Chapter 22: Desperation

Ji Yunchen and Hua Zhenglong exchanged a look of utter shock.

And Zhou Fei felt like she must have left her head behind in the Three Springs Inn, since she had absolutely no clue what was going on. She thought to herself glumly: Isn't the Sword of Mountains and Rivers dead already? How will he hand him over?

Yin Pei's neck was still caught in Hua Zhenglong's grip. He was glaring daggers at Xie Yun, so hard that his eyes nearly sprang out of their sockets and pinned Xie Yun to the ground. Xie Yun chuckled, saying: "You said at first that the Nine-Dragon Elder was only a second-rate subordinate who had to fawn over even one such as you, and that the men he'd brought with him were just small fry. But then, you also said that since you tricked the Nine-Dragon Elder into following you here, inadvertently causing his death, the Azure Dragon Lord would be after you for killing one of his valued lieutenants – young man, none of what you said makes sense. It contradicts itself completely. I beg of you, please put a little more effort into spinning your lies next time. You didn't even think them through."

Zhou Fei, who had imbibed these lies without even thinking them through, blinked sheepishly. She had actually thought that Yin Pei's words sounded a little fishy just now, but hadn't bothered to ponder them carefully. Only now, when Xie Yun pointed it out, did she see the contradiction. Zhou Fei thought to herself: Ah, so the Azure Dragon Lord's after him because he's stolen something of his. He even tricked the Nine-Dragon Elder, that old fool, to come along with him so that he would have some protection.

Yin Pei looked a little panicked now.

Xie Yun continued: "If I hadn't already guessed that the Sword of Mountains and Rivers was in your hands, did you really think that a few flattering words from you was all it would take for my princely self to save you? Did you think I was a fool…or perhaps attracted to you?"

Yin Pei was so incensed that his face and neck had turned an angry shade of red. He wanted very much to spit out a retort, but his tongue was tied – since he couldn't very well reveal his true identity to the Azure Dragon Lord. He felt most uncomfortably stifled.

The Azure Dragon Lord said cautiously: "I'd been wondering why a general of the Southern Dynasty appeared her out of the blue. May I ask who you are, esteemed sir?"

Xie Yun only smiled in response, and remained silent. Usually, all he'd need to do in such circumstances was smile enigmatically, which would prompt one of his servants to step forth and announce on his behalf that 'my master is the great so-and-so, of the kingdom so-and-so'. But only after his smile had been frozen on his face for several moments did Xie Yun realise in dismay that none of his current travel companions seemed fit to play this role.

Ji Yunchen and Hua Zhenglong certainly had no idea who he was.

Xie Yun had no choice but to try shooting Zhou Fei a discreet and pointed look. But the girl only gave him a strange look in return, completely missing Prince Duan's cue. Xie Yun felt quite exasperated – the enemy had advanced on him too quickly, leaving his camp unprepared to execute his brilliant plan!

Just as he was standing there awkwardly, desperately thinking about how he could salvage his image at this point, someone swooped in to save the day. With a dainty little brush of her hair, Wu Chuchu stepped forward, bowed deeply towards the Azure Dragon Lord, and said in a lilting voice: "My master bears the title of 'Prince Duan'."

At that, Xie Yun nodded slightly and opened his paper fan with a snap, like a lofty nobleman might[1] – although in this case Xie Yun was also using it to dry off the cold sweat that had been pouring off him.

As a gently-bred young lady, Wu Chuchu carried herself in a completely differently manner than that of a common peasant or pugilist. When she spoke, it was as if a refreshing breeze had suddenly passed right through them. She was like a delicate and pedigreed orchid, blooming radiantly atop a pile of dung. Because she was so elegantly pleasing to the eye, she was also utterly incongruous, almost eerily so…especially to extremely suspicious people like the Azure Dragon Lord.

After she finished speaking, Wu Chuchu lowered her head with a dainty smile, then turned around to walk back behind Xie Yun. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might leap out from her throat. If she hadn't experienced her fair share of harrowing circumstances by now, including having followed Zhou Fei out of Huarong City with two of the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper in hot pursuit, her legs would probably have given out from right under her just then.

The Azure Dragon Lord had probably never even dreamed that someone like him, who headed the four fearsome devils of the Mountain of the Living Dead, would one day be duped by a little girl who was too weak to even carry a half-full pail of water. Nature was currently in Wu Chuchu's favour as well – a strong gust of wind swept through the bamboo forest just then, the rustling of leaves sounding a whole lot like hushed whispers in the trees. And people with evil on their minds, like the Azure Dragon Lord, tended to see shadows everywhere.

Xie Yun continued: "You yourself know all too well whether this object truly belongs to you. Only an object's true owner has the right to demand its return. No one else can lay legitimate claim to it. And unfortunately, all that's left of this object's owner now is a pile of dust. So whether it is you or I who seizes the Sword, we'd both be considered thieves, don't you think? I'm sure an esteemed senior like the Azure Dragon Lord wouldn't stoop so low as to be a pot calling the kettle black, and call me a thief, would he?"

The Azure Dragon Lord looked distinctly peeved.

At that, Xie Yun turned on his heel and strode off up the mountain path, without sparing a look at the Azure Dragon Lord and his phantom-like lackeys. His aura at that moment was indescribably regal – Zhou Fei felt like that lanky figure could very well lead a revolt against the emperor all by himself.

The Azure Dragon Lord had suffered quite a bit at the hands of Wen Yu the night before, and only managed to survive because the Fei Qing General had suddenly and abruptly retreated. The further south one went, the stronger the Southern Dynasty's influence became, and the more aggressive the imperial troops like Wen Yu and his men were. Glancing behind him at the small band of men that he had hastily brought along, the Azure Dragon Lord felt a little unsure of himself, and actually hesitated, not quite daring to go after Xie Yun.

It wasn't that the Azure Dragon Lord hadn't suspected that this young chap who called himself 'Prince Duan' might be bluffing. It was just that he'd suffered greatly at Wen Yu's hands only the night before, which made him loathe to fight him and his troops yet again. The Fei Qing General had explicitly said that an 'esteemed guest' was staying at the Three Springs Inn, which he now supposed was Prince Duan. Last night, it was clear that Wen Yu had left of his own accord, perhaps to follow his master – the Azure Dragon Lord certainly hadn't successfully fended off the imperial troops. Then didn't it stand to reason that Wen Yu would be close by his master's side now?

Xie Yun's truly impeccable acting, as well as the very real and vivid events of the night before, added up to make the Azure Dragon Lord actually believe at least a third of Xie Yun's story.

Xie Yun let Wu Chuchu walk right in front. Behind him trudged an extremely tense Ji Yunchen, as well as Hua Zhenglong, who was still gripping Yin Pei's throat tightly to prevent the fellow from saying anything stupid. As the only pugilist in this little entourage who was not 'crippled' or 'as good as crippled', Zhou Fei had no choice but to bring up the rear as a one-woman security detail.

When he had done a quick scan of the Azure Dragon Lord just now, Xie Yun could tell that the man had been injured. While Wen Yu alone might not have been able to defeat a monstrous devil like him, he wouldn't have been able to fend off all of Wen Yu's disciplined and well-trained troops. And if the Azure Dragon Lord hadn't been injured already, Xie Yun might not have been able to successfully pull the wool over his eyes like this.

The more deathly calm this mountain seemed, and the more nonchalant Xie Yun seemed, the more the Azure Dragon Lord was compelled to tread carefully.

Xie Yun believed that this fish-faced man cherished his life too much to take such a risk – real villains who had taken the low and underhanded road for decades often feared defeat all the more.

They trudged step after excruciating step forward. The Azure Dragon Lord continued standing where he was with an unreadable expression on his face, his eyes boring holes into their backs. At this very moment, their lives were entirely in the hands of the Azure Dragon Lord. Zhou Fei desperately pricked her ears for the slightest of movements behind her, and she still didn't dare let her guard down even after they had made it quite a distance. She thought she could still hear rustling coming from behind her.

Zhou Fei pressed her hand down on her sabre's hilt, not daring to turn around and look. Quietly counting her thudding heartbeats, she wondered: Have they left?

The Azure Dragon Lord glowered at Yin Pei's slowly retreating figure, finally deciding not to risk it and let him go for now, since he was shorthanded today after all. At a flick of his long sleeves, his white-clad followers dutifully prepared to retreat.

But just then, the large gray rat scurried down his shoulder.

This little beast was oblivious to the swirling suspicions and elaborate game of chess being played by the humans here. The only thing it knew was that the scent it was meant to sniff out was moving further and further away. Thinking that his job was not yet done, it nimbly bounded onto the ground and took off up the path.

One of the white-clad men immediately stepped forward to catch it, but was held back by the Azure Dragon Lord.

The large gray rat raced along the upward mountain path, its slender tail swishing from side to side.

The Azure Dragon Lord looked thoughtfully at the little beast scampering merrily along. Then his gargantuan mouth split open into a wide smile, and he said: "I can't believe I was nearly tricked by this bunch of scoundrels."

While this scent-sniffing rat had special abilities, it was ultimately still of the rat species, and would tend to shy away from great crowds of people. The fact that it was so boldly racing up this mountain path must mean that there was absolutely no one hiding along it!

Zhou Fei's hands suddenly felt cold and clammy. Right at that moment, the Azure Dragon Lord, who they'd thought they had manged to throw off, emitted a long and eerie howl. The entire mountain shook with it. The beasts of the forest came scurrying out of their caves, and flocks of birds shot into the sky – but the trees remained as they were, revealing no contingents of troops and horses hiding within.

Their cover had been blown!

Zhou Fei shouted: "Run!"

Xie Yun had already grabbed Wu Chuchu and darted forward like an arrow.

Seeing this extraordinary display of qinggong, Ji Yunchen and Hua Zhenglong were stunned yet again – not long after being floored by his princely bearing before the Azure Dragon Lord. But they were old hands in the martial arts world, and no matter how surprised they were, quickly focused on the task at hand. Knocking Yin Pei out with one blow, Hua Zhenglong shoved the young man under his armpit as if he were hauling a gunny sack. Then he hooked his other mutilated arm onto Ji Yunchen's waistband, and practically flew forward after Xie Yun.

Zhou Fei was just a few steps behind them. Glancing behind her, she saw the Azure Dragon's followers racing with incredible speed towards them, as well as a little gray figure darting up the path.

Oh right, she'd nearly forgotten about that dratted rat!

Zhou Fei stopped in her tracks, and slashed her sabre at the large gray rat just as it approached her. The little beast split in two with a squeal. Then using her foot as an axis, Zhou Fei swiftly spun to the side and hacked her sabre mightily against the side of the mountain.

She'd used all of her strength for that blow, including some of the Withered-Glory chi in her that hadn't been activated previously, and which now surged through her meridians, nearly bursting through them. That sabre, which barely spanned a metre, hurtled unthinkingly towards the Heng Mountains. And when it finally collided with that massive formation of rocks, Zhou Fei felt like she had managed to vaguely grasp the very essence of the Snow-Breaking Sabre's 'Mountain' move – to move a mountain with a flimsy blade; to use an apparently insignificant force to pierce something that seemed impenetrable!

Her blade, imbued with the Withered-Glory chi, slid smoothly into a crack between the rocks. Taking another deep breath, Zhou Fei forcefully jerked her wrists, which were throbbing with the exertion, and actually manage to pry off a large mountain rock. It wobbled in midair for a split-second, before tumbling down with a thunderous crash.

One of the white-clad men had almost caught up to her just then, and was caught unawares by this 'General of Stone' that came crashing down from above. The fastest man was also the unluckiest. In a panic, he stretched out his hand to tug at his comrade behind him, nearly sending the poor fellow tumbling off the mountain. The white-clad men were temporarily plunged into chaos.

The Azure Dragon Lord bellowed: "Fools, all of you! And you, you wicked girl!"

He raised a hand to pull aside one of his men who was in the way, then delivered a palm strike in midair towards that fallen mountain rock. With a loud crack, the large rock shattered into pieces, showering them with rocks.

Zhou Fei found that it was right at this crucial and most dangerous juncture that she managed to attain a deeper comprehension of the Snow-Breaking Sabre.

Zhou Fei was already the stoutest of hearts in the 48 Zhai. Now, even the faint frissons of fear in her were swiftly swept away by her glee. She wondered: The nine moves of the Snow-Breaking Sabre are usually imparted in a certain order, but could it be possible for two of them being used in concert?

Simply put, when one was using a one-sided weapon such as a sabre, there was no way of slashing in both directions at the same time, and therefore 'merging two moves into one' was fundamentally impossible. Only masters who really knew those two moves inside out would be able to adapt each of them such that they could be merged in a complementary fashion. But Zhou Fei had an even more fantastical idea, as she'd realised that the Withered-Glory chi was domineering, but also highly adaptable. On one hand, it could move mountains and shake seas, being overwhelmingly aggressive; on the other, every time she used it with different blade techniques, it would shift subtly according to the technique used, as if reminding her of the true essence of these moves.

So Zhou Fei charged down the mountain path, and channelled the Withered-Glory chi that she had used in 'Mountain' to execute 'Inconstant Wind', effectively merging both moves. Her already lightning-quick blade was suddenly imbued with a violent energy, morphing into a howling tornado.

Within the span of a breath, Zhou Fei had already dealt seven blows with her blade, moving so seamlessly that blade and human seemed to have become one. She now went straight for the Azure Dragon Lord's head.

When the Azure Dragon Lord fought with her previously, they had only exchanged a few blows before Wen Yu's interruption, and he hadn't found this young girl all that impressive. But now that he was suddenly faced with the renowned Snow-Breaking Sabre, which had astounded the martial arts world twenty years ago, he was greatly astonished. The wounds in his chest began to throb painfully again, aggravated by the vicious energy of her blade.

The Azure Dragon Lord hastily retreated several steps. Seeing that even their boss had backed up, his obsequious underlings all halted in their tracks as well, staring warily at Zhou Fei as they might a formidable foe.

This 'formidable foe' actually wasn't doing too well at the moment. All the strength in her had been sapped by those seven staggering blows she had just dealt. If anyone had pounced on her just then, she wouldn't even have the strength to raise her sabre in defence. Although she didn't quite understand why that Azure Dragon Lord had suddenly retreated, since he hadn't even gotten a single scratch, this had at least given her a few moments to catch her breath.

Mimicking Xie Yun's bravado, she slung her sabre over her shoulders and cocked her head to the side, saying: "You're from the Mountain of the Living Dead? I think you don't even compare to Mu Xiaoqiao."

The Azure Dragon Lord warily eyed this girl who dared to call the Vermillion Bird Lord by name. He said sternly: "Who exactly are you?"

Zhou Fei hadn't the time to come up with a title for herself, yet couldn't bring herself to shamelessly call herself something grand like Xie Yun had. So with a flutter of her thick eyelashes, she smirked: "Guess."

The Azure Dragon Lord stared at her in disbelief.

Just then, she heard a long whistle coming from the peak of the mountain. Xie Yun's unparalleled qinggong, which had allowed him to single-handedly scale the cliffs over the Ink-Washing River, was truly impressive – Zhou Fei hadn't expected him to get up there this quickly. Zhou Fei grabbed the long and slender vine that had been thrown down at her, twisted it round her wrist, and was lifted up into the air. As she was being hauled upwards, she used the little bit of energy that she had recovered to hack her sabre down towards the Azure Dragon Lord.

It was said that the 'Cutting' move of the Snow-Breaking Sabre had the power to rend the Milky Way itself.

The Azure Dragon Lord was well aware of its power, but the blade was just above him, the mountain path was narrow, and he was surrounded by a bunch of burdensome white-clad men. He had no choice but to meet it head-on – with a roar, he stretched out his hands to stop her blade.

In that instant, his two palms gleamed with a golden lustre. Bringing them together on each side of Zhou Fei's blade, he actually managed to firmly clasp her blade in his hands.

Zhou Fei was all out of strength by now – she couldn't even split open a rock at this point, much less the Milky Way. While her blow had come at the Azure Dragon Lord with daunting ferocity, it was in fact just a façade. Seeing her opponent stretch out his hands, she magnanimously let go, leaving her sabre with him, while using the force emanating from his palms to help propel her several metres up the mountain. The person up there gave the vine another tug, and she vanished in the blink of an eye.

The combined force of the Azure Dragon Lord's palms and the tug from the vine sent Zhou Fei hurtling upwards into the dense forest. Casting her eyes around her, someone reached out and grabbed her before she could even find a spot to land.

The regal expression that had been on Xie Yun's face just now was completely erased. He had seized Zhou Fei by the arm and was glaring at her with an unusually harsh look on his face, as if he would start scolding her any minute now. Unfortunately, the man was only capable of spouting genial nonsense, not scolding people, and even after trying hard to get the words out for a while, he still couldn't bring himself to do it. Only after a good long while did he say: "You challenged the Azure Dragon Lord alone? Are you that eager to go to heaven?"

Zhou Fei thought to herself: If it weren't for the force from that senior's palms, do you think your feeble arms alone would've been able to pull me up here? You barely have the strength to lift a basket of persimmons.

But she was in a good mood, and so didn't retort for once, only blinking at him innocently.

Martial arts was an extremely long and difficult road. Spectacular displays of power in battle were only the stuff of legends. In reality, most of the time it was a dry and lonely process of cultivation and systematic practice, which would then also require a little bit of good luck, for one to make even the smallest of breakthroughs. Every time one took even a half-step forward, it felt like a towering mountain had been scaled.

Zhou Fei had initially just been mimicking what her mother imparted of the Snow-Breaking Sabre. Day in and day out, and even in her dreams, she had repeatedly tried to copy Li Jinrong's almost perfunctory demonstration of the moves. Yet she felt that she still couldn't quite grasp them, as if all this while she were beholding them through a translucent sheet of paper. But when she had been pushed to the end of her rope by the Azure Dragon Lord just now, a small hole was suddenly pierced through this layer of paper, letting in a large swathe of light that made her feel fairly radiant.

Zhou Fei had made a similar breakthrough for the 'Wind' move that night in Mu Xiaoqiao's valley, then grasped a little of the crux of the 'Piercing' move when tightly surrounded by the Big Dipper outside Huarong City. And now, while she had learnt the very first 'Mountain' move a long time ago, it was only when the furious fish-faced Azure Dragon Lord was hot on her heels that she could consider herself to have truly and fully grasped it.

Some people learnt martial arts with the intention of establishing their own sect and leaving a legacy, while others spent their entire lives trying to be the unrivalled number one pugilist in the world. But while Zhou Fei was competitive too, and also wanted to be the best, she wasn't really seized with this. She was probably more like the legendary 'Five Willow Scholar,'[2] who 'would happily forget to eat every time enlightenment struck'.

Xie Yun had dashed off as fast as he could just now. While his legs were speeding up the mountain path, he had thought to himself that while Zhou Fei was young, she was certainly sensible enough to react appropriately in sticky situations such as these, and so he hadn't really looked out for her. But when he looked around him halfway up the mountain, he realised to his horror that they were one person short!

Xie Yun had hurriedly returned to look for her, only to see that she had taken her job of security detail very seriously indeed. When she headed straight for the Azure Dragon Lord, his soul had nearly jumped out of his body in fright – he knew that if she really came to serious blows with that devil, he could be of no help at all. Yet he absolutely couldn't bring himself to leave Zhou Fei here on her own – that was out of the question. If worst came to worst, he would probably have to perish right there along with her.

But not only did this girl not look the slightest bit contrite, she was actually beaming somewhat gleefully. He almost wanted to grit his teeth in exasperation.

This was something entirely foreign to him, because he had always been the one compelling others to grit their teeth in exasperation instead.

Xie Yun couldn't bring himself to scold this girl, and was certainly incapable of giving her a good thrashing. So he resorted to flicking his finger against her forehead in consternation: "What are you smiling at!"

Zhou Fei: "…"

Did this fellow have a death wish?

Withdrawing his hand, Xie Yun didn't wait for her to respond. He grabbed her wrist and dashed off through the forest with those impossibly long and fast legs of his. When he was going at full speed, even Zhou Fei found it difficult to keep pace with him, and needed his help to pull her along a little.

Zhou Fei found this fellow more than a little strange. Training in martial arts was quite different from learning other categories of skills – for example, if someone learned how to write, but wanted to switch to playing the zither halfway, he would have to start from the very beginning to learn the zither. One's ability to write words was entirely unconnected to one's ability to play the zither. But people who were highly skilled in qinggong, while perhaps not necessarily proficient at offensive techniques, wouldn't be entirely ignorant of them either. Moreover, a person who had absolutely no experience fighting would find it impossible to predict his opponents' movements. It would therefore be extremely difficult for him to rely solely on running away to save his life as effortlessly as Xie Yun did, even if he were able to run like the wind.

Yet strangely enough, the only thing that Xie Yun seemed capable of was running.

There were many things about Xie Yun which seemed quite odd to her, and which he probably wouldn't tell her the answers to even if she asked. Yet even if he had a whole mountain's worth of secrets swirling around him, Zhou Fei still trusted him inexplicably…she was blinded by his looks, perhaps.

Xie Yun had brought her to a secluded spot in the forest. Zhou Fei was still lost in thought, when a head suddenly popped out from between the mountain rocks next to her, and called out to them: "Over here!"

Zhou Fei nearly jumped in fright – who might that be?

Upon closer examination, she realised that the head belonged to Wu Chuchu. There was actually an incredibly well-concealed tunnel between those mountain rocks. It wasn't clear if it was of natural or human origin, and was surrounded by wild grass and weeds. If they hadn't been aware that it was here, they would most certainly have walked right past it. It was extremely narrow. Zhou Fei winced on behalf of Hua Zhenglong – she felt sure that he must have had to suck in all his breath and tuck in his tummy to squeeze himself through.

Xie Yun pushed Zhou Fei inside. Only after peering around outside cautiously did he follow her in, then carefully placed several stones over the entrance to block it.

Zhou Fei said: "You don't have to worry, I've already slaughtered that rat."

Xie Yun rolled his eyes at her, scoffing: "How strong you are, bravest of heroes – wait a minute, where's your sabre?"

Zhou Fei couldn't give him an answer.

Xie Yun was struck dumb. He really couldn't imagine how on earth she had managed to continue sparring so calmly with the Azure Dragon Lord for so long without a weapon in hand. He sighed heavily, then reached for the sword that was fastened at his waist – the standard trendy accessories of young noblemen when they were out and about were a paper fan in their hand and a sword at their waist, the same way girls from rich families would be adorned with all kinds of jewels and pearls.

Xie Yun said: "While this isn't a sabre, I don't have anything else on me at the moment, so just bear with it for now."

Zhou Fei held it in her hand, testing its weight. Instead of thanking him, she asked: "Why are you even carrying around a toy like this? Is it to boost your morale?"

Xie Yun: "…."

This person, who often so foolishly plunged headfirst into life-threatening situations, was instead extremely savvy when it came to ragging on her own comrades.

"If only you had retorted like this just now, instead of being so quick to draw your blade." Xie Yun massaged his temples in exasperation, then gesturing with his hands, said: "When I go back, I'll be sure to customise a sturdy backpack for you, with seven or eight slots in a row for you to put all seven or eight of your sabres. The next time you go out, you can sling it over your shoulders, and let it hang there as you walk like a display of knives. It'll both look good and be convenient – you won't run out of weapons this way."

Wu Chuchu could detect the sarcasm in his voice, and fearing that these two would start squabbling noisily in this narrow enclosed space, linked her hand in Zhou Fei's and said: "Stop quarrelling already. Let's go further in first, where it's more spacious. Hero Ji and the rest are waiting for you there."

Back in the 48 Zhai, no one had dared to link their hands through Zhou Fei's like this – if Li Yan had dared to be this clingy, she would have been flung to the side without a word. Now, with one of her arms cradled in Wu Chuchu's, Zhou Fei had no idea what to do with her other one, and she froze up into an awkward wooden pole, dragged along by Wu Chuchu, and forgot about thrashing Xie Yun for the moment.

The further they went inside, the more it was evident that this passage had been the work of human hands.

The rocky walls on both sides of the little passageway gradually evened out, and if one looked closely, one could still see the marks that knives and axes had left on them. Such a artfully concealed spot couldn't have come about just by accident.

Surveying her surroundings, Zhou Fei asked: "Was this the Heng Mountain Sect?"

Xie Yun explained: "Yes. When troops surrounded the Mountain back then, the young disciples who managed to survive fled the Mountain via this secret tunnel. Some of their friends and allies in the martial arts world had rushed here to help them upon receiving word that they were under siege. The Divine Lotus Palms Hua Zhenglong was one of these friends. Now that the Heng Mountain Sect has long since deserted this place, it'll be fine for us to hide here for a bit. It seemed like that Azure Dragon Lord's injuries were pretty serious, so he probably won't stay here for too long."

As he was speaking, Zhou Fei could see the light of a fire ahead of them. After walking down the small and cramped tunnel for a while more, it suddenly widened considerably. Its surrounding walls produced a distinctive echo effect, which made their footsteps ring out loud and clear. It also meant that she could clearly hear what Ji Yunchen and Hua Zhenglong were arguing about, even while still separated by a stretch of winding tunnel.

Hua Zhenglong was saying: "In the past, I'd just assumed he was young and impetuous, easily led astray by others, and that his behaviour was therefore somewhat excusable. But now that I've really witnessed him in action – why are you still protecting someone like this?"

Ji Yunchen said softly: "Brother Hua, he's after all…"

Interrupting him, Hua Zhenglong said, "Don't mind these harsh words from a good brother – but if Hero Yin were still on this earth, he would certainly give his own son a good thrashing."

Ji Yunchen didn't respond. He had probably heard their footsteps, and walked out now to meet them with a torch in hand: "Miss Zhou, Miss Wu, and Prince Du…"

Ji Yunchen paused here, unsure of what he should call him. Xie Yun waved his hand dismissively, and without skipping a beat, said: "Prince what? That was only to trick them just now. Just call me 'Xie'."

A fellow like Ji Yunchen, who had grown up in the frontier regions, spending his days practicing martial arts alone on the desolate plains, was naturally more gullible and straight than most. It was why he had been so easily used by others when he first entered the central plains all those years ago. He would never be able to catch on to the schemes of a trickster like Xie Yun, whose words contained a far greater percentage of nonsense than truth.

Pondering this for a moment, Ji Yunchen asked: "Then may I ask Young Master Xie, what was all that about the 'Sword of Mountains and Rivers' just now?"

Zhou Fei seized this opportunity to wrest her stiff arm from Wu Chuchu's grasp, thinking to herself: I'm pretty sure this fellow simply made it all up.

Just as she'd thought, she heard Xie Yun say: "Apologies, I made that up too."

Ji Yunchen: "…"

'Conman Xie' strode further into the tunnel as he said: "I've heard some strange rumours. People say that when the Southern Blade Li Zheng succumbed to the Big Dipper's evil plot, and was being chased by them all the way south, he feared that he wouldn't make it, and so did something quite strange – he actually destroyed his own sabre. This rumour made absolutely no sense to me. If you were being chased by someone, wouldn't you be thinking of how to escape their clutches, rather than destroying your own weapon?"

Zhou Fei's brows twitched.

Xie Yun continued: "Then later on, rumour-mongers started coming up with entirely baseless myths and legends, which claimed there was a kind of evil power that allowed one to obtain all of a pugilist's skills simply by getting one's hands on his weapon…don't look at me like that, Hero Ji, I'm just telling you what I heard. To look into this, I even started learning a little blacksmithing, to understand the process of forging weapons."

Zhou Fei let out the breath that she'd been holding, and turned her face away, thinking: He's started with his nonsense yet again.

But Ji Yunchen was a simple and honest man, and actually believed what Xie Yun was saying with a completely straight face. He asked with utter seriousness: "How can that be? It's obviously untrue and unfounded. Are you telling me that the Azure Dragon Lord had conspired against the Yin Clan back then just because he'd believed such fictions?"

Xie Yun smiled: "Then you'd have to ask Young Master Yin himself, why exactly the Azure Dragon Lord is pursuing him so relentlessly."

Yin Pei was still unconscious. Hua Zhenglong stretched out his large hand and slapped the young man twice across his face, forcibly jolting his eyelids open. He opened his eyes somewhat blearily and looked around him. When his gaze landed on Xie Yun, his expression swiftly changed: "You…"

Xie Yun beamed brightly at him, his hands folded across his chest: "Young Master Yin, can you finally tell us now, why the Azure Dragon Lord is so set on seizing you?"

Yin Pei reflexively clamped his mouth shut.

Xie Yun said: "Innkeeper Hua here said that you'd uncovered the truth behind the Yin Manor's decimation many years back, and so fell out with your adoptive father in a rage. Now, I believe all of that. What I don't believe, is that after years of tolerating humiliation at the hands of the Azure Dragon Lord, you would do something as stupid as coming all the way here just to kill a man who had been incapacitated long ago."

Yin Pei still didn't utter a word, merely glaring at Xie Yun with a sneer on his face.

This pale-faced young man had come across as a real scoundrel, who also seemed both rash and arrogant. Now, he still appeared to be a scoundrel, but that rash impetuousness on the surface seemed to have subsided, morphing into a kind of inexpressible gloom, tinged with an almost obsessive madness.

Zhou Fei asked: "So while he brought the Nine-Dragon Elder over here, guns a-blazing, it was actually only a ruse to get someone else here to help him kill – kill the Nine-Dragon Elder?"

It made sense, when she really thought about it. Yin Pei had offended everyone he'd encountered in an almost deliberate manner. He'd first attacked Bai Kong Fang's professional mourners for no reason – although they had quickly retreated in fear and so didn't manage to have a real fight with him – and then when Zhou Fei had knocked the Whip of Four Hells out of his hand with a single chopstick, he'd strode into the Three Springs Inn at once and started to provoke her, which had led him to reach for Hua Zhenglong, which had in turn caused the plump innkeeper to seize him. And after he'd been seized, he remained unapologetically and defiantly mouthy, eventually provoking a conflict that prompted Hua Zhenglong to kill the Nine-Dragon Elder.

While he'd known the pressure point-shifting technique, he'd deliberately chosen not to escape, waiting till the Azure Dragon Lord had arrived and started fighting with Wen Yu. Only then did he take advantage of the chaos to run, and even taken Wu Chuchu hostage so as to get the attention of Zhou Fei and company. This way, he'd been able to take a secret route from the inn, while banking on Wen Yu to eliminate his 'godfather'…although this hadn't happened in the end, he'd at least managed to tag along and escape together with them.

He knew that as long as Ji Yunchen was around, he wouldn't have to fear for his life. And now, while he was in a fairly sorry state, he had managed to successfully get away from the Azure Dragon Lord. He even had all of them tearing their hair out over what they should do with him! Recalling how she had risked her life to stay behind and kill that large gray rat, she supposed that she herself had also been used by Yin Pei. She glared murderously at that pale-faced idiot.

Yin Pei neither confirmed nor denied all this. With a discomfiting smile, he said: "The great Prince Duan is most wise, and all-knowing. Why do you even need to ask me this?"

Xie Yun sighed: "When compared to Young Master Yin and his intricate plans, I am nothing but a fool."

One of Zhou Fei's hands bore a long scratch from the shower of shattered mountain rock just now. She only realised now that that the thin scar had started to itch a little. She bent down to lick her wound, and with that faintly metallic taste of blood in her mouth, asked: "Since Senior Ji has sworn never to wield a sabre again, didn't you consider what might happen if the people in the inn couldn't kill the Nine-Dragon Elder?"

Yin Pei's brooding gaze shifted towards Zhou Fei. In that instant, he looked a little bitter, as if he was resentful that this young girl from god knows where seemed to have all the luck in the world – she had an excellent martial arts pedigree and a viciously sharp blade, and these advantages had resulted in a lack of major hardships in life, allowing her to develop an almost foolish recklessness.

Yin Pei responded with a question: "What might have happened? Well, what do you think could have happened?"

Zhou Fei quickly understood what he meant – he was absolutely right. If worst came to worst, Ji Yunchen would simply perish at the Nine-Dragon Elder's hands together with whichever unlucky souls happened to be in the inn at the time.

Yin Pei had only needed to invent any old story claiming that he had been wronged in some way by Ji Yunchen, and needed to take revenge. As a crooked and unorthodox sect, it was completely within reason for one to have some kind of vendetta against a disciple of the Northern Blade. The Nine-Dragon Elder wouldn't have suspected a thing, and should Ji Yunchen really have perished here, the Elder would simply have been overjoyed at having done his sect a service. Because even until death, he probably hadn't a clue that Yin Pei's last name was 'Yin', and was certainly even more in the dark about the fact that this fellow had no intention of returning to the Azure Dragon Lord.

Looking down at his fingers and examining them leisurely, Yin Pei said with indifference: "The Northern Blade has managed to remain alive and kicking even after all these years in hiding. I believe that he wouldn't have gone down so easily – am I right, Great Hero Ji?"

And even if Ji Yunchen really died, he still had other tricks up his sleeve anyway to deal with the Nine-Dragon Elder, who was a fool.

Ji Yunchen couldn't bring himself to speak. It was all he could do to stretch out a hand to desperately hold back Hua Zhenglong, who was in a furious rage. The blue veins on his bony hand strained against his skin with the exertion. Those hands did not seem like those of a renowned hero in the slightest. Little scars and wrinkles covered the backs of them, and while his nails were neatly cropped, his fingernails were slightly cracked at the tips, his fingers bearing traces of frostbite and burn marks – they'd become exactly what one might imagine a chef's hands to be.

Shaking his head, Xie Yun said: "I've seen my fair share of betrayals and treachery. But looking at you, Young Master Yin, I know now that there's much more to some betrayals than meets the eye."

Yin Pei didn't respond to that. For a person who was able to kneel like a dog before the person who had killed his father, such comments probably didn't bother him much.

Yin Pei said: "I completely agree with something that Prince Duan said just now. That old devil is indeed a thief. Back then, he went to all kinds of unscrupulous lengths to steal something that wasn't his. Be it the Sword of Mountains and Rivers, or anything else related to it, it all belongs to the Yins. So am I not completely justified in taking it all back now? Then why should I have to tell all of you about it? So that you can come and steal it too?"

This was too much, even for an inhumanly good-tempered person like Xie Yun, whose face had darkened a little.

Hua Zhenglong shoved Ji Yunchen aside: "I owe my very life to Brother Ji. Since he's so set on protecting you, I can't very well harm you right in front of him. Since Young Master Yin is so great and powerful, I'm sure you'll be fine on your own out there, and won't require our protection anymore. We'll each go our separate ways after we leave this place today. But if I ever run into you again…"

At that, he chuckled menacingly, and glanced at Ji Yunchen: "I've repaid my debt of gratitude to you already over the last few years. This fellow here owes me a hand, so there can be no pleasant way to resolve this grudge. You have no objections, do you?"

Ji Yunchen said hoarsely: "I've done you wrong."

Hua Zhenglong looked as if he wanted to smile, but couldn't. He walked away, towards Zhou Fei and the rest, and sat down, putting Yin Pei out of his sight.

Xie Yun bowed slightly towards Yin Pei, his voice coldly polite: "Young Master Yin, you're on your own now."

The six of them settled down in different spots in this small chamber. Yin Pei sat down in one corner with his eyes closed, a slight sneer on his face. Ji Yunchen took up another corner, equally silent. Glancing at them both, Zhou Fei didn't know how she could resolve the tension. Deciding that the best course of action was to simply leave them alone, she sat down with her back against the wall and closed her eyes, immersing herself in the world of the Snow-Breaking Sabre. It didn't take long for her to cast aside everything about the Azure Dragon and Vermillion Bird, instead focusing entirely on dissecting the moves of the Snow-Breaking Sabre, which she had been so obsessively practicing again and again, even in her dreams. Perhaps it was because she had suddenly discerned a little of the true essence of the technique just now – all its nine moves seemed a little different to her all of a sudden.

As she focused on the moves, the Withered-Glory chi in her body began to circulate, as if it were being imbued into each of the nine moves bit by bit.

One whole day passed just like this.

Hunger eventually pulled Zhou Fei back to reality again. The smell of a meaty broth cooking wafted up her nose. She abruptly retracted the Withered-Glory chi that was circulating within her back into her core. Opening her eyes, she saw that Xie Yun had somehow managed to procure a pot, and was boiling soup in it above a little fire. She lifted her eyes, which met Hua Zhenglong's thoughtfully appraising gaze. The Snow-Breaking Sabre's sharp gleam still lingered in her eyes, and overwhelmed by its viciousness, Hua Zhenglong couldn't help but look away from her for an instant.

Seeing that Zhou Fei had come to, Wu Chuchu smiled at her: "Fei, are you hungry? Thanks to Innkeeper Hua, we've managed to obtain a rabbit. He also found some pots and utensils in this secret chamber. I'll get you a bowl!"

Zhou Fei nodded in assent, and had a bowl of broth thrust into her hands. The broth wasn't seasoned at all, and the meat was horribly gamey. Just a whiff of it made her feel that she was perhaps full enough to do without it.

Noticing her reluctance, Xie Yun scooped a bowl for himself as well and reached across to clink it against hers, saying: "It's said that one can live without a roof over one's head, but not without eating meat. In this sorry state that we're in right now, it's our great fortune that brother rabbit here has offered up his life for us! Come, bottoms up!"

That boiling hot soup had nearly spilled onto Zhou Fei's hand from Xie Yun's enthusiastic clink. Through the steam billowing into her face, she looked over at him: "Feel free to do so, but I think I'll pass."

Xie Yun: "…"

Wu Chuchu giggled at that, prompting a frown from Zhou Fei. She quickly covered her smile with her hands, saying softly: "You really get along well with Prince….Young Master Xie."

Zhou Fei lifted her head, her eyes just so happening to meet Xie Yun's. But for some reason he immediately averted his eyes, mumbling to himself: "She'll only take years off my life, why would I want to get along with her? Please let me live a little longer, I beg of you."

And then that irritating fellow slid a full metre away from her, his bowl still in hand, smartly avoiding a swift kick from Zhou Fei.

Just then, Hua Zhenglong spoke, addressing Zhou Fei: "I've heard that unlike other techniques, the Snow-Breaking Sabre only yields results after many years of practice. Since you already wield your blade quite well, Miss, did you start learning it from young? How long have you been practicing it for?"

Zhou Fei had just been forcing down that disgusting soup, and in her distracted state nearly blurted out 'my mother taught it to me just before I left home'. But the taste of that revolting soup filled her mouth again before she could say that, which gave her a moment to contemplate her response. Deciding that it wasn't too wise to reveal too much about herself to a stranger, she said vaguely: "For some time now…not from young, but perhaps for two or three years?"

Hua Zhenglong looked at her in shock: "Two or three years?"

Perhaps that was a bit too long?

So Zhou Fei corrected herself, somewhat guiltily: "Or perhaps it was one or two years? More or less."

She didn't know that all legendary techniques required many years of practice to master, unless one took a shortcut through perverse and unorthodox means. While Zhou Fei had been feeling like an utter embarrassment when she compared herself to people like Duan Jiuniang and Ji Yunchen, she'd overlooked the fact that she had only started learning the Snow-Breaking Sabre less than half a year ago.

It was just that she'd been so obsessed with it, spending most of her waking hours immersed in it, and since leaving home had honed it through exposure to a variety of martial arts experts and a whole host of near-death experiences which had pushed her to her limits. By some stroke of luck, she had also managed to absorb a current of Duan Jiuniang's Withered-Glory chi. The speed of her progress thus far could therefore be considered nothing short of amazing.

Hua Zhenglong had nothing more to ask her after that, simply shaking his head and muttering 'a bright future indeed', while absentmindedly stroking the bowl in his hands and staring into the distance as if lost in thought.

Suddenly, the clang of a gong resounded down the narrow and dimly-lit passageway. It was earth-shatteringly abrupt, causing all those who heard it to jump out of their skin in fright. Zhou Fei reacted quickly enough to clamp her hand over Wu Chuchu's mouth, suppressing the girl's shriek of surprise, while simultaneously reaching one leg over to kick the metal spoon that had slipped from Wu Chuchu's hands back into the air. Xie Yun caught the spoon before it could fall to the ground again.

Without a word, Xie Yun and Hua Zhenglong swiftly put out the fire, placed the pot of soup aside, and hurriedly smothered the pot and fire with the surrounding soil and dried grass.

Hua Zhenglong seemed calm as could be. Beckoning at everyone to come closer, he then spoke so softly his words were almost inaudible: "When the Heng Mountain Sect fled this place, they deliberately left the entrances to this secret passage unsealed to mislead their pursuers, who would get lost in the network of tunnels here. The Azure Dragon Lord wouldn't be able to find us for quite some time. Don't be alarmed, they're only striking their gongs in hopes that we'd panic and do something foolish."

This secret chamber was actually built like a gigantic maze, with numerous entrances – this was how the unlucky rabbit in their soup had managed to find them. Its various tunnels also concealed quite a number of booby traps.

It was already difficult to navigate underground. Without a map, one could very quickly get lost in all these tunnels and their hidden traps.

Hua Zhenglong had led them here through one of the maze's more well-concealed entrances. He hadn't brought them that far in, so that they could escape this place quickly once the coast was clear. After failing to find them even after scouring the entire mountain, the Azure Dragon Lord had probably stumbled upon one of the other entrances to this giant maze while searching the old premises of the Heng Mountain Sect.

Hua Zhenglong continued in that nearly inaudible voice: "Don't worry, it's more difficult for that old fellow to leave than to enter. It still remains to be seen who will die here today. Why do you think they're noisily banging on their gongs, instead of sneaking in here to catch us unawares?"

Xie Yun looked over at Yin Pei, who had grown visibly tense: "I suppose the Azure Dragon Lord will not rest until he's found Young Master Yin, then?"

Twenty years ago, the Azure Dragon Lord had probably schemed against numerous people just to obtain something of Yin Wenlan's. One could only imagine the rage he must be in now that that object had been stolen from right under his nose by a mere dog of his – even if the Southern Dynasty's troops had really been with Xie Yun back there, he would probably only have beaten a temporary retreat.

Just then, a voice echoed down the passageway, passing through the numerous dead ends and hidden chambers in this immense maze. It was slightly distorted, but each and ever word was crystal clear.

Since the gongs alone hadn't been enough to frighten them out of hiding, the Azure Dragon Lord himself now spoke: "Have I not treated you well, freely gifting you with the best gold and jewels, the finest silks and satins? Whether you desired wealth, or women, haven't I always given you anything that you wanted? What's the point of taking away an empty scabbard? The Sword of Mountains and Rivers has long since shattered to pieces – it's worthless. If you're a good boy and come back now, I swear not to pursue this matter any further, alright?"

Yin Pei remained expressionless.

Seeing that there was no response, the Azure Dragon Lord seemed to sigh deeply, and said: "Or could it be that you are related to the Yin family somehow?"

The corner of Yin Pei's mouth twitched slightly, twisting into a vicious sneer.

The very next minute, the Azure Dragon Lord's voice drifted over again, sounding slightly amused: "Then you've got even less of a reason to hide. Even now, my men still have fond memories of those Yin women writhing under them. Given your age, you could very well be the son or grandson of one of those women – we'd be one big family then, and it's a shame for family members to be at odds like this!"

Yin Pei saw red then, but he wasn't consumed by his anger the way regular people might if they were humiliated, their eyes red hot with fury. The thin skin of his eyelids seemed to be made of iron, blocking even the strongest passions and emotions from bursting forth, locking them up securely within his eyeballs.

But the blood-red rage of humans couldn't be locked up like that forever. If it remained suppressed this way, it would gradually cool and congeal into the darkest of poisons. Like the blood of snakes, or scorpions.

While Hua Zhenglong had professed to leave Yin Pei alone, he'd still been monitoring the young man's behaviour, getting ready to knock him out the second he started to act out.

But he realised that he needn't have worried after all.

The Azure Dragon Lord's voice started to sharpen, suffused with a force that stabbed its way straight into their ears like a sharp knife. The lack of a response only seemed to make him get into it more. Not only did he start heaping insults and making lewd comments about the women of the Yin family, he began to go into vivid detail about what his men had done to them. Wu Chuchu felt like she might implode if he continued for much longer.

Partly because that fish-faced fellow's words were utterly despicable, but also because his insults brought to mind what had happened in Huarong City.

Just as they were doing now, back there the only thing she could do was hide while Chou Tianji abused the corpses of her own mother and brother, heaping insults on them, and refusing to let them rest in peace.

As the Azure Dragon Lord continued his incessant insults, those ominous gongs clanged yet again. With that resounding clang, the bodies of those less sturdy among them, like Ji Yunchen and Wu Chuchu, shook as well. The reverberations from that sound roiled nauseatingly in Zhou Fei's chest.

Those gongs sounded even closer than they had just now!

Xie Yun whispered: "This isn't good. Innkeeper Hua, I've heard that the Azure Dragon Lord has a band of 'Gong-Wielding Men' under him, who are able to discern what lies ahead of them from the echoes of their gongs, even in the dark. If that is indeed the case, they'll be able to tell where the dead-ends and traps are and avoid them easily. I'm afraid that this maze won't hold them off for long."

Hua Zhenglong had evidently reached the same conclusion, and he looked distinctly grim.

Xie Yun quickly asked: "If they continue on like this, how long more do you think it'll take for them to find us?"

Hua Zhenglong didn't reply, but the expression on his face said it all – it was only a matter of time.

Xie Yun's brow furrowed as he thought for a bit. Then he abruptly turned, and made to walk outside alone.

Zhou Fei instantly chased after him: "What are you doing?"

"I'm just going out to take a look. If it's safe out there for now, we can leave from this passageway first." Xie Yun pressed a hand down on her shoulder, saying softly: "Don't worry, if I was able to reconnoitre the 48 Zhai, the Heng Mountains are a piece of cake. Wait here. If those ruffians from the Mountain of the Living Dead come knocking, it'll be difficult for Innkeeper Hua to handle them all on his own."

Then he darted outside, and was gone in a flash – if Zhou Fei had blinked, she could have sworn that that he'd teleported.

Zhou Fei's outstretched hand had only managed to grasp thin air. Turning around to face this group of the crippled and defenceless, she knew that she couldn't just leave them here alone. Contemplating this, she then turned to Hua Zhenglong, and asked: "Senior, since they are using the gongs to navigate, I've got an idea. On my way in, I saw that the road leading here was narrow and twisted, and that there were many loose rocks lying around. Whether it's safe or not to go outside, why don't we do this – let's leave this little chamber and hide in the narrow tunnel just outside, then pile up several layers of rocks to block it, such that it passes off as a dead end."

Hua Zhenglong hadn't a clue how those gongs worked either, and couldn't be sure if they could tell the difference between a real dead end and a hastily constructed fake dead end. Unfortunately, he didn't have any other better ideas, so he nodded and said: "It's worth a try."

Hua Zhenglong was quite an efficient worker. He first grabbed Yin Pei, tying him up soundly and throwing him to one side. Then he ventured out to that narrow passageway to examine it for himself. Zhou Fei was just about to go after him, but Ji Yunchen, who had been sitting almost lifelessly by the side, suddenly stretched out his hand and pressed it down on the hilt of the sword in Zhou Fei's hand. In a nearly inaudible voice, he asked: "Could you do me a favour, Miss?"

Zhou Fei arched a brow. She didn't have the time or frame of mind to deal with this fellow's hesitation and indecisiveness right now, and so said somewhat impatiently: "What is it."

Ji Yunchen looked silently down at his feet for a moment. The Azure Dragon Lord had probably grown tired of speaking by now, and handed the important responsibility of insulting the Yin family over to one of his henchmen. Every single word drifted into his ears, bathing the entire Heng Mountain in a shower of despicable muck.

Ji Yunchen closed his eyes. He said to Zhou Fei: "This man must be killed."

It was a rare moment of accord between the chef and the young girl.

Ji Yunchen lifted his eyes, looking at this youth before him – she had large eyes, a pointed chin, and her face was pleasing to the eye. While she hadn't fully grown into her looks just yet, she would probably mature into a real beauty in another three to five years. She was lithe and slight of frame, and her hands were slender. If someone else had been her master, they would most likely have sent her to the Emei Sect,[3] where she could choose lighter weapons like spikes and whips which didn't require too much strength to use. Or she could be trained to master hidden weapons, which would be sufficient protection for her as long as her qinggong was passable.

He didn't know what her elders had been thinking, to let her wield the sabre, and even impart to her the Snow-Breaking Sabre.

Ji Yunchen suddenly sighed: "Has anyone ever told you…that a girl of your background and your looks would already have more than enough to sail through life smoothly, even if she had nothing else to commend her? Don't you know that you didn't need to live on a knife's edge like this, with the taste of blood on your tongue, and endure so many hardships?"

Zhou Fei had assumed that he was about to say something significant to the task at hand. She said angrily: "Senior, this isn't the time to say such things!"

Ji Yunchen burst into laughter.

If a girl really knew that she was pretty, she was certain to reveal this in her behaviour somehow, such as subconsciously showing or hiding her beauty. But Zhou Fei simply wasn't aware of her looks at all. This probably wasn't owed to her having achieved enlightenment at a young age, where she was able to look beyond outward appearances. It also wasn't likely that a girl of her age still didn't know what was considered beautiful or ugly…rather, it was highly possible that since young, no one had ever complimented her, or doted on her.

Peerless talent and great beauty were both rare and highly sought after things. But once one started to rely too much on them, it was easy for them to become an inner demon of sorts, and impossible to conquer. Ji Yunchen couldn't help but wonder: if he hadn't been so proud of his own prodigious talents all those years ago, and thought so highly of himself, then would all these tragedies…still have happened?

Ji Yunchen's face darkened, and he nodded: "Alright then. Remember that no matter who tells you things like that in future, do not believe a single word, as it will only do you harm. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say – of the renowned Southern and Northern Blades, the Southern Blade is incredibly vicious, while the Northern Blade is extremely dangerous. Some even said that 'Slicing Water and Tangling Silk' is meant to kill, while the 'Snow-Breaking Sabre' is the scholarly technique of a grandmaster instead."

"It is said that practicing the Snow-Breaking Sabre is akin to walking all alone in a brutally cold and windy night. It requires immense willpower and strength of mind just to have the slightest chance of glimpsing its true essence. Those last three moves in particular, 'Unrivalled', 'Inconstant', and 'Bladeless', appear unremarkable at a glance, yet some remain unable to fully grasp them even after spending their whole lives practicing. If you don't manage to make such a breakthrough, no matter how sharp your technique is, or how vast your internal strength, your blade will ultimately be lifeless, and you might very well end up accomplishing nothing even after years of training."

Ji Yunchen had delivered that last sentence in a most direct and straightforward manner. Zhou Fei wouldn't have been angry if it were Li Jinrong who had said it like this, nor would she have taken great offense if Zhou Yitang had done so. But for a stranger she had just met to pass such a judgment on her, in such a brutally frank manner, she felt greatly offended, especially since it was coming from a cripple who couldn't even lift a finger to fight.

Zhou Fei hadn't really absorbed all the other things that this fellow had said, which seemed irrelevant to the task at hand. The only thing that stayed with her was that he had cursed her with 'accomplishing nothing'.

Just then, Xie Yun darted back into the chamber from the passageway, saying at once: "The Azure Dragon Lord has stationed men nearby to patrol the mountain, but he didn't bring many with him, and most of them seem to have entered these passageways. Since it's getting dark soon, it'll be safer to leave than to stay here. And if we're going to leave, we should leave immediately, then seal this entrance so that they'll be preoccupied with this maze for a little while longer…hey, what's going on with you two?"

Ji Yunchen had ignored Xie Yun completely, continuing to fix his gaze on Zhou Fei instead: "I've said this much only because I want to ask you: are you going to flee with them, or are you willing to risk it all with me, and stay behind to help me kill the Azure Dragon Lord? If you agree to the latter, then I'll impart to you 'Slicing Water and Tangling Silk'. Given your build, continuing with the Snow-Breaking Sabre doesn't seem like a good option for you. Why don't you train in the Northern Blade's technique instead? Don't you worry, I'm not sending you to your death. All I need is for you to delay him for a while. I have my own ways of finishing him off."

Before Zhou Fei could reply, Xie Yun's brows had already knitted themselves into a worried ball of tangled yarn, and he exclaimed: "No way!"

Ji Yunchen only pursed his lips, and remained silent.

"Are you seriously asking a young maiden to help you bring down one of the four devils of the Mountain of the Living Dead? You really…" Xie Yun's face darkened considerably, that usually winsome expression on his face hardening. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from finishing his sentence with 'have no shame at all'. Instead, he said: "I'll only allow it if she gets a magic pill from the Supreme Heavenly Lord[4] up there. Hero Ji, excuse my impoliteness, but it is said that 'mountains do not age, and rivers always flow'[5] – you will always have a chance to avenge yourself again, and humiliation is but a passing cloud. Why can't you simply bear with it for the moment? Twenty years ago, you just had to be so stubborn, and look what happened, yet you haven't changed a bit, you…"

Zhou Fei raised a hand to cut him off.

Xie Yun's voice lowered a whole octave, and he said sternly: "Fei!"

Zhou Fei pondered Ji Yunchen's words for a moment, then turned decisively to Xie Yun: "You probably don't need to worry about Senior Hua, and I couldn't care less about that idiot Yin fellow, so I just need you to help me take care of Miss Wu for a little while – you should leave first."

Turning a blind eye to Xie Yun's flustered face, she said to Ji Yunchen: "Since you said that you have your own way of finishing him off, I agree to stay and help you this once. But listen carefully to what I have to say as well: The only reason I'm staying is to kill that fish-faced fellow. You don't have to teach me anything else, and I am not going to change sects. Ji Yunchen, since the Northern and Southern Blades are equally renowned, for the sake of my grandfather I know that I shouldn't disrespect the Northern Blade. But having seen what you're like, senior, you can't blame me for scoffing – what's so great about this 'Slicing Water and Tangling Silk'!"