Your enemies are perhaps too emboldened by their numbers or they simply do not care as your words seem to fall upon deaf ears. As if on cue, they all rush towards you with weapons raised. The alley does it's best to serve as a choke point but it's size still allows for them to approach you in a sizable handful. The first drops as you slam the heel of your palm into the side of their face shattering their jaw and cheek in one blow. You hold tight to his face as you bring his head down and use his skull to shatter the knee of the next person nearest to you. You feel the muscles in your back tear as you drive your shoulder into the stomach of the man with the shattered knee and lift him by the leg and through the window of the building next to you. Something hot and wet seems to trickle down your back as you right yourself and fight through the spasms running down your back just in time to use the back of your head to strike the next person on the chin. As you expected the move seems to have very little effect besides the force of the blow pushing your opponent back and diverting their wild swing to miss your eye. Your cheek burns as you feel blood run down freely. The cut is shallow but even gritting your teeth to fight through the pain causes it to lance not only through your face but also your teeth and eye as your brain fights feverishly to try and figure out what of the many pains it should block out while trying to move your limbs to keep you alive. You clap your hands upon the man's ears and they begin to bleed profusely as you rupture his eardrums and various blood vessels in his ear canal. Despite their supernatural resistance to pain, it seems whatever magic was keeping them going did not have power over the body's sense of balance. With the fluids in his ears now spilling everywhere his body could not figure out up from down and you use that lack of balance to leap and spin kick into the wall. There's a loud crack and his limbs go limp causing him to fall to the ground in a heap, paralyzed from the neck down.

There's no time to gloat or to intimidate as more come to rush you down. You kick off the wall to put some extra force into your elbow and it slams into the ribs of your next opponent causing several of them to shatter. The two of you fall from the impact but you manage to get a grip on his arm and pull it behind his back, popping it out of place and preserving enough momentum to roll off his back and tackle the legs of someone who tried to run past you. There's nothing elegant or systematic anymore about your attacks anymore. There is simply too many people, not enough room, not enough energy, or even time to think for that matter. You twist a limb the wrong way, throw a body at another, feel something cut into your side and bounce off you should blade as you turn to pull someone else down and stand up. You were fighting against an ocean and it was wearing away at you like rocks on the coast. Something strikes you across the face and your vision goes black. Maybe you lost an eye or both of them, you were simply in too much pain to know. You draw your claws, useless for things rabbits should be able to do, useless for anything but to maim, just like your father, just like you, and feel satisfaction as feeling them dig into something soft as you rake them wildly across flesh. Blood runs down your eyes but you can't tell if it's yours or your enemies and still you swing wildly as your ears strain to take in as much as you can. You needed to hear something, anything, to keep going. Be it the sounds of movement, grunts of pain, or your own fervent prayers to whatever god could hear you to damn those useless spirits that you bound to do their damn job and help you.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Something inside you snaps and for the first time in decades you roar. Not a just a scream but a full fledged tiger's howl. You grab someone's head and drive it do hard into the nearest wall that the brickwork gives away and your hand goes through the wall. A mace hits you between the shoulders and it's owner feels his chest cave in from the force of your knee as you leap to ram it against whoever struck you. The two of you fall into a tangled mess on the ground. As you struggle to get up, something blunt hits you and flips you on your side before another blow strikes you across the face and the world truly goes dark as you fade away into nothingness...

----

"By the time I awoke, we were miles away from the library. Even so I could feel the taint in the air. Whatever had happened up there is indescribable. It is far beyond something even I would have thought up in my darkest moments. It is an affront to existence itself and evil is a pale comparison to what has befallen that place. The days after are a blur of pain and travel. I do not know if it was the grace of the gods, dumb luck, or perhaps the sheer urge to burn Mongolia to ground for what they had done that kept me alive. But neither of us could simply rest, word would eventually reach the north that their lap dog had turned it's back on the horde and I had vowed to protect Aleskander's people. It would only be a matter of time before they were targeted out of retribution. So we continued our way north, where the sands became endless snow and the winds would freeze the air in your lungs." Renshu says quietly with a tone of finality. All throughout his tale, he refused to look you in the eye and his face devoid of that bashful indulgence. "I do not know if I regret what I have done but I will not hide from the truth of my actions. All I ask is that you free Tai Lung from his oath. He is not responsible for who I am and he is a good man who doesn't deserve to share my fate. Once my time comes to face your judgement I will not run, Yánluówáng." The striped rabbit finally faces you, a pained smile etched on to his face. "I'm sorry but I don't think even you could have changed who I am. Perhaps somethings are truly impossible. I just..." He inhales to steady himself. "I'm just glad I could be happy, even for a little while. Please...take care of Xin Lan and Ming both. They both have the potential to be so much more."

"You know we'll come for you." You say. "Don't talk like that. You think Xin will forgive me, forgive you, for just giving up on finding you?"

"As long as you all are alive, that's all that matters to me." He replies but even without being able to read his mind you knew he was lying.

"If that's all that matters then you'll have no problem with us getting you so long as we're all alive." You insist stubbornly before giving Renshu a small smile. "You'll just have to be miserable in the presence of your family. Then you'll have to be miserable during new years, and then during the summer festivals, and perhaps on Xin's wedding day. Miserable but with people who love you." Your heart falls as you try to put your hand on Renshu's shoulder only to have if go through him. You would be lying if you said you hadn't be fighting the urge to pull the rabbit into a tight hug. "Everything will be alright." You begin before a loud thundercrack interrupts you. You look around half expecting to see Shenlong enveloping the room before you realize it was the Judge clearing his throat rather irritably.

"I will be the one passing judgement here." He growls, eyes threating to burst into flames. "Do not presume to think you know what I will sentence!" He roars, pointing a brush at you as he gains momentum. "And you, do you think that a contract with me is something as flimsy as the ones you mortals use?! That a simple impassioned speech will convince me to simply nullify our agreement?! An agreement I will remind you that has never occurred in the history of my post here?!" Yánluówáng bangs his fist on the table in front of him sending what feels like a small earthquake rumbling through the hall. "You are in my court and I will not have this melodrama get in the way of my ruling!"

"Then perhaps the Great Judge would like to give us his ruling?" Bao speaks up. "Just as you have matters to attend to, so too does Tai Lung with The Lord of the Wind's task. It would be beneficial to all parties involved to move this process forwards, would it not?" Yánluówáng's face seems to freeze for a moment as his authority being superseded seems to take the winds out of his sails. He coughs a few times to clear his throat again.

"Ahem, yes. Yes, I suppose you are right. As...as you wish." He says and begins to organize his notes.

>What do you do?
>He did say it wouldn't work but you've never been one to simply give up. Try and add a few final words for the Judge to consider before his ruling.
>Ask Bao to speak. She heard everything and probably knows just as much as you do. Perhaps she can convince Yánluówáng to be lenient?
>Stay quiet and wait to see what happens. You don't want your meddling to mess anything up.
>Write in.

>>6076982
>Mention offhandedly to thw others.
"It's quite bright in here, even with the long shadows."

We know what is just. And we have a visible proof of our success for the judge.
Welcome back Luo.

Recently discovered this quest by chance, since I don't visit /qst/ often, and am having a blast going through the archives. Your work is fantastic, Luo!

>>6077254
Thanks for the kinds words. Sometimes I feel like I've fallen in quality but I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I can understand it might be a daunting task seeing as there's now 38 whole parts to this quest so thanks for taking the time to check it out.

>>6077008
We can't stay completely quiet, can we? Writing.

"It's good that the lights are quite bright for reading on this occasion, even if the shadows might be a bit long." You try to slide in casually. The Great Judge glares at you over his paperwork but says nothing. He strokes his beard for a moment, a gesture you hope meant that the situation wasn't as open and shut as a simple condemnation, before putting down his notes and speaking up once more.

"It is true that these are...unique circumstances. Despite what you mortal may think of me, and yes I have seen your depictions of my image in your works, I am not a cruel man. It is my job to judge each and every soul both thoroughly and fairly in the name of justice. My punishments to fit the crime, the rewards to serve the deserving. My coldness is only a result of preventing myself from having my judgement swayed or clouded by emotion. You yourself have admitted to killing more men since we have last met and I can see that the souls around us have grown in number not to mention you have not stopped either. It was the intention of Tai Lung's oath that you would mend your ways and turn to the path of good lest he share your fate in the afterlife."

"Tai Lung has nothing to do with this. I was by my own volition that I-" Renshu begins before he is immediately cut off.

"SILENCE! I am not finished! Regardless of what you want, Tai Lung will make a return to hell if you fail to live up to your probation and you along with him!" Yánluówáng roars. "However! I realize we are several years ahead of what should have been your original progress report." The large man turns his gaze across the hall for a moment. "Despite this, not all those who are here before us are due to your hands as bloody as you chose to make them. Among us are the souls of those you failed to save. The innocent who died in your care." Yánluówáng steeples his fingers, a rather human gesture. "The innocent you risked your life to try and save. They are not here to condemn you but rather are here to vouch for you Renshu. Though you failed them, you did save those they held dear. Family, descendants, friends. People they held close to their hearts still live because of the actions you took since we last met. I will not say if the path you are taking is the correct one but I will say that you have once again been given an opportunity that no one else has had. Look behind you and decide for yourself where you think the road you walk will lead because you will never again be given another chance to look. Do not squander it for it is not just your own soul on the line. Are you so easily willing to damn the man next to you?" Renshu turns to look at you, his eyes full of pain and sadness.

"I don't want to you to-" He starts and you smile.

"You won't fail." You say with certainty. "I said it before and I'll say it again. By the time we return for our final judgement this room will burn brighter than ever before. Even brighter than it is now."

"How do you know? I'm not my sister. I'm-"

"Because I trust you." You say simply and you turn to face the Great Judge. "We will be going to war but I firmly believe that even in the darkest times, the light of hope will shine brightest. Next time we meet, it will be under better circumstances." Yánluówáng nods.

"Those are bold words even from someone with friends in high places." He says. "We shall see what the future will bring. I hereby decree that Renshu's probation be continued and see no grounds to enact his final judgement. This session is now over." Yánluówáng bangs his gavel once before speaking up again. "Be sure to find your detainee as soon as possible. I will know if you are trying anything funny."


>What do you do?
>Ask the great Judge for a moment longer to speak with Renshu. (What do you talk to him about?)
>Ask Bao to bring you back to the others. You have to get back to preparing.
>Tell the Great Judge to go easy on Kai. He is your master's friend after all.
>Write in.

>>6077431
>Ask for a moment: "We're coming renshu, We leave in half a month and should be there in 2, most. I know you'll do what's right, I love you."

Thinking I won't take every oppertunity to embarrass TL in public with PDA's. Besides, last thread had me that people will change with other influences. TL can change too, like a mountain under a stream's tread.

>Ask Bao to take us back, We've preperations to make.

>>6077480
-1 on the last part, not the time or place blud.

>>6077484
How is it not the time, nor the place?

Months without thè other, the last two months being full of concern over the others health/state of living or dead.

And now, the only chance they have before a reunion in flesh, after expressing much the same message as earlier, it is not the time to send off his beloved with "I love you"?
Its harsly inappropriate

>>6077524
The fact that it's a statement of such importance is precisely why you shouldn't say it like you're just telling goodbye to your mom on the phone before hanging up.

>>6077525
Hmph.

It should raise his spirit.
But enough, ill just content myself it isnt the brigade from a few months ago which tried to reverse a set in stone character beat, and agree to conceed the point.

>>6077480
>>6077484
We've come to an agreement. I will do the write up tomorrow.

"I'd like just a few moments to speak with Renshu if you would allow it magistrate." You speak up. The Great Judge raises a brow but nods slightly.

"Just a few." He says. You bow politely and turn back to Renshu.

"We're coming Renshu. We're leaving in about half a month and we'll arrive in Mongolia in 2 months tops. Stay strong. It's always when things seem the darkest that the light of hope shines brightest and I know that you'll do what's right." You say before gently adding, "It's gonna be alright."

"I..." Renshu begins before something catches in his throat. You give him a knowing nod.

"I know." You whisper back. There was so much more you wanted to say but you didn't know if you had the time or if it was the right place to say it now. You also didn't want to make this separation more painful than it had to be but you do your best to try and show what was left unsaid. You breathe in deep to try and keep yourself centered. "Thank you for the time. It means a lot to me." You call up to Yánluówáng. "We should go Bao." Bao nods and motions for you to follow. You turn one last time to look at Renshu. The two of you share one last look into one another's eyes. Renshu opens his mouth as if to say something but he catches himself, ears flattened back and his face full of a mix of emotion no longer the usual stoic self. You wonder if you're the only person to actually see him bare his real self like this. The thought almost has you stop and try to comfort him again but before you can do anything, you find yourself sitting back at the Jade Palace once more.

It takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and a pang of fear over how long you had been gone runs down your back. "It's been a few hours." You hear Bao speak from behind you. You almost jump in surprise as you turn to face her. She still looked rather ragged and worn down with her dress frayed and coming apart at the edges and her hair a mess. What stuck out to you the most was the lack of...otherworldliness. It hadn't really dawn on you until now but Bao felt like she was never fully there. Like she could vanish at any moment or fade away if you didn't keep an eye on her. Almost ghost like, you realize that it was probably her divinity that made her seem to fade into the background. Now she seemed more real, more...mortal as if she was a real flesh and blood person. The realization made you worry. As if to cement those worries Bao only takes a few steps forward before collapsing. "It's been a while since I've come to the mortal world. Everything feels-" She starts before falling.

You training kicks in and you're already rushing over to her before she's even midway through her sentence to catch her. "Bao? Bao!"

---

"I've done all I've could for her but it can be any number of things. She looks malnourished. Or it could be exhaustion. It can be stress related. I honestly can't say since she's not...alive?" She admits as she grinds some herbs into a fine paste. All you can do is nod along. It was fortunate that Xin Lan and Ming were nearby and had heard you though you weren't sure what exactly any of you could do. Still, their presence helped keep you at ease.

"So let me get this straight. The big man upstairs has ordered you to kill who ever is trying to burn China to the ground and you managed to convince him to send his wife to join us?" Xin Lan asks. You expect a joke to follow up but none come. All you could sense was their anxiety and restlessness. What they really wanted to hear was about their brother but since you had told your entire tale there really wasn't much you could offer the rabbit. All you could repeat was that he was still allowed to remain and prove himself and that he seemed fine. You even repeated his tale to them twice at their insistence.

"It was a gamble." You admit. "But I could really tell Shenlong that I refused his orders on the grounds that I won't kill." You rub your temples. "So I told him what he wanted to hear. Maybe we can all figure some way out of this as we travel. He's not really up for discussion on the matter."

"You tricked a god? Luo's gonna wanna hear that if we manage to survive it." Xin Lan whistles. "Renshu would be proud..." They add quietly.

"I'm not sure if Bao can die but if something happens to her...I'm not sure if there is any force in existence that can save any of us." You mutter.

"Then we won't let her die." Ming replies a grave tone as she pulls on her gloves with a snap. "We'll need to boil this in a tea. Hopefully she'll awake soon enough to drink it. Xin go get me these ingredients. I'll need to start making some incense if she doesn't. You...just get some rest." You nod. You didn't like feeling useless but the situation wasn't really one you could contribute to. So all you could go was get out of the way. It was the doctor's orders after all.

>What do you do?
>Do as your told and wait. Not much else you can do.
>Walk out and get some fresh air. Maybe the quiet can help.
>Go to sleep. You don't like missing out on a situation like this but if you're refreshed you'll be better should something happen.
>Write in.

>>6079637
>Go to sleep nearby
Shouting will wake us up.

>>6079637
>Go to sleep nearby

>>6079963
>>6079746
Sleeping. Writing.

With not much to do and being unable to actively help the only thing you could really do was rest as instructed. You sit in a nearby corner and allow yourself to drift off into a light sleep. Should the other require you it wouldn't be very difficult to rouse you and you wanted to be prepared to leap into action at a moment's notice. Such a time doesn't arrive and you awake naturally. Ming and Xin Lan were nowhere to be seen. You pull the blanket that they had placed on you and turn to look at the bed. Bao was still fast asleep though at the very least it seemed like a peaceful rest. A pitcher of dark liquid lay untouched on the table nearby with a few burned out sticks next to it. A sickly smell reaches your noses as you pick one up and you guess this was the medicine Ming was going to prepare.

A soft breeze blows in from the open window. It strangely warm and comforting given the normally cool mornings the Jade Palace experiences. You decide to leave it open for now and move to place a hand on Bao's forehead. She was incredibly warm but not in a feverish way. Full of life was the term that floats to the top of you mind and your instincts all scream at you to not attempt to sense her via meditation. Bao remains immobile despite your interaction and once again you're left with nothing you can do. As much as you wanted to remain here and keep an eye on her, you still had other things going on. You still had to study your new style, prepare the others, prepare for the journey, and so much more. With only a few weeks left before your planned departure, you couldn't simply spend your time doing nothing and worrying. Bao was in the safest place in China right now with you and the others around which helped keep your mind at ease. You make your way out of the room and back to the training hall. While you couldn't spend all your time sitting in that room, you could move your training location to keep a close distance.

You and Xin Lan resume your old schedule, strengthening their body while you continue to try and detach yourself. It was less than ideal but you had Xin Lan throw a few things at the back of your head as you meditated or did something that required a lot of dexterity and focus. It was annoying but exactly what you wanted. You needed to be able to push away your emotions and be able to fully divert all your attention to the task. In the afternoons, you spent time with Ming and assisted her with cultivating her senses though occasionally you had to push her back into physical training. You would rather her neglect her spiritual side and work on getting stronger if it meant she could live to be able to study again in the future.

Tigress, unfortunately, would have to remain a situation left unsolved for the time. You could trust her to maintain her own training and hopefully there would be a chance to help her heal. As the days go by, you pick up on the intensity of the training but Bao still did not stir from her sleep. "I've done all I've could but it's up to her now. Quite a statement given she's divinity if you think about it." Ming says.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" You ask and grab a bread roll. It had become a recent habit of you three to have your lunches in the bedroom in case Bao needed anything though nothing had come up yet.

"As far as I can tell nothing. She's perfectly fine now save for the fact she's fast asleep. I'm pretty sure a few days of sleep was doing her some good. But until she's good and ready to wake up there isn't much we can do." Ming explains as she pours herself a drink. "Still, I suppose that's the best news we can get."

"Well we can't just drag her body all across China. We're going to be leaving soon." Xin Lan says. "What are we going to do?"

"I can stay behind." You say. "It'll be easy to catch up to you guys."

"You can't stay behind. We need you with us." Xin Lan says.

"I'm afraid Xin's right and I don't think it'll look good on any of us if the government finds out we left you unattended. Regardless of how you feel on the subject." Ming adds before you can speak your mind. "Xin and I can't do it alone and Tigress probably won't leave you behind either. So like it or not, you need to come with us meaning we have to stay longer or you'll need to carry her." You stuff a piece of bread into your mouth to buy some time to think.

"I can travel on my own, thank you." A voice speaks up from above. All three of you turn to see Bao sitting upright, her eyes glowing brightly in the shade.

"Ah! You're awake!" Ming shouts, quickly standing up and knocking her plate and cup over.

>What do you do?
>Ask Bao how she's feeling. She was asleep for quite a while.
>Ask Bao if she needs anything before you all leave. If she says she's fit to go then that's all the confirmation you need.
>Say that Bao should at least let Ming give her a once over. She is a doctor after all and you all need to be in the best of shape for the travels to come.
>Write in.

>>6080462
>Feeling rested sleepy?
Little bit of ribbing.

>You got anything you need or want? And will we need to worry about narcolepsy again?

>>6080462
>Ask Bao how she's feeling. She was asleep for quite a while.

>>6080744
>>6080652
Tomorrow we're gonna tease a demi maybe not demi goddess. High Priestess is probably the consistent term I should use. Any time we set the example to ignore authority is a good example to set for the bun...right?

"How are you feeling? That was quite a nap you took." You joke gently. Bao looks at you but the motion felt too...perfect. It was otherworldly, unnaturally smooth.

"I'm fine. You are not the only one who can heal themselves with a bit of a rest." She says before looking around and yet looking at nothing in particular. "The air feels thin."

"Are you having trouble breathing? We can take you down the mountain where the air isn't as thin. We're at the Jade Palace." Ming asks gently but Bao shakes her head.

"No. I don't suspect you'd be able to tell at the moment or...perhaps ever." She says ominously though you detect a small hint of what you think is sadness in that. Ming gives you a look of confusion and worry. "Tai Lung should have noticed though. You feel it too don't you. How everything seems to be spread too thin. Not enough air, not enough fire, or water..." She trails off and looks out the window.

You nod now understanding. "Yes. The energy of the world...it feels like I'm traveling through murky waters. Everything seems much harder to do in the spiritual realm. Are you saying it'll always be like this from now on?"

"The damage done has had catastrophic effects on China. There were so many children who died. So many old ones too. Now they will never return and the life they brought with them is gone forever. Those that remain are spread thin or have returned home. This world feels hollow and empty. It's colors washed out." Bao replies without looking at you. "It's entirely possible that future generations of shamans and priests will never see the world as it once was. They'll see this and think this is the true majesty of the world. It's sad isn't it?"

"Is there truly nothing we can do?" You ask.

Bao turns to look at you, her glowing eyes staring right into you. "I don't know. I don't think any of us will ever know." She says quietly before giving you a soft smile. It was the most human you had seen her so far. "But in a world with you in it I suppose anything is possible isn't it?" Her last words seemed to lift a weight in your chest. At least she still held out hope. If someone of her position had lost all hope...you hope that if such a situation had occurred then your stubbornness would carry you through.

"Yes, if it not me then someone else will carry the torch and continue to try and undo the damage done." You say. "Will you be ok to travel?"

"Yes though I should warn you, if you expect me to work miracles on your journey then I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you. Even if the world was not as thin as it is I'm far more mortal that I used to be." She warns.

"What? You mean you're not some kind of Goddess?" Xin Lan asks. "What happened to all that guff when we took you to the festival?" If Bao's stares could burn a hole in things Xin Lan would have been in trouble even so, it's enough to cause the rabbit to tense up slightly.

"Only a God can reside in both realms. I, however blessed I have been to receive His grace, cannot. A mortal cannot live in the land of spirits and a spirit cannot reside in the mortal realm forever. It's only by living in the world between that they can persist. To put it bluntly, the living in the land of the dead will die and the spirits in the land of the living will fade away back into the earth. Either I remain with all my power and I shall have my movement limited or I give most of it up to remain as a living person with you." She explains coldly. Ming throws a spare pillow at Xin Lan and adds her glare to the poor rabbit.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to forgive Xin. They're...blunt and have the social graces of a bucket. Even if they know they can do better." She says eyeing them.

"Oh, I know all about them." Bao says with a mysterious smile. "Don't forget Xin Lan, you are a living thing and as such are always under my watch. Every. Little. Secret."

"I don't like her. Can we trade her in for the dragon?" Xin Lan asks as they poke their head out from under your shirt.

"I like her. Can we keep her?" Ming asks with a grin.

"In any case I will be fine to travel. You don't need to worry about me." Bao repeats.

"This is going to be a very long exile." You sigh.

>What do you do?
>Ask Bao if there is anything she isn't allowed to do. Better to be safe than sorry.
>Ask Bao about Shenlong's task. What does she think about it?
>Say that if there's nothing else then you're going to go get Bao some food before returning to your training. Things are going to be very interesting indeed.
>Write in.

>>6082438
>Any bans, taboos or restrictions Bao?
>We will get you some food and return to training, we leave in a few weeks.

I get it, she's getting used to not being mortal for a few thousand years.

Alright gents, after this we'll be moving on out of China. So if there is anything else you want to look into or do in the Valley of Peace this is the time to do it.

>>6085129
I'm good. I do hope you know I'm lurking even if not voting. I imagine others are as well.

>>6085137
I appreciate it! Thanks for taking the time to read the quest.

>>6085129
Nope.

Just check that everything is running smoothly and that Ming abdicated her position. Then we run.

"Is there anything we should know before we travel? Any rituals or things you aren't allowed to do? What about your duties?" You ask. Bao seems to think about it for a moment.

"No. I suppose I can't tell you about what happens after death or anything mortals shouldn't be privy to. As I mentioned, though I am tied to Shenlong, I had to give up a lot to travel with you. Though I may be a bit...hardier than the average girl of my physique. I can't fight and I don't know how to. I'm not anymore dexterous or stronger either. For the most part, I am simply as you met me so many years ago. Perhaps a few untold years wiser but just the same otherwise. As for my duties, they'll go unfulfilled. There is not much that can be done about that." Bao explains.

"What do you mean by 'hardier'?" Ming asks and Bao gives her a smile.

"Well, it wouldn't do if I died along the way would it? Injuries are just as easy to acquire but I think you've noticed how fast I can heal. I don't tire easily and I don't need much sleep or food. Although I hope you don't mind if I ate my fair share. It's been so long since I've actually had food." She replies and winks. "Just a few things I managed to sneak out before Tai Lung brought me." Her tone grows serious and the room feels a lot smaller and darker. A rough breeze flows through the window. It feels rough, almost coarse, as it blows past you. "With all that being said, I am still to be escorted to whoever is behind whoever killed my children. I am to judge him and his soul. Don't forget that, Tai Lung. Shenlong might be so enraged that he did not notice what you were doing but I did. You might have slipped out of vowing to do so but the Lord of Wind has given you your task. Kill the person behind this." The shutters rattle as the winds pick up before it instantly dies down. The glow that flows out of Bao's eyes stop flickering like angry flames and return to their soft, subtle wisps. Everyone stands uncomfortably for a moment before Ming breaks the silences.

"Well...since you're feeling better. Would you like to get some lunch? I think there's some leftovers in the kitchen. Then we can take a walk about the village. It'll help you get your bearings again." She says. Bao nods and slips out of bed.

"I'd like that." She says casually and the two make their way out of the room. Xin Lan wriggles their way around under your shirt and hugs you from behind.

"So that's the wife of a god...Are you gonna do it? You really gonna kill for a dragon?" They ask as they poke their head out again.

"No." You reply quietly. "I just don't know how to break it to them."

---

Now that Bao had woken up it seemed like time moved at an even more rapid pace and so too did your training. It seemed the less days there were left before your leave the more intense you all seemed to push yourselves. Ming's room soon began to overflow with various books and maps, the training hall's equipment grew exponentially more worn and required more maintenance, even Xin Lan threatened to go shirtless after they ruined so many of them while sparring with you. At times it seemed like resting was the real chore as you all seemingly wanted to work nonstop.

Your fervor wasn't just felt by your companions either. People from the library would come and go from the palace more often to deliver reports on the status of the new homes they were building. "Well we need to make sure the Exarch has a home to come back to once you're all done cleaning up that trouble up north!" One of the workers says as they carry an armful of blueprints. You and Xin Lan glance at each other.

---


"I'll get it done. I just need to finish this and a few other things." Ming insists as she looks up from what seems to be 5 different books and charts. You and Xin Lan had been reminding her that she promised to advocate her position for the past few days though it always seemed like something was holding her attention. You didn't get the sense that she was doing this maliciously but rather the opposite. It seemed like Ming was starting to put on as much responsibility as she could and leave everything perfectly before having to finally let go and leave the people to forge their own future.

"Come on. You've been saying this for the last 2 or so weeks. Just go do it." Xin Lan says.

"I can't 'just do it' Xin. Running a city is more than just barking orders. There's logistics, and forms, and meetings, and-"

"And letting go." You say, squeezing Ming's shoulder. "You can't be there for them forever and there's always bound to be problems. You just need to trust them to find their own way and they need to learn to work without you. Everything will work out. You'll see." You give her a smile and turn to leave. "You have until tonight." You say as you round the corner.

"Wait- what!?"

"It's your homework!" You shout back.

---

You and Xin Lan sit atop a nearby roof looking over the Palace while keeping out of the way. You were quite surprised to find that an entire city's worth of people could be squeezed into the Jade Palace's main courtyard. Even on the most festive of days, the people of the Jade Valley would never threaten to overflow the place but the library was several times it's size. You wonder if the murmuring of the crowed could be heard at the base of the mountain with so many people here huddled and eager to hear the words of their spiritual leader. Even the remaining members of the Brotherhood stood around nervously despite knowing the news to come. The whispers and conversations grow into shouting and cheering as Ming steps out from the main building now clothed once more in her ornate gown with the hood drawn over her face. Even from up here you could see her walk with purpose and resolve.

"It's her! It's her Ladyship!"
"Gods bless you!"
"Long live the Exarch!"

The cries seem to grow louder as Ming grew closer and she raises her hands for silence. The quiet that fell over the crowd was almost as deafening as the shouting that preceded it. "People of the Library." She speaks loudly, her voice full of resolve and authority. "My people. I've only been your leader for less than a year and before then I was merely a stranger living among you but...I think I have worked with you and learned with you enough to be able to call you that." The crowd bursts into a roar once more.

"You saved us! Of course you're one of us!"
"You took care of my sick grandmother! She's here because of you!"

Ming gently motions for silence again and waits for the crowd to settle. "We've been through a lot together. We've lost our home, our belongings, and more importantly our loved ones." The quiet goes more profound as a moment of silence is allowed for those who didn't make it. "Through these hardships we grew as a people, we settled our differences and came together as one. I could not be more prouder and happier for you all than I am when I see how we emerged from these trials." Ming allows another round of cheers before proceeding. "It is because of this that I am comfortable in saying," She continues as she pulls her hood down. "I am stepping down and officially retiring the position of Exarch." A hush unlike no other washes over the crowd before murmurings and worried whispers begin. The people grow restless before a woman cuts through the voices.

"But why?!"

The protest sparks a fire in the crowd as everyone begins to voice their protest. The Brotherhood attempts to settle the crowd but to no avail.

"What will we do without you?!"
"We need you!"
"Who will lead us now?!"

"Though he was taken from us too early, I think I understand what my predecessor was attempting to do." Ming speaks over the protests. "Just look at the way our city was organized before the tragedy. The way it was split between the library and the mayor. One side to look after it's knowledge and the other it's people. Where did the exarch's position play in this?" The people talk among themselves for a moment as they considered her words until another voice speaks out.

"H-he...he led us didn't he?"

Ming shakes her head. "I think he knew. He may have new his time was near or perhaps if he was immortal knew that he eventually would wish to see his ancestors too. He knew that he could not lead you forever and...I think he wanted you to be free. Free to make your own decisions, free to choose the destiny of your city. I will never know for certain but as I watched you all in these short few months I think I saw what he saw in you. Your potential. You all have it within you to choose your own destinies and shape the world around you. Such potential is only stifled if you continue to rely on a sole leader for guide you all your lives. So if you would permit me to say a few last words as your leader." Ming pauses for a moment as she gathers herself once more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8IBoFIFE-E

"Go! Go and live your lives to the fullest! Though we may have lost our homeland, we find ourselves with another opportunity to live once more! Just as you came together as a family, treat those who offered you their home as family as well. Just as I found family in my treasured companions and with you, so too may you find some on who you can rely and trust! I may no longer lead you but I will always carry you all in my heart! Just as I held your hopes and dreams, I hope you can find it all in yourselves to hold mine. To reach that better tomorrow so that those after us can never suffer as we have. For those who once lived! For those who still do! The Sacred Library will never die so long as you hold hope in your hearts!" Tears run down Ming's face as the crowd openly cheers and cries along with her.

"We'll never forget you!"
"You'll always be our Exarch! No matter what happens!"

The members of the Brotherhood step forward. "I think we agree with the people. Although you want to step down and allow us to live our lives on our own terms I hope you don't mind if we continue to call you our Exarch...even if it's simply a title. You've done far too much to simply not have it." Dawa says with a smile.

"N-no. I couldn't. I mean the whole point of it all-" Ming begins her protest before Mida speaks up.

"I'm afraid you don't have a say in it. You're just any other citizen of the Library after all. Last I checked you were still a member of the Library and thus, as the last Exarch said, the Brotherhood who runs it has decided to bestow upon you the highest rank known to our organization. Exarch of the Library." They say with a smile.

"Unfortunately, our last Exarch decreed that the title holds no political power so sadly it's merely a title." Dawa grins. "And one only given to those who have served the city far and above the line of duty. I think saving it's people from extinction is an ample enough example." Dawa pulls Ming into a tight hug. "You'll always be a member of the Sacred Library. No matter what happens." She says.

Ming's furiously rubs her eyes as she fails to stop the tears from flowing. It takes a few moments before she manages to compose herself. "Well then this makes this a bit more awkward." She says as she pulls out a blue print from inside her robe. "I had a favor I wanted to ask you. All of you." She says turning towards the crowd. "Not as your leader, or your hero. Just as Ming." She hands the rolled up blue print to Dawa. "This is a recreation of the floor plan for that house we used to live in that I drew up myself. It was my brother's most prized possession. A home and restaurant of his own. I'd very much appreciate it if he could have something to look forward to once we find him once more."

"We'll have it built for him by the time he gets back. We promise." Dawa assures her. Ming beams.

"Thank you but there's one last part to my request if you don't mind." Ming says.

"If it's in our power to do it, it'll be done."

"Thank you. Amala! If you could come up here please!" Ming shouts over the crowd. It takes a few minutes before the young wolf pushes her way through the crowd and shyly makes her up to who maybe the most important figures in her life. "Amala, I think Renshu would be honored if you lived in and ran The Warren in his stead. You know all his dishes better than anyone and he knows better than anyone how hard it is to raise a family on their own. Dawa could you please allow Amala and her siblings to live and run the place while we're gone? They could use a home." Dawa nods.

"R-really?" Amala finally speaks out. "A r-restaurant for us? T-than...t-hank..." The teenage girl breaks down in tears of joy before pulling Ming into another hug.

"Show everyone what the Library's cooking is all about." Ming says. "Just like you always dreamed of." Ming turns to the crowd. "That's everything guys! Thank you for everything! Thank so very much for allowing me into your lives!" The crowd finally breaks free and surrounds Ming and the Brotherhood as they all try to say their goodbyes and farewells.

"Our little Ming has finally grown up." Xin Lan says with a large smile on their face.

"She sure has." You say. "Come on. Let's go surprise her when she gets back to her room."

----

Some how, some way, a feast managed to break out in the Palace's courtyard. You, Xin Lan, Tigress, and your father decide to remain on the other side of the Palace and let Ming enjoy her celebration. After all she had earned it and you didn't want to cause any fuss by being there. That didn't stop Xin Lan from sneaking in and allowing all four of you from 'sampling' some of the dishes that were being offered. Your father remained rather confused as to how a party managed to break out in such short notice but you managed to assure him that this was a good thing. With what was on the horizon, it might very well be the last festivities anyone would have in a while. Luo had opted to go and get some first hand accounts for his writings as his honor as a writer was at stake. To miss such a big event and not write about it would shame all those before him. Bao also had decided to pay a visit if for nothing else than for the food a point she excitedly proclaimed.

The party roared on through the night and it was only until the next morning that the people had finally disbanded and went home. It took about an hour or so to get Ming to stop apologizing about the mess as you all cleaned up the courtyard and then another hour or so to get everything back in order. All in all, it seemed like things had ended on a good note.

----

The festivities made the last few of your days feel rather light and upbeat as you all put in your best efforts to finalize your preparations but time would not hold still. Eventually the day arrives and you all gathered for one last time in the Palace's largest meeting room.

"Today's the day." Xin Lan says as they adjust their new blades on their hips.

"If there's anything left undone then it's on your head. Now's the time to move forward." Tigress adds.

"I just hope we can put a stop to all this before anymore people get hurt. Or worse, we have to go to war." Ming says.

>What do you say? Any last words before you journey out of the country?
>Write in.

>>6086661
>We've prepared, we have trained, we are purpose filled and ready. Hang on Renshu we're coming.

Between the 4 of us we have covered our goals and aims.
Bid farewell to Luo and Father and the Palace, then start running.

Next time we come back will be as a fugative yet again. Ah, history and it's cycles.

>>6086661
>"You know, I was hoping you would have had more of a reaction to Shenlong's Wife being incarnated in the mortal realm, Tigress. Perhaps you're getting too used to our group's shenanigans..."

>>6086962
Would you have told Tigress about it all? Though being honest, that was a flub on my part. I was kind of trying to wrap up the bigger things I kinda forgot about Tigress. Still, I do kinda like the idea of her just becoming acclimated to the crazy shenanigans the big guy tends to bring along. I mean the last time she saw Ming, she was still basically a normal civilian traveling with a murderer. All of a sudden she's got an athlete's body, albeit one with an frighteningly slow amount of body fat, and more importantly holding an entire city's survival on her own shoulders.

Tai Lung's coma may have had many consequences but this was probably one of the best ones to happen. A trial by fire and boy did Ming rise to the occasion despite the rough start.

>>6087305
Honestly?
The reaction probably went like

Tigress: who is the unconsious woman. Give me an excuse.
>tl: So this is Bao, Shenlongs wife
Tigress: the wife of the Dragon of wind. A god.
>Tl: Yes.
Tigress: you're trying to be funny, or you're telling the truth. I hate both.
>TL: She is a good friend.
Tigress exits, flipping out TL.

I mean we claimed plenty of shit. She probably believes us and just hates the increasingly high tier bullshit we get involved in.

>>6087469
Sounds about right. Now I'm wondering how everyone will react to all the snow when the loveable big guy is the only one who will probably not feel it as much. He is a [i]snow[/i] leopard after all. I wonder how well bunnies handle the snow.

>>6087937
Well they probably don't do too badly. Xins white fur implies a descendent of a snow rabbit, and the north of Japan is covered in ice so it's not inconceivable for them to have trained in extreme colds.

On the other hand however, they will absolutely use this excuse to climb into Tl's shirt and refuse to come out for anything less than food.

>>6088578
You're right but I have to pose a question. Is that before or after Xin decides to use their new found natural camouflage to hide and hurl snow balls at the back of TL, Ming, and Tigress's heads?
>>6086962
>>6087469
No grand speeches this time. Writing.

>>6086941
Meant to count this post. My bad.

"So do I Ming. But we've prepared, we trained, and we know what we have to do." You say. "We have a few hours left before full sunrise. I say we take an hour to make sure we have everything ready and say our goodbyes. We'll meet back here after that and we move out." Everyone nods and you all split up to go take care of any loose ends. You didn't want to say it but everyone knew that this might be the last time in a very long while that you would ever see this place.

You don't have to think too hard and thanks to your training you legs are already taking you to where you wanted to go before you even fully decided on it. The palace had a lonely quiet hanging around it almost as if the buildings themselves were going to be empty once more. Having seen a number of feasts and gatherings in the last few months commemorating one thing or another, there was almost a melancholy to them as the smallest rays of sun were illuminating them in the fading dusk. You wonder if the palace always feels like this. You doubt that there were many social gatherings before you broke out of prison. The Five certainly didn't feel like the kind of group to bend the rules and bring friends over. Or perhaps that was just your ego thinking for you.

https://youtu.be/8GV7bzn5QoY?si=gIp6zevCLmGS6fPo

You find your father meditating in his usual spot. For over 40 years, he would come here to sit down and meditate and you wonder if this could even be called a habit now. No one would ever dare interrupt his quiet time except for you. Even as a child you had a blatant disregard for what was supposed to be his time for self reflection. Perhaps it was the first few signs of what you would become. You sit yourself down right next to the red panda and speak openly. "We leave in an hour. I wanted to come see you off since you probably wouldn't. Something about not wanting to burden one another or maybe something about not knowing what to say. I don't know." You chuckle with mock arrogance. You lean back and cast your gaze over the valley behind the palace. "It's been quite the time, you know. Coming back here and walking around the palace again. Fate has a strange way of pulling things together..."

"Oogway always did say one often meets his destiny on his way to avoid it." Your father says quietly.

"I'm not sure I'm on good terms with destiny. I always seemed to rail against it and that stubbornness is starting to rub off on the others." You rebuke gently.

"Yes, it's an argument I've always had with him. But no matter what we do...a peach will always grow to be a peach." Your father admits.

"That is because the peach only wishes to be a peach. No matter how much effort we exert, one's destiny can only be defied if that person puts the effort to do so." You give your father a sly glance. "You're not winning this one. I have 2 years and 2 bunnies worth of experience arguing and debating philosophy. I'll bring the other one along next time. I think you'd hate them together. They're as slippery as they come." You laugh. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if it's Ming keeping them in line."

"You're laughing. You're being banished from your home to fight some unspeakable evil and you're laughing." Shifu says with a mixture of confusion and awe.

"When you've been through what I have in these scant few years...things seem so small. Dragons, Gods, death...home no longer feels tied to a patch of land. More tied to the people I care about. Magic powers, unlimited techniques all are inconsequential if I don't have anyone to use them for." You idly pull up some grass beside you and let the winds carry it away. "I've become weightless...Like all the burdens I carried throughout my life have been left behind. I now carry new ones but those bear no power over me because I have those around me to share the weight. As I pass down my experience, as I see them grow, the burdens we can carry grow as well."

Shifu looks at you for a moment, his eyes full of wonder. He scoffs quietly and smiles, "How long has it been since you finally surpassed me?"

"I wouldn't know but it also doesn't really matter does it?" You ask. "I think it was a long time coming that I came to grow up. Now I have my own to look after and worry about. If anything, I think I'm just starting."

"It just seems like just as I finally see you realize your real potential, you're being taken away again." Shifu says.

"I should have realized it long ago. I'm a failure of a student. It only took me nearly losing everything to start actually learning and even then I still chose to run away." You say. "But...you still have the Dragon Warrior to look after. His journey has only just begun. He'll need much more guidance than me and fortunately for you, he'll actually listen." You stand up and stretch a bit. "But I think we're getting off track like a couple of old men. I was supposed to say goodbye and here we are waxing philosophy and treading old grounds. At this rate Xin will never let me hear the end of it."

"Thats it?" Shifu says scrambling to his feet. "Just a simple goodbye?"

You give your father a smile, "Of course not."

>How do you want to say goodbye to dad?
>Write in.

>>6090174
Luo you had no right to put this much feels in the fucking writing. And this damned music, I've had my eyes watering for half an hour.

>"You're laughing. You're being banished from your home to fight some unspeakable evil and you're laughing." Shifu says with a mixture of confusion and awe.

BFDWFQFJDSFJVDFND


>Hug Sifu gently, then carve our name and his into the stone floor, fairly deep.
>"I'm like my friend I suppose, always vanishing with the wind. But while either of us is still here, we'll remain so forever. I told you, Home is who I care for and who cares for me."

I think Sifu has met Renshu, but if not we can throw in the line
"And when it's done, maybe I can show you all of my home, together at last."

>>6090377
You flatter me anon. I just look for nice music that I feel fits the mood. Glad to hear you enjoy it.

Shifu has met the others, but never in the sense where everyone sat down and had a meal or socialized beyond "This is my family dad. They mean everything to me. So what do we do about the thing that's trying to kill us at the moment?"

But here it was more of a half joke/half assurance that we will come back and there will be another time where everyone can celebrate and relax together once more. Also a bit of a nod towards maybe introducing Renshu as TL's partner instead of just family.

>>6090553
It's just. He's finally become a wandering sage, and aim not quite sure when we did, just that our rage is gone our knowledge of self is set, our search for enlightenment is- well never over but we have reached a comfortable stage with it.

Just that bit about burdens holding no power because no matter how heavy it is, the weight is divided and it's easy to bear. When we get Renshu back it'll all be perfect.

File: 1_cehPGXVnA6DJujCuG842rA.gif (3.96 MB, 728x402)

3.96 MB GIF

You grab a nearby rock and crush it in your hand. Grabbing the sharpest shard you dig it into the stone floor and carve into you. Your name, Shifu's, Xin Lan's, Ming's, Bao's, Shenlong's, and even Tigress's before tossing aside the worn down rock. "I'm like my friend I suppose. Always vanishing like that wind." You say before pulling your father into a tight hug. "But while either of us are still here, we'll always be home. Like I said, home is who I care for and who cares for me." Shifu stiffens for a moment before he wraps his arms around you as tightly as he can.

"Be safe my son. Come home again." He whispers. You feel something dampen your shirt but you think nothing of it. It must be some morning dew.

"I will father." You reply as you feel your face dampen as well. You pull back after a while and give Shifu a smile. "After all, I still have one name left to carve and I'd rather do it with him here." You father gives you a bemused look.

"We could have simply written the names on a scroll or perhaps had a tapestry made." Your father says and you shrug.

"I don't think it's quite a visit if something didn't get vandalized while I was here. Usually things don't end this calmly." You joke. "Think of it as making up for lost time as a child. I'm sure most kids have carved their names into something that they shouldn't have." You pat your father on the back. "I should be going. I can't keep the others waiting." You say.

"I wish I could simply part ways so nonchalantly." Shifu replies as he tries to cough something down. "Go well, my son."

---

Luo was just as easily found as your father. In the days after his arrival, he had made the Palace's records room his own little study. More or less a small library, the room served to house any important documents as well and any tomes or books of martial arts. One wasn't going to find much beyond that but you seem to recall seeing an old historical scroll here and there growing up. In fact, you were a bit surprised that the Palace wasn't one of the few repositories that contained the royal family's secrets much like the first town that you had found burned down. Perhaps Oogway had some hand in that or perhaps it was simply too obvious a target.

You find the old goat leaning back on his chair surrounded by more paper that you think you've ever seen in your life. Even Ming's piles didn't rival that amount of paper you saw here. There were pillars scattered about, books open and stacked with dozens of small book marks poking out. Littered throughout the room were empty bottles of ink, used brushes, and various other writing implements. You wonder how the old man even managed to find so much of it and even then found a way to get anything else into the room such as the hot cup of tea in his hands. He leans back farther causing the chair to threaten to topple over and blows the steam away from his cup. "Reminds me of my younger years..." He says contently.

You knock politely on the doorway and the sound seems to absorbed by all the paper in the room but it seems to be enough to get the old goat's attention. "Ah Tai Lung! Come in, my boy. I was just taking a small break from my research. Without a doubt, you've given me the story of a lifetime. Or at least the second one." Luo says as they wave you in. You slowly make your way through the room to reach him.

"I've come to say my farewells." You say, trying not to knock over anything. "Today is the day we leave."

"Ahh...so the time has come." The old goat says standing up. You think you can hear his old bones groan as he rights himself and begins to make his way towards you as well. "It seems like trouble is not far from you...or so most people would think. I think it's more of history repeating itself."

"What makes you say that? It's been generations since our last war." You ask.

"Exactly. It's been long enough for those in power back in the day to have long passed, and long enough for people to have grown up in peace and forgotten what war is like. The usual conditions for someone to think they have a chance at playing conqueror." Luo elaborates. He grabs a handful of papers and reads over them for a moment. "Things like this is all too common though usually on a smaller scale. Bandits think they can be the next big thing and try to take over a town. Guards get complacent and let things go south in a city. As sad as it is, it's a by product of peace. People who never experienced losing their loved ones in senseless violence. Of course by people I mean people as a whole."

"I've...never heard you speak like this before." You say. Luo sets his cup aside and looks out a nearby window.

"I'm a storyteller. It's a tale I've heard a thousand times over and written just as many times. Much like a doctor who knows the many ways a person can die, I prefer to look at the better parts of the tale of life." He admits. "Of course, it's easy to lose oneself to all the gloom and forget that even in the darkest hours of our history we had heroes step forward to bring back the light. Heroes much like you and your friends." He says with a wise smile. "Selfless men and women who rose above and beyond the call of duty to save those around them. Though you are leaving our country, never forget that heroism goes beyond spoken language. To them you might be a stranger, one they can't even understand, but they will understand that you saved them and they will respond in kind. You have become the best of us and I believe you're our best hope to prevent an all our war."

"Thank you." You say with a bow. "You were probably the first to ever believe I could change. It's because of you that I'm standing here today."

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270 KB JPG

"What I did was just a small thing. The real work was all yours. All I did was merely show you the choice was there. Just like I'm sure you've done to others." Luo says. "But I'm taking up too much of your time. I'm certain you don't want to spend a whole day here talking to an old man like me. Now when you have so much do to! Just remember to tell me all the stories you've heard when you get back!" The old goat gives you a pat on the back and makes his way back to his mess of papers. "At this rate, I might be halfway done with my book when you return." He laughs and you leave him to his work.

---
You arrive to the meeting spot to find that you're the first to come back. That or Xin Lan was hiding somewhere nearby. You weren't entirely sure who'd they go visit to say goodbye other than perhaps sneaking in some breakfast. The thought did weigh on you slightly but you suppose that there was no forcing the bunny to socialize if they didn't want to. They seemed comfortable with their own social circle and weren't hurting anyone so that was enough to put you somewhat at ease.

Next to arrive was Ming wearing what looked like to be her old outfit but the top seemed to be a blend of her old exarch robes, traditional Chinese shirts, and those commonly worn by the people of the library. She notices you eyeing her and blushes. "They gave it to me when I went to say goodbye. I couldn't really say no..." She admits. "Besides...I meant it when I said I felt like I was one of them. They're a part of me as much as my medicine."

"I cannot argue with that." You say. "You all are as much a part of me as my fighting. I don't know if I could imagine a life otherwise."

"Well I'm sure you'd still be running headlong into trouble without thinking about anything." Ming assures you. "Knowing Xin, they'd still be there to encourage all your bad ideas."

"That doesn't sound as fun without you scolding us. Besides, who would feed us? Have you tasted Xin's cooking? It's only slightly better than mine." You chuckle.

"So I'm just here to feed you lot? Thank. Here I was thinking I was a valuable member of your gang." Ming says giving you a playful shove. You reach out to pat Ming's head.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. If we only had a doctor then we'd be prepared for anything." You smirk. "Maybe Xin could learn."

"Oh you're terrible! Absolutely terrible!" Ming laughs as she bats away your hand and tries to pull at one of your ears. "I swear, you got this from Xin. Or maybe Xin got it from you but the two of you are the worst. I'll have grey hairs by the time we get back." She claims and then covers your mouth. "Don't you start. I know that look. I'm going, ok? Someone needs to patch you up after your next dumb idea otherwise none of us will make it back home. Besides, I didn't spend the last two months learning Mongolian to let it gather dust in my head."

"I wasn't going to say that." You say with amusement. "I was going to say how much we couldn't do this without you. I'm glad you're with us."

"I'm glad you're with us too." Ming says as she takes a seat on a nearby step. "You know...I don't think I could ever imagine life without meeting you and it's only been about 3 years." She sighs, "I'd still be bored and running the shop."

"Would you have been happier?" You ask. "It's not my right to say if a person is happier or better off after coming into contact with me."

"Happy? Maybe. Content? Probably. But what is that compared to the wealth of experience I've had traveling with you? Could I truly have been happy if I never realized that I could be become this? Would you have been happy not knowing us?" Ming asks.

"That's...not really the same. I could never have been happy without any of you. I was a bad person. You all helped me become better. Happy." You counter.

"And I was content in ignorance. Happy with just the little I would have learned in that shop. Content with the world passing around me. Never thinking of pushing myself or improving. Just...existing in stagnation." Ming says. "You all helped me become a better person and I believe that my change is no less valid than yours." You take a seat next to Ming. The two of you watch the steps for a while saying nothing and enjoying the cool morning breeze.

>What do you say?
>Say that you believe Ming would have improved without your input. She's smart and would have noticed she wasn't learning anything.
>Say that she's right. As much hardship the two of you have been through, neither of you would be where you were if you hadn't traveled together.
>Ask her about something you never actually thought about. Why did she follow you? You were a murderer and not exactly the most approachable at the time. What actually convinced her.
>Write in.

>>6092443
>Hardship is a crucible and determination to continue is a fuel. I'm just glad we could all do it together.
>I'm curious, why did you stick out the first few days. I was hardly pleasant, and your bedside manner hadn't been torn away with exposure to Xin and I yet.

"Hardship is a crucible and determination to continue is a fuel. I'm just glad we could all do it together." You say. Ming squeezes your hand gently.

"Me too." She says with a smile.

"I am curious though, why did you come with us? I wasn't what you would call approachable and mercifully, it doesn't seem like my and Xin's habits have rubbed off on you." You ask. Ming thinks for a moment and you wonder if she knew herself.

"I don't know." She says. "I think...I think when we all had to work together to stop that bat something changed. I saw how my cozy little life was just that. Small. There were three super powerful figures fighting all throughout the city and I somehow got pulled into help. Then you promised me to show me more. I guess I was afraid of going back to a normal boring life. I didn't really comprehend how crazy things would get afterwards. Also, at that moment I think I saw part of that good man you were going to become."

You cough and feel your face grow warm. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm still the tough and mysterious man I've always been." You say. Ming giggles. The two of you sit on the steps for a while enjoying the quiet for a moment before the doors to the jade palace are open and Xin Lan walks through them. "That's far more obvious than what we're used to. What's the occasion?" You ask. Xin Lan shrugs.

"I can use doors." They say and hop onto Ming's lap. "So are you two done saying goodbye?"

"Yeah. We were just talking about when we all met." Ming says as they wrap their arms around the rabbit. "What'd made you want to hang around us?" She asks.

"I stole a lot of money. The big guy was offering a getaway so that's why I tagged along." They say bluntly. Ming gives them an incredulous look. "It's the truth. You think I had feelings back then? The heat was gonna drop on me like a ton of bricks and I wasn't going to stick around for that. Didn't matter that he threatened to kill me. Besides, I'd had heard worse."

"Yes but..." Ming stammers. "You stuck around anyways. So it can't be completely true!"

"I dunno. The big guy died...and then he didn't." They say. "Dunno why I decided to stick around for longer. Guess I felt something more after that. Then we found Stripes and he threatened to kill the big guy and then we fought. Honestly, we make a lot of threats for family." They admit. Ming throws her hands in the air and gives up.

"Well I'm glad you stuck around you little terror." She says hugging them tightly.

"Yeah. Me too." They say.

Bao arrives next now dress is simple travel robes and eating a cookie. "I had breakfast." She says as she reaches you. "I don't have anyone to say goodbye to."

"So all that's missing is Tigress." You say as you stand up to give Bao a place to sit.

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"I'm here." Tigress says as she makes her way towards you all. "I was wondering who was in the kitchen. Figured it was the rabbit."

"Hey!"

"I asked for permission though I guess technically everything is mine due to divine right." Bao says. Xin Lan snickers and gives Tigress a snide grin. If Tigress was annoyed she made no indication of it.

"If you were hungry, we could have made you something to eat. You didn't need to get into Monkey's snack stash." She says.

"No thank you. I just wanted something sweet. Although I wasn't aware they belonged to someone. I just figured they got lost among all the food." Bao says.

"You know, you're taking the fact that Bao is Shenlong's wife rather well. I was kind of hoping for more of a reaction. Perhaps you're getting too used to our group's shenanigans." You tease. Tigress huffs.

"Unlike you, I know better than to ogle at someone like some kind of source of entertainment." She dismisses. You give her a shrug.

"It wouldn't hurt you to be a bit more open. We won't judge." You say but you get no response from Tigress. "Well it seems like we're all set to go-" You're interrupted by the sounds of running coming from the stairs leading into the village. From the sound of it, they're small and light. Far too much for it to be a small adult so it could only be a child. A wolf child stumbles through the doors, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"Teach! Teach!" He shouts with eyes closed before opening them and noticing you were right in front of him.

"Hey. I'm right here." You say jogging over to the child. "What's going on? It's way too early for you to be up." The boy gulps down large lungful's of air before he speaks up.

"You're leaving! That's what!" He shouts, hands balled up into small fists. "I had to say goodbye!" Tseten rights themselves and tries to stand as tall as they could. "I'm gonna be the best Kung Fu master ever! Just as good as you! I'm going to work hard every day with Master Shifu and get really strong! I-I'll make sure that no one ever does something bad like at the library again! I...I promise! I'll be just like you teacher!" They announce as their nose dribbles and they try to hold back tears. Ming and Xin Lan give the two of you a smile.

>What do you say?
>Write in.

>>6097446
You are cruel Luo.

>You'll be better than me, wiser for all the mistakes and misfortune you have seen. You've a strong heart and a determined mind Tseten. I'm proud to call you a student, and next time I see you, perhaps I'll have to call you Master Wolf.

>Learn well, Live well, Ha!, Love the world with open arms. Until next time Kiddo.

I can't think of a better message to leave him with. Encourage him to be better, give him a bit of well earned advice, and show that we aren't so sad about leaving because it's not really an end. Its simply until next time.

For some reason, all I can think of is "fight little wolf, Fight"

>>6097843
I feel like TL has earned inspiring someone to follow in his Heroic footsteps. Might not be passing the torch just yet but maybe setting up the next generation...err generation after the next? I guess he did inspire the creation of the Five in a fashion.

Either way, TL has spread the embers of hope and one has burned brightly.

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You chuckle and ruffle the kid's ears. "That's right. You'll be better than me and you're wiser for all you've been through. You've got a strong heart and determined mind Tseten. I'm proud to call you my student. Next time we meet, you might even have the title of Master. Just don't expect my father to hand it out easily." You motion to the others and begin to make your way out of the Jade Palace for the last time. You raise your arm in farewell before looking over your shoulder and giving the small pup a grin. "Learn well, Live well! Ha! Love the world with open arms! Until next time, kiddo."

"Bye! I'll never forget you teach!" Tseten shouts as they fight to hold back the streams of tears running down their face and wave their arm frantically. You lift Bao into your arms and all four of your leap off the side of the mountain to begin your run towards the north vanishing in an instant in the young boy's eyes.

"You couldn't help yourself could you?" Xin Lan smirks as flip off a tree branch and swing on the next. "Had to do the whole cool teacher thing."

"It's better this way." You say. "Best that his last memories of us are nice ones rather than him seeing what we're really like in a fight. That lesson he can learn when he's older."

"You have something on your face Tai Lung." Bao as she wipes the dampness from under your eyes with her thumb.

"He's in good hands at least." Ming says. "If anyone can help continue his education it'd be the same man who taught you. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a fine martial artist."

"I have faith that he will." You say. "The boy has a good heart. If he listens to it then he'll be on the right path."

"...If he's half the man he thinks you to be then Master Shifu will have no issue making him into a real Kung Fu master." Tigress says after a short while. You choose to interpret that remark as a compliment.

"Then China will be in good hands while we're away." You surmise. "From now on, our focus on on the north. It'll be the last mistake they'll ever make. No doubt Renshu is working on things over on his end but we better make haste. I'm sure he'll appreciate the extra hands."

"To the frozen north then!" Xin Lan shouts and they pick up speed.

"Not so fast Xin! We should pace ourselves just in case we run into trouble!" Ming shouts as she runs after them.

"For once, the rabbit speaks the truth. The sooner we finish this the better." Tigress mutters and dashes past you. Bao clings to you and smiles, her glowing eyes giving off an aura of amusement.

"You have a very interesting family Tai Lung." She says. "I look forward to traveling with you."

"Speak for yourself. You're part of it." You say with a chuckle and you rush forward to catch up with the others.

----

>Somewhere in the frozen north.

"You know, if it was anyone else they' would be seen as insane to discard a weapon like that. Better to give it to someone else than waste the resources." The large white bear says as they watch you bury your sword with curiosity. You unsheathe the katana one last time and look over it's fine edge before throwing it into the hole you made. It can rust and rot in there along with everything else it carried with it.

"Yes but many people would also think it insane to think I could change." You say as you begin to kick the snow back over it. "Be he does and I'm tired of running away. Tired of being a failure and taking the easy way out." The large bear gives you a confused look. "We did things not because they were the easy way out but because they were the right ones. I'm sure the little one has long since figured it out as well. Now I'm just perpetuating being a failure of an older brother." This doesn't seem to help the man understand you any better but it didn't really matter. This was more for you than it was for anyone else. "The man I used to be is dead and buried and that's where it'll remain. No more killing."

"But what about your vow? What about the enemy?" Aleskander asks and your ear twitches as you hear a branch snap behind you. You give the large bear a smirk.

"I said no more killing not fighting. Let them come." You say as a group of armed men approach the two of you. They wore bulkier clothing and lighter armor to help with the cold unlike those who had come before them. They were learning. "I'll will the wall to protect those who cannot defend themselves. Let those who want to do harm break themselves upon me." You say as your crack your knuckles. You motion the invaders to come. "You still have time to leave! This does not need to your destiny." You shout. "For those who do not then come! At least try and give me a challenge. I need the practice!"

>Return to the Valley of Peace Arc. End.

>>6099063
We had to be the cool teachers Xin. There are laws about this!

I wonder if "let them come, They/the evils of the world will break upon me/us" is repeated enough to be a motief by this point or if it is a catch phrase.

Anyway thanks Luo, I and the Lurkers who I shall shamelessly speak for enjoyed that brief calm and quiet. The war in the north is boundless going to be more frantic.

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"I HATE THE SAND!" Xin Lan shouts and they leap upon your back to bury their face in your neck. "Big guy! Carry me!" They plead. You sigh and flick them in the back of the head with your tail. The small rabbit lets out a huff and they let go to continue walking miserably through the sand. Whatever books Ming had read did not do the land justice. An ocean of sand with no end and not a tree in sight. In the first few days your mind struggled to come to terms with it. You always half expected trees or a field of grass just over the next hill of sand or more urgently, a river. The thought of running out of something to drink had never crossed your mind and now you found yourself having to ration water with the others. You weren't sure which was worse the thought of never seeing water again or the idea of being stranded on a boat an unlimited source of undrinkable water. If that wasn't bad enough, the lack of landmarks made travel all but impossible. There had been more than one occasion where you thought you were traveling in a straight line only to find out hours later that you had veered horribly off course.

But neither were quite as dangerous as the temperature itself. The land seemed hell bent on killing you as it changed it's temperature on a whim. One day it could be below freezing forcing you all to thaw out what little reserves of water you had to drink and by the end of the day you all were struggling to continue on the intense heat of the sun. You recall the something similar the first time you climbed the mountain the Sacred Library was on but that paled in comparison. Regardless of how hot or cold it was, you would all end up losing a bit of water due to evaporation.

Your only saving grace was Ming. Every night she would look up at the stars and realign your course. Every day she would somehow manage to cook a decent meal with only the barest amount of water. You all made sure to drink up all the broth to try and preserve as much liquid as you could and yet every morning you all work up refreshed. It was almost supernatural how she managed to keep you all alive. Occasionally, she would make you walk back a bit or in a completely different direction for a day or so but you all continued on without any real complaint because it only meant one thing. An oasis. Every few days you would be led to these small patches of water where you all would restock on water and have an actual day of rest. You would often seen signs of people being here before. A burned out campfire, an article of clothing that was forgotten, or rarely a tool but never the people who they once belonged to. You had no doubt that eventually you would run into one of the natives of this land but you had no idea how the interaction would go.

Such a place was your current destination. You had very little water left and if you couldn't find it soon then things were going to get dire. However, Ming hadn't failed to lead you yet so you were all still hopeful that the next rest stop would be nearby. "Hold up." Xin Lan says as they slow to a stop.

"Xin, we can't stop to eat just yet. It's going to get hot soon and we can't risk building a fire in that kind of heat." Ming says.

"No. I see something." They say in a serious tone and you and Ming come to a halt. The two of you had learned long ago to trust your bunnies' senses.

"What is it?" You ask as you walk up next to them as they knelt on the ground. Xin Lan runs their hands on the sand for a moment as they squint their eyes.

"Tracks." They say as their fingers trace a faint shape in the sand. To you it simply looked like the natural curves and patterns you've become accustomed in the desert but you strain your eyes a bit more and soon notice that there are many more of the same kind of shape quickly fading away in the sand. Given how quickly your own footprints were swept away by the desert the fact you could see some only meant that they were fairly recent. Unfortunately, you were too far out of your element to tell how old they were.

"Tracks? I don't see anything." Ming says as she approaches but nonetheless asks, "How old do you think they are?"

"I can't tell." You admit. "But they have to be somewhat recent."

"How far are we from the next watering hole?" Xin Lan asks.

"We should be coming up to it within the day?" Ming asks as she pulls out a worn scroll. "This map says so at least but I can try and consult a few of the others."

"Then it should be right." Xin Lan says. "However, it means that more than likely we're going to run into some people."

"They could be the enemy." Tigress says.

"Or they could be regular travelers." Ming adds. "They could have information for us."

>What do you say?
>Continue on. You need the water. Whoever you run into, you'll deal with it.
>Tell everyone to hang back. You can afford to wait a day or two. It'd be best to remain unknown for now. Give whoever is ahead of you some time to leave.
>Ask if there's somewhere else close by that you can resupply. Maybe you can skip this oasis.
>Write in.

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>>6099072
N-no pressure right?

>>6099089
>Continue, These travellers might be friendly. But even if they aren't, it's rare to find a wit which can figure out our purpose quickly.

>>6099092
Cease using sheep style, Panic deflection!
I think we just had a talk about burdens and the weightlessness they carry.

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"We'll continue onwards. I doubt anyone will know our true intentions just by seeing us. We need the water in any case. It'd be a bad idea to try and stretch our limited supplies in a land we're unfamiliar with. Even if we run into someone we could turn it to our advantage. Let's keep moving before we have to set camp again." You say and continue onwards.

As Ming predicted, it wasn't until two days later that you finally came across the next oasis. Water was not the foremost thing in your mind however. Almost as strange as a sea of sand was the fact that said sand was receding. What you had thought to be endless was now giving away to a rocky terrain and one which had signs of vegetation. You still had to wonder, in a land where the heat and cold could rapidly change, could such a thing occur with the terrain as well? Was this stretch of land simply a mere respite before the land became in hospitable once again? Or would this new terrain bring about it's own dangers? Nonetheless, the change was welcome for the moment. "Finally! It's over!" Xin Lan shouts in exhaustion. "I hate the ocean. I hate the desert. Why can't we all just live in the nice forests? Or maybe in a nice hillside?"

"You know, my brother in law probably wouldn't like to hear about your disdain towards his realm." Bao muses quietly, prompting Xin Lan to sidle up against you and glare at her.

"Oceans are evil." They mutter.

"Alright. Let's all calm down." You say. "We'll make camp neat the lake and rest for a bit. The journey has been difficult for all of us."

"There's people there." Ming says as she looks out into the horizon as she shields her eyes from the sun. You turned a trained eye towards your destination and sure enough you see a group of people there. You see strange round buildings where people come in and out of but you don't recall such things in your previous stops. Perhaps this was some kind of village? It would make sense given the inhospitable nature of the desert that this place would be far more suitable for a village to be built even if the land seemed rather bad for growing crops.

"We won't find out anything from this distance." You say. "Let's go and get some water." You and your friends make your approach to the body of water nearby, albeit more cautiously than you would have liked. As you come closer you note that the buildings seemed to be made of cloth rather than wood or stone. It dawns on you that it would have to be so due to the fact you've not seen any trees and though you were no mason, you did not think there would be much stone suitable for building here either. You see more people coming out of these buildings and begin to look at you making you feel a lot more self conscious than you would have anticipated. There was something about being a stranger here rather than a stranger at home that put you on edge. They were an unknown, their motives and reactions both. You did not know if it was customary to attack on sight or to run. Were they all wary of strangers or was it obvious you didn't belong? Worst of all you had no means of communicating with them to find out. If you spoke that you came in peace would they think you were threatening them? You find yourself tensing up slightly at the thought. You push these ideas out of your head and simply walk to the other end of the body of water. At this distance, you could show that you meant no threat. Still, you could not stop feeling their eyes on you.

---

You make camp without any trouble and even make a small fire to keep yourselves warm in the chill. Despite the fact it that it was just starting to be sunset it felt as if you were in the middle of a cold night. Far too cold for a regular Chinese night this time of year at least. By now most of the Mongolians had gone back to their usual routine though every so often you'd note the men of the group stop and keep an eye on you for a moment before continuing. You hear words being spoken in hushed whispers but your mind could make no sense of them and you doubt they could even fathom that you could hear them clearly from this distance. Unfortunately, Ming could not hear them and thus could not translate for you but thankfully their tones seemed more curious and anxious rather than anything that would indicate malice. Its seems they were more afraid of you than you could be of them and there was a tense peace between both groups.

>What do you do?
>Keep to yourselves. Better to not rock the boat. Just rest up and move on.
>Send Ming to go talk to the group. Maybe you can get some information (What do you ask?)
>Send Xin in to sneak around and poke about people's things. You could learn something about them from their belongings.
>Write in.

>>6102364
>Send Ming to talk to them, asking if there is any trade settlements to the north?

Nearby sources of trade are the hallmarks of civilisation. And information pooling pits.

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"Maybe we should let them know we mean them no harm." You say as you turn to Ming. "Could you go talk to them? We might be able to learn more about what's going on." Ming nods and dusts herself off as she stands up.

"Sure. Let's hope my studying paid off." She says and starts her walk around the small lake leaving you and the others alone with a pot of soup on the fire.

"So...which one of you guys knows how to cook?" Xin Lan asks as they eye the cooking food nervously. You quietly scoot away from the food in response...as does Tigress. Bao looks at the three of you curiously. Xin Lan quietly pokes at the fires with a stick. "I guess...I can watch it." They say and turn to face Bao. "Can't you speak Mongolian? Don't you have some kind of magic?"

"Being able to understand all people was one of the many gifts I had to leave behind. As I am now, all I can speak is what I was able to as a girl. So only Chinese." She says pulling her legs close and resting her chin on her knees. "What about you? You aren't Chinese." Xin Lan makes a sour face.

"No. I only know Chinese. That's all I ever needed to know. My brother is the one who knew how to speak more than one language." They say and throw their stick into the flames. "Besides, we had no reason to deal with Mongolians. They had nothing to offer us. Anyways, technically the big guy isn't Chinese anymore either." They deflect in an attempt to bring you into the conversation but you don't respond as you were busy looking at Ming. As before, you couldn't understand a word coming out of either group but it seemed like they could understand one another. Ming's speech was heavily accented compared to the others but it seemed to flow smoothly enough. At the very least, you could see that the others were somewhat surprised at the stranger's ability to communicate with them. Despite their caution, their tone and posture seemed to relax a bit. While it seems like their responses were a bit short and perhaps a bit curt, it seemed like it was more out of the aforementioned surprise and caution rather than any animosity. You think that Ming's experience as a leader was helping her approach and speak with strangers.

Ming pulls out one of the many maps she copied and proceeds to show it to one of the older residents. They lean closer and seem to be discussing something regarding it but you sense something is off. Trusting your instincts you look past them all and into the horizon to see another group of natives approaching. With honed senses, you squint and note that everyone in the group was armed with sharp curved blades and spears. Some even had bows slung on their backs. They were lightly armored however, which was perfect for traveling in these kinds of conditions. Still, these didn't seems like average travelers. While it was common for people traveling in China to have something to protect themselves, you think that this kind of weaponry was excessive for common travelers.

It takes a few minutes before the people across the lake to note the approaching group and they all seem to tense up again. Clearly this was not a welcome sight. They say something and make motions that indicate they want to stop talking to Ming as others timidly either head back to into their homes or stand around. As far as you can tell, they didn't have anyone you'd call a warrior.

>What do you do?
>Tell the others to get ready. There's probably going to make trouble.
>Either go yourself or send one more person to meet up with Ming. Two people should be enough to handle any problems.
>Call Ming back. You can try and wait this out. The natives would have a better time handling this than you can. Maybe keeping your head low is the best choice.
>Write in.

>>6105493
>Pull ming back, but have Xin hide close by to observe. Anything shy of a death, we'll just have to let happen to spare them a reprisal attack. But we can always deal with them in vigilantee style later.

My thought is that if we let them be, then they will be able to see us or avoid us as they wish, but Xin can act as a safety net for the villagers. Given we have a great issue in letting things just. . go.

"Heads up. I think we have trouble coming." You say. "Xin. Go tell Ming to come back and keep an eye on the situation. Don't intervene unless you suspect they're aiming to kill. We don't know what's going on but we don't want to risk some kind of retribution against these people for our meddling."

"Those guys don't seem like they're the type to pull their punches." Xin Lan says as they leap over the fire and run across the surface of the water to get to Ming. By the time they reach the other side, several of the men have gathered outside to meet the new strangers. They weapons they had at their sides could barely be considered a tool for self defense let alone one of war. Perhaps they would be enough to discourage a confrontation for another similar group but you doubt it would help much in the face of the arsenal approaching. You strain your ears to listen as you see Xin Lan pull at Ming's sleeve.

"Time to go. Big guy says it's my turn to tag in."

"What? No. I'm staying here in case something happens."

"Precisely the point. I'm here to keep the peace if our visitors intend to take things to the extreme but other than that we're supposed to keep our heads down."

"I can understand them and you can't."

"And violence is a universal language. I'll be fine. Now go. Trust me."

Ming looks less than pleased but they quickly begin to make their way around the lake. Xin Lan quickly dips behind one of the buildings and vanishes from sight. You suspect you're going to get an earful soon but you'll deal with that later.

It doesn't take long before the two groups come face to face with one another. An older man who you suspect to be the elder or leader of this village steps forward to speak. He tries to sound stern but you can see fear in his eyes and body. Words are exchanged between him and one of the armed men but it seems that any threats made fail to have any effect. The armed man's words are forceful and demanding causing the other men of the village to look among themselves and whisper. The village's mayor makes a pleading remark but it doesn't matter what was being said. You knew an extortion when you saw one. The village leader once again attempts to stand his ground perhaps refuting the demands or attempting to haggle but this only serves to anger the other man. The armed man draws himself to full height and in a quick motion drives his fist into the village leader. He falls clutching his face, blood running between his fingers from a broken nose. The assailant barks something out as he wipes his hand clean and draws his blade. He turns to face a younger man, one you think is barely in his twenties, and raises his arm to strike.

The armed man's head snaps to the side as Xin Lan flies through the air to drive their heels into his chin. A knife seemingly materializes in the knee of another armed man, a thin glint of a wire flashing in the light, before the rabbit bounces off it's target and drives another knife into the shoulder of a third man. Everyone else's mind finally seems to catch up as screams begin to fill the air just as the wire attached to the first knife is wrapped around Xin Lan's current target's neck.

The man flails as he switches between trying to remove the knife from his shoulder and the wire around his throat. The combination of this and the second man writhing in pain from the knife in his knee causes the wire to tighten. The three remaining men finally draw their weapons and move into attack. One reaches down to grab and nock an arrow but stops, his arm seemingly locked in place. He begins claw at his arm with his good hand and you can see three thin needles protruding from the joints, two in the shoulder and one in the elbow. Ming rushes out from behind one of the buildings with three more between her fingers as her other hand digs around her bag for more.

At this point, the strangled man begins to collapse causing Xin Lan to rip the knife free from the second man's knee and loosen the wire to get moving again. They flip through the air and grab the bowman's spear, spinning around and kicking him in the back of the head. The fifth man rushes forward and attempts to run Ming through with their own spear but she manages to step aside just as she draws another set of needles. She plunges one into the spearman's dominant elbow then expertly flicks two more with her off hand into his other elbow and knee. With a solid kick to the gut, the spearman falls down winded and unable to move anything but their right leg.

The last man doesn't have enough time to react before he is instantly taken down by one last handful of needles from Ming and having the back of his thighs cut by Xin Lan. In total, the fight took less than a minute and left 6 men wounded. To the villagers, it must have seemed as if their attackers suddenly collapsed.

"See? I had this handled." Xin Lan says as their blades seemingly dematerialized with a simple flourish.

"Right. Do you even know what happened?" Ming snaps back as she throws a handful of bandages at the bunny. "Make sure they don't bleed out. I'm going to tend to the elder."

"My cuts are good! The wounds just need bandages. They won't bleed out." Ming looks across the lake and shoots a glare at you. Xin Lan simply shrugs in response as you look at them. You sigh, and make a note to let Ming know that she might have experience but that fight was still above her skill level. She was going to have to temper her urge to help people with what she could actually do which was admittedly a bit hypocritical given that it was you who was doing the lecturing.

>What do you do?
>Gather the group and go across the lake. It seems like trouble was just in the cards today.
>Give Ming and Xin Lan some space. You don't want to scare the villagers by bringing the rest of your group.
>Head over yourself. You think it might be the right time to teach Ming a new lessons. Interrogation techniques.
>Write in.

>>6106669
>Head over self. Time to give interrogation lessons.
>After we get information from the enemy, we can interrogate the people living here using friendlier mehods

>>6107025
When life hits you, its hits hard. Where were we? Ah right, time for Ming to play the newly invented game of Good Guard and Tai Lung.

"I better go over there and keep an eye on things. Seems like trouble has reached out camp. Tigress your in charge of the food." You say. Tigress begins to protest but by then you had cleared the whole lake in a single bound. The villagers scramble backwards in fear but Ming shouts a few words that you think were meant to reassure them. You're unsure if they helped but at the very least they were keeping to themselves. "How bad is it?" You ask as you kneel necks to the village leader.

"It's broken but it'll heal properly if taken care off." Ming says tersely. You place a hand on Ming's shoulder.

"You did a good job. Even if you didn't listen to orders." You say gently. "But we're not done yet. Come on." Ming opens her mouth to say something and gives you a confused look, not expecting what you said and not fully comprehending what you mean with the second part. She stands up and follows you. You walk among the bodies and look over them with an professional eye.

"They're be ok." Ming says, now slightly nervous like a student before their teacher. "The cuts are deep but not fatal. They might not be able to move as well once they heal but at least they won't ever cause trouble again."

You don't say anything for a bit before you walk up to the only one left conscious, the bowmen with his limbs locked up by needles. He attempts to keep a hardened demeanor as the two of you approach, one nervous and the other stoic. The man shouts something at the two of you which you can guess are either more threats or perhaps some obscenities. It didn't matter, in fact, the language barrier served you rather well at this moment. "Now we're going to interrogate him." You say simply and motion to him. "Ask him if there's any more of his group left? If they're bandits, then this is a rather small group. For Chinese standards at least."

"Huh?" Ming's confusion deepens as she looks between you and the man.

"Ask him. I can't speak the language and if there's more of them that can come attack then we should be aware of it." You repeat simply. "He might tell us."

"R-right." Ming turns and says a few words to your captive. As expected, he maintains his stance and simply shouts something back. "He says he'd rather die than betray his brothers and that if we know who they are." She translates.

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You cross your arms on purpose. "Well that doesn't really help us. It's unfortunate he's not being cooperative." You say in disappointment. "Well I suppose this is teaching moment. For both you and him." You walk closer to them who, despite his best attempt to maintain composure, begins to attempt to back away with his one good leg. You simply lean down and grab it before dragging him slowly across the ground behind the buildings and out of sight. You then pull him off the ground and hold him upside down. He struggles to move but the strength of our grip and the fact that his other three limbs are locked up makes it impossible. "I'm sure you've read about interrogating someone in your books right? Ask him again, this time tell him that if he doesn't give us the information that I'll break this leg. You don't need to embellish it but it is the only good leg he has left at the moment."

"What?"

"I'll do it. Usually most people are already battered enough that they know what I'm like when I want to hurt someone. But this man? He got off rather easily for attempting to kill you and Xin." You say nonchalantly. "Really though, it's about making him know that his best interest is to give us what we want. That fact that he doesn't know what we're saying and your confusion only makes it seem that you, the one person who he can communicate with and the only person who can probably get him out of this mess, is losing control of the situation and that is a very bad sign indeed." You jostle the man about as you casually motion to him. "So just ask him again and let him know that I'll hurt him if he doesn't cooperate."

Ming gives you a concerned look. She probably wasn't used to speaking about violence in such a casual and off hand manner. That was more of Xin Lan's kind of view. Even so, she does as she's told. The archer looks between you and Ming with an expression that transcended language and nationality. The look of someone who had made a series of very bad life choices recently. You were sure that if he could the man would have been raising his hands in an attempt to seem passive or in a calming manner but his tone of voice was enough to know that he was telling Ming everything he knew. "He says that this is just his group's territory. His boss, and by extension the gang, have been getting paid to make sure that everyone knows to pay taxes for using this oasis."

"Taxes? Why not just keep the money? Why do they need to get paid? Ask him. You can skip the threatening. He gets the point." You say. Another round of discussion goes by.

"He says that the gang would need to be crazy to think of standing up to the Khan. Anyone who stands against him is just cut down. Most of the wild clans, that's what the bandits are called here, are extinct err, long gone. Those that remain were swallowed up into the main army. The lucky gangs get to rise up as an official company." Ming explains and quickly adds. "But he doesn't know who he reports too. Only the boss does and even then, they only their payments via messenger."

"I see. Did he tell you where we can find the rest of his clan?" You ask and Ming quickly speaks again. It was a bit awkward as you were holding the only functioning limb and Ming pulls out for the man to point out. There was a bit of back and forth as the two worked to find the fight location before Ming finally narrows it down and marks it.

"It's right here." She says showing you the map. You nod and drop the man.

"Good. I guess we're done here." You say and before the archer breathes a sigh of relief, you drop the nonchalant act and strike him across the face with the full fury of someone who's family was threatened. The man's head snaps to one side and he goes limp as he is knocked out instantly. "I don't know how Xin manages to keep it up." You says letting out a stressed exhale.

"TAI LUNG!" Ming shouts in exasperation. "He did as we asked!"

"And I kept my word. That was for threatening my family." You say as you lift him over your shoulder. "When he wakes ups, he'll know what true fear was like. Come on. We need to make sure the villagers are ok. Maybe they can explain a bit more about what's going on."

"Just as long as you don't go punching everyone." Ming grumbles.

"Come on Ming. You know I wouldn't." You say before going quiet for a moment. "I'm afraid if we'll be involved in a war then things will only get worse." You say quietly.

"This doesn't need to be us." She counters.

"It doesn't need to be you." You correct. "We don't want this to be you. Xin and I are willing to break anyone who wants to harm innocent life. Renshu too. The last thing we want is for you to become the one who picks up after us. But you know how we did things long before we reached the library. If you want to take a more active role in fighting and protecting people then you need to face that truth. We're not like the Five. We're willing to do more than simply subdue an enemy. But we're also not simply going to ignore their attempts to change. Just keep on your own path and we'll make sure you'll follow through. There's no need to be like us." Ming stays quiet and says nothing. You round the corner to find that the remaining bandits had been rounded up and put in line, ready for execution.

>What do you do?
>Stop the villagers. The bandits had been subdued and there wasn't anymore need to for bloodshed. Killing them now would just be senseless.
>Have Ming tell everyone to stop. The bandits might still have some information you all could use. You can all decide to pass judgement once everything was cleared up.
>Let the villagers kill the men. You were in a different country and perhaps this was normal. You didn't have a right to judge them for it being a killer yourself.
>Write in.

>>6109139
>Have them tell them to stop. They may have information, and besides the point, we need to get a grip of their law system before we start permitting executions out of convenience.

If there's no law and this is simply their way of dealing with things, we can try and convince them to show mercy.
if there is a Khan who keeps law, then urge them to send them there.
if there is a Khan who does not care for law at all, or worse would bring retribution for it. . so be it.

>>6109295
Yeah, seconding.
Could swear I voted before...did it vanish into the ether?

>>6109306
It might have. I've had to double post because the captcha was wrong and it just closes itself.

"We need to stop them." You say as the two of you break into a run. Ming begins to shout in mongolian but as an extra precaution you leap forward to stand between the bandits and the villagers. The villages back off in surprise but a few of the more foolhardy ones brandish their weapons at you and presumable shout at you to stand aside. Xin Lan emerges from where ever they go to when they vanish from sight and stands besides you. "Where were you?"

"Keeping an eye out. Figured you dragged one of them off to get some info out of them." They say. "Didn't realize you wanted them all alive."

"They still might be useful." You point out.

"Sounds like you got everything you wanted out of the other one based on what Ming said." They point out. You give them a look.

"Ming tell them that these bandits still might have information. They can't just kill them. We should know how their justice system works." You speak up. Ming speaks again but you can feel the tension rise in the air as the responses become more agitated. However, Ming doesn't back down either and responds in turn. Things reach a boiling point when one of the villagers snaps and raises his hand to strike Ming only to find their arm caught in something. A long thin wire is wrapped around the man's wrist and held tightly in Xin Lan's hand.

"Hurt her and I'll put you in the ground. This is your only warning. Don't. touch. my. family." They say coolly but their eyes wide in anger. The meaning of Xin Lan's words may have been lost in translation but the killing intent was plain to everyone causing the others to turn around and point their weapons at Xin Lan.

"Xin! Don't antagonize them!" Ming says but your friend remains unmoved and they don't break eye contact with the man they have trapped. The situation begins to spiral out of control until a pained voice barks out and order over the shouting. The village leader emerges from a nearby building, face scrunched up in pain, and continues to shout at the men around you motioning angrily at them. He stops next to Ming and speaks a few words to her before motioning for her to go to you. She hurries over to the two of you, "Xin. Let him go. He won't do anything anymore." She pleads. Xin Lan acquiesces and with a flick of a wrist the wire is undone and once again hidden. The village leader continues to shout and wave at the men making them slowly lower their weapons but they remain in position. "He's telling them to stand down." Ming whispers. "The fact that we stepped in to save them is the reason why he says we should be given a chance to be heard. Otherwise, they would have ignored us." The leader, gives one last bark and the men disperse before he motions gruffly at the three of you. He leads you to the building he emerged from, walks through the wood panel that served as a door way, and the three of you make your way in.

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Stepping into the building, you note that it's not really a building at all. The whole structure on the inside was simply a thick cloth stretched over wooden beams. The walls were in a criss cross pattern while the ceiling was simply splayed out to hold everything. It was actually easily collapsible if one wanted to move it. You should have expected such a thing from a nomadic people and you almost feel foolish for not thinking this. Your thoughts however are interrupted by the man shouting at you and Ming grabbing your leg by the knee. "Don't step on the doorway. Or let it hit your head. It's disrespectful." She says.

"What?" Xin Lan says. "They got rules for entering their house?"

"So do we. So just don't touch the door. Ever." She says. "Now be polite. I'm pretty sure we've caused enough trouble here as is. Also keep your back to the door. It'll make it easier for us all right now." Xin Lan grumbles and simply leaps on your back as you have to basically crouch to get in without breaking any of these rules. You didn't understand them but you suppose many things might seem strange to them back home. You find yourself a comfortable spot and let Ming do the talking. The leader takes his seat before you and begins to stoke a fire in the center of the floor. The three of you wait for a moment before the man speaks, his voice still somewhat curt but otherwise pained. He and Ming have a small conversation before it stops and Ming translates for you and Xin Lan to catch up. "He thanks us for saving his clan. He doesn't doubt that one death would have been enough to satisfy the bandits. Not sure if he thinks poorly of them or if they really were going to just slaughter everyone for not paying taxes."

"Is that normal?" You ask. "We didn't see anyone on our way here and it doesn't seem reasonable to have patrols wandering the desert looking for people to charge for money." Ming expresses these thoughts to the leader and he makes a scoffing noise before speaking. Ming seems confused and digs into her pockets for a bit before pulling a bit of money to show them man who in return makes a dismissive gesture.

"He says that these 'taxes' are a stupid idea. Water is for everyone attempting to claim it as your own is as foolish as claiming that you own the sky or even the sun. Nor does he believe in this new system. If someone wants something then they will have to offer something in return to trade. He also finds the concept of money to be a waste of time. There's no value in coins if it can't feed his people or keep them warm." She explains.

"What they don't have money either?" Xin Lan blurts out.

"I guess not. They seem to only trade in goods that help with day to day living. Food, water, clothes, stuff like that. Money doesn't really help with that and it's extra useless if no one else will take it." Ming admits.

"I guess we really are out of depth." You admit. "If he's willing to teach us a bit more. We'd could use this opportunity to get a better lay on the land. Maybe even convince him that we're just trying to help." Another exchange of words is had but you get the sense that the man finds something amusing in the conversation.

"He says that he wishes his sons were as eager to learn as we are. So long as we don't beg for food or attempt to cheat him, he's willing to humor our questions. It's the least he can do for us saving him and he does not like to owe debts. They are bad for the soul."

"Information is more than enough compensation." You say.

>What do you ask about?
>Write in.

>>6109713
Just in no paticular order.

Do you have a map of the region we can look over? or can you update our maps?
Who are the tribes round here, who is your tribe, do you know a man named Alaskander?
Who is the Khan, what is his tribe, do you know of a clan of [wolves I think? or cats] Named Kexin? arrived generations past as exiles. Where the Khan and their clan makes rest, Do they know the crow witches? And if so where do they reside? How is law and order conducted here?

I know I'm gonna miss more. . .
>A forginers from the south common? . . . Do you know of any Snow leopard clans and their wareabouts?
I don't know if the big guy still has enough bandwidth to care about a possible connection to his ancestors, but it'd still be nice to know.

>What does his people call the great dragons, the lords of the elements?
Sorry Luo, gotta make you worldbuild.

>>6110251
>I don't know if the big guy still has enough bandwidth to care about a possible connection to his ancestors, but it'd still be nice to know.
Probably not in a direct sense, but given that one of the first encounters against the Mongolians involved another snow leopard, it would be prudent to ask about it just in case it has a connection or if it's just a coincidence.

>Who is the Khan, what is his tribe, do you know of a clan of [wolves I think? or cats] Named Kexin?
Tigers if I recall correctly.

>Sorry Luo, gotta make you worldbuild.
Then I guess I better crack open the books and browse a bit of mongolian lore to adapt to this surprisingly expanding setting. I'll give a bit more time incase others want to pose their own questions as well.

>>6109713
Have they seen a striped rabbit? Or a large white bear?
How do they reliably navigate Mongolia?
Do they have a method for finding water in these lands of scarcity?
Do they have Martial Arts here?
What is one of the most popular dishes around here, and how is it made?