I'm really not the Saviour! (我唔係救主囖!) [danmei/BL xuanhuan]

13 - Master, your sense of naming sucks

CW: Little bit of reference to gore. Just a little.

***

"They're... not good," Chan Bik offered.

"The arrival of demons has raised many social and economic problems," Cheng Baak-hap supplied.

"It's complicated," was Gou Dzing's answer.

"... they're not the worst," said Sek Gon.

Gaam Bing smirked and then immediately hid his smile behind gruff coughing and tea slurping.

"Well, Little Gou, time for a test once again. Explain yourself."

"Oh I think Cheng Si-mui would do a much better job than me."

"That's nice. So what's your answer?"

Gou Dzing's tone was long-suffering, but he gathered his thoughts and launched into a lesson. "Demons first began appearing about a year ago-"

"Thirteen and a half months," Cheng Baak-hap supplied.

"- and didn't initially seem to be causing much trouble. I seem to remember I was training basic grappling techniques to the Junior Disciples when a messenger brought news of weird creatures being sighted in the east. The teachers and Senior Disciples decided a small group should go and have a look. Who was it that went...?"

"The young mistress of the Chiu Family from the Still Heart School, Mo Tong Si-dai from our own school -"

"Mo Si-dai's a good kid."

"- Yau Wak Si-dai from the Clear Sight School - "

"He's a little nuisance."

"- Hon Ngaa Leun Si-dze from the Gales of Battle School, and Geui Baak Kei Si-mui from the School of Reflective Arts."

"Decent," was Sek Gon's assessment, surprising everyone present.

"In the end, they weren't able to find out much, only that these creatures did exist, in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some were humanoid, some shaped like beasts. It was only as the months went on that news came in of the trouble they were beginning to cause. Stealing, at first. But it became violent. So we called the scouting group back and I led a group of senior disciples to help defend the people."

"And that's when you got the Jade Exorcist name?" Chan Bik asked keenly.

Gou Dzing shrugged, clearly embarrassed. "I suppose. Anyway, we're not entirely sure what the demons' motives are. There's been no large-scale assault, although bigger and bigger groups have been appearing to attack villages and now even larger towns. With all the stealing happening, it seems they want food and weapons. But they can't speak any human languages, and we can't understand theirs."

"And that's where we come to our current issue," the Grandmaster finally interjected. "Ling Gwong may have been taken by them as a hostage."

Chan Bik, Gou Dzing and Cheng Baak-hap broke out talking all at once.

"They did what?"

"Is that even possible?"

"How would we even negotiate with them?"

The Grandmaster thumped the table so hard to quiet them down that a crack appeared in the wood. "Ah, damn it, I liked this one... Settle down, children. Really, the discipline here is slipping..."

Gaam Bing sniffed and tried not to look proud of his silently listening disciple.

"Don't look like that, you left your disciple behind to go off doing who-knows-what for ten years. How he has turned out is nothing to do with you!"