Chương 93: Art of Survival (IV)

Frankly, what the hell does that mean? They were made, but they don't exist? Okay, fine, I know what it means; I just hate that he got off on a technicality of semantics. That does bring up an entirely different question--it's not that the art itself is impossible to make, apparently, but for some reason it doesn't 'exist', more specifically. Hm. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few reasons--maybe there's the idea of 'Dao Purity', as in never changing how 'Dao' made you.

Sort of reminiscent of religions back on Earth that disallowed tattoos and piercings and such. Maybe the idea is that the 'pinnacle' could not be reached if the body was tainted with. However, I doubt this is the reason; Long Tao wouldn't have otherwise 'requested' it if he believed using it would prevent him from reaching whatever heights he was chasing. Maybe there's some higher court somewhere that strictly forbade the creation of such art for one reason or another? Haah. Guesswork, guesswork, guesswork.

This ain't high school, art isn't Janie, and the question isn't whether she'd be down for skinny-dipping in the middle of November. I glanced down at the drawn, thick tome within my robes. It's by far the thickest I've made--some hundred pages, actually. It's kind of insane, if you ask me. Those kids will have to study with their eyes glued to the pages, and I already achieved the Intermediate mastery just because. Fairness? Of course it doesn't exist.

Then again, their talents, even with my absurd cheats, are so far beyond mine that they don't get to bitch and moan. I decided to share it with everyone, even Light and Hua. By now, I'd be a fool not to realize Light was probably escaping with me, and if Dai Xiu is coming, so is Hua. And while I could exclude him, since he wouldn't really stand out either way, I just decided to go all in. My future depends on them, one way or another.

We can dance our dance forever, where our fathers keep discovering new things continuously, and it's gonna be amazing, but whether I make anything of myself in this world is dependent entirely on them, and for that, I have to believe they won't shank me in my sleep or something. Thus, I gathered everyone in the 'living room' and pulled out the thick tome, placing it on the table.

"In fifteen days, our sect will go to a war," I started.

"I don't know what will happen then or after. In that regard, this is an art that I'd been hanging on to my whole life as a last resort." Long Tao rolled his eyes almost invisibly, and Hua perked up, while the three kids seemed rather interested all of a sudden." However, if you choose to learn it, you must promise me to never disclose it to anyone else. Not just for my sake, but for all your sakes, too. No one outside this room can ever even know this art exists. When you memorize it, destroy it. Are you willing?"

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I expected a bit of hesitation--after all, if I were in their shoes, I'd hesitate if someone told me the art is so dangerous its very existence cannot be revealed. Alas, I'd underestimated the survival instincts of my disciples.

"I'm willing!"

"Willing, of course!" Dai Xiu and Xi Zhao shouted practically at the same time.

"I can't tell even the Sect Master?" Light asked.

"... no," I banked on it, glancing at her eyes. She seemed to smile faintly before closing them.

"You have to gain initial mastery before the war's begun. It will be hard--harder than any other art I've taught you. But I believe in all of you. If you all agree, feel free to start examining it." I scurried off to the corner and sat down, watching them all swarm the tome like a cloud of locusts. Dai Xiu pulled it open, and they all started reading rather intently--even Hua and Long Tao.

Reactions were as you'd expect; Xi Zhao and Dai Xiu were enthralled and excited, Light shared that with a touch of forced indifference, while Long Tao and Hua... well, they eyed me as much as they eyed the damned letters in that book. Hua, especially, seemed almost... mortified at the realization of what he was reading. Long Tao, though still shocked, seemingly expected it from me at this point, and his looks were more ones of 'amusement' than anything else.

I left soon after as I saw them all be drawn in to every page, knowing it'd be hours before they were done. Without changing direction, I headed over to my little alcove and sat down by the edge, tossing my legs over. The wind was rather cold, surprisingly, and welcome, as it was quite a warm day otherwise. Leaning back, I dug my hands into the hard dirt, letting the sunshine wash over me. Moments like these... I imagine they'll become as rare as phoenix feathers soon enough.

While adventuring the world with a band of monsters does sound 'romantic' in a sense, it also offers no security. Here, I had walls, silence, and a place to quietly accumulate before feeling confident enough to spread my wings. Or something to that effect.

"I thought I'd find you here," hm? This voice... I don't know it. Startled, I jumped up and faced the source, ready to throw hands before I saw who it was--a mute... a mute has spoken! It would be a miracle if I didn't already know this shitter was pretending, but that really wasn't much of a comfort. The question is... why did he feel compelled to speak up suddenly? Hm? Hey. We're here. Just the two of us. There's a big-ass cliff to the side. He won't, like, you know... accidentally push me.

"I'm not in the business of killing children, don't worry," he smiled strangely, as though having read my mind. Well, he's five hundred years old. He probably reads expressions as well as I read letters.

"I'm not a child."

"You are to me."

"... I thought you were mute."

"You weren't all that good at pretending to actually believe that." He shrugged, glancing sideways toward the horizon.

"For a long while, I thought you were one of them."

"One of who?"

"... I assume you already know Dai Xiu isn't any ordinary girl," he added.

"Then again, somehow, someway, none of the kids you gathered here are ordinary. So, in a way, this is the one place in the world where she can actually just be an ordinary girl."

"..."

"She's... hm, she's a child of the cruel fate," he added.

"Bestowed upon her against her will. That's why I took us here and pulled her to that infernal hell where you found us. Because I thought death was preferable to the other outcome." My heart stirred for a moment, but I didn't dare relax.

"When you 'rescued' us, I believed I'd failed and was certain you would force her into the exact same position as those I took her from.

"But..." he paused, suddenly smiling. He no longer seemed a young man--his eyes, especially, were... well, kind of beyond description, to be honest. There was aloofness and detachment in his voice that only Long Tao ever matched.

"Unlike me, who merely hid her in a desperate attempt to 'save' her... you gave her a weapon. A weapon that I never could have. That's when I knew... she's in good hands."

"You... sound like you won't be there for her much longer." I put my fears into words.

"I won't," he said with rather absurdly cold indifference... to his own life.

"Let me ask you a question. How much do you know about your Sect Master?"