Chapter 50 – A Painful Lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar – the Last Airbender


"I've never heard about this", Iroh pondered, advancing his red rose tile. "Where did you get this information?"

"You know I can't mention my sources, General", Piandao smiled mysteriously, planning his counter attack.

"Old friend, isn't this about time you start trusting me?" Iroh sighed, sipping his tea.

"Oh, but I do trust you, General", Piandao stared deeply into the general's eyes. "It's my source that has… err, problem trusting you."

"Can't say I'm surprised", Iroh sighed again, witnessing his tiger tile being overwhelmed by Piandao's wheel tile. "But, are you sure this information is true?"

"It's merely a prediction", Piandao admitted. "But, it is highly probable. My source saw it himself: Commander Kang is leading an army south. The only place still belong to the Earth Kingdom along the Western Shore is Meitan."

"And knowing Tyro, he won't go down without a fight", Iroh concluded. "And they are numbered to about 1000 you say?"

"Yes", Piandao replied. "The population of Meitan is only a few hundreds. Tyro won't stand a chance."

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"Well, I thought that, you know", Piandao drawled. "Well, maybe it'd interest you. You did say that Tyro is an asset to us."

"We have sworn to not interfere with the war unnecessarily, Master Piandao", Iroh said sharply. "There is nothing we can do for Tyro at this stage."

"But, sir, surely—"

"No", Iroh cut in. He calmly took another sip before continuing. "And also, if Commander Kang really is the commanding officer in the assault, it is already too late to do anything."

"You mean Tyro is—"

"Dead", Iroh sighed. "Or captured, at the very least."

"But, General", Piandao's tone sounded grim. "What about the Council? Who authorized this mission?"

"Nobody", Iroh sounded equally grim. "This is most probably a rogue mission. It might explain why General Jiang didn't participate."

"Won't they be punished for this?"

"I doubt it. My brother isn't really the type who punished a victory, rebellious it may be", Iroh scratched his chin.

"What about the boy? Didn't you send him there?" Piandao asked again.

"Yes", Iroh frowned. "I thought a little firsthand interaction with a different culture may do him good; helping him to be more adaptable. Spirits know how many potential candidates don't even get a chance for the initiation simply because they are too narrow-minded."

"I still don't understand why you put so much faith in him", Piandao stared at Iroh. "Isn't he a bit too young?"

"You will see for yourself, Master Piandao", Iroh chuckled. "Yours will be his first stop."

"Excuse me?" Piandao's eyes widened. "I thought I was the second on the list."

"I have to make an exception this time", Iroh sounded serious. "If we sent him to his grandfather first, there would be bloodshed. I thought it'd be more prudent to let him learn from you first. Bumi can teach him… whatever he's going to teach him and Pakku can whip him into shape. Then, it's Jeong Jeong's turn; hopefully by that time, both of them would know better than trying to burn each other to cinder."

"But, still", Piandao fidgeted. "Why me? There are a lot more non-benders who are more capable than me. How about Chong?"

"Chong is impossible to reach and you're being humble", Iroh laughed. "Yes, what you said is true, Chong could easily fill your boots but he is not a master, yet. There are many masters who could replace you, yes, but there is only a handful who are as, say, open-minded, as you. The boy needs a master like you."

"Should have known better than to try to argue with you" Piandao grumbled. "Fine, but I'm not promising anything."

"Good" Iroh laughed again. "Be sure to be expecting him. I'll send him to your place in two week's time. A month tops."

"Wha—", Piandao dropped his jaw. "Is there something else I should know?'

"Just one more thing", Iroh put down an orchid tile. "It's a check mate."


"It's almost noon", Bara said to Rocky while shaking the snoring Taka. "Wake up, taka!"

"Then, we will go", Rocky replied.

"Shouldn't we wait a little longer?" Bara asked, now shaking Taka more violently. "Wake up, moron!"

"We were told to wait in our ship if he doesn't come back by this hour. We will do as we're told", answered Rocky. He then got up and stretched his back.

"But, I'm worried", Bara said, now jabbing Taka on the ribs. "He's all alone there. Should we go to Senlin and see if he's still there? Wake up, you lazy hog-monkey!"

"No", Rocky retorted firmly. "We have received our order and will act according to it."

"Hmm… Zzzzz… hehe…" sleep talked Taka, grinning. "No, not that one… hehe… Zzzz…"

"Here, do the black pepper trick", Rocky suggested to the fuming Bara, rummaging a pouch of black pepper from his rucksack. "Always work for me."

Bara took the pouch, dipped her finger into it, and drew a pinch of the black spiciness. She then wiped her pepper soaked finger just above her brother's grinning lips, right below his nose. The result…? Well, you can imagine it yourself. So, while Taka, who had suddenly woken up, ran around screaming, Rocky, who now helped Bara packing up the rest of their stuffs, comforted her.

"Don't worry. It's not like Lin is stupid enough to start a fight."


"COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, COWARD!!!!" he screamed into the forest around him in which, he knew, the Deserter was hiding. "COME OUT!!!"

It was almost noon. He had spent the last three hours chasing after the shadow of his grandfather on his ostrich horse, engaging in a quick battle every now and then whenever he somehow caught up to his prey which usually lasted until the old man knocked him down long enough to escaped deeper into the forest. Lin honestly didn't know his grandfather was capable of fighting in such sneaky manner. He had seen his grandfather in a fight before, lots of fights, be it some harmless sparring lessons, self-defense from some thugs they had run into during their trips to nearby sweets store, or, in some rare occasions, various Agni Kais issued by some random bone-heads who were foolish enough to challenge the legendary Admiral Jeong Jeong of the Fire Nation's Northern Fleet. In all those occasions, his grandfather had been an exemplary warrior of the glorious Fire Nation: brave, honorable, fighting the opponents one-on-one, face-to-face. Unlike this hit-n-run cowardly bastard!

He was there nearby, Lin could sense it. There was no way someone so powerful his very being emanated such strong presence could hide himself completely from a trained assassin warrior like Lin. Lin could sense it… it's hard to describe. Like when someone is staring at you and you just know it without looking, or like the creeps you feel when you're at a graveyard in the middle of the night; you just feel it.

Lin got down from his ostrich horse; maybe I should say that he still had his masked helmet on, kinda impressive that he could fight in that helmet. Leading the steed to a nearby tree, he tied the rein to it all the while keeping vigilant of his surroundings. After making sure that his ostrich horse was safely tied, he moved to the center of the clearing, keeping his senses on the edge. He still couldn't pinpoint the exact location of his grandfather. Well, there is one thing he could do: he removed his masked helmet and threw it away.

"It's me!" he shouted. "Come out!"

No response.

Lin waited for a full minute of silence. Still no response…

"Come out, Grandpa!" Lin shouted again, turning around on the spot slowly. "I know you're in here somewhere! You've got a lot of explaining to do!"

Another minute of being ignored…

"Fine!" Lin yelled angrily. He jumped and landed in a central stance, hands outstretched. "You give me no choice!"

He clapped his hands together, causing a dome of fire to appear out of nowhere, surrounding him like a large round cocoon; Fire Dome, the very same technique he had learnt from the very same man he was about to smoke out. But, Lin wasn't finish. This technique he was about to execute is actually the offensive version of the Fire Dome; swiftly connecting his chi to the fire around him, Lin concentrated wholly in his conjoined hands. Sensing the right time to go to the next step, he dragged his right leg backward, securing a safe footing, and shot his palms diagonally forward, causing the fire dome to expand and burst into flames that caught the surrounding trees on fire. A thumping sound on the grass behind him told him that he was successful despite the collateral damage on the environment.

"… Impressive", was all Jeong Jeong managed to say before he found himself defending against his grandson's furious attacks.


"So, we're too late after all", Chey sighed.

"Yeah, after all the rushing and running through the forest", Chit Sang nodded. "Man, that gotta sucks, huh?"

"And who was it that had to stop twice to pee?" Chey seethed.

"What? Can't fight the will of nature", Chit Sang shrugged innocently.

"Just because I'm your cousin doesn't mean—"

"Captain Chey!"

"WHAT!!" Chey barked; he didn't like interruption when he was threatening someone, it ruined the credibility of his threats.

"T-the village is up ahead, sir", the soldier shrunk under Chey's angry glare. "The refugees from Meitan are seen among them. We have our men securing the perimeter and awaiting your order, sir."

"Good job", Chey replied, still glaring. "Send the word: team one will enter the village with me and retrieve our prisoner, team two will fan out around the village's exits just in case if any of them gets away. Perimeter guards are to stay put until further notice. Go!"

Saluting, the soldier hurried his way to the rest of Chey's 50-men pursue unit, leaving Chey and the soldiers nearby to prepare themselves for the coming raid.

"Are we really going to fight?" Chit Sang asked gloomily. "I'm still having this bad taste in my mouth from the fight this morning."

"Hopefully, it doesn't have to come to that, Sergeant", Chey replied just as gloomily, adjusting his grenade belt. "We're just doing what we have to do. We are soldiers."


"COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, COWARD!!!!" he screamed into the forest around him in which, he knew, the Deserter was hiding. "COME OUT!!!"

"C-coward…" Jeong Jeong's vein popped on his temple, his fist balled up, ready to deliver a deathly blow on this rude insolent soldier.

But, just who the hell was this soldier? He didn't know that there was such a talented yet unranked soldier in the Fire Nation military. Unlike the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe military systems that are subjected to favoritism and nepotism, the Fire Nation's military system has by far the most just and fair system. In the Water Tribe, military leaderships fall to those who are related to the Tribe's noble families; not unlike the Earth Kingdom, although the Earth Kingdom system still allows those who have real talents but no connections to make names for themselves. As for the Fire Nation system? Even Crown Prince Iroh started out as a lowly captain of a small assault squad of the Fire Nation's 1st Vanguard Battalion, one of the few battalions that are directly under the Fire Lord.

What bothered Jeong Jeong was this: why in the name of Agni a soldier as good as this still a foot soldier? Jiang might be strict but he was fair; there was no way Jiang would let such talent go to waste. What now? Jeong Jeong tensed up as the soldier jumped off his steed, suspecting that his hiding spot on the top of a bushy tree had been compromised. But, the soldier didn't make any threatening moves yet; he led his steed to a nearby tree and tied it there, albeit still looking around for the Deserter.

The soldier then walked to the center of the clearing below and removed his helmet. His face, it made Jeong Jeong's heart missed a few beats.

"It's me!" Lin shouted. "Come out!"

No way I'm coming out! Jeong Jeong began to sweat profusely. The persistence of this pursuer had driven Jeong Jeong to considering the option of killing him off and moving on but after finding out the identity of this soldier, the option was no longer accessible.

Jeong Jeong waited for a full minute in silence, praying to the spirits for a peaceful solution to this delicate situation…

"Come out, Grandpa!" Lin shouted again, turning around on the spot slowly. "I know you're in here somewhere! You've got a lot of explaining to do!"

I sure do! Jeong Jeong agreed. Another minute of ignoring…

"Fine!" Lin yelled angrily. He jumped and landed in a central stance, hands outstretched. "You give me no choice!"

What now! Jeong Jeong tensed up again, expecting the worse. Or not. What could Lin do to Jeong Jeong anyway? The stance, Jeong Jeong recognized it as the one for the Fire Dome; a strictly defensive technique. What good will it do, thought Jeong Jeong as his grandson was engulfed in a spherical dome of fire. But, after a second or two the globe of fire materialized, it abruptly expanded and exploded, spewing flames everywhere including to Jeong Jeong's tree. He barely managed to jumped away to avoid getting burn, utterly surprised that his grandson had mastered the ninth form of the Celestial Dragon style, Advanced Form: Bursting Fire Dome. Although not particularly powerful, it does have a wide attack range and very suited for a one-versus-many combats. The idea is simple: make a fire dome and disrupt the dome's chi from the inside, hence expanding it into the limit and let it explode. Kinda like blowing a balloon till it burst, but insert some tiny shards of glasses inside the balloon first.

"… Impressive", was all Jeong Jeong managed to say before he found himself defending against his grandson's furious attacks.


"Fire Nation!!" somebody screamed, inciting many other screams. The quiet village suddenly turned chaotic with people running around.

"I know we're the bad guys here", Chey sighed at Chit Sang. "But, when they start running away from us like we have a disease of something, it really hurts."

"Yeah", Chit Sang concurred. "Shall I?"

"You shall", Chey replied.

"Villagers of the Earth Kingdom!" Chit Sang roared. "We come in peace! A group of refugee from the west has come to your village today and we have a reason to believe that a number of prisoners have smuggled themselves among them! These people are dangerous and we have been authorized to bring them back to the Western Earth Base with us!"

"There is no criminal here, Fire Nation!" an elderly man spat. Behind him stood a group of youth armed with spades, shovels, and pitchfork or any everyday farming tools that they could found. "Leave our village now!"

"Are you the village elder?" Chey asked politely, though with one arm on his grenade belt.

"Damn right, I am!" the old man replied, though he looked calm, his knocking knees suggested otherwise. Had it not for his thin walking stick, he might have not been able to stand at all. Somehow, Chey pitied him.

"Elder", Chey bowed, Fire Nation style, while his eyes scanning the group of youth; they didn't look like they could actually fight but since Chey only had ten men with him, he couldn't help but wary for his and his men's safety. "We are pursuing some prisoners who, we believe, have infiltrated this village. Please, we do not want any violence. Just hand them over and we will leave peacefully."

"I've told you!" the elder spat again. "There is no criminal in this village! Leave now or you will have a fight on your hand!"

"Elder", Chey clenched his jaw, trying to keep his boiling blood in check while his men grew angry. "We will leave now. But, we will return in one hour. When we return, I expect you—ARRGHHH!!"

A block of earth hit him square on the chest!

Two of his men leaped forward and shielded him from the incoming mob, the rest jumped into the fray led by Chit Sang. Writhing and clutching his throbbing chest, disoriented by the chaos around him, it took a while for Chey to focus his thought for the next course of action.

"Private!" he shouted to one of his defenders; he pulled a small bamboo tube from his belt and threw it at him. The soldier caught the tube, a smoke signal, and pointed it to the sky before pulling the fuse. It exploded and sent a ball of fire that exploded into a puff of thick smoke five meters above their heads. Receiving the signal, twenty more men emerged from the forest surrounding the village. The mob, shocked by the arrival of more soldiers, scattered like ants. Chey got up and joined his men in the fight deeper into the village.

Soon, the brawl turned into a raid; Fire Nation soldiers forcibly kicking down the doors of the villagers' residences and dragged the men out, some men stood their ground and fought the soldiers briefly until their too were taken down, children and women running everywhere searching for safety. It was a complete chaos.

"Round them up!" Chey barked, throwing a small grenade at a group of men that charged at him. Running deeper into the village, he soon found himself in front of a big wooden building he suspected as the village meeting hall. It seemed to be an ideal place to hide the refugees, he thought. Kicking the door open, he enter the establishment carefully, an incendiary grenade ready at hand.

It looked just like any other meeting halls he had come across: made of polished wood, a large rectangular table with lots of well made chairs around it, on the wall at the end of the room, right behind the fanciest-looking chair, was a large tapestry of the Earth Kingdom insignia. The whole room was carpeted with green-yellow carpet… which was stained by mud everywhere with the shape of foot or something else. This definitely meant the refuges had been in this hall and possible still here.

Chey turned around and saw stars… a man suddenly emerged and his head with something solid.

"Run!! Run!!" he heard the man shouted as he tried to maintain consciousness on the ground. The yelling was followed by more yelling and he felt the floor rumble as the refugees came out of their hiding spot and ran outside past him; some gave him a pleasant stomping on the way out.

As his vision started to come back to him, he tried to get up; only to receive another beating on his back. He tried to get up again, ready to receive the incoming blow this time; he managed to plunge at his assailant and pin him on the ground. A rumble ensued, ended with Chey landing a blow on the man's jaw, knocking him unconscious. Nursing his broken nose, he got up and made for the exit but another man rushed in and attacked him. Chey sidestepped, caught the man's fist, twisted his arm, locked his arm on his back, and pinned him on the wall.

"Do not resist!!" he yelled at the man who were struggling to break free. "Stop—"

He blacked out again and suddenly felt the cold floor on his cheek. He instinctively curled up as he felt numerous blows all over his body; his half conscious mind told him that he was knocked down again and was being stomped by a group of assailants. Gritting his teeth through the pain and humiliation, he strugglingly reached to his belt and pulled the first grenade he touched, praying to Agni that it was a smoke grenade as he pulled the safety pin. A loud puffing sound and the numerous coughs told him that his wish had been granted. He got up and tackled the nearest men to the ground; not slowing down, he ran through the exit, coughing. It was a bad idea to fight multiple opponents in an enclosed space. Seething with anger, he pulled out another grenade from his belt, the one with red pin. He pulled the pin and threw the grenade inside the building, malicious intent etched in his bloody face.

He didn't saw the black smoke and fire arising from the building as someone grabbed him from behind and he had to defend himself. But, he did hear the loud explosion prior to the smoke and fire. The short fight ended with him still standing and his opponent writhing on the ground nursing his broken ribs; Chey turned his attention back to the meeting hall, grinning victoriously. His grin, however, didn't last long.

"What have I done…" he breathed through his horror stricken face.

On the mouth of the door, a badly burnt man was barely conscious, leaning on the door frame; his grip, however, was strong as he clutched the little girl in his arms. The girl had fainted; a blessing as she didn't have to feel her foot that was badly burnt. Judging from the man's injured back, it seemed that he was shielding the girl when the explosion happened. But, wait… there was supposed to be no more refuges left inside the building. Hadn't they all made a run for it when Chey was unconscious..?

"Captain!" someone called from behind. A pair of strong hand caught him by the shoulders as he slumped down on his knees, still unable to peel his eyes of the horrific result of the skill and knowledge he was so proud of.

"Captain!!" the soldier shook him.

"N-no… I-I… I didn't mean to…" he stuttered; the man's eyes met with his. A dying man gazed at his killer… "I-I… thought… I-I didn't mean to…"

The gaze of the green eyed man… what to make of it? Anger… doesn't look like it. Grudge… but, why did he looked as if he was pleading? Chey found himself unable to discern the meaning of the Earth Kingdom's dying gaze. There the man was, kneeling with one hand on the door frame, supporting himself, the other hand clutching the girl close to his chest as if she was the most precious thing in the world, precious enough to die for. Impossible… they are savages!! Just like what Chey had been told by his superior officer upon his joining the army. Savages!! Nothing more…

But, do savages capable of such act of selflessness…?

"I'm fine", he croaked. Kneeling down for he couldn't feel his knees, he pointed at the man and the girl. "Help her… and show the man some respect. He's dead."


"YEARRRGH!!" Lin roared, sending a jet of flaming death from both his palms.

"Form thirteen", Jeong Jeong said calmly, sidestepping the flame gracefully. "Not bad, although it could use some improvement in the control. You didn't mold it into the shape of the spear."

"Shut up!!" Lin yelled angrily, summoning a fire ball on his right palm, spinning his whole arm and mold the tracing fire into a wheel, grabbed the fire with his free hand and threw it at Jeong Jeong.

"Form seven: Fire Wheel of Nezha", Jeong Jeong evaded effortlessly. "Too weak, too slow!!"

"I SAID SHUT UP, CATFISH!!!"

"Catfish?" Jeong Jeong evaded another fire blast, a thick vein visible on his temple. "I don't recall you having such a foul mouth; I blame puberty. Your form three is perfect, by the way."

"Fight me!" Lin yelled angrily. The old man evading his attacks without fighting back was infuriating.

"Why should I?" Jeong Jeong sighed. "I don't need to fight you to teach you this lesson."

"What lesson!!!?" Lin barked.

"This…" Jeong Jeong spread his arms. "…lesson."

He was referring to their surroundings: the forest, the trees and grass around them, engulfed by fire. The windy day did nothing but help spread the destruction even further and wider. Anger and rage had blinded him from the raging flames, deafened his ears from the flickering trees and the cries of the dying animals, plugged his nostrils from the scent of burning wood and cooked flesh, numbed his skin from the heat. Jeong Jeong's gesture had opened his senses to the burning forest and all sensation it carried: the heat, the sight of burning trees, the sound of wounded animals, the smell… everything…

How could he let this happened… or rather, how could he have done this…?

He looked around in terror; no matter where he turned, he saw fire, only fire… nothing but destruction…

"Fire brings destruction, child", the old man's voice seemed like it came from far away. Lin slumped down on his knees, unable to stand in terror, regret, and humiliation. What had he done…? He looked up to his grandfather; the old man stood in front of him with his usual regal composure, hands crossed in front of his chest, eyes stabbed deeply on his own, face impassive and distant. The old man continued with his expressionless tone.

"Lose control of your fire and you bring destruction", he said. "This is the burden, the curse that you and I are born with."

"No…" Lin felt tears on his eyes. "It's not true…"

"You know it is true. The proof is right here", Jeong Jeong threw an arm, gesturing to the flames around them. "This is a curse we are born with, child. An abomination."

"Shut up!" Lin shouted, though his tone no longer contained malice; only regret…

"This is a lesson that you must learn", Jeong Jeong calmly continued. "To know what danger your bending could bring: destruction beyond measure."

"… Shut up…" Lin sobbed, both hand clutching the burning earth, his head hung down and eyes fixed on the ground below. He was too ashamed to lay eyes on the flame anymore.

"Don't turn away, child", Jeong Jeong said, his tone didn't change. "Look around, hear the fire flicker, smell it, taste the ash in your mouth. You must not forget this lesson."

"…Help me…" Lin pleaded, still refusing to raise his head. "…Help me… Save the forest…"

"I can't, child", Jeong Jeong replied, this time a tinge of sadness was apparent in his voice.

"Why…?" Lin asked, sobbing.

"Because I rather save you", the Deserter answered. "Look up, child…"

Lin did as he was told, raising his head slowly. But, what he saw in front of him was not his grandfather, looking at him with the indifferent eyes of his. Instead, it was a huge panda bear. Almost five times Lin's size, the beast walked calmly towards him on four, completely ignoring the fact that it's entire body was on fire. The panda bear walked slowly and docilely, as if the flickering fire was nothing but a harmless breeze of air. The sight amazed the young firebender; a panda bear burnt badly by his fire and in the brink of inevitable demise walking towards him. Lin didn't know what to do. Run…? Where to? Fight? Had he not done enough already…? He just knelt there fixing his eyes on the beast.

The bear stopped right in front of him. It sat down and their eyes met. Lin was half expecting the panda bear to start growling and gnawing him, at which he had decided that he would not resist and accept this retribution with honor, but its eyes, its large black eyes… there was no malice in them. No pain, no sadness, no regret… only compassion and mercy…

"I…" Lin stuttered, unable to say anything. So, he did the only thing he could do: witnessed the end of the noble beast. The wind grew stronger and the fire spread wider; but, somehow, as if willed by fate, the flames that razed the clearing where the firebender and the beast were, raging it might be, did not reach them. Lin didn't even realize that the flames were just inches away from him, not that he care…

"I-I… I cause this…" Lin stuttered. He then bowed down with great humility and regret. "Forgive me…"

He heard a growl, deep and solemn…

The wind grew wilder and suddenly, he felt something wet and cold dripped on the nape of his neck. It was followed by countless more drops of water, cold heavenly raindrops…

Lin raised his head. The panda bear was no longer sitting; it now stood on its two rear legs; impassive and solemn, it reminded Lin of a mountain. Lin cast a look of desperation and regret on it, but it did not relent its compassionate gaze just like how the fire that consumed its body did not yield to the sudden heavy rain.

"Thank you…" Lin sighed humbly. And before he knew it, everything went black…


"M—mommy…" Song groaned lowly, waking up from her sleep. "Mommy…"

"I'm here, sweetheart", her mother rushed to her side.

"Mommy… my leg hurts…" Song started to sob.

"It's okay, honey", her mother started to cry too. "It's okay. It's just a scratch. You know that scratches are not dangerous, right?"

"And a little ointment will make it better", she quoted from her lesson of medicine form her mother. "Right, mommy."

"Yes, that's right", Song heard her mother sobbed again. "Smart girl… Try to get some sleep, okay. You will feel better after you wake up."

Song didn't need to be told twice; she did feel somewhat sleepy. After all she had been through that day, nobody could blame her. So, she closed her eyes and let herself drift into a sweet slumber. Her mother tearfully applied more salve on the girl's burnt leg. There would be plenty of time later to tell her that her uncle had died protecting her from an explosion which scarred her leg and her father had been taken by the Fire Nation soldiers.

Yes, later. Now was the girl's time to sleep…


"—terrible, sir", the soldier tried to make his voice heard over the storm outside the tent. "Some witnesses said that they saw fire razing to the foot of the mountain."

"Have you sent someone to investigate the cause?" Jiang asked calmly, staring at the soldier with an unusual grim expression. All other officers in that meeting tent, however, were more concerned with Jiang's state than the forest as they threw worried glances at him every now and then.

"No, sir", the soldier replied. "The fire was too fierce and then there is this sudden storm. It is too dangerous to send our men to the forest. There are, however, some people who claimed that they saw an old man in black robe being chased by a soldier and run into the forest earlier this morning. They might be fighting and cause the bushfire."

"Understood", Jiang replied through his clenched jaw. "Prepare a team to investigate and get them ready to depart anytime. As soon as the storm let up, I'll lead the team myself."

"Yes, sir", the soldier saluted and exited the tent. If the other officers were intrigued by Jiang's decision to bother himself with this trivial matter, they didn't show it. After all, with the sudden news of the demise of his brother, who knows how long it would take for Jiang to snap. Anyway, the storm didn't let up until the next morning.

And so, the next day, a fine morning with slight breeze and lots of cloud, Jiang was ready to lead fifty of his men into the forest to try and find the missing soldier and, hopefully, gather enough information about how the fire started and to what extent the damage the forest sustained.

"Men", Jiang assembled his men. "Mount your steed!"

"Oh, out for sightseeing", Kang asked, suddenly appearing beside Jiang, wearing a thin red sleeping robe and bandaged chest.

"We're out to investigate the bushfire, Kang", Jiang answered coldly without looking. "There was a huge fire yesterday."

"Yeah, I saw it from the south", Kang added, rubbing his wounded shoulder. He then gestured to the rest of Jiang's men whose jaws dropped to the ground. "…Why are they looking at me like that?"

"What do you mean?" Jiang frowned, turning to his brother. A second or two later it happened: it begun with his amber eyes widened to the size of a saucer, his face turned white as paper, and his mouth opened so wide you could put a whole apple in there.

And, in unison…

"AAARRRRRGGHHHH!!!!! GHOOOOSSSSTTTT!!!!!"


Author's note:

A rather grim chapter…

1. Nezha is a deity in Chinese mythology. He was often portrayed as a child trickster in red carrying a spear, a golden hoop, and riding a pair of wheel of fire like roller blades, except that the wheels enable him to fly.

Hei Bai comes into the picture and Kang is alive… and Song got her scar.

To hpswst101, Kang's alive, after all. More about it in the next chapters.:)

Hmm, the book I was talking about is actually called 'Taiko' by Eiji Yoshikawa. The book is kinda like Japanese version of 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms', but of course it's about the warring state period in Japan.

As for 'Shogun', I've never read that book. I've heard about it, though. The author is James Cavell (or something like that, I'm not sure…). It is about a westerner who was stranded in feudal Japan, or something like that. The book itself was a big hit in the Western world and, if I'm not mistaken, they even made a movie based on the book back in the 80's (I think…).

I'm not sure, but if you're looking for the book about Japanese ancient custom and politics during the days of the samurai, I'd recommend 'Taiko' since the author of the book is Japanese and he probably understands the custom more that James Cavell and is better at putting it into a story. Gotta warn you though: the book is huge… like a dictionary!

Hope that helps

Have a nice day!!