Edge of Oblivion by Patrick Laplante

Author:Patrick Laplante [Laplante, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B08CXD7SJ8
Publisher: Patrick G. Laplante
Published: 2020-08-01T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19: Pushing Ahead

Feng Ming flicked a playing card up in the air, catching it effortlessly as its chaotic tumble brought it back down in perfect alignment with his ready fingers. He repeated the motion over and over, using the repetitive task to preoccupy his overwhelmed mind. The Northern Alliance was in danger. And of all things, it was crumbling from the inside, a fatal flaw in its foundation that crushed it beneath the weight of its own disagreements.

“Who would have thought luck would be so useless in some situations?” he muttered, continuing the flicking. Luck could make this card fall as it should. It could make battles unfold as he wished. Hell, it could even find him the perfect wife, Song Guo, who was currently pouring him a cup of tea and confiscating the half-finished bottle of baiju before he could get back to it. Yet for all the good it did, it couldn’t even unite them to fight a common enemy. Petty squabbles now ruled over life and death, completely overturning what their alliance was created for in the first place.

“Come now, it can’t be that bad, dear,” Song Guo said, sitting beside him. He straightened up and accepted his tea, grimacing as he took the first sip. It wasn’t normal tea, he realized, but a medicinal one. His intoxication reduced substantially with only a single mouthful. She was doing what she thought was best for him—he knew that—but with the intoxication gone, the massive load of self-doubt and despair filled the gap.

“The South has breached the Evergreen Battlefield,” Feng Ming said with a sigh. “Gold Leaf City is fighting an all-out rebellion, and many kingdoms will soon follow. There’s fighting everywhere, whether with swords or with money, and everyone is being selfish. To make matters worse, a world-ending creature has somehow been tamed by the South. They’ve recklessly turned it against us, but it’s only a matter of time before it turns on the plane itself. We can’t win, Song Guo. We’ve lost.”

“Look at me,” Song Guo said, but Feng Ming averted his gaze. “Look at me!” she repeated. Reluctantly, Feng Ming obeyed. He was greeted by a smarting slap to the face. “How dare you give up!”

“Coming to grips with the facts is not giving up,” Feng Ming said, doing his best to ignore the sting on his right cheek. “It’s only by facing reality that we preserve what we can.” Another slap came, but this time, he intercepted it and grabbed her wrist. She yanked it away with tearful eyes.

“This isn’t the man I married,” Song Guo said in a hurt voice. “The man I married would never give up. He would see great difficulties and overcome them like a true hero. You aren’t my husband. You’re a coward.”

“The difficulties are too great,” Feng Ming repeated.

“And how will you know unless you try?” she said, her tears continuing. “You tried for as long as you felt comfortable, and you failed. You know what I think? I think your luck has made you soft.

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