Mu Xia had prepared four large parcels of premium Hundred-Blossom Tea and a complete tea set as a visiting gift — the tea leaves alone came to a full twenty jin. Fortunately, Jin Ruo had the foresight to bring Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise along as they set out, so there was one person to carry five jin each, leaving Jin Ruo free to browse and snack to his heart’s content along the way, thoroughly at ease.

It was the first time the four of them had gone out with Lin Sui’an to walk the streets, and they gazed around with wide eyes, finding everything fresh and fascinating. Doctor Fang had been right — as long as they stayed close to Qian Jing, their condition improved day by day. Compared to their withdrawn, wooden state back in Chengxian County, they were becoming more and more human — ah, that is to say, not that they were becoming more human in appearance, but that their expressions and gazes were gaining a spark of vitality and life. Gradually, one could begin to make out distinct personalities in each of them.

Azure Dragon was the youngest, and had been eating well recently — his face had grown rounder. Lin Sui’an suspected he had been influenced by Jin Ruo, because all along the way, whenever Jin Ruo bought a roasted sweet potato, a white sugar cake, or a candy figurine, Azure Dragon would watch with eager, longing eyes. Jin Ruo grudgingly gave him half a roasted sweet potato.

Vermilion Bird was the oldest, the tallest, and the most composed. Lin Sui’an wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the way he looked at people was strikingly similar to Fang Ke.

White Tiger had a slender build and the fairest complexion of the four, while Black Tortoise was the shortest but had the most well-developed muscles. The two of them were close friends and always acted together. Occasionally, one could see them huddle side by side, gesturing and babbling in some private exchange — though nobody could make heads or tails of what they were saying.

All four still spoke in halting bursts, pushing out a few words at a time. Azure Dragon managed two characters at a go; Vermilion Bird pushed out three; White Tiger and Black Tortoise were the most entertaining of all — one would say the first half of a sentence, and the other would finish it, like a comedy duo trading straight lines and punchlines.

The Yidu branch hall of the Pure Gate was located on Divination Street in the Laoshu Ward, in the eastern fourth district of Yidu City. It was close to the Great East Gate and separated from the Great Mercy Temple by only the Jade River. Setting out from the south gate of the government compound, Lin Sui’an’s party made their way around the Flower-Scattering Tower, crossed the South Mercy Bridge, passed through the entire eastern first district, crossed the East Mercy Bridge, and walked for a full half-hour before the gate of the Laoshu Ward came into sight.

The Laoshu Ward was Yidu’s well-known district of unaffiliated households — “unaffiliated” meaning ordinary commoners of humble means with no clan connections to lean on. The houses inside the ward were small and narrow, with few private courtyards, most of them shared among several families at once, much like the communal courtyard complexes of later times. The residents were, with a few exceptions of people who had relocated from elsewhere, mostly small-time local tradespeople: street vendors, traveling peddlers, vegetable sellers, craftsmen, and the like. This made it a natural gathering place for Pure Gate disciples. That the Yidu branch hall of the Pure Gate had been established here was, in its way, a meeting of favorable conditions.

From the moment she stepped through the ward gate, Lin Sui’an became aware of gazes from all directions. She swept her eyes around — the only thing in sight was perfectly ordinary-looking passersby — and yet those gazes carried no malice and no killing intent. Her sixth sense instinctively failed to lock onto any specific source or individual. She only felt as though she were standing in the middle of a dense, fine-meshed net, every inch of her skin crawling with discomfort.

Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise had clearly sensed it too. All four went rigid, their expressions grave and concentrated, pressing in close on either side of Lin Sui’an. Azure Dragon was so tense he was actually swinging the same arm and leg on the same side as he walked.

The only one who remained perfectly relaxed and comfortable was Jin Ruo. With a candy stick dangling from his mouth, he swaggered along — clicking his tongue and exclaiming here, making sounds of interest there — utterly self-possessed. As they walked, he suddenly called out to a young man selling savory filled pastries at the roadside. “Brother, could you do me the favor of letting your hall master know? Just say that Lin Niangzi and Jin Ruo have come to pay a visit.”

The pastry seller inhaled sharply and, abandoning his entire stall of pastries, bolted away in a flash.

Lin Sui’an glanced sideways at Jin Ruo. “Sharp eyes, my disciple.”

Jin Ruo: “Basic skill. Nothing to it.”

The four members of Vermilion Bird’s group relaxed slightly.

The Laoshu Ward had three streets and two lanes — the three streets were Divination, Magpie Bridge, and Fairy — and the two lanes were West Facing and East Facing, crossing each other in a grid. The ward gate opened directly onto Fairy Street; a left turn led to West Facing Lane; continuing straight for a stick of incense’s time, then turning right, led to Divination Street. When Jin Ruo entered the ward gate, he had the pastry seller carry word of their arrival, and on West Facing Lane he enlisted a knife grinder, and on Divination Street a sachet peddler — all three vendors were clearly Pure Gate disciples, quick on their feet, darting away like arrows loosed from a bow. And yet not one of them came back, nor did any other Pure Gate disciples appear to receive them. Lin Sui’an’s party found their way entirely unimpeded, and simply walked up and stood at the entrance of the Yidu branch hall.

It was one of the few two-courtyard compounds in the Laoshu Ward: rammed-earth walls, weathered wooden gates. The wall was barely half a person’s height, and through it one could see the blackened roof tiles of the main hall inside.

There was not a soul at the door.

Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo exchanged a glance and simultaneously pushed the gate open and stepped inside. The front courtyard looked like an ordinary residence — three side rooms, with gate openings on either side of the central room. From the rear courtyard came voices, rising and falling, some male, some female, and growing increasingly heated — it sounded like an argument. Pressed against the left gate were three people, all in the same pose, eavesdropping. Lin Sui’an looked more closely. They were the Pure Gate disciples who had gone to deliver the message earlier. No wonder none of them had returned — they had apparently all gathered here to listen at the wall.

Jin Ruo was deeply unimpressed. “What are you all doing?”

The three disciples gave awkward smiles and pointed toward the inner side of the gate. “It seems the hall master and the four elders have gotten into an argument. We’re low-ranking disciples — we don’t dare to interrupt.”

Oh, a scene to enjoy! Lin Sui’an immediately perked up with interest and leaned in as well, pressing her ear to the gate panel. She quickly realized this was quite unnecessary — everyone inside was blessed with a powerful voice, and with her hearing, she could make out every word through the gate panel with perfect clarity.

“Is the hall master truly set on acting unilaterally and handing the Yidu Pure Gate over to the Yangdu Pure Gate?” A male voice.

“The hall master is moving far too rashly. This so-called Junior Gate Master is only eighteen years old — barely grown. How could he possibly control the Pure Gate? This must be those elders in Yangdu pulling strings from behind the scenes. The split between Yidu and Yangdu was an ugly affair — there is every reason to fear those old men are waiting for a chance to retaliate.” Another male voice.

“I met the Junior Gate Master yesterday. Young Master Jin has an impressive bearing — clear, upright eyes, with the style of the former Gate Master in his youth. I believe he can be trusted.” Gan Hongying’s voice. “Moreover, the Junior Gate Master’s master is the Master of Qian Jing. Has everyone forgotten the Pure Gate’s founding rule? Wherever Qian Jing resides, that is where the true lineage of the Pure Gate belongs.”

“Frankly, I find this so-called Master of Qian Jing the least trustworthy of all. The rivers and lakes have been buzzing with talk — claiming that this Lin Sui’an wields a blade that surpasses all others, capable of holding off a hundred opponents single-handedly. Does no one here find that just a little too far-fetched?” A female voice. “What’s more, Qian Jing has not appeared in the world for thirty years. The Pure Gate has only scattered records of it, and whether the Qian Jing in Lin Sui’an’s possession is the real thing remains entirely unverified.”

“Third Elder’s words are well-founded. The rumors surrounding the Master of Qian Jing are far too sensational. This old one’s view is that the Yangdu Pure Gate has been manipulating information in the martial world, deliberately fabricating the image of an incomparably skilled Master of Qian Jing — all to help Yangdu’s Pure Gate subjugate the branch halls in other regions.” The last voice was that of an elderly man. “Let us not forget, my fellow elders — manipulating information, amplifying information, is precisely the Pure Gate’s most formidable skill.”

“Indeed, the Great Elder sees furthest!”

“Quite right, quite right.”

Jin Ruo clicked his tongue. “I thought we’d be able to reclaim the Yidu branch hall without a fight, but it turns out they haven’t sorted things out internally at all. From the look of things, they’re heading for an internal fracture.”

Lin Sui’an sighed inwardly: Sure enough, windfalls never land in her lap.

Gan Hongying was silent for a moment. “Yesterday, I already presented the Pure Gate’s hall layout map and the full roster of disciples to the Junior Gate Master. We have no path of retreat.”

The people in the courtyard erupted in shock.

“What?!”

“Hall Master, how could you?!”

“This — what do we do now?!”

“Call the brothers together, arm yourselves, and go take it back!”

Lin Sui’an exhaled quietly, pushed the gate open with a creak, and stepped through. The sight before her was immediately striking: a wide, flat practice courtyard. In the covered pavilion stood five people. Gan Hongying occupied the main seat; to her left sat an elderly man and a woman; to her right stood two men. All four, judging by their builds, were clearly people with martial training.

All five turned to look at once, with expressions suggesting they had just been struck hard over the head with a stone.

Jin Ruo grinned. “Good morning, brothers and sisters of the Yidu branch hall.”

Lin Sui’an arranged what she considered her most amiable smile. “We brought Hundred-Blossom Tea. Why don’t we sit down and share a couple of cups?”

The two most renowned ceramic wares in the Tang nation were celadon and white porcelain. Celadon had a long history; its craft had reached a state of consummate refinement, with a beauty, texture, and sheen that had attained the pinnacle of perfection. White porcelain had developed over the past decade or so — pure as white jade, lustrous as snow — and had become a particular favorite among the scholar-gentry class, often cited as a reflection of flawless character and spotless virtue.

The Hua family had made significant contributions to white porcelain, and the most celebrated was the white porcelain from the Ming Kiln. True to the Hua family’s characteristic style of “going its own way,” the kiln had developed a distinctive technique: underglaze color.

Take the tea cups before them, for instance — made using the “underglaze celadon” method. Each cup was white and translucent throughout, with only a brushstroke of vivid green fired onto the base. When the clear, golden Hundred-Blossom Tea was poured in, it looked like a single spring leaf floating and shimmering in clear water — worthy of the Hua family’s celebrated reputation as “a single spring branch reflected in still water.”

Lin Sui’an didn’t know the exact price of the tea set, but from the careful, cautious expressions on the faces of the five people across from her, she guessed it started at several dozen gold pieces at the very least.

Apart from Gan Hongying herself, the Yidu branch hall had four elders. Great Elder Dongmen Wen was past sixty, his hair and beard flecked with gray — sharp-eyed and vigorous, clearly the most senior and authoritative figure in the branch hall. Second Elder Shen Xiang was a woman in her fifties, plain-featured, with an apron still tied around her waist — she had the warm, unassuming air of a familiar neighborhood auntie. Third Elder Gao Han was just past twenty, tall and long-faced, with large, coarse hands and feet. Fourth Elder Bai Shan was in his early thirties, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with dark skin and two black-handled blades strapped across his back.

Dongmen Wen and Shen Xiang were reasonably courteous, but the expressions on Gao Han and Bai Shan’s faces were decidedly unfriendly. From the moment Lin Sui’an and her party entered, their gazes had been fixed on them with a hard, cold hostility.

Gan Hongying was visibly embarrassed.

The four elders had been openly disparaging the Master of Qian Jing and the Pure Gate’s Junior Gate Master behind their backs, only to be caught red-handed by the very people in question. It was genuinely mortifying — but looking at Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo, they seemed entirely unbothered, glancing around with cheerful curiosity, radiating interest.

In truth, Lin Sui’an found it rather awkward as well. Fortunately, her long association with Hua Yitang had rubbed off on her — she had absorbed a measure of his talent for thick-skinnedness: so long as I’m not the one who feels awkward, the awkwardness belongs to everyone else.

As for Jin Ruo — he appeared to have been born without a single “embarrassed” nerve in his body. And the four members of the Azure Dragon group, well, they hadn’t even evolved the emotional capacity for “embarrassment” yet.

Gan Hongying cleared her throat. “Ah — Lin Niangzi and the Junior Gate Master, didn’t you say you would visit in three days? Why have you come today?”

Lin Sui’an clasped her hands respectfully. “Yesterday we received a generous gift from Hall Master Gan. We’ve come today specifically to return the courtesy.”

Jin Ruo: “The tea is in return for the courtesy. The tea set is payment for yesterday’s information about Lian Xiaoshuang.”

“Junior Gate Master is far too generous — we are all family—”

Gan Hongying had not finished speaking before Third Elder Gao Han cut her off. The young man, in his twenties, spoke with an aggressively blunt manner. “I don’t believe this young lady is the Master of Qian Jing!”

Gan Hongying was furious. “Gao Han, what are you saying?!”

“It’s fine,” Lin Sui’an said with a pleasant smile. “If Elder Gao has doubts, feel free to raise them.”

Gao Han pointed at the Qian Jing at Lin Sui’an’s waist. “Is this blade truly Qian Jing?”

Lin Sui’an: “It is.”

“I don’t believe it. Unless you spar with me using that blade — if you win, I’ll believe it.”

“That won’t do,” Lin Sui’an said, shaking her head. “When Qian Jing is unsheathed, blood must be drawn. This is our first visit as guests — drawing blood would be inauspicious.”

Jin Ruo was stunned. He thought to himself: my master is truly learning bad habits from that person surnamed Hua — she’s become an accomplished liar. On the road to Yidu, she used Qian Jing to chop firewood so Mu Xia could roast lamb for everyone.

Lin Sui’an’s internal monologue: You don’t understand. This is called maintaining an aura of mystique.

Gao Han sneered. “You don’t dare?!”

Lin Sui’an: “While I myself cannot act, my disciple can. Jin Ruo, why don’t you give it a try?”

Jin Ruo picked up his tea cup, raised it to his lips with great deliberation, took a sip, and patted the two-chi blade at his hip. “This blade of mine is called Ruojing. I don’t draw it lightly either. Elder Gao, if you wish to spar with me, you’ll first need to get past my disciple.”

Lin Sui’an stared at him: Your disciple? Who is your disciple?

Jin Ruo tilted his head back toward the others.

Gao Han’s gaze swept over the four members of the Azure Dragon group. “These four are your disciples? Fine — come at me together!”

“That won’t do, that won’t do — we’re all Pure Gate people, how can we gang up on one person?” Jin Ruo glanced back. “Azure Dragon, you go.”

Azure Dragon clasped his hands together in a salute. “Azure Dragon. Can do.”

With that, he leapt into the practice courtyard. Gao Han followed immediately. Both fought bare-handed. Gao Han had large, bony knuckles — clearly a practitioner of external martial arts. Azure Dragon, having left Chengxian County, had not been in a single fight since, and so rarely bothered to carry a blade when going out.

Lin Sui’an lowered her voice and asked Jin Ruo, “When did you take Azure Dragon and the others as disciples?”

“I bluffed them. I’m the Junior Gate Master, after all — if someone challenges me and I step into the ring myself every time, doesn’t that seem beneath my dignity?” Jin Ruo glanced at Azure Dragon. “Do you think Azure Dragon can win?”

Lin Sui’an scratched the side of her head and said nothing.

Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise were the four beasts painstakingly refined by the Dragon Spirit Monastery. At their peak, all four fighting together could hold their own against her for forty or fifty rounds without losing ground — but now, the effects of the Dragon Spirit Fruit had been nearly all washed away by the antidote, their minds were still not entirely clear, and there had been no real combat in the past month to serve as any point of reference. It was genuinely difficult to say how much their combat ability had diminished.

This Gao Han looked rather confident, and held the position of Third Elder in the Yidu branch hall — he presumably had some ability.

“It will certainly be a fiercely exciting fight,” Lin Sui’an concluded.

As she spoke, Gao Han let out a great shout, planted his stance, and charged at Azure Dragon in a blur, his fists thundering through the air with an imposing force. Azure Dragon, by contrast, appeared to be caught off guard — he neither dodged nor moved aside. Gao Han showed no mercy and drove a solidly-landed fist square into Azure Dragon’s abdomen with a resounding thud.

Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo sucked in a simultaneous sharp breath. Gan Hongying’s complexion changed. The three other elders’ eyes lit up. Gao Han’s face broke into a victorious grin and he moved to follow up with a flurry of rapid punches — only to find that the fist he had struck with was being gripped in an iron hold.

By Azure Dragon.

The punch had undeniably landed, but not a flicker of change crossed Azure Dragon’s expression. Gripping Gao Han’s fist with one hand, he drew it away from his own stomach one frame at a time. Gao Han’s arm shook violently — he could not overpower the grip no matter how he strained. In desperation he shot out his left fist in a sudden arc, but the Azure Dragon before him had vanished in the blink of an eye. Gao Han’s face drained of color in alarm, and in the next instant, he felt his entire body flip sideways, spinning through the air like a windmill before crashing heavily to the ground. When he landed, both eyes were still rolling in slow circles.

Gao Han had lost without understanding quite how. But those watching from the sidelines had seen it clearly.

Azure Dragon had first taken the punch head-on, using his body to absorb and block the path of Gao Han’s fist. With his first blow spent, Gao Han naturally was a fraction slower on the second strike. Seizing the moment when Gao Han’s guard was wide open, Azure Dragon sank his waist and lowered his stance, swept out a ground-skimming leg sweep that caught Gao Han’s shin, then grabbed his collar in the same motion and heaved him upward. Between the two opposing forces, Gao Han was launched high into the air. The entire sequence had no discernible martial art style or technical sophistication whatsoever — it relied purely on a body that could take hits, speed that was more than enough, and brute force in abundance. The posture was thoroughly inelegant, on par with alley brawlers throwing punches in a street fight.

The people of the Yidu branch hall: “……”

Lin Sui’an pressed her hand to her forehead. “He truly has his elder martial brother’s scrappy, floor-hugging fighting spirit.”

Jin Ruo looked pained. “Learned the bad habits, not the good ones.”

Azure Dragon walked back and gave Jin Ruo a formal salute. “Azure Dragon. Won.”

Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo both raised their thumbs simultaneously. “Well done!”

Azure Dragon’s expression remained largely unchanged, but Lin Sui’an sensed he was rather pleased.

Gao Han picked himself up and exploded in anger. “What kind of fighting was that?! Who do you think you’re looking down on?!”

“Little Gao, stand down!” Fourth Elder Bai Shan rose to his feet. The two blades on his back hummed softly. “A loss is a loss!”

Gao Han sat back down with his face full of resentment, rubbing his head.

Bai Shan jumped down into the practice courtyard and gave a formal, respectful salute. “I am Bai Shan. I use twin blades. Would the Junior Gate Master be entering the ring himself, or sending a disciple in his place?”

Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise all looked toward Jin Ruo at the same time, their eyes bright with eager expectation.

Jin Ruo didn’t call on any of them. He stood up himself. “Twin-Wind Blade, Bai Shan. Fourteen years in the martial world. You cut down villains, protected the common people, and were given the name ‘Twin-Blade Hero’ by the rivers and lakes. Three years ago, at the Luhe Ferry, you fought a great battle of three hundred rounds against the eight masters of the Dishan Sect — four of them died, four were gravely wounded, and the sect never recovered. But the Twin-Wind Blade has been absent from the martial world ever since. To think you ended up here, in my Pure Gate.”

Lin Sui’an gave an internal exclamation of surprise — this person was actually a figure of some renown.

“It is Gan Hall Master I follow, not you.” Bai Shan’s voice was steady. “If you want me to respect you, show me what you can really do.”

Jin Ruo glanced at Lin Sui’an. Lin Sui’an gave a small nod.

Jin Ruo raised his Ruojing and stepped down into the practice courtyard.

Side Story:

Lin Sui’an: My good disciple, your master believes in you! Quick, quick, pass me the melon seeds!