“I really have to wonder who is setting up whom.” Tian kept his faint smile on. He didn’t know why, but for some reason it was making people nervous. “I am told, not asked but told, by one Black River Valley Outer Court Gosung San to escort the Li Clan’s young master who would be arriving today. Despite the fact that I have never met such a person. Then this promising junior gets dropped off by a Martial Aunt at the gate and she flies off with not even a backward look. Then he starts screeching about being taken to an Uncle Shen, who I am assuming is his martial uncle, but I really don’t know. But I do know I have never met that senior, nor is he present.”

He made eye contact with the most senior of the disciplinary squad members. “Incidentally, did you ever find out who set that gu on Sister Hong? It’s been a long time now, and nobody has told me about any progress on that.”

The disciplinary squad member suddenly looked very awkward. He could see some of the others looking thoughtful.

“And then this plainly insane unattended child attacks me. Incidentally, brother, if you haven’t called for Martial Uncle Chen to come and take charge of the situation… why?”

“Do you really want to escalate it that high? The consequences…”

“I want to beat this child until he is quite funny to look at. However, I really, REALLY want to beat up the people setting me up, along with the people around me. I assure you I am utterly furious and ready to just flood the sands with blood.” He really was too. For some reason his smile kept getting wider and wider.

It was so strange! The place he was slapped seemed to be burning. The boy plainly didn’t know a palm art, yet somehow, the pain of the slap kept increasing. It was really, really interesting! He wanted to slap the boy a few dozen times to see if he could pull it off too. He wanted to smash him onto the ground and keep slapping the little shit until his hands got tired, meditate, then start all over again.

“I… suppose I could call for the Supervisor…”

“Run then. Because if you don’t, I swear the lot of you won’t be enough to stop me. You won’t even slow me down.”

The Disciplinary Squad and the guards, or at least the ones present, were all level nine. They were absolutely enough to stop him. More than enough. One of them went running deeper into the depot anyway.

It was all so strange. Everything had a shiny, almost unreal feel to it. Somehow he was back in the desert and the gu masters were around. It made sense! It would all make sense if everyone was cursed! Yes, they were cursed and the only way to bring them back was to beat the actual shit out of everyone!

“You have a big mouth. You have a very big mouth! I would love to know just how an ant

like you dares-”

“JUNIOR BROTHER LI! I must remind you that the rules of filial respect apply to everyone! Perhaps it is acceptable to berate people in your manor, however-”

“Would you like a smack too?” The young man’s silk pants were almost blinding in the early morning light. Tian thought he must have been about twelve. He had to reach up to slap Tian. He would practically have to jump to slap one of the disciplinary squad. “He’s talking so tough, but he just stood there and took it. I think you would too. How about it? Your cheeks feeling itchy from all that flapping?”

“Yes, are they? I’m curious to see what you do too.” Tian nodded. He had been very thoughtful about consequences a minute ago. He was sure there were things he had cared about a minute ago. But right now, all he wanted was violence- lots and lots of violence for everyone.

“Brother Tian, just because-”

“It is a trap. It’s obviously a trap. Even I know it’s a trap. How in the HELL does a pampered princeling of a hereditary disciple not realize that he has been dropped in the shit? You got set up too. How are you standing around acting like this is something you can control? Hit him! Hit me! Hit each other! It doesn’t matter! This is all going to end in blood, so lets just fucking get to it already!”

Tian’s rope dart snaked its way out from inside his robe. It had climbed up the inside of the outer robe, into his sleeve, then made its way into the desert sun. Rather than hit the ground, it rose again. The too-organic looking dart rose up over Tian’s shoulder, rising higher and higher as the barbed rope left his sleeve.

“I don’t know why you are all looking so scared. I’m smiling. I even have my hands behind my back.”

He felt something snap. It was all just too pointless. There was just too much everything, and they were in the wasteland. These idiots were infected with gu, and cursed and just too stupid to live. He would do the compassionate thing and make sure their bodies were cremated properly. Tian took a breath and a single powerful step. Lunging forward. He was still smiling. Hands clasped behind his back.

“Enough!”

The word broke like a thunderclap between his ears. Tian stopped dead, the rope dart falling to the ground before quickly slithering back up his sleeves. The disciplinary squad snapped to attention, and even the Li Clan scion straightened his back. Martial Uncle Chen had arrived.

Tall, muscular, a thin mustache and fierce eyes that were glaring around. “Junior Tian, you will leave this matter here. You will receive an answer for this. Junior Li will accompany me to the Squad office. The rest of you… we will be discussing your achievements later. In detail.”

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Tian could see them wincing. The shiny tinge had come off the world, but the bubbling tar of hate was boiling in his chest now. It hadn’t been frozen, it was just dormant. Like cancer. He could feel it spreading and metastasizing through his chest. He started memorizing faces. Trying to memorize their smells, the way they pressed on the air with their too mortal bodies.

“Brother Tian? Brother Tian look at me please.” Sister Hong was standing in front of him. Blocking his view. Why? “Can I touch you, Brother?”

“I suppose?”

She carefully reached out and took his arm. “Come Brother, let’s go have a cup of tea. I’ll make one for you this time. There is nothing more to do here. You have done very well. A good time for tea.”

She gently led him to the back patio of the hospital. She didn’t say anything, just was with him. They sat at one of the little tables. Hong pulled out a box of tea leaves, then hesitated. Then flushed. Tian snorted and waved his hand over the table, producing his tea set.

“Did you know, Brother Tian, that you give the Disciplinary Squad a headache?”

“I am incredibly well behaved.”

“Yes, that’s the problem, really. If you had even a few criminal tendencies, you would be used to dealing with the Squad. But you don’t. You simply consider them a threat, and you have never learned to hide your feelings. Everyone can see you memorizing faces. We all get the sense that we are being put on a list, and that when the opportunity comes up, we will be crossed off the list. But we are the disciplinary squad. It’s us who put people on lists, you see?”

Sister Hong washed the cups, pitcher and the lidded cup with hot water, then put some dried flowers in the lidded cup. Tian recognized the blend. Heart Balm and Rosehip, gentle twists of white Spring Bell blossoms and Foxgrass. Calming. Not narcotic, but calming. And tasty, if you liked your tea on the sweeter, herbal side. Her movements were a little clumsy, but she knew what she was doing.

“I’ve never raised my hand against a brother or sister in my life.”

“We know. It would be so much easier if you did. You are even on the Responsible List. You have an enormous reputation for kindness and thoughtful attention for your sect mates. All of them. You are plainly not trying to network your way into money or status, you just… turn up with tea, or wine, or snacks, and listen. You ask a lot of questions about ordinary things, and listen.”

“Still not seeing how I’m a headache.”

“Because we knew a day like this would come. You are practically the Depot mascot. Little Doctor Tian, who is kind to everyone, sits with the sick and the dying, listening to them. I heard a sister describe something as being as comfortable as a pillow you fluffed. Someone was going to use you as a weapon against the base. Coming to kill you if they were being crude about it, or dropping you in a political mess if they were being slick about it. The damage to morale would be huge. The opportunity for political infighting would be even better. Which makes the Squad dropping you in the shit for putting us on your list… foolish. In a way that hereditary disciples are very aware of. And there was, and is, absolutely no chance of you cooperating with us.”

Sister Hong seemed a little different today. There was a reserve in her. Something brittle in her.

“And you think about things all the time. I can practically hear the thoughts zooming through your head. We all can. We all hoped… you were doing so much better. Are doing so much better. But I knew you were going to snap. And you were right, this was a setup, and you were right, it was related to the gu that attacked me, and yes, it’s even a scheme aimed at the Li Clan too. Who I know you don’t know, but they have two members in the Inner Court, one of whom is seriously being considered for an Elder position, and there are five promising Li Clan juniors in the Outer Court and then there is Li Jeihong who was spoiled rotten in no small part because he has some of the highest talent in that talented family. And I can’t tell you anything about it.”

The words came out of her in a rush. Her hands were starting to shake too. She forced herself to breathe, pressing her hands to the table.

“Did you know I take medicine every day? I have to, or I start feeling like my heart is being crushed with anxiety. Just standing out in the desert triggers the feeling. Just staring up into the sky triggers it- like I’m falling into nothing. I have to sleep in a shed. I can’t sleep without a light on, and I wake up screaming and panicking if someone bumps me while I’m asleep.”

“I didn’t know. But I… know what that’s like.” Tian nodded.

“Yeah. And I’m still dropped into this kind of…” She groped for a word and couldn’t find a suitably strong expletive. Eventually she just shook her head in frustration. The tea still needed longer to steep, but the smell was slowly spreading, wrapping the two in its calm warmth.

“We are pretty banged up, Sister.”

“Yeah. And we are being used. And it’s bullshit!”

“Yes. Yes it is. You know what I figured out?”

“Get stronger?”

“Yep.”

Hong Liren sighed. “It is the answer for most problems. For everything else, tea and meditation. You know there is no ‘Brother Gosung San,’ right?”

“I did not know that, no.”

“Yeah. We’ve had infiltrators. At least one, probably more like two or three. We aren’t sure if they are working with traitors, or if they just slipped in. There is evidence both ways. That… scene at the gate was pretty conclusive evidence of traitors. Not to mention our visit to the Six Turn Caverns has definitely interfered with the plans of some powerful clans in the sect.”

“Eh? I still don’t know what that is.” Tian gently shook his head.

“It’s some place that Elder Rui had to personally arrange for us, and isn’t available through ordinary means. You tell me if it’s something valuable. And if it’s a sect resource, that means someone had plans for it before we were handed those benefits.”

“Point.”

Hong poured the tea. “I know I already apologized, but, sorry.”

“For the concussion?”

“No, though sorry about that too. No, for the things I said when we first met.” She looked kind of nauseous. “It was… unpleasant seeing what that looked like from the outside. I only caught part of it as we rushed over. Brother Feng repeated a lot of it word for word. I’d have stabbed him. I’m sure you are planning to murder him in the night.”

“I thought he was cursed. I decided the way to cure curses was many beatings.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Beatings as a cure for curses?”

“If he was actually cursed, instead of just being that way.”

“What kind of answer do you think the sect will provide? I’m thinking somewhere between nothing, and two minutes of self reflection, deferred on account of good behavior.”

Hong snorted and poured the tea. “You don’t know Martial Uncle Chen. At this point, he’s even madder than you. You might want to rest and stretch a bit. I have a feeling you are going to get the chance to vent very soon.”