Qie Shi Tian Xia Chapter 2

Chapter 2.1: Hei Fengxi

Ruancheng, Bai Kingdom

On the west side of town there was a large house which was the residence of the famous Han family.

The Han family had been well-known for many generations in the martial community, but their widespread fame came not from some impressive martial skill, but because of their panaceas the “Purple Mansion Powder,” which healed all wounds, and the “Heart of Buddha Pill,” which was the antidote to all poisons.

Those in jianghu based their careers on wounds and blood, and were always in danger of being injured or poisoned, which was why these two medicines were, among those who wandered in jianghu, a veritable cure-all that everyone desired, able to save people in but a moment’s time. Only, the prescriptions for these two types of medicines was kept by the Han family alone, and was never given to outsiders, and they certainly weren’t easy to acquire! And for this reason, everyone was extremely courteous to the Han family, because they could never be sure that someday their own lives won’t be on the line, and they would have to beg the Han family to bestow upon them some medicine.

Today was the sixtieth birthday of the Han family patriarch Han Xuanling, and before his residence there was an unending train of carriages and horses, and the front courtyard was as busy as a bazaar, and the garden was packed full of hundreds of bamboo mats set down for the feast, while the wine goblets and gambling chips lay together; it was both magnificent and bustling. It seemed as if all the heroes in Bai Kingdom and all the scholars in Ruancheng had shown up to give Old Master Han birthday felicitations.

“How lively!”

A voice that was both clear and bright suddenly sounded, cutting through the ruckus of the garden.

In the garden, the guests could not help but to search in wonder for the source of the sound, but what they saw was a white-robed maiden reclining upon the rooftop, her sleeve billowing, long hair flying, watching those below with a smile upon her face.

“You again!”

Seated at the foremost position was the patriarch of the Han family, Han Xuanling, who suddenly stood up, his face radiating red light, and glared at the white-robed girl perching upon his eaves.

“Indeed, ‘tis I again,” the white-robed maiden chuckled in response. “Old Master Han, today is your sixtieth birthday celebration, so I’ve also come to wish you luck as deep as the Eastern Sea and a life as long as the Southern Mountains.”

“You’re exempt from that courtesy; so long as you never show up again at my house, I will definitely live as long as the Southern Mountains!” Han Xuanling left his seat to stand at the center of the courtyard and point at the white-robed maiden to say: “Bai Fengxi, how many times have you stolen the legendary medicine of my Han family? Today is a day for celebration, and I have no mood to quarrel with you. Leave quickly, else I won’t be so polite!”

“Yi? She’s Bai Fengxi?”

“So the famed Bai Fengxi is this young?!”

“What did Old Master Han mean when he said she’d stolen his medicine?”

Once Han Xuanling called out the maiden’s – Bai Fengxi’s – name, everyone left their seats to surround the room and comment upon her to one another.

“Old Master Han, there’s no need for such anger. You must know that even though I took all that medicine without your permission, it was all used to save lives, it could be counted as acc.u.mulating good karma for the whole of your household; why don’t you thank me, instead?” Fengxi was not angered in the least, and maintained her wide grin.

“You…you’re still trying to force your argument with such fallacy?” Han Xuanling bellowed, wishing he could twist the neck of that person who was giggling before him, so that he may be able to quell the hatred in his heart!

Whenever he thought of the medicine taken by Fengxi, his heart hurt as if it was being twisted up into knots. To think, that “Purple Mansion Powder” and “Heart of Buddha Pill” were all solely the property of the Han family, it was hard even for those who offered up extravagant amounts of gold to have one bestowed upon them, and yet they were taken, bottle-by-bottle by Fengxi, all without paying a cent; how could you expect Old Master Han not to be angry, not to be sore? But of course her martial skills would be so superior, allowing her to enter the Han mansions as she wished, while he was helpless to do anything about the situation! If he were to invite someone from jianghu to help deal with the problem, she would defeat them soundly, one by one!

“Who told you to hide your prescription so securely and not let anyone else know about it? Aside from your family, no one else has the Purple Mansion Powder or the Heart of Buddha Pill. Though you don’t act in a way to gain you many admirers, your medicine certainly does; it’s simply too good at treating wounds and saving people, so that I use up the medicine I take from your own so quickly. So I have no other recourse but to resort to coming to see you, but then your costs are too high, and I’m too poor to be able to afford it, so every time I have no other option but to take it from you,” Fengxi said, fluttering her hand carelessly, and then suddenly pitching forward, a conciliatory expression all over her face, but the movement caused those below to wonder if she was going to fall off. “Otherwise, you could make a copy of your prescription and give that to me, and I could search for the herbs myself, so you no longer have to see me again.”

“I’ve never seen a person more shameless than you!” Han Xuanling bellowed. “Bai Fengxi, I’m warning you, you’d best leave right away. And you must never appear in my Han family mansion again!”

“How would that do?” Fengxi stood up atop of the roof, and then with the lightest of pushes propelled herself downwards, floating softly as a feather, to land before Han Xuanling. Han Xuanling immediately backed up a few steps.

With a face full of laughter, Fengxi looked at Han Xuanling, “The reason I came this time was indeed to get some medicine from you, but I had no idea you’d be hosting a feast here. I haven’t eaten anything for an entire day and night, so I’ve decided to come wish you birthday felicitations and eat a nice meal before I go.”

After saying this, she walked straight towards the bamboo mats that had been laid down, even going so far as to nod politely and smile at all the guests, as if she was taking a stroll in her own family’s garden, while those guests all stepped aside to let her pa.s.s, first because she her name was so well known, and second because she looked like such a smart girl, and they felt that blocking her path seemed shameful.

“Make her leave!” Han Xuanling was so angry by this time that his red face had become a green one.

Once he said this, two large men stepped out; these were his guards. Each was exceptionally tall, their limbs thick and solid, their faces fierce, each exceptionally imposing, and each walked fiercely towards Fengxi, but Fengxi merely sat herself down at a table.

Each of these large men extended a st.u.r.dy arm straight towards Fengxi, like an eagle seeking to catch a chick. Fengxi waved her arms carelessly, and her sleeves landed upon the bodies of these two large men. They could only hear a “pudong!” sound, and both these men collapsed onto the ground without so much as a fight.

“Ya, what good wine this is, this must be the hundred year old Chen brew!”

Fengxi looked as if nothing had happened, raising a pot of wine in her left hand and pouring it straight into her mouth, not even bothering to use a cup, and when she was done, she wiped her mouth with a sleeve and let out a sigh. And then her right hand shot out to grab pig’s trotters and then she bit down, tearing off a large chunk, nodding while chewing, saying, “Wu…wu…these five-spice seasoned trotters are really so fragrant! Your chef is quite skilled!”

Those watching could not help but to think, how could such a small mouth bite off such a large chunk of meat? Could this person really be the Bai Fengxi whose heroic name is known all across the world?

Fengxi ate while gesturing at the crowd. “Everyone, continue eating and drinking, it’s Old Master Han’s sixtieth birthday feast; if you don’t eat at his feast today, who knows when you’ll eat at his feast next?”

“Are you cursing my father?” a childish voice suddenly cried, and a thirteen, fourteen year old boy came running out, pointing at Fengxi.

“Little brother, did I curse your father? How come I wasn’t aware?” asked Fengxi with a mouth full of food, her right hand holding pig trotters and her left hand holding a drumstick, opening her eyes wide and looking at the youth in puzzlement.

“Then why did you curse my father and say there won’t be a next birthday feast?” asked the youth angrily.

“Little brother, you’re mistaken.” Fengxi put the trotters and the drumsticks down and walked before the young boy, stooping down and saying, “I wasn’t cursing your father not to be able to have another birthday feast, but rather saying that, seeing as how your father is so stingy, he definitely won’t have as nice a feast next time.”

Having said this, she used her two oily hands to pat the boy’s head, and no matter how the boy ducked he couldn’t duck out of the reach of her oil-stained fingers, and at the end had to withstand her patting, feeling the grease slick onto his forehead.

“Piao’er[1], this is no place for you.” Han Xuanling stepped forward, and pulled the youth behind him, and then said to Fengxi, “Bai Fengxi, if we speak of martial skill then I, Han Xuanling, am truly not your match, which is why so much of my family’s medicine have been taken by you, but today, but today you’d best not entertain any ideas of leaving here quite so easily with my medicine, because it definitely will not happen!”

“Oh?” Fengxi tilted her head and looked at the visitors who were gathered in the garden, among whom there was no lack of skilled martial artists. “That’s certainly not false, there are indeed very many masters gathered at your house today.”

After saying this, Fengxi turned to look at Han Xuanling, and said breezily, “Old Master Han, I have a friend who’s rather heavily injured, and he needs a bottle of your Purple Mansion Powder and a bottle of your Heart of Buddha Pill. Why don’t you gift me some? In any case you have so many at your house, and it saves us both the trouble of my having to start a fight over it, and sour everyone’s mood.”

Her manner was leisurely, as if taking some medicine was as simple a matter as borrowing a copper coin.

“Bai Fengxi, Old Hero Han has already been extremely patient with you; if you know what’s good for you you’ll leave immediately. If not, there are enough heroes gathered here today to do you great harm!” someone said, disengaging from the crowd. This person was quite puny, but though he was lean he was also wily, a pair of rat-like eyes spinning round in their sockets.

“I would like to go, but Old Master Han must first give me medicine,” Fengxi said, with a flick of the wrist that seemed to indicate she had no other choice.

“Heng! It seems you’d rather drink the wine of punishment than the wine of good cheer! Old Hero Han, today is your birthday, so please step aside, at let I, Wei An, teach this chit a lesson!” that Wei An said, and then made to attack, both hands curling into claws, lunging straight for Fengxi’s chest.

This Wei An, seeing how young Fengxi was, did not think that her abilities would be anything to reckon with, and thought that the reason she was so well known was because people in wulin had a tendency for exaggeration, which is why he thought to subdue Bai Fengxi with his martial skills practiced to eighty percent maturity, in order that first, his name would be famous throughout the world, and second to make himself welcome to Han Xuanling, so that he might be able to receive a few bottles of the latter’s medicine. This was definitely a good chance for him to kill two birds with one stone and with one act gain both fame and fortune!

“Ya! A master of the Eagle Claw Sect! Powerful indeed!”

Though these were the words that came from her mouth, her expression did not betray any signs of anxiety, and she looked as if she merely spun her body casually around when indeed she moved faster than normal people could, and in the time it took to blink she had evaded the two claws that had been aimed at her. And with a brandishing of her right sleeve, slicing quickly and accurately towards Wei An’s two wrists. Wei An recognised the strength in this and quickly withdrew his hands, and then his right hand suddenly made for Fengxi’s left shoulder, putting all of his strength into this one maneuver, deciding it was necessary to take Fengxi’s arm off with this attack.

“I have no quarrel with you; to attack in such a way seems to be overly cruel, no?”

Seeing the force behind his movement, Fengxi’s pupils contracted, and she moved not from it but towards it, and Wei An’s Eagle Claw landed upon her left shoulder, and upon seeing this a joy rose in Wei An’s heart, but he was suddenly startled to see that his grip on her seemed to be as if on a pile of cotton – hardly any strength at all – yet Fengxi’s right hand had at some point, without his knowledge, draped over his own right hand, and, in a flash, his right hand lost all strength, and he could only feel a pain in his bones. “Kacha!” was the noise that rang out, and the bone of his right wrist was in this way snapped by Fengxi’s bare hands!

“Ah!”

Wei An howled miserably, and then Fengxi’s sleeves whipped from his body, and Wei An fell to a knee at the ground before her.  

Within seconds, Wei An had been defeated in such away.

“Bai Fengxi, you are indeed too vicious!”

Chapter 2.2: Hei Fengxi

Before the words had been fully said, there were already people beginning to encircle Bai Fengxi, unsheathing their sabres and brandishing their swords, waving around their hands and feet, making to attack her.

Among these guests there was no shortage of Wei An’s friends, and hearing how wretchedly he was injured they could not but attempt to avenge him, while others wanted to come to the aid of Han Xuanling, and others still could not suffer Fengxi’s arrogance to pa.s.s, or wanted to join in the fun, or wanted to see for themselves whether Bai Fengxi was truly as strong as the rumours made her out to be.

In but a moment the garden was full of fluttering shadows, knocking the tables and chairs about, with flailing sabres and gliding swords. But Fengxi’s face was still full of smiles, her bearing carefree. With a casual wave of her left hand, she hit someone’s face, with a slap of her right, she struck someone’s shoulder, with a stretch of the leg, someone flew from the circle, and with a thrust of the foot, someone fell to the ground, and from time to time one could even hear her clear voice lightly scolding.

“Ya! This move is far too slow!”

“Are you stupid? If this palm had attacked my left side, I might have even been hit.”

“Idiot! Are you really going to attack from the left because I told you so?”

“This older brother, your feet are really quite stinky. I beg of you, don’t extend them here!”

“Ya, my friend, your arm is so hairy, it’s enough to scare a person half to death! Here, let me help you pluck some out!”

Between these bouts of scolding there were, every so often, the sound of screaming, porcelain breaking, and the garden began the scene of utter chaos.

But Fengxi pa.s.sed through the crowd with ease, walking where she wanted to walk, occasionally hitting this person, or sometimes clawing that person, or else pulling at this person’s fine hairs, and tugging at that person’s thick locks. These Bai heroes seemed like performing monkeys in her hands, unable to escape from her grasp no matter how hard they tried.

“Alright, I’ve wiped away all the oil on my hands; I don’t want to play anymore!”

These words had just been spoken when a length of wide silk flew out, like a dragon roaming the sky. With a “pudong! pudong!” sound, those who had been opposing her were every one of them swept off their feet and collapsed onto the ground.

After everyone was sprawled across the ground, Fengxi’s white silk was retracted into her sleeve, and she clapped her hands breezily. “Old Master Han, the heroes you’ve invited don’t seem to be all that great after all; they’re only good enough for me to wipe my hands off on!”

“Bai Fengxi, you…you…”

Looking around at all the heroes of Bai Kingdom that had come to wish him felicitations who were now collapsed in a heap about him, all badly battered, while Fengxi had only done so because she had wanted to get rid of the oil on her hands, Han Xuanling became so angry he could hardly form words.

“Old Master Han, don’t be too angry, I was ever so gentle with them.” Fengxi’s face showed no signs of remorse. “Who told them to try to overpower me with their strength in numbers? In any case, they’ve only sustained a little bit of physical damage, they’ll be better in three to five days with a bit of rest.”

“Too angry? Gentle with them?” Han Xuanling shouted, at this time no longer caring about maintaining the dignity of his status, looking at Fengxi with gnashed teeth. “My birthday festivities have been totally ruined by you, and you’re telling me not to be angry? You broke Wei An’s arm; is that what gentle looks like?!”

“Old Master Han, you can’t blame that one on me.” Fengxi waved her hands, making light of the matter. “Who told you to set down the rule that, regardless of personal weath, everyone who comes looking for medicine has to give you a thousand pounds of gold? I’m poor, where would I find the money to bring you? If you’d given the life-saving medicine to me earlier, I wouldn’t have caused such a fuss. So at the very root, it’s all because you’re too greedy and too selfish!”

“And as for Wei An, hmph!” she snorted coldly, and her gaze swept briefly over Wei An, who was still moaning and groaning off to the side. And this Wei An, having been swept by her gaze, suddenly felt a cold tremor through his body, and ceased to speak.

Coldly, Fengxi said, “In that tea pavilion just outside Ruancheng, that old uncle was only a little bit slow, and couldn’t pour tea quickly enough for this hero, Wei An, but didn’t he go so far as to hit the man hard enough to make him cough up blood? If you use martial skill to abuse people, are you still worthy of being called a hero? I want him to know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of this treatment!”

“Yes, yes yes! You’re reasonable, everything you do is reasonable! Forcing people to give you medicine is reasonable! Disturbing someone else’s birthday feast is reasonable! And injuring someone is reasonable too! Do you really believe that there is no one under heaven who can control you, Bai Fengxi? Do you really think Bai Fengxi is unparalleled?” At this point, Han Xuanling was so angry he’d started shaking all over, his blood had rushed to the top of his head, and his eyes were all ablaze as he pointed at Fengxi. “Then I’ll ask someone who really can manage you to take care of you!”

”Oh? Who? What big hero did you invite?” When she heard this, Fengxi’s eyes lit up, and she questioned Han Xuanling with sudden interest.

“Someone go to the back garden and ask Young Master Fengxi to come!” Han Xuanling beckoned an old servant over, and the servant left immediately for the back garden.

“Fengxi? Hei Fengxi? You invited Hei Fengxi to come deal with Bai Fengxi?” Fengxi asked, her face full of a strange expression.

“Hmph! What? Scared?” Seeing the expression on her face, Han Xuanling immediately a.s.sumed that she was afraid.

“No.” Fengxi shook her head, and her gaze seemed almost compa.s.sionate. “Old Master Han, who did you manage to get Hei Fengxi to show up?”

“The day before yesterday, Young Master Feng had just arrived in Ruancheng when he came to call on me, so of course I invited him.” Han Xuanling watched Fengxi carefully. “Bai Fengxi, if you have any courage, then I dare you not to escape!”

“Haha…how could I escape?” Fengxi began to laugh as if she had heard some good joke, and after she finished she turned to look upon Han Xuanling and, as if speaking to herself, she sighed, “It’s been said that it’s easy to invite a deity but harder to send it away, haven’t you heard?”

“Hmph! You’re a plague I wish I could ask to leave!” Han Xuanling stared hatefully at Fengxi. If the fire in one’s eyes could kill a person, Fengxi would now be no more than a heap of ash!

“Ai, you can’t even tell who the true plague is; I really don’t know how you’ve managed to live to today,” Fengxi said, shaking her head and sighing lightly.

Just as they were speaking, two green-robed youths stepped into the garden. They must have been fourteen or fifteen, were very neat and tidy, delicate and pretty, and they looked like mirror reflections of one another. In each of their hands was a package.

The two youths walked to the center of the garden and raised clasped hands in greeting.

“There’s no need to be so polite. May I ask where Young Master Feng is?” Han Xuanling asked hastily.

But who would have thought that these two youths turned not towards him, but towards Fengxi, and, speaking in unison, said, “Our Young Master is currently washing his face. He will be done presently, if you will please wait.”

Then they turned from Fengxi to yell at those heroes who were sprawled across the ground: “All you you need to leave immediately; our Young Master is coming soon.”

Chapter 2.3: Hei Fengxi

A voice that was as bright and clear as the call of the wind swept lightly in, not hurriedly, but not slowly, easy and refined.

And at the same time the words were spoken, there appeared at the garden gate a young man, his hair pulled back into a white jade crown, a black jade moon hanging across his forehead, wearing robes of black brocade, while around his waist hung an exquisite white belt onto which were sewn jade annuli. On his face, so handsome as to be carved out of jade, there hung a graceful, relaxed smile, and it was with this leisurely att.i.tude that he walked on the red carpet into the garden.

As the heroes looked upon this person, they each had the same thought: this kind of person must have walked out from Ruizhu Palace, where the stairs are made of white jade, where the tiles are made of green jade, where the walls are made of red coral, and the screens are made of crystal! Only this kind of person can be the one whose name has moved the world: Hei Fengxi! And only this kind of person can possibly deserve the t.i.tle of “Most Elegant”!*

Not like that one…they all turned to glance at Bai Fengxi, but when they saw that person, with her white clothes and long hair, looking like a pure lotus in the wind, standing slender and elegant in the garden, a frank face full of ease, free and unrestrained, they suddenly felt that standing like this, Bai Fengxi was also unmatched in all the world.

The black robed young man — Fengxi — sat upon the brocade chair, and lifted his left hand almost imperceptibly, and the youth on his left pa.s.sed the teacup into his hand. He lifted the lid and blew lightly on it, and sipped shallowly, and after a moment, shook his head and said, “It’s too concentrated, too heavy. Next time, put three less leaves in.”

“Yes, Young Master,” the youth on the right was quick to say, lowering his head into a bow.

Fengxi put the cover back onto the cup, and the youth on his left hurriedly took the cup with both hands and placed it back into the little table.

The garden was clearly full of over a hundred people, but it was deathly quiet, and all attendant were focused on looking at him, only thinking that this young man’s every casual word held within it an indescribable sense grace and n.o.bility that was a pleasure to be around, and no one had the heart or the courage to disturb him.

At long last, Fengxi’s gaze swept towards the crowd, and the crowd felt their hearts thump. This young man’s gaze was too bright, as if the darkest part of his heart also gave him this extreme brightness and clarity…

“Woman, long time no see,” Fengxi said, smiling, a joyful look on his face, staring straight ahead.

Following his gaze, people could see that Bai Fengxi, too, had picked out a chair for herself to sit on, but compared to Fengxi’s elegance and propriety, she really had no form of which to speak, rather, she sat slumped against the back of the chair, a long head of hair hanging to the ground, a pair of legs stretched out onto another chair, a pair of eyes closed, as if she were very sleepy.

Upon hearing Fengxi call out to her, she opened her two eyes lazily into little creases, and then yawned, spreading her arms out into a stretch, and then opened her mouth to say, “Black fox, in the time it takes you to do these annoying things every time, I could take a nap; what a waste of time!”

Though neither her words nor her actions could be considered elegant, no one seemed to get the impression that she was unsightly or vulgar, only that, since she was the one doing it, she so very dazzling, so very natural, and there was something comforting about that, as if she was born to be this way.

“Woman, even after a year, you haven’t made any progress,” Fengxi said, almost pityingly.  

Upon hearing this, Fengxi sat straight up in her chair, the lazy expression on her face wiped cleanly off, and, with an extension of her leg, the chair that was under her foot flew at Fengxi, the strength she exerted both fierce and fast, though it did not make much sound. Even still, she said. “I beg of you, I have a name. Don’t always call me woman this, woman that; people who don’t know better might think I’m your woman. It’s bad enough our names are so similar, but if there was anything else to link me to a sly, hypocritical fox like you,that would be the most tragic thing in the world!”

Yet Fengxi seemed still so much at ease. Not even so much as looking at the chair that was flying towards him, he extended his right hand, and the chair that had previously moved so quickly stopped smoothly in his hands, and with a toss, the chair then landed lightly onto the ground, without a single sound.

Seeing this, the crowd around the two nodded to themselves, asking themselves if they could do it so easily, so elegantly.

“I’m merely reminding you, that’s all. I fear that if you continue to muddle along the way you have been, you’ll forget someday that you’re a woman,” said Fengxi with quiet refinement, and then fixing her with his gaze, he shook his head. “If you want to be my woman, tsk, tsk…you’re really not my type!”

“Young Master Feng.” Han Xuanling stepped forward, reminding these two domestic squabblers that he was the one who was the master here, and that they shouldn’t go too far in considering no one else to be their equals.

“Oh, Old Hero Han, what was it you wished from me?” Fengxi turned to look at Han Xuanling, a face full of an intimate and gentle smile. “Perhaps it was to allow me to meet all these heroes from Bai Kingdom?”

“Young Master Feng, the matter I spoke to you about the day before yesterday, I don’t know…” Han Xuanling reminded this “n.o.ble guest.”

“Oh. I understand.” Fengxi replied, as if he suddenly realised what he was here to do. “You asked me to please help you teach Bai Fengxi a lesson, and at the same time get her to return all the medicines that she took from you this past year, and if she can’t return it, to have her reimburse you in gold.”

“Ah…” Fengxi began to laugh. “I’ve already used up all the medicine, and as for gold, well, I don’t have a single piece. Old man, I’m afraid you won’t find a use for your abacus here.”

“Oh, what should we do now, Old Hero Han?” Hearing this, Fengxi turned to Han Xuanling, a guileless look of helplessness on his face.

“It’s a simple matter of her admitting that she has wronged me and leaving behind both her hands. Then everything can be forgiven and forgotten.” Han Xuanling looked at Fengxi, blame coursing poisonous through his eyes, resentful that she was able to so easily steal the medicine he regarded higher than his life, that she gave it out like she gave money to the poor, and that on such a day as today, she’d come to make him lose all face.

“Wa! So cruel!” Fengxi lifted her two hands and looked him over a few times and then, quick as a wink, she appeared suddenly before Fengxi, extending both her hands and asking, “Black fox, are you going to chop off my hands?”

“Ai!” Looking at the pair of hands before him, Fengxi suddenly let out a long sigh, looking as if he’d reached the end of his rope. “What a misfortune it has been to have met a troublemaker like you i this life!”

Then he turned towards Han Xuanling and, clasping his hands, bowed to the ground.

“Please, rise, rise, the honour is too great!” Han Xuanling was quick to return the gesture, unsure of why the other man had suddenly decided to pay him this kind of honour.

“Old Hero Han, what if I were to ask for your forgiveness on her behalf?” Fengxi asked, mildly and rationally, his face exceedingly sincere. “Though she stole your medicine, it was used to rescue people and not for her own self-interest; certainly this could count as helping your family accrue good karma. Why don’t you exercise your magnanimity and forgive her immature conduct? She’s young, and doesn’t understand many things.”

“This…she…” Han Xuanling stuttered. He didn’t dare refuse Hei Fengxi, but to forgive Bai Fengxi, just like that, was truly very difficult.

“As for all the medicine she’s taken over the years, Old Hero Han, why don’t you tally up the money she owes you, and I’ll pay for it on her behalf?” Fengxi continued.

Once this was said, Han Xuanling’s heart gave a great thump, and it must be known that it wasn’t that he was an ill-intentioned person, only that he loved money very much, and it was because of this that he charged so much for his medicine.

Fengxi only had to look at him to know of the stirring in his heart, and so turned around to face those others who were gathered in the garden. “Just now, she offended each hero present, but it is her disposition to love to play around, and so played such a joke on everyone. Again, I apologise on her behalf, and hope that each hero will find it in himself to be magnanimous, and forgive her.”

His actions were too far out of the realm of expectation. Most of those gathered had only gathered because they were expecting to see the standoff of a century: Bai Fengxi against Hei Fengxi. But who knew he would shoulder everything for her instead?

Those in the garden hastened to return his respects. How many could say that they have received the deferential respects of such a well-known hero? Feeling that they have been given suitable respect, those gathered felt their grievances melt away, and they replied, “There’s no need for you to be so courteous, Young Master, how could we continue to blame Miss Feng?”

They could not help but to think: this is how a great hero should behave! Only, what was the nature of the relationship between the pair? Why would he apologise and pay on her behalf? And looking at the way the two of them acted around one another, they were neither friends nor enemies.

And Bai Fengxi did not look too impressed with Hei Fengxi’s actions. She merely stood to the side and watched the proceedings with indifference, a shallow smile that was hard to understand hanging from her lips.

“Since everyone seems to be in agreement, why don’t we head to the Tower of Intoxicated Immortals in the center of town, and I will treat everyone to the finest wine?” Fengxi asked.

At his words, the crowd was astir, each more excited than the next.

A large man detached himself from the rest of the ground, wrapping one hand around the other fist in greeting. “Though we are merely nameless wanderers, it is truly our luck to have met Bai Feng and Hei Xi today. Today, at the Tower of Intoxicated Immortals, I only beg that Young Master Fengxi will allow me to play host, and for this Young Master to drink a gla.s.s* with all the heroes gathered here!”

“Yes! We ask the Young Master to do us this honour,” those gathered exclaimed.

“Very well! Fengxi has no choice but to obey.”

He answered with a smile, but in the instant he turned, he caught a glimpse of of the shallow wisp of a smile on Fengxi’s face, and the two looked eyes, exchanging a glance that only the two of them seemed to understand.

The girl then spun, pointing a finger at the twins. “Is it on you or is it on him?”

The twins, being pointed at thus by Fengxi, couldn’t help but to turn to their master for guidance. With a wan smile, Fengxi said, “Zhong Yuan, give it to her.”

The twin on the left – Zhong Yuan – took a mahogany box from the parcel in his hands and pa.s.sed it over to Fengxi.

As Fengxi opened the lid, the people in the garden felt blinded for an instant by the radiant light emitting out of the box, and they could see that within the box lay pearls the size of thumbs, miniature willow trees made of gold, mountains carved out of cornelian, Buddha’s palms made of red coral, and green crystals the size of a grown man’s hand, and each item was exceptionally refined and delicate.

Before the crowd had a chance to see clearly, Fengxi closed the box with a peng! and walked before Han Xuanling, saying, “Old man, the items in this box are not worth less than ten thousand taels of gold, enough to buy all the medicine I’ve previously taken from you and then some, so why don’t you give me another bottle of your Purple Mansion Powder and your Buddha’s Heart Pill?”

“This…all this is for me?” Han Xuanling’s large, staring eyes looked from to box and then from one Fengxi to the other, looking surprisingly hesitant. Though he was a very well off man, even he could not quite believe in the appearance of so many rare treasures before him.

“Why don’t you accept these, Old Master Han, as my payment on behalf of the chit, and give her some more medicine?” Fengxi nodded, smiling.

“Of course…of course!” Han Xuanling nodded and nodded, over and over, and quickly took the box from Fengxi’s hands, his own shaking a little.

“Then I’ll go get the medicine!” Fengxi smiled, and then, in a flash, even her shadow had disappeared from the garden.

“En,” Han Xuanling nodded and agreed, but then suddenly jumped up as if remembering something, and yelled loudly, “Wait! Bai Fengxi, you stay right here! O Heavens, my medicine…she’ll clean me out again!”

He chased after her as quickly as he could, and even from a distance, one could hear his heartbroken wails.

*rather an incomplete translation; it’s something like: Fengxi is one of the Four Young Masters, and among the four he’s known as Most Elegant, but there was no way to fit that in without making it sound weird

*psht Chinese people don’t use gla.s.ses but it didn’t seem elegant to say “drink a cup” or “drink a bowl.” It also didn’t seem very elegant to say “get drunk with,” so.

The two youths began to act just as the sounds of their speech reached spectator ears, moving with incredible speed around the garden. Some of the Bai Kingdom swordsmen picked themselves up, but others were shoved aside by their little hands, and the tables, the chairs, the plates, the bowls, were all kicked away by their feet or picked up by their hands. In no time at all, they had cleared up a s.p.a.ce.

After clearing everything away, one of the youths went to bring over a large mahogany chair, and another brought a small tea table, after which they opened their bundles. One brought out a little broom, with which he dusted the chair and the tea table, while the other laid a brocade cushion on the chair. And then one brought out a jade teacup while the other raised a jasper teapot; one raised the lid while the other poured still-hot water onto the tea leaves.

Their movements were very quick and nimble, over in but an instant, and once they were done, they left, only to return again presently to lay down red carpet all the way to the chair and, when they had finished everything, they took up positions to the left and right of the chair.

As they were doing all of this, Han Xuanling and his host of heroes looked on blankly, not knowing what to make of anything, while Fengxi watched silently, the look on her face like a smile, yet not a smile, like mockery, yet not a mockery.

Another moment pa.s.sed, yet Hei Fengxi had still not appeared. Even Han Xuanling longed to ask after him, yet, gazing upon the stillness of the two young servants, he swallowed the question that had risen to his tongue.

“Ah…” Fengxi yawned widely, then suddenly restrained herself, and called out: “Black fox, if you don’t get out here this minute, I will skin you alive!”

“Woman, you’ve always been so crude.”