Torsten Hewson
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44c13: Siblings in Failure
🕑 Added 2023-05-27 03:11:55 +0000 UTCThe office was cold and sterile. Ri Zu sat before the Master of the Medical Pavilion, Lishu, with her hands in her lap. He was staring at her, his face devoid of emotion, before he spoke.
“You already know your shortcomings. I can see it in your eyes. We both know what exactly you lack—that being knowledge of the more esoteric resources that you must use.” he said, as he absently flipped through the seventy page exam on his desk.There were quite a few markings indicating mistakes—though he had awarded part marks for when Ri Zu had just written ‘This disciple does not know’ which was odd. He was right, Ri Zu was simply too inexperienced with the absolutely enormous array of spiritual Plants he had tested her on. At least the practical had gone better.
“Your practical abilities, however, render this shortcoming mostly moot. I will praise your ability to adapt and improvise, as well as your command of poison—though naturally there are some rare poisons your control will not work on. But there is one thing that pushes you into failure. Your outlook.” Master Lishu flipped through her written test. To the part of the exam that had been on ethics.
Ri Zu had honestly been surprised that the Shrouded Mountain Sect had a portion on ethics, but apparently even these strength obsessed fools had something that wasn’t about inflicting or healing damage.
“Ri Zu’s outlook?” she asked.
“You are too soft, too kind, and too mortal. You are too concerned with preserving life, at the expense of the patient’s cultivation. “ His words were calm and matter of fact. “For a mortal, a broken meridian doesn’t matter. But for a cultivator, it is everything. An operation that has a 90% chance of saving a life, and a 10% chance of saving one’s cultivation, would and should be discarded for one that has a 50% chance of saving the life and a 50% chance of saving their cultivation.”
Ri Zu frowned heavily at the statement. He was telling her it was better to kill someone, than work to save them. Ri Zu knew that she should have probably kept her mouth shut, instead of talking back to the man… but the words fought their way out anyway. “Losing one’s cultivation would indeed decrease the quality of their life but as long as one lives, you can learn to stand again. As long as you are alive, you will have a second chance.”
She glanced up at the man with the stone visage. He was cold and hard, with exacting standards. He lived in the most decadent place Ri Zu had ever been in, and yet his own pavilion was spartan—Master Lishu took his job extremely seriously. For all his coldness, his eyes watched like a hawk for anything that could harm those under his care, or for anything that would worsen their conditions. Anything that dared to harm his charges would have been destroyed utterly. Ri Zu could not understand why he would let a person die for a meridian.
Master Lishu looked directly at her. “I thought so too, once upon a time.” he stated simply. There was no disgust in his eyes, no contempt for her answer—instead, Ri Zu saw what looked slightly like pity. “The world is not so kind. Weakness is preyed upon. I have seen it far, far too many times. I have seen the strongest of experts beg for death, when they learn how far they have fallen. I have seen the joy in their enemy’s faces, when they discover their rival is powerless.”
It would have been easy, if he had dismissed her. If he had scoffed at her words. Instead, the man looked at her with tired eyes, his mask dropping for a brief moment, before he became cold once more.
“You are young, and full of passion. You imagine that you will be different, that you shall challenge the way of things. It is your right to do so. We are cultivators, we challenge the heavens itself.“
What was natural to one person… was challenging the heavens to this man. It wasn’t something Ri Zu had ever thought about.
“You have failed this examination, Hong Ri Zu. But I would be a fool to waste your talent and send you to be a menial laborer. Tell me. What do you think is the best option to rectify these things? You cannot yet be a full member of this pavilion, yet neither will I send you away.”
Ri Zu thought for a moment. “Ri Zu requests to be assigned as a maid to the Medical Pavilion during her time in the Mountain Pavilion, to ease the burden on the true doctors while she rectifies her deficiencies.”
Master Lishu seemed amused by her idea. “I will allow you to show me your conviction. You may access the library, and the patient files we have. In one month’s time you will take this test again. And you will either change your answer…. Or score perfectly in every other question.”
Ri Zu bowed. “Ri Zu will show Master Lishu a perfect score, then.” she replied, and the man actually chuckled.
“Go then.” He commanded. “I expect you to be prepared tomorrow.”
Dismissed, Ri Zu bowed once more to him and took her leave, considering his words. Too soft. Too mortal.
Was it such a bad thing? She did not know. A worry for another day though. She had at least accomplished part of her task. While she hadn’t truly joined the Medical Pavilion, she could still search for demonic corruption amongst them while serving as a maid.
And Like Yun Ren said. If she came and went enough... it was unlikely anyone would question her.
====================================
Che Han, also known as Fat Han, slowly dragged himself to the meeting point Yushang, Ri Zu, and Biren had agreed upon. His body was still smoking slightly from his rather… explosive finale to the examination.
He felt hollow. Drained. Fifteen years of studying and progress… Into the gutter. Maybe he should have listened to the others, when they laughed and joked. A Che, being anything but an Outer Sect Menial? How hilarious was that?
For three thousand years they had suffered the laughter of the other families around the Shrouded Mountain Sect. The loyal Che family, dying in droves. It was a wonder that they hadn’t gone extinct yet. Fit to die for the sect, nothing more.
He had wanted to be something different. He had challenged the heavens in his own way… and he had lost.
…how pathetic.
He called himself Fat Han willingly, taking ownership of the name his detractors had saddled him with. He had trained and trained and trained. He had passed the first hurdle, then the second… only to fail at the last moment. The Spirit Sword formula he had refined, which had never failed before, the one he had worked on painstakingly for years. It failed, exploded right in his face. Everything he had worked for burnt in an instant.
And that had been the end of the road for Fat Han.
He arrived at the meeting point: a set of benches, overlooking the valley around the Shrouded Mountain. For a brief moment he considered just going to his room to rest… before stopping himself. He had chosen his—well, he wasn’t sure if they would be friends anymore—acquaintances. They had treated him kindly, not insulting him or his family at all.
But he supposed it would be best to get used to his new role. He only hoped that the companions he had chosen would be kinder to him than his eldest cousin’s had been. They would probably need somebody to do their laundry.
He leaned against the side of the bench and sighed. Well, this was the rest of his life, eh?
Twenty minutes later, Yushang hobbled in, and he felt a shameful flush of relief at the dead look in her eyes as she used her sword as a crutch. The singed, electrocuted girl staggered so she was in front of him… then keeled forwards, face fist onto the ground.
“You too, eh?” he asked.
“...yeah.” she wheezed.
“I have some peaches, if you want any.”
Yushang turned her head so she could look directly at him, tears in her eyes. “Thanks, brother.”
Those words somehow made the world just a little bit less dark.
“Aren’t you going to sit?” he asked after a moment.
“I will if you pick me up,” the girl responded.
…How shameless.
Yushang stayed on the ground, Han ignoring her begging eyes.
The strange girl stayed on the ground though, refusing to sit up on the bench unless he picked her up and carried her, the shameless woman.
So she stayed that way.
They both looked up hopefully when they saw Biren amble in. He looked like he had taken a beating too, his clothes ragged.
==================================
“And then I carried the other guy back across the line.” Yun Ren narrated to Fat Han and Yushang, recounting his own failure.
Yun Ren honestly could have done most of what they asked in his sleep. Field craft on the mountains wasn’t that different to what he was used to. But instead he flubbed just enough to be believable.
That all lasted of course, until a Spirit Beast burst out of the snow. It was a massive, white ape monster that howled with bloodlust. Yun Ren liked to think himself pretty good at understanding Spirit Beast Qi Speech, and the white ape? All it had been screaming about was eating their bones.
Yun Ren had used his Qi to blind it, then pulled the guy who it had been about to smash out of the way and told him to run. He had ended up having to use Summer’s Sky to poke the monster a few times before he finally managed to drive it off—and by then he had gone from intentionally failing to actually failing. He was the last across the finish line—
And what was the worst was that the one guy he had helped out hadn’t said a word. Little bastard.
—not that Yun Ren wanted him to, in the end. He would have magnanimously waved off the other guy’s concerns.
Yun Ren shook his head at the sympathetic looks. Fat Han from beside him, and Yushang from her place on the ground.
“Ah well. It is what it is,” he declared. “Just gotta get stronger and do things right next time, eh?”
The other two evidently agreed, as they settled into a companionable silence.
Ri Zu was the last to arrive, her satchel full of scrolls, and a pensive look on her face—which turned to surprise as she beheld all of them, then concern. She walked over to Yushang, and prodded at her.
“Sister, they ganged up on me.” Yusheng whined, reaching up and latching onto Ri Zu’s shoulders. Ri Zu snorted as the girl hugged her… and didn’t let go as Ri Zu stood up, her legs dragging on the ground.
She looked to Yun Ren, and he shrugged, before she turned her eyes to Fat Han, who just sighed.
“It exploded,” he said simply, voice sounding hollower than dried bamboo. “It never exploded before, but it exploded. Exploded everywhere.”
“Ri Zu’s condolences.” the girl who had been a rat said. “Shall we be off to have a drink and drown our sorrows?”
“Sister, take pity on these poor failures and buy us the first round!” Yushang whined, and Ri Zu absently patted the taller woman on the back.
“Well, at least we can celebrate one of our number passing.” Fat Han declared, his voice weak as he forced a smile.
Ri Zu snorted. “You can buy your own drink. Ri Zu failed too.”
Yun Ren recoiled, his eyes wide. “What?” he demanded. The hells? He would have thought Ri Zu had that in the bag!
“So… we all failed?” Yushang sniffed.
“We all failed.” Ri Zu replied.
“So, I guess this begins our days of toil, eh?” Fat Han sighed. “And here I was, thinking I’d escaped the family curse.”
Ri Zu shrugged. “It's not like we have to stop training.” Ri Zu declared. “And besides, we can help each other.”
“We’re regular old siblings in failure.” Yun Ren snarked. “We gotta stick together, eh?”
In all the stories, a sect was a glorious place, full of combat and learning profound techniques.
Jin had told Yun Ren a long time ago that all he did in the Sect was wash clothes and grow herbs.
Well, he knew which one was telling the truth, now.
===================================
The floor was nice and cool, and Liao Yushang had a pleasant buzz going as she stared at the ceiling.
“That should be everything.” Ri Zu said as her hands stopped glowing green. Yushang sighed with contentment as she felt the last aches and pains of being electrocuted fade away. Really, those bastards! Three on one!
Yushang had grown up in a mountain village, where they raised goats, mined copper, and served as guides for the people who wanted to use the passes. It was a hard, but honest living… until Yushang suddenly awakened her cultivation. The entire village had rejoiced and chipped in for better food for her—and they had all worked together to save up enough money to send her to an academy, so that she could learn how to be a proper cultivator.
It had sucked, honestly, but she couldn’t spit on her village's generosity! She had trained until she had spat blood! She had drunk those foul concoctions, meditated, and dodged people trying to arrange ‘accidents’ to befall the peasant. And here she was, at the Fourth Stage of the Initiate’s Realm!
A cultivation that could be accepted by the biggest, richest sect in the Shrouded Mountains!
They were rich! That meant she could be rich! She could repay everybody back home, get strong, and maybe, just maybe, become a legend!
The name Liao Yushang would surely sound across the entire province!
Maybe.
Hopefully?
Ah, whatever, something would happen!
Yushang knew she wasn’t some sort of real prodigy or anything. The best thing to do would be to get some friends, strong friends, who could help her out a little too. Half the assholes at the Howling Sword Arts Academy had been weak, but they all had friends… which meant that any attempt to kick their asses meant you got jumped by five of them.
They had support. They had people who would defend them.
Yushang wanted that. Lone wolves always died in the mountains.
So when she saw Bi De, Ri Zu, and Biren… Yushang knew she had her in.
Yushang was a great judge of character! It was her special ability, one could even say—she had always known if a person was trustworthy. It wasn’t too hard to find a person who was trustworthy in villages, or even in the cities. But that academy her parents had sent her too? Everybody was a callous asshole there, and Yushang would have gotten chewed up and spat out if she hadn’t been able to tell who wanted to screw her over (or just plain screw her) when they were talking to her.
Ever since she had joined the academy trustworthy people had been in short supply. Even here, nobody else had really stood out as approachable—except for those three. Her instincts told her that Bi De, Ri Zu, and Biren would never do anything to harm her unless she started it—Fat Han was nice too!
Yushang, as a filial daughter, did as Grampy demanded. ‘Never let an opportunity slip by!’ the old man would howl… and then he would ‘fall’ so he could look up somebody’s skirt. He could move surprisingly fast when he wanted to, despite missing a leg—but that was besides the point! It was good advice!
So she found people who she knew wouldn’t hurt her, and latched on with both hands.
Of course, Yushang wasn’t about to just use her new friends and leave them high and dry! No, she would repay kindness and enmity a thousand fold, like in the stories! She was going to be a true hero!
Maybe after she recovered. She sat up and started putting her shirt back on, looking to Ri Zu as the girl stared off into nothingness, frowning.
“Now, how does this poor little girl pay you for this? All she can give is her body!” Yushang asked. Ri Zu choked, before turning an annoyed glare onto her.
Success!
“No.” Ri Zu grunted out.
“No?! Can I help you study instead?” Yushang asked her friend.
Ri Zu blinked, and then smiled. “You can unroll the scroll for Ri Zu while she takes notes? Ri Zu has to memorize all of these in a month.”
“Sure thing, Sister!”
She hugged her new friend, who sighed, but allowed it. It was time to settle in for the long haul! Though she did wonder what exactly drove Bi De, Ri Zu, and Biren… oh well, a mystery for another time!
…It was really nice being able to hug somebody again.
==================================
=======================================
The gang encounters some minor setbacks.
New freinds get. Yushang has Meimei's smell Qi kind of ability except it goes "this person will look out for your best interests—which is why she immedeatley went and tried to make freinds with BI De and Ri Zu.
Monday, back to Fa Ram!
Editors: Massgamer, Ayje, Brandon “Philosophysics” Zhang-Leong, Oshi
Comments
RedFaux
Just a nasty bloodline curse, one of bad luck. Actually, considering it contemporaries, its actually rather minor. And easy to overlook. I bet his karma line is just sickly looking. The venerable Fa Ram would help with that.
Rene Christensen
Could also be the family has middling talent or talents that aren't suited for the cultivation techniques the shrouded mountain has. Could also be some bias in that everyone knows the family and considers them just useful enough to keep around and in their place.
Awesomepossum15
So I know people are in agreement that Fat Han was sabotaged, but have we considered a more literal curse? Because while "your ancestor pissed off an Elder, and now they've taken petty revenge by sabotaging your clan for hundreds of years" IS the kind of shit a cultivator might do, it's also something that takes consistent effort and has to have gotten around eventually. On the other hand, a literal curse that "your descendants shall try and fail to reach the Inner Sect of the Shrouded Mountain", like a more specific and not nearly as powerful version of the curse that interferes with the cultivation of EVERY cultivator in the Azure Hills, would be a one and done act that needs no maintenance or attention.
Vralnii
Woot, tyftnewc!
Randall Brynsvold
In "v349.2: The Heavens and the Earth part 2", in Shen Yu's physical confrontation with Jin: "“And then?” Jin asked. “What if the heavens are just like this world? You ascend to them, find out you’re only a first stage heavenly cultivator, and have to do it all over again?” “Then you do it again,” he stated simply, striking at the boy. “You climb, and climb, until you reach the peak. No matter where that peak is.”" In that same episode, Shen Yu was resolved to break Jin's connection with Tianlan, even though the result would be "catastrophic damage" to Jin, so that he could start over on the path Shen Yu wanted for him.
Randall Brynsvold
In this sect, losing part or all of their cultivation level *could* be life-threatening because of all the predatory a-holes, and at the least may mean that they are suppressed or broken and permanently rejected from the sect.
Old Dog
As always, thank you for the chapter. Looking forward to BOC Book 2, part deux.
RedFaux
That's just a possible detail to the world beating his outlook down. A possible reason. It doesn't counter my point
Anzer'ke
Given it's a behaviour that had Elder Ge start mercing disciples, I can't imagine Shen Yu looks kindly on this sort of thing.
Anzer'ke
Something that occurs to me about Lishu's speech is to contrast it with Shen Yu's reaction to Jin asking him what he will do if ascending means he has to do it all over again. In other words, Shen Yu might say that a true Cultivator is one who would have the resolve to value their life above their cultivation, and rebuild themselves each time they fall. Or I might be way off and missing something. XD
Randall Brynsvold
From "v4c4.3: The Old Monster's Plan p3": ""They’re attuned to the shadow nature of most fox-based illusions while your illusions are light natured. That, along with some makeup…” Well, he supposed that had to be good enough. ... And that was how Yun Ren ended up waiting to be called to fight an Examiner of the Shrouded Mountain Sect. He was dressed in rough clothes, had his eyes stuck wide open, and extra sideburns glued to his face. Summer’s sky was sheathed at his hip, covered in a thin film of light."
AG
I thought it was just really good make up
Patrick
Yun Ren is disguised with a light illusion (as opposed to the fox shadow illusions). He kind of looks like his brother right now.
Timothy Dana
Then how has yun ren gotten in? He so looks like a fox
Just A Dude
Yeah. Honestly, he's mostly being responsive to his patients' needs and prorities. If most cultivators would rather die than live with crippled cultivation, then prioritizing riskier procedures that will be more likely to save it is just giving them the best chance at their desired outcome.
Anonykor
I honestly think this whole arc is a test for Shrouded Mountain and not our characters. Obviously, they’ll learn something from it, but I think this is Shen Yu’s test of the sect. Depending on how they do, he may take retribution for all the shit they’re responsible for.
rareitor
In a sense, yes, but the entire Chou Ji saga does make her perspective a bit broader. She has been challenged, just maybe not in too many ways.
John D Jones
One thing Yushang's backstory helps establish is that "Yeah, a bunch of cultivator sects are made up of selfish, power-hungry assholes." If anything the Shrouded Mountain Sect is a step up from most because they don't charge you money to join. They'll let you in if you're strong enough and not too obviously a demon or fox.
fatbo
Also rags, loud boy, handsome man, xianghua and her bro etc
Empty Shelf
I mean, to be fair, Ri Zu is like 3 years old, and has spent most of her life on a farm, under the teachings of a single master. Her beliefs haven't yet had a chance to be challenged.
WolfKnight22
Probably A LOT
H
All must pilgrimage to the great fa-ram!
Nathan Ganesan
Yeah he seems like a good guy who's had all the optimism beaten out of him. I mean Ri Zu describes his home as "spartan", so it would probably win the approval of CSS people.
swishmcfish
Honestly. I wonder how much talent just gets wasted or undiscovered in the Shrouded Mountain due to everyone suppressing each other.
William Johnson
Yushang has been added to the list of people who must visit Fa Ram!
Marcin
So basically we see the failure of shrouded mountain. Corruption, wastefulness, absolute lack of awerness and creating usless mooks that are only good for gangning up on someone.
Demian Buckle
Why do I get the impression that Fat Han did not fail the test but was sabotaged. If you have done the same thing repeatedly and it succeeded it should not fail unless an additional factor has been added... someone else.
Demian Buckle
Thank you for the Chapter.
CrazyExplorer
I supect it was more that having his personal outlook beaten down. I suspect he once saved a friend's life at the cost of their cultivation, and as a consequence this friend was murdered by their rivals (or the friend fell into dispair for loosing their cultivation). Which caused him to become traumatized/desillusioned.
Sebastian Rubin
Oh it's coming. You know it's coming. And with the way things work, I give good odds of them being the next crew of infiltrators from the demon sect, looking to establish their bona fides as true blue assholes, just like the people they replaced.
Drakenclaw
Ri Zu should feel right at home with that teasing.
RedFaux
This man has given up challenging the heavens and doesn't even realise. The world beats down your personal outlook? Fuck the world. You will change the world to fit YOUR vision. Thats the outlook of a true cultivator. That's what Shen would do. Ri Zu has not failed, this man has.
swishmcfish
Yeah. I have a feeling like SMS wants a clan of loyal Outer Sect Disciples. They've already been like that, elevating beyond that is above their station.
BelligerentGnu
If Che Han wasn't sabotaged then Bi De isn't a morning person.
Jake Lewis
Yushang is fun 😄
Andrew Denton
Well, that's how they gained the rabbit and the snake.
Empty Shelf
Liking the new characters, but I actually hope they don't get dragged back to the Farm. There's nothing wrong with being aside character.
Cj
ahhh that makes sense. Azure hills medical plants aren't found near here and tbh she and her master proably have a habit of throwing lowly spirtual herbs at a lot of problems since it fixes a lot of problems
CUI13
Lishu might be okay, too. The kind of experienced cultivator who might be a bit jaded by the culture, but deep down okay.
CUI13
I hope Liao Yushang and Fat Han gain Fa Ram-adjacent benefits. They seem like good folk.
COR
I can't wait for some click of young masters to fuck with one the troop and get their shit kicked in
RyanTM
Stop it step sibling in failure!
Drumic
I like to think that when those who have left the farm find worthy people, they will direct them towards the farm if they cannot join them on their journey.
