Chapter 72 - Chaos And Destruction

The next day, the autumn fog had turned to a light drizzle heralding the approach of another lightning storm that would once again close off the Thundercloud Forest. Under the looming threat, the group of youths hurried back towards Turning Leaf town despite some wanting to search for opportunities to display their skills or earn other favors from Ao Wen. Upon entering Turning Leaf town in the early afternoon, much of the group, thankfully including Mo Yan and Mao Ailum, dispersed with many promising to seek out the trio at a later time. Zhang Bai, not ready to leave Ao Wen's company, insisted on providing a proper escort home to the young Fairies before reporting to his father to release the Tang family from prison. 

"Don't think that you can get away with cheating me just because your daughter has become a cultivator," a young brazen voice shouted loudly from outside the gates of Ao Yang's store. "I did you a favor by bringing my commission here! I gave you two fine jade slabs of Extraordinary grade to carve totems for my practice chamber just so I could have a chance at next year's Awakening Ceremony but what have you done? You've substituted my Extraordinary jade for Ordinary jade and the carvings you've made are smaller by a third than what you promised! You don't think I'm afraid to call you out just because your whore of a daughter is a cultivator, do you? She won't save you now that Tang Jin has plucked her flower and taken her away to Red Moon City!" 

"What fool is making such a ruckus?" Feng Xi asked as the group approached the crowd outside Ao Yang's store. 

"One who's courting death," Ao Wen said with an expression of barely contained fury. 

"Now listen here Young Master Zhang," Ao Yang's deep rumbling voice carried over the mutters of the crowd. "I told you that I would use the jade you provided because I didn't have any high-quality jade on hand and you didn't want to wait for me to have some sent from Red Moon City," he explained, clearly trying to set the record straight with the crowd more than he was trying to pacify the impetuous Zhang Bo. "But the jade you provided had very little Extraordinary grade material in one corner of the slabs. As I promised, that jade has been set aside to be made into tokens, charms, or whatever else you would like, not a single gram of it is missing! The remainder was cut to this size because the jade you brought had many hidden flaws. It's well known by all that any random stone may appear to be solid jade but in fact, contain many impurities or pieces of thin high quality stone over worthless or low-quality jade. Since the totems are to be used in a cultivation chamber, I could not leave the imperfections present as I would in a decorative object where the flaw could be worked into the design to preserve more of the jade. This too is something known by anyone who commissions jade cultivation resources," he said, eliciting a handful of nodds from others in the town who produced items like incense or meditation mats that were useful to cultivators. 

"There's a difference between what is normal and what is cheating," Zhang Bo said with a flap of his gaudy emerald sleeves covered with more gold embroidery than there was fabric. "You think that slut of your daughter…"

SLAP! 

A resounding slap silenced the arrogant Zhang Bo who spit out one of his back teeth along with a mouthful of blood as he spashed into a nearby puddle. He struggled to stand, head spinning, wanting to lash out at Ao Yang for slapping him before he realized that it would take the strength of a cultivator to strike him that hard! Who had hit him?

"Master Ao," Zhang Bai said, turning to face the stonecutter after slapping his youngest brother. "On behalf of the Zhang Family, I appoligize for the arrogant, ignorant, deceitful, manipulative, hateful and melicious remarks made by my younger brother," he said, his face burning with a combination of rage and shame. "Master Ao's integrity is well known, his skill praised by all, his honor above reproach. My brother will be punished according to Zhang family rules," he said fiercely, striding over to lift the still dazed Zhang Bo out of the puddle before tossing him at Ao Wen's feet.

"Drifter Ao," Zhang Bai said, hating that he'd been forced into a position where he had to become formal with her but choosing to address her by her title as a Mystic rather than as a Brawler or Alchemist because it was her mystic flaming dance that he most admired in her. "My brother has slandered you badly. While violence from a cultivator to a mortal is not permitted under the rules of my father the City Lord, it is not acceptable for a man to make insinuations about a woman's innocence in a public place. According to the rules of the city, you may punish him with five lashes from your own hand or fifty lashes from a mortal of your choice. I imagine," he said after a moment's pause, "that a man as strong as your father may be well suited to swinging a lash or cane."

"Brother, what are you doing?" Zhang Bo said as he staggered to his feet, looking at Zhang Bai as though he had grown a second head. "You're a late stage Brawler, you don't need to pander to this middle stage strumpet…" 

BANG!

Zhang Bo sailed through the air crashing into a stone lion outside Ao Yang's store. Pulling back the delicate foot that had slammed into Zhang Bo's chest, Ao Wen directed a fierce gaze at Zhang Bai. "Young Master Zhang Bai, it would be best if you took your brother home. Since I can't draw my saber, your brother's head still remains attached to his neck. If he lingers in my presence, I can't promise that will remain true," she spat angrily. 

"As you say," Zhang Bai said with a furious nod. "Master Ao, I'll return to make proper apologies another time. Fairy Feng, I appologize for not being able to escort you home because of this unsightly incident," he continued feeling for the first time that he knew what it must have been like for Tang Jin to contain his rage while fighting that Thunderclap Black Bear. He wanted nothing more than to tear his brother in half for the shameful way he behaved and even worse the way this would put distance between him and Ao Wen. "Soldier Tang," he said, turning to Tang Jin and offering a bow, speaking loudly for the assembled crowd. "You and your parents have been the victims of insidious schemes, I'll see that they're released immediately on my return to City Lord's residence." 

Shocked murmurs in the crowd at the way Zhang Bai had addressed Tang Jin were cut off by Ao Yang's words as he rushed over to the young trio. "Tang Jin, you should go to the Four Garden's House and see what can still be salvaged while Brawler Zhang Bai fetches your parents. I'm afraid that someone set fire to it yesterday and…"

"What?" Both Tang Jin and Zhang Bai shouted, stunned that someone had attacked the beloved restaurant while they were away. 

"I can explain," Ao Yang said, "but more importantly, Xi'er," Ao Yang said in a voice that became thick with concern. "You should rush home. Your father isn't well, in fact, he's been getting worse by the day these past several days…"