Chapter 44: Sea Blends Into Sky Part 2

Unwilling to fight for too long, he hauled Li Yan onto his horse after fending off several black-clad men. Then he whistled to Li Yan's horse, which took off after his with Liu Youliang on its back. But before Li Yan could heave a sigh of relief, she heard a shrill and sinister howl in the distance. It reverberated through the trees, making one's chest throb painfully. Li Yan wobbled atop the horse and nearly fell right off.

Shortly after, a red-robed figure came within sight, leaping through the trees as he said: "Now who is it this time who's poking his nose where it doesn't belong?"

Li Yan had already recognised who this was from a great distance. Visibly paling, she exclaimed: "We're in trouble now!"

She frantically dug her heels into the sides of the horse, urging it to go faster. But Li Sheng didn't understand what was happening, and hearing someone call out to them, his initial reaction was to pull in the reins. Utterly confused by these conflicting commands, this poor horse which had been burdened with two loads grumpily planted its legs into the ground, almost wanting to stamp its hooves in exasperation.

Li Yan said angrily: "Bully Li, are you trying to get us killed? That's 'Mizar' of the Big Dipper!"

Li Sheng: "…"

He'd truly underestimated Li Yan. While he'd always known her to be capable of getting into trouble, he hadn't known that she was capable of getting into trouble of such disastrous proportions!

But it was too late to loosen the reins and spur the horse forward by now. Tong Kaiyang had already come to a stop several metres from them. Mizar's spotless black boots now sported traces of blood, although the rest of him still looked completely impeccable, with not a hair out of place. He craned his neck slightly to look at the Li siblings astride the horse. He didn't seem to think much of these two youngsters, merely standing there with his hands behind his back and glancing over at Liu Youliang. With a sneer, he said: "So it was the Wayfarers' Union back there, and who is it this time? Oh, Commander Liu, Commander Liu, you used to be His Majesty's closest bodyguard – how is it that the only ones willing to help you now are a bunch of gutter rats, and two youngsters still wet behind the ears?"

Tong Kaiyang's presence here made the fates of those men in the Great-Luck Inn abundantly clear. While the old innkeeper had perhaps already anticipated such an outcome the minute he'd spoken up, Liu Youliang had not expected this to happen so quickly. He'd already discerned the extent of Li Yan's skills when he saw her fight just now, and knew that she could probably be considered quite good when compared to others of her age. However, she stood no chance at all against Tong Kaiyang. That brother of hers didn't seem much older, so he probably couldn't expect too much from the lad either. Liu Youliang was suddenly overcome by a wave of utter despair. Feeling sure that the heavens were determined he should die today, he sighed to himself and thought: Forget it, I may have tried my best, but some things are just not meant to be. Why should I drag more innocents into this?

He coughed painfully, clutching a hand to his chest. Urging his horse back towards the Li siblings, he bowed slightly at Li Yan and said: "Miss, you've been willing to help me even though we are strangers, and you have my deepest thanks for that. In my next life, I'll be sure to pay you back somehow. But now that it's come to this, I must settle things with Lord Tong on my own. You should…leave as soon as possible."

Tong Kaiyang's lips curved into a faint smirk, as he looked at that heavily injured man astride the horse with some bemusement.

Liu Youliang was a tall and strapping fellow, with a usually stern and unsmiling face that exuded a faint menace. At first glance, he seemed like a fanged wolf that would slice your throat and drink your blood without batting an eyelid – but his words now made him seem like a sheep in wolf's clothing instead. After all that he'd done to get to this point, shouldn't he be thinking of every way possible to escape?

Yet he'd actually been considerate enough to absolve these two hapless youngsters of any connection with him, and urge them to flee instead…as if Tong Kaiyang would really believe that they had nothing to do with him.

Li Sheng furrowed his brow, and directed a questioning look at Li Yan – who exactly did you save?

But Li Yan didn't quite know either, so all she could do was whisper to him what she'd picked up from the other guests at the inn. Li Sheng had one hand on the reins and the other on the sword at his waist, as he pondered what Li Yan said. Then something seemed to come to him, and he abruptly turned towards Liu Youliang: "Liu…Commander Liu, might you by any chance still remember the Zhongwu General?"

Liu Youliang said solemnly: "General Wu was a true hero."

Li Sheng looked thoughtfully at him, before glancing over at Tong Kaiyang. Then after a moment, he shoved something into Li Yan's hands, and said curtly: "Leave first."

And then before Li Yan could understand what he'd meant by that, Li Sheng had flipped off the horse, delivering a flying kick to several black-clad men surrounding him while simultaneously giving the rump of his horse a hard slap. Finally receiving clear instructions, that horse took off like a rocket. Li Sheng then whistled loudly, prompting the ears of Li Yan's horse to perk up. It galloped after the other horse, completely ignoring any of Liu Youliang's commands.

Still in a state of utter confusion, Li Yan heard a hissing sound and looked down – to see that Li Sheng had shoved into her hands a flare with its fuse lit. She frantically threw it upwards, sending a little ball of fire shooting into the sky, where it promptly exploded in a blinding flash of light.

The 48 Zhai's secret post in Jinan would rush here immediately upon seeing that.

Li Yan looked behind her at Li Sheng, who had remained where he was. She screamed: "Brother!"

But Li Sheng ignored her. He unsheathed both of his swords, while trying to gauge how long he would be able to stall Tong Kaiyang for before help arrived. Deciding that attacking first was the best course of action, he headed straight for Mizar.

Li Yan desperately tugged at the horse's reins: "Hey, hey – stop, stop!"

Li Sheng's horse was a feisty steed. It put its head down and ran like the wind, absolutely refusing to obey her. Hearing the sounds of steel against steel behind her, Li Yan felt like this foolish horse was about to drive her to tears. She gave those reins a vicious tug, causing that hot-tempered horse to rear up on his hind legs, tossing its head angrily.

Li Yan tried her darndest to turn that horse around, but it seemed to have fully understood Li Sheng's intentions, and continued to toss its head from side to side, simply refusing to do as Li Yan wished. She slapped it on the side of its head in anger, shouting: "You idiot!"

In utter desperation, Li Yan leapt off the galloping horse to land on the ground, where she rolled to a stop. Then she quickly scrambled to her feet and made to run back.

Liu Youliang shouted hoarsely: "Miss!"

Li Sheng had already begun exchanging blows with Tong Kaiyang. This made Mizar furrow his brow, as he realised that he'd underestimated this youngster. To make matters worse, Li Sheng even grinned widely at him and said: "Your Excellency, your great name is known far and wide, and I've long wished to meet you. Now that I've gotten the chance to fight with you today, I sure hope you won't skimp on showing me your skills."

Li Sheng's words made Tong Kaiyang's order of "Seize this boy!" freeze at the tip of his tongue – because Li Sheng had now made this out to be a personal challenge to an esteemed senior, instead of the obstruction of justice that it actually was. As Tong Kaiyang was a renowned figure, he still had an image to maintain before his subordinates. If he didn't fight with this youngster himself, how would he still have the respect of his men in future?

Tong Kaiyang was a haughty fellow who thought all too highly of himself. The sabre in his hand was of the decorative kind that court officials used to accessorize their courtly garb, and was more ornamental than practical – it was clear that he'd thought quite little of this mission to hunt down and kill Liu Youliang, and he certainly had no patience for entertaining a nobody like Li Sheng. With a sudden swing of his sabre, he hacked it down hard on Li Sheng's head. Li Sheng didn't dare to parry that blow, taking several frantic steps back instead. While Tong Kaiyang had merely swept his sabre through the air, the ground beneath it now sported a two foot-long crack.

If this was what his sabre had done to the ground, one could only imagine what it might have done to a person.

Li Sheng was deeply shaken – Mizar was so powerful that even the wind from his sabre was as sharp as a blade! No wonder it didn't matter to him what kind of weapon he carried. Not daring to engage him directly, Li Sheng tread a series of intricate steps round Tong Kaiyang, making himself a veritable maze on legs that was quite impossible to seize – this was the version of the Mayfly Formation that Zhou Fei had subsequently taught him. Li Sheng truly had an extraordinary talent for such formations, as once he grasped its fundamental principles he'd been able to comprehend it in its entirety, and wield it even better than Zhou Fei.

Not wanting to be collateral damage in Li Sheng's fight with their master, the black-clad men swiftly backed away, clearing out a large space for the two to do battle. Li Sheng moved lightly across the forest floor, his footsteps following an invisible labyrinthine path that twisted and turned over the fallen leaves. And wherever he went, several massive cracks would appear on the ground shortly after, courtesy of Tong Kaiyang. Quivering from the force of Mizar's blows, the yellowing leaves on the surrounding trees cascaded to the ground in flurries, looking like a flutter of butterflies at a glance. But if one were to examine these falling leaves closely, one would see that instead of being shaken off whole, every single one of them had been neatly sliced in half, as if by a blade!

Even now, Li Sheng remained calm and steady. His feet continued moving in their complex patterns, and he even managed to thrust his swords at Tong Kaiyang whenever he got the chance.

Tong Kaiyang's pressed his sabre down on Li Sheng's twin swords with a clang. The lad's wrists went numb with the impact, yet he calmly lowered his swords and withdrew them, slipping fluidly away from Tong Kaiyang. Tong Kaiyang chuckled all of a sudden: "So you're from the 48 Zhai eh, you little rascal!"

Li Sheng furrowed his brow. The move that he'd just used was from the Xiaoxiang Sect, which he'd picked up in his younger days. While he had adapted it to his own style, one could still discern the vague structure of the original move. Old Madam Wang and the Xiaoxiang Sect disciples in her entourage had never returned after leaving the 48 Zhai to look for Zhang Chenfei. While Li Jinrong had sent the disciples to search for her a couple of times, there had been no word from her at all. And now, for some reason, something about Tong Kaiyang's laugh filled Li Sheng with a sense of dread.

Li Sheng spun back round to face Tong Kaiyang with his swords drawn. Tong Kaiyang grinned wickedly and sneered: "That old hag was actually quite fascinating – it's a pity that she over-estimated her abilities by far too much. Revenge? At her age, she should have been staying at home waiting for death to come, instead of roving about trying to assassinate people – ha ha!"

The veins on the back of Li Sheng's hands bulged.

Delicately licking the tip of his blade, Tong Kaiyang said: "Do you know, that old bones make quite a distinct sound when crushed?"

The children of the 48 Zhai had all tried to wheedle treats out of Old Madam Wang at one time or another, gathering round her as she handed them out, her eyes crinkling kindly. While Li Sheng had long since suspected the worst, hearing this said out loud still filled him with rage. His swords made a whistling sound as they sliced through the air towards Tong Kaiyang's throat and chest – these were the nimble yet deadly moves of the Xiaoxiang Sect. Tong Kaiyang let out a hearty laugh, each peal of laughter imbued with his chi. It was enough to overcome a regular person with head-spinning nausea even from a great distance – Li Sheng, who was right in front of him, certainly suffered much more.

Li Sheng paled instantly and his ears started to bleed, although the swords in his hand continued on their forward trajectory. Tong Kaiyang flung his arms out to clasp Li Sheng's swords within his wide sleeves. At the same time, his sabre made a sinister screech as it was sent hurtling towards the left side of Li Sheng's chest with overwhelming force. But right before the blade could bury itself deep within Li Sheng's heart, Tong Kaiyang suddenly felt a strong rush of wind come at him from behind. A murderous look appeared on his face, his brows creasing in annoyance. He hastily withdrew his sabre to parry Li Sheng's swords, while flinging his arm behind him to block whatever was hurtling towards him. A thud was heard as the object landed on the ground – it was an empty scabbard. The scabbard had lodged itself within one of those massive cracks criss-crossing the ground, right at the intersection of two of them like a flag planted on a treasure map.

Tong Kaiyang roared: "Who's there!"

A rustling sound was heard in the foliage behind them. Then shortly after, a person in a wide-brimmed hat walked slowly out from amongst the trees with a horse in tow, carrying a long sabre which was missing its scabbard. This person was slender in build, almost a little too thin, and could just barely be considered tall for a woman…or at least a woman from the South.[7] Her thick hair was tied in an unfussy ponytail that hung down her back, and there was a dampness to her clothes.

She casually tied the horse's bridle around a tree, before raising that wide-brimmed hat which was obscuring most of her face. Glancing at Li Sheng, she said in an almost leisurely manner: "I was wondering who on earth might have sent up that flare. If I hadn't just so happened to be on the outskirts of Jinan, were you really expecting that handful of dunces from the secret post to come and save you? Tsk, Granny Li, what were you thinking?"

When he saw who had come, a look of relief washed over Li Sheng's face, although it swiftly darkened after hearing this insult: "Zhou Fei, you aren't in charge of checking this route, what are you here for?"

"Hey, I'm just a fast worker – why can't I have a look around once my job's done?" Zhou Fei strolled over as she said this. For some reason, that circle of black-clad men around Li Sheng actually parted before her. She almost seemed to treat them like her very own welcoming party, sparing them not a single glance as she sauntered up to Tong Kaiyang with her sabre in hand. Once again lifting the brim of her hat which had slipped down, she raised her delicate chin ever so slightly and said: "Oh, so it's His Excellency Lord Mizar, of the Big Dipper."

Tong Kaiyang's eyes twitched violently. He said through gritted teeth: "It's you."

In the last few years, Zhou Fei had spent most of her time away from home, unless Li Jinrong summoned her back to do some work. No one knew what she was up to out there, and they hadn't gotten wind of any crazy exploits either – or perhaps she simply hadn't left her name – whatever the case, Zhou Fei always made sure to go home for New Year's, and as long as she did so, Li Jinrong pretty much left her alone.

It was perfectly understandable that Zhou Fei would recognise Tong Kaiyang, but much less so the other way round – a vein at Li Sheng's temple bulged. He knew that this swashbuckling bandit, who had made such a massive splash the very first time she'd left the mountain, couldn't have been as uneventfully engaged as she appeared to be!

Zhou Fei fingered the tip of Skies Shatter as she smiled: "It's been a while since I've seen you last – you seem quite well."

Li Sheng said edgily: "Zhou Fei."

Zhou Fei was standing right between Li Sheng and Tong Kaiyang. Turning to her cousin, she said: "Not only do I know His Excellency, we are in fact quite familiar with each other. The very first time I saw you, Your Excellency, you and Lord Shen were both battling Mu Xiaoqiao, although you didn't see me. The second time, however, you struck me down into a valley with one blow over a single stalk of the 'Fire Lotus', which darned near took my life. It was more than four months before I could walk properly again. Tsk, tsk, that was really quite a scare. To repay you in kind, there was nothing else to do but sneak into the old capital and set Your Excellency's manor ablaze."

Li Sheng: "…"

"As for our third encounter…hm, it's quite a shame that we're always at odds with each other over lousy medicines and such. The third time, we were both after the rare 'Slithering Dragon' snake for its bile. I battled that massive serpent and Your Excellency – who was even more formidable than the serpent, I must say – for a full two days and one night. As I was unfortunately no match for your greatness, I could only resort to common trickery to best you, and even caused you to lose a good sword in the belly of that beast. I've been feeling pretty bad about it all this while, so I've specially brought ten silver ingots today to pay you back." Thrusting her hand out towards Li Sheng, Zhou Fei said: "Brother, the silver, if you please."

Li Sheng never wanted to hear the word 'Brother' from both Zhou Fei and Li Yan's lips ever again.

Tong Kaiyang glanced at Li Sheng with a forced smile: "So you two are related."

"That's right," said Zhou Fei as she bent down to dislodge that scabbard wedged in the ground, and gave it a twirl. "Your Excellency, if my cousin has offended you in any way, would you please overlook it just this once, for old times' sake?"

Tong Kaiyang was on the verge of exploding at her ludicrous request. Yet he knew that this devilish girl could be a real handful, and when paired with a fairly skilled Li Sheng, he might not actually be able to gain the upper hand if they commenced fighting in earnest. And if he were really to slip up some how and be defeated by these two youngsters, he was sure to face eternal ridicule.

The cogs turning rapidly in his head, he forced himself to wipe the rage from his face and replace it with a ghastly smile: "Since you put it like that, Miss Zhou, it would be unreasonable of me not to agree. You may leave as you wish!"

Zhou Fei smiled: "Many thanks."

"But wait a minute," said Tong Kaiyang. "While your cousin is certainly free to go, the fugitive Liu Youliang has committed heinous crimes, so I need to take him in. I'm sure that Miss Zhou wouldn't prevent me from carrying out my official duties for no good reason, would you?"

Zhou Fei's hat had slipped down over her face again, obscuring the expression on it. She remained silent for a moment. Having known his cousin since young, Li Sheng could tell at a glance that Zhou Fei didn't in fact want to get into any unnecessary trouble here. If she hadn't minded, she would already have attacked Tong Kaiyang, instead of wasting any time talking to him. Li Sheng suspected that she hadn't come around these parts just to 'have a look around', but was in fact travelling on some urgent business, and had only happened to be passing through Jinan when she saw that flare which Li Yan had flung up into the sky. She'd probably decided to come over to deal with it briefly, before promptly leaving after the matter was resolved – but Tong Kaiyang clearly wasn't a problem that could be 'dealt with briefly', and so it would be best if she could peacefully avoid a confrontation with him.

Zhou Fei smiled again, and was just about to speak when Li Sheng beat her to it: "But before you carry out your official duties, there is something I would like to ask Your Excellency first: is it true, what you said just now about Old Madam Wang of the Xiaoxiang Sect?"

Tong Kaiyang had only said that to mess with Li Sheng's head, after recognising the boy's moves – he hadn't expected the boy to have help, nor that those words would come back and bite him on the arse. He was presently rendered speechless.

Zhou Fei froze. Then in a dangerously soft voice, she said: "What did you just say?"

Li Sheng didn't reply. He remained where he was, both his swords aimed at Tong Kaiyang. Zhou Fei instantly knew what Li Sheng had meant by that.

Indeed – back in Huarong City, Shen Tianshu and Chou Tianji had stirred the whole city into a frenzy just to force her and Wu Chuchu out of hiding. News of that would definitely have spread far and wide, so Old Madam Wang must have learned of what happened a long time ago. While that old lady was usually the picture of warmth and kindliness, she had a fiery temper, and if she knew that her son had been murdered, there was no way she would have let this slide…

Li Sheng said firmly and emphatically: "Lord Tong, since you're in the business of hunting down criminals, shouldn't you know all too well that murderers must pay for their crimes?"

Zhou Fei suddenly reached out a hand and pressed it on Li Sheng's sword.

Li Sheng said darkly: "Fei."

"You're no match for him," said Zhou Fei as she pushed his sword aside by its tip. Then she sighed in resignation: "You should help send those two away, they'll only get in the way. Move aside."

Only now did Li Sheng notice that Li Yan and Liu Youliang still hadn't gone far. He said anxiously: "You…"

Zhou Fei said nonchalantly: "It's just one of the Big Dipper – go, I'll be fine."

Tong Kaiyang was so furious that he burst out laughing: "Ha! What arrogance! The last time, you only managed to escape because that cursed serpent was in the way. Since you insist on going to your grave, allow me to send you on your way!"

That blade of his, which could split the ground open from midair, came bearing down on Zhou Fei's head.

Pushing Li Sheng aside, Zhou Fei spun back round while thrusting her sabre upwards to meet Tong Kaiyang's blade. Upon impact, the tip of Skies Shatter curved slightly inwards, seeming to bend when driven up against Tong Kaiyang's immense force. With a flick of her wrist, Zhou Fei pushed her sabre off Tong Kaiyang's blade, the movement producing a soft metallic ring. Then her long sabre fluidly darted towards Tong Kaiyang yet again, deftly slashing and slicing at him from all angles.

Tong Kaiyang exchanged several blows with her amidst the almost cocoon-like pervasiveness of her blade, which managed to force him six steps back. Then with a roar, he clasped both hands round the hilt of his sabre, the veins on them bulging frighteningly, and thrust it forward with a sudden charge of force. While the blade was but a metre long, the powerful wind it created had a far greater reach. It surged towards Zhou Fei like an invisible, roaring dragon. Narrowing her eyes, Zhou Fei remained right where she was, meeting his sabre head-on with a 'Cut' –

The wind from Tong Kaiyang's blade cleaved the wide-brimmed hat atop Zhou Fei's head right down the middle, slicing it in two. Both halves of the hat fell to the ground on each side of her, but where her weapon collided with Tong Kaiyang's, Skies Shatter had chipped his ornamental sabre!

If Zhou Fei's sabre had made that chip in his weapon just a second later, causing that wind from his blade – as viciously sharp as the actual thing – to lose its momentum just a second later, far more than just that flimsy bamboo hat would have been split in two by now. While she could clearly have dodged this blow, she had nevertheless chosen to meet it head-on in a massive, all-or-nothing gamble, in which her very life hung precariously on the edge of her blade…and had actually won!

This girl was completely mad!

Tong Kaiyang's eyes started to twitch again.

With both hands still grasping the hilt of Skies Shatter, Zhou Fei moved it a little to the side. With a brittle crack, a spindly web of fissures promptly spread across the sabre in the hands of His Excellency Lord Tong, and a shower of dull metal shards fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Zhou Fei as she looked up at him with a smile. While the smile of a young maiden was often bright and sunny, this grin of hers made a shiver run down Tong Kaiyang's spine. He heard her say softly: "This sabre looks quite expensive, and I'm afraid that this time ten silver ingots won't be enough. Brother…"

Zhou Fei made a show of calling out to Li Sheng, before turning back to face Tong Kaiyang with an innocently regretful expression on her face: "It looks like they've already left. How about I write you a bill for it?"

Tong Kaiyang would certainly never admit that his martial arts was inferior to that of this young girl – but he had to acknowledge that after his devastating blow failed to bring her down for good three years ago, Zhou Fei seemed to have acquired a hair-raising streak of madness. She appeared to have grown addicted to the adrenaline rush of near-death, such that no one knew when she might suddenly make an out of left field manoeuvre which dangled both she and her opponent off the edge of a sheer cliff.

While Zhou Fei might not care much for her life, Tong Kaiyang very much cherished his own. Seeing that Liu Youliang was long gone by now, he flung aside his ruined sabre with a sneer, and commanded as he leapt away: "After them!"

The black-clad men with him swiftly obeyed. They were gone in the blink of an eye.

As Tong Kaiyang was ultimately still more powerful than her, Zhou Fei didn't bother going after him. Her wrists were throbbing a little. Once all of them had left, she returned her sabre to its scabbard and lowered her head to her hands, using her teeth to rip off her cloth wristguards to reveal a pair of wrists which were slightly red. Zhou Fei whistled loudly, and the horse that had been waiting quietly by the side immediately trotted over. She grabbed a handful of beans from her pocket and fed it to her steed, thinking to herself: Tong Kaiyang, I'm letting you off for now.

The horse and the girl rested briefly in the forest clearing. Zhou Fei glanced back at the path she'd taken here, her brows creasing slightly, before with a small sigh, she galloped off in the direction that Li Sheng had headed.

It was a near-miracle that Liu Youliang had managed to stay conscious all this while, after being rudely brought to his senses by Li Yan's cup of cold water. He couldn't go on any longer, and as his consciousness slowly faded, his grip on the reins involuntarily tightened as he tried to stay upright. This caused the horse to go slower and slower till it finally came to a halt, blinking its large eyes in bewilderment.

Li Yan clung to Li Sheng's shoulders as she glanced behind her, asking: "Sir, are you okay?"

Liu Youliang didn't answer. He wobbled atop the horse for a bit, before toppling headfirst to the ground.

Li Sheng was left with no choice but to leave clues along the way for Zhou Fei to find them, as they followed the Baimai River's course towards Zhangqiu District. Li Yan led Liu Youliang's horse onward while looking over her shoulder at the man slumped across the saddle, saying: "He seems to be burning up, do you think we should find him a doctor – Brother, Fei will be fine, won't she?"

Li Sheng's brow had grown increasingly furrowed as he heard Zhou Fei recount her encounters with Mizar just now. Even though Zhou Fei hadn't stated her reasons, Li Sheng had brains enough to deduce why Zhou Fei was so at odds with the Big Dipper over "lousy medicines and such". He thought to himself: Ah, I think she's mentioned in passing that Young Master Xie's shifu hails from the Penglai region, which isn't too far from here. Could it be that….

Three years ago, Young Master Xie had borrowed several of his scandalous novels, then mysteriously disappeared shortly after without ever returning them to him. Li Sheng felt that ever since they'd returned from Yongzhou to the 48 Zhai, their days had been crammed full of numerous, unceasing tasks and responsibilities that they'd never had to consider before, from the crack of dawn all the way till sunset. It had been a mad rush every single day to finish them all, as if someone were cracking a whip at his heels. Before this, they'd been growing up steadily year after year, when all of a sudden, this process of maturity was rudely and abruptly accelerated. Practically overnight, they'd gone from youngsters who had to seek their elders' permission in just about everything to 'adults' of their generation who had to prop up the 48 Zhai.

"Even if she isn't, you can't help her anyway," said Li Sheng. "But once we left, Tong Kaiyang wouldn't have wasted much more of his time with her. He'd definitely come after us instead, and should reach us in no time at all. We'd better get a move on – this region is after all under the Northern Dynasty's control."

To be on the safer side, Li Sheng decided that they shouldn't enter the city of Zhangqiu so openly, and settled Liu Youliang in a little temple outside the city instead. After they entered by scaling the back wall of the rear courtyard, he sneaked round the front to have a look around. An old scholar was leading a group of children in paying their respects to the revered sage in whose honour this temple had been erected. The old fellow was burning incense and reciting the sage's teachings in what seemed to be quite a lengthy ritual. Li Sheng crept back to Li Yan and said: "Stay here and look after him. You aren't to get into any trouble, do you understand? I'm going to survey the city, and procure a carriage for us if possible."

Li Yan said confidently: "Don't you worry, brother – you can always count on me!"

Pinching the cheek of his shameless sister hard, Li Sheng scoffed: "What nonsense…eh, I'd better hurry back as soon as possible."

Once her brother departed, Li Yan was instantly on high alert. Tucked away in a dark corner of this courtyard, she perked up her ears to pick up what was happening in front. An old man with a voice so hoarse that it sounded like he had sand in his throat was intoning a series of sayings by the temple's sage, and getting his young charges to repeat these after him. These children had perhaps only recently begun their studies and barely read any books before – and to make matters worse, this old scholar spoke with an accent. They basically hadn't the slightest clue what he was saying, and could only clumsily parrot the sounds that were coming from his mouth. This muddled cacophony of childish voices was quite amusing indeed.

After having fallen unconscious for most of the journey, Liu Youliang briefly came to amidst this disharmonious din. He remained silent, slumped in a corner of this courtyard as he listened to those children chirping away. His bleary eyes were half-open, fixed on the dark night sky above, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

Li Yan whispered: "Sir, why is the Big Dipper after you? Are you like General Wu? Did they find out that you were an agent of the Southern Dynasty?"

Liu Youliang turned to glance at her, smiling faintly as he said: "Well, not exactly. If I hadn't had something that I urgently needed to deliver to the South, they might never have found out…you have risked so much just to save me, I'm really…"

"That's no matter at all," said Li Yan as she sat cross-legged on the ground. "My aunt always says that while we don't go looking for trouble, we aren't afraid of it either. Survival is important of course, but if we were to keep our heads down all the time just to save our own skins, we'd be reduced to being a bunch of pathetic cowards, which would run contrary to what we set out to do."

Looking a little surprised, Liu Youliang said: "I still don't know which sect you hail from, Miss."

Li Yan beamed widely as she said: "I'm from the 48 Zhai of the Shu Mountains. Believe it or not, the Zhongwu General's daughter is staying with us right now!"

A look of utter shock emerged on Liu Youliang's face, which was swiftly followed by a look of utter joy. But before he could say anything, they heard the patter of hurried footsteps coming from outside. The children's voices came to an abrupt halt – a group of people seemed to have barged into this temple.

Liu Youliang and Li Yan simultaneously paled, and held their breaths. Li Yan slowly placed a hand on the hilt of her sabre.

A voice outside declared arrogantly: "The Big Dipper is here to seize a fugitive of the imperial court! Old fellow, have you seen a man and a woman come through here, with an injured person in tow?"

That doesn't sound like Tong Kaiyang's voice, thought Li Yan. I might be able to handle these men…as long as there aren't too many of them.

That old scholar with a scratchy voice said tremulously: "Good evening officers, I have seen no such thing."

That officer of the Big Dipper scoffed and said: "Zhangqiu City is already under close watch, so they can't have entered it. There's nowhere else around here for shelter – scram, you old bugger! Search this entire place from top to bottom!"

The old man said hysterically: "Don't you dare! You…how can you show such disrespect in a place of worship!"

A massive ruckus ensued, and the startled shrieks of children filled the air. Those heavy footsteps were getting closer and closer. Li Yan sprang to her feet, every muscle in her body tensed for action. Her palms were covered with sweat, and her heart was racing madly. Squeezing her eyes shut in an effort to calm herself down, she thought to herself: This is it. I might as well stun them by making the first move!

Just as she was about to step forward, a figure landed right in front of her, like a veritable bolt of lightning. Li Yan nearly jumped out of her skin in fright, and a shriek almost escaped her lips. The person immediately clamped a hand over Li Yan's mouth, and gestured at her to keep quiet.

Li Yan's eyes widened, and nearly filled with tears of relief – it was Zhou Fei!

Zhou Fei let her go, and nodded at Liu Youliang in greeting. With Skies Shatter in hand, she walked over to the rear wall of the courtyard and leaned against it to wait. Her posture was extremely relaxed, almost laid back, as if she weren't worried in the slightest about those approaching footsteps and that commotion out front. She appeared so at ease that even Li Yan began to relax as well. Li Yan felt like as long as Zhou Fei was there, she could have no fear even if the sky outside was tumbling down upon them.

Just then, they heard that old man roar in fury: "Stop this now! All of you…you…the Southern Imperial College is just over ten miles from here, how dare you act with such impropriety!"

From her position against the wall, a faint smirk emerged on Zhou Fei's face.

Li Yan thought that Zhou Fei was amused by the stuffiness of this old scholar, and while she herself was also a little tickled that someone would scold these infamous thugs for 'acting with impropriety', she couldn't help but feel a little worried as she thought to herself: If that old man offends the Big Dipper, what will they do to him?

She tugged at Zhou Fei's sleeve anxiously, but Zhou Fei simply shook her head.

When that old scholar had bellowed the words 'Southern Imperial College', those pompous henchmen of the Big Dipper hesitated. A moment later, someone else spoke, in a much more respectful tone: "Sir, might I ask who you are…"

With that scratchy voice of his which grated on everyone's ears, the old scholar practically shouted: "I am the Scholar Lin Jin, from the Southern Imperial College! While I am but a lowly man, who occupies a humble position, how can I sit and watch as you desecrate the sanctum of a great sage! I should be the one asking all of you which great general is passing through today – my, my, how high and mighty he is!"

The man who had spoken at first now said: "You're just a lowly scholar – if we let a fugitive of the imperial court slip away, dare you take responsibility for it?"

But that old scholar thundered right back: "Since you're pursuing a fugitive, why aren't you going after him out there? Give me a good reason why you've come all the way here to besmirch a bunch of innocent children! Methinks Your Excellency must want to let this fugitive get away!"

Li Yan's heart was in her throat. She felt sure that a blood-curdling cry would pierce the air the very next second. But after a brief and awkward silence, the man who had spoken later, who seemed to be a senior officer under Tong Kaiyang, urged his disgruntled comrade to back down. In a voice so deferential that one could picture the equally respectful look on his face, he said: "Ah, so it's you, Mr Lin. Our deepest respects to you. An esteemed scholar like you certainly wouldn't be hiding anyone here. Our deepest apologies for disturbing you today. We'll be leaving now."

Li Yan widened her eyes in utter shock.

In a matter of seconds, the sound of those footsteps grew distant once more, and the Big Dipper that had swept in here like a hurricane withdrew without shedding a single drop of blood.

Li Yan: "What?! How's it…how…"

It was quiet for a good long while out there. Then that old scholar clucked and fussed over his young charges to calm them down from all that excitement, before leading them in reciting the sage's sayings once more.

Only now did Liu Youliang finally heave a sigh of relief, and let his tensed neck loll heavily back against the wall. In a faint voice, he said: "As Cao Zhongkun came by the throne through illegitimate means, in the early days of his rule his hands were stained with the blood of many. But while killing pugilists and common folk was no big deal to him, the lives of scholars and intellectuals were far more valuable, and later on in his life, when he'd grown advanced in years, he no longer had the guts to 'burn books and bury scholars',[8] fearing condemnation in the annals of history. Hence he's increased the number of imperial examinations in recent years to recruit more scholars, greatly expanding the Imperial College."

"And as recruitment rose steadily, it wasn't big enough to fit all these scholars anymore," interjected Zhou Fei. "So Cao Zhongkun established two Imperial Colleges, one in the northern part of his kingdom, and one in the southern regions. To show that he valued their opinions, he allowed students and teachers from both colleges to pen treatises and essays to the imperial court concerning matters of governance – and these intellectuals can be more savage in their criticism than even the court's supervisory Censorate.[9] It is said that the Zhaos were forced to flee to the south because the former Emperor had wilfully reformed the systems governing the officials of the imperial court as well as the scholars, at the expense of their interests. Bearing this in mind, Cao Zhongkun has always been very careful not to step on their toes. While the Big Dipper are the Emperor's royal guard in name, they are in fact little more than dogs that he uses to do his dirty work, and might not dare to offend anyone from the Southern Imperial College…is this right, Sir?"

Liu Youliang pressed a hand to the wound at his abdomen, the smile he shot her seeming more like a grimace as he said lowly: "That's right. While this old Mr Lin is but a minor scholar, he has quite the reputation. He was originally just a stuffy academic, who was often quite muddled in his behaviour and even incoherent at times, making him unfit for any kind of senior position in the Imperial College. Yet he seemed to have brilliant luck – after opening a private school for children some years back, which only taught them the most basic of texts, anyone under his tutelage went on to do marvellously well in the imperial examinations. Five successive students of his went on to clinch first-class honours, and even the Chief of the Southern Imperial College was once his student. Many academic families feel that having their children taught by him will guarantee them a bright future. He's fast becoming something of a legend in these parts."

Li Yan was still quite stunned by this.

Zhou Fei glanced sideways at her: "This all sounds very strange to you, does it? Did you really think that your brother would dare leave you alone in just any old place?"

Li Yan found herself quite dumbstruck. In the last three years, she could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen Zhou Fei, and her impression of Zhou Fei was still drawn from what she remembered of her cousin's teenage years – Li Yan clearly recalled how Zhou Fei used to walk around with her head bowed, utterly immersed in her own world and seemingly oblivious to any thing or person around her. She'd therefore been horrible at remembering directions, or people, and each New Year's, when the house was filled with guests conveying their festive greetings, she would simply follow Li Sheng around with the most aloof look possible on her face. If she encountered anybody familiar, she would greet them exactly how Li Sheng greeted them…there was once she'd even accidentally called Mistress Li 'Aunt'. And if you told Zhou Fei a secret, you need never be afraid that she might let it slip, because she simply didn't care, and anything that went in one ear of hers promptly went out the other. No matter what girlish woes you might share with her in confidence, she would forget them completely the very next day.

How had someone who was so unconcerned with worldly affairs grown this well-informed?

Li Yan had never been able to hide whatever she was thinking or feeling, as it always showed on her face plain as day. Zhou Fei slung Skies Shatter round her waist once more and folded her arms across her chest, smiling: "It isn't all that strange, really. When I first left the 48 Zhai, I was completely clueless about everything, and wouldn't even have been able to find my own way home if there wasn't anyone to lead me. Granny Li was worse, though – I shan't mention how he embarrassed himself."

Li Yan said a little despondently: "Then how did you learn to find your way home in the end?"

Zhou Fei paused, her gaze lingering on Li Yan's face for a brief moment, before she said: "Because those who'd led me home weren't with me anymore."

Old Madam Wang, Zhang Chenfei, Ma Jili…and Xie Yun.

After saying this, Zhou Fei swiftly withdrew her gaze and addressed Liu Youliang, turning to the matter at hand: "I knew that Tong Kaiyang might fear offending the Southern Imperial College, but I hadn't expected his men to be deterred this easily, and leave so soon. Unless this hasty retreat is part of some evil plot of his, there must be another very good reason for it."

Remembering how Liu Youliang had looked like he wanted to say something after realising they were from the 48 Zhai, Li Yan hastily introduced her cousin: "This is my cousin, she's Mistress Li's…"

"The Southern Blade," said Liu Youliang before Li Yan could finish. "I know who you are, you're even more famous amongst the Big Dipper than you are in the martial arts community of the South. After all, not just anyone is capable of setting Tong Kaiyang's house on fire…you have a fine mind, Miss Zhou – the reason why Tong Kaiyang dares not offend these scholars, is because the current Chief of the Southern Imperial College is the uncle of the Crown Prince, and is squarely within the Crown Prince's camp…and as for why Tong Kaiyang wishes not to offend the Crown Prince at this particular point in time, ahem…"

With his eyes half-closed, he wheezed several times before he managed to get the words out: "It's because Cao Zhongkun is dead."

Zhou Fei: "…"

Li Yan: "…"

Separated from them by a mere wall, the old scholar was intoning the line "To enlighten the generations of peace",[10] dragging out the word 'peace' for a full ten seconds in a way that would impress even an opera singer. And in the rear courtyard of this dilapidated temple, a middle-aged man on the brink of death was slumped in a corner, revealing this earth-shattering piece of news with quiet nonchalance.

This time, not only was Li Yan absolutely stunned, Zhou Fei was perhaps even more so.

"There are strict orders in the capital not to announce his death. Only the Empress, the Crown Prince, and several of his closest guards such as myself who were there at the time know of this. The Crown Prince wants to take this opportunity to purge the capital of Prince Duan's supporters, and seize the throne first. He has therefore prohibited this news from spreading, detaining all of us in the palace as a precaution. If any one of us dared to take a single step out of the palace, we would immediately be charged with 'plotting a rebellion'." Weakly spreading his hands out in a shrug, Liu Youliang said: "So I 'rebelled'."

Li Yan was still frozen in shock. After a while, she said hesitantly: "You aren't trying to deliver this news to Cao…that big fatty, are you?"

Zhou Fei said lowly: "Li Yan."

Li Yan stuck her tongue out at her cousin, but refrained from saying anything else.

Zhou Fei walked over to Liu Youliang. She leaned on Skies Shatter as she half-knelt before him, her gaze fixed on the man: "If all you wanted to do was convey this news, you could very well pass it on in secret. You didn't need to go to such lengths."

"You're absolutely right. When I was still in the old capital, I'd already devised a way to pass the message to the Wayfarers' Union, and your father has probably received it by now. But I was a little too careless and was betrayed by someone, else Tong Kaiyang wouldn't have discovered me so easily." Liu Youliang reached a hand into the bosom of his shirt with some difficulty. He felt around for a bit before pulling out a small box the size of his palm. This box sported a faded floral pattern, and appeared to be an old case of rouge. "But that's quite alright, because in any case I'd…"

Liu Youliang seemed to be in great pain as he reached out to shove that box into Zhou Fei's hand, wheezing like a punctured bellows: "It's dangerous for you to remain here. Even though you indeed wear the Southern Blade's title, bringing me along will still be a great inconvenience, Miss, so you don't…don't have to concern yourself with me any longer. If you could just help me bring this to your father, I will die without…"

Zhou Fei asked: "What is this?"

"Sea Blends Into Sky," said Liu Youliang.

Once again, Zhou Fei was stunned.

After wheezing a couple more times, Liu Youliang added: "It's not…ahem, it's not the Sea Blends Into Sky that everyone is talking about these days. Never in my life have I seen that water ripple diagram which they are all fighting over, nor do I know why the name of 'Sea Blends Into Sky' has been used…during that upheaval in the old capital many years back, some of us left to escort the young emperor south, risking their lives for his, while the rest of us stayed on, pretending to swear fealty to a usurper we resented while trying to undermine it from the inside. All of us knew that we might never see each other again, and so before we did, we made a pledge to each other, which we called 'Sea Blends Into Sky'…"

Whether they were risking their lives to flee south, or living on in the imperial court in shame, they were all making a painful sacrifice – never to meet again, yet sharing the same cause; like how the sea and the sky seemed to blend into each other, but never actually touch.

"The last one of us still alive in the North was to deliver this pledge and its list of signatories to the South. This way, even if we died still in disgrace, there would be proof of what we'd done, and our names would be cleared at the very end. But it's such a joke – that suspicious oaf Tong Kaiyang assumed that this list was of some importance, and wanted it in hopes of hunting down and killing these people."

Zhou Fei unfolded the piece of paper in the box and skimmed it. Even in her current well-informed state, the majority of the names on this list were still unfamiliar to her. Unlike General Wu, many of these people had probably never risen to such great heights in the Northern Dynasty for them to make any contributions of significance. They were merely hapless officials of meagre rank, quietly growing old and dying while fearing discovery every day. Some had even been drawn into the murky world of the imperial court, and like numerous other profit and- power-grubbing officials, fell to the plots and schemes of others, while still harbouring a deeply buried sense of loyalty to the former dynasty.

Liu Youliang said: "The entire way here, I've been searching for someone that I could entrust this to. Thank heavens that the gods have finally placed such a person in my path. Miss Zhou, I'm relying on you now."

Li Yan looked helplessly at Zhou Fei, and then back at Liu Youliang – Zhangqiu City was already under close watch, and the surrounding areas must be swarming with the Big Dipper's men right now. Even for someone like Zhou Fei, escaping with a heavily injured person in tow was probably impossible when they were up against an enemy this powerful.

Li Yan very much wanted to thump her chest and declare with confidence: 'Don't you worry, sir, I'll keep you safe', but she knew all too well that she couldn't. And even if she herself were willing to risk her life for this man, she couldn't risk her brother and cousin's lives on their behalf. All she could do was gaze woefully at Zhou Fei.

Zhou Fei remained silent. After pondering this for a minute, she put the piece of paper back into that old rouge box and tucked it away, before getting to her feet and hollering: "Hey, old fellow, are you done yammering on?"

Li Yan: "…"

A small door embedded in a corner of the courtyard's wall was pushed open from the other side. A diminutive old man with a wispy goatee stepped through it, sweeping aside the cobwebs hanging across the frame as he shuffled over, clutching the wall for support. In that gratingly shrill voice of his, he pointed a disgruntled finger at Zhou Fei and said: "How dare you show such disrespect to your elders, you impudent girl!"

Those noisy schoolchildren had already left. The old scholar hobbled towards them on his walking stick. His hair was entirely white, and he looked like he was in his seventies. Just watching him take these few shaky steps made Li Yan fear that he might have a bone-crushing fall any second now.

Zhou Fei said irritably: "I've never lived under your roof, nor studied under you – stop trying to lord it over me because of your age, and come over here to help!"

Lin Jin prodded her with his walking stick, as he twirled his goatee with a twinkle in his eye: "I am your shifu!"

Zhou Fei said impassively: "Who did you say you were? I sure don't have an old scholar for a shifu."

At this, an extremely sly smile emerged on Lin Jin's face. Putting on an air of sagacity, he shook his head patronisingly and said: "My dear girl, you'll have to admit it sooner or later."

Li Yan thought she could almost see the veins bulging at Zhou Fei's temples. Then this old fellow who was practically tottering on his feet stepped forward, and being careful not to aggravate Liu Youliang's wounds, picked the strapping man up by his waistband as lightly as if he were a piece of paper, hauling him over his shoulder.

Li Yan gaped at him in amazement. The old fellow winked at her and smiled: "Eh, you're not bad-looking as well, little lady. Have you ever read the four Books? Which one of the five Classics do you prefer?[11]"

"She's only familiar with the 'Three Character Classic'[12]," said Zhou Fei coldly. "Enough with your nonsense – scram!"

Lin Jin glared at her: "The hearts of men are cold as ice, cold as ice indeed! Girl, if you don't get yourself some manners, don't even think about marrying into my sect!"

This exchange made it quite clear that Xie Yun's roguish streak had been a product of nurture more than nature.

Zhou Fei thrust Skies Shatter at him, yelling: "Dream on!"

Lin Jin dodged her sabre with the agility of a limber monkey. Cackling with laughter, he bounded lightly away with the flabbergasted Commander Liu over his shoulder, and was gone in a flash.

Li Yan pointed in the direction that the old fellow had disappeared in, stammering: "He…he…"

"He's just a good-hearted old man. While he can be a little crafty sometimes, he's a dependable person overall, so you needn't worry about Mr Liu." Zhou Fei paused here, before adding: "I won't wait for Granny Li to come back – you can let him know what's happened. There's something I have to do still, but I'll be back home in time for the Double Ninth Festival.[13] Be careful on the road, I'll see you soon."

Li Yan quickly called out to her: "Hey, wait…"

But Zhou Fei didn't wait for her to finish – that slender figure leapt over the wall of the courtyard, and was already out of sight.