Chapter 67: The Parting of Ways

It turned out, the pretty youth wasn't dead. Zhang Chengling wasn't used to hurting people, after all. Though he did his best to be ruthless, he hesitated in the end. Still, the gash he had cleaved down his opponent's front was both long and deep. Blood surged out of it with a gurgling sound.

The Scorpion Boss gave an odd chuckle as he eyed Zhang Chengling.

"Some people are just immensely lucky, aren't they," he muttered. "My good boy, your future will doubtless be bright."

He then bent down to examine the pretty youth who was twitching on the ground. As he stared back at his owner, the fallen young man tried to struggle.

The Scorpion pinched him by the chin.

"What a shame," he said, shaking his head. "The face is ruined."

With that, he tightened his grip, and the youth's head lolled at an unnatural angle — dead with his neck broken.

The Scorpion didn't spare the corpse a single glance. He nodded to the parties present, gestured to his remaining underlings, and left.

Still holding onto his bloodied sword, Zhang Chengling stood in the middle of the courtyard and trembled all over.

Cao Weining approached him with caution. He took back his weapon, wiped it clean, cast a nervous glance at the cadaver on the ground, and patted Zhang Chengling on the shoulder.

"So... We're all rather shocked, you know. I mean, that guy looked like nobody decent to me, so maybe what he said isn't true at all."

He glanced back, looking for support, but Gao Xiaolian was still frozen in shock, Gu Xiang seemed deep in thought, and the other two... clearly had the airs of people who knew all along.

Cao Weining suddenly recalled what Zhou Zishu had answered Wen Kexing when they had been listening to Gao Xiaolian's story the other day: "People who know the truth are nearly all dead, with a lone one still standing. The winners and the losers are now obvious."

The winners and the losers... are now obvious? Cao Weining shuddered. So, the two men already knew back then. They already...

Zhang Chengling whipped around.

"Shifu," he said. "I remembered what the man in black who questioned my father looked like. Just now, I... I..."

He twisted his head back, gaze falling on the pretty youth's corpse. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down whilst his frame shook yet harder.

"He was... about that tall," Zhang Chengling stammered, holding up his hand while rising slightly on the balls of his feet. "His shoulders were very broad, and one of his legs... one of his legs was lame. Though it wasn't apparent at first, and I spotted it only when he broke into a run to chase after us." He pointed at the fallen youth. "Just like him — That man, he was the one who wounded Uncle Li. He... he..."

Gu Xiang let out a small, surprised " oh! " before clamping her hand over her mouth. Her eyes which were already uncommonly large widened to the point of popping out of their sockets — as if she had just heard the scariest of news.

Wen Kexing cast her a look before he reached out his hand which wasn't marred with gore, to pat Zhang Chengling on the head.

"It's alright, I know," he said in a soft voice whilst nodding.

Wen Kexing lifted his head and gazed at the night then, staring at a place far away as a strange smile spread across his lips. There was a hint of mockery in that smile, but it was yet more serene, laced with a hard-to-describe sense of relief. It made him look like an exhausted traveler who, after trudging a hundred mountains and crossing a thousand rivers, could finally glimpse the true face of Destiny.

Gu Xiang slowly put her hand down. "Master..." she said softly. Wen Kexing held up his palm to stop her from speaking further.

"A girl who's been married off is like water thrown out of the door1. From now on, these matters are no longer your concern. Go find Ye Baiyi as we've discussed tomorrow; I won't shirk out of the dowry I owe you. After that, you needn't go back to that place ever again."

Zhang Chengling wished he were stronger. He had decided he should be a real man and soldier forth bravely; that he should protect the people he wanted to protect, and eradicate the people who ought to be eradicated, without feeling fear, and without shrinking from his task no matter what reality threw his way. But despite his resolve, he was unable to hold back the tears that rolled down his face in great beads. He felt like a good-for-nothing, felt like he had reverted to being the child who was weak and useless.

Because bad people had massacred his entire family, he had applied himself to learning kung-fu. So he would become strong. So he would become capable of defending his friends and family in the future. And perhaps, one day, kill the bad people to avenge the dead.

But turns out, the "bad person" was Uncle Zhao...

Before he had closed his eyes for good, Zhang Chengling's own father had grasped onto Uncle Li's hand and made the old fisher promise he'd take Zhang Chengling to that man. Then, during the cold night at the derelict temple, Uncle Li had, in turn, clutched his shifu in his death grip, to make him escort Zhang Chengling to that man's home.

Uncle Zhao was the person who had stayed by his side day and night during his darkest hours. He was the person who, in front of every hero under the heavens, had vowed with reddened eyes that justice for the Zhang family would be served. He was...

The world was too cruel and the human heart too treacherous. If even the people who were closest and safest to him couldn't be trusted, was there anyone or anything on which he could rely on this Earth?

Wen Kexing heaved a faint sigh. He averted his eyes and headed back. Zhou Zishu, however, lingered. He beckoned at Zhang Chengling.

"Brat, come here."

Zhang Chengling mopped his face energetically, but his vision instantly blurred again. He knew Zhou Zishu abhorred seeing him bawl, so he said in between sniffles:

"Shi-shifu. I-I don't mean to cry. I'm just... I'm just... I'll be fine in a moment."

Zhou Zishu heaved a sigh. Uncharacteristically, he said nothing. Instead, he stretched out his hand to draw Zhang Chengling into a hug. Because he was only dressed in a thin cloak hastily thrown over his inner garment, the heat of Zhou Zishu's body readily seeped through his clothes. And in that instant, as he buried his entire face into his shifu's chest, Zhang Chengling felt as though he was leaning against a mountain that would never falter.

The long-standing ties of polite society may be no more than mutual lies2, but a chance encounter could turn into a lasting bond.

Cao Weining took Gu Xiang by the hand and retired quietly. Gao Xiaolian heaved a deep sigh; she also headed back looking pensive. Only the teacher and the disciple were left in the courtyard. As the Great Shaman peered at them from his window, he couldn't help but wonder in a quiet voice:

"Is that man... really Lord Zhou we know? Since when has become so..."

Lord Seventh chuckled. Though it was unclear whether he was answering the Great Shaman or talking to himself, he said:

"Has he ever been any different? He was already like that with Liang Jiuxiao back then. Though he just had to put

on the face of an old grouch at all times3, he'd actually plan out everything for him on the quiet. It's a shame the lad never appreciated his effort."

The Great Shaman twisted around to look at his companion. In the unlit room, Lord Seventh's face was hidden in the dark with the moonlight kissing only a sliver of his features. He was so beautiful like that, he didn't seem human.

"If you were to say that he is a good man, of great benevolence and virtue," Lord Seventh went on, "I'm quite afraid he wouldn't admit to it himself. But if you were to say he's a scumbag... Of all the terrible deeds he did commit, not one was executed out of selfish desire, nor has he benefited from them."

All of a sudden, Lord Seventh turned around to fetch something. Then, with an imperceptible sigh, he pushed the door open and headed out.

He made his way into the courtyard in long strides and tossed the object in his hand into Zhang Chengling's arms. The boy fumbled to catch it. He froze in shock when he saw what he had just received: it was a sword made of dark metal. Only after his shifu gave him a nod, did he dare draw it out of its scabbard.

The blade of the weapon was uncommonly broad; it was at least double the width of Cao Weining's sword. Neither polished nor lustrous, its design had rather a primitive character that was only accentuated by its dull burnish. The edges looked fearsome, though; they had obviously been quenched with boundless carnage in mind. And the whole thing felt hefty in the hands as it weighed twice or thrice the poundage of any ordinary sword.

Two words were engraved near the hilt: "Great Desolation".4

"A subordinate gave it to me as a gift," Lord Seventh said. "Something for me to play with in my spare time. It's impressive enough a piece, but my swordsmanship was never good, so it's useless in my hands. I find it unwieldy anyway — too heavy. You take it."

"Wha ...?" Zhang Chengling uttered. His eyes were still red from crying and he was at a loss for how to react. "Good swords should go with heroic men, even if it's future heroic men," Lord Seventh went on. "Which counts

me out — in this lifetime, I'll remain a rich idler at best. That's why I'm giving it to you. Just try to live up to it." "Our deepest gratitude to Lord Seventh," Zhou Zishu said in a solemn voice.

Lord Seventh chuckled. He cast Zhou Zishu a sidelong glance, and said in a shrewd tone:

"To think of it, I've known you for quite a few years now, haven't I? We've brawled it out together, and gambled our life together. So how come you're all fun and games with everyone else, but always turn into a staidly bore whenever you're with me?"

Zhou Zishu gave a start. Lord Seventh waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Zishu," he said over his shoulder. "I'm no longer the Prince of Nanning, and you're no longer Sir Zhou. For such a clever man, haven't you got it by now?"

Zhou Zishu kept mum for a moment before his expression relaxed.

"Indeed, I daren't joke around carelessly," he called out with a sudden grin. "But that's only because Lord Seventh is so exquisitely handsome, he could put flowers and the moon to shame, and I fear the sour grape I've got at home

would die of jealousy."5

Lord Seventh faltered in his steps. Though he didn't take offense, his expression was between laughter and tears when he glanced back. Exasperated, he shook his head before ducking inside.

Zhou Zishu didn't sleep that night. He taught Zhang Chengling a new sword pattern. Eyes still swollen, the boy watched him conscientiously.

Zhang Chengling was as slow to learn as before. He still needed to have every stance demonstrated to him several times whilst others would have got it on the first try. He also asked an unending series of questions each time, before finally progressing to the next move.

At the end of the lesson, the boy rummaged out a pen and a stack of paper to draw every stance Zhou Zishu had demonstrated — labeling each sketch with the corresponding mnemonic rhyme, plus other messy notes. In fact, he was so thorough, he may as well have copied down every word that came out of Zhou Zishu's mouth.

"Whatever are you drawing these for?" Zhou Zishu asked. "Why don't you just go back and practice?"

Zhang Chengling blushed. "Shifu," he mumbled, "it's because I'm still having trouble with the pattern you taught me last time. I... I know that I'm stupid, so I gave myself a set of rules. I have to practice every stance ten thousand times before starting on the next one. And then, I go over everything as many times as I can: every morning, I

wake up early to rec..."6

Zhang Chengling clammed up, recalling his shifu despised seeing him run around yammering the rhymes. The rest of his explanation caught in his throat and he bit his tongue as he glanced up warily.

Zhou Zishu looked back at him with a conflicted expression on his face. As the sayings went, when one advanced with both feet firmly planted on the ground, neither in haste, nor with impatience; great intelligence may appear as

stupidity, and great skill may seem to be clumsiness.7

The Scorpion said Zhang Chengling was lucky, but Zhou Zishu felt that, in truth, he was the lucky one for having chanced upon such a remarkable student.

He patted the boy on the shoulder.

"You may go tomorrow. Remember to do only what you can. And don't... fail the sword Lord Seventh gave you."

On the second day, Gu Xiang, Cao Weining, Gao Xiaolian, and Zhang Chengling set off together. They had decided to search for Ye Baiyi on one hand, and covertly track down Zhao Jing and his associates at the same time. Indeed, Cao Weining was worried about Qingfeng-Sword School, and Gao Xiaolian and Zhang Chengling wanted to find out the truth. And since Ye Baiyi wasn't likely to stand by idly after what happened to Gao Chong (the man had been an owner of an Honour Token, after all), they hoped to cross paths with him while conducting their investigation.

After seeing off the four rowdy kids, Zhou Zishu retired to his room, prepared to take a rest. He pushed the door open to the sight of Wen Kexing waiting for him.

The guy sat on the windowsill with one leg folded up and the other dangling about. Both of his hands were crossed over his knee. When Zhou Zishu walked in, he looked up and smiled.

"A-Xu, I'm leaving too," he said.

Zhou Zishu was silent for a moment before he asked, "For Windcliff Mountain?"

Wen Kexing nodded. "I've been meandering around for long enough. Got to lay eyes on enough new people and places for a life's worth. It's time I went back to sort out the serious stuff. A-Xu..."

He trailed off, looking as though he wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin. After clawing through his hair a few times, he finally blurted out:

"Do... make sure you heal up. And don't you cheat on me8? I'll catch up with you at Everbright Mountain later on. In case I..."

Zhou Zishu fished out his wine jug and swayed it in his hand. He averted his eyes from Wen Kexing as he poured out a cup.

"I get it," he said, interrupting the other man. "You may bug off. Don't die."

Wen Kexing gave a soundless chuckle. He uttered, "Take care," and was gone in the next instant. The breeze rustled against the empty window as if no one had ever sat there.

Zhou Zishu downed his cup in one gulp.

Notes

1. Very common saying that illustrates the patrilineal society within feudal China: a daughter is considered to belong to the husband's family once she has married, so for a family to have a daughter is often likened to "raising a child for another". Associated beliefs and customs after the abolition of the strictly patrilineal system have been a factor that made sexism (selection for sons) worse during the one-child policy era.

2. idiom. "you cheat, I swindle".

3. Lord Seventh says ZZS always put on "the stern face of a father or older brother" in the original. It

was clunky so I simplified it.

4. The name is meant to sound awesome/awe-inspiring/fear-inspiring.

5. ZZS says he fears WKX would "upturn the vinegar jar" in the original, referring to the expression "eat vinegar" which means being jealous.

6. Ok, I had to point out the humble brag here. ZCL is like the ideal student from a Chinese teacher's POV.

7. is a quote from Su Dongpo.

8. WKX uses the expression "the red apricot tree leaning over the garden wall" (a.k.a.

cheating). I like the expression but cut it because it sounded clunky in the dialogue there.