Zhang Zhi
Zhang Zhi was an initiate of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins during the Song dynasty and an ancestor of Owen Meyers. During her youth, Zhang Zhi was trained by her Assassin father, mastering skills such as Eagle Vision and freerunning.
Biography
One night in the summer of 1259, Zhang Zhi was in her home, practicing her Eagle Vision all the while, anxiously awaiting her Father's return as one of the commanders of the Chinese army fighting off the Mongols besieging the Diaoyu Fortress. Zhi's training was suddenly interrupted by a soldier who had orders to summon her. Fearing the worst, she was escorted to the Barracks in the outskirts of the Fishing Village, where she entered into an inner building where she found General Wang Jian, standing over her Father's cadaver. Overcome with emotion, she fell to her knees in anguish and began mourning over the loss of her father. General Wang Jian threw light upon her father's sacrifice, explaining that he died saving the fortress from a Mongol assault and labeled him a hero for his deeds.
Zhi departed from the Barracks and returned to the Fishing Village, taking her father's hidden blade as a shrine to him. Upon reaching her home, Kang, her father's Mentor, had been waiting for her arrival. She acted hostile at first, but ultimately, agreed to listen to his proclamations. Kang offered her a place in the Brotherhood to fill in the gap that her father left behind with his death. Zhi hesitated, so Kang gave her time to think and departed into the night.
The next morning, Zhi readied herself to meet Kang outside his hut. Motivated by rage, she agreed to join and openly professed her desire to kill the Great Kahn himself, marking the beginning of her "real training." Kang oversaw her training, pushing her to be faster and stealthier through forest, until she had earned Kang's acknowledgement. After their training session, Zhi rested and Kang began a short-lived conversation, which concluded with Kang scheduling their next training session at sunrise, warning her to be punctual. However, Zhi overslept and was met with scolding by the old mentor. Zhi reached her breaking point and decided that it was up to her to know if she was ready, not him.
Kang completed Zhang Zhi's training despite his doubts about her motives, warning her that revenge had to come after duty. She later disobeyed the Mentor, infiltrating the Mongol camp and killing Möngke Khan.
However, while returning to the fortress, Zhang Zhi was injured and became crippled by the Mongol Bayan. Kang informed her that she would never be formally inducted into the Brotherhood and left.
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