Chapter 559

Chapter 559

I am the Undying Savage, Falling Rain. Son of Baatar and Sarnai, Brother of Alsantset and Charok, Uncle to Tali and Tate, Grandson to Akanai and Husolt. Student to Taduk, Betrothed to Sumila, Du Min Yan, and Mei Lin, Consort to Zheng Luo, and unwilling Master to Li Song. I am a Khishig of the Bekhai by choice, a soldier of the Empire by punishment, an herbalist by hobby, merchant by obligation, and politician by necessity.

Its a long introduction, which is about to get longer, because now I get to add Divine Turtle Whisperer to the list.

Last nights unprompted and impromptu visit into Pong Pongs Natal Palace came as quite the surprise, but a welcome one to be sure. We both had so much fun splashing around and playing tag, and I learned a lot about Chi-powered water travel. Pong Pong was sandbagging from the start, but I eventually picked up enough to give him a bit of a challenge and keep him on his toes during our games of chase, though I never did end up catching him even once. Eventually, he got bored of winning and we stopped to figure out what to do next, or rather, he decided what we were gonna do. One moment we were chilling by his coral throne trying to make conversation through emotions and body language, and then I blinked and we were sitting in a beautiful field of vibrant seaweed which took my breath away.

Thus began our journey through the undersea vistas of Pong Pongs Natal Palace, and I gotta say, its a lot bigger than I expected. Granted, its hard to pin down an exact size of the place with Pong Pong teleporting us around at the speed of thought, but after going through almost a dozen unique and awe-inspiring aquatic biomes, I began to wonder if there was an actual end to his Natal Palace. From colourful coral reefs and verdant undersea forests, to decrepit sunken shipwrecks and natural nautical necropolises, Pong Pongs inner world has it all and more. While I obviously didnt recognize any of the underwater landmarks, considering how Pong Pong brought me to so many different environments and habitats without ever coming across the darkness of the void, Im almost certain the tiny Divine Turtle modelled his Natal Palace after the entirety of the Azure Sea.

Which is pretty damned impressive considering mine was only as big as a village. Hell, Mahakala was a human Divinity, and his Natal Palace was a courtyard like... forty football fields wide. Maybe more, I dont know, it was a huge empty space and I had more pressing matters to attend to at the time, like the wave of lethal Anathema closing in from all sides. Either way, Mahakalas Natal Palace was huge, but nowhere close to the size of the Azure Sea, closer to a big pond, or maybe a small lake if Im being generous.

Over the course of our sight-seeing journey, there were only two places Pong Pong refused to bring me, even though I spotted them several times from different angles in various locations and politely inquired through Aura. One was a dark, undersea cave system that was devoid of colour and plant life, and the other was the only dry land Id seen throughout our entire journey, a white, sandy beach that seemed untouched by human life. In both instances, Pong Pong responded to my polite inquiries with a surge of sorrow and distress, so I didnt push him to share any more than he wanted to, but he was quick to recover, and we were off to see new and exciting vistas in no time flat.

I learned quite a bit from my trip through Pong Pongs Natal Palace, and not just about controlling Water and swimming. For starters, the little guy really loves to travel, but thats besides the point. The important thing is hes a lot smarter than I gave him credit for and an incredible story teller, which is really saying something since he cant actually speak. Instead, he reenacted his stories in the locations they took place, while sending bursts of emotions over to convey what was going through his mind. Most of his stories have to do with escaping predators, monstrous creatures he brought into existence using Chi and imagination, but oddly enough, he never let his facsimiles take part in the story telling. In fact, I noticed he made an effort to will them out of existence as quickly as possible, before going back to dipping, ducking, and diving around. It could be because he lacks the resources to add anything permanent to his Natal Palace, but I got the feeling he didnt like having living creatures around, even if he was the one who created them. Honestly, I kind of get why, because I never felt comfortable around my soulless mannequin villagers either, back when that was a whole thing. I really only put them there because I wanted the village to feel like home, but it kinda backfired and made me avoid wandering down those familiar paths in my own Natal Palace.

It was so creepy having them hang around doing the one task I assigned them, yet somehow it felt like they were always watching me go by...

Another thing I learned was that time flies when youre in someone elses Natal Palace, or maybe we were just having too much fun. One moment, I was giving Pong Pong a big hug to celebrate his daring escape from a nightmarish goblin-swordfish thing, and then out of nowhere, I was back in the real world with the sun shining in my tired eyes and Lin-Lin announcing that lunch is ready. This brought me to my next discovery, which was that going on adventures in Pong Pong land is not the same as getting a good nights sleep, because despite having lain in bed for almost twelve hours straight, I was still dog-tired and grouchy to boot. Pong Pong also looked a little fatigued, but he perked right up after I dropped him off in a box of shrimp, which is where he stayed for the entirety of Nian Zus naggy lecture.

Annoying and judgmental as the old man was, the Living Legend made some good points. Yea, the locals here are batshit crazy, but if I know bees sting, and go out naked to collect honey, then I cant really blame the bees now, can I? Thus, after confirming that I was still indeed a Chi-less peasant out here in the real world, I spent the next hour or so on my best behaviour under house arrest. Sadly, theres only so many things to do without internet, and my floofs werent picking up the tricks I was throwing down, so I was already going a little stir-crazy by the time Lin-Lin suggested we go see Ping Ping. Thats why I jumped at the suggestion, because I was excited to have some fun, but then enters Binesi, the disapproving mountain man who scowls more than Mila, which is to say hes always scowling. Always. The dude even scowls while taking orders from Nian Zu, but I bet his current posting has something to do with it. Again though, he also made some good points, because I should know how my guards are being deployed and giving them fair warning to make sure things are safe is just plain smart.

Armed with a trusty steel sword and armoured in my fancy Sentinel leathers, I head out with Lin-Lin to visit Ping Ping and see if my Natal Palace diving ability is limited to one turtle and one turtle only. Being the sweet girl that she is, Ping Ping was more than happy to curl up for a snooze, and she is surprisingly comfortable to snuggle with. With my legs tucked under her neck and my cheek pressed against her shoulder, I give her a big smile and a wave goodnight before drifting off into peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Time passes once again, and I wake only seconds after Ive closed my eyes. At least thats what it feels like, but the suns position tells me otherwise, with about an hour or two having gone by during those brief moments of darkness. Alerted by Ping Pings sub-vocal squeak, I rub my eyes and look around to find nothing wrong and the big girl still wrapped around me. I can hear Song and Binesi hashing it out about me being exposed out here by the lake, and once again, he has a point, but he cant expect me to spend the next week under lock and key. Im as safe as can be just outside the manor, with Ping Ping and all my guards to watch over me. Lin-Lins guards too, since theyre always on alert, but I didnt tell Binesi about them because he called me foundling and used it like an insult. Stupid non-Bekhai isolationist mountain dweller. If youre so against outsiders, then why are you so gung ho about the military? Pick a side and stick with it, jerk.

Patting Ping Pings neck to soothe her nerves, I hum Go to Sleep Little Turtle under my breath and send my good vibes over to her. Poor girl, shes probably stressed from all the excitement, bloodshed, and unfamiliar company, because despite what he said about not being my nursemaid, Im certain Binesi has guards stationed around us much closer than Ping Ping likes. The People and Protectorate are more considerate of her needs and stay further away if theyre going to remain in Concealment, but Binesis people are probably close enough to touch her. Bad idea to stress out the Divine Turtle, especially since she just killed an assassin yesterday, and I shouldve said something about it earlier. Thankfully, my song is enough to reassure her that theres no danger here, and I feel the tension drain from her turtilian frame as she blinks her dark, beady eyes in an adorably sleepy manner. Giving me one last, careful snuggle to get as close as possible, she exhales softly before finally falling asleep, and I focus on nothing once more while continuing to hum the peaceful little melody.

Huh. Did I just pull a Luo-Luo and music my emotions to Ping Ping? Man, today is just full of surprises.

The realization of my minor success comes with a burst of mental clarity as my weary lethargy melts away like a cloak falling off my shoulders. All of a sudden, Im awake and alert as can be, but Im no longer sitting outside the manor nestled in Ping Pings embrace. Instead, Im standing with my head in the clouds and the void off in the distance, almost close enough to reach out and touch but still a vast, insurmountable distance away.

A chorus of happy squeaks and squeals draws my attention, and the world changes around me. One moment I have my head in the clouds, and the next Im standing at the edge of a bamboo forest on the mudbank of a fast flowing river, face to face with the most adorable version of Ping Ping I could ever imagine. All full of soft points and rounded edges rather than the jagged, pointed dinosaur she is in real life, shes much smaller in her Natal Palace than she is in real life, about the size of a large dog and even smaller than Aurie, my runtiest of wildcats. Tippy tapping in place out of pure delight, the sweet girl needs no Aura or conversation to convince her Im who I appear to be, which is both good and bad considering I couldve been a Spectre here to take over and Demonize her. I hope they dont wise up and trick her using my form, but thats a concern for another day, because right now, I need to do something Ive always wanted to do.

Hi Ping Ping! I cry, while running over to embrace her, and she snuggles back so aggressively she lifts me off my feet. Laughing in delight, I lavish the sweet girl with plenty of snuggles and affection while we play around in the mud, and even lift her around for a bit, though not for long since my Natal Palace powers does not include herculean strength. Too excited to sit still, she prances in slow circles around me while nuzzling me from all sides, utterly charmed by my presence here where she never expected me to show. Making sure to give her plenty of love through Aura and actions, I pat her head, scritch her chin, rub her cheeks, and essentially give her the full floofy treatment as if she were a normal sized pet, and Ping Ping loves every minute of it.

As she bumps and jostles me around out of sheer excitement, it occurs to me how hard she has it out in the real world, having to always tip-toe carefully around while remaining aware of her surroundings, even though no one would really blame her for barrelling through everyone and everything in her path. She really is the sweetest of girls, and it warms my heart to see her running around without a care in the world, her hearty stomps and lashing tail splashing mud and water in all directions.

In between the praise and scritches, I glance around Ping Pings Natal Palace and recognize it as a muddy riverbank outside Ping Yao. When I first laid eyes on her, she was lying in a similar clearing with a similar river, perhaps even this exact same place, but I cant be sure. Like Pong Pong, Ping Ping eventually calms down and brings me around for a look, diving head-first into the river before emerging to see if Ill follow. To my great surprise, Ping Ping isnt as fast as her tinier counterpart, preferring to slowly amble through the river instead of jumping around from place to place. She doesnt swim the same way either, using her legs to power herself through the current whereas Pong Pong just sort of glides through it with ease, a trick I learned was about finding the right angle to cut through the resistance so its almost negligible, and in some rare cases can even help you along. Theres a lot of subtle Water-Chi manipulation that goes along with aquatic locomotion, and I cant really explain it well, but its sort of like if you surrender yourself to the flow, it will pick you up and carry you wherever you want to go, but not necessarily along the path you wanted.

Step. Draw. Slash. Turn. Twist. Stop.

Step. Draw. Slash. Turn. Twist. Growl. Stop.

Shes made some progress, but it looks like shes too frustrated to go on, because each new step brings more issues she doesnt know how to resolve. Youre trying to combine those Movements right? Coming to my feet with Lin-Lin still clinging to my back, I head over to offer my own two cents as Song reluctantly nods in reply. Taking this as permission to meddle, I explain, If thats the case, you should stop trying to keep them separate. Her puzzled frown is answer enough, and I smile as I take in this rare moment of expression. Youre too fixated on the base Movements. When you fight, you move so perfectly that its easy to see the Movements your actions are based on. This speaks to your high level of mastery, but also shows you have a rigid and inflexible perspective.

Puffing up her cheeks in vehement disagreement, Song otherwise remains silent and unconvinced. Holding my hands up in apology, I continue, Its not a bad thing. You have a clear impression of what each Movement can do and how you can use it, which cuts down on thinking and decision making during the heat of the moment. Instead of trying to adapt a Movement on the fly, you simply pull out the right Movement for the right job. Its efficient and effective, and its also why its so easy to identify the Movements in your actions, but in this one instance, its hindering your progress.

Drawing my mundane sword, I swing it about in a figure eight pattern to limber up and familiarize myself with its weight and heft, but no matter how much I move it about, it still doesnt feel right. Repressing a sigh, I put the weapon away and settle for just showing Song with my bare hands and an imaginary sword as I adopt the same stance and copy her earlier moments. Step, cross, step on a forward angle. Stalks the Dragon. Quick draw into a horizontal slash. Swipes the Rushes. As my sword arrives at the end of the slash, I gently turn my wrist so the edge faces my opponent once more and slash again, this time on a downward diagonal slant. Reversing the Flow. My free hand moves up to meet my sword as I bring the weapon up, around, and down in a powerful, two-handed, overhead smash, an attack designed to take advantage of the previous three Movements to strike at a foe whose guard has been broken through. Fanged Clutch.

Catching myself trying to sheathe my non-existent sword, my cheeks burn ever so slightly as I try to pretend that didnt happen. Either way, that wasnt a bad performance for a crippled dude with no Chi, with an adorable half-hare wifey hanging on his shoulders to boot. Thats how you normally use those Movements. Four separate attacks, one followed by the other, all neat and delineated as can be. Trying to think of a way to better explain it, I turn to the arts for an analogy. Its like four musical notes. Wait, thats Luo-Luo. Songs Dao has more to do with poetry. Or better yet, four separate words, like in Chengyu.

Chengyu is one of the most popular forms of poetry in the Empire, which usually take the form of four word idioms. They generally encompass the bleak and desolate outlook most people have wholeheartedly embraced, like man proposes, Heaven disposes, or revel in anothers misfortune, and lets not forget the overused, a dragon among men. I decided the last one is depressing because it implies men are supposed to suffer in this world, where only dragons can thrive.

Inner commentary aside, I explain, Individually, theres nothing wrong with the four words or Movements youve been using, and they even make sense when put together, but thats not enough to make a Chengyu. Take the statement, this man is a standout talent. Perfectly reasonable and understandable by all. However, one could also say this man is a dragon among men. Two statements using different words yet sharing the same meaning, but one can be considered Chengyu, because theres more to it than just the individual words. What Im trying to say is that when you normally fight, you speak in clear, delineated sentences, but right now, in attempting to combine the Movements, youre writing Chengyu.

My efforts are rewarded with a flash of comprehension in Songs lovely, pale green eyes, which buoys my confidence to never before seen heights. Continuing with my explanation, I emphasize, Again, its perfectly fine to use the Movements the way you normally do. Reversing the Flow is even followed by Fanged Clutch in the classical order of the Forms, so it feels normal and natural to do so in combat. However, if youre trying to take things to the next level and do more than just use four Movements in sequence, then you need to remember that the final product must be greater than the sum of its parts.

Silence greets my declaration, and I can see Ive lost Song somewhere along the way, which is surprising since I thought this was self-explanatory. Youre trying to take four individual Movements and mash them into one rigid combination, yea? But if your final product is only as powerful as the four initial Movements, then why bother going to all the effort? Keeping the Movements separate offers more flexibility, so there needs to be a good reason to combine them. Thats why we have idioms after all, to say something besides what the individual words might convey.

Comprehension dawns as Song mentally retreats to rethink her approach, and I step away to leave her in peace. Having found a glaring flaw of my own, I set to familiarizing myself with the steel sword on my hip in case I should ever actually need to use it, while also keeping an eye on Songs progress. Truth be told, I already have the final answer on how she could combine the four Movements, since I figured it out during my first battlefield duel against Gen, the one that took place a few hours before Zhen Shi took him over and shattered my Spiritual Weapons. Thing is, I could show her and explain my reasoning for each and every step along the way, but itd be like explaining Akanais charging attack all over again. There are just too many moving parts and minor details to explain in depth, especially when you factor in the need to micro-Amplify certain Movements at certain moments to pull Songs move off right. Im not even sure I could perform those Movements here and now as I am, but Im confident that once I point her in the right direction, shell understand why it doesnt feel right and figure the rest out all on her own.

Thats faith, I suppose, faith in Songs skills and competence, so maybe the Mother will work Her magic and send some Insight the half-cats way.

If only things were so easy for me. Whatever Chi-benefits I get from being in someone elses Natal Palace doesnt translate over to real life, and between humming Ping Ping to sleep and my short performance just now, I might very well have hastened my eventual deterioration. It might just be nerves, but I feel a little weaker than I did yesterday, not just tired, but burdened and sore, with phantom pangs of future aches already settling into place. The Heavenly Energy I Devoured in Sinuji wont last me a lifetime, but I pray it lasts at least another week or two so I can make it through this banquet in good health. There was a time when the sword on my waist wouldve felt light as a feather, but now this hunk of steel feels much too large and unwieldy to swing more than a few times, much less for an entire hour of battle. My Spiritual Weapons, Peace and Tranquility, always felt like extensions of my arms, and even Unity never felt this odd and out of place in my hands, which is just another Martial Warrior benefit I never really appreciated until I lost it. Once again, the urge to destroy the remains of my Spiritual Weapons in a fit of pique bubbles to the top, but I swallow my injured pride and tell myself to stop being an idiot.

Not having to look at or sense them wont change a thing, and it might very well cause the ruined remains of my shattered Core to unravel completely. No one knows for sure, but I for one intend to find the one person who might offer insight into my situation during this trip to the Central Citadel.

Broken Blade Pichai, you ignored my letters and dodged my requests for several months now, but now your luck has run out. According to Dads contacts, youve already left the Southern Citadel to attend the banquet, and when I see you, you will answer my questions, or Ill sic not one, but two Divine Turtles on your old ass and drown you in a sea of turtle spit.

For I am Falling Rain, the Savage Turtle Whisperer.

...Yea, not a title which inspires fear. Turtle commander? Turtle friend?

Whatever. Who cares. I have turtles, and Im not afraid to use them, so suck it.

Chapter Meme