Chapter 30: Nothing Ever Stays The Same

The alarm bells of the 48 Zhai rang out, each sounding louder than the last. Those urgent, sonorous peals resounded clear across the sleeping highlands, echoing all the way down to the tranquil little hamlets at the foot of the mountains. Large flocks of birds screeched as they flew past, and this fortress nestled in the mountains was fully lit up in mere minutes. From a distance, it looked like a massive dragon that had been startled from its slumber.

Over at the Ink-Washing River, shadowy black-clad figures were swarming up its banks. Perched atop the soaring cliffs, the sentries there should have had a natural advantage over the intruders. While the chief sentry was perplexed that the stringed machine had stopped, he was still able to mount an orderly defence at short notice, and sent two contingents of men to alert the elders holding the fort in Li Jinrong's absence.

Just then, one of the disciples ran up to him, reporting in a loud voice: "Chief, our reinforcements have arrived. They're from Mingfeng, and must have hurried here after hearing that something was up with the stringed machine."

As he spoke, those phantom-like Mingfeng assassins had already reached the river banks.

The 48 Zhai had managed to establish a little island here isolated from the warring North and South, and everyone here had fought side by side for two whole decades. There was no need to wear armour amongst comrades, and so when the assassins arrived, not a single one of the disciples was on their guard against them….

And just like that, the solid line of defence along the Ink-Washing River crumbled.

There was bedlam in the Hall of Elders. No one could tell for sure whether this was an attack from the outside, or a mutiny from the inside! And if it really were a mutiny, who was behind it? In this dark and turbulent night, who could be trusted?

When Zhou Fei and the rest arrived at the scene, all the elders were arguing loudly amongst themselves, each one eager to prove their innocence. Everyone was on edge, and a mere sideward glance could make others think that one was suspecting them of treachery. And the worst thing was, while the elders here would normally be able to maintain a tenuous peace by keeping each other in check, now that crisis was upon them, no one was willing to defer to anyone else.

The impregnable 48 Zhai was like a rock that had started to splinter from the inside – the harder it had been, the more brittle it now was, and the deeper the cracks.

Zhou Fei took a deep breath. Holding the Mountain of Lost Springs by its scabbard, she thrust its hilt through the latch on the door of the Hall of Elders. The damp, rotting wood gave way instantly, and the doors swung open. Zhou Fei rested her sabre against the doorway and folded her arms across her chest, her stony gaze sweeping across the hall, which was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. She simply stood there, neither entering nor speaking, although the latter was not by choice – Zhou Fei had always been a little bit of a recluse, who didn't bother paying much attention to anything else besides martial arts, and so she really couldn't remember who all of them were at present, or how to address them.

Thankfully, she had that great gossip Li Yan with her, whose greatest delight was knowing everyone's business.

As Zhou Fei and the stunned elders stared at each other in silence, Li Yan quickly whispered in her ear: "The one on the left, who was standing on the table swearing at the rest, is Uncle Zhang – I'm pretty sure you know who that is, so I won't elaborate further."

The person she was referring to was the leader of the Qianzhong Sect, Zhang Bolin. As the Qianzhong Sect's martial arts were a tad unruly, it had earned itself the moniker of 'Wild Dog' Sect, and Zhang Bolin had accordingly been dubbed 'Mad Dog Zhang'. Mad Dog Zhang was a renowned firecracker of the 48 Zhai, who opened his mouth to curse and swear, and only shut it when he was beating others up – but because girls were a rarity to the Wild Dog Sect, which was made up solely of uncouth ruffians owing to its rough-and-tumble techniques, Zhang Bolin tended to treat Zhou Fei and Li Yan with a very uncharacteristic affability.

"The one sitting in the centre, with a forbidding expression on his face, is the leader of the Chiyan[1] Sect, Zhao Qiusheng. Oh, that man is a nasty old-fashioned prick alright. Once, when he heard you talk back to Aunt, he said that if you were his daughter, he would throw you out of the house and flog you to death just to wring that horrible insolence right out of you."

This wasn't the time to air such grievances!

Zhou Fei rolled her eyes at Li Yan discreetly, signalling to the girl to keep her comments brief, and that there was no need to be so dedicated in her snitching.

Li Yan continued: "The one on the extreme right is from the 'Feng Lei Qiang'[2] sect, Lin Hao…I guess he can be considered our shixiong since we're pretty much from the same generation. You're probably not familiar with him. Not too long ago, Mistress Li put him in charge of the 48 Zhai's overall defences, and he's the first person from our generation to be made an elder."

Lin Hao was twenty-seven years of age, and certainly no child. But in the eyes of the other two grey-haired elders, this young man was practically a green boy. It was just his luck that it was the Ink-Washing River that had been breached. As the elder in charge of overall defences, his head would be first on the chopping block. Lin Hao had been undergoing a fierce interrogation by Zhang Bolin on one side and Zhao Qiusheng on the other. A mixture of annoyance and agitation hung over his furrowed brows.

Zhou Fei felt like she could hear her heart thumping madly in her chest. At first, the sound of it seemed deafening, but as she continued to stand at the door, her gaze slowly surveying the elders in the hall, she suddenly recalled what Li Jinrong had told her –

"The great mountains that we see, were once the dust around us; and who you are now, is what we were in the past."

She repeated those words in her head three times over, and as she did so, her racing heart began to calm down miraculously. The cold sweat on her palms dissipated, her feverish thoughts started to cool, and slowly, the panicked fog in her brain began to fade, leaving behind a sharp sense of clarity. She lowered her gaze slightly, grabbed the Mountain of Lost Springs, and set foot into the Hall of Elders. Bowing respectfully to the three men standing before her with their mouths hanging open, she said: "Shibo Zhang, Shishu Zhao, Shixiong Lin.[3]"

"Zhou Fei?" Zhao Qiusheng's brow would furrow whenever he saw her, and today was no exception. Looking behind her at Ma Jili and the rest, he immediately dismissed the two young girls as impudent troublemakers, and addressed Ma Jili instead: "Brother Ma, what's happening here? Weren't you supposed to bring Li Yan to Jinling? How is it that you haven't sent her away, but brought back another one instead? And some strangers as well?"

Ma Jili was about to speak, but stopped when he saw Xie Yun discreetly signal to him to remain silent – if at the outset, Ma Jili started to speak on behalf of Zhou Fei, these elders' impression of her as a meek little follower, or worse, a meddlesome burden, would be impossible to shake.

Ma Jili hesitated, and swallowed nervously.

But Zhou Fei simply walked further into the hall, with that stony expression still on her face, and said: "There's a good reason for all of this. It's quite a long story. Shishu Zhao, Mingfeng has mutinied, and our outermost guard posts have all met with misfortune. The Ink-Washing River has been plunged into chaos. Do you really want me to explain to you right now why Li Yan isn't in Jinling?"

While her words could be construed as rude, the tone with which she said them was too even, almost too clinical, with not a single trace of a young upstart's defiance, that Zhao Qiusheng was taken aback: "…no, wait, what did you just say? Even the outermost guard posts have…how do you know that Mingfeng is behind this?"

If that were true, wouldn't that mean the 48 Zhai was now completely vulnerable?

Zhou Fei looked up at him, and very deliberately gripped the hilt of the Mountain of Lost Springs.

Everyone now looked towards her hand. There was a thick callous on the inside of her pale thumb, and the tip of that finger was stained with freshly-dried blood.

Zhou Fei cocked her head to the side expressionlessly: "Because I managed to get at them before they could get to us. I saw it with my own eyes, and killed them with my own hands – Shixiong Lin, shouldn't you be putting together a reinforcement of sentries right now, and sending them to the Ink-Washing River? The stringed machine has very likely been turned off, so it wouldn't take too long for the enemy to scale the banks of the River, would it?"

To Zhao Qiusheng, Zhou Fei seemed like a little kid trying on her mother's clothes for fun, clomping around imperiously in shoes that were too big for her and playing house. Finding this to be completely absurd, he started to put her in her place: "Now look here, little girl…"

But Lin Hao, who had been stewing in silence all this while, strode briskly out of the hall, and gave a sharp whistle. Several sentries on patrol hurried into the courtyard in a matter of seconds, their arrival interrupting the words of reproach that were on the tip of Zhao Qiusheng's tongue. The fact that Lin Hao had been appointed to his current position meant that he was quite a capable fellow. He certainly didn't need others telling him what he should do – as long as these condescending old fogeys here let him do his job, instead of banging on the table and demanding an explanation from him.

While Lin Hao didn't intend to take direction from Zhou Fei, her arrival had allowed him to extricate himself from this interrogation by the other elders, finally giving him the opportunity to do his job. Regardless of the veracity of her words, Zhou Fei had at least specified who the mutinous forces were, which helped to shift the blame off him somewhat. Ignoring the glares of Zhao Qiusheng and Zhang Bolin, Lin Hao issued three commands in quick succession, assembling a contingent of men to be sent to the Ink-Washing River. Only after he'd done so did he turn to Zhou Fei and say: "Whether this is enough to foil the intruders will depend on how skilled our enemies are."

Zhou Fei deliberately drew the Mountain of Lost Springs from its scabbard just a little, and then swiftly sheathed it with a clang. She said emphatically: "If they manage to break in, then we'll just have to kill them here."

This was the first thing that Xie Yun had taught her on the way here – as the elders in the 48 Zhai had all watched her grow up, putting on an air of mystery in front of them would not convince them to listen to her. Doing so would only cause them to view her as unreliable and untrustworthy. Instead, she should take a straightforward approach. She should speak as little as possible, ask as few questions as possible, and refrain from explaining herself as far as possible, and when she spoke, she should speak with forceful self-assurance: "You will only have a shot at convincing others when you yourself have an unwavering belief in what you are saying."

Zhou Fei glanced discreetly over at Xie Yun, meeting his eyes, and he gave a slight nod – "After you've made your point at the beginning, don't be domineering. You have to know when to push, and when to yield. You're their junior, after all, and are here to solve a problem, not to make a scene."

Zhou Fei stroked her thumb against the hilt of her sabre, as her expression softened, and she bowed towards them, saying meekly: "Please forgive me for my impudence just now. I think I was feeling a little shaken from being ambushed just when I reached home."

Zhang Bolin opened his mouth as if to say something, arching his brows. But then he snapped his mouth shut again, waving his hand dismissively.

Zhou Fei looked over at Zhao Qiusheng, her back still bent in deference.

Her hair was a little mussed, and the wisp of hair at her left temple had clearly been severed by a sharp weapon. The position of this cut had been extremely dangerous. If it were any higher, her face would have been slashed, and any lower, her throat would have been sliced open. It looked as if she had suffered a head-on attack when caught off-guard. Zhao Qiusheng had always found Zhou Fei to be a most disagreeable little girl, always greeting him simply with an aloof 'Shishu', with nary a smile or the customary polite enquiries about his health. But now that she was treating him with such respect, even in her current sorry state, he suddenly thought to himself – this girl seemed to have matured a little.

So with a snort, he said: "It's no big deal."

And then, disregarding Lin Hao's commands, Zhao Qiusheng said with the imperious air of a Master of the 48 Zhai: "Come, onwards to the Ink-Washing River! I'd like to see what cursed devils that bunch of traitors have conspired with!"

Lin Hao couldn't very well take issue with his senior's behaviour. But seeing the overbearing Zhao Qiusheng issuing commands that he wasn't authorised to give, Zhang Bolin huffed loudly.

Zhou Fei didn't respond to Zhao Qiusheng's call to arms, nor did she rush to follow him, instead looking at Zhang Bolin with questioning eyes.

This was the third thing that Xie Yun had told her to do – when you reach the Hall of Elders, if everyone there is dutifully performing their respective roles, and are united as one, then there's no need for you to say anything. If the elders all share the same views, even your mother would have to think twice before disagreeing with them outright. But since your mother put a council of elders in charge, instead of designating one single person, it must mean that the elders are usually at odds with each other. When you push open the doors of the Hall, it would be best for you if they are all arguing with each other till they are red in the face, because only then will there be an opportunity for you to speak. How you maintain a balance amongst the elders is crucial.

Zhang Bolin felt a little better when he met Zhou Fei's deferential gaze. Glaring at Zhao Qiusheng's back, he thought to himself: You might think you're so great, but everyone else knows who's the real head honcho here.

So with a little bit of glee, Mad Dog Zhang nodded at Zhou Fei, and dispensed his own opinion: "Let's head to the Ink-Washing River."

Now that the elders had reached a consensus for the moment at least, Lin Hao heaved a little sigh of relief. The 48 Zhai's reserve sentries swiftly assumed their positions, and disciples from the various sects started moving towards the Ink-Washing River – long, snaking lines of people bearing torches in the dark night.

Zhou Fei's gaze swept over these disciples, and realised that the barest of distinctions seemed to have emerged between the various sects, which usual intermingled freely. They had in fact organised themselves according to their respective sects. It was as if a placid lake had suddenly branched off into numerous little tributaries, which were growing more and more defined.

She couldn't help but notice this, and her gaze darkened a little.

Xie Yun, who had been walking by her side in silence all this while, suddenly grabbed her hand. His hand was ice-cold, causing Zhou Fei to give a little start.

Xie Yun continued looking forward, as if he wasn't paying her any attention at all, although his fingers gently yet firmly pressed her hand down on the hilt of the Mountain of Lost Springs.

This was far from over – Zhou Fei understood what he meant. This wasn't over yet.

She would have to use the Snow-Breaking Sabre to tell them everything else that she had to say.

As they neared the River, they heard the clashes of steel against steel break out all around them. The contingent of reinforcements at the very front had started fighting with the intruders. Zhou Fei's heart sank as she saw those familiar black-clad figures in the distance – it was the Big Dipper.

With a loud roar, Zhang Bolin snatched a spear from the hands of a young disciple standing beside him, and ran forward to lead the charge.

The skills of this leader of the Qianzhong Sect were more than solid, of course, and hadn't grown rusty with age. When Zhang Bolin charged into the fray, it looked like a steel pellet had cannonballed into a still lake – he instantly took down a large swathe of black-clad men with a 'splash'. He rammed his spear heavily into the ground, causing a web of cracks to appear across the two-inch thick stone path, as if it were a brittle cracker.

Even his own men were stunned by this old man's stone-splintering blow. Li Yan quickly backed up a step, saying: "My goodness…"

When no one echoed her sentiments, she turned around to look at Zhou Fei. Her cousin was looking over the melee, staring fixedly at a figure in the distance.

That person was standing too far away for them to discern his age. Only his profile was visible. He appeared to be a tall and slender man, wearing a cape on his shoulders that was adorned at the collar with a ring of preposterously elegant fox fur, even though winter was still months away. He held a paper fan in his hand, and a stylish sword hung at his waist. At a glance, he looked like a frivolous nobleman of Xie Yun's ilk, and entirely unremarkable – except for the fact that he was standing on a single tree branch.

This was no sturdy tree trunk, but the most slender, most brittle branch on that tree, that was probably only strong enough to bear the weight of several ants. Even bees would be wary of lingering on it for too long. This slender tree branch wavered in the breeze, its leaves rustling, as if it would fall to the ground at any moment. Yet this grandly dressed man was standing quite securely on this insubstantial little branch. From a distance, he looked like he was floating in midair. And the very next instant, he seemed to have sensed Zhou Fei's gaze on him. His feet suddenly started to move.

Stepping lightly across the branches of the trees, that man had neared the mass of 48 Zhai disciples in the blink of an eye. As if he were showing off, his feet didn't even seem to touch the branches that he passed over, which remained utterly still. It was impossible to tell where his feet had landed!

He had moved at a dizzying speed, his billowing cape howling in the wind, bearing intimidatingly down on them in a way that compelled one to retreat. Except for senior pugilists like Zhao Qiusheng, everyone else couldn't help but take a few steps back, even Lin Hao.

Zhou Fei was the only young one who didn't move. Her face was completely calm, making her stand out amongst this bunch of young disciples, and prompting Lin Hao to take a second look at her.

But this time, Zhou Fei wasn't putting on a show of bravado. It was just that this man's qinggong was exceptional, too exceptional – that he reminded her of Xie Yun. And once she linked anyone to Xie Yun, it was impossible to muster even the slightest bit of reverence for the person, even if the Emperor of Heaven himself was standing before her. Not only was she completely unfazed, she was calm enough to start trying to figure out who exactly this man might be.

Of the seven Stars of the Big Dipper, Alioth had died a few years back, and she'd already seen Dubhe, Phecda, and Mizar…so was this person Merak, Alkaid, or Megrez?

Xie Yun, who had remained silent all this while, finally spoke: "'A Gentle Breeze This Way Blows' – that is probably Gu Tianxuan."

"Merak." Zhou Fei could see the man clearly now. Gu Tianxuan took the appearance of a gentlemanly scholar. While he was well past his youth, he was still charmingly handsome. The finest of lines crinkled at the corners of his almond-shaped eyes, as if they contained hints of an enigmatic smile.

Zhou Fei furrowed her brow: "I don't have a good feeling about this. From what I've seen so far, the Big Dipper never fight alone. He can't be the only one here."

Even someone as pompous as Zhao Qiusheng was compelled to turn and glare at Zhou Fei when she said this, demanding: "How do you know that?"

Zhou Fei's lips swiftly curved upwards, into a dry and rueful smile: "I'll be frank with you, Uncle Zhao, this trip from home has been quite an informative one. I'm able to recognise about half of the Big Dipper now."

Zhao Qiusheng looked at her in surprise. He knew that Zhou Fei didn't speak often, but whatever she did say was extremely trustworthy, and she wouldn't make things up. For the first time, he began to wonder what exactly she'd been through outside. Before he could ponder this further, Lin Hao asked: "Then in your opinion, Shimei Zhou, what is happening here?"

Most of the time, Zhou Fei was only in charge of brandishing her sabre. Rarely ever was she responsible for giving her opinions. She subconsciously glanced at Xie Yun.

Xie Yun had already let go of her hand, and was standing more than two steps away from her. The look in his eyes was calm and gentle, containing a gleam of brilliant starlight, yet he gave no sign at all that he intended to speak on her behalf.

"This isn't…"

It was Zhou Fei's first instinct to feel a little sheepish, and she very nearly said 'This isn't necessarily right, and it's only my personal opinion'. But just as those words teetered on the tip of her tongue, she suddenly remembered the first thing that Xie Yun had taught her, and clamped her mouth shut, swallowing the rest of that sentence.

She paused to think for a moment before saying: "This isn't so simple – look over there, there aren't as many of the Big Dipper's men here as I'd expected. Moreover, Mingfeng is but a single branch of the 48 Zhai. Even if it was colluding with an external enemy, why would they be so confident of victory?"

Zhou Fei used the time taken for her to say this to straighten out her thoughts. Quickly recalling her past encounters with the Big Dipper – how Tong Kaiyang had led his men to cut off Mu Xiaoqiao's escape in the valley while Shen Tianshu was also battling him, and how Chou Tianji had gone off to kidnap the Young Master Zhu while Shen Tianshu was dealing with Duan Jiuniang outside Huarong City – the more she spoke the more confident she felt about her conclusions, until she wasn't faking that self-assurance in her voice anymore. She continued: "Gu Tianxuan travelled thousands of miles to the 48 Zhai, picking a time when Mistress Li is not here, leaving the 48 Zhai leader-less just when there's a mutiny from within, and throwing everyone into a panic. This is a golden opportunity – if I were him, I certainly wouldn't bring such a small contingent of men with me to fight a battle that I wasn't sure of winning. I would deliberately create a huge commotion at the Ink-Washing River, drawing all of the 48 Zhai's best pugilists here, and then…"

Zhou Fei's eyes met Lin Hao's, as she crushed her hand into a fist – the reinforcements that had just been sent to the other guard posts elsewhere in the 48 Zhai were probably panicking right now. If they were attacked at this moment, this would definitely cause further panic, leaving them with less than half of their usual morale – which meant that the defences of the 48 Zhai were currently at their weakest!

Lin Hao was astute enough to understand everything that she was implying, and immediately broke out in cold sweat. In his great haste, he could only spare the time to give Zhou Fei a nod, before selecting several fleet-footed disciples and leaving with them first.

Lin Hao had been appointed an elder at a young age for good reason. He instructed his men to leave their lanterns hanging on the surrounding trees, leaving just a few of them here holding torches, while the rest of them sneaked away with him, withdrawing from the Ink-Washing River with incredible stealth.

Due to the 48 Zhai's abundant foliage, the only way one could estimate how many men they had from a distance was by the number of lamps and torches they had. With Lin Hao withdrawing his men but not their torches, their enemies would be unaware of their retreat for the moment. Even Zhou Fei couldn't tell exactly how many men he had taken with him.

And in any case, the scene before her now demanded her undivided attention – Gu Tianxuan closed his fan with a crisp snap, his gaze sweeping across the disciples assembled here from the various sects of the 48 Zhai. Bowing respectfully, he smiled and said: "Apologies for coming uninvited in the middle of the night. I hope my hosts will forgive me."

While Zhao Qiusheng and Zhang Bolin were often at odds with each other, when faced with a common enemy, they were now incredibly in sync.

Zhao Qiusheng took a small step forward, shielding his juniors behind him, while exchanging a glance with Zhang Bolin. The two of them each moved several steps forward, closing in on both sides of Gu Tianxuan.

Zhao Qiusheng sneered: "Why are you here when you know that you're not welcome? Are you hoping to send your ashes back home as a souvenir of the 48 Zhai?"

Gu Tianxuan simply smiled faintly at Zhao Qiusheng. He turned behind him, and gestured politely to the person standing there to come forth. Everyone followed his gaze, as Kou Dan slowly stepped forward.

"Kou – Dan!" Zhao Qiusheng gritted out from behind clenched teeth. He didn't need to ask about what had happened to Elder Yu, as it was now crystal clear. "You traitorous, ancestor-murdering bitch – "

Kou Dan tucked a lock of her lush hair behind her ears, the bright red of her nails gleaming with a mysterious lustre under the light of the flickering torches. Before the livid gazes of everyone from the 48 Zhai, she said with a faint smile: "Oh, I haven't betrayed or murdered my ancestors by any means. Allow me to enlighten you, ladies and gentlemen – in the past, if a new leader of Mingfeng Tower wished to assume the position, he would first have to kill his predecessor to establish his supremacy. This has allowed generation after generation of the Mingfeng Tower to be replenished with new blood, and to continue flourishing through the ages. But my shifu died of old age, so when compared to my predecessors, I am really quite a failure."

Zhang Bolin said: "The 48 Zhai took you in and sheltered you! When have we ever mistreated the two generations of Mingfeng that has lived here?"

"The 48 Zhai takes in and shelters the upright descendants of noble families and orthodox sects, like all of you – but Mingfeng Tower?" Kou Dan covered her mouth with her hand, and tittered: "Mingfeng Tower is but a bunch of unfeeling, disloyal, wicked assassins who would do anything for money. Do you think Li Zheng took us in out of the goodness of his heart? My dear Sect Leader Zhang, I wouldn't have expected someone of your age to be this naïve – think hard, when the Southern Blade absorbed Mingfeng Tower into the 48 Zhai all those years ago, why did he persist in doing so even though there was widespread objection?"

Zhang Bolin was struck speechless by Kou Dan's barrage of questions for a moment, before he swiftly recovered, letting out a stream of invective at her – the former Master Li had single-handedly established the 48 Zhai, and after two decades of reverent embellishment of his memory, he was almost a legend in the minds of the older generation of the 48 Zhai. How could they tolerate someone implying that he had any ulterior motives?

Kou Dan looked at him with pity, and her perpetually enigmatic smile appeared on her face again, full of secrets. She said: "As a token of its sincerity, Mingfeng gave the stringed machine to the 48 Zhai. As this is of vital importance, the disciples involved in its construction have never left the 48 Zhai all these years, forever trapped by the banks of the Ink-Washing River, like disciples who have yet to complete their apprenticeships – you say that you have never mistreated us…Sect Leader Zhang, why don't you ask Mistress Li if she has truly treated us all the same?"

While Kou Dan was speaking, Zhou Fei had been trying to connect the dots with Yin Pei's story about the disciple of the Mingfeng Tower and Hua Zhenglong. When Kou Dan paused here, she asked: "Sect Leader Kou, is the way you feel related in any way to the Divine Lotus Palms, Hua Zhenglong?"

Kou Dan looked taken aback, her attention turning to the girl standing behind Zhao Qiusheng.

Kou Dan said: "And this young maiden is…"

Zhou Fei took a step forward, introducing herself: "Zhou Fei."

"Ah, so you are Fei." Kou Dan looked her over appraisingly, then said with a touch of warmth: "I didn't recognise you. The last time I saw you, you were barely up to my waist – you've learnt quite a lot in just one trip outside, haven't you."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhou Fei spotted a disciple run over and whisper something into the ear of Zhao Qiusheng, who nodded in response. It seemed like Lin Hao was all ready now.

Feeling a little more at ease, she said to Kou Dan: "I have seen senior Hua in person. If you wish to know his whereabouts, I can tell you a thing or two."

A venomous smile crept across Kou Dan's face: "I do not wish to know…oh, little Fei, who taught you to speak like this? Such emotionally manipulative tactics are really so shoddy. Did you think that the name 'Hua Zhenglong' would immediately cause me to flip, that I would press you for his location?"

Zhou Fei hadn't expected to sway the leader of Mingfeng Tower with a few words, although she had hoped to at least destabilise Kou Dan a little. Unfortunately, not everyone on this earth was like Duan Jiuniang, still hung up on a single name even after decades had passed.

"Oh, Fei," said Kou Dan with an almost heartfelt sigh. "When you get to my age, you'll realise that only young maidens like you still hold things like love and romance in high regard. In my young and reckless days, I did indeed think of leaving Mingfeng Tower for the sake of a man, and leading a different kind of life. That man was quite a good man – but good men can be found everywhere, don't you think?"

As she said this, she winked seductively at Gu Tianxuan, who simply smiled.

"For Mingfeng assassins to survive in a martial arts world full of highly-skilled pugilists, we have had to undergo hardships since young that would be inconceivable to you. All those years ago, my shifu exhorted me to be an all-powerful devil, capable of striking fear into the hearts of men. Did you think that I trained for years simply to find a good man, and to be a good woman?" Kou Dan's face grew solemn, and she thrust her chin in the air as her steely gaze swept across her erstwhile comrades: "This was how that old man chastised me then, and he was right. I took all of it to heart, or else I wouldn't be the head of Mingfeng Tower today – and coming back to the point, ladies and gentlemen, do you think that this devil that I am, who went through so much to claw her way up to where she is today, has done all this just to squat in a little valley, watching over a river beast?"

To protect the stringed machine, the previous leader of Mingfeng Tower had gone to great lengths to seize and bring back the little devil that he'd raised, a misguided devil who had attempted in vain to lead a normal life. And after grooming her carefully, he had finally succeeded in moulding her into a true Mingfeng assassin.

Unfortunately, he had been a little too successful.

"Enough with this nonsense," said Kou Dan with a wave of her hand. "From this moment on, Mingfeng is divorcing itself from the 48 Zhai. Li Jinrong has fraternised with rebels, scorning the imperial court, and it is truly outrageous that she would dare to take in the family of a traitorous general. Lord Gu is under imperial orders today to root out this nest of bandits, which is entirely within his authority. Mingfeng Tower will not stand in his way. But there's just one thing that I would like from Mistress Li, which I'm afraid she won't hand over so easily – so I'll have to take a few hostages with me. Fei, you came back at the right time."

Zhang Bolin spat out: "You arrogant bitch!"

As he said this, he thrust his spear straight at Kou Dan, who giggled lightly as she dodged it. At a wave of Gu Tianxuan's hand, the black-clad men surrounded them immediately. Gu Tianxuan simultaneously smacked his paper fan down on Zhang Bolin's spear, pushing it aside with ease.

Zhang Bolin felt his wrist throb from that blow. Taken aback, he warily turned to face 'Merak'.

"Qianzhong," sighed Gu Tianxuan as he shook his head. Rolling up his sleeves elegantly, he said: "I shall get a little taste of your skills, then."

Before he finished his sentence, he had already glided forward, phantom-like. Gu Tianxuan's qinggong was named 'A Gentle Breeze This Way Blows', and was so extraordinary that his skills were even on par with Shen Tianshu's. Zhang Bolin roared as he stepped forward, but after exchanging a few blows, he was already on the back foot.

Zhao Qiusheng's brow was growing increasingly furrowed, and he glanced at Li Yan and company in his peripheral vision – Lin Hao had left, and while Ma Jili was still here, he and his men might be no match for Kou Dan. He hesitated for a moment, considering the best course of action, as he thought to himself furiously: Why the hell did these burdensome fools come with us?

Just then, he heard Zhou Fei say: "Sect Leader Kou, did you say that I've returned at just the right time? Let me show you just how perfect my timing is."

Then Zhou Fei took a step forward, and this was no ordinary step – Zhao Qiusheng was too slow, and failed to pull her back!

Zhao Qiusheng felt all his hair stand on end. Although he had always found Zhou Fei to be a most unpleasant and ungovernable little girl, who was desperately in need of a firmer hand, he would never allow any harm to befall her on his watch. How would he answer to Li Jinrong? Cursing these rash young folks under his breath, he couldn't be bothered about how that old fellow Zhang Bolin was faring for now. He immediately made to dash forward, to get to Kou Dan before Zhou Fei did.

But both Zhou Fei and Kou Dan moved much faster than he could have imagined.

Kou Dan had not expected that this little girl would actually dare to challenge her. Arching an elegant brow, her appraising gaze on Zhou Fei seemed a tad surprised, although she did not show the girl any mercy at all.

Kou Dan glided backwards several metres, as effortlessly as a slender willow branch drifting in the wind, while flinging something at Zhou Fei with a flick of her long fingernails. This was Kou Dan's signature weapon – 'Purple Rain'. These were tiny needles, finer than even a strand of hair, and almost completely indiscernible to the naked eye. They were nearly impossible to guard against, and could kill a person without making a single sound. Elder Yu had died from these innocuous-looking little needles.

Zhao Qiusheng couldn't see this shower of Purple Rain, but he had clearly seen Kou Dan fling something at Zhou Fei. Before he could shout 'Be careful!', the still-sheathed sabre in Zhou Fei's hand had curved through the air in an elegant arc. Seven or eight incredibly fine needles clattered to the ground.

Zhao Qiusheng skidded to a halt in utter shock. He stared at Zhou Fei's back, thinking to himself: when did this girl's skills get so good?

"Zhou Fei," Kou Dan repeated her name, with a heavy emphasis on each syllable, as if this was the first time she was really looking at her. The leader of Mingfeng Tower withdrew her hands into her wide sleeves, saying lowly: "I actually haven't witnessed the power of the Snow-Breaking Sabre before."

Zhou Fei unsheathed the Mountain of Lost Springs without a word – she knew for sure that she was not as skilled as Kou Dan, so the only thing she could rely on to best her was her familiarity with the techniques of this Mingfeng sect leader, of whom she had only the vaguest recollection.

The stringed machine had been the blood, sweat and tears of the disciples of the Mingfeng Sect, and that river beast had also been something of a shifu to Zhou Fei. She had immersed herself in the dark waters of the Ink-Washing River for three whole years. Even if her eyes and ears were covered, she would be able to dodge most of those fine needles with the reflexes honed by countless encounters with the stringed machine.

The 'Mountain of Lost Springs' had been forged in the likeness of Li Zheng's sabre, and was a little too long for Zhou Fei. The heavier the blade, the lighter the person seemed, and the juxtaposition between the two made them appear strangely incongruous. When Zhou Fei had encountered two of the Stars of the Big Dipper, she had been backed by the incomparable Duan Jiuniang; when facing off with Zheng Luosheng, Ji Yunchen had only needed her to stall the Azure Dragon Lord for a little while; and when she'd duelled with Yang Jin, she had had three sleepless nights because she knew that the only way out of this predicament was to meet his challenge head-on – and even if she lost, she could simply accept the outcome, knowing that she had at least done the honourable thing.

But now, standing before this renowned assassin, Zhou Fei knew that there was nothing but the 48 Zhai behind her, hanging by a thread. There was no Duan Jiuniang, nor would a miracle arrive if she stalled for time, and if she made even the slightest mistake, she would probably die right here.

Kou Dan wasn't the most formidable opponent that she'd encountered thus far, but she was the first opponent whom she had to grit her teeth and meet head-on, even though she was fully aware of the large disparity between their abilities, and even though she had absolutely no back-up nor escape route.

"When you speak, you must be extremely perceptive, closely watching the expressions and reactions of everyone around you." This was the very last thing that Xie Yun had told her. "But once you have to draw your sabre, you must shut your mouth, close your eyes, and channel your very soul itself into the blade. Do not think about anything else, not even about winning or losing."

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Fei collected the thoughts in her head that were threatening to wander off in a thousand different directions, and suppressed all of them. She twisted her blade and thrust it at Kou Dan.

The assassins of Mingfeng Tower had no regard for polite courtesies like the old giving way to the young. Sensing the change in Zhou Fei's demeanour, Kou Dan instantly began to view her as a formidable foe. Fishing a short hook out from her long sleeves, which was curved like a scorpion's tail, she sprang forward without any warning. Kou Dan's ensemble was neat and close-fitting, except for her very long and very wide sleeves, which billowed out on both sides of her like the two wings of a butterfly. A chilling fragrance wafted out from her long sleeves, and the very next instant, a shower of Purple Rain had rained down on Zhou Fei.

Kou Dan had unleashed a light autumn rain amidst these still-green trees – the kind of insistent shower that fell lightly but steadily, soaking one's clothes – those little needles had fallen so densely that Zhou Fei seemed to be shrouded in a white fog. Being pricked by those Mingfeng needles alone wasn't deadly, but the poison on those needles was.

Just then, Zhou Fei started to move.

When faced with this shower of Purple Rain, she chose 'Wind' without hesitation, intending to counter the needles' swift descent with speed.

The Withered-Glory chi ebbed and flowed with the movements of her blade, which twisted and turned through the shower of needles. Held aloft by the countervailing internal strength of the duelling women, those fine needles adhered themselves to both sides of the long sabre, making the dark blade look almost gleamingly festive.

In that moment, Zhou Fei felt like she was back in the Ink-Washing River.

The stringed machine whirred and whined in her ears, tirelessly sending string after deadly string at her. She felt as if Elder Yu had just forced her into another one of his 'Closed-Eyed Mantra's, and now that she was in a state of complete focus, her mind had been freed of all distractions.

Each and every angle at which her blade had collided with those metal strings, or these steel needles now, was precisely imprinted in her heart. It didn't matter anymore whether she was battling Kou Dan or the stringed machine, as something was on the verge of bursting forth from deep within her – just then, the Mountain of Lost Springs collided with the short hook in Kou Dan's hand with a clang. Zhou Fei's wrist quivered violently, and the fine needles that had stuck to her blade fell to the ground with a resounding clatter.

Kou Dan narrowed her eyes. Her hook was jammed precisely onto Zhou Fei's sabre. With a low growl, she channelled her internal strength through the hook and onto the blade, immobilising the long sabre.

At the same time, Kou Dan suddenly opened her mouth, and through a blowgun that had the diameter of a finger, blew a small dart straight at Zhou Fei's face.

The two of them were now only a sabre's length apart from each other. If Zhou Fei had been someone like Li Jinrong or Zhao Qiusheng, she could have easily delivered a palm strike at Kou Dan just then, and snatched her weapon back. But Kou Dan was nearly a whole generation above Zhou Fei. Even though Mingfeng assassins specialised mainly in sly tricks and curious weapons, and their formal techniques and internal strength were not as developed, Kou Dan was still the leader of a sect, and her internal strength was not something that Zhou Fei could contend with on her own.

Zhou Fei seemed to have only two options: be nailed right in the head by that little dart, or be forced to let go of her weapon.

And even Li Yan knew what would happen to Zhou Fei if she abandoned her sabre before this mistress of Purple Rain.

Li Yan was so terrified that she didn't know who to call out to for help. The names of the seniors around her all surged to the tip of her tongue in an instant, leaving her tongue-tied. Her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she was too petrified to even let out a startled cry.

Xie Yun had already drawn his hand up his sleeve.

But just then, Zhou Fei pressed down hard on the hilt of her sabre, before abruptly letting go of it.

The Mountain of Lost Springs had bent slightly under the opposing forces of Kou Dan and Zhou Fei. Now that Zhou Fei suddenly let go, the blade sprang back up, quivering violently. Some of the fine needles on it that hadn't yet fallen to the ground were sent flying all over, forcing Kou Dan to fling her long sleeves out in front of her to protect herself.

Taking advantage of this, Zhou Fei ducked to the side, the little dart just barely missing her. Then she reached out and grabbed the still-quivering hilt of her sabre, and fiercely thrust it forward. The Mountain of Lost Springs scraped along Kou Dan's hook, and with the hook still jammed on its body, the tip of the blade swung lightly round in that small space between Kou Dan's outstretched arm and her chest, executing yet another 'Inconstant Wind'. Restricted by that hook, her movements were extremely subtle, yet incredibly precise – like a pervasive breeze!

The sharp tip of her sabre had slashed Kou Dan's long sleeve. Kou Dan felt as if this blade in her embrace was a sinuous, poisonous snake, impossible to seize or release.

In her frustration, she channelled internal strength into her palms, desperately pushing down on Zhou Fei's blade.

But Zhou Fei's sabre merely sank downwards in the same direction as Kou Dan's palms, causing the head assassin to lean forward a little, losing her balance. Kou Dan took a tiny, almost imperceptible step back to regain it. Her hand that was holding the hook shook slightly, and she thought to herself, 'Drats!'. Just as she'd feared, Zhou Fei swiftly seized this moment of weakness. She immediately thrust her long sabre towards Kou Dan's feet, brushing it over the woman's shoes.

Three yellow flowers were embroidered on the top of each of Kou Dan's shoes. With that slash of her blade, Zhou Fei had connected the three flowers along one line, a precise rip that passed right through the centre of those flowers!

As the menacing blade brushed over her shoes, Kou Dan quickly adjusted her posture, taking half a step back, and kicked her foot out towards Zhou Fei. A small dagger sprang out from the pointed tip of her shoe, straight at Zhou Fei's waist. With a twist of her wrist, Zhou Fei leapt into the air, her hands still on the Mountain of Lost Springs, and rotated her body together with her blade in midair – this was 'Wind' again.

As Kou Dan had shifted her attention to her feet, the grip of her hook had slackened slightly, giving Zhou Fei the opportunity to extricate her long sabre from its clutches. She landed back on the ground, her blade free once more. Then she kept going, leaping fluidly up into the air again, spinning slightly to the side, and cleaving her sabre imposingly down on Kou Dan from above – as if a tiny tornado had expanded into an axe capable of splitting open the galaxy in an instant.

She had moved so fast that no one could tell exactly what she'd done!

Kou Dan had already been forced to take three successive steps back, in a desperate attempt to avoid that massive blow. Shaken by the fierce wind of Zhou Fei's blade, the hair atop her head came loose from its updo, cascading across her back and shoulders.

Zhao Qiusheng's heart had been in his throat as he saw Zhou Fei unleash that dizzying blow. He let out a genuine and deeply felt 'Bravo'.

And only now, did all that hesitation and anxiety which Zhou Fei had suppressed truly vanish into thin air. Her sabre was finally the sole occupant of her thoughts.

Over the past few months, while Zhou Fei had worked diligently at it, and had gleaned new revelations about it every day, there had always been a persistent, hazy veil of something standing between her and the Snow-Breaking Sabre. She'd managed to pierce through this a couple of times, but never completely rip it away.

And now, with her back up against the wall, and no escape in sight, this hazy veil finally split open.

"Techniques are dead, it is people who are alive…

…since you aren't senior Li, nor are you Mistress Li, which move will your blade choose?"

The three final moves of the Snow-Breaking Sabre were 'Unrivalled', 'Inconstant', and 'Bladeless'. Li Zheng was a grandmaster who possessed great profundity of skill and internal strength, almost to the point where he didn't need to use actual weapons, his Snow-Breaking Sabre was therefore 'Bladeless'.

Li Jinrong had been a martial arts prodigy, reckless and headstrong in her youth. After tragedy struck overnight, numerous difficulties and challenges had weighed down heavily on her, like 48 towering mountains that could not be cast away. No matter how afraid she was, or how much she wished to give up, she had to grit her teeth and keep going forward. Over time, she had honed herself to the point of invincibility, where nothing could break her, and therefore her Snow-Breaking Sabre was 'Unrivalled'.

But as for Zhou Fei, she had learnt the Snow-Breaking Sabre in haste. Li Jinrong had imparted it to her with an attitude of 'This is just for you to try your hand at it, and if you really can't pick it up then forget about it'. Not long after that, numerous highly-skilled pugilists had tut-tutted at her mediocre skills, and time and time again, she had been forced to be inventive with it to get out of sticky situations. She had thus come to treat the Snow-Breaking Sabre as a flower that could be grafted onto almost anything – Withered-Glory chi, the principles of the stringed machine, Slicing Water Tangling Silk…she'd even used the technique to bluff her way through fights, tweaking and adapting it to her needs. Through this process, she had gradually started to develop her very own style.

It was 'Inconstant'.

Her cold steel blade seemed to take on a life of its own, amidst a most treacherous shower of 'Purple Rain'. She felt like a child in a cloistered room who, having clambered atop a pile of countless ruined corpses and rubble, had finally managed to reach the window and catch a glimpse of the world outside, in all its vast and infinite splendour.

But even though she had just scaled numerous insurmountable mountains in her mind, this went unnoticed to everyone around her. In their eyes, Zhou Fei had merely unleashed a dizzying series of moves, emerging unscathed from that shower of Purple Rain, and had even dishevelled Kou Dan's hair without batting an eyelid!

Seeing this, Zhang Bolin, who was beset on all sides by Gu Tianxuan, managed to spare a moment in his beleaguered state to cast a gleeful glance her way, chuckling: "Ha ha ha! Serves you right!"

But his joy was swiftly followed by sorrow, as Gu Tianxuan's sword pierced his left arm.

Zhao Qiusheng had cycled through a whole range of emotions, from extreme worry, to complete astonishment, to utter shock, and now, the slightest tinge of resentment even crept into him, as he thought bitterly to himself: I suppose everyone from the Li Clan has been blessed with a natural talent for the sabre, hmph!

Amidst this mixture of emotions, Zhao Qiusheng finally remembered the poor neglected 'Mad Dog Zhang', and brandished his sword: "Hey, that Zhang fellow over there, I can't believe you're still laughing! What's to fear about this Big Dipper dog? I'm coming to help you!"

The balance was suddenly tipped in their favour. Zhou Fei was able to handle Kou Dan on her own, and with Zhao Qiusheng entering the fray, the two highly-skilled elders closed in on Gu Tianxuan together. As they exchanged blows back and forth, beads of sweat started to appear on Gu Tianxuan's forehead.

The disciples of the 48 Zhai charged forward, preventing the black-clad intruders and those mutinous Mingfeng assassins from going any further.

But just then, a signal flare shot up from somewhere in the east, illuminating the dark night sky with a blinding flash.

Gu Tianxuan abruptly backed away from the fray with a low chuckle.