So, from what I am looking at, it seems that there is a real reason we want to win this challenges
@PrimalShadow. You mentioned earlier that this was only 20YSS, and it is, but it should be just the tipping point to getting 8GSS next turn if the math on income is right.
@DeAnno ?
That does tempt me to go for the 'safe' choice, as 20YSS next turn is more important than staying at that rank for long. Mmmh.
You keep looking at this event with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge that both of them won't be killed in the dream.
This isn't what Ling knew or felt when making her choice. The whole 'he would totally object to Ling Qi stealing his tribulation' is nonsense because as far as Ling Qi knew a cyan+ spirit was going to straight up kill Shen Hu.
Like, yeah, at the end of the event Shen Hu profited; but the fact that Ling Qi had no idea if he was going to survive when she made her choice is the actual problem.
Mmm, I see your point, but I don't really agree. Shen Hu basically looked at the oncoming King, and said "look, all this politics and talking with super-spirits really is not my thing and I'm out of my depth and would just get in your way. I'm gonna go do what I'm comfortable with". I don't think this means that the party is irrevocably split and Ling Qi should just forget he exists.
Her meeting the King and going "oh shit Shen Hu has, if anything, actually put himself in more danger than staying here would have been, maybe I should actually accomplish something like I intended to do by staying here and help him out" is, I think, perfectly reasonable.
That is not Shen Hu's reasons for leaving, though:
Shen Hu was silent for a moment. "I don't know if you were wrong, and I don't know how to figure it out. Maybe its like you said, and we have it backwards. "But… I think there's something we can do to keep it simple."
"Oh? What's that?" Ling Qi asked curiously.
"We see if there's any settlements around," Shen Hu replied firmly, gesturing to the battle torn forest. "All of this, if there are people around they gotta be scared out of their minds. And besides anyone attacking civilians is obviously the bad guys, right?"
"...and if there aren't?" Ling Qi asked, dubious. "No one lives here in the future."
He frowned. "Then I guess we ask the King guy what he wants us to do, we sided with him already by helping the tree."
Ling Qi sighed, they did have pretty limited options, dropping her screen of wind, she called out to the tree spirit. "Vengeance-of-Burning-Grove! Are there any human settlements nearby?"
Creaking and crackling the tree spirit turned to look at her. "South of here there is a stream, follow it and you will find a nest." He replied.
She glanced at Shen Hu, who shrugged. "You know where I'm going then. "Guys like me don't have any business with this high up stuff."
This wasn't "I am doing this because going to the King is more dangerous", but "I am doing this because it fits what I want to do better".
Now, there is a legit argument for "In the presence of a Not!White, Ling Qi panicked and believed that Shen Hu was in danger of being straight up murdered by a Cyan". This specific fear didn't come to me in the text (maybe I missed it?), and I think at the time it would have been really strange to think this could happen.... but even if it did, wasn't that the exact kind of fear Meizhen has when Ling Qi meet with Zeqing, or got to a moon party? Or when Xiulan goes to one of her tribulation?
I mean, Shen Hu's reasoning,
before going into the moon dream, was this:
"It's fine," Shen Hu replied. "What do you think? I could head in with Lanhua. I doubt anything will take us out in one shot, if it's a trap."
"I don't think it's a trap exactly," Ling Qi began slowly as Sixiang fed her more information. "It's more like...this valley is part way into a dream?" she felt Sixiang's approving nod. "So we can't sense things inside from outside properly."
Shen Hu cupped his chin thoughtfully, but she saw a spark of excitement in his brown eyes. "Oh? I've never fought in a dream before," he paused furrowing his brow. "Well not that I remember anyway. Are you coming in?"
Ling Qi couldn't help but roll her eyes at his eagerness… this guy, he really would go in with nothing but his spirit beast and not a single scrap of information. Of course, she couldn't say she was any better. She hated wasting time. There was never really any question as to whether she would brave whatever was ahead. "Yes, I will. Bring Lanhua up. You'll need to be my cover."
It is pretty clear to me that he was ready to risk his life, and Ling Qi knew it. That Ling Qi's fear is reasonable doesn't change that she is doing the exact thing she doesn't want people to do to herself.
