Every concept Lin Sui’an possessed regarding “battle formations” came entirely from the world of two-dimensional media — games, novels, films, internet dramas, and the like. Whenever such a trope appeared, it was invariably depicted as grand and mystical, its workings utterly inscrutable, and, in a word: incomprehensible.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that one day she would come face to face with a “battle formation” from legend in actual live combat. This was not merely a case of “theorizing from an armchair” — it was, in plain terms, a duck being shoved off a ledge, a sow being chased up a tree.
Yet however her heart might be in a panic, she absolutely could not allow the faintest hint of it to show on her face. Lin Sui’an understood the unspoken rules of group fighting well: it was all a matter of presence and momentum — once you lost that, you lost everything.
Lin Sui’an tightened her grip on the hilt, swung her arm to fling the blood from the blade, and Ten Purity let out a long, ghostly wail that lingered on and on. She tilted her eyes upward with a look of sovereign contempt for all beneath her gaze and swept her glance over Shen Xun and the others: “The last person who wounded me has a grave with two feet of grass already growing over it. Out of regard for our shared sect, I can let you choose how you’d like to die.”
Shen Xun gave a cold laugh: “This Seven Stars Formation was specially designed by me with you in mind, Lin Niangzi — do savor it at your leisure!”
Before his voice had faded, the Seven Stars’ blade-lights rolled forward like a blizzard.
There was nothing for it now but to press on regardless!
Lin Sui’an went straight for her most powerful technique — the fourth move of the Ten Purity Collection’s group-combat set, “Swift Wind Shaking the Autumn Leaves.” The essence of this technique was simply “strike once and change position” — she controlled her serpentine footwork to an extreme of fluidity and flair, and left her hands entirely to muscle memory, slashing, sweeping, splitting, spinning, thrusting, and chopping to her heart’s content, mixing in the occasional Double Dragon Exits the Sea — forged in imitation — for surprise. Blades rang and clashed in endless succession; the lights of clashing steel flew like sparks from a welding torch — they fought over ten bouts back and forth, trading blow for blow, neither side gaining the upper hand.
Lin Sui’an felt a rising wariness. The formation truly had something to it. She pushed her speed up by a further thirty percent, added forty percent more force, until her soles were almost drawing sparks from the floorboards. She pared down her technique further still — she had no choice, because as her force increased, the inertia of her strikes grew accordingly, and the precision with which she controlled Ten Purity dropped noticeably. Refined maneuvers like “Livestock Awaiting the Blade” went completely haywire. Lin Sui’an simply threw caution to the winds and stopped worrying about any particular technique or style — she swung both arms in wide, indiscriminate, crashing arcs, hammering blow after heavy blow. That had results: the proportion of offensive moves from the opposite side visibly dropped, and they began to fall back on the defensive. Delighted, Lin Sui’an pushed her speed higher still, added yet more force, until the dark-green blade-light in the sunlight had nearly merged into a single web, binding Shen Xun and the Seven Stars fast within it—
In complete contrast to Lin Sui’an’s growing elation, Shen Xun grew more alarmed with every passing moment. His Seven Stars Formation had been specially designed on the basis of the Eastern Capital Jingmen’s surviving fragments of the Ten Purity Collection, at the cost of enormous effort and ingenuity. It drew on the principle of “seven stars shielding one another, offense and defense alternating — when you attack, I defend; when I defend, he rests” — in plain terms, it was seven men lending each other support and aid, using a special footwork pattern to mount a sustained rotating assault. No matter how formidable the master of Ten Purity was, she was only one person. The combined endurance of seven men was sure to outlast her, and even at worst they could wear down her strength in readiness for the hundred men lying in ambush below — victory was assured.
Yet the situation on the field had gone badly against him. Setting aside the fact that the reinforcements were being held outside the wine house, even the attrition battle he had planned had gone off track. They had been fighting for this long, yet Lin Sui’an showed not a single sign of fatigue — in fact, her speed was growing faster by the moment and her power more terrifyingly formidable. When they had first traded blows, he had merely felt his arms go numb. Now his hands and wrists had been battered entirely numb. Most maddening of all, the moves she was using bore almost no resemblance to what was recorded in the Ten Purity Collection — there was no way to read the original form of any technique at all. It was as though she had, in the midst of battle, achieved some sudden insight: stripping away complexity to return to simplicity, every strike carrying infinite variations, entirely unpredictable.
If Shen Xun’s state was dire enough, one could only imagine the psychological pressure on Tianzu and the others: their palms had split open, and they could barely grip their hilts any longer. The eerie green blade-light felt like a soul-hooking chain straight from the underworld — one that at any moment could have claimed their lives, yet every time let them off with a merciful reprieve, as though silently mocking them. They were tangled up in that blade-light, unable to retreat, unable to advance, capable only of throwing everything into defense.
Tianzu was drenched in sweat. He knew that after two more exchanges at most, the Seven Stars Formation would collapse. Just at that moment, however, Lin Sui’an’s continuous blade-light suddenly broke for an instant — her attention seemed to have been diverted. Tianzu’s eyes lit up. He swiftly shifted position and drove a blade at Lin Sui’an’s back. Lin Sui’an seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, spinning to sweep her blade back at him. Greatly startled, Tianzu leaped back three large steps and only kept his head on his shoulders with a junior brother’s covering attack. But when he saw what had drawn Lin Sui’an’s attention away, he could not suppress a surge of elation.
Several grappling hooks flew high into the air and snagged the outer railing of the observation pavilion. The chains clattered and rang, and the seventh junior brother Yaoguang, held back on the third floor, was about to lead his men storming up!
Tianzu saw it. Shen Xun and the Seven Stars saw it. And Lin Sui’an saw it too. She cried out internally: Oh no! She shot forward to chop the chains of those grappling hooks — but Shen Xun and the others, seeing their reinforcements on the verge of arrival, found their spirits blazing with renewed energy and their fighting power surging, blade-light spinning wild to cut her off.
In that dire instant, a dark shadow swept out in a wide arc and severed the outer railing, all at once — it was Jin Ruo charging to the rescue, slashing the grappling hooks’ purchase in one blow. The hooks lost their anchor and fell away. But this meant the staircase entrance had only Ling Zhiyan left to hold it alone, struggling to keep the position. Hua Yitang could contribute little more than the occasional kick to help.
In the next instant, more than ten grappling hooks launched high into the air again — this time far more scattered than before. Even with Lin Sui’an’s speed, let alone Jin Ruo, it was impossible to sever all of them at once. Jin Ruo could only cut as many as he could reach, shouting aloud: “Lin Sui’an, hurry!”
She knew she had to hurry.
The situation was critical. She had to end this fight within five moves — otherwise the entire group was finished.
Lin Sui’an fought and retreated at the same time, summoning what brain cells she had and sending them crashing furiously against the pitifully sparse knowledge-tree of “the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams.” But beyond a few dry leaves — “mutual generation and mutual conquest,” “water produces wood, wood produces fire,” and the like — there was nothing.
The Seven Stars Formation’s attacks grew more ferocious by the moment; the sound of grappling-hook chains grew clearer and more urgent. Lin Sui’an’s pulse grew faster and faster. The long-absent bloodthirst and killing intent rose from the depths of her being like a shadow that could not be dispelled, coiling around her blood vessels and muscles, drilling into the core of her mind. Lin Sui’an suddenly withdrew her blade — the blade-wind rebounded and raked across her cheekbone, blood spattering outward, the sharp sting of it like a needle jabbing her nearly-asleep consciousness awake. The knowledge-tree in her mind seemed to shake with the impact, and a half-rotten fruit tumbled down with a dull thud.
[Formation Core.]
That was right — the Formation Core! To break any formation, one must destroy its core.
Where was the Formation Core of the Seven Stars Formation?!
Lin Sui’an’s gaze swept rapidly across the seven men’s positions, footwork, and techniques — useless, she had no idea where the core was. Her eyes swept again across the seven faces: among six young countenances, Shen Xun’s aged face stood out as rather incongruous — Lin Sui’an steeled herself and decided: regardless of logic, she would unilaterally declare the core to be him.
She stamped her toe down, splintering the floorboard, and launched herself like a graceful water-bird skimming low across the ground, driving straight for Shen Xun. Tianzu and the others immediately perceived her intent, and six blade-lights plunged down from every direction in a frenzied barrage. Yet this time, Lin Sui’an offered not a single parry or retreat — any pause at all would bleed away her speed, and the footwork of Swift Wind Shaking the Autumn Leaves became a tool of pure acceleration. Lin Sui’an’s feet flew across the floorboards with rapid, sharp cracks, and those sounds were left behind her. There was no time left — she could not defend, could not retreat, could only attack!
The first blade grazed the top of her head. The second sliced open her temple. The third and fourth raked across her arms. The fifth and sixth tore open her sleeve. Lin Sui’an smelled blood. She could no longer distinguish whether it was blood spilling from her own body or the tang of murderous intent. Her eyes were ice-cold; her mind was strangely, completely lucid. In her field of vision, Shen Xun’s face contorted in terror, his expression warping as though in slow motion — both hands gripping his blade and bringing it down in a powerful slash. Ten Purity’s light rose to meet it; the dark-green beam was like a laser severing Shen Xun’s blade—
At the precise moment the broken blade struck the floor, Yaoguang led the brothers of the Eastern Capital Jingmen vaulting up onto the observation pavilion, ready to make their move — only to be frozen in their tracks by the sight before them.
The six senior brothers stood arrayed ten paces away from a young woman, their eyes wide with seething rage, the arms that held their blades trembling uncontrollably. Every one of them had hands that were bloody and mangled. With a clatter, Tianzu’s blade dropped to the floor — every inch of its edge had been hacked into notches.
The young woman at the center stood perfectly upright. Blood from the wound at her temple had dyed half her face crimson. Her narrow phoenix eyes were half-lidded; one hand rested her dark-green horizontal blade on her shoulder, while the other pinched Grand Elder Shen Xun by the throat. Her arms and calf both dripped blood — yet compared to her, Shen Xun, who bore not a single wound on his whole body, only a broken blade in his hand, looked as though he was the one on the verge of expiring from blood loss.
Behind Lin Sui’an, nine elders lay sprawled in all directions across the ground. Four of them had not even their garments left — whatever ordeal they had endured in this battle could only be imagined. Yaoguang and the others were struck with despair: less than one quarter-hour had passed since they received the order, and yet all ten elders and the Seven Stars had been utterly routed.
What manner of terrifying existence was Lin Sui’an, the master of Ten Purity?
The cold had reached Shen Xun’s very bones. He even wondered if he was dreaming. His Seven Stars Formation, trained for years with blood and sweat — and it had been defeated just like that? He refused to believe it!
“How did you know that Yaoguang’s position was the formation core of the Seven Stars Formation?! Could it be that there is a traitor within our Eastern Capital Jingmen?!”
This time Lin Sui’an was genuinely taken aback — well, well, well — she had actually managed to blunder onto the right answer?!
She might as well just tell the truth — the real reason was that the other six were all good-looking young men and Shen Xun was the only one who was not— …hmm, was this answer perhaps a little damaging to her image?
Lin Sui’an settled on a different explanation: “Because you are arrogant and conceited, yet terrified of death. If forced by circumstances to take the field yourself, you would naturally position yourself at the most critical yet most sheltered spot. So the formation core could only be you.”
Shen Xun’s eyes bulged, and he spat a mouthful of blood.
“A trifling Seven Stars Formation — in Lin Niangzi’s eyes, it is no more than a child’s plaything,” Hua Yitang said, strolling over with his fan, his voice cold: “Had we not been mindful of our shared brotherhood within the sect, why would we have walked knowingly into a trap again and again, giving you chance after chance? We would long since have leveled the Eastern Capital Jingmen and had you torn limb from limb!”
Lin Sui’an: “……”
It couldn’t quite be put that way — she had paid a small price in blood, after all. But fine — this explanation suited her image well enough. After all, it was her image that was holding this whole situation together right now.
Ling Zhiyan had long since abandoned the staircase entrance, allowing Jingmen disciples to flood up — and just as Lin Sui’an had anticipated, when they saw ten elders and the Seven Stars beaten utterly without recourse, the shock of that massive psychological blow left every last one of them dazed and bewildered, looking at each other in confusion, at a complete loss.
Including those who had come up via the grappling hooks, the Eastern Capital Jingmen disciples on the observation pavilion now numbered around thirty — barely a third of those originally in ambush. Lin Sui’an was puzzling over where the rest had gone when more people came climbing the stairs: Mu Xia, Proprietor Old Ma, the Hua Family servants, the White Egret Boat’s staff, and five or six chefs wielding kitchen cleavers. All told they numbered close to thirty as well.
Mu Xia led the group forward to Hua Yitang in quick steps, everyone cupping their hands together in salute.
Mu Xia: “Fourth Young Master, the remaining ones have all been dealt with.”
Proprietor Old Ma: “The Jingmen’s people were more troublesome than expected. It took rather longer than anticipated — I hope Fourth Young Master will forgive the delay.”
Lin Sui’an and Ling Zhiyan exchanged a glance of profound surprise. Jin Ruo’s expression was entirely calm — he had clearly known of this hidden move all along. Shen Xun instantly broke, his screech cutting through the air: “Old Ma — when did you become a dog of the Hua Family?!”
The round-faced proprietor maintained his round, pleasant smile. “A month ago, the Hua Family’s head steward told me Fourth Young Master was coming to the Eastern Capital for some leisure, and needed a place to eat — so he purchased the White Egret Boat.”
Shen Xun trembled with rage from head to foot. “You and I have been gentlemen friends for many years — I treated you with complete candor, and counted you my dearest friend for life—”
Proprietor Old Ma’s smile turned sinister: “Gentlemen’s friendships are said to be pure as water — but Elder Shen, your friendship has been a little too watery, has it not? The Eastern Capital Jingmen has run up a tab at the White Egret Boat of a full three thousand five hundred strings of cash — that is not treating me as a friend, that is treating me as a fool to be swindled! If not for fear that you would simply refuse to pay, why would I have gone to all the trouble of fawning over you and trying to please you every day?!”
“You are lending yourself to evil, pushing our Eastern Capital Jingmen into the fire—aaagh!” Shen Xun’s furious howl ended in a pained shriek. Jin Ruo, using the slender measuring cord he always carried, neatly bound Shen Xun’s arms behind his back with clean efficiency. The knot was quite refined — it only bound the two thumbs together — yet Shen Xun’s face was that of a man whose tendons had been torn out, and he crashed to his knees, his whole body spasming in agony.
“The one who has pushed the Eastern Capital Jingmen’s branch hall into fire and deep water is no one but yourself.” Jin Ruo looked down at Shen Xun from above, his expression rigid and unsmiling. “Shen Xun — do you still remember Jingmen’s rules?!”
Oh ho! Here it is — here it comes! Jin Ruo’s moment to shine!
Lin Sui’an was burning with excitement and almost wished she had a plate of melon seeds in hand. But Hua Yitang suddenly gripped her wrist and hauled her bodily away from the front-row spectator position.
Lin Sui’an’s strength could have broken his hold with ease, but she was afraid of snapping Hua Yitang’s slender, delicate arms, so she had no choice but to let herself be dragged to a seat at the “prow” of the observation pavilion, watching with longing eyes as Ling Zhiyan occupied the VIP position in envy and admiration.
Hua Yitang sat cross-legged opposite her, drawing a small jade-green porcelain vial from his sleeve — it held a crystalline medicinal salve. He folded a close-fitting kerchief into a triangle, used its corner tip to carefully dab some salve, and held it out. “Put this on.”
Lin Sui’an mumbled agreement and craned her neck to full extension, watching as Shen Xun’s face twisted in fury and he bellowed: “Don’t try to feed us that weak-willed nonsense from the Yangdu Jingmen — all that drivel about settling into comfortable lives and withdrawing from the martial world — it is utterly absurd! A seven-foot man who has not achieved some great deed has wasted his time on this earth! Our brothers of the Eastern Capital Jingmen have iron spines and proud bones — we shall be heroes who root out the strong and protect the weak, who bring blessings upon the common people!”
“Oh, root out the strong and protect the weak — bring blessings upon the common people, is it—” Jin Ruo cast Shen Xun a cold sidelong glance, then turned to address the Jingmen members with the Seven Stars at their head. “Let me ask all of you: of the Eastern Capital Jingmen’s three hundred and eighty halls, in the past three years — has a single hall had its members fed and clothed in comfort?”
The Jingmen members opened their mouths as though to argue back, yet found nothing to say.
Jin Ruo: “If you can’t even eat your fill, how do you root out the strong? If your people are half-starved and fainting, how do you protect the weak? If you cannot even ensure your own families have enough food on the table, how do you bring blessings upon the common people?! Rather than spouting these high-sounding empty words, it would be far better to think of a way to get your brothers better fed and housed — that would do more good than anything!”
Well now! That was a sound argument! Lin Sui’an thought to herself: in literary terms, this was called: “in times of want, tend to your own virtue; when you prosper, bring benefit to all under heaven.” In academic terms, it was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — satisfy the lower-order needs before addressing the higher-order ones. In common parlance: it was grounded, rooted in the people. It seemed Jin Ruo had not been spending his recent days in vain — he had learned at least thirty percent of Hua Yitang’s ability at verbal sparring—
Without warning, a hand came down hard on her shoulder. Lin Sui’an jumped in startled reaction, spun her head around, and found herself staring directly into Hua Yitang’s deep, unfathomable eyes. His voice, carrying its familiar scent of fruit-wood, fell like a stone into her ear.
“Stop watching him. Watch me.”
Side Story:
Ling · Melon-Seed-Eating Audience Member · Zhiyan: It’s safer on Jin Ruo’s side anyway — at least I won’t be hit by any flying dog food.