Do not think that your fall will excuse you from punishment. It would be one thing if you caused this trouble on your own, but you dragged Qingping into it!
Yun Qingping
General, it was just because Zuo Le—
Zuo Xuanliao
Do not make excuses for him.
Zuo Xuanliao
He should have thought of how to come back up before he jumped down! All that bravery, but all he knows is how to fight, fight, fight, and how to make others nearly die of worry!
Zuo Xuanliao
...
Zuo Xuanliao
Back to your place, and once your wounds have healed somewhat, come and receive your punishment.
The city walls are only ten-some meters away from Zuo Le.
And so he takes a great leap forward, the qinggong others praise him so much for is now the only thing he can rely on.
Though the sand sluices have not started up, the Wind Aegis has been fully erected, its smooth walls nearly impossible to find purchase on. A single slip would mean a horrible death.
Halfway up, and there are still battlements he can use to support himself. But to go further would be as strapping thousands of catties to himself.
Zuo Le
Faster...
As he passes through the yellow sand, the young man sees the figures of soldiers manning the walls.
Many of them seem to have already forgotten just how long they have stood atop these ramparts.
However, with the sudden blast of a horn, they have now been tasked with spending the rest of their lives on this new hunt.
Zuo Le
Faster!
The higher he climbs, the clearer his thinking becomes, the steadier his steps.
Even so, the final stretch of the walls is no stroll down a garden path.
I climbed up through the sand sluices—No, that's not important right now...
Zuo Xuanliao
I am just glad you are safe...
Zuo Le
Where are the men from the Ministry of War, Father?
Zuo Xuanliao
You... Why are you trying to find them?
Zuo Le
The orders to march upon the Tomb of Sui and fire at it, if they were not your orders, then they must be theirs, correct?
Zuo Le
Otherwise, why would you be here alone, like you are under house arrest?
Zuo Xuanliao
Silence! Do not presume to comment on military affairs—
Zuo Le
Father! The Grand Commandant is doing all this because he has decided to overstep His Majesty! He is vainly trying to fire on the Tomb to start a war!
Zuo Le
The Grand Commandant has formed a cabal, and will sit and watch as Baizao is overrun by scriptgeists, in collusion with the Supervisor of the Sui Regulator.
Zuo Le
Not only that, but he tried to seize the proxy's artifact within the Sky Mirror Pavilion, and also force Chief Executive Wei of Lungmen to attack Sui using some secret technique. None of these plans worked, which is why he commanded Yumen to fire upon the Tomb.
Zuo Le
His Majesty never gave such an order! The ones given to Yumen to move and fire are false! Do not be deceived, Father!
Zuo Xuanliao
He did all these things to wage war upon Sui...?
Zuo Le
Surely you believe me, Father.
Zuo Xuanliao
...Yes. How could I not?
Zuo Xuanliao
But know this: the Tomb lies in front of Yumen, and Baizao behind it. No matter what orders are given, the city must not fall into disarray!
Zuo Xuanliao
Those above want to advance, those below want to observe. When these two forces clash, they will cause panic in the city. If Sui truly were to awaken, the soldiers of Yumen will be decimated!
Zuo Le
But these soldiers, do they know they fight for the Grand Commandant's false orders, and not the will of Yan?
Zuo Le
Before a march, their general usually pounds the drum atop the walls to inspire morale. Have you done so, General Zuo?
Zuo Xuanliao
...
Zuo Le
Without this encouragement from their commander, the men's spirits have not been lifted. On the contrary, they are confused. Are they truly braving Sui's claws to protect Baizao?
Zuo Le
Or are they the inevitable first sacrifices at the altar for the belligerent Yan the Grand Commandant envisions?
Zuo Xuanliao
Zuo Le—
Zuo Le
Father, you are not only General Zuo of Yumen, but also the Lord Exorcist of Yan—
Military Supervisory Censor
We just received reports of a suspicious individual infiltrating Yumen. It appears he stole into your residence.
Military Supervisory Censor
What crimes should your son be charged for his trespass into military fortifications, General Zuo?
Just as Zuo Xuanliao is about to open his mouth to reply, Zuo Le steps forward, drawing the sword at his waist halfway.
Zuo Le
I assume you heard all I said earlier, sir. Considering you can still say such things after that, you must be in league with the Grand Commandant.
Military Supervisory Censor
You're talking nonsense, you insolent child!
Military Supervisory Censor
Are you going to turn a blind eye to your son's disrespect, General Zuo?
Zuo Xuanliao
Sir, I truly must wonder, why is the Grand Commandant is so eager to wage war against Sui?
Military Supervisory Censor
Still questioning your orders even now, General?
Military Supervisory Censor
With Terra in such turmoil, the entirety of the court unanimously passed the Twenty-Eight Policies. But outside those twenty-eight, there were two more hidden policies, the first of which is that the Sui menace must be eliminated!
Military Supervisory Censor
If we do not eliminate It now, surely you do not mean to wait until our enemies from abroad are at the gates?!
Military Supervisory Censor
I shall tell you the truth, General. It is not only the Grand Commandant who supports this policy! More than half the court mandarins do as well!
Zuo Le
...And what does the Grand Tutor say? What does His Majesty say?
Military Supervisory Censor
It is not your place to ask!
Zuo Xuanliao
It is also a question I have been meaning to ask, sir.
Zuo Xuanliao
Besides the Grand Commandant and the Ministry of War... The mandarins of the Six Ministries and His Majesty, do they know all the facts? Have they agreed to all this?
Military Supervisory Censor
These are not matters you should concern yourself with, Zuo Xuanliao! You are merely a general!
Zuo Xuanliao
So they do not know.
Military Supervisory Censor
...
Zuo Xuanliao
Soldiers must heed orders, and Yumen cannot be allowed to fall into chaos. Thus, I am willing to be patient, and watch as you replace me before battle is met...
Zuo Xuanliao
But if what comes next is an age of strife, would your actions not be drawing Yan into panic, creating new conflict within?!
Zuo Xuanliao
I may be a military man, but I am also the Lord Exorcist of Yan. Forgive me, but I cannot receive such arbitrary orders!
Military Supervisory Censor
...You've put your own head on the chopping block. Guards, arrest this man!
???
It seems you really are all preparing to revolt.
Military Supervisory Censor
Who goes there?!
Taihe
I am Taihe, Monitor Censor of the Department of Discipline and Supervision. I happened to be here for rest and recuperation, and I must say, I did not expect to find the Ministry of War acting without authorization, causing unrest within Yumen.
Taihe
You need not mind me. I will not interfere in your affairs.
Taihe
But so long as I leave this room alive, do not believe the events that have taken place today can be treated like they never happened.
The Ministry of War's envoy and his men freeze in place.
Zuo Xuanliao
...Enough.
Zuo Xuanliao
Here and now, I am still the warden of Yumen. If the Grand Commandant wishes to court-martial me after the matter, then whether I am to be sacked, exiled or otherwise, I will submit.
Zuo Xuanliao
But as for now, out of my way. I must go see my men.
Zuo Le fully draws his sword, shielding his father as the two of them walk out the room.
Those so-called envoys are now in detention, Father.
Zuo Xuanliao
Good. Next—
Runner
Grave news, General! The city's communications systems... They've been severed!
Zuo Xuanliao
What?!
Runner
It seems those Ministry men picked up where the wind was blowing before they barged into the meeting room, so they performed some sabotage. We're relying on runners right now.
Runner
The mobility layer still works fine, but there are artillery emplacements all across Yumen, and the order has already been passed down. The orders the men receive keep changing...
Zuo Xuanliao
Begin repairs immediately, and do everything you can to stop the cannons from firing.
Runner
Yes, sir!
Zuo Xuanliao
Taihe, relay my orders to the mobility layer.
Taihe
It shall be done.
Zuo Xuanliao
Zuo Le, I shall entrust the emplacements within the deepest regions of the city to you.
Another twenty-four hours passed, and the fighting continues at the defensive line against the geists in Baizao.
The strange geists are like an endless tide, wave after wave crashing against their defenses. Though they may be cut down, they always reappear, stronger than before.
There is no doubt. The force the defenders face now are the 'god-hunters' of days long past.
Junior Drillmaster
Keep your chins up! The battle is not yet over! This is no time to admit defeat!
The sword in her hand is bent, her armor slowly but steadily getting covered in a mass of scars.
Runner
His Majesty decrees—
Runner
All soldiers, whether Patrol Battalion, Yulin Guard, or otherwise, are to gradually withdraw from Baizao's core plate. Join with the troops stationed outside the city, and pull back defenses to a ten-kilometer perimeter around Baizao.
Junior Drillmaster
Pull back our defenses?! That's ridiculous! The Forbidden City is right behind us!
Junior Drillmaster
Don't tell me His Majesty is prepared to abandon even the core plate?
Runner
I double-checked, those really are His Majesty's orders!
Junior Drillmaster
Your Majesty...
Junior Drillmaster
Where are you right now?
After forty years, he steps into this secret chamber once more.
He still remembers the emotions he felt the first time he set foot in here—
Remorse, confusion, resentment, terror...
Forty years has been long enough to smooth them away,
long enough to grind away at all feeling, aside from the one known as helplessness.
The heart-pounding, golden light has nearly faded away. All that remains is an afterglow that falls into Wang's palm.
Within that very instant, a flood of jumbled, shattered memories flows past his eyes. With all his might, he reaches in to grab hold of a fragment, a splinter, anything with a trace of her.
For a hundred-and-twenty years, she has never appeared in his dreams.
Finally, finally, he grasps onto something that survived—
A record of a game.
Not some legendary game handed down the ages, but rather, a casual game between brother and sister as they chatted.
He flips the record over, wanting to see what was written in that message she left behind that is missing from his memory...
He finally reads it.
You are a pessimistic one, brother, always thinking that the heart of humanity is unknowable, an unending flow of evil. Only through careful calculation and reasoning can it be understood.
I beg to differ. I believe humanity to be fundamentally good, evil deeds merely a covering of the heart. Thus, I believe there is no need to attempt to decipher it. Simply read the history books and learn the ways of the world, and you shall understand through analogy.
You knew I was lazing about, brother, which is why you came to give me a 'bored' written atop your board. Even before you placed your first stone with that blatant scowl on your face, I knew you had come to poke fun at me.
Both interpretation and analogy are fine. These split paths shall meet again, at a summary of the human heart. Of our family, only you and I walk this self-defeating road, always wanting to know the hearts of men.
Perhaps, when we both obtain the same answer...
The letter stops here.
The weiqi player stares at the exquisite handwriting for a long, long time, seemingly forgetting the life-and-death struggle he is currently locked in.
Split paths shall meet again.
Split paths. She is long gone.
But to meet again...?
The game nears its end.
How amusing. She was the first of you to raise the flag of rebellion against me.
I must admit, over these past thousand years, I truly did fear her growing power, even if only for a moment.
But her plan was defeated by her lack of cunning, defeated by the 'unknowable heart of humanity'.
What is even more preposterous is that she chose to give you a chance to live...
Wang
...She has never once been defeated.
Wang
Through her own force of will, she bought the rest of us the chance to live.
Wang
Because she believed that after her death... we would be able to surpass you...
Haha... Hahahaha...!
How pitiful!
Are you actually feeling... regret?
You came to do battle with me, so determined to die, but you could not even triumph over your own weakness.
Do you care for her?
Wang
...
Wang
Yes. I care for her.
Wang
I once thought I did not... I thought the outcome of our battle should be the only thing I cared for.
Wang
Until I learned something later on.
Wang
The hearts of men. You, a wild beast... will never understand.
Wang
And so... You are doomed to pay the price.
Enough!
So this is to be your final struggle... This is the result of all your careful planning and preparation for a hundred years, this amusement that you now present to me?
Things will not end any different from last time.
The only difference is that now, you are even weaker than before!
Or do you mean to say that, with her choice, killing me will be akin to killing her, which is why you have not the will to make even a single move?
Pitiful! Pathetic! Laughable!
But no matter... None of it matters.
We can wait here. There is time to wait.
Let us see which of your so-called siblings shall come charging in to die in your stead this time.
The haggard weiqi player slowly rises from in front of the board, only a few black stones left within his bowl.
His movements are slow and stiff, so stiff as to seem like he had been sat there, withering away for the last hundred-and-twenty years.
Wang
As you lay there, half-asleep, half-awake, you turned the void within your body into a puppet, causing all sorts of trouble these past few centuries.
Wang
You decided that puppet should walk in the dark, while we walked in the light. And so at first, he tottered as he learned to walk, then he secluded himself to gather his strength, and finally, he ran amok.
Wang
But you forgot...
Wang
When all is said and done, there is only one of him.
Wang
If I had stormed in alone to that game a hundred-and-twenty years ago, having forgotten how wide the board is, and how suffused it was with your might...
Wang
Then this time, it is his turn to have too much to do. He must cover all of Yan... and even lands beyond, dealing with black stone after black stone.
Wang
This time... Will you still be able to see through my stratagem?
Hah...
You tore yourself into a hundred-and-eighty-one pieces, nearly driving yourself to madness, and you believed this would be enough to fool me?
What of it?
Wang
'What of it'?
Wang
A gravely-wounded Feranmut, forced to sleep and recuperate, having to play a game with humanity while Its thoughts are trapped in unending nightmare...
Wang
Such depletion will cut away at the root of your life.
Wang
All your bluff and bluster cannot hide it from me. You are growing weak.
And what of it?!
All you have done is walk the same road the first to leave me walked, doing all you can to delay my awakening.
But do you truly believe you <i>are</i> awake?
By killing me in every memory, every fantasy, will you be able to throw off the shackles of dream?
Even more things that have transcended cause and effect gently fall through the Tomb of Sui like snow. The proxy looks through each and every snowflake, seeing a game that leads to his death in all of them.
