Adventures of Fu: The Nobles Summon Beggars To Help, Black Cat Is Disgraced, A Flying Sword Bears Unofficial Witness Against A Yandere! Meanwhile, Fu Avenges His Loss And Finds Work!

Trigger warning: if you have triggers, stay out!

If not, here's the previous session...

Not one, but two future members of the Jing Family are now missing* at once - the future bride-to-be of the Elder Jing (The Wolf) had gone missing! 

Admittedly, as she is a diviner, she was sleep-walking. And one of the Jing children was tasked with protecting her (they switch for this task), but failed!

Of course, Fu ran to take his 3-section staff, his new clothes, and his books (especially the one with the pictures, although he can't read the language it's in**), and ran off.

Turned out, the one who has screwed up was none other than Silver Cat!
The whole combined team of beggars***, Jing scions and assorted xia was searching through a forest near a castle owned by Wolf. We searched, and searched...and Fu suggested we should look up at the trees.

"I mean, they couldn't have flied off! But they could have jumped up, avoiding any traces, if they know you are going to search like mad, and with the best dogs..."

Soon enough, we found broken branches.

"Eh, they couldn't have flied off! But if they could carry her this way, they could put her in something", Fu guessed again.

"They could have", Black Fox suggested. "But then have searched the nearest inns".

"Did you ask for people with a chest? Like the one we found recently?"

Amazingly, they were only asking for the girl. Jing sorcerers teleported and we had an answer soon, yes, a cart with a chest had arrived in the night, about 30 hours ago...

We tracked it to the city gates, where again, yes, there had been a cart entering late at night. The guards assumed these were shipping flour to the merchants, I guess?

And then Fu and the other beggars just contacted the bakers. Because yes, that was at exactly the moment when bakers start work. And boosted by Jing's immeasurably deep pockets, they tried to remember!

We thus followed it towards the city center, until we reached a gate.
Su Yan's gate! That was the lady which we were warned about, and that had been trying to find a certain liver!

And off we went. Basically, Wolf went in, and told the guards who he is, and that he is going in, and it can go easy...or not.

I think that's when he knew that girl is done for. OOC, I knew that long ago. But basically, Su Yan has a page on TVTropes, and here's the link: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Yandere

Basically, Su Yan herself came, and Wolf still insisted. She probably knew she can't stop him when he's in the mood to ignore law and procedure, which is where he was. 

So she invited him in, and let us search. She also sent a message that he's there and searching her place unlawfully.

Yet we still found no traces of the missing girl!

This, however, actually got Wolf running. I suspect at this point Su Yan was terribly, terribly close to being murdered...by at least a few of us.

Fu was only worried Black Fox might do it, so he was ready to try and restrain him. Of course, Xiaomei was out of suspicion, although it would be equally harmful for her if she did! (Both of them are half-demons, if they ever kill a human, they'd lose the human half of their souls). 

At some point, Wolf just said "Fine!", and dragged Su Yan to the palace! He went in, nobody even tried to stop us...and it turned out, that was the Ministry of Magic Affairs building! The guards tried to stop us, but seriously, what sane guard stops one of the Wulin Top Ten? And we had at least three of those in our group! (Wolf, Black Fox, White Fox, if you're wondering).

"The ministry is disbanded!"

"Minister Pei hasn't got the authority to decide that", was Wolf's answer.

"How can you say that?!? He's the regent!"

"The emperor is alive, there's no need for a regent! What power does he have if the position he's occupying doesn't exist?!?"

"His death was announced!"

"Tell Minister Pei to come here. Tell him I can prove His Majesty and His Majesty's Brother are both alive and well. Tell him we have a deal to strike".

Thus, Wolf dragged Su Yan to an interrogation room, and ordered us to remain outside...
His kids started being worried he might be torturing her, while inside, so we broke the door. She was, in fact, unharmed (and clothed, and on a chair...Fu noted that with some amazement, as he expected much worse from the angry Wolf).

Then Minister Pei came, and Fu realized they're going to negotiate.

He also realized something else as well, though: he realized they're in the very ministry which makes so many officials quiver with...ahem, healthy respect!

"Black Fox, that's your ministry, right? That your father is heading?"

"Yes, sure it is!"

"Who should I speak to in order to apply for a job?"

"Oh...that scribe over there?"

"You can guarantee for me, right?"

Black Fox didn't mind, and Fu went to the scribe. The man was polite, but wasn't really helpful for a couple sentences, intending to drown Fu in documents - then Fu mentioned that he's got a recommendation!

"Oh, that's interesting! Who is it?"

"You've heard of Black Fox, right?"

The man's eyes widened and he actually set a number of documents. "Then those won't be necessary..."

"And I think Xiaomei can say a good word as well. We didn't interact much, but I was in that team when she helped us free the kidnapped nobles", Fu mused.

"...those documents won't be necessary, either, I'll fill them for you later", the man bowed.

"Thank you very much!", Fu bowed in turn. "I'll be in your debt, then!"

"Sure, sure, don't mention it!", the man waved his sleeve.

And that's how Fu got to apply for a place in the Ministry of Magic Affairs, by filling a reasonable number of papers. Which is great, because he isn't anything like a scholar!

On the other hand, he doesn't mind getting dirty, and he has hunted both rogue magicians (magorasts, as he calls them), and demons. Prime material for an agency that would be a cross of Delta Green and Arkham, in a different setting!

Then Fu went out to take a walk in the capital. Black Fox went with him...

And, while passing near the compound of Su Yan, they found a sword. A sword that was talking telepathically, as Black Fox said. The man actually pulled it out, and used it to cut his hand, much to Fu's amazement!

"You haven't gone crazy, right?"

"No, he asked for it!"

Black Fox carried the sword. And the... blade?... actually claimed he'd seen how the woman we were looking for died!

"So she's dead", Fu was crestfallen. "Seriously, that Su Yan is as good as dead!"

"I guess she'll suffer very little for it, actually", Black Fox muttered.

"What?"

"Father hates it, but he has to think of the Empire above everything. He has to strike a deal with Pei. And her life and freedom shall be part of it, she's an important ally of Pei!"

"But she has killed the girl, right?"

"Technically, she was killed while trying to run away. And worse, we have no proof she was even there! No, flying swords aren't usually accepted as witnesses!"

Fu just spat in the dirt.

"Well, that's not right!"

I'm sure the sword agreed. I mean, why are flying swords discriminated against? 

Either way, as a result of this conversation, Fu wanted to punch somebody, so he went on to see his old friend, the Red Tiger fighter. 

Friend? More like rival! But maybe that means something about Fu's friends...

He was actually glad to see me. He was also glad to hear Fu is feeling better (after a diet of candy) and is planning to ask him for another match!

"But this time, no leitai arena. I want to show you my real world skills", Fu explained.

"Fine! We can fight just outside the city, in front of the walls!"

So we fought, in front of the Beggar Brotherhood and the Red Tiger clan. Fu placed a bet on himself, too, and was amazed to see they were giving his opponent 3:1! 

"Just one loss, and they think so low of me? Damn! Well, they'll pay me for it!"

But where the first fight had been a close draw, this time Fu demolished his opponent almost unharmed! 

A lot of strikes, Fu wasn't even defending, just trusting his kung-fu to protect him!

The difference was all due to Rolling With the Blow. 

Where Fu used this technique, there was very little his opponent could inflict on him. It's a difference of 10 points of damage on top of his Iron Skin. Yes, the rule in the game is that you're allowed to stack them.

Fu and the beggars won easily, and he got 90 silver coins out of it. (That is, he had betted most of his money).

The other Red Tigers didn't let him get to their mate, even though Fu wanted to help him. They only said they're going to mock him to no end for losing to a beggar.

Fu only glared at them, but decided one fight is enough. He couldn't risk losing the prestige he'd just gained, it was better to let them deal with their friend the way they did in their clan! 

We had to celebrate!

*OOC, we know what has happened to her, as it was directly related to Hoi's adventures.
Let me just tell you not to expect a happy end on that plot line, although amazingly, Hoi isn't the one that prevented it. That's why we have those warnings.
**Yes, he's literally a teenager with an adult comic in a foreign language he can't read!
***Masters Wu and Hu were there, too.

Adventures of Fu: In which Fu helps a fox out of a predicament, delivers a message, and doesn't learn a secret technique!

Trigger warning: if you have triggers, stay out. 

For the rest of you, here's the previous episode.

A couple hours later, Fu awoke after he heard a voice in his head. 

"Can you come to help me? Second floor, the door with two guards in front of it...there's sleeping powder in my stuff, you'll find it in the hollowed-out bamboo stalk. Make sure to not inhale it!"

Fu put on his beggar outfit, made his hair less kept, and splashed on his face some alcohol from Black Fox's stash, then started stumbling towards the guards, mumbling incoherently. One of them warned him to stop.
 

"Stop?Me? A-ha-ha! But that's my room!"
 

"No it's not, you drunken sod!"
 

"Eh", Fu stumbled towards them and the wall, leaning on it. "Why so rude, man? I was told my room is on the third floor..."
 

"That's the second floor!"
 

Fu looked surprised.

"What? No! I counted it right!"

The guard just put the spear down, towards Fu's chest. Fu merely leaned his hand on the spear, then suddenly stumbled towards the guys, throwing ample amounts of sleeping powders in their faces!
 

Drop, drop.
 

"Ah...shoulda've let me in!", Fu mumbled.
 

Then he waited for the powder to dissipate, put a cloth over his face, and entered. There was a big black fox in a magical circle, a wizard who started saying a spell, and another guard.
 

Fu rushed by the wizard, then simply put his foot in the circle, and dragged it back across its edge.
 

"Ah", said the naked Black Fox inside, who'd suddenly turned human. "Now we're gonna fight!"
 

And he cracked his knuckles.
Fu simply looked at the wizard, and concentrated on the wrongness of using magic. Surely that spell violated the will of Heavens!
 

And that's how the spell fizzled and died.
(In game terms, Qi Resistance, Fu's approach).

Fu merely smiled. "Care to try again, magorast?"
 

It wasn't necessary. Black Fox had removed the guard already (the guy seldom needs more than a couple strikes, lots of enemies go down to one of his attacks) and struck the wizard in an acupuncture point, rendering him mute. Then taking him out was a matter of leisurely applying pressure to the right spots.

"What happened, Black Fox? And for the grace of Heavens, dress up already!"

The black fox reappeared, jumped out the window, and Black Fox reappeared shortly after.

"Hey, thank you...you really saved my skin in there. I saw them and recognized them, didn't realize they've recognized me, too!" 

"I guess they didn't like you. What did you do?"
 

"Just a chick, and she never mentioned she was going to wed that old guy!", Black Fox pointed at the wizard. "Saved him an unfortunate wedding, I'd say! But I though he'd have forgotten her and remarried..." 

 "Indeed", Fu agreed, not even bothering to comment on Black Fox's behaviour. "If she didn't say a thing, it was her fault. And he should be happy you did her before the wedding, not after! If she'd allowed her to have your ways with her after the marriage, he'd be wearing horns. Doing it before the marriage, you saved him that unfortunate fate. He should really be grateful you prevented him from getting married to an unfaithful wife! Who's to say she'd only allow that to you?"

"Oh...why didn't I think of this argument, back then?", Black Fox mused. "I'll tell him when he wakes up. Now let's move these two", he pointed at the wizard and the guard. "You'd be interested in the boy..."

"I. Don't. Swing. That. Way!"

"...oh no, I mean he's the brother of that gal you wanted to marry. Or have you reconsidered?"

"She's got a brother?"

"...you don't know a lot about her family, I see."

"We kinda met at a short notice", Fu reminded him. It was Black Fox that introduced them, if "introduced" is the right word.

We pushed them through the portal to the Golden Lotus, and much to Fu's amazement, Black Fox woke the guy in question up, and told him that the "missing Emperors" (well, really the Emperor and his half-brother, but they look basically like twins, so we call them this) are with us and not dead. The guy obviously started thinking about switching his allegiances...

But Fu told them good-bye and went away. He had no idea how to impress his possibly-future-brother-in-law, other than by "he works for Black Fox", so he just went to the Beggar's Brotherhood.

I swear, he had every intention to just train calmly to improve his skills!

Well, admittedly he did that. He asked good questions, and got good tips. He even found some applications of the forms, or so he believes...

And concentrating on his footwork, he is really starting to master the use of the staff! Besides, his internal energy keeps improving...

 

In game terms, he did master the 5th level of his style, Bandit Beating Staff, which netted him an advancement in techniques. And guess what, he is now a definite master you don't want to fight, with 106% attack skill...

His defence is much weaker, though.

And all of that happened over the course of a day! It was a nice day, a calm one.
 

He even delivered the chest that the beggar chief in the capital had asked him to get to the blind teacher in Middle City. She thanked him, and started touching the cords it was tied with.
 

"Do you want me to untie them for you, Respected Teacher?"
 

She even stopped in her tracks.

 

"Are you a moron?"
 

"I don't think I am", Fu mused. "But Yanzi says I've got a thick head. What does that have to do with untying the cords for you?"
 

"How do you think I can read a message?"
 

"Special kung-fu technique, I've always assumed?"
 

"Stupid! You have mastered Blind Fighting, you know it doesn't help you read!"
 

"Sure thing, but I always assumed there was an extra-special kung-fu technique that allows that, too?"
 

She sighed.

"No, it's the knots. Different knots at different places have different meanings..."

She started explaining. Fu decided she just doesn't want to teach him this technique, since he can read anyway, and doesn't need it.
 

So he went off to train, because he realized that he didn't indeed need anything like this.

 

Overall, it was a good day!

...and then we got summoned to help! Calmly training to improve one's skills would have to wait, again!

But that is for the next episode!