Choice of Kung Fu
by Alana Joli Abbott (2012)
Genres: Fantasy

Become the greatest fighter the world has ever known, harnessing the power of chi to manipulate the energies of the universe. Defeat rivals, find romance, and rise to become the Imperial Champion. Win the right to question the immortal Dragon Sage, who speaks just once every hundred years! The fate of the Middle Kingdom depends on you! Will you play as male or female? Gay or straight? Will you battle against foreign invaders, or will you rise up against the Emperor? What question will you ask the Dragon Sage, the wisest of all creatures?

action: %
response: "Look out!"

The noise of battle is distracting, and it takes you almost too long to realize that the warning was shouted to you. An outlaw wearing a blue turban is charging toward you, his longspear leveled at your heart. What will you do?

A: Stand firm, blocking the spear away at the last moment and slashing twin tiger claws across his face.
B: Pounce toward him at the last moment, springing like a leopard, and bring an elbow down on his head.
C: Dart off to the side, balancing on one leg like a crane before delivering a swift kick to his knee.
D: Weave hypnotically in my stance, and when he strikes, I am no longer there; I launch a series of quick, snakelike strikes to the pressure points in his exposed rib cage.
E: Make a series of flashy moves that draw his target toward my right side, then move to the left, delivering a reiken strike to the right side of his head as he passes by.
F: Remain still, my hands low at the chi center of my body, and at the moment he would hit me, circle his spear away and shift myself away from the strike.
action: You go downwards
response: He stumbles when his attack falters, and he clutches one arm to his injured side. He looks suddently exhausted, courtesy of the disruption in his chi that your knowledge of the mystical Snake technique allowed.

With your opponent deterred, but not out of the fight, how do you follow up your attack?

A: Use a palm heel strike under the chin to drive his head backwards, tearing down with a tiger claw on his face as he falls.
B: Drive into him with a series of fast leopard punches down the center of his body until he falls to the ground.
C: Take his leg out from under him with a sweeping straight kick, delivering a wing strike to his neck at the same moment, graceful as a crane.
D: With my fingers tight like a snake's head, strike out at his face and neck in a complex pattern of several hits that impact on nerve points, disabling him.
E: Feign a low kick to the knee, and when he moves the spear shaft down to block, shoot a dragon tooth strike?my fingers separated in a V?into his eyes before sweeping him from behind.
F: His death would be senseless and against the Buddha nature; pivot around behind him and lock him in a sleeper hold.
action: You go down
response: The quick strikes of the Snake style, combined with the knowledge of chi, drop him to the ground, unconscious. He'll be feeling that when he wakes up.

The outlaws continue toward you and your fellow students, flashes of blue catching your eye against the greens and browns of the marsh surrounding your path. It is hard to imagine that only moments ago, the nine of you were making your way back to the monastery of the Order of the Peach Tree, students on the simple assignment of escorting a wagonload of supplies home.

The students have mostly remained on the path, where their footing is more certain, but the outlaws appear to have little trouble navigating the wetlands. While they fight like untrained peasants, numbers are definitely on their side.

It's time to get serious. Drawing on the training you received before entering the Order of the Peach Tree, you prepare your next attack. How will you fight?

A: Draw my sword. This blade was forged by the most expert smiths in the Middle Kingdom, designed specifically to be used with the Celestial Sword style, taught only to the Imperial Family.
B: Unhitch the horse from the cart of supplies. He is a mean beast?not the fine mare I trained on at my father's estate?but few monks could master a horse from as honorable a family as mine. I draw my blade and prepare to charge.
C: Draw on my chi, as well the energy in the world around me. I can sense the life energies of my fellow students and the approaching outlaws.
D: Release the bindings that secure my longspear to my back. It is only one of the many weapons I have mastered in my wanderings, and it is a good choice to keep the outlaws at bay.
E: Why change? The style my masters at the Order of the Peach Tree are teaching me is a superior one, and I am eager to prove the worth of my unarmed style in battle.
action: Go down
response: You have had a wonderfully open-minded experience in your training. Luckily for you, the Order of the Peach Tree feels similarly. Are you a man or a woman?

A: I am a man.
B: I am a woman.
action: B.
response: What is your given name?

A: Yin.
B: Meili.
C: Yan.
D: None of these is my name.
action: B.
response: A name as beautiful as your features.

And what is your family name?

A: Liu.
B: Wong.
C: Cao.
D: None of these is my family name.
action: B.
response: You pull one of the outlaws to his feet, and in the process realize that this scrawny bandit is no more than thirteen. Malnourished and weak, it is amazing he is not dead from the beating he received.

A: I feel admiration for his bravery, in spite of his conditions. I tell him he fought well.
B: I feel pity for this boy who has turned to thievery to survive.
C: I am furious that this urchin attacked us.
action: B.
response: A wise decision.

>Next
As you walk back to the monastery, you take a moment to consider the path that has brought you here. As a child, you were told stories of the Order of the Peach Tree, a monastery where many great warriors were trained. But it was not just the combat skills that enticed you. Every hundred years, one member of the Order of the Peach Tree is given the honor of consulting the Dragon Sage. That monk may ask a single question of the wise dragon. It is only thirty years until the next monk of the Order of the Peach Tree is selected, and you are determined to be the order's representative to the dragon.

What question drives you toward this goal?

A: I know I have much to learn of combat, but I am convinced that the Dragon Sage holds the key to greatness beyond what I can learn from mortal teachers. I plan to ask, "How can I become the greatest warrior in the world?"
B: The strife I see in the Middle Kingdom?so recently reiterated by my encounter with the bandits?disturbs me greatly. I wish to see balance restored to the Middle Kingdom, so that the Emperor is once again in alignment with the Heavens. I will ask, "How can the Empire return to Heaven's Favor?"
C: I am more concerned with esoteric knowledge than worldly issues. I wish to ask, "What is the first question?"
D: My question is simple: "Why do kites fly?"
action: B.
response: You have set your sights high; if anyone would know how to set the Emperor back on the path of Heaven, it is the Dragon Sage.

>Chapter One: Bandits in the Woods
A few days after the conflict with the outlaws in the marsh, Abbot Bao Ho sends for you to meet him beneath the peach tree. The tree itself is ancient: you have been told that most peach trees live, at most, fifty years, but this one has grown wide around the trunk and gnarled in the branches. Despite its age, it continues to produce fruit. Some say that this is the peach tree after which the monastery was named, a true immortal tree in the breed of trees that represents immortality. Others believe it to be a descendant of the original peach tree, the result of careful cultivation by the monks who teach you.

What do you think?

A: It must be immortal.
B: If it is grown from the cuttings of earlier trees, the continuation of its line makes it immortal despite its many incarnations.
C: The tree is clearly not immortal; only the superstitious and uneducated would believe so.
D: I haven't given it much thought.
E: I don't care.
action: B.
response: Perhaps you're right.

The peach tree's branches extend over a reflection pool. It is normally a very peaceful spot, but now the atmosphere is tense. Abbot Bao stands there with Master Shen, the oldest teacher in the monastery, at his side, and the two men wear identical expressions of concern.

Just as you arrive, Lu Jin approaches from the other side. He appears as surprised to see you as you are to see him.

"Greetings, my senior students," Abbot Bao says in greeting.

Lu Jin bows. "Do you have training for us today, masters?"

Master Shen chuckles. "Always so eager for more, Lu Jin? As I recall, at our last bout between the senior students, Liu Meili gave you a very fine black eye."

Lu Jin bares his teeth at you in a smile that is neither humble nor friendly.

>Next
"Unfortunately, my students, this is no simple matter of training," Abbot Bao says. "Or, perhaps it is, but not of our usual devising. You told us of your experience with the bandits along the road to the Order, and I am afraid it is becoming an all too common experience in these interesting times. Too many people of the Middle Kingdom are turning to thieving and banditry to make their ends meet, and too many honest folk are made to suffer."

Master Shen grunts, and you think you hear him mutter something about a distinct lack of honest folk, but it is unclear.

The abbot continues: "Because you have some experience, and because we feel it will be a good test of your readiness to fully join the order, we have chosen the two of you to lead a group of students to the village of Kuei Xian, across the Baijiang Bridge, to solve the trouble locals are having with the bandits."

Lu Jin blanches momentarily, but your teachers do not seem to notice.

How do you respond to this mission?

A: It is an honor to be chosen, even if I must share leadership with Lu Jin. I agree to set off at once.
B: I can't wait to try my skills against real opponents again.
C: Lu Jin's hesitation is an opportunity for me. I volunteer to take the team alone.
D: I am not really interested in this interruption to my training.
action: B.
response: Hopefully your greater skill will aid you if greater numbers are on the side of the bandits. You pass a number of merchants with carts drawn by water buffalo, messengers and warriors on horseback, and travelers walking along the road with bundles on their backs. It is a fine day: the sky is blue, the clouds are wisps, and the summer air is thick with the smell of blossoms and ripening rice. As on your last trip from the monastery, you are traveling with a horse and cart, full of the food and supplies you will need for your journey.

It is up to you and Lu Jin to set the tone for this mission. The trip to Kuei Xian takes three days at a steady pace.

A: Three days is fast enough; the situation is urgent, but unlikely to get much worse in three days' time.
B: This mission is urgent, and we have been trained to move quickly. We can make the trip in two days.
action: B.
response: Abbot Bao leads you to the gates of the monastery. The courtyard has been cleared of students, and only a handful of monks are here to witness the beginning of your challenge. Just inside the gates, a brazier is lit, and over it is suspended a large urn, full of burning coals. Aligned to the cardinal directions are four animals: to the north is the tortoise; south, the phoenix; east, the dragon; and west, the tiger.

While the metalwork is beautiful, it mostly looks hot.

You must carry the urn with your forearms from the monastery to the river below. How will you face this challenge?

A: I grit my teeth and carry the heavy load through sheer will.
B: I will not rely on strength alone, but will use the heat to further forge my chi.
action: B.
response: You contemplate the animals on the urn. The phoenix is a creature of fire, opposed by the tortoise, a creature of water. The dragon, which represents the element of wood, is opposed by the tiger, which represents metal. Although you are tempted to focus on the idea that the fire has the potential to consume wood and metal, but is opposed by water and only lends strength back to its own element, you know that there is still a fifth element to consider.

There is void, the element of the center. Your own mind must be empty in order for the chi to flow through you, carrying the strength?and freedom?necessary to lift the urn. You still your mind, breathe, and reach for the urn.

You feel the pain along your forearms, and it is excruciating?but it washes over you, just a part of the moment. With each breath, you let the moment flow and change, accepting it without worrying over past or future, or even holding a thought. Your feet know this path; they have walked it hundreds of times on the simple task of fetching water. You allow them to carry you.

You breathe. You exist. The moment comes and passes, and another follows on its heels.

You reach the river almost before you realize you are there, and you calmly lower the urn into the water. It hisses with steam, bathing you in hot air as your arms enter the cold stream. You realize that your body feels the shock of the contrast, but you only observe this as another part of the moment before letting it, too, go. When you return to the monastery, you show the monks your new scars to prove that you have withstood the challenge. You have passed. What scars do you bear?

A: The dragon and the tiger.
B: The tortoise and the phoenix.
action: B.
response: Where the easiest access to the river lies below the monastery, near where the dry land becomes marsh, Bingdian Waterfall is on the far side of the karst mountain. The trip there is not a long one, but it is hard, as there is no path. As you begin your ascent, you find some goat paths to travel, delaying the true climb until the waterfall is in sight.

You feel the mist of the waterfall before you see it. Despite the warm weather, the air takes on a clammy chill?the water here is always freezing, nearly ice cold. You rub your hands together and approach the waterfall. It cascades down the side of the mountain into a pool of unknown depth. It falls from perhaps ten times your own height, and somewhere in that length there is a cave or a hole behind it, in which lies the Scroll of Destiny.

How will you attempt to find the scroll?

A: Climb the mountain next to the waterfall until I see it.
B: Use my chi to propel me up the side of the mountain, like a lizard. C: Make observations from below to calculate the most likely location for the scroll.
D: Fashion an impromptu spear from the available wood and throw it until it hits an indentation.
action: B.
response: You gather your chi and make a great leap, getting a long head start on your climb. From there, you are able to scramble up the side of the mountain by keeping your energy focused, and by borrowing some of the grounded nature of the mountain you climb. You can sense from the energy of the mountain where the indentation that stores the scroll will be, and you dart your hand into the cold water, drawing the scroll case out as quickly as if you were pulling a fish from a stream. You turn and jump, using your chi to float to the ground. You sit down next to the pool, the roar of the waterfall drowning out any other noise, and open the scroll case. Inside is what feels like an ancient scroll, marked with diagrams that show various techniques you have learned while studying at the Order of the Peach Tree. But though there are many images to contemplate, most of the scroll is empty. There do not seem to be any great secrets contained in the writing here. You do not see a hidden final technique explained, nor a clue about how to bring balance to the Middle Kingdom.

What do you wish to do?

A: Meditate on the scroll. An answer will come.
B: Analyze the scroll and puzzle out its meaning.
action: %
response: Error: bad interpreter
Possible terps are:
glulxe
bocfel
git
nitfol
cheapglulxe
olddebugcheapnitfol
fizmo
fizmodev
debugcheapnitfol
cheaphe
cheaptads
debugcheaptads
action: %
response: "Look out!"

The noise of battle is distracting, and it takes you almost too long to realize that the warning was shouted to you. An outlaw wearing a blue turban is charging toward you, his longspear leveled at your heart. What will you do?

A: Stand firm, blocking the spear away at the last moment and slashing twin tiger claws across his face.
B: Pounce toward him at the last moment, springing like a leopard, and bring an elbow down on his head.
C: Dart off to the side, balancing on one leg like a crane before delivering a swift kick to his knee.
D: Weave hypnotically in my stance, and when he strikes, I am no longer there; I launch a series of quick, snakelike strikes to the pressure points in his exposed rib cage.
E: Make a series of flashy moves that draw his target toward my right side, then move to the left, delivering a reiken strike to the right side of his head as he passes by.
F: Remain still, my hands low at the chi center of my body, and at the moment he would hit me, circle his spear away and shift myself away from the strike.
action: You go downwards
response: He stumbles when his attack falters, and he clutches one arm to his injured side. He looks suddently exhausted, courtesy of the disruption in his chi that your knowledge of the mystical Snake technique allowed.

With your opponent deterred, but not out of the fight, how do you follow up your attack?

A: Use a palm heel strike under the chin to drive his head backwards, tearing down with a tiger claw on his face as he falls.
B: Drive into him with a series of fast leopard punches down the center of his body until he falls to the ground.
C: Take his leg out from under him with a sweeping straight kick, delivering a wing strike to his neck at the same moment, graceful as a crane.
D: With my fingers tight like a snake's head, strike out at his face and neck in a complex pattern of several hits that impact on nerve points, disabling him.
E: Feign a low kick to the knee, and when he moves the spear shaft down to block, shoot a dragon tooth strike?my fingers separated in a V?into his eyes before sweeping him from behind.
F: His death would be senseless and against the Buddha nature; pivot around behind him and lock him in a sleeper hold.
action: You go down
response: The quick strikes of the Snake style, combined with the knowledge of chi, drop him to the ground, unconscious. He'll be feeling that when he wakes up.

The outlaws continue toward you and your fellow students, flashes of blue catching your eye against the greens and browns of the marsh surrounding your path. It is hard to imagine that only moments ago, the nine of you were making your way back to the monastery of the Order of the Peach Tree, students on the simple assignment of escorting a wagonload of supplies home.

The students have mostly remained on the path, where their footing is more certain, but the outlaws appear to have little trouble navigating the wetlands. While they fight like untrained peasants, numbers are definitely on their side.

It's time to get serious. Drawing on the training you received before entering the Order of the Peach Tree, you prepare your next attack. How will you fight?

A: Draw my sword. This blade was forged by the most expert smiths in the Middle Kingdom, designed specifically to be used with the Celestial Sword style, taught only to the Imperial Family.
B: Unhitch the horse from the cart of supplies. He is a mean beast?not the fine mare I trained on at my father's estate?but few monks could master a horse from as honorable a family as mine. I draw my blade and prepare to charge.
C: Draw on my chi, as well the energy in the world around me. I can sense the life energies of my fellow students and the approaching outlaws.
D: Release the bindings that secure my longspear to my back. It is only one of the many weapons I have mastered in my wanderings, and it is a good choice to keep the outlaws at bay.
E: Why change? The style my masters at the Order of the Peach Tree are teaching me is a superior one, and I am eager to prove the worth of my unarmed style in battle.
action: Go down
response: You have had a wonderfully open-minded experience in your training. Luckily for you, the Order of the Peach Tree feels similarly. Are you a man or a woman?

A: I am a man.
B: I am a woman.
action: B.
response: You sit with the scroll spread out in front of you, studying the detail, identifying the moves. You begin to get stiff from your proximity to the cold waterfall, so you get up to stretch, going through the movements on the page as they are written. You pause from one technique to the next, studying the diagram and noticing how small details have changed from when the scroll was written to when your teachers shared these techniques. You realize that the closer you get to the blank part of the scroll, the closer the techniques are?in their details?to what you have learned.

Excited by this discovery, you sit down next to the scroll again. You realize that, though the change is only barely discernible, the ink is ever so slightly darker toward the blank section. It occurs to you that the final technique shown on the scroll is one you have heard a story about: one of your teachers, a snake master, changed the way the technique was taught to the students in order to give them a lesson on pressure points. The strikes he added to the technique are clearly marked.

There are no secrets on the scroll, but there is a legacy of detail. You consider the techniques you have adjusted in your own studies. What will you teach to future students in the Order? How will your art be applied to wushu as you make it your own?

You discover that the scroll case has a small compartment that contains a brush and a block of dry ink. You take out your bowl?something a monk must always carry, you have been told?and add water to the ink. In your finest calligraphy, you add a technique to the scroll, allowing it to dry before you return it to its secret location behind the waterfall.

When you return to the monastery, Abbot Bao notices the ink smudges in your bowl and offers you a smile and a bow. You have passed this test. Which task will you undertake next?

A: I am satisfied with my performance on my tasks and conclude the test.
B: I am confident I can fight my way through Dashanmen.
action: B.
response: With a sweep of his hands, Abbot Bao extinguishes all the flames in the room. For an instant, you think the peach tree statue glows with reflected light, but then all is dark.

Master Shen's hand tightens on your shoulder, escorting you to the far side of the chamber. You can hear the soft sounds of people entering the room, though with the quiet treads the monks have practiced, it is impossible to tell how many. Certainly more than the sounds you hear would indicate.

Finally, Master Shen turns you around. "Remember your training," he says, before he, too disappears in the darkness.

You wait, your stance relaxed as you have been taught, until you are told to begin?or until the first attack comes.

How will you face this challenge?

A: I have faith in my fighting skills. I face my opponents with confidence?they are as blind as I am.
B: The challenge is to get from one side of the room to the other, but the path was never specified. I weave through the room, confusing my opponents.
action: B.
response: In your time with the Order of the Peach Tree, you have often been complimented on your ability to think outside of the boundaries of the exercise. That skill is useful here. You begin by crouching low to the ground, and you feel where the strike of your first opponent would have been had you remained in place. You strike to a pressure point on the back of his leg, collapsing it under him, as you move away from the center of the room and through the crowd of opponents.

The monks realize your strategy quickly, so you have to keep shifting your pattern of movement. The intention is to be where the strikes are not. You get into a low stance and circle walk. You move, changing directions and heights of your stance with syncopation so that your foes never catch you in a rhythm. You launch a flurry of palm strikes as you feel the body of a monk ahead of you. The next monk, however, you just evade, moving around him the moment that your earlier foe counterstrikes your former position.

It is not easy, but you focus on the strategies you have learned for keeping your opponents off balance, leading them into each other and falling away from their attacks. Occasionally, a strike catches you, but your steps never falter, and you keep moving. You can feel that what you are doing borders on what some would call the supernatural talents of the monks; you know you are drawing on your own knowledge of strategy and the principles of bagua?the eight diagrams that represent the nature of the universe.

You can sense how close you are coming to the far side of the room, where Abbot Bao awaits. You reach the wall, then circle back into the throng, gliding out of the way of the monks turning to attack you. You reach out and place your hand on the warm wood of the door.

"Finish," says Abbot Bao. He makes a final attack?a high strike aimed at your throat?but you back against the door and push it open, shooting yourself backward out of his reach. Light floods the room, dazzling you and the monks. As your eyes adjust, you realize that they are all bowing to you. Clearly your teachers were correct: you were ready for this test, and you have passed. With your successes behind you, you are welcomed once again into the inner temple. The candles are all lit, and the monks who reside at the monastery offer you their oaths of brotherhood. The Order of the Peach Tree is now your family, and you are one step closer to getting to ask a question of the Dragon Sage.

>Chapter Three: The Master
Your first few years as a monk feel little different from your last year as a senior student. Though you now have a greater leadership role, and an official ranking as a teacher with the students, much continues on as it had before. You work at the monastery, taking care of the things required of all who live there to maintain the daily workings of the Order. You spar with the monks and continue to learn the intricacies of wushu. You oversee the newest applicants as they prove their worth by accomplishing the most menial chores. You do not miss those days from your own apprenticeship.

The seasons change. The peach tree blossoms and bears fruit, then shows its naked branches until spring returns. The strength of the Blue Scarves Rebellion grows as the foreigners maintain and further develop their presence in the Middle Kingdom. Still, the Emperor shows no intention of changing their role at his court, or defending the people of the Middle Kingdom against the foreigners' encroachment upon lands they have farmed for generations.

No further threats call for the attention of the Order of the Peach Tree, however, and Abbot Bao has not become involved with the quarrel between the rebels and the Emperor on either side. The monks are divided in their opinions of the world's events: some strongly support the Emperor, others profess that it is not the Order's role to get involved in events of the world, and a few mention their concerns for the common people without ever fully defying the Son of Heaven.

Do you involve yourself in these conversations?

A: I support the Emperor. He is the Son of Heaven and clearly knows what's best for the Empire.
B: I agree that the Middle Kingdom is out of balance with the Heavens, but do not openly question the Emperor.
C: I am not concerned with such worldly matters when I strive toward Enlightenment.
action: B.
response: You realize that doing nothing only lends strength to the Emperor's position, but openly admitting doubt in the Son of Heaven is both unwise and dangerous. But if the choice is saying nothing or giving up your path to the Dragon Sage and joining the rebellion like Lu Jin?well, you know what you will choose.

One day in late summer, the third year after your test, Master Shen asks to speak with you beneath the peach tree. When you arrive, the old master is dozing off beneath the tree, his staff leaning next to him. You approach quietly, but as soon as you are within range of Master Shen's staff, it shoots out to tap your ankle, suddenly in his gnarled but quick hand. His eyes remain closed.

"This ankle feels like it belongs to Liu Meili," he says with a grin. He opens one eye. "Ah, good. If it had been Kai Lo bringing a late afternoon snack to the decrepit old man, that would have been an embarrassing mistake."

Master Shen pats the ground beside him in a gesture for you to sit. It is oddly informal for one who served as your teacher for so long.

"Why did you wish to speak with me, Master?" you ask.

"Maybe I enjoy the company of my young students in my old age," Master Shen says gruffly. He taps your foot with the end of his staff. "You may be a monk now, but I still concern myself with your education."

How do you respond to this?

A: I am learning much from teaching the students and continuing to spar with the monks.
B: I admit that I fear my own art is stagnating.
C: I tell him that I miss the challenge of real combat.
action: B.
response: He raps your ankle. "As well you should. There is much more for you to learn outside these walls, Liu Meili." Master Shen raises his staff and knocks twice on one of the peach tree's branches. Two peaches tumble down, and you catch them both, handing one to the old master when he reaches for it. He takes a bite of juicy peach, savoring it, before continuing.

"It is traditional for members of the Order to spend some time away from the monastery after they become monks," he explains. "For some it is a time of wandering, living only on the kindness others drop into their begging bowls. For others, it is a chance to become embroiled in the matters of the Middle Kingdom. Abbot Bao suggested that for you, actually, and was planning to send you to Xiaonanhai, but I think that perhaps the capital is not the place for you now."

You are surprised that Abbot Bao would think to send you to the capital of the Middle Kingdom?and that Master Shen has objected to the abbot's plans.

"I think you would gain a greater benefit from studying under an old teacher of mine."

"Of yours, Master?" you ask, trying to imagine a teacher of Master Shen's that would still be walking, let alone alive.

He raps his staff against your ankle again, clearly guessing your thoughts. "I recommend that you seek out Master Zhuge in the Yellow Mountains. Zhuge is an old hermit?a true recluse?but crafty as a dragon."

>Next
In fact, you have heard of Master Zhuge, whom some call the Veiled Dragon. Stories say that Master Zhuge has followed the path to immortality, though whether this was through alchemy, devout living, or the mystical arts of the bedchamber is the subject of much debate. No one knows how old he is or the full extent of his abilities, but people say he can blow on water to change the direction of its current, heal the sick at a distance, and take on the shape of any object. He also writes very fine poetry.

"Zhuge lives in the mountains above Kuei Xian," Master Shen continues. He pulls a scroll out of his sengfu and hands it to you. It is a map of that section of the Yellow Mountains, incredibly detailed. A hermitage is marked.

Master Shen stands, slowly, hiding the quick reactions you know he is capable of. "I suggest you take a present," he says, and knocks the bough of the peach tree with his staff again. A pile of peaches falls into your lap. "Go. Learn. I will see you in a few years, if I am still around. And if you survive."

What gift will you take with you?

A: Peaches. If Master Shen suggested them, they must be a good idea.
B: I take a cutting from the peach tree, which will eventually produce its own peaches.
C: I take the time to copy one of the scrolls from the temple library before I leave.
action: B.
response: Caring for the peach tree is one of the tasks you have learned as a monk. You carefully take a cutting, wrapping the base in a wet cloth to prepare it for travel. Then you return to your room to pack your remaining things. You leave from the monastery on a beautiful, sunny day to begin your journey to the Yellow Mountains. It has been years since you traveled this road, and the journey alone is very different from one with seventeen companions. By the time you reach Baijiang Bridge, the weather has started to turn, and a summer squall hits just as you arrive in Kuei Xian. You sit in the tea house for a few hours until the skies clear, then begin your ascent into the mountains.

You are hardly out of sight of town when you see a young woman on the road ahead of you, pacing and looking quite distraught. She is dressed in humble clothes, bedraggled from the recent storm, but despite the smudged dirt on her face and the disarray of her hair, it is clear that she is beautiful. A heavy pack lies near her by the side of the road. She spots you and the worry on her face eases.

"Thank the heavens," she says, then looks down and bows in deference, despite the fact that she clearly intends to address you without waiting for you?of higher social rank?to speak first. "Honored monk, forgive my boldness, but I am in need of aid. I was traveling toward Kuei Xian when the storm hit, and my ox startled at the thunder and bolted off the road. Could you help me?"

A: I don't have the time or inclination to help a peasant.
B: I can spare a little time to help a poor woman.
C: This woman seems very familiar?she reminds me of a certain fox spirit I met the last time I traveled this way.
action: Go downward
response: It takes you a bare moment to reconcile the woman before you with the legends you have learned about Zhuge the Immortal, the Veiled Dragon. But though all the stories you know refer to Zhuge as a man, you can sense the gravitas this woman has.

The old woman beams. "It has been at least fifteen years since someone identified me so quickly," she says. "Either you are a remarkably clever monk, or I am getting less crafty in my old age." She holds the door open. "I choose to believe it is the former. Please, come inside." The hut is larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, and though it is sparely furnished, it is comfortable. The main room has a small hearth; a kettle for tea water is currently suspended over it. One wall is filled with racks of scrolls. Another has weapons of all sizes and shapes suspended from it. Two paper doors hide additional rooms.

Master Zhuge offers you tea.

A: Accept the tea and drink it as Master Zhuge drinks it.
B: Take the tea cup and contemplate the tea, considering its qualities. C: Decline the tea.
action: You go east
response: Master Zhuge seems surprised by the request, as very few people have ever sought her out as a poetry instructor. Still, she is eager to find another person with whom she can share her love of poetry.

But rather than putting your own words together, or even studying the words of the masters, Master Zhuge divides your day into two parts: practicing calligraphy and meditating in a clearing near the hut. Neither of these things feels much like poetry when you begin.

A: I do not understand Master Zhuge's techniques and have taken to making up poems in my head without her.
B: Clearly, the art of calligraphy is poetry's physical expression. The words must also appear beautiful.
C: Sitting in nature is clearly about poetry. Poetry is about observation as much as it is about creation.
action: B.
response: "You see?" Master Zhuge says, a touch defensively. "Your school is not the only one, Pai." "Let us speak of poetry! But first, Miao, tell me that you have brought me wine."

"Of course," says Master Zhuge, handing her guest the first of, you suspect, many wine skins to be drunk that night.

Li Pai begins to launch into his own poetry, and Master Zhuge responds with her own, some that you recognize from the work of hers that you have already heard and read, and some that sounds extemporaneous, but no less sophisticated. After you have listened to the exchanges for some time, it is clear that, in order to participate in this evening, you will need to contribute some poetry of your own.

A: I am happy just to be in the presence of two such gifted poets. I will let it all sink in.
B: I am confident that I will be able to create extemporaneous poetry. C: I am uncertain about creating my own poetry, but I rely on my memory of older poems to add to the conversation.
action: Go downwards
response: You know the history of Hongcao Pass?it was one of your favorite stories as a child, and you have studied the different tellings of that event at every opportunity. Master Zhuge was on the side of Hong Wei, the most capable general among the three armies, who fought on behalf of the Imperial Family against a rebelling warlord and the horse-riding savages of the western plains. Between General Hong and Master Zhuge, the battle was decisive, and Hongcao Pass was named after the general, who became a trusted advisor to the Emperor.

The story that Master Zhuge tells you surprises you: Zhuge knew that in order for the general's strategy to work, the army would need to double the number of drummers sending out the orders to the soldiers. In order to meet the army's need, Zhuge recruited a number of young women instrumentalists from a nearby village. Though General Hong was unsure about using untried women in the role, they were vital to his ruse: he needed the drum calls to disorient his enemies and keep the opposing armies from learning his location until it was too late for them to prevent his attack. Zhuge snuck the women up into the pass into secure locations, where their drum calls would echo and multiply, thus adding further confusion to General Hong's original plan. Many other details played into the battle, of course?including an east wind Master Zhuge summoned, which caused the banners of the horse barbarians to flutter chaotically in the winding pass and further disorient the enemy?but history's record of the numbers is entirely accurate.

As you discuss old battles, day after day, Master Zhuge insists that you play go. The board game, played on a grid where stones of opposing colors?black and white?are used to attempt to surround their opponent's pieces, distracts you from the tales of Master Zhuge's important strategic decisions.

Do you question her technique?

A: The distraction is unwelcome. I would rather pore over maps of Master Zhuge's campaigns.
B: The multitasking is difficult, but I suspect it is part of the exercise.
C: I love go! I could play this game all day.
action: B.
response: Paying attention to both the stories and the strategy of the game, retaining both in your head without being distracted, is certainly a skill that requires a quick mind. It also has the added benefit of causing you to focus more closely on Master Zhuge's reactions and expressions. You feel you are beginning to learn how to read her emotions more clearly, and your insight into her expressions aids both your game and your understanding of her campaign decisions. One evening, during which you are comparing two accounts of the campaign during the Border War fought between Emperor Da Xiaoten?the grandfather of current Emperor Da Gaozu, the Son of Heaven?and the barbarians of the western plains, Master Zhuge sets up the go board, as has become your custom. This time, however, she sets three chairs around the table.

"Are we having company?" you ask.

"In a manner of speaking," Master Zhuge says in her typical cryptic fashion.

After arranging the board, Master Zhuge disappears into her room, then returns with a silk bag and heads outside. You follow, curious, and watch as she withdraws a bundle of small flags and arranges them in a circle. She begins to chant in a language that is only vaguely familiar?it sounds like a very old dialect of your own language, with a very different vocabulary?and, after a few moments, the ghost appears. At first he is only a shade, but as Master Zhuge's chanting continues, he resolves into a tall man wearing scale armor over a changshan. A red cloak is draped over his armor, and his helmet is decorated with an equally red feather plume. A well-shaped beard and mustache, flecked with gray, surround a mouth that breaks into a smile when he sees your master.

"Zhuge Miao," he says, sounding like an echo of a once-booming voice. "Has it been long, my friend?"

"Ages," Master Zhuge confirms, taking the ghost's hands in her own. "I have a go player to introduce you to while I tell you stories of the future."

The man looks at you sharply.

A: I bow, in deference to this old friend of my master's.
B: I bow, but only slightly. Surely I have greater status than a ghost! C: I remain frozen in place, unsure how to greet a ghost.
D: I bow, recognizing General Hong Wei from his description in the legends.
action: You go downward
response: The general notices the clear respect on your face and returns your bow. "I see you have recognized my old friend," Master Zhuge says warmly. "Wei, this is Liu Meili, my student. Liu Meili, I present to you General Hong Wei." "It is an honor," you say, and your admiration, honed by years of studying his feats in combat, is clear. The ghost laughs. "We will see what you say after I have defeated you at go!"

Inside, Master Zhuge offers the ghost her usual seat. She begins to busy herself around the hut in a way that strikes you as more domestic than her typical fashion.

"You may go first," says General Hong.

What is your strategy?

A: I play in silence, focused solely on the game, even though this will be construed as rudeness.
B: I have been training with Master Zhuge to converse and play at the same time. I can handle the challenge.
C: I study General Hong's expressions, trying to draw him into storytelling and conversation that will distract him from the game.
action: B.
response: You have chosen to learn magic?or, at least, what the superstitious would call magic. Master Zhuge explains that it is all a matter of understanding the flow of energy through the universe. When she says it, of course, it sounds simple. But your new training regimen is anything but. You find that magic is much less about action and much more about scholarship. Master Zhuge has you studying star charts, herbal encyclopedias, and books on anatomy. You imagine you can feel your muscles atrophy as you do nothing but read.

Are you frustrated by all this book learning?

A: I am fascinated by everything I am learning, and am eager to learn more.
B: I love what I am learning, but wake before dawn in order to have time to go through my forms, so that my body remembers its fighting arts.
C: I am sick of books and wish I were doing something with more action.
action: Go downward
response: Feng looks mischievously intrigued by this development. "I thought I would have noticed your having any romantic interest by now, monk," she says. "Tell me, who is the lucky person?"

A: I admit my longing for my former rival, Lu Jin.
B: I confess my interest in Feng herself.
action: B.
response: To your surprise, the fox spirit blushes.

"How unexpected," she says, almost to herself. "I admit I find you intriguing?certainly more so than other monks that I have met?but I did not think a monk would return those feelings." She turns away, as though she is unable to meet your eyes. "I want us to be clear. I have promised Miao that I will not take you down the foxhole unless you ask it, but I promised nothing about the possibility of warming your bed. Is that what you wish?"

A: Yes. I cannot deny my attraction to the fox spirit.
B: I did not actually believe she would accept my advance. Faced with the reality of being a fox spirit's lover, I find I cannot actually accept.
action: B.
response: After so much solitude, it is heartwarming to be surrounded by so many joyous people. It is also tiring. Though the food is excellent and the dancing is scheduled to go on until dawn, you find yourself ready to return home to the quiet of your courtyard and the comfort of your bed.

>Next
A week goes by before you begin to receive visitors. One bright morning, a young man arrives at your door. When you meet him at the gate, he bows.

"Honored Master Zhuge, I seek to become your student."

You have already given some thought about how you will greet prospective students. At the Order of the Peach Tree, student spend years doing menial labor before they are granted permission to learn forms and techniques. In other places, students are left to wait outside without food or drink, and only those who survive several days without giving up?or fainting?are allowed to be taught.

How do you greet your first prospective student?

A: I make him wait?but only a few hours. Then I set him to work doing chores.
B: I welcome him immediately, ushering him inside and discussing what he hopes to learn.
C: Although it could mean fewer students, I want only the most tenacious. I tell him to come back tomorrow and get to work repairing the servants' building.
D: I only want the brightest students. I ask them an impossible riddle.
action: Go downward
response: You pose a difficult riddle, one that will reveal not only critical thinking skills but a familiarity with literature and philosophy. The prospective student sits to consider it, then leaves.

But he returns the next day, with a friend.

A week and a handful of additional minds later, the first student approaches you with an answer, without sharing it with his peers. It is correct, and you let him inside the gate.

"Why didn't you share the answer?" you ask.

"How will they learn if they don't figure it out on their own?" he asks in return.

It takes time for others to solve the riddle, and many give up. But soon you have a group of very clever students who are eager to learn.

Having the cleverest students also serves to keep you on your toes, and you have to work to stay one step ahead of them. They drive you to be your best in order to teach them to be theirs.

What do you teach at your school?

A: Physical combat.
B: Magic.
C: Both physical combat and magic.
action: B.
response: His challenge letter is scrupulously polite, and you see no reason not to respond in kind.

In the morning, bright and early as per your invitation, Sun An arrives at the gate. Watching his approach from one of the windows in the servants' building, you see that he is a tall, wiry man, his whiplike body made of corded muscle. A long scar stretches from his left eyebrow to his chin, which gives the warrior a menacing appearance. He wears a loose tangzhuang?lightweight pants and a jacket designed for ease of movement?and across his back, a pair of shuang dao, identical single-edged sabers. He walks with confidence and wears a perpetually unimpressed expression on his face.

How do you greet him?

A: Like any who approach my school, he must wait patiently until I decide to answer the door.
B: I send students to greet Sun An at the door and have him brought through the school to my dining room, where I will receive him.
C: I meet Sun An at the gate myself, to greet him as an equal.
action: Go down
response: "Excuse me a moment," you say to Sun An, leaving him with a bow. Your students stop their conversation as you approach, and they quickly fall into rank behind you, starting the form at the beginning. As you move through the form with your students, all three of you moving in synch, you see that Sun An is watching you raptly.

The form concludes, and you turn to your students to make sure they have no further questions. Both bow to you, looking slightly embarrassed to have been caught uncertain of their work, but grateful that you stopped to go over it with them. You return their bows with a shallow one of your own, then walk to join Sun An, who is still standing in the center of the courtyard.

"Thank you for waiting," you say.

"I enjoyed the chance to watch you work," Sun An says, returning your bow. He grins at you, and you are not entirely certain whether it is intended as friendly or fierce. "It gives me an advantage for our coming battle."

How do you respond?

A: I laugh it off. Watching me teach a low level form is not likely to give him insight into my higher level skills.
B: I tell him he is welcome to the advantage. I would not wish for him to enter our competition unprepared.
C: I suggest that, as an honorable man, he might like to even the odds by demonstrating a form of his own.
action: B.
response: Sun An takes your defensive posture for hesitation, and his moves become flashier as his confidence increases. You can tell that his greatest weakness is his arrogance, and that despite this flaw, his confidence is well earned.

And by watching him, you are certain that, with his fighting skills alone, he is better than you are. You will have to outwit him, overwhelm him with your chi, or simply outlast him in order to win. Or you must find a way to concede that he is the winner without losing face entirely.

A: I want to keep Sun An at the edge of the platform and cause him to lose his balance.
B: I continue on the defensive, determined to outlast him. When he tires, he will become sloppy, and I will make my move.
C: I meet his eyes, drawing him into a fight of the minds; the rest of the battle will play out without further injury to our bodies and allow for an honorable surrender.
action: B.
response: You make your way down to the outskirts of the foreign camp. You time your arrival to the hills below the monastery so that you can see the foreign army as dusk is falling. You and your company keep off of the road and travel through the bamboo forest that lies in the hills beneath the home of the Order. Gower's army looks nothing like the organized Imperial Army?instead, they are dressed in a variety of foreign clothing, with nothing resembling a uniform. There is very little that resembles armor, but then, you do not wear armor, either. What is distressing about their encampment is that you see a number of cannons and hand cannons?supplies that are commonly used by the Imperial Army, though of a different style.

The Order of the Peach Tree, with their reliance on the physical and spiritual arts of battle, has nothing like cannons at the monastery.

From within the shadows, you can see that the size of the army has not been exaggerated. Probably five hundred men are here; though that is a small force compared to the Imperial Army, the monks and students that live at the monastery would be facing odds of five to one. Even with the support you bring, the odds are bleak. One outright fight could be disastrous if the men are skilled at combat, especially given their likelihood of bringing those explosive weapons into play.

A: I have seen what I want to see. From here we can cut over to the path that leads to the monastery without being noticed.
B: I want to sabotage their camp.
C: I am concerned about those cannons. I want to seek out Gower to negotiate.
action: B.
response: You leap faster than the bullet fires, feeling it pass below you as you descend on your opponent. He raises his hand cannon at you in the air, but you are already on him, using your higher vantage point to execute Parting the Clouds?which rakes twice across his face before piercing the pressure point called the village rain, the notch right between the clavicles, with an Immortal Man strike. The strike drives him downward as your full body weight presses on top of him, and as he hits the ground, you feel your fingers crush his windpipe. The foreigners, who had begun to cheer when Fontaine shot, fall deadly silent. But Gower simply nods at you. "It seems I have underestimated you," he says. "We will abide by our agreement." He says something in the foreign tongue and you tense?but immediately, the foreigners turn away, heading back into their camp. Within hours, they have started a retreat, leaving the Order of the Peach Tree to once again decide its own fate.

You are hailed as the hero of the hour, and it is clear your prestige has grown among the members of the Order. For your own sake, you are glad of the success you had in defending the monastery, and are relieved that another challenge is behind you.

>Chapter Seven: The Imperial Challenge
action: Stats
response: java.text.AttributedString@15b7986: 73% java.text.AttributedString@87816d: 56% java.text.AttributedString@422ede: 98% java.text.AttributedString@112f614: 61% java.text.AttributedString@1d9dc39: 87% java.text.AttributedString@93dcd: 68% java.text.AttributedString@b89838: 62%
65% java.text.AttributedString@111a3ac vs. 35% java.text.AttributedString@110b053
Name Zhuge Meili
Style Zhuge
Question How can the Empire return to Heaven's Favor?

Your relationships: java.text.AttributedString@723d7c: 45% java.text.AttributedString@22c95b: 83% java.text.AttributedString@1d1acd3: 89% java.text.AttributedString@a981ca: 70% java.text.AttributedString@8814e9: Feng java.text.AttributedString@1503a3: 5

>OK
You leap faster than the bullet fires, feeling it pass below you as you descend on your opponent. He raises his hand cannon at you in the air, but you are already on him, using your higher vantage point to execute Parting the Clouds?which rakes twice across his face before piercing the pressure point called the village rain, the notch right between the clavicles, with an Immortal Man strike. The strike drives him downward as your full body weight presses on top of him, and as he hits the ground, you feel your fingers crush his windpipe. The foreigners, who had begun to cheer when Fontaine shot, fall deadly silent. But Gower simply nods at you. "It seems I have underestimated you," he says. "We will abide by our agreement." He says something in the foreign tongue and you tense?but immediately, the foreigners turn away, heading back into their camp. Within hours, they have started a retreat, leaving the Order of the Peach Tree to once again decide its own fate.

You are hailed as the hero of the hour, and it is clear your prestige has grown among the members of the Order. For your own sake, you are glad of the success you had in defending the monastery, and are relieved that another challenge is behind you.

>Chapter Seven: The Imperial Challenge
After the conflict between the Order of the Peach Tree and the foreigners at the monastery, events seem to pass quickly. News of the foreigners is hard to avoid: more of their ships are landing in the fishing villages they took over to establish their own port. While their numbers increase, they are also making a clear attempt to insinuate themselves further into the Imperial Court. George Gower has taken up residence in Xiaonanhai, and the rumor is that he calls on the Emperor every day, trying to mold a space for himself as an Imperial advisor.

Or, some whisper, as the man who will try to steal the Emperor's throne.

But though tensions are high, the violence has slowed. The Blue Scarves Rebellion has continued with raids, hassling the foreigners at every opportunity, but there have been no large-scale battles. It is though everyone is holding their breath.

What do you think the foreigners will do next?

A: I am still not concerned with worldly affairs. At this point, if I weren't also seeking to detach myself from emotional reactions, I'd be annoyed with everyone pointing them out to me.
B: Clearly, there is a reason behind their change in tactics. I analyze their locations to determine what outcome they may seek.
C: They are saving their resources for a large fight. I make discreet inquiries into their weapon stores and the supply chain between Gower and his men.
action: B.
response: You acquire a large map and start marking the rumored locations of the foreigners on it. They are densest at the shoreline, but while more are landing there, there is a trend from the shore northward, toward the capital, skirting the marshes when possible. It makes perfect sense now why the foreigners wanted control of the monastery: its location is directly in the path of the settlements the foreigners have been making over the past twenty years.

But the presence of George Gower at the capital makes you suspect that he is not planning to lead an army against the Emperor. If anything, you see wisdom in the rumors that he hopes to gain power through influencing the Emperor, rather than replacing him. Given how the foreigners have treated the people they've displaced, Gower having the Imperial ear could be disastrous for the Middle Kingdom.

>Next
You get a clue into Gower's plans the spring after the attack on the monastery. It arrives in the form of a summons: sealed with blue wax impressed with the shape of a rampant lion, the bleached white paper is so stiff it crackles when it opens. The letter reads:

"To Zhuge Meili:

"Based on the reputation of your skill and honor, you have been selected to compete in a fighting exhibition for the entertainment of the glorious Emperor. The fight, which will take place in an arena now being constructed just south of the Imperial capital, will feature two warriors of my native country on horseback, wielding the weapons of our lands. You will fight alongside a captured rebel and traitor to the Middle Kingdom, Lu Jin, who will be released from the Imperial dungeons for the event. The outcome of the combat will settle a wager between myself and the Emperor as to which nation boasts superior fighters.

"As a reward, the winners will be granted lands and a title by the crown, and, should it be relevant, receive a pardon for crimes against the Empire. More, however, the winners will have the prestige of having defended their country's honor.

"An Imperial guard will be sent to accompany you.

"Cheers,

"George Gower"

It looks as though you will be unable to simply decline participating in this competition. How do you react to this summons?

A: Lu Jin, a prisoner? Of course we will fight?and win?to insure his freedom!
B: This is our moment to prove the foreigners are unworthy. We will fight for the honor of the Middle Kingdom!
C: This is sure to be a farce, with the game board aligned against us, but we will triumph regardless?by whatever means necessary.
D: I have no interest in fighting in this competition. I will escape before the supposed honor guard arrives.
action: B.
response: Part of the art is knowing when to fade and knowing when to strike?and knowing when to combine those two elements to launch a surprise attack. You keep drawing your opponent into your range, deflecting his blows and keeping him off balance. Eventually, he overextends himself, and his lunge sends him stumbling forward. You strike him on the back of his helmet as he falls, and when you check him to receive his surrender, you find that he is sleeping peacefully?though he will likely have quite the headache in the morning.

Across the field, Lu Jin and his opponent are still locked in battle. You hurry across the field to join them.

By the time you reach Lu Jin, both Lu Jin and his opponent are on the ground, locked in a sword fight. The foreign warrior is relying on his armor to protect him from Lu Jin's blows, and for the most part, this strategy works, with Lu Jin's hook swords skittering off the steel. But his strikes are slow, and Lu Jin, though wounded, is dancing out of the way of his strikes. When Lu Jin sees you approach, however, his strategy changes. He darts around behind the armored warrior and hooks both of the warrior's arms in his hook swords.

"Now!" Lu Jin yells at you.

A: I am tough enough that I can deliver a knockout blow from beneath the helmet, despite the armor between me and my foe's chin.
B: I deliver a piercing blow with the jian's tip through the hole in the helmet, killing him.
C: I gather my chi and throw the energy at him with a shout, momentarily paralyzing him.
action: B.
response: The Dragon Sage's laugh shakes snow from the cave's roof, and sends it tumbling down outside the door. "Little monk," it chortles, "you have already returned the Middle Kingdom to the favor of Heaven! With every choice you have made, you have restored that balance. You have regained tianxia."

The word the Dragon Sage uses?under heaven?means the entire world; you believe the Dragon Sage means that the world, in both physical and metaphysical aspects, has aligned to once again be a single entity.

"But balance can always be tipped, and thus your job is far from over, little monk." The Dragon Sage places one of its huge tiger paws on your shoulder, and you feel each of the four eagle talons as they gently rest on your skin. "You are already the Imperial Champion, giving you a voice in the Imperial Court. What role best suits your future?"

A: A respected scholar, whom even the Emperor seeks for advice.
B: An Imperial advisor, whom the Emperor uses as primary counsel.
C: A general in the Imperial Army, whom the Emperor relies upon for matters of state.
D: A leader in the Order of the Peach Tree?who will build firmer ties to the Emperor.
E: The Emperor. This dynasty nearly brought the Middle Kingdom to ruin; I will return us to glory.
action: B.
response: The Dragon Sage nods, then breathes on you. You feel the divine energy wash over you, filling you with confidence and, you quickly realize, a sharper intellect and a greater insight. You realize that the Dragon Sage wants the Heavens and the Middle Kingdom to be aligned, and in asking this question and choosing this role, you are fulfilling its wishes as well. "The path before you will be a dangerous one," the Dragon Sage warns. "The Imperial Court is difficult to navigate even at the best of times. But your cleverness and your intuition will guide you, and the Emperor will come to rely on your judgment."

You quickly realize the weight of this gift. You will be under the scrutiny of the most powerful members of the Imperial Court, and many will be looking for a way to remove you from the equation. It will not be an easy path, but you are prepared to walk it without fear.

You bow deeply to the Dragon Sage, pressing your forehead to the ground, and when you rise, the dragon is already flying back into the heavens. But as you watch the sun glint off those carplike scales, you are filled with confidence. There will be balance, and you will serve as the conduit. And as you descend the mountain, you feel as though your place in tianxia?all the world under heaven?is exactly where it should be.

The Dragon Sage has returned to the Heavens.

If you had it to do all over again, what question would you ask?

A: Play again.
B: Play more games like this.
C: Share this game with friends.
action: B.
response: "Bolted, you say?" you respond. You can see some deep tracks in the mud where an ox might have charged off the road and into the woods. The trees are not terribly dense, but the terrain is uneven, and you could see how a woman without your training might be concerned about bandits or worse?particularly given the problems Kuei Xian has had in the past.

"I'm afraid so," she answers. "I did start to go after him." She gestures down to her mud-caked boots and skirt. "My pack was too heavy to let me navigate the mud, and I didn't want to go too far into the woods. I wish I could be of use!" Suddenly, her face brightens. "I know! If you went after my ox, I could watch your pack for you. That way you wouldn't be weighed down!"

A: What a thoughtful suggestion. I could manage the pack, but it would be kind to make her feel useful.
B: It's kind?if a little suspicious?of her to offer, but I can manage my pack AND hers.
C: Ah ha! She is a bandit! I want nothing more to do with this woman.
action: %
response: "Look out!"

The noise of battle is distracting, and it takes you almost too long to realize that the warning was shouted to you. An outlaw wearing a blue turban is charging toward you, his longspear leveled at your heart. What will you do?

A: Stand firm, blocking the spear away at the last moment and slashing twin tiger claws across his face.
B: Pounce toward him at the last moment, springing like a leopard, and bring an elbow down on his head.
C: Dart off to the side, balancing on one leg like a crane before delivering a swift kick to his knee.
D: Weave hypnotically in my stance, and when he strikes, I am no longer there; I launch a series of quick, snakelike strikes to the pressure points in his exposed rib cage.
E: Make a series of flashy moves that draw his target toward my right side, then move to the left, delivering a reiken strike to the right side of his head as he passes by.
F: Remain still, my hands low at the chi center of my body, and at the moment he would hit me, circle his spear away and shift myself away from the strike.
action: You go downwards
response: He stumbles when his attack falters, and he clutches one arm to his injured side. He looks suddently exhausted, courtesy of the disruption in his chi that your knowledge of the mystical Snake technique allowed.

With your opponent deterred, but not out of the fight, how do you follow up your attack?

A: Use a palm heel strike under the chin to drive his head backwards, tearing down with a tiger claw on his face as he falls.
B: Drive into him with a series of fast leopard punches down the center of his body until he falls to the ground.
C: Take his leg out from under him with a sweeping straight kick, delivering a wing strike to his neck at the same moment, graceful as a crane.
D: With my fingers tight like a snake's head, strike out at his face and neck in a complex pattern of several hits that impact on nerve points, disabling him.
E: Feign a low kick to the knee, and when he moves the spear shaft down to block, shoot a dragon tooth strike?my fingers separated in a V?into his eyes before sweeping him from behind.
F: His death would be senseless and against the Buddha nature; pivot around behind him and lock him in a sleeper hold.
action: B.
response: You leap faster than the bullet fires, feeling it pass below you as you descend on your opponent. He raises his hand cannon at you in the air, but you are already on him, using your higher vantage point to execute Parting the Clouds?which rakes twice across his face before piercing the pressure point called the village rain, the notch right between the clavicles, with an Immortal Man strike. The strike drives him downward as your full body weight presses on top of him, and as he hits the ground, you feel your fingers crush his windpipe. The foreigners, who had begun to cheer when Fontaine shot, fall deadly silent. But Gower simply nods at you. "It seems I have underestimated you," he says. "We will abide by our agreement." He says something in the foreign tongue and you tense?but immediately, the foreigners turn away, heading back into their camp. Within hours, they have started a retreat, leaving the Order of the Peach Tree to once again decide its own fate.

You are hailed as the hero of the hour, and it is clear your prestige has grown among the members of the Order. For your own sake, you are glad of the success you had in defending the monastery, and are relieved that another challenge is behind you.

>Chapter Seven: The Imperial Challenge
After the conflict between the Order of the Peach Tree and the foreigners at the monastery, events seem to pass quickly. News of the foreigners is hard to avoid: more of their ships are landing in the fishing villages they took over to establish their own port. While their numbers increase, they are also making a clear attempt to insinuate themselves further into the Imperial Court. George Gower has taken up residence in Xiaonanhai, and the rumor is that he calls on the Emperor every day, trying to mold a space for himself as an Imperial advisor.

Or, some whisper, as the man who will try to steal the Emperor's throne.

But though tensions are high, the violence has slowed. The Blue Scarves Rebellion has continued with raids, hassling the foreigners at every opportunity, but there have been no large-scale battles. It is though everyone is holding their breath.

What do you think the foreigners will do next?

A: I am still not concerned with worldly affairs. At this point, if I weren't also seeking to detach myself from emotional reactions, I'd be annoyed with everyone pointing them out to me.
B: Clearly, there is a reason behind their change in tactics. I analyze their locations to determine what outcome they may seek.
C: They are saving their resources for a large fight. I make discreet inquiries into their weapon stores and the supply chain between Gower and his men.
action: B.
response: You acquire a large map and start marking the rumored locations of the foreigners on it. They are densest at the shoreline, but while more are landing there, there is a trend from the shore northward, toward the capital, skirting the marshes when possible. It makes perfect sense now why the foreigners wanted control of the monastery: its location is directly in the path of the settlements the foreigners have been making over the past twenty years.

But the presence of George Gower at the capital makes you suspect that he is not planning to lead an army against the Emperor. If anything, you see wisdom in the rumors that he hopes to gain power through influencing the Emperor, rather than replacing him. Given how the foreigners have treated the people they've displaced, Gower having the Imperial ear could be disastrous for the Middle Kingdom.

>Next
You get a clue into Gower's plans the spring after the attack on the monastery. It arrives in the form of a summons: sealed with blue wax impressed with the shape of a rampant lion, the bleached white paper is so stiff it crackles when it opens. The letter reads:

"To Zhuge Meili:

"Based on the reputation of your skill and honor, you have been selected to compete in a fighting exhibition for the entertainment of the glorious Emperor. The fight, which will take place in an arena now being constructed just south of the Imperial capital, will feature two warriors of my native country on horseback, wielding the weapons of our lands. You will fight alongside a captured rebel and traitor to the Middle Kingdom, Lu Jin, who will be released from the Imperial dungeons for the event. The outcome of the combat will settle a wager between myself and the Emperor as to which nation boasts superior fighters.

"As a reward, the winners will be granted lands and a title by the crown, and, should it be relevant, receive a pardon for crimes against the Empire. More, however, the winners will have the prestige of having defended their country's honor.

"An Imperial guard will be sent to accompany you.

"Cheers,

"George Gower"

It looks as though you will be unable to simply decline participating in this competition. How do you react to this summons?

A: Lu Jin, a prisoner? Of course we will fight?and win?to insure his freedom!
B: This is our moment to prove the foreigners are unworthy. We will fight for the honor of the Middle Kingdom!
C: This is sure to be a farce, with the game board aligned against us, but we will triumph regardless?by whatever means necessary.
D: I have no interest in fighting in this competition. I will escape before the supposed honor guard arrives.