The leader of the Pure Gate’s Yidu branch, Gan Hongying, was a woman in her early twenties — slightly plump, a little short, fair-skinned, and sturdy. Her jet-black hair was neatly pinned atop her head with a wooden hairpin, a satchel slung diagonally across her body, and her eyes were sharp and bright.
“Gan Hongying of the Yidu branch greets Lin Niangzi, and greets Young Gate Master Jin!” Gan Hongying first pressed her hands together at her brow in the Pure Gate salute, then switched to a cupped-fist greeting. “My respects to the fourth young master of the Hua Family, and to Judicial Supervisor Ling.” Finally, she turned to face Pool Season and Xia Ren. “Greetings to Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia.”
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia’s faces went half-red, half-dark, as though someone had given them each a hard slap.
The atmosphere grew a little awkward for a moment, but fortunately Hua Yitang had the hide of a rhinoceros. With warm enthusiasm, he invited Gan Hongying to take a seat. Mu Xia served the tea — naturally, it was the finest Hundred-Flower Tea brought from Cheng County. Gan Hongying held the cup and studied it for a while, then carefully took a sip. Her eyes lit up brilliantly. She drained the cup, then had it refilled twice more, and asked, “Is this the Hundred-Flower Tea that has shaken all of Guangdu City?”
Upon receiving confirmation, her expression grew even more wistful.
Hua Yitang observed her for a moment, fanning himself as he spoke. “Branch Leader Gan, your timing is perfect. Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia were just discussing our Pure Gate here in Yidu.”
Gan Hongying set down her cup reluctantly. “And what were they saying?”
“Well now—” Hua Yitang pressed his fan to his chin and glanced toward Chi and Xia. The prefect and the chief historian both turned green, frantically shooting Hua Yitang warning looks. Hua Yitang curved his eyes into a smile. “The two officials said that Yidu’s Pure Gate has quite a fine reputation in the martial world — well-connected, well-informed, kind to its neighbors, and upright in its conduct. They called it the most distinctive sect in all of Yidu.”
Everyone: “……”
Truly worthy of being called Yangdu’s foremost wastrel. Blatant lies rolled off his tongue without a moment’s hesitation.
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia wiped their sweat in unison. “Exactly, exactly.”
Gan Hongying burst out laughing. “The fourth young master of the Hua Family certainly has a way with words. But I run nothing but an information-trading business, so I naturally know our reputation in Yidu well enough — ‘Yidu’s number one troublemaker,’ they call us.”
Prefect Chi waved his hands repeatedly. “A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! Those are nothing but the ravings of ruffians and scoundrels!”
Chief Historian Xia wiped his brow furiously, his sleeve soaking through. “Quite right! Lin Niangzi is a heroic woman personally praised by the Emperor from the Responding-to-Heaven Tower during the Lantern Festival. With Lin Niangzi at the helm of the Pure Gate, how could it possibly be the sort of disreputable sect they claim?”
Jin Ruo rolled his eyes. Ling Zhiyan kept his head down and drank his tea.
Lin Sui’an thought: These two truly aren’t that far behind Hua Yitang when it comes to reading the wind and shifting their sails.
“The two officials have spent their careers in government and are unfamiliar with the martial world, so it’s not surprising they were momentarily misled by petty villains. As the saying goes, three men can make a tiger real, and many voices can melt gold. People used to say the fourth young master of the Hua Family was good-for-nothing and utterly useless. Even though I know that is not so, what use is that knowledge? If enough people say you are something, then that is what you become.” Hua Yitang let out a long, mournful sigh. “People believe they are seeing the truth, but in reality, they are only seeing what they wish to see. As for what they do not wish to see — whether real or false — they simply cannot see it at all.”
Chi and Xia forced stiff smiles.
“And that is precisely why the Pure Gate’s existence is so especially valuable.” Hua Yitang set aside his smile. “I make no great claim to knowledge, but I do know a little about the Pure Gate. The Gate’s information comes largely from the common folk — it may seem trivial and scattered, concerned with matters both great and small, but it is closest to the people. As the saying goes, listening to many sides brings clarity, while heeding only one brings darkness. If its reach could be used well to gauge the sentiments of the common people, would that not be a wonderful thing?”
Prefect Chi said, “Those words of yours, Military Advisor Hua — it sounds as though you have something specific in mind?”
“The Pure Gate only collects, compiles, and relays information — it does not manufacture it. With Lin Niangzi and Young Gate Master Jin guiding it onto the right path, the Pure Gate today is no enemy, but an ally. On the contrary, even if the authorities were to wipe out the Pure Gate, the sources of information would still exist. It is a market too large to leave vacant — if we do not occupy it, others will seize it. And if it were seized and exploited by wicked, treacherous people, that would be the true disaster.”
Chief Historian Xia’s expression shifted dramatically. “Military Advisor Hua speaks wisely — we were being short-sighted and narrow-minded!”
Prefect Chi had an epiphany. “Military Advisor Hua, your words have truly awakened me from a dream!”
Hua Yitang smiled, picked up his tea, and took a sip.
Gan Hongying’s eyes went wide. She thought to herself: this Hua Fourth Young Master is truly formidable. One moment the Pure Gate was a troublemaker the authorities wanted to crush, and with just a few words he’d spun it into an official ally. It seemed she had truly come to the right place this time.
Jin Ruo thought: Heh, now we can charge higher rates for official business.
Ling Zhiyan thought: Fourth Young Master’s feelings for Lin Niangzi are truly not ordinary.
Lin Sui’an thought: Hua Yitang’s sequence of moves is ruthless. The first: use the Hundred-Flower Tea to help the Pure Gate earn money and establish a foothold, laying the foundation for growth. The second: legitimize the Pure Gate, getting the authorities to officially acknowledge its existence and necessity — so that Jin Ruo’s Pure Gate becomes the one and only, irreplaceable “Pure Gate,” squeezing the living space of “the other Pure Gate” down to nothing.
Truly killing without spilling blood — every blow aimed straight at the heart.
Now that things had been said so plainly, it would be a bit much for the Pure Gate branch to still show no response. Lin Sui’an gave Jin Ruo a meaningful glance.
Jin Ruo cleared his throat. “Branch Leader Gan, what brings you here today?”
Gan Hongying rose and bowed. “From this day forward, the Pure Gate’s Yidu branch willingly comes under the jurisdiction of the Yangdu headquarters. Henceforth, we follow only Young Gate Master Jin’s commands — through fire and flood, without a word of complaint!”
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia drew in a sharp breath.
Gan Hongying reached into her satchel and produced two scroll cases, presenting them with both hands. “These are gifts upon our first meeting. I hope Lin Niangzi and Young Gate Master Jin will accept them.”
Jin Ruo received the scroll cases and unrolled them one by one, eyes brightening immediately. Lin Sui’an leaned over to take a look. The first scroll was divided roughly into three sections. The first section was a map of Yidu, densely dotted with black marks, each annotated with strange numbers. After the map came a complex branching diagram, each fork bearing the same numbers. The final section was a list of names — a quick scan suggested over a thousand entries.
“This is a layout map of the Yidu branch’s halls and its membership roster.” Jin Ruo murmured.
Lin Sui’an: “……”
She hadn’t misheard, had she? Gan Hongying truly had boldness — on their very first meeting, she had laid her entire hand on the table. It was clear this was a wholehearted, no-retreat surrender.
The second scroll was rather more interesting. It recorded the fourteen active sects in Yidu City. Beyond the basic information — sect name, location, scale, and the background of each leader — two items were particularly noteworthy. One was an analysis of each sect’s martial arts techniques and fighting styles. The other was a record of each sect’s backers — in plain terms, the wealthy patrons hiding behind each faction.
Fourteen sects, and their sponsors were essentially Yidu’s ten most prominent noble families. Those with modest wealth sponsored one; those with greater resources sponsored two. Some sects were less than principled and played both sides — the Crane Immortal Sect, for example, was openly funded by the Xu Family of the Southern District, while secretly in league with the Wang Family of the Northern District.
Lin Sui’an paid particular attention to the Su Clan of Suizhou, who funded three sects simultaneously — the Five Mounds Alliance, the Huang Nine Household, and the Rising Immortals Cult — with considerable financial might. One family stood apart in its own peculiar way: rather than exclusively backing any single sect, it spread its wealth evenly across all of them, bestowing generosity upon each. That family was, naturally, the Hua Clan of Yidu.
Jin Ruo remarked drily: “This Yidu temple isn’t big, but it certainly has no shortage of ancestors — ten noble families, no less!”
Gan Hongying replied: “Though called the ten noble families, the Su Clan of Suizhou and the outer branch of the Hua Clan belong to the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, clearly a cut above the rest. The remaining eight families are divided thus: in the southern district, the Xu, Zhou, and Wu families; in the northern district, the Wang, Qian, and Sun families; in the eastern district, the Ma family; and in the western district, the Liu family. Their spheres of influence partly overlap and partly conflict. In their scramble for territory, they naturally keep martial world figures in their employ. For martial sects, expenses such as rent, disciples’ food, clothing, and lodging are no small burden. Without noble family gold and silver to sustain them, mere survival is a problem. So both sides find common ground and cooperate reasonably well.”
Lin Sui’an asked: “And the Pure Gate?”
“A few years ago the Pure Gate could still be self-sufficient. But—” Gan Hongying gave a wry smile, “as the struggles among the noble families grew more and more intense, their affiliated sects also expanded without restraint. The Pure Gate in Yidu was never suited to fighting, and could only swallow its pride and maneuver among the various factions, scraping by in the cracks. The disciples have been living… very hard lives.”
At this, Gan Hongying took a long breath and raised her voice slightly. “Pure Gate disciples all come from humble backgrounds. Most of them joined the Pure Gate just to have somewhere to belong and earn a bit to get by. I won’t hide it from anyone here — we’ve had news of the Yangdu headquarters, the Eastern Capital branch, and the Guangdu branch. I, Gan Hongying, am a plain-spoken woman with no talent for flowery speeches. I’ll say it straight: the Yidu Pure Gate is submitting today because of the Hundred-Flower Tea. I hope Young Gate Master Jin and Lin Niangzi, in the spirit of fellow disciples, will let us take on the Hundred-Flower Tea trade in Yidu, and help our brothers and sisters live better lives!”
When she finished speaking, Gan Hongying pressed her hands together at her brow and bowed deeply, her shoulders trembling slightly.
All eyes turned to Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo.
Jin Ruo furrowed his brow in thought for a moment. “What does Shifu think?”
Lin Sui’an smiled. “I, as the master of Qian Jing, am nothing but a temporary knife-rack. You, my disciple, are the true gate master of the Pure Gate.”
Jin Ruo nodded slowly, and gradually rolled up the scrolls. “I accept the gifts, and I understand the sentiment of the Yidu branch. However, as this matter is of great importance, I must first consult with the elders of the Yangdu headquarters before I can decide. Branch Leader Gan, please return for now. Within three days, you will have an answer.”
Gan Hongying lifted her head suddenly, her expression a little anxious.
Jin Ruo adopted the bearing of a gate master and smiled with dignified composure. “In three days, Shifu and I will personally visit the branch headquarters to see all our fellow disciples.”
Gan Hongying let out a breath of relief, her face breaking into a smile. Jin Ruo’s meaning was clear — this matter was as good as settled, nothing to worry about. She thanked them repeatedly and left in high spirits.
The moment Gan Hongying departed, the atmosphere in the main hall grew awkward again.
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia stared fixedly at the floor, quietly fuming inwardly.
They had served as officials in Yidu for many years and naturally understood its dynamics perfectly well. The so-called martial sects causing havoc in the countryside were in truth backed by the noble families’ factional struggles. Sending Lin Sui’an to suppress the bandits had been a pretense all along — the real intention was to use Lin Sui’an and the Hua Family to rein in the ten noble families’ arrogance and establish the prefect’s office’s authority.
It was admittedly not a very honorable scheme. Said generously, it was using a convenient wind to fill one’s sails. Said plainly, it was using a borrowed blade to do the killing.
They had assumed Hua Yitang was a newcomer unfamiliar with the local situation, and that Lin Sui’an was a simple-minded martial type. A little sympathy-playing and a few clever words would surely have been enough to drag the two onto their scheme. Who could have predicted that Lin Sui’an was actually from the Pure Gate — and that the Pure Gate would carelessly puncture the whole arrangement? Now the hidden scheme had become an open one, and this wretched play had nowhere left to go.
Looking at Hua Yitang’s smiling face, the more one stared the more sarcastic it seemed. Lin Sui’an’s gaze was ice-cold. The Young Gate Master went without saying — even Judicial Supervisor Ling’s eyes carried a hint of contempt.
Hua Yitang leisurely waved his fan. “Prefect Chi, Chief Historian Xia — shall we—”
Prefect Chi: “I have just recalled some urgent matters left unattended — please excuse me!”
Chief Historian Xia: “I shall accompany Prefect Chi!”
The two men linked arms, hiked up their robes, and bolted for the door. Hua Yitang moved even faster — in a single stride he cut them off, cradling his fan as he beamed at them. “I am in excellent spirits today!”
The two men: “Hm?”
“I only just arrived in Yidu, and hold the humble rank of a seventh-grade military advisor. Yet Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia saw fit to entrust me with the great responsibility of bandit suppression — which shows that both of you regard me with the utmost sincerity, treating me as one of your own!” Hua Yitang’s eyes reddened, and he dabbed at the corner of his eye with his sleeve. “How unworthy am I, to have earned such esteem from two superiors — I am moved to the depths of my heart, truly moved!”
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia were dumbfounded. This Hua Yitang was nothing like the rumors. Legendary Hua Fourth Young Master was supposed to have a mind like a seven-orificed jade heart — sly and full of ulterior motives — a man who paid back every grievance without fail. Yet today, having nearly been made a fool of, he showed not a trace of anger. Instead, he was moved to tears.
Could it be that the rumors were false? Or was it—
He’s up to something again, Lin Sui’an thought.
These two officials truly have a death wish, Jin Ruo thought.
There must be deeper meaning in Fourth Young Master’s actions, Ling Zhiyan thought.
“The Hua Family has prepared a welcome banquet for me tonight at Zhang Yi Tower. If the two officials would not think it beneath them, would you join me?” Hua Yitang extended a sincere invitation.
Prefect Chi: “It is a Hua Family banquet — it would not be quite appropriate for us to—”
Chief Historian Xia: “Perhaps another time, and I shall be the host—”
“It is precisely because it is a family banquet that I want to invite you both! Judicial Supervisor Ling, Lin Niangzi, and Young Gate Master Jin are all going as well — we are all one family here!” Hua Yitang smiled. “And Judicial Supervisor Ling was just saying he wanted to have a proper catch-up with Prefect Chi. Isn’t that right, Sixth Brother?”
Ling Zhiyan rose awkwardly, stretched his professional smile into place, and said: “Prefect Chi, Chief Historian Xia — please, after you.”
The Grand Court’s Judicial Supervisor was a rank that could neither be called great nor small, but he was absolutely not someone to be offended. Besides, Judicial Supervisor Ling had such an upright and earnest face that when he issued the invitation in person, refusing him was simply impossible.
Chi and Xia had no choice but to stiffen their spines, clasp their fists, and say: “In that case, we would be honored to accept!”
Jin Ruo was astonished. “That surname Hua went through such a roundabout scheme just to force us into eating and drinking with him?”
Lin Sui’an: “……”
It was, indeed, something he was entirely capable of doing.
Zhang Yi Tower and Scattered Flower Tower were known together as “Yidu’s Twin Marvels.” Zhang Yi Tower was renowned for its food, Scattered Flower Tower for its wine. Zhang Yi Tower had eighty-one signature dishes; Scattered Flower Tower’s cellar held thirty-six varieties of fine wine. The people of Yidu often said that if the food of Zhang Yi Tower could be paired with the wine of Scattered Flower Tower, it would be the most exquisite flavor in all the world.
But as fate would have it, the proprietors of the two establishments loathed each other. Not a single dish from Zhang Yi Tower would ever be sent to Scattered Flower Tower, and not a drop of Scattered Flower Tower’s wine would ever flow to Zhang Yi Tower. The two buildings were separated by a mere block in the Southern Fifth District, yet between them had grown an iron wall of mutual avoidance.
Hua Ermu had booked the welcome banquet at Zhang Yi Tower — presumably knowing that Hua Yitang cared only for food and not for wine. Lin Sui’an felt a pang of regret, and resolved that if she had the chance, she would go to Scattered Flower Tower and sample all thirty-six varieties. After all, she still had a drunkard named Qian Jing to keep fed, and if she happened to find something comparable to Man Bi, every coin saved was a coin earned.
The journey from the Southern Second Ward where the Hua Family’s Ninety-Nine Residence sat to the Tianqing Ward where Zhang Yi Tower stood took only a quarter of an hour by carriage. Up close, the tower was even more magnificent. Six stories tall, each floor over three zhang in height, its upturned eaves curved like crane wings. The black tiles gleamed with lacquer, and silver bells hung from the eaves — when the wind blew the bells, they chimed in answer to the rumble of traffic at the entrance. Two great pillars stood before the door, wide enough that four men linking arms could not encircle them, painted a vivid ink-green. Above hung a placard with a black background and gold characters bearing the words “Zhang Yi.”
The ground floor hall received casual guests and was bustling with noise — the clatter of eating, the bark of shouts, all a clamor. Passing through the main hall, one arrived at a wide inner courtyard. At its center had been laid out an elegant artificial garden, with red flowers and green willows arranged around an octagonal pavilion. A troupe of musicians in the pavilion was singing and playing in a language Lin Sui’an could not understand — ancient Shu dialect, she surmised — with a sound that carried a faint scent of grass.
Zhang Yi Tower’s staircase was built in a distinctive style: centered on the inner courtyard, it wound upward around the entire tower. Along the outer edge of each landing, a groove had been cut into the railing and filled with soil, in which all manner of potted plants were growing — flowers in full bloom, red blooms most prominent among them. Standing at the center of the courtyard and looking up, the staircase resembled a coiling serpentine dragon clothed in red scales, spiraling toward the sky.
Climbing the stairs, the soft sound of strings and woodwinds drifted past one’s ears, fragrance rising step by step, the scenery shifting with every turn. Turning left seven times and right eight times, Lin Sui’an nearly lost her head trying to keep track.
After a considerable effort to reach the sixth-floor attic, they followed a waiter down a long corridor to the most lavish suite in Zhang Yi Tower — the Crabapple Courtyard. Hua Ermu and seven of his great-grandchildren had arrived early and were waiting at the door. Upon seeing Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia, they were overjoyed, and immediately ordered the waiters to add eighteen more dishes.
After much polite deferring and mutual flattery, everyone was finally seated. Seven or eight groups of young women filed in, and in less than half an incense stick’s time, the table was covered from end to end with dishes. Following the customs of the Tang Kingdom, two people shared a small individual table, the tables arranged in a circle, with the center left open for dancers and performers to set the mood. Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia sat together at the place of honor. Hua Yitang and Ling Zhiyan were at the right side. Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo at the left. Hua Ermu and the other seven great-grandchildren divided themselves into four tables and took their seats in order.
It had to be said — the Hua Ermu family were true Hua clan members through and through. Their command of banquet etiquette was flawless. One table managed the drinking games, another enlivened the atmosphere, another piled on the flattery, and a fourth stood ready to adapt to any situation.
Prefect Chi and Chief Historian Xia were a little stiff at first, but the atmosphere was simply too fervent to resist. After two cups of warm spirits, they were basking in a cloud of fulsome praise, rubbing shoulders and exchanging laughter with Hua Yitang and Hua Ermu as though they were old friends, so at ease they might have given away the location of their private savings.
Ling Zhiyan suffered considerably, needing all his resources to escape being forced drunk. Lin Sui’an had no such troubles. The Lin Niangzi of the Hua Family’s fearsome reputation preceded her, and a single look was enough to back off even the intoxicated prefect. Everyone else kept a respectful distance. Jin Ruo sat within the safety of Lin Sui’an’s protective circle, eating heartily and giving his shifu repeated thumbs-up.
The meal stretched from noon all the way to mid-afternoon. Even the great glutton Jin Ruo could not eat another bite, and lay sprawled across his armrest letting out satisfied belches. Lin Sui’an rested her chin in her hand and let out a yawn, gazing idly out the window.
Outside, the sky had darkened with low, pressing clouds. In the distance, rows of residential buildings were neatly divided by ward walls into orderly little squares. A silver-gleaming river wound between two wards. Using the Pure Gate’s Yidu map as a reference, Lin Sui’an estimated the direction — that would be to the southwest, which should be the Huanhua Creek basin that Hua Ermu had mentioned: Yidu’s famous papermaking district.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out below. Guests streamed out of Zhang Yi Tower and gathered along the road, craning their necks toward the Taibai Ward. Customers on the fourth and fifth floors leaned out their windows, while the banks of Huanhua Creek grew even noisier, with more and more people converging. From far away came the piercing sound of screams.
Lin Sui’an shot upright, straining her neck and pricking her ears, but the tower was too high and the ward too far — she could hear nothing clearly. Just as she was about to resort to scratching her head in frustration, Mu Xia came sprinting back from the kitchen, gasping for breath. He called out:
“Fourth Young Master, Lin Niangzi — something’s wrong! Word is that a body has been found in Huanhua Creek!”
Interlude
Lin Sui’an: Ha! It’s finally here!