Business

Ma Sa's heart rate crept up steadily as adrenaline pumped through his veins. This was the first time he'd be actively seeking conflict with another human in both of his lives. He was resolved but still nervous. As he walked behind the fox another question emerged in Ma Sa's mind: Why didn't the fox run away when it was being tormented? It was clear that its tails hadn't been severed at one time.

"Hey, Kurama? Why did you stay when the human mistreated you so badly?"

Kurama paused its steps. It turned around and unsteadily stood on its hind legs, looking towards the sky and revealing its throat to Ma Sa. In the dim lantern light, Ma Sa could barely make out the thin and complex design that was seemingly burnt into Kurama's skin. He'd seen something similar before in his books; the slave mark of a beast tamer. What sort of tamer treated his beast so disgustingly?! So the abuser was this poor fox's master... Such a master did not deserve a cute and powerful beast like Kurama!

Anger once again flared up inside Ma Sa's soul. He'd need to cool off a little before actually engaging in battle or it was likely that he'd make a stupid mistake to endanger both himself and Kurama.

*~*

Ma Sa opened the console so that the clarity bestowed by the space could help him think over how best to approach things. Vengeance was a dish best served cold, after all.

First, he'd better find a way to neutralize the slave mark. If he didn't then Kurama's master could still compel the fox to act against its wishes.

Second, he'd need to scout out the encampment and see how many people he'd be dealing with. If he could estimate their individual strength as well then that would be a bonus. It would be hard to tell if they used Qi Concealment Arts but he could at least get a general idea of their visible strength and then add a few levels to his calculations. It would be better to overestimate them rather than underestimate them.

Thirdly, After he'd scouted the camp fully, Ma Sa would need to come up with an attack strategy. Overt or covert? Covert was definitely preferable if at all possible. It would be best to remain under the radar. Also, the others in the camp hadn't directly mistreated Kurama so it would be best to avoid crossing blows with them.

Ma Sa's first priority should be to eliminate any possibility of his target calling for help. Luckily the Nine Dragons Void Siphon would easily solve that problem for him by absorbing the sound waves around him. As for being seen, again, his cultivation method provided the answer: Absorb any light that was reflected off his body. Doing so would lead to a void-black humanoid shape in daylight but in the darkness of night he'd be almost undetectable. What else? Scent. Ma Sa couldn't rule out the presence of other tamed beasts with enhanced senses being in the camp. If he broke down any molecules that left his domain then there would be no olfactory trace of him. As a side effect, he would gain a light cloud of mist around him that would help to further shroud him from sight by breaking up his void-black silhouette. Qi fluctuations weren't an issue as his Hidden Breath Concealment Art was able to completely harmonize his presence with the surrounding ambient Qi. It was worth the extra complication to learn it!

Next, contingency. What would he do if he was somehow detected and the camp occupants were all high level Martial Sages? It seemed a little overboard but if he could find a way to get out of that hypothetical mess then he could escape from anything else that was less ridiculous too!

With his checklist in mind, Ma Sa exited the console.

*~*

"Kurama. I'm going to try to erase the slave mark on you. Do you understand?"

Ma Sa could tell that the fox was intelligent by the way that it acted but he didn't know to what extent. It was a pity that only high level demon beasts could speak in human tongue.

Kurama nodded and sidled up to him nervously. It was really excited at the prospect of freedom but worried in case something went wrong. The slave mark could kill it immediately if the master wished it so there might be traps to prevent tampering. What was life if it had to continue living like pitifully like this? No, it had to at least try now that the man-cub offered it the opportunity!

Ma Sa asked Kurama to lay on the ground on its back. It turned out that Kurama was a female. She lay on her back and, although visibly nervous, gave Ma Sa a look that seemed to be one of faith. It was hard to tell...

Placing his hand over the slave mark, Ma Sa tried to sense the Qi pathways. What was visible on the surface was merely a tiny portion of the whole slave mark. The mark as a whole actually melded into Kurama's Qi pathways. There were numerous tendrils of foreign Qi that wrapped around the channels and pierced the energy wells. When activated, the tendrils could constrict or expand at the will of the controller. Doing so would cause immense pain, paralysis, or death. It appeared that it may even be possible to wrest away control of the body and manipulate it through Qi. It was actually rather similar to a Puppet Art! Ma Sa couldn't help but think of the possibilities if he were to adapt his Qi Thread Manipulation Art into something like this. It would be an amazing, non-lethal way to punish criminals! It was likely that something like this would have a long set up duration as it was incredibly complex. However, having nine sub personalities to oversee the Qi construct may make it a viable battle technique...

Ma Sa used the console to get himself the time to properly analyze this puzzle. It was a long process even with nine sub-minds working tirelessly on the problem. Eventually, Ma Sa settled on his course of action. He would simultaneously lock on to every tendril of foreign Qi and then absorb it with Nine Dragons Void Siphon. Once the tendrils were no longer in contact with the fox's Qi pathways and energy wells it would be out of immediate danger. After that, it would simply be a case of absorbing the rest of the slave mark. There was a fairly high probability that it would be volatile after having its connections to the fox's Qi network severed so he'd have to act fast. The destruction of the slave mark would also alert the tamer so Ma Sa would have to mimic the feedback with his own Hidden Breath Concealment Art until he began his assault. He'd have to prepare his fake mark before going any further.

Hopping out of the console again, Ma Sa carefully sensed the outgoing foreign Qi from the fox. This was the signal he'd have to mimic. He extended a fine Qi thread along it, tracing it back to the recipient. Ma Sa now knew exactly where his target was. He took his time to mentally prepare himself before he set up a domain around the fox that absorbed all outgoing Qi and quickly attached his mimicked Qi thread to his target. The result was a seamless switchover from the authentic signal to Ma Sa's spoofed signal. Step one had been achieved!

Next, Ma Sa analyzed the flow of Qi extending from the tamer to the slave mark. He'd have to spoof that too if he wanted the slave mark to behave itself once it lost connection to the tamer. A few moments later, step two had been achieved and the tamer was left completely unaware that his beast was no longer connected to him.

Step three was the tough one and Ma Sa secretly praised his decision to cultivate the Split Soul Immortal Manipulation Art. MS 1.1 through to MS 1.9 were working overtime to manipulate his Qi threads to gently encapsulate the tendrils of the slave mark. This was the hard part. Once everything was in place, Ma Sa only had to drive his Nine Dragons Void Siphon and the slave mark would be destroyed.

It was time. Ma Sa took a deep breath and nodded at Kurama to let her know that this was it. She looked back at him and then closed her eyes. She was ready...

...

It was anti-climactic. No explosion, no pain, nothing. Where there once was a slave mark that showed on Kurama's throat, now there was only an intricate bald spot. Ma Sa had almost instantly eradicated the foreign Qi construct. He couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as he reached down and petted Kurama's ears.

"It's alright now, buddy! You're free!"

Ma Sa was wondering what to do with Kurama now. Since he had the Qi threads attached to the tamer he knew exactly where to go to find him and didn't need her to lead the way anymore. Also, trying to cloak her in the same way that he planned to stealth himself wasn't really practical. Since he couldn't come to a decision, he may as well see what the fox thought, herself.

"Kurama. You're free now, girl. You can go where ever you want and that human won't ever get you again. That human won't be able to do much of anything again after I finish with him... So, I guess you have a choice now. After I beat up that ex-master of yours I'm going to head to Mt. Ginyan in the Northwest. There are lots of other beasts there for you to hunt. You're welcome to come with me. If you don't want to travel together then I don't mind. Just do what you want to do, alright? Think about it for a while. If you want to come with me then wait here for me. I'll be back after I deal with that shitty human... If not, then just go your own way."

Ma Sa did really want to gain a cute foxy companion but he understood that Kurama had probably developed some misgivings about humans. He didn't want to pressure her into joining him if she'd end up unhappy. The fox in question simply looked at Ma Sa deeply as he petted her, her emotions impossible to discern from her face.

Now, it was time for the meat of the 'Operation' to begin.

******************

Within fifteen minutes, Ma Sa had scouted out the encampment, which his map told him belonged to the Bu Clan, and estimated the strengths of its inhabitants. Luckily for him, the tamer he was after lived apart from the main encampment for some reason. While there wasn't anyone who looked particularly strong, Ma Sa had to remember that these were all men of the Jianghu. None of them would be soft targets. He worked through his contingency plan carefully, making sure not to overlook anything that could possibly interfere with his escape.

Once he was satisfied, Ma Sa moved into action. He cloaked himself in inky-blackness and mist whilst suppressing any sound waves from escaping his domain. His Qi melded with the ambient energy and rendered him undetectable to sensation by cultivation. Ma Sa's dark form slunk slowly towards the isolated tent where his target lay sleeping. Ma Sa gently opened the tent's entrance and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the tent's interior. He blocked any air from flowing past him that might possibly have stirred the sleeping tamer. Once he reached the edge of the bed, Ma Sa extended his domain to block any sound from escaping.

The eerily glistening man lay snuggled up to what appeared to be the silhouette of a large boulder. This struck Ma Sa as odd. Who the fuck sleeps like that? Is it a tumour or something?? Ma Sa was curious but now wasn't the time for that. First up he had to incapacitate his target. Drawing inspiration from the slave mark that he had just removed, Ma Sa thought it would be fitting to experiment a little. Allowing the Qi thread that was already attached to fractalize into countless finer threads, Ma Sa willed them to pervade the body of the slumbering tamer. They wrapped around his Qi pathways and energy wells in similar fashion to the slave mark. Best of all, the Qi thread was currently masquerading as the tamer's own Qi. The process was swift, silent, and amazingly effective. Ma Sa couldn't help but smile at his completed handiwork. Now the fun would start...

His eyes took on a cold gleam as he produced a spear from his inventory and calculated the precise angles each strike would require to cripple the man. He'd sever nerves and tendons but avoid any lethal points. The Spear Law Scripture's first passage manifested in his mind. 'Strike swiftly! The First Spear demands speed, its point is the first ray of dawn and the last ray of dusk.'

"Hey... Wake up!"

The human figure's eyes snapped open instantly. Unfortunately he was unable to do anything else as Ma Sa's Qi threads locked him in position.

'Strike! First Spear!'

The tamer couldn't even process what was happening before, out of the inky blackness, a gleam streaked towards him at ridiculous speed. Within a second of when he saw the dull flash from the darkness, pain assaulted every part of his body as if he'd been thrown through a meat grinder. None of his muscles worked. He couldn't move! He quickly tried to sense Qi fluctuations but found nothing. Was this a nightmare?! He begged himself to awaken but only received more stabbing pain in return as the flash appeared for a second time.

"Hmmm... Alright, enough... This isn't satisfying at all."

*pop*

The tamer's left leg exploded as he tried to drive his cultivation.

*pop*

Next, the right leg.

"Ahah! That's a really bad idea!"

Ma Sa didn't want to make this particularly messy and was currently feeling a bit nauseous. How was he to know that his make-shift slave mark would interfere with the tamer's cultivation in such a way?? Seems like his technique needed some work...

The terror on the tamer's face faded as his eyes rolled back into his skull and he fainted. Well, the hypovolaemic shock from having one's legs turn into blood mist was rather inevitable. Shit... Ma Sa really hadn't intended to kill the guy, just cripple and maim him. He kind of felt like the guy would be getting off easy for what he did to Kurama. Well, it's not like he directly killed him. The tamer still had a slim chance to live.

Thinking so, Ma Sa willed a Qi thread up into the tamer's brain and directed it to Broca's region, an area of the brain that controlled language. He used his Qi thread like a whisk to scramble that area and then turned his attention to the Thalamus. Thalamic pain is an intractable pain that is the definition of torturous. Ma Sa wouldn't wish it on any decent human being. The man in front of him, however, was far from decent. Ma Sa's Qi thread ripped all of the afferent neurons to the Thalamus away, pretty much guaranteeing that this tamer would beg for death every second until he actually died.

With his grizzly work done, Ma Sa used his Qi threads to tie off the larger blood vessels in the stumps of the man's legs and backed away towards the exit. As he parted the tent flaps, in the moonlight he caught a glimpse of the 'boulder' on the tamer's bed. A swirl of different tones of grey emerged outwards from the center of the rock. That rock... Kurama... Suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense...

Melting into the night, Ma Sa drifted like a specter back towards where he left Kurama as the scent of blood began to emanate from the tamer's isolated tent. Aside from the unexpected limb explosions, he thought he had performed rather well. Whilst he had gotten a little nauseous earlier, he had managed to control it and keep his calm. That was way less brutal than seeing his acquaintances in the slums get ripped apart by a zombie horde. It was to be expected that a little discomfort would be necessary. After all, this foray into torture wasn't a pleasure cruise - It was business.