“He Wen won’t negotiate…”

…

The night was restless.

Lin Zongwu paced slowly beneath the eaves of the palace, hands clasped behind his back, feeling the surging unease of the people’s hearts wash over him like a wave of heat.

In the main hall of the New Tiger Palace, Xu Zhaonan and a great many of his senior officers were in council; Lin Zongwu hadn’t gone over. Having traveled all the way from Jin Province, he found the situation in Jiangning far more complicated than he’d once imagined, and now that word had spread that He Wen had shown his true colors, he too had matters of his own to think through carefully.

Wang Nantuo came trotting over from the other end of the courtyard.

He cupped his hands toward Lin Zongwu and drew close.

“I asked around carefully… even had outside contacts confirm it twice. He Wen won’t negotiate. On the matter of the study society, he insists on having the final say… Something big’s going to happen tomorrow. But truth be told, the real turning point was decided the moment the five factions fell apart before dark tonight…”

“Why would He Wen do this? Doesn’t he know what happens when he turns everyone against him?”

“He laid out his whole reform vision, plain and complete, and even had it printed into pamphlets — some information brokers are already helping spread the word. Some of it conflicts with our own position, mainly on matters of implementation…”

Wang Nantuo spoke of these matters in a low voice, roughly recounting the conflict at the afternoon session as well. Lin Zongwu fell silent for a while.

“It all sounds like good things. But you can lead an ox to water — you can’t force it to drink. What can be accomplished that way…”

“Lord Xu and Senior Brother were saying…”

“He basically told me the whole thing, word for word.” Lin Zongwu sighed. “Face to face, it’s not easy to deceive me. It’s just this He Wen… truly is…”

“According to what’s being said outside, He Wen’s been mad for a long time now. He served the imperial court loyally, only to be framed on trumped-up charges by the very same court, tortured, his whole family destroyed. With no family left, he’s grown fond of doing reckless, extreme things.”

“But he still holds the title of Fairness King. If he wants to act rashly, it’s a real headache for the other four.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what’s troubling Lord Xu and the others.” Wang Nantuo fell silent for a moment. “Senior Brother… if we truly can’t make up our minds on this, we could always just leave. Honestly, what He Wen said sounds extreme, but… it’s not without reason.”

“…Ning Yi’s ideas do sound interesting.” Lin Zongwu walked slowly forward. “These past days I’ve read a few lines from that study society pamphlet myself. There’s one line that says the loftier the ideal, the clearer the understanding of the underlying laws must be, and the stricter the rules must be enforced — if these two things can’t be achieved, the ideal will only turn into disaster. Not without reason. Quite interesting.”

“Senior Brother…”

“But… hasn’t Ning Yi’s own vision not yet been realized?” Lin Zongwu gazed off into the distance of the city. “If even Ning Yi himself hasn’t managed to realize his vision, then this He Wen… how much disaster might he end up causing…”

The great monk furrowed his brow slightly and sighed.

Though the conversation had reached this point, no real decision had been made. The two of them walked slowly forward along the long corridor…

…

“…He Wen’s words sound very fine — carefully calculated, all to rally the study society to his banner, to make his intentions clear to the whole world… He states the stakes so earnestly, so persuasively, but at the end of the day, all he wants is to be the one calling all the shots. He throws out a pile of ideas, but ultimately it’s just about using the study society, using the Southwest’s name, to seize power… So then, do you all want to join him? Who wants to bow beneath He Wen, beneath Fu Pingbo, or even beneath their little underlings? No one will tolerate him. In the end, all of this will have to be settled on the battlefield…”

“…I’ve already been in contact with Gao, Shi, and Zhou. Internal reform within the Fairness Party — we’ll do that too. As for fighting He Wen, fighting is a good thing — it’ll show us exactly where the understanding stands between our four houses, whether we can talk to each other since he won’t talk to us. A fight will smooth things over between us, let us learn each other’s bottom lines, let us know who’s a true brother and who’s still playing tricks… As for He Wen, four against one — he’s bound to die sooner or later…”

“…So the next question is, what exactly should we do on our end… First, on the battlefield, General Gao, I’ll still need to trouble you to handle things according to what we’ve already arranged…”

In the main hall of the New Tiger Palace, flames blazed fiercely. Beneath Xu Zhaonan, one after another of the “Wheel-Turning King” faction’s senior figures had taken their seats around the hall. Everyone was discussing countermeasures for the events of that afternoon, with people speaking up from time to time. Around the hall, advisors and attendants of every faction bustled back and forth, unusually busy.

Everyone had already sensed, days earlier, the unusual movements of He Wen’s forces across various regions, so their response strategy wasn’t exactly hasty. Still, having something this astonishing shift from mere speculation into reality — a war that would engulf all of Jiangnan bearing down on them so directly — left an unsettling feeling in everyone’s hearts.

What should have been a joyous gathering of victors had, at the last moment, abruptly turned into a terrifying conflagration about to sweep across all of Jiangnan. He Wen, having handled the whole affair so smoothly, one step away from ascending to a throne of vast power, had resolutely turned his back on it. People, even as they marveled at the madness of his actions, couldn’t help but admire the astonishing resolve behind them.

Of course, no matter what anyone privately thought, no one held out much hope for He Wen’s future path. As Xu Zhaonan had said, fine words were fine words, but expecting a great many people to lay down their power on the strength of such words alone, then accept being absorbed by former rivals and enemies, placing their lives and fortunes in the hands of men who had once stood as their equals — for anyone who had fought their way to a foothold in this chaotic age, that was simply an unacceptable choice.

He Wen naturally understood this too, which was why he hadn’t placed his hopes in this kind of persuasion to begin with.

The people within the New Tiger Palace, representing a fifth of all the power in Jiangnan, had already swung rapidly into motion. And it wasn’t just the New Tiger Palace — the entire power core of Jiangning, representing the Fairness Party’s five factions and all the other large and small forces, was at this very moment gathering and deliberating at full tilt, working toward decisions. The terrifying news of the coming war, from the moment the meeting ended, spread among people like an exploding tide.

The various small factions who had come from outside gradually got word of the confirmed news. One by one, the men of the martial world who’d been celebrating and feasting at the Golden Tower began hearing this terrifying rumor, and for a moment people were left somewhat dazed.

“So what happens to the finals?”

“Is the tournament still going ahead…”

The final four of the Jiangning martial arts tournament had only just been decided that afternoon. If He Wen and the other kings had truly split — would the tournament even continue?

People gradually stopped their feasting and drinking, going out to different parts of the city to seek connections and gather information, and soon all sorts of rumors began circulating in different places.

The city, like some vast, intricate, yet aging machine, roared into full operation under this sudden, enormous strain, its very body seeming to hum in the darkness of the night…

Only the lowest of the refugees, puzzled by this strange night, found that in these recent days it had, once again, grown quiet. In the darkness there were occasional small murders, but no large-scale brawling led by the Fairness Party’s five factions.

“…War and revolution are matters for the long term. Starting tonight, we’ll proceed as planned, and I’ll leave it to you gentlemen to carry it out. But there’s one more matter at hand right now… For the past several months, ever since forces from every corner of the realm began entering the city, He Wen has been scheming to stage a grand show. This afternoon, he’s already begun that show, and tomorrow morning, he means to perform it before the eyes of the whole world… Well, since we’ve decided to fight, I intend to make sure he can’t perform this show at all!”

“…Whatever order he means to give, we’re going to make sure he can’t give it! Whatever he means to do, I’m going to make sure he can’t lift a finger! Jiangning is just one corner of Jiangnan, but right now it’s the place the whole world is watching. And in this very place, we’re going to let the whole world see that when the Fairness King speaks, his word doesn’t count for anything… So then, in Jiangning right now, which side has the most skilled fighters? It’s us. So tomorrow’s business will fall to Lord Tan, to Lord Xu, to the various Protectors of the Sacred Teaching — we’re going to cut off He Wen’s hands and feet tomorrow, and rip out his tongue… Here’s exactly how we’ll arrange it…”

In the New Tiger Palace, where the bronze cauldron blazed with fierce flames, matter after matter was arranged step by step. After the main council ended, there were private meetings as well. Meng Zhutao, one of the highest-ranking figures present, was among the first to be received privately. When he emerged from the back, he saw that the crowd in front of the hall had mostly not dispersed, now gathered in twos and threes, chatting about this and that.

Someone he knew came over. “Brother Meng, how many people do you think will side with He Wen…”

Xu Longbiao’s smile was ambiguous. “The moment the conference ended, someone immediately tried to assassinate Shi Baofeng. It didn’t succeed, but people’s hearts are unsettled now. Those who believed in that study society stuff — how many do you suppose there are…”

“Heaven’s Blade” Tan Zheng and “Five Net Slash” Tang Qinghua came over as well to exchange greetings: “If anything comes up going forward, we’ll be counting on you, Brother Meng, to look out for us.”

Among the senior figures of the “Wheel-Turning King” faction, some, like Tan Zheng and Tang Qinghua, held relatively refined positions as advisors and honored guests, while others, like Gao Huiyun, Meng Zhutao, and Chen Juefang, were major leaders commanding thousands upon thousands of men. Though their standing might seem comparable on the surface, Meng Zhutao headed the “Resentment Society” — and while he currently had no say over forces like Gao Huiyun’s army or Chen Juefang’s “Deathless Guard,” if real reform were to happen in the future, his control over criminal law would surely make him someone of tremendous importance.

After tonight, Tan Zheng and the others would still have to remain in the city, while Gao Huiyun and Meng Zhutao would begin managing the affairs of all Jiangnan. Everyone wanted to use this possibly final opportunity to meet in person to deepen their ties.

Meng Zhutao exchanged pleasantries with everyone, and finally left hand in hand with Gao Huiyun. Both still had their own forces to manage, and a great deal to arrange going forward.

Parting ways with Gao Huiyun on the street outside the New Tiger Palace, Meng Zhutao boarded his carriage, where his deputy Ling Xiao was already waiting. “We’ve confirmed the situation with Lord Shi. It really was study society members who made the move — apparently inspired by the Fairness King’s words, they wanted to be the first to kill Lord Shi as a gift to celebrate the Fairness King. Their methods were just a bit crude, though, and didn’t escape Lord Shi’s notice.”

Meng Zhutao nodded. “I have some thoughts. Take these down…”

The carriage passed through the city streets, some lit, some dark, and returned to where the “Resentment Society” members were currently gathered, where several more small meetings followed. Meng Zhutao ran his meetings with remarkable speed, gathering his people and issuing orders one by one. Between sessions, his deputy came in to report new pieces of news, one after another, and he had the deputy handle other arrangements as well — things like “fetch Physician Sun” and “arrange a convoy that can get people out of the city.” While issuing orders, he also sat down to write out a few letters.

At the third quarter of the hour of Hai, commotion broke out at the northern end of the city. Meng Zhutao and the others went up to a vantage point to look out and saw signal flares rising one after another in the northwestern sky, followed by the faint sounds of a manhunt and pursuit. Everyone present, being seasoned men of the martial world, watched for a while before someone said, “The Fairness King’s been attacked—”

“Was it Shi Baofeng’s doing?”

“This assassination attempt looks like it was done by his own people. Look — the encirclement is closing from the inside out… these are assassins trying to flee…”

He Wen had schemed carefully, planting sand in the ranks of his rivals through the study society — but as former comrades, could the people within the “Fairness King’s” own faction really have made no arrangements of their own? Now that things had come to a head, someone had gone straight for assassination — in a sense, this assassin, too, had made his own choice regarding the ideals the Fairness King wished to push forward.

The commotion of the manhunt continued for a while before finally settling down.

Once this final small meeting had ended, Meng Zhutao sent his deputy, Ling Xiao, out to gather more information. He sat in his study for a while, had someone bring him cold water to wash his face, then passed through the garden pavilion, heading toward the deepest part of this residence.

In the innermost small courtyard of the estate, the summoned Physician Sun was already waiting in the sickroom — this was the room where his junior martial brother Yu Bin had lain in unbroken sleep ever since that night at the Golden Tower when Meng Zhutao had accidentally struck him down. According to the physician’s last diagnosis, there was no longer any hope of recovery, but Meng Zhutao had sent for him again all the same.

Outside, the city was hardly peaceful, but this physician surnamed Sun had no complaints about being summoned. In the courtyard, his junior martial sister and the other two junior brothers hadn’t gone to sleep either. Seeing him arrive, their eyes were full of resentment; some part of them wanted to ask what had happened outside, but they refused to actually speak to him in a tone of consultation.

Meng Zhutao entered the sickroom and looked at Yu Bin for a while. “My junior brother… is there really no chance he’ll ever wake up again…”

This wasn’t the first time he’d asked. The physician sighed, then repeated the general conclusion once more — the body still seemed to draw breath, but the soul was no longer within it; even with the most careful care, it would only prolong the suffering, and so on.

Meng Zhutao pulled up a chair and sat down. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand, dismissing the physician. But just as the man was leaving, he added, “Physician Sun — do you want to leave the city today?”

The physician, who had his own sources of information, nodded firmly. “I, I still have a son and daughter-in-law at home…”

“Have someone bring them over. I’ll have a convoy leaving shortly — they can take you all out along the way,” Meng Zhutao said with a faint smile. “The city isn’t safe. Don’t stay here any longer.”

The physician thanked him profusely and hurried off. Meng Zhutao waved his hand again, and had everyone else leave the room too.

He sat in the chair by the bed, gazing silently at Yu Bin lying there, sitting in that silence for a long while. This was something he had never done on any of his previous visits here.

Perhaps sensing something was off, Ling Chu appeared in the doorway from the courtyard outside. She opened her mouth, and finally said, “You… what are you going to do…”

Meng Zhutao didn’t look at her. “…All of you come in.”

“You… you…”

Ling Chu still hesitated.

Meng Zhutao’s palm came down on the armrest of the chair, and a voice like thunder suddenly rang out. “All of you, get in here!”

Having witnessed him threaten people before, Ling Chu and the two junior brothers gritted their teeth and finally filed into the room one by one, their faces all wearing the same expression of “you may be fierce, but I’m not afraid of you.” Meng Zhutao’s gaze swept over the three of them, and the sharpness in his eyes faded.

“Something’s about to happen in the city. In a little while… there’ll be a convoy to take you out of the city. Physician Sun’s family will go with you… Cross the river, go back to the village.”

Ling Chu raised her chin. “Where we go… is none of your business.”

“Jiangnan is about to go to war. Get as far away as possible — it’s safest that way. Don’t stay here.” Meng Zhutao’s gaze moved over the faces of the two junior brothers. “The two of you, as men, take responsibility. Don’t let a woman act recklessly.”

“You…” Someone sensed the shift in mood and frowned. Ling Chu wanted to say something sharp, but for a moment found she couldn’t get the words out.

Meng Zhutao fell silent for a while too, before saying, “…For a long time now, I’ve thought of you as my own children. Old Four, you marrying Ling Chu was a good thing — from now on, you needn’t hold back on my account. As for what happened with our master, we have a blood feud between us that can never be undone… you can come for revenge. One day, once you’ve been through more, once your martial skill has grown, once you have real confidence — the matter of Great Master Tanji…”

He paused here, then raised a hand to press against his upper lip, and said with difficulty, “…Let there be no more of that.”

“Great Master Tanji…” Ling Chu said. “You killed him. Don’t try to make it sound like it’s our sin!”

“I killed Great Master Tanji. I killed our master. Yu Bin, who’ll never wake up again on that bed… I killed him too. But so what?” Meng Zhutao looked at them. “I’m a bad man, and I’m still alive. They were good people, and they died, one by one. You’re good people too. When I wanted you dead, not one of you could have survived either. So what are you good people supposed to do? Wait for the bad people to spare your lives?”

The third junior brother stepped forward. “Then, Senior Brother, you can just kill us too.”

“I won’t kill you.” Meng Zhutao looked at them with pity. “If you fought me, you wouldn’t even get the chance Yu Bin got, of me losing control by accident. As you are now, what would be the point of killing you…”

He paused. “Go on. I’ll let you off from seeking revenge for now — not for my sake, but for our master’s sake… for the reputation Old Hero Ling built over his lifetime. You’re saying that if I let you off this time, I’ll let you off the next time too — I’ve watched you grow up, I could let you off ten times, a hundred times, it wouldn’t matter to me. But once word gets out, won’t you feel ashamed? Go out there, eat well, train hard, make yourselves truly formidable, and one day, when you come for revenge again, either kill me cleanly and quickly, or… like our master and Great Master Tanji, force me to fight with everything I have, life on the line. At that point, whoever kills whom… will be just fine either way.”

His words left the three of them speechless. Ling Chu’s eyes reddened, her jaw clenched tight. Meng Zhutao sat there, his gaze on Yu Bin’s faintly breathing form, then after a moment rubbed his forehead with one hand.

“Come to think of it, I’m older than you, and I came to the sect already trained in other arts. There are some things I’ve never told you.” He sat there, speaking slowly. “By now, most of it doesn’t need saying — I haven’t even fully worked it out myself. But today, I find I want to tell you anyway…”

He went on: “I’m a northerner, you’re southerners — there are some differences between us that you may already know. I came to the sect already trained elsewhere, and once I joined the Ling family, I looked after all of you, my eldest senior brother. You’ve spent your whole lives on the estates of Jiangnan — not exactly wealthy, and you’ve been through the ravages of war too — but most of the time, you had my protection, and our master’s. You talk about sacrificing your life for righteousness. Old Hero Ling said the same. All well and good — if you were my own children, I’d surely be proud of you.”

“But, children…” Meng Zhutao’s gaze stayed calm. “I came from the north, already trained elsewhere. Have you ever seen what it really looks like when the Central Plains falls, when the ravages of war run rampant? Before I came to the Ling family, all along the way, I saw exactly that. Your senior brother here fought the Jurchens, lost, and fled south the whole way. I’ve seen people sacrifice their lives for righteousness — but I’ve also seen that most people, fleeing south, killed others, ate clay to survive, ate their own children, kowtowed to strangers, sold themselves — all just to… stay alive…”

“Jiangnan enjoyed ten years of peace, and in the end there was no escaping it. During those ten years, all you saw were good things, but I always knew they would come… I want to keep people alive, and I also have to decide who dies. Master, in his old age, hoped I could save the people who couldn’t be saved. I hoped I could keep both my hands clean while doing what needed to be done. I wanted that too. But if both your hands stay clean, you can’t save anyone — if everyone hides in the mountains, someone else will surely eat me first, so I had to eat others first. Because of decisions like that, I’ve been able to save the most people I possibly could.”

“Master finally broke with me over this. He chose to sacrifice his life for righteousness. I respect that greatly, and I understand it completely. But do you know what I chose?”

“No matter what means it takes, in this world, I want to save as many people as possible. If I can keep eleven people alive, that’s better than keeping only ten alive. If I can keep a hundred people alive, that’s better than only eighty. Every life is worth the same… That’s what equality means to me. That’s what fairness means, in my heart.”

At this, the eyes of the three across from him wavered. The third junior brother said, “You… you think this is just more fine talk…”

“This isn’t fine talk, Third Brother.” Meng Zhutao shook his head. “This world is deeply evil, but everyone has to find their own answer to face it. I fled south, saw a great many things along the way, and found this answer. Whether this answer is right or wrong, I still haven’t fully worked out, even now… Old Hero Ling said to sacrifice one’s life for righteousness — that’s an answer too, one I truly admire. Every one of you needs to find your own answer. If you don’t, in a world this evil, you’ll only suffer more for it.”

He smiled faintly. “I’m just telling you this so that one day, when you too see countless people die before your eyes — not just the few people right in front of you now, but, going forward, the thousands upon thousands who will die across all of Jiangnan — I’m curious how you’ll come to view those lives then. Remember the question I’ve asked you today…”

Meng Zhutao’s words ended there, and he reached his hand forward. In the room, Ling Chu’s eyes suddenly went wide. “What are you doing—”

In the dim light, Meng Zhutao extended his right hand and pressed it over Yu Bin’s mouth and nose. There was little movement from Yu Bin on the bed. Ling Chu and the two junior brothers lunged forward at once, but Meng Zhutao swept his left arm and shoved them back.

At midnight, the silhouettes of the three struggled fiercely forward. By the bedside, Meng Zhutao’s figure, lit by the oil lamp, stood like solid rock — no matter how the three attacked, fought, even as Ling Chu sank her teeth into his left hand, the hand covering Yu Bin’s mouth and nose never so much as trembled.

“You’re all still too weak. In the future…”

Amid their hysterical attacks and shouting, he spoke calmly, quietly.

“…in the future… remember what happened today.”

…

At some point, the demon-god in the room withdrew his hand, his cold gaze sweeping over the three of them. Ling Chu’s body collapsed to the floor.

That demon-god-like figure… finally stepped across the threshold and out…

…vanishing from their sight…

Time passed midnight, and still countless turbulence churned through the night…

Jiangnan’s volcano was about to erupt…