"I hope that was helpful. If you do find the Coruscant Cut or something else along those lines, I will spend some extra time getting it to a place where you can use it." The Core Disciple grinned, which was a strange look on his usually taciturn face, "After all, the conquering heroes need to be awarded."
Hua Yin has reached the Second Stage of the Levin Step (Qi) (Technique) (Spirit) (Attunement: Lightning): 2 Qi. Difficulty 1. Does 4 (2 Stun + 2 Phys) damage on a successful dodge and WIL + CL v. Difficulty Roll. Successful hits cause a malus of -1 against opponents that last one turn, non-cumulative. Armor Piercing.
Hua Yin was gratified that Yang Genji had agreed. But she had made her agreement contingent on inviting along Lee Xu, aka Buns. Hua Yin knew that this would signal that the expedition was a joint venture. It would still publicly be a sign of Yang Genji's favor that she was going along with Hua Yin. But it would give her some face to have one of her retainers with her.
So, we found Tianlang, a lighting/celestial type wolf, next to a lightning/celestial type font. Therefore, the font that the Greenwood Bear is defending is probably a plant/nature font.
To everyone voting do far, I do have a question. Do we really need another font, rather than trying to find techniques or treasure? What is the reasoning for voting for the font?
Our existing Font is rather weak. So unless we are going to grind out advancement over a long timeframe, we need another Font by default.
Access to more affinities is also a boon at this point. Especially Wood, as this sect is likely to have higher quality Wood techniques.
Really love the world building and it is really well done. It shows current events that are important to the world and it shows how things work in the world, the mindset of people, culture and other fascinating things about the world and setting.
For posterity so future readers can see how the votes went. I know I like to see the vote counts when catching up on a quest to see the thought process at the time.
edit: Also linking to the final tally in the update is the cherry on top imo.
Adhoc vote count started by warumono on Jun 29, 2022 at 7:21 PM, finished with 97 posts and 34 votes.
[X] Accept Buns. Hua Yin does not think she would be very good in the woods. If anything, the somewhat prissy girl might even be a detriment.
[X] Approach Ling Daiyu. This will be an obvious signal that you disapprove of the service used by Song Chyou. This will also build your reputation with Ling Daiyu's faction. Without more, it is not a declaration of support for Ling Daiyu's faction. You may write-in more to tie yourself closer.
My speculation is that attunement make it easier to cultivate at fonts that share your attunement, make it easier to level qi-arts that share your attunement and level the cultivation art that's attuned to you.
My speculation is that attunement make it easier to cultivate at fonts that share your attunement, make it easier to level qi-arts that share your attunement and level the cultivation art that's attuned to you.
[X] Approach Ling Daiyu. This will be an obvious signal that you disapprove of the service used by Song Chyou. This will also build your reputation with Ling Daiyu's faction. Without more, it is not a declaration of support for Ling Daiyu's faction. You may write-in more to tie yourself closer.
I disapprove. Although I suspect that Song Chyou simply did not realise what this punishment meant, or could not think of a better way to do it.
A 'mean streak' implies intent, and Song Chyou is not a social mastermind. She is just reacting to what is to her a lot of humiliating bullying.
[X] Accept Buns. Hua Yin does not think she would be very good in the woods. If anything, the somewhat prissy girl might even be a detriment.
[X] Explore Li Gai's new Font.
I'm curious to see if Buns can fight...
Although I suspect that Song Chyou simply did not realise what this punishment meant, or could not think of a better way to do it.
A 'mean streak' implies intent, and Song Chyou is not a social mastermind. She is just reacting to what is to her a lot of humiliating bullying.
The innocent victim card only goes so far. Song was willing to maim/cripple Ling during the duel. Even though Hua Yin asked her to not humiliate Ling during the duel she used a Service to humiliate Ling.
Edit: Feng has had dealings with people from all walks of life, he would have told her what the punishment meant. Song is just as petty and vindictive as Ling.
The only (or at least the one most notable) difference between them is that Song Chyou is more naive and childish in how she wants to deal with Ling Daiyu. Is it better than trying to kill/maim someone? It is.
But till we have proof that Daiyu's family really did something in purpose to Chyou's, our peasant girl is still the aggressor that caused the duel. And the bullying Chyou suffered doesn't give her a "free pass" for a duel without consequences to me, Hua Yin was humilliated twice by Mo Xiang too.
Do you know what he did? He got stronger enough for Mo Xiang stop picking the bone because it is more effort than what is worth.
Edit: Her family's situation could have been resolved with Chyou literally asking or offering a favor for that. She was pinnacle in the duel, she was strong enough to help Daiyu in something in return of her family better conditions.
The innocent victim card only goes so far. Song was willing to maim/cripple Ling during the duel. Even though Hua Yin asked her to not humiliate Ling during the duel she used a Service to humiliate Ling.
Edit: Feng has had dealings with people from all walks of life, he would have told her what the punishment meant. Song is just as petty and vindictive as Ling.
The innocent victim card was never played. (Well, I guess Ling has been playing it...)
This is country girl trying to use city rules to settle something, but without really knowing how to use them, and then being too hot-headed to listen to people telling her what is wrong with her approach.
If Song isn't going to listen to Hua, she isn't going to listen to Feng either. She is being stupidly stubborn about this. That is not the same as being petty and vindictive.
Song is playing the aw-shucks, I'm a poor peasant girl who doesn't know any better persona to gain sympathy. Her seeming ignorance isn't a good enough excuse anymore. She is an Awakened Pinnacle Initiate, who rules over a powerful faction.
I honestly doubt Song has enough smarts in social situations to try sympathy, to be fair. She is really awkward.
But she is stubborn to not easily change her mind about what she wants to do, and her wanting to humiliate Ling Daiyu is just being petty; she doesn't need to do it after all, she could ask for other things to help her cultivation instead.
So yes, Song is petty and vindictive. In a way lesser form than Daiyu, but not surprising. Thats how teenagers with superpowers usually are.
I honestly doubt Song has enough smarts in social situations to try sympathy, to be fair. She is really awkward.
But she is stubborn to not easily change her mind about what she wants to do, and her wanting to humiliate Ling Daiyu is just being petty; she doesn't need to do it after all, she could ask for other things to help her cultivation instead.
So yes, Song is petty and vindictive. In a way lesser form than Daiyu, but not surprising. Thats how teenagers with superpowers usually are.
She was capable enough to create her own faction of first-years, she was capable enough to find the fonts and resources needed to reach Pinnacle Initiate, she was also smart enough to force Ling into a duel and then win the duel using poison. She is plenty smart from what I'm seeing.
"Song Chyou challenged Ling Daiyu to a formal duel. Walked right up to her, told sister Ling she was, and I quote, 'slimier than a tadpole and thousand times less worthwhile' and then proceeded to issue her challenge by slapping Ling Daiyu in the face. In front of everyone."
[X] Approach Ling Daiyu. This will be an obvious signal that you disapprove of the service used by Song Chyou. This will also build your reputation with Ling Daiyu's faction. Without more, it is not a declaration of support for Ling Daiyu's faction. You may write-in more to tie yourself closer.
[X] Accept Buns. Hua Yin does not think she would be very good in the woods. If anything, the somewhat prissy girl might even be a detriment.
[X] Explore Li Gai's new Font
She was capable enough to create her own faction of first-years, she was capable enough to find the fonts and resources needed to reach Pinnacle Initiate, she was also smart enough to force Ling into a duel and then win the duel using poison. She is plenty smart from what I'm seeing.
I think her faction is more snakeboy doing than hers, of course she being friendly to anyone helps, but I don't think she is the responsible for that. She is still the leader, probably because she is the strongest and more charismatic, but she didn't create her faction because of politics like everyone else.
I specifically said smarts in "social", she doesn't plan things and what to talk, she just says what she thinks without much filter. To some, this is attractive like her faction of outcasts, but to others? A big problem, just like how her feud with Daiyu started. And saying she is "smart enough" to force a duel with Ling is... a really big stretch, she outright slapped her face in front of a lot of people and challenged her right there. This is why I say she doesnt have the smarts for social, she lashed out like a bull (of course, being super direct to the point is a strength at her own, just like in this situation to force Daiyu to duel, but it was a problem for us when she talked to Li Gai).
As a peasant, she doing well at exploration or surviving in the woods is expected, and good for her no matter how she got her resources and results. She using poison was a point for her too, something we didn't consider even with her interest in herbology. I would consider Chyou as a practical person, and most of the times this not reflect well in court politics.
She was capable enough to create her own faction of first-years, she was capable enough to find the fonts and resources needed to reach Pinnacle Initiate, she was also smart enough to force Ling into a duel and then win the duel using poison. She is plenty smart from what I'm seeing.
Yeah, those are different 'smarts' though.
She also intended to win one service, but didn't account for her opponent not haggling. Used a poison that should have just made Ling sleepy, but caused an allergic reaction instead. Could have easily lost the duel as well.
All of those points look more like she has 'stupids', not 'smarts'.
[X] Accept Buns. Hua Yin does not think she would be very good in the woods. If anything, the somewhat prissy girl might even be a detriment.
[X] Nothing changes, and Hua Yin will be seen as just another faceless watcher.
[X] Wander and see what there is to discover.
Hua Yin had readily agreed to let Buns come along. Even though the panda-haired girl did not seem to be the most woods ready, Hua Yin was not either. Admittedly, Hua Yin had the Earth-Defying Path to make up for his deficiencies while she didn't. Hopefully it would not be too too bad.
They set out early in the morning. They had filled their packs with water, food, and other necessities. They were also all armed. Li Gai had his bow and blade. Hua Yin had Jianshu. Yang Genji wore a sword strapped over her shoulder and a buckler on her belt. Even Buns had a knife strapped to her waist. They were as ready to face any challenge as they would ever be.
Feng led the way, high in the sky, overlooking the Ghost Whisper Woods and the disciples. The group had decided on an itinerary the night before. There was a section of woods that Li Gai had not done much exploring in yet. Li Gai had noted that the area had a minor river in a ravine. There might be caves to explore or spirit beasts and plants to discover.
Buns was really, really bad in the woods. Worse than even Hua Yin would have thought. It was surprising, because Hua Yin thought he was as bad as one could get. However, he at least had his cultivation to rely on; Buns was only a Low Initiate. She also insisted on carrying a clipboard on her and taking notes every so often. It slowed the group down to constantly have to let her catch up. Further, it seemed as if every bramble, root, and branch had declared themselves her enemy and now tried to hang off Buns and slow her down. Without the benefit of high cultivation or skill, Buns could do nothing but traipse and suffer. The only consolation was that the girl did not complain. If she had, it would have made the trek unbearable.
Yang Genji had obviously had some wilderness training. She did not move through the Woods as smoothly as Li Gai did, but she definitely moved better than Hua Yin.
After a few hours into the Ghost Whisper Woods, Feng screamed from high overhead. Li Gai said, "Feng's found something interesting. Do you wanta climb and see if it's worth checking out?"
Hua Yin nodded in acquiescence. He spotted the highest tree around. He had a surfeit of options in this forest full of giants. He activated the Earth-Defying Path and leaped with all of his might. He went rather high. High enough to grasp at a branch. He climbed up and used it to jump again. Eventually he reached the top. He scanned all around with his excellent senses. The section of the Woods that Hua Yin and his group was in was nearby the Red Earth River. He saw tributaries pouring into the larger River. He saw dips in the land, including little ravines and gorges. From this height, the rest of the party looked tiny.
And he saw a flash of something. It was far enough away that Hua Yin couldn't quite make it out. It stuck out because it was not the color of the forest; it was a shade more similar to the gold of the Broken Tree's disciples' robes. There was no guarantee this would be in any way profitable, but Hua Yin thought it was better to have a goal than continue to wander aimlessly in the forest.
He stepped off the high branch and drifted to the next lower one and the next. When he reached the ground, he turned to the expectant faces of his companions. He said, "I saw something, but I am not quite sure what it was. It looked like a flash of gold cloth maybe. I think we should head in that direction, see what it is."
The rest of the group acquiesced. It wasn't as if they had many other options.
Hua Yin led the way. He was still using the Path, so his steps were light and the going was easy. If anything looked difficult, he just leapt over it. It was nice. Especially considering how badly Buns was suffering.
They heard it before they saw anything. Someone yelling for help. Hua Yin and Yang Genji sprinted into action followed quickly by Li Gai. Buns followed, dragging her feet slightly. She did not seem the type to volunteer for hero-ing duties.
Hua Yin's sprint stopped short once he got close enough to see what the noise was all about. It was a disciple who had been caught in a hunter's trap, their foot pulled into the sky in a chain snare. Hua Yin recognized the disciple's voice and coming closer just confirmed it. It was Droopy. And he was hanging more than ten feet off the ground.
"Help me!" Droopy yelled, his voice growing hoarser and hoarser. He spotted Hua Yin and Yang Genji. His voice became even more frenetic as it filled with hope, "Hua Yin! Yang Genji! Help me!"
Hua Yin examined Droopy. "How did you end up here?"
"I was collecting spirit herbs for Inner Disciple Gan Li. I wandered over here and got trapped! Now please, let me go!"
Hua Yin looked up at the chain. It wouldn't be hard to untie. But Yang Genji wasn't reaching for it. She merely looked on at Hua Yin.
Their eyes met. Yang Genji asked, softly, "He is the one who stole your notes, correct?"
Hua Yin nodded.
"Then I leave it up to you."
Yang Genji walked back towards where they had run from. Signaling for both Li Gai and Buns to turn around as well. Hua Yin did not think they had spotted Droopy yet.
[ ] Cut Droopy down. Droopy will go off and do his own thing.
[ ] Leave Droopy to hang. Logically, Hua Yin knew that a trap this close to the Sect would be checked regularly. Droopy would get down eventually.
[ ] Write-in.
…..
After dealing with Droopy, Hua Yin suggested that they go look at the ravine and see if there was anything interesting or exploitable. The trek was hard, but it was relatively close by.
Hua Yin looked down from the lip of the ravine. Below, he saw a small herd of deer drinking from the river and munching on the plants dotting the banks. They seemed peaceful and beautiful, with golden coats splotched with white. Hua Yin's Qi senses could tell that these were spirit beasts, albeit with low cultivations. Except for one. A majestic buck stood overwatch over the herd. A crown of sharp antlers sprung from his head, but rather than the traditional two, there were four, each branching and curving off into needle-sharp tines. Hua Yin wandered how the buck managed to get through the forest with such a large rack of antlers. The animal's white fur shone in the summer sun. What appeared to be reflective strings were woven into the spirit beast's antlers so that glints of light would shine when they caught the sun. The animal's head was held high and was constantly a swivel, spotting for trouble. Unfortunately for it, it did not look up to see the disciples. And thankfully the disciples were downwind.
Hua Yin's spirit senses identified the creature as being somewhere in the Spirit Realm. It was hard to tell exactly because an animal's cultivation is different than a human's.
Hua Yin racked his memory for what this spirit beast could be. And then he remembered. It was something he had encountered in one of the books he had copied as part of his duties at the Archives.
A fuzhu. Accompanying other spirit deer. A part of Hua Yin's mind filled with greed. If they could take down the fuzhu, there would be a fortune in spirit meat and materials. Sure, the spirit beast did not have the highest cultivation, but even then, it's spirit stone would be valuable. The other spirit deer would just be even more money in his pocket.
Another part decried his greed. The fuzhu was beautiful. They were rare, shy creatures, and generally benign. They were an omen of floods, but it was known that they were not the cause of the flooding. He had read about fuzhu in books, but he had never heard of anyone finding one. In all honesty, he thought fuzhu were myths. He was glad to be proven wrong. It was a honor of sorts to see the animal fully in its domain, standing kingly above the other deer.
Hua Yin looked at the spirit beasts through the Clear-Eyed Glass and saw as their outlines were limned in auras representing the Qi they gave off. As expected, the fuzhu shone brightest. What was surprising was the fact that the plants the spirit deer were nibbling on were spirit herbs of some sort, as Qi flowed around them too.
Hua Yin turned his head to look first at Li Gai and then turned it again to look at Yang Genji and Buns. He said, very softly, "We could hunt the fuzhu. It is likely worth a fortune."
Yang Genji shrugged. It did not look like cared over much.
Wait, no. Hua Yin's people skills were better than that. Hua Yin saw through her disguise and recognized that Yang Genji was not as nonchalant as she wanted to seem. She was looking at Hua Yin as if she were ready to judge him for his decision whatever it was.
[ ] Does Hua Yin go hunting the fuzhu? It will be worth a significant amount in both money and resources if Hua Yin can catch it.
[ ] Leave the beautiful creatures alone. Hua Yin's reward is to be one of the few to ever witness a fuzhu.
[ ] Attempt to peacefully gather spirit herbs. This will require a survival check. A fail may result in combat with the herd.
[X] Cut Droopy down. Droopy will go off and do his own thing.
[X] Does Hua Yin go hunting the fuzhu? It will be worth a significant amount in both money and resources if Hua Yin can catch it.
I'm leaning towards cutting down droopy, we spent alot of effort trying to stop a fight the last two chapters because they were both 'sisters under the broken tree' not to. That isn't to say we don't hate his guts though.
And gather spirit herbs worst case we get to fight and get riches anyways. That or die I guess?
[ ] Cut Droopy down. Droopy will go off and do his own thing.
[ ] Attempt to peacefully gather spirit herbs. This will require a survival check. A fail may result in combat with the herd.
I think we can leave Droopy hanging there, to at least show yo Yang we aren't 100% benevolent and forgive everything. To show a little spite humanizes Hua Yin, and it is not violent or like Droopy will die there.
About the deer, I dunno. Our survival isn't good enough to try to pacify the fuzhu, and the TN must be high because of the shy nature. Leaving them alone is just wasting the expedition, Yang may not appreciate that (but she might be interested the reasons of why Hua Yin didn't go for the money).
But occasionaly, the quest has passages saying Yang has an interest (or curiosity?) in seeing Hua Yin's abilities, how good he can be or how fast he can progress. She even got confused that one time we rolled bad in cultivation class. There must be areason for that, and not just to scout competition.
So, in resume, we want to show off more of our competence, our morals and motivations, or our speak-first policy (we did that with Yichen and tried the same with the Bei going for the twins first)?
[X] Cut Droopy down. Droopy will go off and do his own thing.
-[X] Keep an eye out to make sure he doesn't follow us
[X] Attempt to peacefully gather spirit herbs. This will require a survival check. A fail may result in combat with the herd.
-[X] If they become aggressive just use EDP to climb back up the cliff and avoid a fight
