Hua Yitang’s unconventional examination submission had proven remarkably effective. Since returning from Deputy Minister Lu’s banquet, his social circle had expanded noticeably yet again. The eminent literary figures and renowned scholars of the Eastern Capital were lining up in turn to cultivate connections with him — he was busy from morning to night without a moment to spare. Though Lin Sui’an shared the same residence, they could barely catch sight of each other. Hua Yitang had invited her along to his various banquets on several occasions, and each time Lin Sui’an had gently declined.

Those banquets were far too dull. Lin Sui’an had no intention of wasting her time on them. She currently had one extremely important matter still unresolved — how could she have any inclination to go out eating and drinking?

What was worse, however she fretted inwardly, not a hint of it could show on her face. If she let her guard slip, she might very well fall apart at the last moment and lose her disciple.

That was correct — this important matter was taking Jin Ruo as her apprentice.

Ever since returning from Deputy Minister Lu’s manor, Lin Sui’an had been sitting on pins and needles every single day, weighed down by the pressure. Qian Jing’s maintenance expenses were, for her, an astronomical sum. If this continued indefinitely, the progression from prosperous to impoverished to destitute was only a matter of time. Such a priceless ancient divine instrument had somehow become a hot potato she could not shake. Selling it was out of the question — she was all too aware of Qian Jing’s lethality, and such an instrument falling into the wrong hands would have unthinkable consequences. Thus, the next bearer of Qian Jing had to be someone upright, kindhearted, and of firm character. At present, the most suitable candidate was no one other than Jin Ruo.

Unfortunately, she had previously issued her proud declaration: she would only pass on Qian Jing if she lost to Jin Ruo. The gap in their combat ability was far too vast — unless she deliberately threw the match, Jin Ruo stood no chance of winning. But the problem was, Jin Ruo’s perception was far too sharp. A deliberate loss would certainly be seen through — and Jin Ruo was too stubborn to accept Qian Jing unless he had won by his own genuine ability. Lin Sui’an had thought it over from every angle, and the best course was still her original plan: take Jin Ruo as her disciple and put in the full effort to cultivate him into a reasonably skilled fighter first. She would then refine her acting abilities a bit and engineer a small, convincing defeat — and the matter could be settled.

With this scheme in mind, Lin Sui’an had been dropping clear and indirect hints at Jin Ruo every morning at breakfast, and had even started drafting a training regimen for him — yet that infuriating little brat seemed content to play dumb, and after waiting several days without any sign of him coming to formally accept her as his master, she had been left each night lying in her room, gnawed with anxiety, half-tempted to march over and drag him back by the collar to kneel before her.

She had waited a full seven days. The time for Qian Jing’s maintenance came around again. Hua Yitang, busy as he was, had still remembered to instruct Mu Xia to prepare a ten-year-aged jar of Full Jade and have it sent to Lin Sui’an’s room first thing. Looking at that jar, Lin Sui’an felt a physical ache — both in her heart and her flesh. She hesitated at length, but ultimately dared not risk it. She hauled a table out into the garden, unsealed the jar, drew Qian Jing from its sheath, raised the wine cup high, and poured the precious liquid down onto the blade.

The night grew dense around her. Qian Jing’s hum swept away the birdsong and the wind. Moonlight, fine and close as silk threads, twisted around the shifting ink-green blade light, drifting and coiling, connecting cloud and shadow, spreading outward into the sky and bleeding to the ends of the earth——

Lin Sui’an furrowed her brow and exhaled a long, wistful sigh. “Haah——”

Four thousand copper coins, gone just like that. Her heart was bleeding.

“Haah——” A sigh drifted from the bamboo grove — it sounded just like the echo of her own. Lin Sui’an’s gaze sharpened. “Who’s there?!”

The bamboo rustled. Jin Ruo shuffled out with a head full of scattered bamboo leaves, his face the picture of misery. He tugged his robe out of the way and sat cross-legged on the ground, scowling at Qian Jing with a suffering, bitter expression. “It really does need ten-year-aged Full Jade!”

Lin Sui’an’s brow twitched faintly. She understood.

Jin Ruo must have gotten wind of this long ago. Unable to verify it, he had simply waited until tonight to see for himself.

You cunning little brat — so that’s what you were calculating!

Dream on. This hot potato is eventually going to be yours no matter what — don’t think you can escape!

Lin Sui’an: “As you can see.”

Jin Ruo: “What happens if the blade isn’t tended to on schedule?”

“Qian Jing’s killing energy rebounds and affects the bearer’s state of mind.”

“No wonder your temper is so violent.”

“In other words, only someone from the Hua Family can actually afford to keep Qian Jing.”

“Not at all,” said Lin Sui’an. “These past few days I have been thinking carefully, and I’ve found a great many contradictions in the rumors surrounding Qian Jing.”

Jin Ruo: “Ah?”

“Let me ask you this — Qian Jing is the token of the Pure Gate’s sect master, so why has there never been any rumor within the Pure Gate about using Full Jade to maintain it?”

“That…”

“The Pure Gate gathers information from across the realm — with ears and eyes that reach everywhere. How could they not know the proper method for maintaining their own sect’s most sacred treasure?”

“You mean there is another method of maintenance?”

“Perhaps it is not maintenance at all, but an entirely different method. These past few days I have kept returning to a word you used before,” said Lin Sui’an, meeting Jin Ruo’s eyes. “Taming Qian Jing.”

Jin Ruo scratched his head. “I only heard that phrase from the old sect master a few times in passing and never understood what it truly meant. When I saw you controlling Qian Jing earlier, the situation seemed very similar to what the old sect master described — I was startled and blurted it out without thinking——”

Lin Sui’an: “I have actually come to believe that what the old sect master called ‘taming Qian Jing’ and what Deputy Minister Lu described as ‘maintaining Qian Jing’ may be two paths to the same destination.”

Jin Ruo stared. “How so?”

“To be honest, I have been studying the Ten Purities Collection for the past few days and have made some discoveries. The techniques recorded in the Ten Purities Collection complement Qian Jing perfectly — each seems to fill a gap in the other. Every time I reach the finest parts of the practice, Qian Jing’s killing energy dissolves on its own, and the surging energy within my body flows like rivers and seas. I feel something very close to a oneness of person and blade.”

Jin Ruo was too astonished to speak.

Lin Sui’an rose to her feet, clasped her hands behind her back, and paced slowly. “So I believe that the founding patriarch of the Pure Gate must have created the blade techniques of the Ten Purities Collection precisely to suppress Qian Jing’s killing energy. If one can master the Ten Purities Collection thoroughly, then even without Full Jade to tend the blade, one can wield Qian Jing freely at will. That is what is meant by taming Qian Jing.”

Jin Ruo stared at Lin Sui’an in the moonlight, momentarily in a daze.

She was a full year younger than him — yet her way of speaking, her manner and her tone, were so uncannily like the old sect master’s.

“Relying on Full Jade to maintain Qian Jing is no permanent solution,” Lin Sui’an said with a frown. “I believe we must work from the Ten Purities Collection — only then can the root problem be solved once and for all. Unfortunately, the copy of the Ten Purities Collection I currently have is a fragmentary edition. Without the essence and subtleties of the complete work, I can only suppress three parts in ten of the killing energy. I am willing but lack the means!”

Jin Ruo’s mouth snapped shut. He swallowed. “Is this really true?!”

Lin Sui’an’s phoenix eyes were steady and sharp. Every word fell like iron. “Absolutely.”

Absolutely made up on the spot!

Jin Ruo knitted his brows deeply, thinking hard.

Lin Sui’an cleared her throat and pressed while the iron was hot. “If the Pure Gate must forever live by depending on the powerful and the wealthy, would that not betray the founding purpose of our sect?”

Jin Ruo’s expression became solemn at once. “It absolutely would not do!”

“Therefore our Pure Gate must be self-reliant. Therefore we must find the complete Ten Purities Collection, master it fully, eliminate the killing energy of Qian Jing — only in this way can we be worthy of our founding patriarch, worthy of the countless brothers of the Pure Gate, and worthy of the memory of our departed old sect master!”

Jin Ruo sprang to his feet. “Yes! Exactly so!”

Lin Sui’an drew herself up tall. “Jin Ruo, acting sect master of the Pure Gate — are you willing to take Lin as your teacher, to seek the Ten Purities Collection, to eliminate the killing energy of Qian Jing, to uphold the Pure Gate, and to restore the glory of our sect’s name?!”

Jin Ruo clasped his fists together with a sharp crack and dropped to both knees. “Jin Ruo, acting sect master of the Pure Gate, solemnly kneels before Lin Sui’an, bearer of Qian Jing, and accepts her as Master!” Thud, thud, thud — three full, reverent bows of the head to the ground. “Respected Master — please receive your disciple’s obeisance!”

Oh, oh, oh! She had finally pulled it off!

Lin Sui’an was elated deep inside, but forced herself to keep her expression composed, biting back the grin that wanted to stretch across her face. With grave dignity, she took Jin Ruo’s hands and helped him to his feet, affecting the bearing of a venerable elder. “Good, good, good — excellent disciple! Your aspirations are lofty and your heart is full of goodwill. You will surely surpass this teacher in your accomplishments!”

Jin Ruo was so moved that tears glimmered in his eyes. “Truly?”

“Every word I speak comes straight from the heart!”

“Your disciple will follow Master’s teachings faithfully, train every single day, and never slack off!” Jin Ruo said with great feeling. “May I ask, Master — which technique of the Ten Purities Collection do you plan to teach me first?”

Lin Sui’an gave an appreciative nod. “Let us begin with — lifting weights!”

“……What?!”

The moon climbed higher and higher, breaking free of the clouds, and great swathes of pure, brilliant light rained down like scattered jade. The winding bamboo path twisted through it all. Yellowed bamboo leaves rolled in the night breeze, spinning and dancing, brushing past petal-soft robes, knocking against a silver filigree fragrance ball, releasing a drift of fruit-wood perfume that was then scattered by the wind.

Hua Yitang rested his back against a bamboo stalk, his head tilted slightly upward. His prominent throat moved in a slow swallow. In his hands the fan was drawn open, pressed shut, pressed shut again, then opened again. Moonlight whitened his thick eyelashes — it looked as though a layer of frost had settled there.

Mu Xia: “Fourth Young Master, what Lin Niangzi’s words imply is——”

“She still does not fully trust me——” Hua Yitang gave a melancholy smile. “So she will always leave herself a way out……”

Mu Xia: “Lin Niangzi’s doing so is perfectly understandable.”

“I know.” Hua Yitang drew a breath. “She is just… a little… afraid……”

Mu Xia’s eyes nearly fell out of his head. “Lin Niangzi is also afraid of something? What is she afraid of?”

“She is afraid… afraid that she puts too much trust in others… afraid… that those she trusts will betray her……” Hua Yitang closed his eyes. The smile at the corner of his mouth faded.

Mu Xia struggled desperately to maintain his composed professional expression: Fourth Young Master’s thinking was truly profound and mysterious — he genuinely could not follow it!

Suddenly Hua Yitang opened his eyes, drew a deep breath, and straightened to his full height. He stood quietly watching Lin Sui’an’s silhouette beyond the bamboo grove for a long moment, and then he smiled again. “Lin Sui’an is a young woman, so of course her courage will naturally be a little smaller. No matter. I have courage enough. I am not afraid. I will stay by her side — and one day, she won’t be afraid anymore!”

Mu Xia: “……”

Fourth Young Master, could you please just say something that makes sense?

Hua Yitang flicked his little fan open. “Just think — I, Hua Yitang, am a full seven-chi man, standing tall under heaven, a man of extraordinary courage and bold integrity, with valor in every bone——”

Suddenly something black shot through the bamboo grove and lunged straight at Hua Yitang. He yelped, dropped into a crouch, fan held over his head, looking frantically in every direction. “What — what what what was that?!”

The dark shape let out a “mrrrow,” flicked its tail, and bounded away.

Mu Xia: “……It was a stray cat.”

Hua Yitang gave two dry coughs and stood up, fanning the bamboo leaves off his clothing with his fan. “Mu Xia, why are you staring at me like that? Was anything I just said wrong?”

Mu Xia’s rigid features struggled up into a professional smile. “Everything Fourth Young Master said was absolutely correct!”

Side Story

Jin Ruo’s carrier pigeon correspondence log:

Elder Zhang, upon receiving this letter:

Terrible news. It turns out that maintaining Qian Jing requires ten-year-aged Full Jade — one jar every forty-nine days, and the stuff is incredibly expensive. We have no way to provide it! But if the blade isn’t maintained, the bearer of Qian Jing is destined for madness and ruin!

What is to be done?

Please reply urgently — most urgently of all!!

Elder Zhang’s reply——

Acting Sect Master, I hope this letter finds you well: Acting Sect Master, please do not fret. The Pure Gate has made inquiries — Full Jade is produced by the Hua Family. For Hua the Fourth, maintaining Qian Jing with Full Jade is no more than a drop in the ocean. As long as Lin Niangzi remains Hua the Fourth’s guard, there is no need to worry about this expense.

Regarding the matter Acting Sect Master previously mentioned — Lin Niangzi’s wish to take Acting Sect Master as a disciple — myself and the elders have discussed it and believe the arrangement is sound!

The fragmentary copies of the Ten Purities Collection are scattered across the Tang Kingdom, and our sect’s most treasured techniques are nearly lost. In particular, the final technique, “Breaking the Immovable,” has no one in all the world who can unravel its mysteries — save for Lin Niangzi.

Acquiring Qian Jing is a secondary matter. Mastering the supreme techniques of the Ten Purities Collection is the paramount priority.

Additionally: news has arrived from Qingzhou recently, suggesting that traces of the Pure Gate traitor Shen Xun may have been discovered. I inform Acting Sect Master of this accordingly.

Furthermore: I implore Acting Sect Master to please study diligently, strive with all your energy, and work hard to bring great glory to the Pure Gate at the earliest opportunity!

The Pure Gate, in its entirety, eagerly awaits!

I’ve been blocked again! Aaaargh!!