Having just arrived in an unfamiliar place, Ming Huashang slept fitfully that first night and woke well before dawn. Knowing she could depend on no one but herself from this point on, she didn’t dare waste time, and immediately got up to wash and dress. She had just finished getting ready when a slow, steady knock came at the door.

Ming Huashang crept over to the door, then yanked it open with a flourish, flashing a wide, brilliant smile: “Second Elder Brother, good morning!”

Worried that Ming Huashang might struggle to adjust, Ming Huazhang had arrived a little earlier than usual today — only to have the door flung open from within the moment he knocked.

That vivid, glowing smile, right in his face, was for a moment like daylight breaking through the sky — cloud and rain swept away, the storm lifting — and even the cool early-summer breeze turned tender and gentle.

Ming Huazhang caught himself, startled by his own distraction, and smiled. “You little troublemaker. Ready? Then let’s go.”

He first took her to breakfast, then to the training grounds. The base permitted no servants — full, sealed management. Three meals a day were provided in the communal dining hall; any food wanted outside those meals was one’s own concern.

They had set out early, so the path was nearly empty. Ming Huazhang pointed out each area in a low voice as they walked, and Ming Huashang listened carefully, committing the routes to memory.

By the time they reached the training grounds, people had begun to arrive gradually. Ming Huashang looked out across a large open space fitted with archery targets, weapons racks, wooden practice dummies, and other equipment. In the southwestern corner stood a nearly vertical cliff face.

In the dim morning light, Ming Huashang could make out faint black shapes on the cliff and stared, wondering if she was seeing things. “Are those people? They climbed up there just like that?”

No ropes, no protective gear — freehand rock climbing?

“That’s right.” A voice came suddenly from behind. Ming Huashang startled and spun around, then hastily bowed when she recognized the speaker. “I pay my respects, General.”

Han Jie waved his hand. “I’m only here to have a look around — no need for formality. That cliff is merely the most basic assessment. You’ll all be going up there in a few days.”

Ming Huashang’s breath caught. “And… if someone falls?”

Han Jie studied her with a smile. “Then they can watch out for themselves in the next life.”

Ming Huazhang said lightly, “Don’t let him rattle you. Training is done in stages — they won’t put you on the cliff face from the very start.”

Ming Huashang smiled, and did not feel particularly reassured.

While Han Jie stepped away, Ming Huashang quickly lowered her voice and asked Ming Huazhang, “Second Elder Brother, what exactly does the training involve?”

“If you mean the grounds — mounted archery, fist and foot combat, weapons, throwing darts and hidden blades, you learn everything there is to learn. Cliff-climbing is just a basic exercise to build lower-body strength. The afternoons have academic classes: astronomy and geography, coding and ciphers, decoding and decryption, regional dialects and customs, and — disposing of evidence. All of it taught.”

Ming Huashang’s expression grew more and more bewildered as she listened. “Disposing… of evidence?”

“That’s right,” Ming Huazhang said, his gaze perfectly level as he looked at her. “When carrying out a mission outside and killing your target, one of the most critical steps is eliminating all traces on the body. Dismembering and burning are the most basic methods. Making the death look like a natural one is the ideal.”

Ming Huashang’s expression collapsed entirely. She stared at him in miserable resignation. “A’Xiong — if I said I wanted to withdraw right now, is it too late?”

Ming Huazhang had seen this coming. “What do you think?”

“Little sister, what are you saying?” A clear, warmly amused voice came from behind. Someone steadied her by the shoulders and tilted their head to look at her face. “Why do you look so downcast — who upset little sister?”

A sharp gust of wind shot toward Xie Jichuan. He stepped aside and caught the blow with a spin, then landed at Ming Huashang’s other side — but his hands dropped from her shoulders. Ming Huashang shook her head, still unable to feel cheerful. “I’m fine.”

Xie Jichuan cast a reproachful look at Ming Huazhang. “It’s definitely your fault.”

Ming Huazhang curved his lips into a cold, thin line. “If you can’t manage your hands, I don’t mind helping you.”

By now the training grounds had filled with people. Ming Huazhang — moonlit and clear as cool light — and Xie Jichuan — warm as wind, smooth as jade — both wore white training robes with their sleeves bound close and waist belted narrow, their legs long and their postures striking. Standing together, they drew every eye. Without either of them doing anything, an empty buffer of space had unconsciously formed around them. Ming Huashang was pulled unwillingly into the orbit of their attention and found herself under the collective gaze of everyone present — deeply uncomfortable.

Mercifully, Ren Yao and Jiang Ling arrived then, coming to her rescue. As Ren Yao walked in and took in the broad space and the rack upon rack of weapons, her eyes lit up. “What a place.”

Jiang Ling stifled a half-hearted yawn. “No sense of refinement — what’s so impressive about this.”

Ren Yao showed him no mercy and swatted the back of his head. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be late today. How dare you still complain.”

That set Jiang Ling off in turn. “You have a nerve bringing that up! I was sleeping perfectly well, and you kicked my door open and ripped off my blankets! Are you even a woman?”

Ming Huashang’s eyes darted back and forth with curiosity, watching the scene unfold. Ren Yao snapped back, “Do you think I wanted to? If he hadn’t said that one person being late means the whole group is penalized, would I have bothered with you?”

Ming Huashang promptly turned to look at Xie Jichuan. He inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I said that. But I didn’t teach her to rip off blankets.”

The commotion was attracting more and more stares. Ming Huazhang gave a light, low cough. “Dangerous Moon — from now on, you go and wake him. These two are after all a man and a woman — this kind of thing isn’t proper.”

Xie Jichuan flatly refused. “I have no interest in pulling blankets off men. How about you go — and I’ll go wake up little sister instead.”

Ming Huazhang’s response was a long leg sweeping in a powerful kick. Xie Jichuan leaped back in time, evading the blow. Still not willing to let it drop, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Attacking a fellow team member outside designated sparring hours — you’ve violated the rules.”

Ming Huazhang had initially only meant to warn him. But Xie Jichuan showed no sign of knowing when to stop, so Ming Huazhang undid his sleeve cuff, baring his long and leanly powerful arm, and committed to giving him a proper lesson — rules be damned. Ming Huashang saw the situation deteriorating and quickly locked her arms around Ming Huazhang: “A’Xiong, stay calm — the General will be here any moment!”

The other two meanwhile stood to the side with their arms folded. Jiang Ling sniped in a sour tone, “What is this — lighting signal fires to play games while the princes watch? Melting hearts with a smile, fighting a war for beauty’s sake?”

“Don’t speak what you don’t understand,” Ren Yao said. “But if you’re going to fight, at least pick up weapons — just like this, you can’t even hurt anyone properly. Nothing to see here.”

Ming Huashang was furious beyond endurance. Clutching Ming Huazhang’s waist, she wheeled around and bellowed at them: “The both of you, be quiet!”

Su Yuji and Su Xingzhi arrived at that moment as well. Su Yuji looked at the five people nearby, making noise and creating a commotion, and frowned. “What are they doing?”

Su Xingzhi was equally at a loss. He watched them. Dawn was fully broken now, ten thousand rays of rosy light pouring down, the radiant morning sun falling onto those five young figures. Three young men — each bearing a different quality, yet all of them tall and well-built, full of youthful spirit, striking and vigorous. Two young women — one bold and heroic, the other sweet and bright, hair bound high to reveal slender necks and clear, clean faces. Like the sun that blazed up behind them, so beautiful it made one sigh.

Su Xingzhi could not understand it. Did they not know where they were? How could they still be this vivid, this light-hearted? It was as though they were not deep in a secret base training covert operatives, but at Qujiang or along the Luo River, a spring banquet in full flower, young lords of the five mausoleums, free-spirited and at ease.

Ming Huashang was oblivious to the strange looks from across the courtyard. She was just barely managing to stop their little group from escalating to a full intra-team brawl when Han Jie appeared. Ming Huashang exhaled a long breath of relief. “General Han is here — stop fooling around, everyone stand up straight!”

With no other choice, Ming Huazhang was compelled to set aside his intention to properly deal with Xie Jichuan, at least for the moment.

Things finally settled. Everyone turned together to look at Han Jie above them. Han Jie, unlike an ordinary military general, did not open with a speech or an attempt to establish authority. He said with a mild smile: “Everyone’s here, then. Good — I was expecting at least one troublemaker today. What a pity. Whatever your background before you entered the Xuan Xiaowei, once you’re in, you follow Xuan Xiaowei rules. Fortunately, the rules are simple: for many missions, success is the only outcome permitted. No matter what methods are used — this applies inside the Xuan Xiaowei as well. Results only. Victory takes precedence.”

This was very different from how anyone present had imagined military discipline to be. Han Jie paid no mind to the shock this produced in the young people below and smiled on. “All right — let’s begin. I prefer not to waste time on things that are all show and no substance, so we’ll go straight into practical work. In a moment your masters will come and begin teaching combat. For now — ten circuits of the training grounds to warm up.”

Ming Huashang’s breath caught. “Ten circuits?”

She looked out at the training grounds — which stretched beyond the limits of her vision — and felt the top of her skull go blank and buzzing.

But no one explained anything. Already some among the group had sprinted forward. Apart from the five of them, the others had all entered as solo operatives, accustomed to working alone and fending for themselves — naturally none of them would concern themselves with the rest.

In an instant the grounds devolved into chaos, each person seizing whatever advantageous position they could, with no semblance of any formation.

Ming Huazhang looked at Ming Huashang. The meaning in his eyes was unmistakable. Ming Huashang gritted her teeth. Ten circuits — that was nothing. She had hands and feet; she refused to believe she couldn’t see it through. She told Ming Huazhang, “Second Elder Brother, don’t worry about me — go on ahead. I definitely can’t keep up with you, so I’ll come along behind at my own pace.”

Ming Huazhang also knew that — he had no expectation that Ming Huashang could complete all ten. Even finishing one would be doing him credit. He said, “Know your limits. With me here, Han Jie won’t do anything to you.”

Ming Huashang nodded, her smile full of undaunted energy. The moment Ming Huazhang turned away, her face fell.

She turned to face Jiang Ling, and the two of them looked at each other. Jiang Ling said tentatively, “How about we run together?”

“Certainly.” Ming Huashang agreed happily. “We go at a slow pace — whoever goes faster is a dog!”

Ren Yao had trained in martial arts since childhood; this level of exertion was nothing to her at all. She completed one circuit, and as she passed Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling, she overheard them encouraging each other: “It’s actually quite manageable — only a mere nine and a half circuits remaining, nothing to speak of!”

Admirable spirit. Ren Yao left them without sentiment, flying past with a parting remark of “you two are last” before vanishing ahead.

More and more people overtook them. Ming Huashang’s stamina drained at a startling rate, until her vision narrowed to nothing but the monotonous yellow earth and the sound of her own increasingly labored breathing. She sensed Jiang Ling edging slightly ahead. She finally showed her true hand and grabbed his sleeve. “Don’t you dare move on without me!”

She would drag him down to last place if it was the last thing she did!

Jiang Ling bared his teeth right back. “Let go of me — I can at least be second to last!”

Han Jie stood at an elevated vantage point and watched the training grounds: a thousand sails in competition, a hundred vessels racing. And amidst all the vigorous striving, two leaky boats stood conspicuously out.

Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling shoved each other back and forth, already moving barely faster than walking, yet still trying to push one another behind. Han Jie was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he said to the person beside him, “What do you make of it?”

Ming Huazhang had come to stand at Han Jie’s side at some point. He said with quiet calm, “You’re the one who recruited them. What do you make of it?”

Han Jie gave a skin-deep smile — if one listened very carefully, there might have been the sound of grinding teeth. “Truly a matched pair of unpolished… gemstones.”

Ming Huazhang did not continue this thread. He said, “She’s been pampered and indulged her whole life. Many of the people here already have some foundation in martial arts, or have worked as operatives before. Putting her in training with them isn’t fair.”

Han Jie smiled after a moment and said, needling him a little, “I’ve long heard that Lieutenant-General Ming is upright and honorable, a man of true gentlemanly virtue. I never imagined I’d see you play favorites.”

Ming Huazhang ignored the teasing. “Given her physical condition, two circuits would be sufficient. Don’t push too hard — once she’s had about enough, have someone call it and let her rest.”

Han Jie tilted an eyebrow without committing to a yes or no, and said instead, “Agreed — as long as she stops and gives up, I’ll have someone intervene and give her a graceful way out.”

Ming Huazhang was dissatisfied with this evasive answer, but Ming Huashang was nothing if not quick on the uptake — she would not let herself suffer unnecessarily. He did not press further, and turned away. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Ming Huazhang expected Ming Huashang to stop soon — yet the circuits passed, and every other person had finished, until only Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling remained moving at their plodding crawl, and she still had not stopped.

Ming Huazhang kept his eyes fixed on that small white figure in the distance. No matter how cold he might sound, he could not in truth simply abandon Ming Huashang — and she surely knew that. All she had to do was stop, and Han Jie’s people would appear at just the right moment with a convenient excuse, sparing her the rest with her dignity intact. She knew all of this. So why was she still not giving up?

Xie Jichuan stood with his arms folded, watching Ming Huashang struggle along with difficulty. “She’s far tougher than I imagined. Any ordinary woman would have given out long ago.”

Running was not only physical punishment — it was mental punishment too. No one found running a pleasant experience. This was a long tug-of-war between the will and one’s own nature. Continuing required a great deal of resolve. Stopping was as simple as listening to what one already wanted.

And she was doing this while being watched by all those eyes, in full knowledge that she was inferior to those around her. Jiang Ling, for his part, had been a dandy for years and had a very thick skin. But Ming Huashang was different — before today, she had been a pampered and adored young miss of a duke’s household, held at the center of everyone’s attention. Now she had to endure being scrutinized and ridiculed by all those gazes. Any other young lady of her standing would have dissolved into tears long ago.

Ren Yao also knitted her brow. “They didn’t manage their energy well — they’re only at the fifth circuit and she already looks like she’s emptied out. She won’t be able to hold on at this rate.”

Someone gave a cold snort nearby. “Isn’t the rule in the Xuan Xiaowei that victory takes precedence? Our time is precious — why should we all stand around waiting for those two dead weights?”

Ren Yao rounded on the speaker at once. “What did you say?”

The person showed no remorse whatsoever and pushed further, sneering: “Was I wrong? Look at them dragging along like that — they’ve been out here forever and haven’t even made it halfway. Maybe even a tortoise is faster than them. What, are the worthless types precious now? How dare they hold up an entire group like this?”

Ren Yao was incensed — but the martial arts instructor announced coolly: “Time is called. Form pairs, stand ready. I will now demonstrate a set of fists. Everyone listen well — I will only show it once.”

Ren Yao burned with fury, but she had no authority over the instructor. What she did have authority over was these people. She strode directly in front of the person who had been mocking them, stared him down, and said with cold finality, “He was slow, they were slow — but they didn’t give up. You think you’re so capable? Fight me. I’ll see if you can last as long as they have.”

The martial arts instructor kept a blind eye to the scuffle below him and took up his opening stance. “This is the fist form created by the Prince of Wei. The Prince of Wei was powerfully built and a master of martial arts, and rendered meritorious service in eliminating the Sui dynasty and establishing the Tang. The fist form he created was thus honored with the name of the dynasty and passed down through the armies. Tang fist of the Prince of Wei — first form, Cat’s Spring.”

Ren Yao’s fist connected squarely with the man’s nose in a straight punch. He had not expected such force from a woman, and stumbled back, clutching his face, protesting: “Master — she didn’t even use the form you just taught!”

Ren Yao gave a cold laugh. “I’m hitting you. Since when did I need to use a form you know?”

The master ahead was deaf to the complaint, shifted his footing, and raised his arms into the shape of a hound: “Second form, Dog’s Dodge.”

What was happening at the center of the grounds was entirely lost to Ming Huashang now. Everything in front of her eyes was whitening in pulses. Breathing was leaden weight filling her lungs, and the taste of iron rose to her mouth.

At first she had been clinging to Jiang Ling. Somewhere along the way, it had become them clinging to each other, neither allowing the other to stop.

Jiang Ling was in somewhat better shape than Ming Huashang, but he too was breathing in ragged gasps. “Ming Huashang — I can’t run anymore. I’m stopping. Anyway, my father is Marquis Jiang’an — they won’t dare do anything too bad to me.”

“No.” Ming Huashang barely had voice left, yet her grip on Jiang Ling’s clothes remained firm. She gulped air and pushed out the words: “Are you going to spend the rest of your life introducing yourself as the son of Marquis Jiang’an? This is the seventh circuit already — hold on just a bit longer. Other people can do it. There’s no reason we can’t.”

Xie Jichuan had studied the six arts of a gentleman from childhood and knew fist-fighting techniques — but being taught a formal fighting system was still a first for him. The Prince of Wei had been a born warrior, once acclaimed as the strongest fighter in the land in his time. The fist style he created prized raw, powerful force and lethality; Emperor Taizong later refined and expanded upon it and disseminated it throughout the army, giving rise to the invincible Iron Cavalry. The full form of Tang fist was not something most people had access to, and Xie Jichuan treasured this opportunity. Unfortunately, his sparring partner’s mind was elsewhere. Xie Jichuan launched a fist toward that handsome face. Ming Huazhang caught the sound of the wind and dodged on reflex, turning to catch his wrist. He frowned. “What are you doing?”

Xie Jichuan smiled. “You zoned out in the middle of sparring — what do you think I’m doing? Stop watching. It’s only ten circuits — no one’s ever died from running.”

The final circuit. Ming Huashang’s pace was slower than a walking pace, but she would not ease up. She kept on going. She and Jiang Ling had lost track of which of them was holding the other up. After a time she could not measure, she stumbled onto the very spot they had started from — and immediately crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Jiang Ling collapsed beside her. After a very long silence, he found enough energy to say, “I’ve lived my whole life without ever putting myself through this.”

The sun had climbed to the middle of the sky at some point. Ming Huashang raised a hand to shield her stinging eyes and said, barely audible, “Do you think I have?”

“Why did you have to run the whole thing?”

She lay there a long while. Gradually the taste of iron in her mouth faded a little. Then she said, “Because my elder brother is the most gentlemanly, most upright person in the world. I didn’t want to put him in an awkward position.”

Jiang Ling lay there for a while, then burst out laughing. Ming Huashang used what little was left of her strength to kick him, and cursed: “Are you running-brained? What are you laughing at?”

“I feel liberated,” Jiang Ling said. “I thought I was the biggest fool around. Turns out there was someone more foolish than me. No wonder we got assigned to Xuanwu unit — we really have turned into tortoises.”

Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling had finally finished. By this time, the martial arts instructor had taught a complete fist form, the students had sparred for some while, and their speed had been not much better than a tortoise’s. Yet this time no one mocked them. Only Ming Huazhang, without a word, broke away from the group and walked toward the two of them on the far side of the grounds.

Ren Yao had executed an over-the-shoulder throw and sent someone crashing into the ground. She stood over him, staring down coldly: “No spear today — I’ll spare your life. If you ever speak carelessly again, I’ll come for you every time I see you.”

Ming Huashang covered her eyes, and after the intense exertion and sudden stillness, she was drifting quickly toward sleep. She sensed vaguely that the sunlight on her face had disappeared. She forced open her heavy eyes and found Ming Huazhang standing over her, his hand raised to block the sun from her.

Ming Huashang blinked, groggy and blurring. “A’Xiong…”

Ming Huazhang exhaled a quiet breath, bent down, and lifted her up. “You can’t stop suddenly after running — stand up, walk it off slowly, and then go and rest.”

Ming Huashang made a soft sound of acknowledgment, steadied herself on Ming Huazhang’s shoulders, and let him help her up. She had barely registered the sensation of movement during those last mechanical steps — only numbness. Now she finally felt the full weight of the ache in her legs, so sore she could barely stand.

Ming Huazhang’s arms were steady and sure. He let her lean most of her weight onto him, supporting her as they walked slowly but without stopping.

The sun was brilliant overhead, and the world was quiet. All the people behind them watched in silence — not one of them spoke.

When Ming Huazhang came over, Jiang Ling had reached out a hand — but Ming Huazhang didn’t glance at him, and walked straight past to Ming Huashang. Jiang Ling understood that she was Ming Huazhang’s real younger sister, and that it was perfectly right and natural for him to attend to her first. He watched Ming Huazhang tenderly lift Ming Huashang to her feet, prop her steady, and hold her carefully — and Jiang Ling reached out a hand again. Ming Huazhang still didn’t look at him.

Jiang Ling: “……”

Just then a thudding sound of footsteps came across the ground, and the pebbles near his ear seemed to bounce. Before Jiang Ling could look up, something came down in a heavy kick against his leg.

Jiang Ling let out a howl like a pig being slaughtered. “Have you lost your mind, you brute of a woman?!”

“Get up!” Ren Yao’s face was dark as she pointed at him and roared, “I just fought a man for you. If you embarrass me again, I’ll have your life!”