Chapter 23: Reinforcements?

Li Fan shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll use it then." And he pretended to lick it. In truth, he didn't actually want to in case it did something weird, but he mimed it convincingly.

Zhao, fearing even a 1% chance that a mortal might gain a power-up, lunged forward to snatch it or stop him. That opening was all Li Fan needed. As Zhao's sword thrust forward, Li Fan sidestepped and in one fluid motion, brought the wok down onto Zhao's wrist with a resounding clang.

Zhao cried out, the sword knocking from his grip and skittering across the ground. His spiritual aura blade sputtered out. In shock, Zhao stared at his empty hand as Li Fan swiftly kicked the venom sword farther away, under a slab of rock.

"Gah— you—!" Zhao swung his now free hand at Li Fan's head in a fist, pure physical brawl style. Li Fan ducked and delivered a return swipe with the wok, catching Zhao in the side of the head. The metal met flesh with a cartoonish bong sound. Zhao swayed, seeing stars.

Li Fan winced; he didn't actually want to kill Zhao, just incapacitate him. He decided enough was enough. Twirling behind Zhao, Li Fan used the remaining broomstick half like a bat and whacked behind Zhao's knees. The cultivator, off-balance, collapsed forward, landing face-first into a conveniently placed pile of mud where the lotus's water basin had overflowed. Zhao groaned, spitting mud, and tried to push up, but Li Fan quickly planted a foot on his back, pressing him down just firmly enough.

"Yield?" Li Fan asked, panting.

"I… yield," Zhao mumbled weakly, too dazed to resist. The mighty had fallen in a most undignified manner—bested by a series of culinary distractions and one tenacious mortal with a wok.

Li Fan allowed himself one breath of victory, then remembered the other fight. He looked up in time to see Lin Cai's talismans swirl around the hammer man like a flurry of paper cuts. The man roared, swinging his hammer in a wide arc. Lin Cai dodged gracefully and, with a flick of her fingers, one talisman attached to the man's back and sent a jolt of lightning through him. He convulsed and fell, alive but thoroughly stunned.

Lin Cai herself was bleeding from a cut on her arm, and panting, but victorious. She looked around at the aftermath. The archer was down retching (bristles out but eyes still half-blind), Zhao was face down under Li Fan's foot, and the hammer man KO'd. That left her... and Li Fan.

She and Li Fan locked eyes across the ruined courtyard. The Jade Lotus gleamed between them on its pedestal.

Lin Cai inclined her head slightly. "Mortal. I am impressed you made it here and even dealt with those two."

Li Fan lifted his foot off Zhao, who was now out cold anyway, and straightened. He gave a polite nod back. "Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you. I have no intention to fight further, but… I do need that Lotus."

Lin Cai arched a brow. "So do I. It's my ticket to promotion in my sect. I deciphered all the wards to get here. With all due respect, you wouldn't even be able to pluck it — the Lotus likely has a protective array needing a specific chant, which I have prepared."

Li Fan frowned. That complicated things. "Perhaps… we could come to an arrangement? Share credit?"

She shook her head, though not unkindly. "The rules are quite clear: only one champion gets the prize and the glory. I bear you no ill will, but I cannot step aside."

She began to walk cautiously toward the Lotus, keeping a side-eye on Li Fan. Li Fan realized she assumed he might try something as she got closer.

He had to think fast. He remembered Mo's words: sincerity and improvisation. Also, why was he here? To survive, yes, but also to prove himself in a way. If he gave up now, after all that, he might not get another chance.

But fighting Lin Cai head on was a bad idea—she was skilled and relatively fresh compared to him. Perhaps a trick? Or appealing to something else.

He noticed as she neared the pedestal that she stepped carefully around some carved stones—likely where traps or arrays were that she disabled. So she truly did handle a lot of the heavy lifting puzzle-wise.

He decided to try a different tack: honesty (with a touch of humor). "Miss Lin," he called, lowering his wok to appear non-threatening, "before you take it, can I at least say one thing?"

She paused a few feet from the Lotus, talisman in hand ready to activate if needed. "Speak, then. But if you try to stall for reinforcements or something—"

Li Fan laughed, which made her look at him oddly. "Reinforcements? Look around, who would I have? The only allies I've made are maybe a boar and an old janitor. Hardly the cavalry."

To his surprise, Lin Cai actually cracked a tiny smile at that. Encouraged, he continued, "I know you earned this. You broke the wards, you fought bravely. I don't really deserve the lotus by the typical rules. I'm a nobody mortal who bumbled his way here. But… the truth is, if I go back without it, I'm done for. The Celestial Court only gave me this chance as a test. I fail, I probably die or get banished forever. You, on the other hand… you're already an accomplished cultivator. This would be another accolade, sure, but you'll live regardless and have other opportunities."

Lin Cai's eyes flickered. He could see he struck a bit of truth there. Perhaps she did have many chances ahead, whereas for him it was do or die. He pressed on, sincerity pouring out:

"Let's be honest, it's a little embarrassing for all these big sect disciples that a mortal is even here."

He gestured to Zhao and others. "I'm not stronger or smarter. I just... tried unconventional things because I had to. And maybe that's exactly what these heavens needed to see. A fresh perspective."

He took a step forward, not aggressive but earnest. "If you let me have the Lotus, I promise I will never forget it. I'll owe you a debt, one I'd spend my life repaying if needed. And when I'm settled safely, I can even cook you the greatest meal you've ever had as thanks." He gave a lopsided grin. "Bit of a weird reward, I know, but my cooking did get me here."

Lin Cai listened quietly. She looked at the Jade Lotus, then at Li Fan. There was an internal conflict in her gaze: ambition versus compassion perhaps.

Finally, she sighed. "You are a strange man, Li Fan. And you know, everything about this trial has been strange. Maybe it's time for something new."

She lowered her talisman slowly. "I will let you claim the Lotus. On two conditions: One, you meant what you said—you owe me a favor, and I will collect it someday. Two, you truly cook me that meal you promised, because I'm curious what kind of dish can shake Heaven." Her stern expression softened into a faint smile.

Li Fan could have hugged her if it wouldn't have been utterly inappropriate and probably earned him a talisman to the face. Instead, he bowed deeply. "Deal! Thank you, Lin Cai. I won't forget this kindness. And I promise, a feast fit for immortals awaits you, once I have a kitchen again."

She stepped aside and gestured. "Go on then, the Lotus awaits. I'll stand guard... and also memorize the final incantation so I can truthfully say I was prepared to claim it." She winked, surprisingly playful for someone so poised.

Li Fan approached the pedestal, heart pounding. The Jade Lotus pulsed gently with life. Up close, he could smell a sweet, calming fragrance from it. He reached out, half expecting a shock or barrier. But his hand passed through a gentle field of energy that parted for him. Perhaps it acknowledged any who reached it at this point.

He cupped the Lotus at its stem and plucked it. It came free smoothly, glowing brighter. In that instant, a resonant chime sounded in the air—the signal that the trial had a victor and it was concluded.

Li Fan felt a warmth spread from the Lotus into his arms, as if congratulating him. He held the prized flower aloft and couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. He did it. Through absurdity and adversity, he actually did it.

Lin Cai gave a polite clap. "Well done, Champion."

Suddenly, clapping came from elsewhere too, slow and echoing. Out of thin air, a figure appeared—familiar gray robes, mop in hand. The janitor? Here? And apparently invisible until now?

Mo stepped forward, though something was different. His posture was straight, and the air around him hummed with authority. Zhao, who was groggily coming to, took one look at the old man and went white with terror, recognizing something that Li Fan and Lin Cai were only now realizing.

Lin Cai gasped and immediately bowed deeply. Li Fan looked between her and Mo confusedly. Lin Cai hissed under her breath, "Li Fan, bow! That's... that's Primeval Mo!"

Primeval... Mo? Li Fan's brain did cartwheels. The janitor was the primeval being Mo? Older than the sect itself, as Yuechan had hinted? He nearly dropped the Lotus in shock, then caught it and hastily bowed (still clutching the flower awkwardly).

Mo – or rather, the being who had been posing as the janitor – chuckled. "At ease, at ease. We're not in court." He looked at Lin Cai kindly. "Thank you, child, for your understanding and graciousness. Your sect should be proud to have you." She blushed at the praise from a legend.

Then Mo turned to Li Fan, eyes gleaming with mischief and pride. "Well done, Li Fan. Or should I say, Champion Li Fan." He spread his arms dramatically. "Survived the Crucible of Scion Mountain, befriended its beasts, confounded its traps, and even won over the hearts of your rivals. All with a trusty wok and a pinch of humor. Marvelous!"

Li Fan was still trying to reconcile the image of the bumbling janitor with this dignified ancient. "You... you were watching this whole time? Of course you were... you orchestrated half of it, didn't you?" he said, the realization dawning. The tea, the tunnels, conveniently placed brooms – he had been nudging events all along.

Mo winked. "I may have given a nudge or two. Idle old men need some entertainment. And I had a hunch about you."

Zhao, still on the ground, looked utterly mortified and frightened. "P-Primeval Mo, sir, I—I didn't realize—my actions—" He was practically in tears realizing he'd been cursing and swinging at this hidden elder's chosen amusement.