Base Jumping From Sanity To Madness

Pushing the mayor into a slow and infuriating stalemate, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing zipped around like a pair of mosquitos on a hot summer's night. With Songmei and Mingqing both having some light bandages on, the two moved to make sure they didn't get hurt more while trying to bug the mayor just a little more. 

The mayor, with the addition of his very suspicious, probably demon-made pills, had managed to raise his cultivation while also addressing a few of the issues present in his cultivation in the past. Songmei and Mingqing had no idea how, but they didn't have too many other explanations for the pills. Well, they were pretty sure there were two types of pills. 

The first, they were pretty sure, were the pills the mayor took before his speech. Liu Xueli's comments about his speech helped a lot in trying to figure out this one. Back when he first announced his whole "I will get rid of all the big sect cultivators in the city" plan, Songmei and Mingqing had asked why he looked so different. Xueli's reply was vague, but amounted to, "he's trying to make up for his past laziness using pills and the looks are a side effect." 

Without too much to go off of, Songmei and Mingqing tried their best to deduce what the first pill was. Their conclusion was just a guess along the lines of foundation healing. Whether it was purifying the Qi in his cultivation to something like a forced opening of a meridian, Songmei and Mingqing didn't quite know. 

They did know what the other pill did though. At the cost of... sanity, for the most part they guessed, the second pill—in tandem with the first—would accelerate and raise a person's realm. 

They were pretty sure the pills had an addictive effect too because the mayor popped those pills like people popped sleeping gummies. Or... well, maybe the mayor had an addiction issue, Songmei and Mingqing weren't ones to pry. 

Because of those pills though, the mayor had managed to do another foundation establishment Qi washing. The first half of foundation establishment consisted of five Qi washes. As just ascended cultivators, Songmei and Mingqing had done a solid zero of those, but the mayor, as far as they could tell, had gone from three to four.

Launching a couple more arrows from her hiding place, Songmei crouched down behind the wall again before darting off. 

Their whole, 'annoy the mayor until he snapped' plan hadn't been going too great. It was taking a lot longer than expected which was both a good and bad thing. Good for obvious reasons, they were buying time, but bad because it just prickled Songmei's gut and intuition in a foreboding way. 

Running past Mingqing and giving her a nod, Songmei looked down as the terminal on her wrist in wristband form vibrated with an imperceptible buzz. Taking a quick look around, Songmei saw Gao Kunshan had shifted towards the exit. 

Having happened several times, Songmei, just out of caution, would always launch a full-powered Qi arrow towards Gao Kunshan. It didn't hurt to give a reminder they were still a threat after all. 

Dodging another barrage of Qi slashes, Songmei ducked and weaved as the wall she had been hiding behind turned to a new floor decoration. Checking her terminal, Songmei sighed. It wasn't "We found it!" message she was hoping for. 

Too busy and too lazy to read the whole update Youhong just sent, Songmei collapsed her termina back down to a wristband. With Gao Kunshan growling, cursing, and roaring in a more and more animalistic manner, Songmei began worrying as she watched his body grow in size. 

With his muscles bulging and veins popping, Songmei could see Qi beginning to steam off of Gao Kunshan's body as it pushed Mingqing's mist back. 

Making as many crystal arrows as she could, Songmei couldn't help but press her lips together as the mist began disappearing at a speed visible to her naked eye. "That's... one way to beat it." 

None of them had unlimited Qi. Sure, everyone had enough to last for a prolonged battle—especially considering their battle so far had been very conservative with the whole... fighting part. 

Yet, with Gao Kunshan popping more pills, Songmei could see his body had grown half a head. With Qi steaming off of him as well to push back the mist, it was clear Gao Kunshan was burning through his Qi like a table of hot food served to a crowd of starving students. 

Running along the edge of the cul de sac, Songmei met back up with Mingqing before dumping out as many words as she could in as little time as possible. "Stay on the defensive, Mingqing. He'll destroy you without much effort. I'll try and slow him down with arrows. I can't use too many techniques though because I won't have time." 

Taking out another empty quiver and hanging in on the other side of her waist, Songmei decided to just take the speed detriment. Filling the two quivers to the brim with crystal arrows, Songmei was pushed back by Mingqing as a sword crashed down upon them. 

Appearing from the last bits of mist, Gao Kunshan's now naked upper body flexed and steamed as the wounds cracked open, letting blood flow down his torso. "Just... know your limits. All you disciples are trying to insert yourself in a power struggle much too large for your own good." 

Whaling down on Mingqing's sword as he talked with a casual grin, Gao Kunshan caught Songmei's arrow out of midair, only frowning as it exploded and encased his hand in crystal. "I know what you all are trying to do, and... you misunderstand my intentions." 

Shooing Mingqing off with a heavy kick, Gao Kunshan spread his arms out with an ear-to-ear smile as he stared off into the sky. "Don't you understand? I'm not trying to free the city from you cultivators. I'm trying to create a city in which you all can't grow. I want to stifle this new generation of disciples." 

With a new boot imprint on her stomach, Mingqing motioned for Songmei to stand down for a bit and let the mayor monologue. Taking deep breaths, Mingqing grimaced as she tried to catch her breath and adjust to the mayor's new disgusting Qi. 

"I know I'm insane, I know I've gone off the deep-end. But... you know what? I know I don't care." The mayor cackled as another facial spasm attacked him, this time causing not even a hint of a reaction. "I dream of a lot of things. I dream of power, influence, fame, and more. But you know what I dream of most of all? I dream of war." 

What now?

Doing a double take, Songmei's bow lowered in confusion as the mayor continued his maniacal laugh. For a man so dedicated towards the peace and the stability of Westriver, Gao Kunshan sure was having a bit of an identity crisis. 

"War makes everything fair. Don't you know? I grew up in war. War makes the playing field even." Gao Kunshan explained with a tiger-like gleam in his eyes. "No longer does talent, birthright, or status matter. In war, the only thing that matters is your ability to fight, persist, and survive." 

Taking a deep breath, Gao Kunshan ran his hand down where his scars were etched in the past. "I want to see a change in the order of the world. I was born into a good family. During my early years I was blessed, showered even, with attention, with opportunities, and with prospects during war. Yet, as the doors towards peace were opened, my own doors of opportunities were slammed shut." 

A clear look of distaste on his face, Gao Kunshan sent as many Qi sword slashes as he could back towards the city. "Now, I'm decrepit, I'm old, and I'm past my prime. I'm an old man with a regretful, melancholic wish. So... I decided to walk a different path. If the heavens won't answer me, I'll answer myself." 

Twirling his sword back down as Mingqing and Songmei began launching their own attacks to stop him, Gao Kunshan spun back around with a cocky grin. "I'm what some may call... a martyr. I collaborated with the demons. I manipulated my way to the top of the city. I started a war in the underworld of Westriver. All so I could stifle each sects' future while reinvigorating the conflict I grew up in. And now? No matter my own ending, I've hastened the beginning of another war." 

Stabbing his sword into the ground, Gao Kunshan grinned as he began channeling as much Qi into the ground as possible. "So this is for all the little boys, girls, and children in between! This is for you! I will pay my tribute, do my work, and crack this foundation holding together this cruel world of peace. I will reinvigorate the fair chances the heavens should've provided."