Demonic Tribulations - Chapter 22 preview (Patreon)

**Author note - Captain Mao is a female, I do need to fix these typos since I put he instead of she. These chapters are rough drafts and in the final version this will fixed. - Tao

Chapter 22 - Captain Mao Ya Wen

Captain Mao frowned, touching the seal that was embedded in the forearm guard of his armour. The gems that were part of the guard were pulsing in a sequence that indicated a protective formation had been activated. Small motions brought further information to him as a map of the Lesser Harmonies Palace was projected before him.

“Captain?” Guard Fang, his aide asked. He was extra wary now, since Ya Wen had left him behind when he had went to confront the new Ascendant.

“The formations in a training range have been activated,” Ya Wen answered. Not that he needed to tell Guard Fang that, the man could read the information as well as he could. “Let us see what is happening.”

Normally, they would have much more to do. However, while the halls were no longer completely empty, there were only a couple of ascendants in residence. That they managed to acquire so many already was a small matter of concern for Ya Wen, for the only times such rapid advance could be seen was during turbulent periods.

Then again, the drought, the actions of the Jade Empire had all been geared towards the creation of new Ascendants. So perhaps it showed the wisdom of the trying times placed upon the mortals, the additional obstacles that drove them to greater heights.

Ya Wen did not hear the guard’s assent. Instead, he strode through the hallways, pulling on his dao and sweeping his aide along with him as he flickered through the surroundings. Strange, how this was a new and unexpected addition to his ability. One driven by need after the rebel’s disappearance.

Centuries of stagnation – happy stagnation – in his abilities. He had been happy to have risen to the heights of Day Captain of the Palace of Lesser Harmonies. A very prestigious post, more than anyone in his family ever had reached. His understanding of the Dao, his acceptance of his place in the heavenly realms had not progressed, but that was fine. There was wisdom in accepting ones place, he had believed.

Then the fool had broken out of the palace, because he had chased after a woman – a mortal! – with complete disregard of all things right and proper. And Ya Wen had been found wanting, unable to reach the man or the gates in time.

His desire, his need to never have that happen again had been the catalyst for the sudden explosion in ability, the growth of his skill to be able to move through the palace and cross it with but a few steps. Learning to bring along his aides had taken more experimentation, more work; but he had learnt it.

And here he was, in the balcony of the training grounds near the blacksmithing yards. A testing ground really, for all that they created. In better – busier – times, this location would be filled with Ascendants and their instructors, working through their new understanding of the laws of the heavenly realm.

Much of what they knew as mortals would be transferable, but the exotic materials, the density of immortal chi and the flames that were utilized had all to be learnt again. It would take many of the Ascendants years, if not decades to become as competent as the meanest immortal blacksmith; but in time they would often leapfrog ahead.

Many of the greatest smiths in the realm, those that littered the Jade Palace and that served the guards and the army all came from those ranks. Their drive, the shorn away and focused daos that they conceptualized to rise to this level all gave them an advantage that immortal smiths lacked.

Below, Instructor Peng and the new Ascendant, Yang Mu, were working through the pair of jade fans that she had him rebuild for her. Ya Wen lips thinned, unhappily, for he could sense the contained spatial daos within the equipment. Powerful, rivaling his own in a way, though directed in a different manner.

Small ball bearings were tossed at Yang Mu by Instructor Peng, the woman waving her fans and scooping them up with her equipment. Each time a ball bearing contacted the face of her fan, they disappeared, reappearing moments later – momentum fully conserved – out of the other fan’s edge.

“Satisfied?” Instructor Peng said, a little too eagerly. “Shall we move to the next?”

“Yes.”

No sooner had the word escaped her lips that another ball bearing flew through the air. This time wreathed with flame, glowing cherry red hot as the immortal imbued heat into it by touch. It never reached Yang Mu, caught by a flick of her wrist before it reached.

“Her other fan’s closed though,” Guard Fang muttered.

Ya Wen nodded absently, his senses stretched. He could feel the dimpling in space, the tiny pocket universe that now contained the orb. He could not sense how far it went, but the longer her fan stayed close, the greater the strain it felt as the heated orb distorted its boundaries. More so when Instructor Peng released even more pellets at her, causing her to add them to her collection.

“Are you intending to test how many I can contain?” Yang Mu asked.

“It’s your equipment. Just don’t break it.”

“In that case…” With a grunt, she snapped the other fan open, but this time with a twist. To Ya Wen’s surprise, rather than emerging from the fan itself the spheres exploded out from her shadow, a dozen of them flying through the air to impact the far wall. The crack of a handful of spheres all impacting the stone and embedding themselves in the wall, hissing as they cooled resounded through the training yard.

“Ooooh, they emerged simultaneously!” Instructor Peng said, excited. “Can you control that? Stagger their emergence?”

“I do not know.”

“Then let’s find out!” Once more, he launched more spheres at her, plucking them from the pouch by his side. The pair continued their testing for a while more, before growing satisfied with the current ability. It was the Superintendent who seemed particularly enthused, pushing Yang Mu to continue to explore the equipment he had fixed for her.

“Flight, of course.” She tossed one fan into the air, stepped onto it, and watched as it grew in size. “And size alteration. How big can it grow?”

“Not that much. We’re constrained by the materials and the dao you imbue in it at the moment. Since most of the energy must be dedicated to the scripts for translocation, shapechanging had to be constrained.” Instructor Peng sniffed. “Only about six feet right now per fan.”

“Bigger than it was before.” Brows tightening, the fan beneath her feet grew in size till it reached its maximum, lifting her off the ground and swooping about. At the same time, she tossed out the second fan, watched it spin through the air before snapping back towards her, growing in size and shape. “I have limited control of the second fan too, it seems.”

“That’s more to do with your own dao.” Instructor Peng shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll get a handle on it.”

“So I might deploy both, as flying instruments?”

“Certainly.” He sniffed. “In fact, given time, these should be able to contain quite a few immortals on them.”

“That would be a sight.”

“One I’m eager to see.” A wider grin. “But you’re not done yet, no?”

“Not yet.” Then, lifting higher, Yang Mu rotated the fan such that she was on level and facing Yan Wen. “Would the Captain care to continue watching?”

Guard Fang blinked, startled but Ya Wen just glowered. “I was checking who activated a protection and privacy formation in the palace. Without prior authorization.”

“Do I need authorization?” Instructor Peng called from below.

“No, Honored Instructor. It is within your right,” Captain Mao said, hastily. “Still, it would be lax of me to not verify what was occurring.”

“It is good to see you taking your duties so seriously,” Instructor Peng said, agreeably. “I’m sure Lady Tsin would be happy to hear of it.”

The kind words caused Ya Wen to stiffen. His eyes grew steely but he only nodded, bid farewell and turned and left. He did not stomp away, but neither did he utilize his spatial dao to pull him aside. He had done what he needed to. There was not malicious or suspicious here.

Just concerning.