Yan Qingzhi asked Li Diudiu: “I noticed that during the monthly exam you wrote your answers with your left hand — and the script style was one I have never seen before. What style is it? From whom did you learn it, and when?”

Li Diudiu said: “I couldn’t really say… I just thought, since I’m switching hands anyway, why not write something a little different from everyone else? So I just wrote freely. The left hand grips the brush more lightly, so I elongated the characters a bit, and lifted the hooks and bends more quickly — it came out looking rather interesting. Something like sword-hooks.”

“A self-invented script style?”

Yan Qingzhi glanced at Li Diudiu. He was not entirely convinced, but given the breadth of his own learning, having seen all manner of calligraphic styles and being a devoted student of calligraphy himself, he genuinely had never seen this particular way of forming and setting down strokes.

Yan Qingzhi said: “Write it out again and let me see.”

Li Diudiu gave a sound of agreement, spread out paper, paused in thought for a moment, and wrote down two lines.

*When the sea reaches its boundless end, heaven itself becomes the shore;*

*When the mountain is climbed to its ultimate peak, I stand as the summit.*

These two lines, written in that script of his that rang like the clash of golden lances, left Yan Qingzhi staring in a momentary trance.

He asked Li Diudiu: “Li Chi — why these two lines?”

Li Diudiu said: “Teacher, what is there to explain? You simply asked me to write something, and these two lines came to mind in that moment, so I wrote them.”

Yan Qingzhi let out a long, slow breath. He looked at Li Diudiu’s eyes and said sincerely: “Are you truly someone who grew up in poverty and hardship, worrying about food and clothing?”

Li Diudiu shook his head: “Poor and hungry, yes — but never felt like hardship.”

Yan Qingzhi nodded slowly and repeated the two lines to himself in a murmur… *When the sea reaches its boundless end, heaven itself becomes the shore; when the mountain is climbed to its ultimate peak, I stand as the summit.*

Having repeated them once, his heart swelled all the more with feeling. He picked up Li Diudiu’s brush, wanting to add two more lines below — his breast brimming with sweeping emotions, ten thousand words swirling in his mind. He felt that two more lines should follow, that something was right on the tip of his tongue — and yet no matter what he thought of, none of it seemed right. Everything he came up with felt superfluous, utterly unworthy of following these lines.

The feeling left him deeply uncomfortable. He prided himself on his learning, and for the first time felt that these two lines were sufficient unto themselves — that anything added would be gilding the lily, too much and too little at once.

And so he set down the brush, let out another long breath — but the stirring ambition that had been kindled within him had nowhere to go.

Unable to bear the bottled feeling any longer, he stepped out into the courtyard, stripped off his outer robe, and began to perform a set of boxing forms. His fist technique was fierce and powerful, nothing like a scholar’s — far more like a great general charging back and forth through ten thousand soldiers with a long lance.

Li Diudiu stood in the doorway watching Yan Qingzhi complete the form. His eyes shone.

This technique — it was truly formidable.

So Li Diudiu couldn’t help but ask: “Teacher, does this boxing technique have a name?”

Yan Qingzhi completed the set, the stifled energy in his chest finally given some release. He nodded: “This is one of the twin masterworks of blade and fist created in former times by the great general Xu Qulu — the general once created the Formation-Breaking Blade and the Formation-Breaking Fist, matchless under heaven.”

Li Diudiu had a faint recollection of this — perhaps his master had mentioned it, or perhaps he’d heard it from some martial artist once. The words were something like: *Under heaven, no blade strikes fiercer than the Formation-Breaking Blade; under heaven, no fist strikes stronger than the Formation-Breaking Fist.*

Unyielding in retreat, unstoppable in advance.

Li Diudiu asked: “Teacher, General Xu Qulu rendered such magnificent service to the realm — so why are these twin masterworks so little known today? What you just performed is the first time I’ve ever seen it.”

Yan Qingzhi’s expression grew sorrowful as he answered: “No one practices it now because there are almost no one left who knows it — and even those who do dare not practice it in front of others… If you want to learn this technique I can teach you, but remember: do not let anyone see you use it.”

He sat down and pointed to the bench across from him: “Sit down and hear me out.”

Li Diudiu sat obediently — as docile as a child of ten or so should be… Wait.

Yan Qingzhi looked at Li Diudiu and said: “Do you know of the time when General Xu Qulu turned the tide of disaster single-handedly?”

Li Diudiu nodded: “Every person of Dachu knows.”

Yan Qingzhi said: “But do you know what became of Xu Qulu afterward?”

Li Diudiu said: “Didn’t he die of illness? They said after returning from the campaign against the northern grasslands, he contracted a severe disease. The Emperor at the time sought famous physicians from every corner, but none could cure him. After Xu Qulu passed, the Emperor wept over his coffin.”

“Nonsense!”

Yan Qingzhi said under his breath, a flash of hatred crossing his eyes before vanishing.

He was silent for a while, then said: “At that time, Dachu was beset from all sides — beleaguered within and without. The general singlehandedly restored the realm, campaigned to the western regions, and pacified the northern grasslands. But not long after his return, officials in court began claiming he was wielding his military power to dominate others and harboring treasonous ambitions.”

“The Emperor too feared that Xu Qulu might prove disloyal. The hearts of the army were in Xu Qulu alone — and even after Xu Qulu returned and expressed his willingness to relinquish his military authority, the Emperor remained uneasy.”

“And so those people devised a treacherous scheme — at an imperial banquet, they poisoned the general’s wine. Xu Qulu had a great love of wine and could drink ten jin without getting drunk. The moment that first sip went down, he knew it was poisoned. But he did not become angry, and he did not resist — because he understood the Emperor had already resolved to kill him. If he did not drink the poisoned wine today, he would die by some other means tomorrow.”

“So Xu Qulu rose to his feet, lifted his cup, and said to the Emperor: ‘Your Majesty, never once have I harbored a disloyal heart. I only ever wished for Dachu’s rivers and mountains to endure through ten thousand ages — I only ever wished for Dachu to know peace and prosperity throughout the realm.'”

“And with those words, Xu Qulu drained the cup and strode out laughing…”

Yan Qingzhi continued: “These things were never meant to reach the ears of ordinary people. The general died not long after returning home, vomiting blood, and the court told the people he had drunk from contaminated river water during the grasslands campaign and contracted a disease. The people all felt that heaven itself was unjust — that heaven envied those of exceptional gifts!”

Yan Qingzhi let out a quiet sound of contempt. His face had gone slightly pale.

After a long silence, he looked at Li Diudiu and said: “What I’ve told you — not a word of it must ever be repeated. To speak of it is a capital offense.”

He rapped Li Diudiu on the skull: “Your head and my head — neither would remain on our shoulders.”

Li Diudiu nodded vigorously: “Teacher, have no fear. I won’t speak of it even to my master.”

Yan Qingzhi gave a sound of agreement, then said with a smile: “I only tell you because I trust you.”

Li Diudiu asked curiously: “How did Teacher come to know all this?”

Yan Qingzhi fell silent.

After another long stretch, he expelled a heavy breath.

“An ancestor of mine was a company commander among the general’s personal troops — following him through life and death, fighting shoulder to shoulder through more than a hundred campaigns across half a lifetime of war. The general regarded my ancestor as a brother… Just before his death, the general entrusted his family to my ancestor’s care. But how could those in the court allow that…”

Yan Qingzhi said: “My ancestor escorted the general’s family back to their hometown to settle them. On the way, they were ambushed by several thousand brigands. By that time the general had already pacified the realm — how could such a multitude of brigands appear out of nowhere? Besides, the general was renowned and generous with his wealth, and even people of the martial world would not dare trouble his family.”

“My ancestor fought until he was gravely wounded, and still couldn’t protect the general’s family. He expected to die as well — but somehow survived. He came to consciousness in a mass grave, apparently thrown there by whoever had collected the bodies.”

Yan Qingzhi said: “Upon waking, my ancestor understood everything. Even the general could not save this realm. And so he quietly returned home — here, to Jizhou.”

Li Diudiu listened with a chest full of suppressed anguish, feeling as though a fire was burning through him, desperate to let out a shout.

Yan Qingzhi continued: “My ancestor had learned both the Formation-Breaking Blade and the Formation-Breaking Fist from the general. It was only later that he came to learn all the general’s personal guards had died, one after another — under all manner of strange circumstances… so that of these two techniques, perhaps only my ancestor kept the transmission alive.”

Li Diudiu shook his head and sighed: “Why did the court have to go this far?”

Yan Qingzhi said: “Which is why Dachu is in such a state of decay today — and why there will never again be another Xu Qulu.”

Li Diudiu nodded. He knew Teacher was right. Even if another person of Xu Qulu’s talent existed, no one would ever again have Xu Qulu’s resolve.

Yan Qingzhi said: “It’s a pity your right arm is injured. Otherwise, during this month of farming recess, I could teach you the Formation-Breaking Blade.”

Li Diudiu raised his left hand and waved it: “Teacher can teach me — my left hand is strong. Exceptionally strong left hand. Extremely capable left hand. A man who can only use one hand must surely have something missing.”

Yan Qingzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling Li Diudiu was somehow alluding to something improper — then he remembered that Li Diudiu wasn’t yet at that age.

He felt a touch of embarrassment.

“Practicing the blade with your left hand will be very difficult. The Formation-Breaking Blade is a right-hand technique — using it left-handed, the angles are reversed…”

As Yan Qingzhi said this, his eyes suddenly lit up: “But if you use the Formation-Breaking Blade technique with your left hand, others naturally won’t recognize it — and it may well produce unexpected results. I will pass this technique on to you, and so this technique need not be lost…”

Li Diudiu said: “Teacher need not worry about that. Once you marry and have children, the technique will pass down naturally.”

Yan Qingzhi shook his head: “I have no intention of marrying.”

Li Diudiu asked curiously: “Teacher, why ever not?”

Even as he asked, the thought occurred to him: perhaps he could have Gao Xining chat with Teacher more? She was a professional.

Yan Qingzhi shook his head. Some things he could not say to Li Diudiu. He had a premonition that Dachu’s realm could not hold together for many more years. Jizhou appeared as impregnable as iron and stone, but if the world came to a catastrophic collapse, what could one Jizhou do?

He worried he couldn’t protect a family — it would only add to the grief.

Beyond that — to this day, no woman had ever moved his heart.

If he voiced his belief that Dachu’s realm was already crumbling, it wouldn’t just be cause for his own execution and the annihilation of nine generations of his family — even the Four Pages Academy probably wouldn’t survive. Not even the military governor’s respect for Headmaster Gao would do any good.

So those words — could not be spoken.

“Just focus on learning.”

Yan Qingzhi rose: “I will demonstrate the Formation-Breaking Blade for you first. Let’s see how much you can remember from one viewing — though in truth, whether in studying or in martial arts, everything comes down to one word: diligence. If you are not willing to work hard, nothing you learn will have any meaning.”

Li Diudiu nodded emphatically: “Teacher, have no fear. I will study well and hard.”

Yan Qingzhi gave a sound of acknowledgment, looked around the courtyard, found that only the carrying pole for the water buckets was at all handy, and grasped it in one hand. He turned to look at Li Diudiu and said: “Li Chi, today I pass the Formation-Breaking Blade to you. From this point on you and I are truly master and disciple. There are several things I want you to keep in mind.”

Li Diudiu rose, straightened his clothing, then lifted the hem of his academy uniform and knelt to the ground, kowtowing three times with great solemnity.

Yan Qingzhi smiled with easy grace: “First — you are not permitted to use my blade technique to slaughter the innocent.”

“Understood!”

“Second — you are not permitted to use my blade technique to commit wrongdoing.”

“Understood!”

“Third — you are not permitted to rename my blade technique of your own accord. The Formation-Breaking Blade is, and shall forever remain, Xu Qulu’s Formation-Breaking Blade.”

“Understood!”

Yan Qingzhi drew a deep breath. Then the stance of the blade rose into form.

“Watch carefully!”

“Understood!”