188. Death Hunts the Moonlight, I (Patreon)

Ke Shuang hadn't seemed entirely satisfied, either. Wu Hao could read his qi, and there he saw that there was a desire for destruction that hadn't been fulfilled in the slightest. Yes, he'd destroyed Wu Hao's weapon, but he had wanted to destroy Wu Hao himself.

Good luck with that. Wu Hao had destroyed himself countless times and hadn't had it stick yet.

Still, though, Ke Shuang mustered a smirk.

"So," he said. "This is all your boasting amounts to? You have to get your master to intervene? Pathetic."

That was a level of irony that Wu Hao might have funny, if he didn't find it deeply frustrating. After a moment more, when it became clear that Wu Hao wasn't going to flip out or physically react, Ke Shuang snarled something under his breath and turned away.

"Find your own ways back," he said. "The tour is over. I'll make sure to report your arrogance to my father and uncle, Wu Hao."

Then he disappeared into a blur of light.

"As you wish," Master Shu said calmly. "Now, Lu Bowin, I believe?"

"Yes, sir?" Lu Bowin asked, his voice and qi both making it clear that he had no idea how to feel at the moment. It was honestly, in a bunch of ways, really funny, but at the same time it was kind of sad. He was a first-grade martial artist, in theory more than equal to Ke Shuang, but because of the connections that were being pushed around he couldn't so much as do anything to piss anyone here off.

"I don't think now is the time to continue the tour," Master Shu said. His voice was still unflappable. "As your senior brother Shuang stated. Show us the guest house, please. I must discuss this with my disciple."

"Of course, sir," Lu Bowin said, relief flooding his qi like the sun peeking through the morning clouds. "It's that way, more or less back the way we came. There is signage to lead you to the house, so if you follow the road then you should find it easily."

"Thank you," Master Shu said gruffly.

"Would you, er, require a guide, sir? If you prefer -"

"It's fine."

"As you wish, sir."

More relief, though Wu Hao felt less and less of it himself at the moment.

"Come," Master Shu said, and without even the telltale blur of qi he was suddenly gone, leaving a mark on the ground that pointed to where he was heading. Wu Hao cast a last glance at Lu Bowin and his group, who averted their eyes quickly, and followed the master's footprints.

A few confused steps of rapid movement later, he caught up with the master, who had stopped in front of a sign in the midlde of the road. He was studying the sign itself, but Wu Hao wasn't fooled for a moment into thinking that Master Shu wasn't paying attention to him, because the moment he set down Master Shu started walking.

"Why did you challenge him?" Master Shu asked. He didn't turn around, his long stride forcing Wu Hao to keep up. "You're not arrogant, boy, and neither are you stupid. You must have had a reason for acting as you did."

"My last Heaven-grade art became clear to me in the middle of a fight," Wu Hao said. "I thought that maybe a duel would allow me to figure out the Mountain-Shaking Staff Art, as well."

Master Shu scowled, though Wu Hao could see it only through the sides of the old man's face that were exposed to him. "That's a gamble at best. You knew that Ke Shuang wasn't just a part of the Winter Solstice tournament, he managed - what was it, the quarter finals?"

Wu Hao nodded.

"I wasn't there to watch, but think, boy. That means he must have at least possessed a Heaven-grade martial art. Compared to him, you've barely mastered the ways of thinking a second-grade martial artist ought to. You could have guessed this outcome. All the more since you brazenly refused to pull out every stop."

"We were nearly equal," Wu Hao muttered. "If I'd managed..."

"If," Master Shu said, that single word conveying a deep frustration.

But if it was frustration he was feeling, then that was a feeling Wu Hao himself more than shared.

"Why is this so upsetting to you?" Wu Hao asked, throwing caution to the wind.

"Do you think I enjoy watching my only disciple throw himself head-first into danger to obtain something he doesn't even need?" Master Shu retorted.

"It's not your business," Wu Hao said. "I knew the risks, anyway. Let me -"

"What does the bond of master and disciple mean to you?" Master Shu asked, interrupting Wu Hao. "Tell me, right now, in your own words."

"You teach me," Wu Hao said. "Isn't that it?"

Master Shu watched the snow whirl down around them, rubbing his face with his hands as if to wake himself up, and finally just sighed.

"You are my legacy," Master Shu said. "I have no sons, boy. No daughters either. My family is gone - those that survived the war taken by the ravages of time. My wife is dead and buried, and I have no plans to remarry in this lifetime. Or the next, for that matter. I have apprentices aplenty, but I have only a single disciple. What I am handing down to you is not the simple surface-level teachings that I give to anyone who can show me talent and passion for arrays."

He turned slightly to face Wu Hao.

"What I am giving you is all that I am," Master Shu said. "Everything. The arrays, the knowledge, my possessions, the leadership of the Guild should you wish it, the connections that I've built up, the buildings that I own. From the way that I think to my weapon and the ways I wield it."

Master Shu jabbed a finger at Wu Hao. For the first time, the man seemed truly incensed.

"All of that," he said. "I don't require you to be a reproduction of me. By any means, develop your own identity, brat. Heaven knows I cannot stop you and I have no intention to try. But whatever else you do, don't simply throw my legacy in the trash."

Wu Hao took a step back.

"How did I -" he asked, but then it struck him.

The staff had been broken in two. Because he had challenged Ke Shuang to a duel. And maybe the staff hadn't meant anything much to him beyond being another weapon, but he'd forgotten that it was also a symbol of sorts.

"Oh," he said. His breath misted into the cold air.

"Perhaps this is my fault," Master Shu said. "Perhaps the fact that you won the tournament has gone to your head, or the people congratulating you. I had hoped that you would prove resilient to the pressures of fame, and that I could correct whatever flaws arose as a result even if you were not."

Wu Hao felt a deep red blush creep up his neck. He opened his mouth, ready to defend himself - ready to say that he really didn't care about the fame - but that was a childish impulse, and the moment passed before he got the words out.

Master Shu stared out at the road.

"Think on this," he said. "Take a moment. Vent your frustration with me, if you need to, but promise me this. Wake up to the real world. You just faced a killer in a life-or-death duel. You might have died, and my hope would have died with you."

Wu Hao swallowed thickly. He hadn't thought about that. And yes, it didn't matter to him, if he had died.

But it clearly would have mattered to Master Shu.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Your apology is accepted," Master Shu said, and sighed. "But think first before you act, Wu Hao. Please."

Saying nothing further, Master Shu swept into the guest house. Arrays flared across the surface of the guest house. Wu Hao simply watched, standing there for a few long heartbeats.

"Damnit," he said, and hunched down into the snow. He was a little blob of color in a whitened, frozen world, and he let the cold rush in for once, wallowing in the loneliness of it all. He felt, in a way that he hadn't felt for a long time now, alone. He was the only one who could understand himself.

And in that understanding of himself he knew he had fucked up.

Sighing, he rose from his haunches and shook out the wet spots in his robe. Then he walked off to the guest house, knocking once on the door and being let in.

Caught in that same black mood, neither of them really talked until someone came by to get them for the banquet. By then, an early winter night had fallen across the roads, the last vestiges of dusk chased out beyond the horizon as they left. The roads were largely empty, and it was only after they had entered the house proper that Master Shu's smile made a reappearance, however forced.

The banquet that the Ke family had given him yesterday-today had been nice at first, even if he'd been too busy keeping himself ready for the duel that was to follow. Afterwards - with his victory - it had been pretty awkward. Whatever else, the spectators must have caught on to the fact that Wu Hao and Ke Shuang had attempted to kill each other, and they had carefully leaned away from anything more than the most basic surface-level conversations.

Things had gotten slightly less offputting after Ke Jiaming had left, but not by much. It was like the attention and well wishes he'd gotten had simply dried up, everyone deciding that maybe it was better not to get into a dispute between Sovereigns, especially not when one was the newest Sovereign and the other two were a lot more established.

Wu Hao had sympathized, even though he thought it was kind of pathetic. He supposed his perspective was different from theirs, though. They couldn't simply wake after dying, presumably.

But now, though - now it was even worse. Maybe rumors had been spread about him and the way he'd acted. Maybe it was simply clear to them from the way that Ke Taiqi had gladly greeted Master Shu but had been less enthusiastic in greeting Wu Hao. Maybe Ke Shuang had simply told everyone not to talk to him all that much or suffer his displeasure.

The point was, after a while he was left alone while Master Shu was still in the customary sea of people, being celebrated for his achievements. He picked at his food, not really feeling a desire to eat despite being hungry. Ke Shuang was there and occasionally their eyes met, neither of them quite willing to back down until someone crossed their line of sight and their attention was taken by other topics.

Maybe if he was lucky, another duel would follow. Although he didn't know what the outcome of that one would be.

Du Linglong scooted up next to him. Her hair had been neatly combed into a flat ponytail, which must have taken a huge amount of effort. Her eyes were on Wu Hao, and she seemed more than a little oblivious to the fact that people had been avoiding him all night.

"What did you challenge Senior Brother Shuang for?" she asked, stealing some of the food that he'd been eying despondently. "Everyone's been talking about it. They're saying you lost, badly."

"I -" technically didn't lose, he wanted to say, then rethought it. "I lost. He cut through my weapon."

"That's brutal," Du Linglong said, the piece of duck that she'd had her eye on away lost in her commiseration. "Why'd you duel him, though?"

"Trying to chase enlightenment," Wu Hao said bluntly. Better that than saying it was out of revenge for her murder, which clearly hadn't happened yet. Perhaps it now might never happen. Wouldn't that be a knife in the gut?

Her thick eyebrows furrowed. "Did it work? Because if so, I might try it."

"No," Wu Hao said. "It didn't work. I'm trying to learn another Heaven-grade technique, but I just haven't figured it out yet."

Du Linglong's frown grew a little deeper. "Another Heaven-grade technique?"

"Yeah. It's not working."

Feeling some desire for food return, Wu Hao pulled the plate of duck away from Du Linglong's prying eyes, then ate a bit of it. It was good, he supposed.

"So even someone who knows a Heaven-grade technique can't figure it out, huh?" she asked. "I was hoping that maybe you could give me some tips, actually."

Wu Hao give her a sideways glance.

"You want a tip?" he asked.

Du Linglong nodded, swallowing one of the dumplings she'd just eaten by accident, and coughing rapidly. He tapped her on the back when her eyes began to water slightly, and then she began to breathe again. Her clothes were warm to his touch but he jerked his hand away.

At least no one had seen that, he thought, looking around, and then realized that Ke Jiazhong was staring at him with narrowed eyes. He didn't know what that was about, exactly, but he didn't pay it much mind.

"Yes," she managed, after a gulp of water. "A tip, please."

"Connect," he told her. "To something larger than yourself. Align yourself with it and make a connection. That connection is what provides the effect. You're a conduit. Do you get what I mean?"

"No," she said, and made a face. "Well, sort of. Actually, I -"

"Linglong," a voice cut in. It was Ke Jiazhong, who had appeared off to the side. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk to you about something?"

"Can it wait?" Du Linglong asked. "I'm a little in the middle of something."

"I'd rather not," Ke Jiazhong said. "Wait, I mean. Apologies."

He walked off, returning to his seat, the cushion next to his empty but reserved for Du Linglong.

"Sorry," she told Wu Hao. "I better go talk to him. See you tomorrow?"

"It's fine," Wu Hao said hollowly, pushing the plates away as she stood and walked off with another small wave of her hand. There went his appetite.

It took Master Shu a while to make his excuses and leave the banquet, and if the dinner inside had been awkward, so was the stilted conversation that ensued afterwards. It was almost a relief when Master Shu finally sent him out to go investigate the shack.

The cold shocked him out of the foul mood he'd been. There was something about his breathing misting up and a world painted like a diorama of black and white that made everything so clear, so stark. Wu Hao floated over the snow, leaving not a trace of his presence.

The path he needed to take was the same as last time. The frozen puddles hadn't shifted, after all, and he hadn't changed the weather.

Maybe it was his imagination, but the cold felt like it had a bitter aftertaste.