Chief Constable Jiang Ran of the Jizhou Prefecture shouted into the cell block: “Everyone — aim carefully — not a single one escapes!”

At this distance, in a space not particularly wide, it would have taken real effort to miss.

Two or three arrows came flying in. The frontmost attacker had no room to dodge — multiple arrows found him.

“Jiang Ran!”

Jing Yanli’s voice cracked like a whip. “You have some nerve!”

Jiang Ran paid it no mind and shouted again: “Did I not say — aim carefully, and don’t hit your own people!”

One after another the sounds came — one of the nearby attackers took six or seven arrows and fell. His breathing faded, but his eyelids closed more slowly than his life left him.

“Useless!”

Jiang Ran kicked aside a constable standing next to him and snatched the man’s bow and arrows. “I tell you to aim carefully, to avoid our own people — at this range you still can’t hit? How can you be this incompetent!”

He raised the bow. In that same instant, Jing Yanli reacted — certain that Jiang Ran was aiming at him.

He was right.

Jiang Ran loosed the arrow. Jing Yanli threw himself sideways into a neighboring cell. The arrow cut past him with a hiss and punched into the wall opposite with tremendous force, as if it meant to punch straight through.

Jing Yanli’s men scattered for cover — the cells on either side of the corridor were the only refuge, and they piled inside.

The path was open. Jiang Ran waved a hand at Li Chi. Li Chi immediately heaved Yue Huanian up onto his shoulder and charged forward. As he passed Jiang Ran, he said under his breath: “Thank you.”

Jiang Ran replied: “Just hate having these barbarians running loose on our ground, biting everyone in sight.”

Li Chi broke through first. Zhuang Wudi followed closely — the slash wound on his body was long, but had not struck any vital organs.

“Ahh!”

Jiang Ran dropped heavily onto the floor, then pointed at himself. “Give me a few kicks — get some boot prints on me.”

His subordinates moved swiftly, giving him several solid kicks where he sat. Jiang Ran rolled onto the floor and cursed loudly: “You useless lot! Two traitors, and you couldn’t stop them!”

Jing Yanli emerged from one of the cells to find the prisoners already gone. His expression went dark as thunder. He looked at Jiang Ran, who was there on the floor groaning and crying out.

“Before the Prince, I will demand an explanation from you,” Jing Yanli said, low and quiet, stepping over Jiang Ran as he headed out.

Outside, Li Chi had one arm over Yue Huanian’s shoulder and the other steadying Zhuang Wudi, and moved at speed toward the rear courtyard. The back gate was open. He could only hope that the people Yu Jiuling had gone to summon would be there — if not, his chances of escaping with two injured men were slim.

He had barely come through the rear gate when Jing Yanli and a group of his fighters reached the back courtyard. Jing Yanli raised a hand. The female swordsman immediately launched herself into the air. Jing Yanli extended his arm behind him, palm spread open — the female swordsman came down through the air, the tip of her foot landing on his palm, and Jing Yanli hurled forward with force.

Like throwing a javelin. In an instant, she came flying across the distance.

She and Jing Yanli had clearly done this before — as he launched her, her body was already angled nearly parallel to his extended arm.

Li Chi glanced back. He was about to set the two down and meet the attack head-on when a dark shape appeared in front of him. The figure didn’t look back — said only a single word.

“Go.”

Li Chi recognized the silhouette and let out a breath of relief. He pushed forward at speed.

The dark-robed man in his long coat, face covered, held what looked like a bamboo rod in his hand. The female swordsman came flying through the air — midway through her descent, she lunged with her sword at the long-coated figure. He swept the bamboo rod in a sideways arc, striking the blade at precisely the right point with a sharp ring, deflecting it cleanly.

The female swordsman landed. Her sword came in like a downpour — strike after strike in unbroken succession, the density of the assault enough to make the scalp tighten just from watching. In the moonlight, arc after arc of silver light trailed through the air, as though dozens of swords were driving toward the long-coated figure at once.

He did not move from where he stood. The bamboo rod in his hand moved like the repeated dip of a phoenix’s beak — speed beyond description. Every sword the female swordsman sent in, he deflected. His rod landed precisely on the blade each time, turning every thrust aside.

In the span of a few breaths — thirty-three swords, deflected.

Such speed was terrifying to contemplate.

And still he had not shifted his position. Left hand resting behind his back, only his right hand moving — the rod holding off a storm. Not a drop of rain got through.

The female swordsman attacked relentlessly and could not break him. She faltered for a moment, then darted sideways — the long-coated figure stepped sideways to cut her off, the bamboo rod pointed at her throat. She was forced to retreat.

The long-coated figure glanced back. Li Chi and the two injured men had to be far enough away by now.

He gave a soft laugh. He tossed the bamboo rod upward with one hand, then swept his sleeve across it — and the rod shot forward like an arrow straight at the female swordsman. She raised her sword in front of her at once. The rod struck the blade with a crack. The force knocked the sword back into her own forehead.

The sound it made was quite crisp.

A red mark appeared on the female swordsman’s forehead.

The long-coated figure turned and walked away — no dramatic movement, but his pace was swift. A few rising and falling steps, and he had vanished into the dark.

On the other side, Li Chi ran with the two of them, glancing at Zhuang Wudi as they moved. “Brother Zhuang — are you all right?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Li Chi looked at Yue Huanian. The Magistrate’s face had gone ashen — not a trace of blood left in it. He had already been reduced to barely a last breath; rescue or no rescue, he might not survive the night.

Yue Huanian looked at Li Chi with pleading eyes, as though there were things he wanted to say. Li Chi fixed his gaze on what lay ahead, gritted his teeth, and pushed on — the transport company wasn’t far. He drove the three of them forward.

Back at the transport company, Yu Jiuling’s face went pale at the sight of them returning. He stepped in at once to support Zhuang Wudi. The Daoist Changmei moved quickly for medicine.

Li Chi carried Yue Huanian into the rear courtyard. On a bed there, the badly wounded Qiu Qingche had not managed sleep. At the sound of the door, he pushed himself upright — and then he saw Li Chi come through carrying Magistrate Yue.

Qiu Qingche rolled off the bed and onto the floor, prostrating himself. “This subordinate, Qiu Qingche, pays respects… pays respects to the Magistrate.”

Li Chi set Yue Huanian down, carefully reset the jaw, then went over to help Qiu Qingche up.

“I… there isn’t much time. Listen to me speak. Cough, cough — listen to me.”

Yue Huanian leaned back, coughing several times. Thin threads of blood ran slowly from the corners of his mouth.

“In a little while, send me back,” he said. “Otherwise, more people will die on my account.” He looked at Li Chi. “I do not know how to express my gratitude for a kindness this great. But my life is nearly spent. I cannot go on bringing harm to others.”

“Magistrate!”

Qiu Qingche’s eyes had gone red. He lay prostrate, head raised toward Yue Huanian. “Magistrate, let me take you away. I’ll find someone to heal you — I will.”

“Qingche. There’s no need.”

Yue Huanian must have wanted to reach out and help Qiu Qingche up. But his four limbs were broken. He could not.

“My end should be close at hand. Let us just talk a little while.”

He looked at Qiu Qingche. “When you came to find me, all those years ago — do you remember what you said first?”

Qiu Qingche nodded hard.

Yue Huanian smiled. His expression was full of pain, but the smile was at peace.

“You walked up to me and asked, ‘I hear you’re a good official — is that true?’ “

He looked at Qiu Qingche, then continued quietly: “I told you — of course I’m a good official. I became an official in order to be a good one. And then you said, ‘Well then — from now on, I, Qiu Qingche, will be your guard. With me here, no one will be able to kill you.’ “

Qiu Qingche wept as he spoke. “The Magistrate said, ‘I have no money.’ “

“And you said,” Yue Huanian replied, “‘No need for money. Just feed me.’ “

“The Magistrate said, ‘The food isn’t very good.’ “

Yue Huanian’s tears fell as he smiled. “And you said, ‘As long as there’s enough.’ “

He looked at Qiu Qingche for a long moment. “All these years, I don’t think I’ve ever bought you so much as a drink of wine. And I still can’t afford it now…”

He turned his head to look at Li Chi. “Is there…”

“There is!”

Li Chi turned and ran out.

He was back in moments, carrying a clay jar of wine. He came through the door, struck the sealed mouth open with his palm, and poured two bowls — handed one to Qiu Qingche, then cradled the other and brought it to Yue Huanian’s lips.

“Qingche. I drink to you.”

Yue Huanian lowered his head, and Li Chi helped tilt the bowl for him. He had barely taken a mouthful before a violent fit of coughing overtook him, and when it passed, the wine remaining in the bowl had turned red.

Qiu Qingche crawled forward to support the Magistrate, but Yue Huanian shook his head slightly. “I’m all right. Just — it’s been too long. I’m out of practice. When I was young, in the capital, three to five catties of wine couldn’t touch me.” He paused. “Qingche, I have some last words — I need you to help me with three things.”

“Tell me, Magistrate,” Qiu Qingche said at once. “Whatever they are, I will do them.”

“The first thing,” Yue Huanian said, “is that you must live well. Find a wife. Have some children. You promised me that long ago. The second thing — when I am gone, do not try to stop it. Let this hero send my body back. That way, no one else will be implicated. You know that in all my life, the thing I have been most unwilling to do is burden others, to be in debt to others. So if he is unwilling, you must persuade him.”

Qiu Qingche bit down on his lip. Blood ran.

“I… I promise the Magistrate!”

Qiu Qingche pressed his forehead to the ground.

“The third thing, Qingche — come and support me. Let’s kowtow once toward the south.”

“I was young when I left home for the capital to study,” Yue Huanian said. “After that, I was posted to Pingchang County. By my count, I have been away from home for more than twenty years. I never once went back. Among the unfilial in this world, I am one.”

Qiu Qingche crawled over and supported Yue Huanian as he turned south. Yue Huanian kowtowed — and when he raised his head, his forehead was red and swollen.

“Father, Mother — your child has let you down. I… I actually wanted to come home. So many times. I thought, this post as county magistrate is not worth it — why don’t I go home and be at their side in their old age? But, Father, Mother — if I left, who knows how many families in Pingchang would be broken. I could not bear it. The people would kneel before me and say, ‘Magistrate, if you go, what becomes of us?’ “

He pressed his forehead down again.

Yue Huanian’s brow rested against the floor. His voice came out hoarse with weeping: “It was so hard. Being an official is so very hard. Father. Mother. I am exhausted. I am in so much pain. I wanted to come home — truly, I did. I am no saint. I could not save all the world. I… I miss the food Mother used to make.”

There was a heavy sound — and Yue Huanian’s body pitched forward to the ground.

Qiu Qingche stared at the Magistrate lying there. His whole body shook violently. He reached out to support him — but his hand trembled too badly. There was no strength left in it.

“Ahh—”

A single cry of anguish from Qiu Qingche, and then a mouthful of blood came up.

Li Chi sank slowly down onto the floor. The wine jar toppled beside him. Wine spread across the ground.