act15side

Ye, my girl...

Do you know the size of the bone the young people at the Escort Association have to pick with you?

What do they know?

And what do you know?

You're trying to wash your hands of the business, yet you don't even realize how long the younger generation has been unhappy with the current state of the Association.

Then are you telling me, in all honesty, that starting a new association with those inexperienced disciples is what you truly want?

Is that who you are now?

All I know is that you made me do this, Dad. And that if I succeed, not only will they all bow down to me, I'll have a fine new addition to my rap sheet.

I'm worried that you might not have what it takes.

And I'm even more worried that you're actually trying to mess this up.

I don't know what you're talking about...

If you've changed your mind, then hurry up and tell me. And if you haven't, then...

Stop worrying about me.

How did it go, Miss...? What did the innkeeper say?

Hmph, how do you think it went?

Zheng got played. They switched it out with a decoy.

At least we don't have to screw this one up ourselves. Sounds like he's already on top of it.

Not necessarily.

He knows what we're up to.

H-Huh?

He knows? What should we do, then? If our masters ground us, we can't do nothing!

Solving a problem like this can take a while, but creating a new one is simple enough.

I had this same thought when I first visited Shangshu years ago, but the people here are really quite something.

From Xinluan to Liuyun, how many wondrous peaks and precipitous paths will we have to cross? The city is dispersed along the mountain chain, and there are settlements scattered all across. What a wondrous sight.

So... have you come to understand why you came to be robbed?

I'm not stupid.

Though I trust Liang Xun, and therefore I trust you, Master Shen.

*Sigh*... Well, you've got smarts, I'll give you that.

Is that what Liang Xun said about me?

I came to that conclusion myself. Where does Mr. Liang come into this?

He once told me that I put up a front and my predictions never come true, but I have a good eye for people.

That's what I meant.

It's all a matter of experience.

Let's go. This is as high as Huntan Peak gets, and we haven't seen any pavilions on our way up here.

Qujiang Peak isn't far from here, but why pick that one? If we're looking for someone, shouldn't we start where more people live?

What did they used to call Qujiang?

Zuanjiang Peak. It was difficult to write, so they changed it when it got turned into a tourist spot.

Bingo.

I had a dream that I was looking for someone on the peak.

Now if that isn't strange... Sure you didn't learn about the old name on your last trip to Shangshu?

Maybe... Or perhaps...

...I have a mountain spirit guiding me.

You know how to use Arts, right?

Think they call 'em Originium Arts now? An inkhorn of a name, I tell you, but they've always been around, and may as well be the gods and spirits you speak of.

Now that's not quite right, Master Shen. It is man who uses Fulu, and thus it is man who triumphs over nature.

'It is man who triumphs over nature'?

I think I like that saying.

Alright, alright. Originium Arts it is. I don't really get these Originium studies... Hm? What are you spacing out for?

Did I... Did I just say something...?

'Man who triumphs over nature'?

No...

Never mind... I was probably daydreaming.

Qujiang Peak... Zuanjiang Peak.

We looked there numerous times, but the search always came up emptyhanded.

Naturally.

Yet the Sui Regulator has nonetheless come to a decision.

Yes.

Has her presence in Shangshu all these years ever proven to be a transgression, though?

Why, then, did she lend Yan her strength, defending her borders dozens of times?

Over such a long stretch of time, it certainly defies common sense.

But the situation at hand seems to be going against your wishes, Mr. Liang.

If she is a shadow, then the goblet from Lungmen must be a flicker of light.

Did the light come first, or did the shadow? A difficult, yet meaningless question.

What is truly difficult are the people who try to answer this question.

The Sui Regulator came to me directly, to reason with me in person. Naturally, I understand the gravity of the circumstances.

You promised General Zuo that when the cup arrived in Shangshu, you would feign its theft, allowing it to make its way to his son, Lord Zuo.

All to fool certain individuals.

Correct.

Though I couldn't possibly have explained this all to Old Lee, an outsider.

Then you should not have chosen a Lungmenite to handle this.

Given my status, I can't act rashly. It would do more harm than good if it blemishes the early spring festivities.

And as the magistrate, all matters, both large and small, are of the utmost importance to me.

Is he not a friend of yours?

He is my friend, but he is also an outsider.

We can hardly blame you, there are too many eyes.

What of the cup?

As I entrusted my friend with the matter, naturally it is with him.

You wish to have the Lungmenite uncover Ling's whereabouts without lifting a finger yourself?

Correct.

Oh...

Rumor has it that the cup can possess the things around it. Is it true?

Mr. Taihe... I have a question myself.

Please, go ahead.

Let us cast aside our status and speak as equals.

The Sui Regulator bypassed the Ministry of Rites for this matter, far overstepping its bounds. Once the Ministry learns of this, there will likely be quite the quarrel between the two parties.

You are the Deputy Monitor Censor of the Department of Discipline and Supervision. What are your thoughts?

I am indebted to the general, and I am merely repaying the favor.

It comes down to personal feelings, then?

That is correct.

The Department of Discipline and Supervision's Monitor Censor oversees hundreds of officers and champions integrity. It seems to me there should be no place for personal feelings.

If the Department of Discipline and Supervision learns of this and finds the Ministry of Rites in the right and the Sui Regulator in the wrong, what will become of those personal feelings?

Garner loyalty and forsake righteousness.

There wasn't even the slightest hesitation in your answer, Mr. Taihe.

Naturally.

It was the general himself who taught me those words.

Truly a fine man, then.

You needn't worry, however.

General Zuo is a Yanese soldier. He would never do anything illegal.

Did something force the Sui Regulator's hand, then? Even if it means bypassing the Ministry of Rites?

Right... Lord Exorcist Zuo Xuanliao is a man who normally gives the affairs in the borderlands his utmost attention. Who could have diverted his attention to a mere goblet?