The veiled girl ignored the brocaded youth and turned her gaze beyond his shoulder to the towering elder trailing behind him. Her voice, laced with regret, drew the alley's stillness:"Just now you so readily struck to kill—though you had your reasons, I cannot condone it."
Several paces away, the youth halted and met her earnest eyes. "My name is Gao Zhen, of Yiyang Commandery in the Great Sui. If Grandfather Wu has been offended, I offer my sincere apologies—and will make amends."
The tall eunuch behind him stiffened. The proud claim of "Gao of Yiyang" belied the truth: for twelve centuries the Sui throne had been occupied by the Gao clan—its founding emperor himself hailing from this very commandery. The girl remained unmoved. She tightened the bandages on her hands and faced the eunuch flatly:"Outside this town I might not stand against a martial grandmaster—one who has surely mastered wind‐riding. Yet here, with but a thought I could send you to your death."
A cold laugh escaped the elder."If an assassin worthy of 'peak little‐sect master' status knew your secret strike, he could endure ten wounds without faltering. I stand two realms above him—one barrier considered an insurmountable gulf in martial cultivation. Little miss, I wonder whence you draw the gall to speak of 'certain death.'"
Her brow furrowed, her hand slipping to her sword's hilt."I loathe needless trouble and despise quarrels—so why not test our claims? Whoever prevails shall prove whose words hold weight."
Anger flickered in the eunuch's eyes. Were they beyond this accursed realm, he might crush her with one hand despite her rare talent. Yet duty bound him to protect the prince entrusted to him by the entire Sui empire. Even if it meant risking grave injury beneath the world's oppressive veil, he would see this upstart kneel—proof that courage alone does not equal survival.
Gao Zhen quickly intervened:"If you insist, I will offer this in recompense."
He withdrew the jade seal from his belt pouch and extended it toward the veiled girl."Let this token show my good faith—pray, overlook Grandfather Wu's earlier misstep. He meant no harm, only loyalty."
Grandfather Wu's knees buckled at once."Your Highness… I am unworthy—this precious seal is your destiny incarnate, a treasure unmatched in purity. To take it would be to doom me!"
The noble youth's face darkened at the eunuch's deference. The girl, growing impatient, scoffed:"A frog at the bottom of its well cherishes its mud. Keep your seal—there is a saying I hold dear: 'A gentleman never robs another's delight.'"
Without another word, she turned and strode away. Gao Zhen sagged in relief."Rise, Grandfather Wu—no prince should see his guardian kneel. If the censors or the Ministry of Rites witnessed this, we would both suffer disgrace. This town mission succeeded by ancestral favor—let us not provoke further discord. Once we rejoin our men beyond the walls, remain vigilant. Remember: two of Great Li's six pillar families, the Yuans and the Caos, bear a mortal grudge against our Gao clan. Should misfortune befall you here, I may never return in safety."
The eunuch nodded and rose slowly:"Your Highness's warning is well heeded."
By the time Wu uttered the word "heeded," the veiled girl had vanished from sight. A sudden breeze stirred the youth's robes and hair, betraying the eunuch's silent sprint behind the girl, his heavy steps echoing like thunder. In three strides he was airborne, fist aimed at her unguarded back.
She twisted in mid‐air, pivoting on her left toe as her right hand drew her sword. A dazzling burst of white light cut through the alley's gloom. The eunuch's crushing blow met the blade—his hand only nicked by the keen edge. Undeterred, he drove her backward with his momentum and extended a single palm toward her brow, intent on shattering the skull beneath her veil.
At that moment, a slender projection of steel burst from her back and plunged into his chest. His stance faltered, but his countenance remained impassive as he grasped the blade and pushed it outward, expelling the flying sword that had sought the prince's protector.
Freed from danger, the girl somersaulted nimbly away and melted into a side‐street like a shadow. Gao Zhen's face blazed with fury as he clenched his fists."Wu Yue—Master of the Stables, Chief Eunuch of the Diao Temple—why did you defy my hint and act so ruthlessly? We were at fault, and she offered peace! Why such merciless cruelty?"
Wu turned from the alley's mouth and straightened his back, every step heavy with reproach. The prince's anger swelled at being reprimanded by his servant.
Gao Zhen bared his teeth:"Wu Yue, you've committed treason!"
Wu's voice was calm as a mountain stream:"My prince, only His Majesty may judge life or death. To me, your safety outweighs all, while this girl's presence has become a dire threat. If I do not end her here, none of us may leave in peace."
Seeing the fury burning in the prince's eyes, Wu sighed softly:"In sixty years within the Inner Court, I have witnessed countless schemes—bloody and bloodless alike. I myself have foiled over thirty assassination plots along Your Highness's escorts. Such killers know no reason; only eradication suffices. Even this veiled girl…"
The prince's finger jabbed the air in front of Wu's face."Silence your lies, old eunuch! I know she wields a flying sword with effortless mastery—her talent is world‐class. In another decade, she would be the perfect assassin in my service. But I am Gao Zhen, heir to the Sui throne! You serve me!"
Oddly, the hardened eunuch only smiled. When the prince paused for breath, Wu regarded him with gentle pride:"Your Highness may yet lack worldly experience of deceit and peril. Yet in defending you he has surpassed even the greatest ministers of past emperors…"
The prince opened his mouth, chastened by the eunuch's unwavering loyalty and the utter trust His Majesty's own parents placed in him. Before he could speak, Wu raised a finger:"Never apologize casually to servants. It demeans your dignity and may not even please them. Shame should dwell in the heart alone. Remember: the emperor is the Dragon of Heaven, the Son of Heaven…"
Gao Zhen cut him off with a wry grin:"Grandfather Wu, that lesson comes too soon for me."
Suddenly tense, Wu yanked the prince behind him and stared toward the site of the masked assassin's corpse. There, at the alley's end, stood a tall scholar in Confucian robes. He knelt beside the body, removed his mask—and revealed a scarred, ink‐marked face, unmistakably that of an ex‐convict.
The scholar rose, meeting Gao Zhen's curious bow."Are you Mr. Qi of the Cliffside Academy?"
The youth nodded respectfully:"May I ask if you are indeed Qi Jingchun?"
Qi inclined his head:"Had you not seized this great opportunity first, neither of you would have left so unscathed today."
Their conflict, fought by outsiders in this town, carried only mild punishment by ancient law—yet the loose "loophole" among strangers allowed one to atone rather than perish. Gao Zhen and his two escorts each brought a guardian for just such an eventuality, ensuring someone would bear the blame. For a single spot here, the imperial treasury might match half the empire's annual revenue—who would willingly volunteer for such ruin?
Still addressing Mr. Qi, the prince turned his invitation:"When next opportunity arises, might you lecture at our Sui Academy? I would reserve the title 'Imperial Tutor' especially for you."
Wu merely observed, knowing the favor could earn the Gao clan the emperor's greatest pleasure. Qi only smiled in reply.
Then Wu stepped forward with an entirely different deference:"Mr. Qi, I apologize for my earlier violence—please forgive this Gao family servant's zeal."
Qi swept him aside with a gesture and signaled:"Depart at once."
Gao Zhen and Wu bowed and left by the very path the veiled girl had taken. As they walked, the prince whispered:"Is she—dead?"
Wu shook his head gravely:"She won't last long. The flying sword merely prolonged her life."
Pausing, Gao Zhen inquired:"Grandfather Wu, when did you discern that wielding a flying sword was far from effortless for her?"
Wu replied quietly:"Her precocious control was too perfect—such overreach betrays its flaw."
Gao Zhen frowned in puzzlement, but Wu only smiled:"Tell me, Your Highness: after seeing rare marvels, would you prize an ordinary local ceramic?"
The prince tapped the pouch at his waist with a gleam in his eye:"Of course not. Only this jade seal—or something of equal caliber—could thrill me."
"Naturally," Wu murmured. "When she murdered with her sword, her heart was as calm as breathing. Upon sensing my true level, she abandoned the fight—intent on offering both sides an escape. Fearful I would see through her bluff and destroy her, she strove to end the conflict. Yet youth and inexperience showed in her attempts."
He sighed."Talent alone cannot steel one's temperament. Many prodigies perish because their character's cracks widen at hardship."
Gao Zhen's voice softened:"Such potential wasted."
Wu half‐smiled:"If one death causes such regret, Your Highness will be burdened when you stand atop the world's summit."
The prince laughed:"I doubt it."
Wu's gaze turned sharp:"I sense great disturbance in Mr. Qi's cultivation."
The prince waved it off:"Our goal was the 'Dragon Gate' seal—this secret venture succeeded beyond measure. I had never expected this treasure to become a mere footnote in some petty town's affairs."
He paused, recalling another brief encounter."When I think of that straw-shod youth…"
Wu chuckled:"You wish to thank him someday?"
Gao Zhen shook his head:"No, I pity the pouch of coins he left behind."
Wu couldn't suppress a laugh. Perhaps the next Sui emperor would indeed be frugal.
Beyond the alley, a lone carriage wheel's creak echoed. A young Taoist dressed in lotus-crowned hat trundled a cart, eager to return home and abandon this bungled venture. From a side-street, a slender figure in black staggered into view and pressed against the wall. One hand clamped over her lips, the other pointed at the Taoist.
Fearing being seen, the young priest whispered:"They cannot see me… they cannot see me… Great Lord Lao, by your sacred decree…"
He faltered and resorted to Buddhist prayers for mercy:"Buddha, protect me… Bodhisattva, manifest your grace…"
His plea went unanswered. Summoning her last strength, the girl lunged and crashed to the ground, clutching the Taoist's ankle. He wailed in despair,"Such karmic retribution—am I to brand my forehead with 'Eager to Die'? I have wandered mountains and streams, braved hunger and cold… my suffering is enough! Curse the Gao clan and that Wu eunuch—I will settle this score for five hundred years!"
Weeping, he begged the unconscious girl,"Please, spare me! In return I will find you a hidden grove of pure springs—no, forgive me, you are maiden fair—"
She lay still, lost to consciousness. Gently, he pried open her fingers—only for a flying sword to hover three inches from his brow. He recoiled with feigned indignation:"Who can resist pitying the fallen? Though I am a wandering Taoist, I cannot abandon the dying!"
He sat cross-legged beside her, voice trembling,"But where to send her now… is another predicament."
The sword edged closer. He muttered,"To save her, I need a helper. Go to the old pagoda tree and fetch a leaf of locust—then I may sustain her waning life force. I dare not act rashly, lest I ruin her cultivation… such karmic debt would drive me to madness."
The sword wavered, then vanished. The priest scoffed:"If she dies for delay, we all perish!"
He furrowed his brow and muttered,"You Qi Jingchun, why meddle in others' fates and leave messes undone?"
Tracing patterns in the air, he pondered which home's household to send her to so that both she and they might survive karmic backlash—first the Lu family… no, the Zhao… they too are bound by fate… then the Song…
Before he finished, the gods of the Song courtyard paled, their images dimming as unseen smoke curled upward. A barefoot elder stormed into the street:"Who dares threaten the Song lineage? Show yourself and fight!"
Unperturbed, the priest recalculated:"Then perhaps the Liu family of Fortune Street—they bear blessings aplenty."
Across town, a furious scholar's curse rang out from the academy:"Qi Jingchun! Control that vagabond, or step aside for Ruan Qiong!"
A man leading well diggers by the southern bridge murmured to the north:"Enough! Show Qi respect! And I, Ruan, shall not meddle here before the Spring Equinox!"
Silence fell like a dream.
Beside the abandoned cart, the true culprit—holding the girl's pale hand—placed the locust leaf into her bloodied palm. As it touched her wound, it melted like frost in sunlight, then vanished.
The Taoist marveled:"Each time I see such cosmic workings, I am in awe…"
He paused, uncertain how to express his wonder. Finally, bowing to her quivering form, he said softly:"Since your destiny entwines with vaster currents than I understood, I shall act against the flow to save you. To guide your path among these six hundred households—finding one unburdened by fate is harder than reaching the heavens. Like selecting a beggar rather than a minister. Yet I have found one. Should you refuse, I alone will bear this debt."
He clasped his hands in prayer:"Buddha, grant me your blessing—let me prevail in this trial."
And so, in the quiet of Mud-Bottle Alley, the young Taoist paused at a humble door—calling,"Is Chen Ping'an home?"
In the cart's shadows lay the gleaming white‐sheathed sword, its spirit weary, as if it regretted being assigned to such humble quarters.