Arknights story · Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow
WB-ST-3 Keep the Ploy
Things come to a close, but Wei Yenwu and the Grand Tutor still seem to have concerns. Chongyue bids farewell to old acquaintances in the city. He hears bells from the city towers in the great desert beyond Yumen.
1 scenes, 231 lines
1. Interlude
231 lines
How is Mr. Lin doing?
The doctor says he'll be fine.
It's just that his old injuries and overuse of Arts have taken a toll on him.
Dad is getting old, after all.
Sometimes I forget how long Mr. Lin has served Lungmen.
Dad is not like Chief Wei. As the symbol of Lungmen, Chief Wei always stays in the public eye.
But Lungmen doesn't exactly want everyone remembering that there is a Rat King of Downtown.
I heard Wei Yenwu dragged you into this.
It became my business when I chose to accept it, of my own accord.
And it all turned out fine, thanks to a certain someone.
Tsk.
This incident also helped me answer a couple of questions.
Are you going to Victoria? We could travel together.
No, my plans have changed.
I'm going back to Lungmen.
What do you mean by 'going back to Lungmen?'
I'm staying.
Throwing off your burdens sounds nice, but whatever you throw off, somebody else has to pick up.
Whether one leaves or stays is up to oneself, but someone has to take care of Lungmen.
Mm...
I said that for me, but feel free to take it as a criticism, if you want.
Glad to see you still have the strength to joke.
The daughter of the Rat King doesn't have to be the Rat King, but it doesn't mean she can't be.
She could be a different sort of Rat King.
This time, I made my own choice.
There are slums in Lungmen, but there shouldn't be. It's a job that someone has to do, no matter how many years go by.
The times are changing, but no one should be left behind.
What is it? Your turn to hem and haw?
Have you seen Wei Yenwu these past few days?
Are you leaving, Grandmaster?
For what?
It's all water under the bridge.
We suffered some losses, but we should count ourselves fortunate that the situation remained under control.
More importantly, I saw how the people here remain united, even after so many years.
Yumen hasn't changed. Man will triumph over Heaven.
Now I can be at ease about leaving.
......
There's no telling when we'll meet again.
Take care, Grandmaster.
You too. Beware the intrigue of the court.
I will.
By the way, you said something about Ch'en's swordsmanship yesterday.
'Skillful, but not yet the peak of perfection.'
Yes, I remember.
Ch'en has talent, but she only just started learning the Chi Xiao style recently.
She has not mastered its true essence.
Ah, you wanted to show off your skills.
I said before that Cloud-splitting sword is not actually Chi Xiao's ultimate move.
His fingers are his sword.
A light breeze begins blowing out of nowhere, creating tiny ripples in the teacup.
The ultimate move of Chi Xiao, Heaven's Eye.
The form?
The eye of Heaven sees all and nothing.
The concept?
Only when the clouds are parted is Heaven's wrathful eye revealed.
One must free one's mind to learn the form.
The obstacle?
Let your heart guide the sword, never looking back.
Turn around, and the sword loses its sharpness, harming the user.
Farewell.
The breeze continues to blow, long after the chair is empty.
The man gazes into the ripples in the teacup, until a smile appears on his face.
I have never seen the likes of it.
Come in.
Grand Tutor.
You understand that entering Yumen without permission is enough to carry the suspicion of treason on its own?
Yes.
Lord Wei was attacked, and trapped in Yumen, while Yumen travels towards the capital...
We were concerned for Lord Wei's safety. The urgency of the situation did not allow for deliberation.
We have nothing but our lives to repay Lord Wei's kindness.
Did Wei Yenwu tell you to look for him in Yumen if he did not return in three days?
That is so.
I can tell you now that both the assassination attempt on Wei Yenwu and the crisis at Yumen were accidents. There is no need to worry.
I understand.
Where were you when the Catastrophe happened?
We operated in secret, eliminating insurgents stealthily.
At least you did one thing you were supposed to.
You may go.
We are not subject to the Grand Tutor's punishment?
As far as the Imperial Guard is concerned, all of you are already dead.
I never saw you today.
Yes, Grand Tutor.
You knew.
From the beginning.
And you never had any intention of hiding it from me.
Do you not reproach me for overstepping my boundaries?
The situation remained under control thanks to the young envoy that you brought from Lungmen.
The Grand Commandant will soon learn of this incident.
'Soon' is not the word I would use.
This is why I came to Yumen.
There is no consensus on how we should deal with the bestial Sui, whether we should prepare for war, or reconciliation. It is hard to see the forest when one is amongst the trees.
The minds of some of the parties concerned may no longer be on finding the right answer.
You wanted to help the Lord Exorcist eliminate the insurgents out of a sense of duty to Yan.
As long as you don't lose sight of it, you won't need me to tell you what to do.
I will remember your teachings.
You have always been a good student.
I remember when I taught you and your brother. You were always the quicker learner.
......
Are you injured?
Just a scratch.
The Tumu Tianshi say it was you who protected the sand sluices.
...Alright.
I will find a place where this sword will realize its potential, even if you're not with me anymore.
I have no doubt you will succeed.
There is no more hatred between us, but I haven't given up on surpassing you.
I'll come and find you, when I feel ready.
Like I said, anytime you feel ready.
See you again.
No regrets?
What regrets?
Who will she seek if one day It wakes from Its dream, and you and I return to the void?
She managed to let go of her obsession with vengeance at her age. She will let another one go when I'm gone, and forgotten from her mind.
Then the sky is the limit for her on the path of kung fu.
Well, you are the Grandmaster. You're the authority on kung fu.
Speaking of which, I think you just gave birth to a new legend when you single-handedly turned away the Catastrophe on the walls.
I was drunk. I have no memory of those events.
When you sober up, raise another flask. Where will you be going?
Where Nian and Dusk went.
The man has been playing against himself the whole afternoon, not speaking or inviting anyone to play against him.
His moves are brilliant, but eccentric. There were a few that confused me.
Some Go grandmaster I've never heard of? But why would he come to a place like Yumen?
Oh?
A man faces a Go board outside a parlor. He is not playing against a manual; he thinks for a long time before each move, as though locked in a struggle against himself.
Black and white pieces intertwine on the rough wooden board, setting into motion a dazzling battle.
Do you know Go?
A little.
What do you think about the board?
The battle has been decided in three places. The balance of power is roughly even.
But white pieces occupy a large area in the center, with no isolated pieces. It seems inevitable that black will lose by half a point...
Look again.
I've taught you.
White is spread out, with more to protect... therefore, more ammunition for my ko.
The match is not over.
You won't give up. You'll go on until a winner has been determined.
The Go game doesn't matter. I'm playing against me, in order to determine a winner.
Your sword taught me a few things. This game state is my gift to you.
I knew you had pieces around me.
I just didn't know you had already lost faith in humanity then.
Man and beast are different.
You sealed yourself in the sword in exchange for a human body. You treated yourself as one of them. What became of you in the end?
All your friends are gone. You wander afar, alone. No one trusts you, no one knows.
......
It's not that you don't know the hearts of man. No, you know it all too well. For centuries, you have always been the one most connected to them. How would you not know?
You could not blend in because you know that the hearts of man are unpredictable. You will always be an outsider.
All the things you've done since Jie disappeared, you did to find someone to talk to.
We've been lonely for far too long. We want to find someone to talk to.
We've fought for so many years. How ironic that we would end up knowing each other best.
You were never my enemy.
Never once did I consider you my enemy... even if it was you who stopped me then.
I'll stop you again, if you drag people into your Go game.
Of course you will. Assuming, of course, that you can see the board.
We'll meet again.
Farewell, brother.
......
Chongyue picks up a white piece and puts it down in a corner.
Slap.
An orthodox, classic move.
General.
This is...
The Grandmaster planned to write the Book of Kung Fu twenty years ago, but the responsibilities of Yumen kept him busy.
Work finally began on it five years ago, with the Grandmaster dictating it to me. I finally finished editing it yesterday.
It is a record of the Grandmaster's observations and interpretations of all kung fu under Heaven, every school and branch known to man.
Grandmaster wants you to have it.
Grandmaster says that there is much in common between kung fu and medicine. He has included some instructions in the appendix, which he hopes will improve your health.
......
Where is the Grandmaster?
He left Yumen an hour ago.
He says he has already sent away the 'guest', and you will be able to focus on dealing with things after the disaster.
He regrets not saying goodbye in person.
......
I see.
Why didn't you go with him?
I've been with the Grandmaster since he saved my life ten years ago. I began helping him record the martial arts of the world when I grew up, meeting many great heroes along the way.
The Grandmaster says that all I need to do is to study all that I've seen and heard during these years, if I wish to pursue the martial arts.
And if I do not wish to do so, I should go and find something I want to do, now that the Book of Kung Fu is complete.
'Life is a long journey.'
......
He has always been like this.
The more whimsical encounters there are, the more ties one needs to let go of.
Man values formality, beasts value empathy.
Rescue and relief efforts have begun, sir.
Very well.
...The sun is setting.
Oh, the Wangfeng Festival...
Yesterday was the last day, but the beacon-lighting ceremony was suspended because of the Catastrophe.
Would you like to resume it?
Of course.
The wizened general gazes beyond the city and sees nothing but sand.
I will beat the drum myself.
Sir, you've been in the tower all day. You should rest. We'll take care of it.
The journey is long. Someone should see him off.
All your companions have returned. Where do you fly off to, alone?
The drumbeats begin.
They are heavy, ringing clear and far.
Seventeen beats of the drum, representing the trials and tribulations that befell Yumen the past year, both big and small.
The Catastrophe has passed. The storm has swept away the many colors in the sky.
The clouds burn bright red, scorched by the setting sun.
He walks forward, the wind and sand slowly wiping away his footprints. The great city of Yumen grows smaller in the distance.
Thump—
Eighteen.
He stops briefly, but does not turn.
The eighteenth beat of the drum, symbolizing yet another Catastrophe survived by Yumen.
And...
I'll be going.
Break clouds by rays on all that be,
Wades haze along course desolate.
Are scooped the stars 'til star's bed fades, and like another, we are lone.
We made it out.
Thank you for digging up the Patrol Battalion's activities, or we would have been goners inside.
We got a message by Di beast. Boss and the others have set out for the next location. We should hurry and meet up with them.
(Grinds teeth)
Yumen... next time...
Hey, isn't that the one who...?
You followed us?
Followed? I just stopped to take a break on my way out of Yumen.
But I guess fate meant for us to meet again.
......
......