Zhang Huai Shi
"I assume by how pleased you are that laoma and laoba are about to be upset with you." - Zhang Ke Yuan to Huai Shi
After The Ascension
Huai Shi was thirteen when his sect was destroyed, old enough to be involved in the fighting and to feel keenly the loss and shame inflicted on his family. Witnessing his father's public humiliation and punishment particularly affected him, and he determined to bring retribution to everyone who had contributed to his family's downfall. He started with dueling Ruya Ilkin, who soundly defeated him. It was the first of several fights between them over the years.Over the first two years after the coup, as his parents recovered and there was less reason to wait on his planned vendettas, Huai Shi became increasingly rebellious. His siblings were taken to the White Sea Sect once they were old enough, but Wei Ang Jian was able to intervene on Huai Shi's behalf and take him with him to his home in Longjiang. He soon moved with Huai Shi to the neighboring city of Shundang, fearing that Huai Shi would try to eneact revenge upon the emperor and Du Qian Men if he lived in such close proximity to them.
"I tried to help him - and he helped me with some details of my work. We trained together. But I am no cultivator, and he needed more than I could offer him." - Wei Ang Jian to Gao Zhong Hu
Despite this, Huai Shi continued to search out the people on his vendetta list. He discovered that Ruya Ilkin was back in Zhenhai, working in the capital of Shundang as a horse trainer. He asked permission to accompany Ang Jian to the capital and sought her out while Ang Jian was in a meeting. Their duel caused considerable disruption and would have ended in the arrest of them both had Ang Jian not intervened. Huai Shi was furious with Ang Jian for preventing Ruya's arrest, but Ang Jian considered it only fair, as Ruya could have easily killed Huai Shi in their duel. Nonetheless, Ruya lost her position due to the chaos caused. Huai Shi's parents censured him when they found out and reconciled with Ruya, bringing her back to live in Jiliang.
After the incident, Ang Jian enlisted the help of Lian, a cultivator he'd worked with over the years. Huai Shi noticed Ang Jian's difficulty in talking to her and soon guessed at his quiet regard. Huai Shi determined to help Ang Jian and was persistent in helping the two come together. They married a few years later. Soon after, Huai Shi left the Weis to pursue his own goals and travel as a wandering cultivator.
Wandering Era
Zhenhai became increasingly unsafe during Zou's rule, and Huai Shi kept himself busy helping out people made vulnerable to bandits and restless ghosts. As he traveled, he collected information on the people who had wronged his family. A year into his travels, he met Bai Xue Ying, and the two became firm friends. After a run-in with Xue Ying's brother Bai Long Chen, Huai Shi learned of his friend's half-demon heritage. This revelation caused a great argument, and the two parted ways for a time. It was not long, however, before Huai Shi sought out Xue Ying with an apology and the two carried on traveling together as close friends. Xue Ying acted as a calming influence for his friend and did his best to divert Huai Shi from his reckless inclinations.When Huai Shi turned twenty-two, his parents managed to secure an engagement for him to a minor family willing to unite with the Zhangs despite their fallen reputation. Huai Shi did not intend to defy his parents' wishes, but he refused to give up on his quest to restore his family's honor and this led to the engagement being terminated. Huai Shi and Xiong had a bitter argument, after which Huai Shi left. His visits home after that were brief and infrequent until he returned with Gao Zhong Hu six years later.
"You're always where the trouble shows up." - Xue Ying to Huai Shi
Huai Shi poured more energy into his training and into tracking down those who had wronged him. In 1243, three years after his failed engagement, he managed to find and kill He Shirong, the cultivator responsible for removing Xiong's golden core. Gaining access to Du Qian Men, however, proved harder. Qian Men was sequestered in the capital, under the protection and close eye of the emperor. After extensive research, Huai Shi discovered that Qian Men's daughter Rui Sheng would leave at times to travel under the guise of a cloth merchant. Huai Shi approached her and, despite the deception and the history between their families, he and Rui Sheng became friends. Huai Shi and Xue Ying occasionally traveled with her caravan or took on jobs that she pointed out to them.
Reconciliation and Return
Once he learned of Zhong Hu's identity, Huai Shi felt he had no choice but to return home with him. The group traveled for a time with Rui Sheng's caravan, protecting it in exchange for food and some pay. When they parted ways Huai Shi invited Rui Sheng to visit his family home. Huai Shi also insisted Xue Ying would be safe at the Zhang residence despite his half-demon heritage. Xue Ying was dubious, but the question was resolved when his little sister Bai Rou Ying joined them and touched the cursed White Leopard Eye that Zhong Hu carried. Xue Ying left with Rou Ying to go to their family home in the Thousand Vortices and see if their father Bai Yan An could break the curse. Rou Ying made her brother promise Zhong Hu that if the attempt was successful he would return and do the same for Zhong Hu's curse.
Once Zhong Hu proved his identity, the Zhangs took him in. Huai Shi's relationship with his father remained precarious, but Xiong was grateful for Huai Shi's efforts on behalf of his friend and the gesture dissipated some of their usual tension. Zhong Hu encouraged good relations between Xiong and Huai Shi and told Xiong of their adventures while traveling.
Yin Da was incensed and only barely restrained herself from killing Xue Ying. Though Xiong was furious, however, he could not ignore the fact that Zhong Hu vouched for Xue Ying and had evidence of his loyalty through the telepathy granted by the White Leopard Eye. He mediated the situation: Huai Shi could continue to travel with Xue Ying if they did so as part of a larger group. Xue Ying, by his own admission, had yet to master his demonic powers and his cultivation, so Xiong would personally oversee the training of both Xue Ying and determine his loyalty himself. He would also train Huai Shi, who had made less progress in cultivation than his parents would have liked. This would ensure Huai Shi was capable of handling any future scenario with Xue Ying.
Ruya took in Xue Ying as training commenced. Huai Shi's siblings arrived shortly after with Xun Ying Ti, Ke Yuan's fiance. Both of these factors, along with his father's lenience, made Huai Shi start rethinking his course in life. It was jarring to see his younger brother engaged. He also did not wish to duel Ruya again after his father's gesture toward his friend, though he continued to hold a grudge. He also saw from his family's interactions just how much he had distanced himself from goings on during his time wandering. He resolved to become more involved. The family trained together and fought off the demon Azure Breeze as a single unit when she came seeking the White Leopard Eye and attacked Jiliang.
Rui Sheng also visited and inquired about the Eye. Huai Shi invited her to his family's home and introduced her to his parents. He felt more hopeful about a future where their friendship could become something more despite the history between their families. However, during the visit Zhong Hu recognized Rui Sheng's bodyguard Liao Heng as the imperial guard who betrayed him during the Ascension. Zhong Hu did not want to bring down recriminations against the Zhangs for housing an escaped prisoner (albeit one left for dead), so he wrote a note in explanation and left. Ruya
Vendetta List
| Name | Acts against the Zhangs | Retribution Perpetrated |
|---|---|---|
| He Shirong | The cultivator who removed Zhang Xiong's golden core and nearly killed him in so doing. | Killed by Huai Shi in 1243. |
| Ruya Ilkin | The Garalese military leader who led the assault against the Cold Wolf Sect during the Ascension. | Huai Shi fought Ruya several times over the years, first as a young fifteen year old, then again at eighteen and twenty-two. Each time, Ruya defeated him. Huai Shi later comes to accept Ruya's friendship to his parents is genuine, and they work together during the War of Eternal Day. |
| Dai Ya | A leader of the White Sea Sect who oversaw the sect cultivators that infiltrated and assisted in the assault against the Cold Wolf Sect during the Ascension. | Huai Shi did not approach Dai Ya for fear of reprisal against his younger siblings, who were forced to stay at the White Sea Sect after the Ascension. |
| Du Qian Men | Responsible for carrying out the public punishment and humiliation of the Zhang Family following the Ascension. | Huai Shi attempted many times to get close enough to attack Qian Men, leading to his close relationship to Qian Men's daughter. For the sake of the war and the freedom to write to Rui Sheng, Huai Shi works with Qian Men during the War of Eternal Day and later accepts him as a father-in-law. |
| Emperor Zou | Responsible for the downfall of the Zhang family and the Cold Wolf Sect. | Executed by Huai Shi during the final stages of the War of Eternal Day, acting on Xiong's orders. |
Relationships
A Vicious Kind
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