[3rd POV]
Tai Lung.
It was a name that was equally respected and feared throughout China 20 years ago. Especially if you were a Kung Fu practitioner, the name would strike both awe and horror in your heart.
The first and the only person to master the Thousand Scrolls of Kung Fu written by Oogway.
The greatest prodigy the world had ever seen and the best student of the Legendary Master Shifu.
Kung Fu masters used to call him 'The Arbiter of Humility' because he would come to put you in your place if you became too loud-mouthed about your achievements. In front of him, your achievements, your ego, and your talents were nothing.
It was said that his strength could match that of a hundred master. His mere presence alone could force hostile kingdoms to make peace between themselves and criminals would hope to never be big enough to catch his attention.
For a moment everyone believed that he was the warrior of prophecy, the legendary Dragon Warrior.
But that all changed when Tai Lung got into a dispute with Master Oogway. He was denied the title of the Dragon Warrior and Tai Lung did not take it well.
In the end, he was declared to have darkness in his heart and branded as a criminal by Oogway.
An unexpected end to the greatest warrior of the generation. One that was said to only be second to Oogway himself.
20 years passed and Tai Lung and his fame slowly died down. His legend and stories became mere nostalgia at the back of all the masters he had defeated.
He was remembered for all the wrong reasons. No one remembered his great achievements of bringing peace to the land, protecting China against invaders, subduing infamous criminals who cultivated chaos or making huge innovations in the art of Kung Fu.
Maybe people did not remember him for all of these achievements becausehe had never done them in his own name but in the name of the Dragon Warrior, the Jade Palace or Master Oogway.
In the end, Tai Lung was only remembered for his evil, his crime, and his audacity to go against the creator of Kung Fu.
Everyone thought that was the end of Tai Lung, the epilogue of a tragic story.
Imprisoned for 20 years, history had nearly forgotten about its greatest genius. But after two decades of silence, he had returned.
And just as you would expect from the warrior who was famous a long time ago, he brought a storm along with him.
The complete destruction of Chorh-Gom prison which was the work of different Kingdoms combined to hold Tai Lung forever.
The destruction of Mielin City and the murder of Wubao the mighty bear. This caused a chaotic shift in the trade of China.
Finally, Tai Lung fought with the real Dragon Warrior and even the warrior of prophecy was only strong enough for Tai Lung to respect him and show him mercy.
After that, nothing else was heard from him for 10 months. Some rumours suspect that Master Shifu and the Dragon Warrior worked together to keep Tai Lung at bay and forbade him from leaving the Jade Palace to protect the world.
So when Tai Lung was suddenly seen in Gongmen City and when he boldly challenged Master Rhino, Lord Shen had to come and see for himself.
It was not hard for him to get the news as there were plenty of people who thought he should be the rightful ruler amongst the guards, so he got the news the moment it happened.
Tai Lung was a variable he had not taken into account in his plan. He always thought that the imprisonment was the end of Tai Lung and that the warrior would never come back to disturb him.
But now that that was proven otherwise, Lord Shen had to see it for himself and make a change in his plan.
Lord Shen had known Tai Lung since he was a mere child. They used to visit Gongment City frequently, and the Sacred Tower arena was often used for duels between masters. Duels which included Tai Lung most of the time and with him winning always.
There would be no one better than him who knows the danger and the power Tai Lung holds in his hands.
It was what drove Lord Shen to develop destructive ways to use gunpowder instead of just using it for fireworks.
He knew he would never be able to be as powerful as Tai Lung. Therefore, he created his cannons so that he would be able to match the power that Tai Lung holds.
Or should we say to match the power of Kung Fu? Well that was the same thing in Lord Shen's mind, Tai Lung was Kung Fu, the pinnacle of what the art had to offer.
Lord Shen sneaked into the City and went to the Ancestral Palace of Peacocks, his rightful home. He hid on top of the wall and observed the upcoming duel and how everything went.
For all he knew, Tai Lung could go on a rampage as he did in Mielin City. Lord Shen would never allow such disasters to fall on his city.
After a little bit of waiting, the match between Tai Lung and Master Rhino started. Lord Shen must've expected Tai Lung to get weaker or remain the same strength since he was imprisoned for a long time because he was absolutely shocked by what Tai Lung displayed during the fight.
Not only had Tai Lung became more powerful as if he had not been imprisoned for two decades, but he had also achieved inner peace.
And now, Lord Shen had to assign a whole new threat level to the snow leopard. The strength he displayed in the duel was enough to realize he could ruin everything for Lord Shen.
After the end of the match, Shen had to run away from the place because Tai Lung had noticed him. He cursed under his breath and made his way out of the city as soon as possible.
After that, he went to their camp near the City where his follower wolves were camping and around a couple dozen of his cannons were stationed.
The Kung Fu Council had not found their camp because the place they were in was the farmland and house owned by a respected noble of Gongmen City who believed that as the rightful heir, Lord Shen was supposed to be the ruler.
Most of the nobles in Gongmen City and at least a quarter of citizens still believed that Lord Shen should be the ruler of the City and not the outsiders from the Kung Fu Council.
His greatest crime, the massacre of the Panda Village was a huge stain on his reputation but in the end, the Pandas were just a random village and not even part of Gongmen City. Therefore, many of the noble's houses and the people could excuse it as the mistake of a young prince caused by the prophecy.
Lord Shen went inside the camp and after taking his mind off by giving new orders to the wolves, he retreated to his cabin where he lay deep in thought.
A new variable had appeared and Lord Shen needed to change his plans. Even Tai Lung would not stop him from taking back what is rightfully his.
Maybe it was just his paranoia but while the was planning on how to deal with Tai Lung, the words of Soothsayer came into his mind.
..
..
"A peacock is defeated by a warrior of black and white."
Lord Shen gritted his beak and shook off the thought. It should not be the Pandas that the prophecy mentioned right? Not Tai Lung.
Tai Lung was grey and black.
But that thought affirmed the threat of Tai Lung in his mind and he knew that for his plan to succeed and for his vision to become a reality.
He needed to somehow deal with Tai Lung.
A tall task. But one Shen must accomplish to bring back the glory of the Peacock.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : A slight AU you could say is that the support Lord Shen got from the City. It never really made sense to me how he can enter the city easily and even get a huge ass canon inside the palace. It would make sense this way.
Smaller chapter than usual so I have a goal. 4k stones and get extra chapter.
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