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>PREVIOUSLY

>After calling a meeting of the Young Hero Tournament contestants the tournament host Yuan Shengli of the Yuan Clan introduced a new spectator in the tournament, the famed Jinyiwei constable Bie Tiexin, called Steeleyes.
>Though declining to participate in the fights themselves, the constable who has mysteriously returned to the city after Sky saw him leaving several days ago seems to be here in an observational capacity, which could potentially spell trouble for Sky's newly-discovered hidden identity.

Now forgive my poor memory, but I believe people had voted for the Junzi Society's Yang Meilin as the next fighter?

>>38016570
i just checked in the archive of the previous thread that is correct.

>>38016570
Indeed. A tricky fight in its own way, as spear has greater reach than a sword.

>>38016578
Thank you anon, browsing the archive on my phone is tricky sometimes.
>>38016599
Usagi Yojimbo much?
Also, how relevant an advantage like that is kinda depends how relevant the laws of physics are to the wuxia story.

>>38016599
well if we can get inside of the range of her spear we will have the advantage however i imagine someone as skilled as her should have a counter move to that.

>>38016599
Maybe we should pick up a shield.

>>38016628
There's like, no shields in wuxia, weirdly.

I had a theory once that shields are common in western chivalric stories not because shields are tactically important but because back in the day you used shields for heraldry a lot which confirmed the guy was a knight and thus a heroic figure.

After that it got embedded heavily in European fantasy consciousness in general, but it explains at least a little bit why most cultures HAD shields but outside of a lot of European stories heroes are more known for their kickass weapons rather then kickass shields.

Though there's stuff like the Aegis in Green mythology too.

>>38016693
I guess it's because them Asians are all about the honor and glory, and there isn't much of that in hiding behind a shield.

Westerners, on the other hand, were pragmatic.

>>38016617
>Also, how relevant an advantage like that is kinda depends how relevant the laws of physics are to the wuxia story.
So the reach hierarchy goes something like fists < sword < spear < lightning?

>>38016733
>Westerners, on the other hand, were pragmatic.
On a somewhat related note, remind me again when was it that people finally decided to stop lining up on open fields and shooting at the other side until one folded again?

>>38016767
FAIR POINT.

I guess both sides were retarded in their own special ways.

>>38016741
> fists < sword < spear < wuxia, I ain't gotta expain shit
ftfy

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>>38016733
Don't kid yourself; the fact that we have western fantasy involving war at ALL is proof that we've romanticized honor and glory as heavily as anyone else. It's why we have all those majestic old paintings about it.
>>38016741
....sure. Why not?
>>38016693

You stand in the hallway and begin to size up your various peers (it feels weird to have "peers" after living alone on a mountain for twenty years) before making a decision.

You walk over to Junzi Society hopeful, who as always is somewhat separated from the rest of the Junzi Society observers. It looks less like a respectful distance the way the Heaven Sword Alliance's elders give Xiao Jian or the fearful distance that the Iron Palm Sect gives Qiu Qiang.

It looks more like that they actively would rather not be near her for some reason.

"Yo," you say casually, and she smiles and turns towards you, bowing.

"Greetings Hero Sky. I apologize about not being able to begin our sparring as we originally planned," she says politely.

>WDYS?

>"About that..." [Challenge Her]

>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]

>>38016767
Actually that was legitimately the most cost-effective tactic where muskets were concerned; their accuracy at range and loading speed leaves much to be desired when not fired en masse and with a proper formation.

>>38016824
>>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]

>>38016824
>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]
eh may as well have some small talk before challenging her.

>>38016824
>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]

>>38016824
>>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]

>>38016733

You don't see shields in wuxia a lot because wuxia characters tend to be civilians in civilian settings.

Chinese soldiers used shields all the time.

>>38016824
>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]
Well now, challenging her right off the bat after that greeting would just be bad form.

"Do you smell funny or something?" you ask after her greeting.
There's a pause after as she looks conpletely non-plussed at your query.

"Because of...," you begin, pointing your thumb over at her Junzi Society fellows.

"Oh! Hahahaha!" she laughs, clutching her stomach. She laughs prettily enough. Usually she always seems quiet and studious, like somewhat constantly observing everything at all times.

Reminds you of Steeleyes a bit.

"How long did it take you to come up with that?" she says, winping a tear from her eye.

"I...wasn't kidding. I honestly couldn't think of another decent reason why your sect would keep their distance...," you awkwardly admit.

"That makes it even FUNNIER!" she says and she keeps laughing, drawing many looks from the hall that make you feel a bit self-conscious.

"No, I just don't get along well with many of my peers for obvious reasons," she explains with a smile.

"Obvious. Right," you say, nodding while keeping your face blank.

"Because I'm a woman," she further explains.

"Right, obviously because of that," you say in the same tone, still nodding.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?"

"Pretend like I grew up isolated from the rest of Wulin and China in a secluded mountain valley all my life," you helpfully clarify.

>>38016824
>>"What's their problem?" [Inquire Junzi Society]

"Well, you know what a junzi is right?" she says.

"Yeah, a lord's son. Like, a nobleman or something. Is that it? You're not a lord's son? I mean, the Iron Palm Sect doesn't have iron palms and the Heaven Sword Alliance doesn't REALLY come from heaven, so I figured it was a hyperbole. Only the Shaolin Sect seems to really have a literal name apart from my Lightning Hobo Mountain School," you say with a shrug.

"Your school isn't SERIOUSLY called that is it?"

"No. THAT one was a joke."

"Oh. Hah. No, I mean a Junzi as in the philosophical concept. In Confucianist thought?"

"Yeah....," you say, still not understanding.

When you find Ba you're going to have to have a long talk with him about what he considers "an appropriately thurough education".

"A junzi can also be a gentleman or a superior person in meaning. Someone who is wise, knowledgeable, disciplined, willing to learn, obidiant, and filial."

"So?"

"So it's a gentleMAN, not a gentleWOMAN," she explains.

Basically she belongs to the "Gentleman's Society" in the Chinese version of a British "Proper Gentleman" if you need a comparison.

"What happened to the Wulin being a place where everyone is equal?" you wonder l aloud.

"In practice we have as many differences as secular society. Only, you know....we fight each other over them in duels. The Junzi Society strongly believes that Confucian virtues are the proper way to guide everyone into a harmonious existence and thus live better lives, for example, but they don't bother even attempting to recognize some of the (what I consider to be) flaws or holes in their reasoning."

>>38017385
Holy shit, she speaks in parentheses. That's some next level education right there.

>>38017469
How would we know that? Ba only taught us Lightning Hobo Mountain School, what a parhteisisis?

>>38017469
wuxia!

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Whoo, moar Kung-fu fightan time!

>>38017500
Sky would only know that it's some high-level speech technique that he doesn't know.

"So you work with them even though you disagree with their philosophical bias?" you ask, the concept not really making much sense to you.

"Not all of it, just the gender problem. My Sifu, Zhuge Zhengwo, is also a someone who finds the concept a bit outdated. Though my father apparently seems to wish sometimes I was born a BOY," she admits, rolling her eyebrows.

"Oh. You even have these disagreements with your dad?"

"Yang Sun is a famous general in the Imperial Army. The Army is usually somewhat traditional, as you could imagine."

"I'll take your word for it."

"It's not that odd to you, is it? You mentioned your Sifu was your father; surely you don't agree with everything HE does, do you?"

You pause remembering the last time you verbally disagreed with your father.

"M...maybe I'm not the best example of of a regular father-son relationship, haha!" you deflect.

"Well, every family has their rocky spots, that at least makes sense, correct?" she says with a raised eyebrow.

>INTERLUDE

Ba stands over you proudly.

"Son, your reflexes have improved. You have graduated from acorn-target training!" he compliments.

"AWESOME!" you shout, your fist pumping in victory as you imagine no longer having to be pelted by acorns ever again.

"You are graduating to Tiger Pit Training!" he says happily.

"That's...that's like a metaphor, right?"

"Well for now it is," he admits. "We have to use rabid bears for now because I'm still trying to catch the tiger."

>INTERLUDE END

"That was the worst sixteenth birthday present ever...," you mutter, shuddering.

>>38017613
Best ba.

>>38017613
Wow Ba was pretty damn hardcore. Trying to set his son up with a tiger for his birthday.

>>38017613
>"You are graduating to Tiger Pit Training!" he says happily.

>"That's...that's like a metaphor, right?"

my sides where have they gone it all happend so fast.

>>38017613
Damn Ba you really were the best.

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>>38017652, >>38017653

>>38016693
>I had a theory once that shields are common in western chivalric stories not because shields are tactically important but because back in the day you used shields for heraldry a lot which confirmed the guy was a knight and thus a heroic figure.
The problem with that is the phalanx formation is pretty much based around shields.
Also, reenactors say shields really really help.
Also, google says that ancient china did use shields
http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/topic/28472-examples-of-chinese-shields/

There are a lot of small wuxia arguments (mostly style related, but also based on the nature of xia magics) you could make as to why xia don't use shields.

>>38017613
Dammit OP, you're killing me with laughter!

>>38017613
Thats some high level technique to make my sides disappear.

>>38017613
>"Well for now it is," he admits. "We have to use rabid bears for now because I'm still trying to catch the tiger."
ohaha, I love ba

>>38017725
they got you too? damn sides ninjas stealing my laughter organs.

Just had an idea for game. Has anyone ever run a setting that's your typical western fantasy on the surface, with swords and shields and all that, but is actually wuxia underneath with all its tropes and trappings and philosophies and morality? I'm just wondering how you'd pull that off.

>>38017690
That's a good site.

>>38017754
As a point of fact I once tried to figure out how that would work.

In most wuxia stories it's an open fact that the Jianghu extends outside of China proper, with the suggestion that other lands have foreign, strange chi cultivation techniques.

In one notable example a cult's techniques were passed down from none other then Hassan-i-Sabbah.

>>38017813
> the hashshashin are NINJAS!
It all makes sense now.

>>38017861
obvius if you compare them to real ninjas the similarities are undeniable

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>>38017813
>Hassan-i-Sabbah
Is that persian or arab?

So like that Sun Moon cult from the Swordsman (Smiling Proud Wanderer) series? They were were supposed to have come to China from the east, I think it Persia.

Also Chen Qiao En is hot.

"Beg your pardon?" Meilin says, having heard you.

"I said 'I would like to formally challenge you to be my next foe for the tournament!" you say, changing the subject.

"Oh," she says, blinking. "I thought you said something about birthdays."

"Nope! Definitely nothing about birthdays and angry tigers!"

"...I didn't hear you say anything about tigers."

"Then WHY are we still talking about tiger pits?"

"I wasn't-"

"Do you want to fight me or not?!"

"Oh! Yes, certainly. It would be an honor, Hero Lightning Tiger!"

>>38017923
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan-i_Sabbah

And close; the Ming Cult from Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

>>38017938
Ah, the lols.

>>38017923
*west
from the west
blargh

>>38017938
>tfw you now realize Sky gets minor PTSD attacks every time someone calls him Lightning Tiger

"Good. We'll probably be fighting first tomorrow then," you say with a nod.

"What makes you say that?" she says, clearly confused.

"Because I've been fighting my matches first the entire tournament," you say dryly. "And I see no reason why they'd stop doing that now just to be helpful to me."

"Oh. Hm...," she thinks. "Yes I suppose you have, haven't you? Why would that be I wonder?"

"No idea," you admit. "I'm going to head back to my room and get some rest. See you on the lei tai tomorrow."

You wave to her and head off towards your quarters.

>WDYD?

>[Head directly to your room]

>[Take a walk around the palace]

>[Train in the yard]

>>38018140
>>[Train in the yard]

>>38018140
>[Train in the yard]
The answer is always train

>>38018140
>>[Take a walk around the palace]

>>38018140
>[Train in the yard]

>>38018140
>>[Train in the yard]
Stay in shape!

>>38018140
>>[Train in the yard]

>>38018140
>[Train in the yard]

You decide to not actually sleep and instead stay on top of your physical training regimen, heading out into the gardens to work on your moves.

You run through fist and foot techniques before drawing your saber and switching to weapon moves, swiftly flowing from saber to sword techniques while you improvise as you practice.

You haven't fought anyone who uses pole weapons before and you've not seen Meilin fight, so you're not really certain what will actually be an effective tactic while dealing with her, so you work on all of your basics, hoping to rely on your speed and adaptability to overcome whatever her skills work like.

You mentally thank your Sworn Brother Duan Lei for teaching you his Carefree Saber Style, because it gives you added depth to your knowledge of saber combat forms. What you need is to find someone who can teach you sword forms; your yanmaodao is equally useful as a saber and a sword, so you might as well learn both methods you figure.

You freeze in mid-movement, your saber held in a reverse-handed grip as you switch to a sword form.

You sense another presence in the garden nearby.

>WDYD?

>[Ignore it and train. If they're spying they won't get much by watching you anyway.]

>[Stop and pretend to head back inside before doubling back.]

>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

>>38018487
>>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

>>38018487
>>[Ignore it and train. If they're spying they won't get much by watching you anyway.]
If they persist, challenge their presence.

>>38018487
>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

>>38018487
>>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

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>>38016599
This picture has never been so appropriate.

>>38018487
>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

>>38018487
>"...'Sup?" ['Sup.]
'Sup!
I'd rather greet first instead of opening confrontationally. They may just have been waiting for us to finish before speaking with us.

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>>38018624

>>38018487
>"It's rude to not introduce yourself you know!" [Challenge]

You go through a few more movements before deciding paitience is not one of your strong points.

"If you're trying to conceal your presence, it's not working on me," you call out. "I'll answer any questions you want if you'd just bother to ask them even. Gotta be easier then this sneaking around, right?"

Out of the shadows melts a figure in black with a hood around his head and a mask around his lower face, just about your size and build in height, though the clothes and darkness make it tricky to tell exactly.

"Just you?" you say, turning to your left and facing the cloaked figure. "Why not let all of your other friends come out too? You have about...," you pause, looking around.

"Six or seven, am I right? You guys aren't bad; I didn't hear or see any of you. Too bad I learned from a friend how to do the trick you're doing and how to see through it too."

The figure is silent, not answering. You note that there's a saber on his back.

"So are you going to stand there like a creeper and tell me what you want, or do I have to do all the talking?"

"Where is he?" comes a voice to another side and another figure comes out of the shadows closer to you.

>"He who?" [Honest]

>"Ask me nicer, I might answer." [Taunt]

>>38018881
>>"He who?" [Honest]
better get some information.

>>38018881
>"He who?" [Honest]

>>38018881
>"He who?" [Honest]

>>38018881
>>"He who?" [Honest]

>>38018881
>>"He who?" [Honest]
I guess they're after our bro.

>>38018948
or maybe they are mistaking us for someone else like the Anda dude

>>38018996
How does anyone mistake anyone for HIM?

>>38018996
Yeah, but they don't seem like people who'd easily mistake someone's identity.

>>38019041
well we are an unkown who appeared out of nowhere

>>38018948
perhaps our father.

>>38018881
>"He who?" [Honest]
Honestly, that question can refer to a few people I've met in the last few days since I've arrived.

>>38019095
I don' know; the people who really would know about us would be the ones who kidnapped our ba, and they know already where he is.

"You're gonna have to use more descriptive terms. I know a lotta-" you begin, but then stop and try to dodge as out of the garden shadows behind you a length of chain shoots out and wraps around your arm

"NNGG!" you grunt in surprise.
Shit, shit, SHIT! The ones in front of you stopped concealing themselves to draw attention away from the others do you couldn't pinpoint them fast enough!

You switch your sword into a reverse grip and bring it up to parry, locking blades with the first who spoke, his face close to yours!

"Answer me! Where. Is. FENG RENSHU!" he growls, and your eyes widen in shock!

He tries to use it to overpower you but you kick out and knock him back then use all your considerable muscle strength to drag the one holding the chain forward, forcing him off-balance as you activate Form One, sending lighting through the chain!

He lets go fast enough to avoid the shrug, and you shrug off the chain as more of their allies surround you.

"Answer me and you live," the leader (you guess) asks.

"Aheh....," you laugh smiling, closing your eyes and putting your free hand over your face.

"What?"

"Aheheheh...," you say, breaking out into open low laughter as you open your eyes, a grin over your face.

"What?!" the one with the saber says, clearly unnerved.

"Youuuuu...," you say, gripping your sword tighter and reversing it again. "Youuuu have NO idea how much I've been looking forward to meeting the first person who asked me that question."

They see your stance turning aggressive and the tiger-like grin on your face and ready themselves.

"Aheheheh....and now?" you growl in a low voice, taking up a stance. "Now I'm going to start breaking every bone in your bodies until you tell me absolutely EVERYTHING you know about my father."

>WDYD?

>[Form Two!]

>[Retreat and make them chase you!]

>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38018881
>"Where is he?" comes a voice to another side and another figure comes out of the shadows closer to you.
The Buddha is inside all of us, you merely have to look inwards to find him.
Full monk Genshu
>ophsra hue
Even captcha agrees with trolling!

>>38019247
>>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38019247
>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38019247
>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38019247
>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]
HAHA TIME FOR SOME REAL TRAINING!

>>38019247
>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38019247
>>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

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>>38017678

Well, looks like more than one group is interested in ba. Still, a bit odd question to ask us, since they must've seen what's left of the mountain house.

>>38019441
I prefer to think of it as our hobo hut rather than mountain base.

>>38019247
>[Close and find out how good THEIR defenses are for a change!]

>>38019441
When a true master of the Lightning Hobo Mountain School unleashes his true power, it becomes difficult to tell the aftermath of a victory from the aftermath of a defeat.

Your words seem to completely catch them off-guard for a moment and you bolt forward using lightfoot skills, fallen leaves leaping up behind you as you swing your saber at the talker!

He parries aside the blow and backs off as another assailant with a pair of single-edged knives leaps out and slashes at you, which you effortlessly dodge and parry aside before planting your right leg into his chest hard enough to feel ribs fracture and him to go flying back!

Another with a chain flings his weapon at you, trying to wrap you up and hold you for another one coming at you with a sword thrust from the opposite side! You dodge the chain and parry the sword strike, drawing him close before crudely head-butting him, shattering his nose before you thrust your blade into his right shoulder, tearing through muscle and tendon before yanking it out and grabbing the chain as it still sails by, leaping over the injured swordsman and wrapping it around his neck and kicking him to the ground!

Another comes up with a saber while your back is turned as you kick the injured one down, thinking to catch you off-guard and you instead spin and let Form One's pose flow through your weapon, clashing it against his saber and shocking him before you give him a left hook the knocks him into the dirt!

"So, HOW exactly where you guys planning to MAKE md do ANYTHING again?!" you say fiercely as one charges you with his bare hands!

>>38019578
>you thrust your blade into his right shoulder, tearing through muscle and tendon
Compared to what we did to the rest, this sounds unexpectedly lethal.

>>38019623
Sounds like something your average Dorf Fort fight would generate.

>>38019578
The black-garbed fighter throws a few deceptive claw-hand strikes that are hard for you to follow, but have a predictable pattern, letting you easily back off before swinging your saber and forcing him back!

You've seen that before.

"Flowing Shadow Claws, huh?" you say, suddenly putting some pieces together. "The last person who tried to use that on me was a LOT better then you are at it!"

They all pause, which confirms your initial theory as far as you're concerned. The stealth work, the ambush-style tactics, the presence concealment trick, all of them attacking you at once instead of honorably as single warriors.....

You're fighting Tang Clan assassins.

>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]

>[Stay silent, keep attacking]

>>38019732
>[Stay silent, keep attacking]
Taunting is for when we've won.

>>38019732
>>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]
Let's try goad them into replying. Easier than forcing the words out of them later.

>>38019732
>[Stay silent, keep attacking]
well time to stop fucking around we can beat the anwsers out of them.

>>38019732
>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]
Sky's true style is Snark-Fu, for him to not taunt when given the chance just doesn't make sense to me.

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>First time having meeting our bro Duan Lei and having drinks with him after turning down his challenge
>"I mean you never hear about Sword Devil Dugu Qiubai's sect or Storm Dragon Feng Renshu's clan! They just MADE themselves famous and mighty, all by themselves!"
DAT FORSHADOWING!

>>38019732
>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]

>>38019732
>>[Stay silent, keep attacking]
they might relize we have Zhu'er as a companion.

>>38019732
>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]

>>38019789
Like I said; there's a lot of forethought going into this story.

>>38019789
Yeah, last thread WulinSage said that there's pretty much no piece of dialogue that isn't some form of foreshadowing. Everything is significant.

>>38019732
oh hey! its our first fued! sweet!

>>38017613
I need a picture of Ba with a '#1 Dad' mug

He is crushing the mug with kung fu

>>38019841
Most of it anyway.

A lot of the humor is just humor, but I feel it shores up consistency in a setting if elements to be used later are brought up well before they become immediately relevant.

>>38019732
>>[Stay silent, keep attacking]

>>38019732
>"So, is it your WHOLE family that's figured it out, or has Tang Shijing finally decided to stop dancing around the subject?" [Taunt]

>>38019732
>>[Stay silent, keep attacking]
We can mock them after we've beat their ass

>>38019959
the reason I vote this is because psychological attacks are legit martial art all in itself. If we strive to be the best we must sharpen our tongue not just our sword.

>>38019859
I wish I could draw, because I actually have very clear visual images of pretty much every single character in this story but no real artistic ability to put them down.

It's rather frustrating.

>>38019732
>>[Stay silent, keep attacking]
And hope that Zhu'er isn't listening...

>>38019985
Have you considered the ancient art of commission? I know many talented artists, mostly because I also cannot draw and am preparing a secret art which will allow me to tear out their Artist Chi for my own use.

Hold on awhile, I have an appointment I need to keep.

>>38020024
Someone challenge you to a duel to the death again?

>>38020024
we will await your return great sage

>>38019732
>[Stay silent, keep attacking]

>>38020005
we probably shouldn't have gone with the "my father" bit.
that being said, I doubt she is around here, or she would have interceded earlier

>>38020065
do you know how long it took to get that guys blood of the walls the last time?

ive been thinking about something during the hiatus, might as well bring it up while he is gone.
its obvius the anda guy mistook us for someone else, back then someone sugested he mistook us for ba, but even if ba looked like sky when he was young, common sense dictates the guy you havent seen for years will look diferent, so i was thining that maybe during is adventures ba gained a lot of female atention just like sky, maybe one of these was a qt mongolian girl, maybe they had sex, maybe she found out she was preg after he disapeared, maybe there is a mongolian version of sky wandering china with his bro who mistook us for him?

>>38020253
the Anda guy stated the we look different.

>>38020328
less mongolian traits and diferent clothes/hair

bump for while I'm doing a thing

Let's hope these are from the Wei or Shu branches of the Tang clan. Assassins from the Wu branch ain't nothin' to fuck with.

Wuxia gives me some Sword & Sorcery vibes.

>>38020807
Considering Wuxia stories were the inspiration for the monk class in D&D, there'd be a connection.

>>38020943
sad that dnd got it so damn wrong.
a better example would be swordsage

>>38020807
Defining what Sword and Sorcery even IS is rather difficult for me at times.
But if you mean Heroic Fantasy, then arguably it's the Chinese cultural equivalent.
>>38020984
To be fair; wuxia is an incredibly complex subject matter.

The D&D Monk is less wuxia and more like those Classic 70's and 80's chop-sockey martial arts knockoff films and comics like Master of Kung Fu or Iron Fist.

>>38020984
Well monk is supposed to represent your kung-fu meister more than a wuxia hero.

>>38020984
True, I said inspiration not that they did it well. Eragon drew inspiration from several sources, the end result was pretty shitty.

>>38021058
>Well monk is supposed to represent your kung-fu meister more than a wuxia hero.
And utterly fails to do so as well. A fighter, or heck even the NPC classes "guard" or "warrior" make for far superior monks than monks

>>38021053
>Defining what Sword and Sorcery even IS is rather difficult for me at times.
Read any Conan short story by Howard, like Tower of the Elephant or Red Nails.

>>38021090
I've read 5E did do something to fix monks, but I haven't played that class nor seen anyone play it yet, so I don't know if they've been successful. Older edition monks were dog poo.

>>38021053
by S&S I meant Howard, Leiber, Vance, CAS, maybe even some Burroughs. OK, S&S and wuxia are very different but there's something about the stories that give me the same vibe. I can't quite put my finger on it.

>>38021129
Just read the 5e DMG Flavors of Fantasy's paragraph on wuxia.

You can see that they aren't even trying with Eastern fantasy.

>>38021158
Wuxia has been compared to Western. Lone man fightan for justice, muh passions, etc.

>>38021058
Exactly.
The D&D Monk is a person who uses special training to perform incredible physical feats of hand-to-hand combat.

A Xia is someone who can turn nearly ANY skill regardless of how absurdly specific into a near-magical ability by following very bizarre internal logic pathways, and then apply all or most of it to martial arts.
>>38021074
Eragon is generic high fantasy.
It's not even funny. If it were funny it would have a saving grace.
>>38021124
Okay, you're going by the hardest definition of S&S, like Howerdian heroes and more human threats.

That's usually how I use S&S too, but settings like Forgotten Realms have been labeled as Sword and Sorcery before.
>>38021129
They aren't as bad.
Concept still lacks some thematic flexibility, but they aren't nearly as terrible.
>>38021158
I love Fritz Lieber.
But the comparison is in the style of stories; the entire world is never truly at stake in wuxia, and all the conflicts are human ones.

Rivalries, passions, feuds, hatreds, revenge, love, lust, betrayal, etc. No dark lords or demons from hell come to threaten the realms of man.

>>38021249
>the entire world is never truly at stake in wuxia, and all the conflicts are human ones
I find this is the hardest thing to teach players of other RPGs when they're designing characters for Wulin

Everybody wants to play something weird and mysterious and entangled with the fate of the setting, and that's okay, but so few of them think about how their character relates to the setting

The easiest way for me to explain it is that western fantasy is about the Event, but eastern fantasy is about the Hero.

>>38021249
>but settings like Forgotten Realms have been labeled as Sword and Sorcery before.
Huh? How is that possible. FR is pure High Fantasy (with a capital H and a capital F). I've seen S&S called low fantasy or heroic fantasy.

>>38021199
>Wuxia has been compared to Western
Yeah, now that you mentioned it, Westerns remind alot of wuxia as well.

>>38021339
By having areas for both depending on where you look. Or how high level you are.

I mean, a typical adventurous murderhobo starts pretty S&S. But then he gets loaded with a shitton of magical gear and the group's wizard graduates from "a couple parlor tricks per day" to "shaker of reality" and then it's High Fantasy time.

>>38021249
>That's usually how I use S&S too, but settings like Forgotten Realms have been labeled as Sword and Sorcery before.
Kek. FR's full of omnipotent D&D wizards and magic items all over the place.

Let's go by D&D 5th DMG definition:

>A grim, hulking fighter disembowels the high priest of the serpent god on his own altar. A laughing rogue spends ill-gotten gains on cheap wine in filthy taverns. Hardy adventurers venture into the unexplored jungle in search of the fabled City of Golden Masks.
>A sword-and-sorcery campaign emulates some of the classic works of fantasy fiction, a tradition that goes back to the roots of the game. Here you'll find a dark, gritty world of evil sorcerers and decadent cities, where the protagonists are motivated more by greed and self-intererest than by altruistic virtue. Fighter, rogue, and Barbarian characters tend to be far more common than wizards, clerics, or paladins. In such a pulp fantasy setting, those who wield magic often symbolize the decadence and corruption of civilization, and wizards are the classic villains of these settings. Magic items are therefore rare and often dangerous.
>Certain DUNGEONS & DRAGONS novels follow in the foottsteps of classic sword-and-sorcery novels. The world of Athas (as featured in numerous Dark Sun novels and game products), with its heroic gladiators and tyrannical sorcerer-kings, belongs squarely in this genre
It doesn't fucking fit FR

S&S has a very particular tone and being a murderhobo's ok

Thinking about this some more, I'd categorise things as:

Conan and S&S in general is low magic, low fantasy

LoTR is low magic, high fantasy

Forgotten Realms and actually most D&D settings, especially the newer ones would be high magic, high fantasy.

And I'm pulling a blank on high magic, low fantasy, any stories like that? I think wuxia, at least some kinds, fit here, maybe that's why they remind of S&S, it's perhaps the low fantasy, more human aspect of the settings that they have in common but also differs from S&S in that wuxia shenanigans are more high magic compared to most S&S.

>>38021311
Some western fantasy, yes.

Making a good LotW character requires someone who wants their character to tie into OTHER characters and NPC's and actively tries to do so.

BTW, it may sound odd but I've managed to get several lady nerds into wuxia as a genre because nearly 100% of the focus of plot is on complicated interpersonal relationships.

The jaw-droppingly attractive men probably helps too.
>>38021339
I don't rate it as HD, because Faerun never operates in the scale that say...Dragonlance does.

Faerun has external monsterous and supernatural threats done by madmen for power sure, but though they love to brag about how it'll let them take over the world, but the fact is these guys apparently pop up and are wasted by adventurer's every Thursday. I mean, the whole Bhaalspawn thing in Baldur's Gate SEEMS like a big deal, but nobody outside of the Sword Coast and Amn even knows it even happened, and even then nearly everyone who knows is kinda missing a lot of the details.

I would label FR Heroic Fantasy; magic, sorcery, heroes, and traditional fantasy threats, but ultimately kind of lacking the scale and scope that High Fantasu truly has in the end.

Also, I note that Heroic Fantasy (likely since it's almost entirely inspired by D&D and it's cousins) tends to have heroes that are...interchangeable shall we say?

Like, if you remove Drizzt from the Drizzt books and place an equally skilled warrior in his place, does anything really CHANGE?

Not really; you just need a dude with the skills to kill the bad things at the right place and time.

>>38021508
Ok, then I stand corrected, I read the Dragonlance novels, but my Forgotten Realms knowledge is mostly second hand.

>>38021414
I'm not familiar with 5E, but I'd say that's a pretty good description of S&S.

>>38021508
Or to shorten it; Heroic Fantasy tends to have High Fantasy trappings (elves dwarves wizards magic items yadda yadda) and morality (good guys vs bad guys) but ultimately is about a bunch of guys saving the day from lots of minor threats that are remarkably transient and forgettable in the long run much like a Sword and Sorcery hero might.

Sword and Sorcerery is about truly embracing the "we rob graves and kill people to take their stuff" mentality and cutting out all the Tolkienesque stuff in between.
>>38021591
Yeah, Dragonlance is a great example because you just need to look at the Heroes of the Lance and look for their FR counterparts, only to realize they don't HAVE any and not even Elminster has saved all of Faerun from a threat the entire world was aware of that would end their society as they know it.

>>38021372
Simply put Wuxia, Westerns and S&S are very personal stories of heroes, who have very personal reasons to go on adventures, and tend to make very personal enemies and complex relationships.

>>38021508
>BTW, it may sound odd but I've managed to get several lady nerds into wuxia as a genre because nearly 100% of the focus of plot is on complicated interpersonal relationships.
This isn't odd. Women do love stories with a complex network of relationshits.

In fact if I wanted to market an RPG for the ladies, I'd start with a hugely detailed cast of canon NPCs, and then encourage them to make all manner of fanfictions and alternative character interpretations of to suit their game.

More powerful character = more connections.

>>38021686
So you'd make white wolf games then

>>38021686
>fact if I wanted to market an RPG for the ladies, I'd start with a hugely detailed cast of canon NPCs, and then encourage them to make all manner of fanfictions and alternative character interpretations of to suit their game.

This works so well for me.
My absolute best GoT players are women.

Also the MEANEST.
Like, they're willing to just turn the moral switch to "off" when going through social combat and schemes and say shit like "okay, after he fucks the baby into me I'm going to get the other guy to kill him in that duel I promised I'd arrange so I get his estate".

And by "say shit like" I mean "that's a direct quote. There was a brief pause at the table after that line.

>>38021743
Which has in general been fairly popular among female gamers, so...yeah. That's a pretty good way of doing it.

>>38021781
Damn, I just learnt I think like a woman.

>>38021781
Wow, bitchy move sure, but she has GoT down pat.

>>38021851
And there I was trying to play the sour-hearted but still decent knight who kept his vows.

That goddamn Dornishwoman kept finding ways to turn me into her thug, I tell you what.

>>38021743
In addition to muh factions and social intruge, what White Wolf gets right is making everything subjective.

Maybe this supernatural phenomenon is like this, maybe it's more like that. So you get to play Fanfiction: the Writing.

>>38021781
>Also the MEANEST
Women doing their worst is always lotsa fun.

No matter how many times we try to pull a Littlefinger or Sima Yi, they still make the finest social climbers you'll ever experience @ the tabletop.

>>38021905
You know being a good person in GoT is basically asking to get anal raped without lube, or marginalized into obscurity right? I'm surprised he's still alive.

>>38021947
It wasn't that hard to stay above water, actually. He wasn't a social combat slouch, and was remarkably good at making friends and allies in between jousts and swordplay.

He was good enough at securing allies that anyone who talked to him generally became friendly, and people who tried to kill him ended up deader the Ned.

She figured out that there was no way to actually directly manipulate me like there was most of the other characters and her Vagina-Fu was totally useless on him, so rather she arranged it so that I was FORCED to help her by manipulating everyone ELSE so that my only reasonable course of action was to aid her. Annoyingly clever woman.

Anyway, I'm back from my appointment so I'll be making the next post, apologies about the delay.

>>38022090
No problem, that was an interesting diversion.

>>38022090
No problem Wulin. Also she seems like the type to get really into the game. I'm just wondering when she oversteps and gets in trouble, or someone sees an option she overlooks.

So... winter is coming to Jianghu?

>>38022223
Generally those were the types of situations where my sword arm needed to get involved. To her credit didn't play the "unstoppable knightly swordsman" card unless she had no others to play.

"So, did the Scholar With Nine Lives finally decide to get his clan personally involved rather then sending Ironheart to hint and allude to my dad? He's not here, is he?" you ask sarcastically looking around.

If Ironheart WAS around you're not sure what you'd do. You can take these guys but THAT guy gives you the fucking willies.

"Tell us where Storm Dragon is, Lightning Tiger, and we'll let you live!" another demands.

You sigh deeply.
"You guys are as in the dark about this as I am, aren't you? You genuinely think I know where my father is. Shit, I bet you didn't even know I was his son until I said so," you say, rubbing your chin in thought. "Maybe this fight isn't going to be worth it after all. None of you are even half as tough as Qiu Qiang, so all I'll have are seven dead Tang Clan assassins and no new answers to where he is, won't I?"

They deem it not necessary to respond.

"Oh well, I'm willing to beat you senseless anyway to find out what you DO know," you say with a shrug. "Plus I could use a real workout."

After a pause a few of them throw small spheres onto the ground near you, which explode upon contact!

You dodge the flashes and smoke, only to realize they're simple distractions, not weapons!

"Hey, don't RUN you pussies!" you cry as they begin fleeing through the garden and over the castle walls.

>WDYD?

>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]

>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
>>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
>>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]
Not worth it and if we follow we'll get trapped.

>>38022419
I'm guessing your knight is very good then, or be fighting a lot of nobodies.

>>38022090
>She arranged it so that I was FORCED to help her by manipulating everyone ELSE so that my only reasonable course of action was to aid her. Annoyingly clever woman.

So she pushed your guy around through peer pressure ? I fail to see how that would come to pass easily, especially if you're conscious of what she's doing. Manipulating your lord maybe ?

>>38022516
>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]

>>38022516
>[Give pursuit]
We still have questions they could answer. And we can catch up with them quickly using Traversing the Instant Path. If they thought they could fight Storm Dragon's son and not get beaten at speed, they deserve what they get.

>>38022516
>>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
Much as I want to we need to kinda stay fresh-ish for the upcoming match don't we? Besides they'll send a message alright. Pissing in the wind knowing our pride though.

>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]

>>38022550
>So she pushed your guy around through peer pressure ? I fail to see how that would come to pass easily, especially if you're conscious of what she's doing. Manipulating your lord maybe ?
Sounds to me that she pushed everybody into being complete evil assholes (sounds harder than it is in GoT) that his honor could not abide.

>>38022516
>>[Give pursuit]
we shouldnt have said we where his son, better let them think we where his diciple

>>38022516
>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]

I can see one of two things happening if we chase. We either run into traps or an ambush, or they split up and we can't exactly chase them all, so we might get a single guy who probably doesn't know anything useful to us.

>>38022516
>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]
Let's make sure they didn't go for one of our comrades like Zhu'er or Lien.

>>38022516
>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
>>[Give pursuit]

>>38022516
>>[Let them go; they know the mistakes they made]

>>38022641
Yeah, I guess that is the best way to go about it. Present whoever you want dead as Asshole Mc Killbabies, and wait until the problem solves itself

>>38022549
Very, VERY good. Another NPC said "he'd be in the Kingsguard if he were older and there was an opening for him".
>>38022550
Not quite.
My guy tried to walk the straight and narrow and keep to his vows, but she often manipulated NPC's into thinking that the only way to get to her was THROUGH me, and her character's father squired me so I was kinda socially obligated to save her.

Eventually this became an increasingly accurate belief as I fought for her honor twice and was forced to champion for her into trial by combat once, and it was widely rumored that the two characters were lovers.

Which despite their somewhat strong distaste for each other's behavior I think they were actually working around to being eventually. It became hard to distinguish between the flirting and arguing.

>>38022516
>[Give pursuit]
We still need to know why they are looking for Ba.

>>38022516
>>[Give pursuit]

>>38022785
Because Ba killed one of their members when he became leader of Wulin way back when?


This is so totally going to be a trap that will tire us out for our next match.

>>38022774
Game still running?

>>38022774
>manipulated NPC's into thinking that the only way to get to her was THROUGH me
Oh god, that's so simple and effective, I love it.
Hope you did fuck with her once or twice by outright refusing/making yourself unavailable

>>38022829
Yup, off and on.
More off then on.
>>38022853
Lots of times.

I guess it helped that a lot of the people I ended up being arrayed against by her weren't really any better, and were perhaps arguably even worse.
She wasn't an exceptionally cruel ruler or anything, she just played dirty when it came to removing political rivals.

Hilariously when I fought for her in Trial by Combat I actually VOLUNTEERED to be her champion much to her complete surprise, because as he he put it; "As beautiful she may be, woman is a spiteful viperess with more poison in her then a manticore and an endless pain in my ass whom I've only saved because I'm fond of her father, but you Ser are a cruel, black-hearted bastard whom needs killing, and I'm not overly familiar with YOUR father. AND you lack her charms."

"Seriously? Running away? That's just...," you say, unable to properly vocalize your disgust.

You let them leap over the wall, not giving chase at first, sheathing your sword on your back, and turning and using Lightfoot to leap higher up onto Yuan Palace. You're having a hard time even seeing them as they retreat now.

Good thing you're going to have help looking.

"KAMUSHIIIIIIN!" you call into the night and make a dash towards the highest point you can reach quickly of Yuan Palace.

"SKREEEEE!"

You reach the edge of the palace roof and leap off into a drop that overlooks Chengdu's nighttime panorama below, and as you fall Mighty Kamushin's white plumage blurs past you and then adjusts itself so you land on his back with a "hoof!" as you catch your balance and he pulls back up into the sky.

"You see those guys who were running from me? Follow 'em!" you say with a grin.

"SKREEE!"

>>38023419
Bestest wuxia enters the scene!

>>38023419
So how does Kamushin get to us so fast? Is he that quick, or does he just have impeccable timing and ability to predict when we'll call him?

>>38023459
He's like Flammie; always just off-screen until you play that little drum.
http://youtu.be/SA96aHvbnsQ

>>38023459
Anon, a true hero always knows when his sidekick needs him.

>>38023459
Do not question the greatness that is The Mighty Kamushin

>>38023509
I'd summon Kamushin with that drum

>>38023459
That’s part of what makes him Mighty.

As animal companions go, he pretty much rocs.

>>38023833
boo

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215 KB JPG

You balance easily as Kamushin banks to follow the Tang assassins from high above, trusting in his eagle (or condor) eyes to follow them.

"These guys are my first real clues to my dad. If I can figure out why they wanted him and how they knew about the connection between me and him I might finally know where to start looking," you speak to him as Chengdu moves past you.

Eventually you move beyond the borders of the city, following a trail outside it's limits.

"Leaving the city entirely? They must be on horseback then. I wonder where they're headed?"

After awhile away from the city with your condor ally going at a reasonable cruising speed, you pause before speaking to him again.

"You aren't like....following a mouse or something that looks really tasty, are you?" you say hesitantly.

"SKREEEE!"

"Okay, sorry, sorry! I just can't see where you're going and stuff so I....," you pause and then look closer to the ground below.

What the hell is that?

A massive swathe of lights in the dark night below you speckle the ground, each like a tiny orange star arrayed chaotically about. As you stare, you think below you see Shadiws moving around the lights. Shadows.....and tents.

"Campfires," you say aloud. "It's....an army. There's an army only hours away from Chengdu on horseback."

>>38023885
Well this can't be good.

my phone might die real soon here, so if I drop out that's why.

>>38023885
Do we have a talk with Zhu'er?

>>38023885
oh damn

>>38023885
Shit just got real.

Are the Tibetans invading?

No, seriously. Look at their pre-1900 history. Pacifist they weren't.

>>38024061
If we're speaking of wuxia foreign invasion forces, I would always bet on the mongols.

"The Tang Clan's not an ARMY...," you mutter as you begin to count the campfires, kneeling on Kamushin to get a closer look.

Five.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Twenty-six.

Thirty-two.

Fourty.

"Fifty?" you mutter, dread sweeping through you.

It's impossible, the Tang Clan are thirteen separate families, Zhu'er said. She'd mention if they had a literal ARMY'S worth of followers, wouldn't she?

These are the kind of numbers that it would take to....

Your train of thought stops, and you stand up and look at the only major location for miles.

Chengdu.

"What the hell is going on?"

>>38023509
>He's like Flammie
You have good taste, sir.
I prefer the Flammie music from Secret of Mana 2/Seiken Densetsu 3

>>38024523
The Wulin Sage had fully mastered Exceptional Taste Method, giving him perfect recognition of entertainment excellence of all kinds.

>>38024123
there was also successful Turkish invasion in old china, but I don't know if its correspond with the wuxia genre.

>>38024868
It does. The Ming Cult are inspired by it. And Ba defeated the Flame Doctrine, who are a pretty clear Ming Cult expy. And these guys want to know where Storm Dragon is. So maybe that's related?

You fly back to Chengdu as fast as Kamushin's wings can take you.
As you reach the palace he swoops low and you leap off, hitting the garden grounds running for your room, leaping straight through the window rather then pausing to bother with the door.

"Sky?" Zhu'er says in surprise.

"Bro?" Lei says right after. "Where've you been, we've been looking-"

"No time!" you interrupt. "We have to get everyone into the Great Hall of the palace, right now!"

"What?!" Zhu'er says, clearly confused. "Sky, what-"

"No TIME I said! And you guys come too, you need to hear this! Get everyone, the Iron Palm Sect, the Emei Sect, EVERYONE! Tell them whatever you need to get them to come, just make sure they do!"

You dash off down the hallway to where you the main hall is, and grab any servant that's nearby, demanding that he get Yuan Shengli and get him into the great hall.

Finally you arrive just as the Shaolin Sect, Wudang Sect, Emei Sect, and Junzi Society arrive.

"Hero Sky, what's wrong?" Brother Genshu asks, belaying any wordplay for once.

"Tell me where you were during the last meeting!" you ask bluntly, and his bald head jerks back in surprise.

"I was with my brothers aiding the poor in the city, of which thankfully there aren't many. Why are you so alarmed?"

Eventually the other factions arrive, all tired and annoyed-looking.

"Lord Sky, what's-"
"You! You disrespectful little-"
"Hero Sky, why have you-"
"Something is clearly bothering-"

"QUIEEEEET!" comes a massively raised voice nearby that shuts everyone up...and for a second you think it's your voice, but then you see Xiao Jian entering with the Heaven Sword Alliance.

"Clearly Hero Sky has something important to say, elsewise we would not have been woken. We should let him speak," he says, nodding towards you.

"Uh...," you say at first, unsure of how to take the standoffish Swordsman's support of you. "Thanks. But what I really have to say needs to go to Yuan Shengli."

"It's a good thing I'm here then," Yuan Shengli says, walking down the steps like always, but looking a bit put out for the first time since you've met him.

"I have to admit Lightning Tiger, you keep finding ways to surprise me. This is the first time a meeting has been called to my attention in my own palace without my being made aware of it first. What seems to be the problem?"

>WDYS?

>[The Army]

>[Father]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

As much as I want to see their faces if we tell them about Ba it's probably not smart...

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>>[The Army]

>>38025425
>>[The Army]

>>38025425
>[The Army]

>>38025425
>>[The Army]

"You can start by telling me what you know about the Army maybe a day's ride from here if the whole thing picks up and marches at once!" you demand.

"What?!" he says, clearly confused.
The room breaks out into mutters.

"Don't try to dance around the answer either! I know you've been working with the Tang Clan to help provide security and support for this tournament, it's an open secret! The Tang Clan assassins who tried to kill me just ran off to an army hours away from the city on a fast horse! Did you or did you NOT send them?!" you demand.

"No!" he exclaims, his cool broken for once and sounding genuinely offended. "You're a guest in my palace and I'd never allow harm to come to you! Now WHAT army are you talking about?"

You pause, thinking. The Tang Clan is working with him...but he doesn't know?

"There's an army with hundreds, maybe thousands of people out there. They'll be here within the day," you explain. "The only thing for miles worth sending an Army over is this city. So what is going on here that would make someone send an army after it?"

Yang Meilin speaks up.
"Hero Sky, an army would be NOTICED before it got here though. The watchposts and forts would alert the local military of a force of that size moving through, even at a speedy march."

You turn towards her as you ask your next question. "And if these watchposts weren't reporting in?"

She shakes her head. "Impossible. Someone would have noticed the destruction of so many, so say nothing of hearing about an army battle from nearby."

"What if the watchposts were ORDERED not to send an alert?" you asks.

She paused.

".....Shit," you hear Yuan Shengli say, a flat exclamation of surprise...and realization.

"What?" you ask.

"It's...not a foreign invader's army. That's the Imperial Army camped outside," he says darkly.

There is another pause, and this time no hushed whispers are said. It's Genshu who speaks.

"What have you done?" there's no playful mirth in his voice now.

Well, this is going to end badly for at least one of us. Definitely badly for Zhengzhu.

>>38025931
>"What have you done?"
And this is why you don't mention who Ba is...

>>38025931
So Steeleyes observing us was just misdirection? We, and especially Shangli, have gotten RUSED.

>>38026176
Possibly not. Compartmentalization and all that, Steeleyes might not know about the army arriving. He's secret police, not military, so he might not be privy to whatever decisions were made in regards to this.

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>>38026176

>>38026156
He might not be talking to us

He might be talking to Shangli.

>>38025931
>"What have you done?"
Apocalypse scenario answer: the emprah has decided to get rid of Jianghu.

>>38026285
I assumed that was the case, yeah. It's not like we could have attracted the Imperial Army. Assassins, maybe, but not an army. Someone in charge of an entire faction like Shangli is, though, that's who you bring an army for.

>>38026326
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7iYf-rDrmc

I believe this is the moment you say fecal matter has hit the oscillating unit or something along those lines.

At least he seems to be talking to Shengli instead of aiming that at us.

Are we gonna have to go dynasty warriors soon?

>>38026361
Or how about the fact that the assassins, to whom we told we're Feng Renshu's son, are working for the Emperor? If we don't stop them before they get word back we'll have the whole empire crashing down on us in an attempt to keep the son of the most dangerous man in the world from becoming too much like his father.

Yuan Shengli sighs.
"It's complicated. It could take awhile to explain," he says, but Zhengzhu cuts him off almost immediately.

"No, it isn't," she says simply. "The Yuan Clan is openly revolting against the Imperial Capitol and trying to wrest control of Chengdu and Sichuan from it."

He pauses at the shocked looks at him before answering.

"Basically," he acknowledges.

Genshu looks at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Last Ao, how can you possibly know that?"

"Because he requested the Dragon Clan's support a day ago in the matter. We refused," she says simply. "And I believe he asked for the support of the Resplendent Phoenix Society as well."

Everyone looks at Honglan, who shrugs. "Not in so many words," she admits, "but he gave us impressive offers of status in Sichuan that he couldn't realistically follow up on if we supported him openly. He WOULD be able to follow up on those promises if he was in charge if Chengdu as a separate nation, however."

"Let me guess," you say, putting things together. "EVERYONE here has gotten offers like that one?"

The rest of the sects nod...except the Heaven Sword Alliance and the Shaolin Sect. Yuan Shengli answers before you can ask the question.

"The Shaolin Sect is too detached from worldly concerns and even more importantly too attached to their temple. They'd refuse and likely alert the rest of the Wulin. The Heaven Sword Alliance is massive, but too spread out. The righteousness of it's members would attract them to my cause perhaps, but I have it on good authority that they're undergoing some internal disputes they have yet to resolve, which would make them uncertain allies at best," he admits. Everyone looks to Xiao Jian at that, but he doesn't respond.

"But yes, Lightning Tiger, you are correct in your assumptions; this entire tournament as a public affair was a cover to get as many influential Wulin factions in one place and offer them deals if they support my separation of Sichuan into it's own nation."

>>38026457
Fucking hell. We accidentally into a revolutionary plot!

>>38026457
Well now I get why they were looking for ba. They don't want him fighting against the emperor.

But if the emperor is not behind it, then who kidnapped ba... ...unless ba STAGED the whole thing. You know, down in the village we would be safe when he put on the spectacle of getting attacked.

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>>38026457
Well then, bye. I was just here to look for my dad.
[JOESTAR FAMILY SECRET TECHNIQUE ACTIVATE]

>>38026457
>So how's that workin' out for ya?

>>38026559
TRAVERSING THE INSTANT PATH TO GTFO

>>38026559
I think its bit more complex then that now. Imperial agents know we're the son of one of the most dangerous men to ever breathe.

If they want to make sure he doesn't fight on behalf of the separatists we'd make an excellent bargaining chip or bait for a trap. Assuming he cares for us right now. if >>38026533 is right then we've been one DUMB son. Caring but very dumb!

Hooooo boy this is gonna be interesting.

>>38026559
for a moment I tough you were talking about punching monkey.

>>38026631
May you live in interesting times!

...sadly, that is actually NOT a Chinese curse.

>>38026631
I don't know, it feels like it's too early to find out what happened to Ba. Besides, him faking his kidnapping to keep them off his tail while we stay safe in the village doesn't make much sense. He knows what kind of person his son is, he would expect us to try and find him. No, there has to be something more to it.

>>38026795
lets not forget about the fire cult as well.

>>38026795
Its like a Chinese finger trap. the harder we try and tear apart the web of mystery and intrigue the tighter it gets!

"Lightning Tiger, you're the most surprising thing I've seen in years. You figured it out as soon as you had all the pieces while every other faction here didn't even think to wonder if my offer was made to any of the other groups. You even figured out that the tournament I'm hosting."
"Why in Heaven's name would you do this?" Genshu says, sounding shocked beyond belief.

"How could I NOT do it?" he says, his face twisting in fury. "What did you all see on the way here? Tell me!"
They all think, but it's you who answers. "Bandits. Lots of bandits. A lot looked like soldiers or deserters."

"Exactly. Sichuan is groaning under the Empire's weight," Shengli spits. "The prefectural governer is a fat, corrupt, useless indolent man who was content to line his pockets and bleed the people here dry for the Ming's taxes while he still steals from the government himself! If it weren't for the support of the Yuan Clan Chengdu would be an urban blight filled with the destitute? Sichuan is my HOME! What was I supposed to do, keep using my resources to staunch a gushing wound or get a suture and begin actually FIXING it?!" There's more passion in his voice then you've heard him say. "Everyone in this room, literally EVERYONE knows the Ming Empire is breaking apart at the seams! A deep rot has infected it and no one is doing anything about it! Well I CAN'T fix the Ming, but I can stop the decay from killing Sichuan!"

"How did you expect to get away with this?" Xiao Jian asks.

"The Tang Clan offered their support. Using their assassination skills and intelligence network I would be able to remove key imperial officials in Sichuan and leave only my supporters with minimal bloodshed, and I would know well beforehand when and where the Imperial Army decided to attack. This would allow me to control the engagements and minimize loss of life on both sides. Eventually the Ming would be forced to acknowlegs this region as a sovereign nation, as a long and costly war would destroy them."

>>38026795
This is all a training exercise on his part and, like The Mighty Kamushin, Ba is actually standing just off stage waiting to start pelting us with acorns if we fail completely?

>>38026846
Now that I could believe.

>>38026843
so if the Ming are faling apart should we be worried about Manchus coming from the north soon?

>>38026843
Too bad the Tang are actually working for the emperor...

You done fucked up Shengli. They goaded you into rebellion and you took the bait.

>>38026846
Or he'll toss us in the Tiger pit again...

>>38026983
Along with some quip along the lines "well, if you're going to be Lightning Tiger, you must prove your worth against the rest of them?"

>>38027013
Yup sounds like Ba. Maybe occasionally pelting us with an Acorn every time we lose focus.

>>38027050
Why can I also see him doing that to the tigers? Actually, why can I see him giving the tigers advice on how to fight us?

>>38027108
Because he's Ba.

>>38027113
Yup that just about sums it up. No other reason is needed.

>>38027108
That's probably what really happened to him. He left on a lengthy training trip with his best tiger so as to produce a better quality of beast to put in the pit with us. The lightning storm was a decoy to make us think something else had happened so that it'll be a proper surprise when he returns with a literal Lightning Tiger for us to fight.

"And where is Tang Shijing now?" you say dryly. He flinches.

"He had to leave Chengdu. He said there was family business he needed to take care of back at Tang Clan fortress and that he would be back in a few days. He took Ironheart with him."

This time the one who speaks is Zhu'er, who speaks loudly for the first time, otherwise an unknown individual in this room of famous folk, but her words are as cuttingly intelligent and as spot-on as usual.

"So the Nine Lives Scholar strolls in with the solution to ALL of your problems and you just...what, accepted without thinking?" she says, her voice as venomous with contempt as you can imagine.

"I thought his leaving had to do with you, actually," Shengli says, nodding in your direction. "Ironheart and Tang Shijing seemed inordinately interested in you, though they didn't tell me why. I assumed they wanted you in the Tang Clan the way I wanted you for mine. Though I can't imagine why Ironheart would be interested in you; he's not even FROM the Tang Clan, he's a mercenary who's working for them."

You pause; turning this over in your head. Shengli doesn't know, and Shijing seems to not know where your father is either, else he wouldn't have send his assassins to ask you. Given how the Nine Lives Scholar seems to compartmentalize information and how he's working with the Empire just to betray the Yuan Clan, you're guessing THEY don't know either....in fact it seems it was mostly Ironheart paying attention to you, and you still have no idea why.

You draw a single conclusion, one which drives you nuts with how obvious it is in retrospect.

"None of this bullshit has ANYTHING to do with me does it?" you say, somewhere between shock and unbelievable irritation. "I just...stumbled onto this goddamn thing on COMPLETE FUCKING ACCIDENT! Not a single person in this ENTIRE city has even the SLIGHTEST clue where my father is, do they?!"

You're shouting at the last part.

>>38027263
Hah. Is this the part where he just storms off on his giant bird ranting and grumbling about insane noble conspiracies and other things wasting his time?

And before he flies off into the horizon an acorn hits him.

>>38027338
i KEK'ED

>>38027263
> this is where we let it slip, and have to kill everyone in the room using form five.

>>38027363
But we don't even know form four yet. That's some power-up.

>>38027363
Hate to burst your bubble but I don't think our brave hero can manage to fight off EVERYONE in this room at the same time. Escape yes but not defeat.

Though Sky's ragefueled accidental reveal might clue in the more intelligent ones present. I don't think everyones going to make the connection unless someone blurts it out in true anime fashion.

>>38027494
Eh, we already revealed our big secret once tonight, it's not like it's going to stay hidden for long anyways.

>>38027522
I just wonder how our Rivals gonna feel.

He went up against the son of a legend.

>>38027494
That hasn't been anything relating to who our father may be with our out burst.
just that apprently we're a daddies boy. Or just really care for him.
and yeah I was kidding, especially with everyone present.

>>38027546
Rival: "No way. You're way too weak to be that guy's son."

Tiger: "Look, there's a reason I'm considered a massive disappointment."

>>38027522
Uhh, it just looks like we revealed that we're looking for our father, not *who he is exactly*.
Not really THAT big of a secret, we've been going up to pretty much everyone asking if they've seen him.

Shengli looks awkward for a second and shrugs.
"Err...no. Sorry. All of this was sort of in play for months and months before you arrived in Chengdu. Your arrival just kind of....set it off earlier then planned, I suppose," he admits.

"Why," you ask flatly, exasperated beyond the point of being able to emote clearly.

It's Genshu, the only other person here who knows who you really are, who answers. "Because you're a complete unknown, Sky. You arrived with skill capable of matching Young Heroes from the greatest factions with no history and no name. Nobody knew who you served, if you served anyone, what your goals were, if you were lying, if perhaps you were part of some minor faction who had acquired immense kungfu skills in secret."

"Exactly that," Shengli admits. "Everyone was scrambling to figure out how you fit. The fact that even Tang Shijing was so interested in your true identity should've tipped me off that he was playing some ulterior agenda. In fact, you know what he said to me before he left?"

You shake your head, frowning. You weren't aware your presence was so...disruptive.

"I told him of my intent to attempt to recruit you into....," he gives a dark laugh before continuing, "into OUR plan, as a useful asset and a valuable ally. Even talked about marrying you off to my daughter. He told me...."

>INTERLUDE

Shijing laughed at his host, covering his one side of his face with his palm before he answered.

"Playing games with that boy is like....catching lightning," he said, searching for the proper words. "Even if you succeed, you STILL get burned."

Title Drop!

>INTERLUDE END

"Starting to think he was maybe right about that," he admits wryly, looking to one side.

Xiao Jian clears his throat loudly

"Not that this isn't all FASCINATING," he says in a rather bored tone,"but exactly what are we going to do now?"

>TO BE CONTINUED

>>38027615
>>TO BE CONTINUED
We can't stop here, this is bat country!

>>38027582
It was a pretty unambiguous revel. Hell, Sky even commented on that:

>>38022419
"Shit, I bet you didn't even know I was his son until I said so"

>>38027661
Mighty Kamushin eats bats.

Anyways, I'm done for tonight, but I'll try to answer what questions I can, as per usual.

Well, this can't end well. Not unless the army can be bribed. Sichuan isn't one of the provinces that the Empire can just pretend to control while leaving it independent in reality; it's too rich and too much of a threat to other crucial provinces.

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>>38027615
>"Not that this isn't all FASCINATING," he says in a rather bored tone,"but exactly what are we going to do now?"
Screw you, guy. I'm going home... After I find my dad.

>>38027714
next quest when?

>>38027714
Thanks for running, WS. See you next time. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

>>38027714
Whose idea it was to get Shengli rebel? The emperor, the prefectural governor, the Tang clan?

>>38027723
Yeah, the shit hasn't hit the fan yet.
Next time though? It's hitting it HARD.
>>38027724
Xiao Jian is not especially interested in who Sky is. He knows what Sky is capable of (more or less), and thus that's about the only relevance to him he needs.
>>38027729
I'm trying to set it up that i do my quests on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or twice a week at least if not then. This gives me time to rest and properly prepare without burning out again.
>>38027762
Glad I've caught your interest.
This is kind of where the story starts to get fucking nuts and where the first "book" originally climaxes.
>>38027766
That's kind of a spoilery question, but I'll answer it anyway and say; none of them.

>>38016407
Wulin Hero Quest is literally the highlight of my day so far. Thank you based Sage.

>>38027878
I take that at as a pretty high compliment anon.
Enjoy reading, if you've just started, or glad you enjoyed if you've finished.

This question might be more proper to Shengli... is Steeleyes still in the palace? Standing behind that door, listening on us?

>>38028083
No, he bailed pretty early on.
He really was just there to observe. Notably, his observations included the entirety of the palace itself, which powerful Xia where there and how many followers they had.

He really DIDN'T care about Sky's identity.

>>38026983
>Or he'll toss us in the Tiger pit again...
he already did, the tigers now are metaphors for xia

>>38027615
>what are we going to do now?
continue the tournament to its conclusion, while considering whether to accept the hosts offer, refuse, or outright work againt him. And when the tournament is over act based on the result.
Also, apologize for publicly unmasking his plots like that, it was rude and unintentional of you.

And hey, its not like that guy has any less right to be king than the current emperor

>>38027615
With all the people who know who we are now, we have to consider whether we reveal ourself to our friends now, before they find out from someone else

>>38028440
True. The fact is, all the people who are potentially our enemies already know who we are. Of our friends and potential allies, only Genshu knows.