At a tavern somewhere beyond the frontier, Yi Dao and Chu Qingquan sat perched upon the eaves. Yi Dao had lost…
At a tavern somewhere beyond the frontier, Yi Dao and Chu Qingquan sat perched upon the eaves.
Yi Dao had lost count of his cups, his voice thick and resonant with drink. "Hah! In this one life of ours... what is it that a man should prize above all else?"
He turned to Chu Qingquan. "I'm talking to you!"
"Some prize honor, others prize profit... and then there are those who forsake all else, prizing only a promise kept."
"Spot on! I, the Killerblade, fear nothing in this world, not even death! My only dread is facing my kin in the afterlife and being named a man of broken faith!"
"Rest easy. I shall bear witness. You are a scoundrel, to be sure, but when it comes to honoring a promise, no one does it better."
"Hahahaha! Come, drink!"
"Cease your drinking. If you stir up a storm in your cups, it will be a mess to settle."
"Confound it! Stop nagging. What's my drinking to you?"
"Let us end it here today. I promise you: one day, I shall personally toast you with a jar of the finest Parting Tears."
"One jar?"
"Ten."
"Fine, it's a deal. I'll take your word for it this once!"
Chu Qingquan offered no reply. Slumped against the tiles in a haze of wine, he began to chant something in a low murmur.
Yi Dao couldn't catch the words; he found it a nuisance. With the thirst still burning in his chest, he wobbled to his feet, unsheathed his blade, and danced a drunken dance.
Long after, Yi Dao would realize that what Chu Qingquan had been reciting was an ancient ballad.
"Three cups down, a promise is cast; the Five Great Peaks weigh light at last..."
"With blurred eyes and ears aglow, a spirit like the white rainbow begins to grow..."
As the final lines of A Warrior's Journey faded, the Killerblade's dance reached its end.