Chapter 34: Parting the Clouds

Gu Tianxuan couldn't look any more irate. He shot Lu Yaoguang a vicious glare, yet had no choice but to let them pass.

The mass of troops neatly parted to line both sides of the path. At a glance, it looked for all the world like a grand welcoming party.

As the Wayfarers' Union was a bunch of thick-skinned tricksters and thieves, they had no qualms at all about treating this as a grand welcome intended for them. Walking behind Zhou Fei, they stuck their noses in the air and puffed out their chests with pride, as pompous as could be, enjoying being the centre of attention for once.

Having been duped by Cao Ning, the 48 Zhai had suffered heavy losses as soon as they encountered the Northern Dynasty's army. Those three levels of defence that were supposed to be invincible had been ripped apart in just over an hour, forcing even young disciples who had yet to complete their apprenticeships to be sent to the frontline. Lin Hao had been certain that he would perish here today. But just when the situation was at its most dire, the enemy had abruptly retreated to the foot of the mountains.

While Lin Hao didn't understand why this was happening, he dared not relax for even a second. He'd quickly regrouped the few hundred disciples in the 48 Zhai that were still capable of fighting, while sending some of his men down to investigate.

As they approached the foot of the mountain, these disciples sensed the commotion there, and immediately steeled themselves to continue fighting...until they were greeted by this sight just beyond the very first guard post.

Lin Hao's leg had been injured by an arrow, and blood was still flowing from the wound. When he was told about this, he immediately sprang up on one leg: "What? Fei?"

Lin Hao was by nature conscientious and composed, and had been even more equanimous than usual today after he'd resigned himself to sacrificing his life on the battlefield. But he was ultimately still a spirited young man – after hearing of this sudden turn of events, he couldn't sit still. He instantly got up on one leg and tried to hop out the door.

The doctor tending to his wounds barked at him: "You sit your arse right back down, young man!"

Ma Jili, who was standing beside him, hastily held him back.

Ma Jili was in pretty bad shape too, but as he'd been overseeing the back end of things, coordinating the communications between the various sects and guard posts in the 48 Zhai, he wasn't badly hurt.

Ma Jili said: "Elder Zhao has been seriously injured, and Elder Zhang…" He sighed. "Everyone is relying on you now – you have to take good care of yourself! Yan, get over here and watch your Shixiong. I'll go out and take a look."

The wound on Lin Hao's leg had split open again with that enthusiastic hop, the blood that gushed out washing away all the ointment that had just been applied. He grimaced in pain. Li Yan quickly hurried over and practically dumped the entire jar of ointment on his leg, clumsily slathering it all over the wound.

"Enough, enough!" Lin Hao hissed in pain. "What did I ever do to you to deserve this?" he yelped at her while trying his best to avoid her fumbling ministrations, cold sweat pouring from his face. He said to Ma Jili from behind clenched teeth: "Then I'd just have to trouble you to do so. I'll be there shortly."

Li Yan flung that now-empty jar of ointment aside and cried: "I want to go too! I want to see Fei too!"

Lin Hao knew exactly how she must be feeling right now. The more wilful and mischievous such spoiled young teens were, when crisis struck the more they would detest themselves for not having worked harder earlier on. The adults around Li Yan all felt that she was still young, and that they were still capable of keeping her safe and protected from the outside world. But things change: these young ones viewed their elders as a perpetual fortress that would never fail them, as unchanging as the mountains and seas. Yet could it be that these dependable figures, which they so staunchly believed would always shelter them from the wind and rain, were sometimes just a bunch of flimsy wooden slats?

All this had happened far too quickly.

Lin Hao sighed: "You may go, but don't get too close to the action. Listen to your elders, and be careful."

Li Yan discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Ma Jili and several disciples in tow tore down the mountainside, arriving at the first guard post in record time. From a distance, they were already able to make out Prince Duan of the North, held hostage by Zhou Fei – this Prince was simply too striking, with his imposing heft and royal finery, especially when juxtaposed with a bunch of ragged looking pugilists.

The soldiers of the Northern Dynasty didn't dare to approach Cao Ning, of course. But his handful of bodyguards, Gu Tianxuan, Lu Yaoguang and company followed them at a distance of several metres, eyeing Zhou Fei with hostility.

Ma Jili was staring open-mouthed: "Fei, this…"

Zhou Fei shoved Cao Ning hard, pressing that precious head of his down to his chest, as she walked him up to the guard post: "Uncle Ma, this is the enemy commander Cao Ning…"

Xie Yun whispered to her: "Cao Zhengkun's son, the second one."

"The son of that bastard Emperor Cao Zhongkun," said Zhou Fei. "This fatty is a wily old fox, so I had no choice but to resort to crude tactics like this and seize him."

As they walked, the Mountain of Lost Springs couldn't possibly be pressed motionless against Cao Ning's throat all the time. This gave him the opportunity to speak at long last. He quickly interjected with a conciliatory smile: "Oh, this isn't crude at all. You're far too modest, Miss."

Ma Jili was still a little confused about what was happening. He instructed the disciples to let Zhou Fei in, while looking over at the gang of thugs from the Wayfarers' Union, saying: "Then what about these…"

Li Yan stuck her head out from behind him, yelling loudly: "Charcoal Yang!"

Yang Jin glared angrily at Li Yan, but did a double take when he got a good look at the girl.

She looked like a complete mess. Her little face was covered in ash and soot, filthy as could be, and her eyes were red. She looked as if she might burst into tears at any second. Yang Jin suddenly found himself unable to utter any of those angry retorts that had been at the tip of his tongue. He gave a disgruntled snort, acknowledging this unflattering title.

"Don't be rude," scolded Zhou Fei. Then she turned to Ma Jili: "These are a few of my friends who I got to know outside. They're from the Wayfarers' Union, and this gentleman here from the Cloud-Bracing Valley is…"

"Yang Jin." When Yang Jin heard Zhou Fei say 'Cloud-Bracing Valley', all he could think of was her scornful exclamation of 'what the hell is that' in Shaoyang City. That old grudge instantly reared its head again, and he glared resentfully at her. He just couldn't help it – he felt anger start to bubble up inside of him when he saw Zhou Fei and Li Yan together, and for a moment almost forgot all about what he'd come here to do.

Probably because of the fact that the 48 Zhai really hadn't associated much with outsiders over the past few years, Ma Jili still looked slightly suspicious of this bunch of men who claimed they were here to help. His brow furrowed, but only for an instant – he was still capable of giving his guests some face. He bowed courteously towards them and said: "My deepest thanks to all of you for helping us at our time of great need. The 48 Zhai will certainly not forget this act of kindness."

As Ma Jili instructed the disciples to let the Wayfarers' Union in as well, he looked past them at those people on the outside – Gu Tianxuan and Lu Yaoguang were glowering at them, accompanied by a whole mass of black-clad men as well as the Mingfeng assassins led by Kou Dan. Although a single sentence from Zhou Fei at a most crucial moment had managed to sow discord between Kou Dan and Cao Ning, both parties still shared common interests at present, and their mutual suspicions were not enough to make them have a complete falling out.

Ma Jili's eyes flickered as he rapidly sized up the situation.

Lu Yaoguang's gaze met his, and he stepped forward to speak, but was stopped by Gu Tianxuan's raised hand. With the utmost politeness, this scholarly-looking member of the Big Dipper said: "I understand that all of you fine folk are holding His Highness hostage so that we will withdraw our troops. Well, that is certainly possible, but you have to be reasonable too – if we were to withdraw completely, who would guarantee Prince Duan's safety? Mistress Li from the 48 Zhai once travelled North to assassinate His Majesty – now that His Highness is in your hands, I really can't expect that you'd treat him with courtesy. If anything were to happen to His Highness, we might as well just kill ourselves right here, instead of returning to His Majesty to face certain death. Surely you cannot expect tens of thousands of troops that travelled all the way south to simply end things like this, can you?"

Gu Tianxuan could be sly where necessary, and straightforward when the situation called for it. In a few words, he had succinctly summed up the stalemate that both sides were in. He fanned himself lightly as he continued: "Since we're face to face now, let's speak frankly. Other than His Highness Prince Duan, you have no other chips to bargain with. If even a single hair on Prince Duan's head were to be harmed, we would be as good as dead. So as long as our troops are still at the foot of these mountains, you wouldn't dare harm His Highness, would you? Why don't we both take a step back, and negotiate an outcome that is acceptable to us both, hm?"

Seeing the fan in Gu Tianxuan's hand, Xie Yun also fished out his own and opened it with a snap, looking like a mirror image of Merak. This impish Prince Duan of the South smiled and said: "We are in a pickle indeed. With the 48 Zhai in its current state, it's also not possible for them to take a step back. Why don't we do this: His Highness can stay on as a guest of the 48 Zhai. If you aren't willing to withdraw, then so be it, you're more than welcome to continue camping out here. As long as you don't expect us to feed all of you, it wouldn't be a problem for you to stay for several months or more. This way, all of us can spend the New Year together – wouldn't that be swell?"

Gu Tianxuan nearly choked on his fury.

Xie Yun added: "And by that time, Mistress Li would probably have returned. Ah, I've also heard that after Shen Tianshu razed the Huo Clan to the ground, Huo Liantao has been busy gathering men and supplies in the Southern Dynasty to take his revenge. When he learns of the party going on up here, wouldn't he also want to join in? And our Shao Dynasty as well – rumour has it that Cao Zhongkun left the 48 Zhai alone back then because he was too busy battling the Southern Dynasty's troops. If that is the case, then doesn't it mean that the Northern Dynasty is quite free now? That would really be a problem, because Jinling would start getting all sorts of ideas when they hear about this…moreover, I believe that the Gentleman Gan Tang's wife and daughter are both in the 48 Zhai, and it isn't too far for General Wen Yu to make a trip here."

With each sentence he uttered, Gu Tianxuan's face darkened further.

Xie Yun continued fanning himself as he spoke, but shivered as he quickly realised that it was far too cold. To prevent himself from starting to shake like a leaf and losing all dignity, he snapped his fan shut once more, saying in conclusion: "And then everyone will be merrily gathered here under one roof, making it much easier for us to come to a settlement – which would certainly be far better than the current stalemate!"

Seeing that Gu Tianxuan was at a loss for words, Cao Ning couldn't help but sigh and lament the fact that not a single one of his subordinates seemed to be of any use.

Observing the look on Cao Ning's face, Kou Dan stepped forward and said: "It was my incompetence that caused His Highness to be seized by bandits. Your Highness, what do you think we should do?"

"I made all the right moves in this game of chess," said Cao Ning slowly. "But just when I was about to checkmate, someone who refused to play by the rules came along and overturned the entire board – what else can I say? There's nothing left to do, Mistress Kou, it seems like we've already lost."

This back and forth seemed to remind Ma Jili of Kou Dan's betrayal again, and he stepped forward angrily: "We can talk about what to do with the others later, but Kou Dan is a despicable traitor of the 48 Zhai, who betrayed and murdered her own kind in cold blood. I demand that you hand her over!"

A strange, secretive smile played on Kou Dan's scarlet lips as she looked back at him, like a red poppy in brilliant bloom. She said: "In this world, the winners make the rules, while the losers can only live by them. That's a fact of life. That useless old thing dared to lord himself over us as an elder for so many years – yet I've only just purged our sect of him. If the ancestors of Mingfeng Tower knew of what I'd done, even they would commend me for my magnanimity. Who, pray tell, have I murdered, or betrayed?"

That smile of Kou Dan's was full of derision. Zhou Fei felt the vein at her temple start to twitch.

Livid, Ma Jili pointed at Kou Dan: "You snake!"

And as he said 'snake', he had already channelled internal strength into his palms, appearing to launch himself at Kou Dan.

Zhou Fei had been completely focused on what was happening in front of her. But in that moment, all the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end as she sensed imminent danger. That survival instinct of hers which had saved her multiple times before was screaming at her to dodge, to duck, to move aside – but she still had to hold onto Cao Ning!

The survival of the entire 48 Zhai depended on this plump prince in her grasp. She absolutely could not let go of him.

So at this most critical moment, Zhou Fei hesitated.

She had hesitated many times before, but none as fatal as this.

Just as Zhou Fei was wavering between staying put or abandoning Cao Ning and moving aside, Ma Jili's palm suddenly made a sharp turn in midair, and slammed into the right side of Zhou Fei's back. Zhou Fei wielded her sabre with her right hand – this palm strike had struck her squarely on the right side of her body, numbing it completely from top to toe. She instantly saw stars, and couldn't even tell when the Mountain of Lost Springs fell from her hand.

Cao Ning seemed to be expecting this, and immediately bent over –

Two metal strings sliced through the air. Tortured cries were heard from two of the Wayfarers' Union thugs standing beside Cao Ning, who had tried to reach out and grab him. The metal strings in Kou Dan's hand had sliced one arm off each of them.

Ma Jili had already moved several metres away.

And then with 'A Gentle Breeze This Way Blows', Gu Tianxuan swept towards Cao Ning. Hoisting him up lightning-quick, he flung the plump prince lightly behind him, as if he were a sack of cotton instead of a hefty few hundred pounds. Then he easily parried the goose-wing sabre that Yang Jin thrust at him and swept his hand out towards Zhou Fei, who was still reeling from Ma Jili's blow, intending to strike her dead right there and then. A wicked grin spread across his face.

Merak of the Big Dipper was one of the most highly-skilled pugilists of this generation. He had easily fended off a simultaneous attack from Elders Zhao Qiusheng and Zhang Bolin of the 48 Zhai. Even if Zhou Fei had been standing before him in her normal state, she might not have withstood a direct strike from his palm. And now, she had just suffered a blow from Ma Jili, her sabre was lying on the ground, and she could barely even breathe!

There was no one around that could save her. Li Yan shrieked. She was just too far away – it was too late for her to even jump in front of Zhou Fei.

Just then, a pale white hand reached over, and seized Gu Tianxuan's hand in midair.

Zhou Fei's vision had gone all blurry. That blow from Ma Jili had injured her internal organs, and she could only take the shallowest of breaths – any deeper and the pain would be excruciating. Her mouth was rapidly filling with blood. In her foggy state, she felt someone grab her by the back of her collar, and fling her behind him. Several of the disciples frantically caught her.

That person's fingers had lightly grazed the back of her neck. They were as cold as ice…

Zhou Fei's ears were ringing. She couldn't hear anything, nor could she see anything either. She was rapidly losing consciousness, yet in her semi-conscious state continued to clutch desperately at the arms of those disciples who were trying to hold her up, determined not to faint.

All of this had happened in a matter of seconds. By the time anyone else had the chance to react, Cao Ning was already tightly surrounded by the Big Dipper's black-clad men.

Gu Tianxuan had swiftly leapt backwards after failing to strike Zhou Fei, and was now warily eyeing the man before him – he had been foiled by the feeble-looking Xie Yun.

Gu Tianxuan opened his mouth to speak, but to his surprise, felt a painful roiling in his chest the second he tried to take a breath. He clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at Xie Yun. He was more than a little taken aback that such a highly-skilled pugilist had been right under his nose this whole time: "You…"

Xie Yun put that ridiculous fan of his away, and stood protectively in front of Zhou Fei without a word.

Gu Tianxuan said in astonishment: "Who are you?"

Cao Ning had finally been helped to his feet through the combined efforts of several black-clad men. He was panting heavily, his clothes askew, yet his movements were as measured as ever. He looked over at Xie Yun, shaking his head slowly: "Zhao…"

Xie Yun brusquely interrupted him: "My humble name is Xie."

Cao Ning nodded as if he understood completely, and said instead: "Brother Xie, why are you using the 'Cloud-Parting Palms' so recklessly? Don't you value your own life? What are you after?"

At the words 'Cloud-Parting Palms', Gu Tianxuan looked visibly shaken, and he blurted out: "It's you! I thought you'd died!"

Xie Yun glanced over at Zhou Fei, and saw that she was, inconceivably, still standing. He smiled: "I've yet to find a suitable reincarnation – why the hurry?"

Those disciples that had been with Ma Jili were standing there in stunned silence. Only now did one of them turn towards him in confusion: "Shishu Ma? What…what's this about?"

Li Yan squeezed through the throng of disciples surrounding Zhou Fei, screaming: "Fei!"

That girl's shrill voice pierced into Zhou Fei's ears like a sharp spike, rudely bringing her back to consciousness. She raised a hand to fend off Li Yan's sloppy embrace, and turned her head to the side to cough out a mouthful of blood. She finally started to regain sensation in the right side of her body.

Yes – there was still Li Yan, and Wu Chuchu; that bundle of Wu Chuchu's things was still on her; and behind her stood the 48 Zhai, teetering precariously on the brink of destruction.

Her grandfather had sacrificed his life for these twenty years of peace, and Mistress Li wasn't around right now…

Zhou Fei took a few short breaths, valiantly ignoring the sharp stabs of pain.

She thought to herself: Even if I'm about to die, I have to endure this first. I can always die later.

Li Yan sprang up furiously like a wild animal, snarling at Ma Jili: "Ma Jili, who are you calling a snake? You're the real snake!"

While Ma Jili had clearly divorced himself from the 48 Zhai, he hadn't moved over to Cao Ning's side either. There was a grim look on that round and kindly face which everyone was so familiar with. His sagging cheeks, which that perpetual smile of his usually concealed, now drooped heavily down both sides of his face. He had gone a little pale, and looked as if he had suddenly aged several years.

He merely blinked at Li Yan with vague detachment as she continued to hurl insults at him.

Yang Jin's Lone Goose Sabre had rebounded off Gu Tianxuan's fan just now, which had left his wrist slightly numb from the impact. He quickly stepped in front of Li Yan and brandished his sabre to prevent Ma Jili from hurting her.

In her agitation, Li Yan leaned against Yang Jin's outstretched arm like it was a railing, and continued to yell: "Before my aunt left, she told me that you were her right-hand man, and to obey everything you said outside. She even said that if we were to run into any danger, you would give your life to ensure my safety – she was blind! And so was my grandfather! He shouldn't have taken you in all those years ago!"

Looking like a huge weight had just been lifted off her chest, Kou Dan strutted towards Ma Jili, and with a stunning smile on her face, rested a dainty hand on his shoulder: "Oh, little Yan, that's not very nice."

Li Yan clamped her mouth shut, her delicate features distorting into a mask of cold fury. In that moment, she seemed to have grown up all of a sudden.

Ma Jili's betrayal was to Li Yan what the massacre in Huarong City had been to Zhou Fei.

For these sheltered youngsters, there would inevitably come a point in their lives when certain people, or events, would force them to realise that there were some things in this world worse than being scolded by one's seniors, or squabbling with one's siblings; that there were people on this earth more abominable than an older brother who always called one names; and that there were bigger challenges in life than having to take an exam that one was certain of failing…

"Uncle Ma," said Li Yan in a still, quiet voice. "When you told us that you owe your life, your very flesh and blood, to the former Master of the 48 Zhai, was that all just a lie?"

Ma Jili looked visibly shaken. He said hoarsely: "Yan…"

He was interrupted by Xie Yun: "That day in the inn, I heard you speak to Fei of your son. How is he doing now?"

Ma Jili shut his mouth tightly, as Kou Dan chuckled: "Oh, he's doing very well indeed. I've been taking very good care of Mrs Ma and little Long."

"If not for the former Master Li, your old Uncle Ma would have been reduced to a pile of bones a long time ago!"

"If a man can't even protect the lives of his own wife and children, what's the point of charging to his death with a head stuffed full of lofty ideals like 'justice' and 'righteousness'?

"If I'd known that this would happen, I would never have agreed to bring you back here."

When he'd promised Li Jinrong to send Li Yan to Jinling, he'd evidently wished to avoid being drawn into the evil plots of Kou Dan and the Northern Dynasty. He'd wanted to run as far away as possible, bringing an end to all this. But he'd been plagued with indecision throughout the journey, which was why they had proceeded so slowly. Mistress Li had even written a letter to her niece chastising her, thinking that the delay was due to her antics.

In the inn at the foot of the Shu Mountains, when he'd heard the old bard's odes of things long past, he had forced himself to respond to those youngsters' numerous questions with faked enthusiasm. He had oscillated countless times between the sense of gratitude and justice that he felt, and anxiety over his family's safety.

When Zhou Fei had been determined to descend the mountain with her madcap scheme to attack the enemy camp, he'd known full well that the enemy's plans were well under way, and that any information that was sent back to the 48 Zhai would pass through him first. He'd been fully aware that this rebellious young maiden, who had always been defiant, would most likely fall headfirst into the clutches of Kou Dan and the Big Dipper, causing she and the hundred or so youngsters with her to perish there and then. So he'd chased after her, trying to persuade her to stay with that load of hogwash about firewood, hoping that she would get it…but unfortunately, Zhou Fei hadn't understood him at all.

And now, he'd finally been driven to this point of no return – his true loyalties had been revealed, and he'd turned his sword on his erstwhile comrades.

On one side, there were a mere thousand over pugilists and their families, while on the other, there were tens of thousands of soldiers and their Machiavellian commanders. The outcome was obvious.

In this world, we all have to find a way to survive – Ma Jili had simply known this all too well.

From the very moment that he'd agreed to do their bidding, the arrow had left the bow. Even if the 48 Zhai managed to survive by some immense stroke of luck, would Li Jinrong ever forgive this betrayal?

Would the freshly-dried blood splattered across the guard posts of the 48 Zhai, and the corpses lying in the Hall of Elders, allow him to make a fresh start?

Even if Zhou Fei had, amazingly, managed to take Prince Duan of the North hostage, and even if there had been the briefest glimmer of hope that the 48 Zhai might actually survive…he could only continue down the path he'd chosen.

Pushing aside those hands that were reaching out to support her, Zhou Fei bent down with great difficulty and picked up the Mountain of Lost Springs. Using it as a crutch, she thrust it into the ground and leaned heavily on it for support, managing to prop her shaking self upright.

Her voice was very soft and slow, because it hurt to speak any faster or louder.

"When Brother Xie told me that there was a traitor in our midst, none of us suspected that this traitor would be on the mountain," said Zhou Fei hoarsely. "I'd thought that the information had been leaked by one of the disciples that were with me. So I stormed the Town of Returning Spring all alone, without bringing a single disciple along, and seized that Cao fellow myself – I didn't suspect anyone up here, because I knew that if any information was conveyed here, it would definitely be personally transmitted to the Hall of Elders by dependable seniors such as Uncle Ma…"

Having said so much in one breath, Zhou Fei found she couldn't continue any further. Her little face was devoid of colour. She doubled over to take several shallow, urgent breaths. Xie Yun pressed a hand against her back, gently channelling a slightly cool current of chi. Zhou Fei shivered, but at least she felt a little better now.

How had a feeble scholar that anyone could easily hoist over their shoulder and carry away suddenly become such a powerful pugilist? Zhou Fei couldn't spare the energy to ponder such things at present.

While Li Yan had been furiously insulting Ma Jili just now, she had taken the opportunity to catch her breath and stealthily send one of the disciples to report this back to the 48 Zhai – Cao Ning might have temporarily slipped out of their grasp, but his legions of troops still hadn't charged at them yet. There were only two of the Big Dipper and a bunch of black-clad men here, and there might still be some people left standing up there in the 48 Zhai…if they put everything they had into it, there was the slimmest of possibilities that they might actually be able to detain them here.

Zhou Fei had therefore spoken with the sole intention of stalling for time, and had been simply blurting out whatever came to mind. But as she said this, she was assailed by a wave of sadness.

"Uncle Ma," said Zhou Fei as she leaned against her long sabre, letting out a chilly breath of air. "The 48 Zhai was built up by all of you seniors, brick by brick, and you were the ones who kept it going to this day. At Xiushan Hall, you presided over the completion of our apprenticeships, and handed our badges of identification to us. Look around you – this entire mountain is full of your disciples, who have all heard the thirty-three rules of the 48 Zhai uttered from your lips. Do you yourself still remember those rules, which you've recited countless times?"

When she said this, she felt faint tremors in the ground, coming towards them from a distance. Lin Hao had reacted in record time.

Cao Ning reacted equally fast. Having detected those rumblings from the 48 Zhai as well, he immediately gave his men a discreet signal, commanding them to retreat.

Yang Jin bellowed: "Don't you dare move!"

This hothead couldn't care less if the 'Big Dipper' or the 'Gigantic Fork' was in the way – he instantly made to chase after them, as did the thugs of the Wayfarers' Union. Zhou Fei moved away from Xie Yun's outstretched hand. Realising what she was about to do, he looked deeply at her, then turned and swooped towards Cao Ning.

'The Wind Passes Without A Trace' was unparalleled in its speed. Xie Yun was a blur of motion, reaching Cao Ning in an instant. Gu Tianxuan, Lu Yaoguang and Kou Dan instantly attacked him. But Xie Yun merely took a small step back. That paper fan in his hand that was worth less than a dollar seemed to be made of solid iron – it collided successively with Gu Tianxuan's palm, Lu Yaoguang's sword and then Kou Dan's metal hook, with nary a scratch to show for it.

Xie Yun swept his gaze across the three pugilists before him, who were eyeing him warily whilst crouched in a fighting stance. He sighed to himself: Oh well, at least I'll get to fight to my heart's content this one time.

Then he sprang into action, seeming to move faster than the wind itself, brushing past Gu Tianxuan with dizzying speed. At the same time, he spun the paper fan round in a circle and jammed it into Kou Dan's hook. Kou Dan was astonished – after observing Zhou Fei several times, Xie Yun had actually copied the Snow-Breaking Sabre's 'Wind' move quite admirably.

Kou Dan still seemed a little traumatised by this move that Zhou Fei had used on her the night before, and immediately made to fling him off.

But Xie Yun had only mimicked the form of the Snow-Breaking Sabre, and didn't have the savage power of the real thing. That paper fan in his hand had only lightly lodged itself in Kou Dan's hook. An intense current of internal strength now surged through the fan and right towards Kou Dan's chest. In her panic, Kou Dan abandoned her hook and retreated rapidly, letting loose a volley of Purple Rain.

Xie Yun opened his fan with a snap. The leaves of his paper fan, printed with the words 'A Life of Less Than A Hundred, That Harbours A Thousand Years of Anguish', caught every single one of those fine needles before promptly disintegrating. Xie Yun flung that ruined fan aside. He leapt into the air, swerving to avoid a combined blow from Gu Tianxuan and Lu Yaoguang, and grabbed Kou Dan's metal hook.

Lin Hao and the disciples had arrived by now. At his signal, the disciples from the 48 Zhai charged ahead, tightly surrounding the Big Dipper's black-clad men. There were more than a hundred of them here – all the pugilists left standing in the 48 Zhai.

As the clashing of weapons filled Zhou Fei's ears, she stood there without lifting her head, without taking a single step, reciting every single word of those thirty-three rules that Ma Jili had intoned to her back then. After reciting each rule, she would stop to ask Ma Jili, 'isn't that right?' By the time she finished reciting all thirty-three rules, Ma Jili looked as if he had just been slapped across the face thirty-three times. His eyes and face were completely red.

Fixing him with her gaze, Zhou Fei continued: "Which do you have a clear conscience before – the heavens, the earth, or your own self? You said that your father over-estimated himself, and that he wasn't fit to be called a man, or have his children call him father – then if others were to ask your son about you in future, how should he speak of you?"

Ma Jili let out a strangled cry. Tears were already streaming down his face.

Zhou Fei slowly straightened. She seemed to have gathered her strength, in anticipation of something.

Ma Jili had indeed understood her. He abruptly charged right into the fray.

As Xie Yun had snatched her weapon, Kou Dan had temporarily retreated to the side, holding a large handful of Purple Rain with the intention of launching it at Xie Yun while he was preoccupied with the Big Dipper. She saw Ma Jili approach her suddenly in her peripheral vision, but didn't think much of it. Alas, he delivered a palm strike right at her.

Kou Dan hadn't expected this dog on her leash to flip so quickly. She frantically leapt backwards, but Ma Jili kept coming at her, each palm strike quicker than the last.

All these years, Ma Jili had never been able to truly elevate his skills to the next level, which was why he had been relegated to spending day after day in Xiushan Hall reciting the rules of the 48 Zhai. He'd always seemed to be missing a little something, natural talent perhaps – or the condition of his heart. But now, he appeared to suddenly achieve that breakthrough which he had been labouring so long to reach, and his palm technique was imbued with a savage abandon that hadn't been there before. To her surprise, Kou Dan, shorn of her weapon, struggled to fend off his blows.

But the leader of Mingfeng Tower was loathe to go down so easily – after being driven back several steps, Kou Dan bellowed: "Ma Jili, you've already sold the 48 Zhai out through and through. What's the point of turning against us now? Don't you care about the lives of your wife and son anymore?"

Ma Jili's palms stilled. Kou Dan seized her chance and leaned forward.

But just then, a long sabre was thrust towards her in midair, nearly slicing off her hand. Kou Dan quickly retreated once more. She looked up to see that Zhou Fei, who just moments ago seemed barely able to stand upright, had brandished the Mountain of Lost Springs yet again. Due to her injuries, her blade was much slower than usual, and much less powerful. But as an assassin born and bred, Kou Dan was most sensitive to murderous intent, and she immediately sensed that subtle shift in the way Zhou Fei was wielding her sabre.

Zhou Fei had erased every single bit of empty, energy-expending artifice from her technique. Compelled by these dire circumstances, her technique was distilled into its most powerful, undiluted essence. Every single slash of her blade, every single twist of her wrist, was utterly deadly.

Kou Dan's heart sank a little. She swiftly pulled out two metal strings from up her sleeve and flung them at Zhou Fei. Zhou Fei was intimately familiar with those lethal strings, but when she tried to take a deep breath to weave deftly away, she felt like her chest might implode. She had no choice but to slow down and swing the Mountain of Lost Springs out in front of her, hoping that the tough steel would foil those deadly tendrils.

But just then, Ma Jili reached for Kou Dan's legs. With a furious roar, Kou Dan yanked those metal strings back and flung them at him, wrapping them tightly round his arm.

Yet Ma Jili didn't seem to pay this any mind, and continued powering towards her as if he were intent on bringing her down with him. His arm was instantly sliced off by those metal strings. Blood sprayed everywhere, like a crimson summer downpour. Without even looking at his severed arm, Ma Jili used the other one to grab Kou Dan, channelling all the internal strength in his body through his remaining palm. At close range, every single one of Kou Dan's fine needles pierced into him, causing his face to turn a deathly purplish-green at once. That force in his palm immediately dissipated, yet he still clung desperately to her, refusing to let go.

Kou Dan bellowed: "You little…"

But the Mountain of Lost Springs didn't give her a chance to finish that sentence. It traced a deep gash right across that elegant neck of hers.

Kou Dan's entire body spasmed violently, as if she were trying to use all the strength left in her to avert her head from that gruesome wound.

"I wouldn't have been able to rest till I killed you," sighed Zhou Fei.

Ma Jili's body had begun to stiffen. He seemed to be frozen in place, gazing forlornly at Zhou Fei from several steps away.

Kou Dan was dead, which meant that probably not a single member of Mingfeng would be able to escape. Which meant that there wouldn't be anyone left to hurt his wife and son, right?

And it also meant…that for him, everything had finally come to an end, right?

Zhou Fei only glanced at him before turning away. The light in Ma Jili's eyes slowly darkened and went out completely, like a torch flickering in a rushing wind.

Zhou Fei took a deep breath as she turned to leave, and nearly rammed right into Lin Hao, who quickly helped her up. He himself was suffering from an injured leg, and these two wounded fighters stumbled a little as they held onto each other for support.

"I've brought everyone we have left," said Lin Hao. "As for the rest…the children, those who can't fight, and Miss Wu, I've let them leave from the other side of the mountain. Don't worry, for all of us here, so be it if we die – and even if we were to land in the clutches of that Cao dog, at least we'd still be able to end our own lives."

Zhou Fei asked: "Where is Elder Zhang and Elder Zhao?"

"Elder Zhang is dead. Elder Zhao is seriously injured, his life hanging in the balance," said Lin Hao. "But that's okay, didn't you just kill Kou Dan? And there's still the Big Dipper and Prince Duan of the North here…just killing any one of these more than makes up for our losses. We're nothing but a bunch of worthless louts with nothing to lose anyway, who's afraid of whom?"

Finding his words to be quite reasonable, Zhou Fei drew another ragged breath, before charging at Cao Ning without any hesitation, a faint smile on her face. She felt her body start to lose its sensation of her injuries, and the late-autumn chill of the Shu Mountains started to creep into her. Yet she paid no mind to this. At this very moment, all she saw was the Mountain of Lost Springs. The Snow-Breaking Sabre seemed to have merged into her very blood and bones.

The Big Dipper could clearly tell that they were trying to seize Cao Ning at all costs. The mass of black-clad men had formed a tight human shield around him. The plump prince watched calmly as layer after layer of his bodyguards was slaughtered. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest, as if all these human lives were merely the fine threads on his robe – it would of course be better if these were sturdier, but it was no issue at all if he had less of them.

Cao Ning was even relaxed enough to shoot Lin Hao a dignified smile.

That smile gave Lin Hao the creeps. He shivered, instantly sensing that something wasn't right, and shouted: "Beware, it's a trap!"

"Oh, there's nothing of the sort," chuckled Cao Ning as he clasped his hands behind his back. "It's just that if I had been able to escape, I'd naturally have descended the mountain by now; and if I hadn't managed to, then either Lord Lu or Lord Gu here would certainly have descended the mountain already to take charge of the troops there. But now, with both of us trapped here, the troops down there have had no word from us for ages. Wouldn't it become clear to them that there could only be one possibility?"

As he said this, the orderly patter of marching footsteps could be heard coming from the valley, along with the shouts of soldiers. That wave of sound was getting closer and closer, rippling ominously across the mountains.

"That we were in need of back-up," said Cao Ning lowly. Then he looked past Lin Hao at Xie Yun, who was being hemmed in on both sides by Gu Tianxuan and Lu Yaoguang, and called out to him: "Brother Xie, I think you'd better run."

Xie Yun let out a sharp bark of laughter, intending to lob a scathing retort right back at him. But while under attack from two formidable members of the Big Dipper, he wasn't nearly as relaxed as he appeared to be. As Xie Yun narrowly avoided a blow from Lu Yaoguang's sword, he was only able to spare this single laugh.

Cao Ning shook his head: "Why aren't any of you listening to good advice? If you were to flee now, I might even ask my men to slow down the chase – these are such scenic mountains, replete with so many heroes and esteemed pugilists; it would be a real shame to raze it to the ground. Why can't you see reason?"

Lin Hao saw red, sneering: "Uncouth louts like us can't even read – so how can you expect us to see reason? It's just a shame that we've so poorly treated our esteemed guests today – we haven't even invited you in for a drink."

Yang Jin split a black-clad man in half with a single blow as he roared: "Next time then!"

Another thug from the Wayfarers' Union also shouted at Lin Hao: "I like the way you speak, my good man, much more than that crooked little girl from your Zhai!"

Zhou Fei didn't bother responding to her own comrade's sudden and unwarranted dig. Her vision was getting increasingly blurred, till she was relying almost entirely on instinct to wield her sabre, and that current of Withered-Glory chi in her seemed to be the only thing propelling her forward.

In Huarong City, that madwoman Duan Jiuniang had so easily provoked her into a fury, till she'd coughed out a mouthful of blood in her rage. Now that she thought about it, she really had been too susceptible at the time, too weak.

So now, what was it that was still keeping her going?

The 48 Zhai was nestled within lush and verdant mountains. Zhou Fei recalled how she had bounded across the treetops countless times before – at dawn, those branches were heavy with fresh droplets of dew; she didn't have qinggong like Xie Yun's, so those branches would quiver violently as she passed them by, sending a shower of dew drops flying and spattering on the face and head of a passing guard or two…thankfully, her seniors never held this against her.

She had also sneaked over to various other sects to 'steal' their techniques numerous times before, although this didn't really count as stealing, because other than Mingfeng, the sects of the 48 Zhai flung their doors wide open for others to come in and take a look as they pleased. It was just that Zhou Fei was a little bit of a loner who wasn't much for talking, and she also couldn't quite stand going around with Li Sheng, who was such a golden boy everywhere he went…

Although now that she thought about it, it was probably because something about Li Sheng had rubbed her the wrong way first, which made her want to be the complete opposite of him, and therefore become increasingly unsociable.

Qianzhong, Chiyan, Xiaoxiang…some of these sects had managed to preserve their original glory, while others had declined.

Like a curious little creature game to chew on just about anything she could get her paws on, she had wanted to dabble in everything she saw, making her a jack of all trades but master of none. Only when Zhou Yitang resolutely departed the 48 Zhai did she really start to settle down, and begin trying to find a path that she wanted to take.

Zhou Fei had once thought that her life would only truly begin once she completed her apprenticeship and left this mountain.

Because the more than ten years of her life prior had just been day after day of the same old humdrum things, which could all be summed up in a single sentence. It really couldn't be considered 'life experience' of any sort.

But all of a sudden, with the chilly late-autumn wind blowing on her face, she started to recall a multitude of things that she hadn't paid much attention to in the past – how she'd been locked in competition with Li Sheng, each secretly trying to one-up the other; or how she'd unsuccessfully tried all ways and means to shake off that little leech Li Yan. On countless afternoons, she'd fallen asleep in Zhou Yitang's study for hours, and when she glanced out the window, awoken by the setting sun, the familiar scenery would somehow seem to vary a little every single day – that golden sunlight casting shifting shadows on the ground, those brief and unexpected showers of spring rain, those trees that wizened or flourished with each passing year…and that affectionate finger which Zhou Yitang would flick on her forehead as she opened her bleary eyes.

She even thought of Li Jinrong.

Li Jinrong had been strict and unsmiling for many years, and other than rare moments of softness when she was with Zhou Yitang, she was cold and unfeeling the rest of the time. Yet she would still on occasion give Li Sheng an approving nod, and sigh in exasperation at Li Yan, and…if any of the elders praised Zhou Fei for her talent at martial arts, while she would never concur, she wouldn't politely refute them either.

Zhou Fei felt sure that she must be on the verge of death – all these little things started to flash across her mind, scene after scene, ceaselessly and relentlessly. She had never really dwelled on these things before, yet she realised now that she would never ever forget them.

She found that her entire life, in this little fortress nestled in the mountains, had indeed been so full, filled with so many beautiful and vivid memories.

The troops of the Northern Dynasty had finally reached them.

At this very moment, the 48 Zhai was empty, all of its weak and defenceless having secretly left from the other side of the mountain. Their survival would have to be left entirely up to fate. And all the rest of the pugilists in the 48 Zhai, at least those who were still capable of wielding a weapon after coming under heavy attack by the Northern Dynasty's troops…even those as mediocre as Li Yan, were all standing right here, steeling themselves to do the impossible.

The general in front bellowed: "Protect His Highness, seize these bandits!"

Once he said this, the shock troops in front immediately swarmed towards them. Even well-trained elite soldiers like these were just ordinary folk who had been given weapons after a few years of training. When encountered individually, they were like a splash of warm water that wouldn't harm even a hair on one's head. But when all put together, they became a powerful, massive wave, crashing into and instantly scattering the remaining pugilists of the 48 Zhai and the Wayfarers' Union. Xie Yun brandished Kou Dan's hook, deflecting a blow from Lu Yaoguang, while pushing his palm out sideways towards Gu Tianxuan. Even if Xie Yun might have been at the end of his rope already, the Cloud-Parting Palms still possessed a fluid ease. Gu Tianxuan didn't dare to meet that blow head-on, turning his body to the side to avoid it before reaching his hand towards Xie Yun's waist with a roar. But to his surprise, that blow from Xie Yun had just been a feint, and in a few steps the fellow had already extricated himself and weaved deftly away.

Zhou Fei sensed someone rapidly approaching her from behind, and swung her sabre out behind her instinctively. The person grabbed her by the wrist.

That familiar hand was now so cold that she shivered at its touch. She immediately realised who it belonged to, and quickly stilled her sabre mid-move. This disruption caused her to stumble backwards, but Xie Yun held her up.

Xie Yun's hands had never felt so full of strength before. With his hand on her wrist, he swept the Mountain of Lost Springs in a half-circle before them, forcing back the crush of soldiers that had swarmed towards her. But the very next second, they charged at her yet again.

"Fei," said Xie Yun softly in her ear: "I could bring you away right now."

When these words entered Zhou Fei's ringing ears, they seemed to jolt her limpening body awake. The Mountain of Lost Springs which had been mindlessly following Xie Yun's motions halted abruptly, and then she wrested her wrist from his hand.

Her face, which was as small as Xie Yun's hand, was plastered with dried blood. Her lips were frighteningly pale, and her eyes were weary, as if they might shut the very next second. There was however still a glimmer of light deep within her eyes – very faint, yet stubbornly refusing to go out.

Zhou Fei's long sabre sprang to life again. The sharp edge of her blade emitted a soft whine as it cut through the air, unleashing a ferocious 'Sea' on those soldiers.

Compared to 'Mountain' and 'Wind', she'd only fully grasped the 'Sea' move of the Snow-Breaking Sabre much later on. So it was often a little stiff, and while she had gradually gotten better at it, it always seemed to be missing just a little something. Now, when faced with thousands of soldiers, she was forced into executing it perfectly at last. The gleam of her blade was almost blinding as it fanned out across those soldiers.

Zhou Fei reached a hand into her blood-soaked top, pulling out a little cloth bundle. That thin layer of silk was wrapped tightly around several hard little trinkets, their outline visible from between Zhou Fei's bloody fingers.

"Help me return this to Wu Chuchu," said Zhou Fei, without responding to Xie Yun. All she said was: "And then find someone to safekeep it for her."

Xie Yun gazed at her, from several steps away. Zhou Fei was completely spent. He could easily spirit her away right now…

Clasping Zhou Fei's hand and that little cloth bundle in his, he pulled her into his arms, dodging a shower of arrows, and whispered in her ear: "There's something in here that's very important, it's a key to 'Sea Blends Into Sky', and might even be the most important one of the lot. You know that I've been after 'Sea Blends Into Sky' all along, don't you?"

Of course she'd known this.

Xie Yun's gaze darkened. All of a sudden, he was no longer that down-on-his-luck young nobleman sitting across from a pile of bones in a dark and drafty cell, buried deep within a secluded valley. Instead, he seemed to radiate an oppressive sense of melancholy, like a strange statue that was half-smiling, and half-frowning. Even with a person in tow, it would have been no problem at all for him to slip away, given that phenomenal qinggong with which he had so effortlessly crossed the Ink-Washing River.

His pointed chin lightly grazed the top of Zhou Fei's head, as he asked evenly: "Then what do you mean by this – are you trying to test my integrity?"

Zhou Fei dispatched three more of the Northern Dynasty's soldiers with a swing of her sabre. Discerning that undertone of anger in Xie Yun's voice, she felt a little bit of glee for some reason, like she'd bested him at last.

But she didn't say anything in the end. She merely shoved that bundle of trinkets into Xie Yun's hand, yanked her fingers from his almost painfully tight grasp, and gave him one last look –

I cannot flee from my own battlefield.

But I promised someone to protect this till death, because it's something that she protected with her life. So it's more important to me than even my own life.

I'm entrusting this precious life of hers to you. As for mine, I'll use it to fight these overwhelming odds.

Everything was in place; she'd settled it perfectly.

The mountains loomed darkly in the distance, against dusk skies that were red as blood.

Zhou Fei turned from Xie Yun and charged towards that crushing surge of soldiers.

A bitter chill was spreading uncontrollably from deep within Xie Yun's bones, yet he felt like his very soul was on fire.

Just then, the shrill whinny of a horse ripped through the clamour of battle. But the mountain roads here were twisting and treacherous – who would dare ride a horse?

This was immediately followed by a sharp whistling in the air. An iron spear as thick as a grown man's wrist came hurtling towards the soldiers like an arrow, skewering one of them and firmly pinning him to the ground, its shaft still quivering.

Messy tendrils of Lin Hao's hair were plastered to the sides of his face. He stared in shock at that iron spear, mumbling to himself as if in a trance: "Shi…Shishu…"

Then he immediately whipped his head towards the direction that the spear had come from – a group of highly-skilled pugilists were fiercely fighting their way up the mountain, tearing a breach through the Northern Dynasty's troops who fell before them like wheat before a scythe.

Somebody shouted: "Mistress Li!"

Those two words were like a drop of oil in boiling water, sending shockwaves all across the battlefield. Gu Tianxuan immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed to Cao Ning's side, shouting: "Your Highness!"

Cao Ning also seemed a little unnerved: "Is it really Li Jinrong herself?"

"It must be." At a sharp whistle from Gu Tianxuan, all of the Big Dipper's men gathered round this extremely conspicuous prime target. Even after twenty years, the memories of that assassination attempt which had shaken the Northern Dynasty to its core were still as terrifying as ever!

Lu Yaoguang had also withdrawn to Cao Ning's side: "Your Highness, even though a few dozen pugilists aren't anything to be afraid of, might I request that you retreat to safer ground first…"

Cao Ning cut him off with a wave of his hand.

His unwieldy frame concealed an inconceivably ingenious mind, that seemed to house its very own sinister and intricate stringed machine. Looking past Lu Yaoguang and company, his gaze settled on those thugs from the Wayfarers' Union. Then he suddenly commanded: "Shock troops retreat, archers get ready!"

Lu Yaoguang stood there in complete confusion.

"I cannot be blamed – my defeat today is simply Heaven's will," sighed Cao Ning, as his subordinates looked at him in bewilderment. Then with a decisive wave of his hand, he issued yet another command: "Gather the rest of the troops, to charge back down the mountain, and leave immediately."

Gu Tianxuan and company had feared at first that this young prince might not think much of Li Jinrong. But after hearing his commands, they were all astounded – this wasn't thinking too little of Li Jinrong, but far too much.

Even if Li Jinrong had brought the best pugilists of the 48 Zhai along with her, these were only over a hundred people at most. Yet Cao Ning, with his tens of thousands of troops, wanted to withdraw when faced with this handful of people who had suddenly returned – and to prevent them from chasing after him, he even wanted to beat a hasty retreat!

But he was the prince after all – nobody dared disobey his commands. All of them would even be compelled to fall on their swords right then and there if he'd so wished.

The troops of the Northern Dynasty did an abrupt about-face, charging towards Li Jinrong and her men in a seemingly desperate attempt to descend the mountain.

Even a sizeable bunch of the most highly-skilled pugilists would have trouble resisting this immense crush of soldiers, and they were forced apart by the troops. They had no choice but to each fight the soldiers on their own, and the battle grew fierce…

But Zhou Fei didn't know what happened after that.

Everything went black. She insistently told herself that she must not collapse at all costs, yet her body refused to listen to her. She thrust her sabre into the ground, which just so happened to prop her up as she fell forward. And just like that, she fainted on the Mountain of Lost Springs.