Chapter 19: The Tale of Shi Jin- Broken Staves (Part 1)

On the Outside Grounds of Lord Chai's Estate
Cangzhou, Third Age 1934

Upon Lord Chai's request, Shi Jin did his morning conditioning along the outside grounds of the estate but not near the main entrance. For some reason, the elf did not want him greeting the guests that would be spectating the duel. Still, Shi Jin had enough room to do his sprints, sideways figure-eights, backward running, quad and hamstring lifts, lunges, and sideways leaps. Now knowing where both Instructor Wang and Instructor Luan's power came from, he focused particularly on his footwork.

As for the participants, his master told him that she and Luan Tingyu were training privately for their upcoming duel and did not want to be disturbed. The other Xining Villagers were nowhere to be found, probably doing their exercises outside the estate. Meanwhile, for some reason, Wu Song was missing and Lord Chai was particularly vague when Shi Jin asked where that large man was:

"You shall see your friend later, I am sure," Lord Chai had said.

"Wu Song is not my friend!" Shi Jin indignantly responded.

The elf's estate was quite large even for a manor. According to Wang Jin, Cangzhou used to be the capital of another realm in ancient times, and its palace was located exactly where Lord Chai's estate was. When the Eastern Empire was formed, a separate governor's building was created in Cangzhou as a symbolic statement declaring that no regional ruler could have as much power as The Emperor, reflecting itself in the relatively humble size of the governor's estate. For meritorious service, Lord Chai was given Cangzhou's old palace and the protective iron certificate personally by The Emperor at the time. A lap around the estate, thus, was a fair distance.

Somebody in a sling tried to get his attention. Recognizing who it was, Shi Jin blatantly ignored her.

Fair in a different sense was the environment surrounding the manor. Summertime in Cangzhou was quite comfortable, not too hot and not too cold, given its proximity to the looming Western Mountains. The trees added color to Lord Chai's estate. They had a large variety of different colored leaves, ranging from green to pink of all different shapes, providing ample shade. Shi Jin did not know trees well enough to identify them, but they were very pretty. Chimes and ornaments jingled in the air, some attached to branches. As always, birds chirped and cawed on the branches. One even tried biting off one of his head hairs! Red, yellow, and bluebirds also escaped from the hedges, bushes, and shrubberies along the side whenever he ran by.

Now there were two people trying to get his attention. The second person's voice was much louder and profane. Nevertheless, he kept on jogging.

A variety of workers tended the elf's plants and animals. The interesting thing about these workers was that quite a few of them had a tattoo on their face with the written character, "囚." This was one of the few written characters that Shi Jin remembered and for good reason. It depicted a person tightly enclosed in a space, making it obvious what the word meant:

Prisoner.

He recalled Sun Yi telling Xie Bao that every prisoner bore this tattoo on their face so that even when they left jail, everybody knew that they were a criminal. When he first arrived in Lord Chai's manor, he initially was suspicious that Liu Tang, that Red-Haired Devil, sent them to a luxurious prison due to the high amount of people with that facial tattoo. It was later that his master explained that the elf had quite a few former criminals working in his estate, being known as generous to the downtrodden and the chivalrous who unfortunately ran afoul of the law. Thus, Shi Jin originally thought they were the elf's servants that were earning their way back to society.

Yet these workers were not servants, being paid well and housed, as the elf made clear yesterday. This seemed to Shi Jin rather unusual, as Shi Family village, his manor in particular, had servants that were unpaid, only housed and fed. If the elf no longer was the Empire's scribe, how did he make money? Did Lord Chai have a job? Was he still employed by the Empire?

"Hey! Ya deaf or somethin'? My wife wants to talk with you!" a voice interrupted his train of thought. Shi Jin sighed, realizing that perhaps ignoring them would actually cause an incident rather than prevent one. So, he slowed himself to a stop and turned his attention to the voice.

He tried not to scowl, seeing two people standing alongside the river that ran through Lord Chai's grounds. It was tall, glaring Sun Xin that spoke, and next to him was a woman with a wrist splint, sling, and a half-mask that covered her nose up to her forehead. Her horse-tail hair held a silver outstretched bird ornament perching itself on one side, and a silver reed hanging from the tail's tip on the other side. Shi Jin could still recognize her as Gu Dasao, the Mother Tiger.

"Done running? Good! My wife's been tryin' to get your attention," snarled Sun Xin, "get over here then!"

Shi Jin bit his tongue, reluctantly walking over to the pair with his head down. What he knew about Sun Xin was not flattering. According to his master, the contrast between him and his brother, Sun Li, was such that villagers questioned whether the two were born from the same parents. While both looked similar and were very competent fighters, their personalities could not be any more different. The younger brother, Sun Xin, was easy to anger and much less disciplined than his brother. He had a loud mouth and was slow to forgive or forget. His friends were gamblers, prostitute procurers, and rumored bandits. The only redeeming quality to him was his loyalty to his family.

"Get your head up and look at us, ya ass!" berated Sun Xin, "I knew you tricked my brother and in-laws! You don't care about my wife, so fuck you! Like master, like apprentice, both stupid, dumb assholes who ignore my wife, who now can't even breathe outta their nose! Do ya know how painful it is to talk with that injury? HUH? Yet my brave wife has the decency to talk to you! You bad egg! How dare you?! I want you to rot to death you piece of shit!"

"Piece of shit!" echoed what Shi Jin deduced to be one of Lord Chai's talking birds. He focused his eyes on the bird's location, trying to distract himself from running over and punching Sun Xin's head off.

"Darling," Gu Dasao softly said, and Shi Jin then heard her whisper words presumably to her husband.

"Yes dear, won't curse in front of the blackbirds," Sun Xin muttered.

"So stop gawking at the wildlife and listen to my wife!" he spoke louder, presumably to Shi Jin, "or I'll break your fuckin'... UGH!"

His shin was kicked by Gu Dasao, who merely said, "darling. Please."

"Yes, dear."

If he didn't have the immense desire to fight both of them at once, Shi Jin would've found this utterly amusing. As it was, he stiffly walked forward until he was a few feet away from the pair, bowed to one knee suddenly with hands clasped, like a soldier to their general, and barked, "Shi Jin apologizes for ignoring you!"

"You! Grass-!" Sun Xin began to yell.

"Husband..." Gu calmly implored.

"Yes, dear."

"Thank you, honey," she responded to a now subdued Sun Xin, then turned her attention to Shi Jin "I accept the forced apology, but stand up and come closer... it's harder to speak when I... can't breathe with my nose."

"Then let your husband speak for you," Shi Jin retorted impulsively.

He expected a loud interjection from said husband, but all that greeted him were birds chirping in the background. Surprised, he raised his head to check if the pair were still there, and he was met with cold glares from both Sun Xin and Gu Dasao. Sun Xin's eyes flared furiously, as expected, while Gu...

Even wearing a sling, a protective mask, and having two darkened eyes, her glare... hers was similar to Liu Tang's when he threatened Shi Jin in the carriage: one that threatened imminent harm. He saw that look multiple times during her conversation with Wang Jin. Now it conflicted him; he did not exactly know how to respond.

On one hand, he wanted to stand up and challenge them both. On the other hand, Gu Dasao was in a sling and it was not proper to fight a heavily injured person. There also was the matter of Sun Xin... His mind then suddenly recalled the voice of Lord Chai:

"You could act against them, but then you would have to find another place to stay in Cangzhou"

Shi Jin's mother always said that the 36th stratagem was "retreat." This was not the time to be stupid!

He walked forward a couple of steps and bowed his head more slowly, less stiffly this time, and said, "Shi Jin did not mean it, and apologizes. I am sorry!"

More silence ensued, but he kept his head down in front of the pair this time until finally, he heard a soft sigh.

"Another fake apology... Fine then. I, Gu Dasao, accept. At least you're trying... unlike your master. You're close enough now, so raise your head and stand up," Gu quietly said with a hint of resignation.

After he stood up, he saw that her eyes no longer glared, returning to a wary gaze. Shi Xin still looked like he wanted to rip a lung out though.

Nevertheless, she then continued, her eyes softening, "I'm sorry for hitting you... My quarrel is with your master and not yourself, so I should not have struck you... I heard from Tingyu you had a nasty headache... Are you feeling better?"

"Huh?" Shi Jin sputtered in surprise as his eyes briefly widened, "uhh yes I am. Thank you... for asking." He was expecting the woman to start spewing out barbs and insults at him, so the considerate words, although probably feigned, caught him off guard.

"Things got heated between me and your master... and yet we involved you in this. Believe it or not, I do not begrudge you for being that woman's apprentice... I wished years ago to be their student, but that is their loss and not your fault... I do hope you'll forgive me."

"It's fine," he replied, looking away in a mixture of shame and shock. The more he heard, the less it sounded feigned; she genuinely sounded apologetic. Of all the things he expected from Gu Dasao, this was not one of them.

"No... it's not fine," she replied and then asked, "has that woman not told you the dangers of being punched in the back of the head?"

"Actually... yes, Master did," he defensively said, "I just... did not expect it from you, as I thought you had honor."

"Your master deceives and hurts people... Do you blame me for thinking you were the same? Were you not pretending to cut wood?"

"But you said you admired Wang Sheng, did you not? Why didn't you... just not fight?"

Her gaze turned cold, "they struck first. That agreement was made only out of respect for their mother... All was fair game if your master ever attacked me... If not for their mother, I doubt either myself or Wang Jin would be here today... Such are my feelings for both of them.

"Your master... I'll let you decide what to think about them. But do you even know what Wang Jin said to Tingyu in their arguments before their duel? Were you there comforting the 'Invincible Iron Staff' back then? Were you there for Tingyu, telling them it wasn't their fault, staying with them even after they cried themselves to sleep for their own safety?"

That was a horrifically sad image that he did not want to further ponder, particularly because he saw how Instructor Luan still suffered from her past. So, Shi Jin interrupted, trying to reconcile his teacher with the monster Gu was describing, "that was... years ago though. Surely my master changed for the better? Did not Instructor Luan say so themselves?"

"Tingyu's biased," Gu Dasao retorted, "but surely you know through your master's future designs that they haven't changed... What that woman requested of me to do..."

"What designs?"

At this point, Sun Xin cut in, "don't you know what that rotten egg asked my wife a few days ago?"

"Wait," Gu Dasao, blinking her eyes in confusion as she stepped a little closer to her husband and asked, "what did that woman say about our private talk?"

Shi Jin explained to her that Wang Jin blamed her for her current situation today, essentially being stuck in Lord Chai's estate otherwise she would be arrested. The confused looks he got in response were not what he expected.

"What? I cannot believe..." Sun Xin muttered in astonishment.

Gu Dasao interrupted, asking, "how long have you been Wang Jin's apprentice?"

Not really sure what that question had to do with anything, Shi Jin told her it was mere weeks, just like Wu Song.

Gu's eyes blinked slowly, "I see now... I thought it would've been similar to the others... That woman typically raises apprentices starting in their childhood from what I hear... Given that your master uses deception, do you not realize they're lying to you?"

"No... Master's not deceiving me," Shi Jin said, his eyes twitching.

She is lying to me, isn't she? he thought.

"I can tell you're lying, there's some doubt within you. Huh... Maybe your master was right on two things."

Gu Dasao then smiled at Shi Jin, saying, "Perhaps you are your own person. You haven't attacked me or my husband once, though doubtless, you've thought it multiple times. Good on you."

Then the smile turned into a scowl, "and I should have aimed for Wang Jin's throat! Tell that woman, once I am healed, if I see them again, only one of us shall stay on this Earth! Their mother would be long passed and nothing will prevent me from caving that fool's throat! To think I'd ever wanted to be their apprentice!"

She then turned her heel and began walking back towards the manor, saying, "come Husband... we shall bother you no further, Nine-Dragon Tattooed Shi Jin."

"Wait... what? But... what is Master not telling me?" Shi Jin asked, more to himself.

Sun Xin, who had begun turning his back on Shi Jin, looked back and remarked, "if my wife won't say it, I won't. You might seem a better sort than your master, but I'm still watching you."

"Uh-huh," Shi Jin flatly replied.

"I ain't apologizin' for anything; what I said was justified!" Sun Xin barked, began to turn his heel, then turned around to face him again.

"Oh, and I hope Tingyu beats the crap out of their "Little King" again like in the past. Imagine what they did after my wife softened your master up back in the day? Your master had to take a whole year off to recover from Luan's beating! Who do ya think taught my wife how to fight, huh?"

That explained Gu's martial prowess, though the rest of the remarks were very troubling. Shi Jin looked on, his thoughts elsewhere, as Sun Xin ran to Gu Dasao's side and supported her up the stairs.

The rest of the morning shall not be elaborated on.

"Not exactly the best way to handle it, but you did far better than I expected," Lord Chai cheerfully remarked as he guided Shi Jin to where they would be spectating the awaited duel between Wang Jin and Luan Tingyu. Shi Jin had just told him what transpired in his unexpected morning meeting.

"Thank you, Lord Chai," Shi Jin responded, though his mind was elsewhere. Following his exercises and breakfast, he spent much of the time in his assigned room ruminating on what exactly Wang Jin was keeping from him. Eventually, things began falling into place once he really thought about the words and actions of both Luan Tingyu and Wang Jin over the past few days. The lack of expected hostility from Gu Dasao, the evasiveness of Luan's responses in regards to what exactly Wang Jin and Gu Dasao privately talked about, Wang Jin "losing" her hearing and abruptly leaving due to something in her eye once mention of her father came up, it became abundantly clear what happened that caused his master's grief a few weeks ago.

But why didn't his master trust Shi Jin enough to tell him? What were these "designs" that Gu mentioned? Furthermore, there was another key detail that gave him a headache:

Why was Wang Jin not wearing the customary white mourning attire? Why was she trying to hide the death of such an important person when she was already in "hiding" in Lord Chai's estate to begin with?

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, however," Lord Chai noted as he suddenly stopped and gestured Shi Jin to do so as well. The elf was dressed quite regally. His pearl was affixed to his topknot crown, as usual, and he wore a dark green silk outfit that brilliantly shone when the sun hit its fabric, embroidered with a variety of flowers.

"Though there is no one in hearing distance, you may speak quietly. I can hear quite well," the elf added, smiling at him.

Even though the young man was reassured, he still did not want to speak specifically on his master's situation, so he thought of a vague question that could get to the heart of the matter. Lord Chai's thousands of years of experience could give him some insight, after all.

"Lord Chai... what do I do if I know someone is deceiving me?"

Quite frankly, he expected the elf to say some confusing cryptic message. The elves in his village would respond in such a manner whenever he had questions on anything, even where the nearest latrine was ("the whole world is your latrine, it is up to you to find it.") It was harder to find those elves after he got his tattoos, which actually did make sense the more he thought about it. Part of him wished that he learned more about how the dragons harmed the elves before he got them, but it was too late now.

He did not expect the straightforward response that came, though:

"Gently talk to them about it. I emphasize the word gently, of course. No need to tempt them in further deception."

"Would that really work? What if they... tend to get angry?" Shi Jin asked.

"How much do you trust your relationship with them?" Lord Chai asked, his tone contrasting his smile, "I hope my guess is correct on this matter. As someone who has deceived and been deceived, I personally know the destructive nature of lies. Like an insidious growth, the longer you delay, the more destructive it will become."

This was very helpful to Shi Jin, and he bowed to the elf in appreciation.

"Shi Jin thanks you!"

"There is no need for that, particularly because you have to do the most difficult part now," Lord Chai said, helping the younger man stand up and wiping off stray dust from his shoulders, his tone becoming more mirthful, "now I do not know why Wu Song is deceiving you, but you must foster your brotherhood with them. Are all men not brothers, after all?"

What?

"... Wu Song is not my friend!" Shi Jin protested, then a sudden thought struck him, "... is this your attempt at a joke, my lord?"

Lord Chai laughed, gesturing Shi Jin to follow him, "perhaps I, Chai Jin, should practice my jokes more. They do not seem to land with this current generation. I know of course who it is you are referring to."

"That is a relief," Shi Jin said, inwardly rolling his eyes. But courage rose within him and he asked, "why is it that you did not simply tell me to 'figure out yourself,' as the other elves said to me?"

Lord Chai's eyes narrowed slightly, and his smile was no longer present. He whispered to Shi Jin, "you tread on a sensitive trail, young one. The turbulence of grief can destroy the greatest of fleets, and tear asunder the fabric of all humans, dwarves, and elves. I cannot protect your master long if they murder anyone. Capital punishment is an exception to my iron certificate."

"Wait what?" Shi Jin sputtered.

Lord Chai motioned for him to lower his voice.

"Would Master really kill me if I say the wrong words?" Shi Jin whispered as quietly as he could.

The elf immediately nodded in response.

"But why?"

Lord Chai blinked a few times, pausing as if he pondered a response.

"That," he said in a louder voice, "is something you will have to figure out yourself. Good luck in finding joy in that venture! But no more discussion. We have guests waiting, and I have tarried long enough. I must perform my duties as a host, after all. Follow me and put on a smile for everyone. Hopefully, you remember the names of said guests, but even if you have not, I will introduce you regardless."

Of course, that did not appease the young man, as Shi Jin could not think of any reason why his master would kill her own apprentice. Injure, perhaps, but murder? It wasn't as if he was going to insult her father, nor did he have a tumultuous history with Wang Jin as Gu Dasao did.

Despite Shi Jin's mood dampening due to Lord Chai's caution on Wang Jin, he nodded and did his best to remember the people who he would be sitting with. He could plan his conversation with Wang Jin at any time. There was one person's name that Lord Chai did not disclose as a "surprise" to Shi Jin. whoever that was. At the present, the visitors he did know of were not folks he could afford to offend...

"Ha! What a small world!" jovially cried someone right before the pair entered through the beaded jewel doorway onto the long balcony above the location of the duel. Shi Jin looked to where he thought the voice came from, seeing only some hair at the bottom of his vision. Peering down, he saw a grinning black-haired dwarf in front of the entrance to the long balcony where they would be seeing the duel. For some reason, he looked and sounded familiar even though he never had a dwarven friend in his life.

The dwarf's curly hair was unbound and long, reaching to the middle of his back. His beard reached to the top of his chest, bound at the bottom by a silver ring on top of an elaborate knot. His eyebrows were silkworm-shaped and he had a face that bore no blemishes.

"Do you recognize my guest, Sir 'Unrestrained'?" Lord Chai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Now just because my brother is less hasty and more fiscally... bah! Hate that nickname!" the Unrestrained dwarf responded to Lord Chai, then turned towards Shi Jin, "more importantly, do you recognize me?"

When Lord Chai reiterated on the guests who were coming to Shi Jin, the latter clearly remembered the name of the "Unrestrained" dwarf, not the appearance, however. He did recognize the voice but...

Wait.

"Kha! Zâd! Ai! Mênu!" the dwarf yelled after each stomp of the scholar's four limbs.

"I remember you! You-" Shi Jin began to cry. This was the dwarf that beat up the scholar near his village when they were leaving for Cangzhou!

"No! Don'tsayit!" quickly interrupted the dwarf, "just pretend you never saw; I don't want to get my brother in trouble again."

"Huh? Yet-"

Lord Chai then placed a hand on Shi Jin's left shoulder.

"As I said before," Lord Chai interrupted, "I could just simply send a message to the capital to Mu Chun and this will be..."

"No! As we discussed, if nobody says anything, nothing happened! My brother loves being the Minister of the Treasury! Can't threaten that job with no evidence of any charges! That's final, elf!"

The elf sighed, then loudly whispered to Shi Jin, "perhaps 'The Stubborn' would be a more fitting nickname!"

"I heard that!"

The young man inferred that the Unrestrained dwarf was hoping that the scholar would either not press charges or for any witnesses to report the crime. This conflicted with Shi Jin. The right thing to do was to report the crime and the whereabouts of the perpetrator. Before he met Wang Jin, he would have done just that. His father always said that he must report all wrongdoings in order to model good, lawful behavior for the rest of Shi Family Village. But after he found out the facetious crime his master made, a growing voice in his head told him to not report the dwarf. Either way, he certainly could not do it right now; he would not make things harder for Lord Chai.

The elf himself laughed, "good ears you have, master dwarf. Certainly, better than your manners! For you have not introduced yourself yet to Shi Jin, my guest."

"Bah! How could I forget!" the dwarf cried, shifting his attention to Shi Jin, bowing with one hand on his waist and the other at his side, "Mu Hong (穆弘), at your service."

"Shi Jin at your ser-" Shi Jin began to say as he bowed with clasped hands, then corrected himself and said, "at yours and your family's."

"Ha! Nice catch, I'll remember your courtesy," Mu Hong replied. A commonality between the dwarves and the humans of the Eastern Empire was their devotion and reverence for tradition and family.

Shi Jin chose not to mention how many times he messed up when Lord Chai repeatedly drilled him on that particular reply. Each mess-up reminded him of an incident when he was a child. A visiting dwarf stopped by to rest at their family manor on their way to the capital. Completely forgetting about who dwarves were, he saw someone the same height as him with a beard. After asking the dwarf why a fellow child had a fake beard, his father dragged him away by the ear, yelling at how rude he was, causing Shi Jin to cry. His mother had to comfort him in a separate room while telling stories about the genius of the dwarves. Though they were supremely confident in forging metals, weapons, and armor, their true genius lay in economics. Through concepts that he still had no clue about, they created a trading empire spanning the entire east. One of these concepts was through their version of dwarven alchemy. Through complex mechanisms and magic, they were able to put value on paper, so that people could use paper money within the Eastern Empire. Sure, it had been a human invention, but thanks to the dwarves, they could use reasonable amounts of paper money without having to carry it by the wheelbarrow.

"We best go onto the balcony, for I fear the others may be growing impatient," Lord Chai commented.

"Right, right," commented Mu Hong.

On the Balcony Overlooking Lord Chai's Courtyard

They entered through the beaded jewel doorway, allowing Shi Jin to finally see the viewpoint from this area. The blue sunny sky cast shadows from the buildings and trees. Supporting the balcony were various thick columns connected directly with the balcony's railing. The railing's top was wide enough so that one could place a plate on top. The group was about eight feet above a long and wide clearing where normally Shi Jin, Wu Song, and Wang Jin would conduct their training. Now, however, the clearing had various props, including tall candlesticks at seemingly random places. Surrounding the clearing was a small blue brick wall that could be stepped over and also served as a makeshift area for people to place their food and drinks. Behind the low wall were various tables and chairs with people already seated. There was a woman with a sling and a half-mask, most likely Gu Dasao. Her husband, Sun Xin, was cutting up the already-cooked meat and vegetables, and placing food in her mouth with chopsticks. But before he could recognize the other people chatting, sitting, and eating, Lord Chai introduced the other guests that were on the balcony.

"This is Shi Yong, the 'Stone General.' Shi Yong, this is Shi Jin, my guest."

This was somebody Lord Chai warned him about.

"Shi Yong (石勇), at your service," the dwarf muttered, jumping off of his high seat and giving the same bow as Mu Hong, more towards Lord Chai, however. This dwarf had pale, wrinkly, yellowish skin. His white hair, bound in a topknot, further indicated his great age. There was something much more noticeable about his features, though, something unusual among the dwarves:

He lacked a beard.

"Shi Jin, at yours and your family's," the young man responded, bowing and clasping his own hands. He needed to make sure his manners were perfect, as the elf gave him multiple warnings regarding the dwarf. Aside from the manners, Shi Jin was to not even joke about the similarity of their family names (there was a slight inflectional difference in pronunciation and the written characters were different). He also could not ask about the dwarf's lack of facial hair as that involved both dwarven and human politics. Lord Chai did not elaborate further on that topic, but Shi Jin was familiar with dwarven punishments. One of the most famous punishments the dwarves would place on their people was the forced removal of hair, a badge of shame. It was similar in concept to the Eastern Empire's tattooing of all criminals.

"Hmph," grunted Shi Yong dismissively in response, heading back towards his high chair and table. There were only two seats at his table even though it could fit four. Lord Chai said he was the only one Shi Yong would willingly sit with, which was surprising because Shi Jin would've guessed the two dwarves would sit together.

"Hey," quietly uttered Mu Hong, patting his lower back which made him flinch, "bend down a little."

Bending down to better hear Mu Hong, the dwarf whispered, "don't mind that one's manners. Best not talk with him. Stick around with me, alright?"

Shi Jin nodded his assent.

Seeming nonplussed, Lord Chai continued his introductions, gesturing towards a tall, long-haired fellow, with unbound black hair shining in the sun, who was standing rather than sitting. He had no facial hair, his glossy skin was unmarred, and his eyes were filled with the rigor of youth. Attached to his shoes were two pieces of paper with unfamiliar horizontal scribbles.

"This is Dai Zong, my fleetest messenger. Dai Zong, this is Shi Jin."

"WellmetfriendIhopeyou'redoingwell," Dai Zong quickly said, averting his eyes from Shi Jin. It took a second, but if the latter had not already experienced this level of fast-talking from other elves (after he got his dragon tattoos), he would not have understood what the other said. Lord Chai did not specify if Dai Zong was an elf or not, but most likely the messenger was elven. Likely disliked dragons.

The more Shi Jin encountered this hostility the more he regretted just not simply getting nine tiger tattoos.

"Now Dai Zong, just because our friend here has some... questionable taste in art, does not mean we should forgo the pleasantries," Lord Chai chided.

Dai Zong rapidly responded in a language Shi Jin heard seldom but recognized as elvish (the village elves conversed with each other in the language). Lord Chai matched the other's vocal speed and gave what seemed to be a terse response. They then had a hushed rapid-fire conversation that drew the attention of Stone General Shi Yong, who appeared to be glaring at Dai Zong.

Feeling a tug at the back of his clothes, Shi Jin recognized that Mu Hong wanted his attention. Bending down, he heard the dwarf ask quietly, "questionable art?"

Not particularly sure of the dwarf's stance on dragon tattoos, Shi Jin responded, "large destructive creatures."

"Aah," Mu Hong nodded, "that would do it."

"VerywellLordChai," stated Dai Zong with the barest hint of a sigh, bowing to Shi Jin with clasped hands, "well... met... friend... I... am... Dai... Zong."

"Well met, Dai Zong, I am Shi Jin," he greeted back, matching the bow and the clasped hands.

"I suppose that is good enough," Lord Chai commented, giving a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, "and finally, I would like to introduce you to a special guest who traveled from Dongxi Village."

The young man looked at the only person left who had not introduced themselves. This was the "surprise" guest Lord Chai did not tell Shi Jin much about. They had their back turned away from him, a wide straw hat covering the back of their head. They wore a conservative light green tunic, but it did not gleam in the sun. Thinking about the elf's introduction, Dongxi Village sparked a memory within him. He heard of that village before, while he, Wang Jin, and Wang Sheng were traveling to Cangzhou...

This better not be Liu Tang! thought Shi Jin.

Lord Chai continued, "may I introduce the leader of Dongxi Village, Heavenly King Chao Gai!"