SCS-04 — reverse1999

Old Tricks

Forest, Chun Town
The melting snow now lies thick, soaking last year's fallen leaves and branches.
Pip slogs ahead through the mud, pulling her mule behind her.
Pip	pant I thought the path would be easier once it warmed up.
Paper Heron	We can take a breath here if you like?
Paper Heron takes the mule by the reins and ties it to a dead tree beside the path.
Paper Heron	Is there a reason you don't ride your mule?
Hearing the question, the mule looks up at the Daoist, then drops its head and continues its search for seeds under the leaves.
Pip	Because he isn't mine.
Pip	The Qi stagnation we're seeking stems from somewhere near an old man's house near the East Port.
Pip	I wasn't able to fully explain what Qi stagnation is to him. Still, he understood I wanted to help and insisted on giving me this mule.
Pip	But until I've finished what I came here to do, I can't accept his reward.
Pip affectionately pats the mule's back.
Mule	Whinny?
Paper Heron gives a nod of approval and gives the mule several pats of her own.
Paper Heron	You're right. It's the proper way to do things.
Mule	Whinny!!
Pip	Heron, you said you've been to the East Port before. When was that?
Paper Heron	I don't recall exactly, but I know it was very many years ago.
Pip	But you don't appear to be much older than I am.
Paper Heron	And how do you know I haven't used a technique to preserve my youth, hm? Or that I draw power from moonlight? Apply storax ash to my face each night? Or drink a specially brewed tonic made with the purest water?
Pip	Really? Which one is it? What's your secret?
Paper Heron	Haha! None. You're so gullible. I can't help but wonder how your family allows you to travel alone.
Pip	cough
Pip	I think I've rested enough. Time to move. Maybe we can reach town before dark.
Pip looks around, her gaze darting between unfamiliar landmarks.
Pip	I think I'm lost again.
Pip	Through the woods to the east, right? Umm. Which way is east?
Pip	Heron, is east to our left or right?
[sfx: footsteps]
An hour passes.

Pip	Ah, we're back where we started. Heron, you don't know the way either!
Paper Heron	Well, I always followed my seniors. I never had the need to learn how to find the way myself.
Paper Heron	But since we're looking for the Qi stagnation, perhaps I can come up with a different solution to help guide us.
Paper Heron	Channel the power of the Way!
Paper Heron opens her palm and blows, her breath gently lifting a paper swallow to the breeze.
It wobbles in the air for a moment before tilting its head back.
Paper Heron	I left a trace of Qi on it. As long as we're not too far, it should be able to guide us to the stagnant Qi.
Paper Heron	My only hope is that we haven't wandered too far.
Pip	But ...
The swallow circles Paper Heron twice, then lands on her hair and begins pecking at its wing.
Paper Heron	Huh. It's never flown that fast before. Pip, did you see which way it went?
Pip	Uhm. It seems to be on your head.
Paper Heron	On my head?
She pauses, then retrieves the paper swallow from her hair. Cupping it in her palm, she brings it up to her eye level.
The swallow remains still, all previous signs of life absent.
After a moment, Paper Heron sighs.
Paper Heron	Alright. I understand. It's no fault of yours. But we need you to find something else.
Whispering to the swallow in words Pip cannot understand, she swiftly sketches signs in the air with her index finger before clapping softly.
Paper Heron	Go!
The swallow scans its surroundings, then flaps its wings and drifts toward the brush on the right.
Paper Heron	There! Not a bad trick, eh?
[sfx: footsteps]
Forest Depths, Chun Town
Pip	pant This technique of yours ... Is it similar to what you did to that brute's knife back at the inn?
Paper Heron	Good eye. It's just a little trick I picked up. I can teach you if you like.
Paper Heron	Come to think of it, we were so busy finding the way there that I failed to ask: why were you fighting that man in the first place?
Pip	He's a fraud, one that almost fooled me too!
Pip	He had set up a fortune-teller's stall by the bridge. He claimed the land was cursed, blaming it for the town's decline, and offered to cleanse the misfortunes in exchange for offerings.
Pip	At first, I thought for certain he'd know more about Qi stagnation, so I wanted to ask for his advice. But after observing him for two days, I realized he was a fraud.
Pip	He had enough skills to convince the villagers, sending dead leaves spinning in the air, making pebbles float. That sort of thing.
Pip	But when I confronted him, we'd hardly spoken a few words before he'd drawn his blade.
Paper Heron	I see. But before you fought, did it ever occur to you that you might lose?
Pip	I wasn't about to stand back and let him swindle those poor people out of their money. Besides, you can only be sure of victory if you fight.
Paper Heron	And what was your plan if you didn't win?
Pip	I figured someone like you would step in and put things to rights.
Paper Heron	What if there wasn't anyone?
Paper Heron moves a dead branch out of Pip's path.
Pip	Thank you. If I'd failed, I'd have retreated.
Pip	There'd be no shame in losing. And when I'm older and stronger, I would return and win.
Pip	When I'm ... Well, when I'm around your age, I doubt I'll lose to anyone.
Paper Heron	My age? That's a lot further away than you might think.
Paper Heron	I have to say, your strategy of retreating when you can't win is truly a Daoist act. Follow the heart and accept the natural way of things.
Pip walks a few steps ahead in silence, eventually speaking with her back still to Paper Heron.
Pip	That fraud spoke lies, but his words about the town failing? Those seem true.
Pip	The old man who gave me this mule said Chun Town was once a bustling place. Now it's only lively during the big fair in Zhu County nearby.
Pip	Can stagnant Qi flow make a place, make so many lives, go wrong?
Paper Heron	Maybe. "Plants die. Water turns foul. Animals leave." It all can happen. But we need to see for ourselves.
Paper Heron	Many things can change a town's fortune.
Pip	Ever since I came down the mountain, I've tried to right wrongs—fight when I see injustice. I've even exposed a few cheats along the way.
Pip	Pawnbroker Wáng forced low prices and exploited the townspeople. I argued with him.
Pip	Tianshi Lǐ deceived his patients by selling incense ash as elixirs. I called him out.
Pip	And Zhào, Head of the Armed Escort, let his men bully the merchants. So, I fought him too.
Pip	But ... But nothing seems to have changed.
Pip	Maybe I just don't know enough yet. If I were like you, or even better than you ...
Paper Heron	That wouldn't change anything.
Paper Heron	You have a good heart, Pip, and your mind is in the right place. But there are some things no one person can do.
Paper Heron	Great skills can make a dead tree sprout and a flower bloom for a hundred years.
Paper Heron	But no one can return to a spring that has already passed. All things flow as they will.
[sfx: water trickles]
Paper Heron	...
Paper Heron suddenly tilts her head, listening to something in the near distance. Then she smiles.
Paper Heron	Forget it. Let's just focus on what's in front of us.
Paper Heron	Listen. Do you hear water?
TO BE CONTINUED ...