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A thousand thoughts were running through Bao’s head.

Is Sunan safe?

What is the Love General’s true goal?

Will she betray us?

Should we betray her?

The trading post was not quite large enough to be called a town, but big enough to have a main road running through the middle, as well as a public square. As Bao looked down at the place, she saw someone hurrying out of the trading post’s eastern gate. It was Wang Tian.

“I understand that you hate and distrust me,” the Love General said suddenly.

Bao glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t respond.

The Love General sighed lightly. “Although, I do have to remind you that you’re the one who tried to kill me first.”

“What?” Bao said. “When did I try to kill you?”

“Back outside of Daolu. I was simply sitting there at the table, you and your people burst in and tried to kill me.”

Bao’s jaw tightened as an image flashed through her mind of a knife stabbing into Yang Ziqiong’s eye. Then she remembered how her Phoenix Palm had disappeared into the Love General like a pebble tossed into a lake. It was true that the Love General hadn’t struck the first blow, she had to admit that. And neither had the Love General been directly responsible for any of the casualties that night among Bao and Sunan’s friends.

“If you’re really trying to help save Sunan,” Bao said, “then tell me why I couldn’t hurt you back in that tent. Hitting you felt like... it felt like hitting a soft pillow.”

“We Ogres, our home....”

“You’re from another Realm, I know.”

The Love General’s eyes flickered with the briefest moment of surprise. “Yes, we are not from this world. Suffice to say, the divine energy that you call Qi doesn’t affect us in the same way. We are connected to it intimately, but cannot use it and are mostly immune to its effects. It’s a function of the natural and magical laws that govern the universe, and is a complicated matter that even I don’t fully understand. However, although Ogres are mostly immune to Qi... each and every one of us has a weakness.”

Bao looked over in surprise. “Weakness?”

“Yes. A different weakness for each Ogre, again, a function of the natural and magical laws around us. I hope you’ll forgive me if I decline to tell you my own. Ogres are very protective of that secret. Of course, considering my vast network of agents throughout the empire, and my skills, I’ve managed to uncover the weaknesses of three of the other four Ogre Generals. The Bone General’s weakness is....” She took a deep breath. “Paper.”

A laugh escaped Bao’s lips before she could even think to stop it. “Paper? What are you going to do, throw a book at him?”

“Very funny. No, no books. But I did take the time to make these.” The Love General reached into her robe and pulled out a small cloth bundle wrapped with twine. She quickly unbound the bundle and pulled back the cloth to reveal four white spikes, each slighter longer than the length of an average hand, as thick as a thumb at the base, narrowing into a razor-sharp point.

Bao’s eyes widened slightly. “Those are...?”

“They’re made from paper,” the Love General said. “Back where I come from, this technique is used to create art. You boil the paper into a pulp, then add a sticky substance. After that, you can mold and shape it to your liking.”

She took two of the spikes and offered them to Bao. “Here.”

Bao took them. They were very light, but solid, and also well-balanced.

“Like I said,” the Love General continued, “the technique is designed to make art, not weapons. You’ll only be able to use each one once, and will have to strike his eye or perhaps neck.”

Bao hefted the spikes in her palm for a moment. “I could project it with Qi from a distance.”

The Love General nodded. “That would work. We are immune to Qi itself, not to physical objects propelled by it. The only other option would be to get close enough to personally stab him with it. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be in a fight with the Bone General where I got that close to him.”

“Me either.”

“Don’t use one of the spikes unless you’re absolutely sure you can strike true. Once he realizes we know his weakness, he will be on guard, and our advantage will be lost.”

Bao nodded. Looking at the spikes one last time, she tucked them into her sleeves.

The Love General did likewise.

As had been planned, Wang Tian went far to east before circling back around and heading back to Bao.

The first thing he said upon returning was, “I found him.”

**

“Are they blind?!” the Bone General growled. “An infant could have followed the tracks I left.”

“I’m not sure,” said the Golden Immortal. “A trader came in from the west about an hour ago and then continued on to the east. Other than him, nobody has come or gone. Should I go out and scout around a bit?”

“No. If they recognize you, we would lose the element of surprise. We wait.” He slowly pushed the tip of his knife against the skin on Sunan’s neck, until a small bead of blood pooled up. “Once I have the girl, you can carve this one to pieces however you wish.”

**

“They’re holed up in that large building in the middle,” Wang Tian said. “It’s an inn. Phoenix Sovereign, there’s a trading caravan approaching from the east. About 30 merchants and traders. If we intercepted them....”

**

There was a soft knock on the door, which the Golden Immortal opened. One of the Bone Slicers slipped in.

“Bone General, Golden Immortal, a merchant caravan just arrived, about 40 men strong. Stopping here on their way to Naqan. Doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary with them. There is still no sign of the girl and her people.”

The Bone General gritted his teeth. “That little bitch is really starting to piss me off. I thought she was smarter than this. Fine, let’s bring the fight to her. We move out immediately.”

Sheathing his dagger, he expertly reached out with his finger and jabbed a spot on Sunan’s neck, rendering him unconscious. Then he threw him over his shoulder, simultaneously reaching out to grab a small bronze drum sitting on the table next to the door. The Golden Immortal quickly opened the door and hurried out ahead of him. Then the two of them followed the Bone Slicer down the short hall toward the stairs that led to the common room.

The arrival of the merchant caravan had the inn buzzing already, as the new arrivals began to pour into the common room.

“Filthy commoners,” the Bone General muttered under his breath, making sure that Sunan’s head bumped hard into the wooden wall of the inn as he turned the corner to descend the stairs. “I pray one of them gets in my way so that I can lop a head off.”

Once on the floor of the inn, the Golden Immortal headed toward the door, followed by the Bone General. Meanwhile, the Bone Slicer went to get the other Bone Slicers, who were betting on cricket fights in a small private room in the back.

It was when the Bone General and the Golden Immortal were about halfway to the door that the Golden Immortal happened to turn his head to look at some of the merchants who were sitting at one of the tables. His gaze passed over one of them, a tall, broad-shouldered young man with a well-trimmed goatee. Even as his gaze left the young man, he looked back, and then his eyes narrowed. He stopped walking.

“Bone Gen--”

Before he could even finish speaking, the young merchant threw his cloak off and pulled an axe out from under the table.

The Golden Immortal’s eyes widened, and before he could say another word or even raise his golden spear to defend himself, the young merchant swung his axe.

“Slashing Axe!” Mao Yun shouted. The wave of his axe sent a ripple through the air that slammed into the Golden Immortal’s chest. Blood spurted from the wide gash that opened up, and the Golden Immortal staggered backward, crashing into a table behind him.

At the same time, more merchants began throwing their cloaks off and drawing weapons. Two of them even stepped forward to block the path of the Bone General.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Bone General lifted his foot and kicked out viciously into the chest of the nearest one, sending him tumbling head over heels.

Next, shouts rang out from the back of the room as the Bone Slicers leaped into the fray.

The Dragon Phoenix Sect fighters held nothing back as fierce fighting broke out. The handful of actual merchants in the room were screaming and fleeing in terror. Tables were overturned and chairs crushed.

Lin Cuiruo single-handedly took on the highest ranking Bone Slicer, and the two were soon exchanging a flurry of palm strikes and kicks.

After being caught flat-footed, the Golden Immortal jumped to his feet and leaped toward Mao Yun, and sparks flew as his golden spear clashed with Mao Yun’s battle-axe.

Then the Bone General suddenly leaned to the side as a knife whistled through the air past his ear. As he turned to look in the direction the knife had flown from, his lips twisted into a vicious, bloodthirsty grin.

There, only a few meters away from him, was Bao, holding in another knife in her left hand.

“So,” the Bone General said, “you did come after all.”

“Give me Sunan,” she said, drawing a third knife from from her belt.

The Bone General hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and said, “Take him!”

With that, he hurled Sunan directly toward Bao.

Despite being taken aback, Bao quickly dropped her knives, planted her feet, and stretched her arms wide to catch Sunan.

As Sunan flew through the air, the Bone General held the bronze drum out in front of him and then raised his other hand as if to strike it.

Bao caught Sunan, staggering backward under his weight and the force of impact, but managing to stay on her feet.

It was in this moment of chaotic fighting that the Love General, who was still sitting off to the side, cloaked and hidden, suddenly shouted, “Watch out, Bao, that’s the Drum of Midbar!”

--

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