49 "What are your plans?"

Oji smiled at the man. The General was a big fellow, and had the small scattering of scars that said he was both brave and capable. "I'll answer the second question first. I'm Oji Emor, and I am a member of the Crimson Sect. Your guards are high enough to know what that means, so they didn't stop me when I ordered them to let me in to see you."

The members of the Qin army HQ looked at each other. Some suspicious, some scared, and a couple unconcerned. "I am General Takehiki. What business does the Crimson Sect have with my Qin army? You have never cared for our wars before now."

Oji nods. "We have not, and do not. I have been scouting this region of Zhou for potential recruits to my Sect. I have no intention of trying to dissuade you from continuing your war or prodding you to over extend yourselves. However, I do wish to know if I can expect to continue my own mission in a warzone or a peaceful area."

General Takehiki smiles, understanding the reasonable request. He would never answer this for any outsider who was not a member of the Crimson Sect that held authority beyond the Qin King, but out of all the things that could have been put on his plate by Oji this was an easy one to deal with.

"We were originally tasked with subjugating a dozen towns of Zhou to stir up a small force of the Skull Sect, and will stay near the border. Instead we might well lose all our strength before even hitting that many towns. As such, we have been discussing the merits of waiting for the Skull Sect to hear about what happened to this town and retaliate. We have our spies to warn us of what they send in response and can retreat if their force is too overwhelming."

That made sense to Oji, who smiled his thanks to General Takehiki. "Thank you. I will carry on my way than." To say more than that or to probe for more information would become interference in a war between Nations that obey the Crimson Sect. That would give General Takehiki the right to ignore Oji's status as a mere Inner Disciple.

The General himself escorted Oji from the camp to send him back on his way. "I will ensure that any people capable of being even an inconsequential threat are aware of the Crimson Sect and how to identify you."

Oji almost felt like laughing. "You underestimate my ability to defend myself General. Since I now know I am traveling a war zone I am more than able to defend myself from your men. Even if a group attacked me, I could at least run away from any that doesn't already have a leader who recognizes the Crimson Sect."

As the General watched Oji leave, he felt something odd about this encounter. Calling the commander of all his scouts, General Takehiki asked him to task one of his best scouts to follow Oji for the time being. General Takehiki saw no reason to ignore his instincts that something was strange.

Oji moved quickly to the next town. He was already behind schedule, and once things really got started they would start locking him out. At that point he would have to return to the Crimson Sect in failure. Unless he could manage to find a better reason for cutting off the mission. As a result he was hoping General Takehiki sent someone dangerous enough as his tail.

Since Oji was an Inner Disciple, a serious attempt on his life by a subordinate Nation would be heavily frowned on. If Oji barely escaped with his life the Elders would assume it was because of his injuries that Oji failed to complete his task. Therefore pinning the blame on the Qin who did such damage to their disciple and including that in their retribution.

Arriving at the village where the next tiny Clan was, Oji warned them of the nearby army even as he taught the same lecture again. This place wouldn't stand a chance against that army, so Oji advised moving to group up with other Clans and warning the Skull Sect.

As a result, Oji left a very obvious beehive of activity behind him that his tail couldn't fail to notice. This would even force him to take action before Oji went to enough local towns to gather a force that could crush their army directly.

So when a camouflaged figure dropped in front of Oji shortly before he got to his third Clan for the day, revealing himself as an aggressor, Oji was quite pleased. "Took you long enough. I thought you'd attack after I was clear of the last place."

Without saying a word, the camouflaged figure drew a High Origination sword, allowing his Essence to integrate with it. This revealed that the figure had a Cultivation of Beginner High Origination.

Oji's face grew somber. He'd hoped for someone he could convince the Crimson Sect was a threat, but if this swordsman knew which end of the sword was which this would actually become considerably dangerous. "You just had to bring a toy, didn't you? I mean, sending someone two Stages higher is respecting my Sect enough. There was no need to include the toy..."

Instead of answering, the camouflaged figure attacked. The attacks were light and fast, the sword seeking to keep Oji at bay while bleeding him. It didn't fool Oji. Each attack would have a domineering might packed into it as the resonance of the Essence Weapon would explosively raise the attack strength of the wielder even as the sword's sharp edge perfectly focused that force.

Oji dodged back carefully, reading each attack as he ducked and weaved, contorting his body to avoid each strike. Even with Black Palm, facing the blade of the Sword head on was simple suicide.

In other words, the Sword had to go.