Li Chi had heard a story — a story Xiahou Zuo had conjured from imagination — a story that left one speechless for a long time after hearing it.

He did not know how long it had been before Li Chi finally let out a slow breath, yet still felt as though something were lodged in his chest.

“If anyone in this world could attain sainthood through the sword, it could only have been him.”

Li Chi rose and walked to the window, resting his hands on the sill, looking out. There was unmelted snow still lying on the ground. It turned out that this early winter’s snow had not come to welcome anything — it had come to see someone off.

Yu Jiuling had also been silent for a long while. Then he murmured to himself: “I really want to know his name.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “The only person who knows his name is the current emperor, Yang Jing.”

Yu Jiuling said: “But a hero like him — should his name not be known throughout the world?”

“It should not.”

Xiahou Zuo answered quickly.

Yu Jiuling was taken aback. He was just about to object when he heard Xiahou Zuo speak five words — five words that pressed everything Yu Jiuling had been about to say back down, pressed it utterly and completely.

“Because we are weak.”

Those five words were like a mountain pressing down on the heart, and like a blade thrust into it — heavy and painful at once.

“Because we are weak…”

Yu Jiuling repeated the words softly to himself. His whole bearing seemed to deflate, a dejection in which there was also an inarticulate, helpless fury.

Xiahou Zuo said: “If the Central Plains were a strong nation, this hero’s name would certainly be known throughout the world. But we are weak — it isn’t a matter of whether we dare acknowledge it. We cannot.”

Yu Jiuling said with some heat: “But even if we don’t acknowledge it, would that stop Black Wu from attacking us?”

“They will attack.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “But the nature of the attack would differ.”

Yu Jiuling said: “In the end it comes to death either way. What difference could there be?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “There are tens of thousands of soldiers on the northern frontier. For them, there is a difference. If the court acknowledged it — if it were known that a Chu subject killed Kuokedi Dashi — how would Black Wu fight? And if the court does not acknowledge it, how would Black Wu fight?”

Yu Jiuling said: “My mind is slow. I can’t work through all that.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “If acknowledged, Black Wu would come south and even if they ran into resistance, even if they suffered enormous losses, even if they had to climb over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they would still try to break through the border passes.”

“A vendetta of that magnitude — once all of Black Wu’s people knew of it, even the Black Wu court would be unable to stop fighting this fiercely even if it wanted to, because they would be unable to contain the rage of the Black Wu populace.”

“But if it is not acknowledged, they come south, fail to break our border passes, and will vent their fury elsewhere — or make a show of fighting before withdrawing.”

Xiahou Zuo looked at Yu Jiuling seriously and said: “If the former — our tens of thousands of frontier soldiers, not a single one would survive. If Black Wu poured everything into driving south regardless of cost, could the border truly hold?”

Yu Jiuling opened his mouth, but could not produce a single word.

After a long silence, Yu Jiuling threw back his head and cried out: “What a wretched injustice!”

After that one anguished howl, the room fell quiet. No one spoke. Even the sound of breathing was distinct.

After another long stretch of silence, Xiahou Zuo said in a low voice: “And that is precisely why we must become strong.”

Half an hour later, in the main hall of the Military Commissioner’s residence, Li Chi placed a memorial tablet he had made with his own hands upon the offering table.

The inscription, too, was written in his own hand: *Spirit Tablet of the Unrivaled First Swordsman of the Central Plains.*

He led everyone in a deep bow before the tablet, and then each person in turn stepped forward to offer incense in the censer before it.

“How I wish… that everything we people of the Central Plains do could one day be said openly and proudly, for all the world to know.”

Yu Jiuling walked to the doorway and sat on the steps, murmuring to himself.

“This kind of suffocating injustice — I can’t bear it any longer.”

A moment later, he suddenly stood up, raised his hand pointing north, and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Yes! We did it! The Central Plains did it! We did!”

He shouted it so loudly, yet it sounded so powerless.

An hour later, out on the streets of Jizhou City, Xiahou Zuo and Li Chi walked side by side.

Perhaps because the mood just now had been so oppressive, Xiahou Zuo said he wanted to go for a walk, so Li Chi came out with him. The two of them had no particular destination and simply wandered for a good while, until they came upon a certain street corner.

Xiahou Zuo stopped, smiled slightly, and said: “Do you remember this place?”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment: “The place where you nearly got beaten to death, and I performed a great display of might and saved you.”

He made a joke of it — perhaps because the mood was truly too heavy.

Xiahou Zuo made a sound of contempt but did not bother to argue further.

That time, both of them had been separately lured out. He had gone to rescue Li Chi; Li Chi had gone to rescue him.

“Let’s go take a look at the academy.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “I haven’t been back in a long time.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement: “Though the academy is already empty. The disciples who were once there have long since scattered, every one of them gone their own way — even the director doesn’t want to go back.”

The two of them walked to the academy gate, and discovered that the noodle shop not far from the academy was still open.

Xiahou Zuo said: “Let’s go find the old taste.”

Li Chi shook his head: “No need to go. It’s open, but it isn’t doing business. If not for the grain that was distributed before, the owner wouldn’t even be able to feed himself — where would he find spare grain to sell noodles?”

Xiahou Zuo let out a heavy sigh.

“Diudiu.”

“Mm?”

“I used to always believe the court could still be saved.”

“I know. Why else would you have been so determined to go to the northern frontier — beyond national duty, there was still some hope in your heart for the court.”

“That hope is gone now.”

Xiahou Zuo looked at Li Chi and said: “I’ve said to you countless times — without destruction there can be no rebuilding. If this court remains, the Central Plains cannot be saved. And yet in my heart…”

He had never admitted it, never brought it up — when it came down to it, his father was an imperial prince of the blood, surnamed Yang.

Xiahou Zuo said: “When spring comes next year, Black Wu will certainly move south — but they won’t press the attack too hard.”

Li Chi nodded: “I understand. Whoever takes the Black Wu throne will need to consolidate first. If they win the campaign, all well and good; if they suffer heavy losses, they’ll be cursed from all sides — and if someone seizes the moment to rise against them, it won’t have been worth it.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “What I mean is…”

Li Chi nodded again: “I understand. You hold them off; I’ll fight to take the land. The only thing you can do is make sure I have no worries at my back.”

Xiahou Zuo made a sound of agreement and lifted his head to look at the sky.

His meaning had been: I will hold back Black Wu while you fight to win the Central Plains. The only thing he could do was ensure that Li Chi had nothing to fear behind him.

A long silence.

Then Xiahou Zuo suddenly smiled and said: “When we get back, let’s have Auntie Wu make dumplings for dinner tonight.”

Li Chi said: “Dumplings can wait — when are you going to find me a sister-in-law?”

Xiahou Zuo curled his lip: “The way you put that sounds so strange…”

Li Chi made a sound of contempt: “You know how worried Mother is about you. If you married and had children soon, that would put one of her worries to rest.”

Xiahou Zuo shook his head: “What girl would I bring to a place like the northern frontier? It would be unfair to anyone.”

Li Chi said: “In that case, why don’t you go to the Fengming Mountain Taoist shrine and ask for a divination about your marriage prospects?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Can they even handle something like that? Is it reliable?”

Li Chi said: “We’ve just put our own people in charge there. Whether it’s reliable or not I can’t say, but whatever you want to hear, they’ll say it.”

Xiahou Zuo narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Chi: “You’re even annexing Taoist shrines?”

Li Chi said: “Wherever there is injustice, I bring justice.”

Xiahou Zuo found those eight words rather interesting.

Li Chi said: “I’ve gathered a large quantity of money, grain, and supplies. After the spring thaw next year, I can begin recruiting craftsmen and laborers to go north and build grain storage facilities in the frontier region.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Recruiting?”

Li Chi nodded: “Large-scale recruiting.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “How many families did you swindle?”

Li Chi smiled: “Too much swindling gets tiresome…”

Xiahou Zuo suddenly raised his hand and clapped Li Chi on the shoulder: “Hurry up and marry Lady Gao.”

Li Chi was taken aback and looked at Xiahou Zuo: “Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “You marry and have children, Mother will be happy.”

Li Chi asked: “And would my children take the surname Xiahou?”

Xiahou Zuo was momentarily stunned, then raised his hand and knocked Li Chi on the head: “The way you talk really is… a knife to the heart.”

Li Chi said: “Actually, my better half also has a particular service line… not particularly refined, but at least it’s a specialty.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Hm?”

A moment later, understanding dawned: “Get out of here!”

The two of them walked into the academy, which could fairly be called derelict by now — it had long since stopped being maintained and looked thoroughly bleak. The only saving grace was that a layer of snow had covered much of the overgrown weeds. Their footprints were the only marks in the snow.

“Time passes so quickly.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “Back then you were still a scrawny little runt, known around the academy for having a big appetite.”

Li Chi said: “And you were a shameless scoundrel who could take a man’s money and then get it refunded.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “How are you any better?”

Li Chi said: “Before I came to Jizhou, I was a perfectly decent and upright young man. It’s only because I got mixed up with you that people now say I’m thick-skinned and black-hearted.”

Xiahou Zuo said: “And you won’t even thank me for that.”

Li Chi laughed and shook his head: “I won’t say thank you.”

He asked Xiahou Zuo: “How long are you staying?”

Xiahou Zuo said: “A few days… is the Twin Stars Pavilion still around?”

Li Chi: “Get lost…”

The Twin Stars Pavilion was indeed still around.

That night, Xiahou Zuo went there with Yu Jiuling and the others. Li Chi and Tang Pidi did not go.

In the courtyard, Li Chi and Tang Pidi trained in the evening — one practicing bladework, the other spearwork.

Li Chi was especially fond of his newly acquired blade. Whether for its weight or its sharpness, it was a superior piece in every way.

Reforged to the same shape and style as a standard regulation saber, it was roughly two *cun* longer than usual and weighed several dozen *jin*.

“Hey!”

Li Chi looked over at Tang Pidi and asked: “Xiahou and the others went to the Twin Stars Pavilion. Why didn’t you go?”

Tang Pidi said: “And why didn’t you go?”

Li Chi said: “Don’t you know why I didn’t go?”

Tang Pidi said: “Why I didn’t go… is because I was thinking of Xiahou and the others.”

Li Chi said: “How so?”

Tang Pidi said: “If they went in, and came back out after a while, had a meal and some drinks, and then waited until they were nodding off with drowsiness, and I still hadn’t come out…”

Before he could finish, Li Chi had already picked up a stone lock and was about to hurl it at him.

Tang Pidi said: “Why does that wound you as well?”

Li Chi said: “Two green little sprouts, talking about that kind of thing — what’s the point.”

Tang Pidi burst out laughing.

After they had finished their training, Tang Pidi grabbed a towel from the rack nearby and tossed one to Li Chi.

“I’m going to the Nalan grasslands in a couple of days.”

He looked at Li Chi with a grin and said: “With your silver.”

Li Chi said curiously: “Didn’t you say that for now it isn’t the right time to build a cavalry force? The new troops can’t even fight yet — putting them on horseback would be even harder. Why the sudden change?”

Tang Pidi sighed: “You scoundrel, you said you wouldn’t ask how I spend the money.”

Li Chi glanced at him sidelong, then after a moment smiled: “I can’t control you. A man like you really needs to find a capable woman to keep you in line.”

Tang Pidi said: “What woman could keep me in line? I can’t even imagine it — if you can find one, sure, I’ll marry her.”

Li Chi said: “You haven’t forgotten, have you — that my better half has a particular specialty…”

—