Chapter 449
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Chapter 449
Grunting as he straightened up, Goujian patted the horses flank and motioned for the attendant to bring it away. Working at the cricks in his lower back, he waited for the next horse to be brought in and idly wondered how many hooves hed trimmed in the last hour alone. A farriers lot was not an easy one, made harder still by the sheer number of horses in need of maintenance, but he was never one to shy away from adversity. Running his fingers through his scraggly, sweat-soaked beard, he covertly checked if the dye was running, though he knew it wouldnt. A simple disguise, shaving his head bald and blackening his new beard, but these two minor changes stripped a full forty years from his appearance. Much of it was thanks to his recent comprehension of the Truth, allowing him to harness the Energy of the Heavens to Rejuvenate his body and mind, so he now looked like a commoner of forty-odd years rather than an ancient grandfather well past his prime.
So much gained after a mere six months of study, small wonder the Imperial Clan still held power over the Empire after so many millennia...
During his lifetime of devotion in service to a lie, Goujian had mastered Concealment to defend against ambush and assassination. Hard to plant a knife in someones back if you could never spot them, and there were countless people in the Empire who wanted the Confessor dead. Thus, he spent most of his time Concealed and guarded, but his circumstances were hardly unique for Peak Experts. On the path to the Peak, Martial Warriors were bound to butt heads, and strength and vigilance only went so far. As a young man, hed dreamed of using Concealment to uncover secrets and gather information, but after years of experience, he found the art of disguise was far superior for these purposes. Few criminals cared to monologue their crimes whilst alone in the privacy of their own home, but Goujian had convinced many to boast of those crimes using the right disguise.
Though his blackened beard and shaved head made him look decades younger, it still wasnt enough to pass as a lowly commoner, but the best disguises came in layers. Not to say he donned a mask or complex prostheses, because his goal wasnt to have his disguise pass close inspection, but instead to avoid the need for close inspection to begin with. Having learned of their ability to detect Scrying, Goujian feared the Imperial Clan might have other methods to defeat the various Chi skills, such as intercepting Sendings or piercing through veiled Concealment, so he relied on mundane skills to escape detection. Goujians grasp of the Truth had yet to provide him with these secrets, nor had his ally, the mysterious Uniter, seen fit to share, so Goujian had no choice but to work with hands bound and eyes covered.
Regardless of the risks, he trusted his skills and Heavens Blessing to keep him safe. By basking beneath the hot Western sun, he darkened his skin until it took on the texture of leather, while his eyebrows grew thick and out of control without daily grooming. Two shallow cuts changed the slant of his eyes after the injuries healed naturally, and he took up a habit of chewing betel nuts to stain his teeth, blacken his gums, and almost imperceptibly change the shape of his jawline. Then, he set his mind to learning new habits, such as spitting often, leaving his tunic unbuttoned to keep cool, and keeping his shoulders slumped and head down as befitting a man who spent a lifetime hunched over an anvil or bent over to inspect hooves. All of this was enough to keep Imperial spies from recognizing him at first glance, and though others might think his actions excessive, experience taught him that even the slightest flaws could give you away. Once, hed joined a merchant caravan and was uncovered by an uneducated wagon driver because he held his pipe the wrong way, cupping the bowl in hand instead of holding the stem between thumb and forefinger. This minor blunder cost those good merchants and workers their lives since Goujian could no longer clandestinely determine if theyd turned Defiled and was forced to resort to harsher methods.
Goujian now knew theyd been enlightened to the Truth, but this knowledge came decades too late to save the merchants and their workers. So many lives wasted on Imperial lies, including the lives of his beloved Disciples. Such sin, such regret.
Straightening in surprise, the blood drained from Goujians head as he blinked the darkness out of his eyes. Recovering from his shock, he smiled at the attendant and mumbled something about his old age while reaching for more betel nuts, using the time to calm his nerves before returning to work. What had he been thinking about? Right, the steps he took to arrive here. Having posed as a farrier before, he already possessed the requisite skills, so all that was left was to reach out and get himself legitimately hired on. His contact was also a farrier, one marked by Goujians information network as sympathetic to his cause. The aged farrier never learned of Goujians true identity, only that he and his agents were working to right corruption and injustice throughout the Empire, and for a patriot like the farrier, that was enough to secure his aid. The man even tried to refuse payment, but Goujian insisted, for if the greedy and unscrupulous could benefit from crime, then why should good men not be rewarded for their good work?
A shame to kill such an honourable patriot, but at least the farriers death served the greater good, and he made certain the money would find its way to his widow and children.
Goujian enjoyed working with his hands, for oftentimes, hard work was rewarded with Inspiration and Insight. This had been his way even when he was blind to the Truth, and doubly so now that hed been Chosen by Heaven. Though his mind was brimming with new secrets and concepts to peruse, he put them aside to focus on the work at hand lest he give himself away by staring off into the distance. There was always more for the farriers to do, which was one downside of his mundane disguise, but the benefits heavily outweighed the costs. While he could have Concealed himself and walked about the camp unnoticed, with so many souls about, a single mistake could see him surrounded by Experts and captured alive. In contrast, a farrier moving about during his scant off-hours might as well be invisible and the work provided him with a safe place to sleep at night to boot. Martial Warriors were a proud bunch who all too often ignored commoners and expected them to be blind, deaf, and mute to boot. All too often, officers conversed about military secrets or orders were left in plain sight, for few cared to guard against mere commoners, a prospect which made them useful spies. Goujian had an entire network of servants, stable-hands, porters, and barkeeps feeding him information, an organization which stretched across the four provinces, which was how he embedded himself and his Aspirants into this well-guarded camp.
A task sadly made easier considering how scant few remained. Over three months had passed since hed sent an open letter to the nobles of the Empire, one denouncing the hypocrisy of the Imperial Clan and their puppet, Falling Rain. In his letter, he laid their crimes bare and called upon all true loyalists of Heaven to aid him in overthrowing the corrupt and traitorous Imperial Clan, but thus far, the response was far from what hed imagined. According to his spies, nothing had changed in the wake of his shocking revelation, with no public outcries for justice or clandestine meetings taking place, no whispers of overthrowing the Empire or even discussions of Imperial wrongdoings. As far as he could tell, the nobles of the Empire had unilaterally dismissed his claims and cared nothing for justice or integrity.
Hmph. It defied common sense how everyone believed Falling Rain was responsible for such a miraculous discovery. A savage tribal child who was not only an unparalleled Martial talent, but also a genius inventor and brilliant businessman? It was so absurd, Goujian almost found it laughable were it not for the dire implications.
After reading the report and destroying the evidence, Goujian returned to his farriers work with a bellyful of anger and bile. Theyd been so close to success, but their plans had been utterly ruined by the damned coward, Chun Yimu. The young man had seemed like the perfect patsy, an idle shirker who repeatedly begged his family to allow him to return home from the front lines. From there, the plan was simple, as the best plans often were. While Concealed Wraiths drew the attention of Falling Rains guardians, Experts and Divinities alike, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants would disguise themselves as Chun Yimus slaves and assassinate Falling Rain in the chaos. Those three were the most devoted warriors left to Goujian, each volunteering to take the necessary Oaths for this plan to succeed despite knowing it would mean their deaths. If the Wraiths and Aspirants failed, then there was even a Transcendent hiding in the earth and waiting for the boy to visit his latrine tent where hed be alone and exposed.
So many measures taken to ensure Falling Rain died, for such was the Will of Heaven.
Unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong, did. The details were scant since his people didnt dare Scry on Falling Rain lest they give themselves away, but from what Goujians Aspirants could piece together from rumour and hearsay, the runt had been tipped off to the presence of Wraiths, no doubt by his Divinity protectors. While charging forward to save Chun Yimu, the fool mistook Falling Rains assistance for deadly intent and cried out, Wait!, an exclamation so lacking in detail it forced Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants to inaction because there was no way to be certain the command had not been directed at them. Goujian had anticipated he might get cold feet and had placed a Wraith close to him, for if the token were to be destroyed and Chun Yimu to die, then control of the Oath-bound Aspirants would revert back to MuYang, the last holder of their token. Alas, fortune favours fools and Chun Yimu survived by the skin of his teeth, somehow saved by Falling Rain himself. Then, to make matters worse, before passing out, the little coward ordered Goujians Aspirants to protect the amber-eyed runt, a command which forced them to save the Falling Rains life when he was later attacked by the Transcendent in his latrine tent as planned.
Disaster heaped upon disaster, Not only had the other Wraiths and Transcendents failed to kill any of the runts allies, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants were also still alive thanks to Chun Yimus orders and their token still firmly in his possession. It burned knowing that not only were his most devoted subordinates forced to protect this traitor of Heaven, they had already saved the runt from certain death more than once. Though sworn to silence and striving to remain hidden from the meditating Falling Rain, once Chun Yimu regained consciousness and forced the Aspirants to reveal themselves, then the Imperials might unravel their origins and connect them to Goujian.
Time worked against them, for Falling Rain had to die before the Uniters army arrived. Not only because Heaven Willed it, but due to their past history, young Gen was obsessed with Falling Rain and likely intended to challenge him to single combat, a recipe for disaster in Goujians opinion. Though young Gens skills were impressive and far outstripped anything Falling Rain had displayed, the cunning savage was undoubtedly playing a pig to eat the tiger, a simple fact Jianghong and the Uniter seemed utterly blind to. Were the runt not hiding his true strength, then events would never have played out as they did, with Falling Rain coming so close to death and defeat countless times before, only to rally at the last moment and emerge battered, but victorious. Despite young Gens prodigious strength, one could not overlook his lack of experience, having only stepped foot on the True Martial Path a short year ago, whereas Falling Rain had undoubtedly been trained from birth for his role in Imperial propaganda and picked out from hundreds, if not thousands of his peers, all of which meant a direct confrontation between Falling Rain and young Gen posed far too many risks for the young Chosen of Heaven. The problem was, a team of Wraiths, Aspirants, and a Transcendent had already failed to take Falling Rains life, which left Goujian in something of a bind. The runt had to die before young Gen arrived, but how was he to accomplish this?
Perhaps fortune could be found in misfortune, since now, Goujians Aspirants were in good position to assassinate the runt. As the day passed, his Aspirants sent word that Falling Rain wasnt putting much effort into uncovering the hidden Aspirants or discovering why they were there, which led Goujian to rethink the runts relationship with the Imperial Clan. Perhaps he was merely a pawn and not privy to all the details, so he believed the Aspirants were Imperial agents rather than suspecting them. If so, then Goujian could use this to his advantage...
With hammer and hoof-knife in hand, Goujian carried out his farrier duties with the utmost devotion, eagerly counting the minutes until he would be free to make contact with his agents in the Society and rope yet another foolish cats paw into the game. It would take days to gather his pieces into place, but this was for the best. Let Falling Rain grow careless and overconfident, and when the opportunity presented itself, Goujian would risk everything to remove the runt from the equation and free young Gen from his unhealthy obsession and giving him more time to grow in safety.
For until Gen took his throne as the Divine Son of Heaven, no harm could be allowed to come to the future Sovereign of the Azure Empire.
Chapter Meme
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Chapter 449
Grunting as he straightened up, Goujian patted the horses flank and motioned for the attendant to bring it away. Working at the cricks in his lower back, he waited for the next horse to be brought in and idly wondered how many hooves hed trimmed in the last hour alone. A farriers lot was not an easy one, made harder still by the sheer number of horses in need of maintenance, but he was never one to shy away from adversity. Running his fingers through his scraggly, sweat-soaked beard, he covertly checked if the dye was running, though he knew it wouldnt. A simple disguise, shaving his head bald and blackening his new beard, but these two minor changes stripped a full forty years from his appearance. Much of it was thanks to his recent comprehension of the Truth, allowing him to harness the Energy of the Heavens to Rejuvenate his body and mind, so he now looked like a commoner of forty-odd years rather than an ancient grandfather well past his prime.
So much gained after a mere six months of study, small wonder the Imperial Clan still held power over the Empire after so many millennia...
During his lifetime of devotion in service to a lie, Goujian had mastered Concealment to defend against ambush and assassination. Hard to plant a knife in someones back if you could never spot them, and there were countless people in the Empire who wanted the Confessor dead. Thus, he spent most of his time Concealed and guarded, but his circumstances were hardly unique for Peak Experts. On the path to the Peak, Martial Warriors were bound to butt heads, and strength and vigilance only went so far. As a young man, hed dreamed of using Concealment to uncover secrets and gather information, but after years of experience, he found the art of disguise was far superior for these purposes. Few criminals cared to monologue their crimes whilst alone in the privacy of their own home, but Goujian had convinced many to boast of those crimes using the right disguise.
Though his blackened beard and shaved head made him look decades younger, it still wasnt enough to pass as a lowly commoner, but the best disguises came in layers. Not to say he donned a mask or complex prostheses, because his goal wasnt to have his disguise pass close inspection, but instead to avoid the need for close inspection to begin with. Having learned of their ability to detect Scrying, Goujian feared the Imperial Clan might have other methods to defeat the various Chi skills, such as intercepting Sendings or piercing through veiled Concealment, so he relied on mundane skills to escape detection. Goujians grasp of the Truth had yet to provide him with these secrets, nor had his ally, the mysterious Uniter, seen fit to share, so Goujian had no choice but to work with hands bound and eyes covered.
Regardless of the risks, he trusted his skills and Heavens Blessing to keep him safe. By basking beneath the hot Western sun, he darkened his skin until it took on the texture of leather, while his eyebrows grew thick and out of control without daily grooming. Two shallow cuts changed the slant of his eyes after the injuries healed naturally, and he took up a habit of chewing betel nuts to stain his teeth, blacken his gums, and almost imperceptibly change the shape of his jawline. Then, he set his mind to learning new habits, such as spitting often, leaving his tunic unbuttoned to keep cool, and keeping his shoulders slumped and head down as befitting a man who spent a lifetime hunched over an anvil or bent over to inspect hooves. All of this was enough to keep Imperial spies from recognizing him at first glance, and though others might think his actions excessive, experience taught him that even the slightest flaws could give you away. Once, hed joined a merchant caravan and was uncovered by an uneducated wagon driver because he held his pipe the wrong way, cupping the bowl in hand instead of holding the stem between thumb and forefinger. This minor blunder cost those good merchants and workers their lives since Goujian could no longer clandestinely determine if theyd turned Defiled and was forced to resort to harsher methods.
Goujian now knew theyd been enlightened to the Truth, but this knowledge came decades too late to save the merchants and their workers. So many lives wasted on Imperial lies, including the lives of his beloved Disciples. Such sin, such regret.
Straightening in surprise, the blood drained from Goujians head as he blinked the darkness out of his eyes. Recovering from his shock, he smiled at the attendant and mumbled something about his old age while reaching for more betel nuts, using the time to calm his nerves before returning to work. What had he been thinking about? Right, the steps he took to arrive here. Having posed as a farrier before, he already possessed the requisite skills, so all that was left was to reach out and get himself legitimately hired on. His contact was also a farrier, one marked by Goujians information network as sympathetic to his cause. The aged farrier never learned of Goujians true identity, only that he and his agents were working to right corruption and injustice throughout the Empire, and for a patriot like the farrier, that was enough to secure his aid. The man even tried to refuse payment, but Goujian insisted, for if the greedy and unscrupulous could benefit from crime, then why should good men not be rewarded for their good work?
A shame to kill such an honourable patriot, but at least the farriers death served the greater good, and he made certain the money would find its way to his widow and children.
Goujian enjoyed working with his hands, for oftentimes, hard work was rewarded with Inspiration and Insight. This had been his way even when he was blind to the Truth, and doubly so now that hed been Chosen by Heaven. Though his mind was brimming with new secrets and concepts to peruse, he put them aside to focus on the work at hand lest he give himself away by staring off into the distance. There was always more for the farriers to do, which was one downside of his mundane disguise, but the benefits heavily outweighed the costs. While he could have Concealed himself and walked about the camp unnoticed, with so many souls about, a single mistake could see him surrounded by Experts and captured alive. In contrast, a farrier moving about during his scant off-hours might as well be invisible and the work provided him with a safe place to sleep at night to boot. Martial Warriors were a proud bunch who all too often ignored commoners and expected them to be blind, deaf, and mute to boot. All too often, officers conversed about military secrets or orders were left in plain sight, for few cared to guard against mere commoners, a prospect which made them useful spies. Goujian had an entire network of servants, stable-hands, porters, and barkeeps feeding him information, an organization which stretched across the four provinces, which was how he embedded himself and his Aspirants into this well-guarded camp.
A task sadly made easier considering how scant few remained. Over three months had passed since hed sent an open letter to the nobles of the Empire, one denouncing the hypocrisy of the Imperial Clan and their puppet, Falling Rain. In his letter, he laid their crimes bare and called upon all true loyalists of Heaven to aid him in overthrowing the corrupt and traitorous Imperial Clan, but thus far, the response was far from what hed imagined. According to his spies, nothing had changed in the wake of his shocking revelation, with no public outcries for justice or clandestine meetings taking place, no whispers of overthrowing the Empire or even discussions of Imperial wrongdoings. As far as he could tell, the nobles of the Empire had unilaterally dismissed his claims and cared nothing for justice or integrity.
Hmph. It defied common sense how everyone believed Falling Rain was responsible for such a miraculous discovery. A savage tribal child who was not only an unparalleled Martial talent, but also a genius inventor and brilliant businessman? It was so absurd, Goujian almost found it laughable were it not for the dire implications.
After reading the report and destroying the evidence, Goujian returned to his farriers work with a bellyful of anger and bile. Theyd been so close to success, but their plans had been utterly ruined by the damned coward, Chun Yimu. The young man had seemed like the perfect patsy, an idle shirker who repeatedly begged his family to allow him to return home from the front lines. From there, the plan was simple, as the best plans often were. While Concealed Wraiths drew the attention of Falling Rains guardians, Experts and Divinities alike, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants would disguise themselves as Chun Yimus slaves and assassinate Falling Rain in the chaos. Those three were the most devoted warriors left to Goujian, each volunteering to take the necessary Oaths for this plan to succeed despite knowing it would mean their deaths. If the Wraiths and Aspirants failed, then there was even a Transcendent hiding in the earth and waiting for the boy to visit his latrine tent where hed be alone and exposed.
So many measures taken to ensure Falling Rain died, for such was the Will of Heaven.
Unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong, did. The details were scant since his people didnt dare Scry on Falling Rain lest they give themselves away, but from what Goujians Aspirants could piece together from rumour and hearsay, the runt had been tipped off to the presence of Wraiths, no doubt by his Divinity protectors. While charging forward to save Chun Yimu, the fool mistook Falling Rains assistance for deadly intent and cried out, Wait!, an exclamation so lacking in detail it forced Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants to inaction because there was no way to be certain the command had not been directed at them. Goujian had anticipated he might get cold feet and had placed a Wraith close to him, for if the token were to be destroyed and Chun Yimu to die, then control of the Oath-bound Aspirants would revert back to MuYang, the last holder of their token. Alas, fortune favours fools and Chun Yimu survived by the skin of his teeth, somehow saved by Falling Rain himself. Then, to make matters worse, before passing out, the little coward ordered Goujians Aspirants to protect the amber-eyed runt, a command which forced them to save the Falling Rains life when he was later attacked by the Transcendent in his latrine tent as planned.
Disaster heaped upon disaster, Not only had the other Wraiths and Transcendents failed to kill any of the runts allies, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants were also still alive thanks to Chun Yimus orders and their token still firmly in his possession. It burned knowing that not only were his most devoted subordinates forced to protect this traitor of Heaven, they had already saved the runt from certain death more than once. Though sworn to silence and striving to remain hidden from the meditating Falling Rain, once Chun Yimu regained consciousness and forced the Aspirants to reveal themselves, then the Imperials might unravel their origins and connect them to Goujian.
Time worked against them, for Falling Rain had to die before the Uniters army arrived. Not only because Heaven Willed it, but due to their past history, young Gen was obsessed with Falling Rain and likely intended to challenge him to single combat, a recipe for disaster in Goujians opinion. Though young Gens skills were impressive and far outstripped anything Falling Rain had displayed, the cunning savage was undoubtedly playing a pig to eat the tiger, a simple fact Jianghong and the Uniter seemed utterly blind to. Were the runt not hiding his true strength, then events would never have played out as they did, with Falling Rain coming so close to death and defeat countless times before, only to rally at the last moment and emerge battered, but victorious. Despite young Gens prodigious strength, one could not overlook his lack of experience, having only stepped foot on the True Martial Path a short year ago, whereas Falling Rain had undoubtedly been trained from birth for his role in Imperial propaganda and picked out from hundreds, if not thousands of his peers, all of which meant a direct confrontation between Falling Rain and young Gen posed far too many risks for the young Chosen of Heaven. The problem was, a team of Wraiths, Aspirants, and a Transcendent had already failed to take Falling Rains life, which left Goujian in something of a bind. The runt had to die before young Gen arrived, but how was he to accomplish this?
Perhaps fortune could be found in misfortune, since now, Goujians Aspirants were in good position to assassinate the runt. As the day passed, his Aspirants sent word that Falling Rain wasnt putting much effort into uncovering the hidden Aspirants or discovering why they were there, which led Goujian to rethink the runts relationship with the Imperial Clan. Perhaps he was merely a pawn and not privy to all the details, so he believed the Aspirants were Imperial agents rather than suspecting them. If so, then Goujian could use this to his advantage...
With hammer and hoof-knife in hand, Goujian carried out his farrier duties with the utmost devotion, eagerly counting the minutes until he would be free to make contact with his agents in the Society and rope yet another foolish cats paw into the game. It would take days to gather his pieces into place, but this was for the best. Let Falling Rain grow careless and overconfident, and when the opportunity presented itself, Goujian would risk everything to remove the runt from the equation and free young Gen from his unhealthy obsession and giving him more time to grow in safety.
For until Gen took his throne as the Divine Son of Heaven, no harm could be allowed to come to the future Sovereign of the Azure Empire.
Chapter Meme
Chapter 449Grunting as he straightened up, Goujian patted the horses flank and motioned for the attendant to bring it away. Working at the cricks in his lower back, he waited for the next horse to be brought in and idly wondered how many hooves hed trimmed in the last hour alone. A farriers lot was not an easy one, made harder still by the sheer number of horses in need of maintenance, but he was never one to shy away from adversity. Running his fingers through his scraggly, sweat-soaked beard, he covertly checked if the dye was running, though he knew it wouldnt. A simple disguise, shaving his head bald and blackening his new beard, but these two minor changes stripped a full forty years from his appearance. Much of it was thanks to his recent comprehension of the Truth, allowing him to harness the Energy of the Heavens to Rejuvenate his body and mind, so he now looked like a commoner of forty-odd years rather than an ancient grandfather well past his prime.So much gained after a mere six months of study, small wonder the Imperial Clan still held power over the Empire after so many millennia...During his lifetime of devotion in service to a lie, Goujian had mastered Concealment to defend against ambush and assassination. Hard to plant a knife in someones back if you could never spot them, and there were countless people in the Empire who wanted the Confessor dead. Thus, he spent most of his time Concealed and guarded, but his circumstances were hardly unique for Peak Experts. On the path to the Peak, Martial Warriors were bound to butt heads, and strength and vigilance only went so far. As a young man, hed dreamed of using Concealment to uncover secrets and gather information, but after years of experience, he found the art of disguise was far superior for these purposes. Few criminals cared to monologue their crimes whilst alone in the privacy of their own home, but Goujian had convinced many to boast of those crimes using the right disguise.Though his blackened beard and shaved head made him look decades younger, it still wasnt enough to pass as a lowly commoner, but the best disguises came in layers. Not to say he donned a mask or complex prostheses, because his goal wasnt to have his disguise pass close inspection, but instead to avoid the need for close inspection to begin with. Having learned of their ability to detect Scrying, Goujian feared the Imperial Clan might have other methods to defeat the various Chi skills, such as intercepting Sendings or piercing through veiled Concealment, so he relied on mundane skills to escape detection. Goujians grasp of the Truth had yet to provide him with these secrets, nor had his ally, the mysterious Uniter, seen fit to share, so Goujian had no choice but to work with hands bound and eyes covered.Regardless of the risks, he trusted his skills and Heavens Blessing to keep him safe. By basking beneath the hot Western sun, he darkened his skin until it took on the texture of leather, while his eyebrows grew thick and out of control without daily grooming. Two shallow cuts changed the slant of his eyes after the injuries healed naturally, and he took up a habit of chewing betel nuts to stain his teeth, blacken his gums, and almost imperceptibly change the shape of his jawline. Then, he set his mind to learning new habits, such as spitting often, leaving his tunic unbuttoned to keep cool, and keeping his shoulders slumped and head down as befitting a man who spent a lifetime hunched over an anvil or bent over to inspect hooves. All of this was enough to keep Imperial spies from recognizing him at first glance, and though others might think his actions excessive, experience taught him that even the slightest flaws could give you away. Once, hed joined a merchant caravan and was uncovered by an uneducated wagon driver because he held his pipe the wrong way, cupping the bowl in hand instead of holding the stem between thumb and forefinger. This minor blunder cost those good merchants and workers their lives since Goujian could no longer clandestinely determine if theyd turned Defiled and was forced to resort to harsher methods.Goujian now knew theyd been enlightened to the Truth, but this knowledge came decades too late to save the merchants and their workers. So many lives wasted on Imperial lies, including the lives of his beloved Disciples. Such sin, such regret.Straightening in surprise, the blood drained from Goujians head as he blinked the darkness out of his eyes. Recovering from his shock, he smiled at the attendant and mumbled something about his old age while reaching for more betel nuts, using the time to calm his nerves before returning to work. What had he been thinking about? Right, the steps he took to arrive here. Having posed as a farrier before, he already possessed the requisite skills, so all that was left was to reach out and get himself legitimately hired on. His contact was also a farrier, one marked by Goujians information network as sympathetic to his cause. The aged farrier never learned of Goujians true identity, only that he and his agents were working to right corruption and injustice throughout the Empire, and for a patriot like the farrier, that was enough to secure his aid. The man even tried to refuse payment, but Goujian insisted, for if the greedy and unscrupulous could benefit from crime, then why should good men not be rewarded for their good work?A shame to kill such an honourable patriot, but at least the farriers death served the greater good, and he made certain the money would find its way to his widow and children.Goujian enjoyed working with his hands, for oftentimes, hard work was rewarded with Inspiration and Insight. This had been his way even when he was blind to the Truth, and doubly so now that hed been Chosen by Heaven. Though his mind was brimming with new secrets and concepts to peruse, he put them aside to focus on the work at hand lest he give himself away by staring off into the distance. There was always more for the farriers to do, which was one downside of his mundane disguise, but the benefits heavily outweighed the costs. While he could have Concealed himself and walked about the camp unnoticed, with so many souls about, a single mistake could see him surrounded by Experts and captured alive. In contrast, a farrier moving about during his scant off-hours might as well be invisible and the work provided him with a safe place to sleep at night to boot. Martial Warriors were a proud bunch who all too often ignored commoners and expected them to be blind, deaf, and mute to boot. All too often, officers conversed about military secrets or orders were left in plain sight, for few cared to guard against mere commoners, a prospect which made them useful spies. Goujian had an entire network of servants, stable-hands, porters, and barkeeps feeding him information, an organization which stretched across the four provinces, which was how he embedded himself and his Aspirants into this well-guarded camp.A task sadly made easier considering how scant few remained. Over three months had passed since hed sent an open letter to the nobles of the Empire, one denouncing the hypocrisy of the Imperial Clan and their puppet, Falling Rain. In his letter, he laid their crimes bare and called upon all true loyalists of Heaven to aid him in overthrowing the corrupt and traitorous Imperial Clan, but thus far, the response was far from what hed imagined. According to his spies, nothing had changed in the wake of his shocking revelation, with no public outcries for justice or clandestine meetings taking place, no whispers of overthrowing the Empire or even discussions of Imperial wrongdoings. As far as he could tell, the nobles of the Empire had unilaterally dismissed his claims and cared nothing for justice or integrity.Hmph. It defied common sense how everyone believed Falling Rain was responsible for such a miraculous discovery. A savage tribal child who was not only an unparalleled Martial talent, but also a genius inventor and brilliant businessman? It was so absurd, Goujian almost found it laughable were it not for the dire implications.After reading the report and destroying the evidence, Goujian returned to his farriers work with a bellyful of anger and bile. Theyd been so close to success, but their plans had been utterly ruined by the damned coward, Chun Yimu. The young man had seemed like the perfect patsy, an idle shirker who repeatedly begged his family to allow him to return home from the front lines. From there, the plan was simple, as the best plans often were. While Concealed Wraiths drew the attention of Falling Rains guardians, Experts and Divinities alike, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants would disguise themselves as Chun Yimus slaves and assassinate Falling Rain in the chaos. Those three were the most devoted warriors left to Goujian, each volunteering to take the necessary Oaths for this plan to succeed despite knowing it would mean their deaths. If the Wraiths and Aspirants failed, then there was even a Transcendent hiding in the earth and waiting for the boy to visit his latrine tent where hed be alone and exposed.So many measures taken to ensure Falling Rain died, for such was the Will of Heaven.Unfortunately, everything that could have gone wrong, did. The details were scant since his people didnt dare Scry on Falling Rain lest they give themselves away, but from what Goujians Aspirants could piece together from rumour and hearsay, the runt had been tipped off to the presence of Wraiths, no doubt by his Divinity protectors. While charging forward to save Chun Yimu, the fool mistook Falling Rains assistance for deadly intent and cried out, Wait!, an exclamation so lacking in detail it forced Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants to inaction because there was no way to be certain the command had not been directed at them. Goujian had anticipated he might get cold feet and had placed a Wraith close to him, for if the token were to be destroyed and Chun Yimu to die, then control of the Oath-bound Aspirants would revert back to MuYang, the last holder of their token. Alas, fortune favours fools and Chun Yimu survived by the skin of his teeth, somehow saved by Falling Rain himself. Then, to make matters worse, before passing out, the little coward ordered Goujians Aspirants to protect the amber-eyed runt, a command which forced them to save the Falling Rains life when he was later attacked by the Transcendent in his latrine tent as planned.Disaster heaped upon disaster, Not only had the other Wraiths and Transcendents failed to kill any of the runts allies, Goujians Oath-bound Aspirants were also still alive thanks to Chun Yimus orders and their token still firmly in his possession. It burned knowing that not only were his most devoted subordinates forced to protect this traitor of Heaven, they had already saved the runt from certain death more than once. Though sworn to silence and striving to remain hidden from the meditating Falling Rain, once Chun Yimu regained consciousness and forced the Aspirants to reveal themselves, then the Imperials might unravel their origins and connect them to Goujian.Time worked against them, for Falling Rain had to die before the Uniters army arrived. Not only because Heaven Willed it, but due to their past history, young Gen was obsessed with Falling Rain and likely intended to challenge him to single combat, a recipe for disaster in Goujians opinion. Though young Gens skills were impressive and far outstripped anything Falling Rain had displayed, the cunning savage was undoubtedly playing a pig to eat the tiger, a simple fact Jianghong and the Uniter seemed utterly blind to. Were the runt not hiding his true strength, then events would never have played out as they did, with Falling Rain coming so close to death and defeat countless times before, only to rally at the last moment and emerge battered, but victorious. Despite young Gens prodigious strength, one could not overlook his lack of experience, having only stepped foot on the True Martial Path a short year ago, whereas Falling Rain had undoubtedly been trained from birth for his role in Imperial propaganda and picked out from hundreds, if not thousands of his peers, all of which meant a direct confrontation between Falling Rain and young Gen posed far too many risks for the young Chosen of Heaven. The problem was, a team of Wraiths, Aspirants, and a Transcendent had already failed to take Falling Rains life, which left Goujian in something of a bind. The runt had to die before young Gen arrived, but how was he to accomplish this?Perhaps fortune could be found in misfortune, since now, Goujians Aspirants were in good position to assassinate the runt. As the day passed, his Aspirants sent word that Falling Rain wasnt putting much effort into uncovering the hidden Aspirants or discovering why they were there, which led Goujian to rethink the runts relationship with the Imperial Clan. Perhaps he was merely a pawn and not privy to all the details, so he believed the Aspirants were Imperial agents rather than suspecting them. If so, then Goujian could use this to his advantage...With hammer and hoof-knife in hand, Goujian carried out his farrier duties with the utmost devotion, eagerly counting the minutes until he would be free to make contact with his agents in the Society and rope yet another foolish cats paw into the game. It would take days to gather his pieces into place, but this was for the best. Let Falling Rain grow careless and overconfident, and when the opportunity presented itself, Goujian would risk everything to remove the runt from the equation and free young Gen from his unhealthy obsession and giving him more time to grow in safety.For until Gen took his throne as the Divine Son of Heaven, no harm could be allowed to come to the future Sovereign of the Azure Empire.Chapter Meme
