Chapter 7: Po Xue Reappears Part 2

Three days later.

Endless mountains loomed over them, and the road snaked ahead treacherously.

It had just rained, and the long-neglected road was riddled with potholes. A horse-drawn carriage trundled along, its wheels sending a spray of muddy water flying that covered the carriage with dull brown blotches. The carriage was flanked by several tall and sturdy horses, ridden by several equally tall and sturdy martial arts pugilists who were driving their horses swiftly forward.

An old lady with a prosperously round face was sitting in the carriage, yawning from time to time. A young girl of about sixteen or seventeen was seated next to her. The girls' hair was pinned up in two buns atop her head, and she had on a light yellow dress. She wore no make-up, several loose tendrils of hair framing a fair little face, and appeared to be the old lady's charming young handmaiden. But if one looked at her closely, one would realise that the girl's back was extremely straight, and no matter how much the carriage jolted back and forth, her posture remained impeccable. Her eyes were closed, as if deep in thought, and she exuded an almost deadly aura, as if she might draw her weapon at any moment. She was dressed like a handmaiden – but did not look like one at all.

This was Old Madam Wang's party, comprising Zhou Fei, Li Sheng and the other young disciples.

The last letter that Old Madam Wang had received from her missing son said that they were nearing the Dongting region. There so happened to be a renowned martial arts clan here, named 'Huo Jia Bao',[1] which was located in Yueyang City.

The elderly head of the Huo Clan, Huo Changfeng, had in his younger days been a highly respected figure in the martial arts world. His set of leg combat techniques were unparalleled. He had also been a sworn brother of the previous Master of the 48 Zhai when the latter was alive. Li Jinrong had thus sent Li Sheng and Zhou Fei to accompany the party in hopes of obtaining Huo Jiao Bao's assistance in their search, given the special relationship between the Li and Huo clans.

While bandits and robbers roamed the Dongting Region, these were mostly bullies who took advantage of the vulnerable villagers inhabiting these rural backwaters. As Old Madam Wang's party didn't look like an easy target, none dared to try attacking them.

Zhou had Fei gradually lost interest in the scenery after leaving the region of the Shu Mountains.

The further north they went, the sparser the villages, and they sometimes travelled an entire day without seeing a single house. The road grew increasingly rocky, and the rest stops along the way were completely deserted. Only when they occasionally passed checkpoints leading to major cities did they see some signs of life. Yet these were depressing signs of life. The officials at the checkpoints often demanded bribe after bribe from travellers before they could pass through. Sitting in the carriage, one could hear the sounds of weeping as peasants that were unable to enter beseeched the guards to let them in, the plaintive cacophony unnerving one's soul.

Zhou Fei stopped looking outside the carriage entirely, closing her eyes and resting instead. She played over and over in her mind the nine moves of the Snow-breaking Sabre that Li Jinrong had demonstrated that day – this method of practicing moves had been taught to her by Elder Yu. While monks practiced 'Closed-Mouth Mantras', in which they meditated in silence, Elder Yu had similarly christened this strange way of practicing one's martial arts, calling it the 'Closed-Eyed Mantra'.

Elder Yu often had a whole litany of complaints about Zhou Fei – she was too noisy, stupid, sloppy, didn't put the things she used back in their proper place. And he didn't let her practice in the middle of the River, because he said he didn't want to watch a dimwit like Zhou Fei make a fool of herself day in and day out, which would only lower his intelligence…so everytime Zhou Fei hit a roadblock in her training, unable to break free of the stringed machine's clutches, Elder Yu would let her sit by the side and ruminate, repeatedly going over each and every stroke and step in her head.

Over time, Zhou Fei learnt to eliminate all distractions and simply focus hard on practicing in her mind.

Gradually, she realised that when one was free of all internal and external distractions, one would enter a different mental plane, in which one's thinking and physical movements were seamlessly melded. Sometimes when she attained this state of consciousness, she could not discern whether she was actually physically practicing her skills, or whether she was only mapping them out in her mind. And she found that she was able to very naturally execute the moves that she practiced using this 'Closed-Eyed Mantra', as well as if she had physically practiced them. At the beginning, Zhou Fei could only enter such a state when she was in a place that was free of all human distractions, such as the Ink-washing River. But as she got used to it, she was able to focus her thoughts and practice with this 'Closed-Eyed Mantra' any time she wished.

Just as her head was filled with scenes of fire and fury, she suddenly heard a dog's blood-curdling howl. With a loud 'whoa' from the driver, the carriage drew to an abrupt halt. Zhou Fei's eyes flew open, and a steely glint flashed across her eyes for an instant, before fading away. Coming to her senses, she stretched out a hand to pull back a small corner of the carriage drapes, and looked outside. It seemed like a heel rope was blocking the horses' path.

The rider in front was a senior disciple from the Xiaoxiang Sect named Deng Zhen, and an expert equestrian. Deng Zhen tugged on his reins to bring his horse to a halt. Before he could even come down to see what was wrong, five or six wretchedly skinny wild dogs came charging out from both sides of the road, glaring at them and howling. Soon after, several villagers came rushing out, all young and sturdy men, with the exception of two stout women. They all wielded choppers or wooden sticks, and one even held up a long wooden bench. They glared at the little party with hatred in their eyes.

After both sides had glowered at each other for a few moments, Deng Zhen finally descended his horse, bowing to the villagers and clasping his hands together respectfully: "Our little party is escorting this elderly Madam back to her hometown, and we are simply passing through your esteemed region. Might we have offended you in some way?"

The tough young man leading the group of villagers glanced at the sword at Deng Zhen's waist, then said rudely: "Old Madam? Exactly how old is this old madam? Let us take a look!"

Deng Zhen's brow furrowed: "Where are your manners!"

The young man said loudly: "How can I be sure that you aren't a bunch of robbers like those other guys?"

While Deng Zhen and his party were from the martial arts world, the Xiaoxiang Sect was of a more refined sort – for instance, they were known for their bamboo carvings, and their members' good looks. Even when forced to take refuge in the 48 Zhai, they had not lost their elegant bearing, and looked for all the world like a group of fine young gentlemen. They would never have guessed that they would one day be mistaken for a roving band of marauders. It was so ludicrous that Deng Zhen almost burst out laughing.

Turning her head to look at Old Madam Wang, Zhou Fei saw her stroke her cane thoughtfully and whisper: "We are only but a day's journey away from Yueyang City, and not far from Huo Jia Bao. How is it possible that common thugs would dare to roam the area? Fei, help me down. I want to take a look."

The little party suddenly parted down the middle, standing respectfully at either side of the carriage. An old lady walked out slowly, leaning on a young girl for support. The girl looked innocent and delicate, as fair and pure as a ball of snow, which made the villagers feel most inferior in comparison. When her gaze swept over them, the woman brandishing the bench awkwardly put it down.

The old lady looked to be about 70, and had a kind face that made one feel like sitting round her feet and listening to her tell stories of her younger days. She walked right up to the villagers, slightly out of breath, and gently asked: "My fellow villagers, do I look like a ruthless thug to you?"

An hour later, Old Madam Wang had managed to safely lead Zhou Fei and the young disciples into the village.

The wild dogs were all chained up, and the villagers' weapons put away. The party was led into the village by the young man who had been at the front of the group of villagers just now. He was originally the village chief charged with collecting taxes for the local government, but had now taken on the responsibility of ensuring the survival of these hapless villagers instead.

The village chief smiled ruefully as he walked: "Those robbers have harassed us incessantly over the last few days, until even the grass and trees look like people to us.[2] They have squeezed us dry. We had no choice but to be on our guard against all outsiders passing through."

As he spoke, the sound of weeping drifted over from somewhere nearby. Zhou Fei lifted her head to take a look. In front of one of the houses, a young man was wrapped in a tattered straw mat that was too short to cover his tall frame completely. His head peeked out from the mat, but his features were indistinguishable, his skull having been brutally bashed in with a blunt object. Dried-up blood plastered his face, which was a mangled mess. An old woman knelt by his side, sobbing while she tried to wash the blood from his face with a bucket of water.

Despite being advanced in years, Old Madam Wang had personally made this trip just because she was worried about her son. This scene struck a deep chord within her, and she stood there for a good long while, wiping tears from her eyes.

"If they had simply taken our things, we could still live with it, but they didn't even spare our people." Looking at the corpses around him, he swallowed whatever words of comfort he had been planning to say to the old woman who had lost her son. He knew that she had lost her will to live, and so anything he said would be pointless. Turning to Deng Zhen, he said: "I had acted as a witness for that young man's wedding. Barely half a year after they got married, his wife caught the eye of one of those thugs, who tried to kidnap her, and he…" He let out a woeful sigh. "Madam, we have delayed your journey. Night is approaching, and there might not be any place to rest further ahead. Why don't you stay with us for one night, and set off again tomorrow? You'll be able to reach Yueyang City by evening."

Madam Wang had no objections, and let the disciples give the villagers some money for their lodgings, which the village chief accepted after a round of polite refusals. While he said that the money was too much for him to accept, he knew that he had to take it. The villagers were simply too poor, too poor to even purchase coffins for the departed – such courteous refusal was an unaffordable luxury. As he dwelled on the depths of their impoverishment, and reliance on the kindness of strangers, the village chief felt a deep sense of both shame and sorrow, and tears began to trickle down his cheeks.

The little party settled down for the night. After sharing a simple meal, the disciples gathered in Old Madam Wang's room. Deng Zhen said: "Shiniang,[3] something about this affair seems a little odd. Did you see the corpse of that young man? The human head is made of bones – it doesn't get bashed in like that so easily. A normal person probably doesn't have the strength to cave someone's skull in like that. It must have been someone who practices martial arts, and a skilled practitioner at that. With a highly skilled band of thugs in such close proximity, how is the Huo Clan not doing anything about it?"

Old Madam Wang placed her wrinkled hands closer to the fireplace, warming them. She nodded slowly at Deng Zhen's words. Then seeing that Li Sheng seemed to have something to say, asked: "Sheng, what is it?"

Li Sheng said: "I was just thinking, no matter how travel-worn we had looked, it wouldn't have been so bad that people would mistake us for a band of robbers. Why were they so wary when they first saw us?"

Zhou Fei had observed this too, but as she wasn't accustomed to volunteering her opinions, she hadn't voiced it since no one had. Now that Li Sheng had said what she was thinking, she nodded her head in agreement.

Old Madam Wang said gently to Li Sheng: "Go on."

"These villagers tread heavily and grow breathless easily – they don't seem like martial arts pugilists. Their expressions as they talked about what had befallen them also didn't seem put on." Li Sheng thought for a bit, then said: "Unless they were lying, could it be that the so-called 'thugs' that they referred to…were not regular thieves and robbers, but shared some similarities with us?"

Li Sheng had put his point across in a most euphemistic way, but the disciples immediately fell silent at his words. Not regular thieves, and certain similarities with them – then they had to be from a martial arts sect. In this region, the Huo clan was the only such sect for miles around.

As the Huo Clan and the previous Master of the Li Clan had been sworn brothers, the disciples had refrained from raising Li Sheng's suspicions even though they had similar thoughts. Now that Li Sheng had come out to say this, they all readily concurred with him.

Old Madam Wang said softly: "Let me think about this. All of you have been on the road for many days, do rest early. Just be a little more alert at night."

Just then, they heard someone outside ask: "Has young Miss Zhou slept already?"

Zhou Fei quickly opened the door to receive the person, who happened to be the village chief's wife – the same woman who had been brandishing the long wooden bench just now. She wasn't actually as fierce as she appeared to be. Seeing Zhou Fei quietly follow Madam Wang around, she had softened towards her, and had specially prepared a clean duvet for the young girl to sleep with at night.

Since young, Zhou Fei had never been on the receiving end of any kind of special care or concern. Feeling a little spoilt as she stared at the warm blanket in her hands, she quickly and profusely thanked the woman.

It was rare for the village chief's wife to see such a good-looking young girl – even the children in this village were painfully skinny and malnourished. It. Immediately taking to Zhou Fei, before she left she stroked Zhou Fei's cheek and said, smiling, "Good girl."

Night had fallen on the ravaged village. Wrapped in her new blanket, Zhou Fei tossed and turned, sleep eluding her. She suddenly felt that the world outside the 48 Zhai was no good at all. At the same time, she felt puzzled: she didn't understand why, in such a village that was constantly harassed by marauders and abjectly poor, did the villagers not move elsewhere? Just as her mind was filled with myriad thoughts and questions, she suddenly heard a loud commotion outside her window, with the sounds of dogs barking and people shouting. Zhou Fei sprang up and whispered to the old lady lying beside her: "Granny Wang?"

Before Old Madam Wang could respond, the commotion had already grown closer and closer, and then the door of their room was flung wide open. The village chief's wife rushed in frantically and said: "Those thugs are here again! Hide quickly!"

Her gaze sweeping over Zhou Fei, she picked up a man's tattered robes lying in the corner and covered the girl up with them from head to toe: "Don't show your face little girl, those monsters…"

Before she could finish her sentence, two masked men charged into the courtyard, shouting: "That carriage was parked in this courtyard! Those people are definitely here!"

All the way here, their party had travelled without incident, even when traversing the most secluded areas. While they had occasionally been tailed by some small fry or other, these had been dispatched easily by one or two disciples. Who knew that the closer they got to Yueyang City, the bolder the robbers would become!

The village chief's wife picked up a shedding broomstick and brandished it before her. She had engaged in all kinds of hard labour for many years, fetching water, chopping wood, working the fields and herding livestock. Over time, she had developed a formidably burly physique. While she was well aware that she was nevertheless no match for these two masked men, she was unwilling to show any sign of weakness. She spit disdainfully before bellowing: "Even we don't shave our sheep and harvest our vegetables every single day. You have already killed our people, and taken our money, what the heck else do you want?"

One of the masked marauders chuckled softly. Deliberately lowering his voice, he said: "The old crops might have been picked bare, but haven't new ones sprung up here? My dear woman, don't think that I don't know the good stuff when I see it – the horses stabled in this courtyard are all strong and sturdy, and worth much more than you. It looks like tonight's our lucky night – and your village is to thank for this! Be sure to help us trap more of such hapless sheep in future – when we feast on their meat, we'll be sure to leave you some soup!"

The village chief's wife was enraged. Planting both hands on her hips, she let loose a most colourful and ear-shattering string of invective…that even someone as green as Zhou Fei could roughly guess the meaning of.

The two masked men certainly could not tolerate such insolence. One of them stepped forward, sword in hand. Just then, a large brown dog lunged at him from the adjacent wall, aiming straight for his throat. It had been lying in wait for some time, and its powerful, precise movements marked it as a king among dogs.

But that masked man had lightning-quick reflexes, and in an instant, slid nearly a metre away from where he had been standing. The large yellow dog pounced onto thin air, and suffered a kick to the chest from the masked man.

The village was poor and malnourished, and so were its dogs. The once-majestic dog had been starved to skin and bone, and let out a pitiful howl as it was sent flying. A flash of steel glinted in the other masked man's hand, as he whipped his sword out to slice that dog in half. Seeing this, Zhou Fei quickly grabbed a chipped bowl lying on the floor and flung it towards him. It hit the man's sword squarely, knocking his weapon slightly to the side. The bowl dropped to the floor with a clang, then rolled to a halt, but didn't break.

Zhou Fei reached beside her pillow, to grab the long sabre that was hidden in her travel sack. Weapon in hand, she strode out of the room: "Covering your face when robbing others in the dark, as if you really have some kind of good reputation that you want to protect – is this what is meant by pulling down one's pants to fart?[4]"

The upper half of her body was still covered with the old robes that the village chief's wife had hurriedly wrapped her in, and her face was in shadow. However, her skirt peeked out from beneath the robes.

The masked man that was wielding a sword squinted at Zhou Fei. It was quite clear that this was a girl, and a young one too. His gaze swept scornfully across the long sabre in Zhou Fei's hand, which seemed unremarkable and barely used. Not thinking much of her, he chuckled softly: "Oh? You know a little martial arts?"

Zhou Fei smiled coldly, the words 'Enough to chop you up and make you into soup' at the tip of her tongue, but was stopped by a wizened hand that suddenly pressed down on hers. Old Madam Wang leaned on the door frame as she hobbled out of the room, rattling her cane and coughing: "Girl, when you're outside, the first lesson you must learn is to know how to be polite to strangers. You have to be reasonable and respectful, and not just fly into a rage at the drop of a hat, creating trouble."

Forced to swallow her fiery rage just when it was about to spew forth, Zhou Fei felt like she might suffocate. Only when Old Madam Wang turned to look pointedly at her, did Zhou Fei recall Li Jinrong's instructions before they departed, and say grudgingly: "Yes."

Old Madam Wang leaned on Zhou Fei for support, while tottering noisily forward with her cane, taking a good long while just to cross the threshold. Yet for some reason, the two masked men seemed slightly wary of her, and exchanged a quick look.

Just then, they heard the sounds of blows being exchanged, and people shouting. Deng Zhen and the rest had probably started fighting with this band of masked marauders. Old Madam Wang tilted her head towards the noise to hear better, then shuffled a few steps forward with a good deal of effort and said politely: "Gallant gentlemen, I am simply an old lady, with no connections or means. I only want to return to my hometown with my closest kin while I await my death. I really am not a rich noblewoman of any kind. I plead with you to do a good deed today, and spare us."

As the masked men didn't respond, Old Madam Wang added: "How about this: I have a few gold ornaments on me that might be worth some money, and it would be a pity if they were buried with me. Why don't you two gentlemen take them, and use the money to buy yourselves some food and wine."

Zhou Fei couldn't believe her ears.

With shaky hands, Old Madam Wang unfastened a gold hairpin from her updo and pressed it into Zhou Fei's palm: "Girl, hand this over to them."

Zhou Fei simply stood there like a statue. Seeing that she was immovable, Old Madam Wang sighed and handed the hairpin to the village chief's wife, shaking her head: "I've truly spoilt her, this little girl is too petulant."

Old Madam Wang's gold hairpin glinted in the hand of the village chief's wife. Zhou Fei furrowed her brow, noticing that a carving of a bamboo shoot dangled from the accessory, and then realisation dawned on her – Old Madam Wang suspected that these masked men had some connection to the Huo Clan, and was trying to subtly declare which sect she was from, in hopes that they would beat a retreat without embarrassing themselves. Yet even though she finally understood what Old Madam Wang was trying to do, she didn't feel good about it. While the 48 Zhai had been labelled as bandits by imperial decree, they had never harassed innocent citizens, yet a upstanding martial arts sect like the Huo Clan had the cheek to do so!

Zhou Fei fixed her eyes on that little bamboo shoot, while resolving within herself that even if these men were to retreat, she was definitely going to chase after them and teach them a lesson. One of the masked man stepped forward, and snatched the gold hairpin from the village chief's wife. He examined it briefly, and something seemed to flash in his eyes. He turned to his partner, and they exchanged a look. Then turning back to Old Madam Wang, he said: "It is true that the older people get, the less willing they are to stir unnecessary trouble."

Old Madam Wang nodded sagely.

But the next moment, the masked man changed his tone, saying: "Since Madam is so reasonable and understanding, why don't you hand over your money and horses as well? People can be buried anywhere there is soil, why do you have to return to your hometown?"

Now this was crossing the line.

Old Madam Wang closed her eyes briefly, then spoke in the same placating voice she had been using: "I travelled thousands of miles, just to return home to see my son's face for the last time. That is my one wish. I really cannot give you my horses and carriage. I beseech you two gentlemen to have mercy on us."

The masked man cackled: "That's not up to you, old lady!"

He and his partner lunged towards Old Madam Wang with perfect coordination, one wielding a sabre, and the other a sword.

Just then, a voice called out: "Don't you dare!"

Li Sheng had arrived just in time, a dagger in his hand. He swept his blade in an arc towards the sword-wielding masked man, exchanging seven or eight blows with him in a matter of seconds. Then they each retreated a few steps, secretly astonished by their opponent's skills.

Zhou Fei was eager for a fight. She thrust her sabre out to block the other masked man. Thinking that she was a little girl who had probably only cultivated about a little finger's worth of internal strength, he grinned and brought his sabre down heavily on the sabre in Zhou Fei's hand. The wind from his blade's movement blew the tattered cloth off her head with a whoosh, revealing her delicate features. The masked man smiled: "Ah, what have we here…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was stunned by a blinding flash of metal. He instinctively leaned backwards, and felt something cold brush past the tip of his nose. Zhou Fei's long sabre had made an inconceivable change of direction in midair, slicing back towards him, and aiming straight for his face. The masked man took a frantic step back. Before he could find his footing, he felt a whoosh of air heading towards his feet. He quickly leapt upwards, but before he could strike back, steel flashed again before his eyes, quick as lightning.

The masked man was starting to lose his temper. With a loud cry, he lifted his sabre and parried Zhou Fei's blade with all his might. Yet that long sabre did not lose its momentum, only pausing briefly upon impact, and the masked man felt an unspeakable force pressing down on him from a blade that was merely four fingers wide. It set an unerring course for his chest.

The large brown dog that had been kicked aside finally managed to limp to its feet, and had just opened its jaws to bark. At this scene, he was stunned into silence, as was the village chief's wife.

The masked man blurted in surprise: "Snow-Break…"

Old Madam Wang suddenly coughed twice, neatly interrupting him. Leaning serenely on her cane amidst the flashing steel all around her, she said: "Girl, Granny told you just now that in the martial arts world, one must be polite and reasonable, and respect others on their terms. But if you should meet people who are unreasonable and disrespectful, then it can't be helped."

At first, the village chief's wife had thought that as Old Madam Wang was just a defenceless old lady, it was perfectly understandable that she would want to appease the masked men and resolve the situation peacefully. But now, though it was clear that this old lady was anything but defenceless – with even her young handmaiden being exceedingly skilled – she was still going on about 'respect', 'reason', and 'principles'. The village chief's wife thought that she might burst from frustration, and opened her mouth to chastise the old lady: "Why are you…"

But to her surprise, Madam Wang paused for a bit before sighing regretfully: "Then you'll just have to kill them."

The brown dog let out a bark, its tail erect in anticipation.

As Zhou Fei and Li Sheng's martial arts pedigree was impeccable, their skills were naturally better than average – Li Jinrong wouldn't have let them leave otherwise. Yet they were ultimately still very green, having never seen bloodshed. While they were more than capable of fighting fiercely, they were understandably hesitant about delivering a blow that would take a man's life. Had Zhou Fei thrust her blade forward just one inch more, that masked man would have been skewered on the spot.

Just as Old Madam Wang finished speaking, the masked man fighting tooth and nail with Li Sheng let out a loud roar, thrusting his sword forward viciously. Li Sheng instinctively retreated a half-step, which was all the time the masked man needed to dart away and leap towards the roof of the little house, in an attempt to escape. But just when he had lifted his feet off the ground, his body was suddenly flung outwards, like a kite with a broken string. Unconscious, he slammed into the roof of the little house, then slowly slumped to the ground. Li Sheng's breath caught in his throat – a palm-sized dagger was lodged deep in the masked man's back. It sported a carving of a little bamboo shoot on its hilt.

Lo and behold, the 'Xiaoxiang Dart' – which had been absent from the martial arts world for more than two decades.

Old Madam Wang drew her hand back into her sleeve, and tucked several loose tendrils of white hair behind her ear. She said softly: "Fei! Why are you still dawdling? If any of these men escape, do you think they will spare the lives of the villagers next time?"

Zhou Fei's expression hardened. Drawing her weapon back, she then spun swiftly to the side in a semi-circle, phantom-like, and clasped the handle of her sabre with both hands. Having settled into an advantageous position, she swiftly thrust her blade upwards with all her might, in a display of the Snow-breaking Sabre technique that she had been mentally rehearsing throughout the entire journey here.

A tile from the roof was shaken loose and fell to the ground with a crash, right next to the masked man. The blade had entered his chin and pierced right through his skull. The black cloth covering his face flew to the side, revealing a face frozen in incredulity.

This was the first soul to fall to the Snow-breaking Sabre, upon its re-emergence in the martial arts world.

[1] Literal translation: Huo Family Fortress

[2] A Chinese idiom 草木皆兵. Describing immense fear to the point of being suspicious or frightened by everything.

[3] A term used to refer to your master/shifu's wife.

[4] A Chinese expression meaning to criticise someone for doing something that is unnecessary.