On this spring morning, mist still lingered among Fujian’s mountain peaks, the winding road cutting across the ridge ahead toward a small county town not far off. Catching sight of the group gathered by the tea stall at the bend in the road ahead, both Qu Longjun and Ning Ji frowned.

“That’s… isn’t that the same group from last night…”

“Killed a government officer in the night, and now they’ve got the nerve to come block the road in broad daylight—these people are really asking for it.”

“Should we avoid them?”

“No need. Let’s see what they’re up to… maybe they’re not here for us.”

Though neither of them was particularly worried about this band of small-time mountain bandits in terms of pure skill, Ning Ji, coming from the southwest, was still somewhat taken aback that these underworld figures, having just committed a crime the night before, would dare show themselves so openly on the main road in broad daylight.

By now, the bruised and battered Meng Biao on the other side of the road had already spotted the two of them approaching. After their exchange the night before, in which Ning Ji had displayed such overwhelming dominance, the group—despite his apparent youth—had come to regard him as a formidable master with considerable experience in the martial world and some means of preserving his youthful appearance. Now, in the light of day, seen clearly from a distance of a dozen-odd zhang, their expressions shifted between astonishment and doubt. Once he pointed the pair out, his companions gathered around with furrowed brows, questioning him.

“Didn’t you say you ran into two sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked fellows who just started hitting anyone in sight?”

Having taken such a beating, the group had gone back and described their attackers as fearsome and monstrous, but now, seeing them in person, it was nothing of the sort. Yet even in the dark of night, the image of the two—one carrying a sword, the other with twin blades on his back—had been unmistakably clear, and now, looking at them again, it all matched up. What’s more, once their eyes met, the young man carrying the twin blades took on an unfriendly look, sweeping a hostile gaze across the group, clearly recognizing exactly who they were.

“…If I had looks like that, why would I need to commit any lecherous acts—where wouldn’t I find girls willing?”

Someone in the group muttered under their breath.

“Quiet!” Seeing the pair approaching, the group’s leader gave a low command, then added, “Dashing figures from the great land of Jiangnan—that’s called refined taste, what do you lot know!”

The group absorbed this new life lesson and fell silent. They had no idea, of course, that the two were still some distance away and couldn’t hear this exchange—otherwise, there might well have been another confrontation.

Once both sides had finished sizing each other up and confirmed they were indeed the same two people (and horse) from the previous night, the group’s leader stepped forward, hands clasped together, a smile spreading across his face.

“Two heroes, two young masters.” This leader wasn’t particularly imposing in build, rather thin and wiry, but his smile was warm and his voice not overly loud, carrying a distinct air of courtesy and proper measure. He stopped at a respectful distance. “Your arrival graces our humble Pucheng with honor—forgive us for failing to welcome you properly. This humble one is Yu Hezhang of Pucheng. Having heard that a brother of ours offended you two heroes last night, I’ve come today specifically to apologize. Please forgive us, forgive us…”

His manner was courteous and appropriately measured, leaving quite a favorable impression. Ning Ji, for his part, found it hard to stay angry. Looking over the group once more, he frowned. “Bringing this many people—if not to make trouble, then what for? If you’ve got a grievance, name your terms, and we can settle it with a fight, no problem.”

“Absolutely not looking to fight, nor to cause any trouble.” This man calling himself Yu Hezhang responded with a surprisingly gentle manner, seeming almost nothing like a typical figure of the martial underworld. He waved his hands, and seeing that the two seemed to have little interest in engaging with him, quickly continued. “I won’t hide it from you two heroes—I am indeed a native of Pucheng county. Just past this stretch of mountain road, the very first house in the village over there is my family estate. I am a local landowner who has practiced martial arts since childhood, and I’ve always admired the heroes and men of valor from the martial world. Whenever brothers from other regions pass through, I’m always glad to play host as a proper local should…”

His manner was earnest, but Ning Ji and Qu Longjun had little interest in continuing the conversation and simply began walking forward. “We have business to attend to, and no interest in making new acquaintances. Are you going to try to force the matter?”

“Absolutely not my intention.” This Yu Hezhang followed along beside them as they walked. “It’s only that, since last year, the situation in Fujian has changed dramatically, and a great many things have been happening in the martial world. You two young heroes, coming from elsewhere, ran into just such a misunderstanding last night—aren’t you the least bit curious about the reasons behind it? We’ve only just met by chance, and I know there’s nothing I can say to earn your trust so quickly, but I truly mean no harm. I simply know that you two heroes possess formidable skill, and for the sake of the greater cause here in Fujian, there are some things I’d like to discuss with you. Partly so that misunderstandings like last night’s don’t happen again, and partly… well, I genuinely wish to make your acquaintance. But it’s entirely up to the two of you. I promise—once we’ve had our conversation, you’re free to continue on your way, and I’ll even provide you with travel funds, without troubling you any further. Of course, if you’d like to stay a while in Pucheng and find that I’m not entirely unworthy company, I’d be happy to arrange your food, lodging, and any sightseeing you’d like from here on. What do you say?”

Having laid out his intentions so plainly, Ning Ji and Qu Longjun exchanged glances, genuinely puzzled, and frowned. “Just talk?”

Yu Hezhang nodded. “Just talk.”

Qu Longjun said, “And we can leave once we’re done?”

Yu Hezhang said, “I won’t make any difficulty for you.”

Seeing them wavering, he gestured ahead. “My family estate is just a short way from here. Perhaps… you’d care to come along?”

Qu Longjun shook her head, pointing to the tea stall. “Right here will do.”

“The tea stall is mine as well,” Yu Hezhang said with a smile, spreading his hands. “No ill intent at all, please, this way.”

Ning Ji and Qu Longjun exchanged another glance, then walked over and sat down at the tea stall. —

The small tea stall sat at the bend in the road, nothing more than a modest thatched shelter built beside the mountain path. Looking out past the stall, one could see a walled village settlement nestled among the mountain streams ahead, where local mountain folk lived. Yu Hezhang’s home, visible at a glance, looked quite distinguished, and further off in the distance, the walls of Pucheng county town could just be made out along the winding road.

The tea stall used only simple earthenware pots and bowls native to the mountains. To show his sincerity, Yu Hezhang slowly brewed the tea himself, though naturally Ning Ji and Qu Longjun had no intention of drinking any. Once the hot tea had been poured, Yu Hezhang finally spoke. “I wonder what brings you two young heroes to Fujian on this journey.”

Qu Longjun regarded him coldly. “Didn’t you say you had something to discuss? Now that we’ve sat down, has this turned into an interrogation?”

“Absolutely not my intention,” Yu Hezhang said with a smile. “It’s only that, knowing your purpose here would make certain things easier to explain… very well, then, allow me to simply speak for myself. Though I do wonder—are you two familiar with the situation here in Fujian?”

He raised his teacup and took a sip, this time not waiting for their response before continuing. “Fujian has always been described as seven parts mountain, two parts water, and one part farmland. The land here is full of towering mountains and deep ridges—it may look scenic, but in truth it’s not a particularly good place to live. In peaceful times it served as a place of exile; only in times of chaos do refugees pour in from elsewhere. Because they come from outside the region, they’re called Hakka—’guest families.’ And because so many outsiders found it difficult to survive in this untamed wilderness, they tended to band tightly together, with strong internal solidarity within their clans.”

He smiled. “And yet, despite being such a difficult place to eke out a living, we people of Fujian have, over the years, remained remarkably loyal to imperial rule. In the past, it was always considered the highest honor for a clan to produce a single scholar and see him enter imperial service—this is the sense of duty we Fujianese people understand deeply. And as for what’s been the greatest event of recent years? The humiliation of Jingping, the fall of Jiangnan—and then, a couple of years back, the new emperor, having nowhere else to turn, made his way to Fuzhou by sea. This, in truth, was something we people of Fujian felt deeply honored by, from the bottom of our hearts.”

“But after that, things didn’t turn out quite as well as we’d hoped.”

Yu Hezhang took another sip of tea and paused.

“You two young heroes, having come from elsewhere, I don’t know whether you’ve heard of what’s happened here. When the new emperor arrived, most of us welcomed him wholeheartedly. But… a great many unpleasant things happened last year. There were plots, assassination attempts, uprisings. In the middle of last year, several major maritime merchants were struck down. By year’s end, several great clans near Fuzhou—the Pu, Chen, and Rong families—committed acts of grave treason, attempting to assassinate the emperor. After the new emperor crushed them, their properties were all confiscated, and the survivors of these clans are still being hunted by the court to this day. To outsiders, this must surely look like a troubled and eventful time.”

Hearing this, Qu Longjun across from him smiled faintly. “So it seems that when you all spoke so loudly last night about executing yellow dogs, you probably weren’t standing with His Majesty after all.”

“Young Master Long sees clearly,” Yu Hezhang said, not bothering to hide it, raising his teacup with a smile. “To outsiders, it probably looks as though much of Fujian refuses to submit to imperial rule, constantly trying to make trouble for the new emperor, only to be repeatedly found out. But today, before someone with clear eyes, I’ll say just this one thing: since the new emperor’s arrival, the tax burden on the people of Pucheng county alone has more than doubled compared to before. And all too often, there have been tragic clashes between soldiers and common villagers.”

“And why is that?” Qu Longjun asked.

Yu Hezhang paused before slowly answering. “…There are, of course, many reasons behind it, but the main one, I suspect, is that the new emperor, young and full of ambition, has been led astray by those around him, promoting new men wholesale while sidelining the old and experienced. Over these past two years, the officials sent down from above have acted with arrogance and brutality, repeatedly stirring up resentment among the people, even beating a fair number of villagers to death. You two, look at Pucheng—already a place of many mountains and little farmland, where life is hard enough as it is, and now taxes have nearly doubled on top of that. The mountain folk of Fujian are living in utter misery…”

He spoke with such evident anguish and righteous indignation. Qu Longjun, however, gave a cold laugh. “Though I haven’t looked into it myself, I’d wager that doubled tax burden isn’t necessarily something the emperor imposed directly.”

Yu Hezhang raised a hand. “Young Master Long sees clearly indeed. But on this matter, the two of you, traveling further south, will come to understand for yourselves soon enough—there’s no need for me to deceive you here. Fujian’s terrain is all towering mountains and dense forests; the mountain folk here have always had no choice but to band together in fortified settlements for their own protection. In the past, taxes were collected by local village elders, taken from the people and used for the people—much of what was collected was, after all, meant to be spent right there within their own settlements. But when the new emperor came to Fujian, he brought with him a full two hundred thousand soldiers. To feed and maintain such an army, where is the money supposed to come from? So he sent all manner of officials down here, using every excuse imaginable to suppress the village elders, all just to squeeze out money to fund his troops… There’s no better example of reckless militarism than this. You two will come to understand these things in due time.”

He spoke of this matter with tremendous confidence. Ning Ji, on his side, laughed as well. “No wonder—to put it plainly, what you’re really running, Master Yu, is a rebellion. Are you perhaps hoping to recruit us brothers into the cause?”

“Absolutely not! Absolutely not!” Yu Hezhang waved his hands firmly in denial. “Who would dare undertake something like rebellion? You two heroes, several of Fuzhou’s great clans with generations of standing behind them—the blood on their graves hasn’t even dried yet… The new emperor is a capable ruler forged on the battlefield himself, and beneath him, Lord Han’s Zhenhai Army and Lord Yue’s Beimo Army are both formidably strong—even if the whole of Fuzhou joined forces, who would dare stand against their vanguard? Such a thing isn’t even worth mentioning. My stopping you two today, to speak my heart, was certainly not for any such reckless scheme.”

Ning Ji found himself growing genuinely curious now, dropping his pretense of cool detachment. “Then what is it you people actually want?”

Yu Hezhang lowered his head over his teacup, falling silent for a moment. “This relates to the very question I asked earlier.”

He looked up at the two of them. “You two… the people of Fujian suffer greatly. His Majesty has been deceived, entrusting power carelessly, allowing corrupt officials to run rampant while the common people suffer in misery. And yet, even if one wished to rise up in rebellion—the fates of several great maritime merchants and clans stand as a warning before us; no one can match His Majesty’s army in open battle. Last year, there was even an assassination attempt, but the court’s hound, Tie Tianying, has gathered a band of vicious thugs who run rampant, holding absolute power in their grip. No small number of righteous men of the martial world have died at his ruthless hand.”

“Tie Tianying.” Ning Ji frowned, giving a cold snort. “That name, I happen to know.”

“Does the young hero have some history with him?” Yu Hezhang fixed his gaze on Ning Ji.

“An old grudge from an older generation, still unresolved to this day.” As he said this, his eyes turned cold, and he brought his hand down on the tea table with a resounding crack—a chilling killing intent flashing forth and then instantly reined back in. The teapot and cups on the table hadn’t so much as trembled, yet a clear handprint had been left pressed into the hard wood. He genuinely meant to kill this man. Seeing this, a flash of delight passed through Yu Hezhang’s eyes, though Ning Ji merely raised an eyebrow. “Keep talking. Don’t mind me.”

“Yes.” Yu Hezhang cupped his hands together. “Besides Tie Tianying, the new emperor has gathered around him many others who abet his misdeeds—there’s a renowned scholar named Li Pin, skilled in spreading falsehoods; the Princess Imperial Zhou Pei, adept at winning people’s loyalty; and a great many other hounds and cruel men besides. Facing them head-on would mean certain death, with no hope of survival.”

“So faced with a situation like this, what could we possibly do?” He spread his hands. “…It wasn’t until the end of last year, after the Pu, Chen, and Rong clans were wiped out, that the great hero Cao Jinlong, who had once received the Pu family’s kindness, killed seven officials sent down from above in Putian, avenging his own family who had died at the hands of the emperor’s hounds. This shook all of Fujian to its core, and we, the people of the martial underworld, finally began to find our footing.”

“Since the end of last year, inspired by the great hero Cao Jinlong, along with Pu Xingui, the young master of the Pu family, and Chen Shuangran, the daughter of the Chen family, and others, all of us righteous folk throughout Fujian have begun answering this call to righteousness, rising up of our own accord to execute yellow dogs. Think of it, you two heroes—what a magnificent undertaking this is! All the people of Fujian, spontaneously banding together in righteous cause! The government’s forces are overwhelming, its hounds fierce and powerful—no great clan or lineage can afford to openly declare rebellion. We have always submitted faithfully to imperial rule. But he cannot stop the countless righteous, indignant souls among us. A hero of the forests kills a corrupt tax collector, then flees into these Fujian mountains—where is he to chase him? This, gentlemen, is precisely the great cause of righteousness that defines Fujian today!”

By this point, Yu Hezhang had laid his true intentions bare, his words striking home with force. Ning Ji and Qu Longjun exchanged a glance, finally understanding a great deal. Qu Longjun then frowned slightly. “Could it be… this is truly all for the sake of righteousness?”

Yu Hezhang smiled. “The most important thing, of course, is righteousness. But on the other hand… we, the great clans of Fujian, while none of us could openly declare our grievances against His Majesty, there are, in private, no shortage of us who understand this cause of righteousness. Though on the surface we can offer no visible support, in secret, bounties have quietly been placed on the heads of these ‘yellow dogs.’ And likewise, righteous men throughout the region who kill these traitors and later find themselves in difficulty will find plenty of hands willing to help them out. So whether it’s for fame and fortune, or for righteousness itself, Fujian today will never leave a righteous man out in the cold.”

He paused briefly here. “In truth, you two young heroes, Fujian has always been an impoverished place—in the past, not many outside heroes ever came through here. These past couple of years, with all these events unfolding, and out there in the wider world, martial tournaments being held—what an exciting world it must be out there! When all this happened last year, we said to ourselves, couldn’t we bring in some outside heroes to help, to bring down Tie Tianying and his band of running dogs? We even thought of inviting that greatest hero under heaven, Lin Zongwu himself, to come uphold justice for us—but we couldn’t secure him, no matter what.”

“…By the end of last year, I heard that Yue Fei’s two children—a daughter named Yue Yinping and a son named Yue Yun—had set up a martial tournament platform in Fuzhou, undefeated across every corner of the land. Ah, how distressing, how contemptible it is—oh, and I heard that this Yue Yinping woman is quite beautiful, but relying on her father’s status and the might of General Yue’s name, not a single man in Fuzhou has dared to defeat her in Fuzhou. Truly… a lack of proper discipline!”

As he spoke of Yue Yinping, his gaze lingered on the two young men before him for a moment.

Ning Ji nodded. “General Yue was the closest disciple of Iron-Armed Zhou Tong. His children would naturally have inherited genuine mastery of the Five-Step Thirteen-Spear technique and the Tumbling Fist. If they’ve also studied broadly beyond that, it wouldn’t be at all surprising that you couldn’t beat them.”

Qu Longjun looked at him. “Go on.”

“Ah.” Yu Hezhang nodded. “This humble one, being stationed here at this crossing point between north and south, and having long admired the sacrifices made by the various heroes throughout Fujian, has always wanted to do something to help. So, whenever a hero passes through here traveling north or south, I always find myself unable to resist sharing these things with them, just as I’ve done with you two tonight—hoping, of course, to spare you any further misunderstandings, given what happened earlier. But any hero who comes to Fujian, whether for the sake of righteousness or for fame and fortune, if they’re truly willing to lend a hand—or even just happen to do something in passing—well, that would be a tremendous service to both country and people…”

“You two heroes, I won’t hide anything further from you. We people of Fujian remain loyal to imperial rule—no one here is actually planning rebellion. But these corrupt, treacherous officials surrounding the emperor, whom everyone can see plainly for what they are—of course they may be killed. From here all the way to Fuzhou, gentlemen, wherever the head of a yellow dog falls, the great clans of the region will offer traveling expenses and compensation for the trouble. As long as you two keep your eyes open, you’ll find loyal, righteous souls like myself scattered throughout the region. This is precisely why I asked earlier what brought you two to Fujian…”

As he said this, he lowered his voice further. Across from him, Qu Longjun’s gaze remained composed, while Ning Ji had already begun to laugh. “So you people are looking to start a rebellion after all—and this Cao Jinlong, Pu Xingui, and the rest, are they your actual leaders behind all this?”

“Ah, it’s all righteous action, there’s no such thing as leaders in this. Truth be told, those standing at the very front of this, the ones truly bearing the brunt of it—if they can’t evade the hounds’ pursuit, they’re likely to die for it in the end. We may hold righteous intentions in our hearts, but all we’re really doing is opposing a few corrupt officials—we wouldn’t dare truly provoke the emperor’s wrath.”

“No matter, though—I’m no particularly good person myself anyway,” Ning Ji said, looking up. “What you’ve told us is genuinely quite interesting.”

Of course I know you’re no good person, Yu Hezhang thought to himself, though outwardly he smiled, lowering his voice to give a rough overview of the bounties being offered for killing “yellow dogs” in various places, before continuing:

“In truth, I wouldn’t presume to tell you two heroes what to do with yourselves. But knowing your formidable skill, and given that there’s quite a stir brewing right now, I thought I should let you know… you two heroes surely already know that Fuzhou, these days, is a dangerous place crawling with the emperor’s hounds. Many heroes from various quarters have gone there before, clashing with Tie Tianying, Yue Yinping, Yue Yun and the others, only to come away defeated each time. But naturally, a setback or two won’t stop such efforts for good. As it happens, the great hero Cao Jinlong I mentioned earlier, along with Pu Xingui, Chen Shuangran, and other children of righteous families, are said to be gathering their strength in Fuzhou right now, waiting for the right moment to attempt something significant… If you two have any interest in such undertakings—say, if you, young hero, wished to avenge an elder in your family by killing that thoroughly wicked Tie Tianying—it might well be worth heading to Fuzhou to find some companions there. I happen to have a few leads on this matter myself. For instance: the Tongfu Inn…”

At the tea stall, Yu Hezhang lowered his voice further, offering a detailed account, though naturally he wasn’t about to reveal too many specifics. Still, as long as the two of them had any inclination toward “executing yellow dogs,” or toward taking part in some attempt against the emperor’s life in Fuzhou, what he’d told them was more than enough to point them toward some contacts. Once he’d finished laying all this out, Yu Hezhang asked once more whether the two of them might be interested in staying in Pucheng county for a while, to try their hand at killing a few “yellow dogs.” But upon receiving a refusal, he didn’t press the matter further, and had someone bring over ten taels of silver as travel funds.

As the two of them left the tea stall and headed toward the county town, they had, at last, come to understand a great deal about the true state of affairs across Fujian. Throughout the province, almost no one dared openly oppose the small court in Fuzhou. Yet behind the scenes, the great clans and lineages scattered throughout the region were secretly supporting countless desperate men, who had begun a widespread campaign of assassinating officials sent down from above. Each of these “righteous men” appeared to be acting on their own individual initiative, but in truth, the various clans were secretly offering rewards and providing cover for these men’s escape and concealment.

The young emperor, attempting to mobilize the lower classes and wrest power from the great clans under the banner of “honor the ruler, expel the barbarians,” now found himself utterly submerged in this strange sea of what could only be called a “people’s war.”

Only, there was no telling just how intense this kind of conflict had grown across the different regions of Fujian.

Having read widely, Qu Longjun naturally understood the significance of all this, and Ning Ji, having received far more relevant education back in the southwest, felt the same strange sensation rising in his heart as they discussed it together. Qu Longjun said with a smile, “So… do you think they’re planning to go to Fuzhou to assassinate the emperor himself, or just to kill off the hounds around him? And… what do you want to do about it, Little Long?”

Ning Ji thought it over. “Actually… this young emperor’s reputation back in the southwest was fairly decent, and there’s also a group of Zuo family siblings who once served in the Huaxia Army now helping him with reforms. If this Cao Jinlong character and the rest want to cause trouble, then of course I’m inclined to help take him down. But…”

He paused, then looked at Qu Longjun, his expression growing somewhat complicated. “If it’s at all possible, I’d like to meet that brother and sister from the Yue family. And then… kill that bastard Tie Tianying.”

Qu Longjun looked back at him, and after a moment, understood the meaning behind his gaze. She smiled and took his hand.

“It’ll be fine,” she said.

“When the time comes, I’ll hide myself away first.”

It was still morning, and few travelers were on the mountain road. Ning Ji gave her hand a squeeze in return, breaking into a foolish grin…

The two of them made their way into the county town together, and by then, their expectations for what awaited them in Fuzhou had finally begun to take shape.