Chapter 13: Encounter
The veiled maiden paid no attention to the richly dressed youth walking toward her. Her gaze passed over the boy’s shoulder and fixed on the tall old man following closely behind. With a gloomy expression, she said, “Just now, you wanted to kill someone at the slightest disagreement. Although you had your reasons, I think it was wrong.”
The richly dressed youth stopped about seven or eight paces away from the cold-faced maiden. With sincere eyes, he said, “My name is Gao Zhen, from Yiyang County in the Great Sui. If Grandpa Wu has offended you, I am willing to apologize and compensate.”
The tall old man stood behind the youth, his emotions complex. So-called “a son of the Gao clan of Yiyang County, Great Sui” was actually an understatement. The Great Sui dynasty had lasted for twelve hundred years; those who sat on the dragon throne all bore the surname Gao. The founding emperor had risen to power from Yiyang County.
The maiden remained indifferent, raising her hands to tighten her bandages as she said to the old man, “If we were outside, facing a martial arts grandmaster who has likely already achieved ‘riding the wind on distant journeys,’ I would be no match for you. But here and now, as long as I call upon my flying sword, you will die for certain.”
The tall old man sneered. “As long as that assassin knew about your trump card in advance—with his physique at the peak of a minor grandmaster—as long as he protected his vital points, what would it matter if you pierced him ten times? If even he could do that, then I, who am two realms above him—with one threshold regarded as an insurmountable chasm in martial arts—would be even more dangerous. Little girl, I don’t know what gives you the confidence to say the words ‘die for certain.’”
The maiden frowned and quietly placed one hand on the hilt of her blade. “I’m someone who hates trouble, and I detest arguments even more. How about we try a fight to see who’s right? Whoever wins gets to be right, deal?”
The old man, rarely threatened, was somewhat irritated. If not for being trapped in this godforsaken, eerie place, then even with her extraordinary talent, at her level of cultivation, he could crush and kill ten of her like ants with one hand. Furthermore, if not for the heavy responsibility of caring for the young prince, on whom the entire Great Sui had placed its hopes, he would—even at the risk of severe injury from the suppression of this place’s self-circulating Dao—teach this arrogant girl a harsh lesson. A newborn calf that fears not a tiger is courageous, but that doesn’t mean the tiger won’t devour the calf without leaving a trace.
The richly dressed youth, who called himself Gao Zhen, quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Miss, if you insist on pursuing this, I am willing to offer this item as compensation.”
Gao Zhen lowered his head, opened the cloth pouch at his waist, and took out a jade seal. Holding it with one hand, he extended it toward the distant veiled maiden. “As a token of sincerity, I only ask that you not hold Grandpa Wu’s unintentional rudeness against him. After all, he acted out of loyalty and had no malicious intent.”
The tall old eunuch, with white brows and white hair, was immediately alarmed. Falling to one knee, he said fearfully, “Your Highness, you cannot do this! How can this old slave, so base and vile, compare to this jade seal? This seal is Your Highness’s fate-given opportunity, a rare and pure treasure of this world, even capable of bearing the incense offerings of the people. How can the two be put on the same level? Your Highness is trying to drive this old slave to death!”
The youth of royal blood, the Gao boy, had a stiff expression.
The maiden seemed impatient and sneered, “A frog at the bottom of a well, always treasuring its own scraps. Put that jade seal away. I’ve always liked a saying: ‘A gentleman does not take what others hold dear.’”
The maiden acted decisively and turned to leave.
The richly dressed youth let out a sigh of relief. “Please get up, Grandpa Wu. Kneeling is so improper. In the Great Sui, even the twelve Grand Eunuchs only kneel to the emperor. If the Six Section Supervisors or the Ministry of Rites saw this, they’d make a big deal of it, and we’d both be in trouble. Anyway, this trip to the town has gone smoothly, thanks to the protection of our ancestors. Let’s not stir up more trouble. Let’s leave quickly. And even after we rendezvous with our people outside, we mustn’t let our guard down. Remember, among the six pillar states of the Great Li dynasty, the Yuan and Cao families, though on opposite sides, unfortunately both hold irreconcilable enmity with our Great Sui Gao clan. If something happens to you here, Grandpa Wu, and your combat strength is compromised, it will be very difficult for me to return safely to the Great Sui.”
The old man nodded and slowly rose. “This old slave understands the gravity of the situation and what is urgent.”
When the old man said the word “urgent,” the veiled maiden was already more than twenty paces away.
A breeze brushed past the richly dressed youth, rustling his hair at his temples and the sleeves of his brocade robes.
Apparently, the old man beside him, who wielded such immense power in the Great Sui, had no intention of letting the maiden go. He had already charged forward. The first three steps pounded heavily on the alley ground, producing a dull sound that penetrated more than three feet into the earth. On the fourth step, the old man leaped high and drove a fist toward the maiden’s back.
The veiled maiden suddenly twisted her waist, using the toes of her left foot as a pivot. With her right hand, she drew her saber from its sheath, and a flash of white light more dazzling than the sun appeared in the alley.
The tall old man descended with overwhelming force, his fist slamming directly onto the blade. The back of his hand was only cut with a thin scratch by the sharp edge. After landing, the old eunuch continued to charge forward, pushing the saber-wielding maiden backward. Then, he casually extended a palm, seemingly slow but actually as fast as lightning, striking the maiden’s forehead. Just as he was about to increase the force to shatter the head hidden beneath the veiled hat, he suddenly shifted his steps, moving his body sideways by a foot. With a *puffing* sound, he looked down to see a sharp weapon piercing through his right chest from behind—a sword tip.
The old man’s expression did not change. He pinched the sword tip with two fingers and pushed it backward, forcing the sharp flying sword that had followed the maiden’s intent to appear out of his chest.
Blocked by the flying sword, the old eunuch failed to shatter the maiden’s head. The maiden, having been thrown backward and crashing heavily into the alley, took the chance to catch her breath. She rose agilely like a civet cat and quickly disappeared into a fork in the alley.
The youth’s face darkened terrifyingly. His fists clenched, and an aura of fury emanated from him. Face full of anger, he said, “Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, Wu Yue, Grand Eunuch Wu! Why did you refuse to heed my hint? Why must you act so stubbornly? Do you really think that in this town, you, Grand Eunuch Wu, are the most invincible? Clearly, we were in the wrong first, and she was willing to drop the matter without pressing us. Why did you have to be so vicious? This is simply going too far!”
The old eunuch pulled his gaze back from the alley where the maiden had fled, turned, and walked back. His back was straight, making him appear even more imposing. He paced back slowly, each step feeling like a heavy stomp on the heart.
The youth felt the suffocating pressure. Being oppressed by a servant filled him with rage. Widening his eyes and gritting his teeth, he said, “Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, this is a capital crime!”
The old eunuch said calmly, “Your Highness, whether it’s a capital crime or a lesser offense must be decided by His Majesty himself. In my humble opinion, Your Highness’s safety is a mountain’s weight, the foremost priority. As for the existence of that maiden in the town, in my eyes, it has become an urgent problem. So if we truly want everything to be safe, we must kill her ruthlessly. Only when she is dead can I rest easy.”
Seeing the barely suppressed burning anger in the youth’s eyes, the old eunuch sighed softly and said quietly, “Having served in the imperial palace for more than sixty years, I have seen too many intrigues—bloody and bloodless alike—countless in number. I have no faith left in human hearts. Even just during the journey to protect Your Highness, assassination attempts, large and small, number more than thirty that I have personally dealt with. Your Highness, the cunning and treachery of those assassins is beyond imagination. Especially some desperate fanatics, completely irrational. Take the masked assassin and the veiled maiden just now, for example…”
The richly dressed youth raised a finger, pointing at the old eunuch with a cold expression, and shouted angrily, “Shut up! You old eunuch! I don’t want to hear your nonsense! All I know is that you ruined my careful efforts to win someone over. Any blind person could see how extraordinary that maiden who could control a flying sword was—her talent was astonishing! Even among mountain cultivators, she would be the most outstanding genius! Such a figure, not just in the Great Sui or the Great Li, but in the entire East Bottle Gourd Continent, is as rare as a phoenix feather! I only needed to cultivate her for ten years, at most twenty, and she could become the most formidable assassin in the shadows behind me! Even if you were a land god or a martial arts grandmaster, so what?! And what happened? I am Gao Zhen, the future crown prince of the Great Sui! I am your master, you old eunuch Wu!”
Strangely, the seasoned, elderly eunuch was not angered by being called “old eunuch” repeatedly. Instead, his eyes grew more gratified. When the youth finally finished his tirade and stopped cursing, the old man looked at the panting youth and smiled, “Your Highness, although there are some things you may not have experienced personally, and thus don’t understand the world’s treachery and the malignancy of human hearts, you did one thing very well, showing the same style as His Majesty in his early years.”
The atmosphere was awkward.
After calming down, Gao Zhen seemed to realize that he had made a grave mistake. Before being officially designated as crown prince, showing such disrespect to a Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, one of the three gatekeepers of the Great Sui palace—and a man deeply trusted by both his father the emperor and mother the empress—was rash. The prince opened his mouth to speak but saw the powerful eunuch, whom he had just called an “old eunuch,” smile and say, “Your Highness, remember one thing: don’t casually apologize to servants. There’s no need, and it only debases your status. The servants may not appreciate it either. Even if you feel guilty in your heart, you should bury it deep. Remember, a true dragon emperor among men is the Nine-Five Supreme, whose words are heaven’s law…”
Gao Zhen said, “Grandpa Wu, with my current status, saying such things is too early.”
The old eunuch suddenly tensed up, on high alert, pulling the richly dressed youth behind him. He looked toward the place where the masked assassin’s corpse lay.
A middle-aged scholar with a refined build appeared abruptly at the end of the alley. He walked in slowly, stopped near the assassin’s corpse, and crouched down to remove the mask. Underneath was a strange face—no eyebrows, a missing nose, and words carved into the skin.
This person had once been a convict in his lifetime; there was no doubt about that.
The scholar remained silent. So, it had been premeditated. This scheme had probably started from that Confucian temple.
Gao Zhen’s eyes burned with fervor. He stepped out from behind the old eunuch, bowed deeply with his hands clasped, and regardless of anything else, greeted first. Then, raising his head respectfully, he asked, “May I ask if you are Mr. Qi from the Cliff Academy?”
The scholar stood up and said to Gao Zhen, “If you hadn’t already obtained a major fateful opportunity first, the two of you wouldn’t have been able to leave so easily today.”
The fight between outsiders in the town—according to the rules set by the earliest four sages—carried a penalty that was not severe but also not light. Compared to the inevitable expulsion for slaughtering ordinary townsfolk, fights between outsiders had a clear “loophole” that could be used to remedy the situation. That was why the three groups, including Gao Zhen’s, had each brought a “retainer.” This was to prepare for the worst-case scenario, to offer up as a scapegoat at the critical moment. Otherwise, just the single quota required half the savings of the Great Sui Gao emperor’s inner treasury. After all, it was the private savings of a great emperor of a sovereign state—half of the entire family fortune! The amount was staggering. So who would willingly become such a fool?
To put it simply, it was just spending money to avoid disaster.
But the expense here could only be described as emptying out a mountain of gold or silver. Compared to this, the common townsfolk’s “spending a thousand gold in one throw” was child’s play.
Gao Zhen, having been dismissed, continued on his own, “Mr. Qi, if there’s an opportunity in the future, would you be willing to give lectures at my Great Sui Academy? The Great Sui is willing to reserve the position of ‘National Teacher’ for you, sir!”
The old eunuch considered for a moment but still did not stop the youth’s presumptuous remarks.
If they could really persuade this scholar to scheme for the Great Sui Gao clan in the future, the Great Sui emperor would certainly be overjoyed.
The scholar smiled but did not reply.
The old eunuch, who had been decisive and ruthless toward the veiled maiden he had only just met, now showed an entirely different attitude before this stabilizing force of the town, Mr. Qi of the Cliff Academy. He lowered his head and clasped his hands. “Mr. Qi, I have caused you trouble and hope you will forgive me. My earlier attack on that junior was truly unavoidable. I beg you to understand the earnest intentions of this slave of the Gao family.”
Qi Jingchun waved his sleeve. “Leave immediately.”
Gao Zhen and the old eunuch had no choice but to take their leave, coincidentally following the same path the veiled maiden had taken to retreat.
The youth asked in a low voice, “Is she dead?”
The old eunuch shook his head. “She won’t live long, for sure. That flying sword only gave her a little more time; it won’t change the outcome.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the youth asked curiously, “Grandpa Wu, when did you realize that she wasn’t controlling the flying sword with as much ease as she appeared to?”
The old man said, “Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. Her premature cleverness revealed a flaw.”
The youth was puzzled and did not understand.
The old eunuch led the youth out of the original alley and said softly, “Let me ask Your Highness a question: Having seen so many rare and precious things from the world’s wealth and luxury, would Your Highness still be interested in ordinary town porcelain?”
The youth patted the pouch at his waist and laughed, “Of course not. Only this jade seal, or something of a similar level, would bring me joy.”
The old eunuch nodded. “That is the principle. When that maiden used her flying sword to kill, she was calm as still water, extremely composed, as if… it were as common as eating, drinking, or relieving oneself. And afterward, when she sensed my true martial cultivation, she decisively abandoned the idea of fighting. She was especially afraid that I would see through her bluster and intentionally provoked us. Her real intention was to give both sides a way out, to avoid me harboring the intent to kill—preferring to kill by mistake rather than let go—and to uproot her completely. So she had to break the deadlock. Of course, as it turned out, she didn’t do it very well. Still, to have such thoughts at such a young age is no small feat. But precisely because of this, if we let a tiger return to the mountain and let it grow strong, the threat to Your Highness in the future will be all the greater.”
The old man sighed emotionally, “Young boys and girls are at an age full of high spirits. If they kill in a rush of blood or die heroically, that wouldn’t surprise me. But to calmly accept death after careful deliberation, or to kill without a ripple in the heart, is very abnormal. In fact, such a temperament can only be honed through experience; it has little to do with one’s innate talent or aptitude. Whether cultivator or martial artist, many prodigies die young because their temperament flaws are too obvious—they easily mess things up when encountering setbacks.”
Gao Zhen sighed in lament, “No matter what, it’s a pity.”
The old eunuch joked half-seriously, “Your Highness, if you have to sigh every time someone of that caliber lives or dies, then once Your Highness truly stands at the summit in the future, you will be very busy.”
The youth smiled. “I don’t believe it.”
Suddenly, the old eunuch said, “I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I felt that Mr. Qi has run into some considerable problems with his heaven-reaching cultivation.”
The Great Sui prince said with an indifferent expression, “Anyway, originally, as long as I could get this ‘Dragon Gate’ seal, it would have been a success. Who would have thought that this priceless treasure would become just a small addition to a big deal? So, it’s time for us to quit while we’re ahead. Every time I talk about that golden carp, I can’t help but think of that straw-sandal boy…”
The old eunuch smiled. “Is Your Highness thinking of finding an opportunity in the future to thank that boy?”
The youth shook his head. “Not at all. I’m just heartbroken over that bag of bronze coins.”
The old man was amused.
Would there perhaps be a frugal emperor in the Sui dynasty in the future?
---
In a quiet alley running north-south, only the sound of cart wheels was heard.
A young Daoist with a lotus crown on his head had closed his business early today. He was pushing his cart, thinking that after returning to his lodging, he would pack up quickly and head straight back home. This mess—whoever got involved would only draw disaster.
Suddenly, a black-clad figure with a slender figure staggered out from an east-west intersecting alley. Leaning against the wall and moving slowly, one hand reached past the light veil of her bamboo hat to tightly cover her mouth, while the other hand pointed at the young Daoist.
The young Daoist quickly lowered his head and muttered under his breath, “Can’t see me… can’t see me… Great Lord Lao, act swiftly on my command… Forget it, may the Buddha bless me, may the Bodhisattva manifest…”
A Daoist in a moment of crisis, not seeking the Three Pure Ones but instead begging Buddha and Bodhisattvas—really most improper.
Sure enough, it seemed the Buddha and Bodhisattvas did not care to pay attention to disciples of other sects. The veiled maiden used the last bit of strength she had left, stumbled toward the Daoist, and fell heavily with a *thump*, but her hand managed to grip the Daoist’s ankle tightly.
The young Daoist held his head in both hands, looking utterly devastated, as if looking up to heaven and asking, “Dropping such a huge karmic consequence on me is like carving the words ‘I seek death’ right on my forehead, isn’t it? I’ve spent years wandering the world, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew, crossing mountains and rivers, often getting bitten by dogs while walking on the street… It’s been really hard, alright! Fuck your Great Sui Gao clan and that old dog surnamed Wu! Just you wait—this debt won’t be settled for five hundred years! My Dao cultivation is so shallow, I really can’t bear any heavy burdens…”
The incoherent young Daoist looked down, on the verge of tears. “Little girl, have some mercy and let me go, alright? Later, I’ll find a nice place with beautiful mountains and clear waters for you, excellent feng shui, sure to bless your descendants… Oh no, the girl is still a maiden, so then…”
The maiden had already completely passed out.
Seeing no one around, the young Daoist crouched down and tried to quietly pry open her fingers.
*Swoosh.*
A flying sword hovered in midair, the tip just three inches from the young Daoist’s brow.
Without changing his expression, the young Daoist let go of her hand, his face full of compassion, and declared righteously, “A man is not made of grass or wood—how could he lack compassion? In my life, I have been as clear as the wind and bright as the moon—how could I be the kind of person who watches someone die without lifting a finger?!”
The young Daoist sat cross-legged, his handsome face nearly crumpling into a ball. “Where to send her next is also a problem.”
The flying sword, still three inches from his brow, shot forward another inch.
The Daoist explained patiently, “If you want your master to live, I still need a helper. By the way, go to the old locust tree and poke a locust leaf to bring back. I’ll first suspend her primal qi for her. Your master is somewhat special; I don’t want to save her recklessly, only to accidentally hinder her future cultivation. This new karmic consequence… damn it, it makes me want to die and be done with it…”
The flying sword seemed to hesitate, its tip trembling slightly.
The Daoist said impatiently, “For every minute earlier you go, your master can take one step back from the gates of hell. If you go late, we all go down together!”
The flying sword vanished in an instant.
The Daoist muttered angrily under his breath, “It takes two to make a good couple, but you, Qi Jingchun, Qi Great Sir, are so careless, playing matchmaker everywhere and not even wiping your own ass!”
The young Daoist rested his cheek on one hand and used the other to perform finger divination. “Let me calculate. Which house in town should I send you to? You live, and they don’t end up ruined. Start with the Lu family… No, the Lus won’t work—they’re about the same as the Zhao family; they already have their own fate. Then the Song family?”
Hardly had the Daoist finished speaking in that alley when—
All the door gods pasted on the gates and doors of the Song residence on Fortune Street instantly lost their color, turning dark and lusterless, and wisps of smoke rose, invisible to mortal eyes.
Deep in the courtyard, a barefoot, weathered old man pushed open a door, stood in the yard, and stamped his feet in fury. “Which damn bastard is trying to harm my Song family’s foundation?! Step forward and fight me!”
The young Daoist coughed and muttered to himself, “The Liu family on Fortune Street—look at their thriving incense offerings, seems like they can handle it. Try them?”
The ancestral hall plaque of the Liu family, which had been passed down for a thousand years, shattered with a *bang*, and numerous shocking cracks appeared.
An old woman’s thick voice sounded out, and she banged her dragon-head staff heavily on the ground. “Which deity is this? Can you come out and meet me?!”
The young Daoist pretended nothing had happened. “Then the Wei family on Peach Leaf Lane? Your family looks like you’ve accumulated virtue for generations; surely you can bear this karmic consequence.”
Soon, another old man used a secret technique to transmit his voice, roaring toward the school: “Qi Jingchun! Aren’t you going to do something about this? If you can’t handle it or don’t dare to, then get the hell out and let Ruan Qiong take your place! Let him deal with this sneaky fellow! Or is all this just you, Qi Jingchun, settling a personal grudge?”
South of the town’s covered bridge, by a small stream, a man who was leading others in digging a well straightened up and moved his lips slightly toward the north.
Like spring thunder rolling over Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Lane, a voice resounded: “Enough! Do not disrespect Mr. Qi! And I, Ruan, will absolutely not set foot in town affairs before the Spring Equinox!”
For a moment, heaven and earth fell silent, and all was still.
The culprit sitting by the cart in the alley grabbed one of the black-clad girl’s hands and placed the green locust leaf brought by the flying sword onto her blood-soaked palm.
The moment the locust leaf touched the wound on her palm, it melted like ice and snow, vanishing in an instant.
The young Daoist sighed emotionally. “Every time I see this, I can’t help but feel the wonder of heaven and earth’s creation…”
After thinking for a long time, the Daoist couldn’t come up with satisfactory words.
Finally, looking down at the girl, who now showed a slight overflow of aura, he found it somewhat troublesome. “Since the fate energy you’re involved in is greater than I imagined, I have to go against the current. In this town, with six hundred families, their roots intertwined, generation after generation soaked in the aura of this secret realm—it’s easy to find someone with fate energy lingering on them, but finding a pauper is harder than ascending to heaven. It’s like looking for a high official in the great court—easy—but finding a beggar—how do you want me to find one?”
The young Daoist let out a sound of surprise.
He actually found such a poor wretch.
But instead of joy, he felt a shock. He closed his eyes and questioned himself.
The young Daoist sighed. “No matter what, let’s first see what you choose. I will never force you. If you don’t want it, I’ll bear this karmic consequence myself.”
In the end, he pressed his palms together like a monk. “Buddha protect me, Bodhisattva manifest. Please let me get through this tribulation!”
---
In Mud Vase Alley.
The young Daoist, bent over, was pushing a two-wheeled cart. He stopped outside a courtyard gate, knocked, and asked, “Is Chen Ping’an home?”
On the cart, in a corner crevice, lay a long sword with a snow-white scabbard. Inside the scabbard, the flying sword looked sickly, as if disgusted that the young Daoist had found such a down-and-out place.