Chapter 39: A Gathering Of Storm Clouds

Having been perfected over numerous kidnappings, that drug from the Wayfarers' Union truly lived up to its reputation. While Xie Yun was finally awake, his eyelids were still so heavy he felt as if they had been glued shut. In his woozy state, he couldn't figure out where he was. All he heard was a soft rustling sound. He thought to himself: Are those rats?

After some time, he managed to muster enough strength to force his eyes open. Looking around him, he saw that the sun had already started to set a while ago, the slanting rays of the setting sun filtering into this room. A slender figure was seated by the window. It was using a disproportionately long sabre to whittle persistently away at something.

Wait a minute…

Xie Yun immediately came to his senses. He sprang up off the bed, but something tugged him back down, causing him to nearly fall off the bed in his light-headed state. He looked down to behold Zhou Fei's handiwork, unsure if he should laugh or cry – she'd chained his right hand to his left foot.

Hearing this commotion, Zhou Fei looked up expressionlessly. Then she lowered her head again to blow the wood shavings off her hand, and continued with what she'd been doing.

Focusing his eyes on the thing in her hand, Xie Yun saw that she was holding a little stick which had been so defaced by her it was impossible to discern what it had once been. A familiar-looking green tassel hung off one end of it. Xie Yun lifted his cuffed left foot off the bed and rested it on the bedpost, so that he could reach towards his waist – sure enough, his flute was gone.

Xie Yun gave a dry cough, and said a little breathlessly: "What are you doing?"

Zhou Fei didn't reply, instead opening her palm to show him her 'masterpiece'. That flute was very well-decorated now – it was completely covered with carvings of tiny little tortoises,[1] rendered extremely crudely with the sharp blade of the Mountain of Lost Springs. Each of these tortoises was of a different shape and size, making the surface of the flute bumpy and uneven. It probably wouldn't be able to play anything resembling music ever again.

Xie Yun: "…"

Zhou Fei said flatly: "I'll get you a new one."

One of Xie Yun's greatest strengths was reading people's faces, so he quickly replied: "No no no, it's no matter at all. Great heroine, I'm already infinitely grateful that you haven't bestowed those majestic creatures on my face."

Zhou Fei shook the remaining shavings off her blade and sheathed it. Xie Yun had heard this sound hundreds if not thousands of times before, yet this time he couldn't help but shiver at that familiar ring of metal sliding against metal. After quaking in his cuffs for a good long while, too afraid to say anything, he finally waved his right hand at her tentatively and said: "Excuse me, may I ask how you came up with this novel pose? I am after all still a man of dignity, now reduced to inelegant contortions if I were to venture outside, don't you think this…"

He'd intended to say "this pose would require me to stand on one leg even while peeing", but he swallowed those words just as they reached his lips. Scrunching up his face as he tried to think of a reference that would be more appropriate for a girl, he eventually said: "…this pose makes me look like I'm in a perpetual state of kicking a shuttlecock[2]?"

"You can thank my cousin for that," said Zhou Fei without any hesitation whatsoever. "He cuffed your leg to your hand when I wasn't looking."

Xie Yun didn't have a good feeling about what she was going to say next.

Sure enough, Zhou Fei continued with: "If you prefer, I can always cuff it round your neck. This way you won't have to kick a shuttlecock anymore – you can chew on your own foot instead."

Xie Yun looked down at this device that had him in its clutches. One glance at it was all it took for him to conclude that this was no ordinary contraption, and was not something that could be pried open with a regular metal rod. So promptly resigning himself to this predicament, he crossed one leg over his knee and flopped back down onto the bed, without another word to Zhou Fei – he went over in his head everything that he could possibly say to her, but decided that it was all either too trivial, or would earn him a beating.

Zhou Fei waited and waited for him to interrogate her, but when that Young Master Xie finally opened his mouth again, it was to say unabashedly: "You've come quite a long way, my young disciple. I'm so proud of you I think I might shed a tear – by the way, is there anything at all to eat? I haven't had a single bite the entire day, and I've been running around for most of it, thanks to you."

Zhou Fei gave a small 'Oh', then turned and left without asking him what he wanted to have.

The second she shut the door, Xie Yun sprang up from the bed and hopped over to the window, holding up his cuffed leg. Picking up his vandalized flute, he proceeded to count all the little tortoises on it – there was a grand total of twenty-eight. The tortoises on one end of it were etched deep into the wood, looking especially hideous, and were clearly the first few attempts. The artist's savage intent was frighteningly apparent, as if she wished it were flesh she was carving instead of wood.

Xie Yun felt a chill run down his spine as he examined the flute. He'd really rather not know what Zhou Fei was using this poor flute as a substitute for.

But the later carvings were much shallower, and the shells of those tortoises started to look more round than jagged. Their faces and heads were more distinct, and she'd even remembered to add tails to some of them. She'd clearly calmed down for some reason. Xie Yun stroked a thoughtful finger across those engravings.

Not too long after, Zhou Fei returned bearing a box of food.

Xie Yun hopped over: "Fortunately, I know how to use chopsticks with my left hand…eh?"

When he lifted the cover of that box, he discovered that all the food inside – even the soup, for heaven's sake – was cold.

Zhou Fei said nonchalantly: "I've asked around, and it appears that people in your particular condition should eat cold food, lest any unnecessary heat stimulates the poison and quickens its spread."

Looking down at the limp vegetables in the box, Xie Yun felt like a lump of lead had suddenly formed in his stomach. He had lost his appetite entirely. Sighing, he said: "Which know-it-all told you that?"

Zhou Fei replied: "Doctor Poison, Ying Hecong."

Xie Yun: "…"

Amongst the venom experts in this world, Alioth of the Big Dipper would probably rank first, while this so-called 'Doctor Poison' Ying Hecong would come in second. However, as Ying Hecong didn't frequently roam the martial arts world of the central plains, many knew of his great expertise but very few could tell you exactly what he was so good at, which made him even more mysterious and revered.

If Ying Hecong could infer that a person was poisoned with 'Bone-Deep Frost' just from examining a single straw hat, then any pointers from him could certainly be trusted. Zhou Fei purposely added: "You wouldn't doubt his advice, would you?"

Xie Yun couldn't dismiss this expert opinion.

But sharp as he was, he understood why Zhou Fei had deliberately mentioned Ying Hecong – if Ying Hecong was as great as others made him out to be, he'd definitely be able to figure out what Xie Yun was afflicted with. So Xie Yun was quite certain that Zhou Fei now knew precisely how his poison had been suppressed, and why it was acting up again. He looked up sharply at Zhou Fei, and knew from one glance at her face that he'd inferred correctly. That lump of lead in his stomach now became a cold, hard block of ice, which made him feel even worse. He took a full few minutes to find his voice again, before asking: "What else did he say?"

Zhou Fei paused before replying: "He also said that for you, the 'Sun-Returning Pill' from the Great Medicine Valley is of…"

"Not much use," finished Xie Yun matter-of-factly.

Zhou Fei looked back at him in surprise.

"Ah, did you think that I was pursuing Sea Blends Into Sky all this while just so that I could get my hands on one of those?" After that brief moment of disorientation, Xie Yun had very quickly regained his usual state of composure.

To put himself in a more comfortable position, he'd casually crossed his cuffed left ankle over his right knee, and propped his right foot up onto a little stool beside him. While only uncouth louts tended to sit like this, instead of coming off as crude this position just made him seem carefree and a tiny bit debauched. Before Zhou Fei could ask him any questions, he expertly picked up the pair of chopsticks before him with his left hand and said: "I'm only after Sea Blends Into Sky because firstly, it was someone's dying wish; and secondly, I've got a number of questions about it that I want answered. These are the only reasons why I decided to investigate those hoary rumours – just think about it, how many years has it been since the Great Medicine Valley was destroyed? Elder Yu and his senior probably took the last few pills that managed to survive, and you weren't even a whisper of an idea in your parents' heads when they did so. It's been so many years since – what kind of pill could last that long without rotting away? It isn't a magic pill, after all."

Zhou Fei: "…"

He actually did make sense.

Xie Yun used his left hand to pick up some of that cold food with practiced ease. He wasn't too fussy about his food, and would eat whatever he was given. After a few mouthfuls, he put down his chopsticks again and said to Zhou Fei: "Just give me hot food in future, please – this stuff is as bad as those wretched grain pancakes we had on our way from Huarong City."

Zhou Fei asked him: "Do you really want to hasten your death?"

"Nope." Since Zhou Fei knew everything now, Xie Yun saw no point in trying to hide the truth from her anymore. He said candidly: "But I'm afraid that if I had to eat this every single day, I'd probably wish for death. Fei, if a person had to increase his pain and suffering for the sake of living a little longer, then those days that he adds to his life are just more pain and suffering. What's the point?"

Then without waiting for Zhou Fei to respond, he raised a hand to silence her: "I'm perfectly happy and willing to end up like this, and my condition doesn't have much to do with you anyway – but aren't you curious as to why I have such tremendous internal strength?"

Of course she was. Xie Yun was after all shockingly young to possess such internal strength, the likes of which she'd never before witnessed. The last person who'd so awed her with the extent of their internal strength was the unparalleled Withered-Glory Hands, Duan Jiuniang.

"It's because none of this was cultivated by me," said Xie Yun. "My shifu used his chi to force open all the meridians in my body, channelling to me every single bit of the power that he'd cultivated over his entire life."

Zhou Fei was astonished.

As a descendant of a martial arts clan, she certainly knew what would happen when a expert pugilist exhausted all his power – he would be incapacitated, no longer able to practice martial arts; while he might still be able to hang on to his life by a thread, if he'd used an extremely damaging technique to transfer his chi then the only possible outcome was that he would be drained of all vitality. It was as good as exchanging one life for another.

Xie Yun continued: "This life I have is an ill-gotten one. And every single day that I remain alive, my uncle's claim to his kingdom is less than legitimate. If he wants to effect major reforms, or to invade the North, those whose interests are affected by these moves are bound to use me to constrain him. I'm just a chess piece in their internal politicking – haven't you seen the desolation of Hengyang City? The plight of those people expelled from their homes in the Shu Mountains? Or the disfigured songstress in that roadside inn? The longer that the Southern Dynasty continues fighting amongst themselves, the longer it will take for them to wage a decisive war that reunifies North and South. And until there is peace again, the poor and displaced will continue to suffer, so my existence just unjustly prolongs their misery. Since my presence on this earth is both ill-gotten and unjust, extending it is wholly unnecessary, isn't it?"

Zhou Fei simply snorted at his long spiel: "Bullshit."

Ignoring her rude remark, Xie Yun shook his head and smiled: "And in any case, that night in Mu Xiaoqiao's valley, if you hadn't happened to show up and let all of us out, I'd already intended to break the seal on my martial arts to get everyone out of there. But because of you, by some cosmic stroke of fate I've been able to live for one more year. What happened at the 48 Zhai was just me returning the favour – you don't have to feel so cut up about it."

Zhou Fei finally understood why Xie Yun had said all that nonsense – he didn't want her to feel bad. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She just felt like dunking Xie Yun's head into that bold of cold soup, to rinse all those dumb considerations out of him.

She said coldly: "Even if your poison hadn't acted up because of me, did you think I'd be able to leave you in this state?"

Xie Yun gawked at her. This had clearly never occurred to him.

The longer he stared, the more Zhou Fei felt like her face was starting to go up in flames. Annoyed at herself for blurting that out unthinkingly, she growled: "What are you looking at! Any more nonsense from you and your food will start to rot – and then you can go hungry for all I care!"

She sprang up and turned to leave, as if she couldn't stand to look at this sickly fellow any longer. Xie Yun's eyes remained fixed on her. When her back was turned to him, the smallest hint of yearning crept into his gaze.

Zhou Fei abruptly turned to face him when she reached the doorway, causing Xie Yun to jump in fright. He hastily withdrew his gaze, busying himself with the chopsticks before him.

"I believe that there is always a way," said Zhou Fei emphatically. "While there may not be a 'Sun-Returning Pill' anymore, there could very well be a 'Moon-Returning Pill', or a 'Star-Returning Pill' instead. If I were you, I would chase down every single lead I have, on the Great Medicine Valley, or on Sea Blends Into Sky, until the day I drop dead. Even if it all amounts to nothing in the end, at least I'd be able to shut my eyes and go down to the grave in peace."

Xie Yun gave a violent start.

Pointing the Mountain of Lost Springs at him, Zhou Fei said: "If you say things like that again, I'll beat the crap out of you."

Xie Yun was actually quite well-behaved over the next few days – probably because he knew that he couldn't run. As Zhou Fei couldn't be bothered to talk to him, out of boredom he'd approached Li Sheng to borrow a few novels, intending to use them to lull himself to sleep. But when he flipped them open, he discovered that these books were quite extraordinary, and in a completely different class of their own – they were sordid contemporary versions of the ancient Classic of Mountains and Seas.[3] They recorded all kinds of legendary romantic and sexual exploits that the writer had engaged in with numerous demonesses, ghosts and sprites while roaming the land, and were quite sensational indeed.

As delighted as if he'd just stumbled upon a priceless treasure, Xie Yun had shut himself in to do some serious reading like a good schoolboy.

But Zhou Fei wasn't used to him being so well-behaved. She kept feeling like he'd be up to some mischief sooner or later, that he had some trick up his sleeve. When Xie Yun found out about this, he decided that he shouldn't let her down, and carved a little wooden model of a hand in a sleeve for her the very next day, even cheekily engraving the word 'trick' on the inside of the sleeve.

And then hugging his cuffed leg to his chest, he clambered up the roof of his room and hid there for an entire day, not daring to come down.

Three days later, the time had come for Huo Liantao's 'Conference of Heroes to Attack the North'.

With all the rumblings that had been going on in this city for some time, if Huo Liantao was still clueless about what that water ripple meant then that thing atop his shoulders was probably a block of wood. But it was too late now to do anything about this belated realisation, as his invitations had already been sent out far and wide. He couldn't very well ask everyone to just unsee it. Huo Liantao was well and truly in over his head.

When this leader of the Huo Clan had fled to Yueyang City, he had abandoned all the old, weak, and slow servants that were in his service, and taken with him only the most capable ones. With their help, he had managed to procure a manor just outside the city that was large enough to accommodate more than ten thousand people. The servants here bustled about efficiently, such that despite the tremendous number of guests here both invited and uninvited, everything was still running like clockwork. There was a wide pathway leading to the entrance of the manor, which was lined on both sides by a bunch of strapping young lads led by several white-haired men, all armed to the teeth and with fierce looks on their faces.

A team of maidens was stationed at the entrance, every single one of them ruddy-cheeked and dressed in the same pastel pink dresses cinched tightly round their slender waists. No matter who arrived – be it an old lecher twirling his moustache, or a rude and uncouth lout – these maidens would greet them all with the same ready smile and pleasant voice, in an almost robotic uniformity.

The first thing these maidens would ask was: "Excuse me, would you happen to have an invitation?"

And then regardless of the response, they would reply "this way, please", before a maiden came forward to usher them in. It was as if those were the only two sentences they were capable of uttering.

Li Yan had been looking forward to seeing some excitement here, courtesy of any uninvited guests that were turned away at the door, but was sorely let down by how civil everything was. As they followed their winsome usher in, she couldn't help but mutter into Zhou Fei's ear: "Aren't they just letting everyone in, with or without an invitation? What's the point of asking then?"

Zhou Fei shushed her cousin while cautiously surveying their surroundings.

It turned out that after entering the main doors of this manor, they had to first pass through a large rock garden. The taller rock formations in this garden were all more than three metres high, and could crush a crowd to death if they toppled over, while the shortest ones barely went up to a person's knees. These rocks were arranged in a jumble of varying heights and sizes, and positioned at a certain distance from each other. If one stared at them for too long, one would first be assailed by a strangely cold and uncomfortable feeling, and then start to get a throbbing headache. Guests were therefore compelled to fix their gaze solely on the narrow path ahead of them that wound through this bizarre rock garden.

This path wasn't straight at all, but twisted and turned and branched off into many different directions. One could easily get lost here, and a regular person would probably be completely stumped after a few steps. They had to rely entirely on their usher to lead them in.

Xie Yun smiled as he said: "Oh, but there is a point. The placement of these rocks is quite exquisite indeed. Once a person enters, he is forced to take the path that his usher leads him on. Why don't you ask that lady in front if there is any difference for those with and without invitations – I'm guessing that they aren't all seated together?"

The maiden in front looked behind her and shot him a small smile, covering her mouth coquettishly. Finding him quite handsome, her gaze lingered on Xie Yun a little longer than was necessary, but she still refrained from saying anything – other than those two sentences which they greeted guests with at the entrance, these maidens didn't say a single word more, as if they had suddenly gone mute. They simply smiled back at their guests with beams that looked as if they had been painted onto their faces, such that the longer she stared at the maiden's smile, the more Zhou Fei felt like the girl seemed more puppet than human. It was quite creepy.

Having failed to extract any information from her, Xie Yun whispered into Zhou Fei's ear behind his paper fan: "Oh well, I guess good looks and charm don't help much here."

Zhou Fei had never thought much of those debonair characters in novels who would always refer to their good looks and charm while shamelessly seducing the simpering damsel. Every one of us had two eyes, one nose and one pair of lips – how good-looking could one possibly be? Now that Xie Yun had indirectly praised himself for his 'good looks', she couldn't help but be floored once again by his utter lack of modesty that bordered on delusion.

As he'd been granted the rare opportunity to venture outside, Xie Yun was spared from hugging a leg to his chest for once. The other end of the Lock of Heaven's Gate had been temporarily cuffed to Zhou Fei's left wrist, and Xie Yun had procured a loose robe to wear which had broad, nearly floor-length sleeves that completely obscured the lock. If one didn't flip up his sleeve and examine his hand closely, nothing unusual could be detected.

However, this did make Young Master Xie's get-up appear quite out of place. While others participating in this conference of martial arts pugilists were mostly attired in close-fitting garb that facilitated close combat, he was the only one dressed like he was here to compose poetry instead – an ode to this convention, perhaps.

Ignoring Xie Yun's nonsense as usual, Zhou Fei continued looking ahead of her, until they had almost reached the exit of this garden. With a furrowed brow, she glanced behind her at the path they had just taken and said: "Have all the guests just obediently followed these maidens in?"

At the sight of the two of them leaning close together and whispering in each other's ears, Zhu Chen's face visibly tensed a little, before he quickly averted his gaze from the pair. While he was in this state of distraction, a scarlet figure suddenly darted past his feet, causing him to jump with fright and cry out in shock. With quick reflexes, Zhou Fei scooped that thing up with her foot and sent it flying with a firm kick. That thing coiled itself into a tight little ball upon hitting the ground. Evidently terrified, it reared its tiny triangular head and bared its poisonous fangs at her in an attempt to look intimidating.

Zhu Chen stumbled a half-step backwards, almost losing his footing. Realising that this was merely a little wisp of a snake that had the girth of a thumb, he went bright red with embarrassment, nearly hanging his head in shame.

Thankfully, he wasn't the most cowardly one here – the second Yang Jin laid eyes on that snake, he went white as a sheet and backed away, brandishing the Lone Goose Sabre as if he were facing a formidable foe. Zhou Fei didn't recall him looking this intimidated even when he'd challenged her.

Li Yan exclaimed: "Ah! I've never seen a snake this shade of red before!"

She took a curious step forward, bending down to pick up a stray twig from the ground. Only now could Wu Chuchu tell that Li Yan was indeed related to Zhou Fei, as such massive guts really seemed to run in the family. She said with concern: "Be careful, this snake is poisonous…"

But Li Yan had already slashed that twig at it. The tough little creature feistily lunged at the twig with its fangs bared. And the second it did so, Li Yan grabbed it by the tail and lifted all seven inches of it up in the air with a triumphant chuckle. She said gleefully: "I've got it!"

The Xing Nan escorts simultaneously backed away from Li Yan, distancing themselves from this weirdo.

The vein at Li Sheng's temple bulged.

Just then, they heard someone say from somewhere behind them: "Release that snake, it's mine."

Li Yan looked back in surprise to see that it was that 'Doctor Poison', Ying Hecong.

Ying Hecong was here unaccompanied. He was strolling all alone amidst this odd arrangement of rocks, a basket of snakes on his back.

This finally elicited a reaction from that maiden in front, who hadn't even batted an eyelid when Li Yan picked up the snake. She approached him and asked: "Who are you? How did you get in?"

Ying Hecong said matter-of-factly: "With the powder that I scattered on your clothes, my snake will be able to track you down within a three-mile radius."

The hand hanging by the woman's side spasmed involuntarily. She looked as if she wished she could peel all the skin off her body and give it a good shaking out.

Ying Hecong continued: "If Master Huo really allowed anyone who came to enter, why would you ask whether we had an invitation? You are seating the troublemakers together so that you can easily seize them all at once, right?"

As he said this, the tall grass in the garden around them started rustling. While this was merely the sound of wind moving through it, the sudden appearance of Doctor Poison made everyone suspect that this was the hissing of a hundred snakes. A layer of goosebumps visibly emerged on their usher's elegant neck at the sound, and she forced out a strained smile: "That's quite a funny thought you have there, sir."

A wooden smile appeared on Ying Hecong's wan face, as he said: "Don't mind me then."

The expression on the woman's face subtly shifted. She narrowed her almond-shaped eyes at Ying Hecong, as a green flash of something glinted from within her long pink sleeve. Just then, Xie Yun suddenly stepped in front of Ying Hecong. Extending his fan towards her in a 'after you' gesture, he said politely: "Miss, I'm sure that there must be plenty of guests coming in after us. Shall we not dawdle here any longer?"

The woman felt a gentle but ice-cold current of chi come surging at her through the air, squarely knocking into the joints of her fingers. Her hand trembled upon impact, and the object in her palm nearly slipped out of her grasp. She instantly paled, her eyes widening at Xie Yun.

Xie Yun beamed at her as he withdrew his hand and fanned himself lightly: "I'm not one to fall for good looks and charm, either."

Sensing the gaping disparity between the two of them, their usher didn't try to put up a fight. She proceeded to lead them to their seats instead, marching forward silently like a life-sized marionette.

It was clear that Huo Liantao was extraordinarily wealthy. There was a massive lake in this manor, which might have come with the property or could very well have been dug at his instruction. A large and elegant pavilion stood on a little island in the centre of the lake,[4] with the Huo Clan's flag planted incongruously on the ground beside it. This body of water divided the crowd of guests into two. With Zhou Fei's keen eyesight, she could see from this great distance that there was a gigantic coffin on the opposing bank of the lake – it appeared that all the uninvited guests had been seated there.

As Ying Hecong had barged in on his own, nobody led him to a seat, nor did he try to find a seat for himself. He simply stood there with the basket of snakes on his back, pestering Li Yan to return his snake. While this fellow had a fearsome reputation, he wasn't actually so frightening in person. He was in fact unexpectedly mild, and didn't really display any kind of aggressive behaviour apart from that tense exchange with their usher at the very beginning. Li Yan had been a little nervous about what he might do to her at first, but soon discovered that this Doctor Poison only seemed capable of saying the same sentence over and over again: "Give my snake back to me."

Those words were starting to grate on Li Sheng's nerves. He turned woefully to Xie Yun and said: "Young Master Xie, why did you help him just now?"

Xie Yun was surreptitiously surveying their surroundings. His eyes rested for a brief moment on the lofty tower that was just behind the pavilion at the lake's centre. There were curtains obscuring its windows. This tower was heavily guarded, and surrounded at its base by many guards – it seemed to house someone important.

"When on foreign territory," muttered Xie Yun, "Having someone like that with you is always useful…it'll be such a shame if we were to be poisoned to death without us even knowing."

Li Sheng nearly gasped: "Is this a gathering of heroes or a homicidal banquet?"

Xie Yun's lips curved upwards, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which were as cold as ice.

Just then, the urgent beating of a drum started to sound from within the pavilion. The person banging on the drum was evidently a skilled pugilist, as each drumbeat resounded across the entire manor. Shortly after, several people dressed in the Huo Clan's garb rushed out of the pavilion to stand on both sides of the large flag that was undulating magnificently in the wind. They let out a tremendous shout.

That earth-shaking roar made all the guests start to quieten down. Then shortly after, out strode a middle-aged gentleman.

"Huo Liantao," whispered Xie Yun.

Zhou Fei had been hearing about the great 'Huo Liantao' for a full year or more already, yet this was the very first time she was actually seeing him in person. The man was well over six feet tall, broad of shoulder and solid of chest, and extremely impressive in appearance. Although he was a little advanced in years, he looked like he was in the prime of health. He was square-jawed with chiselled features, and a dignified sprinkling of white at his temples. He exuded an aura of unshakeable confidence, looking exactly how one might expect a hero to look. Anyone who laid eyes on him would probably find it impossible to believe that this man had done anything as despicable as abandoning the old and weak to flee in haste, or committing fratricide to seize power.

Huo Liantao took a step forward. He stretched both hands out before him and lowered them, signalling that he had something to say. Only after the chatter had died down did he give a dignified bow to all the guests present, and say in a booming voice: "I am deeply honoured, and grateful, that all of you were willing to come here today."

Lightly elbowing Zhou Fei in the ribs, Xie Yun whispered: "You should be taking notes – this is exactly the kind of confidence and poise that can command legions. Learn just the slightest little bit of it, and you'd be able to fool others in future."

Feeling like her prisoner was being far too chatty, Zhou Fei planted her foot down hard on Xie Yun's.

Huo Liantao proceeded to launch into a long spiel of an introduction, starting from how his own brother had been killed by the 'villainous Big Dipper', before moving on to increasingly far-reaching grievances – he lamented how half the kingdom had been lost to the North, and then the hardships and suffering of the common people because of it. He was so full of seemingly genuine grief and indignation that even Zhou Fei and company couldn't help but be a little moved by his words.

"…many people now say that the martial arts community of the central plains has declined, that we are weak and leaderless, shrouded in gloom, and that not a single hero can be found in the entire land." The power of Huo Liantao's internal strength made each and every one of his words ring out resoundingly, rippling the surrounding lake and causing the eardrums of the weaker pugilists here to ache. His voice suddenly going up several decibels, he roared: "That is complete nonsense!"

"I possess no talent or virtue, and neither brains nor brawn. All I have is a small family business that my ancestors have passed down to me. And now that the enemy is bearing down upon us, dare I not give all that I have to recover our great kingdom? I have gathered all of you here today to encourage you good folk to set aside your differences and divisions, and unite under a common cause. If a true hero emerges to lead the martial arts community of today, the Huo Clan pledges to follow him to the ends of the earth, and present our family heirloom to him as a token of our allegiance!"

As he said this, one of his men unfurled another large flag on the roof of the pavilion. The flag fluttered in the breeze, the massive ripple of water on it gazing imperiously down at everyone gathered here.

Nobody had expected him to so blatantly put that ripple of water on display like this, and publicly declare that this was a family heirloom of the Huo Clan. This lack of secrecy was a vastly different approach from that of all the other people who knew a thing or two about it.

Wu Chuchu couldn't help but whisper: "What exactly is he trying to do?"

Zhou Fei shook her head slowly, a little bit of anticipation rising within her – because up until now, other than what Kou Dan had briefly mentioned when she'd attacked the 48 Zhai, nobody had really told her outright what 'Sea Blends Into Sky' was. And she didn't quite trust what Kou Dan said about it, because that scoundrel Cao Ning had all kinds of Machiavellian manoeuvres up his sleeve, such that one could never be sure if he was telling the truth, and if he was capable of fooling the two Lords of the Big Dipper, who were in turn capable of fooling Kou Dan, whatever Kou Dan said was probably miles away from the truth.

That flag embroidered with a water ripple was fluttering madly in the breeze, the ripple on it seeming to shift as it undulated, as if it were real water. Pointing up at it, Huo Liantao continued: "This is carved on my clan's 'Seal of Propriety', which belongs to the leader of the clan. A few years ago, my brother was suddenly afflicted with a stroke. As he never recovered after that, he entrusted the entire Huo Clan and this seal to me with no explanations given. I'm ashamed to say that I've been completely in the dark about it for many years, and only very recently did I learn how extraordinary this 'ripple of water' was."

Apart from the exact circumstances that had led to Old Master Huo's derangement, which were still in doubt, the rest of what Huo Liantao said seemed to Zhou Fei like it could be true. She was a little surprised, as she hadn't expected him to be so honest. Xie Yun knew at a glance what she was thinking, and smirked: "One has attained the highest level of the art of lying when one is able to seamlessly mix fact with fiction. For lies like yours which are entirely made-up, it's obvious that there isn't a grain of truth in them. Those are only good for fooling true dunces."

Zhou Fei couldn't help but glance sideways at Yang Jin, the biggest dunce of all, who looked blankly back at her.

Xie Yun was busily cracking open the peanuts on the stone table before them. Placing one in front of Zhou Fei, he said: "Looks like you've still got a lot to learn."

Zhou Fei couldn't be bothered to bicker with him right now, so she simply rattled the chain linking them together. Xie Yun instantly and wisely shut up.

Just then, someone in the crowd who couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer asked: "Master Huo, what is that token?"

Huo Liantao replied: "This water ripple is called 'Sea Blends Into Sky'. And all those moves that the Big Dipper has been making in recent months – Dubhe besieging the Huo manor, and shortly after Merak and Alkaid instigating the false Emperor's son to besiege the 48 Zhai – are at their root closely connected to this."

Someone else asked: "Master Huo, what is so special about this, that those Northern dogs are after it?"

Huo Liantao answered accordingly: "From the looks of you, my brother, you're probably too young to know this. Allow me to explain – when that Cao fellow usurped the throne, he ruthlessly persecuted the brave and true pugilists of the martial arts community. Every single one of the righteous warriors and heroes of that time, all those who had a little bit of fire in them at least, bitterly denounced that Cao fellow for his perverse wickedness. Cao Zhongkun had planted his agents in many established sects very early on, ordered his men to sow discord amongst them, and sent those seven savage dogs of his all over the land to kill and destroy. In just one year, a total of sixty-three sects both large and small fell apart completely, never to rise again."

Prior to this, those from the younger generation here had probably only heard stories of these tragedies. The fact that Huo Liantao actually managed to provide a specific figure for the number of sects that had fallen made his words sound all the more believable.

'Officials and scholars rebel with the pen, while martial artists defy the imperial court with force.'[5] Rulers from every single generation of every single dynasty in the land were all keenly aware of the threat that the martial arts community could pose to the imperial court – even the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty would agree with that. But because Cao Zhongkun had seized the throne by force, claiming power through illegitimate means, he was especially afraid of being assassinated, and more wary than most emperors of the martial arts community. He had therefore taken his ruthless campaign against them to a whole other level. Zhou Fei saw that many of the older folks here looked quite moved by Huo Liantao's words, as they evidently bore deep grudges against the false emperor.

"Sixty-three sects both large and small," said Huo Liantao slowly and emphatically. "Generations upon generations of cultivation and painstaking accumulation, ranging from sects that have lasted decades, to those which have prevailed for more than a thousand years; the blood, sweat and tears of numerous heroes, and countless grandmasters – everything seemed about to perish in this great calamity. To prevent this, the Sword of Mountains and Rivers Yin Wenlan, the Southern Blade Li Zheng, the leader of the Qimen Sect Chong Yunzi, as well as my own brother, came together to form an alliance – which they named 'Sea Blends Into Sky'. At the very beginning, this alliance pledged to take in any survivors from the various sects that had been destroyed, and to safekeep their treasures…"

Just then, there was a stir of motion on the opposing bank of the lake. Like a ghost emerging from its grave, Ding Kui climbed out of his massive coffin and sat down on the edge of it. In a voice dripping with sarcasm, he drawled: "My, my, what a noble initiative – but why hasn't anyone ever mentioned it before? If we'd known, we'd certainly have pitched in to help, wouldn't we?"

Xie Yun gave a nearly inaudible sigh: "This Black Turtle Lord truly just does as he pleases – a veritable fool indeed."

To stick it to Huo Liantao, Ding Kui had ordered his lackeys to harass numerous minor sects and clans which had previously pledged allegiance to the Huo Clan. While Ding Kui could have gone ignored if he'd just kept quiet, now that he'd drawn attention to himself, someone from the other side of the lake immediately sprang to his feet and hollered: "Master Huo, this is supposed to be a 'Conference of Heroes to Attack the North' – what are such wicked fiends doing here! Aren't you going to do something about this?"

The man who'd said this, and the hundreds more like him who were here today, were the offspring of perhaps once-great ancestors – although successive generations had each been weaker than the last. Having fallen into decline, they were reduced to relying on the kindness of others to get by, and if they were bullied, would have no choice but to suck it up and suffer in silence. However, finding strength in numbers, they finally had the courage to stand up to the Mountain of the Living Dead for once.

Once one person had spoken out, all those whose kith and kin had been slaughtered by the Mountain of the Living Dead started to get worked up as well. If one thought about it, the martial arts community of the central plains actually shared certain similarities with the kingdom that had been split into North and South: they both lacked a single unifying force, and in the absence of it, those hungry for power were constantly sowing discord and strife to advance their own ambitions. In such circumstances, the law of the jungle reigned, making it inevitable that the weak would be trampled underfoot. These ordinary folk were like lone drops of water, easily swept away by the rain or drying up in the sun. But if all these drops of water were to converge, they had the potential to form a surging current of terrible power. Regardless of how he'd managed to do so, Huo Liantao still deserved some credit for assembling such vast numbers of the downtrodden here today, emboldening them to stand up to Ding Kui at last.

That wizened goblin continued to sneer condescendingly at them from his perch on the edge of the coffin. If Huo Liantao hadn't separated the two groups like this, one of the invited guests would probably have lunged at Ding Kui by now.

Huo Liantao didn't immediately call for order. He let the crowd vent their anger for a while, before finally silencing them with a wave of his hand. Then he said in a thunderous voice: "We have uninvited guests in our midst today, who have come here from afar. The Huo Clan has no fear about letting them in! If we dare not even open our doors to them, how can we still speak of standing up to anyone else? Rest assured, my good folk: since I have dared to allow them entry, I most certainly dare to execute justice on them!"

While Huo Liantao's silence since fleeing Yueyang had made many of those who'd pledged allegiance to the Huo Clan quite disgruntled, hearing such an impassioned speech from him in such a public setting made them feel a lot better – including the Zhu siblings, who were looking much more reassured. In the span of two sentences, Huo Liantao had gone from zero to hero again. Zhou Fei couldn't help but admire him a little – winning hearts and minds seemed as easy to him as buying a sack of rice.

Huo Liantao seized this turning of the tide to add: "And as for the question posed by Mr Ding here, about why an initiative as noble as Sea Blends Into Sky was kept secret, let me explain again – even for sects that had fallen into decline, as long as they had a few remaining survivors, their most closely-guarded treasures were sure to have remained intact. These ranged from mighty weapons, to long-lost medicinal formulas, to secret martial arts manuals passed down through the generations. Just imagine – all of the most cherished treasures from a whopping sixty-three sects, nearly half of the martial arts community of the central plains. Any one of these would have made men go mad with envy! Those were turbulent, war-ravaged times, so in order to avoid further bloodshed courtesy of those such as Mr Ding, the parties to this alliance were forced to conceal the truth about Sea Blends Into Sky!"

Zhou Fei had just swallowed a mouthful of water to wash down the peanuts that she'd been merrily snacking on. But when she heard Huo Liantao say this, she choked on the water as it went down, sending her into a fit of coughs. 'Great minds' truly thought alike – while this fervent speech by Master Huo sounded much loftier than that story she'd made up for Yang Jin, the substance of it was more or less the same!

Stretching his free left hand across his chest, Xie Yun turned towards her and patted her back in this awkward position, saying: "Tsk tsk, I can't believe a full-grown girl could still choke this much on a single sip of water."

Zhou Fei didn't bother retorting, as she had more important preoccupations at the moment – right, she thought to herself, by the time Huo Liantao found out about the true significance of that water ripple, it was too late to retract the invitations. While he still harboured ambitions of power and prestige, he didn't want to make a splash by putting a target right smack on his own back. So when this whole affair blew up to massive proportions, he had no choice but to very loudly and publicly divulge what 'Sea Blends Into Sky' was.

Now that Huo Liantao had so clearly revealed what it was, 'Sea Blends Into Sky' had become inextricably linked to today's 'Conference of Heroes to Attack the North'. And apart from immoral monsters like Ding Kui, the rest of them certainly weren't brazen enough to try to seize it for themselves when they knew that esteemed heroes of yore had protected it with their lives.

Moreover, Huo Liantao had also mentioned that in addition to the Huo Clan, this alliance was comprised of the Sword of Mountains and Rivers, the 48 Zhai, as well as the Qimen Sect, whose location at present was still a mystery. Since it was an alliance, this must mean that all of them only had one piece each. Unless one was able to defeat every single one of these formidable parties and seize their pieces, it might be useless to get one's hands on Huo Liantao's piece alone.

Huo Liantao had been sincere and upfront about Sea Blends Into Sky, and openly censured the Mountain of the Living Dead. Just like that, the Huo Clan's prestige, which had taken a massive hit following their frantic withdrawal from Yueyang City, was restored.

And that scoundrel Ding Kui, who had seemed to take Huo Liantao down a peg or two at first, in fact deserved all the credit for such an outcome – that gap-toothed goblin had most unexpectedly saved the Huo Clan today!

Zhou Fei glanced at the Zhu siblings, who were enthusiastically hailing Huo Liantao as a hero alongside the rest of the crowd. She mused conspiratorially to herself: Had Ding Kui gone after small fry like these two on a whim, or had he been induced to do so by someone else, to give these folks a common enemy?

As her eyes wandered over towards the two teens seated at the neighbouring table, Zhu Chen just so happened to turn in this direction, his gaze colliding with hers. His delicately-featured face instantly went bright red, like a glowing briquette of coal. Zhou Fei whispered to Xie Yun: "Why is he getting so worked up by this? Is Huo Liantao's silver tongue really that persuasive? No wonder he even managed to win over the Vermillion Bird Lord."

Xie Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Zhou Fei. Not wanting to enlighten her on this particular matter at all, he said with complete seriousness: "Indeed it is, you're absolutely right."

Zhou Fei: "…"

She was pretty sure that he was making fun of her somehow.

Li Sheng couldn't bear seeing the clueless Zhou Fei embarrass herself any further, and stiffly changed the subject: "Ding Kui doesn't seem to be worried at all by this furious crowd. Why is that?"

Huo Liantao had started to burn some incense in the pavilion as part of a complicated ancestral ritual of some sort, which was probably supposed to be a fancy prelude to the grand entrance of the 'Seal of Propriety'. Zhou Fei had no interest whatsoever in watching the old fellow put on a ridiculous show in front of this fawning crowd, and began to chat with her neighbours instead.

Zhou Fei said: "I've got the feeling that Huo Liantao didn't actually manage to find out what exactly Sea Blends Into Sky was, which is why he's made up this whole story about it."

Yang Jin said curiously: "How do you know that?"

Since she'd already achieved her objective of using Yang Jin to find Xie Yun, Zhou Fei couldn't be bothered to keep up the pretence anymore, so she said frankly: "Because that sounds a lot like what I made up."

Yang Jin: "…"

This block of coal looked vacantly back at her for a moment. Only after he'd made the long journey to Yongzhou did he realise to his chagrin that Zhou Fei had been stringing him along all this while. He was sure now that not a single person in the central plains could be trusted! Overcome with rage, he was practically looking daggers at Zhou Fei, the joints in his fingers cracking menacingly as he clenched his fists, and the veins at his temples bulging so hard Zhou Fei feared they might burst. He pointed an aggrieved finger at her and stammered: "You…you…"

Alarmed by this abrupt change in Yang Jin's demeanour, Li Yan leaned towards him and asked: "Hey, Coalface, what's up with you now?"

Yang Jin angrily whipped his head towards her – and nearly made contact with that little red snake in Li Yan's hand. All that fiery rage in him immediately froze over with fright. He promptly did a backflip off his chair to land a safe distance away from that little beast, his face a full three shades paler. Li Yan exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and glee: "My god, is a bloke from the southern frontiers actually afraid of snakes?"

Ying Hecong whispered urgently: "Don't pinch my snake so hard, handle it with care!"

Li Sheng had had enough of this bunch of halfwits. Turning his back towards them with a scowl on his face, he tried to converse with Zhou Fei instead, who seemed more like a normal human being: "If what Huo Liantao said were true, then aunt would certainly know about Sea Blends Into Sky. Grandfather wouldn't have kept it a secret from her, since he'd already entrusted to her the entirety of the 48 Zhai."

Zhou Fei said: "And then there's Wu Chuchu's father, General Wu. He wasn't from the martial arts community, and was in fact an agent of the Southern Dynasty living deep within enemy territory. Since he was already treading on thin ice, he couldn't have spared the time to get mixed up in such affairs." Glancing over at the crowd in the pavilion, which was still midway through that absurd ritual, Zhou Fei added: "This is just so strange – could it be that even now, not a single person knows what exactly Sea Blends Into Sky is?"

Li Sheng pondered this for a minute, before waving his hand dismissively: "Let's not discuss that first – I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen next."

Because of Xie Yun, Zhou Fei's thoughts had thus far been single-mindedly focused on 'Sea Blends Into Sky'. She looked up at Li Sheng in surprise.

Wu Chuchu chipped in: "This is just my two cents' worth, but if I were trying to disrupt this convention, I would sneak in as quietly as possible, before suddenly emerging from the shadows to give everyone a tremendous fright. I wouldn't barge in so ostentatiously on a massive coffin, as if I were bent on making my presence felt. Unless…"

Unless Ding Kui was secure in the knowledge that he had help waiting in the wings.

Then what – or who – was he waiting for?

The two of them fell silent at Wu Chuchu's words.

While the Mountain of the Living Dead was indeed formidable, the Huo Clan and this large group of guests weren't to be trifled with either. Ding Kui only had a few dozen of his lackeys with him here. Unless these thirty or so men had powers of flight or teleportation, it would be impossible for them to break through an angry mob of nearly ten thousand people.

Li Sheng said lowly: "We'd better watch out, I have a feeling that…"

He was interrupted by a long whistle. Immediately after, a loud bang was heard, accompanied by a shower of sand. Everyone turned towards the direction of that sound – to find that the exquisite rock garden which they'd all passed through just now had been forcibly blasted through with brute force from the outside. Large rocks were sent flying everywhere, injuring many who had failed to dodge in time.

A figure dressed entirely in red was standing by the entrance. He had long, unkempt hair, and was holding a lute in his embrace.

The breeze that skimmed the lake's surface ruffled his robes, which fluttered majestically in the wind. But the gloom that hung over him made him seem less like a graceful deity walking the earth, and more like a vengeful ghost.

It was the long-lost Vermillion Bird Lord, Mu Xiaoqiao.

While Zhou Fei knew that Mu Xiaoqiao couldn't have perished so easily at the hands of Shen Tianshu, she was still a little taken aback by his dramatic entrance. Elbowing Xie Yun in the ribs, she said: "Wasn't Mu Xiaoqiao supposed to be helping Huo Liantao do his dirty work? Why doesn't he seem too happy today?"

Xie Yun lightly grasped her fingers in lieu of a reply.

Zhou Fei instinctively tried to yank her fingers from his grasp, but failed. Using his long sleeve for cover, Xie Yun was treating her hand as his personal heat pack, closing his fingers round hers for warmth. He even had the cheek to look away from her nonchalantly, although there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. Zhou Fei promptly raised her hand that was in his grasp, and with a gentle shrug of her shoulder, nudged the hilt of her sabre with the back of that hand, discreetly knocking the Mountain of Lost Springs squarely into Xie Yun's ribs.

That blow nearly knocked the wind out of Xie Yun, who was finally compelled the hard way to give a proper response. Grimacing, he said behind clenched teeth: "No…no idea."

Unaware that they were playing a violent version of footsie – or 'hand'sie, really – beneath Xie Yun's sleeve, Li Sheng had assumed that Xie Yun's 'enigmatic' smirk meant he had some penetrating insight to deliver. Yet after Li Sheng had waited for a few moments in eager anticipation, that was all Xie Yun had to say about it. Young Master Li concluded that this Xie fellow and the bunch of halfwits in his company were birds of the same feather after all. With a great deal of annoyance, he turned his attention back to Huo Liantao – who was looking quite shocked.

Mu Xiaoqiao had disappeared when the Big Dipper attacked Yueyang, and rumour had it that he'd died at the hands of Shen Tianshu. The sudden and unheralded nature of his arrival probably meant that he was here to create some trouble.

Huo Liantao's heart skipped a beat. He'd never been able to get a handle on Mu Xiaoqiao – given his skills, character and streak of madness, the Vermillion Bird Lord didn't seem one bit like the kind of person who would willingly submit to another. While Mu Xiaoqiao didn't lead the 'four Lords' of the Mountain of the Living Dead, he was hands down the most highly skilled of the lot. Even the Old Master Huo in his prime, with his unparalleled set of leg combat techniques, would probably just be on par with him.

Yet this fearsome fiend, whose mere presence was enough to scare intruders off for miles around, had inconceivably remained by the Huo Clan's side for so many years.

Huo Liantao had been heavily dependent on and deeply terrified of him in equal measure – it was a bit like he'd made a deal with the devil.

So at this moment, Huo Liantao was trying his darnedest to keep his cool in front of all these people, even though he had started to break out in cold sweat. After that brief moment of shock, he quickly forced out a smile and exclaimed with pleasant surprise: "Brother Mu! My, I've had no word from you for so long, this is really such a…"

"No need for pleasantries. I had planned to come and see what this party's about, since so many of you are here, and to also take the opportunity for Master Huo to clear up a couple of questions I have. But I overslept today, silly me." Mu Xiaoqiao gave a leisurely yawn. He wasn't speaking in that feminine falsetto of his today, but because he was so used to doing so, his voice was still much gentler and higher pitched than that of a man. It slithered seductively into one's ears, like a languid snake: "Those rocks at the entrance were maddeningly complicated, and since there were no more ushers available as I was far too late, I had no choice but to use brute force. Apologies for the damage – I'll pay you back some other time."

Huo Liantao's skipped yet another beat.

As Mu Xiaoqiao was speaking, he gestured to someone behind him – back in that valley, his men had first been slaughtered by the Big Dipper, and then blown to smithereens by the explosion he'd set off. However, such minions were entirely replaceable, and he'd evidently recruited a whole new army of them since then.

The Mountain of the Living Dead was a nest of monstrous fiends, comprised of all kinds of bizarre cults and sects which worshipped everything from earthworms to yellow croakers to poison ivy…but above all, each of them had rigorously trained their disciples in the most terrifyingly lethal skills, making them quite a force to be reckoned with in a fight. The Azure Dragon Sect had its formation of 'Collapsing Mountains and Emptying Seas', while the Black Turtle Sect seemed fairly deadly based on what Zhou Fei and company could gather from their fight with them, and the White Tiger Lord also had his own intimidating bunch of henchmen. However, Mu Xiaoqiao was the most laid-back one of the lot when it came to this. He didn't really seem to have any requirements or system in organising his men, whom he would recruit almost at a whim.

He didn't train any disciples, nor did he appoint any trusted lieutenants. Whenever the fancy struck, he would attack a random nest of bandits in the mountains, instantly gaining for himself a bunch of flunkeys – enlisted by force, or bought over with a little bit of money.

And now, this brand new contingent of minions that he'd assembled was bringing in a man who was in a very sorry state.

This man was extremely thin. He shuffled listlessly forward, his knees knocking together in terror as if he were about to pee his pants at any moment. When the men let go of him, he toppled headfirst to the ground, completely incapable of standing up on his own.

With a gap-toothed grin, Ding Kui said: "My dear fellow, where did you find this lover of yours? My my, he can't even stand after you've had your way with him. You really should pick more virile ones."

Mu Xiaoqiao merely glanced at him and said: "Ding Kui, how many teeth do you still have left?"

Not offended in the slightest, Ding Kui replied: "I've got a grand total of fourteen, which is why some people call me Lord Fourteen – ha ha!"

Giving him another sideways glance, Mu Xiaoqiao pursed his lips together and chuckled: "The number fourteen doesn't sound very auspicious – Brother Ding, don't you worry, after I've finished speaking with Master Huo here, I'll make sure you can be called Ding Eight instead – now that's a lucky number.[6]"

Someone in the crowd snorted with laughter, although it quickly ceased. His wiser friends had probably shut him up.

The smile on Ding Kui's face faded, and for a moment he looked like he was about to come to blows with Mu Xiaoqiao. But swiftly remembering that he was no match for this devil of indeterminate gender, he clamped his mouth shut to protect the fourteen precious teeth that he still had left.

Mu Xiaoqiao walked up to the man who was slumped on the ground, and lifted that man's head with his foot. Pointing towards Huo Liantao, he asked: "Do you recognise him?"

The man's face was covered in horrific burns, and was so mangled that even his own mother might not recognise it. Huo Liantao certainly didn't know who this was, yet even so he was filled with a sense of foreboding: "And who might this…"

Once that wretched-looking man got a clear look at Huo Liantao, his eyes blazed with intensity, and scrambling forward on all four limbs, he lunged towards Huo Liantao like a rabid dog. But Mu Xiaoqiao swiftly pressed his foot down on the man's spine, leaving him no choice but to flop back down onto the ground. He flailed his arms desperately while shouting: "Master! Master! Save me! I'm your gardener, Old Liu! You once praised me for my flowers…save me!"

Huo Liantao was a true smooth operator, and easily handed out praises to anyone he encountered – he certainly wouldn't remember a lowly gardener. He stared back at the man in shock.

"Perhaps Master Huo has grown a little forgetful," said Mu Xiaoqiao with a chuckle. "This man's name is Qian Xiaoliu. He is – was – a gardener in the Huo manor in Yueyang City. The flowers that he grows are indeed majestic, and he used to tend to several of the manor's gardens, including those in the inner courtyard."

While everyone else was still perplexed about where this was going, at the words 'inner courtyard', Huo Liantao's heart leapt into his throat – that was where Old Master Huo stayed.

The Huo Clan's eminence was in very large part due to Old Master Huo's wide network of connections, and many people had plenty of goodwill towards him. Fully aware of this, Huo Liantao was loathe to be known as one who mistreated his brother. So even though Old Master Huo didn't seem to recognise him anymore, he had still specially arranged an elegant and serene little courtyard for Old Master Huo to stay in, as well as servants to cater to his every need. He himself would also make it a point to visit his brother every single day no matter how busy he was, in the morning and at dusk…

Until he'd managed to get even more powerful backers, that is, rendering Old Master Huo a useless burden.

As it would be most unseemly for him to start rebuking Mu Xiaoqiao himself, Huo Liantao gave the servants behind him a look. One of them instantly said: "Vermillion Bird Lord, Master Huo has had the courtesy to treat you as an esteemed guest, despite your late arrival. Yet you've dragged in a wretched beggar that's out of place in this conference of heroes, and who's going on about flowers and trees – do your idle hands have nothing better to do?"

Mu Xiaoqiao fixed this servant with his piercing gaze, his rouge-stained cheeks and lips unnaturally red. His eyes lingered for a moment on the man's abdomen, as if he were pondering how his 'idle hands' should get to work ripping out his entrails. And then he said evenly: "Qian Xiaoliu is a long-time servant of the Huo household. How could he be out of place here? The Huo Clan of Yueyang fled south when it was attacked by those Northern dogs, leaving quite a number of people behind. Some of these were burnt to death, while those still alive were seized by Shen Tianshu, and didn't stay alive for much longer after that. Qian Xiaoliu was one of the few that Shen Tianshu spared…because he spilled a secret."

Huo Liantao's palms started to sweat.

Savouring that tense expression on Huo Liantao's face, Mu Xiaoqiao grinned and said: "Qian Xiaoliu said that he saw, with his very own eyes, that the massive blaze which engulfed the Huo manor was started by servants from the Huo Clan itself. He also said that Master Huo had sent all of the Huo Clan's valuables south beforehand, leaving Old Master Huo alone in Yueyang as bait for the Big Dipper. Master Huo himself escaped scot-free, before burning Old Master Huo to death – "

This time, Huo Liantao didn't have to do anything before one of his servants exclaimed on his behalf: "How dare you make such false accusations! Mu Xiaoqiao, the Huo Clan has treated you well all these years, yet you've thrown your lot in with scum like Ding Kui, in an attempt to slander Master Huo…"

Huo Liantao raised a hand, prompting the servant to fall silent. As if he were extraordinarily good-natured, he said with a polite smile: "Then may I ask you, Vermillion Bird Lord, since this man was in Shen Tianshu's clutches, how did he end up in yours instead? When my brother was alive, I would visit him every morning and evening to see how he was doing, and would pass through the gardens each time, yet I have no recollection at all of this Qian…Brother Qian."

Ding Kui had been trying to keep his mouth shut all this while, but he burst out laughing now: "My dear fellow, Master Huo here is asking you a valid question – are you colluding with those dogs of the Northern Dynasty to frame him? Or have you decided to come here after listening to the ramblings of a random fool you dragged off the street?"

With a sigh, Li Sheng whispered: "What the Vermillion Bird Lord said is actually true, it's just a pity…"

It was just a pity that as Mu Xiaoqiao had such a terrible reputation, this witness grovelling at their feet certainly wasn't enough to convince those present of the veracity of his accusations – and even if he'd managed to gather solid physical proof, it still wouldn't sound true as long as it was coming from him.

Mu Xiaoqiao looked unflinchingly at Huo Liantao, and uttered two words: "Drowning Sorrows."

Huo Liantao went white.

Zhou Fei said in confusion: "What's that?"

This time, even the all-knowing Xie Yun shook his head with a furrowed brow, indicating to her that he'd never heard of it before.

Li Sheng asked: "What did he say? Was it 'Downing Sorrows'? 'Drowning Sorrows'? Or 'Crowning Corals'…."

Ying Hecong said in a distant voice: "It's 'Drowning Sorrows'. 'Drowning', as in 'drowning your sorrows in alcohol'. It's a kind of poison."

While Zhou Fei and company had followed the Xing Nan Escort Agency in here, they had commandeered a separate table for the privacy of their conversation. When Ying Hecong said this, this whole tableful of people immediately turned to look at him with questioning eyes, waiting for him to elaborate. However, Ying Hecong clamped his mouth firmly shut instead.

Li Sheng asked: "And so? What kind of poison is 'Drowning Sorrows'?"

Ying Hecong said: "Ask your sister to return 'Crimson Jade', and then I'll tell you."

Zhou Fei: "…"

Trust that idiot Xie Yun to give her the same name as a snake!

Li Sheng said brusquely: "Tattletale Li, hurry up and give it back."

Frightened out of its wits, 'Crimson Jade' immediately wriggled right back into the basket on Ying Hecong's back once she was safe in her master's arms, burying itself deep inside till not a single trace of red could be seen. As promised, Ying Hecong started to explain: "It's referred to as a poison, yet it isn't really a poison. If it were to be diluted in boiling water and consumed, one would enter a pleasantly drunken state, achieving the effect of alcohol without the stench. Nobles and wealthy merchants used this to get high, which is why it's called 'Drowning Sorrows'. However, if a large quantity of it is mixed into strong alcohol, the person who drinks it would start to show stroke-like symptoms. Even the best doctors of the Great Medicine Valley wouldn't be able to detect it, and if taken over a long period of time it will reduce a perfectly healthy man to a demented fool."

Ying Hecong didn't try to lower his voice at all, so everyone around him could hear his matter-of-fact lecture on the weird and wonderful poisons of this world. Many pairs of eyes started to turn towards them, and even Mu Xiaoqiao glanced in this direction.

But Ying Hecong remained calm and unruffled, seemingly unconcerned by all the attention.

Zhu Chen asked: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Old Master Huo's illness was the work of man?"

"I was talking about Drowning Sorrows, who said anything about Old Master Huo?" Ying Hecong gave him a puzzled look. "Old Master Huo has already been burnt to a crisp – and who knows if that was a punishment from the heavens, or the work of man?"

They had been seated together with the guests who had proper invitations, and who clearly had good relations with the Huo Clan. Li Sheng quickly interrupted Ying Hecong before he could further incur the wrath of these people: "Then how can one tell if a person is truly ill, or if he has been poisoned?"

Ying Hecong replied: "Oh, that's easy. The demented will forget things – but if the dementia is due to old age, the person will forget the most recent events first, and only much later will he start to forget things that happened decades ago. However, those who have been poisoned will always forget those things long past first, as though all their memories are being erased from the very beginning, and so they deteriorate at a much faster rate. Yet even if they forget who they are, as long as one patiently teaches them everything once more, like training a baby, they can still learn things all over again."

Li Sheng felt his skin start to crawl. While he'd asked Ying Hecong that question to divert him from the topic of Old Master Huo's death, this response had unexpectedly drawn them deeper into it – when Old Master Huo had suddenly fallen ill, many people here had gone to visit him, and now they couldn't help but try to recollect the details of those visits.

Zhou Fei had been quite miffed at Ying Hecong after that gleeful prognosis of 'he doesn't have long to live' which he'd delivered by Xie Yun's bedside. Rolling her eyes, she said: "He's all talk and no substance – does he think that showing off his knowledge like this makes him look good?"

Just as she said this, a middle-aged man seated near them said contemptuously: "My, my, has even Doctor Poison submitted to the Mountain of the Living Dead now? Are you going to suck up to Mu Xiaoqiao in front of all of us?"

Ying Hecong said flatly: "I don't know him."

The man sneered: "We only have your word for it – but who really knows! Just when that fiend made up charges against Master Huo, you jumped in to support him…me and my comrades here have roamed the martial arts world for several decades, yet none of us have heard of 'Drowning Sorrows'. Are you saying that all of us are ignorant fools?"

"Of course not. It's just that this is expert knowledge," said Ying Hecong. "You certainly don't strike me as an ignorant fool, sir. In fact, you're quite smart – if you were to paint those who disagreed with your opinions as 'lackeys of the Big Dipper', or 'minions of the Mountain of the Living Dead', it makes it much more difficult for anyone to argue against you."

When the situation called for Ying Hecong to be sharp, he was often blandly unopinionated; but at times like these when he shouldn't be so discerning, he was maddeningly so. Things wouldn't have been so bad if he'd just kept quiet, but now it really did seem like he was on Mu Xiaoqiao's side.

Mu Xiaoqiao only made things worse, as he laughed heartily and said: "I completely agree!"

That middle-aged man banged his fist on the table and sprang to his feet. He charged at Ying Hecong without warning, unsheathing his sword as he roared: "My comrades, how can we let this happen! Is the martial arts community truly devoid of all justice? Are we really going to let fiends such as these distort the truth?"

Zhou Fei and company had allowed Ying Hecong to join them only because Xie Yun was concerned over the possibility of poison in their food. None of them had expected this to happen – even before the main actors could exchange blows, the first flash of steel had occurred at their little table in the corner!

Li Sheng bitterly regretted opening his mouth, but it was too late. He thought to himself: Why did I have to ask him that?

Furrowing his brow, Ying Hecong dodged the man's sword: "I told you already, I don't know him!"

Unfortunately, when there was somebody to lead the charge, the masses of the martial arts community would invariably jump on the bandwagon without much thought. Once that middle-aged man drew his weapon, many behind him rose to their feet as well, baying for Ying Hecong's blood.

All at once, three or four swords were thrust at Ying Hecong, who kept retreating without meeting any of their blows – it was unclear if he couldn't fight, or if he simply didn't like to. He had reached Zhou Fei's side in a matter of seconds.

Ying Hecong was still protesting: "What's wrong with all of you, I told you that I don't know Mu…"

Li Sheng exclaimed: "Oh my god! How do we get them to stop! Aren't things chaotic enough already? Young Master Yin, please don't say another word, I beg of you!"

Zhou Fei remained seated. Twirling the Mountain of Lost Springs in the air, she transferred it from her left hand to her right. She swiftly unsheathed the long sabre and swept aside those approaching swords with one indomitable blow.

Amidst cries of pain and surprise, she said: "Mu Xiaoqiao is just over there, barely twenty steps away. Go ahead and take down that fiend, why don't you, instead of picking on the weaker man!"

Li Yan immediately took her cousin's side, springing to her feet and yelling: "Hear, hear!"

Li Sheng: "…"

Yet another idiot adding oil to the fire – these blockheads were driving him up the wall!

The middle-aged man that had led the charge was a minion of Hua Liantao's, and had very unluckily gotten his precious sword chipped by the Mountain of Lost Springs shortly after brandishing it. He glared at Zhou Fei in anger and shock, demanding: "Who are you?"

Without batting an eyelid, Zhou Fei said: "I'm from a lowly family in the Cloud-Bracing Valley. I don't speak with the same swagger as all of you, but at least I can see reason."

Yang Jin: "…"

Now yet another person was glaring at Zhou Fei in anger and shock.

Planting her hands on her waist, Li Yan said: "Precisely, those big baddies are lined up right there in front of you – why aren't any of you going after them?"

Wu Chuchu's instincts told her that there was more to this Doctor Poison than met the eye, and she was incapable of restraining Zhou Fei, so she resigned herself to reining back an indignant Li Yan.

And just then, a roar swept through the crowd, as if a formidable foe was approaching.

Li Sheng turned around to see that Mu Xiaoqiao had suddenly leapt into the air. Like a blazing ball of fire hurtling across the water, he skimmed the surface of the lake and headed straight for the pavilion where Huo Liantao was standing. With a tremendous strum of his lute, massive ripples spread across the water like peonies unfurling on its surface. Mu Xiaoqiao chuckled and said: "I won't trouble you to come after me – allow me to go after you instead!"

This was after all the world of martial arts: one could plot and scheme, but sometimes things simply had to be settled with brute force.

Huo Liantao almost shrank back, but he was the master of this place – how could he possibly do so in front of everyone here? With an immense roar, he clasped his muscular arms before him, blocking a palm strike from Mu Xiaoqiao. He heard a ringing in his ears upon impact, and lost all sensation in his arms for a moment, his chi roiling painfully within him.

Mu Xiaoqiao seemed intent on taking his life from the outset. Furious and shocked, Huo Liantao had no choice but to put everything he had into this fight. He swallowed the taste of blood at the back of his throat and took a deep breath. Mustering all his energy again, he leapt up off the ground, moving backwards in mid-air, and then swept his leg out in front of him – this was the Huo Clan's renowned leg combat technique, capable of splitting open a wooden pillar thick enough for a grown man to wrap his arms around.

But Mu Xiaoqiao didn't even flinch. Still holding his lute in one hand, he lightly placed his other hand on the leg that was aimed at his waist. And then he moved together with it through the air, like a piece of red paper stuck to Huo Liantao's leg.

Feeling the pressure on his leg increase suddenly, Huo Liantao looked up only to have his gaze collide with Mu Xiaoqiao's. He felt a chill run down his spine – Mu Xiaoqiao had the most unsettling eyes. While that pair of eyes certainly wasn't bad-looking, neither murky nor bloodshot, for some reason they just didn't seem like they belonged to a living and breathing human. Their sockets seemed to house a pair of fake eyeballs which looked real enough on first glance, yet on closer examination, something seemed off about them.

Mu Xiaoqiao quirked his lips up into a disturbing smile. Huo Liantao growled as he desperately flung Mu Xiaoqiao off his leg and onto the floor. And then he swiftly backed away, trying to avoid Mu Xiaoqiao's claw-like hand that had reached for his chest. But Mu Xiaoqiao's nails were as sharp as knives and had managed to leave three gashes across Huo Liantao's chest, which had torn through his layers of clothing and drawn blood. Landing lightly on his feet, Mu Xiaoqiao weaved daintily round the pavilion. Tortured cries were heard wherever he went. He pushed one of the Huo Clan's servants into the lake with one blow, while simultaneously reaching behind him to grab another who was scrambling away. Any observant onlookers would notice that this man was the exact same one who had shouted "do your idle hands have nothing better to do" just now.

Looking over his shoulder to give Huo Liantao an unnerving smile, Mu Xiaoqiao thrust an 'idle hand' into that man's chest. An indescribable heat started to rise up from within this chilly water pavilion, as the Vermillion Bird Lord tore through the man's clothes and flesh, and before the horrified eyes of everyone here, wrenched his entrails out as easily as if he were picking a stone from a stream.

The man's eyes bugged out, his face frozen in disbelief, speechless either from excruciating pain or complete shock. He heaved several ragged breaths as his entire body was wracked with spasms, bringing to mind one of those poor insects who had their stomachs ripped open by mischievous children. Mu Xiaoqiao's robes were scarlet, as were his cheeks, and his lips, and now those bloody hands of his were an even more vivid shade of red. He shot Huo Liantao another brilliant crimson smile.

Li Yan was so frightened by that terrifying smile that she stumbled backwards, her back nearly colliding with Wu Chuchu's face. She tugged at Wu Chuchu: "Don't-don't-don't-don't look."

Zhou Fei had witnessed Mu Xiaoqiao in action before. That night in the valley, he had been set upon by both Shen Tianshu and Tong Kaiyang at once, and had eventually blown everything up since he knew that he could not beat them. Apart from his final 'explosive' move, Mu Xiaoqiao and his two opponents had still maintained the civilised demeanour of top pugilists engaging in a bout of sparring. He hadn't shown any particularly savage or brutal behaviour. Compared to the gladiator-worthy bloodbath unfolding before them right now, Mu Xiaoqiao's attitude towards Shen Tianshu back then could almost be considered courteous.

Once this monstrous fiend had attacked, the little scuffle still going on over here instantly fizzled out. For a brief moment, this entire manor crammed full of people fell utterly silent. Mu Xiaoqiao casually flung that lifeless man into the water. Delicately licking the blood off his fingernails, he said to Huo Liantao: "I have just one question for you: how did you obtain 'Drowning Sorrows'?"

Huo Liantao's eyes were twitching madly, so much so that onlookers were certain they must be starting to hurt. He was white as a sheet, evidently injured by Mu Xiaoqiao just now. But this Master Huo had after all weathered many crises before, and even though his back was drenched in cold sweat, he remained calm and composed on the surface. He replied: "If you're determined to bring me down, nothing I say will be of any use. Brother Mu, we've known each other for quite some years now, how could you doubt me still?"

Mu Xiaoqiao looked back at him impassively.

Huo Liantao shook his head and said: "For more than ten years, you've interacted frequently with my brother, and you've seen how I've treated him with your very own eyes. Yet now you level these baseless accusations at me, rudely interrogate me in front of everyone, disrupt my event and kill my men – I can't take this lying down. You say that you want to know how I obtained 'Drowning Sorrows' – well, I have never heard of it in my life. Let me ask you instead: who told you about this rumour?"

Mu Xiaoqiao was unmoved by either sentiment or reason – planting suspicions in his mind was probably the only way one might sway him. Huo Liantao's question had hit the nail on the head, and Mu Xiaoqiao's eyes flashed. Instantly knowing that he'd wavered a little, Huo Liantao quickly strode towards the stone table that sat in the middle of the pavilion, and struck its surface thrice with his palm. There was some kind of mechanism inside; the table whirred and clicked noisily, finally splitting open down the middle. A marble tray slowly emerged from within, bearing a square wooden box.

Huo Liantao briefly glanced at Mu Xiaoqiao before turning back to face the crowd, who were all craning their necks to get a closer look. Holding the box aloft, he said: "I, Huo Liantao, have failed to be a worthy successor to my brother. The Huo Clan has declined under my charge, and can no longer go on! Even the grand manor that was home to generations of our clan has been razed to the ground. Myself and the remaining survivors fled to the Southern Dynasty in despair, yet even now our enemies still hound us, and torment us ceaselessly! They sow discord behind my back, and accuse me of backstabbing my own brother. And what for? Isn't it only because of this!"

As he said this, he yanked the contents of the box out, and held it high above his head. The box contained the Huo Clan's Seal of Propriety, but from this distance, Zhou Fei couldn't quite tell if there was indeed a water ripple on it. Huo Liantao thundered on: "Because of this, my brother died at the hands of the Big Dipper, without leaving any last words; and because of this, decades-long friends of mine now view me with suspicion, and slander me instead of going after the Big Dipper! Why do you think that the late heroes of our time refused to ever mention Sea Blends Into Sky? It's because this thing is clearly- a –scourge – "

In that instant, Zhou Fei felt Xie Yun's hand tighten over hers. Before she could react, Huo Liantao had violently hurled that seal towards the ground.

As this mysterious and highly sought-after piece of Sea Blends Into Sky was about to be smashed to smithereens, four figures rushed forward.

Madame Cirrus had already sensed that something was amiss as Huo Liantao was delivering his last sentence. She twirled into the air, the corners of her peach-coloured robes fluttering in the wind. The tips of her toes lightly skimming the water, she reached a hand out to catch the seal before it hit the ground. Ding Kui had reacted a little slower than that, and seeing that there was no way he would be able to reach it in time, yanked out a handful of nails from his coffin and threw them at Madame Cirrus.

As this shower of nails hurtled towards her, Madame Cirrus clicked her tongue in disapproval and flung her long sleeves out, catching every single one of those nails within them. But this delay meant that the Twin Simian Furies had already darted ahead of her. With a screech, the monkey on Old Man Ape's shoulder leapt forward and grabbed that seal with his tiny paws.

Madame Cirrus bellowed: "That dratted beast!"

Ding Kui howled with rage. Lady Monkey merely smiled and said: "Concede!"

Madame Cirrus yelled: "Mu Xiaoqiao, have you died over there or what!"

Having just witnessed the gruesome end of a man who had simply asked Mu Xiaoqiao if he had "nothing better to do", Zhou Fei sucked in her breath sharply, fearing for Madame Cirrus' life. But while a murderous look flashed across Mu Xiaoqiao's face for an instant, he merely glanced sideways at Madame Cirrus before seeming to swallow his rage, and very obediently proceeded to chase after the Twin Simian Furies.

And right then, several black-clad figures suddenly burst through the surface of the lake, getting in the way of the Twin Simian Furies.

The monkey screeched loudly. Channelling force into his palm, Old Man Ape pushed it towards those black-clad men to clear his way. However, instead of dodging that powerful palm strike, the black-clad man in front met it head on, delivering a robust counter-attack. After they had exchanged blows for a while, Zhou Fei let out a cry of astonishment, as she thought she recognised this man: "Mr Bai?"

She whipped her head round to face Xie Yun: "Why is Mr Bai here? Wait a second – is your cousin also…"

Xie Yun put a finger to his lips: "Shhh – "

A little stunned, Zhou Fei thought to herself: So this was why he came to Yongzhou. So he really has given up on pursuing Sea Blends Into Sky – even if it might save his life.

With the entrance of Mr Bai and his men, the pavilion at the centre of the lake had become quite crowded indeed. Mu Xiaoqiao, Madame Cirrus, Ding Kui, the Twin Simian Furies and Mr Bai's men each occupied a corner of it, eyeing each other warily. And in the middle of them all, a panicked little monkey was hugging the Seal of Propriety to its chest. Things were at a stalemate.

Everything had happened so dizzyingly fast.

Yet amidst this chaos, the only thing that Zhou Fei could feel was the ice-cold sensation of the Lock of Heaven's Gate against her skin. She abruptly asked Xie Yun: "Does your uncle treat you well?"

Xie Yun looked at her in surprise, before smiling a moment later and replying: "Yes."

Zhou Fei didn't believe him. She asked again: "How were you poisoned?"

Xie Yun's face was so cold that it was tinged with green, but he had a twinkle in his eye. His gaze was so warm, so imbued with a heartfelt joy, that looking into his eyes felt like basking in the sunny climes of the south. He said with a casual shrug: "I was careless."

Zhou Fei jerked her head away from him. All of a sudden, she couldn't bear to look at his dazzling smile.

Someone finally broke the silence in the pavilion. Madame Cirrus said: "It's been more than twenty years. If I'd known that all of this would happen, I would never have agreed to be a witness back then."

Mu Xiaoqiao's lips twitched.

"Brother Yin, Brother Li, and Old Huo…all of them are gone. Now the only one left is Chong Yunzi, who's holed up somewhere nobody knows." Madame Cirrus continued: "And none of them entrusted me with a single word of this secret, not even on their deathbeds. What about you, Mu Xiaoqiao?"

Glancing at Huo Liantao, Mu Xiaoqiao said coolly: "If he'd given me even the smallest of hints, some scum still on this earth would've been dead a long time ago."

There were so many revelations packed into this little exchange. Zhou Fei had suspected that Madame Cirrus was a 'witness', but could it be that so was Mu Xiaoqiao?

Everyone in the pavilion was astounded, including Huo Liantao.

With a cry of surprise, Ding Kui bellowed at Mu Xiaoqiao: "My dear fellow, what is she talking about? And what does this have to do with you?"

Mu Xiaoqiao simply stood there in silence with his hands behind his back, while Madame Cirrus looked down at the monkey that was still hugging the Seal of Propriety to his chest. This little beast seemed quite afraid of her, and shrank back as it screeched incessantly.

"Sea Blends Into Sky," said Madame Cirrus, "is not what you think it is at all. There are no valuable weapons. No secret manuals, nor pills of immortality. Speculation that it contains half of our community's treasures is absolute nonsense."

A touch of red coloured Huo Liantao's pale cheeks.

"It is but an agreement – an agreement of mutual distrust. This is why they found the Vermillion Bird Lord, the leader of Mingfeng Tower, the Black Judge and myself to act as its witnesses." Madame Cirrus continued: "As these witnesses would be handsomely compensated, none of us could refuse the offer."

With his usual politeness, Mr Bai asked: "Please permit me to ask you, Madame, who are the two parties to this agreement? And what did they agree on?"

Madame Cirrus gave a scornful sneer: "As we were only witnesses, we certainly weren't involved in their agreement. If even you don't know what it is, how should I know – anyway, since your master is here today, why won't he show himself?"