Heaven's Golden Finger - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The auction house dungeon had a binding array surrounding its cells, preventing cultivators from using their skills. Understandably so. They wouldn't want a captive breaking free somehow. The pressure of the thing was enough to give him a headache.
Not that there was much he could do about it. Accustomed to taking the blows life gave him without complaining - because complaining seldom did any good - he settled himself in the middle of the little grey room and ignored the guard watching over him.
"You'd be better off confessing and telling us how you did it, you know."
Shun didn't allow his irritation to show. Shirong Shidi was the only one he showed aggravation to and that only because the silly fool - both old and new - were particularly good at causing him trouble. Well, that and if you couldn't grouch at your Shidi, who could you grouch at?
Carefully polite, Shun murmured, "Confession requires guilt and I'm not guilty. I don't know who stole the Flame Lotus and I don't know where it is now."
A sneer curled the man's thick lips. "Huh. It's obvious where it is now. You've used it up and gained its power."
If Shun had used the Flame Lotus it would have increased his base element to an Attribute; most likely Fire. "No, I haven't." He shrugged, closing his eyes and meditating. Just because he couldn't draw on his spiritual power didn't mean he was entirely without resources.
It'd be a bad idea to access his demonic powers at the moment. That'd just convince everyone that he was up to no good. Demons weren't entirely hated in the Kingdoms but they weren't well-loved, either. He didn't need to use such abilities anyway. A cultivator with a spiritual space might not be able to enter it physically, but they could draw on its power a little; enough to meditate with, at least.
The guard kept talking, but a Leifeng disciple who couldn't ignore the world around them in favor of meditation might as well hang up their robes and find something productive to do elsewhere. As long as the man had the sense not to touch him, he'd be fine.
In the end, it wasn't the guard who touched Shun, but Priest Housu, kneeling in front of Shun and tapping his shoulder lightly. If the movement had been rougher or the attitude behind it more threatening, he'd have attacked. Instead he simply opened his eyes and looked into the woman's eyes. "Am I required?"
"You should come with me."
He blinked at her. Looked past her to see the guard slumped against the wall, deeply asleep. As Shun watched, the man snorted, sniffled and resettled himself. "I hope whatever dream you gave him is good," he murmured.
"It is. I am no monster." Priest Housu held out a hand, offering to help him up. "Come with me, boy. The Chosen One shouldn't linger here in the darkness."
The title made Shun start. "I'm not the Chosen One." If anything, he was supposed to be the Adversary, though he'd no intention of saying so.
"That Sect Master of yours has lied to you and that boy. Twisted the words of the seer. Made it seem as if it's you who will fall, instead of him. When you, and your bloodline, are the ones destined to rise and become part of the bright and shining heavens."
Her words hit him hard. He'd always known the Sect Master held him in low regard. Always known Master Qiong was waiting for the day he finally fell into the darkness and became the demon his mother's blood made him. A flicker of hope tried to find its way into his heart. It'd be nice, so nice and so comforting, if it turned out his Sect Master's hate for him had caused the man to twist the prophecy in someone else's favor.
It'd be nice. It'd be comforting. It'd also be far too easy. Until he'd spoken to the Revered Predecessor and learned the true meaning of the man's prophecy, he refused to accept this attempt to turn matters around in his favor. "If that's true, then whether I stay or go has no meaning."
She stared at him. "Why do you say that?"
"The Chosen One is the one the Gods selected to some purpose. Their will can't be thwarted by a little thing like this. And if I'm not the Chosen One and Shirong Shidi is, well he's my Shidi and it's my duty to protect him."
Her eyes narrowed. Her expression darkened. "You're a fool to refuse me."
"Perhaps. But I hardly know you, Priest Housu. I'm not even sure which God you serve, you call so many." He shrugged. "Best be on your way, ma'am. I'm not coming with you and the guard is sure to wake up soon."
He was unsurprised when she rose to her feet and gestured, turning whatever spell she used on the guard on him. He struck back at her, trying to grab her hands before she could properly summon the power. She hit back and hit harder, knocking him into the wall.
Before he could rise, she completed the gesture, wrapping the threads of her spell around him. He fought the effects, but with his cultivation suppressed and his spirit weak from not having fully grounded his foundation, he'd no hope of winning.
As he slumped to the ground, he hoped Shirong Shidi wouldn't do anything stupid when he realized he was missing.
When Shun came to, he was once again in snake form. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was damned annoying. He'd just sealed his demon blood and now he'd have to do it again. He squirmed, shifting himself into a better position and realized he was still in the auction house. Or, some auction house.
He was also the main attraction. He'd been stuck in a cage, its bars covered in demon suppressing amulets. Someone was talking, speaking in the Khai dialect. He'd learned the language, but not well. It took some careful listening to understand that he was being sold as a demon slave.
Rather than panicking, Shun checked for a geas like the one binding his aunt. It was there, but mostly blocked by another binding. One whose 'scent' put him in mind of Shirong Shidi. Ah, of course. He'd accepted his junior brother's oath to him and as long as it was in place, another geas was impossible. This one would be easy to escape. Heaven and Earth my witness, I'll not abandon you, Shidi.
That determined, he decided to hold off on escape. Right now these people were busily offering him up for sale. Locked up in this cage, he could do nothing to save himself. Once one of these damned fools bought him, once he had a reasonable chance for escape, then he'd do so.
It wasn't hard to pretend to be overpowered and too exhausted to fight. He wasn't actually tired, leading him to suspect he'd been unconscious for some time. The cage was the difficulty. It was too damned small for a snake his size. And why, he wondered, was he so huge anyway? Was his demon shape his way of countering his small human size? Could he choose to be smaller if he wanted to?
For the first time in his life, Shun found himself wanting to understand his demonic heritage. He'd done his best to ignore it until now, as if that'd make it go away. Now he knew it wouldn't and he needed to know what he could and couldn't do. He should have found time to talk to Auntie Green. She could have given him some guidance, surely?
The sound of bidders making their offer drew Shun's attention. Really? All they were offering were a few strings of silver bells? All right, that was still a pretty decent price, but he was the son of the Demon King. He ought to be worth a fortune.
The price went up. Now that was better. Three, then five, then ten strings of gold bells. Not as much as Xu Shirong had won at the arena, but still a reasonably respectable amount.
"I bid a hundred!" a man's voice called.
Another voice, a young girl's, said, "Uncle Shizhong!" Her protest was quickly followed by the previous bidder adding another ten strings onto the bid.
Back and forth the two bidders went, until the man called Uncle Shizhong finally said, "Five hundred string of gold bells and the jade tablet Feng Xi used to create the Sword of Bright Sorrow."
Jade tablets were used by craftsmen to hold the patterns for their work. A tablet designed by Feng Xi would be an invaluable device for an ambitious craftsman. Of course, a pattern alone wouldn't be enough without the talent to use it, but that wouldn't stop a would-be imitator from trying.
Shun tried to peer through the bars of his cage, but the audience was too far away for his poor vision. He'd have to wait and see who this Shizhong was. It was almost certain the man would win the auction. Though, from the sound of it, it was the girl who wanted to purchase him, not the uncle.
As expected, that last bid was far too much for the other bidder. Within a few minutes Shun's cage rocked and shook as it was dragged out of the auction hall. A little after that and he was blinking in the bright afternoon light. Even with his poor vision, he could tell he was definitely out of his home kingdom. Bazi didn't have such broad and verdant plains. Clearly this was Southern Khai, right on the outskirts of the Tu and Houtta kingdoms.
The cage shuddered to a halt and Shun cursed under his breath. Did snakes bruise? He'd a feeling they did and a feeling he'd be feeling the effects that last bump for a while.
Two handsomely dressed figures approached. A man, younger looking than his manner suggested, and a girl not much older than little He Xiaojing. They'd be his purchasers, then. At least the girl looked more sensible than Shun's martial sister. Medium height, a little plump, with intelligent eyes and a mostly calm demeanor. She eyed him with excitement, though, and he really hoped she didn't have any odd ideas about him.
One of the guards grasped the handle of the cage but the man stopped him. "Give me the control ring and run along."
"What? But, sir, you don't know what will happen if he manages to break free of the geas. Best to let us stay until you're sure he's properly bound."
"Never mind that. I've my own way of dealing with that. You can pick up your cage later. I'll deal with him, myself."
After a bit more argument, the guards left, leaving Shun's purchaser to walk close to the cage. "You really are quite lovely," he said. "Can you speak in that form?"
Shun didn't bother trying. Just gazed levelly back and waited. No one in their right mind spent that much money on a demon snake. Not as a pet, at least. Besides, he couldn't talk and didn't want to attempt the mental communication he'd used with Shirong Shidi. Not when he knew nothing about this person.
"I don't believe he can, Shizhong." The girl's speaking style was more mature than she appeared, yet another anomaly. "Just go ahead and tell him, would you?"
"Yes, Xiang, my dear." The man returned his attention to Shun. "This young lady and I must go to the Kingdom of Bazi. But owing to circumstances beyond our control, we must cross through Jingling forest. We require someone with the ability to seek the true path through that place. A demon snake like yourself would be a perfect fit for the job."
Jingling forest? One of few forests composed almost entirely of silverleaf trees and golden bamboo, it was home to spirit beasts, demons and fairies. There was a path, but a dangerous one, especially for only two or three people. If it weren't for the fact that he wanted to get to Bazi himself, he'd have sniffed at the suggestion.
The man continued, "I sense you're protected from the geas your captors put on you. I don't doubt you could break the power of the control ring with ease. Might this humble explorer persuade your noble self to assist us? For, of course, the price of your freedom when we reach Bazi?"
It wasn't a difficult decision to make. Carefully, because the cage really was far too small for him, Shun bowed his head in agreement.
Shapeshifting back to his human form took Shun a good part of an hour and he demanded privacy for the process. His clothes seemed to change with him, but he didn't like being watched. fsIt wasn't easy making his requirements known in his snake form, but he managed, writing the words awkwardly with the tip of his tail.
His new 'masters' found him a cave where he could hide. The woman, Bai Xiang, sat outside the entrance, using the time to tell him how he'd come to be at the auction. "A woman from Pahme brought you to the auction house and sold you to the owner."
"Pahme?" Shun asked, having given himself a face, and a human mouth, first. It felt incredibly strange, having a human head atop a snake's body, but at least it meant he could talk. "Did she call herself a Priest of the Mad God?"
"She didn't give her name, as far as I know. But the auction master wouldn't care about such things."
"How long ago? What day is this now?"
"She sold you to them about five days ago. As for the date, by Khai reckoning it's the fifth day of the Tiger."
Shun had no idea what that meant. "What about Bazi?"
"I think, maybe, the eighth day of the Fire Month."
It'd been halfway through the Lake Month when Shun had been arrested at the auction. That meant he'd been unconscious for over two weeks. Which, given his abductor would have had to get him from Bazi to Khai, wasn't surprising. He half-hoped he'd turned snake on her during the trip, if only because it would have made him even more inconvenient to carry.
At some point Shun would have to think about what the woman was up to. Had she been tricking him when she'd called him the Chosen One? Had she really believed it? If the latter, then why sell him? None of what'd just happened made any sense at all.
Finally transformed, Shun dressed himself in the Khai style outfit Lan Shizhong brought him. The cotton trousers and short robe felt strange to him, but suitable for a servant, he guessed, tying the leg bindings on around his knees. "I had a crown before that woman took me."
"Sadly, that hairstyle is out of fashion here in Khai. But if you'll allow me, I'll can at least dress your hair in a comfortable way."
"I can do my own. Just let me have a brush and a tie." Shun didn't know why the girl seemed so disappointed but he wasn't a child to be groomed and she wasn't his mother.
Looking mildly amused, Lan Shizhong handed him what he needed. "It's just that your hair is quite silky. I think she was hoping to pet you."
"I'd prefer not to be treated like an animal, despite my recent circumstances." Shun went to work on his hair. "I am, I was, a disciple of Leifeng, not a pet."
Lan Shizhong blinked at him. "Really? Given Master Qiong's opinion of demon kind, I'm surprised he'd allow one of the royal line into his sect."
Shun blinked. Touched his forehead. Felt the energy of his crest flow beneath his fingers. "Oh, damn. I should have known it unsealed." He'd have to fix that before they reached Bazi. Before they went into Jingling Forest, for that matter. By way of explanation, he told his 'master', "It was Master Zhan Kui who allowed me to join the sect. My father was a senior disciple and his father, my Shizun, is the Third Master of Leifeng. It was a kindness on his part."
The man frowned. "You spoke as if you were no longer a disciple."
"I don't know if I am or not. As you say, Master Qiong has a low opinion of my kind. He was told I was a thief - which I am not - and chose to believe my accusers. It's possible that, having disappeared from my prison, I'm now a confirmed villain and outcast."
It wasn't a happy thought at all and he was startled when Bai Xiang touched his cheek in an almost motherly fashion. "I believe you. Help us get through to Bazi and we'll speak for you with your sect."
Shun wasn't sure just how she could help, being a stranger to Leifeng. But he appreciated her faith in him, nonetheless. "My thanks, Miss Bai. I've already agreed to help you for my freedom, though. There's no need to improve the bargain."
In truth, Shun didn't like the thought of losing his place at Leifeng. Difficult though it'd been to constantly face the doubts and distrust of his elders, he'd loved the sect and its teachings. He would like to stay, if the prophecy could be persuaded to permit him that much. But he didn't expect it and wouldn't demand it.
All he really wanted, though, was to be sure Shirong Shidi was safe.