The Gory Pearl of Doom: A Lady Jin and One-eyed Nu novel Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Part one

  Chapter one

  Chapter two

  Chapter three

  Chapter four

  Chapter five

  Chapter six

  Chapter seven

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Part two

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Chapter thirteen

  Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Chapter seventeen

  Chapter eighteen

  Chapter nineteen

  Part three

  Chapter twenty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Chapter twenty-two

  Chapter twenty-three

  Chapter twenty-four

  Chapter twenty-five

  Chapter twenty-six

  Chapter twenty-seven

  Chapter twenty-eight

  Part four

  Chapter twenty-nine

  Chapter thirty

  Chapter thirty-one

  Chapter thirty-two

  Chapter thirty-three

  Chapter thirty-four

  Chapter thirty-five

  Chapter thirty-six

  Chapter thirty-seven

  Chapter thirty-eight

  Things to Come

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  Author's Note

  THE GORY PEARL OF DOOM

  Gary W. Feather

  Dedicated to everyone who loves SWORDS.

  COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:

  The Gory Pearl of Doom

  All Contents copyright 2016.

  Gary W. Feather

  Published by Interstellar Bushido Publishing.

  All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in the fiction in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts there of, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Author website: www.garywfeatherauthor.com

  Part one

  Chapter one

  After handing off their horses to a stable boy, Lady Jin and her apprentice One-eyed Nu were led into the mansion by a servant woman. The entered a courtyard with a pond and flower garden to her left. After passing through the courtyard the servant led them into the main building. The servant opened a door and ushered them inside.

  Several men and one old woman waited for them. Lady Jin quickly guessed Li Bo to be the middle aged man seated on a large brown cushion and dressed in a blue silk robe. He had gray hair and a thin gray mustache. He looked Lady Jin over with stern eyes that betrayed neither desire nor disgust. He made her feel a little under dressed in her riding clothes. Maybe we should have asked for a bath and a place to change into dresses. Unlike him the other men in the room were armed. Three men held spears and stood behind Li Bo. The forth man stood aloof and by himself, his weapon of choice was a sword.

  “I am Madam Zheng. Li Bo’s head servant.” The old woman bowed to Lady Jin. Lady Jin returned the bow. Nu bowed after her teacher.

  “I am Lady Jin. This is my apprentice One-eyed Nu.”

  “This is Li Bo.” Madam Zheng gestured respectfully to Li Bo, who nodded to Lady Jin, but not to Nu. “A respected elder of Duan and the Wei magistrate for Duan and the surrounding area.”

  “We are honored to meet Magistrate Li Bo.” Lady Jin bowed again.

  “Thank you.” Li Bo replied. “I am in need a skilled warrior. My life and the lives of all the people of Duan are in danger. An evil man named Su Mao is gathering warriors under his banner. It is said that he worships demons that desire human sacrifice. Many people, especially children have recently disappeared and suspect it is him. Everyone fears this man and his power over others. I need a great warrior to kill him. I will pay a good price for his dea-”

  The strange man with a sword laughed arrogantly. “I told you, old man! I will kill him. We do you wish to waste your money on this whore! Do you want her to screw him to death? I will kill him with this sword of mine.”

  “Put that away!” Madam Zheng snapped. “You’re rude.”

  One of the men with a spear moved from standing to a fighting stance. His spear pointed at the swordsman, who ignored him. The swordsman was snarling at Lady Jin.

  “You should leave.” Lady Jin calmly said without touching the hilt of her sword. “You shouldn’t upset the magistrate.”

  “Magistrate? Magistrate my ass!” the swordsman laughed. “This old fool is only slightly wealthier than the average farmer around this worthless town.”

  “Then we do you want to work for him?” Lady Jin sensed he was trying to get up enough nerve to attack her.

  “I need the job, bitch.” His hand shook a little, until he twirled his sword a few times in attempt to frighten Lady Jin. When it didn’t work he attacked without offering a challenge.

  Lady Jin dodged his angry attack before drawing her sword. He swung wildly at her with his sword twirling like an out of control wheel. She blocked. She dodge. Lady Jin slashed his thigh. He went by her. Lady Jin spun and cut his ribs. Deep enough for her swordtip to slice into the lower lungs. Lady Jin knew what she had done. He wouldn’t die right now, but she knew that some people did die of such wounds. Still he could still kill me, if I don’t end this soon.

  The man was breathing hard from the wound and his own wasteful exertion. Lady Jin stabbed towards his heart. He blocked it. Harder than he should have. He wastes his energy so much. Fool! A sword feint to his groin. His sword went down to block. Lady Jin pierced his heart.

  “Aaah…” The man dropped to his knees. His sword fell with a clang and bang. Lady Jin faintly smelled feces in the air. This sometimes happened to even the bravest when they did. Lady Jin grabbed the man’s shoulder. She pulled her sword free. The man fell face forward.

  The three spearmen were pointed their weapons at her. Lady Jin bowed to Li Bo with her point aimed at the ground. Li Bo waved to his men. They set the butts of their spears on the ground. Lady Jin wiped her blade clean with her rag.

  “I’m sorry about the mess, Magistrate Li Bo.” Lady Jin put her sword away.

  Li Bo laughed and slapped his knee. “You are sorry?” He smiled at Madam Zheng and nodded. “I think she is the one.”

  “As you wish.” Madam Zheng bowed deeply.

  Li Bo stopped laughing. Lady Jin felt his stern gaze upon her again. “30 silver Wei coins.”

  “200.” Lady Jin gave him her stern look in return.

  “40.”

  “185.”

  “50.”

  “You need me.” Lady Jin added. “180.”

  “110.”

  “I accept, Magistrate Li Bo.” Lady Jin bowed.

  “Good.” Li Bo nodded. “Madam Zheng, go get the papers to sign.”

  “Yes, magistrate.”

  After the papers were signed Li Bo told Madam Zheng to give them a room in the woman’s quarters.

  Chapter two

  Now with a yellow dress on Lady Jin went to the Duan market place. Nu stopped to look at a two headed spear as a blacksmith bragged about it. Nu was dressed in a green dress with a green eye patch over where her left eye used to be. Lady Jin’s eyes scanned the area for danger and saw a familiar face. Snake-tongue. Still a handsome man, though he had a few gray hairs now. His muscles were still hard and strong. He moved among the simple farmers and merchants with a gait of a tiger. Lady Jin forgot Nu and went to him.

/>   “Snake-tongue?”

  “Lady Jin, it has been along time since I saw you last.” He smiled. There were more wrinkles on his face than the last she had rode with him. His eyes were strange. Lady Jin couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew something felt wrong.

  “How do you feel, Snake-tongue?”

  “Great.” Snake-tongue said. “I heard you were in Duan.”

  He brushed her hair off her shoulder. There was a red bracelet on his bicep.

  “Who’s the girl?”

  Lady Jin noticed that Nu had followed her. “This is my apprentice One-eyed Nu. Nu this is an old friend of mine Snake-tongue.”

  “Please to meet you, Snake-tongue.” Nu adjusted her eye patch and bowed. Snake-tongue bowed back in return. “My mistress told me about you.”

  “Oh she did?” Snake-tongue smiled at them both.

  “Not much.” Lady Jin added. “Just an adventure tale or two.”

  “I see.”

  Lady Jin noticed some armed men walking among the people with red bracelets on their biceps. Everyone feared them. The men pushed and shoved people around. They also snatched anything they wanted. She didn’t like it. One of the men tried to steal a plucked chicken from an old woman. She smacked him on the head with a wooden spoon. The other men laughed at him. He grabbed the old woman and tossed her to the ground. He kicked her.

  “Your friend is upset.” Snake-tongue said.

  Lady Jin saw Nu run to the old woman’s defense. She kicked the man in the chest. The man fell on his butt to his friend’s delight. He jumped up. Nu drew her sword to wave in his face. He stepped back and drew two short swords. The blades were the length of his forearms, but were wider than Nu’s blade.

  Watch out for both blades! Don’t focus only on one. Lady Jin couldn’t say it out loud, but she hoped that Nu remembered her training.

  Nu swung low at the man’s knee to test his abilities. The man retreated before charging at her. One blade after another. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right. Nu blocked the moves. He’s trying to create a rhythm. Hoping she’ll follow it and get blind to it. Then surprises her with a move she won’t be ready for. Don’t be fooled by him, girl!

  The short swords went forward at once; one high and one low. Nu sidestepped with her blade vertical to ward off. Nu circled. People watched, but kept their distance. No one was bargaining over merchandise. The man charged. Nu slashed his forearm, but not deeply. Her next slash was blocked. He blocked her stab. He chopped. Nu sidestepped. She tripped his leg. Nu snatched his wrist. She twisted till he dropped a short sword. He swung his sword at her from where he sat on the ground. Nu blocked it. He stood up. Nu used his momentum to help her swing him around. He slammed into the old woman’s market stall.

  A boy that was helping the old woman poured some hot liquid on the short swordsman. The man screamed. The old woman tossed some feathers on the man. He ran off screaming. Everyone laughed. Including Snake-tongue and Lady Jin. Lady Jin reached for her sword when the other men with red bracelets started towards Nu with violent intent. Snake-tongue yelled at them and they didn’t attack.

  “Impressive girl, Lady Jin.” Snake-tongue nodded. “I’m sorry, but I’m working for Su Mao. I heard you’ve been hired by Li Bo to kill my boss. I’ll have to stop you, if you don’t leave Duan now.”

  “I can’t do that, Snake-tongue.”

  Snake-tongue nodded with a sad face.

  Lady Jin walked over to Nu, but glanced behind her at Snake-tongue a few times. He walked off to leave with the other men with red bracelets.

  “Well done, Nu.” Lady Jin was happy to see her student clean her sword before sheathing it.

  “Thank you, mistress.”

  The old woman and boy walked to them and bowed.

  “Thank you so much for defending us from that thug.” The old woman said.

  “You’re welcome, grandmother,” Nu replied with the ‘grandmother’ title to be polite to an elderly woman. “He was very rude to you.”

  “Yes.” She nodded. “And thank you again. This is my grandson Ko. I’ve been caring for him and his sister since their parents died, but now his sister has gone missing.”

  “I’m sorry to hear, grandmother.” Nu said.

  “Are you wuxia? Heroes? Wandering swordsmen?” Ko blushed. “Swordswomen. I mean.”

  “Something like that.” Lady Jin chuckled.

  “This is my teacher, Lady Jin.” Nu said. “I am One-eyed Nu.”

  “Have you traveled to many places?” Ko asked. His eyes wide. His grandmother patted his shoulder.

  “Yes. I have.” Nu noded. “Though Lady Jin has been to even more places than I have.”

  “Oooh.”

  They said goodbye to Ko and his grandmother and left the market. Will I have to kill Snake-tongue? I can’t. Could I disarm him?

  Chapter three

  “I am the magistrate!” Lady Jin heard Li Bo shout at the top of his lungs. She and Nu had returned to Li Bo’s mansion and heard a commotion going inside. Lady Jin entered the courtyard with her right hand prepared to draw her sword.

  Four men stood in front of the main building. Three of them were armed with swords and dressed in simple peasant clothes, while the forth man was dressed in colorful silk robes. Facing them on the steps were two of Li Bo’s men armed with spears. Above the steps was Magistrate Li Bo with a third spear man beside him. Lady Jin didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel the high level of tension in the air. A fight could start at anytime.

  “Now. Now, Magistrate Li Bo. I meant no disrespect. I wish you could see reason. There is no need for us to be enemies.”

  “As long as I do what you wish.” Li Bo shook his fist.

  Lady Jin noticed Madam Zheng and a couple of servants watching from several feet behind the magistrate. Lady Jin walked closer and cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. Everyone jumped.

  “Who are you?” demanded the strange man in colorful silk robes. Red, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and black. She counted six layers of multicolored silks robes. How could he stand it in this heat?

  “I am Lady Jin. Who are you?”

  “I am Su Mao.” He replied. He bowed. “I’ve heard the magistrate has hired you to kill me.”

  “That is between me and my employer, Su Mao.” Lady Jin bowed. When she stood up she left her hands near her belly with the right hand over the left hand. Now her right hand was closer to her sword. Her hands didn’t shake or move. “Though I am please to meet you and see what you look like.”

  “I am also please to meet you.” Su Mao smiled at her, though his eyes didn’t look friendly. “You’re as pretty as Snake-tongue said you were. A pity I must order my men to kill you.” Su Mao waved at two of his men. “Mu! Xi! Kill her!”

  The two men walked towards Lady Jin with their swords out. Su Mao and his third man headed to the exit of the mansion. I suppose Li Bo’s men aren’t going to help. The men attacked her together. Lady Jin drew her sword to parry both blades with a twirling of her sword. She stepped back and Nu was beside her eager to fight with her own sword. “I’ll deal with the one on my right. You take the other.”

  “Yes, mistress.” Nu charged in with a thrust followed by another thrust.

  Lady Jin blocked her man’s sword. She pushed his sword down. Lady Jin flicked her sword up to slash his face. He stumbled back. His face bleeding. Not a kill, but that should slow him down. Not that he looks like a problem.

  “Mu or Xi?” Lady Jin asked him.

  “Mu.” The man grumbled.

  “Oh.”

  Mu attacked with a few basic cuts that was easily for Lady Jin to defeat. Lady Jin blocked a high stab and then a low stab. He’s so clumsy and slow! Did Su Mao just give a sword to a farmer? Still a clumsy fool can get lucky if I don’t finish him off soon. Her hair fell into her eyes and she had flip it back with a head shake. I wish I had had time to tie my hair back.

  Lady Jin swung at his face then his sword hand. She missed b
y a mile on purpose. He retreated. Lady Jin charged. She stabbed at his groin and then his throat. He retreated against the wall. His back thumbed the wall and he nearly dropped his sword. Lady Jin smirked. Mu saw it. He growled and charged like a fool. Lady Jin sidestepped. She pierced his heart through the side.

  The swordswoman worked to slow her breathing as she wiped her blade clean. Lady Jin saw Nu finishing off the other man with a chop to the neck. He went down to his knees before falling to his belly.

  “How are you, mistress?”

  “I’m fine, Nu.” Lady Jin sheathed her sword. Nu reached for her rag to clean her sword. Lady Jin looked to see Li Bo had returned inside the mansion with his men. Madam Zheng waited on the steps for them.

  “Please come this way, Lady Jin and your student.” She waved them to follow. The elder servant led them back to the room where she had first me with Li Bo. Madam Zheng showed Lady Jin to a cushion she could sit on. Nu sat behind Lady Jin a bit to her left. Lady Jin bowed to Magistrate Li Bo, who sat on his larger cushion. His three men stood him. He returned the bow.

  “Thank you, Lady Jin.” The magistrate of Duan said. He shook his head violently. “I can’t believe the arrogance of that man! To show up at my mansion like that.”

  “True, but I do know what Su Mao looks like, Magistrate Li Bo. It will make it easier for us to search for him.”

  “Yes. I suppose that’s true.” Li Bo nodded. Lady Jin noticed that he rubbed his hands nervously. He didn’t do that the last time we met. Su Mao has obviously disturbed him.

  “Do you have any idea where Su Mao is living?” Lady Jin asked.

  “I wish I did.” Li Bo sighed. He rubbed his face with his hands. “I have no idea where that bastard is living. I have heard rumors he lives in a cave or in a lake. But I…I don’t know. I’m sorry, Lady Jin.”

  “That’s fine.” Lady Jin smiled at him. “I’ll keep trying. Most of his followers seem to where there red bracelets. There’s that at least.”

  “Yes.” Li Bo looked defeated to Lady Jin, but she thought she saw a glint of hope in his yes.