- Tie Clan: Market District -
In the middle of the sky, the sun sent its rays down on the many roads and buildings in Tie clan's Market District, providing a mild warmth to its inhabitants and, most importantly, its customers.
Each building would have at least two pillars on either side of the entrance. This unique style of architecture was intentional, as Tie clan loved using pillars to show off their strong and upright nature. Any extra pillars around the buildings would be appropriately fitted for the decor of the structure and area they resided in: two pillars at each entrance of the clan's gates for sturdiness and intimidation; four pillars surrounded the Whispering Forest as a warning to stay away; six pillars for luck at the entrance to the clan's Rock Gambling Den; and eight pillars for prosperity stood strong in the center of the Market District.
Business at this time of day is light, as most people would still be out doing work. During the morning, when the sun peeks over the mountains, the market would be full of people selling goods and preparing the necessary materials for any of their dangerous missions.
Although it wasn't as occupied as it would be during the earlier hours of the day, every single shopkeeper was still showing their best behavior. Even the owners of the stores, who were usually out making business deals, were present at this time as they heard an interesting piece of news: an important guest was being toured around Tie clan by many of our esteemed elders.
Many, if not all, of the managers of their own stores were Gu Masters, and as such, for this day in particular, each store was being cooled by Gu Worms. Whether it be a Dark Path Gu producing more shade or an Ice Path Gu cooling the air, these seasoned businessmen weren't holding back.
Since this man was being guided around by not one, not two, but instead a large mass of the clan's elders, it was quickly deduced that this wasn't some mere envoy from another clan but rather the real deal, as only a top-tier rank-5 Gu Master would receive such treatment.
"Why are you using an Ice Path Gu as well? You only sell commodity goods; there's no way the rank-5 Gu Master is going to purchase from your store!"
"What do you know that I don't? We all know that this guest is being guided by many of our clan's elders; their treatment of him is no different than how a mortal bows before a Gu Master! This is nothing short of a blessing for the stores selling goods that fancy the interest of a rank-5 Gu master and a bane for any other store in the area. Do you know what would happen if the rank-5 Gu Master was dissatisfied with the way my store looked?"
He was naturally referring to how those in power will squish anything that gets in the way of their benefits. Should his store be looked down upon, or worse, openly mocked by the rank-5 Gu Master, all prior business partners of his would begin to distance themselves from him in fear of earning the ire of a clan elder. While no one would directly attack him, as that would show clear favoritism to an outsider over a fellow clansman, it would still impact his future business.
His prior business partners would hide their intentions behind words of justice like:
'Our esteemed guest was brought here by many of our clan's 'top' elders, and you dared to show discourtesy?'
'Do you want to tarnish our Tie clan's prestige?'
These words echoed through the man's head as he set up Ice Path Gu Worms in carefully selected places.
This was the power of a rank-5 Gu Master; they didn't even need to give orders as others would do the interpreting for them.
And as if right on cue, the many stalls and shops heard a large collection of footsteps approaching.
"Sir Xie Ling, based on the data from the reports, you appear to be a practitioner of Transformation Path, Dark Path, and Ice Path. Now, I dare not ask which of them is your primary path! However, I would love to know a little bit about why you chose to kill Vai Tao using a Metal Path Killer Move."
This elder chose his words carefully, as asking a Gu Master what path they primarily cultivate could be used against them. The only reason a Gu Master would intentionally use many paths at higher ranks is because they were trying to hide their Primary Path from others.
Xie Ling slowly raised his chin as his eyes looked up to the sky. The wind flowed through his hair like a river, his upright shoulders stood proud, his body was sturdy like a pillar, and his eyes looked as if they had seen hundreds of trials and tribulations.
At that exact moment, the elders felt the air grow cold and heavy, like they were in the presence of a seasoned master.
"In life's inception, bound to excellence's quest."
"Forced to ascend as the finest, amidst the rest."
"Against the world's imbalance, he learned to conspire."
"Mastering the art of adaptation, to rise higher."
Upon hearing his poem, the elders began nodding their heads.
'In life's inception, bound to excellence's quest.' - "From birth, he was put on the path of reaching the top."
'Forced to ascend as the finest, amidst the rest.' - "He didn't choose this path; it was thrust upon him by the will of others."
'Against the world's imbalance, he learned to conspire.' - "Tribulations came his way; to survive, he learned how to fight back against them."
'Mastering the art of adaptation, to rise higher.' - "He learned how to use whatever came his way to further push himself higher."
This poem had a few errors in how it was made; however, it perfectly displayed the image he wanted to give off.
At birth, others had decided his fate for him. However, as he learned more about the world, he grew in his understanding, breaking free from the shackles of manipulation, but he didn't abandon what he learned and instead used it to grow himself.
His poem could be interpreted in many lights, and this was intentional by Xie Ling. Let others put together what he said for him.
A long silence ensued as they walked through the market, each elder remembering their life and how the times when they chose to overcome their bitterness were also the times when they grew the most.
Murmurs began between them, discussing what was meant by the poem.
That was when they stopped in front of a large, empty plot of land.
Xie Ling turned his head to the sky as he contemplated, "'Heaven's will'... What a fitting name for the most untouchable entity in this world! After making that contract with Vai Tao, I learned of Tie clan's many power struggles. I learned of Heaven's Will. I learned that there are indeed hundreds of methods to hide from it; these claws barely count as a method. And lastly, but most importantly, I learned of a method to make contact with it, although it's a little expensive. Until then, I can't do anything too big, lest I want Heaven's rage brought down upon me."
As he thought about Heaven's Will, his mind wandered off to when he was caught off guard by Vai Tao, The Infallible, as he stood over Hao Lee, The Swamp Demon.