NOVEL NEXT 39 – Humans are bad at knowing what’s good for them
“Elders, esteemed guests, disciples. The matter for our attention today is the increasing aggression of demons, particularly in the countries of Sek'syun and Cheon. As we are all aware, demons have been entering these lands, stealing and killing.
“Representatives of both countries are here today to provide further details. Your Excellency On1安 (on1) – 'peace'. Lol., as representative of Sek'syun, where the demons appeared earliest, will you speak first?”
One of the Elders, a stocky man with a sallow complexion and official's robes, stood and glared around the room. He avoided making eye contact with Gou Dzing.
“Do you know him?” Chan Bik murmured.
“Father and Grandfather have met with him a few times before,” Gou Dzing muttered back.
“I hope you can provide us with answers, Your Majesty.” Envoy On had a harsh voice, like a raven. He glared directly at Dzue Dziu Ming. “These demons are coming out of Dzue, and attacking your neighbours. And I hear you have not experienced any casualties.”
“We are fortunate in having a strong presence of spiritual places and creatures,” Dzue Dziu Ming replied lightly. He sipped at the tea that had been provided to all the Elders. “It seems that our pine forest, Tsaam Lam, is not a friendly place for the demons.”
“Or perhaps it is overly friendly,” retorted the envoy from Cheon, a younger woman with a permanently concerned expression and dramatic makeup.
Dzue Dziu Ming was not the most handsome man, but when he turned his gently appealing eyes towards the envoy, she coloured a little and shuffled awkwardly. “You are welcome to visit and see for yourself, Excellency Laam2南 (laam4) – 'south'.,” he offered winningly.
“I wouldn't go near that place if you paid me,” the Sek'syun Envoy snapped.
“Why would you be paid?” Dzue Dziu Ming asked. His smile was still soft, but his eyes were vicious. “I can just drag you there.”
“Are you threatening me, Your Majesty?”
“Who started first, Your Excellency?”
“Stop, Dziu Ming.” Wong Tang stepped in. The Regent raised his hands in a placating gesture, but his eyes still promised violence to the Sek'syun Envoy despite his soft demeanour. “Elders, I hate to interrupt your blaming session, but I have taken a small group of Mount Fa disciples to the Demon Realm for a fact-finding mission.”
Hissing murmurs broke out through the room like water on hot rocks. Wong Tang ignored them. “Disciple Gou.”
Gou Dzing stood and bowed, watched by all the other disciples from the corners of their eyes. “Master.”
“Please provide a report on our interactions with the demons so far.”
“Yes, Master.” There was none of Gou Dzing's usual playful demeanour. He addressed the elders on the dais boldly. “Elders, my family name is Gou, given name Dzing, Senior Disciple of the Way of the Mountain School of Mount Fa, and direct disciple of Master Wong. Please allow me to-”
“Why should we trust this child?” croaked Envoy On. “He's clearly brainwashed by his Master.”
“The Gou Family have served Cheon well as civil servants,” Envoy Laam conceded. “I take it you are speaking for your family here as well, Young Master Gou?”
“Not at all, Your Excellency,” Gou Dzing replied smoothly, avoiding the trap. “Only my grandfather can do so. I am here as a humble disciple of the Mount Fa Sect.”
“The Mount Fa Sect has been supported unceasingly by the royalty and government of Cheon. To see your relationship with Dzue...” Her eyes drifted towards, but did not quite land, on Wong Tang and Dzue Dziu Ming, seated together.
“... makes Cheon wish to make more efforts?” Gou Dzing asked innocently. Gaam Yuk Ying snorted. Chan Bik let out a spluttering giggle that she hurriedly reigned in.
Envoy On looked ready to burst a blood vessel. “The disrespect-!”
“Your Excellency.” Gou Dzing stared him down. On either side of him, Gaam Yuk Ying and Chan Bik turned their eyes on Envoy On too. He suddenly found herself pierced by three sets of burning eyes, gold, silver, pale red. A shocked hush fell over the room, the spiritual energy of the three disciples palpable to all.
“Third Daan-tin Adepts?” the Grandmaster of the Ngo Mei Sect murmured faintly “All three of them?”
Gou Dzing closed his eyes, opening them again to reveal they had reverted back to their usual black. “I don't mean to be so disrespectful, Elders, but I wish to finish my report before I receive questions, you see. Perhaps some of your questions will be answered while I speak.”
The Elders nodded dumbly. Wong Tang grinned secretly and Dzue Dziu Ming smiled approvingly.
Without interruptions, Gou Dzing was able to make his report, laying out their experiences with the demons so far, including the attack in Yuk-hoi, and the happenings in the Demon Realm. It was unavoidable to mention a certain person during these recountings.
When she was certain that Gou Dzing had finished speaking, Envoy Laam coughed and asked, “Ahem, so... Erratic knife marks, evidence of explosive fire... These are the traits of this person, Teem Djeung Baak's attacks?”
“Almost certainly, Your Excellency. That is not to say it might not still be the work of a demon, but given our experiences with this person, we are confident it is her work.”
The Elders, with the exception of Wong Tang and Dzue Dziu Ming, began to mutter amongst themselves. Under his half-closed lids, Gaam Yuk Ying's sharp eyes caught the subtle changes in expression on the faces of the Grandmaster and the Regent of Dzue; his hands settled surreptitiously on the pommels of Yiu Tsing and Lou Fu Ngan. Chan Bik saw the movement and tensed too.
The Elders seemed to regather their confidence. “The disciple there...” Envoy On jabbed his finger rudely towards Chan Bik. “She has a strong Fire attribute, does she not?”
Before anyone else could respond, Chan Bik leapt up, a small but brilliant point of light forming at the tips of her fingers. From where she stood, she shot it straight through the Envoy On's cup. For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened, then a steady stream of tea squirted from the cup from a tiny, perfect hole burnt through the ceramic.
“As you can see,” Gou Dzing followed up, as Chan Bik sat down again, “our Chan Si-mui is more of a comet than an explosion.”
“From your quiet conversations just now,” Wong Tang continued drily, eyeing the other Elders like a snake to a mouse, “it would seem that you have experienced some of Teem Djeung Baak's work. I can assure you that she does exist, and would suggest you stop trying to pin her actions on Disciple Chan.”
The Elders seemed to lose their nerve again, and along with them, the gathered disciples grew uneasy and unsettled once more. Wong Tang finally stood.
“You've heard what we have to say. So I will ask now – do you recognise that the matters with the demon realm are not so straightforward as they first appeared? That if there is an enemy, the criminal Teem Djeung Baak fits this description best? That we should be working together to solve the problem we have at hand?”
Envoy On glared openly at her. “We will do nothing of a sort.”
Wong Tang sighed, and across the room, her disciple sighed too.
“Very well. There is nothing for us here. You are welcome to seek us out, should you change your minds.”
As she turned to leave, there was a collective drawing of weapons. Suddenly, every person in the room was armed. Gou Dzing's hand went to his side, forgetting that he no longer had a gim.
“You selfish idiots.” Wong Tang glared furiously at the Elders. “Have you brought your disciples to die here? I could raise my hand and crush everyone here flat in a second.”
“Those are just stories,” Envoy On croaked, although he looked a little green. He raised an iron flail. “Disciples, ready!”
Suddenly, she realised she was holding only a stub of metal. Gaam Yuk Ying sheathed Lou Fu Ngan with a clack, while Yiu Tsing continued to spin around him defensively.
“Please draw Lo Fu Ngan again, Disciple Gaam,” Wong Tang said, “and provide us an exit.”
With a nod, Gaam Yuk Ying drew the dou again, cutting once, twice.
The roof creaked, a cross of light growing above them where the ceiling had been neatly sliced to quarters, and then it caved in.
The disciples and Elders rushed about in panic, some lunging to fight, others running to dodge falling rubble. Gou Dzing found himself being princess-carried outside in Gaam Yuk Ying's arms before the first red roof tiles had even begun to hit the floor, with Chan Bik darting out on one side of them, and Wong Tang on the other, carrying Dzue Dziu Ming on her back. It was impossible not to laugh at the bizarre-looking situation.
Still, those disciples who were fast or responsive enough were now emerging from the collapsed building. Gou Dzing and Dzue Dziu Ming were lowered back to earth.
“Run,” Wong Tang instructed, clamping her pipe between her teeth. Without waiting to see if her instructions were obeyed, she skidded to a halt and slammed her hands together, creating a shockwave that shook the pursuers almost off their feet.
The others took off out of the Sect, Dzue Dziu Ming moving fast enough to show he was somewhere in the higher range of the Second Daan-tin.
But he needed to be faster. A deep rumble rose behind them, and the ground started to tilt.
Chan Bik rapidly pulled at a red cord around her neck, revealing a two egg-shaped gems, one black with silvery blooms like algae on water, and the other striped with bands of orange and white and brown. She tapped them together, and a large, shining red bird bloomed out from the spark that they produced.
“Get on!” Forgetting all etiquette, she pulled the Regent of Dzue onto the bird's back, Gaam Yuk Ying and Gou Dzing already circling on the floating Yiu Tsing. In a moment, the bird was up beside them, and they raced away as the land on which the Ngo Mei Sect lay rose and rose and rose like a dragon's back, steep sides of basalt stepping down down down until the Sect now stood on an enormous mountain, its ridge-like peak rising above the cloud layer like an island in the sea. Dzue Dziu Ming whistled low, impressed.
“Where did this bird come from?” Gou Dzing asked, patting the bird's neck. It responded with a cooing trill.
“Ma- Lady Ling Gwong gave it to me before I left.”
“What a nice gesture from someone who isn't even your Master.”
“I swear, the more time you spend with Gaam Si-hing, the more sarcastic you get.”
“By the way, Lady Chan,” Dzue Dziu Ming said over her shoulder, “that tea you spilt earlier was very expensive Red Robe tea...”
They could see Wong Tang floating in the distance mid-air, calmly watching the panicking Elders and disciples crawling like ants around the top of the newly created mountain. She drifted comfortably over to them.
“If they know what's good for them, that should be the end of things,” she said with a small grin. “Let's go. We have more important things to deal with.”