Two Months Later;

Scowling, Jianyu marched through the forest. Dead bodies lay strewn all about, blood splatters coated the tree trunks like some macabre painting in red and brown. Up ahead he could hear the tortured screams of some demonic beast as it was hacked to pieces under the savage edge of Qiuyue’s blade. Stepping out from the trees into the sunlight, Jianyu stopped at the sight on display. It was as if a butcher had gone mad. Bits of bodies lay strewn all over, demonic beasts, fierce corpses, all manner of evil creatures had been cut apart without mercy. In the middle of the blood-soaked space stood a robed figure. Blood dripped from his sword where it hung from slender fingers, the once pristine robes were heavily splattered with blood and gore. The man’s hair was entirely loose and hung about his shoulders and down his back in messy waves. A sight that was both shocking and entirely out of character. The scene as a whole was one Jianyu would never have considered possible before. 

Zhou Jinhai had always been a precise swordsman, killing his enemies with the least amount of injury or effort. This wild hacking was simply not his style. The anger was clear in the jagged, uncaring cuts. Not only on the many bodies, but also the wounds that gaped across the landscape, the rich earth freshly torn up by deadly sword chi. Thinning his lips in concern, he stopped a few paces from his old friend. “Zhou Jinhai.” He greeted, offering the proper martial bow, one hand clasped in the other.

The blood-soaked cultivator was slow to acknowledge, but eventually he turned around and returned the bow, sword still clasped tight in his right hand. Blood covered the wide sleeves of his outer robe up to the elbow, and large splatters of bright crimson painted his front. Some had even stained the plain white cloth wrapped around his head and smeared across one smooth cheek. Feng Jianyu examined the pale, hard features below the cloth wrap. He was still beautiful and elegant, almost ethereal. But where before, there had been a gentleness to his features, a kindness that was clear to see. Now the curve of his jaw was hard, lips pressed in a rigid line. The brows above the blindfold were furrowed by myriad dark emotions. 

Feng Jianyu understood. The man had lost the one he loved and his eyesight in the same traumatic event. He understood, but he had no idea how to help Zhou Jinhai. Liu Li-Tai had always been the one to pull one of their number out of a bad mood, having been the clown of their little group. The next best at soothing emotions was Liu Yuxuan, but he wasn’t here right now. Liu Yuxuan, while a decent swordsman, was more interested in old books and scrolls than in perfecting his combat skills. So when Zhou Jinhai had vanished on a self-assigned Night Hunt, it had been Feng Jianyu who had been sent after him. The only one of their group who could physically restrain Zhou Jinhai if it became necessary, and the only one who could even hope to defeat the sword prodigy in a duel. 

“Why are you here?” The words, while innocent enough, held an edge of ice that made Feng Jianyu stiffen. Would he really need to subdue his friend with force? Since it didn’t seem as if Zhou Jinhai had any desire to return home right then. 

“Liu-zongzhu has requested your presence at the next gathering.” Not a lie, but not the whole truth either. Feng Jianyu had asked for Zhou Jinhai to be invited, knowing his old friend would not stand being excluded despite still recovering from his injuries. The matter to be discussed, after all, had to do with Liu Li-Tai’s death. Yet just as he had feared, Zhou Jinhai turned away, the blood-soaked sword suddenly leaping from the cultivator’s hand to go streaking off into the undergrowth. There was a sound like a sharp wind followed by the scream of a monster, and then the sword reappeared, trailing fresh blood in it’s wake as it returned to it’s master’s grip. Catching the blade with experienced ease, Zhou Jinhai spun the weapon to dislodge the worst of the sticky red fluid before letting it rest loosely at his side once more. 

Swallowing a sigh, Feng Jianyu clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his head, then with determination, closed the distance between himself and his old friend. Ignoring the body parts and pools of blood as his boots grew stained in crimson. “Shishu.. “ He tried, using an old familiar term to address his younger sect brother. “It’s about A-Yu. I figured you would want to be there….” Looking up as Zhou Jinhai turned back to face him, he watched the frost crack slightly over the other man’s features, revealing the burning hatred and agony of loss that Zhou Jinhai had been concealing. But he swiftly covered the lapse, lips tightening as a muscle in his jaw twitched.

 “Who killed him?” He demanded, the blood lust leaking from his aura suddenly suffocating, though Feng Jianyu ignored it. Being at the same cultivation rank, neither man could passively suppress the other.

Feng Jianyu shook his head slightly. “We don’t know which member did it, but we are fairly sure it’s the Sui behind everything.” He regarded his friend for a long moment, then pulled a cloth from within his robe and offered it. “Clean up Qiuyue, then let’s hear the latest news.”  He waited, hand outstretched with the cloth resting on his palm. He wouldn’t force Zhou Jinhai, as the man was not in his right mind, though Feng Jianyu didn’t blame him for it. But eventually the blood-stained cultivator reached out and slowly lifted the cloth free. After standing as if frozen for a long moment, something seemed to change in Zhou Jinhai’s expression and the tension seeped from his body. Feng Jianyu knew the anger and pain remained, but his friend felt more stable, less likely to fly into an uncontrolled rage or suffer a qi deviation. Relaxing in turn, he watched as Zhou Jinhai carefully cleaned Qiuyue’s blade until the shimmering white metal had returned to it’s usual flawless appearance. Once done, Zhou Jinhai sheathed the Spiritual Weapon at his hip and dabbed at the spots of blood on his cheek. While he said nothing further, Zhou Jinhai allowed Feng Jianyu to fall into step beside him as he walked away from the blood-soaked forest clearing.

The trip was longer on foot, but by the time the pair arrived at the first gate leading up to the Liu clan’s compound on Shoushan Mountain, Zhou Jinhai had recovered his poise and seemed more aware of his immediate surroundings. Turning to his sect brother Zhou Jinhai inclined his head slightly. “You shouldn’t have had to see me like that.” He murmured quietly, keeping his voice low as junior disciples and outer sect members passed them by going up or down the mountain. Feng Jianyu shook his head, one brow arching as he looked sideways at the shorter swordsman beside him. 

“I’ve seen you in every way there is to see. Why do you think this was any different?” A slight lift to the corner of his mouth softened the comment. After all, the two of them, along with their other friends, had all grown up together from around the age of four or five. None of them had been spared the embarrassment of pre-teen boyhood, despite growing up within the rules and restrictions of an Honorable Sect. The fact that the two of their number had been Liu clansmen had likely only brought the remainder to the attention of their teachers more frequently. Certainly Liu Li-Tai and Liu Yuxuan alongwith their co-conspirator Li Xiao-Yu had gotten into enough trouble to drag Zhou Jinhai and Feng Jianyu into the majority of it by sheer proximity. Beside him Zhou Jinhai huffed softly, the smallest hint of a smile touching his expression briefly. 

“Alright then. But I still need to apologise.” Zhou Jinhai insisted, voice still low and subdued. 

Feng Jianyu knew his friend was still in a fragile state of mind, but at least he was interacting now. That was all he could ask for. So he simply nodded, accepting the apology without further protest. The rest of the walk up the path to the second gate passed in silence, each tending to their own thoughts. But finally Zhou Jinhai broke the silence again. 

“We shouldn’t keep Liu-zongzhu waiting any longer.” He looked at his companion for agreement and upon receiving a firm nod, the two cultivators took to the air, using their qinggong skills to rapidly climb the rest of the mountain, bypassing the 10,000 step stairway that was every junior disciples’ burden. 

Within a short time they landed outside the clan’s Serenity Hall. After smoothing down their robes and making sure they were presentable, both men passed over the threshold and entered the long building. Inside, a group of mostly older men were gathered around a large table, atop which lay a scattered collection of scrolls, reports and maps. The Clan Leader, Liu Huizhong, stood at the head of the table. Five of the sect’s most esteemed Elders clustered around the documents, talking in hushed tones. It was obvious they were waiting on the latecomers. Liu Huizhong smiled warmly as he spotted the two new arrivals, clasping his hands, palm to fist, in return as both men bowed low in greeting. He eyed Zhou Jinhai’s bloodstained robes but didn’t comment, only glancing at Feng Jianyu and receiving a small nod. It was all he needed to know that Zhou Jinhai was alright for the time being, despite his unkempt appearance. Even if his loose hair was causing several of the masters gathered to look away awkwardly. After all it was highly inappropriate for a man to be seen in such.. undress. 

Clapping his hands lightly to get everyone's attention, he motioned at the table before them as Zhou Jinhai and Feng Jianyu walked closer to stand opposite their clan leader, completing the circle. All eyes were directed at the papers spread out haphazardly across the surface. Leaning forwards, Liu Huizhong separated them into several piles, leaving a large map in the center. Resting his fingers on the nearest pile, which consisted of slightly worn written reports and several tiny rolls, clearly the actual reports that had been couriered by bird. “These are all the reports of unusual monster activity in the area of late.” He moved his hand, pointing at a pile off to one side. “A list of all the cultivators who have been recruited by the Sui over the last few years.” He pointed at a third pile, almost as large as the second. “All cultivators who have died of suspicious or strange deaths, or died via duel.” He rested both hands flat on the table, leaning forwards with a solemn expression. “Now, we know the Sui have been recruiting rogue cultivators for a long time. They have taken in more than a few known criminals, offering sanctuary from the retribution of the Honorable Sects in exchange for loyalty.” He moved his hand to cover the second pile of papers. Each held lists of names and information about individual cultivators, their affiliations, prior deeds and any known skills. “These men and women have all been poached by the Sui from their original clans or sects. Each one is a Master in his own area, from skilled warriors to alchemists, to scribes.” Straightening, Liu Huizhong raised his gaze from the scattered papers to meet the gaze of each man around the table. “All of which indicates a prolonged push for rapid growth by the Sui, both in sheer numbers and in the skill and power the clan as a whole possesses.” 

One of the Elders, a cultivator who appeared to be in his thirties, raised a hand to his chin and rubbed the short dark hair of his small beard. “They have always held ambitions well above their status. But it’s gotten worse since that Sui dog became sect leader.” He pointed out, though everyone in the hall was well aware of the Sui sect’s temperament. Liu Huizhong’s expression went hard at the mention of the Sui’s leader, but he remained silent. The latest Sui Clan Leader, the self-proclaimed Zhengqing-zun, was known as a man of great ambition and low morals. Heads nodded all around the table as most of the other Elders agreed with that simple statement. Only Zhou Jinhai didn’t react, having become lost to his own thoughts. Beside him, Feng Jianyu was scowling. Which didn’t surprise any at the table, considering he had history with many of the Sui cultivators. Frequently getting into many scuffles with them when out on Night Hunts. 

Bringing everyone’s attention back to the table, Liu Huizhong slid the stack of paper to one side. “Besides the issue of the Sui recruiting already affiliated Masters, they have been expanding their boarders. The Shigong Clan have been entirely swallowed up.” Gasps sounded around the table and even Zhou Jinhai turned his head towards the Clan Leader, indicating his focus on the news. Liu Huizhong nodded gravely. “We tried to reach out to them to find out what happened, but their main complex, Stone Palace, was empty. And the only members we found had been killed in battle.” Several of the men listening exchanged glances. While small, the Shigong Clan had been well known. Traditional to the extreme, they specialised in unarmed combat and every single one of them trained in the Stone Body style. But to take them over just like that..? The Sui must have sent a large force to subdue the Shigong cultivators. 

The man who had spoken earlier frowned. “The Righteous Sects can’t just sit by while the Sui swallows up a whole clan.” Expression reddening he thumped the table in evident anger. Eliciting murmurs of agreement from several others. Liu Huizhong swallowed a sigh as he looked at the papers on the table, expression troubled. “No… They have called a Conference to discuss the matter.” But he had little hope of that accomplishing anything. The Sui had grown to be a respectable threat for even the main Sects to tackle one-on-one. And getting an alliance together would be impossible at this stage. Too many clans and sects alike had become comfortable with their place in the Jianghu and wouldn’t stir to aid a rival without further pressure. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Liu Huizhong resisted the urge to pace. As a relatively small Sect themselves, even if they were highly respected by a majority of the others, they had little say in the grand scheme of things.