Chapter 32: Till Death

Dawn was almost breaking. This little haven of tranquillity that depended on the 48 Zhai was about to suffer its worst catastrophe in twenty years.

The town's night watchman was strolling down the empty street, a lamp in hand. Startled by his footsteps, a sleeping dog raised its head towards the sound. Seeing that it was only the watchman, the dog rested its head back on its front paws, yawning widely. But suddenly, its two floppy ears perked up. It leapt to its feet, craning its neck to peer towards the end of the street, and started barking loudly.

The watchman jangled his rattle at it, grumbling: "You dumb dog, what are you…"

But his words petered out mid-sentence. The ground beneath him started to shake, the approaching tremors growing nearer and nearer. The watchman's eyes widened, and he turned around to look behind him. The lamp in his hand dropped to the ground with a crash – those black-clad men atop their ironclad steeds descended upon this town like a vivid nightmare, crushing the peace in this little hamlet into smithereens.

Dogs howled, and chickens screeched.

Large flags embroidered with black hawks and the Big Dipper unfurled across the sky, undulating majestically in the wind. The watchman stared dumbfounded at those flags for a moment before springing into action. He turned back around and broke into a run, shouting at the top of his lungs: "The Big Dipper and the false Dynasty have come…"

A sword abruptly slashed at the watchman from behind, slicing him in half.

The man wielding the sword seemed to be a little over forty. His face was a stony mask. Harsh brows and piercing eyes sat atop gaunt cheeks that were sunken in. The unusually high bridge of his nose protruded imposingly from his face – there was a scar running right across that nose, making him appear even more chillingly aloof.

"False dynasty," he lightly chuckled, as he shook the droplets of blood from his sword. He turned to address an immensely obese man, who was being protectively surrounded by a legion of bodyguards: "Is this one of the 'bandits' that Your Highness was referring to? I have executed him, at your command."

This person being referred to as "Your Highness" was only about twenty or thirty years of age at most. Yet the grotesque amount of fats on him was truly remarkable, and far exceeded what a regular person of that age was capable of accumulating. The horse beneath him was already much sturdier than average, yet it was still panting heavily as it walked, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.

A beatific smile spread across the face of this plump prince, causing his multiple chins to meld into his nearly-indiscernible neck: "Ha! Lord Lu, Sir Yaoguang! Bravo! Bravo! You've understood my commands perfectly, and executed them just as well – I wish I'd made your acquaintance sooner!"

The lights in the little town were all ablaze now, and cries of terror tore across the calm dawn sky.

Lu Yaoguang chuckled soundlessly as he bowed: "Many thanks to Your Highness, for your appreciation."

Then brandishing his sword, he commanded: "Vanguard of the Big Dipper, when faced with such 'bandits', what are you still standing there for….ah- I see that the rats have come scurrying out already."

The black-clad men uniformly turned to look in the direction of his outstretched blade, towards the end of the long street that was shrouded in fog. Several stout-looking men were standing there with weapons in their hands. They were all in vastly different attire, some of them in the coarse linen clothes of common stallholders and vendors, some of them in the robes of monied innkeepers, and there was even the old bard,with his rolled-up sleeves and little square hat.

Sitting astride his horse, Lu Yaoguang gave them a small nod of acknowledgment: "I am Alkaid of the Big Dipper. Who might you be, and where do you hail from? State your names."

The man in front slowly raised the halberd in his hand: "Poor peasants and common folk – our humble names are not worth mentioning."

Lu Yaoguang said: "Oh, people have said that to me hundreds, if not thousands of times by now. I suppose a new gang of thugs by the name of 'Poor Peasants and Commonfolk' has sprung up here, hm?"

And then with an expression of immense pity on his face, he waved his hand. The black-clad men surged forward, crushing that handful of peasants like a tidal wave.

The plump prince cast a detached glance towards those commoners in the distance, then didn't spare those valiant fools another thought after that. Leaning on two members of his entourage for support, he dismounted his horse, using his whip to sweep aside a dead man that had rolled into his line of sight. He placed his hands behind his back and looked up in the direction of the 48 Zhai –

The Hall of Elders stood atop this heavily guarded mountain, its two-decade old walls mottled with generations of verdant moss.

Lin Hao was standing by the doorway. The expression and voice of this steady young man remained calm, even though the hands behind his back were fidgeting subconsciously. He respectfully addressed Zhao Qiusheng: "Shishu, of the eight secret posts we have at the foot of the mountains, we have cut off contact with seven of them. From the start, I'd already commanded them not to act rashly, and to reserve their energies and resources at all costs, but not a single one of the disciples down there seems to have obeyed. I don't think it's because our comrades are being rebellious. It's just very difficult for them to turn a blind eye when the people around them are being slaughtered."

Zhang Bolin was stalking up and down the Hall of Elders like a caged beast. Zhao Qiusheng was sitting ramrod straight on his high-backed chair, a stony expression on his face as he bellowed: "Old Zhang, what are you doing – going back and forth like a mule grinding corn!"

Zhang Bolin retorted: "I'm not a mule, I'm a cowardly tortoise hiding in its shell, like all the rest of us here!"

Lin Hao gently chided: "Elder Zhang, let's talk things out nicely, shall we?"

Zhao Qiusheng slammed his fist angrily down onto the armrest of his wooden chair, splitting open the head of the poor beast that was carved into it. Clenching his teeth, he spit out each word: " Zhang Bolin, before Mistress Li left she entrusted all the affairs of the 48 Zhai to the three of us. All 48…I mean 47 sects, more than a thousand lives are here – do you dare object to all of them hiding here? If the 48 Zhai is breached, this place that was built over decades will be destroyed overnight. How do you plan on explaining that to Mistress Li?"

Unable to respond, Zhang Bolin went red in the face with frustration.

But Lin Hao said: "The roads traversing these mountains are treacherous, and only impoverished villages used to be here. Hasn't Mistress Li also been responsible for the prosperity that they have come to enjoy over the last twenty years? If any harm were to befall these towns, how would we explain that to Mistress Li?"

Zhao Qiusheng let out a ragged breath.

The tone of Lin Hao's voice grew even gentler, although his words grew harsher: "My elders have always told me that the 48 Zhai was established to shelter the righteous, and to oppose tyrannical rule – as one of its founding members, Elder Zhao would certainly be fully aware of this, and you don't need a junior like me to remind you of it – yet now, when our enemies are attacking the innocent and defenceless, are those righteous heroes of yore going to keep the drawbridge raised, turning a blind eye and deaf ears to their plight? Doesn't that contravene the very principles of the 48 Zhai's founding?"

Zhao Qiusheng bellowed: "Lin Hao, how dare you say that!"

Lin Hao was a shrewd fellow – he simply gave a silent bow of apology, his expression unchanged. He had clearly seen right through Zhao Qiusheng's anger.

Zhao Qiusheng stood up, kicking his chair over in fury: "These mountains conceal plenty of traps, its guard posts and sentries stationed at various hidden corners and advantageous positions, which allow us to fend off intruders even if we are vastly outnumbered. This was the only reason you were able to just barely repel our enemies. Don't you think that I'm old and senile and don't know this! With that meagre number of people you have, even if they were all highly-skilled pugilists do you think they'd be capable of crushing even a single contingent of those troops, huh? Nobody's standing between you and these principles, or seeking out your own death! Feel free to go out on your own if you wish, but don't you dare drag all the innocent and defenceless people on this mountain down with you…"

Just then, they heard Ma Jili's voice from outside.

He seemed to be exclaiming at someone: "Fei, you're finally here…wait a minute, you…what are you doing?"

At this, the three squabbling men temporarily turned their attention to the doorway. Zhou Fei strode purposefully into the Hall of Elders, a group of young disciples hurrying after her. Sweeping her gaze across the hall, Zhou Fei bowed towards all of them before saying: "The stringed machine in the Ink-Washing River has been turned on. I've left some people there to guard it. I've also set up new look-out posts on the banks of the river. Even if the enemy attacks again, they won't be able to cross over so quickly. You don't have to worry about that for now."

But no one was paying much attention to what she was saying. The eyes of these three elders were all glued to the stretcher that the disciples had carried in – Elder Yu lay there silently, a relaxed expression on his face. There was still a little bit of colour in his cheeks, although his lips were starting to turn a strange purplish-green.

After a good long while, Zhao Qiusheng was the first to finally tear his eyes away. He asked Zhou Fei: "What did you bring him here for?"

Zhou Fei replied evenly: "Shishu Zhao, with the murderer still at large, we have yet to take our revenge. Even if I were to bury Elder Yu right now, he would not be able to rest in peace. As I was at a loss over our next course of action, I had no choice but to bring him to the Hall of Elders, for all of you to decide."

Right after he'd scolded a quite-deranged Zhang Bolin into stifled submission, and chastised a Lin Hao who was clearly just pretending to acquiesce, that jinx Zhou Fei was now here to create more trouble. He really couldn't get a break. He thought resentfully to himself that he seemed to be the only one holding up the entire 48 Zhai on his shoulders, while his supposed comrades were of no help at all. Pointing a furious finger at Zhou Fei, he felt so angry that he couldn't speak.

But fortunately for him, his fellow elders – even Zhang Bolin who just moments ago had been shouting at him till he was red in the face – were all on his side on this matter. If this were just a simple mutiny, Zhou Fei would certainly be more than capable of making herself useful, especially given her current skills, but being besieged by imperial troops was a different matter altogether.

Zhang Bolin said brusquely: "Fei, this is none of your business."

Lin Hao at least tried to put things across a little more subtly: "That's not true, we have an urgent task for you. Given the turmoil at the foot of the mountains now, might we trouble you to deliver a letter to Mistress Li? This involves…"

"The very survival of the 48 Zhai?" interrupted Zhou Fei somewhat impolitely. "Tell me, Shixiong Lin – how many of our secret posts out there can still be contacted? Do you really know exactly where Mistress Li is right now?"

Lin Hao was at a loss for words.

Zhou Fei continued: "News of the false dynasty sending troops to attack us will naturally reach Mistress Li's ears. No matter how long that may take, it'll still get to her faster than me running all over like a headless chicken trying to find her. Isn't this plain as day? Are you dumb, or am I?"

Lin Hao: "…"

Bowing humbly to Lin Hao in the exact same way he had to Elder Zhao just now, Zhou Fei said: "Apologies, that was out of line."

Zhao Qiusheng glared at her: "Zhou Fei, what are you planning to do?"

"Give me a hundred disciples," Zhou Fei said, getting straight to the point. "Let the rest stay here and guard the gates of the 48 Zhai. Then you won't have to worry about the safety of this place. Don't worry, the false dynasty might have tens of thousands of troops, but we have several dozen villages and towns surrounding these mountains, so who's to say that we are fewer in number than them all in all? There's no reason for us to be afraid. And moreover, I don't believe that that motley crew down there – Mingfeng, the Big Dipper and those false dynasty officials – is getting along as thick as thieves. There's bound to be some dissension amongst them that we can exploit. Just give me some people, and a little time as well – when I return, I'll be sure to serve up several heads on a platter to all of you."

Those last few words weren't uttered with a menacing ferocity, but in a coldly matter-of-fact way. Not waiting for Zhao Qiusheng to respond, Zhou Fei said: "There's no need for Shishu Zhao to bring up my mother, either. It'll be easy to explain things to her – since even she herself isn't capable of keeping me in line, I'm sure that she won't hold this against any of you."

Having all heard of Zhou Fei's great feat of snatching a paper cutting from Li Jinrong in Xiushan Hall, no one here could think of anything to counter this.

With a smile, Zhou Fei voluntarily brought up her exploits for the first time: "In Huarong City, when we were betrayed by traitors, and Shixiong Chenfei and our comrades were trapped and killed by Phecda and Dubhe, I escaped their clutches with a defenceless maiden in tow. I wasn't scared then, so why would I be afraid now? It's no matter if you can't spare me any disciples, I'll just go on my own."

Then she turned to Lin Hao with an outstretched hand: "Shixiong Lin, how about it?"

There was nothing Lin Hao could do but acquiesce.

Five minutes later, Zhou Fei stepped out of the Hall of Elders holding the badge of authority that Lin Hao had given her. Looking up, she saw that Wu Chuchu was standing there waiting for her, accompanied by Li Yan. Noticing that the sky was already beginning to brighten in the east, it occurred to Zhou Fei that she hadn't been able to check on Wu Chuchu for the entire night, since she had been preoccupied with this crisis. Wu Chuchu must have heard Kou Dan insulting General Wu.

Feeling a little bad about this, Zhou Fei stopped in her tracks, and walked towards the girl.

But before she could start to speak, Wu Chuchu suddenly stepped forward, unclasped the longevity lock that hung round her neck, and handed it to Zhou Fei.

Zhou Fei looked at her in surprise.

And then Wu Chuchu proceeded to take off all the accessories that were on her: earrings, bracelets – even a plain little hairpin atop her head wasn't spared – and shoved them all into Zhou Fei's arms.

Alarmed at this, Li Yan quickly said: "Miss Wu, my cousin doesn't charge any protection fees, you…"

Wu Chuchu said: "These are all the things on me that are of any value at all."

Zhou Fei looked up at her again – so Wu Chuchu had known all along that Chou Tianji was frenziedly searching Huarong City because of her!

Tears shimmered in Wu Chuchu's eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

"I've never ever heard of 'Sea Blends Into Sky'," she said emphatically. "I also…know that you have urgent matters to attend to now, so you might not be willing to help me safekeep these burdensome odds and ends. But you're the only person that I really trust."

While Li Yan was completely confused by Wu Chuchu's strange words, Zhou Fei understood them perfectly. She wrapped all those trinkets that Wu Chuchu had given her in a silk handkerchief, tucked the little bundle securely within her clothes, and nodded at her: "Thank you. Don't worry, I won't let you down, till death."

As Zhou Fei turned to leave, someone else called out to her from behind: "Hang on, Fei! I have some things to say to you!"

Turning around, she saw that Ma Jili was walking towards her with a grim look on his face. The young disciples around her bowed respectfully at him, but this usually jovial manager of Xiushan Hall didn't even spare them a glance.

Zhou Fei asked curiously: "Uncle Ma, are you planning to come with us too?"

Ma Jili didn't answer her. With a look of reproach on his face, he huffed: "If I'd known that this would happen, I would never have agreed to bring you back here."

Zhou Fei blinked back at him.

"Since the elders have already spoken, there's nothing I can do to stop this." Ma Jili looked at her with concern in his eyes: "Do you still remember what Uncle Ma told you?"

He'd said quite a lot to her. Zhou Fei still couldn't figure out what he was referring to even after racking her brains, so she said tentatively: "Ahem…yes, I remember…at Xiushan Hall, you said, 'All we want is a clear conscience, before the heavens…'"

"Not those words," interrupted Ma Jili with a furrowed brow. "I told you about my short-lived father just a few days ago, have you forgotten all that already?"

Zhou Fei paused, tucking a messy lock of hair behind her ear and smiling: "Ah, I remember, it's 'If all of us wanted to be lofty wooden beams holding the roof up, who would be the humble firewood', right?"

All those around her who heard this couldn't help but stop in their tracks.

Zhou Fei had only just completed her apprenticeship less than a year ago, yet she'd already been able to force Kou Dan to beat a retreat – regardless of the kinds of techniques she'd used – if even someone like her was considered to be 'humble firewood', then what were the rest of them? And while Ma Jili was far more experienced and senior, if he'd really had some amazing abilities of his own, he wouldn't have been holed up in Xiushan Hall all these years presiding over a bunch of youths who were just barely out of their apprenticeships. It didn't seem like he quite had the credibility to be saying this to Zhou Fei now.

Zhou Fei didn't appear to take any offense, however. She'd seen too many once-brilliant stars by now, such as Duan Jiuniang and Ji Yunchen. Hadn't they both been gifted prodigies who'd made a name for themselves at a very young age? Yet they'd ended up in an equally sorry state. She really didn't envy them. She would be quite contented being firewood instead.

She replied evenly: "Uncle Ma, firewood also has uses of its own. Some of it is used to keep people warm in the winter – and some can even be used to set the enemy's camp on fire.[1] Aren't I going to do just that?""

But Ma Jili just shook his head: "You are not firewood, because firewood is still capable of living an uneventful life in a quiet corner of the countryside. Many people have been blessed with unparalleled brawn and brains, yet invariably fall at the hurdle of believing that they can take on the world in the pursuit of lofty ideals, and end up being the victim of their own talents. This happened to my father, as well as all those people back then who were like him. Fei, Uncle Ma has seen you grown up. I can't bear to see you suffer the same fate. Listen to Elder Lin, and leave immediately…"

"My grandfather was one of those people too," said Zhou Fei.

Ma Jili gave a little start.

"Thank you, Uncle Ma, what you've said is absolutely right – but my grandfather died in the service of lofty ideals as well. And besides him, there was also my uncle, and the Sword of Mountains and Rivers twenty years ago…didn't they all do the same? To die for a noble cause isn't necessarily a tragedy." Zhou Fei gave Ma Jili an extremely proper bow of respect.

After having fought her bloody way out of each and every desperate, helpless situation time and time again, and having resolved to cast aside every last bit of laziness and immature wilfulness in her, she no longer seemed like that young girl who'd petulantly engaged in cold wars with Li Jinrong. Ma Jili looked at her in wonder for a moment. He could almost see in her a little of the Southern Blade Li Zheng.

Only when she arched her brow slightly, and curved the corners of her lips upward in a smile, did she still seem to possess the rebellious defiance that was the defining trait of youth. Zhou Fei said: "In any case, I might not be the one that dies today – also, if we need to coordinate our movements with the disciples up here, I would be grateful for your help to pass on the communication. Take care, Uncle Ma."

At that, Zhou Fei left without looking back. The bunch of young disciples with her had long since been all fired up by the news of the false dynasty besieging the town. While they had all been champing at the bit to charge down the mountainside, Zhao Qiusheng had strictly prohibited anyone from doing so. They had felt incredibly disgruntled, but nobody dared to barge into the Hall of Elders to request for permission to go.

Yet not only had Zhou Fei dared to do it, she'd actually succeeded, too. Straightening their backs subconsciously, this bunch of youths got in an orderly line behind Zhou Fei. They clearly viewed her as their leader already.

Not long after they'd set off, Zhou Fei heard someone chuckle softly: "Well said."

Looking up, she saw that scoundrel Xie Yun was now hanging upside down from a tree above her, like a bat. His arms were folded across his chest as he gazed at her, sly mischief written all across his face.

Zhou Fei felt her hand start to itch madly.

Xie Yun did a flip in midair and landed elegantly on the ground, about a metre away from Zhou Fei and just out of her reach. Before she could say anything, he said: ""If you want to succeed, you must know thyself, and know thy enemy. Since you were busy arguing just now, I used that time to have a look round the 48 Zhai – there are three levels of security here in total, not counting the Ink-Washing River. The outermost layer of defence has 36 guard posts, six of which were attacked last night, and one of which was decimated. Elder Lin launched an ambush which caught the false dynasty's troops unawares and forced them to beat a hasty retreat. Amongst those 36 outermost guard posts, some of them are suited to launching sneak attacks, while others are situated in treacherous terrain that intruders would find difficult to scale, each with their own unique features. The enemy's commander in chief has Kou Dan with him, so he will certainly be very familiar with the lay of the land, and can be very precise and targeted in attacking the 48 Zhai. And if we can deduce their plans, we will be able to determine where exactly this enemy commander is located – so how about it, Little Miss Directionally-Challenged, would you like me to show you the way?"

Zhou Fei pondered this for a moment, and concluding that what he said made sense, decided to save the beating that he deserved for later. She asked: "You disappeared after climbing up from the Ink-Washing River. How did you know what I was planning to do?"

Xie Yun looked her straight in the eyes and beamed brightly, revealing a neat row of white teeth: "Our hearts and souls are connected, I suppose."

Zhou Fei: "…"

She should have just beat him up there and then.

But Xie Yun was a master at reading her facial expressions by now, and seeing the sparks of fury starting to flash in Zhou Fei's eyes, quickly erased the smile from his face before her anger burst into flames. Putting on a serious front, he fell into step beside her and started walking her through the enemy's plans: "The 48 Zhai's guard posts are clustered most densely in the southwest, while the rest of the posts are located in decreasing number from the southwest slopes all the way to the Ink-Washing River. But if I were to attack the 48 Zhai, I would choose to strike from the southwestern slopes…"

Zhou Fei interjected: "….Because where the guard posts are sparse, there are probably natural barriers to entry. Whereas where the guard posts are denser, it likely means that the topography there is easier to traverse, which is why we've stationed more sentries there to boost its defenses. While human might cannot overcome natural barriers, it can certainly crush human defenses. Since the enemy far exceeds us in number, they aren't afraid of attacking an area where the guard posts are densest."

"Not bad at all! I told you our hearts and souls were…" seeing Zhou Fei reach for her sabre, Xie Yun quickly changed course: "Ahem…I meant great minds think alike – yet the six guard posts that were attacked were all in the east. Why do you think that was so? Is the enemy commander a fool?"

Zhou Fei felt her heart start to race. Even though she'd been through similar excitement several times already, she felt an inexplicable thrill when Xie Yun fired question after question at her, which caused her reactions to come much faster than usual. She only needed to think for a moment before blurting out: "Because the banks of the Ink-Washing River are on higher ground, you can see the southwestern slopes from there. If the enemy chose to launch an attack in the southwest, then Kou Dan and the Big Dipper's plot to lure our troops to the Ink-Washing River would have failed."

Xie Yun fell silent.

Zhou Fei quickly asked: "Was that wrong?"

Xie Yun sighed ruefully: "How can you have both beauty and brains? That's just so unfair!"

While Zhou Fei was well aware that this fellow was just teasing her again, she couldn't think of a response. Feeling a little embarrassed, she settled on violence instead, and jabbed her sabre towards Xie Yun's ribs: "How do you always have so much nonsense to say?"

Xie Yun dodged her sabre with a mischievous smile, and continued: "That's right, but since Gu Tianxuan was forced to retreat from the Ink-Washing River, the first step in their evil plans was foiled, so there's no need for them to steer clear of the southwestern slopes now. If the enemy commander is thinking straight, after surrounding the mountain he'll move from the east to the west, annihilating the town there, and then have his troops regroup before they charge up the southwestern slopes, and force the western gate of the 48 Zhai open at all costs."

Zhou Fei exclaimed: "Then we'd better go to.."

Xie Yun cut her off with a wave of his hand, saying: "But such thinking is just common sense. Anyone with half a brain would figure that out quite easily, don't you think?"

Zhou Fei nodded.

As if he were afraid of the cold, Xie Yun withdrew his hands into his long sleeves, continuing to speak as he walked: "So that can't be it. For a person capable of commandeering two of the Big Dipper to act as his scouts, and of personally leading an attack against the impregnable fortress that is the 48 Zhai, he probably isn't any ordinary person of 'common sense'. If he were such a person, wouldn't he simply have crushed us with the sheer strength of his troops last night, instead of getting Gu Tianxuan and company to put on that show at the Ink-Washing River?"

This wasn't the first time that Zhou Fei was putting herself in another's shoes to figure out how to best them – when she'd been up against Yang Jin, she'd won by the skin of her teeth only because she'd very accurately assessed his state of mind. But compared to this formidable commander of the false dynasty's troops, Yang Jin was as easy to manipulate as a naïve little kid.

Xie Yun continued: "Ask yourself, why did this person want to besiege the town at the foot of the mountains? Can't he tell that the people there are just defenceless peasants?"

After pondering this, Zhou Fei said: "So that he'll have more to show for his efforts?"

"Not just that," said Xie Yun a little severely, without giving her a single hint. He simply said: "Think harder."

Zhou Fei furrowed her brow, quite amazed at how Xie Yun could switch from 'annoying tease' to 'strict teacher' so easily.

Removing the smile from his face, Xie Yun said gravely: "There are millions of Machiavellian schemes in this world. Even if someone were to pick them apart and spell things out for you, you'd simply think of these as novel and intriguing, and then forget all of it after a while. You'll only be able to fully absorb their intricacies if you work through them on your own."

When Zhou Fei had been roaming the martial arts world, she'd been as heedless as could be, failing to even remember the routes that she'd taken. She was by nature someone who was perfectly fine being in her own world, and unconcerned with worldly affairs. But now, instead of naively asking Xie Yun why she needed to rack her brains to see things from the perspective of such vile and despicable men, she did as she was told and thought hard about it.

After a while, Zhou Fei said hesitantly: "Because…I think I remember Duan Jiuniang saying that Dubhe, Merak, Alkaid and Alioth returned empty-handed even after the four of them attacked my grandfather all at once. This time, the entity leading the attack against the 48 Zhai is not the Big Dipper, as Merak and Alkaid can only be considered his guides. If this person is able to accomplish what Dubhe, the leader of the Big Dipper himself, was unable to accomplish back then, it would make the Big Dipper appear extremely incompetent, which means that Merak and Alkaid might not be willing to do his bidding…"

Xie Yun nodded at her encouragingly.

Zhou Fei continued: "So by besieging the town at the foot of the mountain, and charging all of them with criminal activity, he's trying to create the impression that…we aren't simply a bunch of martial arts pugilists living in seclusion, but a fully-fledged rebel army that has marked out this area as its territory, a revolutionary force which has tens of thousands of troops, stores and weapons? Then this would make his attack on us become an attempt to 'crush a rebellion' instead. And then this would also make the Big Dipper's defeat back then entirely understandable, since a handful of the Big Dipper would be no match for an entire rebel army, yet the Northern Dynasty wasn't able to spare any more menas its troops were too busy fighting the Southern Dynasty at the time."

Xie Yun looked away from her with a cheeky smile on his face, as he said: "Oh my, I'm starting to like you more and more. Whatever will I do!"

Her train of thought interrupted, Zhou Fei snapped at him: "Just keep it in."

"This enemy commander is clearly trying to both get the Big Dipper on his side, and also gain the Emperor's favour," said Xie Yun slowly. "If he were to simply crush the 48 Zhai with the full force of his troops, the Big Dipper would only be credited with being his scouts. So if I were him, I would give the Big Dipper an important role in my military operation plan, allowing me to win this fight with as little bloodshed as possible, and sacrificing as little of my troops as possible. Not only will the Big Dipper be grateful to me, I'll also be lauded by the imperial court for my military strategy. Wouldn't this be killing two birds with one stone?"

Xie Yun paused in its tracks. Before they knew it, they had already reached the end of this narrow mountain path. The town that had been plunged into turmoil overnight was now right before them.

"I'll let the Big Dipper's black-clad men attack the southwestern slopes first, since Alkaid and Merak will lend me their men quite freely. As the Big Dipper is the mortal enemy of the 48 Zhai, your comrades would certainly ramp up the defenses on the southwestern slopes. And then I'd use the same old trick again…" Pointing towards the unassuming little town at the southeast corner of the 48 Zhai, Xie Yun said: "While both sides are locked in a fierce battle, I'd bide my time right here and conserve my own resources. When they are fatigued, I'll lead my troops to attack the mountain once more, charging up the same side from which we were so easily repelled the night before."

A shiver right ran through Zhou Fei and the disciples with her, who had been listening intently – this town did seem strangely calm. Yet after the enemy troops had retreated the night before, wouldn't this place bear the brunt of their scourge? It shouldn't be this placid!

Could it be that the enemy commander was indeed hiding somewhere in this town?

"Ah…the black hawk." Xie Yun squinted at the flags fluttering above the town, as he muttered: "I know who it is now."

Zhou Fei asked urgently: "Who is it?"

"Cao Zhongkun's second son, and the 'Prince Duan' of the Northern Dynasty, Cao Ning."

With Xie Yun's guidance, Zhou Fei now understood in theory the Machiavellian schemes that were second nature to those denizens of the imperial court. When she finally witnessed those scoundrels in action, however, a sudden urge to draw her blade and charge recklessly at them still came over her. While the town looked tranquil from a distance, when one drew near it was clear that doors everywhere were tightly shut, and a sense of fear pervaded the atmosphere. Only a few squads of Northern Dynasty troops were left patrolling the empty streets. Torn and tattered banners and signs lay strewn all over the ground, and chilling traces of blood and human remains could occasionally be seen splattered across the trees and cobblestoned streets.

This scene was all too familiar to Zhou Fei – because the world 'outside' was exactly like this.

When she was younger, Zhou Yitang had recited to her poems which lamented how 'The lives of the commonfolk are immensely difficult…',[2] but all this had been akin to casting pearls before swine. She and her two cousins had yawned their way through her father's interminable lessons, and so she'd never once understood all these poets' laments about the suffering of the common people.

But she had really loved this little haven at the foot of the mountains.

The first time she'd left the 48 Zhai, brimming with excitement and curiosity, the liveliness of this pleasant little town had been the best kind of going-away gift for her, and it had left her with a lasting sense of belonging. The further north she went, the more dangers she encountered, and the more she witnessed the suffering of people everywhere, their towns and villages plagued with incessant violence. All this had made the almost utopian little town at the foot of the Shu mountains all the more precious to her. In her thoughts and memories, this region was the best place on earth.

So seeing it in this bleak state right now was like a knife to her heart.

Xie Yun seemed to know what she was thinking, and gently patted her on the shoulder. Zhou Fei forced herself to collect her emotions, before beckoning towards the disciples behind her.

As the 48 Zhai was the de facto local authority, the first missions that most young disciples were assigned typically involved purchasing supplies for the 48 Zhai at the foot of the mountains, or training at the secret post there for a period of time. Not everyone who had just completed their apprenticeship would be sent on a long journey like Zhou Fei. As such, most of these disciples were extremely familiar with the lay of the land.

Zhou Fei briefed the hundred or so disciples on the plan, split them up into different groups, decided on a set of simple signals that they could use to communicate, and then sent them to hide out in the houses of the locals here first. She kept several of the more highly skilled disciples with her, to check on those commonfolk who had been captured by the enemy troops under the false charges of 'insurrection and rebellion'.

Xie Yun led this group through the quiet streets, carefully avoiding the troops on patrol, till they reached the town's ancestral shrine.

According to Xie Yun, as most ancestral shrines had a large courtyard, invading troops would typically detain their prisoners of war here. Not only was it conveniently spacious, seizing a site that was so revered and sacred to the locals had the added advantage of having a psychological effect on them. Xie Yun was indeed experienced in such matters – as he had predicted, the town's ancestral shrine was heavily surrounded by the false dynasty's troops. The bunch of them found a good hiding spot nearby, climbing up several trees to get a clear view of the goings-on inside.

Zhou Fei couldn't help but avert her gaze after just one glance – several men were strung upside down in the courtyard, blood trickling down from their bodies like freshly-slaughtered pigs. She recognised these men from the town's secret post.

"Don't look at the dead," Xie Yun whispered in her ear. "They cannot be brought back to life. Look at the living instead."

Zhou Fei's hastily averted gaze drifted restlessly about, subconsciously landing on the group of disciples that she'd brought along with her. The looks of grief and indignation on the faces of these youths were so great that they looked like they might burst. The sight of them hit her like a bucket of ice-cold water. She savagely grabbed onto a nearby branch – she couldn't lose it now, there was still important work to be done.

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Fei looked back into the courtyard, and found that it was full of young and able-bodied men. Apart from the old, the young, and the female, everyone else in this town was probably rounded up here, with their hands and feet bound. Yet they were all just common farmers, merchants, and stallholders! If any one of them dared to complain or make any moves, the soldiers standing guard would instantly beat them to a pulp. Anyone who died from their beatings would simply be flung atop the pile of corpses in the corner.

"Can we save them?" Zhou Fei whispered.

"Yes, but we need a good plan," said Xie Yun, thinking hard. Just a few seconds later, he suddenly made a shushing sound.

Everyone immediately held their breath. A moment after that, a group of black-clad men passed hurriedly by, led by Gu Tianxuan. He was accompanied by a middle-aged man carrying a sword and wearing a long black cloak embroidered with the Big Dipper. This group of about seventy or eighty men swept past them like a tornado, moving in the direction of the 48 Zhai.

"You were right," muttered Zhou Fei, before telling the disciple beside her: "Inform the 48 Zhai of our plan."

With a nod, the disciple leapt down from the tree, and deftly avoiding the troops on patrol, disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Fei made to descend the tree as well.

Xie Yun quickly asked: "And where are you going?"

"That man with the sword was walking shoulder to shoulder with Gu Tianxuan, so he must be someone special. He's probably either 'Alkaid' or 'Megrez'," said Zhou Fei. "Since the enemy commander has sent two of the Big Dipper away, who else does he have left with him? I want to take a look."

She might even be able to chop that scoundrel's head off to boil into a soup – although Zhou Fei refrained from saying this, for fear of offending the delicate sensibilities of Young Master Xie.

Xie Yun read her mind instantly. All this while, he had been striving to guide this girl towards a path of caution and conscientiousness. Zhou Fei certainly wasn't the unteachable sort, and could pick things up quite quickly…if only her true nature didn't always take her over at the most critical junctures.

Xie Yun exclaimed: "My goodness! You…"

"I didn't say that I had to kill that dog," said Zhou Fei with a wave of her hand. She continued: "Everyone, wait for my signal. When these troops are ready to set off, let's follow the plan we made just now, splitting up to set fire to their stores and tents. Then we'll kill off any errant squads that are still patrolling these streets, and set those locals in the ancestral shrine free. Once there is pandemonium in the town, I'm pretty sure that this will throw a wrench in their plans. They won't be able to launch a second attack on the 48 Zhai this way."

Zhou Fei The Great was decisive of mind, and bold of heart. Once she'd made up her mind, she left without another word.

Xie Yun had no choice but to follow her with a resigned sigh.

Zhou Fei was certain that the Big Dipper must have departed from the enemy commander's headquarters, and so she headed in the direction that they had come from. Sure enough, the false dynasty's base camp occupied the grandest manor in this town.

Zhou Fei couldn't help but furrow her brow. This place was far more heavily guarded than she'd expected. Peering out at the manor, Zhou Fei saw that even its rooftops were being patrolled by soldiers bearing crossbows, who had a clear view of everything below. If there was even the slightest disturbance outside, an arrow would come flying at it.

How was she going to sneak in?

Just then, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. A platoon of soldiers on patrol was passing by!

Zhou Fei was frantically looking around her for a place to hide, when suddenly a hand reached out to her from above: "Come up here!"

Zhou Fei grabbed onto that hand and hauled herself up without a second thought.

Ever since leaving home, she seemed to be rustling around in trees most of the time. She was practically an honorary monkey by now.

The approaching soldiers on patrol weren't highly-skilled pugilists with the sharpest sense of hearing, and so passed by without noticing them.

Zhou Fei heaved a sigh of relief: "When did you get up this tree? I didn't even realise you were there."

The person who'd pulled her up was in fact Xie Yun.

Xie Yun tsked at her and said: "If even someone like you were capable of detecting my presence, I'd have been dead several times over by now."

Zhou Fei decided that this was indeed true. For an annoying fellow like Xie Yun, if he couldn't run fast and evade detection well, there was no way he would still be alive and kicking today. For him, such skills couldn't be used to do anything much other than fleeing for his life, but…what if an assassin had such skills? Wouldn't that be incredibly handy?

So she very meekly asked: "How do you get really good at qinggong?"

"You're slender and of slight build, so you've got all the right physical traits for it. After several more years, as your internal strength grows and your skills develop, your qinggong will naturally improve alongside the advancement of your other skills. There's no need for you to practice it deliberately," said Xie Yun. "Qinggong that is truly superb involves 'forgetting oneself' – one must move without leaving any trace. One must first think of oneself as a gentle breeze, or flowing water, or the rustling trees. That is the essence of 'Gentle Breeze, Falling Rain', which is suited for assassins. But your sect's techniques are fiercely powerful, so this kind of qinggong is not a good fit for you."

Not believing him, Zhou Fei tried to imagine that she was the falling rain, or the gentle breeze, or the rustling leaves around her. But to her dismay, not only did she fail to sense a rapid improvement in her qinggong, she nearly fell right off the tree in her state of distraction.

Xie Yun jumped with alarm, and quickly caught her before she could tumble down. It just so happened that an old man being led away by soldiers was moaning loudly right then, which covered up the noise in the trees above.

The two of them heaved a sigh of relief. Only now did Xie Yun realise that he was holding Zhou Fei in his arms, which were clasped tightly round her waist. He caught the faintest of fragrances from her hair, mixed with the scent of soap.

It would seem too deliberate if he let her go too quickly, so maybe he shouldn't do so just yet…

Xie Yun's gaze darkened a little. Just for the briefest of moments, his brain that had been working on overdrive the entire night suddenly short circuited, stuck between the two options of 'to let go or not to let go'. He repeated this to himself several times, going through the two different motions in his head in both words and pictures, and almost forgot that he was right smack in the middle of enemy territory.

Until Zhou Fei jabbed him in the ribs: "…let go."

Xie Yun uncharacteristically let go without a word.

And strangely enough, apart from that poke in the ribs, Zhou Fei didn't threaten further violence. The two of them settled into a slightly awkward silence, refusing to look the other in the eye. Thankfully, someone saved them from their distress just then.

A squadron of troops nearby suddenly stopped marching, and stood to attention.

Xie Yun gave a small start. Quickly collecting himself, he jabbed Zhou Fei in the arm and gestured at her to keep quiet.

The large doors of the imposing manor opened with a creak. An orderly line of soldiers marched out, and stood to attention. More troops poured out shortly after, escorting someone from within. As Zhou Fei was hiding quite a distance away from the manor, it should have been quite impossible to make this person out, even if he were as large as a bear, especially since he was surrounded by this massive crowd of soldiers.

But this Northern version of Prince Duan was a truly exceptional specimen of humankind. He came swaggering out like a veritable mountain, almost threatening to knock over the soldiers around him.

Yet when he walked, he didn't appear clumsy nor self-conscious in the slightest. He had a most composed, self-assured air about him, as if he sincerely believed that he was the handsomest person on earth!

Zhou Fei's eyes widened as she stared at this Prince Duan of the North and his excessive retinue. She couldn't help but turn and compare him with this 'Prince Duan of the South' who was crouching on a tree branch beside her, as light as a feather.

Zhou Fei whispered: "So this is Cao Ning? Prince Duan? Which Chinese character is used in his title of 'Duan'?"

Xie Yun replied: "The 'Duan' that means pouring a cup of tea, like a servant."

Zhou Fei asked: "And which 'Duan' is used in your title?"

With an absolutely straight face, Xie Yun replied: "The 'Duan' that means upright and virtuous, like a nobleman."

Zhou Fei: "…"

Even someone as unlearned as she, who would often scribble illegible characters in her homework because she didn't know the proper strokes, wasn't completely illiterate! She knew full well that those two 'Duan's were written the exact same way.[3] That uncomfortable feeling she'd had when Xie Yun's arms were around her just now had yet to go away completely, and she opened her mouth to deliver a scathing retort. But before she could do so, something suddenly occurred to her – Wu Chuchu had said that Xie Yun was only brought to the Southern Emperor's palace some time after Cao Zhongkun rebelled and the Southern Dynasty was established. This Cao Ning was Cao Zhongkun's son, and appeared to be older than Xie Yun.

So…which 'Duan' had come first?

Xie Yun sensed her curious gaze on him: "What is it?"

Zhou Fei whispered: "Were you conferred the title of 'Prince Duan' after him?"

As this was a treacherous mission, and Xie Yun was still slightly disconcerted by that inadvertent embrace, he was a little distracted. Just for a split-second, he failed to keep his true emotions in check, leaving that subtle shift in his expression exposed to Zhou Fei. He seemed to clench his teeth, his usually relaxed features suddenly hardening. Confusion, shame, and unspeakable pain flashed across his eyes one after the other, as if someone had scratched at a raw wound.

For the first time in her life, Zhou Fei deeply regretted her words.

But Xie Yun was still Xie Yun, after all. Before she could think up a consolatory response, his usual air of indifference had returned, and he waved his hand nonchalantly: "But of course. Don't you think that my suave charm and good looks are the perfect contrast to that thing over there? If the North and South should go to war again someday, just you wait – when the troops on both sides hail 'Prince Duan', and both of us emerge at the same time, ha…."

As they were speaking, that Prince Duan of the North had ordered his men to bring his horse round.

One of his bodyguards knelt to the ground on all fours, proffering his back to the Prince. Cao Ning stepped on it with indifference, leaning his full weight onto the man's back to mount his horse. That bodyguard's face was nearly pressed into the ground by the sheer weight, and the veins on his flushed face bulged dangerously. Wincing, Zhou Fei could almost feel the pain in her own back.

Zhou Fei had never viewed the irreverent Xie Yun as a prince. As a little wildling that had grown up deep within the mountains, the little bit of etiquette she knew had been picked up only through mimicking others. In her eyes, the Emperor, princes, noblemen, and all those officials of the imperial court (who she hadn't a clue what they did) were pretty much all the same. The only difference between them was the way they were addressed, which didn't mean much to her. Even after learning of Xie Yun's identity, she'd only been taken aback for a little while before resuming their usual squabbling, and hadn't really thought much of it after that. Only after witnessing the regal trappings of this Prince Duan of the North did Zhou Fei finally grasp the full import of this princely title, and how far removed it was from this fellow that was sneaking around with her in the treetops.

If they were in Jinling, would hundreds of people also revolve around Xie Yun like this?

Would he also be decked out in the finest silks and jewels, with a multitude of servants at his beck and call? Would someone get down on all fours like a dog for him to mount his horse?

If that were the case…then why did he choose to brave the dangers and difficulties of this treacherous martial arts world?

Xie Yun abruptly sidled over, and said with complete seriousness: "Why are you asking about this all of a sudden? Perhaps you fancy being Prince Duan's Consort?"

Zhou Fei: "…"

"Don't hit me," Xie Yun quickly said. "Have mercy on me, great hero Zhou…eh, what is that fatty doing?"

The soldiers around him parted to line both sides of the street. Sitting astride his horse, Cao Ning proceeded to lead a squadron of cavalry away with him.

Zhou Fei felt as if a jolt of electricity had run right through her.

When this scoundrel had been safely ensconced within the high walls of this manor, heavily guarded by legions of soldiers, it was nearly impossible to get at him. But with him sitting atop his horse like this, wasn't this a prime opportunity to strike? As long as there weren't any highly skilled pugilists here like the Big Dipper, given her current skills Zhou Fei would have nothing to fear from a bunch of ordinary cavalry.

Her heart started to race, and the Mountain of Lost Springs in her hand quivered eagerly with murderous intent.

But just then, Xie Yun's ice-cold hand pulled her back.

Fixing his gaze on Cao Ning's retreating figure, something seemed to occur to Xie Yun, and the expression on his face grew grimmer than ever.

"Fei," Xie Yun said in a voice so soft it was nearly inaudible. "Can you trust your men?"

At his sudden question, a chill went down Zhou Fei's spine.

"Leave now." Xie Yun said.

Zhou Fei: "What…"

"Leave now, don't go after him," said Xie Yun. "Our plans have been leaked, so the information that you sent back to the 48 Zhai about the enemy's schemes might not be true after all. Cao Ning's presence here is a trap – send a message back immediately…wait, no, you can't trust them anymore, don't send anything back, you should go back yourself and personally deliver the message, quick!"

Before Zhou Fei could respond, Xie Yun appeared to change his mind again, and he said emphatically: "Wait, that's no good either. I think it's best if you get everyone here to withdraw immediately, and lead all of them just outside the 48 Zhai to await further instruction there. And then you alone go in to deliver the message!"

Furrowing her brow, Zhou Fei asked: "Aren't we going to rescue the peasants here? Or kill these scoundrels? Our men are also hiding out in some of the locals' houses, are we just going to leave these locals to the wolves, after they've helped us? But why? On what basis do you claim that we have a traitor in our midst?"

Xie Yun said grimly: "Let me ask you this: where are we now?"

Zhou Fei replied: "The 48 Zhai, in the Shu Mountains."

Xie Yun said: "That's right. This is the 48 Zhai in the Shu Mountains. It isn't any ordinary nest of rebellion, but has skilled pugilists aplenty. While martial arts pugilists might not be any good at waging a war against armed troops, each of them is fully capable of assassinating an enemy commander. If you were that fatty over there, would you feel secure enough to send all of the Big Dipper's black-clad men away, leaving only ordinary soldiers with you, and strut across the entire town like this?"

Zhou Fei looked at him aghast. He had practically thrown an ice-cold bucket of water on her.

She hadn't considered this at all, because she had never before encountered a person of such power and status – General Wen Yu wasn't the same, since he was a man of war, and Xie Yun was entirely unique – so she had no idea just how much such people usually cherished their own lives.

Xie Yun was right about this. She was far from the most skilled pugilist in the 48 Zhai. If even she could so easily find an opportunity to assassinate Cao Ning, wouldn't it be far easier for others to do so? Cao Ning was probably old enough to remember how Mistress Li had tried to assassinate the false Emperor in the Northern Capital all those years back. If even the faraway Northern Capital still thought of the Snow-Breaking Sabre with fear and trembling, wouldn't Cao Ning be extra careful when he was on the very territory of the 48 Zhai?

Zhou Fei nodded somewhat hesitantly: "I understand where you're coming from – but perhaps there are mysterious, highly-skilled pugilists amongst his guards? And Mingfeng still hasn't shown up yet either. Those assassins are experts at all kinds of lethal tricks, so protecting him shouldn't be a problem for them."

Xie Yun immediately knew what Zhou Fei was implying: "Are you saying that all of your men can be trusted?"

That was exactly what Zhou Fei meant – she had personally picked out every one of these disciples who had followed her down the mountain. If she hadn't trusted each of them implicitly, she would just have ventured here on her own. While Mingfeng's betrayal was indeed shocking, if one thought hard about it, the fiercely independent and reclusive Mingfeng Sect was probably the only possible candidate in the 48 Zhai that could have betrayed it. Everyone else had forged a special bond after years of depending on each other for survival in these turbulent and war-ravaged times. While they weren't exactly like family, they were something quite close to that. She would be the last person to believe that any one of them would betray the 48 Zhai.

She had come here because of the 48 Zhai. If she started to suspect her own people, why should she continue risking her life for them?

Seeing all these thoughts written on her face, as clear as day, Xie Yun felt a little pang in him. After a good long while, he shook his head slowly: "I don't have any evidence. It's just that having dealt with people like this before, I have a gut feeling about this."

Zhou Fei said: "And your gut feeling tells you not to trust anyone?"

For the second time that day, Xie Yun was taken aback by what she'd said, but as with the first, it was only for a brief moment. He said gravely: "You speak of trust – Fei, trust isn't simply a word that falls from your lips. It is a massive gamble, in which you wager everything that you hold dear, and if you lose, everything you love will be taken from you. Do you understand?"

This was the first time that Xie Yun was speaking such cold, harsh words to her with such urgent sincerity. Zhou Fei's eyes widened, as she stared back at him. Xie Yun's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was dispassionately aloof. He asked: "Dare you make this bet?"

Zhou Fei: "…"

While she knew that Xie Yun's words were a perverse exaggeration, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and she was stricken with indecision – the analogy of a massive gamble wasn't a particularly brilliant one, but she had far too much to wager.

Moreover, Zhou Fei wasn't someone who was highly suspicious of others. And after having witnessed the atrocities that the locals here had been subjected to, she really couldn't abandon them just because of a slight suspicion she had. She simply wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Everyone in the 48 Zhai had fought side by side since its establishment. If they hadn't managed to forge even a basic level of trust over the years, wouldn't it have fallen apart a long time ago? And for that matter, if she didn't even trust her own people, why should she trust Xie Yun? Based on his dubious theory about trust, shouldn't she then be suspicious of his reasons for advising her not to kill this Prince Duan of the North?

Besides, if she were to retreat with these disciples, what would happen after that? How would she investigate this alleged betrayal? How would she explain all this to her comrades? Or to the elders in the 48 Zhai? And how would she answer to all those commonfolk who had willingly cooperated with them, and were waiting to be rescued? And should all this merely be a false alarm, how could she live with this on her conscience?

Xie Yun said softly: "Fei."

Zhou Fei shook her head. "I can't withdraw simply based on your 'gut feeling'."

While Xie Yun's guidance had given her useful direction, if Zhou Fei relied solely on him and didn't have any opinions of her own, she wouldn't have led this group of a hundred over disciples all the way here.

With a sigh, Xie Yun said: "Once bitten, twice shy – have you forgotten about the secret post in Huarong City? Or the traitorous Mingfeng just a few hours ago? Why is it that even after all these incidents have been laid out in front of you, you can still find it in yourself to trust everyone in the 48 Zhai?"

But those incidents were different.

To avoid arousing suspicions, the 48 Zhai rarely changed the disciples manning the secret posts that were located within the Northern Dynasty's territory. Which meant that these disciples could very well be posted there for more than a decade, making it plausible for others to entice them to defect.

And Mingfeng was even more susceptible…

Zhou Fei opened her mouth, intending to explain all this to Xie Yun. But Xie Yun raised his hand to cut her off, saying coldly: "Fei, haven't you ever heard the saying: 'While husbands and wives are birds of the same tree, when disaster strikes to each their own they flee'? Or the story of starving families eating each other's children when the capital of Song was under siege?[4] Parents and children, husbands and wives, teachers and students, friends and comrades…aren't these all the closest of ties? Yet what's the point – can they really be truly and completely devoted to each other?"

Zhou Fei stared back at him in silence. She couldn't help but recall those ice-cold hands of his. For the first time, she found herself really taking a close look at this handsome yet downcast man before her. It suddenly occurred to her that Xie Yun was utterly lonely, through and through. Mr Bai and General Wen Yu all treated him with the utmost respect, referring to him as Prince Duan, yet he avoided them like the plague. Madame Cirrus could probably be considered an old friend of his, yet such friends probed each other for information, and had been on the verge of killing him.

Zhou Fei felt inexplicably sad on his behalf.

Once Xie Yun met her gaze, he instantly knew that he had revealed too much of himself again. Cringing inwardly, he concluded that following them back to the 48 Zhai was a mistake. Why else did he seem to be losing control of his emotions time and time again?

Zhou Fei wasn't like Ming Chen and the rest.

And they were in the Shu Mountains, not Jinling.

There were no towering mansions and splendid pleasure boats here, nor were there cultured galleries and grand orchestras.

Having grown up amidst the clanging of honest steel and the valiant exchanging of blows, all these youths here probably held the staunch belief that 'one must be true to one's word, and firm in one's purpose', right?

As it was recorded, 'those wandering knights of humble birth attach great importance to the principle that you get what you give, and so they faithfully abide by their promises. The depth of their loyalty is extolled through the generations, and they are willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness, no matter what others might say'.[5] Before such people, who believed so completely in courage and loyalty, why did he have to place his ugly, suspicious side on blatant display?

"Although, your concerns are valid too. Why don't we compromise," backtracked Xie Yun. He pretended to think for a bit, before continuing as if he hadn't just briefly bared his raw self: "It'll require proper planning to kill that fatty. If he were someone so easily killed, the task of attacking the 48 Zhai wouldn't have fallen to him. If we go after him now, we'll definitely be falling into a trap. Tell your comrades not to follow the original plan. Instead of creating chaos here when the troops are about to set off, send some of them to wait outside the town, while the rest rescue the locals here. This must be done as quickly as possible. Then the disciples outside and inside the town should coordinate to open up a breach at the southern gate, allowing all of us to escape. Then we'll shake off the troops and go back up the Mountain."

This plan sounded much more reasonable to Zhou Fei. While it was very different from what she'd had in mind at first, and it would mean letting the enemy commander slip right through her fingers, at least she'd be able to save a few people, not returning completely empty-handed…and it was a safer plan.

What if – in that one in a millionth chance that Xie Yun might be right – there really was a traitor amongst the disciples that she'd brought with her?

She had no qualms about risking it and going after Cao Ning herself, but she couldn't risk the lives of others.

With all that she'd been through, Zhou Fei had learnt how to control that hot-headed temper of hers by now. She gave her head a firm shake to cast all other thoughts aside, and then said: "Alright, let's do that."

When Zhou Fei announced that the plan had changed, she didn't give these hundred or so disciples any time to object, nor did she offer any explanation for the change. She simply ordered: "Pass the message across the town: Disciples 1 to 40 are to head to the town's southern gate and open it. The rest are to come with me."

Then brandishing the Mountain of Lost Springs, she headed straight for the ancestral shrine.

This system of numbering the disciples had been suggested by Xie Yun. Each disciple only needed to know who came before and after him, and they were all given different tasks. The system proved useful now: seeing Zhou Fei charge forth, the disciples whose numbers she'd assigned to follow her immediately did so as well. As those three words – 'come with me' – were swiftly passed down from person to person, the disciples emerged one by one from their various hiding places.

With a sweep of Zhou Fei's sabre, the soldiers guarding the ancestral shrine found their throats slashed open before they even knew what hit them!

By the time the enemy troops sounded the first alarm, Zhou Fei had already slashed her way across the entirety of the ancestral shrine, and its doors had been forced open by the disciples. The 'Inconstant' Snow-Breaking Sabre was insanely fast and savagely vicious, like a merciless, howling blizzard. Quite a few soldiers had their heads severed from their bodies before they could utter a sound.

As the alarms started to ring, Prince Duan of the North Cao Ning raised his head abruptly: "What's going on?"

The two armour-clad 'bodyguards' beside him lifted their helmets – it was Kou Dan, as well as Lu Yaoguang, who should have departed earlier with Gu Tianxuan and the black-clad men!

"The information we got from the 48 Zhai was accurate," said Kou Dan in a hurried whisper. "Those bandits did indeed come here, before telling the 48 Zhai that they would use all means necessary to stall us in the town once the Big Dipper attacks…that letter is still with me, Your Highness. Please have a look."

With a smooth, plump paw, Cao Ning pushed aside Kou Dan's outstretched hand, saying softly: "Oh? Then did your spies tell you why they've acted ahead of time?"

Kou Dan pursed her lips, unable to give him an answer.

Cao Ning said: "They're either smarter than you've expected, or more foolish – Mistress Kou, which do you think it is?"

Kou Dan stammered: "Well…"

Lowering her helmet with his plump hand, Cao Ning said gently: "No matter, this is just a small fish – it's no big deal should we fail to catch them. If they really are smarter than expected, that would be even better for us. A smart person would certainly be beset with suspicion right now. Would this clever friend of ours, because of his deep suspicions, trust no one and therefore personally make the long journey back to the 48 Zhai to deliver the news himself?"

Kou Dan gave a start, as Cao Ning started to chuckle.

The soldiers in the town hadn't expected Zhou Fei and company to so completely disregard the enemy commander who was swaggering around in the open, and attack the ancestral shrine instead. Their response was therefore a little delayed. But Zhou Fei and the disciples didn't stop for an instant: once they had set those locals free, they immediately led them straight towards the southern gate. And only then did the main contingent of troops start catching up to them – troops that had been stealthily lying in wait around Cao Ning, in hopes of ambushing Zhou Fei and company should they attack him. Zhou Fei, who was bringing up the rear, heard a whoosh of something that was hurtling towards her back, and instinctively swept her scabbard out behind her. Hearing a hiss, she whipped her head around, to see that the soldiers were firing the exact same poisonous water which Chou Tianji had used outside Huarong City!

Enraged by this memory, Zhou Fei stopped in her tracks, turning right back around and heading straight for her pursuers instead. She had made remarkable progress since Huarong City – the poisonous water which she had been so afraid of back then now seemed to travel through the air much more slowly than she remembered. Like an inconstant wind herself, she weaved effortlessly past the falling droplets of poison. She had already reached the soldier nearest to her in the blink of an eye.

Terrified, the soldier hastily retreated, but her blade was already right before his eyes!

Just then, the enemy's alarms started to ring all across the city. Someone had set fire to the ancestral shrine. This 'prison' that the Prince Duan of the North had temporarily commandeered was in flames! Taking advantage of these soldiers' momentary panic, Zhou Fei charged through their ranks to escape. Everywhere she went, blood flowed like a river, till she felt like she was surrounded by a haze of red. Suddenly, she heard several urgent whistles from somewhere above her. She looked up to see Xie Yun, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He was beckoning at her and pointing in the opposite direction: "South is that way!"

Zhou Fei: "…"

Fully aware that he was incapable of fighting off the soldiers, Xie Yun had instead taken advantage of the mayhem to set the ancestral shrine on fire. Grabbing a couple of alarm whistles from the corpses of the soldiers there, he then proceeded to blow these wherever he went. And with his phenomenal qinggong, how could ordinary soldiers possibly catch up to him? He ran circles around them, across the entire town.

Zhou Fei's last-minute change in plans had caught both the enemy and even her own men unawares. When combined with Xie Yun's obfuscation and subterfuge, in less than three quarters of an hour they actually managed to force their way out through the southern gate of the town.