Close to midnight on the eighth of the ninth month, Shi Weiyang, the second son of Shi Baofeng, briefly became the focus of attention for every important figure in the city.

The meeting at Yi Garden had already broken up by then. He Wen’s ambiguous stance on the “Reading Society” had put everyone on guard — this was a major political current capable of swaying the entire ecosystem of the Fair Party, not something to be trifled with. The moment He Wen showed signs that war might be coming, everyone had to prepare their response across the whole of Jiangnan.

Simple but crucial orders had already gone out at the first opportunity, and the heightened vigilance and tension now gripping many important places across the city were, by comparison, only minor ripples. And it was in the middle of this situation that Shi Weiyang led a great column of men storming toward the stronghold of the “Deathless Guard.” Many who received word of it were nearly stunned speechless.

At New Tiger Palace, Xu Zhaonan, busy deploying troops, was left dumbfounded — it was said his face twitched more than once. “Here I thought Zhou Shang was the only lunatic in the Fair Party. Then this afternoon, He Wen turns out to be every bit his match, and not two hours later old Shi’s gone mad too… Is madness contagious?! Is there not a single sane person left in the whole Fair Party?!”

Even as Xu Zhaonan was lamenting at New Tiger Palace that he alone remained the last sane man struggling to hold up the Fair Party, word was spreading across every corner of the city — Zhou Shang, Gao Chang, Wei Xuwen, Gao Huiyun, Tan Zheng, Xu Longbiao, Meng Zhutao… even representatives of the outer factions like Qian Luoning, Zuo Xiuquan, and Li Yanfeng, and even He Wen himself, the one who had stirred up the whole affair — all of them, upon hearing the news, responded with roughly the same sentiment: that Shi Baofeng had proven himself shockingly fierce and resolute.

Though it was He Wen’s attitude that day which had pushed things toward crisis, tracing the matter back further, it had been Shi Baofeng who first slammed the question of the Reading Society onto the table. He had raised the issue with full confidence, believing He Wen would most likely take a clear stance. That things had escalated this far, no one had foreseen — but just as unexpected was the discovery that Shi Baofeng, who had always styled himself as nothing more than a merchant, could burn this hot: having lost some face in the evening, he was ready to slap it right back by nightfall.

This kind of reckless fury, indifferent to mutual destruction, was enough for a moment to bring to mind Ning Yi, far away in the southwest.

No wonder Shi Baofeng sometimes compared himself to that Mister Ning.

Men in business — every one of them a little unhinged…

Of course, this sudden upheaval among the upper ranks of the Fair Party had not, in the short term, reached down into the ordinary life of the city below.

On one hand, the crisis He Wen had stirred up carried too many possible outcomes; when it first erupted, even senior figures like Wei Xuwen and Meng Zhutao couldn’t judge which way things would ultimately go, and the safest course was simply to prepare and wait to see how events unfolded.

On the other hand, ever since the martial arts tournament had begun, public order in the city had grown relatively calm, and the progress of the Fair Party’s conference in Jiangning had likewise gone smoothly. Before the arrival of the Double Ninth Festival, the city had even started putting up flowers and lanterns, and this atmosphere of peace and harmony carried its own momentum.

When night fell that evening, some of the lanterns strung up during the day were lit across the city. Bands of jianghu wanderers gathered in taverns and night markets, and plenty of idle rank-and-file members of the Fair Party wandered about beneath the lantern light, drinking and boasting with whoever they met. The festive mood of the Double Ninth Festival had already begun that night.

By the time Shi Weiyang led his great column to go make trouble for the “Deathless Guard,” those still lingering at the city’s night venues, refusing to call it a night, were already the wildest, most reckless of the thrill-seekers.

By now, the well-informed all knew something unusual was stirring in the city, though few could really grasp the full picture or the severity of it. Shi Weiyang’s move gave many of the rumors flying around a temporary place to settle, and those nearer to the scene hurried over to watch the excitement, cheering on the standoff between Shi Weiyang and the “Deathless Guard.”

What people didn’t know was that the eyes of every faction’s leadership were, in that night’s darkness, likewise fixed on this small patch of confrontation — countless threads of cause and consequence were coiling together into a vast whirlpool. And Shi Weiyang himself had no idea of any of this, not yet. That night, he stood before the marketplace known as Yunlai Ward and declared loudly to the “Deathless Guard” faction across from him:

“…That thug of yours, Yang Hanzhou! He struck a guest of my Shi Family! He struck Yan Tiehe, Second Master Yan of the Yan Family Fort, a hero who fought the Jin invaders! Second Master Yan now lies at death’s door! If you do not hand over the man responsible, my Shi Family will show you no mercy—”

His words rang out sharp and forceful. Near and far, onlookers perched on rooftops in the darkness clapped and shouted, “Well said—!”

“Fight! Fight!”

“Long live the hero!”

“Blood debts paid in blood!”

Voices thick with liquor rang out through the night, and for a moment the standoff felt taut as a drawn bowstring, ready to snap at any instant.

The workings of politics, of course, were never so simple. Not long after Xu Zhaonan’s lament about “too many lunatics” at New Tiger Palace — even as the two sides remained locked in tense standoff — he received, in the main hall, a secret visitor: old Steward Jin Yongsheng of the “Baofeng Trading House.”

The standoff at Yunlai Ward was still ongoing. Xu Zhaonan had only just finished getting the full story from Chen Juefang and the others, and seeing Jin Yongsheng now put him a little more at ease. He gave a cold snort. “What is old Shi playing at? Does he not care whether his son lives or dies?”

“Master Xu, please calm your anger.” The steward, looking somewhat weary, cupped his hands in salute. “Whatever else is said, none of it can be laid on the Young Master’s shoulders. It was witnessed by many that Yang Hanzhou, under Chen ‘Cold Crow’ Juefang’s command, wounded Second Master Yan of the Yan Family Fort. Second Master Yan holds a special standing — if we do not stand up for him, my Baofeng Trading House will find it hard to answer to the rest of the realm. If Master Xu wishes to settle this matter, all he need do is have Chen Juefang hand over Yang Hanzhou. From what this old man hears, the man is nothing but a nobody — is there perhaps some hidden difficulty here?”

Jin Yongsheng’s tone was calm and his reasoning sound. Xu Zhaonan looked at him and hesitated a moment before answering. “With bigger matters at hand, why would I bother shielding some fellow surnamed Yang? Chen Juefang reported to me just now that he’d sent people everywhere searching for Yang Hanzhou, but they’ve turned up nothing. Word is that this Yang fellow is an old hand at this game — knowing he’d stirred up trouble, he likely grabbed his money and fled. If he’s still in the city we might yet find him; if he’s already left, that’s another matter.”

“That being the case…”

“When we parted ways at Yi Garden today, your master and I even spoke of joining forces. Why would I let a small matter like this sour that goodwill? Old Jin, you must know better than anyone what’s really going on in this city today.”

Jin Yongsheng cupped his hands and nodded. “My master sent this old man here precisely to confirm Master Xu’s attitude in person. Since Master Xu has spoken so plainly, I’m sure my master will be set at ease once I report back… And besides, as I see it, this business at Yunlai Ward does us no harm — only good.”

Xu Zhaonan’s brow furrowed slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

“Today at Yi Garden, Mister He suddenly stirred things up, and naturally all of us will be left somewhat uncertain and wary in the days ahead. Truth be told, alliance and cooperation are the larger trend — but at the same time, there’s no harm in appearing, on the surface, not yet allied.”

“Are you saying, old Jin… a staged fight?”

“As long as those at the top understand each other clearly, matters won’t spiral out of control — whether the men below actually fight or not is no great matter. What we truly need to fear is a lack of private communication, a lack of shared understanding between us; that is when real trouble arises.” Jin Yongsheng went on, “And besides, an alliance isn’t proven by words but by what’s done in the future. That’s exactly why, the moment the Young Master came knocking today, my master sent this old fool over at once — first, to show our hand plainly; second, to gauge Master Xu’s own attitude. As for the business outside, think of it as the two of us putting on a fine show together. Far from making our two houses grow distant, it will only bring us closer. That is my master’s thinking. What does Master Xu make of it?”

In the great hall, Xu Zhaonan studied Jin Yongsheng and thought it over for a while.

A moment later, Xu Zhaonan’s laughter rang out into the night, and Jin Yongsheng soon joined him. The two of them went on to discuss no small number of matters after that…

Great men had their own great world, and their own web of cause and consequence.

That night, Shi Weiyang’s figure had briefly appeared at the eye of a great storm quietly brewing — but before long, his path crossed theirs and moved on.

Shi Weiyang, too, had his own world.

That night, he led his men in a standoff against Chen “Cold Crow” Juefang, head of the “Deathless Guard,” on the streets of Yunlai Ward, past midnight. In that tense, bowstring-taut atmosphere, both sides came close to small clashes more than once, but fortunately, no real bloodshed broke out in the end.

Inwardly, Shi Weiyang had been rather uneasy.

He had meant to stir up a great commotion here, and had braced himself for the possibility of real bloodshed. Yet even with his father and old hands like Jin Yongsheng standing behind him, facing Chen “Cold Crow” Juefang head-on still left Shi Weiyang worried he might provoke the man’s fury and set off something impossible to contain.

Fortunately, the old steward proved reliable — whatever running about he’d done behind the scenes, no one knew — and the famed Chen “Cold Crow” Juefang, though he put on a fierce, overbearing front, kept himself in check from beginning to end. Both sides traded a few rounds of curses with a curious kind of mutual understanding, and by the time several weighty peacemakers arrived to smooth things over, Shi Weiyang knew that, from this day forward, he could claim to stand as an equal to “Cold Crow” himself in the eyes of the jianghu.

At the very same hour, Wu Chennan — the man Shi Weiyang regarded as his strategist — had already led people running from one newspaper office to another, large and small, across the city, having them print a new article and a bounty notice.

A great many arrangements had already been put in place.

In the small hours before dawn, in a physician’s clinic in the eastern part of Jiangning, Yan Tiehe woke from sleep, feeling the weakness in his body.

The room held only the tiny glow of a bean-sized flame. A maidservant had dozed off at a table not far away. Yan Tiehe struggled to rise, but couldn’t manage it.

The maid caring for him woke, hurried over to ask how he felt, then went out to fetch the physician. In the meantime, Yan Tiehe questioned the maid about what had happened since he’d been stabbed. Afterward, he had her bring in a member of the Yan Family Fort who was waiting in the courtyard nearby.

This was a young clansman who had traveled east with Yan Tiehe, himself a collateral cousin of Yan Tiehe and Yan Yunzhi. Once the young man entered, Yan Tiehe waved off the maid and the physician and questioned him in fuller detail about how things stood. The young man recounted, point by point, how the Shi Family had shown its righteous solidarity in the time since — including the previous night’s standoff with the “Deathless Guard” at midnight, news of which had already spread throughout the Shi Family’s ranks.

Lying weakly in bed, Yan Tiehe thought it over in silence for a long while before he reached out and gripped the young man’s hand. “Something’s wrong…”

“What is it?”

“…After Yunzhi left, under pressure from outside, the Shi Family had no choice but to show our Yan Family more goodwill. These past days, we’ve almost come out ahead because of it. But… this wound of mine yesterday — something’s not right about it…”

“Second Uncle, are you saying…”

“I can’t be certain, but now that this has happened, there are things we must prepare for in advance, just in case…”

Yan Tiehe gripped his cousin’s hand, his voice hoarse, then called him closer to whisper a long string of careful instructions.

Once the young man had heard him out, he left the room.

It was now the darkest stretch of time before dawn, the courtyard dim, the nearby market quiet. He left the clinic and made a circuit of the surrounding streets in the darkness. The Yan Family trained in the arts of assassination, and the young man had considerable skill in lightness footwork and concealment. After two such circuits, he stopped at a spot on a street corner, glanced both ways, and tried to leave a marker.

It was at that very moment that he sensed something was wrong.

He whipped around to look behind him—

The city passed through its darkest hour, and the pale gray light of dawn began rising in the east.

In Jiangning, martial artists unaware of most of what had happened were already up at dawn, training, preparing to win more acclaim in another day’s contests. In Zhong’an Ward, Shi Weiyang, filled with excitement, had risen unusually early.

After a quick wash, a message arrived from the clinic. Reading it left him even more elated, and he was ready to go straight to old Steward Jin Yongsheng — but after a moment’s hesitation, he called for Wu Chennan first, to tell him that a certain arrangement had succeeded.

After reading the message, Wu Chennan let out an admiring sigh. “Old Jin really is a seasoned hand — he even anticipated a detail like this. A dull-witted fellow like me simply lacks that kind of experience.”

Shi Weiyang seized his hand. “Chennan, there’s no need to belittle yourself so. Thinking back over these past few days, it’s me, Weiyang, who was truly shallow and ignorant. It’s only thanks to you waking me up the other day that I’ve finally understood how men like us ought to act in this world. Old Jin is a seasoned veteran — it’s only right that you and I stay humble and learn from his experience. But you, Chennan, you’re the true benefactor in my life. Ever since you began planning things for me, look at how these past few days have gone — every single matter resolved as neatly as splitting bamboo. So many great affairs that once left me at my wit’s end have now become perfectly clear…”

In high spirits, he went on pulling at his friend, pouring out a great deal more heartfelt sentiment. It wasn’t until it was fully light out that he finally went to see Jin Yongsheng, to report the feedback from the clinic.

Jin Yongsheng, eating his breakfast, let out a faint sigh at hearing the news.

“…Second Master Yan is an old hand at this, and Yang Hanzhou is used to acting however he pleases. Arranging the two of them into a hasty confrontation, things may not have gone as smoothly as we’d like. If he wakes, he may well sense that something is off. This matter has both an upside and a downside. The upside is that with Second Master Yan’s own people involved, the chances of finding Yan Yunzhi are that much greater. The downside is… if you push things too far, you’ll genuinely give offense to your future in-laws. You need to weigh this more carefully, and handle it with a steadier hand.”

“This nephew is grateful for the lesson.”

With several matters having gone off smoothly these past days, Shi Weiyang’s manner had grown more humble as well. Only once Jin Yongsheng had nodded in satisfaction did he ask, “Old Jin, this business… we’ve now done everything that needed doing. What would you say — how good are our chances from here?”

Jin Yongsheng sipped his porridge. “In this world, many things come down to doing what one can and then leaving the rest to fate. Until the matter has settled one way or another, keep your mind steady — after all, if that young lady of the Yan Family has already left the city, then no amount of arranging on your part will do any good. But of course, if she’s still in the city, and you’ve made thorough preparations, then the odds of success are certainly not low.”

The old man paused briefly before adding, “Young Master, these past few days, you truly have grown.”

Shi Weiyang bowed his head in thanks, then went on, “All of this owes much to Brother Chennan’s help, and to your teaching, old Jin… By the way, for what comes next, is there anything more I should keep in mind? Please teach me more.”

Jin Yongsheng nodded, pleased, and the two of them went on speaking at length in the morning light.

In that same morning light, at the other end of the city, Yan Yunzhi climbed the stairs of the teahouse she visited every day, newspaper in hand, ready to take her breakfast.

This day was the ninth day of the ninth month — the Double Ninth Festival, when custom called for climbing heights, and when, as the old saying went, one’s thoughts turned all the more to family at every festival. Though she had already made the decision to leave home, she couldn’t help missing her family, and with this departure, she had no idea when she might next see her father, far away at the Yan Family Fort.

Before long, she saw in the newspaper the news of Yan Tiehe’s injury, and on another sheet, she saw even more — that Second Master Yan lay near death, and that the Shi Family was offering a reward for any renowned physician, along with a bounty for the capture of the culprit, Yang Hanzhou.

Yan Yunzhi sat in the teahouse for half the morning. That day, the two “brothers,” Han Ping and Han Yun, who usually brought her news of the city, never showed up — as members of an outside delegation, the most urgent piece of news in this city right now had become the “Reading Society.” From the previous night through today, though the surface of the city remained calm and peaceful, the private scheming and shifting alliances among the various households had grown especially intense, and at every moment, the balance of power in the city might suddenly shift.

Wary as she was, she still decided to go take a distant look and gather what news she could.

Under these circumstances, there was no possibility of her actually visiting her Second Uncle in person. All she wanted to know was whether he, gravely wounded as he was, had passed out of danger.

By afternoon, the sun shone bright and clear, and the whole city had grown warm and lively with the festive mood of the Double Ninth Festival. On a street at the city’s eastern edge, Yan Yunzhi, having disguised her appearance, moved along mingled with the crowd. Before this, she had already gone near the Wenshui Inn to inquire about the details of the previous day’s contest, confirming that her Second Uncle had indeed been badly wounded, and that the whole affair had thrown the city into an uproar. Only then had she made her way here, taking a look at the clinic’s situation from a distance.

As expected, the area around the clinic was ringed with hidden watchers the Shi Family had placed there — and the target of that ambush was, quite obviously, herself, in case she came to visit her Second Uncle.

She had to abandon the idea entirely, and instead widened her patrol of the surrounding area.

In the mid-afternoon hours, at a filthy, cluttered street corner near the clinic, she caught sight of a special signal her cousin from the Yan Family had left behind — one that carried within it a warning to her as well.

If her Second Uncle’s wound had been faked, then the whole affair was likely a trap set jointly by her uncle and the Shi Family to lure her back and capture her. But her investigation had confirmed the wound was genuine, and that her cousin had come out to give a warning — which lent the whole thing far greater credibility.

At the second quarter of the hour of Shen, Yan Yunzhi climbed the stairs of a teahouse two streets from the clinic. She found a seat by the window and sat down to wait for her cousin to come meet her.

Before long, tea and refreshments arrived.

Yan Yunzhi’s hand closed around her short sword, and she rose from her seat. Ahead, in her line of sight, Shi Weiyang, Wu Chennan, and several others were walking slowly toward the teahouse. She looked down toward the street below, weighing whether to vault straight down — but several of the stall owners along the street were being swapped out, and some of them were already looking her way with faint, knowing smiles. At the window of the tavern across the street, troublesome figures had likewise appeared.

“All experts, every one of them.” A red light flickered in Shi Weiyang’s eyes, his voice soft — softer than she had ever heard from him. Yan Yunzhi watched him come to the table, sit down on the bench across from her, and tap his trembling hands lightly against the tabletop.

“All experts… so as not to alarm you, the ones sent first were all the finest hands the household has… and there are many more now closing in from both directions. There’s no leaving today. No matter who comes, no one’s leaving today…” Shi Weiyang looked at her, his tone gentle. “Do sit down…”

The slanting afternoon sunlight fell into the teahouse. At both ends of the street, more men were indeed converging this way, and more people kept appearing in the teahouse itself. Yan Yunzhi opened her mouth as if to speak, and gripped her sword all the tighter.

Shi Weiyang tapped his fingers lightly on the tabletop, gazing at her with a tender expression. Only deep in his eyes did countless emotions churn without end, as he savored the feeling of this moment.

From Shi Weiyang’s own perspective, these past days he had endured hardship and reflected endlessly on himself — lighting the fuse of the Reading Society, orchestrating a scheme of bloodshed, standing his ground face to face against Chen “Cold Crow” Juefang, brushing past the edge of a storm-like whirlpool — accomplishing one thing after another, laying down scheme after scheme — until, at this very moment, carrying the full weight of that vast chain of cause and consequence, he had finally arrived before her.

“Just where do you think you’re going…”

In this moment, this teahouse, this street, this woman, this entire world… all of it was his…

And he was about to take her—

back into his hands.