Chapter 5

Gan Tang

“The distress of a Kunpeng stranded in shallow waters, the pain of an Azure Dragon with a broken horn, us river carp cannot understand. Gentleman, there is no need to discuss the cold with summer bugs.”

…...

The flame in the oil lamp flickered as Zhou Fei rubbed her eyes. Seeing the sun begin its journey across the sky, she lifted her hand to turn off the lamp. The ink in the inkstone had already dried and she was too lazy to add some water, using some of that mud-like black traces to finish “brushing” the remaining paragraph of family rules. The worn brush shed bristles due to her ravaging.

The night before, she and Li Sheng were carried out of the Inkwash River by Li Jinrong. Zhou Fei had assumed that even if she didn’t end up dying, she would at least shed a layer of skin. She didn’t expect Li Jinrong to carry them carefully and only command people to lock them up to reflect on their mistakes. Once each of them copied the family rules two hundred times, the matter would be settled.

She was safe from the blowing wind and the burning sun, free of pain and discomfort, allowed to lie down whenever she wished. This kind of “blessing” Zhou Fei would normally never receive. This was more similar to the kind of punishment Li Yan would face when making mistakes.

It wasn’t even midnight when Zhou Fei finished copying the family rules using illegible chicken scratch handwriting. Afterward, she sprawled herself across the little couch on the side to reflect on the events from last night, the messy brush dangling from her mouth. Due to the delay that Li Sheng caused, Li Jinrong was unable to chase after Xie Yun herself, allowing him to escape.

Zhou Fei estimated that the reason she could still laze around in her room was about eighty percent due to Young Master Xie’s hard work. Da Dang Jia wanted to capture him, but seemingly afraid to make the chase too high-profile, couldn’t punish her and Li Sheng publicly. Perhaps she was afraid to alarm someone. But after thinking about it a little, Zhou Fei felt that if she was beaten into a pulp, the only person that would be “alarmed” would be her father. With that thought, she was even more strongly convinced that the familiar-sounding “Gentleman Gan Tang” that Xie Yun spoke of was her father.

But who would come looking for her father?

From what Zhou Fei could remember, Zhou Yitang never went anywhere and usually didn’t meet with outsiders. All year round, besides falling ill, he would read in the courtyard and occasionally play the guqin^[1]. He wanted to teach a few juniors… but the three of them, Li Sheng included, were not destined for sentimental writing. Listening to the guqin melody, they sat to the side fidgeting with their fingers and yawning.

The Gentleman Sun who caused Zhou Fei to receive a beating was an old-fashioned scholar. Her father wasn’t old-fashioned, but at most he was a knowledgeable scholar. Besides having a weak constitution, he didn’t have any distinctive characteristics. Could he come from somewhere remarkable? At one moment, Zhou Fei thought about the terrifyingly strong “Qian Ji” in the Inkwash River, at the next, she reminisced on Young Master Xie’s godly lightness skills. She really had too many questions. At the same time, she squeezed her father’s face into the one hundred and eight legends of the martial world, imagining soap opera stories on love and hatred.

In the end, she couldn’t lay down forever, climbing to her feet to glance out the window. It was currently early morning, the time when people are most drowsy. The few disciples guarding her were wearily dozing off. Thinking for a while, Zhou Fei found a pair of shoes, throwing one under the desk and throwing the other at the foot of her bed. She drew her bed curtains and rolled her blanket into the shape of a person. Messily sprawling the family rules she spent the whole night writing across the desk, she created the appearance of having reflected for an entire night and was currently sleeping under the covers. Finished with her masterpiece, she leaped onto the ceiling beams of her room, familiarly removing a few loose tiles with ease and snuck out without anyone knowing.

Just as Zhou Fei was about to leap onto the roof and vault over walls, a quiet noise transmitted from nearby. She lifted her head to look— well, well, well, looks like she wasn’t the only gentleman sneaking about on the roof^[2].

Separated by a courtyard, Zhou Fei and Li Sheng, who was on the other roof, stared at each other speechlessly. After a while, they both looked away and pretended they didn’t see each other, each heading in their own direction.

Zhou Fei headed towards Zhou Yitang’s place, looking at it from a distance, afraid to get too close— from her many years of experience engaging in battles of wits with Li Jinrong, she knew that it was impossible for her mother to not take precautions. She probed around patiently. As expected, in the bamboo forest behind the little courtyard, under the bridge up front, she found people lying in ambush.

Zhou Yitang’s little courtyard was peaceful and quiet. At this time of day, he probably hasn’t woken yet. Just as Zhou Fei was hesitating on how she would sneak in, a series of bird chirps entered her ear. It was spring all year around in the 48 Strongholds of the Shu Mountains, the flowers and leaves never withered. It wasn’t all that strange to hear birds chirping. Zhou Fei didn’t pay it any attention at first, but who knew that the chirping would get closer and closer with no signs of stopping. Irritated by the noise, she really wanted to chuck a pebble at that annoyingly loud feathered beast. She whipped her head around… only to see Xie Yun looking at her with a face full of smiles as he sat on the branch of a large tree.

Xie Yun was chased around by Li Jinrong in the wilderness of the mountains for an entire day, probably not a fun experience. His outer robe was in shreds, the hems missing an inch or two. His hair was a mess— dew covered leaves draped across his head. With a few more bloody cuts decorating his hands and neck, he was in an even sorrier state than in the Inkwash River the night before. Yet a relaxed smile still hung on his face, as if he wasn’t worried at all about his current predicament. Even this kind of situation wouldn’t delay his appreciation for the mountain scenery at dawn and a young teenage girl.

“You guys’ 48 Strongholds really is complicated. It took all of my energy to find my way here.” Xie Yun let out a sigh before waving at her and asking familiarly, “Little girl, are you Li Da Dang Jia and Gentleman Zhou’s daughter?”

Zhou Fei stared at him blankly. Having always stayed in the Stronghold, her personality was molded by Li Jinrong into “do what you need to do. if there’s no purpose, speak less nonsense”. There were barely any people in her generation who she could hang out with, usually going about by herself. Not sure if Young Master Xie was a friend or foe, she didn’t know how to reply and could only nod her head. After a good while, she probed: “Do you have a grudge against my mother?”

“How could I? When your mother retired into the 48 Strongholds, I was still playing with mud,” Xie Yun fished out a piece of bamboo from who knows where, cutting it with a small knife as he sat on the tree conversing with her, “Though, she probably has something against that old man Liang who entrusted me to deliver the letter. I don’t know the details… sigh, he died without even explaining anything to me.”

Zhou Fei questioned, “Then, what are you to him?”

“No one. This scholar’s last name is Xie, first name is Yun, courtesy name^[3] is Unlucky, you can just call me ‘Mr. Understanding^[4]’. I am an idle person.” Xie Yun declared with a straight face, “That day, I was just fishing in the wild when that sickly elder ran over to pay his respects to a grave. After paying respects, he couldn’t get up, laying on the ground and sobbing. Seeing an elder cry like that, I felt bad for him, so I agreed to run errands for him.”

Zhou Fei: “...”

She realized that this Young Master Xie definitely had issues.

Zhou Fei asked incredulously: “Just because an old man cried, you risked your life barging into the 48 Strongholds for him?”

Xie Yun corrected, “Not because an old man cried. It was because Liang Shao cried— don’t you know who Liang Shao is? Did your father not tell you before?”

That name did sound somewhat familiar to Zhou Fei and she probably heard of him before, only Zhou Yitang had a mild temper and talked a lot. When he started talking about random history, Zhou Fei always thought of it as an old monk reciting scriptures, his words going in one ear and out the other. It was pretty good if she could remember one sentence out of ten. Either way, her father couldn’t bear to punish her.

Seeing that she didn’t respond, Xie Yun explained: “When Cao Zhongkun seized the throne, Liang Shao travelled north to escort the young emperor. Setting traps at Liang Huai, he rescued the young emperor from right under the nose of the ‘Big Dipper^[5]’s Seven Stars’, heavily injuring ‘Dubhe’ and ‘Mizar’ and even losing his only son in the process. Later on, he risked his life again to single-handedly support the southern country. He would be considered a… yes, a hero. The fall of a hero is like the collapse of a mountain. Wouldn’t it hurt? Since I don’t have any skills besides being quick on my feet, running an errand for him isn’t that big of a deal.”

Listening to him, Zhou Fei felt like she understood, but also not really. After some thought, she asked, “That something Seven Stars, are they strong?”

Xie Yun replied: “Big Dipper— Back then, after Cao Zhongkun seized the throne, there were quite a few people who weren’t convinced. He didn’t have the leisure to convince them one by one, so he decided to just have those people who disagreed^[6] with him killed.”

Zhou Fei had never heard such a simple but coarse explanation and couldn’t help but gawk at him: “Huh?”

“Of course, he couldn’t kill them all himself,” Xie Yun continued, “But he has seven experts as subordinates. After following him, they were labelled as Big Dipper, specifically killing people for Cao Zhongkun. As for how strong they are… Let me put it this way. Once upon a time, your mother led a group of outstanding fighters to barge into North Du to assassinate Cao Zhongkun. Even three thousand imperial guards couldn’t stop them. Back then, the illegitimate emperor only had the Big Dipper’s ‘Phecda’ and ‘Megrez’ by his side, but they were able to protect Cao Zhongkun and escape. If all Seven Stars were assembled, that time in North Du, they wouldn’t necessarily be the ones ‘ready to die as martyrs’. Aren’t they strong?”

To Zhou Fei, this explanation was completely convincing.

Because in her eyes, Li Jinrong was like a mountain. Every time she held a grudge against her mother, she would throw herself into training. Of the 365 days in a year, 364 were spent fiercely training. Every night she slept, she dreamt of Da Dang Jia’s whip slashing towards her. But before the whip could land, she deftly removed it from Da Dang Jia’s hand, throwing it at her feet. Smiling smugly, she swaggered off… of course, it was only just a dream.

Sometimes Zhou Fei thought that she would never be able to surpass her mother. Every time she thought she caught up by a bit, she would realize that her mother coldly watched her from even farther away.

Xie Yun took a breath, summarizing: “Now you understand right? When heroes like Liang Shao collapse on the ground, crying so much they can’t stand up, it’s like when pretty girls like you lose their youth. The white hairs of age make people’s heart hurt. Since I encountered it, I ought to do something.”

Zhou Fei: “...”

No one dared to converse with Li Jinrong about nonsense such as “Your daughter has grown very charming.” The most adults would ever say to Zhou Fei was to politely comment that she “has the demeanour of Da Dang Jia back in the day.” Her peers said even less, barely conversing a few sentences in a month. To date, no one had ever complimented her looks. Thus, she was dazed for a while.

At this time, Xie Yun had already used the time talking with her to finish sculpting a complete bamboo flute. Lightly blowing off some sawdust, he gave Zhou Fei a mischievous smile. “Hurry and run away. If caught by your mother, your hands will take a beating.”

Zhou Fei hurriedly asked: “What are you going to do?”

Xie Yun blinked at her, holding the flute up to his lips. Blowing out high and low notes, the clear flute tone broke the silence of the forest. Early waking birds flapped their wings as they shot towards the sky, an endless sea of jade bamboo reflected in the eyes of the youth who lounged on a tree. When the people lying in ambush one by one approached, his flute notes gradually turned into a song.

The song was “Breaking Moments^[7]”.

Zhou Fei was first shocked. Like a little snake hit by a grass stick, she subconsciously slipped into a nearby forest. But after running halfway, she snapped out of her stupor. Worried for that one surnamed Xie, she looked for a big tree to hide on, looking down from above. Her heart was full of questions. She didn’t understand why Xie Yun would deliver a letter for an old man he didn’t even know, and didn’t understand why after finally escaping with much difficulty, he still returned to throw himself into a trap.

The words he had spoken were clearly bullshit, yet when carefully considered, they actually couldn’t be refuted.

Zhou Fei just began to run when Xie Yun was surrounded by a group of well-armed Stronghold disciples. Anxiously, she clenched her hand, a black lotus seed digging into her palm. Peering through the gap in between the leaves, she recognized quite a few outstanding senior brothers— looks like Li Jinrong had all of the 48 Stronghold’s elites lie in ambush near Zhou Yitang’s little courtyard.

These people probably received Li Jinrong’s instructions, not saying a word, they directly attacked. Their cooperation was impeccable.

Five people cut off Xie Yun’s retreat. Three swordmasters rushed forward, two with decent lightness skills leapt onto big trees on both sides in case he retreated from the treetops. On the other side, thirteen crossbows were cocked, each bowstring pulled taught and aimed at Xie Yun. Even if he was a bird, he would still be shot into a porcupine.

Zhou Fei quietly ducked her head even lower, puzzling over how she would respond if the one escaping was her. She didn’t like to hide, probably landing under the tree, the branches and leaves blocking some sneak attacks for her. As long as her speed was fast, attacks merciless, moving in one direction, and willing to risk a couple blows, she could always kill her way out^[8]. But she felt that Xie Yun probably wouldn’t do such a thing. With his lightness skills at such a godly level, his other abilities were sure to be fathomless.

Zhou Fei wasn’t all that worried. Instead, she was even a little curious.

Who knew that Xie Yun would let out an “Oh my”. Seeing a sword slash towards himself, he instinctively shrunk back, pushing the bamboo flute in front with closed eyes. A whole chunk of the bamboo flute was sliced off on the spot. Seemingly taken aback, he lifted the edge of his clothes to hop on the branch three times in a row, scrambling to dodge in time. In the blink of an eye, his body was littered with more cuts, becoming a “charming” beggar. Under the glint of cold steel, he covered his head and scurried away like a rat.

Seeing this, Zhou Fei gaped. Could he be trying to hide his abilities?

At this time, a swoosh was heard. An arrow sliced through the air, heading straight towards Xie Yun. Zhou Fei was shocked, the black lotus seed in her palm was nearly flung out. Then, she saw Xie Yun flutter in the wind. Leaping over three chi, his movements elegant like flowing clouds and flying immortals.

Zhou Fei lightly curled her fingers, returning the black lotus seed to the palm of her hand. Sure enough, he really is powerful.

But before her heart could fully settle in her chest, Xie Yun was chased by three new swordmasters. Suddenly raising his hand, Zhou Fei was filled with newfound energy, anticipating his move. What she didn’t expect was that the person in question would throw away the bamboo flute in his hands, exclaiming: “Hey, hey! I give up, I give up, I can’t beat you guys! Ah! Be careful, you’re gonna stab someone to death!”

Three swords were held at the neck of that “Flowing Clouds and Flying Immortals”, forcing him down from the tree. To prevent getting injured accidentally, Xie Yun diligently stretched his neck longer, saying, “Honorable heroes, please have mercy. Your family’s Boss might ask me questions. If my neck is scraped, I won’t talk anymore.”

The crowd suddenly fell silent. The disciples split into two rows, saluting one by one. Turns out, Li Jinrong had arrived. She didn’t know if it was her own hallucination, but Zhou Fei felt that Li Jinrong glanced in her direction, hurriedly burrowing herself even lower onto the tree.

“Li Da Dang Jia.” Xie Yun smiled at her from afar, his gaze sweeping over the three swords held at his neck.

Li Jinrong wasn’t afraid of him playing tricks under her watch. Giving a reserved nod, the three swords at Xie Yun’s neck were returned to their sheath at once. Xie Yun worriedly felt his neck before fishing out an antique token. Lowering his head to look at it, he laughed. “So this is the Anping Command. ‘May the nation prosper,’ sure is auspicious. Too bad it didn’t bless my freedom a bit longer.”

Li Jinrong’s gaze scanned the token in his hand, coldly saying: “Back then Emperor Qin made this ‘By the Heavens, may we prosper forever’ passed down the Imperial Jade Seal really was talking big. Good days last forever these kinds of auspicious words, so what? The second emperor died, Wang Mang^[9] rebelled, the Little Emperor fled— everything fell apart, might as well destroy it all.”

Zhou Fei had never heard her mother speak this many words before, almost thinking that she was possessed by Zhou Yitang. Yet Xie Yun even shook his head, raising his hand to hang that “Anping Command” on a nearby branch.

Li Jinrong’s eyes flashed. “Didn’t you say where it goes, you go?”

Xie Yun laughed. “This junior travelled thousands of miles in order to deliver this letter, the Anping Command is only a small keepsake. Today, the letter has already been delivered, this little thing is now just a piece of scrap metal. If I continued to risk my life for it, wouldn’t it be putting the cart before the horse?”

Li Jinrong’s expression turned gloomy. “The letter was already delivered? Did you really think playing that ambiguous song would help save you? I might as well tell you, the person you are looking for isn’t here at all.”

Zhou Fei, who was still on the tree, blanked— that’s right! In order to not startle her father, Da Dang Jia even let her off the hook, avoiding a beating. How could Young Master Xie be allowed to swagger around and play the flute outside of Zhou Yitang’s courtyard? Could the courtyard really be empty? She was momentarily anxious, but she didn’t know who she was anxious for. Zhou Fei was sure her mother wouldn’t put her father in harm’s way, this letter clearly has some kind of implication. Yet if Young Master Xie’s “letter” could never be delivered, would he be cut into dumpling fillings by Da Dang Jia?

Zhou Fei was the epitome of “the emperor doesn’t worry but the eunuch does^[10].” Xie Yun seemed completely indifferent, leisurely saying to Li Jinrong, “Da Dang Jia, time, fate, and luck. If this letter cannot be delivered today, that’s just my luck— only your luck and Gentleman Zhou’s luck will not be changed because of us nobodies. What’s coming will come eventually. Avoid it for a while, but you can’t avoid it forever. Da Dang Jia, deep down, you probably understand this principle. Otherwise, how would you be afraid to let Gentleman Zhou listen to a little song?”

These words obviously irritated Li Jinrong. From between her teeth, she squeezed out: “You really think I won’t kill you?”

Before she even finished speaking, the lowered crossbows were instantly lifted, each person’s hand placed on a trigger, killing intent spreading through the air. A young disciple’s small crossbow somehow slid in his hand. With a whoosh, a thin little arrow shot straight at Xie Yun’s heart. A single black lotus seed crashed into it mid-flight, knocking it into the air.

Zhou Fei observed for quite a while, feeling that this Young Master Xie was bluffing and that perhaps, he would only be faced with defeat. This time around, he probably didn’t have any skits left to act. She jumped off the tree, calling out, “Mother!”

Li Jinrong didn’t even lift her head. “Scram!”

Not only didn’t Zhou Fei scram, she even took a few steps forward with a straight face, coming to a stop in front of Xie Yun. She glanced at the token hanging from the tree out of the corner of her eye. It was fading in color and had a dim luster, looking like a piece of trash that wouldn’t even be bought for a few coins in a pawn shop.

“Da Dang Jia,” Zhou Fei corrected. Conducting herself with the manners of the younger generation, she lowered her voice. “Last night, Da Dang Jia said that as long as he hands over the token, he can leave. Since it’s like this, why are you going back on your word now?”

“Zhou Fei,” Li Jinrong slowly stressed each word, “I ordered you to stay in your room to reflect on your mistakes, and you dared to secretly sneak out? Today, I am determined to break your leg! Now scram! I don’t have the energy to deal with you.”

Just then, a sword-wielding disciple hurriedly interjected:”Da Dang Jia, please calm down. Zhou Fei, behave, quickly move aside.”

In her entire life, there were two words Zhou Fei couldn’t find in her vocabulary: one was “fear,” the other, “behave.” Speaking of it, it was kind of odd. If other families’ children were raised under beatings, they would fear strict seniors to some extent. Yet, she was different. The more she was hit, the more stubborn she became. The more she was beat, the less she was afraid. Zhou Fei didn’t hide and didn’t move aside, facing Li Jinrong’s gaze head on. “Ok, then it’s settled. Da Dang Jia, keep your word and escort him out of the 48 Strongholds. I’ll stand here and let you break my leg.”

Xie Yun, who maintained the composure of a flying immortal, was finally shocked and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah, that little girl…”

Li Jinrong furiously demanded, “Take her down!”

The sword-wielding disciple nearby quietly urged, “A-Fei…”

Li Jinrong exclaimed, “Take that evil creature down too!”

The disciples didn’t dare to disobey Da Dang Jia, but also watched Zhou Fei grow up and didn’t really want to hurt her. Stalling for a good while, a disciple finally hardened his heart. Holding his sword en garde, he gave Zhou Fei a look, telling her to repent and behave. Who knew that the little brat couldn’t understand his gaze. Her sword was broken by the Qian Ji, but she got her hands on another one from who-knows-where, seriously replying, “Senior brother, I’ve offended you.”

Saying this, Zhou Fei flicked her wrist. The longsword nimbly sprung out, it’s scabbard bouncing high into the air, mercilessly prying off that disciple’s weapon. The other senior brothers’ all felt an oncoming headache. She was unwilling to yield, yet they didn’t dare to throw a match in front of Li Jinrong. Four people instantly stepped up, two sword hilts stabbed towards Xie Yun, the other two shot towards Zhou Fei, wanting her to block with her longsword.

Zhou Fei normally used a narrow-back saber, which was infinitely more solid than her current longsword. The two disciples thought that she lacked inner strength, expecting that they only needed to hold down the sword in her hands, restraining her from making more trouble without causing her any harm. Who would have known that in order to hide from Li Sheng, she often restrained herself— it should be known that Chinese broadswords^[11] have single-edged blades and are solid like no other, and hiding abilities is a lot more difficult than letting it out, her actual skill level far higher than what could be seen. Only to see her take a step back at lightning speed, methodically dishing out moves while emptying out her other hand to shove Xie Yun away.

Xie Yun was also formidable. When the sound arrived, he let the little girl push him into a somersault without hesitation, dodging the two swords by a hair and leaving room for Zhou Fei to move. Zhou Fei held her sword in front of her chest, pivoting on her left foot. Hearing a clash of metal that made one’s ears ring, she used her sword as a saber, knocking away three swords. Then, the soft blade wrapped around the last steel knife. The person holding that knife only felt a strong force wash over, and the knife in his hand slipped out, wrung into two halves by Zhou Fei!

Even Li Jinrong was slightly shocked. Immediately, Li Da Dang Jia figured out what happened. The fire in her heart suddenly enlarged, reaching for Zhou Fei’s back. Even though Zhou Fei talked back, argued without reserve, and often had treacherous fantasies, she didn’t dare to really fight against her mother. With the light and agile “Swallow Skimming Over Water,” Zhou Fei lept onto a tree. Using the sword hilt to wedge the treetop, she pivoted, dodging Li Jinrong’s second move without looking back. Following the snapped branches as they fell, she landed.

A couple older disciples nearby watched anxiously, their heart thumping wildly, fearing that Zhou Fei who was running all over the place had really angered their Da Dang Jia, who in a fit of rage, may very well beat Zhou Fei to a pulp. Hurriedly intercepting the two, the disciples blocked her escape path.

At this very moment, a shout was heard. “Stay your hand!”

The slightly anxious Xie Yun quickly relaxed, regaining his weirdly ever-present smile. Calm and composed, he got up from the ground, dusting himself off and rearranged his clothes before leisurely saluting the arriving figure. “Junior scholar greets Gentleman Zhou.”

“You flatter me.” Zhou Yitang slowly walked over. His steps were not fast, in fact, even a little impractical. He first knocked his finger on Zhou Fei’s forehead, scolding, “Where are your manners?”

Then he exchanged looks with Li Jinrong, his gaze slowly turning towards the token hanging on the tree. “The gratitude between master and apprentice this Zhou has already been paid in full. Now, I am but a disabled person who is out of touch with reality. What did you come find me for?”

Xie Yun lightly smiled. “I am but a messenger passing by. A debt of gratitude or an old grudge, I don’t know. Only, if Gentleman Zhou didn’t want to see me, making an appearance would be unnecessary, no?”

Zhou Yitang glanced at him, asking, “What if I didn’t hear it at all?”

“That’s nothing. If they can’t hear my flute, they aren’t the person I’m looking for. Shu Mountain is a gift of nature with beautiful landscapes and gorgeous scenery. The trip here was a blessing for my eyes. Even if I return in failure, it was a worthy trip,” Xie Yun replied good-naturedly. Seeing Zhou Yitang roll his eyes, he beamed, continuing, “The distress of a Kunpeng^[12] stranded in shallow waters, the pain of an Azure Dragon with a broken horn, us river carp cannot understand. Gentleman, there is no need to discuss the cold with summer bugs.”

Zhou Yitang’s expression wasn’t as carefree as Xie Yun’s. He had a crease between his brows, even when he was smiling, thus, he always seemed a little worried. Taking a good look at Xie Yun, he commented, “Little brother^[13], you have a way with words.”

“I am ashamed,” Xie Yun replied with a straight face, “This junior only knows how to run quickly and blabber.”

Zhou Yitang’s gaze turned towards Li Jinrong. The two of them were only a few steps apart, yet it suddenly felt like they were looking each other in the eye with no words to say. Then, Zhou Yitang softly called, “A-Fei, bring father the token from that tree.”

Zhou Fei didn’t know why, but she looked back at Li Jinrong. She had never seen such an expression on Li Jinrong’s face. It wasn’t really sadness, but compared to the fury on her face when she had just caught Zhou Fei, Li Jinrong seemed to have calmed down. Only, her shoulders were slightly drooped, and there was little left of her domineering aura, almost seeming like a mortal.

Li Jinrong’s voice was raspy. “Didn’t you say that the gratitude was already repaid? Since both sides are now even…”

“Jinrong,” Zhou Yitang gently interrupted, “When he was alive, the two of us were even. I took refuge in the Shu Mountains and he avoided the Yellow Springs^[14]. Now that he’s gone, separated by life and death, these old secrets from back then are uncovered, do you understand?”

Li Jinrong’s expression swiftly changed— Zhou Yitang actually knew of Liang Shao’s death!

Then those… she shut the thought down. What about the rumors from outside? Could he have silently known it all?

Li Jinrong wasn’t like her clueless little daughter. In just a few words, she understood the brief exchange between Xie Yun and Zhou Yitang.

“If they can’t hear my flute, they aren’t the person I’m looking for” — she should’ve realized earlier. How could Zhou Yitang this type of person be content with being “out of touch with reality”?

Li Jinrong stared blankly for a long while, then slightly raised her head and straightened her back, slowly exhaling. Zhou Fei saw her blink rapidly before saying, “Give it to your father.”

The old token felt coarse in her hand. Zhou Fei ran her thumb over its surface, feeling the dents left by all kinds of weapons. The elegantly simple seal carving revealed a dignified aura.

“When my late father was still with us, even if we became bandits and dirtied our own reputation, we would give all the desperate people in the world a place to stay in the 48 Strongholds, this place of refuge,” Li Jinrong declared, “We don’t rely on the North or South. With a hundred thousand mountains protecting us and the Inkwash River as a barrier, attackers will die. The commands our ancestors left behind we don’t dare defy. Thus, outside of the 48 Strongholds, we have no friends and no enemies, no alliances and no parties. You are the same.”

Zhou Yitang’s expression didn’t change. “I understand.”

Li Jinrong withdrew both her hands into her sleeves. “If you leave, from then on, you will have no connection with the 48 Strongholds.”

Zhou Fei whipped her head around, eyes wide.

“I will not dispatch anyone to escort you,” Li Jinrong expressionlessly stated, “The journey to Jinling^[15] is long, and the world is not peaceful. For the time being, remain here for a few days, write a letter and ask them to come pick you up.”

Once she finished speaking, she ignored Xie Yun who she wanted to kill moments before, didn’t care about the gaping disciples, even forgetting to break Zhou Fei’s leg. Like this, she directly spun around and left.

Zhou Yitang’s gaze followed her. After a long while, he waved his hand, softly speaking. “You all can disperse— Sheng-er^[16].”

Li Sheng quietly stepped out from behind him. “Uncle.”

Li Sheng thought that he was smarter than Zhou Fei, realizing long before that Zhou Yitang usually didn’t stay in his courtyard. Thus, after sneaking out from his room, he looked all over for him. Li Sheng analyzed that Zhou Yitang’s health wasn’t great, thus avoiding cold, hot, and humid weather. Li Jinrong usually took care of him meticulously. The places she planned for him to stay couldn’t be shady, couldn’t be rainy, couldn’t be windy, and the road couldn’t be difficult to travel. Yet, after carefully following his conjecture and searching the entire 48 Strongholds, he didn’t even see Zhou Yitang’s shadow. Who knew that after returning without success, he would run into Zhou Yitang at a place near his little courtyard, leaning against an old tree and listening to the flute sound that floated from not too far away.

Li Sheng arrived with Zhou Yitang, naturally witnessing Zhou Fei defeating four of the Stronghold’s senior brothers. Not knowing what to feel, he didn’t greet Zhou Fei, instead lowering his head and trudging towards Zhou Yitang.

Zhou Yitang said, “Go ask Da Dang Jia for the token, just tell her I need it. This little brother is my guest, request her to release him.”

Li Sheng didn’t dare to delay, turning around to leave.

“Many thanks to Gentleman Zhou,” Xie Yun beamed, “As an uninvited guest who scaled walls and snuck around, I can finally figure out where the main entrance is on my way out.”

“Your surname is Xie,” Zhou Yitang questioned, “Do you have any relations with Xie Xiang?”

“One lineage can’t produce two different Xie’s,” Xie Yun replied, “Perhaps eight hundred years ago, we were a part of the same family. Though after eight hundred years, he is high up in the imperial court while I am in the martial world afar. We complement each other well, probably considered sworn brothers.

Seeing him run his mouth without a single understandable sentence, Zhou Yitang gave up on asking. Bowing^[17] at Xie Yun, he gestured to Zhou Fei and slowly walked away.

After that day, Zhou Fei didn’t see Xie Yun again. Apparently he had already gone down the mountain and left, bringing along a letter from Zhou Yitang. A month after Xie Yun left, someone came knocking on the door, very formally requesting an audience with the 48 Stronghold’s Da Dang Jia, Li Jinrong. Yet Li Jinrong did not make an appearance, instead ordering people to open the door to let Zhou Yitang leave.

That day, the mountains of the 48 Stronghold was a sea of lush green, leaves rustling as a light breeze brushed past. All was peaceful.

Zhou Yitang slowly descended the mountain alone. The sentries on both sides long received the command. One left, one right, they opened the door. Beyond the door, a sea of soldiers clad in black armor awaited, sent by the southern dynasty to escort him to Jinling.

Zhou Yitang looked back at the road he came from. Not seeing the person he wished to see, the corner of his mouth twitched in self-mockery.

“Wait!”

Zhou Yitang fixed his eyes upon the source of the sound, seeing Zhou Fei rush over from within the 48 Strongholds, her feet barely touching the ground. “Father!”

Li Da Dang Jia said she wouldn’t bar Zhou Yitang, but she didn’t say that she wouldn’t bar Zhou Fei, who didn’t even have a token of entry. The sentries at the mountain entrance all shouted, “Junior sister, stop!”

Zhou Fei wouldn’t listen to them. Who knew where she found another narrow-back saber, but from a couple zhang away, she threw the metal scabbard, jamming the iron gate. There were two sentries on watch there, one held a saber, the other a staff, both reaching out to block her. Zhou Fei arched her back, her saber slung over her shoulder, and charged forward, forcing the two weapons aside. Immediately, seven or eight guarding disciples landed near the entrance, surrounding her.

Zhou Yitang’s face was full of helplessness. “Zhou Fei, stop messing around. Go back!”

Zhou Fei only thought that the countless swords held on top of her head was like the Five Elements Mountain^[18], unshakeable and inescapable. Her two hands were strained to the max, the area around her joints already turning white. Clenching her teeth, she retorted, “I won’t!”

Zhou Yitang: “A-Fei…”

Zhou Fei’s voice was hoarse. “She won’t let anyone escort you, so I’ll accompany you! At worst I don’t come back either!”

Zhou Yitang paused, looking back at the people behind him. The soldiers sent to escort him were headed by a fellow about thirty-five years of age clad head to toe in black armor, his figure lean and neat. Seeing Zhou Yitang’s gaze, that armor-clad fellow immediately stepped forward to say, “General Wen Yu, ordered to escort Gentleman to Jinling. Do you have any instructions?”

“So you’re the general of “Fei Qing”. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Zhou Yitang pointed at Zhou Fei’s scabbard. “This child was spoiled by me and is extremely stubborn. Please excuse her behavior. The meridians on my two hands are broken, could General lend a hand?”

Wen Yu smiled. “Gentleman Zhou is too polite.”

He didn’t step forward after speaking. From afar, he swung his arm, pushing out a path of force that knocked on Zhou Fei’s scabbard, causing it to fall. The two sides of the six zhang tall metal door of the 48 Stronghold’s entrance let out a sharp cry, shutting close with a bang.

Zhou Fei, who was firmly held in place by the seven or eight guards, angrily lifted her head, glaring sharply at Wen Yu.

Wen Yu awkwardly scratched his head. “I’m afraid your daughter already hates me.”

“She’s still young and immature.” Zhou Yitang shook his head, bending over to pick up that iron scabbard. It was first wedged between the two iron doors, then knocked by Wen Yu, already bearing two more dents.

Zhou Yitang turned towards Zhou Fei. “This saber is really average. Later, Father will find you a better one.”

Zhou Fei didn’t make a sound, struggling to push away the swords holding her down. She could feel her head expanding with each breath. Her temple throbbing with stinging pain. Yet still angry, she refused to shrink back even half a cun.

“I remember I told you that ‘You can’t have your cake, and eat it too,’” Zhou Yitang looked at her.

Zhou Fei didn’t want to listen to his useless “die for justice” words, turning a deaf ear and avoiding his line of sight. She fiddled with the saber in her hand which let out a clunk every time it hit the ground. Without warning, it broke. Flung out, it shot straight into the ground. The guards let out a shout, once more holding her down with the spine of their sabers.

“I didn’t want to tell you to ‘die for justice,’” Zhou Yitang told her softly from across the iron gate, “A-Fei, the choices you make depend on what you value and what you don’t. They are the way of the strong, of successful scholars, of martial experts. Otherwise, you’re only an ant, living your entire life without personal freedom, following the crowd. Choices? What a joke. Just like today, you said at worst just don’t come back, but you can’t even exit through these doors. Whether you want to stay or leave with me, is it up to you?”

Hearing Zhou Yitang softly speaking to this little girl, Wen Yu thought he was coaxing her nicely. Who knew he would say these ruthless words. Not to mention the little girl, even he was hurt when listening.

Zhou Fei was stunned. The corners of her eyes turning red, she stared blankly at Zhou Yitang.

“Grow up well. We will meet again one day. I will wait, but it depends on when you are finally free to come and go.” Zhou Yitang said. “A-Fei, Father is leaving. Farewell.”