Bab 12: Chapter 11: Meeting the Master
The young and beautiful woman walked along the road amidst green fields. Her rich attire, along with her armor, was designed in black and red colors with golden embroidery. Her black hair was styled in a practical bun of hair loops, secured by a narrow golden ring. The ring was adorned with flames.
This was the most popular hairstyle among the Fire Nation people. In its small details, one could easily discern the social status of the wearer. It was possible to determine this based on the value and elegance of the ring. Such a choice indicated a practical character. The hairstyle didn't obstruct one's view and was perfectly suited for both combat and daily life. Only two strands of hair on each side of the face hung loose from the tightly fastened hair bun.
"I was pleasantly surprised by your restrained behavior with that woman and her child," the spirit spoke to Azula as soon as they left the city and started walking along the path indicated by the kind stranger.
"Do you consider me a monster?" Azula responded with feigned calmness, attempting to appear indifferent to the subject. This was far from the truth, but Azula was skilled at lying and using her voice to convince anyone of anything.
The hawk still didn't understand what was being said and thought they were talking to him.
"No, not at all. Just a foolish girl who doesn't know what she wants and who had the misfortune of her upbringing. Honestly, I was afraid that, due to a momentary whim, you might ruin the life of that mother. She was so kind and good. She described the way so meticulously that we didn't even get lost in the city. It would have been tragic if something happened to her at your hands," the spirit calmly reasoned.
"You don't need to pretend like you know me," Azula replied, allowing a hint of irritation to surface in her voice.
"I do know you. I know you better than you know yourself. And I apologize for calling you 'foolish.' I meant something different and didn't intend to offend or belittle your genius," the tone of her interlocutor now carried a sense of remorse.
"Where do you know me from? More spiritual knowledge from the spirit world?" But instead of a response or the usual evasion of the question with a change of topic, the spirit asked her directly.
"What do you want, Azula?"
"Haven't you understood yet? I was under a better impression of you."
"What do you want, Azula?" the spirit calmly repeated, paying no heed to her unsatisfying answer.
"Power, I was born for it!"
"You were born to die, just like everyone else. Emperors, kings, farmers, merchants, beggars. They will all die, from old age, sickness, arrows, swords, poison... it's inevitable, and it will happen sooner than you think," the spirit replied with irritation. He didn't like Azula's response.
"Are you bringing up this topic just like that, or do you have something to suggest?" Azula redirected the conversation, sensing the motives behind the spirit's words.
"Of course, I can offer you one of the ways to immortality," the interlocutor calmly explained. However, Azula's next words caught him off guard.
"Not interested," she replied indifferently, shocking the spirit.
"Oh! Well... I see. Of course, you're young and full of strength, but with time, all of this will fade away. We'll revisit this topic someday, albeit not anytime soon," the spirit confidently replied after a brief pause.
"Not interested. I'm not so cowardly as to run from the inevitable future," the girl firmly responded.
"Wow. Well, I'm impressed, but will you be able to repeat this sentiment in old age? When youth starts leaving your body, and your skills and reactions deteriorate? In any case, we'll return to the previous topic. What do you want?" the spirit asked for the third time.
"I've already answered you. Power. I want to become the first Woman Fire Lord in history! I want to rule the world! The entire world!"
The hawk chirped, pretending to be part of the girl's armor. He found his owner's strange behavior unnerving, but he was well-trained and held his composure, most of the time.
"And how? Will you be happy once you achieve that? You're already a princess, your brother has been stripped of his inheritance and exiled in disgrace. You're the heir, the first person in the country after the Fire Lord. I think you've already obtained considerable power, and... how does it feel? Are you happy? Content with what you have? Do you feel needed? Loved? Are there those who understand you? What did you have to go through for such success, such a reputation, and how many sacrifices have you made for such power? Has your authority filled the emptiness in your heart? I don't think so," the spirit continued until the princess interrupted him.
"Stop talking as if you've known me all my life!" Azula began to get angry, disliking both the spirit's tone and the topic he had brought up.
The bird got scared of the loud voice and flew up into the sky.
"Come back!" she called after him, but the bird had no intention of returning to such a frightening and abnormal owner, ascending higher and higher.
"Why do you belittle your servants so often? Do you unleash your accumulated stress on your subordinates? You constantly have to control your own emotions, behave as the heir should, meet others' expectations, endure limitations. You don't even know about other ways to relieve stress besides sparring. And you dare call this power? If you truly have power, why are you forced to do so many things against your will, just to meet other people's expectations? And if you really want even more power but can't find happiness in what you have now, aren't you lying to me? To yourself? To those around you?" the spirit continued to press the girl, stirring up more and more emotions within her. Angry and aggressive feelings.
"I see the estate ahead. It's time to stop talking about nonsense," Azula curtly stated, indicating that she would no longer continue this foolish conversation.
"No need to tell me that. Just think about my words. Power won't make you happy, you understand it yourself. Just... just think about what you'll do when you achieve your goals, what you'll feel when you become the Fire Lord. I'll tell you what, loneliness, the same loneliness you're feeling right now and have felt all your life!" the spirit had the last word.
The princess stood still for a while, waiting for the dragon-hawk to return. Her brief wait was accompanied by contemplation, but what she was thinking, the spirit could only guess. Once the feathered creature landed, she continued her journey as if nothing had happened.
Azula silently continued along the road leading through vast meadows straight to the master's estate. Her mood was sour. The spirit had always known how to irritate, but now he had reached a new level. She just wanted to vent her anger and irritation somewhere, anywhere. But she had to restrain herself. She didn't even pay much attention to his words, fully confident in her own rightness.
The estate itself wasn't too far from the city, situated on one of the cliffs. It took her only about an hour to walk a little over five kilometers and see it. A large white-stone castle, surrounded by high walls, was located right in the midst of cliffs and plains. The estate looked harmonious, and it was evident that it was well taken care of and maintained. Every detail of it fit seamlessly into the surroundings, whether it was the color of the stone or the red slate.
"Harmonious. Piandao has a sense of taste. I like it," the spirit shared his opinion as Azula approached the small gates of the castle.
Standing in front of the massive red and gold gates, Azula carefully examined them. Red doors, gilded trim, and a golden circle at the center of the entrance. On it was an image of a white lotus flower. The handles were shaped like golden lion-turtle heads.
"What are these demon faces? They look very hairy," she remarked, ignoring the spirit's comments, and then she reached for the ring and knocked.
"Knock-knock-knock."
"Well, are we sticking to the plan? Try to be more modest and kind," the spirit said cheerfully, observing the girl's actions.
About a minute passed, but no one opened the gate. Azula knocked again.
"Knock-knock-knock-knock."
"Maybe the gatekeeper went somewhere?" the spirit suggested, but by this point, more than ten minutes had passed, and this kind of negligence did not sit well with the imperial individual.
Starting to knock again, she didn't stop, as if venting her pent-up anger.
"Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock..."
"Perhaps, no one is at home?" was another idiotic suggestion from the spirit, which Azula ignored completely. She didn't even pause her action, continuing to pound on the door. She was angry and hated wasting her time for no reason.
"Maybe it's worth climbing over the walls?" the spirit proposed a sensible idea, and Azula even stopped to consider it, assessing the height of the walls. Unexpectedly, a creaking sound echoed, causing the girl to divert her attention to the opening gate.
"What can I help you with?" asked a man with a large belly and a balding head adorned with a few gray hairs. His face radiated immense tranquility and indifference to everything. He appeared completely unshaken and composed. His bored gaze briefly surveyed the arriving girl, but the man remained unimpressed and showed no emotion.
"I've come to speak with the master," Azula instantly composed herself, wanting to appear as calm and confident as possible, hiding her true emotions.
"Do you know that the Master does not accept new students? Do you think he'll accept you?" the man who opened the gate rubbed his fingers together, extending his hand slightly, clearly hinting at something. However, the girl didn't quite understand what was expected of her. She had never encountered such directness and audacity in her life before.
"Wow, that was a bribe! So basic and direct. Astonishing audacity. Just give him a gold coin; if he becomes greedy, give him one in the groin, it's that simple," unlike the princess, who had never given such direct bribes to anyone and only suspected what was expected of her, the spirit immediately understood everything.
Azula looked at the indifferent man's face after he extended his hand, hinting for her to put money in it. She wanted to unleash all her anger on him, but she had to stick to the plan and keep her composure. She was the best at doing this, so she reached for her purse hanging from her belt. Taking out a single gold coin, she placed it in the man's hand. With a bored look, he examined the shiny coin. Weighing the coin in his hand, he performed a vanishing trick with the money.
Sighing heavily, lowering his gaze, it was as if he wanted to say, "Is that all?" Only after sighing a bit did he respond.
"Alright. You can speak with him," the man let her inside, closing the gate behind her, and then began silently and composedly showing her the way.
His completely bored face spoke volumes. Who knew how many potential students he had escorted to Master Piandao in this manner? Azula knew only that Master Piandao no longer took on new students, but undoubtedly, many had tried to gain his apprenticeship. The girl continued to follow the old man, inspecting the castle from the inside. It was harmonious, and the sculptures of lion-turtles were appropriate, while the numerous depictions of the white lotus on decorative items hinted at something. This flower was special to Master Piandao, something Azula quickly understood, even if she didn't know the details.
"Inside here is even better than the outside. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this, but the constant fields... I'd probably get tired of such scenery quickly," the spirit didn't forget to comment on everything Azula saw.
As she walked through the castle, the princess managed to notice the stables, a blacksmith's workshop, many other rooms, and a few other residents of the castle. She also saw a garden of stones through the windows. Wandering through the corridors of the solitary fortress for a while, the old servant led her to the large doors of one of the rooms. Opening the doors, he kindly let Azula enter.
Inside the room, there were not many luxuries. A couple of rugs and candlelit chandeliers were present. The room looked more like a small hall, with a huge window in the wall that offered a magnificent view of the sky and the green cliffs. Opposite the window stood a low, wide table behind which sat a younger man dressed in richer black clothing with golden embroidery. He had black hair styled into a knot of locks and a small beard. He paid no attention to the newcomers, continuing to wield a brush as he transferred the beauty of nature onto a sheet of paper. Next to him lay a sword concealed in gilded scabbards.
A true master never parts with his weapon.
"Master," the princess immediately recognized the sought-after individual in the stranger.
"My name is Ty Lee. I want to become your student," Azula spoke respectfully, bowing her head before the master and introducing herself using her childhood friend's name. But Piandao didn't even glance away from his work, continuing to paint.
"Girl, and even Lee..." the master mused thoughtfully, as if savoring Azula's false name.
"Many like you have been in this very spot before. Young men, young women, many of them had the name Lee. Let me guess, you traveled hundreds of miles from your little village, where you were the best among warriors and often defeated soldiers. Now you're here. Do you think you're worthy of learning the art of the swordsman from me?" the master continued, not pausing in his work with the brush. Azula decided to raise her gaze, involuntarily peering at the painting he was creating.
"Wow, what a landscape. This man has talent; I wish I could paint like that. But let's not dwell on that; focus on our plan. However, you can add a compliment about his talents," the spirit remarked, appreciating the beauty being created right before their eyes. While the painting was still unfinished, the image on the canvas breathed with life and was absolutely identical to nature.
"No, I sailed here on a ship, and my journey was easy and short," Azula replied, feigning uncertainty and doing her best to convey sincerity and insecurity.
"Well done," the master dryly responded, continuing to paint.
"Now's the time to come clean; try to stick to our plan. We thought it out for a reason," the spirit suggested.
"And... I've never held a sword before," Ty Lee confessed honestly, in a timid and uncertain tone, lowering her gaze.
"Hmm?! You're not doing a great job of presenting yourself. You want to become a student, and I am a fencing instructor," the master remarked, even interrupting his painting to look at the girl in surprise.
His calm gaze, dark eyes, moved gently over the girl with mild interest, noting even the smallest details of her appearance: her eyes, hair, facial features, figure, exquisite armor, luxurious clothing, high-quality boots, and the precious hairpin. Everything indicated that Ty Lee came from a wealthy family that had no need for money.
The master continued to silently observe the girl, giving no indication that he recognized her as the princess of the country.
"I wish to learn everything you deem necessary to impart to me. I have never seen such a beautiful painting before, and I would not refuse such talent..." Ty Lee continued speaking sincerely, not at all deceiving in her words.
"From where I come, I am considered a master of firebending and hand-to-hand combat, but I am still unsure if I am strong enough to defend myself. I lack real combat experience, and even sparring with you would be a valuable lesson," Ty Lee concluded, keeping her head lowered and portraying uncertainty in her position.
"Hmm... intriguing. Well then, let's see what you're capable of, Ty Lee," the master said as he picked up the nearby sword and headed towards the exit. Ty Lee raised her gaze, noticing that Piandao had managed to complete the painting during their conversation.
"Follow me, Ty Lee. We will have a sparring session in the stone arena."
"Yes, master..."
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone