Chapter 19: The Three Springs Inn

To encounter collective punishment when simply staying in an inn – what the hell had she done to deserve this?

This little inn had been around for quite some time, which was evident in its creaky wooden steps and floorboards. One side of it faced the main street, while a row of hundred-year old trees lined its other side.

One of the small windows on its second floor was shaded by a large tree. Through this window, mountains and lakes were visible in the distance, hazily shrouded in the morning mists. One could also see right to the end of the main street. A light frost covered its cobblestones. At this hour, the people on the street below were few and far between.

At the foot of the Heng Mountains, this was the only inn for miles around. It was fairly lively here, despite the general atmosphere of doom and gloom that the ongoing war had caused. This area had been a hive of activity many years ago, with a multitude of bustling shops and stalls. But these businesses had all collapsed since then, leaving this lone inn standing. It was named 'Three Springs'.

This was a place where travellers from both North and South could rest their weary legs. It was visited by all kinds of people – fierce fighters, unreasonable louts, snobs who were impossible to please, and eccentrics with a whole host of strange predilections…but no matter who graced his doorway, the innkeeper always answered them with a ready smile, jovially soothing tempers and diffusing conflicts. He was a master at saying just the right things to his customers, adapting to whoever he was serving at the moment.

One of his workers standing by the doors was yawning hugely. The merrily rotund innkeeper grabbed a dishcloth and whacked him on the back of his neck, scolding: "You lazy fellow, get to work, what are you doing loitering here!"

While he continued to berate his staff, his eyes shifted furtively up towards that small window on the second floor. A young maiden of about sixteen or seventeen was sitting by the window. Her clothes were neat, plain and dull-coloured, but her hair was tied up with a bright red strip of cloth. The girl seemed to radiate a quiet sort of beauty, such that this dash of red was sufficient adornment, with no need for any other accessories.

She had been staying in this inn for three days now. Every single day, when the sun's first rays crossed the sky, she would sit by that window, as if waiting for someone.

In these turbulent times, anyone wandering these parts was mostly downtrodden and grubby-faced. It was rare to see such a good-looking young maiden, and the innkeeper couldn't help but steal several more glances at her. While he had already tried to keep his voice down when scolding the worker, that maiden had a sharp sense of hearing. She turned her head to look down at him.

The innkeeper quickly went up to her room to greet her, his face wreathed in smiles: "Miss Zhou got up early again today. What would you like to have for breakfast? You didn't seem to touch your plate of food from last night, was it too salty, or too bland, or not to your liking?"

The girl at the window was Zhou Fei, of course. This region was located near the boundary between North and South, and both sides had fought over it when they had been actively at war. But as a tenuous peace had been forged for the moment, this area had been abandoned by both sides. All kinds of characters now roamed the area, and it was wild and ungoverned. From Huarong City, she and Xie Yun had fled south all the way, not daring to stay within the borders of the Northern Dynasty. They had finally escaped the jurisdiction of the Northern Dynasty after going at full speed, and hunkered down in this no man's land to wait for Duan Jiuniang.

Now, the three-day deadline which Zhou Fei gave her had passed, yet there was no sight or sound of Duan Jiuniang.

Zhou Fei didn't have much of an appetite, but since the innkeeper meant well, she forced herself to give him a strained smile, and said: "Not at all, perhaps I'm just not used to the food here yet. I'm fine with anything."

Glancing at the expression on her face, the innkeeper smiled cheerfully and said: "Miss, even if the sky tumbles down on us, you still need to eat, don't you? Since you're up so early, before any of the other guests, allow me to give you a few words of advice. Forgive me if I'm being too meddlesome, but once you get to my age, you'll understand why I'm being this way. Even the most trying circumstances will pass one day. If you're missing home, you'll be able to return to it sooner or later; and if you're missing someone, you'll also be reunited sooner or later. Don't fret. As long as you're alive for one day more, who knows, something marvellous might just be right around the corner. There's something to look forward to everyday. Isn't that good enough?"

The innkeeper had a fair and chubby face, and his eyes disappeared when he beamed broadly. If he were stamped onto a piece of paper, he would probably form the words 'May You Be Happy and Prosperous'.[1] Just looking at his jolly face made one feel better already. Zhou Fei immediately took a liking to him, and couldn't help but smile in return.

The innkeeper said: "There you go. Wait for me just a minute, Miss. I'll get that lazy bum downstairs to send something hot up to you. A full belly makes for a happy heart-"

While the innkeepers' hair was graying at the temples, he was still full of energy, and spoke in a booming voice. Flinging his dishcloth over his shoulder, he hummed to himself as he descended the stairs. Not long after he left, she heard his voice resound up the stairs: "Oh, Young Master Xie! Have you already gone out this morning? Very early today, aren't we?"

Zhou Fei turned her head towards the stairs, to see Xie Yun dashing up them. When he reached her, he said: "Mr Bai probably took a few detours just to be safe. And Miss Wu would tire easily, so they probably made quite a few rest stops. They'll certainly be slower than us. I'm pretty sure that they'll send us word some time in the next two days."

Zhou Fei finally perked up a little, and she asked: "Will they send us a letter? How?"

"Mr Bai used to be from the 'Wayfarers' Union', and has a whole assortment of tricks up his sleeve…" Xie Yun paused when he saw that the waiter had brought their breakfast up already. He hastened forward to take a flask of water that was balancing precariously on the waiter's tray. "Slowly, slowly, let me do it. Is there any of the lady boss' special sauce left? Did you get some for me? I most definitely must take a bottle of it with me when I leave, or else everything I eat the rest of this year will just taste like sawdust."

Many of the travellers who stayed here were weary and in a rush to get going, and not in the best of moods. It was rare for the waiter to meet such a friendly and appreciative customer, and he beamed, revealing a mouthful of crooked teeth: "I brought a big bowl of it for you."

Xie Yun dismissed the waiter and sat back down. After rinsing their chopsticks with hot water, he took the two bowls of noodles off the tray and placed it in front of them. He placed about half of the noodles in Zhou Fei's bowl into his own, while giving her several pieces of the meat in his.

Zhou Fei quickly said: "Hey, you don't have to…"

"Please eat that for me." Xie Yun smiled at her, revealing a pair of blink-and-you'd-miss-it dimples. He said with faux seriousness: "Such good sauce is too tasty to put on the meat, else it'd ruin both the meat and the sauce. And that would be a crime as horrific as offending a beautiful woman."

Having spent the last few days on the road with this man, running for their lives, Zhou Fei had come to understand what he was like, more or less – Young Master Xie was composed of two things and two things only: fast feet, and a head full of ludicrous theories and principles. If he set his mind on convincing you that 'the sun rises in the west', he could talk your ear off until you were roundly persuaded that it was true. You would eventually believe wholeheartedly that the sun had always risen in the west.

Zhou Fei didn't waste her time engaging with his nonsense, merely asking: "What is the Wayfarers' Union?"

Xie Yun dumped the entire bowl of yellow sauce into his noodles, and mixed it altogether. He said: "Are you familiar with the Beggars' Sect?"

Zhou Fei nodded.

Xie Yun continued: "The Beggars' Sect unites all the beggars on this earth. They have a leader and elders, are divided into proper geographical districts and such, each with their own roles and responsibilities, and are strictly governed by their own set of principles and code of behaviour, with rules that are strictly enforced. One can tell at a glance which district each beggar belongs to. So they're considered the 'above board' sorts. Now, the Wayfarers' Union is quite similar to them, as it's also made up of a bunch of down-and-outs wandering the martial arts world. But their motto can be summed up in something like 'Cars and ships and all kinds of stalls, travellers and traffickers and all things swell, we'll kill you if it serves us well'. So they're the 'underworld', of sorts."

Zhou Fei didn't quite understand everything he had said, and asked: "What…what things swell?"

"Eat up first, you don't want your food to get cold. You can listen and eat at the same time." Xie Yun rapped the table lightly with his fingers. Only after she had taken a few mouthfuls of noodles did he continue: "Those five things I mentioned refer mainly to five different occupations – drivers, boatmen, stallholders, couriers, and salesmen and smugglers engaged in all kinds of illegal transactions. These people traverse the length and breadth of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. While they aren't exactly all bad, it's a large and motley crowd, and if any fat and unsuspecting sheep should run into them, they can only blame it on their own bad luck if they're slaughtered or sold."

Zhou Fei felt a heart skip a beat – the thought of a noble young lady like Wu Chuchu landing in the clutches of a bunch of bloodthirsty human traffickers suddenly made it hard for her to swallow that mouthful of food.

Xie Yun continued: "These five groups of people are referred to altogether as the 'Wayfarers' Union'. While it isn't overseen by any leader in particular, the various groups all have some kind of understanding between them. There are various trade routes and channels each overseen by certain people, which conduct both above board and shady kinds of business. If you know the business, are one of them, and have a route in hand, then you don't have to worry – the Wayfarers' Union will take care of it, whether you want to deliver goods, send a message, or obtain information. They're completely dependable. These are the 'above board' kinds of business. As for the shady business, well, I'm pretty sure you have a rough idea of what it involves – bottom line is, you don't have to worry about Mr Bai at all. He's one of my cousin's men, and can be relied upon. He has seven or eight of such routes in hand, so if you're with him, you'll find a hot meal and a comfortable bed in even the most dangerous of bandits' lairs. As long as you don't bump into the Big Dipper, that is."

"Oh." Zhou Fei had always thought that she belonged to the 'underworld'. Only when she left the 48 Zhai did she come to understand that they had proudly called themselves bandits for the sole purpose of provoking the emperor of the Northern Dynasty. Everyone she encountered in her travels thus far had considered her a delicate flower from an upstanding and orthodox sect, who had been raised in a utopia.

Zhou Fei pondered this for a bit, and asked: "Then can I get them to send a letter for me?"

Xie Yun arched a brow: "Mm?"

Zhou Fei gave him the rundown: "I've got to find Old Madam Wang first, I've no idea at all what's happened to her. My cousin left without a word, and then I went missing too – she's probably really angry at us right now, seeing as she'll have to answer to my mother when she gets back. And I still have to tell her about what happened to shixiong Chenfei…and then I also have to tell our elders about that traitorous secret post, which we don't know the full extent of yet…"

Xie Yun looked her over in surprise: "Your little head's not very big, but it certainly contains a lot inside."

Her train of thought now interrupted, she rolled her eyes at him in irritation. She felt most anxious and worried, and longed all the more to return home – in the 48 Zhai, she had simply practiced her martial arts day in and day out, not even bothering to compete with Li Sheng, and occasionally placating Li Yan. She had been blissfully free of all worries and concerns. Even when she had left the mountain, her one single focus was on being a good assistant to Old Madam Wang, and she hadn't even spared a thought as to where the 48 Zhai's secret posts were stationed.

But in the blink of an eye, she had been rendered helpless and alone, and weighed down by a mountain of worries.

Xie Yun looked at for her a moment, then abruptly retrieved a small paper packet from his robes and handed it to her: "This is for you."

Zhou Fei looked it dubiously. Unwrapping it, she saw that it contained a pile of sweets,[2] which Xie Yun must have bought for her somewhere. The sweets were crudely made, and cut in huge pieces large enough to choke little children. They were probably homemade by a local farmer. She looked at Xie Yun with suspicion: "I thought you'd gone out early in the morning to do something important, but it was to buy candy?"

Xie Yun shook his head sagely: "What is considered 'important'? It's all in the eye of the beholder – some people view their grand ambitions and schemes as important, while I think that bringing cheer to a beauty is important. Who's to say which is more important? If you ask me, I'd say that mine is far more cultured."

Zhou Fei shot him a menacing smile: "Brother Xie, I think you'd better work on your qinggong, at least as much as you do on that mouth of yours, else it won't be long before disaster befalls you."

As she said this, they suddenly heard the sound of someone banging on the door downstairs.

This inn welcomed visitors of all sorts, and as long as it hadn't closed for the day, its doors were always open. But this guest had deliberately banged on the door to announce his arrival.

Startled by that commotion, Zhou Fei peered downstairs to take a look. The source of the knocking was thin and lanky, with sagging cheeks and a pointed chin, and lips that looked like they were perpetually pursed even when they were not. If he stuck a bit of fur on himself, he could almost pass for a monkey. He was dressed all in white, like one in mourning, and followed by a whole entourage of people who were similarly attired. They looked like they had just come from a funeral. That skinny monkey in front was standing astride the raised threshold of the inn's doorway, surveying this little Three Springs Inn. Then he smiled faintly and clasped his hands in respect towards the innkeeper, saying: "Dear Sir, my brothers and I make a living as professional mourners, and have just sent another soul off through the gates of the underworld. It's been a long and tiring trek for us. Would you be so kind as to earn some good karma by giving us some food and drink?"

The other guests at the inn had all risen by now, and were about to come down for breakfast. Being reminded of death and mourning the first thing in the morning didn't exactly put them in a good mood.

But the innkeeper was really quite something – unfazed by these troublesome folks, he merely bowed deeply to them while chirping: "That's no problem at all. Boy, go fetch some pocket money for these brothers here from 'Bai Kong Fang' to quench their thirst!"

Seeing that the innkeeper had immediately discerned where he was from, that skinny monkey astride the doorway fixed him with a stare and let out a dry, humourless chuckle. He gave the innkeeper a thumbs-up, saying: "You, sir, know how to do business. You know what's good for you."

Zhou Fei whispered: "And what on earth is 'Bai Kong Fang'"?

Xie Yun replied: "Many people in these parts would hire a whole band of mourners for their funerals, as they wanted a grand procession[3] and were afraid that they didn't have enough family members for that. In these difficult times, I'm afraid that these folks' business has run dry. They've resorted to such minor extortion to get by now. But it's not a big deal, managing such ruffians is all in a day's work for businesses like these."

As he said this, the inn's waiter emerged bearing a small moneybag, which he tremulously handed over to the band of mourners.

Nodding and bowing to them, the innkeeper said: "It's just a small amount. Why don't you come in to rest your legs, and fill your bellies?"

But it seemed like they were satisfied with the money they had received. Feeling the weight of the moneybag in his hand, that skinny monkey's face had brightened considerably. He shook his head and smiled: "There's no need for that, it's getting late and we won't get in the way of your business. Let's go-"

At his command, that large band of 'mourners' picked up their funeral gongs and instruments and left, chanting and playing as they went, and leaving a trail of paper money behind them. When they were out of earshot, the waiter spit contemptuously at the ground where they had been standing, prompting the innkeeper to slap him on the back of his head, scolding: "What are you still hanging around here for, go and sweep the floor!"

Done with scolding his staff, the smile returned to the innkeeper's face once more, and he began apologising profusely to his guests. The more reasonable ones merely complained a little before letting it go, while for the more difficult customers, he would bow again and again, heaping compliment after compliment on them, until his lips were parched from flattery.

Seeing this spectacle unfold before her, Zhou Fei felt that the plump innkeeper reminded her very much of one of those roly-poly toys that were sold at street fairs, which sprang right back up when you knocked them over. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor man, and decided that running a business like this was something that she would never be able to do. She had once thought that being able to cross the Ink-Washing River was already accomplishing the impossible, and that nothing was too difficult for her after that. But she realised now that given her meagre abilities, she was probably only fit to be a security guard for someone's house. She would barely be able to run a small business like this, let alone embark on any grand venture.

She broke off one of the candies which Xie Yun had bought for her and shoved it into her mouth, one of her cheeks puffing up with the size of that large sweet. She had to chew and chew for ages before she could taste anything at all – the faintest hint of bittersweetness. She thought to herself: When I go back, if I don't buckle down and train seriously for five years at least, I'm not going to go out and risk being a huge disgrace.

Just then, several blood-curdling cries could be heard coming from somewhere outside the inn. The funeral music in the distance came to an abrupt halt. Silence descended on the little inn. The waiter sweeping the floor by the doorway widened his eyes. Zhou Fei looked out through her window to the street below, to see two horses galloping at full speed down the street. Their riders' faces were obscured by the conical bamboo hats that they wore.[4] They barged straight through that band of 'Bai Kong Fang' mourners. One of the riders had a long whip in his hand, which he cracked at them. Covered in spikes, it tore the skin off any exposed flesh that it touched.

The rider suddenly let go of the whip mid-crack. It sailed through the air, its deadly spikes narrowly missing the poor waiter who was sweeping the floor. The boy plopped down on the ground, shaking like a leaf.

Removing his hat with a flourish, the rider glared savagely up at the window on the second floor – this hoodlum who was mercilessly killing anyone in his way was but a young man of twenty.

Zhou Fei stared unflinchingly back at him, chewing on her candy.

The young rider had a face that could be considered quite handsome, although his eyes were a tad narrow. His incredibly slender brows sloped upwards, nearly blending into the hair at his temples, and making him look somewhat feminine. His face was pale, with a delicately pointed chin, and thin lips. His eyes glared daggers, such that it seemed like he held some murderous grudge against anyone he fixed them on. He had a mean and selfish air about him, as if he had been modelled after a picture book on grinches and curmudgeons.

Seeing that Zhou Fei was but a young maiden, the young man didn't think much of her, and thundered pompously: "Who is it that's getting involved in none of their business, like a dog trying to catch a mouse?"

Zhou Fei, who was twirling her other chopstick which she hadn't thrown at him, had wanted to retort "I was wondering who the devil you were, well I guess you're the mouse I'm after". But she didn't managed to deliver that scathing retort – her teeth had gotten stuck in Xie Yun's lousy candy.

As she was in the midst of valiantly taking down a big bully, the Great Heroine Zhou couldn't very well pick her teeth in front of everyone. So she gave Xie Yun a discreet look out the corner of her eye, while picking up a nearby teacup and sipping slowly in her best attempt at looking enigmatic. But Xie Yun didn't understand that look, and thought her silence simply meant that she had become a lot more level-headed after experiencing several brushes with death. He thought to himself: Even people seventy or eighty years old have trouble keeping their mouths shut. Kudos to a young girl like her for being able to bite her tongue when the situation calls for it.

Xie Yun, who had seriously misunderstood Zhou Fei, looked down at the young man and bowed respectfully, saying with a smile: "This brother here acquits himself quite extraordinarily, wielding the 'Whip of Four Hells' in a most fantastic fashion. There's no need to stoop to the level of an ignorant little girl, is there?"

At this, most of the inn's guests started to look around uneasily, and instead of watching the show as they had been doing, began to discreetly edge away.

Confused, Zhou Fei turned to look at Xie Yun. While his eyes were fixed on the man downstairs, he had dipped his fingers in water and traced out the words 'Azure Dragon' on the wooden table before them. She froze when she saw that – in Mu Xiaoqiao's valley, Shen Tianshu told her that the Mountain of the Living Dead had four leaders, who had flatteringly christened themselves after the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. Mu Xiaoqiao had been the 'Vermillion Bird'.

Since there was a 'Vermillion Bird', it made sense for there to be an 'Azure Dragon', 'White Tiger' and 'Black Tortoise' too. The pale-faced young man down there most likely wasn't the 'Azure Dragon Lord', or else a mere chopstick from her wouldn't have so easily knocked that whip out of his grasp. But his arrogant demeanour implied that he was at least a trusted lieutenant of the Azure Dragon.

The pale-faced young man furrowed his brow, and opened his mouth to speak. But before he could do so, his fellow rider reached a hand out to stop him.

The rider slowly removed his hat, revealing a old and weathered face. His bleary eyes looked Zhou Fei up and down, then turned towards Xie Yun. In a hoarse and scratchy voice, he said: "My young master doesn't have the best of tempers, and we were in a hurry. If we have offended you in any way, please accept my sincerest apologies."

That murderous young man didn't seem too pleased with the old man's words, and grimaced. He looked scornfully at the old man, his lips twisting into a sneer.

The innkeeper hastened out of the inn, dragging the terrified young waiter to his feet, and bowed as he said: "No, no, not at all, we are deeply sorry for blocking your way."

The old man and the plump innkeeper, one sitting on a horse and the other standing on the ground, politely and profusely conveyed their mutual 'apologies' for some time, until the pale-faced young man on the horse harrumphed impatiently and said: "Are the two of you done?"

The innkeeper quickly pulled the waiter to the side to clear the young man's path, and said: "This way please."

Without sparing the innkeeper a single glance, the pale-faced young man dismounted his horse, casually flinging his reins to the side. The old man behind him caught it with both hands, the very picture of a devoted family servant. The pale-faced young man strode into the inn with his nose in the air, and pointed up at Zhou Fei on the second floor: "I've always been more forgiving of women. Count yourself lucky. Once my work here is done, I'll let this go if you kowtow to me."

Zhou Fei looked absolutely befuddled. Having finally managed to swallow that resilient piece of candy, she loudly asked Xie Yun: "Are my eyes playing tricks on me? I'm pretty sure I hit that fellow good just now, right?"

The words that Xie Yun traced on the table had barely had time to dry, but this girl seemed to have changed her mind already and was raring for a fight. Xie Yun shook his head, thinking: And I'd actually thought she's grown more level-headed.

He quickly shovelled his noodles into his mouth, as he knew he wouldn't have much time before he'd most likely be called upon…to cheer on this valiant young lady from the sidelines.

The pale-faced young man was so incensed that his eyebrows shot up in rage, nearly disappearing into his fringe. He bellowed at the old man next to him: "Bring me that girl!"

The old man hesitated.

The pale-faced young man was seething: "Are you going to do it or what?"

The old man sighed, then slowly drew a dagger out from his sleeve – regular daggers were usually light and slender, an assassin's weapon of choice. But the hilt of that old man's dagger was extremely bulky. Someone with small hands probably wouldn't be able to wrap his hand around it. A lifelike dragon was carved into the hilt, coiling around its circumference, its mouth agape as if about to swallow a man whole.

Glancing at it, Xie Yun suddenly said: "The Nine-Dragon Elder's skills are renowned – how has he been reduced to serving a mere junior?"

The old man shook his head and said dolefully: "My Lord's orders cannot be defied. Gentleman, lady, my apologies."

The rickety old man had barely finished speaking before he seemed to suddenly levitate off the ground, and leap onto the second floor in the blink of an eye. His dagger made a sound like the howling of a dragon as it was unsheathed, and headed straight for Zhou Fei. This old geezer evidently wasn't a kind soul – one minute he was speaking courteously to them, and the next his dagger had darted forth with incredible speed, like a snake from its cave, not giving them any time to react. If Zhou Fei had run into him a few months ago, she'd probably be floored by now.

But since then, she had witnessed the Vermillion Bird Lord, the Big Dipper, and even the Withered-Glory Hands in action. She was like a little shoot watered by numerous masters of their craft, and was now a completely different person from that country bumpkin who had set forth from the 48 Zhai.

Zhou Fei didn't even dodge. She remained seated on the long bench, and parried the dagger with her sabre while stretching out a foot to kick Xie Yun and the chair that he was sitting on several metres away, so that he wouldn't get in the way. Then with a flick of her wrist, she unsheathed her sabre, and pressing it against the old man's elbow, thrust it upwards.

Several metres away, Xie Yun was watching the fight with amusement, and had crossed an ankle over his knee. He remarked: "Be careful of the device in his hilt."

Just after he said this, the Nine-Dragon Elder twisted his wrist round at an unnatural angle, baring the hilt of his dagger at Zhou Fei. A soft whoosh could be heard coming from the gaping mouth of the dragon carved on it, as it released two small arrows the length of one's palm. One of the arrows was aimed at Zhou Fei, while the other right at that Xie fellow.

Xie Yun thought – this dratted old geezer was really too much, not sparing even a spectator – and quickly scooted his chair a few centimetres to the side, narrowly missing that arrow. But he lost his balance, and tumbled to the floor together with the chair.

Xie Yun seemed unfazed, merely folding up his long, gangly legs to sit cross-legged on the floor. He said sagely: "Elder, if you choose to do too much harm in this world, it will come back to you someday. Rather than offering wise counsel, you're letting this man do as he pleases, and assisting him in his wicked deeds. Such behaviour doesn't befit a master like you."

Zhou Fei sprang up lightly on her toes, and leapt onto the table. The small arrow gently brushed past the sole of her shoe to bury itself in the wooden table. But it was quickly followed by others – more whooshes were heard as a series of small arrows was fired at her.

Not only could the Mayfly Formation expand one's reach, it could also weave around a small space. Zhou Fei's movements were a dizzying blur, and everyone else on the second floor instantly cleared out as the fight progressed.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Stop!"

The expression on the Nine-Dragon Elder's face instantly changed when he heard that voice. Tearing himself away from Zhou Fei, he didn't even waste time taking the stairs, simply stamping hard through the wooden floorboards underfoot to land on the first floor below. He darted in front of that young man, shielding him.

Zhou Fei thought: Who are you to ask me to stop like that?

She was about to pursue the old man, but was held back by Xie Yun, who had gotten up from the floor at some point. He whispered: "My dear heroine, take a break for a minute, at least long enough for those folks below to speak first."

A man who seemed to be in his late thirties trudged out from the kitchen. He was tall and lanky, and dressed in a chef's garb – an apron was tied around his waist, and his arms were covered in two oil-stained sleevelets from the elbows down. While his face and hands were immaculately clean, he had a woefully downtrodden look about him, without the slightest bit of verve.

Xie Yun sighed softly: "I guess it wasn't the lady boss who made that sauce."

Zhou Fei lifted her weapon and sheathed it right in front of his lips, signalling him to keep quiet.

The chef bowed deeply to the innkeeper, saying: "Boss, I'm really sorry to be creating so much trouble for you again."

The innkeeper simply waved a plump hand at the chef, and sighed.

The chef slowly removed the sleevelets from his arms and set them aside. Then raising his eyes to the pale-faced young man standing behind the Nine-Dragon Elder, he said: "Pei, one must pay one's debts by himself. Let's not involve others."

That pale-faced young man named 'Pei' snickered: "Oh great, does this mean you're here to pay your debt?"

The chef gave him an unreadable look: "Go ahead, tell me what you want."

The young man laughed: "That's easy. You don't need to give me your life. I just want you to cut off your right hand, right here in front of me, then kneel on the ground and kowtow to me 180 times, and then let me pierce my sword through you again and again. Then we'll be even!"

Just then, a large group of people suddenly arrived outside the Three Springs Inn. Their sleeves were embroidered with a vicious dragon whose hungry mouth was agape, as if about to swallow a person whole. At the sight of these unsavoury looking men, the guests in the inn quickly retreated to the furthest corners of the room, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the inn.

Ever since she had witnessed the deeds of Mu Xiaoqiao and his men, there was no way Zhou Fei would have a good impression of anyone from the Mountain of the Living Dead. Everything about this pale-faced young man irked her, from the way he had hurt innocent bystanders on the street, to the way he looked. Even the way he breathed made her feel like giving him a good beating. That Nine-Dragon Elder had also attacked her just now without any warning, so she did have a score to settle with him as well. As Mistress Li had once said, if one didn't dare to wield one's sabre, one might as well use it to chop melons.

Zhou Fei had already been feeling stifled over the past few days. Without another thought, she leapt downwards to land on the floor below, thrusting the tip of her sabre into the ground.

The chef lowered his eyes and took a step forward, which made that pale-faced young man step backwards instinctively. The chef seemed to smile at this, and said softly: "What you're asking of me isn't a big deal, really. I'll leave with you. My life is entirely in your hands. Just don't bother the rest."

The innkeeper suddenly spoke: "Wait just one second. My dear sirs, I beg you to re-consider. Look here, my little inn only has this one chef. If you take him away, where will I find another?"

As he said this, he moved towards that pale-faced young man and bowed beseechingly.

The pale-faced young man only sniggered coldly, while reaching a hand to that innkeeper's chest: "Who cares…"

Zhou Fei had one finger between her sabre's hilt and its scabbard, and was ready to unsheathe it any moment now. But just before the young man's hand touched the innkeeper's chest, the doughy-looking innkeeper stretched his hands out to grasp the young man's arm, twisting it to the side. That pale-faced young man looked as though he had been drawn forward by some kind of invisible force, and stumbled a few steps towards the innkeeper. He was trapped in the innkeeper's clutches in an instant. The innkeeper had his arm in a lock, and seemed to have done something to it – the young man was in so much pain that his face was covered in cold sweat. But he seemed to have some backbone in him. While he let out a muffled groan at first, he quickly clenched his jaw hard, refusing to emit any more sounds.

Zhou Fei hadn't expected this development. She withdrew her finger, sending her sabre back into its scabbard with a snap.

Xie Yun whispered cheerily into her ear: "In this wild no man's land at the foot of the Heng Mountains, all kinds of unsavoury characters abound. Did you think that a talent for flattery was enough for one to survive in this place? Look at that innkeeper's hands."

Zhou Fei blinked several times.

Her widened eyes seemed huge to Xie Yun. The lashes at the corners of her eyes curled upwards just the slightest bit, making her look almost adorable. His mischievous streak started acting up again. He said wolfishly: "I'll tell you more if you say something nice about me."

Zhou Fei jabbed the hilt of her sabre into Xie Yun's rib, growling: "Are you gonna tell me now?"

Xie Yun doubled over in pain. Seeing the bemused look on Zhou Fei's face, he quickly replied: "I'll tell, I'll tell! Have mercy, my heroine, you should save your strength for more formidable foes. Well, this inn isn't very large, and it doesn't have many guests. So the innkeeper pretty much does most of the chores himself. After the inn has shut for the night, I've seen him do the difficult work of cleaning up this place. The hands of people who do such chores are usually covered in callouses, but don't you think his two hands are incredibly smooth?"

Zhou Fei really hadn't noticed any of this. Surprised, she peered down at the innkeeper for a closer look. His hands were as white and smooth as suet. In fact, the back of that hand gripping the young man's neck was so smooth that not a single vein protruded from it. The innkeeper continued smiling beatifically: "Pardon me, dear sir, pardon me. I can't do any business with you darkening my doorway first thing in the morning. I beg of you to look at things from my lowly perspective. Here, let me apologise to you."

At that, he bowed deeply and deliberately. As he dipped forward, his hands gripping the young man pressed downwards, too, and the young man's face contorted in pain, turning an unnatural purplish-red. Looking like he couldn't bear to see the young man in such dire straits, the chef stepped forward, and opened his mouth to say something. But then it occurred him to that the innkeeper was doing this all for him, and so he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing this, the Nine-Dragon Elder's eyes flashed. He retrieved a little flag from within his robes, and planted it above the inn's doorway.

Xie Yun muttered: "Something wicked this way comes."

Before Zhou Fei could ask what he meant by that, the Nine-Dragon Elder suddenly seized one of the inn's guests, a merchant who had been cowering in a corner. The merchant had been surrounded by many of his hired bodyguards, but none of them were able to react in time. They could only watch as the old man picked their master up effortlessly, as if hauling a chicken. They instantly brandished their weapons, but no one dared to make a move.

The expression on the chef's face grew grim, and he said: "What are you doing?"

The Nine-Dragon Elder sighed ruefully: "The innkeeper here didn't reveal his true colours, and seized my young lord. I'm now caught between a rock and a hard place – I'm incapable of snatching him back, and if I were to try asking for him back nicely, the innkeeper will surely ask me to do something in exchange that I don't have the authority to decide on. So I'll either be charged with failing to protect my young lord, or with failing to do my job properly. Whichever it is, I'd certainly be in trouble. Given my lord's temper, he's liable to have me killed. And then that would mean the innkeeper got me killed, in some sense. Since that's the case, I thought I should at least pre-empt it all and avenge myself first. All of you paying guests here are contributing to the innkeeper's – my enemy's – business. So if you think about it, this is collective punishment, and perfectly justifiable."

As he spoke, his hands tightened around the neck of that poor merchant. The merchant's head lolled lifelessly to the side.

The Nine-Dragon Elder flung the corpse away: "Once the Azure Dragon's flag is hung above a door, it means that no one is allowed to leave – and only the dead remain. What are you waiting for?"

At this, the large group of men charged through the doors of the inn, surrounding everyone inside.

Zhou Fei: "…"

To encounter collective punishment when simply staying in an inn – what the hell had she done to deserve this?

The Nine-Dragon Elder seemed to have grown desperate – brandishing that dagger of his, the nine teeth of the dragon on its hilt gleaming, he actually rushed straight at the pale-faced young man, and thrust it towards his chest.

But the innkeeper didn't seem to want the young man's demise, and moved backwards while still holding the young man hostage. The entire situation seemed to have turned on its head – now it seemed like the Nine-Dragon Elder wanted to kill one of his own, while the innkeeper was fiercely defending him. While the plump innkeeper was indeed a true master, he was weighed down with the young man. This put him on the back foot, and he was forced to frantically duck from side to side.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Mountain of the Living Dead's Azure Dragon started killing anyone they got their hands on.

Looking at the scene below, Xie Yun said with great self-awareness: "I'm not very good at dealing with such situations…"

Zhou Fei said coldly: "Then don't get in the way."

As she said this, she charged towards the Nine-Dragon Elder, her sabre howling as it rapidly sliced through the air. While they had exchanged blows upstairs just now, Zhou Fei hadn't been sure of his abilities, nor his reasons for stirring up trouble here. So she had held back considerably, and their fight had been more of a sparring session.

But she was clear now that be it the Vermillion Bird or the Azure Dragon, everyone from the Mountain of the Living Dead was equally vile. And having had 'collective punishment' forced upon her for no good reason, she was already in an extremely bad mood. She now channelled all her fury at the old man, with a little of her anger towards Mu Xiaoqiao mixed inside too. All of this meant that even the sound and style of Zhou Fei's moves were very different from those she had executed just minutes ago.

Alarmed, the Nine-Dragon Elder quickly used his dagger to push Zhou Fei's sabre away as he roared. The two of them exchanged three or four blows in a matter of seconds.

But the Nine-Dragon Elder had been around for a long time, and the limited internal strength of an inexperienced young girl like Zhou Fei was certainly no match for his. While Zhou Fei's Snow-Breaking Sabre was indeed formidable, her wrists started to throb after a while.

She didn't know that the Nine-Dragon Elder was secretly astonished by her. He wasn't aware of the state of her wrists – so all he saw was a girl wielding her blade with an extremely vicious technique, which also seemed somewhat familiar. She hounded him at every turn, with none of the hesitation that one might expect of an inexperienced youth.

With a loud roar, the Nine-Dragon Elder put his full strength into his next blow. He bore down hard on Zhou Fei's blade with his vast reserves of internal strength, forcing the two into a stalemate. Just then, the chef said softly: "Young lady, could this be…the Snow-Breaking Sabre?"

Once the chef uttered those three words, the expression on the Nine-Dragon Elder's face changed drastically. The dagger in his hand twisted to the side, letting loose a small arrow from its hilt that flew straight towards Xie Yun, and forcing Zhou Fei to withdraw her weapon to save him. Once she withdrew her blade for just a second to block that arrow, the Nine-Dragon Elder would seize the opportunity to deliver a deadly palm strike to her back.

But the Mayfly Formation was infinitely resourceful, capable of leveraging on any object in one's surroundings. While Zhou Fei went after that arrow, she instinctively reached one leg out to kick a nearby bench. The bench flew into the air, shielding her from the old man's blow. It instantly shattered, and Zhou Fei felt a chilling current of chi surge through the pressure points at her neck and back. While the main shock of the old man's blow had been absorbed by the bench, its force was still overwhelming. She felt her very organs quiver from the blow, and tasted blood at the back of her throat. Yet at the same time, the other current of Withered-Glory chi in her body suddenly began to circulate of its own accord.

Not sparing a second to ponder this, Zhou Fei struck back at the old man in anger. She executed the Snow-Breaking Sabre's 'Mountain' move, which was hefty and measured in nature, and she had previously wielded it as such. But this time, it contained a murderous streak somehow, and was much swifter than usual.

The Nine-Dragon Elder had intended to take advantage of the fact that she was young and had relatively little internal strength. He hadn't expected his blow to not only fail to hurt her, but bring out the viciousness of her blade instead. Not daring to face her blow head-on, he frantically shuffled two steps to the side. Holding his dagger in front of his chest protectively, he glared at Zhou Fei the way he might a fierce foe.

While Zhou Fei had by some strange stroke of fate received a current of Withered-Glory chi from Duan Jiuniang, she hadn't learnt how to use it. So while the two conflicting currents of chi in her body were co-existing peacefully for now, they hadn't merged, each continuing to do their own thing instead. Even if Duan Jiuniang had still been on this earth, she might not have known how to resolve this odd predicament that Zhou Fei was in. So the current of Withered-Glory chi that had very nearly taken Zhou Fei's life continued to linger in her meridians, and had been inadvertently stirred to life by that palm strike from the Nine-Dragon Elder.

Zhou Fei was slender of frame and slight of muscle, such that more than one person had assessed that it would be an uphill task for her to master the powerful Snow-Breaking Sabre. But the Withered-Glory chi was extremely brutal, and could now compensate perfectly for her physical inadequacies.

The Withered-Glory Handsand the Snow-Breaking Sabre had once been at odds with each other, the former set on countering the latter – but twenty years later, while separated in death, the two had, by some odd machination of the gods, attained a seamless harmony within her person.

Zhou Fei was suddenly overcome with a bittersweet sense of poignance.

The Nine-Dragon Elder's eyes flashed. He retracted his dagger and bowed slightly towards her, saying with the utmost politeness: "My old and humble self didn't know that you were a descendant of the Southern Blade, Miss. My deepest apologies if I offended you just now. Our little affair here has nothing to do with you, and has been of the greatest inconvenience to you. With all the fighting going on here, swords and knives do not discriminate, and you might get hurt." Snickering, he said, "You may wish to take your…ahem, that friend of yours with you and leave first. If we meet again some day, I'll be sure to make it up to you."

Zhou Fei: "…"

Just minutes ago, this Nine-Dragon Elder had said that everyone here would be subject to collective punishment – yet he now emphasized that this had nothing to do with her at all. When he had heard the words 'Snow-Breaking Sabre', his first reaction had been to eliminate her, but realising that he was incapable of doing so, had instantly changed tack, speaking to her courteously as a 'descendant of the Southern Blade'. And that snicker at the end had been as vulgar as can be, with the word 'friend' uttered in such an oily fashion that she could almost see the grease dripping from his lips.

Zhou Fei hadn't thought it possible for a single sentence to be so chock full of bullshit, and almost sighed with admiration.

The chef, who had been standing silently by the side, chose to speak just then: "Since the Nine-Dragon Elder has spoken, you should leave while you can, Miss. I've already implicated you in something that is none of your concern. My deepest apologies."

Xie Yun, who was sitting on the floor with his arms folded across his chest, started chuckling.

Zhou Fei said curtly: "These legs are mine. I don't need nosy outsiders to order me around."

Xie Yun nodded his head approvingly, saying: "While my little sister here has little in the way of manners, and often beats up her elders, what she says is pleasing to the ear indeed."

The Nine-Dragon Elder's face hardened perceptibly. Then shooting them a forced smile, he said: "Fine. I offered you an easy way out, but since you'd rather take the hellish road – both Southern and Northern Blades are gathered here today, so we Azure Dragon folks will get a true taste of what you're made of! Come, come."

At this, the men of the Mountain of the Living Dead quickly blocked off the doorway of the inn, and got into formation.

Compared to the Vermillion Bird Lord Mu Xiaoqiao, who was inclined to engage in close combat while throwing his own men to the wolves, this Azure Dragon Lord didn't like to come to blows himself, preferring to have his men engage in group fights instead. He had therefore developed a tactical formation that required a large number of people, which was named 'Collapsing Mountains and Emptying Seas'. While this might not be very effective in waging war, it was excellent for taking out lone pugilists.

But Zhou Fei didn't know all this, and was instead still contemplating what the old man had meant by 'both Southern and Northern Blades are gathered here'. She looked in surprise at that plump innkeeper, and then over at that haggard chef, unsure who the 'Northern Blade' referred to. She knew that the Southern and Northern Blades had once been lauded as equally unbeatable. The Southern Blade Li Zheng resided in the Shu Mountains, while the Northern Blade Guan Feng had settled in the faraway frontier regions.

Li Zheng had made a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, and after establishing the infamous 48 Zhai, had grown even more renowned. In comparison, Guan Feng, who was more than a decade older than Li Zheng, was somewhat cut off from the outside world. It was said that ever since the mutiny in the Northern Capital, he hadn't crossed the borders again, and gradually faded into legend. He was probably a regular old herdsman grazing his flock on the wide open plains of the frontier regions by now.

While the Shu Mountains were devoid of even a single snowflake all year round, the Southern Blade was chillingly vicious, resembling an icy northern wind; while the harsh frontier regions were devoid of life except for a few rugged cattle and sheep, the Northern Blade was extremely supple and even gentle, with some characterising it as a technique that could 'slice water and tangle silk'.

The expression on Xie Yun's face grew serious, and he bowed slightly towards the chef: "Might I ask if this senior here is a descendant of the Northern Blade – the hero Ji Yunchen?"

The chef hadn't expected a young man like Xie Yun to know his real name, and froze for a second, before smiling ruefully: "While Ji Yunchen is indeed my name, I'm ashamed to say that I am utterly useless now, and do not dare sully my master's name by being called 'a descendant of the Northern Blade'."

The pale-faced young man, who was still being held hostage by the plump innkeeper, sneered: "Oh, it's not because he doesn't dare sully his master's name. He simply can't."

Ji Yunchen lowered his head: "You're right. Because I once swore a solemn oath, I have now incapacitated myself of my martial arts.[5] I will not wield a blade again for the rest of my life, nor will I fight with anyone."

Zhou Fei was confounded by this, and immediately asked: "You won't fight under any circumstances at all? Then what if someone is out to kill you?"

Ji Yunchen's eyebrows lifted slightly, and he looked so sorrowful that his expression wouldn't have been out of place at a funeral. He said softly: "I'd just let him kill me, then."

Hatred contorting his face, the pale-faced young man shouted: "Then why don't you just kill yourself right now? This entire inn full of people will have to lose their lives today because of you. Why won't you just die?"

Ji Yunchen's face darkened even further. He slowly bent down and picked up the small arrow that Zhou Fei had knocked aside.

Everything about the man seemed to say that he was tired of living, and Xie Yun suspected that he might stab that little arrow into his own throat. He quickly said: "Even if you were to perish now, the Nine-Dragon Elder wouldn't let us go. When has the Mountain of the Living Dead ever been reasonable?"

The pale-faced young man burst out laughing: "Of course! While the Nine-Dragon Elder might not have the best martial arts skills, he certainly ranks right up there in terms of ruthlessness. Even if you were to die a thousand times, or ten thousand times, you won't be able to prevent that old fellow from killing everyone as he pleases!"

After listening to this young fellow yap on and on, Zhou Fei still couldn't quite figure out if he wanted Ji Yunchen to live or die. She suspected that everyone from the Mountain of the Living Dead was a little off in the head – they seemed to keep contradicting themselves.

The Nine-Dragon Elder glanced coldly at the pale-faced young man, then gave a shrill whistle. The formation of men behind him instantly started surging towards the people in the inn.

When it came to fighting, Zhou Fei acted when she felt like it, and never after carefully considering her opponent's movements – she immediately unsheathed her sabre and rushed forward.

But only after she charged into the fray did she realise exactly how tricky this formation was. The Azure Dragon's disciples were clearly well-trained, advancing and retreating with precision, like a gigantic net closing in on them. While most formations could be broken by piercing through a particular point in the formation, this one was different – every time she tried to make a small tear in the formation, that 'net' would begin to close in on the tear. If she killed one person in the formation, someone else behind him would instantly step up to fill his place. Many disciples were still outside the inn, waiting their turn to join the formation in order. While their skills were barely passable on an individual basis, all of these men became a 'giant' when put together. Each person was merely a hair on the head of this giant – no matter how many died, the giant would not be hurt in the slightest.

The inn was not very large, such that this 'human net' filled every corner of it.

It took Zhou Fei only a second of hesitation for seven or eight weapons to press down on her blade already. Two people behind her instantly took the place of their comrade who she had just killed, and pounced at her.

She heard Xie Yun shout: "Above you!"

With a flick of her wrist, Zhou Fei quickly swung her blade around. Channelling the Withered-Glory chi, she thrust her sabre upwards, stabbing one of the Azure Dragon's disciples to death. Then with the 'Wind' movement of the Snow-Breaking Sabre, she dealt a whopping series of fourteen blows with her blade, forcing that human net backwards for an instant. She then leapt upwards, pushing her foot off the shoulder of one of the Azure Dragon's disciples, managing to break away from that troublesome formation and land on the second floor of the inn.

Looking down at the mass of Azure Dragon disciples below, she felt her scalp prickle with unease, and her brow furrowed. Turning behind her, she saw that Xie fellow had settled himself in a 'prime spot' – a corner of the stairs was blocked by wooden pillars, and was perfect for hiding. She rolled her eyes at him. Xie Yun craned his neck towards her, and beamed: "Breaking this formation isn't difficult. Listen to me: first bar the doors and windows, preventing them from substituting people in. Even the densest net is afraid of fire, so there's really nothing to fear."

But this was all a load of nonsense – if one wanted to seal the doors and windows, one would have to go deep into the heart of that formation, break it apart right where the door was, and while being attacked on both sides by the people inside and outside the inn, find some way to forcibly shut the doors to separate the Azure Dragon's disciples. Then once locked outside with the Azure Dragon's remaining disciples, one would have to coordinate with the people inside the inn to make sure that the doors remained shut. She bellowed angrily: "What kind of crappy idea is that! Why don't you try it yourself!"

Without a trace of the heroism he had exhibited when approving of her decision to stay and fight just now, he shrank back and said: "I certainly can't do it."

Zhou Fei: "…"

This Xie fellow really was keenly aware of his limitations.

She looked down at the first floor again. That innkeeper had sealed the pale-faced young man's pressure points and handed him over to Ji Yunchen, so that he could focus on dealing with the Nine-Dragon Elder. But the rest of them were clearly struggling, and she couldn't expect much help from them.

Clenching her jaw in determination, Zhou Fei thought to herself: Well, here goes nothing.

Leaping to the floor below, she executed the 'Wind' move as best she could, which actually managed to rip through the human net. But although she managed to get close to the door several times, the sea of men kept rushing forward to fill the gap before she could reach it. The human net behind her was also steadily closing in on her. The blade in Zhou Fei's hand was already moving so fast it was a blur, yet she kept feeling like the more she struggled, the less effect it had.

Just then, Ji Yunchen said: "Miss, techniques are dead, it is people who are alive. The Southern Blade is Li Zheng's technique, but you are your own person. You're too weighed down by the techniques of your ancestors."

Zhou Fei was already feeling increasingly frustrated that her efforts to reach the door were being foiled time and again. Hearing these words, she thought to herself: What the hell is he yapping on about?

While Ji Yunchen sounded a little breathless as he spoke, his voice was incredibly serene. It was as if no matter how grisly the fight around him became, nothing could shake that dead calm within him.

This legendary descendant of the Northern Blade said evenly: "The Snow-Breaking Sabre has nine moves, namely 'Mountain', 'Sea', 'Wind', 'Piercing', 'Breaking', 'Cutting', 'Unrivalled', 'Inconstant', and 'Bladeless'. When I was young, I had the privilege of seeing senior Li Zheng in action. I thought that the essence of his technique then was 'Bladeless'. And then in Mistress Li's hands, which I also had the privilege of witnessing once, the essence of the technique was 'Unrivalled'. Young lady, since you aren't senior Li, nor are you Mistress Li, which move will your blade choose?"

At first, Zhou Fei had been set on ignoring his advice, as she was annoyed that he had seemed completely resigned and devoid of any reaction to the fact that he had implicated the lives of so many people. But as he spoke, she found herself starting to absorb what he was saying. And when he mentioned 'Unrivalled' and 'Bladeless', Zhou Fei felt as if her skull had suddenly been pried open, to let the light in. While she didn't exactly feel thoroughly enlightened yet, she did feel a good deal wiser.

Her hand stilled for a moment, and she was nearly seized by the Azure Dragon's disciples who were closing in on her.

Zhou Fei thought to herself: That's right – when my grandfather died, my mother was not much older than I am now, and she probably hadn't learnt the Snow-Breaking Sabre all that well by then. She told me that the Snow-Breaking Sabre was 'invincible', but was it passed down to her like that, or did she make it so on her own? Why then do I have to take her version as the gospel truth and copy it move for move?

Since leaving the 48 Zhai, Zhou Fei had changed quite a lot, besides becoming savvier and more knowledgeable. She had used to think of Li Jinrong as a goal that she dreamed of surpassing – partly because she'd thought that becoming Mistress Li wasn't actually such a tall order, as she'd be able to snatch that whip from her mother's hand sooner or later; and partly because she secretly viewed Li Jinrong as her dependable rock. She subconsciously and strongly believed that even if the sky were to tumble down, as long as Mistress Li were still around, the 48 Zhai would not be buried by its collapse. So anything that Mistress Li said was sure to be incontrovertible and indisputable, and the martial arts imparted by Mistress Li would certainly be the most authoritative and correct.

But now, things seemed to have been turned on their head.

Only after personally witnessing some of the hardships known to man, and personally shouldering just a little of the responsibilities and pressure that Li Jinrong had taken on all those years ago, did Zhou Fei fully realise how amazing Mistress Li really was. At the same time, after witnessing extraordinary experts like that monster of the Mountain of the Living Dead Mu Xiaoqiao, Dubhe of the Big Dipper and even the Withered-Glory Hands, she had also come to realise that while Li Jinrong's martial arts certainly ranked up there with the best of them, it did not necessarily tower above them all.

And in that instant, the original framework of the Snow-Breaking Sabre's nine moves came crashing down in Zhou Fei's mind. Without even thinking, she instinctively thrust the obverse side of her sabre forward, pressing it down on the weapon in the hand of one of the Azure Dragon's disciples. The disciple immediately pushed back against her blade, but Zhou Fei simply glided her blade along his weapon – just like how she had used a willow branch to glide past the strings of the machine in the Ink-Washing River numerous times!

When it had glided to the end of his blade, Zhou Fei's sabre suddenly sprang to attention, and with a 'Piercing' move, skewered the man right in the chest before he had a chance to react. With one kick, Zhou Fei dislodged his corpse from her blade. She then reached down to pick it up by the collar, and flung it hard at the person who was about to step forward to take that disciple's place. The person went flying.

While there may be a thousand and one different formations in this world, their basic principles remained constant. Zhou Fei had never learnt any of this in a systematic fashion, but she was particularly gifted in fighting…especially group fights. Just knowing the basics of the Mayfly Formation had been enough to elevate her fighting skills immensely.

Instead of stepping forward to widen the new gap in the formation, she took a step backwards, jabbing her elbow precisely into the chin of one of the disciples behind her. He fell backwards to the ground, unconscious. The disciples around him hastened forward, and one of them thrust his sword towards Zhou Fei. She parried it with the obverse side of her blade, then pushing against it, slid deftly to the side, making a small tear in that dense human formation.

Five or six of the Azure Dragon's disciples immediately came forward to block her. But Zhou Fei seemed to have learnt some kind of bone-shrinking magic, as she managed to nimbly slip through the spaces between them. She was like a slippery stream of water – but after 'flowing' past them, the sabre in her hand suddenly changed in nature, swinging around to slash down at them, its decisiveness and viciousness making that blow one for the record books. Unable to withstand its force, and not quick enough to retreat, one of the Azure Dragon's disciples was instantly hit in the back. He fell forward in agony, right onto the bared weapons of his comrades, and was skewered in an instant.

With all the bashing and ripping that Zhou Fei was doing, a hole had started to develop in the formation.

Meanwhile, she had already managed to make her way to the door of the inn.

Just as she reached the door, she heard Xie Yun call out loudly to her: "Where's your 'Bone-Locking Poison'?"

Instantly understanding what he was trying to do, Zhou Fei flung her arm out dramatically. Fearing that she had unleashed a deadly poison of some sort, the Azure Dragon's disciples who were blocking the doorway immediately retreated a few steps. Zhou Fei's blade swept forward, swiftly taking down those who hadn't managed to retreat in time, and striking the inn's doorway with a loud clang. Then she swung it behind her, forcing back those disciples who were attempting to reach the doorway, and started to pull the inn's wooden doors shut. Those disciples outside finally realised her deception, and were about to charge back towards the doorway. But before they could do so, they ran straight into an 'Inconstant Wind' from Zhou Fei's blade. Their blood splattered onto the door frame, their corpses forming a natural barrier blocking the door.

Xie Yun hollered: "What are all of you waiting for! The formation has broken! There's nothing to fear anymore, why aren't you striking back?"

In truth, the formation hadn't actually been broken – it was just that Zhou Fei had moved so fast just now, she had caused the entire formation to freeze up in stunned surprise, and at a glance, many of the disciples seemed to have shifted into the wrong positions. But if there had been someone to direct this formation, it would have regained its order in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, the Nine-Dragon Elder was too busy fending off the plump innkeeper to spare a moment to do this. Therefore Xie Yun's words actually took root, instantly plunging the Azure Dragon's entire formation of 'Collapsing Mountains and Emptying Seas' into a frenzied panic.

Seeing this, even the most defenceless guests in the inn, fuelled by hatred for their ruthless attackers, set upon the Azure Dragon's disciples with a vengeance. Together with Zhou Fei, who was pushing back against the disciples from the doorway, they attacked them from all sides – making the formation's demise inevitable.

Xie Yun winked at Zhou Fei, and stuck his thumb up. He seemed to be saying – you've got a sharp blade, while I've got a sharp tongue, we're a match made in heaven.

Zhou Fei gave him a hugely scornful eyeroll.

She turned her head away from him, loathe to see that shameless fellow leer down at her from his hiding spot.

With the tables suddenly turned, the plump innkeeper let out a loud roar as he clasped his smooth white hands around the Nine-Dragon Elder's dagger. Then he swept his leg forward in a powerful kick, straight at the side of the old man's waist, and one of the more vulnerable spots in a man's body. The wind was knocked right out of the Nine-Dragon Elder, and he went flying to the side, ramming into a wooden pillar beside the stairs. If he had been made of porcelain, half of his body would've shattered by now.

Panting heavily, the Nine-Dragon Elder lifted his head – and his eyes just so happened to meet those of Xie Yun, who was still hiding behind the wooden pillars on the stairs.

Xie Yun shrank back: "Oh no, I'm in trouble now, my house is about to fall!"

At the sight of this irritant, the Nine-Dragon Elder was so incensed that his temple started to throb. He wished for nothing more than to cut this fellow into a million pieces and grind his flesh down for dog food. He thrust his dagger up at Xie Yun. Xie Yun floated effortlessly down to the first floor like a sheet of paper, gliding swiftly to the side once his feet touched the ground.

It was almost as if a light autumn breeze had swept through the crowded inn – and Young Master Xie was a fallen leaf carried on this wind.

This 'fallen leaf' danced around the inn while continuing to chatter on: "My dear sir, it's not fair at all to only pick the softer fruit to bruise, won't this sully your heroic name?"

As he said this, he had already floated up to the second floor again, with time enough to even turn around and shoot a wide, toothy smile at the old man. Then he nimbly leapt back down through the hole that the Nine-Dragon Elder had made in the floorboards just now. Livid, the Nine-Dragon Elder jumped through it as well, hot on Xie Yun's heels. To his surprise, the plump innkeeper was standing right beneath that hole, grinning up at him: "Come down here!"

But it was too late for the Nine-Dragon Elder to retreat. The plump innkeeper grabbed his calf, dragging him to the ground.

The formation of Azure Dragon disciples had completely fallen apart by now, devolving into a chaotic mass of people. With Zhou Fei fiercely guarding the shut doors, most of the remaining disciples inside the inn had been slaughtered by the vengeful guests.

Chuckling, the plump innkeeper said to the Nine-Dragon Elder: "My brother, karma always comes right back around to get you in the end."

Then with a twist of his large hands, he appeared to snap the old man's ankle.

In that instant, a soft creak rang out, so soft that the plump innkeeper couldn't hear it in the noisy inn. But Ji Yunchen and Xie Yun lifted their heads simultaneously, and called out at once: "Watch out!"

There was a little device located at the Nine-Dragon Elder's ankle. If it was twisted forcefully, a small iron arrow would come flying out. This arrow now hurtled straight at the plump innkeeper's face. It was too late for him to move away. In his desperation, he let out a loud roar, snapping the Nine-Dragon Elder's leg in two with one hand while lifting his other hand to shield his face. The little iron arrow pierced his palm.

Those impenetrable hands of his seemed to have grasped blazing hot flames – a scorching pain spread across his entire body, and the blood that flowed from the wound on his palm was black as night: the iron arrow was poisonous!

The expression on Ji Yunchen's face changed instantly. He sprang to his feet. But the plump innkeeper had already grabbed a stray axe that one of the disciples had discarded on the floor, and with a loud roar, brought it down on the wrist of his pierced right hand.

Ji Yunchen shouted in anguish: "Brother Hua!"

Only a few seconds had passed between the Nine-Dragon Elder's sneak attack and the plump innkeeper's self-mutilation. Xie Yun had barely had time to blink. After a moment had passed, he said softly: "Hua? Could this be Hua Zhenglong of the 'Divine Lotus Palms'?"

The plump innkeeper had gone white as a sheet, his body wracked with pain. His teeth were knocking violently against each other as he shivered from the unbearable agony, but he was still able to grit out a few words: "I'm gr…grateful..that someone still remembers this old man."

The Nine-Dragon Elder's deformed leg was lying limply before him, and he was on the verge of fainting from the pain. He was panting heavily, slumped on the floor like a dying dog, but at those three words – 'Hua Zhenglong' – his bleary eyes suddenly focused once more, and gleamed dangerously. He reached a hand towards his chest. But just then, there was a flash of steel before his eyes, and he only had time for his pupils to constrict slightly before he was reduced to a 'Headless Elder', his severed head rolling to a halt on the floor.

Zhou Fei, who had reached him just in time, stepped lightly to the side to avoid the spurting blood. If she hadn't cleaved her blade down fast enough, she shuddered to think of the stunt that old devil would have pulled. She looked across at Xie Yun and Ji Yunchen beneath furrowed brows. Talking seemed to be the only thing these useless idiots knew how to do.

With Zhou Fei gone, those Azure Dragon disciples who had been held back outside the inn finally managed to burst through its wooden doors. But before they could even charge in, they were greeted by the Nine-Dragon Elder's severed head rolling merrily along. The disciple right in front tripped over the threshold of the door and fell to the floor, then sprang up lightning-quick, turned tail and fled without another word.

Following his lead, the remaining Azure Dragon disciples rapidly scattered to the four winds. In a matter of seconds, they had cleared out of the entire inn, leaving only a trail of blood that stretched from the door of the Three Springs Inn all the way into the street.

The stallholders and shopkeepers who had hurriedly shut their doors and windows when the fighting started now opened them again, and people started going about their business as if nothing had happened. Everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to such scenes. They were walking on the bloodstained street as if these weren't puddles of blood they were stepping on, but dog shit – there were only cries of caution to avoid the blood for fear of dirtying their shoes.

The plump innkeeper Hua Zhenglong stumbled to a corner of the inn and plopped down on the ground. Ji Yunchen hastened to him and started attending to his wounds.

With everyone too busy to care about him, the pale-faced young man, whose pressure points were still sealed, sneered coldly: "The Divine Lotus Palms, the Southern Blade…ha ha, you really are the esteemed descendant of the Northern Blade. Even when you've been reduced to a useless cripple, a bunch of bootlickers will still hurry to your side to protect you…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Zhou Fei had slapped him clean across the face.

If the neck of that pale-faced young man had been just slightly more delicate, it would have snapped from the force of that slap. One side of his pristine white face instantly swelled to high heaven, his slim oval-shaped face distorting into an upside-down acorn.

Zhou Fei said nonchalantly: "If you say anymore bullshit, I'll cut your tongue off."

Xie Yun hastened to add: "My dear brother, you'd better heed her words and keep your mouth shut, she really means what she says!"

The pale-faced young man glared savagely at Zhou Fei, flames nearly shooting from his eyes.

Having stemmed Hua Zhenglong's bleeding, Ji Yunchen sighed and turned to Zhou Fei, bowing deeply, before addressing all the guests still standing in the inn: "I deserve a hundred painful deaths for putting all of you through this."

The pale-faced young man sneered again, although his now-swollen face meant that his mouth was a little bent out of shape. But he was incorrigible, and risking a severed tongue, refused to stop: "Taking me hostage is no big deal, as I'm merely one of the Azure Dragon's lowly dogs. But by killing his trusted Nine-Dragon Elder, and breaking his renowned formation of Collapsing Mountains and Emptying Seas, you have dealt him a very public slap to the face. He will not let this go so easily. Not a single one of you here today will be able to escape his wrath!"

Ji Yunchen turned to look at him, and sighed: "Pei, if your parents were to see you in your current state, they'd be devastated. Stop humiliating yourself like this."

At the mention of his parents, the pale-faced young man went apoplectic, his face turning beet red and the veins in his neck bulging dangerously. If his pressure points hadn't been sealed, he would most likely have leapt to his feet and started gnashing his teeth at the closest person. He roared: "You have the cheek to speak of my mother and father! You…"

But before he could complete his sentence, the ground suddenly started to shake.

As if they had rehearsed in advance, the windows and doors of the houses lining the street instantly slammed shut again. The street that had just been bustling with people emptied out in seconds.

[1] 恭喜发财 – a greeting of prosperity often used in Chinese New Year.

[2] The sweets probably looked something like this, but without the nuts.

[3] Funeral processions in China could be quite elaborate, with a large group of people, musical instruments being played, and the burning of paper money (for the dead to spend in the underworld). Some pictures can be seen here.

[4] Looks something like this.

[5] It was said that one could get rid of one's martial arts skills in several ways: The most savage way was to break one's limbs irrevocably. Another way was to pierce the clavicle, which would prevent one from exerting one's martial arts skills without affecting one's organs. Other ways included severing one's ligaments, suffering from severe internal injuries, or having one's meridians severed.