Chương 25: “Well, Stab Resistant”

Ch 25 "Well, Stab Resistant"

"Well, for a martial artist like you, I'll give you a darksteel chainmail shirt. It's light, it goes under your clothes, and it protects you against cuts and stab wounds. The alloy we use is Qi-conductive so you can even channel your energy to power up it's defense."

"So, it's stab proof?" Amber's golden eyes glimmered. She hated getting stabbed.

"Well, stab-resistant," he said.

"It's a deal." Amber marched immediately to the far side of the store. The people there had dispersed after seeing the danger.

"Hey, wait! Are you really going to try?" He chased after her.

"If you can't, I'm going to say I told you not to touch it. This is dangerous, you know!"

"I know," Amber was surprised by the confident tone in her own voice as another drop of sweat rolled down her face. That was demonic Qi earlier, and I broke it before. And my mark is awake now! At least… it should still be, s he thought. Her mark throbbed and burned as she grabbed the handle and lifted the blade. Amber's eyes widened as a black streak of demonic Qi ran down the blade's metal and straight into her palm! So that's what happened, she realized. The girl had absorbed it!

Her golden eyes spun down at her hands and body, turning each of her limbs over to examine them. Everything looked fine, and there was no trace of demonic Qi.

"I-Incredible! You're holding it!" The apprentice smith beside her stared in awe.

"Is this good enough to get my prize?" Amber handed the blade over and smiled. Had she really done enough to deserve this? She knew she solved their problem, but it had felt too easy for her. The man carefully took the blade from her, turning it over and studying it closely.

"You really fixed it! Wow…. We needed 2 men to pick it up with tongs before!" He laughed.

"But ah, I didn't really expect you to lift the curse… I'm not really supposed to give such valuable things away… and my master isn't here today…." The man closed his eyes and rubbed his head in thought.

"Well, a promise is a promise. I'm sure he'll be happy to have the sword un-cursed. It's made of moonlight steel anyway." He went into the back of the store and came back with a shiny darksteel chainmail shirt made of tiny intricate links.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Amber exclaimed as she raised the item up.

"There's a room on the side there where you can put it on. And miss, what was your name again?" The man knew she was no ordinary girl. And his boss would have questions about who lifted the curse.

"Amber!" The girl exclaimed, "Of the Lucky Tiger Caravan!" Her black hair bounced as she skipped over to the changing room in excitement. The Chain mail fit her perfectly, although it only covered the torso and a bit of the shoulders. Amber loved the cold feeling against her skin. It felt like a barrier. One she sorely wished she had when she had taken a blade to the stomach before. She channeled a bit of Qi into it and suddenly it felt warm against her skin.

"It really does absorb Qi!" Amber exclaimed in excitement. It fit snugly under her short green top and you could only see the dark metal a bit where it met her black sash and dark forest colored pants. It didn't interfere with putting on her hidden knives either. Amber strode with joy out of the changing room, feeling a bit safer in this dangerous world.

"Excuse me miss," the women who had greeted the trio came over to Amber with a bow.

"Your friends wanted me to let you know that they would be in the teahouse next door, when you're finished."

"Thank you! I'll be heading there now then," Amber returned the bow. The teahouse stood just beside the smithy, its wooden sign swaying gently in the misty afternoon breeze of Blue Cloud City. Amber pushed open the wooden ornate door, and a delicate bell chimed above her head, announcing her arrival. The scent of jasmine and cinnamon tea immediately washed over her, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of the forge she'd just left.

Glowing lanterns hung from the ceiling, their gentle glow creating welcoming pockets of warmth. Patrons sat on cushions under low tables, sipping tea and engaging in conversations. Amber spotted Wing and Ember at the far corner near a large window that over looked some pretty fauna. Next to a blazing kettle they had two cups of full tea, and one cup remained upside down.

"My dear Little Cabbage! I feel so safe now that my other guard is back," Ember smiled.

"I think danger knows well enough to steer clear of you." Amber said flatly, sitting down on an orange cushion.

"Did you get a good deal?" Wing asked.

"I got a fair price." Amber smiled.

"And you two?" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Well, this stupid fucking sword shocked me," Wing looked displeased at the memory.

"That was demonic Qi, my dear! You're lucky to not be corrupted," Ember hid her laugh behind her fan. Amber froze. So that was Wing that got hurt in the store? There had been too many people to tell at the time. And Ember recognized the demonic Qi as well! Best not to reveal that I got involved in that, Amber thought.

"Demonic Qi?" Wing looked horrified.

"So I could have died!"

"No no no, my dear Wing, maybe merely robbed of your sanity," Ember laughed.

"Little Cabbage, do you want some tea?" The girl in red asked. The kettle next to her steamed enticingly.

"Ah… yeah, sure, thank you." Amber put forth the empty cup that was waiting in front of her.

"Server! Come here." Ember flagged a woman down by snapping her finger.

"My acquaintance is still waiting for her tea."

"Ah, yes, yes, I'm so sorry," the woman apologized with a bow and a smile and started pouring.

"Oh, I could've poured that myself," Amber spoke.

"Nonsense," Ember smiled as she waved her fan. The woman disappeared with a bow after refreshing all the table's cups. Amber wanted to say thank you but she felt awkward.

"How did you know that was demonic Qi?" Wing asked, once their conversation was once again private.

"Ah, it's a disgusting thing. If you could sense Qi, you would know it by feel easily if you're close enough. It's chilling, and it feels like your mind can't be at peace!" Ember stopped smiling for the first time all day.

"That reminds me, I really wanted to ask you two something…" Wing spoke as he looked off to the side. The two girls looked towards him intrigued.

"How… How does someone learn to use Qi?" He looked down at his tea as he asked. The two girls looked at each other.

"My dear Wing. The first thing, and the hardest thing, is to learn to sense Qi," Ember spoke.

"What makes it so hard?" Wing asked, finally looking up at her.

"Well, most people either can or they can't. And most can't." Ember took a brief sip of her tea.

"But some learn?" The boy looked hopeful.

"Some do." Ember spoke.

"How?" He leaned forward.

"There's an easy way and a hard way."

"Then the easy way obviously!" Wing had excitement written on his face.

"Go grab that sword next door that's full of evil Qi and become a demonic cultivator," Ember took another sip.

"Little Cabbage, my dear, you haven't even touched your tea." Amber's heart was beating in her chest. So was that what had happened to those assassins in the woods? They were demonic cultivators? Not demons? Did that mean that the black elixirs that Amber now had were something that contained demonic Qi?

"Oh... yeah! Of course," Amber's head continued to spin with thoughts as she sipped her tea. It was a delightful Oolong that helped ground the girl.

"Tell me the hard way then," Wing gripped his cup.

"Spend a lot of time and do a lot of meditation at a place that's rich in Qi."

"That's all? How much time?" he asked.

"Maybe a week, maybe twenty years. Or maybe forever. It depends on one's talent," Ember said. Wing fell into a silent contemplation, holding his steaming tea.

"Are there any techniques that combat demonic Qi?" Amber asked. Ember's red robes fell down her arm a bit as she brought her tea cup up to her lips.

"Well, your question makes me think of a story," Ember said, delicately placing the cup down.

"There are some cultivators that can completely control demonic Qi."

"Really?" Amber asked, leaning forward a bit.

"That, or they are just demons themselves, claiming to be cultivators." Ember waved her fan slowly as she slightly smiled.

"Is… that true?" Amber cautiously asked.

"Which do you believe?" Ember's eyes looked at her closely as she spoke.

"Well, I never met them. How could I say?" Amber said, clenching her palm under the table.

"Fair enough," The girl in red laughed.

"You see, at Celestial Tiger Mountain, there was a famous family. The Fang Family." Amber's heart skipped a beat. Was she was talking about her family/"Famous?" Amber asked.

"Very famous. They were exceptional at handling demons. Families and Clans from far and wide would come seek them out to handle demonic exterminations. The rumors were that they controlled demonic Qi as if were their own."

"Wow, that sounds… powerful." Amber said, her golden eyes looking down at her tea in deep contemplation. Her heart was beating hard. Was this the legacy her mother had wanted to keep from her? Her mind flashed back to the day at Green Wood village where her mother had danced among the demons, tearing them apart like a goddess of war. It did seem like their Qi had a hard time reaching her. For a time they seemed unable to touch her.

Her mother had killed countless demons in that battle, but there were simply too many. And her mother had a glaring weakness. She wanted to protect everyone. And she gave her life for it.

"They must have been. They were both respected and feared. some claimed they were demons themselves, but many considered them righteous. In the end, however, they betrayed their own clan." Ember fanned herself calmly.

"What? Betrayal?" Amber's expression furrowed a bit. That couldn't be the truth!

"How?"

"I don't know the whole story," Ember moved her fan in front of her mouth.

"Maybe we can ask when we get there?" Her eyes smiled.

"Yeah, I guess we will have to find out for ourselves…." Amber gazed down into the inky depths of her little cup, lost in a swirl of thoughts.

"Well you guys," Wing sighed, breaking out of his quiet contemplation.

"It's about time to head to the Sword and Wine Bar. I need a drink!"

"But it's almost sundown," Amber said, "we need to get back to camp soon."

"The 'Back by Sundown' rule doesn't apply today!" Wing said.

"Every time we stop in Blue Cloud City, a bunch of the guys go to the Sword & Wine Bar. So Captain Dante doesn't expect us back until way later!"

"What's so special about the bar that Dante changes the rules for it?" Amber asked.

"Alot of our men are traveling most of the year. They need some fun once in a while! And this place is one of the places to do it." Wing smiled as if lost in sweet memories.

"What's so fun about it?" Amber asked.

"Well," Ember's smile widened to where it could be seen from behind her fan.

"I've heard you can bet on the fights! It sounds like quite a fun way to train one's inner eye, don't you think?"

"Whether you gamble or not," Wing grinned, "it's a blast getting wasted and watching the fights!"

"How's the food there?" Amber asked.

"I'm starving." She could really use a meal to take her mind off of her swirling thoughts. All the possibilities were too much to take in right now.

"That depends how much you've been drinking!" Wing said as they all shared a laugh. The sun was beginning to come down in Blue Cloud City, although it had never shone that brightly to begin with through the thick clouds and rolling mist. A man pushed open the thick door to the old smithy.

"Greetings sir! What can we help you with today?" A young woman in a beautiful robe came to greet the stranger. He looked a bit odd to her, with his oversized black cloak and a scowl on his face. But he was a customer, so she smiled nonetheless.

"I am here because I heard about your cursed sword." The man said in a slow, deep voice.

"Oh!" The woman's face lit up.

"So you're another one here to see the sword? It has drawn quite a lot of attention lately. Unfortunately, the opportunity to see the curse has passed." The displeased man raised an eyebrow.

"So, the sword is gone?"

"Well, we still have it. But the curse has been lifted! It is an exceptionally fine sword, if sir wants to take a look at it," the woman smiled.

"I see…. Miss, can you tell me what happened here?" The man spoke in a steady and deep tone.