Chapter 14: The Yaoguai and the Eternal Chord

It had been some time ago that Dai found out about the Eternal Chord and the mysticism surrounding musical kung fu. While she had been with her pack, she determined within herself that she wanted a piece of that to control, weaponize. It was this power that she had recently removed from her and placed in an amulet.

She sat in Po's room at the Jade Palace, holding it in her hand. Everything I've experienced with this magic has told me that the Yaoguai will want to use this for their Anti-Eternal Chord, thought Dai. Putting it among the relics would be an obvious place, she realized. So, it would have to stay with her at all times. She tucked it away in her shirt just as Po walked in.

"Do I need to walk back out or…?" he asked, since he had caught her with her hand in her shirt.

"No, you're good. Just keeping something safe," said Dai.

"Oh, okay. So… what do you wanna do now?"

It was still dark outside, so it was too late to do a lot of things, but neither of them were especially tired. Dai was sure Po meant nothing but innocence in his statement, but she still blushed anyway. Diverting the subject, she kissed Po on the top of his head and said, "Good night, Po. We should try to rest. We have an early day tomorrow."

"Okay," Po managed to say, still a little star struck from the sudden kiss.

Dai curled up on the bed and Po lay down on the floor. It wasn't long before Po broke the silence. "You want some sticky buns?" he asked.

She laughed softly. "Good night, Po," she said.

Po sighed. She's probably right… but they sound so good right now! He decided he would make some tomorrow for breakfast.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a sinister enemy was approaching.

The morning gong rang. However, the light of morning was not apparent in the sky. It was still dark outside as if it were night.

Dai's eyes glowed in the darkness, piercing through it. There must be something evil near… but what? She thought. It can't be who I think it is…

Dai looked out her window and saw the Yaoguai. The two geese with the dark eyes seemed to look at her without seeing. She ducked out of their line of view with wide, startled eyes.

Po woke up then. "Why did they ring the gong at night? Is something going on?" asked Po sleepily.

"You could say that," said Dai.

Po looked out the window and saw the Yaoguai getting closer. He ducked down beside Dai. "What are they doing here?" asked Po.

"Uh…" said Dai. "No reason."

"That's usually my line." He glared at her. "Dai, come on, what' going on, really?"

"They're here for this," she said, pulling out her amulet. "You remember how I used musical magic to take down my pack when they were attacking the villagers?"

"Yeah."

"I was using music kung fu, a special magic form of it. I realized it was too much power and I took it out of me. I had hoped that they would have a harder time finding me, but, perhaps since this magic no longer has a host, it is actually easier to find."

The Yaoguai broke through the wall and landed in front of them. "We should probably get out of here," said Po.

"Agreed," said Dai.

They ran off down the mountain as the Yaoguai chased after them. The two geese had two small drums that they used to launch attacks at Po and Dai. "Kinda weird how you know a lot of the people that I know," said Po.

"I get around," said Dai. As the attacks grew closer to hitting them, she said, "We need to find Master Lun. He is best at combatting these guys."

"Is there anyone you don't know?"

"I don't know, Po. I know a lot of criminals." They dodged the attacks as long as they could until they reached Lun's place. He seemed to have known they were coming, since he was already outside with his pipes. He launched counterattacks to protect Po and Dai.

"Daiyu, what did I tell you about your magic?" asked Lun as he sought cover with them from the attacks.

"To not let it fall into the wrong hands, but it's fine. I got it right here," Dai demonstrated the amulet.

One of the Yaoguai whipped a string and knocked the amulet out of her hand. With another whip, it latched around it and was dragged back to them quicker than Dai could grab it back. "Well, we might still be fine," said Dai, her voice shaky and unsure.

When the geese attempted to tap into the magic, however, they found that they could not. "This is just a peasant necklace!" shouted one of them, throwing it to the ground in frustration.

"Where is it?" they asked in unison.

The situation was growing tense and their hiding place in the small hut seemed to be getting smaller. Before the geese could attack, however, they got shot from behind with arrows that glowed with a strange light. They looked sick and fumbled to remove the arrows from them, since the arrows were clearly imbued with a magic that they were not compatible with. They ran off, their mission no longer as important as recovering for the next time they wanted to end the world and bring darkness back.

"Where did that come from?" asked Po.

"This feels… familiar…" said Dai. She strained her eyes, her night vision just barely catching a silhouette in the shadow of the trees. Her eyes widened. That form… she knew him. Just as quickly as she saw it though, it disappeared again.

"Dai? What is it? Did you see something?" asked Po.

"Qiang…" said Dai. She sounded so breathless, amazed, impressed. Something different fluttered in Po when he heard her say that name. Before he could think further on it, Dai ran off into the shadows.

"Dai! Dai, wait!" Po called out to her. It was a confusing rush of movements… and, as the sky cleared with the Yaoguai's disappearance, it became clear that it was scarcely midday. Who is Qiang? Thought Po.

That's all for now. A new element to the story I didn't know would exist until nearer the end: Who is Qiang? I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. There is more to come, so stay tuned! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)