Chapter 24: Going Home

Xie Yun ran for the exit, dragging Zhou Fei along with him. The air was thick with falling rocks and sand, making it difficult to keep one's eyes open. All of them burst through the exit of the passageway, covered in a layer of dust and dirt. They were bombarded by the heavy downpour once they emerged, the rain and dirt mixing to coat them in a thick sludge.

Yin Pei was surprisingly tough, having managed to claw his way out as well. He was hunched over slightly. Perhaps he had suffered an injury to his lungs, or several broken bones. He reached a blood-splattered hand out to support himself on the surrounding mountain rocks, panting heavily while gazing at the ruined entrance of the collapsing passageway. No one could tell what he was thinking in that moment.

He had managed to kill Zheng Luosheng, with Ji Yunchen thrown in as well, two for the price of one. Did it feel good, now that he had exacted his revenge?

But how would he ever repay that debt of gratitude, after receiving more than ten years of fatherly care and concern?

Recalling the show that Yin Pei had put on in the Three Springs Inn, Zhou Fei felt sure that while some of what he'd said was deliberately intended to provoke conflict, some of it also seemed to suggest that he didn't actually want Ji Yunchen to die. And how much of his offensive behaviour had actually represented his true feelings towards his adoptive father?

Zhou Fei was well aware by now that there were all kinds of people in this world, having witnessed this herself, and that it was therefore absurd to assume that others might think or act like she did. So these questions merely flashed briefly across her mind, before she put them away. In any case, those people were all dead now. Their debts and grievances would simply be buried along with them. It was pointless to dwell on them anymore.

Xie Yun was pretty sure that the Azure Dragon Lord's lackeys were still roaming this mountain, so he approached Yin Pei: "Young Master Yin, where will you go from here?"

Yin Pei seemed not to have heard him at all. Shifting his aloof gaze away from the entrance to the secret passageway, he smoothed down his tangled hair and adjusted his outer robes, then brushed right past Xie Yun with his head held high.

Xie Yun asked again: "Are you also looking for 'Sea Blends Into Sky'?"

Yin Pei finally deigned to shoot Xie Yun a look out the corner of his eye. His mouth twitched, and cynicism crossed his face, as if Xie Yun had just said something completely fantastical. Then he slowly walked off into the pouring rain.

Xie Yun furrowed his brow, looking intently at his disappearing figure as if deep in thought, but didn't go after him.

Zhou Fei and company didn't run into a single one of the Azure Dragon Lord's henchmen when departing the Heng Mountains. In this day and age, it seemed like even such scum had grown smart enough to pick their battles. They probably feared perishing like their master had.

Heading south from the Heng Mountains, they entered the Southern Dynasty's territory.

This area was close to the boundary between the Northern and Southern dynasties, and had been plagued by years of warfare. While it was under the jurisdiction of the Southern Dynasty, it didn't seem any more peaceful than the territories claimed by the North. There were still drab villages and desolate roads everywhere.[1]

In a little pub by the rundown main road, Wu Chuchu was sitting on a wobbly bench. She took a cautious bite of the grain pancake[2] in her hands. Chewing on it tentatively, as one might when trying to avoid a fish bone, she made absolutely sure that it contained no little rocks inside that might crack her teeth before she started chomping on it in earnest.

All manner of grains had been mixed into that pancake, even the stuff that one fed horses and pigs with – everything except real flour, that is. It was incredibly dry and hard, and would get stuck in one's throat on the way down, making it nearly impossible to swallow. Afraid that the rest would think her pampered, Wu Chuchu didn't complain, washing each mouthful down with copious amounts of cold water. She already had a small appetite, so half of this pancake, bloated with water, was enough to make her feel full – and seem really low-maintenance.

Xie Yun had managed to procure horses and a carriage for them. He appeared to have contacts even in this remote place, and also made do with whatever they had without complaint, with none of the expected airs of a prince.

Xie Yun poked at a plate of limp looking pickles, saying: "This area is still fairly close to the frontlines, and its land isn't fertile, so it's pretty poor. But if you were to head east, it'll be completely different. The prosperity of Jinling could rival that of the old capital in the north – are you sure you really don't want to take a look?"

Wu Chuchu shook her head silently, as she turned to look at Zhou Fei.

Zhou Fei hadn't intended to respond, but seeing that the girl was looking at her with questioning eyes, also shook her head: "I'm going back to the 48 Zhai."

Wu Chuchu said somewhat uneasily: "Since Fei's going back to the 48 Zhai, then I'll go with her too."

Xie Yun simply nodded in response.

Zhou Fei asked: "Then what about you?"

Xie Yun acted as if he hadn't heard her, slowly raising a pickle to his lips with his chopsticks – while that pair of chopsticks was bent out of shape entirely, it still did its job quite well. It was evident that this fellow was quite proficient in the art of eating.

Rolling her eyes at him, Zhou Fei gently prodded Wu Chuchu with her elbow: "You ask him instead."

Wu Chuchu fidgeted in her seat so nervously that it nearly collapsed right under her. In a voice that was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, she asked: "Fei wants to know…what about you, Young Master Xie?"

Giving her a warm smile, Xie Yun said: "I'll certainly accompany you all the way. You'll need someone to drive the carriage anyway, won't you?"

The three of them were squeezed round a tiny table. They could all clearly hear each other's words, even if whispered. But Xie Yun and Zhou Fei simply refused to speak to each other, getting Wu Chuchu to relay even the most trivial of communications – thankfully, Wu Chuchu was good natured enough not to mind.

This was all because Zhou Fei had, in a moment of impetuousness, offended His Royal Highness Prince Duan when they were in the secret chamber, and then even had the cheek to laugh at him, deepening the offense. So Xie Yun had started to behave like this once they were safely out of harm's way. He'd stuck with them all the way here, but refused to say a word to her.

After doing battle with that daunting pancake for a good long while, Zhou Fei finally admitted defeat. She swallowed a bite of it whole, abandoning her attempts at chewing. That unchewable pancake inched down from her throat towards her gut in an unwieldy lump, eventually plopping into her stomach. Zhou Fei patted her chest down with relief. She thought to herself wryly: This is far cheaper than swallowing gold, but feels pretty much the same – I guess I really got a good deal.

She wanted to take a little break before continuing her battle with that formidable pancake, yet her mind didn't give her a moment's reprieve. She still had a thousand and one questions. Contemplating these, she finally blurted out: "What exactly is 'Sea Blends Into Sky', and why was that Zheng…that Zheng something or other so seized with it?"

Zhou Fei was looking at Wu Chuchu, who stared blankly back at her: "Oh, I really wouldn't know."

When she quickly realised that this question hadn't been directed at her, she went beet red, and turned to Xie Yun to repeat Zhou Fei's question word for word.

Xie Yun took a sip of cold water, that petulant expression on his face fading somewhat. He said seriously: "I'm not too sure myself. Rumours of it have been around for quite some time. Some say that it's an alliance forged between a group of extremely powerful people, some say that it's a great fortune, some say that it's an arsenal of weapons, while some even say that it's a private army or a mysterious assassins' guild – although that assassins one is the least likely, because Yin Wenlan was its last known owner. People said that the reason why Yin Wenlan never formally led a martial arts alliance, yet seemed even more powerful and influential than that, was because he possessed this thing…although I don't quite believe this."

This time Wu Chuchu spoke before Zhou Fei could ask her to: "But why?"

Xie Yun smiled: "The martial arts world is full of coarse brutes and eccentrics, who are beyond anyone's control. What on this earth could possibly be capable of commanding such a motley and savage group? If something like that really existed, it would be nothing more than the 'secret' formula of 'managing relationships well' and 'displaying courage and uprightness', which would be the only things that might be capable of earning their admiration and respect. And there are ready terms for these already – there's no need to come up with a strange and mysterious name like 'Sea Blends Into Sky'."

Wu Chuchu exchanged a look with Zhou Fei, then asked: "Does Yin Pei know about its existence?"

"He pretends not to," Xie Yun said. "But I'm guessing that he knows already. Didn't you hear what Zheng Luosheng said? Yin Pei ran away with the scabbard of the Sword of Mountains and Rivers. The entire Yin Manor and all its possessions were in the hands of the Azure Dragon Lord, including a multitude of valuable items such as the Clouds of Dusk armour. Why would he go for the scabbard of a broken sword?"

"And I'd already had some initial ideas about its whereabouts. It's said that Yin Wenlan was proud of only two things in his lifetime. One was the Sword of Mountains and Rivers, and the other, 'Sea Blends Into Sky'." Xie Yun took another sip of water before continuing: "So then, if there was some way to unlock or get to Sea Blends Into Sky – such as a token, or a key, or a map, where would he have hidden it?"

Zhou Fei understood now.

But Wu Chuchu asked in bewilderment: "Where?"

Zhou Fei explained: "He must have hidden it within the Sword of Mountains and Rivers. I can't be sure what this unparalleled swordsman was thinking exactly, but I would think that if I were the most dependable person I knew, then my own weapon would be the thing that I would trust the most."

Wu Chuchu gave an enlightened 'Ah'. Then she looked tentatively at Zhou Fei, suspecting that the girl's words were actually aimed at riling Xie Yun again somehow.

But Xie Yun continued pretending not to hear Zhou Fei. He stood up and paid the bill, then urged the two girls to take the leftover pancakes with them: "Let's go, such a rundown place like this really isn't fit for staying the night. We'll have to get to Hengyang City before it turns dark."

Then he strode off to get their carriage.

Zhou Fei glared at his back, gritting her teeth. Wu Chuchu tugged nervously at her robes.

Zhou Fei whispered to her: "Is he just out to piss me off?"

Wu Chuchu hadn't seen a cold war this juvenile since passing the age of six. She really wanted to laugh, but thinking better of it, suppressed her giggle and whispered back at Zhou Fei: "Young Master Xie was just worried about you, when we were in the Heng Mountain."

Thinking back about what had happened, Zhou Fei had to admit that given her abilities, agreeing to help Ji Yunchen stall Zheng Luosheng was indeed a gross overestimation of herself. Knowing that she could hardly defend her decision, she had no choice but to swallow her irritation and stew in silence. Wu Chuchu asked her: "Did you really believe in Hero Ji that much?"

Zhou Fei pondered this for a while, then shook her head.

She'd actually had no idea what Ji Yunchen was planning at all, nor had she ever heard of those 'Soul-Searching Needles'.

Wu Chuchu asked in wonder: "Then why did you do it?"

Zhou Fei herself didn't know exactly why. From the very beginning, she hadn't had any clear plans in place. When she had initially stayed behind on the mountain path to stall the Azure Dragon Lord, she had only managed to escape from right under his nose by resorting to trickery. She'd known very well that she was no match for him, and had even tried all ways and means to avoid a direct confrontation with that monstrous devil.

She supposed her resolve to kill Zheng Luosheng had only really hardened after hearing his awful insults in the passageway.

His evil deeds alone wouldn't really have provoked much of a reaction from Zhou Fei – so many people she had encountered on this journey thus far had stressed to her how horrible the men of the 'Mountain of the Living Dead' were, that she'd only be surprised if they did something good for a change. But what she couldn't stand was how they could be this unabashedly, gleefully wicked.

It was always the most despicable people who crowed the loudest. What right did these rotten fellows have to swagger around unharmed, blatantly boasting of their decades-old sins with no trace of remorse? While the withered bones of the good guys were reduced to mere trophies for them to flaunt?

Hadn't they dared to do this only because their evil deeds had gone unpunished numerous times? Hadn't this happened only because so many good men had kept their silence even though they were enraged, time after time?

It wasn't because Zhou Fei felt sorry for Ji Yunchen either. Even now, after knowing the complete truth about his predicament, she still felt that someone who was in such a pathetic state must be to blame for it, at least in part. She only knew that if she hadn't agreed to help him back then, she would be extremely disappointed with herself.

Hadn't even a defenceless young girl like Wu Chuchu made a similar choice? It must have been obvious to her that even Zhou Fei and Hua Zhenglong put together were no match for Zheng Luosheng. If that frail young maiden was courageous enough to stay for the sake of her friends, how could the person wielding the weapon be so cowardly as to consider fleeing?

Zhou Fei was still ruminating over how she should explain all this to Wu Chuchu, when she looked up to realise that Xie Yun had already gotten the carriage ready, and was standing there as if also awaiting her response. Seeing her gaze shift towards him, Xie Yun immediately averted his eyes, looking at the sky and the ground and everywhere else but her, with a defiant 'Neh neh neh neh I'm not gonna listen I'm just not gonna' look on his face.

All these thoughts running through Zhou Fei's mind were instantly quashed at this childish display. In a huff, she simply blurted out four curt words: "Because I wanted to!"

Wu Chuchu: "…"

Would this ridiculous feud be resolved before they returned to the 48 Zhai?!

There was a local government in Hengyang City, and even a contingent of troops stationed nearby. It looked much more decent than where they had come from – they weren't at risk of getting robbed in broad daylight at least.

By the time evening fell, Prince Duan had driven the two young maidens into the city, as he said he would. Xie Yun was clearly a seasoned traveller. He was quite skilled at steering a carriage, driving them steadily and smoothly, and with barely any wrong turns or detours, making the journey a most pleasant one. It had just rained heavily here, causing the roads to be a little bumpy. The shops and stalls along the road were like shrubs that had sprung up from amidst mountain rocks, only requiring the barest of cracks in the rock to survive. The inn here also housed a bar, which had hired folk artists to perform in hopes of attracting more customers.

The performers today were a middle-aged husband-and-wife duo. The husband was blind, while the wife sang with a sweet, clear voice. They were performing the Chinese opera 'Tower of Parting Sorrow', by none other than Mr Xie himself, aka the renowned 'Thousand Years of Anguish'. After singing it once through, the wife circled the room with a tray in hand. She didn't beg for money in a way that might irritate the customers, merely giving anyone who placed a few coins on the tray a discreet little bow.

Xie Yun placed a copper coin on the tray. Zhou Fei caught a glance of that woman's face as she stopped before them, and did a double take. Half of her face was covered with a rough-looking veil that was somewhat see-through, enough to see the jagged, bumpy scars beneath. To avoid seeming impolite, Zhou Fei only took a second glance before shifting her gaze away, heaving an internal sigh of pity – the woman was slender, with delicate features, and should have been considered beautiful.

Only when the woman had turned and walked on, did Wu Chuchu say softly: "She…"

"It's from a burn," Xie Yun answered impassively, as if he was used to seeing things like this. "It's nothing – she probably did it to herself. It's difficult to earn a living outside, especially for women. They need to find some way to keep themselves safe, and a pretty face is not much use anyway. Come on, eat up quick, and rest early. With all the running for our lives we've been doing lately, you haven't had a good night's rest in a while."

The couple performed till very late that night. Even after Zhou Fei and company had retired to their rooms, the faint sounds of singing could still be heard drifting up from the first floor. It seemed like they had little to show for their efforts, however. 'Tower of Parting Sorrow' had been popular for too long, and audiences had grown a little tired of it. Most of the people in the inn seemed to be deaf to their singing, and were equally blind to the woman's outstretched tray.

Zhou Fei washed up and got ready for bed, but even though she should've been exhausted, she couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. So she gave up trying and sat up cross-legged on her bed instead, practicing and refining the Snow-Breaking Sabre in her usual meditative state, like one obsessed. Just when she'd seamlessly run through all nine moves of the Snow-Breaking Sabre once, and felt like she had made a little progress in he technique, she suddenly heard a creak from the room next door. Xie Yun had come out of his room.

No matter how angry or frustrated Zhou Fei was, all of it would gradually subside once she immersed herself in her own world like this. As long as it wasn't some bitter grudge or great enmity, it would usually go as quickly as it came.

The Snow-Breaking Sabre was indeed a grandmaster-worthy technique: Before the moon had risen fully, it had already succeeded in maturing her from a juvenile girl into a sensible adult.

This 'sensible adult' stood up and paced around her room for a bit, reflecting on her actions. She decided that it was actually quite funny to see Xie Yun behave so childishly, and it was quite ridiculous of her to do the same to him. It was probably that dratted rock-hard pancake's fault for making her so irritable.

Zhou Fei peered downstairs. There were still a few customers there, although the waiter had started to yawn widely. He brought over a little flask of cloudy rice wine for Xie Yun, then started to half-heartedly wipe down the surrounding tables. The husband-and-wife duo were sitting on stage, looking quite lonely. The woman's voice had grown hoarse by now, while the blind man continued to pluck at his slightly-damp zither strings. The sounds of the zither echoed across the empty hall, giving them a touch of melancholic grandeur.

Xie Yun had procured a little oil lamp somehow, which he was using to illuminate the old brush and papers that covered the table before him. He would scribble for a while, then stare into the distance as if lost in thought, and occasionally lift the cup of cloudy wine to his lips to take a sip. Sitting there in his modest green robes, he looked a little sorrowful, almost downcast.

Zhou Fei tiptoed over to him. Seeing that he was composing a new set of lyrics to the zither's halting melody, she sat down beside him to watch, propping her chin on her hands. The first part of the verse was covered by a paperweight, so Zhou Fei could only make out the sentence: "…but the old stones by the bridge were covered in frost, and he travels far away, never to return."

Xie Yun's brush paused on the page. He glanced over at her, then lowered his eyes again to continue writing.

Zhou Fei reached over for an empty cup sitting on the table, and poured herself a little of the rice wine from Xie Yun's flask without asking. She finished it in a few gulps, and licked her lips. This wine was so bland that she could barely taste anything at all. Then she stretched out two fingers and gripped the handle of Xie Yun's brush.

That old brush halted in midair. It hovered above the page, a drop of ink rolling off its tip towards the paper. But Zhou Fei's reflexes were faster than that pull of gravity, and she instantly shoved the empty cup in her hands right under the brush. The fat drop of ink landed squarely into the cup.

Xie Yun: "…"

Zhou Fei knew that she was liable to cause more offence the more she spoke, so she simply shot him a conciliatory smile. While she wore an aloof look on her face most of the time, she was still a young and pretty maiden after all. When she occasionally softened like this, she actually looked quite winsome, making it difficult for one to stay mad at her.

Zhou Fei asked: "What are you writing?"

Xie Yun sighed at his lack of resolve as he snatched his brush back, replying to her gruffly: "A coward's will."

Seeing that he was finally speaking to her, she quickly seized this golden opportunity and said: "Brother Xie, I was wrong."

Xie Yun shot her a look.

Zhou Fei took a deep breath to calm herself – in their younger days, whenever Li Sheng lost during their sparring sessions, he would just go back to his room and cry, and be perfectly fine the next day. He'd never needed such placating! Irritation started to appear on her face again. Finally, after wracking her brains for a while, she stammered out: "When…when we were in the Heng Mountains, I misspoke. I didn't actually think of you like that."

However, her actions had been absolutely right.

Xie Yun placed the brush aside, and sighed: "Your insincerity is blindingly apparent."

What else did he want of her?

That temper which the Snow-Breaking Sabre had tamped down in Zhou Fei suddenly showed signs of sparking to life again.

Fortunately for Xie Yun, he didn't push his luck. After glaring at her for a while, he pursed his lips and said: "Young lady, you do after all come from an eminent clan and have a reputation to uphold – you can't keep picking on feeble and honest scholars like me."

Seeing that Xie Yun was starting his shameless nonsense again, Zhou Fei knew that he wasn't angry with her anymore. Heaving a sigh of relief, she smiled and lightly patted her own cheek: "Indeed you're right, I'm a real embarrassment to my family. Here, I'll give myself a slap on your behalf – what are you writing?"

"A new opera." As Xie Yun said this, the oil lamp on the table before him flickered, making his eyes appear to shimmer faintly. "It's a story about a soldier who deserts his platoon."

Zhou Fei had never quite understood the appeal of Chinese opera.[3] She might be able to roughly understand parts of it when it was recited plainly, but once it was vocalised in those exaggerated high-pitched tones, it all went quite over her head. No matter how well the lyrics were written, it was all reduced to a bunch of piercingly shrill 'ow's and 'wa's and 'yi's and 'ya's once performed onstage, and she would have absolutely no idea what they were yapping on about.

A story about heroic exploits would at least have been slightly more palatable, but this was about a 'deserter' instead. Zhou Fei looked at him disdainfully as she scraped the bottom of her shoe against one of the table legs, asking: "What's there to say about a deserter?"

Xie Yun didn't even raise his head, continuing to scribble a few lines on the page as he replied: "What's there to say about heroes? If a person were to become a hero so great he is universally renowned, a part of him must already be inhuman in some way. Everyone blindly praises him to the skies, but no one truly understands him – isn't that such a lonely existence? And moreover, everyone is already too familiar with such tributes and praises, the expressions for these haven't changed much since ancient times. They've been uttered hundreds and thousands of times already, and would be such a bore to write. For some after-dinner entertainment, why not tell some tales of cowardice instead?"

Zhou said: "…Are you still trying to send me a message?"

Xie Yun shook with muffled laughter, which earned him a swift kick from Zhou Fei under the table.

"Hey, hey, you can kick me all you want, but don't touch the table." Xie Yun protectively covered his messy heap of drafts.

Zhou Fei tugged one of the papers free, and read haltingly: "The swallows and sparrows[4] back come…"

Xie Yun sighed: "Eh, it's 'come back', do your eyes jumble words up?"

"Ah- come back to their villages, back to their slender maidens; they profess to harbour great ambitious in their hearths, ahem, I mean, hearts, but who still thinks of the old palaces of yore?"

Xie Yun swiftly snatched the paper back after Zhou Fei's wretched attempt at reciting two lines. Crumpling it into a ball, he threw it into his empty cup: "Have mercy on me, oh great one, when you read it like that it just makes me want to tear it up and rewrite everything."

Zhou Fei didn't take offence, as she was well aware that she had never had any poetic talent in the first place. She asked: "Are you saying that this cowardly deserter harboured great ambitions in his heart?"

"Before he deserted, he'd thought of himself as an indomitable hero of immense stature, who could carry the entire world on his back. He would certainly return to his village gloriously triumphant, dressed in fine clothes, and marry the girl that he loved in a grand wedding. But he soon realised that the imperial court didn't need him to carry it on his back, and didn't even think of him as a human in the first place. He was just a tool to them, a live bait to lure their enemies into their trap, such that once he died his mission would be complete. So he fled. Unfortunately the road home was treacherous, and by the time he managed to reach his village, the girl he loved was no longer there."

Zhou Fei asked: "Why?"

Xie Yun turned towards her, and after looking at her for a little while, smirked: "Because she was a water plant sprite, and had already swum away on a passing carp."

He immediately regretted this after saying it, because it seemed a little too obvious. But Zhou Fei didn't read anything into it. Instead, a look of innocent surprise crossed her face, and she delivered her sincere assessment of this far-fetched plot point: "What nonsense is that!"

Xie Yun didn't know if he felt disappointed or relieved. He sighed internally, averting his gaze from hers as he drawled: "Then don't poke your nose in this anymore. Trust me, this is the kind of stuff that sells. If we want to reach the 48 Zhai, and are trying to keep within the territory of the Southern Dynasty at that, then we'll have to make a detour. It's a journey of a few hundred miles, and we'll take quite a while to get there – do you even have any idea how to contact the 48 Zhai's secret posts?"

Zhou Fei had no clue at all.

Furrowing his brow, Xie Yun said: "See, we don't even have any connections that we can draw upon to secure food and lodging. I have to figure out how to earn enough for our expenses as we go along. All of this here isn't just paper and ink, it's cold hard cash. See, I know all kinds of ways to make money – you'd do well to learn from me. Having food in your belly and clothes on your back are the things that are really important in life. What's the use of only knowing how to wield a weapon?"

Zhou Fei had never run a household and didn't know how difficult it was to earn money. Hearing this 'Beginner's Guide to Getting By In Life', she felt quite astounded: "Why are you worried about this? Aren't you a prince? Don't you have a royal allowance?"

Xie Yun smiled: "I'm surprised you even know what that is."

Zhou Fei swung her leg out at him again. Xie Yun seemed to be expecting this, and quickly folded his legs beneath his chair to evade her kick. He said sagely: "There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you take sustenance from the Emperor, you must submit to his commands. If I were to eat from my uncle's hand, I'll have to do as he says, and go back to Jinling to be his mascot, like a good little boy."

Zhou Fei asked: "Why don't you want to go home?"

She'd used the words 'go home', not 'go to Jinling', or 'go back'. Home – this was a most warm and profound word. Because in Zhou Fei's mind, there would always be that one place on earth, which, while not necessarily very comfortable, nor luxurious, would mark the end to all of one's wanderings.

Xie Yun looked blankly back at her for a moment, then chuckled softly: "Home? Jinling isn't my home. My home is in the old capital."

Even someone as obtuse as Zhou Fei could tell that that laugh contained a multitude of other things in it. But before she could contemplate this further, Xie Yun diverted the conversation a little stiffly, asking: "Then what about you? Why do you want to go…home?"

Zhou Fei felt a little ashamed, but it was the hard truth, so she said honestly: "My skills aren't good enough, so I need to go back to train, hard."

The expression on Xie Yun's face instantly grew incredulous.

Zhou Fei asked: "What?"

Dipping his finger in a little bit of wine, Xie Yun drew a mountain on the table, and a line near the peak of that mountain. He pointed to the line and said: "If pugilists were to be ranked into different classes[5]…you've managed to block Zheng Luosheng's passage through a narrow tunnel, killed his men, and sliced open his palm, while still emerging with your limbs and life intact…although it could be said that you'd taken advantage of your opponent's underestimation of you, yet you also went up against him without a single worthy weapon in your hand – for you to be capable of doing this much, it proves that your skills today are good enough to squeeze into second class at least. You only feel this way because you've had extraordinarily bad luck, such that the opponents you've encountered thus far have all been fearsome figures who strike terror into the hearts of most men, making you appear pathetic in comparison."

Zhou Fei didn't think much of Xie Yun's lengthy compliment, instead thinking to herself dismissively: An opera-writing scholar like you should just stick to what he knows, there's no need to expound on something that you aren't a master of.

Xie Yun flipped over his brush, and dragged its slightly cracked handle through the wine. He traced out another mountain peak above the one before, saying: "But there's no need for you to get too pleased with yourself either. Martial arts is like climbing a mountain – every time you scale a peak, there's still another one ahead of you. There are many first-class pugilists in this world, such as a number of seniors from renowned sects…for example, these would be people like the head priest of the Qimen Sect, and the Master of the Huo Clan. And then above these first-class pugilists, there are the top-class, unrivalled pugilists, who are as rare as unicorns, but whose names are renowned across the North and South, regardless of the nature of their reputation."

Zhou Fei finally started to pay serious attention to Xie Yun, because this wasn't about passing judgment on her martial arts skills, but about martial arts lore. And in this department, she didn't know anyone else more well versed in it than Xie Yun. She asked: "Are those top-class pugilists people like the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, and the Mountain of the Living Dead's Four Symbols?"

Xie Yun gave an affirmative 'Mm', then arching his brow said: "Well, not quite – Mu Xiaoqiao would be one of them, but not Zheng Luosheng; Shen Tianshu would also rank among them, but those like Chou Tianji probably fall short. Zheng Luosheng ranked as the leader of the Four Symbols only because he had a bunch of competent lackeys who were competent fighters, and he was extremely machiavellian, using all manner of unscrupulous manoeuvres. A person like that is extremely dangerous, as he could take your life if you let your guard down for just an instant. But even the other three among the Four Symbols would snort in contempt if anyone were to consider him a top-class pugilist."

Zhou Fei was listening intently.

Xie Yun continued: "And then above top-class pugilists, there are grandmaster-level figures. Do you know the difference between the two?"

Zhou Fei asked earnestly: "What's the difference?"

Seeing her lean forward slightly in anticipation, the rascal in him couldn't help but rear its head again. He deliberately took his time to pour another cup of wine for himself, so slowly that Zhou Fei's hand started itching to hit him, before finally saying: "The difference between the two, is that every generation has its own top-class pugilists, whereas grandmasters cannot always be found in each generation."

"The brother and sister duo of the Withered-Glory Hands took an eccentric and unorthodox path, and moreover the technique was divided between the two of them, so they still fell a little short. The Northern Blade Guan Feng went into seclusion very early on, leaving behind a disciple whose star barely rose before it was extinguished, and so also fell short. But the Sword of Mountains and Rivers was the undisputed king of the martial arts community, and the Southern Blade established his own sect and perfected a distinctive technique, so these two figures can truly be considered grandmasters. Twenty years ago, the martial arts community of the central plains were teeming with talent. It was a glorious time. So many awesome techniques emerged, and so many of their feats are still talked about even now…"

Zhou Fei had goosebumps just hearing him speak of those legends of the past. Xie Yun abruptly dragged his brush across the table, ruining that half-dried mountain, as he said: "But this generation of stars was far too short-lived. It was over in the blink of an eye. The Sword of Mountains and Rivers and the Southern Blade passed on one after the other, the Withered-Glory Hands has gone missing, and the Northern Blade fights no more. Even though your mother is a talented disciple of the Southern Blade, she has had her hands full with the various affairs of the beleaguered 48 Zhai, such that she hasn't made much progress in her skills since her younger days. It would be extremely difficult for her to advance any further in future. Shen Tianshu had obviously targeted the Huo Clan out of a desire to possess all the unique techniques in this world, so that he could bring his skills to grandmaster level – but it's better that an underhanded villain like him be eradicated."

He let go of that brush, letting its cracked handle land on the table with a thud.

Zhou Fei's heart thudded as well.

Xie Yun lowered his voice: "'Rebels have seized the throne, and the capital has fallen…The mountains have all collapsed, with the doom of the country's peril; the changing of dynasties brings the sorrow of leaving home'[6]…do you think the demise of past greatness was the will of the heavens, or the fault of man?"

Just then, the blind man's zither paused for a moment, and so did Xie Yun. He blinked, as if snapping out of that ancient history which he had just evoked, and drew some money out from within his robes to hand to Zhou Fei: "Those two over there look like they are about to close shop for the night. Help me send them on their way."

Zhou Fei shook herself out of her reverie with some difficulty, saying with bafflement: "Aren't you so poor that you've had to resort to writing operas? How are you still giving money to others?"

Xie Yun waved his hand dismissively: "Such material things are necessary to get by, but they also aren't that important in the end, and not as precious as the serendipity of friendship. Go, give it to them."

Zhou Fei decided that this Young Master Xie really was as sentimental as one might expect of a penniless artist. She took the money from him, then poured a cup of water for the songstress to soothe her hoarse throat. Handing it to the woman, she said: "Sister, have a little rest."

The songstress quickly got up to thank her, and demurely received the money that was handed over, saying softly: "Why don't you pick a song, Miss, since you've paid for it."

Zhou Fei had thought that her job would be done after handing over the money, and was a little at a loss now.

She'd barely heard any folk songs in her life, much less Chinese operas. The disfigured songstress had a sorrowful look on her face, and imbued whatever she sang with a mournful misery. That wasn't her idea of good late-night entertainment. Just as she was trying to figure out how to refuse without letting on that she didn't like it, Xie Yun had packed up his writing implements and walked over, interrupting: "Little children don't understand the meaning behind such things. There's no need for Madam to waste your energy singing for her, just telling her a fun bedtime story would suffice."

Zhou Fei: "…"

She sensed that she must have somehow offended Xie Yun again, because this still sounded like a jab at her.

Pleasantly surprised at how polite they were being, the songstress thought for a bit before lowering her voice: "In that case, allow me to tell you about something that has happened recently. I've heard it through the grapevine, and it may not be true, but hopefully it will bring a smile to your faces – in recent days, several major happenings are said to have occurred at the boundary between North and South, as well as the emergence of a truly remarkable figure."

Zhou Fei's interest was immediately piqued – they had travelled here from that area. She picked up her cup of wine, and settled down to savour it slowly as she listened.

"People say that this heroic figure is a woman, who lives in seclusion deep in the mountains. She has a set of extraordinary skills, and whenever she chooses to appear, she is a sight to behold."

Zhou Fei thought to herself: A heroine, with extraordinary skills, spotted around the North-South boundary…could it be Duan Jiuniang?

While the songstress' voice was soft, it drew its listeners in. She continued: "…when she first emerged, she ran straight into the seven dogs of the Big Dipper, who were sieging the Huo Clan and surrounding Huarong City. Everyone feared for their lives. But that heroine singlehandedly defeated the Big Dipper, slaughtered Phecda, and fought her bloody way out of there, sailing away without a single scratch on her. And then she travelled a thousand miles in a day to reach an inn near the Heng Mountain, where taking it upon her to right a wrong, she devised an ingenious plan to lure out that monstrous devil the Azure Dragon Lord, seizing and slaughtering him at the foot of the Mountain, to the delight of all – and do you know who she descends from?"

A mouthful of Zhou Fei's rice wine had gone down the wrong way, sending her into a violent coughing fit.

Thinking that Zhou Fei had choked because she was too engrossed in the story, the songstress smiled: "It's said that this heroine is a descendant of the great Southern Blade. After twenty years, the Snow-Breaking Sabre has re-appeared."