off, and I left with perhaps my most honest bow of gratitude.
After all, she’d deigned to drop the political dance for a change. That meant so much more than even the ring filled with smithing technique scrolls or the demand that I be ready to implement them in only three days.
