Strength. Strength meant choice.
“Wu Ying?” Liu Tsong squeezed his arm, bringing his attention back to the present. “Did you realize something?”
“Yes,” Wu Ying said.
It was not enlightenment. He did not see a greater portion of the Dao. Or perhaps, he did, but it was insufficient. But it was a clarification, a resolution. It was not enough, Wu Ying knew, to resolve all of his concerns and thoughts on cultivation. Not enough to clarify his dao. But at least, Wu Ying realized, he wanted it. Not just cultivation for cultivation’s sake, but to gain. To gain… something. That something, Wu Ying knew, he had yet to find. Learning what it was was part of his journey, of finding his dao.
“But it’s nothing that can’t be dealt with later,” he said. “Come, let’s get your arm looked at properly. And see if there is any food left.”
Liu Tsong broke into a light laugh, which was punctuated by another bone-shaking thud as the Elders fought. Together, Wu Ying and Liu Tsong limped over to the remaining cultivators.
The remainder of the battle between the Elders and the taotei was anticlimatic. In short order, the Elders left the sightlines of the group, tearing up the mountain as they pursued the monster. Wu Ying could not find it within himself to care. Even the fighting techniques the Elders used were so far outside of Wu Ying’s, and most of the other cultivators’, experience, it was like asking a three-year-old to learn to grow rice by watching his family. The three-year-old was more likely to cause harm than grow a proper rice stalk—either over-watering, planting in the wrong direction, or crushing the rice plant. All things in the proper time, in the proper order.
Knowing this, Wu Ying helped to organize the aid station, boiling water, cleaning wounds, and prepping food. Exhausted or not, Wu Ying was one of the better-off cultivators, especially after he had cleaned and bandaged his wounds. The addition of a flesh-mending pill helped, the anti-pain properties providing Wu Ying some succor.
It was to an organized and exhausted group the Elders returned to, smiling and joking. Elder Wei was the sole individual who looked unhappy, the loss of her treasured pill cauldron weighing on her.
“Good, very good. Start another fire. I have a haunch of the taotei. Let us eat, drink wine, and be merry,” Elder Po said, his face flushed with victory.
“We should rest, heal, and return to the main group. Elder Dong is likely to be worried,” Elder Wei cautioned instead.
“Bah! Let him worry. We can send a messenger talisman if you are concerned,” Elder Po said. “As the formation is down, it should be no issue.”
“Ah Li?” Elder Wei said, turning to Elder Li.
“Let us stay. I have another set of formation flags we can set up. Less complicated, though less powerful. It should be sustainable solely from the ambient chi,” Elder Li said.
“Fine.” Elder Wei walked aside and pulled a talisman from her storage ring.
A few whispered words, then Elder Wei folded the talisman, forming a paper crane that she tossed into the air. The paper crane beat its wings, flying in a straight line toward their base camp.
“Where is my fire!” Elder Po said, stomping around the clearing till he found a suitable spot. “Ye Fan, bring your earth flame over. It shall taste all the better.”
A couple of hours later, as the group enjoyed the roasted taotei haunch, Wu Ying could not help but agree. The succulent and chi-infused meat was lightly gamey, the taste of garlic cloves and crushed herbs suffusing the meat. The taotei skin was perfectly dry and had bubbled up as moisture fled the fatty flesh, creating a light and puffy crackling that shattered and spread the dry fat through the mouth with each bite.
“So, mphhf, good!” Li Yao, who had woken at last, sat propped up against a pair of convenient blades. In her hands was a chunk of meat, which she tore into.
Beside her, Liu Tsong sat, having discarded her normally graceful demeanor to follow Li Yao’s example.
“Unfair,” Tou He said from his spot on the ground. Due to his injuries, he could not eat any of the solid food. Wu Ying looked at his friend with concern once more, only to be offered a smile. “Stop worrying. You are worse than my old Master.”
“But your injuries—”
“Will heal,” Liu Tsong said for Tou He. “There is some semi-permanent damage, especially to his spine and hips. But those can be fixed at the sect.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Wu Ying looked down, the slice of meat in his hand suddenly tasting like ash.
“You needed an opening. And you didn’t disappoint,” Tou He said.
“Rubbish. I did nothing to it,” Wu Ying said, recalling his attack. How he had put everything he could into the strike only to see the taotei shake it off.
“You did well nonetheless,” Chao Kun said, dropping heavily down beside them. His actions prompted the martial specialist to wince, bruised and torn muscles protesting. “You were fighting a Core cultivation monster and managed to injure and slow it. That is something to be proud of.”
When Wu Ying continued to look down, Li Yao threw a piece of meat at Wu Ying’s face. It splattered on his cheek then slid down to the ground. Flushed with anger, Wu Ying looked at the source of the attack to see Li Yao holding a small rock next.
“No taking my credit. That wound in its side was mine first,” Li Yao said.
“I wasn’t—”
“And no feeling down. We’re alive. Many others aren’t. We’ll burn some incense sticks and paper money when we return. And get stronger. That’s all you can do as a martial specialist,” Li Yao said.
“I’m not a martial specialist,” Wu Ying replied, but seeing Li Yao toss the stone down beside her, he found himself smiling.
“No. But you fight like a badly trained one,” Chao Kun said, slapping Wu Ying on the back. “Which makes you better than most others.”
“Hey!”
“My apologies, Liu Tsong. You were… well. You are not that good,” Chao Kun admitted, and it was Liu Tsong’s turn to toss a piece of meat at Chao Kun. Of course, the senior martial specialist was more adept than Wu Ying, intercepting and swallowing the flying piece of meat with ease.
“Better than you. Punching the taotei in the head. What? You didn’t think it had as thick a head as you?” Liu Tsong taunted.
Wu Ying smiled, watching his friends revel in the food and the fact that they were alive. Even Tou He, too sick and disallowed from eating, was smiling. As Wu Ying turned his head about, he spotted Li Yao smiling at him, and he flushed, ducking his head. Well. They’d survived. And it seemed he might owe the lady a dinner. Pushing aside the sorrow in his heart, Wu Ying focused on the meal and the slight wind that blew across the meadow, brushing against his skin. He focused on the meal and that other, all-important truth.
They were alive.
A week and a half later, the expedition group trooped back into the sect. The expedition avoided the main gates, entering via a smaller side path. Those who were injured were taken to the physician’s hall, their helpers dropping off the injured cultivators before being chased out. Most of the lesser injured had spent the slow journey back healing their own wounds.
As they stood outside the physician’s hall, Chao Kun glanced between Li Yao and Wu Ying before he excused himself, citing additional work needing to be completed.
Left alone, Wu Ying looked at the young lady for a moment. “Assignment hall?”
“Sure. You’ll need the taels for my meal,” Li Yao said.
“Now?”
“Were you thinking some other time?” Li Yao said, shaking her head. “There’s no better time than now.”
Wu Ying savored her words. After a brief hesitation, he offered her his hand before he led her to the assignment hall.