Operation story: IW-9

Operation

Story

Previous IW-7	Next IW-ST-3
Characters
Dusk Kroos Lee Leizi Ling Mr. Nothing Nian Zuo Le Boatman Innkeeper Zheng Liang Xun Miss Du Miss Ning Passing Elder Pole-Carrier Taihe Ink Spirit Street Passerby Street Youth Waregeist Lee? "Sui-Xiang"
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9A 9B 10 11 12

Before operation

“

At the summit, the Sui Regulator's game with Nian and Dusk seems as if a grand board game, the words "affairs come in no more than threes" fallen onto it. Below, the people's grievances flow thick and fast, a picture scroll encompassing the scene in whole. Ling finally shows herself, simply to eulogize on the sunset.

”

<Background 1>
[An elderly Lung asks something to a youngster.]
Passing Elder	...Young man.
Street Youth	Hm?
Passing Elder	Can I ask the way to the estate of Liang, Magistrate of Shangshu?
Street Youth	Uhh... it's close by, I think. Turn right there and keep going, and once you see the paifang arch, turn left and you're at the Liang estate.
Passing Elder	Is it spacious?
Street Youth	Who knows, I'm not allowed in. But from the outside... I think it doesn't look that different from any other place. Might even be a little run-down.
Passing Elder	What does it say on the arch?
Street Youth	I don't remember.
Passing Elder	Thank you.
[The elderly Lung heads to the direction told by the youngster.]
Street Youth	Hey, old man. It's getting dark, how about I show you the way? You might get hit out here.
Passing Elder	...No need. I can see the way.
<Background 2>
[Mr. Nothing fights Taihe, who uses his earth Arts to immobilize him.]
Mr. Nothing	—Ugh! (My foot... it's stuck in a rock?!)
[Taihe stands down.]
Taihe	That's enough. You've lasted thirty-three moves. Commendable.
Mr. Nothing	You never were pulling your true weight at all.
Taihe	If you're interested in joining the army, your prospects will surely be bright.
Mr. Nothing	Hahah... I'll admit I contemplated it when I left Kou-wu City, but the proverb puts it well: don't bite off more than you can chew. I'll repay Rhodes Island's grace to me for now.
Taihe	To know grace and repay it. Qualities hard to come by. A shame you're trapped in your situation.
Mr. Nothing	In a literal sense, to boot. (If I break my leg, maybe I can tug it out still... let's try it and see...)
Taihe	Zheng Qingyue, I'll assist you!
Mr. Nothing	Stop right there!
Taihe	—!
[Mr. Nothing breaks free with his fan.]
Mr. Nothing	*Pant*... *pant*...
Taihe	You... ...... I regarded this tangle as a farce, and invested nothing in it. But you've shown me I was wrong.
[fades out and in]
[Meanwhile, the duel between Shang and Zheng remains intense.]
Innkeeper Zheng	......
Pole-Carrier	You've got less to say now. You always had so little to say in the past.
Innkeeper Zheng	......
Pole-Carrier	Zheng Qingyue is only silent when going all-out. But when he goes all-out, no opponent escapes intact.
Innkeeper Zheng	Are you done talking?
Pole-Carrier	I'm only speaking to myself.
Innkeeper Zheng	Huff...
[Suddenly rain falls...]
Pole-Carrier	It's raining...?
[...and someone strikes Shang, breaking his staff in the process.]
Pole-Carrier	—!
Innkeeper Zheng	What?! (He broke Shang Zhong's staff so easily?! Before we could even react—how did he do it?)
Pole-Carrier	—Who are you?!
Taihe	A bamboo hat and raincoat, the rain as your sword. Excellent kung fu.
[The one striking Shang is revealed to be Shen the boatman.]
Boatman	Stop fighting. Stop, all of you. Would it hurt to be a little peaceful?
Innkeeper Zheng	......
<Flashback starts here>
<Background 3>
Innkeeper Zheng	Not to mention how capable they were. If they were willing to cause a commotion, they'd have won, and come out looking reasonable too.
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 2>
Innkeeper Zheng	You're the boatman who was with the Lungmenite since the beginning...
Taihe	Of course. Liang Xun had two plans prepared. He's deceived both the Sui Regulator and the Ministry of Rites.
Boatman	*Sigh*... As an official, Mr. Liang has his restrictions. Don't you think the Sui Regulator's been too arbitrary this time?
Pole-Carrier	It wouldn't be the Sui Regulator's first time, either.
Taihe	......
Pole-Carrier	My son died because of you. Don't forget it.
Boatman	And why all the fighting for our lives here?
Pole-Carrier	Hmph. Sticking your nose into this too. How capable do you think you are?
Boatman	......
Mr. Nothing	Hahah... making that hat such a permanent fixture always did strike me as awfully odd. Unless, of course...
Taihe	Shen Lou, this is Sui Regulator business. It's not yours to interfere in.
Boatman	I'm just a passing boatman, encouraging you all to stop slaughtering each other here, from the goodness of my heart— —and checking on the state of the summit. Mr. Liang asked me to take a look.
Innkeeper Zheng	There were bandits terrorizing the border waterways in recent years. The court sent men to sort it out, cracking down like thunder. With a tianshi leading them, some of the best in the court infiltrated enemy lines. In order to avoid alarming the enemy, the heroes pretended to be waterway bandits themselves, stealing into their den, rounding them all up at once. —But when they came back out, they ran headfirst into a group of boaters who sought to stand up for justice. There was quite some misunderstanding.
Boatman	*Sigh*...
Innkeeper Zheng	They were hardly lifelong boaters, though, and the boat was just a skiff, approaching the waterside bandit den on its own.
Boatman	No more, no more, I'll die of embarrassment... I'm not young anymore, and I didn't want to wade in for a fight like some brawler!
Taihe	The people only knew that tianshis took the lead. They had no idea that others beyond could truly be calling the shots. The Imperial Guard drillmaster appraised you quite highly.
Boatman	Oh, that girl was so young, but her kung fu was incredible. I heard she'd already been helping train the other warriors. She would go far, very far... But I'm not here today to reminisce.
Innkeeper Zheng	An escort like me has only deep respect for you, Master Shen. No matter if it's our first meeting, I'd hear you out. It's just that we're settling both public and personal bills today, and your word might not make it in... that's the size of it.
Boatman	But I did agree with Mr. Liang that I'd express some things of my own. No matter what the Department of Discipline and Supervision decides afterwards, I'll shoulder the burden. But for now, don't let any dogma here harm our friendships.
Pole-Carrier	That won't fly.
Taihe	If Liang Xun sent you, then this can't be as simple as a "check."
Boatman	......
Taihe	You plan to meddle in the Sui Regulator's affairs?
Boatman	The Sui Regulator just wants to push Tianshi Bai into action. Does it make any difference if I act for him?
Taihe	......
Mr. Nothing	Master Shen, I'm on your side. Friendship is wealth, they say.
Boatman	Where's your benefactor?
Mr. Nothing	Ahead for now.
Boatman	That's fine—
[Suddenly an rumble can be felt...]
Boatman	—!
[...as the pavilion visited by Kroos, Lee, and Zuo Le appears out of nowhere.]
Taihe	......!
Mr. Nothing	Wh... What? Where did that summit and pavilion... come from?
Taihe	......
Innkeeper Zheng	That's what... we've all been looking for...
Boatman	Here's hoping we can keep this under control... ...Or else we can only resort to violence.
<Background 4>
Zuo Le	Are you aware of what you're saying?
Nian	I need your agency's help, young Candleholder. We should be in agreement about the stakes here.
Zuo Le	Are you going to kill yourself?
Nian	I'm not that out of it yet, but... things are getting tight.
Zuo Le	Is Its mind not your minds?
Nian	Of course not. It's about time we rose up against that giant self of ours.
Zuo Le	All nonsense. What ideas do you have?
Nian	Are you willing to trust me?
Zuo Le	I'm only obligated to hear out your idea. Whether I trust it, or not, is the Sui Regulator's decision.
<Background 5>
Miss Ning	You hold fine tastes, my Lord, to be admiring the snow in the mountains at this hour.
Liang Xun	Here, sit.
Miss Ning	You knew I would come.
Liang Xun	Of course you would come.
Miss Ning	When did the Sui Regulator first seek you?
Liang Xun	A year ago.
Miss Ning	On what matter?
Liang Xun	Finding the goblet.
Miss Ning	Merely finding it?
Liang Xun	At first.
<Background 4>
Zuo Le	A year ago, Yan realized something. Victoria's incidents. Ursus's endless unrest. One of Leithanien's Empresses losing her voice. All under heaven was in turmoil, and Yan had to prepare. The court met day after day, and passed the "Twenty-Eight Policies." Nothing unaccounted for, and not solely seeking the safety of Yan, but offering survival to the known world. But outside of the Twenty-Eight Policies published, there were still hidden two more that needed Yan's urgent decision.
Nian	...Hoh. What two?
<Background 5>
Miss Ning	There are wicked foreign spirits to the north, seas to the south, and ever more hidden dangers from Sui's bestializations. All along, the Sui Regulator has advocated for initiative in settling this Feranmut problem.
Liang Xun	The Ministry of Rites doesn't agree. Not at all.
Miss Ning	The High Minister is indeed correct. There lies not only usable talent among those twelve... there are, above all else, several brilliant and virtuous.
Liang Xun	But the Sui Regulator's very founding was aimed at sorting out the issue of this Feranmut.
Miss Ning	Their opinion cannot be taken on all matters. The Sui Regulator was, at its founding, but subordinate to the Ministry of Rites. It was only the disaster following that game of stones that elevated the Sui Regulator in position.
Liang Xun	......
Miss Ning	*Sigh*... It is a hidden malice of a thousand years, brewing calamity 'til today. To reckon with it is due.
Liang Xun	But it's not the Sui Regulator's right to decide, nor for the Ministry of Rites to say.
<Background 4>
Nian	...The current Grand Tutor?
Zuo Le	The Grand Tutor has met with that great offender.
Nian	I see. Looks like I really did nap too long... So that's what the old guy's like? His physique was paper-thin, and he didn't seem like he knew Arts. I thought he was just some random nosy guy, poking into everybody's business.
Zuo Le	The Grand Tutor mends the realm's affairs, inspecting for leaks and patching holes.
Nian	Huh, I thought you'd get angry at me badmouthing the oldie.
Zuo Le	Angry? Would you show anger at a rascally child who blames the sky for raining?
Nian	......
Lee	(This boy... he's got a steely tongue...)
Kroos	(That's the first time I've seen Nian get checked like that.)
Zuo Le	The Grand Tutor gave the Sui Regulator a hidden aim. Something that must be accomplished, whether or not we openly chafe with the Ministry of Rites for it.
Nian	Oh. And what's that?
Zuo Le	Three things.
<Background 5>
Miss Ning	It is turning colder.
Liang Xun	The mountains are always quicker to cool.
Miss Ning	This mountain truly did not choose its scenery well. How does it keep hold of its customers?
Liang Xun	How do you figure?
Miss Ning	You cannot see the sunset.
Liang Xun	That's fair.
Miss Ning	Is it very arduous, that you do so much for the Sui Regulator, my Lord?
Liang Xun	It's even more arduous hiding it from you, Miss Ning.
Miss Ning	Three years ago, for the Ministry of Rites, I was sent to Shangshu to supervise Ling, who was suspected of settling here. And you, magistrate of Shangshu, had more sway in reality than some of your ordinary colleagues, it is true. I first thought you were inflexible, easily riled.
Liang Xun	I must have amused you, Miss Ning.
Miss Ning	My Lord, for what purpose have you done so much, over all these years?
Liang Xun	My own outlook has never changed. I do it seeking the wellbeing of the people of my home.
Miss Ning	Hesitating not to deceive the Ministry of Rites and the Sui Regulator?
Liang Xun	What could be more important than the people's safety?
Miss Ning	You know the Ministry of Rites is prepared.
Liang Xun	Spring thunder was always the emblem of the passing of winter. I wish not for its clap to reduce the Three Mounts' Seventeen Peaks by yet another.
Miss Ning	You are as you ever were, my Lord. But you still are not willing to face me, in the end.
Liang Xun	How could I?
Miss Ning	And how could you not? Your behavior is all too clear.
Liang Xun	Our ranks are different. Our posts burden us. But if...
Miss Ning	...Mm?
Liang Xun	If you come as no more than Miss Ning, then I, Liang, would be more than glad to.
Miss Ning	...... So such... openness... is also within your capacity.
Liang Xun lifts his teacup. No tea is within, but still he takes a long drink from it.
<Background 4>
Nian	...Three things?
Zuo Le	First, retrieve the goblet. We don't know why, but he spilled all to the Grand Tutor as to the cup's origins and rough whereabouts.
Nian	And you weren't worried it was a trap?
Zuo Le	Second, aside from preserving the two hidden policies, find an even more reliable proposal, to keep this situation suppressed to a minimum.
Nian	Oh... Yan always comes off real cautious whenever you touch on the folk of the realm.
Zuo Le	Third...
Nian	Go on.
Zuo Le	No matter who they are, should more than three proxies gather on one side, pass on personal handwritten instructions from the Grand Tutor.
Nian	Handwritten instructions?
Zuo Le	Correct. So, I ask, Where is Dusk?
<Background 2>
Miss Du	Ugh... how did I... Hm?
[Du sees Dusk in front of her.]
Dusk	......
Miss Du	Wh-Who are you...
Dusk	I forgot about you. Whatever. Someone knocked you out.
Miss Du	—! Wh-Where's dad? And Shang Zhong?! And that giant bull—
Dusk	Don't bother looking. You won't find them.
<Background 6>
[Shen, Shang, Zheng, and Taihe are trapped inside one of Dusk's painted worlds.]
Taihe	This is...
Pole-Carrier	Hmm...
<Background 7>
Innkeeper Zheng	So she could alter heaven and earth in the blink of an eye... That woman who suddenly appeared... Just what could her game be?
<Background 8>
Ink Spirit	Gkh...
Mr. Nothing	You're joking! Not again?!
<Background 2>
Miss Du	Th... They're in a painting? What do you mean?
Dusk	You wouldn't understand, even if I told you.
Miss Du	W-Wait, where are you going?
Dusk	The summit.
Miss Du	But isn't the Field of Forgotten Water right th— —When did... that pavilion appear?
Dusk	It came from time immemorial.
[Several Waregeists appear...]
Waregeist	Ao—!
Miss Du	Eek!
Dusk	Hmph.
[...which Dusk promptly takes down.]
Dusk	These things... Is she imitating me with these things, to mock me?
<Background 4>
Nian	...You really don't know how to cut slack.
Zuo Le	This is my duty.
Nian	I have a question. Just a question, okay? If I don't go along with you, what'll the Sui Regulator do?
Zuo Le	They'll simply do again what was done a millennium ago. Moreover, now, we are strong, and your powers feeble.
Nian	...Hoh.
Zuo Le	The Sui Regulator's principles are simple. Finish it once and for all, and forever rid the future of plague.
Nian	And that's why I'm telling you, we've got the same stakes in this as you.
Zuo Le	You're only scheming to allow yourself escape. Even if I believed you, why should I believe you can accomplish this preposterousness? If you can't, then how much unnecessary danger will your existence engender? Doesn't the Sui Regulator have an even more "dependable" plan to solve this problem? You cannot convince me.
Nian	Looks like we're at a deadlock. What do you think?
[Dusk suddenly shows up.]
Dusk	Are you asking me? You could just go ask the one you were looking for.
Zuo Le	You must be...
Dusk	I see. So this is his supposed big idea?
Zuo Le	What do you mean?
Dusk	You're the one who doesn't know anything at all, boy. If you don't want three hundred years of standing in the corner, then don't give me that look.
Zuo Le	......
Kroos	D-Dusk, it's alright, calm down...
Dusk	Hmph.
Zuo Le	You know how this goblet came about. Hand it over.
Lee	You tasked Liang Xun with it, Liang Xun tasked me. If you want the cup, I think you should go ask Liang Xun for it.
Zuo Le	You understand reason, Mr. Lee. You should know the severity of this.
Lee	I'm sure Liang Xun has his reasons.
Zuo Le	If Ning Ciqiu doesn't give a reasonable explanation, Liang Xun will pay for his unilateral action.
Lee	Hm.
Nian	Okay, we can dial down the aggression once in a while, little buddy. If the Sui Regulator's so thirsty to have this... Wait. Why does the Sui Regulator want this goblet so bad again?
Dusk	It's that weiqi weirdo's scheme, probably. He's bored enough to— —No... he's not like this. Is he actually still locked in the capital...? What happened?
Zuo Le	...... The last time the Sui Regulator neared that shrine, a body was discovered inside it. It was Grandmaster Xiang Ru. Heart failure, died while vomiting blood. The weiqi board was empty, save for a single black stone at the center.
Nian	Didn't you say you had a whole taboo about meeting him?
Zuo Le	The Sui Regulator is investigating it. But this goblet, without a doubt, is a crucial key to uncovering his plot. And the two of you, Miss Nian, Miss Dusk... The Sui Regulator wishes for you to come with us.
Kroos	Ahahah, now that's getting a little complicated...
Nian	Tch. Is he really a step ahead of us?
Dusk	Why limit yourself to one step? No wonder the old man was so overbearing.
Zuo Le	In that case... how about Miss Ling? The Sui Regulator records that he disagrees with all the other bestials, willing only to recite poetry and make merry with Ling and Shu. If she still won't show herself, then the Sui Regulator's only option is to—
???	...Mmm... Do you seek me?
Her gaze is at the setting sun. Crossing the immemorial, and other times besides. For in truth, time is a place. A place only the free and unshackled can halt their step in.
Ling	Phew... aaahh... come, look now at this view. The sun is through, and water runs yet long... while snowfall flows through moonlit vacant sky. The setting light sets clouds ablaze. How charming, yea, how fine.
<Background 4>
[Ling, Dusk and Nian's "sister", greets Zuo Le.]
Ling	With such beautiful scenery, why still must you persist with such unjoyful topics?
Zuo Le	When did...
Ling	Mm, you and your father in his younger years do seem so alike. And yet... You could turn a blind eye to this, to a sky of endless twilight clouds? Have you never been alive upon this land?
Nian	Okay, keep applauding the sunset in a moment. I spent a looooot of effort hauling Dusk out to find you, and I didn't do it just to hear you wax poetic.
Dusk	......
Ling	Long time no see, Nian, Dusk. And you.
Lee	Me?
Nian	Huh? You and old Lee know each other?
Ling	No.
Ling	Prior to this...
<Background 9A>
[Ling confronts someone who appears to resemble Lee.]
Lee?	—
Ling	Do such lowly means not insult your character some?
Lee?	I couldn't get it past you. But I never imagined you'd see through me in an instant.
Ling	Whose path did you think you walked?
Lee?	I wasn't banking on truly fooling you. And besides, he's the one who daydreamed. The one who met him in a dream was only me. Isn't this a game I learned from you?
Ling	Myself I stay when I awake; the butterfly it stays in dreams. But will it be him still, when he comes to?
Lee?	Who knows.
Ling	It is beyond you.
Lee?	How dearly rude, Ling.
Ling	If you have the true capability, go bicker so with our eldest brother. Why the cruel trickery on a common human?
Lee?	Those of different ways cannot plan for one another.
Ling	Hm? So you and I are of the same way? Why did I not know?
Lee?	For how vivid your toast-drinking and revelry was, you're quite merciless. Which is right. After all, you've thrown away... that goblet I sent you.
Ling	Could I ever? It was simply a moment's distraction, while singing to the moons. I should be the one disappointed. At that time, you had far in advance... laid one stone.
Lee?	Hmph... hahah...
Ling	And what do you laugh at?
Lee?	Nian's own overestimation. Dusk's timid impotence. Your uninvolvement. And myself, for considering myself so infallible.
Ling	You... ...You truly wish to substitute?
<Background 4>
Ling	......
Lee	Hm? What is it? What are you looking at me for?
Ling	No, it is only me seeing through a dull game. What did you seek me for?
Nian	What, we can't just pay you a nice little visit, Ling?
Dusk	You fell asleep?
Ling	Hm?
Dusk	I'm asking. Did you fall asleep? How are you able to—
Ling	When drunk, I simply sleep. What of it?
Dusk	......
Nian	......
Dusk	How did you do it?
Ling	You ask how I did it... ah, I understand. ou cannot fall asleep, can you? My poor little sister. Is it because you fear to have nightmares?
Dusk	If it can even be called a nightmare.
Ling	Mm... In many years, we have not met. So such things are vexing you. And your paintings? Could your paintings not bear the weight of your dreams? No... is it that you finally began to feel, that paintings—are but false?
Dusk	You...
<Background 10>
[Ling takes Dusk and Nian to one of the former's painted worlds.]
Dusk	Ah! Hey, don't mess with my paintings!
Nian	You bundled all those guys below us into your little world, I'm guessing.
Ling	And what for... Crude mounts, parched waters. A heart like unto ashes. How dull.
Ink Spirit	Gkh...?
Ling	But these adorable minor scrawls, these I still find so amusing. What need you feed them?
Nian	You should know what we're here to do.
Ling	...Nian. By your idea, where will our course ultimately be taken?
Dusk	......
Nian	Don't stare at me like that. I'm thinking about it here, alright... But right now, I still don't know.
Ling	You don't know, then... mm... you do not know. Not the finest of plans.
<Background 4>
[Ling and her "sisters" return from the painted world.]
Ling	Dusk. That scroll all filled with matter in death. It is stagnant, stuck. Somewhat boring. Be rid of it, perhaps.
Dusk	You don't get to tell me just like that.
Ling	Forget not her at the outset, who gave you all true names in one lone word, and what hopes she had for you.
Dusk	Ancient history by now.
Zuo Le	What did you just...
Ling	Nothing. Only a moment of bliss snatched, away and apart from this world. The Grand Tutor had something for you to hand to me, no?
Zuo Le	This and that are independent. Even once you see his instructions, you must still behave and come with the Sui Regulator.
Ling	All to find him. Find that... basket of blunders.
Zuo Le	Indeed. Take it.
Ling	Oh? A letter? Your so-called Grand Tutor's instructions... no. This handwriting... would it be him...? The Grand Tutor is an ever stern one. He would never draft instructions in such flowing script... Did he tell you no more?
Zuo Le	My duty is solely to give the letter.
Ling	A letter of the court... the first in a long time. ...Heheh.
Nian	Is it to us? When did humanity ever get the guts for that? I thought only the True Lung and his little posse would work that sort of courage up.
Ling	Then you look at its contents.
Nian	Hm?
Affairs come in no more than threes.
Nian	......!
[The landscape shifts between different sceneries.]
<Background 9A>
Ling	...One affair no more than thrice, I see.
Nian	Okay, I get it. Yeah, we sure do fit that bill right now.
Dusk	A fulfilled omen...? That decrepit Grand Tutor couldn't have written this!
Nian	This handwriting looks like Jie's, but she already... could someone else have copied her, somehow? But why do it as the Grand Tutor's "instructions?"
Ling	It was that basket of blunders. It seems in recent years, he's "written" no shortage of things. I thought he was obstinate, that it would only be right he incur Yan's flames... and now this written orders, is another move of his? And why should the Grand Tutor send the letter in his stead...?
Dusk	Hey!
Ling	Unless... the Grand Tutor chose to play white?
Dusk	Hey! Stop mumbling to yourself!
The three lapse into silence. Though they have existed for so long, the sisters are momentarily stupefied. The wind blows from primordial to present, this time no longer this moment.
Dusk	...Tha—That's... I—Impossible... Is even this something he can do...
Nian	Don't ask me... But, well... even if it's just a reflection... I don't like how it's looking at us.
Ling	......
Nian	Dusk, you scared?
Dusk	Don't you always have plenty of ideas? Think of something.
Nian	Hey, Ling. We've gotta band together—what are you doing?
Ling	Something suddenly came to me. Last I fell dead drunk, I should have left two vessels of wine here... there, there they are. Husong? Mm... the flavor is still fine to the nose.
Dusk	If you're so cool, do you have any solutions?!
Ling	Solutions? What solutions?
Dusk	Solutions to deal with It—
Ling	—A solution to address Ourself? Need I tell you?
Dusk	I...
Nian	You're not just going to sit on the sidelines this time, are you?
Ling	I hardly could. We meet again.
Ling	On this turn, do I dream of you, or do you dream of me?
"Sui-Xiang"	......
By her tail, Ling lifts the jar half full of fine wine, and pours it forth into the cup, meant for the one who seems the culprit of it all. She lifts it to the heavens.
Ling	Shall we drink?
<Background black>
Lee?	I will refrain. May you all come one by one, and take your seats,
<Background 7>
[Kroos, Lee, and Zuo Le are taken into what appears to be a painted world.]
Lee	Ah...! What happened? Where are we?
Kroos	This feeling—it's just like being in one of Dusk's paintings...
Zuo Le	In that case... who are you?
The night parts as a curtain. A silhouette sits straight within the center of the room. Behind him is hung half a scroll. "The Way to Paradise."
Lee?	If you have nothing to do... What say you chat over a game with me?

After operation

“

The goblet is a black stone left by a certain someone. Under his arrangement, Sui-Xiang descends. The three sisters must concert themselves, and prevail over their self. In another realm of fantasy, everyone pulls together to battle with the celestial. Only clarity that one is oneself, achieved through emotion, can allow one to be free.

”

<Background 11>
Street Youth	What's going on? Is it thundering?
Street Passerby	It looks like it's storming in the mountains. What's been happening with the weather recently... Hm? Is there something above there...?
Street Youth	Huh? Can anyone tell what that is?
<Background 8>
Taihe	......
Innkeeper Zheng	We've been stuck in here for two or three days now. If we still can't find a way out, maybe that means...
Taihe	Quiet.
Mr. Nothing	Hahah... perhaps someday a good mood will strike Dusk on the outside, and she'll let us all out. That said, where might that pole-carrier sir be?
Innkeeper Zheng	His son's buried in the mountains. He doesn't want to run in with us in a place like this.
Mr. Nothing	I've heard tell of the grievances between you two... but, erm... must you settle matters by such means?
Innkeeper Zheng	What else?
Mr. Nothing	I just feel that...
Innkeeper Zheng	Don't bother feeling about it. Bystanders always think they understand it all, but people's empathy always turns out to have limits. I know in my heart what the right thing to do is, what's "necessary" and what's "unnecessary." It's common sense. Anyone would know. But sometimes, our feelings won't listen to sense.
[A rain falls.]
Boatman	It's raining?
Taihe	......
Mr. Nothing	*Sigh* Well, it's not as if just waiting around like this poses much problem.
Ink Spirit	Gkh...
Mr. Nothing	Why don't you all give raising an Ink Spirit a try? I've discovered that if you just grant these things a level mind and calm approach, they're actually quite affectionate...
Ink Spirit	Gkh...?
Taihe	This goes to show the Sui Regulator had reason to beware her.
Mr. Nothing	Alright, alright, there's not much to gain from quarrelling over them in here... how about we head inside, away from the rain?
Innkeeper Zheng	Strange how it can rain in here, too.
Mr. Nothing	Truly strange how what falls isn't even ink. Mr. Taihe? Won't you come in?
Taihe	......
Mr. Nothing	What of Master Shen?
Boatman	......
Mr. Nothing	What's the Master up to? It's been a moment now, but he's still fixated on his palms...
Taihe	Are you watching the rain?
Boatman	...Yes. According to Nothing, this whole world is just her scroll. Artwork all around, vivid and lifelike. At sunrise, fowls fly from the steep forests, mist covers the land. You see sunlight without the sun itself, reflections of thousands of floors, and all is silent. If this is a painting, then who knows just what this artist has seen within Yan's scenery...
Taihe	How refined, Rainmaster. I only know that Rainmaster of Duckweeds Shen Lou once served ten years in the army. Who knew he was so versed in literature?
Boatman	...*Sigh*. I've just been around for a while. The only shame is that rain in spring shouldn't be so warm. Go. Part this open.
<Background 2>
[Shen managed to bring him and the others out of the painted world by destroying it with his Arts.]
Mr. Nothing	Erk...?!
Innkeeper Zheng	Wh-Where are we?
Taihe	Very wise, Rainmaster.
Boatman	I did it without thinking.
Innkeeper Zheng	Shang Zhong.
[Shang also manages to escape with the painted world's destruction.]
Pole-Carrier	Was this the reason you all fought over the goblet? The clouds roll above the mountains. What's happening over there?
<Background 9B>
[The three "sisters" fight against the avatar of Sui – their true form, "Sui-Xiang".]
"Sui-Xiang"	(Wordless roar)
Nian	Ugh, I'm getting a little twitchy now.
Dusk	......
Ling	Oh... more resilient than the Sui-Xiang I met alone, it seems. Mere lofty posture. It possesses Its form, but ultimately, has not Its spirit.
Dusk	We're still here. What "spirit" is it going to have? It probably used a similar method to that goblet, but for completely opposite effect, so it got a little of the shape. That's all. Form but no spirit. In the end, it's just a—
"Sui-Xiang"	(Wordless roar)
Dusk	—!
Nian	Hey, look at that. You're pretty scared, aren't you.
Dusk	Wh-What did you say?!
Nian	You know, I feel like you've been digging at me with that "form but no spirit" stuff.
Dusk	It's been contained with this pavilion for the time being, but if it's disturbed any further... things will be tough.
Nian	What a pain. This sure isn't the kind of thing you throw a firecracker at.
Ling	Phew... haah. Hm? Aren't you going to keep at it?
Dusk	You really don't like lifting a finger!
"Sui-Xiang"	(Wordless roar)
Ling	Ah... so this is what scared you.
Dusk	I—
Ling	O little Dusk.
Dusk	Don't call me that!
Ling	I see you even shiver so. Are you fine?
Nian	My li'l sister here hid in a scroll for a century without closing her eyes, all because she was so scared of this shadow of us here. Makes sense she's got stage fright now.
Dusk	Don't you make such light of it... Even if it's just a reflection...
Nian	To be precise, it's us three's reflections, and a quarter of it's Sui's.
Dusk	But It's us. What are we going to...
"Sui-Xiang"	(Ridiculing laughter)
<Background 10>
[The "Sui-Xiang" find His way into Dusk's painted worlds...]
Dusk	Grrrr. Rummaging through my paintings. Are you mocking me?!
<Background 9B>
[...before returning to the previous place.]
Nian	Uh, I'm gonna suggest to you right now to rein your imagination in. This thing already forged up my seventh weapon concept without me even thinking it... Just take a deep breath, okay? Save us from getting slammed inside one of your paintings next— —Paintings?
Dusk	......!
Ling	You have noticed? The way is natural, and the foundations simple. Sui was never of such fanciful tricks. In the end, this great Correspondence before Us, Sui-Xiang, is no more than the most unrealistic colors in our deepest selves. Yea... Sui is but the Years of months drawn out long, and change has been vast. It is on the brink of madness.
Nian	It's already mad. Right now, at this moment, we're just one of Its dreams. When It wakes, we'll all be done for. We won't just be done for, Yan will suffer for it too.
Nian	Ling!
Ling	O little Nian, is that why you wish to resist It?
Nian	Yes.
Ling	Then you surely have quite the sophisticated plan.
Nian	That part I can't guarantee. I can only say this beats sitting around waiting for it.
Ling	I see. Why?
Nian	Because I don't accept this. I really don't.
Ling	And you?
Dusk	She just dragged me here, that's all... and maybe I have the slightest bit of expectation.
Nian	Really?
Dusk	Shut it.
Ling	I asked after you just now, as to our collective exit, and your reply to me was that you "don't know." This answer truly is not a fine one. Look now. You are still you, with your own ideas, your own emotional ranges, your own adorations, your own fancied persons, your own fond sceneries... To live in this land is quite fine, is it not? Whatever It may do.
Dusk	Don't we have any responsibility for It?
Ling	—I am me. Why should I have much ado about It? Myriad years the human realm was drunk, and it won't permit me one farcical dream?
Nian	So your answer is?
Ling
Lift your head and drink. Tail as a brush, ink as a shadow. Let wind rise, brilliant in sharp anonymity. Let rain fall, tassels soaked within. And thus let the might of wine cleanse my heart.
<Background 7>
Lee	A board game? What game? I'm not too educated in the whole Art of the Piece.
Lee?	Weiqi, the Go of Yan.
Lee	Now that's too complicated.
Lee?	What say you, then?
Lee	How about that five-in-a-row one?
Lee?	A child's game.
Lee	Quite fine enough for me. You like playing this chess stuff, then?
Lee?	I don't. The chesses are extremely boring.
Lee	Here I thought you were a board game maniac. You know, those types who only stop to eat and then keep on playing.
Lee?	Both sides of a board follow the same rules, black and white doing death unto each other along crossing lines. What's the meaning in it? Pieces, in the end, are just a method of playing games.
Lee	So why fetch me?
Lee?	A fight of I against I is far too boring.
<Background 8>
Liang Xun	......
Miss Ning	Wh-Where... Were we not just at the mountain's foot...
Liang Xun	Only they would be capable of this sort of thing.
Miss Ning	......
Liang Xun	Miss Ning, follow me closely, please.
Liang Xun	There seems to be... a bright light in the room ahead.
<Background 7>
Lee	Really, now, starting the game without even explaining the rules.
Lee?	What about you all?
Kroos	You'd really put me on the spot, asking me to play this stuff...
Zuo Le	I only know general strategy.
Lee?	No rush, no rush. I've waited... a great many years for this match.
Lee	Now, what exactly is beating a layman like me going to do for you?
Lee?	You should wait for your helper.
[Mr. Liang and Ms. Ning enters.]
Liang Xun	Lee? Why are you...
Lee	Liang Xun?! Er, and Miss Ning...
Miss Ning	......
Zuo Le	I've met you before, Assistant Minister Ning.
Miss Ning	There is much I wish to ask of the Candleholders, but now seems not to be not the time.
Kroos	(Assistant Minister?!)
Lee?	Sit, sit. With this, it's more or less set.
Liang Xun	What do you intend on doing?
Lee?	Having a game of weiqi with you all.
Lee	You don't like weiqi, but you'd yank all these people in just to play with you?
Lee?	I suppose.
Lee	That goblet of yours has done me some serious damage. If that lady hadn't finally exposed the truth... how on Terra would I have ended up?
Lee?	Uncertain. Perhaps at some waking, you would find yourself to be the illusory dream instead. The bubble pops, and the one who opens his eyes, is me.
Liang Xun	What?
Kroos	Now that's just plain terrifying.
Lee	Terrifying, indeed.
Lee?	You don't seem to feel any way about it.
Lee	Really, I said it was terrifying.
Lee?	Heh... I'll leave it at that, then. Both of you may think it was random chance, that Liang Xun should choose to involve you in this. But unfortunately, though it's true there is countless coincidence in this world, for this, you are the sole exception.
Lee	......
Lee?	There is a man by the name of Waai.
Lee	......!
Lee?	Your expression changes. It seems you only let out that mote of superfluous seriousness when your friends are mentioned. Come. It's your turn.
Lee	......
Lee?	I must warn you. One mindless move, and the whole game is lost.
Lee	Hmm.
Liang Xun	Lee. Be calm.
Miss Ning	How did you escape, sir?
Lee?	I thought for a long, long, long time, and realized one way. That's all. A ko fight. How will you respond to this calamity?
Liang Xun	This game...
Miss Ning	In the game of weiqi, few can surpass you, sir, is that not so?
Lee?	I've simply lived for a while. Any longer and it'd be boring. Miss Ning, what say you to this one?
Miss Ning	......
Liang Xun	Don't overthink it.
Clack. A white stone hits the board. The outcome is clearly in sight.
Lee	I've been too recklessly about, these past few days.
Liang Xun	It's not your fault.
Zuo Le	What does this match signify?
Lee?	It's only a game. Don't overthink it.
Zuo Le	It's very hard not to.
Lee?	Think about who wins and loses first. Your turn.
Zuo Le	The state of things is evident to all at this point. You don't need to carry on mystifying them.
Lee?	So you want to concede. What about the others?
Kroos	......
Liang Xun	......
Miss Ning	......
Lee	I imagine—the meaning of this game isn't on the board at all.
Lee?	Hmm... It's only right that our win or loss shouldn't be determined in this corner.
Lee	The best tactic, with people who love to confuse things, is to play just as mad along with them. I'm not good at any kind of chess, but I am good... at reading people.
Lee?	I'll answer the question you just posed, young Candleholder. There was an accident previously. I lost a... younger sister. You may be young, but as the responsibility lies with you, I'm sure you can understand what I'm saying.
Zuo Le	This isn't a topic you can discuss here.
Miss Ning	That is true. Please speak, sir, with caution.
Lee?	After that, my tiny little residence's piece basket was less one black stone. It was merely... broken, in that accident. And after that, I thought and thought. About what I should do, and what I even could do. The current Grand Tutor... The first time I saw him, he was but a deprived student, led by that teacher of prestige past the stagnant city, gazing towards that towering estate wall...
Zuo Le	You have no freedom of movement. You shouldn't have seen the Grand Tutor before.
Lee?	He's an intriguing one. He said something that lodged deep within my heart, at a time when I'd gotten sick of these stone-cold counters.
Lee	You seem very boresome.
Lee?	To the point of stiffness.
Lee	......
Behind Lee, at this moment, are many people. Friends, companions, high officials just met, and adversaries for the time being. But Lee still can't see the person before him clearly. This person who appears as a false image of himself. His features are indistinct. So indistinct it puts shivers down the spine.
Lee	One more move, and even if I somehow understood less about board games, I'd still be able to tell it was your win long ago.
Lee?	If you and I agreed to identical rules, what victory or loss could lie on the board?
Lee	Well, that's some sophistry. You need to apologize to every grandmaster in all the realm.
Lee?	So be it. All in all, I've enjoyed my days carried at your side very much. This match is your win.
Lee	It seems we haven't quite finished playing.
Lee?	I simply underestimated my... little sisters. Our match has no real meaning. Call this my surrender.
Lee	I thought you'd be the type who never likes losing.
Lee?	Hm? Ah... yes, I did indeed lose. And you, Cautus, name of Kroos. Nian has an ulterior motive in choosing Rhodes Island.
Kroos	I wish you'd used a bit more positivity to describe Nian and our's relationship, ya know.
Lee?	Mm... no matter. Understand it how you want to. You've no way to uninvolve yourselves anymore.
[Ling shows up out of nowhere.]
Ling	*Sigh* Should little Dusk catch sight of your squalid garden, I predict she'll be of quite some temper.
Lee?	You've arrived.
Ling	Your tone, to my ears, does not welcome me. Having so many about you to keep you company with game and talk? What could it be? Have you been too lonely?
Lee?	You saw through that mirage. If so, Nian and Dusk must not have been able to beat it.
Ling	So you had guessed... Kroos, now allow me past. Let me be closer to my brother.
Kroos	Uh... alright. (Come to mention it... when'd she ever learn my name?)
Ling	You played black. Who played white?
Lee?	I cast myself as the piece, contested with the common folk, and was restless without victory.
Ling	Was Jie's disappearance the cause?
Lee?	I've surrendered now. You all needn't stay longer. Only, Ling, there's a small present I've sent you that you haven't noticed yet. Once you witness it, come find me again.
Ling	Your regard for her...
Lee?	Has nothing to do with this. I only fault the human realm for being so exceedingly dull.
<Background 2>
Pole-Carrier	Let's continue.
Innkeeper Zheng	What were you doing while we were stuck inside that strange place?
Pole-Carrier	I wanted to choose a handy staff. I didn't find one.
Innkeeper Zheng	Unfortunate.
Mr. Nothing	Hey! Are you still about to go at it?! You had so long to rest, and you couldn't cool your tempers one bit? Lummox! Master Shen! Come, now, give them a piece of your minds!
Taihe	......
Boatman	A change in the summits. This means what Mr. Liang briefed us about has come true.
Taihe	Sui-Xiang has manifested. Higher priorities first.
Boatman	I'd better go up the mountain too.
Pole-Carrier	Then go ahead.
Boatman	*Sigh*... Will you really not listen to what I have to say? Urgh! What happened up there—
[Suddenly boulders fall from the mountain.]
Boatman	—Watch your heads!
Innkeeper Zheng	Ugh––!
Stone comes rolling down. Zheng Qingyue brandishes his blade. If only twenty years ago—no, ten years ago, he had the self-confidence to cleave apart these boulders as great as his head, not a speck of dust on him. But he is old now.
Miss Du	Dad! Watch out!
Innkeeper Zheng	—Ye, my girl!
He is old, and his child has grown up. No thoughts plague Zheng Qingyue. A rock strikes his daughter in the head as she moves to save him, and she falls off the cliffside. Yet without the slightest hesitation, he jumps down after her.
Mr. Nothing	Innkeeper!!
Pole-Carrier	Tch.
[Shang jumped off after Zheng and Du.]
Mr. Nothing	Hey, now, hey! What are you doing— —Why did he jump down along with her—
Taihe	Shen Lou!
Boatman	Cheh. I'll look below, and you get up there! Don't act without thinking, no matter what you see at the summit!
Mr. Nothing	I'll go with you!
<Background 12>
Innkeeper Zheng	Ugh... how... Ye! Ye!
Miss Du	......
Innkeeper Zheng	Ye! Thank heaven, she's only unconscious...
[Shang shows up.]
Pole-Carrier	If I wasn't deflecting at the critical moment, you two would have long fallen to your deaths.
Innkeeper Zheng	...Shang Zhong.
Pole-Carrier	Once again, Zheng Qingyue, once again! Back then, you couldn't protect my son, protect Du Yaoye's father, protect that damned goblet!
Innkeeper Zheng	......
Pole-Carrier	You should know the blame you carry. It's still not time for you to bemoan yourself, and you can forget having any right to. Your arm is hurt, and so is my leg. You and I are even. Let us continue, before they get in the way again. One move will be enough.
Innkeeper Zheng	It's so tall. You really never sense it, walking ordinarily on the roads, how steep this peak truly is.
Pole-Carrier	People should not always walk on the given path.
Innkeeper Zheng	Your move just now counts as having saved my life.
Pole-Carrier	I saved the child.
Innkeeper Zheng	Yes, you saved the child too. So how am I going to duel you for life or death now?
Pole-Carrier	Why you!
Innkeeper Zheng	Come on, then.
Deep in the forest, white snow still rests. The two face each other in silence. The sound of a zither passes them by, its notes mournful.
[Ling shows up.]
Ling	......
Pole-Carrier	Who is it?
Ling does not speak. She simply, quietly, sits cross-legged, seated upon an ice-cold boulder. The wind blows aslant in the twilight, the sun about to set beneath. This pair of enemies faces each other anew. A zither's single pluck sounds, as if from the heavens. Even so, the girl is not holding one.
<Background 4>
Kroos	*cough* *cough*... Did we... make it out from that weird guy's grasp? Looks like we're still not out of the woods yet.
Lee	Getting blackmailed by myself really isn't a happy experience...
Taihe	Lord Zuo.
Zuo Le	Uncle Taihe.
Taihe	What happened?
Zuo Le	I met the offender. But if we truly take him at his word, then the three face their own self-shackles at this moment.
Taihe	You have misgivings.
Zuo Le	I just don't understand why the Grand Tutor would trust that offender. If they fail, we'll be confronting their reflection here in Shangshu. Even if... it's only a small fraction.
Taihe	The Sui Regulator was planning to pressure Tianshi Bai into action with this.
Zuo Le	...Yes. That's what my father hopes. —! The sky!
<Background 9B>
Zuo Le	The shadows are taking form... Is this... Sui's reflection?
Taihe	The Ministry of Rites has Bluethunder Count Bai Dingshan in Shangshu overseeing a team. This is only the Sui-Xiang shadow. It won't make waves.
"Sui-Xiang"	......
Zuo Le	What is it... looking at?
Zuo Le suddenly senses that Sui-Xiang is examining this land closely. Now longing, now grieving, now merciful.
<Background 4>
And once a breeze blows past, the massive shadow, in the blink of an eye, vanishes like smoke.
Zuo Le	What! It disappeared?
[Ling shows up alongside Dusk and Nian.]
Ling	From a farcical dream, it awoke, and so disappeared.
Dusk	How did you...
Nian	Ling.
Ling	Hm?
Nian	You could do things... like this, all along? We were there thinking of every way we could possibly save our own existential skins, and you could've just clapped your hands and broken that illusion up?
Ling	Our lives are but a fantasy, like a dewdrop or lightning, leaving not a trace in the end. Scarcely known was it if you, I, or It, like the shadow's shadow and its shade, seem to be yet turn out not. So, may the one who comes to nothing and is shattered not be It?
Nian	You say that real lightly.
Ling	It is but a lightest thing. And that is why I am your big sister, after all.
Zuo Le	The Sui Regulator demands Nian and Dusk give an explanation. Additionally, the three of you cannot act in concert. You must leave Shangshu under the Sui Regulator's supervision.
Nian	What? Can't we just have a family reunion at Rhodes Island instead? I still wanted to pull a couple more in.
Kroos	(Wait... are you serious?)
Zuo Le	If Rhodes Island intends to attract even more scrutiny...
Nian	If you believe what I say, then maybe you ought to come see for yourself.
Kroos	*cough* *cough*— That's, uh... Well, considering this whole...
???	I will provide assurance.
Taihe	Lin Qingyan.
[Lin Qingyan, the Yanese Censor better known as Leizi, joins in.]
Kroos	Leizi!
Leizi	Long haven't we met, Kroos. Is that a new operator by your side?
Mr. Nothing	I-I am the humble Nothing. Well met, Miss Leizi.
Leizi	Right.
Zuo Le	I thought the Central Judicial Office was unwilling to interfere in the Sui Regulator's affairs.
Leizi	As a disciple of the Tianshi Bureaus, I simply exhorted my Master's good friend Master Taihe to allow all some leeway on this matter.
Zuo Le	No wonder Miss Ning always held her fire... You persuaded Tianshi Bai beforehand. But at what moment can the Tianshis take charge of this matter?
Leizi	Naturally, they can't. But at this juncture, the Sui Regulator may not be allowed to throw down decisions either.
Zuo Le	What?
Leizi	The Grand Tutor has arrived in Shangshu. Sui Regulator Candleholder Zuo Le, Assistant Minister of Rites Ning Ciqiu, Department of Discipline and Supervision Deputy Monitir Censor Taihe, Shangshu Magistrate Liang Xun, and I myself, must all return to the Liang estate before the Hour of Tzu. We will await the Grand Tutor's orders.
Zuo Le	......
Taihe	As you command.
Leizi	Nian, Dusk, Ling. The three of you to the Liang estate too, please. The Grand Tutor wants to see you for himself.
Ling	Quite good. Some thirty years and more passed since last I met him. How much he could have changed from then to now.
Nian	Alright, here we go again...
Dusk	Tch.
<Background 5>
Liang Xun	Hmm.
Miss Ning	You are awake.
Liang Xun	A daydream.
Miss Ning	You and I know well this was their strategy. That game of weiqi...
Liang Xun	All in all, it was by a fluke we didn't lose. It was but the combined power of all present, facing a lone person over a game of weiqi. No great brilliance to it in the end.
Miss Ning	Brilliance... Doing battle with him, what do brilliance and disgrace matter?
<Background 12>
[Despite their injuries, Shang and Zheng keeps fighting, with Du taking one of Shang's attacks.]
Innkeeper Zheng	—Ye, my girl!
Miss Du	...*cough*... You're still fighting in this sorry state?!
Innkeeper Zheng	Ye! You're hurt worse than we are! Don't be brave!
Pole-Carrier	Zheng Qingyue! Why did you... stow your blade at the last moment? If you didn't, would a hurt little girl be able to hold you back?
Innkeeper Zheng	I...
Pole-Carrier	You want to run? I humiliate you and you have your peace of mind, is that it?!
Innkeeper Zheng	......
Pole-Carrier	......
Miss Du	What about you?
Pole-Carrier	I'm the same. Ye, you've grown up. You've grown up...
The zither ceases. Ling's figure scatters into the air, like music about the beams. This is no beautiful dream. "A small present," he called it. Now she has a question; a question she wants an answer to.