UNDERNEATH THE BLACK ROBE
He shifted uncomfortably on his bed. From the the day he left the Slumbering Hill, he never had a good rest. He feels mentally exhausted. Six years with no social contact made him feel old. Time had passed him by, stealing the remaining traces of youth in his own mind.
If not for the thing that happened a month ago, he would never think of descending the mountain to look for decade-rare items, which are needed to create the strongest barrier. It was the depth of the night back then when a group of black-masked martial artists invaded his mountain. It happened several times, but myriad of traps he set around the Hill always drove them away. They are searching for something valuable under his possession. The thirteenth master knows that whoever has the intention of stealing it is plotting something evil.
He came down to collect three items that can prevent anyone to enter or exit the Slumbering Hill without his permission. The first item is already in his possession, which is being targeted by someone who has control over the group of masked martial artists. He obtained the second one in the forbidden forest. The last thing he needs can only be found in the palace. Minister Shi had sent him a letter, which arrived mysteriously after another attack from the masked martial artists. Minister Shi is demanding for a deal. If the thirteenth master would join the investigation and succeed the Annihilation of evils in the kingdom, whatever he seeks from the palace should be given to him. The thirteenth master had bitten the bait, but him falling for the trap is not necessary.
Lying on his bed for a couple of hours, sleep still hasn't come to visit him. He tossed and turned, trying all possible positions to sleep on his bed. When he moved to switch to another position, he heard something. Wind-like footsteps. Only skilled martial artists could do such great footwork. It was definitely not the the Northern Warrior's servants whom he noticed spying on him for two days. The Northern Warrior is indeed skilled but he wouldn't be too impulsive to tarnish his name just to steal the Golden Leaf.
The thirteenth master shut his eyes and waited for his attackers.
-
"Brother Song! Brother Song! Something happened at Zhang Mansion!" Chen Yi rushed to his master, almost tripping over a couple of times.
"What could it be that made you so anxious?" Song Xianlong was busy fixing his belt. He is preparing for the Selection tournament which will begin today.
"The Zhang Mansion..." Chen Yi panted. "The Zhang Mansion was attacked."
"What do you mean?" Song Xianlong stopped fixing his clothes and focused his attention on Chen Yi's report.
"Some men tried to assassinate the thirteenth master."
"It seems like we are not the only one who are after him. Well, did they succeed?" Song Xianlong sat on his bed to wear his new pair of shoes.
"The guards didn't know anything until morning when they saw the pile of corpses outside the thirteenth master's room. And the thirteenth master, he... he's..." Chen Yi stammered.
Song Xianlong stood abruptly. "What happened to him? How about the Golden Leaf?"
"He. He's sleeping."
Song Xianlong hit him on the head. "Why don't you just say it then? I thought he's dead. If he died and the assassins stole his things, there is no way we could retrieve the Golden Leaf."
'Seems like this thirteenth master is really not to be underestimated,' Song Xianlong thought. Becoming curious again, he asked. "So how did he get rid of the assasinators? Poisoned needles? Smokes?"
"That is what makes me anxious, Brother Song. The-They all died in a similar way. With their feet severed." Chen Yi shivered in his own report. "The thirteenth master is so violent. Luckily, he didn't catch us spying on him the other day. Otherwise, Gu Lei and I would end up like the mountain of corpses at Zhang Mansion. We are so lucky the thirteenth master is so old that his hearing is not that sharp."
Now that he thinks of it, although pale and bony, the hand that he saw both in the forbidden forest and during the Assembly is definitely not from an old person. The thirteenth is really a big mystery to him.
-
At the western border of Jade City near Xuhai, there is an arena where martial events are often held. It is the thirteenth master's first time to see the place. The arena is a rectangular roofless structure, with the length of about twice the width. In the middle is a wide elevated stage where battles are held. Other martial artists surround the stage to watch and to wait for their turn.
At the northern side, there is an elevated platform where thirteen seats are arranged straightly. At the thirteenth seat sat the thirteenth master, boredly spectating the current battle on stage. He wore the same robe over dark blue clothes. The first seat was occupied by the dragon master from the capital, a man at his early forties and the head of all martial art masters. Beside him is the second master, the Cloud-Piercing Blade, the swordplay who replaced the Northern swordmanship. The lotus master of flower sect, which inhabits near the lotus river, sat on the third seat in his usual graceful and elegant demeanor.
"Did your hear about the Zhang Mansion incident?" The Sword Wheel, master of spinning sword technique, asked the fourth master, Iron Hand. The two of them occupy the fifth and fourth seats..
"I did. And I am disappointed that the thirteenth master is not hurt a bit. Those assassins, whoever sent them are not skilled at all, so I still need to teach that punk who humiliated my son and our City a lesson he wouldn't forget." Iron hand gritted his teeth.
"Indeed, indeed. I think he just got lucky to survive that attack. Remember at the Assembly, I ordered one of my men to attack the thirteenth master with a sword. The thirteenth master didn't even sense it coming, he wouldn't be here now if the Northern Warrior did not interfere. What a shame." The Sword Wheel shook his head.
Beside them, on the sixth seat sat Old Master Li, the Heavenly Sword, secretly listening to their conversation. He can't help but shake his head in disagreement. Lady Vine, the Whip Master, is the only female among the thirteen masters. But the rest of the masters know that her skills shouldn't be underestimated. She occupies the seventh seat, before the Blade Master on the eight seat.
The Dancing Swordsman on ninth has amazing footwork. He and the people from Xiangzhou city are all blessed with nimble lower limbs. He is usually lively but today, he seems to be a little off. Wang He, the Poison Master, is always devious and scheming. He has lots of tricks under his sleeve. The tenth seat belongs to him. The eleventh master, also called the Beast, is a largely built man with a spear almost twice as tall as him. The Flute Master, on the other hand, is a man with a small stature, and the people considers him the weakest of the twelve masters.
All of the masters are watching the fights intently, except the thirteenth master who silently wished to be in other place. Most of the victors chose to be a disciple of the Dragon Master. The Cloud-Piercing Blade is competing with the Dragon Master in terms of the number of disciples. Female martial artists who won their fights chose Lady Vine to be their master. Those disciples stood behind the masters they chose. They will form the thirteen troops, commanded by His Majesty to subjugate evil and earn the Kingdom's peace.
The masters with greatest to least number of disciples as of the thirtieth fight are arranged in the following: the Dragon Master, the Cloud-Piercing Blade, the Sword Wheel, Heavenly Sword, Iron Hand, Red Lotus, Lady Vine, the Dancing Swordsman, Blade Master, the Beast, Poison Master, Flute Master and the then the thirteenth master who still has not even a single disciple. No one knows what is his weapon of expertise or signature move.
The battles on stage are sometimes impressive and sometimes not. The thirteenth master could hear the people cheering when someone shows a certain move. But still, he is not interested on watching them fight. Until the 33rd fight. He heard the name, immediately catching his attention. It was Song Xianlong, the Northern Warrior, in his magnificent black and red hanfu. He held the liuyedao that was once owned by his grandfather. The thirteenth master shifted on his seat. He wanted to see the complex and legendary eighteen moves of Sword-Breaking technique once again. It was said that no matter how hard or whatever material the opponent's sword is made up, it will break at the eighteenth move. No one had ever broken that sword technique, so oftentimes, it is also called the Unbreakable.
Not only the thirteenth master's attention is focused on the stage, but also the rest of the martial artists in the arena. Song Xianlong unsheathed his liuyedao, and without further ado, he attacked his opponent directly. His rival is also a swordsman, with a wide and heavy-looking sword. In less than 10 seconds, Song Xianlong had already struck eight moves. Ten more and the technique will be completed. He attacked the lower body of his enemy then the upper and next, overhead. Between the 14th and 15th move, the opponent had the chance to attack Song Xianlong. He aimed for the Northern Warrior's chest but Song Xianlong's swordplay is quick and it has no loophole. Song Xianlong striked a few more times until the eighteenth move, sending his opponent down the stage. The defeated opponent's wide-bladed sword crumbles and broke into smithereens.
A deafening cheer struck the arena. The thirteenth master winced on his seat. Other masters are talking about Song Xianlong. All of them are praising him, but deep inside, they are all afraid to be replaced by him as a martial art master. The most anxious one is the second master but he didn't show any trace of it in his face.
The time has come for Song Xianlong to choose a master. Everyone is expecting him to choose the Dragon Master, even Song Xianlong himself wanted to work under the great master. But he has other plans and an incomplete mission. Reluctantly, the only thing he could do to finish his mission is to—
"I choose the thirteenth master," Song Xianlong stated, tightening his jaw.
There was an audible gasp among the crowd. Dragon Master, who was nodding and smiling at him earlier, glanced at Song Xianlong first then to the thirteenth master, with no trace of smile left. Song Xianlong didn't know but the thirteenth master is staring at him too.
The thirteenth master smiled then whispered, "He would do anything for the Golden Leaf."
Song Xianlong ascended the platform and headed directly behind the thirteenth seat, without paying respect to the thirteenth master. The thirteenth master ignored him too, as if nothing happened and no one is behind him.
The battles continued. Song Xianlong stood behind the thirteenth master, trying to make further plans in order to retrieve the Golden Leaf but all he could think of now is the wasted opportunity of learning from the Dragon Master..