act19mini

Go ahead.

And that's it... duoxie.

Why do you thank me?

Without a master like you, I wouldn't know which moves should be polished, and which moves should be scrapped.

I didn't need you to say anything. All I needed was your reaction.

Your face told me all I needed to know about which moves stand out, and which moves are flawed.

You said you didn't want to take up the sword again, but you looked like an inveterate drunkard who just saw a jug of wine. You can't hide it.

The jianghu is too dangerous for a simple one like you.

Haha, you're absolutely right.

Interesting... ouch—

Here, take this medicine.

I thought you would keep holding your pain.

The wound opened when I laughed.

What happened?

I was waylaid on my way out of Jiangqi, after delivering the last batch of goods for the season.

Enemies of yours?

Yeah.

A job that I took a few years ago... it was only after I killed the man that I realized he wasn't just an evil rich man. Many people had reason to thank him.

And reason to take revenge for him, even though they were not his kin.

They must have watched me for a long time. They finally dared to attack when they were sure that I had lost my sword, and I hadn't fought in a long time.

I barely escaped with my life to meet you here.

How many enemies came for your life in this past year?

Too many to remember.

And you just kept running?

What was I supposed to do, let them kill me?

You could have killed those petty minions easily, sword or no sword.

To what end? One can never truly kill all of one's enemies. Kill one, and you make another.

I'll just keep sinking deeper.

And what of it?

Isn't that what the jianghu is about? Live free and live without regret. If your sword-hand slows down and you fall to someone stronger, that's just how things are.

You've seen the best and worst of the jianghu. What's so bad about such a life?

Besides, is laying low and keeping your head down the rest of your life really the way you want to live?

I still think losing my sword was a sign from Heaven.

(Frowns without comment)

Come in, friends.

Your tea is ready. You should drink it before it gets cold.

Let's go. You can leave once you've had your tea.

But I just arrived...

My swordsmanship has improved greatly in the past year, but you haven't figured out how to live without the sword. I won the bet this year.

See you again next year.

...Very well.

Year three...

You're still alive.

How have you been? I don't see many new wounds. Have your enemies grown fewer, or have you learned to run faster?

Year four...

'Marking a boat to find a sword'? How could anyone be so stupid?

Although I've never seen a boat, nor the river, nor the sea.

'Lotus leaves as far as the eye could see, an endless green becoming one with the sky...' I wonder what it looks like.

Year five...

See you next year.

Year six...

Hey!

Oh, there you are.

I got within two inches of you, and you didn't notice... I could have killed you easily, if I wanted to.

You still can.

Hmph. You were distracted by something else... what are you hiding?

Oh—

Notice, warrant, bounty...

'Delivering Blade'... is it the name of you and your sword?

Yeah.

You keep talking about ridding yourself of your sword, getting away from the jianghu, then you commit all these crimes?

Not me. The Delivering Blade.

What do you mean?

The Delivering Blade, which had been quiet for so many years, has once again become active in recent months, leaving a trail in multiple nomadic cities, Jiangqi, Langyi, Shangshu, Lungmen...

Or should I say, a trail of blood.

I told you last year that medicinal herb harvests were poor across the board. I had a really tough year, trying to my debts settled with a few major clients...

You mean someone's stealing your name to do evil? Attempting to frame you directly, even?

Why?

For twenty years I've worked for both the law and the underworld. There must be countless warrants and bounties on my head, but there's one thing I can be sure—

Whether they're trying to catch people's attention, or hide their true aim... the name of the Delivering Blade is convenient for them.

Which means the Delivering Blade can never escape the jianghu.

Funny, isn't it?

You're concerned?

It's been six years since I lost my sword. This was a sign from Heaven for me to distance myself from all this... and I almost succeeded.

When I first set foot into the jianghu, I just wanted to make a living by the sword while doing a few good deeds along the way. But the further I went, the less my will was my own.

It's only now that I realize the jianghu is a vortex, a gigantic vortex, and there's only one way out of it—

Don't get sucked in, in the first place.

You're in pain.

I've never seen you like this before.

Is that so? Perhaps.

...Enough about me. What about you?

Me?

...It's true. You could have killed me if you wanted to, just now.

Your skills have improved tremendously over the last few years.

No secret tomes, no teacher, not even a sparring partner in this little town. You've come this far on your own talent alone...

You don't even feel surprised or confused about all that's happened to me. Your mental attainment, too, is far beyond the ordinary.

The first time we met, I tried to dissuade you from studying the sword, out of my own experiences alone. But perhaps...

Perhaps you're a true genius who belonged in the jianghu all along.

You should leave this town and see what lies outside.

You're right.

It's something that I must do.

Young lady...

What is it?

Frankly, there aren't many who would be a match for you at this point. There's no need to linger in this tiny town. If you want to leave, you should.

We met each other by the tidings of fate. I would like to give you a present, if you'd take it—the name of the Delivering Blade.

Call yourself his student, even the Delivering Blade himself. I could even give you a token to prove it... the jianghu can be a treacherous place, after all, and it'll make life a lot easier for you.

You should go. Let's bring this annual meeting to an end.

It's not time yet.

What?

I haven't found a way to leave this town... but I will, soon.