“Jian, sheathe your sword.” A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from behind — light and detached, yet carrying a trace of authority, as though a sovereign who commanded respect without anger was offhandedly giving orders to a subject.
The moment the snow-robed man heard it, every ounce of force drained from his body, and the killing intent in his eyes receded as well. He moved to pull his sword back and retreat, yet the tip of the blade was pinched fast in Fengxi’s hand. He exerted more force to pull it free — still it did not budge even a hair’s breadth. The pale blue that had faded from the snow-robed man’s eyes surged back, and he stared at Fengxi without blinking, as though he desperately wished to wrench the sword away and fight, yet was reining himself in with tremendous effort.
“Would the young lady kindly release it as well?” That same voice sounded again, carrying a faint undercurrent of command in its tone, though not one that invited resentment — this person seemed born to give orders.
“And if I don’t?” Fengxi replied coolly without turning her head.
“Sister?” Han Pu tugged at her sleeve, unable to understand what she intended by this.
“Then what would the young lady require in order to release it?” The voice behind her spoke once more, laced with a thread of patience and curiosity.
“An apology!” Fengxi uttered softly, her eyes fixed on the snow-robed man.
“An apology?” The voice behind her sounded faintly amused.
“Your subordinate drew his sword without provocation and attempted to kill my little brother. Had I not arrived in time, he would have already lost his life beneath that blade.” Fengxi still did not turn around, only staring intently at the snow-robed man, holding his gaze without yielding. The languid light in her eyes transformed in an instant into a piercing, icy gleam. “Perhaps in your eyes, human lives are no more than blades of grass — but in my eyes, my little brother is worth more than any treasure in this world!”
“Your brother has not suffered so much as a scratch, has he?” The voice behind her cooled several degrees.
“Because no injury or death resulted, the act therefore requires neither apology nor accountability — is that it?” A sharp light shot from Fengxi’s eyes. The snow-robed man’s heart went cold involuntarily, but his proud, unyielding nature would not allow him to lower his head, and he held her gaze with equal coldness.
“In that case…” Fengxi tilted her head and smiled, revealing a row of white teeth that gleamed in the sunlight like snow-white jade. “I have also killed quite a number of people, yet I can say with a clear conscience that I have never killed an innocent soul — and now, let me try killing a stranger for once as well!”
Before the snow-robed man could gather his wits from that smile of hers, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist, then his five fingers went numb, and the sword slipped from his grasp.
“Young master, watch out!” The snow-robed man snapped back to his senses and cried out in alarm — not for himself, but to warn his master.
“Have a taste of this yourself!” Fengxi called out in a light reprimand, seized the sword, and spun around. With a flick of her wrist, the long sword transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the figure behind her. This entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye, too fast for anyone to react — yet already the sword’s brilliance blazed like the proud sun in the ninth heaven, pressing directly against that person’s throat.
The person behind her saw the sword’s light driving toward him. It appeared light and effortless, yet in the blink of an eye it was upon him, carrying a chilling edge of cold — such skill already declared that this opponent must not be underestimated! His figure drifted swiftly to the left, and the sword grazed past his shoulder — but before he could draw a single breath, a second thrust was already upon him like a shadow, driving straight at both his eyes.
He had not anticipated that his opponent would possess such blinding speed. With no way to evade, he turned his wrist in a flash, a blue light gleaming from within his sleeve, just barely blocking the long sword — its tip already less than half an inch from his eyelids!
“Young master!” The snow-robed man, upon seeing this, was overcome with alarm. He wanted to intervene yet restrained himself with great effort.
“Not bad!”
Fengxi gave her wrist a shake, and the sword tip struck that glimmer of blue light — a curved blade no longer than one foot, its color a pale blue that, in the sunlight, shimmered like a flowing crescent moon of blue water. The person channeled force through his arm; blade and sword collided with a crisp, clashing ring, and both their wrists went numb in the same instant.
“Excellent skill!”
This time it was that person who called out in admiration. Before his words had fully faded, his short blade swept a stroke that trailed a bewitching flash of blue light, coiling toward Fengxi’s throat. Fengxi’s mind sharpened at the sight; with a sweep of the long sword in her hand, she wove a wall of snow-white defense so dense not a breath of air could pass through. The blue light halted before the snow wall — and then came the sounds of *ding, ding, ding…* blade clashing against sword as the two fought in close quarters, exchanging four or five moves in an instant, yet neither could break through the other’s guard.
“Try this move!”
Fengxi called out lightly, turned her right wrist, swept the long sword back to knock away her opponent’s short blade, then thrust directly at his chest. At the same time, her left sleeve swept forward like white clouds soaring through the sky, aimed straight at his face — the sleeve had not yet arrived, but the fierce wind of its passage already stung the skin!
At this sight, though he was startled by his opponent’s formidable skill and the speed with which she changed her moves, the person remained composed and unhurried. With a flip of his right hand, the short blade rose to block the thrusting long sword at his chest, while with equal measure he swept his left hand into a blade-palm, harnessing eight-tenths of his strength, and drove it straight down toward Fengxi’s left sleeve.
“Hehe… now try this one!”
At the sight, Fengxi let out a light laugh. She lifted her left wrist — her wide sleeve withdrew just before reaching his blade-palm and then, in an instant, rolled back again, coiling straight toward his left palm with lightning speed! Had this move connected, his palm would have been wrenched clean from his wrist!
Yet the person remained unperturbed even in crisis, and his martial arts were supremely refined. At the very instant sleeve met palm, he transformed palm to claw, his five fingers seizing — and then came a crisp *rip*, and the two separated. Half a sleeve drifted down through the air, falling between them.
“Sister!” Han Pu, seeing the two separate, hurried to Fengxi’s side at once.
“Young master!” The snow-robed man hastened to his master’s side as well, his eyes glaring at Fengxi, his expression a mixture of shame and fury — shamed because he had prided himself on peerless swordsmanship, yet today had his sword taken from him; furious that this mountain girl had dared raise her hand against his master!
“Sister, are you hurt?” Han Pu looked at Fengxi with concern.
“No.” Fengxi looked down and smiled at Han Pu in reassurance, signaling him not to worry. She raised her left hand — half the sleeve was gone, revealing a section of arm as white and flawless as jade, though her palm was still black with grime. “Hmm, she actually managed to tear off half a sleeve! It’s been many years since I’ve run into an opponent like that!”
“Young master, are you all right?” The snow-robed man also turned to attend to his master with concern. If the young master had been hurt while he was right beside him, that would truly be… the thought alone sent a chill down his spine, and he clenched both fists tightly.
“Jian, do not blame yourself.” That person reassured him, and raised his left hand. Across the back of it ran a shallow cut about three inches long. “This young lady’s martial arts are among the rarest to be found throughout the jianghu — even I gained no advantage over her!”
Upon hearing those words, Fengxi could not help but raise her eyes to look at that person — and upon looking, she was involuntarily startled!
For that person turned out to be an extraordinarily handsome young gentleman of about twenty-five or twenty-six years of age, with a tall and slender build. He wore a light-purple brocade robe, his long black hair bound behind his head with a purple satin ribbon. His face was as though the heavens had chosen the finest jade and carved it into an unparalleled masterpiece; his eyes, a rare golden-brown, shone with a dazzling golden brilliance. Standing there without any particular effort, he nonetheless carried an aura of innate nobility — as though he were a sovereign who ruled over all the world, gazing proudly down upon the ten thousand li of territory and the countless subjects beneath his feet.
“Hmm, this is the first time I’ve come across someone whose appearance and bearing are a match for that black fox of his.” Fengxi looked at the purple-robed gentleman and murmured to herself.
“Sister, what did you say?” Han Pu asked, for her voice had been too low for him to catch.
“I was saying… when are you going to grow up to be this big!” Fengxi lowered her gaze and glanced sidelong at Han Pu.
*Hmm. Having a little brother that handsome really would be nice. At that point he would surely be just like that black fox — beautiful women would offer him food and clothing all along the road, and he’d never have to worry about eating or drinking for the rest of his life!*
“Your martial arts are of such exceptional caliber — truly rare. Might I ask the young lady’s distinguished name?”
The purple-robed gentleman was also studying Fengxi. Before him stood a woman whose clothing had gone so yellow, grey, and black that its original color was indistinguishable; her face was a patchwork of white and black smudges, and on her forehead hung some grey-black adornment of indeterminate nature. At first glance there seemed nothing remarkable about her whatsoever — yet she possessed a pair of eyes of extraordinary clarity and brightness, like the lone cold star that rises above the head of a weary traveler who has journeyed ten thousand li and finds himself lost and helpless in a murky, darkened wasteland, radiating a dazzling, crystalline light that compelled the onlooker to steal a second glance. And upon looking again, one discovered that this grimy woman carried her own kind of free and unfettered bearing — a wisp of unrestrained, unconstrained breeze in the midst of the ten-zhang world of red-dust pleasures.
“Hmph! My sister’s great name is not something you can simply ask to know!” Han Pu snorted at this, tilting his small face up high. “At the very least, you ought to apologize to me first!”
“Oh?” The purple-robed gentleman swept a glance over Han Pu and responded with measured calm.
“You frightened me for no reason whatsoever — of course you owe me an apology.” Han Pu said loudly, yet for some reason, the moment that glance from the purple-robed gentleman swept over him, his heart gave an involuntary lurch, and his momentum faltered somewhat.
“Then may I ask the young brother’s name?” the purple-robed gentleman inquired again.
“My name is Han Pu! A great hero who will one day be even mightier than Baifeng Heixi!” The moment someone asked his name, Han Pu puffed himself up with boundless heroic pride and announced himself — completely forgetting the “head-tucking” of just a moment before.
“Ha ha… ha ha…”
Upon hearing this, the purple-robed gentleman threw his head back and laughed — a great laugh that radiated a wild and domineering spirit from his entire being, like the roar of a lion, impossible to stare down directly. The snow-robed man beside him, meanwhile, frowned and gave Han Pu a look that plainly said he didn’t believe the boy had that capability.
“What are you laughing at? You don’t believe it? Hmph! You should know that my sister is exactly…” Being ridiculed in such a manner, Han Pu’s small face, already stained grey and black, flushed red with embarrassment. He was about to invoke another impressive name to frighten this person — when a smack landed on his forehead, driving the second half of the sentence back down into his belly.
“Isn’t losing your own face enough? Do you have to lose mine too?” Fengxi gave Han Pu a smack on the forehead, then slanted a sidelong glance at the purple-robed gentleman and said lazily, “You should know that the waves behind drive on the waves before — perhaps one day, he really will surpass these people! What need have you to laugh with such unbridled arrogance!”
“Young Lady Han, I was not mocking him for speaking wild words — I was admiring that one so young already harbors such great ambitions. He will certainly achieve extraordinary things in the future!” The purple-robed gentleman reined in his laughter and spoke with composure; yet even so, his tone could not conceal its underlying arrogance. “It is only that Baifeng Heixi’s fame has endured undiminished for ten years — surpassing them is not something that can be done merely by speaking of it.”
“My sister is actually not… ow…” Han Pu, seeing this person mistakenly address Fengxi as “Young Lady Han,” was just about to correct him when another smack landed on his forehead, driving the second half of that sentence back down as well.
“Is that so? Wait and see, then. No matter how formidable Baifeng Heixi may be, they cannot outrun time — there will come a day when they grow old and pass on, and others in the martial world will naturally rise to take their place.” Fengxi said placidly, then tossed the long sword in her hand — it landed upright directly before the snow-robed man. She took Han Pu by the hand. “Puer, since your fists aren’t as hard as other people’s, let’s go.”
“Hold on!” The snow-robed man suddenly called out to stop them.
“What? Do you want to fight another round? Though beating your young master would be somewhat more taxing, beating you is by no means difficult!” Fengxi stopped, turned to look at the snow-robed man, and said placidly.
“I’m sorry.” The snow-robed man suddenly offered an apology.
“Huh?” Fengxi was involuntarily astonished. She had assumed this proud snow-man would sooner die than lower his head and admit fault — yet without warning he had gone ahead and apologized on his own.
“I, Xiao Jian, am not a man who kills the innocent without cause.” The snow-robed man uttered these words coldly, still with the upright bearing of one who bends for nothing — offering no explanation for the reason behind the attack.
“Oh?” Fengxi, upon hearing these words, turned around and studied him carefully for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile. “Xiao Jian, is it? Noted.”
The snow-robed man — Xiao Jian — was caught off-guard by that smile of hers. Her face was dark and dirty, and calling her anything short of ugly would have been generous — yet when she smiled, it was like a pearl: though covered in dust, it still radiated a natural luminescence that made one involuntarily look twice. Recalling that earlier too it had been one of her smiles that had made him lose his focus and thus his sword, his heart abruptly stirred with a flicker of irritation at such a smile!
“Young lady, a woman of your slender build — how is it that you have come to appear in these barren mountains and wild terrain, carrying a young brother along?” The purple-robed gentleman asked, for once genuinely curious about a stranger.
Fengxi turned to meet his probing gaze, a faint, mocking smile rising on her face. “A person of your master’s standing is the last one who ought to be appearing in such desolate wilderness.”
“Your skill is, to date, only the second I have no full confidence of surpassing — yet why has your name never been heard of throughout the jianghu?” the purple-robed gentleman asked again.
“Second?” Upon hearing this, Fengxi tilted her head to one side, and a pair of eyes curved into two crescents with her smile. “Then who is the first? And will there ever be a third, or a fourth?”
“The first is Yu Wuyuan. As for a third or fourth — perhaps there will be, perhaps not.” The purple-robed gentleman answered with perfect seriousness, his tone utterly earnest, even though his bearing carried a pride that placed no one in the world in his eyes.
“Yu Wuyuan?!” Upon hearing this, those languid eyes of Fengxi’s suddenly lit up, blazing with clear, bright light. The faint mocking smile on her face transformed into a smile of delighted joy. “Young Master Yu, hailed as the foremost gentleman under heaven — and I am ranked alongside him as one of those you cannot be certain of defeating? What an honor! What an honor indeed!”
“Does the young lady know Young Master Yu?” The purple-robed gentleman was puzzled to see her react with such joy and admiration the moment Yu Wuyuan’s name was spoken.
“Through wind and rain across a thousand mountains, Yu walks alone; all under heaven admire him with longing! Young Master Yu Wuyuan, peerless in grace and bearing — who in this world does not wish to befriend him? What a pity that though his name has long resounded in my ears, fate has yet to bring us face to face!” Fengxi sighed with a trace of wistfulness, lifting her gaze to the sky. The blazing sun beat down in full brilliance — she wondered if the one she had heard so much about was also as dazzling and radiant as that sun. “If there is anyone in this world I have a great desire to meet, it is Young Master Yu alone!”
“Young Master Yu alone?” A light flickered in the purple-robed gentleman’s eyes, and a meaningful smile rose at the corner of his lips. “Of all the world, only Young Master Yu has caught the young lady’s eye?”
“Ha ha…” Fengxi suddenly laughed aloud, turning to look at him with a touch of mockery. “Are you displeased that I haven’t placed you in my eyes?”
“Young lady, do not be so presumptuous!” Upon hearing this, the purple-robed gentleman’s smile faded, replaced by an expression of cold detachment. In that instant, the barren mountain seemed to plunge into deep autumn, its bone-chilling coldness seeping through the skin.
“Proud gentleman, let me say this — not only you, but even the other three of the Four Great Gentlemen under heaven — Young Master Lanxi, Young Master Fengxi — and including…” Fengxi was utterly fearless before him, her gaze driving straight into the purple-robed gentleman’s eyes, sharp as a sword of snow. “Including the Shizi of Huangguo, Gongzi Huang Chao — I place none of them in my eyes!”
When she uttered these words, Fengxi was no longer the lazy, laughing Bai Fengxi of ordinary days. In this moment, she carried an arrogance that regarded all the world as nothing — she stood at ease, meeting the purple-robed gentleman’s gaze without yielding an inch.
“Ah?” The purple-robed gentleman was momentarily struck dumb, then burst into loud laughter. “Ha ha… ha ha…”
His laughter rang out freely, echoing through the mountains and fields.
“Arrogant! Impertinent!” Xiao Jian heard these words, looked at Fengxi, and spat out two words coldly, then reached out and pulled back the sword that stood before him.
“Good! Good! Good!” The purple-robed gentleman stopped laughing and uttered three exclamations of praise in a row, the laughter still not gone from his eyes. “Since the day I was born, I have never heard words such as these! You are the first! And you have the right to speak them!”
“His Highness the Shizi sits high above, so naturally it is rare for him to hear wild and presumptuous talk.” Fengxi said coolly.
“Why is the young lady certain that I am Huang Chao?” The purple-robed gentleman was mildly surprised to have his identity seen through.
“I do not flatter myself — in all my years roaming the jianghu, few in this world have been able to fight me to a draw.” Fengxi picked up the half sleeve from the ground, spread it across her palm, and gazed at it with a trace of regret. “Counting them up, they number no more than five. The Shizi’s bearing and presence are extraordinary — confirming the identification is no difficult matter for me.”
“Moreover, to possess such a family member — how many in this world could manage it.” Fengxi tossed the half sleeve in her hand, letting it drift away on the wind; she turned to glance at Xiao Jian. “And in this world, a man of exquisite swordsmanship who bears the name Xiao Jian — there can’t be many of those either. The Snow-Sweeping General of Huangguo — am I right?”
“Your brother was skulking and hiding, and was mistaken for an assassin — I gave him quite a fright just now, and I ask your forgiveness for the offense.” Xiao Jian suddenly clasped his fists toward her in a salute of apology and explanation, his manner earnest and respectful.
“That little brat covered me in dirt, and I was going to give him a good spanking — but he ran off faster than a rabbit. Being frightened by you served him right. Since it was a misunderstanding, General need not stand on ceremony.” As the saying goes — treat others with a foot of respect, and I return a yard. Fengxi returned the salute with clasped fists.
“The young lady has seen through the identity of us both, while we still have no idea who the young lady is. It seems that when it comes to the eye for reading people, it is we who have lost.” Huang Chao’s sharp gaze rested on Fengxi, as though desperately wanting to discern her identity.
“I identified the Shizi’s identity through my own observation — by that same logic, the Shizi should identify mine through his own. Only that would be fair, would it not?” Fengxi smiled lightly.
“Women of supreme martial skill in this world are not many. Foremost among them is Bai Fengxi; after her comes Princess Xiyun, and then our own country’s Qiu Jiushuang.” Huang Chao studied Fengxi with a puzzled expression, sifting through all the figures he knew. “Jiushuang is one of my subordinate commanders and I naturally recognize her. As for Bai Fengxi — though I have never met her, rumor has it that she is clothed in white like snow and moonlight, breathtaking in her grace. As for this young lady…”
Huang Chao paused, looking at Fengxi’s grimy appearance — her five features all but indistinguishable — which in no way suggested anything that could be called “breathtaking grace.”
“Hehe, it’s obvious that this ugly duckling of mine is not the ‘breathtaking’ Bai Fengxi you speak of, right?” Fengxi smiled upon hearing this, not the least bit put out.
“Since the young lady is not Bai Fengxi, she naturally cannot be Princess Xiyun either. Though Princess Xiyun of Fengguo founded the Wind-Cloud Cavalry, it has never been heard that she ventures into the jianghu. And as a military commander, one does not necessarily need peerless martial arts — thus what the Princess’s skill may be, having never witnessed it firsthand, is difficult to judge. Moreover, the Princess was born into royalty and raised in luxury — she would hardly appear so casually in a place like this.” Huang Chao stated with certainty.
“Mm.” Fengxi nodded upon hearing this, seeming to agree with his deduction.
“As for other women of great martial skill throughout the jianghu,” Huang Chao counted them off on his fingers, “Single Feixue of the Feixue Guan is known as the Cold-Faced Luocha — but the young lady often wears a smile, and besides, Single Feixue has taken Buddhist vows and become a Daoist, so naturally she is not this young lady. Mei Xinyu of the Meihua Ridge, whose Plum Blossom Rain technique has resounded throughout the jianghu — but three years ago she married the great hero Nan Zhao of Tao Luo, and the two are deeply devoted to each other; she would not be alone in a place like this. Jun Pinyu of Pin Yu Xuan is gifted in medicine and compassionate as a bodhisattva — the line of people seeking medical treatment at her door never ceases; she would hardly have the time to wander in these barren mountains…”
Huang Chao went through all the female heroes of the jianghu he knew, one by one, yet still could not find one who matched the woman before him. His heart was all the more astounded and full of doubt. “The young lady’s surname is Han — forgive my shallow knowledge, but I have never heard of a ‘Heroine Han’ of supreme martial skill in the jianghu!”
“Hehe… I never said my surname was Han, either.” Fengxi laughed lightly, still not revealing her identity. “Though the Shizi grew up in the royal palace, he has quite a thorough grasp of jianghu affairs. And yet… there are still many people in this world that neither you nor I know.”
“The young lady is well-versed in the lore of the jianghu and is clearly one who often roams its ways herself. With martial arts such as yours, you are certainly no obscure, nameless figure.” Huang Chao stated with conviction, his gaze resting on Fengxi’s face without wavering. “If the young lady were willing to wash her face and allow me to see your true appearance, identifying you would then be no difficult matter.”
“Oh?” Fengxi raised her grey-black dirty hand to her equally grey-black face, then lowered her eyes to appraise herself, and could not help but laugh with a snort. “Ha, I’d need not only to wash my face, but to take a bath entirely. If the Shizi wishes to behold my true appearance, does he intend to follow along?”
“Hmm?” Huang Chao was momentarily stunned at this. He had been born of noble lineage, and the people he interacted with on ordinary days treated him with nothing but reverence and deference. The women he knew were all refined and demure daughters of distinguished families — and even those women of the jianghu who carried a man’s heroic spirit, free and uninhibited as they were, none of them were as utterly unguarded in their words and actions as the woman before him. Talking about bathing and asking a man whether he wanted to follow along — was there truly such a bold woman in this world?
Huang Chao fell silent, studying Fengxi with a gravity he had never shown before. Was this woman dissolute and shameless? No — she wasn’t. Those eyes of hers held not a single trace of lewdness or vulgarity. They were crystalline and cool, like the waters of a heavenly lake. Her face wore an open, unhurried smile; even covered head to toe in grime, she still possessed the pure and untainted bearing of ice and jade.
Suddenly, for the first time, a hint of playful amusement surfaced on Huang Chao’s noble, dignified face. With a faint smile, he said: “Should the young lady extend such an invitation, Huang Chao would be willing to prepare fragrant bathwater and hold the towel himself.”
“Huh?” This time it was Fengxi’s turn to be caught off-guard. In all her years in the jianghu, apart from that black fox, very few people had been able to respond to her socially unconventional words and actions with such natural openness and ease. Were it that Yan Yingzhou, his face would certainly have gone bright red by now; were it that handsome snow-man, he would certainly be wearing a frozen expression, not deigning to spare her even a sideways glance. But this Huang Chao… *Ah!* Truly, those counted among the Four Great Gentlemen were not to be underestimated!
“What’s the matter? Is the young lady afraid now?” Huang Chao saw the surprise on Fengxi’s face and teased her with a smile.
“Mm, it’s not that I’m afraid.” Fengxi rubbed her hands together and scratched her head. “It’s that having the Shizi of Huangguo wait upon me — even the Emperor sitting on the golden throne of the imperial capital would have no such fortune! Let alone a common person like myself — I fear it would shorten my lifespan!”
“Ha ha…” Huang Chao laughed heartily, then spread both arms wide. “One day I shall clear away this barren mountain and make a clear lake in its place. At that time, I shall invite the young lady to come and wash away her dust and dirt — what do you say?”
“Carve away a mountain to make a lake?” Fengxi fixed her eyes on Huang Chao, searching his face for any trace of jest and finding none. In her astonishment, she suddenly felt that this person was the sort who would do exactly as he said. “If you truly dig a lake here, I will come back to wash my face even if I am at the ends of the earth!”
“Excellent! It’s a promise!”
“It’s a promise!”
The two actually struck palms to seal the oath. When the strike was done, they looked at each other — then simultaneously threw their heads back and laughed.
Xiao Jian watched the two laughing figures, a trace of deep thought passing through those brilliantly clear eyes of his. Then he studied Fengxi carefully — from head to toe, missing nothing — his gaze finally coming to rest on the ornament on her forehead, as though searching for some clue there.
“I’m hungry. Buy me a meal.” Fengxi said without ceremony, the moment her laughter ceased.
“A meal?” Huang Chao echoed, taken aback. How had the conversation jumped so quickly from bathing to eating?
“What? Are you unwilling to treat this mountain commoner?” Fengxi fixed him with a stare.
“Not at all! Like the young lady, there are those whom even if they were elevated to the supreme throne I would not wish to spare a second glance — and yet there are those whom even if they were born into servitude, I would gladly share a bowl of water with.” Huang Chao said with an easy smile. “I’ll treat you to a meal!”
“Puer, looks like we’ve got our lunch sorted.” The moment the meal was settled, Fengxi stretched lazily, then gave a pat to Han Pu, who was staring at Huang Chao in a daze.
“Sister, this is Huang Chao! The Shizi of Huangguo! One of the Four Great Gentlemen, whose name stands equal to that of Hei Fengxi!” Han Pu, who had been silent for a while, now had his eyes wide open — bright and shining — gazing at Huang Chao with boundless adoration.
*Hmm — such looks, such bearing, such conduct… truly worthy of the name Gongzi Huang Chao! This was the kind of presence that belonged to a famous figure — unlike…* His gaze slid toward Fengxi. *Sigh. How did I end up with the most un-famous-looking person as my sister?*
“Swallow that drool of yours!” Fengxi gave Han Pu a firm knock on the head. *Ugh, this ridiculous look — truly embarrassing!*
“Little brother, with a sister like that, you are sure to surpass your teacher one day.” Huang Chao looked at Han Pu and smiled lightly.
“Come on, time to eat.” Fengxi waved her hand and walked ahead.
Xiao Jian took the lead up front, and after the four of them had walked less than one li, they saw before them on a relatively flat grassy slope the figures of four men standing.
“Young master.” The four, upon seeing Huang Chao return, all bowed in salute.
“Mm.” Huang Chao gave a light nod.
“Wow! So much food!” Han Pu was the very first to cry out.
There before them, spread across the grass, was a square purple carpet measuring one zhang to a side, upon which were arranged all manner of cooked meats, pastries, and fine wines.
“I want that roast duck!” Han Pu made a flying leap toward the whole roast duck at the center of the carpet.
“The roast duck is mine! Don’t you know about Kong Rong and the pears — respect your elders!” Fengxi launched herself toward the roast duck in equal measure.
Two figures, one large and one small, both dove for the roast duck — and just as the duck was about to meet its fate, both halted simultaneously, four hands frozen in the air above it, held back by a single inch.
Not out of courtesy. It was because those four hands — were simply too filthy.
“Lend me your sleeve for a moment!”
Xiao Jian had not yet had the chance to sit down when his vision blurred — Fengxi was already standing before him. Then his sleeve pulled taut; he looked down, and his eyes went wide. She… she was actually wiping her hands on his sleeve! The sleeve, white as snow, was instantly smeared black.
“You… you…” Xiao Jian was momentarily struck speechless.
“Don’t be so stingy! If my own clothes were still clean I wouldn’t be wiping on yours! Besides, you’re rich — just go buy a new set afterward!” Fengxi kept talking while diligently scrubbing at the grime on her hands.
“You… you… you could wash your hands!” Xiao Jian finally bellowed — his voice a complete contrast to his delicate appearance — and those remarkable eyes of his surged once more with that strange pale-blue hue.
“Ah! It changed again! It changed again!” At the sight of this, Fengxi behaved as though she’d found a treasure, pointing at his eyes and crying out with childlike delight.
“What changed? What changed?” Han Pu had been pouring wine from a wine jug to wash his hands over on the other side; hearing Fengxi’s shout, he snatched up the jug and ran over.
“You… you… you’re actually washing your hands with wine?” Xiao Jian caught sight of the jug in Han Pu’s hands and his beautiful eyes nearly leaped from their sockets. That trace of blue deepened further still. “Good heavens — that’s Yanzhizui!”
“Wow! His eyes turned blue!” Han Pu exclaimed in astonishment.
“Yanzhizui? The Yanzhizui that goes for a thousand gold pieces a jug?” Fengxi snatched the wine jug from Han Pu’s hands in one motion and gave it a sniff. “Mm, it really is!”
“So you do know it costs a thousand gold pieces a jug?!” Xiao Jian huffed — at least she could tell quality goods from ordinary ones. He had half expected Fengxi to show some regret — yet instead…
“Then I’ll wash my hands with it too!” The words were barely out before she upended the jug, and the remaining wine poured out over both her hands.
At this, Xiao Jian could only stare in stunned silence, utterly without words.
“The jug is yours!” Fengxi tossed it with one hand, and the wine jug landed squarely in Xiao Jian’s grasp. Then she clapped both hands together — against Xiao Jian’s shoulders. “Let me borrow a wipe!”
Two wet handprints were left on Xiao Jian’s shoulders.
“The roast duck is mine!” Fengxi touched her toes to the ground, landed on the carpet, stretched out her hand — and the duck was at her lips. She opened her mouth and bit, and half a duck leg was gone.
“Ah!” Han Pu, who had been foolishly staring at Xiao Jian’s eyes, finally snapped back to his senses, rushed back over, and plopped himself down on the carpet. He stretched out his hand. “Then these two honey-glazed drumsticks are mine!”
“Then this plate of sauced shrimp is mine!”
“Then this dish of hibiscus jade slices is mine!”
“Then this box of purple cloud crispy pastries is mine!”
…
The two of them divvied up the food on the carpet one portion at a time, and with each portion claimed, they would glance up at Xiao Jian — enjoying the sight of the pale blue in those ice-bright eyes deepening bit by bit, until at last they were as blue as ten thousand li of clear sky!
“Jian, you seem unusually easy to provoke today.” Huang Chao sat composedly to one side, watching the scene in silence. Seeing his usually calm and detached, rarely ruffled top commander provoked again and again in a single day, he could not help but sigh. These two truly had a gift!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jian snapped himself back to his senses with a start. He steadied himself, drew a deep breath, and let his emotions settle. The pale blue in his eyes slowly faded, until at last it lay still and deep as a frozen abyss.
“Ahh… it’s… gone!” Han Pu mourned around a mouthful of chicken, his words indistinct as he lamented the disappearance of the blue in Xiao Jian’s eyes.
“Xiao Jian, do you have another name?” Fengxi glanced at him, then squinted at the sky. “Like… Snow Sky, or something of the sort. Your eyes are like that trace of blue sky over a snowy plain — transparent and pure, so very beautiful.”
Xiao Jian was startled at this. He gazed at Fengxi for a long moment, then quietly answered: “My courtesy name is Xuekong.”
“As I thought.” Fengxi smiled and nodded, looked at him again, then buried her head in her food. “You shouldn’t wear such snow-white clothes. It makes you look as cold as a snow sculpture, and makes people afraid to approach you — afraid of being frozen stiff, and afraid of melting the snow. Hmm… you ought to wear pale blue — the blue of the sky.” In the midst of her busy eating, she still extended an oily finger and pointed at the sky.
This time Xiao Jian did not reply. He only lifted his gaze to the sky, letting the clear blue of the expanse above be reflected in his eyes as an occasional wisp of cloud drifted past.
Huang Chao no longer spoke either. He sat quietly watching the two wolf down their food, a look of appreciation and quiet contemplation in his eyes.
Suddenly, Fengxi’s voracious eating paused for just an instant. Her gaze flicked toward the area ahead and to her right — but she immediately buried her head in her food again.
At the same moment, Huang Chao also glanced in that direction. The easy, leisurely expression on his face was withdrawn, replaced by gravity.
And Xiao Jian had already taken flight, gone from sight in the blink of an eye.
Only Han Pu remained wholly oblivious, eating and drinking without a care.
A short while later, Xiao Jian returned, carrying a man on his back — and five men dressed in blue followed behind him.
“We pay our respects to the young master!”
The five, upon reaching the front, immediately bowed in salute to Huang Chao, while the man carried on Xiao Jian’s back also struggled to dismount and perform his obeisance.
“Rise, all of you.” Huang Chao said lightly, his gaze sweeping over them — and he saw that all of them had sustained injuries, none more so than the man Xiao Jian had carried back, whose blue robe at the abdomen had been stained a vivid red.
“Jian, tend to their wounds first.” Huang Chao swept his wide sleeve; the several men rose to their feet as though compelled.
“Yes.” Xiao Jian replied, then made a gesture. The four men standing behind Huang Chao immediately stepped forward, helped the six injured men sit down, and began binding their wounds.
“Young master.” The most gravely wounded man, however, disregarded his own pain and insisted on rising to walk toward Huang Chao. With hands trembling faintly, he drew out from within his robe an object wrapped in blue brocade, dropped to one knee, raised it high above his head with both hands, and presented it.
Huang Chao reached out and received it, but did not rush to open it. He signaled Xiao Jian to help the man up, then fixed his gaze on the object in his hands. A daunting light flashed in his eyes — and then he seemed to be struck by something of extreme importance. In an instant his gaze sharpened like lightning, boring directly into that man’s face. “Where is General Yan?”
The man’s already-trembling hands shook with even greater violence at this. He raised his eyes to look at Huang Chao steadily, his fierce, tiger-like eyes already moist — yet he held back, and answered in a quivering voice: “General Yan… General Yan has… has already… fallen.”
“What?” Huang Chao’s body swayed as though he could no longer sit upright. Then he surged to his feet, and in an instant was standing directly before that man. He reached out with his left hand and seized the man by the shoulder, his eyes ablaze — burning like fire, sharp like a sword, both scorching and piercing. “Say it again!”
“I report to the young master — General Yan has fallen at Xuanshan in Baiguo!” Enduring the searing pain in his shoulder, the man answered once more, clearly and without wavering. The tears in his eyes finally fell.
Huang Chao let go of him at this. He stood rigidly upright, gaze directed straight ahead, lips pressed shut, his face without expression — only his golden-brown eyes had turned a deep brown, his pupils contracting ceaselessly.
*Ding!*
It was the soft ring of Xiao Jian’s sword — one hand within his sleeve, causing the fabric to tremble faintly. The hand gripping the sword had its veins standing out in sharp relief; his head dropped slightly, and a cascade of snow-white hair stirred without any wind!
Fengxi — the moment she heard Huang Chao ask after the whereabouts of Yan Yingzhou, the duck’s foot she was holding slipped from her hand and dropped onto the carpet. She stared at it blankly, neither picking it up nor reaching for anything else to eat. Her gaze was adrift and indistinct, as though veiled by a layer of water mist, the feeling in her eyes impossible to read clearly.
Han Pu, always the last to catch on, by this point had also sensed that something was wrong in the atmosphere. He could not help but pause what he was doing and draw close to Fengxi. Seeing her expression in this moment, he reached out in quiet concern and tugged at the one remaining sleeve she had left. “Sister?”
Fengxi heard him and raised her eyes to look at him briefly, then smiled a faint, light smile to show she was all right — but Han Pu felt that this smile had traveled across a thousand mountains, wound through a thousand turns and bends, and carried with it a faint exhaustion and a shallow sorrow.
“Yingzhou!” Huang Chao stood motionless for a long while, then at last called out the name, low and heavy. His hand tightened involuntarily around the blue brocade bundle, and a wave of light passed through his eyes.
“Xiao Xi.”
“Present!” One of the four men who had been binding wounds rose and answered with bowed head.
“The four of you escort these six back to the country.” Huang Chao turned and gave the order.
“Yes!” Xiao Xi replied.
“Jian, you and I go to Xuanshan.” Huang Chao gave the next order.
“Young master — now that the token has been retrieved, please allow Xiao Xi and the others to escort you home. Yingzhou, I will go to… pay my respects!” Xiao Jian bowed his head and offered this counsel.
Huang Chao looked at the bundle in his hands. A faint smile rose on his face — carrying within it a deep sorrow. “Before Yingzhou departed, he vowed he would obtain the token and return, that he would not fail me. Since he did not fail me, how could I fail him!”
“Young master, the journey there is extremely dangerous — you must not take this risk…” Xiao Jian moved to remonstrate further, only to be cut off by a wave of Huang Chao’s hand.
“My mind is made up — there is no need to advise me further! On this journey to Xuanshan, I should like to see who dares try to wrest this token from my hand!” In a single sentence, he revealed the arrogance and pride of one who surveys the world from above.
“Xiao Xi, escort the six of them back. Send word to Xiao Chi and the ten men with him — have them come to rendezvous with me at once!” Xiao Jian ceased his counsel and instead turned to instruct Xiao Xi and the others.
“Yes!” Xiao Xi received his orders, and then the four of them, together with the six injured men, departed.
“Ahh!” Huang Chao let out a long sigh — yet he did not obstruct their departure, and instead turned and walked to where Fengxi stood. He raised the bundle in his hand and asked, “Young lady, do you know what this is?”
Fengxi rose to her feet, but did not look at the bundle. She raised her head and gazed at the sky, then smiled a light smile. “Is this not the Xuanzun Token — dirtier even than I am?”
“Dirty?” Huang Chao had not anticipated that she would describe this object — which the entire world sought to seize — in such degrading terms.
“So many hands have touched it, and it has been soaked in the blood of countless people — is it not dirty?” Fengxi turned to look at him, the light in her eyes complex.
“Ha ha… the young lady is truly a remarkable person!”
Huang Chao smiled, and began to open the bundle. When he peeled back the final layer, a long black token was revealed. He raised it between his fingers — cold as bone — its length approximately nine inches. On the front were cast the four characters “Zhizun Xuan Ling.” On the reverse, a dragon soaring through clouds and mist. In the sunlight, it radiated a dazzling, ink-dark brilliance.
“So this is the Xuanzun Token, forged from the dark iron dredged from the depths of the Bei Hai when the founding Shi Di annihilated the Bei Hai kingdom?!” Huang Chao ran a finger over its surface, and the light in his eyes blazed with delight. “Nine inches and nine fen in length, nine jin and nine liang in weight — the Xuanzun Token of nine-nine supreme supremacy!”
“One filthy little token, and yet it has claimed the souls of countless heroes!” Fengxi looked at this Xuanzun Token that had cost so many their lives, and saw in it only cold, contemptuous irony.
“What you say is not without reason — this token is indeed dirty, and yet…” Huang Chao raised the token and gazed at the light emanating from the dark metal. “Yet in another sense, this token is the most sacred of things — for it is the most supreme and hallowed object under heaven!”
“Ha… do you truly believe this token can make you command all the world?” Fengxi let out a cold laugh.
“Command all the world? Ha ha ha…” Huang Chao threw his head back and laughed. “This token cannot command all the world — it is the person who commands it! The token is merely a symbol! The Xuanzun Token is the symbol of one who rules as Emperor — the Xuanmo Token is the symbol of the kings of the Seven Kingdoms! With the token in my hand, it signifies that I am the one to whom heaven has bestowed the mandate of Emperor! He who truly commands all the world is me — this person! I, Huang Chao!”
Fengxi said nothing. She tilted her head and looked at Huang Chao, who was laughing with wild abandon. In this moment, he radiated an incomparable presence — as though he were a giant who could swallow the entire sky with a single breath, and shatter the ground with a single step, so supremely arrogant and boundless!
Xiao Jian could only look at his master with reverence and admiration. Only a person this towering and unyielding could make him willing to serve from the heart — only such a person was worthy of ruling over all the world!
And Han Pu — he stared at Huang Chao with his mouth open wide and his eyes blank, his small heart filling with limitless veneration. A person this wildly arrogant — one who kneaded the entire heaven and earth in his palm — was the only person like this he had encountered in all his life!
“In the future, whether or not the one who sits upon the throne of all the world is you — you will nonetheless be a supreme conqueror whose name will resound through the ages!” Fengxi said softly and with a lingering air, and in her tone was a rare note of genuine admiration.
“Of course it will be me!” Huang Chao answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Ho, what confidence!” Fengxi smiled lightly at this. “But in my estimation, the odds stand at only five in ten.”
“Why only five in ten?” Huang Chao’s brows lifted.
“I have heard that at the summit of Changmang Shan there is an unfinished game of chess — has the Shizi ever caught word of it?” Fengxi shifted her gaze to look at the distance ahead. “Alongside that unfinished game are carved two lines: ‘The unfinished game of Changmang awaits its players — when clouds converge, one shall rise to claim the supreme!’ The world has long held that this game and these two lines were bestowed by Heaven itself, foretelling that two supreme heroes of the age will arise to contend for all the world. If the Shizi is one of them, then it follows that there is another in this world an equal match for you — and does that not make it only five in ten?”
“And in times of upheaval heroes rise — looking at the current state of affairs, those who are your equal match are not limited to one person!” Fengxi turned to look at Huang Chao again, wearing a lazy, easy smile on her face — yet her eyes were bright and clear as mirrors, blazing with a piercing, commanding light of intelligence, as though all the world’s affairs were reflected within them. “Princess Xiyun with the Wind-Cloud Cavalry, the Hua King with the Golden-Garment Cavalry, Young Master Lanxi with the Mo Yu Cavalry — these three are all talents the world is watching. Can the Shizi truly say that none of them could stand as your rival? Not to mention that the world is vast, and tigers and dragons lie hidden in every corner — the heroes who might contend with the Shizi may be beyond counting!”
“Ha ha… if what you say is true, I have less than five in ten chances, and the two who stand atop Changmang Shan to claim supremacy may not include me at all!” Yet upon hearing this, Huang Chao showed not the faintest trace of discouragement. His arrogance was utterly undiminished. He stretched out both arms as though to embrace heaven and earth. “The game at the summit of Changmang Shan — I will certainly go and see it for myself. But I do not believe in heaven-sent prophecies — I believe only in myself! What I, Huang Chao, set my mind to — I will accomplish! I will seize this world with my own two hands!”
“Then wait and see — and we shall behold just who it is that stands atop Changmang Shan to claim supremacy!” Fengxi also smiled — still that lazy, languid smile of hers, only with an occasional glint of sharpness cutting through her eyes.
“The only one standing atop Changmang Shan will be I, Huang Chao — and no other!” Huang Chao surveyed the world with a sweep of his gaze, his heroic spirit surging to the sky.
“Ha… in ten years upon the jianghu, you are the most wildly arrogant and self-assured person I have ever met!” Fengxi said with a lazy yawn, took Han Pu by the hand, turned to Huang Chao with a radiant smile — then touched her toes to the ground, and drifted backward, vanishing like smoke.
In the blink of an eye, both of them had disappeared without a trace.
“Many thanks for the young lady’s concern!” Huang Chao called out at full voice. “What I intend to do — no person in this world, no event, no thing can stop me! I will forge a great road all the way to Changmang Shan!”
“I will forge a great road all the way to Changmang Shan!”
These words rang out across the barren mountains in wave upon wave of echoes, long and lingering, refusing to fade!